Monday was a rest night. I was extremely exhausted and out of it, so it was lucky that I didn't have to go out to movies.
Tuesday was an awesome movie night. First I saw My Kid Could Paint That about four year old Marla Olmstead whose abstract paintings sell for thousands of dollars. It was an exceptionally well made documentary, mixing interviews with Marla (as much as you can get a four year old to interview), her parents, the gallery owner who first showed her work, modern art critics and face time with the film maker himself as it starts to become unclear if Marla is producing the paintings all on her own or if there is coaching from Daddy.
There are some fascinating discussions to be had about the nature of art and the art world based off this film, and the director was at the screening and we had a q&a afterwards with him that lasted nearly an hour. It was so so good.
After that I caught up with Svend and we went to Noise, an Australian drama about a cop with tinnitus who is put to work in a caravan to take witness accounts after a shooting in a train. There was a parallel story with the one survivor of the shooting, a girl who saw the killer. The movie was just very well made, slickly shot and with a very involving soundtrack. The characters were all real, no stereotypes (although some seemed to be at first). The lead was so blokey Aussie, but also deeply troubled and unafraid to confront people.
The story was tense and funny and well crafted and just....I will be buying it on DVD. Let's leave it at that.
On Wednesday Lee and I met up for a light dinner at Kazu (yum yum takoyaki) and then went to see Manufacturing Dissent which, compared to My Kid Could Paint That, was a not so good doco. It was just kind of poorly put together, and we didn't get enough information.
I'm a Michael Moore fan, as you know, but I came to this with an open mind because I realise that no one is perfect. The movie is meant to show you what a fraud Michael is, and how he alters the truth to make his movies more entertaining. I have to see I saw very little proof. Mostly they were picking holes in 'Roger and Me', and having interviews with people about Michael.
It does seem sus that Michael refused to talk to the filmmakers, but then they did approach him in the lead up to the election, when he was travelling around America trying to get people to vote and then again in the wake of Farenheit 9/11 when he was obviously, again, pretty busy.
Mostly I'm annoyed that this movie was meant to expose Moore, and I was distinctly unconvinced on that count.
Thursday was another rest from movie making. We ended up moving two carloads of stuff.
Friday night we saw Perfect Creature, a New Zealand film starring Dougray Scott and Saffron Burrows. It was a steampunk confection of alternate history. Vampires are the ruling class/heirophants; the Brotherhood, living in churches, where people go to worship and give blood. It was all Victorian slums and dirt and cops and coolness. I was impressed. Go see it if it comes back, k?
Now it is Saturday morning and I watched a TV show on the stage challenge and we're seeing two more movies this afternoon/evening.
PoF: I want that owl hoodie
CO: pebbles for breakfast
tricked you! There is no more!
Posted by jenni at August 4, 2007 11:19 AM