It’s a late one tonight. I saw two movies today – X-Men Origins: Wolverine (thumbs down - review attached in separate email) and Star Trek (thumbs up - review to follow next week). The season of summer blockbusters is underway.
Thanks to everyone and their positive feedback on the new newsletter format and the mini reviews. I’m currently in the process of giving my website a much overdue facelift. I’m not the most gifted human being when it comes to website design but hopefully I’ll be able to conjure up something that is both informative and has sex appeal.
The Cannes Film Festival line up was announced last week and as I highlighted two weeks ago, there are some big name directors who will be unveiling their latest films. In competition, there are new flicks from Alejandro Amenabar (The Others), Lars von Trier (Breaking The Waves), Jane Campion (The Piano), Pedro Almodovar (Talk To Her), Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), Ken Loach (The Wind That Shakes The Barley), Isabel Coixet (Elegy), Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) and Michael Haneke (Hidden).
All I can say is wow! I’d love be on the jury this year, that’s for sure. We’ll hopefully see most of these new films released in Australia later in 2009. It gives me hope with what has been a so-so year to date.
I’d also like to mention a film which has caught my attention, and plenty of others it would seem in the United States. The film is called Outrage and it screened a couple of nights ago at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. What makes it so controversial is that the film publically “outs” gay politicians in the U.S. who have voted against anti-gay legislation. This has always been a taboo subject matter but director Kirby Dick has drawn a line and decided to cross it, for better or worse. His motivation is to bring the issue of gay rights into the limelight and expose those who have tried to suppress it. Is he doing the right thing? I don’t know the answer to that but I look forward to seeing this film down the line. You can view the trailer by clicking here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgESXQccWi8.
See you next week.