Muse by Craig Ranapia

Nice. Looks like half my family is heading your way this evening. Feel free to engage Jimmy in talk about film. He is perceptive.

I really, really miss Film Society (the kidlet put paid to my membership) and it's a fantastic bargain. Join, you bastards! (Or don't. I don't want to get all up in your respective grills. But it's awesome.)

In fact, the trifecta of The Shop Around the Corner, Viaggio in Italia AND my favourite movie of all time, Singin' in the Rain on the big screen, might be enough to make me find a babysitter later in the year. Save a $30 sampler card for me...

my favourite movie of all time, Singin’ in the Rain on the big screen

If only that one song was half its length...

I am confused. You want the entire film to be twice as long as the song 'Singin' in the Rain', which would make the film very short? Or you want the giant end number of fabulousness to be chopped in half, which would make the film... somewhat shorter?

Either way, you are 100% wrong. :)

I hereby grant Danielle full power of attorney to represent me in this conversation.

Nice. Looks like half my family is heading your way this evening. Feel free to engage Jimmy in talk about film. He is perceptive.

Yay! Let's just hope he doesn't take Mme. Huppert as a role model, or things could get dreadfully tense -- scowling, aggressive smoking, rough sex and homicide all over the show.

Another reason: I'm not sure about other centres but as far as I'm aware all the cinemas in Wellington give student concession prices on presentation of a current Film Society membership card. I think that's awesome :)

Venetia:

Thanks you for catching some errors that survived the third proof-reading (honest). If I'm going to keep crowd-sourcing the editorial work like this, I've got to score some prizes.

Or you want the giant end number of fabulousness to be chopped in half, which would make the film… somewhat shorter?

The one with the doors. Whatever that one is, it's far too long.

...and we are getting a very rare screening of my favourite New Zealand film, Illustrious Energy

See, I think we should get a group of PASers to go to one of these films, so that you can all explain to me what the fuck is going on. I have decided, after much intellectual exercise, that I am becoming distinctly anti-intellectual, and have been for some time. Although I am going to the Spiegeltent on Thursday to an Arts Festival offering. Does that count?

also film society do discounts on membership for beneficiaries which is so amazingly wonderful it is wonderfulness itself.

The one with the doors. Whatever that one is, it’s far too long.

'Broadway Melody'? With (the late and glorious) Cyd Charisse? And her *legs*?

Well, there's nowt so queer as folk.

Illustrious Energy

Leon Narbey has a wonderful eye

I am becoming distinctly anti-intellectual

though you still have a way to go before qualfiying as a member of the current cabinet

Oh, I'm not anti people who are intellectual, I just always thought I was intellectual, but since hanging around with you lot, I have discovered that actually? I'm pretty average. Happy to be so, but.

I don't have the numbers to hand, but it looks like the AFS had one of -- if not the -- best attended opening nights in years. Isabelle Huppert, je t'aime.

Pomme eating her apples. She was knowledgeable from the start. So the downfall happens not because of but despite knowledge.

I'm not convinced by the ending. But it's a very French condemnation of the bourgeoisie.

Danielle, I am so heartily in agreement with you about Singin' In The Rain. A full membership, while desirable, wouldn't be so practical right now but the sampler option sounds like a fantastic way to see this beautiful film on a massive screen.

And yeah, it is long, but at least the dream ballet is one of the most engaging and purposeful of its kind (don't get me started on the one in Oklahoma :/)

Russian Ark is just incredible. You just can't help watching in the manner of a small child, expecting that any moment the camera is going to take some dreadful pratfal, or that they're going to trick you and insert an edit somewhere. So you sit with your senses heightened, paying more frame-by-frame attention than you'd normally be prepared to invest, and you're rewarded with something akin to a ride on a roller coaster.

But a big, sumptuous, sparkly roller coaster on which everyone is drinking vodka and/or champagne and looking gorgeous. And when it ends you want to go again, because then you know what's coming and you can stop sitting there like a particularly hypervigilant meerkat and can enjoy the ride.

Or that maybe just me.

Or that maybe just me.

No, it’s not just you. Another quite subtle thing you don’t notice unless it’s done badly (and is near perfect in Russian Ark ) is just blocking scenes with hundreds of extras. The wonderful final sequence, with the camera smoothly drifting down the grand staircase, this crush of people seamlessly parting and closing around the camera. Awe inspiring.

[documentaries featuring] Hitler and horny wildlife

Triumph of the Wildebeest?

I don’t have the numbers to hand, but it looks like the AFS had one of – if not the – best attended opening nights in years. Isabelle Huppert, je t’aime.

I do have the numbers for the Wellington Film Sociey:

“Well, we’ve got off to a good start for the year, with GET LOW attracting an audience of 256, and THE LACEMAKER 243. The number of new members is also very satisfying, obviously attracted by our very strong programme…”

From the WFS newsletter, so that sounds promising.

(I missed Get Low, which I regret after reading Dan Slevin’s review in Cap Times. I caught Lacemaker, and that was excellent.)

Triumph of the Wildebeest?

I have a horrible feeling there's a whole channel on Sky dedicated to precisely that...