Friday, October 11, 2013

Seen in SeptemberĀ 


Still from one of the many famous montages in Man with a Movie Camera

It's probably time to start seeing more films of substance which is kind of an Autumn thing to do anyway. It's odd, while Hollywood shakes it moneymakers for summer blockbusters I find I always watch more films in the fall and winter. Yet, my recent trend has been to watch more TV shows. The current long form narrative takes place on high quality screens at home over many weeks. Series such as Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones hold more interest than going out to a theatre it seems. A theatre may have big screens and big sound and junk food, but most people have better food (and beer) at home, and pretty damn big screens and sound systems. I still enjoy seeing a movie in a theatre but it would have to be pretty good to coax me away from a cold drink and my very comfy couch. Here's what I saw from the cheap seats this month.

Dredd
Given the horrible failure of the Stallone version (which apparently is its appeal) I didn't hold much hope for this movie. Based on a comic book series, Judge Dredd, we find America in ruins, a dystopian future where the only agents of justice are judges who are peace officers, judges, juries and executioners rolled into one. Ah ye of little faith. This graphically ultraviolent version puts its foot on the gas and doesn't let up for a second. Dredd is as terrifying and indefatigable as he ever was in print. In this film he is assigned a psychic rookie judge as they wander into a massive apartment block controlled by a gang distributing a disturbing new drug. Well worth watching if you're trying to escape reality, even if the ultraviolent reality of our own time includes Syria or East Africa.
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