I try to make a habit of seeing as many new release films as possible, partiularly those that a) have pop culture resonance or b) seem poised to receive major accolades. The reason being that these are the films that will likely come into conversation (actual or digital) in the next 6-8 months. They are also the ones you're expected to have a constructed opinion about. And I do not tolerate echoing general critical consensus in lieu of real opinion making. Criticizing films sight unseen is slander. I sat through Gigli purely so that when I mocked it viciously, it came from a place of truth. Simply going along with the negative flow would have been dishonest. So when faced with a film suchs as Saul Dibb's The Duchess, a feature whose every fiber seems to contradict any and all things which appeal to me - honesty, temerity, unpretentious raw smarts - I have nowhere to turn. Despite galvinizing critics, the film has a real awards future. Nominations in fields such as costuming and art direction seem to be a lock. And depending on the intensity of emerging competition, stars Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes just may be on an awards shortlist, if not the actually nomination ballot. When the Oscars role around, the cynic in me would love to inform anyone who asks about how the slow, sullen film is unworthy of all prizes. But of course, to do that I'd have to see it. And to see it, just might deaden my soul.
Friday, September 26, 2008
I Just Don't Think I Can Do It
I try to make a habit of seeing as many new release films as possible, partiularly those that a) have pop culture resonance or b) seem poised to receive major accolades. The reason being that these are the films that will likely come into conversation (actual or digital) in the next 6-8 months. They are also the ones you're expected to have a constructed opinion about. And I do not tolerate echoing general critical consensus in lieu of real opinion making. Criticizing films sight unseen is slander. I sat through Gigli purely so that when I mocked it viciously, it came from a place of truth. Simply going along with the negative flow would have been dishonest. So when faced with a film suchs as Saul Dibb's The Duchess, a feature whose every fiber seems to contradict any and all things which appeal to me - honesty, temerity, unpretentious raw smarts - I have nowhere to turn. Despite galvinizing critics, the film has a real awards future. Nominations in fields such as costuming and art direction seem to be a lock. And depending on the intensity of emerging competition, stars Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes just may be on an awards shortlist, if not the actually nomination ballot. When the Oscars role around, the cynic in me would love to inform anyone who asks about how the slow, sullen film is unworthy of all prizes. But of course, to do that I'd have to see it. And to see it, just might deaden my soul.
