Celluloid #131

In Theaters


Weekend (2011) Haigh - A love story between Glenn and Russell. They meet at a club on a Thursday and go home together. After the awkward morning after, they end up spending the afternoon together as well. Glenn finally reveals that he is leaving for the U.S. (P.S. this film is British) the next day. Glenn is significantly more political while Russell is more reserved and closeted about his sexuality. There are lots of conversations about being gay, and specific issues affecting that community that somehow don't come across as preachy. I also appreciate the fairly realistic portrayal of drug use in this film. Overall an enjoyable indie romance. 4/5

In Home


Evil Dead (1981) Raimi - Five friends rent a cabin in the woods. One of the former tenants happened to be an archaeologist who reproduced some type of Book of the Dead - causing the woods to come alive with evil spirits. Cheryl essentially gets raped by some tree limbs and roots and then one by one the friends all turn into the undead, except for Ash, which isn't very consistent. Gets really gory by the end, but the special effects are ridiculously bad. 3.5/5

Friday the 13th (1980) Cunningham - This summer camp is apparently cursed. Jason was  a kid at camp who drowned while his counselors were fucking. Now his mom is out for revenge and trying to prevent the camp from opening. Hilarious to see Kevin Bacon in a small part, but I kept yelling at the "last girl" for being too much of an idiot. 3.5/5

Celluloid #37

In Theaters

Waltz with Bashir (2008) Folman- Animated documentary about the Lebanon War and one man's inability to remember his experiences in it. This film tackles the nature of memory, post-traumatic stress, and the blocking out of terrible events. The dog scene at the beginning, the scene with the naked soldiers emerging from the water, and the scene with the giant lady were the highlights for me. The last quarter or third of the movie seemed less focused and lost me a little, but overall a worthwhile viewing. 4/5

In Home

El Analfabeto (The Illiterate One) (1961) Delgado - A man in his 30s (at least) cannot read or write. He receives a letter from his dead uncle and decides to enroll in school to finally learn. There's also a ridiculously sappy love story. Other people take advantage of Inocencio, but there always seems to be someone who admires the steps he has taken to better himself and therefore looks out for him. The film is pretty dated, but has a sweet message (I suppose) about the importance of literacy, but too saccharine for my tastes. 3/5

Wattstax (1973) Stuart - This documentary covers the concert at the L.A. Coliseum, complete with enjoyable performances by the Staples Singers, the Rance Allen Group, the Bar-Kays, Luther Ingram, Isaac Hayes, and more. Interspersed between the music are interviews of people living in Watts. The interviews focus on how Watts has changed (or not) since the riots, black power, and a lot about blacks and relationships. In my opinion, Richard Pryor is the weakest part of this film. 4/5

Weekend (1967) Godard - So this movie is pretty bizarre, but I liked it! In one scene a couple makes plans to kill her parents. In another a man believes himself to be God. An endless traffic jam. There's a scene revolving around cannibalism (and a pretty gruesome scene with a pig). Most entertaining to me were the abundance of car accidents, and car heaps littered all over the countryside. Godard also inserts his political rants to greater and lesser success...4/5