REEL REVIEWS

Scout asked me why I like to watch all these ‘off’ films that no one knows about. I told him I don’t know. I guess I’ve already seen most of the current films I want to see. The Air I Breathe 20 minutes of this film was enough. Regardless of the well-known ensemble cast (which was why I wanted to see it) this film lacks everything worth watching. The intertwining stories of the sinister side of life included WAY too much insight of the pretentious underworld for me. Similar to the movie Crash, this film leaves you weary thinking about all the bad happening in the world. F-bombs, violence and darkness (as in lack of sunlight) distract this already train-wrecked story line. Definitely NOT a ladies film! I don’t think men would enjoy it either. The White Countess A love story of sorts set in WWII Shanghai. Wonderful costumes, lovely sets. Sadly, you don’t get to see much of Shanghai because there isn’t much of 1930s Shanghai left to see. Great story, but the film was a little too long for me. (I find my patience whittling away for bits that aren’t important to the story line.) I understand the pace of the film was in direct relation to the time it was recording. I would have liked to see more character development. Similar to Cinderella, the story follows a short time frame of a Russian royal, what she needs to do to keep her step family afloat and a friendship with a man she meets while doing just that. Not quite rental quality—wait for the Lifetime TV special. Two down, 43 more to go… After some reflection on my recent reviews, I’m coming to the conclusion that the fast paced TV we watch these days (even slow reality shows) is hurting the film industry. My question---How/Why can writers jam-pack a one hour TV show and drag out a film for 2 hours? It doesn’t make sense. Until filmmakers and production companies are aware of the shift, America will be skipping the $10 movie to stay home and watch TV.