This week I watched Interstellar, and Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

After I read this review, I watched the entire show and found it riveting. In terms of aesthetic, I'm not fond of either of the genres/milieus Anna and Shane belong to, but watching the process was still fascinating. Though they both made it through the other end, I suspect they may have been "cast" a little more for…

Well, my answer on Rinaldo was definitely way off then. I got the Dissonance quartet, though. In general, I didn't get quite the level of hand cramp I was expecting during the exam, so that was good.

I'm not sure if the director's cut is especially different in this case. Generally I'm not too picky about original vs. director's cut, but if it's a really famous case of studio tampering I'll go with the director's cut. Hulce is really interesting in the movie because, though he isn't really Mozart the historical…

I love The Red Shoes, and I've actually ended up re-watching it at least once a year since I first saw (that was only 4 years ago, but it's the only movie other than Chinatown I see on a yearly basis). I think that the divide between work and home is well-captured for the fable/fairy-tale nature of the film (being…

Logan's Run is so great with the cheesy stuff. I particularly love the costume design, with its psychedelic campiness, and Goldsmith's score strikes just the right tone, which is campy yet still able to do the emotional moments well (the sunrise was really cool musically).

Wait until the musical episode, where they bring back the Nightman song in crazy fashion.

I like The Rules of the Game alright, but I was expecting a little more comedy from it than it actually delivered (which would have made the sometimes on-the-nose class warfare stuff sit better for me as well).

Actually, I just watched the second episode of the Chair. The NY indie filmmaker uses almost the exact same words my brother uses to describe them pejoratively to describe how she wants to come off, so clearly their aesthetic is coming through loud and clear.

I actually found the essay section fairly easy, because I answered the question on Leopold's letter, which didn't ask for a lot of musical examples and analysis but for general aesthetic principles essay answer stuff.

I think I'm probably just being overly harsh because the "indie" aesthetic generally rubs me the wrong way - my brother describes it as wanting people to be aware that the filmmaker can feel things - and the monologue that introduces Ruby was far, far too precious in my opinion.

Really? I did have an exam on Saturday, so this is a little strange (given the overwhelming American-ness of the AVClub). How do you think the exam went for you?

This week I watched Amadeus, Kate and Leopold and Ruby Sparks.

The problem is that many critics don't understand the visual elements of movies too well, because most university media/film courses (at least in my experience) don't force you to learn them and it's much easier for BA students to crap out an essay on gender/representation/sexuality than a textual analysis essay.

Living in New Zealand, that question doesn't come up. However, a friend of mine was in Wellington (where the Conchords live) for three days and got his picture taken with Bret twice - one time on the bus. I've lived there for three years and have only ever seen them in passing

As a New Zealander, I may be a little biased, but I saw this a couple of months ago and had a great time. While it's not highly sophisticated (the director basically called it Scooby-Doo for adults), it is highly funny, with a tightly structured script and generally strong characterisation. Unlike D'Angelo, I really…

It is super-convenient, because it comes out around 5pm on a Sunday which is quite a good time to write it up.

I thought Bracken's mugging was funny (though that it is very much a personal opinion), and I think it went a way towards selling the ridiculous farcical tone Sturges needed to make the movie work.

This week I watched Death Spa, Blazing Saddles and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek.

The better question is why aren't they picking better old musicals? There's plenty of great ones that haven't had film adaptations (not that that's stopping them).