Apologies for Lack of Reviews

Just a quick note to apologize for the lack of reviews of new releases in the past little while. To be honest, I've had a little trouble gathering up the requisite enthusiasm for many recent releases. It also doesn’t help that I wasn’t able to shake off a cold for a few weeks there – and that just tired me out. Now that my paternity leave is over, and I’m back at work, it’s a little harder to find the energy to get up and go to the movies for a late show on Sunday, Monday or Wednesday nights, which is normally when I go. I have made the effort when I feel I have to – like Furious 7 – but for somewhat lesser titles, like Get Hard, Run All Night or The Gunman, all films normally I would have seen, the sickness and the tiredness conspired against me. Other titles that normally I would have checked out – like Danny Collins or Woman in Gold – aren’t playing at my local multiplex, so a 45 minute drive each way would be necessary – which I do not mind if it’s something I really want to see, kind of do mind when it’s a seeming mediocrity like those.

Rest assured however, that I will be coming back strong soon. Friday sees me with an afternoon and evening off in Toronto, so that means movies – will definitely fit in Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young and Olivier Assayas’ Clouds of Sils Maria. And after that, despite my caution on both titles, both Unfriended and True Story are opening close to me this weekend – and both have subject matters too far up my alley to miss.

I’ve also been catching up or some home viewing in preparation for upcoming movies – I watched the Mad Max trilogy over the weekend (I had seen The Road Warrior before, not the other two) and Tobe Hooper/Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist (for, which I am ashamed to admit, I had not seen before). I hope to write about them soon – although I may hold back to closer to the release of the remakes in May before posting. I also finally caught up with 2012’s Sinister – after seeing the creepy trailer for the sequel made me remember I had never seen if before. I may write something on that as well – although, again, since the sequel doesn’t hit until August, I may hold off posting it. I’m on a little bit of a horror kick recently – and will likely catch up with some “classics”, both old and new, of the genre. Up next for me a double bill of Kiyoshi Kurosawa – Cure (1997) and Pulse (2001) – both of which has been on my “to watch” list for far too long, Amer by Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani – which is one of just 6 films on the on The AV’s Club recently published 100 Best of the decade - so far – and the second highest ranking “missed” title right behind Bertrand Bonello’s House of Pleasures (another film I plan to eventually catch up on). And, because I like the title, Larry Cohen’s God Told Me To (1977).

All of that is in the weeks to come however, and doesn’t do readers any good right now. So, I’m dusting off a few old reviews I wrote last year and didn’t publish – for classics like Luis Bunuel’s Simon of the Desert, Frank Perry’s The Swimmer, Michael Mann’s Thief, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation and One From the Heart and Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye (that last one is a pre-requisite re-watch before we all groove out on Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice, on Blu-Ray in a few weeks – and yes, I still watch Blu-Rays – and even DVDs!).