A Goth’s Month in Review: November 2012

This month we ventured out of our respective girl and boy caves to meet fellow Ottawa folks who love film as much as we do.

This was rare. We are introverted. In fact, it is a fear of meeting new people that has probably contributed to our prolific output in support of this site:  750 reviews and counting.

But we are glad we left our homes.

We got to meet the charming Jack Horwitz of the Canadian Film Institute. Jack was touring the increasing chilly town with a treasure trove of National Film Board (NFB) film shorts and snippets of Canadian feature film history. Through the intensive NFB retrospective at public libraries around Ottawa, we got a glimpse into Jack Horwitz’s lovingly hand-selected stacks of VHS tapes and DVDs.

Mr. Horwitz shared that the earliest screenings of Canadian films were done in community centres, church basements and public libraries, with screenings led by itinerant cinema evangelists with projectors.

Fortunately, Canadian film has come a long, long way since then. Oh, wait…

Hacker Renders and I agreed we could listen to Mr. Horwitz for a very long time indeed. His stories were fascinating, his enthusiasm for Canadian film infectious. He is great.

I think if Canadian cinema had 1,000 Jack Horwitzes out there, roaming around the country, everyone would be watching.

This November, besides the crash course in the history of the NFB, I was watching sequels. Some were better than their forerunners, others were the idiot children to their older, more accomplished film siblings.

So finally, to all those fellow fanatical filmsters out there who brave the cold, hard library chairs and downtown parking, here’s my favourite, surprise, disappointment, least-liked, and a piece of true patriot love by my fellow native son’s commanding command.

Favourite
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) on 2012/11/04

* * * *

“Hellboy, Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman and Tom Manning are like very old friends.  That’s why I can forgive old friends for bickering with one another incessantly, falling over drunk and even caterwauling along to Barry Manilow’s ‘Can’t Smile Without You.'”

Surprise
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) on 2012/11/27

* * * *

“Sherlock makes me do mad things.

“And speaking of mad, how about this Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes sequel? It is barking mad. I mean Sherlock Holmes in a dress, blonde ringlets, blue eyeshadow and orange-red lipstick – mad.

“I quite liked it.”

Disappointment
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) on 2012/11/25

* * *

“This last nostalgic screening left me feeling that, like the 80s, the world of the The Road Warrior is a fun place to visit but I’m glad I don’t live there (any more).”

.

Least-Liked
The Skulls II (2002) on 2012/11/12

* *

“I can always tell when a movie is really missing the mark for my favourite teenager Miss_Tree and I when we start making up new dialogue and brainstorming more interesting plot points.

“The Skulls II was such a movie. In this case, our bored extrapolations included a man-eating red motorbike, and former president George W. Bush coming out at the end and killing everyone with a hammer.”

Show Me
The Barbarian Invasions (2003) on 2012/11/26

* * * * *

“My initial reaction was that this is the kind of experience Gru would call “absolutely brain-breaking”. There is no easy entry, and no easy end. Once the insidious Barbarian Invasions has taken root in your mind, you’ll be hard put to wrench yourself away from its edifying ideas.”