2012 Viewing Journal #2

"Midnight In Paris" I'm not really willing to do the research, but I'm pretty sure Woody Allen has made a film a year for a lot of years. His most recent is the only one I've seen in many of those years. I think since 'Hollywood Ending'. I've been meaning to catch up with 'Match Point', knowing its pretty great, but things happen.

God, did I love this movie. I spoke to me on levels, both cinematic and emotional, on which I've rarely been spoken. My affection for it is very personal, but very real. Like 'Purple Rose of Cairo' and 'Zelig' (all three for very different reasons), it's a Woody Allen movie I'm sure to return to often.

"Contagion" If the reports of Steven Soderbergh's retirement are true, we'll be losing someone truly special in cinema today. While I'm not sure he's a genius director, he's a craftsman whose cinematic choices are as varied and well executed as any we've ever seen. 'Contagion' is his contribution to the biological horror genre - a cautionary tale of disease in our global community. And damn, is it scary.

What impressed me most about the film is its effortlessly expository storytelling. So much 'plot' needs to be conveyed and Soderbergh is able to do so visually, through action and interaction, escalating the conflict behind our backs and under our radar. One minute we're experiencing the spread of the disease through moments intimate and discreet, the next, through scenes of suburban decline and urban rioting. Great stuff, this.