I’m glad you have been having better cinema going experiences than me!

I’ve stopped reading reviews, because I found that most reviewers give too much information out that prejudices my view of the movie. I do read the reviews afterwards to compare notes, so to speak, or get ideas about things I may not have thought about. I read several movie critics whose tastes over the years have proven so similar to mine that when they give, say, an A- to a movie, I’m pretty sure it will be somewhere around that grade for me and so I’ll go see it in the theater. Or I may like the director’s previous work. (I like Cuaron’s previous work.)

So, having read nothing about Children of Men, I took Clifford’s advice and saw it on Saturday. I’m not familiar with the book, but I read that other than the basic plot line, it’s radically different from the book. However, what Jude said about the book I think applies to the movie: there are flaws, but it stays with you. I found myself mulling over it hours later, thinking about all the items in the background - posters, signs on buses, the political messages, imagining a dystopian future such as this, seeing some parallels to situations today. There are a few contrived items in the movie, but all in all it was definitely one of the better movies I’ve seen this year.

Reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum described it as “invigoratingly bleak.” I think that’s an accurate description.

Thanks for the recommendation, Clifford.

Atom Egoyan structures his films in an unfolding sort of way that is beautiful to watch if you know nothing beforehand, but which is tedious if you know the premise already. I would recommend his Exotica - don’t even look at the box, just get the folks at the video store to hand you the dvd.

Dimitri… Yes, I am planning to see Babel too. I also know very little about it, so I am looking forward to learning about it in the theatre.

Best,

-cvj

To avoid being spoiled by the media, you may watch unknown and/or foreign movies. Well, I don’t know how it is in the USA, but in France or Denmark, the movies with adverts on TV and on posters are only (with some exceptions of course) those from the USA or from respectively France or Denmark, and produced by famous producers. And there are very good films with tiny budgets that can’t afford advertisment.

Last time I saw a film cold was about a month ago, and it was a great experience. I had dinner with a friend in great (Argentinian?) restauran, we had enough wine…after which she dragged me to the 22H seance of “Babel” without me having heard of it before. It was great!

Another British film: saw the Queen on the plane today (I almost never watch plane movies) and also enjoyed it.

Good Luck…

Cheers,

-cvj

I’m not sure when I’ll see the film since in rural Colorado, the nearest movie theater is a 60-mile round trip, and it will probably be more like 120 miles to go see it in Grand Junction or 80 to see it in El Jebel–if it even appears in those venues. In other words, I’ll probably have to wait for the DVD, thereby reducing the amazing direction and sets to a tiny screen. Oh, well.