Avengers... and Saint Laurent? Round Two
Sunday, May 10, 2015 at 3:15PM 
Don't judge but I went to see Age of Ultron again. I picked the earliest show of the day on a weekday in a neighborhood theater that is generally empty for early showings because I wanted to see it free of mass frenzy / noise and a seat far away from the screen - completely different than last time. But get this. I walk in to a jam-packed theater and I spy like one empty seat way back 'guess I'll sit there,' Only to be stopped by a woman who tells me that this is a field trip for the high school and ALL of these seats are taken.
A HIGH SCHOOL FIELD TRIP ... TO SEE A SUPERHERO MOVIE. Who do I call about where my NYC tax dollars are going? How is this educational unless this is a business school and the students are studying Marvel's world-domination tactics? (The only movies I got to see on field trips in high school were French ones for French class.)
WIDE RELEASE BOX OFFICE
May 8-10 Weekend
01 Avengers: Age of Ultron $77 (cum. $312.5) Review & Marathon & Podcast
02 Hot Pursuit $13.3 NEW Review
03 Age of Adaline $5.6 (cum. $31.5)
04 Furious 7 $5.2 (cum. $338.4) Review
05 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 $5.1 (cum. $58)
06 Ex-Machina $3.4 (cum. $15.7) Review
07 Home $3 (cum. $162.1) the rise and fall of Dreamworks
08 Woman in Gold $1.6 (cum. $26.9)
09 Cinderella $1.5 (cum. $196.1) Review
10 Unfriended $1.4 (cum. $30.9)
Five More New Releases
The D Train $.4 (1004 screens) Review
5 Flights Up $.2 (87 screens)
Noble $.2 (175 screens)
Maggie $.1 (79 screens) Review
Saint Laurent $.03 (4 screens) Review
For what it's worth, despite a shitty seat and lots of noise and cel phone activity in the theater (argh) the movie was more enjoyable this time around after expectations had settled reasonably. Expectations are like that floating city, in this cumbersome analogy comin'atchawatch out!, in that the higher they rise the more billions of people die when they crash back down to earth unless Iron Man
... I lost the thread.
In fact, I was almost agog at how elegant Joss Whedon could make such a cumbersome thing. Which is to say that it's about as graceful as something this gangly and multi-limbed could hope to be on the day it's first learning to walk if you know what I mean. Should you ever see it again, clock how many disparate agendas the screenplay and direction is asked to address in virtually every scene and you suddenly won't be as bitchy about this "disappointment". The second time around the Scarlet Witch's arc is much stronger since the plot clutter dissipates but the Thor digression is still a f***ing mess and though the trip to Hawkeye's "safe house" is a much needed breather it's way too long, losing the action-packed momentum. And it doesn't help that the scene to rev you back up, the hijacking of "the cradle," is the weakest action setpiece.
Meanwhile in Limited Release
Saint Laurent, France's Oscar submission from last year, finally opened this weekend, too. It occurred to me the other day that in the rush of Oscar campaign madness last season (and two very fun trips to LA) I never shared the story about the time I went to that French party in Saint Laurent's honor.
Here I am speaking to Gaspard Ulliel, probably about his penis.
Well it does have a glorified star cameo in the movie!
He was actually quite chatty and for all my significant qualms about the movies length and its last half hour when we jump forward to Yves Saint Laurent as an old man (and lose Gaspard in the process), he's terrific in the movie and it's quite memorable (the movie I mean -- get your minds out of the gutter). I still remember certain brilliant sequences vividly. Anyway, I would have mentioned this much sooner but distributors like to strike when the iron is cool and it's just now hitting theaters. The highlight of this party was meeting Brenda Vaccaro and Jacqueline Bissett - they were freaking hilarious (which I was not expecting) and teasing each other about recently meeting Idris Elba (at a different event). My point is this: I'm now desperate to see them in a buddy comedy.
Sadly I lost my phone in LA and with it many notes about these tiny celebrity run-ins. *sniffle*
But let's get back to the present tense. I saw Age of Ultron and a few eppys of Grace and Frankie and otherwise I played with friends who were visiting from out of town.
What did you see this weekend?
Reader Comments (28)
I watched Breaking Away for the Smackdown and saw Kumiko, which was pretty good (and totally beautiful.)
Going to see Ex Machina this week, for which I'm pretty psyched - and I CANNOT WAIT for Saint Laurent to open up.
Just had time to see one movie but it was Demy´s debut feature, Bay of Angels, on the big screen! Did you know that Jeanne Moreau is the coolest woman ever? Good movie but clearly made by a novice.
Didn't see anything this weekend but I saw AOU again on Monday (I had a terrible seat the first time around and missed a lot of lines because of the mega fans, lol). Unlike you, however, I actually like it less the second time around. The problems I had with it the first time were still there but it also dragged more in the second half then it did on the first viewing. I still enjoyed it but much like the first film, I didn't love it.
Finally saw The Hustler for the first time. I think I may have to start a Piper Laurie marathon now. Carrie again, obvs, but anyone else have recommendations?
But damn, did anyone else think the scene where they break Fast Eddie's thumbs was deliberately shot to look like a prison shower rape scene? Seriously, it was Edward Norton in American History X -- didn't even get they were breaking his thumbs until the next scene.
Currently watching Prometheus on television. Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender are really inspiring me with their terrific posture.
I'm loathe to stick up for our sorry-assed public education system ever, but since this "field trip" happened in May, it is possible that this was one of those "Special Day Off" events that senior classes are given right before they graduate.
Or public schools aren't even trying to hide their primary goal of mass producing mindless consumers vice educated citizens anymore...
I saw Platoon for the first time. It made me want to see another Willem Dafoe movie ASAP. I was surprised to see both Forest Whitaker and Johnny Depp in the movie. I had no idea they were in it.
This gets me so close to completing the Best Picture canon. I can't seem to get myself motivated enough to watch "The Great Ziegfeld." Can anyone who has seen it please say something to get me excited for it?
Cash -- Rainer is pretty great in it and her role defined "the Oscar clip" very early on. Get a scene like that, compete for hte Oscar :)
Robert -- i didn't even know there was such a thing as "special day off" events.
Haajen -- i LOVE that movie. It's so fast on its feet and Moreau is *so* cool.
@ James: Tim (1979) and Twin Peaks.
I'm very pleased that the majority of this movies has strong female roles. And female protagonists. :)
I saw 'Saint Laurent' and liked it quite a bit. Far superior to the other YSL film, in my humble opinion, and much sexier. ;)
Enjoyed 'Iris,' too.
I am stunned Hot Pursuit flopped so badly -- that sh*t was promoted for over 6 months! Maybe Reese should be a tad worried for her movie stardom. Still a great actress and producer, but maybe that arrest really did damage to her likability. She's no Sandy Bullock.
Surprised by Age of Adaline too, but I stand by it -- it was a great film.
Yay, glad you warmed to Ultron a bit. I can see why people came away disappointed with this or that element, but I was similarly impressed with how gracefully Whedon pulled off a thankless, near impossible task.
Too bad Saint Laurent opened so soft. The reviews were there - I guess being the 2nd, more explicitly gay, YSL movie in a year was too much?
As for me, I caught a cold mid-week, so I've been at home watching blu rays and streaming stuff of Criterion's Hulu Channel. This weekend I watched Fritz Lang's gloriously strange noir Scarlet Street, and the three films in Aki Kaurismaki's Proletariat Trilogy.
It's not the same as a field trip but I remember our English teacher in grade 10 showing us Silence Of The Lambs on video tape in class near the end of term. It was highly inappropriate but totally amazing
When I was in school, they used to take us to movies as a reward for finishing state exams. Though in my day, the movies were decidedly less cool-- The Prince of Egypt and My Dog Skip.
RIP Elizabeth Wilson, star of stage and screens (including Nine to Five).
Yesterday I watched Big Hero 6 almost by accident and was pleasantly surprised. Then earlier this evening I viewed the documentary Kids for Cash on Netflix at the recommendation of a friend, which nearly sent me into a rage within the first ten minutes due to the mere injustice it highlights.
Not that I thought it would be any good, but I was hoping that Hot Pursuit would have a far better opening than it did, if only for the sake of Reese Witherspoon's career resurgence and Sofia Vergara's post-Modern Family career prognosis. It also makes for a better film industry when more offerings headlined by women do well.
Our eighth grade class got to see that Disney movie where the teenage kids get lost in the African desert (the kid from Seaquest DSV was in it maybe?). It was at the dollar movies by then in 1993 and our parents had to pay for it (even though tax payers paid for the teacher's/guardian's time). I remember wanting to see Groundhog Day instead, but it was the school's decision. I got to see Jurassic Park a few weeks later, which was my first real movie theater experience.
I saw Age of Adaline and Woman in Gold, both of which I liked more than I expected.
I've never been that interested in Blake Lively, but I grew to appreciate her interpretation of the long-lived Adaline as cool, distant, and feeling no obligation to be ingratiating. Harrison Ford has been getting good reviews for this, and I can see him as a long shot Supporting Actor, in the Alan Arkin/ Robert Duvall slot.
Woman in Gold is such an interesting story. I didn't realize it was directed by Simon Curtis. He casts beautifully, makes all his actors look good, and makes films that look as if they cost three times his small budget. Tatiana Maslany is entrancing as a young Helen Mirren. She plays this part in German, emphasizing again her versatility.
@cash: one of my favorite Willem Dafoe roles was in Shadow of a Vampire ( maybe best seen after watching Nosferatu with Max Schreck).
Friday night - LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM, the Oscar-nominated doco. Good.
Saturday night - MY OLD LADY Good, certainly better than many of the reviews indicated it would be (which is why I delayed seeing it for so long), although people who feel their lives have been negatively affected by their parents' attitudes and actions may be more on-board with the themes.
Sunday - ALIVE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE. Great performances from Ellen Burstyn and Diane Ladd (looking very much like her daughter in WILD), loved the WIZARD OF OZ nods that book-ended the film, enjoyed spottting little Laura Dern at the end of the movie in the diner. Depressed, however, at how little gender politics and feminism has progressed in the subsequent 40 years (it feels like people today need to see this film to advise them of attitudes about today).
Saint Laurent is so bloated! Two and a half hours long and yes, that last half hour (felt like more) was a disaster. Too bad, because there's so much inventiveness and beautiful cinematography and daring gay decadence...this should have been a an hour and forty-five tops, and it would have been great.
The other film, called Yves Saint Laurent, (or YSL), is a more standard biopic but that actually helps give the man's life context. It also has the benefit of having the participation of the designer's estate, so the clothes and locations are amazing. It's the better eye-candy of the two, IMHO.
I saw Blue Ruin on Saturday. It's a good movie but a little bit too slow. Also I thought the plot was about a homeless an winning 1 million dollars in the lottery and had to fight off family members etc. Well I was wrong. Curious about the director's next flick
AOU was not as good as the first one and I don't want to see it again
Saint Laurent sounds interesting Nate. And which theater in NYC did you bump into these kids?
Manuel -- it was at the AMC Magic Johnson Theater in Harlem. I usually love going there in the mornings since it's usually emptyish and the screens are really big.
SanFranCinema -- interesting that you thought 'YSL' was the better looking film. Something about the way it was shot made it look very cheap to me, like a microbudget TV movie.
The Decoy Bride--because we love Kelly Macdonald and David Tennant in this house. Cute, innocuous rom-com, with Scottish accents.
4 episodes of Grace and Frankie--kind of enjoyable, but really hate Martin Sheen in this role and the way his character is written. In fact, I agree with others in that those scenes with him and Waterston are the least successful. I do like the moments with Tomlin and Waterston--so sweet.
Season finale of The Good Wife--ugh. Won't spoil for those who haven't seen it, but I wanted to throw things at the TV. However, I finally figured out why Stephen Canning's wife looked so familiar. She's the wife of the FBI guy in The Americans. It only took me 2 years to work that one out.
Series finale of Revenge--ugh. I don't know why I watched this show. But I'm going to miss Nolan (Gabriel Mann) and his many pairs of pastel pants.
Pam: I've seen The Decoy Bride! I picked it out of a bargain bin because I love Kelly McDonald.
I'll miss seeing Gabriel Mann too. I want to see what Jill Ohanssen, the costume designer, does next. Her work on Revenge was a delight.
Spoiler: My favorite part of Revenge was always Emily and Nolan's friendship. But in this rushed finale, I would almost rather have seen Emily dead than paired up with her last surviving love interest.
My niece goes to private school, but she went on a field trip to see the most recent Hunger Games movie last fall. Supposedly it was a "reward" for fundraising for their school (ironic, since the money spent on the field trip kind of defeats the purpose of the fundraising).
I saw Ex Machina, which I mainly enjoyed for the production design and Oscar Isaac. Also, ugh is right on The Good Wife season finale. The Mad Men penultimate episode was fantastic, though!
I also saw Breaking Away for the Smackdown. That nomination is...surprising. But it's an otherwise mostly enjoyable film that I never would've sought out on my own. And the so young Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern and Jackie Haley! Wow. Such interesting casting.