AN UPDATE

I've been none-too-ambitious lately, at least where this blog's concerned. Work and life are sucking up too much time and energy. I just spent a long weekend in Minneapolis--went for a wedding and stayed to catch up with family and an old friend that I haven't seen in years. I hadn't been in the Twin Cities in over a decade, and not much has changed (apart from the I-35W bridge collapse, of course).

While there, I saw INTO THE WILD at the Lagoon Cinema. It's a fascinating, ambitious adaptation, but at least a half-hour overlong and terribly marred by Sean Penn's occasionally overwrought, pompous direction (any scene not dealing with the McCandless family is bascially fine). Fortunately, the performances are pretty excellent: it's clearly Emilie Hirsch's film, but Catherine Keener and Hal Holbrook also shine in smaller, less flashy roles.

Also finally saw THE DARJEELING LIMITED upon my return. I'll post a review after I see it again, since Wes Anderson films always resonate more for me after repeated viewings. I'm concerned that the blind spot I gave to some of the director's quirks (and self-indulgence) in his previous films is beginning to fade. Still, I'm excited that he's slowly pushing toward something new with this one: call it a more pronounced maturity and looseness. It gives me hope that he'll eventually make something as wonderful THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, only without the cute, fussy demeanor that is so off-putting to many. To be continued, indeed.