I went to see Conviction at the Boston Film Fest the other night. I realized that I have been wildly spoiled IFF Boston. The Boston Film Fest seemed to be terribly organized and run. There were screenings listed in the brochure that weren't available for tickets. There was no organization to line up for seats. The seating was late. And the special guest was a no-show.
It was also my first time at the Stuart Street Playhouse. While I guess it's nice that there is officially an indie theater within city limits for the snobs who live on Arlington, I'm definitely sticking with the Kendall and the Brattle. It's not a particularly nice theater.
As for Conviction, it was fine. It isn't really Oscar caliber, but the narrative is broken up enough to keep from being formulaic. Sam Rockwell is really good, but not Moon good. I'm not positive he'll get that supporting actor nom yet.
2 comments:
Wow. That is sad, on both counts. I mean, not every Rockwell performance can be a MOON or a GENTLEMAN BRONCOS (for me =), but I had some hopes for such a peak in CONVICTION.
As for the BFF... well, just look at the acronym/initials. Juvenile, even immature, no? I thought they'd taken a tiny step in the right direction last year, when they got the Landmark theaters for screening venues. I thought that maybe they'd been shamed into a thoughtful (re)building process. But how can you build anything if you don't frickin advertise or market, right? (That was part of the smart move using the Kendall; they couldn't help but alert people who'd be motivated to check it out, right?) And then to screen your films in a theater that you don't want to attend (going by your reaction, I have yet to catch anything at Stuart Street, I kinda miss the old Cinema 57 =) ? That's several steps backward, to when they'd screen films in the Copley classroom-sized theaters (except of course for the premieres with the likes of Kevin Spacey, those were at the Cheri, but I had to watch YOUNG AND DANGEROUS, BEAST COPS, and GUINEVERE at Copley). I've always felt that there's something lamely wanna-be elitist/classist (or maybe just lazy) about the BFF vibe, embedded in their treatment of the films, as well as their advertising. Altho, I will say they're going a decent way to dispelling that with their choice of comic sans at their website. Will you be seeing anything else in their program? Oh, wait, it's already over. And you know what? I'll be nobody you know that you haven't told yourself even knows.
Please note that in my advancing years, I've gotten lazy myself about venturing out of Cambridge if I don't absolutely have to (for PREDATORS on the big screen, FYI), so maybe there was a more Boston-proper-centric campaign on that I wasn't aware of. Perhaps there were banner ads or T posters along Newbury or on the green line?
But somehow, I doubt it.
p.s. Did you pick up a program? I'd love to see it.
He is good. But I'm not sure that he's going to finally get a nomination in something that isn't a great picture as well. Right now (and it is EARLY in the race) about half the pundits are listing him in the top five and the other half are listing him as a maybe/also-ran. I just don't think the picture will reach enough eyes for him to get something (unlike Christian Bale in the Fighter.)
I may also be feeling uncharitable since he didn't show to the event, and he blew right out of the signing line at A Behanding in Spokane. I know it shouldn't matter one way or the other, but I do end up defending actors who are nice to fans more vehemently. (Neil Patrick Harris? Nicest guy EVER. Jeff Goldblum? Lovely. Alan Cumming - totally awesome. Molly Ringwald, Cyndi Lauper and Jim Dale? All kinda awful. You get the gist.)
BFF - definitely a weird elitist vibe. Which is so strange in contrast to the godawful website - what is that? - and the poor management. I never saw any promotional materials. For all I know, it's really a bunch of Beacon Hill types who get together and then a few other people find out about it.
I did get a program, but then I recycled it, because I just didn't see the point of hanging onto it. But it did list special screenings of 127 Hours and Black Swan that certainly weren't made available for tickets on the site.
The Stuart is weird. It's a nice big screen, and nice that it is in city limits, but you have to cross a garage entrance to get to it, and it has a very strange lobby. I wasn't a fan.
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