Harold and Maude - Revisited

I jump at any chance to see this movie.  It's definitely a contender on my "all time favorite" list (which doesn't actually exist).

This time, I caught a screening at my local theater's "Classic Film Wednesday" series.  There's definitely a special charm to seeing it on the silver screen.

Charm.  That's the key-word that came to mind after seeing it this time around.  "Harold and Maude" has a lot of charm.  And it's important, because that charm draws the audience in to what would ordinarily be an absurd situation.  An adolescent millionaire obsessed with faking his own death?  An old woman who refuses to recognize boundaries and property, but never seems to get into any major trouble?  Total nonsense that goes completely unquestioned because the characters have charmed us into believing in them.

The amount of music struck me this time.  Cat Steven's backing tracks have always been a key element in the film.  But this is the first time that I noticed that basically every transition - especially early in the film - is a musical transition.  It helps to set "Harold and Maude" apart most typical films.

Go see it.  Right now.

X-Men: First Class - Revisited

Every once in a while, I'll watch a movie again.  (Shocking, I know.)  I've created a little "Revisited" label to use for occasions like this when, after a second viewing, I have something to add to my previous comments.

First up on my "Revisited" trek: "X-Men: First Class"

What struck me most about "X-Men: First Class" this time around was the way the whole film seemed to feel like a comic book.

Obviously (and I mentioned it last time), the montage sequence used several film panels, which  provided a comic book effect.

The staging and framing of several scenes mimicked the way it might have played out in a comic.  One scene that stands out for me that fits this motif is early in the film, when Xavier is flirting with the college girl at the bar.  I could almost see his lines in a dialogue bubble above his head.  When Raven interrupts him, her entrance into the scene was perfectly framed for a comic book panel.

Another key sequence which shot-for-shot felt more like a comic book panel was the climax, when Magneto kills Shaw.  The way the camera panned from left to right (like someone reading), following the coin through Shaw's skull while also cutting to shots of Xavier panning at the same speed - awesome!

The movie did have a lot of fluff.  Too many characters were developed, only to be killed off or pushed into the background.  The movie was paced out with enough action and plot development to keep it from feeling too long (which it was, to an extent).

Here's to hoping, like Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins," that "X-Men: First Class" is merely the beginning of an epic series.