SIFF press preview 1: Une vieille maîtresse

(thus begins another year of siff blogging. i tend to transcribe from a notebook i carry with me, hence the poor mix of tenses.)

good to be back here. Joe is running the door for the press previews again - he was in his uniform so that he could be at work at 4pm. (he's a doll. Joe did this last year too. he drives a tow truck on second shift. he sees every preview for free as a volunteer and misses zero hours of work to do it. i have no idea how he gets enough sleep.) realized steve98052 and megameow were behind me somewhere just as the lights went down. never did see them.

The Last Mistress revels in reminding us of Choderlos de Laclos. references abound to the wild lives of the 18th century aristocracy, being influenced by novels, "de Laclos"...

we are plunged into the lives of the idle rich, much like the people in Les Liasons dangereuses. but it's a new age, a more prudish one. the title of the film would be better translated "An Old Mistress" - the story is of the on-again, off-again affair of Vellini and Ryno. Ryno has left Vellini, his (wild brunette) mistress of ten years, to marry the (meek and tiny blonde) Hermangarde. mayhem ensues. i wish there hadn't been such pointed reference to de Laclos, since he wrote characters who were mostly unlikeable yet whip-smart and compelling. i didn't like any of the major characters here; they were all passion and no wits. (yet all of the elder minor characters trying to carry on lives of intrigue are great.)

the film is eye candy, full of stunning costumes and beautiful Brittany. the many sex scenes are filmed as unvarnished screwing, and i thought them well done. (there were some giggles in the house. but hey, people having sex look ridiculous.) bonus: no score outside of singing or playing music within scenes. the casting is particularly fine. it's worth watching for the spectacle alone, but i'd save it for the Netflix queue and spend festival time on something else.

SIFF press preview 1: Une vieille maîtresse

(thus begins another year of siff blogging. i tend to transcribe from a notebook i carry with me, hence the poor mix of tenses.)

good to be back here. Joe is running the door for the press previews again - he was in his uniform so that he could be at work at 4pm. (he's a doll. Joe did this last year too. he drives a tow truck on second shift. he sees every preview for free as a volunteer and misses zero hours of work to do it. i have no idea how he gets enough sleep.) realized steve98052 and megameow were behind me somewhere just as the lights went down. never did see them.

The Last Mistress revels in reminding us of Choderlos de Laclos. references abound to the wild lives of the 18th century aristocracy, being influenced by novels, "de Laclos"...

we are plunged into the lives of the idle rich, much like the people in Les Liasons dangereuses. but it's a new age, a more prudish one. the title of the film would be better translated "An Old Mistress" - the story is of the on-again, off-again affair of Vellini and Ryno. Ryno has left Vellini, his (wild brunette) mistress of ten years, to marry the (meek and tiny blonde) Hermangarde. mayhem ensues. i wish there hadn't been such pointed reference to de Laclos, since he wrote characters who were mostly unlikeable yet whip-smart and compelling. i didn't like any of the major characters here; they were all passion and no wits. (yet all of the elder minor characters trying to carry on lives of intrigue are great.)

the film is eye candy, full of stunning costumes and beautiful Brittany. the many sex scenes are filmed as unvarnished screwing, and i thought them well done. (there were some giggles in the house. but hey, people having sex look ridiculous.) bonus: no score outside of singing or playing music within scenes. the casting is particularly fine. it's worth watching for the spectacle alone, but i'd save it for the Netflix queue and spend festival time on something else.