“How many films did you see today?” It’s an innocent-sounding question that you nonetheless feel oddly cautious answering at a festival. Did I see too few? Do they think me a lightweight? Should I squeeze in a midnight screening of that Iranian peasant musical I really have no interest in seeing, just to beef up my score?
Okay, it’s not as petty and competitive as all that. (And it goes without saying that I’d be totally up for an Iranian peasant musical.) But whereas watching three films at home on a regular day feels like something of an indulgence, at a festival it seems positively neglectful, unappreciative of the spread that has been laid out for you.
“What am I missing?” you keep asking yourself (and others willing to listen). Then again, a friend of mine who sticks religiously to a six-film-a-day diet at every festival likely asks himself the same thing. It’s best to stop counting.
Seems a bit early to be thinking about such matters, given that the 2010 Venice Film Festival is not until September 1, but here’s an early Christmas present for veteran Chinese action master John Woo.
I’ve been wondering what became of “Red Cliff,” John Woo’s lavish historical epic set third century Han Dynasty China. The big-budget project broke Chinese box-office records and was tipped to be a crossover foreign-language hit last year, but never surfaced in the West.