Let the Right One In, 49 Up, and Elmer Gantry

[ellen_datlow]

This afternoon I went to the Swedish vampire movie Let the Right One In and really loved it. It's about ten minutes too long but despite that it does a very nice job of depicting pre-teen loneliness and, Swedish winter, and the developing relationship between two misfits. Great acting by the two young characters. A few of the adult males looked similar to each other and this was a wee bit confusing as to who was who(although it's not that crucial to the action).

It's only playing at the Angelika in NYC, which is one of my least favorite movie theaters because usually it's way too crowded and the waiting line is up a flight of stairs. But I got there early, was able to buy the tickets with no problem at all.

This evening Rick Bowes helped set up my new 22 inch TV (the one that hasn't been working properly is 19 inch). We were nervous that we'd screw it up but it was remarkably simple --mostly because I realized that I only needed to attach it to my DVD player and not worry about the stuff on the tv right now. We did have a problem in using the monster power strip that's supposed to keep my tv from blowing a fuse or whatever in a power surge. The tv/dvd plugs would not go into the outlets on the strip....I'll be bringing it back to Best Buy tomorrow to have them explain to me why this should be or take back the strip and refund my money for it.

So I watched 49 Up on the new tv set and it was good. I'm glad I saw it so soon after 42 Up--it's nice to see how the participants are doing as they get older. More of them are reacting (or are being shown doing so)to the process of this series which has been impinging on their lives since they were 7 year's old. I'm not sure I would have continued my participation.

And finally, Elmer Gantry which I saw on tv many years ago in a very truncated version that made me wonder why on earth Shirley Jones won the Academy award for her supporting role when she was barely in it. Now, having watched the movie, I see why. She plays a prostitute and obviously most of her role was cut for tv way back when. Jean Simmons plays an evangelist and Burt Lancaster the charming, smooth-talking traveling salesman/womanizer who knows a good thing when he sees it and joins the troupe. Based on a novel by Sinclair Lewis, the movie's an entertaining potboiler. There's a warning about revivalists and about things that impressionable children should not see in the movie--yup...Shirley Jones in a slip for sure ;-)

Comments

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

No Ikea even? tsk tsk. Hopefully, you'll be able to rent it on DVD at some point.

I can almost imagine Gene Simmons in the role.

I'm trying now to remember if the warning was all inclusive :-)

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

I've discovered the remake is to be by the person who made Cloverfield, which I haven't seen. Oh well.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Just read a bunch of comments on the Imdb site which gave me a little more info than I'd have liked but does endow the film with more quirkiness (don't read if you've not seen it yet).

[(Anonymous)]

I saw LTROI this weekend as well, and thought it was note-perfect. At first I thought it was a happy ending. But I've been wondering about that. I'm sure if I were to read the big fat bestseller on which it's based, I would have all my questions answered, but right now I'm happier being left with some sense of mystery. - MarcL

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Don't read the Imdb comments either--I prefer the mystery as well and some elements that were in the book and according to the director were carried over into the movie--"damaged" the experience of the movie, looking back.

I'd say the ending is bittersweet. Short term happy, long term not promising. ;-)