The Panic in Historic Virginia's Jamestown Park

Just finished watching The New World. Only two years late on this one. Aside from Christian Bale's inability to be in non-Pocahontas related films, I absolutely loved it. Admittedly, it's damn hard to watch this movie without Disney's Pocahontas being ingrained into my life's experience. The scene where Pocahontas puts hand prints on Colin Ferrel's chest... seriously? A) of all it's supposed to be on Kokoum and B) of all her hand is supposed to morph into an animal print. I also quite liked the take on the "This is how we say hello" scene, where Colin Ferrel's eyes dart around to make sure no one's looking.

But, this movie was slow, beautiful, painfully historically accurate (except John Smith and Pocahontas never really were together, right?). Really makes you reevaluate your place in America. Not in a super-political way, but in a more... natural way I suppose. In the making of featurette*, I believe it's one of the fight choreographers who's telling the Native American actors that the only difference between them and the English is that they're in complete harmony with their surroundings.

I wish I could say I was in complete harmony with my rent and utilities, but it's just not the same.

And can we just take a moment and remember when Christian Bale kissed Ewan McGregor in Velvet Goldmine and Colin Ferrel kissed Dallas Roberts in A Home at the End of the World? Can we just take that moment? There we go, six degrees of gay. You're welcome.

***

I also watched The Panic in Needle Park***, Al Pacino's first film before The Godfather. Like the tagline says, God help Bobby and Helen. They're in love. IN NEEDLE PARK. At first I watched it because, come on, graphic early '70s movie about heroin, young hot Al Pacino, Joan Didion screenplay, Raul Julia as a stoned painter (a role he revived in Tequila Sunrise), all the makings for a hilarious bad movie. But then... oh no... I got emotionally invested. Two viewings later, this is a fantastic film. There's no soundtrack to it which was interesting, especially when paralled with The New World that is ALL soundtrack. (James Horner, you had me at Titanic.)

*yes, I always watch the making of featurettes**

**and this making of featurette wasn't so much a featurette as it was a feature since it was nearly as long as the movie

***no making of featurette OR feature... in needle park!!