used to be i would see movies and then write capsules on them up here. well i saw one tonight and one last night, feeling like forever since (for feature-length anyway.) so i go:

gimme shelter is much more than just a concert film, as i thought (though it is great for that too - shame there isn't more concert footage in it really, which is an odd wish for a vaguely story-driven piece). it's fascinating as a historical document of the dissolution (really, the sudden death) of the love-generation spirit, also as a fantastically light-handed but powerful piece of documentary filmwork. part of what makes it incredible is how fortuitous its making was - which loses none of its effect by having the horrific conclusion revealed up front, which sets up a vantage point kind of outside of time. devastating too to see it from mick's perspective, the sense that he was feeling just as bewildered and almost powerless as anyone there. (for those who don't know, as i didn't: it's about altamont. if you don't know about altamont, all the more reason to see this film.)

that was last night: the shape of things was tonight; lizo and i selected it from six or so films that we'd barely or never heard of, after we realized that our play didn't exist, mostly (for my part) on the basis of e.c.'s involvement and that the title made me think of "the size of thoughts." should have known better because i hated labute's last one. no, it wasn't so bad. enjoyable certainly, though partly because it's just nice to see a movie. i more or less guessed the "surprise" ending from the first scene (so i really hope that it wasn't supposed to be that big a surprise. i won't tell you, just in case.) it deals with some interesting ideas, but i didn't have much to say after, because it turns out they're not all that interesting, or maybe the film just predigests them a bit too much. i did like much of the dialogue, if sometimes for its artificiality. (best line?: "i don't know that reference.") but on balance the best part of the movie was the music, though i could have done a better job editing some of it (sloppy bass into "pony st."; i really liked how they used the falsetto slow part of "almost ideal eyes.")

why is it that whenever i think about brooklyn, the song that comes into my head is not "brooklyn (owes the charmer under me)" but "the boston rag"?

i won't walk with my head down
beyond caution where lovers walk