Well I’m sitting here just wasting time, tooling about online and watching Office Space on the television when it occurred to me that it’s been over a week since I said that I’d write something here at least once a week. The only thing mildly interesting that has happened in the past week – within my limited sphere – is that I finally went out to the cinema. I haven’t been since December, and there’s a whole bunch of films out there that I want to see. So I decided to go see Around the World in 80 Days, as it’s is most likely to leave the cinemas first. My best friend recommended it, but as she is 400-miles away I went to see it on my own.
So I drove a couple of miles (I really should have rode the bike that I’ve been ignoring, but I didn’t feel like riding back a midnight) to the newly reopened Camera 12 Cinemas. When I say reopened, I mean that the Camera Cinemas people reopened the old UA Pavilion theaters in downtown San Jose – which didn’t last very long the first time around. I arrived early, so I went for a bite to eat. It appears that a vast majority of the more interesting restaurants – and even shops – in the downtown area seem to be on some kind of banker’s hours, which left me with very little in the way of options. I ended up at Johnny Rockets (a 50s style burger bar…) when I really was hoping to have a little sushi.
Having had my bite to eat, I went to the cinema. The new Camera 12 is a three level building, where the bottom level is still being renovated. This being a Saturday night you would expect a crowd, but this was not the case. There was hardly anyone else present at the cinema, and only about five or so people seeing Around the World in 80 Days – and this was at 9:30 PM on a Saturday night! So far this new cinema does not impress me. The film had several aborted starts before it finally got going – which also added to my general state of being unimpressed.
The film itself was very well made. Steve (“Ah, ha!”) Coogan did an excellent job as the eccentric inventor Phileas Fogg. The change of Passepartout to a Kung-Fu fighting character was interesting, but may have killed the film before it opened – as the film was being billed as a Jackie Chan vehicle. C?cile De France (as Monique La Roche) I think is someone to keep an eye out for, though after this she may stick French language films… It is beautifully filmed, with imaginative transitions between locations. An excellent supporting cast, with a judicious use of cameos.
While this may not be the original Jules Verne, nor even the original film with David Niven, it is an excellent film in it’s own right. GO SEE IT NOW!!!