I said in my review that Love Exposure is a “singular experience.” And that is generally the highest praise I think a movie can get, even more so than subjective assessments of “good” or “great.” Of the people I have spoken with, even those who did not wholly love the film were all glad they watched it. Even energized by the it. That is what movies are all about. For film fans, cinema is something we want to talk about; think about. My least favorite kind of cinematic experience is a completely average movie. I would much rather watch a terrible movie that makes me pissed off that millions of dollars were committed to such an atrocity than a completely mediocre movie that doesn’t inspire me to think or comment about it whatsoever — a movie I could have watched or not watched and it would have impacted my life exactly the same. I’m a busy guy, my life doesn’t need filler.
Not only was Love Exposure the first film I’ve seen in 2011 that made me think “Wow, that was great,” but it was the first film I’ve seen this year that really got my brain going too. Love Exposure is going to be a divisive film, due to its length and shifting tones, but I have a hard time imagining any cinefile walking away from it and not feeling as though they’d really seen something. There just aren’t many movies like Love Exposure.
If you happen to live in Los Angeles you’re quite lucky, because you have the rare opportunity to see Love Exposure on the big screen. Now, I know most of you will be thinking, “Shit, I don’t know if I want to sit in a theater for 4 hours.” But I also know a ton of you went to see Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair at the New Beverly weeks ago, and that you also regularly see double features. So what the fuck kind of hesitancy is that? Don’t be pussies. There is an intermission.
CHUD and The Cinefamily Theater want to make this easier on you. You still have five more chances to see Love Exposure, before it drifts back into the mad aether from whence it came, likely never to return, and the Cinefamily has some free tickets (each with a +1) to give away. And more importantly, a couple lucky winners will get a reserved couch, which is extremely clutch for a 4-hour movie. All you need to do is send an email to wormmiller@gmail.com with LOVE EXPOSURE in the subject line and tell me what your favorite long movie experience is (however you interpret that). Make sure to give your full name and what show you wish to attend. I will only be contacting the winners.
Good hunting.
Sunday, May 15, 7:30PM
Tuesday, May 17, 7:30PM
Wednesday, May 18, 7:30PM
Thursday, May 19, 7:30PM
Friday, May 20, 7:30PM