Revival House

Social Network

2010-07-15T11:10:00.001-07:00

I'm still on the fence about The Social Network. It has all of the ingredients to be incredible, but those same things could be its downfall.

That being said, the trailers for have been nothing but exemplary. They tease and utilize the entire Facebook recognition factor to perfection.

Now we get to see some actual footage!

POV: Happy Birthday AK

2010-03-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Akira Kurosawa would have turned 100 today.

For me he is the greatest filmmaker who ever lived. His ability to entertain while delving deep into the human condition is second to none. There is a reason why he is known as The Emperor, and it is a title well deserved.

Akira Kurosawa 1910-1998

Frame from Yojimbo (1961).Note the use of planes and deep focus.

One of the paintings he'd created for storyboards

24 Frames: Europa Film Treasures

2010-03-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

This is a great little site that is perfect for the cineaste in all of us.

Click on the image to visit:

You can discover a treasure trove of short films from various decades and countries as well as test your knowledge, or gain some.

Well worth checking out.

Review: The Ghost Writer

2010-03-15T12:04:00.001-07:00

The Ghost Writer (2010)
starring: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams
dir. Roman Polanski

Chinatown, Frantic, The Ninth Gate, and The Tenant all share one key component. The main character is in over their head and think they are smarter than they really are. From this idea comes a level of twisted comedy as the protagonist struggles with everything and everyone to find some kind of answer. In most cases the lone hero ends up failing miserably. This is something most people can relate to.

There is a moment in The Ghost Writer when Ewan McGregor's character, simply known as "The Ghost", wants to see where the body of his predecessor was found washed up on a beach. He borrows a bike to ride there. His first attempt to hop on the bike proves fruitless as the tires sink into the gravel of the drive, and no matter how hard he pedals to push himself out, he simply falls over. That's pretty much his character in a nutshell and Polanski gives it to us with simple grace and humor.

Filled with little moments, this movie may not live up to the classics that Polanski has given us in the past, but is shows a sure hand and a man who understands that even the slightest little gesture can make a mediocre scene hum with life and atmosphere. It's a movie that shows that what is happening on screen isn't half as dangerous as what is happening off screen. It's a confidence in storytelling that has always set him apart from the pack.

No matter how ridiculous the climax of the film is, odds are you wont see it coming. The pieces of the puzzle fit together, and it is thrilling to be guided by a master storyteller with a unique voice.

There is only two rules to remember when sitting down to watch this: Don't turn your brain off and bring your sense of humor.

8.7 out of 10

POSTERS: Blade Runner

2010-03-13T10:57:00.001-08:00

This is a minimal concept piece. One of several great ideas. You can find more here.

It's inspired by Roy Batty's final line from the film which reads as thus:

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die.

How can you not love that.

Second place goes to The Shining with a close third to the Back To The Future trifecta. I would rank them higher, but I'm not a fan of the sequels.

POV: Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies

2010-02-27T11:41:00.000-08:00

Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies
author: Michael Adams

I originally thought that this was going to be more of a reference book. You know, a movie title followed by a brief plot synopsis followed by a snarky critique. Instead, I got a fun adventure into a year in the life of a man who is on a cinematic adventure into the dark waters of crap cinema.

Written like a memoir, Adams lays out his strategy for how he plans to discover the worst film ever made. What makes this a real winner is his sense of humor and lack of obnoxiousness. He's not some snob out to bring down Z-grade cinema. This is a celebration of low budgets, bad writing and directing.

Adams spent a small fortune accumulating a library of movies that most people would be embarrassed to admit they have even seen. Then using random selection through bingo balls, he attempts to watch a movie a day for an entire year. The results are a book that you can't really put down.

If I were to point out a weakness of the book, I do with he'd displayed his rating system. He explains it, but I would have loved an appendix that shows the full score cards for each film. That minor squabble aside, it's a blast.

POV: The Futurist

2010-01-27T16:00:00.000-08:00

The Futurist:
The Life And Films Of James Cameron
Author: Rebecca Keegan

As far as biographies go, this one is fine. Keegan keeps the pace brisk, which is nice, but never gives a sense of a full human being. She was given access to the friends and family of Cameron, yet never seems to get any deeper than a few basic bullet points.

1. Cameron is a smart dude who loves real science as much as he loves film.

2. He has a drive that can cause a lot of friction but even when he seems like a jerk, he's a good guy.

3. He continues to push himself.

There is some discussion about the themes of his films and the tensions that it takes to continue to push the envelope, but never any deeper analysis than a few paragraphs that continually reference his other films to show how they link together.

The best part in the book is delivered by Cameron's friend and fellow genius director Guillermo del Toro. He discusses the kidnapping of his father and how important Cameron was at helping Del Toro not only help get his father back, but the real compassion and deep rooted support that Cameron delivered. It's a great story and is the one real glimpse into a man who is a lot more complex than the book wishes to explore.

This biggest shame is that Keegan was given access to Cameron's latest film Avatar, but we learn little more than what has been discussed on the internet or through making of videos. Even his other films are mainly discussed using information that can be found in the special features of DVDs.

There is also no discussion of the film Solaris (2003) which was produced by Cameron and directed by Stephen Soderbergh. These are two men who are the exact opposite when it comes to making movies. If you take the time to listen to the commentary on the DVD which features Cameron and Soderbergh, you get a real sens of how Cameron sees himself and how he respects and honors the way other filmmakers. It's a very solid commentary and feels like a better peek into the way the man operates than most of the book does.

That being said, it's a fast read and it is very enjoyable for what it is. It may not be the definitive biography of one of the worlds most powerful filmmakers, but it's an interestig peek that leaves the reader wanting to know more.

Review: Avatar

2009-12-20T09:34:00.001-08:00

Avatar (2009)
starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Michele Rodriguez, 3D, Motion Capture CGI
dir. James Cameron

Not much to add to the debate, but I would like to breakdown this thing into the two separate elements that everyone is talking about/fighting over. Technical vs. Story.

Is this the best example of 3D that has come along? Yes, but what does that mean? At first I was so entranced by the depth and levels that Cameron and his team have created that I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the story. It was more of a "Wow!" distraction then anything else. As my eyes grew accustomed to it, the 3D simply goes away and I'm left watching a 2D movie. What's the point of that? It just becomes a massive piece of escapism that makes my nose itch from uncomfortable glasses. There are some amazing moments, but as a viewer, it made me lose sight of the story, which Cameron claims is the most important part.

Is this the best example of motion capture CGI? Yes, hands down. There is weight and a naturalism to the movement, the eyes seem to live and the power of the closeup retains its importance. The world is amazing, at first, but starts to ware thing over time and when the plot should be really ratcheting up, Cameron gives us more tribal rites that are meant to expand the depth of our alien race, but kept reminding me of a "spiritual" version of the "Tonight we dance" scene from The Matrix: Reloaded. Not a high point.

So what about the plot? This is a movie that wears all intentions on its sleeve. That is, for me, where the film really starts to feel thin. People can quote different sources from where Cameron got his inspiration, but it all boils down to something that is mildly derivative and doesn't add anything new to the debate. These types of wars over territory have existed since the first monkey beat up the second monkey. There is nothing new here. The symbols may change, but the theme remains the same. There is always an exploiter and an exploited.

Here is a test. Take the movie and imagine it on earth. For ease, turn it into a western. The industrialists attempting to take land from a peaceful Indian tribe. How does that play out in your mind? Does it have the same impact without Cameron's imaginative world to back it up?

The characters are caricatures, or drawn thin to the point of nonexistence. There is no reason fro Michele Rodriguez to be in this movie and her motivations are never backed up. She says, "I never signed up for this!" which is a lie. Yes you did, that is the purpose of the humans being on Pandora. You fly a gun ship, what did you think you signed up for?

(SPOILER)
My big problem is that this superior sensitive species that are the Na'vi are supposed to hold all life sacred. Yet they ship off the humans to die. They are allowing for the death of an entire planet. That feels like a false beat and an unearned victory on their behalf.
(END SPOLIER)

Avatar is an excellent technical achievement and Cameron still has the stuff of greatness. He just has a mediocre story that is relevant because of eternal relevance. A proven universality in which to hang the latest and greatest of technology on. Without all of the tech, this would be laughed at by critics as sub-par Oscar bait. But the genius of the film is in the execution and that is the one thing that fires on all cylinders.

Is this a game changer? No. There is no such thing. The Wizard of Oz didn't change the game, The Matrix didn't change the game, Avatar won't change the game. It's a great piece of bubblegum that will lose its flavor and be tossed aside for the next piece. But it's a flavorful piece right now.

7 out of 10

Review: Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans

2009-11-28T15:55:00.000-08:00

Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans (2009)
starring: Nicholas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Xzibit, Brad Dourif, Jennifer Coolidge
dir. Warner Herzog

Considering the film tends to have moments that meander, this is a blast, due in large part to some great performances. Cage has been getting some mighty praise for his balls to the wall drug addled, back spasming corrupt cop and he deserves the praise. As a mater of fact it's right up there with Richard Widmark's insane turn as Tommy Udo in Kiss Of Death (1947). I only bring that up since both characters torment elderly women in wheelchairs. It's a blast to watch Cage act (if he's acting) and reminds us that he is a great talent that has to take one to many pay check jobs. His Lt. Terrance McDounagh is one for the books

But there are a few stand outs that ned to be recognized as well. Jennifer Coolidge has lost her botoxed lips and delvers a fabulous serious turn as a drunk girlfriend to McDounagh's father who is struggling with his recovery. The other actor to mention is J.D. Evermore who is almost as off the hook as Cage. Never going over the top, Evermore delivers the word "Wow" with a variety of expression and a flabbergasted shake of the head that sells a character as well as a stunning piece of humor. It's a great bit and he is one of the few cast members that really holds his own against the tornado that is Cage.

Herzog seemed a head-scratcher of a choice when he wa selected to direct, but it makes sense when it is all put together. McDounagh runs the same route as most Herzog protagonists; driven, bordering on obsessive as well as self-destructive. The post Katrina New Orleans is a good place for Herzog as he allows his camera to find those places that are tucked away in the lower income districts of the city. He also get to throw in a few of his flourishes with imaginary iguanas, a water snake and a patient alligator. Cage even gets to perform the spin into frame that Herzog and Klaus Kinsky used in so many of their collaborations. Another director may have been able to make this movie, but only Herzog could make it as bat-shit-crazy as it is and make the audience feel as if it were real.

There is a lot of talent in this movie and the thing that really keeps it from being a classic is the middle portion that struggles to find it's feet, but finally does, for what becomes a text book lesson in irony by the third act.

If you can handle some dark humor and some dark situations, this is worth a look. Don't be expecting a Harcey Kietel and Abel Ferarra film here, this one belongs to Cage and Herzog.

7.7 out of 10

Review: Pontypool

2009-11-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

Pontypool (2008)
starring: Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle, Georgina Reilly, Hrant Alianok
dir. Bruce McDonald

Zombie movies are a dime a dozen these days and out of every ten movies maybe there are twenty minutes of decent filmmaking. And when it comes to originality, forget about it. There have been some stand-outs, but these tend to be comedies like Shaun Of The Dead (2004) or Zombieland (2009). Even the Father of the zombie film George Romero's recent output could be called at its best flawed, at its worst unwatchable.

Now there is Pontypool, an original zombie movie that is more than just a zombie movie. It's a film about language, the flow of information, and wordplay. What makes this such a great movie is its perspective.

The brilliant Stephen McHattie plays Grant Mazzy a morning DJ at a small radio station in the Canadian town of Pontypool. He's an instigator, a shock jock, relegated to reading off weather reports and local news. This is the bottom of the barrel for him. He continually battles with his producer, played equally as well by Lisa Houle while sneaking liquor into his coffee mug. Then the first reports start coming in that zombies are attacking. It's confusing to our heroes and made even more confusing that the story never goes outside of the station, almost like War Of The Worlds where we only learn from scattered reports leaking in from the outside. It's this limited perception that adds to the tension and McDonald's incredible choice in camera placement that drives the growing dread home.

And these aren't just your regular walking dead. The virus that turns our innocent townsfolk into blood spitting, rage filled zombies is a new one for the books of the undead. The concept isn't wholly original, but it is for the zombie film and that makes this an even bigger breakthrough.

Tight, tense, great acting and great characters make this mini universe movie a must see for horror fans and cineaste alike. A great piece of filmmaking from script to cast to execution. This is easily my favorite "least seen" film of the year and may even be in the top ten of the year.

9.5 out of 10

Review: 2012

2009-11-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

2012 (2009)
starring: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Amanda Peet, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover
dir. Roland Emmerich

I'm going to say up front that I thought this movie was a blast. It is utter garbage, but it is a blast. Perhaps long in the tooth by the time you reach the final half-hour, but getting to that point is a lot of fun. Now, whether this is a good movie or not depends on a single factor. Was this gigantic wheel of cheese rolling down a hill at mach 5 intentional or not? How did Roland Emmerich approach this?

For the actors, they are in on the joke. There is no way in hell a cast of this caliber didn't realize this movie was nothing more than crap melodrama wrapped in a CGI machine of gigantic proportions. For that they get credit. There is not a single wink at the screen. A performance never becomes comedic for any other reason than to deliver a surface level joke. Every actor knows they are simply dialog delivery devices to make the disaster sequences stick together. In some ways, this is Emmerich's masterpiece. He has been able to boil down character to the minimal amount of broth needed to support the effect houses in charge of blowing up the planet. You never feel for anyone, but understand you are supposed to. In this type of film that's all you need. I dare anyone to say they felt true emotion for a character in disaster epics like The Towering Inferno (1974), or Earthquake (1974). If you have, then look in the mirror and try some self-examination.

Now the bigger questions lay in what Emmerich is trying to say with this type of movie. He is the reigning Irwin Allen and is able to tell a story clearly and cleanly unlike the blurry epilepsy inducing visuals of Michael Bay (I am using the word story loosely here). But does he want there to be more to it than just explosions? Right off the bat, I want to say no. It appears that Emmerich has resigned himself to making giant escapist cinema that wants to wow audiences with explosions and crumbling landmarks. He attempted to dig a little deeper with The Patriot (2000) when it came to exploring father son relationships or (less so) with the crapfest 10,000 BC (2008) as a love story. With 2012 he has tossed out any form of depth and stuck with what he knows best, spectacle. On that level alone he is successful.

But, if Emmerich's goal was to delve into the goodness of humanity and how our willingness to risk our lives to help others, he has failed completely. The relationships are shallow, the dialog clunky, and subtlety is a rock bashing us over the head. So it simply comes down to what is it that Emmerich is shooting for here. Is it possible to enjoy this movie? Of course. The X generation has firmly implanted a sense of irony into the human condition and we can scream, "This is a great movie" with no sense of shame. The film lover in me, the one that believes that cinema is worth more than two hours of explosions and lazy cliches knows it's just a piece of junk. So If Emmerich is in on the joke, good for him. If he sees himself as a serious filmmaker subverting content with CGI to lure in an audience, sorry Emmerich, no sale.

(Irony) 8.5 out of 10
(Legit) 4 out of 10

The Eclectic Choice: Return To Oz

2009-11-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

Return To Oz (1985)
dir. Walter Murch

Man did this movie take a beating when it was first released. There was all kinds of flak over the fact that Disney was making a "sequel" to such a beloved film. Not to mention this one wasn't a musical. For shame. Never mind the fact that the original film was a perversion of a book by L. Frank Baum.

Return To Oz did exactly what it should have done. Go back to the original source material. By doing so, legendary editor and sound designer Walter Murch made his first and only foray into directing a memorable one. This isn't our parents Oz.

Darker, twisted and a lot of fun, Dorthy is sent to a hospital for delusions after she has talked up her first visit to Oz. The cure is going to be electroshock, but she is rescued by a mysterious patient and they escape into a storm that eventually leads a lone Dorthy back to Oz. There she discovers a destroyed Emerald City, A Gnome King who can move through solid rock and a Wicked Queen who has a variety of snap on heads to choose from.

She is also joined by a new cast of side kicks include a wind up robot, a living jack-o-lantern and a talking chicken. Together they seek to rescue the Scarecrow and return Oz to the pristine state it once was. It's a quest of the bizarre and a real cinematic treat.

Were this movie made in the franchise minded culture of today, it could be a big hit. Baum had written 14 Oz books, and the idea of a female protagonist running around a magical world could be a real hit amongst the Harry Potter lovers. Alas it was not meant to be. But we do have this adventure to enjoy and it's well worth the trip. I wouldn't recommend it for younger viewers, it does have a more macabre edginess to it and the effects, though good for the time, are showing their age.

This is another entry of a Disney struggling to find an audience. Along with other risks of the era like The Black Hole (1979), or Tron (1982), Oz was a failure at the box office, but now has more than a few aspects that make it an overlooked flick that's worth a second look.

POV: Good Ol' Days

2009-11-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

I had moved from the small town to the medium city to start college. It was perfect timing. The popularity of independent film was starting to boon and no one had more of an influence on bringing the indies to the masses like Miramax. I was introduced to them through the breakout sex, lies and videotape (1990) and stuck with them through the amazing run of the 90's. The Crying Game (1992), The Piano (1993), and Pulp Fiction (1994) helped Miramax become a giant among production and distribution companies.

When the word came down that Disney was going to buy them up, it set off alarms. But Bob and Harvey Weinstein (despite reputations) were geniuses at getting what they wanted made and reinforced up the Miramax Brand. It wouldn't be until the new century that their Midas touch seemed to be hitting some bumps. Everyone does at one point in time, this doesn't mean they can't come back, but it caused a growing rift with their parent company. Then they left, forming the Weinstein Company which has been struggling to find it's feet.

So where did this leave Miramax? Well, unfortunately the name that helped define a generation of movies and movie goers has been relegated to the basement of Disney. They have announced they will only be releasing three films a year and let go of a majority of staff. What does it mean for the future of the once great indie champion? Probably a slow and painful death until the word Miramax sinks into history like AIP or Monogram. I hope it doesn't. They had such a mark of quality for so many years, it seems a waste to let it fuck off to hospice.

Maybe Disney will reevaluate at some point, bring in fresh blood that will be the new Harvey and Bob and resuscitate. Maybe the Weinsteins will see a banner year and bring back that old feeling of greatness to the movie screens. Or maybe, most probably likely, a new name will emerge from the ether and capture my heart.

Review: A Serious Man

2009-10-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

A Serious Man (2009)
starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick, Adam Arkin, Fyvush Finkel
dir. Joel & Ethan Coen

The Coen brothers have been two of the more interesting filmmakers to watch evolve over the years and A Serious Man is another step in that evolution. It may feel like the distant cousin to Barton Fink(1991), or contain some of the same visual style as Blood Simple (1984) and Fargo (1996), but this is a film of a different beast that may deliver one of the more theologically debatable endings in recent years.

The story revolves around Larry Gopnik and his decent into chaos. His wife is leaving him for another man, his tenure may not be approved and a student is threatening to sue over a bad grade. Plus his brother is getting into trouble, his kids are fighting over money stolen from Larry's wallet and every Rabbi that Larry seeks consolation from can't deliver.

The film feels like the story of Job with a new ending that asks the audience to think about our own actions in life. Every scene seems to push Larry further and further into a spiritual hole that he just can't seem to dig himself out of.

The glue to this film is an amazing performance by Stuhlbarg as Larry. You feel the weight of his shoulders as he suffers emotional blow after emotional blow. He's so good if he doesn't get a best actor nomination then I'll have lost as much faith as Larry does in the film.

The one thing that also needs pointing out is the sound design. It's a knockout! Complex, precise, and it adds to the atmosphere more than it has in the brothers past films. Which is saying a lot since all of their films have amazing sound design.

The Coen's have delivered another piece of art that my cause some Barton Fink flashbacks, but feels emotionally like the flip side off the No country For Old Men (2007) coin. This isn't a film for everyone and challenges even the more devout Coen fans. But it's a remarkable and seemingly personal piece of work that comes from the mind of two brothers who do nothing but surprise us time and time again.

9 out of 10

Review: Paranormal Activity

2009-10-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

Paranormal Activity (2009)
starring:Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Michael Bayouth
dir. Oren Peli

It was exactly 10 years ago the The Blair Witch Project (1999) opened up and became one of the summers biggest hits. It introduced the movie going public to what would grow into it's own sub-genre. These micro-budget horror films shot in a pseudo-documentary style have become a part of our popular culture and have ranged from a giant monster movie like Cloverfield (2008) to the annoying couple become fish food film Open Water (2003).

Paranormal Activity has had a long and strange journey. The word of mouth from Anne Thompson back in 2007 was great but it couldn't find distribution. There was an offer to remake it, but not release it in the original form. No matter how well test screening did, offers never came in.

They finally secured a deal, with midnight screenings and the opportunity to sign an online petition to have it released nation wide. I'm not sure if it is a publicity stunt, but it seems to be working. The tally is around eight-hundred thousand and rising by the minute. The goal is one million. So everyone will have an opportunity soon.

As for the movie it self, it will be looked at the same way as Blair Witch. Those who got in early before the hype grows out of control will love it. Those who see it after buzz hits the tipping point will hate it. Those who enjoy seeing the process of how a horror film works at manipulating the audience will find it very educational.

Here's the plot: Boyfriend buys video camera to capture strange things happening in the house at night. Camera starts catching weird stuff that slowly grows and grows until the final shot, which is designed to deliver a sharp shriek of fear and an uneasy feeling that all is not well in the world.

It's does contain some forced moments to try and tie the plot together , but Featherston and Sloat make a convincing couple with all of the quirks and idiosyncrasies that make couples lovable and annoying. They're fun to watch and you feel for them as they dig themselves deeper and deeper into the paranormal world.

This is a movie for folks who love horror that isn't about gore but the slow build. Outside of that, it is a fascinating experiment to see a potential model for distribution.

7.7 out of 10

POV: Flicker

2009-10-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Flicker (1991)
by Theodore Roszak

If you are a lover of movies, movie history and a shadow history of film that casts a dark, ominous shadow over the light of celluloid, then this book is for you.

I first picked up a paperback copy back around 1996. Like most things, I was first attracted by the cover. I'm known to pick up any book that features sprocket holes as part of the artwork. I assume it has something to do with movies, though most of the time, it doesn't. This time though, I hit pay dirt. It took about fifty pages for me to find the rhythm, but suddenly I was engrossed. It's so well written and thought out that I'm shocked it hasn't caught on to be a bigger work than it is.

This sucker is an onion, you keep pulling back layers and layers, idea upon metaphor upon theme. I'm always fascinated how I find new and deeper meanings with each read. It makes me wonder if it has to do with me growing older, learning more about film, or both. I'll say both.

The main thread is about Jonathan Gates, a young college bound kid in the late fifties who stumbles upon a small movie theater run by cineaste Clare and her stoned out projectionist, Sharkey. Gates and Clare begin an affair that will lead to the discovery and appreciation of a lost filmmaker named Max Castle. But Castle's films are much more than just b-movies, there is an under-hold, a flicker, a mysterious something that hides underneath his images.

The book is a gothic thriller that uses real movie history as the building blocks for a religious cult that is out to destroy the world. However cheesy it sounds, the book works incredibly well.

I remember trying to track down the rights to it and there was a big legal battle at the time. They ended up at Regency Productions and for a while Darren Aronofsky was attached. The only outcome of that was the most recent printing in 2005 which states Aronofsky's involvement. He has since left the project.

Only time will tell if a great movie will be made from this. There is a great movie in the book, it just depends on who ends up making it. But for now we have the perfection that is the novel and as soon as you've finished the latest political biography, or Stephen King paperback, pick this up and give it a read. You wont be disappointed.

The Eclectic Choice: Family Plot

2009-09-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

Family Plot (1976)
dir. Alfred Hitchcock

This isn't Rear Window (1954), Psycho (1960), Vertigo (1958) or Strangers On A Train (1951). Hitchcock has a list of classics a football field long, and sure, this isn't one of them. Sure it may be flawed, silly, fluffy fun, but it is Hitch's last film and there is a lot more to it than you might expect.

The main plot circles around a fake, or is she, psychic who along with her cab driving boyfriend decide to hunt down an heir to a fortune. These characters are played with charisma and some real genuine chemistry by Bruce Dern and Barbara Harris. It's a blast to watch these two together. they have this rhythm that feels like a couple in love, even through the minor bickering of everyday life. Dern is a very different character than we are used to seeing. Sure he's quirky, but far from the nut-ball borderline psychos hat he is famous for. It is a real shame Barbara Harris was dealing with personal problems that stifled her career. Between this, Nashville (1975) and Freaky Friday (1968), it's impossible not to notice her incredible range and the cute-as-a-button looks this lady has. I really wish she was able to do more.

The weakness of the movie is William Devane who is always dependable, but is always William Devane. The character is weak and his subplot to kidnap people and ransom them for diamonds never really takes off. Karen Black plays Devane's accomplice, but isn't given much to do.

It's fun and frothier then most of Hitchcock's work, but it also includes a lot of the masters touches that made him such a great filmmaker. Does it stand up to his best films? Of course not, but few movies can or ever will be able to hold up such standards. Hitch may have not gone out with a bang, but as he literally ends his cinematic career with a wink at the camera, it reminds us that the man was never about delivering the normal set of expectations.

R.I.P. Henry Gibson

2009-09-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Henry Gibson (1935-2009)

Henry Gibson will be remembered for two major things. The first is a regular on Laugh In and the second was as the leader of the Nazi's in The Blues Brothers (1980). But for me there are three roles that really single him out as a major talent. The first two are for Robert Altman films.

His portrayal of Haven Hamilton in Nashville (1975) is great stuff. He captured all of the hypocrisy of Christianity and the entertainment world. All smiles and glad handing in public and just a royal judgmental prick in private. It's a stroke of genius in a movie that has genius at every turn.

The second was his take on Dr. Verringer in The Long Goodbye (1973). It's a tough thing to make intimidating Sterling Hayden look legit and Gibson did it with flying colors. Cold, steely eyes and the delivery of "Sign the check Roger!" You actually think he could kill Hayden with that look. Fantastic.

The third is in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia (1999), as the snobbish barfly Thurston Howell. He takes down a crumbling William H. Macy with his one-liners and wandering eyebrows with the creepy grace and elegance of a serial killer. Plus his name is Thurston Howell, which is awesome.

There is also his work in Innerspace (1987), The Wedding Crashers (2005) and several episodes of King Of The Hill to take into account. The man worked rigorously and brought a touch of humor and ingenuity to every character he performed. It was an excellent career and one that will stand the test of time.

Not On DVD: Ride The Pink Horse

2009-09-14T20:19:00.001-07:00

Ride The Pink Horse (1947)
dir. Robert Montgomery

The second (official) film directed by Montgomery, this may not be as stylistically experimental as his debut effort Lady In The Lake (1947), but this is a tighter story and grimy as hell.

Montgomery plays Lucky Gagin. He's tough, ruthless and is seeking to avenge, in the form of blackmail, a murdered friend. His adventure leads him to a dirty border town where he runs into a Fed, played brilliantly by Art Smith, who is after the same guy.

With a wicked-mean femme fatale, a Latino psychic predicting the worst for our hero and a smooth-as-glass bad guy who plays up his hearing aid like a badge of honor, this is hard boiled dipped in wrought iron. It's tough, mean, brutal and ornery. A real overlooked gem.

To ice the cake, the script is written by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer who supply some great dialog that is endlessly quotable. A tight well paced piece that ranks with the best of their work.

This is a mandatory watch for any noir buff and a real shame that it doesn't have a DVD release.

Review: Whiteout

2009-09-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

Whiteout (2009)
staring: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, Tom Skerritt
dir. Dominic Sena

A real waste of time and potential. Go and read the graphic novels by Greg Rucka, they are superior in every way. Bad dialog, shit direction and bland acting. It felt like the actors wanted to get off the screen as much as I wanted to get out of the theater.

I would like to point out a moment that got some big laughs for the audience. Unintentional, of course. Carrie Stetko, played by Beckinsale keeps having crappy flashbacks of a situation gone wrong. She and her partner have arrested some drug trafficker and have holed u in a hotel for some unknown reason. They handcuff the guy to one of the beds and Stetko decides to get some rest. She wakes up and sees the empty handcuffs on the bedpost where her Bad Guy once was. Her narration spouts, "I felt something was wrong as soon as I woke up." No shit, the guy is gone sweetie. Open handcuffs, hmmmm that seems fishy. Fuck, it was just ridiculous.

I will give props to some of the production design. there was some decent work done there guys, unfortunately the director only knows how to do closeups of faces, so the odds of your work getting any screen time are little to none. Sorry.

Oh, I'll also give credit to Skerritt. Not for his acting, but for his attempt to look as much like Kris Kristofferson as possible. Apparently Kristofferson had something better to do than this role. Like clean up the dog shit from his back yard.

It's just a shame, there was so many possible for tension and horror and mystery that just seems tossed out and wasted. If you can't figure out who the bad guy in in ten minutes, you're not paying attention. No matter how hard they try to pull a shifty eyed dog on you.

4 out of 10

Clip Art: Jubilee

2009-08-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Jubilee (1977)
dir. Derek Jarman

This is a great scene from a very interesting cult movie. It may not be 100% successful, but a fascinating film with an original voice and point of view.

Jubilee was Jarman's second feature film and was received with mixed reaction. Even members of the punk community felt they were betrayed by this film.

But everyone agrees this is a great moment. It features Orlando as Borgia Ginz who delivers a rant that sounds like something Rupert Murdoch would jerk off to. Punk icon Jordan plays Amyl Nitrate, the lip sinking songstress. The song is actually sung by Suzi Pinns. Jordan played a key role in England's punk movement and was one of the performers at the famous SEX (boutique). According to Wikipedia she is now a veterinary nurse and breeds Burmese cats. You can't punk forever, I guess.

POV: Lovin' The Arclight

2009-08-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

For those who are not from Los Angeles or have never ventured here, we have a great theater called The Arclight. They are the home of the Cinerama Dome and deliver some of the best visual and sound quality around. They also have selective seating which is great when you buy tickets on line. Choose your seat and show up just before the film starts. It's brilliant and a great time saver.

They also have amazing screenings of older films all the time, usually in conjunction with the AFI. But last night the screened what I consider to be the oddest choice of all.

Yep, the direct to video piece of trash brought to us by the always trashy Asylum, Mega-Shark Vs. Giant Octopus(2009). What makes it even better is having Lamas show up to do a Q&A. I have no idea what this guy could talk about, unless the answer is, "I need a paycheck and no one else will hire me."

Now, admittedly I would have gone had I not already seen the movie, but to watch Lamas stumble through a Q&A just wasn't enough to validate the ticket price. That being said, I have several friends who are jealous that I even had the opportunity to witness this train wreck.

R.I.P. John Hughes

2009-08-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

John Hughes (1950-2009)

The Loss of writer Bud Schulberg is sad but not at all shocking, the guy was 95 after all and he left behind some of cinemas greatest work.

The loss of John Hughes is quite shocking and very sad to me, a child of the 80's. One of my first major crushes was on a girl who resembled Molly Ringwald and it was at the time that Hughes was at his peak. I had seen Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985) and Pretty In Pink (1986) hundreds of times at that age. To not own one soundtrack from his films would be considered sacrilegious. Mr. Hughes passing is like a nail in the coffin of my youth.

As I look back at the films he wrote, directed, or produced it makes up a large portion of my childhood. Mr. Mom (1983), Vacation (1983) and even Nate & Hayes (1983)! I didn't know he wrote that, crazy! I also can't forget the classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) and my personal favorite Some Kind Of Wonderful (1987).

He had retired from the biz as a director, but continued to produce and write under the psudonym Edmond Dantes, the name of the main character from Alexandre Dumas' novel The Count of Monte Cristo.

He has left behind a body of work that defined a generation and will be missed.

Posters: The Big Heat (TCM)

2009-07-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

So TCM is doing a summer special called Summer Under The Stars, where they spotlight a certain actor or actress. This is really nothing new for TCM, but they have had posters created for each celeb and a specific film they were in. The posters are all great, but this one really got me.

Yes, it's for Gloria Grahame in Fritz Lang's masterpiece The Big Heat (1953). This is a great design, but the real kicker is the coffee pot. For those of you hwo haven't seen the film, shame on you, it's a perfect way to characterize Grahame's character in this movie. The poster, in context, is almost darker than the film itself. It's just twisted. I'd love to have a full size poster of this sucker.

I'll admit, the steam creating her face fives it a look like she stepped out of Doomsday (2008), but I love Doomsday, so I appreciate it even more.

Check out the other posters here to find your personal favorite and make sure you watch The Big het if you haven't seen it before. Prepare for a dark tip.

Not On DVD: The Crimson Kimono

2009-07-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

The Crimson Kimono (1958)
dir. Sam Fuller

If you are a true lover of movies, then you are a fan of Sam Fuller. Fuller, a movie maverick, former newspaper man and thrilling raconteur gave us films that were entirely original. Every frame stamped with his mark. Just a hint of his dialog, framing or direction of the actors screamed a Sam Fuller movie. Some may find it over the top, more over though, it's a cinematic gut punch that the audience has to be willing to take.

Fuller was always forward looking and decided to take on the theme of race and racism from a very different perspective. The Crimson Kimono flip-flops the ideas so it is the minority of the picture who cries wolf. It's an interesting idea and deeper look into the human psyche than any Sidney Portier fist pumping portrayal could deliver.

A great opening scene, like all Fuller films, we get a stripper who is gunned down in the streets of Los Angeles. Homicide detectives Charlie Bankroft and Joe Kojaku are assigned to solve the murder. They were buddies in Korea and Joe even saved Charlie's life, so these guys are tight. They both fall for the same girl, Christine, who is a witness in the case. It beocmes an awkward love triangle, but it is Joe that Christine loves and end up breaking Charlies heart. When Charlie confronts Joe, Joe plays the race card. The film goes from murdeous melodrama into a tale about how we see ourselves through the faces of others. Luckily the murder plot and human issues are able to solve themselves in tidy little wrap up in the end.

It's an excellent addition to the Fuller cannon, but has let to see the light of day on DVD. It's not too shocking to know this is a Columbia Pictures release who seem to put nothing out on DVD unless it's new or an Oscar winner.

If you see this title floating around on TCM late at night, grab a drink and settle in for what Fuller would descibe as, "One hell of a yarn!"

Review: Chéri

2009-07-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

Chéri (2009)

starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupret Friend, Kathy Bates

dir. Stephen Frears

Meh. Which is an awful thing to say about a movie with this kind of pedigree. Directed by Stephern Frears, written by Christopher Hampton and starring Michelle Pfeiffer with subject matter about courtesans during the Belle Epoch, should be the perfect mix. These folks have come together previously for the brilliant Dangerous Liaisons (1988), so any film lover is wringing their hands in anticipation.

Well, it just doesn't come together this time. You have a great performance by Pfeiffer, some solid direction, some solid writing, but it never really clicks. It lacks an energy, or a balance that never lifts this up to even a good movie. It's a disappointment which is more than depressing.

The biggest flaw for me came in the choosing of Rupert Friend. Nothing about him is appealing. He isn't attractive, the performance is one note, never allowing for any kind of depth. Sure, that may be the point of the character, but Friend is charmless as Chéri. It's that lack of charm that makes him repulsive and impossible to understand the attraction that Pfeiffer's character Lea has for him. He's just a pain in the ass, why or how could a woman who has so much sophistication fall for this selfish child. It's not like she needs his money. Maybe he has a huge dick? They never say either way.

There are moments that really shine, but in the end it is a slightly sub-par movie that tries to deliver a dramatic punch with a final shot, that is very similar to Dangerous Liaisons, accompanied by a piece of narration that seems more fitting than tragic.

6 out of 10

Review: The Hurt Locker

2009-07-04T08:44:00.001-07:00

The Hurt Locker (2008)

starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Guy Pierce

dir. Kathrine Bigelow

This is my favorite film of the year so far. I've seen it twice and one of the most impressive things that a movie can do is maintain its tension on a second viewing. This film does that in spades.

It's like the Alfred Hitchcock theory on suspense. Show a person set a timer on a bomb and place it under a table. Then watch unsuspecting people sit down at the table and have a conversation. The audience will be on the edge of their seat wondering if the bomb will go off while the people sit there unknowingly. The Hurt Locker is a two hour version of that theory impeccably executed.

This is a film that also works on quite a few levels. Yes, it's an indictment of war and the soldiers on the ground. it is a film about urban warfare and how everyone is suspect. It's a film about decisions and how one wrong move can have great effect on everyone around you. But at it's heart, it is about addiction. This is a movie that uses the war genre as a metaphor for addictive behavior and how that will not only kill the abuser, but leave a trail of wreckage that the abuser never even acknowledges that he or she is responsible for.

Our addict in this case is Jeremy Renner giving an amazing performance as Staff Sergeant William James, the head of a bomb disposal unit. He's an adrenaline junkie, always looking for the next hit to supply those endorphins that keep him up. What really makes his performance so great is his willingness to remain completely ignorant of what is really going on inside of him. There are a few moments of clarity, but they pass, because he's a junkie and junkies only love one thing... Junk.

One of the better and very understated moments in this movie is his "quest for revenge". He ventures out of the base, after curfew, to look for the people responsible for killing a young boy he befriended. His pacing, nervous ticks and chain smoking feel and take on the appearance of a junkie looking for a hit. It's uncanny, but fits in so well within the context of the war film that it could easily be overlooked. This entire sequence isn't about revenge, but about the rush and when Renner's character discovers there will be no rush, his dealer is dry, he slinks away settling for a moment of physical abuse done to him by unknowing soldiers.

Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty are pitch perfect as soldiers who see the danger of their situation and can't get out of it. They understand that one wrong decision could get them killed and are frightened by the addict that leads them, but also have a certain admiration and want to be more like him.

Bigelow is at the top of her game as she builds sequences that are taut and riddled with tension on all sides. There isn't a single moment when you don't feel that something could go wrong or someone could easily die. It's filmmaking at its finest and Bigelow proves she is not only a great female filmmaker, but better than other action directors like the incompetent Michael Bay or the clueless Mc G. Though I do suspect that Bay has quite a few things in common with Renner's Staff Sergeant.

Maybe with the Academy upping the number of best picture nominees, this film will break through and find the much larger audience that it deserves. It's genre filmmaking with a heart and a head that outweighs anything that has come out this summer and will easily be up there at the end of the year.

10 out of 10

Review: Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen

2009-07-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen (2009)
starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, CGI robots
dir. Michael Bay

This has two moments that I enjoyed:

1. Shia Labeouf screaming like a girl as he's being attacked in his dorm room.

2. A couple shots on the Pyramid in Egypt as robots fight and the pyramid crumbles around them.

These two things equal about 45 seconds in a film that runs two and a half hours.

Fuck this movie, fuck Michael Bay and fuck you fools who walked out of the show I was at claiming that this is a good movie. Wake up you zombified morons.

1.5 out of 10

Review: The Proposal

2009-06-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

The Proposal (2009)

starring: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, Oscar Nunez

dir. Anne Fletcher

To walk into this romcom expecting anything more than what hundreds if not thousands of these movies have given us before would be naive. So how do I discuss a movie I was born to dislike. Well, first dislike is too strong, maybe worse, I'd have no feelings for it whatever.

This is very by the numbers and risks nothing to make a single person think that for one minutes these two crazy kids wont get together by the end. Maybe that is impossible. Would the audience for a movie of this type tear the seats out of the theater if there wasn't a happy ending?

The only way to look at this film is using the following criteria:

1. Chemistry of the leads.

2. The jokes.

3. The wacky side characters.

Under those guide lines, here we go.

Reynolds and Bullock are fine together, you've seen worse. Reynolds is especially good when he reacts versus actual acting. he's got a great face when it comes to responding to the over-the-top situations around him. When he opens his mouth, take it or leave it. Bullock gives us exactly what a person wants from Sandra Bullock. A strong woman overcompensating for a heart afraid of being injured. Isn't that who we all are inside. On a side note though, she gets pretty naked and looks stunning. So you keep it up Sandra, the gym does have its benefits.

The jokes tend to fall flat. One or two land, though for the life of me I can't tell you what they are. Most are from the wacky side characters which leads us into...

Betty White. The woman is a comic genius. She's completely wasted in this film but damned if she doesn't give it her all. She has so much energy and spark, she might be more fun to have sex with than Bullock. Honestly Betty, call me.

The other side character of note is Oscar Nunez. You know him best as Oscar, the homosexual accountant from The Office. In this film he plays a small town homosexual business owner. It's a small stretch, I know, but he goes for it. It feels like a role that was written for Hank Azaria and Nunez comes off like a lightweight Azaria in all his scenes.

In a summer that is ruled by special effects and giant explosions, this is a nice diversion. If you're into nice. It is as safe as safe can be and will offend only those who expect something from it. But those people are stupid to begin with. I'd say stay away, but this is a movie that does nothing to damage the quest for real cinema. Its biggest offense is that it's harmless

7 out of 10

On The Boulevard: George Marshall

2009-06-23T15:35:00.001-07:00

Who's George Marshall? I have no idea. Let's find out.

I don't think the one we're looking for is the military leader who became Secretary of State. He's probably the second listing I'm finding claiming that George was a prolific actor/writer/producer and director of film and television. Yep, that's the owner of this star.

Not much can be said, because I can't seem to find much n him. Even though he has a resume as long a my arm.

He was born in Chicago in 1891 and died in Los Angeles in 1975. It appears he started his directing career in 1916 at the age of 25 with the silent film Across The Rio Grande. From there he'd continue on to more recognizable titles like Destry Rides Again (1939), The Ghost Breakers (1940), The Blue Dahlia (1946) and as one of the many directors who contributed to How The West Was Won (1962). It says here he shot the railroad scenes for that film.

In the 60's he moved more and more into television ending his long carer with a a few episodes for The Odd Couple. Over 176 projects by the time of his retirement. It's an impressive sum.

Well, we may not have been very aware of Mr. Marshall's contributions to cinema and they may not have been groundbreaking or himself considered an auteur. But he worked, he added to the culture, he achieved what very few people have, a long and productive career.

It is a star as deserved and even more so, than others that exist today. I'm looking at you David Spade.

The Eclectic Choice: Quid Pro Quo

2009-06-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Quid Pro Quo (2008)
dir. Carlos Brooks

Mark Cuban may by as nuts and rich as the Crazy Texan on The Simpson's, but he has done quite a bit of good when it comes to independent cinema. He green lit Steven Soderbergh's experimental HDV movies as well as several other small films. Quid Pro Quo was one of those movies and even though it may not be perfect, it is a very interesting ride.

Nick Stahl plays a paraplegic radio show host who begins to investigate a subculture that wishes to be paralyzed. These people fantasize about it during secret group discussions and even have their own wheelchairs or braces to use in the privacy of their own homes. How ever odd it sounds, it is a very real condition and it's the"why" that this movie chooses to explore.

Stahl is a very good actor who gets very few roles that suit him. He's great here and plays well against the always impressive Vera Farmiga as the mysterious woman, who introduces him to this underground phenomena and has several secrets of her own.

Equal parts film noir, psychological thriller and emotional enlightenment, this may not be the second coming of independent cinema, but it is very original and well executed story. It's also incredibly short, clocking in at an hour-twenty with credits.

You can check it out on Netflix streaming, but I'd recommend seeing it on DVD since the quality of the stream tends to soften some really interesting cinematography.

Review: The Taking Of Pelham 123

2009-06-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

The Taking Of Pelham 123 (2009)
starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, James Gandolfini, Luis Guzman
dir. Tony Scott

I'm a huge fan of the original film from 1974. I thought Walter Matthau as the sarcastic transit cop hero of the movie was inspired and Robert Shaw's cold blooded hijacker priceless. So when I first saw the cast for this remake I almost had to cause self harm. In what universe did John Travolta come anywhere close to Shaw? Sure Denzel Washington is a great actor, but he doesn't have the thing that made Matthau. No way was this going to be any good.

I finally decided after mocking the previews, posters, the career of Tony Scott and just the fact that remakes are sketchy at best, I decided to change my point of view. Call it a moment of clarity. I have come to the conclusion that remakes need to be looked at like cover bands. How is the material treated? Is it trying to be like the original or a springboard for something new? Can it stand on its own two feet or collapse under its own pretensions. This is how I've decided to look at remakes since, no matter how hard I want them to go away, remakes are here to stay.

So all that being said, this remake is pretty passable. It's failings come from director Tony Scott whose evolution into ADD filmmaking has become an albatross he can't, or wont, shake. Due to the fact that the flm s mostly rooted in a subway tunnel, it does restrict Scott from going bat shit crazy with the visuals, but you can tell he's trying to break out at every possible moment. His style, which seems to have no rhyme or reason ends up killing any sort of tension. It makes one long for the days of Crimson Tide (1995) and True Romance (1993).

That being said, screenwriter Brian Helgeland brings some fun twists to the story and refers back to the original novel more than the 1974 version. Sure there is some hokey dialog, but Washington and Travolta pull it off. They may not be the originals, but they bring uniquely flawed characters to life in a very watchable summer movie. Gandolfini is great as the Mayor who's role was expanded from the original and provides some of the highlights of the movie.

The one thing I do miss and wish there was more of was the feeling of the city. The original had a sense of New York and it felt like a character, this version could have been in Pittsburgh and you'd never know. Location was not a priority for Scott even tough the script wishes it was.

I may sound as if I'm being harsh on the film, which is fine because it's far from great, but I have to say it never felt like a waste of time. I won't be waiting feverishly for a Blu-ray, but if I see it on cable in the future, I'll stop and give it a watch before seeing if something better is on.

7.8 out of 10

Review: Land Of The Lost

2009-06-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

Land Of The Lost (2009)

starring: Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny McBride

dir: Brad Siberling

Not a kids film, not a movie for adults, so it's just a muddled mess. I was bored through most of it and I really enjoy Ferrell and McBride quite a bit, but nothing they do here is fun, well McBride has a couple moments.

One reviewer I read gave it credit for having campy looking visual effects, which were on purpose. An interview with Siberling said he wanted it to feel real so went with realistic looking effects. So we'll then say the effects are a failure as well.

If you were a fan of the show, you'll be let down, if your a fan of the actors, you'll be let down. If you are a fan of movies in general, you'll be let down. If you're a fan of this film, you've let me down.

5.5 out of 10

Review: Moon

2009-06-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

Moon (2009)
starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey
dir. Duncan Jones

This is a pretty damned good science fiction film. Some of the advanced word had comparisons to 2001 (1968). So when I walked in I was waiting for a head trip. That wasn't what I was going to get, but it wasn't what was intended either. What I first felt as disappointment, turned into a level of admiration as the film continued to roll around in my head for the next few days. When that happens you know there is more going on there. It may not be 2001, it's more of a thinking mans Outland (1981), which in itself sounds odd, but works quite well here.

Sam Rockwell proves that he is one of the best talents working today. He continually gives layered performances and this is no exception. To go into more detail about his work here would give away the key plot of the movie, so I'll just say it's an incredible job and Rockwell deserves major praise.

Director Duncan Jones in his feature debut shows skill with the camera. I was blown away to find out they only spent five million dollars on this movie. It is visually arresting and Jones finds the right moments to sell the world he has created. His decision to use practical effects and models instead of CGI for key scenes is great to see. It ads a tangibility that today's computer work seems to lack.

Last and certainly not least is the score by Clint Mansell who delivers atmosphere and emphasis that drives the the film home and wraps it up into one very tight package.

This isn't going to be opening wide, so keep your eyes open because it's an intelligent piece of science fiction that we don't see a lot of anymore.

8.5 out of 10

Review: The Hangover

2009-06-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

The Hangover (2009)
starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Heather Graham
dir. Todd Phillips

Is this a funny film? Yes. That's all I asked for and I got it. It's not a movie as much as it's a concept piece using several skits and the theme of finding a lost friend to tie it all together. This isn't a film about change or building character, it's about setup and punchline. Looking at it from that point of view it delivers and is firing on all four cylinders.

Todd Phillips keeps the pace moving and creates a very visually appealing movie. It's nice not to see flat lighting and a wide/medium/closeup photography. He's good with comedy as long as he's given a good script. Just look at Starsky & Hutch (2004) or School For Scoundrels (2006) to understand his limitations. He can't improve, he can only deliver the package in hand.

I ran into Ed Helms at a party once and he was kind of a jerk, so I just don't like him. therefore I can't tell you if he was any good in this, all I could see was the jerk. Cooper plays a dick well and can look good doing it with stylish clothes and copious amounts of hair product. Galifianakis is the breakout. His stand up comedy, ore like performance art, is brilliant and he gets a chance to show off some of his skills with his man child character. He's sweet, a little demented and could be scary in the right circumstances.

It's a really funny movie and worth the price of admission. There is over the top humor and some subtle moments that might slip by if your not paying attention. It wants to make you laugh and nothing more. Mission accomplished.

8 out of 10

Clip Art: Brando Interview

2009-06-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

This week I'm going to go in a different direction. Instead of a scene from a movie, here is an interview with Marlon Brando from 1965. The guy was a genius who was eccentric and a sense of humor way beyond the times. enjoy.

You can catch part 2 here. For some reason there is no embed code.

But there is code for part three. Hmmmm.

Review: Up

2009-06-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

Up (2009)
starring: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Delroy Lindo, Bob Peterson
dir.Pete Doctor

This is another great film from Pixar. Is it really a shock anymore? These people have a batting average that would put any studio to shame. Even the lesser films are better than most. When it comes to choosing the best movie, it's all about personal taste.

I have request. Make a film that just sucks. I want to see what one of those are like. Shoot for something really lofty with ambition and go after it with the conviction and passion that you show all your other films. Then just tank it. Get a tomato rating of 16%. Really toss it in the gutter just so an audience can see how badly you can screw the pooch. Don't make anything offensive, like the already mentioned pooch screwing, just something that falls flat on it's face. In the end it will be nothing but beneficial for you.

Your stuff is so damned good that it's almost starting to feel boring. "Oh look, another piece of art from Pixar" Yawn. Can't you see that we're getting bored of giving you money for something good while most of the movie industry takes our cash and shafts us for two hours. Stop being such iconoclasts and get aboard the crap boat.

On the good side, I do have to say I'm not sold on 3D. When it's used as a gimmick it feels like a gimmick. When it's not it becomes a bit of a distraction from the great visuals that you put up on the screen.

To sum up: For the good of humanity, lay a rotten egg so we as audience members can universally say you have a bad film. That you aren't the greatest animation studio today and that everyone is capable of showing up in public with a giant zit on their nose. Pretty please.

9.5 out of 10

Review: Drag Me To Hell

2009-06-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Drag Me To Hell (2009)
starring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver,DiLeep Rao, David Paymer, Reggie Lee
dir. Sam Raimi

This film is getting a lot of critical praise and it deserves it. After a very long sabbatical from horror films, Sam Raimi is back on his home turf and as comfortable as ever.

Using every trick in the horror arsenal, Raimi shocks, build tension, grosses us out and makes us laugh with the best intentions of entertaining the hell out of us. He has leapt back to the era of The Evil Dead movies and knocks it out of the park.

It would be unfair to not praise Alison Lohman, she gives a great performance and is a real trooper. Everything is done to her in this film and it takes real commitment to trust the filmmakers to pull of the horror/humor combo. Lohman has so many different things poured into her mouth, you cold see an adult film star saying no.

But really the best part is seeing Raimi going back to his old bag of tricks and making an energetic and fun horror movie that is a throwback to the old days that has a decent budget behind it. I could easily complain about some of the CGI. There are moments that really pull you out of the film, which is a shame. But the thing that is amazing is how Raimi can move between horror and comedy with such ease, the mind reels trying to figure out how he does it.

If you're the type of person who will roll with a talking goat, then this is a movie for you. It's a blast and you'd have to be a cold cynical bastard if you don't enjoy the hell out of this film.

9.5 out of 10

The Eclectic Choice: The Exorcist 3

2009-06-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

The Exorcist 3 (1989)
dir. William Peter Blatty

This is one of those rare occasions when a equal made twenty years after the original actually turns out to be good. As a matter of fact it's even better than part two which was just down right awful. Yes, I'm saying it and will wear it with a badge of honor, The Exorcist 3 is a really good horror film.

It's got a great performance by the master George C. Scott. In the film he plays Detective Kinderman who was portrayed in the original film by Lee J. Cobb. The film picks up twenty years later (fitting) and Kinderman is on the trail of a serial killer who happens to kill the same fashion that a presumably dead serial killer used to. This leads to all sorts of questions and a patient in an insane asylum who happens to look a lot like Father Karras, the priest who took a tumble down the stairs at the end of the first one. Hmmmmm, this could get interesting.

Filled with a moody and terror filled atmosphere, William Peter Blatty made a wonderfully underrated horror film that has it's fans, but has yet to reach the position it so righteously deserves. Scott did well in the horror genre between this film and the classic ghost story The Changeling (1980). It also has one of the best ball busting friendships in cinema history. You can't help but smile as Scott and Ed Flanders (no relation to Ned) banter back and forth with frothy sarcasm, but show that deep caring of old friends in the smaller moments. It's a great relationship, though short lived on screen.

If you haven't seen this movie, you're missing out. You'll never trust people who crawl on the ceiling again.

Review: Easy Virtue

2009-06-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

Easy Virtue (2009)
starring: Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Barnes, Kris Marshall, Fizz the Dog
dir. Stephan Elliott

The problem with summer is that we are bombarded from every direction with advertising for the giant tent pole movies that many smaller films slip by. It's a real shame because some of these little gems could use a bigger audience.

Director Stephan Elliott is best known for the sleeper hit The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert (1994). After a few misfires, an early retirement, near death experience and decision to get back into filmmaking Elliott has brought us a great little film with heart and some great comedy.

Based off of a Noel Coward play, Elliott and screenwriting partner Sheridan Jobbins have updated it and expanded some of the characterization with great success. It is a movie full of energy, some great gags and a few really great performances.

Jessica Biel delivers a solid performance, but is really shown up by those around her. Colin Firth delivers another solid character who silently suffers and holds onto a secret that has kept him tormented and bitter for years. But the real standout and it's no real suprise is Kristen Scott Thomas as the family matriarch. It's a thankless role and she is pitch perfect as a woman who struggles to keep her famly together even though they are becoming more and more secuded as society around them is changing at a rapid pace.

One of the more surprising elements is the soundtrack. It includes several Coward songs, but also more contemporary songs arranged to fit the style of the 20's. At first I was scratching my head trying to place the tune when I realized it was Car Wash set to swing. It is another layer that adds to the comedy of the piece and reminds us that we're watching a film by a guy willing to take chances.

It's a fun film that moves quickly, looks great and is fun of some real inspired comedy. If you're into something that's a little more offbeat and doesn't have giant robots or huge explosions, it's well work a look.

8 out of 10

R.I.P. David Carradine

2009-06-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

David Carradine (1936-2009)

Under still mysterious circumstances, David Carradine passed away in a hotel room in Bangkok today. It's being reported that he may have hung himself, but others are reporting that it was from natural causes.

The oldest of the Carradine brothers David is a part of Hollywood royalty that stretches back to the silent film era. He carved out a name for himself though and is still best known for the lead character in the TV series Kung Fu. For film geeks he's known best as Frankenstein in Death Race 2000 (1975) and Bill in the Kill Bill (2003-04) movies. But he had a very long and varried career. He was amazing in Bound For Glory (1976) and had some great cameos in films like Mean Streets (1973) and The Long Goodbye (1973).

For me though he will always be remembered for a quote that a friend said back in college while we were watching Carradine in Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) on TV.

"Fuckin' David Carradine. That guy saw more drugs and pussy in the 70's than we'll see in seven lifetimes."

That would look really good on a headstone.

Review: The Girlfriend Experience

2009-06-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Girlfriend Experience (2009)
starring: Sasha Grey, Chris Santos, Peter Zizzo
dir. Steven Soderbergh

In recent years, Steven Soderbergh has been developing a style that moves away from a subjective viewpoint to give us objective films, allowing the audience to decide for themselves how the feel about characters and situations.

Examining the life of a professional escort and her physical trainer boyfriend, Soderbergh delves into the world of the physical. How these people dress, where they live, what they are willing to do for money is the main ingredient here, but there is so much more going on under the surface.

Perception is the key to this riddle and knowing what to look for in this nonlinear gem is the key. I'll admit I've watched it twice and walked away with different ideas on both occasions. The first time covered all of the themes and ideas about our collapsed economy and the folks who believe that image is everything.

The second led to ideas about perception and how people look at themselves versus who they really are. The devices we use to maintain an image of ourselves can be dangerous and those warm comfortable places where we feel most at home is, in reality, cold and lonely.

It's a character study, a statement on consumerism, a look at the modern day upwardly mobile, a tour de force in editing and an all around fantastic film. Even though it will be one of the lesser films seen this summer.

9 out of 10

Review: Night At The Museum 2

2009-05-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian (2009)
starring Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Hank Azaria, Robin Williams, Bill Hader, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Christopher Guest, Ricky Gervais
dir. Shawn Levy

Yawn. I wasn't a big fan of the first film, but there was something in the trailers that made me interested in checking this out. Well, I was suckerd. Good job marketing guys, you did a great job.

The saddest part about this movie is the waste of talent. Just look at that comedic roster up top. Coogan, Williams, Guest, Gervais, Azaria, Hader! It's a treasure trove of talent and all of it was tossed in the toilet. For most of the movie you're stuck following Stiller and Adams as they run through mass chaos in the hopes of entertaining. Don't even get me started on the fact that Jonah Hill is used in most of the trailers and only has that scene in the film! I figured Stiller and Hill would be able to vamp off of one another enough to give it some fun moments. Nope, just one scene, just one joke.

The whole thing is a mess and if you're a parent, shame on you or not trying to find better stuff for yor kids to watch. This is just big budget junk food and stale junk food at that. Please stop supporting this type of movie and take the kids twice to see Up! (2009). At least then you're supporting something with artistic merrit and not a movie by committee that is made for business purposes alone.

6 out of 10

Review: Terminator Salvation

2009-05-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

Terminator Salvation (2009)

starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood

dir. McG

There are a lot of things wrong with this movie. A lackluster script, really poor direction, uneven acting and very little terminating. The biggest crime is that there is quite a bit of wasted potential.

The exploration of the "What is it to be human?" theme isn't a new one, but it's a good one and another log thrown onto that fire is always welcome when properly explored. In this film it is simply an afterthought. Afterthought is actually quite tame. It's barely a fart in a heavy wind. The writers and McG felt they could nail it with a single sentence at the end of the film and ends up sounding like a bad greeting card.

There are a few nice visual twists, including a great shot near the beginning of a helicopter cash, but most of it is desaturated grays with nothing exciting to look at. It's a dull palette with little originality in execution or design.

As for the acting, it's all over the map. Christian Bale is way too serious and monotone. I can see why he got angry. I'd yell at people too if given this type of character to play. Howard is wasted and Bloodgood (supposedly her real name), is downright hideous. The only standout is Sam Worthington who has a lot of potential, but his Australian accent kept slipping though and I find it had to believe that they didn't have him come in for some ADR work.

It's a so-so entry in a franchise that has lost its way since creator James Cameron gave up the helm. It is a great improvement from T3 (2003), but that's not hard to improve on.

7 out of 10

Review: Angels & Demons

2009-05-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

Angels & Demons (2009)
starring: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård, Armin Mueller-Stahl
dir. Ron Howard

Sorry, but I want to keep this simple so I don't feel as if I'm wasting much time on this.

The Dan Brown book this is based on was stupid, but had enough set pieces to make a film version a little more appetizing. Unlike The Da Vinci Code, this plot had deadlines before people die, thereby increasing tension. Still stupid, but tension filled stupidity.

The film though, has no tension, because director Ron Howard has no idea how to build it. The thriller genre is not his game. it didn't work in his film Ransom (1996) and it works even less here. At least with Ransom, we were given characters. In Angels & Demons we are given an expositional device in the shape of Tom Hanks. he doesn't look happy to be there and we aren't happy to see him looking so unhappy. No one looks happy to be there as a matter of fact. Unhappy people on screen. Unhappy people in audience. Unhappy experience all around.

The CGI is close to intolerable as we get a computers version of the Vatican and other parts of the city. Weak, weak, weak and never feels like more than a money grab by all involved.

I'll give Ewan McGregor a thumbs up for attempting to bring something to his role, but it is crushed under an avalanche of mediocrity and dull execution on every other front.

As a summer film it fails completely, but it's still better than The Da Vinci Code (2006).

6.5 out of 10

Review: The Brothers Bloom

2009-05-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

The Brothers Bloom (2009)
starring: Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi, Robbie Coltraine, Maximilian Schell
dir. Rian Johnson

Rian Johnson gave us an impressive debut with his film noir/highschool mash up Brick (2005). That film's ability to play with genre, create it's own verbal shorthand and relate the archetypes of noir with the archetypes of teen drama melded so well, it was a revelation. Since it's debut, it has become a cult sensation and a staple for any film geek.

With his sophomore effort, Johnson is again tackling a well worn genre and giving it his own spin. The Brothers Bloom attempts to tackle the very tricky con man game. It is tricky because the filmmaker is not only trying to play the con within the film, but finds ways to keep an audience on its toes who know they themselves are being conned. His answer to this is quite interesting and simple. He never cons us. The film is very straightforward and the issues of the con volley between the two brothers played by Ruffalo and Brody.

After a strong beginning, the second act begins to wear thin with some pacing problems. There were more than a few times that I had to wonder how much longer this could drag on. The pacing is stifled even more by Brody who overplays every moment, demanding that we watch him and understand that he is an actor. This is a problem that has followed him since his Oscar win. He no longer inhabits characters, he portrays an actor acting.

Rachel Weisz is a blast to watch though. She brings an energy and bounce to the screen that makes even some of the slower parts easier to digest. Every moment she is on screen shines as she balances comedy and drama with the ease of a professional tightrope walker. Ruffalo delivers another strong performance, but doesn't have to stray too far from his wheelhouse. Rinko Kikuchi is adorable, but not given much to do and it's great to see Maximilian Schell on screen again even though it's only a few minutes.

The largest flaws of the film are neither in the direction or the acting as much as it is in the writing. Ideas and character traits are introduced that are dropped or forgotten completely and have nothing to do with the end result. They seem to be there for a quick quirky joke and nothing more. One could argue that it is part of the trick so we don't know which direction the con is going, but if so it's a cheat and if not it's just poor handling of character.

This is a movie with several moments that shine but in the end is a bit of a disappointment. There is no reason to write Johnson off yet, he still shows a lot of skill, but when it comes to handling the fine tuning and many spinning plates that are needed to make a great con movie, he falls a little short.

7 out of 10

Posters: Cannes Film Market

2009-05-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you who think the Cannes is all about high brow films, let me put your mind at ease. One of the great things about the festival is the film market. This is where people from all over the world try to sell their latest genre film.

Her are a few examples that will probably end up on a video shelf near you.

From the Producer of Shaolin Girl. See a pattern?

Why so serious?

From the Director of Black Sheep, which is interesting.

Love the tag line:

A Killer Body And A Gun...What's Not To Like

You can check out more of these at The Guardian, which includes two projects starring Danny Devito. What kind of Country do we live in when Devito can' get a film released?

POV: Cannes 2009

2009-05-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of the Cannes Film Festival. It just feels like the heart of cinema to me. It never seems pretentious in the way of what it shows. The same festival that awarded A Taste Of Cherry (1997) the Palm d'Or, gave the same prize to Pulp Fiction (1994). It's a passionate festival. People boo at screenings! That's awesome isn't it? A place where love for film runs so high you'll actually get into arguments in the theater with other people.

This is a different year for me unfortunately and fortunately. Usually I get to see the opening ceremony and closing night on television, but not this year. Instead I have to settle for the internet. But this is also a bonus because they are covering all sorts of events and putting them up on the official site.

THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

It started yesterday and runs through the 24th. Check it out. They update videos daily and odds are at some point you'll run across a film that piques your interest.

The Eclectic Choice: Exterminating Angel

2009-05-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

Exterminating Angel (1962)
dir. Luis Buñuel

I recently saw this film after hearing about it for a very long time. Back in college I had a friend who loved it, but his wife didn't understand why the people just didn't leave the house. They're now divorced. Perhaps this movie is a telling sign if a relationship will make it. Then again maybe not.

A group of Bourgeois get together at a mansion for the evening and for some reason can't leave. There is no physical explanation and a reason is never given. But symbolically it all makes sense. This is real magic from the maestro of surrealism Luis Buñuel and well worth watching more then once.

Laced with social satire and religious symbolism, there is a good reason why Buñuel is considered one of the best and this film proves it. Filled with humor and a clausterphobic atmosphere, you may be running for fresh air by the time it's over. When you toss open the window and feel the breeze against your face, the world may look a little different thanks to this film. Not wrong, just different.

Add it to the collection today.You won't be dissapointed, unless your a certain ex-wife.

Review: Star Trek

2009-05-11T06:22:00.000-07:00

Star Trek (2009)

starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy

dir. J.J. Abrams

Summer is here and so is the first summer movie (I refuse to count the debacle that is Wolverine). Overall, it's a fun romp and does no harm to anyone accept fro those who dislike the negation of any Trek that came before it.

The script itself is ridiculously poor and tends to fall back on inside jokes for Trekkers or sight-gags for newbies. As a matter of fact, there is too much wacky humor that interferes with the plot. Gone is the moralizing and themes of the originals in order to bring us a glossy piece of cotton candy. But these quibbles can be overlooked when the energy of the film is so high.

The acting is actually quite solid, even though most of the new cast are only given brief moments and the rest of the film gives time to Spock (both of them) and Kirk. Both are well portrayed by Quinto and Pine, but the real standouts ended up being Karl Urban as McCoy and Zoe Saldana as Uhura. Saldana is a revelation and the one character who gets a real overhaul. She's smart, sexy and tough. All of those things that the character should be, but was never given in the TV series or original movies.

On a side note, I'm curious to see how many young people it gets into Star Trek. The kids sitting next to me were totally confused at first when Nimoy appears as Old Spock. Until it was explained they kept making questioning grunts. So the odds of a bunch of 13 year old boys going out to buy the original series or films seems slight.

For what it is and what it is trying to achieve, success. It's fun and not much more, but as the days are heating up it's a great diversion and you get more for your 10 bucks than just two hours of air conditioning. Is it the best Trek movie? No, but it's an interesting start and Abrams and company have avoided the one thing that most people were afraid of. Falling flat on their faces.

8 out of 10

Review: The Soloist

2009-05-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

The Soloist (2009)
starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener
dir. Joe Wright

I watched this movie last week and had totally forgotten that I saw it. I just remembered this afternoon and then spent the next half hour trying to remember what happens in it.

Downey is good, but that isn't saying much. The guy is a pro and I can't think of the last time he delivered a bad performance. Jamie Foxx was way too mannered and I found him more irritating than anything else.

The script was as blah as scripts can get if you can't tell from the way my mind remembers it so vividly. The film commits the biggest crime that any film can commit, it leaves no emotional residue. I didn't walk out hating it, I didn't walk out liking or loving it. I just walked out.

No wait! I do remember one thing that I found laughable. At one pint we get to see what Foxx sees when he hears music. It's flashes and pools of color that look like a popular screen saver from 1997. Just stupid.

I've got nothing left to say, it left that much of an imprint on me.

5 out of 10 (I think)

R.I.P. Dom DeLuise

2009-05-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

Dom DeLuise (1933-2009)

I grew up with Dom Deluise. He seemed to be a comedy staple in most of the movies I saw as a kid. Even today my household discuss the merits of the Jerry Reed, DeLuise classic Hot Stuff (1979). It's not a good movie, but we still remember it and sing the theme song on a regular basis. Yes, it's a troubled home.

But to me DeLuise will always be remembered as Burt Reynolds sidekick. They were only in a few movies together, but they seemed like an inseparable pair. The best part about the movies they were in were always the closing credits. They'd show outtakes and the centerpiece was Dom being abused by Burt. Dom would crack up and couldn't stop. Burt would continue to slap him. It was a little creepy, but apparently quite humorous too. Or we were glad to know more than just the audience was abused after sitting through Cannonball Run 2 (1984).

My favorite appearance of his was in the beginning of The Muppet Movie (1979). Kermit just finishes singing Rainbow Connection and the next thing you get is a scene of Kermit and DeLuise playing one liners off each other in the swamp. It's a good bit.

He was always a big guy and never apologized for it. He loved food and even has a few gourmet cookbooks. It seems like it was a good life, full of laughter, friendship and fancy food. You can't ask for much more than that.

Farewell Captain Chaos, you will be missed.

The Eclectic Choice: Le Magnifique

2009-05-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Le Magnifique (1973)
dir. Philippe de Broca

This is a lot of fun and has Jacqueline Bisset who is just drop dead sexy. The plot revolves around Jean-Paul Belmondo as a writer of bad spy novels. He incorporates everyone around him into the stories and sees himself as the lead character Bob Saint-Clair.

It's a crazy romp that moves between the reality of Belmondo's lack luster existence and struggle just to get his typewriter fixed to the over the top world of espionage where he's the perfect spy and lover.

If you haven't seen it and you are a fan of the french farce, see it. If you're a fan of Belmondo and want to see him ham it up, see it. If you enjoy Bisset playing the sex kitten, see it. If you want to kick back, relax and enjoy a funny piece of fluff that does no damage and has it's heart in the right place... well you get the picture.

Clip Art: Zoolander

2009-05-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Zoolander (2001)
dir. Ben Stiller

It's a really funny movie and this is a really funny bit. This movie has more eye acting than anything since the era of silent film or a Sergio Leone closeup.

This is a film with a lot of style. Some great mise-en-scène, with exquisite work in the costume department. The padding on Stiller's outfit that gives him abs is just a riot. all of the colors work, creating a rich palate and a world you don't see that often. It just pops and is funny ta boot.

The only distraction for me is Owen Wilson's nose, as if that can be helped. It is its own piece of abstract art in a way. The lines and curves drawing you in and it stops looking like a nose and more like an odd Rorschach test.

The best bit is the Billy Zane gag. Zane is an underrated actor who always plays to the hilt and never seemed to break out of the b-list. He also seems to have one hell of a sense of humor since he plays himself in this scene.

This is a movie that is hysterical in all sorts of ways. Between this and Tropic Thunder (2008), Ben Stiller proves that he is one of the better comic directors today.

POV: I'm Scared Of Ingmar Bergman

2009-04-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

I, much like most film geeks have holes in my movie watching history. I don't know much about the Iranian New Wave or Tony Richardson films. I've never been a huge fan of Marylin Monroe, so I'm always taken a little off guard when I see one of her movies and like it. These are just examples of course, there are many more.

The biggest of these crimes is my total and unequivocal fear of Ingmar Bergman. I have only seen Persona (1966) back when I was in college. I remember really enjoying it, but it never made me say, "It's safe, I'm comfortable with this. I can watch these."

The problem is fear, very simple. I've always known that Bergman was a thinking mans filmmaker. I don't see myself as much of a thinking man and fear the mysterious knowledge that these films impart will fly over my shallow skull. My feeble mind is just too frightened of not getting it.

Will I lose my own sense of cineaste credibility if I discover I can't understand his movies? Am I simply over thinking (very ironic) this whole thing and should just relax and view them like an other film? All I know is that the thought of tackling his movies leave me with an odd petrified fear that I have with no other filmmaker.

I'm a fan of Antonioni, Fellini, Godard, Tarkovsky, Tarr and many others. As a matter of fact, I'm a bit of a foreign film nut. I have no fear of subtitles or themes or nonlinear storytelling. As a matter of fact there isn't anything in film that does intimidate me when it comes to choosing something to watch. I even prefer the challenge. There is just something about Bergman that overcomes me with a certain type of cinematic panic. I don't get it and there is a part of me that really wants to understand it.

The only logical conclusion that I have been able to come up with is pretty simplistic. I'm worried about not liking him. That's pretty straight forward. He is an admired and honored director. He has made movies that are considered classics in form and narrative. The visuals, created mostly by frequent collaborator Sven Nykvist, are world renown. Anyone who even dabbles in movie circles knows the shot of Max Von Sydow playing chess with death against those back lit clouds. It's an incredible image and I only know it through still photos.

It's all a sad, sad thing. A place where I shouldn't be and a corner I have painted myself into. Someday, hopefully soon, I can pull myself out of this pit of despair and just relax. I'll throw a couple of Bergman's films onto the top of my Netflix queue and make a day of it. These feelings I have, these emotions that hold me hostage are sure to melt away once those first few frames flicker across the screen, right? Right?

Posters: The Hurt Locker

2009-04-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

This is a great movie and the poster, as well as the trailer, take advantage of one of the best shots in the film. There are actually a ton of great shots in this movie, but this one is a real moment. It's when you actually feel that all of these incendiary devices actually live and breathe. Mabye not in still form, but wait until you see the entire sequence in motion, it's frays nerves.

The poster itself is nice. It does the one thing that it really needs to do, show how people are going ape shit over this film. It's my sincere wish that this turn into the sleeper of the year and make money hand over fist. Kathryn Bigelow deserves a hit, she a really impressive talent and she's constructed a film of real tension and beauty.

The Eclectic Choice: Performance

2009-04-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

Performance (1970)
dir. Donad Cammell & Nicholas Roeg

Another pick from Cammell and his cohort in crime Nicholas Roeg who would go on to a very impressive career of his own. This was the first directing gig for both of them and the results would be a mind bending look at identity, inspiration and culture clash.

Mick Jagger plays a rock and roller who is dried up and looking for that magic touch. James Fox plays a hitman who is on the lamb from a job gone wrong and ends up renting the guest room in Jagger's pad. Then all the rules are thrown out the window.

This is a really bizarre flick that is all over the map as it delves into philosophy and the surrounding counter culture. More than anything though it is an incredibly well acted and stylized, showing off the developing talents of both of its creators. Plus it contains one of the best lesser known Mick Jagger songs, "Memo From Turner" as well as a psychedelic soundtrack from the likes of Jack Nitzsche, Randy Newman and Merry Clayton.

Well worth the purchase if you want to see something very off the wall.

24 Frames: Black and Whitezation

2009-04-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

Recently two movies have been released with a new bent on realization.

The first was Frank Darabont's The Mist (2007) which was released over the Thanksgiving weekend and quickly disappeared. Then came the DVD release which offered a two disk special edition with an alternate version in black and white. This is a curious and new approach. Apparently Darabont originally wanted to make the movie in b&w, but the studios refused. See, he wanted it to be like those great matinee horror and sci-fi films of the 50's. It's an interesting idea and Darabont got his wish with the DVD release. This of course makes it even more interesting for the cinephile who would like to see this alternate version and see if it improves the film.

Now I didn't like The Mist the first time I saw it. It was a late show and was packed with a bunch of drunk teens who made tons of noise and talked on cell phones the entire time. Really, you spend ten bucks on a movie and talk on the phone the entire time? Officially, you're an idiot. Anyway, the audience had a major impact on my movie going experience so I was not thrilled with the film.

When the DVD was released with this b&w Director's Cut, I was intrigued and decided to check it out. I'm glad I did, but not for the reasons you might think. I watched the new version and I must say, I was disappointed. Even with the aid of computer technology, you can time something to look black and white, the film itself wasn't shot for the look. Costumes, production design and visual effects were designed for a color film and it doesn't mesh very well when transferring over. Scenes were too dark and details would be lost. At times it just looked muddled.

The Mist (2007)

Plus all of the handheld camera work didn't feel right when used with the format. The older films that Darabont wanted to imitate never used this type of style so the entire experiment feels unfocused. But it did make me re-watch the color version and I discovered that it is quite an enjoyable little horror film with some standout performances. The visual style also works incredibly well in color and I found myself really engrossed. The idea of presenting it in black and white may have been unsuccessful, but it does help a person appreciate the original.

Then this past week Peter Bogdanovich released a movie that he also originally intended to release as a black and white movie. Nickelodeon (1976) was Bogdanovich's homage to the silent film era, a slapstick comedy about those pioneers of the silver screen. It stars Burt Reynolds, Ryan O'Neal, John Ritter, Stella Stevens and Tatum O'Neal.

Apparently this ran into the same problem as The Mist and the studio felt shooting in color would be beneficial to the film. Odd since Bogdanovich had already had two very successful b&w films prior to this one, The Last Picture Show (1971) and Paper Moon (1973). It could be Bogdanovich rewriting history by saying the studio wouldn't let him, but it really doesn't matter because the move to black and white actually helps this film quite a bit.

Nickelodeon (1976)

Some of the initial reviews were that it was a little old fashioned and slapsticky. Which is dead on because it's designed to be that way. It's supposed to reflect all those old comedies that Bogdanovich adores so much. The entire project is mannered and some of the humor seems goofy when you witness it in color.

This time though because the film itself is a period piece, all of the costumes and sets were designed with a bent towards b&w and shots are designed to reflect an older visual style. According to Bogdanovich's commentary track, cinematographer Lazlo Kovacs even styled some of the lighting after old b&w movies. All of these factors add up to make it feel like you're watching a different film. Scenes of slapstick have a different energy and feel more natural and less gimmicky. This is most apparent in a bakery scene where Reynolds keeps hitting a guy with an oven board.

Even though only one of these movies seems successful though its de-colorization, it is a great way to show that black and white is an esthetic choice that is underused and under appreciated these days.

Clip Art: The Road Warrior

2009-04-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

The Road Warrior or Mad Max 2 (1981)
dir. George Miller

As far as post apocalyptic movies go, this is the king of kings. A great story about survival, humanity, amazing car stunts, cinematography and a new star being born. Yep, there was a time when Mel Gibson was a cool guy and not the sexist, antisemitic, drunk driving, religious wacko that he's better known for being today.

But I admit, I still love the guy despite his flaws because he was Max Rockatansky and Martin Riggs, two great action heroes of the 80's. Plus he was one hell of an actor. Before he started falling back on his celebrity and rely more on mannerism, he actually worked at creating his characters psychology.

Back on topic: I like this scene because with very simple strokes it introduces a lot of the characters and gives us an idea of what type of characters they are. Then there is the great bonding moment that Max has with the Feral Kid. This is one of the few moments where Max shows a little bit of softening as the kid lights up when hearing the music gear. Plus it ends with one of the greatest Bad Ass lines of dialog and is complimented by camera movement and Mel's delivery. A real cinematic moment.

Great stuff and part of a trilogy that really holds up. People can complain about aspects of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985), but come on, look at the history of movie trilogies and you'll realize it's a pretty solid entry in an excellent series.

On The Boulevard: Elmo Lincoln

2009-04-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

I had no idea who this guy was when I took the picture, I just loved the name, but apparently he's got a bit of history.

Elmo Lincoln is the silver screens first Tarzan The Ape Man. Yep, he was the first guy to wear a loin cloth and do that "Ahheeeyyaaaaaa" yell. Actually, he was in the silent movies so he may have never done the yell.

He appeared in three Tarzan movies which were, Tarzan Of The Apes (1918), The Romance Of Tarzan (1918) and finished his run with The Adventures Of Tarzan (1921). He Also appeared in a few other notables like Birth Of A Nation(1915) and Intolerance (1916).

According to his Wikipedia page he gave p acting to pursue a career as a miner. Let's face it, who wouldn't give up the backbreaking work of stardom to take it easy as a miner. But apparently his mining dreams were crushed for reasons unknown and he returned to Hollywood to pick up the laborious work of acting again.

This is the factoid that I find interesting, he ended up with minor roles in later Tarzan movies as a Net Repairing Fisherman and a Circus Roustabout. Admit it, you'd love to have Circus Roustabout on your resume.

He passed away in 1952 and in 2001 his daughter decided to answer all of those questions we'd been wondering about in the book My Father, Elmo Lincoln: The Original Tarzan. All joking aside though, if you were the first Tarzan in cinematic history, you deserve a star.

It's been nice meeting you Mr. Lincoln.

Review: Crank: High Voltage

2009-04-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

Crank: High Voltage (2009)
starring: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Bai Ling, Clifton Collins Jr., Corey Haim, Dwight Yoakam, Efren Ramirez
dir. Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor

The Crank series are nothing but obscene Looney Tunes movies. If they ever change that formula, I'll start hating them. Sure, they are silly, racist, sexist, dumb, borderline mentally challenged, but that's what makes them so fun. Everyone involved knows exactly what type of hyper-kinetic-goof-ball movie they are making and they do it very well. They are also some of the more expiremental films being made for commercial distribution.

Just look at all of the different styles they use for conveying action, or the way text is used in both subtitles and it's own form of montage. It's almost like a Godard film but steeped in dumb dick and fart jokes instead of intellectual dick and fart jokes. They even have a fight scene that jumps into a Godzilla style man-in-suit battle. No explanation why, they just do it because they can. They've set up a structure that allows for anything. I laugh at the crude sophomoric humor because it works and everyone can enjoy crude and sophomoric if they know that's what they are getting themselves into. You'd never see another action hero do the things that Chev Chelios does. As a matter of fact, you'd never see any character do what Chev Chelios does.

The acting is always over the top, the situations are always over the top and the filmmaking is always over the top. Plus these movies are around 85 minutes, perfect timing for junk food.

If you want something with meaning or a soul, or something that has weight, this ain't it. There are no pretensions here, Crank: High Voltage is a popcorn movie for people who need a junk food fix.

Oh and Amy Smart is sexy fun.

8.0 out of 10

The Eclectic Choice: Demon Seed

2009-04-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

Demon Seed (1977)
dir. Donald Cammell

In the science fiction sub-genre of computers coming to life, Demon Seed takes the cake for being one of the more bizarre and that's what makes it great. Sure you have films like Colossus: The Forbidden Project (1970), War Games (1983), 2001 (1968), and Electric Dreams (1984), but none of these come close to the twisted killer computer Proteus IV.

Fritz Weaver plays a scientist who has built the super computer which quickly outgrows it's human masters. It takes over the house of Weaver's estranged wife played by the eternaly sexy Julie Christie. Well, since Proteus has already learned everything about humanity, now it want to be human, or at least breed and that's where Christie comes in handy. Yes, where else can you get scene after scene of a computer working to convice a terrified woman that they need to have intercourse?

However campy it sounds, it's actually very unnerving and has some wild visuals provided by artist turned director Cammell. The impressive geometric shape that Proteus takes on has a certain sublime grace as it moves through scenes, shifting and slithering to manuvere around. The entire film may look dated, but think of it as part science fiction, part body horror, part expiremental video project. If that doesn't do it for you, Christie's performance should, she's amazing in this one.

Personally I think it's a real gem and a masterpiece in a surreal way. You may not want to own it, but see it with an open mind and you might discover a very original and bold piece of filmmaking.

Review: State Of Play

2009-04-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

State Of Play (2009)
starring: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Daniels, Hellen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman
dir. Kevin Macdonald

Thrillers set around newspaper reporters are pretty much a sub genre unto themselves. These are movies where instead of a private detective with a gun you have a reporter with a pen. In most cases we already know the outcome, these movies are about how the audience gets there. It's about the enjoyment of the protagonist uncovering clues and sticking to his ideals when the Paper's Editor chews them out for doing something that might be slightly unethical, but turns out to be minor since it leads to unveiling the truth. That's the most important part about these films, finding the truth.

State Of Play has all of the the tropes of a classic thriller, including a parking garage scene, but carries one very important singularity that labels this as the last newspaper movie. Bloggers. Behind all of the politics, behind all of the intrigue and "who done it" thrills is a very real story about the death of an old system and the rise of a new one. It also asks the big question: Will the new generation have the same lust for the truth as the old? With the ability to churn out several stories a day because the public demands up to the minute information, will the Blogger's doggedness for facts remain?

Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams are the personification of this debate and each of them give us rich characters that display the flaws of both systems. In a newspaper movie, you'd think it would destroy the concept of the quick to act, go for the fast story Blogger, but it doesn't. As a matter of fact it shows that the old guard may have lost some of their humanity as well. It is an interesting glimpse into the now and the concluding scene leaves us with hope that there may still be hungry reporters out there who believe in the real story, not just a story that gets page views.

Yes, this is a compression of a British miniseries. Yes it has to struggle to maintain a cohesive story and is missing a lot of what made the original so great. But this needs to be judged as its own organism. It is a well made, well acted, excellent glimpse of the end and future of the newspaper reporter.

8.5 out of 10

Clip Art: Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

2009-04-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

Star Trek II:
The Wrath Of Khan (1982)
dir. Nicholas Meyer

I'm jumping the gun a little, but since I just bought my ticket for opening day I thought I'd play a bit from the best Star Trek movie. Now this film is loaded with tons of great stuff and Shatner is at his cheesy best in this one. The way he screams "KHHAAAN!" is legendary. I prefer this clip though where he's supposed to get emotional. The pause he has before he says, "Human" is awesome. I don't mean that in a goofy way either, I'm quite sincere. He looks like he's trying to work up a tear, but can't quite do it, his skills just wont let him. But I applaud him for trying.

Scotty on the bagpipes ladies and gentelmen, let's give him a hand.

Posters: Chinatown

2009-04-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, Chinatown (1974) is a all kinds of classic when it comes to film. It also has some of the most amazing advertising images as well.

In all of the posters I've seen there is always the use of J.J. Gittes cigarette smoke helping frame Evelyn Mulwray's face. In most it creates a beautiful hairline and something that gives the feeling of water with the waves in the lower corner creating a frame of the key symbol in the film. It also makes the image of Evelyn ghostly, someone you can't quite put a finger on which really describes her character in the first two-thirds of the film.

When I was checking out Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule, one of the great movie blogs out there, I saw this poster for the first time. It appears to be the German release.

Again, the smoke frames Evelyn's face, but doesn't form hair or the feeling of water like the American version. I think it's the water element that I appreciate so much in the American release, but look at Gittes expression. It's a great look of hardened cynicism. Nothing phases him. That changes by the end of the film of course. It's stunning piece of poster art, even if I find it lesser thematically.

Review: Fritz Lang Double Bill

2009-04-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

Another night of noir from the Film Noir Foundation. This time I got to check out two Fritz Lang movies unavailable on DVD. They happen to be the last two movies that Lang would direct in America before going back to Germany.

Are these the best things Lang ever made? No, but they are very interesting and cynical and tend to have totally irredeemable characters, which is always fun to watch. So let's take a look, shall we?

While The City Sleeps (1956)
starring: Dana Andrews, Ida Lupino, Vincent Price, George Sanders, Thomas Mitchell, John Drew Barrymore, James Craig
dir. Fritz Lang

A serial killer is on the loose and a newspaper is determined to catch him. Not because they believe in justice, but because the new owner Vincent Price is going to promote the first department head that breaks the story. So the race is on as three men double cross each other to get the job. Everyone is a cad, a borderline alcoholic and generally just a shitty person. It's a newspaper expose and serial killer film all in one. I really liked Andrews as the liquored up television news anchor who is willing to use his new fiance to lure the killer out into the open. John Drew Barrymore is the killer with mommy issues that drive his twisted killings.

This is a much more parred down style for Lang, saving any visual flair for the scenes with Barrymore as he creates his dark and twisted world. There is plenty of wit as Sanders, Mitchell and Craig work on out manipulating each other to get the new job. Craig is the strongest of the three since he gets the sleaziest character to play. His idea is to get the bosses wife to help since he's knocking boots with her on the side. Ida Lupino gets to shine as a woman who knows how to seduce to get the story. It's a lot of fun delving into a world that is morally and ethically bankrupt, but still wind up being the protagonists.

This one shows up every so often on TCM and is twisted fun with healthy dollops of sexual innuendo to appease anyone.

8 out of 10

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (1956)
starring: Dana Andrews, Joan Fontaine, Sidney Blackmer, Arthur Franz, Philip Bourneuf, Barabra Nichols
dir. Fritz Lang

Even more stripped down than While The City Sleeps, Lang made this on a shoestring budget and it shows, but he still sets up some very nice shots building single takes that move and re-frame to keep the energy up. At first glance it sounds like it may be the dumbest movie ever, but once it ends and you actually think about the construction, it's pretty damned clever.

Dana Andrews is a writer who gets engaged to Joan Fontaine. Her father, played by Blackmer is against the death penalty and feels to many men are dying due to circumstantial evidence. When a murdered girl ends up in the news, Blackmer and Andrews decide to make it look like Andrews did it, have him convicted and then spring the proof that he didn't to make the D.A. look like a fool. It's a crazy way to prove a point, but Andrews decides to go along with it so he can write a book.

It all seems pretty dangerous and hokey and when you expect something will go wrong, it does. But everything is not what it seems and the structure and slow build lead to a solid ending that makes everything that proceeds it shift a few degrees and takes on new meaning.

It has even more depth when you start comparing it to Lang's first American film Fury (1936), which seems to cover some of the same themes, but from a very different point of view from a filmmaker who may have been cynical, but had hope. Interesting how time, frustration and compromise can change a man.

It's movie that seems a lot cornier on first viewing, but makes dramatic sense once the lights come up. This is actually being remade by Peter Hyams with Michal Douglas in the Andrews role for a 2009 release.

8 out of 10

R.I.P. Marilyn Chambers

2009-04-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Marilyn Chambers (1952-2009)

Probably one of the most famous names, along with John Holmes, in the history of the adult film biz. Marilyn Chambers may be best known for titles like Behind The Green Door (1972) and Insatiable (1980) as well as being the Ivory Snow girl, but she holds a very respectable credit in the horror genre as well.

In 1977 Ms. Chambers starred in David Cronenberg's Rabid, where she gains a taste for human blood after a bizarre encounter with plastic surgery. Her victims, who are bled in a very...original manner, become crazed zombies and begin infecting others around them and an epidemic breaks out across the city. A really interesting entry into Cronenberg's body horror era, the film has a strong cult status though not much of a success on it's initial release. The idea of casting Chambers in the film came from the films producer Ivan Reitman, who had heard Chambers was looking to branch out into mainstream movies.

Chambers was 56 when she passed and as of this posting time, they have not released the cause.

The Eclectic Choice: Dillinger

2009-04-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Dillinger (1973)
dir. John Milius

With Public Enemies (2009) coming out this summer, I thought it would be good to point out a real gem that covers the same territory. This time around Warren Oates plays our quintessential criminal and heads a great cast that includes Ben Johnson, Harry Dean Stanton, Richard Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman as the woman in red.

With a fun jail break, some great energy by Oates and real thrills, Milius made his big screen debut with this highly underrated movie. Johnson gives a stand out performance as well playing Melvin Purvis, a man who seeks two things, good press and John Dillinger. Falling somewhere between Bonnie And Clyde (1968) and Badlands (1973) with its technique and picturesque landscapes, this film also contains some riveting violence, in the vein of Peckinpah, that can still take you off guard, even by today's standards.

A must own, even though it's a bare bones DVD. It really should have a special edition Blu-ray with Milius giving a gravelly commentary on the life of one of our history's most colorful criminals.

Review: Observe And Report

2009-04-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

Observe And Report (2009)
starring: Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Michael Peña, Ray Liotta, Celia Weston
dir. Jody Hill

Just to let you know, I did laugh quite a few times at this film. The shocking climax is a riot and worthy of a certain level of respect. The movie outside of the laughs is just a mess. The pacing is jarring and never really settles in allowing for the non-sequiturs to work within the narrative. A shot of the mall cops riding down an elevator where they break the fourth wall may be funny, but doesn't fit. It ends up being more of a distraction than building support.

It also seems to follow standard narrative conventions a lot more than you would think. If you have a Betty and a Veronica, which one is Archie going to get together with in the end? Sure you can try and lead us in one direction, but once you introduce us to the nice girl, there is no way we aren't going to see love bloom by the end.

Rogen is great as this very disturbed delusional character, but within the world that is created, there is no way he'd have held onto the job as long as he has or the moment of redemption working the way it does. The redemption as a matter of fact, doesn't work at all. Writer/Director Jody Hill has to force an action that leads to the climax that left me scratching my head as to why he handled it that way. It's like he knew he was running out of time and had to get there somehow. The punchline was written before the joke and the film as a whole suffers for it.

This is not a film for everyone and there are going to be a lot of people who like it because it's not the typical Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) crap. Which is a good thing, the film gets major kudos for moving away from conformist comedy. I'd love to see more films like this as far as pushing comedy boundaries go. I'd just like to see a film that feels more cohesive and stays within the parameters it creates.

7.5 out of 10

Review: Sin Nombre

2009-04-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Sin Nombre (2009)
starring: Edgar Flores, Paulina Gaitan, Kristian Ferrer, Diana Garcia,
dir. Cary Fukunaga

I don't know when the last power house debut was, but this has to be up there with the best of them. Writer/Director Cary Fukunaga has delivered a jaw dropping movie that is emotionally engrossing and technically stunning. This is the best film of the year, so far, and hopefully will not be forgotten when award season starts rolling around in eight months. But my praise isn't just the fact that it is an astonishing first film, it would be a great acomplishment coming from a seasoned filmmaker.

Two parallel stories converge on a road trip to escape. For one family it is to get back to America. The father was deported back to Honduras and is going to smuggle himself and his Honduran daughter over the border. For a Mexican gang member it is to escape fellow members who have "greenlit" him to be killed after slaying their leader. Both of these stories collide atop a train moving towards Texas and "freedom".

It's a road trip movie that doesn't fall under the standard conventions. There is no wandering, no existential crisis, the endpoint is clear and definite. The opportunity to start over even though the odds of getting there are near impossible must be taken in order to gain your freedom. But what happens if you do get there?

It is impossible to predict events that take place because Fukanaga is not as concerned about plot as much as he is in all of the uncontrollable forces that push people towards a final outcome. Simply put, fate. Initial actions set in place the roles that will be doled out to these characters, even if they don't deserve it, or earned it. That's how fate works, sinners and saints are all treated equally in the eyes of an uncaring universe.

This is a film that makes a person impatient to see what Cary Fukanaga does next. I'll remain optimistic that his work will contnue to grow and evolve and hope that fate doesn't have something else in store for him.

10 out of 10

Review: Anthony Mann Double Bill

2009-04-10T11:41:00.001-07:00

Every year, the Film Noir Foundation comes down to Los Angeles to present Noir City, a collection of movies most of which aren't on DVD. It's always a great series and you can discover some real gems as well as catch up on titles that you've always read about, but never seen.

This year included a double feature of rare Anthony Mann movies from his early career. So without further ado:

O'Clock Courage (1945)
starring: Tom Conway, Anne Rutherford, Jane Greer, Richard Lane, Emory Parnell
dir. Anthony Mann

This is one of those films that shows signs of what Mann will become, but isn't fully formed. The opening shot as our hero Tom Conway walks down a street and leans against a signpost looking dazed is a classic hard edge Mann shot that would come into common use in a few years when working with John Alton. The rest of the film is rather visually plain as it deals with our hero battling amnesia, aided by cutie taxi driver Anne Rutherford to help prove that he may or may not be a murderer. The film moves fast and furious as it introduces characters and we try to piece events together along with our heroes.

Its a fun film, but not a great one. It has a lot of humor, which is nice, but you could punch holes through the plot at any moment if you take the time to do any thinking. It's a blast though to watch each conversation add one more small piece to the puzzle. Rutherford is adorable and fires off one liners with an ease and playfulness that never falls into cynicism. She brings a lot of energy to the piece and that's a good thing since most of the movie hinges on her performance. Conway is workable and plays well with Rutherford, but when on his own seems to lapse into mannerism rather than performance. With a running time of 67 minutes, it's an entertaining little B-movie that is well worth the time.

8 out of 10

Desperate (1947)
starring: Steve Brodie, Audrey Long, Raymond Burr, Douglas Fowley, William Challee, Jason Robards Sr.
dir. Michael Mann

Just prior to starting his string of classic B's, Railroaded (1947), T-Men (1947) and Raw Deal (1948), Mann made some leaps and bounds with this first great film. Some may argue that his first great film was Strange Impersonation (1946), but it falls a little too much into melodrama and has some pacing problems to be considered a great noir.

Steve Brodie plays a trucker who accidentally gets involved with Burr's fabulous baddie and ends up running from the mob as well as the law with his pregnant wife in tow. They find a place to start over, all the while everyone is closing in on catching him. Brodie and Long are great as the couple on the run and the rest of the cast is just fantastic, especially Fowley as a scumbag PI out to find the couple.

The real star through is Mann's direction. It is filled with imagery and compositions that really show off Mann's talent for making a lot out of very little. Cinematographer George Diskant deserves some major kudos for his work here and would go on to do other great noir like On Dangerous Ground (1952), The Narrow Margin (1952) and Kansas City Confidential (1952) before moving into a lengthy career in television.

When it comes to stunning visuals, two scenes in particular come to mind. The first, when Brodie is being beaten up by Burr and his cronies in a basement. A single overhead light swinging back and forth creates monstrous images, casting moving shadows and hard light on faces that become ghoulish when struck. The second is a tour de force in editing and sound as minutes tick down before Burr is going to execute Brodie in the final act. The sound of the ticking clock overpowers as they cut slowly between faces that get tighter and sweatier until all we see are eyes piercing through the screen. It's Sergio Leone 20 years before Sergio Leone! The knock at the door that finally breaks the tension sounds like an explosion of relief as the viewer can finally exhale.

It's a great piece of underrated work and is shocking to think that it's not available on DVD. It's a seminal piece in Mann's canon and should be celebrated more. If you get an opportunity to see it, drop everything and go.

9 out of 10

Clip Art: Jackie Brown

2009-04-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

Jackie Brown (1997)
dir. Quentin Tarantino

This film didn't perform as well as Pulp Fiction (1994) and I always thought it was why Tarantino let his filmmaking regress. I don't mean in a technical sense. The Kill Bill films are visually stunning and Death Proof (2007) showed he has the chops to shoot some stunning stunt work, but the maturing of his storytelling started to take a back seat.

Here's one of several scenes that take place between Pam Grier and Robert Forester. In trying to find "The Scene" that summed up the relationship, there wasn't one. It is built slowly through conversation after conversation. Each scene adding something to the relationship, something to the characters as individuals and something to plot. So here is one of those scenes that ends nicely on the driving question of the plot.

Tarantino has never let characters breathe like this since. It's mature and impressive to watch a couple of adults actually converse about who they are and the kicker at the end that brings the whole idea of the scam back into play.

Here's hoping that someday Tarantino will go back and start exploring the human side of genre again. Until then, at least he's giving us some fun films to eat popcorn to.

Posters: Star Trek (2009)

2009-04-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

I'm nervous about the new movie. Yes, there has been positive word of mouth coming from people who saw it in Austin Texas recently, but there were mitigating circumstances to that.

This poster doesn't do much for me as far as calming my nerves. It's too simple, to plain, just kind of boring and doesn't give me any sense of the ride that I'll be taken on.

Is it supposed to represent the blank slate we're to have walking into this film? Is it the point of view from a glaucoma victim watching the Enterprise jump into warp speed? I don't know, it just feels...off.

I prefer this one:

I'm guessing it's the Spanish or Italian poster from the tag line. It does have a bit of a disaster movie feel to it, but there are no floating heads to remind me that it looks like the cast of Melrose Space.

Not On DVD: NightFall

2009-04-08T05:17:00.000-07:00

Nightfall (1957)
dir. Jacques Tourneur

Based off of the book by David Goodis, this very late entry in the film noir canon and is a great little movie. Jacques Tourneur who gave us the noir cornerstone Out Of The Past (1947) delivers a tight running time of 75 minutes that has Aldo Ray running from everyone.

Ray plays a commercial artist who's goes on a sporting trip with a friend but ends up wanted by the cops for a murder he didn't commit and by the killers who think he has a suitcase full of their stolen cash. Brian Keith is great as one of the criminals and Anne Bancroft plays the woman he meets who isn't what she seems.

Told in a series of flashbacks, the film moves from the dark neon streets of the city to the bright white snow drenched fields of Wyoming. It's a tense thriller with a great climax and paranoia to spare.

It's well worth while and a surprise that it's not out yet, considering how many companies are releasing their noir catalogs with such frequency. The problem may be that it was released by Columbia Pictures, who doesn't seem to do much with lesser titles. I'm not sure if they own the DVD rights, but if they do a nice version with commentary by Alain Silver or Eddie Muller would be fantastic.

The Eclectic Choice: The Hunger

2009-04-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

The Hunger (1983)
dir. Tony Scott

Picture a time when vampires movies weren't about sexy looking people hanging out in stylish clothing and rocking the night away before seductively bringing home the next victim. Yes, there was such a time.

Then 1983 came, Tony Scott made The Hunger and it was all over. I would harbor a guess that it was this film and The Lost Boys (1987) that ushered in the uber-cool vampire. The Hunger has a few things going for it. One, a sexy 80's looking Catherine Deneuve having a love scene with a sexy 80's looking Susan Sarandon. Two, David Bowie in some good aging makeup. And Three, Bauhaus in the opening credits performing Bela Lugosi Is Dead. A scene that basically says, we're crushing all the rules and starting something new. These vampires can survive in sunlight, come from Egypt and have lovers that quickly age and get stored in the attic to suffer for eternity.

This is not the worlds best vampire movie, but it did introduce us to a new type of vampire that would influence the genre and brought Tony Scott into the mainstream. You can judge for yourself if either of those are beneficial. It's an inexpensive and worthy purchase, so don't forget to give a listen to the commentary track by Scott and Sarandon.

Review: Adventureland

2009-04-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

Adentureland (2009)
starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig
dir: Greg Motolla

When the lights had come up I felt very indifferent about what I'd just witnessed. There was little, if anything I hadn't seen before and the jokes either felt too quirky or fell flat. This isn't an awful movie, it's just a very plain movie. Then it hit me. It reminded me of an indie film from the early 90's. Had it been made back then, it would have starred Eric Stoltz who seemed to make a living of of this type of material.

The weakest link in as far the acting goes is Kristen Stewart, who seems to have two emotions which are confusion and emptiness. I know emptiness doesn't count as an emotion, but I'm trying to give her some credit. I do think she is an attractive young woman, but she really needs to find some range. I'd even settle for that, "Do I smell fart?" acting that the main woman on Fringe does. But alas, there is nothing new here and they could have easily used cutting room floor footage from Twilight (2008) and no one would notice.

Eisenberg was great stuff in Roger Dodger (2002) as well as The Squid And The Whale (2005) and he's relatively competent here. It is starting to get to the point where he and Michael Cera are interchangeable. Make a decision about curly hair or straight hair and you know which actor to cast. Martin Starr gives us the best performance of the bunch, Ryan Reynolds is fine as well as Bill Hader and counterpart Kristen Wiig, who are given little to do but work hard at doing it well.

The biggest problem that keeps creeping back in my mind is that these don't feel like college graduates. They play a lot better as high school kids. All of the situations seem to make more sense it the characters contained less life experience. Plus, not having enough money to go to grad school seems kind of ridiculous. If you've been accepted to grad school, they find ways to get you to go. There are a ton of financial aid programs, housing aid, and grants (even in 1987), so having to take a crap job to save cash just doesn't seem to hold water. At times I felt like they made it post college so director Greg Motolla could have scenes of them hanging out in bars listening to bad 80's cover bands.

Much better reserved for video than the price of a theater ticket, this is worth a watch, but don't expect any major laughs.

7.3 out of 10

Clip Art: His Kind Of Woman

2009-04-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

His Kind Of Woman (1951)
dir. John Farrow

I'd written about this a in an Eclectic Choice a few months ago. I recently re-watched this and I think it's just a really well made film. It moves smoothly between some very dark material, to crazy comedy, to the seductive moves of Mitchum and Russell with a fluidity you rarely see in any film. It' so well balanced that I'm starting to feel that director John Farrow is one of the more under appreciated directors. This guy made some fabulous films and only Noirheads seem to know about him.

I chose this small scene because it really captures the humor and chemistry of the film. Vincent Price's ego fueled actor is marvelous all the way though and watch how Russell reacts to Mitchum's smooth compliment.

If you enjoyed this, check out the entire film. You wont be disappointed.

Review: Last Chance Harvey

2009-04-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Last Chance Harvey (2008)
starring: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Liane Balaban, Kathy Baker, James Brolin, Richard Schiff, Eileen Atkins
dir. Joel Hopkins

I can't say how disappointed I am in this film. The sheer fact that they bring together two very good actors to find love and stick it inside a hackneyed plot is nothing but inexcusable. Wait, let me take a brief step back. There are about 40 minutes of really nice work in this movie. The rest is a bunch of contrivances that are used simply to bring our main characters together, get them apart and bring them back together again.

To watch Hoffman and Thompson on screen is pretty magical. Filled with emotional resonance, two single older adults try to dodge and weave through the trappings of past relationships and life's disappointments to connect, seeing if something more is there. The honesty and humor that happens between them never skips a beat. The personal confessions that take place are artful. The possibility of the damn bursting is always there, but the pauses, the respect they allow for each others pain keeps it together and something emerges that is so mature that it is rarely seen in romance films ever.

It is the contrast of crappy plot devices that almost destroy everything these two giant talents bring. Writer/Director Hopkins, who did pen some very striking dialog, structures the film with almost every cliche in the book when it comes to the third act. Half-assed, half-witted, lazy turns that rip off so many romantic comedies I stopped watching and came back after I had cooled down. I kept thinking of Raul Julia's line in Tequlia Sunrise (1988), "How could you fuck it up? How could you make us look so bad?"

Despite these grievest of flaws, I still have to say that it's worth a watch. The high points far outweigh the low, but when the low points hit, it's like a black hole we can't escape.

7 out of 10

Review: The Baader Meinhof Complex

2009-04-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008)
starring: Martina Gedeck, Mortiz Bleibtreu, Johanna Wokalek, Bruno Ganz
dir. Uli Edel

There is a key scene about twenty minutes in: Martina Gedeck as Baader decides to use her journalism credentials to help break Mortz Bleibtreu's Meinhoff out of jail. It's set up to look like she is just another victim, so as not to be thought a conspirator. When it all goes down, she is left in a room with injured guards and an open window where the escapee and his urban terrorists just exited. She looks around at the carnage then looks at the window, taking a long moment to decide, then leaps out the window leaving us alone in the room. This is a key moment for the viewer. Will you go along for the journey, or will you walk away? Accept what they are going to go through, or write them off.

Brave, tough and divisive in all the right ways, this is a political movie in the vein of a Costa Gavras film. Delving into the factual actions and reactions of the RAF* who would later be referred to by the press as the Baader-Meinhof Group.

I can't say enough about this film. It's a great piece of work on all levels. Fantastic acting from everyone involved. The cast are given characters that breathe and live, demanding that you see why and how these people decided to form this militant organization. By any definition, they are officially terrorists, but zig-zaging throughout this world you come to understand the reasoning behind the violence. I'm not saying it's right, but I can't say they were completely wrong all the time either. When everyone, governments included, is guilty of the same crime, terrorism becomes just another word.

The trial scenes and the general break down of the group when they are imprisoned is the real meat of this picture. To witness distrust build, then go for the jugular as communications breakdown, make it more gripping than anything taking place on the outside. It's these scenes that Martina Gedeck really excels at. It's as solid as her work in The Lives Of Others (2006), if not better since she's given the opportunity to explore some very complex emotions that the former role couldn't allow for.

Director Uli Edel decided to not use handheld in this film which is a major plus. Recently we have seen quite a bit of it in order to get a documentary feel. Here, his solid camera placement and choice of fluid movements help build a drama and tension that hand-held just can't do. I have nothing against hand-held, it can be quite good, but it's the confidence of Edel's lens that help make this a superior effort.

Is there some fat on this film? Yes, but it's worth it. Sure it could be trimmed down a little, certain events that aren't as major as the central conflict could have been omitted. But why when you can get a better understanding of this world, people and what it is they are doing. In a movie that is about world perception, every moment counts.

9.3 out of 10

*Red Army Faction

Posters: The Girlfriend Experience

2009-04-01T17:34:00.001-07:00

I like this. Simple, yet has a bit of thought put into it. It feels very much like a design Criterion would use on their box art. Plus Sasha Grey's open mouth! Oh, yeah.

The tag line is worthwhile to, since it gives the impression that there is going to thematically explore the difference/similarities between the emotional and the physical.

On The Boulevard: The Dead End Kids

2009-04-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

To call these guys the Dead End Kids is kind of a misnomer. They started that way, but would be renamed The East End Kids, The Little Tough Guys and The Bowery Boys through time for different production companies. Though the best films they were involved with came under the Dead End Kid years.

They were a young group of New York actors who had been cast in the play Dead End, hence their name, and moved to Hollywood to star in the film version in 1937. Over the next 20 years, they'd appear in films opposite Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, John Garfield and a ton of heavy hitters.

A couple of the better films they were involved with was Dead End (1937), Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) and They Made Me A Criminal (1939). Some of the funnier titles include Spooks Run Wild (1941), Junior G-Men Of The Air (1952) and Hold That Hypnotist (1957). The boys would come and go replacing members like the band Menudo, finally disbanding in 1958. Makes sense, how the hell do you fly higher than the genius that is Hold That Hypnotist?

If you've never seen Dead End, it's worth a look especially for some of the character names: Dippy, Spit and Milty. The leaders name is Tommy because no one ever wants to follow a guy named Spit.

R.I.P. Steven Bach

2009-03-31T16:57:00.000-07:00

Steven Bach (1938-2009)

Steven Bach was a producer for United Artists back in the day. As a matter of fact he ended up being the fall guy for the destruction of UA when Michael Cimino's film Heaven's Gate (1980) sent the company into bankruptcy. Out of it though came an amazing book penned by Bach.

Final Cut: The Dreams and Disasters in the making of Heaven's Gate is a must read for anyone who wants to know about the behind the scenes dealing of UA during this period. It doesn't only deal with the egos and the endless battles over the movie, but all of the side stories that Bach was involved in during that time at UA.

He moved on to teaching and writing including biographies on Marlene Deitrich and Leni Riefenstahl. In his earlier years he had produced what are considered minor classics today like The Parallax View (1974) and The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974).

Mr. Bach passed away on Friday from cancer at the age of 70.

The Eclectic Choice: The 10th Victim

2009-03-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

The 10th Victim (1965)
dir. Elio Petri

Before Schwarzenegger was The Running Man (1987). Before reality TV saturated us to the gills with varying degrees of fecal matter. Before something else that has relevance to this argument I'm trying to make, there was Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress in a hunt to the death on national television. It has twists and turns and a who's scamming who that keeps changing up until the closing credits.

In this entertaining satire about the future of television, everyone gathers around to see who will live and who will die as one hunts and one runs. It's a lot of fun and Mastroianni is suave and charming and just one of the cooler guys who ever walked the planet. Andress is sexy and animalistic and could tare a guy apart and every guy would want her to do that. They make a charismatic couple and the chemistry is top notch as they cat and mouse back and forth. It also has some of that fun 60's "In The Future" production design where everyone is wearing hip clothes and lots of bubbles in the set design. It's not as over the top as Danger Diabolik (1996), but still what the kids would call "Retro" today.

Well worth addingto the collection if just to have playing in the background during a swank cocktail party.

R.I.P. Maurice Jarre

2009-03-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

Maurice Jarre (1924-2009)

Mr. Jarre passed away on Sunday at the age of 84. He was a composer who helped bring to life so many types of films it's hard to believe the same man who did the amazing score for Lawrence of Arabia (1962) also did the wacky comedy Top Secret (1984).

The man moved through all sorts of musical realms. Starting with classical orchestrations, he moved into electronic and acoustic, then started mixing it all up to find sounds fitting for the film. He grew as a composer to find what worked with the project and didn't pick projects that worked with his style. Sure, some scores worked better than others, but considering he worked on 164 projects, the odds of batting a thousand are slim.

Some of my faves are Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Professionals (1966), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), The Year Of Living Dangerously (1982), Witness (1985), Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, and After Dark My Sweet (1990). I also give him some major points for doing the film Solarbabies (1986), just because he'd say yes to a sci-fi film about kids on roller skates.

He leaves behind a wealth of great music that generations will continue to enjoy.

Review: Tokyo Sonata

2009-03-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Tokyo Sonata (2008)
starring: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Yu Koyanagi, Inowaki Kai, Koji Yakusho
dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa

In the states, Kiyoshi Kurosawa is known mostly for his contribution to the J-Horror movement. Now he brings us a peek into the psyche of a dysfunctional family and delivers what may be his best film yet. He takes what would turn into half baked cliched ideas in an American film and delivers a sincere, at times frightening and funny look into a family that hits bottom, then struggles and fights to be reborn.

The performances are elegant and layered. Kyoko Koizumi is sublime as a mother who quietly suffers and finally explodes in a way that you rarely see on screen, but feels sincere in her hands. Kurosawa staple Koji Yakusho has a smaller part in this film, but he is hysterical as an inept thief.

Kurosawa has not altered his visual style for this film and it's stunning to see the nuance running though his frame in various sequences. As the film builds, the emotional catharsis is not a bang, but a sprint as the characters attempt to run away (literally) from situations they no longer want to face or even attempt to fix. But life always has other plans and the universe responds in small or large ways as the family ends up at the same table we've witnessed them eating at several times throughout the film.

The final scene may turn out to be one of the years most emotionally satisfying. It is pitch perfect and does not pander or explode with an uplifting hurrah. Instead it is a victory that is quiet and keeps us as engrossed as the people in the scene witnessing what is the birth of a new begining.

9.5 out of 10

Clip Art: Dersu Uzala

2009-03-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

Dersu Uzala (1975)
dir. Akira Kurosawa

It is not secret that Kurosawa is my favorite filmmaker. Of all his films, one shot that always stays in my mind is one that takes place half way through this clip. Long before CGI, nature had to be captured and not made. That's what makes this shot so outstanding to me. I also love Dersu's philosophies about life. His simple language reminding us how we are all a part of nature and we must respect all of those things that are around us.

This is a really beautiful film about friendship, examining different cultures and how modernization continually pushes us into smaller and smaller boxes may not be the best thing for us as human beings.

This is a movie that came out in what most people consider a "lesser" period in Kurosawa's career. It's a pretty ridiculous statement considering the quality of his body of work. Even though he was struggling in a time when the Japanese film industry was changing around him and audiences were beginning to see him as antiquated, Kurosawa created films that stand the test of time, even growing stronger.

Review: Knowing

2009-03-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

Knowing (2009)
starring: Nicholas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, Lara Robinson
dir. Alex Proyas

This is not a movie that can be simply dismissed. It advertises itself as, "man figures out that awful things are going to happen and must stop them." Which it is, but it goes way beyond that and in the end, no matter how flawed this movie is, it becomes something that is interesting and worth talking about.

Cage delivers another unbearable performance. I'm not even sure why anyone casts him anymore. He seems like a guy who wants to find interesting things in characters, but can't translate it into anything resembling a competent performance. But all of the performances in this thing are routinely bad. It almost makes me wonder if that's what Alex Proyas was going for, subversion though crappy acting. It really is a cavalcade of things not to do when trying to present a character on screen. They receive no help from the dialog that is clunky and sometime hammers you over the head while not giving you enough information at others. That is the dialog mind you, not the script.

The structure and final outcome of this movie is quite fascinating. It delves into science and religion without ever giving enough information to side with one or the other. Loaded with allegorical imagery and a look at human psychology that would make Jung stand and applaud.

This is not a good movie, not by any stretch. It is a very interesting movie though and not the common commercial fare that it promotes itself to be. Proyos is a very good director and seems to be a relatively smart guy. He is always adding a little something to even the more consumer based movies to give us something to chew on. Knowing has quite a bit to chew on, but unfortunately it is delivered to us in a rather ugly package.

6.5 out of 10

POV: Ki-duk Kim

2009-03-26T06:09:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered the films of Ki-duk Kim. This guy is amazing. I've only seen three films, but I've loaded them up in my queue and started with his first film to watch his progression of style and themes. I watch one a week so I don't run out too quickly.

I started with 3-Iron (2004) and was blown away by the assured of his storytelling. How he develops relationships and characters. His willingness to use silence. Hell the guy creates characters that never say a word to each other. I couldn't tell you how much dialog is in 3-Iron, but there is very little and almost none by the two leads. It's all done with glances and simple actions that create a relationship that you can believe in.

His visuals can be simple or complex, but both create a feeling of a higher plain. There is a spirituality to it, even when he delves into the grotesque. Like his characters need to descend into hell before they learn how to fly. These are compositions that suck you in and you eat it up waiting for what you'll see next.

In the simplest of terms, he creates pure cinema. Check him out if you haven't seen his work already.

Crystal Ball: The Future Of Distribution

2009-03-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

When I had the opportunity to interview Patton Oswalt at Sundance this year, we had a very interesting conversation about many films and filmmakers. One of the sound bites that was unfortunately cut, was his perspective on what could be considered artistic distribution.

Here is his short yet fascinating prediction:

That could be fun, Hit n' Run movies.

The Eclectic Choice: King Of The Zombies

2009-03-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

King Of The Zombies (1941)
dir. Jean Yarbrough

During World War II, three men searching for a missing Army Admiral are involved in a plane crash in the Caribbean. They come across a spooky castle run by Dr. Sangre. The area is filled with mindless zombies and Dr. Sangre is actually after secret plans to help his unnamed country win the war. He uses the zombies and voodoo in an attempt to make this happen.

This is a real wacky film and goofy fun. The main character isn't any of the broad shouldered white guys, but Mantan Moreland who plays Jeff, the African American "sidekick" to the white guys. Jeff runs around bug-eyed and whoopin' up a storm as he plays a Skip N' Fetchit creating all of the comedy in this film. Could it be considered racist by today's standards? Hell yes, which is part of what makes it an entertaining film. It helps that it was an intentional comedy/horror, but you laugh today for a whole different set of reasons. Though, to his credit, Moreland delivers some very funny lines in a manner that catches you off guard in their subtlety.

Clocking in at barely over an hour this is still a lot of fun today and an interesting look at low budget horror films and how racial expectations created comedy.

Well worth a purchase since it is double featured with Revolt Of The Zombies (1936), which isn't that great, but has a few moments.

Review: I Love You, Man

2009-03-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

I Love You, Man (2009)
starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons, Jon Favreau, Jamie Preslly
dir. John Hamburg

I feel like we've reached a tipping point with this latest movement of comedy. It's still ten times better than the Epic Movie (2007), Date Movie (2006), Meet The Spartans (2008) schlock that we can expect every year, but there seems to be a level of diminishing returns.

Don't get me wrong, I think Paul Rudd, Jason Segel and the rest of the cast are comic gems. They understand timing and how to deliver a gag without it feeling jokey. They are very good at improv and adding a little extra oomph to a scene. But I'm starting to feel that it's their ability to improv that is starting to bog these things down. It makes me feel like there is laziness in the script and decide they can fix it while shooting. Yes, things change while shooting, but with each passing film, they're starting to falter more and more.

The plot and structure itself could have been worked out on single post-it note and there is very little for anyone to do other than our two leads. There are also several set ups that lead to weak payoffs, Lou Ferrigno being the biggest disappointment.

In the end it's not the best entry in this Judd Apatow inspired comedy movement, but it's not awful by any stretch. It's a painless jaunt and entertaining to watch Segel and Rudd charm us and each other. It also gets points for not being raunchy. It's a bit of fresh air and the odds of anything being as funny/raunchy as Superbad (2007) is slim to none. There are better, but there are a lot worse. A lot worse.

7.6 out of 10

Clip Art: Arrival Of A Train At La Coitat

2009-03-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

On December 28th, 1895 Louis and Auguste Lumiere screened several short films in a small cafe in Paris. This was quite a novelty since there had never been films projected on a screen before this. That's because the Lumiere Brothers were the creators of not only a way to shoot moving images using a special camera, but also a device that could project them onto a screen. This short film known to the folks who speak french as L' Arrivee D'un Train A La Coitat is one of the most famous.

It lacks a certain sense of story or characters, but you do get everything the title teases you with. This film is more famous than, Barque Sortant Du Port (Boat Leaving The Port) which was also screened that evening, because of the legend it carries with it.

The story goes that when the audience saw the train coming towards the camera, they ran from the cafe out of fear of being run down by the train. This is just a myth and was used in as an advertising ploy. Personally, I'm not sure why they felt they needed a hook to get more people to see it. The promise of seeing moving pictures seems pretty enticing to me.

R.I.P. Natasha Richardson

2009-03-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

Natasha Richardson (1963-2009)

There isn't much that I can add that hasn't already been said. This is a tragic situation and just plain sad. It's best to remember that she had a loving husband and family. That she also gave birth to some incredible performances and that is what actors want, to leave something behind that can be shared by all.

For me, the two that stand out are Gothic (1986), a Ken Russell film centered around the booze and drug induced weekend that spurned imaginations to create characters like Frankenstein's Monster and the legend of the Vampire. Richardson played Mary Shelly in this sometime over the top, but very atmospheric and enjoyable film.

Next was her incredible, in my opinion best, performance in Paul Schrader's Patty Hearst (1988). This was a stylish and very subjective film and Richardson was incredible in the title role. It's one of those performances that must have left her emotionally exhausted by the end and it can be felt through every pore. This is out of print on DVD, but is available for streaming on Netflix. Well worth checking out.

Ms. Richardson was the daughter of great talents as well. Her mother is the well known actress Vanessa Redgrave and her father was the great filmmaker Tony Richardson. Both of whom have several films worth looking into.

My deepest condolences to her family and friends.

Not On DVD: China 9 Liberty 37

2009-03-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

China 9 Liberty 37 (1978)
starring: Warren Oates, Fabio Testi, Jenny Agutter, Sam Peckinpah
dir. Monte Hellman

Now I know that some people are going to say this film is out on DVD. Well, it is, but not in the way it should be. What exists in at least four versions (that I can find) is a truncated, edited for television, pan and scan version. This basically means that this film is not out on DVD.

I know very little about this movie other than it was directed by Monte Hellmen, it has an impressive cast and it was co-scripted by Jerry Harvey, the ill-fated program director of the now defunct Z Channel.

(I'm taking a basic plot description from IMDB here, so please forgive any errors.)

The central plot is about a condemned gunman who is given a reprieve on the condition that he murders a Rancher to help out the railway company. This is just the first act, as the Gunman can't bring himself to kill the Rancher and all sorts of things fly off the handle after that.

Hellman's work has always been a bit of a crapshoot on DVD. There are a ton of different prints of The Shooting (1966) running around and Ride In The Whirlwind (1965) as well as Cockfighter (1974) go in and out of print with variations of quality. It seems that only Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) has gotten the DVD release it deserves. It's a shame because it is a very interesting body of work and well worth viewing. But all of the above mentioned titles have been released uncut and letterboxed at one point in time.

So why not China 9? It's a good question and I have no idea. It seems that it has enough history and name power for geeks to want it. I can't say if the film holds any artistic merit since I've never seen it. That doesn't mean it shouldn't see its day in court. Like all things put on trial, it should be represented in the best possible way, uncut and letterboxed in the way the filmmaker originally intended.

Everyone Is A Critic: WaltDinLV

2009-03-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about Netflix are the member reviews. When I find someone who interests me I add them to my followers list and keep an eye open for any new reviews.

This week we say hello to WALT D IN LV. I appreciate his air of mystery by keeping his back to the camera.

WALT D IN LV

I love finding GREAT films,and talking about 'em even MORE. My Friends list is full, but you can SAVE to FAVES me, and e-mail me at mywife@cox.net so I can send you my notes/reviews as they come out.

(These are direct quotes, nothing has been changed to alter the review.)

DEFIANCE
"I had no interest in seeing this, but the wife wanted to, so.. Wow! This is an amazing true story not at all holocaustally sad like Schindler's List or The Pianist (both great movies).. This nerve-racking uplifting tale was action, great story, fantastic! So different from most World War II stories, really original, AND it's based on actual people and events! I really recommend seeing this action-packed movie." rated: 5 stars (I give him kudos for inventing the word, "holocaustally" while then using it to offend an entire culture in a single moment.)

EAGLE EYE
"This was one of my most favorite films of the summer (2008). I loved that it had a thrilling story, non-stop action, cool technical mumbo-jumbo, and great acting from these up and coming young stars. Fun stuff! Grab the popcorn, sit back and enjoy!" rated: 5 stars

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS
"Think of this as Star Wars 2 1/2! It fits perfectly between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith as another story of Star Wars. All the prequel main characters are here, and the story is just as good as Star Wars 1 and 2, while not as good as 3 (Sith). A good story with even better action and effects, this is well worth seeing for all Star Wars fans. Don't let the animation keep you from it: This is a REAL Star Wars story! My only lament is that they didn't use the original Star Wars music and theme song or have a John Williams score." rated: 4 stars

THE HAPPENING
"Not nearly as bad as the press would have you believe. In fact, this is downright SCARY at times! The Happening was just as suspenseful-make-you-jump as any Shyamalan film and DESERVES it's R rating! Wahlberg is great bringing all his good-guy type charisma. Spooky, suspenseful, and not for young kids! Good stuff!" rated: 4 stars (Wahlberg has charisma?)

JUMPER
"This movie was far from perfect, but doggone it was really good. The more I think back to it, the more I like it. Doug Liman has a knack for making great movies. Hayden Christensen is not winning any awards for his acting, but he is capable in this role. This is popcorn action flick fun with an original story idea that's not at all predictable. I wish it had done better financially so we'd be assured of a badly needed and deserved sequel. I think it would do to this what Terminator 2 did to The Terminator (expand the story to another level). I really enjoyed this film." rated: 4 stars

and finally

HALLOWEEN (2007)
"Exactly what a horror movie should be: Suspense, Violence, Gore, Nudity, all built around a great, intense, gripping story. I gave the original Halloween only 3 stars because I felt it was boring and had no good story. Rob Zombie is a new master director." rated: 4 stars (At least he was honest about not caring for the original.)

2009-03-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

Pistoleros (2007)
dir. Shaky González

Yet another entry in the Tarantino/Ritchie inspired gangster genre. The last one I looked at was Matando Cabos (2004) from Mexico and now here is one from Denmark. Don't be fooled by the title and name of the director, it is a Danish film.

This film attempts nonlinear storytelling, which technically it achieves, but lacks a certain cleverness in its telling. Several characters are after a a bag of loot that was taken from a train robbery. All of this is being told in two levels of flashback. Yes, two. The first level is the story being told to a young filmmaker and his Hottie producer. The second level is within the story as the story is being told to a greasy low level hood who ends up getting involved in the hunt for the cash. (Was that confusing or just poor sentence structure?) Some of the performances are fun and whenever the film seems to want to slow down, a comedically violent contrivance is thrown at us to keep things moving. It also decides to pay direct homage to the westerns of Sergio Leone by using music from A Fistful Of Dollars (1964) throughout.

It wants to try and play with the conventions of urban myth and how truth and fiction can become warped, but doesn't really sell it by the end. There is also an odd moment where the young filmmaker being told the story thinks he sees one of the main characters in a bar. It makes no sense since he'd have no idea what the guy looks like. I think it's there to drive home the idea of how myths grow, but ends up being ridiculous.

It's worth a look if you're bored some evening and need some escapist fair, but don't expect anything deep or emotionally involving. I recommend it for some of the acting, but be prepared for some major leaps in logic. The nice part is you'll be able to say to people how you just checked out a film by Shaky González. It's a fun name to say when using your best Don LaFontaine voice.

R.I.P. Ron SIlver

2009-03-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ron Silver (1946-2009)

Ron Silver first entered my field of vision with a triumvirate back in the late 80's, early 90's. Blue Steel (1989), Enemies A Love Story (1989), and Reversal Of Fortune (1990). Since then, if I saw his name in the credits of a movie or TV show, it was a sign there would be one good thing going for it. He has always been an actor who added something special to anything he was in.

An excellent character actor on screen and leading man on stage, Silver excelled at playing greasy executives and politicians. For most people he's probably best known for his recurring roles in TV like, The West Wing (2001-06), the short lived but excellent Chicago Hope (1996-97) and (gulp) Veronica's Closet (1998-99). But it was films like Time Cop (1994) and The Arrival (1996) placed him securely in geek mythology.

Mr. Silver passed away after a two year battle with esophageal cancer at the age of 62. He will be missed.

Review: Wendy And Lucy

2009-03-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Wendy And Lucy (2009)
starring: Michelle Williams, Wally Dalton, Will Patton, Larry Fessenden, Lucy the Dog
dir. Kelly Reichardt

I have a few friends who are going to think this movie is a boring waste of time. Why they think this way I don't know. It might be a lack of curiosity about simple events and how we relate to the people in those events. It's a shame really, it makes me think there is something missing in their humanity. Basically I hang out with a bunch of soulless bastards and needed to vent for a second. Sorry.

Wendy and Lucy is as simple as a movie gets. A young woman on a tight budget is trying to get to a place where she can earn a living and start a new life with her dog. Every penny counts and every minor set back becomes cataclysmic when you can barely afford to eat. This is the genius of this film.

Most of us at some point in time have had to decide whether we eat or do laundry. We've been stuck in a chaotic limbo when the car breaks down and need to figure out how to afford getting it fixed. These are real human events that are easy to relate to. It's those ideas that propel this film forward and make it so emotionally touching by the time you reach the end.

Michelle Williams gives a deep and profound performance as she deals with these problems while searching for her missing dog Lucy. It would be easy to say that if she had made a different decision everything would have gone okay, but it's not that simple. Life always steps in and things never go as easy as they are supposed to. Over the two days that she is looking for Lucy we watch as she comes to understand what she is capable of handling and what she isn't.

A complaint I've heard is that Wendy has no back story. Why did she decide to hit the road and look for work in Alaska? It doesn't matter. This isn't a film about what propels us to escape, it's what propels us to survive moment to moment. That the most important thing in a world gone awry is love, compassion and knowing when it is best to walk away.

Director Kelly Reichardt creates some beautiful images and never dwells on anything too long. She doesn't worry about creating a film of length and it's the running time of the that shows she wants to deliver a concise story and focus on the characters, rather than bog it down with subplots or heavy handed social messages.

It really is a movie of the times. When unemployment is at an all time high and foreclosures are happening on every street corner, Wendy And Lucy shows the struggle of everyday life and the emotional upheaval that can occur with even the smallest of setbacks.

9 out of 10

Clip Art: Angel Heart

2009-03-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

Angel Heart (1987)
dir. Alan Parker

It's funny that Mickey Rourke has made a comeback. I was a big fan of his when I was younger and watched Angel Heart over and over. I thought it was such an amazing looking movie and the way noir was melded with witchcraft, voodoo and satanism was just cool. Yes, I did like seeing Lisa Bonet naked, but once you see the entire film and know the whole story it loses a lot of it's sexual appeal, but adds to the disturbing atmosphere.

I'm always shocked when I run into people who haven't seen the film. I thought it was part of growing up. The film was so taboo when it was released I'd have thought everyone saw it. Now there is a whole new generation of people who don't even know about it. They need to be introduced to it now that Rourke is apparently entering the second phase of his career. We can hope he sticks around because he's really good stuff and plays well off of De Niro in this scene.

Portions of this scene were used a lot during it's release, but it's pretty damned fantastic in its entirety. The precision of the direction and how De Niro and Parker use action and editing to punctuate everything he says. Rourke is on the other side of the spectrum with something that is natural and out of place in this type of situation. The bit where he tosses the salt over his shoulder feels so right. It always reminds me of Brando plucking a feather out of the air in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).

24 Frames: Breathless

2009-03-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who is not a fan of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (1960). He doesn't see what the point is. He describes it as a jumbled-up bunch of pieces that want to be a great movie. I tell him that's the very reason that Breathless is a a great movie. He usually waves me off and calls me pretentious.

First, yes I can be pretentious. Second, my snobbishness has nothing to do with why Breathless is a great movie. There are a ton of reasons why it is so enjoyable. Like the way Jean Seberg walks down the middle of the road pivoting on the balls of her feet, selling the New York Herald Tribune. Or Jean-Paul Belmondo dangling a cigarette and tipping his fedora trying to imitate Bogart. The fact that it's not Belmondo imitating Bogart, but his character Michel wanting to be a Bogart character, adding another level to the whole thing. The amazing 360° shot in the bank when Seberg is being questioned by the cops. The jump cuts, locations, sound design, Melville cameo, just the whole damn thing.

It was, is and shall always be, a barometer of hipness. It broke so many rules and spoke in a cinematic language so pure that nothing has been able to touch it since. Truffaut, Chabrol and Bazin may have helped lay the corner stones and the rebar, but it was Breathless that provided the concrete for the foundation of modern filmmaking.

It freed up not only the way movies could be made, but the way we watched them. Godard's dedicating the movie to Monogram Studios helped open the doors in what we could consider a classic. Cinematic art didn't have to be about how much money was put into it or who the stars were. It was about the end results and what was trying to be accomplished. A low budget movie could have just as much if not more to say than it's big budget counterparts. It opened up realms of possibilities and brought filmmaking to the streets. This is what Breathless represented and still represents. It's what Godard passed on to us from what he had learned from all of those small American b-movies. Anyone can do it and anyone should if they have something to say.

All pretentious pontification aside, what it all boils down to is a film that is entertaining. It's a fun ride even though you're following the adventures of an out-of-touch-wanna-be-gangster. Love, betrayal, murder, sex, joy, literature and cinema. It's a movie that is as modern today as it was when it first flickered to life on movie screens almost fifty years ago. Believe that it's archaic, or think that it is a minor note in a much bigger symphony. Give it another watch and maybe you'll come to see it as I do. It's a pitch perfect crystal clear aria. An ode to cinema that speaks volumes in one simple jump cut.