Social Network

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!

Clip Art: Brando Interview

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.

Clip Art: The Road Warrior

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.

Clip Art: Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

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.

Clip Art: Jackie Brown

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.

Clip Art: His Kind Of Woman

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.

Clip Art: Dersu Uzala

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.

Crystal Ball: The Future Of Distribution

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.

Clip Art: Arrival Of A Train At La Coitat

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.

Clip Art: Angel Heart

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).

Clip Art: Catch-22

Catch-22 (1970)
dir. Mike Nichols


I couldn't find a scene in this film that I didn't want to show. This is just a fabulous movie. Visually stunning, well acted and a beautiful example of surrealistic nonlinear story telling, this is one of Nichol's most underrated movies.

I settled an showing you this scene because it shows a very perverse and homicidal side of Charles Grodin while displaying the absurdity of war with the MP's reaction to the situation.


If you haven't taken the time to check out this gem, you should. It boasts a cast of thousands and a great script by Buck Henry. It was maligned on initial release because Robert Altman's MASH (1970) was released around the same time and unfair comparisons were drawn between the two. There has also been the age old argument, "It's not the book." It's actually quite faithful in certain regards and more than faithful when it comes to tone and ideas.

We can be thankful for DVD and a nice widescreen transfer so this film can be watched in all its magical glory.

Clip Art: Judgement At Nuremberg

Judgement At Nuremberg (1961)

dir. Stanley Kramer

After a scene in which the audience is shown real and very disturbing footage of atrocities that took place in the concentration camps, Nazi prisoners on trial discuss what they have just seen. Yes, that is Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink) as one of the Nazi's, so a person's first reaction is to chuckle. Try to let it go, because the performance to watch is Pohl, played by Otto Waldis. It is his only scene in the movie and his nonchalant attitude about the executions in the camps is just stunning.

There are several other memorable performances in it including a haunting Montgomery Clift and Judy Garland is surprisingly powerful. But for my money this moment by Waldis speaks volumes.


If you haven't seen the film in its entirety, you own it to yourself. Rent it or buy it here.

Film Geek Primer: Episode #5

Film Geek Primer:
Episode #5
Russ Meyer






This week, the geeks discuss the winner of their first viewer poll, director Russ Meyer.

Film Geek Primer: Episode #4

Film Geek Primer:
Episode #4
Movie Quotes





This week our geeks explore famous and infamous quotes from movies and how they relate to the film geek world

Film Geek Primer: Episode #3

Film Geek Primer:
Episode #3
Conan The Barbarian




What happens when geeks disagree over the merits of the 1982 sword and sorcery film Conan The Barbarian? Watch and find out.

Film Geek Primer: Episode #2

FILM GEEK PRIMER:
EPISODE #2
WHAT'S A GEEK?








So, what makes a film geek a film geek?

We try to answer that age old question by looking at some of the personality traits of film geeks.

Some of the more famous film geeks in history are also introduced. Paulene Kael, Quentin Tarantino, Harry Knowles and Henri Langois.

Film Geek Primer: Episode #1

FILM GEEK PRIMER:
EPISODE #1
INTRO











This first episode introduces you to the hosts of the show and provides brief information on a couple of the genres loved by experienced geeks.



Topics:

LUCHA LIBRE MOVIES
These action, adventure, science fiction, and horror films featured masked Mexican wrestlers and were extremely popular. Lucha legends such as El Santo and Mil Mascaras fought corruption, defended sexy chicas, and battled vampires, zombies and other fantastic creatures. Although badly acted and often ineptly shot, these mainstay staples of B-cinema are still a lot of fun.

SPAGHETTI WESTERNS
This sub-genre of the western was created Italy and made famous such directors as Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci. Spaghetti westerns were low-budget, shot in Italian, featured stark cinematography, were extremely violent, and vastly contrasted mainstream Hollywood's idealist visions of the American West. These films launched the careers of actors Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Franco Nero.

LORENZO LAMAS
The former Falcon Crest and Renegade actor has prospered making direct to video movies that have a very loyal cult following. Lamas' good looks, stilted acting, and ham-jawed delivery maintain his status as the idol of bad movie nights around the globe.