Salty Popcorn

Fin

2010-02-01T11:04:00.000-08:00

Jessi has moved on and decided to continue her creative pursuits outside of this blogosphere. I continue to look for work and have taken my end of this blog to a new site, a former local Seattle newspaper:

DVDinner

This blog taught me that I like not just watching films but sharing opinions on the good ones. Thanks and happy continued viewing people!

Summer Lovin

2010-01-14T21:07:00.000-08:00

Like most guys I don’t live in the romcom genre much. There have been great ones because of their innovative scripts and performances:
“Moonstruck”, “The Philadelphia Story”, “When Harry Met Sally”, “Some Like it Hot”, “Groundh og Day”, “It Happened One Night” and of course the wonderfully contrived “Sleepless in Seattle”. “City Lights” may have been the genres’ great silent classic and proof that these films have been a staple of the film industry since its inception. After all movies are the perfect dates right? Yet the way Hollywood mass produces things, quality always wears thin and we have all been subjected to some outrageously bad romcoms. I don’t know why but “What Happens in Vegas” sticks in my mind but there are hundreds maybe thousands. (You hear that “Pretty Woman”?) Date movies or chick flicks have become the scourge of man’s existence.

Yet I still have a soft spot for “Annie Hall”. The fun way it dissected the relationship, its bits of absurdity and its unexpected conclusion. This was Woody Allens’ greatest moment, and as I’ve said on this blog before, it’s been a sad thing watching his films decline with each passing year. That classic came to my mind again as I watched “(500) Days of Summer”, the “Annie Hall” of Gen Y.

This generation so easily falls into a hipster pose but with this film we have none of the forced irony or ‘too cool for school” posing that makes older folks cranky. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Tom who wears old timey suits and ties rather than skinny jeans and a souvenir T-shirt. His love interest is Summer (Zooey Deschane) who also leans towards the classic, wearing vintage dresses. This is just one clever way that director Marc Webb (who also co wrote the script with Scott Neustadter) frames this story as timeless rather than as a bland modern romance. He also has filmed the story in older buildings, so although it’s set in LA which is so often cold and soulless on film, here it shows the character of a New York or Chicago backdrop.

Tom was an architecture student who now works as a greeting card writer. So, sure the movie doesn’t completely avoid being hokey. In fact his work attitude and rant at a meeting when he’s having love life troubles is a little overdone, but the movie is charming enough to forgive this. When Summer enters the workplace he is smitten and the countdown of the 500 days begins. The fun part is that since this is told from Tom’s point of view, the days are not in any order. Good days and bad days intermingle as we see their relationship without clear linearity. Opening narration even announces that “this is not a love story” so we watch the relationship knowing that it is short-term just like “Annie Hall”. I think in this day and age this makes the film more realistic and meaningful despite its flights of fancy. Zooey Deschanel is a bit cold but she does well in the role where she has to be a bit of a heavy. (Although I think Ellen Page would have rocked it) Her character is one who remains mysterious and is only revealed through Tom’s eyes, so she is always elusive and distant as crushes often are. Along the way we see two versions of a night (imagined versus actual) that I thought was brilliant. Tom even breaks out into song showing how we all live our lives and especially our romances through the filter of Hollywood expectations. In short this film is clever, well-performed, fun and defies hipster detachment with its sincerity. Isn’t that what romcoms are supposed to be? I also think the last line put a great bow on it. It’s like a brief romance itself, don’t over think it and you’ll have a lot of fun.

Stars Trapped in their Vehicles

2010-01-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

Robin Williams, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton and Nicholas Cage are no slouches but these releases fall short despite their best efforts, usually due to over-indulgent writers/directors. I’m giving all of these two shakers each.

A pre-heart attack Robin Williams shot “The Worlds’ Greatest Dad” in Seattle and although that’s good for our local economy I wish this black comedy worked for me. Written and directed by fellow frantic comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, both the comedy and Williams are surprisingly understated. In fact Williams is so quiet that he almost disappears performance-wise and that doesn’t help. As a high school teacher, aspiring novelist and single parent, his character Lance Clayton seems to do all badly. Lance’s teenage son is a pervy arrogant fool (well-played by Daryl Sabara) who meets an early death which earns both he and his father the fame that eluded them both while he lived. The reverence and whitewashing we give to the dead is a great topic for satire and this film almost works; however, even a black comedy must have laughs. Caught up in its own dour plot machinations it wastes not only Williams but the great supporting cast. Too many music montages, an over-reliance on cutting to the goth girl and what feels like a tacked on Hollywood ending eventually bring it down. It’s a shame because I think if Bobcat played it less safe we might have a comedy in the “Heathers” vein instead of a film as repressed as Lance is.

I’m not going to lie; I am not a fan of Quentin Tarantino. I find his movies over-hyped and ridiculous. Long b-movie speeches interrupted by sensationalized hyper-violence and not a touch of reality. His fan base eats them up though and I was curious how he’d take on a period drama in his latest: “Inglorious Basterds”. Weighing in at two and a half hours it’s a long haul but for a war film it had surprisingly less torture than I suspected, unless you count the twenty minute scene set in a basement pub to be audience torture. I feel if someone had been allowed to edit Tarantino the film would have worked better but perhaps not. When all the top brass for the Third Reich are attending an event it’s a bit surprising to see that only two guards are posted. We also are supposed to believe that the “Basterds” are a super squad of Nazi hunters but we see very little of their tracking and hunting, only Eli Roth (the fellow torture-porn director of “Hostel”) happily beating a Nazi to death with a baseball bat. Pitt’s portrayal is complete caricature, kind of like Foghorn Leghorn in a uniform. However the two female stars, (Diane Kruger as a German film actress/spy and Mélanie Laurent as a Jewish survivor who is living covertly as a local theater owner) outshine their material. But the breakout performance here and probable Oscar nom is Christoph Waltz portraying a nefarious “Jew hunter” SS Officer. Acting well and in four languages he represents the quiet evil of the Nazis better than most war movie heavies outshining even the Hitler in this one. If only the film lived up to his performance with a little less conversation a little more action. (Thanks Elvis!)

Another Oscar worthy performance trapped in a bad film is Tilda Swinton as the title character in “Julia”. It begins as a naturalistic character-driven story where Julia is shown as a hopeless alcoholic who sleeps around and finds it hard to hold down a job or to attend her AA meetings. However soon she meets her neurotic Mexican neighbor who wants to kidnap her son from his wealthy grandfather and the film begins to turn into a marathon of the improbable. This time director Erick Zonca steers the two and half hour ship as Julia makes one bad decision after another, abusing the ten year old in question endlessly before the film literally transforms into a Mexican soap opera where evil-looking gangsters scream “Puta!” a lot with drawn weapons. One twist too many for me and an unbelievable ending to boot, which is a shame since Swinton really shined through this overlong story.

Finally we have the newest trend in action films- full-out apocalypse! We know Nicholas Cage can act from “Leaving Las Vegas” but since then he has chosen films more for their paychecks which is a shame. In “Knowing” we have numerology, crazy psychic kids, Matrix-like aliens with shiny mouths and a shitload of CGI! Cage is a single parent whose son loses out when a fifty-year old time capsule is opened at his school; while the other kids in his class get drawings from the past students (kind of an expensive and wasteful school project no?) he gets a page filled with numbers written by a creepy girl in the film’s prologue. Cage cracks the code which turns out to be a listing of the time, locations and casualties of all the major disasters in the world. Frantically he races off to witness elaborately staged plane and subway crashes but seems only slightly perturbed. The biggest disaster is this film itself. You’ve been warned! Here’s to better DVDs in 10!!

The 20 Best DVDs of 2009

2009-12-18T17:38:00.000-08:00

As we finish up 2009, it's time again to look back at the DVD film releases of the past year and give thanks! Again, I am talking about new films on disk, most released theatrically in 2008 (unless noted as a 2009 release).There are many fine TV series and re-releases, but that's another blog. Happily we've reviewed many of these films already on this blog, so I've included the links. Most of these films I give four shakers to unless noted as the elusive fifth shaker.

With all the chaos in life, nothing beats getting lost in a good film. So here are my picks on the best twenty. I think any film lover on your list would appreciate any of these. (Why not do a gift basket and get them all? :)

Happy Holidays and Happy viewing! (When the January rental doldrums hit, I will offer up some additional good films of the past year)

1) Anvil: The Story of Anvil - Old Head bangers keep the dream alive into middle age. Review here.

2) The Cove (2009) - A dramatic doc on the battle to save dolphins from slaughter and captivity.

3) Days and Clouds – A successful Italian couple try to keep their marriage afloat and start over in a harsh economy. Review here.

4) Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father – Began as a project to tell a son about his murdered father, director Kurt Kuenne successfully covers additional tragic twists in one of the most heart-wrenching films you'll ever see.

5) District 9 (2009) – A great sci-fi film on lost humanity that I think was totally overlooked this summer. Director Neill Blomkamp gives us an exciting story about aliens who become refugees in South Africa and how the corporation tasked with relocating them then seeks to exploit them for their weapons technology. 5 Shakers

6) Doubt - John Patrick Shanley's powerfully acted tale of the power struggle between a conservative nun and a progressive priest in a 1964 New York City parish. Our Reviews here. 5 Shakers

7) Eden - A simple but universal story of an Irish couple struggling with their ten-year marriage. Review here.

8) Frozen River - Another story of personal survival, Melissa Leo brings amazing truth and believability to her role of a mother struggling to keep her family afloat by any means possible. Jessi's Review here.

9) The Hangover (2009) - Todd Phillips directs a believable and likeable cast in a tale of the ultimate bachelor party gone bad in Las Vegas. Comedies about men who don't want to grow up are a Hollywood stable, but this one avoids the usual bathroom humor to deliver a fun and clever flick.

10) I've Loved You So Long – Another tale of family dynamics, this time two siblings who struggle to get reacquainted after a fifteen year absence. Kristin Scott Thomas is compelling as a shell-shocked woman who slowly reveals her secrets to her well-meaning but puzzled younger sister (Elsa Zylbertstein). Jessi's Review here.

11) Let the Right One In – An alternative vampire flick to the one which shall remain nameless. Original and creepy, the setting of a cold, dark, depressing Swedish town is spot on and the concept of a little girl vampire is spooky. Review here.

12) Milk – Director Gus Van Sant really captures the details and tone of the era in this timely biopic of Harvey Milk (Oscar winner Sean Penn) the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. A great supporting cast includes Josh Brolin who is brooding and intense as Dan White, a troubled fellow official on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who feels threatened enough to murder.

13) Revolutionary Road – Though I didn't notice the trend before this is my third pick to focus on a troubled marriage. Based on the novel by Richard Yates, Sam Mendes delivers a film not really about the homogenized suburbs but about the compromises of marriage and conformity. Very similar in time period and theme to "Mad Men", seeing April (Oscar winner Kate Winslet) framed behind a picture window like a caged bird is tragic. Review here.

14) Sin Nombre (2009) – A Honduran girl falls for a Central American gang banger on a train heading to the US border. Review here.

15) Slumdog Millionaire – Last years' big Oscar winner tells the fairy tale odyssey of an 18-year-old Mumbai "slumdog" (Dev Patel) attempting to find his lost love (Freida Pinto) by going on a TV game show. Director Danny Boyle directs this story with energy and heart and a breakout final song unexpectedly paying tribute to big Bollywood dance numbers. Jessi's review here.

16) Star Trek (2009) – J.J. Abrams reboots the franchise for new fans and old trekkers alike. A great finish to a decade of some outstanding sci-fi! 5 Shakers Review here.

17) Summer Hours - As an aging widow reunites her adult children and their families to their childhood home; she realizes her possessions and legacy will become devalued once she passes on. A subtle but powerful film on how the global economy is not only splintering families, but undermining cultures, creating a society does not value its’ own history.

18) Up (2009) – Pixar does it again with an amazingly touching film on never being too old to live out your dreams.

19) Waltz with Bashir – An "animated documentary" for adults as ex-soldiers revisit their fractured wartime memories. Review here.

20) The Wrestler – Mickey Rourke's amazing comeback film of a tortured middle-aged wrestler trying to come to terms with his life while staging a final bout. This is the wrestling picture Barton Fink should have written.

The 20 Worst DVDs of 2009

2009-12-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

In the last month I have started blogging DVD reviews for another site! I am just trying something new. To build up content I have repackaged a lot of my reviews from SP, but I have also suceeded in adding unique posts there too. But I can swear on this one and that fucking rocks! I hope if you like what we do here - you'll also check my Seattle PI blog.

The good news this year is that where last years' list were all single shaker turkeys- this year we have more two shaker selections meaning that either there are less bad releases, or that I'm getting better at screening out the bad. Here are my year-end round-up of all those mediocre movie nights- the spoiled cream of the crop!

(Again these are only new releases, no re-releases)

1. Blindness – A virus makes everyone (except Julianne Moore) blind and they are then locked into a hospital and pitted against each other. Kind of like "Lord of the Flies" meets "The Miracle Worker" without the laughs.

2. The Day the Earth Stood Still – The classic original had benevolent aliens trying to save us; this unnecessary remake has them on an extermination mission led by Neo no less! So not excellent dude!

3. The Haunting in Connecticut - Quick cuts, soundtrack blasts and excessive CGI – it's like lipstick on a demon pig. The original 2002 TV documentary was much scarier on no budget.

4. JCVD - Jean-Claude Van Damme mocks his own image playing a version of himself having a middle-age crises only to then be taken hostage by bank robbers. Funny premise but that's basically it.

5. Medicine for Melancholy – Proves that African American indie filmmakers can be just as boring, pretentious and mumblecore as their dull white counterparts. The two leads try hard with bad material and slack direction.

6. Momma's Man - Kind of an arthouse "Step Brothers", an adult man refuses to leave his parents loft in the East Village avoiding his family and responsibilities. I wanted something else to happen here.

7. Of Time and the City - Filmmaker Terence Davies presents his "visual poem" (mostly stock footage) dedicated to Liverpool. This would have been more effective with a little less bombastic poetry recitation and venom (He hates the Queen, the church and the Beatles). Like an English Ken Burns dissing people over mushroom tea.

8. Paper Heart – Hipsters Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera try not to fall in love, because that's so funny right? (Take swig of PBR here)

9. Rachel Getting Married - Anne Hathaway is the black sheep who wrecks the wedding of her sister through her neurosis and addiction. I would have done the same; this wedding weekend is lame and overlong.

10. Righteous Kill – Although they had a brief scene in "Heat", screen legends Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro never made a film together outside of "Godfather II". (Genuflect) This unoriginal police drama proves that maybe that ship has sailed. . . ("Attica!" "You talkin' to me?")

11. RocknRolla – Wants so desperately to be cool as a dozen-or-so stock characters are paraded through this backlit piece of shite. All of them speak quickly and strive to be clever; none are developed or believable in the least.

12. Street Kings – Keanu Reeves (second appearance on this list –sorry!) is a hardened LA cop gone bad- and I'm just stopping there.

13. Synecdoche, New York - If nothing is real and the characters playing characters playing characters are neither really living nor really acting; why does anything matter? This is morose and confusing.

14. The Taking of Pelham 123 – Another unnecessary remake that is all loud and flashy without the street cred.

15. Tulpan – The critics loved it, but this Kazakhstan "comedy" left me as dry as a camel.

16. War, Inc. - Poor John and Joan Cusack who mug their way through a film that tries too hard to satire everything and ends up just a noisy mess. It wants to be "Dr. Strangelove" but instead it's another "Southland Tales".

17. Watchmen - A sadistic abomination proving that torture porn and fanboys are still ruling Hollywood.

18. Whatever Works - A creepy old neurotic, a self-described genius, finds himself cohabitating with a very young girl who he ends up sleeping with to the shock and amazement of his pals. Where does Woody come up with these ideas?

19. What Just Happened? - Will Bruce Willis shave and should the director cut a scene of a dog being shot? This film is just as contrived and shallow as the Hollywood culture it's mocking.

20. Zack and Miri Make a Porno - Kevin Smith tries to mix gross-out comedy with a date movie and fails both audiences. Judd Apatow has already delivered that money shot son

You've never seen a future like this

2009-11-30T23:14:00.000-08:00

If you’re anything like me, you know the intensity of a good nightmare. No stranger to producing horror films in my sleep, I then struggle to describe my nightmares the next morning. How do you put into words... places that don’t exist and things that don’t make sense? How do you explain to someone a series of events that defy words—without boring them to death?

The 2007 French film, “Eden Log,” manages to bring all the confusion and darkness, the inexplicability of a nightmare, to film. From the start, an incomprehensible puzzle presents itself to Tolbiac (Clovis Cornillac), as he awakens in a muddy, cold, dark cave. We experience what he does, as he does, at a sometimes painstakingly slow pace.

Though the film tests our tolerance with a repetitive and uneventful first 20 minutes, it’s worth the experience to endure this for what lies beyond. Completely clueless as to where he is, what’s he’s doing there, and how he got there, he just keeps moving, upward, from what seems to be an impossibly deep system of caves, far underground.

Clues come in the form of random encounters and electronic video images, propelling him onward, towards some unknown but anticipated revelation.

I see quite a bit of science fiction and I believe this is one of the most original interpretations of a bleak future I have ever seen. There are no cliches here, no familiar futuristic conventions. This has got to be unlike anything you have ever seen before, awake or asleep.

The ending is open to interpretation and can even be quite confusing. And there was something about the audio that made it seem as though the film were dubbed into English. Still, it’s highly original premise and completely unpredictable plot make it one to see. That is, if you’re a fan of dark, foreboding dreams.

'Star Trek' time travels in to save our day!

2009-11-19T14:30:00.000-08:00

I used to work with a man who looked and acted deliberately like Data of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He later moved onto vampires but I did agree with him that our office would be more fun if we all wore the uniforms like those on the show. Yet TNG movies were too serious and more of a bore than their predecessors in the eighties with the classic original cast. Although those films got worse with each entry and began to look like 'beer bellies in space', they still retained that sense of wonderful cheesiness of the original series. In the fab sixties, Kirk and the crew which included plenty of mini-skirted fembots conquered the universe. Shatner kicked ass with a shoulder-rolling brawl set to a blazing horn section; A cosmic Don Draper. He also would bed down multi-colored alien babes as Spock and Bones argued logic versus emotion like a classic psych exam. My elder brother was an old school Trekkie and I recall as a boy going to a local mall to see Leonard Nimoy. (We didn't get close).

I didn't really watch TNG or the other spin-offs much. Yet I had "Star Trek" imbedded in my brain, a cultural touchstone and an example of how sci-fi could be fun as well as cerebral. Last year as I looked around an Apple Store one of the clerks (er Associates) was running down the features and programs of a Mac, when he asked casually "Hey have you seen this?" and played the new Star Trek trailer in Hi-def. I had no idea it was being remade. Suddenly it was all there in that three minute clip: JJ Abrams of "Lost", "Alias" and "Cloverfield" fame had rebooted the franchise with an origins story. Uhura was a super hottie! The guy from "Heroes" as Spock? 'Harold' from "Harold and Kumar" as Sulu? "Shaun of the Dead" as friggin Scotty? Leonard Nimoy - Are you serious? The original sounds effects even sounded hip. We both looked at each other in a WTF moment of nerdy joy. I saw the film as soon as it opened.

This would have been so easy to mess up but outside of one CGI snow monster that didn't thrill me as necessary, I am pleased to say that Abrams and company really nailed this! Chris Pine had extra large space shoes to fill with Kirk but has done it and here is the young captain, complete with his bar fights and the bedding of green girls, fully intact. He subverts authority follows his instincts and is brutally loyal to his team who form before our delighted eyes. Spock, Bones, Chekov, Uhura, Sulu and Scotty here are all thrown together for the first time and have their own heroic moments to shine. Eric Bana as Nero is the best villain since Khan and then there's the space-time continuum, the sci-fi device that opens the parallel universe and gets old and new Trek to fit together as it should. Zachary Quinto as Spock and Karl Urban as Bones stand out and really channel their TV counterparts. So loyal to the original campy Trek but retrofitted with added adrenalin, it is as fun as the original series and is as movies should be. In these hard times it is so timely to see Gene Rodenberry's original vision of a diverse crew of young explorers attempting to right the wrongs of a sometimes evil universe. Fun for mind, body and soul, "Star Trek" is one of the best DVDs of the year.

Corrupt leaders & other runaway trains

2009-11-12T22:26:00.000-08:00

I wanted to see me some Italian corrupt politics riddled with assassination but I got more than I needed in Il Divo. Rather than just tell the story straightforward, which would have been gripping enough, director Paolo Sorrentino goes gonzo and thinks he’s Kubrick meets Scorcese but is neither as proven by his pretentious over-direction. Lead actor Toni Servillo plays the main character of long-time Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti like a grotesque caricature, hunching around, an expressionless Dracula save for the stagey (but really it’s all so stagey) soliloquies where he rants rapidly like a madman. Much like 2006’s visually beautiful but hollow “The Fall” this director knows how to make beautiful pictures, he just doesn’t know when the say ‘basta’ and tell a story. Subtlety is not sin signore; see ‘La dolce vita’ instead.

The frustrating age of Bush resulted in a backlash that produced not just a satirical film in last years’ “W.”, but also a one-man show, before he had even left office. Will Ferrell’s “You’re Welcome America, A Final Night with George W. Bush” being the latter. Ferrell is as always absurd and funny, his political satire spot-on, but weighing in at almost an hour and a half the show does get tired. It seems like a drawn out SNL sketch not helped by a dancing secret service man between scenes played by Ferrells’ brother. Maybe it’s just too soon.

The remake of “The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3” is a textbook example of how current Hollywood does thrillers bad with Tony “Top Gun” Scott pulling out all his tricks: The macho mustachioed men from Central ‘New Yawk’ casting, loud soundtrack booms with pulsating rock riffs, intermittent slow motion with over-saturated colors, super quick cuts and zooms, the overused helicopter shots and not one ounce of honest character development in the mix. Denzel Washington goes from a coffee spilling demoted MTA boss to a superhero chasing his nemesis on the Brooklyn Bridge with gun in hand. (I would say “Spoiler alert” but the tell-all trailer for this film already gives most of this film up). John Travolta is the brains of the subway-napping who eats up the scenery and all but gives his name and address to the dispatchers. In short this movie sucks. Scott constantly cuts to police officers and SWAT teams who do nothing with the exception of getting into three (Count em!) separate car crashes in one trip uptown. The filmmakers had unrestricted access to the NY subway system so it’s a shame this film pales in comparison to the original. That 70’s film directed by Joseph Sargent was shot with real grit and intelligence as it had the meticulous Robert Shaw matching wits with the great low-key Walter Matthau. Its classic ending was near perfect. They don’t make them like that anymore as this remake proves loudly.

Why I Loved "Land of the Lost"

2009-11-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

Did you grow up watching "Land of the Lost" when it was a television series in the mid 1970s? If so, you will remember the Sleestak, Holly's braids, and the family's little ape-like pal, Cha-Ka.
Put those cheesy memories aside so you can enjoy the current theatrical remake of the series.

Though the film has taken a critical bashing from some, I disagree. It was fun and silly and captivating from start to finish. Will Farrell as 'Marshall' leads 'Holly' and 'Will' into a tachyon- chasing adventure that catapults them back to a very unusual, ancient time.

Here's what worked:
1. Changing the original father and two children into three adults (two scientists and a beer-bellied opportunist) creates greater humor without the forced drama of children in peril.
2. "Grumpy," the scheming and vengeful dinosaur (with a sense of humor, too) was a brilliant twist on the typical, blundering giant. One could argue that Grumpy nearly steals the show.
3. Matt Lauer's cameo. Seriously, the guy can act. I see him on "Mad Men," cohorting with Jon Hamm.
4. The wonderfully creative way in which our three-some end up in the Land of the Lost is through the mouth of The Cave, a desert tourist attraction that brings visitors on a boat ride into an underground, spooky theme-park-type cave. Chasing tachyon signals to this location, all three head in.
5. A Sleestak gone bad. Very bad. Taking-over-the-world type of bad.
6. Will Farrell's dependable, lovable, hilarious bumbling scientist.
7. Danny McBride is cast to perfection as the cave proprietor turned Land of the Lost survivor.
8. Cha-Ka's life of debauchery and glory.

Silly, great fun. Sign me up.

Woody Meets Larry and it 'Works'

2009-11-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

Is it even necessary to start out by saying that I'm a huge Woody Allen fan? Is it even possible for someone to love film without being a huge Woody Allen fan? I say, no. The man is a genius. Yes, he's become a tad predictable in adhering to the New York-intellectuals-lament-love-with-age-diverse-pairings-and-ultimately-come-together-during-celebratory-party-while-vintage-clarinet-jazz-music-colors-the-scene formula. But there's still a little magic there.

To find Larry David inhabiting the lead (the Woody role, par usual) in "Whatever Works" is Woody's most brilliant casting to date. Larry David is so lovable and believable that we can even forgive the absurdity of the prerequisite, later years Woody standard: the nubile young beauty who falls in love with the cantankerous old man. We can also forgive the silliness of 'Boris Yellnikoff' (David) suddenly addressing the camera while his friends look on, wondering if he has lost his marbles. The typically semi-natural Woody dialogue becomes butter in David's mouth. Never a pause, never a falter, never a blip in how normal it all seems.

Yellnikoff is a bitter, self-proclaimed genius who lives alone in Manhattan. When he arrives home one night to find a needy young girl on his doorstep, he begrudgingly takes her in. 'Melodie' (Evan Rachel Wood) is the starry-eyed Southern girl who pours honey all over Yellnikoff's bile. When Patricia Clarkson, as her mother, 'Marietta,' enters the scene, we're in for a wild joy ride. From a repressed, religious Southern self-righteousness, to an expressive, uninhibited, threesome-living artist, Marietta makes a delicious transformation. 'John' (Ed Begley Jr.), Melodie's father, makes a less believable transformation.

Loaded with truisms about religion, politics, and the general state of things, burdened with a familiar plot, and sugar-coated with a formulaic ending...still. "Whatever Works" works, thanks to the wit and wisdom of Larry David.

The Threes of Fall

2009-10-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

Since so many films are just average, neither outstanding nor particularly bad, I find them hard to write on. We only use 5 shakers to keep it simple- not the one to one-hundred exactness of Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic. Some average threes are almost-fours- others almost-twos. Zzzzzzz... Sorry, anyway here’s a bunch of average Joes:

"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" - Made during the writing strike this is basically a showcase for the singing and comic talents of Neil Patrick Harris who went on to take over the award show host circuit. A cute story of offbeat superheroes; it’s retro, kitschy and hip with catchy songs. Kind of like a fun college film. The creators are the Hollywood writing family behind “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and other hi-grade pop phenoms: Jed, Joss and Zack Whedon. These men have a cult army of followers and this was a big hit at Comic-Con. You get the picture, wants to be a mini-“Rocky Horror Picture Show” for geeks.

“O’ Horten” - I loved how director Brent Hamer adapted Charles Bukowski in 2005’s “Factotum”. Here he creates a Norwegian deadpan existentialist flick about a retiring train engineer so I counted myself in! Loneliness, old age, absurdity and non sequiturs are all represented in this offbeat tale. However, like Jim Jarmusch’s work (except “Mystery Train” which I loved) this was critically praised but didn't quite work for me.

“Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!” - This is a pretty comprehensive look at how the B-Movies of Australia from the sixties through the eighties helped to establish that countrys’ national film industry. A feast of clips intercut with the older and wiser filmmakers and one horribly pretentious film critic (I hate those guys), this film moves along briskly with sex, violence, Kung Fu and car crashes. Seeing how all of this gave birth to “Mad Max”, the “Godfather” of these films, is fascinating but like the exploitive films themselves it does get tired and repetitive.

“Every Little Step” – When choreographer Michael Bennett held an interview/workshop with a bunch of dancers in New York City in 1974 and turned it into “A Chorus Line”, it became a classic Broadway success story. Winning a Pulitzer and nine Tony Awards it ran on Broadway for fifteen years closing in 1990. Fifteen more years later some of the members of the original creative team reassemble to stage a revival and this doc follows the dancers that audition for this show in a clever, life-imitating-fiction-which imitates-life loop. Yet just as the original writing team feared that too many stories would overwhelm the audience this film spreads itself too thin. I would say this is for hardcore fans only, but watching actor Jason Tam nail an audition so convincingly that it renders the production team into a bunch of crying schoolgirls, is to watch an actors’ dream. I wanted more of these breakthrough moments but as they say it’s like lightening in a bottle. “ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway” was much more fun.

“Lymelife” - Directed by Derick Martini and co written with his brother Steven (what’s with all the family teams popping up?), this film felt like the serious older cousin to Greg Mottola’s excellent “Adventureland”. I guess I should have reviewed that one. A coming-of-age film set in the late seventies on Long Island, this film would fall into the suburban angst genre I talked about earlier this year. Long-faced Rory and Kieran Culkin do their best as two siblings trapped in a disintegrating family. The adult stars Alec Baldwin, Cynthia Nixon, Timothy Hutton and Jill Hennessy almost save this film from its own over-seriousness. Almost doesn’t count.

“Coraline” - Speaking of depressing? Jeez Louise who is this film aimed at? Too creepy for children and a little too weird for adults, “Coraline” is Henry Selicks’ version of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” without the fun. The stop-animation is clever and all, but an alternative universe where a young girl must replace her eyes with buttons freaks me out much more than when the Abominable Snowman terrorized Rudolph. Children will go all Goth or Emo soon enough without entertaining them with this kind of horror and loneliness; as Joker asked: “Why so serious? “

Demonic Ambitions

2009-10-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

Fall is upon us and Halloween approaches! I rented the Blu-Ray of the original “Halloween” and several other scary flicks to get in the mood and will cap off the month seeing the original “Psycho” accompanied by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra- good times!

In ‘Au dien ce of One ‘ director Mike Jacobs shows us something pretty scary- real-life religious fanaticism which is growing by leaps and bounds in this country. In uncertain times it’s comforting to have religion, however when it stops being a personal expression of spirituality and goes all cultish it is downright dangerous. Folks who believe that they are on a “mission from God” ala the “Blues Brothers” will have no problem causing all sorts of mayhem since anyone against them must be “the devil”. Working Jim Jones’ old hood, Pastor Richard Gazowsky is introduced to us as a charismatic leader who seems harmless at first as he preaches the word to his San Francisco congregation. We are told that he didn’t see his first film “The Lion King” until he was 40, but that God then told him to make a film (“Star Wars meets The Ten Commandments”) and lo the misadventures begin!

A delusional man pressing his family and parishioners to make a film that he says has 200 million in financing for is fascinating but also a little sad. Church collections don’t go to help the unfortunate but instead fund massive film expenses such as creating unnecessarily elaborate costumes. Volunteers are pressed into crew and talent positions putting in long workdays where safety precautions are non-existent. This is kind of like the doc “Burden of Dreams” about the madness of director Werner Herzog while making “Fitzcarraldo'” with the important exception that Herzog is a great filmmaker, Gazowksy is just a fool. Even late in the film as we see that his fiasco has no funding and he is forcing his studio landlord (the city of San Franciso) to sue him for his back rent, he attends a filmmakers trade show promising vendors that he is planning on buying their high end equipment. In short he has no conscience. Why should he? God talks directly to him. Kind of like “Bowfinger” meets “Jesus Camp”.

As I’ve said before here, I hate the cinema of sadism that passes as horror. Splatter and gore has hardcore followers but I can’t help to think that it’s just not a good thing to get such pleasure watching people get tortured and killed. It reminds me too much of how Rome fell with its residents using death as entertainment in the Coliseum (Though I did like “Gladiator” which makes me a bit of a hypocrite).

Sam Raimi on the other hand, gave us the “Evil Dead” trilogy back in the eighties and early nineties, films that mixed the spookiness of folklore with rollercoaster thrills shot like great slapstick ala “An American Werewolf in London”. These films were scary fun and became better as the budgets went up. Raimi went on to do a respectable indie, “A Simple Plan” before moving on up to the big budget “Spiderman” series. Obviously his brother and he had an old spooky script that they never made and Raimi decided to dust it off and give his fans a little bit of retro horror. I’m glad he did.

In “Drag Me to Hell” he shows his ability to take all of the scariness of that original haunted wooded cabin and bring it to a normal suburban home in Southern California transforming ordinary objects into instruments of fear: a stapler, a handkerchief, a coin, a button, a ruler even a piece of cake. Yes a piece of cake – did you ever eye up a delicious pastry when dieting? Raimi and the demons at his disposal know of these inner conflicts.

Our heroine, bank loan officer Christine (Alison Lohman), is a former obese farm girl from a broken home who wrestles these inner demons as she reinvents herself in LA. When her relationship and career seem troubled, the evil spirits channel her fear of eating; the arm of a demonic woman, a fly, embalming liquid, maggots and blood all make their way into her mouth at some point in this flick. It all begins with her fixation on an old gypsy womans’ dirty dentures that she observes as she is trying to decide whether to give her another extension on her home loan. Being exploited by her boss (David Paymer) as she vies for a promotion (he has her bring him and her rival food of course) she is forced into deciding to evict this old woman, Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver), which sets off the action as she is then attacked, cursed and terrorized.

Raimi gives us plenty of shout-outs to the ‘Evil Dead’ films including using his trademark 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88, a visual reference to the original poster art, cartoon violence in an old shed and Christine’s boyfriend (Justin Long, the Mac pitchman seen using Mac products) making a passing reference that he has a cabin in the woods. The film even opens with an 80’s era logo for Universal. A drawback is the flat acting by the young actors in the leads; old-timers Raver and Paymer fare much better. Lohman, Long and Dileep Rao (as the worlds' most knowledgeable spiritualist) all seem to play the film straight rather than give it the subtle twist of camp that it needed. Lohman especially seems more of a dullard than an ambitious and then horrified woman. A Bruce Campbell cameo also would have rocked it. This is nitpicky of course – this film as I witnessed makes men swear in disbelief and women scream in fright and that’s a lot of fun in the serious world of mass marketed torture porn. A definition of Irish blarney is when you can tell someone to go to hell and have them anticipate the trip. Raimi still has the charm.

Lose your Illusion

2009-10-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

There have been many documentaries about the war in Iraq but Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss's “Full Battle Rattle” captures the motivation and policies of our military better than most. Ironically it was filmed in the US, in a mock Iraqi city in the Mojave Desert of California. The “city” is a battle training ground that seems to be a cross between a video game simulation and the town featured in “The Truman Show”. The make-believe hamlet is populated by Iraqi-Americans and other soldiers portraying the locals. There are meetings with the city council, confrontations at check points and even photo opportunities as building contracts and cash are handed out to buy good faith. Insurgents and assassinations also sneak in as programmed by the war game officials. A soldier and the man portraying the deputy mayor refer to their script as they discuss how to play a scene in one of the many surreal moments in this interesting film. When the same deputy mayor proudly shows video of his mock execution to his real family, his wife breaks into tears and we are reminded that this role playing is mirroring the real life violence effecting actual families. As the military personnel are shipped off after their training exercise you can really sense the anxiety as they leave a place where the dead were just actors or medical dummies to enter the very real chaos of war. I found this to be an interesting dissection of the logistics of modern war with the implied violence eerily foreshadowing the reality that awaits them.

In “Anvil! The Story of Anvil”, director Sacha Gervasi first introduces the Canadian rockers via old footage of the 1984 Japanese Super Rock Festival that they appeared at with The Scorpions, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi and other top bands. Members of Metallica, Motorhead, Guns N Roses and others are seen telling of their influence. We then cut to 2007 Toronto to see the band members working middle-class jobs while still holding onto the dream of making it big. Lead guitar/singer “Lips” (Steve Kudlow) and his long suffering best friend/drummer, Robb Reiner are mellow but often prone to explosive arguments like an old married couple. This is one of the many parallels of this film with the famed mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap”: We see the band making its’ way to the stage saying “Hello Cleveland!’, the silly album covers, an audio knob going to “11”, the foreign road manager girlfriend, the series of humiliating gigs, Stonehenge and the redeeming call from Japan. Yet somehow this flick does not mock its subjects, in fact the optimism of “Lips” in the face of all odds is actually inspiring and touching. Their families are still trying to support them and you can’t help but to pull for (or head bang for) this group as well.

Steven Soderbergh follows his dense but unmoving “Che (Parts One & Two)” with a small film about a high-end escort in Manhattan just prior to the election of 2008. “The Girlfriend Experience” uses real-life porn star Sasha Grey to portray Chelsea, a call girl just trying to make it in the world of the wealthy. Captured in a series of high-end restaurants and stores we see what may be a collapsing gilded era as Chelsea acts as ‘the girlfriend” of several nervous movers and shakers, which mostly means listening to them talk about finances. Her live-in boyfriend is a personal trainer also trying to leverage his relationship with his rich clients to get ahead. Their parallel realities comment about the materialism and superficiality of life. Sex, looks and money is all important, but this soullessness is also the death of real love. The film even has a trip to Vegas in it, the ultimate metaphor for the illusions of wealth and the American dream of success. However, again Soderbergh just doesn’t pull it off. This is yet another arty film that moves slowly and seems plot less. To mix it up a bit, it is edited in a confusingly deliberate non-chronological order which is reminiscent of “Memento”. The biggest problem is the monosyllabic, boring performance by Grey in the lead. I suspect a high end call girl would be intelligent and an excellent conversationalist. Grey seems more like a bored teenager here and that’s a GF experience that no one would pay for.

Quick review: “Watchmen” a sadistic abomination, torture porn and fanboys still ruling Hollywood!

No Doubt

2009-09-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

This film was another one of those instances of not remembering how it ended up in the Netflix queue but thankful it did.

"The History Boys" is initially a loving, gentle, pre-college educational romp. But as things progress, the truth is revealed in an easy-going, British style. In an all-boys prep school, the various characters have all nearly aced their preliminary college exams. But their headmaster wants more, and brings in a young consultant to bring more polish to the students, in the hopes of not just getting into Oxford or Cambridge, but getting in with scholarships.

A gifted ensemble cast delivers great performances. Esteemed English actor, Richard Griffiths (you know him from "Harry Potter"), as "Hector," is the teddy bear of a professor whose under-appreciated teaching style eventually gives way to a more serious charge, when he is seen fondling one of his male students while they ride his motorcycle. The students are all old enough to know what's going on with old Hector, and even have a standard retort to give when they feel his reaching hand. Nothing is done beyond this. There is a certain amount of acceptance and calm here that keeps things from developing beyond a simple, acknowledged fondle. Hector himself seems to truly care for the boys and encourages their success. We get the impression that he is controlling his urges so that he would never go beyond a roving hand. But when a crossing guard takes notice of this, the headmaster of the school steps in and "requests" that Hector retire immediately. Hector is so loveable, it's hard to come to terms with the realization that he truly is a pedophile. But, as in life, there are many shades of grey.

The struggles and coercion and maneuvering that the boys all partake in is what gets at the heart of the story. Learning the less-than-admirable manipulations that adults engage in is as much a part of their education as essays worthy of acceptance into Oxford.

Like "Doubt," "The History Boys" was also a play before it became a film. And both films tackle sexual child abuse in different ways. In Doubt, there is the ruination and damnation of an esteemed clergyman, and the tragedy of his young victim. In The History Boys, there is the more subtle realism of a gentle yet lecherous old man. Here, not only are the students older, but they are wiser, and know that these subtle advances are a part of the adult world, as it is about to unfold before them.

The American dream: Elusive, then hard to maintain

2009-09-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

As the US seems more divided than ever lately, I recently saw three new DVDs that deal with our freedoms in their own personal way.

In “Sugar” (2008), Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s follow-up to their very good “Half Nelson” (2006), we are introduced to a Dominican baseball player whose whole town depends on him making the minor leagues in the US and then possibly the majors. The pressure to succeed and the fish-out-of-water culture clashes of his life are examined in a very low-key, naturalistic style: Far too low-key for my tastes. Whereas in “Half Nelson” we had the Oscar nominated performance of lead actor Ryan Gosling taking us into the shadowy world of teachers who abuse drugs, here we have a non-actor, Algenis Perez Soto playing the lead. The fact that he isn’t an actor does increase the realism but since in 90% of this film the camera is pointed at him, the story would have benefitted if we could have had more insight into his mind. He just seems to stare vacantly most of the time as things occur almost randomly around him. This trend of almost hyper-realism, where we find ourselves stuck into one unstructured scene after another seems a bit lazy and pretentious to me. In one long shot we see ‘Sugar’ walking through a blurry entertainment arcade finally arriving at the edge of a bowling alley where his American counterpart is enjoying a game surrounded by friends. I know I was supposed to sympathize with his isolation here but I was too bored by the length of the take of his walk. That’s just me- ADD boy! His character then makes a questionable decision halfway through the film that seems unlikely given all we’ve been shown. So although this film came with high praise and had some nice plays, it just failed to score with me.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is “Sin Nombre” (2008), which although shot with equal realism gives us memorable imagery, strong dramatic performances and a tight story. Filmmaker Cary Fukunaga wrote and directed this tale of a group of Central American immigrants making their way to the American border. Casper (Edgar Flores) is a Mexican gang member of the scarily tattooed ‘Mara Salvatrucha’, who needs to prove his worth. Sayra (Paulina Gaitan) is a young Honduran girl just trying to follow her family to a better life. Both end up hitching on top of a rural train that snakes its’ way north. Somehow these images capture the beauty and sacrifice of these people. One touching scene has the train passing under a large statue of Mother Mary as many pray for her blessing. As the gang pursues Casper, he tries to thwart the advances of Sayra to no avail. Like good and evil itself these two seem trapped with each other. I found this film similar in my mind to “The Warriors” another surreal adventure of a road trip to redemption.

“State o f Play” (2009) is based on a popular BBC mini-series and I’m sure if I had seen this I would have hated this film. In fact, I expected not to like it since it seemed super-hokey, which it is to some degree. However, although not the best political thriller ever it does make its’ points, have strong performances and is nicely shot. Russell Crowe plays Cal McCaffrey a veteran reporter for the fictional Washington Globe (a stand in for the Post); Della (Rachel McAdams) is a newbie blogger for the paper which has just been acquired though a merger by a global corporate media group. Helen Mirren is the editor who must weigh the pressure to sell papers with the infotainment demands of a 24-hour news cycle rather than taking the time to get the story told correctly. Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), Cal’s old college roommate, is a congressman from Pennsylvania who oversees a committee investigating a defense contract corporation which eerily looks like Blackwater. The film opens with a series of killings that somehow link up to the death of a female Collins’ staffer who also was having an affair with him. Collin’s wife Anne (Robin Wright Penn) still pines for Cal in a ‘Casablanca’-like triangle that I found to be great old-timey Hollywood fun. The old-school vet reporter and newbie blogger team up to clear Collins’ name and get to the bottom of the killings in an attempt to bring the evil defense contractor out into the light while saving the paper from the pressures of its’ new owners.
There sure is a lot going on in this flick (since it is distilled from a mini-series) but it sucked me in and I enjoyed it! Director Kevin Macdonald (“Touching the Void”, “The Last King of Scotland”) really captures the surroundings from the messy newsroom, to the streets and eateries of DC, to the clean yet ominous halls of our government. He also gives some visual nods to “All the Presidents’ Men” with scenes at a creepy garage, the Watergate hotel, as well as extreme close-ups of copy being written, this time with a blinking cursor rather than the rifle-like cracks of typewriter strikes. Although it is flawed and a little too tidy in resolution, this film demonstrates how diligence is always needed to maintain our country’s morality in the face of a very complex, corrupt world. Sadly, this film also seemed like an epitaph for printed newspapers in a world overcome by the internet and bloggers (like me?).

A Shaky First Year!

2009-08-28T23:23:00.000-07:00

Wow! As August comes to a close after flying by, a lot of great films hit which I would give four salt shakers to: Harvard Beats Yale 29-29, Trouble the Water, Tyson, The Class and Goodbye Solo. Normally I would choose one or two of these and tell you why to see them, but I didn’t want August to pass without acknowledging that this month marks the first anniversary of this blog!

Jessi and I worked together before she moved to New Mexico. I have seen so many friends come and go out of my little friendship fish bowl that I assumed we would e-mail once or twice a year before eventually losing touch. We are both frustrated creatives with the exception that Jessi works at it and I just repress it. Our e-mails would often turn to films we’d seen and we’d compare notes. As is obvious in this blog, some of the films she loved I hated and visa-versa. She then suggested this blog which I was dead against it since I see most blogs as self-indulgent and didn’t want to jump in that pool. However she convinced me to give it a try, nothing fancy just straightforward, concise reviews.

Last August, 'Salty Popcorn' began with Jessi’s post on 'Tsotsi'- I immediately countered thinking it was going to be the point-counterpoint deal, like the original Siskel & Ebert. We then both reviewed "The Savages" and "Surfwise", two great little indies and I put my best of all time list down. As we closed the most productive month ever, Jessi reviewed "Jumper" and I looked at "August" as we quickly realized it would never work for us to line up our viewing habits with the same films. We persevered somehow and this blog literally became my therapy.

Without going into detail we have both continued our struggle for meaningful work, again Jessi being more successful than I. I thought this blog would just die off since there were so many other places where folks could get opinions- but between Jessi and myself I feel we have added some original voice on the state of current home cinema. Even if we do have very light traffic, content is content.

I know one thing- as life gets me down - I do still find watching films to be my most favorite thing ever. This past year wasn't a banner year but through it all I have been able to watch many films I would never have had time for. Films inspire me and take me to a world as seen through someone else’s eyes. They touch and inform me- and remind me that the struggles of life are a common drama. I've seen artists who understand film as the 20th century art form and those who see it as a business churning out product. SP has allowed me the forum to yell at those who get it wrong and praise those who get it right. I’m still touched by heartfelt dramas and laugh loud at good comedies but unfortunately, more often than not, I feel like a hollow piece of crap has wasted my time and sucked out my soul. Yet that’s the point, I can suffer that turkey so you don’t have to. Even in my negative reviews I try to steer you to a similar film that got it right. So I thank you Jessi for nudging me into this. Happy Birthday ‘Salty Popcorn’! - Let’s keep the films popping and I’ll keep it shaking!

Your co-editor,

Tim

Dudeism

2009-08-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

Two new releases this month tell of unusual male friendships- one for laughs and one for sentiment; both seemed overrated and predictable.

In “T h e Soloist” Jamie Foxx went with the advice of Robert Downey’s actor character in “Tropic Thunder” and didn’t play “full retard” just going with schizophrenia. Based on the true story of Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez (played by Downey) who befriended a down-and-out man, Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx), who he discovers had some classical cello training at Julliard and then told his story in several articles. Director Joe Wright tries hard to beat the clichés and be original, but by playing loose with the facts (and doing hokey things like presenting a symphony internally from Ayers point of view), the film lays the melodrama on when understatement would have worked better. Downey as usual is great and Foxx keeps his character credible but this is another case of the actors being better than the material. With forced flashbacks and a skid row that seems to be more “Escape from New York” than the real streets of LA, Wright and the screenwriters kill the reality of film despite the two strong performances up front. Trying to play a meaningful violin piece with only two strings again doesn’t work.

On the wackier side of unusual male friendship is “I Love You Man” written and directed by John Hamburg although it seems way similar to the work of bro-mance comedy director Judd Apatow. Paul Rudd is Peter Klaven, an LA realtor who is getting married but seems to just realize that he has no male friends. He finally bumps into bohemian free-spirit Sydney Fife (Jason Segal) who he connects with on the rocky road to male bonding. Along the way there are jams in the man cave, scuffles with Lou Ferrigno and some forced awkward man-dates. Unfortunately for me all seemed like a Comedy Central made-for-TV movie and the only laughs are when Rudd tries to speak hip – saying things like “Slappa da bass mon! “, calling Sydney bizarre nicknames like “Joben” and generally mining the un-coolness of his character to the hilt. Segal as Fife on the other hand seems completely unreal whether when he is threatening people who ask him to curb his dog, launching an unauthorized billboard campaign for Peter or engaging in primal scream therapy. Needless to say this all builds to a downright stupid ending. Reworking date movies for male appeal is a good idea, but they need to be funny, this one is all premise no delivery- totally ... totes my goats!

Surreal Japan – Lost in Translation

2009-08-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Hikikomori - a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive individuals who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement because of various personal and social factors in their lives.

Well I’m down for this! I love to learn about social phenoms and in the film “Tokyo!” which presents three short films (about 35 minutes each) we have this lifestyle dramatized in the final sequence "Shaking Tokyo," directed by Korean director Joon-ho Bong (“The Host”). Similar in style to 2006’s “Paris, je t'aime”, this time all three films are by foreign directors again using the titled city as a setting.

The first segment is “Interior Design,” by Michel Gondry who gave us the great “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and the poor “The Science of Sleep” and “Be Kind, Rewind” (Though Jessi and I disagreed on that one). I really enjoyed this tale in the offbeat style of Jim Jarmusch. A quirky indie director and his supportive girlfriend crash at her friends’ apartment in Tokyo in attempt to get his film shown and to become established there. They look at dirty potential apartments and try to find work as their host becomes increasingly annoyed since her apartment literally gets smaller as the film goes on. Once her filmmaker beau begins to get some recognition, the girlfriend is sidelined and must find a new purpose in her life possibly supporting another artist, this time a musician. Wonderful and bizarre!

The next segment “Merde” by director Leos Carax then destroys the charm by introducing an overacting Caucasian male playing a childlike “monster” who lives in the sewers and terrorizes the city. This film was so horrible I had to fast-forward through it. It is pretentious, boring and I swear unwatchable which means it will be hailed by critics as a masterpiece.

The final triptych “Shaking Tokyo”, as I noted at the start, returns to the offbeat tone of the opening segment, presenting an isolated man living off his fathers’ kindness (mailed cash) who has chosen not to leave his apartment in 11 years. The shots outside of an empty Tokyo are quite remarkable as everyone else appears to have chosen to do the same. I thought this was a very creative take on the isolation of a mega-city and Yû Aoi as the cute delivery woman who literally displays her emotions is great. Yet this story’s pace is way slow and in the end the structure is weak. So the cumulative effect of the film “Tokyo” is one of exhaustion and frustration due to its' uneven nature, a common problem with these kinds of anthology films. I think “New York Stories” started this trilogy and trend twenty years ago since I remember that Coppola’s segment really bit. My rating therefore is based on the segments and the overall effect; the salt here would be four shakers, one shaker and three shakers which gives us a two shaker overall.

In a full length film which actually would be better off it were a shorter entry in the above is Hitoshi Matsumoto’s “Big Man Japan” This one features some wonderfully freaky fight scenes between the title character (A beefy giant in his briefs carrying a big stick) and bizarre monsters that have to be seen to be believed. Unfortunately these absurdist scenes are interspersed in a mockumentary about the hero who spends most of his time as a normal-sized man looking sullen and bored. There are some clever ideas about how the glory days of his giant ancestors are gone as modern Tokyo holds him accountable more for the wreckage he causes than for his heroism in his frequent battles to protect its’ citizens. He must now rely on selling his giant body as a corporate billboard and deal with a condescending agent and an estranged daughter. Yet these sections just drag on and any potential humor gets lost in the tedious direction. Then the ending just drives the stake through this films’ heart as it dramatically changes style and tone further alienating the frustrated viewer. Like the giant himself, the director doesn’t know when to let up and move on.

Past Lives

2009-08-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

I like scary movies but not torture porn. For example I was spooked by “T h e Blair Witch Project” because it was so inventive for its’ budget and it went for the root of what scares us: “There’s something out there in the dark trying to get us!” I also enjoyed the original Japanese versions of “The Ring” and “The Grudge”. Yet American horror movies of today are a dime a dozen, full of soundtrack jolts and cheap scares. To confess a guilty pleasure, I do TiVo all of the paranormal stuff for easy entertainment. I especially love ridiculous shows like “Ghost Adventures” where Scooby Doo is recreated and ghost teams startle each other on night vision camera.

One ghostly documentary “A Haunting in Connecticut” was made in 2002 but still airs frequently. It was genuinely spooky following a family who move into a large house which is offered at a surprisingly cheap asking price so that their son, who suffers from cancer, can be closer to his treatment hospital. The house which is next to a cemetery is actually an old funeral home and the sick boy who sleeps in the basement discovers that this is where the mortician did his thing. Needless to say as someone whose childhood home was also nearby a cemetery, I found this show scary. The main ghost even wore those black contacts which on its own freaks me out. So hoping for the best I rented the Hollywood film version which was recently released on DVD. My worst fears were realized as even the credits were filled with the quick cuts and soundtrack blasts that earmark the worst horror films of today. Virginia Madsen and Elias Koteas are two actors who try to ground all the unnecessary CGI vainly. Lifetime movie vet, Martin Donovan is featured as always playing the well meaning dad. (Spoiler) When the house burns the end titles tell us it was rebuilt and stands there to this day. Well the house does stand because it was never burned and therefore never needed to be rebuilt. Since “based on a true story” means nothing to Hollywood versions of ghost stories they obviously feel no shame in rewriting history like this, kind of like Fox News. It’s a shame though since as I say the original story was spooky before they rewrote. See the original version if you can.

Past glory is also what haunts the title character of “The Great Buck Howard’ played by the great John Malkovich. The story here however is not Howard himself but that of his assistant played by Colin Hanks. Based on the real life experiences of a former assistant to “The Amazing Kreskin”, Howard is a mentalist who performs mind reading, hypnosis and the like before finishing up with a few cornball songs. His act is dated, his audience dwindling and Howard is constantly repeating stories of his salad days, especially his appearances on “The Tonight show with Johnny Carson”. (I do love it when Buck calls Leno Satan!) The film wants to be quaint old-fashioned fun but is actually kind of predictable and dull. Hanks is likable enough but doesn’t seem to have the charisma of his dad Tom to pull off this one-dimensional character. (Hanks Sr. appears here briefly playing, of course, his father) The Howard role seems custom made for Malkovich but yet it is too cartoony and underwritten. Involving has-beens do make for interesting stories (“Sunset Boulevard”, “Raging Bull”, “All about Eve”, “My Favorite Year”. “The Wrestler” etc) but here the magic just isn’t there.

In the film version of Dickens’ “Great Expectations” there are haunting scenes of the crazy Miss Havisham still in her wedding dress trapped in the past, living in her rotting mansion. In 1975 the Maysles brothers made a bizarre documentary about a mother and daughter living in similar conditions. Edith Bouvier Beale was nearly eighty and her daughter “Little Edie” was in her fifties at the time of filming, both living in the squalor of their rotting East Hampton mansion. Both women were obviously mentally ill with “Little Edie” being absolutely manic doing dances with her head constantly wrapped in a makeshift scarf. It was a sad film to watch and yet the subjects seemed perfectly happy in their little world, delusional as they were. Their home and the film was perfectly named “Grey Gardens”

This year HBO returned to these subjects making a dramatic film that attempts to fill in the blanks on the plight of these women. Also titled “Grey Gardens” the filmmakers do a great job at recreating scenes of the original doc between flashbacks of the characters affluent earlier years. Drew Barrymore who has made some bad films really shines here playing little Edie from her teenage years into her fifties. She totally nails this character and has a great time doing so. Jessica Lange playing the elder Edie also brings to life the desperation and increasing madness of her character. Both women, along with Ken Howard who plays Mr. Beale and Jeanne Tripplehorn as a shell-shocked Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (the womens’ famous cousin) have been nominated for well deserved Emmys. I think this film is best viewed after seeing the original documentary but in any case it is as haunting as the original. See it and then clean your home.

An Exciting Film to Love...and An Important Film to Look Forward To

2009-07-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so blown away by this film, I can barely type. Like the magic that happens when a certain group of musicians get together (The Beatles?), every bit of The International is exquisite. It's like watching a master symphony at work.

But you won't notice that. Instead, you'll be caught up in this thriller, catapulted on a ride from New York to Berlin to Luxembourg to France to Italy to Turkey and back to New York (not necessarily in that order). With spot-on direction, brilliant, never-faltering performances, and plot twists and turns, I can not imagine it would be possible not to enjoy the ride. And then there's the Guggenheim. The esteemed New York museum has been recreated. Yes, the Guggenheim recreated, for a chilling clash of forces. Only on the DVD extras do we get to see the work that went into this feat.

While many international espionage/thrillers get caught up in their own web of complexity, Eric Singer's script keeps things razor sharp. A mega-powerful international bank gets intimately involved in funding war. Clive Owen, an Interpol agent determined to expose this extensive racket, delivers an Oscar-worthy performance. Truly, he is one of our greatest contemporary actors.

I searched out the director, Tom Tykwer, whose name didn't ring a bell. Silly me. Not only is he the director of the much-praised, Run Lola Run, but he is also an accomplished composer—creating a chillingly effective and original soundtrack for this film.

But a quick gander at his IMDB profile reveals something that has me giddy with anticipation. Listed under "In Development," is "What is the What," Dave Eggers' staggeringly beautiful story of the experiences of Sudanese refugee, Valentino Achak Deng. So Valentino's unbelievably heart-breaking yet triumphant life will be brought to the big screen. We can only hope. The world will be a better place for knowing Valentino's story.

Tim’s summer reruns: Reviews of non-new releases

2009-07-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

I have seen a few new releases but nothing spectacular of late so I decided to go back to my Netflix review vault and give you a bakers’ dozen of old release reviews never put on this blog. It’s a nice cross-section of DVDs of the past couple of years in no particular order. Seattle is in the midst of a heat wave so my mind is more fried than usual but being a surviving catholic I felt guilty about not posting. :) Stay cool people!

Lady in the Water (2006) One salt Shaker.
Half-baked folklore, cartoon creatures and a pale redhead astound an apartment complex. Boredom and malarkey shattered by the cliché loud soundtrack jump-scares. Good actors wasted by a crazed egomaniacal filmmaker- you know his name- it's plastered over the credits like spam. See “Night of the Hunter” instead.

28 Weeks Later (2007) Three salt shakers.
What this film lacks in originality, entertainment and character development, it more than compensates for in severe, quick edits with shaky cam. Scenes that may have been horrifying are jazzed up as this method is taken to its zenith. Oh and when someone has been exposed to the deadly virus and is a sole survivor worthy of study- I'm pretty sure she'd be monitored and guarded. And when "dad' keeps appearing all over the map, it's more like a comedy than a horror flick. A sad follow-up to such a classic original, kind of like “Halloween II” was.

All About My Mother (1999) Two salt shakers.
I had found it hard to believe that a teen-age boy is so transfixed by an actress in "Streetcar" that he frantically dashes after her cab in the rain. Then the nun getting AIDs after being impregnated by a transvestite? Another pal, a transsexual and the main character then switch roles as the assistants to the lesbian actresses. Suddenly there's an "All about Eve" twist as the all female cast again talk about their lives and then ….my gaydar just exploded. Pedro A, your films are just too ridiculous to merit the heaping praise.

Disturbia (2007) Three salt shakers.
If you're looking out your window at your neighbors and your friggin lights are on- they can see you. How basic is that? What would be a cool update of "Rear Window" loses steam from a strong setup and becomes yet another bland, predictable wanna-be thriller. The lead actor, Shia LaBeouf, does his best though which spring boarded him to fame.

The Host (2006) Three salt shakers.
Would be slimy monster fun if it didn't get weighed down in they typical Asian cinema broad comedy along with heavy-handed social statement. Whenever the slime monster is off-screen it stalls. Then a non-crowd-pleasing death spoils the end.

I Think I Love My Wife (2007) Four salt shakers.
Chris Rock tones down the smartass to make a nice stretch as a bored, middle-aged, sexual frustrated buppie. Better than expected and a cool step as a mature filmmaker/performer.

Bobby (2006) Three salt shakers.
This is a very flawed film! Ashton Kutcher as a hippy and Demi Moore as a drunken lounge singer both overact badly written parts. Harry Belafonte and Anthony Hopkins play chess. All of the performances seem stereotyped and unreal. However it's obvious throughout and especially toward the end that Estevez is passionately relating the death of the optimism and hope that succumbed after this "3rd" assassination and grew darker as Vietnam dragged on. To hear the speeches and to imagine 'what if' is depressing but a message that is important. The social value of this tribute outweighs it's "Love Boat"-like feel.

300 (2006) Four salt shakers.
Crazy, silly, and totally comic book- this film captures the pulp, style and amazing energy of the comic and takes it up a notch. As a pencil-pushing office rat - I felt my lost savage awakened in amazing battle scenes of stop action bloodletting! This is pure escapism and catharsis for anyone who has felt isolated while fighting a losing battle. Amazing visuals, stunts and sound make this an instant classic.

Catch a Fire (2006) Three salt shakers.
Like "Blood Diamond" this should have been a great film but somehow comes across as formula. I think Tim Robbins didn't blend into his heavy role enough and the long-winded opening of domestic tranquility seemed too forced. When the dark torture of apartheid finally occurs, the main character's transformation is overnight - like a "Rocky” training montage. (Even though this is a true story) Strong story- so why does it never catch fire?

District B13 (2004) Three salt shakers.
The incredible acrobatic foot chases, Parkour, elevates this- like Matrix stunts without the CGI. But the clichés are too deep and the plot too dumb- like anime characters rehashing 'Escape from New York'.

Breach (2007) Three salt shakers.
Depicting the FBI as a drab bureaucracy filled with office politics seems dead-on and Chris Cooper plays the hypocrisy of his role well. We needed more of him and less of Ryan Philippe.

Old Joy (2006) One salt shaker.
A condescending dullard and an unkempt hippy go camping and have about 15 minutes of dialogue- that leaves an hour or so of random scenery shots including multiple minutes of footage shot from a moving car at the passing scenery. ‘Chuck & Buck’ meets your stoned pals' bad camping home videos. No joy in this mumblecore. See “Mutual Appreciation” instead.

Crank (2006) One salt shaker.
Everything that's bad about filmmaking today: the clichés, the desperate attempt to be hip, the over-stylized direction...see “Run, Lola Run” or even ‘Speed.’ Yes the sequel is out this year, so yet another in a trend of sequels to bad films.

8 Reasons to Love Twilight Or Why Millions of Screaming Teens Can't be Wrong

2009-07-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

1. Depth of story/character. For example, from the very beginning, Bella's opening lines address dying. Not shopping. Or boyfriends.

2. "Bella" (Kristen Stewart). She is natural, pretty, smart, real, independent. She loves the old, beat up pickup truck her Dad gives her. She'd rather go to a bookstore than try on dresses.

3. Writing. Some quotes:
"One of the best things about Charlie—he doesn't hover." (Bella, about her Dad)
"Your mood swings are giving me whiplash." (Bella, to Edward)
"What if I'm not the hero? What if I'm the bad guy?" (Edward, to Bella)
"I tell you I can read minds and you think there's something wrong with YOU?" (Edward, to Bella)
"I don't have the strength to stay away from you anymore." (Edward, to Bella)
"Your scent. It's like a drug to me. You're like my own personal brand of heroin." (Edward, to Bella)
"So you're worried, not because you'll be in a house full of vampires, but because you think they won't approve of you." (Edward, to Bella)
Edward: "You better hold on tight, Spider Monkey. Do you trust me?"
Bella: "In theory."

4. Direction. The initial scene between Edward and Bella is marked by repulsion, fascination---the meeting of two people who know they will forever affect each other in some way. And the big revelatory plot point, when Bella confronts Edward about his 'nature,' is a sweeping, yet intimate, intense forest scene. This director defines romanticism.

5. Color. The color grading (color changing and correcting done in post production) is superb, doing what color does best: setting mood. The cool rainy blues. The color that goes into and out of Bella's face.

6. Originality of vampire concept, incorporating Native American legends regarding wolf tribes vs. vampire tribes. This is most certainly not another vampire flick.

7. Soundtrack. From Edward listening to Debussy's "Clair de Lune" to Radiohead's "15 Step," it sounds as great as it looks.

8. Casting. Edward (Robert Pattinson) is heart-stoppingly beautiful and sheer perfection in this role. Kristen Stewart is a likeable, natural beauty. We care for her because of who she is and live vicariously through her point of view. "Jacob" (Taylor Lautner) is another lovable force who will be more visible in the next Twilight series film, "New Moon."

Stores, Lies and Credit Card Tape

2009-07-17T23:26:00.000-07:00

Whenever one has a visceral, repugnant reaction to something, there's usually more of one's self at issue, rather than the external stimulus. So yeah, look within when you're seething about someone or something, right?

Confessions of a Shopaholic brought not only those groans one makes when watching a really bad film, but it also struck hard at my anti-fashion/anti-bimbo sensibilities. Constant predictability. Cartoon-like, exaggerated characters. Trite story line. A painfully depressing depiction of female characters (lying, superficial, marginally talented).
Then there's the obsession with designer everything (a debt we will forever owe to "Sex in the City"). And this simplistic view of women as either fashionistas or shlubs. Thanks for that message. I'm sure that does wonders for young women everywhere!

Sure the timing of this film couldn't be worse. In current financial times, is anyone able to relate to a free-spending addict who racks up credit card debt like designer handbags? That's just so...early 2000s. There's no blame attributable to the film for our current economic mess. But when reaching the major low point of the character's journey, and feeling nothing short of glee, I'd say some finger pointing in the filmmakers' direction is warranted.

Unlike "Elle Woods" in Legally Blond, whose fashion sense was merely part of a unique character with brains and drive, "Bets" has nothing for us to fall in love with. Her relentless lying might perhaps be more of an issue (and make a more interesting story) than her relentless shopping.

And when I look inward, I can confess: movies about fashion have never been very impressive to me. Eating disorders and tortured animal skins are not my cup of tea. But any great film should transcend subject with good story. (So you don't need to be a rock star to appreciate Spinal Tap.) This one didn't.

And confession number two: I tried to read this book when it first came out. I don't think I made it through the first chapter. Maybe that's just me, though. Off-the-rack-wearing, overweight, plain old me. Talk about a feel good chick flick!

Love & War

2009-07-03T18:44:00.000-07:00

As an audience member you really shouldn’t be too ahead of your characters or they come across as idiots. Just as in horror movies where it’s a constant battle of dumbness with folks going backwards into dark rooms, splitting up and of course assuming the maniac is dead and not kicking their weapon away or shooting them again. James Gray’s “Two Lovers” doesn’t have any murders- just the predictability. Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is supposed to be a manically depressed, but often witty, regular-Joe. He has it half-down not seeming to be any fun in the least and almost “Sling Blade” slow. He also is just not believable as a middle-class Jewish boy (nor is Isabella Rossellini- yeah you heard me, as his mom.) Predictably Vinessa Shaw is the nice Jewish girl who would save him versus the fragile and exploitative shiksa played by Gwyneth Paltrow doing her best to sell the “New Yawk” accent. This film has received good reviews and I did find the camera work atmospheric and the mood appropriately downbeat. However the all star casting goes against it making it seem a little like an SNL skit- though if I could just transplant Adam Sandlers’ character in “Reign over Me” into Phoenix’s place we may have had the likeability we needed as we watch this dude stumble through his love life. Robin Williams also did a great job in a similarly toned, little known film “Seize the Day” twenty years earlier –so I think Phoenix’s performance was the problem. Then he went on Letterman in that prank deal- Oy Vey!

Having given thirty choices for best releases this year so far, I am happy to give my first recommendation for the second half of 09. “Waltz with Bashir” is an “animated documentary” about the 1982 Lebanon war as seen by the Israeli foot soldier. Director Ari Folman is the basis of the main character who has his own repressed memory of the war jarred after a friend tells him of a recurring nightmare which features the many dogs he killed during that war coming back to get him. The animation seems to be rotoscoping (painting over a filmed image), but supposedly it is not. Actors were filmed for reference only. I think the animation serves its’ purpose, adding to the unreality and dreamlike nature needed as various characters recount their war stories. It also captures the absurdity and odd juxtapositions of war (creepy dead horses, an attack in an orchard, apartment dwellers watching a firefight from their balconies) which I found to be reminiscent of “Apocalypse Now”. As our heroes’ memory is stimulated by his comrades’ tales we realize why he has blocked them in the first place. Perhaps this films’ compelling visual style will pull one teenager away from their war porn video games long enough to give the joy of killing a second thought.

A Love Affair with British Telly

2009-06-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Stop what you're thinking. You read that title and are thinking of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," aren't you? Or perhaps, "Upstairs Downstairs?" "Coronation Street?"

Not that these shows weren't brilliant (although----eek, I admit---I never liked Monty Python! Stop throwing tomatoes at the computer, please. I'm nothing if not honest).
Of course I love "Keeping Up Appearances" (Patricia Routledge's Hyacinth Bucket was nothing short of pee-in-your-pants hilarious). And "Faulty Towers." And one of my absolute fave dramas (with a genre-busting performance by Helen Mirren) is "Prime Suspect."

But let's move forward, shall we? To some of the best series television I've seen. Thanks to my obsession with Netflix, it's been a TV series rental extravaganza around our place. And here are some gems you will not want to miss:

The Royle Family
Thanks to my wonderful friend from London, Jeanne, we were introduced to this sweet, funny, modern take on "All in the Family." Well, not literally All in the Family, but for us Americans, it's an appropriate reference. Meet the Royles, a Manchester clan who cluster around their own telly and share life's ups, downs and sideways. Such subtle beauty takes a lot to achieve. It's a picture perfect cast that becomes so easy to get lost in. Denise's (Caroline Aherne) scratchy little voice is never less than endearing, as she whines to her Mam (Sue Johnston) about this (her soon-to-be husband, Dave (Craig Cash) and that (her brother, Antony's (Ralf Little), slights and insults). At the helm of it all, the bigger-than-life, riotously raw patriarch, Jim (Ricky Tomlinson). I dare you not to fall in love with this family.

The bad news? Only Seasons 1 and 2 are available here in the US, through Netflix.

Spaced
Just thinking of this brings a big goofy smile to my face. Meet Tim; his housemate Daisy; Marsha, their unique landlady; and Brian, the tortured artist downstairs. Sounds cheesy, doesn't it? It isn't. It's dairy-free. Hilarious and creative, this is Simon Pegg at his best. From Tim and Daisy's adventures, to their deeply suppressed attraction, it's bring-on-the-diapers-because-I-will-pee-in-my-pants funny. Jessica Hynes delivers another comedic masterpiece in this series (we first encountered her in "The Royle Family" and were delighted to see her in this).

The bad news? Only 2 seasons (7 episodes each) were made, from 1999-2001. There are legions of fans, on both sides of the Atlantic, wanting more, more, more.

Primeval
Let me preface this by saying that I love sci-fi. Time travel? Count me in. Space adventures? Unexplained phenomena? Bring it on. I grew up watching reruns of "Lost in Space" and still love that show (the original 1960s TV series, not the 1998 film).

If you can admit to sharing any of these feelings, you'll probably grow to love "Primeval" as much as I grew to love it. "Grew" as in-----you must get past the cringe factor right from the start. Maybe a low budget is responsible for sparse settings and the small supporting cast (as in government building situations, which should be crawling with suits, uniforms, and the like). But once you get beyond this, you find yourself sucked into this world of anomalies ----and wondering why they didn't just name the damn show, "Anomaly." I was predisposed to liking this series, since Juliet Aubrey is in it. (If you've never seen her in "Still Crazy," please stop reading this now and go rent it.)
It's light-hearted, sci-fi adventure fare, with lovable characters and some unintentional silliness that keeps it as addictive as was "Land of the Lost." (er...that's the original, 1970s TV series, not the current remake).

Torchwood
From the opening episode, when the infinitely lovable Gwen (Eve Myles) accidentally sees a strange group of black coated people bringing a recent murder victim briefly back to life, you are hooked. Like Primeval, only grown up, "Torchwood" is all adult. With various sci-fi adventures mixed in with Captain Jack Harkness' (John Barrowman) sultry proclivity for handsome men, it's a nonstop thrillride.
Some episodes are brilliantly creative (especially those that rely on more intellectual weirdness), while others almost fall into the silly-special-effects-monster category. Still, I'm glued.

Gavin and Stacey
Like "Torchwood," this series is also shot in Wales. It looks so pretty there...but I digress. There's nothing ground breaking here in story. We follow a loving couple as they connect via telephone (they work for the same company: she's in a Wales branch, he's in London), fall in love, get married. But their respective best friends, Smithy and Nessa (played by writers James Cordon and Ruth Jones) are the real gems here. Says Nessa, "...all I want to do is go out, get shit faced, and have a curry or a fight down Caroline Street." Yep, she got me with that one.

I'll post more as we discover them. Know of any other must-see, British TV? Let us know, here at Salty Popcorn Reviews. Ta for that. Cheers.

The Best DVD Releases of 2009 so far…

2009-06-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

So here we are already at the mid-year point of 09! How can this be? As our little blog rolls along we continue to try to give shakers as they are due. Take a walk through a chain video store and see the sheer avalanche of DVD releases out there- most sadly to say just suck. So here’s my year to date picks on the best disks so far- note these only indicate new releases of the past year and not old films re-released. I’d also like to give a shout out to the release of the final season of “The Wire” representing a new high in TV drama. (Though this blog doesn’t usually weigh in on TV shows)

Some of these flicks were reviewed or mentioned previously on this blog, many others weren’t but trust me- all of these are good viewing! (Sorry The Reader and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” didn’t make the cut for me) Also all of these should link back to their Netflix pages for easy queuing. Let’s hope the second half of the year has some more good ones (which will include the Sin Nombre and Star Trek releases of course)

Alexandra

Days and Clouds

Dear Zachary

Doubt

Eden

Frontline: Bush's War

Frost/Nixon

Frozen River

George Carlin: It's Bad for Ya! (His final HBO concert)

Gran Torino

Happy-Go-Lucky

Home

I've Loved You So Long

I.O.U.S.A.

In Bruges

Iron Man

John Adams (3-Disc Series)

Let the Right One In

Mamma Mia!

Milk

Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway

Revolutionary Road

Role Models

Slumdog Millionaire

Smart People

Step Brothers

The Wackness

WALL-E

The Wrestler

Looking down on who we are

2009-06-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

Whenever we see a good film – we are often pulled out of intense action with a visual God’s eye view- a long aerial shot that seems to put the intensity of the characters’ dilemmas into a wider perspective. Hitchcock in particular loved this technique. In the days of the silents of Eisenstein we would often have these wonderful visual montages later scored to beautiful music. The art of film seems purer when we see simple images and music. Great documentaries like Koyaanisqatsi. (And other films of Godfrey Reggio) take aerial and time lapse photography with music to a height when they are able to equate the activities of man to the production of hot dogs via simple visuals and editing.

Now to celebrate Earth Day we have “Home” a film released on DVD, in theaters and on the internet simultaneously this past earth day to provide a simple story. Master aerial photography by director Yann Arthus-Bertrand provides stunning visuals of earth as Glenn Close tells the story of our world which soon becomes a cautionary tale of exploitation and abuse.

I love to see things told in pure visuals and the great footage shot and scored tells the tale of our abuse of the earth in a far more impactful way then all the graphs of “An Inconvenient Truth” The God’s eye view makes this story stronger and more foreboding. A brilliant blend of science and art make for a great film for the mind and eye. The warnings hypnotic films like these continue to sound need to be addressed or our future is bleak.

The End of the Road- Cinema of the suburbs

2009-06-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

“I don't want to live in a world without love or grief or beauty, I'd rather die.” - Becky in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956)

As World War II gave way to the Baby Boom and the housing experiment of Levittown gave birth to the suburbs, a whole new way of American life was created. The picturesque world of the perfect family in tidy homes was of course an ideal not quite the reality and post-war literature by authors like John Cheever were quick to point that out. Hitchcock’s “Shadow of a Doubt” showed us that well-mannered mass murderers lurked among us in small town, Norman Rockwell America even before the war had finished and the suburbs were created.

Ah the burbs! Mass produced homes with conformity hanging in the air like the smell of fresh cut grass. Cautionary suburban stories continue to sprout like home gardens usually featuring the repressed individual trying to break out of the rigid norms of their family or community. If films are the dreams of a society, the suburban angst film certainly show how the American Dream can sometimes mask a nightmare. The stereotypes are obvious: strong: driven, domineering wives, obsessed with homemaking, absent or drunken husbands usually unhappy in their work, raising spoiled, superficial children against a backdrop of mid-brow culture, marital friction, adultery, divorce, drug abuse, and occasional mental illness. This has been great fodder for inspired scripts warning of the blandness of an increasingly homogenized American culture. The metaphoric suburbs are an ideal setting for tales that warn that the lives of those in those nicely manicured homes are somehow less authentic than their urban and rural counterparts. The dysfunction, boredom and banality of life in these communities are an easy target and almost a clichéd genre. Yet when done correctly they can continue to make us fear the disengagement that becomes more prevalent with each passing year and new technology.

The brilliant original “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” had average small town folks transforming into unfeeling zombies right there in fifties perfect ‘Santa Mira’. “The Graduate” perfectly anticipated the youth movement of the sixties that rejected the homogenous suburban ‘successes’ of the postwar generation. (“I Love you, Alice B Tolklas!” then took it to the stoned extreme) By the seventies films like “The Stepford Wives”,“Over the Edge” (Matt Dillon’s film debut) and “Halloween” continued to warn that safety was just an illusion at the heart of the suburban myth. The conservative eighties delivered their punches with gently rebellious films such as “Ordinary People”, "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Blue Velvet", “Desperately Seeking Susan”, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", "The Burbs, "Heathers" and even “The Breakfast Club”. The nineties exploded with further examinations including: "Clerks", “Safe”, “Dazed and Confused”,” Welcome to the Dollhouse”, “Suburbia”, “Pleasantville” and Mendes' own “American Beauty”. The past decade has continued the trend with: “Donnie Darko”, “Ghost World”, "Little Children", ‘Little Miss Sunshine” and "Towelhead" among others.

So flashback to the postwar fifties and first-time novelist Richard Yates who cast his nervous eye on the emerging lifestyle as he saw it unfolding when he wrote “Revolutionary Road” first published in 1961. The title itself spoke as a warning since there was nothing revolutionary about suburban life; in fact it seemed to be the very death of the adventurous life and individualism that America was famous for. So although we’ve all seen many of the films I’ve noted, not to mention a slew of Lifetime movies set in these quiet neighborhoods, “Revolutionary Road” still feels as fresh and pertinent as when it was first written since it was still original and of its’ time.In fact the conformity of the fifties looks even more stifling as we look back on it a half century later.

As I’ve said so many films do present this setting as a cliché, so I was half expecting not to like this film which I thought might be a bunch of overwrought Oscar- bait. Happily I was wrong. Being a real work of literature rather than a 50’s soap opera script, “Revolutionary Road” was a novel aspiring to deeper truths. Sam Mendes and his whole creative team have taken this to heart by delivering a film not really about the suburbs but about relationships and the compromises they create. We first meet the Wheelers as they meet at a party in Greenwich Village where fifties hipsters are seen toking weed. Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) seems to be buying into the Bohemian vibe by stating that he could care less about his job. April (Kate Winslet) is an aspiring actress and they immediately are attracted to each other. When we see them next she is in a shoddy community theater production of “Petrified Forest” and their argument in the car on the way home has her dreams dying before we have reached the opening credits. By the time they move to their suburban home on Revolutionary Road, in a Connecticut suburb of New York City, they have two children and Frank is working in the marketing department of a business machine company in the city, the same firm his father worked at. Their ideal dreams of their youth have not yet been packed away but they truly are both becoming just another suburban couple and they are neither happy nor communicating well.

As is obvious by now, I really identify with this genre being a suburban boy myself. My first job had me commuting into New York City (via Port Authority rather than Grand Central station as Frank does) and seeing those fifties businessmen in their matching suits and fedoras walking the walk stirred a feeling in me much like when we nod our head in recognition of George Romero’s zombies. No one wants to be predictable or conformist, but family life does mean making this sacrifice. Or does it? That is the main point of this film and it is wonderfully played.

Leo and Kate act their asses off and her Oscar for this was well earned. The supporting cast is also great; David Harbour and Kathryn Hahn are sympathetic and not caricatures as their less than supportive, bland suburban friends; Kathy Bates brings life to the role of Mrs. Givings, (how great is that name?) the annoying nosey neighbor, plus a great turn by Michael Shannon as her disturbed son who has had the strong impulse control of the place fried out of him by shock therapy treatment and therefore acts as the chorus of the Wheeler’s conscience. Sam Mendes nicely captures the claustrophobia and emotion of the piece and seeing April framed behind a picture window like a caged bird is tragic. I feel this should have beaten out ‘Slumdog’ for best film but perhaps we are still not ready to look inside our nice houses (or our souls) just quite yet. Turning a deaf ear is easier, much like how Mrs. Givings husband quietly turns off his hearing aid during her conformist rants.

Failed plots- the law of average

2009-05-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

I had a friend tell me I was too tough on films in this blog. My response is that isn’t being critical the whole point here? I don’t think I am too critical; I just love good films and I’m here to save you time. When some fail or worse yet come out average, I have the time to sit through them and spare you. Obviously it’s only my opinion and there are thousands of other blogs and sources for you to look at if you disagree. Jessi also counters me sometimes, but she has her fingers in many creative pies and is currently saving our world and so she lets me ramble here. I always say it is somehow sadder for me when a film is just average. The ones that fail outright are at least adventurous and committed to a vision. The vast majority of films are just average (3 shakers) and so they are usually the result of compromise, playing it safe, or just telling a story that we’ve seen many times before without much originality. So in this post I’ll look at three such average Joes: a romcom, a crime story and a war flick.

Expecting nothing but a cute pic I saw “He’s Just Not That into You” with a female friend when it was still in theaters. The place was just packed with the females that were its target audience. I’m kind of glad my friend was with me because where I saw harmless fluff she was outraged by both the female characters onscreen and their live counterparts in our theater. The pic has interwoven stories featuring thirty-somethings coming to terms with their relationship status. Like most Hollywood films they all have perfect jobs, great clothes, beautiful homes and wonderful friends (hey just like the show “Friends” which also had Jennifer Anniston) but all they do is whine about their unhappy lives. Poor them!

The main character, Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) has been told since childhood that men act like jerks if they like you and she therefore continues to throw herself at douche yuppies with apropos names like Conor (Kevin Connolly). When the studly bar manager Alex (Justin Long of the Mac commercials) pities her and begins offering her detailed advice on male behavior, my friend and I wondered what was ridiculously obvious: “Gee I wonder if these two will fall in love?”

Meanwhile, Connor still has the hots for his girlfriend Anna (Scarlett Johansson) who is on the hunt for married man Ben (Bradley Cooper) whose friend Neil (Ben Affleck) has been dating Beth (Anniston) for seven years but she seems only now to be peer pressured to get married against his wishes. Ben’s wife Janine (Jennifer Connelly) is back at their townhouse doing extensive renovations. Probably a heavy-handed metaphor for all the wanna-be, nesting females here. You get the picture? As my friend pointed out all the females here cared about was the opposite sex, they seemed more like 16-year-olds than grown women. Goodwin’s character was an idiot and Johansson seemed sleepy. So how can a film for and about women be so misogynistic? Obviously the writers were just not that into you!

The crime film that averages out is one I thought might have some real grit since it was written and directed by a true life criminal. In “What Doesn’t Kill You” Brian Goodman plays a local Mafioso boss and wrote the screenplay based on his memories of life in the tough streets of south Boston. Brian (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie (Ethan Hawke) are friends since childhood and do what they have to in order to survive. Petty crimes aren’t cutting it anymore and Brian needs to provide for his family, so tensions develop as the boys want to break out from under their boss's thumb. Brian then develops a (symptom free) coke habit but here the believability starts to strain. As Paulie plans for that one “big heist” that they need to retire both the film and his acting seems to become one big cliché. This film shot in stark winter is lean and mean and Ruffalo almost sells it, but for me it went nowhere, much like the lives of those it portrays.

Finally we have “Valkyrie” which has Tom Cruise playing beloved World War II German hero Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Do I have to go on here? Tom Cruise is a crazy dude and watching him become more erratic and fanatically Scientologist has been kind of a sad thing. When an actor so obviously manic speaks against psychotherapy it’s just bizarre. When he acts mad in his films he just seems like a little boy stomping his foot for his blankie. Like Richard Gere I think he is best when he plays against type as the heavy. The supporting cast is strong although they all speak in different accents (Kenneth Brannaugh, Terrence Stamp, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkerson) which I know shouldn’t matter but between the star casting and the accents we already have more of a stagey less believable feel. Then there is the structure; it is played out in strict chronological order and played seemingly for suspense. This is odd since we obviously know Hitler was not assassinated and therefore it’s tough to get to that tension. I’ve seen many more effective films like this that would frame the film as the main characters are about to be executed and work it in flashbacks. The structure and lead can’t take away from the nice location shooting though; many scenes were shot in their actual locations. I can imagine an older Germans’ blood would run cold as they past a an old Nazi building again being filmed draped in Swastikas so perhaps this whole film was just a bad idea about a good idea.

A Salty Spring Rain

2009-05-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

I’ve done more viewing than writing and most certainly don’t deserve their own posts so let’s click off some recent Tim- takes on these (mostly) recent releases:

“Re ign over Me”- Yuck, the immense tragedy of 9/11 deserves a better exploration of grief than Adam Sandler in a Dylan haircut glumly tooling through an empty city on a motorized scooter. Contrived characters including an embarrassingly obvious love interest don’t stop Don Cheadle from trying. – Three Shakers

“El eg y” - Ben Kingsley is too dull and Penelope Cruz too old for the part in this boringly understated take on Phillip Roth’s tale of a man facing his mortality via a fling with a young student. – Three Shakers

Stra nded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains” – This oft told tale of the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes forcing them into cannibalism is an amazing one. For the first time we hear their first person accounts. Unfortunately it goes on way too long and it’s hard to be inspired if you end up bored. I think this would have been a more moving film if the editors would have eaten a half an hour of this. – Three Shakers

“C a dillac Records” (Three Shakers) and “Notorious” (Two Shakers) - Bio-pics like these belong on cable. It is obvious in both that scenes are just being fabricated and the actors playing real recognizable celebs are just playing dress-up. Having the Puff daddy character in “Notorious” lecture the Christopher Wallace character on the evils of drugs is particularly egregious since Diddy was behind this film. In “Cadillac Records” Adrien Brody just didn’t seem to nail his character and the whole subject of his exploitation of his clients was too easily glossed over.

“Alexandra” – I really wanted to hate this film. Plotless and contrived (a grandmother visits her grandson in a war camp) but it also seemed to speak in a universal language on the horror of war without even showing a battle. It expresses a simple humanity. Thanks for stopping by Grandma! – Four shakers

“Last Chance Harvey” Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman completely outshine the lame material. These characters deserve a better chance than this! - Three Shakers

“Ricky Gervais: Out of England: The Stand-Up Special”- I love Ricky G and both the original “The Office” and “Extras’ were genius. But here he goes off on children with cancer, visualizes the start of the AIDs virus and attacks the obese all between swigs of Fosters. Without an obvious character to hide behind these riffs come off as cheap shots. He seems more like a jerk in a bar than a successful comedian. I lost a brother to AIDs so a bit with him laughing himself silly while reading an obvious gag AIDs prevention pamphlet for ten minutes was a little over the top for me. – Two Shakers

“War, Inc.” – Poor John and Joan Cusack who mug their way through a film that tries to hard to satire everything and ends up just a noisy mess. As in ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ John again plays an assassin, this time dealing with a familiar looking Mideast war for profit and a Brittany Spears knock-off. It wants to be “Dr. Strangelove” but instead it’s another “Southland Tales”. Plus I saw the twist coming a mile away. – Two Shakers

“Role Models” – I used to work with gamers so I really enjoyed the second half of this film set at a live action role playing game. Sean William Scott and Paul Rudd worked great together as well as with their younger costars. The man playing the King is also wonderfully obnoxious. Good times! – Four shakers

“Of Time and the City” –. Pretentious and self-absorbed filmmaker Terence Davies rhapsodizes all bout his early gay feelings and his hatred of the church, the Queen and the Beatles against pretty evocative and eerie footage (mostly old stock footage). This “visual poem” dedicated to Liverpool would have been more effective with a little less bombastic poetry recitation and venom. I would not like to have tea with this chap. – Two shakers

So that’s five average flicks, four below average and two above average recommendations - and that’s how the corn gets salted for now! Happy viewing people!

Storm Warning

2009-05-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

It is a stormy port city ands we meet an upscale yuppie couple. Michele is an entrepreneur workaholic whose maritime firm is coming to grips with a new aggressive partner. His wife Elsa is completing her art history doctorate while working to restore a newly found fresco in an ancient building. Their daughter Alice is a twenty-something, running a healthy alternative restaurant with friends which Michele obviously disapproves of- as well as her choice of a boyfriend. The couple is planning a post-graduation trip to Cambodia to celebrate Elsa’s achievement.

With the exception of the fresco this could be many couples that I’ve met in Seattle but this film is set in Genoa Italy. Our couple boats and eats at fine restaurants ands are surrounded by equally successful friends. As the film opens we are at Elsa’s graduation party, the bubble of a perfect adult life soon bursts with a hangover and Elsa stepping on a broken lamp. It is the first in a series of problems that will try this couple, stripping them of their old life and forcing them to come to terms with an economy that robs them of their material achievements and strains all their relationships to a breaking point.

“Days and Clouds” presents great, dramatic realism in a film that tries to honestly tell the story of people dealing with our current economic crisis. With every figure in our news there are thousands of people making the difficult decisions that Michele and Elsa have to come to face. Their lifestyle has covered up their own lost passion in their marriage as effectively as time and paint covers up Elsa’s lost fresco. Attempting to restore it is agonizing and painstaking, but the film’s final shot reveals a quiet hope. In crises people find their character- I think we’ll be seeing more films like this as our recession crawls on. Quiet films of personal crises are more inspiring than super heroes after all.

Talking Back to Tim

2009-04-20T23:22:00.000-07:00

We agree...and disagree. He says tomato, I say, tomahto. It's perfect, 'ain't it? Two of Tim's recent reviews ( "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "Happy Go Lucky") are just ripe for a toss-up of opinions.

I selected "play" on the DVD player just the other night for "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Approaching it with the expected angst of watching yet another "why did the remake this?!" film, I was even more disappointed than anticipated. Kathy Bates as a hard-nosed government official? Ouch...painful to watch. (For a real kick-ass politician, see Cherry Jones as the President on "24"). There were, subsequently, so many inconceivable, bad moments that I've blocked out the film. I have to admit...I couldn't even watch the whole thing. Painful, indeed. I'd give one fewer star than Tim did to this completely unnecessary remake.

On my first viewing of "Happy Go Lucky," I nearly threw the remote at the screen. I'm a fairly chipper person, but Sally Hawkins' "Poppy" made me want to grind my teeth down to smooth, polished ivory stubs. Is there something...deficient...with someone who remains cheerful in virtually all circumstances? True, she wasn't facing war or terminal illness. Rather, she merely encountered everyday annoyances that would drive the rest of us into a flurry of expletives. Instead, she persists with a loving silliness against a cranky bookstore owner, for example. The degree to which she perseveres with her downright scary driving instructor (a chilling performance from Eddie Marsan) is almost difficult to watch. And is it courage or foolishness that compels her to approach a boisterous homeless man in a desolate setting?

In between these tests of spirit, there are the everyday situations--drinks with friends, dating, a family get together-- into which she weaves an optimism and glee that no doubt draws her friends and family closer to her.

It wasn't until my second viewing of the film that I found the deeper meaning that brilliant director Mike Leigh had no doubt intended (a character study of optimism and saintly goodness). Still, it's hard to watch. Like being the only one at a party who isn't drinking...and just not seeing what's so funny, after all.

Doubt, Debt, Dud

2009-04-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

A nun is taken out by a tree limb and copes with oncoming blindness, a pigeon flies in church, rustling leaves abound, light bulbs pop and windows that were closed always seem to open during storms. The encroaching nature symbols come hard and heavy in John Patrick Shanley’s “Dou bt” a film that my co-blogger Jessi screened last December. Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) comments ‘the winds are changing’ and we know she is right. Set in 1962, the turbulent sixties were about to erupt and Vietnam was to be a war that divided the land. In the Catholic Church, Vatican II would ease the formalities and reform the mass to a more user friendly format. The hermetically sealed world of Sister Aloysius and her pious sisters was coming to an end and she is the General Custer of the old guard directing her wrath at the friendly new priest, Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) whose kindness must surely mask some ghastly secrets. I unfortunately didn’t see the original play but it looked like a scaled down “The Crucible” with “Our Town” staging, winning a Pulitzer Prize and several Tonys. This attracted the film adaptations' dream cast and made it prime Oscar bait, though it was closed out of all 5 awards. Being a 12 year Catholic school survivor I had no experience with evil old nuns but my older siblings did. So I am personally grateful that clergy like cool Father Flynn persevered. This film could have been overly pretentious and it is a bit stagy but it's also a great old fashioned movie. Viola Davis and Amy Adams provide strong support but it’s all about the battle of the two leads. As Jessi noted, seeing two of the greatest film stars of our time turn in strong performances is a blessing. Student vs. student, nuns vs. priests, conservative vs. liberal, authority vs. freedom, nature vs. man - Shanley seems to have distilled all dramatic conflict into the films' lean framework. Father Flynn’s great homilies on doubt and gossip also reminded me of those innocent times when good priests inspired me before puberty hit.

"I.O.U.S.A" is like “An Inconvenient Truth” in that it brings basically a fleshed out PowerPoint presentation with grave news to life. Regardless of your political leanings we must come to realize that debts do have to be paid and this film does a good job in describing and breaking down the complex jargon that is our economy. Citizens have sleepwalked as our economy has been sold out to foreign investors and now cry when billionaires are asked to pay their share of taxes- this is what will bring the country down without a shot being fired. To see the heavy hitters in banking and commerce agree on the problem is at least hopeful and former US Comptroller David Walker is a man on a mission: to get the word out on the impending problems of long-term unresolved debt. After last years economic crash this DVD’s release has pretty good timing. Like the sober lessons of oil production peaking in “The End of Suburbia”, this is another essential film tackling a key social problem which is a classic documentary tradition. These films aren’t the most fun to watch but the information they provide is critical.

Speaking of lessons, the original “The Day the Earth Stood Still” warned humanity to shape up and behave. The remake has the aliens now on an extermination mission with a lot of flashy special effects. (Including the destruction of Giants stadium in NJ which means my old hometown would have been toast!) Keanu Reeves and Will Smith’s son Jaden along with Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates make some grocery money in this unnecessary remake. The new effects are kind of cool but still…Why don’t they remake bad films? Why would you remake a film that is an iconic classic? Why do I watch them? And does the earth have restless leg syndrome?

Happy, Sad, Spooky, Bland and Overdone- These ain’t no dwarfs

2009-03-27T17:50:00.001-07:00

So many interesting flicks out this month! First in “Happy-Go-Luc ky!” director Mike Leigh leaves behind the gritty realism that he obviously enjoys for a fresh look at life. Initially I was annoyed by the painfully chipper Poppy (Oscar nom Sally Hawkins), however over the course of this film you see her cheery optimism as a shield and a tactic. She will use her calculated optimism in an attempt to bring people out: a pretentious bookstore clerk, a troubled child who bullies, a homeless man. She directly challenges people’s anger and depression as a sport but also with much empathy. Poppy will enjoy her life regardless of the many reasons not to. In other films she would be a minor character, a friend in a group. By making her the hero Mike Leigh is giving us a life lesson in these trying times. The core of this film is the relationship between Poppy and her angry, bigoted driving instructor (a brilliant, intense Eddie Marsan). Seeing these two interact is so organic and interesting that it’s reminiscent of early Martin Scorsese. This is a great little film, a new “Amelie” for our times.

On the opposite side of the spectrum is a thoroughly depressing “Synecdoche, New York” This would have made a great short film, maybe 20 minutes or so. However it weighs in at over two hours and that’s just too much time to spend in a surreal dream world- thanks! Charlie Kaufman who wrote the great “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Min d” makes his directorial debut and like his main character here, he’s too locked in his own creation. After a promising start where we see the breakup of Caden Cotard’s (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) marriage, the film gets progressively absurd. In this dream world, he spends 20 years making a play about his life that continues to intersect with his real life (or does it?) If nothing is real and the characters playing characters playing characters are neither really living nor really acting; why does anything matter? In “Brazil” Terry Gilliam gave us a truly brilliant parallel universe that had fun with its own dark view. Kaufman’s film is just confusing and morose. Stay out of Synecdoche, it’s a dark place.

I thought “L et the Right One In” was original and creepy. However, it seems a lot of people really liked this far more than I did. The setting of a cold, dark, depressing Swedish town is spot on. The little girl vampire concept is truly original. So although I am a bit sick of the vampire flick this still seemed much more interesting than the over-hyped “Twilight”. I think I may be a little jaded though since I am myself, a vampire.

The film “The Rocker” has Rainn Wilson breaking out of his Office cube to play an ex-hair band drummer who gets a second chance. The veteran, dream team supporting cast and the fun newcomers rally around our hero, but it’s too bad this film is way too predictable and not as funny as it should be. If it wasn’t so tame and eager to please this may have been something. As it stands, it’s as if “Spinal Tap” met a Lifetime TV movie and that doesn’t rock mate.

Finally we arrive back in Seattle. I was a lad working in a luxury hotel and condo-sitting during the WTO conference. So I had to work and live in the streets during the infamous 1999 riots. I was a spectator, but I felt correctly that it was a foreboding sign of things to come. I saw quirky, passionate and fun loving protestors as well as the masked and easily identifiable teenage ‘anarchists’ who were a very small minority. Then I watched the jack-booted riot police showing that they obviously didn’t care to tell the difference. It was bizarre to see rush hour commuters having to deal with a rowdy police force who were gassing downtown streets and pepper-spraying 16 year old girls. In short it was outrageous. Then you would switch on the TV and see the clueless reporting that repeatedly showed the smashing of a Starbucks window, and characterized all the protestors as vandals while totally ignoring the police brutality. Fractionized, angry protestors, biased media, corporate control issues, and strong arm police tactics- it was like a crash course in political awareness.

It is this defining incident that is the basis for Stuart Townsend’s “Battle in Seattle” a film that uses the “Crash” model of multiple storylines. The characters here feel more like designated representatives: the angry cop, the pregnant wife, the reporter who (laughably) grows a conscience, the lovebird protestors plus Andre 3000, the guy who sings the “Hey Ya” song. Like 2006s’ “Bobby” this film has its’ heart in the right place but just lays it on too thick. Although the recreations are nicely edited into the actual footage, the story is way too contrived and the actors struggle vainly in their one dimensional roles. A documentary on these events would be more impactful than this well-meaning but hollow film. The one thing that felt dead on was the portrayal of the mayor and police chief who are truly confused and dumbfounded by the events that they themselves were responsible for. It was a small justice to see them both lose their jobs.

Great Name for a Book---Bad Name for a Film

2009-03-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

"What Just Happened" is one of those irritatingly wonderful films about the film business. While some would argue that movies about making movies don't hold general appeal, I beg to differ. In an age where box office grosses make news on par with weather and local crime, and celebrity shenanigans are part of our morning coffee, there is no doubt a fascination with what goes on behind the scenes.

"What Just Happened" takes the producer's point of view. A nicely controlled performance by his excellency, Robert DeNiro, leads the way. Even Katherine Keener is blisteringly perfect in the fierce role of the big, money-holding backer. DeNiro's "Ben" is struggling to finish a violent film directed by an obnoxious 'hot' director. Sean Penn is seen in the final bits of the film within the film, as the co-star, along with his beautiful white Pit Bull. Do they shoot the dog or not? Without spoiling the film, I can tell you that the way this film examines the audience reactions to violence, and the intricate spinning of those invested in the film, is just brilliant.

At times hilarious (one at first wonders why this big time film producer is living in a very modest apartment---we soon discover he's got a couple of houses in his past), at times touching (the symbolism of the easy chair between Ben and his ex-wife (the lovely Robin Wright-Penn), at times confirming our worst suspicions about actors (a brilliant subplot with Bruce Willis and his scruffy, deal-breaking beard), we see a slice of this very wacky, near-revolting Hollywood life. For those who read the book, by the way, they will recognize the Willis character as the twist on the true story of Alec Baldwin showing up for a film overweight and bearded.

This is a worthwhile film for those curious about "the industry" that I feel would have done better with a different title. I'm not sure if it had a theatrical run or went straight to video, but, in my lil' ol' opinion, a hip, thought-provoking and cerebral title works splendidly on book covers, but risks losing an audience who likes to know, at least to some degree, what they're in for. Case in point: "The Player." Need I say more?

To have and to hold: Coupling probs and my Woodman diss

2009-02-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

Since February gave us that cursed Valentines Day, it is timely that three recent DVD releases deal with finding and keeping love. (Eat baguette now, smoke and adjust beret) Since my last post was a diatribe against the loud, kitchen sink approach in todays’ films, I’m happy to report that some seemed to have agreed with my screams to create, understate and find emotional reality.

In “O ne Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, RP McMurphy told the mental hospital administrator that his problem was he that he liked to “fight and fuck too much”. There was the very definition of the modern man raging against the machine of conformist society. Author Chuck Palahniuk has given us stories on these two modes of expression, with the film versions of both books now released. In the big budget “Fight Club” Brad Pitt gave us one of his best performances as the idealized alpha male to Edward Nortons’ beleaguered everyman. It also had Meat Loaf with tits. Great flick with a lot to say.

The film version of the second 'f' is “Choke” and it is a smaller film with a first time director but just as absurd. Sam Rockwell bounces back from the overacted angst of “Snow Angels” (on my worst of 08 list) to play a more playful but equally confused main character. Working in a recreated colonial village ala Williamsburg, he moonlights as a low level con man. By fake choking on food in restaurants and allowing rich diners to ‘save’ him, he somehow hits them up for cash down the road. He’s also a sex addict who gave up medical school to put his mentally disturbed mother in a home where she doesn’t even recognize him. Now here’s a guy who would have trouble finding real love! A catalyst in the form of a new female doctor appears and forces him to question his very confusing life, despite having her own issues. A sacred foreskin, flashbacks of his insane youth, chapel sex, a hilarious staged rape and foul mouthed old ladies all come into play. This could have been a god awful film but I did love the absurdity and creativity of it all. The first time director Clark Gregg clearly botches up the staging several times but he gains points for bravery. The supporting cast: beautiful Kelly Macdonald as the bizarre doctor, the excellent Anjelica Houston as the crazy mother and Brad William Henke as the obligatory best friend, who outgrows our main character, all give great quirky performances. Sam Rockwell is also sympathetic in a very difficult role. This reminded me a bit of the superior “The World according to Garp” which also taught us that we all need love despite lifes’ insanity and our own non-traditional upbringings. This could have been a great film but it passes as a pleasant distraction, much like the meaningless sex it portrays.

With over forty films under his belt, writer-director Woody Allen in his prime has given us some great stories on the difficulties of love; “Annie Hall”, “Manhattan” and “Hannah and her Sisters” being his best. However I have to admit that he seems to have really become mediocre and repetitious to me. Pretentious and top-heavy with literary and academic references, his films always feature the well-monied, elites that Allen seems to worship despite the fact that he feigns disapproval of their homogenized WASP values. His characters tend to ramble about the meaning of life while behaving selfishly but never seem to need to work for a living. His obsession with these Upper East Side neurotics became downright claustrophobic, so Allen began to drop in more old school, broad comedies and has gone on a European filming jag in recent years. To fanatical devotees these seem to be a new direction, but to me they seem to be the same characters with new accents.

“Vicky C ristina Barcelona” is a good case in point. The title itself (taken from two of the characters names plus its’ setting) seems to demonstrate its’ generic, formulaic approach. Lazy writing then puts in unnecessary narration as Allen tells a tale of two good friends on a summer in Barcelona and their dealing with an attractive bohemian painter. Javier Bardem loses the soup bowl haircut and limp from “No Country for Old Men” and proves he can be a romantic lead. Vicky the sensible, engaged one (charismatic Rebecca Hall) and Cristina the free spirit (Scarlett Johansson looking sexy but bored) go through their paces like happy lap horses. Vicky’s businessman fiancé Doug (Chris Messina) is so stereotypically superficial that you wonder why anyone would find this safe relationship appealing, but I guess that’s the point. Allen flies his freak flag a little higher giving us a ménage à trios scenario, and (gasp) a lesbian scene. Infidelity and madness seem intertwined, again demonstrating to us that love seems to be at odds with our animalistic impulses in his view. Barcelona helped fund this film which is why the settings look more tourism less realism. Would Vicky be the bird in her yuppie husbands’ gilded cage? Allen shows us her husband literally wanting a bird in a cage to bang us over the head here. The older host couple of the women also act as a too convenient foil for Vicky’s dilemma. Penelope Cruz shows up after an hour as the clichéd, hot blooded Spanish ex-wife, but gives a strong (and now Oscar winning) performance. This is a welcome relief to the self-absorbed, over-analytical conundrums of our cast despite their equally strong acting. To Allens’ credit he doesn’t try to wrap all the loose ends up nicely. Yet just because a film leaves off a happy ending doesn’t make it less forgettable. These are the same well-off, New York City characters he’s given us for decades, the fact that they are eating tapas and touring landmarks doesn’t make their sexual peccadilloes more interesting. For a Twilight Zone version of Spanish love woes, I prefer the creativity of “Abre los ojos’ and no worries, both this and the American remake feature the beauty of Penelope Cruz.

So we’ve seen the elusiveness of finding love, but how does one keep it? “Eden” shows us an Irish couple struggling with just that. With two children and approaching their 10th wedding anniversary, their relationship has grown stale. The husband, a telephone worker; would rather spend his nights at the pub then with his family. This film, like last years’ “Once” (which had the same producers) again shows us a small slice of life but manages to say a lot in that framework. Eileen Walsh is excellent as the under-appreciated wife who tries to woo her husbands’ affections back through understanding, dieting and new hairstyles. Aidan Kelly as the disturbed lonely husband recalls his heroism of the past while obsessing on a minor flirtation. There is more truth in five minutes of this film than of the two previous films combined and it recalls the suburban loneliness of John Cheever. Life is tough, love is hard but we have to keep trying.

Rehash, Amp Up and Act Cool: A fresh batch of overkill

2009-02-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

I’m down with popcorn flicks people! I don’t like to sound like an old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn. I just want mainstream flicks to stop being so damn pretentious for their own good. This whole “pulling out the stops” mode: trying to impress a desensitized audience by overloading their senses is just overkill and it’s getting old. Case in point was the latest “Mummy” flick (“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”). I watch everything – I am a film whore- but this flick was so loud, cartoony and downright stupid that I just had to shut it off, even though I had enjoyed the previous two. It was more interested in being a Universal studio action ride than a film. I was already burned out by Brendan Frasers’ exasperated mugging in “Journey to the Center of the Earth”. Brendan- bubby, - more “Crash” less “George of the Jungle” you’re getting too old for this shit. (Poor Maria Bello filling in for the smart script reader Rachel Weisz)

Then there was “Eagle Eye”, more enjoyable but equally excessive. Again we see older, better films plundered for their plot points (“2001”, “Par allax View”, “War Games”, “The Game”) to make an all-inclusive, big budget, super-paranoid thriller involving an omniscient computer in a political conspiracy. Shia Labeouf has a good agent, but he is less an actor and more of a reactor. Obediently diving the green screen demons isn’t compelling but it pays well. I wanted to have more fun but the car chases were so over-cut- that I literally had no idea what was going on. The excessive junkyard cranes of course would have crushed our beloved heroes and why was it necessary to have the computer being (Julianne Moore who keeps her name off the credits) snap high tension wires when that is so ridiculous? Had this movie just gotten off its steroids, stayed a little grounded and thrown in more originality it may have been great. That potential is why I get so irritated. Less is always more, especially in thrillers.

Speaking of less- I had less love for “RocknRolla” a movie by Guy Ritchie who gave us the great “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and the weaker “Snatch” (insert joke here). Madonna could always smell a sinking ship and I have never in my life seen a film so desperately trying to be cool. The Julia Roberts smug part, a leggy femme fatale ‘mastermind’ who says things like “I’m the best there is” is just one of the one hundred stock characters that are paraded through this backlit piece of shite. All of them speak quickly and strive to be clever; none are developed or believable in the least. Poor Tom Wilkinson almost saves himself but he plays the mafia boss and his silk suits and shades overshadow the clichés he is forced to try to spout believably. See “Get Carter” with Michael Caine.

So if you see someone trying to be cool- they’re not, right? Michael Cera is a good comic actor- kind of like a young Bob Newhart. But he is far better as the lovable loser than as a confused emo rocker trying to shake off a bad break-up. “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist” brings on reductive geography to make NYC seem like a one horse town. (You mean the Port Authority isn’t in the village?) Teenagers ride through it on a single crazy night ala “American Graffiti” but once again you want so much to believe and hang loose while the filmmakers continue to kill it. Nick and Nora, like their “Thin Man” ancestors, have a witty, quick-fire banter and Kat Dennings as Nora is great. These two main characters just deserved a better script. Nick plays in a band whose other members are gay (which means they travel with woman’s’ bras in their van) but that’s literally all we know of them. Oh wait one is gay and Asian. The point being that the film wants to be gay friendly because its’ cool not because its’ a reality. The gay bar they visit seems like a homogenized side show but so does everything else in this make-believe club land where there is always parking in front. Nora’s friend gets drunk – but seems more like she is tripping (or someone just acting drunk). Would any drunk consider reaching into a bus terminal toilet that they’ve just vomited in to get their gum? No but again the overkill monster needs to shock us. (The gum joke is then milked endlessly since they liked it so much) This flick gives us cool actors in cameos and indie bands on its wall-to-wall soundtrack but it has no real street cred. Michael, out of those skinny jeans and sign back on as George Michael for the “Arrested Development” film already. You’re lost in this high school poseur fantasy. We know these two people are destined to be with each other. So why was “Sixteen Candles” a cooler film decades ago even when it’s set in a bland suburb? Films like this don’t poke fun at over-ironic hipster pretensions anymore- they ape them. Tragically hip is jaded. Optimism is the new adrenalin. I’d like my pop films to rehab off the kitchen sink approach already. Oh and see “After Hours” for old timey “one night trapped in downtown NYC” fun, before the hipsters took over of course! (And get off my damn lawn!) :)

January Release Doldrums: Reaching back again to 2007

2009-01-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

With the weather so bad it’s the perfect time to catch a flick at home, but the releases this month just bite. As the Golden Globes and Oscars happily cherry-pick quality theatrical releases from the past year, the new DVDs are lame. Bad Horror flicks, grade-D college humor and the low-budget sci-fi make you wonder if all is lost in this great new year. I will try to help because public service is what I’m all about. Here are 30 more four shaker suggestions from the past year - one for each gray day since New Year's day. So pop that corn and salt it baby! Oh yeah!

1. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
2. Bill Maher: The Decider
3. Cloverfield
4. The Counterfeiters
5. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
6. The Edge of Heaven
7. Encounters at the End of the World
8. Grace Is Gone
9. Hot Fuzz
10. I Am Legend
11. In Bruges (2008)
12. Iron Man (2008)
13. I Think I Love My Wife
14. In the Shadow of the Moon
15. John Adams (Series) (2008)
16. Knocked Up
17. Letters from Iwo Jima
18. Liberty Kid
19. The Lookout
20. Michael Clayton
21. Mr. Untouchable
22. The Orphanage
23. Paranoid Park
24. Sicko
25. Superbad
26. Taxi to the Dark Side
27. There Will Be Blood
28. The Wackness (2008)
29. The Wave (2008)
30. Young @ Heart

SAG Awards Picks: More Best of '08

2009-01-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

Ah....so I'm not going to run out and rent "Towelheads" after Tim's blistering review. But here's my gift to Tim, and everyone else reading this:

More of the BEST of '08
As the deadline approaches for completing the actual SAG Awards ballot, here are my top picks. I think you'll probably like them as much as I did, so check 'em out:

Best Male Actor in the Lead
Why must I pick between Richard Jenkins, Sean Penn, and Mickey Rourke? Why?? Let's take a look, shall we?

"The Visitor"
For anyone who thinks Bill Murray has cornered the market on the underplayed, tormented middle aged man, take a gander at Richard Jenkins' suppressed college professor in "The Visitor." Where Murray sometimes becomes a style, Jenkins is nothing but real here. This heart-breaking story follows Jenkins as he reluctantly heads to a conference in New York City. When he arrives at his urban pied a terre, he discovers a young foreign couple already living there. What they share is tender and thought-provoking. Loved this. Want more films like this. Please?

"Milk"
At this point, do we really ever expect anything less than Oscar-worthy performances from Sean Penn? But even this performance was a stunning surprise. Yes, he's really that good. The love scenes were G-rated but steamy and real with Penn's committed passion and James Franco's beauty. A wrenching reminder of prejudice, human rights and that vile orange juice woman.

"The Wrestler"
It's driving me nuts that every film reviewer just can't help mention the correlation between Rourke's return and his character's return. Screw that, thank you very much. Forget about his past---this performance stands on it's own. Longing to reach through the digital ether and give him a hug, Mickey Rourke's "still hangin' in there" professional wrestler is layered with longing, regrets, determination and ultimately, honor. A hero and a gentleman. A loser and winner. More films needed like this one, too.

In an ideal world....this is a three-way tie. Since this isn't an ideal world, I'm going to have to pick one.

Best Female Actor in a Lead
Once again, I'm torn. This is a two way tie between Meryl Streep in "Doubt" and Melissa Leo in "Frozen River." Since I've previously reviewed both films, I'll just say that once again, I'll be torn between two stellar performances that leave their competition in the dust.

Best Supporting Male
Oh for the love of all that is good...there is not one nominee here who doesn't deserve this award.
Josh Brolin in "Milk": this guy is so good, I can't even recognize him from one role to the next. A twistedly vile politician here. Come to think of it....I loved him in W, too. Where he was a simplistically twisted and vile politician.
Robert Downey, Jr. in "Tropic Thunder": it takes a lot to stir the powers that be enough to recognize comedy in awards shows. And Downey's got more than enough. See this film, please.
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt": yes, yes, yes. If you've read my posts before, you know that Hoffman is in that Sean Penn category of "actors who are incapable of anything less than greatness" in my opinion. Here, no exception. Did he? Didn't he? Why did this movie have to end?
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight": I'm one of the few that detested this film. However, Heath Ledger did deliver a mind-blowing, creepy joker and we are all the better for the brief time we had to savor his talent.
Dev Patel in "Slumdog Millionaire": This is a role of a lifetime for any actor, with a sweeping story from a brutal youth to utter degradation as an adult. Dev Patel soared in this role. Bravo, bravo.

Best Supporting Female
Look, you don't get to this level without being phenomenal (and, let's face it, lucky, but that's another story). So here, we have a strong cast of contenders (Amy Adams for "Doubt," Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," Viola Davis for "Doubt," Taraji P. Henson for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and Kate Winslet for "The Reader").

But my vote will go to:
Kate Winslet in "The Reader": I knew nothing about this film prior to seeing it, and I hope you can approach it the same way. The less I say, the better. But Winslet reveals...oh, nevermind. This is a disturbing, intense and brilliant film very much worth seeing.

Outstanding Cast
Another tough category to pick a winner. But my top picks are:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Like an old-fashioned, epic sweeping saga, this tale takes you through time and space, places and situations that delve deep. A big story, well-told, beautifully done.
Doubt
In graphic design, the epitome of great design is the ability to boil an idea down to the fewest visual marks you can make that will tell the story. Here, we have the epitome of film. A small cast, no excess, nothing exists without it's absolute necessity. Brilliant on every level.
Slumdog Millionaire
Another epic saga that can only achieve this level of greatness by every single piece being in its perfect place. And it was. And they were. And it is.

How can this not be a three-way tie?

For teeth-gnashing, told-you-so, popcorn chewing fun, check out the SAG Awards on Sunday, January 25th on TNT and TBS at 8 pm ET/PT, 7 CT and 6 MT.

“Towelhead”- Coming of age is horrifically gross - let's shoot that in close-up!

2009-01-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

Isn’t the world horrible? Jesus what a way to start a new year! I see and usually rate the “look I’m provocative for the sake of provocation” school of films a banal average rating. (“Welcome to the Dollhouse”, “Happiness”, “Kids”, “Spanking the Monkey”, etc) They remind me of the ‘torture porn’ flicks that have to desperately go over the top in the name of attempted coolness. (Cough- Tarantino!) Excess only works in the context of an already strong film (“Thirteen”, ”Trainspotting”, “Eating Raoul”, “Boogie Nights”, “City of God” and in theaters “Slumdog Millionaire”).

Since Alan Ball wrote the fun “American Beauty” (and “Six Feet Under”) and was making his directorial debut with “Towelhead”, I thought this would be decent. Somewhere between the low angle shot of menstruated panties and the -well: the dead pet in the freezer, the casual sex between young children, the pedophilia, bigotry, abuse and other such horrors presented in a matter of fact fashion, my mind just switched off. Our shell shocked teen (who in fact acts appropriately like a zombie compared to thirteen year olds I’ve met) moves from one abuse to another while some critics cheer. Set in Texas against the backdrop of the first Gulf War our broken Middle Eastern family comments on – blah- blah-blah…not one of these characters seemed real to me but were more like caricatures in a morality play. The DVD has extras that include discussions on prejudice in a desperate attempt to cast this film as non-exploitive. It is in the “Funny Games” camp of filmmaking to manipulate the audience to teach it about itself. I get enough condescension in real life guys, get into documentaries and stop exploiting the same wrongs that you preach to be against. It’s ‘Theaters’ not “The Haters" , so please stop hating the audience. Like your main charactor we are shell shocked and in need of love or at the very least meaningful entertainment that touches us without that sledgehammer.

Single shaker of shame: The worst DVDs of 2008

2008-12-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

“Why did I rent this?” These words echo across America every night. If you have to hit fast forward, it’s not a good sign. Here are 20 from this year that I wish I skipped.

1. Be Kind Rewind (2008) – Previously reviewed on this blog. Not so kind...

2. Daniel Tosh: Completely Serious - Comedians shouldn’t be assholes. Seriously.

3. The Game Plan- “The Rock” tries to emulate family-friendly Schwarzeneggers' career path, mugging embarrassingly with a child actor who should have hit him with a folding chair.

4. Get Smart (2008) - Previously reviewed on this blog. Back to your office Steve!

5. Grindhouse: Planet Terror – Rodiguez and Tarantino think that making deliberately bad, violent films is cool. It’s not and put out that doobie!

6. The Happening (2008)- M. Night Shyamalan has Marky Mark and friends trying to outrun the suicide-inducing wind. Say hi to your mother for me.

7. Heckler – Jamie Kennedy fakes us out; Instead of talking about heckling he quickly equates them with critics and then cries that they didn’t like his shitty films.

8. I'm Not There - Bob Dylan is played by a whole bunch of different actors in an attempt to capture his essence. My channels - they are a changing.

9. Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) – Looky it's 3-D! Brendan Fraser is in danger of becoming the next Nicholas Cage making bad big budget junk for a paycheck.

10. Lust, Caution –The Asian cinema cliché that really slow-moving films are more meaningful. I needed more lust less caution.

11. Married Life – Supposedly a murder-mystery that has neither.

12. Momma's Man (2008) – Like the “Step Brothers” but trying to take itself seriously. Grow up!

13. Ocean's Thirteen- The last two of this franchise milk the originality of the first with lame-ass pretty boy smugness.

14. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End – Sequel-itis again hits as big money trumps the fun with a ridiculously confusing plot and over-the-top nonsense action.

15. Redacted – Brian DePalma goes ‘Clockwork Orange’ on us and it’s an experiment in bad. War is horrific and so is this film.

16. Slacker Uprising – Michael Moore shows us how his “Slacker Nation” failed to get Kerry elected in 04. Is this relevant?

17. Sleuth – A two-man show with Michael Caine and Jude Law trading wits while boring us senseless.

18. Snow Angels - David Green makes good actors do bad things. Depressing filmmaking is not serious filmmaking.

19. Vantage Point – The"aren't we clever?" point of view can't save this conceited thriller that twists and turns into mediocrity.

20. Zoo – Bestiality attempted to be explained artistically. Yuck!

Let's have a happy new year and hope for more multi-shaker films in 09!

Four shaker roundup: The best DVDs of the year

2008-12-08T23:39:00.000-08:00

I have no affiliation with SAG or any other organization for that matter, but much luck to Jessi as she frantically screens; I look forward to more verdicts.

Since it’s that time of year, I’ve rounded up my top 20. Of course a majority of these DVDs were released theatrically in 2007 (unless noted as a 2008 release); Like Jessi, I may have slipped a few theatrical releases in there -so sue us bitches!

You know, I saw a higher number of films this year than normal but it always amazes me how it seems constant that 75% of films made are just average or below, no matter how selective you are. Hopefully this list will help you weed out some bad ones:

1. American Gangster - Russell Crow and Denzel Washington have a lot of fun in a good old fashioned gangster flick.

2. The Dark Knight (2008) - I know Jessi heartily disagrees and it has its' bloated moments- but this was the best comic book film of the year, helped by the late Heath Ledger’s eerie Joker.

3. Eastern Promises - A knife fight in a sauna? Cool! Viggo Mortensen totally nails the Eastern European character in this great little mob film.

4. Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale - Ricky Gervais who gave us the original, succinct and far superior “The Office”, does it again by finishing his second series with a comic swipe at celebrity culture.

5. Frozen River (2008) - I second Jessi's opinion. Atmospheric and real, this look at poverty, human trafficking and cultural divide is an unbelievable indie with Melissa Leo really shining in the lead.

6. Kabluey - Previously reviewed on this blog. The funniest blue man since David Cross on "Arrested Development".

7. The King of Kong - Who knew a documentary on Donkey Kong competitors would be so compelling? The villain in this is unintentionally hilarious!

8. The Lives of Others – Humanity trumps conservative and oppressive bureaucracy in this timely German film on government vs. privacy.

9. No Country for Old Men - The sound design alone makes you want to see this film again. True the ending is unexpected and bizarre, but this film is a classic.

10. No End in Sight - This year gave us many fine documentaries on the Iraqi war, but this one is just a simple, straightforward presentation of facts as many high-level insiders openly condemn the action.

11. Persepolis - A rebellious Iranian girl comes of age in the political turmoil following the fall of the Shah. Amazing with original animation.

12. Ratatouille - The second of three animated films I’ve selected, is a great family film about a foodie vermin finding his inner chef. Brad Bird is a great storyteller.

13. The Savages – Previously reviewed on this blog. Yay dysfunction!

14. Starting Out in the Evening - Frank Langella rules as an old school intellect and author who’s become a recluse. Sort of a “Lost in Translation” for the literati.

15. Step Brothers (2008) - Will Ferrell’s best film to date and the best comedy of the year. John C. Reilly and he are man-boys who sleepwalk, fight and improvise the absurd fantastic!

16. Up the Yangtze. - Young employees on a tourist excursion boat face uncertain futures in a changing China. A unique documentary of the disruptive Three Gorges dam project as seen through their eyes.

17. The Visitor - Richard Jenkins who was the comic father in “Step Brothers”, shows his dramatic range playing a widowed, unpopular professor dealing with a crowded apartment and an empty life.

18. Waitress - Sweet as pie! A small film of dreams and the compromises of life. The tragic murder of the director and co-star Adrienne Shelly make it even more poignant.

19. WALL-E (2008) - A strange film since it is a Disney animation that would no doubt bore and depress children. If you believe in dystopia clap your hands!

20. Zodiac - I love true-life crime thrillers and this one just rocks! I am psyched that there will be a deluxe edition coming out. Plus it inspired Dirty Harry Callahan. See it punk!

(Oh- I didn't award any '5 shakers' except for "No Country.." this year and even that one's 'shakey')

Not to be Missed...Part One

2008-12-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm in full swing on watching films in anticipation of having to vote for the SAG awards.
Here's a quick run-down of some of the best I've seen so far. Pass the salt and dig in.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
So far, this film rises far above the pack in Cinematography. A beautiful, heart wrenching, cinematic masterpiece. The story and direction are outstanding. Really, there are some films one sees that define the medium, and this is one of them. It's why we see films...and love them.

I've Loved You So Long (Il ya longtemps que je t'aime) (2008)
I'll admit that I'm biased when it comes to Kristin Scott Thomas---she is a remarkable beauty and talent. Compelling to watch. And here, in this moody, unraveling story, she is superb. For personal family reasons, this film probably affected me more than most. And the success in this French drama lies in the hands of Ms. Thomas. I loved it, tears and all.

WALL-E (2008)
A sweet, thought-provoking and engrossing tale about an animated robot? Yep. Score another big win for the talent pool at Pixar. I expect to be swept up in emotion by films with animated animals, but I didn't expect this reaction from WALL-E. An adorable, brave little...robot...and a future of obese, couch potato humans who've lost the ability to move? Sign me up. A smart tale, sweet story, and great film.

Frozen River (2008)
While Slumdog Millionaire gets my vote as a cinematic masterpiece, Frozen River shines as a gritty masterpiece. Melissa Leo 's performance is stellar. I can still feel the cold, hear the crunching of packed snow and ice, and anguish over "Ray Eddy's" life in a trailer in upstate New York. Bravo.

Doubt (2008)
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep in the same film? Truly, I must have died and gone to heaven. If you love film as much as I do, you must see Doubt. This is what all filmmakers aspire to. On every level, in every category, one of the best films ever made, in my ever so humble opinion. Streep and Hoffman are beyond brilliant. I couldn't believe that the film was over when it was...it felt like only ten minutes had gone by.

Too much gushing for you? Tired of hearing "one of the best films ever?" Well, stay tuned...more to come. Including a palette-clearing summary of some not-so-wonderful movies.

Buried in DVDs...Stay Tuned

2008-12-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

So this year, I was randomly selected to be part of the Screen Actors Guild nominating committee for the SAG Awards. That means I've been seeing a lot (yeah, a LOT) of films. I'm bleary-eyed but determined to see every one. Stay tuned as I share the good, the bad, and ...the mediocre.

Rachel Getting...Whatever

2008-11-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

It took me nearly a day to finally figure out why Rachel Getting Married bugged me so much. Jonathan Demme seemed to have taken a 48-hour period of just-released-from-rehab family reunion drama and turned it into a boring, indulgent “why make this movie?” experience. If you’ve ever seen an episode of the A&E series, Intervention, you’ll know what I mean.

I just recently saw an episode of Intervention about a young woman with a revolting addiction to inhaling propellant (from Dust Off cans). The gritty realism of her self-absorbed, angry state was painful yet compelling to watch. More heartbreaking, even still, were her family’s attempts to cope with and care for her.

Watching this story was like being tossed into a washing machine. Near drowning, tumbling into bedlam, and somehow making it through to be alive again, at the end. You couldn’t help but be truly touched as the program ended with her, barely recognizable, as a pretty young woman, free of that awful addiction that had previously turned her into a monster.

In "Rachel Getting Married," however, there is nothing but the “gritty realism” of a rich Connecticut girl at her sister’s wedding. Too much time spent on overly long scenes of singing celebrations (which involved a melange of ethnic music, dance and food usually only seen in movies) and weirdness (a dishwasher loading contest? really?) had me so restless I actually got up to do my own dishwasher loading to break the boredom.

Unsympathetic characters in this fake world made the movie a failure, in my opinion. I can’t fault the actors here. I think it was the writing. For a better, more meaningful film-watching experience, check out an episode of Intervention. Gritty realism on the house.

Classics look New as Recyclables grow Tired

2008-11-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

Egad!- Jessi and I have not been tending this blog since fall arrived. Let’s say we are both rebooting as our real lives get tangled with error messages. I did reboot my home theater here as well and have gone hi-def and Blu-Ray because I couldn’t handle the envy.

I have found bliss with this new setup and I can now see both good and bad films with excellent sound and picture. One of my first films screened was “The Godfather- the Coppola Restoration” (5 shakers) Being from North Jersey this film was practically scripture and the Blu-Ray edition is amazing. The film was shot super low-light but now you can make out things that were previously lost in the darkness (Like Lil Mikey's soul). The sound design also pops especially during the scene where Michael kills for the first time and later when Sonny pays his toll.

To see some detailed CGI on the system I rented “Spiderman 3” and “The Incredible Hulk” both again rehashing old comic book material. “Spiderman’ thankfully ends this franchise but on a bad note as spidey goes bad and Tobey Maguire even rough houses embarrassingly at a jazz club. (Don’t ask). “The Hulk” reboots confusingly since the film seems to be a sequel but the previous film (Ang Lee’s “Hulk” from 2003) had a giant Hulk downing helicopters whereas this hulk has a large but fixed size. Lou Ferrigno, the old 1980’s TV Hulk appears in the obligatory cameo. The "Hulk" is technically amazing but just loud, stupid and unecessary. I give both these films 3 shakers for tech reasons only.

All this rehashing and of comic books yet brings up a point about Hollywood today. From the 20’s through the 50’s film primarily adapted great works of literature. Producers tried hard to elevate what some saw as a pedestrian and vulgar medium. Todays' producers just seem to shoot for a low common denominator. Enough with the comic books already! Sure I enjoyed “Iron Man” and "The Dark Knight” but are these stories really worthy of the giant budgets and hype? In old times the “Buck Rogers” folk were kept in the “B Movie" category where they belong. Let’s shoot higher people- yes we can!

Then because I hate myself, I rented “Get Smart”. Steve Carrelll drags his expressionless mug around this sad rehash. (I want to laugh but I just find him boring). Instead of being the everyman fool Maxwell Smart is now multi-lingual, a brilliant analyst and a reformed fatty. The old TV Siegfried makes his cameo and Ann Hathaway is plenty sexy, but she alone can’t save this sad excuse for a flick. (I must say here “Missed it by that much!”- I apologize) One shaker dammit!

Finally I checked out “How the West was Won” one of only two feature dramatic films made in three-camera Cinerama. The elements have been joined seamlessly and the depth of field is amazing. I was blown away by this- while the story is weak- the camerawork really captures the majesty of the west. The buffalo stampede and train shootout stand out on this wonderful old school, star studded feature. I say four shakers to the old west and thanks Cinerama for leading the way to the 70 mm wide-screen format and the re-introduction of epic filmaking.

We’ve come so far technically- let’s move it forward creatively. We conquered the west and survived "Godfather III" - now let's beat remake mediocrity.

"Outsourced" - Falling in Love with third world labor

2008-10-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

I agree with Jessi and think this is a fun, laidback and quirky flick, however I withhold a 5th salt shaker and think that “Local Hero” was both similar and superior. Co-Writer/Director John Jeffcoat has great fun both with the clash of cultures and the fish out of water aspects of our lead character and the economic setup is timely and on target. This may, God forbid, be the first of a subgenre as the US continues to ship its jobs overseas for cheaper labor.

In "Outsourced" the cinematography is colorful and soundtrack has some great Indian music on it. My problem was that I thought the romantic angle suffered since it seemed a little too contrived and there was a lack of sexual chemistry between the leads. In fact our main character Todd (Josh Hamilton) goes from angry American to super manager to enamored lover without much change in his vacant expressions. This is a romcom man, step it up! The Indian workers also seemed a little bit too much like the comedic yet lovable African American servants as depicted in ‘Gone with the Wind’ and other older American films. Later as a xenophobic American caller leans that his product is now cheaper since it’s not made in the US, he seems pleased. So the politics of this flick are a little skewed to keep it breezy. Layoffs of call center workers occur without any negativity (most of them not even happening on camera), as social commentary takes a back seat to the humor of culture clash and romance. (“Is this wrong?” we all collectively ask)

To the filmakers credit, however, it points out the quandary we Americans face as we continue to buy cheaper products made in sweatshops in China. The bottom line is that politics aside; it’s a fun film with a lot of charm and wonderful sights and sounds while tiptoeing around very thorny issues. I also really identified with the mad quest for a real cheeseburger; a very funny scene. The US managers reminded me of the British military officers in films like “Lawrence of Arabia” as they move personnel like chess pieces while ignoring the fact that their empire is coming to an end. Asif Basra, as this films’ Gunga Din (wannabe manager instead of soldier) turns in a great performance.

Coincidentally, (and speaking of cheeseburgers) I saw another good film recently with an Indian flavor. “The Namesake” features Kal Penn (who played Kumar in the “Harold and Kumar” films) playing it straight as a self-centered yuppie who, like a lot of us, doesn’t really appreciate his heritage or the sacrifices of his parents. This film transcends the culture to tell a universal story and is very understated and touching. Irrfan Khan as the father is a standout as a decent man who defies movie stereotypes. It’s a bit rambling but still a heartfelt journey. Four Curry shakers again.

I feel like tandoori chicken now dammit!

(Disclosure: Tim has worked in call centers and had really high sales and short talk times)

"Outsourced" (2006): Sweet as Banana Lassi

2008-09-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

‘Americans get angry over their jobs being outsourced. But aren’t so many of the products they buy made in China?’

This is just one of the smart observations made in this endearing, beautifully told story. Watching “Outsourced” feels like watching a foreign film at it’s best. Rich, intriguing characters, a reluctant outsider, and a warm, unfolding culture. An American employee is shipped off to India when the novelty company he works for decides to outsource their sales support. Josh Hamilton plays the culturally insensitive American who slowly opens his mind, and heart, to a new culture...a new way of thinking.

(<---- The adorable Ayesha Dharker)
I couldn’t help but be reminded of “Local Hero” (1983), in which Peter Riegert’s pre-Bill Murray, intricately underplayed character is sent to Scotland to buy a village where his company plans to build an oil refinery. Outsourced is a little funnier, a little lighter, but achieves the same feeling, nonetheless.

I had the honor of performing in a staged reading of one of George Wing’s works in progress when I lived in Seattle. His previous hit, “50 First Dates,” has the same romantic heart. His collaboration with John Jeffcoat has produced a thinking person’s love story, that takes a look at the day to day realities of outsourcing American jobs.

There’s no Hollywood prerequisite “edginess” here— no murders, explosions. Just an economics/love story that really blew me away. This is the first film I’m rating 5 salt shakers..... a classic, a must-see.

“Kabluey” - An icon of anxious times

2008-09-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

A dimwitted underachiever trapped in an absurd work assignment is sent out to humiliate himself for a business that never lived up to its potential. A military wife is trapped without benefits as her husbands’ duty in Iraq is extended yet again. A grocery store cashier takes Polaroids of suspected child kidnappers while an old man loves his thermos and a local Don Juan beds everyone possible. All these folks inhabit “Kabluey” a great little film where all the characters seem trapped and desperate. The desolate roads, unfinished office buildings, second rate grocery stores, seedy motels and soulless Mcmansions are perfectly captured as a setting for our main character, a hangdog shell shocked Salman (writer/director Scott Prendergast) who spends much of this flick in a giant blue padded suit with an oversized orb head. He is simply trying to pass out flyers to rent out the unused office space in a near abandoned corporate headquarters, dressed as its' generic brand icon.

A first rate cast and well tuned offbeat tone show just how an indie can get it right where so many have gone wrong. Sure ‘Kanbluey’ has its faults but how can you resist a film where a small child evilly vows to kill our hero and then actually attempts it. Terri Garr makes a hilarious extended cameo as an insane courier and Lisa Kudrow as the lonely wife does a good job with a tough role. Most importantly the utter anxiety and absurdity of our times seems to be captured from the war to the economy and the loneliness of trying to survive while doing what’s right. Our heroes are not brand cartoon characters - just ordinary folks finding their inner good. Prendergrast seems to have channeled Chaplin (or Buster Keaton) for these modern times.

“Charlie Bartlett” & “Be Kind, Rewind” – They Suck!

2008-09-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

Are we down to one shaker cinema? In that case let me save time and give you two-for-one: a high school afternoon special and a video store fiasco.

In “Charlie Bartlett” (2007) we are supposed to find this Richy-Rich lovable ala Ferris Bueller. However, outside of the irony of Robert Downey Jr. as a principal trying to warn kids off drugs, this film is ridiculous and flat. Anton Yelchin as the title character tries hard and with his wealth and crazy mom alludes to “Harold & Maude” right down to a song plucked from that film that no teenager on earth would be singing. Besides borrowing from better coming of age films, the heavy handed moralizing on teen drug use, authority and personal identity are just too awkward and stagey. While I give it credit for trying to be a step up from the gross-out films of the teen comedy genre, this one is just the wrong prescription. “Superbad”, “Election” and the oldie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” show us how serious issues can be covered in a high school setting without sacrificing the laughs.

Speaking of high school, “Be Kind, Rewind” (2008) is set in Passaic, NJ which is next to my hometown hood of Clifton. However, that city will not be sending the filmmakers a “thank you” note anytime soon since the city is played up as being a major slum which is a slight exaggeration. Writer-director Michael Gondry who gave us the very good “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind “and the very bad “The Science of Sleep” puts another in the bad column. Mos Def is just not funny and Jack Black is occasionally funny but not allowed to shine. The story of a store that has all its' VHS tapes erased. (Yes Passaic has also just heard of DVDs) only to have our two heroes replace them with shorter parodies of their own making should be hilarious. Yet only some of the parodies are even funny, and they only come after an overlong setup which involves evil city officials and Fats Waller. (Don’t ask!) This film actually looks like it was slapped together by the two idiots themselves and goes from bad to almost unwatchable. How did Danny Glover, Mia Farrow and Sigourney Weaver get pulled into this mess? Be kind to yourself and miss this and re-rent “Clerks”.

09.02.08 “Ginger Snaps” (2000): And I Snap Back

2008-09-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when first auditioning for one of my agents, we had an interesting discussion about monologues. “Never do a monologue about a dead dog,” she said, referring to the monologue performed by the actor who had auditioned before me, leaving her disgusted and completely turned off.

Within the first two minutes of “Ginger Snaps,” we encounter a mother and toddler discovering the bloody, dismembered body of their dog. To alleviate any doubts as to what you are seeing, the camera then moves slowly over the bloody, furry pieces (inner and outer) of what remains of the dog.

Now I know what my agent meant. Fictional films that start out with bloody murdered dogs belong in the same amateur trash pile as monologues about dead dogs. Think I’m just being sentimental? Read the screenwriting book, “Save the Cat,” by Blake Snyder. Think I’m being overly critical of an obvious werewolf horror flick? Well, I kind of feel that story trumps all, subtlety is gold, and no one has yet been able to surpass the dark, heart-breaking beauty of John Landis’ 1981 classic, “An American Werewolf in London.”

"August" - Not a hot one

2008-08-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

Since Jessi and I won’t always be looking at the same discs, I will occasionally try to match her- domino style, in shaker ratings. My two shaker selection would be the indie tale “August” set in the long ago time of the oft mentioned dotcom bubble burst of 2001. This film has some things going for it, including a moody electronic score that seems almost a funeral dirge. Not only a comment on the death of the optimism of the startups, but also an anticipation of the horror of September 11th which would occur the following month. It is filmed in a casual laidback style with some good cinematography. It also has a predictable plot with cliched characters.

Josh Hartnett does his best as Tom Sterling (wow- like currency), the hotshot CEO of a down and going dotcom he has started with his techie brother. They have a distant relationship that you think will lead somewhere- it doesn’t and the same goes for an ex-girlfriend architect who is so ‘brick and mortar’. His dad (Rip Torn) doesn’t respect him and quietly mocks how his suspiciously idle staff just sit around eating Oreos. The techie brother finally displays an emotion outside of that of the doting family guy, by berating Tom for sending their dad a b-list Buddha as punishment. (Like Bill Murray sending folks towels in “Scrooged”) Meanwhile the TV blasts heavy-handed reminders of the time frame- look everyone- Aaliyah just crashed! Ben Affleck is in rehab! Hartnett’s character is just an asshole and you don’t really buy all that gibberish tech jargon they make him spout about his beloved company “Landshark”. (No Chevy Chase does not reprise his SNL role)

“What do you do?” Torn pleas for the audience. Yet the purpose of the company is as much as an enigma as the soul of the characters here. David Bowie appears as an old school suit who wants to take over the firm. When you think Wall Street blue-blood- Bowie is not who comes to mind but he is welcome just because we need someone to call the main character out. If you see two documentaries of this period: “E-dreams” and “Startup.com” you’ll see more compelling tales of the dotcom crash. This one is all atmosphere and set up, but it just doesn’t click.

"Jumper" (2008): Jumping through Millions

2008-08-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Imagine what you would do with 75 million dollars. Assuming you’re not Bill Gates, this would be a staggering amount of money. Travel the world? Make generous donations? The choices would be endless.

So when films are made with large budgets, you have to ask: was it worth it? Did that amount of money go towards the creation of something life-changing? Was it pleasurable escapism? Thought-provoking? In the case of “Jumper,” the answer would be a resounding no, no, no.

I hadn’t planned on being too hard on this flimsy story until I heard the director interviewed on the DVD extras. He said that, in most cases, films are funded for either big special effects (all shot in one location) or for numerous locations, but never both. He wanted to do a budget-doubling BOTH---huge special effects in many locations (I counted seven: New York, Rome, Tokyo, Baja, Prague, Ann Arbor, Toronto). Exorbitant? Yes. Worthwhile? No.

The story, or what should be the backbone on which every great film stands, is simplistic and underdeveloped. Hayden Christensen does his best to infuse a translucent and roughly drawn character with life. Rachel Bilson seems painfully self-aware, striking poses more suited to fashion photography.

Being a sci-fi fan, I had high hopes for this film, which opens with a shy teen hero who suddenly discovers his own ability to “jump” or teleport himself at will. In that, we have the makings of rich fantasy (the novel which inspired the film, “Jumper,” by Steven Gould, was published in 1992). Instead, the film spends too much time celebrating it’s own jumping technology, and the story becomes so shallow that the jumps become meaningless. (Hurry and jump away from Samuel L. Jackson's hot-on-his-tail executioner. For some unknown reason, Samuel L. Jackson sports a distracting and purposeless
head of bleached white hair).

(Jumping...old school ----->)

Yes, kudos go to the creative team behind the “jumping” effect. Rather than a Star Trek-like rippling camera dissolve, these “jumps” have gravity and emotional intensity behind them, made more real and believable by how they seem to follow the laws of the universe (ie. leaving the trail of a time/space “scar” behind, for several seconds after a jump, and the jump’s physical, often destructive, impact on the environment in which it takes place). If enough attention had been placed on casting and story as had been on special effects, this could have been something really good.

In an ideal world, I’d have given this project to Jon Favreau, who created a thing of depth and beauty with "Iron Man."

"Surfwise" (2007): An Experiment in Family Living

2008-08-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

Once again, I agree with Tim's brilliant observations on this film. I saw it recently and can’t get it out of my head. More accurately, I can’t quite get my head around IT. Then I remembered the Ancestral Pueblo people of Bandelier National Monument.

If you’ve never been, Bandelier National Monument is home to the cliff dwellings and city foundation remnants of this 10,000 year old civilization. In walking the trails, you can see the foundations of housing “developments” created by this industrious people. What struck me, at the time, was the small size of the living areas. Sharing would be an understatement in these times, when communities had to work closely together in order to survive.

10,000 years later, Dorian (“Doc”) Paskowitz has lived his life as a fascinating social experiment, not unlike the Ancestral Pueblo people. A brilliant doctor with a passion and talent for surfing, he lived with his wife and nine children (yes, nine) in a small (yes, small) RV and traveled from place to place around the southern US. While the Ancestral Pueblo people searched for water to drink, the Paskowitz family searched for water on which to surf.

Much like the ancient Ancestral Pueblo people, Doc Paskowtiz created an almost absurdly close (by today’s standards) family that did most everything together. As Westerners, it’s hard to imagine growing up without a television, a school, or any space to call your own. And how would you react to living in such tight quarters that you were in the same room as your parents while they had sex? These are the cringe-worthy moments in “Surfwise” when you get a knot of sorrow for the Paskowitz kids. But then again, though their formative years were not typical according to Western society standards, you can appreciate how natural and healthy they were. Yet, the children tell some stories of near abuse at the hands of their dictator-type father. More cringing.

One of the strongest messages to come from watching the story of Doc Paskowitz is his relentless commitment to health. An exercise fanatic who abhorred sugar, he dictated the absolute necessity of physical exercise, the power of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and “a little meat,” and the natural joy of sexual expression. It’s hard not to hear his words and feel anything other than admiration (though you can eliminate the meat, in my case).

Today, the children are all successful adults. I was amazed to discover that two of the Paskowitz boys were members of one of my very favorite (though short-lived) 90s bands, The Flys.

This documentary is so well done, it’s hard to have an opinion about anything other than it’s subject matter. From a purely technical, filmmaking perspective, it certainly rates a whole lotta salt. On another level, if this film doesn’t get you off your butt and into an exercise routine, nothing will.

"Surfwise" - When Life really is a Beach

2008-08-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

What the hell do you know about surfing?

You're from god damned New Jersey. - Lieutenant Kilgore, Apocalypse Now

A crazed megalomaniac who curses himself for not stopping an execution which occurred when he was at the “height of my powers”; A man who wanted to breed his own master race using his strong will and strict diet and discipline along with an appointed lieutenant who acted as enforcer; A man who used these young warriors to forge a separate society, outside the trappings of the opulent capitalist one which he despised. Adolph Hitler? No- a devout yet potty-mouthed Jewish doctor turned surfer named Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz.

Leaving all the trappings of an ordinary life, ‘Doc’ and his wife raise nine children in a 24 foot camper, instead of sending them to school –they take them on series of surf adventures cross-country. How could a documentary about such a bizarre Jewish doctor who becomes surf Nazi mean anything to anyone? Because unlike so many loud meaningless films coming out these days, “Surfwise” actually questions the meaning of life and the direction of our society but in a way that is not preachy. Director Doug Pray carefully paddles us through various moods and emotions. As the children age and try to actually enter society we feel their frustrations. (With one strange scene featuring a son emotionally lip synching his own song about it) The end result is entertaining, smartly filmed and edited with a great soundtrack to boot. Life’s a wave, but how many swim out and try to grab it? Is that one surf metaphor too many dudes?

Five-Shaker Cinema - A Best of List

2008-08-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

As Jessi and I use this blog as a fun way to share our takes on films, it’s easy to see that we are not alone. Literally hundreds of reviewers screen mountains of films, with thousands of folks chiming in through message boards, blogs, and dedicated web sights along with media outlets big and small. It’s the definitive ‘too much information’ overload of our times. We just want to have fun like our old friends Siskel & Ebert did way back when.

So as we randomly sample the giant pie of current DVDs’ available I thought I’d give up some past opinions. These 118 films IMHO rate 5 salt shakers- our highest rating. I pulled these from the ratings I have already online at Netflix. Of course not a definitive list but just great films that I personally could watch over many times and enjoy. If you’re a Netflix member each film hotlinks back to their site to make it easy to add these to your queue. Film geeks love their lists- so here are some great films in reverse order of their release. If you haven’t seen some of these, I think you’ll enjoy them. If not we can get in big arguments- that’s what we’re here for right? I know I left so many out- I’m just trying people…

No Country for Old Men (2007)
Children of Men (2006)
Hotel Rwanda (2005)
Kinamand (2005)
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Riding Giants (2004)
Sideways (2004)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
13 Conversations About One Thing (2002)
28 Days Later (2002)
About Schmidt (2002)
Bloody Sunday (2002)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
Ghost World (2001)
In the Bedroom (2001)
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Wallace & Gromit: Three Amazing Adventures (2001)
The Endurance (2000)
You Can Count on Me (2000)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Fight Club (1999)
The Matrix (1999)
October Sky (1999)
The Taste of Others (1999)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Run Lola Run (1998)
Beautiful Girls (1996)
Dead Man Walking (1995)
Hoop Dreams (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Faraway, So Close! (1993)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Slacker (1991)
GoodFellas (1990)
Miller's Crossing (1990)
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Cinema Paradiso: Director's Cut (1988)
Wall Street (1987)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Platoon (1986)
Brazil (1985)
Lost in America (1985)
Amadeus (1984)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
The Big Chill (1983)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Das Boot (1981)
Airplane! (1980)
Caddyshack (1980)
The Changeling (1980)
Ordinary People (1980)
Raging Bull (1980)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Being There (1979)
Mad Max (1979)
Halloween (1978)
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
All the President's Men (1976)
Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976)
Network (1976)
The Omen (1976)
Nashville (1975)
Amarcord (1974)
The Godfather, Part II (1974)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Scenes from a Marriage (Theatrical) (1974)
American Graffiti (1973)
Don't Look Now (1973)
Frenzy (1972)
The Godfather (1972)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Graduate (1967)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
The Battle of Algiers (1965)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Seven Days in May (1964)
8 1/2 (1963)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Psycho (1960)
North by Northwest (1959)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Wild Strawberries (1957)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
The Searchers (1956)
Rear Window (1954)
Ugetsu (1953)
A Christmas Carol (1951)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
All About Eve (1950)
The Bicycle Thief (1948)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Notorious (1946)
Casablanca (1942)
Citizen Kane (1941)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Rules of the Game (1939)
The Petrified Forest (1936)
King Kong (1933)
City Lights (1931)
Dracula (1931)
Man with the Movie Camera (1929)
The General (Silent) (1927)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
The Gold Rush (1925)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

08.08 “The Savages” (2008) : A Grindie* Familial Encounter with Dementia

2008-08-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

I have to agree with Tim’s take on “The Savages.” This is no graceful swan dive into Alzheimer’s, as in “Away From Her.” Instead, things are a grisly mess, as “Jon Savage” (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and “Wendy Savage” (Laura Linney) find themselves suddenly dealing with their estranged and now dementia-addled father. Philip Bosco (“Lenny Savage”) brings us every drop of bitterness and remorse, between increasingly rare lucid moments. Against the messy, noisy backdrop of their father’s demise, it’s the relationship between brother and sister that captured my heart the most.

What is it about Philip Seymour Hoffman? Why is everything I’ve ever seen him do so completely, magically, painfully, wonderfully true? Maybe, in that old fashioned, simplistic way of looking at what makes an actor great, because there is no Philip Seymour Hoffman evident in his work...only his characters. Each one as real as you and I. Seeing Laura Linney in yet another heavy drama makes me long for the days of her brilliant innocence in "Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City." Of course she’s very talented, but when the name preceeds the character...perhaps a change of some sort is due? Er....maybe I’ll just go rent “The Nanny Diaries.”
*gritty+indie=grindie

"The Savages" and the Angst of Adult Families

2008-08-10T15:24:00.001-07:00

Anyone with a dysfunctional family and aging parent issues (and isn’t that most of us?) will find something relatable in this film written and directed by Tamara Jenkins. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney play siblings whose lives haven’t gone as planned and yet still seem to be in a sibling rivalry, whether it’s in obscure academic sponsorships or noncommittal relationships. When their estranged father takes a turn for the worse they are forced together, and their scenes together seem genuine, neither over-sentimental nor too contrived. There are some flaws, like most Indies I think underplaying and loose narratives are overrated (This means you Mumblecores) but I was touched by this flick, probably because it brings back harrowing memories of my own parents and family. "The Savages" seems to be a throwback to the films of the seventies when simple character studies were popular. I say keep them coming. Films like this and ‘The Squid and the Whale’ find their own pace and tell real stories and that’s a good thing. Note that Linney also played in another underrated film about siblings with Mark Ruffalo as her ne’r do well brother in 2000’s ‘You Can Count on Me’ which I’d also recommend.

"Tsotsi" and Sudden Magic Baby Syndrome

2008-08-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

Jessi, I say- you've seen one redemptive tale of impoverished ghetto life in South Africa- you've seen them all! I am being facetious here- but I was moved more strongly by “City of God' set in the Brazilian slums in that it was equally stylized with a more dramatic, less forced story.(Although it’s follow-up based on the spin-off Brazilian series “City of Men” was less thrilling) I'm glad the main character in Tsotsi was able to open like a flower- but since (spoiler) he gunned down the mother why should I care? This might be my own personal baggage since I lost a family member in a random bit of street violence- but am I to truly believe that this man comes around due to a baby which he most likely would have killed as well? If so perhaps all gangs should be given these magic babies. Let's turn this one over to the Johannesburg Lifetime channel. I know that sounds cynical but films like these either grab you or repel you.

"Tsotsi" (2005) : A New Presley to Love

2008-08-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

I swear to myself that from now on, I’m going to keep a little notebook on my person at all times. Then, not only will I be able to jot down the name of some fabulous movie that I “must” see, but I’ll also be able to write down the name of the person who recommended it. That way, when I hit the eject button after viewing some cinematic masterpiece, I’ll know who to thank.

Whoever suggested I see "Tsotsi," thank you. When it arrived in the mail, aside from some vague recollection of someone telling me I should see it, I knew nothing about it.

What surfaced about all else in this film was the acting. Performances all around were phenomenal but Presley Chweneyagae (“Tsotsi”) left me in awe. Here was a character with the most base and brutal essence---who slowly opens like a flower.

The director’s (Gavin Hood) approach of shooting Presley speaking directly into the camera contributes to the gut-wrenching glory of his performance. It was a painful yet beautiful film to watch, laying bare the socio-economic struggles between the haves and have nots in Johannesburg, through the eyes of gang leader, “Tsotsi.” And, by the way, it won all sorts of awards in 2005 and 2006, including an Oscar in 2006 for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year.

Speaking of language...the only thing that caught me up was my own ignorant fault. As I said, I didn’t know anything about the film beforehand. When the dialogue began, the annoying thought of “Gee, what language are they speaking?” kept popping into my head. “Did that word sound German?” “Why are some words in English?” Chalk this up to my own fascination with language, I guess. In the DVD extras, the director makes a point of explaining how important it was to the story for the leads to speak their native language. I couldn’t agree more. And if you’d like a bit of info on the language: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantu_languages.