Film Projections

Halloween Movies

2010-10-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Reviews by Junior

The leaves are turning, the air is crisp, and there are plastic spiders, synthetic spiderwebs and carved pumpkins decorating the houses up and down my street. All of which means that it must be my favorite time of year, Halloween, a time to dress up in outlandish costumes, get some candy, and celebrate all things ghastly and ghoulish. To get in the mood, I've been watching some horror movies lately, and thought I'd offer some short reviews of them, in no particular order...

Jennifer's Body
Starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried

This high-school horror movie from 2009 features local favorite Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox (as the title character) in a campy story about two girls who part ways after a fateful night seeing an aspiring indie rock band at a club. Jennifer is the pretty, popular one, like Alicia Silverstone in Clueless, and Amanda plays "Needy" Lesnicky, her pain-Jane BFF. After Jennifer goes off in the band's van she returns, changed, and with a desire for eviscerating her male high school classmates. The story's played mostly for laughs, the gore is light and the sex even lighter, considering Jennifer's actually been turned into a succubus. Still, Amanda Seyfried is good in it. Mildly entertaining.

Wes Craven presents Dracula 2000
Starring Gerard Butler, Christopher Plummer and Justine Waddell

This decade-old entry into the Dracula sub-genre begins from an interesting premise: Dracula is truly immortal, and cannot be killed. Van Helsing (Plummer) has captured him and devoted himself to eventually finding a way to do so, but has been unsuccessful for a coupla hundred years. To extend his own life to watch over Dracula, Van Helsing has been taking regular injections of Dracula's blood.

Predictably, some thieves break into Van Helsing's private holdings and inadvertently free Dracula (played, unrecognizably, by a younger, thinner, non-bearded Gerard Butler), who makes a beeline for Van Helsing's daughter (in New Orleans, natch), with whom he feels a connection because she carries his blood. Along the way he makes vampires out of Jeri Ryan, Omar Epps and others, and Van Helsing and his assistant pursue. Vampire slaying ensues---kinda makes you wonder how neophytes who didn't know vampires existed 5 minutes before can be so good at staking hearts and lopping off heads, but whatever...

Unfortunately, this fun premise, and a great twist at the end, are wasted on a schlocky production, unsure whether it's funny or serious, and definitely not scary. Suitable for a round of MST3K, or as a curiosity if you're a big Gerard Butler fan.

Halloween II (2009)
Written and directed by Rob Zombie
Starring Scout Taylor-Compton, Brad Dourif and Malcolm McDowell

Michael Myers comes back a year after his first rampage to finish the job. In Rob Zombie's second entry into the Halloween mythos, he rethinks a lot of the story and gives Michael Myers a supernatural motive of sorts for all the mayhem. Having had success with the initial remake, the studio gave him a lot more freedom with this one, and he uses it, after an initial tip of the hat to the hospital carnage of the original Halloween 2, to jump a year forward, follow up on the characters (Malcolm McDowell's "growth" being particularly witty) and change the characters to his liking.

More importantly, and in contrast to such well-conceived but poorly executed dreck as Dracula 2000 above, Zombie shows that he knows how to create tension in a horror film, giving surprises at the right time, using music and pacing and slow motion. Zombie mixes up the killings, showing enough but not too much, conveying the brutality and pain of Myers' attacks. Zombie seems, more often than not, more interested in the aftermath than the actual attack. Very skillfully handled. I hope Zombie continues to make many more horror movies, and this one is set up for a very different Halloween III.

Drag Me to Hell

2010-08-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by Billy Bob Biggs.

Directed by Sam Raimi.

Written by Sam & Ivan Raimi.

Starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao and David Paymer.

After a long, dry spell where he made big-budget superhero flicks, Sam Raimi returns to his horror roots with Drag Me to Hell, the story of a nice, ambitious bank employee who rejects the wrong person's loan and is set on the express train to hell, or maybe the bus to Beelzebub, since it's gonna take three days to get there.

The movie starts off with Christine (Alison Lohman) attempting to impress her bank boss and get a promotion by refusing to give a kindly old lady an extension on her mortgage. Unfortunately, the kindly old lady goes all batshit and hides in the back seat of Christine's car, always the best way to approach your loan officer. The conversation doesn't go so well and they end up pulling each other's hair out and poking one another in the eye until the old lady craftily hides under Christine's car until she can pop out and rip a button off her coat, cursing it and Christine and putting her (and her coat) on a 3-day path to Hell!

That's right, Gypsy curse fans, for those of you who have been waiting since 1996's Thinner for another entry into this fine sub genre, your wait is over! Amazing they are so few and far between considering the relevance to our lives today. I can't go two blocks without seeing nasty, one-eyed crazy gypsy ladies putting curses on some poor hot dog vendor or cab driver...

So anyway, Christine may be a morally ambivalent yuppie, but she can sense when she's got a hex on her soul so she immediately goes to have her fortune read by Dileep Rao, who, despite operating a little retail amulet and magic powder shop, has enough magic in him to recognize that he doesn't want this cursed girl within 10 feet of him, and he sends her packing.

Soon Christine is back home with her kitty, Justin Long having gone home to play with his coin collection, and the demon makes its first appearance. See, it takes the demon three days to work up enough power to drag Christine to hell so initially he just shows up to say "howdy," cast scary shadows on the wall and slap her around a little.

Christine becomes convinced that she has been cursed and goes back to Dileep, who begins taking her credit card payments and advises her to make amends with the old gypsy lady, which doesn't work. Christine runs around for two days prior to her deadline trying various things to get rid of the curse, making animal sacrifice, trying to transfer the curse to someone else, all the while having visions of the old gypsy lady attacking her in a shed, gruesome eyeballs popping up in her soup, and the demon showing up for her nightly flogging.

I won't give more away, but it's Sam Raimi back to his gruesome, Three Stooges horror best.

12 buckets blood. Eyeballs roll. Corpses roll. Stapler fu. Volkswagen fu. Goat fu. No breasts. Billy Bob says check it out.

The Undertaker and His Pals (1966)

2010-03-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Written and Directed by T.L.P Swicegood

Starring Ray Dannis, Warrene Ott, James Westmoreland, Marty Friedman, Sally Frei, and other people you never heard of.

Reviewed by Billy Bob Biggs

This is a movie about a trio of motorcycle riding, masked thugs who show up in people's tiny apartments, or while they're in the steam room, or sitting in their car in broad daylight on a California seaside highway to beat them, stab them, and cut off their tasty bits and cook them up in a seedy greasy spoon that no one eats at. The two crazies at the greasy spoon have come up with a sure-fire recipe for their troubles, along with the undertaker. The crazies get fresh meat that no one will eat and the undertaker gets mutilated bodies for which he can overcharge whoever's paying for the funeral.

This was an impressive directorial debut for T.L.P. Swicegood (amazingly, apparently his real name), who had a couple of writing credits prior to this innovative gem. He had a lot of new ideas on how to make a horror flick which I'll note as they come up. Sadly, he was not allowed to make any more movies after this one so we'll never know how far he could have taken the art of blood-spattered gorefests.

New Idea #1: Undercut the tension in horror with a boppy jazz soundtrack.

The movie opens with our motorcycle trio breaking into a woman's crappy one-room apartment, and, after a brief chase across the room, stabbing her to death and escaping with her meaty gams (apparently they had looked up in the phone book girls with big legs who lie around their apartments writing letters with no pants on.)

New Idea #2: Having a photo comedically change expressions, from smiling, to alarmed, to saddened, while the victim is dismembered.

Cut to a private detective whose secretary moons over him and wants to marry him. In an apparent attempt to change her mind about his appeal he takes her to the aforementioned greasy spoon, where the owner behaves weirdly and has only one dish to offer per day. Then the p.i. takes her home and leaves her on her doorstep.

New Idea #3: Completely disregard the Hollywood tradition of shooting a scene that's supposed to take place at night, at night. Audiences in 1966 were mature enough to not care when the sky goes from dark night to broad daylight to twilight and back again in one scene. Innovative!

The secretary immediately changes into her pajamas and goes outside to see who is strangling her cat. Upon finding three leather-clad motorcyclists in her backyard she neglects to scream or run back into the house, but cowers against the side of it in horror as the men advance on her like snails across 30 feet of open lawn. Finally, she attempts to run away when they are within grabbing distance but too late!

New Idea #4: Have the murder happen off-camera and pan toward the body for a minute or two, until the audience has lost interest in watching, and just about the time they have decided to scoot out to the concession stand for another box of Raisinets, have the dead, impaled body of the victim peek into the screen for a split second and cut to a new scene. Peekaboo! Didja see it?

I don't want to spoil the rest of this cinema classic for you, but here are some of the other innovations of T.L.P. Swicegood:

New Idea #5: When a woman is being chased by the men on motorcycles, reversing and skidding and revving their engines while she zigs and zags on foot across the blacktop, ignore the tradition of having the sound effects match what's going on. The sound of a softly purring motorcyle engine will suffice.
New Idea #6: Have your villains be broadly silly and comedic before, after and during scenes of menace and mayhem. That won't undercut the terror.
New Idea #7: Have your hero disappear inexplicably before the end of the movie so the villain can be killed by a supporting character, by accident!

Zero breasts. 5 buckets blood. Legs roll, internal organs are played with. Cleaver to the head, chain to the face, multiple stabbings, full-body acid dunking. Three stars.

Billy Bob says check it out.

Children of Men

2010-03-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Released 2006

Starring: Clive Owen as Theo, Julianne Moore as Julian, Michael Caine as Jasper and Clare-Hope Ashitey as Kee.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

Children of Men starts in a time much like our own, with a horde of disconnected people glued to the action unfolding on a television screen in a coffee shop, as it is announced that the world's youngest person has died. However, the year is 2027 and in this time human beings are infertile, making the youngest of us semi-miracles and celebrities and society's tie to the once hopeful past.

As our leading man, Theo (Clive Owen) breaks from the mesmerized and traumatized coffee shop crowd and exits to the street, the shop explodes, showing us that not only is the human race screwed with infertility but random violence, terrorism and chaos. Sort of like today, but on steroids; a frighteningly grim picture of the not-so-distant future.

In this tragic world, Theo has one ally, Jasper played by a long-haired aging hippie version of Michael Caine. Jasper lives in hiding in a wooded compound with his catatonic wife, a victim of government interference and control.

In this age, there are two forces at work, the government, which is fighting an enormous war on immigration and shipping illegal immigrants to camps, and the Fishes, a radical group working to undermine the government.

Theo is quickly recruited by his ex-wife, Julian - the leader of the Fishes - played by Julianne Moore to help her move a refugee out of the country, a miraculously pregnant African girl named Kee.

Theo doesn't want the job, but ends up roped into the situation and accepts his fate as the Joseph to this Mary. There's even a great scene with the two of them in a barn where Kee reveals her pregnant belly to her protector.

Along the way, there are violent action sequences and chase scenes, but rather than carried out in the typical Hollywood fashion, there are long, single-shot sequences, almost POV, where the camera looks around to give the viewer an eyeful. The look is similar to documentary, or more-so, reality television, which again, is a clever connection to today's viewer and the path our destructive actions may be taking us down.

One scene in particular is gut-wrenching in its slow, mesmerizing pace. After Kee has given birth to the miracle baby and is attempting to hide it amidst a violent refugee uprising and military retaliation, the child is revealed, putting a halt to the war and bloodshed as onlookers stop for a moment of reverence. This scene was incredible and clearly drove home the point that the hope of a child and the future tied to it are powerful enough reasons to end violence.

Children of Men is an excellent ride. Not so much fun as enthralling. Science fiction thrillers like this that are set so near in the future that they don't feel like a stretch at all are often the most disturbing because of the possibility that this really could be the fate of humanity.

I definitely recommend this the rental. Watch it on the weekend when you have time to pore over it and consider all its attributes.

ACTING: 8

LOOK: 8

STORY: 9

OVERALL: 8.5

Friday the 13th (2009)

2010-03-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

Directed by Marcus Nispel

Starring Jared Padelecki, Danielle Panabaker, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, Aaron Woo and Derek Mears.

Review by Billy Bob Biggs

The new Friday the 13^th reboot starts out pretty good, showing newbie director Marcus Nispel knows what puts butts in seats for a Jason flick, namely teenagers getting drunk, getting nekkid and getting killed in creative ways by everybody’s favorite hockey-mask wearing psycho. In the first 15 minutes we are treated to 5 pot-head idiots who think it’s a good idea to venture out to Camp Crystal Lake, pop their tents, pop their tits and make the sign of the double-backed woodchuck.

Soon Jason notices the zit brigade and shows up with his trusty machete and a bear trap he happened to have handy. He makes Jiffy Pop out of one of them and goes all Frank Booth on another. Heads roll, legs are flayed, flesh burns, roll opening credits. Off to a good start.

If you don’t know Jason, where have you been since 1980? He’s got mama issues; he’s not a big talker. He pretty much kills anybody who wanders into the woods. He’s not into torturing them or eating them afterwards or anything, pretty much wants to kill them as quickly as possible, with whatever’s handy. Gardening implements are a favorite, but knitting needles or the occasional flare gun are not out of the question. He likes to sneak up behind people and stand there until they notice him. He does sometimes get creative with the corpses afterwards, a favorite gag being stringing them up in the ceiling or the trees so that pop down like a reverse jack-in-the-box to scare the crap out of his next victim. I always wanted to see him go through the mechanics of doing that; maybe it’ll be on the DVD extras.

This flick plays like Jason’s greatest hits. First we get a quick recap of mama Voorhees, we move through Jason’s awkward teen years with a sack on his head, and then he discovers hockey. We also have the teenager who reminds Jason of his mama and the usual spam-in-a-cabin gags.

One of my faves is always the creepy, half crazy local who warns our group of victims about how Crystal Lake is a sucky camping spot, but in pretty unhelpful terms, like “People go missing around here, they’re gone for good. Outsiders come they don’t know where to walk…We just want to be left alone, and so does he.” They never say anything truly helpful like “You teenagers need to turn your car around and get the fuck out of here ‘cause there’s a crazy man living around here who kills everybody who so much as stops to change a tire within 5 miles of Camp Crystal Lake. I’d move myself but my property value has totally gone to shit because of that psycho.”

Our next group of victims is 7 friends who go to this preppy jerk’s house near Crystal Lake. The preppy jerk’s name is Trent, but he’s not Trent Reznor and you pretty much want him to die as soon as he starts talking. He does have a way with the women, though, and says stuff like “You got perfect nipple placement baby .” When Trent finally does die (hope that doesn’t spoil you too much) you can be happy to know that that annoying Trent guy---the dicky football player in Transformers---got killed too. ‘Cause it’s the same character, played by the same actor.

There’s a token black guy and a token Asian in the group, and a couple of girls…they soon hook up with a good looking, motorcycle-riding sincere guy who’s looking for his sister that disappeared with the group before the credits (can you say hero?)

There’s a great scene where Jason kills a couple out water skiing topless. Gratuitous Chrissie from Jaws. Jason proves what a great shot he is, really impressive, and the director gives us one last look at the girl’s boobs before she sinks back into the lake.

Anyway, it’s a pretty good reboot, though Jason didn’t leave anybody’s severed head in the refrigerator. Probably saving that for the sequel. 14 dead bodies, 3 gallons blood, 7 breasts, 1 ass. Heads roll, ears roll, machete to the head and throat, machete whackamole, arrow thru the head, speedboat to the head, spike thru the throat, axe and machete to the back, antlers to the back, tow truck to the back, fireplace poker through the eye. Gratuitous Blue Velvet and “Sister Christian.” 3 ½ stars.

Billy Bob says check it out.

Zombieland

2010-02-15T19:05:00.000-08:00

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin.

Reviewed by Junior.

Doubling the genre of zombie parody films (held exclusively by Shaun of the Dead since 2004), Zombieland is a solid entry with a small, good cast. The film begins with one lone survivor, Columbus (Eisenberg), and his rules for survival, used repeatedly for humorous effect throughout, such as 1. Cardio, 2. Beware of Bathrooms, 3. Seatbelts, 4. Doubletap... all explained and proven very practical by our unlikely, somewhat nerdy protagonist.

Columbus soon hooks up with another survivor, Tallahassee (Harrelson), who revels in the chaos of Zombieland and has no such concerns for rules or other survivors in general. This diametrically opposed male duo soon meets up with two sisters, played by Stone and Breslin and our quartet, after initially clashing, set off on a road trip across a zombie-filled wasteland to California.

The film starts out with some very violent bits initially, which should be no surprise considering the genre, but soon settles into more of a lightweight buddy flick (x2) vibe. One can almost forget that the world has been overrun by the undead. Our heroes never seem to be in any real danger, which doesn't hurt the enjoyment of the film, but does give it a different flavor than you might expect. We learn the backstories of our motley group and they bond. I won't give away the very entertaining cameo appearance, all too short lived, when they arrive in Hollywood.

Of course, in the third act the movie does reach a slightly menacing crescendo, reaching a satisfying conclusion and setting up a sequel. Not, in my opinion, as funny, smart, or dark as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland is nevertheless an entertaining romp with an appealing cast, solidly directed by first-timer Ruben Fleischer, at a perfect length of 88 minutes.

Story: 6

Acting: 7

Look: 7

Overall: 7

An Education

2010-02-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

Directed by Lone Scherfing.

Based on the memoir by Lynn Barber. Adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby.

Starring Carey Mulligan as Jenny and Peter Sarsgaard as David.

Released 2009.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

An Education is a lovely, well-acted film with great 1960s scenery a sweet love story and....a dark underbelly.

Jenny (Carey Mulligan - Oscar nominee) is a studious, English private school girl whose father (Alfred Molina) dreams of educating her at Oxford. While Dad is busy pushing her to study her Latin, Jenny would rather play her cello and hang out with her gal pals at the local coffee shop, where they smoke cigarettes and fantasize about being Parisian.

One day, Jenny meets David (Peter Sarsgaard) - a playboy twice her age - and a world of decadence, jazz clubs, and fine dining opens up to her. Jenny's parents believe David's good intentions, or at least choose to look the other way, and accept his "positive" influence on their daughter while becoming enamored with his wealth.

The dynamic between Jenny and David is enthralling. Jenny has her head on her shoulders. She is a commanding girl which David is so happy to oblige. David enjoys wining and dining with his new girlfriend, who although half his age, can hold a discussion on Classical music and speak French. In a sense, he's found a lady he can mold into a girlfriend, instead of the other way around.

David is charming, disarming, so willing to please...but all as long as he can get his own way. He is gentle, yet completely manipulative - willing to lie, cheat and steal because he is infallible. After the writer and director so expertly pull the audience in and make them feel comfortable in this completely inappropriate relationship does the story begin to reveal the many reasons why this coupling is doomed.

What I really loved about this story was rather than depicting Jenny as a flirtatious bimbo who had a train-wreck relationship headed her way, she is quite the opposite. Although it could be argued that she was manipulated by the ever charming David, Jenny is a willing accomplice throughout the story. She leaps at the chance to be treated like an adult and fulfill her personal dreams. Granted, she is far too immature to be completely responsible for her actions or the relationship, however she is not the classic "girl victim" who falls for a man out of her league only to be emotionally and psychologically damaged. You get the feeling that Jenny will be all right, because she is so smart and wise for her age.

Interesting to keep in mind is that this screenplay is based on a memoir, meaning this actually occurred in the life of the author. Nick Hornby is nominated for an Oscar for best adapted screenplay.

I highly recommend this film. I don't think it has much of a chance as a Academy Award Best Picture nominee (it's just not that kind of movie) but it's an excellent ride made memorable by great acting.

STORY: 8

ACTING: 8

LOOK: 8

Overall: 8

Wanted

2010-02-14T13:29:00.001-08:00

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov

Starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp and Thomas Krestschmann.

Reviewed by Junior.

An aimless office drone (McAvoy) is thrust into a world of preternaturally endowed assassins, learning that his father was one of them and that he is similarly endowed with extraordinary capabilities. After undergoing an excruciating indoctrination/training under the supervision of Fox (Jolie), he is sent out on his first assignment.

This movie can best be described as fantasy. While modern action flicks always require some suspension of disbelief, the outrageous Matrix-like capabilities of these assassins (due supposedly to having excess adrenalin in their systems) go well beyond any relation to reality. Further, the film serves as a fantasy for anyone stuck in a job they don't like, whose personal life isn't working out, and whose bank account isn't what they would wish it to be. All this is changed for our protagonist, Wesley Gibson, in one fell swoop.

McAvoy, fresh off a strong performance in the well-regarded The Last King of Scotland, does good work here, for what little is asked of him. Similarly slumming are Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, who both give stock performances. The story is outlandish, with a magical loom giving coded messages from Fate to assign the assassin's targets and mysterious, milky baths which allow the killers to heal in days from serious wounds which should take months to heal. Oh, and the assassins can shoot bullets in a curved arc, rather than in a straight line like the rest of us.

These imaginative touches aside, the plot itself is easily predictable and ultimately pretty unsatisfying. However, if you are looking for crazy cgi action set-pieces and copious violence, you might enjoy Wanted. There is even a Wanted 2 in pre-production, for some reason.

P.S. Come to think of it, this movie would have actually been helped by the hoary old cliche of the protagonist waking up at the end and realizing it had all been a dream. Then he could have gotten up out of bed and gotten his real life in order. But they didn't do that, so we have Wanted 2 to look forward to.

Story: 1

Acting: 3

Look: 9

Overall: 4

Synecdoche, NY

2010-01-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

Written and directed by Charlie Kaufmann

Starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Sadie Goldstein, Tom Noonan, Samantha Morton, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Emily Watson.

Reviewed by Junior.

syn·ec·do·che (n.) - A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword).

Talented screenwriter Charlie Kaufmann's directorial effort is an ambitious, sprawling rumination on the meaning of life and death and purpose through the eyes of an unfulfilled and either hypochondriac or actually dying theater director, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Catherine Keener plays his wife in what begins as a sad story about a sad couple on the verge of divorce, in therapy, and trying to balance the needs of their young daughter. Add to that the fact that Cadon (Hoffman) seems to be dying to the mix and you have the beginnings of a very depressing movie indeed.

His personal life falling apart and feeling his mortality, Caden (Hoffman) Cotard embarks on an ambitious, sprawling and ever-growing theater piece attempting to encompass---well, everything. It expands to encompass a mini-reconstruction of New York, with actors playing various characters, real and imagined, and actors playing the actors playing them... Meanwhile we follow Cadon as the years slip away and his life continues to be sad and unfulfilling.

After the first 15 minutes the audience is never quite sure what is real and what is not in the film, whether we are in linear time or not, whether any of this is really happening. We are taken on a journey through time and the meaning of life. One has to admire Kaufmann's guts for assaying this most serious of subjects and a very complicated production for his fledgling directorial effort. He shows an accomplished grasp of technique, although a little editing would have helped when the film seems to drag on and belabor some points. The cast is first-rate, and performs well throughout. In the end, though, the audience is left to wonder what was the point of this grim exercise. Perhaps the point is that there is no point.

Story: 7

Acting: 8

Look: 8

Overall: 7.5

"Up In the Air" has it's feet on the ground...

2009-12-29T13:31:00.001-08:00

Hello? Hellllooooo? Anyone out there? Sheesh. No posting since October. That's pathetic. It's not that we haven't all seen movies, somewhere...in the theatre, at home or on the telly.

Fine, I'll just have to muster up a review. Here goes.

Up In the Air

Director: Jason Reitman

Written by: Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Starring: George Clooney as Ryan and Vera Farmiga as Alex

Released 2009

REVIEW by CINEMAGIRL:

The film opens with aerial shots, the kind of shots we've all seen from the window seat of a 737. Immediately we are placed in the fast-paced, business travel world of Ryan Bingham, played expertly by the coy George Clooney.

Ryan takes us through the ropes of his life. He is a professional firer - the person companies bring in to lay off workers without getting their own hands dirty. He is an expert in his field, and an expert at business travel - even holding public speaking engagements on the matter. He urges his audience to abandon physical and even emotional attachments, because you can climb faster with a lighter pack.

He himself is home about a month out of the year at his tiny apartment, which is void of all personality and merely a prison for the man who loves to keep running.

After the film sets the stage and introduces the main character, he is thrown two curveballs. One - his travel may be curtailed. And two - he meets a woman on the road.

Ryan starts up a relationship with Alex (Farmiga), another business traveler spending her life in hotel bars and tabulating air miles. The two hit it off, and form a casual attachment while both being emotionally unattached. At the same time he is trying to convince his boss to keep him on the road and not tie him down - notably this idea came from the new girl, fresh out of college and lacking all experience in the field.

This film may feel foreign to contemporary movie-goers because it is done in such a traditional way - snappy lines, round characters who are both great and flawed, complex situations. Clooney could have easily been played by Humphrey Bogart or Gregory Peck. Bette Davis would've made a great Alex.

A nice touch to this film is the use of the recent unemployment in this country that ties this story to modern times. Reitman even cast real people who have been recently laid off to give testimonials. It was a nice, authentic touch considering the seriousness of the matter, and the fact that our leading man, or "hero" is in the job of firing people.

Farmiga is a natural as a globetrotting businesswoman, delivering lines with ease and authority. Clooney is charming as always and well deserving of his Golden Globe nomination. The film is full of funny, chuckleworthy moments, but it is telling that it is nominated for Best Picture Drama by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

I recommend seeing this film soon, while the issue of lay-offs is at the forefront of national news. It would be timeless anytime, but makes a bigger impact considering reality.

STORY: 9

ACTING: 8

LOOK: 7

OVERALL: 8

Current Golden Globe Nominations for this film:

Best Picture Drama

Best Actor (Clooney)

Best Supporting Actress (both Farmiga and Anna Kendrick)

Best Screenplay

Best Director

It's Halloween Movie Time!

2009-10-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite film tricks and treats, perfect for renting and scaring yourself for an evening around Halloween.

Posted by CINEMAGIRL.

This time of year I love renting scary and nostalgic Halloween movies. They get me in the mood for the holiday itself and feed my imagination's craving for the creepy.

Here are some of my favorite macabre flicks, rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the scariest:

The Exorcist: Dir. William Friedkin. (1973)

This is probably the scariest movie I've ever seen and the scariest ever made. Sweet little Regan (Linda Blair) becomes possessed by a demon, priests are summoned to perform an exorcism on the girl, pea soup flies. This kid (demon) is so crude, so disgusting, but so good!

Five howls on the scary scale.

Rosemary's Baby: Dir. Roman Polanski (1968)

More creepy than scary. This movie will not make you scream or jump, but it will mess with your head. Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) becomes pregnant after her struggling actor husband (John Cassavetes) makes a deal with the Satanist next-door neighbors. Special note: Actress Ruth Gordon won an Oscar for her portrayal of the dopey, nosey neighbor Minnie Castevet. She is so enjoyable to watch.

Three howls on the scary scale.

Halloween: Dir. John Carpenter (1978)

Michael Myers, clad in a workman's jumpsuit and a white-painted Captain Kirk mask, returns to Haddonfied to terrorize babysitters. Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis is at her best in this original version of the film, which is one of the highest-grossing independent films ever made. I love the shots throughout the film. The spooky POV shots of Michael peering in windows and through bushes, and the fact that he looks so darn scary, even in broad daylight. He's my favorite scary movie character of all time.

Four howls on the scary scale.

Feel free to list some of your favorite scary movies in the comments section and have a Happy Halloween!

Inglorious Basterds

2009-08-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

As reviewed by skinnyblacktie

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Christoph Waltz, Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Brad Pitt, Til Scheiger, Daniel Bruhl, B.J. Novak, Eli Roth and Martin Wuttke

Tonight Chef Tarantino's special is a blood soaked, 'new wave' inspired 'macaroni combat' with a side of 3rd generation retribution. I recommend it. (I would include a hint of 'spaghetti western', but who wants that many starches in one meal?) We first meet 'The Jew Hunter' aka Col. Landis (Christoph Waltz) on a dairy farm in Nazi-occupied France in 1941. Through an exchange of feigned pleasantries with a French dairy farmer believed to be housing Jews, we learn hastily that Landis is very, very good at what he does. Polarized, yet with equal efficiancy and skill at their specific duties, 'The Basterds' come into play. Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), Sgt Hugo Stiglitz (Til Schweiger) along with 'The Bear Jew' (Eli Roth) and company comprise an outfit of American-born Jewish men bread to do one specifically brutal job...kill Nazis (especially Nazis such as Landis). At this point a simple 'seek and destroy' plot could be rested upon, but things become a bit more complex when French cinema owner Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) meets Nazi war hero and movie star Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl) and the German movie star Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) becomes involved with the British government. Soon interweaving relationships build and fold, leaving the audience with a climax truly worth applauding.

Tarantino's 'Basterds' pace alternates between the booming escalation of a Phillip Glass piece and the slow humming build of an Old English tale. Each scene contains a peak and valley system which will take you to the edge of your patience, yet reward you with a summit of violence and emotion. The dialogue is sprawling, but filled with gem sentences and a fat diamond at the end of each journey. A true scale is established early on and whether you like it or not, it is a constant. The centerpiece of the screenwriting is the playful and clever anaslysis of dialect, be it German, French, Italian or American. All four dialects and accents (including a hilarious take on British stereotypes) are present and batted back through forth throughout the film. No actor plays with this aspect more than Christoph Waltz who utters all four during the course of the film with arrogance, courtesy and humor on the mind.

Tarantino's direction in the film is something to truly appreciate. His funniest film to date, 'Basterds' is a perfect blend of sophomoric profiling, dark humor and one-liners not previously experienced in Tarantino's films. He was not too afraid to allow the most popular (and most 'tough guy' casted) American actor in the film (Brad Pitt) to provide the most comic relief. Yet, through all of the conventional humor (very much unconventional to the director), Tarantino's stapled situational humor comes forth as casual as two men having a civil conversation while scalping a German S.S. Officer.

Cinematically 'Basterds' is as diverse as the motley array of language used in it. Quick cut scenes, hightlighted around the rims with gun fire, accompany stretched steady-cam shots. The camera takes us into the eyes of a western standoff and then above the studio set to remove the audience from the story for a moment and say,'this is a fictional movie, man...have some fun.' Standard Tarantino stuff applies here.

'Inglorious Basterds' is more than I could have asked for from a new Tarantino film. The plot is interesting without being too smart. The humor is enough to make you laugh at the gore and blood. The direction of pace and character is flawless. Tarantino's most talented film since 'Jackie Brown.'

Story: 8.5

Acting: 9

Look: 10

Overall: 9

R.I.P. King of '80s Cinema

2009-08-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

John Hughes died this past week at the age of 59. He's known for writing, directing and producing dozens of popular films, such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Breakfast Club. Love him or leave him, his 1980s films shape the way we still view that decade. He had a way of capturing teenage desperation, boredom and humor like no other director has.

By CINEMAGIRL:

Here's my Top Ten Favorite Hughes' movies (whether produced, written or directed by the man):

10. Sixteen Candles
9. She's Having a Baby
8. The Great Outdoors
7. Home Alone
6. Christmas Vacation
5. Planes, Trains & Automobiles
4. Pretty in Pink
3. Uncle Buck
2. The Breakfast Club
1. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

*photo above of Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller

Away We Go

2009-06-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty)

Co-written by Dave Eggers (author of "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius)

Starring Maya Rudolph (SNL alum) as Verona and John Krasinski (The Office) as Burt.

Released 2009. Now playing.

SYNOPSIS: A thirty-something couple, expecting their first child, take a cross-country journey to find a suitable home to start their family in.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

Verona (Rudolph) and Burt (Krasinski) are a youngish, committed - yet unmarried - couple unexpectedly expecting a baby. When the two find out that Burt's parents (Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels) are moving out of the country just before the baby is due, the couple sets off on a cross-country tour to find a new home in a new town near friends or relatives that will provide a healthy support system for the new family.

And so the adventure begins. Burt and Verona first stop in Phoenix to visit her former boss (Allison Janney), who is married (to comedian Jim Gaffigan) with two kids, and thrilled to death that the young couple might decide to live near them. However, the old boss and her hubby are total alcoholics and apathetic parents and their meeting at the local dog track leaves them unsettled, and questioning their own abilities as future parents.

Later, Burt and Verona venture to Madison, Wisconsin, to visit a childhood friend of his - a very outspoken, liberal, hippie-mama portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Burt and Verona meet her at the college campus where she works as a professor and enter her office to find her openly breastfeeding her two children - an infant and one that's more than a few years old - in the middle of the room. The evening with LN (that's her name) and her husband - who have a "family bed" and aversion to strollers - unfolds into hilarity. The hippie couple becomes more and more outrageous and patronizing until the mild-manner Burt explodes in the most ridiculous way. (I thought this was the funniest part of the film.)

The film looks at the many ways there are to raise kids along the way, including stereotypes, pointing out the ridiculous in nearly each scenario.

A recurring subplot to the story is that Verona's parents are no longer alive. This comes up throughout the film and creates an emotional, dramatic angle for Verona to reconcile and the couple to deal with. It is handled gently without becoming overbearing.

The film is shot in a standard sort-of way. There are no dramatic angles or inventive shots. It's simply a nice story delivered in a direct way. The real stand-out of the film is the dialogue, co-written by Dave Egggers, known for his memoir "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" and his recent journalistic novels.

Eggers writes for Gen-X, using a natural tone that speaks directly to the reader, or viewer, rather than pandering to you or trying to make you feel stupid. His words, and that of collaborator Vendela Vida, were delivered well by Rudolph and Krasinski, two comically trained actors who work(ed) on two of the funniest shows on TV.

Overall, Away We Go is funny, entertaining, fresh and very well cast. I recommend seeing it in the theatre now or renting it later.

STORY: 8.5

ACTING: 8.5

LOOK: 7

OVERALL: 8

Orthodox Stance

2009-06-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

A 90 min. documentary film about an Orthodox Jewish boxer who balances his sport and his faith.

Released 2008

Shot, written and directed by Jason Hutt

Screened this year at South Side Film Festival, Bethlehem, PA.

This interesting documentary follows Dimitriy Salita, a Russian-born Orthodox Jewish boxer, during the rise of his professional career.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

Because of the strict observance of his faith, Dimitriy Salita cannot box on the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. When he travels he must be careful to only eat kosher foods and to avoid using electricity or driving a car during the Sabbath. That means that even at a hotel where he is scheduled to fight a bout, he will turn off the lights, light candles, pray, and stay in for the night.

This documentary is shot in a verite style. You can tell that one camera operator followed Salita most of the time, shooting him with a small digital camera, capturing audio as the scenery would allow. The look of the film can be jarring at times, but the viewer can accept it because it is consistent throughout the film. Hutt, the director-cameraman, etc., followed Salita during his life's routine, to the Starrett City Boxing Gym in Brooklyn, the Chabad, training camp in the Poconos, to his home with his brother and even on trips to Vegas and Puerto Rico with his friend/religious advisor in tow.

Hutt was able to film the small moments that make characters real because he ingratiated himself into Salita's life. For instance, he was there to film Salita's brother Mischa helping him pick out a suit for a photo shoot, or capture a crushing rebuke fom his trainer when he discovers Salita is still two pounds overweight just two days before his biggest bout.

It is endearing watching Salita balance his personal life with his professional career. He is surrounded by a great cast of "characters" - from his trainer Jimmy that has known him and looked out for him since the age of 13, to Israel, the friend and advisor who travels with him and helps him follow Orthodox rules.

I would recommend renting this film or catching at future festivals.

LOOK: 7

STORY: 8.5

OVERALL: 8

'M' (1931)

2009-05-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

As reviewed by Skinnyblacktie

Directed by Fritz Lang

Starring Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Otto Wernicke, Theodor Loos and Gustaf Grundgens.

'Wer ist der Moder?" (Who is the murderer?) Screenwriters Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou ask this question through concerned parents and paranoia struck police men after a ninth child (Inge Landgut) is murdered within the past year. The wake of this social dynamic quickly curls up and slams down hard upon the criminal element of the community and foams over in the form of civilian justice (injustice). And so and so it goes, the criminals of the city devote their time to catching the murderer, not for the greater good, but so the police will stop harassing them as if they were child murderers.

Lang's work is beautifully shot. Numerous chase scenes from brick-walled cobble-stoned city streets to singular light based shots in sewer systems and hide-and-go seek suspense elements in buildings provide a visual suspense witch matches the powerful story.

The acting is a bit overly dramatic at points, but overall the emotion is dealt very well. Peter Lorre does a fantastic job playing quite possibly the first serial killer in a motion picture (sorry for the spoiler... I doubt you can pick Peter Lorre out of I line up...I couldn't).

'M' is a film of cause and effect. For every problem there is a solution...for every solution a motive...and contained within every motive is the benefit of someone somehow. There are no heroes...there are no villains...there are simply the viewers' personal answers to social questions. Buy the end of the film you will ask yourself 'Wer ist der echte Morder?'

Story-----9
Look-----9
Acting-----8
Overall-----9

Star Trek (2009)

2009-05-10T12:53:00.001-07:00

Review by Junior

Directed by J.J. Abrams

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Zoe Saldana, Ben Cross, Winona Ryder, Bruce Greenwood and Eric Bana.

The classic movie and tv series has been given new life by director J.J. Abrams. For years, as the original Star Trek cast aged and fattened and their Next Gen replacements did not exactly light up the box office, Paramount has tinkered with the idea played out here: Kirk, Spock and McCoy as Starfleet cadets on their first mission, meeting for the first time and beginning their historic adventures. For years, Trek fans resisted the idea, saying you cannot recast those iconic roles and find that mysterious chemistry the original crew had. Now, after several Trekless years the studio has done it and have proven the fans wrong! This new, mostly unknown, cast is perfectly matched and by far the best thing about the new Star Trek.

The film begins with a bit of Trek history concerning Kirk's parents and his birth, then jumps to a scene of Kirk as a boy misbehaving in Iowa. Within 15 minutes, we are up to young, rebellious Kirk as he is recruited to join Starfleet by Captain Pike (well-played by Bruce Greenwood), then-captain of the newly christened USS Enterprise. Abrams parellels these scenes of Kirk's rebellious youth with Spock's troubles on Vulcan, not fitting in due to his dual human and Vulcan parentage, and his ultimate decision to join Starfleet as well.

Suffice it to say all the main characters are introduced along the way---McCoy, Sulu, Chekov, Uhura, and finally Scotty. They are all given a few moments to shine along the way. Together with Kirk and Spock, these characters have always been at the heart of the appeal of Star Trek, and the producers, if nothing else, have done a masterful job of assembling a group of very appealing, young actors to fill these roles. They also effectively balance adventure, humor and camaraderie to make this a very promising first outing, hopefully the first of many.

There are other pleasures to be had in the film, particularly for Trek fans. The inside references, the ill-fated red shirt, Bones' usual asides about "green blooded hobgoblins," Scotty and Chekov's accents, Pike's (revised) fate...well, the director and producers did something right for the film to be as enjoyable and promising as it is despite its story shortcomings.

That being said, the adventure plot itself is a mess. The villain, Nero, is unappealing and kind of stupid. The story doesn't hold together well and there are plot holes big enough to fly a Constitution class starship through. Although the creators of Trek have never (remotely) been slavishly devoted to science, they often based their ideas on scientific theories, or when they contradicted science they at least made some effort to give the audience some gobbledegook explanation why whatever they were doing was possible. The writers of this Star Trek, however, seem to not care or simply not understand basic science concepts, specifically the difference in a black hole and a wormhole.

OTOH, the creators did throw a bone to the diehard Trekkies who might kvetch at the contradictions in established Trek lore here. Any such inconsistencies can be explaned due to the time travel/changing history nature of this plot. Everything from this point forward is an alternate, "parellel universe" to the one established in the original Trek. Not really an issues for the new fans this movie hopes to attract, but they obviously want to appeal to their base as well.

Overall, a very enjoyable and promising beginning. Unfortunately, according to IMDB, the same writers are working on the sequel. Fortunately, I anticipate the same cast to return.

Story---5
Acting---8
Look---9
Overall---7

2009-04-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

Black Sheep (2006/I)

'Black Sheep' is a film that really took me by surprise!

I had written several paragraphs about how unnecessary special affects are ruining cinema but I read it felt that it was really preachy...

Check out Black Sheep. This is the best B-Movie I have seen in quite some time. It was produced in the same vein as early Peter Jackson (Bad Taste, Dead Alive) and was coincidentally done in the same country (New Zealand). The film follows a young man (Henry) suffering from OVINAPHOBIA (an irrational fear of sheep) as he returns to his childhood home to take back ownership of the family sheep farm. There he reuintes with his brother (Angus) who has been conducting strange experiments on the resident sheep.

The flick was suprisingly entertaining and a refreshing change of pace from your average "horror stinker". It was well shot, well casted, and had a nice balance of horror affects and comedic undertones. This is no Shaun of the Dead but certainly worth the 87 minutes. Check out the Trailer below and feel free to contact me if you'd like to watch the full film!

One Missed Call (2008)

2009-02-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

American remake of Japanese original Chakushin Ari (2003)
Directed by Eric Valette
Starring Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, Ana Claudia Talancon, Azura Skye and Ray Wise.

Review by Junior.

Well, that's 87 minutes I'll never get back.

Story---1
Acting---1
Look---2
Overall---1

Vintage Foreign Flick: Fear of Fear

2009-02-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

AKA "Angst vor der Angst," directed and co-written by Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Released 1975.
Film is in German with English subtitles.

SYNOPSIS: On the eve of the birth of her second child, hausfrau Margot finds herself the victim of her own anxieties.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

I'm a fan of retro foreign flicks. Starting with the French and Italian New Wave, these films began to explore human emotions, the impact of a human on his surroundings and the impact of surroundings on the state of human beings. Although made in the 1970s, "Fear of Fear" continues in that vein and explores the emotions and mental instability of Margot.

At the start of the film, Margot begins to feel strange emotions and paralyzing anxiety just before the birth of her second baby. She becomes gradually worse after the birth, feeling hopeless as a housewife. Her family doctor writes her prescription for Valium and tells her she is more sensitive than most people. Great diagnosis, doc.

Margot is alone all day with the baby. She considers pulling her 4 year-old daughter out of kindergarten to have her at home for company out of loneliness. At the same time, she must put up with a kind yet self-absorbed husband who is constantly busy studying for his degree, plus his bitchy sister and heavy-handed mother who live in separate apartments upstairs.

Margot has no one to talk to, except one unusual neighbor, the mentally ill Herr Bauer. This neighbor can see what Margot is going through and reaches out to her on the street, but she rebuffs him as being "a strange man."

Instead, Margot goes uncounseled and untreated, until she finds a connection for more sedatives. She later ends up having a near-suicidal experience which finally wakes up her husband to the fact that she needs real treatment.

The film is shot in a simple, straightforward way. However, there are times that Fassbinder creatively inserts a visual barrier between husband and wife, such as an ordinary table lamp, to illustrate their emotional barrier. The director uses dramatic string music to illustrate when Margot is experiencing an episode of anxiety or panic. He also uses a subtle ripple effect across the screen, most likely achieved by placing a piece of glass in front of the camera lens and turning it to make the room go just slightly wavy.

I liked that Fassbinder was respectful of Margot's character and showed real tenderness toward her mental illness. Even when Margot placed herself in compromising situations or went through difficult times, Fassbinder did not exploit the character or the actress by shooting graphic scenes. Sometimes less IS more.

Story: 8
Acting: 7
Shooting: 7

I recommend this as a rental during a foray into New Wave or other emotional European films. It makes for a nice psychological, character study.

A Rolling Stones Double Feature

2009-02-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

"GIMME SHELTER" - filmed and directed by David and Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin. Released 1970.

AND

"SHINE A LIGHT" - directed by Martin Scorsese. Released 2008.

Both films star: The Rolling Stones

REVIEW by CINEMAGIRL:

I actually watched these films two nights in a row, which was a great experience. I enjoyed being able to immediately compare them, and it was fun watching the old dudes rocking it in concert in the Scorsese film after seeing them so young in the Maysles Brothers' film.

My viewing began with "Gimme Shelter." The film, shot in 1969, opens with Mick kicking off a rockin' show in NYC, featuring some excellent candid shots (all on 16mm, of course) of the bandmates and concertgoers. No one "plays to the camera" - the faces and emotions are very real and the crowd is enthralled.

The concert footage cuts to the studio, where Mick and the band (particularly Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts) are viewing the actual concert footage that is to be used in the documentary. Throughout the film, the Maysles bring us back to this scene to catch the band's reactions to different events.

The story quickly picks up with the Stones' preparation for a huge, free concert planned in San Francisco. The film builds in anticipation of the event, which is eventually chosen to be held at Altamont Speedway, outside the city. Eventually, 300,000 people make the nomadic trek to the track, in VW buses and station wagons, carrying babies, walking dogs and hauling in loads of illegal drugs. The Hells Angels also roar in on their motorcycles, making for an unusual combination of concert-goers.

The Maysles expertly capture the momentum building up to the show, and the chaos that ensues when the leftovers of the now-defunct Haight-Ashbury hippie center in San Francisco trip out and collide with the angry, alcoholic biker gang. It's no secret - a gun-toting concert attendee gets stabbed to death by a Hells Angel right in front of the stage. And the Maysles, who seem to have their eyes fixed everywhere, capture it on film.

The filmmakers did a wonderful job making this documentary both visually stunning and emotional. Candid emotions of the band are particularly well captured during a scene where the Stones are listening to their recording of "Wild Horses." This scene, with its long, slow shots, no cuts, and the lack of dialogue, allow the filmmakers to peer inside their main characters and make them real.

The Maysles' footage of the sea of people at the concert, and the eerie, post-apocalyptic vibe of the morning after the show - with fans spilling out over the golden hills and hiking back to the road, back to the real world - works wonderfully.

In contrast, "Shine A Light," by Martin Scorsese, is essentially a big, glossy music video. Scorsese did a great job wiring up the Beacon Theatre so as to capture the Stones, live - in their 60s - and in concert, at every possible angle and vantage point.

Scorsese brought in three cranes, mounted a floating camera over the audience and had countless camera people onstage to capture each of Mick's gyrations and Keith's guitar pick tosses to the crowd. The footage is beautiful, shot in crystal-clear 35 mm film, with an attuned eye. However, this film lacks the emotion and storytelling of "Gimme Shelter."

"Shine A Light" uses a minimum of archival Stones footage. There are four or five short moments, in between songs, where we see Mick or Keith giving an old black-and white-interview. I realize, the film is about the concert, but it failed to make the Stones "real" for me.

Scorsese also stars in the beginning and end of the film. At the opening, we see him being the frantic director; pleading with Mick and producers for a set list so he will know which order the songs will be performed in. It seemed slightly dramatized and unnecessary.

My favorite part of "Shine A Light" was the "supplemental featurette" contained on the DVD. This provides the viewer with far more insight than the big concert. There are shots of the band rehearsing backstage, BS-ing with blues legend Buddy Guy and fooling around together like the old pals that they appear to be. I wish more of the film was like this, and less of a 2-hour music video.

OVERALL:
Gimme Shelter - a 10 of a documentary - great shots, great story, very unique
Shine A Light - a 4 of a documentary - not much story going on - but as "live show" it gets a 9

I highly recommend seeing other Maysles Brothers films, such as "Grey Gardens." As for Scorsese, he should stick to his narrative niche.

*pictured above - Mick in the opening concert of "Gimme Shelter"

Funny Games

2009-02-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

Written and Directed by Michael Haneke

Starring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet and Devon Gearhart.

Review by Junior.

Funny Games starts with an artful overhead shot of a happy, affluent family driving to a their vacation home by a lake, over the strains of opera music, setting a cool, clean tone which is maintained throughout this carefully crafty, intense thriller. Things start going badly for our yuppy heroes (played by Tim Roth and Naomi Watts, who also was Executive Producer) and their young son.

Their happy vacation is invaded by Paul (Michael Pitt) and Peter (Brady Corbet), who insinuate themselves into the couple's home in a seemingly innocuous way, soon to reveal themselves to be serial sociopaths. Their home invasion is creepily polite and conversational, even while they are threatening, controlling and hurting the family.

The film masterfully maintains its cool, even tone, making the situation that much more threatening. The camera is often static, with characters wandering in and out of frame. This seems to be a stylistic choice at first, but is later revealed to have a more substantive reason behind it. The camera rarely catches any violence on-screen, in direct contradiction to recent gorefests such as Hostel, except for one or two notable exceptions.

Similar in premise, but miles away in tone from films such as The Last House on the Left, Funny Games overtly acknowledges its thriller tradition and what the audience expects of it. It both acknowledges, fulfills and consciously subverts the audience's expectations of such a film. As the movie goes on, the clues to the deconstructivist tendencies of the director become impossible to ignore, and may interfere with some viewer's enjoyment of what is otherwise a tight, visceral thriller which sticks in the memory long after it is over.

Not recognizing the director's name, and given the postmodern bent to the film, I assumed the film heralded a new talent I would be wanting to watch. After consulting IMDB, I found that I was totally wrong. The director's intelligence and artistry are due to the fact that he has foreign sensibilities, being German. Director Michael Haneke has been directing films in Austria and Germany for over 30 years. In fact, Funny Games is an English-language remake of his own 1997 version.

I highly recommend Funny Games for those of you who can both stomach a disturbing thriller and also enjoy talking about a film afterwards. There's more to chew on here than just what happens to this unfortunate family.

Story---7.5
Acting---7
Look---9
Overall---8

Milk

2009-01-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

This newest film from Gus Van Sant tells about the political uprising and assassination of the country's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk.

As a rarity for this blog, this is a review of a film IN THEATRES NOW!

Starring Sean Penn as Milk and Josh Brolin as Dan White, released 2008.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

"Milk" starts out with a bang and hooks the audience immediately. Even though we know the outcome of this historical tale, Van Sant tries his best to build the suspense leading up to the assassination of the lead character.

Harvey Milk was a community leader from a gay neighborhood in San Francisco who tirelessly ran for office until he was finally elected to serve on City Council in 1978. The gay community rallied behind him, as did his union allies and senior citizens.

Milk received death threats and harassing letters from people across the country. However, he did not predict that his open gayness and platform for gay issues - particularly defeating a proposition that would've forced gay teachers out of their jobs - would make him the target of a fellow city councilman.

Van Sant retells the story of Milk starting with the incredibly talented Sean Penn seated at his kitchen table recording a tape only to be listened to in the event of his assassination. We return to this safe location periodically throughout the action of the film.

Lots of historic film footage, from newscasts and beyond, was used to recreate The Castro (Milk's San Fran 'hood), the people, and the times. I find archival footage particularly effective in biopics and historical films. It really made an impact here, especially at the end of the film when we see the crowd of thousands lining the streets for a candlelight vigil in Milk's memory.

Penn pulls off an amazing performance and is really the best part of the film. He adopted Milk's accent and his effeminate gestures. Milk's relationships with two young men - much younger men - could have been displayed as purely sexual or callous in the hands of another actor, but Penn played Milk with constant sensitivity and never made him seem like a creepy older man with a 20-something boyfriend. Penn is nominated for a Golden Globe this year for this role.

Other highlights are the motley cast (mostly unknowns) assembled to portray the gay youth that served as Milk's campaign advisers and most dedicated volunteers.

For all its merits, "Milk" does not seem like a typical Van Sant film (Elephant, Drugstore Cowboy, Good Will Hunting) which some may consider a good thing, while other viewers will be disappointed. This film is more polished and mainstream in feeling and appearance, perhaps as to not distract the viewer from its biographical nature.

I highly recommend seeing it in the theatre while you can. I went on a weeknight and the theatre was packed. The audience actually applauded after the show.

LOOK: 7
ACTING: 9
STORY: 8

OVERALL: 8

Definitely, Maybe

2009-01-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

Written and Directed by Adam Brooks

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher, Rachel Weisz, Kevin Kline.

Synopsis: A separated father recounts for his daughter his romantic history, including how he met her mother, but with the names changed so that she has to guess which love interest is her mother.

Review by Junior.

Definitely, Maybe was a movie I started watching accidentally, with absolutely no expectations, which as you may know is a great way to watch a movie. I've had many a film spoiled by my own too-high expectations (see my Quantum of Solace review) and been pleasantly surprised by movies of which I had no or even low expectations. This was the latter situation and I found it entertaining, funny, sweet, and a moderately good sketch of how relationships start and end, what goes on in between, and how we look back and regret missed opportunities or bad decisions.

Ryan Reynolds plays the father, clean shaven here but with the same sarcastic charm that made him appealing as a smart-ass action guy in Smoking Aces and, particularly, Blade: Trinity. Abigail Breslin plays his daughter, the eager audience for her dad's love story, trying to pick up clues and predict which love interest will turn out to be her mom in the end. Breslin continues to be very sweet and engaging, as she was in Little Miss Sunshine and No Reservations.

Reynolds' love interests are an appealing mix of different types of women, played by no-names (to me), except for his first girlfriend, played by Elizabeth Banks, who seems to show up everywhere. I also found it interesting that Reynolds' character is involved behind the scenes in politics as a career, at least for the first half of the film, but it is mostly incidental to the plot. One rarely sees politically active policy wonks as characters in a film that isn't about politics.

Of course, there's a happy, or at least hopeful ending, as you might expect. If you have a little time to kill I think you'll find it a pleasant, romantic, funny movie. I just hope this review doesn't have your hopes too high.

Story---6
Acting---6
Look---5
Overall---6

Fargo Goes Far

2009-01-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

In contrast to my good associates review of "Burn After Reading" I thought I should review "Fargo", a movie that, like "The Shining" has become a winter tradition in this household. I will note that this is the third Coen Brother's movie to be reviewed here, maybe it's coincidence, or we just happen to enjoy their movies.

So "Fargo" begins with a simple slate telling us this is a true story and only the names have been changed. Only a "true" story could be strange enough to be believable. We find Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), a overly in debt car salesman attempting to pull off a scheme that involves the kidnapping of his wife and large amounts of ransom money from is gruff father-in-law Wade Gustafson (Harve Presnell). The idea is that his wife won't get hurt, he'll pay the kidnappers the $40K he promises them (plus a new car) AND he'll keep a hefty sum that Wade will THINK the kidnappers want for his wife. A flawless plan...right?

Jerry is a simple man, who is in way over his head. Enter Carl (Steve Buscemi) and Gaear (Peter Stormare). A pair of underworld thugs who go together like the Odd Couple. After the two pull of the kidnapping of Jerry's wife all hell breaks loose on a North Dakota road as they return with Jerry's wife from Minneapolis. Carl tells Jerry "Blood has been shed," which creates quite the predicament for Jerry.

Well the rest of story slowly becomes uncovered by Chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand Oscar Winning Role), a dead pan, pregnant police chief who really doesn't excite too easily. Her matter-a-fact attitude is a wonderful character to follow as the story unfolds and the bad guys are chased.

This film really has stood the test of time for story telling. It's still fun and the characters are each so distinct. At times they are (on purpose I'm sure) very comical. Fargo, is meant to be a dark comedy, and the reason that works is because the Coen Brothers have created not characters but caricatures of people we've met...especially from the upper mid-west. The story line flows from one scene to another as you watch each person begin to crack on the pressure of the kidnapping, the money and, well, being in North Dakota. Marge is our solid base. She's that "good" motherly person (how can forget...she's pregnant through the entire film) that can make all the "bad guys" feel guilty about how they've behaved.

The shooting on this movie is done by Cinematographer extraordinaire Roger Deakins, whom the Coen Brothers tend to use on most of their films. The Dakota snow-scapes are beautiful. You can feel the cold, the emptiness, the want to be indoors. One of my favorite shots is watching Jerry walk back his car in an otherwise empty parking-lot. The camera is high above and everything is white except for the curbed islands and Jerry's car. If you love good cinematography you should never miss a Deakins film.

Look- 9.5
Story - 8
Acting - 9

Burn After Reading

2008-12-31T07:30:00.000-08:00

Directed and Written by Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins

Review by Junior.

Joel and Ethan Coen are amazingly talented filmmakers who produce different kinds of movies, seemingly picking projects based on whatever strikes their fancy, and they adapt their filmic style and tone to the subject. One consistent aspect of their disparate films is the frequent use of a few actors, in this case Coen faves George Clooney and Frances McDormand. (Of course you could be fooled by Clooney's presence--you might think you're watching a Steven Soderburgh movie.)

Although I am always aware of the Coen brother's talent, I don't always love their films. I love Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Fargo, O Brother Where Art Thou?, and No Country For Old Men. Not so much Miller's Crossing, The Hudsucker Proxy and Intolerable Cruelty. I'm afraid Burn After Reading falls into the latter category. Good actors, interesting plot---eh.

Okay, the plot is about a couple of fitness club employees (Pitt and McDormand) who find a computer disc belonging to Malkovich which they believe contains top secret intelligence and their attempts at extorting money from someone (anyone!) in exchange for it. Meanwhile there is some bed-swapping among the characters, Clooney and Swinton included. All the characters are loopy or strange in some way, and the movie is sometimes funny, the plot is engaging...and there is the occasional shocking Coen brothers moment of violence.

The primary problem with the film is that none of the characters are really worth caring about. The most enjoyable, funniest and probably the nicest (if stupidest) character in the movie is Brad Pitt. Unfortunately, there is not enough of him. The rest of the characters are all silly, stupid, shallow, selfish or angry and amoral in their own ways, all flawed, and presented so evenly that the audience doesn't know who they are supposed to care about. Since none of the characters is especially sympathetic one ends up not caring about any of them.

So if we don't care about the characters, we are left with only the story to entertain us, and perhaps a devilish enjoyment of watching the plot machine, as it starts spinning, chew all these idiots up. Unfortunately, it's not enough. For a movie which depends so strongly on the plot the movie takes an odd sidestep at the end and does not directly show the culmination of the story. We are told what happened by a third party, which is kind of funny but ultimately unsatisfying.

Story---7, for quirky originality
Acting---7
Look---6
Overall---6.75

Quantum of Solace

2008-12-29T20:09:00.001-08:00

Directed by Marc Forster. Starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright

Reviewed by Junior.

This is the second outing for Daniel Craig as 007, and the first direct sequel in the history of the franchise. This film picks up about 20 minutes after the end of the last. Bond is pursuing the vast evil organization called "Quantum," which was discovered in Casino Royale, but more importantly, he is out for (yawn) revenge!

As with the previous movie, an exciting action sequence---this time a car chase---opens the film. Unfortunately the quick cuts in which the scene is presented makes it completely impossible to follow. If we, as viewers, are to get the impression, the feeling, of a fast, dangerous car chase then the editing achieves its end. If we are supposed to be able to follow what, exactly, is going on in the car chase, then it doesn't. The second action sequence in the film--a chase across rooftops---is nearly as incomprehensible as the first.

When I say the director, Marc Forster, may want to give the viewers an impression of an action sequence rather than a comprehensible action sequence I'm not being sarcastic. He's a bit of an artsy-fartsy director whose previous work includes The Kite Runner, Monster's Ball and Finding Neverland. Twice in the film action sequences are intercut (artfully) with other, parallel activities, and those sequences are stylish and effective.

The creative team goes to great lengths to make Quantum even more action packed than Craig's first outing, to its detriment. Bond's supporting cast is less interesting than in Casino Royale as well.

Casino Royale was a masterful balance of old Bond and reinvented Bond, with just the right mix of action, suave casual cool, beautiful locations, violence and sex. This movie sacrifices all the other elements for action, violence, and more action. Not that there's nothing else in the movie, but the scenes in between the action seem more like filler while they ready the stuntmen. The requirement of sexuality in a Bond film seems to particularly irk Forster. Bond gets laid only once, in a brief throwaway scene, and only takes off his shirt briefly (sorry ladies!) Bond spends the entire movie in Third World shitholes and never looks like he's having any fun at all. Usually, although he gets in tight spots, it always seems like it would be glamorous and cool to be Bond. Not in Quantum.

The film does contain a mildly witty homage to the 3rd original Bond outing, Goldfinger, with the girl left on Bond's bed. But even considering what the villain does to her, Mathieu Amalric is not very interesting and is too much of a lightweight to ever seem a real threat to Bond. The primary Bond girl, Olga Kurylenko, who also happens to be out for revenge(!), does not have any chemistry with Craig, nor do to they share the verbal sparring of Craig and his previous leading lady, Eva Green, although Kurylenko does finally achieve that which every Bond movie has claimed to do for about 20 years---she is a Bond girl that is Bond's equal, and not just a sex object. Just to drive the point home, Bond doesn't have sex with her.

Judi Dench and Jeffrey Wright are back as M and Felix Lighter, respectively, but have little of interest to do here. Lighter, like Bond, appears to be miserable and M and Bond don't have enough scenes together to take advantage of the crackling good energy between them evidenced in Casino Royale.

That's often the problem with movies about revenge. They take themselves way too seriously and take the fun out of the character(s) you've come to love. Craig is still terrific as Bond and I hope, now that we have the Bond prologue and the Bond revenge out of the way, that the next movie can hit the new series' stride with a good, solid Bond outing, confident in what Bond is now and what kind of movie series they want to deliver.

Story---5
Acting---7
Look---5
Overall---6

Casino Royale

2008-12-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Eva Green and Mads Mikkelsen.

Review by Junior.

I agree wholeheartedly with my esteemed colleague that Sean Connery was the best bond, B.C. B.C., of course stands for "before Craig," Daniel Craig that is. For years this once daring series had become more and more dated, jokey and unable to keep up with the action films which have supplanted it. This bold attempt at a reboot gets every note right, jettisoning what was holding Bond back and keeping enough of the flavor, the flair, the style and the sex to make this not just a Bond film, but a great Bond film.

Whereas Dr. No was the first Bond movie, Casino Royale is an adaptation of the first Bond novel, and details Bond's attainment of "double-oh" status and his first mission. He is described by M, played with fiery intellect here by Judi Dench, as a "blunt instrument," and at times he does seem to be. Young proto-Bond is arrogant, brash and impulsive, without the cool reserve one has come to expect from this character. This Bond is as likely to beat someone to death on a bathroom sink as shoot them, and often gets himself as beat up as John McClane in the process.

After the pre-title sequence, we are quickly treated to the best action scene in the film, an exciting foot chase of a suspect with incredible rabbit-like agility through jungle, a construction site, the streets of Uganda, and finally into an embassy. This kind of action you've never seen in a Bond film before and signals the kind of visceral intensity to which the creative team behind this new incarnation of the series obviously aspires. Some have criticized this level of action as unbecoming of a Bond film, but my feeling is that if they were adapting Fleming's books today, without the long filmic history, Bond would indeed be an action hero like this.

And the film does have enough traditional Bond elements to satisfy me, at least. Although he does run through the dirty streets of Uganda and beat bad guy butt in bathrooms, he also goes to swanky Casino Royale, playing cards with the best of them, and looking very suave in an excellently tailored tuxedo. He sleeps with a couple of fabulous women, maintaining his reputation as a world-class womanizer. He discovers a really good martini and finally finds that it's cool to announce his presence as "Bond, James Bond."

It is worth noting the nod here to Ursula Andress' emergence from the surf in Dr. No. Here the ladies get a treat (twice) of Bond in a form-fitting swimsuit. His body is also on display in a very brutal and inventive torture scene, a torture, BTW, that is in the original novel and could probably not have been portrayed on film in more conservative times.

The creative team also manages to have their cake and eat it too---a splashy, dramatic, destructive climax without having Bond infiltrate the bad guy's giant evil installation hidden inside a volcano and blowing it up.

Finally, the supporting cast is great. In addition to Judi Dench whom I've already mentioned, there is Geoffrey Wright as CIA agent Felix Lighter, black (again) and with legs---if you've seen Felix from previous films you'll know what I mean. Mads Mikkelsen as bad guy Le Chiffre is also appropriately slimy.

If this Bond reboot can maintain this impressive balance of style, action, sex and good acting we lapsed Bond fans will have something to truly cheer about: a Bond series we can look forward to for many years to come.

Story---8
Acting---7.5
Look ---7
Overall---8

Retro Review - Dr. No

2008-12-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

Dr. No is the first installment of the James Bond flicks. Starring Sean Connery (the best Bond ever) with an assortment of Bond Girls, including Urusla Andress.
Released 1962. Directed by Terence Young, from the novel by Ian Fleming.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

Dr. No sets the stage for an entire genre of suave, sexy spy movies. Although this first film in the 007 enterprise is fairly campy, due mainly to its age, it takes the viewer on a fun adventure lined with palm trees, bikini-clad bombshells, and a hairy Scotsman starring as Bond, James Bond.

Dr. No is hardly a serious film, but an entertaining adventure. Connery is dapper and sly as our favorite British spy. His dialogue is well written. The character of Bond makes a believable spy. When Bond arrives at the airport in Kingston, Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of an agent, he is offered a ride by chauffeur. But he immediately recognizes this as a ploy from the bad guys to catch him and kill him. As a smart spy, he rides along with the guy, attempts to get information out of him and then kills him, taking the body along to HQ for examination and removal.

In other, crappily made action-suspense movies the so-called spy would've gladly accepted the ride and been shocked and amazed that the driver was actually an evil henchman ready to nab him. Oooh! Surprise! Then he would've killed the henchman and left his body to rot in the sun, as if no one will stumble upon it on a populated island like Jamaica. Events like this in crappy movies always leave me with questions. What happened to the dead guy? Who found him? Surely he's not still there? (I'm a stickler for details.)

Bond's investigation leads him and an island native to Crab Key, home of the oddly Caucasian-looking "Chinese" Dr. No - and also the place where he meets Honey, the tanned Urusla Andress clad in her infamous white bikini, collecting seashells for sale in gift shops. Yes, that's actually what she claims to be doing.

Of course, the two get caught, have a meeting with Dr. No, some action and suspense ensues and they have to attempt an escape. You know the drill.

Interesting side note: Dr. No is the basis for Dr. Evil in the silly Austin Powers series.

Dr. No is a fun ride and a classic 007 movie. Some like the new movies better, with their high action, fancier gadgets and huge budgets, but I'm a fan of the retro '60s flicks, with all their style.

For an evening of mindless entertainment, rent Dr. No. Or, for an entire weekend, rent all Connery movies and sack out on the couch.

STORY: 6
LOOK: 8
OVERALL: 8 ...Come on, it's fun.

SPECIAL EVENT: We spent "An Evening With Don Hertzfeldt"

2008-11-13T19:25:00.001-08:00

I'm sorry if you missed out on the show, but man, was it great. This show at 19th Street Theatre included animated films that have already become Hertzfeldt classics (he's only 33), like "Billy's Balloon" and "Rejected Film". The night's special event was "I'm so proud of you", the sequel to "Everything will be OK".

Hertzfeldt is really showing a lot of narrative maturity with these two films (part three of this trilogy is still to come). He touches on the subtle nuances of being human. From those awkward moments when you spit out your gum in conversation, to those deep personal reflections on your own existence...or the existence of a manatee staring at you from your calendar. The film really takes you on a ride that's a psychological reflection of life, death and family. But somehow, as deep as this sounds, you never feel like you're diving into a place you don't want to be. Hertzfeldt does such a good job at gently taking us through an emotional cycle, that, inevitably, you feel like you have spent half the night laughing.

Now, as if all these wonderful animations were not enough, the cherry on top of the evening was a Q&A session with the man himself, Don Hertzfeldt. Questions ranged from the techincal process and narrative procedures to what has internet video done for his films and why doens't Hertzfeldt take on corporate gigs. Mr. Hertzfeldt was wonderfully well spoken and, which is all ways a pleasant surprise, very unpretentious and down to earth. There was no claim from himself of being someone special, or ridiculously talented. Instead, his only self-credit was that he worked very hard to make these films. And, knowing the process of traditional animation, he really does work tirelessly.

Bottom line is, if you missed hearing the man speak, you probably missed out on something special that won't return to the Lehigh Valley for a long time (although I hope that's not the case). But, please take the time to watch any Don Hertzfeldt film you can. All will make you laugh, and some will even make you reflect.

Upcoming Event: An Evening with Don Hertzfeldt at 19th Street Theatre

2008-11-07T06:55:00.000-08:00

The darkly funny animator Don Hertzfeldt will be at 19th Street Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 13 for a special screening of his bizarre and hilarious short films and Q&A session with the audience.

Hertzfeldt is known for his very traditional-yet-simply drawn pencil-on-paper animations that, while seeming innocent and cute at first, take you on a short trip down the path of the weird and disturbing. One such short film is "Billy's Balloon," a story about a little boy whose happy red balloon turns on him. It's hilarious for teens and adults, but probably a bit terrifying for children to imagine their balloon whacking them over the head or carrying them high above the city.

You can check out "Billy's Balloon" on YouTube.

Hertzfeldt and his films are currently touring cities across America, like NY, Chicago, LA, and.....Allentown, Pennsylvania? Actually, Allentown is his only stop in PA, so be sure to check out this special event.

Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Members pay $7.

www.civictheatre.com

Who's That Knocking At My Door

2008-10-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Directed by Martin Scorsese. Released 1969.
Starring: Harvey Keitel, in his first leading role, as J.R. and Zina Bethune as his unnamed girlfriend.

SYNOPSIS: J.R. is just a paesan from the block. He meets a sweet, intellectual girl on the Staten Island Ferry and they fall in love. But J.R. is a very strict Catholic and he loses his grip when he discovers the reality of his girlfriend's past.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

Welcome to the Old School Catholic meathead attitude of 1969. The rest of the youth across the country are listening to psychedelic rock and experimenting with drugs but J.R. is hanging out with his goombas, listening to earlier '60s soul music, wearing polished black shoes and going to church.

The film begins by immediately introducing us to a time and a place and a mindset. We see an older Italian woman hand-rolling dough, making a stromboli, and then serving it to a table full of children in a crowded New York apartment.

This film was released in 1969 when many films were being made in color, yet Marty shot this one in black and white. Maybe it was a budgetary decision for the young director, or an intentionally motivated creative decision, but either way, the B&W worked well. It transports the viewer to another, more old-fashioned time, which, despite it being the progressive sixties, is the kind of time that Italian Catholic J.R. is living in.

J.R. says there's a difference between girls and broads. Girls, you marry, but broads, you fool around with. Any girl worth marrying is not a broad. J.R. believes and even practices this double-standard. There is a great flashback sequence between J.R. and some naked bohemian chicks in an old factory building, featuring the song "The End" by The Doors. The scene abruptly ends with a jarring cut from the mystical, psychedelic sounds of Jim Morrison and company to the safe, clean, teeny-bopper soul music of the earlier 1960's, accompanied by footage of J.R. and his Girl walking down the street, dressed respectably.

J.R. loves his girlfriend and will not sleep with her because they aren't married. But his old-fashioned sexism places him in a Catch-22 when his Girl confesses that she was raped by a former boyfriend. Actually, she doesn't really confess it, in the sense that these words are never spoken. Instead, Scorsese cuts away from the Girl and J.R. having a serious chat in the kitchen to a shot of a big car turning off onto a dark, snowy country road in the woods. The entire scene takes place with only music as sound. There is no noise as she tries to run away or as the boyfriend smacks her around, until one final pealing scream. The scene cuts and takes us back to the Girl and J.R. in the kitchen. Still images from the haunting attack are used later on in different scenes as J.R. quietly recalls the story to himself.

J.R.'s reaction to learning that his girlfriend in "unpure" is a further part of the drama that I will not spoil for you.

The film ends with an incredible scene of religious zeal. Gyrating sixties soul music blares over the footage of dramatic crucifixes and Mary statues, adding a creepy, almost sexual fervor to J.R.'s obsession and passion with his religion.

This film definitely shows that Marty Scorsese developed his style early. The emotionally-driven usage of popular music along with slow-motion, dreamy dolly shots of characters engaging in real action are Marty-movie staples. The film also evokes the French New Wave films of the 1960's - from the black and white footage to the handheld camera movement, the flashbacks, plus the quiet reflection and deep and moody looks from the actors.

I highly recommend renting this virtually unknown film. The story was well-crafted, acted, directed and edited. Harvey Keitel plays a convincing lughead Italian chap, but this is probably one of his least creepy roles of all time.

STORY: 8.5
ACTING: 9
LOOK: 8

The small screen is (right now) mightier than the big screen...

2008-10-16T13:53:00.001-07:00

Once again, we've been sucked into the magic of television. It's election time and high sports season, so between the presidential debates and watching the Phillies kick ass on their way to the World Series, this blog, again, has gone on unofficial hiatus.

However, we're willing to take some public involvement in our next poll:

Who is your favorite director and why?

It sounds like the topic for a term paper, but try to keep your answers succinct. I know many of you cannot possibly choose one director, so it's OK if you list several. We will return when we have the time to watch movies!

Thanks for participating in our last poll. There was overwhelming support for Will Smith to play Obama and a surprising tie between Dennis Hopper and The Rock (you smart asses!) to play McCain. Let's hope that film NEVER gets made!

Chen Arts Show - 16 And A Movie

2008-10-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

We're using our space here at this blog to promote the Chen Arts Group Show happening Sat. and Sun. (Oct. 4-5) at 445-447 N. Seventh Street in A-town.

Some of the reviewers at this blog are loyal Chen Arts members who will also be exhibiting their work at the show. Please come out and SEE LOCAL ART! It is free, it is fabulous and it's good for you. What do you have to lose? The show features the original work, like paintings, sculpture and photography, of 16 area artists and a movie by two filmmakers...actually, not A movie, but three shorts. There will be snacks, drinks and music. Come mingle with the artists!

The rundown: 10-4 Sat. Oct. 4 and 12-2:30 Sun. Oct. 5 at 445-447 N. Seventh Street. Entrance is the big gray door on Liberty Street side.

The Stunt Man

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

Dir. Richard Rush

Starring
Peter O'Toole
Steve Railsback
Barbara Hershey

Rated R - 1980 - 131 mins

If this movie was a sport, I'd call it NASCAR. If this movie was on Wall Street, it would be the stock market. And, if this movie was a drug, it would most definitely be cocaine. Sometimes a movie will creep up on you, like that up hill part at the beginning of a roller coaster; "The Stunt Man" is that kind of a movie.

"The Stunt Man" is one of those "movies about making movies"...movie. Which, when done correctly, can be a lot of fun. Well, the twist in this film is that Cameron (Steve Railsback), a Vietnam vet on the run from the law, quite literally stumbles into a big budget film being shot by Eli Cross (Peter O'Toole). A recent death of the lead stunt man on the film set gives Cross the unique position to compromise Cameron into becoming his new stunt man in exchange for hiding him from the law.

Cross is intrigued by the mysterious background of the war veteran/drifter, and seems to love psychologically toying with him, and other crew members, in order to get the reactions for the film being shot. You get the impression that Cross, a sweet talking megalomaniac, only cares about one thing: getting the right shot on film.

The story is constantly going back and forth between the World War One movie being filmed and the real world of cameramen, make up artists, stunt men and all. The film has a strong theme of "what is reality?" There are also a bunch of allusions in the film to things like "Alice and Wonderland", and biblical stories, so if you enjoy that extra meat in a story you'll get a kick out of this one. You REALLY feel the up and down ride of the story. Is Cross willing to kill this stunt man for the perfect take? Is the lead actress in love with Cameron, or is it a front for the movie? By the end of the film your head is (rightfully so) spinning. But somehow I didn't find myself angry or frustrated at the story, I just enjoyed the ride.

I would strongly recommend this to those who enjoyed films such as "Day for Night", "8 1/2" or "Living in Oblivion".

ACTING - 7 (O'Toole is GREAT, every one else...eh. Cameron reminded of Mark Hamil)
STORY - 9
LOOK - 7

Transsiberian - not your ordinary choo-choo ride

2008-09-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

Released - 2008! I'm actually reviewing a NEW movie currently in theatres.
Directed by Brad Anderson
Starring Emily Mortimer as Jessie and Woody Harrelson as her husband Roy with an appearance by Ben Kinglsey speaking Russian.

SYNOPSIS: Do-gooders Roy and Jessie are on their way home from doing charity work in China and decide to take the Trans-Siberian Railroad all the way from Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean to Moscow - a 6 day journey by train. On the way, the couple encounters some untrustworthy characters and becomes unwittingly drawn into danger.

REVIEW by CINEMAGIRL:

If you've ever spent a decent amount of time on a train, anywhere in the world, you know how foreign a feeling it is to be rocking across backwoods countryside and the gritty sides of towns with the only familiar surroundings being your traveling companions and the other passengers. It's kind of like traveling through space. Everything is a new frontier.

Traveling on the Trans-Siberian through thousands of miles of tundra, small towns and emptiness would certainly have a time capsule effect on the passengers. They only exist at this time, together, on this train, drinking vodka and smoking incessantly. In this environment Roy and Jessie meet their bunkmates Carlos and Abby, a mysterious young couple traveling the world together. Abby is quiet and moody but the Spaniard, Carlos, is friendly and outgoing and interested in learning more about the American travelers.

When Roy and Jessie become separated at a railroad station, Jessie is left alone on the train with Carlos and Abby. She learns more about them, to the point where she uncovers details it would be safer not to know. Eventually Roy is reunited with the distraught Jessie, who annoyingly will not open up to her husband and tell him the truth about what occurred in the 24 hours they were separated.

The couple continue on their journey and have some thrilling, terrifying misadventures in the corrupt "wild west" that is former-Soviet Russia before their train ride comes to an end. I would elaborate more but it would spoil the plot.

The description I read of this film before going to see it at 19th St. Theatre this weekend did not give me the impression that this story would be so action-packed, but it is. A good chunk of this film is suspenseful, parts of it delve into paranoia and fear like "Crime and Punishment" and the last hurrah feels like an action movie.

The cinematography is well done, showing us the open, frosty-white landscape of Siberia and the raucous drunken nights (and days) spent on a train with a host of travelers from Russia and beyond. However, there are no spectacular shots or techniques tested out in this film. It is simply good filming.

The actors do a good job portraying their characters, though Jessie's (Mortimer) lack of honesty at times was annoying. I think if most people were threatened with a deadly weapon they would consider spilling their guts.

Roy (Harrelson) was well acted, but the character seemed a little typical - nice Christian guy, likes trains like a little kid, talks a lot, is overly-friendly. It felt overboard at moments.

Overall, I would recommend renting this film. There's no need to rush out and see it in the theatre unless you're planning a Trans-Siberian journey yourself, comrades. The action was fun, the story had a nice twist and the scenery was great.

STORY: 7
ACTING: 7.5
LOOK: 8
Overall: 7.5 - Worth a rental.

The Invasion (2007) --- A Review with Stray Thoughts

2008-09-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel

Based on Body Snatchers (novel) by Jack Finney
Starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam and Jeffrey Wright.

Reviewed by Junior

I love the Body Snatchers premise. There have been four movies based on Jack Finney's book, and I've enjoyed them all. I'm sure Hollywood would have just made sequels if they could, but the structure of the story would make that very difficult.

Jack Finney also wrote a wonderful time travel book called Time and Again. Fanciful and romantic and above all else well researched, this book is, among other things, a fascinating travelogue of New York City during the early 1900's, replete with lots of photos. Uses the no-tech time travel method borrowed for the sappily romantic Somewhere in Time.

The first adaptation, of course, was the black-and-white Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) directed by Don Siegel. The second, and best, version was Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), directed by the fabulous Phillip Kaufman and starring Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, and Brooke Adams. After that they started changing up the name. There was Body Snatchers (1993), directed by Abel Ferrarra with Meg Tilly and Forest Whitaker, set mostly on an army base. Now we have the other half of the title, The Invasion, starring the always lovely and talented Nicole Kidman.

The star of the 1956 original, Kevin McCarthy, has a cameo in the 1978 version as the crazy man warning of doom on the street.

Veronica Cartwright, who has raised stressed-out panic to an art form in itself, is in both the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers and this new one.

Kidman plays Dr. Carol Bennell, a psychiatrist in Washington, D.C., a single mom who dispenses pills to make people feel better. This "feel better" aspect is important in the film because---unlike previous incarnations of Body Snatchers---this movie is not an allegory about creeping Communism, or some other group or movement; it is a heavyhanded rumination on the violence and discord of mankind and what price we might be willing to pay to all live in peace, as one. This drum is beaten repeatedly and loudly throughout the movie. Couldn't they have made this alien threat a metaphor for Scientologists?

Kidman looks hot in a thin tee shirt and diaphanous white pajama bottoms 5 minutes into the movie, getting her son's breakfast ready. I've always found her surprsingly sexy, despite her being thin and pale, not my usual type, as well as a terrific actress. I first noticed her in Dead Calm, before she had hooked up with the dwarfish Cruise.
I am one of only 7 people in the world who liked Eyes Wide Shut.

Dr. Bennell's child, I guess, is intended to add an original twist to the Body Snatchers dynamic. Her need to save him is her motivating force, therefore the boy is placed in jeopardy constantly throughout the film, which never works for me. I can suspend my disbelief when the star of the movie is in peril, even though I know in the vast majority of Hollywood movies he/she will be fine, but when a child's put in jeopardy---I can count on one finger the number of times in a major movie where a child actually dies or has something irreversibly terrible happen to them. Didn't work for me in Aliens either, despite loving everything else about it.

Hunky Daniel Craig plays Kidman's love interest, Dr. Ben Driscoll. Amazingly, she wants to "just be friends," obviously not having seen him yet as James Bond, which makes him completely irresistible to just about every woman on the planet, who will immediately flop onto their backs in his presence. One of Driscoll's scientist co-workers is the incomparable Jeffrey Wright, completely wasted here.

Daniel Craig and Jeffrey Wright also appear together in the Craig's first two bond films, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Wright has assumed the role of CIA agent Felix Lighter, who, in previous incarnations of Bond films was sometimes white, sometimes black, and got his legs eaten off by sharks.

The seed pods seen in the previous three incarnations of Body Snatchers are here replaced by microscopic spores which are disseminated when an infected person hocks up a big green loogie. This is effective because the viscous snot can be put into drinks to infect people, or, when the snatched feels particularly aggressive, just projectile vomited in someone's face. This serves the dual purpose of dispensing with the need to cart around huge seed pods and put them in beds with people while they sleep and making the movie more actiony.

Unfortunately, action is not what I want from a Body Snatchers flick. The slow, creeping menace of these pod people who walk and talk and look human, but are strangely deadpan and lifeless, has always been the threatenting thing in these films. That, paired with the wonderful conceit that if you don't want to be assimilated you have to stay awake has always been the most effective aspect of these films. Sleep---which you can only put off so long. It's a very compelling device because we've all been there at some point, whether it was when you were driving, strung out from taking care of a new baby or cramming for an exam, we all know what that feels like and that, ultimately, sleep will win.

Avoiding sleep, of course, is also one of the important aspects of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and equally effective in that movie. In the first one, before the series decided Freddy was a great comedian, the nightmare was truly terrifying.

The creepy tension you usually expect in a Body Snatchers adaptation gives way to power walking and molotov cocktails and helicopters in the end, unfortunately. I know modern screewriting dictates that the last third of the movie needs to ramp up the action, but it doesn't work for some films and leaves me cold here. Add to that the fact that this movie uses a deus ex machina (literally) when the proper ending for a Body Snatchers movie is one of defeat for our protagonists, and you've got a heavyhanded film with very little real tension and three good actors wasted.

Look---5
Acting---6
Story---3

Cat People (1982)

2008-09-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

Directed by Paul Schrader
Music by Giorgio Moroder
Starring Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O'Toole

"An erotic fantasy about the animal within us all."

Review by Junior

Whenever the subject of "guilty pleasures" comes up, Paul Schrader's 1982 remake of Val Lewton's 1942 classic Cat People pounces to mind. Guilty because of the loopy concept, the copious amounts of non-gratuitous sex and the bloody panther attacks. Yet the movie's hotness, style, music and actors make it a pleasure.

The movie opens to drums and synth strains. Orange sand blows away revealing human skulls. A young girl is tied to a lone tree in the rocky, alien landscape and left there for a stalking panther, who approaches her and then---embraces her?

After the dreamlike opening we are introduced to Irena (Nastassja Kinski), immediately after her arrival in America from the unnamed, mysterious realm of the prologue. She has come to New Orleans to see her brother, Paul (Malcolm McDowell.) We see their reunion and learn some backstory. It seems Irena has come to America to be with her brother to sort out the problem of their unique family history.

Irena and Paul come from a clan of werepanthers, but unlike their lupine cousins who change when the moon is full, Irena and her ilk change after having sex and can only revert back to human form by killing. This is a problem because they are perpetually horny, apparently. There is one solution, however, which Paul favors---if brother and sister do it, they don't turn, proving the old adage "Incest is best! Put your sister to the test!" But while Irena is not happy about her feline side, she is reticent to make the beast with two backs with her loving brother. McDowell effectively establishes a mysterious and slightly threatening persona so that we, as an audience, are not quite sure whether he means his sister good or ill. Add to that the fact that, after their initial reunion night, Paul disappears. It seems seeing his comely sister was too much for him and he had to go out into the night and get him a little action.

Irena explores New Orleans and meets Oliver (John Heard), the curator of the New Orleans zoo. He takes the shivering and soaking wet Irena under his wing, naturally, and feeds her oysters, as any red-blooded American man would to a sexy, puffy lipped European babe like Kinski, despite the fact that he already has a sexy, big-bosomed American girlfriend named Alice (Annette O'Toole.)

I won't go through the whole plot. Suffice to say there are two love triangles established. Oliver---Irena---Alice and Paul---Oliver---Irena. Will Oliver sleep with Irena and get disemboweled by the cat while he lies is post-coital bliss? Will Paul kill Oliver and have his way with his sister? Will Alice claw Irena's eyes out herself? The triangle comes to a head (or a point, I guess) in the famous scene from Val Lewton's original, recreated here almost shot-for-shot, where Alice is stalked while walking through a park at night, moving from pools of light from the street lamps through the darkness in between as she becomes more and more sure that Irena, in cat form, is about the pounce.

The music by Giorgio Moroder is terrific, moody and atmospheric, establishing a smooth and sexy undercurrent throughout the film. The closing song by David Bowie is great, with lyrics appropriate to the film. The acting is first rate, despite the silly material. The actors take it all seriously enough. McDowell is in fine form, horny, threatening and mysterious, not yet having fallen completely into the mad villain role he now phones in constantly. Kinski is coquettish and beautiful, and naked more often than not. As always, John Heard plays a great everyman. Around the time of this movie he went from being a big actor in small films (see Chilly Scenes of Winter, Cutter's Way, Between the Lines, no really---see them) to being a small actor in big films (such as Big and the Pelican Brief). Sympathetic and yet surprisingly callous, he makes no bones or apologies to Alice about the fact that he is clearly chasing some Irena tail. Annette O'Toole shows her amazing ability to float without treading water, and you gotta give a hand to Ed Begley, Jr. as one of the zoo workers.

The movie establishes a dreamlike mood, effectively maintaining a feeling that this insane idea is plausible. Sensual, mysterious, and spooky New Orleans is the perfect backdrop for this sexy, violent, entertaining fantasy where everybody gets laid, some people get hurt and/or die, some people turn into cats and nobody wears underwear. I changed my mind. I'm not guilty about this. I love this movie. So there!

Look---8
Acting---8
Story---6

We're Baaaack! (and with a New Review)

2008-09-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay. This blog seemed to go on hiatus this summer. Between vacation, the Olympics, the DNC and the RNC, there was just too much good television going on to catch any movies. However, CINEMAGIRL happened to watch a good rental last night and here's her view......

AWAY FROM HER
Released 2007, Directed by actress Sarah Polley
Starring: Julie Christie as Fiona Anderson and Gordon Pinsent, as her husband Grant.
Based on the short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain"

REVIEW by CINEMAGIRL:

This film was beautiful in scenery and in story. Away From Her takes place in the snow-covered north of Canada where Fiona and Grant live out their days at a lovely (frozen) lakeside cottage.

It is apparent early on that Fiona is struggling with memory loss. Not just "Oh, damn! Where did I put my keys?" She has forgotten how to pronounce some words and she has gotten lost on her daily cross-country ski. She and Grant quickly realize that she must have an evaluation to figure out what's going on.

As it turns out, Fiona is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. She makes the bold decision to move out of her cottage and away from her husband to a personal care facility. This is the foundation for all drama in the film.

The devoted Grant continually visits his wife only to find her changed each time. At first she flippantly dismisses him like a casual acquaintance, then her character changes and she goes through some personal struggles. Her tireless husband keeps trying to reach out to her and understand what she's going through.

Julie Christie's transformation throughout the film is so subtle, yet it makes an impact. Slight changes in her speech, or appearance, or the lack of focus in her eyes tell us fully how this character has descended into the painful and confusing world of memory loss. It is easy to see why Christie was nominated Best Actress for this role at the 2007 Academy Awards.

Up and coming director Sarah Polley, who adapted the story for the screen, carefully wove scenes between the recent past and present to continually give the audience new tidbits of information along Fiona's progression. She also used grainy, old Super-8mm looking sequences to show young Fiona, her young husband Grant and brief snippets of scenes from their life and his career as a professor.

The film also contains beautiful scenery of the snow-covered Canadian landscape. It's open barreness seems fitting for a story about the stark reality of Alzheimer's.

STORY: 8.5
LOOK: 8.5
ACTING: 10

Funny Ha Ha...not so much

2008-07-21T13:33:00.001-07:00

"Funny Ha Ha" is one of the first films of the "mumblecore/Slackavetes" movement of ultra-low budget films made by young, blossoming filmmakers about the seemingly mundane moments of life.

Directed and Written by Andrew Bujalski, 2002.
Starring...let's face it, no one you've heard of.
The director plays a supporting role.

Review by CINEMAGIRL:

The story centers around Marnie, a 24 year-old who is in between jobs and looking for love with the wrong guy. She parties like a college kid but decides that it's time to take charge of her life.

Like other Slackavetes films (see also my review for Hannah Takes the Stairs) this film is shot in real locations using real, sometimes annoyingly juvenile, dialogue and real people - many of which are involved in the film in some other capacity, such as sound or cinematography. The identifying factor of these films is the low, low budget and lack of action. That's not to say nothing happens, it's just that the drama in these films surrounds a minute part of life. Remember when you were just out of college and finding a roommate or buying a car felt like such a huge challenge? These are the kinds of conflicts that befall characters in Slackavetes films.

Back to Funny Ha Ha, the title is not exactly fitting. I didn't find any part of the film that really made me laugh. That's not to say that the film failed it's objective. I hardly felt it was supposed to be a comedy.

Marnie has bad taste in guys, she's struggling to get a foothold at a real career, and finally, through a personal blow, she decides to get her life in order. She makes a to-do list and starts scratching off items like "try to quit drinking for a month," or "spend more time outdoors." Actually, I thought the film ended rather abruptly before we were able to see Marnie achieve more of these personal goals and transform herself a little more. More time could've been spent on these objectives.

Overall, it's rather impressive this film is as good as it is when you realize the director/writer/editor - Bujalksi - was 24 when he made it. It looks a lot like a student film but contains originality. I would give the director an A for Effort, but overall, this film did not captivate me. Now that he has matured, I'd be interested in seeing this film re-made, or at least, the concept taken a little further.

LOOK: 6
ACTING: 6.5
STORY: 6.5

Worth a rent if you want to see what new film styles have emerged in recent years, but don't expect greatness. It will be interesting to see what this filmmaker does in years to come. I think he has good ideas.

2 Days in Paris

2008-06-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

"2 Days in Paris" is the story Marion and Jack, a French expatriate and her whiny American boyfriend, spending two days in the City of Lights at the end of a European journey where they encounter her wacky family, friends and exes.

Written and Directed by actress Julie Delpy, who also stars in the film.
Starring Delpy as Marion and Adam Goldberg as Jack.
Released: 2007

REVIEW by Cinemagirl:

"2 Days in Paris" will seem familiar to anyone who has ever spent time in a country where they could not understand the language or fully grasp the culture.

Essentially, this problem lays the groundwork for all the action in the film. Jack, played by Adam Goldberg, spends two days in Paris with his girlfriend. The entire time they are surrounded by her crazy parents, an obese cat, strange artsy types, and a host of men who once dated Marion or at least had some sort of liaison with her.

The film is rife with French and American stereotypes, but it makes for a cute date movie. Nearly all the French people in the film talk about sex and the American tourists in the film are seen wearing Bush-Cheney '04 t-shirts. I don't think the people who even voted for them would dare wear those shirts to Paris. Being the "mean New Yorker" Jack deliberately gives the tourists incorrect directions to the Louvre so he can take their cab.

Throughout the film, Jack understands very little French and has no idea what anyone is saying. He misconstrues the meaning of the frequent kisses and friendly touches abundant in the French culture and suspects Marion of being involved with various men. Also, Jack is continuously confused because Marion will have lengthy conversations, even screaming fights, with former lovers and family members and yet never let Jack in on what is being discussed. Adam Goldberg's facial expressions and line delivery are great in this role of frustrated Jack.

Julie Delpy does a good job in several long scenes where she must simultaneously converse, in many cases, argue, in two languages. She also narrates the film from time to time.

The cinematography in this film is very loose. Most of it is handheld with natural light. It makes Paris very real and welcoming and not as austere and forbidding as films of yore or textbooks make it seem.

The opening of the film pulled me in. It begins with Marion and Jack asleep on a train coming into Paris. Marion narrates and amateur travel snapshots illustrating their European journey, up to this point, are seamlessly cut into the film.

Overall, I liked it and would recommend renting this movie. It's basically a romantic comedy, only without the stilted dialogue. Besides, it's only half in French so you only have to read subtitles half the time!

STORY: 7.5 - It was cute and original.
ACTING: 8 - Delpy and Goldberg made a believable couple. The crazy parents, especially the dad that keys cars parked on the curb, was a nice treat.
LOOK: 7.5 - the more real the better
OVERALL: 7.5

Scarecrow - 1973

2008-06-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

Max Millan and Francis "Lion" Delbuchi are two drifters that some how meet up on the open road. Max, a recent convict, invites Lion onto a journey from California to Pittsburgh where he plans to open a car-wash.

112 min - Rated R - Dir. by Jerry Schatzberg (see Panic in Needle Park), Starring Gene Hackman as Max & Al Pacino as "Lion"

Review by LEWIS

First of all I would like to say, it is absolutely shocking to me that a worm hole didn't open up and suck the universe into oblivion when Al Pacino and Gene Hackman were put together in an intimate buddy movie such as this. Wow! My god, these are two of the greatest American actors to grace the screen.

With that said, this was a great movie. And it was very much an "actor's" movie. These two characters will remind you a little of George and Lenny from Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". Max (Gene Hackman) is a seasoned, gruff man who proudly wears a chip on his shoulder. He has become a wise man of street smarts, but has lost his ability to laugh. That's where Francis (or "Lion" as Max decides to call him) comes in. He's a little too naive, a little too trusting, but he's the funny guy. He doesn't like things to get too serious, and as soon as they do he'll find a joke in it.

Well this makes for a great buddy movie. Each character needs the other to balance things out. So we go on a cross country journey with the pair where we wind up in dive bars, Colorado work prisons, diners and other places full of grit and grime. It's great a great ride.

As I said before, the corp of the film is the buddy story and I don't know if I've seen it done so well. The characters seem so real, and the emotional ride the two go through would be an actors dream.

I don't really want to get into the scarecrow thing, because it's a really nice part of the film that should be experience when you watch it. Just know that the title is appropriate.

I highly recommend this movie if you love either of the actors, or you're a fan of buddy flicks. Honestly, if you like things like the Lethal Weapon series you love the play between these two ruffians.

ACTING - 9.75 (I really considered a 10...it's close to being worth it)
STORY - 8.5
LOOK - 8 (some real good scenic shots, but other things are not so special)

Clean

2008-06-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

This film follows Emily through the drug-overdose death of her rocker husband, loss of custody of her son, and her attempts to work hard, get clean, and start a new life that will allow her to have her son back.

Directed by Olivier Assayas, Frenchman who most recently directed a short in Paris Je t'aime and directed Irma Vep.
Stars Maggie Cheung as Emily and Nick Nolte as her father-in-law Albrecht.
Released 2004. In English, Chinese and French (with subtitles).

Clean begins in Canada at a grimy music club where we first meet the heroin addicted Emily and her rocker hubby Lee. Lee soon dies of an overdose and Emily is sent to prison. She emerges from jail with a new perspective and a drive to reclaim her son, who has been living with Lee's parents for the past few years in Canada since Emily and Lee were too incompetent to care for him.

As rosy, feel-good and cheesy as this plot may sound, it is not. The film is very realistic is it follows Emily's struggles: her relapse into drug abuse, her inability to hold a job or unwillingness to behave on the job, her struggle to create music again - which is her passion. However imperfect she may be, she keeps trying to get it right. That's what's so nice about this story. It is believable.

Also, the cinema verite shooting style makes it feel all the more real and makes London, Paris and towns in Canada look all the more accessible, and less polished than we are used to seeing them in films.

Nick Nolte is a nice surprise in this picture. He plays the grandpa, who along with grandma, is raising Emily and Lee's little boy. He is a strong, practical person who very fairly sets the bar for Emily and constantly keeps the boy's well being in mind.

I liked that the film did not end on some glossy high note with mother and son riding off into the sunset. It left it on a very even keel, not dismal, but with hope that everything would be all right.

STORY: 7.5
LOOK: 8
ACTING: 8.5 (Maggie Cheung is excellent.)

I recommend renting this film.

2008-06-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

This docu-drama follows five-time Mr. Olympia bodybuilding champ Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Universe Lou Ferrigno and a cast of motley musclemen on their quest to win world titles at the championship competition in South Africa.

Released 1977. Recent 25th Anniversary DVD released for rental. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore. Stars "The Arnold" (future Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator) and Lou Ferrigno (future Incredible Hulk).

REVIEW by Cinemagirl:

If you want to understand the sport of bodybuilding or see a bunch of dudes traipse about in little briefs sporting glistening uber-muscles, this film is for you.

Pumping Iron is the original docu-drama, blurring the lines of reality and fiction. Arnold is portrayed as the Golden Boy, the charming Austrian who has won the biggest bodybuilding event five years in a row and, with his cocky attitude, has returned to slay the competition one last time before retirement.

Lou Ferrigno, at 6'5" and 275 lbs. is no slouch. He is the homegrown Italian kid from Brooklyn. He is mostly deaf. His father is his trainer. His mom makes his 6-egg omelets. While Louie is bigger than Arnold, he does not have the posing skills nor the finesse that the Austrian has.

The film is loaded with tons of great shots of the musclemen honing their craft. Arnold pumps at Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, California, with a whole crew of beefcakes and Louie pumps at a local gym in Brooklyn with his dad by his side. It is awesome to see these brutes hoisting 500 pound barbells and doing push-ups with people astride their backs like ponies.

The competition in the film and all the training is entirely real, but the tension in the subplot - Arnold being the cocky jerk, Lou being the young newcomer out to best his idol - is fabricated for drama's sake. However, none of these scenes feel fake. Arnold tries to play head games with Louie before the big Mr. Olympia competition in South Africa. Lou's dad is convinced that his son can take down the Austrian champ.

The film also features bodybuilders Mike Katz, a former pro football player-turned-teacher who has always strived to be the best; Franco Columbu, the tiny Italian who is so ripped he can lift Fiats out of their parking spots; and Ken Waller, the self-assured Mr. Universe of 1975.

This film made a lasting impact on the public. Americans were never so interested in bulking up until after this film hit the street.

The 25th Anniversary DVD contains plenty of extras, from an interview with a modern Arnold to a new doc, produced for Cinemax, called Raw Iron - The Making of Pumping Iron. This extra doc contains never before seen footage of the bodybuilders partying at Arnold's pad, hanging at an amusement park, and Arnold attempting to train a scrawny TV actor to lift weights. Luckily, these phony-feeling scenarios were cut from the film and the focus remained on the competition and working out.

STORY: 8
LOOK: 9

Definitely worth the rent. How many cool '70s films can inspire you to get in shape?

Hannah Takes the Stairs

2008-05-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

This film follows twenty-something Hannah through her hapless relationships and at her laidback workplace.

Directed 2007 by Joe Swanberg. Written by Swanberg and Greta Gerwig, who plays Hannah, along with the other actors in the film who improvised the dialogue.

REVIEW by Cinemagirl:

Hannah Takes the Stairs is an awkward ride, for the viewer and the characters.

Hannah is in her mid-twenties, starting a career and breaking out on her own. She lives with a female roommate and continually makes the same missteps in relationships. She is learning how to be an adult while still remaining herself.

The film follows Hannah through three relationships, which are all awkward and immature to varying degrees. I think the level of immaturity in the relationships - not just the fooling around with Slinkies but the conversation as well - is believable and accurate among characters that are all generally young, naive and just starting to spread their wings.

I found some of the dialogue annoying, or too playful and juvenile, but many times I was reminded of myself and my friends in college, doing stupid things like driving six hours to New Mexico for the day because we felt like it or walking around our city in a downpour and jumping in puddles because, well, what the hell?, we had already gotten wet.

The film is shot in digital video with a limited cast and crew. This is extremely low-budget filmmaking at its best. The crew consists of a director, camera person and boom operator, who probably also double as writer, editor and production manager. The lighting is all natural and completely motivated. The camera is handheld. Locations are real. Actual dirty dishes fill the sink. Hannah sleeps on a twin mattress on the floor. No frills here.

There are no conventional plot devices in this film, or a solid three acts for that matter. Instead, the film organically develops as a result of where the actors' dialogue has taken the director and camera guy. (Cinematographer is just too strict a word in this format.)

This film is part of the "mumblecore" or "Slackavetes" movement, so-named for the American director/writer/actor John Cassavetes who pioneered indie film with long takes, handheld shots and emotionally driven dialogue. "Mumblecore" is a rebirth of indie filmmaking in the past several years after indies started to "sell out" and command top-name actors. It embraces the punk rock ethic of DIY. ("We don't need their stinkin' money, let's get our own camera and shoot it ourselves!")

The cast and crew involved in Hannah have worked on each other's films in various capacities and continue to collaborate on new films that have been heartily embraced at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Texas. It will be interesting to see how the films develop as the filmmakers mature and go in new directions of life. This film was a refreshing change from the norm and a style I hope to see more of.

STORY: Was there a story? OK, 7 of 10. It was clever.
ACTING: 6 The "actors" do a good job, and their improvising works well for the story, but there are times some trained actors would've been helpful.
LOOK: 8 I'm a fan of shooting au naturel.
OVERALL: Worth the rent. Check out other films in this vein (incorporating the same people) such as "The Puffy Chair."

The Mist---Barely Forgiveable

2008-05-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

The Mist (2007)
Director: Frank Darabont
Writers: Screenplay by Frank Darabont, adapted from a short story by Stephen King.
Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden, William Sadler.

Review by Junior

I once convinced some friends of mine to watch The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension. Fortunately, they were good friends of mine, some of them relatives, so they eventually forgave me. Hell, I thought it was funny. I still think it's funny. I found myself in the reverse situation when my good buddy and neighbor (who will remain nameless) entrapped me into watching the Stephen King adaptation The Mist. I love my neighbors, and in time, the wounds will heal.

The Mist is of a type with some of King's previous works, such as The Stand and It! where he puts ordinary people in extraordinary situations as a kind of character study, or an examination of group dynamics, masquerading as a horror film. I have enjoyed this sub-genre of King's in the past, The Stand in particular, as I have always felt he has a terrific grasp on the Everyman, and occasionally, on a real whacko. That being said, I have to point out that that's about as far as it goes. King has no great insight into the human condition. He is incapable of creating a truly original character, and his insights into group dynamics could be found in the standard undergraduate textbook.

But it's not a King novel, it's a film, so let's look at the writer/director, Frank Darbont. This film proves that Frank, who previously directed The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, both King-based movies critically acclaimed and commercially successful, finally needs to look elsewhere for inspiration for his films.

Andre Braugher, an actor whose work I have enjoyed since he starred in Homicide: Life on the Streets, is the most interesting thing to watch in this film. Unfortunately, his character disappears a third of the way in. This film also proves that winning an Academy award does not necessarily mean that you suddenly get offered great parts, as evidenced by the two-dimensional harpy played here by Marcia Gay Harden. And if your lead actor, here Thomas (The Punisher) Jane, causes viewers to query each other as to whom they would rather see playing the role ("Nathan Fillion would have read than line better...How about Christopher Lambert?...") while watching the film, you may have cast the wrong actor.

Finally, something that I usually like---the downer ending. I have always admired films which, for instance, killed the main character at the end. Movies in the 70s often ended this way. Just look at Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or Bonnie and Clyde. These endings were satisfying because they were really the only honest way the story could end. (Never mind the fact that those were both based on true stories... ;) Now, in the age of the blockbuster, I admire even more the occasional downer ending because I know it runs contrary to audience expectations and studio desires. But here, this ending just seems mean and unjustified. It requires the characters to act stupidly, for one thing. And the "gotcha!" right after that final, drastic decision---well, it wasn't funny or clever. The film hadn't earned a moment of true sadness, because it hadn't developed the characters to point where I cared about them. So the ending was not half as clever as it thought it was, gratuitous, and just cruel, like pulling the legs off a bug. And I didn't really care about the bug to begin with.

Story: 3
Look: 3
Acting: 4

The Panic in Needle Park

2008-05-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

This film follows doomed lovers Helen and Bobby as they steal, shoot heroin and try to survive at 72nd St and Broadway, known in '60s/'70s New York as Needle Park. Based on the book by James Mills, this film was released in 1971.
Adapted for the screen by the great American writers - a couple themselves - Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne. Produced by Dominick Dunne.

Directed by Jerry Schatzberg, who was nominated for the Palme D'Or at Cannes for this film.
Starring a very young Al Pacino, as Bobby, and Kitty Winn, as Helen. Winn won Best Actress at Cannes for this role.

REVIEW by Cinemagirl:

This film is an insane ride. It is like watching a train wreck - eyes glued in one place, unable to look away at the carnage unfolding before you. All in all, I loved it! Here's why...

The film was completely shot cinema verite, making it feel very much like a documentary, which in turn makes the drug abuse and rough lives of the main characters all the more palpable and real. All lighting was either natural or completely motivated.

The scenery is also the real deal. The full cast of motley characters regularly congregate in Sherman Square (Needle Park) at 72nd and Broadway where they ride out their heroin usage, swap stories and try to score more drugs or money. The regular traffic flows by in the background, people pass by on the street, all in a very raw and realistic way.

Bobby and Helen's various fleabag apartments, and those of their friends, are just what would be expected of a group of addicts: sparse, dirty, no frills. Again, keeping with the reality of it all.

The "panic" in Needle Park refers to drug shortages caused by narcotics busts. When supply is low on the street, the addicts suffer and struggle to get their next fix.

The relationship between Bobby and Helen is a curious one. At first, it's hard to figure out just why a seemingly normal chick like Helen would get involved with a drug user and petty thief who, as Bobby claims, has been in jail eight times. But we begin to realize that she is a fragile woman who has a host of personal problems and has been in countless meritless relationships. Bobby is a charming, enigmatic guy. He knows how to sweet talk people, but his addiction always gets the best of him.

I know, the characters sound tormented. And honestly, who would want to watch two hours of people shooting up and going through personal trauma? BUT - the story, cinematography and acting are just soooo well done. This film is a great representation of the American New Wave of the '70s. I would totally watch it again.

STORY: 9.5
LOOK: 10
ACTING: 10

Thank You For Smoking

2008-05-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

A Washington tobacco lobbyist gives us a look at the world through his eyes. Finding out the best way to "spin" what is good and bad about tobacco and, most importantly, how to win the argument...all the time.

Dir. by Jason Reitman, Starring Aaron Eckhart
92 mins. - Rated R

Review by LEWIS

This is a fantastic satire film full of cleverness that'll keep you giggling. The main character, Nick Naylor, is a truly deplorable human being. He feels that his duty in life is to help the underdog (IE big tobacco) get a fair chance at having a good public appearance. Through his charm and good looks he spins words around until cancer patients are shaking his hand.

Of course this lifestyle proves to be more difficult when he's trying to reach out to his son from a divorced marriage. So what's the solution...take him on the job with you! Let him see what dad does for a living.

I don't know how I found myself liking this character, but by the end you'll be rooting for him like he's Mr. Smith. And that, my friends, is the lesson about K Street.

I really recommend this if you enjoy political humor/satire. It was worth the rent.

Acting - 7
Story - 8.5
Look - 7

Overall - 7.5

Flash from the Past: Look Back in Anger

2008-05-13T06:55:00.001-07:00

Look Back in Anger tells the story of young and disgruntled Jimmy Porter. He shares a crummy apartment with his down-trodden wife, Allison, and his best pal, Cliff. He struggles to earn a living at the local market. His one outlet in life is playing jazz trumpet in the local clubs.

Director: Tony Richardson, in his film debut. Released 1959.
Starring: Who else, but the enthralling Richard Burton as Jimmy.
Running Time: 100 minutes. Not rated. B&W

Review by Cinemagirl.

I love the late 50's/early 60's British film genre of frustrated and disgruntled young people existing in a classist society. Burton, who continually played angry, confused, emotional men, suits this ideal very well.

The character of Jimmy Porter comes from an impoverished background, but somehow he was able to get a college education. However, he has not been able to utilize it, so he works selling candy at a stall in the street market. Jimmy became angry early in life with the loss of his father. This rage, which he has obvsiouly never dealt with, carries him throughout the film, as he torments his poor, defeated wife.

I particularly love these meaty old dramas that examine the roots of human emotions and the complex webs of personal relationships. At times, you can tell that Look Back in Anger was originally a stage play, by John Osborne, with its limited locations and dialogue set up to come back around in the Third Act and whack you on the head with the point it intends to make. The real enjoyment of this film is watching Burton. Damn, can he act! If he wasn't cast in this film it would likely be a flop. If only we had more actors like him these days...

The cinematography in this old black and white flick is great. There are clever shots using mirrors and silhouettes that drive the emotion of the story without revealing too much or being cheesy.

I highly recommend this film if you like being sucked into dramas that don't necessarily turn out very pretty. For further reference, I also recommend renting "This Sporting Life" and "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner" to round out the film trifecta of young British men struggling to find their way in a world that does not belong to them.

STORY: 9
LOOK: 9
ACTING: 10 for Burton

Iron Man Lives Up to Expectations

2008-05-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Iron Man is a big summer adaptation of the classic Marvel Comics character. Iron Man, a.k.a. Tony Stark, a wealthy industrialist, receives a life-changing lesson about his life's work of arms manufacturing and has a turnabout of conscience, becoming a mechanized defender of the powerless...or something like that.
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges.

Review by Junior.

When I heard that Robert Downey, Jr. was to play Iron Man I was psyched. Despite his substance abuse problems, reported gleefully in the media the past couple of decades, I considered him an outstanding actor and had seen him do good work recently in such films as Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus. Coming fast on the heels of the news that Ed Norton was going to assay the character of the Hulk in the upcoming re-boot, I connected the two films in my mind, counted my blessings but still wondered at these two, seemingly serious actors, signing on to these crowd-pleasing but kind of silly roles. Then it quickly occurred to me that these actors are people, like me, a similar age to me, and even if they take their craft seriously how can they deny the impulse to play these characters that they---we---grew up with? Perhaps not coincidentally, Downey plays Stark in a cameo in the upcoming Hulk movie. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The film opens to the immortal strains of AC/DC's "Back in Black." This was a good sign, because I wondered if the people that marketed the movie were the only ones who realized how good that footage played to rock and roll. I shouldn't have worried. The soundtrack is peppered with it throughout, culminating in Black Sabbath's classic "Iron Man," heard in the ads. The movie doesn't have a lot of surprises if you've watched the trailer---the popularity of which, BTW, is parodied to hilarious effect on at theonion.com --- let me just say that it's the film the trailer promises, probably the best film you could make out of the material. The film's success is largely due to the casting. The actors are all first rate: Downey, Bridges, Howard, and Paltrow in particular make the film work.

I mention Gwyneth Paltrow in particular because she has the least to work with. Hers is a role, as the unrequited love interest, that could easily be tedious or boring in the hands of a lesser actor, but she plays it with just the right mixture of spunk, longing, intelligence and sex to make it interesting.

Howard is good as Downey's military liaison/best friend. There is foreshadowing that he will don the iron suit in a sequel, which would be consistent with the comics as well.

Jeff Bridges, always a terrific actor, does an unusual turn as a villain here and sports an impressive new look.

And Robert Downey Jr., who strikes just the right notes of humor, sarcasm, seriousness---he creates a unique persona in Tony Stark, someone who's not a perfect person, but with whom we, as an audience, sympathize. It will be fun to watch that character develop in the upcoming films.

And films, coming up---there are. Marvel has announced a sequel in the works for 2010. Later in the summer of '10 will be a Thor movie. Following that, in 2011, will be the first Captain America movie. Later that summer they hope to pull them all together in an Avengers movie. But you already saw that coming 'cause you sat through the closing credits of Iron Man.

Aside from the acting, the movie has a good balance of romance, humor, and terrific CG action sequences. In addition, I must commend the design work on the suit, which is both cool, detailed and believable. This is the first release from Marvel Studios, apparently having grown tired of sharing so much of their profits with other production companies, and if this is an indication of the kind of quality production we can expect from them---well---we will be enjoying a lot of terrific comic book films in the years to come, unlike, oh...Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Elektra, The Punisher, Man Thing... Anyone for Werewolf by Night or Moon Knight?

Story---7
Acting---9
Look---9

The Big Lebowski

2008-05-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

A classic detective plot goes awry in the hands of peaceknick-pothead-bowler, a fiery vietnam vet, a crippled millionaire and his cerebral artist daughter with a severe haircut, a group of nihilists, one mid-western tramp with green nail polish...and a rug.

Written & Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, Phillip Seymore Hoffman, John Turturro, Tara Reid, Sam Elliott
1998 - 1hr 58min - Rated R

Review by LEWIS

It was only a matter of time before "The Big Lebowski" made it's way onto this blog. The DVD sits on the shelf and comes out about once every three months or so. It is one of those movies you can watch over and over and never get tired of it or stop laughing. I'm told there is quite a cult following for this moive, and that somewhere in Kentucky they even have some kind of Bowling Festival centered around "the dude" himself.

I love this movie for many reasons. But it's mostly for the character the Coen's so cleverly create. I'm not sure if any of their movies, whether it be comedy or drama, has a cast of characters this large with strong enough personalities to hold their own. I promsie that at some point in watching this film you will point to the screen and say "That's just like (place name of friend, family member or co-worker here) !!!"

The story is very old fasioned in nature, with twist and turns, kidnappings, money laundry-ing, and all the other things you would find in a old 40's-50's American noir. But the Coen's cleverly set it in early 90's LA, which is best explained by the Sam Elliott voice over in the begining of the film.

Cinematogopher Roger Deakins, who has shot most of the Coen's films, single handled took such care in shooting the game of bowling that I think it can never be done again, and anyone who attempts to out do him is a fool.

I hope you have the opportunity to join the club of this cult classic. You'll find yourself quoting the movie and giggling with another co-worker across the boardroom and you'll know...they've seen "The Big Lebowski" as well.

STORY - 9
ACTING - 9.5
LOOK - 10 (thanks to the rug)

OVERALL - 9.5

a blast from the past - The Apartment

2008-04-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Synopsis:

The Apartment is the bachelor pad of an overworked insurance accountant, who in an attempt to make some extra dough, rents out his apartment to his philandering co-workers and their mistresses. As a result, this puts the accountant on the fast-track for promotions. But the film takes a twist when the accountant finds out the identity of one of the mistresses who has been entertained at his pad.

Written, directed and produced by Billy Wilder. Released 1960, in black & white. Stars Jack Lemmon as the accountant, Bud, and Shirley MacLaine as elevator girl Fran.

REVIEW by Cinemagirl:

I love these old movies that feel like a play. They take place in just a couple locations and the dialogue is always so real and the actions so accurate. Jack Lemmon is excellent in this film. He is funny and quirky, yet kind of sad and lonely. Very young Shirley MacLaine is sassy and a refreshing reflection of a "girl next door" instead of some bombshell. The plot may be fairly predictable, but the plot devices used in these old films are always more clever than the typically T&A -laden romantic "comedies" of today.

I would recommend this film for a quiet weekend and a variety of ages. Plus, you can't beat Jack Lemmon straining pasta through a tennis racket.

STORY: 8
LOOK: 7
ACTING: 9

OVERALL: 8

REVIEW by LEWIS

It's really great, now and then, to enjoy a "classic" Hollywood type move. The early 60's aren't exactly known to be one of the great times in American Cinema. It was very much a transitional period. The studios seemed to have a hard time trying to decide whether to make main stream movies grittier or keep them wholesome. Well, "The Apartment" seems to do a little of both.

I mean, come on! Think about! If you knew some young guy renting out his space by the hour in the evenings so married men could get there jollies, would you turn him in? This isn't exactly the "ideal" neighbor.

Of course, somehow Billy Wilder makes it all cute and funny. The story is classic, really to the point of predictability, but that really won't bother any viewer. The writing back then can be so much more clever, with it's nice little plot points. "Set em up and Knock em down"

If you like older movies this one really rates. Jack Lemmon is wonderful and his and CINEMAGIRL hit the nail on the head about Shirley MacLaine. A great sit at home "date" flick.

STORY: 8 of 10
LOOK: 7 of 10
ACTING: 9 of 10

OVERALL: 8 of 10

The Future of Food

2008-04-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

A documentary focusing on biotechnology's impact on farming and public health. The film takes a frightening look at the fragile state of our food supply, corporate control over its future, government inaction and steps citizens can take to eat safely and healthfully.

Released 2005. Directed, written and produced by Deborah Koons Garcia - Jerry's widow.

REVIEW by Cinemagirl

This film was powerful. Several times I wanted to punch, kick, scream and curse. The film contains interviews with several farmers who were sued by Monsanto Corp., the world's leading producer of genetically modified plants - many of which are being grown in North America without public knowledge or extensive scientific research.

Such is the nature of plants, that when they mature they release seeds, which become airborne, land in a field, germinate and begin to grow there. This corporation's Frakenseeds, which are genetically altered and patented, have entered farmer's fields by accident and the farmers have been sued by Monsanto for copyright infringement. Watch the film to see what has become of some of these unfortunate souls.

The film also discusses how the "farm bill" subsidizes crops and disrupts the market in foreign countries. It does not benefit farmers, but companies.

The film contains news clips, showing people who have been sickened by GMOs, residents who attempted to have these Frankenfoods labeled and scientists who believe that the path corporate America is leading us down when it comes to food is unsustainable and dangerous. It also touts the benefits of purchasing organically grown, locally raised food, which is good for you and local farmers.

I think this film should be shown on PBS and in schools. Its message is too important to ignore.

STORY: 10
LOOK: 8 (due to some cheesy stock footage)
OVERALL: 9

You're Gonna Miss Me

2008-04-15T06:37:00.001-07:00

This documentary tells the life story of Roky Erickson; from his career as the lead singer of the psychedelic group 13th Floor Elevators to his spiral into drug abuse, schizophrenia and family problems.

Directed by Kevin McAlester. Released 2005.
Running Time 94 min. Unrated.

REVIEW by LEWIS

Watching documentaries can be a risky business. Sometimes you're pounded over the head with a political/social issue until you either feel guilty enough to join the cause, or so sick of hearing about it so that you become the cause's antithesis. Once in a while though, a documentary comes along that is just a nice, well rounded story that keeps you interested and entertained. "You're Gonna Miss Me" is just that sort of documentary.

This story has everything: sex, drugs, rock n' roll, crazy mother's, rags to riches, and more. The focus of the story deals with Roky Erickson's rise and, as the film described, invention of Psychedelic Rock in the 60's with the band "13th Floor Elevators". Many music heads know of 13th Floor. They did very well in San Fran in the late 60's, and even made an appearence on Dick Clark's American Band Stand. But, like many bands of the era, they decended into a downward spiral of drugs and partying.

When we catch up with Roky today he is a helpless Schizophrenic being cared for his questionably sane mother. Is Roky crazy from drugs, mom, a stint in one of America's wost mental institutions, or is it just the way he is?

This film did a wonderful job at NOT being a VH1 rockumentary, but instead a delicately told story of the life and problems of Roky Erickson. You feel for the family and friends and for Roky. Why can't he just be normal? Why can't he be a musician again? The film also did a wonderful job at gaining archival footage and photos so we can see the change in Roky over the past four decades.

Overall I highly recommend this documentary to anyone, especially lovers of 60's rock or just rock n' roll in general. I also think people with an interest in psychology would find this film fascinating.

LOOK - 8.5 of 10
STORY - 9 of 10
OVERALL - 8.75 of 10

Review by Cinemagirl

I like how this film really looks at the past, present and future of Roky's life. When dealing with his childhood, there are interviews with his mom and four brothers, all of whom are musically talented in some way and have even made their own careers in music. The childhood stories are brought to life with many family photographs, super 8mm film, and later on, Mom's weird home videos.

To flesh out the story of his adult past there are interviews with bandmates, members of ZZ Top, Patti Smith and an MTV host who all discuss the impact the 13th Floor Elevators made on the psychedelic scene in San Fran and elsewhere. There is plenty of footage from past concerts and tv interviews, which really illustrate the state of Roky's mind at the time and the height of musical importance the band has reached. Other past interviews include stories from three of Roky's exes and mental health workers who treated him.

In present time, we see an overweight and despondent Roky, unmedicated, living in a filthy condo in Austin, Texas, and spending his days with his bizarre mother. I will not reveal what occurs as the film moves toward the present, but there is a surprising turn in Roky's life.

Overall, even in Roky's times of deep mental illness and depression in the past and present, there is home video footage and film from the documentarians that shows Roky at his best - playing music. Incredibly, for a person with so many problems and real mental suffering, he can still pick up a guitar and sing, clear as a bell and in-tune, like he never quit. That, for me, points to his innate talent.

I highly recommend renting this film.

STORY: 9
LOOK: 8.5

OVERALL: 8.75

Marie Antoinette

2008-04-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

SYNOPSIS:

Marie Antoinette tells the story of the Austrian girl who became a young French queen. It details her decadent lifestyle among a court of catty gossips in the days leading up to the Revolution.

Directed by Sofia Coppola (Francis' daughter)
123 mins. - Rated: PG-13
Starring Kirsten Dunst as the original party-girl Marie Antoinette and Jason Schwartzman as her reserved husband, Louis XVI.

REVIEW by Cinemagirl:

I heard the French actually booed this film at Cannes and some even got up and left the theatre. But can you imagine if someone had made a film about, say, Martha Washington, that showed her as a partying trollop, like some 18th century Paris Hilton?

I rather liked the film and its take on history. There were several dreamy sequences that were shot handheld, with shots cutting to another vantage point of the same shot multiple times, that felt like 60s avant garde films. The sequence with Marie Antoinette getting cozy in her country cottage was really nice and sunny, like a Super 8mm home film, with the sounds of the swaying fields and bumblebees in the garden layered heavy in the foreground.

Other nice sequences included a scene with Marie and two of her ladies trying on these crazy tarty shoes and stuffing themselves with decadent sweets. The scene was edited entirely to modern music, as is much of the film, which made the characters seem all the more similar to the bimbo socialite crowd today that is on the cover of high-profile magazines sporting the latest styles and miniature dogs.

I recommend renting this flick. It was a nice follow-up to Sofia Coppola's last story. It doesn't seem at all similar to "Lost in Translation," but it was alike in that it closely follows the daily life and emotions of another young woman. I hope Ms. Coppola continues in this vein.

STORY: 7 out of 10
LOOK: 8.5 out of 10
ACTING: 8 out of 10

OVERALL: 8 of 10

---

REVIEW by LEWIS

I'll be honest, when I see frilly phoo phoo period costumes I usually assume that I'm going to get some kind of BBC made for TV "let's celebrate Europe's history!" kind of movie. But, when I heard that Ms. Coppola was making Marie Antoinette I thought, "Hmmm, this should be pretty interesting."

I saw the teaser on the Quicktime website about a year ago, which featured New Order's song "Age of Consent", and I was stylistically hooked. "Could this really be a new take on a period film?" Well, it is...and it isn't.

As my comrade mentioned above, there are some WONDERFUL moments in the film that capture the emotion through interesting camera movement and shots (new wave all the way). I wish there was more of that in the whole film. It would go back to that grand dolly shot, or stagnant portraiture mise en scene. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it is really beautiful. But the thought of an entire film about one of the most famous Queens of all time being shot cinema verite seemed REALLY EXCITING. So I was a little let down.

However, I was happy with the angle of the story. It really was through the eyes of a naive, silver-spooned rich girl that lived in the bubble of Versailles. You almost felt sorry for her, really. I'm sure Sofia Coppola could relate to that young rich kid lifestyle, through herself and her friends. Honestly, the same story could relate to George Bush in his Yale days, a young DuPont, or a little Rockefeller. The blue-bloods live in their own world, and that is where the film was placed.

Acting was great. I think Sofia Coppola is becoming a great director of actors. In each of her films she seems to give them a lot of latitude to discover their characters and it really shows through the lens.

Overall this is a great way to experience a period piece film. It's different from most, all though I personally wish it pushed the envelope a little more.

STORY: 7 out of 10
LOOK: 7 out of 10 (should have gone further)
ACTING: 8 out of 10

OVERALL: 7.5 of 10

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

2008-04-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

An American Western set in the cold rolling hills of the 19th century Midwest, chronicling the last days of the Jesse James gang. The story focuses on Robert Ford, who is awestruck and obsessed with the train-robbing bandit. Their paths cross and the two develop a relationship eerily similar to today's celebrities and their entourage, or a domestic abusive situation.

Directed by Andrew Dominik, 2007. Rated R, 160 mins
Starring Brad Pitt as Jesse and Casey Affleck as Robert Ford.
(special appearances by Sam Shepard, James Carville and Nick Cave)

REVIEW by Cinemagirl:

This is definitely not a typical western. The creepy obsessive relationship between Robert Ford and Jesse James could take place today as a tale of a fan loyally following his idol and then feeling spurned when the feelings are not returned.

The cinematography (by the great Roger Deakins of Coen Bros. films) was very clever. Shots would be entirely blurry, except in the center where some interesting action or shot of a character would take place. The film contains beautiful, dreamy shots of grassy plains, hillsides in winter and blue skies.

Pitt was a believable Jesse James, very cocky. And Affleck did a good job of playing the annoying, fumbling sidekick.

STORY: 8.5 out of 10
LOOK: 8 out of 10
ACTING: 7 for Pitt, 8 for Affleck (average 7.5)

AVERAGE TOTAL: 8 of 10

I'm not too sad that I missed it in the theatre, but it should definitely be rented.

---

REVIEW by Lewis

I found "Jesse James" to be a little more of a realistic Western story. I'm not sure how accurate some of the history was, but it all seemed believable to me. I have to confess that I have been waiting a very long time to see this movie, because Robert Ford is a distant cousin of mine, so I've been curious to compare the family "hand-me-down" stories to the film's story. It's always exciting to have a celebrity in the family tree. I'm not sure if I should be proud of that or not, which is a feeling you'll get from this drama. Who defines cowardice? Who defines hero? This is the part of the film I found very interesting.

I did love Casey's portral as a young, star-struck fan of Jesse James. It reminded of those sad young teens trying to emulate Paris Hilton. Just as Paris is not a person anyone should aspire to be, Jesse James isn't really either. He's cocky, manic, unpredictable, not to mention a killer and a thief. Sam Rockwell (Charlie Ford) shouldn't be overlooked either. He did a great job in sitting in the awkward place between Jesse (his boss) and Robert (his brother).

The pace of the movie was a bit slow, maybe more then it needed to be. It did help out with the tension between characters when needed, though. The editor (Dylan Tichenor: Royal Tenenbaums, Magnolia, Brokeback Mountain...one of my favorites) probably made a good choice in the pace, but some might find it tedious. The cinematography was amazing. Deakins is a master at his craft and I don't know if he can do any wrong.

Overall it is worth the rent, and you will need a pee break in there somewhere, but I do recommend it.

STORY: 7 out of 10
LOOK: 9 out of 10
ACTING: 8 out of 10

AVERAGE TOTAL: 8 out of 10

Time to Review Some Films

2008-04-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to "Film Projections". This blog, as described, is going to be reviews of movies seen. Not just new movies, but any movie seen by myself or my fellow blogger. So, every time netflix shows up at the door and a movie is watched, expect a review.

There should be a nice spread of genres. Indie, foreign, documentary, classics, new wave and big budget. Hopefully, at some point, anyone can look up a film or two they're interested and be given a bit of information before moving it to the top of their queue.

We'll attmept a few different rating systems. I'm leaning to a 1-10 scale in multiple categories...but we'll se how things evolve.

BTW...this will be a SPOILER FREE SITE. We won't be putting them in, and we'll be deleting coments with spoilers.

The second purpose of the blog is to provide links and information about the Lehigh Valley film community. We would like to be a source of information for people interested in producing or promoting local films.

So please enjoy the site, and expect some reviews very soon!