A Year in Film

Movie #299 A Woman is a Woman 1961

2011-09-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Godard's 2nd feature film is a lot of fun. He broke all the rules with Breathless. Here he is laughing at the rules he just shattered. It would be easy to call this film indulgent. I have read a few reviews that was satisfied to do just that. However I found this movie to be a romp and I had a lot of fun with it.

A Woman is a Woman is French New Wave turned up to 11! If you want an example of the FNW look no further. When people think of classic black and white artsy movies that usually go to Fellini's 8 1/2. When they want existential artsy films they pick Bergman's The Seventh Seal. A Woman is a Woman should be the poster boy for the FNW. It's jump cuts, breaking of the 4th wall, its sense of self awareness, its playing with musical troupes, its camera movements all embody the traditional FNW ascetic.

The film stars the lovely Anna Karina in the lead role. She wants a baby. Her lover, Jean-Claude Brialy, doesn't want to give her one. His friend, Jean-Paul Belmondo (from Breathless), is willing to provide her that. It has a love triangle unlike any movie I have ever seen.

My final comment is about the use of color in this movie. It wasn't as bold as Pierrot le Fou, but it it clearly a stepping stone for that film. I love the color, I love Anna Karina and I really enjoyed this moive. I give A Woman is a Woman ****.

Movie #298 Dr Strangelove 1964

2011-09-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite comedy of all time. You would think a review for one of your favorite films would be easy, but I hold this film in such high regards that I feel like anything I write about it would be a disgrace. But here it goes anyway.

This year I watched Paths of Glory for the first time. It is a war movie by the same director of Strangelove, Kubrick. The first time I watched Paths I noticed how wonderfully it was acted and shot. Stanley is widely thought of as a perfectionist and for good reason. I also thought of how brutal and horrible the plot was. It is a bout a group of soldiers that are sent out on a suicide mission. They retreat after what they consider to be giving it their best, but they are court marshaled for being cowards. Pretty serious subject matter. Then the second time I watched Paths I realized another staple of Kubrick's work, his dark and twisted sense of humor. Paths is a farce on the hypocrisy of military structure.

I mention Paths to help illustrate how dark Kubrick can be. In Strangelove a rouge general has found a loophole in the US attack plans in cold war times. Without the proper authority he sends dozens of bomber planes to attack the USSR. An action that will surely result in a full on nuclear war. Once the US president finds out, his choices become clear, either: comitt 100% to a full on attack of Russia or speak to the Soviets and order them to shoot down all the US planes. The later is chosen, but one plane evades the Russians and makes an effort to bomb a new target.

While all this doesn't sound very funny, it only gets worse. Apparently the Soviets had completed a doomsday device in which any attack on Russian soil will launch an planet wide launch of nuclear weapons. Wiping out all of humanity.

This is Kubrick's playground and he takes full advantage of it. The humor in this film ranges from clever word play to down right absurdity. This movie stops at nothing short of a pie fight to evoke laughter. The characters (and character names) in the movie are by today's standards not as ridiculous as they should be. And that is really the most frightening thing about this movie.

The reason I admire this movie so much goes far beyond the great script and wonderful acting. It is Kubrick's camera and his attention to detail. As I said earlier, he is a perfectionist and it shows in this film. It is shot in a vast and starkly opposing black and white. The cinematography is perfect. Not good, perfect. Kubrick's use of props and sets blows my mind. The light around the war room round table is often times shown over the head of someone in the room, making him look like an angel. The way he frames shots, is that of a master.

I won't get into anymore details right now. I will say this is my favorite comedy and a masterpiece if ever there was one. I give Dr Strangelove *****.

Movie #297 A Trip to the Moon 1902

2011-08-31T17:59:00.000-07:00

I haven't reviewed any short films so far in this blog, but I have to take credit for this one. Made in 1902 A Trip to the Moon is widely considered the first ever Science Fiction film. It is about a group of would be astronauts that prepare and eventually journey to the moon. Once there they must fight off "moon monsters". They make a harrowing escape back to the confines of earth and their legions of adoring fans.

Georges Melies is the director of this film. He is credited with 552 films between the years of 1896 and 1913. Even considering that most of his films were under 15 minutes, that is an unimaginable feet by todays standards. That averages out to a film every 11 days!

I will spare you a detailed analysis of this movie or more of Melies work, but I recommend that you go to Wikipieda and read up on him. Or at the very least go to YouTube and watch some of his films. They are mostly in public domain and free to view.

Movie #296 Henry: A Portrait of a Serial Killer 1986

2011-08-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

Lead by a great performance from character actor Michael Rooker, Henry is an after school special like movie about the dangers of serial killers. The movie is set in Chicago and tells the story of Henry. A ex-con who allegedly killed his mother. He now works bit jobs and lives with another ex-con / sexual deviant, Otis and Otis' little sister. Henry's real passion though is killing.

This movie is based on the life of a real person named Henry Lee Lucas who was reportedly responsible for nearly 600 murders. One of his practices was that he wouldn't fall into cliches for serial killers. Meaning; he didn't also kill woman, he didn't always cut them up or shoot them or hang them, he didn't always kill whites or blacks or adults or kids. He killed anyone and usually did it for no real reason other than it was like a passion for him. He even get's Otis involved with his obsession. At first Otis is bothered by the thought of killing innocent people, but he is a quick convert.

The little sister in the film falls in love with Henry, not knowing of his "hobby". She has had a checkered past with an abusive father and brother that is constantly trying to molest her even still.

The movie is bleak and gruesome. If not in its depiction of violence then in its themes of hedonism and nihilism. One of the most disturbing sections of the film is where Otis and Henry have obtained a VHS camcorder. They use this camera to record some of their murders. I thought these scenes worked very well and still held up even today with the resurgence of "found footage" horror films. There is something about watching horrific events play out on very amateur recording devices that adds some authenticity to the piece.

I thought Henry was a well crafted and well executed (minor pun intended) film. It does look a bit dated, but that can add to the atmosphere. I give Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer ★★★1/2.

Movie #295 Rasing Arizona 1987

2011-08-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

I have already reviewed this gem from the Coen Brothers so here are my 3 Reasons to see it:

Reason #1. The Coen's use of language. It blows my mind that they can write in so many different styles.

Reason #2. The chase scenes. They pay homage to The Blues Brothers, Evil Dead, Keystone Cops and still feel fresh and wholly original.

Reason #3. Holly Hunter has never been better.

I give Raising Arizona ★★★★.

Movie #294 Hobo with a Shotgun 2011

2011-08-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

I couldn't wait to see this movie. I almost rented it for like $12 a few months ago, but I decided to wait until it hit Netflix. It was worth the wait.

I bet you are wondering what this movie is about.

The film was made in part because of the Grindhouse films that Quentin Tarintino and Robert Rodeguiez made. They had a contest for the best fake trailer and this films entry won. It was then made into a feature film.

The Hobo in the title is played wonderfully by Ruter Howard. He seems to be the only one playing it straight. Or at least he is playing it like he is the only person that doesn't realize he is in a B movie. The rest of the cast os totally over the top, and they are written that way. It sort of funny at first, then it grew a little tiresome. The prostitue was a bad actress, but she was cute.

The film had a definite visual style to it. It was overloaded with color and over contrast. The result was a film that doesn't look like anything else I have seen in a while, but there is probably a reason for that.

The town in the city where the hobo visits is ran by a gang of hedonistic gang members. They don't seem to have any motivation. They just wreak havoc where ever they go. In my eyes this made them seem uninteresting and one dimensional. I know, I am not supposed to be looking for character motivation in a movie where a bikini clad woman dances in the neck blood spewing from a decapitated head after a truck has ripped it off with a chain. But violence for the sake of violence does nothing for me. Also, I don't think I would have minded so much if the hobo was acting the same way. But because he seems based in reality, it made the over the top aspects seem all the more fake.

All in all I enjoyed the film, but I am glad I waited to see it for free. I give Hobo with a Shotgun a ★★★.

Movie #293 Scott Pilgrim vs the World 2010

2011-08-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

I have reviewed this movie once and given it 2 different 3 Reasons. Look those up if you want to know what I think. The fact that I have watched this movie that many times this year should tell you something.

Movie #292 The Player 1992

2011-08-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

Altman...

You have to admire this guys guts! The Player is basically a giant F U to the entire Hollywood system. He was never really one to make traditional Hollywood films, or work in traditional manners. He never had a Hollywood aesthetic nor did he want one. He was a maverick in every sense of the word.

The Player stars nearly everybody in Los Angles and the surrounding cities. Its lead is Tim Robbins as a squarmy studio executive who has a stalker. This movie reminds me a little of the Spike Jonez film Adaptation. Or at least as much as any film reminds me of that movie. It begins to take on the personality of and themes of the story it is telling. This is meta like a mutha.

This is a great decent into madness movie. Every time Robbins tries to better his position, he screws something up. In most films the protagonist is doing the right thing and just getting the wrong response. Here, Altman tells a story where a guy does the wrong thing and skates by. Not unpunished, but not evenly compared to his crimes.

The movie opens with a long tracking shot that introduces most of the main characters and tells about their story lines. It also makes a reference to Touch of Evil. Which also has a long tracking opening shot.

Altman was a geniuses and he is sorely missed. I give The Player ★★★★.

Movie #291 Bullitt 1968

2011-08-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

I loves me some Steve McQueen! And I love 60's cop stories. This one is about a trio of cops that are contracted to watch and protect a witness on a federal trial while he is in San Francisco.

I have seen this movie before, but I didn't remember it being as creatively shot as I did this time. I remembered McQueen (of course) and I remembered his car and the chase scene, but that was about it. This really is a well shot and directed movie. I kind of placed this low in that 60's cop genre spectrum. But upon this most recent viewing it really climbed the ladder.

One thing that struck me as really funny was Robert Vaughn trying to look like a tough guy. He keeps making demands, but then never getting what he wants. There is a scene at the end of the movie that I think Heat ripped off completely. Also, Jacqueline Bisset and the whole love interest angle could have been left out of the picture and the only thing I would have missed was looking at her legs!

This film will go down in the books as a great car chase movie (which it is), but I found that it is more than that. I give Bullitt ★★★1/2.

Movie #290 The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938

2011-08-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

Here are my 3 Reasons to watch The Adventures of Robin Hood:

Reason #1. To get all of the references in the Robin Hood movies that would follow over the next 70 some years.

Reason #2. All the life that Errol Flynn breathes into Robin Hood. It is a great character being played by a great actor.

Reason #3. Swashbuckling at its finest. It really was a treat to watch these swordsmen do their thing.

I give The Adventures of Robin Hood ★★★1/2.

Movie #289 Brazil 1985

2011-08-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I was frightened by this movie. It is not scary really, I was frightened by it's weirdness. That is to say that I was frightened away from watching this movie because I had heard of how bizarre it was. I was so excited to find that while being "different" it was completely impregnable. I was kindly ushered into this movie and treated with a tale of bureaucracy gone a muck.

The film centers around a simple typo that causes dozens of people lives to swirl out of control. I really feel bad because I think I could go on and on about what poetry this movie is, but I have not the time nor the vocabulary to do so. I don't want to ramble off each actor and tell how great each one was (like I do in most of my reviews). I don't want to talk about how creative the story is and the way in which that story was conveyed.

Terry Gilliam was the director behind Brazil if that tells you anything, and it should. I had gone through a long spell of avant guard films that left me feeling like an outcast and isolated. This movies uniqueness didn't draw a line between it creators and its viewers. It smudged any preexisting line that might have already been there.

If you can't tell I am trying to be as vague as possible in my review. I don't think I would even know where to begin in explaining this movie. All I can say is that it is worth you time to sit down and view this movie. There is nothing to be scared of. I give Brazil ★★★★.

Movie #288 Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen 2011

2011-08-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

This movie opens with a great action / karate scene. It takes place in the early stages of WWI. The Chinese, Japanese, French and Germans are all fighting. The cinematography is wonderful. It will remain so throughout the entire film. The battle rages on and we see a Chinese soldier go down. Another man in his battalion takes matters into his own hands and nearly single handedly wins the battle. You get a feeling that he could have won the whole damn war.

From this point on we get a WWII spy thriller with some kung fu thrown in at times. This movie is very political and centers in a part of the world where I have to admit that I am not very informed about their politics. The film is very well shot and the score is interesting enough to keep my hooked.

It stars Donnie Yen. An up and comer in the Chinese film market. He is also doing the Ip Man films and I think soon to break into American theaters in some action movie I heard about. He is charming and handsome. Sort of like a poor mans Tony Leung.

This is a good action movie, but it is bogged down by too much spy talk and political nonsense. Imagine that, me complaining about a movie trying to tell a story not just a bunch of action scenes.

I give Legend of the Fist ★★★.

Movie #287 Rise of the Planet of the Apes 2011

2011-08-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

I have never seen any of the Planet of the Apes movies. I have seen bits and pieces, but never any of them all the way through. I do know the basic premises of most of them. One thing that I do know about them is that they are usually metaphors for something else. The first one was about racism, another was about consumerism and so on.

In the trailer for this movie it looked as if the film makers totally threw out the idea of making a socially conscious film and instead decided to focus on how good the CGI apes looked. Well, that might still be the case in the final film, but I did enjoy it enough to warrant going to the theater to see it.

The movie takes place in modern times. A scientist is working on a cure for Alzheimer's. He is testing the cure on apes. When things go wrong in the lab, his program is shut down. The scientist then steals some of the cure and a tiny ape to take home. He gives his father some of the cure and it makes him better (for a while). He raises the baby ape who's mother was exposed to this cure also. The medicine has given both the mother ape and her son exceptional intelligence. Often times more than the human characters in the film.

The young ape, Cesar, learns sign language and many other human characteristics before escaping the house nd getting caught. He is put in a monkey sanctuary for his benefit. However, this sanctuary is home to some of the most cruel and sadistic "care takers" I've ever seen.

The film is shown largely from Cesar's perspective. An interesting idea that works really well for the story. You see his rise to power in a way that I don't think any of the other Apes films do. And about that CGI, it really does look good. I have heard of people crying in the movie and recommending Andy Serkis, who wore the motion capture suit for Cesar, to get a best actor nomination. I think all of that is crazy talk. This is an entertaining movie with a clever set up. Not much more. The actual human characters in the film are lifeless drones or totally characterizations.

I give Rise of the Planet of the Apes ★★★.

Movie #286 The Pleasure of Being Robbed 2008

2011-08-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

This movie has a very short run time at somewhere around 69 minutes. But even at that time, it sort of runs out of steam.

It is about a woman that steals or shoplifts things just for the heck of it. She doesn't seem like a kleptomaniac nor does she seem like a criminal. It is just kind of what she does. But because her motivation isn't explained at all I could never relate to her.

This is a slice of life movie made entirely on 16mm. There is a scene where she meets a guy on the street and they steel a car and she learns to drive and they go to Boston and have sex and she comes home and reads or something like that. This movie is one long run on sentence.

Is is mostly hand held which makes for a shaky POV look, but here I found it a little distracting. And the sound didn't seem mixed all that well, which made it hard to make out some of the dialogue. Perhaps that was on purpose but it seems amateurish.

As a whole this film is ok and worth an hour of your time on a rainy day. I was attracted to this movie by the cover art on Netflix Streaming. I give The Pleasure of Being Robbed ★★1/2.

Movie #285 Videodrome 1983

2011-08-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

Here are my 3 Reason to watch Videodrome:

Reason #1. This movie re-kindled my interest in avant-guard film making. I think David Cronenberg struck a good balance between the real and surreal. I was interested in the movie instead of being disjointed.

Reason #2. Debbie Harry. I have always a bit of a crush on the lead singer of Blondie, and here she is beautiful and she get to show off her ample acting chops (among other things).

Reason #3. Practical effects. This was made in a world before CGI so all the special effects either had to be "in-camera" effects (the use of shadows and mirrors for example) or physically produced and shown on screen.

I enjoyed this movie and it's bleak outlook on the future on television. I wonder what Cronenberg thinks of the internet. I give Videodrome ★★★.

Movie #284 The Magnificent Seven 1960

2011-08-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Steve McQueen
Yul Brynner
Charles Bronson
Robert Vaughn
Eli Wallach
and James Coburn throwing knives.
What else do I need to say?

The Magnificent Seven is one of my all time favorite westerns. Steve McQueen is my 2nd favorite all time man crush (2nd only to Saint Paul Newman). The movie was based on the Japanese film Seven Samurai. In these films a group of guns (swords) for hire are bought at a discounted price to help protect a farming village from the bandits. In time they sympathize with the farmers and learn something about themselves in the mean time. The farmers sell them out when the going gets tough, but they stick with the farmers, and their guns for the greater good.

It is a classic story that has been told a dozens times. Including Pixar's A Bug's Life is basically the same story. Of course Seven Samurai is one of the greatest movies ever made, so it is hard to compare the two. But even having said that I think The Magnificent Seven stands its own ground.

This movie also has one of the most recognizable theme songs in it. Google the trailer and I am sure you will be humming it all day. I give The Magnificent Seven ★★★★1/2.

Movie #283 Thieves' Highway 1949

2011-08-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Jules Dassin...blah blah blah...best film maker ever...blah blah blah.

I know I sound like a broken record, but Jules Dassin was the man. This is his final American film (before he was blacklisted and driven out of the country). It is the story of the fruit farming / trucking and produce business of the early part of the 20th century in California.

The movie follows Nick Garcos, a former military man who returns home to find his father crippled after a trucking "accident". Come to find out the produce seller refused to pay him, got him drunk and sent him down the road. Nick sets out to find this man and make things square.

Along the way he gets in with a crooked trucker named Ed that sort of shows him the ropes. Once Nick gets to the market he runs into serious trouble with the grocer that screwed his father over. This man was played wonderfully by Lee Cob. He finds a part-time friend in a street walker named Rica who helps him bring down the gorcer.

I don't recall ever having seen so many foreign actors in a movie before 1950 in my life. It is not hard to see what Dassin was painted as a Commie. Thieves' Highway reads like a condemnation of all things Capitalistic. It was written by A.I. Bezzerides who was quite a character himself.

Dassin adds a visual flare to many scenes, but is smart enough to know when the script will carry the load. The acting here is good, but a little stagy. You can tell most of these actors come from a theater background. This script is filled with that 50's grit and dialogue. This movie was most definitally made under the watchful eye of the Hayes Code. There is a moment with a police officer at the end of the movie that made me laugh out loud. Apparently D. Zanuck got his grubby little paws all over this movie and changed a bunch of stuff near the end and it shows. While watching it you can clearly see the "studio added" scenes.

The film it's self reminded me of There Will Be Blood and another movie I reviewed this year called Wages of Fear. They would be good companion pieces. Or should I say comrade pieces. I give Thieves' Highway a ★★★★.

Jules Dassin is the king...

Movie #282 Oldboy 2003

2011-08-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

Koreans don't fu*k around!

If there is one thing that I learned in this Year in Film Project it is that Koreans don't play. Oldboy might be the pinnacle of Korean revenge films. It was one of the first to break into the American psyche, and now it is forever lodged into our brains. It is so bold and so artistic I was blown away. I had seen this film once before and I remembered a few things from it, but I forgot a lot too.

The movie is about a irresponsible family man man named Oh Dae-su who wakes up in what appears to be a hotel room one day. Come to find out it is a prison cell. He doesn't know how he got there, why he is there, or who put him there. He is totally cut off from any human interaction. His meals are feed to him through a tiny slot in the door.

He is held captive for 15 years! Then one day he is released back into circulation. With the aid of a beautiful young woman he meets in a sushi parlor, he sets out to find out who imprisoned him and why. He also wants bloody vengence.

From this point on the movie begins taking some sick twists that will shock and surprise you (if everything leading up to this point hasn't already). I won't give any plot points away, but some sick and twisted minds came up with this story. And I love it!

This film could have been a one note slasher flick or a simple revenge torture porn knock off. But instead the director, Park Chan-wook, fills every frame with visual that will spell bind you. It is full of beautiful and ballsy camera movements. This is the second film in his vengeance trilogy, the first being reviewed on this blog a while back called Sympathy for Mr Vengenance.

I recommend this movie not only for those with the stomach for disgusting images, but disgusting story lines as well. If you are down for all that it is a real pleasure. I give Oldboy ★★★★1/2.

Movie #281 Cold Weather 2011

2011-08-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

I would best describe this film as Sherlock Holmes for hipsters.

Cold Weather first caught my eye with a really catching poster. Then an even catchier trailer. The trailer had the feel of a neo-noir crime mystery. I would say that it doesn't quite live up to the hype that I built for it. Not to say that it isn't a good movie. I did really enjoy this movie, it just wasn't what I was expecting.

I will say that the film makers stayed true to their vision and I credit them for that. I think that the film looks exactly how they wanted it to. It does look fantastic too. For such a small budget the film is fantastically shot and many of the still from this movie could be framed and hung as art. Also some of the camera work is really chilling.

One thing that surprised me about the movie is how funny it is. It is a dry type of humor, but I laughed out loud a couple of times. Mostly when I felt that they were poking at the tropes of these types of movies. This movie was shot in Portland and if I was giving away a film for most depressing setting, this film would win hands down.

One final note: If you are one of those types of people that need resolution in your movies then this is not a film for you. It just stops. I thought it was a bold choice to end where it did, but I can see it infuriating a lot of people. If I was to compare this to another film, I would probably say Rian Johnson's Brick would be a good comparison. I think Brick is a much better film, but they would make good bookend for your collection of modern day, highly stylized, noirish thrillers. I give Cold Weather ★★★.

Movie #280 Breaking Away 1979

2011-08-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

I hope this movie pacifies my Hoosier readers. Growing up and living most of my life in Southern Indiana, apparently one rite of passage was watching Breaking Away. This film was shot entirely in and around Bloomington Indiana. The movie was also set there. It tells the story of a group of recent high school grads enjoying the first summer of the "adult" lives. They are wrestling with what it is they should be doing. Each has a different outlook on life and a different way of handling things.

If there is a protagonist in the movie it is Dave Stoller. He dreams of being an Italian bicyclist. He goes as far as to speak in broken Italian / English, shaving his legs, and dating a college girl who is under the impression that he is an exchange student. All this is much to the dismay of his caring-yet-critical father who wants him to grow up and accept responsibility.

The other characters are:
"Moocher" played by Jackie Earl Haley. He has a secret girlfriend and want to get a job to support her. He just can't tell his buddies because he is afraid they wouldn't understand. He also has a Napoleonic complex. He is short and has an even shorter temper.
Cyril, played by Daniel Stern. He is the tall, lanky comedic buddy. He seems to make jokes as a method of dealing with some serious parental issues. There is a scene at the end of the film where he is looking around intently. I am not sure if he is supposed to be looking for his parents, but that is how I took it and it was very saddening.
Mike, played by Dennis Quaid. He is the leader of the gang. He has the biggest personality and the narrowest vision. He is content muddling the rest of his life away. He is the antagonist in the gangs rebellion against the local college students (IU being that college). He hates them because of their success and even more so because of his short comings.

The movie was directed by Peter Yates. This is a director with a varied filmography. I thought the movie portrayed Midwest life pretty accurately and captured that post high school ma-laze in a way that was recognizable to anyone. The bicycle stuff was motivational and it also provided a major character awakening that really shifted the tone of the film in a way that I wasn't expecting.

This is the point in this review where I should mention that I still have never seen the movie Hoosiers! I just threw that in for the locals. I give Breaking away ★★★1/2.

Movie #279 - 8 Mile 2002

2011-08-12T22:23:00.000-07:00

This film caught me off guard a little. Last week I had asked an acquaintance over to watch a movie when he got some spare time. He accepted my open ended invite (as he usually does) but history has shone me that most people will accept without any intention of taking me up on my offer. It is easier to say "ok" and not show than to say "no thanks, I don't really like you that much". So I figured wouldn't hear any more about it. Then some what out of the blue I get a call from this guy and he says he is free tonight and wanted to take me up on my offer.

Let me give a quick run down of this man before I get to the review. All through my K-12 grade I had one undisputed "best friend", Jon. This was over a decade before the abbreviation "BFF" came into existence. When Jon graduated high school he went off to college and to live his life. I remained a townie. But all during my adolescence, Jon's father Don, was a father figure to me as well. Then during my teenage years Don became the "cool" adult. Sort of like that uncle that will buy you booze as long as you don't tell anyone where it came from. He was still an authority figure, but he spoke to me in a language that was familiar, respectful and encouraging. Once Jon was gone, I found myself still going over to Don's house to talk with him. I was just getting into film and Don had seen many of the movies that I was discovering. With time we built an interesting relationship while I felt like I was becoming an equal to him. That had never happened before, nor has it happened since.

Enough about all that. Don requested that we watched the Eminem vehicle 8 Mile. This was not was I had in mind. I was thinking maybe a more classic film, or a bloody action movie would be in store. The Graduate or Reservoir Dogs was what I was thinking. I don't own 8 Mile, but Netflix had it on their streaming service so we checked it out.

I should mention that at times, Don can be a little long winded and I can't help but attempt to retort to his comments. I should have known that this was going to be a long evening when we stopped the opening credits twice so he could interject.

8 Mile is the semi-autobiographical film about the rapper Eminem, AKA Marshall Matters. He rose out of a dilapidated trailer park at the end of Detroit's 8 Mile road to become a multi-platinum record selling recording artist. The film is a heightened and dramatized retelling of his life's story. Not that the story needed a lot of added drama. The film clearly and without prejudice lays out the obstacles that face this area and it's inhabitants in their daily lives.

Right off the bat I noticed that the people depicted in the movie weren't "bad people", they just made poor decisions. A more accurate way to say that is that the characters in this film don't know how to make smart decisions. They are not stupid people, they are ignorant when it comes to Cause & Effect thinking.

Eminem's character is called Rabbit. He is in his early 20's and loosing menial job after menial job. He has broken up with his girlfriend and moved back in with his unemployed mother and her deadbeat boyfriend. There is also a young girl in the household. It was unclear her position in the family at first, but we later learn that she is Rabbit's sister. The mom is played by Kim Bassinger in one of those "hot woman gets ugly for an Oscar" roles. None the less she is effective as a trailer park dweller.

Rabbit dreams of making it big in the rap game. His crew dreams of the rap game to, but their dreams are of Rabbit making it big and them riding his coat tails. This movie is filled with characters that want and dream of better things, but aren't willing to work to make those dreams come true. Rabbit's mom plays bingo and stays with a scumbag boyfriend solely for his money. He of course doesn't have any, but he is waiting for a settlement check to come in from some bogus injury. Rabbit's crew talks a big game, but none of them are shone to have any ability to make those dreams come true. Even Rabbit's love interest is banking on a "modeling career" and later in the movie makes some poor decisions in an attempt to secure a better finical future. Rabbit feels this overwhelming pressure from ever angle. Everyone he knows is counting on him to be successful. His only escape and catharsis are his rhymes.

This movie easily could have gone for a "rags-to-riches" type story, but it doesn't. It is more honest and therefor less manipulative than that. It avoids the troupes of so many sports and war movies where the underdogs are able to pull out a victory through sheer determination and will. The way it avoids these cliches is to martyr it's protagonist. Rabbit has to come to a realization that it is not about his mom, or his friends, or even his girlfriend. It is about him and his decisions and his future. Along this existential awakening Rabbit is beaten and cheated on. Eventually he is lead to face his biggest fear, failure.

This final scene where Rabbit has to battle members of a rival crew is set up so well at the beginning of the movie when he attempts to rap in front of a crowd and suffers stage fright. You really don't know if he is going to be able to get the words out. I'd like to take a moment to complement Eminem on his acting chops. I could really see the doubt and anxiety in his eyes. Not only that, once he begins rapping I felt every word that was said. He wasn't rapping against this rival crew, he was raging against his surrounds.

I won't spoil the final battle, but structurally it was wholly original. I can't think of another battle scene in any movie, regardless of the type of battle, where Rabbit's strategy is employed.

The film does have a few week points that I found mildly distracting. Rabbit's crew are less characters than they are caricatures or stereotypes. Also there is a development with Rabbit's mom that felt like the studio might have gotten involved to lighten the mood a little towards the end of the film. Finally there is Britney Murphy. She plays Rabbit's love interest. I personally don't think she is all that great of an actress, and her character's motivations were unclear to me. I wonder if there are a few scenes that got cut for time purposes that might have explained her decisions a little better.

This is a great movie that while set in a location that all of us might not be able to relate to, I think it finds commonalities throughout all walks of life. I enjoyed the movie and it was made all the more special for the company that watched it with me.

Don is unlike any person I know. His charm and charisma are legendary in my small community. He is smarter than he would ever let on. Rare is the occasion that I speak with him where I don't learn something new or at least see some aspect of the world in a new light. He and I share a sense of humor that ranges from plain silly (rubber chickens and flatulence jokes) to sharp, witty, sophisticated drollery. He is strong willed and opinionated but he is willing to listen with an open ear. He has never found himself in a crowd that he could not fit into, and that is without changing a single thing about his personality. He is quick to self deprecate but even quicker to commend others. Both action are always in service of the greater good. Musician, politician, patriarch, mentor and luminary are all great titles for Don. I am proud to simply call him a friend.

I give 8 Mile ★★★1/2.

Movie #278 - 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould 1993

2011-08-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

I found this film in my 1001 Movies book. And I am glad I did.

This was a real treat. In its description it said the words "avant guard". I have to admit that usually that term scares me off. I have spoke on this blog that non-narrative film making is difficult for me to connect with. I was afarid that this was going to be another one of those types of films.

Instead what I was treated to was just that the title promises. 32 short films examining different elements of Mr. Gould's life. So who is Glenn Gould? That is what turned me on to the film. He was a child piano prodigy. He had an affection for Bach. He is known for many things. And many of those things being quite strange. For example: He was a concert pianist until the age of 31, the suddenly and without notice he decided to stop touring and focus solely on recording himself playing. He has recording on the Voyager Spaceships in case alien life form intercepts these vessels, there will be a record of music for them to relate to humanity. He was a hypochondriac. He became a recluse (as all good geniuses do) when he got older. His technical skill are widely thought to be near, if not, perfect.

The visual styles of the films ranged from animation of two white lines showing the vibrations his music being played to fluid close up's of the inner working of a piano while being played. There are a few more traditional documentary moments of interviews with "friends" and co-artist. Then there are some completely imagined fictional scenes with an actor playing Gould.

I love the films style and the subject is fascinating. I think this was the perfect way to represent the life of such a diverse, fragmented and complicated man. I give 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould ★★★★.

Movie #277 White Material 2009

2011-08-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this is the first female director that I have blogged about, but it seems to be a rare thing. That is unfortunate. In White Material Claire Denis tells the tale of a coffee plantation owner and her failing farm in Africa. To complicate things there is a civil war going on and she seems to be on the loosing side. Then to top things off she has a lazy son that goes insane and begins fighting for the winning side.

This is a film that is slow paced and mainly shot with a hand held aesthetic. The story reigns supreme. But it can be a slightly impenetrable yarn at times. I enjoyed that fact that it jumps around in time a little, but not to much. It causes the viewer to constantly remember what has happened. Both in the past, and what you have seen that is going to happen in the future. That is an extremely difficult trick to pull off.

The thing that I didn't like about this movie is the son plot line. It seems unnecessary and not nearly as well thought out as the rest of what was happening. Not enough time was devoted to him in order for me to believe that he would make such a radical change. Plus, I found the actor sort of annoying.

This is a small cast with what I would guess is a lot of non actors filling roles as soldiers. Even with a slow story and such a small cast the writer and director was able to pull off an almost epic in scale story. I enjoyed White Material quite a bit. I suppose I should mention that the film is in French. I give the film ★★★1/2.

Movie #276 Scott Pilgrim vs The World

2011-08-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have already done a blog on Scott Pilgrim vs the World, so here is my 3 Reasons:

Reason #1. The transitions. How this movie gets from one scene to another is rarely by cutting or fade in and out. It is the most creative use of transitions I have ever scene. And the best part is that they are mostly in service to the story.

Reason #2. Michael Cera. I know some people hate on this guy, but I don't understand it. They say he only has one character, they geeky shy guy. First off I think Scott Pilgrim was a real departure from that. He plays a prick and a really unpleasant dude. Secondly, John Wayne is also said to only have on character and he is an American icon AND a fantastic actor! That's right, I just compared Michael Cera to John Wayne. Take that Ebert!

Reason #3. The 7 Evil Ex's. The supporting cast consists of wonderful talent and that is summed up by The Leauge of Evil Ex's. Ramona's past romantic interludes. Some are better than others, but all fill their roles very well and provide depth and a video game like structure to this film. And finally I mean that in a good way.

I will say this about this movie. A friend came over to the house the other night and we wanted to have some background noise on while we talked. We started with Mars Attacks. Then halfway through I started showing off my Bluray player and we watched a little of Night of the Hunter and The American on Blu. All the while we were talking and having a good time. Then I put Scott Pilgrim in and we both instinctly shut up and watched the whole thing through almost without talking. Other than to comment on how cool everything on screen was.

I give Scott Pilgrim vs The World ★★★★.

Movie #275 The Ususal Suspects 1995

2011-08-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

I feel like this one is a ringer. I noticed a few weeks ago that there were only a few years between 1939 and present day that a movie was made and I haven't reviewed. Oddly enough one of those years was 1995. I then looked at my 1001 Movies to See Before You Die book and The Usual Suspects was one of the films in that year. I had of course seen The Usual Suspect, and I consider it one of my top 100 movies. Sooooo the other night I decided to pop it in the ole Bluray player.

Right off the bat I love it that the opening title card says "The Brian Singer Film". I think he knew that if this movie wasn't a hit he would never work in Hollywood again. Fortunately for us that was not the case. The Usual Suspects is a crime thriller with a twist ending. That is not really a fair statement. It actually has several twists at the end.

Another thing that I love about this movie is that even now that I know the ending, I am still always a little surprised by it. That is the sign of a great movie. One thing that I noticed this time through is how bold the lighting choices are in the film. There is a ton of lighting going on and at direct angles.

Singer was able to pull some great performances out of his cast. People like Stephen Baldwin and Kevin Pollack hold their own against heavyweights like Gabriel Bryne and Kevin Spacey. I epically love Pete Postlethwaite as the lawyer, Kobayashi.

I feel like I am stacking the deck a little towards the end of my 1 year. Swingers and now The Usual Suspects. Back to back 5 star movies. I haven't done that in a while. This movie is endlessly quotable.

I enjoy Singer's playfulness with the camera in this movie. That is not to say that the film doesn't look professional, because it certainly does. What I am saying is that he repeats shots and camera movements to evoke earlier scenes. This is a very skill trick in a film with a non liner narrative. It help the viewer to place themselves in the time line without spelling it out.

This is a master class in film making. In case you have never seen it (and by now if you haven't seen it I am sure you are not reading this film nerds blog) I won't spoil it for you. But I will say that the twist(s) at the end shouldn't come as a surprise. There are clues all along the way. And not just it the way that is explained at the end of the film. There are visual and lighting and audible clues throughout the entire film. The brilliance of this film is that it is all there for you to figure out. You are just not smart enough to. Neither was I and love the film for exposing me, and at finally a film that trusts me and isn't condescending or spoon feeding me exposition.

I give The Usual Suspects ★★★★★.

A Year in Film

Movie #299 A Woman is a Woman *1961*

Movie #298 Dr Strangelove *1964*

Movie #297 A Trip to the Moon *1902*

Movie #296 Henry: A Portrait of a Serial Killer *1986*

Movie #295 Rasing Arizona *1987*

Movie #294 Hobo with a Shotgun *2011*

Movie #293 Scott Pilgrim vs the World *2010*

Movie #292 The Player *1992*

Movie #291 Bullitt *1968*

Movie #290 The Adventures of Robin Hood *1938*

Movie #289 Brazil *1985*

Movie #288 Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen *2011*

Movie #287 Rise of the Planet of the Apes *2011*

Movie #286 The Pleasure of Being Robbed *2008*

Movie #285 Videodrome *1983*

Movie #284 The Magnificent Seven *1960*

Movie #283 Thieves' Highway *1949*

Movie #282 Oldboy *2003*

Movie #281 Cold Weather *2011*

Movie #280 Breaking Away *1979*

Movie #279 - 8 Mile *2002*

Movie #278 - 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould *1993*

Movie #277 White Material *2009*