Between thought and expression

2011-09-11T13:17:00.000-04:00

Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings, op.11 Albert Hall, London, Sept. 15, 2001.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher 2011) Trailer (video)

2011-05-31T21:52:00.004-04:00

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (David Fincher 2011) Trailer (video) *link updated* Perhaps that is crow I am eating since I implied that David Fincher's adaptation of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" might not live up to the Swedish version. Yes, it is clearly too early to conclude anything based on the snippets above. However, the leaked trailer sure looks promising. It also features an

New Radiohead Album Due This Saturday!

2011-02-14T13:25:00.001-05:00

New Radiohead Album, 'The King of Limbs,' Will Hit Web on Saturday The best Valentine's Day news!

Blue Valentine Movie Review

2011-01-20T09:00:00.003-05:00

Blue Valentine 8/10 'Blue Valentine' is about more than just marital fatigue and burnout. It is about the capriciousness and emotional insecurities that lead to quick marriages but later also slowly eat away at love over time. Michelle Williams gives a remarkable performance as Cindy, the dedicated mother and nurse who is trying her best to cope with living with Dean (Ryan Gosling), a

The King's Speech Movie Review

2011-01-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

The King's Speech 8/10 'The King's Speech' is bloody good. If I had had time to see it before making my 2010 favorite films list, it would have been #10. Colin Firth is the clear front-runner for the Best Actor Oscar. His transformation from the stammering, insecure Prince Albert, Duke of York to the determined, more self-assured King George VI is believable and inspiring. Helena Bonham

Green Hornet Movie Review

2011-01-18T19:06:00.000-05:00

Green Hornet 6/10 Ever wonder what Michel Gondry would do with a big budget superhero film? 'The Green Hornet' appears to be a victim of critical groupthink. It is actually not bad. It pretty much met my expectations as a campy, uneven action/buddy superhero flick with amazing, over-the-top action, good chemistry between Jay Chou and Seth Rogen (the former's language problems notwithstanding

Highly Anticipated 2011 Films

2011-01-14T09:00:00.002-05:00

2011 films I am looking forward to (director also noted, if I care about them): The 13 Women of Nanjing (Zhang) The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (Spielberg) Amour (Haneke, probably 2012) Bernie (Linklater) Captain America: The First Avenger Caves of Forgotten Dreams (Herzog) Contagion (Soderbergh) Coriolanus Cowboys & Aliens Damsels in Distress (Stillman) A Dangerous Method (

Favorite Films of 2010

2011-01-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

First, let me start with a list of films that I did not get a chance to see but wanted to see (in alphabetical order): Another Year, Biutiful, Blue Valentine, Buried, Carlos, A Film Unfinished, Hereafter, The Illusionist, I'm Still Here, The King's Speech, Life During Wartime, Made in Dagenham, Mother, Outrage, Restrepo, The Strange Case of Angelica, Submarino, Tabloid, Tangled, The Way Back (

127 Hours Movie Review

2011-01-12T17:45:00.001-05:00

127 Hours 8/10 '127 Hours' is about a horror that is almost unimaginable. Can you imagine going through what he went through and doing what he had to do? I was not sure I would be able to finish watching this, but I'm glad that I did. It is a tale of human resourcefulness and survival that makes 'Cast Away' look like Gilligan's Island. I didn't think that James Franco could carry this, but

The Social Network Movie Review

2011-01-11T08:27:00.000-05:00

The Social Network 8/10 Jesse Eisenberg is perfect in his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg, the obsessive and off-putting founder of Facebook, whose brainchild is a remarkable example of Adlerian compensation, albeit not due to an inferiority complex so much as a reflection of his unique combination of narcissism, obsessive-compulsiveness, and sociopathy. To me, this is Fincher's best film since '

Somewhere Movie Review

2011-01-09T19:35:00.000-05:00

Somewhere 7/10 'Somewhere' won the Golden Lion at the 2010 Venice Film Festival, maybe because ex-boyfriend Tarantino led the jury? I have gone back and forth in my mind about this film. Although I think that similar themes were better explored in 'Lost in Translation', it does stand up on its own merit. The film portrays the celebrity experience of ennui but does so at a somewhat

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives Movie Review

2011-01-08T19:28:00.001-05:00

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives 8/10 'Uncle Boonmee' is mysterious, haunting, surreal, and unconventional, a deserving winner of this year's Palme d'Or at Cannes. However, it is sure to be a bore for the majority of audiences, particularly those who lack an appreciation for postmodernism, magic realism, and Buddhism. The opening is brilliant and Tarkovsky-esque, and the catfish

Dogtooth Movie Review

2011-01-04T22:53:00.005-05:00

Dogtooth 8/10 (rating adjusted) 'Dogtooth' is a really bizarre film that reveals the dangers of overprotectiveness, social isolation, and censorship. Be warned, it is disturbing and rather sexually explicit. The father is a control freak and through his exacting manipulations, he projects his insanity onto his wife, son, and two daughters. He creates a hellish, sheltered world of mind games,

Enter The Void Movie Review

2010-12-19T08:30:00.005-05:00

Enter the Void 7/10 If you can't take first person camerawork or themes that are characteristic of the New French Extremity, stay far, far away from this film. It is initially engrossing but at the same time suffocating and claustrophobia-inducing. The first 10 minutes are like a weird acid trip. Being inside Oscar's (Nathaniel Brown) head is not a fun place to be. The cinematography during

R.I.P. Captain Beefheart

2010-12-18T11:16:00.000-05:00

R.I.P. Captain Beefheart Eerie. I was just listening to Trout Mask Replica this morning when I came across this news. A huge loss for anyone who is a fan of experimental rock.

The Kids Are All Right Movie Review

2010-12-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

The Kids Are All Right 7/10 I tried to dismiss this film initially, but I ended up really enjoying it. The plot is unusual: it's just your typical lesbian couple whose children want to meet their artificial insemination sperm donor father, which leads to a mid-life crisis, story. There really aren't films that explore similar themes and feature such a stellar cast. I am sure that there will

Easy A Movie Review

2010-12-13T22:20:00.001-05:00

Easy A 7/10 If high school sucked for you, just be glad you didn't go to Ojai North High during the age of text messaging. Ordinarily, I would have stayed far away from this sort of movie. But after hearing the buzz about Emma Stone's performance, I decided to check it out. And I'm glad that I did. Emma Stone is a bona fide star who has a certain edginess mixed with girl-next-door appeal,

Rabbit Hole Movie Review

2010-12-12T09:25:00.002-05:00

Rabbit Hole 7/10 I'm not sure why director John Cameron Mitchell has taken so long in between directorial efforts. This is his best film since his debut, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch". "Rabbit Hole" is a sad and uncomfortable examination of life after the tragedy of losing one's child. The pace is a tad slow at first, but it is an adaptation of a Tony Award and Pulitzer Award-winning play that

Youth In Revolt Movie Review

2010-12-11T10:30:00.001-05:00

Youth In Revolt 7/10 For wacky and weird, just add Steve Buscemi. Michael Cera, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Long, and Steve Buscemi = winner for awkward, offbeat ensemble cast. I must admit that I had pigeonholed this earlier in the year after seeing the ridiculous trailer, but I gave it a chance after seeing the cast and directing credits. I am pleased to report that it is nothing like the

Black Swan Movie Review

2010-12-09T01:05:00.010-05:00

Black Swan 9/10 There is a thin line between perfectionism and insanity. Darren Aronofsky immerses the viewer in the world of the dancer, where performance anxiety is routine and one is always looking over one's shoulder. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman in a mesmerizing and Oscar-worthy performance) is a fragile ballerina coddled by an overprotective and infantilizing mother. Her perfectionism

Inception In Real Time (video)

2010-12-06T20:29:00.000-05:00

Inception In Real Time (video) Good stuff. Watch it before they take it off YouTube. Can't wait to get my Blu-Ray, pre-ordered from Amazon for just $18!

Fish Tank Movie Review

2010-12-05T18:40:00.002-05:00

Fish Tank 8/10 I started watching Fish Tank knowing little about it other than the fact that it had won the BAFTA and the Prix du Jury at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Mia (Katie Jarvis) has a rebellious potty mouth, likes breakin' (well, trying to, at least) to Eric B and Rakim, and tests the limit of everyone's patience. It is an incisive and depressing look at everyday life in lower class

Exit Through The Gift Shop Movie Review

2010-12-04T09:10:00.002-05:00

Exit Through The Gift Shop 8/10 Banksy directs this subversive and satirical (pseudo?)documentary about the rise of an eccentric shopkeeper and "filmmaker" as a not-so-bona-fide street artist. It doesn't matter how much of it it true. It is a fascinating commentary on the exploitation and commercialization of street culture and street art. It's like "F For Fake" for street art.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World Movie Review

2010-11-30T17:37:00.000-05:00

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World 7/10 Wow, Michael Cera is such a dork. And that makes him perfect for this role. This is a fun and imaginative adaptation of the graphic novel from the director of "Shuan of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz". It's like a guy-chases-girl love triangle romantic comedy with hipster kids, mashed with a Street Fighter type video game, which doesn't sound promising at first, but

A Prophet Movie Review

2010-11-29T19:55:00.001-05:00

A Prophet 8/10 Forget recidivism. "A Prophet" shows us how prison can generate new hardcore criminals, as evidenced by the protagonist Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim in his superb film debut) and his unexpected rise to power within prison. Director Jacques Audiard is in his element, crafting a realistic and chilling look into life within the walls of a French prison where gang-related and