Symphonic Cinema

Moving and streamlining

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 20:33:00 +0000

Hi Everybody! I'm moving my movie blog over into my regular blog, here. I'm trying to make things easier on myself. So, if you follow this blog you might want to move over to the other blog.

My Favorite anti-utopian revolt movies

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 03:57:00 +0000

In Time
I'm prompted to blog because I've just finished watching In time. I watched a preview some time ago and added it to my netflix queue and forgot about it. It arrived and I love it. The premise is simple, everyone is genetically engineered to live 25 years and at that age you are stuck looking like your 25 year old self. You can then add time to your life, but you won't look any older. From the IMDB:

In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system.

It's a fun and thought provoking film. (Where were the cellphones people? I mean that was my only real problem with the film, no cells, I'm so attached to my new iphone I can't even watch a movie and not wonder where the cellphones are..)It has left me thinking more about the importance of time.
I suspect I'll find myself pondering this film for some time to come. The concepts behind this film are fascinating for me. It's crazy to watch people pay for coffee with 5 minutes worth of time. Time off their life. Paying bills with minutes, hours, or weeks off of your lifetime. It is a horrifying thought. I really enjoyed this, though I spent a good 20 minutes trying to place the Timekeeper, he was the Scarecrow in the first Batman movie. I also should add, this movie surprised me a few times. Things were done that I'd never seen happen in a film, which is saying something. Oh, one last note, I really like Timberlake's performance. It is the 2nd or 3rd of his movies I have seen. He's always been a basic guy.He isn't distracting and he doesn't chew up the scenery. I like that. He puts in a really solid performance in this film. I really liked it. I recommend it.
Okay, because In Time was movie about an anti-utopian time with major acts of revolt in it I have now had to come up with a list.

Children of men

A fabulous film that is now one of my all time favorites. I love Clive Owen in this, and I love Pam Ferris and Michael Caine and Julianne Moore. It is a violent, brutal but touching film. Not a world I'd want to live in, but a story that should be told. The idea of humans facing their own eventual extinction, and having no way of stopping it, and the idea of babies as miracles really touched me. I felt all the acting was superb. I highly recommend it.

Fight Club
I'm hesitant about this being an dystopian film. I would, however call it a movie about rebellion. And, like in time, it is rebellion of a sorts against capitalism. Here's one of my favorite moments, partially because I love that they used a Pixies song, I won't lie, I love that. Also, the destruction is fantastic.

I had made notes here to myself to mention, since I'm talking about dystopian films and rebellion, why not mention A Clockwork Orange. Here's why: I hate the film. Loathe it. Can't stand it. Find it a violation of the work of writing itself on a primevel level. It is loathesome and horrid and blasphemy. I also am not a fan of the edited novel. I find that, in my universe to be an agregious sin. Anthony Burgess, the author of A Clockwork Orange had a full 21 chapters in his novel. It was published for years with only 20 chapters. The entire last chapter was cut. It changed the entire meaning of the novel. Because Kubrik used the American version as his model for the film, it is inaccurate. It doesn't represent Burgess' novel. I loved Burgess' novel.
You can see here what Anthony Burgess wrote about it here.

Dark City
I couldn't tell you now what this film is about, needless to say, all I remember is that it was pretty and reminds me of Seattle, no sunshine whatsoever. Oh, and it had a crazy looking Kiefer Sutherland (another good Kiefer movie - Flatliners, if they're going to re-make anything, why not have Darren Aronofsky get his hands on that film). It is dark and pretty.

Ghost in the Shell
Actually, this is a lie, I love Ghost in The Shell 2nd Gig more than the movie, by a long shot. It's lovely and it's a TV series, not a movie. Still, that is closer to a world I want to live in. I would be cyberized. I would also want a Tachikoma of my own.

Bladerunner

Pretty, dark, sad. I like both versions. There, I said it. I like the narrated version and the quiet version. I just like it all the way around.

Tank Girl

I adore Lori Petty, and really liked Naomi Watts in this. This came out ages ago, and was a blast then, and I can still dig it now. It's fun, there are tanks and Malcolm McDowell plays (gasp!) a bad guy. There are also kangaroo men and Devo songs. What's not to love here? However, much like Dune, water is a shortage but this is a funnier sillier dytopia. I love it, and still don't want to live in that universe either.

These are my picks. What would you pick?

Frida

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:27:00 +0000

So, I loved this movie, I was apprehensive when I heard it was being released, there were rumours of j-lo's involvement, which was largely untrue, Salma Hayek and Julie Taymor were a large part of the film being produced.
I normally cannot stand Taymor's work. I loathed Titus. However, I mostly enjoyed Across the Universe, though like all of her work, with the exception of Frida seems overblown to me. Too big, too grandiose.
Frida Kahlo was larger than life. To me at least. The first time I heard of Friday Kahlo I was in my junior year of high school and I'd gone to Tucson with my step-mom and sister to toodle. Usually our toodles included some vintage clothes stores, lunch at Furr's, some coffee and sweets somewhere, and maybe a visit to a museum or park. That day we went to the Ted De Grazia musuem The Gallery of the Sun. I think I'd been there before earlier in my life, but I still remember this day. It had been rainy and we walked in to the museum and it was the Pasion por Frida exhibit. Nothing could have prepared me. I'd never seen someone expose themselves so completely on canvas before. Frida's work always shows everything, she seemed to throw open the quiet spaces in her life and dust off the cobwebs. Her paintings showed her pain, her fears, her loves, everything. She was a remarkable painter and one of my inspirations. The Ted De Grazia exhibit was Pasion por Frida in Jan-March of 1993 I think.
I didn't know about the controversy then, and I don't remember going to that museum prior to that visit. I don't remember any penises, but I do remember it being quite graphic. Although Frida's art itself wasn't shown, representations of it abounded. Strangely when I was looking for the actual dates of the exhibit I could only find reference to it by one article. It's strange now to find those kind of limits on information on the Internet. At least, I found it a bit odd. I remember it was in high school, I couldn't tell you when for sure though.

Frida the movie, is quite a good one. I enjoy it immensly, I think the performances were solid and the switch from paintings to reality or dreams are beautifully done, and it may be my favorite of Taymor's films. It is certainly the only one I enjoy. Frida was an amazing woman and this film doesn't stray from the controversies in her life. I would however, recommend doing your reading up on her afterwards, her diaries and art speak so much for her also.
Frida was ballsy and direct and she came through so clearly in her paintings.She gives me hope that the world can accept women like me and her, artistic, passionate, colorful women.

My Favorite Virus films

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:38:00 +0000

These are movies about infectious diseases that don't turn you into zombie. Which is why you won't find Resident Evil or 24 Days Later on here. I'm mainly going for disease fear here.

Outbreak
Pontypool ( I think of this as a very unique virus movie more than a zombie film, this is up for debate)
Blindness
The Crazies
The Plague
The Stand

home movies...and whatnot

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 02:12:00 +0000

This is a link to Walter's film No Laughing Matter...view it and show others.

I hope at some point to post more links when more of his films are available and once he starts making more movies (hopefully this will be sooner than later).

Hopefully, up here in the PNW he can meet more movie people.

You can read his own thoughts here.

Upcoming movies I want to see

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 20:58:00 +0000

We go out pretty regularly, and by "we" I mean Walter and I, with friends to watch movies and lately I've been asked what I want to see and I've come up blank.
However, I did get a chance to peruse Hulu's trailers and found a few movies coming up that I'd like to see.

Here goes:
the last circus - Walter & I agreed that this was disturbed enough to go watch in the theater, it could be really really bad, or not that bad. We'll see. Either way, movie or rental I suspect I'll end up seeing this.

special treatment - it's French, it's about a high end prostitute going through a mid-life crisis. Could be interesting. I'll likely end up renting this one through Netflix.

chasing madoff - Again, because it's a documentary and will likely bore everyone I know this will be a "me" film. A renter, but one I'm hoping to find informative.

circumstance - forbidden love in Iran, I'm all there. Both women looked beautiful and it looked like it could be a powerful film. I'm all over it.

the interrupters a documentary about inner city schools and keeping kids in school, it also looked powerful and informative. I'm all over these sorts of docs.

3 - It just looked interesting, what can I say. The trailer sucked me in.

the ides of march - a political drama that looks tasty and it has George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei in it.

Fireflies in the garden - another sappy film, this time with Ryan Reynolds, Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe and Emily Watson. It could be great. I like Ryan Reynolds and love Willem Dafoe. It's an unusual cast but could be quite extraordinary. I suspect though, it's going to be considered a "chick flick" by my compatriots and I will be renting this also. We shall see though, it does have Willem Dafoe who is not known for his "chick flicks" unlike Ms. Roberts.

red state - I've seen most of Kevin Smith's work so this will be another I will give a try. We'll see.

hugo - It looked beautiful and enchanting.

the descendants - Another Clooney film, but it looks like something he hasn't tried before. A man trying to get to know his daughters. I like the cast, Matthew Lillard ( a fav since SLC Punk) Judy Greer who I love off of Archer & Arrested Development. It could be a solid film. Again, likely a rental.

another earth - It just looked like fun.

My top animated movies from 2000-2009 in no particular order

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:12:00 +0000

The Incredibles
Ghost in The Shell Solid State Society
Tekkon Kinkreet
The Triplets of Belleville
Ratatouille
Howl’s Moving Castle
Monsters Inc
Spirited Away
Cat Soup
Finding Nemo
Persepolis
Metropolis
Coraline
Happy feet

100 of my favorite movies from 2000-2009

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:10:00 +0000

24 hour party people
Amelie
Blood Diamond
Children of Men
Control
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
The Darjeeling Limited
The Dark Knight
Donnie Darko
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Harold and Kumar go to White Castle 2004
Harry Potter Series (2001 – 2010)
Hellboy Series -2008
The Lord of the Rings series (2001-2003)
The Host 2006
Iron Jawed Angels 2004
Juno 2007
Let the Right One In 2008
Lost in Translation
Ripley’s Game
Secretary
Shaun of the Dead
Stardust
Wristcutters
Battle Royale
Billy Elliot
Black Snake Moan
Bridge to Tarabithia
Brother
Cecil B. Demented
The Devil’s Backbone
Frida
Ghost World
Ginger Snaps
Grandma’s Boy
Hot Fuzz
The Hours
King Kong
Kontroll
Kung Fu Hustle
The Last King of Scotland
Last Life in the Universe
Lemony Snicket: Unfortunate Events
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Memento
Memoirs of a Geisha
Moulin Rouge
Muholland Drive
No Country for Old Men
Ong-Bak The Thai Warrior
Mirrormask
The Queen
Big Eden
The Brothers Grimm
The Royal Tenenbaums
Russian Ark
Shadow of the Vampire
Slither
Slumdog Millionaire
Special
Spun
The Station Agent
Superbad
Sweeney Todd
Tropic thunder
X Men
You Can Count On me
Zack and Miri make a Porno
The 40 year old virgin
Across the Universe
Best in Show
Gosford Park
The Devil’s Rejects
A Dirty Shame
Erin Brokovich
Infernal Affairs
In the Mood for Love
Jackass The Movie
Kinsey
Little Miss Sunshine
Mean Girls
A Mighty Wind
Million Dollar Baby
Monsoon Wedding
Moonlight Mile
Napoleon Dynamite
O Brother Where art thou?
Oldboy
Open Range
Real Women Have Curves
Requiem for a dream
Saved!
Sky Captain and the World of tomorrow
Sin City
Spider Man
V for Vendetta
Vanilla Sky
Wall-E
The Whole Nine Yards
Wonder Boys

Hotels Motels and whatnot..

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 03:22:00 +0000

Recently I found myself re-watching Four Rooms for the first time since it was originally released. My husband hadn't yet seen it and so we spent an evening watching it, and it was appropriate since we'd been on a Tarantino kick.
It led me to ponder memorable hotel based movies, and here are my most memorable hotel movies.
Psycho
It truly is the last hotel you'd ever want to stay at. A horror standby and a solid film all the way around. The hotel itself is creepy and empty and ancient.

Mystery Train
An old favorite of mine. It's basically about three sets of people in a hotel during one night in Memphis. I love the Japanese couple in this film and I love Joe Strummer in this. A deft film from Jarmusch. In fact, it's the Jim Jarmusch film I recommend the most and usually first. I've always felt it's the most accessible.

Four Rooms
This, as I was reminded recently, was quite a funny film. It really shows the good and bad of the hotel business. Funny, filled with surprises and some deeply dark comedy, worth the time.

The Shining
Really a "What not to do" example of the hotel business. Also tops in the horror genre and will forever make those big hotel lobbies forever creepy.

Okay, so that's my minute list. Let me know if you can think of some great films that revolve around hotels, motels and inns.

My personal top favorite vampire films

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:02:00 +0000

My Best friend is a vampire (1987). I admit it, this is a guilty pleasure, all the way. I love Robert Sean Leonard. Plus, it's very 80s.

Let the right One in (2008). Well done. I found it most impressive though not deeply moving. It was the oasis in a sea of really bad recent vampire flicks, in my opinion.

Near Dark - 1987's other superb vampire offering. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. I love this film. I wish I owned this. The bar scene is hands down the most memorable. With a cast ripped from Aliens featuring Lance Henricksen, Bill Paxton (Does he ever survive a film?) Jenette Goldstein, and Adrian Pasdar (more widely known for his recent performance as Nathan Petrelli from Heroes). It is a dark film done well. The vampires aren't sexy, just dangerous and dirty.

The Hunger (1983) How could I not love this? Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, Bauhaus. Beautiful, edgy, tragic vampires. Now, the thing is, although I love this film I have to admit I love this film because of its camp factor in my universe. I don't love The Hunger because it's an exceptional vampire film, I love it because it's such a cultural icon at this point. This film deserves to be on this list because it covers the vampire/lesbian/death quota for all vampire movie lists.

Shadow of the Vampire (2000) - a movie that is a take off of the original Nosferatu from 1922. A brilliantly filmed and acted film. If you are familiar with Nosferatu (1922) you should be set. If you haven't seen this film, see it. It's great. I loved the performances given by John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe. Amazing actors in a fine film.

Nosferatu (1922) The classic. Worth every minute. For me at least a horror classic. I like my vampires deep down creepy.

The addiction (1995) - Strangely disturbing. Lili Taylor, Christopher Walken, Annabel Sciorra and Edie Falco round out the cast. I love Lili Taylor and have since her turn in Say Anything. She's great and powerful, and in this she's pretty disturbed. I love that this film was shot in black and white. The blood and needle scenes are upsetting. Again, fine performances by all, with a premise that vampirism is an addiction. Throw in some existential pondering and suffering and you have this film.

Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) I love this film, it is a fun mockery of the past 20 years of Dracula movies. I'm a big Mel Brooks fan. I also love Peter McNicol's version of Renfield. My favorite Renfield is Tom Waits, but it's because I love Tom Waits and his music and anything he's in.

Okay, so these are just my top vamp flicks. What are yours and why?

Great Gory Eyeball Popping Scenes Of Greatness

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:38:00 +0000

I've been contemplating movies and themes lately and think I've started something here. As my partner-in-crime, my husband, is a gorehound I've been subjected over the years to an amazing number of rather gory horror movies. In this process I've discovered that a popular method of torture/death in said gory horror movies is eyeball popping. So I've come up with a list of movies with great eyeball centered gore. If there are more you can think of, please add.

The Beyond by Lucio Fulci - Ah, The Beyond's tarantulas eating eyeballs. Truly disturbing and memorable and chock full of eyeball eating.

Evil Dead - Having seen this again on the big screen recently I was reminded of how funny and gory this film is. The eyeball popping is not the most memorable, but there is a noted scene.

Marebito - there is an early eyeball stabbing scene.

Phantasm 2 - Some of my husband's favorites from back in the day. I actually sat through all 4 of them. These movies may have been something when they came out, in retrospect - not so much. The fact that blood was banana custard color didn't help. Eyeball popping however, did. One of the few films that the gore did help.

So - what are your favorite eyeball popping, gouging, poking, eating, rolling scenes in horror cinema?

Attack of the Killer Food!

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:56:00 +0000

I woke up the other day with the song Attack of the Killer tomatoes in my head and promptly wandered about the house humming the tune. It got the ideas of attacking food in my head. I decided that this list needed to exist.
Here it goes, my list of best movies with attacking food.

Poltergeist - the meat from the fridge. Disturbed me beyond belief as a kid. How could it not? I didn't want meat for months after that film.

The Stuff - could make you swear off yogurt for years. I first saw this when I was about 9 in Tucson with Claudine and her sister and mom.

Young Sherlock Holmes - the cream puff attack.

Better Off Dead - the food isn't exactly attacking, but I felt this was a memorable food movement for 3 reasons 1) the burger dancing scene is one of the weirdest scenes. It creeps me out to no end. 2) the mom's cooking of octopus 3) the moving dish.

The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters - I was reminded of this by a cousin. A prime example of attacking food.

Honorable Mentions: The Curry attacking in Red Dwarf, Pizza the Hut in Spaceballs. Both funny and interesting versions of attacking food.

I don't know about you but I feel I should also mention that I hate ads for food that have dancing or talking/singing food. The California Raisins disturb me as do the Chips Ahoy! dancing cookies.

So - let me know. What food in the movies or tv scares you?

Amelie

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:11:00 +0000

First let me say, I wasn't always a fan of this crew. I viewed City of Lost Children first, ages ago, right after it'd been released. It was twisted and dark and I didn't like it.
I saw it again a few years later, and loved it. I don't know what had changed, I suspect it was an instance of "Bad Movie experience". You know - bad company, or I was cajoled into watching the movie, I chalk it now up to general malaise. I later loved the film, bought the soundtrack and often recommend it to others. At some point between my first and second viewing my appreciation of its surrealism developed. I enjoy the camera angles, the ideas in the film especially the twins and the flea circus. But I digress.
I didn't see Delicatessen until last year.
Somewhere between the those films I saw 2 Jean-Pierre Jeunet movies - Amelie and Alien 4.
Amelie being the far better movie. The less said about Alien 4 the better.
Amelie though. What a ride!
It's hard for me to pinpoint what I love more, the camera angles and fast zippy shots or the color.
I love Jeunet's use of the colors red and green. I love the pleasant atmosphere he's placed his regulars (including, Dominique Pinon) in, The Two Windmills and Montmartre. The quips and facts and non sequiturs are great. There are brilliant little moments in the film that still, this many years after first watching it still make me stop everything and watch. Audrey Tautou is lovely and easy to watch, she does doe eyed wonder with ease. I like this film, it's an easy modern day fairy tale with gorgeous use of color and brilliant shots.
It's an easy story to watch, a young sheltered woman starts to live in the world. She meets people, helps people, meddles in other people's lives and all in all starts to get out more and risk a little. It's a film about dreams and love, what's not to love. The acting is superb, the dialogue is quiet and thought out and it's all brilliantly shot.
It's eye candy at its finest.
Enjoy!

Mulholland Dr. ~ here there be spoilers ~

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 02:33:00 +0000

First of all, I did see these a number of years ago for the first time, not too long after it was released, I rented it at home.
Let it be said, I'm not really a David Lynch fan. Not really.

This is a strange film, but it's David Lynch, that's an understatement. I can't say entirely that I understand it all or the meaning behind every scene. Some things about this film escape me entirely, I'm sure.

But it is a David Lynch film, from tip to tail. The music, the atmosphere, the weirdness. It's a surreal film. It's one I find I "have to be in the mood for" or I just don't enjoy it enough.

It's one of the few films I relish because it doesn't make sense, but like a lot of movies I adore, this is pretty character driven. I really like Naomi Watts' character. I sympathized with her. Her sad and desperate character is someone I feel for.

Let it not be said that I didn't love the music in this film. I love Angelo Badalamenti's music in Twin Peaks, and now this also. I did, actually go out and buy Rebekah Del Rio's album All My Life because of her amazing cover of Roy Orbison's Crying in Spanish. Love it. Love Love Love Love Love it....partially because it reminds me of this story Susie Bright told about getting a letter from a girlfriend of hers written in spanish, she'd written the words to Roy Orbison's Crying...anyhow....I am fond of dysfunctional lesbian love stories, and this movie counts.
This film is, after all, all about the rejected lesbian blowing her brains out and plotting the death of the woman she admired/loved/dreamed about.
What is real here is debatable. There are forums out there about this. Regardless, I like this film. I like the atmosphere, and I find it depressing as anything.
But, I really like it. It's my favorite Lynch film.
Her desperation is so heartbreaking for me to watch. She becomes so fixed and sad and strung out.
Sure, there are oodles of plot issues with this movie, this isn't Film For Dummies, this is a film you watch and then take 3 days to digest. This is meatloaf of film. Full of amazing solid goodness, that takes a while to figure out and process. And I did, this movie had me thinking a lot afterward. I thought about girls, rejection, straight life vs. gay life vs bi life, thought about being poor and not being in my career of choice. I thought about the desperate nature someone could come to when none of their dreams come true. I thought about the desperate nature of a person alone and lonely and isolated.
Truly for me, it's Naomi Watts' performance that grabbed me and held on. It could have been so bad, so tacky or unsincere but she seems so genuine in every emotion her character goes through.
It was what made the film for me.
No, not a happy film but nonetheless a good film.

Favorite Movie Weddings...

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Sat, 22 May 2010 21:09:00 +0000

So I'm sitting here listening to my husband recite The Great Rock 'N Roll Swindle and I was pondering movie weddings. I've been trying for a couple of days to come up with a list, my personal favorite top 8 movie weddings, sorry, I just couldn't come up with 10... in no particular order so far I have:

The Princess Bride ~ I have a special place in my heart for the wedding scene "Mawwaige...." after Rachel let me know she'd been secretly thinking of opening my wedding with that line. I always loved this movie, and this scene just kills me.

The African Queen: Having watched this film recently because the DVD was just released with much hubub, I remembered how sweet the wedding was. It wasn't until recently I learned they put the wedding scene in to ward off censors. I always thought it was cute. I like to think it added something.

Pirates of the Carribbean At Worlds End: Having been married by a pirate myself, I can confess there's something appealing about the wedding in this film. What's not to love here? Swords, check....pirates, check....love defying all, check. I like it, it appeals to my sense of adventure, and isn't that what marriage really is? A wonderous great adventure.

Four Weddings and a Funeral: For sheer hilarity I love the opening scene of this film. The fact that the first 5 minutes are one character swearing, kills me. The opening wedding is one of my favorites, followed closely by the wedding ceremony performed by Rowan Atkinson. His verbal screw-ups are hilarious and side splitting.

Sixteen Candles
Because the bride stumbles down the aisle and the movie covers the chaos of a wedding perfectly. Forgetting birthdays, family sleep overs and over crowded strangeness....sounds like a wedding to me.

The Wedding Singer: I love Steve Buscemi singing True by Spandau Ballet. What's not to love here, it's a movie all about living in the 1980s and loving.

The Graduate: Dustin Hoffman interrupting the wedding. 'nuff said. It's film history.

Love Actually: I love love love the idea of getting married to The Beatles' All You Need is Love. The wedding in this movie is as sweet as any.

In and Out: Because Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck are cute together in their tuxes and I love a gay wedding. Also, Kline's dancing scene is one of my favorite movie moments. I also love seeing a pissed off Joan Cusack drinking to Patsy Cline's Crazy in her wedding dress.

Almost Famous

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:40:00 +0000

I really like Almost Famous. Don't get me wrong, I think I've always liked Cameron Crowe's films, I just hadn't seen this one yet. I was wary, I'd wanted to watch this for years, and just was so afraid it would be bad.
It wasn't. Our Lead, the Enemy, William played by Patrick Fugit was better than I imagined. Naive, but not that naive. Thoughtful, honest, young, and yet growing up before your eyes. The thoughtful and young part is why I can allow his character to do what he does in the film and still like him. There are things a character can do that will make them forever skeezy in my book and making moves on passed out people is one of them, but his youth in this and the non skeeziness of the scene makes the scene fly. There are a lot of characters in this movie, that if the movie had been directed by anyone else, would seem seedy and generally really negative. But the levity Crowe's directing takes elevates the entire movie above it. It's a rock and roll movie that dabbles in darkness, never fully taking you anywhere near it. You spend a lot of the movie waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Everyone put a fine performance in here. I finally got to see Patrick Fugit really act, and I spent a lot of the movie trying to see the Goldie Hawn in Kate Hudson, and finding none. The hyper 60s girl I was expecting to see didn't manifest. Hudson's Penny Lane is something else all together. She's beautiful and tired of the game and all in all she eats up the screen.
I'm not a Jason Lee fan, he's always seemed like a dick to me, which he kinda is in this film. It's appropriate.
There is a plane scene that's particularly memorable.
There are some amazing shots of buses and planes and a lot of eyes. It's well shot and a lighter film than I would have guessed.
It's tender and fun.
Also - not to be underestimated The Wonderful Frances McDormand played William's mother. She did a fine and quite memorable job, for me she was a wonderful bonus. There wasn't a moment with her in the film where she didn't chew up the scenery.
Philip Seymour Hoffman also had a small role, but of course did an exemplary job.
The music of course takes a large role in this film all about musicians and reviewers in the 60s. Semi-autobiographical, the film tackles Crowe's own early life as a music review for Rolling Stone.
It's a great film, a must have for anyone who's owned records and loves music from that time. If you've ever been a rock and roll fan this is surely something you'd enjoy, also - it would make a good pairing I think with Across the Universe.

This Emotional Life (2010)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Tue, 04 May 2010 05:22:00 +0000

I know, another documentary. I'm a sucker for documentaries. I can't help myself. This one was quiet interesting and new.
I really enjoyed how recent the information is and how in depth the stories are. It's nice to hear stories about passion and happiness and logical medical tests.
I highly recommend, but I think perhaps not watching all 4 + hours in one fell swoop would be beneficial . I watched this over 3 days and enjoyed it.
The personal stories were fascinating and relevant and are items you won't likely read or hear anywhere else.
I liked hearing from Chevy Chase and John Leguizamo.
It presented facts and opinions about happiness, fear, passion, depression, ECT, PTSD, and many other parts of life. I can't think of anyone who would watch this and not come away with some little tidbit of information about the human condition.
Highly enjoyable if you like NOVA like pieces.

Okuribito (2008) Departures

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Tue, 04 May 2010 05:21:00 +0000

I enjoyed this film immensely. I thought it was well thought out and beautifully shot. There are some beautiful scenic views shown that are lovely and thought provoking.
The movie is about a young man - Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) who works in a local symphony who loses his job and in an effort to pay off his cello he find himself in another career - encoffinment. Basically he is preparing the dead in front of mourners (all done very discreetly and respectfully) However his career makes everyone uneasy, including his wife.
I enjoyed the film, because the scenes dealing with bodies are done well and respectfully and insightfully.
It reminds me of a Sandman comic - from World's End - it involves a necropolis and an undertaker telling stories of burying the dead, by land, air, and water.
I find death rituals fascinating and this undoubtedly attracted me because of that and the lovely cello music that plays throughout and the scenic beauty of the small town Daigo returns to.
A quiet lovely film, perfect for a rainy day.

Tell Them Who You Are (2004)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Sun, 02 May 2010 22:22:00 +0000

Tell Them Who You Are is a documentary by Mark Wexler, son of famous cinematographer Haskell Wexler about his father and his father's life. More to the point early on it's made clear that the film isn't about his father's body of work but about Haskell as a father. Admittedly, when I put the film on I was hoping for a look back at the elder Wexler's body of work. This isn't what I got. That's okay, I still feel like I got something out of this.
I get this film, a great deal. I understand the father/son dynamics at work. Haskell is a father who probably didn't plan fatherhood but now in his 80s he's trying to ensure his legacy. He seems full of regret, full of anger. I get this, my dad and I relate a lot like this. Haskell was a flaming die hard liberal who talked politics first thing in the morning and wondered why his kid ended up a conservative. My dad and I are the same way, just opposites. My dad is very conservative and pushed his politics all the time, and still wonders how I turned out so liberal. Men of a certain age and with a certain upbringing sometimes live to regret their missteps in life. Men like my dad, who weren't raised to show their emotions, and don't know how to relax in life, often end up full of regrets, full of worry, afraid they weren't good enough parents or employees. Haskell is one of those men. He rebelled against everything, had such high expectations for his kids and himself and when things didn't end up the way he wanted it left him bitter. It's sad to see.
The documentary is a study of him as a father, with interviews with famous people to accompany the footage.
It's a little seen inside peek into a life of someone somewhat famous. It's touching and heartbreaking because there is nothing sadder than man full of regret. It's also touching because there is footage of him with his ex wife who has Alzheimer's. The footage with the stars (Julia Roberts in a lovely home, looking really normal, Jane Fonda, Conrad Hall) is interesting but not particularly anything new.
All in all, it's a neat study of a father and son. Not terribly insightful, but not so bad either.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:25:00 +0000

A lovely bit of film, along the lines of, but not quite, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, also by Terry Gilliam.
First off, I'm a huge Python fan, especially of Gilliam's artistry in Python. I also love a few other of his films, i.e. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Fisher King and Time Bandits. I'm less of a fan of 12 Monkeys, Brazil and I doubt if I'll ever see Tideland.
I like Gilliam's style in this film. There are elements of Time Bandits, such as his stage, and elements of Baron Munchausen (the father daughter dynamic). As with all of Gilliam's films it's out of control and wild and dark and old.
It's a hard movie to watch though, and not ponder Heath Ledger. It was his last film, and his energy is so noticeable it's hard not to leave a little saddened. His character adds vivacity to the film that wasn't there before he's on screen. Christopher Plummer is wonderful to see again, I can't remember the last movie I'd seen him in, but he's powerful and weak as only a man of his caliber could be. In a time when all old and bearded men on film are being portrayed by either Michael Gambon, Christopher Lee, or Ian McKellan, it's nice to have Plummer in there as Dr. Parnassus.
The whole movie is about bets between the devil (Tom Waits) and Dr. Parnassus. One of which involves Dr. Parnassus' daughter Valentina, a.k.a. Scrumpy.
The woman who plays Scrumpy, Lily Cole, looks far too much like Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps) for me. I spent the whole movie thinking I needed to look her up on IMDB to make sure they weren't one and the same.
The movie is rounded out with a few characters who help/harm the bets - Tony (played by Heath Ledger, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Colin Ferrell), Percy (Verne Troyer) and Anton (Andrew Garfield). Percy is memorable, and Tony is hard to take your eyes off, charismatic.
Like a lot of Gilliam's movies, you want to think there's a message to take away, but there isn't. It's a different type of eye candy. It's lovely to watch and ponder, but not a movie I'll watch often or even again, but I'm glad to say I've seen it. It was fascinating watching Depp downplay his normally over the top charisma. It was interesting seeing a director use 4 actors to portray one character. I hadn't seen that before, and I liked it. It was done well and appropriately.
I recommend it. It's dark and lovely and fun for the eyes.

Update

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:18:00 +0000

Currently I have 284 films in my Netflix queue, and I've rated 6,199. That's a lot. We'll see this year how many movies I'm able to review, albeit lightly though. I'm not big on heavy detailed reviews until after I've seen the movie myself. I generally write to give my opinion, my opinion only and what I thought about after seeing the movie and maybe what I got from the film, what I walked away with. I've always hated reading a review myself and thinking, great, now that I've heard every flaw and fault and plot twist, what should I do? I hate it when reviewers give away the whole darn thing.
It's not like most movies out today have that much variety. Everything's been done.
The next movie I'm expecting is Almost Famous, by Cameron Crowe.

Doubt

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:38:00 +0000

I can only imagine that being a good priest or nun in the Northeast US in the 60s was a lot like sheep navigating through a wolf pack. Doubt is all about the shuffling of pedophile priests of the Catholic church in New England. It stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the priest accused ~ Father Flynn. The accusing nun ~ Sister Aloysius is portrayed by Meryl Streep and Amy Adams plays Sister James another teacher/nun in the school.
The film is both intense, yet vague. There are no direct questions. There are no straight answers, just a lot of feelings and hunches. It's a shorter movie than I expected, and it clips along at a fairly good rate, I never found myself wondering how much longer the movie is.
I have decided, having seen now 3 Amy Adams movies (Doubt, Julie & Julia, Sunshine Cleaning) that I'm not a fan. I can't quite put my finger on it, I think it's that she always tries too hard. It always seems to me that she looks too much like she's acting. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong and she still has some amazing life changing performance in her still, she just hasn't won me over yet.
I love Streep's performance. That almost goes without saying. It's hard not to applaud her performance when so much of it is in her face alone. There are no glamorous clothes from Devil wears Prada, just Streep in a habit. She is very bare bones. But, she's great, and I love the character of Sister Aloysius, she's strong and cares a great deal about the people around her and the students in the school, and she's funny. She's a nun in the style I've heard from my dad, who attended a catholic school in Tucson. Strong but guiding.
A lot of this is religious politics, a very visible struggle from the first sermon on between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn played by Hoffman. He gives a very strong performance, making you ponder his motives and innocence.
It's a hard movie to leave and not think about. There are a lot of questions left open. It also is a sad movie because you watch in the process of it, a great many people go through deep crises of faith. It's sad to see people lose something they believe in and that helped them.
I liked this movie and thought it was well, thought provoking.
There was a part of me that was screaming for forensics and SVU people and generally wanting more answers. Alas, this movie isn't about that. There will be no straight answers, just general vagueness. You never hear how the kid feels, or see what his home life is like. You never see any of the other kids' lives.
What I can't say about this film is what does it contribute? I could leave the film saying it was a nicely set film, the sets and costumes were spot on and appropriate. The atmosphere of the film is set, it's very middle of the fall New England, you can feel it in your bones. But, what does it contribute? That's just it, I didn't leave this film feeling anything but frustrated and disturbed. I think it was a well acted film with a sturdy cast and set but I'm not sure if I feel like I've gained anything having watched this.

Julie and Julia (2009)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:49:00 +0000

I enjoyed this movie, mainly for Meryl Streep's performance. She reveled in her role, it's obvious. Having rarely watched Julia Child's show and I've never read any of her books, I was vastly uninformed, I still am. What I do know though is that the part of the movie revolving around Amy Adam's character Julie, just left me cold. I found her character sympathetic, yes, but the whole thing was just bland. I feel for her character because she has a job I can relate to, and she has about the same amount of kitchen space as I do, but she just whines a lot. Throughout her part in the movie she complains and never really seems to bond to anyone, her relationships seem stale.
Julia Child as portrayed by Streep is goofy and melancholy and much fun to watch. It made me want to find out more about Child and her history. I want to read her biography, try out some recipes, buy a bottle of wine. Her ferocity is inspiring. I also loved Stanly Tucci, wonderful and finely nuanced as always. I've been a fan of his since I first spotted him in The Imposters, which is a wonderful, funny film I think anyone would appreciate. Tucci's understated brilliance is wonderful in this film, his devotion to his wife is sweet and real and nice to see. You don't often see a middle aged couple from that time portrayed with such honesty.
The film was good though, overall. It made me wish someone would do a nice film all about Child's life. She was an inspirational, life loving person who would be a pleasant vision on the big screen.

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

noreply@blogger.com (Sandmangirl) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:30:00 +0000

I liked this film, not for Leonardo DiCaprio's now infamous star starting portrayal of Arnie, but for the tone it set. The angst and frustration Gilbert Grape feels is palpable. I'd compare it with Robert Sean Leonard's from Dead Poets Society. You can see and feel how deeply those characters felt trapped by familial obligation. And, I liked the fact that for once someone obese was shown in a movie. Not a freak show but as a human with a family. I felt it was about time. I like movies that represent a vast array of people.
Spoiler alert** It was a sad film, I genuinely felt bad when they burned down the house. Johnny Depp, as Gilbert Grape gives a great performance and is the reason I enjoyed this film. It's not an above average film, I wasn't particularly moved by Arnie, or Mama for that matter, more of Depp's angsty goodness. But, like a lot of the my-life-blows movies, it only does so much for me. I didn't leave the film feeling like I gained a new emotion, or had a blast or learned something about human nature I didn't already know. It was just a lot of "life blows, oh wait - there's a girl in my life so now everything is better...the end" This would be an interesting double feature with Garden State I think.
I could be wrong. Just my humble opinion