I’ve had a lot of fun watching Tony Stark and Commander Spock, not to mention Jay Gatsby and his greatness. With all that in mind, the next few weeks’ worth of blockbusters depress me. On this week’s Matineecast, my friend Kurt lobbed the term “fast food movie”…and that strikes me as completely apropos for much of what’s coming down the road.

What I want to jog forward to is the stretch where there are a few more indies to soak up. Right this moment, I have MUD and THE ICEMAN ready for the pickin’. But give me more! Bring me BEFORE MIDNIGHT, FRUITVALE, and THE WAY WAY BACK.

It’s not a scoop to post this trailer, but I wanted to put it up because it’s emblematic of the sort of tonic I crave after the glut of “fast food movies” we’re about to endure.

In Edgar We Trust.

If you’ve listened to The Matineecast for any length of time you might remember that early June brings The Birthday Episode. This episode used to follow a particular format: review of a new release, top five list dedicated to fellow sites and podcasts, and feedback on people’s favorite films from the year they were born.

I’ve been doing this dance for a few years now, so it felt like it was time to change partners.

Last year brought upon the first change. I got tired of dedicating my birthday episode to crummy new releases (GET HIM TO THE GREEK, ON STRANGER TIDES), so instead, we decided to discuss one of my all-time favorites – HIGH FIDELITY. Talking about an older film for fifteen or twenty minutes was a lot of fun, so look for that to continue.

Shortly after last year’s birthday episode, I phased out the whole Top Five segment of the show. So going back down that road outside of a year-end capacity will feel a bit strange now. Besides, I’m enjoying doing The Other Side a lot more than rhyming off “yet another list”. So as much fun as I had pointing listeners towards other websites and podcasts, it’s time for that to end in favour of something more on-topic.

That brings us to the feedback question. You might have already heard it in the episode that went up yesterday, but I thought I’d highlight it here for those who haven’t listsned.

While I have loved hearing people’s choices for the best film of their birth year, doing the same thing for three years has brought upon a lot of the same answers. So it too feels ripe for change.

Enter Matt Singer and Criticwire.

I’ve been participating in the weekly Criticwire survey for a month or so now, and one of Matt’s questions feels apropos for the occasion…with a little bit of customization. So with all due respect to Mr. Singer, I’m hoping for a lot of feedback on one simple, yet difficult, survey question.

In honour of my upcoming 35th birthday, what is your call for the best film of the last 35 years? (1978 – Present)

I might well use a special tune in honour of the film being discussed (as was the case with the SKYFALL episode), but going forward look for this track by My Morning Jacket to kick things off.

Speaking of changes – I’m also looking to replace the “Welcome to Wherever You Are” graphic if anyone wants to hook me up with a graphic designer.

As for the activities at hand, I hope you get good and comfy for this episode because it’s a long one. If I wanted to be ruthless, I could have cut it down to size, but the truth is I found the discussion just way too much fun. Therefore, I present to you the longest single-guest episode I’ve ever posted, and the third longest episode overall.

Here’s what’s in store in episode eighty-five…

Runtime
90 minutes

Up for Discussion

1. Introduction
2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY– Q& A with this week’s guest Kurt Halfyard (1:31)
3. COME TALK TO ME – Fielding some listener feedback on spoilers (15:56)
4. THE NEW SLANG – Review and reaction to STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (37:17)
5. THE OTHER SIDE – Kurt couples DEATH AND THE MAIDEN (61:16)
6. THE OTHER SIDE – Ryan couples DEMOLITION MAN (72:47)

You can subscribe to the Matineecast via iTunes or RSS

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

“You think you world is safe? It is an illusion – a comforting lie told to protect you.”

It’s important to revisit a story every once in a while. The way our lives bring upon new changes every day, it’s entirely possible that we could see something in a story we never saw before. What’s that saying about those that don’t learn from history? Whether a story is a fictional yarn or a historical document, it can illuminate, and can even come with added context after the passing of time. It’s this added context that adds great value to their telling – and retelling.

Fair warning: While I usually try to keep my reviews spoiler-free, the marketing of this film has made that impossible. Proceed with caution.

Our film begins on the planet of Nibiru, where Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Doctor McCoy (Karl Urban), and Commander Spock (Zachary Quinto) are trying to save an indigenous population from a natural disaster. The mission doesn’t quite go as planned, but it teaches Kirk a valuable lesson – one he doesn’t want to learn. When Spock is put in peril, and his rescue sparks consequences, Kirk is taught that the needs of the many always outweigh the needs of the one.

Shortly after the crew returns from Nibiru, news of a terrorist attack in London shocks The Star Federation. The target was a Federation archive, and the perpetrator is John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) – a former Starfleet agent. When The Federation gathers to investigate the terrorist act, things go from bad to worse, and The Enterprise quickly finds itself tasked with capturing Harrison and bringing him in. To make sure they do, the starship is quickly outfitted with more than seventy photon torpedoes to give it extra muscle.

When the ship finally catches up with Harrison, news of the torpedoes strikes a chord. He surrenders willingly and is taken prisoner aboard The Enterprise. It’s there that he begins to show his hand. His name isn’t John Harrison after all – it’s Khan.

It would seem that by capturing the one, The Enterprise has provided security for the many…provided they have captured the right one.

What immediately jumps out when watching STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS is the way the scale of the film has drastically increased in four years. The obvious starting point is JJ Abrams’ use of IMAX to film sequences like the flight from Nibiru, and the final foot chase in San Francisco (amongst others). The larger palette allows the audience to really feel dwarfed by what they are seeing – apropos for a story about man’s place in the universe. But even when the action is caught on  a 35mm frame, everything from the battles, to the sets, to the worlds the film visits feel so much grander than they did in 2009.

It’s as if the previous film had audiences watch a beautiful car get built, and now we’re ready to sit shotgun as it hits the open road.

The opening scene of INTO DARKNESS touches on an interesting theme. The mission is one where direct involvement will have serious repercussions, so the overarching objective is to assist without identifiable involvement. It’s a situation that pops up time and again in our history, where one body helped another because of a greater good. The intention could be monetary, it could be political, sometimes – often actually – it’s both. Even though we have seen time ad again that there is no such thing as “quietly supporting” one side of a situation, we continue to do so.

Where Nibiru is concerned, the fallout is minor – they’ve just had a change in religious dogma. Back on the planet we call home, the fallout can be much greater. It can cost lives, enable tyranny, and cause resentment amongst those who feel they were used. This is the best part of Khan’s whole character.

The saying goes that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Maybe it’s not that simple, nor was it ever that simple. Maybe when people choose a side, they are really looking out for themselves, and thus these uneasy alliances are future battles just waiting to be fought. Khan is not, nor was he ever, someone The Federation should have put any trust in. However, their rising tensions in the face of The Klingons make them put that aside for their own gains. Khan’s involvement has repercussions: ripples caused by the hopes of a greater good,  and made all the worse by self-interest.

Where this film lags behind its previous chapter is in inventiveness. While all of its themes are interesting, and  every bit of its execution admirable, it is very much a copy of something that has already been done in the Star Trek universe. While it’s not a full-on remake, it might as well be since it touches enough of the bases on the way around. In many ways, it does what it does as well as one could hope. With Hollywood seemingly obsessed with remakes nowadays, many projects could learn from what Star Trek has done here. However, as well as it achieves what it has, it seems curious to retell a previously known chapter in Trek lore when the first film in this series took such pains to re-establish the timeline.

The filmmakers could have done anything, so why do something that’s already been done?

My only guess to that end goes back to my earlier note about scale. Perhaps it wasn’t just that Abrams et al wanted to take their turn telling one of the canon’s most beloved stories, perhaps they wanted to tell it on a larger scale than it was told thirty-one years ago. Admittedly, filmmaking techniques and effects have evolved since then – but perhaps this revisit is about more than that. Perhaps its a way to give the beloved story an added sense of scope, and with that, up the stakes.

To that end – remake or not – this retelling of a particular chapter in the Star Trek legend is a success.

Matineescore: ★ ★ ★ 1/2 out of ★ ★ ★ ★
What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions on STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS.

There was a lot of podcast prep this week, along with the last little bit of Hot Docs fallout. Those two habits combined led to a lot of re-watching.

I do, of course, want to put the onus on watching new films for the first time instead of re-watching the old stuff. There are so many titles to get to, that spending hour after hour retracing my steps can seem like a waste of time. However, besides the homework, there is something to be said for feasting on comfort food for a stretch now and then. It allows our brains to relax a bit, and enjoy the material on another level.

Actually, in some instances, these repeat viewings work on a whole other level. In the case of LOOPER and THE MASTER, I don’t know them backwards and forwards just yet because I haven’t seen them that many times. In the case of something like DEMOLITION MAN, it had been so long since my first viewing of it, that it might as well have been the first glimpse.

I do expect that next week will bring a few more first-timers, but for now, come with me down memory lane.

Here’s The Week at Hand…

Screenings
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS -  Stay tuned for a review and a podcast over the next few days.

Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN -  It seemed apropos

Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
THE MASTER -  My reward for a solid semester’s worth of homework at Row Three.
LOOPER -  Seems like a lot of us were watching this last week.
DEMOLITION MAN -  For podcasting purposes.
THE SOCIAL NETWORK -  I love it more and more every time I watch it.
DEATH AND THE MAIDEN -  Underrated Polanski.
FIELD OF DREAMS -  ”You’re a pacifist”
STAR TREK (2009) -  I had a few hours to kill before heading out to see INTO DARKNESS.

Boxscore for The Year
89 First-Timers, 89 Re-Watched
33 Screenings
178 Movies in Total

How’s about you – seen anything good?

It’s then that I discover what my city’s mayor has been up to. Google “Rob Ford”…I’ll wait…

I largely avoid politics on this space. Not only is political discussion not my forté, but it can spark some endless arguments. Today however, I need to vent.

It’s this simple folks – I don’t care if you’re left wing, right wing, or independent. I don’t care if you’re socially liberal or fiscally conservative. I don’t even care if you’re squeaky clean, since I believe in many cases we are asking our public figures to perch on a pedestal few can balance on. But if you decide to run for an office that is designated for leaders – a mayor, a governor, a premiere, a president, a prime minister – you owe it to those who voted for you, and also those who didn’t, not to become a total fucking embarrassment. This isn’t about a gaffe or two; those happen when you have a mic in front of you as often as our leaders do these days. This is about being an upright citizen and trying to live within certain margins.

If you can’t do that, if you can’t serve your constituents without making a complete fool of yourself – and likewise the office you serve – then sit the hell down and let someone qualified do the job.

Sorry for the rant folks, back to movie discussion.

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For your listening, viewing, and reading fulfilment, I give you…

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It was a pretty big week over at Fogs’ Movie Reviews. Go listen in to The Title Pending Movie Podcast where the boys discuss THE GREAT GATSBY and raise a glass while you’re there.

Best of The Past is a classif film blog I’ve been following for a little while, but curiously haven’t linked to until now. Remember how I’m making an effort to do more reading about film? Well Marcela does me a solid and recommends several good books to bone up on classic film – and she does it via video!

Not enough multimedia? You greedy bastards. How about this then – sometimes podcaster Brian J. Roan has also tried his hand at video with a series he calls Reel Talk (musta hurt himself coming up with that title). All jokes aside, give his handiwork a look.

Inspired by a brilliant young critic, Jessica takes a moment to ponder the whole notion of rating films.

TO THE WONDER is a film I didn’t connect with – which is really strange considering how dearly I love Terrence Malick’s other five movies. I plan to revisit it someday, but at first blush I couldn’t seem to latch on to its thesis (if it had one). That said, I’m continually interested in hearing what others have to say about it, and Kevin down at Movie Mezzanine has put up a pretty interesting piece on the film.

Ruth at Flix Chatter celebrated her tenth wedding anniversary this week (huzzah!). In honour of that, she’s gathered ten of her favorite wedding scenes into one post.

Another film from TIFF 2013 that I’m looking forward to revisiting is Noah Baumbach’s FRANCES HA. Over at Black Sheep, my man Joe has posted his review this week and it turns out he enjoyed it a great deal!

Join me in pitying Dan Heaton at The Public Transportation Snob – the poor sod just sat through Steven Spielberg’s 1941.

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For the Tweet of The Week, I turn to Jill at Sittin’ On a Backyard Fence. She celebrated her anniversary this week by negotiating a card trade-in and watching Fritz Lang’s M. Which led to this pearl of wisdom…

Nothing says romance like debt and and Peter Lorre as a child killer.

May 13, 2013 1:47 pm via Tweetbot for iOSReplyRetweetFavorite

@biscuitkitten

Jill

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Enjoy!

One film that epitomizes a lot about being young in the summertime is AMERICAN GRAFFITI, a George Lucas joint that does not involve midichlorians. It’s the last night of the summer, and a group of friends in small town America are getting into all manner of situations. This one long night is dotted by laughter, life, and love in ways that will stick with them all forever.

For Curt, played by a fresh-faced Richard Dreyfuss, the night will be defined forever by this one fleeting moment you see above.

Sitting in the backseat of someone else’s ride, he looks over and sees what you see a: a goddess in a great car…smiling back at him. He tries to roll down his window and actually talk to her, but it’s too late – the light turns green and off she goes. He’ll spend the rest of the night looking for her, hoping for at least one more moment.

I love how much this shot, and this moment sums up the film, and likewise, our youth.

As time goes on, a carefree moment like this will look right at us from the next car and smile. It will ignite a memory, and perhaps even a desire to spend one more moment in the sun. Like Curt, we could well spend a great deal of time and effort trying to catch up to it…but like Curt, we never find it. And y’know what? That’s OK.

If we’re anything like Curt, the search itself will provide just as many moments of joy. Maybe more. After all it was just a glimpse – a glimmer of something exciting. There’s no way to know if that glimmer would fulfil its promise. For all we know he could have spent two minutes talking to her and found out she wasn’t his type. Since she remains only “a glimmer”, she remains perfect.

But let’s say we try fulfilling this promise. In doing so, we control who joins us, what happens along the way, and with that potentially set ourselves up for something even greater…if we’re observant enough to realize it at the time. We might not catch up with The Blonde in The Thunderbird, but the hours we spend with our friends as we try will create moments and memories that are just as precious.

That’s one of the best themes of AMERICAN GRAFFITI: While Curt and other characters are spending much of the night looking for “one more moment”, they are continually distracted, and eventually forced to leave things where they lay. Like The Blonde in The Thunderbird, these moments are short, and eventually the light will change and they will drive off forever. And y’know what? That’s OK.

The want for one more summer…one more night…one more moment…that want turns its back on the joys that life continue to bring us as we drive further down the road.

In the end, it’s probably better to leave things where they lay. We’re better off looking at these scenes from a distance – like Curt does in the film’s final moments. With time and distance, these experiences will gain a warm glow and beautiful nostalgia…something they might not have gained if we ever managed to catch up with them.

Here’s three more from AMERICAN GRAFFITI for the road…

This series of posts is inspired by the “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” series at The Film Experience. Do check out all of the awesome entires in their series so far

Considering how dearly I loved CHILDREN OF MEN, it seems like a crying shame that we had to wait seven whole years for director Alfonso Cuarón to return with a follow-up project. That said, this movie just might be worth the wait…especially if many of the details we’ve heard about it – long takes, real-time – turn out to be true.

The audience I saw GATSBY with sorta snickered at this clip, but what say you folks?

This past weekend, Matt Singer’s Criticwire question revolved around films we watched when we were young. I didn’t get my answer submitted in time thanks to a busy few days (BACK TO THE FUTURE would have been my response), but the question got me thinking about a longer post.

For starters, when I was a child I really didn’t watch a wide array of movies. Before I turned ten, most of what I watched was animated. Besides the typical Walt Disney classics, the only titles that stick out are E.T., THE WIZARD OF OZ, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and a curious bit of exposure to THE TERMINATOR. Some of this lack of exposure comes from being the eldest child and not having any older siblings to expose me to such things (though my cousins came through every now and again). Another part of it came from my parents, who enjoyed watching movies, but seldom took my brother and I out to see any – except for those aforementioned Disney Classics.

None of this struck me as strange at the time – I was too busy playing sports (badly), reading, riding my bike, and watching TV shows to notice what I was missing out on movie-wise. My schoolmates would remind me from time to time. Sometimes they’d crack jokes at the sort of childish things my parents still showed me, sometimes they couldn’t believe how disinterested I was in the slasher movies that were so popular at the time. I’ll avoid a whole other tangent and just say that my schoolmates were assholes.

But back to what I did watch, the titles got choice between the ages of ten and thirteen. It’s around then I first saw films like THE UNTOUCHABLES, FERRIS BEULLER’S DAY OFF, ALIEN, JAWS, PLATOON, FIELD OF DREAMS, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, MISSISSIPPI BURNING, TOP GUN, TERMINATOR 2, and BULL DURHAM – all of ‘em on glorious low-resolution VHS. It would have been nice to have soaked some of those in on a big screen, but I got the gist.

Many of these titles were procured from the video store, but many were also recorded from broadcast TV (commercials and all). Who needed a parent or older sibling to take me to a movie when CITY TV would air great movies night after night every weekend? Better yet – they put on the films my parents wouldn’t have chosen…and they put them on relatively uncensored. It was these broadcast, captured on recordable tapes that sometimes lost beginnings, lost endings, or got taped over, that served as the beginning of my film literacy. They may not have been the best way to first watch these titles, but they did the trick. They still weren’t what my schoolmates were watching – they were better.

I would eventually start going to the theatre – I even started talking my parents into going! Even then, it would take a while before the really great films would call to me. Much of those first few excursions were dedicated towards relatively forgettable titles like BACKDRAFT, BATMAN RETURNS, and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.

Still, there will always be a soft spot in my heart for those movies taped from TV.

It was a way to see movies that my parents wouldn’t choose (sometimes for good reason), and a way to start shaping my own movie taste. It wasn’t anything close to what children now have available to them thanks to Netflix, on-demand, and hundreds of channels on TV…and in a way I think that helped. Had I been given the flood of options that are available now, I might have held close to those lousy comedies, or for all I know, even watched those family friendly titles even longer. By having a few channels act as a film programmer, my hand was forced and my eyes were opened.

My taste was formed not just by what I was watching, but by how I was watching it.

How’s about you? What do you remember about the way you first watched film?

I do hope y’all enjoyed the audio component of my 2013 Hot Docs coverage, but  now three weeks and three director interviews later, The Matineecast Classic has returned.

Ordinarily, the show seems to come out of the festival and launch into discussion of a Marvel movie. This year though, our attention is turned towards Baz Luhrmann. As much as I’ve enjoyed covering Marvel movies every May, I gotta say this is a welcome switch.

As for my guest, I’m pretty excited to be welcoming her to the show. I’ve been going back and forth with her for months on episodes she might be interested in, and her enthusiasm for dropping by was really encouraging. Hopefully she likes the result, and hopefully I don’t drown her out with TOO much talking.

Here’s what’s in store in episode eighty-four…

Runtime
66 minutes

Up for Discussion

1. Introduction
2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY– Q& A with this week’s guest Kelly Cameron (2:39)
3. COME TALK TO ME – Fielding some listener feedback on movie parties they want to attend (12:18)
4. THE NEW SLANG – Review and reaction to THE GREAT GATSBY (26:01)
5. THE OTHER SIDE – I couple THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (44:37)
6. THE OTHER SIDE – Kelly couples MOULIN ROUGE! (54:44)

You can subscribe to the Matineecast via iTunes or RSS

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

“Mister Gatsby…I’d like to know: Exactly who are you anyhow?”

For a few days leading into my screening of Baz Luhrmann’s THE GREAT GATSBY, I found myself thinking back on the first time I read it back in high school. I thought about all the symbolism discussion surrounding green lights and expensive shirts. I remember my teacher trying to impart upon us the themes of hollowness and obsession. I can’t say that all of these lessons took at the time, but I can say that I’ve thought about the book since then, and even re-read it a few times.

In my further readings, what has jumped out at me is this idea:

“The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.”

For all I know, it’s a line my teacher tried to make me take notice of the first time. What I do know, is that it’s a line Baz Luhrmann has taken to heart as he attempted to adapt the great American novel.

For those who haven’t read the book, THE GREAT GATSBY is about a young man named Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire). Carraway has been invited to spend the summer with his cousin Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom (Joel Edgerton). Upon joining them, and their friend Jordan (Elizabeth Debicki) in West Egg, NY, talk immediately turns to Carraway’s mysterious neighbour – Jay Gatsby.

Stories abound about him – that he’s a war hero, that he killed a man. There are more stories than reports as very few ever see him, and even fewer truly know him. All that is known for sure is that he throws some of the most extravagant parties in a time where America was leading the league in extravagant parties.

It’s at one of these parties that Nick finally comes face to face with Gatsby himself (Leo DiCaprio). Gatsby takes a shining to his new neighbour, in part because he sees Carraway as a way to get closer to Daisy. Turns out Daisy is a long-lost love, and despite seemingly having the world at his feet, Jay Gatsby is a man who is obsessed with that which he cannot have.

This story tells the tale of his valiant effort to finally get a grasp on that one great obsession.

What Baz Luhrmann’s THE GREAT GATSBY seems to want most is balance. It wants balance between decadence and intimacy, balance between splendour and solitude, balance between love and loss. It wonders aloud how to get to that sweet spot – how to fill the shelves with books, but not bother to split the pages.

Strange as this sounds to say, there seems to be a few moments where Luhrmann has trouble nailing the excesses. The large gala that acts as the centrepiece of the film’s first act is perfect. It nails the sort of opulence a “Gatsby Party” would put forth, and fills the screen with visual splendour. We can taste the bubbly, we can smell the caviar, and we can almost feel the throng of hundreds of people pressed together and cutting loose. Its music is perfect, allowing the entire scene to strike the tone we have all seen in our imaginations since we first read this book in the twelfth grade.

However, when it comes to the two smaller affairs – one drink-up in Myrtle’s apartment, and the speakeasy where Tom and Gatsby meet with Wolfsheim – something seems off. In both cases, there is a disconnect between the tone the scene is striking, and the realities of the stage they are striking it on. The body language of those involved and the pounding rhythms suggest one thing, but the spacious rooms around them disagree. These moments of excess feel jarring, especially in stark contrast to the perfectly captured excess at Gatsby’s lavish house party.

While the film might fumble through these moments, all of that is offset by the want and sadness on display in the film’s quieter moments. Carraway describes the unease the ringing telephone causes at dinner, with all of the guests knowing that Tom’s mistress is the one on the line. The scene is played in a way that allows us to feel that unease as well – allowing us to look around the table at the troubled glances with the shrill ring of the phone keeping time over it all.

Then there’s the portrayal of Gatsby himself. DiCaprio seems born to play this role, finding just the right mix of confidence, solitude, desire and unease. It’s not just that he looks great in a suit (which he does), or can naturally punctuate sentences with “old sport” (which he can). It’s the way he can look at that green light across the bay with a genuine expression of want. It’s the way in which he can confidently talk an entire team of servants through redecorating Carraway’s cottage for Daisy’s arrival, but then shift nervously before she knocks on the door. Some actors might be able to nail the glamour of Jay Gatsby, others the uncertainty. DiCaprio embodies both.

This theme of desire and regret is what makes Fitzgerald’s novel so amazing, therefore the fact that the film nails it as well as it does allows it to succeed too. The way he guides these characters through their performances allows him to strike just the right note of sadness. It stands in stark contrast to all of those splendid clothes and wild parties, and plays with the right amount of sadness. Luhrmann understands just what tragedy the myth Gatsby built for himself would lead to, a tragedy that comes through arrogance, dishonesty, and want. It can be seen in the way Gatsby never acknowledges just how broken he is, and in the way Daisy can’t bring herself to forsake all she knows, even if it means she could have so much more.

Jay Gatsby is a man who uses excess to misdirect attention away from how broken he is. He never wants anyone to see that blank stare and that lonely disposition. What’s interesting is that THE GREAT GATSBY sometimes struggles with the excess, but nails the brokenness. It might not be the film people expect, but they should expect it if they’ve read the book. It struggles for balance at times – searching for the sweet spot between style and substance. When it matters most it finds its footing, knowing that it’s far more important to evoke true sadness than to portray a pretty party.

Matineescore: ★ ★ ★ out of ★ ★ ★ ★
What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions on THE GREAT GATSBY.

No time for love Doctor Jones - Here’s The Week at Hand…

Screenings
ANITA: SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER -  (Hot Docs Screening) More interesting as a post-screening appearance than as a film
VALENTINE ROAD -  (Hot Docs Screening) One of the very best of the fest.
DOWNLOADED -  (Hot Docs Screening) A fun trip through recent history.
PUSSY RIOT: A PUNK PRAYER -  (Hot Docs Screening) So pretty that I thought some moments were staged.
THE UNBELIEVERS -  (Hot Docs Screening) Starts well, then turns on the snark.
CAUCUS -  (Hot Docs Screening) Turns out Rick Santorum’s a pretty nice guy.
MUSCLE SHOALS -  (Hot Docs Screening) Possibly my new favorite rock doc.
THE WAR ROOM -  (Hot Docs Screening) A special showing, with Hegedus & Pennebaker in attendance.
IRON MAN 3 -  Man cannot live on docs alone.
THE KILL TEAM -  (Hot Docs Screening) A tough story about murder in the American military.
TEENAGE -  (Hot Docs Screening) A wonderful way to end the fest.
THE GREAT GATSBY -  Lots more coverage coming later this weekend.

Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
I WILL BE MURDERED -  (Hot Docs Screener) Accusation is not evidence (sure is handsome though!)
BROADCAST NEWS -  I cannot get over how much I loved this Blind Spot
BLOOD BROTHER -  (Hot Docs Screener) My favorite film of the festival.

Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Watched Before
ALWAYS -  I realized I needed to dust-off some lesser-watched Spielberg.
SIDEWAYS -  I’m not one for wine, but this one always makes me want a glass.
THE DESCENDANTS -  If it’s possible, this film might actually be underrated.
ELECTION -  Turned into an Alexander Payne bender.
OCEAN’S ELEVEN -  I needed something fluffy to distract from the docs.
OCEAN’S TWELVE -  Bob Turnbull approves.
THE TRUMAN SHOW -  I got to thinking about the birth of reality TV.
PUBLIC ENEMIES -  What’s Michael Mann working on these days?
RED DRAGON -  Maybe I’ll start watching “Hannibal” on TV
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON -  Shut up – I still like it.
MOULIN ROUGE! -  Lindsay always drops what she’s doing for “Roxanne”

Boxscore for The Year
87 First-Timers, 82 Re-Watched
32 Screenings
169 Movies in Total

How’s about you – seen anything good?

Life has almost returned to normal folks.

It has begun with me not sitting in a movie theatre every night for nine days running. It has continued with the films I have been watching being ones that centre on fictional stories. It will be completed when I manage to get a normal amount of sleep in one night.

I’m actually rather thankful today. You see, this was the fourth time I covered the Hot Docs festival as accredited press. The previous three times, I noticed a trend; specifically that my readership would slide a little. It’s easy to understand why, besides the fact that my readership isn’t completely made up of nonfiction fans, there’s also the fact that I’m writing about films so few have had a chance to see yet. Add it all up and you get a dip in traffic.

This year though, my readership held steady. My week of outspoken and outstanding documentaries kept my readership at its usual level, and for that I am very grateful. It’s never easy to cover a festival, but it makes it even harder if you think you’re just doing it for yourself.

Ironically, the dip came when the festival ended – so now I have to go about trying to gather my community back together as we wade through the blockbuster-infested waters of the summer months.

So turn on the bat-signal and get everyone back in their seats will you? The Matinee is ready to resume.

Thanks for sticking around…

.

For your listening and reading fulfillment, I give you…

Almost two months ago, when Nikhat joined me on Matineecast 80, I mused off-air that she should start a podcast of her own with some of the other international women I see her talking to so often on Twitter. Lo and behold, it has come to pass. Across the Universe is a new podcast featuring three hosts – Nik from India, Sofia from Portugal, and Mette from Germany. Take a listen to their first episode and be sure to keep an ear out as they venture forward.

There was another podcasting milestone to be celebrated this week: My man Andrew over at The Unnamed Movie Podcast posted his 15oth show. That’s just under three years by my count, which means he’s been doing it almost as long as me!

I don’t like to Krell Labs nearly as often as I should. This week, her work was especially hard to ignore as she eulogizes the passing of Harryhausen by detailing some beautiful personal history.

It’s well-known that I love music almost as much as I love movies, so it should come as no surprise that I love this new series Shala is launching where she compiles her own soundtracks for established films. To begin with, here’s her alternate soundtrack for Malick’s TO THE WONDER.

I’ve often wondered how one becomes a fan of horror films. The Droid has drawn us a roadmap.

It’s been a long time coming, but one more week and I finally get to see MUD (after STAR TREK, of course). Until then, Aiden’s review will have to tide me over.

Meanwhile, at The Audient, an interesting sequence of events prompted Vance to give GOODFELLAS a rewatch.

Finally, for the tweet of the week, The Reel Talker speaks truth to power:

many bloggers fail 2 realize that it's not only important to keep up w/what happens on their own blog. They should visit other blogs as well

May 4, 2013 12:02 pm via Twitter for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@ReelTalker

Candice Frederick

Enjoy!

“When you’re little, you have more endurance than God is ever to grant you again.”

You will find few classic films as well-shot as THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. You will also find few black & white films as well-shot as THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Why in the world I thought it would be a good idea to sum up this film in one shot is escaping me.

This film actually has a lot in common with the third film I chose in this series, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Namely, it drops innocent children into a situation that forces them to grow up…though in a far more rushed manner than Mockingbird. The children in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER are pushed and pulled in so many directions, it’s a wonder they are able to withstand it all. They are pulled into a deceitful situation by their father, abandoned in the name of “love” by their mother, and tormented by an obsessed monster of a step-father. One wonders how any human could stand for such emotional torment, but as Ms. Cooper says – children are just more resilient than most adults.

That brings me to this crucial moment captured above. In the shot, we see both monster and guardian…both threat and protector. The twist is that the virtuous character is in shadow, and the devious character is in the light. It’s as if director Charles Laughton wants us to remember that even the most gentile soul can find the darkness to do “what needs to be done”, and even the most vile wrong-doer can muster enough charm to appear harmless.

The shot is a continuation of Rev. Powell’s “Right Hand – Left Hand” parable; illustrating the two forces of good and evil going head-to-head without reprieve. Ms. Cooper is prepared to sit there with her trusty shotgun (a wonderful visual if ever there was one), as long as Rev. Powell and his crocodile smile is. They are in perfect balance…and in perfect harmony.

There’s a sad story that goes along with this visually splendid film. Seems as though the studio heads didn’t think much of director Charles Laughton’s film, and they berated him with how little they thought of his work. Whatever it was they said to them, it landed.

This marvellous film would be the last film Laughton would ever direct.

Here’s three more from NIGHT OF THE HUNTER for the road…

This series of posts is inspired by the “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” series at The Film Experience. Do check out all of the awesome entires in their series so far

“It’s moments like these when I realize how much of a superhero I am.”

Midway through this latest film, our hero trudges through a snowy Tennessee forest. He walks slowly through the snow, towing his broken armour behind him in a broken, useless heap. In this moment, he has just protected someone he cares about, but has done so at great personal cost. What’s more, the attack he had to defend was one he brought upon himself.

Now he is forced to carry his armour like so much personal baggage. It’s the baggage this character has amassed over all his years of selfishness, but it’s also the baggage this franchise has given the character after three films.

IRON MAN 3 begins fourteen years ago – before the events of THE AVENGERS, even before the events of IRON MAN. It’s New Year’s 1999, and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is at a party for the super-stylish and super-smart. The object of his affection on this night is Dr. Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), a botanist who has made great strides in the field of cell regeneration. The wild card on this night is a scientist named Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) who desperately wants to work with Stark. Both end the night jilted by Stark, though in rather different ways.

back in the present, after The Battle of New York depicted in The Avengers, Tony Stark is having trouble staying grounded. He can’t sleep, can’t settle, and finds himself prone to panic attacks. His mental state seems poised to destroy his relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is the head of Stark Industries.

It’s there, at Stark Industries that she is approached by a much more put-together Killian. He is pitching a bio-engineering idea called Extremis, which will rewire a human brain to overcome fear and apprehension. It’s an idea that immediately gives Pepper pause, and not for the better.

While all of this is happening, America finds itself under attack from a terrorist called The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). He heads up a terror cell operation called The ten Rings, and is hellbent on bringing America to its knees. He wants to get the country’s attention, and the president’s. However, it’s not long before he gets Tony Stark’s.

As that happens, The Mandarin becomes a target of Stark’s trademark bravado – and Stark merely becomes a target.

IRON MAN 3 works incredibly well – perhaps even better than it has any right to. As a third film in a series, it finds itself in rare company since most franchises are running out of gas right around now. Amazingly, the Iron Man films still have something left to say while employing a new director and unleashing its third chapter (fourth, if you count the major role Iron man played in THE AVENGERS).

What allows it to work so well is the way it never retraces its steps. The film knows full well how much we have learned about Tony Stark, and never aims to give us further evidence of what we already know. Instead, what it wants to teach us is that even he – a narcissistic playboy – is capable of getting shaken up. Turns out that even the coolest armour in the world can’t protect Tony Stark from everything.

However, this thread of Stark’s post-traumatic stress is also what holds the film back in a way. It is by far the most interesting thing Marvel could have done with the character – even more show than painting him as a fallen hero. The fact of the matter is that any mere mortal who has faced what Stark has faced would be badly shaken up. Such experiences might indeed leave them closed off, irritable, and suffering from lack of sleep. Likewise, such a state would leave one prone to distractions such as “tinkering”. However, for a character to recover from such a state, and return to his fighting form, it should come with more than just a prompt from a minor character.

This is more than seeing Iron Man claw out of the rubble after he’s been knocked down: This is Tony Stark’s very essence we’re talking about. We want a bit more self-realization.

It’s a pity that we don’t get it, since everything else about this story is so good. Tony is forced to get back to basics, and also forced to confront the cost of his arrogance. IRON MAN 3 wants us to see that nobody is above consequences, not even the super rich and super powerful. The proof will always be there – like shadows on the wall after a flash explosion.

Audiences have spent five years with Tony Stark. We’ve watched him rise, watched him evolve, watched him fall, and now watched him stare down the demons that he has created for himself. While he’s every bit as snarky and sly as the man we first met in a Humvee, he has also gained some humanity, if not any bit of humility. The creative team at Marvel have found a way to keep his fights fresh, and keep us caring about a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.

As the screen goes to black at the end of IRON MAN 3, we see the words “Tony Stark Will Return”. Amazingly, after four films, we find ourselves thinking “He’d better”.

Matineescore: ★ ★ ★ 1/2 out of ★ ★ ★ ★
What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions on IRON MAN 3.

Still with me? I didn’t scare you away with too much big, bad, nonfiction?

Well good – this site is about to get back to normal…well, as normal as it gets while I try to balance film consumption with my favorite hockey team’s playoff aspirations. Allow me a moment to reset myself.

Going forward over the next few weeks, there will be plenty of reviews to look forward to. There will be the big’uns you might expect THE GREAT GATSBY, STAR TREK, IRON MAN – which I’ve already watched, but haven’t yet written. In addition, there will be a nice handful of smaller ones that I’ve been greatly anticipating including MUD, THE ICEMAN, and BEFORE MIDNIGHT.

In addition, the podcast will follow something of a staccato rhythm over the next four episodes, mostly to line myself up properly for THE MAN OF STEEL in four weeks. I’m super excited because I have some great friends making guest spots over the next few episodes and we’ve chosen some great films to discuss.

Speaking of The Matineecast, the last full episode was just over two weeks ago, and the next full episode is coming up. I didn’t drop a feedback question in the last episode in anticipation of the scheduling, so it’s time to put out the call.

Matineecast 84 will find us discussing THE GREAT GATSBY – a story that is checkered with lavish parties. In honor of that, I want to know:

If you could, what fictional party would you like to attend?

Perhaps The Corleone Wedding in THE GODFATHER? Perhaps the Delta House Toga Party in ANIMAL HOUSE? Maybe the all-out rager in PROJECT X? Or even one of Bruce Wayne’s gatherings in the various Batman films?

Do tell, and keep an ear out for discussion of them on Matineecast 84 next Monday!

In amongst my wonderful week of nonfiction, I did get a chance to work in IRON MAN 3 (the review should be up tomorrow or Wednesday). Seeing the massive box office success surrounding it got me thinking about what we might be in store for over the next two years. Barring unforeseen events, it stands to reason that AVENGERS 2 will be a huge hit in 2015…but we have a few pitstops to make before we get there…namely THOR 2, CAPTAIN AMERICA 2, and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

These pitstops are what leave me curious, because they play in the corner of the sandbox that audiences haven’t enjoyed playing in. Both THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA made significantly less money than AVENGERS or any of the Tony Stark stories. Does this mean that audiences are less inclined to watch these characters in stories all their own? Or is it possible that they were suffering from ‘superhero fatigue’ when both films dropped in the summer of 2011?

What say you folks? What are your thoughts on the looks of THOR: THE DARK WORLD…and the future of Marvel’s stand-alone films?

I’m not sure what surprised me more – that I was deeply drawn in by a film about Republicans, or that once I got drawn in, that I most identified with Senator Rick Santorum. Yes, really.

CAUCUS begins days before the 2012 Straw Poll in Ames, Iowa. A motley crew has gathered to drum up political support in the hopes that he or she can be the Republican nominee for president. The field represents a broad snapshot of the American right: Michelle Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Tim Pawlenty (for a moment or two). They will all spend the next months attacking President Barack Obama – and each other. None of them seem to have the same plan of attack, and the eventual result is one that few could see coming.

Director AJ Schnack has done something special with CAUCUS. He has created a film that features humour and absurdity, but has done so in a way that never feels mocking or condescending. He points his camera at a group of politicians that dominated headlines and newscasts for months, and allows us to get to know them better than any of those stories ever did. Their positions remain unwavering, of course, but their personalities are allowed to come through so much more.

To their base, they are rock stars. To audiences of the evening news, they are cartoons. To anyone who watches CAUCUS, they are flawed, genuine people who want to make a difference.

Few seem to epitomize this more than the candidate CAUCUS sticks closest to, Senator Rick Santorum. This is a candidate that many on the political left especially dislike, and someone who has had some controversial views through the years. However, his strategy to visit ninety-nine counties in Iowa on the campaign trail made him an ideal subject for CAUCUS to follow. As we travel with him, something strange happens – we end up liking Rick Santorum an awful lot. He stands as a stark contrast to the candidates chartering planes and busses to zigzag the nation, and is more interested in speaking with voters than he is grandstanding for a CNN live feed. One still might not believe in his political stance, but they cannot help but fall for his tenacity and approachability.

This warm depiction helps CAUCUS balance out the silliness of the Republican race (and believe me – there’s silliness). Sometimes the silliness comes from watching a candidate earnestly discuss his love for zoos with a member of the press. Sometimes the silliness comes from the candidates laughing about the demographics with would-be voters. Sometimes, the silliness comes courtesy of the spouse of one candidate standing behind the candidate during a speech – and doing everything except listening to their spouse’s speech.

None of these moments come off as a way to tear down these politicians – quite the opposite actually. CAUCUS is out to do whatever it can to humanize these talking heads. It wants the audience to look past the public perception, and just watch them interact. By keeping the lens pointed at them after the debates end, and the TV spots are wrapped allows CAUCUS to teach us a lot about who these men and women are, perhaps in ways they aren’t comfortable with us seeing. It’s like seeing Lady GaGa take the stage in her street clothes – the talent is still there, but the image feels radically different.

That feels like the ultimate mission CAUCUS is trying to achieve. To get past the gaffes and the stumping, and give us a glimpse at why the people who want to lead America want to lead America. Ultimately, CAUCUS is a call for America to listen more closely, and its leaders to speak more clearly.

CAUCUS has finished its Hot Docs engagement. For more info, including future screenings, check out the film’s website.

That thumping sound you hear is the sound of your own toe tapping.

It can be deceivingly difficult to create a great “rock-doc”. Too often, these snapshots of rock & roll history are love letters for fans. Discussion is limited to facts that are already known (or details few care about), and the film’s entire visual craft is mailed in. Often by the time the credits roll, it’s difficult to tell the difference between your average music documentary and an episode of VH1 Behind The Music.

Once in a while though, something special comes along…and MUSCLE SHOALS is something very special.

The film is the story of the small town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama (population: 8000). At first blush, the town seems like any other middle America setting – the sort of place that once felt Norman Rockwell-esque, but is now just trying to pay the bills. But look closer – or more precisely, listen closer – and this town reveals a secret. It just so happens that this spot on the shores of the Tennessee River is the site of some of greatest music ever recorded. Must be something in the water.

Now this isn’t the first documentary to come along and tell campfire stories about rock history. So what makes this one so special? There’s its look for starters, often an afterthought when it comes to films about sound. Director Greg ‘Freddy’ Camalier shows great patience and lyricism in depicting the places and faces at the heart of this film. As we watch the way Camaleir’s camera catches the wind blower through a sunflower patch…or the river waters cascading over stones…we almost expect this music documentary to segue into a Terrence Malick film. There are stories about the magical sound coming from the soil and water of the town itself. When it’s presented to us so lavishly, it’s easy to agree.

As stunning as it looks, it’s the music that brings us – and the music that keeps us.

The soundtrack of MUSCLE SHOALS chimes out like the greatest mixed tape you could ever dream up (or playlist if you’re under 30). They’re all there: The Rolling Stones, Wilson Pickett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aretha Franklin, The Allman Brothers, Percy Sledge, Paul Simon, and Etta James to name but a few. Listening to how this place in the middle of Nowheresville, USA gave birth to such musical joy would almost be impossible to believe on its own. What makes it more unbelievable is when the story turns its attention to The Muscle Shoals session musicians, “The Swampers”.

The film finds a great deal of cheek when it introduces us to the talent who played on songs like “When a Man Loves a Woman”, “Mustang Sally” and “I’ll Take You There”. As if it’s not surprising enough to discover that soulful sound came from a room full of white boys, it gets even more surprising to meet them. They look, as Bono puts it in his interview, like they should have been working in the supermarket…not laying down killer tracks. Not only did these mild-mannered musicians do great things to bring some amazing music to life, but they did so during a time of great racial tension in America.

While their own governor was standing on the steps of his state’s schools to oppose integration, they were happily playing side by side with Aretha Franklin as she unleashed “I Never Loved A Man the Way That I Loved You”.

What makes the whole film that much more engaging and personal, is the way it keeps coming back to the life of producer, Rick Hall. Rick’s life is the sort of thing you hear about in country songs: his wife died, his mom left, his brother died, and for a while he became a drifter. MUSCLE SHOALS follows him around town, capturing him in a way that makes him seem every bit as poetic, weather-worn, and resilient as his legend seems. The same way the personality of The Swampers draws us into this chapter of musical history, so too does the resiliency of Rick Hall.

MUSCLE SHOALS features legend after legend waxing poetic about “The Muscle Shoal Sound”. They throw words around like “spirit”, “vibe”, and “funk”, but can’t ever seem to point to what it is about this one corner of America that made it lay claim to some of the greatest songs ever recorded. In the end, the fact that we can’t point to something specific makes things all the better. It’s like trying to explain love to someone who’s never been in it.

MUSCLE SHOALS has finished its Hot Docs engagement. For more info, including future engagements, check out the film’s website.

Some of the biggest problems in the world today are problems we face because we choose not to listen. Sure there are powers in play, and interests being served, but in the end, so many disagreements are fuelled by the fact that we don’t listen, so much as we just wait for our turn to talk. Often it can make the difference between conversation, and pontification.

THE UNBELIEVERS is a tour diary. It’s as if a film director followed a rock band on the road, except in this case the rock stars are renowned scientific minds. The film follows biologist Richard Dawkins and theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss as they continue a conversation. It’s a conversation they’ve been having for years and a conversation they might be having for the rest of their lives. It’s a conversation about the building blocks of our universe, and specifically, the absence of God.

What’s immediately evident about THE UNBELIEVERS is its look. While it is a film about a conversation, it wisely chooses to frame that conversation with places and spaces that give the discussion oxygen. They are talking about big ideas after all, so drowning them in daylight, or pulling back to show the full-scale of The Sydney Opera House underlines their big ideas with big visuals. As the camera wanders through the grounds of Oxford University, or sweeps over the cityscape of Melbourne, one is allowed to consider these men’s findings and beliefs, and consider what it means for one’s own existence.

The film inherently faces an uphill challenge – the same challenge that faces any documentary on politics or religion. The challenge is whether it can create something engaging and palatable not just to the converted, but to the non-believer (full disclosure: that includes me). For the most part, the film navigates these waters with a fair degree of grace. Part of this comes thanks to the balance of words and visuals. Another helping hand comes from the decision to keep these two men speaking to each other instead of engaging in arguments with people who disagree with their point of view. This keeps the film on-point, and it’s what keeps the conversation engaging…

…to a point.

The point comes in the film’s final act, which is dedicated to The Reason Rally: a gathering of thousands of atheists on The National Mall in Washington DC. Before the film arrives at The Reason Rally, there is an argumentative tone that can be heard now and then from Dawkins and Krauss. My theory on this is that the two men have spent so many years getting yelled at by religious believers, that they feel the need to yell back every now and then…even if there aren’t any believers present. This disposition goes into overdrive during The Reason Rally. The extra mustard on the argument doesn’t just come from Dawkins and Krauss, but from every speaker who takes the mic. What is cut together feels less like a call to reason, than a mockery of those who disagree.

The conversation has ended, and the browbeating has begun.

That the film ends on this note is unfortunate, because it spends so long making measured statements, and presenting them in a handsome way. The camaraderie of Dawkins and Krauss is deeply engaging, and their points of discussion are fascinating even if you don’t agree with them. By achieving this, it allows true discourse. We’re living in times when battle lines are drawn so deeply over politics and religion, that we forget to separate them from the political and the religious. We get caught up in labels, and stop listening to what each other has to say.

THE UNBELIEVERS circumvents the labels for a long time, and is able to speak to us. It’s unfortunate that it felt the need to wrap it all up by yelling at us.

THE UNBELIEVERS is playing today, Saturday May 4th, and once more on Sunday May 5 – both screenings are at 1:30pm at Isabel Bader Theatre. (official website)