Stuff I Wrote

1958 - A Random Cinematic Year In Review

2017-01-15T20:52:00.001-07:00

1958 was a year that kicked of decades of exploration and wonder. Russia's SPUTNIK was joined in space by the US's first orbiting satellite, The Explorer 1. Later that year, Congress approved funding to form a civilian agency responsible for coordinating America's activities in space called the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA). Cinema did not remain unchanged. The drive to explore the heavens coupled with our nation's willingness to fund said explorations (albeit our motivations were anything but purely scientific), inspired amazing works of scientific based fiction for decades to come. You can find examples of this inspiration from Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODDYSEY ('68) to Ridley Scott's THE MARTIAN ('15) and a whole lot of STAR WARS & "Star Trek" in between.

In a deleted scene, the Xenomorph kept stealing Predator's stapler.

Another significant advancement in the world of technological wonder happened in 1958. The microchip (or integrated circuit) was created. The concept of miniaturizing multiple transistor circuits gave way to an entirely new direction of progress in the electronics manufacturing industry. This is the technology that would ultimately lead to the fact that you may be reading this on a device that fits into your pocket and has far more computing power than the first space shuttle.

These types of technological advances can be found in all aspects of our lives; not the least of which is the film industry. Smaller, light-weight, cheaper cameras have found their way from low-budget independent flicks to every Summer blockbuster. The camera's lower weight and profile make them much more versatile when it comes to mounting and placement for a far wider range of perspectives. The result of which can be seen in all of its magnificent glory in action films like Gareth Evan's RAID series...

RAID 2: BERANDAL (2014)

as well as anything by South Korea's Kim Jee-woon...

I SAW THE DEVIL (2010)

This turns out to be a great opportunity for the horror genre as well. I'm reminded of a particular scene involving a wheelchair in David Robert Mitchell's 2014 film IT FOLLOWS and so many hauntingly beautiful and extremely creative shots in Nicolas Pesce's super creepy THE EYES OF MY MOTHER (2016).

Aside from the portability of the equipment, its continuously dropping price-tag has had a far greater effect on the industry and the art form in general. Just twenty years ago, an idea and boatloads of passion were quite simply not enough to make a film. You also needed to find someone with at least 7 figures to put into it. These people work for studios and they see your idea as their investment and your budget as their leverage. This fact put the artist at the mercy of the industry; a relationship that rarely yields a product with the type of artistic integrity that is more likely found on a canvas and an easel or scribbled on a notepad in a guitar case. There are tons of exceptions to this but the general rule seems to be: the more that an artist's passion has to rely on someone else's money for its realization, the larger the gap will be between that passion and the realization... The point is, 1958 was a great and revolutionary year for technology... and therefore, a great year for film.

My Top 5

5 - ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS - Directed by Louis Malle

There aren't many films that are cooler than this one. Its a French Noir with an improvised score by Miles Davis. Its one of those moral tales of a simple plan that should have gone off without a hitch... But without a hitch wouldn't make a very good movie. Treat yourself to a great performance by Jeanne Moreau and you won't be disappointed.

4 - VERTIGO - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

This is the greatest film of all time according to Sight & Sound. I guess I don't quite agree with their assessment considering I actually prefer three other films just from the same year but... they have a good reason. Vertigo is probably Hitchcock's most influential film today. It wasn't his first or last twist ending... or even his best. But it has the type of charisma and tension that has made it resonate with audiences for the past half of a century. There are very few filmmakers that have accomplished that. He did it a lot... like twenty times...

3 - ASHES AND DIAMONDS - Directed by Andrzej Wajda

The world of film lost a lot of important people last year. Polish director, Andrzej Wajda was one of them. This was his third installment of his thematic "War Trilogy" which also included A GENERATION and KANAL. These films take place in front of the backdrop of the Warsaw Uprising, NAZI occupation and the ensuing Communist takeover. However, they are much more about struggle and humanity than they are about politics or socioeconomic systems. This is a sign of an artist with patience and wisdom beyond his years.

THE MUSIC ROOM - Directed by Satyajit Ray

Ray's filmography doesn't contain any missteps. His films range from really good to flat out masterpiece. When you start your cinematic career with The Apu Trilogy ('55-'58), you've really hit the ground running. This was his first film after Apu and I think it's every bit an essential art house film as anything by Kurosawa, Renoir or Bergman. It gets criminally overlooked because it is not from one of the cinematic powerhouse countries of its time. If you've never experienced Satyajit Ray, this is a great place to start.

1 - TOUCH OF EVIL - Directed by Orson Welles

In 2012, the aforementioned VERTIGO overtook Orson Welles' CITIZEN KANE (1941) as Sight & Sound's Greatest Film of All Time... Well, in my opinion, as great as KANE is, it's not even Welles' best. That title would go to this film. This is art-house pulp at its absolute finest. Its a dark, dirty back-alley story of murder and revenge seen through the lens of masterful artist that has harnessed the power of light and shadow.

1996 - A Random Cinematic Year In Review

2016-04-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Preface: I have decided to write this series at least in part because I don't make it out to see new films very often and I've found that I spent too much time at the end of the year attempting to see all the big releases (many of which I'm not even interested in) for no other reason than to make an obligatory 'year end list'... This is a way that I can continue writing about films without feeling the pressure to see a bunch of stuff that I wouldn't otherwise take the time to. I'll still see most of them eventually, just on my own time. I use a random number generator to pick a year and I use letterboxd.com to determine the actual release year.

1996 saw the births of young starlets like Abigail Breslin, Lorde and Dolly the Sheep. It also saw the deaths of great thinkers Timothy Leary, Carl Sagan and Tiny Tim.

While the FBI was pre-occupied with identifying and arresting the Unabomber and not finding 2Pac's killer, the Nerdlucks snuck in and stole the talents of some of the greatest basketball players on Earth... and Shawn Bradley. Luckily, NASA was able to save the NBA stars with the help of some sort of a boom-box genie named Kazaam... Unfortunately, Larry Johnson was never able to recover his talents... It was in the news.. Look it up.

I had N64 taste on a Tamagotchi budget

I had a lot of fun in 1996... I was 15 years old. I was all about punk rock, Scully & Mulder and watching movies. My first concert was Face to Face at The Electric Ballroom in Tempe, AZ. I saw Roland Emmerich's INDEPENDENCE DAY at the original Cine Capri in the Biltmore area and I snuck into the West Wind Drive-In in Glendale through a hole in the chain link fence to watch Ben Stiller's CABLE GUY.

The aforementioned INDEPENDENCE DAY was the top grossing film of the year with $306,000,000 and Anthony Minghella's THE ENGLISH PATIENT virtually swept the Oscars (I've still never seen it...)

Quite possibly, the most important thing to happen in cinema in '96 however was a device made by Toshiba called the SD-3000.

It was the first DVD player. You could take one home for just less than $700. Later, this technology would turn out to be the most rapidly adopted consumer product ever and it had a massive effect on the film industry. DVD's higher resolution and durability, cheaper production and better copyright security gave film distributors the opportunity to continue making profits on their films long after they had left the cineplexes. I think the cultural significance is just as important as well. The home video experience was greatly improved by this invention. Casual film fans and cinephiles alike began acquiring larger home collections of these discs. Consumer's willingness to buy gave the distributors more of a reason to release more options on the platform. Archived films and boatloads of special features made it possible for anyone with an interest to study cinema from all around the world and from every cinematic era. Now, with multiple options for streaming platforms and VOD, the physical media seems to be taking a far back seat in the home video market. But keep in mind: for many, it was the DVD that gave a lot of us the opportunity to truly indulge our budding fascination with this art-form in the first place...

My Top 5

5 - THE GOD OF COOKERY - Directed by Stephen Chow

I love Stephen Chow movies and this one is criminally underrated. It's available to stream on Netflix at the time that I'm writing this and you should probably stop doing what you are doing right now and watch it. Its absolutely absurd and completely heart-warming at the same time. If you're into SHAOLIN SOCCER or KING OF COMEDY, you'll like this one just as much. I think I actually prefer this one.

4 - RIDICULE - Directed by Patrice Leconte

Somewhat like THE GOD OF COOKERY, I'll file this one as another underseen gem by a well liked international filmmaker. I haven't seen all of Leconte's films but I've never seen one that I disliked. I think his THE WIDOW OF SAINT PIERRE and MONSIEUR HIRE are his masterworks. This film exists somewhere around the top of his middle tier. Its a film about the power of words and rapier wit and as such, its dialogue is written fantastically. Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" musical has recently reminded me a bit of this film.

3 - BOTTLE ROCKET - Directed by Wes Anderson

I am a fan of Wes Anderson's style... That being said, I think that in most of his films, the minutia of his style tends to get in the way of his characters and story. I think that's why this and THE DARJEELING LIMITED are my two favorites. This is his first and most unpolished movie. And its the one that I've revisited the most.

2 - BREAKING THE WAVES - Directed by Lars Von Trier

Von Trier films are all over the map for me. I think that he has made everything from masterpieces like this one to absolute pieces of tripe which only exist to assault the human senses like THE ELEMENT OF CRIME... The only film of his career that I like more than this one is DOGVILLE. I usually don't care much for this film's shooting style either. Much of it is hand-held, and very narrow. It just really works with this flick though. It is also probably Emily Watson's greatest performance. And that's saying a ton.

1 - FARGO - Directed by the Coen Brothers

This is an R rated film that I saw when I was 15 years old in the theatre with my Father. That in itself was special. But this film was different. It was the first time I had experienced a piece of cinema that I couldn't fit into a genre box. It was funny but not really a comedy. It was composed out of visually beautiful grotesqueness and its overall tone was almost a deafening quietness. I didn't know films could do or be that. You see, I always knew that I like watching movies more than all of my friends... I didn't really know why, I just did. I had no ambitions to analyze them any further, it was just how I prefered to spend my leisure. But I think this was the first time that I ever saw a film as a piece of art. And subsequently, my passion for this art-form has grown in me ever since. You could say that because of FARGO and my inability to compartmentalize it into any specific genre or theme, my life as a cinephile has become compartmentalized... or partitioned if you will... into two segments: Pre-FARGO and Post-FARGO... The Coen Brothers became my favorite filmmakers that day.

1968 - A Random Cinematic Year In Review

2016-03-30T19:40:00.002-07:00

Preface: I have decided to write this series at least in part because I don't make it out to see new films very often and I've found that I spent too much time at the end of the year attempting to see all the big releases (many of which I'm not even interested in) for no other reason than to make an obligatory 'year end list'... This is a way that I can continue writing about films without feeling the pressure to see a bunch of stuff that I wouldn't otherwise take the time to. I'll still see most of them eventually, just on my own time. I use a random number generator to pick a year and I use letterboxd.com to determine the actual release year.

1968 was a very eventful year in the news. The United State's involvement in The Vietnam War was facing the its worst problems both at home and abroad.The Tet Offensive was North Vietnamese's most successful campaign and amid mounting public outcry and protests, President Johnson's approval rating plummeted.

This year also saw two of the most historically significant political assassinations. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F Kennedy were both shot within months of each other.

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal." - MLK

Not all the news of the year was bad however. On Christmas Eve, the crew of NASA's Apollo 8 became the first humans to orbit the Moon.

The year in cinema was rather eventful as well. Two of the most famous films of all time actually opened on the same day. Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and Franklin Schaffner's PLANET OF THE APES both opened on April 3rd. 2001 ended up winning at the box office but lost the Oscar to Carol Reed's OLIVER!.

The Festival at Cannes took place during massive general strikes and anti-capitalism and anti-consumerism demonstrations. As a form of acknowledgement, the festival decided not to hand out any awards. Films were screened from some of the best of the Japanese, French and Czech New Waves....

And meanwhile, back in the states,.. A young and ambitious filmmaker from The Bronx, was running around a small town in Pennsylvania inventing a subgenre of horror that is today worth more than the GDP of some countries...

My Top 5

5) CAPRICIOUS SUMMER - Directed by Jiří Menzel

When I think of the late 60's, I think of Japanese, French and Czech films. This film isn't quite the masterpiece as Jiří Menzel's previous effort, CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS but its more than entirely watchable. Just imagine how light and airy a Czech film could be when it's not taking place during the Nazi occupation...

4) 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Kubrick didn't make any imperfect films and this one is no exception. It is not meant to be merely watched, but consumed, over and over in the decades following its release. I really don't know what else to say about this one. It's comforting like a warm blanket. At any time, I can watch any part of it in passing or enjoy it all the way through. It never disappoints.

3) SHAME - Directed by Ingmar Bergman

There are plenty of dark Bergman films to choose from but this highly underrated gem might take the cake. It is essentially about all of humanity's worst traits and how tight of a grasp they have during wartime. Stress, anxiety, impotence, cruelty and betrayal all take their turns on the center stage here. Liv Ulman and Max Von Sydow make for brilliant puppets to these aforementioned human conditions.

2) NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - Directed by George A. Romero

It's really impossible to understate this film's significance. The importance of what Romero did for horror and its zombie subgenre is eclipsed only by what he did for American independent DIY filmmaking. In 1968, the auteuristic attitude hadn't quite infiltrated the American studio system yet. And this film's success (10th at the box office) surely led to some of this nation's culture towards artistic freedom.

1) ROSEMARY'S BABY - Directed by Roman Polanski

Every Roman Polanski film feels as though it is the exact film he was trying to make. Every technical aspect is meticulously planned. Simultaneously disarming and disturbing , its easy to forget that this is Polanski's first American film and he was only 35 when he made it. I'll never get tired of watching this one...

1987 - A Random Cinematic Year In Review

2016-03-21T23:50:00.001-07:00

1987 - The aftermath of the Iran-Contra affair found us all in a country that was becoming more and more comfortable with trusting the government less and less.

"I tried to stand up and fly straight, but it wasn't easy with that sumbitch Reagan in the White House, I dunno. They say he's a descent man, so maybe his advisors are confused..."

The previous year’s Oscar Winner for Best Picture was Oliver Stone’s anti-war Vietnam drama, PLATOON. 1987 followed suit with a couple of its own noteworthy films about the same subject: Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, FULL METAL JACKET and John Irvin's underrated HAMBURGER HILL.... Both of which, I think are far better than PLATOON...

Maybe my favorite monologue ever...

Bernardo Bertolucci's beautiful epic, THE LAST EMPEROR won Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars. Maurice Pialat's UNDER THE SUN OF SATAN took the Palm D'Or at Cannes while The Golden Lion at Venice was won by fellow Frenchman Louis Malle for his AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS.

The top grossing film of the year was Leonard Nimoy's 3 MEN AND A BABY. Wait... what?.. I had no idea that Spock was directing feel good family comedies in the late 80's. I don't really remember this film but take that in for a minute... PREDATOR, THE LOST BOYS, DIRTY DANCING, and HELLRAISER all came out in the same year. These films spawned a countless number of sequels and remakes... and 3 MEN AND A BABY beat them all at the box office...

This is NOT Antonio Banderas

My Top 5

5) WALKER - Directed by Alex Cox (US)

Speaking of anti-war, anti-Americanism...anti-everything.... As much as I love Cox's earlier releases REPO MAN and SID & NANCY, I think this is his masterpiece. Ed Harris plays William Walker, the American mercenary that took over the country of Nicaragua in the mid 19th century as part of America's 'Manifest Destiny' bullshit. This film is full of expressionistic and surreal anachronisms used to tie the past to the events taking place at the time the film was released. "Before Rambo... Before Oliver North..." may be the best tagline ever...

4) EVIL DEAD 2 - Directed by Sam Raimi (US)

This is my favorite of the Ash trilogy... which makes it also my favorite Raimi film. I think the climate of horror films that we find ourselves in today is largely influenced by this film.... and for good reason. This film strikes the perfect balance between the earnestness of its predecessor and the overtly silliness of its sequel.

3) RAISING ARIZONA - Directed by The Coen Brothers (US)

Looking back at their filmography, it could be easy to overlook this one as a fun excursion that doesn't quite fit into their overall repertoire. This would be a mistake. This is one of their absolute best films. I would also add that although I'm a huge fan of the Coen's more recent work with cinematographer Roger Deakins, I honestly don't think that Barry Sonnenfeld gets enough credit for his work in their first three films. The shot composition is beautiful.

2) WINGS OF DESIRE - Directed by Wim Wenders (Germany)

This is such an amazingly poignant and poetic film about the gift that is humanity.When I think of 80's Arthouse films, I think of Wim Wenders; primarily because of this film and his 1984 American masterpiece PARIS, TEXAS. Its beauty has stood the test of time and I feel that it is influence is still echoed by today's artists. One of my favorite films of the past few years, Jonathan Glazer's UNDER THE SKIN owes a lot of inspiration to this piece. I've never seen its American remake... I'm not sure why I would...

1) THE PRINCESS BRIDE - Directed by Rob Reiner (US)

This is my favorite film of 1987. It's also the film that I've seen more than all of the others combined. I grew up with this film and thankfully, I never grew out of it. I still watch it pretty often. I'm not saying it's the most important film of this year and I'm definitely not saying it's the best film of the year... All I'm saying is that if I have to choose which of these films to pop in the Blu-Ray player right now... The story is a lot of fun, the framing device is done well, the acting is great all around (especially by Mandy Patinkin and Wallace Shawn) and the dialogue is endlessly quotable... Also, I just noticed that my top two films on this list have amazingly charming performances by Peter Falk... As you wish...

The Postmodernism and Pastiche of Army of Darkness

2014-04-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

The term, postmodern can mean a whole host of things in relationship to art. It's exact definition is and will continue to be the topic of debate. It will be described by its critics as a cynical and nihilistic mash-up of the previous ideas of creative people. While proponents see it as intellectual deconstruction and homage of the artistic stepping stones that paved the road to the modern age.

There are many ways in which cinema can be postmodern. One theme is common however for the piece to be considered in this category. We are talking about films that are evidently aware of the films that came before them. Sometimes this comes out as a critique of the reality in which we live by warping that world with drug induced hazes, time travel, or other types of alternate or hyper realities that are all consuming to the characters. Other times, we 'flatten the affect' of the world around us by showing an emotional detachment of the characters to each other and their surroundings. Examples range from Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" ('82) to Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" (03) to pretty much everything Quentin Tarantino has ever done.

I think Sam Raimi's 1992 film fits best in the pastiche category. Pastiche is a term that refers to a piece of visual art that pays tribute and homage to pieces that came before it. Unlike parody, pastiche is a celebration of the works that came before. Like most filmmakers, Raimi was inspired by the other artists in many different genres. He shows that inspiration in his films, especially "Army of Darkness."

There are a lot of smaller, almost throw away instances in this film that reference other films. For example, when all of the mini Ashes tie Ash up to the floor is very reminiscent to a scene in Disney's "Gulliver's Travels" (39). Also, the words Ash is supposed to speak when he retrieves the book: "Klattu, Barada Nikto" are the same words used to control the robot in Robert Wise's 1951 film, "The Day The Earth Stood Still." There are other lines as well that are lifted from other films.

One of the most obvious examples of pastiche and homage in "AoD" is in its special effects and makeup work, much of which was meant to pay tribute to visual effects mastermind Ray Harryhausen.

You can see here, the similarities between Raimi's witch from "AoD" (top) and Harryhausen's Medusa in "Clash of the Titans" (bottom). The facial makeup is very similar.

Now take a look at some of the stop motion skeleton designs. On the top, you see 2 of Harryhausen's from the 1963 film, "Jason and the Argonauts." Then below is one from "AoD". Both are very similar even down to the expressions on their faces.... which skeletons are not supposed to have. Even the shooting process for the interior shots was done on an introvision or front projection stage as a tribute to the way Harryhausen's films were shot.

Part horror, part comedy, "Army of Darkness" at its core, is also very much an epic film. It is a story of a hero's quest. Not unlike Homer's Odyssey or Beowulf, it follows the typical twelve stages of the hero's journey beginning and ending in the ordinary world of S-mart.

It is this reason that I began thinking about it in reference to another epic film that I happened to watch recently. "Army of Darkness" tells the story of a man from a time of enlightenment who finds himself among a more primitive culture. He mentors them, introduces them to gunpowder and eventually trains and leads their army into battle to defeat a common enemy. All the while, struggling with the morality of his own ulterior motives.... This is also the basic plot line of a film that is ranked #80 on "IMDB's Top 250 List", #5 on AFI's "100 Greatest American Movies Of All Time" and #1 on Empire's "100 Best British Films Ever"... This film is so good, AFI and Empire are apparently arguing over which side of the pond it is from...(spoiler alert: it's British) I am referring of course to David Lean's 1962 masterpiece "Lawrence of Arabia".

I can hardly tell the difference

There are more similarities between these two films than the plot however. It was actually a few very specific shots in the opening scene of "AoD" that reminded me of "LoA". The film opens with a shot of feet drudging through the desert sands as Ash is being lead in chains to Arthur's castle. The vast majority of "LoA" takes place in the desert sands and is full of shots like this one. Then, as Ash's chainsaw is being held by Arthur's perplexed wise man, the blade reflects the bright sunlight directly into the camera, we quickly dissolve into a shot of the sun. This immediately reminded me of the sharp cut in "LoA" when Lawrence blows out the match into the beautiful wide sunset shot. Also, both films have the word 'of' right in the middle of the title...

When its all said and done, you would be pretty hard pressed to find a film that isn't a result of the inspirations borrowed from generations past. Postmodernism's greatest achievement is in blurring the lines between what was previously considered "high" & "low" art. Film is as progressive as it is expressive. It constantly changes and evolves. Filmmakers will never stop learning from each other and cinema will never stop serving as the best education for the next filmmakers.

Come get some...

The Criterion Chronicles - The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

2014-03-30T16:23:00.003-07:00

This is an ongoing series in which I chronicle the films of the Criterion Collection that I watch. I will include a brief synopsis and my thoughts. I usually watch these films on Hulu Plus' Criterion Channel..... I am currently paid by neither...

Cosmo Vitelli is a very confident and well liked strip club owner who just doesn't know when to fold a bad hand. He gets in over his head in a poker game and ends up owing the local crime syndicate $23,000. When he is unable to pay, they offer him an alternative solution. His task is to murder a book keeper that is being protected by his Chinatown neighborhood. Cosmo knows the score. If he refuses, it will only be a matter of time before they come for him.

This is a film from the movement sometimes referred to as "New American Cinema" or "American New Wave" that started in the late 60's. It is a movement that you can tell had trickled down from the French New Wave movement putting pressure on studios to give more artistic freedom to the directors. This is when auteur style film making began to flourish. Artists were allowed much more freedom to make films with less than traditional narratives. This lead to films like Francis Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation", Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde" and Dennis Hopper's "Easy Rider". It is also no coincidence that this explosion of creativity here in the states coincided with the end of the Hays Code in 1968.

John Cassavetes was a very successful television and movie actor in the 50's who began directing his own films in the 60's. Many of his films were slice-of-life melodramas featuring great performances from the likes of Peter Falk, Ben Gazzara, Seymour Cassel, and Cassavetes' own wife, Gena Rowlands. I would easily put Rowlands' performance in 1974's "A Woman Under the Influence" as one of the greatest on screen performances of all time.

This film however, at least begins with a more traditional narrative. It almost takes place in a noirish world of moral tales we found a to be so popular in the cinema of 50's. Ben Gazzara plays the lead as Cosmo. He is the quintessential lady's man, well liked, confident and charismatic. He is so calm and collected that when he gets himself into trouble, its hard to really tell the full weight of the situation. This turns the plot of the film into a very good slow burn. By the end of the film, its hard to fathom exactly how we've found ourselves in this position. This is what made me think of the moral tales of the noir films from years past. I would almost consider this to be Neo-Noir but the plot doesn't crescendo in a true noir fashion. It's actually more of a underworld melodrama. Even after the film climaxes, it slows down back down and ends with an existential monologue.

All of the performances were great in this film, especially Gazzara's. I think it was the acting combined with the semi-realism style of camera work that gave this film its uniqueness. The wide aspect ration of 1.85:1 captures the Los Angeles area and all of its bright sunlight as well as its dark corners very well. It is reminiscent of Roman Polanski's 1974 masterpiece "Chinatown" in more ways than one.

This isn't my favorite Cassavetes film but I would highly suggest it as a piece of American cinematic history. Its important to take note of the major changes this country's cinema experienced at the end of the Hays Code era. Although I think "A Woman Under the Influence" is his best film, this one has a very different edge to it and is absolutely worth a watch.

Enjoy.

The Cinema of 2013 - "Welcome to Somerton" edition

2014-03-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well it’s March again and we all know what that means… That’s right; it’s time for me to recap the cinematic year that ended a full three months ago…. I know I know… I do this later and later ever year. It usually takes me a while to catch up on everything and this year was particularly stacked with great films. I’m even having a hard time figuring out which is my favorite film featuring actors running on the poster and the number 12….

I should also mention that there are several key films from last year that I have still yet to see. I'm sure at least one or two of them would have made my list but I really want to get this posted so maybe I'll follow up later with an update of sorts.....

So, I hope you packed a lunch… There were just a lot of films that came out this year that I've wanted to talk about… Including these:

The Worst:

Man of Steel - Comic books are not typically known for their subtlety and nuance. Unfortunately, neither is director Zack Snyder. This Superman reboot has about as much subtlety as this blog post has sarcasm and the overwrought dialog moves the plot forward with all the finesse and delicacy of shoes in a dryer.

Frances Ha - Noah Baumbach's new movie is very well regarded and has made many people's top ten lists this year. I can't say that I hated it, I just can't seem to understand why it is so popular. Greta Gerwig's titular character spends the majority of the film spinning her wheels and wondering why everything is passing her by. I didn't find her to be a particularly likable or even interesting character and by the time that she is finally given an arc, I had long since lost interest....

Turbo - Oh Goody... So this is the part of the blog post that I make fun of the poor children's film.... I took my two younger children to see this one when Monster's Inc was sold out so I was a little extra perturbed when it was as bad as it was. I can deal with a silly kid's movie that has a ridiculous plot and a bad ensemble of weak characters. Just please don't take my hard earned dollars and then proceed to show me an hour and a half of advertising... The climax of this flick takes place at the Indy 500. That's right, not a fake auto race that Dreamworks made up for the world that this story takes place, the snail races in the actual Indy 500. I'm sure this allowed the film to be financed via its multitudes of logo and product placement... which should have made up for its flop at the box office. Fine.... whatever... I just wish I had not been one of the suckers that shelled out cash to see it... I'll file this one under Hollywood Dick Moves, Dreamworks...

The Honorable:

A Band Called Death - So, you think that listening to 70's punk bands like Crass, MC5 and The New York Dolls excuses you from the white guilt associated with supporting a style of music that was pioneered by minorities and capitalized on by the pasty and powerful?... Watch this documentary about the very first black punk band and then think again... Might as well go and get your Dave Matthews collection back out of hiding you fucking sellout....

American Mary - I think this is my favorite thing to happen in horror this year. The very talented twin directors, Jen and Sylvia Soska have finely crafted a very gory and disturbing flick about body modifications and revenge... They have also weaved together a beautifully sad story about a monster, created by a monster who creates monsters. Beauty is the Beast, Dr. Frankenstein and his Monster all rolled up in one...

Before Midnight - I guess I don't have too much to say about this one. I think that it may technically be the best of the "Before" trilogy but I don't think it's my favorite. It is extremely well written and the acting by both Hawke and Delpy keep you completely connected at all times. It is very possible that this film is far more of a masterpiece than I am giving it credit for. I'm interested to see how well it holds up over time...

Grabbers - This is just a very well made horror/comedy from across the pond. It is one of the funnest times you will likely have on your Netflix queue this year. The two main characters, played by Richard Coyle and Ruth Bradley have a great chemistry together and the comedic dialog is exactly what I've come to expect from British writers...

The Hunt - This was about as uneasy as I have been watching a film this year. This film from Denmark starring Mads Mikkelsen, one of the best actors we have right now. It is a highly disturbing story that illuminates the destructive power of an innocent little lie... This was my third favorite Danish film this year....

Inside Llewyn Davis - The Coen Brother's newest film was just a little bit off for me. It was their first film since Miller's Crossing (1990) that didn't feature the work of cinematographer Roger Deakins and their first film ever that didn't include a score by Carter Burwell... Instead, they employed Bruno Delbonnel (Amelie) as DP and original music by T Bone Burnett... These are by no means bad choices but it was fascinating to be able to feel the difference in this film and it definitely shows how collaborative an art form cinema is... The classic Coen dialog took center stage with this one however and much like A Serious Man (2009), we are treated to a slice of Americana from years past as opposed to a more traditional story....

Kon Tiki - Maybe I should just make a list of kick-ass Scandinavian films that came out last year... This one is from Norway and it tells the epic true adventure story of Thor Heyerdahl crossing the Pacific Ocean in a balsa wood raft... It is exactly what you would want from an adventure film, amazing cinematography that sweeps the viewer up with the entire weight of the situation...

Stoker - Remember what I said about The Hunt making me feel uneasy?... Well, this film earns the runner up award for that category. And really, what do you expect from Oldboy (2003) director, Chan-wook Park? This film doesn't make my list for how disturbing it is however. It's here for how beautiful it is. This sick and twisted tale is set against an American Southern Gothic backdrop that exudes cinematic beauty and the Korean director brought along his usual cinematographer to capture and that beauty. It contrasts amazingly with the characters.... This is my third favorite film by a Korean director this year...

The Last Stand - And here's my second favorite film by a Korean director this year.... Please make no mistake. This is not actually a good film.... It's extremely campy, archetypal characters and a plot that really doesn't make much sense...Also, it takes place in Somerton, AZ.. a town I've been to many times and I know the area. This made all the ridiculous inaccuracies super evident to me... First of all, it was obviously not shot in Somerton. It's too hot there, shoot it in New Mexico... Second, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the sheriff of Somerton County. Somerton County doesn't exist, it is a very small town about fifteen minutes outside of Yuma.... in Yuma County.... Also, why the hell would the FBI send a SWAT team from El Centro, CA (a town that is roughly one tenth the size of Yuma, half the population and five times the distance away from Somerton)?.... Man... this movie sucks... I really really like it... I've watched like five times already... It does have it's good qualities. I think Jee-woon Kim is one of the best directors of actions scenes working today and this flick has some insanely awesome shots... It's campy as hell sure, but unlike campy movies that I hate like Taken (2008), this flick knows exactly just how seriously it should be taking itself... If it makes you feel any better, we can just file this one under guilty pleasures.

The Best:

10. Blancanieves

Directed by Pablo Berger

Blancanieves is a silent black & white re-imagining of the Snow White fairy tale in 1920's Seville. The seven dwarfs have traded in their pickaxes and shovels for lances and (google search "bullfighting equipment") banderillas as they travel through Spain as a comical side show to the bullfight. They pick up an young girl with amnesia and take her along on the road. This is not a perfect film but I love crisp, picturesque black and white cinematography and this flick was shot beautifully. Also, Maribel Verdu (Y Tu Mama Tambien & Pan's Labyrinth) is fantastically evil as Encarna, the step-mother.

9. In The House

Directed by Francois Ozon

Fabrice Luchini plays a French high school writing teacher/failed writer desperate to recapture the passion he once had for literature. He finds his zeal in a new student whose research methods are far less than honorable. Knowing the student is up to no good but conflicted because of his obvious gift for writing, the teacher must choose whether or not to put a stop to the child's transgressions, and risk stifling his potential. The proverbial can of worms that is opened is not one that will shut itself.

8. 12 Years A Slave

Directed by Steve McQueen

This is Steve McQueen's third film and so far he's three for three. He got into cinema with an already very impressive resume as a visual artist and it shows. I was very happy to see that the material was handled with such a serious and dedicated commitment to the technical and artistic aspects of this film. I think far too often, filmmakers and other storytellers will assume that if the story is powerful and important enough, they will be given a pass when it comes to the technical. But McQueen is a true artist and this film shows that the only way to truly honor the story and its real life subject is by pouring yourself into it and demanding perfection. Newcomer Lupita Nyong'o gave probably the best performance by anybody male or female this year.

7. Room 237

Directed by Rodney Ascher

This was a great year for documentaries as evident by the fact that my seventh favorite film is also my third favorite doc. This is one of the most unique subjects you will find to study. This is a film that explores numerous theories by different people about hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining. Theories include subliminal messages protesting America's treatment of Native Americans, it's a film about the Holocaust, or it was Kubrick's way of secretly admitting to faking the Moon landing... The genius of this documentary is that every conspiracy theory is treated with the same weight by the filmmaker. And the running theme is that Kubrick never did anything by accident and never made a mistake therefore, all of the above MUST be true....

6. Short Term 12

Directed by Destin Cretton

Short Term 12 stars Brie Larson and John Gallagher Jr. as Grace and Mason, a couple of employees of a group home for at risk teens. A new girl shows up at the facility carrying some particular baggage that Grace finds very familiar. This begins the resurfacing of Grace's past and the subsequent tailspin ensues. At times quaint and charming, this film never forgets to pull at your heartstrings. The characters and settings feel extremely authentic which demands the audience's undivided empathy. The performances by both Larson and Gallagher are impeccable. Lakeith Lee Stanfield's Marcus is also of note. He is someone to look out for in the future.

5. Upstream Color

Directed by Shane Carruth

I'll be honest. I'm not really sure what or how I feel about this film... I've only watched it three times so far and I think I'm actually starting to understand it. This is the second film by Primer (2004) director Shane Carruth. It only took me about five years to realize that Primer was a masterpiece and it may happen with this one as well. What gets me the most excited about this guy as a storyteller is how both of these very complex films unapologetically lack any sort of exposition. He gives you just enough to keep interested but not enough to keep up. It not only demands, it rewards your undivided attention and repeat viewings.

4. Stories We Tell

Directed by Sarah Polley

I've been a fan of Sarah Polley's acting ever since 1999's Go. Her first feature as a director was the very melancholic Away From Her (2006). This is her first documentary and I loved it. On the surface, she took the camera to her own family in an attempt to investigate a trail of unanswered questions left by her departed mother. What she succeeds in finding far surpasses any single family's story and explores and exposes the torrid relationship between truth, myth and recollection.....

3. A Hijacking

Directed by Tobias Lindholm

The Danish have Hijacked my list this year. The negotiations are intense and slow and some of the films on this list are getting very sea sick... This is a film about a cargo ship that is attacked by Somali pirates and the negotiations with the ship's company in Copenhagen. This film is heart wrenching and very suspenseful but what I think blew me away the most was how there is really no true antagonist. The filmmaker does such a great job at distributing empathy throughout the characters... As Renoir says in the French masterpiece, Rules of the Game (1939): "The awful thing about life is this: Everybody has their reasons...."

2. The Act of Killing

Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous and Christine Cynn

This may not be my favorite film of the year but it is by far the most important on this list... It's probably the most important of the year but I'm not sure... I mean, exposing Indonesian death squads that have never atoned for their heinous acts of genocide is at least as important as profiling professional backup singers... right?... Isn't it?... Is this thing even on...? Alright so what I'm trying to say is watch this film now, then come back we'll all write the Academy a nasty letter together... This film is so much more than just an expose on injustices that happened half a century ago. The filmmakers gives the aggressors the ability to tell their story through cinematic reenactments. They happily oblige as if they have never had a moment of remorse.... Oh yeah... this one's Danish too...

1. Pieta

Directed by Ki-duk Kim

My favorite film of the year came from my favorite Korean filmmaker. I'm not going to say too much about it. I wrote a full review here... I will add however that I am very excited that the acclaim that this film has received has led to Alamo Drafthouse picking up the rights to distribute his newest film Moebius... This is great news because it will most likely be readily available on VOD when it comes out later this year....

Editors note: I am the editor too.... deal with it... FYI: Many of these titles (including 7 of my top 10) are available to watch on Netflix right now.... Check them out...

The Criterion Chronicles - The End of Summer

2013-09-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

The Kohayakawa family is under duress in this 1961 film by Japanese master of melodrama, Yasujiro Ozu. The family business, a sake brewery is having a hard time keeping up with larger competitors. This puts more pressure on the two unwed daughters, Akiko and Noriko to find suitors. And the rest of the family is growing more and more concerned with their man-child Father and his recent exploits with an old girlfriend.

I picked this film because of the fitting title for the season. Living in Phoenix, I think I was hoping that maybe by the magic of cinema, watching this film would somehow usher out the triple degrees temperatures this year. I also have been wanting to watch more Ozu films lately. I have only seen a few and they have all been great. This is one of the two most influential filmmakers in Japanese history and for good reason. His stories are typically small family dramas but they never have any trouble making the audience feel the full weight of the turmoil at hand. This film is no different. In fact, it is a shining example of the power of a small story in the hands of a talented and accomplished storyteller. The film handles three major plot lines that each revolve around a different member of the family, each with its own unique tone and conflict and each conflict integral to the fabric of the entire family. It manages to do all of this within the span of about an hour and forty minutes.

This story, like the others I've seen from Ozu, unfolds at its own pace. It never seems to lag or rush through

itself. It shifts from moments of solemn quietness to some scenes of outright silliness. The score is great, especially in some of the goofier moments showing the Father sneaking around town to engage in his affair. Ozu's signature camera work is on display here as well. He typically shoots interiors from a very low angle. This gives his films a look that is unique only to themselves. It also adds to the intimate feel of the relationships on screen.

With multiple layers of story structures going on here, Ozu brilliantly ends the film by pulling all the way out to show what the family looks like from the point of view of the unaffected onlookers. It's here that you realize the true power of Ozu's cinematic touch. He shows us how engrossing and important a story is to those involved, if only by contrasting this with how unimportant it is to those who aren't.

In more recent history, filmmakers like Charlie Kaufman have been showing us how we are all the lead in our own films in a meta-blend of literal and absurdist style. Ozu was doing the same thing many years before using only the poetry of melodrama.

Note: I usually embed a trailer for the film but I can't seem to find one so I decided to post this amazing thing instead

....

Enjoy.

The Criterion Chronicles - The Cars That Ate Paris

2013-08-15T18:52:00.002-07:00

The town of Paris, Australia has a secret. Its citizens orchestrate auto accidents for people passing through, then they scavenge the wreckage for its valuables. The film begins with brothers Arthur and George stumbling into the town while towing a caravan and looking for a place to sleep for the night. They are met with the inevitable careening off of a sheer cliff, killing George. Arthur is left to recover in a town that murdered his brother and now has plans to keep him in their extremely weird company.

I'm a big fan of arthouse films from around the world and different eras of filmmaking. I've probably seen

more Kurosawa than Spielberg and frequently champion films that are more ponderous than visceral; more meditative than exploitive. All of this notwithstanding, it is often very easy to underestimate the value of the many cult classics and B roll gems from various regions and times in cinematic history. These films often tell a far more revealing story that relates more specifically to the turmoils and tribulations of the culture in which they were conceived. While auteurs like Renoir, Lang and Haneke have done amazing jobs at exploring artistic concepts and discovering universal truths, it has been the genre makers like Alex Cox, Seijun Suzuki and Roger Vadim that have more accurately portrayed the general attitudes and angst of their surroundings. Larger budgets along with more artistic prestige have afforded some artists the freedom to explore topics that are more relatable to all people and not confined to the limits of space and time. Whereas, films that are restricted by funds and experience will often be required to tell a smaller and more local story. This is one of those films. As the doctor in the film says: "We get far more opportunity to do experimental work in the field of surgery and psychiatry than your city experts. This is where the really exciting work is being done..."

I really enjoyed the crescendo of this film. It begins with a glimpse of bizarre and gradually ascends into a very lovable form of bat-shit craziness that had a lot of fun with. It was filled with some very standout performances by John Meillon as the town's Mayor and Terry Camelliri as Arthur. I specifically liked Meillon s character. The opening of the film paints him a the benevolent protector but as we learn more, we find out he's one of the worst of the lot. Bruce Spence (The Gyro Captain in the Mad Max films) also has small but thoroughly amazing part in this film as the town loony.

This film is not without its faults however. The slow burn effect has an unfortunate side effect that causes the story to lull for the first half so just be patient. The third act more than makes up for it. I would suggest that you check this film out if you're a fan of Australian New Wave or "Ozploitation" flicks in general. This is a pretty good glimpse of what's to come from the country that would later give way to gems like "Long Weekend", the "Mad Max" trilogy and masterpieces such as "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and "Walkabout".

Enjoy.

The Criterion Chronicles - The Cremator

2013-08-04T22:37:00.002-07:00

Karel Kopfrkingl works in a Czechoslovakian crematorium in the late 1930's in this 1969 film by lesser known Czech New Wave director, Juraj Herz. He thinks of himself as a pillar in his community and considers his job and the process of cremation to be cleansing of Earthly suffering. He loves quoting the Tibetan book of the dead during funerals. He reconnects with an old friend that he served with in the first World War who convinces him to assert his supposed Germanic heritage and that his half-Jewish wife, Lakme has been hindering his career.

I've seen quite a few films of the Czech New Wave movement and quite a few of them deal with the German occupation during WWII. I will say that these film, including this one are some of the most fascinating you will ever see. The retrospective viewpoint of the artists of an occupied country 20 to 30 years removed is seen with a very unique attitude. It's akin to watching a group of people open up a time-capsule and commenting on its contents. Keep in mind that most of the filmmakers of this time were only babies during the occupations. I think a lot of this movement was fueled by their drive to rebel against their parent's generation that allowed a nation to be taken over by the most evil force in recent history. I would also suggest Ján Kadár's "The Shop on Main Street" and Jirí Menzel's masterpiece "Closely Watched Trains" for a bit more of what I'm talking about. I think the Czech filmmakers were the first to have the courage to add comedy to these stories.

This film is off putting to say the least. This guy is a complete weirdo and the filmmaking supports the

audience's general feeling of unease and discomfort. Karel is obsessed with death and the macabre alike. He likes to groom himself and sometimes his children with the same comb he uses on the corpses awaiting the furnace. His round smug expression permeates the film with a combination of extreme shallow focus and a plethora of fish-eye lens shots. He also seems to be engrossed with his own strange version of antiseptic cleansing. He believes in the cleansing power of his furnace and of death itself and as such makes it a point to cleanse his own house and crematorium. And he manages to do this with the same indifferent smirk throughout.

This film and specifically the performance of Rudolf Hrusinsky will get under your skin in the best way possible. I highly suggest it but you may want to keep an episode of your favorite sitcom handy to cleanse your palate afterwards.... unless you prefer nightmares... You've been warned.

Enjoy.

The Criterion Chronicles - The Stranger

2013-07-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

"The Stranger" by Satyajit Ray is about an affluent Calcutta family who is paid an unexpected visit by a man who claims to be a long estranged uncle. He claims to have other business in town and apologizes for the intrusion. Having not seen the man in the past 35 years, the family grows more and more suspicious of his true identity and motive for the visit.

This is only my second film by India's Satyajit Ray. Earlier this year, I watched his 1958 film, "The Music Room" and was completely blown away so I've been looking forward to checking out some more of his work. This film made me even more excited about exploring the rest of his filmography. I really took me by surprise.

There isn't much of a plot. The world-weary stranger shows up, the family is suspicious, he tells them fantastic stories of his many travels, then he leaves. The film essentially is a series of dialog driven set pieces about trust, respect, culture, religion and human relationships. This is the dialog driven type of heartfelt drama like "Certified Copy" or "Before Sunrise" that I have been more apt to fall for over the past few years.

It's fitting that this film turned out to be the swan song from an accomplished auteur. He passed away in the

year following this film's release. It feels as though the titular character of the film knows his time is limited and is attempting to leave us with his last tidbits of knowledge before his final parting. As such, the film itself turns into a smorgasbord of philosophical and thought provoking colloquy.

It's worth noting also that this film looks completely beautiful. Most Indian films have lavish colors palettes and this one is no exception. It also features a great dance sequence at the end.

I'm glad I watched this one and I'm looking forward to finding more from this Satyajit Ray. There are several from me to chose from on Hulu.

Enjoy.

The Criterion Chronicles - Cria Cuervos

2013-07-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

Carlos Saura's 1976 film takes place in the Franco's fascist Spain and tells the story of three orphaned girls being raised by their aunt and long time housekeeper. We watch through the eyes of the main character, Ana (Ana Torrent), the middle sister who is fascinated with the macabre, having witnessed both of her parent's deaths.

The title of this film is an abbreviation of the Spanish proverb, "Cria cuervos y te sacaran los ojos." which literally translates "Raise ravens and they'll take your eyes out." I think this story is meant to be a metaphor of the self destructive nature of an entire generation 'raised' by a fascist dictatorship and it illustrates the inevitable turning of the tides. The girl's father was a high ranking military official and Ana thinks that she was responsible for his death. Bear in mind that this film was being made while Francisco Franco was on his deathbed. Director, Carlos Saura, an avid anti-Francoist even joked, "Franco took so long to die, we had time to buy champagne."

I love the way this film toggles between fantasy and reality from the eyes of Ana. She still seems to maintain a relationship with her deceased mother. It's not always clear whether this is from a supernatural medium or from a combination of her imagination and memories. Either way, its clear that she sees more than what meets the eye. This is similar to Ana Torrent's performance in her earlier performance in "The Spirit of the Beehive." I'm pretty sure its that performance that inspired the casting for this film. This film also features a great dual performance from screen legend Geraldine Chaplin as both the mother and Ana as an adult.

I can't really tell how much of a fan of this film I am or will be. I can tell you that it demands a second viewing. I think I'll have to revisit it some other time. I was very struck by the performances and I've always loved when a film skips the exposition and just takes takes you for the ride. I also really dug the song, "Porque Te Vas" by Jeanette, which is featured prominently a few times in this film.... My suggestion, check it out... it won't hurt and you might like it...

Enjoy.

The Criterion Chronicles - Eyes Without A Face

2013-07-17T20:43:00.002-07:00

George Franju's "Eyes Without A Face" (1960) is about a genius plastic surgeon, Dr. Genessier (Pierre Brasseur) who, with the help of his assistant Louise (Alidia Valli) abducts young pretty girls, cuts off their faces and grafts them onto his cherished daughter's face. His daughter, Christiane (Edith Scob) has been in hiding and is thought dead since the accident that left her disfigured. As the operations fail one after another, Christiane spins deeper and deeper into guilty depression as her Father becomes more and more obsessed with successful procedure.

This is not my first experience with this film but I wanted to rewatch it this week because Criterion has just

announced its Blu-Ray release and new high definition transfer in October of this year. I remember liking this film before but I was completely floored with it this time around. This film does an amazing jobs at lulling you into thinking that it will be handling its more disturbing and gory aspects with kid gloves. This is eventually found out to not be true. Then it blasts you in the face with its practical effects. I was honestly taken aback by how gruesome the visuals were for a film that was made over half a century ago.

But I feel the gore factor really takes a backseat to the creepy factor in this flick hands down. As well done as the makeup job is in the various women, sans-face shots, the mask that Christiane wears in between operations just wigged me the hell out. There's just something about a slightly off humanistic mask that looks absolutely disturbing. It's the perfect amount of recognizability combined with the complete lack of relatability. Coincidentally, I recently watched an episode of Vsauce, a science based web series, about the creepy phenomenon. Check it out, it's really good...

I was reminded of this picture a couple of years ago when Pedro Almodovar's brilliant film "The Skin I Live In" was released. At the time, I remembered it being somewhat similar but I was surprised at how many

similarities I noticed this time around. The subject matter is close, a brilliant doctor obsessed with his daughter committing unspeakable crimes. There's also the presence of the brick and mortar underground lair that the doctor hides away in after hours. I'm a big fan of post-modern filmmaking and I love to experience the great art that inspires other great art.

It's also worth mentioning the year that this film came out, 1960. This was a pretty great year for ominous and disturbing cinema. Alfred Hitchcock proved that he in fact does not have your best interest in mind in the first thirty minutes of his masterpiece "Psycho" and Michael Powell directed the equally off putting voyeuristic thriller "Peeping Tom" in that year. The movie industry does tend to follow trends and its good to keep in mind that this is not a new thing... and it wasn't a new thing in 1960. This would probably make a great Sunday afternoon triple feature... as long as you didn't plan on getting any sleep that night.

Enjoy.

The Criterion Chronicles - Cure

2013-07-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 1997 film is centered around a wave of murders in Tokyo that baffle the police. The murderers are found dazed and confused but calm with no explanation for a motive to the murders. Detective Takabe and police Psychologist Sakuma team up to connect the dots. A strange young man shows up and appears to be suffering from the some type of amnesia, Takabe suspects he is the key and attempts to make sense of it all through a series of interrogations.

This film felt kind of like Japan's answer to "Se7en" from a couple years prior. It was a psychological thriller

revolving around gruesome deaths at the hands of a complicated killer. It's much more of a slow and meditative thriller than it's American counterparts and with a considerably lower death toll. This is probably all relative considering the lower crime rate of the Eastern metropolis but I think some film fans may find that it drags a bit. I thought it was great.

This film strikes a great balance between pensive and spine-chilling. It's pacing lends itself amazingly to the type of matter-of-fact violence that I love from the films of the Coen brothers. There's a great flow throughout and the shocking moments are truly off-putting. I really appreciate a film that can do this as they are few and far between.

Aside from being a murder mystery crime caper police procedural, this film adds a supernatural twist and a great dramatic sidestory. It is very rare to find all of this in a film that clocks in at less than 2 hours. This is great because I almost always check the running time before I watch a film. I'm not allergic to longer films, I just typically don't have enough time to watch one that's much more than 2 hours and it's great to be able to explore so much ground in such a small amount of time. It feels like a good value.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this film and I think its something that most fans of police procedurals and crime dramas will respond to it. Some will undoubtedly however, find it a bit too slow.

Enjoy.

Revisitation Rights - Only the Strong

2013-07-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

This will be a semi-ongoing blog series in which I revisit films from my past. These are the flicks that I watched over and over far before I became the film snob I am today. I'm curious whether these films will stand not only the test of time but my own personal scrutiny.Or if the magic of them resides only in my own nostalgia.

Today's secret ingredient is................

MARK DACASCOS!!!!!!!!!

That's right, I rewatched 1993's Mark Dacascos vehicle called "Only the Strong" about a young Green Beret named Louis Stevens that returns home to Miami after a four year long tour in Latin America. He heads back to his old high school to find that it's been taken over by street gangs. Fortunately, Louis has mad Capoeira skills... Capoeira is a Brazilian style of martial arts/dance and its also some sort of a game.... It's most similar American counterparts are known as B-Boying or Stompin' da Yard... only sometimes you kick people in the face... And I think you're supposed to be really really extra sweaty while you do it. I guess it's also very fortunate for Louis that all of the street gangs seem to use this style of dance party to settle all of their disputes as well.... You know, instead of guns and stuff.

So in case you didn't know, Mark Dacascos made a career as actor in many martial arts films before he was known as the crazy eyed host of "Iron Chef" or the twinkle toed beefcake of "Dancing with the Stars." He's worked on many films but this one is one of his very few starring roles. And, as far as I'm aware, this is the only role that he does any Capoeira.

I could probably make fun of this movie and just tell that it was a 'so bad its good' fun fighting flick. The plot is completely ridiculous. It's sort of a lovechild of "Dangerous Minds" and "Gymkata". And just look at
the tagline on the poster... "The strength ultimate power martial rhythm art."... Huh??? Did I mention the sweat... There's a lot of it...

But I digress, I actually really enjoyed it this time around. The stuff that's bad is pretty bad, but there is still quite a bit that you can take away on a positive note. The fighting style is a real joy to watch and this is only film that uses it to my knowledge. It seems like a highly inefficient style that lends itself much more to flair than self defence. But, I guess that would make it the perfect candidate for cinema. I also took special note of the stunt work in this film. This picked up a lot of the pieces where some of the fight choreography lacked. You could feel the weight of the slams and falls the various henchmen

I watched this movie on Netflix Watch Instantly with my 12 year old in "Super HD". He dug it in the same way that I did when I was around his age. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to introduce it to him. This film had a profound influence on my upbringing as a young man... After all, its the reason that I used Eddy Gordo every time I played Tekken Tag Tournament... and I kicked ass at that game...

Enjoy.

The Criterion Chronicles - French Cancan

2013-07-07T23:02:00.000-07:00

French Cancan (1954) is Jean Renoir comedic drama about Nini, a poor laundress that is recruited as a Cancan dancer by Henri Danglard, proprietor of recently bankrupt cafe. Romance and jealousy ensue as Nini dances through life and love eventually finding herself the star of the Moulin Rouge.

This film was shot using the very beautiful Technicolor process during its heyday, very shortly after it became
possible to strike a color print from a single camera negative. This process combined with the amazing restoration job by The Criterion Collection results in colors that pop right off the screen. This is one of the few color films that I've seen from Renoir and you can tell that he thrived in the medium. You can tell that this film's lavish style was an inspiration to Baz Luhrmann's 2001 picture "Moulin Rouge!"

The two stars of this film, Jean Gabin (Danglard) and Francoise Arnoul as Nini give the films film's best performances. Their charisma provides the emotional core and the supporting cast gives the audience its comic relief. I especially loved the performance by Philippe Clay as Casimir le Serpentin. He's a tall and lanky all around showman who comes up with witty songs that seem to narrate the antics that transpire throughout the film. Overall, the cast put on great performances in the story as well as the set pieces.

Ultimately, this film actually turned out to be a bit of a disappointment to me. There is nothing specifically wrong with it but if you are comparing it to Renoir's greatest, it doesn't measure up. This is a shame because the first third of the story seems to be treading on his most familiar ground. Renoir has made some amazing stories of the 'haves' and their relationships and codependencies with the 'have nots'. This film begins this way, with essentially a broke art peddler begging for money from the rich and labor and love from the poor. Unfortunately, the film seems to abandon this theme around the halfway mark. It is definitely worth a watch but I would consider "The Lower Depths" and "The Rules of the Game" necessary prerequisites.

Enjoy.

The Criterion Chronicles - Eraserhead

2013-07-03T23:44:00.001-07:00

Eraserhead (1977) is auteur, David Lynch's first feature length film about industrial printer Henry Spencer and his dismal existence. The world around him is loud and filthy, his apartment is tiny and run down, his only entertainment is a singing woman living in his radiator and his girlfriend is completely nuts. To make matters worse, she gives birth to a premature mutant child that cries all night. After all that, the movie start to get a bit weird...

This is not my first experience with this film. I watched it for the first time around ten years ago as a fan of David Lynch's other work. I really didn't like it at the time. For whatever reason, I just couldn't get into the story. But alas, I'm older and more patient now so I thought I should give it another chance. This film is very well respected by many of my peers and the cinematic community in general. Maybe my first viewing of it was skewed by my mood or something I ate. Maybe I just wasn't mature enough to appreciate it as the cinematic masterpiece it is. So, I gave it another shot....

Well Eraserhead, ummmm... have a seat.... can I get you anything?... Maybe a glass of water...? This is never easy... I'll just come out and say it... It's not you, it's me... No, really... There's actually a lot of things I really like about you. The practical effects used are well....... effecting to say the least, the cinematography is stark and at times very beautiful and the characters are very well written and fleshed out. I loved Allen

Joseph's "Mr X" as he is describing the "man made" chickens they are about to eat for dinner... "Little damn things, smaller than my fist.."

As far as I'm concerned, nobody should talk about this film without mentioning what I feel is by far it greatest attribute. Like many of his other films, Lynch does his own sound design. And this film is an amazing example of his genius at work in that particular department. The entirety of the picture is full not only of great sound effects but a constant ambient noise of the pulsating and whirring industrial machinery that absolutely fills the air. It's this attention to detail that I think led to Lynch's ability to achieve masterpiece status just three years later with 1980's "The Elephant Man".

So in summation, this may have not been my first experience with this film, it will be my last. I do admit however, that it is a far better movie than I had previously realized. And on some levels, it could probably be considered a masterpiece in its own right. Unfortunately, after watching it for the second time, I'm simply having too hard of a time not stabbing my eyeballs with my car keys.... Eraserhead, you're gross...

Enjoy.

The Criterion Chronicles - Summer With Monika

2013-07-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

Ingmar Bergman' 1953 film tells the story of Harry Lund, an ambitious and responsible 19 year old who falls in love with Monika, the flighty and romantic 17 year old. They quit their jobs and steal away in his father's boat and spend the Summer on an isolated island. When Monika gets pregnant, they decide to go back home and marry. Very quickly, they both begin to realize that the same differences in personalities that attracted them to each other in the first place are now driving them further apart.

During Ingmar Bergman's entire career, he used two cinematographers almost exclusively. Sven Nykvist and Gunnar Fischer. This film was shot beautifully by the ladder. Fischer, who also collaborated with him on "The Magician", "The Seventh Seal" and "Wild Strawberries" has put together some of the best exteriors of Bergman's filmography. The entire second act of this movie takes place outside and he took full advantage of the breathtaking Swedish countryside. I love reflection shots and he uses the still water to bounce light and shadows into the lens in a truly amazing fashion. There are also a lot of scenes that take place during the first and last light of the day. This 'magic hour' combined with slightly abstracted angles gives some great silhouetted images against an overcast backdrop that I've always been very keen on.

This, like most of Ingmar Bergman's work begins with a rather capricious and light hearted tone and ends on

a far more serious note. By its final credits, you feel as though you have experience the equivalent of a cinematic gut-punch. I'm sure he was a fan of Shakespeare's work and because of films like this one, has been referred to the greatest dramatist since the 16th century playwright. I personally consider him among Alfred Hitchcock and Akira Kurosawa as one of the three most influential filmmakers in history. You could easily make the case for him simply by the sheer amount of great work he has done. This film is a great example of his good work... but falls short of being a good example of his great work. If you are so far unfamiliar with his other films, I wouldn't suggest you start with this one... But, get around to it nonetheless....

Enjoy.

Pieta Review

2013-06-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

Directed by Ki-duk Kim

Pieta is the newest film by South Korean auteur, Ki-duk Kim about a violent loan shark who is encountered by a woman claiming to be his long estranged mother. She apologizes for abandoning him some thirty years earlier and begs for his forgiveness. This confrontation forces him to reevaluate his life's path and priorities. This film has a wild plot but ultimately is a story of love, forgiveness and revenge, not necessarily in that order.

I've been a big fan of Ki-duk Kim films for a very long time. He is my favorite South Korean director and it is because of films just like this one. His ability to fuse unflinching violence with heart and spirituality makes for some of the best arthouse films of the past two decade. I am a fan of many of his fellow countrymen as well but, while filmmakers like Jee-woon Kim, Chan-wook Park and Joon-ho Bong are getting enticed by Hollywood, Ki-duk Kim's films have never been accessible enough for mass consumption. His films often take unexpected shifts in plot and tone, many times blurring the lines between spirituality and reality. Among his repertoire is 2003's "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter..... and Spring", which is his only film that has been almost universally acclaimed. Most of his other films have received mixed reviews at best, this one included. I personally would apply the 'masterpiece' tag to several of his other efforts including both of his films from 2004, "Samaritan Girl" and "3-Iron". In forty years or so, when the cinematic community is discussing the Korean New Wave, Ki-duk Kim's name will be at the forefront.

Pieta is Ki-duk's best film since "3-Iron". The acting is amazing especially by Min-soo Jo as Mi-Son, the estranged mother. It's amazing to see such a performance from an actress in her first cinematic role. Her mannerisms flawlessly display the longing mother desperate to do right by her lost son. And her portrayal has been recognized by several festivals. Jeong-jin Lee does a great job as Gang-do, a character who toes the line between violent sociopath and vulnerable man-child.. I haven't seen him in anything previously but after this film, he will likely have a pretty substantial career ahead of him.

This was also a first feature for cinematographer Young-jik Jo and I was completely captivated by his work. I've never seen a film shot this way before. The majority of it was shot handheld with what was probably a very light weight DSLR. As a result, this film feels extremely intimate and the audience is treated (or mistreated) as part of or a party to even the most egregious and horrible acts performed on screen. There is no allowance for breathing room. The camera many times even goes as far as shaking slightly every time a man is struck in the face. We are also often subjected to what might best be described as the floating point-of-view perspective. Sometimes, you get the feeling of the fly on the wall. At other times, the perspective feels much less innocuous, as if you are some sort of spirit or guardian watching the story unfold and guiding its players to inevitability. This is a style that I can only hope the he keeps up because I am very much looking forward to seeing more of it. Its also very encouraging to see established filmmakers that have been in the industry for years using newer techniques and equipment that is closer to consumer grade. This is a great way to usher in the new era of cinema that is far more welcoming to those of us that would love to create art but have no means for the price tag associated shooting a film the old fashion way.

Aside from this being an amazing film, it's very encouraging to see that it is getting the type of attention it deserves. Ki-duk Kim was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, beating out big names like P.T. Anderson, Olivier Assayas, Brian DePalma and Terrence Malick. This will be his first film since 2006's "Time" that has a DVD/Blu-Ray released in a North American regional format. He has made four films since then and only 2008's "Dream" is available (streaming on Netflix).... and that's one of his lesser films. Hopefully, the critical success of this one combined with all of the new methods of distribution will pave the way for his forthcoming film, "Moebius" currently in post-production.

So far, this is my favorite film of the year and if it had come out last year, it probably would have topped my list. It is exactly the type of story I've come to love and expect from this director. It superbly handles many themes that come alive organically from the plot. The characters comment on them not as exposition but as a form of reflexion. The screenplay (written by Ki-duk) may be the unsung hero of this tale. No matter how complex the actions of the character seem, they never feel shoehorned. This is no small accomplishment. But ultimately, the plot merely serves us with the backbone of an underlying truth. Everything has its price. All actions, whether paved by good or evil intentions, will eventually require restitution.

This year is shaping up to be a very good one, especially for Korean filmmakers. Chan-wook Park's film, "Stoker" was also very impressive and Joon-ho Bong's new sci-fi film, "Snowpiercer" is set to be released yet this Summer. I watched Pieta on a VOD platform in HD for about $7. The DVD and Blu-Ray will be out on the 23rd of July from Drafthouse Films. It comes with my full recommendation.

Enjoy.

The Cinema of 2012 - The Final Word

2013-03-10T02:20:00.001-07:00

First off – a disclaimer: there are still a few big films that I have yet to see this year. I still haven’t finished watching Ben Affleck’s “Argo”. And I haven’t had a chance to see Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” or Katherine Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty” yet. They probably all could have sprinkled somewhere in my list but seeing as how I don’t do top ten list and just seemingly pick a random number of films to talk about, who knows where they would end up and I wouldn’t remove anything that’s on this list… I don’t go to the cinema very often so I’m always a little late to this party but this year I was able to see a lot more of what peaked my interest because of Netflix and other various forms of VOD. So, I came up with 14….. Sounded like a good idea at the time.. Well, here you are. Two weeks after the Oscars and I'm finally posting it... Let's just call this one the final word.

14 - Moonrise Kingdom

Directed by Wes Anderson

This is the most Wes Andersony film that Wes Anderson (or anyone else for that matter) has ever made. It’s so full of the very typical minutia we cinefiles have come to expect and love or hate over the years. Of course, if you’re not a fan of his previous work, my God you will probably despise this film. I don’t think this is his best film, just the one most obviously created by him.

13 – Cosmopolis

Directed by David Cronenberg

I’m not going to pretend I understood all of the themes going on this film. There are times it had me pretty lost. But there is beauty in its complexity and the chords it struck with me peaked my fascination as much as any of Cronenberg’s best films. This one deals with a search for personal identity (big surprise) in an increasingly chaotic world. It also speaks to the very nature of commerce and the principals of anarcho-capitalism in a global market. It reminded me of episode 31 of the 2^nd season of ‘DuckTales’ in which Scrooge McDuck unwittingly destroys the morale of a peaceful village by flooding them with bottle caps that they use a currency…. But then again, most of the films I saw this year remind me of some episode of ‘DuckTales’….

12 - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Directed by Behn Zeitlin

This is a very sweet and touching film about community told from the perspective of an adorable six year old girl name Hushpuppy. Quvenzhane Wallis’ super realistic portrayal blends perfectly with the fantastical elements of her imagination. He tells a relatively simple story about a very interesting portion of the country, one far off the grid in which government workers in helicopter appear to be aliens from another planet. This film is comparable in that sense to 2010’s “Winter’s Bone” and cinefiles should be eagerly awaiting what comes next from both the director and the star.

11 - Cabin in the Woods

Directed by Drew Goddard

This is a great example of deconstructionist horror. I think it’s important to note that this movie is actually deconstructing a very specific type of horror and all of the tropes that it relies on. I've heard a few complaints about how weak this film’s horror story aspect is but I don’t think it would have worked as well if it had been a “good” horror flick. Ultimately, this film doesn't quite work as well as Scott Glosserman’s 2006 film “Behind the Mask” or Eli Craig’s “Tucker & Dale Vs Evil” but it threw its hat into the mix and achieved what it was attempting.

10 - The Master

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

So you want to make a film that seriously conflicts and confuses the Academy?.. It’s simple really. Just make a great movie with amazing performances, fantastic cinematography and score. Write a brilliant screenplay and then use it to poke fun at Scientology. You should get several nominations and zero wins. I’m kidding a little. I saw this film really early and I honestly had no idea that it had anything to do with Scientology while I was watching it. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I heard some stuff coming out that it could be a topic of controversy… I also passionately don’t care one way or the other. I just saw a very well made film about male relationships, self-loath and control. Joaquin Phoenix gave what I thought was hands down the best performance of his career and of the year for that matter. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams were also great.

9 - The Imposter

Directed by Bart Layton

Lying is part of human nature. This is self evident. We come to lie from a host of different paths but they all stem from the same reason. We don’t want the truth… says Captain Obvious. Luckily this film digs into something even deeper than our very natural tendency to tell a lie. It takes a look at our similarly natural need to believe one. This is my favorite documentary this year. I've said before that the types of docs I prefer are just like this one. They tell a very specific story that you would have otherwise been unexposed to and are relatable because of the universal truths they explore.

8 - Holy Motors

Directed by Leos Carax

Leos Carax’ latest film is an episodic storytelling of the past present and undeniable future of cinema. Denis Lavant brilliantly portrays 11 different characters as he travels via limousine through Paris, fulfilling each one of his appointments as a different character. This is one of those films that I really loved but I’m not too sure who I could recommend it to. Not to sound too much like a condescending snob but, if you don’t spend a significant portion of your life watching, discussing and studying cinema, there’s just a lot of stuff in here that you’re not going to get.

7 - The Avengers

Directed by Joss Whedon

I don’t think I had more fun with a film this year. I was really setting myself up for a disappointment with this one too. The origin stories leading up to this one have been a pretty mixed bag so I really wasn't sure what to expect when the big one hit. I feel like I should have just trusted director Joss Whedon to deliver what he always brings, a fun, intelligent action film with an ensemble list of characters. It took a little while to get going but all is forgiven once the action starts to fly. This blu-ray will surely be one that gets plenty of use.

6 - Django Unchained

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Any new film by Quentin Tarantino that is not at the very top of my list is kind of a disappointment to me, especially after 2009’s “Inglourious Basterds”. I really tried to watch this one without those types of expectations but Tarantino’s films simply don’t just exist in a bottle. He has spent the past two decades creating his own cinematic world that each one of his films play a specific roll in. That being said, this is a pretty great addition to that world. It was thoroughly enjoyable and featured a standout performance by Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie. This film is not without its missteps though. I found some of the comedic moments to be a bit ham-fisted and Tarantino should really stop casting himself in rolls. His acting usually leans on the distractingly bad side.

5 - The Raid: Redemption

Directed by Gareth Evans

This is the year I learned what Silat is. It is a form of martial arts practiced in Indonesia and Malaysia. I've always liked martial arts flicks but I think it would be pretty rare for me to include them in a top ten list. This film starts out fast and never lets up throughout. It’s great to see a director of a fighting film put so much effort not only in the choreography of the fighters but of the camera as well. If you’re on the fence about seeing this one, I would highly suggest you check out Gareth Evans previous film, “Merantau” on Netflix. It features some of the same actors and great stunts and choreography.

4 - Amour

Directed by Michael Haneke

Amour is a great title to Michael Haneke’s latest film. This film is an uneasy, sometimes downright disturbing portrait of a very long lasting love and the grief associated with it. This is not a flick for the weak of heart because the characters involved are not as such. This is also why Haneke was the perfect filmmaker for it. His fans (myself included) have come to expect his unflinching and often punishing technique. He does a great job at showing the true nature of an impatiently patient and imperfectly perfect love.

3 - Lincoln

Directed by Steven Spielberg

I would say that this is Spielberg’s best film since 2005’s “Munich”. It’s a captivating and in depth procedural about one of the most crucial times in our nation’s history. Daniel Day Lewis is amazing and supported by a fantastic cast. And cinematographer Janusz Kaminski uses his incredible control of light, shadows and color to create a beautiful and picturesque portrait of a debate that is still relevant today. I also appreciated that the story’s focus was on the events that took place in Washington and it left out all of the stuff about zombies and vampires.

2 - Compliance

Directed by Craig Zobal

Whether or not a film is based on a true story has almost never informed my opinion one way or the other as to how good of a film it is. This is an exception. If this had been just some story that someone had made up, it would not have been a story worth telling. It’s just too unbelievable… But alas, this actually happened. I actually remember the news story about this and although I can’t attest to how accurate the film is to real events, this thing has actually happened. That fact alone means that it is a story that should be told. I would suggest that you watch this film as though it is a low budget horror and the titular character is the great evil lurking in the dark.

1 - Cloud Atlas

Directed by Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer

This film got probably the most mixed review of the year. Rolling Stones added to their worst of 2012 list and Time Magazine named it the worst film of the year. Fortunately for me, my opinion of the film is the only one that matters to me in my own head and I loved this one. This film features six different timelines, all interwoven with multiple impacts on each other and one single strand of truth. Everything that anyone and everyone has ever done or been has an effect on everything that anyone and everyone is and ever will be. No man is an island despite all of our best efforts. I am a little disappointed in the fact that most references that I've heard of this film mention the Wachowski siblings and rarely Tom Tykwer. Fans of Tykwer’s previous work like “Run Lola Run”, “Heaven” and “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” have come to expect greatness from him and I feel his influence delivered a great film…. Whereas, the last great film the Wachowskies have given us was “The Matrix”, 14 years ago.... but I digress. This film is exactly what I want cinema to be. It's big, bold, beautiful and completely audacious.

Best Hip-Hop of 2012

2013-01-30T15:04:00.001-07:00

Alright, first off I want to introduce you all to this new girl. Her name’s is Lana Shea and she came into my life just in time. Now that I broke up with Dessa Darling because she left Phoenix off of her tour stop list, I needed to find someone a little closer to home. The long-distance thing just wasn't working. She only lives one state away and she hangs out with the Living Legends. Just check this out and you’ll see how awesome she is….

Just kidding Dessa, I still love you... call me.

11. Homeboy Sandman - First of a Living Breed

This is the Homeboy Sandman’s 4^th release and it took me by surprise. I saw him open for Brother Ali earlier this year. It’s rare to see someone with that much energy on stage and this album has some great material to support that energy. He was a full time high school teacher before he started rapping (I’m guessing he taught English) and his toned down and sometimes silly style is probably a reflection of the type of patience and poise necessary to perform that job. His single “Couple Bars” is a goofy yet sweet story of him perusing a girl and “Not Really” is about how little his life has changed as a result of his new success. This type of honesty is exactly what mainstream rap is missing. I would also suggest you check out his blog hosted by The Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/homeboy-sandman/.

Words of Note: “Knicks down, listening to ODB. But for the mix down, this is what an OD be. I’m like the dude in commercials for Dos Equis. Or Duran Duran, or Durant from OKC.” From “Sputnik”

Peep this:

10. Action Bronson - Blue Chips

Action Bronson’s style and voice both have an uncanny resemblance to Wu-Tang’s Ghostface Killah. There, I said it… even though in his song “Ron Simmons” he specifically asked me not to: “Don’t ever say my fucking music sounds like Ghost’ shit…” I think he was talking to me personally. His is a true rough-neck flow of the style and substance that you are likely to only find on the east coast. It’s not a knock on him to point out the similarities. Ghostface is one of the greatest rappers alive and Blue Chips is a great glimpse at a new sound created by a generation that grew up listening to Wu-Tang’s sound for the past two decades.

Words of note: “Demons on the doorstep, lungs that feel constricted. Or maybe I should see a shrink and get prescripted. Or take the hand of God, but shit I think I’ll keep my distance. I think I’m frightened and I didn’t even know it. But yo, that was a thought and I’m subconsciously a poet…” from “9-24-11”

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9. Brother Ali - Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color

Brother Ail has previously released two albums that would make my top 5 of pretty much any year. This tells me two things. First it means that this release, although very good is ultimately a disappointment. Second, it means that although a disappointment, this record is an improvement over his last release “Us”. In the end, I love him as an artist and I see now as somewhat of transitional period of his career and I’m encouraged at the prospect of falling in love with his future efforts in the same way that I loved “Shadows on the Sun” and “The Undisputed Truth”. But let’s not lose perspective. I don’t want to say a bunch of negative stuff about an album I've chosen to make my ‘best of’ list. I would say that this record is only about 8 or 9 times better than anything you will find on the FM dial. What makes this release better than his last is that his writing has returned to being personal again.

Words of note: “What does it mean to be American? I think the struggle to be free is our inheritance. And if we say it how it really is, we know our lily skin still give us privilege.” from "Letter to my Countrymen

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8. El-P - Cancer for Cure

I’ve always considered El-P to be a great producer but I've never really cared for him as a lyricist until this release. This is his 4^th solo album and probably his best yet. He brings his trademark crass and angst that make some of his lyrics almost as filthy as his beats. I don’t have a lot to say about it. If you’re familiar with his previous work, you’ll defiantly like this one and if you’re not, this would be a great one to start with. I would also mention that he works as a great concept album artist. This is not the type of record that you should be skipping through to find the tracks that you like…. Just let it play, the whole is greater than the sum of all parts.

Words of note: “Fuck your droid noise, void boys noid ploy. Oi oi, I’ll rugby kick the shit out your groin boy, Oi vey…” from “The Full Retard”

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7. Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music

El-P has had a pretty busy year. He also produced this record by Atlanta hip-hop veteran Killer Mike. I haven’t listened to very much by this artist previous to this release. The only thing I really knew him from before was as a guest vocalist on an Outkast song about 10 years ago. To be honest, the only reason I picked this one up was so I could familiarize myself with his music before I saw him open up for GZA earlier this year. I’m glad I did. He has an amazing flow accented by a deep and distinct southern drawl that gives his delivery a charm that’s very hard to find these days. It’s important for me to throw some stuff like this in the rotation once and a while. I have to remind myself that just because it’s not the ‘backpack rap’ I more closely associate myself with; it’s still independent music made by very talented artist.

Words of note: “Shumalumadumalumashmalumaduma even when I ain’t sayin’ shit. Got AK word play might put a pause in your life just like a comma bitch!” from “Go!”

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6. Luckyiam - Time to get Lucky

Luckyiam has always been one of my favorite members of the Living Legends. I love that he has the courage to wear his heart on his sleeve and rap about subject matter that most recording artists would consider embarrassing. I also think that he has one of the great and underrated flows in hip-hop. He’s been doing this for quite some time and you can tell that it comes naturally to him. This release is probably not his best to date but it is quite solid throughout and he delivers exactly what you would expect from him. As a bonus, you will also find a verse by my new girlfriend Lana Shea on his song “Bang Bang”.

Words of note: “We gon wake up the late thugs, recording. They Lebron James but I came up on Jordan’s” from “Bang Bang”

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5. Adeem and DJ MF Shalem - Made in New Hampshire

I've been an Adeem fan for a while now. He put out an album on Syntax records about ten years ago called “Sweet Talkin’ Your Brain” that I think I’m the only one that liked. Most that know of him, know him as a freestyle artist, and for good reason. A youtube search for him will bring up primarily hand held video from small cameras and cell phones capturing battles and usually winning. This album is by far the most complete in his repertoire. I’m a sucker for fast rap and complex lyricism and this record is full of both. He even throws in an a cappella song about what it’s like to grow up a suburban white boy that primarily identifies with hip-hop culture.

Words of note: “Public Enemy wouldn't remember me, but I knew every word that Chuck D said to me. All things my race had done. I figured every Uzi weighed a ton and by the time I got to Arizona, I suspected everyone.” – from “Got Me Good”

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4. P.O.S. - We Don't Even Live Here

I think that as I look back over the years, I won’t be able to find a hip-hop collective that has released great stuff as a group or as solo acts as consistently as Minnesota’s Doomtree. The camaraderie that each member feels for each other comes through in their music in an amazing way. This record is no exception. His last release, “Never Better” is one of my top 5 favorite albums to be released in the past decade or so. I don’t think this one is quite that good but there really is nothing wrong with it. I can even deal with the little splash of autotune. His earlier LP’s, “Audition” and “Ipecac Neat” were full of angst and sensitivity. I would say some of his sensitivity has turned into a passionate growl. This manifests itself in songs like “Fuck Your Stuff” and “Lock-Picks, Knives, Bricks & Bats.”

Words of note: “Hoping you feel this. And these rhymes ain’t tight they are terrorish. And that girl’s not white, she’s an anarchist. And we float like kites through your turbulence.” From “Weird Friends”

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3. Mike Mictlan - SNAXXX!

Speaking of Doomtree members…. Mike Mictlan is flat out one of the most underrated lyricist making music today. He reminds us that poetry is not just an attempt to be profound, but rather it is born of a love of language itself. He strings words together that quite simply don’t just roll off the tongue. And he does this habitually and in a seemingly effortless manner. “I’m butter brattock death chuck gutter baby kickboxin’ my walker right off of my red dwarf jump man dimensions Iomega zip line three point zip ties defying your whole culture Genghis Kahn mongoloid….” What the hell is he talking about…? I have no idea but it sounds great.

Words of note: “Buried in bones with very little marrow now I’m wearin’ em. Swimming in many women, need a condom filled aquarium….” From Hella Frreal

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2. Urthboy - Smokey's Haunt

A Google search for “Australian mellowhop” results in absolutely nothing relevant to this post… (until now) which I believe means that I just coined the phrase. Urthboy is a founding member of Australia’s independent hip-hop group, The Herd. This is his 4^th solo effort but it’s the first one I've ever encountered. It’s a bit strange that I responded so well to this one. It’s much more poppy and mellow than the stuff that I usually go for. At over 5 minutes long, “The Big Sleep” is by far the slowest song on the album. It’s also one of the best tracks featuring opening and closing spoken word verses and a chorus sung by Alex Burnett. And “Knee Length Socks” is far too catchy a song for me to like it right?... Well, I really dig the whole thing. It strikes a great blend between socially/politically charged lyrics in songs like “On Your Shoulders” and “Empire Tags” with other songs that are just about growing up a little differently than everyone else like “Knee Length Socks” and “Orphan Rocker”. It’s a very well produced album with a lot of crescendo as well.

Words of note: “You gotta ask yourself: ‘what’s the priority?’ The change you wanna see or who you wanna be seen to be…” from “On Your Shoulders”

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1. Aesop Rock - Skelethon

As with most of my favorite records, I was a bit reluctant to fall for this one. I've always been a big Aesop Rock fan but it had been a while since he put out a solo album and this time with a new label (Rhymesayers). This album has a little bit of everything. “ZZZ Top” is an epic tale of three separate graffiti artists. “Fryerstarter” gives us some great advice if we are looking for doughnuts in the San Francisco area. We can even learn how to make a “Homemade Mummy”. Like the previously mentioned Mictlan, this is an artist that has a knack for stringing words together that usually wouldn’t appear in the same sentence. If you have been a fan of his previous work, you will probably dig this release as well. I think this is his most experimental release since “Bazooka Tooth”. At first, I only liked about three tracks off of the entire album. But in the past six months, I've grown to appreciate pretty much every track. The complexities of his descriptions lend very well to repeated listening and that’s why I think I’ll still be listening to this one for many years to come.

Words of note: “Literally bite down once and my tongue get a flooding from my uninvited guts. Pointed finger plug a hole in the dam. Ma notice, ‘Ok gross, dinner’s over, go spit’, pop call ‘bullshit’. Both my brothers break in, like ‘he’s on his Davie Hogan no mistaken’ by the way….” From “Grace”

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And One Final Word:......... I promise.

Check these two videos out and answer the poll question at the top of the page.... ppppleaseee!

1. Mike Mictlan - "Spicy Peen"

2. El-P - "The Full Retard"

German Expressionism: Vol. 5

2012-06-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

The German Expression movement began before WWI and gained momentum in the 20’s and 30’s. It influenced architecture, painting and cinema. This movement gave surrealistic shape and structure to forms that reflect psychological states. This is evident in the extreme contrast of light and dark, the use of reflective surfaces and abstract optical tricks and even anthropomorphism.

Vol. 4 – BatmanReturns (1992) – This is director Tim Burton’s second installment in the film series based on the popular DC Comic Superhero. Michael Keaton returns at the titular hero. But this time, he faces the joint forces of a sinister businessman Max Schreck (Christopher Walken), The Penguin (Danny DeVito) and Catwoman (Michelle Pheiffer). This film is a visual spectacle and was recognized with two Oscar nominations, one for visual effects and one for makeup.

"Batman Returns" exemplifies German Expressionism probably more so than any other film made in the past several decades. Tim Burton (for all of his shortcomings) is one of the most expressionistic filmmakers in modern history and probably of all time. His films are highly influenced by the German cinema of the 20’s and 30’s, so much so that he even named one of the characters in this film (Max Schreck) after the actor that portrayed F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu”

The sets created for Gotham have a personality all to their own. The menacing architecture of the city looms ominously over its subjects creating a dark and oppressive environment very similar to the world of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis”. Selina Kyle’s apartment and the Penguin’s Lair also have their own defining characteristics meant to reflect the personalities of the characters. Kyle’s apartment is small and closed in, covered in pink with a giant ugly I-beam protruding from the ceiling, constantly reminding her of how feeble her attempts are at brightening up her dreary existence. The Penguin’s Lair is an elaborate frozen cave where he resides with his minions of giant penguins that do his biddings. He sits on a large throne complete with a kneeling pillow at his feet. It’s as if his delusions of grandeur have guided his decor in an attempt to allow him to forget his own grotesqueness and the fact that his kingdom is actually frozen, fishy, underground cave.

The anthropomorphism traits of the characters themselves cannot be overlooked either. The costumes and makeup of both The Penguin and Catwoman give them an abundance of animalistic traits that color their alternate personalities. This is especially evident in The Penguin. His elongated, beak-like nose and tuxedo body suit made Danny DeVito look even more like a short, fat, awkward, flightless bird than he does in real life. This exaggeration is a huge departure from previous depictions of this character. Burgess Meredith’s Penguin from the old television series had nothing more than a purple top hat and cigarette holder. And most of the depictions of him in the comics aren’t nearly as drastic as they are in this film.

The duality of man is a common theme in German Expressionism as well as comic books. This is prevalent in the hero as well as both villains of “Batman Returns”. Both Batman and Penguin are alter egos created by the separation from their parents. In our hero’s case, this is caused by murder and led to his incessant vigilantism. The Penguin was abandoned by his parents. His separation anxiety has manifested itself in a vengeful way creating the persona of a super villain trying to make the world pay for the crimes of his father. Catwoman’s personality is the polar opposite of that of Selina Kyle. Kyle is a quiet and shy homely woman that takes a lot of abuse from her employer, Schreck. When she dawns the Catwoman suit, she exudes sexual power and won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

I imagine most of you have seen this film at least once. I don’t think it’s the greatest but it does give us a great example of Expressionistic cinema in the modern era. It deserves a second look. Watch it for no other reason than to take in the details of a film made with a lot of love for the art that came before it.

German Expressionism: Vol.4

2012-06-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

Vol. 4 – The Saddest Music in the World (2003) – This film, set in Winnipeg during the Great Depression centers around a contest held by the local beer baroness, Lady Helen Port-Huntly (Isabella Rossellini) to find the saddest music in the world. Among the contestants we meet Fydor Kent (David Fox): a WWI vet and former doctor representing Canada and his son Chester Kent (Mark McKinney): a big shot musical producer representing America. We also meet the melancholic Roderick Kent (Ross McMillan): Fydor’s estranged son who comes to Winnipeg to represent Serbia after his wife left him and Narcissa (Maria De Medeiros): Chester’s sleepwalking, nymphomaniac Serbian girlfriend.

Don’t worry if you didn’t follow that weird plot synopsis. Trust me, the details acquired from watching the film will only make this story more bizarre. It may not be a German film but I wanted to talk about it to show how the movement has influenced some more recent cinema. Director Guy Maddin is one of the most expressionistic film makers of the modern age and this film showcases that aspect of his style very well. I haven’t seen all of his work but surprisingly, this is actually one of his more accessible movies.

This film exhibits both surreal and expressionistic qualities. It is not a dream but rather exists in a constant dream like state created by the filmmaker’s techniques. It was shot with several different film stocks and portions of it are black and white with an extremely grainy texture. This is used to emphasize both the time and place that this story is set. The grainy look gives it the feel of an old timey news reel and the stark black and white contrast accentuates the extreme cold of a Winnipeg Winter. At times, he even adds a more foggy effect by smearing Vaseline on the camera lens. He also mixes in an assortment of various color tinted filters from time to time.

Other parts of the movie are shot in very brilliant contrasting colors. Notably, one of the first color scenes we find in this film is at a funeral. It seems as though there he adds more color to the screen in the scenes that showcase more spectacle and performance. The funeral is the first, and then later we see more color in the scenes that show the contest. I’m not exactly sure if I understand the rhyme or reason for everything Maddin is doing here but it makes for an amazing visual experience.

If you’ve never experienced a Guy Maddin film, I would suggest you start with this one. It’s actually a bit less obscure than a lot of his other work but it still manages to give you a great taste of what type of stuff you will find in his filmography and it’s currently available on NetflixWatch Instantly. It’s also worth noting that I think this film is hilarious. Each character is just a bit weirder than the last making this the type of film that you find lines like: “Sadness is just happiness turned on its ass.” And “No, I'm not an American. I'm a nymphomaniac.”

Enjoy.

German Expressionism: Vol. 3

2012-05-15T23:07:00.001-07:00

Vol. 3 – The Blue Angel (1930) – This story centers around Professor Rath (Emil Jannings) who gives up his prestigious post at the local university to pursue a lusty cabaret singer, Lola Lola (Marlene Dietrich). His subsequent downfall away from the bourgeois lifestyle and into the lower class seems sure to end only in his demise. This film is also very significant in that it is the first major German sound film and the first collaboration between Director, Josef von Sternberg and Actress, Marlene Dietrich. Their later collaborations would include “The Scarlett Empress”, “Shanghai Express”, “The Devil is a Woman” and several others.

This film is unique in the cannon of expressionism. First of all, the beginning of the story feels much more like a slapstick semi-romantic comedy than you would be accustomed to from the likes of Lang, Pabst or Murnau. Because… you know… we all know how funny and romantic the Germans were in the 1930’s. The character of Rath is ridiculed and taunted by his students, his maid and even a lowly magician. He quickly finds himself the proverbial “bull in the china shop” as he blunders around backstage at the cabaret. At one point he even walks backwards down a spiral staircase. And it’s hard not to take note of Lola Lola’s cackling laughter when he asks for her hand in marriage. All of this being said: this film still showcases many of the tropes of expressionism. Stark contrasts between light and dark, abstract camera angles and lots of reflection shots paint the canvas of this moral tale.

The light and dark of this film actually work in somewhat of an inverted way than what we’ve come to expect from most other films of this movement. As the film begins, we find Professor Rath living a dark existence. He lives in a dimly lit flat and seems to timidly lurk through the shadows of the world outside of his profession. When he meets Lola Lola, she is a bright ray of light, warm and inviting. Instantly smitten, he finds out in due time that all that glitters is not gold. His own demise seems to be directly related to the amount that he pursues this radiance. The final act epitomizes this relationship. His wife’s betrayal comes at his lowest moment, his first time on stage, the ridiculous buffoon, under the warming glow of the spotlight.

If you haven’t seen this film, and maybe you’ve avoided the previous installments in this series because of some sort of allergy to silent cinema, I would suggest you check it out. It’s currently available on Netflix Watch Instantly.

<p>Enjoy</p>

Enjoy.

German Expressionism: Vol.2

2012-05-12T23:24:00.000-07:00

Vol. 2 – Nosferatu (1922) – Transylvania’s Count Orlok (Max Schreck) is in the market for some new real estate in Wisbourgh, Germany. Hutter (Gustav Von Wangenheim) is sent out to his castle to appropriate the deal for a home near his own house. Then things start to get weird. On his journey to the castle, the locals seem afraid to help him; he gets bit on the neck by two “mosquitos really close together” and constantly feels the presence of a dark shadow looming over him. The count then becomes obsessed with Ellen (Gretta Schroder), Hutter’s wife and her beautiful neck and decides to buy the property and become neighbors… Ok you get the point; it’s an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula or a really original prequel to Joe Dante’s “The Burbs”.

Similar to “Metropolis”, this film could definitely be considered a staple in the German Expressionistic movement. Director F.W. Murnau uses superimposed images, color tinted negative images and obscure camera angles to add more disorientation and overall surrealistic tones to the film. It is this composition of shots that makes this Nosferatu one of the most memorable and discussed films of all time. You may have never seen it but I can almost guarantee that you’ve seen clips from this film. It may have been the moment Count Orlok’s shadow climbs the staircase. Or it could be the image of him first entering Hutter’s room in the castle, stiff like some sort of a zombie rat walking straight towards the camera. My favorite is the shot of him rising from his casket, again stiff as a board, ascending 90 degrees without moving a muscle.

It’s also worth noting that: although Murnau is rightfully considered one of the Fathers of the German Expressionism movement, he wasn’t strictly a surrealist. The line between imagination and reality for him was thin and jagged. As he said:

“I like the reality of things, but not without the fantasy – they must dovetail. Is that not so with life, with human reactions and emotions? We have our thoughts and also our deeds.”

I highly recommend this film to anyone who is interested in the movement or in the history of cinema in general. I would probably say that any film that is considered to epitomize the German Expressionism movement is also very important to film history as a whole. After all, we are talking about a time in which cinema was at the very beginning of defining itself as its own art form and these films were just as much about experimentation and testing the limits of the medium as they were about their own subject matter.

I will also mention that this film is open source so feel free to download a copy. There's a pretty good one here. It is also available to stream on Netflix and Hulu so you really have no excuse.

Enjoy.

(proofread by Dolly Karma)