SEVEN SAMURAI (1954)
IRREVERSIBLE (2002)
More on these later...
And really, honestly, I will cut off all my candidates for the top 10 movies of 2010 at midnight Dec. 31st. That means there might be some really good ones that I'll see this weekend that will just have to be powerful enough to stay in my memory a year from now. All the more incentive to see True Grit as soon as I leave work!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tueday penultimate of 2010
A special trip to see this one... well coordinated with other things in Chicago, but still.
BLACK SWAN (2010)
The latest from Darren Aronofsky is enough to get excited about... but that creepy and beautiful poster? I was waiting and waiting for this movie to come up to Rockford (Natalie Portman as a ballerina? C'mon, that's mainstream enough!) but I couldn't wait any longer. This movie delivers incredibly well, staying within the scope of an artistic struggle while layering just as much psychological, surreal, and dark elements as can be handled into a perfect suspensful mix. After leaving the theater, I realized that I could judge this film based on whether or not I'm interested in this type of story, and in a way that COULD bring it down a few pegs, just because ballet and the torments of artistic endeavors don't pack a real power to me. As the best films do over time, I started to contemplate Black Swan even more, and it's themes began to haunt me more. Because the symbology and just fanstasticalness of the ballet Swan Lake create a very dramatic and cinematic framework to demonstrate the main character's personal struggle, and it's executed perfectly. However, what lengths would you go to in order to achieve a perfect victory, at work, in a personal situation, or in a project that has meaning and power to other people? To completely succeed in her endeavor, Natalie Portman's character had to open up the whole spectrum of her repressed emotions and memories, and in her physical sacrifices she had to make moral sacrifices as well to do a perfect performance. When you see multimillionaires achieve greatness, yet remain unhappy and morally compromised through their personal actions, it makes you think at what point does the struggling to achieve something end and the morally questionable actions or philosophies to reach that accomplishment begin. Slowly but surely, Black Swan became personal to me.
More about this, for sure, in my top 10 wrap up of the year coming as soon after Dec. 31st as possible.
BLACK SWAN (2010)
The latest from Darren Aronofsky is enough to get excited about... but that creepy and beautiful poster? I was waiting and waiting for this movie to come up to Rockford (Natalie Portman as a ballerina? C'mon, that's mainstream enough!) but I couldn't wait any longer. This movie delivers incredibly well, staying within the scope of an artistic struggle while layering just as much psychological, surreal, and dark elements as can be handled into a perfect suspensful mix. After leaving the theater, I realized that I could judge this film based on whether or not I'm interested in this type of story, and in a way that COULD bring it down a few pegs, just because ballet and the torments of artistic endeavors don't pack a real power to me. As the best films do over time, I started to contemplate Black Swan even more, and it's themes began to haunt me more. Because the symbology and just fanstasticalness of the ballet Swan Lake create a very dramatic and cinematic framework to demonstrate the main character's personal struggle, and it's executed perfectly. However, what lengths would you go to in order to achieve a perfect victory, at work, in a personal situation, or in a project that has meaning and power to other people? To completely succeed in her endeavor, Natalie Portman's character had to open up the whole spectrum of her repressed emotions and memories, and in her physical sacrifices she had to make moral sacrifices as well to do a perfect performance. When you see multimillionaires achieve greatness, yet remain unhappy and morally compromised through their personal actions, it makes you think at what point does the struggling to achieve something end and the morally questionable actions or philosophies to reach that accomplishment begin. Slowly but surely, Black Swan became personal to me.
More about this, for sure, in my top 10 wrap up of the year coming as soon after Dec. 31st as possible.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
post number 100 Tuesday report
Ah, let's here it for commitment! I didn't finish those 'film snob' essays (someday) but keeping this up at a minimal level is a good thing.
With business as usual...
THE CONVERSATION (1974)
This movie was not on any special list that I keep of films to see. It was just a well-revered classic that also had to be watched in traditional disc form since it wasn't available instantly. Given Francis Ford Coppola's reputation as The Godfather maker, it was surprising to see such a restrained thriller that creates an environment that isn't full of lush set pieces. Rather the sound, the direction and the emotional distance the characters have to keep create an environment where sensory perception in enhanced in some ways but creates such deception in other, more important ways.
I also want to mention that totally awesome tingle moment that comes with revelatory, perfect moments in film (and books, TV, and other mediums). That physical reaction to something so mesmerizing, conclusive, or expressive, that would normally be contained in just the mental realms is such a mysterious sensation, and it seems to happen only in those rare moments where I truly didn't see such a twist coming. There was one of those twists in The Conversation, and it shook me to the core... it seemed to actually be toying with my brain and I how I hear and understand things. Definitely hard to describe as you can see, but that twist wouldn't have been so amazing if the film wasn't made so perfectly.
I think I need to give it 5 stars on Netflix instead of 4.
Jonah
With business as usual...
THE CONVERSATION (1974)
This movie was not on any special list that I keep of films to see. It was just a well-revered classic that also had to be watched in traditional disc form since it wasn't available instantly. Given Francis Ford Coppola's reputation as The Godfather maker, it was surprising to see such a restrained thriller that creates an environment that isn't full of lush set pieces. Rather the sound, the direction and the emotional distance the characters have to keep create an environment where sensory perception in enhanced in some ways but creates such deception in other, more important ways.
I also want to mention that totally awesome tingle moment that comes with revelatory, perfect moments in film (and books, TV, and other mediums). That physical reaction to something so mesmerizing, conclusive, or expressive, that would normally be contained in just the mental realms is such a mysterious sensation, and it seems to happen only in those rare moments where I truly didn't see such a twist coming. There was one of those twists in The Conversation, and it shook me to the core... it seemed to actually be toying with my brain and I how I hear and understand things. Definitely hard to describe as you can see, but that twist wouldn't have been so amazing if the film wasn't made so perfectly.
I think I need to give it 5 stars on Netflix instead of 4.
Jonah
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tuesday Night
A deadline for Instant Netflix viewing was approaching for one 2009 WIFF selection... and that was the movie I saw this past week.
LION'S DEN (2008)
This film sets up an very compelling situation which is almost, in and of itself, fascinating enough to watch exist regardless of the whatever kind of narrative or plot exists. There's a special block of a women's prison for pregnant women, who are then allowed to raise their children in their cells until the kids turn 4 years old. These cells are decorated like children's rooms and the kids run around playing like there is nothing different from their play area as any other. The bonds between the inmates are explored and the main character goes through some struggles. Over time this movie drags with a lack of a narrative with gravitas, as the oddness of the situation subsides and the mother-offspring instincts are expressed a little too obviously. As an expression of something I've never seen on film before (and isn't that what makes up for even the weakest of film festival fare?) it succeeded.
I always want to watch more, especially on a cold weekend where I stayed away from day trips to Chicago, but that's it.
LION'S DEN (2008)
This film sets up an very compelling situation which is almost, in and of itself, fascinating enough to watch exist regardless of the whatever kind of narrative or plot exists. There's a special block of a women's prison for pregnant women, who are then allowed to raise their children in their cells until the kids turn 4 years old. These cells are decorated like children's rooms and the kids run around playing like there is nothing different from their play area as any other. The bonds between the inmates are explored and the main character goes through some struggles. Over time this movie drags with a lack of a narrative with gravitas, as the oddness of the situation subsides and the mother-offspring instincts are expressed a little too obviously. As an expression of something I've never seen on film before (and isn't that what makes up for even the weakest of film festival fare?) it succeeded.
I always want to watch more, especially on a cold weekend where I stayed away from day trips to Chicago, but that's it.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Irregularly Scheduled Tuesday report
Hey there:
With a vacation schedule, available movie watching chunks go by the wayside (as well as access to my nice TV, one of the few things I miss while on vacation).
So here's a Wednesday movie report...
A Turkish film whose deadline for availability on Netflix Instant fast approached, I watched this the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. And like Lake Tahoe it awards patience and the appreciation of a steady pace, although there are definitely more cinematic vistas that are highlighted in this movie, that seem to replace most dialogue in suggesting the tension between the three main characters. I still did find this compelling enough to recommend as a gateway into artsy foreign films.
Available via Comcast On Demand at my parent's house, this is one bleak film. It's pretty much an incredibly downward spiral from the botched heist that begins the movie, and I am a little tired of movies that inflict dire consequences on people for deciding to go morally astray through criminal activity. But this is fairly invigorating to watch because of the performances (although I'm sick of Philip Seymour Hoffman always mumbling) that include a non-irritating Ethan Hawke! Additionally the mixed up chronology is incredibly exciting, as scenes are repeated and revisited again to both offer deeper context and a reminder of the horrible situation this characters have put themselves in. This movie dares to double punch you in the gut with devastation, but in a tastefully directed way.
Watched this in fragments via Comcast OnDemand, as different things were going on around my parent's house. Very stylized movie at the peak of Spike Lee's powers (let's see, I've seen Do the Right Thing, Crooklyn, Summer of Sam, and this one), I know for sure this movie was inventive for its time, but between all the expressions of drug dealer amorality and ghetto life that I've seen since this movie was made (most recently the miniseries The Corner) I don't see much new here. Of course, the kind of free flowing directing improvisation and style mix-ups that I remember in the other Spike Lee movies make this stand out despite the subject matter, and the ending offers as ambiguous sense of hope as the best of them.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday, 3 weeks later
It's been a while... here we go... 5 new movies watched since last time.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
A Halloween weekend, option, available for free with Cable On-Demand. I was hoping that I would be truly frightened by this... scared in the type of way films let you imagine the horror rather than rub your face in blood and guts. But maybe the violence I've seen has been so sensationalized and common that the low-budget and drawn out scenes didn't do a whole lot for me, although I can respect the ambition. I think I read somewhere that there were some parallels between this movie and the late 1960s Vietnam-era anxiety that I missed. But it is a classic that I'm glad I saw.
DUE DATE (2010)
Well, I was in Chicago the weekend I saw this, and even my tasteful friends, in a City with great culture and many cinematic options, want to see crowd-pleasers like this. I was fine with me, even though nothing turns me away in general that a road movie plot... just because road movies have a pattern I have grown bored with. However, this was fairly entertaining, and I give a lot of credit to the acting of the two main characters. First of all, Robert Downer Jr. has made every mainstream movie I've seen better with the ticks and twitches of his performances, and he adds depth to a character that, played by anyone else, would be extremely one-note... because in addition to this being a road movie, it's also part of an overlapping genre of movies that are basically guy-runs-into-complete-lunatic-who-ruins-life-and-said-guy-gets-very-angry-before-realizing-that-lunatic-has-redeemable-qualities. Downey doesn't just scream at Zach Galafanakis the whole time, but sometimes tolerates him, abuses him, consoles him, etc. Anyway, I went along with my buddies to see this (and gave them a ride since I was the only one with a car) and it was all right.
THE WAY WE GET BY (2009)
A 2008 WIFF selection, this was available only through last Friday via Netflix Instant, so it went to the top of my list. Appropriately I was enjoying my day off on this Veteran's Day holiday, and this is just about the best non-partisan film tribute to veteran's imaginable. These elderly New Englanders, despite varied opinions on the wisdom of Bush's war decisions, get up at all hours to greet returning troops flying into the Bangor, Maine airport. So powerful, yet it was too bad that I felt the movie drag along. There was usually a pattern of hearing these people and the soldiers talk about the sacrifices of service, then some powerful backstories of these greeters and then it started back up again without much narrative driving the thing. Just my impression... this was a story worth telling regardless.
LAKE TAHOE (2008)
A 2009 WIFF selection available via Netflix Instant. I purchased an iPhone in August, and I'm questioning my true ability to focus my attention on 90-120 minute motion pictures when I am constantly tempted to play with my phone, and even look up the movie I'm watching on IMDB. Unfortunately, this film encouraged fidgeting with my gadget, the ADD-addled temptation being encouraged by a very minimalist film, even by independent cinema standards. Sadly, the one dramatic force that might have made this film more substantial was spoiled for me as a glanced at the IMDB summary too much, during one of the many early slow scenes. It was still pretty good, but maybe hypersensory film experiences aren't always shallow and bad.
THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGOISIE (1972)
A movie (selected because of it's status as a Criterion selection) that probably has satirical elements very much of its time, but still entertaining visually, especially if you know it's supposed to be a surreal film. I probably need to read a whole volume of film criticism to understand this, but I think the element I could pick up was that there were scenes that turned out to be dreams, and others that were supposed to be kind of absurd exaggerations of upper-class behavior, and one couldn't really tell the different until one of the characters "wakes up" from one scene. It's supposed to be a real film classic, but I really couldn't understand it.
Quite a handful of movies, huh?
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
A Halloween weekend, option, available for free with Cable On-Demand. I was hoping that I would be truly frightened by this... scared in the type of way films let you imagine the horror rather than rub your face in blood and guts. But maybe the violence I've seen has been so sensationalized and common that the low-budget and drawn out scenes didn't do a whole lot for me, although I can respect the ambition. I think I read somewhere that there were some parallels between this movie and the late 1960s Vietnam-era anxiety that I missed. But it is a classic that I'm glad I saw.
DUE DATE (2010)
Well, I was in Chicago the weekend I saw this, and even my tasteful friends, in a City with great culture and many cinematic options, want to see crowd-pleasers like this. I was fine with me, even though nothing turns me away in general that a road movie plot... just because road movies have a pattern I have grown bored with. However, this was fairly entertaining, and I give a lot of credit to the acting of the two main characters. First of all, Robert Downer Jr. has made every mainstream movie I've seen better with the ticks and twitches of his performances, and he adds depth to a character that, played by anyone else, would be extremely one-note... because in addition to this being a road movie, it's also part of an overlapping genre of movies that are basically guy-runs-into-complete-lunatic-who-ruins-life-and-said-guy-gets-very-angry-before-realizing-that-lunatic-has-redeemable-qualities. Downey doesn't just scream at Zach Galafanakis the whole time, but sometimes tolerates him, abuses him, consoles him, etc. Anyway, I went along with my buddies to see this (and gave them a ride since I was the only one with a car) and it was all right.
THE WAY WE GET BY (2009)
A 2008 WIFF selection, this was available only through last Friday via Netflix Instant, so it went to the top of my list. Appropriately I was enjoying my day off on this Veteran's Day holiday, and this is just about the best non-partisan film tribute to veteran's imaginable. These elderly New Englanders, despite varied opinions on the wisdom of Bush's war decisions, get up at all hours to greet returning troops flying into the Bangor, Maine airport. So powerful, yet it was too bad that I felt the movie drag along. There was usually a pattern of hearing these people and the soldiers talk about the sacrifices of service, then some powerful backstories of these greeters and then it started back up again without much narrative driving the thing. Just my impression... this was a story worth telling regardless.
LAKE TAHOE (2008)
A 2009 WIFF selection available via Netflix Instant. I purchased an iPhone in August, and I'm questioning my true ability to focus my attention on 90-120 minute motion pictures when I am constantly tempted to play with my phone, and even look up the movie I'm watching on IMDB. Unfortunately, this film encouraged fidgeting with my gadget, the ADD-addled temptation being encouraged by a very minimalist film, even by independent cinema standards. Sadly, the one dramatic force that might have made this film more substantial was spoiled for me as a glanced at the IMDB summary too much, during one of the many early slow scenes. It was still pretty good, but maybe hypersensory film experiences aren't always shallow and bad.
THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGOISIE (1972)
A movie (selected because of it's status as a Criterion selection) that probably has satirical elements very much of its time, but still entertaining visually, especially if you know it's supposed to be a surreal film. I probably need to read a whole volume of film criticism to understand this, but I think the element I could pick up was that there were scenes that turned out to be dreams, and others that were supposed to be kind of absurd exaggerations of upper-class behavior, and one couldn't really tell the different until one of the characters "wakes up" from one scene. It's supposed to be a real film classic, but I really couldn't understand it.
Quite a handful of movies, huh?
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
TUESDAY
LA VIE EN ROSE (2007)
So I provided the only follower of this blog with a list of 5 movies, selected randomly from my 266+ films available from Netflix Instant, and asked him to choose one for me to watch, but he must have thought that was stupid. No bother, I decided to go for the Oscar-winning performance of Marion Cotilard, even though bio-pics make me weary, especially with the running time of over 2 hours. Biopics, understandably, are focused on the life of a single person, and if you're not completely interested in that person (Frank Zappa biopic NOW please) it can be disengaging. From a single Youtube someone through on a blog somewhere of Edith Pfiaf performing, I was intrigued by finding out more to this person. Reviewing a wikipedia bio, it seems like her life was indeed so complex and fascinating that it couldn't all be filmed. Nonetheless, the story is non-linear and there's some very creative direction to represent fuzzy memories and fantasy and grief. Couldn't say those elements held my attention alone, but the performance was indeed incredible.
With spooky season coming up, I might dial up some horror movies.
So I provided the only follower of this blog with a list of 5 movies, selected randomly from my 266+ films available from Netflix Instant, and asked him to choose one for me to watch, but he must have thought that was stupid. No bother, I decided to go for the Oscar-winning performance of Marion Cotilard, even though bio-pics make me weary, especially with the running time of over 2 hours. Biopics, understandably, are focused on the life of a single person, and if you're not completely interested in that person (Frank Zappa biopic NOW please) it can be disengaging. From a single Youtube someone through on a blog somewhere of Edith Pfiaf performing, I was intrigued by finding out more to this person. Reviewing a wikipedia bio, it seems like her life was indeed so complex and fascinating that it couldn't all be filmed. Nonetheless, the story is non-linear and there's some very creative direction to represent fuzzy memories and fantasy and grief. Couldn't say those elements held my attention alone, but the performance was indeed incredible.
With spooky season coming up, I might dial up some horror movies.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Weekly Update (Tuesday/Wednesday) whatever
JAWS (1975)
The legendary film which I never saw all the way through, and for free (ignoring cable fees) on HD On Demand!
As good as I expected. If every blockbuster was like this I wouldn't be a film snob. Some refreshing surprises... the naturalistic dialogue more appropriate for a Robert Altman film... the fleshed out characters that you want to spend time with and make up for the very rare appearances of the actual shark... and the drawn out final act with a monologue from Quint that puts all monster movies that go for cheap thrills into perspective.
Thinking about what this movie would be like with CGI sickens me.
Steve Speilberg... I should check this director out (sorry).
THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (2006)
This was not on any special must-see list of mine... it only has sat on my Netflix Instant list for a long time (#30 out of #245 or so). It did win the Cannes Palme d'Or and covered an interesting subject area...
Very realistic depiction of a brutality I wasn't that familiar with, as far as the way British soldiers treated the Irish post World War I. What was devastating about this particular movie was how it matter-of-factly presents the differences and debate that led to the bloody religious political divisions that plagued Ireland for the next 60+ years. It reminded me of a less artsy expression of the seeds of conflict than The White Ribbon cryptically presented upon my viewing of it a few months ago. Very good, very sad, but very real.
Let's see what other Palme d'Or (the top award at Cannes) have I seen...
The White Ribbon (2009)
Farenheit 9-11 (2004)
The Pianist (2002)
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Secrets & Lies (1996)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The Mission (1986)
Taxi Driver (1976)
The legendary film which I never saw all the way through, and for free (ignoring cable fees) on HD On Demand!
As good as I expected. If every blockbuster was like this I wouldn't be a film snob. Some refreshing surprises... the naturalistic dialogue more appropriate for a Robert Altman film... the fleshed out characters that you want to spend time with and make up for the very rare appearances of the actual shark... and the drawn out final act with a monologue from Quint that puts all monster movies that go for cheap thrills into perspective.
Thinking about what this movie would be like with CGI sickens me.
Steve Speilberg... I should check this director out (sorry).
THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (2006)
This was not on any special must-see list of mine... it only has sat on my Netflix Instant list for a long time (#30 out of #245 or so). It did win the Cannes Palme d'Or and covered an interesting subject area...
Very realistic depiction of a brutality I wasn't that familiar with, as far as the way British soldiers treated the Irish post World War I. What was devastating about this particular movie was how it matter-of-factly presents the differences and debate that led to the bloody religious political divisions that plagued Ireland for the next 60+ years. It reminded me of a less artsy expression of the seeds of conflict than The White Ribbon cryptically presented upon my viewing of it a few months ago. Very good, very sad, but very real.
Let's see what other Palme d'Or (the top award at Cannes) have I seen...
The White Ribbon (2009)
Farenheit 9-11 (2004)
The Pianist (2002)
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Secrets & Lies (1996)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The Mission (1986)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Movie report
THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010)
Yeah, this was a good one. The performances, the pace, and the music (co-composed by Trent Reznor) all came together perfectly, and the direction by David Fincher made a legal deliberation across a conference table seem as the most riveting thing possible to watch.
What makes this movie ALMOST legendary is that I was surprised about how little the movie focused on the impact on implications Facebook has for how we socialize. There were some very good and powerful references to this impact, included the chilling ending that is one of the most perfect thematic conclusions to a film I’ve seen in a long while. Nonetheless, the film basically examines the characters that helped create this ubiquitous application and the protracted legal battles over revenues as facebook exploded, where amounts of 50 million dollars or more are tossed around back and forth casually as if they didn’t matter. Add in a few more subtle references to how difficult it was for this main character to traditionally socialize, and how facebook became a type of solution to his issues, and subsequently all people’s modern social hangups, and this film would have struck a perfect harmony between a straightforward drama and an incisive social commentary. But what was delivered was far from a disappointment, and perhaps I’ve got my own issues with online communication that I was hoping to see addressed by this movie.
See, I try to think I’m above a marketing campaign but I was a sucker for the acclaimed trailer and the collaboration between atmospheric director David Fincher and nine inch nails guy Trent Reznor. What it implied to me was that this movie would going to hit the alienation of the online age head-on. I’ve had trouble dealing with my predilection for interacting with people online ever since I discovered AOL chat rooms circa 1995-1996. And everytime I think I’ve beaten the temptation to deal with shyness and insecurity by leaning towards my typing keys as my social instrument, a new feature comes along that tweaks the model a little bit. Unlike younger people I actually know of a world where you couldn’t communicate in YouTube clips and if you wanted to tell someone what you were reading, listening, or watching, you had to go through a few basic social interactions before you could share that knowledge. So perhaps knowing the music of Reznor and the films of Fincher from their work in the 1990s, the same time I was going through adolescence and social maturity, that their styles would be particular modern and in tune with some of the larger themes inherent in the expansion of facebook and new forms of online connectivity.
I graduated from college in the summer of 2003 and Facebook first spread through campuses that following fall. My online vices were mostly AIM and relying too much on e-mail to communicate with people I was shy around, yet fortunately the small college campus environment kept you social away from your computer. So perhaps I had a unique perspective and expectations for The Social Network. Overall it’s a story about a cutthroat business battle among kids my age, and it was very entertaining.
Facebook this, Twitter this, and link to this. Become one of my blog followers, add it to your blog roll, and leave comments.
Also
IN THE LOOP (2009)
Yeah, this was a good one. The performances, the pace, and the music (co-composed by Trent Reznor) all came together perfectly, and the direction by David Fincher made a legal deliberation across a conference table seem as the most riveting thing possible to watch.
What makes this movie ALMOST legendary is that I was surprised about how little the movie focused on the impact on implications Facebook has for how we socialize. There were some very good and powerful references to this impact, included the chilling ending that is one of the most perfect thematic conclusions to a film I’ve seen in a long while. Nonetheless, the film basically examines the characters that helped create this ubiquitous application and the protracted legal battles over revenues as facebook exploded, where amounts of 50 million dollars or more are tossed around back and forth casually as if they didn’t matter. Add in a few more subtle references to how difficult it was for this main character to traditionally socialize, and how facebook became a type of solution to his issues, and subsequently all people’s modern social hangups, and this film would have struck a perfect harmony between a straightforward drama and an incisive social commentary. But what was delivered was far from a disappointment, and perhaps I’ve got my own issues with online communication that I was hoping to see addressed by this movie.
See, I try to think I’m above a marketing campaign but I was a sucker for the acclaimed trailer and the collaboration between atmospheric director David Fincher and nine inch nails guy Trent Reznor. What it implied to me was that this movie would going to hit the alienation of the online age head-on. I’ve had trouble dealing with my predilection for interacting with people online ever since I discovered AOL chat rooms circa 1995-1996. And everytime I think I’ve beaten the temptation to deal with shyness and insecurity by leaning towards my typing keys as my social instrument, a new feature comes along that tweaks the model a little bit. Unlike younger people I actually know of a world where you couldn’t communicate in YouTube clips and if you wanted to tell someone what you were reading, listening, or watching, you had to go through a few basic social interactions before you could share that knowledge. So perhaps knowing the music of Reznor and the films of Fincher from their work in the 1990s, the same time I was going through adolescence and social maturity, that their styles would be particular modern and in tune with some of the larger themes inherent in the expansion of facebook and new forms of online connectivity.
I graduated from college in the summer of 2003 and Facebook first spread through campuses that following fall. My online vices were mostly AIM and relying too much on e-mail to communicate with people I was shy around, yet fortunately the small college campus environment kept you social away from your computer. So perhaps I had a unique perspective and expectations for The Social Network. Overall it’s a story about a cutthroat business battle among kids my age, and it was very entertaining.
Facebook this, Twitter this, and link to this. Become one of my blog followers, add it to your blog roll, and leave comments.
Also
IN THE LOOP (2009)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tuesday
A bonus movie update in the next day or two, since this was a longish summary.
THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED (2006)
I had heard about this documentary for a while and despite it being ancient history for a documentary (four years ago) it was available on Netflix Instant. It was rather disturbing. I remember not having a TV available to me for the first time in my life as I was subletting an apartment in Washington D.C. for a summer internship in 2002. It was also my first urban living experience, and my first experience having access to several movie theaters showcasing only independent films that, if you were lucky, might screen at a single theater in Des Moines or Oklahoma City and that’s only if a film with more mainstream buzz or a less regarded blockbuster filled up that theater slot. At that time, being in that City was the only way for me to see the rare art films that cover a realm of creative expression that has been proven over subsequent years to be SO beyond what even the most critically regarded mainstream movies can do for me. Living in Chicago began the phase II of complete immersion in cool substantial creative culture, with the added bonus of theater and oh so many indie rock shows at your doorstep. Now I’m in a continuous Phase III, as I have the resources and technology (via Netflix, Rhapsody, YouTube, and proximity to Madison, Chicago, AND Milwaukee) to see and hear so many things. Despite the efforts of the awesome video/DVD rental place that opened near the Drake campus when I was wrapping up my time there, I simply did not have access to everything I could possibly want to view. In short, I can never watch in a lifetime what is available to me now, but I can access it. That access is what really bothered me about this movie’s subject, but also gave me a more enhanced appreciation of what new forms of access mean for the future of films. This documentary covers the operations of a secretive ratings boards that, in private arbitration, determines the ratings for all motion pictures distributed in commercial theaters in the United States. The filmmaker goes about to explain why this board is so frustrating for filmmakers, because their standards for what determines PG-13, R, or NC-17 have no rhyme or reason for the most part. The few insights into their deliberations do reveal a more lenient attitude towards violence compared to depictions of sex, a higher tolerance for heterosexual behavior than homosexual activities, and a very conciliatory attitude towards larger studio films then independent films. Then to remove the veil of secrecy over this board, the director hires a private investigator to try and put some names on these faces, and also reveal the identities of the appeals board, an ever more secretive body that hears appeals from the ratings board decisions.
An NC-17 rating passed down by this board is pretty much a commercial death sentence, as many theater chains have a policy of not screening these movies whatsoever. With such high stakes on this mysterious board’s determination, you think there would be some form of accountability, some type of process or handbook where filmmakers can at least be aware of the risks of putting their complete vision on screen, regardless of vulgarity. But there isn’t and these people just do what they want and get a full-time job watching movies all day to boot.
If your passion about films, this is extremely upsetting, but if you follow politics more broadly, there is also that nagging feeling from viewing firsthand that a small group of people, unaccountable to the public, voters, elected officials, are decided what’s appropriate for you. It almost makes you completely unsympathetic to criticisms of video piracy. Of course, 99% of people sharing videos of new movies online just don’t feel like paying for a ticket to watch a movie in a theater. But if the complete body of cinematic work released in American has to be funneled through this board that has substantial indirect powers of how this movie would be distributed, then I would champion any way that imposing force can be taken out of the equation. Fortunately, I have my own patterns of film intake and access channels to the point where this ratings board can really only keep me waiting a few months before I can watch what I’m interested in. But if it’s still operating the same way as it did 5 years ago, then the new revolution of online filmmaking and non-traditional distribution of new movies can’t come sooner.
THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED (2006)
I had heard about this documentary for a while and despite it being ancient history for a documentary (four years ago) it was available on Netflix Instant. It was rather disturbing. I remember not having a TV available to me for the first time in my life as I was subletting an apartment in Washington D.C. for a summer internship in 2002. It was also my first urban living experience, and my first experience having access to several movie theaters showcasing only independent films that, if you were lucky, might screen at a single theater in Des Moines or Oklahoma City and that’s only if a film with more mainstream buzz or a less regarded blockbuster filled up that theater slot. At that time, being in that City was the only way for me to see the rare art films that cover a realm of creative expression that has been proven over subsequent years to be SO beyond what even the most critically regarded mainstream movies can do for me. Living in Chicago began the phase II of complete immersion in cool substantial creative culture, with the added bonus of theater and oh so many indie rock shows at your doorstep. Now I’m in a continuous Phase III, as I have the resources and technology (via Netflix, Rhapsody, YouTube, and proximity to Madison, Chicago, AND Milwaukee) to see and hear so many things. Despite the efforts of the awesome video/DVD rental place that opened near the Drake campus when I was wrapping up my time there, I simply did not have access to everything I could possibly want to view. In short, I can never watch in a lifetime what is available to me now, but I can access it. That access is what really bothered me about this movie’s subject, but also gave me a more enhanced appreciation of what new forms of access mean for the future of films. This documentary covers the operations of a secretive ratings boards that, in private arbitration, determines the ratings for all motion pictures distributed in commercial theaters in the United States. The filmmaker goes about to explain why this board is so frustrating for filmmakers, because their standards for what determines PG-13, R, or NC-17 have no rhyme or reason for the most part. The few insights into their deliberations do reveal a more lenient attitude towards violence compared to depictions of sex, a higher tolerance for heterosexual behavior than homosexual activities, and a very conciliatory attitude towards larger studio films then independent films. Then to remove the veil of secrecy over this board, the director hires a private investigator to try and put some names on these faces, and also reveal the identities of the appeals board, an ever more secretive body that hears appeals from the ratings board decisions.
An NC-17 rating passed down by this board is pretty much a commercial death sentence, as many theater chains have a policy of not screening these movies whatsoever. With such high stakes on this mysterious board’s determination, you think there would be some form of accountability, some type of process or handbook where filmmakers can at least be aware of the risks of putting their complete vision on screen, regardless of vulgarity. But there isn’t and these people just do what they want and get a full-time job watching movies all day to boot.
If your passion about films, this is extremely upsetting, but if you follow politics more broadly, there is also that nagging feeling from viewing firsthand that a small group of people, unaccountable to the public, voters, elected officials, are decided what’s appropriate for you. It almost makes you completely unsympathetic to criticisms of video piracy. Of course, 99% of people sharing videos of new movies online just don’t feel like paying for a ticket to watch a movie in a theater. But if the complete body of cinematic work released in American has to be funneled through this board that has substantial indirect powers of how this movie would be distributed, then I would champion any way that imposing force can be taken out of the equation. Fortunately, I have my own patterns of film intake and access channels to the point where this ratings board can really only keep me waiting a few months before I can watch what I’m interested in. But if it’s still operating the same way as it did 5 years ago, then the new revolution of online filmmaking and non-traditional distribution of new movies can’t come sooner.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tuesday Movie Cure
So what is the minimal silver lining when you have one of your longest lasting cold/flu/infections? Weird, unexpected times for movie-watching, of course!
THE INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS (1973)
So, Comcast On Demand has a lot of free movies... many of which are a little... well... cheaply made. But say you can't sleep because of this hideous cough keeping you up at night, but you're really too tired to focus on anything except something formulaic you don't have to remember except for a few attractive details? Well, a little harmless cult movie fun doesn't hurt anybody. I've already admitted watching The Human Centipede [shudder] so cut me some slack! Now let's never speak of this movie again.
UP (2009)
Well what good wholesome fun this is, as are all the movies I watch at any given time! Mesmerizing, beautiful, and packing a touching emotional resonance in many scenes... relative to other Pixar films, however, they took a few too many logical leaps to move the narrative along. But only set up in the universe of other Pixar films is this film even remotely faulty. Preferring Wall-E, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles to this by no means demeans it any way.
MOTHER (2009)
I may not love all Korean films, but every one I've seen has contained so many unique twists and just completely new emotional situations that I couldn't imagine existing before these Korean directors put them front and center in honestly brutal ways. This is the third film I've seen by Joon-ho Bong, who also made Memories of Murder and The Host, and it's great.
THE INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS (1973)
So, Comcast On Demand has a lot of free movies... many of which are a little... well... cheaply made. But say you can't sleep because of this hideous cough keeping you up at night, but you're really too tired to focus on anything except something formulaic you don't have to remember except for a few attractive details? Well, a little harmless cult movie fun doesn't hurt anybody. I've already admitted watching The Human Centipede [shudder] so cut me some slack! Now let's never speak of this movie again.
UP (2009)
Well what good wholesome fun this is, as are all the movies I watch at any given time! Mesmerizing, beautiful, and packing a touching emotional resonance in many scenes... relative to other Pixar films, however, they took a few too many logical leaps to move the narrative along. But only set up in the universe of other Pixar films is this film even remotely faulty. Preferring Wall-E, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles to this by no means demeans it any way.
MOTHER (2009)
I may not love all Korean films, but every one I've seen has contained so many unique twists and just completely new emotional situations that I couldn't imagine existing before these Korean directors put them front and center in honestly brutal ways. This is the third film I've seen by Joon-ho Bong, who also made Memories of Murder and The Host, and it's great.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
More thoughts
THE HANGOVER
If I can be pretentious about movies once again, I thought this movie was a blast, but even moreso because of its bold move 1) to not have any big name stars and 2) use an artsy movie device by revealing only minimal parts of the shenanigans that led to the titular event. Thank goodness the movie’s title and poster explain all of what a casual film-goer needs, because if I were to push this same film, I would think it would be a perfectly reasonable pitch to say that it has this weird indie comedian who plays the piano, the Daily Show’s Ed Helms, and a cameo from this Asian doctor turned hilarious off-the-wall performer, who has appeared in a few movies but is REALLY good in the new NBC show Community. What? Nothing? And it's about a HANGOVER! OK, I'm glad you're now on board.
Fortunately, the Hangover has a poster with a missing tooth and a creepy bearded due with a baby harness, so there’s no question it’s appealing and approachable. Even better, the movie, while excelling in madcap freeflow hijinks in the same spirit as a Superbad or Harold and Kumar, is entertaining and different. My comments about Get Him to the Greek come into play, in the battle between whether in-your-face vulgarity or implied debauchery are better ways to get deeper humor. After watching this, I’d much rather attempt to IMAGINE why the heck a tiger and a chicken are in a hotel room then to have the preceding events shown to me. What happens is revealed in pieces later on, but that guessing element is what drives the movie, and perhaps implies that, like the hungover gang of drugged-up bachelors, we don’t have to know every detail of what happened to consider it something memorable.
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
I’m a little less trusting of the AV Club film reviewers, now that they gave this a so-so rating (and loved Adventurland, yawn). This was an amazing movie, making up for whatever lack of depth characters had with kinetic energy and complete unpredictability as to what images are going to come up next. In fact, what the AV Club reviewer might think of hollowness of character I believe might be an encapsulation of how 20-somethings might act as a reaction to sensory overload. Besides, it’s a comic book story, and I was kind of convinced that perhaps I shouldn’t read too many reviews before I see a film, because I think the most giddy element of this flick that turned up the excitement was how it shifted from a quirky little young relationship comedy to a who-knows-what kind of movie with the entrance of that first “evil-ex”. After that, everything was bright and exciting, and I had that invigorating anticipation of “the duel” that I hadn’t felt to such a great degree since watching Kill Bill Vol. 2, waiting for the Bride to finish the 3 left on her list.
I snuck out on Monday night after a stressful day of work to watch this at a theater, and then on Tuesday I took a peek at the Graphic Novel bookshelves, where I had seen Scott Pilgrim’s books many times. At first glance it seems like they were incredibly faithful to the comic panels. I kind of regret not reading the books beforehand, but maybe from the movie-first perspective I can appreciate how human they made the story.
GRAND ILLUSION
I know a question will come up sooner or later about my tastes (I can’t keep all these refined sensibilities to myself) and someone will ask me what kind of movies I like. Something similar has come up when I’m asked about my music tastes, and my lame attempt at a short answer is “indie rock”, which to some of my friends is still not an understood category. I can say I like interesting, unique things that sort of redefine my idea of an art form, but how does that nail down what type of stuff I like?
Well, I came up with another type of approach when it comes to movies, music, books, etc. I seek an experience that we help expose me to the breadth of creative expression, but in the context of a systematic ‘list’ approach that represents a futile attempt to corral all works out there into a manageable form, but nonetheless provides me a framework to tackle such tremendously numerous works in a sense where I can have a grand accomplishment, even just in theory, of completing a given 'list'.
What a mouthful! What I’m trying to say is that I use lists by cultural critics that I respect to often decide what to watch. And the more sweeping a list the better… if there’s some movie in the top 10 of an entire DECADE that I haven’t seen, then it’s a real shame if I haven’t seen it yet.
Some lists that are shaping my movie-watching habits…
Ain’t it Cool News best films of the decade list (the 2000s)
The same for AV Club (which also has a best TV series and best miniseries of the decade list)
Complete lists of all films shown at the Wisconsin Film Festival for the years 2008, 2009, and 2010
AND a new one
The films selected for release by the Criterion distribution company… conveniently organized here.
Now the reasons for all these lists reflect a respect I have for the particular motivations these cultural organizers have for watching movies. In the case of Criterion, I have been admired the way they present films as artistic works, with designer packaging (admired at the stores since they are very expensive to purchase), lots of unique bonus features, and a breadth of respect for works new and old. Ain’t It Cool News, for example, focused their attention recently on a movie called Revanche (also a selection for WIFF 2009) because Criterion selected it for special release, highlighting it among the variety of artsy foreign films put out normally during any given year. The fact that you can have a distribution company release Revanche, and then subsequently under the same Criterion brand, release something odd from 30 years earlier that was previously unavailable to home DVD, and then release the latest Wed Anderson movie because that director’s particular aesthetic taps into their mood, is the type of sophisticated yet playful approach that make Criterion another pleasing context in which to approach a life-long goal of watching every good movie ever made.
THE GRAND ILLUSION was “spine” number 1 and available on Netflix Instant, along with quite a few other earlier Criterion releases which I might as well watch soon. The downside to Netflix Instant is that you might not get a premium widescreen issue treatment that a Criterion DVD or Blu-Ray reissue might have. Plus side was that in the case of Grand Illusion, you have a film that deals with intimate spaces and the vital humanity of characters in a tragic situation. I had a little time to look this up on Wikipedia after watching this, and it looks like Hitler’s Germany banned this movie, lest the public might be convinced to identify with a faceless menacing foreigner that needed to be considered an enemy. Fascinating that this film was made in 1938, and that there was a sensibility towards this kind of view of war that made its way into a major film. But I couldn’t help but think how I got tired of liberal filmmakers putting out another depressing yet real depiction of current wars we have to live with. These films do a great job in preaching to the choir, but did they change the minds of the people that really are in charge? The Grand Illusion obviously didn’t, but it’s a minuscule consolation that there were people sensitive enough to make this movie back then.
If I can be pretentious about movies once again, I thought this movie was a blast, but even moreso because of its bold move 1) to not have any big name stars and 2) use an artsy movie device by revealing only minimal parts of the shenanigans that led to the titular event. Thank goodness the movie’s title and poster explain all of what a casual film-goer needs, because if I were to push this same film, I would think it would be a perfectly reasonable pitch to say that it has this weird indie comedian who plays the piano, the Daily Show’s Ed Helms, and a cameo from this Asian doctor turned hilarious off-the-wall performer, who has appeared in a few movies but is REALLY good in the new NBC show Community. What? Nothing? And it's about a HANGOVER! OK, I'm glad you're now on board.
Fortunately, the Hangover has a poster with a missing tooth and a creepy bearded due with a baby harness, so there’s no question it’s appealing and approachable. Even better, the movie, while excelling in madcap freeflow hijinks in the same spirit as a Superbad or Harold and Kumar, is entertaining and different. My comments about Get Him to the Greek come into play, in the battle between whether in-your-face vulgarity or implied debauchery are better ways to get deeper humor. After watching this, I’d much rather attempt to IMAGINE why the heck a tiger and a chicken are in a hotel room then to have the preceding events shown to me. What happens is revealed in pieces later on, but that guessing element is what drives the movie, and perhaps implies that, like the hungover gang of drugged-up bachelors, we don’t have to know every detail of what happened to consider it something memorable.
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
I’m a little less trusting of the AV Club film reviewers, now that they gave this a so-so rating (and loved Adventurland, yawn). This was an amazing movie, making up for whatever lack of depth characters had with kinetic energy and complete unpredictability as to what images are going to come up next. In fact, what the AV Club reviewer might think of hollowness of character I believe might be an encapsulation of how 20-somethings might act as a reaction to sensory overload. Besides, it’s a comic book story, and I was kind of convinced that perhaps I shouldn’t read too many reviews before I see a film, because I think the most giddy element of this flick that turned up the excitement was how it shifted from a quirky little young relationship comedy to a who-knows-what kind of movie with the entrance of that first “evil-ex”. After that, everything was bright and exciting, and I had that invigorating anticipation of “the duel” that I hadn’t felt to such a great degree since watching Kill Bill Vol. 2, waiting for the Bride to finish the 3 left on her list.
I snuck out on Monday night after a stressful day of work to watch this at a theater, and then on Tuesday I took a peek at the Graphic Novel bookshelves, where I had seen Scott Pilgrim’s books many times. At first glance it seems like they were incredibly faithful to the comic panels. I kind of regret not reading the books beforehand, but maybe from the movie-first perspective I can appreciate how human they made the story.
GRAND ILLUSION
I know a question will come up sooner or later about my tastes (I can’t keep all these refined sensibilities to myself) and someone will ask me what kind of movies I like. Something similar has come up when I’m asked about my music tastes, and my lame attempt at a short answer is “indie rock”, which to some of my friends is still not an understood category. I can say I like interesting, unique things that sort of redefine my idea of an art form, but how does that nail down what type of stuff I like?
Well, I came up with another type of approach when it comes to movies, music, books, etc. I seek an experience that we help expose me to the breadth of creative expression, but in the context of a systematic ‘list’ approach that represents a futile attempt to corral all works out there into a manageable form, but nonetheless provides me a framework to tackle such tremendously numerous works in a sense where I can have a grand accomplishment, even just in theory, of completing a given 'list'.
What a mouthful! What I’m trying to say is that I use lists by cultural critics that I respect to often decide what to watch. And the more sweeping a list the better… if there’s some movie in the top 10 of an entire DECADE that I haven’t seen, then it’s a real shame if I haven’t seen it yet.
Some lists that are shaping my movie-watching habits…
Ain’t it Cool News best films of the decade list (the 2000s)
The same for AV Club (which also has a best TV series and best miniseries of the decade list)
Complete lists of all films shown at the Wisconsin Film Festival for the years 2008, 2009, and 2010
AND a new one
The films selected for release by the Criterion distribution company… conveniently organized here.
Now the reasons for all these lists reflect a respect I have for the particular motivations these cultural organizers have for watching movies. In the case of Criterion, I have been admired the way they present films as artistic works, with designer packaging (admired at the stores since they are very expensive to purchase), lots of unique bonus features, and a breadth of respect for works new and old. Ain’t It Cool News, for example, focused their attention recently on a movie called Revanche (also a selection for WIFF 2009) because Criterion selected it for special release, highlighting it among the variety of artsy foreign films put out normally during any given year. The fact that you can have a distribution company release Revanche, and then subsequently under the same Criterion brand, release something odd from 30 years earlier that was previously unavailable to home DVD, and then release the latest Wed Anderson movie because that director’s particular aesthetic taps into their mood, is the type of sophisticated yet playful approach that make Criterion another pleasing context in which to approach a life-long goal of watching every good movie ever made.
THE GRAND ILLUSION was “spine” number 1 and available on Netflix Instant, along with quite a few other earlier Criterion releases which I might as well watch soon. The downside to Netflix Instant is that you might not get a premium widescreen issue treatment that a Criterion DVD or Blu-Ray reissue might have. Plus side was that in the case of Grand Illusion, you have a film that deals with intimate spaces and the vital humanity of characters in a tragic situation. I had a little time to look this up on Wikipedia after watching this, and it looks like Hitler’s Germany banned this movie, lest the public might be convinced to identify with a faceless menacing foreigner that needed to be considered an enemy. Fascinating that this film was made in 1938, and that there was a sensibility towards this kind of view of war that made its way into a major film. But I couldn’t help but think how I got tired of liberal filmmakers putting out another depressing yet real depiction of current wars we have to live with. These films do a great job in preaching to the choir, but did they change the minds of the people that really are in charge? The Grand Illusion obviously didn’t, but it’s a minuscule consolation that there were people sensitive enough to make this movie back then.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Tuesday of your Discontent
One movie in the past two weeks...
REVANCHE
Another deceptively conventional film, because its style is so full of literal and metaphorical quiet and cavernous spaces that there’s a tremendous amount of room for a film-viewer to see some clear elements of other brooding neo-noir films in its tone. The immediate comparison I could make was with my experience of watching Handsome Harry, as I go through the motions of watching what I think to be a standard story of someone with a dark secret of their past, told with a familiar sequence of juxtaposed flashbacks, only to realize I was caught in a trap of expectations making the devastating ending almost completely counter-balance the flaws during the rest of the movie. Revanche (German for Revenge) was a case where I was in tune with the stark style, the director’s patience with character actions, and the expectation that the ending was going to be inconclusive in a typical modern indie foreign film way. I felt I had drank from this cinematic well before, even if this film was being executed near-perfectly. Then that ‘conclusion’, or lack of one, that I knew was coming became a haunting and unique way to tie up the loose ends the loose ends that had been created through the plot, but without created anything resembling a happy ending. You could almost visualize the sharply cornered geometric shape of tension created by the new place these characters are at… but the film seemed to suggest that this impasse would be far better than the risks of a more explosive situation. The tragedy at the center of the story created a limited range of outcomes… none of them pleasant… and our acceptance of these extremely uncomfortable but not horrifying circumstances is one of the most exceptional things about this movie.
REVANCHE
Another deceptively conventional film, because its style is so full of literal and metaphorical quiet and cavernous spaces that there’s a tremendous amount of room for a film-viewer to see some clear elements of other brooding neo-noir films in its tone. The immediate comparison I could make was with my experience of watching Handsome Harry, as I go through the motions of watching what I think to be a standard story of someone with a dark secret of their past, told with a familiar sequence of juxtaposed flashbacks, only to realize I was caught in a trap of expectations making the devastating ending almost completely counter-balance the flaws during the rest of the movie. Revanche (German for Revenge) was a case where I was in tune with the stark style, the director’s patience with character actions, and the expectation that the ending was going to be inconclusive in a typical modern indie foreign film way. I felt I had drank from this cinematic well before, even if this film was being executed near-perfectly. Then that ‘conclusion’, or lack of one, that I knew was coming became a haunting and unique way to tie up the loose ends the loose ends that had been created through the plot, but without created anything resembling a happy ending. You could almost visualize the sharply cornered geometric shape of tension created by the new place these characters are at… but the film seemed to suggest that this impasse would be far better than the risks of a more explosive situation. The tragedy at the center of the story created a limited range of outcomes… none of them pleasant… and our acceptance of these extremely uncomfortable but not horrifying circumstances is one of the most exceptional things about this movie.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Tuesday Post With No Name
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (1964)
The free cable movie on-demand movie selection had been bad for a while, so what a nice surprise, the morning after my Saturday trip to Lollapalooza in Chicago, to the first of Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name trilogy available. Perfect timing too, as I was ready to jump into this trilogy very soon via Netflix.
This was a pretty direct remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, which was one of the first movies I saw on my new HDTV upon purchase! And it was odd how something that has some of the exact same scenes translated into a Western setting (with guns instead of samurai swords) was still riveting due to filmmaking and acting quality.
I can tell why these films are legendary... they are confidently cool and very influential. I can't wait to see that next two. Given that On-Demand offered the three films of the Pusher trilogy in quick succession, I'm hoping I'll see A Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly soon.
The free cable movie on-demand movie selection had been bad for a while, so what a nice surprise, the morning after my Saturday trip to Lollapalooza in Chicago, to the first of Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name trilogy available. Perfect timing too, as I was ready to jump into this trilogy very soon via Netflix.
This was a pretty direct remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, which was one of the first movies I saw on my new HDTV upon purchase! And it was odd how something that has some of the exact same scenes translated into a Western setting (with guns instead of samurai swords) was still riveting due to filmmaking and acting quality.
I can tell why these films are legendary... they are confidently cool and very influential. I can't wait to see that next two. Given that On-Demand offered the three films of the Pusher trilogy in quick succession, I'm hoping I'll see A Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly soon.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Thoughts on 2 movies
As promised...
GOODFELLAS
A sprawling, lively epic movie with plenty of nuance and misdirection. This movie has seeped into so many pop culture reference areas I know that I can’t view it objectively. In addition to the spot-the-Sopranos actor game, it was also impossible to watch without thinking about the amoralism inherent in that TV mob epic. I’m reading a writer from AV Club’s recap of the Sopranos, episode by episode, and the theme that creeps up is that while you are learning about these characters inside and out and learning to sympathize with them, there is some rotten at the center of them, something self-interested and shallow, that would still stink, even if every person in this mob organization was involved in legal modern business activities. Ray Liotta’s Goodfellas character goes through quite a bit of struggles but the selfishness of him and his collaborators ultimately backs him into a corner. While his mob buddies, when backed into a corner, have different, more bloody ways of dealing with their issues when at a dead end, the way the film wraps up through legal means is kind of off-putting but very appropriate.
GOODFELLAS
A sprawling, lively epic movie with plenty of nuance and misdirection. This movie has seeped into so many pop culture reference areas I know that I can’t view it objectively. In addition to the spot-the-Sopranos actor game, it was also impossible to watch without thinking about the amoralism inherent in that TV mob epic. I’m reading a writer from AV Club’s recap of the Sopranos, episode by episode, and the theme that creeps up is that while you are learning about these characters inside and out and learning to sympathize with them, there is some rotten at the center of them, something self-interested and shallow, that would still stink, even if every person in this mob organization was involved in legal modern business activities. Ray Liotta’s Goodfellas character goes through quite a bit of struggles but the selfishness of him and his collaborators ultimately backs him into a corner. While his mob buddies, when backed into a corner, have different, more bloody ways of dealing with their issues when at a dead end, the way the film wraps up through legal means is kind of off-putting but very appropriate.
That being said, I’m glad that most of the movie was new to me. The Joe Pesci character, repeated many times in future mobster charicatures, didn’t dominate the movie, but knowing that he was a bit of a hothead made the scenes with him very tense. I also didn’t know the film was so focused on the outsider perspective, and the true story of a mob witness. It works on many different levels… you can almost see anyone excited about any get rich quick scheme to take the same journey Ray Liotta does.
And, again, because of the Sopranos and the short fuses of everyone on that show, I was absolutely cringing when any character muttered or said something under his breath after a ‘boss’ gives an order in Goodfellas. You know things are not going to end well. Maybe The Godfather movies seemed so formal and calculated, that having a few of these people go crazy at the drop of a dime was a good departure from previous mob movies.
THE WHITE RIBBON
A textbook case of the types of films that would be difficult to convince most friends to watch. If I have to spend more time explaining why this movie is worth watching despite its difficulty than what the movie is actually about, then I can’t expect to win everyone over. So I went back into my thought process as to why I was in a hurry to see this. Because my Netflix queue is completely full, I like the freedom of being impulsive and moving a movie up to the top of my list due to some outside stimuli. Well, this time, it was the AV Club’s Gateway to Geekery feature covering the films of Michael Haneke. The White Ribbon was originally in my queue because it was the Palm D’or winner in 2009 at the Cannes festival, and I had a little more interest because the first (and only other) Haneke film I have seen, 2005’s Cache, was so obtuse and difficult that I wanted to see his style more, especially as it applied to a historical drama taking place in Germany in 1913, just before World War I started. Cache had some real issues if you want clarity and conclusions in movies, and at the time I saw it (just 2-3 years ago) I don’t think I had come to terms completely with the concept that a film doesn’t have to give you all the answers, even nuanced ones, to be successful. But as I’ve learned with some unique music that I seem to listen to over and over again to pick up what I was missing, there are filmmakers who demand more attention because they’re not going to present you with direct information. So, my free time limitations don’t give me much options to always be watching the same movies again, but they do make me eager to see more of a distinctive director’s work, perhaps knowing what complexities I’m in for before I begin. With a 2.5 hour movie like the White Ribbon, you definitely should not be going in with an idea that this film is going to be straightforward. In fact, the similarities I found to Cache was the intriguing twist that while you don’t know definitely who the real culprits of the main crimes in the movie are, the environment and suspicions those crimes create do more everlasting damage than the original despicable acts. Without the empty feeling I felt after Cache, The White Ribbon would be even more frustrating upon it’s conclusion.
Once thing the White Ribbon did have was extensive narration from one of the only likeable characters around. This made each scene and each missed opportunity for conclusion more powerful. I had also read before watching this that the movie was a take on the beginnings of Fascism in Germany. Now, it’s very likely that I wouldn’t have picked up on this without reading what critics said about the themes of the movie. But the narrator removes the mystery by saying, in the beginning, that his story of the activities in this small village might shed light on “what happened in this country”. But except for the incredibly haunting references to the historical events leading up to World War I at different times that seem to suck the withering vitality out of every scene, all the activities take place within this little idyllic village. Many of the violent actions, done without reason or explanation, are on a small scale and shown off-screen, while the characters are at their most despicable when acting towards eachother and not towards some larger sense of patriotism or militarism. Yet the looming idea that these young kids must be seen as the future Nazi party faithful does not go away with the initial tone. The groupthink, the discipline, the irrational hostility, and self-righteousness, on this village-level scale must be the seeds of horror to come, yet it’s never made to seem like the activities of this band of villagers ties to a greater whole.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday
Well... I'm pretty sure these are the only two new movies I've watched in the past week. Just for record-keeping sake... I'll share some thoughts later.
GOODFELLAS (1990)
and
THE WHITE RIBBON (2009)
Two ambitious lengthy movies. Satisfying... in different ways.
GOODFELLAS (1990)
and
THE WHITE RIBBON (2009)
Two ambitious lengthy movies. Satisfying... in different ways.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
movie report
I'm definitely risking forgetting a movie I might have seen with these long gaps... I think I have a handle on my movie watching habits. I know that if I don't see something regularly my netflix queue fills up by the time Ain't It Cool News' weekly DVD column comes out!
CYRUS (2010)
Can I handle two doses of Jonah Hill in a row? I believe so, if you can get a performance as different as these creepy and surprisingly powerful in this movie. The critics have not said great things about it, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. My friend that I watched it with mentioned how natural the people talked... that the main protagonist was reacting the way anyone would to Cyrus' behavior. The movie starts so organically and naturally, that this live-in son situation because very tense, partly because almost anyone could imagine this happening to them. Maybe it doesn't really end in a flashy way, but it's grounded in reality and doesn't play a weird-o overgrown man-child to absurd levels, as probably makers of mainstream Hollywood comedies are tempted to do.
[Along those lines, I was able to hook up Netflix Instant on the laptop of my Chicago friend I was staying with. I fell asleep to the gentle sounds of the movie Step Brothers. Since I didn't really watch it, I can't review it, but I likely would not have said nice things.]
JERICHOW (2008)
How's this for organized movie-watching.... pick a letter of the alphabet at random and then watch the first film available on Netflix Instant beginning with that letter from your list of WIFF selections? Well that's what I did! and this movie turned me off initially with two dull elements... the unemotional silent male with a past never explained and making him so full of passion (reflected in blank unsentimental eyes) that he quickly gets into an affair with the first attractive married woman that enters his life. So given my exhausting weekend my mind drifted. But I was beginning to give it credit for not wasting my time with distracting plotlines and finally wrapping up with some strong testimonials and twists that made me hate myself for not being my usual patient self with different kinds of movies. Not that original, but not a throwaway indie film by any means.
CYRUS (2010)
Can I handle two doses of Jonah Hill in a row? I believe so, if you can get a performance as different as these creepy and surprisingly powerful in this movie. The critics have not said great things about it, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. My friend that I watched it with mentioned how natural the people talked... that the main protagonist was reacting the way anyone would to Cyrus' behavior. The movie starts so organically and naturally, that this live-in son situation because very tense, partly because almost anyone could imagine this happening to them. Maybe it doesn't really end in a flashy way, but it's grounded in reality and doesn't play a weird-o overgrown man-child to absurd levels, as probably makers of mainstream Hollywood comedies are tempted to do.
[Along those lines, I was able to hook up Netflix Instant on the laptop of my Chicago friend I was staying with. I fell asleep to the gentle sounds of the movie Step Brothers. Since I didn't really watch it, I can't review it, but I likely would not have said nice things.]
JERICHOW (2008)
How's this for organized movie-watching.... pick a letter of the alphabet at random and then watch the first film available on Netflix Instant beginning with that letter from your list of WIFF selections? Well that's what I did! and this movie turned me off initially with two dull elements... the unemotional silent male with a past never explained and making him so full of passion (reflected in blank unsentimental eyes) that he quickly gets into an affair with the first attractive married woman that enters his life. So given my exhausting weekend my mind drifted. But I was beginning to give it credit for not wasting my time with distracting plotlines and finally wrapping up with some strong testimonials and twists that made me hate myself for not being my usual patient self with different kinds of movies. Not that original, but not a throwaway indie film by any means.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
the cinema report
I’m back on the movie saddle again! Saw three good movies this past weekend, each with some unique flaws.
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (2009)
I had heard that this was something to see, a nearly pure surreal Terry Gilliam movie experience that the director had not made in a long while. And the Blu-rayified visuals were amazing. The thing I forgot about Gilliam films is that there’s a lot of difficult narrative directions, and a kind of sly, subversive attitude (maybe leftover from Monty Python days) that gums about both a casual understanding of the plot and the film’s movement towards a satisfying conclusion. That’s pretty clear here… I thought that perhaps the setting of a film often being inside a wild fantastical world of the mind would allow cinematic inventiveness to run rampant, while allowing something more logical to serve as an anchor for those of us wanting to see more than wild images. But no luck here… it’s not nonsensical, but it’s purposely difficult, which might just make me want to watch it again!
I had read good things about this Apatow-produced comedy, and of course there were plenty of laugh-out-loud and gross-out moments. After making my way through Funny People, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Superbad, however, I might be getting tired of this new comedy formula. There’s a mostly common element to these movies, which involve honestly blunt, likely improvised dialogue, at least several uncomfortably gross situations (vomit usually being featured), and a kind of redemption of characters for their debauchery earlier in the movie. I’m not lumping all of these movies into the same broad category, but this film reminded me to be wary of rushing out to see another one of these types of movies, unless they really offer something unique and unprecedented.
Closer was on my radar for a few reasons, but with my obsession with completion of lists, it had the honors of containing one of AV Club’s best film scenes of the decade, and moreover, viewing it would complete two sets of Oscar nominated categories for that year, as both Natalie Portman and Clive Owen were nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor.
That scene that was highly regarded by AV Club is stunning, serving as an intense full throttle version of the intricate character interplay that takes place and really brings up all sorts of questions about the meaning of playing roles in relationships. Now for simple non-fussy escapism, couple involve themselves in role-playing to spice their companionship up. But Closer perfectly demonstrates what happens if that desire to not play your honest self snowballs into a point where some kind of game is being played, even when situations call for the most intimate, honest moments. The fault of this movie, despite the great performance, is that its theatrical leanings (it was based on a play) do reveal themselves a little too plainly. I guess there is nothing wrong with filmed versions of plays, but I do not want something cinematic to remind me that I could be viewing a form of art in its true, original medium. I’m not sure if the play version, could reveal the twist so subtly at the end. I did have to pay a little extra attention, as most movies with a suprising but completely perfect turnaround usually ram the twist into your head.
But, for some fun, since I did satisfy my Oscar nomination completion fetish with this movie… why don’t I quickly summarize and choose my own favorites among the 5 performances?
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Until Closer, the only year in the past decade where I had seen all nominated Best Supporting Actor performances was 2000. Including Clive Owen’s supporting performance in 2004, the other nominees were.
Morgan Freeman – Million Dollar Baby – Plenty of a powerful performance, but I don’t remember it being much more that a perfect Morgan Freeman. I imagine Invictus, which I haven’t seen, required a lot more stretching for him. I think the gravitas he brings to his characters is a real gift regardless.
Alan Alda – The Aviator – We all know that the Oscars give out honorary nominations and sometimes winners for a performance that isn’t monumental in and of itself, but nonetheless deserves to be recognized to acknowledge an iconic career. The Aviator was a massive film packed full of actors, actresses, and big scenes, and I did not really see this performance stand out, especially as it was always in the shadow of DiCaprio’s tour de force performance. Still it was kind of a squirmy Alan Alda doing his thing.
Thomas Hayden Church – Sideways – I remember in the Who Will Win / Who Should Win columns that come out before Oscar time this role was the one recognized as deserving to win in a year in which Morgan Freeman wouldn’t be in the running. It was very engaging watching Church’s sleazeball antics manipulate and contrast Giamatti’s attitude towards his own life. I can’t tell whether it might be too over the top to be believable, but Sideways, despite its merits, did have adopt some hypercharacterization to move the film along.
Jamie Foxx – Collateral – Shortchanged Jamie Foxx only won one out of two Oscar nominations that year. I have not seen Ray, but since was a fine performance. I suppose it didn’t stand out as anything special, but relative to other action movies, where the hapless schmo caught up in a criminal enterprise could really be played to type, Foxx gave us something unique and honest.
I suppose I could distant myself from my most recently watched performance, since Closer was so sharp and brutal. But I probably think my favorite would go to Church in Sideways. I remember watching the movie for the first time and really not understanding where this character came from, and when you have a performance that defies expectations, you know it has that extra quality that makes it better than the other solid nominees.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Upon viewing The Hours from 2002 and North Country from 2005 (neither exciting prospects) I will have some more complete sets of Oscar nominations in this category from the last decade. Until now, the gorgeous Natalie Portman’s performance in Closer completes my first supporting actress set…
Cate Blanchett – The Aviator – This involves the actress pretty much being completely absorbed by a character with well known tropes. Pretty stunning.
Laura Linney – Kinsey – I do think of Linney’s turn in this film whenever I see her in something, and then start thinking about how finely constructed the film and performances in this movie were overall, which made it great because the subject was so fascinating to begin with. Her performance added calm and humanity to a movie that was overall about breaking very strict taboos.
Virginia Madsen – Sideways – A solid performance but not entirely complex given the conflicted characters in this movie.
Sophie Okenedo – Hotel Rwanda – I can’t be upset with this performance. It’s just that given that I have read a few long articles about the absolute hell of the Rwandan genocide, the movie was not as powerful, and that has to do with some of the lightness in which the main character’s struggles were treated.
So, overall, it’s close between two finalist I have to stick with the actual winner Cate Blanchett because of her complete escape into the performance. Linney’s character was essential to Kinsey but she does have some mannerisms in her movies that are consistent and prevent you from seeing entirely different characters in each of her movies.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
report
IRON MAN 2 (2010)
The movie theaters are still worth something, although the sound at the local multiplex seemed to not hurt my ears as much as I thought for a big action movie, which is good... I guess. My goodness... Scarlett Johanson looked so perfect in this movie, it was almost hard to watch. I especially didn't like the effect that it had on making Gweneth Paltrow, who is just as glamorous despite her neurotic character, seem so plain and ordinary.
I also got to watch Blue Velvet for a second time in HD... the first time I saw it was one of my last painful memories of watching a legendary movie on a worn-out VHS tape. This was much better quality, but my sensitivity to just how creepy David Lynch's movies are made me see this film in an entirely new way. A candy colored clown... RIP, Dennis Hopper.
The movie theaters are still worth something, although the sound at the local multiplex seemed to not hurt my ears as much as I thought for a big action movie, which is good... I guess. My goodness... Scarlett Johanson looked so perfect in this movie, it was almost hard to watch. I especially didn't like the effect that it had on making Gweneth Paltrow, who is just as glamorous despite her neurotic character, seem so plain and ordinary.
I also got to watch Blue Velvet for a second time in HD... the first time I saw it was one of my last painful memories of watching a legendary movie on a worn-out VHS tape. This was much better quality, but my sensitivity to just how creepy David Lynch's movies are made me see this film in an entirely new way. A candy colored clown... RIP, Dennis Hopper.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tuesday Report
As I predicted I cut down a bit on the viewing of new films with the heavy dosage I got from WIFF. I did see (not including watching Deathproof and Kill Bill Vol. 2!) 3 movies over the past weeks.
FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009)
Absolutely wonderful. So innocent yet off-kilter. Gives you a warm fuzzy feeling after watching.
One week later....
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE) (2009)
I could spend paragraphs failing to rationally explain to the average friend how, somehow, there's some deep disturbing place in my mind that really wanted to see this. But I really want to be honest in my disclosure of the types of movies I seek. I'll just say that no movie since Battle Royale offered a concept so bizarre and so unfathomable that imagining how this movie was going to be became a pathological distraction. Every boring meeting, every idle moment, allowed my mind to wander to this movie to the point where I had to see it as soon as possible, even going so far as to pay, full-price, for an HD version of the movie on-demand.
And it delivers, in awful awful ways. I don't really want to see it again, and I don't want to discuss this film with anyone if I don't have to. Sometimes things just have to be seen.
I can't begin to understand how the scenes from the Human Centipede still stick with me, while the happy pleasant memories of Fantastic Mr. Fox fade away.
EDMOND (2005)
And this weekend I returned to reality... somewhat... with a character whose neuroses are nearly as off-putting as any monstrous medical procedure. Written by David Mamet... with that same rhythmic dialogue, but this time it's delivered almost entirely by William H. Macy in a manic performance. It's very low-budget and anti-epic and gets a little absurd and pointless by the end. But it still is gifted in how the script rounds out a character while giving you barely a hint of what motivates them.
FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009)
Absolutely wonderful. So innocent yet off-kilter. Gives you a warm fuzzy feeling after watching.
One week later....
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE) (2009)
I could spend paragraphs failing to rationally explain to the average friend how, somehow, there's some deep disturbing place in my mind that really wanted to see this. But I really want to be honest in my disclosure of the types of movies I seek. I'll just say that no movie since Battle Royale offered a concept so bizarre and so unfathomable that imagining how this movie was going to be became a pathological distraction. Every boring meeting, every idle moment, allowed my mind to wander to this movie to the point where I had to see it as soon as possible, even going so far as to pay, full-price, for an HD version of the movie on-demand.
And it delivers, in awful awful ways. I don't really want to see it again, and I don't want to discuss this film with anyone if I don't have to. Sometimes things just have to be seen.
I can't begin to understand how the scenes from the Human Centipede still stick with me, while the happy pleasant memories of Fantastic Mr. Fox fade away.
EDMOND (2005)
And this weekend I returned to reality... somewhat... with a character whose neuroses are nearly as off-putting as any monstrous medical procedure. Written by David Mamet... with that same rhythmic dialogue, but this time it's delivered almost entirely by William H. Macy in a manic performance. It's very low-budget and anti-epic and gets a little absurd and pointless by the end. But it still is gifted in how the script rounds out a character while giving you barely a hint of what motivates them.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
WIFF 2010 last two
THE ART OF THE STEAL
The traditional style documentary of my film fest experience, this was riveting on all kinds of different levels, even in the realms of my day job... urban planning.
Basically, this is the story of an extremely valuable collection of impressionistic art that was curated by a wealthy doctor named Barnes in the 20s and 30s, well before all these famous artists became respected among the elite and mainstream of art patrons. Through an amazingly complex series of steps, that can put fear into the heart of anyone that wants to consider joining a non-profit board of any kind, this collection is eyed by the city leaders of Philadelphia as the key to downtown urban revitalization and tourism. But Barnes, in his will, specifically laid out how is collection was going to displayed and where it's permanent home should be, which was in a exhibit space in suburban Philadelphia.
What emerges is a thorough questioning of whom art belongs to and how important the context around art should be in considering how it should be appreciated. A couple more things this documentary revealed to me was how something as seemingly pure, creative, and universally important as historic visual masterpieces can be commercialized like a latest blockbuster. I'll never look at those big banners draped over the Chicago Art Institute advertising a limited-run collection (tickets extra beyond general admission) the same way again. The other thing was the danger of civic leaders wanting increasingly more showcases and big projects to keep their City on the map. From all I've heard, Philadelphia, outside of NYC, Chicago, and probably Boston, has one of the most vibrant city centers with dense residential, commercial, and cultural uses. Why would it be so necessary for them to "steal" this collection to make the City "better"? I felt a slightly similar feeling when the Chicago Olympics talk was going on.
TERRIBLY HAPPY
A great capstone... apparently "deadpan Danish dramas" are a hit of WIFF attendants, so I'll glad I made this screening. In fact, the last few Danish films I saw were more humanistic and realistic, although with a very unique tone. This, however, comes straight out of the world of dark comedy, with hints of Coen Brothers and David Lynch. Just I wanted to dive into the world of Prague with Shameless, I was only wanting to see what the Danish rural frontier was like. Not a charming place.
It's a simplistic but still entertaining heart-pounder with lots of quirks about a reassigned Danish cop who runs in with all sorts of weird troubled cowboy Danes with their own sense of justice and order. I think the less said the better.
And that's what I saw... looking back my take away from this 8-film marathon was not so much that I was enjoying cinema as I was exploring little genres that appeal to the various niches of my personality. There's no doubt that Iron Man 2 is the BIG MOVIE to see right now, but all these quirky compelling films at WIFF represent not so much films as the few extra exotic colors added to my cultural palette.
Back to regular movie programming!
The traditional style documentary of my film fest experience, this was riveting on all kinds of different levels, even in the realms of my day job... urban planning.
Basically, this is the story of an extremely valuable collection of impressionistic art that was curated by a wealthy doctor named Barnes in the 20s and 30s, well before all these famous artists became respected among the elite and mainstream of art patrons. Through an amazingly complex series of steps, that can put fear into the heart of anyone that wants to consider joining a non-profit board of any kind, this collection is eyed by the city leaders of Philadelphia as the key to downtown urban revitalization and tourism. But Barnes, in his will, specifically laid out how is collection was going to displayed and where it's permanent home should be, which was in a exhibit space in suburban Philadelphia.
What emerges is a thorough questioning of whom art belongs to and how important the context around art should be in considering how it should be appreciated. A couple more things this documentary revealed to me was how something as seemingly pure, creative, and universally important as historic visual masterpieces can be commercialized like a latest blockbuster. I'll never look at those big banners draped over the Chicago Art Institute advertising a limited-run collection (tickets extra beyond general admission) the same way again. The other thing was the danger of civic leaders wanting increasingly more showcases and big projects to keep their City on the map. From all I've heard, Philadelphia, outside of NYC, Chicago, and probably Boston, has one of the most vibrant city centers with dense residential, commercial, and cultural uses. Why would it be so necessary for them to "steal" this collection to make the City "better"? I felt a slightly similar feeling when the Chicago Olympics talk was going on.
TERRIBLY HAPPY
A great capstone... apparently "deadpan Danish dramas" are a hit of WIFF attendants, so I'll glad I made this screening. In fact, the last few Danish films I saw were more humanistic and realistic, although with a very unique tone. This, however, comes straight out of the world of dark comedy, with hints of Coen Brothers and David Lynch. Just I wanted to dive into the world of Prague with Shameless, I was only wanting to see what the Danish rural frontier was like. Not a charming place.
It's a simplistic but still entertaining heart-pounder with lots of quirks about a reassigned Danish cop who runs in with all sorts of weird troubled cowboy Danes with their own sense of justice and order. I think the less said the better.
And that's what I saw... looking back my take away from this 8-film marathon was not so much that I was enjoying cinema as I was exploring little genres that appeal to the various niches of my personality. There's no doubt that Iron Man 2 is the BIG MOVIE to see right now, but all these quirky compelling films at WIFF represent not so much films as the few extra exotic colors added to my cultural palette.
Back to regular movie programming!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
WIFF 2010 Movies 5-6
oh boy... Death Proof arrived through Netflix today!
That's besides the point...
SHAMELESS
Despite being my least favorite movie of the festival, it was interesting for a few reasons. The main being that this is an international festival, and as the old saying goes, you haven't lived until you've seen a film from the Czech Republic. Prague definitely looks like a beautiful city, and the film looked interesting enough in the program, about a fellow in a mid-life crisis who does some interesting acts of deception to continue his affairs. There were some very odd character moments that were off-putting, which I think was exactly the point. Otherwise there were lots of inconclusive moments, very little urgency in the character's motivations, and a lot of directionless scenes. By the time of the ending, which was unexpected and anticlimatic in all the bad ways, I had that sensation of watching a mediocre indie film. These are the types that are interesting enough in the sense that they aren't tugging violently at your sensations like blockbusters. But they lack any stylistic boldness or meaningful themes that make them stand out from anything riveting.
HANDSOME HARRY
One type of film I'm trying to deliberately avoid is any variation of the 'road movie'. I imagine a montage of a car driving on an open road sandwiched between character monologues the chew the scenery, and I get bored. But this fit into my schedule, and while a road movie in the broadest terms, it had a very suspenseful undercurrent that sustained the trips to different locales. There were some underformed characters and cliche moments that risked this movie being similar to Shameless. What all the male character macho posturing and genuflecting did, however, was really truly fool me into complacency that made the surprising conclusion bubble up so subtly. It has been a long time since I've seen an ending to a movie so unforgivably depressing, not in the way it makes you feel, but the way it makes you feel towards the protagonist. I really thought I figured this guy out by most of the movie, but kudos to the filmmaker for flashing us back to the past and forward again, revealing just the right about to keep us guessing.
I thought I was going to wrap up.. but the final 2 films will come later.
That's besides the point...
SHAMELESS
Despite being my least favorite movie of the festival, it was interesting for a few reasons. The main being that this is an international festival, and as the old saying goes, you haven't lived until you've seen a film from the Czech Republic. Prague definitely looks like a beautiful city, and the film looked interesting enough in the program, about a fellow in a mid-life crisis who does some interesting acts of deception to continue his affairs. There were some very odd character moments that were off-putting, which I think was exactly the point. Otherwise there were lots of inconclusive moments, very little urgency in the character's motivations, and a lot of directionless scenes. By the time of the ending, which was unexpected and anticlimatic in all the bad ways, I had that sensation of watching a mediocre indie film. These are the types that are interesting enough in the sense that they aren't tugging violently at your sensations like blockbusters. But they lack any stylistic boldness or meaningful themes that make them stand out from anything riveting.
HANDSOME HARRY
One type of film I'm trying to deliberately avoid is any variation of the 'road movie'. I imagine a montage of a car driving on an open road sandwiched between character monologues the chew the scenery, and I get bored. But this fit into my schedule, and while a road movie in the broadest terms, it had a very suspenseful undercurrent that sustained the trips to different locales. There were some underformed characters and cliche moments that risked this movie being similar to Shameless. What all the male character macho posturing and genuflecting did, however, was really truly fool me into complacency that made the surprising conclusion bubble up so subtly. It has been a long time since I've seen an ending to a movie so unforgivably depressing, not in the way it makes you feel, but the way it makes you feel towards the protagonist. I really thought I figured this guy out by most of the movie, but kudos to the filmmaker for flashing us back to the past and forward again, revealing just the right about to keep us guessing.
I thought I was going to wrap up.. but the final 2 films will come later.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
WIFF 2010 Movies 1-4
ABOUT ELLY
This was a last minute entry. As I reshuffled my film viewing schedule due to unexpected work obligations back in Rockford, I decided to leave early on Friday and try to see an early evening film. I'm glad I did. This was one I had in mind, because Iran is one of the countries putting out very interesting movies with a unique tone. South Korea and Denmark are the other countries whose movies just feel different. This movie seems very simply structured, but due to both traditional character conflicts and social norms unique to Iranian society, the tension created in this movie has a strength that is sustained incredibly well. The least said the better, but the basics are that one person's innocent act of deception sparks a situation where a terrible accident becomes more and more devastating. I don't want to judge it right out of the gate, but this is probably the favorite of the festival for me.
SWEETGRASS
The energy and focus required to sit through a film festival shouldn't be discounted, and my Madison friend Steve noted with humor how a movie that literally involves the viewer watching lots and lots of sheep move across the screen might NOT be the best movie to keep you awake! And this is a very patient, beautiful documentary, very similar to the narrative movie Silent Light from last year, which lulled you into an appreciation for the rural lifestyle. This follows a final run of a traditional shepherd route in Montana, and there's beautiful vistas along with plenty of gritty cowboy humor and cursing. I have to add at this point the experience of watching this with the WIFF audience. It's not every crowd that can keep a constant chuckle going and sheeps simply bleating, and it was a very odd moment at the opening scene. A single sheep bleating, collar bell ringing... then growing audience laughter as the sheep slowly turns it's head and looks directly at the camera lens. I didn't find it funny by itself, but it was hard to resist this crowd getting so giddy.
A MATTER OF SIZE
I'm so sophisticated that the very first film that was obviously going to be a requirement of my film festival weekend involved fat Israelis wanting to take up Sumo wrestling! Too good a concept, with the self-deprecating Jewish humor combined with the old-fashioned team building exercise through sport. And this probably had some of the most cliche elements of all the movies... with a love interest and a betrayal and a clumsy forgiveness. No matter... this was so fun. I was curious about this Japanese Zionist movement though, that the sumo trainer was a part of.
A TOWN CALLED PANIC
This film had a "celebrity" introduction, as Nathan Rabin... writer for the Onion's AV Club... explained how this was a very silly movie we were going to see. It was great! However, the manic energy and breakneck speed risks giving you a headache. It's a stop-motion animated movie, but the characters are pretty crude action figurines, which makes it feel like a full length Robot Chicken, though much more surreal with less pop culture references. The key is the great cartoonish voice work. Even though it was in French, the goofy lines were delivered with such bounce and pushed the movie aggressively forward. It's also another great audience movie, and probably a great midnight movie of the future.
Final Four movies coming up!
This was a last minute entry. As I reshuffled my film viewing schedule due to unexpected work obligations back in Rockford, I decided to leave early on Friday and try to see an early evening film. I'm glad I did. This was one I had in mind, because Iran is one of the countries putting out very interesting movies with a unique tone. South Korea and Denmark are the other countries whose movies just feel different. This movie seems very simply structured, but due to both traditional character conflicts and social norms unique to Iranian society, the tension created in this movie has a strength that is sustained incredibly well. The least said the better, but the basics are that one person's innocent act of deception sparks a situation where a terrible accident becomes more and more devastating. I don't want to judge it right out of the gate, but this is probably the favorite of the festival for me.
SWEETGRASS
The energy and focus required to sit through a film festival shouldn't be discounted, and my Madison friend Steve noted with humor how a movie that literally involves the viewer watching lots and lots of sheep move across the screen might NOT be the best movie to keep you awake! And this is a very patient, beautiful documentary, very similar to the narrative movie Silent Light from last year, which lulled you into an appreciation for the rural lifestyle. This follows a final run of a traditional shepherd route in Montana, and there's beautiful vistas along with plenty of gritty cowboy humor and cursing. I have to add at this point the experience of watching this with the WIFF audience. It's not every crowd that can keep a constant chuckle going and sheeps simply bleating, and it was a very odd moment at the opening scene. A single sheep bleating, collar bell ringing... then growing audience laughter as the sheep slowly turns it's head and looks directly at the camera lens. I didn't find it funny by itself, but it was hard to resist this crowd getting so giddy.
A MATTER OF SIZE
I'm so sophisticated that the very first film that was obviously going to be a requirement of my film festival weekend involved fat Israelis wanting to take up Sumo wrestling! Too good a concept, with the self-deprecating Jewish humor combined with the old-fashioned team building exercise through sport. And this probably had some of the most cliche elements of all the movies... with a love interest and a betrayal and a clumsy forgiveness. No matter... this was so fun. I was curious about this Japanese Zionist movement though, that the sumo trainer was a part of.
A TOWN CALLED PANIC
This film had a "celebrity" introduction, as Nathan Rabin... writer for the Onion's AV Club... explained how this was a very silly movie we were going to see. It was great! However, the manic energy and breakneck speed risks giving you a headache. It's a stop-motion animated movie, but the characters are pretty crude action figurines, which makes it feel like a full length Robot Chicken, though much more surreal with less pop culture references. The key is the great cartoonish voice work. Even though it was in French, the goofy lines were delivered with such bounce and pushed the movie aggressively forward. It's also another great audience movie, and probably a great midnight movie of the future.
Final Four movies coming up!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
AND THE BEST MOVIE OF 2009
I am very eager to recap the eight (that's right eight!) films I saw at WIFF 2010.
But first let's quickly cap up my favorite movies of 2009
#10. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
9. AFTERSCHOOL
8. OBSERVE AND REPORT
7. RED CLIFF I AND II
6. STAR TREK
5. IGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
4. SILENT LIGHT
3. A SERIOUS MAN
2. THE WRESTLER
ooooo, I want to see all of them again!
NUMBER ONE:
CORALINE
I noticed with some surprise how #1 for 2009 happens to be in the same somewhat narrow category of film genres as #1 of 2008, since both Wall-E and Coraline are animated films geared for all ages. Despite my love of artistic violence and my distaste for movies that have characters that don’t act authentic to their gritty realistic setting, I seem to be most enthralled with movies that use the animated medium and the ability to literally create a fantastic world that taps into the pure escapism of cinema. I might go into a new film ready to analyze a style, or see if a performance matches up to the accolades it received, but when I want to just watch and be entertained, nothing seems to match the innocent and multi-sensual pleasure of a good narrative animation.
While Wall-E borrowed elements from a multitude of favorite genres and previous movies to make a perfect film catering to everyone, I think Coraline moved me in a more personal, tender way. Pop-up books were a real treat when I was a kid, with moving paper parts on each page adding new dimensions to child book illustrations while keeping in anchored in a literary medium. Coraline basically brought to life the most amazing pop-up book imaginable.
And with my interest in alternative animation growing, I also very much enjoyed that the film did not shy away from very dark imagery. Scenes could be both cute and the settings for nightmares, a juxtaposition of the evil and innocent that adds appropriate complexities to the movie and treats the audience like adults.
With particularly dazzling but somehow homespun visuals, Coraline continued the excitement I remember many moons ago of seeing Nightmare Before Christmas in an Oklahoma theater on Halloween night. As my viewing habits mature I can appreciate the grown-up storyline more while reminiscing on childhood fantasies, from the lighter and darker places of my psyche.
[I also eagerly picked up the Blu-Ray with 3D glasses of this movie, but I haven't had the time to watch it yet. This is still my #1 despite only a single viewing.]
Film festival report will be next!
But first let's quickly cap up my favorite movies of 2009
#10. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
9. AFTERSCHOOL
8. OBSERVE AND REPORT
7. RED CLIFF I AND II
6. STAR TREK
5. IGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
4. SILENT LIGHT
3. A SERIOUS MAN
2. THE WRESTLER
ooooo, I want to see all of them again!
NUMBER ONE:
CORALINE
I noticed with some surprise how #1 for 2009 happens to be in the same somewhat narrow category of film genres as #1 of 2008, since both Wall-E and Coraline are animated films geared for all ages. Despite my love of artistic violence and my distaste for movies that have characters that don’t act authentic to their gritty realistic setting, I seem to be most enthralled with movies that use the animated medium and the ability to literally create a fantastic world that taps into the pure escapism of cinema. I might go into a new film ready to analyze a style, or see if a performance matches up to the accolades it received, but when I want to just watch and be entertained, nothing seems to match the innocent and multi-sensual pleasure of a good narrative animation.
While Wall-E borrowed elements from a multitude of favorite genres and previous movies to make a perfect film catering to everyone, I think Coraline moved me in a more personal, tender way. Pop-up books were a real treat when I was a kid, with moving paper parts on each page adding new dimensions to child book illustrations while keeping in anchored in a literary medium. Coraline basically brought to life the most amazing pop-up book imaginable.
And with my interest in alternative animation growing, I also very much enjoyed that the film did not shy away from very dark imagery. Scenes could be both cute and the settings for nightmares, a juxtaposition of the evil and innocent that adds appropriate complexities to the movie and treats the audience like adults.
With particularly dazzling but somehow homespun visuals, Coraline continued the excitement I remember many moons ago of seeing Nightmare Before Christmas in an Oklahoma theater on Halloween night. As my viewing habits mature I can appreciate the grown-up storyline more while reminiscing on childhood fantasies, from the lighter and darker places of my psyche.
[I also eagerly picked up the Blu-Ray with 3D glasses of this movie, but I haven't had the time to watch it yet. This is still my #1 despite only a single viewing.]
Film festival report will be next!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Almost too late Tuesday
It's coming... my 3rd trip to the Wisconsin Film Festival!
You think I would want to hold off on the movies, but being home sick gives you a chunk of idle time that can't go unwasted (or wasted for that matter).
BIG FAN (2009)
Via Netflix Instant... I had heard a lot of nice things about this Patton Oswalt leading performance in a movie written and directed by the screenwriter of The Wrestler. It was great, with one of the best twist endings I have seen in a long time. I was pumping my fists in the air and how fooled I was about how the movie was going to end. Good job tricking the seasoned film-viewer!
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967)
Free James Bond on HD on Demand! After watching Bond films for a while now that have two influences on me. First, they make me want to travel... everything is shot so beautifully. Second... they tap into a base instinct to objectify women, but objectify them tastefully. I giggle at the garishness.
You think I would want to hold off on the movies, but being home sick gives you a chunk of idle time that can't go unwasted (or wasted for that matter).
BIG FAN (2009)
Via Netflix Instant... I had heard a lot of nice things about this Patton Oswalt leading performance in a movie written and directed by the screenwriter of The Wrestler. It was great, with one of the best twist endings I have seen in a long time. I was pumping my fists in the air and how fooled I was about how the movie was going to end. Good job tricking the seasoned film-viewer!
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967)
Free James Bond on HD on Demand! After watching Bond films for a while now that have two influences on me. First, they make me want to travel... everything is shot so beautifully. Second... they tap into a base instinct to objectify women, but objectify them tastefully. I giggle at the garishness.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Out Sick... Film's the Cure
BONNIE AND CLYDE 1967 (Blu-Ray)
One of Time Magazine's 100 Best Films, this film bounced up to the top of my viewing list in a unique convergence of my movie watching and reading habits. Nixonland, a history of the sixties and the conservative movement that came highly recommended by many political blogs I follow, referenced this movie as a key to understanding the counter-cultural movement of that era. What's interesting is the subtle ways a hippie anti-authoritarian mentality is represented by a movie about 1930s gangsters. I definitely think I saw it differently with a political sensitivity as I thought of the references Nixoland makes to this movie. As a cinematic experience, I think it really moved at a solid pace and was over before I thought deep characterizations could be developed. But I think that's what made this film so groundbreaking... a surface level of violence and throw-caution-to-the-wind narrative that made future films like this more acceptable.
BATTLE IN HEAVEN (2005) Netflix Instant
Carlos Reygadas, who directed Silent Light and Japon, with this film in between, stands firm as my challenging pet indie director. All three of these films have been disturbing, sexually graphic, and very patiently paced, but I never have seen long steady shots of landscapes be made so deliberately to further a film's vision. One technique I found interesting in all three films is the use of non-professional actors. While distracting (maybe even moreso if I didn't need the subtitles) the use of them seems more appropriate when the Director makes the location and scenery the star. You can have any person on camera stare into the horizon contemplatively without saying a word... it takes great skill to film the environment around the character in a way that you internalize the character's struggles.
I think I do anticipate this fellow's next film more than other modern directors. His style is so distinctive and evolving, that there are many possibilities to where he can go.
One of Time Magazine's 100 Best Films, this film bounced up to the top of my viewing list in a unique convergence of my movie watching and reading habits. Nixonland, a history of the sixties and the conservative movement that came highly recommended by many political blogs I follow, referenced this movie as a key to understanding the counter-cultural movement of that era. What's interesting is the subtle ways a hippie anti-authoritarian mentality is represented by a movie about 1930s gangsters. I definitely think I saw it differently with a political sensitivity as I thought of the references Nixoland makes to this movie. As a cinematic experience, I think it really moved at a solid pace and was over before I thought deep characterizations could be developed. But I think that's what made this film so groundbreaking... a surface level of violence and throw-caution-to-the-wind narrative that made future films like this more acceptable.
BATTLE IN HEAVEN (2005) Netflix Instant
Carlos Reygadas, who directed Silent Light and Japon, with this film in between, stands firm as my challenging pet indie director. All three of these films have been disturbing, sexually graphic, and very patiently paced, but I never have seen long steady shots of landscapes be made so deliberately to further a film's vision. One technique I found interesting in all three films is the use of non-professional actors. While distracting (maybe even moreso if I didn't need the subtitles) the use of them seems more appropriate when the Director makes the location and scenery the star. You can have any person on camera stare into the horizon contemplatively without saying a word... it takes great skill to film the environment around the character in a way that you internalize the character's struggles.
I think I do anticipate this fellow's next film more than other modern directors. His style is so distinctive and evolving, that there are many possibilities to where he can go.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
And some movies a day late
THE HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS (2001)
I was trying to remember why this was on my Netflix list... and it was from The Av Club's 19 Terrific Midnight Movies from the last 10 years list. Takashi Miike has made a few well-known cult horror films, and he also made a cameo appearance in Hostel. His extremely weird movie Gozu was actually one of the first random extremely obscure movies I chose to test the ability of my Netflix account to find any film out there for me to see. AV Club described Happiness as less inscrutable than most of his films... even calling it "brisk" and "bright" and there was an overall interesting film concept that sounded very intriguing, based on the idea that some of the horrifying moments were down in either claymation or live-action musical form. Well, it turned out to be as close to as weird and incomprehensible as anything an eccentric director would make. At a certain point late at night it's just hard to stay up to watch one incomprehsible albeit visually striking scene after another. So I had to split this movie up over two days. Absolutely out there, so an adventure for any film watcher.
A selection from the WIFF 2009 available on Netflix instant, that was strongly recommended by my Madison friends as hilarious. And it's very amusing, containing actors recognizable from Almodovar films. This is a genre the WIFF program listed as a "Spanish sex comedy", and I think it's distinctive features for me are a wide emotional spectrum from serious to slapstick, not a terrible focus on narrative, and a light-heartedness that might be more appropriate for an episode of a sitcom.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
2nd best movie of "2009"
Given my (mostly) strict rule of limiting my 2009 list to all new movies seen in theaters that year, there are some that are going to be hard to remember at this very late date. Two of them take the top spots, so don’t blame me for keeping the soliloquies on these great films short.
15 months after I saw this movie, what I can remember the most that makes this film close to timeless is the emotional impact of this character based story and the complete perfection of Mickey Rourke’s performance. More remarkable is that this was Directed by Darren Aronofsky, who had previously made the movies Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Fountain in a hyperactive uncompromising style that signaled broader and more bizarre stories in the director’s future. I can’t put my finger on the thin thread of consistency between these movies, but I think The Wrestler is such a reality-grounded and performance-based story, that the ambitious filmmaker of great skill just has to adapt his camera movements and narrative leanings and fold it into the dynamic character’s journey while staying true to the film’s working-class setting. What might be a conventional story about a ‘broken hero’ who tries to make good, in turn becomes a powerful and intimate film-watching experience, especially in the interesting interplay between the masculine posturing of professional wrestling and the flawed fragile men behind the sport.
A movie like this should have served as an indie film curiosity for me, but it really tugs at your emotional strings. It especially impacted me by raising the question of whether receiving appreciation of what you’re good at is more important than whether those skills or qualities significantly improve your life or those of anyone else close to you.
Monday, March 15, 2010
#3 of 2009
3. A SERIOUS MAN
For those you following at home, I mentioned that a movie got demoted from the top spot. Well this is that lucky film. But you can't blame me for being so ecstatic at an odd film that nearly perfectly presented the particular neuroses and whimsies of the Jewish culture I grew up, and filtered through the incredible freewheeling cinematic style of the Coen Brothers. It was the double the cult movie watching experience... combining the "cult" I'm a part of through my culture and faith, with the teasing narratives, misdirections, and inconclusiveness that was played to its darkest ends with No Country For Old Men and to its completely ridiculous ends with Burn After Reading. Now that I've calmed down from the first viewing I realize that perfect concoction does not make for the most structured fully-formed movie watching experience. No matter... I felt this film hit me deeper because of my Jewish identity, even moreso because of the constant questioning of my devotion to Judaism that has been on the frontburner in the recent year or two. A Serious Man convinced me through its weirdness and charms that the incessant insecurities, occasional paranoia, and simple fun stories are all part of the journey.
For those you following at home, I mentioned that a movie got demoted from the top spot. Well this is that lucky film. But you can't blame me for being so ecstatic at an odd film that nearly perfectly presented the particular neuroses and whimsies of the Jewish culture I grew up, and filtered through the incredible freewheeling cinematic style of the Coen Brothers. It was the double the cult movie watching experience... combining the "cult" I'm a part of through my culture and faith, with the teasing narratives, misdirections, and inconclusiveness that was played to its darkest ends with No Country For Old Men and to its completely ridiculous ends with Burn After Reading. Now that I've calmed down from the first viewing I realize that perfect concoction does not make for the most structured fully-formed movie watching experience. No matter... I felt this film hit me deeper because of my Jewish identity, even moreso because of the constant questioning of my devotion to Judaism that has been on the frontburner in the recent year or two. A Serious Man convinced me through its weirdness and charms that the incessant insecurities, occasional paranoia, and simple fun stories are all part of the journey.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
One relevant movie
how appropriate that I had this out on Netflix over Oscar weekend!
THE HURT LOCKER (2009)
I'm going to defer a longer commentary on Oscar-caliber movies another time. I'll just say this was solid and interestingly filmed, but lacked the heft of anything I would consider a cinematic masterpiece. Whether the Oscars actually designate cinematic masterpieces is, again, another discussion.
I rewarded myself for a super top secret life improvement project tonight by watching a Comcast On Demand of all the Oscar nominated live action short films of last year. They were all excellent. Auf Der Strecke (On the Line) which didn't win the award taps into such an emotional range in a half hour with such a level power that feature lengths only dream of reaching.
THE HURT LOCKER (2009)
I'm going to defer a longer commentary on Oscar-caliber movies another time. I'll just say this was solid and interestingly filmed, but lacked the heft of anything I would consider a cinematic masterpiece. Whether the Oscars actually designate cinematic masterpieces is, again, another discussion.
I rewarded myself for a super top secret life improvement project tonight by watching a Comcast On Demand of all the Oscar nominated live action short films of last year. They were all excellent. Auf Der Strecke (On the Line) which didn't win the award taps into such an emotional range in a half hour with such a level power that feature lengths only dream of reaching.
Monday, March 1, 2010
More 2009 movies
Falling REALLY behind here
Favorite movies of 2009...
6. STAR TREK
Speaking of straightforward blockbusters (which Red Cliff would be in America if it was in English), how about blockbusters that tap into a decades old mythology while remaining fresh and entertaining! With a use of time travel that did not seem like a cop out because of the lack of interesting ideas (Star Trek IV, with the whales), this movie provided a clean slate for a lot of potential adventures.
5. IGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
I did review this the first time I saw it because I thought exclamation points were enough to express the consistent joy that comes with seeing a Quentin Tarantino movie. Whether this is something I will not tire of upon a second viewing well the jury might be out on that. Some Tarantino haters or particular film snobs were just looking for a reason to nitpick this movie, while I believe that if we were going to be upset at the faults of his movies, we would have given up on him as soon as The Bride when from a coma to wiggling her big toe to paying for a plane ticket to Japan in a day. I will give credit to those who said the scenes of tension (after the holy-crap heart-pounding opening scene) repeated themselves and seem to have the same climax. The odd twist into a Nazi revenge fantasy and alternate history was also difficult to take in, but exciting. But the dialogue, the style, the shattering of expectations... all here and in full force. The only thing I can say is that maybe, just maybe, some of the films flaws will make it so I might not be eager to see a particular TYPE of Tarantino movie in the future if, for example, it was strictly about gangsters covering the same territory as Pulp Fiction. The familiar tropes are there to see and if front and center I might not want to see them again knowing that Quentin is much more able to confuse and confound and mesmerize by bending expectations and tackling different types of topics.
4. SILENT LIGHT
Talked a lot about this WIFF movie here. I still think it's a uniquely crafted movie that is beautiful to watch and awards patience with meditative transcendence. And call me culturally ignorant, but I still can't believe that there are Mexican Menonites. From Speedy Gonzales to Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite, thanks a lot popular culture for making me think of our Southern neighbors as a diverse but ultimately non-Plaudeitsch speaking Hispanic country.
Favorite movies of 2009...
6. STAR TREK
Speaking of straightforward blockbusters (which Red Cliff would be in America if it was in English), how about blockbusters that tap into a decades old mythology while remaining fresh and entertaining! With a use of time travel that did not seem like a cop out because of the lack of interesting ideas (Star Trek IV, with the whales), this movie provided a clean slate for a lot of potential adventures.
5. IGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
I did review this the first time I saw it because I thought exclamation points were enough to express the consistent joy that comes with seeing a Quentin Tarantino movie. Whether this is something I will not tire of upon a second viewing well the jury might be out on that. Some Tarantino haters or particular film snobs were just looking for a reason to nitpick this movie, while I believe that if we were going to be upset at the faults of his movies, we would have given up on him as soon as The Bride when from a coma to wiggling her big toe to paying for a plane ticket to Japan in a day. I will give credit to those who said the scenes of tension (after the holy-crap heart-pounding opening scene) repeated themselves and seem to have the same climax. The odd twist into a Nazi revenge fantasy and alternate history was also difficult to take in, but exciting. But the dialogue, the style, the shattering of expectations... all here and in full force. The only thing I can say is that maybe, just maybe, some of the films flaws will make it so I might not be eager to see a particular TYPE of Tarantino movie in the future if, for example, it was strictly about gangsters covering the same territory as Pulp Fiction. The familiar tropes are there to see and if front and center I might not want to see them again knowing that Quentin is much more able to confuse and confound and mesmerize by bending expectations and tackling different types of topics.
4. SILENT LIGHT
Talked a lot about this WIFF movie here. I still think it's a uniquely crafted movie that is beautiful to watch and awards patience with meditative transcendence. And call me culturally ignorant, but I still can't believe that there are Mexican Menonites. From Speedy Gonzales to Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite, thanks a lot popular culture for making me think of our Southern neighbors as a diverse but ultimately non-Plaudeitsch speaking Hispanic country.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Movies... lots of 'em through Tuesday.
I'm proud to say I took mostly full advantage of my 3-day weekend... although I never got to tackling my list of WIFF 2009 selections (tricky since the WIFF 2010 is coming right up!).
As an aside I started the weekend off my rewatching No Country For Old Men (2007). Upon second viewing, it's MUCH better, and by that I mean it's definitely more coherent, and incredibly more depressing and disturbing.
Then we hit all new movies through Netflix Instant
DOUBT (2008)
Oscar season is around, and all the neat actors nominated for this movie convinced me to see it. Powerful performances, morally ambiguous story, but it very much felt like a filmed play. Nothing wrong with that, of course, just feels different.
PURPLE RAIN (1984)
I knew I'd be pretty tired but I started this movie at 11pm at night anyway... thought it wouldn't require much thought. I did have kind of high hopes for this, since I heard rumblings over the years that this was one of the less atrocious 'music' movies. I think it reached the low bar I set for it, but it didn't go too far beyond it. I thought Prince had some more fantastical elements to his persona that would have required some more out-there visuals to match the astounding music, but it wasn't incredibly coherent. Hardly picky though, when the music and performances were awesome, I guess it was too much to ask for a plot behind it all that didn't seem tacked on... Computer Blue was dancing through my head at work today though.
SYNECHDOCHE, NEW YORK (2008)
HERE'S a movie you have to pay attention to. This takes the whimsy with mental memory moving the narrative of movie that worked so perfectly in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and takes it completely to a more dark, and so much more confusing place. But I don't think it's just confusing for confusion's sake. It is just layered so much, that it's not a film to be simply enjoyed, it has to be understood, even if comprehending the backstory of Philip Seymour Hoffman's character is a futile task.
As an aside I started the weekend off my rewatching No Country For Old Men (2007). Upon second viewing, it's MUCH better, and by that I mean it's definitely more coherent, and incredibly more depressing and disturbing.
Then we hit all new movies through Netflix Instant
DOUBT (2008)
Oscar season is around, and all the neat actors nominated for this movie convinced me to see it. Powerful performances, morally ambiguous story, but it very much felt like a filmed play. Nothing wrong with that, of course, just feels different.
PURPLE RAIN (1984)
I knew I'd be pretty tired but I started this movie at 11pm at night anyway... thought it wouldn't require much thought. I did have kind of high hopes for this, since I heard rumblings over the years that this was one of the less atrocious 'music' movies. I think it reached the low bar I set for it, but it didn't go too far beyond it. I thought Prince had some more fantastical elements to his persona that would have required some more out-there visuals to match the astounding music, but it wasn't incredibly coherent. Hardly picky though, when the music and performances were awesome, I guess it was too much to ask for a plot behind it all that didn't seem tacked on... Computer Blue was dancing through my head at work today though.
SYNECHDOCHE, NEW YORK (2008)
HERE'S a movie you have to pay attention to. This takes the whimsy with mental memory moving the narrative of movie that worked so perfectly in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and takes it completely to a more dark, and so much more confusing place. But I don't think it's just confusing for confusion's sake. It is just layered so much, that it's not a film to be simply enjoyed, it has to be understood, even if comprehending the backstory of Philip Seymour Hoffman's character is a futile task.
Friday, February 5, 2010
ENTRY SEVEN (Yes, it's been a while)
See here for context.
TOPSY TURVY (1999)
LA BELLE NOISEUSE (1991)
As much as I like to pretend on this site that I’m a very devoted movie buff, I admit that I am not adopting the viewing habits of a true cinephile. Much to my chagrin, I am barely chipping away at my Netflix Queue, and there are other tastes and hobbies that I am trying to nurture (such as film criticism!) that make the prospect of watching a movie not always the most attractive use of my free time. When I do decide to commit to watching a 2-3 hour film, I inevitably open myself to millions of potential distractions.
Some of these distractions are based on life problems, lingering work issues, and conflicts I’m avoiding by giving in to my couch potato leanings. A very healthy portion of these thoughts go towards the stacks of creative works that I need to digest very soon if I want to feel like a current, cultured person. Overall, though, all of these distractions can be summed up by the nagging reality that, as I am watching something on a screen, I could be doing something else. Perhaps that’s why going to a theater will always be attractive to me. In addition to the comfortable seating, superior soundsystems, and the satisfaction of seeing something new or obscure before it's available to everyone for home purchase, the theater setting is the ideal way to remove the outside world from my consciousness and to prepare myself for the singular experience of movie-watching, with no discernable escape route to books, music, TV, or other mediums.
When I leave that singular theater world, I find it constantly overwhelming about how much simple access to everything the average person with an Internet connection has. You no longer have to live in a ritzy big city to see an obscure art movie-- just dial it up on Netflix and watch it online. If I refuse to cater to a prime-time TV schedule and miss a show that I want to follow, I can watch it, at my convenience, from a high quality streaming site on the Internet such as Hulu, or watch it on the DVR built into my cable box. My high school years featuring the regular sessions of obsessing over music purchase decisions are over. Time I would spend perusing through music store shelves figuring out which CD is both reasonably priced and worth buying is now spent deciding which of the dozens albums, both old and new, I should listen to at the click of a mouse through online streaming services. For the price of one physical CD, my monthly subscription rate to Rhapsody.com gives me access to tens of thousands of records. Of course, I could just ingest vast quantities of new music, through dozens of music review websites and mp3 blogs offering content for free that goes straight into my iTunes playlist, 5500+ songs strong. I remember when I was eager to pick up the faint signal of the college radio station from Oklahoma State University 90 miles away from my house, with its mix of cutting edge indie rock and some familiar alternative favorites. With my own personal playlist, I can pretty much create a parallel listening experience, with new noncommercial songs mixed in with classics that have stood the test of time. This access has been refreshing, but it is also clearly a double-edged sword. The possibility of appreciating all of these creative works at your typing fingertips is nearly impossible with this newly universal access, even given a whole lifetime at your disposal. Free time, of course is limited. TV shows, movies, books, music, arts, crafts, recreation, contemplation, charity work… if you can figure out how to do even 2 of these leisure activities simultaneously without one or the other drifting to the background, more power to you. However, there are so many waking hours in a day, a maximum of five senses, and only so many limbs to spare for multitasking.
Compellingly, there’s an emerging artistic sensitivity developing in response to a world that now seems so accessible yet so distant because everything is made available without any struggle. The Radiohead album OK Computer comes to mind, as well as the movie Lost in Translation, where modernity is embraced and creatively portrayed, yet timeless alienation and loneliness abound despite all the new-fangled bells and whistles. Humanity perseveres despite this coldness, but as a consequence of sensory overload, everything needs to make more of a splash to command the consumer’s attention over the din of everything else.
Despite all of the distractions around us, art is not supposed to be digested in fragments or as an afterthought, and the creators of art, in all likelihood, want your full attention despite other available stimuli. Once they manage to grab your attention with something provocative, what if they take a bolder step, to not only demand your attention but indulge in whatever length of time is necessary to share their vision? While a visually arresting or sensational series of images, words, or sounds in film can shock the senses, another more meditative kind of jolt occurs when a filmmaker decides that patience is a paramount virtue, and that it might be more arresting to portray the process of something being created than the creation itself. Sure, that flower you just walked past is pretty, but wouldn’t it be pleasing, or at least compellingly different, if you sat for a while and watched it bloom?
Sometimes I actually do find myself in situations when I must cede control of some of my life to another force that is not primarily motivated to give me immediate satisfaction. Whether at a religious service, at a symphony concert, or even stuck on a commuter train with no high tech gadgetry to pass the time, with the right mindset you can reach a relaxed yet focused state somewhere in between the feelings of utter boredom and intense, immediate gratification. That happy medium can be conjured up by creative artists willing to take the time to create a world, and focus on the process of this world being created, rather than unveil a product nearly finished right from the beginning.
These two films (the only film pairing in this series) serve as a jumping off point for my appreciation of those long movies which you might call indulgent if you’re in the mood for something direct. But unlike some earlier entries that are indirect in other ways, these films have the potential to be attractive to more audiences, despite their lengths, because the lack of narrative urgency serves a obvious purpose, which is to establish a portrayal of the artistic process as important to the evocative nature of the final works. Sure there are some avant-garde, experimental elements in these movies, but the direction of those elements isn’t entirely to serve the discerning appreciators of stylistic cinema, but in order to reveal the process of an artistic expression being constructed before one’s very eyes. Think of these movies as the far more expressive version of the “making of” specials on any DVD bonus feature, integrated as the central premise of a feature in the most compelling way possible.
The newer of the two films, Topsy Turvy (1999), is actually the one I saw first at the single-screen independent theater across the street from Drake University. It is directed by Mike Leigh, who has a distinct film style and film making technique that makes anticipation of his works at almost as high a level as Quentin Tarantino, although for completely different reasons. As Quentin is a complete master of slick cinematic dialogue (how many times I mutter his lines to myself while walking around is something I don’t want to reveal), Mike Leigh is known for having no scripted dialogue whatsoever. Leigh, in interviews, isn’t very forthcoming about how he goes about making full vital films with very little script or plot direction, but I can imagine he works very intensely with his actors to create a whole life for his characters before a camera first begins to roll. The freedom inherent is having a character be so fully embodied beforehand that the touching, human moments improvised by his films occur naturally and without reading prewritten lines is quite exciting to behold, and makes you incredibly respectful of the professionalism the men and women bring to his movies. With that in mind, the accomplishment of Topsy Turvy is amazing. It’s a behind the scenes glimpse, and so much more, of the creative process leading up to the original premiere, in London, of the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta The Mikado in the late nineteenth century. But while it would be amusing to watch the actors and actresses rehearse their lines and songs (and there are extensive, entertaining scenes of that), Topsy Turvy first and foremost recognizes the vital and complex human beings that through creative frustrations, collaboration and conflict, and some random inspiration, create a nearly perfect work of art. The actors playing both Gilbert and Sullivan are incredible. You cannot have a film so powerful without making the main characters so troubled, complex, and well-defined in their ambitions and hang-ups that the timelessness of the final work they produce seems almost like a beautiful fluke.
At the time, I was totally unfamiliar with the music. I think I just wanted to go to the cute little theater on campus for the first time. For someone who loves the Mikado and other Gilbert and Sullivan music, however, this film in incredibly engaging. In fact, I have become a huge fan of those dainty and witty operettas since I saw this thanks to my Mom’s surprising confession that this music was something her family obsessed over when she was growing up. In watching this with her and my extended family for the second time at my grandparent’s house, now being familiar with the Mikado, the film is exponentially better. The moments of inspiration, at the first fiery spark of understanding by the creators of this music that they are on to something special, is all the more stronger when you independently adore the art they are making. This movie would not be the same however, if it is was a biopic about the “Making of the Mikado”. Most of the other Mike Leigh films I’m aware of are set in the present, and while the improvisational style is still incredibly engaging, there is a certain perfect balance of refinement and loose structure with Topsy Turvy, all the more respectable knowing that the actors and actresses had to not only build a unique character, but make these people historically accurate.
What I’m trying to centralize about this particular film essay can be summed up by a critic’s praise for Topsy Turvy being that it was a perfect depiction of the “artistic process”. What is so counterintuitive about “process” being an engaging subject of cinema? The answer could be in the second installment of this film pairing, La Belle Noiseuse. Made in 1991, and directed by Jacques Rivette, who is known for making very long movies that are never rushed. You might as well confirm my film snob status right now if I mention that La Belle’s running time is 237 minutes, except that his movie from the early 70s called Out 1, lasted 750 minutes long and wasn’t properly released in the U.S. until a few years ago. Nonetheless, La Belle was spread out over two DVDs, and in line with my short attention span (and just bad scheduling) I ashamedly did watch this movie in installments over two days. Hopefully that doesn’t put me in a second-tier league of film snobbery to break up the experience of this movie, because I truly think the power of the movie wasn’t diminished with my viewing habits. Quite simply, La Belle Noiseuse is about an old artist who has long retired from painting. He’s quietly living with his family in a rural chateau until a dealer (or someone in a business relationship with the artist) visits his home and brings his girlfriend along. It’s revealed (relatively quickly compared to the slow tide of the rest of the movie) that this girlfriend was brought here as a subtle way to inspire the artist to come out of retirement and restart a painting project that he abandoned decades ago. It’s initially successful, since he does start painting again, with the beautiful young French lady as the subject model. However, the film then moves into a narrative territory that is abstract, inconclusive, and very oriented towards the process of creating, regardless of whether that process leads to anything tangible.
The most bold move of the film, that rewards incredible amounts of patience, are the extended scenes where the artist, in real time (no montages here) poses and draws sketches of his subject. Every second imaginable is used to capture the art of creation but also the even more invigorating mix of emotions that might come with being the subject of creation. There are no shortcuts in this movie that make the characters feelings evolve in abrupt ways. Rather it’s a very meditative movie, featuring a small handful of characters with the artist and its subject taking up most of the screen time. The shots are often static, but the variations of angles towards the portrayal of these two people in the process of creating comes close to capturing that invisible electricity that people feel when they create art for its own sake. Only unlike The Mikado, which is very well known work on its own, this whole painting project is completely personal. We didn’t know this artist, and we don’t know what he’s painting, and without spoiling everything, we never really know what he paints. The focus is on the creator and the creative process, and putting that in the context of the painting of a personal masterpiece isn’t as abstract as it seems.
That's what is particularly exciting about these two movies... the subtle but approachable ways that both films emphasize how important the journey of creation is compared to the destination. The Mikado is a prim and proper (and witty) operetta created by troubled, flawed creators. You'll never hear the music of the Mikado the same way again, but you can appreciate it more fully after seeing Topsy Turvy. While we don't know what La Belle's final creation will be, we do know that it is so moving, powerful, and troubling a piece to the artist and the model that we don't need to see what the physical finished work looks like.... our imaginations do more work than any film image could. Only by painstakingly taking us on the artistic path very patiently and deliberately do these filmmakers earn the right to reveal that the process of something beautiful being formed... the unstructured and slow scenes that made us occasionally restless, distracted, and anxious... were the main point of the movie all along.
TOPSY TURVY (1999)
LA BELLE NOISEUSE (1991)
As much as I like to pretend on this site that I’m a very devoted movie buff, I admit that I am not adopting the viewing habits of a true cinephile. Much to my chagrin, I am barely chipping away at my Netflix Queue, and there are other tastes and hobbies that I am trying to nurture (such as film criticism!) that make the prospect of watching a movie not always the most attractive use of my free time. When I do decide to commit to watching a 2-3 hour film, I inevitably open myself to millions of potential distractions.Some of these distractions are based on life problems, lingering work issues, and conflicts I’m avoiding by giving in to my couch potato leanings. A very healthy portion of these thoughts go towards the stacks of creative works that I need to digest very soon if I want to feel like a current, cultured person. Overall, though, all of these distractions can be summed up by the nagging reality that, as I am watching something on a screen, I could be doing something else. Perhaps that’s why going to a theater will always be attractive to me. In addition to the comfortable seating, superior soundsystems, and the satisfaction of seeing something new or obscure before it's available to everyone for home purchase, the theater setting is the ideal way to remove the outside world from my consciousness and to prepare myself for the singular experience of movie-watching, with no discernable escape route to books, music, TV, or other mediums.
When I leave that singular theater world, I find it constantly overwhelming about how much simple access to everything the average person with an Internet connection has. You no longer have to live in a ritzy big city to see an obscure art movie-- just dial it up on Netflix and watch it online. If I refuse to cater to a prime-time TV schedule and miss a show that I want to follow, I can watch it, at my convenience, from a high quality streaming site on the Internet such as Hulu, or watch it on the DVR built into my cable box. My high school years featuring the regular sessions of obsessing over music purchase decisions are over. Time I would spend perusing through music store shelves figuring out which CD is both reasonably priced and worth buying is now spent deciding which of the dozens albums, both old and new, I should listen to at the click of a mouse through online streaming services. For the price of one physical CD, my monthly subscription rate to Rhapsody.com gives me access to tens of thousands of records. Of course, I could just ingest vast quantities of new music, through dozens of music review websites and mp3 blogs offering content for free that goes straight into my iTunes playlist, 5500+ songs strong. I remember when I was eager to pick up the faint signal of the college radio station from Oklahoma State University 90 miles away from my house, with its mix of cutting edge indie rock and some familiar alternative favorites. With my own personal playlist, I can pretty much create a parallel listening experience, with new noncommercial songs mixed in with classics that have stood the test of time. This access has been refreshing, but it is also clearly a double-edged sword. The possibility of appreciating all of these creative works at your typing fingertips is nearly impossible with this newly universal access, even given a whole lifetime at your disposal. Free time, of course is limited. TV shows, movies, books, music, arts, crafts, recreation, contemplation, charity work… if you can figure out how to do even 2 of these leisure activities simultaneously without one or the other drifting to the background, more power to you. However, there are so many waking hours in a day, a maximum of five senses, and only so many limbs to spare for multitasking.
Compellingly, there’s an emerging artistic sensitivity developing in response to a world that now seems so accessible yet so distant because everything is made available without any struggle. The Radiohead album OK Computer comes to mind, as well as the movie Lost in Translation, where modernity is embraced and creatively portrayed, yet timeless alienation and loneliness abound despite all the new-fangled bells and whistles. Humanity perseveres despite this coldness, but as a consequence of sensory overload, everything needs to make more of a splash to command the consumer’s attention over the din of everything else.
Despite all of the distractions around us, art is not supposed to be digested in fragments or as an afterthought, and the creators of art, in all likelihood, want your full attention despite other available stimuli. Once they manage to grab your attention with something provocative, what if they take a bolder step, to not only demand your attention but indulge in whatever length of time is necessary to share their vision? While a visually arresting or sensational series of images, words, or sounds in film can shock the senses, another more meditative kind of jolt occurs when a filmmaker decides that patience is a paramount virtue, and that it might be more arresting to portray the process of something being created than the creation itself. Sure, that flower you just walked past is pretty, but wouldn’t it be pleasing, or at least compellingly different, if you sat for a while and watched it bloom?
Sometimes I actually do find myself in situations when I must cede control of some of my life to another force that is not primarily motivated to give me immediate satisfaction. Whether at a religious service, at a symphony concert, or even stuck on a commuter train with no high tech gadgetry to pass the time, with the right mindset you can reach a relaxed yet focused state somewhere in between the feelings of utter boredom and intense, immediate gratification. That happy medium can be conjured up by creative artists willing to take the time to create a world, and focus on the process of this world being created, rather than unveil a product nearly finished right from the beginning.
These two films (the only film pairing in this series) serve as a jumping off point for my appreciation of those long movies which you might call indulgent if you’re in the mood for something direct. But unlike some earlier entries that are indirect in other ways, these films have the potential to be attractive to more audiences, despite their lengths, because the lack of narrative urgency serves a obvious purpose, which is to establish a portrayal of the artistic process as important to the evocative nature of the final works. Sure there are some avant-garde, experimental elements in these movies, but the direction of those elements isn’t entirely to serve the discerning appreciators of stylistic cinema, but in order to reveal the process of an artistic expression being constructed before one’s very eyes. Think of these movies as the far more expressive version of the “making of” specials on any DVD bonus feature, integrated as the central premise of a feature in the most compelling way possible.
The newer of the two films, Topsy Turvy (1999), is actually the one I saw first at the single-screen independent theater across the street from Drake University. It is directed by Mike Leigh, who has a distinct film style and film making technique that makes anticipation of his works at almost as high a level as Quentin Tarantino, although for completely different reasons. As Quentin is a complete master of slick cinematic dialogue (how many times I mutter his lines to myself while walking around is something I don’t want to reveal), Mike Leigh is known for having no scripted dialogue whatsoever. Leigh, in interviews, isn’t very forthcoming about how he goes about making full vital films with very little script or plot direction, but I can imagine he works very intensely with his actors to create a whole life for his characters before a camera first begins to roll. The freedom inherent is having a character be so fully embodied beforehand that the touching, human moments improvised by his films occur naturally and without reading prewritten lines is quite exciting to behold, and makes you incredibly respectful of the professionalism the men and women bring to his movies. With that in mind, the accomplishment of Topsy Turvy is amazing. It’s a behind the scenes glimpse, and so much more, of the creative process leading up to the original premiere, in London, of the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta The Mikado in the late nineteenth century. But while it would be amusing to watch the actors and actresses rehearse their lines and songs (and there are extensive, entertaining scenes of that), Topsy Turvy first and foremost recognizes the vital and complex human beings that through creative frustrations, collaboration and conflict, and some random inspiration, create a nearly perfect work of art. The actors playing both Gilbert and Sullivan are incredible. You cannot have a film so powerful without making the main characters so troubled, complex, and well-defined in their ambitions and hang-ups that the timelessness of the final work they produce seems almost like a beautiful fluke.
At the time, I was totally unfamiliar with the music. I think I just wanted to go to the cute little theater on campus for the first time. For someone who loves the Mikado and other Gilbert and Sullivan music, however, this film in incredibly engaging. In fact, I have become a huge fan of those dainty and witty operettas since I saw this thanks to my Mom’s surprising confession that this music was something her family obsessed over when she was growing up. In watching this with her and my extended family for the second time at my grandparent’s house, now being familiar with the Mikado, the film is exponentially better. The moments of inspiration, at the first fiery spark of understanding by the creators of this music that they are on to something special, is all the more stronger when you independently adore the art they are making. This movie would not be the same however, if it is was a biopic about the “Making of the Mikado”. Most of the other Mike Leigh films I’m aware of are set in the present, and while the improvisational style is still incredibly engaging, there is a certain perfect balance of refinement and loose structure with Topsy Turvy, all the more respectable knowing that the actors and actresses had to not only build a unique character, but make these people historically accurate.
What I’m trying to centralize about this particular film essay can be summed up by a critic’s praise for Topsy Turvy being that it was a perfect depiction of the “artistic process”. What is so counterintuitive about “process” being an engaging subject of cinema? The answer could be in the second installment of this film pairing, La Belle Noiseuse. Made in 1991, and directed by Jacques Rivette, who is known for making very long movies that are never rushed. You might as well confirm my film snob status right now if I mention that La Belle’s running time is 237 minutes, except that his movie from the early 70s called Out 1, lasted 750 minutes long and wasn’t properly released in the U.S. until a few years ago. Nonetheless, La Belle was spread out over two DVDs, and in line with my short attention span (and just bad scheduling) I ashamedly did watch this movie in installments over two days. Hopefully that doesn’t put me in a second-tier league of film snobbery to break up the experience of this movie, because I truly think the power of the movie wasn’t diminished with my viewing habits. Quite simply, La Belle Noiseuse is about an old artist who has long retired from painting. He’s quietly living with his family in a rural chateau until a dealer (or someone in a business relationship with the artist) visits his home and brings his girlfriend along. It’s revealed (relatively quickly compared to the slow tide of the rest of the movie) that this girlfriend was brought here as a subtle way to inspire the artist to come out of retirement and restart a painting project that he abandoned decades ago. It’s initially successful, since he does start painting again, with the beautiful young French lady as the subject model. However, the film then moves into a narrative territory that is abstract, inconclusive, and very oriented towards the process of creating, regardless of whether that process leads to anything tangible.
The most bold move of the film, that rewards incredible amounts of patience, are the extended scenes where the artist, in real time (no montages here) poses and draws sketches of his subject. Every second imaginable is used to capture the art of creation but also the even more invigorating mix of emotions that might come with being the subject of creation. There are no shortcuts in this movie that make the characters feelings evolve in abrupt ways. Rather it’s a very meditative movie, featuring a small handful of characters with the artist and its subject taking up most of the screen time. The shots are often static, but the variations of angles towards the portrayal of these two people in the process of creating comes close to capturing that invisible electricity that people feel when they create art for its own sake. Only unlike The Mikado, which is very well known work on its own, this whole painting project is completely personal. We didn’t know this artist, and we don’t know what he’s painting, and without spoiling everything, we never really know what he paints. The focus is on the creator and the creative process, and putting that in the context of the painting of a personal masterpiece isn’t as abstract as it seems.
That's what is particularly exciting about these two movies... the subtle but approachable ways that both films emphasize how important the journey of creation is compared to the destination. The Mikado is a prim and proper (and witty) operetta created by troubled, flawed creators. You'll never hear the music of the Mikado the same way again, but you can appreciate it more fully after seeing Topsy Turvy. While we don't know what La Belle's final creation will be, we do know that it is so moving, powerful, and troubling a piece to the artist and the model that we don't need to see what the physical finished work looks like.... our imaginations do more work than any film image could. Only by painstakingly taking us on the artistic path very patiently and deliberately do these filmmakers earn the right to reveal that the process of something beautiful being formed... the unstructured and slow scenes that made us occasionally restless, distracted, and anxious... were the main point of the movie all along.
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