TRON (1982)

Enormous credit has to go to the Matrix for introducing the concept to me of a complete alternate reality created by computers.   These films aren't really comparable, but I think for my generation the Matrix was a gateway drug to this kind of heady science film, stylized in a slick way that the MTV generation could find appealing.  Now we have this earlier interpretation, where the computer wasn't a prison for humanity's minds but a universe where elements of a data network were personified into characters with distinct relationships to their system.  Pretty geeky stuff but approachable if you try just a little bit to understand it.

I can't imagine how mind-blowing this must have been for people from 1982 to see this.  1982... when I was one year old!  You have to excuse me for laughing at the special effects, because  sometimes it was just too much.   "Why don't they fill these graphics in!" I was saying to myself.  But in actuality Tron likely pushed movies to the absolute edge of what they could accomplish visually for it's time.  I might assume that a movie focusing on innovative graphics would be all flash but no substance, but I actual found very little movie cliches that could take me out of the story for the duration of the film.  I think it's effective, in particular, when you have to focus on the alternative lingo of a new world.  Finding out what a "program" means to these characters, as well as a "user", and an "MCP" gives you an additional puzzle to acclimate to this universe.

I think the power of a completely realized cinematic world is that you actually feel like you were cheated by the movie's running time in that you couldn't explore this world for days.  Tron isn't some overhyped baby-boomer geek fetish.  It's the real deal... a stunning and exciting visual kaleidoscope with a solid story and concept.

Grade:  A-

NUMBER 7

NUMBER 7 FILM OF 2011

 

URBANIZED

So, here I am now, moved from Chicago to San Antonio in a big career and big life move.  I was able to build off of a small portion of my work in Rockford into a new position that is full of challenges and new opportunities.  My municipal organization is different, this big city is very different, and the range of duties and tools at my disposal are at times better and at times more frustrating than my old position.  My title is "Senior Planner" but the explanation of my position to outsiders is getting more and more difficult.  "What planners do..." is becoming a hard question to answer, as the academic pursuit of a planning degree gets further distant from the practice of fitting into a multifaceted group of professionals... some of which don't need to know how important your training is, but rather what you can deliver to the department. 

With time I now have great memories of seeing this movie in the Gene Siskel Film Center (one of my final cinematic experiences) in a theater full of urban planning students, a few old professors and scattered groups of oddball planning enthusiasts.  Urbanized showed for only a limited run and this was the final screening.

This film wasn't perfect.  I was joking with my Chicago planner friends that this wasn't quite the propaganda I was looking for that could turn people to the dark side and be full flag waving supporters of community planning.

What it provided was something more nuanced however.  These vignettes of the complicated situations that arise when folks try to organize space is a reflection of the often chaotic contexts in which planners work.  What is one group's opportunity for grand urban transformation is another group's destruction of natural heritage.  As I work more on specific projects and physical sites in my work I'm going to try not to lose sight that planning is an inherently philosophical profession.  Whether it's a suburban cul-de-sac or a gentrifying neighborhood, planners can't exist unless there is a universal understanding that organizing around the good of a community is an approach that can provide benefits to everyone. Urbanized encouraged that kind of conversation in an age of individualism, and it makes it essential viewing, and at least a top ten film for me.

Cleaning

The halfway point of the year has almost passed, so soon I will need to roll off my Favorite Films of 2011 for safekeeping.

For now a little housecleaning as I was dragged out to see some fairly pleasant big-screen blockbusters over the past few weeks.

MEN IN BLACK 2 (2002)

Almost completely forgettable.  Saw snippets of this on Cable TV over the years and trusted the reviews that said it was a crappy sequel.  I only watched it to take advantage of my uncle's big TV and to prepare myself for #3, which he bought me tickets to see in McAllen when I visited them over Memorial Day weekend.

MEN IN BLACK 3 (2012)

I have to say I was really surprised when I read reviews that said this was actually good.  Maybe a good 10 years is enough to let the motivation for a cop-out sequel to die down a bit and for someone creative to tackle this world again.  And actually, while it didn't completely shed its sequel grime (a telltale sign is the tongue-in-cheek repetition of tired elements of previous movies), it was engaging and weird, with a really powerful ending.

GOD BLESS AMERICA (2011)

Ah, back to obscure indie movies.  This movie was promoted by Writer/Director Bobcat Goldthwait on no less than 2 comedy podcasts which I pay attention to.  I was worried that it wouldn't reach my area.  But it did play in hipster-haven Austin when I visited.  First off, this was my first experience in the Alamo Drafthouse Austin Ritz, right on the main strip of clubs and music venues downtown.  Great theater with full restaurant service.  Neatest of all, it wasn't your chain cinema roll of previews they showed prior to the movie, but a mixture of clips that really prepared you for the movie.  I'm talking Bobcat Goldthwait comedy clips, the climatic scene of Taxi Driver, previews for vigilante movies, and disturbing exceprts from the trashiest actual reality shows like Toddlers and Tiaras and My Super Sweet 16.  The movie isn't perfect but taps into a dark place, the kind that feels like it would be such a release to lash out at the mean-spirited ignorance and stupidity of the world with brutal violence.

PROMETHEUS (2012)

My first visit to San Antonio's IMAX multiplex... a lush and beautiful science fiction film that demands your attention at first but reverts (not in an entirely bad way) to chaos as the monsters take over.  Ain't It Cool's review says it is best to not think too much about Alien when watching, which is very difficult to do.  Especially for someone who gets a kick out of quality foreshadowing (Star Wars Episode III for example) it was hard to ignore the callbacks to gory invasive alien procedures.  But if you don't try to make too much sense of it and evaluate it on its own it's pretty satisfying


MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (2011)

Oscar Count

Best Picture 4/9 -- Best Director 4/5 -- Best Original Screenplay -- 2/5

OK, there's been a consistent cleverness in Woody Allen's movies throughout, but a cynical side of me is thinking that he's given too much credit just for not being terrible with some of his recent movies.  I haven't had time to watch any movie he made in between 1989 Crimes and Misdemeanors and 2006's Match Point, so I can't judge, but this was entertaining but minor.

OK, line them up for the next month of viewing.  I'll be back.

CAPTAIN AMERICA:  THE FIRST AVENGER (2011)

Blu-Ray

Another installment from Ruth and Jay's collection.  A really good action movie.




THE AVENGERS (2012)

Regal Fiesta Theater - San Antonio

In some way I'm so glad I was lazy and dismissed those other superhero movies when they were in theaters.  Watching Thor and then Captain America in the course of two weeks and then watching this was like watching some kind of huge big-budget miniseries.  This movie really feels like a culmination of lesser comic book movie parts (that all had redeemable qualities).  With this and Cabin in the Woods, Joss Whedon is on a roll and is providing me with the best subversive and straightforward cinematic entertainment this year.

LE BONHEUR (1965)

Criterion #420

via Hulu Plus

Back to the artsy stuff after a long absence. A stylistic lush permeates this film, and you can see the influences in filmmakers of modern times that establish a tone just by letting characters or groups of characters move within an expansive enviornment.  It's a completely satisfying but cryptic expression of man's pursuit of happiness through women.  Like the best of these older foreign movies, it has a coherent structure, but leaves you with a very unique emotion at the end.  Those are the "dated" movies that make an impact, the ones the dig up a new sense of feeling that you didn't know what existed.  What was this old French filmmaker (a woman, significant for the directors working at the time) trying to say?  What were her motivations?  Le Bonheur intrigues you into finding an answer.

Film Report

Films over the past month

and blogger.com is reformatted?  Hmm...

CABIN IN THE WOODS (2012)

Absolutely wonderful.  I was giddy about writing a long post about this movie at the time, but I'm a little weary of making a whole diatribe now that time has passed.

Basically this movie attacks you on so many levels.  It's not a profound story that is filmed, which is one set of quality cinema.  Rather it is all knowing wink to any film geek that 'gets' satire, genre films, and subversive attitudes towards movies.  It is definitely one of the most nasty movies to spoil... I honestly felt that even the previews ruined some things for me.  But you can't just go to a horror movie... you need a context, and horror movies need a context to be entertaining and relevant.

I'm sorry... too vague... but basically there is a moment in this movie that is nearly the perfect listhmus test for everything I look for in complicated odd cinema.  During that moment if you don an all knowing grin or display a sense of giddiness, then you are one of my kind.  However, if you were confused, or frustrated that the moment wasn't "scary", or if you started actively disliking the film after that point... well then we better find other common interests because you are not going to movies for the same reason as me.

BRIDESMAIDS (2011)

Oscar Count
 - Best Supporting Actress - 1/5
- Best Original Screenplay - 1/5
There is one key argument left for going to the actual movie theaters.  When you are stuck there, it's considered impolite and distracting to take out your cell phone and check e-mail, etc.  When watching a movie at home I find myself shocked and a little appalled that I can't focus for a long time on what should be a complete cinematic story without fiddling with my smartphone.  BUT, could it be reflective of the quality of the movie I'm watching that I'm reaching for that phone when a movie slows down?  It should really be attention grabbing from start to finish to be timeless, no?

Bridesmaids was on my radar because of its critical acclaim, and there were some truly funny moments and performances.  But like most hyped comedies there were character-building scenes in between those funny moments and it got into a boring pattern that couldn't rivet me.

THOR (2011)

I've got to catch up comic book movies... especially because The Avengers is supposed to be real good and it came out last weekend!  And this movie was in my Netflix 'Q'... it just happened that my Texas Aunt Ruth came to visit me with some spare Blu-Rays from my Uncle's collection.  So be prepared for some more popcorn as I make my way through them (and downgrade to a cheaper Netflix plan in the process).

So I'll have to say that on average it was watchable.  The set designs of Norse God world were pretty stunning.  But it was juxtaposed with some very irritating Natalie Portman stuff where she talked in nervous girl cliches and smart allecky quips in the presence of the big towering stud that are superhero represented.  Ain't it Cool thought her scenes were believable and I just thought they were shallow and dishonest and distracting from a big flashy movie.  Some of the action pieces on Earth seemed a little cheap looking as well.

Despite that I have to say... it's fun to see a character from Iron Man 2 pop up and just tie together a saga that is likely to go through multiple films of mostly good quality.  Captain America will be next!

Film Log

BROADCAST NEWS (1987)

Criterion #552

OSCARS 1987

BEST PICTURE (1/5)
BEST ACTOR (1/5)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (1/5)
BEST ACTRESS (1/5)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (2/5)

Getting my 1987 film credentials up to par with this one, when I original had only Woody Allen's Radio Days and Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket in the docket as the Oscar-nominated films from that year.

Despite my general annoyance with As Good As It Gets, I knew that James L. Brooks was known for sharp honest dialogue and this is an incredible movie full of characters whose depth and complicated personalities don't belong in the eighties. Holly Hunter was in Raising Arizona the same year and her sweetness takes on a whole new shine in Broadcast News. You are in awe of her aggressive newsroom personality in once scene and you just collapse when the career mode is taken away and she becomes an emotional wreck. The tension is great because the love triangle takes place in parallel to the battle over journalistic integrity, strengthening both conflicts.

All I've got for now.

A huge film update

Greetings from San Antonio Texas!

Lots of transition time... and a pretty light movie watching schedule. The top 10 films of 2011 will have to be continued at another point.

There have been some adjustments to my entertainment budget and multimedia setup...

1) No longer have cable. Comcast OnDemand movies are no longer an option for me.
2) Continue to be a Hulu Plus subscriber... in fact with the lousy bunny ears I have on my TV, broadcast TV is a lousy option
3) CinemaNow is a pay per view service through my PS3 that will provide cinema options
4) With the money saved I have now upgraded to the 2-BluRays a month Netflix plan!

Enough semantics... got to catch up.

BAMAKO (2006)

This movie travelled from Rockford to Texas with me in a Netflix envelope. It was the first new movie I watched upon my big move and transition. I'm ashamed to say I dozed off multiple times and had to watch it in 20-30 minute spurts. I was probably pretty exhausted from my move, but it isn't exactly the most engaging cinema. The movie's device is a mock trial of the World Bank with various testimonials from Malian citizens. It's interspersed with a personal narrative (and a cameo by Danny Glover)... it's difficult and definitely one of those alternative films to dabble in occasionally.

BE LIKE OTHERS (2008)

WIFF 2008 selection - watched via Hulu Plus

This documentary is centered on how people deal with such a warped religious doctorine regarding transexuality... but I also had a undercurring feeling that when it comes to the Iran regime, their doctinairre is barely less brutal than what is the operation philosophy in most American conservative circles. In Iran, you see, homosexuality is a sin punishable by death. Sex change operations, however, are condoned, as way for people to fix their bodies to fit their desires. So homosexuals can only follow their desires without getting completely harassed by undergoing incredibly invasive surgical procedures. It's a brutal emotional and physical situation these people are put in, and it's riveting from start to finish.

ABDUCTION (2011)

Watched via CinemaNow

I should definitely explain. One of the Comedy Podcasts I've been listening to is How Did This Get Made? where a few cool comedians tear apart (or giddily praise) a bizarre/crazy/so-bad-its-good movie. It's a very satisfying update of the whole mst3k formula... usually covering mainstream movies that were really really terrible. It's the only way I ever want to "watch" Smurfs or the Twilight Movies for example. There's a preview episode every other week, and these podcasters were having so much fun that I really wanted to see one of these movies for myself before the main episode. So there's this movie with the Wolf from Twilight, which I watched late one night. The tricky thing is.. for a few moments I was compelled by this movie, which I think defeats the purpose of watching a movie because it's "terrible". Fortunately the podcasters really tore apart the stupid parts of the movie, and it was a very satisfying experience. I'm ready to see one of these really awful movies though... this one was a little bit too good for this podcast.

THE HUNGER GAMES (2012)

Watched at Quarry Theater - San Antonio

Yes, after 5 years I am living in an incredibly exciting City in a really interesting job, so there's no reason whatsoever to spend my time indoors in a movie theater. But this movie's marketing campaign could not let me out of its talons, and I absolutely had to see it. It was actually really solid, but I knew that the PG-13 going in would mean that this brutal event wouldn't be depicted with the blood and violence that it might have deserved. And the "rules" of the game seemed a little more tighter than the one depicted in the Japanese movie Battle Royale (which I had discussed). I think the characters carried the movie through it's weak points, and I might have to read the books to see where the whole saga goes from here.

Whew... all new movies covered (might as well let you know I watched my Blu-Ray of A Clockwork Orange and a Netflix Blu-Ray of Where the Wild Things Are in the interim). Talk more soon!