Movie #24 The Killer Inside Me

I managed to squeeze another film in this week.  2010's The Killer Inside Me.  The movie is directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Elais Koteas and Simon Baker.  The film is based on a pulp novel by Jim Thompson.  I was really looking forward to seeing this film.  I was upset when the nearest  theater to show the film was 5 hours away.  Even after reading the lukewarm reviews I wasn't detoured.  Well, I should have listened to the critics.  The film is not a wash, and there are some really good elements and performances, but as a whole I was sadly disappointed.

Michael Winterbottom has made some great pictures in the past 15 years or so.  24 Hour Party People, Tristram Shandy and Welcome to Sarajevo are among them.  The Killer Inside Me is about a psychopathic Deputy Sheriff in Texas names Lou Ford.  The story takes place during the 50's.  He develops a mutual sadomasochistic relationship with a prostitute that lives on the edge of town.  He helps her come up with a plan to rob one of her John's out of some cash.  Then all hell breaks loose.  The killer is played with a graceful ease by Casey Affleck.  He is as good here as he was in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.  He is also involved in rough sex relationship with his fiance and small town "good girl" Amy Stanton (Hudson). 

Allow me to say that this film is some what graphic.  That was one of it's big criticisms.  I didn't find it to be repulsive.  A few times I thought Winterbottom accomplished exactly what he set out for to show the brutality of these murders.  Some of those scenes left a chill down my spine and queeze in my stomach.  But in a good way.  I love visceral emotion from a film.  Regardless if it is a good feeling or a bad one.  And this movie did move me.

Now for some of the down side.  Jessica Alba as the hooker.  Sexy?  Yes.  Good actor?  No.  I'm sorry, but putting Alba up against Affleck is like a boxing match with Ali vs Urkel.  Kate Hudson was dull and lifeless on screen as well.  Ned Beatty was channeling John Huston from Chinatown and a slew of other performances that were labored and heavy handed.  One role with little screen time but that was played with integrity was Liam Aiken as the troubled teen.  I think that kid has a future.

Winterbottom's camera which has been electric in some movies was stagnent here.  There are a few shots and scenes that showed a lot of promise, but not enough.  The score was ok with 50's pre-rockabilly and earily country music songs.  This film should have been drenched in atmosphere.  It is ripe for a full blown noir, or even a noir run up / homage.  I would love to see Winterbottom tackle such a movie.  With the Killer Inside Me he setteled for a very straight forward approach to material that we have seen 1,000 times before without bringing enough of his vision to the project.  As a protrait into the mind of a sicko killer this movie is a success.  As a movie in it's own right, it is not.  I would give The Killer Inside Me 2.5/5 stars.  Take a look for yourself.  Click the link below to view the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U2LUsfeMwg

Country Strong Trailer

Wow! I saw this trailer before "Easy A" last night. Wow! and I don't mean Wow in a good way. This seems to be the story of a struggling female country singer / alcoholic. Think Crazy Heart with boobs.
This trailer literally made me sick to my stomach. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw. This is the most blatant Oscar grab I think I have even seen. I am not a huge Gwyneth fan to begin with, but I think overall she has done good, solid work. But this.....I just feel sorry for her. Watching this trailer was like seeing a cousin that you were best friends with growing up, now all strung out on meth.

Movie #23 Easy A

In my opinion the teen sex comedy in recent years has really gone down hill . There are a few exceptions to that rule of course.  "Juno", while not exactly fitting into this sub genre, was a tremendous achievement.  It managed to reinforce that today's youth (in all their self imposed existential angst) really isn't that different from the generation that bore them.  It also was refreshing to see a bright, confident all be it snarky teen female lead in a movie.  Compared to cookie cutter stereotypes that are repetitively trotted out in film after film.  You know what I am talking about.  "The Cheerleader", "the book nerd", "the rebel", "the best friend".  The documentary "American Teen" embraced these pigeon-holed conventions and exploited their high school experiance for all to see.
I am glad to say that Easy A continues more along the path that Juno blazed.  The story is loosely a modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter.  Emma Stone gives a electric performance as Olive.  The whip smart high school student who becomes the subject of all the school gossip.  The word 'round the campfire is that she s sleeping with everyone and even doing so for money.  A rumor that she inadvertently starts and at first thrives on the recognition she receives.  Once she becomes aware of the negative impact these fabrications are having on her life and the lives of those she cares about, she attempts to set the record straight.

At first I had my concerns for this film.  Much like Juno, it open with some dialogue that fall totally flat (honest to blog).  Fortunately it rights the ship and delivers a wonderful story with some rapid paced, intellectual/witty banter.  Which Emma Stone and the majority of her co-stars handle wonderfully.  Stanley Tucci and Patriaia Clarkson play Emma's parents and they are among my leaders for supporting performances for the year.  The family dynamic in this film is so captivating and real.  This has been a good year for non-traditional families representing new family values.  Both this film and the wonderful The Kids are Alright are front runners in this movement. Other notable performances come from Thomas Haden Church and Alyson Michalka as a favorite teacher and best friend respectively.

This movie is not without its faults.  It does get a little to "cutesie" and to steal a line from the movie "It's not as smart as it thinks it is".  It is sharp, but occasionally it crosses the line.  I felt a little patronized watching a few scenes.

I would be remiss if I didn't further comment on Mrs Emma Stone.  She lights up the screen.  She is by no means the typical Hollywood beauty.  With her blazon red hair, petite stature and informed smile but she commands the screen with every word, glance and movement.  Her self awareness and self assurance projects itself.  I couldn't help but to be lured in.  I first noticed her in last years Zombieland.  I noticed both her beauty and acting chops.  I am glad she has found a role that better allows her to stretch her wings.

This is a sex comedy, a genus as old as ancient roman times.  And this movie pulls off something that most sex comedies don't.  There isn't any sex.  not even any nudity.  At a few points in the movie, Olive comments on how she wishes her life were like a John Huges film.  I don't know if "Easy A" will be remembered with the passion that the Huges fans have for his films, but it is a movie I won't soon forget.  I give "Easy A" a 3.5/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNbPnqyvItk

Rough week for the film world. We lost long time Tarantino editor Sally Menke and the director of Bonnie & Clyde Arthur Penn. RIP

Enter The Void - This Will Blow Your Mind

Movie #22 Black Narcissus

A few years ago when I bought my first iPod I started listening to podcasts.  This was a relatively new medium at the time.  iTunes had a few hundred listed, but that was all.  At that time most of the content out there was pretty amateurish.  You could tell it was recorded by a few stoned dudes sitting in their mothers basement.  The podcast that stood out for me was called Filmspotting.  A play on the title of the Danny Boyle film Trainspotting.  Filmspotting was structured.  It had a weekly update with reviews of a current movie release, a contest where you could win a free DVD, and other content.  Including one of my favorite segments "Top 5 Lists".  They would pick a topic and list their Top 5 favorite films that involved that topic.  For example:  Top 5 Father & Son movies.  My Top 5 would include To Kill a Mocking Bird, Big Fish, The Empire Strikes Back, There Will be Blood and The Host.  Anyway, another feature on the show is there marathons.  Much like I did (stole the idea) with my Coen marathon the chose the work of a director or genre they are unfamiliar or under educated on and watch 5-7 films in that category.  Then the review each one and at the end of the marathon they announce their favorites in a variety of categories.  I have maintained a devoted listener.  I don't believe I have missed an episode in the past 5 years.

The current marathon is over the films of the directing duo Powell and Pressburger.  AKA "The Archers".  Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were directors in the 40's.  They made broad, epic technicolor dramas.  They are considered by many to be some of the greatest directors of all time.

I heard 1940's, technicolor, and dramas and I thought this would be a marathon I would pass on.  Their first review consisted of them gushing for almost 20 minutes about the films and declaring Powell and Pressburger the find of the year for one of the Filmspotters.  Then the second film they reviewed was a movie I had heard of and I knew that it was regarded as an all time classic.  The Black Narcissus.  I decided to give it a try based upon their comments.  I was rewarded.

I should know better than to form opinions about films before I watch them.  I have been burnt by movies that I couldn't wait to see in theaters (I'm looking at you Burn After Reading) and I have been blown away by movies that I watched only because someone who's opinion on film I trust recommended it.  Even though I wasn't all that excited about it.  The best example of this is Night of the Hunter.  Once I get the Criterion Collection DVD of this for Christmas I will review (hint hint).

Black Narcissus is the story of a order of Nuns that attempt to start up a nunnery in the Himalayas.  The Sister Superior is Sister Clodagh, played pitch perfect by Deborah Kerr.  She is very young to be heading up her own nunnery and she quickly runs into problems with some of the other nuns in her order as well as the locals.  Including a woman grounds keeper that has mentally seen better days.  Another thorn in her side is the government agent Mr Dean.  He is nothing but rude to the nuns and doesn't want them around, but Sister Clodagh can't help but be reminded of the love that left her behind and drove her into the sisterhood.

Another problem comes from one of the other sisters.  She become rabid with jealousy and rage for the relationship forged between Clodagh and Mr Dean.  Her transformation is one of the most dramatic and believable in recent memory.

It is for sure that P&P are master craftsmen.  Most of this film is shot on the lot with painted backgrounds.  Somehow they are really able to set you in this location.  I was completely caught up in the film.  The performances are mesmerizing.  P&P were decades ahead of their time for camera angles and editing.  This films has very clearly been lifted from ever since it was first shown.

This is another Filmspotting discovery for me.  Now I have to go back and watch their first film of the marathon "The Life and Death of Mr. Blimp" and play along with the rest of the movies.  If you are interested in watching these movies they are on Netflix streaming and the Criterion Collection has released them on BluRay and DVD.  I would give Black Narcissus 4/5 stars.  If you are interested check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZRzcLK1Ar0

Movie #21 Night Watch

You might have noticed that I have changed the title of my blogs from "Day #" to "Movie #".  I have become fully aware of the difficultly of attempting to watch a movie every day AND blog about them.  All the while keeping a more than full time job and spending quality time with my kids, girlfrined, and family.  So, I am now going to see how many movies I can cram into 1 year.  Who knows, maybe it will be close to 365.  But I think now that 1 a day is unachievable for me.  None the less I intend on continuing to watch a variety of movies and obsessing about them at every opportunity. 

With that out of the way allow me to tell you about a film called Night Watch.  Night Watch is a Russian film made in 2004 by director Timur Bermambetov.  It is a story set in a world where some humans (called "Others") have a varying degree of special powers.  These Others have existed since the dawn of time.  A long time ago they had a battle and in the outcome was a truce.  The Other were split into two groups, the Light and the Dark  Once you discovered that you, as a human, had special powers you had to decide which group you wanted to belong to.  The Dark Others are vampires and the Light Others have a police like unit that patrols the evenings called Night Watch. 

The Light and the Dark generally get along and live together in a very civilized manor.  That is until one member, of either side, gets out of line.  Their relationship is like police and civilians   There are no problems as long as both parties keep the peace.  Once either side brakes the rules, all hell breaks loose.  Pun intended.

Night Watch is a kinetic, horror / crime drama.  Picture "The Matrix" + "28 Days Later" with a dash of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" thrown for kicks.  It is not hard to tell that this is a foreign film.  I watched it in dubbed English and didn't actually find it that distracting.  This film is rapid paced and doesn't pull any punches or hesitate to answer any questions for you.  At points I feel like it got away from it's director a little.  Kind of like he had a lot of ideas he wanted to throw in there and crammed them in where maybe they didn't need to be or just flat out didn't belong. 

As a whole I really liked this film.  It was one of the most modern looking foreign films that I have seen.  Particularly of this genre.  The acting is not quite stellar.  There were some characters that it looked like they hadn't received any direction at all.  Understanding that some of that could have been lost in translation. 

The story bounces around between the main character whose found out he had special powers (although they are not used very often) when he went to a fortune teller who was a dark other.  He then joins the Night Watch.  Another story is that of a woman cursed who is unwilling and seemingly unknowingly opening a portal to the end of the world???  There is a female vampire who is scorned by the murder of her lover by the lead character.  The lady vampire is using a siren like call to summon a little boy who could shift the ballance of power to whatever side he chooses.  The boy is being protected by light other shape shifters that turn into a tiger and a bear.  Like I said, this film is a little over crammed with plot.

After the film was over I wasn't sure what I had saw, but I was sure that I enjoyed it.  It reminded me of a lot of poorly made American action and horror movies in it's cheesyness, but it never rang false.  If you are willing to go along for the ride it will pay off in spades.  I give this film a 3/5 stars and I am looking forward to watching Day Watch soon.  Rumor has it that there is an American remake in the works.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMHQsjgQDrA

True Grit Teaser Trailer - Gave Me Goose Bumps

The True Grit teaser trailer just hit the interwebs. I will post the video tonight.
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/iphone/paramount/truegrit/trailer/

Day #20 The Town

I just got home from seeing The Town staring and directed by Ben Affleck.  I have to say, I am impressed.  As I continually say on these blogs, I love crime movies.  Gangsters films, hit man movies, heist films all of that.  I eat it up.  The town is kind of a mixture of all of those sub genres and set in a Boston suburb/slum.

The film is about a gang of masked guys that rob banks.  They take a hostage for insurance one time.  They do release her without harming her.  In order to make sure that she can't ID them, Ben Affleck begins dating her.  Then (of course) he falls for her.

I was a little apprehensive about this movie before going.  I haven't seen Afflecks directorial debut Gone Baby Gone, but heard decent reviews.  I was extremely impressed by his talents though.  He stages action scenes very well.  The romantic scenes are tender without being mushy. There are some really great overhead shots that give you a feel for the area.  The script was penned by a crew including Peter Craig and Affleck himself.  The love story is a little weak, but by the end of the movie they are able to pull it all together enough.

One thing that I liked about this movie is that I didn't know how it was going to end.  There were almost and endless amount of roads this film could have gone down.  I will say that while being a little more conventional that I would prefer, the ending was satisfying. 

Blake Lively plays a drugged out barfly who is a former lover of Affleck.  I only mention this because I have no idea who that is, but my girlfriend says she is on some TV show "Gossip Girl"?  The only TV I watch is Turner Classic Movies.  Apparently this role is a real break out from her normal typecast roles.

John Ham is in this as well.  I am told he is very good on another TV show "Mad Men".  Again I have no idea.  Jeremy Renner from last years The Hurt Locker plays another one of the thieves. He continues with another good role and performance.  The Boston accent can be a little grating, but the cast here don't abuse it. 

The performance are solid all the way around.  There are some good cameos.  I really like Pete Postlethwaite in his small role.  You might know him better as "Kobayashi".  Kiaser Soze's assistant in The Usual Suspects.  Another thing I like about The Town is that Affleck adds comedic elements at just the right time and in just the right amount.  I would highly recommend this film.  It is one of the better films that I have seen in theaters this year.  It should garnish a few nominations come award time.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXY_JvOK63c

Day #19 Dogville

Lars Von Trier.  That name is almost a blog in its self.  The name alone evokes emotions from almost everyone who has seen any of his films.  He is most likely the most ....... I am drawing a blank on how to describe him.  A common phrase is "either you will love him, or you will hate him".  I don't think that even begin to qualify peoples feeling on my Von Trier.  To say that some people HATE him is a gross understatement.  He receives death threats on a common basis.  He has been called everything in the book from a masochist, a misogynist, and a sadistic pornographer.  All of which might be true.  His fans praise him to the highest degree.  I have even read blogs claiming him to literally be the second coming of Christ, and fans that have offered to die for him.

I fall somewhere in between.  So far I have seen 4 of his movies and I have to say that I really like 3 of them.  I won't mention the others cause I might be bloging about them later.

Dogville is an art project.  Make no mistake about it.  It is a stage play on film.  I mean that literally.  The entire movie is set on a minimalist stage.  There are chalk line on the floor that represent walls of houses and builds.  Each house contains a prop that is used in some way during the film.  When people enter or exit these wall-less structures they mock open and close the imaginary doors.  The films is broken into a prologue and 9 chapters.  After the prologue was over I wondered if they were going to stick to this aesthetic.  I wasn't sure I could make it though a 2+ hour movie like that.  No only did I make it though, I loved it and was horrified by it at the same time.

Dogville is about a very small American town in the mountains during the depression era.  One night a strange woman appears by intriguing and possible illegal circumstances.  The town philosopher convinces the rest of the community to allow her to stay if she can prove to the town that she is worthy of the privilege.  She then goes around town and helps out with chores and makes friends.  Soon a couple of other visitors appear in Dogville.  Their messages make it more dangerous for the town to stow away Grace, so in return she agrees to take on more responsibilities in the town.

The movie then begins to spiral out of control while Von Trier preaches to the viewers about the nature of greed, jealously and evil.  The men in the town begin taking advantage of Grace sexually. The women folk get word of her loose morals and begin punishing her.  She is truly and utterly tortured by the towns people by the third act.  But have no fear.  The last 20 minutes of this film are so raw and shocking that they literally took my breath away.  Thinking back I can't believe that a film maker had the balls to pull off where Von Trier did at the end of this film.  It reminds me of when Hitchcock killed off Janet Leigh after the first hour in Psycho (spoiler alert!).  I hate it when watching a "thriller" and I have it figured out after the first 15 minutes.,  That has never been a problem with a Von Trier picture.

I have read a lot of reviews of this movie that claim Von Trier is making an anti-American statement.  I can see their point, but if that was all they were focusing on I think they missed the point of the entire film.  The movie is manipulative and confrontational and totally compelling.  This is a must watch in my book, but it is a one timer for me.  I am in no hurry to watch this one again.  All that having been said, I give this movie a 4/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.

Day #18 Animal Kingdom

Sorry about falling so far behind on here.  I was actually entering my last post at work during my lunch hour the other day.  I promise I have been keeping up with my 1 film a day, but finding the time to blog about them is becoming the challenge.  I want to completely express myself and my thoughts, feeling, and any trivia I have about the movies I watch and I don't feel like I have been able to do that so far.  Oh well, I am sure I will get better at it.  I am also going to try to compress the blogs some.  I still want to mix my reviews with what is happening with me personally.  I find that interaction fascinating.

Another thing I find fascinating is the Australian New Wave.  This is a group of film makers down below reinventing the art form and telling their stories in a very personal yet professional way.  The first film I saw of this new cinematic expression is The Square.  It is a 2008 film directed by Nash Edgerton.  The Edgerton boys are fore runners in the movement.  I won't talk about The Square now, because it is out on DVD now and I will purchase it soon.  Then I will re-watch it and blog about it at that time.

The movie that I watched the other night is called Animal Kingdom.  It is the story of a dysfunctional family (to say the least) that is involved in criminal activities.  The movies opens with a great shot of a young man,  Jay, on the couch watching a game show with his mother who seems as if she has faded to sleep.  I won't spoil anything but let's just say that isn't the case.  Anyway Jay later moves in with his grandmother, Janine (played to perfection by Jacki Weaver in what is in my top performances of the year so far).  Grandma appears to be a sweet older lady that has surrounded herself with her male children and grandchildren.  Even though when she demands a kiss from them it seems to last a little too long.  We later find out that grandma may not be so innocent.  Actually, she is never really played as innocent but we find out late in the film exactly how strong her arm is in the criminal underworld.

The rest of Jay relatives in the house consist of a drugged out paranoid uncle, "the professional" uncle of the group, an uncle that seems to just be along for the ride, and an uncle that has totally lost his mind.  The character name is "Pope" and he is played wonderfully by Ben Mendelson.

The script is tight, the performance are on the money, the camera work is fresh while still evoking the masters (Scorsese's influence can be seen all over this film)  A lot of people have been comparing this to Goodfellas.  I would say that the imprint is there but Animal Kingdom isn't as grandiose as Goodfellas.  And I mean that in a good way.  I don't think they were shooting for that and the style of the film really serves is story.  What else can you ask for from a "gangster picture".  I give this 3.5/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5BsYRmMfus

Day #17 Devil

One of the nice things about doing this blog by myself for myself is that I get to pick the movies that I watch almost entirely independently.  I don't have a magazine or publisher that requires me to see this weeks blockbuster or romantic comedy.  The problem is that I know my tastes and I am prone to watch movies that I think I am going to like or at least follow the filmography of film makers I admire.  I do however have a wonderful girl friend and from time to time I let her pick out the movies we watch together. 

This week opened 3 movies of interest to me.  Easy A, a modern telling of The Scarlet Letter starting Emma Stone.  The Town, Ben Affleck's sophomore effort about a south Boston neighborhood littered with bank robbers.  And Devil.  This movie is billed as "From the mind of M. Night Shyamalan".  A tag line that years ago would have excited me, now frightens me off.  After The Happening (my worst film of the 2000's) I have had no interest in seeing anything he does.  It sounds like I was correct judging by the horrid reviews The Last Airbender got.

Devil is a story about 5 people stuck in an elevator.  One by one they begin getting murdered and we don't which one of them is the culprit.  Mix into that a detective investigating a suicide who's wife and son were killed a few years by a drunk hit and run driver.  He is also struggling with his sobriety.  And a Hispanic Christian who believes that the devil is directly responsible for the deaths.

The premise is interesting and reminds me of a movie I really do want to see. "Buried" starring Ryan Reynolds.  That entire movie is set and shot inside a buried coffin.  Unfortunately, the direction, script and acting plays this out like a bad Twilight Zone episode.  The script is so flat and patronizing.  It doesn't trust it's audience for a second.  Better thrillers and directors know how to stage a scene to build intensity and intrigue.  Devil puts all the violence off screen, which can be effective when you don't know where the threat is coming from. When it is in the elevator with you it comes off as just lazy.

I don't like to blame actors for bad performances.  I believe in the auteur theory and place the blame on the director.  Especially when they don't have much to say, but the acting here is so over the top.  The confined space of the elevator I think made them uncomfortable and their performance suffered for it.

Well.the good news is that there are still two movies this week for me to catch up with and I am pretty sure they are going to be better than this lump.  I give Devil 2/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aINOilb_Kzc

Day #16 Ladies and Gentlemen

I am a big Stones fan.  I have came to the Rolling Stones kind of late in life and I am making up for lost time.  In 2008 Martin Scorsese directed a "Best of" Stones concert doc called "Shine a Light".  The music was there, but I have to say that my boy Marty kind of just let the camera roll.  He didn't really do anything extra like he had for "The Last Waltz".  I suspose that would be ok for new material, but when you are putting up time honored classics like Jumping Jack Flash and Sympathy for the Devil, I expected more.  Particually from a master film maker who has used Stones music in several films and used them perfectly to help express a mood or feeling.

Ladies and Gentlemen was originally shot while the Stones were touring in 1972 for their new album (what would become their most critically successful album) Exile on Main Street.  The movie is a collection of performances from 4 stops on the road, but it plays like one show with multiple costume changes. This was the first time they had toured in the United States after the debacle at Altamont. 

I won't break down the entire set list.  Many favorites were there along with a few B sides that the Stones always pay tribute to.  Unlike Shine a Light, there were no flashy cameos or other artists coming on stage to pay homage to them.  Hell, the Stones didn't even have backup singers on this tour.

The movie was shot on 16mm.  The stages are poorly lit and the whole look is a dark, gritty composition that reflects the music.  It has been digitally remastered and it sounded great.  This movie is everything great and everything terrible about the early 70's.  Keith Richards is sporting a mulletesque hairstyle and is oviously strung out.  Jagger has sequins stuck to the side of his face in a just-prior-to-glam-rock look.  His pants are tight in all the wrong place and it looks like Bowie's wardrobe guy tagged along just for fun.

But make no mistake about it, this doc rocks!  The music is magical.  It is a freight train of blues and rock.  Jagger is as energetic as ever (even if fueled by narcotics).  This doc isn't flashy, but it doesn't need to be.  It reflects the music it is showcasing.

This film played in about 550 theaters on a One Night Only type event showing.  I ordered my tickets a week in advance so I would be sure to get in.  I was the only one in my theater.  I was able to sing out loud and even get up and dance during Sweet Virgina.  Ladies and Gentlemen is slated for a DVD release later this year.  Can you say Christmas present?  I give this movie a 3.5/5 stars.  Check out the link below to see a trailer on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiaIx7IuIYQ

Day #15 The Big Lebowski

Man have I got some work ahead of me.  I am about 5 days behind on blogging about the movies I have watched.  I tried to keep up this weekend by live blogging at the Chicago Lebowski Fest.  But truthfully, I was having way too much fun.  I can assure you that I have seen a movie a day or more so far.  So let us wrap up my Coen Brother marathon by talking about the movie that spawned the whole thing, The Big Lebowski.

I mentioned in my blog about No Country for Old Men that it was my favorite Coen movie.  And that I had seen it 6 times in the theater and several times at home on DVD.  Well that is only a drop in the bucket compared to how often I have seen The Big Lebowski.  I would wager I have seen it in it's completion between 100-150 times.  With several incomplete viewings mixed in as well.  No Country is a true piece of art.  It is masters at the peak of their craft.  Lebowski is something different.  It is light and fun and endlessly quotable.  It is vulgar, but there is a sense of tenderness at it's core.  There are no bad guys, no villians.  Everyone is just getting by.

Lebowski is a nod to noir classics within the genre bending style we have come to expect from the Coens.  I will try to briefly explain the sidewinder of a plot.  The Dude (Jeff Bridges) is a stoner / bowler who is a victim of mistaken identity.  His beloved rug (it really tied the room together) was soiled in the process.  In attempts to get reimbursed for his rug he get caught up in a possible kidnapping.  He then gets involved in brokering a hand off with the kidnappers who happen to be nihilists.  He also crosses paths with a modern artist, a pornographer, the sheriff of Malibu, his buddy Walter (a Vietnam vet to the 'enth degree) and amphibious rodent.

Attempting to describe this movie is pointless.  It isn't really about the detective story, or the abduction, or any solid aspects.  I like to tell people it is about a rug.  It is an exercise in film making.  The movie that runs closest to it is probably The Long Goodbye directed by Robert Altman.  In which Elliot Gould plays a Phillip Marlowe that is about as far away from Bogey as it is going to get.  Gould is a free spirit detective in the 70's.

Lebowski is about the joy of watching movies.  I remember the first time I watched it I didn't get it at all.  The story didn't make any sense.  I couldn't understand who all the people were and why they are acting they way they did.  I didn't believe everyone's motives.  Then the second time I watched it I laughed a little bit at the ridculessness of it.  Then more the third time then more and more and more.  The real trick in blogging about this movie is for me not to quote this thing into the ground.  If you followed my posts and have any knowledge of the movie you must be aware of this.

I don't think the Coen's set out to make a "cult film", but that is exactly what has happened.  I am glad to say I am a member of that cult.  The fests have been going on for around 8 years now.  The home base for them is Louisville, KY.  At the Lebowski Fests fan of the films show up and shout lines from the film during screenings (largely profanities), drink White Russians, bowl, and dress up in costume.  The interesting thing is that The Achievers (fans of the movie refer to themselves as this based on a line in the film) don't necessarily dress only as characters from the movie.  They dress in costumes that refer to single lines of dialogue, or even props or even settings from the movie.  For example there is a line where Walter (played brilliantly by John Goodman) shouts "OVER THE LINE" when a competitors toe crosses the safe line on the bowling alley (a lot of the movie takes place in a bowling alley).  At this years fest  I saw a guy wearing a parquet floor plank as a shirt with red line across the board and his face where the hole was cut out for him to see.  Imagine Rocky Horror Picture Show with a little less sexual innuendo.

All in all I really can't recommend Lebowski for the casual fan.  If you like the Coen's you have to see it.  If you are willing to stick with a movie with a rambling plot, that breaks the 4th wall, and has a guy in an iron lung, a bowling pederast, and a brother Shamus then I say run out and rent it.  I will see you at next years fest!  I give The Big Lebowski a 4.5/5 stars.  It is nearly impossible to find a decent trailer for this movie.  Go to YouTube and check it out yourself.

Reviews to come:
Devil
The Rolling Stones concert documentary Ladies and Gentelmen
Night Watch
Animal Kingdom
Dogville

Unstoppable Movie Trailer Official (HD)

I'm squeezing every last ounce of enjoyment out of this weekend. I'm at the Landmark in Indy getting ready to watch "Animal Kingdom". Although the loud

mouth couple behind me better shut up before the picture starts or I'll have to alert management.

Just finished watching "Devil". It should give me plenty to blog about next week.

I only have access to my iPhone and I'm not able to blog photos for some reason. I'll get photos and full reviews up when I get home.

The curtain has closed. See you tomorrow for the bowling party!

Goodnight sweet prince.

Just checking in to see what condition my condition is in.

This is a complicated movie. A lot of in's, a lot of outs, a lot of what-have-you's.

I'm not watching the movie, drinking my beer and blogging at the same time.

This would be a great theater to put on your dance quintet. You know, your cycle.

Let the festivities begin!!

Leaving the hotel now. On the way to the show! Abide.

Sometimes there's a man, and I don't want to say a hero cause what's a hero? But sometimes there's a man.

Storm clouds are raging all around my door. I think to myself I may not take this anymore. It takes a woman like your kind to find the man in me.

Ladies and Gentelmen was great last night. Even though I was the only one in the theater. LEBOWSKI TONIGHT!

I was born in a crossfire hurricane.....

This theater has an AWESOME sound system! This place is going to rock!

30 Minutes till the Rolling Stones concert documentary "Ladies & Gentlemen"!

Day # 14 No Country for Old Men

No need to beat around the bush.  This is my favorite Coen Brother movie, and my favorite movie of the past decade.  When I talk to my father I am always so jealous that he got to see such monumental films in the theater.  Films like The Godfather, The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Cool Hand Luke, 2001 A Space Odyssey and so on.  I truly believe that one day my children will be in awe of me because I got to see No Country for Old Men in the theater.  I did go to the theater 6 different times to see it, including back to back viewing my first showing because I was so enamored with it. 

No Country is a master class in film making.  Name me an element of cinema technique and I would wager that No Country has mutiple scenes that would serve as perfect examples of that element. 

It is set in small town Texas.  The plot is the same as all the other Coen movies.  A good guy finds a bag of money, he get's himself in a situation he can't get out of.

I have to say that this is the toughest review I have had to write so far.  I don't want to say anything about the film, because I remember my first view and the thrill of discovering it.  Also I have a tendency to rant about this movie.  I could go on for hours bestowing it's virtues. 

No Country is based off a Cormac MCCarthy novel.  It is bleak and has furious moments of violence.  It also has one of the greatest villains of all time: Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem.  He is cold and sadistic.  His weapon of choice is a cattle gun.  An air driven piston into the forehead of his unsuspecting victims.  What makes Chigurh so memeroable is that while being a cold blooded killer, he seems to take no pleasure in it.  It was simply part of his job.  He seems to live by a code.  Not a traditional code of ethics, but an A moral code.  He would often flip a coin to see if someone was going to die or not.  He would always make his prey "call it".  This spoke to both his refusal to break his code, and the futility and illusion of control over your life.  The next closest thing is The Joker from The Dark Knight.

Josh Brolin is Moss.  A Vietnam vet that is just trying to right by himself and his family.  He stumbles on a good deal of cash from a drug sale gone wrong.  He is running the entire movie trying to stay one step ahead of Chigurh.  Tommy Lee Jones gives a wonderful performance.  He is the well weathered Texas Sherrif that has pretty much resigned to waiting out retirement.  He still loves the job and he is damn good at it, but he sees the future.  He sees all the chaos and madness in the world and he doesn't know what to do about it.

These three characters make up a trio of marvelous story lines.  The father, the son and the holly ghost is one I have heard kicked around.  I then to think of them as symbols of "The Past" (Jones), the present (Brolin) and the future (Bardem).  It is a movie with a bleak outlook for sure.

Another talking point is the ending.  Don't worry I am not going to spoil it for you.  Many would say that there is nothing to spoil because the end doesn't make any sense at all.  I couldn't disagree more.  I wouldn't change a single frame in the entire movie.  This movie is a perfect 10 for Direction, Cinematography, Writing, Acting, Story, Setting, Sound (almost no music is heard at all), Costumes and Makeup.  It is a perfect film that builds suspence like an any build it's home.  Slowly but diligently.  I give this movie a 5/5 stars.  For more check out the link below for the trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBqmKSAHc6w 

Day #13 - O Brother, Where Art Thou?

I might take my knocks from Coen die-hards for this blog.  Last night I watch the 6 movie in my marathon, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?".  The reason I say I could be in trouble is because while I believe they are some of the most prolific film makers and clearly they have made a few of the best films of the past 15 years, they weren't all hits.  When the Coen's occasionally miss, they do it in a big way.  O Brother is a big miss, but it's no Lebowski.

I have the Coen brother films divided into 3 groups.  The A group (most of which were reviewed in this blog), The B group.  This is where I firmly put O Brother.  And The C group.  Films in the C group would be Intolerable Cruelty, Burn After Reading, and the king of the C's, The Ladykillers.  What a train wreck!  O Brother is the Coen's very best B Group movie.

It is about 3 felons on the run from the law set around the dust bowl south.  They are trying to get home to retrieve a treasure before it is gone for good.  The story is loosely (VERY loosely) based on Homer's "The Odyssey".  O Brother starts George Cloone, John Tuturro, John Goodman, Holly Hunter and Tim Blake Nelson.

The performance are a little over the top for my tastes.  I like it when you can see the Coen's playing around behind the camera, but like rambunctious children they need to be told to calm down and relax sometime.  Clooney is charismatic as always, but he seems to be playing at something instead of allowing the character to breathe within him. 

O Brother is mostly known for two things.  First off, it is said to be the first movie shot on film to be entirely ran through a digital transfer.  They did this in order to perfect the sepia look used in the movie.  Everything has a dry, dusty, brassy hue to it.  It really is a stuning example of using a tool like CGI to enhance a story, not the other way around.  I have heard the Coen's refer to the movie as "The Lawrence of Arabia of hayseed movies".   Secondly, it is maybe best known for it's soundtrack.  A collection of classic American tunes produced by the legendary T-Bone Burrnett.  Many of the songs were sang by contemporary artists.  The Soggy Bottom Boys had a huge hit from the film called "Man of Constant Sorrow".  George Clooney and his cohorts mock sang a version of the song in the film.

While I believe this to be far from their best work, it is still a solid film and a bit of a guilty pleasure.  Again (as almost always) the dialouge is fantastic.  Clooney's character is a bit of a wordsmith.  This film is over a decade old and I am still quoting it.  Over all I give this movie a 3/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1C2gCXo4Gs

The Fighter - Trailer. My #3 movie I can't wait to see!

Day #12 - Fargo

I realized something today.  I am a day behind on my blogs.  Today is the 13th and I am writing my 12th blog.  I assure you that I have watched at least 1 movie every day.  What I am finding is that I type too slow and write too much.  The watching of the movies isn't as time consuming as the blogging about them.  I realized something else.  I do have 8 Coen Brother movies, but 1 of them is the Big Lebowski and I will be reviewing and blogging about it live on Friday.  I started my marathon a day early.  I only have enough Coen Brother movies to last me through Wednesday night. 

No worries though.  I took my kids to see Inception this Sunday on top of watching Barton Fink.  Also Friday I watched Lars Von Trier's Dogville.  I can blog about either of them on Thursday as well as my regularly scheduled daily movie.  I have a few options for Thursday.  I think I am going to see a Rollings Stone 1972 Concert film that is being released into theaters for one night only.  I saw Shine a Light (the Martin Scorsese docu-concert) in 2008, and Gimme Shelter (the Albert Maysles docu-concert) is currently in my DVD queue. I am a bit of a Stones fan.  Or I was thinking about watching the Sam Rami directed "A Simple Plan" which was inspired by his friends and collaborators the Coen Brothers.  I guess we will see.

This is the first time I skipped a movie in the chronological pattern I have been adhering to.  The Hudsucker Proxy was released between Barton Fink and this film.  I like the Hudsucker Proxy, but I do consider it minor Coen and it is not in my DVD collection.

So I spent the first three paragraphs rambling on instead of getting right into the quintessential Coen Brother movie, Fargo.  Perhaps that is because I am not sure that I am going to bring anything new to the conversation about this movie.  It is near perfect.  It won the Best Picture Oscar in 1997 along with almost every other award it was nominated for.  I guess if you have been living under a rock for the past 13 years I will provide a brief rundown of the plot.

Jerry Lundegaard is a used car salesman that concocts a scheme to milk his father-in-law out of some money in order to invest in a parking lot.  This plan involves kidnapping and holding for ransom Jerry's wife.  Things go horribly wrong and swirl out of control.  The small town police get involved and begin to investigate the case.  Basically it can be boiled down to EVERY Coen Brother plot:
A person with good intentions comes across a bag of money and manage to get into situations that they are unable to resolve.

 Again, Roger Dekins is the man behind the camera.  Again the setting is as much of a character as any living person in the film.  Again the writing is sharp, witty, and spot on.  Again the performances are captivating and again the cast is filled out with Coen regulars. 

One of the things that the Coens are known for is the dissection of genre.  Or at least the refusal to pin-hole there films.  Fargo is no different.  It is a noir comedy set in the frigid landscape of North Dakota and Minnesota.

I honestly don't have a lot to spew about this movie.  More truthful, I don't have the time to write my full report about this movie.  I could talk or write about it for hours.  I am hesitant to declare a film a masterpiece, but I think it fits the bill.  The exciting thing is that it isn't even their best movie in my opinion.  That is still to come.  Tomorrow I will be skipping The Big Lebowski (waiting for the fest!) and watching "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"  But as for Fargo I give it another 5/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB4PmbfG4bw

Day #11 - Barton Fink

It was inevitable.  I have gotten to the point where I feel under qualified to write a review on a film.  The film is the fourth Coen Brother movie and the forth movie in this mini film festival, Barton Fink.  I say that I am under qualified partially because I have such respect for this film.  If you have been reading along I noted that Blood Simple was the Coen's figuring things out (they are fast learners), Raising Arizona was when there voice was first heard, Millers Crossing was their most mature film to date and blended their visual and audible styles seamlessly.  With Barton Fink they attach the subject matter from left field.

To say what Barton Fink is about is to provide an opinion.  At the surface level it is a story of an intellectual New York playwright in the early 1940's  who has obtained a small level of critical praise.  He then uses that celebrity to move to Hollywood to write for "the pictures".  He aspires to write for the common man.  While in the studio system he is bogged down by the procedural nature of writing in Hollywood.  And is all but stymied by writers block.  His only friends on the west coast are a door to door insurance salesman who is his next door neighbor at his hotel, a lush / has-been writer and that writers female companion.  That is the bare bones description.

This movie has been credited as commenting on Fascism, slavery, homosexuality, salvation, elitism, sadomasochism and the nature of art itself.  This movie is littered with symbolism.  It remains surreal and mysterious while driving a lucid plot forward.  This is the best movie David Lynch never made.  Barton Fink either directly or indirectly references Shakespeare, Preston Sturges, Nebuchadnezzar, Steven Foster, Alfred Hitchcock, Franz Kafka and Jack Okie. 

Barton Fink is notable for another reason.  It is the first collaboration between the Brothers and now long time cinematographer Roger Deakins.  What a task this must have been for him.  To create such a rich, vivid world set in reality with surreal flourishes at every turn.  The sound in Barton is simpily amazing as well.  There are long stretches without conversation that hinge on every faint click or ping that is made. 

The hotel Barton stays at while in LA is "The Earl".  It has been suggested that this hotel is either a physical personification of hell, or at least purgatory.  One thing that is inarguable, The Earl is it's own character.  It lives and breathes.  When doors open and close you can hear it inhale and exhale.  The wallpaper releases from the walls as if it is trying to communicate.  Once it is reapplied, the glue squeezes out from behind the wall as if it is bleeding. 

There are more than a few religious overtones and "hidden" messages in the movie.  The number 666 can be heard or observed if one is paying attention.  In Barton's most desperate hours he (a Jew) turns to the bible in his desk drawer for help.  This film has received criticized as being both anti-Semitic and anti-Christian.  Mostly in the way that people think that Don Mclean's song "American Pie" is sacrilege.

Another component of the hotel room is the picture of a woman sitting on the beach.  This hangs over Barton's desk.  It seems to fascinate him.  There really is no view of the city to speak of from his hotel room.  Then in the final scene Barton visits the beach and there is the woman of the picture, or a very close representation.

The final talking point in the picture can be shared by Brad Pitt's character in Se7en.  "What's in the box"?  At one point Charlie (Barton's neighbor) has to leave town after helping Barton out in a very serious and private matter.  But before he skips town, he leaves a box wrapped in brown paper with a twine string around it with Barton.  The contents are never explained.  Much like the mysterious briefcase in Pulp Fiction.

I think that the Coen Brothers are having a great time in both writing and shooting this picture.  They have remained totally ambiguous about the story for almost 20 years now. It is left completely open for viewers to insert whatever bais or meaning they want to.  You can read whatever you want into the symbolism and all the meta-ness  going on in this movie.  I say don't waste your time.  Grab a bag of popcorn, maybe a tasty beverage, sit back and enjoy some of the best film makers of our generation at there most creative.  I give this movie a 5/5 stars (my first perfect rating).  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK0WjWlVO9w

Day #10 - Millers Crossing

I've made it to double digits on my 365 Days of Film Project.  I'm also half way through my Coen Brother marathon.  Millers Crossing is their third film.  It was released in 1990.  It is a period gangster piece staring Gabriel Byrne, Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden and cast of what will become Coen Bros regulars. 

I have seen this movie several times now, but watching it as part of this marathon I really noticed the maturity of the film making.  Blood Simple was them learning the ropes of how to use a camera to tell a story.  Raising Arizona was where their unique writing style first shone through.  Millers Crossing fuses both together to create a sophisticated, mature, intriguing gangster picture.

Perhaps I am a little bias.  I love gangster movies.  They are my favorite sub-genre.  The thing that separates Millers Crossing is they came to with as if they had never seen a gangster picture.  All of the standard troupes have been erased.  It is story of a organized crime boss with a soft heart his right hand man, and the woman who would come between them.

I have decided that once this marathon is over I will provide several Top 5's from these films.  Things like Top 5 Characters, Top 5 Scenes and Top 5 Quotes.  Millers Crossing will most compete for 2 of the favorite scenes.  There is a scene with Albert Finney using a Thompson Sub-Machine gun like Picasso used a paint brush.  Also a wonderful scene where John Turturro is lead out into the woods.  These are iconic images in the Coen cannon. 

As far as the performances go, it doesn't get any better than Albert Finney.  Anytime he shares the screen with any of the other players it is all they can do just to hold their own.  Gabriel Byrne is good and Marcia Gay Harden is beautiful in her Prohibition era garments and hairstyles.  Joe Polito is over-the-top in a good way as Johnny Casper.  The up and coming thug challenging Finney's "Leo" for his seat.

The movies plot twists and turns for nearly 2 hours.  Everyone is playing every other person.  Grifting is an art form and no one see all the angles like Bryne's "Tom".  A street smart punk on a bad streak when it comes to the ponies and his bookie.  This movie is a pleasure and it deserves it place on the shelf with the other American ganster picture classics.  It is amazing how the Coen's made a ganster movie so reminisent of all the other gansters movies, but so original at the same time.  I give this a 4/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.  Tonight will be Barton Fink!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkJIcFMN_pc

Day #9 - Raising Arizona

It is very late and I am very tired.  I am going to be brief about today's movie.  The Coen Brothers 1987 classic, Raising Arizona.  This film start Nick Cage (H.I. McDunnough) and Holly Hunter (Edwina "Ed" McDunnough) as an ex-con and cop respectively who get married and try to have a child.  They are unable to conceive (H.I. says in voice over "Her womb is a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase").  So they concoct a scheme to steel a baby from the Nathan Arizona household where they just received quintuplets.

This is a screwball comedy for certain.  I love this movie because where Blood Simple was so atmospheric to the point where Texas was almost a character in the movie, Raising Arizona is the first place where the Coen's Brothers voice and identifiable writing style is first heard.  They (mainly Ethan) writes dialogue unlike any other.  The next best example of this is Fargo but O Brother Where Art Thou is also written with razor sharp wit.  The Coen Brothers are often criticized for "making fun of their characters".  I have never understood that criticism.  I find the dialogue to be authentic and extraordinarily clever, especially considering the characters reciting the lines.

All the visual cue's are still there.  The rapid camera movements and the extreme low angle shots that the Coens have made iconic are used to perfection in this movie.  This films contains a lot of voice over narration by H.I which somehow nevers slows down the story like most narration does.  It also contains an extremely long prologue and epilogue that serve as wonderful bookends to the film.  Like narration, bookends are another device that film makers tries to use and generally fail at.  The picture also has what I consider to be one of the 3 best car chase scenes in movie history.  The French Connection and The Blues Brothers being the other two.  This movie is endlessly quotable and I never tire of re-watching it.

I said I would be brief and I am going to hold true to that.  I would be surprised if you hadn't seen this movie yet.  It is often times on TV and it doesn't really loose much by being viewed on network television.  What else can I say.  Great directors, great script, fine acting, great camera work.  I give this a 4/5 stars.  Check out the link below to see the trailer.  Millers Crossing tomorrow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AIfVoGUs6c

Day #8 - Blood Simple

Today I officially begin my Coen Brother marathon.  This mini film festival is in antisipation of my trip to Chicago to attend my 4th Lebowskifest.  A two day party for the fans obsessed with the movie The Big Lebowski.  A film that was directed by the a fore mentioned Coen Brothers.

In 1984 the Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan) released their first feature film.  Blood Simple.  It is a gritty story about murder, infidelity, jealousy and extortion.  It is also a modern noir masterpiece.  If you are a fan of the Coen's other works (Fargo, No Country for Old Men, Barton Fink, ect.) I strongly urge you to see this film if you haven't already.  From a thematic standpoint, this movie contains elements of most all of their later works.  It is not difficult to see there fingerprints all over this film.

Visually this movie is a near perfect.  It contains some haunting shots that will stick in my memory for a long time to come.  The lighting is impeccable.  There are cuts and edits that as I watched, I thought to myself "This is the best editing I have ever seen".  Not since Orson Wells' Citizen Kane can I think of a directors debut film that is constructed from such a unique vision and directed with total and absolute precision.  I know that sounds hyperbolic, but I am struggling to come up with a better / more fully conceived first film.  I believe that Blood Simple looks exactly like what the Coen's wanted it to.  That is an achievement in and of it's self.  Sam Rami of Evil Dead fame was a mentor to the Coen's early on and it shows in many of their camera movements and angles.  And I don't consider that to be a bad thing.  The music, score, and sound in general add to the story without ever drawing attention to itself.  I hate it when I am supposed to be filled with excitement or suspense during a movie and the director doesn't trust his camera so they swell the music just to make sure I'm invested.

The acting is good across the board, and in one case it shines like a super nova.  M. Emmet Walsh's performance is spectacular.  He plays a sleazy Texas private eye in a role that was written with him in mind.  Picture Strother Martin with lazy Texas draw and a total deprivation of a moral compass.  Frances McDormand is good as the scorned lover as well.  The films DP (director of photography) is Barry Sonnenfeld.  An accomplished DP and director. 

I don't want to get into the particulars of this movie.  I think it would be better as a discovery piece.  This movie twists and turns the story around.  We never know who the good guys are, or if there are any to begin with.  One thing I love about Blood Simple is that it takes it time without feeling fatigued.  There is nothing wrong with pausing that extra couple of seconds to truly solidify the mood or surrounding.  Every scene and shot directly relates to the past one and pushes the next one.  I can't say enough about this movie.

Tonight was only the second time I have watched Blood Simple and I can already call this marathon a success.  It was good upon the first viewing, now it is quickly moving up my all time favorite list.  This year Chinese director Yimou Zhang has made an Asian remake of Blood Simple called "A Woman, A Gun, and a Noodle Shop".  Reviews have been mixed.  I will attach a trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMGBQDpfLnc&feature=related

Tomorrow night will be The Coen's 2nd film, Raising Arizona.  The slap stick child abduction story, and for my money Nick Cage's all time best performance.  I know most of you will not be following along with this marathon, and that's cool, but if you get the chance Blood Simple is getting an extremely high review from me.  I give it 4.5/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for a trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE07qwfKCRw

Day #7 - Prodigal Sons

I have made it one week!  Seven days of watching at least one film a day and then blogging about it.  Tonight's film was the first documentary of my 365 Degrees of Film project.  It's title is Prodigal Sons.  I first heard about this film while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, the IFC Podcast.  They were doing a review of movies released in theaters in 2010 that were already available on DVD.  I will attach a link to the IFC Podcast site.  http://www.ifc.com/news/podcast/

This doc is directed by and centered around a trans-gender female.  She returns to the Montana city where she was born to attend her high school reunion.  The high school where while attending she (then he, Paul McKerrow) was the starting quarterback of the football team, a straight "A" student and voted most likely to succeed.

This portion of the film was a bit trite for my taste.  It really seemed to me to be a bit of a cry for attention and a flimsy premise to focus a documentary on .  However, the uniqueness of such a situation, along with a well crafted production would almost guarantee the film at least a small theatrical release.  But man did this doc have more in store for me!

Allow me to set up the situation this now woman walked into.  Her parents originally couldn't conceive a child so they adopted a baby boy, Mark .  Almost 9 months after that they did conceive a child, Paul.  A year or so later they brought another miracle baby into their lives, Glenn.

I should start by saying that I don't want to spoil anything about the movie, but there are plot twists that can not be left out of a review of this movie.  After all, the tag line for this movie is "A brotherly rivalry between a man and a women . . . and Orson Welles".

Glenn, the youngest brother, is now happily living in California.  He is openly gay.  He doesn't have much of a role in the film, and apparently doesn't communicate a lot with his siblings.  Not out of any animosity.  He seems to have just moved on and put Montana well behind him.

Kim, the middle son, had always felt that she was living a lie.  Her partner, Claire (yes a woman) is with her at the reunion and often during the movie.

Mark, the oldest brother, was in a tragic car accident in his early 20's.  The accident caused him to undergo surgery where parts of his brain were removed.  This created extreme mood swings, loss of short term memory, and fits of rage and violence.  For the past 15 years or so he has relied on a plethora of medication to help keep him under control.  And did I mention that while researching his biological parents he finds out that his grandparents on his mothers side are Orson Wells and Rita Hayworth!

Apparently they had a daughter together who ended up pregnant and gave the newborn up for adoption.  He finds all this out and makes plans to see his birth mother when he gets word that she has passed away.  The first time he sees his biological mother is when she is lying in her casket.

The film goes on to deal with Kim's struggle to accept her past, Mark's struggle with his mood swings and violent out bursts.   There is also a pilgrimage to Croatia for a meet and great with the late Orson Wells' muse  and long time lover Oja Kodar.

I felt that the movie succeeded most when it focused on the struggle Mark has always had living in Paul/Kim's shadow.  First in high school as Paul was a jock with a brain.  Now with Kim, his trans-gender sibling, Mark seems to want to make nice.   But it appears as if he overwhelmed and not totally able to process everything that has occurred in the past 20 years.  He clings to the past with a white knuckle kung fu grip.

As a whole I found Prodigal Sons to be a story that if it were fictional it would struggle to get people invested because the plot would be too complex.  As a documentary the story is the main reason to watch.  I found it to be a little more amateurish than most of the documentaries that I watch.  But for a first film I think it was a success.  And I found myself  genuinely hoping that all the parties involved find peace and harmony in their lives.  Mr Wells would be proud.  I would give this film 3/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.  Also I will attach a link to the films official website.  Support independent film!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oz2BHFH4fc&feature=fvw
http://www.prodigalsonsfilm.com/drupal/home

Day #6 - Going the Distance

Monday night brought an end to the Labor Day festivities.  The grill was cooling down, the relatives had left and the harsh realism that work was a mere few hours away started to set into my conscious.  At least for one more evening I still had my girlfriend at my house.  We are in a bit of a long distance relationship.  We live about 4.5 hours away from each other.  We make plans to see one another nearly every other weekend, but only for a few hours at a time sometimes.  The time we do spend together is blissful and being apart helps solidify the notion that each minute we get together is something to celebrate.

All that having been said, it pretty much sucks.  4.5 Hours is a long way away.  We have been seeing each other around 8 months now.  If we lived across town from each other I'm sure one of us would be fixing the other diner almost every night, then crashing onto the couch to watch a French, Black & White gangster film from the 60's or Gilmore Girls (depending on who's house we are at).  But we are confined to texting back and forth more than any 13 year old girl, calling upwards of 3-5 times a day and Skyping when time allows.  But that's how things go.  You figure out how to make it work.

Monday night I ventured into risky teritority.  I took her to see the new Drew Barrymore / Justin Long vehicle "Going the Distance".  I say this is risky because:

1.  I am not a Drew Barrymore fan.
2.  I am not a big romantic comedy fan (at least the past 20 years of movies or so)
3.  The film is about a couple that embark on a long distance relationship cross country.

Reason 3 could have been disastrous for me.  If the movie had ended on sour note, or if my special lady friend had found a way out or became disenchanted with me or our circumstance because of what could have been played out on screen, this could have spelled DOOM for me.

Fortunately, none of the three risks had any negitive impact on me / us.  I can't believe I am typing this, but Drew Barrymore actually didn't grate on my nerves and she gave a semi-subtle, well crafted performance.  I was at first turned off by the thought of what I believed to be an almost a "cougaresque" story.  I figured Barrymore to be 10 years Long's senior.  But once the film started to get it's feet that feeling went away.  Then I looked on the interwebs and it says she is only 4 years older than he.  I guess growing up with Mrs Barrymore I had placed her at an age near my own, while Justin Long is a bit of a new comer and I had guessed him a little young.  I should say that I think it is also commendable that Drew Barrymore seems to be aging gracefully and naturally.  There are a few scenes where her and wild youth shows through, but perhaps to her advantage.  I looked at her and could easily see images of her grandmother Dolores Costello.  A silent film star and vivacious beauty for her time.  I will not pretend that Drew Barrymore has, or will obtain, the chops to play Norma Desmond in a Sunset Blvd. remake (let's pray the studios never even try) but  I can totally see her physically fitting the role in 30 years or so.

As a romantic comedy it succeeded as well.  It accomplished something that not many rom-com's do.  It was both romantic and comical.  Charlie Day from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" fame provides some moments of comedic relief that nearly had me falling out of my seat from laughter.  Jason Sudeikis puts up a nice performance as well.

I talked about how "I Love You Phillip Morris" might struggle to find an audience.  Believe it or not this film might suffer from the same problem.  As a 30 something I kind of grew tired of listening to these young, attractive people whine about their problems.  And I can see 20 somethings not ready to deal with or cope with the issues presented in the movie.  Alongside that there were some visual flourishes and animation that didn't really add anything to the movie and kind of served to remove my from the story.  Anytime I have to ask why the director is doing that, it is generally not a good thing.  As for the story I don't think I am spoiling anything to say that they don't call it quits when the going get tough, but at least it is not as formulaic as some films in this catalog can be.  There is a scene where he tells her to follow her dreams and as he tells her goodbye I was afraid his phone was going to ring and the call solves all their problems. But it rights the ship soon after that.  This movie has about 8 endings.  The first one being a realization that long distances don't work.  I thought for a second that this was going to be the ballsiest rom-com ever.  But alas the good guy always wins.  He doesn't quite show up on a white horse, but whatever the new millennium version of that is should suffice and it does get a little sappy towards the end.  But what do you expect.  It's a Drew Barrymore movie!

The car ride home was a little bittersweet.  We both enjoyed the movie and the weekend.  And as soon as it was over that brick kinda startted to set low in my stomach.  The knowledge that I won't see her again for a couple of weeks started seeping in and we tried to talk about the movie.  We tried to cram our missing puzzle pieces into their story line.  Looking for that quick fix.  This movie didn't provide the road map to a successful long distance relationship, but it was a honest telling of a familiar story and it let us laugh before we parted ways.  I would give this a 3.5/5 stars.  For more information check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eXDRgEL2AA

Well, that's just like your opinion...man.

On the 17th of September I am planning on attending the Lebowskifest in Chicago.  It's a celebration of all things Lebowski.  That is to say it's a gathering of fans of the Coen Brothers 1998 cult film The Big Lebowski.  In preparation for that I have decided to re-watch and blog about all 8 of the Coen Bros films that I have in my DVD collection.  Therefore, I will begin on the the 9th of September and work my through the films chronologically.  Starting with Blood Simple and finishing with live blogs from the screening of The Big Lebowski at the Protage Theater.  Abide!

Day #5 - I Love You Phillip Morris

It isn't every day that I get to experience something new in film making.  I have been an avid film fan for over 15 years now.  I have seen movies from dozens of countries, in almost every genre and sub-genre.  I'll watch any type of movie as long as it is well crafted.  I've traveled upwards of 5 hours by car just to watch a movie by a favorite director because that is the closest theater showing his work.  I've been to Drive-In theaters for shlocky double features, I've been to midnight showings of Rocky Horror Picture Shows (in full drag no less), I've seen movies on planes, my phone, projected on a sheet in a friends backyard, and so on.  Last night however I did something that I have never done before.  I watched a movie on DVD before it has been released in American theaters.

A friend of mine had been abroad in a country where there "I Love You Phillip Morris" has been in theaters for a while now.  This friend picked up a copy of the movie on DVD while there.  I can't comment on the legality of this transaction, however it is packaged very eloquently, and the video and sound were top notch.  If this isn't an official DVD release it would have definitely fooled me.

Seeing as how the Americans won't have a change to see this for a couple of months, I won't spoil the movie for anyone.  Apparently this movie has been "in the can" (watch the movie and you will find how great that pun is) for almost 2 years now.  My understanding is that it is having trouble finding an American distributor.  I can see why.

I Love You Phillip Morris, directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, is the story of a gay con man who falls in love with his cell mate while in prison.  Once out of prison they find that old habits are hard to break and that lies beget lies beget lies. The gay prisoners are played by Jim Carrey and Ewen McGregor.  The movie also contains some wonderful supporting performances that really flush out and support the story.  Lesslie Mann as Carrey's ultra christian ex-wife is especially good. 

The reason that this movie might struggle to find an American distributor is that theaters will be afraid that the movie will alienate too many people.  Much of the typical movie going sections of the US (the South, I'm talking to you) still won't go see a movie about gay people (although TV seems to have a gay character on nearly every show now a days). And there are a few moments of some pretty explicit gay interactions. So then you turn to the gay crowd.  This film doesn't always portray the gay community in the best light.  There are some very blunt plot twists involving AIDS that I can see scaring off what would be a strong demographic.  So who is left?  Jim Carrey fans?  His performance is comedic, but this is no Fire Marshall Bill.  He is a sad clown in this movie and I have seen fans of his stay away from movies where he does anything higher brow than Ace Ventrua.

One of my common complaints about movies are that they can be uneven.  Usually this means that a director had a solid vision.  He makes his movie to that vision.  Then the studios see it, and realize they can't sell it like that so they change it.  This happens a lot with movies intended to be rated "R", then the studio makes them more accessable to a wider crowd and it gets  a "PG-13" rating (Ironman 2 anyone).  Usually the directors vision is also gone with the old rating.  I have to say, to its credit, this isn't the case with I Love You Phillip Morris. This movie reminded me a lot of a film from last year.  The Informant! with Matt Damon.  Both in tone and in theme.  The Informant! perhaps pulled it off a little better, but I would say that I Love You Phillip Morris kept me guessing the entire time.  I never knew where the film was going and that is a good thing.  It pulled the rug out from under me about 9 times. Good performance, well directed, the cinematography was kind of hit and miss with me along with the set design and art direction.  I couldn't tell what they were going for (a problem I never had with The Informant!).  Overall this was an interesting, surprisingly touching movie.  Please FBI, don't arrest me.  I give it a 3.5/5 stars.  For more check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoFANivV44g

There are a lot of finical collapse documentaries coming out this fall. This is the one that looks the most interesting to me.

Day #4 - The American

What a perfect day.  I slept in till almost noon.  Spent the afternoon with my girlfriend just being lazy (an event I'm generally not afforded).  Then in the evening we decided to travel down to the big city to catch a movie.  Before that we stopped by the bookstore and I picked up copies of "Filmmaker" & "Film Comment" magazines.  After that I took her to a wonderful restaurant and we shared a bottle of wine and we each had steaks that absolutely melted in our mouths.  Once we allowed some time for gestation to take place we went to the mega-plex and saw "The American".

I am generally not the type of guy who will go to a movie based on its stars.  I follow directors more than actors.  I am more likely to see a David Fincher film than I am the new Robert Downey Jr. movie.  There are a few exceptions to that rule.  Joseph Gorden Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tom Hardy are examples.  George Clooney is another.  I admit, he is my man crush.  He is my generations Paul Newman, and I know that is blasphemy for many but he has careless charisma and charm in his back pocket.  He can be tough as nails in one scene then guarded and vulnerable in the next simply by twitching a half smile.

This is not to say that Anton Corbijn is a hack.  I quite enjoyed his last feature "Control" about the life of Ian Curtis and his band Joy Division.  He continues with another winner with this film.  I was first struck by his filming of the landscape.  The films open in a snowy Sweden then moves to a small Italian village.  The landscapes are breathtaking and Corbijn captures them in a way that puts you there in the middle.  You can taste the coffee, you can smell the wildflowers, and you can hear every footstep on the stone roadways.  Sound plays of great importance in this movie.  The dialogue is minimal at best.  If I was guessing I would say the script would be comprised of under 25 pages.  Everything is told by second glances over the characters shoulders, or an unexpected pause in a stroll down the twisting, cavernous streets of the city.

Clooney is a gun builder of sorts despite saying on a few occasions that he is bad with machines.  He is hiding from the Swedes due to a botched job.  He befriends a priest in the villa, of as close of a friend as he will allow.  The nature of his work prevents him from allowing anyone to get to close to him.  He also makes nice with a local prostitute played by Violante Placido.  I could write a blog dedicated to miss Placido.  She sets the screen on FIRE with her beauty.  When I say she is breathtaking that is because during one screen I literally began coughing because I forgot to inhale.  I should also mention that her acting was superb. 

Overall I have to say that I loved this movie.  It is packed with dramatic, tense moments.  Corbijn trusts his audience and doesn't' force feed exposition down our throats.  It is refreshing to watch a movie that lets you uncover and build relationships with its characters.  Hollywood, it is ok if we don't know the motives of all the people on screen as long as you provide us with reason for caring about them.  Mr Corbijn realizes this.

This movie had me at Clooney, but it didn't rest on his laurels.  It provided a fresh, smart, engaging thriller.  This is in many ways a throwback to the spy genre of the 70's.  All the way down to the movie poster.  I give this movie a 4.5 /5 stars.  For more please check out the link below for the trailer
.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ywmoXZwkA0