Celluloid #22

In Theatre

On Saturday, I had some free time during the day and had previously discovered that the Parkway Theater has $3 matinees on the weekends. Sukiyaki Western Django was playing and I had seen a preview for it before some other movie. It looked like it would be dumb fun. Miike is pretty great at providing gory, silly entertainment, however, I've either seen too many of his films by now or he really is dialing it in this time around. There are a lot of fight scenes, but nothing very shocking or laughable happens. Basically, this film is lacking in "fun" almost all together. Quentin Tarantino is super obnoxious and every time he was on screen it just made me really angry (not that he is in the film very much). If you are interested, the plot is a retelling of "The War of the Roses" and as the theme of feuding clans comes up very often in Japanese samurai films, so it doesn't seem completely out of left field. 2/5

In Home

All Things Fair (1995) Widerberg - A teacher and her high school student begin an intimate affair. WW2 is raging in other parts of Europe, but this is Sweden and things are relatively calm. The students eventually becomes bored with having sex with his teacher and starts to pursue one of his peers. She reacts very badly...4/5

Away From Her (2007) Polley - A woman has Alzheimer's and forces her husband to place her in a nursing home. While institutionalized, she strikes up an affectionate relationship with another patient, causing deep distress to her husband. A depressing but beautifully shot portrait of enduring suffering. 4/5

the Band's Visit (2007) Kolirin - A simple story of an Egyptian police band getting lost on the way to a show in Israel and being taken in by the kind locals. The film is also a slice of life type of story about small towns, incorporating the universal aspect of music and dying traditions. I found the scenes in the rollerskating rink really enjoyable. 4.5/5

Blood Brothers (2007) Tan - Jon and I wandered around Blockbuster looking for a film to kill some time and saw John Woo's name all over the case of this DVD. However, we were tricked. This is not a Woo film! Instead we were presented with a Disney-feeling, sappy, sentimental story about three friends who leave their small town for Shanghai, where they get mixed up in less than savory business. Everything is super polished and the music is out of control emotionally manipulative, all though I couldn't get over my frustration to even muster up any emotional connection and instead fell asleep. 1/5

Magnum Force (1973) Eastwood - As the part 3 installment of "Retarded Movie Night", I think Magnum Force was the least "retarded" film so far. I haven't seen Dirty Harry but this sequel has its moments. A group of rebel cops are taking justice into their own hands by murdering people who have escaped conviction. It watches a lot like a blaxploitation film with hardly any black people, even if it is presenting a conservative agenda. Harry Callahan is a badass, and everything was fine and entertaining until the very last scenes when a lackluster motorcycle chase seemingly derails the film. 3.5/5

Night Porter (1974) Cavani - A former Nazi and a former concentration camp victim meet again after 12 years. The former Nazi works at a hotel and is in the process of having his name cleared at a trial. The woman had previously suffered sexual abuse and torture at his hands, yet she embarks upon a sexually transgressive relationship with her tormentor. While there may be a fine line between terror and eroticism, and this film is purposely ridiculous, I just couldn't go along with it. A portrayal of S & M under different circumstances would have been fine with me, but in this case seems so unbelievable and therefore difficult to find anything to connect with in the film. 3/5

the Ossuary (1964 -1989) Svankmajer - A really cool collection of shorts, mostly of the stop-motion animation variety and some experimental documentaries. The title film, "Darkness Light Darkness", and the first film which has "Trick" in the title were among my favorites. Not everything is great on here (I wasn't too into the "Don Juan" half hour), but the style is still so bizarre and interesting to watch. I love the Czech! 4/5

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) Hellman - This film has a lot of potential: released on Criterion, 1970s road exploitation film, starring both musicians James Taylor and one of the Beach Boys. I was pretty disappointed and honestly found the film on the boring side...it's supposed to be a race across country and it's really not, but it's not much of anything else either. 3/5

In News

*A little while back it had been announced that Tim Burton will be working on an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. If Burton wasn't guarantee enough that the film would be pretty weird, he's casted Crispin Glover to play the Mad Hatter...

* Saxon sent me a email today that I don't completely understand, but apparently a musical version of Fellini's 8 1/2 called Nine is being adapted to film...and Daniel Day Lewis will be playing some part in it

Celluloid #21

In Theatres

Last weekend I had the option to see Oliver Stone's new satirical film, W. or Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist...I opted for the former. Many of the complaints about this film focus on the timing of the film (why release this now while Bush is practically a lame duck?) and the intended audience (who is this film for? liberals? Republicans?). I personally didn't have a problem with either of these issues. It makes sense that this would come out now while Bush is still on peoples' radars but on the back burner considering the current election. Also, the film does seem to paint Bush in a somewhat sympathetic light, but mostly he comes off looking like a drunk, manipulated fool with "daddy issues." The family drama, however fictionalized, between Bush Sr. and Jr. was my favorite aspect of the film. Ultimately, however, this film isn't very good on a purely "film"' level. It felt sloppy and uneven and given the topical nature, will be extremely forgettable. W. has its moments, but in the end I cannot really recommend it. 2.5/5

In Home

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) Fassbinder - Basically the German 1970s version of Jungle Fever. An old widow meets a much younger Moroccan man at a bar and the two strike up a romance. They are very kind to each other, but in both of their social circles and families, there is a strong feeling of disapproval and sometimes outright racist sentiments. 4/5

Bird People of China (1998) Miike - A surprising entry by Miike. None of the usual absurdity and gore, but instead a touching story about a jewelry gem trader, a yakuza, and their guide who end up in a small Chinese village where a legend about flying "bird people" exists and they even have a "flying school" where young children learn to use man made wings. The young jewelry man also meets a young girl who sings a song in English that seems to have a great spiritual impact on him. 4/5

Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven (1975) Fassbinder - The second Fassbinder film this past week, but definitely the inferior piece. Starring the same old lady actress, but this time her husband kills himself at work, but not before managing to kill his supervisor. Her estranged daughter takes this opportunity to obtain her 15 Minutes of Fame, and a group of Communists, and later Anarchists take advantage of her. Also has two widely different endings, one for the European and one for the US release (I think usually a bad sign). 3/5

Once (2006) Carney - I have resisted seeing this film...it looks like a sappy love story and it's a musical to boot. However, as much as I wanted to not like it, my cynicism began to melt away not too long after the start. It feels like a small digital indie film rather than an obnoxious Hollywood romance and whatever "love story" exists is far less cheesy than expected. The "musical" aspect results from the fact that there is very little dialogue in this film and many scenes center around the songs that the two main actors are writing or performing. Basically just a story of two lonely people...a street musician and a Czech immigrant. 4/5

Solaris (1972) Tarkovsky - This science fiction classic still holds up remarkably well today. It's easy to see its influence on contemporary entries to the genre, such as Sunshine. You really don't see much of "Space" at all in this film, but you do experience the claustrophobia of the ship and the psychological effect that this cramped isolation can have on an individual...in this case physically manifesting itself as persons from one's past. Eerie, stark, and stylish. 4/5

In News

* Ridley Scott has already begun work on his next project, slated to star Leonardo Dicaprio in the well-read Huxley novel Brave New World

* Oliver Stone has started working on his follow-up to the lukewarm W. with a film having something to do with Vietnam called Pinkville

Celluloid #20

In Home

All About Eve (1950) Mankiewicz - Eve is a sweet, modest, humble girl who worships Margo, an aging theatre actress. Margo takes Eve in and gives her a job as a personal assistant. Everyone loves Eve to begin with, but she seems a little too good to be true, and as the story progresses, we see that Eve isn't exactly what we think. A story about women primarily, and the hardships they face as they grow older. Also, plenty of cat-fights...4/5

the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Dominik - Brad Pitt plays the legendary and beloved criminal Jesse James, while Casey Affleck does a good job at playing his young admirer Robert Ford. This film is actually a lot better than I expected. The pace is deliberate and the style is incredibly beautiful. Even though the title explicitly tells you what's going to happen, the film creates a terrific amount of tension. The debut by this Australian director (generally a good sign), I look forward to Dominik's next project. 4.5/5

Before Sunrise (1995) Linklater - Ethan Hawke is a young American travelling around Europe and happens to meet the lovely Julie Delpy on the train the afternoon before he flies back to the States. They have some sort of connection and end up getting off together in Vienna. They go shopping for records, walk around, eat at cafes, watch street performers, go to a fair, etc. The movie is meant to be a Romance, but with Linklater at the helm, you are sure to have your fair share of pseudo-intellectual conversation...this time having a lot to do with the idea of "love." While the conversations themselves were pretty realistic, they still often crossed over into "cringe" territory. Plus, Ethan Hawke has really ugly mid-nineties facial hair and is just kinda an ass to watch. 3.5/5

Foxy Brown (1974) Hill - Pam Grier is one sexy, stylish, badass. This time around she's a lady out to avenge her dead lover and take down a drug/prostitution ring with a little help from the Panthers. She fucks a lot of people up, including her Uncle Tom brother, and you see her boobs no less than three times. Pretty much exactly what you want to see when watching an exploitation film: great outfits, amazing soundtrack, plenty of fights, titties, and an uplifting black nationalism message. 5/5

Il Posto (1961) Olmi - Domenico has just finished school and needs to find a job to help support his family. In Milan, they are hiring clerks and postal workers, pending one is able to pass an extensive test involving math problems, psychiatric evaluation, general aptitude, and physical health. Domenico meets a young lady who is also taking the test, and they both end up getting hired. However, Domenico ends up having to work in a separate building from her and is disappointed that they won't be able to have lunch together. A plot of small details rather than a lot of action. 4/5

Mirror (1974) Tarkovsky - To be honest, I didn't often know what was going on plotwise in this film. My suspicion is actually that not much was happening, but the scenes rather served to create a mood. Supposedly an autobiographical tale of Tarkovsky's childhood, we know that his father left his mother and they seemed to live in a fair amount of isolation. The film shifts between black & white and color depending on what time period the events take place. 4/5

Paranoid Park (2007) Van Sant - Whether you will enjoy this film, I think is highly dependent on how you feel about the recent period of Van Sant's films. If you liked Gerry and Elephant and could at least deal with Last Days then you'll probably find something to appreciate about this film. I actually happen to like the mentioned films so I had no real problems with Paranoid Park. The teenager dialogue does get a bit grating after a while, but seemed awkwardly accurate, especially for the teenagers I encountered in Portland specifically. (Sidenote: The indoor high school shots were actually filmed at a high school that I worked at in Portland). The basic plot is that Alex likes to skateboard with his friends, and one day accidentally ends up killing a security guard, which he tells absolutely no one, and we witness how he copes with this reality. It's slow-paced and features some pretty shots of Portland, and a song by local rapper Cool Nutz. 4/5

In News

* Darren Aronofsky's new film The Wrestler has been getting a lot of buzz and press lately, mainly due to Mickey Rourke's performance. This film should be released in mid-December

* Russian director Timur Bekmambetov who brought us Night Watch, Day Watch, and Wanted (of that bunch I've only seen Night Watch) is working on the final (?) chapter of the "watch" trilogy set to be called Twilight Watch

* And Ang Lee is filming a comedy about Woodstock...(really?? why?)

Celluloid #19

In Home

Devils on the Doorstep (2002) Jiang - A pretty impressive film about a Chinese village during the Japanese occupation of World War II. A mysterious man drops off two POWs (a Japanese soldier and his Chinese translator) to a Chinese man, Dasan Ma, and threatens to kill Ma if anything happens to the POWs. The mysterious man claims he will be back to pick them up at the New Year, however, that deadline passes and after an additional 6 months, the villagers start arguing about what to do with the prisoners. Beautifully shot, compelling, and even funny a times. 4.5/5

Hawks and the Sparrows (1964) Pasolini - Starting with the opening credits actually being sung and the first actual scene involving a dance routine, this movie has one of the best beginnings I have seen for a while. After the dancing ceases (although the awesome Italian rock song continues throughout) we are left with a father and son who wander around and are given the task of converting the hawks to Catholicism (which takes a year) and then converting the sparrows as well. This task is of course assigned by St. Francis of Assisi. They also walk around with a talking crow. Just the right amount of stylishness, satire, and absurdity. 4.5/5

Peeping Tom (1960) Powell - Lauded as the British "Psycho", about a socially awkward man who works as a photographer, but sometimes kills people with his camera. I personally would have preferred this film to go a bit more campy, as I got a little bored with this at times. 3.5/5

Red Beard (1965) Kurosawa - A story about a young cocky doctor who believes that he is going to become the shogun's personal doctor, but instead is sent to work under Dr. Niije in a clinic for the poor. Initially he is resistant and upset that he has been sent to work for the clinic, but gradually becomes more compassionate and decides that life working to help those who need it most will provide him with a more satisfying life. 4.5/5

12 Monkeys (1995) Gilliam - Surprisingly I had never seen this film until now, but I had seen the short movie that inspired it ("La Jetee" by Chris Marker). James Cole (Bruce Willis) has the ability to time travel a bit in order to collect data about deadly virus that will kill off much of humankind in the future. He is sent to a mental institute the first time around on his time travel quests, but on his second trip, his psychiatrist suspects that Cole may not be crazy after all. Brad Pitt also plays a loony. Lots of Gilliam weirdness and fish-eye lens shots. 4/5

Zizek! (2005) Taylor - A documentary about everyone's favorite contemporary Eastern European philosopher, Slavoj Zizek. Zizek looks a lot like a bear and is pretty into Lacanian theory, the nature of belief, and general questioning of reality. I don't get a lot of what he talks about, but the documentary basically follows him around (the scene of him buying DVDs and another of him sitting up in his bed shirtless are pretty priceless) and creates an interesting portrayal of an undeniably interesting man.

Special Feature

So, instead of the usual random updates this week, I'm just going to be super lazy and post a list of films that I am potentially interested in seeing in the upcoming months...

Let the Right One In - Alfredson (Swedish vampire/coming of age/story about loneliness/ getting good reviews) October 24

Synecdoche, New York - Kaufman, Charlie (Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut/could be terrible) October 24

Slumdog Millionaire - Boyle (it's Danny Boyle/decent reviews/Indian gameshow teenage romance) November 14

The Road - Hillcoat (John Hillcoat of The Proposition/ apocalypse/ Cormac McCarthy adaptation) November 26

Milk - Van Sant (Harvey Milk film starring Sean Penn) December 5

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Fincher (David Fincher/Brad Pitt ages backwards/ Tilda Swinton) December 25

The Brothers Bloom - Johnson, Rian (dude who did Brick/ con-man/one-last job) January 16