Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Celluloid #25


In Home

In the Blood (2007) Petersen - It is John's fault that I have now seen one of the dumbest movies in existence. John was hoping that this would be a silly erotic gay thriller...which I guess it is to a point. Basically a college jock has visions of the future in the midst of sexual experiences. He has to have homosexual sex to save his sister's life...1/5

Mamma Roma (1962) Pasolini - An aging prostitute wants to make life better for herself and her son. He never had a father growing up and didn't go to school or learn a trade, so she has to pull strings to get things for him. Once the son finds out that his mom is a hooker, he quits his job and starts stealing. 3.5/5

Panic in Needle Park (1971) Schatzberg - Everybody looks like a hipster in 1970s New York. Starring a very young Al Pacino, our protagonist starts using heroin with increasing regularity and becomes very co-dependent with his user girlfriend. The doomed couple becomes so desperate for money/drugs that Helen has to work as a prostitute. Pretty average 70s fare. 3.5/5

Stalker (1979) Tarkovsky - Casual viewers should know that Tarkovsky's films get less accessible with each release, meaning that this film and Mirror are not the easiest things to watch (I fell asleep during two different attempts). However, that's not to say this film isn't worth watching, but very slow. The story takes place in a pretty incredible, apocalyptic setting. The premise is that in the future, a mystical "Zone" exists, where "stalkers" act as guides to take hopeless people to a mysterious and difficult-to-find room where those who enter will have their deepest longing fulfilled. 4/5

2 comments:

J Baxter Smoke! said...

duder,

I would only be honored to show you all the sweet spots to take someone to make out in san francisco.

say the word...
-jordan

Nora Dillon said...

I loved mamma roma... it got five rather than 4 stars just because I like to shout "Mammmmmma Roma!" I have this tendency, well, less a tendency more my utter reality, to talk to Dodobean like such (in my feigned Italian accent) "Dodoa beana... why you bite a mama? Dontcho know that-a mama loves you Doda beana? Dont hurta your mama!" And today, at the library in line to pick up my movies, there was a man with his seven, eight year old nerdling. And the wee nerdling decided suddenly to push his old man in the gut. His dad turned out to be Portugese or Spanish (I'm not certain, for all I know he could be from South America), but dad said "Why you shove-a Papa Gus?! Don't push-a Papa!" and then the nerdling sort of stumble-crumbled over his own two feet and landed on his bottom, to which the papa said " That's-a what you get for pushing Papa! That was-a Papa's angel teaching you a little lesson about not pushing your Papa!" And I smiled and thought of Dodobean and me and Mama Roma! That was a long winded comment.