Celluloid #108

In Theaters

Kaboom (2010) Araki - While the actual theater-viewing experience was horrible (one man could not stop cackling or yelling inane things, while another man was eating the neverending bag of popcorn in a way that popcorn-chewing has never sounded so disgusting), I still found enjoyment in this admittedly stupid movie. Smith and his lesbian friend Stella are first year college students who have a lot of sex. Mysterious and sometimes supernatural events start to occur, leading them to believe that the world may be coming to an end. 3.5/5

In Home

Alamar (2009) Gonzalez-Rubio - This documentary features very little dialogue, but incredibly beautiful scenery and a fairly touching subject. A man and his wife have a child. After some time, they decide to split up and she decides to take their young son back with her to Spain. Before she leaves, they decide to let the 6 year-old spend a few weeks with his father. Together they paint, spear fish, identify plants and birds, and wrestle around. Nothing much really happens, but it is really great. 4.5/5

Breakin' (1984) Silberg - Fun campy movie where a traditional dancer with proclivities towards ballet befriends some breakdancers. The breakdancers are currently embroiled with another crew, so the three team up to win the battle. Anyway, lots of dancing, bad acting, sorta fashionable clothes, montages, and an awesome soundtrack. 4/5

Careful (1992) Maddin - Too much desire! In an isolated mountain town, there's incest, murder, curses from dead relatives, animals with their vocal chords removed, and the constant fear of an avalanche. Guy Maddin is a master of the dreamy feeling film, and this one is no exception. Pastel light filters, weird saturation of color, and overly shiny things. Despite some confusion over plot and characters, overall I just love Maddin's style. 4/5

the Craft (1996) Fleming - Silly teen film about a group of girls that try to be witches. At first their powers are an uniting force in an environment that belittles girls and where guys always take advantage. After a while, jealousy gets the best of the former leader and the new girl Sara (a natural witch). They use magic to become beautiful, to get revenge, and to make boys fall in love, but the balance is not kept, so there are consequences to bear. 3/5

Flirting (1991) Duigan - Since this movie can be found in the "Cult" section of my local video store, I expected more gags and camp. Instead, what we see is a pretty normal coming-of-age story combined with an interracial teenage love story. It's always enjoyable to root for the underdogs. The only thing I would have changed was leaving out any politics. In addition, you get to see a young Nicole Kidman (looking like an amazon woman) and Naomi Watts (as the ugly girl!) 3.5/5

Hardcore (1979) Schrader - A girl from a religious and conservative family in Michigan goes on a trip with her church to California. Shortly after her arrival, she goes missing only to be discovered in a porno. Her dad goes out to CA to find her, but due to the secretive nature of the porn industry and his square looks, he can't get any information. He basically has to get deeply entrenched in the porn world. I though this was a good '70s style film, but not really as sleazy as I would have imagined. 3.5/5

Persona (1967) Bergman - A former actress has suffered from immense depression or some other mental hangup to warrant a stay in the hospital. She doesn't talk and when her nurse is invited along for her recuperation trip by the sea, she fills the silence with anecdotes revealing all sorts of personal information. Something happens to the women where they don't exactly switch places, but a bleeding of personalities and disorders seems to occur. In Bergman's impressive filmography, his crazy lady psychological thrillers are my favorite. 4.5/5

Stripes (1981) Reitman - Bill Murray stars in this party movie where he and his friend decide to take a break from their dead end lives to have some fun in the ARMY! Unfortunately this film hasn't aged the best. The jokes aren't funny and there's a weird problem with a premature story climax. I guess at least excessive boob shots are always a popular choice...3/5

Test Pattern #6

America's Next Top Model (Cycle 15) - The high fashion cycle! (all though apparently cycle 16 will be a high fashion cycle). This cycle was good for all of the weirdos...big boobs Ester, spunky lesbian Kayla, the beautiful but shy Kendall, but there was never a doubt that the gangly awkward Ann would win the whole thing...I hope there's a little more tension next round.

Bored to Death (Season 1) - Hipster detective stories. I really like Jason Schwartzman. I think he's cute and weird and endearing. I've never really had a crush on him before, but this show makes it really hard to avoid. Basically "Jonathan" puts out a craigslist ad, offering his unprofessional detective services and occasionally people respond. He's also recently dumped and suffers from drinking too much white wine. Zach Galifinakis is enjoyable as is Ted Danson.

Caprica (Season 1) - Caprica was never going to be as good as the show it spun off from (Battlestar Galactica) but the season got kinda fucked by taking a long hiatus in the middle. This is the story of how cylons came into existence, but also features a heavy plotline focused on virtual reality. The religious differences between the colonies are more apparent than ever, and much drama stems from a fundamentalist monotheist group. There's a lot conceptually that could have worked for the show, but I have to admit that I got bored after a while, and I guess everyone else did too because it's been cancelled.

Dexter (Season 5) - Julia Stiles looks like a Cabbage Patch doll. I seriously got tired if seeing her every episode because she's not a good actor either. While I don't think this season was anywhere near the greatness of season 4, I did appreciate the break from the usual plot pattern.

Louie (Season 1) - Famously, I am known for not being into jokes and stand-up, so I was quite surprised to find myself enjoying Louis CK's new show. It helps that most of the twenty minute episodes are in skit format, and that Louis does a great job with self-deprecation and being a sympathetic slob.

Mad Men (Season 4) - The smaller version of Sterling Cooper was doing just fine, then the primary account, Lucky Strike decides to discontinue business. Of course this news hits everyone hard. Meanwhile, Don is dealing with being a divorcee and pursues a couple relationships. Betty continues to be a bitch. Peggy continues to be successful at her job, but less so in her personal life. Her friendship with Don is interesting and complex. Joan is back and I am worried for her for next season. The true star of the fourth season is Sally. She's approaching adolescence, the child of a broken home, and confused about the world. Every episode that featured her was a treat. For a more professional take on the show, read this article by Daniel Mendelsohn that just came out today.

Sons of Anarchy (Season 3) - Jax and his crew need to rescue his son from the IRA and somehow protect Gemma from ATF for a crime she didn't commit. I think this season spent way too much time in Ireland, but I am happy to see some characters meet their violent ends. Jax, Opie, and some of the more peace-oriented guys seem to be backing down from that position. It will be interesting to see if the action is upped next season.

Ugly Betty (Seasons 1-4) - While in Argentina on vacation, I got hooked on Betty Suarez and her great family and snotty work friends. This show had never really been on my radar before, but as something on in English to watch before going out..the best. After vacation, I had to watch the whole series. So melodramatic with the most ridiculous plots imaginable, but it's too hard not to love what you see here.

Celluloid #107

In Theaters

Biutiful (2010) Inarritu - Critics seem to be lambasting this film for two main reasons: 1.) It's too long (which I can agree with...a good 30 minutes probably could have been shaved) and 2.) It's too depressing. To the second point, I don't really care. This is Inarritu's best film since Amores Perros. I think Inarritu has a problem with moralizing, but at least this time, he has kept the focus on one compelling character rather than his usual gimmick of intertwining lofty global narratives. Bardem's praise is deserved for his portrayal of a man involved in low-level crime, yet always trying to do the right thing, especially when it comes to his children. The list of obstacles is almost comical as they reach Book of Job proportions: bipolar estranged wife, problems with immigrants, financial hardship, and oh yeah, terminal cancer. However, this is still a really gorgeous film with interesting imagery and I found it to be a huge improvement over Babel. 3.5/5

Rabbit Hole (2010) Mitchell - Parents dealing with the death of a child could have easily entered well-worn cliched territory, but instead John Cameron Mitchell departs from his homosexual and sex-positive stories to bring this unsentimental portrayal to life. Becca and Howie have each found their own secret ways to cope with their loss (domesticity and regular chats with the accidental killer or attending group therapy and smoking a lot of weed). The film doesn't go for any easy tears, and I was surprised at how much I liked what I saw. 4/5

In Home

Dogtooth (2009) Lanthimos - A strange Greek family. The three children, all in their late teens or twenties, have been shut off from the rest of the world. Only the father can leave their lush compound. They learn alternate vocabulary for problematic words (ex. "telephone" means salt) and the parents lie to them constantly. The dad brings in an outsider, a female security guard from his work, to satisfy his son's sexual needs. After a couple meetings, sex begins to permeate the house in a disturbing yet somehow innocent way. From there, some scenes get really graphic and dark, venturing into Michael Haneke territory. Maybe it sounds horrifying, but I thought this film was so stylish and interesting...the best thing I have seen for a while. 4.5/5

Last Tango in Paris (1972) Bertolucci - An American whose French wife has just killed herself and a young woman with a dumb boyfriend both look at the same vacant apartment. For some inexplicable reason, they spontaneously have sex. Marlon Brando as Paul is a total jerk and abuses Jeanne. I guess we are supposed to root for them, but ultimately I couldn't buy into Jeanne really being into this dude. She's young and hot, and maybe not the smartest, but at least seems like she needs someone who will at least pay attention to her, and Paul seems like the worst option. I was into the ending and the tango scene is really great...it just seems too fickle or rushed in the plotting to finish things up. 3.25/5