Monday, July 23, 2012

Celluloid #152




In Theaters

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) Zeitlin - You should see this film first and foremost for the memorable visuals. This is the story of Hushpuppy and her dad who live on an island off the coast of Louisiana. A storm of Katrina-caliber hits, destroying the makeshift life that they had made for themselves. Hushpuppy narrates this film and injects the right amount of child perspective and imagination without things getting anywhere close to being sappy. This film feel so "American" with its history of poor blacks, white trash, Southern Gothic, hard-drinking, firework sensibilities. My only complaint is that the music is too overpowering at times, but otherwise I loved it. 4.5/5

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) Trevorrow - Enjoyable enough movie about three reporters working on a story about a Craigslist ad seeking a partner for time travel. Initially the three think Kenneth might just be a paranoid nut, but as Darius (Aubrey Plaza) gets to know him, it seems as though he just wants to connect to a simpler, happier time, and she begins to fall for him. Then things get a little wacky as they gather supplies for the time machine and try to shake some government officials. 3.5/5

Take This Waltz (2012) Polley - I still love Michelle Williams, but this movie is pretty bad, and it does make me question whether Sarah Polley is a total weirdo. Margot is married to Lou, a chef writing a cookbook about chicken. While on a writing assignment, Margot meets Daniel and the two have instant chemistry. Things get complicated when Margot realizes that Daniel lives right across the street. She struggles with whether she should start an affair, or stay loyal to her loving but bland husband. The characters are all pretty off (the gross babytalk meets gore, all of Daniel's outfits, his job, and his lame art), but mostly what bothered me was the horrible dialogue. People are constantly saying things in this film that no real person would ever say. 2/5

In Home

Domain (2009) Chiha - A young man and his aunt seem uncomfortably close. She is a mathematician and an alcoholic, but seems to enjoy keeping Pierre around as company. He finds her fascinating and original until she makes a desperate move on him despite the fact that he is gay. This film doesn't really do much of anything, but I do appreciate some of the more atmospheric scenes, especially the slow-motion dancing in the nightclub. 3/5

Harakiri (1962) Kobayashi - Poverty-stricken samurais begin turning up asking for a place to commit harakiri, but in reality just want a handout. One house decides to put an end to this behavior by using one such samurai as an example. However, this samurai did not have real blades on his sword, so was forced to disembowel himself with the bamboo replacements. At the time, the lords believe that the lack of blades only proves how much of a weasel and fake this samurai was, and feel justified in their actions. Years later, another samurai shows up at this house making the same request, but before he commits his ritual, he reveals that the first samurai was his son-in-law who just really loved his daughter and needed a doctor for her and their dying baby. 4/5

Party Girl (1995) Von Scherler Mayer - Mary is a total party girl, but needs to start making some real money. Her godmother gives her a position as a library clerk. After criticizing Mary for not being serious enough, Mary pulls an all-nighter learning the Dewey Decimal System (this film is a total love letter to library science), and she becomes a model librarian. There's also a romance with a Lebanese food vendor and plenty of silly dancing. 4/5

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Celluloid #151 (Rapid Fire Edition)

I have gotten so far behind, that I'm just going to spit out all of the movies that I've watched in the last month with even shorter synopses than usual...in hopes that I'll be able to get it together to get back on track soon!

In Theaters


Alps (2012) Lanthimos - Follow-up by the director of Dogtooth. Centers around a group of people who  offer to "act" as replacements for the recently deceased to help their families grieve. However, their own identities become quite muddled. Absurd, extremely dark humor. 3.5/5

First Position (2012) Kargman - Documentary about ballet dancers competing in the Youth America Grand Prix. 3.5/5

Lola Versus (2012) Wein - Lola has been dumped by her fiance three weeks before her wedding. She copes by sleeping with her ex's best friend, trying to date around, moping around the with a message I support, but played too on the nose for my taste. 2/5

Magic Mike (2012) Soderbergh - Mike is a construction worker by day and a male stripper by night. Alex is a dumb 19 year-old who can't keep it together at the construction site, so Mike decides to take him under his wing and introduce him to his other professional life. I could care less about all the beefcake, but Channing Tatum's dancing is great and all together this movie made me smile. 4/5

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Anderson - New Wes Anderson about two pre-teens who fall in love and runaway together causing the community to band together to find them. 4/5

Prometheus (2012) Scott - Unnecessary prequel to Alien. A group of scientists go searching for the origins of life and receive a violent welcome upon their arrival. 3.5/5

To Die For (1995) Van Sant - It's been a long time since I've seen this classic Van Sant...PFA was doing a screening. Suzanne is ambitious about working her way into television. She has a small gig as the weathergirl for a local channel, and starts taking on investigative projects, particularly examining the lives' of adolescents. She begins to feel that her marriage is holding her back, so she convinces some of her subjects to do some dirty work for her. 4.5/5

Your Sister's Sister (2012) Shelton - Jack is still grieving the death of his brother. His best friend Iris sends him to stay at her family's cabin, but when he arrives, Iris' sister Hannah is already occupying the residence, reeling from her own personal drama. The two hit it off, creating an awkward love triangle. 3/5


In Home


Bronson (2008) Refn - Stylish biopic of England's most violent prisoner. 4/5

Talk to Her (2002) Almodovar - One of the first Almodovar movies I ever saw and still one of my favorites. One man loses his lover in a bullfight. He meets another man who works as a nurse in the hospital, but that man has a creepy love affair with one of the patients in a coma. 5/5

Monday, July 2, 2012

Test Pattern #12



America's Next Top Model (Cycle 18) - Cycle 18 seems to be the death knell for this long running guilty pleasure. The theme this time was "British Invasion" where Tyra pits British models against American girls. Unfortunately, the scale seemed a little tipped because all of the British girls had been on previous cycles of Britain's Top Model, while the Americans had little to no experience. Honestly, all though my picks came in the top three, this season was so boring, with really lame photo shoots. I think it may be time to pull the plug.

Community (Season 3) - This show seems to be particularly divisive amongst my friends - I enjoy the pop culture references and playing with genre conventions, even if the show doesn't really go anywhere with a plot. I think it's a shame that Dan Harmon, the showrunner is no longer attached.

Fringe (Season 4) - Who can even keep straight what is going on in this show anymore? In addition to the two worlds (ours and an alternate) now I believe we are supposed to keep at least two different timelines in mind. It's not that I don't like the show, because I definitely do, but I often have to consult with my roommate to work out logic, characters, plot, etc. because it does seem like the show expects you to have an excellent memory.

Game of Thrones (Season 2) - While not quite as good as the first season, things are still getting exciting in the 7 Kingdoms. Everyone wants Joffrey dead, Daenerys gets her dragons stolen for a time, Theon acts like an idiot, while Tyrion may have found his calling. Oh, and Jon Snow almost loses his virginity and Arya poses as a boy. War has broken out this season, and of course, winter is coming...

Girls (Season 1) - My favorite debut of the year caused quite an uproar online and amongst reviewers. The basic premise is that four girls live in Brooklyn. They are all white, 20-something, fairly educated, and definitely part of the "leisure class." The show gets criticized for its lack of diversity, but I think if you are honest when examining most people's close circle of friends, you will find a lot of homogeneity. I found this show incredibly relatable, being an aimless 20-something myself for a time. The friendships and even the relationships with the guys in the show are really truthful and sadly funny.  I'm glad it'll be back on in the Fall because I can't wait to spend more time with these ladies.
 
In Treatment (Season 2) - Now that Dr. Paul Weston is separated from his wife and being sued by a patient's family, he starts his practice up again in Brooklyn. He treats a middle-aged woman who used to be his patient 20 years earlier and regrets not settling down; a young woman with cancer; a boy whose parents are undergoing a divorce; and old man who starts out the CEO of a big company but stress and guilt force him to step aside; and Paul's own treatment with Gina where he is still dealing with his father issues and acting like quite the asshole in his sessions.

the Killing (Season 2) - When this show first started, it had a lot of promise and perhaps too many Twin Peaks  references, but I found myself attracted to the dynamic between the two detectives. This second season did little to redeem itself after the season 1 finale that left so many people feeling angry. I was willing to go along for the ride, but what was presented was a lot of fairly uninteresting red herrings, and B-plots that I could have done without. I guess they finally wrapped up the case this season, but its conclusion was far from satisfying.

Mad Men (Season 5) - The ladies are growing up, moving on, and getting what they want this season. I felt bad about "Fat Betty" and how much of a villain she has become, but am always interested in life through Sally's eyes, and am looking forward to seeing their mother/daughter relationship evolve. Don seems to have gained a bit of a conscience this season, but I think it's just because he's getting older, and he's starting not to fit in with mainstream society.

the Office (Season 8) - Why do I even keep watching this show? I'm not that into Robert California and found Nellie an even more irritating character. Jim and Pam may as well not exist...I really just want to see Kelly and sometimes Ryan, which is unfortunate, since I don't think either of them will be on the show much anymore.

Parks & Recreation (Season 4) - I think this was a really good season! Leslie running for office makes her even more of a stress case than ever, and I like Ben (Adam Scott) as her boyfriend. Ron and April always bring the straight-faced laughs and the secret hearts of gold. Tom and Ann as a couple is too weird, but I like them both so much individually that I'll allow it if it means they are still vital to the show.

30 Rock (Season 6) - Liz has a boyfriend - weird! Jack has a lot of sexual tension with Avery's mom and then she comes back from Korea. Kenneth is no longer a page - weird! There is not nearly enough Tracy in this season, and while there are certainly some funny episodes or gags, it's probably for the best that there is only one more season.

Veep (Season 1) - Started watching this on HBO streaming as a time killer.  The episodes are really short, but it took a few for it to find its stride. It's nice to see Buster Bluth again and Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a great comedic talent. Worth watching for a few hours.

Art Garfunkel Memorial Reading List (January - June 2012)

1.) JR - Gaddis (1/3)
2. ) My Last Sigh - Bunuel (1/9)
3.) the Instructions - Levin (1/26)
4.) the Marbled Swarm - Cooper (1/28)
5.) Madame Bovary - Flaubert (1/31)
6.) Wide Sargasso Sea - Rhys (2/4)
7.) Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? - Carver (2/7)
8.) Are Prisons Obsolete? - Davis (2/12)
9.) Birds of America - Moore (2/15)
10.) Omeros - Walcott (2/27)
11.) This Shape We're In - Lethem (2/28)
12.) the Lost Books of the Odyssey - Mason (3/3)
13.) Memory Wall - Doerr (3/7)
14.) the Leftovers - Perrotta (3/8)
15.) Ready Player One - Cline (3/16)
16.) American Gay - Murray (3/24)
17.) Collected Stories of Eudora Welty (4/17)
18.) Death on the Installment Plan - Celine (4/24)
19.) the Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven - Alexie (4/26)
20.) the Driver's Guide to Hitting Pedestrians - Prunty (4/30)
21.) the Chronology of Water - Yuknavitch (4/30)
22.) Runaway - Munro (5/3)
23.) Pulphead - Sullivan (5/8)
24.) the Night Circus - Morgenstern (5/18)
25.) Farther Away - Franzen (5/23)
26.) the Stories of John Cheever (5/26)
27.) Hot Pink - Levin (5/30)
28.) Motorman - Ohle (5/31)
29.) the Devil All of the Time - Pollock (6/6)
30.) Matterhorn - Marlantes (6/18)
31.) Black Tickets - Phillips (6/20)
32.) Nog - Wurlitzer (6/30)