Celluloid #125

In Theaters

the Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Wyatt - I have never seen any of the "Planet of the Apes" films, but found this one to be entertaining blockbuster fare. Will is a scientist working with chimpanzees to develop a cure for Alzheimer's. The side effect is that the chimps become really intelligent. Funding gets shut down, and Will takes a hidden baby chimp home with him. The baby's mother was one of the test subjects and he inherited the effect. Caesar reminds me so much of Nim from Project Nim, and in a way, their storylines are quite similar Caesar too has to spend some time in a caged center where he becomes increasingly discontent. 3.5/5

In Home

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991) Herek - When Mom leaves for vacation, 17 year-old Sue Ellen and her younger siblings are left with an elderly babysitter. As the title indicates, she dies early on and the kids decide to fend for themselves rather than call their mom and risk her coming back early. They quickly run out of money and trash the house ("the dishes are done man!"), so Sue Ellen has to get a job. She lands an unbelievable position at a fashion company by lying about her experience. This movie is zany, so 90s, and includes an early David Duchovny. 3.5/5

My Blueberry Nights (2007) Wong - This movie could easily be used as an example of how we often give a pass to films or even idealize them because they are foreign (I often fall prey to this). In reality, the story and aesthetic of this film is not very different from other Wong Kar Wai films, but somehow seeing English-speaking characters makes the dialogue seem cheesy. Elizabeth gets dumped and makes a friend at her local cafe, but shortly leaves town. First to Memphis and then later to Vegas. She meets two characters - an alcoholic who can't get over his wife leaving him and a gambler with daddy issues. I'm not really sure what the point of these characters is, other than to show Elizabeth that her life is far from being a tragedy. 3/5

2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967) Godard - Godard is in one of his more absurd moods. The ladies in the film talk directly to the camera, and our main protagonist works as a prostitute sometimes. Other than that, I watched this a little over a week ago, and nothing much has stuck with me. 3/5

Celluloid #124

In Theaters

Project Nim (2011) Marsh - Normally, I wouldn't have all that much interest in a documentary about a monkey, but this one is by James Marsh, the man who brought you the tear-jerking Man on Wire. This film is nowhere near as great, but still a worthwhile time. It starts in the early 1970s, when Nim Chimpsky is taken away from his biological mother and sent to live with a rich hippie family in Manhattan. Initially, he is raised much like a child and is taught sign language in order to communicate. After several years, this linguistics experiment is determined to be a failure, namely because Nim's internal chimp behaviors keep coming to the surface; the last straw being when he bites the cheek off of one of the teachers. He is sent back to the research facility that he was born in. Despite the tragedy (the scientists should have either never taken him, or committed to keep him in some sort of domestic human environment), this is really a movie about human nature. So many people in this film hook up, and some people even emerge as saviors. 4/5

Tabloid (2011) Morris - A really entertaining look at a huge character. Joyce McKinney started her path to fame through beauty pageants, but becomes notorious for a plot she carried out to "rescue" her boyfriend from the Mormons by kidnapping him for a 3-day sex binge. He's actually in England for his mission, but the "truth" of what exactly went down is never revealed. During her tabloid fame, Joyce goes through a period of exile and costumes after a stint in jail. There are also salacious pictures that emerge, further tarnishing her reputation. AND if the first brush with fame wasn't enough, Joyce gets another 15 minutes decades later when she has her dog cloned. Totally engrossing. 4/5

In Home

Just One of the Guys (1985) Gottlieb - Terry feels she is being cheated out of a journalism internship because she is a girl. To prove her point, she transfers to another school (for a week?) and present herself as a boy. She quickly falls in love with another boy that she befriends and tries to help get a date to prom. Terry finds herself lying to her new friend, and also to her preppy boyfriend, and realizing that maybe her snub had nothing to do with her gender. 3/5

Pink Flamingos (1972) Waters - Classic John Waters - at its core, this is a story about two warring factions competing for the title of "filthiest person alive." Divine's family lives in a trailer where her son engages in sexual acts often incorporating animals, and her mother hangs out in a playpen forever eating eggs. Connie and Ray believe they are the filthiest because they run a "baby farm" where they kidnap ladies, have their servant impregnate them, and get the babies adopted by lesbian couples. Gross and outrageous, but would you expect anything different? 3.5/5

Road House (1989) Herrington - Dalton is a renowned "cooler" known for getting bars into shape, but also rumored to have killed a man. He gets hired to perform his services for a rowdy bar, and after so many jokes about how people thought "he would have been bigger", he finally starts cleaning things up. Unfortunately, he also quickly makes enemies by firing some key staff and ultimately pissing off the wealthy man who has the entire town under his thumb. It doesn't help that Dalton also falls for that guy's ex. Lots of fighting, fires, explosions. It was kinda nice to see a fun action film for a change. 3.5/5

Celluloid #123

In Theaters

Partner (1968) Bertolucci - In hindsight, there was probably a good reason why I had never heard of this film. Starts off well with the tension and paranoia that seems commonplace in late '60s Italian features. Jacob meets his doppelganger and together they devise a plan for revolution based on experimental theater. There are some memorable scenes, like the foam party, but overall this plays out like a parody of foreign arthouse and is just too goofy for my taste. 3/5

Terri (2011) Jacobs - Terri plays like the sad Sundance version of Angus. Once again you have a fat kid, his small crude sidekick, and the pretty popular girl that he befriends after she is shamed. However, while Melissa in Angus has her eating disorder, here Heather's problem is that she is caught getting fingered in Home Ec. causing the whole school to demonize her. Except for Terri of course, because he already feels like a monster. The other main story is with the well-meaning Assistant Principal (John C. Reilly), who often acts too much like a dude and ultimately fucks up a lot. Besides having more energy and a great soundtrack, Angus is the better film, or at least character. The two leads both demonstrate that they have heart, but Angus at least has a brain, while it's unclear if Terri is just overly naive or actually a little slow. 3/5

the Trip (2011) Winterbottom - Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden go on a trip through Northern England under the pretense of restaurant reviewing. Each man represents a different path of adulthood. Rob is a family-man; mediocre, but with low-brow popularity due to his knack for impressions. Steve is more of a ladies' man with limited success in art house films, capturing critics' hearts, but not a grander audience. While both men an be funny in their ways, I rarely found myself laughing at anything. 3.5/5

In Home

Marwencol (2010) Malberg - Really incredible documentary about a man with a brain injury that uses art as a form of therapy. Mark was the victim of a brutal attack, and when he could no longer receive traditional therapy, he started constructing an extremely detailed town out of dolls to enact stories. The town is set in war ear Belgium, but many of Mark's friends appear in alternate form as characters. Mark himself has an alter ego (which looks like a Nicolas Cage doll), and often these stories end up being at least influenced by events in his life. He also takes photographs of the dolls posed in different scenarios, and I cannot emphasize enough how strangely moving and good these are. Eventually he gets discovered by a photographer and an art magazine editor, and they set up an art show for him. Highly recommended. 4.5/5

Night of the Shooting Stars (1982) Taviani - During the end of WW2, two groups of Italians fight against one another. Our main character is 6 year-old Cecilia, and we see the war essentially through her eyes. Some incredibly tragic events transpire - pregnant women killed in bombings and children being shot point blank. It's not always easy to know who to root for. 3.5/5

Play it Again, Sam (1972) Ross - Allan's wife Nancy wants a divorce to live a more "swinging" lifestyle. Allan's friends try to ease the blow by setting him up on dates. The most awkward dates in history. Of course he falls for the wife of the couple who are trying to help him. Initially this is because he doesn't recognize her as an option and therefore can just be himself. She's also pretty neglected by her husband, leaving the opportunity for their friendship to turn into something more. 3.5/5

Radio Days (1987) Allen - Plays like short stories from the '40s. Most deal with one particular Jewish family living in Brooklyn, but others focus on more peripheral characters, and include War of the Worlds, commercials, and human interest themes. A glimpse of old timey Brooklyn and nostalgic fun, but pretty fluffy. In some ways, people seemed to be more connected to one another because they were all listening to the same thing. 3.5/5

the River (1951) Renoir - Too much voiceover, too much imperialism, too much emphasis on traditional gender roles, and too much cheesy technicolor melodrama. 2/5

Test Pattern #8

Boardwalk Empire (Season 1) - Exciting drama about Prohibition-era Atlantic City. Corruption and crime abound. Nucky Thompson is played by Steve Buscemi, and he basically runs the town. He starts a romance with a woman involved in the Temperance Club, only after dumping his Ziegfeld Follies dancer, the wonderfully pouty and often naked Paz de la Huerta. Other key characters are Jimmy and his common law wife. Jimmy befriends a youngish Al Capone, but that ultimately cause more trouble than expected.

Bored to Death (Season 2) - Jonathan (Jason Schwartzmann) is still totally adorable and charming. George gets diagnosed with cancer and starts an affair with his doctor, plus has to deal with the ever-changing media landscape making magazines obsolete. Ray gets dumped, but finds a cult following for his comics. This show is like popcorn...or whatever this hipster equivalent of popcorn is...

Eastbound & Down (Season 1 & 2) - A pretty funny series about Kenny Powers, a has-been professional baseball player trying to get back into the Majors. The first season is much stronger, focusing on Kenny's return home (onto his brother's couch) and trying to win back his high school sweetheart. By season 2, we have ended up in Mexico, battling depression and taking the local team for granted. I also could do with seeing less of Stevie in the future.

Game of Thrones (Season 1) - Love this shit! It has all the nudity and sleaze of Rome, but with much more compelling stories about families, feuds, mythical creatures, impending doom, etc. So far most of the drama deals with the Stark family and their rivals the Lannisters. The families were on friendly turns until an incest secret is discovered by a young Stark and the King of the Seven Kingdoms dies. There is also a crazy storyline with the Targaryen siblings seeking to reclaim the kingdom that the believe rightfully belonged to their father. The sister is married off to a savage leader and becomes the Khaleesi, and is probably my favorite character at the moment. However, Peter Dinklage's Tyrian Lannister is also a treat to watch. Dragons! Cannot believe I have to wait to watch more of this.

the Killing (Season 1) - This adaptation of a Danish show starts off very Twin Peak-ish but without the humor. Rosie Larsen is a seemingly good girl, but perhaps with some dark secrets. Her murder sets off an investigation that goes from the government, a Islamic community, and mob ties. Some complain about the amount of grieving we see the family doing, but I didn't mind that aspect. What's more frustrating is the amount of red herrings, and the notoriously unresolved ending. (Apparently that's being addressed early next season). I'm really into Holder, the former junkie white homeboy sidekick, and hope that his character isn't too simplified in the way that the finale may indicate. Rather than being angry about the ending, I'm looking forward to next season, and kinda hope Rosie's case never gets solved in a gesture towards reality.

Sopranos (Season 1) - A huge blind spot in my television watching, especially considering how many other HBO series I have seen. After season 1, I'm hooked. I like Tony as the sorta sensitive mobster, who maybe often fears for his life, but still commits enough heinous crimes to be interesting. His wife Carmela is amazing at not taking shit from anyone. I also really like Christopher and his girlfriend Adrianna. So much tension about who is going to get offed!

Treme (Season 2) - Why do I keep watching this show? Basically nothing really happens and still too much of each episode is taken up by music. In fact, in this season, so many of the plotlines revolve around individuals starting bands or trying to write songs. Janette is still my favorite, but she's mostly in New York this season. Big Chief is depressed. Sofia is being a huge rebellious brat. Some really terrible shit happens to LaDonna. Toni is still working cases. There's another key death this season, but how I wish more things would happen..

Celluloid #122

In Theaters

Beginners (2011) Mills - Oliver's dad has died. Five years earlier, his mother died, and six months after that Hal (the father) comes out to his son and starts living a pretty active gay life. Oliver naturally has to adjust to this news, but mostly he just appreciates how much his dad is "alive." They have many touching discussions, and I cried repeatedly. The parts that work less for me are Oliver and Anna's relationship and the scenes that are monologues featuring phrases like "this is what the stars looked like in 1955.." The problem with both is that they are just a little too cutesy. It wasn't enough to thoroughly bother me, and I still enjoyed everything else. 3.75/5 [decent +]

In Home

Angus (1995) Johnson - I went on a bit of a nostalgia kick this past Friday, inspired to watch this film probably for the first time in 15 years. The soundtrack is admittedly better than the movie, but I still have a soft spot for the the science-loving fat kid who finally gets to have a moment with his long-desired crush. A young James Van Der Beek plays the dick who makes fun of Angus, and attempts to humiliate him by getting him elected as Winter Ball King. Angus has trouble dancing and has to wear a plum-colored suit because it's the only thing that will fit. All in all, still a really likable teen film. 4/5 [good]

Heathers (1989) Lehman - Continuing the nostalgia kick, and filling in the gaps in my roommate's film-viewing, we sat down to watch Heathers. The most popular girls in school - 3 Heathers and Veronica Sawyer wreak havoc on the school population's self-esteem. Veronica is not totally comfortable with the Heathers' bitchiness, and when she starts dating the loner JD, they jokingly devise a plan to murder the lead Heather. JD is crazed so this joke quickly turns into reality. A string of murders happen, and are all made to look like suicides. This film is so witty, funny, and mean-spirited..but in the best way. Also, it is so clear that this film, no matter how satirical could be made today in this post-Columbine era. 4.5/5 [great]

the Omega Man (1971) Sagal - A plague has descended upon humans, that causes them to turn into zombies in stages. Charlton Heston plays a scientist who has been trying to devise cures for non-existant diseases. He is immune to the plague and eventually meets up with other humans after believing he was the last man on Earth. He hooks up with one and saves another. A fun 70s sci-fi time. 3.5/5 [decent]

Trees Lounge (1996) Buscemi - Tommy is kinda a loser. He spends his afternoons and evenings at the local bar. In fact, his apartment is right above the bar. He tries to get work as a mechanic, but when everyone denies him, the ice cream man dies and Tommy takes over his route. One drunk night, he takes home the teenage daughter of a friend. (A young Chloe Sevigny...so good in this role). Nothing much happens, but an accurate depiction of a life stuck. 4/5 [good]

Art Garfunkel Memorial Reading List (January - June 2011)

1.) I'm Not Stiller - Frisch (1/4)

2.) Freedom - Franzen (1/10)

3.) the Voice Imitator - Bernhard (1/13)

4.) Super Sad True Love Story - Shteyngart (1/21)

5.) Jesus' Son - Johnson (1/24)

6.) Flowers in the Attic - Andrews (1/30)

7.) Girls to the Front: the True Story of the Riot Grrl Revolution - Marcus (2/2)

8.) the Lover's Dictionary - Levithan (2/4)

9.) the Stories of Breece DJ Pancake - Pancake (2/4)

10.) Ghostwritten - Mitchell (2/11)

11.) We Need to Talk About Kevin - Shriver (2/26)

12.) Our Circus Presents - Teodorovici (3/9)

13.) Moby Dick - Melville (3/11)

14.) Scorch Atlas - Butler (3/15)

15.) the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Skloot (3/22)

16.) Correction - Bernhard (4/3)

17.) Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things - Sorrentino (4/9)

18.) Heart of a Dog - Bulgakov (4/12)

19.) Fugue State - Evenson (4/14)

20.) the End of Vandalism - Drury (4/19)

21.) Sixty Stories - Barthelme (4/20)

22.) the Cannibal - Hawkes (5/3)

23.) Bonsai - Zambra (5/4)

24.) Negative Space - Farber (5/11)

25.) the Film That Changed My Life - Elder (5/17)

26.) the Stain - Ducornet (5/17)

27.) Nobody Move - Johnson (5/18)

28.) Ablutions - DeWitt (5/19)

29.) Teen Movies: American Youth on Screen - Shary (5/22)

30.) the Shell Collector - Doerr (5/24)

31.) the Vagrants - Li (5/25)

32.) Interpreter of Maladies - Lahiri (5/26)

33.) Bossypants - Fey (5/28)

34.) the Empty Family - Toibin (6/2)

35.) the Other City - Ajvaz (6/6)

36.) War Trash - Jin (6/16)

37.) St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised By Wolves - Russell (6/23)

38.) We - Zamyatin (6/29)

Celluloid #121

In Home

Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) Morrissey - Totally campy Warhol/Morrissey film where a mad scientists is trying to create a male and a female zombie that will procreate. He selects a human man that he believes to be a quite a ladies' man (when in fact this individual is thinking about becoming a monk). This guy's best friend is the real casanova, but the scientist's wife finds her own personal use for him. Really bloody and hilarious. 3.5/5 [decent]

I Am Curious: Yellow (1967) Sjoman - Starts off with pseudo-documentary stylings, where Lena interviews Swedish citizens about political issues of the day. Lena is also the director's lover/muse, but he loses interest as her sexual experimentation regarding free love becomes more overt. There are some really campy hippy scenes that I hope are meant to be at least a little ironic, considering Lena is often portrayed in a light typical to early 20-somethings where they want a cause to champion. I like that Lena is a little chubby and seems to flaunt her flesh while simultaneously feeling a little self-conscious. 3.5/5 [decent]

Soylent Green (1973) Fleischer - This movie is just one of those great 1970s sci-fi films, where the future being portrayed is essentially right now, but their version is so of its time with the colors and costuming and so delightfully 70s. In the future, there is no more food so citizens eat processed colorful blocks of nutrition that are carefully rationed. These are called "Soylent Red", "Soylent Yellow", etc. Soylent Green is by far the favorite. An investigator uncovers the secret behind Soylent Green and pays dearly for his knowledge. 3.5/5 [decent]

Twilight (2008) Hardwicke/Twilight: New Moon (2009) Weitz/ Twilight: Eclipse (2010) Slade - Okay, so here's the point where I lose basically all credibility for having good taste in film....I have to say that I have enjoyed watching these movies in rapid succession. This is not a huge surprise to me given my predilection for teenage drama, like to keep up on cultural phenomena, and the fact that I enjoy other shows and movies dealing with monsters. Overall the acting is noticeably bad, everyone mumbles, the music is strange, and I can't really feel that great about the ridiculous portrayal of romance setting an unreasonable example to impressionable adolescents. I don't even understand why this vampire and this werewolf are that into Bella - she's boring and stubborn and really not a very good friend. However, during the third film I found myself gasping and yelling "NO!!" at the television...obviously I have been sucked in. My roommate and I even end up talking about how minus the supernatural elements, this is actually a really accurate portrayal of high school. I would say that the first film is the best, the second really not very good, and the third definitely better than the second. I would not recommend this to anyone...I feel like you know who you are if this would appeal to you. That being said, I am pretty thrilled to watch the next installment in November (vampire baby ripping Bella's stomach open!!)...and Team Edward (even if he is a liar and kinda a creep...) ??/5 [N/A]