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)

Celluloid #150

In Theaters


Snow White & the Huntsman (2012) Sanders - Updated feminist take on the classic Snow White story. This time we get more of the evil queen Ravenna's backstory - she is basically taught that her power lies within her beauty, and she ends up supernaturally stealing young girls' beauty to keep surviving. Snow White is her stepdaughter that she keeps locked in a tower. Snow White is not only "fairer," but possesses a kind heart and admiration from the animals. Kristen Stewart is not a very good actress and seems to look scared or weepy all of the time, leaving the viewer confused as to why dudes are always falling for her. Something worth watching on the big screen for its visuals. 3.5/5

In Home


Flesh (1968) Morrissey - Jack works as a hustler when he needs some money. His wife wants him to pay for her girlfriend's abortion. This is typical Morrissey/Warhol with interesting or appealing actors in the department of looks, but weird stilted dialogue. Joe Dallessandro is a pleasure to look at; really no big surprise considering his status as a gay icon of masculinity. 3/5

Office Killer (1997) Sherman - Doreen works in an office where she is often under-appreciated. Initially a couple people die accidentally and Doreen takes them home where she sits them on her couch. Then she starts taking a more direct role in staging the murders. There is goofy, outdated technology and delightful roles played by Molly Ringwald, Michael "Christopher" Imperioli, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. 4/5

Tideland (2005) Gilliam - Jeliza Rose cope with her shitty life by immersing herself in fantasy. Right at the beginning, her mother dies from a drug overdose. She and her dad take off for Texas for fear that CPS would take her away with all of the elicit substances in the house. Once they reach her dead grandmother's home in Texas, her dad O.D.s on the first night. Jeliza seems to ignore this reality by dressing her dad up in wigs and make-up. She also plays with four detached Barbie doll heads to create most of the film's dialogue. She befriends a woman who turns out to be connected to her, and develops an inappropriate crush on a retarded boy. The boy has his own variety of issues and often lives in a fantasy where he is the captain of a submarine, and has plans to blow up the "land-shark" aka the nightly train that passes through town. 3.5/5

Celluloid #149

In Theaters


Polisse (2012) Maiwenn - Watching this felt very much like watching a couple episodes of a French version of "Homicide: Life on the Streets" except these detectives investigate child protective concerns rather than murders. We see a variety of cases - all pretty depressing with many involving some form of molestation. In addition to the cases, we get to see an insight into the detectives' personal lives. Overall, a fairly enjoyable view, and even includes a short dancing sequence, but I really didn't like the ending. 3.5/5

In Home


the Basketball Diaries (1995) Kalvert - Jim's doing heroin. There are many reasons he has gotten to this point - his best friend is dead, his dad isn't around, his mom is a poor nag, his friends huff, and he goes to Catholic school where his coach wouldn't mind touching Jim's dick. The only things that give Jim any reason to live are basketball and writing. The first half is much better than the second. Once Jim has become a total addict, the acting gets a little overwrought and the performance art scenes toward the end made me want to groan. 3/5
 
Nobody Knows (2005) Koreeda - A mother abandons her four kids in an apartment. Already the younger three have to keep their existence secret, and only the 12 year-old attends school. Once the mom leaves, apparently to start a new life with another man, the kids do all right for a while, withdrawing money from the ATM and getting the surplus from a local grocery store. However, as time passes and none of the bills are paid, utilities begin shutting off and they have no way of getting assistance without fear that Child Protective Services will come and split them up. The film emphasizes mood and imagery and depicts childhood in a way not often seen. 4/5

Red Road (2006) Arnold - A woman who works for the city surveillance crew one day sees on camera the man responsible for killing her family in a car crash many years earlier. Since he has already served his prison sentence, she decides to get him into trouble again by staging a rape of herself. 3.5/5

Celluloid #148

In Theaters


the Sound of My Voice (2012) Batmanglij - A journalist (Peter) and his girlfriend (Lorna) are trying to penetrate a cult in order to make an investigative documentary. The cult leader, Maggie, is a young woman who claims to be from the year 2054. She's more of a quiet presence than a big charismatic personality, but her meetings include emotional breakthroughs and puking up apples. This film loves its ambiguity, much to the frustration of some viewers, but I found myself interested the entire time and fine with all of the unanswered questions. 4/5

In Home


Dead Presidents (1995) Hughes Brothers - It's the 1960s and Anthony decides that college isn't for him, so he enlists. After two tours in Vietnam, he returns to meet his daughter and gets sucked into a life of petty crime. Frustrated with the lack of jobs and lack of respect, he gets a crew together for an epic robbery of an armored  vehicle delivering currency to be destroyed. The heist does not go as planned and everyone has to face the consequences. 3/5

the Leopard (1963) Visconti - Old school Italians getting scandalous - love triangles, revolutions, betrayals, etc. Ultimately very forgettable for me despite featuring heartthrob Alain Delon. 3/5

Paper Moon (1973) Bogdanovich - First off - I loved this film. Moze, a 1930s grifter/con man goes to pay his respects at a former lover's funeral. He gets stuck transporting the daughter (presumably his daughter also, all though he denies it) to a relative in another state. Along the way this sassy, cigarette-smoking girl proves herself to be gifted with the skills necessary to con, and the two develop a successful scheme and a surprisingly touching friendship. In addition to the charming story, this film also looks great and I would recommend it to anyone. 5/5

Test Pattern #11

Homeland (Season 1) - The return of Claire Danes to television, and probably the best debut season to come out in a while. Claire plays Carrie, a gifted CIA officer who believes that a returning POW has been turned by enemy forces. That game of cat and mouse is already compelling on its own, but Carrie's a bit more complicated with her sexual habits and her secret mental illness.

In Treatment (Season 1) - A glimpse inside Dr. Paul Weston's psychology practice. The episodes follow one patient's therapy for each day of the work week, including Paul's own therapy with a colleague, for about 6 weeks. Season 1 has Laura and all of her relationship and transference issues, Alex and his PTSD and father issues, Sophie the teen gymnast and her attempted suicide, and Amy & Jake's crumbling marriage. Meanwhile, Paul is dealing with his own family drama, namely that his wife is having an affair.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 4) - Well the gang continues to act badly. Season 4 doesn't offer up anything particularly different, so I would assume that people have decided if they like this show or not by now. I do have to point out that this season contains one of my least favorites episodes - "Who Pooped the Bed?"

New Girl (Season 1) - I really wanted to not like this show. I've been saying that Zooey Deschanel is totally overrated for years - just a cute girl with her stupid cotton commercials. However, after accidentally watching an early episode, and being prepared to hate it, instead I found myself laughing aloud and relating a lot to the characters. I think the show is smart in addressing Zooey's brand of quirk and how it may be off-putting for some, but I also think it has a lot of heart in the interpersonal relationships between all of the roommates.

RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 4) - I think this season may have had the weakest competition yet. There really wasn't a clear frontrunner until the last few episodes. Also, I think the girls were not required to do as much difficult costume construction...previous episodes have made a big deal about who could sew and who couldn't, but that never really came up. I'm happy with the winner, but even she was a queen that I initially didn't like, but really came around to for her sense of humor throughout the season.

Skins UK (Season 5) - I don't think any generation of the Skins cast will be as compelling as the first one. This time we have Franky, an androgynous girl who experienced a lot of bullying at her last school. Matty and Nick, brothers who struggle with each other, but even more so against their father. Mini the bitchy virgin, Liv the slutty one, and Grace the good girl are all best friends. Grace also gets involved with metal rocker Rich. And then there's weirdo Alo. I think it's fair that this show is getting cancelled.

the Voice (Season 2) - Coaches got have twice as many people on their teams to increase show duration (apparently something that NBC needed badly to boost their ratings). The blind auditions were fun again, but during the battle rounds, I think the judges made some really poor choices. Even after many favorites were gone, I still felt compelled to watch. Some other noticeable trends were that America for a while only seemed like it was going to save the men in the competition. Also, Christina seemed to be on quite the bitchy rampage this year. Where last year Adam and Christina seemed to have a sibling type relationship, this year I felt like she made a point to criticize Adam and his final team member at every chance. She also cannot shut up about herself, even when trying to give someone a compliment. I hope she settles down next season.

the Walking Dead (Season 2) - This season immediately correct the problems with the ending of season 1. For most of the season, the group is staying on a farm. The family that still lives there vacillates between being on good or bad terms with Rick and company. There's also a number of shocking deaths, but I was glad that the show went there. 100% better than the previous season.

Celluloid #147

In Theaters


Damsels in Distress (2012) Stillman - This was my first taste of Wilt Stillman and initially I really didn't like it. This film reminds me very much of another talky white person film called Kicking and Screaming by Noah Baumbach which I hated. However, as this film progressed, I got accustomed to the rhythm of the stilted too-clever dialogue, but still didn't care very much for the story. Some saving graces for me were the dancing scenes - the tap dancing and line dancing in particular. 3/5

the Five-Year Engagement (2012) Stoller - I'm not normally one to go in for romantic comedies, but there's been such a dearth of offerings at the theater that I caved for this one. Unfortunately, this one certainly did not transcend its genre. The movie meanders quite a bit, doesn't have enough charm or laughs, and the characters make bad decisions in a way that doesn't exactly cause you to root for them. It wasn't terrible, but I think will prove to be totally forgettable. 2.5/5

In Home


the Falls (1980) Greenaway - I appreciate Greenaway's sensibilities on full display in this strange mockumentary chronicling a group of people whose last names all start with F-A-L-L. Each person is suffering from disorders related to an apocalyptic event, and these disorder often seem to center around birds in some way. I enjoyed the style and the content, but three hours is two hours too many. 3/5

Sins of the Fleshapoids (1965) Kuchar - the Kuchars reveled in B-cinema glory. This film looks pretty shitty, but in a bizarro campy way, and has an enjoyable story at its heart. In the distant future, humans have human-like servant robots called fleshapoids. Eventually one of these fleshapoids becomes fed up with his role, rebels against his master, causes chaos, and falls in love. 4/5

Celluloid #146

In Theaters


John Carter (2012) Stanton - I know this film was a huge flop, but I really don't think it was too bad for what it is - a PG-13 sci-fi adventure. It conjures up Star Wars, Gladiator/Cleopatra. John Carter is a rogue civil war soldier who get accidentally transported to Mars through a gold cave. While on Mars, he is taken hostage, but he can jump incredible lengths and appears to be much stronger than the martians (I think this is supposed to be as a result of the difference in gravity). He takes interest in a princess and tries to help her save her people from a rival tribe. 3/5

the Hunger Games (2012) Ross - In the future, society will be dealing with a food shortage, but will still be very much into reality television. There are twelve districts that surround a capital who every year hosts "The Hunger Games", a televised fight to the death between 24 teenagers. Each district holds a drawing to see which male and female between the ages of 12 & 18 will represent their district. Katniss is our protagonist, and is the female "tribute" from District 12, the poorest district. She is accompanied by Peeta, a boy who has crushed on her for years. Because she is from the poorest district, she is already quite adept at hunting for survival. I know many people have criticized this film for being too close to Battle Royale, but I have to say that I enjoyed both films, even if I found them both to be a little slight. I have no desire to read the books, but I can safely say that I will see the sequel. 3.5/5

the Kid With a Bike (2011) Dardenne - The Dardenne brothers are always dealing with bleak subjects in a naturalistic way. This film is much less bleak than some of their others - a kid, Cyril, has been dropped off at a home/boarding school full of troubled youth. He finds out that his dad has moved and realizes that his dad has not only sold his beloved bike, but has essentially abandoned him. Fortunately, a hairdresser, Samantha, agrees to let Cyril stay with her on the weekends. Her character is quite amazing to watch. 4.5/5

In Home


Last Night (1998) McKellar - The movie opens with only 6 hours until the end of the world. One guy is trying to fulfill all of his sexual fantasies. Others are looting and overturning cars. Patrick spends part of the evening with his family in a re-enactment of Christmas, but wants to be at his own home when the end happens. He lets a woman looking for her husband use the phone and ends up spending his last hours helping her out. Not everything is explained, and that's perfectly fine by me. 3.5/5

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) Wright - Pretty silly and gimmicky film where Scott has to battle Ramona's seven ex-boyfriends Street Fighter-style in order to date her. This film is supposed to feel very hyper like a video game. There's enough fun and cleverness to sustain the first half to two-thirds of the film, but by the time we have to deal with Jason Schwartzmann as the villain, I had grown bored. 3/5