Favorite Films Released in 2011
10. Melancholia (Von Trier)
9. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Herzog)
8. the Skin I Live In (Almodovar)
7. Take Shelter (Nichols)
6. Incendies (Villeneuve)
5. Tree of Life (Malick)
4. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Weerasethkakul)
3. Heartbeats (Dolan)
2. Drive (Refn)
1. Meek's Cutoff (Reichardt)
HMs: Weekend, Somewhere, Blue Valentine, Tabloid
5-Star Books Read in 2011 alphabetical order
Bonsai - Zambra
Ghostwritten - Mitchell
Log of the S.S. the Mrs. Unguentine - Crawford
Negative Space - Farber
the Shell Collector - Doerr
Sixty Stories - Barthelme
St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves - Russell
Stories of Breece DJ Pancake - Pancake
Subculture: the Meaning of Style - Hebidge
We're in Trouble - Coake
Best Albums
Unfortunately I think 2011 was a pretty meh year for music. I legitimately really liked Kurt Vile's Smoke Ring For My Halo and the Weeknd's mixtapes, in particular House of Balloons. Besides that, the chillwave albums by Toro y Moi (Underneath the Pines) and Washed Out (Within and Without) made the rotation from time to time. Here's hoping that next year is better, or I'll just continue my bingeing on 80s indie rock.
Singles
"Future Crimes" - Wild Flag
"Till the World Ends" - Britney Spears
"How Deep is Your Love?" - the Rapture
"212" - Azealia Banks
"Midnight City" - M83
Misc. TOP TEN
10. Grizzly Island sunset hike
9. Acoustic chillwave/Kate Bush car sing-alongs
8. Canoes/not rowboats
7. Eating Meat (feeling awake)
6. summertime DEBASER
5. Dance Central
4. Strawberry Canyon Pool
3. Roman & Corinne's Wedding
2. Family Bath
1. New Job
HM: Dominos: the game, the Whistle Stop
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Art Garfunkel Memorial Reading List (July - December 2011)
2.) Orientation - Orozco (7/7)
3.) the Yiddish Policemen's Union - Chabon (7/10)
4.) You Don't Love Me Yet - Lethem (7/12)
5.) Everything Matters! - Currie (7/20)
6.) Visit From the Goon Squad - Egan (7/22)
7.) Crash - Ballard (7/27)
8.) the Boat - Le (7/28)
9.) Log of the SS the Mrs Unguentine - Crawford (7/29)
10.) Subculture: the Meaning of Style - Hebidge (7/30)
11.) the Tiger's Wife - Obrecht (8/3)
12.) All the Living - Morgan (8/9)
13.) the Ask - Lipsyte (8/20)
14.) the Secret History - Tartt (9/5)
15.) Starman Omnibus, Vol. 1- Robinson (9/9)
16.) Locos - Alfau (9/17)
17.) C - McCarthy (9/27)
18.) Anagrams - Moore (10/2)
19.) Invisible Cities - Calvino (10/4)
20.) Q Road - Campbell (10/7)
21.) Selected Works of T.S. Spivet - Larsen (10/18)
22.) Black Hole - Burns (10/19)
23.) Girl with the Curious Hair - Wallace (10/20)
24.) Transparent Things - Nabokov (11/1)
25.) Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It - Meloy (11/14)
26.) Retromania - Reynolds (11/15)
27.) the Tenant - Topor (11/20)
28.) I Would Have Saved Them If I Could - Michaels (11/26)
29.) Notable American Women - Marcus (12/5)
30.) We're in Trouble - Coake (12/18)
Test Pattern #10
America's Next Top Model (Cycle 17) - Oh boy! The first All-Star season, so we see the return of Allison (probably my favorite contestant of all-time) and sweet country Laura from the short season. Without giving anything away, there was also a huge surprise ending where one finalist may have leaked something online before the end of the season was aired, causing all kinds of internet controversy and speculation.
Boardwalk Empire (Season 2) - This season improves on an already impressive debut. Jimmy is setting himself up to challenge Nucky's authority, turning even brothers against each other. Michael Shannon's character is losing his mind even more. Margaret faces all kinds of trials, and finds herself seeking forgiveness from her Irish family and absolution from the Catholic Church.
Bored to Death (Season 3) - Sadly this was the last season of the adventures of Jonathan (Jason Schwartzmann), Ray (Zach Galifinakis), and George (Ted Danson). Really nothing different from the previous two seasons...still lots of white wine and weed, and bumbling but usually successful detective work. Jonathan learns that his father is not his biological father and that he is the product of a sperm bank. George has to deal with his daughter's engagement to a man nearly his age. Ray continues to struggle with Leah, but enjoys his baby.
Dexter (Season 6) - For most of this season, I was pretty thrilled to learn that there will probably only be two more seasons. The formula has gotten quite tedious, and this season had some serious WTF moments. The first part of the season has Dexter exploring religion with his Reverend friend played by Mos Def. Simultaneously, the Doomsday Killer develops with a Professor of Religion (Edward James Olmos) and his former student (Colin Hanks) putting together tableaus from Revelations to bring on the "End of Times". The last moment of the season is a serious cliffhanger, so I am actually excited about the next season, despite the rest of this horrible plot.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Seasons 1-3, 7) - I had previously seen most of Season 6, and enjoyed Season 7 enough to warrant going back to watch the earlier episodes that I had never seen. The Gang is twins Dennis & Dee, and their friends Mac and Charlie. Danny DeVito joins the cast as Frank for Season 2. In general the episodes are not serialized, but there are jokes or characters that are returned to periodically to the delight of a regular viewer, but not crucial to the storyline. The humor is dark and pretty much a 20 minute episode will feature one or more character behaving badly. Highlights for me are "Charlie Got Molested", "Sweet Dee's Dating a Retarded Person", and the more recent "The Gang Goes to the Jersey Shore."
Skins (UK) (Season 4) - This season features the conclusion of the group that hangs with Effy. Effy herself becomes even more vapid and unsympathetic, despite her mental illness issues. The love triangle between her, Cook, and Freddie is also finally resolved. Emily and her girlfriend Naomi have major drama all season. JJ dates a girl with a kid. Katie and Thomas mostly bumble around all season, but have a little affair between them...which is still better than Pandora because I barely remember her from the season.
the Voice (Season 1) - So I'm realizing that I can stomach certain kinds of reality shows, but there definitely needs to be a competition element. What sets the Voice apart from the other singing competitions is that it has a lot more heart. The judges may tease each other, but they genuinely seem to like one another and they refrain from talking much shit to the contestants. I like the opening episodes of the "blind auditions", but I also enjoyed the showier performances that happen later in the season. I'm looking forward to Season 2 to hopefully watch with some friends.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Celluloid #137
the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Fincher - When I saw the original Swedish film last year, I had extremely low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the rape-revenge mystery-thriller. I think remakes (especially from foreign to English-speaking) are often incredibly unnecessary, but the only reason I decided to partake in this one was because of David Fincher's attachment to it. The movie is fine, but rarely even strays stylistically from the original except to tone down the more graphic scenes. 3/5
Shame (2011) McQueen - Brandon is struggling with sex addiction when his troubled younger sister comes to stay with him unexpectedly. I really liked the visual style and Michael Fassbender continues to be an actor to watch, however, the story is pretty medium. I don't mind having two main characters that are both incredibly unsympathetic, but we really don't know much about them at all, so there isn't really a clear "in" in this film anyway. I'm still interested in what McQueen will offer in the future, but this was a bit of a disappointment for his sophomore showing. 3.5/5
In Home
Escape From New York (1981) Carpenter - Totally campy, but fun film about a criminal, the notorious Snake Plissken. He is asked to rescue the President of the US from New York City. In the future, New York has been sectioned off from the rest of the country and criminals are sent there to fend for themselves. Isaac Hayes makes an appearance as "The Duke" (a ridiculous-looking villain), and Harry Dean Stanton plays "Brain". I enjoy watching films that imagine the future, especially when that future has already passed (1997 in this case). 3.5/5
Heat (1995) Mann - Ace Detective vs. Skilled Criminal in this extensive film by Michael Mann. Al Pacino plays the cop whose personal life is falling apart because he dedicates so much time to his job. Robert De Niro plays the successful mastermind who is a bit of a loner until he meets a young woman in a diner. At some point the two sit down and have a cup of coffee, but everything is leading up until the time when they will actually have to confront one another despite their mutual respect. 4/5
Jumper (2008) Liman - Dumb movie about David, a young man who can essentially beam himself anywhere in the world just by thinking about it. Samuel L. Jackson plays a really silly-looking villain who tries to capture and kill "jumpers" because they are unnatural. Meanwhile, David visits his hometown and reconnects with a childhood crush (Rachel Bilson) who he promptly whisks away to Rome, but tries to keep his ability a secret. Overall, everything about this is too cheesy. 2/5
Submarine (2011) Ayoade - Oliver is a teenager growing up in Wales. For the first part of the movie, we are witness to the awkward wooing of the angsty and sometimes cruel Jordana. After they get together, Oliver wants to share with Jordana about his parents' apparent imminent separation. However, Jordana reveals that her mom has brain cancer, which trumps Oliver's family drama. Oliver decides he needs to handle his issues on his own. Very twee, but often charming film. 3.5/5
Toy Story 3 (2010) Unkrich - I saw this on television while visiting my parents for the holidays, and it really hit a nerve about growing up and mortality. (Something that I'm typically sensitive about, but more amplified when I'm at home). The toys are taken to a local daycare, but are manhandled by the toddlers, so they try to return home to Andy before he leaves for college. Really recommended even for those who care little about cartoons...so many tears! 4.5/5
Warrior (2011) O'Connor - This has to be the fastest 2 1/2 hour film I have ever watched. You have the Dark Horse vs. the Underdog in this story about estranged brothers competing in a mixed-martial arts tournament with the toughest men in the world for a prize of 5 million dollars. Nick Nolte does a good job playing a struggling alcoholic father and Tom Hardy & Joel Edgerton are also a treat for their acting and fighting sequences. Pretty straightforward and perhaps formulaic, but really worked for me. 4/5
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Celluloid #136
My Week with Marilyn (2011) Curtis - This movie was pretty medium overall. It told the story of Colin Clark working his first job as a 3rd Assistant Director on the set of the Sleeping Prince with Laurence Olivier. During the shoot, he meets Marilyn Monroe who was already a huge star. Nothing new in the depiction of Marilyn as a tragic figure, but who also wields some control over her life by using her sex appeal as a means of manipulating the men around her. The tone of the movie is charming, but pretty insubstantial. That being said, Michelle Williams is amazing; so magnetic and does an incredible job of playing such an icon. 3.75/5
In Home
Cold Weather (2011) Katz - Indie mystery that takes place in Portland (the film's primary asset in my opinion). A guy and his sister live together and he finds a job at an ice factory - the only source of employment he can find despite his education in forensic science. His ex-girlfriend shows up in town. The hang out a few times before she goes missing. It comes to light that she works as an escort, and then many other complexities get revealed. 3.5/5
In a Better World (2011) Bier - Two boys at the center of the story, Christian whose mom has recently died from cancer and Elias whose dad and mom are separated. His dad also works as a doctor in third world countries. Elias gets picked on at school until Christian teaches the bully a "lesson" by beating him with a bike pump. The violence continues when a man at the park slaps Elias' dad and Christian thinks the boys should get revenge on the man despite the dad's insistence that being the bigger person is more important. 4/5
Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2011) Hartley - Documentary about the exploitation films made in the Philippines between the 1960s and 1980s. Notably, Roger Corman made use of the Philippines for his "women in prison" films. The Philippines also had a tradition of really gory low-budget horror films. This relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines began after WW2, when the Philippines was the only country on friendly terms. 3.5/5
Win Win (2011) McCarthy - Mike has a failing law practice and coaches a losing wrestling team at the local high school. He's running out of money, so when one of his clients goes on trial, he offers to become his guardian, primarily for the $1500 a month paid by the state for care. Shortly after this shady decision, the grandson shows up out of the blue. Kyle's mom is in rehab or just checked out in general, so he stays with Mike and his family. Kyle turns out to be a great wrestler, turning the team around, as well as Mike's life on the whole. 4/5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)