Celluloid #21

In Theatres

Last weekend I had the option to see Oliver Stone's new satirical film, W. or Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist...I opted for the former. Many of the complaints about this film focus on the timing of the film (why release this now while Bush is practically a lame duck?) and the intended audience (who is this film for? liberals? Republicans?). I personally didn't have a problem with either of these issues. It makes sense that this would come out now while Bush is still on peoples' radars but on the back burner considering the current election. Also, the film does seem to paint Bush in a somewhat sympathetic light, but mostly he comes off looking like a drunk, manipulated fool with "daddy issues." The family drama, however fictionalized, between Bush Sr. and Jr. was my favorite aspect of the film. Ultimately, however, this film isn't very good on a purely "film"' level. It felt sloppy and uneven and given the topical nature, will be extremely forgettable. W. has its moments, but in the end I cannot really recommend it. 2.5/5

In Home

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) Fassbinder - Basically the German 1970s version of Jungle Fever. An old widow meets a much younger Moroccan man at a bar and the two strike up a romance. They are very kind to each other, but in both of their social circles and families, there is a strong feeling of disapproval and sometimes outright racist sentiments. 4/5

Bird People of China (1998) Miike - A surprising entry by Miike. None of the usual absurdity and gore, but instead a touching story about a jewelry gem trader, a yakuza, and their guide who end up in a small Chinese village where a legend about flying "bird people" exists and they even have a "flying school" where young children learn to use man made wings. The young jewelry man also meets a young girl who sings a song in English that seems to have a great spiritual impact on him. 4/5

Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven (1975) Fassbinder - The second Fassbinder film this past week, but definitely the inferior piece. Starring the same old lady actress, but this time her husband kills himself at work, but not before managing to kill his supervisor. Her estranged daughter takes this opportunity to obtain her 15 Minutes of Fame, and a group of Communists, and later Anarchists take advantage of her. Also has two widely different endings, one for the European and one for the US release (I think usually a bad sign). 3/5

Once (2006) Carney - I have resisted seeing this film...it looks like a sappy love story and it's a musical to boot. However, as much as I wanted to not like it, my cynicism began to melt away not too long after the start. It feels like a small digital indie film rather than an obnoxious Hollywood romance and whatever "love story" exists is far less cheesy than expected. The "musical" aspect results from the fact that there is very little dialogue in this film and many scenes center around the songs that the two main actors are writing or performing. Basically just a story of two lonely people...a street musician and a Czech immigrant. 4/5

Solaris (1972) Tarkovsky - This science fiction classic still holds up remarkably well today. It's easy to see its influence on contemporary entries to the genre, such as Sunshine. You really don't see much of "Space" at all in this film, but you do experience the claustrophobia of the ship and the psychological effect that this cramped isolation can have on an individual...in this case physically manifesting itself as persons from one's past. Eerie, stark, and stylish. 4/5

In News

* Ridley Scott has already begun work on his next project, slated to star Leonardo Dicaprio in the well-read Huxley novel Brave New World

* Oliver Stone has started working on his follow-up to the lukewarm W. with a film having something to do with Vietnam called Pinkville

Celluloid #20

In Home

All About Eve (1950) Mankiewicz - Eve is a sweet, modest, humble girl who worships Margo, an aging theatre actress. Margo takes Eve in and gives her a job as a personal assistant. Everyone loves Eve to begin with, but she seems a little too good to be true, and as the story progresses, we see that Eve isn't exactly what we think. A story about women primarily, and the hardships they face as they grow older. Also, plenty of cat-fights...4/5

the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Dominik - Brad Pitt plays the legendary and beloved criminal Jesse James, while Casey Affleck does a good job at playing his young admirer Robert Ford. This film is actually a lot better than I expected. The pace is deliberate and the style is incredibly beautiful. Even though the title explicitly tells you what's going to happen, the film creates a terrific amount of tension. The debut by this Australian director (generally a good sign), I look forward to Dominik's next project. 4.5/5

Before Sunrise (1995) Linklater - Ethan Hawke is a young American travelling around Europe and happens to meet the lovely Julie Delpy on the train the afternoon before he flies back to the States. They have some sort of connection and end up getting off together in Vienna. They go shopping for records, walk around, eat at cafes, watch street performers, go to a fair, etc. The movie is meant to be a Romance, but with Linklater at the helm, you are sure to have your fair share of pseudo-intellectual conversation...this time having a lot to do with the idea of "love." While the conversations themselves were pretty realistic, they still often crossed over into "cringe" territory. Plus, Ethan Hawke has really ugly mid-nineties facial hair and is just kinda an ass to watch. 3.5/5

Foxy Brown (1974) Hill - Pam Grier is one sexy, stylish, badass. This time around she's a lady out to avenge her dead lover and take down a drug/prostitution ring with a little help from the Panthers. She fucks a lot of people up, including her Uncle Tom brother, and you see her boobs no less than three times. Pretty much exactly what you want to see when watching an exploitation film: great outfits, amazing soundtrack, plenty of fights, titties, and an uplifting black nationalism message. 5/5

Il Posto (1961) Olmi - Domenico has just finished school and needs to find a job to help support his family. In Milan, they are hiring clerks and postal workers, pending one is able to pass an extensive test involving math problems, psychiatric evaluation, general aptitude, and physical health. Domenico meets a young lady who is also taking the test, and they both end up getting hired. However, Domenico ends up having to work in a separate building from her and is disappointed that they won't be able to have lunch together. A plot of small details rather than a lot of action. 4/5

Mirror (1974) Tarkovsky - To be honest, I didn't often know what was going on plotwise in this film. My suspicion is actually that not much was happening, but the scenes rather served to create a mood. Supposedly an autobiographical tale of Tarkovsky's childhood, we know that his father left his mother and they seemed to live in a fair amount of isolation. The film shifts between black & white and color depending on what time period the events take place. 4/5

Paranoid Park (2007) Van Sant - Whether you will enjoy this film, I think is highly dependent on how you feel about the recent period of Van Sant's films. If you liked Gerry and Elephant and could at least deal with Last Days then you'll probably find something to appreciate about this film. I actually happen to like the mentioned films so I had no real problems with Paranoid Park. The teenager dialogue does get a bit grating after a while, but seemed awkwardly accurate, especially for the teenagers I encountered in Portland specifically. (Sidenote: The indoor high school shots were actually filmed at a high school that I worked at in Portland). The basic plot is that Alex likes to skateboard with his friends, and one day accidentally ends up killing a security guard, which he tells absolutely no one, and we witness how he copes with this reality. It's slow-paced and features some pretty shots of Portland, and a song by local rapper Cool Nutz. 4/5

In News

* Darren Aronofsky's new film The Wrestler has been getting a lot of buzz and press lately, mainly due to Mickey Rourke's performance. This film should be released in mid-December

* Russian director Timur Bekmambetov who brought us Night Watch, Day Watch, and Wanted (of that bunch I've only seen Night Watch) is working on the final (?) chapter of the "watch" trilogy set to be called Twilight Watch

* And Ang Lee is filming a comedy about Woodstock...(really?? why?)

Celluloid #19

In Home

Devils on the Doorstep (2002) Jiang - A pretty impressive film about a Chinese village during the Japanese occupation of World War II. A mysterious man drops off two POWs (a Japanese soldier and his Chinese translator) to a Chinese man, Dasan Ma, and threatens to kill Ma if anything happens to the POWs. The mysterious man claims he will be back to pick them up at the New Year, however, that deadline passes and after an additional 6 months, the villagers start arguing about what to do with the prisoners. Beautifully shot, compelling, and even funny a times. 4.5/5

Hawks and the Sparrows (1964) Pasolini - Starting with the opening credits actually being sung and the first actual scene involving a dance routine, this movie has one of the best beginnings I have seen for a while. After the dancing ceases (although the awesome Italian rock song continues throughout) we are left with a father and son who wander around and are given the task of converting the hawks to Catholicism (which takes a year) and then converting the sparrows as well. This task is of course assigned by St. Francis of Assisi. They also walk around with a talking crow. Just the right amount of stylishness, satire, and absurdity. 4.5/5

Peeping Tom (1960) Powell - Lauded as the British "Psycho", about a socially awkward man who works as a photographer, but sometimes kills people with his camera. I personally would have preferred this film to go a bit more campy, as I got a little bored with this at times. 3.5/5

Red Beard (1965) Kurosawa - A story about a young cocky doctor who believes that he is going to become the shogun's personal doctor, but instead is sent to work under Dr. Niije in a clinic for the poor. Initially he is resistant and upset that he has been sent to work for the clinic, but gradually becomes more compassionate and decides that life working to help those who need it most will provide him with a more satisfying life. 4.5/5

12 Monkeys (1995) Gilliam - Surprisingly I had never seen this film until now, but I had seen the short movie that inspired it ("La Jetee" by Chris Marker). James Cole (Bruce Willis) has the ability to time travel a bit in order to collect data about deadly virus that will kill off much of humankind in the future. He is sent to a mental institute the first time around on his time travel quests, but on his second trip, his psychiatrist suspects that Cole may not be crazy after all. Brad Pitt also plays a loony. Lots of Gilliam weirdness and fish-eye lens shots. 4/5

Zizek! (2005) Taylor - A documentary about everyone's favorite contemporary Eastern European philosopher, Slavoj Zizek. Zizek looks a lot like a bear and is pretty into Lacanian theory, the nature of belief, and general questioning of reality. I don't get a lot of what he talks about, but the documentary basically follows him around (the scene of him buying DVDs and another of him sitting up in his bed shirtless are pretty priceless) and creates an interesting portrayal of an undeniably interesting man.

Special Feature

So, instead of the usual random updates this week, I'm just going to be super lazy and post a list of films that I am potentially interested in seeing in the upcoming months...

Let the Right One In - Alfredson (Swedish vampire/coming of age/story about loneliness/ getting good reviews) October 24

Synecdoche, New York - Kaufman, Charlie (Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut/could be terrible) October 24

Slumdog Millionaire - Boyle (it's Danny Boyle/decent reviews/Indian gameshow teenage romance) November 14

The Road - Hillcoat (John Hillcoat of The Proposition/ apocalypse/ Cormac McCarthy adaptation) November 26

Milk - Van Sant (Harvey Milk film starring Sean Penn) December 5

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Fincher (David Fincher/Brad Pitt ages backwards/ Tilda Swinton) December 25

The Brothers Bloom - Johnson, Rian (dude who did Brick/ con-man/one-last job) January 16

Celluloid #18

In Home

Black Orpheus (1959) Camus - A retelling of the myth of Orpheus set in Rio de Janeiro during Carnival. Very lively with lots of dancing and parades and bright colors. The character representing "Death" has a pretty cool geometrical one-piece. The film is a pretty liberal interpretation of the Greek myth, but well done. 4/5

F for Fake (1976) Welles - Orson Welles last film was a documentary about fakery, charlatans, and the art world. He focuses mainly on a man named Elmyr who became famous for producing fake Picassos and Matisses. However, attention is paid to Howard Hughes, Clifford Irving, and Welles himself. More of a visual essay than a documentary, a trend that Welles had hoped to continue if he had lived longer, and surprisingly a genre which hasn't really been revisited since. 4/5

Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) Lumet - A dysfunctional family drama full of drunks, heroin users, and regrets. Unfortunately, clocking in at three hours, the dialogue just couldn't keep my attention, especially for a theme seen many times before. 3/5

Over the Edge (1979) Kaplan - Matt Dillon's debut is a film about what happens in suburban towns when the teenagers have nothing to do. Reminded me a lot of the Central Coast as told mainly through the tales of a few friends that grew up there. The teens and cops have plenty of run-ins. The parents seem to be clueless, and the only outlets for recreation are often under scrutiny. Eventually violence becomes the inevitable outcome. 4/5

Snow Angels (2007) Green - Perhaps David Gordon Green's last "serious" film (see "In News"), Snow Angels takes place in 1970s small town Pennsylvania. A teenage boy reconnects with a former babysitter as co-workers in a restaurant. Arthur's parents are in the midst of a separation, and Arthur himself just seems to try to live a normal teenage existence. Annie (the former babysitter) has a slew of her own problems, mainly centering around a suicidal estranged husband and their daughter. 4.5/5

In News

*David Gordon Green appears to be continuing down the path of comedy that he has forged by directing the debacle that was Pineapple Express. According to New York Magazine, Fox has picked up a comedy TV show by Green called Good Vibes, about surfer guys in SoCal. Disappointment.

*Italian horror aficionados will be pleased to hear that Dario Argento is finishing up a new film titled Giallo starring Adrien Brody and slated to come out sometime next year

*Last summer I read a book called Revolutionary Road, which I thought was okay, but a bit cliched, but seemed to be aiming for scandalousness. Anyway, Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet will be reunited to play the unlikable husband and wife character. (Thanks to Saxon for the reminder.)

*And finally, I was listening to the Mondo Movie podcast (two British dudes that talk about mainly horror and cult films) and was intrigued by the rave reviews they were giving to a new Swedish film making the festival circuit called Let the Right One In. On one level, the film involves a young girl who happens to be a vampire, and her neighbor who become friends. Supposedly more of a film about loneliness and alienation than anything else, and described at times as "touching."

Celluloid #17

In Home

After the Wedding (2007) Bier - A Celebration-like film about a family headed by a very wealthy and successful businessman, a melancholy man trying to get money to sustain an orphanage in India, and the strange ways that their lives have intersected in the past. Emotional, tense, but never cheesy. Highly recommended. 5/5

Better Luck Tomorrow (2003) Lin - Playing up a lot of stereotypes about Asians, this movie centers around a group of over-achieving, but bored high school students. Their boredom leads to petty theft, collusion, partying at first but later escalates to more violent events. 3.5/5

Face of Another (1966) Teshigahara - This film and the other film I have seen by Teshigahara (Woman in the Dunes) pretty much makes me want to watch everything this director has made. This film is about a man who has been in an accident that has scarred his face and left him in bandages, but is presented with an experimental opportunity to have a new face in the form of a realistic mask. Tons of interesting commentary on identity. 5/5

Mahanagar (1963) Ray - A Bengali family is struggling to make ends meet, so the wife decides to take a job as a saleswoman. Her decision is controversial because her family is pretty conservative and thinks she is responsible for many of the household duties. On top of that, she is really good at her job, and her husband ends up losing his job causing the traditional roles to shift somewhat. 4.5/5

Walkabout (1971) Roeg - Another weirdo film from Roeg. This time a family appears to be going on a picnic in the Australian outback when the father starts shooting at his two children and after missing them, lights himself and his car on fire. All of the sudden the kids are left alone in the middle of nowhere and have to find their way to civilization somehow. 4/5

In News

* A new Danny Boyle film should be coming out soon called Slumdog Millionaire about an Indian teenager who goes on a game show to prove his love to a girl

* Ewan McGregor is working on a shitload of stuff including Amelia (about Amelia Earhart), I Love You Phillip Morris (with Richard Gere), Ron Howard/Dan Brown vehicle Angels & Demons, Men Who Stare at Goats (with Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, & Clooney), a film with Ben Kingsley called Number 13, something called The Great Pretender and I, Lucifer all of that, and he just recovered from a bout of (very treatable) cancer

Celluloid #16

In Theatres

So I finally saw a not terrible movie with Chris this week, Jiri Menzel's I Served the King of England. The basic plot revolves around a waiter who dreams of becoming a millionaire while enduring the many changes in Czechoslovakia including Nazi occupation and later communism. The film fell into a cycle of repetition during the first half of the film and switching between the old man and his younger self became somewhat tedious. However, this movie is quite beautiful and full of quirky enjoyable imagery (all though I personally was actually a little tired of exposed boobies by the end) and the story does pick up once the Nazis get into the picture. A good film, but nowhere near the greatness of Menzel's previous work (not that that was really the expectation going into this film anyway). 3.75/5

In Home

Chop Shop (2007) Bahrani - A newish independent film about a young boy and his teenage sister living in Queens. Alejandro doesn't go to school but uses his time working at an auto repair shop and selling candy bars. His sister works at a taco truck and also makes some money on the side. Together they work towards saving up to buy their own taco truck and to hopefully move out of the single room they occupy in the auto repair shop. 4/5

the Kingdom (1995) von Trier - Back in the '90s, Lars von Trier created a television miniseries about a Copenhagen hospital that experiences a variety of supernatural and just plain fucked-up occurences. The storyline itself is fine, but it's really ugly looking and seriously has the worst theme song ever. Plus, von Trier addresses the audience during the credits of each episode and he is so irritating. Anyway, X-Files lite. 3/5

Lord of the Flies (1963) Brooks - So the book that nearly everyone read as a high school freshman was made into a film in the early '60s. Black and white and feels stiff and polite towards the beginning, but as the boys' and their makeshift society start to deteriorate, the scenes and film shots get much more interesting. 4/5

the Seventh Seal (1957) Bergman - Probably the most famous and most parodied of Bergman's films. Death comes to take people away while the plague is running rampant throughout Sweden. Max von Sydow buys himself a little more time by engaging in a game of chess with Death and a circus troupe travels around. Still masterful and interesting, but nowhere near my favorites of Bergman.

In News (Scandinavian edition)

* Susanne Bier, one of the Dogme directors (#28 Open Hearts) is working on a new project supposedly featuring Hugh Grant and Anjelica Huston titled Lost for Words

* Max von Sydow (a tie-in to Seventh Seal) is currently 79 years old and has not one, but 3 films in post-production! A fantasy adventure called Solomon Kane, a french film called Un homme et son chien, and a Scorcese-directed project called Shutter Island.

* Lastly Swedish filmmaker Lukas Moodysson is nearly finished with a film called Mammoth starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams having something to do with a businessman and his Filipino maid...

Celluloid #15

Busy couple weeks in real life makes for very little movie-watching..

In Home

Clean Slate (Coup de tourchon) (1982) Tavernier - Based on Jim Thompson's Pop. 1280 novel but transplanted to French-colonized West Africa. Lucien seems like a bumbling idiot struggling to receive respect from anyone in the small town where he serves as sheriff. His wife openly cheats on him, his superiors literally kick him in the ass, and petty criminals do not fear him...and one day he snaps. Isabelle Huppert also portrays another scandalous lady. 4/5

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (2000) Jarmusch - This was the first Jarmusch film I ever saw many years ago and I decided to revisit it while John and I were stranded at my old apartment. Forest Whitaker plays "Ghost Dog" a gangster/a-like assassin that lives by a complicated moral code. Very black humor and while I definitely still enjoyed this film a lot the second time around, I think it falls somewhere in the middle of Jarmusch's catalog. 4/5

Scenes From a Marriage (1973) Bergman - I watched the television miniseries version (as opposed to the theatrical version) and really enjoyed this examination of a relationship, even though it is incredibly hard to watch at times. I thought the dialogue and portrayal was honest and fairly realistic. While not a lot happens plotwise (Johann cheats on Marianne, they separate, get divorced, come to some sort of understanding), it's something that pretty much everyone can relate to. Not recommended for Chris Walters, as there is pretty much nothing besides emotionally intimate moments. 5/5

Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973) Dixon - A fictional film about the first black man to enter the CIA, and then after obtaining necessary information and training, takes his skills back to southside Chicago and trains a group of young black man in preparation for a revolution. The revolution centers around freedom from white oppressors. An interesting concept in theory, but not the most entertaining film. 3.5/5

Switchblade Sisters (1975) Hill - As far as trashy, campy, culty movies go...this one is pretty great. The Dagger Debs are an all-girl gang that wields knives and generally kicks the shit out of other girls and guys if necessary. Lots of gratuitous boob shots and those shirts seem to rip open all of the time. The main rival gang is a bunch of politically charged artsy kids, and the Debs (and later christened "Jezebels") have to team up with some commie black ladies in order to gain victory. 4.5/5

In News

* The Flaming Lips long awaited film spectacle (originally slated to come out Christmas 2003) Christmas on Mars is finally opening in New York this week

* Guillermo del Toro is expected to film remakes of "Frankenstein", "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", and "Slaughterhouse 5"

* NY Magazine is throwing around a claim that two co-producers from "The Office" are writing a script for Ghostbusters 3...oh boy..