Celluloid #89

In Home

Days of Being Wild (1991) Wong - York treats ladies badly. He breaks Su Lizhen's heart when she asks him to marry her. Then he turns around and breaks Mimi's heart when she proposes that he pick her up from the club regularly. York also wants to track down his biological mother. 4/5

the Naked Kiss (1964) Fuller - Apparently the title refers to a tell-tale sign of perverts. Kelly was a prostitute, but after entering a new town she decides to change her ways (after sleeping with the sheriff). She starts working at the hospital for disabled children (where she also records a creepy song with the kids) and gets engaged to a prominent person. Unfortunately, people have a lot of secrets to keep, and as a result Kelly is made to suffer. 4/5

the Princess Bride (1987) Reiner - A childhood classic for most of my peers, but recently I watched this with some of my friends and a five year-old. The five year-old hated it and chastised us for making her watch a "scary, violent movie" which of course the rest of us brushed off because it's so silly and rarely does one even see a little blood. (All though I will concede that the swamp scenes with the ROUS- "rodents of unusual size" probably freaked me out as a kid as well). It was nice to revisit Buttercup & Wesley, the Spaniard hellbent on avenging his father's death, and of course lovable Andre the Giant. 4/5

Repulsion (1965) Polanski - Carol is fragile and a little off mentally. When her sister goes out of town for a couple weeks, Carol loses it. It doesn't help that guys will not leave her alone...Polanski was really great in the 1960s with his thrillers involving crazy people (I'm also thinking of Knife in the Water) and so good at ratcheting up the tension. 4.5/5

Tony Manero (2008) Larrain - Raul is obsessed with "Tony Manero", the John Travolta character from Saturday Night Fever. The film is Chilean and takes place at a time when Chile was in huge political upheaval. I though the premise sounded entertaining; Raul's main goal is the perfect the ideal disco routine. However, this film is surprisingly really dark and Raul is up there for the prize of "worst person ever." 4/5

the Trial (1962) Welles - Appropriately creepy and stylish representation of Kafka's famous novel. Josef K gets charged with an unnamed crime. He gets tangled up in all kinds of bureaucracy without ever finding out the details of his case, along the way getting obsessed with acquittal. My favorite scene is a surreal moment of a multitude of little girls trying to get at Josef while he's behind bars. Making out on a huge pile of papers is also pretty good..4/5

Zombieland (2009) Fleischer - Columbus and Tallahassee are a mismatched pair teamed up for survival in a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies. Columbus is anxious, neurotic, and makes mention several times of his social awkwardness and how that has prepared him for a lonely life. Tallahassee is more interested in obtaining the "zombie kill of the week" and finding some twinkies. Along the way the run into a couple of girls to provide drama and love interest. I wish this film was scarier or more gory...all the references to "the rules" got a little tedious after a while. 3.5/5

Celluloid #88

In Theaters

the Killer Inside Me (2010) Winterbottom - Casey Affleck essentially reprises his role from the Assassination of Jesse James.., but he's so good at playing the soft-spoken creep. Graphically violent, but maintains the feeling of Jim Thompson's novel. All around the acting is pretty strong, including Jessica Alba- even though half her performance involves getting her face bashed in. 4/5

Micmacs (2010) Jeunet - Silly, silly movie about a bunch of misfits who essentially start an arms war between two rival weapons companies. One is responsible for the bomb that killed Bazil's dad; the other for manufacturing the bullet lodged in his brain. Aesthetically, Jeunet is recognizable and enjoyable, however, this movie was not his best since it felt like watching a live-action cartoon. His other films always incorporate quirk and silliness, but there's usually another genre or element to add substance. 3.25/5

Winter's Bone (2010) Granik - White trash mountain people are so in! Ree is 17, raising her two younger siblings, tending to her mentally unstable mother, and tending their house when the local sheriff informs her that the house was put up as part of her father's bail. If he doesn't show up for court, then their little family will be homeless. Her dad has been absent most of her life, but especially in recent months, so tracking him down becomes quite a problem. 4/5

In Home

the General (1927) Bruckman - Keaton is not nearly as funny as Chaplin in this Civil War film where "Johnny Gray" is essentially trying to impress Annabelle by enlisting in th Army. A lot of the scenes take place on his train, and the scenery is quite beautiful. However, the story gets a little tiresome since it's really just Johnny chasing or being chased by other soldiers on a train all day. I will say that a one really cool image exists involving a train on a burning bridge. 3.5/5

My Night at Maud's (1969) Rohmer - Kinda boring film where two men run into each other after not seeing one another for 14 years. One is a devout Catholic (but still sleeps with women) and the other agnostic. The two spend Christmas with the agnostic's friend Maud. Maud and the Catholic have a love connection and spend most of the film philosophizing about religion and love. 3/5

Pepe le Moko (1936) Duvivier - For two years, the cops have been trying to capture the notorious thief and gangster, Pepe le Moko. Not only is he a criminal, but he's pretty rotten to his girlfriend and drops her when a Parisian girl enters the picture on her vacation to the Casbah. People who pretend to be Pepe's friends try to set him up to get caught by the police. Basically, he can't trust anyone, and he really wants to see the Parisian girl before she heads back to France. 3.5/5

V for Vendetta (2006) McTeigue - I don't know why I expected anything different, but this film was TERRIBLE. V is seeking revenge on those who have played a negative role in his life, but somehow he's doing it in the name of revolution against the government. Natalie Portman plays "Evey" and her character is incredibly stupid. Why does she go along with everything so easily? Maybe this film is supposed to be a warning against religious extremism, and I would have been fine to go along with that, except the love story is too ridiculous, the lines wooden and cheesy, and basically I felt like I had wasted a couple hours of my life. 1/5

Art Garfunkel Memorial Reading List (January - June 2010)

1.) Winesburg, Ohio - Anderson (1/26)

2.) Paris Review Interviews, Vol. 1 (1/31)

3.) Olive Kitteridge - Strout (2/02)

4.) Film Form: Essays in Film Theory - Eisenstein (2/07)

5.) the Question of Bruno - Hemon (2/07)

6.) Success - Amis (2/13)

7.) the Halfway House - Rosales (2/17)

8.) Tales of the City - Maupin (2/27)

9.) Omon Ra - Pelevin (3/07)

10.) the Sorrows of Young Werther - Goethe (3/16)

11.) Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung - Bangs (3/21)

12.) the Sluts - Cooper (4/01)

13.) Blood Meridian - McCarthy (4/12)

14.) In Defense of Food - Pollan (4/13)

15.) Mythologies - Barthes (4/18)

16.) the Lazarus Project - Hemon (4/26)

17.) Thank You, Jeeves - Wodehouse (5/02)

18.) Doctor Glas - Soderberg (5/06)

19.) A Tomb for Boris Davidovich - Kis (5/11)

20.) the People of Paper - Plascencia (5/19)

21.) Last Exit to Brooklyn - Selby (5/25)

22.) Butterfly Stories - Vollmann (6/01)

23.) Cloud Atlas - Mitchell (6/08)

24.) Last Evenings on Earth - Bolano (6/18)

25.) Mysteries of Pittsburgh - Chabon (6/22)

26.) CivilWarLand in Bad Decline - Saunders (6/24)

27.) Lost City Radio - Alarcon (6/29)

Test Pattern #4

America's Next Top Model (Cycle 14) and RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 2) - These are essentially the same show...lots of make-up, photo shoots, eliminations, etc. The end of ANTM was pretty anticlimatic since you knew who was almost certainly going to win four or five episodes before the finale. On the drag race, there was a similar lack of excitement because the front runner from the very beginning never got knocked off her throne. Lastly, I just wanted to mention that Season 1 of RuPaul is vastly better than this second season. The prizes may be jankier, but the contestants were much more creative and almost anyone from last season's top five could have beaten anyone on this season.  

Breaking Bad (Season 3) - This has to be my current favorite show. Walter and Jesse are still making meth and still having to ward off members of the cartel. The DEA is mostly out of the picture this season, but the drama with Skylar and with their employer has skyrocketed. I'm still impressed by how good this show looks and it's almost impossible to not get sucked into the action, even when it gets totally over the top.

Fringe (Season 2) - I never regularly watched X-Files growing up, but I am pretty sure that Fringe is the modern equivalent. There's some sexual tension between the two main characters Olivia and Peter, both of which are part of the "fringe unit" of the FBI and investigate unusual or supernatural homicides, events, etc. I did not see all of the first season, but it seems like the show has really hit its stride during this second season. The episodes can mostly stand alone, but there is a really interesting overarching plot involving Peter and an alternate universe.

Glee (Season 1) - So, I know many people treat this show like a guilty pleasure. I for one have never felt too guilty about it. Sure the acting can be bad, or the songs can fall into cringe territory, but I think this show does have a lot of heart. At times the social agenda can be a little overbearing, but I love the teenage drama, and several episodes made me get a little misty. Sue Sylvester's insults are a treat and performance of "the Boy is Mine" are standouts.

Homicide (Season 3, 4, & 5) - This show is so good. Basically Law and Order with less time in the courtroom and better characters. I still have a season and a half before I finish the entire series, but so far seasons 3 and 5 have been my favorites. In season 3, three of the detectives are shot at and critically wounded when they go to the wrong address. That season also addresses the suicide of one of the detectives. In season 4, Frank Pembleton's stress finally takes its toll. Seasons 4 and 5 focus a lot on Luther Mahoney, a drug kingpin, and the frustrations regarding not being able to make any charges stick to him. Season 4 also brings about the new detective Kellerman, and Season 5 introduces Medical Examiner Julianna (played by Michelle Forbes aka Maryann from True Blood and Admiral Cain from Battlestar Galactica). 

Justified (Season 1) - Timothy Olyphant plays Raylan Givens, a U.S. Marshall that might be a little trigger-happy. For a while, Raylan shoots someone in every episode, each time the shooting is "justified." A central part of the story is that Raylan has been stationed in his home state of Kentucky against his wishes. His father often falls on the opposite side of the law, as do any former friends. Unfortunately the women in this show are a little irritating. Ava in particular. I like his ex-wife Winona, especially her wardrobe, but even she is a little lame. Apparently, white trash is kinda in as far as television is concerned. 

the Office (Season 6) - The Office is something that I definitely only watch out of habit these days. The tension is long gone. I'm so bored with Pam and Jim and their baby, and I miss the days when Michael was actually kinda a jerk...now he's just too nice. Kathy Bates is good most of the time, but I really wish more time was spent with the supporting characters. I miss Kelly and Angela and Kevin. Plus, I'd like to know what happened to Ryan now that he dresses like a full-fledged hipster instead of the bleach-tipped imbecile from last season. 

30 Rock (Season 4) - By far the weakest season yet, but still has its moments of hilarity. Mainly I think the show could have been much better had they done the following: 1.) Gotten rid of Julianne Moore much sooner...that Boston accent was terrible. Actually, I'm not a big fan of the Avery character either. I miss Salma Hayek. 2.) Spent way less time with the Wesley "Future Husband" plot line. 3.) Spent way more time with TRACY! 

Treme (Season 1) - David Simon's return to the screen after the Wire probably came with unreasonable expectations. This series is set in New Orleans, just months after Katrina. Since it is David Simon, the characters are great, but I found myself having two regular complaints. 1.) Too much music. I know N.O. is a music town, but sometimes close to a third of the show is just performances. 2.) Related to too much music is the feeling that the plot barely exists or progresses. For the most part there aren't very tangible conflicts. The main problem is LaDonna's search for her missing brother, and probably the second most visible problem is the tumultuous relationship between Annie and Sonny. Things admittedly picked up towards the end of the season, and I look forward to what lies ahead.

Celluloid #87

In Theaters

Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then (2010) Green - Leonard and Mary are an unusual couple living in isolated Kentucky. When Mary gets diagnosed with cancer, Leonard attempts to save her by turning their house into a "healing machine"...a romantic and tragic notion. This film is amazing aesthetically, using stop motion animation, but live actors and a large set. The "special effect" (namely involving the car accident) are really cool and I like that you can tell the process is so time-consuming. The narration is also really interesting, if perhaps a little uncomfortable or off-putting at times. The filmmaker sounds full of anger or on the brink of tears while speaking about things of a typically spiritual nature. Extremely limited release, but recommended if you can find it. 4/5

Splice (2010) Natali - I laughed so much at this B-movie-styled film about two biochemist and their weird human-animal creature. Without giving anything away, this film goes every place you would hope and takes a few welcome but totally outrageous turns. 4/5

In Home

Ace in the Hole (1951) Wilder - A big city newspaperman finds himself needing a job in Albuquerque and starts trash talking about the whole town, disgruntled with being reduced to working for such a "lowly" paper. Chuck's only goal is to write about a big story in order to regain his place at a big city newspaper. He gets a break with a story about a man trapped in a mine, but he manipulates the situation so much that he puts the man's life in danger. 4/5

the Lady Eve (1941) Sturges - Jean and her father are card sharks who decide to take a wealthy beer heir for his fortune. However, "Hopsy" falls for Jean and surprisingly she returns the feelings. He proposes marriage, but then discovers her true identity. The second half of the film, when Jean assumes a new identity as an English aristocrat, does not match up with the greatness of the first half, but overall a fun deception film. 4/5

Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) Richardson - Colin gets sentenced to a juvenile detention center for committing petty crimes. These crimes are mostly rooted in boredom and refusing to accept the limited options in life. Once locked up, the headmaster discovers Colin's talent for distance running and uses Colin to try and win the title against a local school. Part of the "Angry Young Man" movement in England. 3.5/5

Celluloid #86

In Theaters

Holy Rollers (2010) Asch - After being rejected as a potential husband in an arranged marriage, Sam accidentally gets into smuggling ecstasy via his shady neighbor. Sam is a orthodox Jew living in the Hasidic  neighborhood in Brooklyn. Even though this film is based on a true story, for some reason I expected it to fall a little more on the dark comedy side. Instead, this is actually a pretty serious film about a young man struggling with tradition and the culture outside, faith, and the desire to be a man who can support himself. 3.75/5

Please Give (2010) Holofcener - Essentially a film about rich, white New Yorkers having a neurotic time. The main problems are rooted in guilt and privilege. This sounds like something I might hate, but in actuality, I thought this film was well-done and I appreciated that it stayed away from cheesiness and epiphanies. Alex and Kate run a vintage furniture store populated by the former belongings of dead people. They are also waiting for their old lady neighbor to die so that they can expand their apartment. The granddaughters  of the lady develop relationships of varying degrees with Alex, Kate, and their daughter. In addition, Holofcener depicts bodies in such a bleak and unglamorous way. 3.5/5

In Home

Gates of Heaven (1978) Morris - Documentary about pet cemeteries and the people who open them, and the crazy pet owners that make use of them. The interviews with the pet owners depict obsessed people, but also often delves into tangential areas. A lot of time is spent with one family in Northern California who own one of these cemeteries. They are so quintessentially Californian with their self-help and positive thinking, recording music, and developing new religions. An interesting glimpse into the late 1970s. 4/5

the Gleaners and I (2000) Varda - Another documentary about "gleaning", a tradition akin to dumpster-diving or foraging. Varda also inserts herself often into the film with her musings about aging. At times, the film feels a little amateurish and I was annoyed with the street punks she interviews, but other than that a film that I was surprised that I got so sucked into. 3.5/5

Summer Hours (2008) Assayas - An old woman brings her three grown children together to discuss plans after her death. Two of the children live overseas, so she has the foresight to know that the estate will likely be sold. The house is full of art and artist-created furniture. Most of the film deals with how art is perceived, especially on the market, and how siblings deal with the loss of the one person who really holds them together. 4/5

Celluloid #85

In Home

Un Chien Andalou (1929) Bunuel & Dali - Famous short film where eyeballs are sliced. Actually, these seventeen minutes are full of cool old school effects, and even a little shocking today, so I can only imagine the scandal it caused when it came out. 4.5/5

Divorce, Italian Style (1961) Germi - Fefe has had it with his overbearing, overaffectionate wife. Mind you, he's a creep who has feelings for his seventeen year old niece. Anyway, he finds out that "crimes of passion" can get one basically excused from spending much time in jail for murder. He fantasizes constantly about ways to kill his wife and eventually seeks out a man to cuckold of him --all too successfully. 4/5

Schindler's List (1993) Spielberg - Oskar Schindler begins as a greedy businessman who belongs to the Nazi Party. He decides he can make more profits by exploiting cheap Jewish labor supplied by the newly erected ghetto. Over the years, he develops bonds with some of his workers and devises a way to keep them out of the deadliest concentration camps. This was the first time I had ever seen this film and I found it a bit overrated and surprisingly not tear-jerking. Black and white was obviously used to convey a sense of gravity, but I thought the occasional items in color were pretty cheesy. 3.5/5 

35 Shots of Rum (2007) Denis - A man and his grown daughter are very close. Each seems to struggle with being black and getting older. When one of the neighbors leaves, everyone else in the building gets really depressed and introspective. Josephine confirms that Gabrielle, another neighbor, has feelings towards her dad. Light on plot, heavy on mood. 3.5/5

Youth of the Beast (1963) Suzuki - Silly '60s gangster film with cool clothes, hip music, and snazzy hookers. An ex-cop gets involved with a gang in order to exact revenge for an old co-worker. He also has to find the gang boss's "Sixth Mistress", rumored to run a call girl ring and kill her or risk his own death. 4/5