MMMM

Last night I went to see Martha Marcy May Marlene at the Esquire theater, a place I haven’t been in some time.  It’s a disturbing story of a young woman (played by Olsen twins sister – Elizabeth Olsen) both during and after living with a cult.  The cult included elements of sex/sharing each other, initiation and cleansing, gender roles, and manipulation. The cult is, of course, led by a man - the scrawny but commanding Patrick (John Hawkes of Winter’s Bone).

I can’t stop thinking about it. 

The many women of the cult seem more like a harem for the group of men that live there.  The men are clearly more important in this micro-society.  The women make the men food, wait for the men to finish, clean up, and then eat dinner themselves.  They seem to serve the needs of the men let’s say. Patrick, the quiet bull of the herd, has his needs met most of all. 

The heroine – let’s use the Martha name – does get out of the cult and lands in the somewhat safe home of her sister and brother-in-law.  Even though the world of her sister is starkly contrasted with the cult, there is a blurred line between memory, reality, dream, and paranoia.  The movie jumps around in time and you don’t always know where you are or what’s really happening and neither does Martha. It was a little painful watching Martha struggle to decide which world is better, that of the structured and sexual cult or the clean, expansive, uncertainty of the real world of her sister’s home.

Watch it but make sure you are expecting to be unsettled.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a French writer/director that makes amazingly visually-appealing, dream-like films.  He has an eye for the fantastical. A couple of his films are mainstream: Alien: Resurrection and Amelie. But his best work is a little under the radar.  Below are descriptions of two of the most visually delightful films I have seen.  They are dark and quirkily funny.

Delicatessen (1991) – written and directed by Jeunet (with Marc Caro)

Post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasional prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants.

The City of Lost Children (1995) – written and directed by Jeunet (with others)

With a mad scientist kidnapping children to steal their dreams, only brave young Miette and a kindhearted circus strongman (Ron Perlman) can save them. Part fantasy, part nightmare…

This one is a bit more disturbing than Delicatessen.  The mad scientist is creepy.

Dominique Pinon is the guy in the photo below (multiplied by four).  Jeunet employs Pinon in all of his films and this guy, with his distinctive face, is exuberant and perfectly suited for surrealist films of this kind.

Last night I watched Micmacs (2009)

Jeunet takes a satirical look at the global arms trade with this foreign-language comedy starring Dany Boon as Bazil, who rallies his friends to take down weapons manufacturers responsible for his father's death. Bazil also discovers a dump into an underground haven for cool tools and sculptures crafted from discarded junk.

Since this post is going a bit long, I’ll just say that this French-subtitled film is worth watching.  However, the Onion review sums up my overall feelings towards the film, “Longtime Jeunet fans may be a little disappointed at the film’s feather-lightness, which admits almost none of the grimness of his Delicatessen or Lost Children…” 

The American

 

The American (2010)

On the heels of a rough assignment, assassin Jack (George Clooney) declares that his next job will be his last. Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, Jack embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him. Although duty will surely call, Jack becomes friends with Father Benedetto and falls for villager Clara in this suspense thriller.

The words to describe this film are hard to find…ridiculously in love with itself come to mind.  Among the reviews there are basically two opinions that surface, either the reviewer found the movie boring or zen-like.  Roger Ebert goes so far as to liken Clooney to a Samurai.  I found it hard to care about Clooney’s character.  I mean you find out almost nothing about him and you’re never quite sure what the hell he’s doing. 

I also found myself comparing it to the Jim Jarmusch film The Limits of Control.  The comparison was in the slowness and the silence.  The difference is that in Limits of Control there is something actually palpable in the silence.  It has fantastic shots and crazy characters.  The American’s silence was just flat. 

There were some reviews that agreed with me.  Time magazine’s review referred to The American as “surely the dreariest thriller of the year.”  The New York Post review was hands down my favorite – I love the writer’s style.  The reviewer called it “a pretentious Euro-snore that should occasion a fraud prosecution for any marketer who calls it a thriller.”

My thoughts exactly.

Blue Valentine

Wow.

Blue Valentine (2010)

Once crazy about each other, Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling) have now grown apart. Cindy is bored and disenchanted with her life while Dean languishes in the emotional emptiness of their sexless, routine life in rural Pennsylvania. As they muddle through their marriage, they hearken back to the golden days when life was filled with possibility and romance.

You might be thinking to yourself, “jesus that sounds depressing.”  Well, sure, the subject matter was not exactly joyful and, I have to admit, at times I did feel the heaviness of the dissolving relationship.  But the story was so emotionally complex and the film had this really visceral quality to it. 

The way the story rolled out reminded me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in that it started with the stale relationship in the present, but jumped back and forth between that time and the beginning of the relationship several years earlier.  This lent the film a bittersweet quality that gave the audience ample respite from the tragedy of the present relationship.

Michelle Williams gave a fantastic performance, but I have to say that Ryan Gosling was absolutely snubbed by the Academy – he was amazing.  They truly are two talented (and hot) actors.

SEE. IT.

Scary movies

Well, kind of scary, but also kind of stupid.

Devil (2010)

In this edgy thriller, Det. Bowden (Chris Messina) must not only save 5 people trapped in an elevator -- a mechanic, a young woman, an old woman, a guard, and a salesman -- but he must act fast because the devil is among them.

Yes, this is an M. Night Shyamalan movie, which immediately puts it into a certain category – for most not a good one.  I have to admit that I enjoy the concepts in Shyamalan’s movies, if not the delivery.  This one was only about 80 minutes long, which makes it more palatable, but I actually don’t recommend it.  The concept wasn’t that interesting and the characters were pretty flimsy. 

Case 39 (2009)

To save 10-year-old Lillith Sullivan from her abusive parents, idealistic social worker Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) welcomes the girl into her own home -- only to discover that Lillith isn't quite the innocent victim that she claims to be. As Lillith's mysterious past comes to light, Emily finds herself in a world of danger.

Modern devil child movie with annoying child actor.  Bleh.  Poorly acted and a tired tale.  Please, for me, skip it.

Buried (2010)

While on a job in Iraq, civilian contractor Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) is attacked and kidnapped, then awakens to find himself buried alive in the middle of the desert with nothing but a lighter, a candle, a cell phone and a knife. Does Paul have the instincts he'll need to save himself?

Boring.  You wouldn’t expect a movie with a description like that to be boring, right?  Well, you’d be wrong.  For all the suspense and terror the movie tried to convey, I just didn’t feel it.  I did chuckle a few times.  The guy has a cell phone and gets transferred, put on hold, and leaves voicemail messages.  I chuckled and I do think it was meant to evoke a sense of the ridiculous of modern communication especially in a situation like that.

Ryan Reynolds, the lead (and only role), doesn’t really deliver the performance required to carry a one-man show. 

That Facebook Movie

 

The Social Network (2010)

Director David Fincher's biographical drama chronicles the meteoric rise of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) from Harvard sophomore to Internet superstar, examining his relationships with co-founder Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake).

Jeez, what to say about this movie…it’s gotten so much praise.  I can say that I absolutely agree with all that praise. 

The director, David Fincher, took a movie essentially about court depositions and computer programming and made something dynamic and fascinating.  But then, Fincher was the director that brought us films like Fight Club (a favorite of mine) and Zodiac, so we, as viewers, were in good hands.

While I have enjoyed Jesse Eisenberg in films like The Squid and The Whale and I think he was excellent in his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg, he didn’t seem to give the audience a performance out of the range we’ve seen in other efforts. 

Oh, one interesting thing I learned about the movie is that the Winklevoss twins were played by one guy (named Armie Hammer).  That’s right, one guy played the part of both twins (I hope he got paid double).

Way behind

I’m eight movies behind.  That is to say, I’ve seen eight movies, about which I haven’t posted.  So, I’m going to do a series of posts to try to catch up.  This is the first.

Serpico (1973)

Based on the real-life story of NYC undercover cop Frank Serpico (an honest man who was grievously wounded for refusing to take part in the corruption forced upon him by his peers). Serpico is at once an indictment of corrupted authority and a shining testament to one man's effort to reform the NYC Police Department.

A Pacino movie that is nearly 40 years old.  In addition to taking in the acting, the plot, and so on, I was enthralled with the actual 70s cars, clothes, and norms – New York City in the 70s!  There are so many movies that try to re-create the 70s in film that it was interesting to actually see it as it really was.

I had no real expectations going in and watched it on a whim, but found it surprisingly compelling.  I say “surprising” because I don’t find modern cop films to be my cup of tea usually and expected something similar from this.  Serpico beats the pants off of most modern cop films.

Oscar 2011

The nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards were announced today.  Overall I feel that the nominees this year are populated by very deserving candidates – perhaps more than in past years.  Last year I wasn’t too excited about the nominations and last year was the first year the Academy allowed ten movies to compete for best picture.

Best Picture – I’ve seen them all this year!

• Black Swan – good but not going to win
• The Fighter – excellent, has a chance!
• Inception – I enjoyed it but not going to win
• The Kids Are All Right – I thoroughly enjoyed it but not going to win
• The King's Speech – excellent, this will probably be neck and neck with a one or two others.
• 127 Hours – amazing but not sure that it’ll win best picture
• The Social Network – the perfect representation of our times – this won the Golden Globes this year…just sayin’
• Toy Story 3 – definitely an animated film deserving of accolades, but not going to win.
• True Grit – ugh, this will probably be a contender.
• Winter's Bone – loved this one and it’s an underdog, great acting, etc, but not going to win.

Despite my feelings about the various films, my money is split between The King’s Speech (12 nominations overall) and The Social Network (8 nominations).  If one of those two don’t get it, The Fighter probably will.

Directing – Yikes, I’d be ok with any but True Grit winning.  David Fincher won the Golden Globe.

• “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
• “The Fighter” David O. Russell
• “The King's Speech” Tom Hooper
• “The Social Network” David Fincher
• “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Actress in a Leading Role – I can’t comment because I haven’t seen Rabbit Hole or Blue Valentine.  Natalie Portman won at the Golden Globe (for a drama).

• Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
• Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
• Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
• Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
• Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Actor in a Leading Role – I’ve seen all but Biutiful.  The one I want to win is James Franco, but I suspect Colin Firth has this one in the bag (he won the Golden Globe for a drama).

• Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
• Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
• Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
• Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”
• James Franco in “127 Hours”

I’m not going to go through every category.  You get the idea.

Iron Man 2 Splice

Bad, bad movies.  I’m not going to go on too long about these.

Iron Man 2 (2010)

The first Iron Man was surprisingly enjoyable.  They really nailed the elements of an American summer movie – action, sexuality, technology, charisma, witty banter, etc. Iron Man 2 is clearly riding on the coattails of the first movie. 

The characters were annoyingly magnified; all of their worst traits were played up and spotlighted.  There were new ridiculous elements like Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansen playing agents of some super secret US Army unit.  The plot was predictably reminiscent of the first Iron Man.  And it went on toooooo long – two full hours.

Splice (2009)

With Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody starring, I thought there was a chance for this movie.  Nope. 

Netflix description:

Ignoring instructions from the pharmaceutical company that funds their research, groundbreaking genetic scientists Elsa (Polley) and Clive (Brody) continue with an unorthodox experiment to create a human-animal hybrid, a new life form they dub "Dren". When they see their fantastical creation, Clive warns that it should be destroyed, but Elsa refuses -- a decision she'll regret when Dren makes deadly plans of her own.

While the concept was compelling and did raise the interesting questions about genetics and the pandora’s box of tinkering with nature, I ultimately didn’t handle the strange sexual twists that well.  I think I’ll leave it there.

Highlands Saturday

Because there was a film festival to attend and a new restaurant to try, the bulk of Saturday was spent in the Highlands neighborhood of Denver. 

I attended two separate film sessions at the Festivus Film Festival.  Both were at the Oriental Theater, which is a cool, old theater that I had never been inside. 

Session 1: 2:00 pm “Doc Double” – two documentaries back to back.  These were supposed to be inspiring documentaries about the triumph of the human spirit and so on.  The first one was about surfing and helping kids on Bali surf and get money for school.  It was mostly surfing.  If you’re not a surfer and/or don’t know anything about surfing, all the surfing shots look the same.  It was chilly in the theater so I wrapped myself in the tee shirt I won and nodded off.

The second documentary was the draw for this session – “Conquest of High Passes.”  Disabled cyclist traveling through the Himalayas and persevering.  It turned out to be a little dour.  The whole thing felt like rainy day wrapped in a wet blanket.  I blame this on the cyclist on which the film focused.  He was alternately talking about what an inspiration he was and talking about how horrible everything was. 

The next session wasn’t until 6:00 pm, meaning there was time to check out the area.  Lots of house-shops (i.e. little local shops in converted houses), art galleries, and coffee shops.  In one gallery/framing shop (metro frame works) there were to shop dogs – Greyhounds! 

They also had some art by artist Chris Vance that appealed to me.  This is just one example:

Since the break between sessions was so long, there was time to shoot over to the 32nd/Lowell area for a stroll.  More cute shops.  I love this octopus mural.

Dinner was at Hops & Pie (specializing in craft brew and artisan pizza).   The pizza was pleasantly tasty but the beer on tap was really special.  Here’s a bit of the draft beer menu:

I had the Oaked Arrogant Bastard (you don’t get that on tap too often!):

After dinner it was back to the film festival for Session 2: Laugh Track Short Films.  These were much more satisfying than session one’s documentaries.   Many of them were witty and at least half had me actually laughing out loud!  “Chump and Clump” was my favorite – two animated dudes and their adventures at a bus stop!

Afterwards was the last stop of the evening – Forest Room 5 – for a final beer.  This is somewhere I don’t get to very often because it’s in the Highlands but it’s an eclectic place that has various sized logs for bar stools and old farming and mining films playing silently behind the bar.  It is always pretty crowded. 

That was my Saturday! 

Black Swan

I saw Black Swan a few weeks ago but for some reason haven’t been able to get my thoughts together on this film.  But it’s time to get this done.

Black Swan (2010)

Netflix description:

In [this] psychological thriller, ambitious New York City ballet dancer Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) lands the lead role in "Swan Lake" but soon thinks her dreams of stardom are threatened by a rival ballerina (Mila Kunis). As opening night approaches and the pressure to be perfect builds, Nina's obsession descends into paranoia and delusion.

In talking with my friends that are cinephiles, I discovered that they didn’t love it.

I did like it.  I enjoyed the intensity and how the director really got us into her head, even though it was a scary confused place.  The sexuality in its stunted, subtle, and not-so-subtle forms was almost a character in and of itself.  The filming added to the intensity; the viewer was so close to the main character – literally.  The camera kept us bouncing behind her as she walked, focused on her super slim face as she struggled to achieve perfection yet spontaneity. 

The director, Darren Aronofsky, who is known for Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and The Wrestler, is not a man who goes after cheery, happy-ending stories.  The themes of battling with oneself, violence, and confusion are present in Black Swan as they are in his other films.  So, in that way this movie was similar to previous movies, but I didn’t feel it was so similar as to be a tired, too familiar effort. 

There’s an interview on Fresh Air with Natalie Portman that is  fascinating in its description of her 1-year training for the film and all the things she had to do to get her small body to be ballerina-like.

Winter’s Bone > True Grit

This holiday weekend I saw both of the following movies – True Grit and Winter’s Bone.  The main female character in Winter’s Bone had more “true grit” than anyone in the movie True Grit.

True Grit (2010)

I didn’t get into this film.  I have not seen the original John Wayne movie.

Being a fan of the Coen brothers was a major draw for me.  I love their range as filmmakers.  A list of their films below exemplifies that statement and also shows some of my favorites:

• Raising Arizona (1987)
• Fargo (1996)
• The Big Lebowski (1998)
• Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
• No Country for Old Men (2007)
• Burn After Reading (2008)
• A Serious Man (2009)

My love of their creative range means that my feelings towards this film have little to do with True Grit being a different genre than previous efforts.  After reading through several reviews to find out why this movie has been met with such critical acclaim, it seems I disliked everything that most liked about the film. 

I found the dialogue long-winded and without wit.  I found the main female lead’s flaunting of knowledge to be extreme and prissy as opposed to refreshing, which is uncharacteristic of me because I’m partial to strong, smart female leads in general.  The language and strict use of diction was annoying.  The landscape and cinematography were not very pronounced.   I could go on but I think the point has been made.

Winter’s Bone (2010)

The female lead in this movie, while the opposite of her well-educated, proper True Grit counterpart, has more balls.  But, then, the weight of her burden is real (two young siblings and a mentally ill mother) as opposed to simply the drive of revenge. 

Netflix description:

…Set deep in the Ozarks, resilient teen Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) goes on the trail of her missing, drug-dealing father when his absence jeopardizes the family's safety. Her deadbeat dad has a key court date pending, and Ree is determined that he show up -- despite the objections of the insular Dolly clan.

The description says nothing of the exquisite detail in the film.  The hungry dogs and horse, the wailing cows at auction, the kids having fun on the trampoline amid the impending doom of their lives, the filthy clutter of the cheap, old houses, the simple joy of sitting with family playing a banjo.

There’s not a whole lot of joy in this movie, I’ll admit, and you can feel the harsh cold of the southern Missouri winter that’s mirrored in the faces and actions of Ree’s “family.”  They were all scary – from the hard, lined faces of the women to the scraggly, unkempt men – but Ree’s journey illuminated the world of old “Hatfield and McCoy” rules of family loyalty and the effect of drugs and its money.

What she unflinchingly does in an effort to save her family is remarkable.

Last Night

Last Night (1998)
As mentioned in earlier posts, I am fascinated with the apocalyptic and that’s what drew me to this movie.  It’s been on my list for years, but it only just became available through streaming Netflix in the past few months. 
Netflix description:

What do you do when you have six hours to live? Last Night chronicles a small group of people whose lives intersect as a nameless apocalypse descends on them. A woman (Sandra Oh) tries to locate her husband to fulfill a suicide pact, while a young man (Callum Keith Rennie) has a rendezvous with a former high school teacher.

Unfortunately, they don’t ever give any indication whatsoever about the cause of the apocalypse!  All the viewer knows is that the world will end at midnight.  From context clues I inferred that the sun was exploding or a large meteor was headed towards the earth or something of that sort.
The apocalypse was clearly just a backdrop for a movie that really wanted to focus on the craziness of human relationships, family, sex, and timing. It was a bit too contemplative for an end of the world film.  That said, one shot near the end with two characters holding a gun to each other’s head was well done and slightly impacting.  Otherwise it was only mildly engaging visually.
There was also one line from the preview (and the film) that I found compelling.  The same two characters mentioned above were trying to quickly get to know each other in the last hour of the world.  She tries to speed the process by saying to him, “tell me something to make me love you.”  Now there’s an interesting question.  What would you say?

Love and Other Drugs

Lots of Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway sex as well as lots of naked Anne Hathaway.

Netflix description:

Pharmaceutical representative Jamie Randall (Gyllenhaal) becomes a player in the big game of male-performance-enhancement-drug sales and, along the way, finds unexpected romance with a woman (Hathaway) suffering from Parkinson's disease. Based on the real-life Jamie Reidy's memoir, Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.

The first third of the movie was enthralling because of the focus on the pharmaceutical industry.  The process of training their salespeople and how certain drugs get on your doctor’s shelf as opposed to others was both fascinating and scary.  Then the love story started.

As previously mentioned, there were more than a few steamy sex scenes, but Gyllenhaal and Hathaway did have good chemistry, which is what made the scenes steamy I guess.   I’m not a fan of Hathaway’s performance in Rachel Getting Married (for which she earned an Oscar nomination), but her performance in this film was better than expected (and it did get her a Golden Globe nomination). 

Overall, the movie was fun and a little more complex than your typical romantic comedy, but the dialogue in general was lacking.  Also, there were just a few too many “look how cute I am” Gyllenhaal shots and big-eyed Hathaway scenes.  I do have to admit that the last few minutes of Gyllenhaal voiceover talking about how one person, even just a chance encounter, can change your life was particularly resonant. 

Oh, it’s interesting to remember that Gyllenhaal and Hathaway were a “couple” in Brokeback Mountain five years ago.

5.3 days (or 127 hours)

Went to see a movie in the theater today! 

127 Hours (2010)

I quite enjoyed this one.  For a movie that is primarily a one-man show, it was captivating and affecting.  Going into it I knew that Aron Ralston (the real life person portrayed by James Franco) cuts off his arm.  I wouldn’t have thought to call it “surgery” per se but I imagine the theater was challenged to think of what to say exactly (this was the sign on the box office today):

So, where to start…the movie is based on a book written by Ralston about his actual experience being pinned by a huge boulder and having to free himself by amputating his own arm – Between a Rock and a Hard Place.  The director, Danny Boyle (director of Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and – of course – Slumdog Millionaire), handled the translation from book to movie quite well.  Going in I thought it might have a Touching the Void feel but it didn’t at all.  The first quarter of the film was pre-rock fall and was obviously meant to show what a lively, vivacious life Ralston has and juxtapose that exuberance with a grave situation. I liked the way that bit was filmed – very energetic. 

The rest of the movie was basically Franco stuck with the rock in a canyon in Utah, which brings me to Franco’s performance.  From a Fresh Air interview (or it might have been the Colorado Matters interview), I learned that Ralston was a participant in the filming and he allowed Franco to see the video he took during the situation.  In the movie, Franco talks to the video camera and occasionally screams and yells but there was no voiceover/internal dialogue.  This was not a problem because from his expressions, even silently, Franco conveyed everything.

I covered my ears during the part that showed him cutting off his arm.  I had been tipped off by the Slate Culture Gabfest discussion of the movie (the “Farewell to Arms” edition) that the sounds were almost worse than seeing it.  I didn’t actually watch that much of it either.  The parts I did see were pretty gory.

Anyway, see it!

Yet more movies

These are three I’ve actually watched in the last 30 days. 

Green Zone (2010)

As a liberal who believes that the US is in Iraq unnecessarily, this movie appealed to me.  It asserts that US officials fabricated a source that told them that there were WMDs in Iraq (gasp!).  It goes on to overtly imply that we are trying to put a stucco cap on a pond of toxic material by pushing a democracy on a country that has a far more complicated past then we recognize.  That said, it was basically an action film – I mean we’ve got Jason Bourne/Matt Damon as the lead.  A lot of military maneuvers and helicopters and gun fights.  Overall I was sort of lukewarm on it.

The Missing (2003)

In this Ron Howard-directed western, Cate Blanchett is a kick ass frontier woman that goes after a band of nasty brutes to get her stolen daughter back – with the help of her faux-Native American estranged father (Tommy Lee Jones). The movie was a bit long and the “Native American” Tommy Lee Jones got a little old, but I never tired of Blanchett.  It was, at times, an emotionally-charged film and I certainly felt it when one or two characters died. It was just a bit too long…

Death at a Funeral (2010)

I don’t know what possessed me.  Must be that everlasting search for a “comedy” that is actually funny. This movie isn’t going on that list.  This quote from the Onion AV Club review sums it up: Death At A Funeral has two primary tones: broad and Tracy Morgan-covered-in-Danny Glover’s-crap super-loud.

movie wrap up part 2

This is a companion post to my previous attempt to close out on the movies I’ve watched but not blogged about.  I’ve been struggling with some of these so my goal is to be brief!

New Jack City (1991)

I watched this late at night on streaming Netflix.  I honestly don’t remember much and, thus, have no opinions. 

I Heart Huckabees (2004)

Fantastic cast: Dustin Huffman, Lily Tomlin, Jason Schwartzman, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, and Jude Law.  Plot wrapped in existentialism and nihilism with a background of corporate greed and environmental ravaging. This was my second viewing and I liked it a little less than the first time but I still quite enjoyed it.

Greenberg (2010)

I was a little disappointed with Noah Baumbach (director of The Squid and the Whale and co-writer of The Life Aquatic)on this one. The main character, while somewhat humorous with his intense social awkwardness, was just a monster to his “romantic love interest.”  I didn’t hate it but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

A Town Called Panic (2009)

Netflix:

Tag along for the small-town adventures of plastic toys Cowboy, Indian and Horse when they buy 50 million bricks, setting into motion a crazy chain of events at their rambling rural home. Now trekking across distant lands, they end up in another world plunged under water.

Hilarious but bizarre! Only 74 minutes but worth it.

Youth In Revolt (2009)

I have to admit that this was funnier than I thought it was going to be but the expectations were low.  I feel like I’ve seen Michael Cera just a bit too much.  The bad boy alter ego was a refreshing element though. Oh, the marijuana brownie/cookie scene was actually really funny. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it…

Scary Halloween Movies

In the spirit of Halloween, Saturday night was spent at the home of our friends, Emily and Josh, watching two scary movies.

[REC] (2007)

IMDB synopsis:

"REC" turns on a young TV reporter and her cameraman who cover the night shift at the local fire station. Receiving a call from an old lady trapped in her house, they reach her building to hear horrifying screams -- which begin a long nightmare and a uniquely dramatic TV report.

A Spanish zombie movie! The group generally agreed that the movie was not entirely original as the filming style was reminiscent of Cloverfield.  It’s a short film but starts out slow and lags a bit in the middle, but has an intriguing ending.  For a scary Halloween movie or to round out one’s list of zombie films, I’d certainly recommend it.

I just discovered that there is a sequel – REC 2 – but I don’t think I’ll be able to watch it.  Also, [REC] was remade in the US under the title Quarantine (2008).

I’m not including any images because all the ones I found are pretty disturbing.

They Live (1988)

IMDB synopsis:

A drifter discovers a pair of sunglasses that allow him to wake up to the fact that aliens have taken over the Earth.

This John Carpenter film was an interesting bit of social commentary on consumerism, classism, and corporate culture.  If you go into it expecting camp and bad acting (the protagonist is an ex-wrestler), it’s very watchable.  I had never heard of it but it should be a cult classic.  A Variety review has a good summary:

Conceived on 1950s B-movie sci-fi terms, They Live is a fantastically subversive film, a nifty little confection pitting us vs them, the haves vs the have-nots.

Movie wrap up

I haven’t been keeping up with recording the movies I’ve been watching.  So, this is an attempt to mark them all off the list in one fell swoop. It is important to note that some of these I saw a while ago (up to four month).

Chloe (2009)

IMDB synopsis:

A doctor (Julianne Moore) hires an escort (Amanda Seyfried) to seduce her husband (Liam Neeson), whom she suspects of cheating, though unforeseen events put the family in danger.

Not great, but an interesting cast. It started out ok with a believable plot about an aging marriage and their separate lives. However, the story felt like it got a little far afield and unrealistic fairly quickly. I was a little surprised at the woman-on-woman action between Seyfried and Moore. Watch it if you want to see naked Amanda Seyfried. Otherwise, skip it.

 

2 Days in Paris (2007)

Netflix synopsis:

On their way home from an ill-fated Venice vacation, Marion (Julie Delpy, who also directs) and Jack (Adam Goldberg) stop in Paris to visit Marion's parents. But their sojourn in the City of Lights turns out to be just as disastrous as their "romantic" trip to Italy. Culture shock, run-ins with Marion's myriad ex-lovers and uncomfortable encounters with her parents conspire to make Jack feel even more estranged from his worldly paramour.

See it!! I watched this movie for a second time this year and enjoyed it just as much as the first time.  Goldberg’s sarcastic character was hilarious and there were genuinely funny situations.  Julie Delpy wrote, directed, and scored this film.  Her voice was both light hearted and thoughtful.  The nature of relationships, family, aging, and so on were discussed with a anthropologically detached yet emotional perspective. I definitely think it is a movie that both men and women will enjoy – it’s not a romantic comedy per se.

 

The Ghost Writer (2010)

IMDB synopsis:

A ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan) uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.

Not bad and is especially worth seeing if you are a Roman Polanski fan.  Setting this movie on the coast of Martha’s Vineyard was a good move for the filmmaker.  The stormy, grey, brooding weather and ocean was the perfect backdrop for the secrets, politics, and moodiness of this movie.

The tension and rivalry of the two female leads, played by Olivia Williams and Kim Cattrall, kept my attention.  As Prime Minister Adam Lang’s right hand woman, Kim Cattrall (Samantha in Sex and the City), walked the bitchy/subservient line well, but had an awful accent.  As Adam Lang’s wife, Olivia Williams (Miss Stubbs in An Education) was the real winner; she was a strategic yet coy seductress. 

 

The A-Team (2010)

IMDB synopsis:

A group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed.

Ugh. Saw this one on the flight back from NYC this month.  It was barely palatable, even as mental food on a plane.  I used to watch the TV show as a kid even.  Please skip it.

 

Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009)

IMDB synopsis:

In New York City, an estranged couple (Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant) who witness a murder are relocated to small-town Wyoming as part of a witness-protection program.

Double ugh. This movie was so, so bad.  I watched it on one of those nights where you just want to switch off and not challenge your brain.  This movie is perfect for that.

There are more, but this post feels long enough.

Survival of the Repo Men

Bad movie alert! Two bad movies in a row.

Survival of the Dead (2009)

As I’ve mentioned before, I can’t resist a zombie movie.  So when I heard that George Romero had a new zombie film out in the theaters (this was actually playing at the Mayan for a few weeks), I knew I had to see it. But not in the theater.  Scary movies are too difficult for me in the theater.  George Romero wrote and directed the both the original 1968 Night of the Living Dead and the 1978 Dawn of the Dead movies. These are zombie classics.  They also have a touch of social commentary as well as humor (well, Dawn of the Dead has humor).

This new zombie film was just bad.  Bad acting, bad dialogue, bad zombies.  The plot strangely centered on these two Irish families and their feud.  The zombie situation was sort of a side note.  There were funny bits but that’s not worth sitting through this.

Repo Men (2010)

I have no earthly idea why I put this in the Netflix queue.  It was mostly predictable and gorier than I expected.

Netflix description:

In the world of this sci-fi thriller set in the not-too-distant future, artificial organs are readily available to anybody with a credit card. But what happens if a buyer falls delinquent on his payments? Jude Law stars as an organ repo man who's now fleeing his ex-partner (Forest Whitaker) after failing to keep up the payments on his own recently installed ticker.

Lots of blood letting and fight scenes.  Liev Schreiber has a supporting role as an asshole organ salesman.  Why is he playing so many bad guys these days?  I first saw him in the 2000 Hamlet (with Ethan Hawke) and The Daytrippers, but this role and his recent roles in Salt and X-Men Origins: Wolverine are exposing his bad guy sides.  He does play the bad guy well, I must admit.

Anyway, many of the reviews I’ve read have hit on the point that a movie about repossession of anything in this economic climate is likely to strike a chord – esp. with the backdrop of healthcare debate and reform. Unfortunately this movie doesn’t deliver. I like this quote from Salon.com: It's sad when a bit of grim futuristic silliness like "Repo Men" falls short on all counts, down to the most basic level of entertainment value.