Blog

Special Edition Trailer Sunday- Showgirls 2

2010-03-01T03:53:42Z

There are truly no words to describe the utter absurdity of this trailer. I can already see a double feature crap fest with this 'film' and the epic failure "The Room". If I had any idea of what the hell was going on in this trailer, I might be willing to attempt to explain what the movie is about. I've watched porn with more cinematic expertise AND an intelligible trailer. To fully appreciate, please watch the train wreck for yourself.

What makes a classic movie?

2010-02-08T19:30:31Z

In my humble opinion, a classic movie is simply defined by the era it was created in. Any movie created from the beginning of cinema to approximately 1960 should be considered to be a classic. Whether it was good movie or not, it was created during what most call “the Golden Age of Cinema”. I use this as an example: I think most people would agree that movie scores and other non-vocal music created in the last fifty years would be called “Instrumental” music, not “Classical” music. Classical music is the instrumental music created centuries ago by the great composers such as Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, et al. I don’t think anyone would call the music of John Tesh or Yanni “Classical” simply because it is instrumental.

As for the longevity or mass appeal of classic films, I am the first to say that most classic films do not have the same appeal for modern audiences, simply because of the stylistic norms we as a modern audience are used to. I like fast paced action films, and get very bored with slow-paced dramas, but there are several classic films that I do enjoy. Movies like “The Philadelphia Story” and “Ninotchka” tell romantic stories very akin to something that could be made and enjoyed in the modern era. In our current time of war, we can still appreciate the tone of the film “All Quiet on the Western Front”, even though we may not have lived during World War I, and may not understand fully the mindset of those who did experience it.

Having said that, just because a movie is a classic doesn’t mean that you have to like it. Our individual enjoyment of a movie will be peppered with our own opinions and biases, and just because everyone else think it's a great movie doesn't mean you're forced to enjoy it. There is a movie that is considered the greatest movie of all time that I can’t stand, and that film is called “Citizen Kane”. I forced myself to watch this film a few years ago in an effort to watch all 100 films of that year’s AFI Top Movie list (I failed miserably at this, by the way). To this day, after much deliberation, I still don’t understand why this is the greatest movie of all time. It’s long, boring, and, for me, completely un-inspiring. Is my opinion affected by the fact that I grew up already knowing what ‘Rosebud’ really was? I’ll admit that is possible, but I also think that I would have been pissed off to get through that whole movie just to learn that it was his stupid sled all along.

Someone explain this one to me: Why is “Citizen Kane” such a great movie? And for deliberation, if you agree with my disdain, what do you think is the greatest movie of all time?

Trailer Thursday- "From Paris with Love"

2010-02-05T02:16:16Z

I feel silly putting up a trailer for a movie coming out tomorrow, but I wanted to talk specifically about the trailers I've seen for this film. To preface this, I love trailers, and I believe a trailer can make or break a film. This is a very good example. The first trailer I saw for Pierre Morrel's "From Paris with Love" introduces us to a hardened bald and facial-haired John Travolta, running around and shooting things and exhibiting total badassery, replete with dramatic music galore, and lots of 'splosions. I'm all for a good action flick, but I don't want to see the 'taking itself too seriously' movie this trailer makes it out to be.

The second trailer basically makes it look like a totally different movie. Fast wacky music accompanies several one-liners, turning this serious action thriller into a buddy cop movie. THIS movie looks awesome! It harkens back to 'Die Hard' and the good 'Lethal Weapon' flicks, with its good action and good comedy.

Any trailer you see for a film should be able to show and tell you what you have to look forward to. I don't like this wishy-washy "what kind of movie should we be today?" type of trailer editing. Is it just me who feels this way?

Review- "Crazy Heart"

2009-12-31T21:44:58Z

Country music: all about trucks, booze, or some gal breaking your heart. It’s a good setup for this film about a down and out, but once famous, country singer named Bad Blake, played by the always amazing Jeff Bridges.
I was fortunate enough to catch this at a free preview screening a couple weeks ago. What’s interesting is that, even as a reviewer, there are movies that I do not want to watch. Horror movies, chick flicks, bad parody things that barely qualify as movies, and schmaltzy feel good movies generally don’t interest me. This film probably would have fallen into that “schmaltzy” category. Upon seeing it, I do still agree with that categorization, but I am glad I watched it.
I don’t want to go into too many details, for fear of spoiling. I went into this film knowing VERY little about it, not even having seen a trailer. I’m pretty sure that increased my enjoyment, because I truly didn’t know what to expect. It was remarkably well-acted by the entire cast, with the main players also including Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell. (FYI, Bridges and Farrell did their own singing for the movie, and both were surprisingly great.)
Having said that, this was a very predictable movie. But just as with “Avatar”, the journey, the way you travel through the predictable story, makes all the difference. You could pretty much guess from very early on what events were likely to take place. But you didn’t know how they were going to happen. This level of predictability was not a detriment to the movie. Those predictable moments often went in a totally direction at the last minute, and with each scene you learn a little something new about each character. This film didn’t just tell you its story; it held your hand and guided you through a series of events as they progressed in Bad’s life.
If you’re a fan of country music, or just like a well-told story, you’d be hard pressed not to enjoy this one. I’m not screaming Oscar like a lot of people are, but it was a good film.

Review- "Avatar"

2009-12-31T21:43:05Z

My number one question: Did the supposedly “game changer” movie actually change anything? Yes and no. I won’t say anything that every other reviewer hasn’t already stated. The obvious is that it is amazing looking. I’ve seen tons of movies that I’ve wondered where the budget went. This film is absolutely worth every $500 million dollars that was spent on it.
The number two question: is the story predictable? Just as any protagonist/antagonist, adversarial movie is going to come to an obvious “the good guys win” conclusion, it’s the way the journey is played out that’s the worthy part. Boy meets girl, girl saves boys life, boy falls in love with girl, boy loses girl after his people try to kill everyone, boy gets girl back after turning on his own people and helping hers, boy and girl live happily ever after as huge blue catpeople. You know that old chestnut.
The number three question: Are the motion capture and CGI effects good enough to make you forget about aforementioned predictable plot? Sort of. The movie looks damn cool. After two failed attempts to see the film in IMAX, I settled for regular ol’ 3D, and was still rewarded with an immersive experience. 3D wasn’t used as a gimmick, but was used to make you a part of the action, and give you as close to a live performance feeling as possible. Within twenty minutes of the start, I forgot it was even in 3D. It just felt very real. As for the story, its predictability didn’t necessarily put it at a disadvantage. It was what it was. It was sincere, thoughtful, interesting, fun, amusing, and any other overused adjective you can think of. It had everything for me that a good movie should, and it did avoid clichés that it could have fallen prey to.
I’ve heard some complaints about the acting and the dialogue, but I don’t share these complaints. These were not Oscar-caliber performances, don’t misunderstand me. The dialogue was entertaining, and the acting was the really sincere part for me. Several of the characters could have taken a nosedive into total doucheyness, but they managed to surprise me. Yes, some characters could have been fleshed out more. This is one of the few times I will welcome a sequel, so we can get to know some of those people better. (Quick side note: I’d rather chew on some tin foil while shoving a letter opener in my eyeballs than watch even a second of “Titanic” again. This should have been James Cameron’s four-hour long movie. There, I said it.)
This movie is a must for anyone, movie lover or no. Besides a few bad words, I still say this is a family-friendly flick. Forget about what you may have heard from misanthropic film nerds who say this movie isn’t up to snuff. Watch it, love it, maybe cry a bit, and have a great time with this beautiful, well made film.

A Treatise on Beginnings and Endings

2009-12-15T21:19:44Z

(by way of my two favorite episodes of television)

Every story must have a beginning and an end. Some filmmakers, writers, and television execs seem to disagree on that ending idea, but I digress. We’ve all seen movies that we loved, up until an unsatisfying ending completely crushed any enjoyment we just experienced. We’ve all had television series that we were completely invested in, just to have it cancelled without being able to completely tell its story. Whether this happens after eleven episodes or two seasons, those loose ends and unresolved story arcs become the fodder for geek fanfic and lengthy discussions among friends.

On the other hand, a story brought to its finale, a mythology explained, or a character completing their journey from birth to death, can bring feelings of joy and completeness. It is those satisfying endings that make us love the creators of fiction even more. And every good ending must have a good beginning

“The beginning is a very delicate time.” – Princess Irulan, Dune

My first favorite episode is from an amazing show that was a victim of circumstance. Firefly, the short lived Fox science fiction Western, was doomed before it started. The decision of the network to force creator Joss Whedon to make a second pilot for the show killed it, in my personal opinion. The second pilot, “The Train Job”, while a fun episode, was not the beginning. I am one of the unfortunately fortunate ones to watch the show later on DVD, and watched it in the order in which it was planned. The two-hour pilot, “Serenity” was THE pilot, and it is two of the most brilliant hours of television, ever. Never in the history of television, and never again, will I fall so completely in love with characters so quickly. Their humor, their flaws, their reflections up to the mirror of the human soul was an unparalleled majesty of writing from Whedon. And even if we had more than fourteen episodes with the crew of Serenity, I don’t think any ending, good or bad, would affect this amazing introduction.

“All stories, even the ones we love, must eventually come to an end, and when they do, it’s only an opportunity for another story to begin.” – Eric Applebaum, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium

In some shows, the end of one character may just be a continuation in the journey of another. We see this in the season finale of the fourth season of the “new” Doctor Who. The episode entitled “The Stolen Earth” is my second favorite episode of all time. The Doctor’s companion, Donna, has spent the entire season feeling like a miniscule blip on the face of the existence, only to learn by the end of this episode that she was the single most important person in the universe. Fates’ strings were pulled, and paths were forcibly crossed, to get Donna to where she needed to be, with the Doctor, in order to save the universe. This importance ultimately led to Donna’s metaphorical demise. These final scenes were amazingly played by Catherine Tate, and were a perfect example of an actor’s able to mix comedy and drama into one final allegorical tale. A tale that all good things must come to an end, and the end can be a beautifully heartbreaking thing.

Trailer Thursday- "Salt"

2009-12-10T22:51:54Z

Oh, how I do love watching Angelina Jolie beat the crap out of people. I think this trailer would be tops for me were it not for Chiwetel Ejiofor's unnatural American accent. It's a good accent, but I much prefer his dulcet Britishness.

Harry Potter in the nude?

2009-12-10T01:56:34Z

Sources are again reporting about director David Yates's decision to have Daniel Radcliffe in the nude during a scene in the final Potter installment "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". This isn't necessarily new news, as this has been reported since "Hallows" began filming last year. Perhaps yesterday's "Half Blood Prince" DVD release made this news again? In any event, this possibility of underage wizard nudity (underage for the character, Radcliffe is of an appropriate age) brings up interesting questions regarding propriety and the audience of these films. Four of the previous Potter films were rated PG, with only "Goblet of Fire" and "Order of the Phoenix" garnering PG-13 ratings, for 'sequences of fantasy violence and frightening imagery' according to the MPAA. The rating for "Half-Blood Prince" also included a mention of 'mild sensuality', which I can only assume was for Ron's multiple snogging scenes and the sweet Harry/Ginny kiss. The violent imagery in these films always seemed fairly minor and appropriate for a mixed audience that includes small children. And as our wizards got older, the potential fearful situations escalated. The cave scene in "Half-Blood Prince" was, in my opinion, the scariest thing so far for these films. So what does all this talk of scary stuff have to do with the point of some Harry flesh? It is the fact that parents, who have probably had no issue with the amount of violence and scary imagery in the previous films, will pop a gasket at the idea of their precious kids seeing some skin. Why is there such a double standard when it comes to violence versus sex? Why is it okay for kids to see robots brutally killing humans in "Terminator: Salvation", but Moon Bloodgood's dirty pillows are ratings-increase worthy? Kevin Smith got flack for having the word 'porno' in the title of his last movie, and is having just as much trouble with the title of his upcoming flick "A Couple of Dicks". I am not saying that it's okay for young people to be bombarded with sexual images as much as they are with violent images. I'm saying that there should be some consistency when it comes to sexuality being something to shy away from, but completely mindless violence is shrugged off without another thought. And while I'm pretty sure even a little bit of nudity wouldn't take the rating of this film from a PG-13 to an R, I still fear that a larger issue will be made of this then it should be. By the way, no word on whether Emma Watson will also be appearing au naturel. Because I know that's what you've been wondering this whole time.

Good movie vs. Bad movie

2009-11-19T16:29:25Z

The boys over at the Slashfilmcast have been talking a lot about the difficulty in quantifying a good movie vs. a bad movie, which has got me thinking about my own personal objections towards certain movies. Whether we think a movie is good or bad can be greatly skewed by whether or not we like the movie, which can be very skewed by our personal opinions on the actors, director, subject matter, take your pick.

Let’s take an obvious example under a lot of contention with moviegoers and jaded, cynical movie reviewers: Transformers. I, as one of the aforementioned cynical movie reviewers, did not like this movie. So my knee jerk reaction is to say it is a bad movie. But can you say a movie is bad when it grosses $700 million dollars worldwide? People must be seeing this movie because they think it’s good. I thought the acting was one-dimensional, the dialogue was completely trite and uninteresting, and the plot was forgettable. You can’t deny, though, that the special effects were amazing, and really, who doesn’t like to watch giant robots to beat the crap out of each other.

So where does the problem lie in deciding whether a movie is good or bad? There are obvious examples of bad movies: anything playing late at night on Cinemax, direct to DVD sequels, and Dracula 2000 (seriously, that movie was terrible). I didn’t like Titanic. It was way too long, and I could have cared less if Leo and Kate went down with the ship by the third hour. I’ll watch The Unsinkable Molly Brown over this any day. So can I say that the highest grossing movie of all time is a bad movie, just because I didn’t like it? No, of course not. I don’t like U2, but I can’t say they’re a bad band. That would be stupid.

It’s unlikely we’ll ever come to an agreement of what constitutes a good or bad movie, which, if you think about it, is the beauty of movies. If you make a movie that millions love, I guarantee there’s someone out there who hates it. On the other hand, someone out there loves a movie that you think is a travesty against filmmaking. And really, if everyone agreed on movies all the time, what would we have to bitch about?

Reviews from Fantastic Fest

2009-11-12T16:04:14Z

The place: Austin, Texas. The event: Fantastic Fest. It was, to put it prosaically, fantastic. This was the first "major" film festival I've ever attended. While it doesn't have the pomp and circumstance (and crowds) that more well known festivals have, it was a fun, intimate expose for independent, and some not-so independent, genre films. Running the gamut of horror, sci fi, computer and stop-motion animation, there was something here for fans of any genre. We even got a preview of Toy Story 1 and 2, replete with gorgeous, enhancing 3D. I saw approximately 15 films over a three-day period. Some I saw because I wanted to, others I saw simply because the films I wanted to see were sold out. While I'd love to write reviews of each film I saw, I simply don't have the time or the memory. (You see how long it's taken to get this post up.) So here's a quick overview of the memorable, and not so memorable, films I had the fortune to see.

Zombieland: A film made by zombie geeks, for zombie geeks. Follow the rules, and you may just survive the Apocalypse. Ruben Fleischer's take on zombies is refreshing, fun, and almost subtle, if you compare it to the zombie flicks of the past 10 years. The gore was understated, the humor lively. Highly recommended for zombie fans and non-fans alike.

Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl: By the title alone, you know you’re in for a treat with this Japanese import. From the affluent director of such films as Tokyo Gore Police and Robo Geisha, Yoshihiro Nishimura brings us a tale of love, obsession, wrist cutting, blackface, and mad scientists. Oh yeah, and there’s a vampire girl and a Frankenstein girl. Any fan of Japanese horror and splatter film would love this trip down Uber:Bloody Lane. Pretty girls and a handsome male lead certainly don’t hurt.

A Town Called Panic (Panique au Village): We heard it best from the introducer of this film. This is what happens when kids don’t understand the true relationships between their toys, and invent a whole new life and relationships for them. This stop-motion animation film, based on a show from Belgium, tells the story of roommates Cowboy, Indian, and Horse. It’s Horse’s birthday, and Cowboy and Indian have forgotten to get him a present. That simple predicament takes the viewer on a 75-minute ride of crazy characters, over the top situations, angry farmer neighbors, and sea creatures. The film is in French, and that is the best way to appreciate this film. While it’s not for everyone, I enjoyed this film for its humor and imagination. Forget your cares at the door, and enjoy the experience.

Yesterday: Can you really make a good movie for $25,000? Why, yes, you can. This film was a bloody romp through zombie-stricken Canada. It wasn’t perfect, but it was engaging, entertaining, and sometimes surprising. Anyone interested in independent filmmaking on a budget should watch this flick, if not just for the proof that you can make a good film on the cheap.

House of the Devil: 80s horror movies hold a special place in people’s hearts, for their campiness, slightly bad performances, and occasionally laugh-filled plot lines. This throwback film to that 80s horror genre had none of those things. The performances were not bad. It was the sleep-inducing plot that killed this film for me. The pointless plot took over an hour to reach its climax, a climax that took two minutes to reach and then rolled over and went to sleep on you. While a lot of foreplay usually isn’t a bad thing, in this case, I was just ready for it to be over.

District 13:Ultimatum: I was very glad this was the last film I saw at the festival. The sequel to the underground French action hit District B13, Ultimatum picks us up very shortly after the first one left off. Both of these films would be great for any action or martial arts film. I emphatically believe these movies would have been a hit in America, that is, if more than a miniscule size of the population actually watched foreign films. I will say that I enjoyed the first one more than this sequel, but it makes an excellent companion, and these fast movies would make a great action-packed double header.