New Blog Plus The Absolutely, Positively, No Doubt About it Best Films of 2015

Hello movie fans, well looks like I've been away from my blogging post for a long time now. Things have changed, life of course gets in the way, other writings, but my love of film has not wavered in anyway and I hope to continue this blog in my part time so I can share by general musings. Now for some of you used to this blog, you might have noticed there has been a change in title. I guess I felt Jeremy and the Movies wasn't interesting enough, and since the cinephile in me wanted to represent my movie tastes more in the title. Pillow Cinema refers to the enigmatic pillow shots used by my all time favorite director Yasujiro Ozu. Ozu would use these small shots in his films as transitions from one scene to the next. The shots themselves don't evoke much narrative in the central story of Ozu's film, I like to think of them as serene moments of pauses before the next piece of action commences. Perhaps I'll write more of Ozu's pillow shots later but I wanted the title of this blog to be a bit of an homage to this great director who's films affected me in my life more than any other and also reignited my love of film and talking about it as well so there you have it.

As I write this, the Oscars are about two hours away, and even though the actual telecast holds little interest with me any longer, it does cause me time to reflect on the films I've seen this past year. Most movie critics have already released their top ten films of 2015, but since I'm not a professional and live no where near Los Angeles or New York, it takes time for many films to reach me where I must pay for my ticket or Netflix subscription just like anyone else. So to kick off Pillow Cinema's maiden blog voyage here are without a doubt the best films I've seen this year.

1. Mad Max: Fury Road: I feel like I'm joining the band wagon with my unabashed love for this film, but really it deserves the praise. Call it a sequel, call it a reboot, call it a remake, call it whatever you like, I feel like director George Miller wouldn't care what you would call it. This was his passion project that goes back 15 years ago when he originally tried to get it made with the original Max, Mel Gibson. Despite the setbacks, "Fury Road" was worth the wait. Virtually working as a silent film, Mad Max sets up its own believable world with compelling characters with a story as straight as they come. Yet with this story, comes many deeper meanings. Behind the surface level stunningly choreographed chase sequences lies a political allegory,an apocalyptic adventure yarn, a feminist call to arms,and a buddy movie, and I'm pretty sure if it wasn't an original idea it would be one of the best comic book movies ever made. Other blockbusters came and went this year, but really this is one everyone will remember in years to come.

2. Phoenix: This wonderful film made in Germany stars Nina Hoss in the performance of the year as a woman left for dead during World War 2 a concentration camp. After a bullet wound leaves her face disfigured, she has reconstructive surgery making her unrecognizable to her husband who may have been the one who sold her out to the Nazis. The film is a wonderfully atmospheric period piece, but is also a wonderful examination on identity and rebirth, anchored by Hoss' great performance.

3. Room: Another story of survival, I don't think I was filled with so much emotion by any other film than in "Room". Another great lead female performance by Brie Larson as a woman who spent seven years of her young life as a prisoner to a sexual predator. This could have been a grim story were it not in the way it was told by the point of view of the young son who was raised by Larson in the room. Played by Jacob Tremblay it's one of the great child performances I've ever seen, as we see his character enter a new world he never knew, and his bond between his mother is probably the most touching relationship I've seen this year.

4. Brooklyn: A sincere love story that if you saw it, you would swear it was made in the 1950s because surely they don't make movies like this anymore. Yet they do. Saoirse Ronan gives a wonderful subtle performance as Ellis an Irish girl who comes to America for the first time, and we see her as she comes into her own. A very sweet film with old fashioned moments and not a touch of cynicism. A movie that reminds us why movies are so special to begin with.

5. Creed : Who would've thought the "Rocky" universe still had legs. I guess you can't ever count the big galoot out, ever! Only this time it's a little different. "Creed" plays on the same beats we get with a "Rocky" movie, but by focusing on the son of Rocky's greatest adversary/best friend Apollo Creed, it turns it into something unique and original. Not to mention this may be the best directed film in the whole franchise, which is saying a lot given this could be seen as the seventh film.

6. The Best of Enemies: I did not see a lot of documentaries this year, but the one that stuck with me was this one about the famed debates between intellectual giants William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal, two men with two different political ideologies. This film is a well made document of what went down between these two men during the 1968 Republican National Convention. Their animosity towards each other is fascinating, funny, but also disturbing. The film goes to great lengths to show debates like this could have caused a trickle down effect to the dumbing down of American politics in the media. Perhaps the most timely film made this year.

7. Blackhat: Michael Mann's flawed film about a computer hacker investigating a cyber terrorist had many detractors when it was first released,, yet there is something very beautiful about how Mann constructs every one of his films. The lead character played by Chris Hemsworth would probably not be a computer hacker in real life, but he is a character Mann has been fascinated with since his first film "Thief". This is auteur filmmaking at its finest, and yes honestly it gets a bit clunky and hokey, but the feel and energy of this film can't be denied.

8. Girlhood: Not to be confused with last year's "Boyhood", this is a french film about a young African American girl who joins a gang. At the very beginning she is set up for her to fail, and she is with no options so of course she joins a gang, yet what these group of girls do isn't all that bad to tell you the truth. It's more of a fraternity for her to be herself, an escape, a liberation. The scene in where the girls sing "Diamond" by Rhianna is probably the most joyous scene I've seen all year.

9. What We Do in the Shadows: The funniest film I've seen all year is thanks to the comic minds of co-directors/writers Jemaine Clement and Taika Waiti. A mockumentary about vampires living as roommates is drole, deadpan, absurd, and just hilarious. This film can stand with the best films by Christopher Guest in my opinion, and is worthy of rewatching. A clever movie with wonderful comic performances.

10. It Follows: Wonderfully directed horror movie that does play with your expectations quite a bit. A horror movie is only as great as its premise, and this one is a doozy. It maintains an eery and atmospheric tone throughout and doesn't really stop for much a breather, the suspense is almost unbearable, that's what good film making is supposed to do I guess.

Honorable mentions: "Carol" is a lovely movie with an exquisite score by Carter Burwell and costumes to match the lead actresses aren't too shabby either. I really got a kick out of Ardman animations "Shaun the Sheep" which is just as purely cinematic as "Mad Max". Also Robert Zemeckis' "The Walk" was the great cinematic movie everyone forgot to go see. Steven Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies" gives us a rollicking cold war story with a great central performance by Tom Hanks and support by Mark Rylance. "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation" shows us how Tom Cruise will go beyond the call of duty to entertain the hell out of us. Al Pacino gave us a great character "Danny Collins" that no one saw. Blythe Danner deserved a nomination for her role in "I'll See you in my Dreams". "Ant Man" was probably my favorite Marvel movie, and I found "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" to be more flawed but trying for something a little more deeper than the original, who knows what Joss Whedon could've done if the Producers left him alone. "Spotlight" had a great ensemble and central story, it just fell short of being "All the President's Men" great. And finally "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." was the Bond movie we all hoped "Spectre" was going to be.

Overrated

As someone who has appreciated every Quentin Tarantino movie to some degree up to this point, I found "The Hateful Eight" to be just too ugly a movie to fully enjoy. Tarantino is a gifted filmmaker, and this film had some astounding moments and bits of suspense, but the change of tone to blood and gore felt like a needle scratch on a record player. It wasn't shocking, it just felt irritating and out of place.

Also....

"The Revenant" which is an endurance test for Leonardo DiCaprio as well as the audience. Thank God Tom Hardy was there to give us an actual character who had nuance. DiCaprio is a fine actor and for proof, I would site his last three performances in "Django Unchained", "The Great Gatsby", and "Wolf of Wall Street" to be three of his finest hours as an actor. I didn't buy this film's sense of importance. I'll give it points for cinematography, staging of its action, and Hardy's performance but I couldn't endure it all the way through. The ending itself tries for ambiguity, but really it just added up to this film didn't have much to say.

Worst Film of the Year

Spectre: I usually try to avoid bad movies whenever possible, why waste money on something I know is going to be bad. There were a couple bottom of the barrel films I did not enjoy whatsoever. The first being "Unfriended" which was a horror movie based on a gimmick that wore out its welcome very quickly, and then "The Kingsmen" which a lot of people would try to defend to me, however despite Colin Firth's performance, I thought it had too much of a nasty streak. But really the film I thought dropped the ball was the latest James Bond outing. "Spectre" started off with a well constructed pre-credits sequence that's one of the best. Then the film falls into a plot too convoluted even for a Bond film. Daniel Craig looked as bored and humorless as ever in his fourth and possibly last outing, while the main threat in the film the Spectre agency and the villain played by Cristoff Waltz is lazily thrown together that doesn't really make sense. I don't find this to be the final nail in the coffin for James Bond, he's an enduring character that will live on forever in film, but the any joy I find with this franchise was not found in this mess of a movie, not to mention the absolute worst ending ever I think in a James Bond movie. Many people complained when Bond's gadgets got too big with invisible cars and such, I would take an invisible car any day to this joyless, depressing outing.

Horse Feathers

Some movies were just made to be funny, and “Horse Feathers” is one of them, in fact you can say that about every movie The Marx Brothers ever made, but “Horse Feathers was made at their zenith, they were at the height of their powers at Paramount studios, where they made five films, probably their five finest films until they were ultimately transferred over to MGM where they gained more popularity but were put on a leash as their films became more glossed over with romantic subplots and big production numbers given a bigger role, and the jokes while still there were less frequent.

But let me back up a bit and talk about just why The Marx Brothers themselves are so important to the history of movies since they may not actually be house hold names any more. The Marx Brothers brand of humour was something new to the world of film when they made their debut in 1929. They were zany, off the wall, you couldn’t control them, they displayed anarchy for the first time in movies, it was something edgy, something dangerous, it was unpredictable, wild, and even a little bit naughty with Groucho spewing double entendres that usually got past the censors. The Marx Brothesdidn’t so much make movies as they invaded them leaving comedic debris in their wake.

With “Horse Feathers”, the Marx Brothers try their hand at a college comedy, where Groucho’s Quincy Adams Wagstaff becomes the new dean of students at the imaginary Huxly university. The main plot involves Wagstaff trying to recruit professional football players to help their team win the big game against rival university Darwin, but he inadvertently mistakes two icemen as the ringers he was supposed to get at a local speakeasy. One iceman is Baravelli played by Chico Marx, and the other is also a part time dog catcher Pinky played by Harpo Marx. The two then enroll into Huxly University and of course chaos ensues usually involving blond bombshell Thelma Todd who the brothers all seem to have a thing for. The film concludes with a highly comical football game that throws sense out the window in favor of sight gags, and Groucho’s occasional one-liners. ESPN called it one of the greatest football related scenes in movie history.

I could talk about the plot which doesn’t really matter, or I could talk about the gags and the scenes that are funny throughout such as Groucho and Chico going through a vaudevilleesque routine about saying a certain password to enter a speakeasy, or Harpo, cutting a deck of cards with a hatchet, or Groucho singing to the faculty of the college the song “I’m against it”, in where he declares “I don’t care what they say, it makes no difference anyway whatever it is I’m against it.” The film is full of different types of humour either physical, gag filled, pun filled, or musical, it hits all the marks. It even gives moments for Chico to playfully play his piano, and Harpo to play his harp which were trademarks in most of their movies. Horse Feathers and The Marx Brothers themselves represented something new to the world of comedy and the world of film, they may have been the first to say “Hey this is a movie, and we know you’re watching us, so we’re going to give you a good time. I like to think there was a certain philosophy with how they viewed the world, it didn’t hurt to ruffle a few feathers whether with education as in “Horse Feathers”, or with politics in their later film “Duck Soup”, or with the artsy crowd in their last great film “A Night at the Opera”. To them anyone on their high horse had the right to be taken down a peg or two and they were always there to make sure it was done, they were comedy heroes through and through, what can I say I love them, I love this movie 4 stars.

Oscar's be damned, These are Jeremy's Top Ten films of 2014 Plus a few other special awards

Well the Oscars are upon us again, and I'm not going to blab on about who I think should or will win. I'm not too good at predicting. But what I am going to do is show you if this were my Academy awards. Now granted I didn't see everything this year gave us, but I did see my fair share of great movies. I regret not seeing "Whiplash" since everyone I came across told me I should see it and J.K. Simmons is awesome in anything. For the record the other nominated movies I didn't see were "The Theory of Everything", and "The Imitation Game", I'm sure they have their merits but their trailers didn't appeal to me. Call that judging the book by its cover or whatever, but that's just how I felt. Other films I guess I should've seen but didn't were "Nightcrawler", I guess Jake Gyllanhall was supposed to be good in that. I also didn't see "Locke" and I guess Tom Hardy was supposed to be good in that too. Also missed "Mr. Turner" which is by England's national treasure Mike Leigh, and "Force Majeure" which is a foreign dark comedy, and of course I love me some foreign dark comedy. Despite these omissions and others, I think I have a pretty good top ten list of movies I've seen this year, so without further adieu, here it is.


Top Ten of 2014

1. Under the Skin
2. Calvary
3. Only Lovers Left Alive
4. A Most Wanted Man
5. Snowpiercer
6. Ida
7. Grand Budapest Hotel
8. Gone Girl
9. Lucy
10. American Sniper

Best Director

Jonathan Glazer: Under the Skin
Jim Jarmusch: Only Lovers Left Alive
Anton Corbijn: A Most Wanted Man
Bong Joon-Ho: Snowpiercer
Wes Anderson: Grand Budapest Hotel


Best Actor

Brendan Gleeson: Calvary
Phillip Seymour Hoffman: A Most Wanted Man
Ralph Feinnes: Grand Budapest Hotel
David Oyelowo: Selma
Michael Keaton: Birdman

Best Actress

Tilda Swinton: Only Lovers Left Alive
Scarlett Johannson: Under the Skin
Rosamind Pike: Gone Girl
Agata Trzebuchowska: Ida
Jennifer Lawrence: Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Best Screenplay
Calvary
Grand Budapest Hotel
Only Lovers Left Alive
A Most Wanted Man
Ida

Movies I have to see a 2nd time because I haven't made my mind up about them

Boyhood: So many parts are compelling, but after awhile I felt the years melded into eachother and it became repetitive.

Inherent Vice: Grabbed me at the very beginning, but then meanders where I couldn't keep track of who was who. Maybe I'll appreciate it more the 2nd time since I kinda know who everyone is.

Interstellar Space has rarely looked this great, but it ends abruptly and tries to explore way too many themes.


And because I never announced it last year, and I know you people were just DYING to know, here were my favorite films from 2013

1.Inside Llewyn Davis
2.Gravity
3.Springbreakers
4.Before Midnight
5.The Wolf of Wall Street
6.Stories We Tell
7.The Great Gatsby
8.Something In the Air
9.Mud
10.The Wind Rises

Jeremy and the movies : The Worst Film of 2014: The Hobbit Battle for the Five Armies

I would say "The Hobbit" trilogy is somewhat of a fall from grace from Peter Jackson, considering his "Lord of The Rings" trilogy are still seminal films in the fantasy genre and also still works on an emotional and epic scale. "Lord of the Rings" came along when computer technology grew more sophisticated, and doing three movies based on three separate books was still a gamble. "Lord of the Rings" was a complex tale involving the lust for power, and Hobbits stood in as the every man who don't quite know what they are capable of. I feel Peter Jackson always never gave Hobbits the full attention they deserved even in "The Lord of the Rings" which focused a lot on Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn and Ian McKellan's Gandalf. The Hobbits had some time to shine, but were over always overshadowed in spectacle. So we come to "The Hobbit" a film which has the titular character in the title of the story but seems to always be taking a back seat, again to an Aragorn-like hero who is a dwarf. I actually enjoyed the first "Hobbit" film which a few people criticized for not being dark enough, however I thought it's the one film that felt the most true to the original story. By the time the second film rolled around, I sensed something was amiss. There was too much build up and very little pay off, and Bilbo, despite a great performance by Martin Freeman was put to the sidelines. The audience I was with seemed disgruntled by the abrupt ending that seemed anti-climactic.

But now we get to the final Hobbit Film "The Battle of the Five Armies" which is a travesty of over blown special effects, and meaningless subplots, it's a wonder how Peter Jackson ever became so misguided. "The Battle of the Five Armies" feels so cynical, adding no real emotion throughout. There is a subplot involving an Elf and a dwarf that comes out of left field, and their love seems so surface level, there never seems to ever be anything at stake. Once again Martin Freeman is left on the sidelines (This movie was called "The Hobbit" right?)while Aragorn err...I mean Thorin the Dwarf takes center stage.

The last forty five minutes are kept for a battle sequence which plays more like a video game. I can't imagine any of it was real. Jackson is a very talented filmmaker and I'm sure now that he is done with middle Earth he might want to explore some smaller stories which apparently he is planning on doing, but "The Battle of the Five Armies" feels like he left his heart at the door.

Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

"The Desolation of Smaug" is over two and a half hours in length, yet it doesn't feel like a complete movie. I will start with the ending which is infuriating, probably the most infuriating ending or non-ending I have ever seen. I saw this film in a large crowded theatre and at the end I heard endless groans from everyone including the kids sitting behind me who couldn't have been more than ten or eleven years old. This might've been due to the frustration of paying to see a big 3-D movie but not seeing a film that feels finished. I'm sure everyone knew going into this film that this was the second in a planned trilogy of the famed J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy novel, but they probably didn't have an idea that it was going to end with such a teasing pre-climax; in retrospect the whole film didn't amount to much and it's sort of ironic that in a movie about traveling and moving forward, we don't get very far.

"The Desolation of Smaug" or "Hobbit 2" whichever you like to call it starts off promising as it picks up where the last one left off. Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and their gang of Dwarves led by leader Thorin (Richard Armitage) escape a band of Orcs as they make their way to the mountain guarded by the infamous Dragon Smaug so Thorin can reclaim his kingdom. The vast world of Middle Earth is again brought to life vividly by Peter Jackson and his creative team, this is Jackson's fifth crack at this fantasy world afterall, so it's hard to see him muck it up too much. Along the way the group encounter a bunch of fantastical characters including a giant who can be reasoned with unless he unexpectedly changes into a bloodthirsty bear. They then cut through a murky forest that is full of creepy crawly spiders prepared to make them their dinner, afterwards they are saved but held captive by a group of elves that includes familiar face Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and a new face Tauriel (Evangaline Lily). Once Bilbo helps the group escape, they outrun the Orcs in the film's best sequence a barrel chase down wild rapids, and are again helped by a boatman (Luke Evans) to get safe passage to their destination.

There is much to admire in this film, Jackson is a visionary director along the lines of James Cameron who takes pleasure in creating whole new worlds with the best technology at his disposal. Since his first outing to Middle Earth in 2001, Jackson has helped revolutionize special effects for a new generation and part of this film's appeal is seeing all of work that paid off with the detail. The most impressive creation of all is Smaug the Dragon brought to life with the same technology it took to create that other memorable villain Gollum. Here Smaug is voiced in the menacing tone by Benedict Cumberbatch , and the reveal of him is one of the film's awe inspiring moments. But it is also here where the film has shown its hand too pre maturely and the momentum soon diminishes.

This all comes down to the question that has been asked of this new franchise since the decision to turn it into three separate films was announced; was three films necessary? Judging from what I have seen of these first two installments, I would say no, but then I suppose you have to remember that this is pretty much how movies are made these days. I'm curious as to how much of a decision Peter Jackson had in splitting "The Hobbit" into three films, or was it more the studios decision in order to have a more viable franchise on the hands? Either way, the cynic in me senses a more profit motivation rather than a creative one. I'm sure fans of the book will agree such a simple straight forward story doesn't warrant three films, but for better or worse that's what we get.

However it's because of this decision, we don't really get "The Hobbit" as it was written because this must also work as a prequel to the much larger story of "The Lord of the Rings". Hence, we are given a subplot of Gandalf going off on his own adventure to discover a deeper seeded evil behind an even bigger threat, one guess as to who that turns out to be. This little side trip along with some other added scenes that aren't in the book are part of the whole "Hobbit/Lord of the Rings" movie experience package that is now expected in a fanboy culture. It's a way to expand the universe these stories come from and has become a norm in movie franchise entertainment.

This also creates a much darker tone to the film that I'm not sure fits with the original Tolkien vision, which was about a small insignificant Hobbit who leaves his world of comfort and becomes somewhat of a reluctant hero in his pursuit of adventure. The original story included wit, which the film undercuts with some modern violence; it's been awhile since I first read "The Hobbit" but I don't remember as many Orc decapitations that are in this film. The film has been praised for its darker tone as opposed to the last one, but I much prefer that one as it had the classic scene between Bilbo and Gollum in a game of riddles that was both playful and sinister. Jackson isn't much of a man of wit and whimsy, he's a man of action and set pieces, which I suppose best suits the movie going public of today.

There is a hint of humour in the film and that mostly comes from the perfectly cast Freeman as Bilbo. Freeman isn't given much time to shine which is a cardinal sin in a film that is named after his character, but he is the movie's secret weapon. The moments Bilbo is able to show off his bravery but also his unease in frightening situations are great comic highlights, and its these brief moments of character I enjoyed the most, he proves to be an ideal counterpoint to the more sombre performance of Elijah Wood's Frodo in the earlier films. For some reason the focus of "Desolation" has to do with Armitage's King Dwarf Thorin, who reminded me too much of a smaller version of Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn. This shift of focus from the book suggests Jackson's preference of the born heroes rather than the reluctant ones personified by The Hobbit characters; suffice it to say, I much more identified with Bilbo's struggle to find his courage rather than Thorin's somewhat selfish struggle to regain his kingdom, but Jackson thinks differently.

"The Desolation of Smaug" is by no means a bad film, it's well crafted with some very visionary splendor, I want to see how the story turns out, mostly to see if Bilbo is able get more of the focus in the finale. I wish it was more cheerful and fun as it was envisioned by Tolkien, but this is Jackson's interpretation and judging by the box office it's not hurting anyone financially. Films of these kind seem more and more bereft of joy and humour, they have the habit of having a sombre almost Apocalyptic tone to them, who would of thought that a story involving Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, Dragons, Wizards, and shape shifting giants could find a way to take itself too seriously?

Professor Larry Gopnik's Post-Hanukah, Pre-Christmas, Post-Schrodinger, Pre-Apocalypse SLIFL Holiday Movie Quiz

1) Favorite unsung holiday film "In Bruges"

2) Name a movie you were surprised to have liked/loved The remake of "Carrie", I only liked it, but still.

3) Ned Sparks or Edward Everett Horton? No contest, Horton by a mile.

4) Sam Peckinpah's Convoy-- yes or no? Regret to say I have not seen it.

5) What contemporary actor would best fit into a popular, established genre of the past I would almost put the entire cast of "The World's End" in an Ealing comedy.

6) Favorite non-disaster movie in which bad weather is a memorable element of the film’s atmosphere I love the look of snow falling in anything from "It's a Wonderful Life", to "Fargo", to "The Shining", so I will pick those three.

7) Second favorite Luchino Visconti movie Once again I regret I have only seen one Visconti film "Senso" which is brilliant, but another director I must "get to".
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8) What was the last movie you saw theatrically? On DVD/Blu-ray? Theatrically: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug", DVD: "Spring Breakers"

9) Explain your reaction when someone eloquently or not-so-eloquently attacks one of your favorite movies (Question courtesy of Patrick Robbins) I feel that there are two answers to this, one reaction would be when I am sober and one where I may have had a few. When sober I like hearing another person's opinion about movies, good or bad it's nice just to talk movies, which I don't get to do as often as I'd like. Drunk I would defend my favorite movie even after the subject would change, I would not only convince the person they are wrong, but anyone else who is within ear shot even if they agreed with me. This happened once from what I recall, apparently I was very entertaining.

10) Joan Blondell or Glenda Farrell? Joan Blondell for being Barbara Stanwyck's pal in "Night Nurse", and Bette Davies' pal in "Three on a Match", and for singing "The Forgotten Man" in "Golddiggers of 1933".

11) Movie star of any era you’d most like to take camping Jimmy Stewart, he's just so darned likable.

12) Second favorite George Cukor movie "A Star is Born" which would probably be my number one if it weren't for that little wonderful bit of perfection that is "Holiday". "The Philadelphia Story" would be a close third.

13) Your top 10 of 2013 (feel free to elaborate!) I can't reveal my true top ten until I'm caught up with films that are currently in limited release or not available yet, but for now I will go with my top ten movie going experiences which are films I've seen in the movie theatre this year that were worth the money I paid for. THIS IS NOT MY TOP TEN
1. "Gravity"
2. "Jurassic Park" 3-D re-release
3. "Iron Man 3"
4. "The Great Gatsby"
5. "Mud"
6. "The World's End"
7. "The Grandmaster"
8. "Blue Jasmine"
9. "Before Midnight"
10."Enough Said"

I will also add the remake of "The Evil Dead", "The Lone Ranger", and "You're Next" somewhere there.

14) Name a movie you loved (or hated) upon first viewing, to which you eventually returned and had more or less the opposite reaction A lot of Stanely Kubrick but more specifically "Dr. Strangelove" which as a young man of maybe 10 or 11 didn't understand the dark comedy aspect of the film and mainly viewed it to see the man who played Inspector Clouseau entertain me with his bumbling physical comedy, and also "2001: A Space Odyssey" which again didn't entertain me with its deliberate slow pace. I'm now older and love both films. I could almost say the same thing about "Barry Lyndon" if I didn't turn it off so early in my first viewing, but now watching it years later, I could see it becoming my favorite Kubrick. "A Clockwork Orange" is something I still debate over in my head. Also Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line".

15) Movie most in need of a deluxe Blu-ray makeover Can somebody please save "It's a Wonderful Life" from it's oh so sweetened DVD Blu-ray extras? This is a seminal film that at its heart has some very dark ideas, and the only special feature available is a Tom Bosley hosted "making of" featurette that looks like bottom of the barrel 1980s nostalgia. It's a beloved film that deserves the same box set treatment bestowed upon "Casablanca" and "The Wizard of Oz".

16) Alain Delon or Marcello Mastroianni? Mastroianni for his work with Fellini and Sophia Loren

17) Your favorite opening sequence, credits or no credits (provide link to clip if possible) For sheer excitement and anticipation the opening of "Superman" which sweeps me into its comic book world in a way no other movie has, I swear I become ten years old the moment that movie begins. Woody Allen's opening credits have that familiarity to it that take me into his jazz fueled world, and I appreciate that consistent feel. "Midnight in Paris" has that opening sequence of famous Parisian hotspots with that romantic glow which may not be Allen't most famous bit of pictorials but damned if it doesn't take me to that city. I don't know...so many to count. I love the opening sequence of "The Shop Around the Corner" with just a bunch of co-workers hanging outside their department store talking, waiting for the boss to open up the store.

18) Director with the strongest run of great movies Yasujiro Ozu I can't name a bad movie made by him, and his run in the 50s until his last film "An Autumn Afternoon" is pretty much as perfect as one can get.

19) Is elitism a good/bad/necessary/inevitable aspect of being a cineaste? I'm not sure if I consider myself an elitist, to me that word feels like I'm alienating myself in a way. What I love about movies is how they are such a popular artform and they are open to everyone to enjoy. I suppose it all comes down to taste, I like to think my tastes vary in a wide range, but just because I watch filmmakers like Ozu, Renoir, or Lubitsch shouldn't make me an elitist. If anything I would hope it would open up ways for people to enjoy new types of film they wouldn't think of normally. No I would say elitism is a bad thing, and I wouldn't want to be thought of that way.

20) Second favorite Tony Scott film "Top Gun", "Crimson Tide" would be number 1

21) Favorite movie made before you were born that you only discovered this year. Where and how did you discover it? "The Life of Oharu" I had heard of it for years and talked about by many film critics, most recently when Roger Ebert wrote a Great Movies review about it which I believe was one of his last entries. Then criterion came out with it, and I snatched it up. It's the kind of film that destroys you, it's utterly heartbreaking, but as a film it overtook me, it held me on and did not let me go. Simply one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.

22) Actor/actress you would most want to see in a Santa suit, traditional or skimpy Amy Adams please and thank you.

23) Video store or streaming? I've had headaches with streaming, and I'm always paranoid that I'm not watching the right aspect ratio all the time, so I will go with the tried and true video store.

24) Best/favorite final film by a noted director or screenwriter Ozu of course had a great one, and Robert Altman's "A Prairie Home Companion" is fitting in so many ways, but I will go with John Ford's "7 Women" which I think was his angriest film, but the ending of it says so much about going out on your own terms and being able to make a stand when everything seems to be lost. The last shot should be remembered as well as the last shot in "The Searchers" and it's Anne Bancroft's unsung masterpiece as an actress.

25) Monica Vitti or Anna Karina? Anna, lovely Anna.

26) Name a worthy movie indulgence you’ve had to most strenuously talk friends into experiencing with you. What was the result? Most of my friends steer clear of classic films, so I try not to stress the issue with them. I once convinced a girl I was dating once to watch "The Shop Around the Corner" with me, which she asked me to turn off ten minutes in because she couldn't stand the sound of their voices, that was something new to me. I convinced another girl to watch "Casablanca" which she politely told me she enjoyed even though she laughed through some of the melodramatic dialogue. Needless to see both of these relationships did not last.

27) The movie made by your favorite filmmaker (writer, director, et al) that you either have yet to see or are least familiar with among all the rest There is a great gap of unreleased films by Ozu, Renoir, and Mizoguchi that I have yet to see. From Orson Welles it would be "The Trial" "Chimes at Midnight", and "Othello" which I have seen when it was released in the 90s but haven't seen it since. I have yet to see much of Howard Hawks' early period most specifically "Twentieth Century" which was also written by Ben Hecht who is a favorite writer. Woody Allen's "Another Woman", Truffaut's "Two English Girls", from Hitchcock anything post-"Marnie", John Ford's "Two Rode Together", Buster Keaton's "The Cameraman", Bunuel's "That Obscure Object of Desire", Kurosawa's "Ran". Much of Robert Altman from the 80s. Plus any early Keislowski pre-"Decalogue" stuff, that's all I can think of right now. Oh Billy Wilder's "Five Graves of Cairo".

28) Favorite horror movie that is either Christmas-oriented or has some element relating to the winter holiday season in it If "Gremlins" can be considered horror then by all means. Also "The Invisible Man" had the element of snow in it, and that was a rollicking good time.

29) Name a prop or other piece of movie memorabilia you’d most like to find with your name on it under the Christmas tree A cigar by Groucho, or one of Fred Astaire's top hats, I know I would cherish them forever.

30) Best holiday gift the movies could give to you to carry into 2014 New releases from all the films I mentioned in question #27, and an arthouse cinema near by where I live, thank you Santa.

Movie Review: 12 Years a Slave

I'm not sure if "12 Years a Slave" is the first of its kind, by that I mean a sombre meditative look at slavery in the south. Of course just last year we had both "Django Unchained" and "Lincoln" address the issue in their own way, the former being a violent revenge fantasy, and the latter an insight into the political dealings of abolishing slavery. But "12 Years a Slave" is a whole different monster all together, it's a first person account of a man who lived through it and was one of the lucky ones to escape it and tell his story.

The film is based on a book by Solomon Northup (Played by Chiwetel Ejiofor in the film), a free black man who was living in upstate New York when he gets tricked and kidnapped by a couple of con men and sold into slavery. We see him wake up in chains and then persecuted, flogged, and ripped from his clothes. He's smuggled onto a boat headed to New Orleans and then is sold off. This happens very near the beginning of the film, there's a certain immediacy to it that gives the whole experience a dreaded nightmare quality to it.

Solomon is then given a new slave name Platt and is put on display by slave trader Freeman (Paul Giamatti). He is bought by a sympathetic plantation owner by the name of William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) who is conflicted with his relationship with Solomon, yet still puts him in the hands of a maniacal plantation boss Tibeats (Paul Dano hammy as ever). After Solomon protests and fights back at Tibeats, his life is put in jeopardy, and Ford cannot guarantee his protection; he is then sold off to a much less forgiving Plantation owner Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). Epps is the kind of man who whips a slave for bringing in the lowest amount of cotton per day, yet he carries on an affair with a young black slave named Patsy (Lupita Nyong'O). For Solomon all of his experiences seem like an unending nightmare, getting worse and worse, and for us it's hard for to see any light at the end of the tunnel.

"12 Years a Slave" is the third film directed by Steve McQueen, a man who is making a name for himself as a self-assured director. I haven't seen his first two films "Hunger" and "Shame" both of which starred Fassbender, yet there is confidence and a poetic streak in the way he tells this story. McQueen relies on long tracking shots to make scenes look seamless and more of a whole, and sometimes he knows to let the camera hold on a continuous shot for a long time, knowing the images are powerful enough not to cut away.

One such image that is as powerful as anything I've seen this year is showing Solomon hanging by his neck barely able to touch the ground with his toes. McQueen keeps this a long shot as we see other slaves enter the frame each one noticing Solomon's predicament but going about their daily duties too afraid to intervene. It's a brilliant well choreographed shot that one cannot look away from.

There are quite a few moments like the one above that makes you stand and pay attention to the shocking brutality, and that's what this film does, yet it's not perfect. Surprisingly, the moments I did not find as powerful are the ones that seem to be giving the film a lot of praise. This is mostly the latter half of the movie concerning Fassbender and his relationship with Nyong'O. For her part, Nyong'O gives a great performance with two scenes that are Earth shattering one where she begs Solomon to kill her because she isn't strong enough to do it herself, and one where she is whipped for running off to get soap to wash herself with. Yet there seems to be this missing scene concerning her and Solomon, a certain kinship or trust is built among them that is done off stage. Why does Patsey ask Solomon of all people to help kill herself, why when Epps can't whip her does she prefer Solomon to do it? These were questions that were in my head that I wish we had seen.

The other is Fassbender who usually gives great performances, but here he has about as much nuance as Dano earlier in the film, that of a malicious master, and no doubt Epps was this kind of monster, Yet to me I didn't think Fassbender did anything particularly interesting with the role. I was reminded of a much more intriguing monster on film, that of Ralph Feinnes in "Schindler's List", who also carried on an affair with a woman who's race he hated, yet that performance carried more nuance for me as Feinnes was able to hide his monstrous tendencies in plain sight.

There were other moments, I was more interested in, such as the woman Solomon shares his boat ride with to New Orleans who loses her children when they are sold to a different slave owner. She wails over the loss of her children and is then punished for it, when Solomon confronts her about her uncontrollable crying, it turns into a thoughtful discussion over why she has the right to cry over her children.

But the real strength of this film lies in the performance of Ejiofor as Solomon, we sense his fear, and his frustrations, but also his willingness to not give up, which as many say is the only way to survive such an ordeal as this. When his nightmare is over, I was overcome with a kind of catharsis one should have when you follow someone into the depths of their own personal hell.

Credit should be given to McQueen for never letting the audience off the hook, he fills the film with so much dread and hopelessness, it's easy to see things ending unhappily. Early on when Solomon and other slaves are on a boat headed to be sold, there is talk between them all to over take it and get their freedom back. When one slave tries to, he is swiftly stabbed to death and thrown over shore; we know then this film isn't going to be pretty, but when was slavery every pretty?