Too busy for actual reviews so here's some summaries

I apologize again for not getting my reviews out sooner for movies I've seen but here's a rundown.

Fugitive Pieces: I first heard of this Canadian film from Roger Ebert last year during the Toronto Film Festival, and when I first heard it was going to be played here, I rushed to the theatre. The story of a young Jewish boy who witnesses his family taken from him during the holocaust and who is raised by a Greek is a wonderful story. It plays like one man's memoirs much like "The Kite Runner", a film which holds many similarities. The story unfolds like a good book, and it becomes a story of redemption and letting go. This is one of the better films I've seen this year. 3.5 stars out of 4

The Incredible Hulk: Surprised at the mostly positive reviews for this do-over comic book film, I decided to give it a shot. This is a perfectly enjoyable, perfectly suitable escapist film. It's loud in places and the frenzy action shots at the beginning are a complete copy of a Jason Bourne film. However Edward Norton gives life to a lifeless role miraculously and supporting players like Liv Tyler, William Hurt, and Tim Roth boost this into something more than what it deserves to be. I enjoyed the Ang Lee version although that also was not without its faults. This film takes away the psychology and character development, and adds more fan-friendly fare. It's not a bad film but it's not incredible either. 3 stars out of 4

Kung Fu Panda: A film that is hard not to like. The story is perfect for the kids, and the action sequences although intense never makes you forget you are watching a cartoon. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, it doesn't try to be hip like the "Shrek" movies and just tries to entertain. I thought the voice work was impressively done by all. The kung fu fan in me wishes they had given Jackie Chan more things to say, and this kind of story has been recycled before, but the animation was top notch and the message was a positive one. 3 stars out of 4
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On a side note, I also went to see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" for a second time and even enjoyed it more. Like the other films of the series, this one just seems like a throwback to the old fashioned adventure films that aren't made anymore. I was more intrigued in the story, and the set pieces. I even laughed more at the sight gags which have always been my favorite things about the Indy series. The film is still not without its faults, but I have no problem counting a great crowd pleaser along with the other Indy films.

AFI: Those Silly Guys

You've probably heard by now the AFI has released a new list: The Top Ten Top Ten...hehehehe. This is what I like to call "The AFI has lost all its credibility". Not that I'm complaining about the lists, it's become sort of a seasonal tradition to see the new list and I'm all for lists, long live the lists, besides it gets people watching movies and isn't that what it's all about. Because of the list last night, more people are aware of "The Public Enemy" and "Little Caesar" and now know that there was another "Scarface" before Al Pacino's. However I do get passionate when these lists omit such worthy films. Am I the only one who thought it weird that "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" did not make it on the top ten Sci-Fi? I would've had it as runner up after "2001". Not to mention that about three of the fantasy films could be better described as comedies. I love "Groundhog Day" and "Harvey" as much as the next man, but they could've been replaced with actual fantasy films like Capra's masterpiece "Lost Horizon", and I don't even want to get into the western pics which forgot all about Anthony Mann.

But I digress, this is just little movie buff me getting all hot and bothered at a list that's suppose to be fun, but really "Cat Ballou" before "Rio Bravo"?

My dream list would be if AFI would look past its homegrown American movies and perhaps compose a list of top 100 foreign films. I guess that's something the AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE might not specialize in. But wouldn't it be great if they did. Imagine the people who could be exposed to Truffaut, Godard, Fellini, Kurosawa, and Ozu (I have not hidden my love for that man). But one could only hope

Like a Rolling Stone

I never got the chance to review Todd Haynes glorious "I'm Not There" even though I put it as number 3 on my Top Ten of 2007. Now after finally being able to sit down and watch the film a second time, I thought I could write one.

I'm not sure if it is possible to enjoy "I'm Not There" thoroughly without knowing a little bit about Bob Dylan. After seeing it myself I highly recommended it to some friends of mine who knew very little about Dylan and they returned from the movie a little disappointed. So perhaps I will confess yes you should know some things, such as he did have a tumultuous relationship with his wife in the early seventies, he was a folk hero who betrayed some of his fans by turning to rock, he was in Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid", and he did convert to Christianity. Then there are the stories that get confused with truth and fiction such as him riding the railroads, and coming to New York to meet up with his idol Woody Guthrie, to this day I'm not sure if that is all true.

I'm a Dylan fan yes, I have over twenty of his albums, I own the Martin Scorsese documentary "No Direction Home" as well as D.A. Pennebaker's influential "Don't Look Back". I imagine director Todd Haynes has all of these as well along with a few more. In my mind I would say the Scorsese's Doc was the closest to crack the Dylan code, but even after watching that along with this film, I have yet to understand or even have a full grasp of who Dylan was, but that's okay. It seems Dylan doesn't want us to know his full account, I'm perfectly content with the stories he tells with his songs, and that seems what Haynes is interested in as well.

As you probably have already heard by now, Dylan is played by six different people, but they are all not actually playing Dylan but pseudonyms. Most, like Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, and Ben Wishaw play characters of Dylan most people would recognize, a witty wordsmith who has fun with the press and someone who doesn't seem to want to be labeled. The young Marcus Carl Franklin and Richard Gere play closer to the myths, while Heath Ledger plays Robbie Clark an actor who's private life with his wife is breaking up.

Make no mistake these are all Dylan in some way, but they lead us nowhere in cracking the code, instead they make up some very av ante guarde little pieces of film making that are some of the most astonishing and entertaining bits I saw all last year.

Haynes fills his scenarios with so many colorful tidbits, with characters right from Dylan songs such as the reporter Mr. Jones (Bruce Greenwood), to circus show performers, to cowboys, to Jonah and the whale. He also fills them with real life people such as David Cross as famed poet Allen Ginsberg to Julianne Moore as Joan Baez clone Alice Fabian. There's even a funny cameo by The Beatles.

Haynes switches cinema styles with a cool hand, at times the film goes from mocumentary, to New Wave, to a Felliniesque look at life but it all seems to fit in with what is happening on screen.

The performers all keep up with what is going on behind the camera as well. For me Blanchett and Ledger come off the best. Blanchett (who should've won the best supporting actress Oscar) is ironically playing the most famous image of Dylan that of the electric rock hero who defied the folk purists and hung out with The Beatles and Allen Ginsberg and became a prominent figure in the drug obsessed sub-culture. It's an uncanny performance and the fact that Blanchett is a woman playing a man does not become a schtick but you can actually believe she is Dylan. Ledger I think gets the meatier role of all the actors. He plays Robbie Clark, an actor who played a version of Dylan (Christian Bale's) on screen which catapulted him to stardom. Robbie's relationship with his wife Claire (Charlotte Gainbourg also impressive) starts off romantic and sweet but ends in a messy heartbreaking divorce, heartbreaking because you know they still love each other, their story was one of the best love stories shown last year.

We do finally get to see Dylan himself in the last image of the film standing on a lit stage playing his mouth organ, it's the right note to leave the film on, we still don't know the man, but it's really the music and the stories he is telling us that matters, and I think that is what Haynes is trying to convey. Dylan's life is one that can be only told through his songs, through many characters and many faces, and in a way that's all that he owes us.

4 stars out of 4

June's Spotlight : Francois Truffaut

This month will be sort of a challenge for me as I intend to discuss the films of one of the founders of the french New Wave Francois Truffaut. I wanted to discuss his films for awhile, he is one of my favorite directors, yet I know very little about him. What I do know is many of his films such as "Jules and Jim", "Shoot the Piano Player", "The 400 Blows", and perhaps my personal favorite "Stolen Kisses" are all masterpieces and should be shown to any film fan. I am less familiar with his later films of the 70s such as "Day for Night" and "Two English Girls" but hopefully I will view more of his films as the weeks progress.

Truffaut is still someone I am curious about and want to know more of. He's one of the reasons cinema became so exciting in the 60s and he helped pave the way for a more rebellious Hollywood, so I hope you join me for what I hope will be an interesting month.

Jeremy and the Movies Celebrates 1 year!!!

Well what a year it has been. It seems like only yesterday I started this little blog which has been my way to vent off my little movie obsessions. I'm not really doing any celebrating, I might have some cake but that's it. Thanks to all those who read my blog (I think I'm getting more readers) and for those who comment, it's fun to know I'm not the only movie obsessed person out there. If you haven't told people about this blog, get on the net and do it now.

I must apologize for not writing in here as much as I did but my life's been getting busier and busier every day. Some day I will get back on track and do some big blogging. In the mean time I'll see you real soon.