Movies I've seen This month

Not many films can hold a candle to "The Dark Knight" in hype and excitement, but I was witness to some other films this month that in some ways were just as effective and inventive.

Hellboy 2: This film probably has more in common with "Lord of the Rings" than your regular comic book movie, it comes to no surprise considering it was directed by Guillerrmo del Torro the man who directed "Pan's Labyrinth" which is the best fantasy film in recent years. I loved the first "Hellboy" so I couldn't wait for what Del Torro came up with for the second. I was not disappointed, the film is like a love letter to the creepy crawlers that go bump in the night. Del Torro seems to sympathize more with the creatures than with the human characters. Ron Perlman is quite commanding and funny as the big man in red, but it's really Doug Jones' performance as sidekick Abe Sapien who in my opinion carries most of the emotional anchor. This was a pure delight that doesn't take itself too seriously.
3.5 stars out of 4

Get Smart: A perfectly cast action comedy with Steve Carell as Agent 86 and Anne Hathaway as 99. The two have good chemistry and I love how they handle the age difference between the two leads. This is a nice love letter to fans of the original series and succeeds where most television inspired movies failed. I wish it was a tad more funnier but the actors energy and enthusiasm compensate for it.
3 stars out of 4

Wall-E: One of the best films I've seen this year, it's a lovely Sci-Fi/animated movie that relies on old-fashioned Disney story telling with very little dialogue and mostly visuals, sound, and character. I was reminded of films like "Dumbo" and "Bambi" where the hero does not need to talk in order to display emotion. It's well crafted from the geniuses at Pixar who have made their share of new classic animated films.
4 stars out of 4


The Love Guru: This was not Mike Myers' finest hour which many people seem to agree with, at the same time I can't say it was as horrible as some say it is. Myers does some clever word play as Pitka the Love Guru and I liked the Bollywood references, however Myers has a tendency to rely too often on gross out humour that seemed lazily written, I cannot fully recommend this film but all I can say is it's not that bad. 2 stars out of 4

Stepbrothers: I must admit I did laugh at this completely silly, plotless movie about two 40 year olds who still act like spoiled brats. However after the film finished I couldn't help but think about how really empty it left me. Will Farrell and John C. Reilly are very talented and funny guys, but give me "Talledega Nights" any day over this often too vulgar and repetitive one-joke yarn. 2 stars out of 4

Wanted: The first part of this film had moments of very clever insightful moments about a poor schmo working in an accounting office only to discover he has great hitman powers. The satire is quite biting with elements of "Office Space" and "Fight Club". It even starts off with an inspired car chase, and has a twist that I didn't see coming. But I didn't quite get the sense of wonder or empowerment the film asks me to feel. Once the credits rolled by I forgot all about it. 2.5 stars out of 4

All Apologies

I must admit I have not been paying attention to my blog lately. Other things have been on my mind, I've gotten a part in another play which opens next week, but that hasn't stopped me from going to my local multiplex on several occasions to see the latest films coming out. I must say I am very pleased with this stock of summer movies, most of them are quite unique and original which is a nice change of pace from last years sequel fest. There really hasn't been one film that I have truly detested, it's only that some were better than others.

The sad news up here is one of our local movie houses closed to make way for our new ten screen multiplex. It was sad because this little theatre was starting to show smaller arthouse films, it was because of this theatre I was able to see films like "In Bruges", "Shine a Light" and "Fugitive Pieces" all of which were some of the best films I've seen all year. For every "Dark Knight" movie I wish I could balance that with something a tad smaller and intimate. There's only one more month of summer left which still promises to be exciting with "Pineapple Express" and "Tropic Thunder" which are arguably the two most anticipated comedies of the year, plus that old war horse Kevin Costner is back (He just keeps on swinging and I love him for that) with "Swing Vote" which looks like a nice change of pace from the more youth oriented summer flicks.

Plus my Truffaut tribute has suffered another setback. I've actually started writing two pieces on him and the New Wave Cinema which I hope to have done for August, so stay tuned, I'm glad those of you who read my blogs have stayed loyal, I'll try not to disappoint.

Darkness Falls

I kinda missed the boat on the whole "Dark Knight" opening weekend in my blog, I apologize for that and for not picking up the slack lately, but here we are with what my possibly be the biggest movie in recent history.

"The Dark Knight" is an intelligent super hero movie, one that doesn't play down to fans of the genre or fans of movies in general. For me it reminds me less of past super hero movies and more of the darkly lit seediness of that wonderful world known as film noir. Of course Batman was created at the very beginning of the genre in the 40s and it's great that Christopher Nolan the director references that. I love the look of this film from the opening bank robbery sequence that was inspired from Michael Mann's "Heat" to dark and unsettling interrogation scene with The Joker.

This is the kind of film that dares to get under your skin, it could pander to younger crowds but it goes places I was surprised to see. The main perpetrator of all this uneasiness is Heath Ledger as The Joker. It's a brilliant performance that should be getting some awards attention at the end of the year. The games the Joker plays in this film turn sadism as if it was an artform, it's a funny, creepy, and downright scary performance.

The other stars are no creampuffs either. Christian Bale is one of my favorite actors working today and like he showed in the original "Batman Begins" he's capable of showing the turmoil of the man behind the mask, not to mention he gives us a reason why Bruce Wayne was a Billionaire playboy. Old pros Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are solid and supply the little bit of comic relief to break the tension. Maggie Gyllanhaal is able to do a lot with the little she is given filling in for Katie Holmes as Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes.

Then there are Batman's main allies with Commissioner Gordon (Understated brilliance by Gary Oldman) and the new "White Knight" in town D.A. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). It's mainly Batman, Gordon, and Dent that are the pawns in the Joker's game, and Eckhart is especially effective as we witness his fall from grace.

As good as all these performances are, this film is really Ledger's show all the way, just the way he struts down the street in the film, or the way he clicks his mouth with his tongue is just so sinister and inventive. It's too early to say exactly what Ledger's legacy in the film pantheon will be, but his Joker just goes to show the kind of actor we lost.

4 stars out of 4

Here's a little movie survey

EARLIEST MOVIE-WATCHING MEMORY: An American Tale

DVD YOU BOUGHT:"The Furies"

'IF YOU WERE A TCM GUEST PROGRAMMER, WHAT THREE FILMS WOULD YOU CHOOSE: I would have to go with a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie so then I would pick "Top Hat" or "Swing Time", then I would need a Frank Capra film like "Lost Horizon", and I would need an Ozu film so then I would pick "Tokyo Story"

'FAVORITE MOVIE ENDING: That's a hard one, the obvious one would be "City Lights" but I'll go with a movie I just recently watched which is "Once Upon a Time in America", it's brilliant in that it tells you nothing but everything.

'WHAT MOVIE ARE YOU ASHAMED TO SAY YOU HAVEN'T SEEN, AND WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE: I'm ashamed I have not seen half of the Godard films I should have by now like "Alphaville" or "Contempt" also Kurosawa's "Ikiru"

'PICK ONE OF THE FOLLOWING FOUR MOVIES AND WRITE TWO SENTENCES ABOUT IT:/ Only Angels Have Wings/Angels in America/Angel Heart/Date with an Angel: Only Angels Have Wings is pure perfection. Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, and the great Thomas Mitchell need I say more?

WHO WOULD YOU AWARD AN HONORARY BEST ACTOR/ACTRESS OSCAR TO: Probably to Anthony Perkins for "Psycho", it's sweet, and creepy, and entertaining each time I think of it, I have to remind myself how really brilliant it was.

'LAST TIME YOU WERE AT A DRIVE-IN, WHAT DID YOU SEE: I was only 12 years old and it was the fifth time I saw "Jurassic Park" playing with "The Flintstones", then they tore the Drive-In down.

'FILM ERA OR GENRE YOU'RE A LITTLE OBSESSED WITH:I'm a little obsessed with Japanese cinema right now and I'm in love with any type of film era ever.

'FILM CRITIC YOU TRUST THE MOST: 'I would say Roger Ebert or Jim Emerson they both write so well yet their tastes differ very much, I usually end up liking anything they recommend

.'FAVORITE BOOK ON THE SUBJECT OF FILM: Donald Richie's OZU which describes the man's work in great detail from the screenwriting to the editing. It opened up a new wayto look at movies.

'DESCRIBE THE FREQUENCY OF YOUR FILM INTAKE: 'I try to watch a movie a day whether at a theatre or at home, to me it's like reading a book. Now with DVD I watch the film then watch the special features so I can try to understand more of the filmmaking process, if there is audio commentary by a film critic or expert on the film I also watch that.

'THREE THINGS YOU'VE LEARNED FROM WATCHING MOVIES: 1. When you're in a cave full of booby traps stay out of the light. 2. If someone says Forgettaboutit they are with the mafia 3. Groucho Marx is the funniest man who ever lived.

Best of the Year So Far....

So the year is half over already which means we're half way into the summer season and we've done away with the underrated spring months which are known to not really matter. For those of you who think springtime at the movies just dish out the forgetful garbage pay close attention to this list, perhaps there are films you have not seen yet. Anyway here we go.

1. In Bruges: Kind of an odd name and a quirky premise which probably is the reason it passed a lot of people by, but this film is a funny, tough, and touching look at an aged old hitman and his young protege who are stuck in the tourist friendly Bruges awaiting instructions from their boss. The film is full of plenty surprises, lots of action and witty dialogue worthy of David Mamet. Brendan Gleason, Colin Farrell, and Ralph Feinnes are all at the top of their game which makes this film by far the best I've seen so far.

2. Wall-E: Wall-E is a little robot who is cleaning up Earth's waste while all of mankind is away on a 700 year+ cruise as they await the time they can return. The film is a sweet intelligent movie that does not dumb down to kids, it does what the classic Disney animated films did and tells the story through picture rather than words. Wall-E is looks at life with an E.T. -like curiosity, but his love for fellow robot Eve contains the kind of longing and pathos of Chaplin, this is a very special movie.

3. Shine a Light: Martin Scorsese's concert film of the Rolling Stones may not be as influential as "Woodstock" or his own "The Last Waltz", but it's full of energy from a filmmaker who obviously is a great admirer of the band and the Stones themselves who may have withered in looks but contain more energy than most young rock bands today.

4. Fugitive Pieces: A touching film about a young boy who escapes from the holocaust and is brought to Canada and raised by a Greek who found him. The film goes back and forth from what seems to be three different periods, but it becomes a moving tale of trying to let go of the past, and trying to live happily.

5. Leatherheads: George Clooney's underrated romantic comedy about the early years of pro-football was a real treat to see. Clooney does a great job in capturing the period and the cast seems to have fun in re-creating the spirit of the old screwball comedy even though the pacing wasn't as fast. But this is also a comedy with a message of not conforming and playing by your own rules which is something Clooney the artist seems to strive for.

6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Couldn't avoid getting this film on. You might say there isn't anything special about this one but it accomplishes what it set out to do and that is to make it an entertaining summer film from start to finish. After so many movie franchises tried to take themselves too seriously, it's nice to see that Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford never lost the spirit of the past Indy movies and stuck with the same Saturday Matinee Serial formula that fit so well with the first films. As far as Summer Blockbusters go, this has so far been my favorite.

Well that's it, I'd love to hear what you think are the best films so far or worst for that matter. Is there a hidden gem that should be shared with others? Let me know.

The Emotional Connection

I've been asked a lot lately (Probably thanks to the recent AFI list) if there is any modern film that I would hold in such a high regard as the classic films I love. A modern film would be something I would define as being made in the last 10 to 20 years or so. This question got me thinking of another recent list done by Entertainment Weekly where they count down the top 100 modern classic films or the new classics whatever that means. I looked at the list with amusement like I do all movie lists, but that's as far as it went.


A classic film is something hard to define, there are even some so-called classics from Hollywood's golden age I don't really like. I read two pieces lately from Roger Ebert and Jim Emerson that I thought would put any list in their place. Ebert's article came from his journal entry entitled "In Search of Redemption" where he discusses the films that have left an emotional mark on him and why. Emerson's article "What makes a movie a Classic?" is an entertaining look at the EW list as it breaks the films down and asks what are the elements of a classic film.


I read the two articles together and it seems Ebert has made his own answer to Emerson's question and it's something I happen to agree with. The films that leave an impression on me are the ones that I have an emotional attachment to, they're the ones I look at fondly days after I've seen it, they make me feel like I have a better understanding towards people and why things are the way they are. Perhaps I'm talking too much like a philosophy student so I'll try to get myself out of the clouds and let me give an example of what I'm trying to say. I recently rewatched Robert Altman's final film "A Prairie Home Companion" which is a movie I liked very much, I wouldn't be too surprised if that is considered a "classic" in years to come even though it was found nowhere on EW's list. It's a film about the final broadcast of an old radio show, but it was really a film that had something to say about life and death. The film is very funny but at times very sad, death hangs over this film like the plague, but when it comes it's a very comforting and very natural thing. Garrison Keillor gives the film its philosophy as the master of ceremonies, he does not give a speech about the last broadcast, he just keeps the show going until it ends. "I don't want to be told to remember" he says (I might be paraphrasing). I'm not sure if Robert Altman knew this was going to be his last film, but he couldn't have made a better final statement.

Even though something ends doesn't mean life doesn't go on, which is something I have always found comforting, we can stop and grieve for someone, but tomorrow will be here even if we didn't ask for it. And I don't want to keep harping on him but I think this was behind the idea of so many Ozu films, his films always show a short time in the lives of his characters whether it's parents visiting their children or an impending marriage. These incidents are a part of everyday life but by the end of the film their lives have changed and usually not for the better, but I am never depressed by his films, I'm usually content and comforted by the thought that life changes, but it goes on. I recently finished writing a screenplay of my own that was inspired by Ozu's films, it's something I'm not sure has much merit other than it's something I felt I had to write and enjoyed writing.

I guess I'm interested about people, I want to know about them. My favorite movie of last year was "Once", a small film about two people, who remain nameless, but we're invited into their humble lives for awhile as they meet, make music, and then leave eachother. Not much happens plotwise in this film but we know at the end of it their lives have changed and they are better people because of the experience they shared. It's a little snapshot of a moment in time, but I felt it a privilege to be a part of it.

So what was I getting at with this? A modern classic? I'm not sure if I answered that question, I guess I was just saying what films I like and why I like them, they might be classic in years to come but they're special to me nevertheless.

I'd like to know what kind of films do you like and why? What makes them special to you?