Top 5 List: Obscure Prison Dramas

Granted, no movie is really obscure. There's a rabid audience for pretty much any thing put out there, but this list intends to shine a light on the more overlooked prison dramas... which is why films like "Cool Hand Luke", "Escape From Alcatraz", "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Papillion" are duly absent. Enjoy and feel free to add your own.

1. "The Criminal"- Joseph Losey is a cerebral filmmaker, and this 1960 film starring Stanley Baker is a calculated and cold look at a criminal who refuses to be rehabilitated. Even though only about half the film takes place inside an actual prison, all the great genre tropes are there, including a nicely composed riot and the omniscient sense of claustrophobia that haunts any career criminal whose locked away from causing malevolence in the real world. This film is out on DVD. If you haven't given the films of Losey a chance, I urge you to do so.

2. Animal Factory- The latest entry on the list, and pretty damn close to the best. I wasn't a huge fan of Steve Buscemi's directorial debut "Trees Lounge", but with this adaptation of Eddie Bunker's novel in 2000, Buscemi appears in full control. From the opening shot- a carefully composed overhead static shot of the prison yard cut in two by the prison buildings- to John Lurie's enigmatic and compulsively weird score, "Animal Factory" comes into focus as a very realistic-feeling interpretation of life behind bars. Ever wonder exactly how prisoners hide and get ahold of knives? How does one inmate run the prison? Writer Bunker (an ex-con himself, memorable for his role in "Reservoir Dogs") and director Buscemi answer all of this with wide-eyed determination. And the film features a stirring set-piece that sensibly documents how a standard prison yard dispute violently culminates into a full-on riot. "Animal Factory" alternates a vision behind bars that is frightening, weird (such as one scene which features live entertainment and a man singing) and makes me appreciate my law-abiding life. Watch out for a barely recognizable Mickey Rourke as well.

3. The Glass House- This early 70's made-for-TV movie stars Alan Alda as a mild mannered teacher sent to prison for manslaughter. Cheaply made, the film manages to score a host of 70'c character actors to add depth to the overall project. Vic Morrow co-stars as the man who runs things in the prison and the film displays some particularly nasty ideas for a film designed to play on the boob tube. Alan Alda is perfect for the role, and he makes you feel for the guy. Based on a Truman Capote story, give this one a chance.

4. Brubaker- I've heard the criticisms against this film. Redford, as the new guy sent to a rough and tough Southern prison, would never get to keep those golden sideburns and floppy hair. C'mon guys... this is 80's Hollywood and this is Robert Redford. How else do you get women to see a PRISON film? Predictable and sappy at times (especially with its liberal swipes) but still a hugely entertaining film about a new warden who decides to go undercover and see the indignities of his prison first-hand before taking control. And we get a very young Morgan Freeman as a half-insane inmate who smears shit all over the walls!

5. Bad Boys- Before Sean Penn was a marquee Academy award winner (and he went full retard), he served his time in the hard-knocks juvenile detention center in this '83 film. Strong acting and a genuine sense of danger permeate this 'teens behind bars' film and Penn, swaggering through it with his tough guy attitude, reveals a small hint of what would come later with his career. Hard-nosed supporting turns add a dash of menace as Penn struggles to stay alive after being placed in the same detention center as the fellow gang member (Esai Morales) whose brother he accidentally killed. It's an interesting conflict that director Rick Rosenthal squeezes every inch of tension out of.

Perfect Blend of Sports and Movies

Thanks to Row Three for initially surfacing this.

5

I intended to take a couple months off, not go to many new releases (really... typically how bad is January and February?) and catch up on some other things I've been putting off, such as concentrating on work and knock out a few books on the shelf. Then I go and catch 5 films in a couple weeks. I guess that's the movie fanatic in me that I'll never shake. It's a nice problem to have, though.


Two Lovers

James Gray's "Two Lovers" is an abrupt change-of-pace from his three previous films that deal in the communal ties of family and loyalty within the milieu of New York crime and political corruption. But it's a very nice change-of-pace, and one that continues to cement my appreciation for Gray's sharp eye and ear. Brooklyn man Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix), lives with his parents after some hints of emotional problems and finds himself involved with two very different women- straight laced, traditional Jewish girl Sandra (Vinessa Shaw) and fast-and-free wild blond girl Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow in a great performance). Like a good auterist, all the common themes of his previous films are present and the narrative is loose and observational, working in delicate moments of family interaction that give his work a dramatic weight (such as one terrifically unexpected scene between mother and son). In this emo-love story, Gray gives ponderous authority to every phone call and turns the image of a woman walking down an alley into a nightmarish mixture of angst and shadowy anxiety. It's nice to see Gray flip the script and stretch out in unexpected ways. A very good film.

Che

Steven Soderbergh's "Che" is an intellectualized look at revolutionary 'guerrilla' Che Guevara both in scope and visual schematics. Foregoing any close-up shots and documenting everything in medium or long shot- which seems to be a conscious choice given the film's demanding attention to Che and his political ideals of Communism and group unity- "Che" attempts to overload us with mundane details in both parts. And that's the problem with the film. Part One, which deals with Che's partnership and fighting in Cuba alongside Fidel Castro, is certainly the more striking of the two films. There's an immediacy to the violence that's shocking, positioning the camera in just the right spot to allow the viewer to understand the logistics of the action (something that is sorely missing in most of today's cut-a-second action moments). It'd be invigorating to see what Soderbergh could do with a full on World War 2 film. But, Part One is undercut by a general lack of motivation. Where did Che get such strong feelings for revolution? He obviously cares about his position as a doctor and healing people... what made him turn against that profession and become the de facto case for guerrilla violence? In his attempt to drain the emotions out of the story, Soderbergh has crafted a tale that leaves one scratching their heads. Part Two, in my opinion, suffers even more in abstract ideology than Part One. Now attempting to transpose his successful coup in Bolivia years later, the film dissects Che's mission as an inverted mirror. Everything that went right in Cuba shatters to pieces in Bolivia. Weak morale, sickness, undisciplined soldiers- it all comes unhinged before our eyes as Soderbergh furiously maps out every detail of this group. We see the soldiers talk about strategy... we observe them walk from village to village... we get glimpses of the inner turmoil amongst the soldiers... and there are obscure references to USA (i.e. CIA) support. As a case in tedious deconstruction of a guerrilla movement, I suppose Soderbergh achieved what he was after. To me, Part Two wears out its welcome long before history runs it course- simply because the purpose and motivation inherently absent in Part One comes home to roost in Part Two. Why should I care about any of this? I commend Soderbergh for his efforts, but it's hard to take this dry (and largely sanitized) version of a warmonger seriously.

I'm A Cyborg, But That's Ok

I really, really love Chan Wook Park. And even the masters lapse into an occasional mis-step. "I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok" is just that. Visually impeccable (full of carefully orchestrated lateral pans, jumbled action bouncing around all edges of the frame, and a peppermint visual strategy at times), Park's latest puts us inside a mental institution with a girl (Su-jeong Lim) who falls in love with fellow patient Rain (Park ll-sun). Being locked inside this setting with these characters who pace around, scream, talk to vending machines and harbor fantastic visions that don't exist has its moments of whimsicality, but it soon turns maddening. The girl, who believes she's a cyborg sent to Earth as a warrior, gets some visual mileage as she imagines herself running rampant through the hospital and Park is obviously having fun after the dread and doom of his Vengeance trilogy, yet I never connected with the film' smorgasbord pop imagery or shrill characters. Major disappointment.

The International

And the surprise of my early movie-going year has to be Tom Tykwer's "The International". Smart in most instances and stylish enough to put most recent thrillers to shame, it's also a timely affair that raises the idea of one shadow bank rising up to support and engender violence around the world. It doesn't always work (see my next review) but foreign directors often bring a fresh eye to the true and tried genre film, and German Tykwer certainly does that here, patiently allowing scenes to play out before cutting and staging one expertly imagined shoot-out in the Guggenheim museum. And everything else, including the plot and acting by Clive Owen, Naomi Watts and Armin Mueller-Stahl, are first rate. Pretty much anyone who reads this blog understands my penchant for 70's thrillers, and "The International" mixes just the right touch of subtle intrigue and tense mise-en-scene to fully announce itself as a throwback to those great pieces of cinema. Also, the manner in which Tykwer continually dwarfs the actors against architecture strikes at the heart of something much deeper than the plot. It's a nice aesthetic that mimics the film's sinister underbelly of corporate control and Illuminati-like conspiracy theories.

Taken

Pierre Morel's "Taken" starts off badly and never really recovers. For the first 30 minutes, Luc Besson's script is seemingly tone-deaf, culling some mythical Britney Spears-like atmosphere in which a twenty-something actress plays a 17 year old girl who wears dresses and sneakers and goes crazy for a pony as a birthday present. Then we get the pop-singer with a heart of gold attacked by a stalker with a knife backstage, saved by bad-ass Liam Neeson to show-off what the film spends the next 100 minutes elaborating upon. Instead of serving as character building, these horribly contrived scenes are alienating. Then "Taken" subjects us to numerous eye-racking fights and car crashes edited within an inch of their life, whizzing by without a sense of space or movement. It's fun to see Liam Neeson kick ass and take names, but little else.

Who's That Girl?

For some reason or another, I've been on an 80's movie kick lately. The latest to arrive from Netflix was 1985's "Tuff Turf", starring James Spader as a bicycle riding, break dancing version of James Dean in "Rebel Without A Cause". As the new kid in town, Spader quickly upsets the local gang of thugs (identified by their bare-chested outfits, greased hair and switchblade carrying personas). But despite this war of conformism vs. non-conformism, he does fall in love with the head bullies' girlfriend, a long haired vixen named Frankie. From the moment 'Frankie' was on-screen, I was perplexed. Where do I remember this girl? Who is she? Wow she's beautiful in that funky 80's way. I quickly ran to IMDB and discovered it was none other than Kim Richards, childhood star and the first girl in a movie I can remember being attracted to.

I probably watched "Escape To Witch Mountain" and "Return To Witch Mountain" more than any other movie as a young boy. As the star in both of those movies, Richards became a Disney icon for these roles. Then came "Meatballs Part 2", a film that I often had to watch on the sly because it was rated R. After seeing "Tuff Turf" all these years, I can proudly say my affections for her aren't shameful. Sometimes, we look back on childhood crushes with disdain and wonder what we ever saw in them. Richards was (and still is) gorgeous. And a not-too-bad actress as well. In "Tuff Turf" she holds her own as the girl divided between a taste for edginess and her middle class desire to settle down with a good person like Spader. It's an interesting performance in a movie that serves as a true time capsule to the 80's, edited and shot at times like a bad 80's video.

While Richards made only a couple films after 1990, she is listed as a credit in the upcoming The Rock remake of the Witch Mountain franchise. I don't know if that'll be enough to get me out to see the thing, but I might give it a second look on DVD. And a few facts- Richards is the aunt to Hilton girls and she was in "The Blair Witch Project"? Never dawned on me. If nothing else, seeing "Tuff Turf" was a neat experience for bringing back so many good memories of Richards. And FYI... if you find this type of stuff interesting, I implore you to check out The Moviezzz Blog and then click on his series of posts titled "Whatever Happened To?" He does this sort of thing with more passion (and intensive research) than I ever could.

Regional Review: Last Night At the Alamo

Another check marked can be applied to one of the films on my Produced and Abandoned Must See list. And, of all places, it's viewing came courtesy of IFC. Yes, in between their 125th showing of a film called "Let Him Have It", the channel slipped in ONE showing of Eagle Pennell's seminal Texas cult film. It felt like the proverbial needle in the haystack.

Pennell's second film, which has been marked as the inspiration for filmmakers like Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez, tells the simple, drunkenly tale of the patrons of a bar in Houston during its last night in operation. With a few exterior shots in the very beginning as Ichabod (Steven Mattila) and his girlfriend Mary (Tina Bess Hubbard) drive to the Alamo bar, Pennell's film is an example of indie filmmaking on a sparse budget. Even though the city of Houston is largely unrepresented, the languid and humid coastal Texas summer setting hangs over every frame of the film. It's the type of heat that we've all experienced- we drink to stay cool and never stay cool because we get drunk. 99% of the movie takes place inside the dank Alamo bar where sunlight seems to act as bright rays of sun that sends piercing stabs into the bar darkness. And the assorted cast huddled inside the bar- the brash and good looking Cowboy (Sonny Carl Davis), the drunk and lovelorn Claude (Lou Perryman)- hover from the light and sink deeper into their drinks as the night wears on. There are fights, shotguns pulled, LOTS of swear words (from a very liberal and rambling script by Texas screenwriter Kim Henkel best known for his collaboration with Tobe Hooper on "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre") and fights that threaten to break up relationships...everything that routinely happens in a beer-swigging, loose Texas bar on its final night of business.

"Last Night At the Alamo" breaks no new rules. The joy of the film lies in its rag-tag bunch of layabouts and misanthropes. The most dynamic character, Cowboy is just that- a boot wearing, smooth talking, long sleeve shirt wearing good 'ol boy who blows into the bar and gets everyone whooping and hollering. He eventually hooks up with the prettiest woman in the bar (Amanda Lamar) who ends up in the bar with her friend, overdressed and "slumming", pisses her off, starts a fight, and drives away in the same drunkened state that seems to cap off every night. At that's precisely the underlying point of "Last Night At the Alamo", an ironic title if I've ever heard one. Even though the Alamo is closing- an event that hints at an economic depression in the area- and a stalwart establishment is taking its leave, the Ichabods and Cowboys and Claudes of the world will continue their merry-go-round of drinking and talking long after the Alamo fades in their memory. They'll just drink and flirt and fight somewhere else. Tomorrow night will be the first night somewhere else. Pennell accurately captures this passing of time with humor and grandiose Texas swagger. And from all the stories I've read of him, Cowboy may be his alter ego. "Last Night At the Alamo" is definitely a film worth waiting for. Now, if only IFC would schedule MORE shwoings of it.

Rolling Around In My Head

Maybe this blog can serve as an exorcist when songs are stuck inside my head. Like the idea that by posting them for everyone to hear, they'll somehow be expunged from my head? Doubtful. Still, take a look and listen to the below video from a band called We Are Scientists. This one is definitely the catchiest of the bunch (and a hell of a funny video to boot!). It's prominent placement in "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" doesn't hurt its exposure either.



This second one is from a relatively new band on my scene. They're called The Airborne Toxic Event. I need to do a little further digging on these guys. Reminiscent of The Arcade Fire, I don't think they're quite as talented as them... or do they create music that builds to the melodic crescendos quite as nicely as Arcade Fire. But there's potential. And the song tells a nicely etched story that we can all relate with.

TV Alert: Brotherhood

In keeping with my long history of being the last person to ever catch onto the various waves of popular culture on TV, I humbly submit another overlooked gem that I've discovered in its unfashionable second run (i.e. DVD). It's Showtime's "Brotherhood"- a show commonly referred to as bargain basement "Sopranos" since it deals with a Northeastern family (Rhode Island, not Jersey) struggling against their complicity with the fringes of the mafia in similar ways to Tony Soprano and his multi-layered six season run. The big difference with "Brotherhood", though, is its attention to the moral gray areas that accompany the Caffee family since one brother, Tommy (Jason Clarke) is deeply rooted as a local politician while the other, Michael (Jason Isaacs) returns home the prodigal son after seven years and immediately resumes his conquest to create a criminal organization. Dividing its time between bustin' heads on the streets and filibusters deep within the halls of civic duty, creator Blake Masters and main writer Henry Bromell (known for directing/writing the film "Panic" with William H. Macy) strike a hearty comparison that either trade isn't too far removed from the other. It's not a completely original idea, but "Brotherhood" creates a strong sense of knowledge about both worlds that seeps off the screen in fascinating textures.

It's probably inevitable that a series such as this (created after "The Sopranos" and by a rival network no less) would sustain middling excitement. Even going into the first episode, I wasn't optimistic that "Brotherhood" would grasp my attention. But, comparisons to "The Wire" in how the show succinctly presents intelligent glances into city government without losing touch with the more human elements (namely Tommy's family and complex wife, played by the beautiful Annabeth Gish) ultimately coaxed me to give the series a shot. I'm certainly glad I did. This isn't "The Sopranos", but there's always room for different interpretations to a similar story, and "Brotherhood" excels at creating the same type of immersion into a culture (this time Irish Catholic dominated Providence, Rhode Island) that David Chase managed with his earlier trendsetter. More low key but no less ambitious, "Brotherhood" tangles with the Biblical- titling its episodes after Bible verses- and sheds equal screentime on so many tangents of this family and their chosen paths (good or bad) that it reaches a sublime mixture of personal and educational. Just as focused and intelligent as Tommy is on his own personal movement within local and state government, writer Blake Masters rounds out his gangster brother, Michael, with just as much intelligence and dedication in his own pursuit of incorporating the less-than-honest denizens of the neighborhood. Needless to say, the show is gearing up for a Cain and Abel like explosion that will pit brother against brother. I'll be watching. And I hope more converts join the ranks.

Cinema Obscura: Expect the Unexpected

Patrick Yau's late nineties action thriller, "Expect the Unexpected", certainly lives up to its title. Executive produced by everyone's favorite Asian director Johnny To, Yau's film bears a close resemblance to some of To's work, especially the crime-ridden urban environment of "Breaking News" in which violence seems to be seeping through every crevice of its downtown locations. In "Expect the Unexpected", the plot again concerns the abrupt clash of cops and crooks. As the film opens, a jewelry store robbery goes horribly awry, forcing the criminals to escape into a high rise apartment building with the cops in tow. Three different criminals watch all of this with anticipation from a cafe across the street since the very same apartment building seems to be their captivity grounds for kidnapped and assaulted women. While conducting a search from apartment to apartment, the cops discover this and find themselves hunting two separate groups of criminals. In the mix are two police sergeants played by Simon Lam and Ching Wang Lau (both staples of Johnny To films) who both fall for the cafe owner (Yo Yo Mung). If one can get through some of the very lame attempts at humor and some awful subtitles, there's a great little masterpiece within "Expect the Unexpected".

Formally, Yau is a great director of action films. Remember, this film was released in 1998 which means the shaky-cam has (thankfully) not yet entered the visual language of cinema. Instead, we're treated to long steadicam shots and carefully composed medium shots which neatly construct the logistics of space and placement during several shoot out scenes- especially the final one. But the real joy of "Expect the Unexpected" (as I alluded to earlier) is the sneaky translation of the film's title. If one thinks they know how this will turn out, think again. Yau doesn't ruin anything with a soapy twist ending, but he does play our expectations into a stunning reversal that will leave you breathless.

"Expect the Unexpected" is available on DVD.

Moments of 2008

In conjunction with my favorite films of the year list, I offer up some moments out of 2008 films that made an indelible impression on me. Older online buddies will recognize this as a recurring event. This list is a collection of film dialogue, gestures, camera movements, moods or looks and ideas within a given scene. This list is inspired by Roger Ebert's list of movie moments as well as the once great (now dead) yearly wrap up in Film Comment. Possible spoilers so beware!

1. The performance of Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder" and his many reaction shots.
2. In Christophe Honore's "Love Songs", the dreamlike image of a man hovering towards the camera down a rainy French street.
3. In You Le's "Summer Palace", the shot of a man and woman silently walking in silhouette against a sun-drenched river.
4. Richard Jenkins finally letting out his emotions on a man behind glass in an immigration center. "The Visitor".
5. In an internet cafe, cut to a dog, back to a man waiting for an internet connection to connect, back to the dog outside... timed to a U2 song. "Tell No One".
6. No finer performances this year than Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti in HBO's great, epic "John Adams".
7. The slow zoom into a blank TV screen and the reflection of a man (Sam Rockwell) waiting silently in a chair with a shotgun draped across his lap in David Gordon Green's "Snow Angels".
8. The ice-cold evil image of the Joker (Heath Ledger) hanging his head outside the back window of a police car, hair blowing wildly in the wind, completely at peace with the chaos he just created in "The Dark Knight".
9. The performance of Winona Ryder as Death Nell in "Sex and Love 101"- one scene with her in a diner is worth suffering through the whole movie.
10. Medium length shot down a blood splattered hallway as Beatrice Dalle ferociously tries to kick down a door separating her from her pregnant prey in the French horror movie "Inside".
11. The dream like home movie images that open "Paranoid Park" as skaters rumble across concrete ramps.
12. The POV shot from inside a closet- Brad Pitt looks at the door, to the bathroom where George Clooney is taking a shower, across the bed, to a window... and then back to a purple pillow laying on the bed. More visual brilliance from the Coen Brothers in "Burn After Reading".
13. Mickey Rourke, emerging from his slumber in the back of his van to playfully wrestle with some kids outside... a giant with a heart of gold in "The Wrestler".



14. In "My Blueberry Nights" alcoholic bar patron David Straithern explaining the symbolism behind the colored poker chips in his wallet.
15. The way Christine Collin's (Angelina Jolie) first phone call to the police registers sadness and confusion... and the way her voice cracks when she first tries to explain her name- either a marvelous stretch of method acting or serendipitous coincidence that loans her performance a gut wrenching sense of loneliness. "Changeling".
16. A little girl covering her ears and standing motionless in silhouette as doctor's restrain her storytelling friend in "The Fall".
17. Col von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) looking down trying to follow which briefcase is his in Bryan Singer's impressive, taut thriller "Valkyrie". One of the many moments that gets the viewer's pulse racing and brow sweating with tension.
18. Ed Norton's face dropping with sadness the first time he sees Betty (Liv Tyler) on a park bench. "The Incredible Hulk".
19. A car passing a woman on the street... and two lovers not reuniting in "Summer Palace".
20. "My tooth really hurts" "I can fix that for you." the final lines of dialogue spoken in "Ghost Town", ending on the right note of connection and tenderness.
21. A young boy sitting on a train, tapping the top of a trunk... and a final scene that reverberates with chilling connotations. "Let the Right One In"
22. In "Rachel Getting Married", the rehearsal dinner scene that runs on for far too long yet creates a palpable sense of community.... until Kym (Anne Hathaway) stands up and gives her speech. I could feel the tension in the theater rise with every word, waiting for the breakdown.
23. In "The Visitor", the way Richard Jenkins slowly turns his head to give a mother her moment while reading a letter from her son.
24. The way that Heath Ledger curls out the response "yes" after being asked "you think you can just come in and here steal from us!?" The Dark Knight.
25. The non-chalant and robotic way that a shirtless Asian man picks up a gun and walks into a room to kill someone just because he's told to do so in Oliver Assyas' abstract thriller "Boarding Gate".
26. The long take of a woman trying to get comfortable on a hotel room bed while a man unrolls his black bag of knives and utensils on a table in the corner of the room in Christi Mungui's agonizingly brilliant "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days".
27. A foot chase across a busy French highway in "Tell No One" and pretty much the exact way a foot chase across a busy highway would end.
28. The first phone call to Cox (John Malkovich) and Brad Pitt's reading of "the security... of your shit." "Burn After Reading"
29. A smoke outside a cafe on a cold night with an ex-girlfriend and the uncomfortable, all-too-real conversation that follows in Wong Kar Wai's much maligned and overlooked gem "My Blueberry Nights".



30. "Damn, I don't know why that smelled like bologna." Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder".
31. A seance captured in night vision, full of hidden corners and ominous sounds that had the hair on the back of my neck standing straight up. "The Orphanage".
32. The contest of putting dishes into the dishwasher. "Rachel Getting Married".
33. The quick zoom as Randy the Ram (Rourke) looks up to the second floor and sees Marisa Tomei gone, and his jump into the oblivion. "The Wrestler"
34. In Neil LaBute's nice return to suburban-malaise-form "Lakeview Terrace", the way Samuel Jackson quietly turns a dinner party into an aggressive attack on inter-racial marriage.
35. I'd like one mocha coffee, black." "Can't you see we're havin' a conversation here... white." Craig Robinson in "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"
36. A penguin making a break and wandering off into the white abyss by itself in Werner Herzog's overly pretentious but visually sumptuous documentary "Encounters at the End of the World".
37. What happens if you don't invite a vampire in... and the explosive hug that Oskar gives Eli after seeing it. "Let the Right One In"
38. The slow motion way that Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) puts his hands up in a vain attempt to stop the bullets in "Milk".
39. The first sounds of Etta James' voice (Beyonce Knowles) partially obscured by a bathroom door, and the mournful voice that overtakes the film. "Cadillac Records".
40. A cell phone ringing... and ringing... "Slumdog Millionaire"

My Favs of 2008

As a continuation of other "year's end" wrap up posts on this blog, I humbly submit my twenty favorite films of 2008. I can proudly say that I watched more films this year than any previous year (163 total new) and I hope that carries forward into 2009. I've still got my annual "Moments of 2008" post upcoming, and then I'll be ready to venture into the vastness (aka dumping grounds) of the January and February release schedule. These 20 favorites may be someone else's twenty worst, but isn't that what makes watching movies so much fun?

20. Ghost Town- Besides being side splitting funny, watching Ricky Gervais act as a cantankerous dentist with a disdain for all other people doesn't sound like the formula for an endearing romance- yet it is. Tea Leoni is absolutely great as well. Don't let the unoriginal premise scare- man begins to see ghosts and they harp on him to right all the wrongs so they can move on- scare you away. Underneath the laborious plot, there's a genuinely moving and sweet undertone. And the final scene between Gervias and Leoni is terrific.

19. The Orphanage- The first new '08 film I saw way back in January, and it's stuck with me since then. Spanish filmmakers are creating some magically deviant scary movies right now, and Juan Bayona's film is no exception. Part psychological horror and part childhood fairy-tale, there are two or three scenes in "The Orphanage" that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

18. Tropic Thunder- Ben Stiller's parody of the war film understands comedic timing, eliciting most of its laughs out of its sharply conceived script. While most other comedies fail due to their reverence to improvisational comedy which does little more than allow scenes to run on much longer than necessary, "Tropic Thunder" succeeds in delivery and reaction shots. I could make an entire list of Robert Downey Jr's witty lines in this film, and its clearly the performance of a man (and a cast) having genuine fun.

17. Changeling- Clint Eastwood's "noble failure" by some, left in the dust from his other prestige picture this year, deserves more credit than its gotten. Angelina Jolie gives an incredibly visceral performance, and the look and texture of 1920's Los Angeles pops off the screen. While many have decried Eastwood's multi-faceted storyline that abruptly shifts gears and takes control during the second half of the film, I found the path to be an uncompromising and interesting attack on the mores of good and evil- a theme he's been working on for decades.

16. Valkyrie- Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" is a film that understands the slow-burn pacing that marks the great thrillers, building up the evolving plot to kill Hitler through backroom conversations, hushed tones, and small almost throwaway moments of eye contact or body posture that fit perfectly in the vein of good conspiracy thrillers. Devoid of CGI effects, this is the exact type of film that John Frankenheimer might have tackled in the 70's. A true breath of fresh air in the over-hyped, overworked action thrillers of today. See Film Comment's excellent write-up on the film as well.

15. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days- Cristi Mungiu's Romanian film about 2 college students working arduously to seek an abortion is terrifying to watch. Not only does Mungui's camera capture so much of the action in unwavering long takes, but the oppression and collapsing social order of 1980's Romania are captured with an equal gaze. This is a great film that will only rise in stature over time.

14. The Visitor- Not only does Richard Jenkins deserve a Best Actor nomination for his performance in Tom McCarthy's vibrant, humane little drama, but I wouldn't mind seeing other noms for anyone else in this film. Topics such as immigration and varying cultures clashing together due to sitcom-style antics (in this case a confusing manner of apartment leasing) have been well tread indie subjects for years now, yet "The Visitor" wrangles this oft-used story to magnificent heights.

13. The Rape of Europa- On one level, this is a documentary about the plundering of art across Europe during World War 2 for vain and selfish reasons. On another level, this is a sobering account of cruelty and inhuman destruction that, by now, should come as no surprise to anyone who has visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington or watched any documentary on Hitler and his cronies' expansion across Russia, France, Poland and Italy. But instead of wallowing in the desperation, the film takes a redemptive turn towards the end and shows us the groups of Allied men and women who spent the last year of the war (and lifetimes afterward) searching for most of the missing art and desperately trying to regain a small part of a culture that was ripped apart. Infinitely moving and educational.

12. Shotgun Stories- I'm convinced that when actor Michael Shannon blows up to mainstream audiences in the next year or two, this will be the defining performance that people flock to. Jeff Nichols' debut film is a thunderbolt of restrained violence and anger that simply melts off the screen. Unfairly compared to the works of David Gordon Greene (which even I used in my initial review), Nichols completely understands the poignant grace and sublime textures of small town America, milking Southern ennui for everything its worth. The film, which charts the escalating violence between two sets of brothers, takes the viewer down a very dark path, but its Shannon's performance that gives the film its weight. See this film at all costs.

11. My Blueberry Nights- Marginalized and forgotten upon release, Wong Kar Wai's first American film maintains the dreamy, vibrant atmosphere of his Chinese films and manages to be sensual without doing a whole lot. Wong understands how to film body language, silences, and his camera is there to encapsulate these mute feelings in swooning slow motion and patient lateral pans. There's a single scene, between cafe owner Jude Law and an old girlfriend that speaks volumes about our fragile connections with old flames, and how devastating it can be when they swoop in and out of our lives. Norah Jones, too, swoops in and out of Law's life (and all around the country) meeting various vagrants of the American landscape including Rachel Wiesz, David Straithern- who deserves a supporting actor nomination work for his turn as a tormented alcoholic in Memphis- and Natalie Portman. This is basically a road movie as only Wong Kar Wai could make... full of speed up landscapes, fluorescent subway trains and life observed from the outside looking in through glass windows.

10. Burn After Reading- Just like the Coen Brothers to keep us guessing after the brooding masterpiece that was "No Country For Old Men". I suspect that with time, "Burn After Reading" will take its place next to "The Big Lebowski" as one of their most treasured (i.e. cultish) works. I was laughing through every frame of this film. The cast is perfectly delirious, the narrative is bonkers (yet makes perfect sense when watched again) and the ending is just as unexpected as the contemplative final scenes of their previous Oscar winner.

9. Summer Palace- Lou Ye has long been a favorite of mine, and with "Summer Palace" he's created a dizzying ode to youth and love during the seismic changes of China in the late 80's. Following four students (two couples) as they maneuver through various beliefs and movements, "Summer Palace" is an extension of Ye's affection for grand romances pitted against the politics and cultural shifts of history.

8. Tell No One- Guillame Canet's superbly paced, intricately plotted (so much so that you've got to pay attention early or very small details may pass you by and leave you in the dark when the conclusion rolls around) thriller is exciting as hell. There are two scenes here- a rush to an Internet cafe tuned to a song by U2 and a chase across a busy French beltway- that are some of the most exciting moments I've seen on screen all year. This is the type of film where the lone image of a computer screen trying to connect to its server makes one hold their breath- it's that flawlessly executed. I look forward to whatever Canet does next- and the inevitable Hollywood remake?

7. Boarding Gate- Olivier Assayas' abstract thriller that breaks apart the genre and strips it down to its barest essence. Asia Argento stars as the heroine running from something or somebody.. maybe because of her relationship with shady businessman Michael Madsen or maybe not. The film does explain a lot if one pays attention in the final scene, but everything up until that point is a refraction of the usual tropes and filmed in Assayas' usual reliance on whip pans and handheld camera that provides fragments of faces and information. "Boarding Gate" is yet another brilliant entry into the career of a French filmmaker who manages to hop from genre to genre with style and intellect.

6. Slumdog Millionaire- The backlash has already begun on Danny Boyle's heart warming tale of star-crossed lovers, game shows and Mumbian thugs. Spliced together like a music video at times, the film's real verve comes in the final act when it builds to a crescendo that had me gripping the arms of my chair in anticipation.

5. Let the Right One In- Descriptions of Thomas Alfredson's "Let the Right One In" could encompass so many genres- horror film, suburban teen angst (albeit in a very cold, nontraditional setting), awkward adolescent love story, coming-of-age melodrama... everything fits and evokes a specific reaction. So many ideas and emotions are crammed into the film that choosing any one of these would be sufficient. But what resonates most is the tender relationship that forms between a bullied boy and a vampire trapped in a 12 year old girl's body. Austere, tender and framed with a precise sense of camera placement, this is a new benchmark for the vampire film- one that dares to wrap a beating heart around the age old myth.

4. The Dark Knight- Christopher Nolan's film is not only a good entry into the caped crusader chronicles but its a terrific crime film, echoing the vibrancy of Michael Mann with its opening heist and sweeping helicopter pans through urban downtown. Refusing to let off the accelerator as Batman and The Joker use Gotham as one giant sprawling playground of excess from the very beginning, "The Dark Knight" is a breathless exercise in continual climax. And those eyes of Heath Ledger.... spilling out with evil and hatred will never be forgotten.

3. Inside- Julien Maury and Alexander Bustillo's "Inside" is terrifying. After so many of the recent wave of French horror films missed the mark, Bustillo and Maury take a simple premise- a pregnant woman home alone on Christmas Eve, ready to give birth the next day, and the emergence of a sadistic other woman (simple billed as "the woman" and played to feverish perfection by Beatrice Dalle) trying to get to the unborn baby- and wrench every bit of tension and disturbing psychology out of it. But this isn't just a gore-fest. Bustillo and Maury's attention to editing and camera placement are first rate and the film deserves a long life in Midnight movie circles.

2. The Wrestler- Darren Aronofsky's double edged sword tribute to a fictional character and real-life Mickey Rourke are only the stepping stones to this beautifully realized film that tosses a scruffy, hand held aesthetic at the viewer and then makes us completely forget we're watching a fictional story. Mickey Rourke is incredible, yes, but what really makes this film tick are the supporting performances by Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei as women fighting away the same demons of self-destruction as Randy The Ram. And for a film that looks and feels so simple, its a deceptively complex study of connection and growing old made all the more poignant (and open ended) by its closing shot.

1. Rachel Getting Married- Armed with a witty, biting script from Jenny Lumet, Jonathan Demme's chamber piece is a brilliant evocation of the type of film John Cassavetes used to shoot on the fly. As Kym, the drug-addled sister left out of rehab to visit her sister on the weekend she's getting married, Anne Hathaway is a revelation. Demme immerses the viewer in a sea of characters over the course of the weekend, dwelling on the rehearsal dinner and the post wedding bash. "Rachel Getting Married" feels like one long unedited take from a cousin's home video camera, capturing overlapping dialogue, a dance party that shifts from belly dancers to hip hop with ebullience, and long speeches by the family members that radiate warmth and knowledge. "Rachel Getting Married" earns every second of its running time, brimming with life and affection.


Honorable mentions and near misses- Doubt, The Bank Job, Surfwise, The Counterfeiters, Transsiberian, American Teen, Milk, Boy A, Young @ Heart, Lakeview Terrace, Baghead, A Christmas Tale

Doldrums

What does 13-3 mean in the postseason for the past couple of years? That you'll lose in the first game you play. Ask the Giants, or the Panthers, or the Cowboys last year how a 12-4 or 13-3 record feels right now. Worthless. Watching the Titans lose to the Ravens last weekend didn't hurt as much as it used to when I was younger. There's so much more to worry about these days then the wins or losses of a football team. But it still stings when the team performs well all year, only to come out and be in the red zone 7 times and only come away with two scores. With running back Chris Johnson on the sidelines, Baltimore exposed what I feared all season- that Tennessee is definitely an offensively challenged team.

For the past few years, Championship Sunday has offered a couple intriguing match-ups. This year... I won't be watching either game. I could care less about Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore or especially the Arizona Cardinals (they still have a football team??). And what hurts the worst, as it always does this time of year, is the lack of worthwhile sports on TV. I suppose now that I've got the Golf Channel in HD, that will bring some life to my sports watching, but unless I want to break down the shots on goal through power plays or suffer through an NBA season, my movie watching will certainly increase! All that's left now is to close my eyes, cross my fingers and dream about spring training in two months.

Great World of Sound: My Fav Music of '08

Part 2

5. DeVotchKa- "A Mad and Faithful Telling"

As written about in an earlier post, Denver band DeVotchKa are certainly an acquired taste. Blending horns, polka, orchestral rock and pretty much everything else imaginable, their sound is unlike any other band. On first listen, they sound like a really cheesy lounge band that belongs in the dark backrooms of Reno (yes, not even Las Vegas). But damn if their sound didn't grow on me. I've since gone back and purchased their earlier stuff and they're truly mad geniuses.



4. The Gutter Twins- "Saturnalia"

As a fan of The Afghan Whigs since the mid nineties, I'll pretty much follow front man and lyricist Greg Dulli anywhere. His vocals are ear shatteringly off-key sometimes, but one can't deny the power and dark hurt in many of his lyrics. After bouncing around with his superior and under appreciated band The Twilight Singers, '08 saw him team up with former Screaming Trees guitarist Mark Lanegan and release this collaboration on Sub Pop! Not only does it encompass the morbidity of Dulli's lyrics, but the album reaches some pretty damn nice heights of music.



3. M83- "Saturdays=Youth"

Absolutely stunning collection of songs ripped from the 80's and stylized into moody, atmospheric synthesizer rock. Eerily reminiscent of every groundbreaking eighties band from Vangelis to My Bloody Valentine, M83 is really the brainchild of mix maestro Anthony Gonzales. Not only has he created one of the best albums of the year, but an album that would fit right at home on top of the charts in 1988. The tracks "Coleurs" and "We Own the Sky" are especially great. I urge any fan of electronica 80's music to give this a spin.



2. Kings Of Leon- "Only By the Night"

I can remember when these guys were considered alt-country (a genre I just never can get into), so I guess it was time for an image shift. Well they did a fantastic job with reinventing themselves. Taking their cue from the late 70's FM rock (made popular again by My Morning Jacket), this is a stellar album without a single bad track. While "Sex On Fire" is the single of the year, there are hidden gems on this album such as "Use Somebody", "Revelry" and "Manhatten" that are jaw droppers as well. Lead man Caleb Followill's voice is crisp and soulful which lends a credibility to their raw sound. A perfect album all around.



1. Sigur Ros- "Med Sud i eyrum vid spilum endelaust"

Translated as With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play Endlessly. I know... I know.... it all sounds very pretentious, but Sigur Ros generates the exact type of music that gets me soaring. For their fifth album, they do lean a bit to the mainstream, even singing some lyrics in English! Simply put, their sound coalesces into a momentous explosion of strings, guitar and sobbing vocals that puts you in a melancholic mood. Fresh, beautiful and startling from first track to last.

Great World of Sound: My Fav Music of '08

Part 1

I find myself being more and more selective about the music I buy. It's not for lack of good music- in fact, my acquisition of XM radio last year opened up the vessels of available music in ways too many to count- but I find myself sticking more closely to the tried and true artists before branching out to new ones. Granted, the mosaic YouTube is probably one of the most fascinating avenues for research of music than anything before (if only most of the clips weren't crappy live performances from a handheld phone), and for this music lovers should rejoice. Still, I purchased about 15 new cd's this year, and I can say that half of them were pretty great. In order of preference, here are my fav albums of the year:

10. The Black Crowes- "Warpaint"

Either you like the laid back southern-rock blues of The Black Crowes or you find it a passive sound in a world that's moved on. "Warpaint" is by no means a re-invention of their sound, but it accomplishes so much in its simplicity. I can remember the thunderbolt that "Shake Your Money Maker" and "Southern Harmony Musical Companion" brought to me. In fact, I believe I bought the latter twice because I wore out the first copy in one of those first generation in-dash cd players that skipped with every tiny bump. "Warpaint" is stripped down, bare bones blues rock like only the Robinson brothers can pull off.



9. Coldplay- Viva La Vida

Go ahead... toss every "40 Year Old Virgin" reference you want at me. I like Coldplay. Have since their debut. Again, nothing revolutionary here, but some nice show stopping sounds that mixes choirs, synthesizers and melodic Brit-rock. Radiohead knock off, yes, but a damn fine one.



8. And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead- "Festival Thyme" (EP)
If Austin, Texas can lay claim to one style of music, that would be the explosive 'wall of sound' exemplified in pioneering purveyors such as Explosions In the Sky and the above mentioned band- and I guess they all have a four letter minimum for their names. And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead released this EP in late October as a stop-gap for their upcoming album in '09 and I can't wait.



7. The Mars Volta- "Bedlam In Goliath"
To call this album a disappointment is selling it extremely short, but typically a Mars Volta album ends up as the one I cherish most upon release. No where near the masterpieces of "Deloused in the Crematorium" or "Frances the Mute", "Bedlam In Goliath" took a couple of listens before I warmed up to it. Their heavy, free-from prog-rock is not everyone's cup of tea, and "Bedlam" sounds a little choppy compared to the maddening flow of music that often streams through their work. Still, anything these guys do ranks head and shoulders above what ANY other artist is doing.



6. Mogwai- "The Hawk Is Howling"
Seeing this band in person was going to be a high point for me this year, but mother nature and the nasty after effects of something called a hurricane earlier this year foiled those plans. Mogwai is a band that hardly changes their sound (moody instrumental rock that Michael Mann favors for many of his films) and "The Hawk Is Howling" is full of more head bobbing tunes that puts one in a reflective mood. Come to think of it, I couldn't imagine a better band to listen to during a hurricane. And who doesn't love songs titled "The Sun Smells Too Loud" and "I'm Jim Morison, I'm Dead"?

Cinematic Round Up

Valkyrie

Typically, when a film is pushed back and reloaded as many times as "Valkyrie" has been, there's definitely trouble on the horizon. To my surprise, Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" is not only a watchable film, but a highly entertaining and taut thriller that grips the viewer from beginning to end. Bottom line,"Valkyrie" exceeded every expectation. The first thing I noticed was a complete lack of CGI- or at least it's gotten so good that it fools the eye of an observer such as myself ready to scoff at the first green screen effect. Then I did some research and learned that this was a conscious decision by Singer and producer Cruise to minimize the special effects. What we get instead are real explosions, real tanks and planes, and real extras that fill the screen with natural looking movement. In this day and age of CGI overkill, that's worth the price of admission alone. Yet director Singer carries this old fashioned sense of movie making one step further and creates almost unbearable tension in certain scenes through keen camera placement and sharp editing. Instead of abrasive hand held cinematography, DP Thomas Newton Sigel creates ambiance out of slow lateral pans that gives more weight to the shadows cast off by the actors then anything else. "Valkyrie" is a film that understands the slow-burn pacing that marks the great thrillers, building up the evolving plot to kill Hitler through backroom conversations, hushed tones, and small almost throwaway moments of eye contact or body posture that fit perfectly in the vein of good conspiracy thrillers. A lot of this credit must got to screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie as well. And, even though Cruise hits a false note here or there as the Col Stauffenberg, the leader of the plot, the supporting cast of Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Tom Wilkinson, Kenneth Branaugh and the immensely beautiful Carice van Houten (from Verhoeven's "Black Book") will instantly remove any bad taste. In the modern wasteland of bigger, faster and stronger action movies, "Valkyrie" turns back the clock and proves that stylish, patient thrillers can still be made viable in today's market. "Valkyrie" deserves more word of mouth, both personally and virtually.

Gran Torino

I suppose the string of Eastwood slam dunks had to come to an end sooner or later. And it does with a loud thud in "Gran Torino". Awkwardly piecing together racist tirades and cringe-worthy humor in the first half, and then shifting gears into a martyr piece in the second half, everything about "Gran Torino" feels strained. Where "Mystic River" twists into an unbearably devastating attack on love and loss, and "Changeling" ends on an ambivalent and challenging note, "Gran Torino" strives for this same type of weepy-eyed catharsis but comes up woefully short. This is the first Eastwood film in a while that feels clunky and unsure of itself. As Eastwood the Grumpy Old Man bonds with his Asian immigrant neighbors, Nick Schenk's script tosses out nuggets of supposed humor (barber shop banter, racial slurs that pass as humorous and 'cute' because Clint's an old man and needs forgiveness) that straddles a very crass line. By the time the grand finale rolled around, I couldn't care less about anyone. Major disappointment.

American Teen

Nanette Burstein's Sundance crowd pleaser took its time getting to mainstream American audiences. And then, when it did, it was amassed by controversy. Personally, I couldn't care less whether "American Teen" is manufactured docudrama or straight forward fiction. The characters are what matter, and the five kids who give carte blanche permission to film their senior year of high school- full of depressions, fights, text message break-ups and pains of loneliness- more than push "American Teen" head and shoulders above other teen movies. If it's a documentary, then Burstein was gifted with divine intervention to have such involving subjects. If it's fiction, then Burstein is certainly attuned to a generation much younger. But the real stand out in "American Teen", for me, was the intelligent and delicate Hannah Bailey. Teaming with invention and saddled with the ever-increasing longing to leave her small Indiana town and go to California, her story resonates more than the somewhat superficial narratives of the others. Even though there are brilliant little moments such as Megan receiving a letter from Notre Dame or Jake's incessant search for the 'right girl', Hannah is the really developed soul in this wonderful film.

The Reader

Stephen Daldry's "The Reader" is one of those tough films to classify. It's so middle of the road, it doesn't lend itself to an interesting review process. All the acting is uniformly fine and Daldry cross-cuts every scene like a madman accentuating a grand opera, yet there's a resounding "meh" when one exits the theater. I suppose if heavy, doom-laden Holocaust romance dramas with lots of nude Kate Winslet is your thing, then "The Reader" is perfect fare.

Hidden Treasures On the Boob Tube

Some days I can flip through the 150+ channels I've got and scream. One hundred and fifty channels and nothing on. How is that possible? But, I suppose if that's the worst of my troubles, I should be one thankful SOB.

But.... with the addition of an HD package I acquired recently, that's all changed. I'm talking about three little channels known as MGMHD, Universal HD and HD Net. Talk about an eclectic line-up. Over the past month, I've stumbled across movies as diverse as the following:

Ghost Warrior (1984)- B movie about a samurai warrior who is frozen for 400 years and then brought back to life in early 80's Los Angeles. Cheesy, but violent fun. Part of their Ninja New Year's celebration!

Between the Lines (1977)- Little seen indie film about the dissolution of a small Boston newspaper starring John Heard, Jeff Goldblum and Lindsay Crouse. Film Comment wrote about this movie last year and its especially prescient outlook on modern day newspapers.

The Delinquents (1957)- Robert Altman's debut film... more of an after school special, really, that documents the demise of a clean cut all American boy when he becomes entangled with local hoods.

In addition to those rarely seen, home video distribution-less films, these three channels provide showings of others- Bob Rafelson's "The Postman Always Rings Twice", a Jeff Bridges double feature with "The Big Lebowski" and "Cutter's Way", the under appreciated war movie "The Siege of Firebase Gloria", Lindsay Anderson's experimental 1968 film "The White Bus", and for those interested, a day full of Steven Seagal films. In addition to this list of impressive features, Universal often shows obscure TV shows. I'm currently in the middle of David Milch's "The Big Apple", which was his venture after "Homicide" and way before "Deadwood". All in high definition glory. If you have the opportunity and your local cable/satellite provider offers these channels, jump on the chance. You won't regret it.

Happy New Year...

Enjoy a stirring collection of images from the year in film, 2008, via Matt Shapiro.

Movie Endings

This post is a contribution to the Endings-Blogathon hosted at Valley Dreamin'.

What makes a great ending? I don't know if I can put it into words. Or if anyone can. We just know when an ending is perfect. Whether it leaves us with a gasp or a smile or a devastated feeling of being punched in the gut, films can achieve a cathartic transformation when they end on just that right note. My favorite ending and a very worthy entry into this blogathon has to be the final scene in Nick Gomez's 1992 indie drama "Laws of Gravity"... which I wrote about here earlier this year. Little seen and even more under represented on any home video form, the film is a cinema verite observation of four New York hoods, scratching and clawing their way for survival through petty shoplifting, incessant shit-talking and dealing firearms. It may sound especially hard to gain empathy for these lackluster burn outs, but actors Peter Greene and Adam Trese form a unique brotherly bond that echoes quietly throughout the film. As Jimmy, Peter Greene is constantly trying to simmer the short fuse that often explodes within Tommy (Trese). **Spoiler.. if you care, read no further** After 90 minutes of protective shelter, Jimmy turns his back for one second and the inevitable happens. But the power of this film's final scene is not in the death of Tommy, lying bleeding on the sidewalk in front of a bar, but the helpless way in which Greene hovers over the lifeless body, screaming for people to get back and give him some air, and constantly yelling out for "Sal!" "Sal!".. as the neighborhood father figure who never comes to help. Then, the sharp fade to black as the voice of Jimmy lingers over the fade out for a good minute, desperately pleading for people to "get the fuck back! Go home! Go home! Sal!" In the crowd of 90's indie cinema that charts some of the same territory, the desperation is the same. But in "Laws of Gravity", director Gomez makes you feel the loss of one life wasting away on the hot New York sidewalk like no one else.

One example of the languid brilliance of "Laws of Gravity". Admire the long take:




And a few honorable mentions:

Peter Weir's "Fearless" from 1993. This ending gives me chills everytime. Rent it today!



Abel Ferrera's "King of New York":



Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia"
Roman Polanski's Chinatown

Stanley Kubrick's "Dr Strangelove":

A David Fincher Tear Jearker?

Would it be wrong to declare that I sorely miss the clinical David Fincher over this new... softie? Immediately after returning home from the maudlin-fest that is "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", I popped in last year's "Zodiac" and cleansed the palette. Now that's a film that gets better with each new viewing... a film that offers up a new interpretation through its detached gaze of obsession of procedure... a film that heightens the intellect through small, meticulous ways such as the speech given by Downey Jr. towards the end... and especially a film that expertly marries Fincher's formal technique on a collision course with the saturated and beautifully dark HD images of night time California. I honestly doubt I'll ever have the inclination to watch "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button " again. Some have stated that it might be a film that gets better with age- i.e. meaning that us young 'uns must not be able to appreciate love and loss on the same profound scale as our elders!?- but for me, its message did hit home, moved me subtlety at times, but ultimately wore out its welcome after the 2 hour mark when the path of star-crossed lovers Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett shared yet another dreamy moment designed to stimulate the tear ducts. For anyone who wishes to see games of coincidence and chance played out between star-crossed lovers done without the turgid (and obvious) backdrop of history paraded in front, check out the works of Julio Medem who does this type of thing flawlessly, on a smaller budget, and with considerable less green screen.

But part of the blame has to lie squarely on the shoulders of writer Eric Roth. The thought of this being "Forrest Gump" part two is inescapable. The parallels are too eerie to swat away. The same type of colorful, cartoonish characters pop up along the journey, the most annoying being Jared Harris as the good hearted captain of a tugboat whose spirit seems to morph, posthumously, into a hummingbird and flies away. I'm not kidding. It's exactly this type of fairy-tale metaphor that ultimately overtakes "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and evolves into that type of film ... the dreaded overbearing Oscar-bait epic type. In certain instances, flights of whimsy like this can lift a film into the upper echelon ("Breaking the Waves" anyone?). In "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" this diluted any good natured harmony I'd built up for the film. Things turned cloying, dis ingenious, and ultimately I just wanted the misery to end. I want the Eric Roth of "The Insider" and "Munich" back.

The film isn't a total loss even though my previous two hundred words makes it seem that way. The film does look incredible, holds a moving score by Alexander Desplat and Cate Blanchett, by god, manages to look even hotter than ever before. How does she do that? Fincher holds restraint over most of the images, relying on a firmly planted camera to slowly pan and descend the green/brown interiors, and there are two or three scenes where a bright light is planted directly behind the face of the main character that casts an ominous silhouette over the person. I found myself much more involved in the way a scene was lit or the details in the background then the platitudes of loneliness and loss that was developing within the film. This is never a good thing. Like the speculative final moments of "Zodiac" which forces the viewer to assess everything that's come before and make an educated guess, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" leaves nothing to the imagination, except why Roth and Fincher chose to frame this ages-long love story against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina. I suppose its par for the course when one is piling misery upon misery.

On Doubt

Bringing a play to the big screen is always a tenuous task. In some cases, the restrictive nature of the stage hinders its celluloid interpretation, which forces the filmmaker to 'open up' the play, which seems to further dilute the power of the written word in the first place. I'm not thinking of any play-to-film specifically. But when it does work exceptionally well- i.e. pretty much any Mamet but especially "Glengarry Glen Ross" or Clifford Odets' "The Big Knife" or most of Neil Simon- very little can compare to the kinetic energy thrown off by the ensemble cast. That's pretty much the case with John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt". From the opening scene where Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is delivering a sermon about doubt and moral uncertainty (what else), this film sank its hooks in me. More than a review, I just wanted to jot down a few thoughts about this film.

1. Even though I didn't grow up in the specific milieu of "Doubt" (mid 1960's New York), I am a Catholic and did serve as an alter boy, so the familiarity of tradition, ritual and respect hit home immediately.
2. Granted, this is an actor's movie. Sit back and enjoy the sparks that fly between Meryl Streep and Hoffman as opposing sides of a belief. But more than that, I read Shanley's attempt as a direct confrontation between progressive religious ideals and the more traditional, stoic outlook on Catholicism. This is highlighted in quite entertaining flourishes as we successively witness the male priests drinking, smoking and telling jokes, and then cut to the solemn and quiet meal between the nuns- complete with milk and neatly divided foods on their plates.
3. The common complaint with "Doubt" is Shanley's obvious moral uncertainty about which side he falls on. Did Father Flynn really commit the actions Sister Aloyious (Streep) firmly believes he did? Or is it something completely fabricated since she opposes his modern flair for niceties? I couldn't care less what Shanley believes. Part of the intensity in watching "Doubt" is how subtly certain points are drawn. I have a pretty good idea what I think took place, but that interpretation could be diametrically opposed to what the person sitting next to me felt. As a conversation starter, "Doubt" situates itself precariously in the middle and one idea from one person could tip it one way or the other. There's certainly nothing wrong with a cinematic experience opening up numerous channels of dialogue. We need more of that today.
4. Viola Davis' one scene with Meryl Streep as the mother of the boy believed to be involved in the film's central conundrum, is definitely everything you've read about. She will receive an Oscar nomination, but don't let the powerhouse acting obfuscate the meaning of her scene. So much is said in very little and shaded ways. I found myself so wrapped up in her performance as an emotionally distraught mother that I may have missed the real explanation.
5. Damn Amy Adams is adorable. But then "The Office" should have taught me that.

Recently Seen

Cadillac Records

I admit to a strong bias on this one. My first job as a young teenager was working in a record/baseball card shop where I got paid in product. Yes, $45 a week in something can very quickly bulk up a sturdy collection of anything. And this is where I built up a 200+ record collection of blues masters (both black and white). This is where I first heard early Eric Clapton (The Yardbirds), Rolling Stones, Alexis Korner, The Animals.... and then I discovered the guys behind these guys. Robert Johnson, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf- a lifelong fascination was firmly rooted.And yes, I still treasure my record collection today, featuring some original issues of these masters as I grew older and had actual money to invest. Darnell Martin's "Cadillac Records" is a competent spin through the boisterous years of my favorite blues greats as Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) built up a stable of blues musicians and, in turn, spawned a whole new generation of musical talent. The film, focusing on the family-like atmosphere that develops (and then degrades) between Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) and harmonica pioneer Little Walter (Columbus Short), is big on heart. Satellite relationships, such as the introduction of Etta James (Beyonce Knowles), Chuck Berry (a lively Mos Def) and Howlin Wolf (Eamonn Walker) helps paint "Cadillac Records" as yet another music biopic that often succeeds more than it falters. Certain aspects are a little glib and certainly manipulated for maximum Hollywood effect, but the central performances of Wright and Knowles are (pardon the pun) electric. As Etta James, Knowles lights up the screen and when she belts out classics such as "At Last", I found my emotions soaring. She makes you feel the zing of passionate music being spewed out with equal fiery and painful remembrance. Writer and director Darnell Martin doesn't do anything flashy. He allows the performances to carry the film. And in this regard, "Cadillac Records" is head and shoulders better than the lazy paint by numbers "Ray", yet it'll probably be overlooked both commercially and critically.

Milk not spoiler-free!

Shades of the morose drape Gus Van Sant's "Milk" from the very beginning, but it's to the credit of Van Sant, writer Dustin Lance Black and lead actor Sean Penn that the film rises above its inevitable sad conclusion by instilling such vibrant humanity in every character. Penn shines in the lead role as gay activist turned politician Harvey Milk (naturally) but it's the supporting cast that forms the real joyous core of "Milk". James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna and Josh Brolin provide miraculous supporting performances as members in (varying) aspects of the moral rainbow kick started by the right time and place- namely San Francisco in the late 70's when police beatings and routine discrimination against its growing homosexual population became the unofficial policy. Like any good bio-pic, "Milk" hits the right notes and duly checks off the high tide events, but the film managed to win me over regardless of its somewhat rudimentary framework. Again, the performances are so good it draws you in immediately. And when the inevitable does happen, Van Sant punctuates the moment in haunting and heartbreaking ways. Like he did with "Last Days" and especially "Elephant", the tracking shot becomes a fore bearer of evil. The minute the camera slowly tracks behind Supervisor Dan White (Brolin) down the halls of San Francisco's city building, you can taste violence in the air. A very good film.


A few minor blurbs about some others:

Step Brothers- I don't know why I continue to bother with these improvised Will Ferrell comedies. The best thing about this one is seeing Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins go crazy and say things like "what the fucking fuck?"

Blood of My Blood-Remember when the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance actually meant something for the recipient? At the very least, it meant respectable art house buzz and a generous push to a limited audience (thinking "Slam", "Three Seasons", "Welcome To the Dollhouse" or "You Can Count On Me"). With Christopher Zalla's "Blood of My Blood", it gets an unceremonious dump in early 2008, a full year after winning the prestigious Sundance acclaim. It's a decent little movie, following the divergent paths of two Mexican immigrants as they scrap and claw for a livelihood in the brutal concrete jungle of New York. While I personally wouldn't have garnered it with any awards, it's unusual to see the Sundance pedigree waning.