For the Love of Movies was a movie about movies, so it had that to overcome. Still, it was an interesting look at the history of the film critic, a now endangered species, and a plea for their importance and continuing relevance. I am a writer of criticism, so I could take heart, but the writing is on the wall as we enter the New Dark Ages.
Jeff, Who Lives at Home was sweet and simple, coaxing good performances from talented players. A man who cannot seem to make it out of his mother's basement leaves the house. Pat ending, but otherwise interesting work, a new way to get into the old plot mechanics.
Every so often, I re-watch The Big Lebowski. I continue to enjoy it.
Bad Boys II is an arch, insane film made at the height of America's W-era shrillness. So many bizarre choices are made, so many performances phoned in... the film is a series of sensations and set pieces that almost feel like scenes from different films. An Action Comedy from Michael Bay. Many thanks to the Gunky's Basement boys for searing this one onto my retinas.
We Need to Talk about Kevin was an exploration of the terror of the late 1990s, the realization that the success America had achieved was soon to fade and that the kids weren't all right. A mother lives in the aftermath of a senseless slaughter perpetrated by her psychopathic son. Could have been the worst sort of melodrama, instead comes alive coldly and precisely under the direction of Lynne Ramsay.
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is a continuation of my exploration of the films of Frank Tashlin. Another cartoon come to life. Simple post-modern self-reflexive fun. In guessing this is what Godard went to see when he needed to laugh.
The Raid: Redemption blew off the suburban multiplex screen, kicking and punching. A police squad raid a high-rise full of criminals. You have seen this before, but not as well done or as enjoyably executed.
The Muppets was okay.
The Myth of the American Sleepover was a knock-out debut, especially if you came of age in the time before smartphones. Young people navigate the last weekend of the summer and the ending (or beginning) of their adolescence. All first-time actors. I found Claire Sloma's performance especially luminous.
It was such a nice time to get together with some friends and watch The Usual Suspects. The film holds up, unlike others from the era.
Gerhard Richter Painting was a chance taken that paid off handsomely. I was unfamiliar with the artist before the film, but found it a serene mediation on the artistic process. Thanks to the Charles for showing it.
Key
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
MICA Brown Center/ Johns Hopkins Shriver Auditorium/ Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all titles are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 11 features (6 in theaters)
Friday, May 11, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Films Viewed (March 2012)
A Separation lived up to the hype, an engaging and dramatic Iranian film about a couple's disintegration under Sharia Law. You think you might not want to see this, but, trust me, you do. This was a well earned Academy Award.
Songs for Cassavetes was part of my last rentals at the Charles Village Video Americain (two stores in the chain remain open). A film about the turn-of-the-century American music and arts underground focusing on the legends and emerging stars of the scene. The kind of film I didn't need to see when I was living it, but one I definitely appreciate now as a statement of the principles I still continue to live by.
Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King has been on "the list" for forever. It is an interesting trope of the lionizing/canonizing "rock docs" that they always choose a certain work that is the greatest by the group. I am now very curious to hear "Charmed Life", but I suspect it will leave me feeling like I usually feel about Half Japanese.
"You're Not Fooling Anybody" and "You're Still Not Fooling Anybody" were paired on the same VHS tape. Very controversial work in the Tarantino era. Now, I feel like it is akin to beat-diggers pointing out other DJs sample sources. Not that exciting. Still, a masterful editing job that points out (convincingly) that Tarantino "sampled" a plot-line from another film for the heist from Reservoir Dogs.
"A Day's Pleasure" and "The Kid" were a double feature at The Charles, which continues its Chaplin retrospective. I will have to miss this month's installment, but I highly recommend you check it out. "The Kid" was especially enjoyable, if I bit creaky and melodramatic at times. To be fair, when you are birthing an art-form, you're gonna do some things that will later become cliche.
Coriolanus was a tough-minded Shakespeare adaptation, very in tune with the issues of today. Set in a dystopian future world but still done "full Elizabethan" in terms of dialogue, the story charts the rise and fall of a warrior who would be king. Well, he would be king if he didn't like killing and fighting so much. Great performances highlight this rarely-adapted or performed work.
Doggie Woggiez! Poochie Woochiez! was the Everything is Terrible collective's most recent collection of lovingly compiled video garbage. This time around, the focus is on dogs, and the ostensible "frame" is a re-make of Jodorowksy's Holy Mountain. A mind-melting 90 minutes, presented at the Whole Gallery.
Wanderlust had me in hysterics in the (otherwise empty) Landmark Harbor East theater in which I viewed it. Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston's characters stumble into a commune after their Manhattan life crumbles in the new economy. David Wain directs a stellar supporitng cast. Perhaps made more resonant to me by how often I have rubbed elbows with the "other" American music and arts underground (the one with the jam bands and the drum circles).
It is safe to say that The Hunger Games was a good night at the movies, even for a neophyte to the series like myself. Jennifer Lawrence was note perfect, the dystopian world fully realized. I look forward to more of the films, but I fully admit I will probably never get around to reading the books.
I will never not enjoy watching Sunrise, an early silent film that never fails to personally satisfy and gratify me. A "symphony of the country and city" in which a man is tempted to leave his wife and then reconsiders. A beatifically shot, wonderful window into a lost world and culture.
Everyting is Terrible: The Movie and 2 Everything 2 Terrible 2: Tokyo Drift were similar experiences to the above works of the EiT Collective. Just an amazing mind-melt. The first focused on those dusty "educational" videos in the free rental section of the video store of yore and the ones you would find from the 1980s at the 1990s flea market. The second expanded on the theme, gained form, ate my brain.
Project Nim examines what happens when you raise a chimp as a human. Can it acquire language the way a human baby would? This documentary raised many good questions not only about language acquisition but also about the (flawed) humans conducting the experiment and their intentions.
I am glad to have seen Khodorkovsky, despite its plodding, pedantic tendencies. An engaging and illuminating film that serves as a window into the end of the USSR (and the rise of Putin).
Songs for Cassavetes was part of my last rentals at the Charles Village Video Americain (two stores in the chain remain open). A film about the turn-of-the-century American music and arts underground focusing on the legends and emerging stars of the scene. The kind of film I didn't need to see when I was living it, but one I definitely appreciate now as a statement of the principles I still continue to live by.
Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King has been on "the list" for forever. It is an interesting trope of the lionizing/canonizing "rock docs" that they always choose a certain work that is the greatest by the group. I am now very curious to hear "Charmed Life", but I suspect it will leave me feeling like I usually feel about Half Japanese.
"You're Not Fooling Anybody" and "You're Still Not Fooling Anybody" were paired on the same VHS tape. Very controversial work in the Tarantino era. Now, I feel like it is akin to beat-diggers pointing out other DJs sample sources. Not that exciting. Still, a masterful editing job that points out (convincingly) that Tarantino "sampled" a plot-line from another film for the heist from Reservoir Dogs.
"A Day's Pleasure" and "The Kid" were a double feature at The Charles, which continues its Chaplin retrospective. I will have to miss this month's installment, but I highly recommend you check it out. "The Kid" was especially enjoyable, if I bit creaky and melodramatic at times. To be fair, when you are birthing an art-form, you're gonna do some things that will later become cliche.
Coriolanus was a tough-minded Shakespeare adaptation, very in tune with the issues of today. Set in a dystopian future world but still done "full Elizabethan" in terms of dialogue, the story charts the rise and fall of a warrior who would be king. Well, he would be king if he didn't like killing and fighting so much. Great performances highlight this rarely-adapted or performed work.
Doggie Woggiez! Poochie Woochiez! was the Everything is Terrible collective's most recent collection of lovingly compiled video garbage. This time around, the focus is on dogs, and the ostensible "frame" is a re-make of Jodorowksy's Holy Mountain. A mind-melting 90 minutes, presented at the Whole Gallery.
Wanderlust had me in hysterics in the (otherwise empty) Landmark Harbor East theater in which I viewed it. Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston's characters stumble into a commune after their Manhattan life crumbles in the new economy. David Wain directs a stellar supporitng cast. Perhaps made more resonant to me by how often I have rubbed elbows with the "other" American music and arts underground (the one with the jam bands and the drum circles).
It is safe to say that The Hunger Games was a good night at the movies, even for a neophyte to the series like myself. Jennifer Lawrence was note perfect, the dystopian world fully realized. I look forward to more of the films, but I fully admit I will probably never get around to reading the books.
I will never not enjoy watching Sunrise, an early silent film that never fails to personally satisfy and gratify me. A "symphony of the country and city" in which a man is tempted to leave his wife and then reconsiders. A beatifically shot, wonderful window into a lost world and culture.
Everyting is Terrible: The Movie and 2 Everything 2 Terrible 2: Tokyo Drift were similar experiences to the above works of the EiT Collective. Just an amazing mind-melt. The first focused on those dusty "educational" videos in the free rental section of the video store of yore and the ones you would find from the 1980s at the 1990s flea market. The second expanded on the theme, gained form, ate my brain.
Project Nim examines what happens when you raise a chimp as a human. Can it acquire language the way a human baby would? This documentary raised many good questions not only about language acquisition but also about the (flawed) humans conducting the experiment and their intentions.
I am glad to have seen Khodorkovsky, despite its plodding, pedantic tendencies. An engaging and illuminating film that serves as a window into the end of the USSR (and the rise of Putin).
Key
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Video Americain / Whole Gallery
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all titles are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 12 features, 4 short films (9 in theaters/venues)
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Video Americain / Whole Gallery
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all titles are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 12 features, 4 short films (9 in theaters/venues)
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Films Viewed (February 2012)
Drive became the talk of the town this fall. I missed it, and eagerly anticipated its release on DVD. I was not disappointed. A man who drives people away from criminal enterprise navigates his increasingly complicated life. Noirish and 1980s, over the top yet low key, and buoyed by some amazing performances. Everything I enjoyed about Tarantino in the 1990s brought flawlessly into the 2010s.
Red Tails took a while to get going, but was a solid entertainment. The Tuskegee Airmen fight racism, inner demons, and Nazis in this WWII epic. The right notes were hit, the action kept front and center while the story developed efficiently around the set-pieces.
I have been interested in director Frank Tashlin for a bit, and have finally gotten to see one of his films. The Girl Can't Help It is a cartoony piece of pop culture fluff, notable for the A-list 1950s rock and roll captured on the soundtrack and in performance. It looks like more of his films are hitting DVD these days, and I hope to check out more.
A monthly Chaplin series has begun at the Charles, this time around featuring the shorts "A Dog's Life," "Shoulder Arms", and "Sunnyside." To me, you can't go wrong watching film's greatest artist blaze trails and elciit belly laughs shortly after the birth of the medium. I am looking forward to taking in this series over the course of the year.
The next week's revival was the complete opposite, a grim slog through The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaususcu, the narrative created solely from propaganda and state films from throughout his time as the leader of the Romanian people. As the descendent of Eastern Bloc Poles, I find such film-going difficult but valuable.
Pina 3D is a tribute to an artist taken suddenly and too soon. Wim Wenders coordinates a tribute to her brand of groundbreaking and transgressive dance and artistry with the help of her surviving troupe. A tribute to the power of collective artistic action and a guided tour of the work of an underappreciated artist. Well, anyway, I don't remember Robin Williams mentioning her in his dance in The Birdcage.
Whoa, The Bride Wore Black! A prime Truffaut just sitting out there waiting to be watched. A husband is murdered on his wedding day. The bride seeks revenge. Sound familiar? It should. Such an engaging blend of technique and atmosphere, both pastiche and homage. A good time.
Ratatouille was just what was needed to lighten my spirits on a particularly melancholy weeknight. A rat learns how to be a chef. It gets more ridiculous and wonderful from here. Really about the trials and tribulations of being an artist working in a mass produced commercial medium. Glad I saw it, although I am clearly late to the party.
Red Tails took a while to get going, but was a solid entertainment. The Tuskegee Airmen fight racism, inner demons, and Nazis in this WWII epic. The right notes were hit, the action kept front and center while the story developed efficiently around the set-pieces.
I have been interested in director Frank Tashlin for a bit, and have finally gotten to see one of his films. The Girl Can't Help It is a cartoony piece of pop culture fluff, notable for the A-list 1950s rock and roll captured on the soundtrack and in performance. It looks like more of his films are hitting DVD these days, and I hope to check out more.
A monthly Chaplin series has begun at the Charles, this time around featuring the shorts "A Dog's Life," "Shoulder Arms", and "Sunnyside." To me, you can't go wrong watching film's greatest artist blaze trails and elciit belly laughs shortly after the birth of the medium. I am looking forward to taking in this series over the course of the year.
The next week's revival was the complete opposite, a grim slog through The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaususcu, the narrative created solely from propaganda and state films from throughout his time as the leader of the Romanian people. As the descendent of Eastern Bloc Poles, I find such film-going difficult but valuable.
Pina 3D is a tribute to an artist taken suddenly and too soon. Wim Wenders coordinates a tribute to her brand of groundbreaking and transgressive dance and artistry with the help of her surviving troupe. A tribute to the power of collective artistic action and a guided tour of the work of an underappreciated artist. Well, anyway, I don't remember Robin Williams mentioning her in his dance in The Birdcage.
Whoa, The Bride Wore Black! A prime Truffaut just sitting out there waiting to be watched. A husband is murdered on his wedding day. The bride seeks revenge. Sound familiar? It should. Such an engaging blend of technique and atmosphere, both pastiche and homage. A good time.
Ratatouille was just what was needed to lighten my spirits on a particularly melancholy weeknight. A rat learns how to be a chef. It gets more ridiculous and wonderful from here. Really about the trials and tribulations of being an artist working in a mass produced commercial medium. Glad I saw it, although I am clearly late to the party.
Key
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 7 features, 3 short films (7 in theaters)
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 7 features, 3 short films (7 in theaters)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Films Viewed (January 2012)
Life During Wartime, a sequel to Happiness, is filmmaker Todd Solondz' meditation on the aftermath of unspeakable acts and (obliquely) the state of Israel. Heavy, philosophical, and free of transgressive acts. An entirely different film from the first on several levels.
The Artist has been a bit of a minor sensation in the world of Baltimore film, opening with some fanfare on two screens at the Charles. Interesting in technique, this (mostly) silent black and white film watches the rise and fall of stars at the advent of the talkies. A perfect showcase for the throwback mugging of Jean Dujardin. Didn't blow my mind, wasn't terrible.
The Charles theater revival series helped me check The French Connection off my list. Two cops go after a big heroin bust in a complicated and crumbling 1970s NYC. A showstopping breakthrough for director William Friedkin that delivers the action movie goods but aspires to to do more (and sometimes succeeds).
Red Desert represents my first technical disappointment with a screening at the Charles in some years. Having just seen the rapturous Criterion restoration of the film on a hi-def television, this print looked muddy and dark (problem with the bulb? problem with the projector?). In a film so carefully color coded, the effect for me was ruinous. Still, I focused more on other aspects of the film this time around and discovered new things.
The Descendents deserves the acclaim piled upon it, the story of an aging and reluctant patriarch deciding the fate of his family's land inheritance while also dealing with his wife's coma and apparent infidelity. Just note perfect. As a divorced kid, I can relate to many aspects of this dysfunctional family tale.
Week End is always good, Godard throwing up his hands and saying "I give up." A wonderful mess of a film. The revolution is just around the corner as two crude bourgeois cardboard cut-outs head for a weekend in the country. Nice to see it with a friend of a friend who does not often wade in such waters.
Moneyball was not a bad choice for a rental. A small-market baseball general manager figures out how to utilize statistics to build a successful team. Filled with Pyrrhic victories, sharp dialogue, and solid performances.
Hoo boy, A Dangerous Method! Freud meets Jung, Freud loses Jung... you know the story. Or do you? Kiera Knightley gives a brave and open performance as the test case at the dawn of a new era of psychoanalysis and psychiatry.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was a jolly good time, all grey and drab and British. Cold war spies battle back and forth as spies do, cautiously, silently and cleverly. Cream of the crop ensemble cast, perfect director for such material. Sure, it was the CliffsNotes version of the plot, but I'm a quick study.
The Mill & the Cross serves as an auspicious introduction of more contemporary films to the Charles theater revival series. Rutger Hauer as Breugel, painting the world around him. A smart, visually sumptuous art film. Who were all those people packing the screening? Good for them, and good for the Charles.
The Artist has been a bit of a minor sensation in the world of Baltimore film, opening with some fanfare on two screens at the Charles. Interesting in technique, this (mostly) silent black and white film watches the rise and fall of stars at the advent of the talkies. A perfect showcase for the throwback mugging of Jean Dujardin. Didn't blow my mind, wasn't terrible.
The Charles theater revival series helped me check The French Connection off my list. Two cops go after a big heroin bust in a complicated and crumbling 1970s NYC. A showstopping breakthrough for director William Friedkin that delivers the action movie goods but aspires to to do more (and sometimes succeeds).
Red Desert represents my first technical disappointment with a screening at the Charles in some years. Having just seen the rapturous Criterion restoration of the film on a hi-def television, this print looked muddy and dark (problem with the bulb? problem with the projector?). In a film so carefully color coded, the effect for me was ruinous. Still, I focused more on other aspects of the film this time around and discovered new things.
The Descendents deserves the acclaim piled upon it, the story of an aging and reluctant patriarch deciding the fate of his family's land inheritance while also dealing with his wife's coma and apparent infidelity. Just note perfect. As a divorced kid, I can relate to many aspects of this dysfunctional family tale.
Week End is always good, Godard throwing up his hands and saying "I give up." A wonderful mess of a film. The revolution is just around the corner as two crude bourgeois cardboard cut-outs head for a weekend in the country. Nice to see it with a friend of a friend who does not often wade in such waters.
Moneyball was not a bad choice for a rental. A small-market baseball general manager figures out how to utilize statistics to build a successful team. Filled with Pyrrhic victories, sharp dialogue, and solid performances.
Hoo boy, A Dangerous Method! Freud meets Jung, Freud loses Jung... you know the story. Or do you? Kiera Knightley gives a brave and open performance as the test case at the dawn of a new era of psychoanalysis and psychiatry.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was a jolly good time, all grey and drab and British. Cold war spies battle back and forth as spies do, cautiously, silently and cleverly. Cream of the crop ensemble cast, perfect director for such material. Sure, it was the CliffsNotes version of the plot, but I'm a quick study.
The Mill & the Cross serves as an auspicious introduction of more contemporary films to the Charles theater revival series. Rutger Hauer as Breugel, painting the world around him. A smart, visually sumptuous art film. Who were all those people packing the screening? Good for them, and good for the Charles.
Key
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 10 features (8 in theaters)
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 10 features (8 in theaters)
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Gaps in My Filmic Memory 2011
NOTE: Despite safeguards against it, I apparently forgot to write up a few films I viewed this past year. If you remember any more movies I saw and didn't remember to write down, please let me know.
The Tree of Life is a baffling omission since I enjoyed it so thoroughly. Terrence Malick makes films rarely, but, when he does, I find them spectacular. A family is the focus of this cosmic pondering of the meaning of life which is not afraid to go all the way back to the beginning (of life itself) to get to where it is going. Some theaters put up signs indicating that there would be no refunds for the new Brad Pitt vehicle. In any case, it sure wasn't a direct hit on the "Joe Popcorn" crowd. (June 2011)
The Wild Child was a late Truffaut revival that I was happy to see, the (based on a true) story of a "wild boy" who is brought in and nurtured by a doctor who in interested in his condition. My newly-sharpened "horse sense" says the child fell somewhere on the autism spectrum, but that's my take. It was bonus to have this song stuck in my head throughout. (Saturday, December 3rd. 2011)
The Tree of Life is a baffling omission since I enjoyed it so thoroughly. Terrence Malick makes films rarely, but, when he does, I find them spectacular. A family is the focus of this cosmic pondering of the meaning of life which is not afraid to go all the way back to the beginning (of life itself) to get to where it is going. Some theaters put up signs indicating that there would be no refunds for the new Brad Pitt vehicle. In any case, it sure wasn't a direct hit on the "Joe Popcorn" crowd. (June 2011)
The Wild Child was a late Truffaut revival that I was happy to see, the (based on a true) story of a "wild boy" who is brought in and nurtured by a doctor who in interested in his condition. My newly-sharpened "horse sense" says the child fell somewhere on the autism spectrum, but that's my take. It was bonus to have this song stuck in my head throughout. (Saturday, December 3rd. 2011)
Key
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain / Creative Alliance
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 2 features (2 in theaters)
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain / Creative Alliance
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 2 features (2 in theaters)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Films Viewed (December 2011)
Seeing a preview of Young Adult was a nice alternative to the Mount Vernon Monument Lighting hoo-ha. A woman returns from the big city to try to re-kindle a romance with her high school sweetheart. So what if he is happily married and anew father? So what if she is an alcoholic train-wreck of a human being? Cruel and grim and very in tune with the status updates of my fellow class of 1994 high school graduates.
Chelsea Girls was a rare treat, an Andy Warhol film dual-projected at the Creative Alliance thanks to Matt Porterfield. Various Warhol superstars interact in improvised scenes like they are on some alternate reality speed-drenched soap opera. Not for the short of attention span, each scene plays out in one take, the audio alternating to give emphasis to one scene over another as the two projectors unspool.
I missed the recent screenings of Diner at the Charles, so I substituted with Netflix Instant, where it happened to be available at the time. Although I am certain I have seen the film before, it felt new. Local Baltimore guys pull together and fall apart as adult life emerges in 1959 Baltimore. As excellent cast kept loose and improvisatory. It is amazing to see how different early 1980s Baltimore (posing as 1959 Baltimore) looks in comparison to 2011 Baltimore.
Tin Men, another in a series of Barry Levinson's "Baltimore films" screened via the Maryland Film Festival, was somehow totally new to me. Two aluminum siding salesment engage in a game of oneupsmanship that eventaully involves the affections of a wife. Great to see. A local like myself takes umbrage at Danny DeVito's attempt at the Baltimore accent, but it is a minor point.
After much anticipation. Fassbinder's World on a Wire finally played Baltimore. A man is embroiled in a computer scandal involving virtual realities. Made in 1973, the film anticipates many concerns of contemporary Science Fiction film and literature. A three and a half hour subtitled German film... that right there should tell you whether or not you are on board.
Grondhog Day concluded the second series of Gunky's Basement on a high note. A film that has the unfailing ability to put me in a better mood. Bill Murray gets trapped in the same day, learns lessons. What's not to like?
Elite Squad was on the list for a while, having never played Baltimore. A man who is a member of an elite Brazilian mercenary squad approaches retirement and burn-out as the chaos of the favela play out around him. The film has been criticized for being too right-wing and definitely takes the collegiate leftists to task repeatedly. Remains an adrenalized thrill ride nonetheless.
My Week with Marilyn was a delightful dishy cream-puff of a movie, an account of one man's interactions with Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) and Sir Lawrence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) over the course of the troubled production of the film The Prince and the Showgirl. Brought to life by excellent performances throughout.
Z was a film I have been meaning to see for some time. A politically assassination plays out in a corrupt Latin American country. Manages to feel both torn from the headlines of its time (the late 1960s) and wickedly satirical. Much credit must be given to director Costa-Gavras for pulling this off.
The Adventures of Tintin 3D began an epic run through the holiday season's films. Tintin buys at model ship at a flea market and adventures ensue. Fun, frenetic and in three dimensions.
I caught Le Havre right before it closed at the Charles. A kindly reformed reprobate takes in an immigrant boy on the run. Retaining some of director Aki Kaurismäki 's previous filmic bite while remaining upbeat. A deadpan fairytale.
I read Of Mice and Men for the first time in the hopes of helping my students with Sophomore English, a year I have never taught. This is a well-known and well-executed adaptation of the work. It was good to finally sit down and watch it.
Mission: Impossible began a game of catch-up with the (current) #1 movie at the box office. A great twisty thrill-ride from the years I was away from the screen. The De Palma-crafted action sequences were top-notch and sometimes ridiculous.
Tuesday, After Christmas was a Romanian film about a man caught between his wife and his lover over the holiday season. Long takes and superb naturalistic performances kept this one afloat. I look forward to continuing to explore contemporary Romanian cinema.
I kept the disc of The Sleeping Beauty so long it wound up on Netlfix Instant. A dream-like loose re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty story from directoer Catherine Breillat. Way weirder than Bluebeard while still remaining engaging.
Shame was a "date night" movie that proved to be a nice bracing alternative to the usual holiday cheer. A sex addict spirals as his sister arrives to complicate his life further. A stunningly crafted film that makes me want to see the director Steve McQueen's first film. This Steve McQueen, not that one.
Mission: Impossible II was, for me, the most "eh" of the four films. Director John Woo can pull off a good action sequence without a doubt, but the rest of the film was too mired in nü-metal American era trappings. Worst use of Ving Rhames in a Mission: Impossible movie.
I much preferred Mission: Impossible III with all its J.J. Abrams coordinated spectacle. Phillip Seymour Hoffman turned in a great "bad guy" performance and the MacGuffin was finally recogized as a MacGuffin. Best use of Ving Rhames in a Mission: Impossible movie.
I am a sucker for films like Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Victorian-era setting, buddy cop bromance movie dynamics, that hint of British sophistication... good times.
Seeing Fincher's take on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) wasn't too redundant. I am of the original Swedish films only in my understanding of the phenomenon. Once we got past that "gother than goth" title sequence it was off the races, this time around the relationship between Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander more emphasized. One of these days I need to read this thing. The copy I bought while waiting for an appointment with the back surgeon is still staring back at me from my bookshelf.
Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol completed my run through the series. Director Brad Bird brought a new sensibility to the series and made the transition from animation to live action admirably. I think I was suffering from a bit of "action sequence fatigue", but overall the film was a good time.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a raucous 1950s musical comedy starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell. A beyond iconic performance by Monroe, although I think I preferred Russell's performance overall Another dipping of the toe into the genre-spanning work of revered director Howard Hawks, who one day I am going to sit down and really look at career-wise.
War Horse capped off the cinematic year. When I told people I was going to see it, they made a face I am now calling the "War Horse face." A two and a half hour epic done in the old David Lean/ John Ford style. Boy meets horse, boy loses horse... will boy regain horse? I sometimes surprise myself with my ability to be engaged by such sentimental material.
Chelsea Girls was a rare treat, an Andy Warhol film dual-projected at the Creative Alliance thanks to Matt Porterfield. Various Warhol superstars interact in improvised scenes like they are on some alternate reality speed-drenched soap opera. Not for the short of attention span, each scene plays out in one take, the audio alternating to give emphasis to one scene over another as the two projectors unspool.
I missed the recent screenings of Diner at the Charles, so I substituted with Netflix Instant, where it happened to be available at the time. Although I am certain I have seen the film before, it felt new. Local Baltimore guys pull together and fall apart as adult life emerges in 1959 Baltimore. As excellent cast kept loose and improvisatory. It is amazing to see how different early 1980s Baltimore (posing as 1959 Baltimore) looks in comparison to 2011 Baltimore.
Tin Men, another in a series of Barry Levinson's "Baltimore films" screened via the Maryland Film Festival, was somehow totally new to me. Two aluminum siding salesment engage in a game of oneupsmanship that eventaully involves the affections of a wife. Great to see. A local like myself takes umbrage at Danny DeVito's attempt at the Baltimore accent, but it is a minor point.
After much anticipation. Fassbinder's World on a Wire finally played Baltimore. A man is embroiled in a computer scandal involving virtual realities. Made in 1973, the film anticipates many concerns of contemporary Science Fiction film and literature. A three and a half hour subtitled German film... that right there should tell you whether or not you are on board.
Grondhog Day concluded the second series of Gunky's Basement on a high note. A film that has the unfailing ability to put me in a better mood. Bill Murray gets trapped in the same day, learns lessons. What's not to like?
Elite Squad was on the list for a while, having never played Baltimore. A man who is a member of an elite Brazilian mercenary squad approaches retirement and burn-out as the chaos of the favela play out around him. The film has been criticized for being too right-wing and definitely takes the collegiate leftists to task repeatedly. Remains an adrenalized thrill ride nonetheless.
My Week with Marilyn was a delightful dishy cream-puff of a movie, an account of one man's interactions with Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) and Sir Lawrence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) over the course of the troubled production of the film The Prince and the Showgirl. Brought to life by excellent performances throughout.
Z was a film I have been meaning to see for some time. A politically assassination plays out in a corrupt Latin American country. Manages to feel both torn from the headlines of its time (the late 1960s) and wickedly satirical. Much credit must be given to director Costa-Gavras for pulling this off.
The Adventures of Tintin 3D began an epic run through the holiday season's films. Tintin buys at model ship at a flea market and adventures ensue. Fun, frenetic and in three dimensions.
I caught Le Havre right before it closed at the Charles. A kindly reformed reprobate takes in an immigrant boy on the run. Retaining some of director Aki Kaurismäki 's previous filmic bite while remaining upbeat. A deadpan fairytale.
I read Of Mice and Men for the first time in the hopes of helping my students with Sophomore English, a year I have never taught. This is a well-known and well-executed adaptation of the work. It was good to finally sit down and watch it.
Mission: Impossible began a game of catch-up with the (current) #1 movie at the box office. A great twisty thrill-ride from the years I was away from the screen. The De Palma-crafted action sequences were top-notch and sometimes ridiculous.
Tuesday, After Christmas was a Romanian film about a man caught between his wife and his lover over the holiday season. Long takes and superb naturalistic performances kept this one afloat. I look forward to continuing to explore contemporary Romanian cinema.
I kept the disc of The Sleeping Beauty so long it wound up on Netlfix Instant. A dream-like loose re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty story from directoer Catherine Breillat. Way weirder than Bluebeard while still remaining engaging.
Shame was a "date night" movie that proved to be a nice bracing alternative to the usual holiday cheer. A sex addict spirals as his sister arrives to complicate his life further. A stunningly crafted film that makes me want to see the director Steve McQueen's first film. This Steve McQueen, not that one.
Mission: Impossible II was, for me, the most "eh" of the four films. Director John Woo can pull off a good action sequence without a doubt, but the rest of the film was too mired in nü-metal American era trappings. Worst use of Ving Rhames in a Mission: Impossible movie.
I much preferred Mission: Impossible III with all its J.J. Abrams coordinated spectacle. Phillip Seymour Hoffman turned in a great "bad guy" performance and the MacGuffin was finally recogized as a MacGuffin. Best use of Ving Rhames in a Mission: Impossible movie.
I am a sucker for films like Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Victorian-era setting, buddy cop bromance movie dynamics, that hint of British sophistication... good times.
Seeing Fincher's take on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) wasn't too redundant. I am of the original Swedish films only in my understanding of the phenomenon. Once we got past that "gother than goth" title sequence it was off the races, this time around the relationship between Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander more emphasized. One of these days I need to read this thing. The copy I bought while waiting for an appointment with the back surgeon is still staring back at me from my bookshelf.
Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol completed my run through the series. Director Brad Bird brought a new sensibility to the series and made the transition from animation to live action admirably. I think I was suffering from a bit of "action sequence fatigue", but overall the film was a good time.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a raucous 1950s musical comedy starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell. A beyond iconic performance by Monroe, although I think I preferred Russell's performance overall Another dipping of the toe into the genre-spanning work of revered director Howard Hawks, who one day I am going to sit down and really look at career-wise.
War Horse capped off the cinematic year. When I told people I was going to see it, they made a face I am now calling the "War Horse face." A two and a half hour epic done in the old David Lean/ John Ford style. Boy meets horse, boy loses horse... will boy regain horse? I sometimes surprise myself with my ability to be engaged by such sentimental material.
Key
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain / Creative Alliance
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 23 features (14 in theaters)
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain / Creative Alliance
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 23 features (14 in theaters)
Monday, December 12, 2011
Films Viewed (November 2011)
Went the Day Well? was that rare propaganda film the transcends its intent enough to become a valid film experience. A British town faces a stealthy Nazi invasion. Essentially, the message is "Report Suspicious Activity," but I still had a good time.
Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest was a fond look back at the golden Age of hip hop coupled with the stresses and realities of being a part of this innovative and influential group. We watch as they implode yet again. One of those things I missed in theaters (it's Baltimore-area run was only a week or so in a County Cineplex) and waited impatiently for on DVD.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) was a prime slice of vintage popcorn thrillride set in a decaying and bankrupt New York. A subway train is highjacked, a ransom is demanded, the clock ticks. Satisfying on many levels. Grimy, gritty and wise-ass till the last freeze frame.
The Seduction of Mimi was screening in Toronto when I was there a few years ago. I filed the title in my filmic memory bank and finally managed the time to rent and watch. Earnest worker Mimi is a man of honor in this savage lampoon of hypocritical Italian morays. Lina Wertmuller has won me over, and I look forward to seeing more of her films.
Martha Mary May Marlene has divided viewers, some finding it unaffected and not very satisfying. I found it to be a taught psychological thriller worth my time, an evocation of a nightmare anchored by Elizabeth Olsen's performance. A woman returns from a mysterious disappearance into a commune/cult with much damage to attempt to unravel.
Hugo 3D was such a direct hit on me that I feel like an unreliable praise-giver. A young boy lives in the walls of a train station while unraveling mysteries that have to do with his father and the birth of cinema. Charming, beautifully shot... a movie I want to live in.
Lilya 4-Ever tells the brutal story of a Eastern European girl's descent into prostitution. Bleak, bitter, no holds barred film-making that never felt like Exploitation. A little too plodding, (the situation the woman lives in is so godawful that the reasons she would choose this life become clear quickly) but altogether effective once you settle in.
Immortals 3D was other eye-popping Tarsem Singh film, this time viewed in a Dundalk movie theater with mediocre (dark) digital projection and a terribly blown out sound system. A movie-going experience as close to watching a film on bootleg DVD in a theater as I have yet to encounter. The plot was a miss-mash of sword and sandal epic and Greek mythology. Mickey Rourke goes predictable over the top as a the villan. I say "eh".
Melancholia is why I go to the movies, to see and experience something new. Kirsten Dunst's character's wedding party, already a disaster, concludes at the beginning of a much bigger global one. Lars Von Trier captured the mood of my Fall inadvertently in film. Armageddon: now more than ever.
The Leopard was a sumptuous feast of a film, still going strong two hours into the run-time. An Italian man of means and privilege who has lived by the old codes tries to adjust to the new ways. He remains stuck between eras as the modern state of Italy is born around him. Burt Lancaster is used effectively and well. One of those "on the list" films that the Charles theater revival series finally presented an excellent opportunity to see.
Dune capped off the month. As it is a film I have seen many times and know a great deal about, I thought of it this way this time around: the first half is an excellent example of David Lynch on a big budget, all stops pulled. The second half is like a very long preview for the film that could have been appearing on the screen for the next several hours had Lynch had final cut. Always a great film to dive into; many thanks to the Gunky's Basement crew for doing it again.
Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest was a fond look back at the golden Age of hip hop coupled with the stresses and realities of being a part of this innovative and influential group. We watch as they implode yet again. One of those things I missed in theaters (it's Baltimore-area run was only a week or so in a County Cineplex) and waited impatiently for on DVD.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) was a prime slice of vintage popcorn thrillride set in a decaying and bankrupt New York. A subway train is highjacked, a ransom is demanded, the clock ticks. Satisfying on many levels. Grimy, gritty and wise-ass till the last freeze frame.
The Seduction of Mimi was screening in Toronto when I was there a few years ago. I filed the title in my filmic memory bank and finally managed the time to rent and watch. Earnest worker Mimi is a man of honor in this savage lampoon of hypocritical Italian morays. Lina Wertmuller has won me over, and I look forward to seeing more of her films.
Martha Mary May Marlene has divided viewers, some finding it unaffected and not very satisfying. I found it to be a taught psychological thriller worth my time, an evocation of a nightmare anchored by Elizabeth Olsen's performance. A woman returns from a mysterious disappearance into a commune/cult with much damage to attempt to unravel.
Hugo 3D was such a direct hit on me that I feel like an unreliable praise-giver. A young boy lives in the walls of a train station while unraveling mysteries that have to do with his father and the birth of cinema. Charming, beautifully shot... a movie I want to live in.
Lilya 4-Ever tells the brutal story of a Eastern European girl's descent into prostitution. Bleak, bitter, no holds barred film-making that never felt like Exploitation. A little too plodding, (the situation the woman lives in is so godawful that the reasons she would choose this life become clear quickly) but altogether effective once you settle in.
Immortals 3D was other eye-popping Tarsem Singh film, this time viewed in a Dundalk movie theater with mediocre (dark) digital projection and a terribly blown out sound system. A movie-going experience as close to watching a film on bootleg DVD in a theater as I have yet to encounter. The plot was a miss-mash of sword and sandal epic and Greek mythology. Mickey Rourke goes predictable over the top as a the villan. I say "eh".
Melancholia is why I go to the movies, to see and experience something new. Kirsten Dunst's character's wedding party, already a disaster, concludes at the beginning of a much bigger global one. Lars Von Trier captured the mood of my Fall inadvertently in film. Armageddon: now more than ever.
The Leopard was a sumptuous feast of a film, still going strong two hours into the run-time. An Italian man of means and privilege who has lived by the old codes tries to adjust to the new ways. He remains stuck between eras as the modern state of Italy is born around him. Burt Lancaster is used effectively and well. One of those "on the list" films that the Charles theater revival series finally presented an excellent opportunity to see.
Dune capped off the month. As it is a film I have seen many times and know a great deal about, I thought of it this way this time around: the first half is an excellent example of David Lynch on a big budget, all stops pulled. The second half is like a very long preview for the film that could have been appearing on the screen for the next several hours had Lynch had final cut. Always a great film to dive into; many thanks to the Gunky's Basement crew for doing it again.
Key
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 11 features (8 in theaters)
The Charles
The Rotunda
The Senator
The Landmark Harbor East
Suburban Multiplex/ Video Americain
Netflix Instant/ Netflix DVD
(Please note: Whenever possible, all releases are linked to their pages on the Netflix website)
Total: 11 features (8 in theaters)
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