Saturday, December 31, 2011

Midnight in Paris ****


Writer/Director: Woody Allen
Year: 2011
Cinematographer: Johanne Debas, Darius Khondji

Delightful, romantic. I really enjoyed Owen Wilson's version of Woody Allen. About as good a date movie as could possibly exist.

Horrible Bosses ***


Director: Seth Gordon
Year: 2011
Writers: Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Cinematographer: David Hennings

Monday, November 21, 2011

The Tree of Life *****


Writer/Director: Terrence Malick
Year: 2011
Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki

If you're not already familiar with the work of Terrence Malick, I would suggest you prepare before watching this film. Read the book of Job, and then when you sit down in front of this film, don't expect a narrative retelling of the book of Job, but rather a poetic and personal adaptation... Malick riffs on the ideas present in the book of Job, not by telling a similar story, but by conveying a poetry of images that conjure the mood, and allows the audience to breathe the spellbinding, misty fog of dreams and memories of people who have lived a human experience.

This film is epic. It zooms out to the universe and then in to the microscopic underpinnings of life before focusing in on a family in the 50's in Waco, Texas, presumably remembered and dreamed by Malick himself. A family tragedy is explained purely through context. The tragedy itself is not included nor is it explained. But the emotional impact of that tragedy is meditated upon. We hear the players question God in their prayers, but whereas in the book of Job God finally answered in word, Malick delivers a vision... God's response in images, putting life into context, showing its true minuteness, and its miracle. Life is a delicate balance between the brutal forces of nature and the light of grace. Life is a paradox. Life is mysterious. Life is God's to give and God's to take away... or more importantly, God's to understand. Our role is simply to be in awe of it, to try to find our place in it and be thankful for it though we can not comprehend its boundaries.

This is what I think Malick is meditating on. He communicates not narratively but more like a classical composer. He does not sing the lyrics of his emotions, he builds the mood that will cause you to feel what he feels.

That is why this is a masterpiece of cinema.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Bridesmaids ***


Director: Paul Feig
Year: 2011
Writers: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo
Cinematographer: Robert Yeoman

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Touch of Evil *****


Director: Orson Welles
Year: 1958
Novel by: Whit Masterson "Badge of Evil"
Adapted by: Orson Welles
Cinematographer: Russell Metty

Groundbreaking photography and camerawork, great actors, compelling tale of a corrupt American sheriff connected to the mexican drug cartels, brought down by an honest Mexican detective on his honeymoon with an American girl. Certainly holds relevance and intrigue to today as the border hasn't changed too much.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Drive *****


Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Year: 2011
Book by: James Sallis
Adapted by: Hossein Amini
Cinematographer: Newton Thomas Sigel

First off, let me say... this film 100% earned the Cannes Best Director prize.

If I could interview Refn, my first question would be, in the t-bone scene by the cliff, why does driver's car not suffer a scratch? Its headlights are clearly in perfect shape?

I ask the question not to nitpick, but rather because I really believe Refn may have a reason.

I loved this movie sooo much. It's L.A., it's crime, it's noir with neon, crystal-clear photography, its Tarantino, Jodorowsky, and 80's b-movie... its "european" as one character comments about his car chase films of the 80's.

When the credits ran, the guy in front of my jumped up and said with a sigh of frustration, "well that was slow..."

No. It was tight film-making. Less dialogue, more action. Actors here are left to emote with their faces and bodies, and characters are developed by the actions they perform, rather than words explaining how they feel. Refn shows rather than tells.

He sets up the driver's badass skills in the opening scene and then builds relationships, with sexual tension so thick you could cut it with a knife, although everyone stays fully clothed and there is only one kiss in the entire movie. THATS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! Gosling and Mulligan simmer with just smiles, and its sexier than anything I've seen on film in a long time.

It's quiet, it breathes, and the sound design is as precisely expressive as the photography. Then all of a sudden, it explodes with a gun shot, initiating a third act full of shocking violence that impacts the audience as much as the characters. Violence here actually matters. Yes its gory, but not without consequence or weight. We feel, as Driver and Irene feel, the loss and the shock of death...

I absolutely loved this film, I would be surprised if I see any other film this year that I'll like more, yes, even Tree of Life... which I can't wait to see, but I'm thinking Drive will go down as THE FILM of 2011.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Somewhere ****


Writer/Director: Sofia Coppola
Year: 2010
Cinematographer: Harris Savides

A personal, minimalist, poetic film. Not as good as Lost in Translation, but still pretty good.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Senna ****


Director: Asif Kapadia
Year: 2010
Writer: Manish Pandey

Incredible real-life drama. Director makes the correct choice to tell the dramatic narrative here, rather than show us all the incredible racing. I hope the DVD comes with the full length original broadcasts of some of these races that are briefly summarized.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

The Five Obstructions ****


Directors: Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier
Year: 2003

Lars von Trier invites his hero film maker, Jørgen Leth to remake his short film "The Perfect Human" five times, but with obstructions dictated by von Trier. Part deconstruction of cinema, part challenge for Leth, part von Trier wrapping his head around the idea that Leth is not "the perfect film maker", rather, just a normal human filmmaker. On the whole, the exercise is an echo of Leth's original short film. It's very interesting to watch, and each remake that Leth is forced to make adds new depth and context to his original idea, and then von Trier's obstruction at the end is his own self-indulgent and purposeful banalizing of Leth's original idea.

The Perfect Human ****

Original Title: Det perfekte menneske
Director: Jørgen Leth
Year: 1967
Writers: Jørgen Leth, Ole John
Cinematographer: Henning Camre, Ole John

A short film featuring a dehumanizing voice over, from the perspective of a total alien or robot, describing and pondering "the perfect human" as the human acts in a repetitive or dehumanizing manner, as if to demonstrate that even a dehumanized human is still human?

Is it meant to debunk the idea of "perfect human" as an oxymoron? To be human is to not be perfect, so the perfect human would be an imperfect human... I think this is what Leth was thinking about when he made the film.

Countdown to Zero ***


Director: Lucy Walker
Year: 2010

For such an intriguing subject, Walker manages to take her time, but its not edited down very well and seems kind of scatter brained. Its not a bad movie, just an inefficient documentary. Good for a television, but not a good film. I was disappointed because I'm so captivated by nuclear history, and I felt I didn't learn much. I don't care for man-on-the-street interviews. Their opinions are not informed necessarily and are therefore empty. I know because I do MOS interviews on a daily basis in the news industry. They are meant to capture public mood, but I personally don't think public mood matters. I would rather see an impassioned case be made by a professional, someone who knows a great deal about the current nuclear situation... from Oppenheimer, from Tony Blair, from Jimmy Carter, good grief, she had Pervez Musharraf, Robert McNamara and Mikhail Gorbachev! She should have used these people more!

But she had so many little interviews, she had to spray in one sound-bite for everyone rather than one coherent argument from a handful, or even just one of them would have rung louder.

It also stopped short of saying, "this is what you can do to make a difference..." instead just suggested... public opinion is important. deedly doo...

Weak sauce. This film fell way short of its potential given the subject matter.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The Adjustment Bureau ***


Director: George Nolfi
Year: 2011
Short story "Adjustment Team" by: Philip K. Dick
Adapted by: George Nolfi
Cinematographer: John Toll
Editor: Jay Rabinowitz

Pretty enjoyable film. Another example of the magic negro.

The Freebie ***


Director: Kate Aselton
Year: 2010
No writer's credit due to heavy improvisation?
Cinematographer: Benjamin Kasulke

Compelling lo-budget drama, but I'm not that big a fan of heavy improvisation, or of Dax Shepard's face. Plus, I find it a little unbelievable that these otherwise intelligent characters would really come to decide to try such an obviously bad idea.

Malcolm X ****


Director: Spike Lee
Year: 1992
Book by: Malcolm X, Alex Haley
Adapted by: Spike Lee, Arnold Perl
Cinematographer: Ernest R. Dickerson

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Source Code ****


Director: Duncan Jones
Year: 2011
Writer: Ben Ripley
Cinematographer: Don Burgess

Friday, August 19, 2011

Super 8 ***


Writer/Director: J. J. Abrams
Year:2011
Cinematographer: Larry Fong

An alright movie, but just no where near as tight or memorable as those great Spielberg movies, Jaws, Jurassic Park, E.T. , Close Encounters of the Third Kind, etc.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Win Win ****

Director: Thomas McCarthy
Year: 2011
Writers: Thomas McCarthy, Joe Tiboni
Cinematographer: Oliver Bokelberg

Great little drama, not at all predictable, spot-on acting. I really liked this movie.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Wall Street ****


Director: Oliver Stone
Year: 1987
Writers: Stanley Weiser, Oliver Stone
Cinematographer: Robert Richardson

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Cape Fear **


Director: Martin Scorsese
Year: 1991
Novel "The Executioners" by: John D. MacDonald
1962 Adaptation by: James R. Webb
Adapted by: Wesley Strick
Cinematographer: Freddie Francis

Scorsese actually made a much worse film than the original. The first one may not have been perfectly directed (music cues were too strong for example), but it moved along and created a slowly growing wave of terror that by the end had me on the edge of my seat, screaming at the screen. I think the original ranks up there with The Shining as the two most terrifying films I've ever seen. Here, Scorsese is way too heavy handed for my liking (and I thought the music was too strong in the first one... HA!) and I'm sorry but I just didn't find De Niro anywhere nearly as terrifying as the calm, cool and collected pervert that was Robert Mitchum's portrayal of Max Cady. The terror lies in fearing that a man might rape your wife or daughter... that's what riled me. In this version, the script has De Niro more of an indestructable psychopath bent on biting peoples cheeks, who's desire is to murder, and rape doesn't seem to be his primary interest.

Its interesting that Scorsese made room for Peck and Mitchum in his remake, but maybe that contributed to the way he got distracted from slowly racheting up the fear. Also, the script had some sloppiness to it I thought, with the order of dialogue and events. I don't know why Juliette Lewis has to narrate the beginning and end, and for example, when Nolte gets pissed at the parade and punches De Niro, it doesn't make as much sense, why he's so angry as it did in the first film, when Cady is leering at Bowden's daughter in her bathing suit.

Also, the script tries to build up the tension between Bowden, his wife, and their daughter... but never quite successfully. I think the film worked better when it was just Bowden protecting his wife and daughter. Lots of little things that got on my nerves in the remake, and the more I think about the original, the more I can't wait to see it again.

Oh, and the constant tracking in shots, panning from close up of a detail up to a medium shot and all that just frustrated me and took me out of the experience. I felt there wasn't much rhyme or rhythm to the editing either. Felt sloppy. A lot of the camera angle transitions felt contrived.

Cape Fear *****


Director: J. Lee Thompson
Year: 1962
Novel by: John D. MacDonald
Adapted by: James R. Webb
Cinematographer: Sam Leavitt

One of the best suspense thrillers I've ever seen. I was on the edge of my seat, and terrified. A great movie.

24 Hour Party People ***


Director: Michael Winterbottom
Year: 2002
Writer: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Cinematographer: Robby Müller

I Saw the Devil **


Director: Jee-woon Kim
Year: 2010
Writer: Hoon-jung Park
Cinematographer: Mogae Lee

Friday, July 1, 2011

The Switch **


Director: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Year: 2010
Short Story by: Jeffrey Eugenides
Adapted by: Allan Loeb
Cinematographer: Jess Hall

Hollywood poop. I'm sorry I refuse to waste my time offering an explanation of why I didn't like this movie.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller ***


Director: Robert Altman
Year: 1971
Novel by: Edmund Naughton
Adapted by: Robert Altman, Brian McKay
Cinematographer: Vilmos Zsigmond

X-Men: First Class ***


Director: Matthew Vaughn
Year: 2011
Writers: Matthew Vaughn, Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Sheldon Turner, Bryan Singer
Cinematographer: John Mathieson

Fun action movie, not too much annoying stuff in it.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer *****


Director: Tom Tykwer
Year: 2006
Novel by: Patrick Süskind
Adapted by: Tom Tykwer, Andrew Birkin, Bernd Eichinger
Cinematographer: Frank Griebe

I was surprised and delighted by this film. Tykwer knows he can't share the scents with his audience, so he heightens sound and visual detail to evoke smell without ever resorting to a kind of colored smoke drifting into someone's nostrils like a Tom and Jerry cartoon. The character surprised me, with his lack of dialogue, with his complexity of character, and the frustration of my emotions... then the end finishes with one scene in particular that was incredible. This film is CINEMATIC just as all films ought to be, surprising and fresh... new. I felt that I experienced something new and I LOVE that. That's why Tykwer earns himself a 5 star review.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Encounters at the End of the World ***


Director: Werner Herzog
Year: 2007

I really enjoyed this film as a way to unwind. Listening to Herzog narrate is like listening to your father read you a bed time story when you were a kid, or my wife running her fingers through my hair as I drift asleep on the couch. I just soak in his random way of following whatever catches his interest, philosophising always on the smallness of man in the giant universe, and the incredible odds stacked against us which must someday lead to our doom. Yet Herzog doesn't depress me. He lifts my spirit in a way that quiet meditation does. I think it is good for us to realize now and then how small and how helpless we are in the violent, powerful, mystifying, and infinite universe. It is good for us because it makes you cherish the magic of the fact that we even exist at all.

That said, its a sloppy little documentary, and highly personal. It's like the film is a page from Herzog's private journal of musings. It will either touch you or completely bore you. Or maybe alternate between the two.

All About My Mother ****


Writer/Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Year: 1999
Cinematographer: Affonso Beato

Another great little melodrama from Almodóvar.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp ***


Writer/Directors: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Year: 1943
Cinematographer: Georges Périnal

I wasn't in the right mood for this. I was in the mood for a comedy and I thought it would be more comedic. There are comedic elements, but its really a thoughtful film. I will re-watch it someday and appreciate it more, I am sure. The idea certainly is interesting in a way that Hollywood wouldn't approach now days, considering it boring. To judge an old man as foolish in the first scene, then to go back in time with him, seeing how he was as a young man... explaining why he is how he is now, so that the audience by the end has changed perspective. We start out the film against him, and by the end, we love him. I think Tom Hardy could play Roger Livesey's role in a remake. I would pay to see that.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo ****


Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Year: 2009
Novel by: Stieg Larsson
Adapted by: Nikolaj Arcel, Rasmus Heisterberg
Cinematographer: Eric Kress

Certainly avoids stereotypes. Dark material taken seriously. It's heavy and its not for everyone, but I think it is important that subject matter of rape and abuse of women is talked about in cinema, and showed to be horrific, as it is here. But that very content is what will turn some people off to this film. I think it is dealt with maturely, and yet surprisingly. This film is very memorable, it certainly breaks new ground for me as a viewer, and it challenged me whilst being an entertaining thriller. I think this is a very solid film, it was a bit slow starting, and it just took a while to tie up all the loose ends of the film. However, overall, it keeps a good pace and certainly held my interest. Good material here to start with, I imagine the books must be real page turners.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three ***


Director: Joseph Sargent
Year: 1974
Novel by: John Godey
Adapted by: Peter Stone
Cinematography: Owen Roizman

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Pusher ***


Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Year: 1996
Writers: Nicolas Winding Refn, Jens Dahl
Cinematographer: Morten Søborg

Easy A ***

Director: Will Gluck
Year: 2010
Writer: Bert V. Royal
Cinematographer: Michael Grady

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe ****


Directors: Emily and Sarah Kunstler
Year: 2009

I think William Kunstler is a hero, and this documentary isn't perfect, but it shed light on an important subject of history, America's most famous fighter for the underdogs. I was glad to learn so much more about Kunstler's life by getting short introductions to some of his most famous cases. Makes me want to be a lawyer. Makes me want to do something to further justice in the world, makes me want to be a father that teaches those values to my children one day, the values that Kunstler taught his daughters.

I hope I remember to show this documentary to my children one day, maybe when they are in high school.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

High and Low *****


Director: Akira Kurosawa
Year: 1963
Novel by: Evan Hunter
Adapted by: Hideo Oguni, Ryûzô Kikushima, Eijirô Hisaita, Akira Kurosawa
Cinematographers: Asakazu Nakai, Takao Saitô

The first half of the film takes place entirely within a living room, dealing with the moral dilemma the main character, Reiko Gondo, is put into. The second half is almost an entirely different film as a police procedural plays out hunting down the man who put Gondo into his tight spot. The ending is a bit unexpected, a scene that illuminates the title. High and Low is the theme and the tension of the film.

Sugar ***


Writer/Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Year: 2008
Cinematographer: Andrij Parekh

Animal Kingdom ****


Writer/Director: David Michôd
Year: 2010
Cinematographer: Adam Arkapaw

Very well written first feature. Thoughtful direction, realistic dialogue, very good acting. Really good movie, excited to see what comes next from this new director.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Before Night Falls ***


Director: Julian Schnabel
Year: 2000
Writers: Reynaldo Arenas, Julian Schabel, Lázaro Gómez Carriles, Cunningham O'Keefe
Cinematographer: Xavier Pérez Grobet, Guillermo Rosas

127 Hours ***


Director: Danny Boyle
Year: 2010
Book by: Aron Ralston
Adapted by: Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
Cinematographer: Enrique Chediak, Anthony Dod Mantle

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Exit Through the Gift Shop *****


Director: Banksy
Year: 2010

A fascinating documentary. Banksy delivers a well-told story about a "documentary filmmaker", Thierry Guetta, that is also a think piece about art, celebrity, and success. The film works because it's not about art, nor is it about Banksy, the film succeeds and stands as an intriguing film and document because it is about a guy who accidentally becomes a microcosm of the art world. Thierry is an every artist.

Banksy certainly has woven a masterful documentary by documenting the man who wanted to document Banksy.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

A Prophet *****


Original Title: Un prophéte
Director: Jacques Audiard
Year: 2009
Writers: Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Abdel Raouf Dafri, Nicolas Peufaillit
Cinematographer: Stéphane Fontaine

Tahar Rahim gives an incredible performance, in a film filled with great acting, perfectly directed... great film. Everything I love about american gangster films like the Godfather, combined with everything I love about french cinema.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Biutiful ***


Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Year: 2010
Writers: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Armando Bo
Cinematographer: Rodrigo Prieto

This is a well made movie, but I think Iñárritu's passion, his idea for what cinema should be is not a contagious idea. The story is so heavy that it failed to live beyond the screen. Amores Perros is still his greatest work. Don't get me wrong, I think he's a great filmmaker, taking on serious subjects, choosing to show things that we haven't seen before... this is great. The problem is that stories must have levity. You can tell a depressing story, in fact, I prefer a pessimistic view to an unrealistically optimistic view in story telling, I am all for realism, showing the way real people suffer... but the way you tell that story must empower the human spirit, educate you, move you... or at least leave you with images that will not leave you alone.

I am okay with a film meandering a bit, like real life, but I found myself wanting either more or less of the chinese story and of the african story. He gave us hints, just little glimpses into their story, but didn't really develop the characters... if you're not going to develop a character, why introduce that character in the first place?

Great cinematography, great acting. Story didn't connect with me as much as I wanted it too. I respect this director a lot, but I don't think I got what he was going for... I'll still be eager to see his next work.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Death of a Cyclist ****


Original Title: Muerte de un ciclista
Director: Juan Antonio Bardem
Year: 1955
Writers: Luis Fernando de Igoa, Juan Antonio Bardem
Cinematographer: Alfredo Fraile

Some great cinematography, poetic script. Some melodramatic acting, I don't have enough fingers and toes to count how many times distressed characters grabbed their heads in anguish... but worth sitting through. Symbolic and critical of spanish culture of the time and of the Franco regime, definitely worth a watch. The opening and closing scenes are especially cinematic.

The director is Javier Bardem's uncle.

Winter's Bone ***


Director: Debra Granik
Year: 2010
Book by: Daniel Woodrell
Adapted by: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini
Cinematographer: Michael McDonough

Didn't like the script very much, felt very forced, like it came from an outsider trying to imagine what these people might be like. I didn't like much of the acting, most of the lines were delivered too unnaturally. Maybe its because I'm from the ozarks, but I felt like so many lines in the script were trying too hard to be authentic and ended up sounding forced. I got bored by the unimaginative scene transitions... walking through the woods to someone else's house. It had the quality of a good student film... reminded me of my film school projects where I just wanted to go out and find locations and use them instead of focusing on the arch of my story.

Not a bad movie, just didn't feel like it was a great work, and certainly didn't live up to some of the hype it received from critics.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Into Great Silence ***


Original Title: Die große Stille

Writer/Director: Philip Gröning
Year: 2005

A documentary on the contemplative life of prayer as observed by the Carthusian Order in France. No voice over explaining why, or what, or how... instead, the great decision by this director was to simply observe, to follow, in silence... and it makes sense. You don't need explanation... by simply observing, the contemplative life reveals itself to the audience. Beautiful, and meditative, but it can be difficult to sit through without falling asleep.

The Kids Are All Right ****


Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Year: 2010
Writers: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
Cinematographer: Igor Jadue-Lillo

Most real family interaction that I've seen in a movie, great family-affirming drama. The one thing I found to be a distracting stretch was how eager the film was to wrap up. I felt that it resolved the cheating spouse issue a little too quickly, I didn't believe that Annette Bening's character would be able to get over that betrayal. It tried to explain it, and I almost believed it, I wanted to... but it was just too soon, too fresh a betrayal to believe that she could start moving past it already. Aside from that instance, I think Cholodenko deserves praise for her realistic understanding of human emotion in her writing parts for teens (who are almost never depicted realistically on screen) and family tensions. Annette Bening is the stand-out performance here, but not quite enough to take the oscar in my opinion.

The Social Network ****


Director: David Fincher
Year: 2010
Book by: Ben Mezrich
Adapted by: Aaron Sorkin
Cinematographer: Jeff Cronenweth

If Aaron Sorkin doesn't win best screenplay, I'll be shocked. The dialogue was so much fun, the way the story was woven did so much more than avoid being boring, it was completely engrossing. It was fascinating. I liked Jesse Eisenberg a lot in this, but was really blown away by supporting actors Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer. Andrew Garfield would get my best supporting actor this year. As always, Fincher's moods and glossy cinematography were beautiful. Great use of music.

Black Swan *****


Director: Darren Aronofsky
Year: 2010
Writers: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin
Cinematographer: Matthew Libatique

Visceral. I was unsettled. I flinched. I got lost in it, yet the precise use of symbolism was, like in The Fountain, not complicated, but simple, logical, clean. Every single decision Aronofsky made here made sense to me. I like that he let the audience experience her psychosis, her fear of the endless series of little pricks that put her and us on edge, fearing little things, making us feel stress and anxiety... just, perfect I thought. Another great film from Aronofsky who for me has really solidified himself as one of the best directors working today... he is consistent and I have loved every single one of his films; there aren't many directors of whom I can say that. I hope he gets the best director nod this year. And Natalie Portman blew me away. Until now I was always on the fence about her acting, but wow, she really deserves the best actress for this. I bought her in every scene, every emotional transition, from the "white swan" innocence, fear, anxiety, frailty in a dangerous world surrounded by dark figures... to her psychotic transformation into the "black swan" who embraces and becomes part of the dark world of the ballet company... I was really impressed. This will join my dvd collection someday.