films i love

fido, 2006

2008-09-11T08:38:00.008-05:00

Director: Andrew Currie
Starring: Carrie-Anne Moss, Billy Connolly, Tim Blake Nelson
Tagline: Good dead are hard to find

Basic plot: Idyllic 1950s American small town in the aftermath of Zombie wars. Humans have figured out how to control the zombies (using a collar to curb their flesh-eating desires) and use them as servants, workers, girlfriends, etc. This is the sweet story of a young boy who befriends his family Zombie, Fido, and what happens when Fido's collar mal-functions....

The opening B&W sequence to set up the story sets a great tone for what is to follow. The color saturation of the film itself as well as the choice of houses, cars, hair and clothes creates the classic 1950s americana look. Sitting down to watch it, I wanted it to be good. I wanted to enjoy it - I wanted it to be funny and silly and captivating. And it was. No long review here - it's a cute zombie movie.

Favorite things:

1. The B&W newsreel introduction.
2. Zomcom.
3. Head coffins.
4. The giving of the gun.

HIGHLY Recommended.

disappointment ...

2007-10-21T16:42:00.000-05:00

As you might have realized, i got off to a good start, but haven't posted anything in almost 2 months. I have been watching films, but nothing really good enough to write about.

the wicker man - everyone can act except nicolas cage - what happened to him? i didn't care for the film - moved too slow. Though, i must say, i didn't read anything about it, didn't know who was in it before i started watching it and was thrilled when ellen burstyn turned out to be sister summersdale. she's so great at parts like that.

fracture - it was ok, but not spectacular

the good shepherd - perhaps i just wasn't in the mood to have to pay constant unwaivering attention to this film. I found i had to keep rewinding parts to catch up again - which made an already long film even longer.

rocky balboa - actually, this was pretty good, but i just didn't have enough to write a review about. it's good - a perfect end to the rocky saga.

vacancy - the storyline just seemed old - travelers end up in the middle of nowhere and sadistic hicks turn their hotel stay into a horror movie.

the contract - morgan freeman & john cusack. Again, it was ok, but not spectacular. It had some good moments, but i didn't feel the tagline - "Every Killer Meets His Equal". john got lucky, but i don't think he was morgan's equal. is anybody???

hopefully i'll find something good to write about soon - otherwise i might have to do the short list, part 2.

idiocracy, 2006

2007-09-02T17:12:00.000-05:00

Director: Mike Judge (writer, too)
Starring: Luke Wilson, Dax Shepard, Maya Rudolph
Tagline: The Future Is A No Brainer

Basic plot: Luke Wilson stars as Joe Bauers (Mr. Average American) who is chosen along with a prostitute named Rita to be the guinea pigs in an Army experiment about freezing humans. The base they are stored on is shut down and 500 years pass before they are "unfrozen" into an exquisitely "dumbed down" world.

Mike Judge is a genius. There is no disputing that fact. I have not enjoyed a movie so much in such a long time. It would be wrong of me to write a long review on the social criticism offered thru this 84 minute masterpiece. It is what it is, and it is fabulous. Watch it.

Favorite things:

1. The garbage avalanches.

2. Fuddruckers becoming Butt-Fuckers over 500 years - and it's still family dining!

3. Carl Jrs taking custody of children and sponsoring the Secretary of State

4. Rehabilitation - and the monster machine too large for the arena

HIGHLY Recommended.

the lives of others, 2006

2007-08-26T17:39:00.000-05:00

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (writer also)
Starring: Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Martina Gedeck
Tagline: Before the Fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany's Secret Police Listened to Your Secrets

Basic plot: 1984 - Weisler (Ulriche Mühe) is a member of the East German Secret Service (Stasi) who is in charge of surveillance on a playwright and author, Dreyman (Sebastian Koch). The playwright appears to follow the Party line, but Weisler believes something isn't right when he watches him at a performance of his latest play. Winner: oscar for best foreign film, 2007

I am so impressed by this film. I doubted whether i should rent it because it sounded downright depressing. It's not. It's a tale of a man's slow change - of letting his "human-ness" win. Ulrich Mühe is fantastic. If you watch the writer/director interview, you'll find out that Mr. Mühe was actually under surveillance in real life by the Stasi starting just after he left high school. His portrayal of the Stasi officer is moving.

Favorite Moments of Change:

1. Listening to Dreyman playing the piano - the Lenin quote.

2. The elevator.

3. Reading Brecht.

Scariest Quote: "Know what the best part is? Most Type 4's we've processed in this way never write anything again. Or paint anything or whatever artists do...." - Grubitz (Weisler's superior)

Highly Recommended.

pulse, 2006

2007-08-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

Director: Jim Sonzero
Starring: Kristen Bell, Ian Somerhalder
Tagline: There are some frequencies we were never meant to find.

Basic plot: A guy hacks another guy's computer and lets loose the ultimate virus - one that attacks people.

I actually saw this in the theater when it came out. I went with Maryanne. I'm not sure if any of you have ever gone to see a scary movie with Maryanne - she screams and she grabs. Needlesss to say, i laughed at her.

I watched it again recently when it came on cable. It was pretty freaky because about 45 minutes into it, the channel info bar that you can access that shows across the bottom of the screen kept buzzing in and out (i wasn't doing anything). Then my cable box front shows "fail" and then "boot". Too freaky when watching a movie about dead people that use our wireless systems as a doorway to get us.

Enough of my viewings.... You should really give this film a chance - the screenplay was co-written by Wes Craven and it's a good little film.

Favorite things after one viewing:

1. "It keeps them out. Don't know why." The red duct tape - both the idea of it and the contrast it makes with the rest of the staging because the film is so greyish, overcast, doom-like. Also, there is no blood in this film and it's very interesting to have the color red associated with safety.

2. The guy getting sucked into the wall.

3. Izzy in the laundry room. I won't say anymore.

4. The car accident - fantastic sequence for this scene and comes out of nowhere.

5. "They are the system."

Recommended.

fay grim, 2006

2007-08-21T22:18:00.000-05:00

Director: Hal Hartley
Starring: Parker Posey, Jeff Goldblum, James Urbaniak
Tagline: Featuring the continuing adventures of Henry Fool

Basic plot: Henry Fool, part deux. Fay Grim is visited by the CIA, told Henry is dead and that they need her to retrieve 2 volumes of his "confessions" from the French government. Things progress from there.

#1: If you haven't seen Henry Fool (1997), rent it. Watch it. Love it. This movie will not make any sense unless you've seen it.

#2: If you've never seen a Hal Hartley film - shame on you. You can start with Henry Fool and then this one - but know there are others - fantastic others. Search them out. Watch them. I particularly recommend Amateur with Isabelle Huppert. He can be sort of an aquired taste - don't expect a hollywood film - but definitely give him a try.

As with most of his stories, events collide to keep producing even more outrageous results. The dialogue is fast, so pay attention. Parker Posey and Jeff Goldblum do an outstanding job. What's even more amazing is that 9 years later, they have the exact same cast - same kid, same Father, same publisher, etc. It's fantastic. It's a great film that will take you on a ride - espionage, encrypted manuscripts, and exiled Afghanistan leaders. It's all in there.

Favorite Quote: "A self-perpetuating literature of obfuscation, hearsay, rumor, innuendo and outright lies. A bestseller for sure." Angus, the publisher

Recommended.

hot fuzz, 2007

2007-08-18T18:48:00.000-05:00

Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
Tagline: Big Cops. Small Town. Moderate Violence.

Basic plot: Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg - cowriter) is a stellar cop who has 400% more arrests than any other London police officer. Because he makes everyone look bad, he is sent to a small town to disappear.

This is a great buddy comedy action horror flick. You've gotta remember these are the guys that brought us Shawn of the Dead, so when people die in this film, there's lots of, um, bloody debris. Is it just me or did Simon Pegg have a bit of a Daniel Craig thing going on when he was 'all-business'? Mmmmm ... nice.

Things i loved after one viewing:

1. crossword puzzle at the front desk
2. the shortcut thru the gardens
3. the sea mine & swan recurring themes
4. "policeman officer"
5. the fight in the model town

Recommended (may be better with beer).

black snake moan, 2007

2007-08-18T15:39:00.000-05:00

Director: Craig Brewer
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci
Tagline: Everything is hotter down south.

Basic plot: Samuel L. Jackson finds Ms. Ricci unconscious & bloody by the side of the road; finds out she's a sex addict and attempts to cure her by chaining her to his radiator.

I just watched this film and it was fabulous. It gives off the initial vibe of a 70s sexploitation film with Ricci in her undies and skimpy T, but it gathers depth. Both characters need a bit of saving and redemption and find it in each other.

Things i loved after one viewing:

1. Christina Ricci walking in her short shorts and skimpy T in front of the monster John Deere tractor.
2. Samuel L. Jackson's singing.
3. the size differential between SLJ & CR.
4. the framing and beauty of the shot of CR on the floor in the green dress listening to SLJ playing the guitar and the lightning strikes flashing outside the windows on either side of her.
5. quote: "God seen fit to put you in my path and I aim to cure you." - SLJ

Recommended.

an unmarried woman, 1978

2007-08-18T15:28:00.000-05:00

Director: Paul Mazursky
Starring: Jill Clayburgh
Tagline: She laughs, she cries, she feels angry, she feels lonely, she feels guilty, she makes breakfast, she makes love, she makes do, she is strong, she is weak, she is brave, she is scared, she is... an unmarried woman.

Basic plot: Erica (Jill Clayburgh) believes she is happily married until her husband leaves her.

According to Netflix this film was considered groundbreaking at the time of its release and i can see why. Jill Clayburgh is amazing - as an audience, i wanted her to be defined so that i would feel more comfortable watching it, but the role and emotions she goes thru is anything but defined. and that's what makes it seem so real.

I like her group of friends - and the talks they have. it reminds me of a few gab sessions i've had myself when things get too painfully real, but you go on and expose yourself anyway.

Favorite Moment: Erica looking in the mirror and reciting: "Balls," said the queen. "If I had 'em, I'd be king."

Recommended.

the short list, to start things off

2007-08-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

So, here's the short list of recommended films. Pick one. Take a risk. But don't come whining to me if it offends your delicate sensibilities. God knows I never had any....

28 days later - apocalyptic zombie movie
after dark, my sweet - ex-boxer gets conned
american beauty - finding your true self
amores perros - Love's a Bitch - 3 stories collide in a car crash
an american werewolf in london - classic, title is self-explanatory
arizona dream - surreal movie, great cast (watch for the pink caddie on the mirrored merry-go round and NXNW tributes)
badlands - classic - killing spree - based on true events - directed by Terrence Malick with sweeping landscapes and an amazing narration by Sissy Spacek
baraka - visually stunning - images and music - environmentally themed
bartleby - "I would prefer not to." Crispin Glover as Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener".
being john malkovich - "There's a tiny door in my office, Maxine. It's a portal and it takes you inside John Malkovich. You see the world through John Malkovich's eyes and then after about 15 minutes, you're spit out onto a ditch on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike."
bent - Clive Owen - gay love story set in a concentration camp. Most intense love scene without touching I've ever seen.
best years of our lives - 1946 - 3 vets come home from WWII - complex portrait of post-war America
betty blue - loving someone who's slowly falling deeper into insanity
brick - film noir for the new generation
bubble boy - swoosie kurtz and Fabio - what more does a film need?
candyman - gives me chills just thinking about it - smart horror film - Tony Todd as Candyman (love him)
carrie - misfit revenge
cat on a hot tin roof - southern family dysfunction ala Tennessee Williams - paul neuman, elizabeth taylor
cemetery man - cemetery caretaker rupert everett takes care of zombies (comedy)
city of god - Brazillian movie based on the true story of 2 boys who grew up in a favela in 1960s Rio de Janeiro
city of lost children - 2nd favorite film by Jeunet + Caro, surreal futuristic tale of a mad scientist who kidnaps children and steals their dreams - saturated with color
cleo from 5 to 7 - 1961 - we follow Cleo in real time as she waits for results from her doctor
cube - i enjoy the premise - plus it's got one of the most creative deaths I've seen
cujo - nostalgic favorite - would show it at all my slumber parties - "It's not a monster. It's just a doggy."
darkman - "if you're not going to kill me, i have things to do."
dead man - jim jarmusch western about an accountant named William Blake who meets a Native American named Nobody
deep blue sea - smart sharks. best surprise kill.
delicatessen - Apocalyptic love story set above a butcher shop. Favorite Jeunet + Caro film. Did I mention the butcher shop?
disco pigs - soul mates torn apart clockwork orange style
donnie darko - scary bunny, love the mirror scenes, love jake
double indemnity - 1944 - film noir - insurance rep and unhappy wife collude to make it appear her husband fell off a train - some of the best dialogue in any film to date
dude, where's my car? - just cracks me up - esp the part where they realize they got tattoos...
eating raoul - Tagline: "Meet the Blands! They're square... They're in LOVE... AND they kill people."
fallen angels - Killer for hire wants to quit...Wong Kar Wai is a genius.
fat girl - adolescent siblings attempting to negotiate sex and relationships, not for the faint of heart - banned by the Ontario film review board for years - i almost guarantee it will affect you, but not that you will "like" it.
fight club - so much fun - "People are always asking me if I know Tyler Durden."
final destination - you can't cheat death... so inventive, suspenseful, wonderfully elaborate deaths - plus Tony Todd!
final destination 2 - may be better than the first. The opening sequence of the freeway pileup is phenomenal - still more elaborate deaths, still suspenseful - and Tony Todd again!
flesh and bone - family history catches up to dennis quaid & meg ryan - great west texas landscapes, slow and deliberate - "As for the blue chicken, I need a little help with that one."
frailty - bill paxton is amazing, excellent thriller - Only demons should fear me... and you're not a demon, are you?
freeway - little red riding hood retold - reese witherspoon is fantastic - "do you wanna get shot a whole buncha times?"
garden state - beautiful film - self discovery with some humor along the way. go Zach go.
happiness - one of those films that lives with you long after you've seen it.
heavy - a quiet film - worth watching, worth taking it slow, enjoying the moments and noticing what usually goes unnoticed
house of yes - i love parker posey in this - love her as jackie kennedy
i spit on your grave - cathartic revenge
in a lonely place - noir with bogart & gloria grahame - great dialogue
in the cut - this is where i fell for mark ruffalo, Meg and Jennifer Jason Leigh are great…
in the mood for love - the most beautifully filmed love story i have ever seen. If nothing else, watch it for Maggie Cheung's wardrobe - amazing.
insomnia (1997) - much more gritty than the american version - love stellan skarsgard
intimacy - tale of what happens when one person in a fling wants more than the other - to me this was a very powerful film
jaws - oh please, if you haven't seen this...
junebug - story about going home
kill bill 1 and 2 - slick, stylish tarantino - great cast, great fights, vivid color
killer's kiss - kubrick noir - some of the most incredible street shots
kiss meets the phantom of the park - "What do you compute Space Ace?"... "Insufficent data at the moment Starchild!"
kiss or kill - like a cross between betty blue & badlands, but in Australia - with phenomenal editing that keeps the tension mounting
kissed - a sweet film about necrophilia
koyaanisqatsi - images and music - environmental, save the world intent
la femme nikita - has the best opening scene of any movie - thugs dragging a guy down a street - anne parillaud rocks. this is where i was introduced to jean-hugues anglade (mmmm)
lawn dogs - 10-year-old girl befriends the guy that mows their lawn. i can't explain why i like this film so much. Sam Rockwell is awesome.
ma vie en rose - finding your true self and letting it shine.
match point - i seem to only like woody allen films that he doesn't appear in. lovely twisted tale of climbing the social ladder
matilda - excellent adaptation - Mara wilson is just so cute
may - a film about beautiful parts - and putting them together
minus man - owen wilson as murderer, with Brian Cox
my life as a dog - Ingemar is sent to live with his uncle when he's 12 while his mom dies - very uplifting film (really!) endearing childhood adventures
network - "I'm mad as hell and i'm not going to take this anymore!"
night of the living dead - classic - "They're coming to get you, Barbara"
office killer - carol kane needs friends and folks seem to be disappearing from work... and ending up in her basement
ordinary people - this film still gets to me - donald sutherland, no words
pitch black - vin diesel before i knew who vin diesel was - this movie rocks - stranded on a planet - beware the dark
proof (1991) - my introduction to hugo weaving - blind man looking for someone he can trust
psycho - classic - the story, the music, the opening sequence, the shower, anthony perkins
punch-drunk love - one of my favorite love stories of the socially awkward - "I'd say 'that's that', Mattress Man."
ravenous - cannibalism in the old west. oh yeah.
red eye - exceptionally fun thriller from Wes Craven, though it might just be that i like looking at Cillian Murphy for 90 minutes...
requiem for a dream - what does constitute drug abuse and addiction?
rock star - love marky mark, makes me nostalgic for the hair bands
run lola run - lola has 20 minutes to get a large sum of money to save her boyfriend
rushmore - private school teenager finds himself on academic probation and befriends a lovely young teacher and bill murray - "These are O.R. scrubs." ... "Oh, are they?"
se7en - do you sin? this is all about kevin spacey, of course
secretary - mainstream S&M? Oh, also a good love story. love maggie gyllenhaal
shallow grave - i think this is my favorite film with ewan mcgregor - dialogue is snappy, music is great - pushes the film constantly forward, keeps the tension
shock corridor - journalist commits himself to a mental hospital - sam fuller
shopgirl - steve martin is amazing - writer, comedian, actor - young shopgirl meets older man, younger man - must negotiate which really fits her
silence of the lambs - again, if you haven't seen this film, i don't know what to tell you...
sin city - creative, great cast, images, movement
soft fruit - family dysfunction in Australia, siblings return home to care for their dying mother - quite funny & touching moments
spanking the monkey - would you rub lotion under your mom's leg cast?
strange love of martha ivers - great film noir – "The road curved, but I didn't."
sunset blvd. - noir - a kept man, an old hollywood actress and the director that loves her
suture - if the obvious disconnect doesn't bother you, then keep watching; if it does, then turn it off b/c it's never acknowledged - i love this film, love the use of Ring of Fire
sweet smell of success - powerful critic/journalist plays with people's lives - Burt Lancaster
swimming pool - which story are you watching unfold?
swimming with sharks - vicious hollywood satire - kevin spacey is superb
taxi driver - everyone should have seen this already....
thank you for smoking - hilarious satire revolving around a spin doctor for the tobacco industry
the barbarian invasions - powerful story about a family coming together a father's death
the big easy - dirty cops in New Orleans - the story's enjoyable, i just watch it for the young Dennis Quaid
the chumscrubber – Suburban dysfunction – Jamie Bell is fantastic
the cook, the thief, his wife and her lover – this film will make it on every 'must see' list I create if only for the use of color
the dinner game – while cruel, still highly enjoyable
the goonies – who doesn't want to find a pirate ship with treasure?
the king – a film that left me speechless – deliberate slowness of scenes – the last shot going into the house…
the lover – older man, young woman - based on the autobiographical novel by French author Margueite Duras
the night of the hunter – 1955 noir with Robert Mitchum – one of my favorites with him… love the tats
the reflecting skin – haunting story of a boy, his imagination, and the undeniable reality of his surroundings
the station agent – a tale of unlikely friends – I was smiling for days after watching this film
the swimmer – Burt Lancaster swims home, unraveling his life – based on the John Cheever short story
the unbearable lightness of being - Daniel Day and Juliette – while based on the book, the film stands apart as a work unto itself
the unsuspected – fabulous film noir starring the great Claude Rains .. who would you suspect?
the vanishing (1988) - one of the most terrifying films i've seen. would you agree to go thru what your loved one went thru just to know what happened to them?
the woman chaser - fantastic, absurd, inventive, ludicrous wonderfulness. If for no other reason, watch it to see Patrick Warburton dance ballet.
titus – Julie Taymor’s vision of the Shakespeare play is gargantuan in color and imagery
toto the hero – plotting revenge based on a lifetime of ‘unhappiness’
transporter – Jason Statham is fantastic – love his suit, his rules, his car
twin falls Idaho – conjoined twins exposing themselves to life
undertow – tragedy follows the arrival of Uncle Deel – Jamie Bell is fantastic
underworld - beautiful people in leather
vernon, florida – exploration of a small town by Errol Morris
waiting for guffman – a Christopher Guest masterpiece about small town oblivion
y tu mama tambien – loss of innocence tale
zoolander – “Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?”