Rather than continually posting in the old trailers thread, I thought I’d fire up a new one as finally there are some good movies on the horizon. For starters, I’m digging the trailer for the excellently titled The Last King of Scotland, which is of course about Idi Amin, and like everything in the 21st century, based on A True Story.
Author: mauer
Little Miss Sunshine / Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
There are many things that depress me, and a good number of them feature prominently in Little Miss Sunshine.
Suicide attempts, people involved with self-actualization programs, bankruptcy, beauty pageants, watching helplessly as major embarassments roll slowly and unavoidably towards you…
Car troubles, depression, desperation, forced family activities, not talking, crushed teenage dreams, and 31 flavors of failure. I’m really not sure why anyone would call this a comedy, though I laughed enough times. And I can’t really fault any particular part of this film; it’s quite good in all respects from writing and acting down to the colors and composition of shots. I guess I had just expected it to be funnier, and when I read somewhere that it was a little overwhelming in its cynicism, I didn’t really expect that it would actually bother me. Continue reading Little Miss Sunshine / Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
Bank Dick (1940) W.C. Fields
I feel like I’ve not written anything about any movies I’ve seen lately, so I’ll type briefly about this one. I had never actually watched a whole WC Fields film before, and while the caricature of Fields is for the most part backed up by the film, it was much better than I expected.
The jokes tend to be quite cruel, with a nice emphasis on drinking and smoking; all right up my alley for humor, but I was surprised with what they got away with in a mainstream film. Maybe Fields could get away with more b/c of his stature? At one point early on, Fields’ daughter throws a bottle at him, hitting him in the back of the head as he is leaving the house. He groans, rubs his head and leaves. Then a few seconds later he opens the door with a huge potted plant and rears back to throw it across the room and crush the girl. His wife yells at him, and he holds off throwing it, but just barely. Continue reading Bank Dick (1940) W.C. Fields
Faith and Reason – PBS – Bill Moyers
A quick, hearty recommendation for this series on PBS, third episode running tonight (Friday). Hour or half-hour length interviews with believers, atheists, and at some point I’d imagine, those in between. So far they’ve run interviews with Salman Rushdie, Mary Gordon and philosopher Colin McGinn. Coming up is Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood and the very in-the-news Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Moyers is damn good at this. And while his previous show, Now, tended to be a more depressing version of 60 Minutes, and a terrible way to spend a Friday night, this is surprisingly uplifting thoughtful material.
Egoyan – Where the Truth Lies
Atom Egoyan’s latest film, which seems to be quite far removed, in plot at least, from his previous film, Ararat. If a few words could accurately sum up Egoyan’s obsessions and themes, it would be "where the truth lies" which would make this a nice opportunity to look back on Canada’s second best memory obsessed director, except I’m not feeling up for a retorspective.
There are some big problems with Where the Truth Lies; among them the characters, the acting, the amateurish direction, and the plot. None of these are beyond redemption, but parts of each are weak enough to end up being unsatisfying.
Crossing the Bridge: The Music of Istanbul – Akin
This doc was directed by Fatih Akin, who also directed the much-praised Head-On. (I have a borrowed copy of Head-On at home, but havent seen it yet.) Akin is a German national of Turkish descent, and the film is largely directed at a German audience. The narrator is Alexander Hacke of Einsturzende Neubauten, whose love of unusual music shows through, and he’s a scruffy presence that seems at home among the cig’-smokin Istanbul musicians.
In a well-paced 90 minutes, Akin discovers 15 musicians or groups, from drug addicted buskers to tuxedo wearing ballroom singers whose peak of popularity was 40 years ago. Continue reading Crossing the Bridge: The Music of Istanbul – Akin
Ken Russell – Fall of the Louse of Usher
I’ve wondered for a couple of days whether to write about this film. I’m fascinated by Russell mostly because it’s interesting to see what happens to a director that had a very specific artistic vision that falls way out of favor with the public and film financers.
Since leaving Hollywood, Russell has taken his strong interest in classical music and literature and erotica and managed to keep busy directing British and Candian TV specials and documentaries, including one I’m keen to see on the origins of British folk songs. But for a guy whose highly stylized features were in vogue for a number of years, (1969’s Women in Love to 1991’s Whore), I have to wonder if he’s content not to direct features any more.
So I was excited to find a copy of Russell’s take on all things Poe from a couple of years ago: The Fall of the Louse of Usher, written, directed, shot, and edited by the man, as well as playing one of the main roles. Continue reading Ken Russell – Fall of the Louse of Usher
British New Wave
The Cinematheque recently ran a 2 week program of films called Angry Young Cinema: The Original British New Wave. The full list of the films can be seen here. I managed to see none of the films, despite working literally across the street from ther excellent Hollywood theater, The Egyptian.
I won’t list all of the film that played – the link above will let you see that – but I hope some here will check out the films that played and recommend a few in comments. They sound interesting, and I plan to rent a batch of them, though several have not been released on DVD. Continue reading British New Wave
The Passenger (1975)
How I love thee – let me count the ways. I enjoyed this film so much more than Blow-Up, which I recently re-watched (though I hardly dislike Blow-Up, just in comparison).
That last scene; the camera somehow leaving the bars on the hotel room window and turning around to show the hotel; that long, long shot… It is as astounding as (if not actually directly influenced by) the opening shot of Touch of Evil, but of course in Antonioni’s style; not a single word by the characters can be overheard. Even Maria Schneider’s last line, which is so key to the film, is barely perceptible.
I didn’t listen to the commentary by Nicholson, except for that last shot, in which he does indeed explain one of the most famous and puzzling shots ever put down, supposing that Anonioni wouldn’t mind. So it’d be worth renting just for that I think. He also says that it was shot that way because Antonioni “didn’t want to film a death scene.” Continue reading The Passenger (1975)
I’d like my $50 now.
I was browsing through the Univeristy of Bouler Police records website, as i usually do on Saturday mornings, and saw that they are offering $50 to identify pot smokers, so they can be arrested and no doubt jailed until they are rehabilitated.
Well, I’ve identified this criminal mastermind to the proper authorities, and am now just waiting for my $50.
Continue reading I’d like my $50 now.