alexander, director’s cut, even

watched this in two instalments at the end of the week. this is appallingly bad. so bad that it isn’t even fun to watch in order to make fun of its badness. whatever his faults as a filmmaker, you could always say of stone that he made compelling films. not anymore. or maybe this is what happens to compelling filmmakers when they get to make their pet projects (see also scorcese and the aviator). interesting and familiar political rhetoric: alexander is out to conquer the world because he wants to unify it, dissolve differences and make everyone free; unlike his generals and soldiers he alone has respect for the asian people (though curiously this does not get in the way of considering their practices and rulers barbaric). everybody deserves to be made free by force so that they can be more like us. the look of the film is equally tired. he seems to have taken many courses of orientalism 101–not the critique of it, but “how to”.

the actors are all staggeringly bad. rosario dawson got good reviews for her performance–i presume this is because she showed her breasts. not even a passing glimpse at his penis redeems farrell. jolie may be under the impression that she is chewing scenery in a fun way–she is not. the only one who is is val kilmer, and he may be the only one who emerges with his dignity intact. anthony hopkins plays anthony hopkins. someone should make a film with him and morgan freeman.

3-iron

Around the television series which clog up our account but which Kris and I both like watching (“Lost” and the upcoming “Battlestar Galactica,” if Netflix ever releases it to us), I seem to have all these small films in the queue. (And I never get to the theater at all.) I’m not sure if I should post on any of these–I’ve liked the majority of them, but they also don’t open up whole new cinematic vistas for me… they’re just good. So, if you’re interested: The aforementioned Assisted Living is recommended, a capsule review tacked onto my incoherent post regarding good and evil.

Here’s another: Kim Ki-Duk’s 3-iron is about a guy somewhat adrift in his life, sneaking into vacationers’ homes to live for a few days while they’re gone, before moving on. One house he happens into isn’t empty; a woman is there, and emerges bruised and beaten after he’d settled in. What follows lacks grandiose conflict, although there is a brief, brutal, and powerful collision with her husband, but it is a film that manages–with little dialogue, and without too much plotting–to convey a real sense of the inner lives of its characters. It feels like a poem more than a narrative, and it looks like one, too. I’m not sure what that means, but it’d look good on the poster. It’s rare to see a film so enamored of how its characters bathe, dress, eat, just silently circle around one another in small spaces… (but, don’t worry, it’s not Bresson–there is narrative to hang our identifications on).

I liked it.

the battle between good and evil

i watched constantine last evening. anyone seen it? keanu reeves as an exorcist/occult ins officer trying to do his bit to maintain the balance between the forces of heaven and hell on earth. not a bad way to pass two hours. actually the first half of the movie is pretty good: you’re mostly kept in the dark about what’s happening, the film doesn’t seem to be going anywhere–just enjoying being atmospheric. it does get very silly towards the end but peter stormare as satan is a hoot, as is tilda swinton as mick hucknall, i mean gabriel. but i don’t really want to say much about the film. if like michael and me you watched all the “prophecy” movies you’ll probably like this one. if not, not. (why is gabriel so often an asshole in these movies?)

i am interested though in movies about this general theme of balance between good and evil/light and dark that don’t rely entirely on catholic mythology/iconography. i remember reading recently about a russian movie called “nightwatch” which seems like it might be one (it apparently outgrossed both “lord of the rings 3” and “spiderman 2” in russia–which may or may not be a big deal; i’m guessing many indian movies outgrossed both of these in india as well). these catholic movies are all so deeply religious they become a little boring. and the world of vampires and werewolves (underworld etc.) are mostly superhero movies masquerading as something else. okay, i’m rambling.

Best use of song

Okay, sitting here recovering my Mott the Hoople fixation from years bygone (and ignoring student papers), I throw out: What is the best use of a song in a non-musical film?

Some nominees:
Mott the Hoople, “All the Way From Memphis” — Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
the Ronettes, “Be My Baby” — Mean Streets
Peggy Lee, “Is That All There Is?” — After Hours
Donovan, “Atlantis” — Goodfellas (…sensing a pattern?)
Rolling Stones, “2000-year Man” — Bottle Rocket
the Stranglers, “Peaches” — Sexy Beast
Aimee Mann, “Wise Up” — Magnolia

Oh, I also saw a dandy little independent film called Assisted Living, apparently only available on Netflix. The director shot on-site in an eldercare facility in Louisville, employing many of the residents as “actors,” merging “fact and fiction” in his own brief description. I don’t care so much about that–but you may. What I found quite remarkable was its attention to aging, its cool-eyed compassion, and its wit. Plus, it was shot with a very nice, impressionistic edge…. kind of reminded me of David Gordon Green, but more interested in narrative. Recommended.

And, Howell–I really want to hear what you think of OldBoy. That film really sticks with me….

My Name Is Earl

Around 15 million people tuned in last night for this new NBC comedy. I liked its Coen Brothers-lite charm and Jason Lee makes an engaging lead character. With 246 people to cross of his list, the network certainly has a long run on its hand if America keeps watching. Nothing remarkable but amusing nonetheless. The second season of The Office was also fun to watch (if a little bit more mainstream than the first few eps) though it lost 6 million of Earl’s viewers.

Terrorism movies

OK, so best (and worst) terrorism movies? If ‘Blown Away’ anchors one end of the spectrum, are there good movie treatments? Is it possible to make a good movie on this subject in the current period? I’d certainly put in a plug for ‘Battle of Algiers’ as the simply the best, and probably unrepeatable, because it is impossible to make an intelligent movie on the subject in America today.

But what do people think of ‘The Siege’ which came under sustained attack for its use of stereotypes, but which (I must admit) I found pretty compelling. Fine performances by Denzel Washington, Tony Shalhoub, Annette Bening and even (before his “slide from greatness”) Bruce Willis. And at least some sense of the sources/causes of terrorism and the dangers of Patriot Act-type reaction.

the motorcycle diaries

has this not been discussed here yet? we finally got around to watching it this weekend. our expectations were high–partly based on the recommendations of others, but mostly on just how much we’d both liked central station. however, i found the motorcycle diaries to be curiously uninvolving. perhaps it is a built-in problem with any biopic of an iconic figure, especially of the “early life of” sub-genre that the film’s present can’t help but serve as background material for the spectacular myth–providing a series of aha! moments: “so, that’s when he began to think about oppression” etc.. it is also a problem if the “early life of” doesn’t complicate the myth: it turns out che was always a noble sort. without this narrative tension what you have is a lovely travel advertisement for the andes. and maybe that advertisement looks so much better on the big screen that these other issues pale–i don’t know. central station was also visually stunning, but went over similar political ground far more dialectically (oooh!) and movingly.

but i sense disagreement in the ranks (and i don’t know yet what sunhee thought of it–i’ll try to get her to post).

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ opened in France this week (it is pretty rare for an American film to open abroad before it does in the US; I don’t what that says about the marketing strategy). I saw a dubbed version rather than a subtitled one, so it is possible that the dialogue sparkled in ways that my French was not able to appreciate. With that caveat, I found the movie disappointing though definitely watchable.

First the good. Robert Downey Jr. And Val Kilmer were a pleasure to watch, and Kilmer really seems to be happier not trying to carry the movie on his own. His Gay Perry has a nice deadpan quality, and he avoids playing up the arch homosexual. What with this and ‘Spartan’ Kilmer may finally have lived down his role in ‘The Saint,’ probably the worst film of the post-Watergate era. Downey is always fun to watch, and here he has a charm that he just about pulls off without looking too goofy. There are lots of nice touches to the movie, involving urination, severed fingers, dogs, coffins and corpses falling into, or onto, dumpsters. They just depart enough from convention to offer a little jerk of surprise and pleasure.
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Palindromes

OK, here’s a truly dangerous work of indie filmmaking. I have very fond memories of Todd Solondz’s Welcome to the Dollhouse, but I absolutely hated Happiness and was mostly indifferent to Storytelling. Palindromes, however, is a wholly original, viscerally discomforting film which incisively interrogates our cultural obsession with childhood and innocence, family and individuality, self and other, normals and deviants, faith and hypocrisy, the grotesque and the sublime. It comes at the pro-life/pro-choice debate from such a skewed angle, but, in the end, I think it to be a deeply human film and worth the effort.