The Porkchop Express: Alex Aaron's Blog

Current Directors Top 25

2010-08-04T02:05:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted there to be an around-the-clock, ESPN-style show that covered the world of film. With that in mind, I've decided to release my top 25 of current directors. Keep in mind, this is not a "Best Living Directors list", this is a "Best Directors of 2010" list, and as such if a director has not done any significant work in 2010 he won't be listed (example: David Lynch). Much like NCAA football and basketball release top 25's and update them throughout the year, this list will also change as new films come out, as critical reception evolves, and as awards are given out.

25. Mark Romanek
The trailer for his upcoming film Never Let Me Go has already started to create buzz. Based on the critically adored novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, Romanek's followup to One Hour Photo boasts a solid cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield.

24. Joseph Kosinski
Buzz for the much-anticipated Tron: Legacy is reaching a fever pitch. Early assessments indicate the film will certainly be a moneymaker. Whether or not it will be good... We'll see.

23. Roman Polanski
Legal problems aside, Polanski's The Ghost Writer was well-received, and thus far well-rewarded, winning the Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

22. David Michod
Michod's Australian crime drama, Animal Kingdom, has been one of the best reviewed films of the year. If by some chance it becomes popular with American audiences, Michod could move far up the rankings.

21. Noah Baumbach
Baumbach's tart gem Greenberg struck a chord with critics, who praised Ben Stiller's affecting performance.

20. Mike Leigh
With the release of Another Year, it seems Leigh has once proved why he's one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of his time.

19. Todd Phillips
Phillips has been riding high ever since the breakout success of The Hangover. In his next film Due Date, Phillips combines the starpower of redhot Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifinakis for what looks to be a winning comedy formula.

18. Jon Favreau
Iron Man 2 didn't necessarily out-perform expectations, but it was still one of the biggest hits of the year.

17. Sophia Coppola
Athough Marie Antoinette was only a lukewarm success both financially and critically, I'm betting that Somewhere will be a return to form.

16. Debra Granik
Granik's gritty drama Winter's Bone has been one of the most acclaimed indie films of the year with Jennifer Lawrence's performance generating significant oscar buzz.

15. Julian Schnabel
The visionary filmmaker looks to make a splash in this year's oscar race with Miral, a film about a Palestinian woman's attempts to establish an orphange in Jerusalem amidst the burgeoning Isreali-Palestinian conflict.

14. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
There were some concerns for the Babel filmmaker after he and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga broke off their long-time collaborative relationship, but so far things are looking up. Biutiful probably won't be the feel-good success of the year, but if Javier Bardem's best actor prize from Cannes is any indication it could very well be an oscar contender.

13. Lisa Cholodenko
The Kids Are All Right has been something of a cause celebre this year. With it's endearing mix of comedy and sincere emotion, the film is an early best picture dark horse.

12. David O. Russell
Despite his ridiculous, youtube-blaring antics, Russell is still one of the most talented filmmakers working today, and with the Fighter he might have a legitimate oscar contender on his hands. Based on the true story of boxer Mickey Ward, the film stars Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, and Amy Adams.

11. Tim Burton
Alice in Wonderland was not a hit with the critics, but it was a hit with just about everyone else. There's something to be said for making a billion dollar grosser.

10. Edgar Wright
Off the strength of Scott Pilgrim's glowing advance reviews, Edgar Wright makes his first appearance in the top ten this year.

9. Doug Liman
The director of such highbrow fare as Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Jumper, Dough Liman isn't used to oscar buzz, but that's exactly what his new film Fair Game is generating. Based on the Valerie Plame scandal, the film stars Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, and based on early clips that have been released both actors might have oscar nominations in their future.

8. Lee Unkich
Toy Story 3 was not only a critical success, but it was a massive financial boon. This film has most likely already punched it's best picture ticket.

7. Clint Eastwood
Invictus was well-received by some and shrugged off by others, but make no mistake... Eastwood's past accolades more than warrant a top-ten ranking. The prolific director will be releasing the supernatural thriller Hereafter later on this year. Written by acclaimed screenwriter Peter Morgan and starring Matt Damon, this will certainly be one of the more anticipated films of the year. However, if this is just another Eastwood thriller ala Bloodwork, Eastwood will not be in the top ten for long.

6. David Yates
Early buzz for the first installment of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows couldn't be higher. Some were dissapointed with the Half-Blood Prince, but the core audience of the series isn't going anywhere, and the film should be one of the highest grossing of the year. If it is and if the reviews are strong, this film could be nominated for best picture.

5. Darren Aronofsky
A thriller centering on rival ballet dancers doesn't necessarily inspire much interest, but one simpy gets the feeling that somehow Aronofsky will make his upcoming film, Black Swan, fantastic.

4. Joel and Ethan Coen
With No Country for Old Men and A Serious Man, the Coen Brothers have come on particularly strong lately, and there's no reason to think their remake of True Grit starring Jeff Bridges won't be just as good.

3. Martin Scorcese
Shutter Island divided critics and audiences, but it was still a phenomenal success, grossing nearly 300 million at the box office.

2. David Fincher
The release of the new Social Network trailer has quickly made that film one of the most anticipated of the year. David Fincher proved with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that he's capable of making a great film that can still connect with audiences.

1. Christopher Nolan
Inception is the best reviewed hit of the summer and seems poised for a best picture nomination. The debate over this unusually challenging blockbuster shows no sign of waning.

Saw Inception Tonight

2010-07-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

As the post says, I saw the much anticipated Inception, and my verdict: good, but not great. I wouldn't begrudge anyone who thinks this movie is fantastic, but in my opinion the glowing reviews it has been receiving are overblown.

One review for instance said Inception was a "Kubrick film with heart". I'm not sure I'd agree either with it being Kubrickian or having heart. Certainly, it tries to have heart, but it doesn't really succeed. In the film, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, the world's best "extractor": a thief who specializes in going into people's dreams and accessing their most guarded secrets. He's also a fugitive trying to get back to his kids. So, when an employer comes along promising to clear his name if he can perform inception--planting an idea rather than stealing it--he can't refuse.

OK. Makes sense. He's trying to get back to his kids (and deal with some issues relating to his wife). Very heartrending. But DiCaprio almost plays it too straight. Sure, he conveys that mix of vulnerability and intensity that he does so well, but in my opinion that's become too one-dimensional. It doesn't help that we don't emotionally connect to anyone else in the film. Hell, there isn't time to connect to anyone else. The film moves too quickly for it's own good, jumping from one mind-bending action scene to the next without leaving time for us to understand who these character's really are.

"Give me the water, Eli!"

2010-06-28T23:35:00.001-07:00

Paul Thomas Anderson's brilliant There Will Be Blood has been coming on FX recently. I put it on one day during the baptism scene, where Eli forces Daniel Plainview to admit he "abandoned his son." If you've seen the film, you'll remember that the majority of the scene consists of a long close-up of Daniel Day Lewis. Watching Daniel Day Lewis' towering performance here is a pleasure, and Paul Thomas Anderson made an ingenius decision presenting the scene in this way.

This got me thinking of the best male leading performances of the 21st century.

10. Will Farrel, Anchorman
In my opinion, Will Farrel's performance as Ron Burgundy is one of the iconic comedic performances of all time, and deserves to recognized as a great acting achievement. There is something to be said about acting as relentlessly entertaining as this.

9. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Synecdoche, New York
Hoffman's has been one of the most lauded actors of the 21st century, and has no shortage of accolades to show for it, including an Academy Award for his portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote. He's also been recognized for his performances in Doubt, Charlie Wilson's War, and The Savages, but he received little attention for his stunning turn in Charlie Kaufman's unsurprisingly mindbending Synecdoche, New York. It's a huge credit to his abilities that he made this role so memorable. In the film, his character is constantly searching for answers and existential meaning to the point that he himself is a mystery. But Hoffman imbues him with a visceral emotional life.

8. Gene Hackman, The Royal Tenenbaums
Another unforgettable comedic performance from one of the greatest actors of all time. Hackman perfectly realizes Royal Tenenbaum's crusty, self-possessed dimensions, but it's how he evokes Tenenbaum's vulnerable, human core that makes the role so incredible.

7. Paul Giamatti, American Splendor
Although some may prefer his affecting work in Sideways, I'll take Giamatti's portrayal of Harvey Pekar any day of the week. From the spot-on voice to the perpetually misanthropic face, Giamatti owns this role.

6. Daniel Day Lewis, Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York was a flawed film, but it was not the fault of Daniel Day Lewis, who is blisteringly great as Bill the Butcher. His ability to play-up's Bill's insatiable violence appetite for violence as well his full-on humanity is astounding.

5. Christian Bale, American Psycho
To turn a psychopathic killer into a compelling human figure is not easy; some actors have excelled at it, creating indelible cinematic characters, while others have simply churned out caricatures. In Patrick Bateman, Christian Bale portrays perhaps the most galvanizing serial killer character ever.

4. Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
When I first saw The Wrestler, I was wowed by Rourke's performance, but I still felt that Sean Penn's utterly heartrending turn as Harvey Milk was better. I've since watched both films again, and not only do I think Rourke's performance is better, but I think it's one of the best in recent memory. Rourke loses all emotional inhibition in this role and provides as clear into a person's soul as any actor has done in some time.

3. Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom
In 2001, Denzel Washington won best actor at the Academy Awards with his ultra-hyperbolic, one-dimensional villian in Training Day. Since that time, I've heard little of the film or the performance--though both were solid--because you can't get anything from a one-note performance after the first viewing. Tom Wilkinson's turn in In the Bedroom on the other hand is anything but one-note. His multi-layered portrayal of a parent grieving the loss of his murdered son is nothing short of devastating.

2. Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood
I think I've said all there is to say about Daniel Day Lewis' incomparable talents in this film.

1. Ralph Fiennes, The Constant Gardener
This performance could just as easily be at the top of a "Most Underrated Performances List", but dare-I-say, that would be underrating it. In this film, Ralph Fiennes does a very difficult job: playing a weak character. His Justin Quayle is a mild-mannered British diplomat investigating the death of his activist wife. We witness his transformation from a timid yes man to a man willing to do anything to expose his wife's killers. It's a stunning feat and Ralph Fiennes takes us through Justin's transformation with unequaled subtlety and emotional command.

Fright Night Redux

2010-06-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, I'm a huge fan of Tom Holland's 1985 cult horror classic Fright Night. In fact, I'm fairly certain that I like this movie more than any person on the planet ever has. In my opinion, it's an extraordinarily well crafted and immensely entertaining film.

When I found out that there was a remake planned for 2011, I didn't react with much enthusiasm. Don't get me wrong... I'm not some Fright Night fundamentalist, who thinks even the thought of a remake is blasphemy, but I immediately suspected it would be at the least a mediocre film.

It could very well be a bad film, but I'm becoming increasingly interested in it. For starters, it's being directed by Craig Gillespie, who also helmed the acclaimed Lars and the Real Girl (of course, he also directed the significantly less acclaimed Mr. Woodcock); and the film was being written by Marti Noxon, a writer for Mad Men.

The casting looks solid as well. Anton Yelchin will be playing Charlie Brewster and although I'm not in awe of his talents, he could be right for this part. In addition, Christopher Mintz-Plasse is playing Evil Ed, Imogen Poots from 28 Weeks Later is playing Amy, Toni Collette is playing Charlie's mom, and David Tennant of Doctor Who fame is playing Peter Vincent.

But the best casting choice by far has been for the enigmatic vampire neighbor Jerry Dandridge:

COLIN FARREL.

Listen, by no means do I think casting Colin Farrel guarantees success, but I when I saw this casting decision it instantly made sense to me. I think he could be very successful in this role.

I read a review on the script, and I must admit the new plot does seem contrived. It involves Charlie becoming a newly popular high school student and alienating his friends. Peter Vincent is no longer a cheesy television personality, but is instead a Las Vegas showman of sorts? What?

We'll see.

Early thoughts on LSU

2010-06-23T01:49:00.000-07:00

I saw the results of LSU's spring game on the university's website and I really don't know what to think of the upcoming season. The team has been inconsistent ever since the 2007 Championship. I chalked up 2008's disappointing campaign to the obvious reason: no Ryan Perriloux, but although we improved in 2009, particularly on defense, things weren't much better. In fact, in terms of the running game things were worse. At times, Jordan Jefferson acquitted himself well at the quarterback position, at others I was actually wondering if Jarret Lee wouldn't be a better starter. This was mainly when Jefferson was getting sacked constantly because he never got rid of the ball under pressure--say what you will about Lee, but he was never shy about getting rid of the ball.

So, one would think that Jordan Jefferson would be coming into this season the best he's ever been. Here are his numbers from the spring game: 8 of 23 for 94 yards and an interception. That doesn't look like improvement to me, and this is a SPRING GAME! I have to say, though, I am more optimistic about our running game this year. Steven Ridley will probably be a good go-to guy and apparently Michael Ford has the skills to get a lot of touches as a redshirt freshman. Also, Russel Shephard did more in this spring game than it seemed he did all of last season (what exactly was the thinking on removing Shephard's redshirt and then using him so little!)

As much as I don't know what to make of LSU next year, I think the SEC West in general is just as unpredictable. Alabama will obviously great, but just how much better will Arkansas and Auburn me.

Some say Les Miles might be on the hotseat and I agree, and I just don't know if the current coaching arrangement is going to get LSU to the SEC championship game. For one, after last year's abysmal offensive showing why wasn't Gary Crowton fired? The team did bring Florida wide receiver's coach Billy Gonzales to be the "passing game coordinator", but I am much less heartened by this news than others. I don't know think bringing the wide receiver's coach from Florida is going to be a large enough move to get our offense where it needs to be.

That being said, I think the defense this year may be as good as it's been in a very long time. All the pieces are in place for us to be a real lock-down unit. And let's be honest, for as inconsistent as LSU was last year, they still won 9 games in the regular season. It stands to reason that if we're improved, that our record will improve. There is one problem: We're playing a top ten schedule this year, with games against North Carolina and West Virginia out of conference. Also, we have to go to Florida, Auburn, and Arkansas. Luckily, we get Alabama at home. And that game is perhaps the real test. No amount of coach shuffling is going to matter if LSU can't beat Alabama (as we haven't for the last two years, though the games have been close). Alabama has clearly replaced LSU as the preeminent team in the SEC West and I have a feeling Nick Saban is going to keep them there for a while. Now whether or not Alabama is forced to share the SEC West is up to LSU, and possibly Auburn (hell, possibly Arkansas). It isn't a good sign that Alabama has gone undefeated against the SEC West for the last two years. I absolutely believe we can beat Alabama (we almost did it in 2008 with our worst team in years).

CEO's: Cunts Entrenched in Oil

2010-06-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

I found out today that BP CEO Tony Hayward was so busy trying to correct his company's colossal fuck-up in the gulf that he had attended a yacht race. Apparently, corporate elitists are either too pathologically self-obsessed or simply too stupid to understand how callous they really act.

I might be able to tolerate Hayward's shocking insensitivity if it wasn't so clear that he and his company were still doing business as usual. Case in point: Hayward's testimony to Congress. Stonewalling, pure and simple. Based on his testimony, he's either the most inept ceo in the oil industry--a possibility I'm more than willing to entertain--or BP made a calculated decision to obstruct any congressional investigation in the oil spill and the disaster on the rig itself. Either way, it's indefensible.

Let's be honest though, the congressional interrogation of BP is most likely little more than a obligatory hand-wringing. Firm regulatory standards need to be established and enforced admisitration to administration. The reason why prior to this spill oil companies were allowed to do anything in the gulf is because there has been no continuity of environmental or energy police. Another reason that comes to mind is that the oil industry has economically handcuffed the people of the gulf coastal region. This is why Mary Landrieu doesn't have the guts to stand up to BP. And I don't mean by demanding they pay for their own mistake. I mean by demanding they cease oil production until it is verifiably clear that their drilling standards are safe. As long as senators like Landrieu are financially tied to the oil industry, real regulatory progress will be dificult.

Joe Carnahan Has No Clothes

2010-06-20T23:08:00.000-07:00

Just to clarify, the title of this blogpost is a reference to "The Emperor has no clothes", but I would never call Joe Carnhan the emperor. Let me explain.

I recently saw Joe Carnhan's The A-Team, and while it wasn't terrible I couldn't help but thinking, "What happenned to the serious filmmaker in Joe Carnahan? The one who made Narc?"

It's becoming increasingly clear that Narc was just Carnahan's prestige bid so he could make action fluff like the A-Team and the visceral mess that was Smokin' Aces. After watching the A-Team, it occured to me that he's a grittier, American Guy Ritchie--and I don't mean that in a good way.

There are other filmmakers I can think of who have not delivered on their promise.

The first one that comes to mind is Richard Kelly. Obviously, I think Donnie Darko is a great film. It's original in both tone and content and is superbly well-made. Southland Tales is... not. There have been many theories as to why Southland Tales was such a failure. Yes, the film was packed with too many ambitious ideas for its own good. But that's a cop-out, as if one is trying to say that somewhere in Southland Tales is a good film. There isn't. It's cryptic, time-travel-themed plotlines could never rise above their own muck, and at the end of the day the casting was adventurous to a fault. I haven't seen The Box but I didn't hear good things.

Terry George is another filmmaker in this vein. Remember Hotel Rwanda? That was a terrific film. Brilliantly acted and with directed with great sincerity by George. What happenned with Reservation Road, a hopelessly muddled domestic drama that at the end of day was a collection of tragic cliches.

At this point, it's almost redundant to mention the Wachowski Brothers, but I will. Why? Because the Matrix is more than just a great film. It's a mindbending, groundbreaking, visually dazzling, transcendent sci-fi action film and one of my favorite of all time. The two sequels on the other hand are bad. Just bad. To say the series lacks a satisfying conclusion is beyond understatement. To put it simply, the Wachowski Brothers became too mired in the fathomless depth of the questions their films raised, the Matrix Reloaded and Reservations was the result.

Finally, there's Sam Mendez. This may surprise some people, but I haven't been impressed by Sam Mendez' post-American Beauty career. Road to Perdition was high on production value, but startlingly low on compelling characters; Jarhead was a mess of post-modern ideas on warfare that never led to anything. And I have to say, I didn't love Revolutionary Road. It was HIGHLY STAGEY--and by that I mean theater-like to a fault--and the themes were trite. Oddly enough, his best film since American Beauty may be the very entertaining Away We Go (and I certainly didn't think that was perfect).

Last Exam Today

2010-05-06T00:05:00.000-07:00

After I take my cinematography exam at 3:30, my undergraduate studies will unofficially be over. However, I am not really that close to completely ending my academic career since I made the decision to attend graduate school. Where? The University of New Orleans. I know what you're thinking... Going to graduate school at the same college where you received your undergraduate education? But I assure you there are extenuating circumstances. For one, I have a severe inability to fund myself going to nearly any other graduate program. On the same note, UNO's graduate film department has agreed to give me a very generous scholarship.

I'm very excited. Being a graduate student at UNO will give me the opportunity, hopefully, to make some very good films. Speaking of films, I recently saw the Nightmare on Elm Street remake, which was possibly even worse than the universally negative reviews might have suggested. With all due respect to Jackie Earle Haley, what was going on with his performance? It's difficult to craft a successful horror film when your central villain is not remotely frightening, or that matter charismatic, on any level.

Rachel Weisz is Jackie O?

2010-04-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Entertainment Weekly has reported that Academy Award winning actress and gift from the
Gods of beauty Rachel Weisz is set to play Jackie Kennedy in an upcoming film to be directed by Weisz's fiance, Darren Aronofsky. The film will explore the turbulent aftermath of the Kennedy assassination.

Personally, I have never been interested in the life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, but based on the talent currently attached to the project, I'm already eagerly anticipating this film. Darren Aronofsky is a genius and Weisz is a tactical weapon of hotness and extreme acting skills. Weisz is the rare beauty that encompasses several dimensions of pure hotness.

Adventurous Rachel.

Playful Rachel.

Elegant Rachel.

Ready for anything Rachel.

Source: Hollywood Celebrity Pictures

Hayley Atwell to join Captain America cast

2010-04-14T18:29:00.001-07:00

Captain America has just received its first major hotness boost.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, British Actress Haley Atwell of Brideshead Revisited and Cassandra's Dream fame has been cast as the patriotic super soldier's love interest, Peggy Carter. She'll star opposite Chris Evans, who was recently unveiled as the choice to play Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, in Joe Johnston's upcoming film.

I have to admit, initially I was not wowed by Haley Atwell's looks. Sure, she is pretty, but let's face it, most mainstream actresses are. Then I found this series of photos, which made me seriously my first impression.

I don't care what anyone says. That's certified hotness. Admittedly, I am a sucker for the understated, quietly sexy brunette, but look at those tasty milk duds.

Source: Celebrity Pictures

Scarlett Johansson set to star in lost Stanley Kubrick script

2010-04-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Source: Dorkshelf.com

If Stanley Kubrick were still alive, could anyone imagine him casting Scarlett Johansson in what can only be described as a grotesquely camp mystery centered around an escaped axe-murderer?

Well, it just happened--except for the part about Stanley Kubrick. He is neither alive, nor did he personally cast Johansson and her Boleyn Girls (I'm trying really hard to make that a thing), and let's be honest, would Kubrick even cast Johansson anyway? Before he featured Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut, the hottest actress he ever worked with was Sue Lyon who played Lolita (was it weird that I said that?).

According to cinematical.com, both Johansson and Sam Rockwell have signed on to star in an adaptation of a long-lost film treatment developed by Kubrick and pulp novelist Jim Thompson in the late 1950s. In 2006, the New York Times reported on the existence of a script adaptation of this titled Lunatic at Large, which was described as 1950s potboiler featuring a car chase and a macabre carnival set piece most likely filled with very spooky things.

Am I the only who thinks this sounds nothing remotely like a Stanley Kubrick film? And as far as Scarlett Johansson's luscious boobliness is concerned, maybe that's a good thing. Stanley Kubrick was a genius, but sexiness was one quality conspiculously absent from most of his films.

Hot or Not: Rebecca Hall

2010-04-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

Recently, I learned that British actress Rebecca Hall has starred in some particularly steamy sex scenes in the acclaimed BBC production the RedRiding Trilogy. Although apparently she doesn't bare all, it can only help that she's finally decided to embrace her narrowly withheld sexuality. This development has, at least for myself, re-opened a debate of vital importance: is Rebecca Hall hot or not?

Mainstream audiences were first introduced to Rebecca Hall in The Prestige, where she plays Christian Bale's tormented wife. Constantly made-up in frumpy Victorian garb--and a terribly worn-up hairdo that her naturally pretty face struggled to overcome--this role did little to endear me to her attractiveness. But one could still see there was more under the surface of her of intentionally understated appearance in The Prestige.

Her next major role was in Vicki Christina Barcelona, in which she yet again had to act opposite the unworldly hotness that is Scarlett Johannson and her Boleyn girls (that's my euphemism for Scarlett Johannson's boobs), not to mention Penelope Cruz (and her... Bandidas?). Despite that, she acquited herself well as Scarlet Johannson's more sexually conservative friend that Javier Bardem still bangs.

In Frost/Nixon, Hall finally plays a character that isn't a prude either because of choice or sex-sapping Victorian conventions. As the film's only real offering of sexuality, Hall seemingly relishes the opportunity to show off her sleek, deliciously well-proportioned body. That combined with her demure and hard-earned sensuality help to make this clearly her most attractive role to date (I'm a sucker for reserved British beauty, especially when packaged with such knowing seductiveness).

But if this were simply a question of sexiness of personality, then there wouldn't even be a debate. You decide.

Source: Aceshowbiz

English Hottie Siena Miller and Jude Miller Engaged

2010-04-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

Siena Miller is off the market... again... maybe.

For the third time, the British actress and Jude Law have declared their marital intentions toward one another in an effort to create one of the ulimate power couples of hotness.

Although Siena Miller has apparently been wearing her engagement ring on the wrong hand in order to keep the engagement private (did it ever occur to her to not wear the engagement ring at all if secrecy was her main goal?), sources on Hollyscoop.com confirm that the couple is finally ready to tie the knot.

Some say that Siena Miller is the pre-eminent British hottie of her generation. Personally, I'm biased toward Emily Blunt, but this one photo provided by artistsgallery.blogspot.com is certainly making me reconsider my choice. Yikes.

Julianne Moore lezzing out again in The Kids Are All Right Trailer

2010-04-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Julianne Moore is returning for yet another ride on the lesbian train.

In the recently released trailer to The Kids Are All Right, Moore and Annette Bening star as a long-time couple whose children seek to reconnect with their sperm donor father (Marc Ruffalo), proving in the process that family transcends societal conventions and portrayals of middle-aged lesbianism have really never been the same since Claire of the Moon (obscure lesbian film reference? Get used to it).

Director Lisa Cholodenko has dabbled in this territory before with High Art, another exploration of complex lesbian relationships with a fair amount of explicit girl-on-girl action, and Laurel Canyon, an indie drama featuring one incredibly awkward threesome with Frances McDormand and Kate Beckinsale. Somewhere between then and now, Cholodenko has lost sight of the fact that representations of lesbianism devoid of erotic, male-centered pandering just doesn't cut it.

I mean... I watched the entire trailer and there wasn't even one teary make-out scene ala Chloe.

March Madness

2010-03-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, March Madness officially tips off with the start of the opening round games. Like many, I've been neurotically obsessing over my bracket ever since selection sunday.

My first impressions:

1. I don't like the upset bids this year -- As I look at the bracket, I certainly don't see much upset potential in the first round. There are a few popular upsets that many are predicting.

- (11)San Diego State over (6)Tennessee: Although San Diego is riding high after winning a competitive Mountain West, I don't like their chances in this game. They don't possess any athletic advantage over Tennessee, and in truth their shooting is just as inconsistent as Tennessee's. As long as Tennessee doesn't look past them, I like the Vols to advance.

- (11)UTEP over (5) Butler: This is probably the surest upset of the tournament. Although I
like Butler's team play and experience, UTEP's inside-outside athleticism and defense should win the day. This is one of the few upset picks I actually feel confident about.

- (13)Murray State over (4)Vanderbilt: In my opinion, you can never discount a team as hot as Murray State. A 30 win team, Murray State is athletic and aggressive on the defensive front, but I don't like their matchup. Vanderbilt is a team uniquely built for tournament success. They have size on the inside, an experienced point guard, and hot perimeter scoring. If Vandy can advance past Murray State, then I like them to make a sweet sixteen and maybe challenge Syracuse for a spot in the elite eight.

- (11) Minnesota over (6)Xavier: Minnesota is tough defensively and is generally a good shooting team, but I don't like picking a team coming off a desperation high. Prior to their big ten tournament run Minnesota was squarely off the bubble and was in a win to get in situation. Now they're in, but can they translate their big ten tourney intensity to the NCAA. I think the best thing they have going for them is Tubby Smith, who knows how to get maximum production from his team. But I like Xavier's overall team chemistry and consistency. They have size and shooting and I like them to win and go to the sweet sixteen in an upset over Pitt.

- (10)Florida over (7)BYU: In my opinion, many analysts (except Joe Lunardi) are seriously underrating BYU's potential in this year's tournament. Yes, they haven't advanced past the first round in years, but this is their best team in years and I expect Jimmer Fredette to explode on to the national scene as one of the MVPs in the tournament. I think BYU is good enough to upset Kansas State in the second round. Also, I like Florida is one of the weakest teams in the tournament. They have some athletes on the team, but they're so inconsistent, both offensively and defensively.

- (12)Cornell over (5)Temple: Thanks to Jay Billas' incessant stumping for Cornell, they've become a popular pick to not only upset Temple in the first round but also maybe make a run to the final four. Although I think Cornell is possibly the 12 seed best equipped to do that, I don't like their opening round matchup. Temple is smothering defensively and I think just a better team. Temple had no problem containing Villanova's talented shooting guards, and I think they will do the same to Cornell's. Temple is the possible sleeper to reach the elite eight if they can't get past Wisconsin in the next round.

- (11) Washington over (6)Marquette: You have to give Washington credit for buckling down and winning their conference tournament, but I just don't think they pose any significant matchup problems to Marquette. Certainly, Washington has a legitimate star in Quincy Poindexter and Marquette will need to find a way to contain him, but Marquette is an active defensive unit, and Washington's run-and-gun guard attack is nothing they haven't seen before.

- (12)Utah State over (5)Texas A&M: I think Utah is one of the best lower seeded teams in the tournament and if they had been matched up against Butler or Michigan State I probably would have picked them to advance, maybe to the Sweet Sixteen, but ultimately I like Texas A&M in this game. They're a scrappy defensive unit that's been prepared by their difficult Big 12 conference schedule. If Texas A&M does survive this opening round, I think it's very possible they could pull off a shocker against Duke in the sweet sixteen.

- (13)Siena over (4)Purdue: Before Robbie Hummel's injury I liked Purdue to compete for the
championship, but his absence has caused considerable chemistry problems for the boilermakers. They squeaked by their remaining conference schedule before being embarrassed by Minnesota in the big ten tournament. Siena on the other hand is coming into this game relatively rested and with their athleticism and tournament experience I like them to pull off the upset.

- (11)Old Dominion over (6)Notre Dame: These two teams are in reality much closer than their seeding. Before going on a ridiculous big east run, Notre Dame was barely in the tournament. After Luke Harangody's injury they are seemingly playing better, but their lineup and team strategy is still in flux, and I like a prepared, tight-knit Old Dominion team to beat them.

As you can see I'm only predicting three upsets in the first round (four if you count Missouri over Clemson). History indicates there will be more, but I think this may be a year where the majority of the upsets come in the later rounds.

2. Despite their difficult path to the final four, Kansas will still make it -- Put simply, Kansas is
the deepest, most experienced, most balanced, and most well-coached of the major seeds. In a lot of ways, they remind me of the 2006-2007 Florida team. Their commitment to defense, their paralyzingly consistent offense, and their overall team dynamic is just that impressive.

3. What team seeded 3 or lower can make a run to the finals? -- When you're talking about surprise final four teams, anything lower than a two seed usually qualifies.

- (4)Wisconsin: They didn't acquit themselves well in the big ten conference tournament but I think they have the pieces in place to make it to the final four. This is an extremely disciplined team that doesn't make mistakes or turn the ball over. That combined with their hard-nosed defense and great shooting could be the winning formula. In the very least, I like Wisconsin to give Kentucky a run for their money in the sweet sixteen.

- (4)Vanderbilt: The Commodores are a very talented team. They have size in the interior and effective perimeter shooting, which could be the blue print for beating Syracuse's 2-3 zone. After that, who knows?

- (3)Baylor: They have great size, athleticism, and good shooters. I think they're going to give any team they play major matchup problems, especially Villanova. It also doesn't hurt that they have arguably the easiest bracket to go through.

- (7)BYU: This is a dark, darkhorse pick, but I really like the Cougars this year. If they can get past Kansas State, then the rest of the bracket sets up pretty well. They could possibly play Pitt, or a team that upsets Pitt like Xavier or Minnesota. Either way, I'd like BYU to advance. Then, the best team they'd have to play is Syracuse, who may be dealing with lineup problems.

I'd also like the University of New Mexico's chances but they have too many elite teams to get through in a stacked East region.

4. What high-seeded team are poised for an upset?

- (2)Kansas State: KSU is a great team-athletic and with great shooting by Cliemente and Pullen, but I think they're going to face a drastically underseeded BYU in the second round that may be prime for an upset.

- (1)Duke: Although they've been blessed by a notoriously unbalanced region, I just don't love the Blue Devils this year. This may be their best team in years, but do they really have the skill to make it to the fina four? I don't think so. I don't buy into the athleticism of their big men or the clutch shooting of their main scorers. They're possibly the best coached team in the tournament, but I like them to get bounced out in the Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight.

- (3)Pitt: The Panthers were an overachieving bunch this year, but they're still young and offensively inconsistent. I like them to be upset in the second round.

- (3)Georgetown: They have a lot of potential, but I don't buy that a team that didn't make the tournament last year is suddenly going to make a sustained run. They certainly have talent but because of their big east tournament run, everyone is forgetting about their flaws.

Post Academy Awards Analysis

2010-03-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

And onto the next awards season.

I watched the Academy Awards last night, and while I always felt that the magnitude of the event was compelling, it was far from a perfect presentation. For one, the decision to have dual hosts in Steven Martin and Alec Baldwin did not bear the fruit we all hoped it would. There performance together seemed lacking in relevant content and disastrously ill-planned (where was Alec Baldwin's occasional British accent coming from). Also, how did two people as brilliantly funny as Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin settle on that opening monologue (I know there are two of them, but I'm calling it a monologue). There were actually some incredibly funny moments in there--Steve Martin's two favorite things: rugby and tension between blacks and whites; Meryl Streep's Hitler memorabilia; the wonderfully timed moments with George Clooney. But couldn't the comedy writers at the Academy Awards come up with anything more intelligently structured than, "Hey, it's (fill in with name of any celebrity).

In an attempt to broaden its popularity, the Academy made a few changes this year. For one, the nominated songs were not performed. Many were upset with this, but I still contend that this is the correct move. Sure, every now and then the musical performances contain something truly surprising and memorable (Falling Slowly, anyone?), but for every Falling Slowly there are ten overly bubbly songs from musicals or animated films that just drag the night down. Also, the showrunners were clearly making an effort to appeal to a younger, more genre-centric demographic, hence the Twilight Presenters and the oddly conceived tribute to horror films, which included such classics from the genre as Edward Scissorhands. I respect the Academy's attempt to showcase their appreciation for film history, but these montages are rarely as interesting they need to be warrant the time they take. Finally, did anyone really think the modern dance sequence set to the best score nominees was a good idea? The dancers looked like characters out of Step Up 2: The Streets, only they were performing to the cringingly out-of-place music from Up, The Hurt Locker, Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, and the Fantastic Mr. Fox.

A final note on the ceremony: Can we please dispense with the peer tutorials before the Best Actor and Actress awards. Tim Robbins did his best to liven them up, but other than him they were largely bloated, decorous statements lacking any real insight.

Now, let's talk about the Awards. Firstly, I'm very happy that Avatar had as poor of a night as it did, although I still think it shouldn't have won Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, or Best Visual Effects. Yeah, I said it. But the awards generally went according to script. The one significant upset came in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, in which Precious surprisingly beat the favored Up in the Air. I was VERY PLEASED with this result. With all due respect to Up in the Air, it simply didnt have the emotional complexity or strengh of craft that Precious did. After this award, I thought Precious might have a chance to win big in other categories, like Best Actress, but obviously that didn't happen. I also want to say that I found Mo'Nique's acceptance to be very poignant, and I wonder if her words were also meant to indict Academy Awards voters for completely disregarding the soul-bearing intensity of Gabby Sidibe in Precious in favor of Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock's coyer performances.

By the way, what was Christoph Waltz talking about in his acceptance speech? Quentin Tarantino was to his left and they wanted to discover a new continent, but they decided to move to their right and found anothe continent?

The Spirit Awards

2010-03-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

Well, that settles it. Whatever chance Precious had of winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards has officially been erased. Last night at the Spirit Awards, Precious won five prizes, including Best Feature and Best Director, and at any other major awards show that might be a good thing. But the Independent Spirit Awards NEVER successfully predicts the best picture winner at the Oscars. Remember Brokeback Mountain and Little Miss Sunshine? Brokeback was considered the overwhelming favorite to win Best Picture and Little Miss Sunshine came into the Oscars riding a wave of momentum from SAG and Producer's Guild wins. Both films eventually won Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards and boths promptly lost out Crash and The Departed respectively at the Academy Awards.

Now, obviously I'm not saying that Spirit Awards has a direct impact on Academy voters preferences. I'm just saying that 100 percent of the time the Spirit Awards and the Oscars disagree on best picture. I'm not too upset about this, but Precious was my favorite of the ten nominated films at the Academy Awards. By the way, what happened to the love for Precious? Presumeably, the best picture race has boiled down to Hurt Locker vs. Avatar--although some would have you believe that Inglourious Basterds could win as well. Aren't there any Academy voters loyal to Precious?

Oscar Preview and Predictions, part 2

2010-03-02T23:08:00.000-08:00

Best Supporting Actor

Who will win?
This might be the most statistically assured category of the night: Christoph Waltz will win for Inglourious Basterds. His closest competition is Woody Harrelson, who gives his best performance in years in The Messenger, but even he is not that close.

Who should win?
There's a reason Waltz has won everything in sight: as the delightfully menacing Han Landa, he's simply been the most outstanding supporting actor of the year (and this comes from someone whose been especially vocal about his dislike of Inglourious Basterds). On a seperate note, though, I would have liked to have seen Brad Pitt's equally immersive turn as Aldo Raine nominated. And why not one of the great comedic actors from In the Loop?

Best Supporting Actress

What will win?
Like Christoph Waltz, Mo'Nique looks to have this category sown up. As far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be sufficient support for any of the other nominees to even a mount credible push to the top.

Who should win?
The reason no other nominee has been able to make a competant case for themselves is because they're just not as good as Mo'Nique in Precious, in which she manages to be both reviling and surprisingly vulnerable.

Best Actor

Who will win?
Although there still seems to be some goodwill for Colin Firth in A Single Man, he won't win this award, and for one reason: Jeff Bridges is nominated. Not only is Bridges' role as a fading country singer highly acclaimed, but there is consensus that it his time to win.

Who should win?
I haven't seen Crazy Heart, but I understand Jeff Bridges is brilliant in it. So, instead of who will win, I'll make this who should have been nominated. The first that comes to mind is A Serious Man's Michael Stuhlbarg who is wonderful as the Job-like Larry Gopnik.

Best Actress

Who will win?
Conventional wisdom would have you believe that awards season cinderella Sandra Bullock will win come Sunday for her sassy, southern turn in The Blind Slide. After all, she has won the Golden Globe and the SAG awards. But there are rumblings of Blind Side backlash that I predict will topple Bullock in the late stretch in favor of Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia.

Who should win?
Although I haven't seen either Bullock or Streeps' performances, I have to say I find them both grating in the previews. What I don't understand is why Gabby Sidibe in Precious has been completely ignored in this discussion. In my view, she delivered the rawest and most blisteringly human performance of the year.

Best Director

Who will win?
James Cameron brings an impressive technical pedigree to this award and is favored by many to win, but I think at the end of the day Kathryn Bigelow walks away with the prize for her visceral visual command of The Hurt Locker. The Academy just seems ready to give the award to a female director for the first time, and James Cameron has already won once.

Who should win?
Kathryn Bigelow does a terrific job of crafting a narrative that is both vividly stylized and realistic, but of the five nominated my choice for best director would actually be Lee Daniels, who is just as sensational in his direction of Precious.

Best Picture

What will win?
Avatar or The Hurt Locker? This queston has become more complicated with the recent news that a Hurt Locker producer sent an email to Academy voters criticizing Avatar and essentially stumping for votes. Prior to this I would have predicted The Hurt Locker winning the award. Did this email signal that The Hurt Locker's support is waning. Did the email turn off potential voters? Considering the Academy's new weighted voting system, I'm still predicting The Hurt Locker to win.

What should win?
The Hurt Locker is an electrifying war film; District 9 and A Serious Man are both brilliantly original; Avatar is a film with big, ploddingly simplistic ideas and many flaws. But the film that should win is Precious, which may be the most moving film of the year.

Oscar Preview and Predictions, part 1

2010-03-02T12:14:00.000-08:00

As you probably know, the Academy Awards are being held this Sunday, and naturally I've been hard at work coming up with my predictions. I'll go over the main categories and what I think will win.

Best Score

What will win?
In my opinion, Michael Giacchino's charming, disney-throwback score for Up clearly has the inside track in this category, not only because the film has won for this category at the Golden Globes, but als because Giacchino produced an acclaimed score for Star Trek as well. This is his year.

What should win?
Although I do appreciate the saccharine tone of Giacchino's work in Up, I happen to think that the best score in this category is Alexandre Desplat's in The Fantastic Mr. Fox. It's sparkling, whimsical, and at times deeply moving.

Best Cinematography

What will win?
This is a slightly difficult category to predict. If voters are judging purely by the actual aesthetic and photographic virtues of the film, than the evocative black-and-white The White Ribbon could win. However, if they're placing a high priority on technical innovation than Avatar wins in a landslide. My personal belief, Avatar wins (although if the voting results were ever revealed, I bet The White Ribbon would be a close second).

What should win?
I've been a fan of the visual world David Yates has created with the latest Harry Potter films, and sure enough The The Half-Blood Price was beautifully filmed. However, my favorite film in this category is actually Inglourious Basterds, photographed with impeccable richness by Robert Richardson.

Best Film Editing

What will win?
The race is clearly between Avatar and The Hurt Locker. The Academy usually loves tensely edited films like the The Hurt Locker, but they also seem to love showering James Camerons' record-breaking box office successes with every technical oscar imaginabe. Although I sincerely hope Avatar doesn't win because I think it was poorly edited, in the end it will, since the Academy rarely honors well-structured, nuanced editing over fast-paced, epic action.

What should win?
Although I thought The Hurt Locker was exceptionally well-done, I think the best edited films in this category were Precious and District 9, and of the two I think District 9 should win. It's mix of documentary and thrilling sci-fi drama was brilliant.

Best Adapted Screenplay

What will win?
The awards season Gods seemed to have annointed Up in the Air as the heir apparent in this category. And why not? It's a wry and incisive character-driven drama, and the Academy loves to honor those films for their screenplays.

What should win?
I'm not nearly as enamored of Up in the Air as others. I found George Clooney's performance to be merely adequate and the film's overall message to be trite. I don't know why other more adventurous and poignant films are constantly being igored, like Precious and the In the Loop. I would be greatly surprised if either of these two won the award, which is a shame. In the Loop is one of the most interesting comedies in recent memory and Precious presents a level of human grittiness that is truly exceptional.

Best Original Screenplay

What will win?
There are three films in this category that could potentially walk away the award. The first, and decidedly least likely, is the Coen Bros. grimly offbeat A Serious Man. At the start of the awards season, this film won every major critics prize for best original screenplay, but recently it's momentum, slim as it was, has stymied. However, you can't count out the Coen brothers. The favorites are certainly The Hurt Locker, a upstart as of late, and Inglourious Basterds. If you had asked me a few weeks ago which would win, I would say Inglourious Basterds in a heartbeat; however, The Hurt Locker's recent wins at the Writers Guild and BAFTA awards prove how close this race has become (although in fairness, Inglourious Basterds wasn't nominated at the WGA). Although The Hurt Locker has narrowed the gap, I still think Inglourious Basterds will win. It has a great deal of goodwill in the Academy and it has another advantage as well: It was written by Quentin Tarantino. With his uniquely, dialogue heavy work, this is the category he's supposed to win for.

What should win?
A Serious Man is everything a winner in this category should be: unique, layered, finely detailed, and resonant.

Shutter Island

2010-02-28T06:36:00.001-08:00

While I was in Baton Rouge between Thursday and Friday, I saw Shutter Island and unfortunatley I didn't like it. Without revealing key aspects of the plot, I'll simply say that I found the film's twists and turns to be fairly predictable, and in the rare instances when the film did manage to surprise me, it did so only by going to incomprehensibly ridiculous lengths.

Overall, the narrative seemed like nothing more than an excuse for Scorcese to experiment in lushly stylized gothic horror. In that respect the film excells, but almost too much. Shutter Island replicates numerous gothic conventions--spooky mansions, dungeons, violent storms--and it does so with the highest degree of grotesque, atmospheric detail, but the film doesn't contribute anything new, so the impressive production value illicits little visceral emotion.

Considering the film's psycho-horror aspirations, it is surprisingly uninvolving. This is partially due to the frustratingly one-dimensional characterization of the main character, Teddy Daniels, played by Leonardo Dicaprio. As a federal marshall haunted not only by the death of his wife but also his memories of liberating the Dachau concentration camp in World War 2, this could have been a much more interesting character. Unfortunately, Leo does very little with Teddy other than constantly furrow his brow in either anger, confusion, or mere masculine intensity, and also just generally appear paranoid.

NCAA Basketball con't

2010-02-17T21:41:00.000-08:00

Other mid-majors to watch out for

In my opinion, the mid major to watch besides Temple is BYU. They have a great scoring leader and distributor in Jimmer Fredette, and this team is simply used to winning. They've reached 25 victories three years in a row. BYU has been narrowly bounced out of the NCAA tournament threes now and I think they're finally ready to make a run.

Also, keep an eye on Richmond from the Atlantic 10. They might be playing the best basketball in the Atlantic 10 right now and they've more than held their own against major conference competition.

Major Conference Teams Under the Radar

Wisconsin: They're ranked in the top twenty five right now but Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State have been getting all the attention. However, other than Purdue I think this might be the Big Ten team to make a splash. They're a great shooting team that's playing better defense this year. Don't forget, they made some noise last year as a 12 seed and they've only gotten better.

Texas A&M: The Aggies are a great shooting team and they have recent tournament experience. Their record doesn't necessarily bear out that they can beat anyone, but I think they have a good shot against anyone.

Good Teams I Don't Like

Duke: Coach K's team hasn't done much to improve my perception of them this year besides the fact that they've thoroughly dominated a down ACC. They're not athletic enough and still rely too much on hot perimeter shooting. I forsee another sweet sixteen upset.

Georgetown: The Hoyas are balanced scoring team, but where did they come from this year? I don't see this team going from missing a tournament bid last year to making a deep run in the tournament.

Gonzaga: I'm not awed by their guard attack this year. Reputation and a dominating a weak West Coast Conference have lead to their top fifteen ranking.

Tennessee: Besides Wayne Chisum I don't think this team has the firepower this year.

Pittsburgh: Pitt is on the rise right now but I don't see their grind-it-out style taking them very far.

A Seriously Good Film; Early Predictions on March Madness

2010-02-16T00:30:00.000-08:00

I finally had an opportunity to watch A Serious Man, and I have to say I was extremely impressed. This may be one of the most complex, evocative, and tonally unique films of the Coen Brothers career. In fact, I would even say that it's their best film since 1998's The Big Lebowski.

I truly hope that A Serious Man wins best original screenplay at the Academy Awards over Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, a film I have made no secret of criticizing as being disconnected, meandering, and intellectually vacant.

... Now onto basketball.

March Madness is quickly approaching and I'm going to give a preliminary rundown on the teams I like and don't heading into the tournament this year.

Like:

1. Villanova: Don't be fooled by their recent loss to UCONN, a team that increasingly looks on it's way out. This is an elite team and they play in the best conference in America. They could easily drop three of their next five to Syracuse, Pitt, and West Virginia and drop to 2 or a 3 seed in the NCAA tournament and I would still favor them over almost anyone. Remember that 2006-2007 Florida team? They faltered down the stretch of the regular season too, but they dominated in the tournament.

2. Purdue: I love what Coach Painter has done at Purdue and this is clearly the most capable team he's ever had. These boilermakers have some of the best team chemistry of anyone in the NCAA and they play tough, big-ten defense. They're still in contention for a number 1 seed, but a two seems more likely. Even so, I'm looking for them to possibly make a run to the finals.

3. Kansas: I know, they're the number 1 team. But they're number one for a reason... they're fantastic. On paper, Kansas is the most complete team in the country. With their mix of size, athleticism, and hot shooting, no one matches up with them well. Right now, they look unstoppable in their quest for a number one overall seed in the tournament.

4. Temple: This is obviously a wild card choice. Right now Temple is ranked in the top 25 but they appear to be on a bit of a skid. You might ask yourself, why should you care about a mid-major that just got waxed 71-54 by conference rival Richmond. First, although Temple may play in a mid-major conference (Atlantic 10), it's arguably the best mid-major conference in the country and will most get five to six tournament bids (will the SEC be able to say as much come selectio time?) Secondly, teams always show a little wear late in their conference schedules. What's important is that they make sure to be ready for the tournaent. If Temple plays at their best, they can potentially beat anyone in the country. Earlier in the season they lost a grind-it-out squeaker to Georgetown 46-45, the same Georgetown that's now ranked in the top ten, and they beat Villanova 74-65. This is a team that has tournament experience and I think they're finally ready to break out.

Academy Award Nominations

2010-02-02T17:18:00.001-08:00

First of all... Sorry I haven't posted recently, but I was extremely busy helping Sean Price film his first real movie for UNO. I was the director of photography and it was a really fun experience.

Now... the Academy Award nominations came out today. There were very few surprises, but the surprises that were there were either not interesting or simply stupid. For instance:

BLIND SIDE got a best picture nom!

We all knew that Sandra Bullock was going to be nominated for best actress (and strangely enough she seems to be the front runner, which still perplexes me), but Blind Side for best picture? I don't get it. This was not a highly acclaimed film, and yet all of the support for Sandra Bullock's performance appears to have snowballed into a massive awards season mindfuck.

Other surprises included Maggie Gylenhaal being nominated for Best Supporting Actress and
The Messenger being nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Shocking, right?

Here are a list of things I would have liked to have seen from the Academy Award nominations

1. The Fantastic Mr. Fox nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay
How can I say this? The Fantastic Mr. Fox is simply the BEST animated film I've seen in years. Not only is it visually dazzling, but it is almost incomprehensibly clever and funny.

2. Gabby Sidibe being given the Best Actress Award in advance
I know this is an unrealistic request, but I'm just not prepared to see either Meryl Streep or Sandra Bullock win for their coy, possibly stupid performances. Admittedly, I haven't actually seen either of these performances, but could they really be better than Gabby Sidible's raw, vulnerable and emotionally devastating turn as Precious?

3. Better nominees for best director
Other than Kathryn Bigelow and Lee Daniels, whom I both thought directed wonderful films, I thought the best director category could have been much stronger, although I'm inclined to give Quentin Tarantino a break here since I did think that Inglourious Basterds was one of his most visually interesting film in years. And James Cameron for Avatar? Although on an effects level, Avatar was superb, Cameron's direction itself was not as outstanding. And Jason Reitman's direction in Up in the Air was nothing more than the pinnacle of above-average competence. What about Wes Anderson, or Ramin Bahrin's poignant work in Goodbye, Solo?

Decade Awards con't - Good Movies with Bad Endings

2010-01-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Let me preface by saying that there will clearly be SPOILERS in this post.

Good Movies with Bad Endings

5. Frailty (2001, dir. Bill Paxton)

This might be a controversial choice, because Bill Paxton's debut film has many defenders... including myself. I happen to think that Frailty is a very interesting and well-made horror film, but it has one of the most ham-handed twist endings in recent memory. In the film, Matthew McConaughey plays Fenton Meiks, a small town ne'er-do-well who tells FBI Agent Wesley Doyle (Powers Boothe) that his brother, Adam, is the prolific God's Hands killer. Fenton then proceeds to explain that he when he and his brother were children their father told them that he had received divine instructions to be a "demon" killer. According to Fenton, he and Adam were forced to aid their father in killing numerous "demon"s, although as far as Fenton was concerned they were simply regular people they were murdering. Now years later, Fenton believes that Adam has taken up his father's mantle. Fenton takes Agent Doyle to the rose garden where he believes his brother has been hiding his victims. While there, Doyle remarks that something about Fenton's story doesn't make sense, to which Fenton replies, "It does if the person standing in front of you is Adam Meiks." What the fuck? You mean the person guiding the audience through this narrative wasn't Fenton, but Adam? I've never seen that kind of twist before!! I've also never seen that twist executed so haphazardly. Imagine watching the Usual Suspects and at the end of Agent Kujan's interrogation of Verbal Kint, Verbal says, "Wouldn't it blow your mind if I was Keyser Soze?!" Yeah, that would have been awesome.

4. Night Watch (2004, dir. Timur Bekmambetov)

Timur Bekmambetov's record-breaking Russian film is an imperfect but highly cinematic experience. Unfortunately, it falters under the weight of an impossibly convoluted narrative and its attempts to craft a horror ensemble film. The film begins with a deceptively simple premise: the forces of light and dark are locked in an age-old truce, but it is prophecized that a human child will shift the balance of power. From here, however, the film becomes embroiled in a clusterfuck of occult minutaie and dizzying action sequences, all leading up to a truly confusing, what-the-fuck ending, and not in a good way. In the film's climactic last scenes, the main characters rush to... do something to a... vortex, or a portal, or something? Honestly, I still don't know exactly what it was, or how it connected to the narrative.

3. Matchstick Men (2003, dir. Ridley Scott)

Its ending not withstanding, I was never a huge fan of this film to begin with. However, in addition to solid supporting roles by Sam Rockwell and Alison Lohman, this film presented a rare occurence for cinema in the 21st century: Nicholas Cage actually trying to give a good performance. Did he succeed? Yes and no. Playing Roy Waller, an obsessive-compulsive con man who finds out he has a teen aged daughter, Cage's performance occasionally steps into vastly overdone territory, but it is to Cage's credit that the character never fully succumbs to caricature. Rather, Cage adds layers of disconnection to Roy that are both poignant and tragic. Unfortunately, Ridley Scott wouldn't allow this film to simply be an engaging character story; it had to be a con artist movie. And so, like almost every con artist movie, it ends with the obligatory "everything was a con" twist. Put simply... during the course of the film, Roy develops an unexpected relationship with his estranged teen aged daughter and eventually involves her in a major con. Of course, the con goes terribly wrong and Roy's daughter has to go into hiding. He gives her everything he has ever earned as a con man, only to find out later... the con was on him. Big surprise? Only to anyone whose never seen a con movie.

2. Unbreakable (2000, dir. M. Night Shyamalan)

It's strange to think that M. Night Shyamalan's films used to be highly anticipated because we thought they would be good. However, I think that officially ended after Lady in the Water. Despite the fact that his reputation has diminished recently because of a string of laughably, utterly bad films, it should be said that he does have a few good movies to his credit, including this potently atmospheric tale of a ordinary man who seemingly can't be harmed. After emerging unscathed from a catastrophic train accident, David Dunn (Bruce Willis) meets Elijah Price, a comic book enthusiast with a rare condition that makes his bones extremely fragile. Elijah believes David to be a superhero of sorts, a fact that David think is crazy. Over the course of the film, however, he comes to accept his special abilities and their potential to help people. For most of the film, Shyamalan demonstrates an impressive visual and tonal command. Unfortunately, in the film's ending Shyamalan lets his more ridiculous side get the better of him. In Unbreakable's final scene, David finds out that Elijah not only purposefully caused the train accident that revealed David's abilities, but he was also responsible for numerous other disasters. This twist is actually quite effective, but what happens after is not. First, Elijah senselessly babbles on about knowing one's place in the world and how to spot the archvillian in a comic book? What? Then, as David stalks away, Elijah calls out to him, "I should have known way back when. You know why, David? Because of the kids! They called me Mr. Glass!" Finally, a title scroll appears, explaining that David would later lead police to Elijah and that he would be admitted to a mental institution for the criminally insane. And with that, what had been a darkly realistic take on a superhero story turned into Shyamalan farce.

1. High Tension (2003, dir. Alexandre Aja)

This is not only the best film on the list, but it is also, possibly, the most frustratingly inartful with its ending. The film follows Marie and Alex, two college girls who come to the country house of Alex's family to study for their upcoming exams. All is well until a mysterious psychopath invades the family's home, murdering Alex's mother, father, and brother, and kidnapping Alex. Marie escapes death by hiding in the house, but she goes after the killer to rescue Alex. This leads to a thrilling climax in which Marie, harnessing all her primal energy, turns the tables on the crazed murderer, eventually killing him. End of story, right? No. Although if that had been the end, I probably would have thought that High Tension was the best pure horror film of the 21st century. Unfortunately, High Tension made a classic mistake: it over thought itself into oblivion. Flashback to the beginning of the film: Marie dreams she's being violently chased through the woods. When Alex asks who was chasing her, Marie replies that she was chasing herself. When I first saw this scene in theaters, I said to myself, "Is this going to be another ridiculous multiple personality movie?" Well... sure enough, at the end of the film after Marie has killed the psychopath, she frees Alex. But Alex recoils from Marie, completely terrified. This is when it comes all too apparent to the audience what is happening: Marie was the killer all along. Seriously? Yes, seriously. It wasn't cool.

Decade Awards con't - Most Memorable "Mini-role"

2010-01-17T17:19:00.000-08:00

This is a particularly fun category, because sometimes the richest and most interesting performances in a film are those with such little screen time. You know what I'm talking about... those little roles that pop in for one or two scenes but can still leave you completely stunned.

Most Memorable Mini-roles

5. Christopher McDonald in Requiem for a Dream (2000)

via videosift.com

Possibly the best role of Christopher McDonald's unheralded career is his brief turn as Tabby Tibbons, an infomercial personality in Requiem for a Dream. Except for a terrifying halucination, Tabby never appears as anything but a character in Sara Goldfarb's television and yet his presence in the film is unmistakable, funny, and always captivating.

4. William Sadler in Kinsey (2004)

William Sadler's truly unsettling performance in Kinsey is such a mini-role that I couldn't find any video of it or even his image in the film, but this is a great one-scene performance from a character actor who has excelled in supporting roles. In the film, Sadler plays Kenneth Braun, a mousy, sickeningly self-satisfied sexual deviant who claims to have had sex with hundreds of adolescent boys and girls. He attempts to share his "research" with Professor Kinsey, but he does it with such unrepentant glee that one of the Kinsey's assistant refuses to participate in the interview. Sadler imbues the character with both a clinical coldness and a sociopathic lack of guilt and self-consciousness that is remarkably effective.

3. William Baldwin in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

William Baldwin may have reached the peak of his career in the mid 1990's when he was the go-to actor for sexually charged thrillers like Sliver and Fair Game (OK, so this isn't exactly a sexually charged thriller, but he bangs Cindy Crawford in it). Recently, however, Baldwin seems to have recognized his talent for comedy, both as Ivan the tennis instructor with a penchant for calling everyone "brother" in The Squid and the Whale and as the actor who plays Detective Hunter Rush in the fictional tv series Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The audience only gets a few glimses of this show in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but each moment William Baldwin graces the screen as Detective Rush is comedy magic. I really wish the filmmakers had actually shot an episode of Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime for the dvd special features.

2. Bill Murray in Zombieland (2009)

One of the most rewarding sequences in Zombieland is when the main characters visit the seemingly abandoned mansion of Bill Murray. While searching through the actor's palatial home, they encounter what looks like zombie Bill Murray, but is really just Bill Murray acting like a zombie to fool the other zombies. For some reason, Bill Murray acting like Bill Murray post-Zombie apocalypse is spectacularly funny, and Murray himself gives one of the most entertaining supporting performances of his career.

1. Ralph Fiennes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Casting the luminous Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort was one of the best decisions the Harry Potter filmmakers ever made. If someone else had assumed this role, someone less capable of conveying the character's preternatural malice and dark command, then the fourth film would have failed. It is this climactic scene where Harry Potter confronts Voldemort in human form for the first time that makes the film so compelling. Ralph Fiennes has less than ten minutes of screen time, but his full-forced immersion into the role of Lord Voldemort was worthy of an Academy Award nomination. Every aspect of his performance, his rangy, idiosyncratic movement, the dominant inflections of his eyes, is beautifully and frighteningly pronounced.

Decade Awards con't - Special Categories

2010-01-15T16:46:00.000-08:00

I was giving it some thought and I realized that when it comes to "Decade Awards" the traditional nomination categories don't really cover everything, which is why I'm extending the awards with some slightly different categories.

The first category is...

Most Intellectually Offensive

Honorable Mention: Rules of Engagement (2000, dir. William Friedkin): William Friedkin's post-seventies career is a model of inconsistency and supreme artistic laziness, but with this 2000 thriller Friedkin crossed the boundary of mediocrity into the putrid realm of war crimes justification. In the hopelessly A Few Good Men-like Rules of Engagement, Samuel L. Jackson plays Terry Childers, a marine colonel who orders his troops to open fire on a crowd in Yemen when evacuating a US embassy and is subsequently charged with war crimes. Ultimately he is acquitted and the audience is made to understand that his brutal tactics stem only from the concern he has for his troops' safety. In a particularly reprehensible sequence, Childers flashes back to an incident in the Vietnam War in which he murdered a prisoner-of-war while his unit was under attack. And this too, we are urged to believe, was a merely a case of the ends justifying the means.

5. The Patriot (2000, dir. Roland Emmerich)

In all honesty, I think The Patriot is a very entertaining film, but that's because I don't analyze it that deeply, which is good because The Patriot doesn't stand up well to historical or intellectual scrutiny. In particular, the film's treatment of race in the thirteen colonies during the Revolutionary War is disgustingly inaccurate to the point of marginalizing the tragedy of slavery. In the film, Mel Gibson plays a Southern planter, Benjamin Martin, whose moral lapses stem only from his dark, war-like past, not from the fact that he participates in the slave trade: because he doesn't. The African laborers on his farm work the land as "freed men". In addition, there is the character of Occam, a slave who is conscripted to fight in Benjamin's militia. At the end of the film, Occam finds out that his service in the militia has guaranteed his freedom, which I suppose is symbolic of the promise of freedom for all slaves, but instead plays as a tasteless joke. Rather than treating the issue of slavery honestly, this film anesthetizes it to the point of cruel triviality.

4. Inglourious Basterds (2009, dir. Quentin Tarantino)

My problems with Inglourious Basterds extend beyond points of ideology, but I can't let the film get away with a few things: one is Quentin Tarantino's earnest belief that barbaric violence necessarily leads to military victory, which he made perfectly clear in a Cannes press conference where he said that if the 'Basterds' had existed in World War 2 they would have "changed the course of the war." Secondly, the film's cavalier distortion of history made me very uncomfortable. In my first blog response to the film, I wrote:

"I sat in the theater watching the beautifully violent and expressive deaths of Adolph Hitler and other war criminals with my mouth wide open with incredulity, not understanding completely how everyone was so entertained by this half-baked fever dream. Certainly I felt some level of self-righteous glee at seeing the world's most notorious mass murderer exploded with bullets, but I couldn't help but think that it was both morally and intellectually dishonest."

This alternative retelling of World War 2 seems to satisfy a base need for socio-historical catharsis, but does it do so at the expense of accepting the darker realities of our collective pasts, all so that Quentin Tarantino can fetishize violence in World War 2?

3. The Last Samurai (2003, dir. Edward Zwick)

Whether or not someone enjoys this film most likely hinges on two factors: the first being whether one can genuinely respect a Dances With Wolves knock-off; and the second being whether one believes dying in a unnecessary blaze of glory is noble. As for myself, I tend not love Dances With Wolves knock-offs, and I generally think that dying in a blaze of glory for the sake of dying in a blaze of glory is psychotic, which is precisely what happens in this film. Simply put, a samurai leader (Ken Watanabe) struggling against Japanese modernization attacks the emperor's new, technologically superior army in a sure-to-be-doomed offensive. This fact does not humble the main characters, but rather their willingness to engage themselves in a glorified suicide mission becomes a point of pride.

2. Charlie Wilson's War (2007, dir. Mike Nichols)

I don't necessarily think that the United States' covert involvement in the Russian/Afghanistan war was a bad thing, but this film not only explicitly glorifies the CIA's secret operation in that conflict, but it also implicitly suggests that the US's anti-communist activities in Latin America and South America was justified, or the film simply doesn't acknowledge the devastating cost of those actions. In addition, the film's assertion that the Russian/Afghanistan war was the sole cause of the end of the Soviet Union is myopic.

1. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006, dir. Gabriele Muccino)

Apparently, I was the only one who found this story of a single father trying to acquire a stock broker's position in order to support his son to be anything but uplifting. Why? Because he essentially gambles his son's future on a million to one shot, and because he miraculously achieved it, it's seen as a triumph of the spirit. I see it, on the other hand, as a feat of remarkable, disaster-avoiding luck--not to mention a free market conservative's hysteric wet dream.

Alex's Decade Awards

2010-01-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

I'm going to do something slightly different with today's blog. Instead of simply making a top ten or twenty for the decade, I'm going to present an entire awards edition.

Best Ensemble Film of the Decade
The Departed (2006)
The Contender (2000)
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Traffic (2000)

Best Film Score of the Decade
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Sunshine (2007)

Best Film Editing
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Constant Gardener (2005)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
The Departed (2006)
Traffic (2000)

Best Cinematography
Gangs of New York (2002)
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
The Prestige (2006)
City of God (2003)

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Departed (2006)
Children of Men (2006)
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Traffic (2000)
In the Bedroom (2001)

Best Original Screenplay
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
The Edge of Heaven (2008)
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

Best Supporting Actress
Maria Bello, A History of Violence (2005)
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton (2007)
Laura Linney, The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Hiam Abbas, The Visitor (2008)

Best Supporting Actor
Gary Oldman, The Contender (2000)
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (2008)
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children (2006)
Peter Saarsgaard, Shattered Glass (2003)
Benecio Del Toro, Traffic (2000)

Best Actress
Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich (2000)
Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom (2001)
Charlize Theron, Monster (2003)
Laura Linney, You Can Count on Me (2000)

Best Actor
Ralph Fiennes, The Constant Gardener (2005)
Christian Bale, American Psycho (2000)
Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom (2001)
Gene Hackman, The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood (2007)

Best Director
Alfonso Cuaron, Children of Men (2006)
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Martin Scorcese, The Departed (2006)
Peter Jackson, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Uli Edel, Der Baader Meinhof Complex (2009)

Best Film
Children of Men (2006)
The Departed (2006)
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
In the Bedroom (2001)
Der Baader Meinhof Complex (2009)

Top Ten Albums and Songs of 2009

2009-12-26T18:38:00.000-08:00

10. Passion Pit, Manners
This collection of bouyant, shimmering gems is the best example of indie electronic this year.

9. Antlers, Hospice
Combining ambient textures with dark, propulsive anthems, this is certainly one of the best albums of the year. Complex and deeply cinematic.

8. Sunset Rubdown, Dragon Slayer
With this latest album, Sunset Rubdown reaffirms why they are one of the most ambitious, moving, and powerfully idiosyncratic bands of the 21st century.

7. Handsome Furs, Face Control
With this newest release from his Wolf Parade side project Handsome Furs, Dan Boeckner again produces a fantastic album full of gritty, rousing electronic indie rock.

6. Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Phoenix's brand of sleek, electro-pop was a major winner this year with this outstanding album, in which seemingly every song is a single.

5. Foreign Born, Person to Person
This album of pristine, scintillating indie rock is the second stunner from the California based Foreign Born; the first being their extraordinary debut, On the Wing Now.

4. WHY?, Eskimo Snow
Not only is the only one of the most sorely underrated albums of the year, but in my opinion it is also one of the best. It shows the band in their intimate and emotionally affecting light.

3. The Middle East, Recordings of the Middle East
Although this is technically only an EP, it's seven songs are as hauntingly beautiful as anything I've heard in a long time.

2. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
This album represents the pinnacle of Neko Case's career in my opinion. At least for now. The songs here are more lush and penetratingly beautiful than anything she's ever done.

1. Dappled Cities, Zounds
This oft-underlooked Australian band releases the best album of their career with this soaring collection of big, bold, emotive indie rock songs.

Top Ten Songs of 2009

10. We Were Promised Jetpacks, Quiet Little Voices

9. The Horrors, Primary Colours

8. Phoenix, Big Sun

7. WHY?, Eskimo Snow

6. John Vanderslice, Too Much Time

5. Handsome Furs, Radio Kaliningrad

4. Neko Case, I'm an Animal

3. Passion Pit, Moth Wings

2. The Middle East, Blood

1. Julian Plenti, Only if You Run

Up in the Air... and Top Ten Films of the Year

2009-12-25T18:04:00.001-08:00

There are still plenty of films I want to see before I my top ten is truly complete, but this is what I have so far:

10. Bruno
I'm perfectly comfortable knowing that I'm one of the few who believes this film is better than Borat. Just to be clear, both are spectacularly funny, abrasive comedies, but in my opinion Bruno reaches nearly unprecedented heights of subversive comedy. This Sascha Baron Cohen vehicle satirizes America's homophobic, celebrity-obsessed culture more saliently and bracingly than any other film in recent memory.

9. Up in the Air
This may be Jason Reitman's most self-conscious effort to date. The film, following a corporate job termination specialist's assiduously disconnected lifestyle, doles out heavy-handed lessons on the importance of family. Despite its maudlin predictability and occasional triteness, Jason Reitman's third film is at times deeply moving and always exceptionally well-crafted. In particular, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick are wonderful.

8. Zombieland
While this film doesn't utterly reinvent the zombie movie, it does add a refreshingly spirited and full-fisted spin. Anchored by muscular direction , a surprisingly perceptive script, and great performances from Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson, it's one of the most fun films of the year.

7. Adventureland
Greg Mottolla's follow-up to Superbad is a funny, moving, cringingly honest portrayl of confused youth.

6. Moon
Sam Rockwell delivers a bravura performance in this tale of a Moon miner awaiting relocation back to Earth.

5. District 9
Much has been made of this film as an allegory for South African apartheid, but with it's narrative of a multi-national's domination over an "alien community" this film is truly an indictment of the post-modern marginalization of the third world by international corporatism.

4. (500) Days of Summer
Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordan Levitt both shine in this rich, innovative romantic comedy.

3. Observe and Report
Many found this film to be uncomfortably perverse... I agree with them, but that's what this film is: a portrait of a somewhat disturbed, alienated individual, Ronnie. I consider it a great tribute to Jody Hill and Seth Rogen that I found the treatment of Ronnie to be so vulnerable, disturbing, and hilarious.

2. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Wes Anderson's most recent film is also one of his best. Not only is it staggeringly beautiful, but is also one of the funniest films in recent memory.

1. Der Baader Meinhof Complex
Uli Edel's rivetting examination of Germany's radical 1970s group the Red Army Faction is one of the most powerful and incisive studies of terrorism.

The Wonderful World of Coca-Cola

2009-12-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

So far, my trip to Atlanta has been marked by a grueling, completely unnecessary hike up a landmark known as "Stone Mountain", which as it turns is partially a time-capsule of Southern Confederate nostalgia--the landmark proudly brandished the Confederate flag, the Confederate state flag, and monuments to Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis--and an equally unnecessary trip to the "World of Coca-Cola".

First, a word about the Confederacy and the Civil War. If Southerners want to emblazon the iconography of the Confederate South on their pickup trucks or trailers, then that's their right. However, they can't simultaneously argue that this iconography doesn't represent a profoundly racist past. And anyone who argues that the Civil War was not about slavery, but rather was a noble struggle over state's rights, is an apologist for one of the most reprehensible parts of human history. Technically, the Civil War was about state's rights... a state's rights to treat human beings as property, and the Confederacy's attempts to obscure the influence of slavery is what would be referred to today as spin.

Now, onto the "World of Coca-Cola". This facility was perfectly emblematic of the rampant corporatization of modern America. According to their presentation, Coca-Cola, which is merely a soft-drink product, has achieved the status of a cultural icon. In addition, I found out that when one opens a can of Coca-Cola, they are in fact opening "happiness". This is what our tour guide actually said--"opening happiness". Not only that, but they referred to the Coke factor as... you guessed it, a "happiness factory". Seriously? If it weren't all so mind-numbingly real, it would be satire.

The Road...

2009-12-08T22:18:00.000-08:00

Saw The Road tonight and my initial impression was... Good. But as the night has worn on, I find that the film has conspicuously left my thoughts entirely. And that is not good. For anyone who doesn't know, the film, based on the highly acclaimed Cormac McCarthy novel, follows a father and his young son as they struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic landscape. The audience is never told how exactly the world became like this. All we know is that almost no animals have survived, there are minor earthquakes that seem to occur in places that geologically don't support such activity, and many people have resorted to cannabilism in order to survive.

This film simply doesn't bring enough to the table. Film audiences have been exposed to far more complex and emotionally gripping post-apocalyptic cinema than this. And for a movie to be so weighted in contextual ambiguities, much has to be done right to compensate. Well, this film does not do everything right. And as a result, the ambiguities that seemingly enriched the novel, detract from the film. If the film had had more creative ambition--and more of a dramtic spine--than ambiguity would not be an issue. Unfortunately, in this film director John Hillcoat, more often than not, plays it safe and lets this world speak for itself TOO MUCH. The problem is there is only so much that a perpetually grey landscape, falling trees, and dirt-caked survivors can evoke before one expects the director to do more. On a positive note, Viggo Mortensen, struggling to do much with little, turns in a very good performance.

Why?... Paranormal Activity... V

2009-11-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

As you can tell by the title, this particular post will cover three subjects.

First, I saw the wonderful band Why? this weekend at the Spanish Moon. They mainly played material from their two most recent albums, Alopecia (one of the best albums of the decade) and Eskimo Snow (one of the best albums of the year, pitchfork be damned). It was a great show, not to mention an interesting night... from the couple who literally seemed to making out for two straight hours, to an awkward exchange I had with this nice girl. She was telling me and some friends about how her father designed the medical PET scanning device. We were all very impressed and told her how cool her father was and then she said, "Yeah... he died of radiation exposure." And then for some reason I said, with far too much enthusiasm, "Well, at least he got the PET scan down!" Wow, right?

Secondly, I saw Paranormal Activity this weekend. Initially, I was very skeptical of this film. I felt the beginning was marred by a feux naturalism the couple was trying to convey, but the film slowly built into a potently frightening experience. A very good movie.

Lastly, a note about the premier of the new show V. I saw it over the week and was supremely unimpressed. In case you're not familiar with the show, V follows events on earth after an advanced alien race, who call themselves "the Visitors", reveal themselves in massive interstellar ships over the major cities on the globe. One of the show's main developers is Scott Peters, who was executive producer on The 4400, one of my favorite sci-fi series. As I was watching the pilot to V I thought to myself, "so much of what they got right in the The 4400 they've gotten terribly wrong in V. Firstly, all of the mystery surrounding the alien race is dispensed with in the first half-hour, in which the audience learn that the aliens are not only bad, but they've planning to take over Earth for years. Also, we find out there are alien defectors. Those who have abandoned the Visitors and are working to help the humans. Hmm, a distinct race disguised as humans who ultimately decide to embrace their inner humanity? If that sounds like a vapid facsimile of Battlestar Galactica, it's because that's what it is.

Finally, my last problem with V is it's suspect political inclinations. In the show, the Visitors ingratiate themselves to Earth by offering universal health care and attempting to engage the youth of the world. Not to mention the fact that the aliens rhetoric constantly emphasizes peace and hope. Peace, hope, engaging the young, univeral health care? What could this be an allegory for? Either this show is presenting an insipid allegorical critique of the Obama administration or the show's creators are so dense that they don't realize what they're doing.

Top 100: 5-1

2009-11-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

Finally... here is the final installment.

5. Schindler's List (1993, dir. Steven Spielberg)
If there was any doubt that Steve Spielberg was one of the pre-eminent storytellers and visual artists of our time, I would certainly hope that this magnificent film could lay those to rest. It is one of the most complete films I have ever seen. In terms of performance, production, content, direction, nearly every aspect of this film is perfectly executed. But the film also has certain intangible qualities that make it transcendent, one of these being the seamless presentation of the title character, Oskar Schindler. But more than anything, Spielberg's artisty shines in this movie. It is the most bracingly vibrant and powerful film of his career.

4. The Insider (1999, dir. Michael Mann)
Although I was underwhelmed by his most recent effort, Public Enemies, I know one thing about Michael Mann with absolute certainty: he is capable of being an ingenius filmmaker, and nothing illustrates this better than his best film, The Insider. Let me say one thing from the outset, I think Al Pacino's performance in The Insider is the best of his career. Godfather... No. Godfather 2... No. Dog Day Afternoon... No. Scent of a Woman... No. The Insider... Oh, Yeah! Secondly, The Insider is one of the most dazzlingly well-made films of all time, and it is perhaps the best example of Mann's extraordinary abilities as a director. And finally, this film just sticks it to the tobacco companies, and in reality I find this film to be a piercing critique of the corporatization of America in general.

3. Children of Men (2006, dir. Alfonso Cuaron)
Cuaron's visually astonishing Children of Men is the best film of the 21st century, and it stands as a stark but brilliant plea for humanity to take a stake in their own world, and each other.

2. Rear Window (1954, dir. Alfred Hitchcoc)
What I love about this film is that for the first 30 minutes it is a genuine, deeply involved character study, and yet, it transitions seamlessly into an absorbing voyeuristic mystery. One of the most compelling and richly entertaining films of all time.

1. JFK (1991, dir. Oliver Stone)
Occassionally, or perhaps even frequently, a film may require a totally open and unbiased second viewing in order for a person to fully appreciate that film’s distinct quality and transcendent power. Oliver Stone’s highly controversial JFK is in my opinion a film uniquely deserving of a such a second look, although I must personally confess that one viewing is all it took for me to be completely astonished by Stone’s dazzlingly rich masterpiece. Even JFK’s most stern detractors would most likely be perfectly willing to admit that the film is technically brilliant. Its seamless and hypnotic juxtaposition of not only multiple film formats but also a dizzyingly impressive amount of alternate narrative strains alone makes it a modern cinematic landmark. More than advocating for any specific conspiracy theory, Stone's film is a passionate plea for Americans to take back their country from corrupt interests.

Damned Democrats

2009-11-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

Just to clarify, I AM A DEMOCRAT and I want nothing more than a forceful, progressive, unapologetically liberal agenda to be successful in this country. I say 'damned democrats' because it so difficult to be enthusiastic about the democratic party when they continually show how comfortable they are with failure.

As some of you may or may not know, there were a few elections today of varying importance, and most of the outcomes were disastrous for Democrats, particularly governors' races in Virginia and New Jersey in which Republican candidates won both races.

The Republicans ran a candidate from the stone age in the Virginia race and he beat the democratic candidate by nearly 20 points. I mean this Bob McDonell criticized laws allowing married couples to use contraception, attacked homosexuals as "fornicators" and he also attacked working women and feminists as "detrimental to the family". This guy is crazy!

New Jersey now has a Republican governor-elect. New Jersey. This is one of the bluest states in the union. Granted, the state's Democratic governor Corzine was extremely unpopular, but still, this does not look good for democrats.

All of this on top of the fact that meaningful healthcare reform has still not been passed by Congress. It's fair to say that I've been less than impressed with the national Democrats legislative skills when it comes to crafting this healthcare bill. The Democrats' healthcare stipulations have been so diluted by Republicans, moderate Democrats, and corporate influences that we may not have public healthcare for years, at least until this public option trigger activates. Or maybe the states have an opt-out clause now. I honestly don't know, it seems like the Democrats legislative goals on healthcare change daily.

Truthfully, one of the people I blame is Harry Reid. I don't think he's a strong Democratic leader in the Senate (there's a big surprise). I have much more respect for Nancy Pelosi who seems like she is genuinely ready to go to the mat for the public option.

Now... I won't lay all the blame on Harry Reid because he is dealing with some truly despicable people in the Senate. Namely... JOE LIEBERMAN. What happened to this guy? 9 years ago he was a Supreme Court ruling away from being the Vice President of the country as a DEMOCRAT. Now he's an independent, former supporter of John McCain for president, and he says he'll use his powers as a senator to prevent a vote on the public option in the senate. When I heard that I was speechless. I wanted to strangle puppies. To not let Senate VOTE on perhaps the most important domestic issue of the 21st century!

How did George W. Bush and the Republicans do it. When 'W' was "elected" president in 2000 he had NO voter mandate and razor thin majorities in the house and senate and yet he still managed to push through gis sweeping tax cuts for the rich! What were the Republicans collectively smoking at this point and where can Democrats get their hands on it!

Top 100 Films: 10-6

2009-11-02T23:12:00.001-08:00

OK... we've finally made it to the top ten, here's the first installment.

10. Blue Velvet (1986, dir. David Lynch)
David Lynch's beguiling film is one of those rare artistic feats that provokes extreme and profoundly felt reactions from nearly everyone who sees it. And for good reason... it's one of the most jarring cinematic experiences one will ever have. Both lyrically dream-like and viscerally, captivatingly real, Lynch's film is a masterpiece about the darkness lurking beneath even purest things.

9. In the Name of the Father (1993, dir. Jim Sheridan)
As I've said before, I'm someone who has a deep amount of respect for Jim Sheridan. When he operates at the peak of his artistic abilities, he is simply one of the most forceful storytellers there is, and his most potently expressed film yet has been In the Name of the Father, a stirring account of the false imprisonment and later release of the "Guilford 4". Daniel Day Lewis gives the most blisteringly vulnerable performance of his career as Conlon, a wayward Irishmen who along with his father is wrongfully convicted of participating in an IRA bombing. I've watched this film several times and the ending always brings me to tears.

8. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972, dir. Werner Herzog)
Mesmerizing... Haunting... Soul-scorchingly beautiful... All accurately describe Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Werner Herzog's singular vision of a doomed conquistador mission in South America. Quite simply, this film may be one of the most expressive and hypnotic visual achievements in cinema.

7. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001, dir. Peter Jackson)
So many superlatives have-rightly-been throw at this film that it's almost become fashionable to underrate it. I won't make that mistake, as I happen to believe that Jackson's masterful epic is one of the few indisputable modern classics. 50 years from now, Fellowship will most likely be remembered as one of the most important films in the history of recent cinema (here I go, addding to the superlatives). Despite my feelings about the other two films--strangely, I tend to think they are unusually flawed, particularly the Two Towers--this first installment in the trilogy is the best. Its structure is nearly perfect, its direction flawlessly inspired, and almost of the performances are memorable.

6. The Verdict (1982, dir. Sidney Lumet)
Conventional wisdom surrounding the 1982 Academy Awards, in which Richard Attenborough's Gandhi won Best Picture, is that the more beloved E.T. should have taken the top prize (hell, even Attenborough himself said that). I'm here to say there was yet another film that should have won: Sidney Lumet's The Verdict, an under-the-radar courtroom drama about a washed-up alcoholic attorney who takes one last stab at redemption. Admittedly, this film does not possess the flash or epic scope of either Gandhi or E.T., but it just may be the best film of the 1980s. Paul Newman's towering turn as the feeble but searching Frank Galvin is in my opinion the best acting performance of all time.

Top 100 Films: 20-11

2009-10-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

20. Big Trouble in Little China (1986, dir. John Carpenter)
From 1978 to 1988, John Carpenter may have been the finest filmmaker in America. During that span he directed 9 films, including Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, Christine, Starman, and They Live. One of his most under appreciated films from that time was Big Trouble in Little China, a fantastic and thrilling action comedy. Set in the magical underworld of San Francisco Chinatown, this is the most exuberantly creative film of Carpenter’s career. Kurt Russell is hilarious as the clumsily heroic—and I think iconic—Jack Burton.

19. Braveheart (2006, dir. Mel Gibson)
I don't know if Mel Gibson is an anti-Semite, although there is a certainly a preponderance of evidence that indicates as much. It's quite possible that if I ever met Mel Gibson we would get into a violent argument over politics and the crude religiosity of Passion of the Christ. But I do one for certain... Mel Gibson is capable of being one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. His 1995 film Braveheart is the most outstanding historical epic of the last 25 years. It's one of the single-most propulsive,moving, and powerfully made films I've ever seen.

18. The Thing (1982, dir. John Carpenter)
... And we're back to John Carpenter. If you haven't noticed, I'm an incredible fan of Carpenter's work, and I think his best film is The Thing. This nerve-shatteringly tense film sets the standard for paranoid horror.

17. Saving Private Ryan (1998, dir. Steven Spielberg)
Although some may disagree, I think this is Steven Spielberg's last great film. In fact, I would even suggest that Steven Spielberg's post-Saving Private Ryan filmography has largely been inconsistent. A.I., though visually stunning, was plagued by a dense structure that made the film's attempts at a meaningful thematic examination of humanity and technology fall flat. I found Minority Report to be a competent thriller but nothing more (I say competent, but at times I found the film to painfully conventional). His best film since Saving Private Ryan may be Catch Me if You Can, which is wonderfully entertaining but never strikes me as exceptional. The Terminal was sappy and forgettable; War of the Worlds was dazzling in many ways, but contrived in others. Even the highly acclaimed Munich faltered under the weight of its political and philosophical indecisiveness. And Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, well... it's just bad. Saving Private Ryan, on the hand, is GREAT. Not only is it one of the most distinctive, involved, and visceral visual experiences in modern cinema, but it is also one of the most thought-provoking war films ever made. Few films depict the effects war on the human psyche as poignantly as Saving Private Ryan.

16. Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
I sincerely wish Stanley Kubrick had lived long enough (and made films fast enough) to make a movie in every genre, because if there's one thing Dr. Strangelove proves it's that Stanley Kubrick could do anything he wanted as a filmmaker. In 1964, he made one of the most incisive and dangerously funny comedies ever with Dr. Strangelove. Quite simply, this film is nearly perfect.

15. In the Bedroom (2001, dir. Todd Field)
I think this is one of the most emotionally hard-hitting films ever made. All of the performances are fantastic, but in particular Tom Wilkinson's turn as the mild-mannered doctor grieving the loss of son is one of the best male performances IN CINEMA HISTORY.

14. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986, dir. Woody Allen)
For as wonderfully rich and funny as Woody Allen's work is, no one can accuse him of being an optimist, which is why it may be unfair for me to pick his most life-affirming film as my favorite. But I don't care. I love Hannah and Her Sisters. It's one of the funniest, most intelligent, and most human films I've ever seen.

13. Psycho (1960, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
I don't care what anyone says... Psycho scares me. It's a stunningly well-crafted and psychologically disturbing horror film that is absolutely one of Hitchcock's best.

12. Fright Night (1985, dir. Tom Holland)
I know... no one ever says that Fright Night is one of the best films of all time (I certainly know it's not on the Criterion Collection's short list). Truthfully, no one ever says it's simply one of the best horror films of all time. All I know is I could watch this movie over and over (I know because I have) and still love every minute of it, that and also happen to think that it's brilliantly imaginative and well-stylized.

11. Unforgiven (1992, dir. Clint Eastwood)
Fuck The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly... when it comes to westerns give me Unforgiven any day of the week (just to clarify, I don't dislike The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, I was just saying that for emphasis). Eastwood's haunting and beautifully made film expresses the tragedy of violence better than anything I've seen.

Top 100 Films: 30-21

2009-10-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

30. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
The only Academy Award Stanley Kubrick ever won was for special achievement in visual effects, which he received for this film. Not only was the award completely deserved (as were many others as far as Kubrick is concerned), but 2001 is perhaps the most awe-inspiring visual achievement in cinema, period.

29. Nixon (1995, dir. Oliver Stone)
From 1986 to 1995, Oliver Stone was responsible for some of the most provocative and indelible films of the 20th century. In 1986 he released a personal, terrifying, and utterly unique statement on the war in Vietnam with Platoon; that same year he directed the fiery and brilliant political thriller Salvador. In 87, he presented the world with Wall Street, an eerily salient reflection of the role of economic greed in the American experience. In 89, Stone returned to the Vietnam War with Born on the Fourth of July, and in doing so produced perhaps the last great film on the subject. In 1990, Stone directed the flawed but inimitable Jim Morrison biopic The Doors. In 1991, JFK made Stone the "most dangerous man in America" and the release of Natural Born Killers in 1994 was arguably more controversial. But in 1995, Stone gave audiences one of the best films of his career with Nixon. Stone's dark, layered film achieves an almost operatic power in it's piercing study of America's most self-destructively human president.

28. Mississippi Burning (1988, dir. Alan Parker)
American has a complicated past when it comes to race relations and no matter how many African-American presidents we elect, that past will not go away. Mississippi Burning literally unearths the dead remains of that past with it's absorbing account of the investigation into the deaths of four civil rights workers in 1964. Amazingly directed by Englishman Alan Parker, this film comes closer than nearly any other in confronting the darkness of American history.

27. Annie Hall (1977, dir. Woody Allen)
Woody Allen may not believe he's made a masterpiece, but why would we take his word for it? Watch his movies and see for yourself. I've seen most of Woody Allen's work and one of my absolute favorites is Annie Hall. I'm obviously not alone in my love for this film. It did win Best Picture, and rightfully so. It's one of the most unique, funny, and emotionally true films ever made.

26. Sunset Boulevard (1950, dir. BillyWilder)
For me, this is the definitive film of Billy Wilder's diverse, wildly successful career. It is as finely executed and boldly overstated as anything ever done, right down to the film's expert structure and the go-for-broke brilliance of Gloria Swanson's performance.

25. The Shawshank Redemption (1994, dir. Frank Darabont)
In my opinion, Frank Darabont has a had a spotty career. I was one of those that thought The Mist was an inconsistent, though occasionally gripping, film that at times was damaged by contrived and simplistic characterizations (Thomas Jane's performance didn't help either). In the larger scheme of things, Darabont's sweet-natured but clumsy The Majestic was far too harshly criticized, but it was by no means a great film. And although The Green Mile was highly acclaimed and received a best picture nomination, in hindsight the film is not as striking as it seemed in 1999. However, I have nothing negative to say about Darabont's stunning 1994 feature The Shawshank Redemption. This film is a remarkably powerful emotional journey crafted with exquisite richness and simply great performances by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freemen.

24. The Departed (2006, dir. Martin Scorcese)
When The Departed was first released, many critics said it was Scorcese's best film since Goodfellas. I'll do them one better. I think it's a better film than Goodfellas. How can the Departed, a remake of the popular Japanese thriller Infernal Affairs, be better than something as imperceptibly perfect as Goodfellas? Well, firstly I don't think Goodfellas is perfect, but secondly I thought the themes of class, loyalty, and personal identity were more clearly and in some ways more relevantly expressed in The Departed. The performances are just as rich in my opinions with Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon (in the best performance to date), and Jack Nicholson making wonderful turns in the film. Also, I think The Departed is as stylistically muscular as anything Scorcese has ever done. Overall, this a preciously rare example of a thriller being a truly great film.

23. Ghostbusters (1984, dir. Ivan Reitman)
As one of the most imaginative and breathtakingly hilarious comedies ever, it is entirely appropriate that Ghostbusters be considered simply one of the best films ever.

22. L.A. Confidential (1997, dir. Curtis Hanson)
I know what you're thinking... if he thought the career of Academy Award nominated filmmaker Frank Darabont was spotty, what will he think about Curtis Hanson? The truth is, I generally don't think about Curtis Hanson, especially since Lucky You left such a terrible taste in my mouth (that film was AWFUL). But I can't deny the extraordinary skill Hanson showed with L.A. Confidential. This utterly absorbing crime epic examines the complex nature of justice in a morally corrupt and exploitative world.

21. Rushmore (1998, dir. Wes Anderson)
Wes Anderson is one of the most innovative American filmmakers of the last twenty years. Over the course of his career making films like Bottle Rocket, the incomparable Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Darjeeling Limited, Anderson has crystallized a wholly individualistic style that has proven to be broadly influential. Of all of his films, Rushmore is my favorite. In my opinion it is not only his most finely honed work emotionally, but it is as creatively well-wrought as anything he's done.

Top 100 Films: 40-31

2009-10-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

First, I have to say, I apologize for taking so long to update this list. Alright, now that all three of you out there who were actually waiting have been allayed, here is the next installment.

40. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008, dir. David Fincher)
I know this will seem like a controversial pick. Many people don't like this film, and a part of me understands why. It's not a conventional film, and I don't mean that condescendingly. David Fincher's epic follows the life of the backward aging Benjamin Button (played by Brad Pitt, who is magnificent in this performance) from birth to death. We see Benjamin experience his life in a profoundly unique way, and I personally found his struggle to live and love to be wonderfully moving. In addition, I think this film is one of the most superbly expressed and artful films of the last decade. David Fincher's direction is astounding.

39. Raging Bull (1980, dir. Martin Scorcese)
With all due respect to Robert Redford, his 1980 film Ordinary People, a sincere and emotionally affecting drama in its own right, should not have won best picture, and the reason is simple: Raging Bull was nominated. Martin Scorcese's film stands as one of the most powerful, complex, and gut-wrenching portraits of a flawed human being in cinema history.

38. Groundhog Day (1993, dir. Harold Ramis)
Is #38 too high for a mid-nineties comedy starring Bill Murray? If we're talking about Larger Than Life (1996), than the answer is yes; however, if we're talking Harold Ramis's ingeniusly hilarious Groundhog Day, then no. In this maniacally original film, Bill Murrary gives one of the most poignant-and perfect-performances of his career.

37. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989, dir. Woody Allen)
Put simply, before there was Matchpoint, which was lauded by critics, there was Crimes and Misdemeanors, Woody Allen's more incisive precursor. This is a truly unique film that progresses along two radically different story lines: in one, an optometrist played by Martin Landau (in one of the best performances of his career) struggles to protect his reputation when his mistress threatens to reveal their relationship; in the other, a struggling documentary filmmaker (Woody Allen) languishing in a failing marriage must compromise his creative ethics when he's forced to take a job from his brother. Both stories are immensely compelling but that Woody Allen is weave them together as seamlessly and potently as he does is remarkable. This is one of Woody Allen's best films.

36. Apocalypse Now (1979, dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
When I said that Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987) was possibly the most acute portrait of men in combat in film, I wasn't lying, but Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now may be the most searingly vivid and surreal vision of war ever presented.

35. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977, dir. George Lucas)
Whenever I come across Episode 1, 2, 3 (and trust me, I try to come across as seldomly as possible) I ask myself, "How did George Lucas get so much right in a New Hope and so much wrong in the newer films. One thing that comes to mind is actors. Overall, there are simply better actors in Episode 4 (Alec Guiness, Harrison Ford, and, yes, even Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, who perform admirably). But that doesn't stand up. No one can argue that Liam Neeson, Ewen McGregor, Natalie Portman, Samuel Jackson, and even a focused Hayden Christianson (his performance in Shattered Glass is very good) can give good performances. More and more, it seems that the answer is George Lucas himself. I think it's fairly obvious that when it came to certain aspects of the newer films, namely the writing, acting, and direction, George Lucas just did not try. But A New Hope was a different story. He actually tried, and in doing so crafted one of the most brilliant and enduring fantasy films of all time. I don't think I'm alone when I say I love this movie.

34. Pulp Fiction (1994, dir. Quentin Tarantino)
Seeing Inglorious Basterds this summer helped crystalize for me that I am not a perpetual fan of Quentin Tarantino. To put it mildly, I strongly disliked Inglorious Basterds, and truthfully I've found Tarantino's work since Pulp Fiction to be inconsistent. But Quentin Tarantino's first films are purely amazing. Pulp Fiction, in particular, is as bold, innovative, and stunningly realized as anything ever made.

33. Alien (1979, dir. Ridley Scott)
Ridley Scott is another filmmaker I'm not perenially fond of. I think he has made two great films (Blade Runner, Alien), some undeniably good films (American Gangster, Kingdom of Heaven, Blackhawk Down, Gladiator), and some bad films (Someone to Watch Over Me, Black Rain, White Squall, G.I. Jane, Hannibal, A Good Year). I think his most compelling feature is Alien (Blade Runner is spectacular but at times pulled down by the weight of its own abstractions). This 1979 film is one of the most visceral and brilliantly stylized horror films of all time and stands as a benchmark in the genre.

32. The Constant Gardener (2005, dir. Fernando Meirelles)
It must surprise some to see The Constant Gardener ranked above the wildly acclaimed City of God (2003), but I truthfully think it's better. In fact, I think Fernando Meirelles is one of the most important filmmakers working today. I've been moved by everything he's done (including the unfairly overlooked Blindness), but none moreso than The Constant Gardener, a gritty, vibrantly real, and emotionally powerful examination of human exploitation in Africa. In my opinion, Ralph Fiennes performance as Justin Quayle, a British diplomat seeking to unravel the mystery of wife's murder, is one of the five best film performances of all time. Period.

31. Goodfellas (1990, dir. Martin Scorcese)
I'll keep on my comments on Martin Scorese's remarkable mafia epic brief, and simply say this: Goodfellas is the definitive mob film in cinema, and I say this with full knowledge of the films it is competing with (Godfather 1 and 2, anyone?).

Top 100 Films: 50-41

2009-10-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

50. Full Metal Jacket (1987, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Stanley Kubrick's singular vision of the Vietnam War stands, perhaps, as the most haunting portrait of men in combat in film history.

49. Dead Man Walking (1995, dir. Tim Robbins)
Although Tim Robbins' film provides an impassioned argument against the death penalty, I hesitate to call it strictly political; rather, it is a powerful artistic statement about loss and personal redemption. Susan Surandon and Sean Penn give the best performances of their careers.

48. City of God (2003, dir. Fernando Meirelles)
To illustrate the importance of this 2003 film, let me ask a simple question: would Danny Boyle have ever conjured the manic inspiration to make Slumdog Millionaire without City of God. Fernando Meirelles' Academy Award nominated drama is the most resonant, sprawling, and recklessly brilliant crime film since Goodfellas.

47. The Natural (1984, dir. Barry Levinson)
At times Barry Levinson's simplistic approach as a filmmaker can be a severe detriment (Envy, Disclosure, and the utterly horrible Man of the Year are prime examples of this), but his style is perfectly suited to this sports fairy tale starring Robert Redford. Levinson's film achieves an expressive, painterly elegance that compliments the film's almost extra-mythical quality. And the film itself is as rousing a sports drama as any.

46. Se7en (1995, dir. David Fincher)
A few weeks ago I turned on the television and found myself watching a brooding, rain-drenched murder mystery. Was it Se7en? No. It was the 1999 film Resurrection starring Christopher Lambert. But that's the point. It's easy to forget just how influential David Fincher's Se7en is unless you've seen some of the numerous carbon copies like Resurrection that have been produced after it. This film is truly groundbreaking in its darkly realized stylization.

45. Being There (1979, dir. Hal Ashby)
Few actors have embodied a character as fully and as marvelously as Peter Sellers does in the remarkable comedy Being There. On first glance, one might view Seller's characterization of the simple-minded, slightly vacant, and television-obsessed Chance as being easy. And that's the genius of the performance. In this film, Sellers crosses the plane of mere performance and becomes Chance.

44. The Birds (1963, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
Alfred Hitchcock's take on apocalyptic drama is as heightened and terrifying as anything that has been produced.

43. The Big Lebowski (1997, dir. Joel Coen)
There's not much to say about this film except that it's pure comedy genius.

42. The Lives of Others (2006, dir. Florian Hencknel von Donnersmarck)
In 2006 there was one foreign film that everyone was talking about: Pan's Labyrinth. And yet, what won Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards that year? The Lives of Others. At his oscar party, Sir Elton John was apparently so surprised that his favorite didn't win he said, "What the fuck?" (or something like that). In this case, I actually think the Academy got it right. Not only was Florian Hencknel von Donnersmarck's penetrating look at the East Germany the best foreign language film of the year, it was one of the most interesting and powerful films in some time.

41. Magnolia (1999, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Hard Eight... good. Boogie Nights... great. Magnolia... greatest. Although most might prefer Anderson's Boogie Nights, I'll take the epic, oblique, shamelessly emotive Magnolia any day of the week.

In Defense of Michael Moore

2009-10-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Controversial filmmaker Michael Moore recently released Capitalism: A Love Story. Naturally, much of the criticism surrounding the film has been focused on Moore himself and the seeming cult of personality he has created.

On imdb, I read an entertainment article in which the author claimed he couldn't take
Capitalism: A Love Story seriously because of Moore's presence in the movie. Now, I understand some people's ambivalence toward Moore. He inserts himself shamelessly into his work and his films blur the lines between documentary and propaganda. And yet still, my answer to his critics is simple: GET OVER IT.

To attack a man's work for such a superficial point is intellectually crass to the highest degree. And yet this makes perfect sense. After all, it's much easier to dismiss Moore as a muckraking egomaniac than to confront the hard questions his films ask.

Simply put, Michael Moore is one of the most important filmmakers in the country. No one challenges the corrupt power structures in this nation more forwardly and relentlessly than he. And I do believe that he is an equal-opportunity radical. He will attack anyone, no matter what their political affiliations or reputation. Remember Sicko (certainly, the most powerful indictment of the United States' immoral health care system that anyone has produced). In that film, Michael Moore criticized Senate and Congressional Republicans for accepting massive contributions from insurance companies, but he also exposes Hillary Clinton for doing the same thing.

I believe he is genuinely concerned for the well-being and improvement of this country and his films have been instrumental in revealing profound inequities in our society. And to those who criticize him for perceived factual inaccuracies in his work, I would say a few things. First, Michael Moore has defended his work tirelessly and almost every fact in them. Secondly, few people question the larger points his films make. For instance, there are disputes about some of the facts presented in Bowling for Columbine, but can anyone deny that the United States has more gun deaths than any advanced democracy in the world? And Moore's critics have certainly attacked Sicko, but can anyone deny that United States has one of the WORST health care systems of any western industrialized democracy? If you don't think so, look at the WTO, United Nations, and the Human Development Index, to see where the United States ranks.

One final point. NO ONE should feel sorry for Charlton Heston for being interviewed by Moore. First of all, Charlton Heston did not have Alzheimer's at the time, he simply had Alzheimer's-like symptoms. And if he did have Alzheimer's he shouldn't have allowed himself to be president of the NRA.

Top 100 Films: 60-51

2009-10-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

60. The Shining (1980, dir. Stanley Kubrick)

Stanley Kubrick's 1980 chiller redefined the standards of gothic horror and is one of the most cerebrally terrifying films ever made. Jack Nicholson's performance, which some have criticized as being excessive or even hammy, is in my opinion a masterclass of slowly building insanity.

59. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, dir. Martin Scorcese)

Martin Scorcese once said that Taxi Driver was Paul Schrader's film, Raging Bull was Robert DeNiro's, and Last Temptation of Christ was his. That doesn't mean Last Temptation of Christ is his best film, but I think it should at least be considered. It's an astonishingly vivid and full-fledged depiction of a religious narrative that literally billions are familiar with, but there has not been a bolder or more involving rendering of the subject matter than this. The fact that this film was so intensely criticized upon its release in 1988 for its distinctly human representation of Jesus is almost laughably ironic. Scorese's film is not an indictment of religious values or even the narrative of Jesus Christ. In fact, it may one of the most profoundly spiritual films in recent memory. All in all, a powerful and thought-provoking work that should be required viewing in Catholic schools.

58. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001, dir Wes Andersen)

It's hard to overstate the importance of the Royal Tenenbaums in modern cinema. In terms of its exacting, singular stylism, Wes Anderson's third film is quite possibly one of the most influential of the 21st century. Not only that, but it also happens to be an incredible, wholly original comedy filled with great performances.

57. The Exorcist (1973, dir. William Friedkin)

I don't think it's going too far to say that this is William Friedkin's last great film (I hope I'm not offending any Jade fans out there). But what a film. Other horror films since have attempted to capitalize on the deep-seated fears surrounding possession, but none is as effective as The Exorcist, which was nominated for best picture in 1973. In it, Friedkin masterfully constructs a hyperrealistic atomphere in which the fully audience accepts the prospect of demonic possession. Truly, a stunningly crafted and powerful horror.

56. My Left Foot (1989, dir. Jim Sheridan)

I don't know why Jim Sheridan decided to direct 50 cent in Get Rich or Die Tryin', because the man is certainly capable of producing great work. My Left Foot is one such work. Daniel Day Lewis' performance is rightfully applauded as an incomparable example of method acting genius. Yes, genius. Not only is his performance physically precise, but his emotional embodiment of Christy Brown is astoundingly real.

55. Fargo (1996, dir. Joel Coen)

Fargo is a unique film even for the Coen brothers. It's superb synthesis of the darkly comic and the genuinely dramatic is nearly unparalleled in its greatness. The performances are uniformly great, and many are even iconic (Frances McDormand as the spunky sheriff, William H. Macy as Jerry Lundergard).

54. Jaws (1975, dir. Steven Spielberg)

The beauty of this Steven Spielberg film is not necessarily in its thrills or its scares, although certainly they are; rather, it is in how surprisingly moving and emotionally nuanced the film is. The quiet moment between Brody and his son at the dinner table, the eerily affecting scene on the boat when the man share their scars... these moments are what makes this movie stand out as a masterpiece among blockbusters-as well as Spielberg's brilliant direction.

53. Edward Scissorhands (1990, dir. Tim Burton)

This was a benchmark film for Tim Burton. It solidified his reputation as a fantastical, uniquely expressive artist, but even more importantly it demonstrated his work's deeply emotional power. This is the most heartrending film of Burton's career, and I think his best.

52. Silence of the Lambs (1991, dir. Jonathan Demme)

As much about the depth of childhoold trauma (and the uniqely American character of serial killing), Demme's Silence of the Lambs is an expertly crafted thriller featuring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in the best performances of their careers.

51. The Godfather (1972, dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
I know it would be standard practice to rank The Godfather in the top 20 in the very least, but this is where I honestly place it. This shouldn't take anything away from it. It's a remarkable film-possibly, the best single collection of performances of any movie. Coppola handles the subject matter with dexterous skill, but at times I think the film's restrained aesthetic is too much. Personally, I think Coppola' best work as a director is after this film. But other aspects of the film are nearly perfect. As I said before, almost all of the performances are great and the relationships are as finely developed as any of the great works of fiction.

Top 100 Films: 70-61

2009-09-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

Okay... here's the next installment.

70. The Big Chill (1983, dir. Laurence Kasdan)
I've always thought that Laurence Kasdan was an extraordinarily thoughtful and incisive filmmaker (or at least one with the potential to be so), and this is undoubtedly his most finely tuned work. The ensemble presented here (Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum) is among the best in cinema history, and not only that, but the collective and individual chemistry between each performer is outstanding. All of the performances are top-notch, but William Hurt is particularly affecting as the cynical Nick Carlton.

69. Citizen Kane (1939, dir. Orson Welles)
Orson Welles debut is indeed a groundbreaking technical masterwork. Welles' principal contribution to cinema lies in his expressive use of mis-en-scene, and as key advancement in film it rivals Eisenstein's codification of montage. Beyond that, this film is also an engrossing, uniquely American tale of the rise and fall of Charles Foster Kane. For many, the fact that this film is not near the top ten in my list is outright blasphemy, but I would contend that while technically the film is flawless, there are aspects of the performances and narrative that are not beyond criticism.

68. Requiem for a Dream (2000, dir. Darren Aronofsky)
Darren Aronofsky's second film is unlike anything ever produced, and it arguably contains one of the most salient cinematic innovations in recent years with the "hip-hop montage", integrated into the film to brilliant effect. This is a movie is an unrelentingly visceral and even heartbreaking descent into the world of addiction-fueled self-destruction.

67. Network (1976, dir. Sidney Lumet)
Lumet's stunningly realized drama from Paddy Chayefsky's Academy Award winning script is not so much an indictment of television as it of the increasingly pervasive corporatism of American society, and one can not assess the current state of American corporatism and not think that Network is anything but revelatory. Perhaps no other film contains as many richly delivered, cutting performances, including Peter Finch's iconic Howard Beale (for which he posthumously won the Academy Award), Faye Dunaway as brazenly sexual, hard-as-nails executive, and William Holden as the aging veteran of the television world.

66. American Beauty (1999, dir. Sam Mendez)
This 1999 Best Picture winner is a wonderfully entertaining and poignant that perfectly evokes the post-modern, suburban complexion of American life in all of it's banality and, yes, beauty.

65. The Birdcage (1996, dir. Mike Nichols)
Conventional wisdom is that the 1978 original La Cage aux Folles is a genuine classic, while the 1996 remake is nothing than a charming approximation. I would disagree with that. I think Mike Nichol's film is an all-out comedy classic. In many ways, the movie is better suited as an American narrative because of the complexity of the American attitudes toward homosexuality. What is truly remarkable is that the film succeeds in drawing out full-hearted comedy from its farcical situations and yet remains a touching, penetrating statement about the potential for love in any relationship.

64. Little Miss Sunshine (2006, dirs. Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Feris)
Shortly before the 2007 Academy Awards ceremony, Steve Carrel, when asked if the family portrayed in Little Miss Sunshine was dysfunctional, said, "No. I think they're very functional." That succinct comment in many sums this movie up. The film is one of the most enjoyable and yet bracingly clear and even profound statement on the complex nature of family.

63. There's Something About Mary (1998, dirs. Farrelly Brothers)
Tasteless? Yes. Obscene? At times? Completely innovative and brilliant. Of course. This still stands as the Farrelly's brothers' best and most unique comedy, and with that distinction it also one of the astonishing comedy films ever made.

62. Born on the Fouth of July (1989, dir. Oliver Stone)
More than Stone's murky Platoon, this film drives home the ultimate truths of the tragedy of Vietnam. It's a gut-wrenching work of art that contains Tom Cruise in the most exposed performance of his career. Oliver Stone's focused, propulsive direction is fantastic.

61. Raising Arizona (1987, dir. Joel Coen)
This Coen Brothers comedy from 1987 is as much a mainstream delight as it is a dark, moving, and creatively ambitious fairy tale. One of the most purely enjoyable comedies ever made.

Top 20 Albums of the Decade

2009-09-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

In about a week, Pitchfork will release it's top albums of the decade, so I thought I'd scoop them (after all, when I release mine no one will care about Pitchfork's, right?).

So, hear are my top 20 albums of the decade:

20. Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, and Wives (2006)/ Raised by Wolves (2005) - Voxtrot
It might be a cheat to combine the songs from two EPs, but taken together Voxtrot's early comprises some of the most stunning indie pop of the decade.

Best song: Wrecking Force

19. A Ghost is Born (2005) - Wilco
I remember this album being somewhat misunderstood when it was first released. I think the main reason for that was because Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was such a revelation and that created extraordinarily high expectations which couldn't be surpassed. When one simply listens to this album as a self-contained statement, it' wonderful. Overall, A Ghost is Born is a brilliant synthesis of Wilco's adventurous experimentalism and earthy, emotive brand of rock music.

Best song: Hell is Chrome

18. Wagonwheel Blues (2008) - The War on Drugs
You may not have heard of this band, but their work is exceptional, particularly this 2008 release that was unfortunately overlooked by most mainstream publications. The War on Drugs specializes in rich, shambling indie rock that owes no small debt to Bob Dylan.

Best song: Buenes Aires Beach.

17. Powder Burns (2007) - Twilight Singers
I think Greg Dulli's "side project" the Twilight Singers is significantly better than his original band, the acclaimed Afghan Whigs. On the surface, this album is merely a collection of a few hard-hitting rock songs, but in fact it is a soaring, emotionally wrought triumph.

Best song: Dead to Rights

16. Before the Dawn Heals Us (2004)- M83
Along with the Postal Service's Give Up, M83's Before the Dawn Heals Us may be the most palatable distillation of indie electronic in the 21st century--although in many ways, the two albums are poles apart. In this, Anthony Gonzalez creates dark, indelible soundscapes that are among the most lush and propulsive of the decade.

Best song: Moonchild

15. On the Wing Now (2007) - Foreign Born
With their impressive 2008 release Person to Person, California shoegazers Foreign Born are finally getting the respect they deserve, but On the Wing Now remains their best work to date. It's an exhilarating collection of layered, shimmering indie rock anthems that somehow manages to transcend every genre it steps in.

Best song: In the Shape

14. Things We Lost in the Fire (2001) - Low
With this individualistic masterpiece, slowcore pioneers Low finally triumphed over the occasional banality of their downtempo sensibilities to produce an uncompromisingly beautiful, heartrending record.

Best song: Medicine Magazines

13. Return to Cookie Mountain (2006) - TV on the Radio
This album crystallized TV on the Radio's position as the preeminent producers of pulsing, cinematic indie/experimental rock in the world.

Best song: Province (OK, maybe it's Wolf Like Me, but I'm trying to be different)

12. The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nation's General Millennium Assembly (2007) - Le Loup
Although Le Loup consists of a sprawling collection of musicians, on Throne of the Third Heaven the band manages to produce a cohesive, conceptually rich, and deeply moving album that is like a combination of the best Sufjan Stevens and Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

Best song: Planes Like Vultures

11. Plague Park (2007) - Handsome Furs
Ostensibly a side project for Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs plays blisteringly beautiful electronic indie rock on par with the best of Wolf Parade, and this 2007 release is a remarkably powerful album.

Best song: Handsome Furs Hate This City

10. Turn on the Bright Lights (2002) - Interpol
Interpol are exactly what everyone says they are: unabashed post-punk revivalists continuing in the tradition of such bands as Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen. But let's be honest, on this album, Interpol is better than all of the bands from which they take their cues.

Best song: NYC

19. Alopecia (2008) - Why?
How this truly individualistic album didn't make Pitchfork's top 50 of 2008 baffles me. In this album, the genre-defying Why? manages to be sincere, moving, self-deprecating, and irrepressibly brilliant.

8. Antics (2004) - Interpol
Conventional wisdom says that Antics is a compelling but less successful effort than Turn on the Bright Lights, but I happen to think Antics is the better album. In this album, Interpol steps out of the shadow of their post-punk roots to present one of the strongest collections of dark indie rock songs of the decade.

7. Glory Hope Mountain (2007) - The Acorn
A little known album full of pristine indie folk/pop from the sorely under appreciated The Acorn.
The opening track "Hold Your Breath" may be one of the best songs of the decade.

Best song: Hold Your Breath

6. Anytown Graffiti (2007) - Pela
Other than Arcade Fire, no one is making more rousing and emotionally infused indie rock than Pela. The sheer force of each track on Anytown Graffiti is remarkable.

Best song: Rooftops

5. Apologies to Queen Mary (2005) - Wolf Parade
This collection of gritty indie rock anthems should be regarded as a modern classic.

Best song: I'll Believe in Anything

4. Takk (2005) - Sigur Ros
Sigur Ros has been making some of the most beautiful and impacting music of any band for years, and on Takk they set forth their defining masterpiece of lush, toweringly cinematic songs.

Best song: Hoppipolla

3. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001) - Wilco
Released in the 2001, nothing could have been more appropriate than this collection of searching, intricate, and mysterious experimental pop songs that highlighted a collective desire for post-millenial connection.

Best song: Jesus etc.

2. Funeral (2004) - Arcade Fire
Almost no other band that I've heard plays songs as emotionally charged and moving as Arcade Fire. On Funeral, the band raises the bar on creating stirring indie rock anthems.

Best song: Rebellion (Lies)

1. Boxer (2007) - The National
The National's unflinchingly beautiful Boxer is not only my favorite album of the decade, but I think one of the most impressive of all time. The band's ability to create lush, atmospheric, and heartrendingly honest indie rock/pop work is nearly unparalleled among their peers.

Best song: Apartment Story

Top 100 Films: 80-71

2009-09-16T21:27:00.001-07:00

First of all... I'm sorry it's taken me so long to continue this list. The truth is, school has been occupying some of my time.

80. Traffic (2000, dir. Steven Soderbergh)
I find this to be a much more interesting and challenging film than Gladiator, which beat Traffic for best picture in 2000. What is fascinating about this film is how it provides an overarching perspective on the personal and moral toll of the drug trade in the United States, but it does this without become a polemic. Rather, it is all the more provactive and real for it.

79. 12 Angry Men (1957, dir. Sidney Lumet)
At times, I find that I connect with Sidney's Lumet's work more than nearly any other director, particularly his films that I think are his most personal statements: Night Falls on Manhattan (1996), Q&A (1990), Daniel (1984), The Verdict (1982), Serpico (1973). No other director is able to dramatize the personal and ethical struggle of his characters more than Sidney Lumet, who seems to be first and foremest concerned with flawed individuals struggling to do the right thing.

78. Malcolm X (1992, dir. Spike Lee)
Conventional wisdom seems to indicate that Do the Right Thing (1989) is Spike Lee's undisputed masterpiece, but I put forth this stunningly involving biopic. The force of Denzel Washington's towering performance and the weight of Spike Lee's masterful handling of the subject matter hit the viewer like a ton of bricks.

77. Kinsey (2004, dir. Bill Condon)
My vote for most underrated film of 2004 would go to Bill Condon's wonderfully absorbing biopic of Alfred Kinsey. In fact, I happen to think it's the best film of 2004. Although Laura Linney and Liam Neeson's sensitive portrayals carry the film in many ways, this is the film in which Bill Condon reveals himself to be a director of deep artistic vision.

76. The Apartment (1960, dir. Billy Wilder )
With wonderful performances by Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine, Wilder's film is simply one of the most wildly entertaining love stories of all time.

75. Jurassic Park (1993, dir. Steven Spielberg)
A brilliantly entertaining film. Truly, a pitch-perfect blockbuster.

74. Erin Brockovich (2000, dir. Steven Soderbergh)
First, let me say this: I truly believe that Ellen Burstyn should have won the Academy Award for Best Actress over Julia Roberts; however, I do happen to think that Erin Brockovich is an exceptional film and that Julia Roberts gives clearly the best performance of her career.

73. The People Under the Stairs (1991, dir. Wes Craven)
This may seem like a bizarre entry, but I really that is film is an incredibly unique

and thrilling achievement.

72. When Harry Met Sally (1989, dir. Rob Reiner)
Punctuated by the great chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, this is Rob Reiner's best film. Truly hilarious.

71. Halloween (1978, dir. John Carpenter)
John Carpenter is perhaps the modern horror genre's main auteur. Halloween is not necessarily his best film (you'll more on the list), but it's a great film and it's influence can't be understated.

Class today

2009-09-09T01:19:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day for the most part.

I received an extention on a number of sports articles I had to turn in to my editor at the Mid City Lagniappe and found out that I didn't have to edit my three minute short film until at least a week from now, which means my wednesday is now officially free.

Something occured to me today. I wonder if I react too harshly to some people's personal tastes. I really try very hard to be at least benign to other's tastes, but today in my advanced screenwriting class I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at what some people were saying, and it's not like they were saying anything outright douchish. Usually, they were just a making a statment on a film they liked. For instance, the teacher asked us what our favorite scenes were. What were the responses? One person said the end of Saw where

***SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS ***

Jigsaw reveals himself to be the man lying on the floor in the room.

At another time in the class, one of the students said they didn't like any Woody Allen movies? What? It takes a lot of balls to say something like that in a screenwriting class.

Well, like I said, I probably reacted too smugly today, although truly I try not to discount anyone's taste, unless they say they don't like any Woody Allen movies, in which case I do probably discount them.

Back at UNO

2009-09-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, so officially I've been back at UNO for a couple of weeks now and I haven't blogged about it. Honestly, I don't why.

But this year looks good. I have a very comfortable schedule. My earliest class is at 1:30, not to mention the fact that I have no classes on Wednesday at all. A friend of mine pointed out that it's like having another weekend in the middle of the week. It certainly feels like the weekend considering that I didn't wake up until 3 o'clock today.

Something happened today that annoyed me terribly. One of my classes is called Introduction to Video Writing and in our first assignment we had to email the teacher a journal response to a reading selection. In the reading selection, it stresses how important in media writing to write in the active voice as opposed to the passive voice. In my journal response I pointed that out.

Well... today I looked at my email and saw I had an email from my Video Writing teacher. He told me that my journal entry was fine, except he chastized me for writing in the passive voice in it. Give me a break! First of all, the reading selection emphasized writing in active voice for media writing. I didn't realize that all I writing I turned in to this teacher has to be in active voice. Is this script description, a news story? No. It was a journal entry, and sue me... I wrote in passive voice.

I don't know why that upset as much as it did. It was only an email, but for some reason I was very distressed by it. I know that issue wasn't very entertaining, I'll try to fuck shit up the rest of the semester to mix things up.

An Inglorious Basterd of a movie

2009-08-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

I went to see Quentin Tarantino's new film Inglorious Basterds on Friday and I was supremely disappointed--also consider that my expectations for the film were not particularly high.

Admittedly, I haven't been enormously impressed by Tarantino's recent work. While I thought Kill Bill 2 was a surprisingly moving and dynamic action film, I wasn't equally moved by Kill Bill 1, which I thought was too self-consciously derivative.

Unfortunately, I think Inglorious Basterds succinctly demonstrates the shortcomings increasingly inherent in Quentin Tarantino's homage-centric, spaghetti western appropriating, narrative fragmenting, cartoonishly violent approach.

The Good

Brad Pitt: As the implacable Lt. Aldo Raine, Pitt is a comedic revelation.

The look: As with other Tarantino films, I thought Inglorious Basterds was beautifully well-made, occasionally showcasing moments of scintillating visual power. I might even suggest that this film contains Tarantino's most inspired direction since Pulp Fiction.

Supporting cast: Truthfully, all of the performances in this film were at least competent, and some were exceptional, such as Christoph Waltz as 'Jew hunter' Hans Landa.

The Bad

I can't exactly categorize what I thought was wrong with this movie, at least not in multiple sections. Mainly, I thought Quentin Tarantino's trademark chronologically disorganized narratives did not serve this film well. The film's fragmented structure made any attempt to develop characters, or for that matter connect to the characters, virtually impossible. As a result, Inglorious Basterds was little more than a collection of isolated sequences, and although those sequences were at times very interesting, their lack of congruity with the rest of the movie was unbelievably frustrating.

The Ugly

SPOILERS-SPOILERS-SPOILERS-SPOILERS-SPOILERS-SPOILERS-SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!

One aspect of this film that never settled right with me was how brazenly Tarantino altered history. In case you're not aware, Basterds is not a non-fiction film. There was no such group of Jewish American soldiers dropped behind enemy lines in France to conduct guerrilla operations against the Nazis, but that historical transgression was necessary for the movie and I thought even interesting (if only there had been more of it that is).

Later in the film, however, the whole of the Nazi high command, including Hitler, is killed at a movie premier in Paris. For some reason, I couldn't accept the film's essential alternate history conceit. So, I sat in the theater watching the beautifully violent and expressive deaths of Adolph Hitler and other war criminals with my mouth wide open with incredulity, not understanding completely how everyone was so entertained by a half-baked fever dream. Certainly, I felt some level of self-righteous glee at seeing the world's most notorious mass murder exploded with bullets, but I couldn't help but thinking that it was both morally and intellectually dishonest.

Top 100 Films: 90-81

2009-08-19T17:44:00.001-07:00

90. Naked Lunch (1991, dir. David Cronenberg)
Based on the famously cryptic William Boroughs novel, Naked Lunch is an utterly original and fascinating film that somehow manages to be both grotesque and captivatingly sensual.
89. On the Waterfront (1954, dir. Elia Kazan)
Made after his controversial testimony to the HUAC committee, Kazan's film seemingly extolls the value of informing while characterizing unions as thuggish, cold-blood crime crime syndicates. This perception of the film is not necessarily wrong, only irrelevant. If one only sees this movie as a solipsistic attempt at self-exculpation, than certainly it does not seem as impressive, but when I look more deeply at this movie I see an astonishingly well-acted and humanistic morality tale.
88. The Player (1992, dir. Robert Altman)
Robert Altman's singularly uncontrolled style lends itself perfectly to this darkly satirical take on Hollywood. It's combination of scathing wit and extistential angst make it a truly rare and precious comedy.
87. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006, dir. Clint Eastwood)
Eastwood's indelible vision underlies the evocative power of this rendering of the Battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective.
86. There Will Be Blood (2007, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Anchored by Paul Thomas Anderson's spellbinding direction and a haunting performance by Daniel Day Lewis, this was the best of film of 2007.
85. Ed Wood (1994, dir. Tim Burton)
A brilliantly funny and moving look at one of American cinema's most eccentric-and bad-artists.
84. The Color of Money (1986, dir. Martin Scorcese)
This Scorcese-directed sequel to The Hustler is a dynamic visual masterpiece containing one of Paul Newman's most affecting performances.
83. Quiz Show (1994, dir. Robert Redford)
A superbly crafted docudrama, which illuminates the ethical complexity of a media-pervaded American society better than nearly any film.
82. Shattered Glass (2003, dir. Billy Ray)
Hayden Christiansen gives a surprisingly vulnerable and enigmatic performance as disgraced journalist Stephen Glass, who fabricated dozens of stories during his time at the New Republic. Although Christiansen performs admirably, the real standout in this film is Peter Sarsgaard, who is outstanding as Glass' embattled editor.
81. A Few Good Men (1992, dir. Rob Reiner)
With memorable performances from the entire cast and tautly adept direction by Reiner, this is the most purely entertaining courtroom drama ever produced.

Top 100 Films

2009-08-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

Recently, a friend asked me to give her a list of my favorite films. Now, I had already a list compiled, but it had been months since it had been updated so I decided to give it a full-blown make-over. I started by making a huge list of films I loved and then narrowed to a raw list of 100. Then, starting from 100, I began ordering the list to 1. I decided to present the new list on my blog ten selections at a time. Here it is:

Honorable Mentions (these were the last five films eliminated to get to the list of 100)

105. Escape from New York (1981, dir. John Carpenter)
John Carpenter's dystopic thriller is an imminently entertaining and compelling film that I would argue has been more influential than it is given credit for.

104. Peeping Tom (1960, dir. Michael Powell)
This unsettling and well-directed film has rightfully risen from obscurity in recent years, due in no small part to the efforts of filmmaker Martin Scorcese. It's a brilliantly disturbing portrait of a man's tortured psyche, but I happen to believe that Hitchcock's Psycho is a more effective depiction of a voyeuristic killer.

103. Little Children (2006, dir. Todd Field)
When one thinks of the best filmmakers of the 21st century, certain names probably come to mind: Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorcese, Peter Jackson, Danny Boyle, Paul Thomas Anderson. I might suggest that Todd Field should be considered in that group for the two films he has directed since 2000, In the Bedroom and Little Children. Field's second film, Little Children, is an bracingly insightful and moving look of the longing emotional dysfunction of modern suburbia.

102. Salvador (1986, dir. Oliver Stone)
In some ways, this highly independent feature may contain Stone's most effective political statements as a filmmaker. The film, follows world weary combat journalist Richard Boyle as he journeys through war-torn El Salvador and witnesses the carnage being inflicted on population by a United States-backed right-wing regime. Directed with stunning immediacy by Stone, this film communicates more than any other I've seen the folly of Reagan's South American foreign policy.

101. Manhunter (1986, dir. Michael Mann)
Unfortunately ignored when it released in 1986, Mann's film might be one of the most intelligent and richly made serial killers films ever.

Now for the actual list:

100. This is Spinal Tap (1984, dir. Rob Reiner)
Undoubtedly, one of the most purely funny and influential comedies ever made, this film solidified the mockumentary as a vibrant film genre.

99. The Wizard of Oz (1939, dir. Victor Fleming)
Although this film contains a childish coyness representative of its time, it's difficult to deny how restlessly creative and entertaining this movie is.

98. The Fisher King (1991, dir. Terry Gilliam)
The first half of this film is close to being a perfect fantasy comedy, containing a collection of wonderful, brave performances from Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl, and Robin Williams, and outstanding direction from Gilliam. Although personally I think the film falters slightly in the second half, it's still a remarkable movie.

97. Belle de Jour (1967, dir. Luis Bunuel)
Directed by the so-called father of surrealist cinema, Belle de Jour is a superbly artful and innovative work.

96. Beetle Juice (1988, dir. Tim Burton)
A wildly entertaining and imaginative comedy with a fantastic performance by Michael Keaton.

95. Serpico (1973, dir. Sidney Lumet)
Despite Charlie Day's brilliantly ridiculous impersonation of Pacino's Frank Serpico in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", there should be no mistake: Sidney Lumet's film is gritty and powerfully absorbing and deserving of more praise than it receives.

94. The Truman Show (1998, dir. Peter Weir)
With Jim Carey's finely nuanced, touching, and completely funny performance, The Truman Show succeeds as one of the best and most interesting comedies of the 90s.

93. Dead Ringers (1988, dir. David Cronenberg)
This is possibly Cronenberg's most adult film that still contains his tell-tale themes of bodily invasion and profound human alienation. It's stunningly well-realized and Jeremy Irons dual performance is phenomenal.

92. The Matrix (1999, dir. Andy and Larry Wachowski)
Although the Wachowski brothers never lived up to the promise of their first features, there's no denying this film is both groundbreaking and wonderfully thrilling.

91. Million Dollar Baby (2004, dir. Clint Eastwood)
This emotionally profound and heartbreaking film, directed with breathtaking poignancy by Clint Eastwood, is certainly one of the best films of the 21st century.

Next selection will be 90-81.

A good movie and... a bad movie

2009-08-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

I saw 500 Days of Summer today and thought it was very good. Both Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordan Levitt give good performances, but I was particularly impressed by Joseph Gordan Levitt. In fact, I've been a fan of Joseph Gordan Levitt since 2005 when he starred in both Brick, an excellent film, and the disturbingly heartrending Mysterious Skin. To be honest, I was actually impressed with him in the underrated comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. So, that was the good movie.

Now for the bad movie. I recently went to Blockbuster to rent some entertainingly bad horror movies and I came out with two gems: Puppet Masters vs. Demonic Toys (don't check your screen, that is the actual title) and Fear of Clowns. Wow, both movies were spectacularly horrible.

Puppet Masters vs. Demonic Toys was a ridiculous sequel in the Puppet Masters series (which I actually think is a solid horror franchise). The film focused on a toymaker/scientists played by Corey Feldman, who is truly terrible in the role. I remember actually being impressed by Feldman's assured acting style before in films like Lost Boys, Stand By Me, and the Goonies, but in this movie he is astoundingly incompetent. The plot was surprisingly labyrinthine:

1. Corey Feldman's character uses his blood to animate his grandfather's puppet collection.

2. The prickly female head of a toy making conglomerate finds about his this and seeks to steal his secret formula so she can animate her own toys. But wait, there's more.

3. This head of the toy making conglomerate has secretly made a deal with Satan to distribute deadly toys to children in exchange for being given a group of animated toys to do her bidding. Oh yeah, years ago Satan was conned by Corey Feldman's grandfather, which is why Satan wants Feldman's daughter as his personal sacrifice.

Now, if you just read that plot and are still slightly confused, don't be alarmed. This only proves that you are still sane.

The second mind numbingly bad horror film I rented was the ultra-low quality Fear of Clowns, which followed a young female painter who specializes in painting terrifying clown portraits. Suddenly, she finds that she is being stalked by a psychopathic clown-man, who oddly never wears a shirt. By the time in the film we find out the killer is a partially retarded mental patient who is simply trying to "get better" I and a friend stopped watching the movie. See the photo below to get an idea of how unbelievably terrible that movie was.

Beyond the Gates

2009-08-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

I was watching television with my brothers and came across the film Beyond the Gates (2005). The film depicted a particular massacre that occurred in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994 and starred the still-wonderful John Hurt and the emerging Hugh Dancy as westerners caught in the chaos.

I only saw the last hour of the film, but that portion of the movie was brilliant. I'd need to see the rest of the movie first, but what I saw was possibly better than the great Hotel Rwanda. The film was directed by Michael-Caton Jones, who also directed Rob Roy, The Jackal, and the GREAT Basic Instinct 2 (I don't why he directed that movie?). Despite the unevenness of his career, I was very impressed by with his work in Beyond the Gates.

Much like Hotel Rwanda, the film highlights the supreme moral failure of the United Nations and the United States in preventing in any of the genocide in Rwanda. Every time I watch something about the Rwandan genocide, the same question invariably comes to mind:

"Where was the United Nations?" I know this seems like a capricious and useless question. After all, we can question all we want but that doesn't make any of the 800,000 dead come back to life. But I actually think this question is relevant for today. Has the UN changed significantly since 1994? Obviously not, since thousands of have been killed in a similar genocidal event in Darfur, Sudan.

Listen... I strive to be a citizen of the world, so I support the United Nations. I thought Bush's decision to invade Iraq-without substantive international support-was WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. That is not the way major powers should further their interests in the world, and unfortunately it was a case in which we caused the genocide. But part of me also understands the argument that the UN has in many ways been in an ineffective institution. How I differ from the neo-conservative hawks is that I think the remedy to that arrangement is to STRENGTHEN the United Nations. And, in cases when the United Nations is not strong enough, then the United States should step in.

I know that statement might surprise some people, considering my general foreign policy views, which stress international negotiation over force, but in cases of genocide it is morally imperative that some power take the initiative. This is actually an area in which I differ with other liberals, who believe the United States should leave Iraq, Afghanistan and recede fully from non-domestic involvement in the world. While I do believe we should leave Iraq, and possibly Afghanistan, it is not because I disagree with the principles of a global activism.

Barack Obama: The First 200 Days

2009-08-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

Periodically judging a president's performance every one hundred days may be arbitrary, but considering the tremendous activity coming from Washington D.C. recently it may actually be relevant in this case.

This might surprise some people, but I'd actually give President Obama a C+ for his first two hundred days. I don't give him this grade because I fundamentally disagree with his policies, rather I think he's allowed his policies to be implemented to moderately.

I absolutely give him credit for the early accomplishments of his administration. That's go over them because the media doesn't necessarily advertise all of the nuts-and-bolts things he has done which have positively changed our government.

1. Obama set aside millions of acres of land for environmental protection. After the Bush administration played fast and loose with environmental standards for 8 years, Obama's EPA is actually taking the preservation of land seriously.
2. He issued an executive directive establishing the right of women to sue for wage discrimination. Women still make less than men on average and this action might lead to significant change in that area.
3. Reversed the Bush administration ban on embryonic stem cell research. What do I have to say about this? I'm just glad we have a president in the White House whose not afraid to act morally without being moralistic.
4. Reversed the Bush administration's "Mexico City" policy, which barred the government from giving federal aid from international organizations that perform abortions or give information about abortions. I give Bush credit for how dramatically he increased funding for AIDS relief in Africa, but I shutter to think about how seriously our international aid efforts were undermined by this crudely religious policy.
5. Obama's administration declared that future military interrogations will strictly follow the prescribed methods laid out in the Army Field Manual. In other words, no more TORTURE.

Okay... those are all wonderful accomplishments, but not everything has been that smooth. For instance, Obama plans to close Guantanamo Bay, which is critically important, but as far as I can tell, there are no guarantees that the new facility which will hold those prisoners will be any less victimizing.

Also, I actually think the expansive bailout and stimulus packages that have been implemented by Obama's administration were absolutely necessary, but they haven't been carried out as effectively as they could be. So much of the stimulus money hasn't even gotten to the states yet (albeit that has something to do with the resistance Republican governors like Jindal are giving him); also, in terms of the bailout, I learned recently that the same companies and firms which allowed the government to nationalize their debt have been doling out extravagant bonuses again.

And then there's health care. It might be premature to label his health care reform efforts a failure... in truth, I don't think they will be. I'm confident that Obama will push through some kind of reform legislation that hopefully reduces the amount of people who don't have health care insurance in this country. My only concerns is that the reform legislation won't go far enough because Obama has allowed obstructionist Republicans and spineless, moderate "blue dog" democrats to hijack the agenda. There are nearly 50 million people in this country who don't have health insurance and there are thousands who die each other because the insurance they do have denies them the most critical care, and still Republicans have the temerity to propagandize about the dangers of socialized medicine. Republicans like to believe that they have better values than the Democrats, but how can that be true when they are taking the side of the insurance companies over millions of Americans who should have the RIGHT to health care? Democrats should call Republicans out on it and say it how it is. Not supporting some universal health care program is IMMORAL.

So, there it is. If Obama comes out this health care debate with a better than average national health care plan, then I'd probably elevate his score to B+ or even an A. We'll see.

(Tentative) Top Ten Films of the Year

2009-08-08T00:10:00.000-07:00

After watching the preview to Peter Jackson's upcoming The Lovely Bones, adapted from the Anne Sebold novel, it occurs to me that the best films of the year obviously haven't come out yet (not all of them at least), but I still felt compelled to compile a preliminary list.

10. Watchmen (dir. Zach Snyder)
Okay... anyone who's read my most recent blog-post knows I wasn't terribly enthusiastic about this film, and the truth is I stand by my initial review. In fact, I fully expect Watchmen NOT to be on this list by the year's end, and the only reason it's on the list now is because it was either Watchmen or the Friday the 13th remake (a horrible film, but at least it was comically inept), and Terminator: Salvation. All that being said, I didn't think the film was bad, only very flawed. I rate it at about a 6/10. On the positive side, I thought the film was bracingly evocative and the performances of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach were both very good.

9. Star Trek (dir. J.J. Abrams)
Again, I wrote in a previous blog-post that I wasn't wowed by this film as others were, but I did think it was a reasonable entertaining blockbuster, maybe even one of the most entertaining blockbusters in recent years. Personally, I thought the ----

SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS

... aspect of time travel in the film was convoluted and unnecessary, but it was still a good movie; however, I do hope it is replaced by something better.

8. Public Enemies (dir. Michael Mann)
Was this Michael Mann's best film? No. Was it his second best? No. Third? Fourth? Fifth? Sixth? No. In my opinion, this was Mann's seventh best film (I have The Insider, Last of the Mohicans, Manhunter, Collateral, Thief, and Heat all ranked ahead of it). The fact that it's seventh is not necessarily a bad thing-those other six include some great films. Now, Public Enemies. Well, I thought it was just good, but with moments that were extraordinarily interesting. I appreciated the thought behind Michael Mann's direction, but I didn't think it was his strongest effort. In my view, he relied too much on the sheer grittiness of the digital cinema-verite aesthetic and didn't take it to the next level. Also, aspects of the narrative certainly left some things to be desired, particularly Christian Bale's story. If the film had any chance of being great, it went by the wayside when the filmmakers decided to give Christian Bale's character the emotional complexity of beige wall.

7. UP! (dir. Pete Docter, Bob Petersen)
This is probably the first great movie on the list, although I think its 25 ranking on imdb overrates the film. It continually impresses me how complex and emotionally nuanced Pixar films have become while still being enormously entertaining and this film is no exception.

6. Away We Go (dir. Sam Mendez)
I've been less than awed by Sam Mendez' post-American Beauty career. I thought Road to Perdition was technically well-crafted but lacking in many respects, and to me Jarhead was an entertaining mess of disconnected ideas that never came together. Mendez is clearly a very talented director, but I've always felt his style was overly controlled at times. However, Away We Go might be his best effort since American Beauty (I haven't seen Revolutionary Road). This film is funny, moving, and emotionally resonant and has wonderful performances from most of the cast.

5. The Hangover (dir. Todd Philips)
Flat-out hilarious. Todd Philips' best since Old School.

4. Adventureland (dir. Greg Motolla)
I was extremely impressed with Motolla's Superbad, which I think is one of the best comedies of the decade. With Adventureland though, I think really confirmed his talent as an independent filmmaker. This movie is both incredibly funny and touchingly honest.

3. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (dir. David Yates)
I rewatched this film recently and less impressed the second time, but it's still the third best film I've seen this year. It's one of the most purely entertaining Potter films yet and also the best acted. Also, it was beautifully directed by David Yates.

2. Bruno (dir. Larry Charles)
The conventional wisdom seems to be that this movie is funny but not as good as Borat. Well... I'll go on the record and say I think this film is SUPERIOR to Borat. It's just as funny and I think it's much more SUBVERSIVE. It exposes the homophobia of American society with deft, piercing satire.

1. Hurt Locker (dir. Kathryn Bigelow)
A marvelously intense film. I'm glad to see Kathryn Bigelow back in top form. I've admired her for films like Point Break, which is a minor 90s classic, and Near Dark for some time. Put simply, Hurt Locker is the first definitive statement on the Iraq War. It perfectly expresses the dread of the aimless mission and the perverse position of American soldiers in that country.

Watchmen... the movie

2009-08-06T20:54:00.000-07:00

Okay.. I know this seems like a terribly belated post, but I've just recently finished watching Zach Snyder's Watchmen (2009), and... well, let's just say I had some thoughts.

First, I feel compelled to admit that I have read the original graphic novel and although I think it's wonderful, I did approach Synder's film with an open mind. That being said, I ultimately felt the movie was seriously flawed, if also occasionally dazzling.

Ironically enough, I thought the main problems with the movie weren't in how it deviated from the graphic novel, but in the ways it FAILED to differentiate itself. That's right, I said it. The film failed because it was TOO faithful to the graphic novel. I love the graphic novel, but it's scope is so vast and intricate that it can't merely be transcribed. The only way the source material could have been molded into a good feature length movie is if major editorial changes had been made. And... they weren't. Here were some of my problems with the movie:

1. Rorschach's narration: I don't think it was necessary, at least not at the excessive level it was used in the movie.

2. Soundtrack: I wasn't as upset by the film's music choices as some of my friends were, but I do think they did more harm than good. First, I think the use of some songs disconnected the flow of the movie, making it a progression of fragmented sequences rather than a contiguous narrative. Particularly, the use of Sound of Silence and 99 Luft Baloons come to mind. Also, I think the soundtrack damaged the consistency of the movie's tone, creating a mish-mash of feelings and atmospheres that were different from the overall flavor of the movie itself. Finally, I think the real problem with some of the more prominent songs that were used is that they undermined the alternate reality the film was trying to portray. Some of the songs held such a specific connotation in mainstream pop culture that to have them featured in a parallel 1985 America created a disconnect for me.

3. What's the plot?: I've read the graphic novel so I'm fully aware of what the plot is, but watching the movie for the first time I somehow felt lost. Initially, I thought everything was pretty clear. "A Comedian died tonight...", okay, I get it. We're looking for the Comedian's murderer. Simple enough. But then the film goes in so many separate directions that by the time we're halfway through we've almost forgotten why we were watching.

4. The Ending -- SPOILERS! -- SPOILERS! -- SPOILERS!

Okay... first, let me say I don't have any problem that there was no giant alien octopus. I think Zach Snyder made a good decision changing that part of the ending. My problem was with the ending's anti-climaticism. It's just so deflating (and not in a good way) when Adrian turns to Rorschach and Nite Owl and tells them the catastrophe they were trying to prevent has already happenned.

This is where I think I probably differ from a lot of fans of the graphic novel, who would most likely tell me that the point of the ending is that it is anti-climactic. The "heroes" don't save the day, at least not the heroes we thought and not in the way we thought they would. I'm perfectly fine with Adrian Veidt winning in the end, although the appearance of Rorschach's diary at the end obviously compromises Veidt's "victory". My problem is that the main characters never even remotely threaten Veidt.

It's like the end of 300. King Leonidas doesn't kill Xerxes, but he does prove he can bleed. That's all I'm saying should have happened to Veidt. Someone should have shown he could bleed.

The film is visually arresting, though. I actually like Zach Snyder to some degree. I thought his 300 was a bold and riveting piece of filmmaking.

Happy Birthday, Rashedah

2009-07-19T04:14:00.000-07:00

First of all, I'd like to give a shout out to my good friend Rashedah Mohammed, who turned 21 tonight. Happy birthday!!

I spent most of my night actually hanging out with her at her apartment and having an extremely good time. Well... an extremely good time except for one thing. I came to the party knowing I might do a slight amount of drinking, so I bought some whiskey and sprite for myself (I've been told by more than a few people that the combination seems strange, but it works for me). All good, right? Wrong? You see I made the terrible mistake of making sure the whiskey I purchased was Jim Beam, and... well, let's just say now I know not to buy Jim Beam in the future.

Harry Potter and the Never-Ending String of Fans who will never be satisfied by the movies because the books are so darn perfect

2009-07-18T04:45:00.000-07:00

I know... this blog title is long, awkwardly phrased, and a even a little mean, but there's really no other way for me to put it. I have to admit I was one of the many who crammed into movie theaters Wednesday for a midnight screening of the new Harry Potter film, and I felt like I was one of the few who came out the theater truly impressed. You see I was with a group of people composed largely of fans who read all of the books and the immediate discussion after the movie was dominated by arguments over what was included and what wasn't and how the film ultimately measured up.

For my own part, I thought the film was very good. It was possibly the most emotionally nuanced and involving of all the movies and the performances were great. Most surprising about this movie was really just how fun and entertaining it was. I know this is when the series is supposed to be getting darker, but I laughed in this movie more than I did in any of the others. The reason of course was that much of the film focused on the wonderfully squemish romantic relationships of the group. Now I thought the depiction of the relationships was affecting and often hilarious, but they weren't developed in great depth.

Spoilers****

At the beginning of the film, Harry and Jenny lock eyes and suddenly their secret love for another is ignited. The same could be said for long-brewing romance between Ron and Hermione, which grows further in the film despite the fact that Ron continues to ingnore and take Hermione for granted.

That being said, I still thought that aspect of the movie was very entertaining. The film was also exceptionally beautiful. I've been nothing but impressed by the job David Yates has done with the Harry Potter series, turning in two stunningly photographed and well-directed films.

Public Enemies

2009-07-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

I saw Public Enemies a couple of days ago.

Firstly, just let me say, I'm an unbelievable fan of Michael Mann; however, his recent work has generally underwhelmed me. That being said, I thought Public Enemies was very good, at times even thrilling and provocative, but ultimately it fell well short of greatness. I thought the primary reason the movie wasn't successful was character development, particularly when it comes to Christian Bale's FBI agent Melvin Purvis, the special agent leading the hunt for John Dillenger. Bale is an exceptional actor, and indeed he performs competently in this role, but his character is little more than a steely-eyed, tommy gun wielding automaton. Although Johnny Depp's performance is somewhat more interesting, even it is underdeveloped.

The best performance in the film comes from Academy Award winner Marion Cottilard, who plays Johnny Dillenger's girlfriend, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was nominated for an academy award for it.

Short Script

2009-06-26T00:59:00.000-07:00

https://cas.uno.edu/owa/attachment.ashx?attach=1&id=RgAAAACoH9ZdmfIaR5zU2b7w507hBwDF7dXGC04HQb3qK6Ie7VRXAAAEDmyuAAC1hv%2fpym5rS5RPGIsvbY5KAFFhax2%2bAAAJ&attid0=EADN1nnYlEffToVQlUW0YrVc&attcnt=1

Hey all. This is incredibly long internet address I've posted is a link to a recenlty completed short film script of mine. It's called M.I.A. Nation and deals with a young Iraq War veteran who's just returned home. If any of you are interested in reading it, I'd appreciate your thoughts as I'm just now beginning the rewriting phase

By the way, if you get a username and password promt to open the file, here it is:
username: aaaron
password: ObamaPartisan1894 (I know, cliche for me).

In other news, I just completed my articles for a second issue of the CClagniappe. Like I said in an earlier post, one of them is a fairly straightforward write-up on the Baton Rouge Capitals, the city's minor league soccer team (don't beat yourself up if you hadn't heard of them, I hadn't heard of them until I interviewed them), and the second was a somewhat broader-based article on the State Legislature debating whether or not raise the tax credits they give to film production from 25% to 30%. My understanding is that the legislature finally agreed on a bill and now it's up to Governor Jindal to sign the bill into law.

Regarding, the film story, I just want to say I definitely think it's essential to increase the film production tax credit to 30% so the state can remain competetive in attracting a large number of productions. Right now places like Georgia, Michigan, and New Mexico are all providing more aggressive incentives to filmmakers and their production load is increasing while Louisiana's is starting to dwindle. I'm not trying to be an alarmist here, because to my knowledge the bill that has just gone to Governor Jindal's desk will be expeditiously signed into law. However, it's important to point out that in 2007 the film industry accounted for 763 million dollars of spending in the state and we can't afford to lose that. That being said, I did speak to a State Senator, Joe McPherson, who I thought I made a compelling argument for why not to raise the tax credit rate. His point was that the state was starting to dramatically reduce spending in health care and higher education because of the budget shortfall and it seemed to unfair to single out the film industry for additional incentives. I respect his opinion on this, mainly because recent higher education funding cuts bother me as well, but personally I think the film industry is such a tremendous cash cow that the economic benefits outweigh those concerns.

Of course, I'm a film student, so I have a vested interest... so, take my words with a grain of salt.

BR Capitals and other stuff

2009-06-20T00:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't done much lately but contribute articles to this new independent paper in Baton Rouge, the CCLagniappe. If you ever find yourself on government street or the mid city area, I recommend you take a look at the paper (I know they're available at Colandro's and the Ice Cream Shoppe). For the first issue, I did two articles and a column; one article on the LSU Tiger's run in the College World Series, another article on the excessive length of the NBA season, and a column on the need for minority hiring in NCAA sports (particularly college football).

First, a word on the state of minority hiring in college football.

I'm a huge college football fan, and I find it offensive that in a sport where the vast majority of the athletes are minorities, only 7.5 percent of the coaches are. I can only imagine how disappointed all the qualified minority candidates were when Auburn hired Gene Chizik, formerly with Iowa State where he had a vaunted 5-19 record!

Today, I met and interviewed the Baton Rouge Capitals, a soccer team. The people I talked to were extremely courteous and open with me. Almost half of the team is actually foreign... something like eight of them are specifically from Brazil. I basically asked one of them how it felt to play soccer in Louisiana, where no one particularly cares for it, compared to Brazil, where it is fanatically popular (although I tried not to phrase the question in such "are you sure your life is worth living" kind of way). The player was very honest about it and admited that the United States' enthusiasm for soccer is less than in other places, but he was still encouraged by recent trends in soccer's popularity in the states.

Anyway... other than that interview, I also did some legwork on other articles at the paper's office on government street. The Editor in Chief of the paper is a really cool person, who recently graduated from LSU with a degree in journalism. I think she's a great editor and she has infectious personal energy. Although I have to admit, I almost laughed earlier today when my editor's boyfriend came in and introduced himself to me as... 'Colorado'. He was a perfectly nice guy, but as I was talking to him though, in my head I was going, "note to self: don't name any of my children after states".

2009-06-07T01:27:00.001-07:00

Like I said in a previous post, I'm posting my own list of the best liberal movies in response to Daily Kos' very inadequate list. Here it is:

10. Dead Man Walking (1995)
Directed by Tim Robbins

Key liberal issues
- Anti death penalty.
- Anti poverty.
Liberal hero
- Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Surandon).
Most liberal line
- “I just don't see the sense of killing people to say that killing people's wrong.” – Sister Helen Prejean.
Why it’s on the list…
- Tim Robbins’ powerful film manages to be persuasive in its opposition to the death penalty without being pedantic. Also, Tim Robbins should be commended for approaching this film primarily from a moral perspective. In this, he confronts the difficult issue of the death penalty at its core, and although he finds points of agreement on both sides of the debate, the film undoubtedly comes to the conclusion that it is not moral for an advanced western democracy like the United States to execute its prisoners.

9. Good Night and Good Luck (2005)
Directed by George Clooney

Key liberal issues
- Freedom of dissent.
- Freedom of association.
- Anti corporate control of news content.
Liberal hero
- Edward R. Murrow (David Straithern).
Most liberal line
- “We will not walk in fear, one of another, we will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason.” – Edward R. Murrow.
Why it’s on the list…
- George Clooney’s superbly crafted Good Night and Good Luck was released in 2005 at the height of the Iraq War, a period during which the Manichean Bush administration aggresively maintained that anyone who opposed its policies was “un-American” or was giving “comfort to our enemies”. It’s easy to see how Clooney’s dramatization of the Edward R. Murrow/ Senator Joe McCarthy feud was specifically intended to mirror and criticize such patently un-democratic actions. That being said, though, Good Night and Good Luck is not overly topical, but rather a thoughtful and exhilarating statement on the importance of free speech and expression, especially during times of crisis or rupture. Also, the film’s peripheral condemnations of corporate manipulation of the news media seems particularly relevant.

8. JFK (1991)
Directed by Oliver Stone

Key liberal issues
- Anti-war, anti covert operations.
- Anti military industrial complex.
- Anti corporate interest groups which exert influence on the government.
- Pro government transparency and accountability.
Liberal Hero
- Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner).
Most liberal line
- “What kind of national security permits the removal of fundamental power from the people… and validates the ascendency of an invisible government in the US? That kind of national security is… when it smells like it, feels like it, and looks like it… you call it what it is: Fascism!” – Jim Garrison.
Why it’s on the list…
- No film communicates militant liberalism better or more vociferously than Oliver Stone’s JFK, a thrilling cinematic experience that does not simply ask, but demands citizen action in government. Although the film fiercely and correctly attacks the Johnson administration’s specious Vietnam policy, its strongly anti-corporate and anti-war message can not be denied.

7. 12 Angry Men (1957)
Directed by Sidney Lumet

Key liberal issues
- Anti death penalty.
- Anti minority targetting by the justice system.
- Pro civic activism.
Liberal hero
- Juror #8 (Henry Fonda).
Most liberal line
- “Ever since you walked into this room, you’ve been acting like a self-appointed public avenger! You want to see this boy die because you personally want it, not because of the facts. You’re a sadist!” – Juror #8 (Henry Fonda).
Why it’s on the list…
- As a rule, anything that favors the defense over the prosecution is generally liberal, and Sidney Lumet’s stirring, socially consious drama is no exception. Not only does the film promote reason over rashness in the justice system and call for active citizen participation in the democracy, but it also shines a light on the inequities that minorities in the justice system.

6. Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Directed by Kimberly Peirce

Key liberal issues
- Equality for the GLBT community.
Liberal hero
- Brandon Teena.
Most liberal line
- “You know, I told Brandon… that nobody has a right to do that to you.”
Why it’s on the list…
- Brandon Teena’s death was legally only the fault of a few bigoted psychopaths (and a cruelly insensitive police department), but the hard truth of the matter is that the conservative evangelical culture that persistently demonizes the GLBT community also bears a critical amount of responsibility. Kimberly Peirce’s remarkably tender and nuanced film illustrates this not through dealing with explicitly political subject matter, but through simply showing the tragic journey of a person struggling to be themself.

5. The Constant Gardener (2005)
Directed by Fernando Meirelles

Key liberal issues
- Concern for global quality of life.
- Opposition to corporate control of health care distribution.
Liberal hero
- Tessa Quayle.
Most Liberal line
- “But this is someone we can help now.” – Tessa Quayle.
Why it’s on the list...

- Concern for the well-being of the global community has become an increasingly important principle of modern liberalism-raising the masses out of poverty and establishing international frameworks to purse peace and social justice are key aims in this regard. Fernando Meirelles’ dazzling thriller gives these issues a bracingly human face and demands that we help whom we can, even when the personal toll is great.

4. The Insider (1999)
Directed by Michael Mann

Key liberal issues
- Consumer protection.
- Corporate regulation.
- Anti corporate control of media content.
Liberal hero
- Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino).
Most liberal line
- “I mean, he's got a corporate secrecy agreement - give me a break! I mean, this is a public health issue! Like an unsafe airframe on a passenger jet or some company dumping cyanide into the East River, issues like that! He can talk, we can air it! They've got no right to hide behind a ‘corporate agreement’!” Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer).
Why it’s on the list…
- Conveyed brilliantly in The Insider is a modern day hero’s journey, except instead of slaying a dragon, the hero must stand up to the new post-modern leviathan, the corporation. Despite the tremendous odds that the film’s heroes-whistleblower Jeff Wigand (Russell Crowe) and 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino)-face, the film shows that an activist commitment to our democratic values and need for capitalist regulation can triumph over corporate America.

3. Kinsey (2004)
Directed by Bill Condon

Key liberal issues
- Support for progressive attitudes toward sexuality and alternative lifestyles.
Liberal hero
- Alfred Kinsey (Liam Neeson).
Most liberal line
- “Everybody’s sin is nobody’s sin, and everybody’s crime is no crime at all.”- Alfred Kinsey.
Why it’s on the list…
- On the surface, Bill Condon’s rich and illuminating film merely depicts the personal life of Kinsey and his scientific research into human sexual behavior, but the heart of this full-fledged examination is a statement attacking conservative America’s paranoia over sexual freedom. Although Kinsey himself may have been sexually permissive to a fault, the film shows how his work sought to normalize attitudes toward homosexuality and those who live alternative lifestyles.

2. Salvador (1986)
Directed by Oliver Stone

Key liberal issues
- Anti Nixon, Ford, Reagan foreign policy.
Key liberal hero
- Richard Boyle (James Woods).
Most liberal line
- “Is that why you’re here, Colonel? Some kind of post-Vietnam experience, like you need a rerun or something? You pour a hundred twenty million pucks into this place, you turn it into a military zone, so what, so you can have chopper parades in the sky?” – Richard Boyle.
Why it’s on the list…
- No film provides as thorough and convincing a rebuttal to the corruptly right-wing foreign policies of Nixon, Ford, and especially Reagan (in fairness, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson also supported similiarly interventionist policies). These presidents’ support for brutal right-wing regimes simply because they were friendly to capitalist-corporate interests was reprehensible and led to incredible suffering. Oliver Stone’s film portrays this vividly through the eyes of cynical war correspondent Richard Boyle.

And number one is….

1. Milk (2008)
Directed by Gus Van Sant

Key liberal issues
- Equality for GLBT community.
Liberal hero
- Harvey Milk (Sean Penn).
Most liberal line
- “You’ve gotta’ give ‘em hope. You’ve gotta give ‘em hope.” – Harvey Milk.
Why it’s on the list…
- A brilliantly unflinching work of social advoacy, Milk was released in 2008 shortly after California voted to ban gay marriage and stood as a defiant statement against the outright bigotry and intolerance of the evangelical right, who lobbied for the ban. This is a rousing film that gives fully-formed dimensions to the fight for homosexual rights in the United States and champions the trailblazing Harvey Milk as one of the fights’ great heroes and martyrs.

The Dingo Ate my Application

2009-06-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

Not much has been going on lately. I filled out an application to be a lowly busser at the new restaurant Dingo's on Coursey. Also, I had a meeting with a young woman who's starting a mid-city newspaper and she's recruited me to be her sportswriter (I know what you're thinking... why aren't I doing movie reviews or op-ed columns. The truth is, that's what I'd rather be doing, but for now the sports position is the only one available). What this means is I'll actually have follow baseball! LSU is in the college world series right now and that is expected to be one of the main stories.

In other news, I saw UP, which I thought was very good (although I have to agree with a friend of mine who said that the 3D was not necessary). Speaking of movies... I have to voice some grievances. The liberal blog Daily Kos recently presented their list of the top 25 Liberal Movies of the last 25 years. Obviously, I don't have any problem with the idea of a list like this (liberal - movie - list!... anyone who knows me knows those are my three favorite things). My problem is with what's in the list. Here it is:

25. A Few Good Men (1992)
24. The American President (1995)
23. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
22. Do the Right Thing (1989)
21. Platoon (1986)
20. The Color Purple (1985)
19. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
18. The Killing Fields (1984)
17. Syriana (2005)
16. Brazil (1985)
15. Dead Poets Society (1989)
14. Thank You For Smoking (2005)
13. Wag the Dog (1997)
12. Erin Brockovich (2000)
11. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
10. Mississippi Burning (1988)
9. Milk (2008)
8. V for Vendetta (2005)
7. Roger and Me (1989)
6. Sicko (2007)
5. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
4. Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. Goodnight and Goodluck (2005)
2. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
1. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

The films themselves are great, but some of them simply aren't liberal, and that's not a problem... they're not trying to be liberal. I think The Shawshank Redemption is fantastic, but it doesn't really espouse a political philosophy. And Thank You for Smoking, in it's own tongue-in-cheek way, sharply satirizes liberalism (the film's hero is a fast-talking cigarette lobbyist!). Also, putting so many documentaries on the list is a little too easy for my tastes. Here are some of my problems with certain entries:

25. A Few Good Men: I know Aaron Sorkin wrote it and therefore it has to be the most liberal thing ever, but I really don't find this film to be particularly liberal. A wonderful and engrossing courtroom drama yes... a liberal film... uhhh? In it's defense though, there are some issues that are examined on the periphery of the narrative that lean liberal. For instance, the film certainly questions the pre-eminence of the military in American culture.

23. Saving Private Ryan: This is a phenomenal movie, but I think it's politically neutral (some might even claim that the film in it's pseudo-glorification of the American military expresses a kind of conservative-style nationalism).

Like I said, I enjoy most of the films on this list-and many of them are perfectly suited to being called "liberal movies"-but because of some of my problems with the list I feel compelled to do my own list of the best liberal movies.

Coming soon...

A Broken System: The Case of Healthcare in the United States

2009-06-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

I was watching the 'Ed Show' on MSNBC today and I was disturbed to hear that President Obama was strongly considering taking the single-payer option off his health care reform plans. From my perspective, taking the public insurnance option off the table is C-R-A-Z-Y. Without a public insurnace option, meaningful reform of America's healthcare arrangement isn't even possible. We can't continue looking at this system, seeing that it's broken, seeing that it's been abused by hmo's and powerful insurance companies, and then try and "reform" it without really pressuring these companies from the outside by providing Americans with a real public healthcare choice.

Last semester in one of my political science classes, the head of the Republican Party in Louisiana came in to guest speak. He was a measured individual and generally instructive, but I found his personal healthcare views to be outrageous. He was entirely serious in saying that he thought "health care was a good that should be bought and sold on the free market". He admitted that there was no "perfect solution", but he still thought the free market was an appropriate mechanism to generate better health care. I don't know how he could think that when the free market has been responsible for health care all this time and the situation has not gotten better. 50 million Americans absolutely do not have health care and there are millions of Americans who pay for coverage but are constantly fucked by the insurance companies, whose bottom line is profit, not medical care.

Let's something straight:

Capitalism is fine (when highly regulated), but it shouldn't be thought of as anything more than an efficient engine for economic growth. Capitalism is not at all desireable when it is applied as an overarching social framework, as Republicans would like it to be. In short, the free market will not solve the health care crisis.

The Saga of Sotomayor

2009-05-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

This blogpost has been a long time coming. Ever since Obama announced his choice to be the next Supreme Court justice-Sonia Sotomayor-Republican smear artists and obstructionists have been trying to demean her as a racist. Now, let's address this issue head-on. At a conference on Latino diversity in the workplace, Sonia Sotomayor said that someone like her, a woman from a working class, minority background, had more to offer to the legal profession than a white male "who had not lived that life."

I'll gladly admit that Sotomayor's comments were not totally appropriate, but claiming that they were patently racist is offensive. In fact, I think that at the heart of her statement is a sentiment that should be embraced-that being that people from minority backgrounds have much to offer. She was trying to challenge the white male-dominated status quo of her profession, which I think is completely valid.

The point is... this woman is not a radical or a racist. She was originally appointed to the federal bench by George H.W. Bush, how extreme could she be? From what I've been able to cull from her record, she tends to defend the rights of organized labor and the freedom of expression guaranteed in the first amendment. She's more than qualified to be on the Supreme Court and should be appointed.

Top 100 Films

2009-05-30T01:13:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm crazy lister, particularly with films. Recently, I've started restructuring my top 100 films of all time. I have some very firm beliefs when it comes to these kinds of lists. First, I don't separate my favorite films and the films I consider to be the best, which is a distinction that I know other people make. Rest assured, if you're one of the many that does this, I think that it's perfectly fine. The reason I personally don't make such distinctions is because I think there is too much of a perceived gap between popular cinema and art house cinema. Anyway, here's where I am so far with my restructured list:

1. JFK (1991, dir. Oliver Stone)

2. Rear Window (1954, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

3. Schindler's List (1993, dir. Steven Spielberg)

4. Children of Men (2006, dir. Alfonso Cuaron)

5. The Insider (1999, dir. Michael Mann)

6. Blue Velvet (1986, dir. David Lynch)

7. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship (2001, dir. Peter Jackson)*
-Just another note... I don't believe in grouping together trilogies as a single unit. I see this
happen frequently with the Lord of the Rings films, and while I understand the inclination to
consider the films as a singular statement, I can't agree putting them all together. It's not a
single film. There are important differences between each that have be acknowledged.

8. The Verdict (1982, dir. Sidney Lumet)

9. Psycho (1960, dir. Alfred Hitchock)

10. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986, dir. Woody Allen)

Star Trek and Terminator: Salvation

2009-05-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

So... the first movies that I've seen this summer are Star Trek (2009, dir. J.J. Abrams) and Terminator: Salvation (2009, dir. McG), and I wasn't seriously impressed with either. Star Trek was certainly the best of the two. To it's credit, it's a entertaining and competantly made movie, but those are about the best compliments I can give to it. I wasn't enamored with Chris Pines' performance and I thought the time-travel angle needlessly complicated the narrative. I have to admit I'm slightly biased here, because I'm not a huge fan of J.J. Abrams as a director, and I didn't like Mission Impossible 3. Basically, I find J.J. Abrams directorial style very by-the-numbers... high octane, but still by-the-numbers high octane.

Now... Terminator: Salvation... oh, Terminator: Salvation. I actually thought that this movie was very entertaining at points and I was genuinely engaged by the Marcus Wright strain of the narrative, but this movie had a number of problems. I hate to say this, but one of the main problems was Christain Bale's performance. Technically, it wasn't poorly acted, just poorly conceived. John Connor should a complicated figure, a person who struggles to understand how he is the savior of humanity when he has much frailty and doubt as anyone. Instead, Bale's performance was all gruff, adrenalized fury. I've loved Christian Bale's work in the past-his performances in American Psycho and The Machinist were remarkable-but let's be honest, Bale's serious John Connor voice was exactly the same as his serious Batman voice.

Another problem with Terminator: Salvation was it's own thematic and intellectual simplicity. The film had pretentions of "exploring humanity", but essentially this exploration boiled down a last-minute voice-over where John Conner ponders, "What is humanity? It's not something you can program. You can't put it in a computer chip..." OK... and...? I think the problem with the movie is that the Marcus Wright narrative did raise serious questions about the combination of humanity and technology, but these were questions that were explored in more detail and with more artistry in Battlestar Galactica (I know, I went there).

School's Out for Summer... school's out forever...

2009-05-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

The first official week of summer has passed and I still don't have a job. After a recent debacle at a casino where I lost three hundred dollars playing texas hold'em (I'm really pretty good), I was hoping to start accumulating some income rather than just burning through it.

I'm not in total despair just yet, though. I just applied for a summer internship with the Louisiana Democratic Party and If I'm accepted it'll be a great opportunity to participate in the political process. I know there are a lot of people who are reading that last statement and thinking to themselves, "why would you to participate, voting is hard enough?" The crazy thing is... I really believe in the system (not every aspect of the system. We need more parties, the more democratic proportional representation, less influence from corporate interests, etc.). I don't know if I'll get the internship, but I hope I do.

Well... since this is my first blog post, I'll keep it brief and stop right there. Tomorrow I'll go over my thoughts on some of the new summer blockbusters (hint: McG won't be happy with my review of Terminator: Salvation, not that he would even be remotely aware of it. Let me rephrase that... McG fans won't like my Terminator: Salvation review.)