Film Forager

Rango (2011)

2012-01-28T11:14:00.001-05:00

Seen: On blu-ray on our big screen/projector set-up, rented from the Tisch Library at Tufts.

The realization that I had only seen two new animated releases in 2011- and that one of them was Cars 2- made me super depressed. Everyone kept going on about how fun and movie-fan-friendly Rango was so that seemed the best place to start. A lonely, sheltered pet chameleon finds himself thrust into a harsh desert environ, where he puts his self-taught theatrical talents to use by creating a tough-talking lone gunman-type called "Rango". He becomes sheriff of Dirt, a drought-stricken town with corrupt leaders, and takes it upon himself to find their stolen water and save the day, etc, with the help of some goofy desert animals.

Combining elements of classic westerns and animal-centric family films, Rango feels like something of an anomaly within its kid-friendly genre. It's just... I'm not sure this movie is even for kids? Not really little ones anyway. I feel like a lot of the story and references would be over a child's head, though I guess the goofy-looking anthropomorphic animals might be enough to keep them entertained. Regardless, it's a pretty good movie. The script is clever and interesting, though a bit too drawn-out, the characters are varied, and the visual design and animation are solid. A few of the more action-y scenes are especially well done, like the early shot of Rango falling out of the car onto the highway. Very exciting!

With a Hunter Thompson-esque lilt (who gets a cameo), Johnny Depp imbues the character of Rango with a wacky edge, slipping easily into screenwriter John Logan's quick-witted dialogue. Isla Fisher does a good over-the-top Western-y accent, and Ned Beatty basically plays Toy Story 3's Lotso only with more turtle. There are a ton of famous people in the supporting voice cast but I'll admit most of them were unrecognizable to me, which I guess is actually impressive acting-wise. Although I caught Timothy Olyphant, oh yes I did.

I'll be honest here dudes, I liked this movie but don't really have that much to say about it. The main drawbacks were the at-times scattered narrative, some inconsistency in design, and too many characters. Otherwise, good times!

4/5

Pair This Movie With: The overall aesthetic and feeling reminded me of A Bug's Life, which also involves imposters protecting a tiny-animal community, plus movie references since it's all Seven Samurai-y.

Alex Makes Art #70

2012-01-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

Oh, hello! I'm suddenly knee-deep in scholarly reading for grad school so my art-making time has certainly taken a hit. I will continue to do my best to create awesome things, we'll just see if I can keep up the weekly pace. I have some neat things planned though.

Luckily this week I do have something! You may or may not recall the etsy customer who commissioned me to make Harry Potter and Charmed designs, well we sort of took an unexpected break but now I'm back working on some other prints for her! Next up was a design for Practical Magic, which I just watched this week for the first time. I like what I made for it and she does too, so everyone is happy.

Other things available in my etsy shopppppp, they're all awesome.

Annie Hall (1977)

2012-01-26T10:40:00.000-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, rented from the Tisch Library at Tufts.

You may recall last Friday I put up three posters I'd made recently for an etsy commission. One of them was for Annie Hall, a film I hadn't seen in a while and re-watched for design ideas. Often considered one of Woody Allen's greatest successes, the film flits into and around the relationship of neurotic (duh) comedian Alvy (Allen) and scatterbrained singer Annie (Diane Keaton). Narrating with self-aware assurance and nervous jokes, Alvy relates the story of his romance with Annie, and in turn we learn of his two failed marriages and various other memories and side-stories. Everyone learns the important lesson that LA is for wackos.

Essentially composing a portrait of a man through his experiences with women- past and present- Annie Hall is notable more for its clever nonlinear storytelling techniques and funny dialogue than for its actual narrative. I love the fourth-wall-breaking moments as Alvy complains to the audience about pretentious filmgoers and not getting enough sex. Allen's easygoing, off the cuff comedic style is well-suited to such a loose story, with a number of hilarious conversations between various characters that feel silly but natural. Keaton is a great foil for Allen, filling in his quick, not-as-smart-as-he-thinks-he-is quips with goofy lingo and brash observations. Plus, her style is rad as we all know (no need for a costumer when your own wardrobe is already that cool).

There are still some of the typical Woody Alleny things that I have never much like about his movies, mainly his depiction of women. Alvy is typically shown as smarter or more likable than most of the women in this movie, yet I usually wonder why any of them are dating him since he's so self-centered. But I like that Annie eventually stops putting up with his bullshit and chooses a path for herself, and that Alvy comes to appreciate her as a person by the end.

And just as a side note, I have so much fun with the shit ton of famous people who pop up in this movie, even a few small roles for not-yet-known actors. Carol Kane, Christopher Walken, Shelley Duvall, John Glover, Paul Simon, Jeff Goldblum (!), and an impossible-to-identify Sigourney Weaver!

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Well, I'm thinking Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for another nonlinear look into a doomed relationship. But 8 1/2 was also suggested by Nuts4r2.

Pariah (2011)

2012-01-25T11:37:00.002-05:00

Seen: At the Kendall Square Landmark Cinema in Cambridge.

Knowing internally who she is and what she wants, 17-year-old Alike aka Lee (Adepero Oduye) feels comfortable dressing in masculine clothing at her high school and openly looking for a girlfriend as her friend Laura (Pernell Walker) drags her to a lesbian strip club, but knows to hide her homosexuality from her overprotective religious mother (Kim Wayans) and clueless father (Charles Parnell). She thinks she may have found the perfect partner in new friend Bina (Aasha Davis), but Lee's own romantic inexperience leads to misplaced feelings.

It seemed I spent a good chunk of 2011 hearing about how phenomenal Pariah is, but its distribution took its sweet time reaching Boston. Turns out all of the hype was exactly correct, and this would have made my Favorites of 2011 List for sure. Newcomer Dee Rees weaves together a story of acute emotion that feels altogether fresh in its style and outlook and familiar in its coming-of-age trappings. Here is a film that so perfectly captures the general agony and ecstasy of being a teenage girl, it is both a joy and sorrow to watch. The script is smart and realistic, never slipping into overwrought melodrama or knee-slapper comedy but maintaining subtle elements of both, working in the thrill of first love, the disappointments of friendship, and the disillusionment with parental guidance that affects so many kids. Rees' camera is up-close and personal, creating an intimate atmosphere with darkened domestic spaces and soft-glow lighting.

This is in many ways an "actor's movie", and my does the cast deliver. Adepero Oduye is absolutely fantastic in the lead role, exuding an eagerness and charismatic likability that I immediately latched on to. Here is a woman who should win every award (well, I would say that about the whole movie, really). She even makes readings of teen angst poetry less mockable than I would expect, a tricky feat in my book. I also loved everyone in the supporting cast, from Pernell Walker's tough-talking but soft-hearted portrayal of Laura to Kim Wayans' hard-edged mother misguided by religious principle. The Christian angle isn't overplayed, but does make up a key point. Lee's mother isn't some sermonizing religious zealot, but she quietly and emphatically believes what she believes, and doesn't allow anything to change that. It's scary how true that is for so many people, but I didn't feel Rees was being judgmental. She's showing things the way they are.

Lee's character embodies the title in several ways as a black lesbian who doesn't fit in comfortably at school, in her tight-lipped Christian family, or even in her local gay community. Pariah is committed to portraying multidimensional characters and non-stereotypical glimpses into multiple lifestyles and experiences, and I absolutely loved it for that. Walking out of the theater all I could think was, "Damn. What a good movie."

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: For a more satirical, comedic look at teenage homosexuality in a religious setting, I am a fan of But I'm a Cheerleader.

Further Reading:
A much more insightful review can be found at Cannonball by my friend IRL Harry Waksberg.

Absolute Beginners (1986)

2012-01-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my laptop, rented from Hollywood Express in Cambridge.

When Sasha described a musical from the 1980s with David Bowie that somehow I hadn't heard of, I knew it would be an Important Movie for me to see. So we had a live-tweet session as we watched it in honor of Bowie's 65th birthday this month! Goooood tiiiimes. Based loosely on the novel by Colin MacInnes, Absolute Beginners is a candy-colored peek into 1950s London subculture, following a naive young photographer (Eddie O'Connell) and his aspiring model girlfriend (Patsy Kensit) as they sell out and then fight against the adult mainstream. Also there are race riots because of NAZI GENTRIFICATION but it's not really a thing until the last 20 minutes.

On paper this movie sounds absolutely amazing: David Bowie, Ray Davies, pretty colors, punks vs mods, "Youth Culture", musical numbers, fashion shows; it's a goddamn beautiful thing. And in many ways it totally delivers. David Bowie's introductory musical sequence made me utterly, inescapably gleeful, and Ray Davies' song is a well-choreographed chunk of Kinksy beats. The costumes are gorgeous, as are the sets, and the neon color schemes and big hair makes everything feel like it's in the 80s even though it's set in the late 50s. Not that I have a problem with that. The songs are fun, the cinematography is stylish, and the cast is nothing if not enthusiastic. Eddie O'Connell is even a bit of a Bowie look-a-like, but less... alien. And less interesting.

Unfortunately, as with so many high-concept, awesome-sounding musicals, the script is really bad and the characters are mostly boring so it doesn't quite make the hype. I didn't care at all about the protagonist as he narrates with a misplaced smugness and looks around wide-eyed at everything like a big dope. The romance is dumb, the racial tension drama is stuck in at the end and handled really haphazardly, and there isn't much character delineation. Plus it's too long.

HOWEVER despite its drawbacks it has some truly incredible moments (a few Bowie-related), and I would totally watch it again for those times. It's a frivolous, ridiculous movie and I do appreciate that- it's at its weakest when it tries to be serious or sincere.

3.5/5

Pair This Movie With: My first thought is Hairspray for another colorful musical that clumsily deals with racial injustice. Or if you just want to see David Bowie dancing around and singing some more, I'd go with Labyrinth.

Soylent Green (1973)

2012-01-22T12:06:00.000-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, rented from netflix.
91/100 on the Sci-Fi List.

Knowing the ending to this movie from popular knowledge and specifically a scene in Drop Dead Gorgeous, I wasn't sure if Soylent Green would be as interesting a film than if I'd gone in cold. Turns out, it's sort of a mixed bag. Charlton Heston stars as Thorn, a hardworking police detective living in a dystopic future city riddled with overpopulation and all the problems it brings- cramped living space, food shortages, drained resources, and an over-controlling governmental system. The Soylent company enters as a savior when they develop cheap and nutritious foodstuffs, but when a member of their board is found murdered Thorn finds himself embroiled in a mystery surrounding their supposedly plankton-based Soylent Green food tablets.

There's a lot of positive things I can say about this movie. It's exciting, for one, with a strong mystery at its core and a couple of cool action sequences. I liked the crumbling vision of the future, especially the quick-cut time-lapse opening that shows the world going to shit. The best cast member is easily Edward G Robinson, who plays Thorn's researcher and best buddy Sol. An older man, he is funny and sympathetic as he remembers what life was like before- green fields, fresh fruit, the works. The actor was secretly dying of cancer as he filmed his role, and there is a truly tender scene between him and Heston (who knew) towards the end, definitely the strongest moment in the film.

Heston to me comes off as a larger-than-life figure, yelling most of his lines and taking control of every situation he can. And I think I don't really like him in general. He just seems like an asshole and I don't care what happens to his characters. Everyone else kind of sucks too, with a weepy lady (Leigh Taylor-Young) who somehow falls for Thorn's dickhead schtick, thus leading to a pointless and sexist romantic subplot, one of my least favorite things. Joseph Cotton is there for a few minutes though, so that's cool.

Soylent Green is a fairly solid sci-fi mystery. Though I have personal drawbacks regarding some of the characters, I think really its biggest failing is that the final reveal... doesn't actually seem that bad. I knew "Soylent Green Is People" so I was ready for it, but I thought the company would be slaughtering innocents to get its meat supply or something. Turns out it's old people who are ready to die, and commit themselves to be euthanized with a beautiful send-off of classical music and pretty imagery? Honestly, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Maybe if I hadn't known the ending it would be more of a shock. As my friend Muffin put it, "The moral seems to be that comfortable, state-sponsored mercy killing and recycling are evil. That movie takes place in Utopia."

3.5/5

Pair This Movie With: I do enjoy Jeunet's dystopia with human food, Delicatessen.

New Waterford Girl (1999)

2012-01-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, rented from netflix.

A lady at work recommended this to me and I'm so glad she did! Setting the typical girl-coming-of-age story in a small rural town in Novia Scotia, New Waterford Girl is a quietly funny glimpse into one over-intelligent outcast's teenage experience. Moonie Pottie (Liane Balaban) is a clever high schooler who dreams of escaping her somewhat gloomy hometown, with a supportive but deadbeat English teacher (Andrew McCarthy, with sideburns) who sends her writing to programs in faraway cities with the hope she'll be able to transfer. Her parents worry she isn't "normal" enough like her social sisters and peers, and force her to see a psychiatrist. She devises a plan to establish a reputation as a "loose" woman, hoping it will make her seem more conventional, and eventually befriends new neighbor Lou (Tara Spencer-Nairn), a tough New York transplant who soon gains a reputation of her own as a vigilante hired to punch asshole ex-boyfriends.

Combining humorously disdainful narration and a likable cast, New Waterford Girl is down-to-earth and appropriately understated, though the plotting is a bit scattered. It doesn't have much of a focused narrative thread, taking a slightly episodic approach and only incorporating certain characters at spaced-out intervals, to the point of under-using them. I was happy to see Cathy Moriarty as Lou's mom, but she's only in two scenes, and Andrew McCarthy, loath as I am to say it since usually I am against him in anything, could have been in it a bit more since his washed-up teacher was interesting but not very fleshed-out, despite having a defining moment in the story towards the end.

Minor encumbrances aside, I really enjoyed this movie. Liane Balaban looks exactly like if Natalie Portman had played Winona Ryder's role in Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael, and I adored her loose-fitting sweaters and long black skirts and dour expressions, it's totally the kind of late 20th century teen angst I love. She is funny but also a bit tragic as her control over her fate slips away, and Balaban is aptly carries the film. Her cohort Lou is played with gusto by Tara Spencer-Nairn, embodying the tough-talking, lonely girl with exactly the kind moxie I appreciate: punching moxie. Seriously, by the end there's like a Girlfight situation happening and I was so happy.

While story-wise it isn't the strongest, the script is funny and the central characters are very well delineated, as is the small town environment of the title. In many ways the community is a character itself, with aspects of religion, insularity, and loyalty coming together in various interactions with townspeople, especially other young women. And everything/one looks so wonderfully 1990s, which we all know is probably my favorite thing.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: There are a few coming-of-age movies that came to mind. The fake sex thing reminded me of Easy A, while the super 90s-outcast thing reminded me of the aforementioned Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael. Also, Me Without You is an interesting study of a female friendship that might pair well, though it's more dismal.

Alex Makes Art #69

2012-01-20T09:00:00.002-05:00

Hi folks! It's Friday, lucky us! That means, as you may know, that it's time for some movie art. I have been hard at work on a three-poster commission for a lovely etsy customer. She chose three of her favorite romantic comedies that I rendered in a minimalistic, grayscale style with pops of color. Luckily they're all for films I enjoy- The Apartment, Bringing Up Baby, and Annie Hall (review forthcoming)- so it was really fun to work on! I am very happy with how they turned out and I am so excited that they'll be displayed next to one another in her home. I will likely start selling these individually later, in case anyone else has interest.

~~We're still settling on a final design for Annie Hall, here are the two possible versions:~~ It's going to be the one with the theater marquee!

Capricorn One (1978)

2012-01-19T11:10:00.000-05:00

Seen: On dvd on our big screen/projector set-up, from our personal collection.

Just before astronauts Brubaker (James Brolin), Willis (Sam Waterston), and Walker (OJ Simpson) take off for a highly-anticipated mission to Mars, they are unceremoniously pulled from the flight and enclosed in an isolated military complex. Turns out the life-support system is faulty, and in order to save face and keep the space program from losing funding, they have to fake the landing on camera on a soundstage dolled up like Mars. But as the months-long hoax continues, the risk of discovery increases, and NASA goes to great lengths to keep its secret. The astronauts doubt their decision to fool the nation, and a nosy journalist (Elliott Gould) finds his life endangered as he comes closer to the shocking truth.

Capricorn One came as a true surprise. I vaguely remembered reading about it at Snarky's Machine, and from her review I expected something campier I think. But actually, I un-ironically really liked it! Yes, it is chock-full of plot holes and unrealistic narrative leaps, and the fake Mars looked really bad, but it's got a series of killer action sequences and a strong cast, plus the premise is original (or felt so to me, anyway). I loved seeing James "My Son Looks Exactly Like Me" Brolin as the stereotypical All-American astronaut, a dude everyone listens to without question because he's gruff and stoic and badass. OJ Simpson and Sam Waterston are under-used, though the latter gets a really good scene towards the end. Of course, Elliott Gould is the real star with his goofy face and crazy collars and adorable eagerness.

It's a ridiculous movie, no doubt about it- there's a chase scene between monstrous military helicopters and a crop-dusting plane through sheer canyons, for goodness sake. And it's AWESOME. Also Elliott Gould drives his car off a bridge! WOW! James Brolin kills a snake and eats it raw! EW! It's basically a super-great film, even if it has so many plot problems I can't even get into it. And one of the hokiest, totally-spoiling-the-effects-of-the-previous-two-hours endings I have ever seen. Seriously, there are times for slow-motion and then there are times to figure out a better way to end your damn movie.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: I didn't realize it until afterward but this is a film by Peter Hyams, who also did Outland, which I think would work as a double feature about space-related crimes. Or maybe Titan AE? I feel like that movie needs more love.

Night Moves (1975)

2012-01-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

Seen: On our big screen/projector set-up, streamed on netflix instant.

Harry Moseby (Gene Hackman) is your standard hard-boiled detective, caught up in finding the missing daughter of a washed-up actress. His search leads him from an action movie set in LA to a seaside home in Florida, but even after finding the girl he realizes the real mystery runs much deeper. His crime-solving obsession distances his wife, whom he discovers is having an affair, but he can't let go until he gets to the bottom of things.

With a story that starts off as one thing but then totally derails to be about a bigger, unexpected thing, Night Moves is a smart mystery with a strong cast and satirical edge. Hackman is serious and determined, with awful shit constantly befalling him because that is what happens when you're a detective (so I've learned from the movies). I also dug Paula, a straight-talking, well-tanned lady played by Jennifer Warren. But the best thing about the cast is seeing some young people who later became pretty famous, like James Woods and Melanie Griffith! She totally shows her boobs too, like a lot, and maybe she was only 16? Anyway. Nudity.

While I appreciated how the story shifted about two thirds of the way through and the complexities of Harry's case deepened, it did mean that the middle of the film dragged as he hangs out in Florida with a whiny teenager and there isn't really anything moving forward. Still, the close attention to character and undercurrent of Hollywood indecencies, plus an exciting climax at sea, make Night Moves an enjoyable noir-esque mystery that showcases Hackman's charisma and fortitude.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Another 70s private detective noir I dig is The Long Goodbye and that would be a nice double feature. The movie this most reminded me of was Harper, another good pairing.

Them! (1954)

2012-01-17T11:58:00.001-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, rented from the Tisch Library at Tufts.
90/100 on the Sci-Fi List.

GIANT KILLER ANTS OH MY GOOOOOOOD. Thus, a problem surfaces in Them! after nuclear testing mutates an ant colony in the New Mexico desert. The military does its best to hide them from the public while they work on a way to poison their nest, but when two queens escape and fly towards Lost Angeles they need to enforce martial law. There's also a lady insect specialist (A LADY SCIENTIST?) and some kidnapped kids.

With so-so special effects and an overt anti-bomb (and anti-ants) message, Them! is certainly a product of its time. Not that I mind, of course. The hokey acting and extremely poor pacing were expected, and I must say that high-pitched screeching noise that accompanied the ants' movements was legitimately creepy. Giant bugs are a terrifying thought no matter what, and the reality of nuclear testing creating scary monsters and super creeps is easily felt in 1954.

My biggest issue with Them! is the narrative structure. The film has a decent premise, but can't seem to maintain focus, introducing new characters and subplots and locations every 20 minutes. Almost no one in the cast stood out to me and I found myself unable to really care about what was happening. The climax with the kidnapped children didn't mean all that much since I had never even seen these kids before, and had only just met their mother five minutes ago. The best part was Fess Parker as a pilot with an awesome robe, a 5-minute role that managed to be more dynamic than most of the entire film. (He went on to be Davy Crockett, so his charisma obviously paid off.)

3/5

Pair This Movie With: Another big bug movie, perhaps! Yeah! I recommend the MST3K version of "The Deadly Mantis". I've got a mantis in my pantis...

Ghost Rider (2007)

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Seen: On our big screen/projector set-up, streamed from my boyfriend's hard drive.

Well, we're psyched for the sequel and Miles had never seen the first one, so a viewing of Ghost Rider has been looming on the horizon for some time now. Based on the Marvel comic series that I've been meaning to read forever, the film inexplicably stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a profession daredevil who made a deal with the devil (Peter Fonda) in his youth and finally pays for it later on. The devil's son Blackheart (Wes Bentley) is waging a war with his father, attempting to secure a mythical soul contract hidden on earth that would give him the power to bring Hell to earth. Johnny is forced to become the titular superbeing, using his fire powers and "Penance Stare" to take out Blackheart and his gang of fallen angels. Also he has to convince his newly found long-lost love Roxanne (Eva Mendes) that he's not a crazy person.

Incorporating piss-poor special effects, a clumsy screenplay, and hammy acting, Ghost Rider was doomed to fail from the beginning. It's too bad, really, since I think the premise is actually really interesting, and some of the flaming motorcycle scenes are pretty cool. Plus it's got Sam Elliott (Sam Elliott!) and he is perfectly cast as a mysterious "Caretaker" who spouts age-old wisdom and wears a cowboy hat. But Cage is a weird choice for the lead and his hairpiece is distracting, and Eva Mendes is boring, and Peter Fonda seems confused, and Donal Logue does his best as the wisecracking best friend.

The good ideas are there, just poorly executed by writer/director Mark Steven Johnson, and of course the shoddy CGI isn't helping anything. But I know there is material here for a genuinely cool movie, and I'm actually pretty confident that those wackos Neveldine and Taylor will figure out how to make Ghost Rider 2 oddly, insanely awesome.

2/5

Pair This Movie With: There are a lot of movies in this ilk that I dig, actually, so you have a few choices. Constantine and Hellboy have more heaven/hell comic book fun times, Blade sports some similar anti-hero themes, and Drive Angry also has Nicolas Cage fighting against a hell-on-earth situation (and is a seriously fun movie).

Catching Up With 2011 Double Feature: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and A Dangerous Method

2012-01-15T14:01:00.001-05:00

Seen: At the Kendall Square Landmark Cinema in Cambridge.

These were two of the films I felt I should see before I made my Favorites of 2011 list, though neither made it. It was more of a just in case thing. Both come from directors whom I admire (though I've only seen one of Alfredson's other films so far) and both feature impressive, super-white casts of people with primarily British accents. So: A good pairing! Unfortunately we went on a weekend, which meant we were reminded that no one in the world knows how to behave like a human being. Like, maybe no one has ever gone to a movie before? Nobody ever taught these people how to handle it? It's too bad, really, when everyone sucks but me.

Based on the famed John le Carré novel that I haven't read (as usual), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy centers on George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a high-ranking member of the British secret service who is forced into retirement. He is convinced by a government official to privately investigate a potential mole, researching the close-lipped inner circle of the service and their agents' actions in the Soviet Union. Of course, the closer he gets, the more intricate and threatening the conspiracy becomes.

Taking a very quiet, gradual approach in its storytelling and preferring to ambiguously imply rather than tell, Tinker Tailor is certainly different than the high-octane thrillers I tend to associate with the spy genre. It takes its time (it really takes its time) to establish characters and their relationships, and rarely wears its emotions on its sleeve, much like Smiley himself. The story itself is too sparse, I think, with not enough time spent on the potential moles for me to care which one it was. Plus Cold War movies set in the 70s or 80s are always sort of hard to take completely seriously, since I know the USSR is secretly unraveling.

The strong cast and thoughtful cinematography make up for my reservations with the script, though. Oldman is able to communicate so much through a look or terse comment, while supporters Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Svetlana Khodchenkova, and Mark Strong offer intriguing performances themselves. Of course I was most excited to see the adorable Benedict Cumberbatch out of his Sherlock role, with an indie band blonde haircut and very sharp blue tie he was looking good. He was also probably the most emotional of the characters, and there is one moment in particular that had me tearing up a bit.

4/5

I feel like the past year has been a time of finally realizing that David Cronenberg is one the coolest directors, as I caught up with a lot of his 80s offerings. I know he flipped some switch and turned away from his crazy body horror-type stuff for more realistic, Viggo Mortensen-based films in the past decade, and that's ok too, just a little less exciting. Based on a play that was based on a book, A Dangerous Method seeks to highlight the relationship between psychoanalyst pioneers Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) through their connections with a brilliant but troubled young woman, Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley). As Jung helps her to better understand her sexual masochism, he finds his own beliefs (based on Freud's work) shifting, causing a rift in their intellectual partnership.

With a trio of fantastic performances and truly interesting subject matter, A Dangerous Method should have been more easy to like. I enjoyed the stimulating conversations and sexy encounters, but the haphazard pacing (so many years would pass without much warning) and lack of driving force, it's not as engrossing as it could be. I think it should have been either wholly about Jung's relationship with Sabina or with Freud, not both. Still, it's worth a watch for Fassbender's sad eyes and Knightley's truly impressive characterization. Normally I hate her performances but here I think she was quite strong. Also Mortensen's attempt at an Austrian accent is kind of funny, it's mostly just British. At least Fassbender knew he couldn't do it and stayed English.

Beautiful costumes, lovely settings, sado-masochism, and high-falutin' psychological discussions: A Dangerous Method has many things to like, but it doesn't all fit together seamlessly. And it kind of felt like anyone could have directed it- I wanted that Cronenberg grittiness. I really want to learn more about Sabina Spielrein though. Sadly it seems like there aren't many good biographies in print? I'm checking out my new school's library when I get a chance.

3.5/5

Alex Makes Art #68

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Howdy fellas, I've been working hard on the ol' art-making, trying to get as much in as I can before I get too embroiled in classes and such (I start next week). I'm very excited about a commission I'm working on for a supercool etsy customer, a series of three posters for her favorite classic romantic comedies. So far I've made one for The Apartment and hope to have the other two done by the end of the month. I'll probably do a post just for them when I'm done, to show them all together will be nice.

ANYWAY I wanted to take a break from poster design for a bit and draw one of my favorite badasses, Sarah MOTHERFUCKING Connor. You all know I'm really into the Terminator movies, and I've been meaning to do something for her for a while because we need some Terminator art that isn't just Arnold. I started with a pencil/pen drawing that I edited in photoshop with color, text, and texture. I dig it. BEHOLD.

It's for sale and everything.

Hostage (2005)

2012-01-12T14:09:00.000-05:00

Seen: On blu-ray on our big screen/projector set-up, from Miles' collection.

Somehow I missed this when it came out, possibly because I hadn't yet quite tapped into the notion that if Bruce Willis is in a movie I'll probably enjoy it. Hostage sets him up as hardworking hostage negotiator Jeff Talley, who is happy to move on to be captain of a small-town police force affected by relatively little crime. When a local wealthy family finds their clifftop mansion taken over by three teenage thugs with guns and short tempers, Talley finds his skills put to use as tension mounts and death is on the line.

With a plot that escalates quickly once the characters and situation are established and excellent use of the high-tech mansion location, Hostage is an intense and visceral thriller that I enjoyed quite a bit. I had no idea how far it would go, which was exciting, and I liked that the stakes kept getting higher and higher. The secondary plot of the criminal mastermind behind the hostage situation was sort of clumsily handled, but did add an extra element of mystery and surprise to the overall story. Willis is badass as ever, and surrounded by able costars Kevin Pollack, Ben Foster, Robert Knepper, and Michelle Horn. It's over the top at times but still a pretty cool movie. Not much else to say I guess.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Maybe another one-location action movie like The Nest. That movie is kickass.

Sugar Hill (1974)

2012-01-11T12:54:00.000-05:00

Seen: On my tv, streamed on netflix instant.

A blaxploitation movie about a vengeful lady and her zombie army? Fuck yes, you know I'm easy to please. Sugar Hill stars Marki Bey as the titular character, whose club-owner boyfriend is killed by a ruthless white mobster. Embittered by a murderous taste for revenge, she coerces local voodoo priestess Mama Maitresse (Zara Cully) into calling upon undead trickster Baron Samedi (Don Pedro Colley), who takes pleasure in helping Sugar on her mission by handing over his army of zombie slaves buried in the bayou.

With a ridiculous premise and what I can only assume is poor representation of the voodoo religion, Sugar Hill was primed to be a strange and goofy time. Surprisingly, it plays it pretty straight, opting for more serious horror/revenge that of course can't help but camp it up at times. I love that Sugar had a special outfit/hairdo just to get into killing mode. You saw that white jumpsuit/afro look and you knew shit was about to go down! The design of the zombies is cool too, they're all cobwebby with huge silvery eyes like The Nightmare horse.

Sugar Hill has some of the common drawbacks of many 70s exploitation flicks: its follow through isn't as good as its premise, its story drags, and it isn't as fun as it could be. All the zombie kills are kind of underwhelming, since we don't see it most of the time. And Marki Bey as Sugar isn't quite badass enough, though I admit she grew on me as the film progressed. She seemed to toughen up as time passed, which I liked. Most of the cast overacts like crazy, especially Don Pedro Colley as the Baron, but he looks like he's having a good time. I also loved that there is a super stodgy old white dude who specializes in voodoo as a scholarly study, it is oddly hilarious.

Not bad, not great, but entertaining enough for what it is. And, you know... zombies.

3.5/5

Pair This Movie With: I might team it with the MST3K episode Zombie Nightmare. Yeah.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)

2012-01-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

Seen: In 3D at the AMC/Loews at Boston Common.

Every name attached to this movie is impressive, so despite my aversion to motion-capture animation it wasn't hard to convince me to see The Adventures of Tintin. I never read the comics but knew of them from friends who'd studied them in French language classes. Spielberg's version throws us into the action almost immediately and rarely lets up as famed boy reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell) uncovers a mystery surrounding a model ship and a family curse. He teams up with an alcoholic sea captain (Andy Serkis) on an international treasure hunt, trying to stay a few steps ahead of generally evil dude Rackham (Daniel Craig).

Seemingly hellbent on taking the phrase "action-packed" literally, Tintin is a breathless adventure tale whose phenomenal action setpieces and chase scenes were enough to distract me from some of the problems I have with the motion-capture style. The script is sharp and funny, even if the story is all over the place. The characters are set up quickly and no one needs very much development- although Captain Haddock gets a little plot-convenient baggage-, and for the most part that works fine since this is a family-friendly action movie that seeks to introduce a foreign-language comic published over fifty years ago. It shouldn't be too heavy. This simplification did keep me from having strong affection for the characters, though (or maybe that's how it always is in the books, I wouldn't know).

Mostly I was trying to figure out Tintin's age. He's a "boy" reporter who looks to be about 14-15, rents his own apartment, doesn't seem to have any parental/guardian figures about, and OWNS a GUN. I mean I know it's the 30's or whenever but jeez. Also why aren't there any women in this movie? Like, at all. And no the opera singer and landlady don't count, they each get about 5 minutes of screen time. I kept expecting some cute tween girl reporter to show up as a sassy rival/love interest.

ANYWAY. That one-shot chase scene through Bagghar was the main thing that everyone kept harping on, and my goodness they were right. My mouth kept going more and more agape as it progressed, I mean it was just so beautiful. So perfectly shot and paced. So exciting! I don't like motion capture primarily because of the uncanny plasticine look to all the figures and the strange blend of hyper-realism with exaggerated features. Everyone in Tintin would have very natural clothing and movements, but then like a huge nose that totally didn't fit the rest of their face. And everyone's hands were too big, it looked clunky. But for the intricate action scenes like that chase, and the seaplane escape, and the huge pirate ship battle, I'll pipe down.

And obviously the cast is excellent, duhhh. Andy Serkis is maybe the best part.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Obviously anything Indiana Jones-y, but also you could play Uncharted 3.

Top Five: Favorite Movies of 2011

2012-01-09T09:00:00.011-05:00

I kind of hate that so many Best-of lists seem to come out in December. Personally I've never seen everything I've wanted to see*, either due to late theater release dates or lack of availability in my area or just plain missed opportunities, until at least a month into the next year. So there's no shame in waiting for January to publish- it's not a race, guys! We're all in it together!

Anyway. Here are my favorites of the year, alphabetical order. Top 5 and then 5 Honorable Mentions so it's basically a Top 10! Also a few extra special mentions at the bottom.

Attack the Block
Dang this movie has everything: aliens, a killer soundtrack, action, potheads, Nick Frost, badass teenagers, British urban slang. Believe! Frequent Edgar Wright-collaborator Joe Cornish's debut is an all-out fun inner-city alien takeover adventure. I loved the tenement location, funny dialogue, fast-paced story, and undercurrent of class commentary all wrapped up in a goddamn good time. The action sequences are really well shot, and those gorilla wolf motherfuckers are pretty awesome looking.

Manborg
Ok I know this is a silly choice but I had to get some Astron-6 on here and I would sooner watch Manborg again than Father's Day. This send-up of 80's sci-fi screened at Toronto After Dark, my main festival this year, and I all-out loved it. It's cheesy but surprisingly smart, working in as many references as it does original ideas. It's a perfect combination of nostalgic homage and on-target parody, and its stop-motion monsters and complicated low-res CG backdrops work against its extremely small budget.

Martha Marcy May Marlene
Photographed beautifully and edited to perfection, this is one of the most engaging films I've seen this year. Elizabeth Olson is truly excellent in the lead role, a young woman torn between two existences and confusing her memories with present-day. The style of the film so involves the viewer in her perspective, creating a truly personal story that managed to scare the shit out of me. And as for John Hawkes: Give this man an Oscar, already. Another awesome thing is that I met Cinema Enthusiast in real life at this movie, which was one of the best things!

Take Shelter
This movie. THIS MOVIE. Jeff Nichols' sophomore feature is as terrifying in its portrayal of mental illness as it is in its suggestion of nature rebelling against mankind. Michael Shannon is intense and magnetic as ever in the lead role, and Jessica Chastain gives a solid supporting performance as his increasingly worried wife. The apocalyptic imagery is inventive and oddly beautiful, and the ending left me somewhat stunned (in the best way). I have continued to be terrified of bird formations and heavy storm clouds ever since, so it certainly stuck with me.

The Artist
This was probably my most anticipated film of 2011 so it was slightly agonizing to wait almost the entire year for it. Luckily it proved to meet my high expectations with its beautiful visuals, energetic cast, and beautiful use of silent film as a medium. I loved the 1920s/30s setting and reverence to old Hollywood. Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo shine equally in their roles, with excellent appearances from John Goodman, Missi Pyle, and James Cromwell. The fact that it constantly reminded me of my favorite movie ever Singin' in the Rain keeps it in high favor.

Honorable Mentions:
Hanna
Jane Eyre
Melancholia
The Innkeepers
The Skin I Live In

Weirdest Movie: Probably Kaboom. Though The Catechism Cataclysm and Father's Day are most definitely up there too.

Worst Movie: Ugh. Gonna go with Cars 2. But X-Men: First Class and Vs are down there too.

Some Numbers: 315 total movies seen. 208 new-to-me movies. 100 seen in a theater. 51 movies from 2011 (that number's a little mushy since some films straddle the 2010/2011 line depending on festival/official/US release, etc). The first movie I watched was Apocalypse Now and the last was Ghost in the Shell.

I want Rubber to count for 2011, but I don't think it actually does. It had a weird release situation, and I know I saw it on a few Best of 2010 lists. Anyway my point is Rubber is fantastic and maybe is my favorite 2010/2011 hybrid movie!

So. What movies did you love in 2011?

*Unfortunately I still haven't, but I have no idea when We Need to Talk About Kevin is coming out here and I have a feeling Shame, Meek's Cutoff, and Certified Copy wouldn't have made it into my top 10 anyway, though I still look forward to seeing them.

Kôkaku Kidôtai (Ghost in the Shell) (1995)

2012-01-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

Seen: On dvd on our big screen/projector set-up, rented from the Tisch Library at Tufts.
89/100 on the Sci-Fi List.

Anime and science-fiction fan that I am, I'm not sure how I missed out on the influential world of Ghost in the Shell for so long. Set in a futuristic Hong Kong in which many people have had computer chip brain implants and others full-on cyborgian body modifications, the film adaptation of Masamune Shirow's manga is a complex science-fiction mystery. Major Motoko Kusanagi is a skilled secret agent in a deadly robot body hunting an elusive hacker known only as the Puppet Master. As she goes deeper into a worldwide political and technological plot, she begins to question her own humanity as a brain inside a fabricated shell.

Combining fast-paced and exciting action sequences with convoluted political maneuvering, Ghost in the Shell is an interesting but somewhat self-indulgent film that admittedly lost me a few times. But I always found my way back thanks to the strength of the Major and her partner Batou as characters. I found their conversations about the existence of a soul and how one can survive inside man-made constructs very interesting, and the climactic confrontation with a sentient hacking program is as tragic as it is eerie. Plus the Major is just an all-around badass. She goes through a suiting/arming-up routine like 5 times, it's fantastic.

Unfortunately, a lot of the more compelling ideas in this film are wrapped up in a confusing over-arching plot that I didn't get much out of. World governments, the future, politicians, corrupt officials... problems? Something to that effect. And some crazy technology. I feel like I never had a clear idea of the context of this future, as the focus was more on the action and characters. Of course this is a feature of many science fiction films set in the future, and considering I enjoyed the rest of the film I can't be too hard on it. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, also.

The animation is slick and really well paced, offering a slew of well-edited chase sequences and a big mecha shoot-out set amidst crumbling stone. The character and tech design are a bit dated, but that's all part of the charm of watching a futuristic movie from any decade before the one I'm currently living through. I have to say it, though: Do we really need all the nudity? I mean, normally I'm totally pro-naked people but it's weirder when it's all just one hot robot lady being drawn a million times over frame by frame presumably by overworked male animators. And notice how the Major has to get naked to go into invisible cloak mode, but the guy she's chasing doesn't. I'm not going to get into a discussion of the male gaze here but come on, she's constantly stripping- it's just off-putting and really quite unnecessary. Also unfair to viewers who like dudes since none of them lose their clothes. Equal-opportunity eye-candy, you guys, that's all we want.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: I think it'd be a nice double feature with the Cowboy Bebop movie, especially if you want more anime. Or I read that the Wachowskis were inspired by Ghost in the Shell while making The Matrix, so that's an option.

Alex Makes Art #67

2012-01-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

Hi guys! Welcome to the first Alex Makes Art entry of 2012! This is most exciting. I'm pushing ahead with another movie band gig poster, this time spotlighting one of my favorite comedies, The Blues Brothers. I planned on doing this one a while ago but when I sat down to watch the film I found that my DVD had been damaged when I moved! The worst! Luckily I have the best boyfriend ever and he bought us the blu-ray. I'll review the movie soon enough, for now here's the art I made for it. Lookin' good, I think!

It's available for sale on etsy. Be a pal, support the arts, etc. Soon I'll need books for school and also money to pay for that schooling, you know?

The Sound of Music (1965)

2012-01-05T14:32:00.000-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, from my personal collection.

It's no secret I love movies about nannies (au pairs, governesses, whatever) since I grew up with one (the greatest lady in the world, she is). Between The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews was one of my favorite people as a kid. She's just so magical and musical and caregiving! In this sugary classic she stars as Maria, an effervescent almost-nun who is essentially kicked out of her Austrian convent for singing and hiking too much. She is assigned to be a governess for the nearby Von Trapp family, headed by a stern widower Captain (Christopher Plummer) who orders his seven children about like soldiers. Maria uses all her magic singing powers to teach everyone about love and dancing and such. Meanwhile World War II is about to happen.

In many ways The Sound of Music is the anti-feelbad WWII movie, since most of it focuses on the love story and family fun times leading up to the Nazi invasion of Austria. Even once the Nazis get there, Captain Von Trapp is all "I love Austria. FUCK NAZIS" and then he and his family get away by Climbing Every Mountain and in real life they have a fruitful music career in the States. (This is based on a true story, you know.) The last half hour or so feels unconnected to the preceding 2.5 hours, with its action-packed getaway and depressing reality, but there are plenty of hints early on as villainous possible Nazi-sympathizers move in and out of the family's fancy estate.

I love this movie. It's the perfect family film, with fun songs and goofy moments for kids and a compelling romance and historical setting for adults. Everything is slightly simplified but not overtly so, and there are certain things I appreciated more as a child and others I understand better now as an adult. Julie Andrews is almost sickly sweet but I love her so much it doesn't matter, especially because she uses her goodness in some underhanded and clever ways at times. Plus I like her cute bob haircut. Plummer allegedly hated working on this movie and he is a bit of a sourpuss the whole time, but I love his rendition of "Edelweiss", a song that makes me sad for absolutely no reason and isn't even an Austrian folk song so its effect is completely manufactured. I like all the kids, surprisingly, possibly because they look like they're having so much fun in curtain clothes.

The Sound of Music is certainly dated in some ways- from its schmaltzy script to its somewhat sugarcoated/reductionist view of Germany's annexation of Austria- but keeping the focus on Maria and her relationship with this troubled family gives it a heartfelt, genuine feeling that is only increased with the excellent tunes from Rogers and Hammerstein. It's long as hell but never boring, carefully developing its central characters while throwing in historical references, stunning vistas, and musical numbers to keep the pace lively. Watching it now I wonder what all these British people are doing in Salzburg in the 1930's, but that never fazed me before so I guess it's not a problem now.

The main negative thing that really stuck out to me this time around was how ridiculously romantic comedy-esque the character of the Baroness is. She's all manipulative and amoral, planning to send the kids off to boarding school after she cons her way into marrying the captain for his money. She like the lady in The Parent Trap and also a billion other movies. It's just an unnecessary subplot that detracts from the otherwise positive characterization, and by now it comes off as cliche.

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: Well like I said earlier I usually identify this with Andrews' other 60's nanny musical, Mary Poppins. Or if you want to set it against a non-cheery vision of WWII in Austria, I thought The Counterfeiters was quite good.

Stargate (1994)

2012-01-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

Seen: On dvd on our big screen/projector set-up, rented from the Tisch Library at Tufts.
88/100 on the Sci-Fi List.

I've never seen any of the tv spin-offs of Stargate and admittedly knew very little about it going in, but the concept of James Spader and Kurt Russell in space in the 1990s is exactly everything I want in a movie. So, let's set up this wackness: Maverick Egyptologist Daniel Jackson (Spader) and haunted-by-the-accidental-death-of-his-son colonel Jack O'Neill (Russell) take an expedition through a mysterious "stargate" discovered on a dig in Egypt. It leads to another planet that is curiously almost exactly like ancient Egypt, with slaves building pyramids and no rights for women and everything, but there's some sort of magic element that gives them advanced technology to build inter-galactic transportation gates. There is also a MYSTERY.

This movie is so totally ridiculous I honestly loved it. I mean, it has fucking Robot Anubis for goodness sake! (I am probably wrong about that being Anubis, apologies to my one-time Egyptian Archaeology professor.) It combines Egyptology and science-fiction and ass-kicking and menacing androgyny and completely nonsensical plotting. It's way too long and the script is unintentionally silly, but the combined powers of James Spader and Kurt Russell, plus an awesome supporting cast and some imaginative visuals, keep the film in the rad zone (as I like to call it). Spader is flipping ADORABLE as the bespectacled scholar with a meek manner and presumably little experience with women. I draw the latter assumption from the really shitty romantic subplot that's thrown in haphazardly- seriously that could have totally been cut out. He's got a good foil in Russell's taciturn and tortured colonel, who just wants kids to stop playing with guns and also to kill himself with a secret bomb.

I loved the disconnect between so many of the concepts introduced in this movie. The dusty ancient-esque setting, the futuristic technology, the aliens, the antiquated gender relations, the very 90's haircuts, the secret underground government research facility, the class uprising- it's all a jumble of ideas from other movies but somehow when put together it is enormously entertaining even if most of it doesn't make sense. I'm not even saying this is so-bad-it's-good, it's more that it has to be seen to be believed because it's so weird and fun. I liked the action and the over-arching mystery, insane as it is, and I especially enjoyed Jaye Davidson as the main bad dude. He is magnetically pretty and I dug his crazy costumes. And yes I know he's in The Crying Game, which I haven't seen yet, but I've pretty much figured out what the surprise is, but please don't talk about it anyway? It's got a "long wait" on netflix so it might be a little while.

IN CONCLUSION I loved Stargate, almost ironically, but mostly genuinely. It's way too long though, which is unfortunate but unsurprising for Roland Emmerich. If it was cut down I would rate it higher.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: It's kind of like if The Mummy and Independence Day were fused into one movie, with a pinch of Battlefield Earth thrown in. But if you don't have time to watch 4 long movies in a row, I'd say Stargate plus The Mummy is your best bet.

The Artist (2011)

2012-01-02T15:54:00.000-05:00

Seen: At the Multiplex Cinemas in Edgewater, NJ with my friend Nicole! She's the best!

Hello, number one film I've been excited about in 2011! And it took FOREVER to come out it seems! Calling back to silent films of yesteryear and taking advantage of Jean Dujardin's amazing facial expressions, The Artist centers on silent star George Valentin (Dujardin) at the dawn of the sound era in film. He refuses to make talkies and sees his career and personal life fall to ruins while beautiful new starlet Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) becomes a talking sensation.

With reverential attention to 1920s/30s Hollywood, writer/director Michael Hazanavicius has created a film that both re-creates the atmosphere of classic silent film and updates it with self-referential flair. I loved the oddly surreal moments that incorporated sound, terrifying Valentin in his sleep as the uncanniness of it sets in. The music is lovely, including several recognizable tunes, and the 1.33:1 aspect ratio brings an unexpected element of legitimacy. And the costumes! Oh, the costumes! Everything is fringey and sparkly and furry and everyone's hair is perfectly coiffed!

It's no secret I think Jean Dujardin is inescapably watchable, he just radiates charisma and can make me laugh with a look or eyebrow raise. He's perfect in the showy silent film star way but is just as convincing as the story becomes more serious and the role requires more subtlety. And the beautiful Bejo is an expert at the flirty-eye cute flapper thing, and also the most sympathetic in the story. The best thing is they can both dance! That's like my favorite secret talent for someone to have. As the credits rolled I was instantly working on a pitch for a good-time Fred and Ginger-y musical for them both to star. And fine, it can include the dog. He was pretty spry. (And played by multiple dogs, I KNOW.) Maybe then it'll be like a Thin Man musical, solving mysteries while tap dancing? YES.

Appearances from recognizable American actors like John Goodman, James Cromwell, Malcolm McDowell, Beth Grant, and Missi Pyle were welcome additions but a little off-putting at first since I kept thinking of this as a French production. But as I thought about it I realized it lends the film a more "American" air, which is appropriate considering the setting.

The Artist has the right combination of laughs and gravitas for an all-around great movie, and the silent film angle works as a fitting tribute to a specific period in film. It's not always accurate (I know Raquelle pointed out that the language wasn't always era-appropriate), but it works in bringing some of the aesthetic and techniques of silent film into present-day. And of course, I always love movies about movies, so it's an easy sell.

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: So many things reminded me of Singin' in the Rain, I think that'd be an excellent double feature. Then triple it up with Sunset Blvd. and my, are you in for an awesome day!

Temporada de Patos (Duck Season) (2004)

2012-01-01T16:14:00.000-05:00

NOTE: I will be doing a 2011 year-end post, but not until I see a few more new releases. For now, regular reviews will continue.

Seen: On my laptop, streamed from my external harddrive. Long bus trip.

When 14-year-old best friends Flama (Daniel Miranda) and Moko (Diego Cataño) are left alone in the former's apartment on a quiet Sunday afternoon, they anticipate a day of video games and junk food. But then the power goes out, a pretty 16-year-old neighbor (Danny Perea) comes over to use their oven, and an overworked pizza delivery guy (Enrique Arreola) has a standoff with Flama over payment, and the day takes a turn.

Filmed almost completely in a small apartment, with a minimalistic style and black and white palette, Duck Season makes good use of a simple setting and smart script. As the film progresses we slowly learn more about each of these characters, including parents divorcing and forgotten birthdays, regretting past jobs and coming to terms with possible gay leanings. It moves between revealing one-on-one conversations and silly group antics, never drifting too far into crazy comedy or downer drama. To keep things moving, Eimbcke employs a number of eye-catching camera tricks and shots in enclosed spaces.

Director/co-writer Fernando Eimbcke handles his characters with honesty, and the four central actors give earnest and understated performances. The kids are at a tough age, alternating between selfish jerks and sympathetic loners trying to figure things out because being a teenager is hard. Being so character-based and loose with plot, Duck Season is at times a slow-moving film, but as it progressed I became more and more engaged. The conversations are funny and interesting, and the cast seems like they're having fun. Nothing is exactly resolved, but that feels true to the atmosphere sustained throughout- one of light introspection and questioning. It's kind of nice to have one of those "significant things happening over the course of a day"- type movies that doesn't feel the need to wrap everything up neatly and offer startling revelations and solutions in a 24-hour period.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Hmm, perhaps Dazed and Confused? A broader-in-scope one-day teenager movie. Both films have cool tunes.

Alex Makes Art #66

2011-12-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

Oh wow I guess this is the last art entry for 2011, how momentous an occasion. Looking back over my archives I have 43 posts in the Alex Makes Art series for this year, so my one-a-week goal was nearly realized! And sometimes I had two things in one week so maybe it evens out. I'm too lazy to do a serious count. I really enjoy creating art for movies I love, and I hope I can continue at the same pace in 2012 as I start grad school and continue to work two jobs. Not too hopeful, to be honest, but we'll see. Plus I've had a few more commissions so that's exciting!

If you're curious about all the cool stuff I worked on this year you can check out older posts or there are a few photo albums on my facebook page for simpler viewing. And as always you can go to my etsy shop for posters, prints, and originals for sale. I promise the money is going to student loans so I can become a regularly functioning adult! I'm responsible!

ANYWAY. Today I give you something you never asked for, and will likely not appreciate as much as me, but I don't care! I love Weird Al! I love UHF! I also love Polish movie posters that feature a large, partially-obscured face as the main motif (it's a popular category). So naturally I combined all these loves in a poster design for UHF. Awesome. It's for sale, too.

See you all in 2012! I hope you have awesome New Year's Eve experiences, I know it can be a shitty holiday for some. Personally I'm just going to try and not have a cold like I usually do. So far so good.

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

2011-12-29T14:16:00.000-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my parents' widescreen tv, from my mom's collection.

I tore through several Christmas movies while I was visiting my parents this weekend, and was happy to make time for one of my favorite holiday-themed romantic comedies, While You Were Sleeping. Sandra Bullock stars as Lucy, a token taker at a Chicago train station who lusts longingly for regular passenger Peter Callahan (Peter Gallagher) whenever he passes through the gate. On Christmas Eve he's pushed onto the tracks, saved from death by express train when Lucy rushes to pull him away. He's in a coma for a week, during which time Lucy is mistaken for his fiancée by his lovable but overbearing family who invite her without hesitation into their lives. Lucy- who has no remaining family- loves feeling a part of something but knows she has to tell them the truth before Peter wakes up, especially when she starts to fall for his brother, Jack (Bill Pullman).

This movie is one of most 90s-ish things ever made, I'm pretty sure. Which is one of the main reasons I dig it, clearly. Everyone dresses just awfully, which is in a way refreshing as our romantic heroine hangs out in frumpy sweaters and turtlenecks, with messy hair and general unglammed-ness. She snorts when she laughs and she makes silly jokes and she talks to her cat, and I think she's a pretty well-realized character, especially for a light-hearted romantic comedy lead. Her conversations with Bill Pullman and the rest of his family are fairly hilarious and reminiscent of holidays spent with my own relatives.

Of course in true romantic comedy fashion there are plenty of over the top situations and ridiculous misunderstandings that can detract from the strength of the characters. I think the most unrealistic thing about this movie is that Peter Gallagher is portrayed as some golden god when we all know he's really silly looking. I mean, seriously.

While You Were Sleeping is basically just super cute, primarily because of its incredible cast (Helloooo Glynis Johns, world's second-best grandma! After my own grandma of course, duh) and strong dialogue. Also maybe I kind of have a crush on Bill Pullman and maybe he's at his peak around this movie. JUST MAYBE.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Well it's no secret I find Sandra Bullock pretty adorable, so I'd go with another of her films. Maybe Miss Congeniality? The Lake House? Love Potion No. 9? Two Weeks Notice? Oh man should I be admitting I've seen all these movies... multiple times?

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

2011-12-28T11:36:00.000-05:00

Seen: In IMAX at the AMC/Loews at Boston Common.

Hey you guys! Talented animation director Brad Bird directed a live-action movie, isn't that exciting? It's got, like, Tom Cruise, and there are spies, or something. Ok so I haven't seen any of the previous M:I movies, so I didn't particularly care that there was a new one coming out. Especially since I'm not a big fan of Tom Cruise. But I was so curious about Bird's live-action debut, and the supporting cast is so good, that it wasn't hard to convince me to see Ghost Protocol. Legendary secret agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is rescued from a Russian prison by agents Benji (Simon Pegg) and Jane (Paula Patton) so that he can help catch a terrorist with stolen nuclear activation codes. Eventually joining up with Brandt (Jeremy Renner), logistics analyst or something to the Secretary (of what, I'm not sure. Defense? State?), the team travels from Russia to Dubai to India, all without official aid from the American government after a bombing of the Kremlin sets the nations up for possible all-out war.

With a number of nail-biter action sequences, some well-employed IMAX visuals, and a general sense of fun, Ghost Protocol is quite simply a good time. I loved the wacky spy technology (that hallway video thing? Magic magnet suits?) and weirdly antiquated concepts (is Russia really considered a big movie villain again?) and exquisite locations (Ahh! The Burj Khalifa is SO TALL!). I dug the silly jokes from Simon Pegg- always a welcome addition to any movie- and Renner's general badassery as he prepares to take the reins from Cruise. As usual with most ladies in action movies, Paula Patton has to be "the sexy one" in most of their plans, but she gets some butt-kicking in along the way. And thank god we only had to see Tom Cruise with his shirt off for one or two scenes. I'm not saying the guy's not in shape, but there is some weird shit going on with his upper body and it makes me nervous to look at it.

ANYWAY turns out Brad Bird is an awesome director no matter the medium. There are so many thrilling action scenes and exciting chases, and it seems his experience in animation has allowed him to exaggerate reality a little bit in some of the shots. The story itself takes a back seat to the action, which is pretty normal for movies like this. I didn't really care about the threat of nuclear war here, to be honest. I just wanted to see them catch the bad guy, I mean jeez Michael Nyqvist is surprisingly spry!

Good times, movie. I was impressed.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Presumably one of the other Mission: Impossible movies? I've heard the third one is cool.

Breaking In (1989)

2011-12-27T10:56:00.002-05:00

Seen: On my tv, streamed from netflix instant.

Well Burt Reynolds is in a movie, so I guess we'll watch it! In Breaking In he stars as Ernie Mullins, an experienced thief who takes dopey mechanic Mike (Casey Siemaszko) under his wing because he catches him breaking into a house for fun. Mike learns all about safe-breaking and home-made explosives, but becomes too frivolous with his money to show off for a prostitute (Sheila Kelley) he's crushing on. There's friction between the new partners but they reunite for a big job at a holiday weekend fair.

Breaking In is the kind of ok, mostly forgetful movie that falls through the cracks as time passes. Reynolds is wisecracking and surly, Siemaszko is goofy and idiotic; they make a decent comedic team. There are some cool thieving sequences but little over-arching plot, and the whole thing is bogged down by a pointless romantic subplot and lack of drive as it goes on. It's enjoyable enough for Reynolds and the more thrilling/actiony bits, but there's not much to say about it otherwise, really. Although Stephen Tobolowsky does have a bit part!

3/5

Pair This Movie With: Buhh I don't know. Matchstick Men?

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr T (1953)

2011-12-26T11:02:00.000-05:00

Seen: On dvd on our big screen/projector set-up, rented from netflix.

I'm pretty sure I first heard about this movie on the Frankly, My Dear podcast, the episode about messed up kids movies. The mere notion of a Dr Seuss-penned and designed live action movie excites me, regardless of its box office failure and general lack of now-classic status. Accentuated with frilly outfits and twisty setpieces, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr T primarily takes place in the daydreams of Bartholomew Collins (Tommy Rettig), a young boy terrorized by his pompous piano teacher Dr Terwilliker (Hans Conried). He envisions a future in which his tutor builds a school for his students that will actually imprison them, hypnotizing their parents and forcing 500 boys to play his songs on a massive piano. Bartholomew's mom (Mary Healy) is the first to fall under the Doctor's spell and so the boy enlists a wise-cracking plumber (Peter Lind Hayes) to help save her and prevent the school from opening.

Seeing Dr Seuss's candy-colored, Escher-esque nonsense worlds come to life on a complex soundstage is pretty magical, and a big part of what makes this movie so interesting. Story-wise it's a bit jumbled and at times oddly cliche (oh no a lady needs to be rescued, how troubling), and I wonder if Seuss was just more suited to shorter-form narratives, but with memorable characters and some fun tunes it's salvageable. I loved the nefarious Dr T, played with malicious glee by Hans Conried. He's flamboyant and evilly British and has a strong vocabulary, all traits I look for in a villain. He's also the most cartoonish of the actors, which of course is fitting for Seuss's exaggerated sensibilities. Peter Lind Hayes is enjoyable as well, playing a self-serving plumber with a heart of gold and some killer skill on roller skates.

The songs are goofy and over the top (well everything about this movie is, really) and several of the musical numbers are damned impressive. That huge piano-less band sequence? Dang. I can't find it on youtube but I'd argue the film is worth viewing just for that. I loved the terrifying implications of "Elevator Dungeon", and of course there's the gloriously frivolous fashion frenzy "Do-Mi-Do-Duds". Adorable.

I have to say though: I know it's the 50's, but did anyone except for white dudes play instruments back then? I mean it's just dudes dudes dudes, even among the students- all little boy piano players. As a former orchestra geek, I totally object.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Several weird kids movies come to mind, mainly Return to Oz, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. If you want a more grown-up movie I think some of the imagery is reminiscent of The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus. Plus they've both got doctors.

Young Adult (2011)

2011-12-23T16:23:00.000-05:00

Seen: At the Kendall Square Landmark Cinema in Cambridge.

Desperately trying to recapture her youth through ghostwriting a once-popular series of young adult novels, Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) doesn't realize how desperate she is. When she discovers her high school sweetheart Buddy (Patrick Wilson) has just had a baby with his wife Beth (Elizabeth Reaser) she heads back to her small hometown to try and rekindle their romance. The more she interacts with her old classmates- especially Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt), a bitter nerd with a crushed leg-, the clearer it becomes that she is mentally unstable and a blatant alcoholic.

Unapologetically acerbic, Young Adult is a dark comedy that manages to feel utterly realistic in its portrayal of a former bitchy prom queen who can't move past her high school perspective. This isn't a quest for self-fulfillment or some wayward daughter goes home and learns life lessons-type tale. This is a brutal, mean look at a woman in her late thirties who continues to sneer contemptuously at everyone who wasn't cool in high school, and finds most of her actions vindicated by the people around her. No one is brave enough to tell Mavis she really needs some help, except for Matt, whose biting observations are laced with sarcasm and never taken seriously by their target. Their dialogue is hilarious both in its wit and mean honesty, though sometimes it was weird to laugh with these characters while simultaneously feeling sorry for how ignorant they are of everything. Diablo Cody tones down the quirk and even pokes some fun at teenspeak, adding a self-referential element that I appreciated.

Charlize Theron is kind of awesomely crazy in this movie. She hides her crackling mental state behind a condescending stare and self-important air. I loved the attention given to her beauty routine, lending the portrayal a rawness that I think would surprise some viewers (I know the two guys who saw this with me were somewhat awed by the concept of all-over foundation and various other layers of make-up she applied). Patton Oswalt, who's the main reason I even saw this film, is his usual excellent self. He's funny and a total jerk and it's great and I hope he wins awards. Also the most important casting news is that Collette Wolf of 100 Questions fame is in this! Oh snap! 100 Questions, my favorite tv show that's also the worst show ever made!

Young Adult is at times tough to watch, but ultimately I enjoyed its cynical take on lapsed maturity. It's not perfect, of course, as Reitman's minimalist direction sometimes keeps the story from progressing and I found Patrick Wilson sort of weak in his performance. And I know Mavis as a character is polarizing, but while I found her to be pretty awful I loved that she at the very least stayed true to herself in her awfulness.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: I was sort of reminded of Margot at the Wedding, what with the depiction of a totally unlikable protagonist and annoying people surrounding her.

High-Ballin' (1978)

2011-12-22T09:35:00.001-05:00

Seen: On our big-screen/projector set-up, streamed from netflix instant.

You guys, have you heard about Jerry Reed? Yes? Good, then you've been paying attention. In High-Ballin', the man co-stars alongside Peter Fonda as a good-natured trucker who is being pressured into working for a major trucking company in the wake of a series of truck hijackings in the area. Instead the two best buddies team up with a lady (Helen Shaver) who is maybe a trucker? She drives like a trailer thing but perhaps also has her own truck somewhere? Unclear. Anyway. They'll put a stop to these jerks.

After White Line Fever last week I'm really learning a lot about the apparent struggles between big trucking companies and independent drivers in the 70's, a topic I had never even considered. But I guess it was a prevailing thing (maybe it still is?) so multiple movies were made about it. High-Ballin' starts off as a sort of light-hearted action flick pitting a small group of truckers against this mysterious force of killer hijackers. There's a killer driving sequence featuring various cars on fire and thrilling antics from Peter Fonda (his character is a retired stuntperson), a bar fight, and a couple of shoot-outs.

Unfortunately as the story progresses, it shifts away from Jerry Reed being his awesome, theme-song-singing self and focuses more on Peter Fonda and his terrifying hairline as he boringly romances the lady, known as Pickup. She starts off as a cool, tough driver but naturally devolves into an eye-batting, easily-kidnapped victim and Peter Fonda has to save her or whatever. Who cares.

Mostly High-Ballin' is an ok movie, and it certainly has some awesome moments. It just sort of loses itself in the third act, and I was disappointed (but unsurprised) with the handling of the female character. I dug David Ferry as this pretty-boy villain, though. He looked like he was 12, it was kind of great. Also Jerry Reed had a killer beard. And there sure is a lot of truckin'!

3.5/5

Pair This Movie With: I have to say White Line Fever, mainly because I watched them within a week of each other and they sort of deal with the same topic. High-Ballin' is better though.

CQ (2001)

2011-12-21T11:18:00.001-05:00

Seen: On our big screen/projector set-up, streamed from my boyfriend's hard drive.

While editing and eventually taking over directing duty of cheesy science-fiction sexploitation film Dragonfly, Paul (Jeremy Davies) seeks artistic fulfillment by making his own introspective art film in his apartment. His obsession with filming everything puts a distance between him and his live-in girlfriend Marlene (Élodie Bouchez), and he finds himself growing more attracted to Dragonfly's star, Valentine (Angela Lindvall). He hangs out with materialistic movie people in Paris and Rome but never really makes any connections.

CQ combines aspects of DIY French New Wave, goofy high-concept 60's sci-fi, and behind-the-scenes movie-making for an eclectic but ultimately uneven and unsure film. It's got a lot of good ideas and a solid cast, but as it flits around from movie-within-a-movie to narrated self-pity, it comes off too disjointed. I was often confused about what was happening, what was a dream or film scene or reality, and while I'm sure that's partially the point, there was so little actual plot to follow that I found I didn't especially care about this effect. This is writer/director Roman Coppola's only solo feature effort to date so I guess I can't be too surprised that it's a bit clunky.

Gosh I sound negative! Moving past the structure/script/pacing issues, CQ is a pretty cool movie! It's got Jeremy Davies, one of the cutest people alive, and he gets to wear nice suits and charm some ladies and nervously navigate the inner workings of the European film industry in the late 60's. The fake movie he's making actually looks pretty rad, and the various glimpses of its futuristic setting and action espionage are silly and interesting, along with a look at how some of the visuals and effects are achieved. The soundtrack is excellent (some might say... "groovy"?) and there are some funny references and neat action sequences. I just wish it had all fit together better.

3.5/5

Pair This Movie With: Because I enjoyed the Dragonfly sequences, this put me in the mood for Barbarella or The Adventures of Stella Star or some such outing. The realistic parts were a little reminiscent of Marcello Mastroianni wandering around Rome trying to figure out what the hell is going on in this crazy time in La Dolce Vita, but I don't think I'd pair the two.

Dancer in the Dark (2000)

2011-12-19T09:00:00.001-05:00

Seen: On dvd on our big screen/projector set-up, rented from netflix.

Bubbly factory worker Selma Jezkova (Björk) has a pretty shit life. A single mother, she left her home in Czechoslovakia for America with the intention of working to pay for a special surgery for her young son Gene (Vladica Kostic). He is afflicted with the same genetic illness she is, which is causing her to gradually go blind. She hides this fact from him and pretends to be saving money for a Czech dancer she claims is her father. When her neighbor and landlord Bill (David Morse) admits to near-bankruptcy, a miserable chain of events is enacted that spirals Selma's life further and further down the road to Everything Sucks-ville. To cope with her trauma, she makes up musical numbers in her head.

It's pretty easy for me to align myself with a musical lover. It's no secret I wish my life was a musical, and I've been devouring them up since I was a kid- on both stage and screen. With Dancer in the Dark, von Trier and composer Björk experiment with one of my favorite genres to create a strange melodrama that also acts as something of a commentary on the supposed "American Dream" advertised by splashy old-timey musicals. Only in her fantasies can Selma achieve the kind of sugar-coated joy she longs to experience with her friends and family; she can't even act it out onstage, as her worsening eyesight forces her to drop out of the starring role in a local production of The Sound of Music.

Set in 1964, this is just around the time when classic movie musicals were falling out of favor, with rock music and a bit of grittiness finding their way into the genre, so it seems fitting that Selma's naive dreams are offset by reality. Of course, the amount of negative developments and just depressing concepts is at an almost ridiculous level here, and the story is very blatantly emotionally manipulative and over the top. Though I recognized that von Trier was playing with my head, I gave in and was strongly affected by the trials of this beaten-down protagonist. Björk gives a beautiful performance, characterized by ebullience and childlike innocence that defy her considerable struggle. It helps that I love her singing voice and the musical numbers- though fewer than I would have liked- are heartfelt and enormously entertaining.

It's overlong and heavy-handed in its storytelling, but generally I found Dancer in the Dark a successful venture. It retains certain trappings of classic musicals, including simplistic characterization and high-concept set-pieces, but for the most part forges ahead as a dark, dirty look at a woman who is decidedly in over her head. It is clear early on that there is no way this story can end happily; the musical numbers are there to both soften the blow and drive the nail in deeper. I know some people criticize this film for being overly manipulative and seemingly intentionally dismissive of musical stereotypes, using a normally happy narrative form and subverting it just to make things worse. While I agree with the first comment, it's not like Dancer in the Dark is the first sad musical. Have you seen Carousel? (Hint: don't see Carousel.) Or Miss Saigon? The King & I? Les Miserables? And nothing good happens in Carmen. This is a thing that has happened before, is what I'm saying.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: After this was over and I had cleaned up the many tear-soaked tissues lying around, I just wanted to watch something upbeat, so I'd say go with one of your favorite comedies.

Oh and I did make some art for this, though I hope to develop it further later.

Bin-Jip (3-Iron) (2004)

2011-12-18T13:23:00.000-05:00

Seen: On our big-screen/projector set-up, streamed from my boyfriend's hard drive.

Tae-suk (Lee Hyun-kyoon) spends his days breaking into vacationing rich people's homes and practicing his golf swing. He's a pretty low-key guy. He doesn't steal anything, just hangs out and enjoys their comforts while they're away, eating some of their food and straightening up the place. One day he is discovered by Sun-hwa (Lee Seung-yeon), a bitter, abused housewife who finds herself drawn to him and his strange way of life. She leaves her husband to spend time with Tae-suk, but eventually the authorities catch up to them.

I have been meaning to see any of Kim Ki-duk's films for quite some time, and finally pushed for it last week. 3-Iron was on my long-forgotten list of 11 Films to See in 2011, so that's cool too. With a largely dialogue-free script and a minimalistic but emotional approach, 3-Iron is a beautifully-rendered love story that forces you to pay attention to details without ever saying a word. It is a tribute to expression, and especially to gesture. With pointed, deliberate movements the characters feel each other out and ultimately connect on an instinctive, sub-conscious level. The pacing is slow, but the script is filled with such delightful small moments and dramatic turns that I never lost interest; the lack of speech between the protagonists encouraged me to pay more attention to visual cues.

For me sparsity and minimalism in film can often be hit and miss, but the strong performances, offbeat story, and thoughtful settings kept me riveted. At times it's like watching a modern silent film, but with a more subdued atmosphere and talkative tertiary characters in lieu of inter-title cards. I love how it starts off realistically, but then slowly adds a surreal element in Tae-suk's struggle to fully disappear. It's a sad bit of magical realism as he mentally enables himself to be unseen by anyone but Sun-hwa, finally fulfilling his earlier attempts to live invisibly. But it's also a fitting and quietly beautiful end.

It has to be said, though, that Lee Hyung-kyoon has a really dorky haircut.

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: For another movie with young people breaking into homes but not stealing anything- albeit in a more political manner this time- I do enjoy the German film The Edukators. Or for another conversation-light couple there's the experimental romance Four-Eyed Monsters.

Alex Makes Art #65

2011-12-16T11:13:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! How's it hanging? I am a little short on art times this week, what with end-of-year stuff and both my jobs and various grad school preparatory shit going on MY WORD. But I watched Dancer in the Dark (review forthcoming) the other day and was reminded how great Bjork is. So I did a little sketch of her from a scene in the film. We'll see if it turns into anything else, only me actually having some free time will tell!

Final reminder: If you're still buying gifts for an upcoming holiday, might I recommend some awesome movie- or music-themed artwork from my shop? Totally rad, totally reasonably priced, and several items are good for kids (they love that Harry Potter stuff). Use the coupon code BLOG11 and get 10% off your whole purchase!

Have a nice weekend, everyone! I'm hoping to see both Young Adult and Tomboy, and more importantly I should design a Dungeons and Dragons t-shirt for my brother. Shh it's a surprise.

Hugo (2011)

2011-12-14T10:43:00.001-05:00

Seen: In 3D at the AMC/Loews in Harvard Square.

Hidden away in the labyrinthine inner workings of large train station in 1930s Paris, young Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) spends his days monitoring the clocks and secretly observing the daily lives of the men and women who frequent the station. At night he works to repair a mysterious automaton that belonged to his father (Jude Law), but when he loses his notebook with details of the robot's inner workings to a somewhat sad and tyrannical toy seller (Ben Kingsley), Hugo finds himself launched into an adventure involving the early film industry in France. He's helped by a book-obsessed girl (Chloe Moretz) who pushes him forward into solving the mystery of the automaton and finding his own peace of mind.

Steeped in deep hues and layered with complex sets and tracking shots, Hugo is beautifully filmed and imaginatively plotted. The atmosphere of 1930s Paris is lively but at times bleak, with cameos from James Joyce and Salvador Dali as well as vicious Dickensian orphan snatchers. I loved the gear-filled behind-the-scenes of the train station and the colorful glimpses of French film pioneer Georges Méliès. In many ways the entire movie is a love letter to Méliès and the unremembered innovations and passions of early filmmakers. While that topic is interesting and somewhat magical for movie lovers, I wonder if it's a bit lost on regular-people viewers.

The cast is impressive, with Ben Kingsley classing up the joint and Sacha Baron Cohen giving an equally humorous and sad performance. Chloe Moretz is adorable and over-the-top British and I loved how she read tons of books and tried to use big vocabulary words all the time. She's like a little fashionable Hermione who isn't quite as useful. Michael Stuhlbarg, who should be in every movie, is awesome and almost unrecognizable behind his big beard and enthusiastic air. Asa Butterfield has a bit of the crazy eyes but I admit he's cute and pretty solid as the lead. I was very worried for his character's health, though, since he kept going about in the snow without any coat and his clothes were all thin and too small for him. He's totally going to catch a chill!

Hugo is lovely and exciting and somewhat magical, but suffers from an overlong running time and an honestly slightly underwhelming payoff. I guess I expected this to be more fantasy/sci-fi/adventurey what with the robot and big mystery and everything. While I liked the story and characters, I felt like the film was building up to something more extreme. Instead it is a more contained, personal tale that would work better with a more subdued tone.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: For a truly fantastical tale that also delves a bit into early film, there is of course The Fall. Alternately, at times I was reminded of Amelie for the pretty colors and quaint view of Paris.

Cobra (1986)

2011-12-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Seen: On netflix instant on our big screen/projector set-up.

My comrade has been pretty psyched about this movie for a while, not sure why, probably because it has all the things that make a good movie. Stallone, fighting, guns, 80's synth beats: COBRA. He's just a tough-talking, no-mercy LA cop who all the other cops call in when things get too hot to handle. Which is apparently ALL THE TIME. When a wacky fascist ax cult terrorizes the city with a string of seemingly unconnected murders, it's up to Cobra to stop them. The only person to ever escape their attacks is a statuesque model (Brigitte Nielsen), now pursued by a series of violent masked dudes. She teams up with Cobra (in bed, that is) and there's a lot of chase-fighting.

So Cobra is pretty badass, unsurprisingly. There are all kinds of crazy action scenes, from high-flying motorcycle chases and grocery store hostage-taking to destructive fires and a climactic smelting factory showdown. The story is simple, with nothing in the way of twists or turns but offering an easy-to-follow examination of one tough dude's fight for justice, even when it goes against the law. Stallone is so hard-boiled he's almost a caricature of the ass-kicking silent type, but that ends up working for him. Brigitte Nielson was something of a let-down, I guess because I expected her to be more take-charge (I only know her from Red Sonja), but that's more an issue with how her character is written.

While I definitely dug the action and presence of Sylvester Stallone, the script is just a little too weak for me to all-out love Cobra. But its violence, fast pacing, imaginative weaponry, and appearances from not one but TWO Dirty Harry supporting castmembers kept me thoroughly entertained!

4/5

Pair This Movie With: We are planning a kickass double feature with Commando!

White Line Fever (1975)

2011-12-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

Seen: At Sam's house with his new projector, broadcast on a very nice sheet. Rented from the Tisch Library at Tufts.

Ok so sometimes a poster and tagline ("Carrol Jo Hummer: A working man who's had ENOUGH!) are enough to get me and my boyfriend (and main movie-viewing partner) interested in a film. I mean come on, look at that truck crashing through a building! Dang. White Line Fever. Jan-Michael Vincent plays the working man Carrol Jo, a newlywed trucker who quickly realizes that the local trucking company is super corrupt and everyone who works there is a big ol' bully. He tries to stand up for independent truck drivers who want to make an honest living, but is shut down at every turn. Finally he just gets FED UP and has to TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS.

Equal parts campy grindhouse and boring trucking business exposé, White Line Fever is a hit and miss action drama that is likely of primary interest to people experienced in southern trucking in the 70's. There are some truly kickass action sequences, with Jan-Michael Vincent just all-out climbing on top of a speeding truck and shooting his way out of a chase scene. And that whole driving through a huge glass structure thing. Unfortunately a lot of the action takes place at night in dimly-lit settings so it could be hard to follow. The script is middling; a lot of the businessy stuff lost me because it wasn't really explained well and I didn't find it particularly engrossing.

That's about all I have to say, I guess. Slim Pickens shows up for a while and he is pretty great, duh. Also everybody's got big guns.

3/5

Pair This Movie With: Well it turns out Jonathan Kaplan also directed the pretty rad Truck Turner, so I'm going with that!

Alex Makes Art #64 (UPDATED)

2011-12-09T09:00:00.003-05:00

Hello friends. I hope you are all well. Last night I watched one of my favorite holiday-time movies (well, any time, really), The Shop Around the Corner. Feeling I hadn't made any art inspired by an older film in a while, it seemed a good time to do a drawing of the protagonists Mr Kralik and Miss Novak (Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan) as they do their best to ignore each other in a cafe while obviously secretly falling in love. For now it's just a pen sketch but I will be playing around with it in photoshop and hope to turn it into something a little snazzier this weekend.

Also remember there is a sale going on in my shop! Tons of awesome holiday gifts to be found there, I reckon! Disney? Harry Potter? Muppets? Suspiria? Battle Royale? I've got it all and then some! Coupon code BLOG11 gets you 10% off your purchase. Yay!

*****UPDATE*****
I made it better, hurray! I added sheet music for the song the cigarette boxes play, and I think it makes a nice background. It's available as an 8x10 print on etsy, how exciting.

And this is off topic but here's a thingie I made for a friend. It's basically a rip-off of this sign that we sell where I work, a thing that is over-priced and mass-produced in China. And it was too big for her room. So I made her a print that is less expensive and designed lovingly by an artist-type person. Hmm. Hopefully this wasn't unscrupulous?

PS For those of you who are especially astute, no I didn't jump accidentally from #61 to #64. Turns out a while back I did both #32 and #43 twice in a row like a DOLT, so now I'm trying to balance it out.

La Piel Que Habito (The Skin I Live In) (2011)

2011-12-08T21:26:00.002-05:00

Seen: At the Kendall Square Landmark Cinema in Cambridge.

Oh Pedro Almodóvar, I haven't seen all of your films but I can determine a few of your favorite topics, including haunted pasts and transgender folk. The Skin I Live In is a multifaceted thriller centering around Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), a pioneering plastic surgeon who keeps a human guinea pig (Elena Anaya) locked up in his house on whom to experiment with skin grafts. Gradually his past tragedies come to light through flashbacks, and his darkness eventually proves to be all-consuming insanity.

I'm going to do my best to not give any spoilers, but if you're worried then just believe me that it's good and go into it without knowing anything.

With a controlled, deliberate shooting style and a constant air of menace, The Skin I Live In is an utterly engrossing film packed with a series of narrative and emotional twists that gradually escalate until the very end. Almodóvar is smart to give us this story in pieces, suggesting certain outcomes (the opening hints at a science-fiction angle that turns out to be a red herring) and masking others. It is intense- almost overly so- at points, with a number of cringe-worthy sex scenes and nail-biting situations, but at other times it moves along slowly as it focuses closely on these dark characters. And of course everything looks impeccable thanks to the director's astonishing color sense and style.

I think this may be the first time I've seen Antonio Banderas act in his native Spanish, and it seemed to give him a kind of seriousness, though of course that is also tied to the character of Robert, a bit of a mad scientist with myriad tragedies driving him slowly insane. Banderas is pretty awesome in the role, understated but also fierce. I was also impressed with Elena Anaya, who has the difficult task of playing a person who has been given a completely different body and must force herself to become comfortable with it.

This movie is just... masterful, I guess is the word.

4.5/5

PS I forgot to say how excited I was to see the art of Louise Bourgeois featured so prominently! Her work is fantastic.

Pair This Movie With: Maybe Incendies? Foreign thriller with lots of interesting twists and turns? Yeah.

UHF (1989)

2011-12-07T12:41:00.001-05:00

Seen: On netflix instant on my tv. One and a half times.

George Newman (Weird Al Yankovic) is a poor schlub who can't hold down a job because of an overactive imagination. When his wealthy uncle hands him the keys to a run-down local access television station, George believes he's finally found his calling. With the help of mulleted buddy Bob (David Bowe), aspiring news anchor Pamela (Fran Drescher), and clueless janitor Stanley (Michael Richards), he turns Channel 62 into a surprise hit with his community, much to the chagrin of rival network affiliate/professional asshole RJ Fletcher (Kevin McCarthy).

I don't know if I've ever brought it up here before, but I kind of had a serious thing with Weird Al growing up. With encouragement from my dad, who introduced me to Al with "Another One Rides the Bus", I listened ceaselessly to my Weird Al boxed set that I got for Christmas in 5th grade. Then I unearthed his mockumentary "The Compleat Al" VHS and stole the "Bad Hair Day" music video compilation tape from my friend down the street (also a big fan), and thus my entertainment habits were often centered around the man. I still think he's amazing. And thank goodness he took time away from his busy celebrity schedule to make a movie! UHF combines all the camp, goofiness, and parodic glee you might expect from him, plus famous people like Fran Drescher and Emo Phillips! Oh boy!

With tv shows like Wheel of Fish and Strip Solitaire, UHF creates the tv channel of my wildest dreams. It also features one of my favorite fake commercials ever for Spatula City. (We sell spatulas... And that's all.) Combine that with a bevy of film parodies and truly goofy sight gags and you have what amounts to maybe a perfect movie? MAYBE. There are even a few musical numbers in there, including Al's mash-up of Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" and the Beverly Hillbillies theme song. What an amazing combo. Also an example of the many famous songs I know primarily through Weird Al parodies.

UHF is mired in its time, but in a good way, with over the top 80s costumes and pop culture references and low-budget special effects adding to the charm of a homegrown tv station. Al himself is such fun to watch, with his high-pitched enthusiasm and emotional outbursts. And you've got Fran Drescher doing her sarcastic whiny thing, Michael Richards playing a crazed man-child, Victoria Jackson wearing one of the silliest birthday dresses ever, Gedde Watanabe amping up the nonsense in a role seemingly poking fun at his "Long Duck Dong" stereotype, and a general sense of fun being had by all. Not every joke lands, and sometimes things are too hokey even for me, but I can't help but just all-out love this movie.

Although I have to say, it's a real shame that the wacky scientist role of Philo wasn't played by Joel Hodgson, as allegedly intended according to imdb trivia. That would have been incredible.

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: Well like I said, The Compleat Al and the Bad Hair Day music videos were my go-to Weird Al viewing experiences as a young person. Otherwise I might go with something like Wayne's World, another irreverent look at music and television in the late 80s/early 90s.

Rollerball (1975)

2011-12-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, rented from Hollywood Express in Cambridge.
87/100 on the Sci-Fi List.

SO IT'S THE FUTURE. And the world is totally controlled by corporations, and all anyone wants to do is watch/play the ultraviolent new sport Rollerball- sort of a blend of roller derby and rugby. Coincidentally it is also the name of the movie! James Caan stars as Jonathan E, a massively popular player and captain of the Houston team. For reasons unknown he is asked by a corporate head to retire early, and his refusal to quit the game he loves throws him into unexpected peril as he slowly realizes how corporations have been manipulating the populace for years.

With a title like Rollerball and a death sport that's replaced warfare, I don't think I was wrong in expecting something a little different from this film. It sounds like an action-heavy futuristic thriller, and in some ways it is, but more of the focus is on Jonathan E's slow search for the truth and certain realizations about his own life. This vision of the future is somewhat Orwellian, highly stratified and full of intentional misinformation. We learn bits and pieces about its inner workings, how corporate executives can just take other people's wives if they want, how only certain people can access certain knowledge. Caan is solid as the strong-willed, but surprisingly naive Jonathan E, a man feared by his evil overlords for his potential to stand out and lead in a world order maintained by erasing any emphasis on the individual.

The future Rollerball proposes is interesting, if derivative, and the sport is nice and violent, but neither are presented in a compelling enough way for me to be really into this movie. It oscillates between fast-paced sporting event and slow-moving thriller, and for the most part it remained too ambiguous to grab me. It seemed to be building to some big revelation but then there wasn't much payoff except for the requisite "big game" that had a crazy body count. The game sequences are ok, I wasn't especially engaged though I found the sport itself interesting. I think I'd need to see it again to get more into the story, but for now I'm not sure what to make of the overall film.

3.5/5

Pair This Movie With: I will always and forever recommend Death Race 2000 as the best futuristic death sport movie, and there are definitely some similarities here. Alternatively there is an episode of Max Headroom that seems to call back to Rollerball.

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)

2011-12-04T13:15:00.000-05:00

Seen: At the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge.

I missed this at IFF Boston last year, which was too bad since Elmo himself was totally there! It doesn't seem to be getting much of a theater release but luckily The Brattle screened it for a week. Being Elmo tells the remarkable true story of Kevin Clash, a black self-taught puppeteer who grew up in Baltimore and rose to become the artist behind one of the most beloved television characters of the past few decades. A kind of puppet prodigy, he constructed and operated his own puppet characters in his teens, learning all he could from watching Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. He performed on a local television show and began attracting notice from the likes of Captain Kangaroo and Muppet builder Kermit Love, who became Kevin's mentor. He eventually was able to work with his hero Jim Henson and become a major force behind Sesame Street, but his demanding profession strained his familial relationships.

Enthusiastic and likable, Kevin Clash is a fitting subject for a documentary. He's not how most people might picture the men and women behind popular children's puppetry (I can't help but imagine everyone having a "A BLACK SHERIFF?!?!?!" moment), and yet for years he's been a driving force behind several well-known properties. And he's adorable. He starts off as a fresh-faced kid with endless determination, and eventually sees all of his biggest dreams achieved through talent, dedication and a little luck. His eventual creation of the Elmo personality is little surprise, since he comes off as a genuinely sweet and caring guy.

The highlights of Being Elmo are the behind-the-scenes footage and accounts of the productions Kevin worked on, from a look at the making of the dancing demon scene in Labyrinth to a tour of the puppet-production lab for Sesame Street. I loved learning more about how muppets are created and operated, it's something I hadn't really considered before! It was very nice to see how Kevin was inspired as a kid and now continues to inspire new generations of future puppeteers. I hope this is an art form that continues to grow.

Unfortunately at a very trim 80 minutes, the film feels like it's missing a piece. For the most part the focus is on Kevin's career, with some glimpses of his upbringing and family, but most of his personal life is unexamined. His ex-wife and daughter are very suddenly introduced in the third act, and neither are interviewed. I'm assuming they didn't want to be a part of this documentary, which is totally understandable, but the whole topic was just dealt with strangely. Kevin talks about his strained relationship with his daughter towards the end but I still feel like I'm missing something important to this story. Oh well. Elmo's still there. And I kind of cried when Jim Henson died.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: What better way to follow up The Muppets than with a little behind-the-scenes Elmo action? I myself watched these within a few days of each other and they each inform the other interestingly.

Alex Makes Art #61

2011-12-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

Whoops guess I kinda dropped the ball on the whole Friday Movie Art game yesterday, huh? Oh well. Now you get a special Saturday Treat, so that's positive! I've been working on a large commission that started with the Charmed print I posted a little while ago, and now I have another piece done. My (very patient) customer asked for a Harry Potter design- something I'm all too happy to produce- with specific characters represented. I liked the way it came out so I thought I'd adjust it to make it a regular poster I could sell in my shop, removing some of the characters to make it a bit more generalized (and to keep my customer's design more personal/exclusive). Both versions are below!

The second version is available for purchase on etsy, along with many other fine items. Remember if you use the code "BLOG11" at checkout you'll get 10% off!

The Muppets (2011)

2011-12-01T17:47:00.000-05:00

Seen: At the Clifton Common AMC/Loews, in Clifton, NJ. And again at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square.

When the mere mention of a certain property can bring a smile to my face and a little bit of the warm fuzzies to my heart, it's probably something special. I didn't really realize that The Muppets were one of those properties until I started hearing more about its newest incarnation, which brought back memories of watching the films when I was a kid- especially Muppet Treasure Island-, listening to the Christmas soundtrack with John Denver, and oddly enough, Muppet Babies. Focusing on long-time Muppet fans Gary (Jason Segel, who also co-wrote the script) and his brother Walter (voiced by Peter Linz), the story seeks to re-unite the Muppets after they've been separated for years. They need to put on one more show to raise the money to buy back their old television studio from evil oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), who plans to destroy it. Gary's girlfriend of 10 years Mary (Amy Adams) is there too, but mostly forgotten.

With contagious ebullience and obvious reverence for the characters, The Muppets is entertaining as hell and legitimately funny. Plus it's a musical! Plus it's got... muppets! Jason Segel is having the time of his life as Gary, an aw-shucks good guy who sings, dances (sort of), and interacts with some of the cutest puppets in show business. He's torn between his human girlfriend and muppet brother, wanting to be a part of both worlds. Walter, on the other hand, has never really fit in and longs to be a part of his favorite group. They make a cute team, especially with Adams along to lend her own inherent adorability to things. And the songs... OH THE SONGS! Brett McKenzie (one half of Flight of the Conchords) gives us some downright fantastic tunes here, especially "Life's a Happy Song", which has become the only song I ever want to listen to for the rest of my life.

Though the script is funny and appropriately self-aware, it does have issues. The middle section drags as the main plot meanders around its characters, unsure where they're going to end up despite the cookie-cutter structure. There are also a few moments that just flat-out don't work, most notably the Cee-Lo chicken song (shudder) and the Chris Cooper rap (double shudder). They feel out of place and irrelevant to the type of humor and music the Muppets are associated with. Also Amy Adams' character is super under-written and complainy. Which I guess is no surprise considering the writing team.

The thing is though that every time I saw a problem, I was able to look past it because I was otherwise so delighted with the proceedings. The Muppets themselves inspire a certain warmth and friendliness, they're just so genuine. And for the most part their characters remain true to their origins, full of humor and the good kind of schmaltz. As a whole the film is so cute and goofy, though flawed, with lots of cool cameos and catchy musical numbers and flailing puppets. That works for me!

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Of course the original Muppet Movie is a good one, or whatever your favorite Muppet venture is. At times I was also reminded of Enchanted and The Blues Brothers. Personally I followed my first viewing with various clips of The Muppet Show on youtube.

Bandidas (2006)

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my laptop, rented from netflix.

I came across the poster for Bandidas when I was researching international movie poster designs (as I do), and thought it looked fantastic from the French poster alone. Sexy Salma Hayek teams up with equally sexy Penelope Cruz to rob some banks in Old-timey Mexico? I mean, my god. The details of the plot (if you needed more information for some reason) are as follows: Evil American assholes led by Tyler Jackson (Dwight Yoakam) are taking over land in Mexico so that railroads can be built, leaving a trail of bodies and dispossessed Mexican farmers in their wake. Fast-shootin', passionate peasant girl Maria (Cruz) teams up with sophisticated, European-educated Sara (Salma Hayek) to take revenge with the help of an experienced criminal (Sam Shepard) and a nerdy forensic scientist (Steve Zahn).

With a knack for never taking itself too seriously and a host of ridiculous plot devices, Bandidas manages to be reasonably entertaining but never quite rises to its potentially kickass premise. I wanted capable ladies doing awesome things, and at times I got that, but at other times I got catfights and kissing competitions and caricaturistic vanity. It's a goofy enough movie that I learned early on not to expect too much progressive thinking, but I still felt there were some missed opportunities here. Primarily the introduction of Steve Zahn as a love interest frustrated me- I like him and his character is adorable, but the whole subplot of Maria and Sara passive-aggressively competing over him is just stupid. I found their relationship more interesting when they were fighting about their respective differences in background and personality, there was no need to bring a romantic angle into things. Then again that is a mistake so many films make, so at least they are treading familiar ground.

The costumes are awesome, the ladies are scintillating, the vistas are lovely and most of the jokes are pretty funny, so I'd say Bandidas does what it sets out to do. It's all pretty simplistic, with your classic evil-for-no-particular-reason villain, bickering lady friends, uptight white dude sidekick (you know he's a nerd because of his glasses), and good peasants vs bad rich guys. The lead actresses are downright delightful in their roles, with Cruz's naive Maria offering adorable miscalculations and Hayek's Sara getting in some hilariously haughty commentary. I know it's not actually a very good movie, but I couldn't help but be entertained by how silly it often is. And honestly, I will always be interested in a western that features ladies in masculine outfits. Pants, cowboy hats, and holsters all around! Bang bang bang!

3.5/5

Pair This Movie With: Mmmm I'm going to suggest sticking this with an even wackier western, something like Sukiyaki Western Django or Tears of the Black Tiger. Or if you want more ladies kicking ass in the Old West, there's Johnny Guitar.

Melancholia (2011) at 366 Weird Movies

2011-11-29T09:00:00.003-05:00

Seen: At the Kendall Square Landmark Cinema in Cambridge.

My first foray into now-notorious rabble-rouser Lars von Trier is his latest feature, Melancholia. Its operatic trailer and beautifully enigmatic posters had me drooling in anticipation, and while the film itself isn't as visually grandiose or experimental as I expected, it is a gorgeously shot, emotionally resonant venture that impressed me greatly. Plus it's got several recreations of paintings, a thing I always appreciate. For my full review, along with commentary by editor-in-chief G. Smalley, head over to 366 Weird Movies! Cool!

Invaders From Mars (1953)

2011-11-28T11:26:00.000-05:00

Seen: On netflix instant on my tv.
86/100 on the Sci-Fi List.

It's 1953 and you know what that means! Communists EVERYWHERE! Even in unsuspecting smalltown America! EVEN ON MARS. In Invaders From Mars, young David (Jimmy Hunt) sees a spaceship land in his backyard and soon notices his parents behaving strangely- after they investigate the ship they return as cold, snipey jerks with strange marks on the backs of their necks. He realizes quickly that they've probably been taken over by evil alien lifeforms bent on world domination and works to find adults he can trust, convincing the sympathetic Dr Pat Blake (Helena Carter- I already checked, no relation) and astronomer Dr Stuart Kelston (Arthur Franz). They try to halt the imminent takeover by involving the military.

I saw the 80's remake of this movie at the Coolidge Corner Horrothon last year, and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Turns out the remake took some liberties with plot and characters that actually made it better, so I'm kind of disappointed with the original. I like the premise, with the child's point of view offering a nice twist to the alien invasion tale, and there are some killer sets/make-up effects towards the end. The cast is fairly strong, with Leif Erickson and Hillary Brooke really biting into their roles as the possessed parents from hell, it's kind of awesome. The kid is creepy-looking though. He's got like a middle-aged man face.

Though I enjoyed parts of it, Invaders From Mars failed to keep me interested. The main lady (who is some sort of doctor but I have no idea what, and doesn't do much except go to her astronomer friend for help all the time) and dude are boring, the kid's kind of annoying, and I was pretty much rooting for the aliens. Maybe I'm secretly Communist, oh NO! It drags in the beginning with lots of fake-science talk and then it gets all militaristic and not in an exciting way. The finale is explosive and sports some spooky prosthetics, but they are coupled with really bad alien costumes and poorly-staged fight scenes.

So in the end it's pretty middling.

2.5/5

Pair This Movie With: For obvious reasons, Invasion of the Body Snatchers comes to mind, either the '78 or '56 versions. Or The Faculty.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

2011-11-27T13:51:00.000-05:00

Seen: On blu-ray on our big screen/projector set-up, from my boyfriend's collection.

We have slowly amassed a decently-sized blu-ray collection that we pretty regularly forget about, so the other night we endeavored to actually watch one. The Big Lebowski seemed a good choice since neither of us had really seen it in full since high school. Also since it's awesome. The remarkably twisty plot focuses on Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a friendly hippie who likes to get high and bowl. His laid-back lifestyle is thrown into turmoil when he is mistaken for the other Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), an aging millionaire with a promiscuous wife (Tara Reid) who owes money all over town. Suddenly the Dude finds himself deeply embroiled in a convoluted conspiracy involving porn stars, nihilists, kidnapping, feminist art, rugs, bowling, dismemberment, theft, and a 15-year-old little punk.

With an impressive cast (including several people I didn't recognize when I first saw it), a crazy and often nonsensical story, an iconic protagonist, some memorable imagery, and a simultaneously goofy and dark as hell script, The Big Lebowski is made for cult status. The ever-magnetic Sam Elliott narrates with cowboy flair, lending a comedic gravitas to the Dude's predicament, while Bridges moves through each scene with a charismatic bafflement and pitch-perfect line delivery. I'll admit the actual plot loses me at some points, as there are so many characters and I'm too busy giggling at the silly jokes or gasping at the ludicrous situations that arise.

Luckily the plot doesn't matter all that much, as it's largely an excuse to throw a bunch of wacky actors together and see what happens. Between Bridges' hippie sputtering, John Goodman's impassioned yelping, Julianne Moore's matter-of-fact lecturing, Steve Buscemi's adorable confusion, and Philip Seymour Hoffman's everything, it's too much fun to focus too closely on the peripheral goings-on that make up the mystery. And yet, the Coens in their infinite wisdom do churn out a compelling neo-noir-ish criminal tale with various subplots that come together in unexpected ways. I mean, is there anything those brothers can't do? My new theory is that they first envisioned the crazy dream sequence, and framed the rest of the story around that. The whole point of making the film was to see Jeff Bridges gyrating in a surrealistic pornographic bowling alley. This makes sense to me.

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: My first thought is Fargo, but Miles suggests Dumb and Dumber since it's his favorite comedy and it "stars another person named Jeff". So take your pick.

Alex Makes Art #60

2011-11-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! Happy Friday! What with Thanksgiving travel and whatnot I'm afraid I'm a little light on new art for you today, but don't worry there are still a few things I have to share with you!

Firstly as today is that special day known as "Black Friday" to people who care about shopping or whatever, I thought I'd remind you all that I have various artsy/cinema-y items for sale in my shop! And even though everything is totally reasonably priced to begin with, if you use the coupon code "BLOG11" you will totally get 10% off! Wow! Go get 'em!

Ok so for art things click ahead.

We had a baby shower for my boss last week and I know she's a fan of Dr Seuss so I made her a little Lorax ink drawing since that's my favorite. I think it came out nicely though getting the right size frame was a headache. And this is kind of a bad scan, oops.

Also since I'm visiting my parents I thought I'd snap a few pictures of the art in my old room. This shows one of the first paintings I ever did, a portrait of The Dresden Dolls, and on the wall is a large painting I did for one of my art classes in college. We had to do little sketches of things in the Museum of Fine Arts, combine them, and reinterpret them in one work. I like it but it's kind of hard to see in this picture.

And here's a charcoal drawing I did a long time ago. Maybe I was in high school? Unsure. I drew it on the wall and never got around to taking it down.

The Bad Seed (1956)

2011-11-24T14:16:00.005-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, rented from netflix.

A few weeks ago I read John Waters' most recent book Role Models, a collection of essays describing his heroes and inspirations, and included was a brief aside discussing Patty McCormack, the actress who played sociopathic 8-year-old Rhoda in both the stage and film versions of The Bad Seed. I had to see this movie. SO I DID. Rhoda is a suspiciously perfect child, and after her father is called away by his military job, her mother Christine (Nancy Kelly) begins to notice more and more of her peculiarities. When a boy in Rhoda's class drowns on a school outing, Christine pieces together that her own daughter is a remorseless murderer.

With a fiendish star at its center and a slow-burn escalation to craziness, The Bad Seed is a pretty awesome movie and I totally understand Waters' fascination with it- especially his specific love for Patty McCormack. As Rhoda she is creepy and smart as hell, with a matter-of-fact line delivery as she alternatively tears apart those she dislikes and sweetly serenades those she wants to manipulate. She is without pity and completely self-serving, but maintains the fear and innocence of a child who at times must admit she doesn't have it all figured out. Pigtails never looked so menacing. Well maybe they have. But probably not.

Most of the film is actually focused on the mother Christine and how she gradually pieces together the truth about her own daughter. She is simultaneously sickened and protective, recognizing that while Rhoda may be inherently evil, she also can't help the way she is (there is much discussion of environmental vs genetic factors in the development of sociopathy, and since it's the 50's most of it is probably incorrect). I loved Nancy Kelly's breathy voice and oscillation between crippling fear and decisive action. She's a pretty badass mom, really, plus she's from a family of crazies. Henry Jones also has a great supporting part as Leroy, the menacing handyman who sees through Rhoda's facade because he himself is so dastardly. Most of the cast is from the stage production, which is pretty cool.

My only issue with The Bad Seed is how stupid and out of place the ending is. The climax is awesome (that pounding piano! Oh jeez!) and most of the ending is kind of mind-blowingly great. BUT THEN there's the dumbest final scene that doesn't make any sense and looks awful and is unintentionally laughable. It's a tacked-on ending to appease the studio, so I can forgive it, but it's really too bad because it does take away somewhat from the film as a whole. I can just choose to stop the film after the main big shock happens and pretend that's the ending, though.

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: I am reminded of The Good Son, which explores similar themes of evil children and unsuspecting adults. I loved that movie as a kid but have no idea if it's actually good? It's got Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood, so that's a start.

Night on Earth (1991)

2011-11-23T18:55:00.002-05:00

Seen: On our big screen/projector set-up, downloaded from the innernet.

I am soooo close to Jim Jarmusch completism! I need to see Down By Law! But first, Night on Earth, one of his better-loved films that takes a look at five eventful cab rides across the Western world taking place at the same hour. A plucky young mechanic-in-training (Winona Ryder) ferries an overworked studio agent (Gena Rowlands) from LAX; a loudmouth New Yorker (Giancarlo Esposito) takes over the cab from its navigationally-challenged new driver who can't drive (Armin Mueller-Stahl); a put-upon Parisian (Isaach De Bankolé) gives a late-night ride to a pretty blind woman (Béatrice Dalle); a goofy Italian cabbie (Roberto Benigni) zooms around Rome while narrating jokingly to himself and shocking his priestly fare; and a trio of drunks in Helsinki are picked up by a depressed driver who feels little sympathy for their woes.

Night on Earth exhibits much of the typical Jarmuschyness: it's talkie, it's metropolitan, it's cool, it's as quirky-funny as it is thought-provoking. And it has a crazy cast! Seriously, Jarmusch must just know everyone I guess? But like so many vignette films, it's a little hit and miss. I really enjoyed the LA, New York, and Rome segments but the Paris and Helsinki ones aren't quite as strong. Then again I could see plenty of other people completely loving those and not liking the others. While each portion maintains certain themes and elements intrinsic to Jarmusch's filmmaking, there is enough variety of subject, acting style, and mood to offer something for most viewers. And Tom Waits did the soundtrack, so that should be a turn-on for everybody.

While I loved the photography and deft mix of comedy and drama, I think the cast really helps make this movie so pleasurable. I always love Winona Ryder, and she is fun and downright spunky as the baby-faced cab driver Corky. Ryder really embodies the late 80s/early 90s for me and this is a clear example of her awesomeness during that time (not that she isn't still great!). Giancarlo Esposito (HELLO GUS!) and Armin Mueller-Stahl are my new favorite odd couple, and Robert Benigni is twisted and hilarious in his neverending ramblings. Isaach de Bankolé continues to captivate me with his face. Every time I look at him I get all "I have to draw you..." and it's a little sad. (Incidentally, I did sketch him once after The Limits of Control.)

Like the rest of my experiences with Jarmusch, I found Night on Earth entertaining and well-scripted, but I didn't all-out love it. I like that it's a little more accessible and straightforward than some of his other films, but the disconnected vignette style worked against it as a whole since I didn't love every piece. Still pretty rad though!

4/5

Pair This Movie With: For more Jarmusch vignette-y goodness there is of course Coffee and Cigarettes. It's got Bill Murray! (But don't tell anyone he's here.) Or watch an episode of Cash Cab.

Harvey (1950)

2011-11-22T09:00:00.002-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, from my personal collection.

I'll always remember the day in high school when I stayed up for over 24 hours watching a Jimmy Stewart marathon on TCM. I think it was sometime around the 2am mark when Harvey came on, and I've been smitten ever since. Based on the play by Mary Chase, the film stars Stewart as the ever-so-pleasant Elwood P Dowd, whose sister Veta (Josephine Hull) and niece Myrtle May (Victoria Horne) are fed up with his titular best friend, an invisible, 6-foot-three-and-a-half-inch-tall talking rabbit. They conspire to place Elwood in a mental institution so that their lives can proceed normally (Veta is intent on marrying her daughter off) but a series of misunderstandings leads them to rethink their decision.

This movie is the very definition of the warm fuzzies. Centered around the unquestionably delightful performance of Jimmy Stewart, Harvey delivers a lighthearted, fanciful story that at the same time delves into deeper questions of family, loyalty, and sanity. Veta feels she is going mad the longer she lives with a brother who makes room in his life for an invisible rabbit- Elwood is so obliging to and so engaged with this unseen force it's almost impossible to not believe Harvey exists. Even though towards the end we learn that this "pooka" does indeed exist, the audience is likely to be convinced long before that through some clever hints and various nods from Stewart.

I love the script so much. It is one of the most quotable films I've ever seen, with so many lines that either crack me up or give me pause. Stewart gets most of the best lines, maintaining a sweet and disaffected air as he inquires politely about those around him and ruminates about his times with Harvey. He embodies the role of Elwood so completely, comfortably slipping into the shoes of this mild-mannered and disarmingly innocent man. His past self is partially restructured through other characters' comments, but it is only this version of Elwood that we see, a man who chose to change his priorities after his mother's death. Of course Josephine Hull (who won an Oscar for her performance) gives Stewart a run for his money as Veta. Her facial expressions are absolutely priceless, and her histrionics after she is mistaken for a mental patient are hilarious.

A big thing about Harvey is how it reminds that everything about mental health science and hospitals in the 50's was just WRONG. Elwood's would-be psychiatrist Dr Sanderson is a super jerk and way sexist, but luckily a good amount of the dialogue around him is a put-down of his character and assumptions. Dr Chumley is an asshole too. Seriously, just crazy superdickery.

Everything about this movie makes me smile, except the end, which makes me cry for about the same reasons as what makes me smile. Elwood is so sweet and gentle, so hopeful and honest. It's heartbreaking. There's something naive about him, despite flashes of his obvious intelligence and world experience. The fact that he chooses to be this way, and doesn't give in to any of the societal and familial pressures around him is the most important point. He gives everyone his business card. He invites everyone over for dinner. He holds doors for people, he asks after his friends' families, he compliments openly. His loves spending time with his best friend Harvey. He must be crazy.

5/5

Pair This Movie With: I was excited when I read the Generation X arc about a pooka named Elwood, but that definitely a me thing. Otherwise this usually puts me in the mood for more Stewart. Can't go wrong with The Philadelphia Story, You Can't Take It With You, or The Shop Around the Corner. Alternatively, Arsenic and Old Lace offers some more Josephine Hull action.

Wayne's World (1992)

2011-11-20T10:52:00.000-05:00

Seen: On blu-ray on our big screen/projector set-up, recently purchased for $6 at Best Buy.

Ever since I watched Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure a few weeks ago I have been craving a viewing of Wayne's World. Luckily I found it for super cheap on blu-ray, wow! Based on the popular SNL skit, the film focuses on headbanging buddies Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) as they're given the chance to bring their public access show to the big time. Sleazy television executive Benjamin (Rob Lowe) sees an opportunity to exploit their public appeal for his video game-hawking sponsor (Brian Doyle-Murray), while simultaneously plotting to steal Wayne's up-and-coming rock star girlfriend Cassandra (Tia Carrere). What an evil guy!

With constant nods to the camera and numerous pop culture references, Wayne's World is an unapologetically goofy trip through early 90's slacker suburbia. They're self-absorbed and kinda stupid, but there's something endearing and ultimately enduring about the central characters of Wayne and Garth as they rock out to Queen (which honestly puts the dumbest smile on my face every single time), fantasize about pretty ladies, and fight the Man. Myers and Carvey are so good together, achieving a chemistry that's nothing short of adorable, and I'm just happy to see them do their thing. Even if it doesn't really make any sense. There's a bit of nostalgia here, making the film both an homage to and a product of its time. The soundtrack is rockin'- I especially dig the fake band "Crucial Taunt". Tia Carrere can actually sing and she did a kickass job as frontwoman (and lace-loving) Cassandra. Plus she learned some Cantonese for the part! What dedication! (Myers actually knows Cantonese, what a showoff.)

It's not perfect, of course. Not every joke lands and the story is meandering and overlong (unsurprising for an SNL skit adaptation), and once in a while Myers treads the line between funny and grating. The whole subplot with "crazy ex-girlfriend" Lara Flynn Boyle doesn't really do it for me either. But the impressive cameos (Alice Cooper! Chris Farley! Ione Skye! MEAT LOAF!), frequent breaching of the fourth wall, and all-around silliness keep me reasonably entertained for the entire runtime. Plus Rob Lowe totally gets in a Chris Traeger-esque "LIT-erally" and that just made my day. It's a fun movie, and definitely one of the best SNL movies behind The Blues Brothers (another recent blu-ray purchase I hope to get to soon) and Office Space if you count it.

4/5

PS There's a pretty cool making-of doc on the blu-ray (not sure if it's on the dvd) that I would recommend to anyone interested. Lots of cool trivia and behind-the-scenes stuff, and interviews with Myers, Carvey, Carrere, Lowe, and director Penelope Spheeris.

Pair This Movie With: Well I remember enjoying the sequel well enough, but it's been many years so I can't really recommend it strongly. I'd say This Is Spinal Tap would be a good pairing.

Alex Makes Art #59

2011-11-18T10:54:00.000-05:00

I have been working on another commission this week, this time for my boss as a Christmas gift to her husband. They are both big fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas so I made an ink painting for his office wall. I think it came out ok, I hope they both like it!

Also I'd like to remind everyone that there are a lot of original posters, prints, and ink drawings available in my shop, for you to buy! You can use the coupon "BLOG11", good for a 10% discount, and just for blog readers. Wowee! I am also available for commissions, just let me know through here or email at alex.kittle@gmail.com. I do my best to be versatile and accommodating. Feel free to tell your friends in case they need holiday gift ideas, eh? I will continue to remind you of this as holidays approach. Apologies for the blatant self-promotion, but I did just get into grad school, so I can use all the extra money I can get.

A Shot in the Dark (1964)

2011-11-17T12:33:00.000-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, rented from the Tisch Library at Tufts.

Miles and I were watching Lupin III (as we do) the other day and an episode that's just one long Pink Panther reference had me asking questions since I've never actually seen any of those films. I started out with A Shot in the Dark because as far as I could tell it sort of set the precedent for the style of the many films that came after in the series. Starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling French detective Jacques Clouseau, the film does its best to concern itself with a multiple murder case surrounding wide-eyed maid Maria (Elke Sommer) but tends to focus more on the goofy exploits of its main character. Clouseau dons weird disguises, tries to date Maria (whom he is convinced is innocent despite remarkable evidence against her), kung-fus with his housekeeper Kato (Burt Kwuok), and pushes his boss (Herbert Lom) to the brink of insanity. And somehow solves the case.

To no one's surprise, goofiness abounds in this film, and that's totally ok. Everyone is pretty contented to sit back and watch Peter Sellers prance about intentionally making a fool of himself in stuffy aristocratic mansions and nudist colonies and police headquarters. He steers the film through a murder mystery whose solution is almost irrelevant when placed against Clouseau's investigating antics. Sellers is supported ably by the likes of Herbert Lom as his perpetually exasperated boss, George Sanders as a stuffy rich dude connected to the murders, and Elke Sommer as the suspicious/sexy/naive Maria. But the other star of this movie is probably Graham Stark as Hercule Lovejoy, Clouseau's put-upon assistant. Their interactions produced some of the best jokes and I'm pretty in love with all of Stark's facial expressions. The various fight scenes between Clouseau and Kato are also highlights.

A Shot in the Dark is fun and lighthearted, but to me it did feel a bit too dated and cheesy to really get into. I loved certain scenes but could have done without others. It's a pretty specific type of comedy that doesn't always work but is totally worth it when it does. There are some cool directorial choices, from the prolonged opening shot to the various ways assassinations are attempted, but some moments are dragged out or less interesting. I enjoyed the film for the most part but don't really feel the need to see it again. I could imagine loving it as a kid, though.

3.5/5

Pair This Movie With: Well the Lupin episode "My Birthday Pursuit" is what started all this so that's a serious suggestion. Otherwise I guess one of the sequels?

Viridiana (1961)

2011-11-15T12:42:00.000-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, rented from netflix.

To give you an idea of where I'm coming from when I talk about Viridiana, let me begin with the sultry netflix summary: "Before taking her final vows, young nun Viridiana (Silvia Pinal) visits her uncle Don Jaime (Fernando Rey), who's supported her for years. But Jaime, fixated on his niece because of her resemblance to his late wife, sets out to corrupt her. Celebrated surrealist Luis Buñuel directs this controversial satire, which was banned by the Spanish government for obscenity and blasphemy. Viridiana won the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival." Sounds awesome right? With the promise of heresy, incest, presumably sexy times, and a corrupted nun, I was looking forward to this movie. Turns out that's not at all what it's really about.

So in the beginning young nun Viridiana does indeed visit her ailing uncle and he totally lusts after her because she looks like his dead wife. But he doesn't try to seduce her, he drugs her and molests her when she falls asleep in his wife's wedding dress. Then he kills himself. This is all within the first half hour or so I think. The rest of the movie is about Viridiana helping a group of homeless people while her cousin tries to sleep with all the women in his vicinity. It's all a commentary on how shitty the Catholic Church is or something. Self-serving piety and all that.

Look, I dig Surrealism as much as the next person, despite all the sexism. Magritte is one of my favorite artists. So I think I should be more into Buñuel. I liked Un Chien Andalou because of how crazy it is, and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is ok, and that's about as far as I got. I chose Viridiana because I think corrupted religious figures are always interesting, and I don't like Catholicism. Unfortunately, my completely off-base expectations coupled with Buñuel's meandering pace and narrative produced a lukewarm reaction as I viewed the film.

Part of the problem is that I didn't really understand the character of Viridiana. She's pretty, she's pious, she's confused, and she's kind of mean. I'm not sure what her motivations are for any of her actions, except taking in the local homeless since that is the kind of thing a guilt-stricken charitable person with sudden wealth might do. Everyone in this movie is unlikable, and it's ok, it happens, but I felt like there was nothing for me to hold on to. The story shifts several times so that I was never sure what the actual main plotline was, or if there even was one. I know I shouldn't hold Buñuel up to conventional standards, but because much of Viridiana is pretty straightforward with its blunt symbolism and stock characters, I continued to hold out for things that weren't there.

I liked the whole rich/poor dichotomy with the beggars and the Last Supper joke, and there is some powerful imagery in the film. The story seems like a failed quest for civility. The cast is strong, with Silvia Pinal's intense and captivating face forcing me to wonder just what forces lay behind it. Margarita Lozano stands out in the supporting role of maid Ramona- she is slightly crazed and easily dominated, and I kept expecting her to just break.

It's not that I disliked Viridiana, I guess I just expected something different. Though there are parts of it I enjoyed and appreciated, overall it felt lacking. That's cool it was banned in Spain though. Franco was such a dick, amirite?

3/5

Pair This Movie With: Mmmm not sure here. More Buñuel? I've heard Belle du Jour is good. Or The Sound of Music has a nun who goes away and lives in a fancy house, but she has a lot more fun than Viridiana!

Legally Blonde (2001)

2011-11-13T11:03:00.001-05:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, recently purchased for $5 at an ~~FYE-ish place in Toronto~~ HMV! Livin' on the cheap!

I've been sort of in the mood to watch this movie for about a year but I never think to buy it. UNTIL NOW. Based on the book by Amanda Brown and penned by the screenwriting team who would sadly later go on to write The House Bunny and The Ugly Truth, Legally Blonde stars Reese Witherspoon as popular and perky sorority president Elle Woods. Dumped by her pretentious wannabe lawyer boyfriend, she enrolls at Harvard Law School to prove to him that she can be the kind of wife he needs to impress his hoity-toity family. She quickly discovers that her bubbly personality, loud fashion, and naivety cause her Harvard peers to snub her- and underestimate her.

Hiding beneath its pink and frivolous facade, Legally Blonde is actually pretty clever and forward-thinking in many ways. Beginning as a desperate forced romance between a supposedly vapid homecoming queen and a bland, stuck-up asshole, it at first seems like an over-the-top romantic comedy. But you know what? Romance is barely a focus here, which is always awesome in any lady-fronted comedy. When you've got Witherspoon's adorable high-pitched antics, Selma Blair making some amazing faces, and Jennifer Coolidge doing anything, there really isn't any need for a romance to bore things up. Sure Luke Wilson makes eyes at Elle, but it's not really a thing.

Side note: It's funny because as the movie progressed I kept thinking, "This should be a musical" and then like 45 minutes later I realized it HAS been turned into a Broadway musical and I've SEEN it. It was sort of unmemorable I guess?

For the most part this movie is all about a determined, smarter-than-she-looks lady out to prove herself highly capable in the scholastic and professional world despite various obstacles. Elle is misjudged and berated simply because she doesn't come off as a typical Harvard smartie-pants. There are some easy fish-out-of-water jokes, because lol she's blonde and pretty but trying to read BOOKS?!?!??! but I pay more attention to Elle's totally awesome put-downs and can-do attitude. Here is a girl I myself would probably judge harshly when I first met her because I myself am basically a snob, so I love that the script spends so much time proving my first impression wrong. She starts off as a caricature of a popular pretty girl, but is quickly established as a multi-dimensional, resourceful, highly capable young woman who just happens to like fashion and parties. I mean fuck it, I could never get into Harvard Law. Elle is goddamn Wonder Woman.

I would probably unabashedly love this movie if not for one huge problematic scene. There's this crazy exaggerated gay stereotype in one of the courtroom segments, and it's not very funny, and completely unnecessary. I don't mind the plot point of "Oh the pool boy's gay, which is why he's probably lying about having an affair with Ali Larter", whatever. But figuring out he's gay because he recognized Elle's Prada shoes? And then the "YOU BITCH" thing with the boyfriend? I don't know, it just seems so dated and out of place in an otherwise open-minded movie. It could be worse I guess, but mostly I just wish that scene wasn't there.

Anyway Legally Blonde is OTHERWISE pretty great. Maybe just fast-forward through that one part. And remember not to judge people just because they're pretty and perky. Sometimes, not everyone is a jerk, you know?

4/5

Pair This Movie With: I'm not sure, maybe Mean Girls- That's got self-actualization but in high school. Or Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead has some similar themes. For more light Reese Witherspoon fare, I admit I'm a fan of Just Like Heaven.

Alex Makes Art #58

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Oh my it's time for more art that I made, isn't that fun? New stuff will be taking some thematic turns in upcoming weeks as I work on a couple of commissions, which is exciting. I will still make time for my own work though as evidenced below with my totally awesome gig poster for Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem! I loved their scene in The Muppet Movie and have pretty much had "Can You Picture That" on a loop in my head for a week. I wanted to make something psychedelic and rainbowy and fun, and I think that's pretty much what happened! Good times.

It's for sale! Buy it! Hurray!

Also in case you're interested here's the first in a big commission series I'm doing for a lady on etsy.

Take Shelter (2011)

2011-11-10T11:18:00.000-05:00

Seen: At the Landmark Cinema Kendall Square in Cambridge.

A movie that proposes to be about a horrendous impending storm but moves quietly into documenting one man's gradual descent into paranoid schizophrenia, Take Shelter is Jeff Nichols' second feature after his excellent debut Shotgun Stories. The illustrious Michael Shannon stars as Curtis, a construction foreman plagued by hyper-realistic dreams that predict a storm so horrific it turns people into killers. As his visions move into his waking life he fears equally for his sanity and his family's safety, building a tornado shelter just in case he turns out to be right while his wife (Jessica Chastain) and deaf daughter (Tova Stewart) look on in confusion and eventual fear.

With airtight editing, haunting and innovative visuals, an evocative score, and a climax as tense as it is gut-wrenching, Take Shelter delivers on both a narrative and emotional level with room to spare for Shannon's intense and compassionate performance. As usual he proves that he is not nearly famous enough. Suffice it to say, I loved everything about it.

The perfect blending of real world and dream world, part of the film's success is the perpetual uncertainty about what is actually happening at any given time, and whether or not Curtis could be right. He's so convinced that his dreams are prophetic, and Nichols is so adept at infusing each shot with a feeling of doom, that it's easy to believe the world is about to end. This thrilling tension is offset by the gripping emotional drama of Curtis's home life as he alienates his family and friends. Fresh from her insufferable Holy Madonna character in The Tree of Life, Jessica Chastain gives a very strong performance as Samantha, who juts out her dimpled chin in defiance of her husband's insensible actions, determined to stick with him through this hardship if she can only understand what he's going through. There's also one fantastic and revealing scene with Kathy Baker as Curtis's mother. I won't spoil it for you. And it's always nice to see Shea Whigham!

Over a week later and I'm still besotted with this film's imaginative and manipulative imagery, and just the realness of it all. I walked out of Take Shelter mildly speechless, and terrified that either I or those close to me would start slipping into madness at 35. I'm also sort of scared of freaky clouds and flocks of flying birds now. So, I guess this film is wildly effective. And I can't think of anything that's wrong with it, really.

5/5

Pair This Movie With: I'd recommend seeing this with A Serious Man, I just have this strong feeling that they'd go really well together. Plus they both star current Boardwalk Empire actors.

Coolidge Corner Horror Marathon, Part II

2011-11-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

Seen: At the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, on 35 mm.
But first, read Part One!

Now on to the wee-er hours of the morning with the 12am-12pm Horrorthon at Coolidge Corner. Before everyone judges me for nodding off a few times, I'd like you to keep in mind that not only had I worked a 9-5 day on my feet beforehand, but also I've been taking sleep-inducing Benadryl all the time because of allergy problems. Also the seats at the Coolidge are so comfortable! Although I must say it was super cold in there, and the snowstorm outside wasn't helping! Anyway, onwards to more thrills and chills and snoozes.

4 Dèmoni 2: L'incubo ritorna (Demons 2) (1986)
Yeah so I haven't seen the first Demons and after struggling through the first half hour I pretty much chose this one as the movie I would sleep through. Directed by Mario Bava's son Lamberto and co-written by Dario Argento, I imagine this film is decent if viewed in a non-exhausted mindset. The story has something to do with a lady's birthday party and demons who come out of a tv show and possess unsuspecting viewers in a big apartment building. As far as I could tell it was super 80's and a bit gory (lots of veins popping out everywhere), but I honestly don't remember much else. Sorry.
?/5

5 Hardware (1990)
I was excited for this one because it's referenced on an episode of The Office and it sounded AWESOME from the netflix description. Too bad it's not actually that good. Drawing pretty liberally from films like The Terminator and Alien, the film sets up a crumbling post-apocalyptic future, then sort of forgets about it as a lady is trapped in her apartment with a killer robot. It seeks to be a futuristic horror movie and I applaud its efforts, but it doesn't really mesh genres well. The setting and characters aren't very well established and the effects/direction aren't thoughtful enough to really make this robot monster situation terrifying. Plus it's paced really badly and I definitely dozed off for a bit in the third act because I thought it was over. Still, I like the premise and Dylan McDermott is there with a robot hand. And the artist lady is pretty ok. There are a lot of good ideas in this movie, but nothing quite works the way it should. It's watchable, though.
3/5

6 Hellraiser (1987)
I was also pretty convinced I'd be too grossed out/scared of this one to make it all the way through, but aside from some intermittent dozing during the opening scenes (I WAS TIRED OK), I was pretty into this movie. It manages to be both funny in a cheesy 80's way and legitimately scary and interesting horror. The main lady is over-the-top British with a bad haircut and half the movie is her making sex-gasp noises, which is always hilarious. But then all the monsters and stuff that come out of hellworld or whatever to claim her gooey zombie boyfriend are freaky and imaginatively designed. Plus there's mad amounts of sado-masochism, jeez. Clive Barker (in his directorial debut) utilizes the claustrophobic setting of the family's house really well, managing to create tension and atmosphere in a seemingly banal location. Good stuff.
4/5

7 Rabid
So we were pretty far-gone at this point and since we had already seen Rabid at the Sci-Fi Marathon a few years ago, it seemed pointless to force ourselves to sit through it again when we were feeling like half-crazed zombie people anyway. This is Cronenberg's second film, and it's notable for starring porn actress Marilyn Chambers and working some body horror into a typical zombie premise. I thought it was ok, a little boring, and for more of my thoughts you can click the title which links to my 'Thon review.
3/5

Well there you have it, another Halloween dominated by comfy seats, schlocky horror, and like-minded nerds and over-animated hipsters (it's Brookline, they're inescapable) to share it with. We'll see what the Coolidge has to offer next year!

Coolidge Corner Horror Marathon, Part I

2011-11-08T13:39:00.000-05:00

Seen: At the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. Everything was 35mm, thank goodness.

Like last year, I stepped out for my annual Halloween shenanigans at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, which hosts a yearly all-night horror marathon for Boston's more discerning moviegoers. There's a costume contest, freaky video compilations from the Whore Church, and most importantly tons of awesome movies! Also I got to meet blogger/twitter buddy Adam in person, who stayed for the first two films. Nice to meet you, guy! Click ahead to HORRORRRRRR.

1 Suspiria (1977)
Though I had watched this fairly recently it was exciting to see it in a theater, with the whispery Goblin tunes and breathtaking color schemes felt more acutely than in a home viewing. I was able to take in more details, such as Argento's high placement of doorknobs to make the girls seem smaller, and Udo Kier's hilarious pronunciation of the word "occult" (although I think he was dubbed?). For my full thoughts, the title links to my original review. Also I'd like to remind you that my Suspiria ink painting is still available for sale.
4/5

2 The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
This was definitely my favorite of the films I saw at the marathon. One of two films directed by legendary sci-fi/horror writer Dan O'Bannon, it is a hilarious and often gruesome view of the zombie apocalypse as experienced by a bunch of teenage punks and the bumbling employees of a medical supply company when a deadly gas is released into the atmosphere and a nearby cemetery comes alive- LITERALLY LOL. Within zombie mythology it is notable in its inclusion of sentient zombies who are just overcome by pain and hunger, a sexy naked zombie, and an awesomely gung-ho solution to the problem. AND not only does the black guy not die first, he makes it to the end mostly! And his name is Spider! Basically: this movie rules. It's funny and scary and imaginative and always exciting. Great effects, too.
4.5/5

3 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
I was convinced this movie would be super gross and scary and I'd have to avert my eyes for most of the scenes, but actually it's totally watchable and I liked it a lot! The story starts off slowly as five twentysomethings head out to an isolated and abandoned house in rural Texas that two of them used to vacation in as kids (they're brother and sister and the house is owned by their family). They come across strange collections of bones and other unseemly hints at the horror awaiting them, but somehow they still walk right into the titular massacre as a nearby crazy person persists in picking them off one by one. The film really picks up in the last act as lone survivor Sally discovers the true extent of homicidal madness that this area has to offer. It's pretty awesome.
4/5

All right stay tuned for Part II tomorrow, involving some vein-y demons, robot terror, gooey undead murderers, and indulgent British lady sex. Hurray!

50/50 (2011)

2011-11-07T11:56:00.000-05:00

Seen: At the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto. (Canada!)

I know it took me forever but I finally saw 50/50. Yay me. Based on the actual experiences of screenwriter Will Reiser, the film follows 27-year-old radio editor Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as he copes with his recent cancer diagnosis. He struggles opening up to his appointed therapist Katherine (Anna Kendrick), pals around with his only friend (right?) Kyle (Seth Rogen- who is basically playing himself since he is actually best friends with Reiser), gets chemotherapy with some lovable old dudes (Matt Frewer and Philip Baker Hall), and re-assesses his relationship with his girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard). All while ignoring calls from his over-protective mother (Anjelica Huston).

50/50 is pretty much exactly what I expected it to be, and that's totally ok. It oscillates between goofy, cutesy humor and heart-wrenching drama, without drifting too far into either for an ultimately realistic portrayal of the protagonist's dilemma. I couldn't help but think often of my mother, who in the past few years has seen several of her close friends be diagnosed with cancer, some prevailing and some not. The script is strongest in its moments of subtlety, from a quiet "How are you doing, mom?" in the doctor's office to a friendly offering of pot while Adam gets chemo for the first time. The over-the-top antics of Adam and Kyle trying to pick up cancer-sympathetic girls and the histrionic relationship Adam has with his girlfriend make for weaker scenes. Especially the latter. Seriously, am I the only one who is utterly fed up with this stupid "bitchy ex-girlfriend" cliche? I assume Rachael is based on a real person, so sorry if Will Reiser actually dated a two-timing melodramatic artist, but he could at least have attempted to humanize her. She's portrayed as a woman who is awful for no apparent reason, and I can't figure out why they were even dating.

Otherwise I am a fan of this film! The performances are great, from Gordon-Levitt's ever-adorable face and Kendrick's relatability to Rogen's surprisingly resonant supporting performance and Huston's enduring awesomeness. The absolute best part if you are a total geek is that Matt Frewer is there for like three scenes, and he totally has a line about how great television is! And I was like FUCK YEAH MAX HEADROOOOOM.

So 50/50 made me teary, duh. And I laughed sometimes. And I liked it.

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Oh god it's so hard to not just say Max Headroom. But that's where you need to go if you want more Matt Frewer. For an actual, sensible pairing how about Rocket Science for another example of Anna Kendrick helping out a dude who has a problem.

I Love Children Double Feature: Annie (1982) and Billy Elliot (2000)

2011-11-06T13:44:00.001-05:00

Seen: On dvd on Sasha's fancy new tv, while visiting Toronto.

Reading Sasha's review of Annie had me weirdly in the mood to re-visit it. I remember watching it a lot as a kid even though the main character annoyed the shit out of me. Then while visiting her in Toronto we had multiple conversations (with multiple people) about the fact that I hadn't seen Billy Elliot. It appears this is a crime against humanity? But never fear, all was set right thanks to her generosity and good thinking! We had a delightful double feature during an important day of blogging.

Based on the long-running newspaper comic strip and subsequent musical adaptation, Annie tells the disgustingly saccharine tale of the titular Depression-era orphan (Aileen Quinn) as she moves from an orphanage in the slums up to a billionaire's mansion when she is invited to spend a week with Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks (Albert Finney). She learns what it's like to be rich, chills with a hair-flippy dancing secretary (Ann Reinking), and tries to escape the evil clutches of the gold-digging Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett) and her con artist associates (Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters). Also there's a dog. And lots of singing. And... little girls...

As a kid I watched this movie primarily because I loved the Talent Trinity of Carol Burnett, Tim Curry, and Bernadette Peters. Also I liked the dancing. As a character Annie has remained irritating as all hell, but it's kind of entertaining. She's high-pitched and super passive-aggressive and really over-acty (well, all the kids are, so I can't blame her there), and it's basically hilarious. The rest of the cast isn't much better, excepting my three favorites mentioned earlier. Albert Finney yells at everything and wears a bald cap while Ann Reinking blares that audacious smile and over-laughs at every joke. I enjoyed Edward Hermann's appearance as FDR, a president who could only stop the Depression with the help of an asshole billionaire apparently. And there's some racism both for the 30's and 80's as a black man plays an Indian guy named Punjab who has mystical powers (duh he's Indian OF COURSE HE HAS MYSTICAL POWERS). At there's no brownface?

The story is ok, pretty straightforward, family-friendly heartwarming stuff with a watered-down version of the time period- everything is over the top and over-simplified, but that's to be expected for a musical aimed at kids. Which is why the surprisingly terrifying climax and totally ridiculous scenes involving the sex-starved and abusive Miss Hannigan don't really fit in with the rest of the film. But oh well, it's Carol Burnett's drunken rants about children that keep me coming back to Annie. What can I say? I totally relate.

I have so many complaints about this movie, clearly, yet I find it so re-watchable. The songs and musical numbers are truly great, and there are some really fun scenes that re-create entertainment in the 30's, such as the radio broadcast and the movie screening pre-show. It's the kind of film that's sort of fun because of its problems, as well as despite them. And seriously, Burnett is comic gold as Miss Hannigan, and now I'm off to watch her stride down "Easy Street" with Tim and Bernadette.

3/5

Ok time for the main feature here as I finally dig into Billy Elliot, a movie I'd heard so much about I almost feel like I'd seen it already, especially with recent talk about the stage musical. Cute-as-a-button Jamie Bell stars as Billy, a young boy living in small-town England who secretly skips boxing lessons to join a dance class. His teacher Mrs Wilkinson (Julie Walters) believes he has real talent and encourages him to apply to a London dance academy, but his conventional father (Gary Lewis) and bullying older brother (Jamie Draven)- who are both on an extended coal miner's strike- don't understand these aspirations.

It's kind of cheesy and pretty predictable, but dammit I was really into this movie. The script merges the actual UK Miner's Strike in 1984 with the fictional story of an idiosyncratic boy who fights for his dream at the risk of alienating his family. While these components don't always fit together well, it does make for a more gripping backdrop of your typical kid-just-wants-to-dance tale. It allows for more exploration of the father and brother characters, and a more nuanced context for the townsfolk. I liked the subplot about Billy's best friend who's secretly gay, even though I worried for that character the whole movie because it felt like physical confrontation just waiting to happen.

Aside from Jamie Bell being absolutely adorable and wonderfully expressive, Billy Elliot's crowning achievement is the dancing. OH THE DANCING. There are so many awesome musical sequences in this movie, it's amazing. Jamie Bell is just a really good dancer, seriously, because for the most part I don't think they used a body double. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) He does one of the best angry dances I've ever seen, so enjoy that. This is a pretty awesome movies, you guys, not sure why I never watched it. Time to see the stage version.

4/5

Alex Makes Art #57 (AKA The Movie Sketch Project Changes Names)

2011-11-04T10:54:00.000-04:00

Hey dudes, how's it hanging? I know I've lapsed in my art-making lately, I have no excuse except to say that I work two jobs and have had some health-related mishaps this month. Also I was in Toronto for a glorious week and had no time for art. I've got a lot in development though, including a bitchin' new movie band gig poster I'm conceptualizing for this month, a Night of the Hunter painting I'm itching to start, and a batch of commissions for a lady on etsy (those will take precedent). Also I'm changing the title since I've moved away from the "sketch" aspect and it's not always about movies. It will still mostly be about movies, though, don't worry.

Anyway for today I have a portrait of PJ Harvey, one of my favorite musicians. For you non-music, pro-movie people you might know PJ from Hal Hartley's The Book of Life, her only film role to date. Her birthday was a few weeks ago (when I started this drawing- it has taken so long to finish). It's too big to scan so it had to be broken into two parts, sorry for the weird shadow and slightly warped angles, that's the best I could manage for now- which is too bad since in real life I think it looks pretty good.

PS Gifty holidays are coming up, why not surprise your loved one with art from my shop? Eh?

Pennies From Heaven (1981)

2011-11-03T14:20:00.002-04:00

Seen: On dvd on our big screen/projector set-up, rented from the Tisch Library at Tufts.

I put regular reviews on hold while covering Toronto After Dark so this one is getting a little foggy in my memory. But I shall do my best. Based on the BBC miniseries of the same name, Pennies From Heaven is one of those high-concept, ill-fated musicals of the late twentieth century that some will probably call misunderstood and under-rated. Those people would be wrong. Steve Martin stars as Arthur, a Depression-era sheet music salesman who is unfulfilled by his high-strung wife (Jessica Harper) and turns to brusque schoolteacher Eileen (Bernadette Peters) for sexual satisfaction. He also meets various put-upon people with problems, and things get worse and worse the more the story progresses. He makes up musical numbers in his head along the way.

What a mess. With a loathsome protagonist and one-dimensional side characters, not to mention a completely uneven tone and ridiculous plot, Pennies From Heaven needs all the splashy musical numbers and charismatic stars it can get. Luckily, the jaw-dropping set-pieces (including a few recreations of 30s-era paintings), stunning choreography from hilariously-named Danny Daniels, and plucky cast kept me engaged enough to sit through the dull and unconvincing non-musical parts. The songs are all era standards, and the majority of them aren't actually sung by the actors, who instead lip-sync to old recordings complete with audio blips and scratches. At first this was strange, especially since several of the performers are fine singers in real life (especially Peters and Harper), but it has a nice comedic effect at times and I ended up really liking the choice once I got used to it, just because it's a little different. Plus everyone is such a good dancer! HELLO CHRISTOPHER WALKEN!

But really, the script is so hard to deal with. I have no idea how seriously I'm supposed to take this movie, but my gut tells me it's meant to be pretty damn dramatic. Horrible things keep happening to these people, and they just retreat into musical numbers to try and cope. The thing is, all of the characters are so poorly delineated and developed that I couldn't bring myself to care. I spent most of the movie wanting to lead Jessica Harper away from the set. And it's so hard to see Steve Martin play such a complete asshole when he's the central focus. The tone jumps from peppy and upbeat to awful and calamitous without warning, and at times it's just hard to watch. I have nothing against dramatic musicals, they don't all have to be Fred Astaire making eyes at Ginger Rogers, but considering so much of this film is a nod to sparkly Busby Berkeley musicals of the 30's and the like, it's tough to take in all the context.

Honestly, if you just watched all the musical numbers online you'd be fine, there's not really any need to see the entire movie. I have helpfully supplied my favorites below. You're welcome. (Unfortunately I can't find the most impressive number, "Yes, Yes".)

3/5

Pair This Movie With: Shit, I don't know. The Saddest Music in the World is set in the 30's and has a few musical numbers. Or there's Chicago. Or just watch The Jerk for the excellent Martin/Peters pairing in a better movie.

"Let's Misbehave" (WATCH THIS IF YOU WANT TO SEE CHRISTOPHER WALKEN DO A STRIPTEASE)

"Pennies From Heaven"

"Love is Good for Anything That Ails You"

Toronto After Dark Film Festival: Shorts

2011-11-02T11:08:00.002-04:00

This review is part of my coverage of the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, taking place October 20-27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. For more information, check out their website. For my full coverage go here.

Though I missed the shorts program, I did see a number of excellent short films screened before each feature at Toronto After Dark. Some are zany, some icky, some horrifying, some thought-provoking, some hilarious. All of them are Canadian!

"The Legend of Beaver Dam" (Jerome Sable, 2010; 12 min)
Combine camping, musical theater, heavy metal, and slasher horror and you've begun to crack the sheer awesome joy of this short. It manages to be hilariously inventive, surprisingly action-packed, and darkly shocking in just 12 minutes. I mean, jeez. That is talent, right? I hear it's been playing pretty often at Toronto events and it's screened at various national and international festivals, so hopefully everyone will get a chance to see it!
More info at its website.

"My Main Squeeze" (Chris Nash, 2011; 7 min)
A girl becomes obsessed with popping bubble wrap to the point of sexual fetish. I don't want to go into it any more. Though it's funny and imaginative, I wasn't a big fan of this one, primarily because I am squeamish and have lately been dealing with skin problems that make me sensitive to such topics. It got a very strong response from the audience, I will say that much! Nash also did the horror-themed bumpers before all the TAD films, which I enjoyed.

"Le Poids De Vude" ("The Weight of Emptiness") (Alain Fournier, 2011; 13 min)
Set within a moody apartment building with boarded-up windows, this film tests the relationship between a mysterious mother and son. The blue-tinged color scheme and vaguely sci-fi atmosphere lend the short an intensity and enticing ambiguity. The two actors give fine performances, and the effects are gorgeous. A straight-up beautiful film.
Check out the trailer on youtube.

"The Incident" (Jules Saulnier, 2011; 7 min)
This is another favorite, primarily for how all-out weird it is. An American spy wanders around Berlin with seemingly no memory or purpose, trying to figure out why Baltimore has to be destroyed. It doesn't really make any sense but it's downright funny and I loved it. The black and white visuals, the stilted, distant dialogue (reminiscent of overly-choreographed Hal Hartley conversations), and the befuddling narrative make me want to watch it again and again, because I'm sure there are details I missed.
Check out the trailer on youtube.

"Blind Spot" (Matthew Nayman, 2011; 6 min)
Stuck in traffic on his way to the airport, Steven is transferred around the airline booking agents as he tries to change his flight over the phone. He isn't aware of anything happening around him, but he has to look out the window sometime! This is a snappy, smart little short with a simple set-up and hilarious pay-off, definitely one of the most memorable shorts I saw at the festival.
Watch the film on youtube.

"Ethereal Chrysalis" (Syl Disjonk, 2010; 10 min)
Inspired by his nightmares, filmmaker Syl Disjonk puts himself in a series of horrific hellscapes. Faces rip off, entrails slither about, demons suck face, bodies are dismembered, a painting comes to life... and various other things happen. There isn't really a narrative, it's more a group of nightmarish ideas thrown into a blender and filmed in front of a green screen and set to operatic music. It's not really my thing, but some of the visuals were cool.
More info at its website.

"How to Rid Your Lover of a Negative Emotion Caused By You" (Nadia Litz, 2011; 16 min)
This is the only film (short or feature) I saw that was directed by a woman, so that's cool. (Side note: Come on, ladies, let's get more genre films into next year's Toronto After Dark!) It focuses on a couple with a strange dynamic: Whenever Sadie pisses off her boyfriend Dennis, she knocks him out, cuts out the bad emotions she caused him (they look like blueberries), stitches him back up, feeds him a lollipop, and everything's fine. But it can't last forever. This film manages to be funny, tragic, and visceral at the same time, with an inventive premise and fine performances. Great stuff!
Check out their facebook page.

"The Lady Paranorma" (Vincent Marcone, 2011; 6 min)
This is the only animated film I saw (I skipped Redline since I'd already seen it), so that was exciting for me! With a surreal aesthetic and poetic narration, the film looks at a lonely lady who hears ghosts but can't see them. Believed to be insane by the rest of the town, she tries to find a friend in the dead. It's beautifully animated and scored, and I loved the brown color palette and ethereal look of the ghosts. I couldn't help but recall Tim Burton works like "Vincent" and Corpse Bride, what with the rhyming, Goth-y character design, and askew sets, so I guess it's a bit derivative. I still dug it though!
Check out the trailer on youtube.

Well, thus ends my Toronto After Dark coverage, hopefully you've enjoyed my first foray into this Canadian genre fest. I know I did! Looking forward to next year!

Toronto After Dark Film Festival: The Innkeepers (2011)

2011-11-01T19:13:00.000-04:00

This review is part of my coverage of the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, taking place October 20-27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. For more information, check out their website. For my full coverage go here.

With the spiffiest poster I've seen in a while and a lot of positive buzz for The House of the Devil filmmaker Ti West, I was definitely looking forward to The Innkeepers, the closing film at Toronto After Dark. Set at a purportedly haunted inn in Connecticut, the film documents the adventures of Claire (Sarah Paxton, aka the Most Adorable Person in the World) and Luke (Pat Healy) as they work one of their last nights at the soon-to-close Yankee Pedlar Inn. Using an audio recorder, Claire plans to find proof of resident ghost Madeline O'Malley before the night is out, with help from a psychic guest (Kelly McGillis).

Utilizing long bouts of silence and continued uncertainty as to the validity of spectral presence, The Innkeepers proves West is adept at the "slow-burn" style of horror. It is incredibly tense and at points truly scary, primarily because of all the crazy what-ifs I built up in my head as the action slowly unfolded on- (and off-) screen. The exploration of sound is effective and innovative, with a lot of dark scenes propelled by sound alone. This managed to terrify me by holding so much back, but then again I am a bit of a scaredy-cat.

For all its suicidal ghost brides and ominous portent, The Innkeepers' success lies primarily in its remarkable development of character. Sarah Paxton is phenomenal as Claire, a relatable and innocent young lady who manages to be hilarious most of the time with effortless charm. She makes a scene that is literally just Claire taking out the garbage turn into the most entertaining thing I saw all week. I spent most of the film imagining how fun our lunch dates and sleepovers would be once we became best friends. I also totally wanted her to hook up with Luke, since Pat Healy is so helplessly nerdy it looked like he could use a good, healthy boinkfest. The extreme attachment West is able to invoke for his characters is what makes the film so engaging- I cared so strongly what happened to these people, it was a little ridiculous.

Not much actually happens in The Innkeepers, plot-wise. It's slow, it's dialogue-heavy, and for a ghost story there isn't much screen time devoted to actual ghosts. And I was captivated every second. West frames his story so closely and Paxton charms to completely that I couldn't help but give in to this movie. Plus he totally got me several times with the mere possibility of a scare during all those prolonged, high-pitched-note type of scenes.

What's cool about this film is that it's based on West's real experiences. He and his crew stayed at the Yankee Pedlar while shooting The House of the Devil, and he claims that while he doesn't believe in ghosts, this is the most haunted place he's ever been. Doors close by themselves, everyone has freaky dreams, things move on their own, etc. The inn's lazy employees served as inspiration for Luke and Claire. The movie is filmed at the actual Yankee Pedlar and the whole crew stayed there while filming, leading to some spooky times.

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: I have yet to see West's previous film The House of the Devil but I've heard it's got a similar vibe. Otherwise, I'd say The Shining.

Toronto After Dark Film Festival: Vs (2011)

2011-10-30T21:16:00.000-04:00

This review is part of my coverage of the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, taking place October 20-27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. For more information, check out their website. For my full coverage go here.

Four superheroes wake up in an isolated small town rigged to explode if they don't follow the rules of a vengeful villain's (James Remar) homicidal obstacle course. Charge (Jason Trost), Cutthroat (Lucas Till), Shadow (Sophie Merkley), and The Wall (Lee Valmassy) were once a crimefighting team before going their separate ways due to ego struggles and relationship drama, but now they find they must either work together or kill each other if they want to get out alive and save the various innocent hostages tied up around the town.

Vs has a really solid premise. I enjoy dark superhero stories, and this one definitely has a Watchmen-esque take on things as the characters' relationships are explored and their very human flaws and uncertainties are given focus instead of their superpowers (they've been injected with a power-muffling serum) or witty quips. Everyone is expendable, which is also nice for a less predictable story. Unfortunately the execution doesn't live up to the promise of the set-up.

With uneven performances, some questionable narrative choices, weak characterization, and a tendency to take itself too seriously, Vs just doesn't really work for me. I wanted to like it because I think the premise is so promising, but wound up being very disappointed. The cheesy flashbacks and stilted dialogue were unintentionally laughable at points, and while the effects are decent the action isn't very engaging. I'll spare you my seething diatribe about the incredibly incompetent, whiny, useless female superhero "Shadow", who gets to stare blankly at the boys while wearing high heels and waiting to be ordered around, but suffice to say her character alone is enough to forfeit any respect I might have for this film.

James Remar looks like he's having a fun time as the cocky bad guy and Lucas Till is pretty, but there's little to really recommend in this film. It's mostly wasted opportunities with a few showy moments. It strives for affecting superhero drama but manages to lay on the cheese with a dated Fantastic Four-esque dynamic and unconvincing characters. I would actually love to see someone remake this with a bigger budget and stronger script. I'm not trying to dump on the filmmakers here, I recognize that a lot of hard work and dedication went into making this film, the execution just didn't work for me.

But seriously, are we really not past these stupid, infantile, one-dimensional depictions of women in superhero movies yet? It's one thing when they're being adapted from 60's comic books but this is a new character written for the screen in a 2011 release. I continue to be infuriated by the lack of any decent female superheroes, it just seems like we should really be over this by now. Is Tank Girl all I'm ever going to get?

2/5

Pair This Movie With: Well I didn't really care for the Watchmen movie but maybe if you like that you'd like this too? Long double feature, though. I would recommend to instead read Uncanny X-Men #123 with Arcade when he traps the team in a high-concept obstacle course. Good times.

Vs facebook page
Vs trailer

Toronto After Dark Film Festival: Manborg (2011)

2011-10-29T09:00:00.002-04:00

This review is part of my coverage of the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, taking place October 20-27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. For more information, check out their website. For my full coverage go here.

OK so this movie is called Manborg. What the fuck else do you need to know about it? Except that the tagline is "Revenge is back".

Fine fine I WILL WRITE AN ACTUAL REVIEW. Brought to us by the Astron-6 collective (my new favorite people), Manborg is a short and sweet low-budget sci-fi parody that envisions a future after Hell wins a war with Earth. In a mechanized city populated with demons, the remaining humans are forced to fight for entertainment. When the mysterious half-man, half-robot known as Manborg (Matthew Kennedy) appears, the human prisoners make a plan to escape and overcome their tyrannical overlords with his help.

At a trim 60 minutes, Manborg offers perfect goofy entertainment and never overstays its welcome (unlike a number of other similarly-minded parodies). The premise is appropriately silly and interesting, with a hilarious cast of mismatched characters and effects that surpass (and at times betray) the $1000 budget. With the good guys there's an outspoken Australian gunman (Conor Sweeney), his knife-wielding sister (Meredith Sweeney), and advanced martial artist Number One Man (Ludwig Lee, dubbed hilariously by Kyle Herbert). With the bad guys there's the melodramatic Dr Scorpius (Adam Brooks), the evil demon lord Draculon (also Adam Brooks), and his second-in-command the Baron (Jeremy Gillespie), who just wants to be loved! Everyone feels vaguely familiar due to the various genre-specific references, but the likable cast imbues the characters with layers of comedy and sometimes badassery. It's like Mad Max, Mortal Kombat, Robocop, The Terminator, and everything that's awesome rolled together to make something even better?

The more I think about this movie the more I want to watch it again. The one reservation I had going in was the visuals, since the entire thing is shot in front of a green screen and the effects are purposefully (I assume?) sort of shitty. But writer/director Steve Kostanski is also a stop-motion animator, and I loved the various stop-motion monsters and effects he incorporated into the film. It gives it a simultaneously retro and modern-day feel. Plus the costumes were pretty cool (read: I dug Meredith Sweeney's blue wig), with various mechanical things constructed out of everyday objects.

Most of Manborg doesn't make any sense, but all of it is hilarious and amazing. Thank you Astron-6.

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: The silliness, enthusiasm, and shoestring budget of the Astron-6 crew remind me a little of Trey Parker's student film Cannibal! The Musical. Alternatively, the Baron character is reminiscent of the Legend of Zelda parody webseries, The Legend of Neil.

Astron-6 official site
Manborg trailer
Manborg Q&A at TADFF

Toronto After Dark Film Festival: The Divide (2011)

2011-10-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

This review is part of my coverage of the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, taking place October 20-27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. For more information, check out their website. For my full coverage go here.

As the world crumbles and burns around them, nine residents of an apartment building barricade themselves in the well-fortified basement where the curmudgeonly super resides. Fearful of nuclear radiation they remain there and eventually become trapped by an unknown military force outside, and as alliances are formed and sickness takes over their mental states deteriorate with increasingly violent results.

Like so many post-apocalyptic movies, The Divide reminds us that most people are monsters at heart and craziness is always just around the corner. The major players here are Eva (Lauren German), a wide-eyed recovering drug addict who doubts her commitment to her clueless partner Sam (Iván González); Josh (Milo Ventimiglia) and his friend Bobby (Michael Eklund), who both embark on a destructive power trip when they get control of the supplies; Mickey (Michael Biehn), the paranoid super with a violent temper; and Marilyn (Rosanna Arquette), a middle-aged mother who just breaks after her daughter is taken away. Most of the performances are strong, with the actors partially improvising their dialogue and character arcs- director Xavier Gens filmed in sequence and put his actors on a 30-day diet, so it's safe to say the cast became pretty involved in their roles. Lauren German is the weakest link, and the film suffers for it since she's meant to be the main protagonist. She spends most of the film ambling about with nice hair and no personality to speak of, plus she's got a mad case of the stares. It's annoying.

Though The Divide is showing us a premise we've all seen before, it is bold and creative in its complete focus on the moment. There are no flashbacks or expository character backgrounds, there is very little attention given to the outside world (the main trip out is in the beginning); the characters are so completely shut-in and cut-off that they (along with the audience) forget there is anything outside those walls. This story is all about what these people are doing here and now, not what they did before the world ended or what they will do if they ever get out. Escape seems to be forgotten early on and only survival matters.

This movie is a brutal experience. It's well-shot, I liked the score, and most of the performances are strong, but the meandering script and blank lead character make it less successful than it could have been, plus the story takes a few turns that don't make any sense. The most important thing is that Michael Biehn was there in person and I saw him and it was amazing. Michael Fuckingggg Biehnnnnnnnn.

3.5/5

Pair This Movie With: I think this would be kind of cool to play as a precursor to The Road- like maybe this is what was going on before the Father and Son started their journey.

The Divide official site
The Divide trailer

Toronto After Dark Film Festival: A Lonely Place to Die (2011)

2011-10-27T09:00:00.001-04:00

This review is part of my coverage of the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, taking place October 20-27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. For more information, check out their website. For my full coverage go here.

Merging survivalist thriller with action-packed chase movie, A Lonely Place to Die focuses on a group of thrill-seeking mountain climbers exploring the Scottish Highlands. When they come upon a young Serbian girl buried alive in the middle of the woods, their vacation is suddenly catapulted into a deadly chase populated with sheer cliffs, killer kidnappers, a pagan festival, and mercenaries with questionable motives. Experienced climber and presumably professional badass Alison (Melissa George) leads the way as the group tries to find help in the closest village.

With extensive birds-eye views of Scotland's gorgeous mountains and impressive on-location climbing action, A Lonely Place is a tense, engaging film from start to finish. At first I thought it would be a nail-biter survivalist film, which really isn't my thing because I am far too paranoid and squeamish for such matters, but after the characters are established in the opening scenes it pretty quickly changes over into a well-executed chase thriller with terrifying realism. A lot of people die in this movie and I had no idea how far sibling filmmakers Julian and Will Gibney would take their story, making the high stakes and removed setting all the more intensely felt.

The main thing we can take away from this movie- besides that mountain climbing is terrifying and Serbian crime lords are totally creepy- is that Melissa George is fucking hardcore. Her character is immediately shown to be the most capable in the film and continues to display signs of utter badassery with each passing scene. She takes a beating (both physically and emotionally) but refuses to stay down and pushes on through sheer force of will. It's amazing. The rest of the cast is good too but she is just so strong and resourceful it's hypnotic.

While some of the script's details are a little fuzzy or convoluted, for the most part A Lonely Place is tightly-paced, with beautiful cinematography, strong characterization, and a bit of a mystery. Our heroes have stumbled into a major conspiracy completely accidentally, and for most of the film they have no idea who is chasing them or why exactly, which makes things more exciting and even scary for the audience. It's definitely one of the best films I've seen at Toronto After Dark.

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: Maybe it's just because I've got Michael Biehn on the brain (he was at TADFF for his thriller The Divide- more on that later), but I could see this going well with The Terminator. They're both well-executed chase movies with a cool lady.

A Lonely Place to Die facebook
A Lonely Place to Die trailer

Toronto After Dark Film Festival: Love (2011)

2011-10-26T12:14:00.003-04:00

This review is part of my coverage of the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, taking place October 20-27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. For more information, check out their website. For my full coverage go here.

My most highly-anticipated film for Toronto After Dark was definitely Love. At first I only knew it as "that Angels & Airwaves movie" (the band both scored and produced the film) but after seeing the trailer my interest was more than piqued. Beginning with a bloody Civil War battle and then jumping ahead to 2039, Love primarily focuses on the experiences of Captain Lee Miller, an astronaut stranded alone on a small space station as an unknown apocalyptic event seemingly destroys mankind on Earth.

With a set composed mostly from found items and parts bought at Home Depot (constructed in the filmmaker's parents' backyard) and a production time spanning four years, Love comes off like a mini-miracle. It manages to be both intensely personal in subject and all-encompassing in scope, with a somewhat minimalist script and enough outer space shenanigans to pack a visual punch. Gunner Wright effectively carries the film, giving a sympathetic, tragic, and at times quite funny performance as he slowly loses his mind in a confined space. His total isolation and disconnect from the outside world is palpable, aided by the evocative electronic score and writer/director William Eubank's thoughtful direction.

Having primarily worked as a cinematographer before Love, Eubank's vision is ambitious, imaginative, and mostly successful. The opening Civil War scenes are breathtaking, and the surreal ending plays tricks on the eye in an unexpected way. Unfortunately some of the spacey stuff doesn't work, with a few sort of cheesy effects towards the end.

There is a turning point in Love that will probably leave most viewers pondering the film's exact meaning, and is likely to turn some people off completely. I think it's a nice blending of far-reaching science-fiction and introspective exploration of the human condition, managing to get in its titular message without being too sappy. I am left with questions though and am still sorting through my feelings about the film as a whole- especially the ending- so I'll need a re-watch or two to determine my final thoughts.

4/5 (for now)

Pair This Movie With: Definitely Moon. Or if you want to go more old school, try Silent Running.

William Eubank official site
Love trailer

Toronto After Dark Film Festival: Father's Day (2011)

2011-10-25T13:00:00.007-04:00

This review is part of my coverage of the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, taking place October 20-27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. For more information, check out their website. For my full coverage go here.

A one-eyed vigilante, a topless stripper with a chainsaw, a nearsighted cannibal rapist, incest, demonic possession, trips to both heaven and hell, a non sequitur commercial for low-budget sci-fi STAR RAIDERS, hallucinogenic berries; Father's Day- Canadian collective Astron-6's newest feature- seems to be an exercise in "Just how much fuckery can we pack into one movie?" When a string of ritualistic murder-dismemberments of fathers pop up around the city, young priest Father John Sullivan (Matthew Kennedy) tracks down maple syrup-obsessed hermit Ahab (Adam Brooks), a trained assassin who seeks vengeance against the known father-killer Chris Fuchman (Mackenzie Murdock). They team up with Ahab's sister Chelsea (Amy Groening) and her paranoid friend Twink (Conor Sweeney) to take the Fuchman down, only to uncover a demonic conspiracy that's been around for centuries.

This is a pretty weird fucking movie, which I guess is why I was bound to like it. It starts off as a gross-out grindhouse throwback with sickening effects (and real pig intestines!) and a recognizable parody structure. But then it just takes this turn into wackiness, pretty much forgets the whole father-serial-killer-thing, and becomes all the better for it. The script is inventive and farcical, the dialogue is downright ridiculous, and the main cast looks like they're having a blast just hanging out being silly together. It looks pretty good too, with a grungy exploitation palette and some nice stop-motion towards the end. Best of all it has one of my favorite things- a gun-toting religious figure! I love it when priests/nuns are lured into sex and violence!

My biggest issue with Father's Day is that it tries to do too much, and as a result the tone is wildly uneven. Admittedly I'm really squeamish so this is a personal thing, but all the dad-rape cannibalism stuff in the beginning was just way too gross to be funny or interesting, and it doesn't fit with the rest of the film's more lighthearted and ludicrous atmosphere. They don't need shock value or gross-out scares for this movie to be entertaining, and I liked the other parts of it so much that I wish that aspect had been left out. On the whole it's very enjoyable and certainly memorable, but I can't all-out love a movie with so many moments during which I have to look away from the screen.

4/5

PS Dude, Lloyd Kaufman, keep the Star Raiders spot in the movie! It's hilarious!

PPS I have a longer and better written review of this movie at 366 Weird Movies! Hurray!

Pair This Movie With: This movie reminded me a little bit of Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter, but it's much better. It'd go well with Rodriguez grindhouse throwbacks Planet Terror or Machete too.

Astron-6
Father's Day official site
Father's Day trailer

Toronto After Dark Film Festival: Monster Brawl (2011)

2011-10-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

This review is part of my coverage of the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival, taking place October 20-27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. For more information, check out their website. For my full coverage go here.

Toronto After Dark kicked off its week-long genre festival with a punch as Canadian filmmaker Jesse Cook's Monster Brawl took opening night. Set in a haunted graveyard near Lake Michigan, the film plays as a Wrestlemania-esque tv special that pairs up eight of horror culture's monsters for a series of deadly matches. Witch Bitch fights the Cyclops, Lady Vampire fights the Mummy, and the Werewolf, Zombie Man, Swamp Gut, and Frankenstein (...'s monster) fight it off for the Heavyweight Championship. Buzz Chambers (Dave Foley) and Sasquatch Sid Tucker (Art Hindle) commentate from a nearby shanty, and various flashbacks are shown to round out the fighters' circumstances.

With a bare-bones premise and limited resources, Monster Brawl does manage to do a lot with a little. It's essentially a versus video game stretched out to a feature-length film, and it works to an extent due to the attention to parodic detail, the funny script, and the enthusiastic cast. Of course I loved Dave Foley as the miserable commentator Buzz, who gets drunker and drunker as the fights progress, and Kelly Couture as Lady Vampire was a fucking animal in the ring. Jimmy Hart has a silly time as himself, an excitable announcer who gets to hang out with two bikini-clad ladies. The backstories are mostly pretty funny and clever, especially Swamp Gut's environmental documentary-style origin.

The effects are strong, with some imaginative make-up and prosthetics, and the fights are well choreographed, but really the concept just cannot work for a full-length movie. It's a fun idea and certainly one that many adolescent nerds will latch on to, but the long series of fights with very little narrative thread doesn't hold together for a runtime longer than 45 minutes. The film is executed well and it looks like everyone had a fun time working on it- the filmmaker and several castmembers were in attendance and we even got to see a little smack talking action- so I appreciated it as an easy to digest, crowd-pleasing start to the festival.

Also I was happy the monsters I rooted for won their battles!

3/5

Pair This Movie With: It'd be pretty silly to team it with a classic example of the monster genre, like the 1931 Frankenstein or something. Or for more funny commentators and fake sports you can't go wrong with BASEketball.

Monster Brawl official site
Monster Brawl trailer

Halloween (1978)

2011-10-23T11:19:00.000-04:00

Seen: On dvd on our big screen/projector set-up.

Horror is definitely a film genre in which I feel woefully unversed. I'm a bit of a wimp and in some ways pretty squeamish so I've avoided a lot of the bigger-name ones on purpose. I'm trying to rectify that somewhat since really I need to just man up (MAN UP!) and see some movies. John Carpenter's Halloween seemed like a good place to start. First-time-performer Jamie Lee Curtis stars as Laurie, a bookish high school student stuck babysitting on Halloween night. Unbeknownst to her, local deranged killer Michael Myers has broken out of a mental hospital and is on his way to continue the killing spree he began when he was 6. And Laurie's in his way.

With an almost ponderously slow pace, thoughtful use of first-person POV, and several scenes of Donald Pleasence levelly prophesying impending doom, Halloween succeeds in freaking out its audience by holding a lot back. Every shot seems to show off how deliberate it is, with Carpenter making full use of the questionable innocence of the quiet suburban street on which most of his story takes place. The haunting repetitive theme and closed-in settings of the two main houses increase the tension strung throughout the film.

A lot of this movie is just spying on teenage girls hanging out while babysitting, so it's lucky that PJ Soles, Nancy Kyes, and especially Jamie Lee Curtis are all so good in their roles. The former two prance around in limited clothing with attitudes that command respect, while the latter earns our attention with her expressive face and somewhat androgynous style. Donald Pleasence has the most entertaining part as Dr Sam Loomis, Michael Myers' long-time psychiatrist who frequently reminds us that we are in the presence of pure evil with cryptic, doomy utterances. He knows exactly how unhinged Myers really is but no one seems to actually believe him.

Halloween succeeds most fully in its depiction of the killer himself. Almost nothing is known about Myers except that he killed his sister when he was 6 and spent the rest of his life locked up. He never speaks, his face is never shown, and no attempt is made to offer an explanation for his doings. According to Loomis he's just an amoral sociopath with a knife. There is absolutely no clear reason for his actions, which makes him all the more terrifying and Laurie's predicament all the more compelling. As much as I'd like to know more about him, I appreciated Carpenter's minimalistic approach to his tale, which manages to both satisfy while leaving the audience hungry for more.

4.5/5

Pair This Movie With: I haven't seen it but Sasha recommends Friday the 13th.

Outland (1981)

2011-10-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

Seen: On dvd on my tv, rented from Hollywood Express in Cambridge.
85/100 on the Sci-Fi List.

"On Io, one of Jupiter's moons, Sean Connery is the law." An awkward tagline, it's true, but pretty inviting! Outland is a spaced-out version of High Noon... a movie I've never seen. Connery plays Marshall O'Niel, assigned to Io, a titanium mining colony with harsh living conditions and an overworked crew. Shortly after his arrival two miners wig out and seemingly commit suicide. As O'Niel investigates their deaths, he stumbles upon a drug conspiracy and corruption within the complex's administration. With no one to trust except the cantankerous Dr Lazarus, he must navigate the claustrophobic space station's criminal underbelly and avoid being killed in the process.

I'm not going to lie, I was sort of drugged out during this movie (a prescription thing, not anything illegal don't worry), so my memory of it is sort of wonky. I know I liked it, though. I thought it would be campier, mainly because some of the costume designs are a little ridiculous (do all cops have to wear baseball caps?) and I don't know, Sean Connery in space seems like a comedic idea. But Outland is actually a pretty straight thriller with western elements and some heavy violence. I dug Connery in the lead role, a man who takes his job really seriously and suffers for it. Frances Sternhagen steals the show as the blunt and world-weary doctor who helps O'Niel figure out what's going on, and Peter Boyle has fun as a super-beardy bad guy.

The visuals are pretty cool, with gritty metal interiors, a dim color palette, and flashy lighting. At times it plays a little like a horror movie, with unexpected freaky occurrences and some unsavory space gore. It's slow at points and a little confusing at others because at first I couldn't keep some of the characters straight (again, this could be the drugs talking), but for the most part it's surprisingly good!

4/5

Pair This Movie With: Well even though I haven't seen it I assume High Noon would be a good double feature. Otherwise, I could see Event Horizon as a pairing.

Di Renjie (Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame) (2010)

2011-10-21T16:34:00.000-04:00

Seen: At the Landmark Cinema Kendall Square in Cambridge.

With a name like Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame and the promise of spontaneous combustion, this movie was an easy sell. Inspired by real-life Tang Dynasty official Di Renjie, the film sees the highly-skilled fighter/detective Dee (Andy Lau) released from jail (after 8 years incarceration for treason) to help catch a mysterious murderer. Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau), the first female emperor of China, is preparing for her inauguration ceremony and worries that a series of people around her bursting into flame is the work of rebel groups trying to discredit her reign. Dee teams up with the empress's whip-wielding bodyguard Jing'er (Bingbing Li) and hardened police officer Pei (Chao Deng).

With high-flying action, a badass cast of characters, and some weird fantasy elements, Detective Dee has the makings of a really cool martial arts flick. The fight scenes are inventive, incorporating wire-work and a range of weaponry, and the mystery is strange enough to be compelling. There are not one but TWO badass ladies in this movie, with Bingbing Li totally rocking it as the no-nonsense, highly-skilled fighter Jing'er. Seriously, let's get her to play Catwoman, she obviously knows how to throw around a whip convincingly. Carina Lau is awesome as the ruthless empress- even if she's kind of evil I still rooted for her. And I must give her snaps for her courageous fashion efforts.

Unfortunately Detective Dee is bogged down by an over-long and unsatisfying script and distractingly low-quality CGI. It's also a lot more serious than I had expected it to be, as it starts out more lighthearted and then becomes darker as it progresses, I couldn't really get a handle on the tone. It's memorable in its moments of weirdness and fun action, but the mystery isn't actually that great and the potentially interesting characters are under-used.

3.5/5

Pair This Movie With: I don't know why but I was put in the mind of Young Sherlock Holmes.

It IS Easy Being Green Double Feature: The Muppet Movie (1979) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

2011-10-20T06:00:00.002-04:00

Seen: On dvd on our big screen/projector set-up (The Muppet Movie) and on my tv (Muppet Treasure Island), both rented from the Tisch Library at Tufts.

Oh boy I'm kind of really looking forward to the new Muppet movie, you guys! I haven't seen too much of the variety show but growing up I enjoyed all the movies and the animated "Muppet Babies" spin-off. They're just a fun group of puppets, really. To psych up for the new film I revisited two of the old standbys: The Muppet Movie- the first feature-length film, which I'd only seen once- and Muppet Treasure Island- a silly adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel that I watched quite often in my bygone youth. And good news: they're both musicals!

When a big movie producer stumbles upon Kermit the Frog playing banjo and cracking jokes in a swamp, he convinces our hero to travel cross-country to Hollywood to break into the movie business. Eventually joined by struggling comedian Fozzie Bear, happy-go-lucky plumber Gonzo (and his chicken wife), aspiring actress Miss Piggy, and various other familiar faces, Kermit drives around singing songs and trying to escape the clutches of a crazy frog legs fast food salesman (Charles Durning).

This is the kind of movie that just puts a smile on your face right away and keeps it there straight through. It isn't uproariously funny, and it is dated at times, but for the most part it's just a pleasant, adorable, goofy experience. The cameos come fast and frequent, with half the cast straight out of a Mel Brooks movie (who makes a fantastic appearance himself much to my delight!). I love the songs from my new favorite person Paul Williams (who also gets a brief cameo), and of course the many Hollywoody jokes, but it's the characters that will always leave the biggest impression. There's a reason the Muppets continue to be loved and re-discovered in new ways today- they're just so darn lovable!

Also I'm totally going to make a gig poster for Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem aka THE BEST-NAMED BAND EVER.

4/5

The Muppets prove their impressive adaptability with Muppet Treasure Island, which manages to keep fairly close to Stevenson's novel while throwing in a wealth of ridiculous gags and fun characters. The general story follows good-hearted [and crazy high-voiced (AND mulleted)] Jim Hawkins (Kevin Bishop), an adventurous orphan who gets a pirate treasure map and travels on a dangerous voyage to claim the loot. He befriends Long John Silver (Tim Curry), a one-legged cook with questionable intentions, and tries to keep his head around all the weird puppets working on board. There's a lot of singing.

I loved this movie as a kid, I think partially because it is a) Hilarious and b) Wonderfully self-aware. All of the fourth-wall-breaking jokes and anachronisms cracked me up, plus the cast of characters is excellent. Tim Curry rocks hard all the time, and here he's got a bellowing laugh and sadly only one musical number. Billy Connelly and Jennifer Saunders also pop up for a bit. I love Gonzo and Rizzo as Jim's unlikely pals and Miss Piggy in an inspired gender twist as "Benjimina" Gunn. AND THE MUSIC. I dare you to not sing "Sailing for Adventure" all day every day, as I do. Unfortunately, either because I'd seen this one just too many times or because I have grown up just a teeny bit, I wasn't quite as infatuated with Muppet Treasure Island as I remembered. Still awesome, just not the best thing ever. I will say though that Rizzo's rat cruise is one of my favorite sub-plots of any movie.

4/5

PS I'm in Toronto this week! Updating may be spotty. Toronto After Dark, hurray!!!