Naked Lunch Radio (Reviews)

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2009-09-07T01:35:00.000-07:00

XXY

2008-11-29T08:13:00.001-08:00

XXY

Directed by Lucia Puenzo

Argentina's submission for last year's Academy Awards graces this year's fest, and is a striking, thematically resonant first feature for director Puenzo. In this often gut-wrenching but ultimately sweet coming-of-age drama, a fifteen-year-old medical hermaphrodite named Alex (Ines Efron) struggles with intense feelings of alienation while also trying to weather the tide of her raging hormones and increasing sexual curiosity. This becomes especially trying when her parents - including her fiercely devoted father - invite a renowned surgeon and his troubled son Alvaro (Martin Piroyansky) to board with them, hoping to get a fresh (and clandestine) opinion on Alex's options. The bond formed between Alex and Alvaro is made compelling through their contrasting struggles with, respectively, difficult biology and emotionally abusive parents. When they come togather by the film's midsection, it's a moment both startling and tender. A gem.

* * * 1/2

Simon Howell

Another Gay Sequel

2008-11-29T08:12:00.001-08:00

Another Gay Sequel

Directed by Clark Johnson

It must be said that I am emphatically not in this movie's target demographic - Johnson's series - and especially this second entry, which compltely eschews the American Pie-isms of the first - makes no attempt at concession to a wider ("non-gay") audience, nor does it need to do so in order to maintain its popularity. In fact, its complete immersion in gay signifiers both amusing (the many awkward sexual encounters its steadfast its protagonists suffer) and irritating (Perez Hilton) is its stock in trade. By the immortal measure of "doing hat it sets out to do" - in this case, to create a dayglo comedic universe to be enjoyed specifically by the gay community - Johnson's films must be considered successes.

(no rating)

La Léon

2008-11-29T08:11:00.001-08:00

La Léon

Dorected by Stantiago Otheguy

Another Argentinian film to go with XXY, this one indebted to Terrence Malick's slow, contemplative style, while enjoying a stark sense of individuality derived from its authentic supporting cast and location. An abstracted tale of a repressive, quietly violent community that resides in Argentina's remote wetlands, Otheguy's directorial debut is presented in luminous, enveloping black-and-white, unapologetic in its use of long takes and quiet contemplation to create an all-encompassing pall of despair and dread. The use of real-life locals to make up the supporting cast adds to the feeling of otherwordliness as we witness their ceaseless routine - ride the titular boat down to the reeds, swing the machete, rinse and repeat. If you want to catch the particulars of its plot, you'll need a magnifying glass, and it moves at a pace that could be called "deliberate" at best, but the engrossing visuals and pervasive atmosphere make it an intriguing debut.

* * *

Simon Howell

Otto, Or Up With Dead People

2008-11-28T20:19:00.001-08:00

Otto, Or Up With Dead People

Here is a movie that uses the zombie genre cliche has a flexible methaphor for aids and gay bashing, but also explores themes of schizophrenia. Bruce La Bruce`s films are always interesting and worth a look and Otto is no exception. His films dangle along the lines of smut, art, the underground and the indie scene and he remains a true disciple to Andy Warhol. If blood, gore and blowjobs can be stomached, I say give it a try. Taking from the pages of Vagabond, Cecil B. Dimented, My Own Private Idaho and Shadow of A Vampire, La Bruce delivers his most disciplined film in his oeuvre.

*** 1/2

Alex Ross

mulligans Mulligans

2008-11-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

Mulligans

Directed by Chip Hale

2008

For a film that has one of the biggest budgets in this year's Image+Nation film festival, Mulligans sure does disappoint. A gay boy falls in love with his best friend's good looking dad who just so happens to be gay. Of course, the son and the mom both walk in on them in the act. What did you expect? Who locks doors anymore anyway, right?

The film exhibits a batch of deal-breaking irritants - among them, a deeply repetitive soundtrack, near-invisible character development and forced, unnatural writing. Many of the performances are rote and much of the dialogue is laughably silly. The only positive comment I can make is the choice of casting for the lead role; Charlie David is not only easy on the eyes but has a great screen presence. Hopefully for his sake (and ours) he will in future stick to acting, and not writing.

Alex Ross

The Lost Coast

2008-11-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

The Lost Coast

Directed by Gabriel Flemming

2008

The Lost Coast begins with a lousy voice over to describe the events of a lousy Halloween night in which the narrator goes on to say how he discovered a dead body. The film has been described as "moody" and "dreamlike," but I would rather call it shoddy and forgettable.

The film's plot is centered around an e-mail that Jasper (Ian Scott McGregor) is writing to his fiancée overseas. The email explains what happened the previous night. We gather from his tone that the events were of some importance, but the film never convinces us to care. If you are interested in HandiCam moviemaking that seems to come directly out of a bad film school, then this film is for you. The sound appears to have been taken directly from the camera, and the cinematographer went missing. Even if you're able to deal with its Dogme 95-like like approach it still suffers from below-average performances and little character development. Thankfully the film is only 74 minutes long.

Alex Ross

The Blob (review)

2008-11-16T18:07:00.001-08:00

THE BLOB (1958)
Dir: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.
Writers: Irvine Millgate, Theodore Simonson, Kay Linaker
Prod: Jack H. Harris
Starring Steven (Steve) McQueen and Aneta Corsaut
CRITERION DVD release #91
16X9 Anamorphic transfer in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1
Let’s get straight to the meat and potatoes of this DVD; the digital transfer is unlike anything you’ve ever seen of this film before. The color just jumps out at you and the contrast in the night shots are just perfect and enhance the creepiness of the scenes.
It is one of the earlier Criterion DVD releases as you can see by the spine number of 91, and is just about the time they had started releasing their catalog titles with anamorphic enhancement which makes viewing this particular DVD on widescreen plasma/LCD such a treat.
The film is one of McQueen’s earliest headlining roles and you can clearly see in his performance shades of later mannerisms which would make him the coolest actor around in the 60’s and early 70’s; watch how he uses his eyes and breaks eye contact by looking down a lot (that particular detail would become his trademark in later films i.e. Bullitt, The Sand Pebbles and The Cincinnati Kid). His acting is a little over the top and doesn’t come across too well in the romantic bits, but he definitely shines over the other cast members. The flaw is to cast 30 year olds to play teenagers, it just makes it harder to believe and you shouldn’t have that issue in a Science-Fiction context where the nature of the material also has to be made believable for the story to work; the film can distract your attention because of this.
The story revolves around a shooting star that impacts near a mid-western American everytown, and unleashes an alien substance that will end up wreaking havoc in the city. The crash is witnessed by McQueen and his girlfriend (played by Aneta Corsaut) as they are romancing each other at “the point” (where 50’s teens and cars used to congregate in many Hollywood films of the 50”s). Thinking he knows where the rock crashed, McQueen heads out in the direction of the site.
A farmer discovers the rock and uses a stick to touch it, and it opens revealing a gelatinous mass inside which attaches itself to the stick defying gravity as it moves up and engulfs his hand; he screams in pain and runs amok among the trees and winds up almost being hit by McQueen’s car. The “kids” bring the farmer to the local doctor who tries to examine him and now we see the mass has grown larger and now covers the farmer’s whole arm. The main plot point is established right there, the thing feeds on human flesh and is getting larger as it ingests more victims, and if it is not stopped it will cover the town.
Once that point is established, it remains for the “teens” to wake up the town to the danger facing them and as this a 50’s film, the adults are hard to convince. The film becomes a typical exploitation rebellious teen story from then on as the kids create a loud commotion to wake up the adults in order to gather them all to McQueen’s fathers’ convenience store. The police, firefighters and townspeople al show up and believe the whole story to be a prank until “the blob” invades a local theatre showing a horror film double-bill sending the patrons screaming for their lives out onto the street.
Now convinced, the authorities take over the situation to restore calm and devise a plan to destroy the alien. McQueen discovers the creature is allergic to cold, so the teens led by the prim and sexually repressed school principal rush to the high school to gather as many Co2 fire extinguishers as they can carry; finding the doors locked, the principal (with utmost repugnance) breaks the window with a rock, and the teens cheer him on. He has committed the ultimate act of defiance of the time, breaking a school window; little did the nation know then that worst civil unrest was just around the corner outside their living rooms.
The blob is frozen and dumped in the Artic where it will remain frozen for ever?????
The story moves fast and is never boring to watch; it’s classic sci-fi still enjoyable to watch in late night TV land (make it a 42 inch Plasma).
The print shows very little damage, just a few speckles at the edges of the frame in a few scenes. There is no discernable digital artefacting that distracts the eye, however I’m inclined to believe there was a bit of image boosting and edge enhancement employed in the transfer. There are 2 excellent commentary tracts, one by producer Jack Harris and film historian Bruce Eder which is really great, it covers most aspects of the production and his memories of working with McQueen (which proved to be very difficult indeed); one of the better commentaries I’ve heard a producer give regarding a film. The second track is with the director Yeaworth and actor Tony Fields which is OK, but not as entertaining as Harris. There is an image gallery that collects photos and blob paraphernalia from a private collection owned by Wes Shank, and the original theatrical trailer; there is no making of included.
Fantastic to see Criterion restoring a “B” film like “The Blob” as if they were working on an Ingmar Bergman DVD. It would not end there for “B” films and Criterion as they recently released another such film, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars” directed by Byron Haskin to be reviewed soon, till then pick up this disc before it goes out-of-print as such Criterion titles have a tendency to do, and happy meteor hunting!
Mark Penny

The Descendant

2008-11-08T15:48:00.001-08:00

The Descendant

Philippe Spurrell’s feature debut is an intriguing story revolving around a small community, and its shared secret past history, and how an outsider pushes those secrets to the surface for all to see.

Since the film does rely on the element of surprise for it to work as a mystery, I will not be too explicit on the story itself, but will concentrate on the crafting of the film.

I saw the film digitally projected in a setting that did not in any way detract from the lush images on the screen. Mr. Spurrell was available for a short Q and A after the show, and explained that due to financial reasons up to this point, he could not produce a sub-titled 35mm print to exhibit yet; although I hope that with increasing interest in the film by Quebec historical scholars as well as film critics and/or professors, that situation will lead to an influx of extra funds required for this to be remedied soon.

The story begins in Montreal with the main protagonist, James, finding a few details of his past via an old shoebox, left to him by his mother, full of old photographs and birthday cards from his grand-parents whom he had no contact with since he was 3 years old. His partner, Kim, suggests that he should go and visit them to re-establish contact with his past, and possibly find answers to the reasons his mother exiled herself from her family.

When James reaches the small isolated community of St-Harmonie, Quebec, he finds himself warmly welcomed by an old friend of his Mother’s, but looked on with suspicion by others in the local bar.

James meets up with his Grand-Parents at their farm, and intends to stay for a few days. He proceeds to unearth stories about his Mother’s past, and finds deep secrets that the community collectively keeps buried deep in their history.

The film makes for a very good mystery, and succeeds on many other levels as well; but to reveal those would be to give too much away.

The cinematography by Lorenzo Negri and Ivan Gekoff (CSC) is quite sumptuous and serves the story well. The muted colours and close attention to the surface details and textures of the surroundings is very reminiscent of Kim Ki-Duk’s “The Isle” (the look of the farmhouse and the wood specifically).

The art direction, the costumes that were created for the inhabitants of the little community (literally transports the viewer in a past era; trucks and vehicles being the only details of a vague contemporary setting once James is at the farm.

There are fabulous shots over the farm’s windswept cornfields that beg the question of how they were achieved with such a small budget (I did not want to ask the question of how they did it in order to maintain the illusion in my mind).

The actors delivered very convincing performances that at first glance appear off-kilter, but as the film progresses, you realize how true they are for the characters involved; I would say almost Lynchian in subtlety (specially the grand-father played by Jim Reid).

The sound design by Dan Lagacé and music by David Kristian are absolutely outstanding; he does not overwhelm you with recognizable themes, and the background sound effects are so subtle that they induce the mohawk effect (as one of “The Exorcist”’s sound designers was referring to his own sound work was meant to achieve in that film); the hair at the back of the neck definitely rises.

For a film that was shot over the span of 5 years on a shoestring budget, the continuity is spot on and doesn’t betray the lack of funds.

Philippe Spurrell has really achieved a great deal with this film which is garnering interest across a broad spectrum of History and Film scholars, and the public at large.

The story explores a little known part of our local history, and makes a strong case for re-examining it in greater detail so that future generations realize how similar we (as a nation) were to our American neighbors.

The filmmakers should congratulate themselves on a job exceedingly well done.

I strongly urge the public to go and see this film wherever possible; one of the best Quebec English Canadian films (yes they are distinct from the rest of English Canadian films) I’ve seen in a long while.

Mark Penny

Production Team

Executive Producer: PHILIPPE CHABOT
Co-producer: DAVID RIGBY
Producer/Director: PHILIPPE SPURRELL
Written by : PHILIPPE SPURRELL & JOEL MILLER
Cinematography: LORENZO NEGRI & IVAN GEKOFF (CSC)
Editor: ERIC LAVOIE
Music: DAVID KRISTIAN
Sound design: DAN LAGACE
Make-up FX: CJ GOLDMAN, (DAWN OF THE DEAD, DAY AFTER TOMORROW, LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN)
Special Participation: SERGIO MACHADO

Entre Les Murs

2008-10-22T16:00:00.001-07:00

Entre les Murs [The Class] (dir. Laurence Cantet)

* * 1/2

Hey, have you seen the fourth season of The Wire? If you have, there's nothing for you here. Laurence Cantet's Palme D'Or winner is unfailingly realistic, yes, but seems reluctant to draw in the viewer as thoroughly as it should. It could pass as a documentary, certainly, but that wouldn't have made it a better film. As it follows the life of a homeroom class in inner-city Paris over the course of a scholastic year, and we find ourselves engaging with the often distanced personalities of the students, there's a nagging sensation that there should be an added layer of subtext to be found - yet there's little to be derived from the old process of trying to turn "animals" into reasonable young people. The presentation is novel, but the content is too familiar by half.

Synecdoche, New York

2008-10-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Synecdoche, New York
Directed by Charlie Kaufman

Perhaps the apt comparison to make is not to Fellini's 8 1/2, as a few have been in a mad dash to do. It's actually only necessary to turn the clock back a couple of years in order to find an appropriate bedfellow for superstar screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's debut film as a director; it's Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain. In both cases, a much-lauded and fairly young talent received more or less free reign to explore an original concept and run wild with every last impulse - in the case of The Fountain, the results were divisive at best, and disastrous in many circles. You can expect a similarly mixed reception for Synecdoche, New York, a film so incredibly overstuffed with ideas and allusions that many will be tempted to give up on it before the last reel.

Before they do, however, they'll have ushered in one of the most audacious sights and concepts to appear in an American film in some time. At their center is Philip Seymour Hoffman's Caden Cotard, a successful playwright who's received a "Genius Grant" in order to fund a project of his choosing. He decides to mount a massive-scale production that will incorporate all of the players in his life - all of whom happen to be women. (Hence the 8 1/2 fixation.) These women, and their theatrical representations, are tackled by one of the most prestigious female casts in recent memory: Catherine Keener, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, Hope Davis and Emily Watson. They work to embody Cotard's muse in its many forms, and as such their roles aren't always particularly plum (particularly for Williams, whose actress character is particularly petulant), but as an ensemble foil to Hoffman's often (deliberately) insufferable Cotard, they do wonderful work.

Synecdoche is predominantly concerned with suffering and death, and as such will leave many audiences feeling vaguely annoyed at having been subjected to such a deeply depression experience. Cotard constantly suffers from mystery ailments, and time seems to collapse in on itself, with characters (and their surrogates) dying, being married and having children in seemingly short periods of time, while Cotard's ever-expanding production - eventually including a life-size replica of Schenectady, in which the film is set - takes decades to become realized. Similarly, Synecdoche rolls back in on itself numerous times, repeating many scenes with different performers. Hoffman is more than capable of keeping the film grounded throughout these sequences, even as the film itself seems to grow tired of its endless machinations within machinations.

Ultimately, however, the clockwork has to come to an end, and when it does, audiences will either feel a sense of bemused relief, or find themselves moved. I found myself somewhere in between, but I'm nevertheless anxious to delve back into its intricately annoying and delicate ways in a few months' time.

Simon Howell

Wendy and Lucy

2008-10-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

Wendy and Lucy (dir. Kelly Reichardt)

* * *

A girl and her dog find themselves stranded on their way to a better life Kelly Reichardt's follow-up to her warmly received Old Joy. Michelle Williams stars as Wendy, a luckless drifter looking to find work in Alaska, and Lucy (the director's dog, which also appeared in Old Joy) is her faithful canine companion. when Wendy's car breaks down, she finds herself stranded in a nowhere town in Oregon. Reichardt favors simple, unadorned storytelling, and here she chronicles Wendy's mounting troubles in an unhurried and level-headed way - there's no room for Von Trier-ian histronics, just the plain fact of a life lived on the ever-furthering margins. Williams keeps things close to the hilt, only letting us in at key moments - a confrontation with a stranger, and an act of touching sacrifice. As we hear a predictable new round of hyperbole about the coming of new New Deal in American society, cinematic representations of such bleak struggles become increasingly relevant. Modest, and a success.

Surveillance

2008-10-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

Surveillance (dir. Jennifer Chambers Lynch)

* * *

Reviled by critics expecting something a little more, well, Lynchian, Surveillance has more in common with Verhoeven or Cronenberg than with her father's considerably more obtuse output. Instead, it's a darkly comic thriller with an erotic bent where every killing is a punchline and every characterization is over-the-top. Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond star as a pair of eccentric detectives looking into a series of murders by separately interviewing the people who crossed paths with the killers - including a family of four, two crooked cops, and a coked-out couple. Lynch has her eye on pure pulp entertainment here, and she delivers in spades - even when depicting scenes of intense brutality, there's a detached sense of levity to much of the film. The "twist" that seems to be required in such films is hardly a surprise, and doesn't feel meant to be. If you're looking for Lost Highway you'll find yourself disappointed, but fans of colorful, entertaining thrillers should find themselves right at home.

Zack & Miri Make a Porno (review)

2008-10-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

Zack & Miri Make a Porno

Directed by Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith's debut feature, Clerks, was a potty-mouthed revelation when it came out fourteen years ago. But in the intervening years of Judd Apatow, South Park and American Pie, what was once an outrageous breath of fresh air has quickly come quotidian. And so the question becomes: does Smith as a director try to raise the bar in filthy comedy, or move on to different, more "mature" pastures. The answer is a bit of both.

Smith's latest film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, tells the story of two platonic best friends, Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) who live together in suburban Pittsburgh. Best friends since grade school, their friendship seems to be based largely on the fact that they are such total social misfits that they are the only two people who can stand each other. And like most lost, late 20 something souls, they are both pathetically bad with money, leading to mountings bills and the constant threat of eviction or the shutting off of utilities.

After particularly embarrassing themselves at their ten year high school reunion, the two friends return home to find that in fact, their power and heat have finally been shut off. Desperate and despondent they hole up in their local bar to try to brainstorm a way out of their dire financial straights. The usually unambitious Zack, inspired by a chance encounter with gay porn star (a particularly funny cameo by Justin Long) Brandon, somehow manages to convince Miri that the answer to their problems is to make and sell an adult film that they themselves will star in.

The plot then turns into a sort of Andy Hardy style "let's put on a show" story, with Zack and Miri assembling a rag-tag crew to help them in with their lofty and looney plan. In a lot of ways this is where the film really starts to shine as one of Smith's definite strong points is his ability to gather together comedic talent and the cast contains more than a few treats for both film nerds and fans of Smith's films in particular.

View Askew standbys Jason Mewes (Jay) and Jeff Anderson (Randal) make appearances as a porno stud and cameraman respectively, the notorious Traci Lords stars as the matronly Bubbles, while contemporary porn star Katie Morgan shows considerable comedy chops as the ditzy Stacy and Craig Robinson practically steals the show as Zack's coworker/producer, Delaney. Notable cameos include effects whiz (and Pittsburgh native) Tom Savini as a shady garage owner, Superman Brandon Ruth as a deeply closeted former high school hottie and Canada's own Kenny Hotz of Kenny Vs. Spenny fame as the deeply annoying Zack II.

Despite all the bare boobies (there are plenty) and a little bush, make no mistake: this is a romantic comedy, with the real dilemma being how Zack and Miri's friendship will survive their on screen carnal encounter. And while it is easy to dismiss both Smith and Rogen as belonging to some sort of man-boy chauvinist’s club, the drama of the film really comes from Smith's exploration of the differences between the sexes. While Rogen is basically playing a slightly more eloquent version of his Knocked Up persona, Smith smartly puts his focus on Bank's Miri, who turns in a touching and relatable performance as a sensitive but unconventional girl trying to protect herself from yet another heartbreak.

However, like most films in this genre, the central love story does require quite a bit of suspension of disbelief in order to play out. The idea that a shlub like Zack would not have already slept with someone as hot as Miri (or at least made a serious attempt) is particularly hard to swallow, as is the reason these two losers still hang out together. But film is fantasy, and if you are able to let these two minor details slide, the inevitable conclusion does contain some of Smith's most genuine and touching dialogue about love since Chasing Amy.

The biggest problem with the film is more that the conclusion really is telegraphed too far in advance, particularly if you are familiar with Smith's brand of vulgar romanticism; and the overuse of the "misfits make good" plotline. But, as was pointed out earlier, this is a romantic comedy and these types of films rely on formula, even if the formula in this case happens to include shit-showers and strap-ons. The central characters also feel somewhat underdeveloped, but the performances and charm displayed by Rogen and Banks mostly make up for this.

While far from Smith's best (that would be Chasing Amy), Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a far sight better than Jersey Girl, and should appeal to both View Askew fans and girls who think that testicle jokes are funny. And you get to see Jason Mewes' penis, if you're into that sort of thing.

Mariko McDonald

The Good, The Bad, The Weird

2008-10-15T21:27:00.001-07:00

The Good, The Bad, The Weird

Director Kim Jo-Woon (Tale of Two Sisters) brings the biggest and most expensive Korean film to date. This isn’t surprising considering its ingenious special effects, massive chase sequences and non stop acting from start to finish. Unapologetic, over the top, absorb and it never give you more than a minute to breathe without hammering in enough violence and action to have you grinning from ear to ear. Kim Jo- Woon brings a mash up of Spaghetti Westerns, Mad Max with the touch of John Woo direction. If you’re a fan of classic western stand offs, Kung Fu wire work, and some great comedy, this is for you.

Man On Wire

2008-10-15T21:18:00.001-07:00

Man On Wire (dir. James Marsh)

* * * 1/2

Through an artful blend of staged reenactments and archival footage, James Marsh has assembled a compelling look at Philippe Petit, a mischievous high-wire artist who performed a series of breathtaking wire walks, culminating in his walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. Much of the film is focused on the mechanics of pulling off the stunt - an act compared to an elaborate bank heist, complete with a motley crew of like-minded conspirators. The film gets a lot of deserving traction out of the idea that it is necessary to circumvent society to create true moments of beauty. Petit's work is indeed beautiful - only a hardened cynic could look upon his midair grace and not be moved - but Marsh doesn't idealize his subject, refusing to gloss over a key moment of betrayal that is at once tragically in-character and completely callous. As it turns out, however, Petit's art is far larger than his hubris, and we can only delight in witnessing his accomplishments.

Detroit Metal City

2008-10-15T21:17:00.001-07:00

Detroit Metal City

Based on the Japanese manga come the first time feature from director Toshiro Lee. DMC follows Negishi Soichi a small town farm boy who makes his way to Tokyo for the first time with dreams of becoming a trendy pop star. While attending University, he joins the songwriter’s club and practices his acoustical set, but fails to make any career within that genre. Flash forward a few years and Negishi finds musical success in the metal band DMC where he takes on the persona of Sir Krauser and is viewed upon as a Metal God. The only problem is Negishi secretly hates metal music and tries t break free from his monstrous identity.

Teen Icon Ken`Ichi Matsuyama plays double roles as the painfully nerdy Negishi and the outrageous and offensive Krauser. Watching his performance in juggling the two indemnities is worth the price of admission alone. However audiences will find themselves just as pleased with the soundtrack, supporting roles and physical comedy gags.

JCVD

2008-10-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

JCVD (dir. Mabrouk El Mechri)

* * * 1/2

One of the year's most bracing films, Mabrourk El Mechri dark comedy JCVD is likely to divide audiences and critics with its intensely post-modern approach and love-it-or-hate-it commentary on fame, self-worth and pectoral muscles. JCVD stands for the film's star, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and the film follows a fictionalized version of Van Damme as he dredges his way through a dreary existence based loosely on the star's real life. His finances are in ruins (Steven Seagal has cut off his ponytail to steal a role from under his nose), his young daughter provides damning testimony at a custody hearing, and his years as an action star are taking a toll on his dignity and health. When he needs an emergency influx of cash to pay his legal bills, he finds himself caught in a very Dog Day Afternoon-esque heist at a post office. (One goon's similarity to John Cazale can't be accidental.) Forget Pascal Laugier's arty gore flick - Van Damme is the year's true martyr, wilfully and explicitly setting afire his scores of two-dimensional action films and delivering a vulnerable (though admittedly limited) performance as a man tired of playing hero when he feels like a failure. The litmus test for many viewers will be the dramatic moment in which Van Damme obliterates the fourth wall (and the ceiling) to discuss the nature of celebrity, his feelings of inadequacy as a human being, and the nature of the very film you're watching. Some will feel used and preached to. I, for one, was touched, and when Van Damme's eyes welled up, I must admit that mine did the same.

Adoration

2008-10-09T13:52:00.002-07:00

Adoration (dir. Atom Egoyan)

* * * 1/2

After a string of critical flops, Atom Egoyan is back in a big way with the rich and vibrant Adoration, a complex portrait of teenhood, grief and simmering sociopolitical tension. Smart but oddball teen Simon (Devon Bostick) makes an unusual association while translating an article regarding Israeli airport security for an assignment from his French teacher Sabine (Arsinée Khanjian) - he envisions himself as the unborn baby kept in the womb of a woman carrying a bomb intended to obliterate a plane. In this new context, the woman is innocent, the explosive having been planted by the woman's husband - the unborn "Simon"'s father. As Simon works through the real-life family tragedy that informed the association, he also inadvertently stirs up a heated debate on the nature of victimhood and the wider ramifications of terrorism. Egoyan's ear for dialogue is impeccable, the performances are first-rate (particularly Bostick and Scott Speedmann as Simon's withdrawn but stalwart uncle) and, most importantly, the film is smart enough to evoke a potent mix of issues and emotional responses without pretending it holds the solutions to the complexities at hand.

881

2008-10-09T13:52:00.001-07:00

881 (dir. Royston Tan)

* *

Sometimes delivering on the language held in press materials isn't actually a good thing. Described as a juxtaposition of Moulin Rouge and Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark, 881 works mostly as a showcase for some extravagant costume design and the occasional memorable tune. Taking place during the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, in which the spirits of the dead are said to emerge in the streets, 881 works more efficiently as a window into Singaporean social mores than as a coherent statement. In a state infamous for its repression of free speech and creative _expression, the Getai singers (competitive groups who face off in singing contests in the seventh month), with their outlandish costumes and often suggestive dance moves, seem to stand in for the wilder elements of society the state won't ultimately tolerate. After all, behind every flashy dance sequence there's the lingering threat of seperation or death if either of the principal demale characters enjoys "the touch of a man," and indeed, one of them is ultimately punished. Director Tan, previously a victim of the Singapore film board's strict censorship laws, uses an expressive visual palette, but the happy-go-lucky nature of the performances - as well as the largely comic nature of most of the film's dialogue - simply don't mesh with its numerous attempts at pathos (largely through the belabored use of cancer-derived imagery).

Let The Right One In

2008-10-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

Let The Right One In

Thomas Alfredson

Sweden, 2008

Let the Right One In, also known as Let Me in, refers to an occult rule that a vampire apparently cannot enter someone’s house without an invite. Based on the bestselling children’s novel from John Ajvide Lindqvist, the movie is a Swedish twist on a vampire story.

The story follows 12-year-old Oskar a timid and introverted boy who finds himself the victim of high school bullies. Spending most of his days alone his imagination goes into overtime and Oskar begins to put together a notebook of newspaper clippings related to a string of local murders. One night he meets and befriends a mysterious girl, Eli, who has just moved in next door. Eli is a 200 year old vampire girl frequently forced to feed on the blood of innocents to stay alive. The two are drawn to each other for similar but different reasons. The children form a bond which transcends friendship and sexuality and Eli helps Oskar to stand up to his bullies while Oskar discovers love for the very first time.

The film may comes across has just another teen horror flick but it is much more than that. In fact I would go so far as calling this a modern day masterpiece. Swedish director Thomas Alfredson takes a fresh approach at the tired old vampire myth and uses the blood thirst as a richly layered theme of pre-adolescent lust, sexual experimentation and social alienation. It still follows the classic rules of the vampire mythology but twists each in new and clever way. Writer John Ajvide Lindqvist, responsible for both the book and screenplay mixes in the horror genre with a coming-of-age tale and a mysterious love story that explores the darker side of alienation. It’s dreamlike, hypnotic, horrific, poetic and a fine example of great film making.

The film starts deliberately slow, building up its pace accompanied by its moody score, and at times effective silence. The cinematography is stunning and makes great use of its outdoor winter shots. The handful of special effects sequences are inventively staged for maximum effect and while although the scares are few, when needed the violence is brutal and unforgiving. All this and did I forget to mention that it’s chilling ending, is one of the best endings I’ve seen in years.

Extraordinary performances, flawless scripting, stunning cinematography and one of the greatest directorial debuts in the last thirty years. Truly iconic, unforgettable and comes with the highest possible recommendation on my part. It is an instant classic. The winner of the Award for Best Narrative Feature at both the Tribeca and Fantasia film festival this year, JJ Abrams is currently seeking out the rights to a US remake. In the mean time I hope it finds its ways into more North American theatres and homes.

Listen to episode 43 for a more in depth review

Martyrs

2008-10-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

Martyrs (dir. Pascal Laugier)

Supposedly the latest and greatest in the new wave of French horror (see also: Ils, Haute Tension, Frontiers, A L'Intérieur), Martyrs is in fact more of a masturbatory art project for perpetual 16-year-olds than anything resembling a coherent thriller. Structured (intentionally or otherwise) like an especially dire three-act play, opening with a gratuitously gruesome act of revenge, followed by a suspense-free "horror" segment that relies on a character's inner demons to attempt to procure scares (it doesn't work), and capped off with a half-hour of repetitious torture and ultimately one of the shallowest excuses for social commentary this reviewer has witnessed in ages in the form of a particularly wretch-inducing act of mutilation. Laugier would like to address worthwhile themes - that of women as the greatest historical victims of religious opportunism and of the search for contemporary proof of divinity - but those themes aren't really present in the film itself except as psychobabble to pad out the running length between bloody showcases. There might have been some legitimate thematic friction at work if Laugier had opted to make anything of his two female protagonists besides featureless victims - one abused since childhood, the other blandly compelled to follow - but instead they exist simply as objects to get kicked around. Laugier continues the trend inherent in Haute Tension of involving women's issues - there, in the form of female desire, and here, in the form of religious exploitation - only to exploit them as a hollow plot machination.

Blindness (review)

2008-10-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

Blindness
Directed by Fernando Meirelles

Reportedly retooled since its less-than-stellar debut at Cannes, Fernando Meirelles' third feature is both his loftiest and most intimate. Based on José Saramago's acclaimed novel of the same name (unread by me), Blindness is a film it's impossible to be ambivalent about - Meirelles, along with screenwriter Don McKellar (Last Night, The Red Violin) have constructed a film that is by turns maddening, provocative and confounding in its construction.

When the population becomes stricken with the "white illness," a disease that turns its victims blind - capable of seeing only blank whiteness - they are forcibly quarantined and kept in facilities where they are forced to fend for themselves. One inhabitant, however (Julianne Moore), appears to be immune to the disease - a secret she keeps to herself and her husband, an optometrist (Mark Ruffalo).
Also in the building: a high-end prostitute (Alice Braga), a thief (McKellar), a bartender with a vicious streak (Gael Garcia Bernal, playing sharply against type), and an older man who was blind before the disease came (Danny Glover, forced to tread into Wise Negro territory with some ill-advised, but thankfully intermittent, narration).

The film's first act is a complete mess, with many of the initial scenes involving the characters first turning blind inciting guffaws than was certainly intended, and at disastrously distracting cameo by Sandra Oh as a global leader...of some sort. Once we arrive in the compound, however, the film finds a sickening groove as conditions worsen and quickly turn desperate. A sequence involving prostitution for food is dizzying in its torment but artfully staged, all stage-darkness and single-file degradation. Most importantly, the film works hard to retain its characters' dignity in the face of mounting desperation - even as characters slip on fecal matter and fellate tyrants, there's never a sense that they're doing any less than what's necessary to survive, and as such we never lack sympathy, although we might wish someone would just put them out of their misery.

Meirelles, along with his usual cinematographer César Charlone, opted to depict its titular symptom as literally as possible, filling the film with bright whites and deep blacks as long and as frequently as possible. While the approach works in some respects - it's certainly disorienting, and works by proxy to highlight its' stars every pore and bead of sweat as they strain to survive - but its most lasting effect is just that it hurts your eyes. (It's like the My Bloody Valentine reunion tour, only you bring sunglasses instead of earplugs.) Many will be unable to accept that approach, as well as the almost blatantly allegorical nature of the plot, but I for one found it to be stirring rather than didactic, evoking the best and worst in human impulses, and doing justice to the extremities of both.

Simon Howell

Apaloosa (review)

2008-10-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Apaloosa
Directed by Ed Harris

Every resurgent genre needs a set of pale imitators to go with its breakthroughs, and to that end we have Apaloosa, a staunchly traditional Western helmed by Ed Harris, who also co-stars and co-wrote the film's screenplay. That means he's partially to blame for the film's greatest setback: its unimaginative plot and lazy characterization.

Harris and Viggo Mortensen play a two-man peacekeeping force operating in New Mexico territory in the mid-1800s. They help stabilize budding towns by becoming the town's legal enforcers, then move on when there's no more money to be made. They arrive in the eponymous town seeking to contain a fast-drawing hoodlum (Jeremy Irons) who's wanted for multiple murders. Things get complicated - in the most contrived possible fashion - when a lonely widow (Renee Zellweger) arrives and pais up with Harris' grizzled gunslinger, despite his protestations that "feelings get you killed."

The screenplay's problems are legion, and most involve a lack of dramatic exploitation. There's always fun to be had when you've got Irons in a fiendish capacity, but he's not given anything to work with beyond a capacity for a quick draw and a few dry quips. There's potential in the idea of these roving "peacekeepers" and the ways in which they establish and enforce laws of their choosing, but that dimension lays unexplored. Most egregiously of all, however, is the inclusion of Zellweger's character Ally - one of the least useful love interests in recent memory. She pouts and philanders seemingly without motive or method beyond the idea that she simply goes for the alpha dog - even by Western standards it's a ridiculously misogynistic character, and Zellweger is stuck grimacing her way through it. A major disappointment.

Simon Howell

The Tiger`s Tail

2008-10-01T20:50:00.001-07:00

The Tiger`s Tail (John Boorman)

* 1/2

A hybrid made up of so many constituent parts as to render the whole ineffectual. Stalwart Irish character actor Brendan Gleeson stars as a contented, wealthy real estate developer keen to give Ireland its first proper football stadium. There is lingering opposition to the project, given the increasingly desperate plight of the poor in Ireland and the lack of affordable housing. Gleeson's life gets derailed when his "doppelganger" arrives, a man of his exact likeness who follows him around and taunts him relentlessly. After some intriguing early scenes, the film loses steam quickly when it becomes apparent that this figure is not, in fact, a hallucination, but instead that most treasured of soap opera conventions, the long-lost twin. Nevermind that the underlying facts we must accept about the manner in which the "evil" twin was cast aside are contrived at best. There are bigger problems to deal with, anyway - mostly involving the hamfisted attempts at political commentary that are intermittently - and inappropriately - shoehorned into what amounts to something very nearly approaching a shaggy dog story. Meant to be an elaborate parable about the scocio-economic divide in Ireland, it might have worked as satire, but takes its ludicrous plot machinations far too seriously. And it must be said - Kim Cattrall as trophy wife we can believe, but as Irishwoman?

She's a Boy I Knew

2008-10-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

She's a Boy I Knew (dir. Gwen Haworth)

* * *

After a shaky start, She's a Boy I Knew emerges as a keenly felt doc on the consequences of replacing one person with another. Director Haworth charts her progress from her life as a handsome young man named Steve to her new life as Gwen by interviewing those closest to her at length. The first twenty minutes are messy, with Haworth's narration feeling overly present, suffocating the opinions of her external subjects. Over time, however, her grip loosens, and the film explores tricky emotional ground, particularly when we spend time with Malgosia, Gwen's beguiling ex-wife, who admits both her initial anger towards Gwen (then Stephen) for her decision, and later confesses her diminishing sexual interest, finding herself unable to convince herself of the "superficiality" of Gwen's changing body in the face of the still-present "essence" of the person she loves. There's also a lingering sense of heartbreak in scenes with Gwen's tight-lipped Mountie father, who looks for clues in his parentage as to how his son may have gone "astray" - yet simultaneously recognizes something in Gwen that he himself withheld in his youth. Through it all, Haworth exhibits a sense of inclusiveness, fleshing out their histories as well as her own, always seeking to empathize even when there is a lack of mutual understanding. I could have done without the animated segments, but they're brief, and are made up for with the inclusion of some surprisingly frank images of Gwen's post-op transformations - an important inclusion, reminding us that the ignominy that may come with her emerged gender awareness is hardly the only trial she faces.

Man On Wire

2008-10-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Man On Wire (dir. James Marsh)

* * * 1/2

Choke

2008-10-01T12:37:00.001-07:00

Choke

Clark Gregg

U.S.A. , 2008

Actor-turned-director Clark Gregg hopes he is as adept behind the camera as in front of it with Choke, a dark comedy about a mother and son and about sexual compulsion.

Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell) is a sex-addicted med-school dropout who keeps his increasingly deranged mother, Ida (Angelica Houston) in an expensive private mental hospital. At night he runs a scam where he deliberately chokes himself in upscale restaurants to form relationships with the wealthy patrons who "save" him via the Heimlich maneuver.

During the turning point of the film in a rare lucid moment, Ida reveals that she has withheld the shocking truth of Victor's father's identity. Victor must enlist the aid of his best friend, Denny, a recovering chronic masturbator, and his mother's beautiful attending physician, Dr. Paige Marshall, to solve this mystery before the truth of his possibly divine parentage is lost forever.

As opposed to most dark comedies that have a sustained tone, Director Clark Gregg found Choke to be more tonally complex, and said that he wanted it to veer between "extremely dramatic moments" and "absurdly silly ones". The director sought to find a way to combine the two elements, drawing inspiration from such films as Harold and Maude, Being There, Secretary and finally Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. However unlike all four of these films, all of which are considered breakthroughs, Choke is not an easy film to swallow.

To put it simply Choke is disappointing not so much for what it was but more so for it's failure to be all it could. The film at times is funny and it has it's moments but it seems that the director just didn't have the balls to go all out and make it as dark as it should have been. This film suffers greatly from it's problems with pacing and little sense of forward momentum. The pacing is completely off and at times feels as if the motion in this motion picture is dying down much like a music cassette whose reel has been caught in the tape recorder and is slowly being chewed apart. His unstable direction made it unclear as to how I should to feel while watching the film. Director Clark Gregg has all the pieces in the puzzle in front of him but unfortunately he fails to put the puzzle together. Gregg's unstable direction makes it clear he was indecisive as to what sort of film he was trying to make and worse makes it unclear as to what I should feel while watching it.

Individual scenes go on way too long and are quite repetitive. At times a good twenty minutes could pass without the story evolving and when it finally does unravel, everything comes crashing down in just a few minutes.

Maybe this stuff works in the pages in the novel, but Choke is awfully tough to digest on the screen. It's a seriously over cluttered movie with nothing much to look at. He fails to cut down on the subplots and focus on the major theme at play and as a director he has no vision nor an eye for the camera.

Jimmy Dean

Eagle Eye

2008-09-29T07:06:00.001-07:00

Eagle Eye
Directed by D.J. Caruso

Like the mutant offspring of Michaels Bay and Mann, D.J. Caruso fancies himself both a master of pyrotechnics and a crafter of thinking man's thrillers. Unfortunately, his actual levels of focus and craft are strictly on the level of the former, no matter how much he tries to convince us otherwise. with Eagle Eye, he once again (after the dreadful underworld "drama" The Salton Sea and blockbuster Rear Window update Disturbia) tries to have it both ways, and in this case he falls short in spectacular fashion, flailing and simply failing in equal measure.

A hopped-up hybrid of a dozen movies you've seen before, and ending up in a place that can only be described as 2001 meets 24 (2025?), Eagle Eye starts with a surprisingly unnerving, if typically glossed-over, scene in which an American helicopter blows up an entire Iraqi funeral due to the suspected but unconfirmed presence of a sought-out terrorist leader. We then cut to the U.S., where perennial underachiever Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) is mourning the death of his Air Force-trained twin brother in a car accident, and single mother Rachel (Michelle Monaghan) is preparing to send her young son off to Washington to perform at a government recital. They then both receive strict instructional phone calls from a mysterious and unseen presence, coercing them to trek out on a mission of indeterminate aim. Jerry is framed as a terror suspect and Rachel's son is apparently placed in harm's way, limiting their options to a laughable, videogame-like degree.

Eagle Eye isn't the worst movie I've seen this year, but it might be the most insulting - not only to its audience, but to its actors as well. LaBeouf, growing a little more likeable with each passing performance, gets a lot of traction with his honed sad-puppy droop and half-hinged glare. Monaghan, a very talented actress quite used to being shouldered with thankless roles (The Heartbreak Kid, Made of Honor), gets to inhabit a trite role (hard-working, put-upon single mom with a single-minded, selfless devotion towards her child) with a palpable sense of desperation, and together they make for a compelling pair when they share screen time and actually get to interact. That accounts for roughly a tenth of the film. The capable supporting cast (Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis) is made useless through pointless, talking-head roles that serve little to no purpose. Particularly puzzling is the casting of Chiklis as the Secretary of Defense - why bother casting someone with such an imposing physical presence as a suit?

Make no mistake, though, the movie does insult the audience too. We're asked to swallow one ridiculous premise after another, even as the movie's tone turns increasingly preachy and self-serious as the "motives" of the "force" at work are made clear and the plot threads - along with any semblance of logic - are not only let go but placed in a box and set on fire. Worse yet, the preachiness (a lot of highfalutin nonsense about the Constitution, technological dependence and individual responsibility) drains the movie of most - though admittedly not all - of its camp value, and the hyperactive editing make the potentially exciting chase sequences (particularly the first vehicle chase) a chore to watch - especially at a hair under two hours. What's worse than a dumb thriller? A dumb thriller that thinks it's smart.

Simon Howell

Elegy

2008-09-23T21:25:00.001-07:00

Elegy

Directed by Isabel Coixet

After a string of misfires both high-profile (The Wackness) and less so (A Sound of Thunder), it's wonderful to see Sir Ben Kingsley back at the top of his game in Elegy, a new drama adapted from Phlip Roth's The Human Animal - but Kingsley's resurgence is not the only cause for celebration here. Sidestepping most (if not all) of the obvious pitfalls typically associated with its low-key subject matter, Elegy works astonishingly well both as a showcase for some very strong performances but also as a meditation on love, mortality and contentment.

Kingsley stars as David Kapesh, a successful novelist and professor whose life consists mostly of heated discussions with his friend, poet George (Dennis Hopper) and intermittent bouts of sex with the similarly commitment-phobic Carolyn (Patricia Clarkson). Kapesh was stung by a marriage that ended badly, leaving him distanced from his adult son (Peter Saarsgard), who remains bitter about his father's abandonment. Kapesh is seemingly content with his arrangement, until he meets Consuela (Penelope Cruz), a student, and falls madly in love for the first time in his life. As their affair progresses, Kapesh is forced to assess his life's trajectory and what it means to retain desire at an advanced age.

Film adaptations of heady novels tend to overstress their "literary" credentials through overwrought presentation devices and overbearing narration - that's mostly avoided here (although Kapesh does narrate portions of the film, and not always helpfully), allowing the film to rest in the very capable hands of its stellar cast. The aforementioned Kingsley is note-perfect, inspiring both empathy and an appropriate amount of emotional distance from the audience when appropriate. He and Cruz exhibit the most palpable erotic and romantic chemistry I've seen so far this year - no small feat, since they're far from the most likely pairing. Cruz has perhaps the most difficult role in the film - Hopper's poet expresses concern over the "invisibility" of beauty, and the manner in which the male gaze can never truly penetrate the sight of a beautiful woman in order to truly identify the person in question. Cruz is indeed beautiful enough to create that challenge, so every moment she's onscreen becomes a dare for the audience to scrutinize her more carefully. The supporting cast is uniformly excellent - particular note should be made of Hopper, who plays a regular human being here (and not a snivelling villain) for the first time in what ages, and Clarkson, who, at her (relatively) advanced age, is made to present a parallel image of female beauty to match Cruz's. It works.

Easily the best American prestige picture I've seen so far this year (though admittedly coming before the fall deluge of Oscar hopefuls), Elegy is touching but not syrupy, keeping itself palpably human and grounded where a lesser treatment of the same material might have buckled under the weight of the plot's overlapping thematic strains. Even if Sir Ben's recent offerings might have turned you off the guy for a while this is more than worth a look.

Simon Howell

Ghost Town

2008-09-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ghost Town
Directed by David Koepp

Sometimes there's nothing more dispiriting than getting exactly what you expect. Anyone who caught trailers for Ghost Town would have glimpsed the often-brilliant British comic Ricky Gervais (The Office, Extras) prancing about in what appeared to be a formulaic American romantic comedy. Barring some slight aberrations, that's exactly what we get here, and the clash of styles - with Gervais' trademark impish unpleasantness being made to conform to an oppressively "pleasant" genre - is almost bracing in its sheer capacity to do wrong.

Gervais stars in a US production for the first time as dentist Bertram Pincus, an intensely antisocial individual who avoids human contact at all cost, even brushing aside his troubled-but-attractive neighbor Gwen (eternal mark of mediocrity Téa Leoni). After a botched colonoscopy which kills Pincus for "a lil' less than seven minutes" (a very funny Kristen Wiig as Pincus' surgeon), he finds himself hounded by the dead, who (in a direct rip from The Sixth Sense, acknowledged by the film's tagline) hound him to fix their "unfinished business." Among them is Gwen's recently deceased husband Frank (Greg Kinnear, dialing up the smarm), who convinces Pincus to break up Gwen's impending marriage to a human rights lawyer in order to keep the demanding ghosts at bay.

Based on that description and the film's denotation as a rom-com, you already know as well as I do where the film goes. Ghost Town annoys more than most of its kind because of the potential at hand - among all the half-baked ideas and predictable plot machinations there's an occasional moment of inspiration. Nearly all of them come from Gervais, who reprises his awkward schtick to great effect in many scenes (there's a nod to Office fans in the form of the term "willy-nilly"). The rare scenes in which he gets to interact with Wiig makes one long for a movie in which they're paired up, rather than imposing a more traditionally palatable vaccuum like Leoni. Kinnear can be great in the right role, and he occasionally taps into his peculiar blend of charm and contemptibility to nice effect, but he's hamstrung by a character whose choices seem arbitrary and whose ultimate payoff - his "unfinished business" - rings false.

Actually, it's falsehood that is the movie's true undoing - Gervais' characters in his beloved series do have a likable core, but here that aspect of his personality is overplayed, effectively defanging much of the humor. Pincus' necessary switch from "bad" to "good" is neither smooth nor convincing, and the film's proffered explanation for Pincus' beastliness trivializes Gervais' approach. That, combined with the perfunctory manner in which Gervais and Leoni's courtship is rolled out, makes enjoying the film more work than it has to be.

Simon Howell

X-Cross (review)

2008-09-10T08:17:00.001-07:00

X-Cross
Kenta Fukasaku
2007, Japan

From Kenta Fukasaku the director of the very disappointing sequel "Battle Royale II," and son of the legendary filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku comes X- Cross a Japanese Sci-fi / Slasher movie that doesn't make any sense. Unfortunately “like father like son” does not seem to apply in the case of the Fukasaku family. X Cross is seriously overrated, borrowing from the now over used Roshomon structure of story telling and even worse, it uses mobile phones to help rocket the story.

Scripted by Tetsuya Ôishi, fresh off penning both DEATH NOTE films, the plot centers on two Japanese girls who visit a remote village for a girl’s getaway. Shiyori (Nao Matsushita) is coming fresh off her break up with her long term boyfriend, while her friend Aiko (Ami Suzuki) is a taking a much deserved time off from her four boyfriends. Unlike normal woman they vacation out in the middle of nowhere seeking out the local hot springs and they of course stumble upon a cult of men who ritually amputate women's legs. The relaxing getaway quickly turns to terror when realizing the entire village is obsessed with inbred leg fetishists.

X-Cross has it’s share of interesting and colorful characters including psychopathic witches, a female version of both Leatherface and one of Edward Scissorhands, an Igor like henchmen and Asian redneck cultists. At time the action is fast and furious and I will admit that it has one of the most intense fight sequences I’ve seen all year long involving a giant size pair of scissor and a chainsaw. It’s a film that implores you to just sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s ridiculous, crazy and although not for me, fans of extreme Japanese cult films will find themselves for the most part entertained. If you can get past the huge plot holes, tired gimmicks and horrible cinematography you may find yourself enjoying this film.

Daniel Moscovitz

Listen to episode 58 for a more in depth review!

The Burrowers (review)

2008-09-08T08:15:00.001-07:00

The Burrowers
Directed by J.T. Petty

With the American Western turned sufficiently on its head over the last few years, thanks to new interpretations that have upped the quotient of brutality (The Proposition, the Western-in-Coens-clothing No Country for Old Men), beauty (The Assassination of Jesse James) or both (Deadwood). As it seems it must, two trends have now collided, with the newly rejuvenated Western butting heads with the newly resurgent creature feature in J.T. Petty's initially promising but ultimately negligible fourth feature The Burrowers. Something like Tremors meets Dances With Wolves, but without ever establishing an appropriate tone either of camp enjoyment or grave foreboding.

Karl Geary (Petty's Mimic 3: Sentinel) and Sean Patrick Thomas (Save the Last Dance) star as, respectively, an Irish immigrant and a Freeman in Dakota in 1876, who end up in an obviously doomed search party led by a wicked mustachioed man of indeterminate origin (we know he's wicked not only because of the mustache, but because he constantly berates all the non-white characters). The party in question is doomed because people keep disappearing, only to be found later mostly covered in dirt - still technically alive, but completely unresponsive otherwise. The aforementioned evil mustache (Doug Hutchison) is convinced it's the work of malevolent Indians and vows to hunt them down - but the local Ute population knows otherwise and are eager to see the arrogant white men consumed by the mysterious beasts that creep the surrounding grasslands.

Despite a potentially juicy premise, The Burrowers is laughably incoherent and falls apart completely after a promising first 20 minutes. Petty, who also wrote the film, directs as though we should be taking the dangers at hand seriously, but is thoroughly unconvincing in conveying period language and detail. His idea of "period" dialogue is to insert "I reckon" or "I gather" into a conversation a few times. Thomas' Callahan (who is meant to be from Georgia, but doesn't even attempt an accent) is made to insist, embarrassingly, that "everything's cool" in one scene. There's a mildly amusing exchange between Thomas and Geary on the subject of their shared otherness, but it feels too convenient to be genuine. Noble Indian tropes are prominent. Perhaps most cripplingly, the creatures themselves (subterranean sluglike wraiths) are comically phallic and become increasingly laughable as the film progresses - when we discover that a good kick can keep the crawlers at bay, it makes their earlier conquests seem unlikely. The two most unique aspects of the film's concept - the eerie manner in which "survivors" appear in the ground, and the use of a period setting - are undone by its poor stagings (not to mention often-stodgy CGI) and wildly inconsistent tonal work. It could have worked as high camp, but Petty's self-serious tone digs a hole it can't escape

Pighunt (review)

2008-09-08T08:14:00.001-07:00

Pighunt

Directed by James Isaac

From the demented mind of director James Isaac (Jason X) comes a survivalist horror / action film complete with hardcore violence, hippies, unnecessary nudity, racism, rednecks and a giant 3000 pound pig named Ripper.

The film follows John (Travis Aaron Wade), his girlfriend Brooks (Tina Huang), and his friends who voyage out to his uncle’s remote cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway of sex, drinking and hunting. Only things go wrong when some past acquaintances bearing old grudges cross paths with the group causing a quarrel to break out. Rubbing shoulders the wrong way the group of friends soon find themselves on the run and now “the hunted”, as the local redneck hillbillies drive out with murderous intentions. Led by the Tibb’s brothers along side Preacher (Les Claypool of Primus), the group chases John and company deep into the forest causing both parties to cross paths with the forest’s Gypsy inhabitants; a nudist cult of porn star like amazons who of course worship who else but Ripper. And what do they feed the pig? Do you really need to ask?

It’s an exploitation film that’s unapologetic and once the first kill takes place, it goes for the extreme and never looks back. Reminiscent of films like Grizzly, Deliverance and even The Condemned, screenwriter Robert Mailer Anderson throws every sub genre into the fire so your never really know sure where it’s heading.

It’s difficult to review this film seriously because it’s has ridiculous as the directors former film Jason X. Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea but what saves the film is that it is never taken seriously. Issac’s only intention and care is to have as good of a time has he can on set and hopefully deliver the same feeling to its audience. Tired of working within the Hollywood system, he takes every opportunity here to do everything and anything he normally can’t do and breaks every rule.

Gore hounds and fans of old grindhouse pictures will love its gratuitous violence and supercharged action. Don’t expect a clever story, good acting or even a great score. This film gets its legs from the naked vixens and well, the wild boar.

Alex Ross

Hey Good Lookin'

2008-09-05T21:29:00.001-07:00

Hey Good Lookin'

Hey Good Lookin' is the 1982 animated film written, directed, and produced by Ralph Bakshi and is set in Brooklyn, New York, during the 1950s. It features the voices of Richard Romanus, David Proval, Tina Bowman and Jesse Welles.

Hey Good Lookin' doesn't try to appeal to a wide range of audiences and Bakshi’s crazy vision is not for everyone, but fans of his earlier work will love this picture. His film is wild with outrageous sex scenes, barrels of laughs and a musical score which ranges from catchy 50s throwbacks to more recent 80's tunes. It’s intelligent, dark, and is a satirical look on the American youth culture of the 50's. It’s a story of friendship, love and betrayal yet it’s vulgar and rude, violent, clichéd and great. Ralph Bakshi brings his New York sensibility back with a Grease like twist of doo-wops, slicked back hair, leather jackets, gang rumbles, and lots of sex. Put best, it`s a cross between Grease, Rebel Without A Cause and Mean Streers only animated.

The film is filled with colorful characters starting with Vinnie the main character and leader of a Brooklyn gang called The Stompers. His first Lieutenant and best buddy is a guy named Crazy Shapiro. Crazy is a misunderstood hoodlum with silver dollar nipples. His dad is a detective who hates him, and routinely tries to kill him. There is also Roz, a sultry sexy lead lady whom Vinnie can't keep his hands off and let’s not forget the black gang of Chaplains lead by Boon-a-loo an Eddie Griffin look alike. Crazy Shapiro’s antics lead to continual problems, including an impending rumble with the black gang. The plot builds with rock n roll shows, wild parties, make-out sessions, and a bloody shootout that threatens to separate Rozzie and Vinnie forever.

The film was produced during the same period as Bakshi's other street life-related films Heavy Traffic and Coonskin. Hey Good Lookin' was first completed in 1975 as a live-action/animated combination, in which only the main characters were animated and the rest were portrayed by live actors. However, the studio financing the film found the concept to be unbelievable and forced the director to go back and animate the live-action sequences.

Tyler Cutler

Listen to our Ralph Bakshi

Episode 19-B .. click here

Slumdog Millionaire (review)

2008-09-05T21:26:00.001-07:00

"Call it a comedy, a drama, or a tragedy, anyway or every way, Slumdog Millionaire is great." By Tom Desmond

Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Brothers Pictures present, in association with Celador Films and Film4, Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The picture stars Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, and Irfan Khan. At the time of this review the film runs 120 minutes and has not yet been rated by the MPAA. The content as seen in my screening would suggest an MPAA "R" rating for scenes of torture and violence. The film is in Hindi and English with English subtitles.

A young man, Jamal, who grew up an orphan on the streets of Mimbai, India, gets on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire to try to contact his girlfriend. He ends up defending himself against fraud charges brought by the host of the show who thinks that there is no way a "slumdog" could know all the answers that he does. How Jamal knows each answer is shown in flashbacks from his tough, dramatic, and tragic youth.

Expertly crafted, Slumdog Millionaire has crisp and fast-paced editing by Chris Dickens (Shaun of the Dead, Goal!, and Hot Fuzz) as well as wonderful shot compositions by Anthony Dod Mantle (Dogville, Millions, and The Last King of Scotland). The film includes few name actors and the young actors who play the younger versions of the three main child characters are superb – a true credit to Boyle's direction of the film.

Slumdog Millionaire opens with the 18 year-old Jamal taking a beating and being interrogated about his cheating. The beating gives way to electrocution torture and forcing Jamal's head under water in a small bucket. Jamal swears he has not been cheating, so the local police inspector asks how a slumdog could know all the answers to the questions presented. There is an air of contempt in both the police station and on the television show stage as the show is replayed while the questioning continues. The Who Wants to be a Millionaire show is being replayed on tape for the questioning. As each question is asked, Jamal's memory of his life takes us on a roller coaster ride through his life and the horrors he has seen growing up on the streets without any family but his older brother and a girl his age. The three are inseparable until fate tears them apart.

Character development is finely executed as we learn to know Jamal, his brother, and Latika, the young girl who Jamal loves after he allows her to join he and his brother in some shelter from a monsoon-like rain storm. We also understand the perspectives of the police inspector and the game show's host. The interplay of these characters and other lesser personalities who come and go through the story fill the screen with laughter and trauma alike. Funny, gut-wrenching, and tragic, Slumdog Millionaire is the story of a boy committed to the one he loves. They have been through unimaginable things together and whether she likes it or not, Jamil is determined to rescue Latika from her difficult situation.

I have heard some complain about the ending of the story. Can you predict what is going to happen? Maybe, but in my mind's eye, the end was a very satisfying way to close this story of an unimaginably horrid childhood. Slumdog Millionaire was, in my opinion, the best of the fourteen features I saw in Telluride this Labor Day Weekend.

Pighunt (review)

2008-08-15T08:56:00.001-07:00

Pighunt

Directed by James Isaac

From the demented mind if James Isaac (Jason X) comes a survivalist horror / action film complete with hardcore violence, hippies, unnecessary nudity, racism, rednecks and a giant 3000 pound pig named Ripper.

The film follows John (Travis Aaron Wade), his girlfriend Brooks (Tina Huang), and his friends who voyage out to his uncle’s remote cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway of sex, drinking and hunting. Only things go wrong when some past acquaintances bearing old grudges cross paths with the group causing a quarrel to break out. Rubbing shoulders the wrong way the group of friends soon find themselves on the run and now “the hunted”, as the local redneck hillbillies drive out with murderous intentions. Led by the Tibb’s brothers along side Preacher (Les Claypool of Primus), the group chases John and company deep into the forest causing both parties to cross paths with the forest’s Gypsy inhabitants. A nudist cult of porn star like amazons who of course worship who else but Ripper. And what do they feed the pig? Do you really need to ask?

Alex Ross

Inglorious Bastards (review)

2008-08-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

Inglorious Bastards

(1977) Italy

Enzo G. Castellari

Inglorious Bastards also known by its original title (Quel maledetto treno blindato) is a 1977 Italian war movie directed by Enzo G. Castellari – Funny enough the title actually translates to That Damned Armored Train. The film which stars Bo Svenson, Peter Hooten, Fred Williamson, and Jackie Basehart. It’s known as the Italian cash in on the The Dirty Dozen.

Set in Europe during World War II, a group of American soldiers are in the process of being shipped off to military prison for a variety of infractions. While they are being transported, a German air attack hits the convoy, killing most of the MPs and enabling five of the prisoners to escape.

The group decides their best bet is to head to neutral Switzerland, where they can avoid the fighting and prison. As they make their way to what they think will be freedom, they end up volunteering for a commando mission to steal the new V2 equipment with help of the French Underground. Somehow the team must sneak into the most heavily guarded train in German territory, steal the Nazis' most precious military hardware, and bring it back to the Allies without getting arrested again by their own side.

Quentin Tarantino has decided that the remake to this film and it will indeed be his next project. The project which has experienced several false starts is now scheduled to begin production in October 2008 in France and Germany. So with all the remakes and sequels coming out month after month, do we really need a remake of a film no one cared for 17 years ago? My answer is why not? I am always excited when ever I hear Tarantino is cooking up a new project and if you’re going to remake a movie, it might as well be something most people are unfamiliar with.

The tag line reads “whatever the Dirty Dozen did, they do it Dirtier!” Well dirtier may be the right word to use because better is certainly not the case. One must remember that with taste like Tarantino's, not every flick he recommends is going to be a hidden gem. Inglorious Bastards is far from being a lost classic but it’s still a ton of fun. It’s a good way to kill an hour and a half of a movie night with some friends. If anything it’s a good start to a double feature with the Dirty Dozen.

As far as 1970s exploitation cinema is concerned, it has some definite entertainment value. It has more then enough action to keep you awake, some well-drawn characters, and it is beautifully photographed for such a limited budget. One scene that particularly stands out involves a good three minute long and beautiful slow motion montage of the entire train station exploding around the soldiers.

But the real attraction to the film is the cast of some of the coolest '70s action stars, like Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson. Bo Svenson plays the leader of sorts, but its Fred Williamson's who steals the show with the charisma and power to match. He's most memorable here as he ventilates Nazis left and right with a cigar jammed in his teeth Punisher style. What makes it work is that all of the soldiers all have a great personality. There’s the all American leader, the black Superfly kind of Dolemite, the racist, the kleptomaniac, and the kid who has prove himself.

The movie does have a few rough spots including a useless love story sub-plot that never goes anywhere and has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. What’s worse is the final scene and last shot which ties into this love angle. Also some of the dialogue is lost in translation with little or no subtitles.

All in all it comes highly recommended given that you keep in mind it’s a film with no heart – all guts.

Jimmy D

Tropic Thunder (review)

2008-08-13T20:52:00.001-07:00

Tropic Thunder
2008, USA
Ben Stiller

Tropic Thunder" is the funniest movie of the year but before it even begins we’re treated with a few fake trailers that tie into the characters in the film.

The first is an ad for "Booty Sweat" energy drinks, which turns out to be the product of rapper turned actor Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson). This is followed by more priceless fake trailers of upcoming movies from "Tropic Thunder" stars. Tug Speedman (Stiller) who is a fading action star of the action series Scorcher and who tries to earn some respectability by playing a mentally handicap farm boy in his new drama "Simple Jack." Than there is the vulgar drug addict movie star Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) who stars in the “The Fatties 2”, a comedy revolving solely on toilet humor much like most lowbrow Hollywood comedies in the past decade. And finally the multiple-Oscar-winning Australian actor Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) plays opposite to Tobey MaGuire in a forbidden-love / Gay epic as a medieval monk who tries to make the moves on Spiderman.

Tropic Thunder has not even begun yet and it’s already the funniest thing I have seen this year. Stiller wearing many hats here as Director, writer, producer and star, has some how found a way to produce the most shocking and politically incorrect hit to come out of Hollywood in years.

At the heart of the story are Robert Downey JR. and Ben Stiller who play two actors with a confusion of multiple identities and who lose themselves in their roles. The film pokes fun of Hollywood every which way possible. Everything from the greedy movie producer to the highly demanding Jerry McGuire like casting agent to the actor who becomes so big yet he gets lost in his own skin. Ben Stiller has created a savage attack on Hollywood, one whose jokes punch hard. It’s a film that takes you on a dark path deep into the heart of the blockbuster jungle where not everyone will make it out alive. Its extreme violence and extreme comedy.

If anything the film is worth seeing simply for the genius of Robert Downey Jr. who without question is the ringleader in this all star cast. Downey plays Kirk Lazarus, a “method” actor who really wants to get into his roles, so he undergoes a controversial operation to darken his skin so that he may play one of the movie’s black soldiers.

It is my new found favorite performance of the year topping that of even Heath Ledger as the Joker. Downey is a loose goose and he could just very well be the coolest black but not black man to ever hit the screen. This is surely the soon to be most talked about performance of the year and possibly his entire career.

Jack Black makes little us of his role resembling a Chris Farley–like junkie, but I will give him credit for landing the funniest moment of the film when they play parody to Saving Private Ryan. Matthew McConaughey plays the agent to Ben Stiller’s character – and he’s great with what little screen time given. Also on board with small roles is David Gordon Green’s “go to guy” Danny McBride who plays the effects wiz, Vietnam was vet Nick Nolte and first time film director Steve Coogan. All of which are great.

However it’s the show-off cameo is by Tom Cruise that’s the scene stealer. Brilliant and ballsy and it is one of the most outrageous performances in the film where Cruise plays a bald, overweight, foul mouthed Hollywood producer. He lets his character loose and never holds back with an onslaught of profanities and even some occasionally booty dancing to the music of hip hop star Ludacris.

Not since The Player has the American film industry endured such a vicious attack. But Tropic Thunder just like Pineapple Express don’t seem to care. This is the new Hollywood, where everyone grows some balls and every now and than tells the system to go fuck itself!

Jimmy D

Baghead (review)

2008-08-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Baghead
2008, USA
directed by Jay and Mark Duplass

At once a deconstruction of the creative process and an extended look at the mechanics of fear, Baghead is an engaging little indie that flirts with "mumblecore" drama, low-budget horror, and awkward comedy, before ultimately revealing itself as just one of them - it would qualify as a spoiler to say which, since part of the film's appeal is the uncertain manner in which it proceeds. Baghead opens with one of the funniest scenes I've seen all year, a lampoon of film festival culture that's both over-the-top and unnervingly accurate. Our protagonists - rough-hewn cool guy Matt (Ross Partridge), his on-again, off-again girlfriend Catherine (Elise Muller), doughy dogooder Chad (Steve Zissis) and party girl Michelle (Greta Girwig) are attending the premiere of an acquaintance's film, entitled We Are Naked. (There's nudity involved.) The banal question period that follows the film will delight anyone who's ever stayed after a film at a festival to hear the unwashed masses fellate questionable talent.

With all four principals being out-of-work actors, they decide they can make a better film than the one they've just been forced to sit through, so they isolate themselves in a cabin in the woods for a weekend with the aim of simply brainstorming an entire film. Their interpersonal tensions make these sessions awkward, so when Michelle has a creepy dream involving a man with a bag over his head, they leap at the chance to base a horror movie around it. Eventually, however, the Baghead starts making appearances in reality, and it must be determined whether they're being stalked from within or without the group.

If I've made it sound like a straight-up horror film, then I've done Baghead a disservice - it's a very funny film that has a handful of tense scenes, as well as a generous helping of touchingly real ones. Its characters, and nothing else, are what make the film work - Chad's pining for the flippy, inconsiderate Michelle is genuinely both sad and funny, and Matt's determination to get something - anything - completed denotes both drive and desperation, with Partridge inhabiting a space somewhere in between. Unlike many horror-themed films we've seen this year, the movie doesn't rely on any deeply illogical twists - a blessing in and of itself. While it's a slight film - as revealed by its deliberately low-key ending - Baghead succeeds on terms entirely its own.

Simon Howell

American Teen

2008-08-11T21:16:00.001-07:00

American Teen (2008)

Nanette Burnstein

The Sundance hit "American Teen" may be a success amongst most teenagers but I would find it hard to believe anyone over the age of 16 would actually care to sit through this film. Most film critics claim it to be scripted. They have accused director Nanette Burstein of giving the documentary a sensationalized feel. Maybe that is true but by the time the credits rolled that was the least of my problems with the film. The main problem for me is that aside from one girl named Hannah, its other subjects do and say little to keep your attention. You would think out of the thousands of high school kids in Warsaw, Nanette Burstein could have found some more interesting.

Director Nanette Burstein focused too much time in selecting students who resembled characters from "The Breakfast Club." There's the Ally Sheedy like outsider Hannah who is moody and longs for life in the big city where she can study film making. Than there's the jock like basketball star Colin, the romantic geek Jake, think Anthony Michael Hall. Finally let's not forget the Molly Ringwald rich girl / mean-girl princess named Megan. Hannah struggles with her everyday fears and depression. Colin needs a basketball scholarship, Megan copes with her sister's suicide, and Jake needs a girlfriend. The problem is outside Hannah the kids don't really make me feel much except for feeling manipulated. Some can say that Werner Herzog made a career out of blurring the line between reality and a film maker's reality. Whatever the case this film was incredibly dull. Did I really need a filmmaker to show me that a teenage girl could be bitchy or that a pimple faced high school geek could have trouble finding a girlfriend?

Now put aside it's subjects and let's view it approach. In reducing hours of footage into a cohesive film, a documentarian can turn a person into a hero or an enemy. They can make you believe in someone or something and change your opinions and views. The trick to doing it right is to figure out a way to make those elements somehow seem real and organic. Observation changes that which is being observed so obviously when you put a camera in a high school, the high school looses its realism. But the crime committed here becomes clear early on. The director painfully seeking something of interest to document clearly needs to stage events in order to have something to bring to the cutting room. Filming reality is a tricky thing but in this case it is bad filmmaking and worse faut.

Jimmy D

Tropic Thunder (2008)

2008-08-11T21:15:00.001-07:00

Tropic Thunder

2008, USA

Ben Stiller

Capping off the 2008 summer movie season is Ben Stiller's meta-action-comedy Tropic Thunder, a film so backlogged with big names, movie references and Hollywood in-jokes that you'll spend its first 15 minutes with your head spinning. By the time the movie finally settles down a bit, however, it manages to find a surprisingly agreeable comic groove, skewering nearly every facet of Hollywood filmmaking – both contemporary and historical.

The plot is actually set in motion before the film begins, with a set of fake trailers and commercials establishing the film-within-a-film's major players: Stiller's Tugg Speedman, an over-the-hill action star who made an ill-advised foray into the realm of prestige film; Jack Black's Jeff Portnoy, a self-centered drug addict with a series of obnoxious Eddie Murphy-style fat-suit comedies behind his belt; Brandon T. Johnson's Alpa Chino, an energy-drink magnate; and, most memorably, Robert Downey Jr.'s Kirk Lazarus, a self-serious Aussie method actor. They're all filming Tropic Thunder, a massive-scale war film directed by a novice (Steve Coogan, in what amounts to a blown-up cameo), based on a memoir written by a loony hook-handed war vet (Nick Nolte, in hobo mode), alongside an eager young actor named Kevin (Jay Baruchel). There's also Pineapple Express' Danny McBride and Bill Hader as, respectively, as an explosives expert and a studio exec.

Robert Downey Jr. may as well be Capn' Save-a-Blockbuster. After rescuing Iron Man from being a completely run-of-the-mill comic book movie, he single-handedly fashions the year's greatest comic creation as Lazarus. In a delightful skewering of hardcore method types like Christian Bale or Nicholas Cage circa Leaving Las Vegas, Lazarus opts for cosmetic surgery to blacken his skin in order to play an African-American character named Sgt. Osiris. Downey adopts an over-the-top caricature of "black" speech and mannerisms, much to the continual chagrin of actual black person Johnson (who plays brilliantly off of Downey's exaggerations, exuding both amusement and bemusement). It's an over-the-top concept that Downey somehow manages to pull off – mainly by communicating Lazarus' innate need to be obnoxiously, relentlessly method in his methods. "I never break character 'till I do the DVD commentary."

The blackface device is indicative of the movie's preoccupation with Hollywood's systemic racism, xenophobia and PC hypocrisy. When the actors find themselves stranded in the Vietnam wilderness and come upon a band of sinister Burmese heroin producers, nearly every old trope of Generic Primitive/Asian Otherness is trotted out, from the "outsider white man praised as deity" chestnut (here replaced with an amusingly irreverent sequence in which Stiller's Speedman dons whiteface and reprises a generally-reviled older character), to the respected child leader (see Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) to the muddled use of language (the Burmese thugs don't bat an eye at Lazarus' use of Chinese) and even the PC location choice – it's the same tyranny-choked region that Stallone decimated in Rambo last year. Stiller also employs music, editing and plot cues straight out of Apocalypse Now (whose troubled filming history was certainly an inspiration), Forrest Gump (Buffalo Springfield's "That's What It's Worth") and, memorably, Saving Private Ryan's famed Omaha Beach sequence.

For all of the movie's incisive commentary on Hollywood's purity complexes (also lampooned in Lazarus' thorough explanation of the Academy's "retard rules") there are a number of elements that simply don't work. Black's Portnoy is supposed to evoke past troubled, rotund funnymen like John Candy and John Belushi, but never communicates anything beyond shallow drug-jonesing. The subplots involving Stiller's agent and studio head – played by a pair of a-listers I won't spoil – are tedious and unfunny. One of those big names is most certainly in the film in an excessive attempt at saving face after some recent embarrassments, including the use of a fat suit, and it comes across a little too clearly. All of those elements – including Black's character - could easily have been removed from the script and taken the film from its somewhat overstretched 107 minutes down to a more manageable ninety. Luckily, McBride, Coogan, Nolte and Baruchel all deliver fine, funny performances to help flesh out the interstitial scenes between big action setpieces, making the film more coherent than it has to be. That other recent exotically-titled two-word action-comedy might have a higher batting average, but Tropic Thunder logs in about ten times the pitches, and in its tireless efforts to entertain produces Hollywood's funniest film since Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Simon Howell

Pineapple Express

2008-08-04T10:02:00.001-07:00

Pineapple Express (2008)

When I first heard about Pineapple Express, I doubted it right away. An action comedy directed by David Gordon Green, the guy who gave us George Washington and Snow Angels? No way in hell could this keep me entertained from beginning to end! But then again you can't judge a book by its cover and oh Christ, once you get past this book's cover, it's all uphill. Forget about everything you've seen Seth Rogan in and prepare yourself for the role he was born to play. A STONER.

Consider the comedic talent that conceived this story: Judd Apatow, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan. Furthermore, take into account that most of the Apatow-related productions are seriously demented comedies that are right up my alley: Anchorman, Knocked Up, Drillbit Taylor, Superbad, etc. Apatow's crew keeps a pretty good average at the plate and very few of his projects have been panned by the media (except Talladega Nights, which sucked more than the average socialite). Rogan and his friends constitute the newest "Pack" incarnation, name them as you will, but they are quickly replacing Ben Stiller's "Frat Pack" as the funniest actors in town. Pineapple Express seals its position as the best comedy of the year, if not the bloody decade, and it should be considered alongside Lethal Weapon and Beverley Hills Cop as the best action comedies of our generation.

What makes Pineapple Express truly special isn't the (particularly unoriginal) story, but rather its ability to capture the authenticity of a mundane conversation between friends and turn it into something hilarious, in the same vein that Knocked Up and Superbad were able to do (once again due to Rogan). Since recounting his sidesplitting, first-hand depiction of a woman being penetrated by a horse in The 40-year old Virgin, Seth Rogan has carved his own special kind of writing niche and has demonstrated that stagnating punch lines and over the top humor are a thing of the past. Proof of which is Will Ferrell's rapid decline in popularity amongst the 25-34 crowd that watch his movies. Pineapple's dialogue shies away from the generic, elaborate progression that leads to a joke and focuses on the moment itself, or rather the improvisation that comes with it. Whether it's a facial expression, a gesture off camera or a silly question, the give and go between characters is legendary. A man trying to buzz his way into an apartment building has never made me laugh before, but these guys pulled it off.

Furthermore, while the amount of swearing borders the thousand-mark, it is extremely appreciated, considering the childish ratings that other so-called ‘raunchy' comedies are stuck with. Finally, a studio that knows when to give complete helm to its writers and just let them go wild. Rogan's experience writing for Da Ali G show and Superbad shines in just about every scene.

At the core, this movie is about friendship and the limits to which they can be subjected to. Rogan and Franco are so in tune with each other that it would have been interesting to see them interact between takes, considering that Apatow-lead movies never really stop filming, a practice with the intention of promoting improvisation throughout the movie. Both Knocked Up and Superbad produced well over a million feet of tape, a feat which had hitherto been unheard of for comedies.

From the opening scene that includes a fantastic cameo by Thomas Haden Church until the final coffee shop exchange, you'd be hard pressed to find a single flaw in this movie. Best of all is the culmination of action scenes that reaches a fever pitch towards the very end, one that leaves you breathless and hoping for just a little bit more....until we get it, in true Rogan style. You'll know when you see it.

I'll be looking forward to next year's Rogan-Goldberg collaboration entitled "Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse", the teaser trailer for which has already been available on YouTube for the past year or so. Can Hollywood's new comedy kings reproduce the magic and absolute genius in Pineapple Express? Based on what we have so far, I'd think so!

Myles Dolphin

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

2008-08-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

I must admit right off the bat that I'm disappointed by the crop of superhero movies I've seen this summer. Originally, I wanted to see all six of them but that soon changed once I saw Iron Man. It left me severely unsatisfied while The Incredible Hulk just barely fed my cravings for ultra-violence. What else awaited me? Hancock and Wanted. I didn't need to see those, thank you, and I crossed my fingers for a Hellboy sequel that would knock my dirty socks off.

My socks were on quite tightly in anticipation of seeing Bid Red once again. I knew it would take something special to impress me, as sequels don't usually make it into my favorite DVDs, yet I reserved a special kind of hope for this one, having enjoyed the first Hellboy back in 2004. What bothered me most this time around is the fact that we, the viewers, are repeatedly patronized by the movie studios. Each sequel gives us the same treatment: develop the love story, make it seem like the main character will die by the end of the movie and throw in a couple lame gags for the lower-IQ crowd. Some of us have actually seen a lot of movies and we're fed up with this generic garbage! But hey, if it's a success at the box office, why stop there? Let's make 8 of them!

Ok, that was a little harsh. The story wasn't that bad, keeping in mind that most comic book adaptations are a lot worse (Superman 3 anyone?). We're subjected to the developments between Liz and Hellboy, and although it holds no significant importance to the grandeur of the movie, it does provide a few chuckles, as well as a juicy hint about another sequel.

The real reason we paid $12 to see this movie is to witness Hellboy destroy everything in sight, either with his gargantuan fist or his weapons. The real highlight in this movie, however, is the attention to detail. Guillermo Del Toro paints his prettiest canvas yet by creating the most visually stunning movie since Pan's Labyrinth. The screen oozes with color and grandiosity, bringing us tantalizingly close to the myriad of characters Hellboy meets. The scene where he ventures into the troll market remains particularly vibrant in my mind. I was easily glued to the screen the entire time, trying to register every little detail that was projected back to me. Del Toro's gutsy approach to filming and cinematography is one that more directors should employ.

So the entire premise is rather clichéd. Nothing here that hasn't been told before. Yet by using the best visual elements from Pan's Labyrinth, Del Toro stays true to the genre and entertains us to the end with an eclectic cast and creative action sequences. The success of the franchise will undoubtedly produce a third movie but a warning to anyone who hasn't seen this yet: don't expect the unexpected. Go in with a fresh mind, without expectations and you should thoroughly enjoy yourself.

Myles Dolphin

Michael Clayton

2008-08-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Michael Clayton

8.5/10

We’ve had plenty of legal thrillers in the last few years. They all seem to be decently made, but not original. Well acted, but not Oscar worthy. Entertaining, but not insightful. But Tony Gilroy’s Michael Clayton gives the genre a kick in the ass and manages to be original, feature Oscar-worthy performances and be insightful!

In case you haven’t heard of this film. I’ll give a rundown of the plot. The title character Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a “fixer” for a respected law firm in New York City. His life is not too great. His job makes him feel like a janitor but he can’t really do anything about it. Suddenly his mentor, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson) goes insane while working n a settlement on a class action suit towards an environmental product company hat sold a ”deadly weed whacker”. Michael is brought in to help “fix” this but he comes to understand the conclusions that Arthur was getting at.

Michael Clayton grabs your attention from the beginning with an amazing monologue from Tom Wilkinson and never lets go during it’s two hour runtime. Writer/Director Tony Gilroy brilliantly plots the film and makes us care for the characters. Helping it become an amazingly engrossing experience. And like I said, this film is insightful. It has fully developed themes and a message that is universal. With having an evironmental company be the “bad guys” you can see some opportunities for some social commentary on our treatment of the earth. There is some subtle development of these ideas but they never weigh down the film. A wise move. It wouldn’t have worked making this An Inconvenient Truth 2 : The Quickening.

I highly recommend this film. It’s worth the ticket price for Tom Wilkinson’s performance.

Ethaniel Vestby

Incredible Hulk

2008-08-04T09:58:00.002-07:00

Going Green

A
The Incredible Hulk
Directed by Louis Leterrier
Universal Pictures / Marvel Studios

With the release of Iron Man, Marvel Comics began a renewed endeavor to create a film equivalent of their vast comic universe, establishing not only the titular mechanized hero but also the beginnings of The Avengers (who have their own movie due out in the future, along with Captain America and Thor). Of course, this isn't the first time Marvel characters have been portrayed onscreen - Spider-Man and the X-Men have gotten three movies each already, along with The Punisher and other relative b-listers. In those series, however, there was no attempt to broaden the scope to include other segments of the Marvel universe - perhaps the tentative fourth installments will change that.

The Incredible Hulk seeks to fold the green giant into Marvel's newfound film universe - and to do so it must erase all trace of Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk movie, which starred Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly as Bruce Banner and Betty Ross. In that rendition, which acted as an "origin story" as practically all inaugural superhero movies do, Banner/Hulk fought not only the military, but also his nefarious father, played by an insanely over-the-top Nick Nolte, acting as both Freudian supervillain and high-powered hobo. It didn't always work, particularly in its awkward climactic "battle," and many griped about the CGI work, but it's still a richer, more interesting establishing film than, say, the first X-Men, and its editing style, which mimicked the panel-based layout of comics with frequent split-screen imagery, was frequently novel. Nevertheless, its heavy dramatic leanings and strange climax were enough to put off many comic fans, and a relaunch was set in place.

Leterrier's film wisely skips the "origin" portion, showing the initial transformation only obliquely during the credits before skipping five months ahead to find Banner, this time played by a brooding Edward Norton, hiding away in a Brazilian slum before a freak occurrence catches the eye of the encroaching U.S. military, who seek (as ever) to use Banner's DNA as the basis for a new line of genetically enhanced soldiers. As in the first film, Banner is pursued by devoted militarist General Ross (William Hurt), whose daughter Betty (Liv Tyler) is Banner's old flame, as well as mercenary soldier Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth, seemingly delighted to be free of Haneke guilt-land), whose desire to overcome Banner's monstrous alter-ego results in the film's eventual climax.

Much about the movie is workmanlike - Norton's low-key performance as a mostly resigned Banner is fairly dull, Tyler is given a much more perfunctory role than Connelly received as his love interest, and a surprising lack of improvement in the realm of CGI. Half a decade has passed since Lee's Hulk, but the monster himself isn't much improved - while his body is fairly detailed, there is less of an attempt to physically connect Norton with his converted form than in the previous film, which makes it harder to empathize with either figure. While Norton at least seems passionate about the material (despite his miscasting), Hurt seems to be here for the paycheck - disappointing given Sam Elliott's pulpy portrayal of the same character. Of course, most comics fans will want simply to know whether the action sequences are improved. The answer is...yes and no. The film's action highlight is a sequence set in daylight in which Blonsky and a host of military gadgets face off against the Hulk on a university campus, with hunks of metallic viscera flying about - and a delightfully brutal punchline. Unfortunately the CGI-driven brawl that concludes the film feels just as tossed off as the previous film's metaphysical "power bubble" felt hokey. The film isn't much better at reaching a lighter tone than Lee's did, either, with much of the film taking place in darkness, and the rare attempts at humor generally less than convincing - there's a particularly forced exchange between Norton and Tyler about anger management.

For Marvel, however, the movie does precisely what it's supposed to - it sets up the viewer for a widening universe to come, and is careful to incorporate far more of the comic's trademarks than Lee's film did. While that's meant to be a tantalizing prospect, The Incredible Hulk indicates that Marvel is keen on playing it safe when it comes to their newfound enterprises. In comics, any number of story tangents can be followed thanks to an endless number of spin-offs and reboots, but Marvel is hedging its bets here by seemingly creating a largely by-the-numbers megafranchise. After all, they need to keep the fans happy if they don't want to keep re-establishing their heroes every five years, and that means not ruffling any more feathers. It's telling that their biggest gamble so far - the unorthodox casting of Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man - has also been their ace in the hole. With its simplified themes and uncluttered action, this new Hulk will likely appease comic fans, but moviegoers may be left cold in the coming years if it's representative of the studio's overall direction.

Simon

Mamet's machines (Redbelt review)

2008-08-04T09:58:00.001-07:00

Redbelt
Sony Pictures Classics, 2008
Directed by David Mamet

Can a film fail to relate huge swathes of plot and still succeed? David Mamet’s incoherent but tersely thrilling Redbelt certainly seems to operate that way. Jiu-Jitsu instructor Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) lives by a strict Samurai code of ethics, often to the chagrin of his wife Sondra (Alice Braga), who runs a fabrics business that helps to fund Mike’s struggling gym. While instructing cop buddy Joe (The Unit’s Max Martini), a distraught, pill-popping lawyer (a note-perfect Emily Mortimer) shoots out the gym’s front window. This kickstarts a series of events too labyrinthine to describe here, involving the aforementioned players, an aging action star (Tim Allen), mixed-martial-arts fight promoters (Joe Mantegna and Ricky Jay), and Sondra’s extended family of shady Argentineans.

While Mamet is principally known for his Nobel-winning Glengarry Glen Ross, his recent work on films like Val Kilmer vehicle Spartan and television’s The Unit has been marked by a reliance on tough-guy clichés and lackluster attempts to substitute his trademark rat-a-tat dialogue style with thick plotting. Redbelt sees him not necessarily rectifying these issues, but at least making something deeply entertaining out of his recent fixations. It helps that he’s enlisted a few reliable scene-chewers, especially Jay and Mantegna, as well as a restrained, bitter Allen, far removed from his cuddly Disney persona. The dialogue itself is largely unmemorable, but it’s delivered with such infectious gusto (aided by Barbara Tulliver’s nimble editing) that even the film’s most nonsensical plot contortions seem, if not natural, then at least necessary. Much of the film lies squarely on Ejiofor’s shoulders, however, and he performs on a tightrope for much of its duration, having to negotiate his character’s stubborn insistence on archaic wisdom with his need for basic human pride – all while working within the script’s absurdly amorphous machinations. Even as the film succumbs to its tiresome Samurai mysticism in the worst way possible in its final moments, Ejiofor’s troubled face grounds the film in a certain reality, if not our own.

Simon Howell

The Strangers

2008-08-04T09:55:00.001-07:00

The Strangers
Directed by Bryan Bertino
Rogue/Universal

There's a war of approach currently being waged in the field of mainstream American horror. On one hand you've got the "more is more" contingent, made up of "torture porn" progenitors Eli Roth (Hostel) and the Saw series, as well as Rob Zombie's retro gorefests (House of 1000 Corpses, the cred-busting Halloween remake). On the other sits the small but significant movement towards no-frills horror more or less grounded in reality - last year's Vacancy, while only fitfully effective, springs to mind, and so does The Strangers, a movie so doggedly minimal that one senses the screenplay could fit in your pocket.

The film opens with its most unusual set of decisions: a stern voice mentioning the frequency of violent crimes in America, and mentioning the story's (dubious) ties to a specific real-life incident. The film's opening scene skips to the end, showing us the viscera and destruction in and around the home where Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) will spend the next 80 minutes getting terrorized by a masked trio of remorseless invaders. Following this peculiar opening (which serves to dampen the film with a sense of inevitability, cutting strongly against the post-Sixth Sense "twist ending" trend) we get the obligatory 20-minute opening to inform us of the strained relationship between our protagonists and to familiarize ourselves with their environment. Tyler and Speedman do a fairly good job of communicating the unspoken history they share, although given the circumstances surrounding the tension between them (Tyler quietly rejected his offer of marriage earlier in the evening), their interactions evoke too much comfort and not enough caution. The film misses a major opportunity here, in that it could have used this setup to explore the tension between them, but instead (as expected) their bonds simply heal themselves as a result of the ensuing terror.

To Bertino's credit, however, some of his decisions (as director and screenwriter) are bracingly original; the film's greatest innovation by far lies in its unorthodox treatment of the folk and country music that intermittently plays from the couple's gramophone. The film's most effective moment comes with a tense confrontation involving a gun, an axe, a piano, and Joanna Newsom's "The Sprout and the Bean." The scene mines the sonic tension in Newsom's double-tracked vocals ("should we go outside?") and spare harp plucking. Another scene memorably milks the Appalachian harmonies and odd intervals that characterize Gillian Welch's Time: The Revelator by looping two seconds ("quicksilver girl") from "My First Lover" for what feels, briefly, like an eternity. The soundtrack represents another categorical rejection of the heavy-metal excess that has pervaded recent horror (see: the soundtracks for the Saw movies). The film also contains the longest stretches of silence and inaction seen in a major American horror film in a long time, making good use of ambient noise and shadows (never more effective than the moment in which the bag-headed intruder slowly emerges behind Tyler in the kitchen, as unfortunately revealed in some of the film's posters).

Bertino shows his weaknesses as a filmmaker when he distrusts elements he has already established; the decision to separate the lovers for much of the film's last half-hour both robs the film of its only real character interactions and feels maddeningly improbable. He also doesn't shy away from two major horror movie tropes: a character intoning that they'll "be right back" as a harbinger of doom, and a highly questionable final shot that rings hollow with familiarity and cheapens the film's opening gambit. Until that moment, The Strangers feels like something very strange indeed: a horror movie with an argument. That phrase of course brings to mind Michael Haneke's Funny Games, a considerably more brutal film that essentially acted as a movie-length guilt trip on the nature of entertainment. The Strangers, on the other hand, is unconcerned with the nature of film, instead serving to emphasize the ordinary nature of the crimes on display - underlined by the decision to stage the ritualistic carnage that takes place near the film's end in the full brightness of morning, punctuated with barren shots of the surrounding countryside. Bertino's debut turns out to be a deeply flawed one that only communicates that one idea effectively, but that puts it ahead of some of his contemporaries, most of whom (Haneke included, given his masturbatory shot-for-shot "U.S." remake of Funny Games) feel the need to stretch out their one idea over the course of several films. It remains to be seen if Bertino's small, but welcome eccentricities will prevail in future endeavors or if he'll fall prey to the self-cannibalization that has characterized the genre's other recent would-be auteurs.

Simon Howell

Repo! The Genetic Opera

2008-08-04T09:54:00.001-07:00

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Dir. Darren Lynn Bousman

Fewer words, I imagine, strike greater fear in the minds of audiences and producers alike when the words "passion project" are thrown around. After helming three straight Saw sequels, long-suffering director Darren Lynn Bousman finally gets to cut loose creatively with his gory rock opera Repo, which evolved from a series of quickie stage improvisations courtesy of the film's writer/composers, Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich. Unfortunately, the film turns out to be more Across the Universe than Hedwig and the Angry Inch, eager to please but ultimately less than enjoyable for anyone not a devout enthusiast of its chosen musical framing – except in this case, it's a nostalgia-fest for turn-of-the-90's goths instead of baby boomers.

Bousman, to his credit, assembled an intriguing cast: Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anothny Stewart Head (a stage veteran who's also appeared as Frank n' Furter in Rocky Horror), Spy Kids star Alexa Vega, elevator-music superstar Sarah Brightman, renowned character actor Paul Sorvino (Law and Order, Goodfellas), horror vet Bill Moseley, and, in a shrewd bit of meta-casting, tabloid magnet Paris Hilton. In much the same manner that reading the cast list seems to create a logic fissure in the universe, the film's disparate elements never coalesce into anything coherent. Ostensibly an elaborate comment on consumer society and celebrity obsession, Repo seems to serve mainly as a hyperactive springboard for a filmmaker overeager to prove his uniqueness.

Set in a cartoonishly grim future, Repo revolves principally around Nathan (Head), a "repo man" who impolitely collects organs from hapless citizens on behalf of GeneCo (led by Sorvino's sinister, dying Rotti), a massive conglomerate that swooped in to commodify healthy organs following a deadly epidemic of organ failures. His daughter, Shilo (Vega), is ill with the blood disease that claimed her mother, and is kept in unwilling sanctuary in his home. Meanwhile, Rotti's offspring (Moseley, Hilton and Skinny Puppy's Nivek Ogre) bicker, in an obvious nod to King Lear, over which one will inherit their decaying father's empire. Oh, and somewhere in the mix there's also Mag (Brightman), a celebrity singer with GeneCo-implanted holographic eyes who's trapped in a dead-end contract.

If the plot seems needlessly dense, that's because it is, and the film is crippled at the outset by its ludicrous number of characters and plot threads, never to recover. This undercuts both the plot's coherency – already tenuous at the outset – and the integrity of the performances proffered by its diverse cast. Particularly wasted is Moseley, who brings his character to slyly sadistic life, but doesn't get much chance to develop in his eight or so minutes of screen time. Others get shoehorned into thankless roles – Vega, who has Broadway experience and shows evidence of being a capable performer, is saddled with a bratty, shrill heroine, and Sorvino, as the film's principal villain, is never able to find a consistent tone either of internal anguish or righteous indignation, largely because he's provided with a few too many motivations relating to nearly every other character. The supporting cast is uniformly competent – including the widely reviled Hilton – but none besides Mosely leave much of an impression. Head's "repo man" suffers most - his character enjoys his grisly work at some points and is disturbed by it at others, simply at the film's convenience, making him useless either as a figure of scorn or sympathy.

Smith and Zdunich don't only botch the film's plotting but also its densely arranged musical score, which spends most of its time occupying a confounding space somewhere between Ministry and Evanescence that simply shouldn't exist. Occasionally, a novel vocal harmony or passably funny lyric will arise (particularly in scenes where Head and Sorvino duet), but none of the individual songs are at all memorable. There's an opportunity for redemption in the film's embrace of over-the-top satire near the film's conclusion (featuring a memorable moment where Hilton's character loses face a bit) but ultimately opts for a lame, sequel-ready non-ending. For all of the film's references and targets, its Vaseline-on-the-lens aesthetics, leaden musical numbers and generally witless approach keep it from joining the ranks of the beloved "outsider" musicals its creators so obviously worship.

Simon Howell

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

2008-08-04T09:52:00.001-07:00

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

The Midnight Meat Train is based on Clive Barker's 1984 short story of the same name, which can be found in Volume One of Barker's collection Books of Blood. The film follows a photographer who attempts to track down a serial killer dubbed the "Subway Butcher" and discovers more than he bargained for under the city streets. Directed by Japan's Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus, Azumi), it stars Bradley Cooper, Roger Bart, Vinnie Jones and Brooke Shields.

Despite being the most famous horror novelist next to Stephen King, only very few films have been made from Barker's work, and three of those he actually directed. To be honest I have not been a fan of most of these films save for Candyman and Lord of Illusions. Clive Barker's Books of Blood is considered the holy grail of horror literature but the film adaptation of Midnight Meat Train is hit and miss.

I know it is based on a short story but at times the film makers seemed hard up on ideas on where to go with the film. We end up with Cooper following Vinnie Jones playing the Butcher in several scenes with many near-misses. The scenes are repetitive and lack suspense. They seem forced and it comes across as if it they are there to just stretch the film into a feature length. Overall the screenplay is solid. I appreciate that the screenwriter doesn't over explain everything and much was left to the imagination of the viewers (save for a brief explanation towards the end). You have to hand it to screenwriter Jeff Buhler for adapting a Barker story. While not perfect, it's still better than average screenplay - minus a few really cheesy one liners used here and there such as "Stay away from the meat."

The adaptation of this script was a labor of love for long-time Barker fan Jeff Buhler, who worked closely with Barker throughout the process. Their intent was to expand the world presented in the original short story while preserving the underlying mythology and themes already there. In fact both Barker and Buhler fought long and hard to retain the original title of the film, which at one point was going to be changed to "Midnight Train."

The film has a very unique look and uses a lot of blue hues. Everything seems to shine on screen yet it is also very grainy. To be put simply it is visually stunning and ambitious. Anyone who has seen Azumi would know just how well this man can shoot action - by comparison, Kill Bill's fight sequences look lame. Here he uses a perfect blend of prosthetics and CGI and the director brings some of the most inventive kills to ever hit the big screen. The kill sequences are impressive to say the least but more importantly gory and original. Unlike in the film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, the death sequences here are clever and justify its R rating. Most of the special FX were practical, which gave the film a more believable tone. There were dead bodies hanging from the train, teeth being pulled, an intense scene in which an eyeball pops out of it's socket; and there's a fantastic kill in which a guy, hanging upside down on a meat hook, sees his reflection in a pool of his own blood.

What I didn't like was the cast. Actually I really hated the cast of this film. Bradley Cooper was just not right for the role as the main character. He held the same emotion on his face throughout the entire film. He had no range what so ever nor did Leslie Bibb who plays his girlfriend. She was even worse and I found myself hoping someone would kill off her character. Vinnie Jones plays the same mute bad guy he seems to always play, but for an ex-football player he's the only one member of the cast who truly shines. Hostel II's Roger Bart pops up in a few scenes, as does Ted Raimi, but neither gets any serious screen time. No one was worse, however, than the lady detective in this film, who makes M. Knight seem like a great actor.

It's a tricky film to recommend. I think that true fans of the original story will find themselves disappointed with the outcome but yet most fans of horror films will truly love it. I am glad I had a chance to see the world premiere, but I don't see it landing in my DVD collection anytime soon.

Jimmy D

The Eye (2008)

2008-08-04T09:50:00.001-07:00

Review of The Eye (2008)

Few have managed to grasp horror in the intense, occasionally uncomfortable clarity of Asian filmmakers. From Korea to Japan, viewers find an unrivaled level of skin-crawling, prolonged shock value, and in this case China is no different. In 2002, the Pang brothers, two popular East Asian directors, compiled a collection of gut-wrenching images and sounds, creating their film The Eye. The Eye tells the story of an eye-transplant patient who sees the haunting that drove the former owner to an ultimate end of suicide. What follows is her attempt to free herself from the cycle of constant fear. While this movie brings to the table a story with visuals as haunting as the story it tells, what truly arrests audiences is the constant anxiety involved in its viewing. The question we encounter is whether or not the stateside remake, released in 2008, continues the trend of swelling uneasiness that the first captures so well.

The answer to that is, put quite simply, yes. This success is based largely on two factors: an Americanization of sorts to be discussed later, and that lurking unrest mentioned above. This film pushes viewers, especially those familiar with the original, into corners where expectations are shattered. Despite this, a sense of foreboding pervades the entire movie, and the images of ghosts often remain on screen for longer than is comfortable for watchers, offering a physical stirring to accompany the fright the mind experiences. Oftentimes the specters torment the viewer as much as the protagonist, Sydney Wells, played by Jessica Alba.

The aforementioned Americanization refers to the film's placement in an America-centric environment. In the Chinese version, the main character travels to the outskirts of China (presumably, though it is never directly mentioned), to a small town where the previous owner of the eyes lived and died. This locale changes to a small town in Mexico, a much more reachable environ from the US, and one in which graffiti declares "Bruja" and "Diablo" (Witch and Devil, respectively), giving the setting a more realistic feel than other movies that pit an American character in the Asian country the film originally takes place in. Another example is a scene in which a ghost attacks the protagonist for being in "her chair." In the Chinese release, this chair was a desk at which the new owner is learning at last to write in Chinese calligraphy. This is obviously something unnecessary for most Americans, and was changed in the US release.

Overall, The Eye offers a suspenseful look at the horror inherent in the ability to see, and the safety hidden behind blindness. If it suffers from any issues at all, It arises from the amount of "stuff" in the movie. It throws scare after scare at the viewer, and perhaps either an extended story or a diminished number of shocks would have done the film well. This complaint aside, it enters as one of the better horror movies of the year, if not the best, and holds down the title with a strong 8/10 from me.

Andrew Hubbard

If...

2008-08-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

Growing up my favorite time of the week was Sunday nights, which was Disney night. At the ripe old age of 22, though, I ditched Mickey and his crummy club, looking for something more 'mature'. That is when I discovered "A Clockwork Orange", a masterpiece in surrealism and ultra-violent sexual deviancy. I instantly became a huge fan of Malcolm McDowell's devilish grin and acting prowess so I sought out his other films. Unsurprisingly, in "if…" he plays the same confrontational little bastard that would foreshadow his status as one of Britain's most coveted actors.

Upon its release, "if…" was slapped with an X certificate by the British Board of Film Censors, which did not do wonders for its success. The rating is no surprise though, since the movie deals with the radical uprising of youths in a public school. The controversial nature of the movie, which promotes revolt against autocracy, was inspired by similar events taking place in Paris. In 1968, French students and workers orchestrated a massive strike which led to a citywide clash against police. It had an enormous impact on society and created a liberal morality that had not yet been achieved in Britain.

In "if…" McDowell plays Mick Travis, an abrasive yet poetic idealist who is fed up with the stifling conformism of his boarding school (in Britain, a public school is actually a private school because it is owned by "the public" and not the government. Go figure). Through a series of vignettes Mick and his crusaders (Wally and Johnny) exemplify youth rebellion of the era by doing their best Guy Fawkes impersonations and plot to destroy the stagnant and out-dated belief system of their school. Mick says it best when dreaming of his future accomplishment: "There is no such thing as a wrong war. Violence and revolution are the only pure acts. War is the last possible creative act."

The movie really emphasizes several key themes; the importance of the individual over the institution, the right to freedom and the uprising against tradition in a country that is currently undergoing massive social reform. "if…" encapsulates the British class system and its ignorance of the revolution that is taking place outside its doors. Director Lindsay Anderson was so fond of McDowell's performance in this role that he used him two more times in the so-called "Mick Travis trilogy" comprised of "if…", "O Lucky Man!" and "Britannia Hospital". Anderson had also been inspired by the French classic "Zéro de conduite" by Jean Vigo, a surrealist depiction of a similar youth uprising. His filming technique throughout the production was a much improvised one and he was able to blend fantasy and fact in a unique way, most notably by using several black and white scenes interspersed with the colored ones towards the end of the movie. The shift in color and tint really grabs your attention and serves to prevent the visual style from being too repetitive. It becomes extremely relevant at the climactic end, when the grainy film shows Mick and his gang taking matters into their own hands and going berserk on the school's administration, its bullying prefects and even the students' parents. Quentin Tarantino would have been proud!

"if…" you are looking for a clear and definitive moral to emerge from this movie, try looking at the bigger picture itself. The important question lies in the role of activism; should its advocates be labeled as freedom fighters or terrorists? Does the ultimate blame lie on society or on the government? "One man can change the world with a bullet in the right place…" Mick's controversial mantra remains relevant to this day and so does "if…", an absolutely fantastic tribute to the rebellious sixties, the unfairness of oppression and the power of activism.

Myles Dolphin

Akambo Shojo

2008-08-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

Akambo Shojo

This movie takes place in 1960 and is about an orphan girl that was discovered by her father after 15 years of living in an orphanage. She lives in a house that everyone is afraid of with a mysterious maid, a mentally understandable woman that is her mother and a loving father.

This movie is the type of movie that defines what is fantasia. Great horror movies that although have an obvious villain, still manage to get a rise out of everyone in the theatre.

The villain in this movie is a 15 y/o monstrosity of a baby named Timmen (horribly malformed, with one giant hand literally rips the face off a dog in this movie) . she wants so either play hide and seek with the newly reunited daughter (Yoko) or kill her because she took her room.

From the music to the camera work to the settings, everything works in this movie. Although it might not be at the level of the Ringu franchise, it is definitely a must see movie. It has very nice visuals that remind us of many American horror movie such as The shinning, chucky, rosemary's baby to name a few. And takes great elements from each to make this movie a success.

The movie shows traditional Japanese attitude, combined with great music, camera work and innocence provided by yoko to give us a great suspense movie. A must watch for sure.

Daniel Moscivici

Rating: 8/10

An Empress and a Warrior

2008-08-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

An Empress and a Warrior

This ladies and gentlemen is why fantasia exists in my opinion. It is for awesome horror movies and great martial art epics.

This movie has fantastic visuals, great fight choreography and beautiful locals.

The story in this movie is basic. In a way Shakespearian. A boy ( Muyong) and a girl (Feier) who knew each other since they were little. Grow up to lead different lives but still very much a part of each others. Although they always love each other, they never make a move therefore nothing happens between the 2.

Enter the jealous nephew that wants to rule the kingdom (even though General Muyong received that honor), enter the foreign romantic party that rescues Princess Feire (who ended up becoming the empress) and sit back as the action and scenery take your breath away.

As a typical Chinese epic movie, cheese comes at wholesale prices. A lot of corny lines, poetry and restrained show of affection (even though the movie does contain a love scene)

The moral of the whole movie is simple. War brings only more suffering and Peace comes with too high of a price to simply stand by doing nothing.

What sets this movie as a benchmark fantasia movie is the scope of this movie. Huge armies, big sets, amazing battles and the unique touch of heroism that the Chinese warriors possess. Not to mention the serious tone this movie has. You laugh when the character acts silly and you cheer for them when they are faced with overwhelming odds.

Any fantasia fan most likely saw this movie. If not, they better have a great reason to have missed it.

Daniel Moscovici

Rating: 8.5/10

Be a man! Samurai school

2008-08-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

Be a man! Samurai school

Just from a title alone. One definitely knows that cheesy lines and "out" there" situations.

The story revolves around a school that starts hiring people for training to become actual men. This is an extremely famous school that made unbelievable men throughout the Japanese history and seems to be a salvation for any loser that it lost or stuck or frankly needs direction. However a former student seeks to take over the school and get revenge for being expelled and the only way to go through the challenges of "the amazing triple death battle". Yes it's the actual challenge name

One can't avoid to compare this to some kind of an army propaganda video.

The director of the movie showed up at the screening of this movie. His vision is to make a nice action movie that makes you laugh. And in that aspect the director nailed it. The absurd meaning that the school will make you into a man and give you an evolved form of education such as 1x2 or 3x2 (which some of the students either got wrong or had to teach to get right)

Teaching men who don't know how to date or talk to a woman, people that under any circumstances are doomed to the life of a telemarketer under different circumstances aren't the best qualified people for any school such as the one in this movie.

However that being said, it is for the same exact reason that this movie is funny. The discipline methods in this movie at completely absurd and every moment in there make you laugh. The 2 decent fighters in this movie really do their thing well. And every other line gives you a lot to laugh about.

I can't seem to wonder... are half these lines that make us laugh are intentional? Or just cheese that the audience finds ridiculous? I hope the director intended for the first one to happen.

Overall, this movie is entertaining but so extremely cheesy that you end up maybe more laughing at the movie rather then the point that the movie is trying to make. Which is.... I have no idea. But it's a movie worth seeing in fantasia. These fans are very forgiving and appreciate this corniness but it's an easily forgettable movie.

Daniel Moscovici

Rating: 4.5/10

Wardance / Young At Heart

2008-08-04T09:04:00.001-07:00

They Can Feel It In Their Bones

War Dance

Thinkfilm, 2007

Directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix

Young@Heart

Fox Searchlight, 2008

Directed by Stephen Walker

Anyone who ever found solace in any of its myriad forms can testify to the transformative powers of art, and those who do will find something to relate in two seemingly unrelated but thematically similar documentaries.

War Dance introduces us to the Acholi tribe of Northern Uganda, an ethnic group that faces unthinkable violence on a daily basis at the hands of Ugandan president Yoweri Musevini (who has frequently been compared to Uganda's more infamous despot, Idi Amin). Forced into isolated camps, the greatest burdens are carried by the group's children, many of whom have been orphaned by the killers that wait in the surrounding bush. The doc's focus, however, lies with a Uganda-wide music and dance competetition, in which the Acholi children are competing for the first time.

While the performance sections of the film are invigorating enough to keep the proceedings afloat, the approach taken by Fine and Nix in detailing the disturbing pasts of the children in question is problematic. The children are filmed detailing the incidents that most brutally exposed them to violence (one sequence in particular, in which the child must identify his murdered parents, involves nauseating levels of detail), juxtaposed with close-up footage of their pained faces. In the context of a documentary devoted to exploring issues of violence and trauma, it might have been an effective approach, but in a film centered around the childrens' efforts to advance their singing and dancing, it's instead a needlessly heavy-handed one. It doesn't help that the translated versions of their stories seem improbably eloquent.

Stephen Walker's Young @ Heart faces a similar dilemma, but negotiates a slightly better balance. Walker documents the seven-week rehearsal period of the titular octogenarian choir as they prepare for a series of sold-out concerts, run by the steady hand of choir director Bob Cilman. The obvious charm of the film's subjects first emerges as they struggle to interpret Cilman's left-field musical choices (including tracks by Sonic Youth and Talking Heads) and reveal their boundless energy in the face of looming health crises.

It's Walker himself who comes closest to derailing the film, with his often-insipid narration and irritating editing choices - from the "yee-haw" banjo music that accompanies a road-trip scene to the questionable placement of light-hearted music video sequences directly following a fairly grueling loss. Walker lacks trust in his compelling subjects to carry the film. Nevertheless, they carry it anyway, both with their charm and their fairly incredible performances. In particular, oxygen-deprived baritone Fred Knittle's lead vocal on Coldplay's "Fix You" reminds us that a gifted interpreter can transform even the most banal tune into a thing of beauty. Their group take on Sonic Youth's "Schizophrenia" is similarly revelatory, coaxing a surprising grandeur out of the original's doomed haze. It's worth the price of admission alone.

Simon Howell

AMERICAN CANNIBAL

2008-08-04T09:03:00.001-07:00

AMERICAN CANNIBAL

I saw this purely on the basis of its name!

Have you ever had a really good idea for a movie? You told yourself “this is gold, Jerry, gold!” However when you told someone they laughed at your face and stole your metro pass? Don’t worry, it happens to everyone. Except me. Last week I shared my fantastic idea with a friend of mine (who is much smaller); it’s a reality show where people trade places with animals for a day. Wouldn’t that be something? I call it “Trading Pigsties”. Get it? I pitched it to a couple networks and although I haven’t heard from anyone since May I’m still hoping for a deal. This brings me to American Cannibal!

This documentary (some would say mockumentary) is the brainchild of Perry Grebin & Michael Nigro, who spent two and a half years silently documenting the trials and tribulations of Gil Ripley and Dave Roberts, struggling writers who were desperately trying to sell their ideas to networks around the United States. What began as a small project in 2003 to document the different stages of a TV pilot (from pitch to production) ballooned into more than 250 hours of footage and numerous questions on the truths and consequences of reality-based entertainment. Gil and Dave have some pretty good ideas, including a reality show they call “Virgin Territory”, sort of a risqué Big Brother idea. They finally get their big break when ‘porn mogul’ Kevin Blatt (infamous for distributing the “One night in Paris” DVD, an excellent Christmas gift by the way) decides to finance an idea he finds most interesting: “American Cannibal”. Basically ten contestants are sent to a remote island, starved for a period of time and led to believe that at the end of competition, someone will be eaten! Unknowingly to KB, Gil and Dave had their heart set on producing ‘Virgin Territory’ and had pitched the other idea to lighten the mood at the meeting, so to speak. Therefore when things get serious and Blatt actually invests money into this venture, shoddy production gets under way while Gil and Dave begrudgingly put up with all the crap that involves finding the right contestants, putting up with the annoying and lazy crew, etc. Their deal is bittersweet indeed.

The entire transition from pitch to production really makes an interesting social commentary on reality; how far are people willing to go to get their 15 minutes of fame? The nuts who showed up to audition would more often than not agree to do anything if picked for the show; that includes eating other contestants’ body parts, going several days without food or water, etc. Although Gil and Dave’s goal is to out-sensationalize all the other reality shows, they fly too close to the sun when things take a turn for the worse at the end, but I won’t spoil that for you. The bigger question lies in our perception of reality; how much are we willing to watch? What constitutes shocking, yet morally viewable television for the masses? The current state of reality television is stagnant and by pushing the envelope, Gil and Dave attempt to bring this phenomenon to the next level. In acquiring a deal their goal is to blast all social perceptions out the window and turn a normal ‘water cooler show’ into a goddamn ‘open bar get wasted show’.

What I really enjoyed about this documentary is, ironically, the reality that it conveys. The omni-present filmmakers who bring us on this journey also interview ‘network experts’ who give somewhat scathing views on society and our need for shock value. The over-hyped and sensationalist nature of reality TV is out of control; we are a very demanding culture that asks for more and more yet thinks less and less for itself. We’ve become so good at imitating reality that we’ll take the fake version over the real one any day. This movie really stirred me inside and I came away with a lot of questions about society and our culture of spoon-fed reality whores. The directors of this documentary asked TV executives “how the most shamelessly lowbrow shows make it to air, and their answers generally said that the quality of TV finds its own level. In other words, if the censors okay it, why not show it?” They add “our voracious appetite for entertainment make up our lives in this day and age, and while authenticity is irrelevant, the more lurid the show, the more ratings.” Shame on us.

Myles Dolphin

L : Change the world

2008-08-04T09:02:00.001-07:00

L : Change the world.

Let me first begin by saying that in fantasia there are 3 types of movies.

Movies that are good no matter what venue you watch them

Movies that are good to watch at fantasia

Movies that suck no matter where they are watched.

This is a movie that is good no matter where you watch it. Truly funny and smart story.
here is a bit about this movie. This movie is essentially a spin-off from the Death Note movies (which in my opinion are a blind-buy must if anyone ever finds them on DVD) which although doesn't carry the battles of the mind like the Death Notes movies do, is still a very nice and entertaining movie that is a very nice addition to the franchise.

L (a.k.a Light Yigami) which possesses both Death Notes books after his student with the murderous student, decides to write in the book his own death and gives himself 23 days to live. During that time a vicious virus is unleashed in Thailand and L is given the task to solve the case, find an antidote and like the title suggests yes... change the world.

There are 2 things that practically make a movie great.

Story: this story is simplistic but it works. A simple task of solving a case and finding an antidote creates a nice setting to allow exploration of this eccentric character.

Entertainment: with the eccentricity of L we get to laugh practically at everything he does. From the way he punches the keyboard, to how he keeps his identity a secret to his diet and even how he toys with those around him. This movie doesn't have many dull moments

The director here is none other than Hideo Nakata. The creator of none other but the famous Ringu, Ringu 2 and dark waters movies. There is little wrong that this director has done in the past and still continues in this movie. Although there aren't as many risks here, he sticks to basics which sets the tone of this movie around exploring L's personality.

Overall this movie is what we want to see and frankly I expect from Japanese movies.

Great story, eccentricity, comedy, an expected amount of cheesiness that invoke our entire range of emotions.

Again, although not as good as the Death Notes movies, this is a fantastic addition.
I wish I can find these movies on dvd.

Ratings: 7.5/10

Daniel Moscovici

Second Skin (2008)

2008-08-04T08:56:00.001-07:00

Second Skin (2008)

Second Skin follows the lives of seven people as they delve in to the world of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). The film follows three distinct stories involving seven people.

The most detailed plotline follows Chris, Matt, Anthony and Andy, four friends and housemates living in Indiana. They play WoW as often as they can, and also document their gaming sessions. Tension breaks out amongst the four friends as they ignore the responsibilities in life including Andy whose wife becomes pregnant with twins. She at first supports his hobby (addiction), but slowly begins to disapprove with the amount of time he spends gaming.

The film also follows Dan (a recovering WoW addict whose addiction cost him his relationship, his business and his home before kicking the habit); Liz the founder of Online Gamers Anonymous; Heather and Kevin, a couple whose romance began in Everquest II, and finally Andrew who suffering from physical disabilities finds his own special freedom in the virtual world.

Because of how much ground is covered, Second Skin doesn't have much time to spend with its subjects. Little screen time given to each story. Yet the film maker documents enough drama to not only keep us entertained but care about each character. Not all the individual stories are concluded but if anything it can be argued that it only helps in leaving a little to the imagination.

The film also avoids passing judgment on any of its subjects and the filmmaker takes care in telling both sides of the story. From the responsible gamers who carry out their normal lives. To those who lose themselves in the game leading to depression, suicide, and other actions that destroy their personal relationships. Director Piniero has a lot of ground to cover and by the end never answers the most important question: are these games good or bad? Do these games bring on anything positive or simply destroy the gamers? Yet despite some complaints some of had with his approach, I think that this is the key to the over all success of the film. Piniero has resisted answering that question. After all who is he to judge?

Jimmy D.

The Killer of Sheep - Masterpiece Cinema #1

2008-08-04T08:53:00.001-07:00

The Killer of Sheep

Killer of Sheep; don't let the title put you off!

In cinematic history (that's a really long time!) few films have portrayed ghetto life as accurately and humanely as ‘Killer in Sheep'. What aspects, you might ask, make it a real standout among others? Well, consider the fact that it was shot by a UCLA student on weekends with a shoestring budget, using a mostly amateur cast. Charles Burnett, the director of this poignant tale, unknowingly created a film that has acquired cult status since its creation thirty years ago. Although very few independent movies that suffered the same initial fate as Killer of Sheep (limited distribution) can be called "cult films" today (Punishment Park and Stroszek come to mind), critics unanimously lauded this simplistic production for its accurate depiction of the down-and-out lifestyle many people suffered in Watts, an African-American ghetto of Los Angeles.

I had never heard of this movie until our Arts Editor told me about it but the title and circumstances surrounding the film's release immediately caught my interest. It opens with a powerful scene involving a father (Stan) and his oldest child. Stan berates his son for refusing to protect his younger brother when a group of children ganged up on the latter. His fiery gaze burns a hole through his son's eyes while he chews him out, reminding him that family comes first and that under no circumstances shall one abandon the other. The ferociousness of his speech does not set the tone of the film however, as we discover later on that Stan is an insomniac whose brutal labor at the slaughterhouse directly contributes to his disassociation with reality. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, his daily happenings and those of his friends and family are played out in or around his poor neighborhood.

One particular dinner scene establishing Stan's disjointed reality has him staring right into his plate, daydreaming of who knows what, aloof and content. His wife and daughter look on although fully aware of his all-to-common behavior. Other interesting scenes involve the neighborhood children who play in the rubble of destroyed and abandoned buildings due to the lack of organized activities. At one point, Stan and a few friends plot to rob and kill someone for monetary purposes. Whether it's the sight of a young boy wiping the dirt off his pants or a young girl singing to Motown tunes, the message is always present; desperation, frustration and unlimited hurdles fuel these people's lives. Poetic yet heartbreaking, Killer of Sheep reveals itself as truly original in its goal to publicize the sometimes dangerous and highly volatile life in Watts. Fortunately for North American moviegoers, the movie has been restored and enlarged to 35mm by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and Milestone Films, thanks in part to a donation from filmmaker Steven Soderbergh.

In terms of music, the songs chosen by Burnett exemplify the wonderful talent pool that African American artists have created. "This Bitter Earth", sung by Dinah Washington, is played during an especially tender moment between Stan and his wife. As they gently sway to the soulful melody, they hold each other tight; the wife grips her husband's shirt tighter and tighter, perhaps in response to the lyrics that remind her of the south she grew up in. When the song ends, Stan leaves the room and her frustration boils over as she sits on a window sill, sobbing away while a voiceover confirms her nostalgic moment. In addition, I admired the Lynch-like use of dark, ambient music to set the tone for certain scenes, a definite reminder of Eraserhead, another movie you kids should see a.s.a.p. Killer of Sheep was not immediately released upon completion due to a snafu involving the musical rights; that is, until the restorers could pony up the 150,000$ required to secure the rights.

Although it has been brought up to modern standards, the movie succeeds in keeping its message fresh and delivers the same emotional punch to its audience as it did thirty years ago. Its impact on the way we think about poor, urbanized areas was not imminent, but rather delayed. In 1990 the Library of Congress declared the film a national treasure and placed it among the first 50 films entered in the National Film Registry. In 2002 the national society of Film Critics named it one of the 100 essential films of all time. Such praise for such a modest movie only goes to show that it deserves the distribution it is finally getting.

Myles Dolphin

No Country For Old Men

2008-08-04T08:52:00.001-07:00

No Country For Old Men

9/10

I will will start this review with a bold statement : Javier Bardem WILL win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this. I guarantee it.

Now onto the movie. No Country For Old Men is brilliant. Freakin’ brilliant. The Coens brothers take what could be an average thriller and turn it into an examination of the moral values and society of this day and age. These aren’t blatantly on the surface. But even if you don’t get the themes, you’ll still probably wind up enjoying the movie. From the masterful suspense and stunning cinematography, No Country For Old Men gets it all right. It also features more humor than I expected. Which is a good thing. It prevents it from getting too bogged down in it’s darkness.

I guess I might be alienating those who haven’t heard of it yet but here’s a brief plot summary. Lewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) is a hunter who stumbles upon a drug deal done gone bad. There is the usual mess of dead bodies but also something else : 2 million dollars. But of course, as the tagline states, there are no clean getaways. A ruthless killer, Anton Chirguh (Javier Bardem) is sent to retrieve the money. The local sherrif (Tommy Lee Jones) tries to track him down and stop him. What follows in an exciting and bloody game of cat and mouse and the body count goes WAY UP.

As I said before, Javier Bardem STEALS this movie. His character is the most chilling and vile villain since Bill The Butcher. You will have nightmares after seeing this movie. And the rest of the cast does well too. Josh Brolin does a great job as his character gets deeper into trouble. Towards the end Tommy Lee Jones anchors the movie a bit more and does a fine job. It’s his character that sends home the message of the film. And the always great Woody Harrelson provides some good comic relief in his brief screentime. And oh yeah, Milton from Office Space is in it!

I do not recommend this for the faint of heart but any serious film fan NEEDS to see this. You might be frustrated by the ending as I was initially. I was suspecting a big showdown climax but the Coens go for something more subtle and deep. As I thought more about it, I liked it more. The Coens deserve a large round of applause for what they did with this.

Ethaniel Vestby

There Will Be Blood

2008-08-04T08:47:00.001-07:00

There Will Be Blood

10/10

P.T. Anderson’s newest film is not an easy one. It cannot be sumarized or simplified into a neat little package. It is a lot to digest on just one viewing. But that’s what I love about it. When I see a movie, I WANT to be challenged. I WANT to think. And There Will Be Blood made me proud to be a film geek.

The story centers around a misanthropic oil man known as Daniel Plainview. From the brilliantly executed dialogue free opening, we learn so much about who he is. During the first 1/3 of the film, he seems reasonably relateable and likeable. But you see those little signs in his eyes or facial expressions of a monster. It’s not until a certain point in the film in which he talks to his brother, that he outright reveals his true feelings. But Anderson does not lay out a heavy handed characterization at this point for the dumber members of the audience. He uses this to build upon the end, where Plainview becomes a true scoundrel. And even with an already beautifully written character, Daniel Day Lewis takes it even farther. He truly gives one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.

And I should mention the conflict of the story. You see, throughout the film Plainview is at odds with a young preacher named Eli Sunday. The foundation of their beliefs are exactly the same. And there is a final showdown that concludes the story beautifully. The theme of capitalism vs. religion is fascinating and wonderfully connects with the human examination aspects of the film. It might seem like I’m summing everything up like I said you can’t. But I’m really just analyzing a few aspects of this film. It is one so fantastic and deep that you need to see it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

And there is one scene I should mention. It involves a derrick fire and is PURE CINEMATIC PERFECTION. The direction, cinematography and music and this scene made my jaw drop and my tears well up.

With dreck like Alvin and The Chipmunks and National Treasure : Book of Secrets polluting the silver screens of North America, There Will Be Blood is a shining beacon of cinematic light.

Ethaniel Vestby

The Nomi Song

2008-06-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

The Nomi Song (2005)
Directed by Andrew Horn
Looks like an alien, sings like a diva!

An incredible documentary about Klaus Nomi, a cult figure in the New Wave Underground scene during the ’80s.
Nomi was a German emigrant who in the 1970s and 1980s took downtown New York by storm with his unique look and incredible operatic voice. Dressing like David Byrne while spiking his hair and applying layers of eyeliner and white powder to his face, Nomi would sing pop standards like opera arias. He first came to the attention of New York’s art scene in 1978 with his performance of Vaudeville in a “new wave” format at a four night event MC’d by artist David McDermott. The reaction was so overwhelming that he was invited to perform at all the top clubs in New York City, assembling a group of unknown artists at the time including Joey Arias, Jean Michel Basquait, Keith Haring and Johnny Sex.
Andrew Horn’s portrait of the new wave star Klaus Nomi is quite simply a master piece. A vivid portrait of not only the man, but an era in which the underground ruled New York and a time in which the city itself was more welcoming to new and upcoming artists. The movie gathers interviews from many of the people who congregated around Klaus before his death in 1983 along with rare live performances from the man himself. The memories are vivid and touching, truthful and unforgiving. Sharing his darkest secrets to praising him as a genius, these testimonies are the making of a legend. The film takes us from the point in which he immigrated to the States, through his underground struggle; His pursuit of greater stardom in abandoning the East Village for a record deal and finally to his taking ill to what was then called the “gay cancer”
The party was over” says painter Kenny Schraf looking back on those pre-AIDS days. Klaus Nomi was the first semi-well known figure on the New York scene to die of the disease. He is best known to the mainstream for his back up vocals to David Bowie’s Saturday Night Performance. However he will forever be loved and honored in the scene that matters (The Underground) with films like this exposing him to future generations.

The MAck

2008-04-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Mack (1973)

Directed by Michael Campus

Starring Max Julien , Don Gordon and Richard Pryor

One of the better offerings from the blacksploitation era, The Mack is the story of a man driven to succeed in the only way he knows how, straight pimpin’. The movie starts out with Goldie (Max Julien) and his sidekick Slim (Richard Pryor) shooting it out with some cops. Goldie gets pinched and does five rough years. You can tell it was rough from a six second montage of him wincing in pain behind bars.

When he gets out he has a visit with a wise old school mack and decides that he’s gonna turn his life around and be the best darn pimp on the block. Wasting no time he uses his smooth talking charm to build up his stable of ho’s, god knows he doesn’t use his looks (the bastard’s plug ugly!). As his rep grows bigger so do his troubles, jealous pimps, cops and the Mafia, to name a few.

But who ever said pimpin’ is all work? These guys know how to get down too. One of the film’s highlights has got to be the Player’s Holiday, a weekend full of fun for pimps, ho’s and family. It starts off with the pimp picnic and baseball game. And if you’ve never seen pimps play baseball, well my friend, you’ve never seen pimps play baseball.

The weekend culminates with the presentation of the Mack of the Year award. Pimps show up in limos with their best ho by their side and make their way down a red carpet, Oscar style. In fact, the only thing missing is Mary Hart. It's for the best though, because knowing these guys, they’d turn her out and have her giving blowjobs in the men’s room for a roll of quarters in no time.

One of the top 10 blacksploitation flicks of all time, The Mack delivers in a big way.

Mysterious Skin

2008-04-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Two boys. One can't remember. The other can't forget.

Mysterious Skin does an excellent job of capturing the aberrational psyches of the pedophile and his victims,

two of which are depicted here: the overtly hurt youngster whose encounters and "five-dollar games" with his Little League coach turn him into a street hustler who eventually ends up in New York City, and the boy whose hurt makes him an introvert who's convinced those episodes he's all but blocked out are invasions of body snatchers that he's the victim of alien abductions and experimentations.

Child molestation themes almost guarantee warfare with the ratings board and theater chains. Kudos to director Gregg Araki for taking a taboo subject and refusing to censor the film after the MPAA slammed it with an NC-17. Araki has the guts to push the envelope even further than other films involving pedophilia, like L.I.E. and Happiness, while still maintaining a tasteful, artistic adaptation of Scott Heim’s novel.

Although disturbing, surprisingly, Mysterious Skin isn’t gritty or unpleasant. The film contains strong sexuality (what did you expect from a film about pedophilia and hustlers?), but none of it is gratuitous.

The film journeys into a world that only the bravest of filmmakers dare to explore. This alone makes the film worth seeing.

This is easily the best, most accomplished film Araki has done to date.

Compelling, impressively acted

A film that turns moving and horrifying –

Mysterious Skin makes Midnight Cowboy look tame in comparison.

It's not enough to call Mysterious Skin one of the best films of the year. It is one of the best gay-themed movies ever made.

A warped, but beautiful and strangely hopeful, coming-of-age tale about two young men struggling to overcome childhood scars.

Nowhere

2008-04-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

Nowhere is a 1997 film by director and screenwriter Gregg Araki. It is a bleak depiction of mid-1990s youth. It stars James Duval and Rachel True as Dark and Mel, a bisexual teen couple who are both sexually promiscuous.

The film is part of a series of three films by Araki nicknamed the "Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy" by its fans, due to the tendency that it depicts urban teenagers as misery-ridden zombies. It is highly sexual and contains scenes of graphic violence. The film is notable in that it features a variety of actors who had, at the time, not yet reached their current level of stardom. Among them are Heather Graham, Ryan Phillippe, Mena Suvari, Kathleen Robertson, and Denise Richards.

Also in keeping with Araki's film making tradition, various celebrities from the past forty years make unexpected cameos. Included are Shannen Doherty, Charlotte Rae, Debi Mazar, Jordan Ladd, Christina Applegate, Jeremy Jordan, Jaason Simmons, Beverly D'Angelo, Eve Plumb, Christopher Knight, Traci Lords, Rose McGowan, John Ritter, Staci Keanan, Devon Odessa and Brian Buzzini.

"Nowhere" most resembles "American Graffiti" in the way it skips merrily around among its sprawling cast of restless teen-agers. Where the George Lucas classic found its characters in thrall of a benign media god (the rock-and-roll disk jockey Wolfman Jack), "Nowhere" gives its lost souls an evil, smarmy television evangelist (John Ritter) with an 800 number.

Visually, "Nowhere" exudes an inviting pop-art glow. As its parade of the beautiful and damned exchange their slurpy kisses, they are photographed in swooning love-comic close-ups. If it weren't so overpopulated and desperate to shock, "Nowhere" might have succeeded as a maliciously cheery satire of Hollywood brats overdosing on the very concept of Hollywood.

Doom Generation

2008-04-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

The Doom Generation is a film by director Gregg Araki. Released in 1995 it stars Rose McGowan, Johnathon Schaech and James Duval as two teenagers and a 20-something punk drifter who get involved in a ménage à trois

Like the generation it chronicles, Doom offers no apologies. It's unsafe, unnerving and primed to explode

Doom is Araki's first movie shot in 35mm on a budget that required more than mere toes and fingers to count. The movie also had a sudden and much-publicized shift in distributors prior to its release. Yet, none of this has dampened Araki's unique blend of nihilism and romanticism fueled by a witty script and dynamic compositions

The movie's soundtrack presents a relentless driving force featuring music by the Jesus & Mary Chain, Nine Inch Nails, Cocteau Twins, Pizzicato Five, Love & Rockets, and much, much more. More than any other filmmaker making movies about the new “kids” generation, it seems to me that Araki -- with both Doom and Totally F***ked Up -- has his finger tuned most acutely to the human pulse and not just the lens shutter.

Because of the film's dark subject matter and approach to the material, The Doom Generation received mixed reviews, with critics often comparing the film both favorably and unfavorably to Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers.

Sexy Beast

2008-04-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

A heist film with a mix of surrealism, cool chique visuals, and juicy acting
It’s a heist film that leapfrogs ahead of most of the competition.

In the assured hands of director Jonathan Glazer Sexy Beast" is a mix of genres, an engaging and rapid sort of British B-flick, full of wit and dark humor. There's even a delicate little love story in there.
The film earned Kingsley an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 2004 the magazine Total Film named Sexy Beast the 15th greatest British film of all time..
It also won best film at the British film awards and best indie film

Donnie Darco

2008-03-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

Donnie Darko

This troubled teenager thinks he's sick
and in need of medication.
Truth is, he's just a kid
trying to make sense of a chaotic world.

Donnie Darko, a bizarre but extremely enjoyable drama/horror/sci-fi/romance/comedy/fantasy/mystery/thriller about a giant rabbit who prophesizes the end of the world.

Now one of the biggest cult films of all time. Yet most people haven't had a chance to view the film yet.

A must see! In fact when I first watched the film on DVD, I did something I had never done before. I re watched it that very same day/

Benny`s Video.

2008-03-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

Benny`s Video.

Benny's Video is a 1992 horror-of-personality film directed by the Austrian Michael Haneke. The plot of the film centers on Benny a teenager who views much of his life as distilled through video images, and his well-to-do parents who enable Benny's focus on video cameras and images.

The film opens with a home video of the slaughter of a pig on a European farm. The man uses an air gun and shoots through the pig`s brain, a scene which would upset any PETA REP

The video than rewinds to play the slaughter in slow motion, which emphasizes the hand-held barrel against the pig's foreskull

Maverick Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke loves rewinds. His recent Hidden (2005) begins in a similar way, while his Funny Games (1997), uses a clever rewing scene as well

These scenes of rewinding serve to take the viewer out of the moment, to remind us that we are viewers, to detach us from our involvement in the unfolding story, to position us as consumers of video

The film than goes to introduce the main character a teenage boy named Benny

While his parents are away for the weekend, Benny invites a girl he has seen outside the local video store to his home. He shows her the video of the pig slaughter, and they talk about the film leading to Benny showing her the slaughtering gun and holding it up to his chest. All the while his home video is video taping everything live.

Something goes terrible wrong - Should I stop there? No!

Looking through the contents of a girl's bag, Benny finds a wooden ball which opens like a Russian doll to reveal another ball, and another, until eventually there is nothing there at all

Benny has just videotaped himself murdering the bag's owner. What comes later is more shocking when his parents discover what happened and try to cover it up

A MUST SEE!

The film's structure is at first a string of seemingly unconnected episodes, which gradually blend to center on Benny and his fascination for video and televised images.

In a brief DVD feature interview with writer/director Michael Haneke, he makes a few interesting remarks about guilt as a motivator, though the characters in Benny's Video don't seem terribly burdened by that emotion. The closest he comes to explaining the film is to say that he is fascinated by stories of people who do violent things, but can't explain why they did them. Guilt and violence are also factors in Haneke's Caché, but they're approached in that film with a good deal more subtlety and suspense.

Ben Chapman: 1928-2008 (Creature from the Black Lagoon)

2008-03-12T02:35:00.001-07:00

Although you probably wouldn’t recognise his face, but Ben Chapman was one of the enduring icons of cinema. He died this month at age 79 but we remember him here because when he was 25 he played The Gill Man, the strange amphibian protagonist of Creature from the Black Lagoon.

To be accurate, he was one of two actors who portrayed the creature: Ricou Browning was responsible for most of the underwater scenes but it is Chapman’s imposing 6’5” frame that fans remember as the misunderstood monster.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon spawned a couple of lesser sequels, but its impressive creature design ensured it a cultural longevity that outstripped most other sci-fi flicks of the era. It’s remembered even in serious scientific circles: When Jenny Clack of Cambridge university discovered a hitherto unseen fossil amphibian in 1998, she named it Eucritta melanolimnetes, Greek for “the creature from the black lagoon.”

Ben Chapman was a regular on the movie fan convention circuit, and though he had many other achievements to his name, including a distinguished Korean War record, he will always be remembered as the guy who was The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Listen to Episode 17 -Rocket Science as we discuss the top 5 sea creatures in film including the legendary Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Click here to go to the show page!

2008 Oscars!

2008-03-12T02:34:00.001-07:00

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Winner: No Country for Old Men (2007) - Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin

Best Achievement in Directing

Winner: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for No Country for Old Men (2007)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Winner: Juno (2007) - Diablo Cody

Best Documentary, Features

Winner: Taxi to the Dark Side (2007) - Alex Gibney, Eva Orner

Best Documentary, Short Subjects

Winner: Freeheld (2007) - Cynthia Wade, Vanessa Roth

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Winner: Atonement (2007) - Dario Marianelli

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Winner: There Will Be Blood (2007) - Robert Elswit

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Winner: Once (2006) - Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová(“Falling Slowly” )

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Winner: Fälscher, Die (2007)(Austria)

Best Achievement in Editing

Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - Christopher Rouse

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Winner: Marion Cotillard for Môme, La (2007)

Best Achievement in Sound

Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - Scott Millan, David Parker, Kirk Francis

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - Karen M. Baker, Per Hallberg

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Winner: No Country for Old Men (2007) - Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Winner: Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton (2007)

Best Short Film, Animated

Winner: Peter & the Wolf (2006) - Suzie Templeton, Hugh Welchman

Best Short Film, Live Action

Winner: Mozart des pickpockets, Le (2006) - Philippe Pollet-Villard

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Winner: Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men (2007)

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Winner: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) - Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Winner: The Golden Compass (2007) - Michael L. Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris, Trevor Wood

Best Achievement in Makeup

Winner: Môme, La (2007) - Didier Lavergne, Jan Archibald

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Winner: Ratatouille (2007) - Brad Bird

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Winner: Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) - Alexandra Byrne

2008 Spirit Award Wiiners!

2008-03-12T02:33:00.000-07:00

Best Feature: “Juno,” Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Mason Novick, Russell Smith (producers)

Best First Feature: “The Lookout,” Scott Frank (director); Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Laurence Mark, Walter F. Parkes (producers)

Best Director: Julian Schnabel, “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly”

John Cassavetes Award: “August Evening,” Chris Eska (writer/director); Connie Hill (I) (producer); Jason Wehling (producer)

Best Female: Ellen Page, “Juno”

Best Male: Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Savages”

Best Supporting Female: Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There”

Best Supporting Male: Chiwetel Ejiofor, “Talk to Her”

Best Screenplay: Tamara Jenkins, “The Savages”

Best First Screenplay: Diablo Cody, “Juno”

Best Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”

Best Documentary: “Crazy Love,” dir: Dan Klores

Best Foreign Film: “Once,” dir: John Carney

Robert Altman Award: “I’m Not There,” Todd Haynes (director); Laura Rosenthal (casting director); Cate Blanchett; Christian Bale; Richard Gere; Heath Ledger; Ben Whishaw; Marcus Carl Franklin; Charlotte Gainsbourg; Bruce Greenwood

Truer Than Fiction Award: “The Unforeseen,” Laura Dunn

Producers Award: Neil Kopp, “Paranoid Park,” “Old Joy”

Someone to Watch Award: Ramin Bahrani, “Chop Shop”

The Bat Cave Living Room

2008-03-12T02:32:00.001-07:00

Naked Lunch Movie Awards 2007

2008-03-12T02:30:00.000-07:00

The Naked Lunch Movie Awards ‘2007

Best Motion Picture of the Year

There Will Be Blood

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Canadian Film Maker

David Cronenberg

Best Cinematographer

Roger Deakins (Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford – No Country for Old Men – Valley of Elah)

Best Canadian Film

Fido

Best Foreign Language film

Taxidermia

Best French Film

The Diving Bell & The Butterfly

Best Independent Film

I’m Not There

Best Actor (overall yearly performances ) TIE!

Josh Brolin – No Country For Old Men – Planet Terror – American Gangster

Phillip Seymour Hoffman – The Savages – Before The Devil Knows your Dead – Charlie Rose’s War –

Best Actress (overall yearly performances)

Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There – Elizabeth

Best Actor

Daniel Day Lewis – (There Will Be Blood)

Best Actress

Ellen Page – (Juno)

Best Original Score

(Jonny Greenwood) There Will Be Blood

Best Original Song

When your Mind’s made Up – Glen Hansard (Once)

Best Soundtrack

Black Snake Moan

Best Original Screenplay

Diablo Colby – Juno

Best Adapted Screenplay

Joel Coen – Ethan Coen Brothers – No Country for Old Men

Best Breakthrough performance into Motion Picture

Michael Cera – Superbad – Juno

Best Action / Adventure film

Deathproof

Best Action sequence

Car Chase (Deathproof)

Best Thriller

No Country For Old Men

Best Western

3:10 To Yuma

Best Sci-Fi film

Sunshine

Best Musical

Once

Best Animated film

Persepolis

Best Documentary – TIE

The King Of Kong / Air Guitar Nation

Best Drama

There Will Be Blood

Best Horror film

Planet Terror

Best Comedy

Superbad

Scariest moment in film

The pharmacy scene in The Mist

Best Comedic Team

Cast of Superbad

Most Memorable Scene - TIE

4.5 minute tracking shot in Atonement

Oil Rig explosion in There Will Be Blood

Best sex nudity – TIE

Vigo Mortensen – Eastern Promises

Bart Simpson – The Simpsons

The Nude Dude – Walk Hard – The Dewey Cox Story

Best Villain

(Javier Bordem) Anton Chigurh – No Country for Old Men

Best Hero / Heroine

(Rose McGowan) Cherry Darling – Planet Terror

Best DVD Release

The Killer Of Sheep

Best first time Director

Scott Frank - The Lookout

Diary of The Dead

2008-03-12T02:28:00.001-07:00

A reboot of sorts for George A. Romero’s ongoing Dead series, Diary of the Dead transpires on the first night of the zombie uprising and follows a group of college students as they attempt to make their way back to their respective homes. One such character (Joshua Close’s Jason) is trying to document the crisis with his camera for posterity, and the movie subsequently takes place almost entirely through his eyes. It’s an interesting gimmick that doesn’t always work, particularly as Jason elects to film the carnage rather than help his friends. Far more problematic, however, is the almost total lack of interesting or compelling characters; while Romero has effectively managed to avoid transforming these people into horror-movie stereotypes, the filmmaker instead offers up a series of uniformly underdeveloped and flat-out uninteresting figures that aren’t sympathetic in the slightest. It’s consequently difficult to care about their survival, and the movie undoubtedly suffers because of it. That being said, Romero has certainly peppered Diary of the Dead with a number of expectedly suspenseful and downright engrossing moments - with the highlight undoubtedly a short-lived appearance by a tough-as-nails Amish guy (who also happens to be deaf!) And while the film is ultimately a far cry from the first three installments in the series, it’s hard to imagine Romero’s die-hard fans walking away from Diary of the Dead flat-out disappointed.

Hidden Gems - Pink Flamingos

2008-03-12T02:25:00.001-07:00

Pink Flamingos

A demented 70`s comedy that defecates on everything the

’60s stood for, and then allows the drag queen in the lead

to eat in, right on camera.

Hidden Gems - Hey Goodlookin`

2008-03-12T01:58:00.001-07:00

Hey Good Lookin’

Directed by Ralph Bakshi

Ralph Bakshi, creator of “Fritz the Cat” and “Heavy Traffic” brings you the outrageous ’50s the way they really were.

A middle-aged woman meets a strange man on the streets at night who shows her the remains of a leather jacket. He takes her back to Brooklyn of 1953, and tells her about Vinnie, his gang, the Stompers, his girl Roz, his friend Crazy Shapiro, and the all-out rumble with the black rival gang, the Chaplins

Hidden Gems - Big Bird Cage

2008-03-12T01:57:00.001-07:00

The Big Bird Cage

Directed by Jack Hill

The sequel to Big Doll House

THE BIG BIRD CAGE was a semi-sequel to DOLL HOUSE. It featured Pam Grier and Sid Haig, and was written and directed by Jack Hill, but the similarities really end there. This time around, Grier and Haig are mercenary lovers who kidnap sultry Terry (the underrated Anitra Ford) during a nightclub hold-up. Upon their capture, Terry is mistaken for a member of the gang and is thrown into an exotic jungle prison without trial! Once again, the audience is provided with an ensemble cast of exploitation greats: Carol Speed is the spunky black hooker inmate, Candice Roman is Carla the blonde nymphomaniac, Teda Bracci is the loud-mouthed comic relief, Karen McKevic is the threatening lesbian, and Marissa Delgado is the fragile, borderline-insane inmate. Follow Ford as she witnesses “bodies broken” in the Bird Cage, parties where inmates are forced to sleep with government officials, and is hung by her hair for a day for attempting to escape! To make matters worse, all the guards (including Filipino exploitation veteran Vic Diaz) are gay! Good Lord!! Enter Grier, 50 minutes into the film, who takes charge over her fellow inmates. Haig infiltrates the prison by feigning interest in Diaz, and we’re on our way to another violent climax that leaves everyone biting the dust and the audience craving more, more, more!! You know a movie is good when it leaves you so excited and energetic that you want to watch the movie all over again, so do yourself a favor: watch the movie all over again!

Hidden Gems - The Pit Stop

2008-03-12T01:56:00.000-07:00

Pit Stop

Directed by Jack Hill

5 reasons to watch it!

1- From Jack Hill the Director of Foxy Brown and Coffy. This film features both Ellyn Burstyn & Sid Haig

2- Using acid rock’s version of jazzy be-bop, Hill uses the soundtrack to affectionately capture a tone of rebellion throughout film – reminiscent of drag racers’ rebellion during the 1950s. The racing is fast and exciting and with lines like “if you haven’t learned how to play a harp, you better stay away from that wall,” how can you not help but enjoy this little pleasure?

3-The black and white photography is excellent, there is a long, almost dreamlike sequence of dragster cars making artful figures in the sand dunes.

4-The soundtrack is fantastic and a good early example of heavy rock music. This is an artful portrait of American provincial youth just before the hippy movement started.

5-The race track is shaped like a figure eight which guarantees tons of car wrecks!

Hidden Gems - The Killer of Sheep

2008-03-12T01:55:00.001-07:00

The Killer of Sheep

Directed by Charles Burnett

5 reasons to watch it!

1- A gritty, grainy slice of everyday. This film is like a time capsule that perfectly captures the details of ordinary life. Yet don’t think that the film feels dated. Thirty years may have passed but much of what Burnett has to say about the African American experience in America still holds true. What he saw and recorded with such clear-eyed honesty back in the 70s remains fresh, vibrant and provocative today.

2- Yet even without theatrical distribution, Killer of Sheep received the honor of being placed in the prestigious National Film Registry in 1990 by the Library of Congress.

3- This is an art film, a realistic-yet-poetic examination of a time and place and the people stuck there.

4- Charles Burnett’s timeless and poetic Killer of Sheep is one of those ‘found’ films that never should have been lost in the first place

5- “Killer of Sheep” has often been compared to the classics of Italian neo-realism, a comparison born out in the documentary like authenticity of its milieu.

Hidden Gems - Taxidermia

2008-03-12T01:54:00.003-07:00

Taxidermia

Directed by Gyrogi Palfi

5 reasons to watch it!

1- Graphic, bizarre, absurdly funny, and yet graced with a strangely human heart.

2- Taxidermia will challenge, infuriate, entertain, and send you away question the largest questions of life. It is a vicious satire of Hungary’s recent history that also finds universal themes and couches them in a language so strange, so visually arresting that it simply cannot be ignored.

3- With only two films into his career, Pálfi has very clearly established himself as a true auteur, and the possessor of one of the most unique cinematic voices in the world.

4- One of the few films financed by Sundance and worth every penny.

5- Stunning cinematography, chilling score by Amon Tobin and superb acting.

Hidden Gems - The Host

2008-03-12T01:54:00.001-07:00

The Host

Directed by Joon H-Bong

5 Reason to watch it!

1- Like a mutant hybrid spawned from the improbable union of Little Miss Sunshine and Godzilla.

2- A monster movie for those who like a little meat on the genre’s bones.

3- Like a delightfully unhinged version of a 1960s Japanese monster movie, this Korean thriller piles on character detail, political comment and comedy asides.

4- A well-calibrated mix of suspense, comedy and political satire.

5- A sneaky, spellbinding celebration of what movies are supposed to be all about.

Hidden Gems - The King of Kong - A Fistfull of Quarters

2008-03-12T01:53:00.001-07:00

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Christians have Jesus Christ, Islam has Allah and classic video gamers have Billy Mitchell. The man who held the Donkey Kong record for almost twenty five years is the subject of a documentary in which an unknown newcomer in the classic gaming circle, Steve Wiebe, poses a serious threat to Mitchell's ancient record and the subsequent mind games that ensues between both men.

Mitchell is a character unlike any other. Not only does he compare himself to the Red Baron, the most prolific World War II fighter pilot, he also models his life around the idea that he is leaps and bounds ahead of the pack when it comes to classic gaming. Although the community is so small and otherwise insignificant, he revels in the fact that he sits atop a virtual throne and praised by his followers. He exudes a level of confidence so unhealthy that it borders megalomania. His ties are decked in American colors and his trophy wife follows him around with a fake smile of epic proportions. Mitchell's public appearances are carefully choreographed and his constant smugness makes it easy to dislike him as a person. In his mind, he is truly the greatest classic gamer ever, although many of his records have been broken since the 80s.

That leads us to his competitor, Steve Wiebe. When he proclaims to having a new Donkey Kong record, the married father of two from Washington State quickly becomes thrust into the gaming limelight as he does his best to withstand the onslaught from the myriad of Mitchell disciples wishing to see him fail. Wiebe is Mitchell's anti-thesis: timid and soft-spoken, unaccomplished and unstylish. Although he has always been talented at several things, he was never able to overcome his greatest nemesis, himself. Too afraid to stand up to others and often failing at the most critical moments in his life. A self-taught Donkey Kong expert, he manages to beat Mitchell's long-standing record of 874,000 and is soon recognized as the all-time best. It's around this time that his rivalry against Mitchell goes into fifth gear.

Without giving away too much of the movie, it's a fascinating portrayal of the lengths at which some people will go to defend what is theirs. It also exposes the other major players in this scene, people such as Walter Day and Robert Mruczek, founder and head referee respectively of Twin Galaxies, the only ‘official' score keepers of classic gaming. These people would appear demented by the untrained eye, but they just live for their passion. Day refers to gamers as superstars and often speaks extremely highly of Mitchell, a regular occurrence in the documentary. Brian Kuh, another disciple, is sent to Wiebe's house on one occasion to ‘investigate' his Donkey Kong machine in the hopes of finding incriminating evidence that would discredit the record he had set on it. The movie probes even further into the compulsivity that most gamers have: a lot of them will stoop to sabotage and deceitful behavior to put someone off their game. I guess that only goes to show how important this is to them.

The most frustrating element of the movie lies in the fact that Mitchell repeatedly refuses to accept Wiebe's challenges, wherever they are. The aura of mystery that surrounds him is astonishing, considering that he is a staunch advocate of playing in front of an audience to have a gaming record validated. At one point a competition is held no more than ten miles away from Mitchell's home yet he declines to even appear. Mitchell might seem confident of his abilities on the outside, but that flair is overshadowed by his reluctance to meet or even play head to head against Wiebe, the only other player in the world capable of beating the record.

The movie does an excellent job of portraying the childishness exhibited by Mitchell and his followers. I laughed out loud when Kuh sneaks upstairs and calls Mitchell to update him on Wiebe's progress during a game. Mitchell, sitting comfortably in his living room looks completely unfazed, as if he were planning his next move at the very moment. Further more, the absurdities caught on tape are consistently topped by others: Walter Day referring to Mitchell as a Jedi, calling the gaming community ‘his child' or the obsession over reaching the mythical kill screen in Donkey Kong. So much importance is placed on these scores and results that it consequently traps these people in this surreal world that is restricted to other ‘mortals,' i.e. normal gamers. The doings of this tightly-knit community left me baffled by the end of my first viewing but as I watched more and more, I came to understand their motives. Why would people let something so trivial take over their entire lives, you might ask? It's an addiction I suppose and everyone has a different one.

The saga continues to this day, as the Donkey Kong record continues to be broken, almost on a yearly basis. At the end of the movie we're told that Wiebe had successfully taken over as the official record holder with a score of 1,047,000 points, but Mitchell allegedly took back his title on the 25^th anniversary of his first record-setting day. The virtual war has just begun...

Myles Dolphin

Hidden Gems - Punch Drunk Love

2008-03-12T01:52:00.001-07:00

Punch Drunk Love

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

5 reason to watch it

“Punch-Drunk Love” defies categorization. It’s an acquired taste;

1- An art house Adam Sandler film.” Not only is “Punch-Drunk Love” Sandler’s best work to date, it’s also Anderson’s.

2- A 1940’s-styled oddball-meets-girl Technicolor fantasy replete with kitschy silhouettes and all the musical dance numbers axed.

3- The cinematography, the soundtrack, the dialogue, plus all those weird, totally original things that only ever happen in “A P.T. Anderson Picture.”

A man not afraid to challenge, surprise, and excite us like this?

4- A romantic comedy for our times that is not afraid to challenge surprise and excite us.

5- Short and simple, it’s a knockout! Captivating and eclectic. A movie that deciphers it’s character’s souls while leaving layers of subliminal import to work their way into our consciousness over the days and weeks afterwards in beguiling ways. Everything in the film has a meaning!

Hidden Gems - Hard Eight

2008-03-12T01:50:00.001-07:00

Hard Eight

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

5 reasons to watch it.

1- A 1996 film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reill, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson. Robert Ridgley, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Melora Walters also appear.

2- The film originally titled Sydney was Anderson's first feature.

3- In many ways this film reminds me of Melville's film, Bob The Gambler as the odd pro with style and old world charm, Sydney, teaches the young gambler, John to make a living from gambling and how to do it smartly, with class.
4- "Hard Eight" is a talky movie, with great pacing. Anderson builds his characters well and the casting is perfect.

5- Hard Eight borrows from noir thrillers with some violence, gunplay and a few plot twists, but this is more of a character drama than anything else

about us!

2008-02-29T22:35:00.000-08:00

About us!

A lot of radio shows have forgotten what “quality” means. But not The Naked Lunch; They NEVER knew what it meant.

And now comes a new show… The Naked Lunch.

We are several students who study film and communications at Concordia University in the city of Montreal and also happen to work at the same repertoire video store downtown. We decided to bring together a two hour weekly radio broadcast in which we not only review movies but music related to the films we speak of. That’s right! We are not just a talk show but also play music of every genre chosen to match the theme of the films we review.

On this page you will find reviews by DJ Sic Ric (Ricky D)

Check out our official site for all other info on the show inlcuding episode downloads.

www.naked-lunch.org

Our sole purpose is to simply promote what we feel is good cinema and good music and expose it to the world.

Do not be shy to contact us. We appreciate any feedback both negative and positive.

Naked Lunch Radio (Reviews)

Check out the new website

XXY

Another Gay Sequel

La Léon

Otto, Or Up With Dead People

mulligans Mulligans

The Lost Coast

The Blob (review)

The Descendant

Production Team

Entre Les Murs

Synecdoche, New York

Wendy and Lucy

Surveillance

Zack & Miri Make a Porno (review)

The Good, The Bad, The Weird

Man On Wire

Man On Wire (dir. James Marsh)

Detroit Metal City

JCVD

Adoration

881

Let The Right One In

Martyrs

Martyrs (dir. Pascal Laugier)

Blindness (review)

Apaloosa (review)

The Tiger`s Tail

The Tiger`s Tail (John Boorman)

She's a Boy I Knew

Man On Wire

Man On Wire (dir. James Marsh)

Choke

Eagle Eye

Elegy

Ghost Town

X-Cross (review)

The Burrowers (review)

Pighunt (review)

Pighunt

Hey Good Lookin'

Hey Good Lookin'

Listen to our Ralph Bakshi

Episode 19-B .. click here

Slumdog Millionaire (review)

Pighunt (review)

Pighunt

Inglorious Bastards (review)

Tropic Thunder (review)

Baghead (review)

American Teen

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Pineapple Express

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

Michael Clayton

Incredible Hulk

Going Green

Mamet's machines (Redbelt review)

The Strangers

The StrangersDirected by Bryan BertinoRogue/Universal

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Dir. Darren Lynn Bousman

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

The Eye (2008)

If...

Akambo Shojo

An Empress and a Warrior

Be a man! Samurai school

Be a man! Samurai school

Wardance / Young At Heart

They Can Feel It In Their Bones

AMERICAN CANNIBAL

L : Change the world

L : Change the world.

Second Skin (2008)

Second Skin (2008)

The Killer of Sheep - Masterpiece Cinema #1

The Strangers
Directed by Bryan Bertino
Rogue/Universal

This troubled teenager thinks he's sick
and in need of medication.
Truth is, he's just a kid
trying to make sense of a chaotic world.