I was out of the country for awhile, but I'm back now and wondering if I should pick up where I left off.
Movie reviews in a blog was a bit of an experiment.
I got lots of readers in various other places - Amazon, imdb, Netflix, Facebook, etc.
This seems to get the least traffic, but I like that it's just devoted to the reviews.
But do you guys care?
Are you still interested?
I have many more obscure and mainstream titles that I've reviewed, I'd be happy to post them, if there's anyone out there who actually cares.
So let me know - if even 1 person is still reading
Monday, August 16, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Alice in Wonderland - the Versions You've Never Seen
Alice
Czech animator Jan Svankmajer’s trippy Alice, may only claim to be “inspired” by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but it’s actually closer to the text than you might think if all you’ve ever seen are stills photos of this obscure gem. While this stuff is nightmare fuel to be sure, when you get down to the brass tacks and marmalade, it’s actually more faithful to the absurdity and dark wit of the original than the sugary-sweet Disney version and it’s imitators.
Highly recommended.
Phoebe in Wonderland
Here’s a great Alice in Wonderland inspired tale that was nominated for a few minor festival awards, but never won any. Which is a shame, because Elle Fanning gives an Oscar-worthy performance as the title character a little girl who has difficulty following the rules - but why? That’s the mystery at the heart of the story. But it’s not just Phoebe’s story, it’s also the story of her parents (Felicity Huffman and Bill Pullman), who are embattled by Phoebe’s problems, and the baffled school administrators and counselors who try to deal with this problem child. But one misfit drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson) may hold the key, in the form of a school play – Alice in Wonderland.
Probing the line between creativity and mental illness, with seamless blurring of fantasy and reality ala The Fisher King, this movie is a masterpiece. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Czech animator Jan Svankmajer’s trippy Alice, may only claim to be “inspired” by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but it’s actually closer to the text than you might think if all you’ve ever seen are stills photos of this obscure gem. While this stuff is nightmare fuel to be sure, when you get down to the brass tacks and marmalade, it’s actually more faithful to the absurdity and dark wit of the original than the sugary-sweet Disney version and it’s imitators.
Highly recommended.
Phoebe in Wonderland
Here’s a great Alice in Wonderland inspired tale that was nominated for a few minor festival awards, but never won any. Which is a shame, because Elle Fanning gives an Oscar-worthy performance as the title character a little girl who has difficulty following the rules - but why? That’s the mystery at the heart of the story. But it’s not just Phoebe’s story, it’s also the story of her parents (Felicity Huffman and Bill Pullman), who are embattled by Phoebe’s problems, and the baffled school administrators and counselors who try to deal with this problem child. But one misfit drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson) may hold the key, in the form of a school play – Alice in Wonderland.
Probing the line between creativity and mental illness, with seamless blurring of fantasy and reality ala The Fisher King, this movie is a masterpiece. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Religion on Film
Religion on Film
Someone once said, atheists make the best religious films, and there may be some truth to that. The problem with most religious films made by the faithful is that they are either church-lady style “fast track” to heaven films where the filmmaker lionizes some religious figure, totally whitewashing any possible misdeeds and creates a boring, one dimensional, 3 hour sermon on celluloid. Or, they create a film made to appeal to a religious market with all the edicts of that market – anything controversial avoided (safe for the kiddies) – and/or based on religious tenets that make no sense to outsiders.
Here are a couple religious films that I think do a good job.
The Jesus of Montreal
A group of actors put on a Passion Play in Montreal. But not being religious himself, the director relies on historical sources and archaeological data for his script. The play grows enormously in popularity, but also angers church and city officials. Ultimately, through his play and through his life, he does a better job of representing Christ’s teachings that the hypocritical powers-that-be.
The Message
This film about the birth of Islam is a grand epic in the vein of The Ten Commandments. It was made in accordance with Islamic law, so Mohammad is never shown – but the filmmakers do a very good job of telling the story without showing the prophet.
Anthony Quinn does a great job as Hamza, one of the leaders of the new sect. It also features some of the best large-scale desert battle scenes since Lawrence of Arabia.
Someone once said, atheists make the best religious films, and there may be some truth to that. The problem with most religious films made by the faithful is that they are either church-lady style “fast track” to heaven films where the filmmaker lionizes some religious figure, totally whitewashing any possible misdeeds and creates a boring, one dimensional, 3 hour sermon on celluloid. Or, they create a film made to appeal to a religious market with all the edicts of that market – anything controversial avoided (safe for the kiddies) – and/or based on religious tenets that make no sense to outsiders.
Here are a couple religious films that I think do a good job.
The Jesus of Montreal
A group of actors put on a Passion Play in Montreal. But not being religious himself, the director relies on historical sources and archaeological data for his script. The play grows enormously in popularity, but also angers church and city officials. Ultimately, through his play and through his life, he does a better job of representing Christ’s teachings that the hypocritical powers-that-be.
The Message
This film about the birth of Islam is a grand epic in the vein of The Ten Commandments. It was made in accordance with Islamic law, so Mohammad is never shown – but the filmmakers do a very good job of telling the story without showing the prophet.
Anthony Quinn does a great job as Hamza, one of the leaders of the new sect. It also features some of the best large-scale desert battle scenes since Lawrence of Arabia.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Old Fashioned Serial Killer Films
We tend to think of serial killers as a fairly modern thing. I tend to think of the 1970s, the time when Robert Ressler coined the term “serial killer”, and the period during which many of the most famous (Bundy, Gacy, Son of Sam, Zodiac, etc.) were most active.
But of course serial killers probably predate civilization itself. Someone asked me to recommend some classic films (movies from the pre color era) that involved serial killers.
So, here are a few choices:
Sweeney Todd
No, I’m not talking about the recent film with Johnny Depp, nor am I referring to the Stephen Sondheim musical. This is the original 1936 version of the film made in the UK; it has an authentic cockney flavour to it – and best of all, no cheesy songs.
Bluebeard
This atmospheric thriller from 1944 features the talents of the great John Carradine as an artist who kills his subjects.
The Lodger
Also made in 1944, this film is about a Lodger (of course) who may just be Jack the Ripper; very moody and atmospheric. There was also a very good silent version of this made in 1927 that is also free to watch online: http://www.archive.org/details/AHtheLodger
Bloodlust!
This is a “B” movie from 1961. Essentially a version of The Most Dangerous Game, despite it’s limited budget it’s actually pretty good. Best of all, you can watch this one for free online too: http://www.archive.org/details/Bloodlust.mpeg
But of course serial killers probably predate civilization itself. Someone asked me to recommend some classic films (movies from the pre color era) that involved serial killers.
So, here are a few choices:
Sweeney Todd
No, I’m not talking about the recent film with Johnny Depp, nor am I referring to the Stephen Sondheim musical. This is the original 1936 version of the film made in the UK; it has an authentic cockney flavour to it – and best of all, no cheesy songs.
Bluebeard
This atmospheric thriller from 1944 features the talents of the great John Carradine as an artist who kills his subjects.
The Lodger
Also made in 1944, this film is about a Lodger (of course) who may just be Jack the Ripper; very moody and atmospheric. There was also a very good silent version of this made in 1927 that is also free to watch online: http://www.archive.org/details/AHtheLodger
Bloodlust!
This is a “B” movie from 1961. Essentially a version of The Most Dangerous Game, despite it’s limited budget it’s actually pretty good. Best of all, you can watch this one for free online too: http://www.archive.org/details/Bloodlust.mpeg
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Claymation!
Wallace & Gromit
Some of the best claymation ever put to film was coming out of Nick Park’s studio in the 1990s. For those who missed them, they can be found in a collection called Wallace and Gromit in 3 Amazing Adventures.
‘A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit’, released in 1989, is probably the weakest of the three – and that’s only a relative term, since it pretty much blew away 90% of all animated shorts that year out of the water. In this adventure, W&G go to the moon in search of cheese. Good, but gets caught up in slapstick at the expense of storytelling. But, like I said before, that’s only relative to other W&G films, when compared to the competition, it is light years ahead.
The series really hits it’s stride in 1993 with ‘Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers’, a story in which an evil penguin uses Wallace as a pawn in a heist. This should make the list of best animated shorts of the 1990s.
And then, just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, in 1995, Park released ‘Wallace and Gromit in A Close Shave’. Gromit is framed for sheep rustling, by the best villain since the evil penguin. Nominated for an Academy Award, and justifiably so. Should make the list of best animated shorts of all time!
Success, and a partnership with Dreamworks brought digital animated techniques into the world of Wallace and Gromit for their feature film debut, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit. The film is excellent, and very entertaining – and the use of newly found digital tools does not take away from the charm of the series. However, this feature length film, at times feels more like ‘A Grand Day Out’ than the latter two shorts, particularly at the climax where the slapstick gags come rapidfire for a bit too long. Still, it’s great fun, worth checking out!
Some of the best claymation ever put to film was coming out of Nick Park’s studio in the 1990s. For those who missed them, they can be found in a collection called Wallace and Gromit in 3 Amazing Adventures.
‘A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit’, released in 1989, is probably the weakest of the three – and that’s only a relative term, since it pretty much blew away 90% of all animated shorts that year out of the water. In this adventure, W&G go to the moon in search of cheese. Good, but gets caught up in slapstick at the expense of storytelling. But, like I said before, that’s only relative to other W&G films, when compared to the competition, it is light years ahead.
The series really hits it’s stride in 1993 with ‘Wallace & Gromit in The Wrong Trousers’, a story in which an evil penguin uses Wallace as a pawn in a heist. This should make the list of best animated shorts of the 1990s.
And then, just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, in 1995, Park released ‘Wallace and Gromit in A Close Shave’. Gromit is framed for sheep rustling, by the best villain since the evil penguin. Nominated for an Academy Award, and justifiably so. Should make the list of best animated shorts of all time!
Success, and a partnership with Dreamworks brought digital animated techniques into the world of Wallace and Gromit for their feature film debut, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit. The film is excellent, and very entertaining – and the use of newly found digital tools does not take away from the charm of the series. However, this feature length film, at times feels more like ‘A Grand Day Out’ than the latter two shorts, particularly at the climax where the slapstick gags come rapidfire for a bit too long. Still, it’s great fun, worth checking out!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Japan's Edo Period - on film!
Kwaidan
Kwaidan (sometimes Kaidan) literally means “ghost story”. Given the generic term, there have been several movies that have had this title, but the one we are referring to is Masaki Kobayashi's Kaidan from 1964.
Basically this film is something like a Japanese Tales From the Crypt, containing four horror stories in vibrant color Tohoscope, all set in Japan’s Edo Period.
The first story, ‘The Black Hair’, is reminiscent of Ugetsu, wherein a man leaves his wife to attain social status, only to encounter supernatural ruin. The second story, ‘The Woman in the Snow’ is a haunting ghost story of the kind that is universally familiar. The third story, ‘Hoichi the Earless’, is the longest, but perhaps the best, including a historical recreation of a Japanese naval battle. The final story, ‘In a Bowl of Tea’, is probably the weakest, but it does have some of the best martial arts.
Overall, Kwaidan is full of beautiful set pieces and costumes. The sparse, haunting Japanese music is a stark contrast to American film scores, and really works to give these stories an eerie feel. Winner of a Special Jury prize at Cannes, it’s a cultural experience recommended to everyone, but particularly to American audiences who’ve been turned on to Japanese horror in the last decade thanks to imports like The Ring and The Grudge.
Kagemusha
When talking about Japanese cinema, one sooner or later, inevitably runs into Akira Kurosawa. While Kurosawa needs no introduction, I am constantly astounded at how many people never went to see Ran in its initial release. To read the reviews on the web, it seems like the majority of Americans never saw this film until the re-release in the 2000s! What did they think the rest of us had been gushing over for the past 25 years?
Well, if there are any new converts to that epic Kurosawa masterpiece, I encourage them to seek out Kagemusha (literally ‘Shadow Warrior’), the film Kurosawa made just prior to Ran.
The story concerns petty thief who is hired to masquerade as a deceased Clan Lord, and who turns out to be more true to the spirit of the Clan's Lord than the actual generals who are his handlers.
There is no doubt that this is a flawed gem. The subtitles are verbose, and having to read them takes away from appreciating the cinematography – which is gorgeous. There is also an overabundance of long takes that contributes to the film’s extensive 2 hour and 40 minute run time. But by far the biggest flaw is the music score, which is annoying and repetitious, with a reliance on brass instrumentation, giving it a distinctly un-Japanese (or at least un-Edo Period) flavor.
Still, with all it’s flaws, it’s still excellent, and comes across like a rough draft for Ran.
Kwaidan (sometimes Kaidan) literally means “ghost story”. Given the generic term, there have been several movies that have had this title, but the one we are referring to is Masaki Kobayashi's Kaidan from 1964.
Basically this film is something like a Japanese Tales From the Crypt, containing four horror stories in vibrant color Tohoscope, all set in Japan’s Edo Period.
The first story, ‘The Black Hair’, is reminiscent of Ugetsu, wherein a man leaves his wife to attain social status, only to encounter supernatural ruin. The second story, ‘The Woman in the Snow’ is a haunting ghost story of the kind that is universally familiar. The third story, ‘Hoichi the Earless’, is the longest, but perhaps the best, including a historical recreation of a Japanese naval battle. The final story, ‘In a Bowl of Tea’, is probably the weakest, but it does have some of the best martial arts.
Overall, Kwaidan is full of beautiful set pieces and costumes. The sparse, haunting Japanese music is a stark contrast to American film scores, and really works to give these stories an eerie feel. Winner of a Special Jury prize at Cannes, it’s a cultural experience recommended to everyone, but particularly to American audiences who’ve been turned on to Japanese horror in the last decade thanks to imports like The Ring and The Grudge.
Kagemusha
When talking about Japanese cinema, one sooner or later, inevitably runs into Akira Kurosawa. While Kurosawa needs no introduction, I am constantly astounded at how many people never went to see Ran in its initial release. To read the reviews on the web, it seems like the majority of Americans never saw this film until the re-release in the 2000s! What did they think the rest of us had been gushing over for the past 25 years?
Well, if there are any new converts to that epic Kurosawa masterpiece, I encourage them to seek out Kagemusha (literally ‘Shadow Warrior’), the film Kurosawa made just prior to Ran.
The story concerns petty thief who is hired to masquerade as a deceased Clan Lord, and who turns out to be more true to the spirit of the Clan's Lord than the actual generals who are his handlers.
There is no doubt that this is a flawed gem. The subtitles are verbose, and having to read them takes away from appreciating the cinematography – which is gorgeous. There is also an overabundance of long takes that contributes to the film’s extensive 2 hour and 40 minute run time. But by far the biggest flaw is the music score, which is annoying and repetitious, with a reliance on brass instrumentation, giving it a distinctly un-Japanese (or at least un-Edo Period) flavor.
Still, with all it’s flaws, it’s still excellent, and comes across like a rough draft for Ran.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Miracle Plant or Devil's Weed?
The Union: The Business Behind Getting High
The Union is a documentary about perhaps the most maligned plant in history, hemp, and specifically about the illegal marijuana trade in Canada. "The Union" of the title is the nickname for an entire economy (including many legitimate businesses) that is directly or indirectly related to the illegal marijuana trade.
British Columbian filmmaker Brett Harvey was inspired to make the film after witnessing first hand the boom in marijuana business in his home province.
The film delivers a lot of the back-story on cannabis in North America, but its done in a very accessible way, and never feels like a dry history lesson. The film’s primary focus though is on the current state of marijuana as an illegal cash crop. This is not an unbiased film – it’s pretty clear the filmmaker opinions are – but it is well sourced and logical in its arguments, and would likely be fascinating viewing regardless of what your opinions are on marijuana – even those who have no opinion one way or another are likely to get sucked in.
Assassin of Youth
Unless you’ve been living under a rock your whole life, you’re doubtless familiar with the infamous anti-marijuana propaganda film Reefer Madness, a film many find endlessly entertaining for it’s bad acting and heavy-handed moralizing. But Reefer Madness is hardly the only drug education film ever made, and for the camp connoisseur, Assassin of Youth (also known as The Marijuana Menace), is perhaps even better.
Like Reefer Madness, Assassin of Youth is a cautionary tale. Small town girl Joan is set to inherit her grandmother’s fortune, provided she can live up to the will’s morals clause. Linda, Joan’s cousin is next in line to inherit the dough, so she and her husband conspire to besmirch Joan’s character. Meanwhile, undercover reporter Art Brighton has come to town to expose Linda as a dope pusher. What follows is all the standard bad acting and kids-getting-high-and-doing-the-jitterbug scenes you've come to expect from a quality anti-drug film.
Adding to the hilarity is the fact that the surviving print of this film is full of breaks and splices which both helps pick up the pace, and lends some absurdity to the viewing experience, as scenes occasionally begin or end in the middle.
It almost seems like they were trying to make a pro-drug film. The only likeable characters other than the reporter and Joan are the dope smokers. While they are of course drug-addled buffoons, the adults are so self righteous that at times they give Dana Carvey’s infamous ‘Church Lady’ character a run for her money. The town gossip, for example, actually looks and sounds like the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz, and is shown cackling and flying by on her scooter so exactly like Hamilton in Oz, that it can't be a coincidence.
The Union is a documentary about perhaps the most maligned plant in history, hemp, and specifically about the illegal marijuana trade in Canada. "The Union" of the title is the nickname for an entire economy (including many legitimate businesses) that is directly or indirectly related to the illegal marijuana trade.
British Columbian filmmaker Brett Harvey was inspired to make the film after witnessing first hand the boom in marijuana business in his home province.
The film delivers a lot of the back-story on cannabis in North America, but its done in a very accessible way, and never feels like a dry history lesson. The film’s primary focus though is on the current state of marijuana as an illegal cash crop. This is not an unbiased film – it’s pretty clear the filmmaker opinions are – but it is well sourced and logical in its arguments, and would likely be fascinating viewing regardless of what your opinions are on marijuana – even those who have no opinion one way or another are likely to get sucked in.
Assassin of Youth
Unless you’ve been living under a rock your whole life, you’re doubtless familiar with the infamous anti-marijuana propaganda film Reefer Madness, a film many find endlessly entertaining for it’s bad acting and heavy-handed moralizing. But Reefer Madness is hardly the only drug education film ever made, and for the camp connoisseur, Assassin of Youth (also known as The Marijuana Menace), is perhaps even better.
Like Reefer Madness, Assassin of Youth is a cautionary tale. Small town girl Joan is set to inherit her grandmother’s fortune, provided she can live up to the will’s morals clause. Linda, Joan’s cousin is next in line to inherit the dough, so she and her husband conspire to besmirch Joan’s character. Meanwhile, undercover reporter Art Brighton has come to town to expose Linda as a dope pusher. What follows is all the standard bad acting and kids-getting-high-and-doing-the-jitterbug scenes you've come to expect from a quality anti-drug film.
Adding to the hilarity is the fact that the surviving print of this film is full of breaks and splices which both helps pick up the pace, and lends some absurdity to the viewing experience, as scenes occasionally begin or end in the middle.
It almost seems like they were trying to make a pro-drug film. The only likeable characters other than the reporter and Joan are the dope smokers. While they are of course drug-addled buffoons, the adults are so self righteous that at times they give Dana Carvey’s infamous ‘Church Lady’ character a run for her money. The town gossip, for example, actually looks and sounds like the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz, and is shown cackling and flying by on her scooter so exactly like Hamilton in Oz, that it can't be a coincidence.
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