tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33868782011-11-01T01:24:53.186-07:00Milk Plus: a discussion of filmA discussion of film.McBainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12943111485572571868noreply@blogger.comBlogger8251100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-19799436867479927712008-02-25T16:31:00.000-08:002008-02-25T16:36:38.470-08:00HousekeepingDue to the never ending spam that was clogging up our previous comments section, I've activated the Blogger comment functionality and retired the YACCS section. Unfortunately, that means that all of our previous comments are now inaccessible, but hopefully this will solve the problem. I'll probably start cleaning up the links next, as I'm sure that many of them are no longer Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-13109332058716816012008-02-24T22:42:00.001-08:002008-02-24T22:42:54.571-08:00I’m BackIt’s been a while since I took more than a passing glance at Milk Plus, much less write anything for it. A lot has changed in my life over the past two years, and as a result, I’ve had far less time to devote to watching movies (let’s say that my movie-fu has atrophied considerably). Nevertheless, the itch to watch and write about movies never really went away, and I think it is about Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1147906960437917692006-05-17T07:11:00.000-07:002006-05-17T16:02:40.576-07:00The PropositionI keep coming back to the flies. There are many stirring and memorable things about The Proposition, director John Hillcoat's brutal Australian Western, but the flies made the most potent impression. Maybe this is because they're everywhere; most if not all of the scenes in the film feature the omnipresent buzzing of hundreds of hungry flies. Whether indoors or outdoors, moving or Steve C.noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1147303359370598822006-05-11T13:11:00.000-07:002006-05-17T08:08:08.906-07:00Dead Man's ShoesThe revenge drama is a strange genre. The most effective examples of the genre are those that use the genre's structure to question the violent impulses that exist within every human; however, the best-known entries stack the sympathy deck so blantantly that they do little more than justify their own bloodlust. (Think Unforgiven for the former, Death Wish for the latter.) Shane Steve C.noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1146802142500039612006-05-08T15:18:00.000-07:002006-05-08T12:18:00.560-07:00Masters of Horror: Dreams in the Witch-HouseStuart Gordon's late-career resurrection continues apace with the disquieting Dreams in the Witch-House. Gordon made his bones as the go-to (maybe the only) guy for watchable adaptations of the work of H.P. Lovecraft, and he lives up to that identity with this, an episode of the uneven Showtime series Masters of Horror. This is not his best Lovecraft Steve C.noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1146071682234985682006-04-26T10:13:00.000-07:002006-04-26T10:14:42.266-07:00Masters of Horror: Cigarette BurnsJohn Carpenter's freaky Cigarette Burns is foremost a story about allowing oneself to be consumed by obsession. There's a lot of obsessive behavior in this film, and at the root of it all is the obsession with film itself. Being that the reigning obsession that unites these characters is cinephilia, there's a self-reflexive quality to the film -- a movie about Steve C.noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1146061624746310022006-04-26T07:26:00.000-07:002006-04-26T09:39:17.113-07:00CaviteNeill Dela Llana and Ian Gamazon's film Cavite opens and closes with the same shot, and that's part of the film's problem. The circular structuring makes sense from a plotting standpoint, as well as serving as a subtle reinforcement of the run-around the film's protagonist gets. Ending on that particular image, though, sends some strange mixed messages. I'd like to think that Cavite isn't Steve C.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1142221963556114392006-03-12T19:52:00.000-08:002006-03-12T19:53:26.546-08:00The Three Burials of Melquiades EstradaHowdy folks, I'm Tommy Lee Jones. You probably know me as an actor. (Remember me in The Fugitive? I was good in that. Won me an Oscar, it did.) Today, though, I speak to you not only as an actor but as a director and a human being. I'd like to talk to you for a moment about immigration.Now, I feel very strongly about the immigration issue. Immigrants have a Steve C.noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1141949678758113542006-03-09T12:51:00.000-08:002006-03-12T16:07:27.746-08:00Eli, Eli, Lema Sabachtani?Eli, Eli, Lema Sabachtani? posits a future world in which a suicide plague can only be controlled through noise rock. Noise rock, as the name suggests, is an acquired taste. More than that, though -- it's a taste that's difficult to describe or defend to people who don't have the ear for it. To most people, artists who fall into the noise-rock category (i.e. Merzbow) areSteve C.noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1128138125845739452005-09-30T20:38:00.000-07:002005-09-30T20:45:15.263-07:00For those interested, they can find my coverage of the 2005 New York Film Festival by clicking the above image. So far I have twelve reviews and press screenings are about 2/3 done, so more coverage should be coming in next week.Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1121644840322154502005-07-17T10:56:00.000-07:002005-07-20T09:09:27.656-07:00The Upside of AestheticsThe Holy Girl and Princess RaccoonI enjoy a good story well told. Hell, I think everyone enjoys that. (Except Michael Bay.) And Lord knows there are many, many great films that involve just that. But every now and then, a movie will come along that demonstrates what can be done with a minimum of story. Rather than narrative propulsion, these films rely on visual dynamism Steve C.noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1119152707642711092005-06-18T20:38:00.000-07:002005-06-26T16:04:08.406-07:00Der Batman, wie er in die Welt kamBy now, you've probably noticed that everybody loves Batman. "Batman Begins" was intended to jumpstart the superhero series run aground by Joel Schumacher (who will spend the rest of his career living that down, whether or not he deserves to). And boy, has it ever. Suddenly the whole world is up on Batman's leather codpiece again. The reviews has been ecstatic. Steve C.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1117279084700099812005-05-28T02:29:00.000-07:002005-05-28T04:18:04.753-07:00Cannes FavoritesA list and a few short notes about this year's Cannes edition, which had a better-than-usual competition, but rather lackluster sidebars (the few exceptions see below):0. Princess Racoon (Seijun Suzuki, Out of Competition). Truly Out of Competition - I refuse to rank this: Suzuki's last two films are messages from another universe. This one is as formally advanced, hyperstylized yun-fathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402795279466885874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1115361934763269952005-05-05T22:09:00.000-07:002005-05-05T23:53:54.520-07:00Serenity Many of you are familiar with Joss Whedon and the devoted following his work has. His television shows are only something I've recently gotten into through DVD's. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was really one of the best shows ever on television. It was blessed with a long seven season run, one where the characters were able to grow and change. When it was over, it felt like the time had McBainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12943111485572571868noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1115085319149149192005-05-02T17:52:00.000-07:002005-05-02T18:55:19.153-07:00Dispatches from the Doldrums of SpringMillions: It's certainly different, I'll grant it that. Whether or not that translates into a good thing probably depends on the viewer. Personally, I found the screenplay's fuzzy spirituality at odds with the worldview of director Danny Boyle. I give him credit for trying to stretch and make a cute family comedy with a little bite to it, but he wasn't able Steve C.noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1115004408607716452005-05-01T20:16:00.000-07:002005-05-01T20:28:14.806-07:002005 Tribeca Film FestivalI unfortunately was not granted press access to the latest Tribeca FF so what with the end of the school semester and all I did not get to cover all that I could, and therefore drifted towards the works of accepted auteurs rather than taking very many risks. My reward for this old-fashioned approach was a totally disappointing selection. I apologize for simply linking Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1114930079319862382005-04-30T23:46:00.000-07:002005-04-30T23:47:59.323-07:00The Big Red One: The Reconstructed VersionThis new version of Big Red One, with 40 minutes of footage added in according to the late director Sam Fuller's own specifications, is simply put an amazing movie. A deeply-felt, impeccably detailed and riveting portrait of war through the eyes of five survivors.Fuller was a member of the Army's First Infantry Division (the Big Red One of the title), so Lonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614633082974536229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1114181584764591232005-04-22T07:49:00.000-07:002005-04-22T07:53:04.770-07:00Save the Green PlanetSave the Green Planet—while not a great movie by a long shot—is the quintessential example of the reason more and more hungry film-fans are familiarizing themselves with imports from East Asia. Obviously one can’t judge a whole industry by the meager amount of product that finally gets distribution in the States (and even this film came out two years ago in South Korea), but Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1113493941183023782005-04-14T08:51:00.000-07:002005-04-14T08:52:21.186-07:00Kung Fu HustleWith a enthusiastically carefree (or perhaps careless) attitude towards plot, protagonists, antagonists, or any real meaning, writer/director/producer/actor Stephen Chow offers up a riotous, animated homage to Chinese cinema in Kung Fu Hustle. Packed to the brim with eccentric, wild-mouthed caricatures who bend the laws of physics in the name of a new kind of special Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1113017976370677092005-04-08T20:38:00.000-07:002005-04-08T20:41:53.776-07:00Sin CityAs I left tonight’s screening of Sin City, Robert Rodriguez’s film adaptation of three Frank Miller graphic novels (with Miller infamously receiving co-director credit, a personal gesture on the part of Rodriguez which caused his break with the DGA; Quentin Tarantino also directed a scene in the film, Rodriguez wanting to seduce his celluloid-loving compadre with the new digital wizardryShroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1113014022269019502005-04-08T17:28:00.000-07:002005-04-08T19:33:42.273-07:00And the winners are...Thanks to all (readers and members alike) for participating in the 2004 Droogie Awards. It was a pathetic and unceremonious process, compiling apathy, group-think, and overall disinterest. :)That said, congratulations to the dominant victor, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which took home 4 Droogies in a landslide. Gondry's masterpiece proved to be the most Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1112668068036685432005-04-04T19:26:00.000-07:002005-04-04T19:33:01.530-07:002005 Wisconsin Film FestivalThe seventh installment of the Wisconsin Film Festival concluded yesterday, and for the third time in seven years, I was sick during the entire festival (damn those early Spring film festivals!), but I was a trooper and managed to see all 15 programs that I had tickets for. I’m still sick, and exhausted, so my comments concerning the films will be somewhat briefer thanShroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1111360668731788832005-03-20T15:14:00.000-08:002005-04-06T01:25:54.613-07:002004 Droogies -- Official Final VotingThe time is now! ALL BLOG READERS are welcome to vote in this year's Awards. Spread the word, tell your friends. Here is the process: do note vote in the comments section. Email your vote to the category counter listed below. Only one vote per person per category, please. NEW DEADLINE (for you slackers): Monday, April 4. Noon Eastern Time. Please, Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1110525581115581072005-03-10T23:11:00.000-08:002005-03-15T20:37:57.883-08:00The 2004 Droogies -- Stage IINominations are now closed. Thank to everyone who got in their ballots. We have some categories unaccounted for in regards to counting. So far, we have:Cinematograhy - LonsInternational Film - JokerSupporting Actor - AllynSupporting Actress - MerlotScreenplay - JasonActor - ??Actress - ??Director - JokerPicture - (Stennie?)Stennie has graciously volunteered (in thePrivate Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1110313381351058692005-03-08T14:15:00.000-08:002005-03-08T12:23:01.360-08:00Cursed[As I am having difficulty sorting things out with this film, I have decided to replicate the experience of seeing it within my review. Enjoy.]So here it is: After casting, shooting, reshooting, recasting, cutting, recutting and a million missed release dates, the new-jack werewolf movie "Cursed" finally stumbles, ragged and bleeding, into public view. [LINE CUT] It sounded like a winner onSteve C.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1110145102940561312005-03-06T13:38:00.000-08:002008-02-24T21:20:24.112-08:00Hell's AngelsOne good thing about blockbusters is that they encourage the release of otherwise unavailable related movies. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's success played a role in the release of the Shaw Brother’s entire catalog on DVD. Van Helsing tied into a Dracula, including the original Spanish version, filmed simultaenously If there were justice in the world, Chicago (2002) would have Lady Wakasahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02711151505274719806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109523396330041302005-02-27T08:53:00.000-08:002005-02-27T08:56:56.810-08:002005 Oscar TalkWell, tonight is the Academy Awards ceremony, so I'm opening a thread to discuss anything related to tonight's ceremony. Here is the official website for the 77th Annual Academy Awards, so enjoy.Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109523133665971992005-02-27T08:50:00.000-08:002005-02-27T08:52:13.670-08:00Shroomy Angry....I’ve been on a sort of work-induced hiatus lately, so I have not had a chance to really write much lately; hell, when I go to Bad Education later today, it will be the first movie I’ve seen in about a month. I have however, been keeping busy watching DVD sets of my favorite television shows (Gilmore Girls S1 & S2, The Wire S1 & S2, MI-5 Season 2, Wonderfalls, Angel Season 5, andShroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109304701280597952005-02-24T20:10:00.000-08:002005-02-24T20:11:41.280-08:00Best PicturePlease post your ballot in the comments section. Members only. Top 5 nominees, ordered 1-5. Any film produced anywhere in the world, in America or abroad, and released commercially in any theater in the calendar year 2004 is eligible. If the film only played at a festival in 2004 but is set for commercial distribution in 2005, it is not eligible (e.g. Park Chan-wook's OLD BOY). If itPrivate Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109304587777945422005-02-24T20:08:00.000-08:002005-02-24T20:09:47.776-08:00Best DirectorPlease post your ballot in the comments section. Members only. Top 5 nominees, ordered 1-5. Please list the director and the film for which you are nominating him, as some filmmakers directed more than one picture this year. If you want to list a director for 2 different films, that counts as 2 votes -- one movie, one spot on the ballot. First member to volunteer to count these Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109304199428296862005-02-24T20:00:00.000-08:002005-02-24T20:03:19.430-08:00Best ActressPlease post your ballot in the comments section. Members only. Top 5 nominees, ordered 1-5. Please list the actress and the film for which you are nominating her, as many actors appeared in several pictures this year. If you want to list an actress for 2 different films, that counts as 2 votes -- one performance, one spot on the ballot. It is up to you to decide if a role is lead or Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109303993339024172005-02-24T19:58:00.000-08:002005-02-24T19:59:53.340-08:00Best ActorPlease post your ballot in the comments section. Members only. Top 5 nominees, ordered 1-5. Please list the actor and the film for which you are nominating him, as many actors appeared in several pictures this year. If you want to list an actor for 2 different films, that counts as 2 votes -- one performance, one spot on the ballot. It is up to you to decide if a role is lead or Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109303823509812312005-02-24T19:55:00.000-08:002005-02-24T19:57:03.510-08:00Best ScreenplayPlease post your ballot in the comments section. Members only. Top 5 nominees, ordered 1-5. All screenplays are eligible, making no distinction between adapted and original. Documentaries and Mike Leigh films are also eligible, but you're retarded for choosing them (just kidding. But you are. But I'm just kidding). First member to volunteer to count these points gets it.DeadlinePrivate Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109303517661283432005-02-24T19:50:00.000-08:002005-02-24T19:51:57.663-08:00Best Supporting ActressPlease post your ballot in the comments section. Members only. Top 5 nominees, ordered 1-5. Please list the actress and the film for which you are nominating her, as many actors appeared in several pictures this year. If you want to list an actress for 2 different films, that counts as 2 votes -- one performance, one spot on the ballot. First member to volunteer to count Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109303414459258442005-02-24T19:47:00.000-08:002005-02-24T19:50:14.460-08:00Best Supporting ActorPlease post your ballot in the comments section. Members only. Top 5 nominees, ordered 1-5. Please list the actor and the film for which you are nominating him, as many actors appeared in several pictures this year. If you want to list an actor for 2 different films, that counts as 2 votes -- one performance, one spot on the ballot. First member to volunteer to count these Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109303127462993822005-02-24T19:44:00.000-08:002005-02-24T19:45:27.463-08:00Best International FilmPlease post your ballot in the comments section. Members only. Top 5 nominees, ordered 1-5. Any film produced outside the United States and released commercially in any theater in the calendar year 2004 is eligible. First member to volunteer to count these points gets it.Deadline for ballot submission: March 10, midnight EST.Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109303023042960732005-02-24T19:32:00.000-08:002005-02-24T19:43:43.043-08:00Best CinematographyPlease post your ballot in the comments section. Members only. Top 5 nominees, ordered 1-5. Name of the DP isn't necessarily, but at least put the film title. First member to volunteer to count these points gets it.Deadline for ballot submission: March 10, midnight EST.Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1109302199571474832005-02-24T19:12:00.000-08:002005-02-24T20:12:41.816-08:00The 2004 Droogie Awards!Hi gang -- it's that time of year again, our second annual movie awards: The Milk Plus Droogies.Here is the protocol: Only members are allowed to nominate, and then once we have a shortlist of 5 (or so), voting for the final awards is open to all readers & members alike. There are 9 categories: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay, Cinematography, Supporting Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1107735574245888622005-02-21T12:31:00.000-08:002005-02-21T09:35:13.756-08:00Beatles ReduxOkay, so pretty much everybody knows who the Beatles were, so I don't have to explain that.And most folks know they put out a number of movies, so I don't have to explain that either.But despite plenty of opportunities over the years to catch A Hard Day's Night, Help! and Yellow Submarine, most people don't get a chance to see Magical Mystery Tour or Let It Be.I fell under "all of Lady Wakasahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02711151505274719806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1107653733850068672005-02-05T17:35:00.000-08:002005-02-05T17:36:55.533-08:00 In the Realms of the Unreal
That's the name of the 15,000 page unpublished novel by Henry Darger, a Chicago janitor who spent the bulk of his life silently composing art about an imaginary war in a fantasy land of his own design. He never got to know anyone well, and made only one real friend. Even children, whom he claimed in his writing to love above all Lonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614633082974536229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1106843833510406982005-01-27T07:38:00.000-08:002005-01-27T08:37:13.510-08:00Quintet
Robert Altman's "Quintet" takes its name from a bizarre board game played by the characters in the film with an obsessiveness that rivals Vegas. The rules of the game are never quite made clear. It involves dice and little markers and a board shaped like a pentagon. At some point you "kill" your opponent by removing all of his markers. That's about as clear as the game gets, and it makesSteve C.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1106579561639235982005-01-24T07:11:00.000-08:002005-01-24T07:12:41.640-08:00Head-OnThe power and influence of family resonates through Head-On, a film that takes a fairly standard romantic scenario and turns it into something smart and compelling even when it is not hard to guess what happens next. Two particularly fine performances help guide the film through its near rom-com conventions. Birol Ünel plays Cahit Tomruk, a Turk living a bum-ish life of grumpy alcoholic Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1106525013477307962005-01-23T15:29:00.000-08:002005-01-23T16:03:33.476-08:00Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2
Go on. Read that title again. That's right, I saw it.
Now brace yourself: In a way, I'm glad I did. Not that it's any good (it's not, surprise). But it revealed something to me that I'd never quite grasped before: Jon Voight is a goddamn brilliant actor.
It could be theorized that the true test of a great actor is not how he handles his great roles but how he Steve C.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1105930054800771292005-01-16T18:43:00.000-08:002005-01-16T18:47:34.800-08:00The Woodsman
It's kind of a shame that all the publicity and press for The Woodsman reveals the Bacon character's horrible secret, as the movie doesn't give away the game for at least 20 minutes. But you could probably figure it out anyway, what with the pained shots panning by a schoolyard and Bacon's hushed, sunkeneyed demeanor
His Walter has recently been released following a 12 year stint Lonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614633082974536229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1105234223457874622005-01-08T17:25:00.000-08:002005-01-08T17:30:23.456-08:00Question of the Week
As we enter the filmic doldrums of early January, I thought it was time to bring back one of our yearly features for "The Question of the Week." Several years ago, Film Comment used to run a column called "Moments Out of Time," which allowed the various commentators to highlight particular scenes and turns in that year's films, no matter what they thought of the entire Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1104752176908806862005-01-03T03:27:00.000-08:002005-01-03T03:36:16.906-08:00Worst Films of 2004 In Shroom's previous thread, about the year's best films, I made some suggestions for the year's worst, and started a whole conversation. I thought, why not carry it over into its own post, where I give some cause behind my nominations for Year's Worst Film, and see what everyone else thinks? So, here you go... Runner Up Day After Tomorrow Not exactly a horrible movie, but Lonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614633082974536229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1104594789041183592005-01-01T07:32:00.000-08:002005-01-01T07:53:09.040-08:00Best Films of 2004: Version 1.0
Hello, hello everyone! Sorry I have written much lately due to a combination of factors (only a trickle of interesting movies have been released her;, I've bought tons of DVD sets lately; one of our local arthouses was seriously damaged by a fire; and I'm seriously tired out by work), but I've returned with two things: my customary "Best of 2004 post" and a New Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1103663925692973262004-12-21T13:13:00.000-08:002004-12-21T15:10:31.020-08:00Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Lemony Snicket, the fictional psudonym of author Daniel Handler, played in the film based on his books by a silhouette of Jude Law, relates the tragic misadventures of the Baudelaire children after the death of their parents in a massive fire. His narration, wry and British in its foreboding warnings of gruesome tales, provides some insight into theLonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614633082974536229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1103620835692860422004-12-21T01:19:00.000-08:002004-12-21T01:20:54.576-08:00The Aviator
Cate Blanchett is miraculous in The Aviator. Her performance, as Hollywood mega-star and Howard Hughes' lover Katharine Hepburn, is absolutely stunning -- she is multi-dimensional, riveting, and totally invigorates the movie every time she's on screen. Blanchett, who has been good before, has never been better, and you never want to see her walk out of the room. In the hands of aPrivate Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1102976793976997242004-12-13T14:26:00.000-08:002004-12-13T15:02:52.996-08:00The Life AquaticDespite the title, as well as the aquatic professional focus of protagonist Steve Zissou (Billy Murray), Wes Anderson’s latest film is mostly about movie making. If Fellini’s 8½ was be some degrees more frivolous, deadpan, breezily rococo, and centered on Guido making a film about a shark as a stand-in for himself, it might look something like The Life Aquatic.
Ostensibly the Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1102836302549142272004-12-11T23:21:00.000-08:002004-12-11T23:38:33.096-08:00Ocean's Twelve (d. Steven Soderbergh, 2004)
NOTE: I wasn't originally going to post this review here, but I felt strangely compelled after reading Lons' generally positive take on the film. Enjoy.
You know, it's very hard to write an opening sentence for what's ultimately going to be a negative review of Ocean's Twelve when you're fan of both the original remake [oxymoron?] and of Soderbergh in Matthew Clayfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651024358363321137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1102830472041875552004-12-11T21:41:00.000-08:002004-12-11T21:47:52.040-08:00Ocean's Twelve I'm a big fan of heist movies. To orient everybody, I'm a huge David Mamet fan, and of his films, my favorite is probably House of Games. I was so-so on the first Ocean - I felt it was needlessly complex and not nearly as fun a romp as it seemed to feel it was. The entire enterprise just felt underwhelming, although there were a few good sequences. So, it was with slight Lonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614633082974536229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1102210279036284802004-12-04T17:30:00.000-08:002004-12-04T17:33:22.250-08:00House of Flying Daggers
It may be hard to justify a grade of 10/10 for a film of which the only flaw is that it isn't particularly profound. But maybe profundity is overrated. Maybe it's enough that House of Flying Daggers is the greatest martial arts movie I've ever seen. And man, is it ever a huge source of redemption for its director, the world-class master Zhang Yimou, who is coming off Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1102189251521665102004-12-04T11:32:00.000-08:002004-12-04T11:40:51.523-08:00Closer
Closer is the latest release by Mike Nichols, who hasn't released a movie I've enjoyed since Working Girl in 1988 (and even that one I'm only so-so on). Most recently, Mix Master Mike earned acclaim for the overrated demagoguery of Angels in America on HBO. He returns to movie theaters with this adaptation of the Patrick Marber play of the same name, the story of two couples whose Lonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614633082974536229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1102001869894618072004-12-02T07:37:00.000-08:002004-12-02T07:37:49.896-08:00A Very Long Engagement
Sentimentality can be a wonderful attribute of a film, but as easy as it is to deploy it is almost as easy to misuse. Amélie used it to build a contemporary cinematic Paris out of the white-washing magic of love, and that film's director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, makes a tragic misstep in his follow-up A Very Long Engagement by giving the overpowering sap of hope the ability to Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1102001821044218572004-12-02T07:36:00.000-08:002004-12-02T07:37:01.046-08:00Alexander
This white man's burden is the idea of his own greatness. Like Troy before it, the obsession of Oliver Stone's Alexander (Colin Farrell) is the creation of his own myth. Bypassing the majority of the youthful king's unification of the Mediterranean, Stone is more interested in Alexander's existential crisis as he and his weary army of loyal Macedonians march farther and farther East Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1101395825637159802004-11-25T06:33:00.000-08:002004-11-25T07:17:05.636-08:00The Brick Dollhouse
Maybe I was too hard on "A Sweet Sickness".
As I've mentioned before, I love bad movies and I love Something Weird. Their tireless work in unearthing the strangest, sleaziest, stupidest cinema in existence is an inspiration for all us bad-movie addicts. I'm determined to watch pretty much anything they release in some sort of lunatic quest to find the great unknown Bad MovieSteve C.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1101173801461154392004-11-22T17:31:00.000-08:002004-11-22T17:37:39.796-08:00Kinsey
Alfred Kinsey was a zoologist at the University of Indiana who, in the 1930's, began his career methodically studying gall wasps. He then moved into sex research on humans. And not the kind of sex research on humans included in most of the movies I see. The dull, interview-heavy kind.
Basically, Kinsey interviewed thousands of subjects about their sex lives, and was shocked (shocked!) to Lonshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07614633082974536229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1100583859238659192004-11-15T21:43:00.000-08:002004-11-15T21:44:19.236-08:00Vera Drake
I’ve seen our possible, terrifying future by taking a glimpse at the recent past, thanks to Mike Leigh’s masterful period drama, Vera Drake, which has now displaced Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset as my favorite film of the year. But this is not just a film for pro-choice advocates; it is a morally complex drama populated with fully realized characters. The first half of the filmShroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1100568927480585592004-11-15T17:31:00.000-08:002004-11-15T19:34:02.156-08:00Finding Neverland
100 years ago, long before pop psychology discovered our annoying "Inner child", a man named James Barrie wrote the archetypal version of that theme, all about a boy who never grew up and a land where we stay young forever. Finding Neverland is his story, although the film is less his biography than a tribute to that spirit of eternal youthfulness, and how that gift is given tolornenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1100473195051204002004-11-14T14:59:00.000-08:002004-11-14T14:59:55.050-08:00After my somewhat long absence, I’m going to ease back with some thoughts on two films I’ve recently seen:
Primer
Oh how do I love mindfucks, a good ole’ meta-genre, so I was pleased to attend an afternoon screening of Primer, one of the few winners of the Sundance Grand Jury prize that I did not despise upon first viewing. For anyone who hasn’t already heard the Cinderella story behind the Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1099969951901917902004-11-08T18:10:00.000-08:002008-02-24T21:21:14.203-08:00RayAlthough I've always known Ray Charles' music - my parents are fans, and they spun his records quite a bit when I was a kid - it wasn't until I saw the movie Ray that I realized I didn't know anything about the man. After seeing Ray - which was entertaining, I'm not sure how much I know now.The movie's long, clocking in at about three hours. Actually, it was too long - and not because of Lady Wakasahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02711151505274719806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1099781008948006642004-11-06T14:34:00.000-08:002004-11-06T14:44:57.186-08:00The IncrediblesThe Incredibles is unique in the Pixar canon for being the work of single writer and director, and it shows. Brad Bird, who honed his satire of suburban domestic life on The Simpsons (as well as writing and directing the best American animated film of the 1990s, the criminally under-seen The Iron Giant), redirects the focus of this satire from the everyday average working family Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1099582757537441562004-11-04T07:27:00.000-08:002004-11-04T14:21:24.853-08:00Ray
Here's Ray Charles in the office of Atlantic records, bubbling over with the confidence that comes when you know you've got what the record execs want: "I'll make it do what it do baby...yeah!" It's the line you've been hearing on every trailer and commercial for Ray, and it neatly sums up how Jamie Foxx puts the juice into this standard rags-to-riches story and makes it become a riveting, lornenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1099193155969017902004-10-30T19:35:00.000-07:002004-10-30T20:34:41.450-07:00Birth
(There are really no significant spoilers at all in this review, but if you're the type who likes to see movies with a completely blank slate, then read this after you see Birth. Which you should do immediately. Because it's awesome.)
Why do people still actually believe in God? Thousands of years of human evolution, the progress of scientific research, not to mention the little matterPrivate Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1098752820673411562004-10-25T18:05:00.000-07:002004-10-25T18:07:00.673-07:00Breaking NewsSince it seems pretty dead around here now without me posting, I guess I'll throw up another review I've had on my site for a bit but refrained from posting here.
Johnny To, with his usual directorial deftness, orchestrates a seamless blend of action and the possibilities of hi-tech media controversy in Breaking News. Beginning with a breathtaking opening single-take shot that sets Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1098066072041567842004-10-17T19:18:00.000-07:002004-10-17T19:38:25.630-07:00From the 42nd New York Film Festival: Café LumiéreHou Hsiou Hsien captures the past and the present in Café Lumiére, a film shot to honor the centennial anniversary of Japanese filmmaker Ozu Yasujiro. Though not strictly an homage to the director of such films as Late Spring, I Was Born But…, and Tokyo Story, Hou’s film strives to connect Ozu’s “Japan” with that of today, and in its story evokes Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1097723484687012252004-10-13T20:04:00.000-07:002004-10-13T20:18:21.673-07:00From the 42nd New York Film Festival: The WorldThe ever-increasing sprawl of modern China is Jia Zhangke’s concern in The World, his first film officially approved by the Chinese government. False-IDs, confiscated passports, estranged family, unfaithful lovers, and unsatisfied dreams are the stuff of the world, where Chinese youth are surrounded by the realization of globalization but without theDaniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1097686511518364922004-10-13T09:53:00.000-07:002004-10-13T09:55:11.516-07:00From the 42nd New York Film Festival: Tarnation Jonathan Caouette has known he is gay for a long time, so his film Tarnation is a different kind of “coming out” experience. Caouette’s film is a quasi-experimental documentary about his family and his life growing up, and it is not a historiography so much as an expressionistic montage of trauma, filtered through memories, abuse, drugs, dreams, Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1097686404811637872004-10-13T09:52:00.000-07:002004-10-13T09:53:24.813-07:00From the 42nd New York Film Festival: The 10th District: Judical Hearings What comes across strongest in The 10th District Court: Judicial Hearings is the ease of which humans are able to mar their own characters simply be speaking out loud. Raymond Depardon’s film is a rigid documentary somewhat like a French Judge Judy (a quality that severely dissipates its impact and ability to take Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1097638046236050312004-10-12T20:22:00.000-07:002004-10-12T20:27:26.236-07:00Milk Plus: A Discussion of Television
Well, we have not done one of these for a while, and since we are now a couple of weeks into the new 2004-2005 television season, it seemed kind of appropriate. This new season I've already started following a pair of new shows on ABC, Lost and Desperate Housewives. So if anyone wants to discuss the new television season, here is your chance.
BTW, all myShroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1097636968145280722004-10-12T20:08:00.000-07:002004-10-12T20:09:28.146-07:00Silver City
Why, oh why, did I not listen to Jonathan Rosenbaum? Hmm, I blame it on my case of auteurism; it sometimes leads to me to do some crazy things, like go to movies I know are probably going to be bad. Its not that Silver City did not show some signs of potential, and Sayles is just too good of a writer and director of actors to make a film completely devoid of interest (he is also Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1097422642567746402004-10-10T08:33:00.000-07:002004-10-10T08:37:22.566-07:00From the 42nd New York Film Festival: Woman is the Future of ManHong Song-soo’s small, unassuming comedic film, wonderfully titled Woman is the Future of Man, is slight in the way Tsai Ming-Liang’s film Goodbye, Dragon Inn or Ohayo by Ozu Yasujiro is slight. All three retread familiar themes and narratives by their respective filmmakers, and use an exact, refined visual style that is unfussy andDaniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1097422316073924102004-10-10T08:29:00.000-07:002004-10-10T08:31:56.073-07:00From the 42nd New York Film Festival: KeaneIndebted to the singled-minded aesthetic protagonist dependency of the Dardennes brothers (Palm D’or winning Rosetta, and 2003’s The Son), Keane latches onto the mentally disturbed head of William Keane (Damian Lewis) and attempts to wring as much compassion as possible from his sad situation. Whether or not Keane has always been disturbed is an Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1097290879112207472004-10-08T19:58:00.000-07:002004-10-08T20:09:29.466-07:00From the 42nd New York Film Festival: The Holy GirlAn Argentine hotel serves as the setting in Lucrecia Martel’s smart, faux-languorous second film, The Holy Girl. The location is of paramount importance to Martel’s characters, which are stuck in a hesitant transient state embodied by the idea of a hotel in constants flux of people, ideas, and possibilities. For Dr. Jano (Carlos Belloso), the Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1097290556594931472004-10-08T19:53:00.000-07:002004-10-08T20:01:39.630-07:00From the 42nd New York Film Festival: Or
Its English title named after its lead, Or, an Israeli working teenager responsible beyond her years (Dana Ivgi), but with the alternate title Mon Trésor (“My Treasure”), Keren Yedaya’s film immediately points to its central concern: the taut, dependent relationship Or’s passive, infantile mother Ruthie (Ronit Elkabetz) has with her caring, overburdened Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1096987473531170812004-10-05T07:43:00.000-07:002004-10-05T08:07:10.723-07:00From the 42nd New York Film Festival: Tropical MaladyTropical Malady is split in two narrative sections, erotically and sumptuously connected in themes and imagery. In the first half, Keng (Banlop Lomnoi), a soldier assigned to a forest division, works at a heartfelt, but disparate relationship with Tong (Sakda Kaewbuadee), a young man he met on a mission in the jungle. Thai director Apichatpong Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1096987322592617082004-10-05T07:41:00.000-07:002004-10-05T08:06:47.663-07:00From the 42nd New York Film Festival: Triple Agent1936, Paris. “Spy fever” has gripped the populace as the Popular Front achieves a resounding turnout at the polls and France’s Leftist government is placed in a precarious position between Bolshevik Russia and Nazi Germany. Caught up in the middle are White Russian general-in-exile Fyodor (Serge Renko), and his wife of Greek birth, Arsinoé (Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1096725432690746092004-10-02T06:55:00.000-07:002004-10-02T10:35:56.646-07:00Nice Coloured Girls (d. Tracey Moffatt, 1987)
Being an Australian, I get the overly zealous and politically correct take on aboriginal Australia practically rammed down my throat [by the media, mainly] a lot of the time [my cynical to reaction to this comes about not because I'm racist, but because I just happen to think that there are better ways to make a point than to resort to syrupy Matthew Clayfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651024358363321137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1096337583140434752004-09-27T19:10:00.000-07:002004-09-27T19:13:03.140-07:00A Dirty Shame
You know what is really sad? When a provocateur’s ideas actually become “quaint,” which, is either a step down or a step up from “marketable,” I’m just not too sure. But I digress; “quaint” was the adjective consistently running through my head as I watched John Waters’s newest film A Dirty Shame, which strives for outrageousness, and succeeds...if the film was transported back Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1095600319935790612004-09-26T06:16:00.000-07:002004-09-26T09:43:36.113-07:00A Portait of the Artist
While in Montreal a couple months ago, I stopped in at the Jean Cocteau: Enfant Terrible exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts. The only thing I knew about Cocteau was that he'd directed Beauty and the Beast, so the exhibit was a lot of fun: an exhaustive look at Cocteau's artistic and biographical journey through life. I won't go into all the details – that could take a Lady Wakasahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02711151505274719806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1095818572052036702004-09-21T18:22:00.000-07:002004-09-21T19:02:52.053-07:00Question of the Week: Recommendations
Merlot had a good idea. In a couple of weeks we will continue with the "Unofficial Milk Plus Canon" for the years 1975-79, and she suggested that as a form of prep we create a column in which we could suggest some lesser known films from that era. With that in mind, here is this new "Question of the Week":
Suggest a film released during the 1975-79 time Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1095738518597284842004-09-20T20:48:00.000-07:002004-09-20T20:48:38.596-07:00Short Takes
Just a couple of short thoughts on some of the movies that I saw this weekend. Some of us did not get to go to Toronto or Venice this year (I’m not bitter or anything):
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (d. Kerry Conran) - Oh sweet jesus, was this movie boring. I mean, I saw what they were going for, an homage to 30s adventure serials and comic books, and I can appreciate thatShroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1095728551786725802004-09-20T18:01:00.001-07:002004-09-21T08:34:04.033-07:00Goodbye, Dragon Inn“Half bitter, half sweet,” swoons Yao Lee over the closing credits of Goodbye, Dragon Inn, and it is a elucidation as simple as it is evocative of Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Liang’s filmmaking. Tsai has continued to refine his talent at a placid, Ozu-like pace, and his latest film evokes that of the Japanese master: formal but not alienating, heartfelt but not manipulative, Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1095728509544157302004-09-20T18:01:00.000-07:002004-09-20T20:40:53.110-07:00Ghost in the Shell 2: InnocenceMamoru Oshii is probably the only director in the world who makes art films under the guise of traditional anime. While Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence-Oshii’s sequel to the shrewd 1995 philosophic sci-fi rumination cum thriller-is indeed animated and indeed adheres to what one may call a conventional anime science-fiction future, the similarities between Oshii’s Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1095651097283735432004-09-19T20:20:00.000-07:002004-09-19T20:56:05.056-07:00Toronto International Film Festival 2004It seems like yun-fat had a much better time at Venice than I did at Toronto -- a combination of a fairly weak program plus scheduling conflicts causing me to miss some well-received flicks led to this decent but not-great line-up of films. Nevertheless, here's the report, but the short version is that Park Chan-wook's Old Boy was the best thing I saw, and Private Jokerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08843529921698268639noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1095215896437164122004-09-14T19:13:00.000-07:002004-09-15T05:23:42.173-07:00The Unofficial Milk Plus Canon: 1980-84
Well, our fifth poll is officially finished, and the votes have been tabulated. Thanks to everyone who has participated. Without further ado here are the results of the Unofficial Milk Plus Canon 1980-1984:
10. Ghostbusters (d. Ivan Reitman, 1984) - 22 points
9. Once Upon a Time in America (d. Sergio Leone, 1984) - 24 points
8. It's a Two-Way Tie:Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1095116065994149132004-09-13T15:53:00.000-07:002004-09-13T15:55:04.180-07:00Red Lights
When Antoine Dunant (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) takes his second drink in Red Lights the audience should take it as a joke. Antoine is waiting in a bar for his wife to get off work so they can begin their summer vacation by driving from Paris to Bordeaux to pick up their children. Hélèn (Carole Bouqet), his wife, is late, very late. So Antoine polishes off his first drink, calls her on Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1095109498546761402004-09-13T13:41:00.000-07:002004-09-13T15:50:42.943-07:00Venice Festival
What was this year's Venice film festival? On the level of organization, it was a catastrophe: 90-minute films in 60-minutes slots, time calculations between screenings way too small, etc. Anger & hilarity ensued (Harvey Weinstein at the 23.45 screening of Finding Neverland, which started past 2.30: "Everybody who stays till the end will get a breakfast made personally by [yun-fathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11402795279466885874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1094526707275990712004-09-06T20:05:00.000-07:002004-09-07T13:45:09.016-07:00Wicker Park
At a certain point in the day, the afternoon sunlight comes streaming through the blinds in my apartment, striking my television screen and making it all but unwatchable. Well, I watched a lot of DVDs today (All About Lily Chou-Chou, Gonin, and A Band Apart for instance), and late in the afternoon, I found myself faced with an unwatchable TV screen. What to do? Why go to the Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1094429350293006302004-09-05T17:02:00.000-07:002004-09-05T17:09:10.293-07:00The Saddest Movie in the World?
This was the conclusion that I came to after watching Ozu's 1953 masterpiece Tokyo Story on Friday night, the first film in a semester long Ozu retrospective at the UW Cinematheque (click on the link for the full schedule). So simple and heartbreaking, I would have burst out in tears if not for the dehydration caused by the breakdown of the AC, particularly Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1094428802777101822004-09-05T16:59:00.000-07:002004-09-05T17:00:02.776-07:00Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Pretty much the only film I was remotely interested in seeing in the theater this holiday weekend was the new documentary by filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (Brother’s Keeper and Paradise Lost : The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills) detailing the angst, infighting, and reconciliation surrounding the creation of Metallica’s 2003 album, St. Anger. Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1094090039695295652004-09-01T18:41:00.000-07:002004-09-12T16:11:23.490-07:00Question of the Week
The Unofficial Milk Plus Canon, Part V: 1980-84
Why are they putting seatbelts in theatres this summer, er fall? Well, its because of the Unofficial Milk Plus Canon, Part V, 1980-84...
Create a list of the Top 10 films releasted between 1980 and 1984, providing rationale for each choice.
Remember, this question is open to all blog members and readers, so get your list Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1094054812977198962004-09-01T00:03:00.000-07:002004-09-01T09:10:45.420-07:00Everything Old is New
Cowards Bend the Knee, The Manchurian Candidate and Suspect Zero
Okay, so we all know that Hollywood thrives on the unoriginal -- homages, remakes, sequels, adaptations and jes'plain rip-offs. This concept goes double for the summer movie season, where offering anything that doesn't remind an audience of something they've seen before is tantamount to commercial suicide. SoSteve C.noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1093746857254512832004-08-28T19:32:00.000-07:002004-08-31T19:22:08.810-07:00From the Archives: Donnie Darko
Well, in celebration of the fact that I’m going to see the Director’s Cut of Donnie Darko tomorrow afternoon, I’ve searched the archives for all links to our various postings on the film, an early Milk Plus favorite. Ah, lets go back to the halcyon days of 2002...
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Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1093745324988616772004-08-28T18:58:00.000-07:002004-08-28T19:13:09.420-07:00Hero
Well its finally here. I guess I could have watched the DVD version earlier (a lot earlier as it turned out) like phyrephox (check out his earlier review), since its readily available just about everywhere, but Miramax actually decided to give Zhang Yimou’s film a theatrical release before it was able to reach the top of my Greencine queue. I’m going to leave the DVD of the HK version in Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1093316888084861062004-08-23T20:07:00.000-07:002004-08-23T20:08:08.083-07:00The Brown Bunny
The girls dig Vincent Gallo, but Gallo doesn’t dig the girls. Or at least his character, Budd Clay, doesn’t dig the girls. In The Brown Bunny it is initially difficult to separate Gallo the man from Clay the character since the film-written, directed, produced, edited, shot, and partially scored by Gallo, among other things-is probably one of the most independent, and highly Daniel Kasmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1093235257267613272004-08-22T21:17:00.000-07:002004-08-22T21:27:37.266-07:00Question of the Week
Well, I was going to post some kind of deep, philosophical question tonight, but I got distracted by the Ebert & Roeper summer movie recap and decided, "What the hell, I'm feeling lazy..." So here goes:
What do you think of this summer's blockbuster season? The highlights? The lowlights? Share your thoughts and feelings about the summer films of 2004.
As always, this Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1093223740381042752004-08-22T18:13:00.000-07:002004-08-22T18:15:40.380-07:00Control Room & The Corporation
I’d like to think of myself as a “glass half-full” kind of guy (though to be fair, I usually act like a “glass half-empty” kind of guy), so I try to look for an upside in just about any situation, and I think I’ve found something positive in the current state of world and national affairs. There is an upside to an increasingly polarized electorate, a slumping Shroomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17781437574654985010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3386878.post-1093215857984981552004-08-22T15:52:00.000-07:002004-08-22T22:26:50.916-07:00Pennies From Heaven
Pennies From Heaven, 1981 (dir. Herbert Ross, starring Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters and Christopher Walken).
Pennies from Heaven played recently at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and I missed it; shortly after that it was released on DVD and there was a lot of discussion about the film on an e-mail discussion list that I'm on, including the descriptions "revisionist stennienoreply@blogger.com0