04.22.08
Posted in Film Review at 1:14 pm by Administrator
One of the most surprising presentations at the Con was Disney’s revealing look at Pixar’s latest robot sci-fi adventure Wall E. We were shown, for the first time, a brand new character name Moe. A tiny little work robot located on the ship that takes Eva away from poor little Wall E. As Wall E makes his way through the ship he leaves a trail of dirt and Moe follows behind cleaning up the mess. We were told they would inevitably become good friends throughout the film. Moe is another great addition to an already enchanted cast of charismatic robots who are almost instantly loveable.
One scene truly showed the films almost classic respect for silent film comedy as Wall E invited Eva over to his little place, where he has loaded up on various tiny human objects (much like Ariel in The Little Mermaid) and he tries to impress Eva with them. Their is little to no dialogue but Pixar has managed to convey every emotion using the design concepts behind every character. Most notably is the star himself Wall E who tells you so much with his various mannerisms despite being limited by his box-like shape. The moment he falls in love with Eva theirs no doubt in your mind as the viewer as to what is happening. Again I truly want to high light the Charlie chaplin-esque silent physical comedy that Wall E bravely puts to the forefront. Their are no zany characters or hip hop voices that you find in some of the most annoying animated film offerings as of late.
As always Pixar comes from a different place taking the classiest avenue to entertaining its audience. We must have seen five or six minutes of completed footage and as someone who isn’t instantly impressed with every Pixar offering, I believe its impossible not to fall in love with Wall E. This film is going to be extraordinary. Audiences will instantly fall in love with Wall E, Eva and Moe. If my cynical dark heart can be won over by Wall E than so can anyone’s. I can’t wait to see the entire film this summer.
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Posted in Film Review at 12:57 pm by Administrator
With the studio holding onto every tiny aspect of this film it was great to finally get a look at some unfinished Hulk smashing footage along with a brand new and improved theatrical trailer. Director Louis Leterrier was on hand along with the films producers to fill us in on how the film is coming along which is nice…seeing as it’s still slated to be released this summer. With the films awareness level being at an all time low with the general public it was a pleasant surprise to see them be a little more forthcoming with footage and info.
You may remember Lou Ferrigno from the original Hulk live action television show and it was announced that he would be making an extended cameo. Much more so than his simple walk on cameo from Ang Lee’s Hulk. The producers downplayed a question relating to Edward Norton’s supposed fight with the studio for a longer more thought provoking cut of the film and as if to talk down to the audience the assured us that Hulk would do plenty of smashing to keep our tiny brains satisfied. I was disgusted with the audiences booing at the mention of Ang Lee’s misunderstood adaptation of the comic but we’ll see what this film offers and if dumb action will win over Lee’s character probing film.
The footage we got to see didn’t have all of the Hulk FX finished but the Hulk’s design is definitely leaner and more stylized than the previous Hulk. The footage showed Bruce Banner being cornered by an army of tanks and of course he turns into the Hulk to lay the smack down on those puny humans. Hulk throws a few tanks around as expected but what was interesting to discover is that Tim Roth’s abomination isn’t an instant transformation. Instead he will be receiving various shots of super serum throughout the film slowly enhancing his abilities until his final transformation, which we have seen in the trailers. So we are treated to a more super human Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) versus Hulk mini fight that pits hulk against a more agile smaller opponent. Seeing as the design of the abomination lacked all sorts of creativity this battle held my interest far more than the one we’re shown in the theatrical trailer.
Speaking of trailers the new one showed a lot of the footage we had been shown moments earlier. So it’s definitely more focused on showing action than the teaser. I’m not one to get my hopes up for this one but after the panel I think we can at least expect some good action from the director who knows that genre pretty well.
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04.08.08
Posted in Film Review at 1:02 pm by Administrator
You may be fully aware of Speed Racer, Iron Man, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull but their are other big summer movies coming out that the studios seem to be neglecting. Just the other day I asked my friend what he thought of the new Incredible Hulk trailer, he looked at me and said “they’re making a new hulk?”. If that is the reaction I’m getting than these studios are doing a piss poor job of marketing their big summer films. It’s not only poor Hulk to get the shaft but Fox also doesn’t think we need to be teased about the upcoming X-Files sequel slated to be released this July. Would it be too much trouble just to throw together a 30 second teaser with a big X and the theme music? Instead we are forced to watch badly video taped youtube videos of some trailers showed behind closed doors.
Don’t they want to make money? If they don’t raise the level of awareness for these films they could very well end up being over looked as films like The Dark Knight and the above mentioned will have no trouble packing them in this summer.
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03.07.08
Posted in Film Review at 1:52 pm by Administrator
Stephen Chow once again stretches his comedic acting chops in another CGI laden film that blends together his edgy writing and penchant need to go over the top. This time with an E.T. tale almost so cute that the films heaviest moments are a welcome change of pace in order to maintain a steady balance between the overly sweet and moderately sour. Its hard not to mention Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, as those are his two most popular films in America. Unfortunately I get the feeling we are seeing an over reliance on special effects when Chow at times lets them take over his films in order to claim box office gold over seas.
CJ7 has a very simple family friendly premise: Ti (Chow) is a poor but hard working father who struggles to get his son, Dicky, even the simplest of things; such as a fan for those hot summer nights or a pair of new sneakers for gym class. Everything changes when Ti discovers a tiny egg sac, that he mistakes for a toy, that turns out to be a cute alien life form that amounts to a big eyed dog creature that would easily come out of a Hello Kitty factory. Don’t get me wrong CJ7 is adorable and will insight many “awwws” from its audience but purely on the most superficial level since it really doesn’t have much of a personality like say E.T.
Chow has a knack for taking popular genres and turning them on their heads and then once again spinning them around so they become completely unaware of what genre they were in the first place. CJ7 doesn’t stray too far from its family film roots but Chow fans should find enough edgy humor and surprisingly sad moments to authenticate what would have been an otherwise purely studio film. CJ7 is obviously designed to sell plenty of toys, it’s adorable eyes and funny faces are a seed of consumerism planted into the heads of every child that will sit down in front of this film. Not so much so in America seeing as Sony Pictures Classics decided to release this film with little to no advertising. Even the screening I attended had no reserved seats for critics and was barely even filled to capacity which is rare considering how may folks in New York City are always up for a free movie screening.
The film offers a little bit of everything even if it all feels slightly under developed. Many questions are left unanswered for possible sequels. Stephen Chow does manage to breathe some dimensionality into Ti, who is a stern father that loves his son but doesn’t pull punches about their situation. The two of them are poor but in a far more “cartoon” kind of poor where Dicky comes to school with dirt on his face, something I don’t think any of us have ever witnessed. Poor or not everyone can wash their face in the morning before going to school. I admit I succumbed to CJ7’s cute antics and Dicky could give Jaden Smith a run for his money but theirs not much here to warrant you running to your local theater (if its even playing near you) to check it out.
2.5/5
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02.19.08
Posted in Film Review at 2:27 pm by Administrator
Harold and Kumar shocked the world when it didn’t turn out to be the most obvious corporate whoring of a product in Hollywood history. White Castle had its very name in the title and the main characters were off to eat these supposedly delicious burgers. Yet somehow inside of this evil concept we were given a stoner duo that could join the ranks of Cheech and Chong or even Jay and Silent Bob. It even dared to squeeze in a little subversive message about race relations and the pursuit of the American dream.
When we last saw our two heroes, they had just feasted on 30 burgers and Harold was going to follow his newfound ladylove to Amsterdam. The film continues instantly from that very last moment. After being wrongly imprisoned for being terrorists they escape from Guantanamo and make their way back to the U.S.I can imagine the writers sitting in a room locked away for hours trying to write another movie titled Harold and Kumar go to Amsterdam but for one reason or another it didn’t work or maybe it would be too much like Euro trip, who knows, all we do know is that instead they took a different route to get these two back in a car and on the run towards comedic hilarity with plenty of great moments that I won’t spoil.
Surprisingly the escape from Guantanamo Bay takes all but the first ten minutes of the film which gives our heroes plenty of time to run from the law, smoke plenty of weed, and run into plenty of weird characters. I’m pleased to report this sequel should please any fans of the first film. It’s consistently funny all through out. Its a pleasure to once again watch Kal Penn and John Cho play against each other with the same flare that made them such a joy to watch the first time around. Along the way the writers have scripted quite a number of hit or miss set pieces. Some will feel a little too familiar and it seems like they are just treading a lot of the same old racial jokes such as the scary red neck in the woods gag. This is easily forgiven though when we’re given plenty of random female nudity to keep us distracted when the film slows down for the obligatory plot moments.
Richard Christy does his best to play the evil ignorant white government employee but so much of it is forced that his best moments are few and far between. Due to popular demand Neil Patrick Harris returns and does about everything you expect him to do. Unfortunately a chance to take doogie on a trip unlike any other (I’ll give you a hint it involves a great white unicorn that appears out of nowhere) is squandered. Which brings me to my over all problem with the film. It lacks the element of surprise that made so many of the first films jokes so funny. Instead of repeating some of those best moments they could have created a few more new ones instead. Harold’s mission to go after Maria is all but lost and unfairly rushed in the last five minutes. These are really all just the typical problems you get with any sequel so take them as tiny annoyances instead of big problems. They don’t make or break the film and in the end I loved the first and really liked the second.
3/5
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02.12.08
Posted in Film Review at 5:33 pm by Administrator
I’m not going to review this film persay as I find myself to be very late to the party on this one. So instead I thought I’d take a more analytical approach to discussing the film and my thoughts on certain controversial choices made both by the author of the original work and the Coen brothers.
While its tempting to get right into the walking goliath, Anton Chigur (Javier Bardem), I’d rather start where the film chooses to end and that is with Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). Bell is the key to the entire film. No matter how distracted you are by the exciting chase going on between Anton and Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) the heart and soul of this picture is within the tired old eyes of Bell and his inability to deal with modern criminals. He’s an old school sheriff who was once able to deal with crime without even needing his gun. Throughout most of the film he’s investigating Antons brutal murders while at the same time avoiding any and all possibility of running into the man responsible for it all. He is impotent and unable to handle the changing world around him. There in lies the reveal to the films title, he’s just too old for this scary new America he now finds himself in.
The rest of the story is a brutal chase between Llewelyn, the finder of millions of dollars, and Anton a man hired to get it back. If you had stumbled into this picture not knowing who directed it you could very well mistake this part of the film for your average B level action film. Anton isn’t too far removed from his less respective cousins ,Jason Vorheez and Michael Myers, as a soul less serial killer with no remorse and the delusion that he has some insight into human nature. He deals out death randomly giving some the choice and others are not so lucky. Anton is an unstoppable force given almost super human abilities leaving a train of blood behind his every step. Its easy to give into this character but it seems as though he belongs in a horror film, not a drama such as this.
On the other side of the coin we have Llewelyn a man who finds millions of dollars and takes no time to figure out that he’s willing to risk it all just to have it. We don’t get any real sense of this character other then his life may not have been all that great if he’s willing to throw it away so easily. He proves to be quite a formidable foe when facing off against Anton although this aspect of the film is the most misleading for reasons I can only get into after providing you with a huge spoiler warning.
HUGE SPOILER WARNING
This film wants to be two entirely different movies. On the one hand it wants you to enjoy the brutal deaths, the chase between Anton and Llewelyn, and just bask in the B level action. On the other hand you have Bell spouting off long monologues about working on the force for years, dreams, and other such art-house philosophies as if somehow this movie, at the last minute, decided it wanted to have its cake and eat it to. It forsakes its action movie roots and attempts to discredit itself, the audience, and its own logic to appease critics and be different simply for its own sake. Their is no reason not to show Llewelyn’s off screen death by the mexicans, other then to infuriate movie goers by snubbing your nose at convention. The film dares you to hate it. I have yet to meet one person whose mind didn’t wander during Bell’s last words about a dream he had. I didn’t want my mind to wander off but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t like listening to Grandpa on the Simpsons going on and on about nothing. What on earth was McCarthy thinking? What on earth were the Coens thinking? Who truly is satisfide by this ending? I can’t imagine unless you want to feel like an elitest pretentious film lover that can somehow “get” what cannot be gotten.
I have no trouble grasping the films obvious symbolism and metaphors. Anton is the powerful, modern, liberal, left wing force that cannot be stopped. He tramples on the south, destroys the red states, defies conservative thinking and cannot be understand by characters who are old and from a different day and time. This country is changing and he is the symbol for that change. He is also out of his mind and pretends to spout philosophical ramblings on death. I would like to see us put to death this brand of serial killer. You do not have any special insight into human behaviour because you kill them. Simple as that. You are insane that is all. Anton thinks he knows something that we don’t but he’s really just a psychotic murderer. Perhaps this also says something about liberals as well, eh?
I can fairly assess that No Country for Old Men is a fine movie with an identity crisis. A good chase film that aspired to be more and failed in the process.
3.5/5
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Posted in Film analysis at 4:40 pm by Administrator
Some films are sold with big name stars attached to their title while others are sold based on the name of a writer or director involved with the film. There Will be Blood is helmed by one of todays most promising directors, P.T. Anderson, who has decided to lose the dots and be known as Paul Thomas Anderson which is somehow very befitting as he has shed alot of skin as a director and has grown considerably with every film he directs.
I admit I did not jump on the P.T. boat after Boogie Nights. Not even the over indulgent three hour epic Magnolia truly sold me on his abilities. It was obvious that he was talented but their was a detachment to his films that was always keeping me away. Punch Drunk Love sucked me in by being one of the most artistically charming movies I had ever seen. It was concise in its brief 90 minute running time but it was as if Anderson had demasked himself revealing that without the length he was able to tell a heart warmingly bizarre story with two very strong performances and on top of that never lose his integrity as an artist along the way. Suddenly a light went off in my head, this was a name I was going to follow very closely as I pursued my love of film. Even his past efforts had gotten better because of it.
Its obvious that Punch Drunk Love was a short term indulgence as he has clearly returned to working in his preffered longer format. There Will be Blood is a slow burn that requires you to dwell inside its humble frame and enjoy every second for the bits of cinematic nourishment it offers. Lets begin with the asthetics of the proceedings. Anderson has crafted a messy, dirt filled portrait for this 1892 period piece. More often then not our cast is sweaty, ugly, and covered in the black oil they want so badly. Quite literally everyone eventually gets a face full of the black gold that is mined out of the ground. Anderson is rubbing their faces in it almost angrily giving them the very thing they so greedily seek.
Needless to say Daniel Day Lewis is oil man extrordinaire, Danny Plainview, he carries his son with him to all of his dealings. His moto, ironically enough, is to speak plainly and honestly. Watching a bastard turn into a full on heartless monster is staged in such a way as to make Plainview both hero and villian in Andersons little tale. Whenever Plainview isn’t buying land and raking in the dough he’s tending to his son with a strange mixture of sentiment and repulsion. He admits that he doesn’t like most people, sometimes this even includes his own son and his love of money drives him further and further away from them.
I realize this review has overstayed it’s welcome but truly great films inspire deep analysis of their characters and events. There Will be Blood is such a film and I hope it will inspire you to read between the lines as well.
5/5
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01.29.08
Posted in Film Review at 2:02 pm by Administrator
This past sunday night the screen actors guild got together to once again pat each other on the back for being the most important human beings on the planet. Was I the only one that cringed as Mickey Roonie stood there and sucked on the rooms big giant rod? I hate to break it to them but they’re just over paid court jesters who entertain us, that is it. They are not doctors and it is not their job to save the world. I’ve never seen a room so satisfide with itself. Every year they declare it to be the most important year for acting and film as an industry. I’m not quite sure what was so important about 2007 as a year in film. Maybe perhaps they could elaborate on what made it so important? Another year where George Clooney tells us all of his political beliefs via film? Another year where nonsense films such as Atonement garner acclaim for seemingly no reason whatsoever other than its an old timey period piece that does a good job of looking old timey.
The only moment of true humility came from the most un-hollywood man in the room; Daniel Day Lewis. In his acceptance speech for best actor he took the time, not to wallow in his own self importance, but to mention the passing of Heath Ledger. Theirs a reason he only makes one movie every couple of years and that is simply because he doesn’t truly belong to that room of self righteous snobs. I love film as an art form and actors are a part of what makes them so astounding but when they all get together you unfortunately get a peek at how ridiculous they look when they take themselves so seriously.
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01.17.08
Posted in Film Review at 2:19 pm by Administrator
There are two monsters hitting theaters this weekend but only one will make every man in America cringe in unison as they watch their worst fears come to life in Mitchell Lichtenstein’s TEETH. You may have heard about that little film at Sundance about the girl with Vagina Dentata. The film, if nothing else, supplies you with all of the severed penises you can handle. It doesn’t disappoint in providing plenty of bloody crotches having been chewed off by the films protagonist, Dawn.
Dawn is a goody goody straight edged girl who is charmingly naïve to all things sexual. Jessie Wexler takes the character of Dawn through a fascinating transformation from innocent “promise ring” girl of purity to an empowered woman who realizes her vaginal teeth are not a curse but a gift. This is the corner stone of the story and it’s carried on her ability to sell the humorous moments but also the vicious dismemberments where she takes her vengeance on mankind. The film is blatantly layered with many images of other vicious female myths such as Medusa who had the power to turn men to stone at merely a glance. It’s not uncommon to see women take on these roles when in so many facets of life they are put down for their feminine traits and seen merely as sexual conquests to be had by the many men around them.
Lichtenstein surrounds Dawn with all kinds of men and unfortunately they are all pig headed assholes that only want to take advantage of her. Most disturbing of them all is her stepbrothers unwanted sexual advances. Of course this isn’t too far from the truth and one cannot blame mother nature for providing women with a tool against one of the worst crimes you could commit against them. Rape is probably every woman’s worst fear so it is with some great delight to see Dawn equipped with the ultimate can of pepper spray. Even the film refuses to delight the male viewer with any female nudity until Dawn becomes comfortable in her own skin. Only when she has chosen to let you see do we finally get a good view of her breasts but then the following scene reminds you that she is and always will be in control.
So just in case you didn’t want to see the film because of its themes and fascinating take on female empowerment in a world dominated by men it blankets these ideas inside of a very comedic script with plenty of laugh out loud moments. Its dark but without the humor this film really wouldn’t work at all. There are quite a few money shots of the aftermath of the vaginal bites to satisfy the gore hounds but unfortunately we never get a shot of what Dawn’s vagina looks like which kind of feels like a strange double standard considering the film is about not being ashamed of the female genitalia. To not show it is to succumb to societal norms and since B films are given license to go where most films dare not it’s a shame we never get the best money shot of them all. Somewhere in the world David Cronenberg’s special effects guy is wishing he had the chance to create a robotic vagina layered with teeth. Don’t we all.
3/5
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12.27.07
Posted in Film Review at 4:13 pm by Administrator
Top ten lists are at best big fat giant lies. To make a top ten list of the best films of the year is to assume you’ve managed to watch EVERY film released in theaters, otherwise how could you possibly know which film was truly the best? Even most critics who see most films can’t possibly watch them all. So if you truly wanted to be honest a top ten list of movies is really just the best films you’ve seen and you must apologize if you haven’t seen everything.
With that in mind I also wish to spit on the pretentiousness of most top ten lists to exclude films that were damn fine entertainment. Why can’t an action movie or comedy make it onto a top ten list? So to avoid being barraged by insults by the film snobs I will just say that these are not the ten best films of 2007. I will not include every smart film I’ve seen and I will not include every big dumb fun film I’ve seen. What you will get is a healthy mix of the two. So please, realize this now so that you don’t have a heart attack when you see a film that isn’t exactly 5 star material. The point is not that these are ten perfect films, I simply want to share ten movies that I felt were worth the price of admission and then some.
10. Southland Tales
You could almost say that the above list of preemptive apologies is all meant to somehow explain how its possible this film could make it onto anyone’s top ten film list. Granted I expect to find many jaded individuals throw it onto their top ten worst films of the year and to them I say, enjoy it while you can because Richard Kelly didn’t make a film for the now he made a film that is going to be watched for many years. It’s a film that dares you to watch it and then goes on to dare you to hate it. I am firmly in the camp that beliefs certain films simply defy criticism. Southland Tales laughs at your critiques because it never tries to be a conventional film at any given point and time. It simply defies clichés and genres as you know them.
What Richard Kelly has done is create a very dense artistic vision that will stick around for many years to come. I believe the audience’s view of the film will change with time just as many other films have experienced this very same phenomenon. Call me crazy but I think that putting this film on my list may seem like a mistake right now but in the years to come I’ll be one of the few who was able to see past his own two feet on this one. All it takes is for the right audience to find it and run with it.
9. The Simpson’s Movie
I know it’s really hip and cool to dismiss anything Simpson’s after season nine. You can cry about how every new episode is not as funny as the show used to be and that someone should put the show out of its misery. Swallow your pride and just enjoy a good thing while it’s still there. The long awaited film is as good as it ever could have been and Groening and co. hit this one out of the park. All you have to ask yourself is one question; did you laugh your ass off? If the answer is yes then the film has succeeded in every way possible. On top of the non-stop jokes the film manages to remind us how The Simpson’s differs from their bizarro doppelganger Family Guy; we actually care about them. If you don’t feel a lump in your throat when Marge leaves Homer a video tapes message of her disappointment in him, then you may want to double check if you still have a soul.
8. Grindhouse
In the last few months you may have rented or purchased two films on DVD that may not have seemed as great as the reviews have led you to believe. One titled Death Proof and the other Planet Terror. Two B movies mascarading as A movies pretending to be B movies. Grindhouse was welcomed by fans and critics but audiences, unfortunately, spent that weekend with their families. After it was a financial disaster for the Weinstein Company they decided to split up this marriage made in heaven and dilute the experience at home.
These two films, on video do not work by themselves. Without the double bill gimmick neither one is worth much on their own. Quentin even has the balls to extend his already self indulgent movie into an even longer more painful two hour brain melter. What you may not realize is that in theaters, with the fake trailers, played one after the other, this was one of the best theatrical experiences I’ve had in a long time. The audience cheered for the heroes, laughed at the fake trailers, and enjoyed every minute of this film event. It was like nothing else out there at the time. Robert Rodriguez filled his zombie fest with impressive gore effects and a killer line up of objects that you never realized could be weapons. Even Tarantino’s seriously flawed Death Proof becomes highly watchable when it follows the high octane Planet Terror providing a slower pace and longer build up to the impressive car chase scenes. The two danced so well together it really pains me to see them broken up. Watching them seperately is proof in and of itself that these two films need one another. Maybe one day they can be together again.
7. Shoot ‘em Up
If theirs one genre that has a very difficult time impressing me its action. Far too many of them follow the same formula and take themselves so seriously that they forget to just be fun and entertaining. Recent flicks such as Hitman are a fine example of how their is little imagination left in this over-done genre. Why can’t we just get a cool hero who isn’t bogged down by an annoying side kick. The film is almost a spiritual successor to last years best action film, Crank. Clive Owen chews up the scenary and It doesn’t hurt that they give him a real knock out of a leading lady to ooze her sexiness all over the screen and believe it or not a villian who doesn’t come off as lame compared to the over all invincibility of the hero.
Shoot ‘em Up even dares to elude to being a live action Warner Brothers cartoon. Clive Owen is eating carrots. Paul Giamatti is Elmer Fudd come to life. The deaths are outlandish. The hero is a charming bad ass who is smart but vulnerable. While he may seem unstoppable at first the film smartly finds inventive ways to take him down and than make you wonder how he is going to one-up the villians. Monica Belluci, as always, steals every scene with her uncontested beauty. The film is unashamed of its fetish for sex, action, and breast milk. What’s not to love? If you don’t like this film I must ask…what is wrong with you?
6) 300
Film snobs be damned no film quite delivered on its trailer as much as Zack Snyder’s epic adaptation of Frank Millers beloved graphic novel. Gerard Butler finds himself in the same position as Hugh Jackman after the first X-Men film, shot head first into super stardom by pleasing both the huge geek fan base of comic book fans and general audiences everywhere with his excellent portrayal of King Leonidas. He mixed honor, strength, and smart ass all in one to convince us that this man could inspire an army to follow him to their bloody deaths.
Let’s not over look the direction of Zack who easily proves that his stellar work in the Dawn of the Dead remake was no fluke. He knows how to entertain you with just the right amount of visual flair, strong characters, and relevance. Knowing when to take things seriously and knowing when to let the blood fly saved 300 from being just another boring as balls sandal showcase. Everyone involved gave this one their all and its wonderful to see this much passion still being put on the screen.
5)Paprika
The only popular anime director in America is Miyazaki, the great mind behind Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving castle, but in the great words of Yoda, “There is another”. If Miyazaki is Steven Spielberg then Satoshi Kon is the Stanley Kubrick of the anime world. With a string of hits that include, Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and Tokyo Godfather he returns once more with his classic realistic take on the anime art form. What makes Satoshi’s films so special is that he focuses on making his characters as human as possible with none of the exaggerated drawing styles you’ll find in other popular anime films and franchises. He grounds them and then sends you and them through a story that never steers too far from our heart strings.
Paprika is a journey into our dreams as a group of scientists have created the D.C. Mini, a device that allows the doctors to see your dreams in order to help with a patient’s Psychological problem. A terrorist steals one and starts to run rampant in the dream world leaving a trail of dead bodies along the way. Meanwhile a mysterious dream parade is making its way past the world of sleep and into reality. This is just the tip of the iceberg in this uniquely imagined film that feels like an alternate take on Michelle Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine. Well worth seeking out for the many that missed it in theaters this year.
4) Darjeeling Limited
I was ready to give up on director Wes Anderson. His font and style felt like a one trick pony after the well made, but slightly disappointing Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Going into Darjeeling Limited I felt ready for another schlock infested Oscar wannabe loaded with self aware dialogue and quirky sub plots leading to an obvious ending and me rolling my eyes as I left the theater. Funny thing was it did indeed fall into all of its own traps but something about the varied performances, classic mother son motifs, and colorful palette of India had me hooked the entire time.
Three white boys are looking for enlightenment in India. The plot alone feels contrived but thankfully Anderson plays around with your expectations and finds a happy medium for both the cynics (such as myself) and those who prefer their endings on the positive side of things. Adrian Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson are a big part of why this film works so well. Their chemistry as brothers goes uncontested through out the film with each taking on their own unique world perspective as they struggle to deal with each other and their estranged mother. What shouldn’t work, does, and that’s why Darjeeling Limited deserves such a high spot on the list. Any film that can make me shake off my pessimism for but a moment is a miracle in and of itself.
3)Sicko
Set aside your politics about the man and Michael Moore remains one thing: a damn fine filmmaker. What he accomplishes in his films is something many documentaries fail to provide entertainment. So many documentaries are caught up in their subject matters they forget the audience isn’t just there to get a text book lesson on life, we want to laugh, cry, and get involved in the people and places we are being shown. Moores voice, humor, and down to earth personality are what separate his films from all the others. He does make the mistake of taking a few unnecessary jabs at Bush (beating a dead horse much?) and thus already upsetting the Republican party in just the first five minutes but if you can get past your politics this is a very simple story that almost no one can possibly be against.
People with insurance getting screwed over by their insurance companies. Its just that simple. You pay so much money into the system and get so little back. The system needs help and Moore brings this to light with his most fair and balanced look at one of America’s most corrupt industries. Moore smartly leaves himself out of the picture for a long time letting the images do all of the work but when he finally does step into the frame your almost begging him to go out there and do something about this problem. When all is said and done Sicko is a heart breaking two hours of damn great filmmaking. That’s all that really matters in the end. The rest is up to you.
2)Black Snake Moan
I never thought this film would ever be toppled from the number one spot. Since I viewed this deliciously pulpy and yet incredibly well told morality tale I knew I had found my best film of the year. Well here it sits at number 2 but that doesn’t make it any less magnificent. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Lazarus, a recently divorced crop farmer who happens upon a very beaten up girl named Rae (Christina Ricci) on an empty road. She’s a nymphomaniac who parties too hard one night after her boyfriend leaves for the war. Lazarus takes it upon himself to help cure her of her wicked ways, which involves chaining her up to a radiator, with only but the best of intentions of course. This outlandish plot allows us to deal with some interesting reverse race issues and director Craig Brewer injects his pure love for the South in every frame.
As these two lost souls seek to find themselves the story is wrapped in the world of the blues. Every character finds their own way to kill the demons that haunt their lives and the music is so electric it sent chills up my spine on several occasions. Brewer also directed Hustle & Flow another film that exceeded expectations and used music to inspire a cathartic release for it’s characters. Critics are going to ignore this picture but this film will not be forgotten long after award season like so many other “best of year” films. It will demand to be seen again and again and its rightfully earned by being a film like no other you’ll ever see.
1)Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tim Burton has been holding out on us, that is the only way I can come to terms with how amazing of an experience Sweeney Todd was to behold. Every ounce of blood is still freshly spilled in my mind. The uniquely bizarre musical stylings of Steve Sodheim, and the instant classic performances of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. You see Tim wowed us with Ed Wood and then saw his lowest point with Planet of the Apes, redeemed himself with Big Fish, and then ended up somewhere in the middle with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Then all of a sudden he comes out of nowhere with his adaptation of the classic musical.
The film opens with a blast of the organs and an almost nauseating tour through the bakery as we see how much “love” is baked into every pie. The film then takes another unexpected turn, the music isn’t sing songy or littered with rhymes, its kind of warped and all over the map. Sodheim toys with convention at every corner always careful not to repeat the overly done Broadway show tunes many have conjured up over the years. And if that wasn’t enough you’ll never see a musical about a barber who kills his patrons and bakes their entrails into home made pies. You won’t be sitting they’re waiting for the blood to fly, as even the musical moments are compelling and deeply revealing. The shocking finale will you leave your mouth gaped open, and your mind obliterated. If you are tired of the same old Oscar fodder this is your ticket to something completely different.
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