Archive for October, 2006
clockwork orange »
Friday, October 27th, 2006
so it’s an old one, but those that have seen it know it’s the shit. Kubrick is awesome. he describes fundamental values through epic tales and dazzling visuals. relationships, war, nuclear weapons, and, in this one, violence have all been touched on. the characters have no feeling. the setting is disturbing. in fact everything is disturbing. the intensity throughout makes my skin crawl while at the same time being intoxicating.
it’s long and drawn out and at sometimes slow, but only when Kubrick wants it to be. it’s like a rollercoaster. the concept is deep and primal.
you know what. fuck it. just see it when you get the chance because you’ll be disturbed and probably end up loving it.
*****
departed »
Friday, October 27th, 2006
this is probably the best mafia film not involving Pacino or Liotta. the movie begins with the flashback and then creates the parallel between Damon and DiCaprio that carries the rest of the story. the two end up overlapping stories. the movie gives a sense to the audience that they know what’s going on and who the good guys are and then rips it out from under them.
DiCaprio only does epic lately. a long way from the the beach. i like him in this roll and he does an awesome job. Damon comes back to his Bostonian accent and works his character well. he’s the shit though so i saw it coming. glad Affleck is getting the work he deserves. Sheen’s getting old, but it works well with his protective-father-like persona in this one. Jack’s going strong after a few rolls where he played his age and had feelings to a complete douchebag and i love him for it. Marky Mark is a coin toss, but this one came up the shit.
the lead up to the end is masterful and Scorsese is at is best since taxi driver (but to be fair i havent seen raging bull yet). it’s the best film this year by far. this one probably would have even held it’s own during oscar season if they had waited on it for awhile.
*****
jesus camp »
Friday, October 27th, 2006
here’s a Michael Moore film without the grease. it has the feel of his flicks. even has the political edge, but it’s more frightening in some ways. the audio is overtly dubbed out of context and video is spliced for persuasive effect, but overall it seems to hold true to at least a goal of a documentary. the targeting of the kids and saturation of religious ideas really drives the movie home though.
If Harry Potter were in the Bible he’d be executed because warlocks are the enemies of God.
shit like that is twisted, but there are others. some of the shit they had going on in this thing had me almost upset. seeing the kids with guns was a trip. the main kid (with the rat tail) is tweaked. he was saved at five apparently. he’s home-schooled (which is not surprising) and wants to be a preacher. guess the future’s not looking all that bright
overall the film is less skewed than a Moore flick, but not to be taken as a documentary. the information is interesting and the viewpoint is fucked, but the movie doesn’t slow down.
***
little miss sunshine »
Friday, October 27th, 2006
awesome movie. twisted and thoughtful and heartfelt and cruel. the characters are bleak and hopeful and played extremely well. Carrell shows he has a serious side, or at least a dry side after virgin. the son is hilarious and and unknown. the family itself is cracked to its core, but holds onto each other with a ferver only a family could.
the van is awesome and takes on a character of its own. the ending is unpredictable and incredible. i havent laughed that hard in quite a long time. the story itself drives forward the entire time. if my grandfather wasn’t so awesome i’d want arkin as mine. Kinnear pulls his character off very well and shows he can still pull off a roll like as good as it gets. the little kid is fucking great. pretty much all i can say about that.
the film itself is playful at points and poignant at others. it kept me guessing the entire time and laughing almost throughout. it was smarter than i thought going in and better overall than i ever could have hoped.
*****
to start »
Friday, October 27th, 2006
I created this mainly to keep track of my own movie viewing. I’ve seen too many to remember how good or bad they are. I also have people asking me what I think of certain movies so making this public kills two birds with one stone.
They won’t be in any coherant order as I go back and relive the old ones, but I’ll post as I see new ones. Feel free to comment when I refer to Into the Blue as a good movie. My opinions are different than most.
I’ll even try to make some reference to actual film terminology at random points, but I won’t make a habit of it. Watching a movie can be enjoyable when you’re looking at angles and screen wipes and lighting, but I’m more about the experience.
Cheers.