"The ball is round, a game lasts 90 minutes, everything else is pure theory."

Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run)
Tom Tykwer, 1998

This film came to me extremely hyped. A contemporary international film class of mine raved about it. Friends of mine raved about it. It resulted in the Napoleon Dynamite effect for me-- it took a pretty good film I would have otherwise enjoyed and built it up so much I left feeling disappointed.

I knew before I sat down the story would come in three iterations and I knew how they would end. There were some happy surprises along the way and although I was unimpressed throughout the first go around, I liked the movie more as it went on.

However, when all was said and done, I wasn't blown away as others assured I would be.

Kinda Dug It.

"And What is it What Goes on in this Post Modern Gas Chamber?"

Naked
Mike Leigh, 1993

Amazing. Full of gems:
Louise: How did you get here?
Johnny: Well, basically, there was this little dot, right? And the dot went bang and the bang expanded. Energy formed into matter, matter cooled, matter lived, the amoeba to fish, to fish to fowl, to fowl to frog, to frog to mammal, the mammal to monkey, to monkey to man, amo amas amat, quid pro quo, memento mori, ad infinitum, sprinkle on a little bit of grated cheese and leave under the grill till Doomsday.

Brian: What are you doing here?
Johnny: Well, I was standing over *there*, but that didn't seem to be working out for me, so I moved over here, but this one isn't much better.

"Was I bored? No, I wasn't fuckin' bored. I'm never bored. That's the trouble with everybody - you're all so bored. You've had nature explained to you and you're bored with it, you've had the living body explained to you and you're bored with it, you've had the universe explained to you and you're bored with it, so now you want cheap thrills and, like, plenty of them, and it doesn't matter how tawdry or vacuous they are as long as it's new as long as it's new as long as it flashes and fuckin' bleeps in forty fuckin' different colors. So whatever else you can say about me, I'm not fuckin' bored. "

I love the way Johnny travels through London, plays everyone he meets for fools and challenges perceptions of reality everyone takes for granted. Although two on screen rapes seem a bit much, and this is truly a dark and twisted film, I really really enjoyed it.

REALLY dug it.

"Can You Dig It?!"

The Warriors
Walter Hill, 1959

I played the video game back when it came out in 2005 and it was awesome. Unfortunately, the movie didn't live up to the greatness of the game. It's sad times when a video game adaptation outshines the source film.

The film was based off a comic book, so I understand what the director was going for. However, I found the acting to be sterile and awkward, the story unengaging and monotonous and the characters unsympathetic. The only good scene in the movie came near the end once the Warriors got back to Coney. The Rogues leader sits in his car, clanking beer bottles together and chants, "Warriors. Come out and play," over and over. It was pretty eery, but unfortunately the rest of the movie fell short of the mark.

Wasn't Feeling It.

Image Courtesy of gothamist.com.

"I've got three dead bodies on a sidewalk off Venice boulevard, Justine, I'm sorry if the goddamn chicken got... overcooked."

Heat
Michael Mann, 1995

This one pulls you in right away and you don't want to stop watching until all 12 hours of the film are finished. Five minutes in and Boondock Saints was completely ruined for me. As it turns out, Agent Smecker in Boondock Saints is nothing but a poorly realized facsimile of Vincent Hanna.

Anyway. Heat was Awesome.

Really Dug It.

Image Courtesy of kotaku.com.

"Ok...Thanks"

4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days)
Cristian Mungiu, 2007

A roommate goes to extraordinary lengths to help her friend get an illegal arbortion in 1980s Romania.

Fantastically chilling.

Really Dug it.

Image Courtesy of movie shark deblore.

After Hours

After Hours - Marty S.

Really enjoyed this one.

Short Cuts

Short Cuts - Altman

Chinatown

Chinatown

Children of Men

Children of Men
Alfonso Cuarón, 2006

I have a lot of trouble getting into dystopian movie and books. Somehow the archetype is specific enough that they all seem like clones to me. Thus, I struggled to engage with this movie at the beginning. I enjoyed seeing Michael Caine as an aged hippie, though.
Feelings about the story aside, this movie is amazing. The choreography involved had to have been the product of months of preparation, practice and tenacious will. Long, uncut shots in which a host of action was shown in immersive ways played a key role in setting this film apart from any other I've seen.
I do have to give the story credit as it teased the audience with "Hollywood Saccharine," but flipped a 180 as soon as the audience accepts it.

I watched this one right after watching I Am Legend. That one sucked me in right away, but let me down a bit in the ending. This one took a while on the uptake, but left a much better taste in my mouth.

Image Courtesy of The New Republic.

"How many times do we live? How many times do we die?"

21 Grams

Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2003

Holy shit. Just like Amores Perros, this one just beats the living shit out of you. Then it does it again.
The first time I saw a movie with the story shown out of order was when I first saw Pulp Fiction sometime in my early teens. Since then I've seen it quite a few times more. I feel like Iñárritu's films (with Guillermo Arriaga's writing) do the best job of it.
At the beginning of this one I had no clue what was going on, where the story was headed or what the point of any of the short scenelets I saw were. Right when I was at the point of utter frustration, the focus began to linger just a bit longer and things began to coalesce at such a pace that just enough was revealed to lure you in and make you want to beg for that next little tidbit.

I love movies that beat the living shit out of you. Honestly, what's the point of seeing something if it doesn't move you?

image courtesy of moldova.org

3:10 to Yuma

3:10 To Yuma
James Mangold, 2007

Dug it.

Pan's Labrynth

El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth)
Guillermo del Toro, 2006

Dug this one too.

40 Year Old Virgin

I watched this movie and played it off as research as I needed to rewrite a script for Cinema Production in the form of a Judd Apatow comedy. I remember liking this movie during its initial run in theaters, and I liked it again upon second viewing. Watching it online was a pain as constant slowdowns and buffering interludes broke the pace.

I read the script while I was waiting for the internet to load, and the final product was much better. The script seemed to be written by a bunch of frat boys after an episode of drinking and other illicit substances. Then again, I suppose that's probably Apatow's method, considering the type of comedy he produces.

In the end, a thesis critique ran long (7.5 hours) and I never met with my group, so my inputs for the rewrite were never heard, effectively making my "research" a mere viewing of the film.

Psycho (1960)

I spotted Hitchcock's cameo early in the film as he stood on a corner outside a window.

I appreciated this more than I did when I was ten and enamored with the Scream movies, but I still didn't think it was great. There were plenty of times when plot was advanced by awkward dialogue (while the protagonist was driving, at the end when the psychiatrist explained Norman Bates' complete sordid history and psychosis) and the tense music was over the top and unnecessary.

The actor who played Norman did a great job with a wide range. He believably portrayed everything from warmth and an inviting nature to slightly off to creepy and off putting.

I ended up losing a dollar bet when the private investigator died. Parents, please reimburse me. It's a college expense, just like any other.

Rebel Without a Cause

I saw this movie as part of a double feature in the DuBois basement. Needed to watch it for class.


Nice seeing it again, as I missed half of it sophomore year in high school. More later (maybe).

TMNT

TMNT was a movie about ninja turtles. I loved them since i was a little kid.

More if i feel like updating this later. Probably won't.

"I want you to remember this moment. The way it coulda gone and didn’t."

Pitch Black
David Twohy, 2000

I know I watched this at some point this summer via surfthechannel.com. I mostly remember enjoying it because Vin Diesel is a badass, but I remained unconvinced that it was an example of fine cinema.

I've been a bad film student this summer. I've only watched two movies, neither of which were particularly challenging. I have, however, watched two and a half seasons of Boston Legal (again thanks to SurfTheChannel). That William Shatner is one funny old man.

"Vegetable plants, pizza plants... it's good to be home!"

Wall-E
Andrew Stanton, 2008

Pixar's films are always visually stunning, and Wall-E was no exception. However, the visuals were not enough to save the movie for me. I felt the movie dragged on much too long in introductions before any sort of conflict was introduced. Later on, it seemed to me the film didn't know what it wanted to be about. There was the love story between EVE and Wall-E, the cautionary commentary on laziness and technological dependence as well as the conflict between AUTO and the captain. All of these had the potential to cohabit the plot harmoniously, but it seemed like none of them stood out as the primary subject.
Relationships with subordinate characters didn't gel for me. While M-O was entertaining enough, the immediate impression Wall-E and EVE left upon anyone they came in contact with seemed too automatic.
The movie wasn't bad by any means. The little girl sitting in front of me at the theater really seemed to enjoyed it. I just think Pixar is getting shining reviews by default due to their reputation.

"She caught the wrong second of a two-second story. "

Cashback
Sean Ellis, 2006

I don't know what to write for films like this. I enjoyed it. Check it out.

Image Courtesy of soberingconclusion.com.

"I'm Sorry!"

Wanted
Timur Bekmambetov, 2008

Really entertaining flick. Started out like a Fight Club/ Office Space amalgam with a really stupid cross-high-rise jump that made me worry about the rest of the movie. Luckily, it adopted a better visual style that made the outlandish things that happened believable enough. I can't stress that "enough" enough. In a movie where a car vaults over a line of police, lands on the side of a bus and drives away as the bus slams onto its side, you shouldn't expect anything to be truly believable.
In the end, the movie was really entertaining, but nothing life altering or poignant. However, there were rat bombs. What else do you need from a summer flick?

Image Courtesy of Yahoo.

"FIJI. You can't get any further away before you start coming back. "

The Truman Show
Peter Weir, 1998

Liked it. Thought for a while it stood as a good allegory for those out of step and how society can trap those who want most desperately to get out. Managed to stay light hearted, but I feel conflicted about the last line in the movie.

"Don't Make Me...Hungry. You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Hungry"

The Incredible Hulk
Louis Leterrier, 2008

There were a few chase scenes early on that didn't do it for me in the least, and despite really liking Edward Norton, I didn't really care about his character. Tim Roth's character likewise didn't really do it for me until late in the movie. It took about an hour for me to start enjoying the flick. I couldn't help but laugh at the image of the classic romantic beach scene when the Hulk and Abomination started running toward each other upon the beginning of their final battle. Anyway....it was an okay movie, but I didn't think it was all that great.

Image Courtesy of The LA Times.

Bono? You want them to get Bono?

Shooter
Antoine Fuqua, 2007

I tend to like conspiracy movies, so I enjoyed this one. The cinematography was impressive with high contrast, high saturation land- and cityscapes. Just the right balance of smart action with plot development. I gotta admit though, the setup didn't do it for me. Getting asked to plan a presidential assassination to the finest detail in order to foil an alleged attempt? That's gotta rub anyone, even with the most intense sense of patriotic duty, the wrong way. It doesn't hurt that the female lead is cute though.

Image Courtesy of alt film guide.

Dun,Dun, Dun Dun Dun, Duna Duna Duna Dun Dun, Dun Dun

Iron Man
Jon Favreau, 2008

This one was great. Robert Downey Jr. did a great job portraying the vanity of a playboy turned humanist with the only slip ups coming with the necessary cornbally lines. There was a good amount of excitement from early on, but this hurt the final showdown as it did not stand out against the rest of the movie and made it seem anti-climactic. The film did a great job of taking the audience along as Stark discovers himself as Iron Man and works out the kinks in his new superhero-dom. Thanks to Brunsie for seeing this movie a third time so I could see it.

"Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."

Taxi Driver
Martin Scorsese, 1976

I first saw this a few years ago because it was the top rated movie (the only 100% at the time) on Rotten Tomatoes. Back then I thought it was a film that must have been cutting edge when it was made but didn't withstand the test of time. This time I definitely appreciated it more. So much has been written about this film I risk plagiarism by writing anything over fifteen words.

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia.

"Did we come all the way to Europe just to smoke pot?"

Hostel
Eli Roth, 2005

Two friends from school are backpacking across Europe when they arrive in Amsterdam with an Icelandic man they encountered during their travels. They hit some hash bars then start chasing some Amsterdamian tail only to find a pimp that highly recommends Slovakia for beautiful, easy women. Once they arrive in the eerily quiet town, they check into a Hostel and everything starts to go to hell. Then, the movie progresses just like every other one in the genre, creepy twist and everything.
If you like Eli Roth movies (Cabin Fever, Hostel II) you'd probably like this. It has the requisite gore (to the extent that when you see the back of a man's head explode from a gunshot it appears rather tame) and subverts the former tendency of horror movies to punish those of questionable morals while saving the righteous. My patience for these movies is wearing thinner and thinner.

Image Courtesy of TheSydneyMorningHerald.com,
which provides a less biased review that touches on the question of whether this type of film is merely voyeuristic, or a shove to recognize the horrors of real-world cruelty.

"Sometimes I wonder what we're doing here... grown men making mud pies to sell to the great unwashed. "

The Day of the Locust
John Schlesinger, 1975

A film adaptation of Nathanael West's novel, The Day of the Locust deals with a group of Hollywood outsiders and their desperate failed attempts to make it big during the golden era of the 1930s. I discovered this film while reading Masters of Light, and the legendary Conrad Hall said that he considered this film to be the closest he had ever come to technical perfection. I ended up writing an annotated bibliography about the successes and failures of the film as an adaptation of the novel which touched on the paradox of using the Hollywood system, both as subject matter and in terms of production, in an allegory whose main purpose is to attack the artifice and destructive nature of The American Hollywood Dream. I learned a lot about the film as well as West's novel throughout the process, but this space is much too limited to offer a full discussion on all that nonsense. It's all academic drivel anyway.
The standout of the film was Donald Sutherland as the only sympathetic character in the film, Homer Simpson. Not since Dogville has a film made me so angry at how despicable humanity can be, but when all is said and done the catharsis offered by these films validates the bleak and often infuriating subjects they depict.

Image Courtesy of aintitcool.com

"I Can Feel It...and I'm Afraid"

2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick, 1968

I went from thinking this film was a self-indulgent piece of crap, to really liking it, to thinking it was an extremely drawn out piece of self-indulgent crap to really enjoying the film as a whole. The film is truly drawn out in every sense of the label. Both static shots and entire scenes seem to be held out longer than is comfortable for today's general viewer, but overall it lends the film a unique feeling and tone. The stark portrayal of space is an interesting counter to more recent sci-fi films as the silence of space is emphasized not only in lack of diagetic sound, but in the absence of a soundtrack. Generally, viewers rely on some sort of ominous music or soundtrack to inform them about how they should feel regarding otherwise ambiguous imagery. This film embraces silence which I feel conveys a greater sense of discomfort.
This film is considerable amount older than I originally thought, and I can't imagine how stunning the final chapter would have been to a contemporary audience. I thought the middle chapter was an eerily relevant cautionary tale and you won't see me consent to any form of artificial hibernation any time soon.

Image Courtesy of litmuse on Flickr.

"I ain't no kid, no way. I'm a real man."

Cidade de Deus (City of God)
Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund; 2002

Hailed by Roger Ebert as "One of the best movies you'll ever see," this one did not disappoint. Cinematography was stunning, the story was captivating and drawing, funny and heartbreaking--everything you'd expect from a good drama/thriller. Definitely worth your time. Just as lightness is defined by darkness, watching this right after Saw II made it seem all the better.

Image Courtesy of filmhai.de

"Hello Michael, I want to play a game."

Saw II
Darren Lynn Bousman, 2005

Horror/exploitation flick. If you wanna see some dude forced to decide whether it's worth it to cut out his own eye to save his life, this is the flick for you. Lots of people dying, lots of corny dialogue, LOTS of screaming. Highlight comes when a cop starts laying the beatdown on a senior-citizen cancer patient. The fight was somewhat one-sided.

Image Removed Courtesy of movie-page.com

"I'll Take An Advance on My Inheritance."

Les Quatre cents coups (400 Blows)
François Truffaut, 1959

Deals with the social constructs that give rise to a young criminal. Really good, really touching, really worth your time. Some say it's one of the top ten foreign films of all time, but well all know how stupid top ten lists are.

Image Courtesy of Love's Ragpicker on wordpress.

"It'll do him good to spend some time in jail-- he's got so many years ahead of him. I'm the one that's gonna die young."

La Strada
Federico Fellini, 1954

Probably has one of the most adorable characters in cinematic history. You need to see this one, but not just because of that.

Photo courtesy of someone else

Can it be? Has All This Been Staged for Me?

Russian Ark
Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002

Shot in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, this flick consists of a single continuous steadicam shot done in a single take. Apparently it took eight years to plan the film and they were only allowed 24 hours in the museum to shoot.

Oh, and it has a cast of around 2000.

Pretty rad--check it out.

Photo Courtesy of the Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery.