Goal! Slam dunk! Home run! A hockey score thingy! (What is that, a goal also? A net, is it?) Either way, "Inception" is puckin' good. Christopher Nolan was above par in directing this film. Advantage: audience.
But I'm a Nolan fan anyway. He is my second most trusted director, as far as knowing it won't disappoint. Number one is the Coen brothers (Do they count as two?). And after them are Danny Boyle, Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and the rest of your favorites.
I believe this is already out on Blu-Ray and DVD, but Netflix won't have it available until January. But it's okay. I saw it on the theatre. On IMAX! Well, I didn't know what that was exactly. I mean, I knew what it was. But not exactly.
I'll explain after the jump. (That means click to read more.)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Queue Tips: To the cleaners.
I just realized that the last episode I watched of "Boardwalk Empire" was the season finale. Crap. I actually like this show. I try not to get into TV shows because then I'll have to watch every episode of every season, but I've been able to keep up with this one.
The first episode was directed by Martin Scorsese, who is also an executive producer. Interestingly, it stars Michael Pitt ("The Dreamers"), who in my opinion looks a lot like Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Aviator", "The Departed", "Shutter Island"). Featured in it as well are Kelly Macdonald (Carla Jean in "No Country for Old Men" and Diane in "Trainspotting") and Steve Buscemi (do you not know who this guy is?).
It's about bootlegging in Atlantic City during Prohibition. Sometimes they mention Jersey City, so hurray, we exist! Nothing really tops "The Wire" for me, but this HBO series is worth watching whenever it becomes available. It has also been renewed for a second season, so look forward to that.
Apparently, the movie "Taken" has made a lot of money. I believe it is the audiences who have been taken in. Am I just me, or isn't this pretty much the same thing as "Commando"?
The poster reads: "I don't know who you are, but if you don't let my daughter go, I will find you and kill you." So guess what happens? They don't let his daughter go. He finds out who they are. He kills them.
They made another one like this recently, except his daughter is already dead and he goes out revenging. I can't remember what it's called. Maybe you can tell me.
For a good alternative to put on your queue, may I suggest "Funny Games U.S."? Or you can watch the original "Funny Games" but it's in German so you'll have to read subtitles (oh no!). It is a shot for shot remake by the same writer-director Michael Haneke. The differences are, of course, the language spoken and minor details like cell phones instead of land lines.
I saw the remake first, and I found it riveting. In a time where everybody uses handheld, I found the steady camera work refreshing. The cinematography was beautiful, the composition purposeful. The action occured within the frame, and the camera was not constantly looking for things.
As for the acting, it stars Michael Pitt, who I've mentioned above. You also have Tim Roth (Mr. Pink, you know. "She killed me, man. I can't believe she killed me."). And Naomi Watts should have won something for her performance. She was bold and excellent. I loved all the characters and the way the story was told.
So there you go for now. Check them out and let me know what you think.
The first episode was directed by Martin Scorsese, who is also an executive producer. Interestingly, it stars Michael Pitt ("The Dreamers"), who in my opinion looks a lot like Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Aviator", "The Departed", "Shutter Island"). Featured in it as well are Kelly Macdonald (Carla Jean in "No Country for Old Men" and Diane in "Trainspotting") and Steve Buscemi (do you not know who this guy is?).
It's about bootlegging in Atlantic City during Prohibition. Sometimes they mention Jersey City, so hurray, we exist! Nothing really tops "The Wire" for me, but this HBO series is worth watching whenever it becomes available. It has also been renewed for a second season, so look forward to that.
Apparently, the movie "Taken" has made a lot of money. I believe it is the audiences who have been taken in. Am I just me, or isn't this pretty much the same thing as "Commando"?
The poster reads: "I don't know who you are, but if you don't let my daughter go, I will find you and kill you." So guess what happens? They don't let his daughter go. He finds out who they are. He kills them.
They made another one like this recently, except his daughter is already dead and he goes out revenging. I can't remember what it's called. Maybe you can tell me.
For a good alternative to put on your queue, may I suggest "Funny Games U.S."? Or you can watch the original "Funny Games" but it's in German so you'll have to read subtitles (oh no!). It is a shot for shot remake by the same writer-director Michael Haneke. The differences are, of course, the language spoken and minor details like cell phones instead of land lines.
I saw the remake first, and I found it riveting. In a time where everybody uses handheld, I found the steady camera work refreshing. The cinematography was beautiful, the composition purposeful. The action occured within the frame, and the camera was not constantly looking for things.
As for the acting, it stars Michael Pitt, who I've mentioned above. You also have Tim Roth (Mr. Pink, you know. "She killed me, man. I can't believe she killed me."). And Naomi Watts should have won something for her performance. She was bold and excellent. I loved all the characters and the way the story was told.
So there you go for now. Check them out and let me know what you think.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Queue Tips: Our town.
Apparently, "Ghost Town" is not the sequel to "Ghost World". Or "Ghost Dad". Or "Ghost". Or "Chinatown".
It made me laugh though. But I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn't hear so many people say how good it was. I was expecting to be ROTFL or LMAO. I wasn't even LOL really. I was just, I don't know, L, I guess. Or actually :-D.
"Baby Mama" was okay, too. It actually wasn't bad for a Lorne Michaels production. It's not great, but it doesn't totally suck. I would choose it over something like "Role Models ". I don't recall actually laughing during that one. But a lot of people seem to think it was funny. O-welles.
"Happy-Go-Lucky" was fun to watch. The lead character is very odd, I think. I would be very frustrated if I ever met and tried to work with that kind of personality. At some point I was thinking, "Why don't you freakin' listen and do what they tell you?" But I guess the point was that she was happy being herself and didn't need to conform. You will be happy if you add this to your queue, and lucky if it gets to you right away.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Queue Tips: As wonderful as the sun.
"Phoebe in Wonderland" was a wonderful film. Elle Fanning's performance was touching. It is a well done film by fairly new director Daniel Barnz.
I recently saw a DVD of "My Neighbor Totoro" with Elle and Dakota Fanning doing the voices of the girls. I wasn't too crazy about it. I had gotten so used to the previous version. Also, a few words were changed here and there. Maybe someday, I'll give it another shot, but for now I'll stick to the original English dub. Or, I might just stick to the even more original Japanese soundtrack.
That's actually how I saw "Ponyo". I've never watched it with the English audio version. I can't do it. I just love the cadence of the language. It's not the same otherwise.
There's this other cartoon by Studio Ghibili that I like called "Pom Poko". I think the title means "racoon" but I'm not sure. It's a very interesting film. For some reason -- and I'm sorry to ruin the surprise -- they drew them with really big balls that you see whenever they would jump or something. It was just a little odd because you'd figure the animators' jobs would be so much easier if they had decided to leave out those details. Instead, they seemed to go out of their way to draw those bouncing testicles.
Speaking of balls, I thought it was very bold of Dakota to star in "Hounddog". This film received some attention because of the young girl appearing in some somewhat controversial scenes. Apart from that, this film was really nothing special. I guess it's worth watching if you're curious about all the hoopla surrounding it. Yes, hoopla.
A better option might be "The Secret Life of Bees". Tristan Wilds is in it also, if you became a fan of him on "The Wire". Last I checked, he was on some teen series on the CW Network, but I guess I'm not that big a fan. I don't remember what that show was, but I don't think I'll be seeing it on my queue.
I recently saw a DVD of "My Neighbor Totoro" with Elle and Dakota Fanning doing the voices of the girls. I wasn't too crazy about it. I had gotten so used to the previous version. Also, a few words were changed here and there. Maybe someday, I'll give it another shot, but for now I'll stick to the original English dub. Or, I might just stick to the even more original Japanese soundtrack.
That's actually how I saw "Ponyo". I've never watched it with the English audio version. I can't do it. I just love the cadence of the language. It's not the same otherwise.
There's this other cartoon by Studio Ghibili that I like called "Pom Poko". I think the title means "racoon" but I'm not sure. It's a very interesting film. For some reason -- and I'm sorry to ruin the surprise -- they drew them with really big balls that you see whenever they would jump or something. It was just a little odd because you'd figure the animators' jobs would be so much easier if they had decided to leave out those details. Instead, they seemed to go out of their way to draw those bouncing testicles.
Speaking of balls, I thought it was very bold of Dakota to star in "Hounddog". This film received some attention because of the young girl appearing in some somewhat controversial scenes. Apart from that, this film was really nothing special. I guess it's worth watching if you're curious about all the hoopla surrounding it. Yes, hoopla.
A better option might be "The Secret Life of Bees". Tristan Wilds is in it also, if you became a fan of him on "The Wire". Last I checked, he was on some teen series on the CW Network, but I guess I'm not that big a fan. I don't remember what that show was, but I don't think I'll be seeing it on my queue.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Queue Tips: A little bit of soul.
If you haven't seen "The Visitor" yet, put it on your queue right now. This film played with my emotions like no other recently. I was happy and sad and worried and more. I identified very much with meeting a group of new people and just falling absolutely in love with them. It's happened to me a few times: summer camp in '96, Philippines in '01, Hawaii in '09. It's excellent, and I highly recommend it.
It was directed by Thomas McCarthy, who previously did "The Station Agent". Check that one out, too. Both films share the same themes of loneliness and friendship. Thomas, by the way, is the actor playing that lying reporter on the last season of "The Wire". Add that HBO series to your queue as well.
"The Visitor" didn't get nominated for Best Director, and I think it should have been. One film that did that year was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". I read that short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I found it more fulfilling than the film. The movie was kind of soulless, in my opinion.
Sometimes film shouldn't be made from short works. Another example is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". I believe the filmmakers thought the audience would recognize those words on the title and associate the movie with other successful franchises. Apparently, it is not the sequel to "The Sorcerer's Stone". Or "The Vampire's Assistant". It's a whole other thing.
Other examples are "The Polar Express" and "Where the Wild Things Are". I'm sure there are more, but they don't come to mind right now. How do you make a two hour film out of a storybook with a handful of pages? It's not easy, it seems. There are probably some successful ones though (and you might disagree and argue that the previous ones work well enough), but they don't come to mind right now.
Speaking of soulless, by the way, "The Spirit" totally lacked, well, spirit. If you're a big fan of the comic book, read the comic book. Or you can watch "Hellboy" or "Hellboy 2" instead. Or "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World".
Anyways, I'll leave you to it. I have to finish my screenplay. It's about a guy who changes moods real fast. It's called "Bipolar Express".
It was directed by Thomas McCarthy, who previously did "The Station Agent". Check that one out, too. Both films share the same themes of loneliness and friendship. Thomas, by the way, is the actor playing that lying reporter on the last season of "The Wire". Add that HBO series to your queue as well.
"The Visitor" didn't get nominated for Best Director, and I think it should have been. One film that did that year was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". I read that short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I found it more fulfilling than the film. The movie was kind of soulless, in my opinion.
Sometimes film shouldn't be made from short works. Another example is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice". I believe the filmmakers thought the audience would recognize those words on the title and associate the movie with other successful franchises. Apparently, it is not the sequel to "The Sorcerer's Stone". Or "The Vampire's Assistant". It's a whole other thing.
Other examples are "The Polar Express" and "Where the Wild Things Are". I'm sure there are more, but they don't come to mind right now. How do you make a two hour film out of a storybook with a handful of pages? It's not easy, it seems. There are probably some successful ones though (and you might disagree and argue that the previous ones work well enough), but they don't come to mind right now.
Speaking of soulless, by the way, "The Spirit" totally lacked, well, spirit. If you're a big fan of the comic book, read the comic book. Or you can watch "Hellboy" or "Hellboy 2" instead. Or "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World".
Anyways, I'll leave you to it. I have to finish my screenplay. It's about a guy who changes moods real fast. It's called "Bipolar Express".
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Queue Tips: Of the other kind.
"Rachel Getting Married" is a good film, but they seemed to be going for that wedding video look and I found it really annoying. I haven't really like the handheld style since "Homicide: Life on the Street". I find the moving camera style to be totally overrated. It just gives me a headache.
But maybe that's what director Jonathan Demme hoped to achieve, as the characters themselves were going through troubled states of minds. This film was well cast. I wouldn't have had a problem with any of them getting an Oscar nomination or any kind of recognition. I don't actually pay attention much to that stuff, so I don't know if they actually did, but I don't think so.
Meanwhile, Marisa Tomei was nominated for "The Wrestler". It was a fine performance, but had it been a different actress, I wonder if anyone would have noticed. I think this was simply a surprise factor. People were shocked when they realized that she can pretty much kind of sort of act.
Penelope Cruz was also nominated for her role in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (the same year as above, I believe). I like her, and she has a great body of work (if you know what I mean), but I didn't see anything Oscar-worthy in this film. She should have gotten a nomination for "Volver" though. I don't know if she did or not. And "Spanglish". Wait, was that her in "Spanglish"?
Angelina Jolie was nominated for "Changeling". Again, I think this was because she was doing something different than an action film. Surprise. Revelation. Mind blowing. This film was worth watching but I don't think it was all that great.
Kate Winslet won that year I think. 2008, was it? I still don't understand it. She was definitely excellent in "Little Children" though. What was all the hype with "The Reader"? Am I just me, or wasn't that film a tad overrated. Why don't you just read the book?
And "Revolutionary Road"? There was nothing revolutionary about it. The fifties sucked, I get it. Didn't Todd Haynes already cover this in "Far From Heaven"? Julianne Moore did a much better job relating what her character was going through in that film. But did she get nominated? No. She wasn't in "Titanic".
But maybe that's what director Jonathan Demme hoped to achieve, as the characters themselves were going through troubled states of minds. This film was well cast. I wouldn't have had a problem with any of them getting an Oscar nomination or any kind of recognition. I don't actually pay attention much to that stuff, so I don't know if they actually did, but I don't think so.
Meanwhile, Marisa Tomei was nominated for "The Wrestler". It was a fine performance, but had it been a different actress, I wonder if anyone would have noticed. I think this was simply a surprise factor. People were shocked when they realized that she can pretty much kind of sort of act.
Penelope Cruz was also nominated for her role in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (the same year as above, I believe). I like her, and she has a great body of work (if you know what I mean), but I didn't see anything Oscar-worthy in this film. She should have gotten a nomination for "Volver" though. I don't know if she did or not. And "Spanglish". Wait, was that her in "Spanglish"?
Angelina Jolie was nominated for "Changeling". Again, I think this was because she was doing something different than an action film. Surprise. Revelation. Mind blowing. This film was worth watching but I don't think it was all that great.
Kate Winslet won that year I think. 2008, was it? I still don't understand it. She was definitely excellent in "Little Children" though. What was all the hype with "The Reader"? Am I just me, or wasn't that film a tad overrated. Why don't you just read the book?
And "Revolutionary Road"? There was nothing revolutionary about it. The fifties sucked, I get it. Didn't Todd Haynes already cover this in "Far From Heaven"? Julianne Moore did a much better job relating what her character was going through in that film. But did she get nominated? No. She wasn't in "Titanic".
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Queue Tips: The best medicine.
Just reviewing some recently watched DVDs on my Netflix queue. You know how they say that laughter is the best medicine? Well, "Medicine Man" might just cure some of your ills as you laugh at how bad of a movie it is.
Actually, no. You'll be sad. Don't waste your time with this one. I don't know why anyone would ever think Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco would be a good pair. Bracco is a braying one-trick pony with her annoying nagging that worked so well in "Goodfellas ". But that was for a few minutes at a time and her husband kept trying to silence her or avoid her.
In thish film, Connery believesh he hash found a cure for cancer. And he struggles to create more before the rain forest where he is working on is cut down or burned down or something. What he really should have been working on is a dose of shut-the-hell-up for Lorraine's character.
Next up is "Misery", and you pretty much know what it's about. This film has been reference or parodied so often that it was no longer suspenseful when I finally watched it. If you're curious, you might as well check it out. It's a good film that has unfortunately been ruined by others. There are characters here that reminded me of Marge Gunderson in "Fargo", especially with all the snow.
I'm working on a sequel for this film. It's called "Misery Loves Company". It's about a landlord who tortures his tenants after finding out the male one is not actually gay and, along with the two female ones, have been making a fool of him resulting in ensuing craziness. Also, the landlord keeps hearing canned laughter in his head. Also, the detectives who are trying to save them are a bickering old couple.
Last one for now is "Midnight Run". This is pretty much just "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" with Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin instead of Steve Martin and John Candy. The plot itself is nothing special, and some of the situations don't necessarily make the most sense.
For example, I don't know how it worked in the '80s, but canceling another person's credit card couldn't have been as easy as making a simple phone call. In any case, wouldn't a person call their credit card company upon finding out that they have been cancelled? But this is just a fun movie, and those things can and should be forgiven. What really makes it worth watching are the performances of and chemistry between De Niro and Grodin.
There was a rumor a few months ago that they would make sequel to this, but fortunately I haven't heard anything about it since. I guess the best name for it would have been "Another Midnight Run". The plot? A bounty hunter has to take a fugitive cross country -- no, around the world -- by midnight. Only this time, they have to take a giant slobbery dog with them. It'll be a hit.
Actually, no. You'll be sad. Don't waste your time with this one. I don't know why anyone would ever think Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco would be a good pair. Bracco is a braying one-trick pony with her annoying nagging that worked so well in "Goodfellas ". But that was for a few minutes at a time and her husband kept trying to silence her or avoid her.
In thish film, Connery believesh he hash found a cure for cancer. And he struggles to create more before the rain forest where he is working on is cut down or burned down or something. What he really should have been working on is a dose of shut-the-hell-up for Lorraine's character.
Next up is "Misery", and you pretty much know what it's about. This film has been reference or parodied so often that it was no longer suspenseful when I finally watched it. If you're curious, you might as well check it out. It's a good film that has unfortunately been ruined by others. There are characters here that reminded me of Marge Gunderson in "Fargo", especially with all the snow.
I'm working on a sequel for this film. It's called "Misery Loves Company". It's about a landlord who tortures his tenants after finding out the male one is not actually gay and, along with the two female ones, have been making a fool of him resulting in ensuing craziness. Also, the landlord keeps hearing canned laughter in his head. Also, the detectives who are trying to save them are a bickering old couple.
Last one for now is "Midnight Run". This is pretty much just "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" with Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin instead of Steve Martin and John Candy. The plot itself is nothing special, and some of the situations don't necessarily make the most sense.
For example, I don't know how it worked in the '80s, but canceling another person's credit card couldn't have been as easy as making a simple phone call. In any case, wouldn't a person call their credit card company upon finding out that they have been cancelled? But this is just a fun movie, and those things can and should be forgiven. What really makes it worth watching are the performances of and chemistry between De Niro and Grodin.
There was a rumor a few months ago that they would make sequel to this, but fortunately I haven't heard anything about it since. I guess the best name for it would have been "Another Midnight Run". The plot? A bounty hunter has to take a fugitive cross country -- no, around the world -- by midnight. Only this time, they have to take a giant slobbery dog with them. It'll be a hit.
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