Friday, November 30, 2007

T4: The Falling of a Franchise?

Rumors surrounding a fourth installment of the Terminator franchise have been kicking around this week, starting with news of a possible director and star.

It's a good news/bad news scenario.

First, the bad. James Cameron, the man behind the great Terminator and Terminator 2 is not coming back and neither is Jonathan Mostow, who filled in admirably with Terminator 3. Nope, instead we might be getting the man who brought us those two Cameron Diaz Charlie's Angels flicks and the underwhelming We Are Marshall. That's right folks, the guy who brags about getting his Charlie's Angels cast naked in his van and goes by the horribly irritating acronym McG is taking over my beloved Terminator series? You CAN'T be serious. This guy is up there with Brett Ratner as one of the only guys in Hollywood who can delude themselves into thinking they have actual talent behind the camera in spite of their shitty filmographies. It's totally irrational and I absolutely hate the choice. Hell, why not give it to Michael Bay or Paul W.S. Anderson to crap all over while you're at it?

Worse is the good news.

Now, how can the good news be worse? Because they cast the absolutely PERFECT choice for the future John Connor. They're trying to make another trilogy of films starting with T4 and they apparently talked none other than Christian Bale into taking over the role! I'm still stupified he'd even consider it since he's already Batman... but what the hell? Guess the guy can do any role he wants nowadays.

STILL. If you're gonna have a good film, I'm of the belief that 90% of it is the director. And McG is a total hack. How does a guy who so obviously is going to kill this franchise get to make a film called Terminator Salvation? Unbelievable.

Have You Seen This Man?


Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Mr. Brooks (Bruce A. Evans, 2007)


I don’t know if I can really justify this reaction, but I liked Mr. Brooks regardless. The story is an obvious updating of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story done with no real flair to distinguish itself amongst a mess of other serial killer films that pop up every couple years (Taking Lives, Suspect Zero). But that concept itself, of a man fighting against his own intrinsic nature is intriguing enough.

Supposedly the first film in a trilogy (according to star Kevin Costner), Mr. Brooks is the story of “Man of the Year” Mr. Earl Brooks. The operator of a local company, a caring father and loving husband… and also a man who stalks and kills at night to satiate his bloodthirsty alter ego Marshall (William Hurt).

Costner plays Mr. Brooks as a man with an unconquerable addiction (even enrolling himself in AA as a means of quelling his need to kill). He manages to keep his desires at bay in spells, but before long Hurt’s merry little devil whispering in his ear has him lining up another victim. And with each kill, Costner reacts euphorically like murder is his release of bottled-up sexual tension.
But during a botched killing, in which Mr. Brooks leaves the first clues to his identity, a duo of odd casting choices gets involved. Demi Moore – who hasn’t been in a movie in a decade that I’ve wanted to see – is Detective Tracy Atwood, an independently wealthy do-gooder who specializes in catching serial killers. And Dane Cook (always best used in short stints such as in Waiting…). Cook especially seems to stick out as strange, obviously known best for his comic performances but he seems to perfectly capture the seedy photographer Mr. Smith who wants to emulate what Mr. Brooks does, while Costner and Hurt exchange jokes at his expense throughout.

The film eventually throws in a couple subplots too many with Detective Atwood dealing with her ex-husband and another group of serial killers, while Mr. Brooks is afraid that his daughter might be following his example (that she wants to run the ‘family business’ after he’s gone is only too fitting) all while trying to keep Mr. Smith happy. But for what it is, Mr. Brooks is an interesting, entertaining serial killer story.

And honestly, coming from the guy responsible for the scripts to Jungle 2 Jungle and Cutthroat Island, what more could you expect?

Monday, November 26, 2007

No Country for Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2007)


A cloaked, gutsy masterpiece, No Country for Old Men is a reflection on unfathomable evil shrouded in a ‘found money’ storyline. This could have been the type of throwaway film from that genre that Money for Nothing, the forgotten mid-90s John Cusack film was. Instead, the Coen Brothers have the pluck to make the hunt for the money next-to-irrelevant. They have the single most distinctive and haunting villain in decades and make the story ultimately about a crusty old sheriff pondering retirement. Not only that, but they turn a blind eye to the resolution! And I don’t recall a single song for the soundtrack, but the film is drowning in silences… elongated silences that seem to stretch on forever and only amplify the thrilling nature of these scenes.

It’s good vs. evil. And there is no winner.

Then there’s the cinematography. Roger Deakins found museum-worthy images in the cracks and the dirt of New Mexico and Texas. His ability to transform a beaten-down house or a dust-covered field into pure works of art is uncanny. This is pristine, perfect filmmaking with everyone doing their job to the best of their ability.

The acting included. Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones, two exceptional actors with exceptional careers, have never been better. And where did Josh Brolin come from as Llewelyn Moss? He’s turning in one of the better performances of the year. No doubt about it.

Some people have issues with the ending, but I’m not one of them. The good guys don’t always win, no one walks away unaffected, evil isn’t vanquished and for some it’s hard to make heads or tails of a world where that happens.

It’s flawless, just like the film.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

The Quotable Quotations: November 2007

Okay, so since everyone seems to be enjoying the 'guess the quotation' game, I thought I'd move it over to its own post (since I have no idea how it relates to American Gangster) and add a new rule...

Whoever guesses the quote correctly is in charge of putting up the next quote.

That should keep the game going and everyone involved. I'm already pretty terrible at it (yes I saw Heavyweights numerous times as a kid and still had zero idea where that quote was from).

Also, second rule, try to avoid 'The Google Factor'. I. E. googling it for the answer. I'm looking at you Rebecca, haha. I know you're good with quotes, but really who has quotes from Heavyweights burned into their brain? (Besides Chachi of course). I do suspect some foul play... haha.

Anyways, since she got the quote right, Rebecca's up first...

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Month of Movies: November 2007



I don't think it's worth elaborating on every single release from the month because I feel that where they're placed in my categories pretty much speaks for itself, but I'll comment on the top tier and some other scattered releases from now on. Sorry - again - this comes so late into the month... at least I beat Thanksgiving.

MUST SEE - THEATER

No Country for Old Men - This along with There Will Be Blood and The Darjeeling Limited have been my most-looked-forward to movies of the year. I'm happy to say I finally saw it, a week after it's release... and it's another Coen's masterpiece. I don't know quite where it ranks in relation to my other Coen favorites (The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Fargo, Blood Simple and Raising Arizona) but it's in that distinction. If it weren't so bleak, it might have pushed Into the Wild out of my top spot for the year.

American Gangster - One of the best trailers of the year, a great cast, a great director... and a good film. It doesn't live up to the trailer (and removes some of the best scenes from it) but still a surefire good time at the theater.

I'm Not There - The first 'must see' that I haven't yet seen. Comes out on Wednesday and six different actors portray one of my favorite musical legends, Bob Dylan, including acting favorites Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett (wtf? she looks incredible). My hat off to Todd Haynes for even trying this gambit.

POTENTIAL SEE - THEATER

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Saw the trailer for this at No Country and it looks like a lot like the storyline for The Sea Inside (coincidentally with Javier Bardem). I haven't yet seen that one, but this one with it's mix of hope and faith intrigues me. Plus the way it's shot looks completely independent, retro and geektastic.

Southland Tales - Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko follow-up. It got roundly booed at Cannes. It got re-edited, re-cut, re-done and I'm still totally interested. If nothing else, it looks gutsy, like go-for-broke filmmaking and I respect that. We'll see if it amounts to anything.

Lions for Lambs - A lot more intriguing pre-reviews.

MUST SEE - DVD


Margot at the Wedding
- For my money, Noah Baumbach's best movie is still 1995's Kicking and Screaming (NOT the Will Ferrell movie, if anyone needs me to clarify that). He has a very unique sense of personal relationships that comes across in the trailer. It's not a definite-see, but it's a definite-see-sometime.

The Savages - Philip Seymour Hoffman is enough.

Redacted - Brian De Palma might be past his prime, but I still generally find good in the bad.

Beowulf - The Polar Express turned swords and sandals fantasy. Not sold, but intrigued.

Bee Movie - Getting tired of these bugs, somebody better start swatting them. The only reason to see it is Jerry Seinfeld. That's not even enough for theaters...

The Mist - Frank Darabont did direct The Shawshank Redemption, right?

Fred Claus - It's teaser from a year ago looked much more promising than the actual trailer, how could they not come up with a single good clip in twelve months?

Awake - The concept more than the cast.

POTENTIAL SEE - DVD

August Rush - One of those movies that just shows up in theaters without anyone really anticipating it, but might be a surprise?

Enchanted
- Feel good to the point of cheesiness? Early good reviews are making me more interested...

Hitman - Based on a videogame, why Timothy Olyphant, why?

Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten
- Yeah... maybe. I have no real reasons pro or con for this one.

Love in the Time of Cholera -
Mike Newell is a good director, Javier Bardem is a great actor, why don't I care?

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
- I didn't like Stranger Than Fiction... this looks worse.

POTENTIALLY NEVER SEE - DVD

Martian Child - I knew nothing about it last month... still nothing...

P2
- Horror movie of the month.

Mama's Boy
- What?

Home for Christmas
- Double what?

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

American Gangster (Ridley Scott, 2007)


Just good enough to recommend while at the same time being half a colossal disappointment, Ridley Scott’s American Gangster manages to steal just enough from the 70’s to make it worthwhile… without actually adding anything at all to the genre.

There’s rarely a new scene scattered within the entire 157-minute-long running time of Gangster – you’ve seen it all before in 70’s film staples ranging from The Godfather to The French Connection – but it’s oddly fitting to see the story of the criminal kingpin Frank Lucas pilfering scenes from better movies and coasting along on charm alone (Director Ridley Scott even stoops to stealing the ending of Denzel’s own boxing movie The Hurricane and passing it off as his own).

So the movie is missing the thrill of an original movie-going experience, but there’s a reason these scenes worked the first time around and there’s enough left in them to make the film feel like more than just a recycling job. The art direction and cinematography are pitch perfect for the era they’re trying to recreate and there’s solid supporting acting work from Chiwetel Ejiofor and Cuba Gooding, Jr. (yes, Cuba) even though both actors are thrust into underdeveloped roles.

But what everyone came for was the acting heavyweights Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe trying to extricate themselves from the embarrassment of 1995’s Virtuosity.

They do. Denzel spends most of his time rehashing his Alonzo character from Training Day (in a movie that steals so much already, isn’t this kind of the perfect thing for him to be doing?). Of course by now everyone knows all Denzel has to do is show up and he oozes cool, but unfortunately this is the first movie he seems to really know it… and I always felt he was playing it over the top. But even if Denzel gets it slightly off, Russell Crowe does some heavy lifting in the acting department, turning in some weird amalgamation of 70’s cop performances that has shades of “Popeye” Doyle and Serpico thrown in for good measure.

It’s all building to a great climax, one of the few scenes that Crowe and Denzel really cross paths… but in doing so it throws out the character Denzel has been presenting us for two hours and shows you how good the movie really could have been if it were really working from beginning to end. So instead of something special, we get something standard.

In the Screening Room - Ang Lee's
Sense and Sensibility


Session 012 - Sense and Sensibility

Who saw it and what are your thoughts on it?

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Recent Watches: November 2007


You're monthly posting section for recent watches is back. I'm going to try to continue to post mine in the format that I did with Gone, Baby, Gone instead, but I realize not everyone wants to make an entire post out of their recent watches, so you can just list them here with some brief thoughts if you so choose.

My recent watches (that will hopefully receive their own posts soon enough) include American Gangster, Shoot 'Em Up, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Mr. Brooks (the next MTTM article), Factory Girl, Big Trouble in Little China, 3:10 to Yuma (2007) and, finally, the four hour long version of Once Upon a Time in America.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

MTTM (#4) - Interview

a film by Steve Buscemi

ONE SENTENCE SYNOPSIS
A reluctant political reporter is assigned to interview a scandalous soap starlet; but what was to be a simple “fluff” piece turns into more than either of them bargained for

HER TAKE
I will admit that when I first heard the premise of Interview I was intrigued but skeptical of how it was going to make itself last an entire 84 minutes without me finding some excuse to scour the house for hidden candy, or check my email, or rearrange the clothes in my closet by color instead of style. But lo and behold! Like someone who has unknowingly walked into quicksand, I was slowly sucked deeper and deeper into it (in a good way mind you—okay, maybe quicksand isn’t the best analogy…). Not since Hard Candy have I witnessed such an engrossing game of cat and mouse. Entertaining an audience for an entire movie where 98% of the story and dialogue takes place in one location and between only two people, can’t be easy. Then you assign that task to one man and he is to write, direct and act in it? Steve Buscemi is the MAN!

While this is a remake of a Dutch film also entitled Interview, Buscemi makes it his own. He is Pierre Peders, a jaded political journalist assigned to interview self absorbed young actress Sienna Miller—er—I mean, Katya. All joking aside, Miller is very strong opposite Buscemi. Prior to this, I had never seen her in anything, but a quick glance at her resume suggested that her notoriety had more to do with her status as a fashion trendsetter and the “acting” was designed to lend some credibility to her fame. Well color me ignorant, cause this girl can act (a fact recently reinforced after viewing Factory Girl). Much to my surprise, she and Buscemi have good chemistry—which makes this a good time to get a little scientific. Their relationship can be described as like two magnets. It is difficult to keep them apart when they are showing their attractive sides. But all of a sudden, one flips to face the opposite direction. Now, the one facing the original direction can’t do anything to keep itself near the other. In fact, upon turning away itself, the two are literally repelled by each other, you see?…..Alright, science wasn’t my forte but you get the idea.

At its core, this film explores the complexity of human interaction. How in one moment we are not who we appear to be and then flawlessly, undetectably, sometimes unwillingly we are exactly who we appear to be in the next. It dives into how we are able to manipulate others and in turn be manipulated (sometimes voluntarily, sometimes not) based on perceptions, whether real or projected.

For 84 minutes we are granted unlimited access to watch these two seemingly opposite people from seemingly opposite worlds interact. And by watching, we are rewarded with a fascinating glimpse into how adept we humans are at blurring the line between fact and fiction, truth and lies, and who we are and who we appear to be. By the end we echo Pierre’s exhausted inquiry, “What the hell happened here tonight?” With this one line, I realized that Pierre is for the first (and only) time talking to us, the audience and challenging us to absorb the depth of the events that we have witnessed. And that is exactly how I felt at the end of this movie. I felt like a witness. A person who has been unwittingly forced to step back and see what we humans can do and do do to each other and all for…….what? That’s for the individual to decide. While it can be said that this is yet another example of “art imitating life” I believe Buscemi has presented it in such a way that provokes dissection and discussion. Well done Steve (and Sienna), well done.

HIS TAKE
Interview is Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller’s take on our starry-eyed celebrity culture and, more specifically, it deals with the starlets whose claim to fame is nothing more than a beautiful face, a handful of bad movies and a large publicity machine. But for as much as it gets right, there’s a lot that works to undermine the film, not excluding its ending or even its star… and it’s not the one you’re thinking of.

Buscemi wrote, directed and stars as Pierre Peders – a name the young megastar will have considerable trouble remembering – in this updating (read: Americanization) of a 2003 Dutch film. Pierre is a political reporter who is unappreciatively assigned a fluffy dinner interview with soap star and socialite Katya (Miller), an actress who seems to make her living acting in a “Sex in the City”-light TV series and trivial horror flicks.

So, really, Sienna Miller is perfectly cast for the role. The actress still best known as Jude Law’s ex (yes, she was the one he cheated on with their housekeeper) is spot on. In addition, the irony of Buscemi casting Miller, whose career had lived in the tabloids up until this point, is only additionally hilarious.

Meanwhile Pierre wears his obvious disinterest on his face and it results in one of the best moments of the film, as Pierre gets caught fumbling through the interview asking obvious questions and ultimately admits to having never seen any of Katya’s films. The discomfort escalates from there and as you would expect, the interview falls apart shortly thereafter.

But due to a happy accident (quite literally Pierre’s cabbie crashes while he’s hitting on Katya), suddenly their stories are thrown back together and the two continue the interview in Katya’s airplane-hangar-huge loft.

From then on Interview works like one of those stubbornly suffocating play adaptations that take place entirely within the confines of a single locale – I had to triple-check just to make sure this hadn’t originated on the stage. When these work (Glengarry Glen Ross, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) it’s because there is nothing overtly wrong, the dialogue and acting are carrying the film and you’re completely focused on the story. But when they don’t, they can seem claustrophobic and somehow slightly ‘off’ (Proof), like the entire world was removed except this one set.

With a movie like Interview you’re already starting with one hand tied behind your back as the filmmaker. So it’s especially important that your casting choices are pitch perfect because they’re going to be under the microscope for every minute of the running time. The worst thing you can do for yourself is to focus your entire storyline around an actor who can’t possibly carry their own weight.

So Buscemi took a risk casting the previously unproven Miller, but what’s funnier is something the director probably never thought possible… she entirely outdoes Buscemi himself. And largely, it isn’t “Buscemi the Actor’s” fault. He’s still one of our very best character actors and as evidenced by Lonesome Jim and Animal Factory, he’s a pretty solid director as well. Who the fault lays with is “Buscemi the Casting Director”. He’s cast himself in a role that he can’t possibly come off well in.

The entire interplay of Kayta and Pierre rests on the idea that these people are toying with one another both casually and sensually (and I don’t know about anyone else but suave and sensual are not the first adjectives I’d use to describe Mr. Buscemi). His drained appearance work wonders for the Donny’s (The Big Lebowski) and Seymour’s (Ghost World) of the world, but Pierre needed something more. This is a role for Cary Grant or George Clooney, not that guy being fed into the woodchipper in Fargo.

Then there’s that ending. Another one of those absurd twists that betrays the entire previous hour of the film you’ve watched. When the twist is revealed, all the spirit and vitality of their conversation (one that had reeled me in up to that point) is unfortunately negated.

And the only thing you can feel as the credits start to roll is… you’ve been lied to.

HER REACTION
I just have to laugh at how two people can watch the exact same movie and have such different impressions of it. I don't wholeheartedly disagree with anything you said (especially that Miller outshines Buscemi) but I clearly saw this as a much more interesting psychological study than you did. And if you are looking at it from my point of view, the Peders character couldn't have been a Clooney or Grant because it would have tipped the balance of opposites (which both attract and repulse). I'd say if nothing else, this movie was successful in that it has stirred up some very different reactions to it and when a movie evokes debate, I think that's a good thing.







HIS REACTION
This is our first real disagreement with any of the films we've watched up to this point and I think it has a lot to do with the two things I cited as taking away from the overall film - that terrible ending and Buscemi portraying Pierre. There is a good film here. The back-and-forth banter that the two stars have to work with could definitely be fashioned into something better though. While you say the film didn't need a Cary Grant or a George Clooney, at the least it needed a Billy Bob Thornton. Buscemi is totally unbelievable in the role opposite Miller to the point it drew me completely out of it (if you need further proof check out those pictures above). I feel that if Buscemi wasn't responsible for adapting and directing, this is something that would have been realized in the casting sessions. Recast Pierre and you may have something here.







written by Brian and Rebecca

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