eh?

The Age of Innocence
1993/Scorsese

Viewing this film was an interesting expierience because of how accustomed and familiar I've become with Scorsese's style from the early 90's due to my multiplie viewings of Goodfellas and Casino. This film provided a complex mash-up of certain directorial elements of both of those films, as well as a few new techniques. Cape Fear also holds certain characteristics of these early 90's Scorsese flicks, and after finally seeing The Age of Innocence, I've come to regard 1990 - 1995 as a bit of Scorsese golden age. I've yet to see the two films that preceded and followed this 5 year time period (The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun), so hopefully I can get to those soon.

As for The Age of Innocence itself, Scorsese's flawless use of a nearly constantly moving camera is stunning. I also enjoyed his liberal yet unique use of the fade technique, which is especially evident in the first half of the film. Also, his choice to use an unidentified narrator (unless I missed something in the beginning) was intriguing. With his quadrilogy of early 90's films, I feel like Scorsese really set the precedent for the coming years and showed everyone what can really be done with modern cinematic technology.

Daniel Day Lewis's talent is obvious here, but even more so when considering his other Scorsese performance in Gangs of New York. The interesting thing is that while both films share a similar setting and time period, Day Lewis plays drastically different characters, showing his range. I personally enjoyed both he and Scorsese's work here much more than in Gangs.

One specific element I particularly enjoyed here was the brief glimpses the viewers got into Daniel Day Lewis's character's subconcious thoughts. The nostalgic fantasy sequence right near the end was one of the best expressions of rememberance and regret I've ever seen on the screen. Scorsese's continuing choice of main characters who are members of a society from which they feel ultimately alienated fascinates me as well.

Overall, despite the long line of critically acclaimed films I've seen recently, this is one of the first ones to really jump out at me, invigorate my creative processes, and really just get me excited about watching movies again. This film absolutely reaffirms Scorsese as my favorite director. I was thinking afterwards and after a little research I realized that this was my 10th Scorsese film, tying the most I've seen from any one director. I'm really looking forward to eventually getting to The King of Comedy, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Kundun, as well as rewatches for a couple more of his. And I can't fucking wait for The Departed.

4.5/5 Stars

The Squid and the Whale
2005/Baumbach

A solid little piece of nostalgic cinema. While there are some glaring anachronisms, I did enjoy the mid 80's setting. Jeff Daniels was great as the self-indulgent New York uber-elitist, as was (surprisingly) William Baldwin in a role seemingly tailor made for him. I've never been a big Laura Linney fan but she succeeded in at least not annoying me. Overall I enjoyed the ultra-casual approach Baumbach took to filming this. It holds that nice childish simplicity quality, reminded me of Napolean Dynamite, especially with the acoustic guitar score.

4/5 Stars

Baian the Assassin Volume 1 ** 1/2
(First viewing)

My first Japanese television show and I rather enjoyed it. Ken Watanabe plays a doctor by day and assassin by night. Pretty interesting stuff but I thought Ken was a samurai in this show

warrior/rogue doctor, umm? I'll stay with BLACK JACK...

The Gold Rush
1925/Chaplin

My first Charlie Chaplin movie, and the oldest film I've ever seen. Suprisingly entertaining, a real marvel considering the technical limitations of the time period. Chaplin's immense talent is shown in not only his comedic acting but also his direction and writing. The version I saw was the 1943 re-release with music and narration by Chaplin himself. These new additions effectively make the viewers really forget they're even watching a "silent" film. I'm interested in eventually seeing City Lights and Modern Times at some point.

4/5 Stars

You're certainly getting through a lot of films, Mista. I'm glad to see it. Age of Innocence has been on my wish-list since I read Scorsese on Scorsese a while back. I have The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun ready to go.

Yeah, trying to take advantage of my recent influx of free time now that school is drawing to a close. Between my library and this program at my video rental place, everything's free too, which is really nice.

I look forward to your thoughts on the three you mentioned.

Anyone seen either of these? If so, any thoughts?

Safe 1995/Haynes

To Sleep with Anger 1990/Burnett

The Break-Up **

A funny movie but most of the funny parts were in the previews (as is becoming the calling card these days for comedies) Also, towards the end of the movie, I felt it ran out of steam (wasn't as funny, just trying to wrap it all up). Kinda disappointed but I'll probably buy the DVD in any case.

Nacho Libre ** 1/2

A good, and at times, silly comedy featuring Jack Black as luchadore wrestler to raise money for his orphanage. A good follow up for director Jared Hess after the success of Napoleon Dynamite

The Hills Have Eyes (2006) * 1/2
(First Viewing)

I can sum up this movie in two words, sorely disappointing! I didn't get the chance to see this in theaters and I'm REALLY glad now about that fact. I expected more from director Alexandre Aja, who previous work includes the French horror film, High Tension. Too much of this movie was just the family being stranded in the desert and not enough "villians" and/or killing/gore.

Waiting for Godot
Michael Lindsay-Hogg 2000 Ireland (1st time; DVD)
Two tramps question their existence while waiting by a road for Godot, who never shows.
Beckett's play has been interpreted as a religious allegory, though his preoccupations with form merit discussion of Godot as the narrative convention the two characters wait for. In the meantime, its hollow ponderings, quite ingenious in the play, are horribly transferred to film: badly shot, and the sound is terrible.

Not I
Neil Jordan 2000 Ireland (1st time; DVD)
A mouth spits out a monologue about nothing in particular.
One of the few adaptations in the "Beckett on Film" series that feels specifically suited to film, and not simply a filmed play, this is shot entirely in close-ups of Julianne Moore's mouth, delivering Beckett's original monologue with mounting despair. It's brilliant stuff; fourteen minutes of speech, to the point where the words don't look like they're coming from the mouth anymore, but have become abstract, almost detached from one another. Only the opening shot, which contextualises what we're about to see, detracts.

Ohio Impromptu
Charles Sturridge 2000 UK (1st time; DVD)
A man reads from a book to a listener, who happens to be the same person.
Cinematic in-joke: Jeremy Irons plays the dead ringers here, one of whom talks the whole time, the other simply knocking on the table. If it tries for a tragic tone, it doesn't quite succeed, though there are pleasures to be found in the camera trickery--though most of the time, admittedly, there's no need for it, with match-cutting detaching us from what could have been a far more intimate adaptation.

Rough for Theatre I
Kieron J. Walsh 2000 Ireland (1st time; DVD)
A and B, two tramps who may or may not be the last people on earth, struggle to get on.
The problem with this anthology is most evident here; the directors simply aren't good enough, and although this short has one of the more authentic settings of the Beckett adaptations, the actors are far too animated, far too humane, far too recognisable, to evoke the playwright's abstraction.

36 Quai des Orfèvres / 36
Olivier Marchal 2004 France (1st time; big screen)
Two rival cops try to nab a gang of thieves before the other, in order to get the top job in the service. Both are bent, but one is dirtier than the other.
So entrenched in seediness is this thriller, so determined to establish a world of rotten cops, that the ridiculous narrative arc, the mounting body count, and the convenient twists of injustice can't help but entertain. Depardieu and Auteuil, France's two best-known actors, go head-to-head in a battle reminiscent of Mann's Heat (1995), and the gusto with which both performances are captured drives this film along satisfactorily to its predictable climax. A dark, loud film void of the emotion it strives for, which ultimately turns out to be as black-and-white as it doesn't want to be.

Billy Elliot ***
A 11 year old son of an unemployed miner in a small English town has a special talent for ballet, much to the disappointment and disapproval of his father. Some touching scenes and very good acting in this movie, recommended.

Unbreakable ***
A security man (Bruce Willis) at a university has never fallen sick, has survived major accidents and has super human powers. Samuel jackson plays the role of a person who is born with a genetic condition that makes him vulnerable to accidents right from his childhood. He is a great fan of comic books. Inspired by them, he is convinced that Bruce willis is a super-hero of the present times. Manoj night shyamalan's second movie and pretty good. Its style is similar to Sixth Sense... Entertaining

Dirty Harry **
(First Viewing)

A rather disappointing film. Clint Eastwood was great as the bada$$ cop and I always love seeing John Vernon onscreen (he played the mayor). Andrew Robinson did a good job as Scorpio at the beginning and towards the end, but right in the middle I lost A LOT of respect for the man as a serious villian as I felt he turned into too much of a p**sy

Dude, svsg, your summary of the film was twice the size of your review.

Although it's been a while since I've seen Unbreakable, I remember enjoying it much more than The Sixth Sense.

now that you mention, I realize I did not provide any review at all

Apocalypse Now
1979/Coppola

This was a sorely needed 2nd viewing for me. Probably the most stunningly beautiful cinematic depiction of insanity and mental deterioration ever made. I only noticed this time around Coppola's genius use of color filters throughout large portions of the film, as well as a reappreciation of his lighting effects. The absolutely hellish and apocalyptic feeling pervading the whole piece is haunting and amazing. You can almost kind of understand why Coppola never again really achieved the level of brilliance he displays here, as the reportedly 3 years of post-production alone must've been an incredibly exhausting expierience. One of the best films ever made.

5/5 Stars

Apocalypse now is my #1 all time favorite. If you liked the movie, do watch the documentary on its making - Hearts of Darkness: A filmmaker's apocalypse made by his wife Eleanor copolla. It is not available on DVD. I downloaded a version which was broadcast on some french television channel. It is actually an extension of the movie itself, how it plays in the actual lives of Martin Sheen, Copolla, his family and other actors like Sam Bottoms.

That's not available on any DVD?

For me, that title belongs to Aguirre, Wrath of God.

It is available on VHS, but Paramount has stopped that too. Still you will find quite a few online stores selling the VHS version. Since I did not have a tape player, I had to download this version from some torrent site.

For me, that title belongs to Aguirre, Wrath of God. [/b][/quote]And not Taxi Driver? I think that's it for me. But, I don't know, I have a strange interest in mental health, or the lack of it, more so. So, I watch far too many movies dealing with the subject to pull a "best" one out of my ass on a wimb.

If you're interested in mental health, or the lack thereof, then you'll absolutely love Aguirre.

Yeah I can't wait for that one. I should be seeing that somewhere around September unless I decide to buy it.

As far as mental examintion films, Memento also came to my mind, although that isn't as much about insanity as the others. The Godfather Pt II as well in some sense, as a study of paranoia.

Woyzeck, anyone?

The King
2006/Marsh

This received a 3.5/4 rating in my local paper, so knowing next to nothing about it, I went to an afternoon showing on a whim today. Ah, the joy of summer. This ended up being suprisingly good, with strong performances from Gael García Bernal, who I'd never seen before, William Hurt, who I know very little of, Pell James, who effectively played a character a decade younger than her with strong emotional intensity, and Laura Harring, in a stark role reversal from her amnesiac lesbian character in Mulholland Dr., the only other place I'd seen her.

Director James Marsh, helming only his 2nd feature film, utilizes a nice dulled color palette to accentuate the dried up, small town feeling of the Texas setting. The film simultaneously explores different character issues while never clearly explaining most of their motivations, which provides for an interesting viewing expierience. The intense moments of violence work well when contrasted with the uber-religious midwestern backdrop, where conflicting morals and values come into play. Overall, a very good film, apparently sorely lacking wide distribution or any sort of marketing. Glad it caught my eye in the paper today. Definitely recommended if you can find anywhere showing it.

4.5/5 Stars

Trailer

Sunset Blvd.
1950/Wilder

A solid picture, my 3rd Wilder, and probably my least favorite, although his most highly acclaimed. I just felt as though Wilder's skills didn't quite work as well with dramatic matierial. Swanson seemed to be overacting throughout a large portion of the film, but I did like William Holden. I also was glad that Wilder chose to keep the narration going throughout the whole film, which I wished he would've done in The Apartment. Also, I found it interesting that the Joe Gillis character continued narrating after his death. The best narration trick I've seen since Casino. Overall, I didn't get what all the fuss was about.

3/5 Stars