Coraline (Henry Selick, 2009)

I saw this in 3D at Horton UA Theater and I must say I was impressed by how three dimensional it really was. I am very excited to see where this technology is going to be going in the future. With Up from Pixar in the works and Avatar by James Cameron finally being realized.

The movie is based off of a short story by Neil Gaimon, the basic plot is that Coraline moves to the country with her parents who are both writers working on gardening magazine. This causes a problem for Coraline because she is not getting the attention from them that she deserves. One night she is visited by some mice that lead her to a door that leads to a parallel world in which her parents love and treat her well, but there is something strange about them. They have button eyes.



It turns out that the woman playing Coraline's other mother is an evil witch. The witch ends up capturing Coraline's parents and hold them random in return that Coraline must give up her eyes. Coraline decides to make a bet with her that she can find the three orbs that power the witch's world. At this point the movie becomes pretty predictable, yet the beauty of the images keeps you focused on what is happening.

B+

Velvet Goldmine (Todd Haynes, 1998)

I feel that this was a movie before it's time. It only grossed one million domestically which is a real shame on it's nine million dollar budget. It has somewhat of a cult following today. It is suprising seeing all these currently famous actors in such an unconventional film. Christian Bale as a sexually confused adolescent in England. Jonathan Rhys Meyer as a bi-sexual David Bowie-like character. Ewan McGregor just showing us his peen while rocking out vis-a-vis Iggy Pop. It is a lot to take it in.



I can see how this is a cult classic of sorts. Not as popular as Rocky Horror Picture Show but I can see how it could catch on eventually. The plot centers around a special "alien" gem that apparently makes him famous. Or something to that extent, it is really never explained. Anyways, the rest of the story is similar to that of Citizen Kane, with Arthur Stewart (CB) attempting to solve the mystery of Brian Slade's (JRM) faked assassination. The plot revolves between Arthur's past involvement in the glam rock movement and his current interviews with the people involved with Slade.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (Peter Sollett, 2008)

I don't really know how I feel about this one. On the one hand, it is a perfectly fine date movie. It has some amusing moments. I don't recall laughing out loud once however. The movie just seemed like a commercial by MTV for the New York Chamber of Commerce. The plot is that Nick has been dumped by his girl friend of six months-but he cannot get over her despite having been separated for over a month-I suppose she took his V-card.

Anyways, nothing too special about this film.

The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)

Alfred Hitchcock is an interesting guy. From the interviews I have heard people say of him that he was always more interested in talking about cooking, wine, and travel rather than about making movies. I found that extremely refreshing. I wish I had been around when his films were originally coming out. The technological mastery employed by Hitchcock, by way of Disney, would have been really something to see back then I'm sure. It holds up well today but I can imagine it would be akin to seeing The Matrix for the first time for my generation.

A rich young San Francisco socialite, Melanie Daniels, is shopping for parrot at a bird shop when the dashing attorney, Mitch Brenner, comes in and pretends that he thinks she is a sales person and asks her about love birds, when in actuality he knew exactly who she was, those sly lawyers. This scene is classic Hitchcock, subtle/obvious innuendoes (which he employed in North by Northwest as well) being bantered back and forth. It is obvious Hitchcock is going to play this film like a comedy until the time is right. Something I've noticed about Hitchcock is that he can really pick out beautiful women. Grace Kelly, Eva Marie Saint, Tippi Hendren, & Kim Novak all were really stunningly pretty girls. Of course, I think Hitchcock probably would have used Grace Kelly for years had that prince not stolen her away from Hollywood.

Well, the next thing you know Melanie Daniels is driving up to Bodega Bay to deliver some Love Birds that she had purchased for Mitch's sister (or whatever her excuse was for coming up to Bodega.) While there she rents a boat to sneak into Mitch house which happens to be situated right on the bay. Mitch catches her as she is making her way back and races his car around the bay to meet Melanie by the docks. I thought this was probably one of the best scenes I've ever seen. I don't exactly know why, I just loved the image of Mitch in his car speeding around the small bay while Melanie raced across on a little outboard motorboat.

From here the movie takes on a little more sinister tone. As Melanie is about to make it to shore she is seemingly attacked by a seagull. Or maybe it saw something in her hair. Alfred doesn't quite let us in on the secret just yet.


I must say this is an astonishing film. I am surprised that they are making a remake of this in 2011. I know that the remake of Psycho was a huge flop. I should be underlining and italicizing 'huge'. The 1960 psycho made $21,000,000 on a $2,500,000 budget. The remake made $21,000,000 on a $60,000,000. AND it was directed by a respected director, Gus Van Zant. We'll have to wait and see what George Clooney and Niomi Watts can do with it under the direction of Martin Campbell.

Confessions of a Superhero (Matthew Ogens, 2007)

Matthew Ogens examines the strange lives of Hollywood "street artists" or whatever you would like to call the people who hang outside of the Mann's Chinese Theatre dressed as various movie characters.

1st is Superman: Christopher Dennis, the son of the actress Sandy Dennis (although her family denies it), who basically eats, sleeps, and breathes Superman. His house is full of memorabilia, comics, and the like. He is surprisingly sane. It's obvious he has had an interesting past and admits to doing meth for a long time until one day he saw a Superman comic and decided that's what he was going to be. He looks surprisingly like Christopher Reeves (with a prominent gap in his teeth). His most depressing moment is when he loses a best costume contest at some Superman fair in Metropolis, (midwest somewhere) to an old fat guy who had a lot of friends with him. But he redeems himself by proposing to his girlfriend at dinner that night.

2nd is The Hulk: Joseph McQueen, who despite the name is actually a pretty goofy looking black guy. He sold his Nintendo for a one-way grey hound ticket to Hollywood. He lived as a homeless person for the better part of two years. He eventually took up hanging around in a hulk costume because he didn't like begging for money. His most triumphant moment is scoring a role in a Finishing the Game, a comedy about a film Bruce Lee never finished and the ridiculousness of Hollywood. He actually gets about a half second of screen time on the trailer. Most depressing- blacking out inside of the hulk costume in 105 degree weather.


3rd is Batman: Maxwell Allen, this guy is just a little bit off his rocker. He adamantly believes he used to be a hit man for the mob. He looks vaguely like George Clooney, if Clooney were a bit older and heavier. His saddest moment is getting arrested for fighting with some union workers (fuck unions btw) for using their Porto-Jon's. His most triumphant moment getting a job as security for a film production. Since that will allow him to be around the business and who knows, maybe get him a part.



4th is Wonder Woman: Jennifer Wenger, she moved to Hollywood from nowhere mid-west at the age of 18. Once out here she met and married a man within two weeks. She wanted to be an actress. Unfortunately for her there is MORE than an abundance of beautiful women in LA and her homey mid-western looks couldn't quiet do it for her. IMO to make it as an actress in LA you need one of three things (all three is ideal): 1. Connections 2. Looks that could kill 3. Winning the lottery twice-esque luck. Unfortunately she didn't have any of those as of this post her IMDb page has three additions beside this film. Mind of Mencia (doesn't that kill a career?), Jimmy Kimmel (which is located about 50 feet down from Mann's Theatre), and My Name Is Earl (not bad.) She is the most depressing to watch during this film, she goes from a pretty, skinny, young mid-westerner with high hopes to a slightly overweight, Hollywood burnout.

This film is both depressing and uplifting. It is showing people attempting to live out there American dreams in the best way they can manage. The heros get bursts of fame, but never anything more than the kind of looks the Elephant Man got. Curious glances, fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Who are these people? Why are they here? This film attempts to explain those questions in the most humane way possible.

It is funny looking at the lives of these people then comparing them to the people they portray. There is a Captain Jack Sparrow out there (or three) who is played by Johnny Depp who is one of those souls to accidently fall into the movie industry. He was just going along with a friend to an audition when he was cast as a prime victim in Friday the 13th. Just goes to show. Luck, Looks, & Connections are necessary.

The Bicycle Thief (Vittorio de Sica, 1948)

Consistently voted one of the best films of all time- Ladri di Biciclette is a powerhouse of a film. The story is of a man living in post-WWII Rome which makes sense since that is where and when it was filmed. I imagine at the time it was a seriously political film. I imagine a lot of things though. This film is the height of Italian Neo-Realism which basically is shooting a film on location using actors whom are not trained and usually from the area. They deal in conveying the emotion of the landscape and people. It doesn't focus on a plot as much as an organic growth of a narrative.

In this film Antonio Ricci is a lower-class man attempting to get by, everyday he goes down to an employment center where on this particular day he is offered a job. He gets the job because the employer happens to know he has a bicycle. As it turns out he had pawned it off the month before. This leads to his wife, Maria, pawning her wedding sheets to get enough money to buy the bike back from the pawnbroker. While he is waiting to receive his bike he sees the broker toss his wife's sheets into a growing collection of sheets stacked up about thirty feet. The enormous collection of bicycles that have been pawned is off putting.

He shows up to work the next day, gets a quick lesson on how to paste up signs and then sets off on his own. While working on his first poster he is robbed. The rest of the film deals with attempting to retrieve the bike back. It is a bit of a mislead film noir, Antonio wandering the streets with his son hoping to come across the bike again.

Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)

Wood Allen's semi-autobiographical account of growing up in New York City. I really enjoyed this one. I loved it when Woody would break the 3rd dimension and talk directly to audience about the stuff that was happening around him. Appealing them to understand where he is coming from. Those were my favorite moments during the film. Allen has some of the most interesting insights into man's habits and shortcomings.

The narrative focus of this film jumps around in time quite a lot. Examining his childhood. His pervious wives. His mistakes. His triumphs. I think the most depressing moment is when he attempts to recreate with a new girl the time he spilled lobsters all over the floor with Annie. Originally it was such a touching and heartfelt moment, but the new girl just sat there smoking a cigarette not understanding what his deal was. It showed him how much Annie really meant to him. I think Allen hits the nail on the head about how when you are in a relationship with someone you can just get caught up on the minutia. Getting annoyed by petty things. Expecting your partner to be exactly who you want them to be.

Woody ends his film with a great monologue "...it was great seeing Annie again. I... I realized what a terrific person she was, and... and how much fun it was just knowing her; and I... I, I thought of that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs."

I've only seen a couple of Woody's films; Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), Match Point (2006), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), and Zelig (1983). I felt that this film was eerily similar to Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Almost to the extent that Crimes and Misdemeanors mirrored Match Point. In both Annie Hall and VIcky Cristian Barcelona Woody shows how humans cannot ever seem to be happy with what they have. We are always looking over to those greener pastures.

The same is true of Match Point & Crimes and Misdemeanors. Only those films are direct parallels in that they both deal with a rich man killing the woman he truly loves to maintain his social status and orderly lifestyle.

Taxi To The Dark Side (Alex Gibney, 2007)

I've seen Alex Gibney's other documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005), on that one I felt he tried his best to keep his political leanings shielded. He attempted to show the true story of Enron and how such an egregious acts. I have also seen Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008), which I thought was awesome.

Taxi to the Dark Side is an impeccably made documentary.
It really shows how the fog of war and attempting to do what is right can go so wrong. I was surprised that there was never a reference to that famous Stanford psychology experiment where they randomly assigned people to either be guards or prisoners and within a few days the guards were abusing the prisoners which in turn caused an uprising. That seems to be VERY similar to what when on in prisons of Iraq.

The political spinners tried to play it off as a couple of bad apples. I happen to believe that, given the right conditions, people are going to do things they never thought they would in the "real" world. It is the fear of repercussions that keep us humans sane. If there are no rules, I would imagine things would turn out to be similar to Lord of the Flies.

In the case of the Iraqi prisons, it turns out that guards were given very little training and were expected to get information from prisoners. Of course, they were to "follow" the Army Field Guide, unfortunately, there were unusual circumstances in Guantanamo that lead the upper officers in Iraqi to believe they could use the same tactics. When in reality, they could not.

Next thing you know. We have pretty effed up ish going on.

Photo on the left: Gitmo.
Photo on the right: Stanford.
Eerily similar.

Get Carter (Mike Hodges, 1971)

Being born in 1986, I never realized that Michael Caine used to be such a badass. I only know him as the knowledgeable old guy in all of his movies. In Get Carter he plays a womanizing British gangster. Too make a long story short, it is about Jack Carter (Caine) learning that his brother has died in what appears to be a drunk driving accident. Only he suspects something is up. He decides to start investigating and it turns out that there is more to his brother's death than a mere drinking problem.

I wouldn't go so far as to say this is my favorite British gangster flick. It is up there however with the likes of Snatch, The Long Good Friday, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, and Layer Cake. Probably 2nd right behind Snatch for me. What can I say. I got a thing for the Stath'.

Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)

There seems to be a coherent thread tying all of David Lynch's films together. Now, I've only seen a few of them. Eraserhead. Blue Velvet. Mulholland Dr. Inland Empire. Yet all three have something to do with dreams. Something I am highly intrigued by.

So, the plot is this; Jeffrey, a young college student, comes back home to work at the family hardware store because his father has been injured (it appears he took a nasty fall and/or came down with an extreme illness.) On his way from the hospital to his home he stumbles upon an ear. A very icky-looking ear crawling with ants. Jeffrey decides to take the ear to a neighborhood friend who also happens to be the local detective of Lumberton.

Detective Williams tells Jeff he was right in bringing him the ear and that he wants him to show him exactly where he found the ear. Later that night Jeffrey decides to go to the detectives house to discuss the ear. Unfortunately Det. Williams tells him that he isn't at liberty to tell him anything about that case, but that once it is all wrapped up they can discuss it.

As Jeffrey is leaving Sandy, the detectives daughter, calls to him and walks out of the darkness and into the light. I imagine this is some sort of foreshadowing by Lynch. She tells Jeffrey that she hears things about her father's cases and she suspects that the ear may have something to do with some lady named Dorothy Vallens. They decide to walk over to Dorothy's apartment.

The next day Jeffrey pulls up to her school and takes her to the local diner to tell her he has a plan to sneak into Dorothy's place dressed as a pest control worker. The plan ends up working out despite a few hitches, this allows Jeffrey to sneak in later on. Once inside he is almost caught when he fails to hear Sandy warning him with his car's horn because he was pissing in the bathroom due to the Heineken he drank earlier.

This is where the film dips into the surreal that is so common for Lynch. Prior to this scene, the film was a coherent depiction of life in Lumberton USA. After this scene the life that Jeffrey knew previously is ripped apart. His beliefs are questioned. I think my favorite line takes place right before Jeffrey goes to sneak into the building. Sandy-I can't figure out if you're a detective or a pervert. Jeffery-Well, that's for me to know and you to find out.

A shot that stood out to me was when Jeffery is inside of the closet looking out through the screen door, it is an obvious homage to Psycho (1960). It stood out to me because this scene is obviously referenced in Burn After Reading (2008). While Jeffery is in the closet we get our first encounter of one of the greatest movie villains ever. Frank Booth.

I like Frank for two reasons:
1. Heineken? Fuck that Shit! PABST BLUE RIBBON!
2. Where's my bourbon?!

The Wackness (Justin Levine, 2008)

The Wackness is Justin Levine's third film he has written and the fourth he has directed. I found the plot to be quite engaging, despite the fact I never experienced growing up in NYC in the early 90's.
I thought the relationship between Luke & Stephanie quite accurate. The girl was bored because her "boyfriend" Justin was away in Italy for the summer. So she takes a liking to the local pot dealer to pass the time. Unfortunately for Luke, he falls head over heels for this girl. Only to have his heart broken. It is a tragic tale. Albeit common.
I really kind of feel sad for Stephanie in this situation because she doesn't even realize that Justin is a total tool. Then again, a lot of good looking intelligent women seem to have a strange attraction to egotistical unintelligent men. It's not their fault though. Those men are exciting. Luke is a boring guy that really like her. Why would she want that when she can have a bro that will treat her like dirt. At least that keeps her emotions running high at all times.
I thought that Ben Kingsley did a great job portraying a broken man in a bad relationship. Though this movie was depressing for the most part, it ended on a happy note.

Roman Polanski: Wanted & Desired (Mariana Zenovich, 2008)

This documentary by Mariana Zenovich describes the life and trials of Roman Polanski, the famed director of Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby, The Pianist, and many other great films. I have always been interested in being a film director, but I am not sure it would be worth it if I had to go through the trials and tribulations that Roman had to put up with. His parents killed by Nazis. The brutal murder of his gorgeous wife and unborn son by the Charles Manson Family is enough to crush a man alone.

Yet he lived on, continued to make films and try to enjoy life to the best of his ability. Only to get into a sticky situation--statutory rape. 13 years-old to be exact, a little young in California, well, not Baja California where the limit is 12 for some inexplicable reason! Not a very fun rap to have over your head. Anyways, the trial was not handled in what I would call a highly constitutional manner; more like a circus side show. One thing lead to an other and one of the greatest directors of our time hops on a flight to France never to return. Leaving him "wanted" in the US and still "desired" as a filmmaker abroad.

The film did an excellent job portraying the trial and life of Mr. Polanski and the media's fascination with celebrity and crime. Similar to a recent film I watched, only this seems to be the anti-thesis to Badlands. Where instead of the media glorifying a serial killer (Charlie Sheen) because he is young, beautiful and charming. Instead condemning Roman Polanski because he had consensual sex with an underage girl. It was a stupid decision on his part, because in my humble opinion, there are plenty of beautiful 18 years or older women out there to choose from.

Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

Psycho is one of those movies, where, despite never having seen it before in my life it felt a part of me. Something in the collective psyche of America. I knew some vague plot points; girl gets killed in a shower, the killer is his mother, the Bates motel... but I felt I understood the movie, without ever watching more than a ten second shower killing scene at Universal Studios where they revealed to me that the secrete to Alfred Hitchcock's blood was Bosco Brand Chocolate Syrup.

Anyways, after watching it, my suspicions were more or less confirmed. I did already know the basic plot, but the devil is in the details. I didn't have any idea Marion had stolen $40,000 (about $300,000 today!) from her employer in order to pay off her lover's debts. She then makes her way across country, being chased/harassed by a sketchy cop for a short while. Only to end up at the hotel of Norman Bates. While there Bates shares a nice meal with Marion and thoroughly creeps the fuck out of anyone watching.

Marion retires to the shower only to be attacked by Norman Bate's mother! Or so Hitchcock would like us to believe until the big reveal at the end of the film. Watching this film make me realize how great of a filmmaker he really was. I have only seen 4 of his 66 films (Vertigo, North by Northwest, Rear Window, & This Film) but each one is phenomenal.