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I know, I know, I have yet to even bother an attempt on writing DVD reviews. In an attempt to get the word out on good vs. toxic cinema, I will try to give a weekly run down on what to watch and what to surreptitiously ignore.
This week's utter crap:
1. Nature Mort (2006) Dir. Paul Burrows - UK
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) Dir. Patrick Tatapoulos - US
This week's sadly mediocre:
1. Hukkle (2002) Dir. Gyorgy Palfi - Hungary
2. Boomerang (1992) Dir. Reginald Hudlin - US
3. The Mighty Quinn (1989) Dir. Carl Schenkel - US
4. Dark Tales of Japan (2004) - Dir. various - Japan
5. Wolf Creek (2005) - Dir. Greg Mclean - Australia
6. Pleasure of the Flesh (1965) - Dir. Nagisa Oshima - Japan
7. The Cry of the Owl (1987) - Dir. Claude Chabrol - France
8. The Wackness (2008) - Dir. Jonathan Levine - US
9. Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) Dir. Larry Cohen - US
10. The Pillow Book (1998) Dir. Peter Greenaway - UK
And this week's Top Picks, In Descending Order
10. The Burrowers (2008) Dir. J.T. Petty - US
9. Barton Fink (1991) Dir. Brothers Coen - US
8. Isolation (2005) Dir. Billy O'Brien - Ireland
7. The Rapture (1991) Dir. Michael Tolkin - US
6. JCVD (2008) Dir. Mabrouk El Mechri - Belgium
5. Imprint (2006) Dir. Takashi Miike - US
4. La Dilettante (1999) Dir. Pascal Thomas - France
3. Chungking Express (1994) Dir. Wong Kar Wai - China
2. Funeral Parade of Roses (1969) Dir. Toshio Matsumoto - Japan
1. The Skeleton Of Mrs. Morales (1960) Dir. Rogelio A Gonzalez - Mexico
Theatrical Releases:
Dance Flick (2009) -- There's not a whole lot to say about the latest offering from the Wayans Bros. (or now, the Wayans Relatives??). I must say, I forgot how flat gag comedies were since it's been so long since I've witnessed one. What I can't understand is why a parody of dance movies is being released in 2009 when the main film it's poking fun at was released in 2001. Dance Flick has only three aspects worth mentioning: Essence Atkins, Amy Sedaris (as the dance instructor, Mrs. Cameltoe), and the film's preview---which made me laugh more than the movie.
Tyson (2009) -- There's not a whole lot to say about James Toback's new documentary about his buddy Mike Tyson. I suppose I don't understand the negative attention surrounding the doc stating it's biased. Well, I find that most documentaries tend to be a bit biased. And at the end of Tyson, I felt, well, pity for a man that seems to be more misunderstood than anything. It's unreal to look back at the late 80's and early 90's and realize that Tyson was so young when he won his title and when he was married to Robin Givens. Sadly, looking at how people either praise or denigrate this film, it's obvious that the film won't change anyone's mind about Tyson if they're already set to demonize him. However, as one who did watch boxing with my parents as a young boy, I was familiar with Tyson as an athlete (as well as a media scandal) but had no particular opinion of him. After this doc (and his daughter's death this week, the eerily named Exodus Tyson) I can only say that I feel bad for the man as he's mostly a product of his environment.
Gigantic (2008) -- I wanted so badly to fall in love with this quirky dramedy starring Paul Dano and Zooey Deschanel, and while I did love Deschanel's decidedly quirky performance, there's too many issues with the film's plot to make it anything above questionable. There's plenty of films nowadays, and especially indie comedies, that, on paper, sound utterly lugubrious, only to surprise you with an engaging and heartfelt story. Gigantic concerns Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano of Little Miss Sunshine - 2006 and There Will Be Blood - 2007), a mattress salesman whose lifelong dream has been to adopt a baby from China. We never discover why he so desperately wants to adopt a baby, much less a Chinese one. Perhaps with today's celebrity headlines we are just supposed to assume (in a heteronormative sense) that white people automatically lust for raising a miscellaneous slew of non-white babies from other countries. Otherwise, I'm assuming, that like many indie comedies, we are supposed to write this off as simply quirky, and therefore, acceptable. I must say, I will have to put my foot down---moderately intelligent people may wonder why a desperately lonely young man wants to adopt a baby from China with an income from selling expensive mattresses to support it. Additionally, the audience is led to draw comparisons between Dano and the rats his college buddy completes sink or swim depression techniques on in his laboratory. And most disturbing of all, a strange, homeless man (played by Zach Galifianakis) pursues Dano throughout the film, beating him mercilessly, and in one scene, shooting him. Come to find, this man is a phantom of Dano's mind and it's Dano himself who has been busting his own face. Though the gunshot scene doesn't quite work after you realize this; everyone sees Dano's blackened eyes, meaning he hits himself, but then, he wouldn't have been able to shoot himself in the leg....Oh well. Enter John Goodman as Zooey Deschanel's father and there's some actual life in the film. The best scenes involve Deschanel and Goodman and the film should have incorporated more of their story lines/personalities---the Weathersby clan is indie quirk to the max. Ed Asner plays Dano's dad, and for his 80th birthday he and his three sons (the other sons are about a decade older than Dano) go to a cabin in the woods and trip on homemade shrooms. Not believable. Not impressed. And then there's Jane Alexander as Dano's mom in another wasted role. She looks good, though. This was director Matt Aselton's first film (and Dano produces). Perhaps we can expect something a little more substantial in the future.
The Girlfriend Experience (2009) -- I love when Steven Soderbergh ventures into more experimental territory. I, for one, loved Bubble (2005) and The Good German (2006) and cared much less for fare like the Ocean's sequels or Erin Brockovich (2000). His new film stars porn star Sasha Grey and is set in the weeks leading up to the 2008 presidential election. Grey plays Chelsea, a rather high class call girl whose self run escort services promises "the girlfriend experience." At the same time, Chelsea happens to also be nurturing a "meaningful" relationship with her boyfriend of a year and a half, Chris, who happens to be a personal trainer at a gym. The irony is that she gets paid much more to have the same kind of interactions with her clients as he does with his (minus the sex, maybe, but that could be a slippery slope). Soderbergh's film follows Grey around, and she is indeed an intriguing screen presence (though not enough for me to watch her in her element--I'm sure there are plenty of other dudes who want to review her niche work). Most of her conversations with her lonely, rich, clients revolve around the economy, how their dull jobs might be in danger, etc, which is also ironic because they are sharing their woes with a young woman who charges $2,000 dollars an hour to hear them. And then we get to see the chip in her 22 year old armour---she becomes infatuated with a handsome client and jeopardizes her relationship with Chris to run off for the weekend. The client (who she is certain is a good match due to her trendy belief in physicology---a kind of revamped astrology) of course, is married, and doesn't show up for their weekend stint. On top of that, Chelsea is tricked into sleeping with a fat slob of a man in exchange for a good review of her services (oh the wicked power of blogs and message boards!) only to have him write a scathingly bad review. In the one scene of the film which Chelsea seems to break down a bit concerning how she had to sleep with such an awful man, "Disgusting, in every sense of the word," I couldn't help but realize the only thing disgusting about him was that he was the one person she slept with that didn't have money---the others were not prizes, certainly. On top of that, what about all those other used and abused escort girls from all economic levels? In the end, I couldn't pity Chelsea--she's a rather distant and disaffected character study---but depressing nonetheless. We all want to throw caution to the wind and be saved---and the film's message, though set leading up to an event that so many of us put out hopes into---seems to say that that hope is open to interpretation---the girlfriend experience, the president experience, the life experience. The tagline, of course, is "See it with someone you ****." If you do, hopefully it's someone you really like to **** because it's all about people you shouldn't.
This week's utter crap:
1. Nature Mort (2006) Dir. Paul Burrows - UK
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) Dir. Patrick Tatapoulos - US
This week's sadly mediocre:
1. Hukkle (2002) Dir. Gyorgy Palfi - Hungary
2. Boomerang (1992) Dir. Reginald Hudlin - US
3. The Mighty Quinn (1989) Dir. Carl Schenkel - US
4. Dark Tales of Japan (2004) - Dir. various - Japan
5. Wolf Creek (2005) - Dir. Greg Mclean - Australia
6. Pleasure of the Flesh (1965) - Dir. Nagisa Oshima - Japan
7. The Cry of the Owl (1987) - Dir. Claude Chabrol - France
8. The Wackness (2008) - Dir. Jonathan Levine - US
9. Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) Dir. Larry Cohen - US
10. The Pillow Book (1998) Dir. Peter Greenaway - UK
And this week's Top Picks, In Descending Order
10. The Burrowers (2008) Dir. J.T. Petty - US
9. Barton Fink (1991) Dir. Brothers Coen - US
8. Isolation (2005) Dir. Billy O'Brien - Ireland
7. The Rapture (1991) Dir. Michael Tolkin - US
6. JCVD (2008) Dir. Mabrouk El Mechri - Belgium
5. Imprint (2006) Dir. Takashi Miike - US
4. La Dilettante (1999) Dir. Pascal Thomas - France
3. Chungking Express (1994) Dir. Wong Kar Wai - China
2. Funeral Parade of Roses (1969) Dir. Toshio Matsumoto - Japan
1. The Skeleton Of Mrs. Morales (1960) Dir. Rogelio A Gonzalez - Mexico
Theatrical Releases:
Dance Flick (2009) -- There's not a whole lot to say about the latest offering from the Wayans Bros. (or now, the Wayans Relatives??). I must say, I forgot how flat gag comedies were since it's been so long since I've witnessed one. What I can't understand is why a parody of dance movies is being released in 2009 when the main film it's poking fun at was released in 2001. Dance Flick has only three aspects worth mentioning: Essence Atkins, Amy Sedaris (as the dance instructor, Mrs. Cameltoe), and the film's preview---which made me laugh more than the movie.
Tyson (2009) -- There's not a whole lot to say about James Toback's new documentary about his buddy Mike Tyson. I suppose I don't understand the negative attention surrounding the doc stating it's biased. Well, I find that most documentaries tend to be a bit biased. And at the end of Tyson, I felt, well, pity for a man that seems to be more misunderstood than anything. It's unreal to look back at the late 80's and early 90's and realize that Tyson was so young when he won his title and when he was married to Robin Givens. Sadly, looking at how people either praise or denigrate this film, it's obvious that the film won't change anyone's mind about Tyson if they're already set to demonize him. However, as one who did watch boxing with my parents as a young boy, I was familiar with Tyson as an athlete (as well as a media scandal) but had no particular opinion of him. After this doc (and his daughter's death this week, the eerily named Exodus Tyson) I can only say that I feel bad for the man as he's mostly a product of his environment.
Gigantic (2008) -- I wanted so badly to fall in love with this quirky dramedy starring Paul Dano and Zooey Deschanel, and while I did love Deschanel's decidedly quirky performance, there's too many issues with the film's plot to make it anything above questionable. There's plenty of films nowadays, and especially indie comedies, that, on paper, sound utterly lugubrious, only to surprise you with an engaging and heartfelt story. Gigantic concerns Brian Weathersby (Paul Dano of Little Miss Sunshine - 2006 and There Will Be Blood - 2007), a mattress salesman whose lifelong dream has been to adopt a baby from China. We never discover why he so desperately wants to adopt a baby, much less a Chinese one. Perhaps with today's celebrity headlines we are just supposed to assume (in a heteronormative sense) that white people automatically lust for raising a miscellaneous slew of non-white babies from other countries. Otherwise, I'm assuming, that like many indie comedies, we are supposed to write this off as simply quirky, and therefore, acceptable. I must say, I will have to put my foot down---moderately intelligent people may wonder why a desperately lonely young man wants to adopt a baby from China with an income from selling expensive mattresses to support it. Additionally, the audience is led to draw comparisons between Dano and the rats his college buddy completes sink or swim depression techniques on in his laboratory. And most disturbing of all, a strange, homeless man (played by Zach Galifianakis) pursues Dano throughout the film, beating him mercilessly, and in one scene, shooting him. Come to find, this man is a phantom of Dano's mind and it's Dano himself who has been busting his own face. Though the gunshot scene doesn't quite work after you realize this; everyone sees Dano's blackened eyes, meaning he hits himself, but then, he wouldn't have been able to shoot himself in the leg....Oh well. Enter John Goodman as Zooey Deschanel's father and there's some actual life in the film. The best scenes involve Deschanel and Goodman and the film should have incorporated more of their story lines/personalities---the Weathersby clan is indie quirk to the max. Ed Asner plays Dano's dad, and for his 80th birthday he and his three sons (the other sons are about a decade older than Dano) go to a cabin in the woods and trip on homemade shrooms. Not believable. Not impressed. And then there's Jane Alexander as Dano's mom in another wasted role. She looks good, though. This was director Matt Aselton's first film (and Dano produces). Perhaps we can expect something a little more substantial in the future.
The Girlfriend Experience (2009) -- I love when Steven Soderbergh ventures into more experimental territory. I, for one, loved Bubble (2005) and The Good German (2006) and cared much less for fare like the Ocean's sequels or Erin Brockovich (2000). His new film stars porn star Sasha Grey and is set in the weeks leading up to the 2008 presidential election. Grey plays Chelsea, a rather high class call girl whose self run escort services promises "the girlfriend experience." At the same time, Chelsea happens to also be nurturing a "meaningful" relationship with her boyfriend of a year and a half, Chris, who happens to be a personal trainer at a gym. The irony is that she gets paid much more to have the same kind of interactions with her clients as he does with his (minus the sex, maybe, but that could be a slippery slope). Soderbergh's film follows Grey around, and she is indeed an intriguing screen presence (though not enough for me to watch her in her element--I'm sure there are plenty of other dudes who want to review her niche work). Most of her conversations with her lonely, rich, clients revolve around the economy, how their dull jobs might be in danger, etc, which is also ironic because they are sharing their woes with a young woman who charges $2,000 dollars an hour to hear them. And then we get to see the chip in her 22 year old armour---she becomes infatuated with a handsome client and jeopardizes her relationship with Chris to run off for the weekend. The client (who she is certain is a good match due to her trendy belief in physicology---a kind of revamped astrology) of course, is married, and doesn't show up for their weekend stint. On top of that, Chelsea is tricked into sleeping with a fat slob of a man in exchange for a good review of her services (oh the wicked power of blogs and message boards!) only to have him write a scathingly bad review. In the one scene of the film which Chelsea seems to break down a bit concerning how she had to sleep with such an awful man, "Disgusting, in every sense of the word," I couldn't help but realize the only thing disgusting about him was that he was the one person she slept with that didn't have money---the others were not prizes, certainly. On top of that, what about all those other used and abused escort girls from all economic levels? In the end, I couldn't pity Chelsea--she's a rather distant and disaffected character study---but depressing nonetheless. We all want to throw caution to the wind and be saved---and the film's message, though set leading up to an event that so many of us put out hopes into---seems to say that that hope is open to interpretation---the girlfriend experience, the president experience, the life experience. The tagline, of course, is "See it with someone you ****." If you do, hopefully it's someone you really like to **** because it's all about people you shouldn't.
This is a lot to think about.
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