Review Roundup

Here are a few indies I recently viewed that I think are worthy of your attention...

The Red Violin

This came out several years ago, but I just now got around to watching it and i glad I waited, cause it recently began showing on HDNet Movies, and it is a breathtaking piece of cinema. Directed by Francois Girard, The Red Violin follows it's journey through three centuries of war, personal turmoil, and revolutions. The stories are all centered around it's auction in present day Montreal after being found in China. The famous Nicolo Bussotti violin, known as "the red violin," is being auctioned off. During the auction, we flash back to the creation of the violin in 17th century Italy, and follow the violin as it makes its way through an 18th century Austrian monastery, a violinist in 19th century Oxford, China during the Cultural Revolution, and back to Montreal, where a collector tries to establish the identity and the secrets of "the red violin."

All of the stories are interesting and are great showcases for actors such as Carlo Cecchi, Jason Flemyng, Greta Scachi, Sam L. Jackson, and Sylvia Chang to name a few. The imagery and camera work is first class. This is a classically made film for those with classic tastes. If it at the end your not freaking out over where the violin might end up, then you are not alive. screenwriter, Don McKellar and Girard do an amazing job setting up the violin as a character itself. You start to care more for the violin than you do for the characters that own it! Great film.

Look



Just for the record I am not a big fan of cult director Adam Rifkin. But that might change after this film. This film is very original in its execution. The movie sets itself up in the wrong way by saying that Americans are captured on surveillance cameras at least 170 times a day mostly without their knowledge. This produces millions of hours of footage revealing the nature of those hidden secrets.

Well true, but this movie is not real footage, it's a scripted movie that was made to look like it was shot with security cams. Once you get over that and let the movie take you, its a lot of fun. And stick with it, cause it gets better the more you get into it, and it does get a creepy vibe towards the end. The very end makes you a bit mad, due to one of the characters getting away with a really horrible crime.Overall I had a really great time with this movie. It was original and pushed the bounds of creativity. Something original in a sea of studio xeroxes is quite nice to behold once in a while.

Meet Karl Pilkington

Molester Stallone

This is a recut of the 80's classic "Over the Top". I laughed out loud at this one!

Molester Stallone - watch more funny videos

Uh-oh, Shaggy

This is my version of a press conference to let all of you know that have commented on this photo of me and Scooby-Doo and my nephew. I did not in any way touch Scooby inappropriately at Six Flags. My wife took a picture of me as my arm was going up to Scooby's shoulders. I am not part of the "Furries" movement, nor will I ever be. And if I was I would not do that in front my innocent nephew. Furthermore I am innocent, and will never pose for pictures with a man in suit ever again. I would like to thank my family and friends for there support during this troubled time in my life, but alas they have only laughed at me and pointed... Me and SD have talked it through and we are totally cool. So please, stop calling him for "Furrie" parties. It's not cool. Leave us alone. (Not together, but seperatly...)

Farewell to Analog TV...

Well today is the last day of analog broadcasting. It is kind of a sad day really. I thought about all the old TV's out there, that if found in a barn or an old house will no longer be able to pick up anything other than some pirate signals, that I'm sure will become popular someday. Here are a few of my favorite analog TV moments...



My Grandma's house in the hot summers... watching a 15 inch black and white TV all day. Gilligan's Island, Banana Splits and Godzilla movies. And speaking to that, until I was a teenager I thought all the Godzilla movies were in black and white!



My first TV in my room at my parents was a little 10 inch or so black and white TV. I still remember the first thing I ever saw on it. ABC was showing the broadcast premiere of 1978's Star Trek: The Motion Picture with new footage! It was 3 hours long with commercials, and I witnessed every damn second of it. I had the action figures from the movie too...



Camping in my Grandpa's old travel trailer in the middle of nowhere in the country, I watched "The Shining" on a 8 inch black and white screen in the back of the trailer with sheets pulled up over my head. I've never gotten those images from my mind. Even if it was cut for TV. Shelly Duvall still scares me to this today. And I am weary of any little kids named Danny including my cousin. And now I have twin nieces. Where are my covers?



Next was at home on maybe my first color TV set in my room. I was in the 6th grade and I stayed up late and watched Kubrick's 2001. That movie disturbed me in such a monumental way. I think it changed the way I looked at movies. I remember telling my Dad and classmates how amazing this thing was. Of course my classmates were more into Porkys than existential space movies. My dad told me stories of how he drove to Dallas to see 2001 on this new gigantic screen back in the 60's. he said he went twice. Lucky.



Other great moments in analog TV history for me were the mini series craze of the 80's that brought us North and South, V, and The Day After. Everyone and I mean everyone was home when these things hit. There was no VCR, no going back. You either saw it live or missed it. People would mock you if you didn't see it. I can remember the madness of going to the grocery store an hour before Miami Vice would come on Friday nights. People were in a panic to get back to there house so they could check out Don Johnson's fresh clothes.

There was also this time where my best buddy Joel and I discovered how to de-scramble the Playboy Channel using an analog TV tuner. But that's a story for another day... Electric Blue...



But maybe my favorite analog moment of all time was in college. I got the opportunity to work with the great Bobbie Wygant at NBC 5 for five plus years on her TV shows, and go home and watch what we did live with my parents while eating dinner. Getting to meet all the hosts of Channel 5 shows from my childhood was nuts. And gaining a lifetime friend, like Bobbie was a dream come true. She really taught me what the TV biz was all about. From watching a crappy 10 inch B&W set in my bedroom, to helping produce what came out of it has been a wonderful journey indeed! Farewell analog world, you shall be missed but not forgotten.

Check out these awesome Channel 5 promos!!!

Tetro

Francis Ford Coppola is a God among the legendary filmmakers. His new film, Tetro starring Vincent Gallo comes out in LA and NYC today, and who knows when it will hit the badlands of Texas. Tetro is the second new film Coppola financed himself and is also distributing. His winery is now making him enough money to where he never deals with studios when making films now. In an interview I heard with him on Howard Stern this week, he said his business of making wine has afforded him the luxury of making films a passion again. This is great news. This is what all filmmakers strive for, complete freedom and FFC has it. So if Tetro ever makes it to Texas, go see it and support it!

Assorted Review Madness

I've been on a pretty good tear recently, so I'd thought I'd share a few thoughts on some films I found interesting...



The Reader

I know I'm late to the party here on this one, but I found this to be a very good film. This film has a plot that is Nazi, but to me this is a device to explore some deeply wounded characters. I thought Kate Winslet, David Kross, and Ralph Fiennes were all interesting in their own ways. This is a very extended coming of age story if you will. The characters may grow up fast and get old, but their journey of self extends itself into several decades. I found Winslet's Hanna Schmitz character to be quite fascinating. My wife read the book, and said that is was very cut and dry, but here you get to see the closet that Hanna hides her soul in, and only at the end does she attempt to open it. I found this film to be a brilliant character study of very interesting characters.


Blindness

Everyone starts going blind, except Amber Waves (I mean Juliane Moore) I really liked the look and tone of this movie there are moments in it that are so sick and depraved you want to vomit. I was totally into this for the first hour or so, but after a while you get the point the filmmaker is trying to make, that humans are A-holes when they have sight and when they don't. Human emotions can get worse weather you have sight or not. I recommend this film cause it is different, and raises some interesting concerns, but I'm not saying its a great movie.


Frost/Nixon

Finally! A Ron Howard film I really liked. I often think most of Howard's films are pretty much like eating melba toast. They fill you up but leave you wanting something on them, like some jelly or something. This film is fleshed out. Again another really interesting character study of two people, Nixon and Frost who had their entire legacy resting on this one interview. Someone had to win, and who wanted it more. I never bought Langella's Nixon in the spots and ads, but after seeing the whole thing you totally buy it. He slips nicely into the role, much more effectively than Hopkins did in "Nixon" to me. I thought the contrast of Frost to Nixon was really riveting, and how they both really thought nothing of each other but actually needed each other. A great film worth multiple viewings.


Splinter

A fun little horror monster yarn from director Toby Wilkins. Its about a Splinter type infection that turns various body parts into a collage of a crazy monster. Most of the film takes place in a country convenience store. If there are any Jill Wagner fans in the house, then you will want to see this. It made me wonder why she doesn't get more tough chick work. She's a bad ass in the making. Someone give her a B-movie action vehicle of her own!!!


Body of Lies

Ridley Scott = brilliant (sometimes). Russel Crowe = brilliant. Leo = Growing Pains. Body of Lies = Boredom. This is a film of blown opportunities. I didn't even finish it.


Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

I liked this one more than I thought I would. A good little comedy that reminded me of After Hours and other great nighttime urban comedy adventures. Great cameos from SNL people and Michael Cera is again a pleasure to watch. And Kat Denning's Norah is very easy on the eyes.


Phase IV

I sought out this film because of my love of Saul Bass. He did all the great Hitchcock opening credits and James Bond open credits. Not to mention a lot of Scorcese's too. Casino being one of my favs. Anyway back int he day circa 1974, he directed his only feature film called Phase IV, which was about ants, becoming hive brain minded and taking over the Earth! This is greatness you say? No, not so much. There is a LOT of macro ant footage and some Michael Murphy madness, but not much else. I was actually rooting for the ants in this one.

REVIEW: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

This is a film that kind of slipped through the cracks to me. I rented it on Netflix and being a WW2 film afficando I was compelled to check it out. The film centers around Bruno an 8 year old who lives with his Nazi general Dad and Mom, and sister. Bruno is aware of the war around him, and the Nazi's that often live in his home in the country, but Bruno is more concerned with reading adventure books and exploring the land around their country home. One day Bruno sees what he thinks may be a farm in the far distance. He notices that the farmers all seem to be wearing striped pajamas. Curious about this "farm" Bruno decides to find a way to get over to the farm, and in doing so makes friends with an 8 year old behind the fence named Shmuel. Bruno keeps his relationship with Shmuel a secret from his family of course. His own sister is obsessed with the Hitler youth, so Bruno must sneak out every day to visit and feed Shmuel tasty treats from the mansion.



One day Shmuel tells Bruno that his father has gone missing in the camps and he cannot find him. Bruno hatches a plan from one of his adventure books, to help him find his father. I can't really say much more about it from here as it would ruin the impact of the film's climax. The film is based on the book for young adults by John Boyne, and it feels light in that respect but in a good way.




The thing I really liked about this movie was that director Mark Herman never strays from the perspective of the boy Bruno. It's about the ultimate loss of innocence. I have read some criticism that even though it features the great actors, David Thewlis and the awesome Vera Farmiga (If you have not seen "Down to the Bone" with her, then shame on you.) it never gets caught up in their own personal drama, it's still seen through Bruno's eyes. I think that's the right thing to do here. Even though this is a film about genocide, it is a very peaceful introspective experience. "Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is a wonderful little film that I think everyone will enjoy. It's out on DVD now.