Typical

So I've finally reached a point at which I want to continue this film blog. I tried to keep things running over the summer, but my efforts were in vain. However, I'm in college now. I have time on my hands. Well, no, that isn't true. I don't hardly have any time. I just don't want to spend it doing the things I need to do.

The only snag I now run into is that I'm in college. This means that I have very limited monetary funds (even with a job) and even more limited transportation. I have not (after two and a half months of living in Hawaii) been out to a movie theater. Not even the dollar theater. Tragedy.

So I guess I'll just do what I can with what I have. Which is not much.

Revenge movie marathon this Saturday. It's should be good.

(gasp) so (choke cough) behind (hack death death)...

General Thoughts: It was entertaining. Funny. Worth my $5. But in no way a masterpiece and I don't have a burning desire to see it again. I was impressed at how much I actually laughed during the film. Steve Carell was, as always, absolutely hysterical. There were a lot of moments during the movie where I really saw the presence of Michael (from The Office) in the character of Maxwell Smart. As a side note, look at season one of The Office compared to later seasons. Carell has super creepy hair in season one, but it gets fixed by season two. It probably freaked out one too many. Back to the film. At moments, I found myself skeptically thinking "Really?" where a scene went on far too long (and stopped being funny). Overall, however, it was a relatively enjoyable experience. Ooh, something I need to add. I generally DESPISE Anne Hathaway. I've found that the majority of the films in which she stars were once really good books that have been absolutely mutilated to fit a film format. I didn't hate her here. Impressive.

Favorite Character: The Chief. Love Alan Arkin. Love.

Favorite Line: "Oh look, a box of kittens, I think I'll punch Max."  - Maxwell Smart

Favorite Moment: The fact that there is no piano in Beehtoven's Ninth Symphony. Yikes. Big mistake, people. That was kind of a crucial plot detail.

General Thoughts: SCORE! A very solid superhero movie indeed. I was pleased overall. Tony Stark - what a dick. Which makes it even more fun that he became such a rockin superhero. My only problem with his progression from asshole to Iron Man was after he escaped from captivity and was all inspired. The things he was saying were meaningful, but it just didn't seem entirely sincere. Also, I was iffy about the villain (anybody who knows me will know how important villains are to me). Obadiah - pretty solid as a villain. Although there wasn't much buildup to his villainy. It was fairly sudden. I was, however, kind of disappointed in Raza. To me, it just seemed like the typical middle-east setup. I don't know how closely it correlates to the real story from the Iron Man comics, but it seemed like old news to me. 

Favorite Character: Pepper Potts (played by Gwenyth Paltrow) - I really like the actress and her character gave Tony Stark a bit of humanity. Plus she totally saved the day.

Favorite Line: "Good God! You're a woman!" - Tony Stark

Favorite Moment: Jarvis the robot-ish continually getting Stark with the fire extinguisher.

So right now I'm working on catching up with all the movies I haven't seen. I haven't gotten very far. However, I am not dissuaded. It'll just take me a little time, that's all. Thus far:

I was very much impressed by this movie. I had no idea what to expect going into it -  I had read the review in the Star Trib (which had nothing but good things to say), desired to see the film, and then promptly forgot about it for a few weeks. Until Father's Day rolled around and we needed a family movie. This is not a family movie. I think my mother is slightly scarred from seeing this film. I adored it. My dad also enjoyed it, but definitely exaggerated his delight upon seeing how much praise I had for the film. Whatever.

Anyway, let me begin by saying I'm not much of a Colin Farrell fan. His roles just never quite did it for me. Here, I was blown away. Farrell was the perfect choice for the totally neurotic, cynical, spazzy Ray. Brendan Gleeson's character Ken was the ideal counterweight for crabby Ray. Round, cuddly-looking, friendly and pleasant. You wouldn't peg either of them as assassins. I don't want to say too much about the plot and I know already that this is a totally crap review, but as the film continued, I was more and more impressed by how deeply into the human psyche director Martin McDonagh was willing to delve. Battles between right and wrong, ethics versus selfishness, and l

ife and death are waged freely throughout the film. Topped off with a beautiful beautiful ending that left me nearly speechless, this film was one that won't leave my mind for quite some time. 

Favorite Character: Chloe - played by Clemence Poesy (from Harry Potter 4)

Favorite Line: "Well, here we are in a room with two manky hookers and a racist dwarf." -Ken

Favorite Moment: Ray karate chops Jimmy the midget in the neck. Classy.

Another pleasant surprise. Although I was told many a time before seeing this movie that it was absolutely hysterical, I still had my doubts. Luckily, I was not disappointed in any way. The plot itself is fairly basic. Fatass panda accidentally/on purpose becomes the savior-to-be for a good chunk of China. Problem: he's a fatass and has no clue what he's doing. Other problem: his dad wants him to go into the noodle business. Other other problem: the bad guy is friggin diesel as hell. And pissed. In short, Po the panda  (Jack Black, hilarious as always) figures things out and saves everybody, uttering "skadoosh" simultaneously. Go figure. What really impressed me was how the film catered to such a large demographic. Kids, teens, adults, grandparents. I saw them all there and they were along side me, laughing their asses off at every twist and turn of the film. That is the mark of a good cartoon film. A universal audience. Cheers Mark Osborne and John Stevenson.

Favorite Character: Shifu - voiced by Dustin Hoffman, no idea what kind of animal he was. 

Favorite Line: "One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it." -Oogway

Favorite Moment: Tai Lung zapping Po and Po saying "I'm going to pee" and rolling around laughing. Backfire.

Nothing relating in any way to film.

I actually just needed a place to put Jonathon's lyrics so I wouldn't forget/lose them. 

Track 1:

I'm afraid of injury, cause this hill's too steep and I'm going down fast

Cat scratch, won't last, guess I never had a chance

Living in a world where everybody's getting something somewhere.

You're telling me I gotta be a little more aggressive 

When I'm passive in my nature

And I could never be anything else with you.

I don't know why I'm not singing other women songs

I know you're with another but we really seem to get along together.

Track 2:

Once I knew a man who carved angels out of stone

He was paid for his creations but it chills me to the bone

Drank it all away, put his family on the line

His hands work for the lord but his liver works for wine.

Grandfather and daddy, where did you go wrong?

Grandfather and daddy, I hope I don't end up just like this song.

Once I knew a man whose heart was broke when he was two

His poppa died and this guy didn't know just what to do

His mother left him in a bar with her alcoholic friends

From the day she left him, ____ he'd never feel again.

Grandfather and daddy, where did you go wrong?

Grandfather and daddy,  I hope I don't end up just like this song.

Track 3:

ask Jonathon.

Track 4:

I live in a state of preventative arrest, political distress

The emperor's undressed but no one wants to tell him so.

A woman on the street asked if I'd offer her a ride, if I wanted a good time

I didn't have a dime to spare so I kept moving on

The men are in the deserts and the ships are out to sea, the prisons have no key

It's hard to see but I think this life will be the death of me

Oh good god on high have mercy on my soul

Oh good god on high have mercy on my soul, on my soul

I try my best to breathe but it gets harder every day, I'm out of things to say

There's not a lot of money left and no place left to stay

It's raining all the time, seems I've never seen the sun

I'm not foolin' anyone

I'm going nowhere fast and where I am's where I've begun

Track 5: 

I always offer to pick you up and give you a ride

You always say you're not going my way anymore

And I don't know how I'll get out of this town with my life

Three rounds left to go I don't know if I'm up to a fight.

You told me that lately you were thinking of taking your life

When I asked where you rolled over and went back to sleep

And then I could tell it had all gone to hell a while back

Try as we may seems that we just can't pick up the slack.

Well you don't keep secrets you never look back

You're never afraid to be bold

It kills me to think that there's no chance in hell

So I throw my cards in now and fold.

And cigarettes stink through the vents in my bathroom at five

God it's too early and I'm no more awake than alive.

And I don't know why but I can't get you off of my mind

I guess it's just women like you are the hardest to find.

You don't keep secrets you never look back

You're never afraid to be bold

It kills me to think that there's no chance in hell

So I throw my cards in now and fold.

I might as well tell you these things that I feel for you're gone (?)

Any excuse just to write you another damn song.

Track 6: 

I'm on my own with the pain in my head

I either wish you were here or I wish I were dead.

These pills work just fine but give me pretty strange dreams

Seems I'm losing my mind but things are worse than they seem.

I'll take you to the bottle and you can stay with me awhile where there's no morning

I'll take you by the hand and show you rings in hell you never seen before

The man in the box (?) said things are gonna change 

But the hole in my heart always seems to stay the same.

I heard you're bleeding again, I'm glad to know I'm not alone

If you need a bandage, babe, you know I'm always home.

I'll take you to the bottle and you can stay with me awhile where there's no morning

I'll take you by the hand and show you rings in hell you never seen before

I'm on my own with the pain in my head

I either wish you were here or I wish I were dead. 

Track 7: 

ask Jonathon.

Track 8: 

(radio intro)

Highways got nothing on the side streets where everybody moves a little slower

Small town, big hearts, white picket fence, nobody locks their doors

And real life's got nothin on the movies where everything works out fine

Everybody's beautiful in those picture perfect endings, everybody drinks expensive wine.

But these pills got nothing on the oxygen, flows through my blood to my brain

Living life from both sides now and nothing feels the same.

[break, new melody thing]

I got time and time's got me, I still gotta make a lot of history

And travel round the world and the seven seas, I'll die too soon and I'll cease to be.

I'm gonna cease to be (x4)

Gonna start a war gonna catch a disease, I'll hang around your ____ with ____ Japanese

I'll wear a pair of socks that goes up to my knees, I'll die too soon and I'll cease to be.

I'm gonna cease to be (x4)

Track 9:

ask Jonathon.

Villainy, Harcore.

Ahh, villains. Villains are generally my favorite part of any given film. And, of course, I have to give the Coen brothers some serious props for their excellent movie villains. They are cunning, devious, and pure evil. If I were an evil villain (a status I hope to achieve someday), I would be honored to have a part in a Coen Brothers film because it would be a testimony to the level of my absolute evil-ness. And my bad-assness. And my harcore-osity. Which would be excellent. Anyways, not a single villain in any of the Coens' movies is disappointing. We have good old Leonard Smalls, terrifying on sight. Between the beard, the super badass Harley, the disgustingly flattened nose, the extreme ammunition, and the tendency to shoot small defenseless animals, he is a force to be reckoned with. My only problem with Smalls was his voice. Yikes. Super nasal, super unintimidating. Luckily his appearance (especially the baby booties attached to his belt) made up for it. Almost. Moving on to Carl and Gaear. Carl, while an excellent villain, kind of sucked at life. It didn't help that he looked absolutely ridiculous. Especially after he got shot in the face. Gaear, on the other hand, was the epitome of the pure evil villain. Hardly speaking, his very presence has the power to strike fear and discomfort into the minds of the audience. As his body count continues to grow, Gaear really fleshes out exactly what it means to be a villain. If only he had a little pointy moustache to twirl. Although that might have ruined it. I can't really imaging the wood chipper scene with a moustache. Ah well. Finally, we have good old Anton Chigurh. Again, pure evil. Fairly sociopathic. Kind of a beast, and as such intimidating. Not somebody you want to mess with. Or even see. Because he'll kill you. Wow. Anyway, once again we have a villainous killing machine. Chigurh feels no remorse for any death he has caused right up until the end of the film. Killing Carla Jean definitely throws him off a little bit, but in no way does that demean his level of villainy. If I was a super duper evil villain, I would love to be his protege. If he didn't kill me first.

A Jaunty Hat Indeed.

Ahhh Altman. Such a breath of fresh air after the Kurosawa unit. Until, that is, we reached Nashville. Let's just not talk about that. And so, cinematic highlights of the two more bearable movies in this trio....and here we go.

The Long Goodbye: While some people were seriously bothered by the ever-moving camera, it was something I greatly enjoyed. It really gave the viewer the sense that they weren't supposed to be seeing what was going on. Instead of being blatantly part of the scene, the camera skirted around the edges, eavesdropping as much as it could get. Altman uses this same technique in Gosford Park (2001) to achieve possibly even a greater affect. Because that film juxtaposes the lives of the rich and their servants (who are never too be seen except when they're needed), the camera work does a fabulous job of putting the viewer in the place of a valet or maid - always flitting around the outer perimeter of conversations and gatherings. Back to The Long Goodbye, I also really enjoyed Marlowe's character. It was almost refreshing to have someone who seems to have been asleep for a few decades. His mannerisms and even his clothing helped to shape the movie and its plot.

The Player: Again we see some excellent camera work in this film. Even in looking at the opening sequence of the movie, it is an enormously long shot, lasting probably six or seven minutes. The moving camera fits well with the plot line because of the apparent chaos of Hollywood life. As people interact and criss-cross across the scene, the camera follows those people who matter, often switching directions mid-track or abandoning a person entirely. I also liked the eerie darkness of this film. It deals with murder as does The Long Goodbye and Nashville, but in a very different light. Here, the protagonist is the one who murdered in cold blood. Instead of hating him for what he does, the viewer doesn't feel those emotions. It still feels natural to stick up for him and hope that he doesn't get caught. Upon thinking about the film after viewing it, the realization that you have been rooting for the bad guy is slightly disconcerting. The magic of film making.

I wish I could come up with a catchy title, but it just isn't going to happen.

Akira Kurosawa. I'm kind of undecided on how I feel about his films. In some aspects, I really enjoyed the Kurosawa films we watched in class. In others, I really didn't.

Take Stray Dog for example. To begin with, the entire movie gets an incredibly uncomfortable vibe because of how sweaty everyone is. When people are sweating so profusely that they are literally drenched, it's just kind of icky. Count me out. The character of Murakami also bothered me throughout most of the movie. His obsession over what happened to the gun was understandable, but it got too extreme. He took everything as a personal attack and whenever something awful happened with his gun, he tried to take full responsibility. Generally, this would be an admirable quality. However, it was just overdone and became really obnoxious instead of respectable. My final problem with the film was the slow progression of the story. It wasn't easy to follow in the first place and when the plot is only creeping by, it doesn't help the situation. When a slow plot is added with something like the montage sequence of Murakami exploring the black market, the film is nearly too unbearable to watch. Definitely not my favorite.

Yojimbo and Ran were far more enjoyable for me to watch. There was more to the stories, characters I liked better, and more action than a couple of cops wandering the city. These films didn't try my patience hardly at all (a very nice break after Stray Dog) and I was able to follow and enjoy them. Overall, Kurosawa isn't exactly my favorite director, but I'm not going to try to say that he wasn't any good. I'm just really looking forward to starting our Altman unit now.