'Badgers ? We don't want no stinkin' badgers'

As horribly as some blinded folks might think John Huston's Treasure Of The Sierra Madre has aged- there is one scene that is a real hoot but very creepy. It's a almost fancifully campy -notice I say almost- & establishes the fact that serious drama made in the 40's and 50's still had the kind of humor that completely lacks in the modern era of cinema. Case in point, the following clip- which features a fearless & paranoid Humphrey Bogart negotiating for his life with a dirty mexican (played with comic wit by Alfonso Bedoya)

Best Of The Decade 2000-2009: Non-Fiction



Here's the first of what will likely be a weekly segment as a sort of 'wrap up' to the past decade of cinema. I'm starting it off with documentaries & I probably wouldn't have done it if it were the 90's, mostly because Doc's came out booming this decade and made many Hollywood movies feel shameless and meaningless. Their bravura and rebellious spirit brought back a kind of rule breaking intensity that many movies have been missing and looking for.

Of course, THE prime boomer of this movement is Michael Moore -Whose Bowling For Columbine tops my list & whose first two movies this decade showcased what would be an influential take on the genre. I also cannot ever forget an extraordinary achievement called Capturing The Friedman's, which has not been seen by many, but those who have were left shaken by Andrew Jarecki's camera and instinctive drama. Ive suggested Capturing The Friedman's to a bunch of friends and they all had the same reaction afterwards- That of awe inspiring anger.

1) Bowling For Columbine
2) Capturing The Friedman's
3) Etre Et Avoir
4) Fahrenheit 9/11
5) Spellbound 
6) The Cove
7) Anvil: The Story Of Anvil
8) Grizzly Man
9) The Kid Stays In The Picture
10) Super Size Me

There ya go, 10 movies with 10 very different subject matters and all as relevant today as they were the week they got released. I'll be back next week with The best in Animation & boy was it an amazing decade for that also with some marvelous, original & incendiary stuff coming out from -of all places- Hollywood.

Rosebud this & Rosebud that



...And although it is the center image and theme of this fascinating & original movie- which I just finished watching on glorious Blu Ray in a paramount theatre- One image is as powerful and immensely moving as the image above. It is that of Charles Kane standing isolated, rejected and near the end of his sad/epic life. His eyes watered and ready to explode with tears that he's been keeping for 60 years of his life.

In which I half ass an assignment & come up with something genuine/ my first -and last- compliment to fox news




People’s dependence on newspapers is shrinking & there is the overall attitude that it is becoming less and less relevant to actually sit down and read a newspaper. What with the high influence of Online media -including blogging- that’s taking over & those very same newspapers going into this fad by opening up their very own website where you can -oh gosh- read the paper for free, online at the comfort of your own home. Not only are newspapers giving us free readings online, they are also going into the trend of blogging which gives their writers more independence to voice their opinions and share their thoughts on a breaking news story. The ifs and buts of the whole idea of online news seem to be shrinking and the attitude amongst our generation is that ‘hey if I can get it for free online’ why should I pay for it outside? - ahhh purists must be mad as hell and can't take it anymore.

Forget about what I just said for a moment and look at how closely but surely Contemporary News Media is starting to get shaped in the 21st century as an online induced hot bed of information. It's not just that independent news outlets -such as bloggers & alternative media sources- are gaining a bit more recognition because of people’s disgust towards biased information being perpetrated in mainstream outlets such as Fox News or -hell- the New York Post. Fact of the matter is at the end of the day people will want a different source of news and not just the biased, corporate based info they are getting through mainstream outlets. Furthermore, the rise of blogging has -more than ever- given people their own voice to shout out they ain't gonna take it anymore, it is a reassembling of cultures and ideas that come together to give a new perspective on what one might and should think in any given circumstance.

It is a refreshing perspective on where we have come from and the shambles that have angered many while watching a news program that -shall I say- never gives all the details necessary in spite of what has actually happened. Hey listen, it happens to the best of us- we are so concerned these days with getting the defining truth of an event that we sometimes forget that there never really is one truth to an argument & that an opinionated debate is always the way to go, of course a media source such as The New York Times or any other newspaper cannot really rely on debate and -sometimes- just have to give the news in a ‘straightforward’ fashion to us but that’s where the blogging comes and the infinite astonishment that ‘hey there’s someone out there that has opinion ! & there’s someone out there that sees this situation in a differentlight’ that’s where it all comes together and you start to realize why blogging is a universal and conceptually real argument for contemporary news media.

From all I have stated so far it is clear that I am wagging my finger at the media for its own downfall and I will not refrain from mentioning it again that I truly believe this to be the case, especially when you take all the arguments I have pointed out in here & when you look at the way news is reported. It is their own demise and their own falling traps that have given them a sort of wake up call to liven up and start being more relevant- or at least they are trying to do that. Compare what is happening now to 10 years ago when the internet wasn’t half the force it is today- it is a powerful medium that has changed our courses of actions, awaken us to the temptation that there actually is a lively voice out there for news and it’s not just the usual bullshit that has turned the medium into a zombie like force.

It turns out that that voice is the people and the people’s voice is a powerful thing, full of ideas and writings actually conceived by human hands- compared to the controlled hands of what we call the man -err- should I say the Mainstream. Blogging is -and has- always been an alternative to our own universe of simplified and dull information. It is a lively concept that has scared the be Jesus out of every media imaginable and in doing so has rewritten what we perceive as Contemporary news media. Because it is a person writing and because that person is writing about something that might have been deemed to harsh or risky by the contemporary mainstream media, makes it all the more relevant, no matter how biased the article might be- because listen I won’t lie, when you’re dealing with a blogger there will be a bias because it is his or her opinion.

Which will make me conclude in a -how shall I say this- risky manner & state that although it is biased and although it is a preposterous account of what the media should be like, the reason why a successful media outlet such as fox news is -shock- successful might be because of the opinions and alternative universe it gives to its viewers compared to the stale and utterly by the numbers one of something like CNN or MSNBC. Fox has been deemed biased, been deemed loud and has had controversy lying all over it because of its right wing and thoroughly controversial agenda. Know what? That’s how blogging is and for all of its flaws and all of its nihilistic points of view at least its got style & has something that most news outlets out there don’t have- Balls.

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days



There's a mesmerizing scene midway through 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (4/5). An illegal abortion is about to be done but there is cringing and paranoiac disillusionment among the three people in the hotel room. You're on the edge of panic as you see 3 characters on the brink of killing a fetus and taking a chance for the sake of not having a kid. This is clearly not Juno, nor is it the Hollywood world of Knocked Up. It's real life and never has an abortion been this real and hard to watch on screen. Kudos to Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, working with handheld camera and giving his unflinching movie -winner of last year's Palme D'or at Cannes- an unforgettable feel. Talking about Juno and Knocked Up, I wasn't a big fan of their quirky melodramatic worlds, that had cartoon fabrications instead of real people and took the topic of female pregnancy as a kind of joke -mistakenly perceived by critics and audiences as mature portraits of the female psych. Mungiu's film doesn't fall inside that trap and instead of putting some light humor in his film, suffocates it with pulse pounding tension and seriousness.

Set in 1987 Romania, where Abortions are illegal to the communist regime. A friendship is tested as a 5 month pregnant girl wants an abortion and gets it through the help of a loyal friend that would almost do anything to assist her. The abortionist is a sleazy fella that gets paranoid by almost any movement or word said. the scene is as tense and revelatory as any in the film and is in fact the whole centerpiece that bring A and B together. Mungiu comes out as a singular director operating with no strings attached and evolving a master at his craft in more ways than one. You'd think that what is actually being watch is a documentary and not a fictitious movie. Mungiu pursues the virtues of what it is to live- love, happiness, death & panic, sheer and utter panic. That panic is the unsettling truth that reigns among this compulsively watchable movie's running time.

There is however one scene that is so absurd and so overdone that it almost ruins the film- but doesn't. It's a scene that has the main character sitting on a dinner table silently as the people around her jabber along and in the process annoy the viewer. It's a sort of experimental scene to try and convey a time and place and -suffice to say- suffocate the viewer with cringing suspense of what is the aftermath of a girl that is sitting alone in a hotel room, after having had a stressful abortion. It is almost impossible to describe Mungiu's film and its affects in a movie review, it is best to be watched and carefully constructed in a way that it lingers in your head long after its final scene has finished and you are left completely stunned and needing air, because you have just witnessed 100 minutes of pure and utter life on the screen. This is art.

My infamous editor- Part Deux



It's been a while I haven't written about him and now is I guess the best time, considering he's edited my new reviews for this week's The Concordian, which can be read HERE & HERE. First things first, this is a bit less enraging than what he did a month ago in a post I will refrain from posting again, due to my highly hidden anger. The only unholy edit I can think of this time around is putting the word Masterfully in my review of L'affaire Farewell, which is far from Masterful filmmaking and -in fact quite conventional in its storytelling. Given the tone of my review it is however solid stuff. Anywho, you can read my stuff in the links above- two interesting french movies that I reccomend if they every play in your area and that should be coming out in Montreal in the following week. Both featuring solid central performances and both quite different from each other- One slapstick/ One political thriller.

"Fish Tank"



Adolescence is at the heart of Andrea Arnold's Mesmerizing Fish Tank (4/5) - a British film that justly won the Jury Prize at Cannes this year and has been flooded with praise in the British Press since its release there in September. A release date is planned in early 2010 for the U.S and Canada and I suggest that despite its frankly original & curiously vague nature, you seek it out. At the heart of the movie is a central performance of incredible magnitude by newcomer Katie Jarvis, who plays Mia, a troubled & isolated teen in the slums of British property that everything and anything she touches turns into trouble. Mia lives with her already improper little sister and her sexually open mother. Their relationship is sparse and troubled in ways that I would call this family dysfunctional with a capital D. Trouble keeps coming when mom brings in a guy that Mia ends up having the hots for and -in turn- oh never mind, watch the movie.

The reason why such a simple movie is getting all its high praise -deservedly btw- is due to director Arnold springing surprises that keep you on interested for the movies whole 100 minutes, there are no missteps and every scene in perfectly fit in as to advance the characters and storyline. I was reminded of early Truffault with Antoine Doinel replaced by a female version of his and the mother as repulsive and real as that very movie. High props go to the entire cast for a movie that -as simple as it is- brought it in ways no other mainstream movie can. This is an original work of art, simple yet very refreshing. Fish Tank has been nominated for 8 British film awards- among the other nominess for Best Picture include Dunccan Jones' great Moon, Lone Scherfig's An Education & Armando Lanucci's satiric In The Loop.

Mais Oui..



..Only the french. Ever heard that expression? I'm sure you have & I'll add that only they can make stuff, that is far beyond hollywood's reach look so -How should I say zees- 'artistique'. I'm gonna watch two french movies tomorrow and have the reviews published in next week's The Concordian. I'm expecting lots of nudity, overdone mannerisms & -How can I forget this- a slice of ze baguette with lots of fromage and vin. To say this post is ridiculous would be an understatement but I couldn't help myself in what is essentially a slow moving day that had me rewatch Orson Welles' 1958 classic Touch Of Evil- which includes Charlton Heston in a thin mexican moustache, what's not to love?

A look at mainstream infamy



I am so used to watching one ambitious film after the next that I never really stumble upon stuff from the mainstream or from Hollywood. On Friday I went with my Girlfriend to see Love Happens- which was just plain bad. I didn't know Hollywood had it this bad in making a simple Rom com that tries to tug @ the heartstrings. I had no idea that such a lazy script could exist and that such inessential direction was out there. Then I came to the horrible thought that maybe -just maybe- there are more movies out there such as this one & that I am just not seeing them for the sole reason that I am not interested & would rather check out strange, non mainstream fare. To tell you the truth I saw a movie called Love Actually 6 years ago that was actually -shock- a decent romantic comedy from the Hollywood machine & one that made money because word of mouth spread out that it was actually good.

All this is in some shape or form relates to this year's (500) Days Of Summer, which -unlike Love Happens- was fresh air & portrayed a relationship in a truer, more realistic way than anything else out there. Take everything I have just said and put into account that the two best movies I`ve seen so far this year -The Hurt Locker & An Education- you have likely never heard of them or even read about them anywhere or seen a movie commercial. Such is the sad state of film today. Take into consideration a scene from Love Happens- which finds Jennifer Aniston falling for a widowed man played by Aaron Eckhart, as a form of self theraphy Eckhart decides to release caged doves that he and his wife had through many yers of marriage. The scene is so clumsy and infuriatingly bad that you cannot believe it actually happening & you wonder who wrote this stuff.

I`m actually quite happy that I went through this entire post without uttering a single swear word or angry grammar mistake. If anything, it`s shown you that -yes- I do give chances to Hollywood stuff that`s out in the multiplex and that -no- I am not yet impressed and will furthermore concentrate on scattered more unfindable fare that`s out there at the moment. Just my 2 cents of course.

Want something scary for Halloween?



Trick R Treat is THE movie this Halloween season. Forget about the 256th Saw movie and catch this movie asap. Just don't go looking for it in theatres- especially since the movie was moved from its original theatrical release to a straight to DVD route. why? I'm without answer, so are fan boys online -whom have been drooling and praising over this movie the past week. The movie's distributor -Warner Brothers- will likely suffer from having pulled this highly entertaining movie from theatres but will likely get muchos benefits from a sparse dvd release. Make no mistake about it- Trick R Treat is camp but it's a campy blast, filled with one liners that will likely be uttered in halloween's to come.

I won't give away the juicy details -4 interlocked horror stories-but I will mention there's something highly amusing in watching a deranged, hobo looking Brian Cox fighting a Halloween demon called Sam or watching a virginized Anna Paquin reveal a part of herself she's always been ashamed of or -better yet- Dylan Baker as a highly sadistic dad that is out for blood on Halloween night. Baker & Cox gives the best performances in a movie filled with humor and shock-the fact that these 2 talented actors are in it is reason enough to watch this movie. I can see myself watching these tales every Halloween and so will the viewer.

'The Searchers' Revisited



Watching a newly restored Blu-Ray of John Ford's The Searchers at the cinema the other night convinced me it was the best movie of 2009, too bad it was released 56 years ago and features a mostly passed-on cast. Its images stay in you head, especially that of an isolated Wayne getting the door shut on him as his silhouette lingers in the background. The image of isolation and unresolved rejection is painstakingly restored in what is a masterful movie of colour & sound.

What struck me most about Ford's movie are the hints of prejudice that flow in around and of Ethan- a man that cannot stand the Comanche, but is forced to suck it up and, in subtle ways, repent. Ford uses Ethan, but more importantly Wayne, as the anti-hero and does not give him the redemption he deserves in the movie's climax. Others would like to disagree with me but it is clear throughout that -although he is glorified at times- Ethan is a flawed man with misbegotten ambitions. He wants to save his captured niece from the Indians but he also wants to kill her because her mind has been warped by the Comanche and she is a "lost cause." His fellow searcher, Martin, does everything to prevent this from happening.

Although this is a great movie, one of the greatest ever made, the one complaint people always have about it is the comic relief that happens in spurt. There are two dim witted fools. I was not bothered by it, although I did have a beef about the subplot involving Martin marrying a Comanche. Even with these flaws, Ford's colours and textures resonate throughout and make for a wildly significant ride.

Whenever I gather around a list of my favourite movies- The Searchers always comes into the equation, resonating near the top. It is an epic that Time Magazine once called 'the most influential American movie'. I don't know if it is, could be, but what I do know is that watching it again the other night I was reminded of its textures, form, societal prophecies which was akin to seeing something a landmark exposed in cinematic imagery. A feeling that's been missing for quite some time.

An Image 10/19/09



'Here's lookin' right at ya' (The Great Train Robbery)
When movies actually got people in panic terror, circa 1903
The good old days he? When a man shooting at a screen could cause havoc and cahos in a movie theatre- when film was just beginning and you could truly feel the shot coming right at ya. How the times have changed & for good reason.

In response to Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

"He became the first African-American president in a notoriously racist country, which has given hope to oppressed peoples throughout the world.While campaigning for and after winning that job, took the opportunity to tour the world expressing his ideas and beliefs about equality, race, mutual respect, honoring each others' histories, appreciating cultural differences; understanding that one country is not automatically better than any other but that we all have important and legitimate ideas to bring to the table, and knowing that to move forward in a positive direction we must do our level best to use diplomacy to work together in peace. He has stuck firmly to these notions and continues as an excellent example of thoughtfulness and reason as the leader of, arguably, the world's most powerful state or, as the Nobel committee more succinctly put it, for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"

-Clara Sturak

"Anvil" & "Sin Nombre"

Two movies -one Canadian & one Mexican- try to be a breath of fresh air from the hollywood junk we are used to in theatres. Both are coming out on dvd this Tuesday and both are worth seeking out. If you are tired of the consumer junk polluting the cinemas, this post is for you.



Anvil ! : The Story Of Anvil (4/5) is the kind of documentary I love recommending to people that still think it's a worthless format or -even worse- a boring one. Anvil is neither one of these commodities, in fact it's better than anything coming out on dvd this week. The fact the self titled Metal band has been around for close to 3 decades and have inspired the likes of Lars Ulrich and Slash is astonishing- what's even more astonishing is how unknown this band really is. The struggle and courage to carry on and live the dream is a somewhat repetitive theme in the film- which is a kind of real life based Spinal Tap, without the atrociousness & implausibility of course. The Canadian based band is seen going on a worldwide tour where they end up performing -in some instances- to just about 5 people in the crowd. To say this movie has the Rock And Roll spirit is an understatement, Singer Lips and Drummer Robb are not just looking for fame- they are driven by the music and want to spread the word around. It's a shame not many people will catch this heartbreaking and hilarious gem- due to the fact it is so small and so rebellious in its filmmaking. Seek it out and spread the word.



Also out is Sin Nombre (3.5/5), a devastating road movie from Mexico that tells the story of a Teenage gang member that wants out &--in the process- meets a young Mexican girl who wants out of the country w/her father & uncle. On a train they try to reach the border illegally & meet unfortunate circumstances in the process. The movie packs so much in so little time that there really is no room to breathe, in fact there is a reminescent feel to it following such films as Maria Full Of Grace & the more recent Sugar. No worry, Bravely directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga- it's a bold statement on the poverty and gangland that always seems to be around in Mexico. If the ending seems pat and predicatble the rest of the film is fascinating wildride into the Mexican outland- go for it.

Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker"



Now if only every war movie were quite like this one. Yes. It is exhausting. Yes. It is flawed. But is it something to behold in its tightly nit suspenseful sequences, carefully drawn character sketches & Immensely powerful impact that doesn't hit you til the film is done. I'm gonna refrain from what others have done and not call Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker a masterpiece- instead it is as relevant and as poignant as any movie we will likely see this year. It is also the best movie -fiction or non- to be made about the current war in Iraq. A war that is starting to look more and more like Vietnam more than 4 decades ago. The fact that this was directed by a woman is even more astonishing, she has better visual technique than any of the supposed male action directors out there. Bigelow stages every single action sequence as if it were her film's last and the overall impact she gives because of the time she takes gives the film a kind of Western-like feel that makes it feel unforgettable and unvarnished from reality.

The film hits rough patches that don't quite gel with the rest of the sequences & you better get used to watching a plot free movie- then again, there's so much to be had here that it's automatically forgotten once the next action set piece hits. I was struck at how rich & unambiguous her film was. By the end of it, we get to know our three soldiers -including an incredible performances by Jeremy Renner- & you come to the infuriating thought that war is a clueless consequence but a heroic one at that- fuelled by naturally drug induced testosterone. The film opens with a quote that says 'war is a drug' a quote that fits the movie's central character quite well, as his adrenaline and visceral like being takes over any kind of anxiety. Ms. Bigelow has done herself proud and I wouldn't be surprised if we see her honoured by the Academy this year.

"An Education" into making a great movie



There are only 3 months left to the 2009 movie season and -as far as I'm concerned- Hollywood hasn't churned out many great movies, here's one; Lone Scherfig's An Education will renew your passion for film. I wasn't bored by a single one of the 95 minutes I saw and -trust me- that's high praise these days. There is an almost typical naivete to Jenny -incomparably played by Cary Mulligan- as she meets the first love of her life David, a Jewish fraud artist that Jenny sees as the perfect man. David is played by the always reliable Peter Sarsgaard & the character is so well thought out that one might wonder how such a humane character can also be so conniving & -oh boy- thoughtful.

What works so well with Nick Hornsby's screenplay is the way it avoids the usual cliches that usually drown this type of film. I was struck by the number of times I thought 'oh no it's going that direction' & then it goes the other way and surprises us. Buzz has already been talked about on Mulligan's performance, so much so that I won't take much time on it and just say that it is an exceptional one- deserving of all the awards that will likely come her way in the next few months. Jenny isn't exactly a victim in the mess she gets herself into, if anything, she is going through a learning experience that even school cannot dare give her- As Lisa Schwarzbaum pointed out in her review, Jenny could easily be the main character in The Beatles' She's Leaving Home, a song that aptly describes a time when innocence and truth came out for so many women -and- men.

The crisis Jenny goes through in this exceptional movie is a universal one that -sadly- every female had to go through in the early 60's. A decade that would change all that and would quickly position woman's rights as -almost equally-powerful & relevant as men's. Alfred Molina Plays Jenny's Dad and he is as confused as she is about her future. He wants his daughter to have the education she so richly deserves & go to Oxford but he knows that a man like David is an even better choice, because it is a more plausible and successful option than having a diploma & being a woman in the 60's. The film comes out in November, I advise you seek it out.

The Polanski Dilemma


Has there been a more politically polarizing film figure than him this year? I am not writing this to state an epic opinion or to share a belief. It's just that it is so easy accusing someone that sides with Polanski as being Pro Rape or Anti Judicial System. Fact of the matter is very simple -at least on my part it is- Should he be found viably guilty for what he's done? of course, rape should never happen & is a serious cause for consequence But of course, and I know you saw this coming- it's been 30+ years and I'm sick and tired of hearing about Polanski. Mind you, some people don't even realize that he's already spent jail time for his crime and that the reason he escaped The U.S was because of the biased treatment he was getting over there. Mind you, He settled into France where 'Les Artistes' are championed & seen as heroic, no matter how corrupt or devious they are.

I do think people are defending him solely based on who he is and -not to mention- all the excessively devastating things he's gone through in life-Having his pregnant wife murdered by Charles Manson, escaping a Nazi concentration camp during WW2 & Having his mother killed in the Holocaust (Yikes, talk about Psych 101.) I'm gonna refrain from talking about this case again & let you decide your own opinion. It's a tricky thing talking about it - especially with everyone up at arms & coming up with all sorts of clueless conclusions. Yes, that's right, clueless. Let's all settle down here and talk about movies instead of sending out threatening letters to people who voice an opinion such as fellow writers Sasha Stone or Glenn Kenny. That's what pisses me off, not the fact that Polanski is currently in jail but the fact that we cannot even voice our opinions without being scolded and personally attacked.

"Bright Star" & Abbie Cornish



Since this will most likely be THE period piece of the year, I decided to take a look at `Bright Star` tonight & what I found were 2 great performances and great direction muddled by a fairly standard screenplay. Don't get me wrong- I love movies like these, in fact I'm a sucker for Jane Campion's great The Piano or James Ivory's haunting The Remains Of The Day. Both these movies had something that Bright Star lacks, a sense of urgency and uncanny originality that would set them apart from the others. Campion herself directs this movie and she does one hell of a job, setting a slow paced but effectively drawn out mood that -for the most part- had me at hello. The reason I'm writing this review is not for Campion, it's actually for relative newcomer Abbie Cornish who plays Fanny Browne -forbiddenly in love with poet John Keats- and one hell of an actress. She exudes passion and her final scene is incredibly real and stunning. I'm betting she gets an Oscar Nom come January & if she doesn't- then I'm gonna call it a major steal.

Some of you might Remember Cornish as Michelle in Stop-Loss or her small part in Ridley Scott's A Good Year. Those movies didn't showcase her talent enough and shadowed her behind other great actors- Bright Star is her chance to shine & boy does she ever. It`s the best female performance I`ve seen all year. The passion she brings to this movie is astounding. From the many different dresses she wears on screen to the beauty & romance she exudes with her counterpart -an impressive Ben Wishaw- there`s something exciting in discovering an actress blooming and lifting up a somewhat ordinary film. I don`t need to tell you Cornish does that and then some.