Kubrick's "The Shining" further explored in new DOC


Stanley Kubrick's films are quite something aren't they? The more you watch them the more you start
noticing new things you hadn't seen at first hand. THAT my friends is what cinema is all about to me. The potential for revelation. The potential to explore the great beyond. Most movies are two and two is four. What are the movies that represent the most ADVANCED math? The far bounds of particle physics? The Einstein or Stephen Hawking notebooks that no one has quite figured out the squiggles of? The skullcrushing Advanced Calculus to the 99th Power? That was a question that was recently asked by a friend of mine on Facebook - to which I had to mention recent fare such as; 

Terrence Malik's The Tree Of Life 
David Lynch's Mulholland Drive 
Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan 
Michael Haneke's Cache 
Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood & The Master
Joel Coen's No Country For Old Men
Alfonso Cuarron's Children Of Men

Let's face it. No brainers right? Films that will be undisputed film school staples for years to come. Just like Stanley Kubrick's films already are. 2001: A Space Oddysey is his visionary masterpiece, a film that cannot fit into the 2+2=4 category. One that needs a closer look to -at least try to- fully understand its vision and impact on your mind. These are the kind of movies I eat up. Films that don't give a fuck and aim for the beyond. Kubrick's The Shining -another masterpiece of his- deserves inclusion into this category. It is a film that doesn't play by any rules of the horror genre and decides to not explain to us the full gist of what's happening on screen. We know it is about a father that completely loses it on his family and tries to murder them but why the sudden murderous rage? Kubrick doesn't answer that question in a linear manner. The hotel at which the family is staying is filled with a haunted past that we -as the audience- need to figure out. 

The images Kubrick conjures are indelibly puzzling but haunting. Too many scenes cannot be fully explained on the spot. Why does the wife walk in on a man in a bear suit giving a blowjob to a hotel clerk? What's the deal with the film's final image in which an eerily ancient painting features Jack Nicholson's Jack Torrence? Who was that creepy woman in room 237? Redrum? The "river of blood"? Those creepy twin girls? "all work and no play". Just so much stuff to dissect. Which brings me to this new documentary called Room 237 which will come out in the next few weeks and has gotten great buzz for its obsessive look at some of The Shining's most puzzling moments and the fans that eat this stuff up for breakfast.
 
The film does massively play with a sense of space and time - e.g. the blueprint of the Overlook doesn't add up. The doors beside room 237 make no sense (the interior of the apartement covers these doors, so they go nowhere). There is a corridor running behind Ullman's office, yet his office window shows the outside. There are windows on three sides of the Torrance's apartment, yet when Danny is dropped through the bathroom window, that whole side of the hotel is flat. All this leading to a final head-screw image, to twist your head off completely as the film finishes. The film should be looked at more in terms of its feelings and tones (like a David Lynch film) rather than logic. The subtext is about Jack being weak as an abusive alcoholic, Wendy being weak as a mother who ignores it, Danny being a kid who dissociates as a way of dealing with it - and how that dynamic breaks the family apart. Everything on the surface hints at those themes, but without a clear sense of logic.

The film cannot all be taken literally but this new documentary does try to attempt to solve some of the film's nuttiest mysteries. Which brings me back to the movies that represent "advanced math". If The Shining isn't one of those very movies, I don't know what is. I look forward to watching Room 237 but with a little hesitation. Some films don't need to explained but do in fact need to be dissected. Does that make sense? It sure does to me. Cinema is an art form and like all great art there doesn't need to necessarily be one answer. There can be many. Kubrick knows that. That's why The Shining is a full fledged masterpiece.


Roger Deakins.

I Guess I shouldn't really diss Oscar any further BUT I can't help it. Case in point; Roger Deakins. A legendary cinematographer that has NEVER won an Oscar. The below montage will show you some of his best shots and why the boneheads over at the Academy can't their minds straight and finally award this genius the Oscar he deserves. I know, I know .. an Oscar doesn't mean jack but still it's the recognition that counts for me and Deakins has already 10 nominations but zero wins. Absurd. Especially considering he's probably the best cinematographer at the moment in the industry. Blasphemy. I expanded on this idea after having read the FOLLOWING  piece over at Awards Daily. Anyways on with the montage.









Kubrick and Spielberg team up again for "Napoleon"?

kubrick

Here we go. Now THIS is film news ! People have long known that I have an unequivocal obsessions with Stanley Kubrick's long lost passion project on Napoleon. Hell, the un-filmed screenplay is one of the most popular screenplays downloaded online. It's become the stuff of legend. In the 60's Kubrick was developing a possible film on the life of Napoleon and had already cast Jack Nicholson in the role. The legendary director even said this would be "The greatest movie I've ever made" - which says a lot given that is the same guy that gave us classics such as 2001 A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and Dr. Strangelove. Anyways long story short a film about Napoleon came out before his even began filming and was a complete flop, which had studios scared at the prospect of another one, especially since this one already had a high budget to begin with. The whole project was scrapped and became the stuff of legend. I mean, think about a 3 hour Kubrick epic about one of the most fascinating characters to have ever lived on the face of the earth.

Yesterday's news was a breath of fresh air has it was unveiled that Spielberg will try and tackle Kubrick's screenplay for the small screen as part of a TV Mini Series. This isn't the first time Spielberg tackled a lost Kubrick opus, the other time was in 2001 when he released AI: Artifical Intelligence which was based on an idea Kubrick had developed over three decades. Suffice to say, I believe that film is a masterpiece -some clearly don't- and the thought of Spielberg tackling Kubrick again sounds incredible. Kubrick spent years researching Napolean, going through as many as 18,000 documents and books. The Kubrick family trusts Spielberg and I do too. Of course the contrasting differences between Spielberg and Kubrick are big but hey, is there anyone out there who can mimic Kubrick well enough? Maybe Paul Thomas Anderson. Now that would be something. For now let's just trust Spielberg with this one, his last film -Lincoln- was a very well made historical drama.

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/2013/03/04/speilberg-developing-kubricks-napoleon/

Top 50 American films 1980's



1) Do The Right Thing (Spike Lee)
2) Blue Velvet (David Lynch)
3) Platoon (Oliver Stone)
4) Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese)
5) The Fly (David Cronenberg)
6) Brazil (Terry Gilliam)
7) Terms Of Endearment (James L Brooks)
8) Blow Out (Brian DePalma)
9) The Elephant Man (David Lynch)
10) Back To The Future (Robert Zemeckis)

11) Broadcast News (James L Brooks)
12) The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner)
13) Die Hard (John McTiernan)
14) Something Wild (Jonathan Demme)
15) Rain Man (Barry Levinson)
16) The Last Temptation Of Christ (Martin Scorsese)
17) The Shining (Stanley Kubrick)
18) Witness (Peter Weir)
19) Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (Pedro Almodovar)
20) Batman (Tim Burton)

21) Prizzi's Honor (John Huston)
22) The King Of Comedy (Martin Scorsese)
23) After Hours (Martin Scorsese)
24) Mississippi Burning (Alan Parker)
25) Mask (Peter Bogdonovich)
26) The Killing Fields (Rolland Joffe)
27) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Robert Zemeckis)
28) Big (Penny Marshall)
29) Raising Arizona (Joel Coen)
30) Risky Business (Paul Brickman)

31) The Untouchables (Brian DePalma)
32) The Terminator (James Cameron)
33) Hannah And Her Sisters (Woody Allen)
34) The Purple Rose Of Cairo (Woody Allen)
35) Broadway Danny Rose (Woody Allen)
36) Blood Simple (Joel Coen)
37) Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick)
38) The Accidental Tourist (Lawrence Kasdan)
39) Dead Poets Society (Peter Weir)
40) Bad Boys (Rick Rosenthal)

41) Mad Max (George Miller)
42) Scarface (Brian DePalma)
43) Predator (John McTiernan)
44) Fatal Attraction (Adrian Lyne)
45) Atlantic City (Louis Malle)
46) River's Edge (Tim Hunter)
47) Superman 2 (Richard Lester)
48) Crimes And Misdemeanors (Woody Allen)
49) Raiders Of The Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)
50) The Temple Of Doom (Steven Spielberg)

Post-Oscar bashing



It's not always fun to watch the Oscars, one would even call it a frustrating experience.What with all the infuriating choices they pick year by year. Remember when Crash won Best Picture in 2006? Or Goodfellas getting beaten by -wait for it- Dances With Wolves. Ahh yes, the Academy Awards .. the same organization that has never given an Oscar to Alfred Hitchcock or Stanley Kubrick and waited a whole 35 years before giving Best Director to our greatest living filmmaker Martin Scorsese. The same Academy that never gave a Best Picture nomination to such classics as Do The Right Thing, The Player, Leaving Las Vegas, Breaking The Waves, The Truman Show, Being John Malkovich, Fight Club, Mulholland Drive, Memento, Eternal Sunshine, A History Of Violence, Children Of Men, The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Black Swan, Drive and -most recently- The Master  ... And that's just the last 25 years of cinema. Imagine the other 75. You get what I'm saying, this is a race infused with political bullshit and it's not may the best picture win but may the best campaign come out on top. This is how it went down this year and how it should have really went down.

Best Picture
who won? Argo .. grrr
Who shoulda won? The Master ..not even nominated

Best Director
Who Won? Ang Lee Life Of Pi
Who shoulda won? Paul Thomas Anderson The Master .. not even nominated

 Best Actor
Who Won? Daniel Day Lewis Lincoln
Who shoulda Won? Joaquin Pheonix The Master

 Best Actress
Who Won? Jennifer Lawrence Silver Linings Playbook
Who shoulda won? Jessica Chastain Zero Dark Thirty

 Best Supporting Actor
Who won? Christoph Waltz  Django Unchained
Who shoulda won? Samuel L Jackon Django Unchained or Matthew McConaughey Magic Mike .. both not even nominated

Best Supporting Actress
Who won? Anne Hattaway Les Miserables
Who shoulda won? Anne Dowd Compliance .. not even nominated

Best Movies of 2003

1)  The Return Of The King (Peter Jackson)

Here it is. Every decade an epic comes out that you know will stand the test of time. Gone With The Wind in the 30's, Lawrence Of Arabia in the 60's, Titanic in the 90's and etc. It's only 2003 but I'm pretty sure there will be no grandeur big daddy epic than Peter Jackson's capping of his much beloved The Lord Of The Rings series. Clocking in at an astounding 201 minutes, The Return Of The King ties everything up together and then some by schooling every other wannabe epic of the decade. The story of Frodo and Sam is finally over but Jackson -just like he did in the first three films- brings an intimacy to character and detail that is astounding for a film of such maximal size. The special effects are the background to a story of good vs. evil, black vs. white, spiritual vs. demonic. Talk about a triumph, here it is. The best picture of the year.

2) Mystic River (Clint Eastwood)

Clint Eastwood's adaptation of Dennis Lehane's ferocious novel is the legend's best film since Unforgiven. Yes, it's that good. Depicting a story of abuse, violence and haunted memories -amongst other things-  Eastwood relies on a talented to cast to hit a home run. Sean Penn deserves the Oscar for his intensely dramatic performance as a father who's daughter is murdered and Tim Robbins, as his old time friend, ex-abuse victim and main suspect of the case, gives a tremendously layered portrayal of haunted grief. Eastwood films it all with dimly lit scenes that will haunt your dreams and a self composed soundtrack that will give you the chills. If there ever was counter programming to The Lord Of The Rings, this is it. With a surprise ending you won't even see coming. A masterpiece through and through.

3) Lost In Translation (Sofia Coppola)

Sofia Coppola's best movie as a director is such sensitive, slight stuff - and I do mean that as a compliment. Every frame is beautifully photographed by Lance Acord, the film is a portal to a brightly colored, anything-can-happen Japan. And the performances by the two leads -Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssen- just sublime. In showing unrequited, unforgivable love between these two strangers lost in a place far far away, Coppola infuses every frame of her magically romantic film with a sense of purpose and free will. It's as if every convention known to Hollywood is thrown out of the window and replaced by a freshness you usually see in -yes- Japenese films made by such auteurs as Wong Kar Wai or Ozu. Most surprisingly, it's American.

4) City Of God (Fernando Mereilles)

City Of God reinvents the Gangster film. Of  course, the style is inspired by vintage Scorsese but the setting is foreign - the slums of Rio De Janeiro- and the direction twirlingly ambitious. Much kudos must given to director Fernando Mereilles who proves to be a true talent. His film gives you a peek inside a world you have never seen before, where children have guns and are forced to do things adult would ever think of doing in a lifetime. It's scary, thrilling stuff that justifiably got lauded worldwide for its technical and narrative ambition. Mereilles should be given full credit, he hired real kids from the slums -hoodlums some of them- to portray a declining society that has no rules. The Best foreign film of the year.

5) Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton)

The magical wizards over at Pixar offered us another colorful treat in 2003. This time the coral reefs of Australia are used as a setting in an animated movie with dazzling colors -maybe the most dazzling of any animated film since Dumbo- that set the bar way high for any other in animation this year. If there ever was an Oscar category for Best voice in an Animated movie, Ellen Degeneres would win it this year by a landslide. Degeneres' Dori is both a comical and voiced-over masterpiece and her chemistry with Albert Brooks, outstanding. Kudos must be given to director Andrew Stanton and his assistant director Lee Unkrich, they bring their A game here in a blockbuster that actually deserved every cent it made.

6) Elephant (Gus Van Sant)

Gus Van Sant's Elephant is a tough watch. In his artful depiction of a high school shooting, Van Sant uses maddening camera trickery to only enhance the inevitable. Loosely based on the Columbine shooting massacre, you know how this is going to end yet you can't look away as every fragmented scene builds up after another and the overall powerful effect is like whiplash. Hiring no name actors was a wise decision as it brings a realness that lacks in many movies these days. This justifiably won the Palme D'or at Cannes earlier in the year and is easily Van San't best film since 1991's My Own Private Idaho.

7) 21 Grams (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

Mexican director Inarritu's followup to his much praised Amorres Perros is a demonically depressing film -and I mean that as a compliment. Its brilliance lies in the way stars Sean Penn and -more specifically- Naomi Watts act the hell out of their roles and how Inarritu's restless camera tries uncover the depths of deep human despair through a tragedy that no mother would ever want happen. The result is dark and often furiously despairing, which can only lead one to think about where Inarritu might go next. I, for one, am looking forward to his next artfully dark character study.

8) The Magdalene Sisters (Peter Mulan)

The most underrated movie of the year comes from Ireland. Director Peter Mulan crafts a story like no other, plunging us deep into the world of the catholic church in Ireland. We watch in agony at scenes of severe punishment towards women that have commited what the church deems as "sex crimes". These "crimes" would clearly not be considered such in our times but -surprisingly enough- the abuse and punishment continued on in Ireland well up until the 90's. Infuriating stuff that needed to be told and something of a miracle movie that cannot be shaken when it is done.

9) Kill Bill:Volume One (Quentin Tarantino)

And so it happens that while we were all wondering where the hell Quentin Taraninto was, the director comes back and surprises us with a film unlike any he's made before - an homage to grindhouse Japanese b-movies starring his ultimate muse Uma Thurman. Kill Bill doesn't reach the fever pitch brilliance of Pulp Fiction nor does the director actually want it to. Instead this is exactly as you'd expect; Tremendous entertainment by a movie buff that knows he can do way better than this but refuses to repeat himself.

10) Capturing The Friedman's (Andrew Jarecki)

The year's best documentary is one for the ages. Andrew Jarecki's troubling account of the Friedman's -an average looking American family caught up to the neck in pedophilia charges- is the anti-Michael Moore doc, a film that refuses to take sides and just shows you the evidence. You decide if the Friedman clan is really guilty or if they were set up. It helps that Jarecki found a hell of a story with too many twists and turns to count on both hands. Like many of the films on my list Capturing The Friedman's is not an easy watch but its rewards are plentiful and its knack to make you think outside the box invigorating. Here's to more films like these in the years to come.

11) Les Invasions Barbares, Denys Arcand

12) The Station Agent, Tom Mccarthy

13) Les Triplettes De Belleville, Sylvain Chomet

14) Swimming Pool, Francois Ozon

15) The School Of Rock, Richard Linklater

16) Irreversible, Gaspar Noe

17) Dirty Pretty Things, Stephen Frears

18) Bad Santa, Terry Zwigoff

19) Rabbit-Proof Fence, Phillip Noyce

20) Phone Booth, Joel Schumacher

21) House Of Sand And Fog, Vadim Perlman

22) Cabin Fever, Eli Roth

23) A Mighty Wind, Christopher Guest

24) The Matchstick Men, Ridley Scott

25) Hulk, Ang Lee

26) Shattered Glass, Billy Ray

27) The Matrix Reloaded, Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski

28) The Italian Job, F. Gary Gray

29) Dogville, Lars Von Trier

30) Better luck Tomorrow, Justin Lin

"Django" unchains every convention


 

Django Unchained (R) 

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained is a peculiar beast. A film so outrageous yet -at the same time- so dead serious in its themes that you feel confused and exhilarated at the same time. The -by now- well known "Tarant-onian" dialogue is very much present here, just as present as in his last picture the equally outrageous Inglourious Basterds, which was what I described back in 2009, a "Jewish wet dream". Django is an "African American wet dream", loaded with fantasy based scenes that can only be described as full on revenge, especially the finale which rivals the masterful "Jew face" finale of Basterds. Tarantino sets up his "historical" film in very much the same way eh set up his last. This isn't a piece of history, nor should it be. Even with the recent odd airing of Basterds on the History Channel, Tarantino doesn't mean to give us a history lesson, he actually means to reinvent history as a way to feed his own unique twisted little fetishes.

This isn't the Tarantino of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction or Jackie Brown. Those films had a sort of cinematic subtleness  and the violence depicted in them was scarily real. Instead, Django is the violent Tarantino of his latter day films, I'm talking the Cartoonish sword debauchery of Kill Bill, the feminist manifesto mayhem of Death Proof and the Scalping epicness of Basterds. This in a way is a real letdown for this very viewer. I am in no way saying that Django or another Tarantino film of the last 10 years is bad, in fact they're all magnificent in their own twisted little ways, but I for one miss the realism that he brought to his first 3 features. Then again, if he resorted to his old indie formula, people would most likely criticize him for just being unoriginal and repetitive, which of course just makes it a lose-lose situation for the former video store clerk turned director.

Back to Django - it's one hell of an experience. Packed with enough Tarantino to please most of his fans. As with any of the director's films, it's loaded with great performances, QT has always had a gift for bringing out the best in an actor. Just watch Travolta in Pulp Fiction or Kurt Russell in Death Proof.  Christophe Waltz is magnificent in Django. In Waltz Tarantino has found his muse, an actor that can spurt out his brilliant dialogue with such poetic admirable elegance. It is then no surprise that Waltz has gotten his second straight Oscar Nomination for a Tarantino picture, don't be surprised if a third one comes up again at some point in time. Jamie Foxx as our titular hero doesn't need to act much but brings out enough emotions in a simple stone faced gesture that you don't care. The always reliable Leonardo Dicaprio shines also, as Monsieur Candie - a slave owner obsessed with the racist sport of Mandingo. Once again Dicaprio was snubbed on the Oscar ballot, this has happened way too many times, when will Oscar finally fess up to its past mistakes and reward this brilliant actor with a nomination?

Want to talk brilliance? Wait until you see Samuel L Jackson as Stephen, a black slave turned white servant to Dicaprio's Candie. Tarantino meant to make Stephen the "most despised negro in cinematic history", job well done QT. Jackson is astonishing, bringing out a ferocious, hellaciously comic performance. Fuck Oscar, Jackson's role here is one for the history books and is a kind of deranged version of Uncle Ben. Every time he's on screen you will be hooked. Tarantino doesn't play it easy and his film does have its flaws but the ambition is contagious. He films every scene with the kind of passion you rarely see in movies today. To say that Tarantino is drunk on cinema would be an understatement. It is his religion. At 167 minutes long, Tarantino stuffs his film with the most peculiar, original characters imaginable. A cast of actors that bring their A game to the forefront because they understand the vision their director is going for. Django Unchained is a film untouched by conventionalism, it is a diamond in the ruff, a pebble in a sea of muck and it gets the job done just like you expect it to. Now, how about that?

Best Movies of 2004

 

1) Sideways (Alexander Payne)

Sideways is -in a way- a perfect movie. In fact, the only perfect one of 2004. A melancholic tribute to love, relationships, friendships and wine. Its director Alexander Payne is the perfect filmmaker to tackle such subjects, each one of his first 4 feature has had to deal with men in the midst of a mid life crisis. In this movie Paul Giammati's Miles, a still single, wine loving schlub, goes on one last road trip with his soon to get married best friend -impeccably played by Thomas Hayden Church. You think you know where this is going but you don't. the truths you find in Sideways sting, so do the laughs. Alexander Payne has made his best movie yet.
 

2) Maria Full Of Grace (Joshua Marston)

Here comes a stunner from Columbia that will get you from very first frame. Joshua Marston -an American filmmaker- decided to make a small indie all in Spanish about a drug smuggling mule named Maria. Every relentlessly intense step you are with her as she bypasses through countless hazards in her journey to freedom. It helps that Marston cast Catalina Sandino Moreno as Maria, an actress of eloquent beauty that brings real depth to her role. It's the type of movie that doesn't get made anymore in Hollywood, a character study with ideas and enough tension to blow the roof off of the theatre.



3) Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry)

The colorfully eccentric world Michel Gondry has created in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is unlike any you've ever seen before. It is then not surprising that the source material comes from a screenplay written by Being John Malkovich scribe Charlie Kaufman. The end result is one of the best romantic comedies in ages, a film that is more truthful about love -but more specifically relationships- than any other movie you will likely see this decade. Kaufman believes that the bitterness of a break-up overshadows what is essentially the most important part of the process; the memories have been created. It helps that Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet give us the performances of their lives. A flawed but ambitious visionary treat.

 

4) Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi)

Now this is what I'm talking about. After the letdown that was the first Spider-Man movie in 2002, director Sam Raimi completely redeems himself by creating one of the best superhero movies ever made. A mind blowing mix of action, heart and character that had viewers on the edge of their seats. Raimi knows that to make a great superhero movie you need to care about the characters that are onscreen, well DUH why didn't anyone think of that sooner. The special effects are outstanding and the action sequences -including a thrilling train crash finale- make this a knockout through and through. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst look more alive that in the original.



5. Million Dollar Baby (Clint Eastwood)

So Clint Eastwood, after last year's beaut Mystic River, keeps giving us thought provoking character studies. In this one Hilary Swank is an up and coming boxer that the Clint takes in his wings. No need to say more but be warned this looks like a Rocky-like tale from the outside but Eastwood is a changed man, he doesn't adhere to formula anymore and keeps springing surprises at us. Swank deserves another Oscar for this one ditto Morgan Freeman as Eastwood's right hand man. As for Clint, this might just be the best performance he has ever given in any movie.

 

6) Kill Bill:Volume Two (Quentin Tarantino)

So Quentin Tarantino decided to stop being a fanboy for at least a year and make the moviest movie he's done since Jackie Brown. No reason to complain there. The QT dialogue we've been so used to love is back and the story of the Bride is more layered than ever. You can now understand why the grindhouse influenced director decided to split both movies apart. They are two different beasts split into two different genres. QT still hasn't gotten back to the Pulp Fiction triumph he had back in 1994 and -to tell you the truth- I don't think he or many other filmmakers will ever reach those heights. I think he knows it and that's why he's treating us to movies such as this one. There's no reason to take Volume 1 or Volume 2 so seriously. Just sit back and enjoy the show.



7) Hotel Rwanda (Terry George)

The power of Hotel Rwanda comes in how intimate it makes its big moments appear. This isn't a showy film about one of the cruelest genocides every committed. This is the portrait of a country crumbling down in ethnic cleansing and a war that just doesn't seem to make much sense. What I gathered most from Director Terry George's powerful film was how such crimes could be committed without any international intervention. Most of the powerhouse states held back and let the mass murder go on. It was then left up to the small heroes the picture shows us to alert the ignorant international community. Don Cheadle is mesmerizing as a man putting everything on the line -including his life- to make the bloodshed stop.



8) Collateral (Michael Mann)

Bless Michael Mann for being, yes, Michael Mann. The director of The Insider, Manhunter, Ali and Heat has always been one to delve into the deepest, darker thoughts of the male psyche. In Collateral, his 8th film as director, he gives us the story of a hitman -indelibly played by Tom Cruise- and the Cabbie -Jamie Foxx- he meets one night to bring him to numerous different destinations. Along the way we learn more about these two fascinating characters as their journey leads them to an underground Los Angeles at night filled with violence and corruption that cannot be shaken. The journey is half the battle as Mann springs surprises that no one can see coming. He has crafted yet another male-dominated world that will haunt your dreams.


9) The Incredibles (Brad Bird)

It is just not that surprising to see yet another great Pixar movie in my list. Hiring The Simpsons scribe and creator of 1999's brilliant The Iron Giant Brad Bird was a stroke of genius. Bird creates a world that we have never seen before, where a family of superheroes must battle its deepest enemy; family dynamics. Yikes, talk about originality. Bird is a true original, the colors used in every frame are remarkable beautiful and the characters he has created oddly humane. If you're expecting a superhero movie for kids, think again. This is adult stuff laced with wit, laughter and breathless action.


10) The Manchurian Candidate (Jonathan Demme)
10) Fahrenheit 9/11 (Michael Moore)

Two politically charged films that couldn't be more further apart from each other. Demme's film is a remake of the 1960's classic and he does that film proud by hiring Hollywood pros such as Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington. It's his best movie since 1991's The Silence Of The Lambs. Michael Moore's hotly anticipated Bush bashing documentary seeks to give us "truthful" facts but never seems to back them up. No worries. Moore's knack for entertaining us is not gone. In his past movies we knew he was full of it yet we also understood what was at stake. Whether it'd be gun control, monopolized economies or a half-wit president - there is always much on the line in his films.

11. The Dreamers, Bernardo Bertolluci

12. The Motorcycle Diaries, Walter Salles

13. Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock

14. The Passion Of The Christ, Mel Gibson

15. The Ladykillers, Joel Coen

16. The Bourne Supremacy, Paul Greengrass

16. Dodgeball, Rawson Marshall Thurber

17. The Door In The Floor, Tod Williams

18. I'm Not Scared, Gabriele Salvatores

19. The Punisher, Jonathan Hensleigh

20. Since Otar Left, Julie Bertuccelli

Best Movies of 2005

 
1) A History Of Violence (David Cronenberg)

David Cronenberg, bless him, is a director that has never resorted to formula in his over 3 decade career. In this one-of-a-kind Gangster picture, the Canadian filmmaker crafts his best movie since 1986's The Fly - a mind bending journey into the violence that exists in all of us. This sexy, erotic, aggressive picture is typical Cronenberg with a flawed hero in Viggo Mortensen's mysterious family drifter. The violence is grotesque, the sex kinky and the narrative unlike any you've ever seen.

 
2) Cache/Hidden (Michael Haneke)

This is my kind of movie - one that asks more questions than actually answers them yet provokes enough mystery and intrigue to get you talking about it for months on end. Haneke is a master manipulator and an artist that refuses to resort to any kind of formulaic narrative. His movies are unafraid to show you images that shock. In this french import he decides to give us a deeply penetrating look at an abundance of themes that have obsessed him over the years; roots, familial trees, the immigrant experience and culture clash.


3) Old Boy (Chan-Wook Park)

This Korean import is a whodunnit with a stinging climax. Revenge is the word of the day and director Park -just like the first two films on my list- decides to shock as well as artfully intrigue us. A man tries to find the perpetrator that locked him up in prison for more than 15 years. There's much more to it than just that but only a fool would want to reveal the dark secrets that lie deep underneath Park's Korean Masterpiece. One for the ages and bound to get an American remake.


4) Munich (Steven Spielberg)

Whenever Steven Spielberg tackles Jewish themes, a personal film always must always come to fruition. in 1993 it was his beloved Schindler's List, in 2005 it is Munich - the story of the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the ensuing retaliation on the ones responsible by Israeli Intelligence. Just like Old Boy this is about revenge but the revenge here is more real and comes with more realistic consequences. Do you need to commit evil to revenge evil? Spielberg is at war with himself with the answer and so are we.


5) The Squid And The Whale (Noah Baumbach)

Here comes what is clearly a breakthrough film for writer/director Noah Baumbauch. Every once in a while comes a film that deals with family neuroticism in such a way that it makes you cringe yet entertained at the same time. The Squid And The Whale doesn't deal with easy themes; divorce, puberty, kids, hippie-dom - yet it treats them in such an expertly devised way you'd think these people actually existed, therein lies the miracle of Baumbach's film; its laughs come with stinging truthfulness.


6) Downfall (Olivier Hirschbiegel)

The final days of Hitler. It's as simple as that. How a once mighty man, filled with grand ambitions and egotistical evil fell flat as he neared certain defeat. Director Hirschbiegel brings us into Hitler's bunker and it's as if you are actually there waiting for the man to have a downfall. the details are incredible and the fact that this was a German movie, made with German actors only brings more authenticity to the film. This will most likely be a film that will get shown in history classes for years to come.

 
7) The 40 Year Old Virgin (Judd Apatow)

A 40 year old man -funnily played by Steve Carrell- still collects toys, rides a bike to work, has a job at a Best Buy-style store, oh, and has not had sex yet. We have not seen post-40 adult virginity tackled in movies before, which is why director Apatow's film is so damn fresh. The screenplay is filled with witty insights and one line zingers that are as quotable as any other movie this year. However, the real brilliance of the films lies in how it never mocks its subject matter and instead embraces this geeky man and all his neurotic tendencies. You truly want him to get laid.


8) Capote (Bennett Miller)

This moving film lives and breathes on the powerful shoulders of Phillip Seymour Hoffman's stunning performance in the title role. Hoffman captures all of the unique physical characteristics that made Capote such a familiar public figure in his lifetime and invests them with a humanity that is almost unbearably poignant. Beautifully told, masterfully performed, harrowing, amusing, cruel, moving. Benneth Miller's film is a sensational achievement.

 
9) Cinderella Man (Ron Howard)

The movie-movie of the year. This boxing saga starring Russell Crowe and directed by all American boy Ron Howard is a rousing, sentimental triumph for both star and director. In tackling the true life tale of Washed up boxer James J Braddock, Howard and Crowe play with our emotions and rattle us with the down and out life this man really had in depression era USA. A Rocky-like fairy tale that actually happened and one more great example of why Boxing is the most cinematic sport to film.


10) Me, You & Everyone We Know (Miranda July)

This one-of-a-kind miracle movie by first time indie director Miranda July is the most original treat I saw all year. A lonely shoe salesman and a performance artist fail to connect in a unique take on contemporary life. Not for everybody but something I appreciated quite a bit for the artistry at work and the way it told its quirky multiple stories in such fresh, inventive ways.


 
11) War Of The Worlds (Steven Spielberg)
12) King Kong (Peter Jackson)

Two Hollywood blockbusters that gave us jolts of relentless action in a year lacking of those traits. Leave it to Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson to school the rest of the industry in just how to mix ambition in mainstream filmmaking. Ironically they both have botched endings yet the highs outweigh the lows. In Spielberg's remake of War Of The Worlds, the action is so well directed that I was at times left breathless by its intensity - ditto for Peter Jackson mega epic, a 187 minute remake of the 1933 classic, in which the majestic sweep of the story completely enthralled my sense in every which way.

13. Lord Of War, Andrew Niccol

14. Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan

15. Broken Flowers, Jim Jarmusch

16. Red Eye, Wes Craven

17. Hustle And Flow, Craig Brewer

18. The Devil's Rejects, Rob Zombie

19. Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog

20. Good Night And Good Luck, George Clooney

21. Junebug, Phil Morrison

22. North Country, Niki Caro

23. The Ice Harvest, Harold Ramis

Best Movies of 2006


1) Children Of Men (Alfonso Cuarron) 

It took a while before Alfonso Cuarron's science fiction masterpiece finally hit the top spot. It started off at #5 and slowly creeped up as the years went by. An absolute virtuosic feat of filmmaking with some of the most remarkable shots you will ever see in any movie. In its telling of the last pregnant woman on earth, Cuarron has crafted a timeless movie that resonates deep in your thoughts. The cinematography is incredible and the narrative is a pure lesson of the craft.


2) The Departed (Martin Scorsese)

Martin Scorsese doesn't necesarilly tell a story as much as pour heart and soul to it. There's no way a person can come away unaffected from any of his movies. In The Departed Scorsese tackled familiar territory -the Gangster genre, yet reinvented himself by way of form and style. This is unlike any of the other Scorsese Gangster pictures in that it lets go of the New York  Italian Mob and decides to the tackle Boston Irish brood. Scorsese injects an intensity that he only he can inject in a film and there isn't a moment in the film's 140 minute + running time.


 
3) Borat (Larry Charles)

Sacha Baron Cohen made a real name for himself in 2006. I was already a fan of his brilliant but retired Da Ali G Show but it was a real kick to see him bring back his loveably racist Kazakhstani man Borat Sagdiyev. The real kicker of the film is that its brilliance doesn't just lie in its Guerilla style doc filmmaking but that the laughs comes with satirical sting. Cohen's Borat brings out the worst of America, a homophobic, racist culturally divided nation that hides beneath its hate. Has any other film done so much to expose that before?


(4) Little Miss Sunshine (Valerie Farris/Jonathan Dayton)

 Here's the little comedy that could. Straight out of Sundance in fact. An incredibly reliable cast that brings laughs at you every which way. Little Miss Sunshine is the crowd pleaser that 2006 needed - a raucous showcase for Steve Carell and -especially- Alan Arkin's talents. An almost too relevant satirical look at the little miss beauty pageant scene that only makes you recall how outrageous Honey Boo Boo really is. A family Drama that -for once in movies- actually IS about family. A scathing look at addiction through humor, with Alan Arkin's junkie Grandpa using in a very matter of fact way. pure dark, unadultered fun.

5) United 93 (Paul Greengrass)

Paul Greengrass shoots with a handheld camera to make you feel like you were really there with the passengres and crew of the ill fated September 11th United 93 plane. A heroic story of unimaginable horror with an edge of your seat finale that only reinforces the importance of why that plane had to go down. Greengrass gives his film a documentary style look that goes well the subject matter. It also helps that he casted no name actors to give the film even more realism. When it came out people asked if it was soon. It clearly wasn't.
  
6) Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro)

 Del Toro finally makes a film worthy of his immense talent. This is no Blade 2 or Hell Boy, instead it's a cinematic triumph with enough stunning images to pop your eyes wide open. If there ever was a modern day Wizard Of Oz, this is it - with a schizophernic little dorothy, scarily created monsters and brilliant open ended finale that made us all talk about it when the lights came back on. In his short Hollywood career Del Toro has always had a knack for visuals but never had the story to back it up - here he did.
 
7) Babel (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)

Director Inarritu makes deep, depressing movies about the human condition. One can look at his first 2 films Amores Perros and 21 Grams as brilliant examples. I'll be the first one to admit that his shtick might be getting tiresome but if he has one more left in him it might be this one. A maddening, mosaical film that shows the connectivity we have with one another in this small planet. It veers towards melodramam at times and frustrates yet its brilliance lies in how much we care of the outcome and how the filmmaking is just so damn good. muchos gracias.

 
8) Apocalypto (Mel Gibson)

When watching Apocalypto, you can clearly tell it is the work of a mad man. All the better for it. What I look for in movies is a person's vision and if that person has clear issues then it isn't my problem and it, at times such as this one, makes the movie pleasantly cinematic. The director is Mel Gibson and given all his problems with the law, the racist comments he's splurred out and his psycho horror religious previous film The Passion Of The Christ - it kind of made it all the more fun to watch. Which is not to say Gibson is not a brilliant filmmaker. He actually really is. His shot selection and handling of the camera is incredible and his love for historical stories -here it's the mayans- undeniably there.
  
9) Blood Diamond (Edward Zwick)

 Some may have this movie but I dug it very much. This is an important piece of filmmaking about an important subject; the blood diamond trade in Sierra Leone. &&& If you still think Leonardo Dicpario is not that good of an actor, watch this film, he's just so good and so is Dijimon Hounsou who justifiably got an Oscar Nomination for his intensely emotional performance. This is probably the movie-movie of 2006. I don't know many people that didn't like this picture, critic proof but audience ready.

 
10) The Illusionist (Neil Burger)
10) The Prestige (Chriistopher Nolan)

 A great year for movies about Magicians. It's interesting how so many people that I know mix both of these up but in a way they are so different. Different because of their filmmakers. The Prestige is directed by Christopher Nolan and he's just a very different kind of Hollywood director. The ending he uses in The Prestige is head scratching and you really do have to think hard to figure it out, whereas The Illusionist's director Neil Burger is more conventional in his storytelling but nevertheless just as effective as Nolan wth his subject matter. I Couldn't choose one or the other so I decided to make it a tie for 10th place.

12. Inside Man, Spike Lee

13. Casino Royale, Martin Campbell

14. Little Children, Todd Field

15. The Descent, Nei Marshall

16. Cars, John Lasseter

17. Block Party, Michel Gondry

18. The Queen, Stephen Frears

19. V For Vendetta, James McTeigue

20. Crank, Mark Nevldine & Brian Taylor

Gangster Squad + The greatest of Gangster movies



(R) ★★½

Gangster Squad which is directed by Ruben Fleischer -of Zombieland fame!- is a typical gangster film that doesn't break much ground. Its colorfully elegant images recall Curtis Hanson's far superior L.A Confidential which also dealt with L.A cops. The cast is uni formally good starting with Sean Penn as Gangster impressario Mickey Cohen and Josh Brolin as the LAPD cop that wants to put him down. It's all flourishng, flamboyant stuff with the typical genre cliches that we have seen before yet I was hooked, especially in its last 30 minutes where things tighten up and the violence gets upped a notch. This isn't a film that we'll be talking about years from now and it has enough flaws to warrant cautious expectations before you go see it but if you're a fan of the genre as I am then it's worth watching at a cheapie film house or on DVD. Not much praise eh? Well it isn't Landmark stuff, what can I say.

You want Landmark stuff? Fleischer's film got me thinking on past gangster pictures. I dig the genre, in fact I eat it up. It's classic cinema and has its roots deeply inserted since Howard Hawks' first Scarface hit the screens in 1932. Along with film noir, the Gnagtser film might just be the most cinematic genre in movie history. But what makes a great gangster picture? In my humble opinion, A mix of style, story and directorial flair. Being List-Making maniac that I usually am - based on a mix of major ADD and OCD- I decided to make a list of my 15 favourite Gangster pictures of the past 4 decades of film. The following 15 are all great, masterful examples of what happens when you do it right with the most cinematic genre imaginable. They all range from different decades and all don't resemble one another, which is why they are just so damn good. Pardonne-moi if I didn't leave any comments below the titles.

1) The Godfather Part 2 (Coppola)
2) The Godfather (Coppola)
3) Goodfellas (Scorsese)
4) Pulp Fiction (Tarantino)
5) Casino (Scorsese)
6) Mean Streets (Scorsese)
7) The Departed (Scorsese)
8) A History Of Violence (Cronenberg)
9) Donnie Brasco (Newell)
10) Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino)
11) Gangs Of New York (Scorsese)
12) Carlito's Way (DePalma)
13) City Of God (Mereilles)
14) Miller's Crossing (Coen)
15) The Limey (Soderbergh)
16) Road To Perdition (Mendes)

Oscar Nominees disappoint



 


 The Master is the best movie I have seen this year. There, I've said it. No need for a Top Ten list, no need for a full fledged explanation why but it's just that damn good. Just like last year's best film -The Tree Of Life- Paul Thomas Anderson's masterful film provokes, angers and ultimately reinvigorates your love of the cinema. With that said, did The Master get a Best Picture nomination this morning? Of course not. It's too daring and ambitious a movie to get that kind of love. Instead we got safe fare nominated instead, which is not to say that the nominated films are all bad. Steven Spielberg's Lincoln was a master class in acting -focusing on dialogue more than bombast, Ang Lee's Life Of Pi is the most visually sumptuous movie of the year even when it sometimes trips on its own ambitions and Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained is pure Tarantino, a feast for the eyes and ears with a story that doesn't give a fuck for the too timid. Kudos must also go to Amour, Zero Dark Thirty and Beasts Of The Southern Wild - all critically loved. As for the rest .. here's my take on the undeserving.

Les Miserables (PG-13) ★★

Tom Hooper's Les Miserables comes at you like an Oscar-ready gift wrapped present. That's a bad thing. Focusing on Victor Hugo's famous play, the film is 95% musical and 5% dialogue. Ok, I could deal with that. Then again, if you're not a musical junkie, welcome to movie hell. I won't go into detail with the already known story but suffice to say there isn't much comic relief in this miserably depressing tale of French revolution grief and perverse turmoil. The one true catch is Anne Hathaway, who not only deserves her Oscar Nomination but deserves to win. She's that good ! Too bad she only has 20 minutes of screen time, because whenever she shows up on screen the movie goes on a high it cannot sustain otherwise. Nevertheless, the film has its moments. Hugh Jackman is his usual strong self and Russell plays mean-ass bad guy Jean Valjean with ferocious power. Everything else falters in the film's overtly long 158 minute running time. Amanda Siegfried is not well cast ditto director Hooper whom I'm just not a real big fan of. Alas Oscar got suckered into nominating this one.

Argo (R) ★★

Then there's Argo. Directed by Ben Affleck, who kinda -almost- proved in his last movie The Town that he could turn out to be a good director. Many think that has already happened. I don't. His direction stinks of basic directing 101 - there is no personality or unique style to his work. Argo is based on the Iran/U.S hostage crisis in the 80's and does have solid performances in it. Alan Arkin for one -nominated this morning- a solid character actor, does good work here ditto John Goodman as a Hollywood makeup artist working for the CIA. Affleck is the CIA agent that concocts an outrageous plan to get American consulate escapees out of Iran by masquerading them as Canadians and making them play pretend that they are part of a Hollywood film crew shooting a B-Movie Science Fiction film. Preposterous but based on a true story. Affleck is miscast as the CIA agent showing no sign of emotion in his face, if he would have cast a different actor in his role maybe this could have all worked out but it doesn't. People will forget about Argo 10 years from now.

 Silver Linings Playbook (R) ★★★

Here's one I kinda liked. David O Russell has made solid and ambitious films in his career. Silver Linings Playbook represents a sort of departure for the director, this is romantic comedy territory but with a slight little edge. Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic and deserves the Best Actress nomination she got, ditto Robert Deniro who does the best work of his last 20 years of -mostly- dreadful performances. Goes to show, if he's willing to push himself he still has the potential to knock us out. So far so good, right? Here's the thing. This is playful stuff, dealing with themes such as Depression, OCD, ADD, regret, yearning and football. Russell is the right man for the script but there isn't anything here that we haven't seen before. The performances are fantastic but the script is not really an original. This is not supposed to be anAwards contender but Harvey Weinstein -the marketing genius himself- has pulled enough strings with this one to make it seem as if it's a more important movie than it actually is. I'm not gonna lie, I'll give it another chance soon and see if I missed something the first time around but as far as I'm concerned the Best Picture nomination this film got is underserving.

Tom Cruise and "Jack Reacher"



(PG-13) ★★★½

 It doesn't take long for you to realize that Tom Cruise hasn't lost his touch in Christopher McQuarrie's thrilling Jack Reacher. The film is based on a popular series of books that feature a tall, muscular looking titular hero - Cruise is not tall and not as muscular as the book describes him to be. That was a problem for many fans. Cruise proves them wrong by infusing a real sense of professionalism into his acting. He IS Jack Reacher and makes us all to aware of how good an actor he can be. McQuarrie -in his second feature after 2000's underrated The Way Of The Gun- has made an action picture that we badly needed in 2012.

His film has a real 1970's feel to it along the lines of Billy Jack or Walking Tall mixed with Dirty Harry or numerous westerns with strong, silent types. See, Reacher is a former military investigator with a mind that is always a step or two ahead of everyone else. He looks at the obvious evidence and immediately notes a list of doubts where none previously existed. A seemingly random sniper attack is a bold way to begin a movie given recent real-life events, but the opening sequence is executed with methodical precision and daring so that we can quickly believe in Reacher's conspiracy theories.

In the blink of an eye, Reacher has appeared out of nowhere (his usual address) and is in the middle of the investigation being conducted by the lawyer of the wrongly accused James Barr (Joseph Sikora). The defense lawyer is played by Rosamund Pike, whose character is the daughter of the District Attorney (Richard Jenkins). The police detective is played by David Oyelowo and it's easy to tell something isn't completely right with city hall. Reacher roams the beautiful city of Pittsburgh asking questions and piecing together the puzzle left behind by creepy villain The Zec (Werner Herzog) and his henchman Charlie (Jai Courtney).

We get three Reacher fistfights, a "Bullit" type car chase in a beautiful 1970 Chevelle, and some military sharp-shooting from the depths of a quarry. What we don't get is the Hollywood tradition of a Cruise sprint. Not once do we see his trademark all-out dash to or from something. What we get instead is a subdued actor comfortable with his role and ready to entertain at any cost. The 50 year old actor is in astonishingly good shape and continues in the tradition of doing his own stunts. Which got me going into another one of my OCD list making madnesses. Nothing bad. Just a good way to prove how incredible of a career this hollywood star has had.

3 best Tom Cruise performances

(1) Frank TJ Mackey in Magnolia
(2) Ron Kovic in Born On The Fourth Of July
(3) Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder

10 best Tom Cruise movies

(1) Magnolia
(2) Rain Man
(3) Minority Report
(4) Eyes Wide Shut
(5) Collateral
(6) Risky Business
(7) A Few Good Men
(8) War Of The Worlds
(9) Born On The Fourth Of July
(10) Mission Impossible
(10) Vanilla Sky





1. The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson

 2. Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow

 3. Killer Joe, William Friedkin

 4. Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson

 5. Prometheus, Ridley Scott

 6. This Is Not A Film, Jafar Panhai

 7. Rust And Bone, Jacques Audiard

 7. Le Gamin Au Velo, Luc and Pierre Dardenne

 8. The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan

 9. Looper, Rian Johnson

 10. Once Upon A Time In Anatolia, Nuri Bilge Ceylan
11. Compliance, Craig Zobel

12. Brave, Mark Andrews

13. 21 Jump Street, Phil Lord

 14. The Sessions, Ben Lewin

15. Seven Psychopaths, Martin Mcdonaugh

 16. Skyfall, Sam Mendes

17. Jack Reacher, Christopher McQuarrie

18. In Darkness, Agnieska Holland

19. Haywire, Steven Soderbergh

20. Lincoln, Steven Spielberg


21. Premium Rush, David Koepp

22. Life Of Pi, Ang Lee

23. Miss Bala, Gerardo Naranjo

 24. Les Intouchables, Olivier Nakache

 25. Cabin In The Woods, Drew Goddard

 26. The Woman In Black, James Watkins

 27. Bernie, Richard Linklater

 28. Get The Gringo, Adrian Grunberg

 29. Killing Them Softly, Andrew Dominik

 30. Chronicle, Josh Trank

"Killing Them Softly"



(R) ★★★

Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly has a lot going for it; a hot director, a famous actor, an appearance at Cannes, love it/hate it festival buzz and a killer cast. So exactly what happened for it to hit a major bump? Before going into a monday matinee of the film, I had yet to encounter a person that liked the film and critical buzz has been tame to say the least. Suprising given the fact that Dominik's highly underrated The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford was a mesmerizing journey into an American killer's mind. Know what I say? Don't listen to the haters. Sure Killing Them Softly is an imperfect American dream through hell, however if you give it a chance it might just lure you into its sadistic criminal world. With nary a light in sight within its frames the film is heavy on dialogue and gruesome violence. You can tell Dominik's trying to find a groove in the film, he struggles at that, there's very much a European cinema influence in here but there are also shades of 90's Tarantino. It's this confusion in style that limits the potential of the film - yet some of the scenes Dominik creates stick with you.

A heist is done on a poker game, Markie (Ray Liotta) is manager and works under gangsters. He already pulled a heist once before and got away with it but this time around -even with him not involved- he gets eyed upon by his bosses. Not good but exactly what the guys that pulled it off wanted - that is until one of them fucks it up and puts his crew in a lot of heat. That is where Brad Pitt's Jackie comes into the picture, a hit man that is given the task of chasing these heist pullers and killing them (softly as he says). He brings in Mickey - the never better James Gandolfini- a slimy hitman that has turned into a drunk. The action scenes are tensely delivered, with Dominik's handheld camera bringing realism to the surroundings. The flaws come in some of the dialogue driven scenes that get stretched out a bit too long, Dominik is aiming for Tarantino-like slyness but only ends up doing it half well. No worries, his movie pulls you in with its dark humor and even darker violence. He means to tell us that the America these gangsters live in is the same one that inhabits our lives.

The film takes place in 2008 when America's economy was down and out. Dominik -With a soundtrack that includes speeches by then senator Obama and President Bush- hammers on his message that our nation is driven by nothing more than corporate greed. Fair enough and not far from the truth but I could have done without some of these insinuations and more story-based stuff. The actors do deliver, Pitt is a marvel and you believe in his acting (when haven't we) and Gandolfini stretches himself out here and does the best work he's done since the last season of The Sopranos. This isn't a movie that cuddles to its audience or answers all the questions when the credits roll, this is a film that is demanding and can frustrate primitive minded people. That makes it all the better for us. Killing Them Softly is rough around the edges but is a unique piece of work. It takes chances that not many movies these days would, how good is that?

Image Of The Day 12/14/12




Re-watching Martin Campbell's Casino Royale last week was an invigorating reminder of just how good Bond has been these days. None of the artifice of the previous Brosnan pictures is present. This is a modern, flawed James Bond played by a perfectly cast Daniel Craig. Everybody is talking about the dark suspense that Sam Mendes brought forth with last month's Skyfall yet Casino Royal -released in 2006- is just as good, a menacingly playful film that has some intense set pieces. None more intense than the poker game that has our secret agent facing off against Le Chiffre in a battle of -yes- wits. It's the first time in ages that a James Bond film has had to rely on brains instead of action to give us thrills. Well played sir.

Deniro still got it



Contrary to what we might think, Robert Deniro still has great performances left in him. If you want further proof of this statement watch him in "Silver Linings Playbook". The movie might not have met the expectations we had going for it after its Audience Award at TIFF but there are good things to be said about the film's performances. We all know about Jeniffer Lawrence's great performance but the one that really got to me was Deniro as Pat Solitano Sr. - an Eagles/football obsessed father that has never been diagnosed for what clearly is a major case of OCD. Pat Sr. is a man that has issues yet you root for him and Deniro is nothing but brilliant in the role. THIS is the Deniro we knew, an actor that can give out a million emotions with just one simple gesture of the face. It's the kind of playful, artistic performance that the actor was known to give in almost every movie he made in the 80's. Of course we can't forget all the terrible bombs he's given us the past 15 years, movies I'd rather not mention at this very moment, but Deniro still has the fire in him to make us feel alive at the movies again. This "Silver Linings Playbook" performance is of course not the at the level of intensity that he had in films such as Raging Bull, Taxi Driver or The Godfather but instead resembles more the dark playfulness that he showed in The King Of Comedy, Brazil, Wag The Dog and -even- Analyze This. If you want a darker, more intense Deniro you might be pleased to know that he confirmed last week a new collaboration with Martin Scorsese in a gangster film based on the book I Hear You Paint Houses. Al Pacino and Joe Pesci will co-star with him, now that's the stuff that dreams are made of. For the time being we have him doing his best work in years with "Silver Linings Playbook", a film that might just get him his 7th Oscar Nomination.

Sam Mendes' "Skyfall"



(PG-13) ★★★★

 What has happened to James Bond !!?? Should we start calling him James Bourne??? The change that has happened with this franchise since Daniel Craig entered the fold with Casino Royale back in 2006 is actually a very good thing  BUT purists, you know those people that are nostalgic and never want change in anything, are pissed off. I've heard everything that needs to be heard about Skyfall -the 24th and newest entry of the series- from it's the best Bond yet to it's a total disgrace. Know what was a total disgrace? Those Pierce Brosnan Bonds. Talk about miscasting. The only good one Brosnan ever made was Golden Eye. With Skyfall we are entering a new era of Bond. That's a good thing. In the film --directed by the great Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road To Perdition) -- our boy James is a drunk, has to deal with the first gay Bond Villain in Franchise history, gets shot and presumably killed, hates on British Intelligence, has NO Bond girl by his side, has a key character of the franchise die in his arms and re-visits his terrible childhood.

That's actually one thing I never thought the Bond movies would do; Go back to his past and reveal his haunted memories as an orphan. So it happens, Bond is one tortured soul. A man with flaws and more than enough glitches to offend the most innocent of fans. Now you see why this bond might not be suitable for everyone? It takes risks and most of these risks pay off big time. Once upon a time I used to think that they should have chosen Clive Owen for the role but after Casino Royale --let us forget the misbegotten Quantum Of Solace-- and Skyfall, the choice of Craig seems to be a real no brainer. Bond is as human a character as he's ever been before, thanks in large part to Craig's acting chops which reveal an extra layer of humanity to Bond. This is an actor that has invested his talent on making the role his own and he sure has done that. Almost everything works in Skyfall. From the trippy, visionary opening credits to the the new theme song sung by the ever-so talented Adele.

Of course, with all this in depth talk of what is essentially a popcorn picture one must say that the action is relentlessly thrilling. There are around 4 action set pieces here that will take your breath away and the villain -played by the ever so great Javier Bardem- is excellently evil. Bardem seems to revel in playing these fucked-up villains with bad haircuts, whatever gets him turned on I guess -- but mad props to him for another great performance. In fact I'm gonna stop right there because the film is too good to reveal in its entirety but to say that everything you thought you knew about the franchise is thrown out of the window with this one. Mendes, working with a tightly woven script, does visual miracles here. Smart move hiring the great Roger Deakins as his cinematographer. It wouldn't be out of place to call this the best looking Bond film I have ever seen.  At 143 minutes the film rarely drags even with a few minor bumps here and there + an overtly dragged on/predictable finale. It is then no surprise that reading all the rave reviews of late, many people have claimed this a renewal of the franchise. For the purists out there it will take some getting used to, because this Bond is here to stay.