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Reviews
Birds of America (2008)
Begelman would be shocked SHOCKED!
Boring attempt at a quirky indie feature with mainstream actors playing anxious wimps or pathological sibs prone to embarrassing their responsible (but loving!) caretakers, including a long suffering wife who wants to conceive but whose dream is perpetually postponed by her husband's, yes, you got it, anxiety about his ambition, and which fails to exploit the college town atmosphere it's trying so hard to contextualize (sacrilege in an indie), and ultimately we get stuck with some unpleasant (and not in a schadenfreudy kind of way either) characters and unfortunately for us passive viewers this 'feature' features a protagonist (Chandler Bing - who seems to be specializing in wimpy-bois now and even into middle age) whose only goal at this stage in his life is to someday enjoy a nice steamy dump (Begelman would be shocked SHOCKED! at such a wuss wanting to flush away such valuable treats); in fact rather than waste any more of the few seconds I have remaining in this life I decided to pull the plug, cinematus-interruptus style, so you should surmise by now I am not so sad to report this fillum is a misfire from the get-go since I get to take revenge out via IMDb, so you should take it from me- a compassionate conservationist- I don't think you or anyone else should waste what precious few remaining seconds on this planet.
Would you pay good money(tm) had to spend some time (say 90 mins) alone with the person(s) you most dislike in this world ("in-laws") and sit passively while they go about flailing their crazy unorthodox manners and peccadilloes right under your nose?
Yes?
Then by all means, "enjoy."
I gave it a two ("2") because at least they all showed up to work knowing they had a time bomb ticking away, and still managed to record it for posterity.
Come to think, no THAT might have made a better movie, everyone obliterated in the end by a mad bomber movie patron. Maybe I should have stuck around to see... hmmm.
Zoolander (2001)
What's that smell?
Some moveez emit a foul odor and leave a strange residue behind.
Zoolander for instance.
Granted, like smelling your own vapours, it's not without it's earthy delights. De Sade and other great philosophers were wise enough to never become too detached to enjoy the groveling and filthy part of life, for it is not without it's humbling charms.
It would be a great day for this country if our duly elected officials admit they occasionally like to be tied up and humiliated by dominatrix. East out of the bowl, little doggy. Arf!
I was reminded of a movie from the 70's - Faye Dunaway was in it¹ and it had an awfully slow pace. It was (to the best of my recollection) about the vacuous life of a model... and like many movies that portray characters in some sort of banal state, end up becoming banal itself... in that most awful sort of indulgent way (e.g. Lost in Translation). Poor baby, you're pretty, that's all that matters. kiss
Zoolander, and this unnamed Dunaway pic, were nothing alike, aside from the subject matter. Dunaway's was a dramatic treatment of a woman losing her grip on reality... Zoolander, well, lost it's grip on reality too, but not as the makers must have intended, I suppose. It's very threadbare idea unwound before your very eyes like a tennis ball, and the core with all of the bouncy bouncy energy fell to the floor and splat: was revealed as putty. Not the silly kind.
Where Zoolander went wrong was told the same gag told time after bleeding time... the preening, the preening, the preening. Could it have been so difficult to come up with, oh let's make it easy, two more gags? Then you could, like a punk band fueled with naught but testosterone and a modicum of talent, varied them enough to mine some gold in that great honking nose?
Zoolander's pathos was worn on it's sleeve; there was nothing subtle about it. The makers had some passing affection for their mentally challenged characters, but instead of the Dunaway movie, which went for the melodrama of the pretty woman coming unglued (with all the accompanying self-importance of that generation of film-making), they went for the yucks. Hey, I can't deny there were one or two chuckles. I want to let these guys clown around. We must encourage the Stillers and (the other guy)s of the world to have them make more laughs for us, the adoring audience.
But alas, it's wasted effort, and even this more than forgiving observer would have to recommend you give it a pass... ...unless your under 18 and have all the time in the world.
1. I just looked it up cos the memory was starting to itch, and it's entitled Puzzle of a Downfall Child (imdb # tt0066262). Don't bother, unless... (see the last sentence).
L'auberge espagnole (2002)
A Frenchman learns more than he expected in Barcelona
L' Auberge Espagnole
Having spent some time in Barcelona last year, I was looking for something nostalgic, and this really delivered.
Plus, I never had the opportunity to study abroad, and regret missing out on that experince. With L'Auberge Espagnole, I got to the opportunity be nostalgic for something I never personally experienced, but could relate to.
Two nostalgies for the price of a movie rental. Such a deal!
The film was very beautifully photographed. Oh la-la. Of course they took advantage of the inspirational locations- and did so exquisitely. Barcelona must be easy to shoot, cos it all gets on the screen. Lots of eye candy. Lots of warm fuzzys too- being with the ideal flat mates, with the only disagreements among their guests. They way you'd like it to be, though it never really is.
As a group for our protagonist to play against, the flat-mates are nice tight ensemble of actors who play off each other very well. I think the mutual respect the characters show to one another's origins- and making the effort to understand- is just what most people imagine must be going on in Europa now, as the integration of markets now filters down to the wo/man in the street.
Contrast the flat mates unity with the classroom scene where the instructor refuses to teach in Castilian Spanish- in Barcelona they speak Catalunyan. His argument: most of his students are Catalunyan. If you want to speak Spanish, go to Madrid or South America.
Regionalism is still something one will encounter in Europe (esp. Spain), and it is remarkable how strong this is- and it is growing. Is it any surprice people indentify so stongly with their own culture?
But ultimately the film is more than its subtext about how to get along with your (now closer) neighbors.
Like Ted in Whit Stillman's Barcelona, I prefer the text- the beautiful location, the actors enjoying their roles (one or two of them underplay their roles deftly). The struggle of juggling one's romantic life. The focus on it being more important to learn about life and romance and love through experience- more important than learning economics from text books- is exactly how it should be. All while living in a jazzy apartment that never feels too small.
Transport me at once.
Sole Survivor (1970)
Prepare to be thrilled
Does it ever come up in re-runs on cable? I hope so. Although I was only about thirteen when I saw it, it remains in my memory as one of the best things ever shown on the teevee.
I would like a chance to re-discover if it can still give me that lower intestinal thrill a well-told ghost story can, with the added layer of a mystery (based on a actual event) being beautifully solved.
The Plot:
Returning from a bombing mission, an American bomber gets off course. Richard Basehart's character, Hamner, as navigator or bombadier (memory a bit fuzzy here), has a disagreement with the pilot and decides to bail out, leaving the crew to doom.
The plane gets way off course in the Sahara and is forced to crash land.
The crew stays lost in the desert for years (decades?) until they see a plane on the horizon, and successfully signal it. A rescue crew finally lands but, they can't seem to commnuicate with them...
As the sole survivor, and now a brigadier general, Hamner is brought to the scene to help piece things together. To save face Hamner tries his best to cover up his cowardice. His ghostly comrades, who finally realize their own predicament, inventively do their spiritual best to lead the investigating officer to the truth. A sublime struggle ensues as Hamner has to re-direct the investigation or risk his cowardice being revealed.
All plot details are tied together very neatly, and I had the pleasure of being entertained by a master scenarist. For example, the sight of their first helicopter startles the ghostly airmen, until they realize what it is, and how much they don't know about the advancements of intervening decades. *Nice*.
As their remains are discovered, each of the airmen finally moves on. When the positions relative to the aircraft are revealed, the extent of their bravery is too. Hamner realizes just what an injustice he is perpetuating on his comardes-in-arms, and he slowly comes to terms with his own concsience.
A television classic that not so many have seen and, truly, could be remade as major motion picture, and be _very_ successful.
Class.
Southlander: Diary of a Desperate Musician (2001)
My Kind of Alright
An atmospheric treatment of a life lived in the margins- a struggling keyboard player in El Lay who has nothing left to lose- and his quest for the elusive sound that will make (or break) him.
Also an indirect descendant of 60's experimental film (but with a sense of humor), done with the advantage of modern technology and professional production crew, editors, and especially actors, its only downside is that it is shot on DV. Which, while great for conceptualizing and certainly easy on the budget, is ultimately disappointing to see in a feature. They simply make do.
The material manages to rise above this giant (well, to my sensibility) compromise, but still loses points. I will pay the makers a compliment by noting that Igby Goes Down and Tadpole, two other shot- on- DV features with (probably) higher budgets, could do no better than the makers here, who had the advantage of some truly groovy music to offset the flat visuals.
Maybe they'll get the chance to do it again on film and distribute it to a wider (well, art film) audience.
Earnest and engaging- and very laid back- with nice attention to the details of the struggling musicians life- trading (sometimes naively) through a Recycler like paper, using decrepit phone booths, thrift shop chic, easy drugs and sex (yee-ha). It is very evocative of a *ahem* certain lifestyle of 20- somethings who come to LA and struggle attempt to make something of themselves (which has been going on for decades).
Rory Cochrane keeps the whole thing together, which would doubtless have lost focus without his strong presence. Ross Harris as the psycopathic 'friend' is appropriately barmy- and he has fake sincerity _down_, man.
There is a long list of walk-ons, and they blend well with the overall production. They also appear to enjoy themselves, which gives the proceedings an added boost.
The music speaks for itself, and helps the whole to gel. Beck, Hank 3, Beth Orton, Union 13, Future Pigeon all appear on screen and add their sound to one of the better soundtracks you'll hear (provided you know who they are).
Possibly should be Recommended Viewing for teens formulating their own ideas about seeking the holy grail- or gold record- in Hollywood.
The Italian Job (2003)
Ouch. Bad, Really Really Really Bad
Crafted with all of the style and grace of a 70's TV movie, this smelly turd of bowl flotsam might be an interesting movie in about 100 years, as the movie that first featured the new (current) Mini.
I urge you to wait.
Besides time capsule value, there is nothing else to recommend it.
Perhaps the producers thought Donald Sutherland and Ed Norton would give their movie gravitas; boy were they wrong. I hope they got paid well, cos this is something they are sure to leave off the C.V.
Perhaps the producers were tasked with making the car the star, but in heavily edited scenes which defy credulity, it does more to make a joke out of a vehicle that since this was released has quickly lost much of its luster- and I put it to you that this movie is responsible.
Marky Mark breathes really convincingly, but doesn't have more than one sentence of dialogue in any scene, leaving one to wonder if his lines were cut back- cos he's barely in the movie. Conspicuous by his presence, he _appears_ in most of the scenes, but you start to notice he adds nothing, and lets the others around him carry the weight. Since he is male lead, top-billed, it is odd when you, as a viewer, notice he simply does not pull his weight and decides to sleep walk through his ordeal and get that paycheck. One cannot help but wonder 'what is the deal?' Based on his 'work' here, I can't see much of a future for him as an actor in movies.
Nobody plays a weasel like Norton plays a weasel, and he is at his weaselly best here. Marky Mark's anonymity is such that you want Ed to be the victor and smash him to pieces. It would have been a lot more enjoyable- and interesting- had they seen to that. I'd pay $1 to see that.
So to sum it up, see something else, don't waste your hard earned $4 to rent this, you'll regret it, and wind up breaking either the teevee or the dvd, or angering your mate. Or both.
Play it safe.
Swimming Pool (2003)
Ohh ah I think I got it
On first viewing, when the last few scenes near the end of this well made fillum are leaving me behind, I was wondering what the hell just went on, cos I must have totally missed the clues that went before.
Mea culpa.
This movie was far subtler than I expected, and so I was unprepared and had to read other's comments to fully grasp, before viewing it again in the post-mortem, what I had missed.
But first, let's start from the beginning...
I rented a copy from local art geek independent shop, and was a bit nonplussed when it said it was the "unrated" version. ?
The censors seem overly concerned with (the amount of) nudity and a short scene of simulated sex in this movie, but I am sure your heart will be warmed to know that there is absolutely no violence here. It's all pretend.
The pacing is slow, but for good reason, I decide in retrospect. Still, all the better to take all of the lovely French countryside in (thought: I really need a vacation).
What this film does is seamlessly blend the imagination of the protagonist (a crime fiction writer) with the narrative so well that I found myself missing, no, *wanting* the seams. When watching art house fare alone I rarely miss the clues, and generally get a deeper experience than with an audience, but since I watched this with the gf present, who likes to hold several conversations during, I was probably too distracted or uninvolved when they came floating by.
I do recall one of my eyebrows being raised at what I _think_ was an early clue to what would be one of those invisible seams. So, chances are I had I been more involved on first viewing, I would have been greatly pleasured (and sorely sorry I was, too) to have been in on the joke.
So, if you are concerned that you might be too dense or impatient to follow this fillum, but you have already read some of the comments here on IMDB, you should be confident that a rewarding experience lies ahead. It is certainly enjoyable on a visceral level- the photography and sense of place are right up there with best ever burned into film- it is also an intellectual one, making the whole effort worth at least four stars, and would have been five but for my numptyness, and perhaps the mere fact that, in retrospect, the whole twist was not really a first-rate idea.
Charlotte's holding up *real* well, I might add.
Rogue Trader (1999)
A Financial Thriller or Tragedy?
If like me, the S&L[1], insider trading, and Enron[2] scandals intrigue you, and you desire to see a dramatic and fairly factual treatment of what makes these things go bump in the night, then this is for you.
It is not hard to figure out why The Great Financial scandals are overlooked by Hollywood. The tales are not only apt to get so bogged down by confusion and spin, but the threat of lawsuit and small box office[3] means the double whammy effect is on, so of course would never get greenlighted.
As it stands, the makers of Rogue Trader give it the dramatic treatment it needs to please a high-finance numpty like myself, more interested in the drama of it all, and kept me interested to the end. It (thankfully) never bogged down in exposition, trying to explain the intricacy of it all. Deft.
Playing fast and loose doesn't excuse Nick Leeson from being the sole agent of doom for Barings, and his crime is not molly-coddled here. You understand what propelled him. You also might find yourself wondering if the checks and balances which failed to catch his back room shenanigans are are also lacking here, in the over regulated and under staffed U.S. commissions (Helllooooo SEC!). Talk about scary!
And to top it all, this film was in video stores long before Enron imploded.
To sum up, quite a nice thriller, and not a chainsaw or Münch-mask in sight. Recommended.
Dotacion
1. Neil Bush could find himself in the limelight 2. As well his more powerful brother 3. Rogue Trader was not released theatrically in the states, to the best of my knowledge.
Entre las piernas (1999)
If Hitchcock were reanimated and saw Pulp Fiction,
... the Crying Game, and a few other pieces of current day cinema, he just might come up with such a little gem.
This work manages to lovingly captivate the audience which misses dear old Alfred. From the smartly nuanced opening credits, through the twists and turns of post-reveal story structure, to bringing the whole thing to a close using the ambivalent actions by *both* male leads- not masterful, but deft, and compelling. Nifty stuff.
I can see Hollywood attempting a remake (a la Vanilla Sky) and completely bolloxing it up, too.
Erotic, but not so much as the title and cover art might have you think-the title should actually be translated as "Between the Legs," a sort of comment on what kind of trouble the libido can stir up.
Confusing it wasn't, as a second viewing (well worth it) confirmed. Subtitles are adequate and a capacity for Spanish no necesita.
PS The "distasteful rape scene" mentioned in one comment baffles me and must have been a figment to that reviewer. The character was actually suffering what could be called a post traumatic stress flashback. It rang true to that character, and was necessary as the device to explain what really went on in the previous 01:50 of screen time. Held me right to the end.