The original, not the remake

This is hardly a new movie, but over the weekend, I finally made myself sit down to watch a classic.

"Psycho" is pretty intense. It's not shocking like the contemporary slasher flicks try to be, it's shocking in a totally different way. There's not an overflow of blood and gore, there's just terror, and suspense and mystery.

Well, there's mystery if someone hasn't already spoiled it for you. That's one trouble with classics; they are referenced and parodied too much in popular culture. I wonder if the next generation won't bother watching "Fight Club" because they already know how it ends.

Anyway, I avoided "Psycho" for years, because even parodies scared me. But it's a great movie and shouldn't be missed.

My new job has me contributing to a blog here on blogger.com, so I revisited the Film Narrative this morning.

I now have my own much more active blog, but it is of a more general nature, rather than focusing on movies.

But that doesn't mean I don't still love/hate the film industry, and I do still care about posting online reviews and previewing obsessively that which is to come ("Arrested Developmnet: The Movie," anyone?)

However, since the last movie I saw was "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," primarily to make fun of it, reviews will have to wait a while longer. But then again, if you've stuck with us this long, might you stick around another week or so?

Sex and the C-bus

The "Sex and the City" movie was a lot of fun; it was better than reviews led me to expect. That doesn't happen frequently, so it was nice to see a movie I thought would be a disappointment succeed instead.

I mean, yeah, it was hokey, but so was the show. In that sense, it was true to fans. Mr. Big was still a jerk, who writers attempt to make redeeming, Miranda was still cranky, and Samantha was still a big loveable slut bomb.

Carrie, self-absorbed as ever, is still the character I identify most with, no matter how much I wanted to slap her at her most pathetic. The only one who had things going her way was Charlotte, the prissy, yet maternal one. Despite a mishap in Mexico early in the movie, she hits the jackpot by the end.

Jennifer Hudson's character wasn't really necessary, but she added some humor to a low point in the movie, when Carrie is reeling and struggling to recover from the worst clash with Big yet.

One big complaint I heard about this movie was that it dripped with commercialism. Judging from the Vitamin Water, Sprint, and new car tie-in advertising I saw weeks before the movie came out, I had to agree. However, the complaint that Carrie focuses too much on labels in the movie is not as valid; sure, she tries on a bajillion designer dresses at one point, but weren't all those magazine photo shoots and runway cat walks from the series more of the same? Carrie's style has always been individualistic, but labels were still in their somewhere, right down to the Manolo Blahniks on her feet. The show was just as much about fashion as it was about relationships. Hence the whole "love and labels" bit is justified.

Those who followed the show, whether it was the orginal HBO series or the tame TBS version, will love it. If you haven't seen too many episodes, you may find it hard to care about these characters.

All in all, I liked it; despite a run time of 148 minutes, it goes a lot faster than you'd think. So go on, dress up and get out there. I saw a lot of Carrie wannabes in the theatre the other night, and worred my hair might count me among them unintentionally. Fortunately, I was wearing an outfit Carrie wouldn't be caught dead in-- jeans and a hoodie.

Cloverfield: The Blair Witch Project meets LOST?

A big group of us took advantage of having the following day off and saw Cloverfield on Sunday night.

Hopefully no one has spoiled this one for you yet, because I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did if someone had told me what everyone was running away from in terror in those teaser trailers. Of course, to say I 'enjoyed' it is a little strange, because I kind of felt like I was going to throw up the entire time. There's suspense for you...

It's a short movie, but I don't think I would have been able to take it if Cloverfield had been much longer. That sounds like a bad remark, but that's just coming from someone who doesn't like being freaked out for much more than 84 minutes straight.

I won't say much more, but here are some tips:

1) Watch closely in that last scene and you might just notice something that my brother noticed that no one else in our group did.

2) After you watch it, hit up Imdb's entry about the movie for some fun trivia.

3) You might have heard that you need to stay for the credits, but to be honest, I'm not sure it's worth sitting through. Although the one song in the film, played during the credits, it kinda fun. This movie has little to no soundtrack otherwise.

I was somewhat dreading seeing this, because I do NOT like being scared. This movie was pretty freaky, but I still thought it was good. It's a neat concept: filming a terrifying event with one hand-held camera, with clever "flashback" sequences in between filiming segments. And as a fan of LOST, I can see where J.J. Abrams's hand was in this project.

Atonement

I saw Atonement last night, even though I had seen a trailer months ago and thought it looked pretty sappy. However, it exceeded my expectations. It had some clever twists and turns, and some mystery to it.

For an 'epic love story,' the two lovers (James McAvoy and Kierra Knightley) were rarely in the same scene, but the separate stories going on made it more than just a romance film. It is a war movie, and a story about betrayal and regret. It was told well, and though it was at times confusing, the plot eventually clarified itself.

While I found the final scenes somewhat bizarre, I am unable to think of another way to tell the ending that would create the same effect on the audience.

The movie did have a little bit of humor despite the somber trailer I had seen. I don't want to say much about the plot, but I am glad I saw it.

On Sunday this film won two Golden Globes for Best Drama and Best Original Score. The film failed to win in the five other categories it was nominated for, which were Best Actress (Knightley), Best Actor (McAvory), Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Saoirse Ronan) and Best Screenplay.

Remembering 2007

For me, 2007 will not be an easy year to forget. There's a good reason I didn't post much this year: I just didn't feel like it. In early February my Mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We were soon told it was an aggressive malignant type of tumor that could only be treated but not cured. Watching her slow decline as she dealt with her body and mind failing her made 2007 easily the worst year of my young life. Mom died in November, it took less than a year. With Christmas reminding us of her absence even more, these last few days have been especially hard, but I've been trying to remember how she was special to me.

     I love talking about movies; I will talk to anyone, anytime about any movie. My wife puts up with my endless babbling about how fantastic Martin Scorsese is, most of my friends enjoy discussing recent films they've seen, I've turned my sister into an addict, I even get my dad to watch a new movie once in a while. I get excited when I talk about a good movie, very few things truly garner my emotions and my friends and family all understand that. And whenever I would tell Mom about an upcoming movie or what I saw the night before, she would listen, and comment and sometimes she would get excited too.

     Coming from a family of librarians and writers, I've learned to appreciate the value of the written word. Mom loved books, reading, writing, language and storytelling. Movies have long been my preferred medium for storytelling, yet I always knew I could count on her to watch something with me, if I thought she might enjoy it of course. Likewise Mom introduced me to many of her favorites. Whenever I watch Charade, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, A Christmas Story, or her favorite: American Graffiti; those films will always make me think of her.
     Mom was always able to connect with me about my interests. Maybe that came easy to her, she was my Mom after all. But it's going to take a while for me to accept that there is one less person in the world who understands me. She will be missed.


Best of the Year
I didn't get out to see many movies this year but here is a list of the ones I did (note: many of these I didn't see until they were on DVD).

Catch and Release
Zodiac
300
Reign Over Me
Meet the Robinsons
Grindhouse
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
Hot Fuzz
Spider-man 3
Shrek the Third
Knocked Up
Ratatouille
Transformers
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Simpsons Movie
The Bourne Ultimatum
3:10 to Yuma
No Country for Old men
The Golden Compass
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Juno*

I've been trying to keep up on all the year end reviews and top ten lists for 2007, and what I keep hearing is that this was the best year for film in a long time. Many have compared it to the great years of the 1970's. I wish I could say I had noticed but I simply wasn't paying much attention.

Since I didn't see very much I will give you my top seven films of the year.

1. No Country for Old men
2. Zodiac
3. Knocked Up
4. Ratatouille
5. The Bourne Ultimatum
6. Juno*

7. 3:10 to Yuma
8. Grindhouse

Here's a look back at my 2006 movie list. I still think that was a pretty good year.

*Update 12/31: I got to see Juno on Saturday and it was good; better than most of what I've seen this year.

Movies I've Seen Recently

Good Luck Chuck

I saw this Dane Cook flick last night. It had its moments, but man is it a chick flick. I felt like I was losing some respect for Cook just hearing some of the more cheesey dialogue coming from his mouth. But it was cute, and I would deem it a good date movie.

The premise is, Chuck is a good luck charm for women; every woman who has ever been with him ended up marrying the next guy they dated. Once women start realizing this, Chuck becomes a very sought-after guy. Watch out for the gross-out factor with a couple of the conquests Chuck seeks in order to break his curse. Jessica Alba does well as the cute-but-klutzy girl Chuck falls for.


Reign Over Me

I remember this movie came out around my birthday in March and I really wanted to see it. It never came to a theatre around where I live, so I was happy to see it on DVD at last.

Adam Sandler is heart-breaking as Charlie Fineman, a man who lost his wife and three daughters in 9/11. Director Mike Binder, I was warned, has been criticized for tending to beat his audience over the head with an overall message or theme. There was definitely a theme in this movie, of redemption and finding peace of mind, but I think it was tastefully done.

Don Cheadle plays his former college roommate who meets up with Fineman again on the street. When he realizes Charlie is not doing well, he gets involved with his life and tries to help him out. It also helps Cheadle's character, who complains early on to Liv Tyler, who plays a therapist, about not having anything in his life but work.

Bonus: Donald Sutherland as the no-nonsense judge in a later scene. B.J. Novak plays a lawyer you'll want to hit.


Across the Universe

I had been looking forward to seeing Julie Taymor's Beatles musical for months. I really enjoyed it, because it was beautifully done and had some really creative sequences. The best part, of course, was the music. The worst, however, was the character development. Maybe Taymor didn't have enough time to expand them the way she may have wanted, but I think some parts could have been taken out (like the unusual "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" scene early on) to allow for better quality characters.

The "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" sequence, which shows hundreds of young men being drafted to fight in Vietnam carrying the Statue of Liberty, is so strong it will make your hair stand on end. The "Strawberry Fields" scene, where the main character pins and smashes strawberries onto a canvas as his friend sees carnage in the wasteland of Vietnam, is surely commentary on today's situation in Iraq.

I liked it a lot, but I found myself wanting more. This is an unusual feeling to walk away with, after a 131 minute film.

3:10 to Yuma

Owen and I saw 3:10 to Yuma last week.

Russell Crowe plays a great bad guy. A friend pointed out that you can't go wrong with Crowe in a period piece. After Yuma, I have to add to that: you also can't go wrong with Crowe as a nasty "rotten as hell" thief.

Bale is heart-breaking as the crippled, down-on-his-luck rancher with a family that doesn't respect him. He is also the most likeable character in the film.

I am a fan of westerns, but some can't help but have parts that seem to drag a little. This film is devoid of those parts. Every second holds interest and progresses character development. The characters are unpredictable and yet entirely believable.

This movie is a remake, but I have not yet seen the original. Reviews I read, however, claim the recent version blows the original out of the water.

Edit: Also this movie has the most fantastic poster I've seen all year.
-Owen

"Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots" (© M. Baily)

Since it first aired back in 1984, the Transformers have been idols for man-geeks to worship. Giant, super-intelligent robots from space that can change into cool looking cars, trucks and planes... what more could an adolescent boy want? If you grew up in the 80s as I did, you had heard about Transformers. Most likely you had some of the toys; I remember being particularly jealous of a kid who had the Optimus Prime with the attached tractor trailer. Maybe you were fortunate enough to see the 1986 film based on the TV show when it was released in theaters that featured the great voice talents of Orson Welles, Peter Cullen, Scatman Crothers and Judd Nelson(?).

The big question is, why was there all this demand for a live-action film almost 20 years after the show was off the air? Sure, there were a few attempts at rebooting the show for a new generation of fans but they never came close to reaching the popularity of the original series. Why make a film based on a cheesy 80s kids show? The answer: geeks never forget a good thing. Throw giant robots from space on the screen and we will watch the battles until our eyes glaze over, then we'll watch some more. I don't even really remember watching the show all that much but you can bet I remember seeing them everywhere. And when I heard that a live-action robot smackdown movie was going to be showing on the big screen, I couldn't wait to see it.

Even after I heard Michael Bay would be directing, I still wanted to see it as soon as I could, I mean Steven Spielberg produced it, he wouldn't let it suck right? When the day finally came and the lights came back on in the theater, I realized that I hadn't been blown away. I'm not sure how high my expectations had reached (someone said it was like seeing Jurassic Park for the first time), but they were not met.

I guess the robots of Transformers were pretty awesome, definitely the best special effects I think I've ever seen. Optimus Prime doing pretty much anything makes this movie worth the price of admission. Whether he's speaking about the rights of sentient beings with his commanding voice or absolutely destroying the face of a Decepticon while fighting in the middle of the freeway, Optimus rules.


Unfortunately most of the other transformers are horribly underused, each getting approximately two lines and one chance to show off their supposedly unique skills. Shia LeBeouf is great in the lead, all the other human characters are just fluff. Some are funny while most are annoying and useless, wasting screen time that could have been filled with more, oh I don't know... Transformers? The film is too long as it is and the plot sucks; Bay probably shot a 3 hour movie and only used the scenes that looked cool instead of the ones that helped the story make sense. Also, Michael Bay must be in love with military, the movie is full of slow motion shots of soldiers getting in and out of various assault vehicles, during the beginning of the film I thought I was watching one of those loud Army commercials.

Go see it for the robots and try not to cringe during the Michael Bay moments, you'll know them when you see them. I really hope they get someone else to direct the sequel. Also check out this Burger King commercial featuring the big 'O'.

Knocked Up

Judd Apatow's latest film has received great reviews from coast to coast AND it gave Pirates of the Caribbean a run for its money over the weekend at the box office. Knocked Up accomplished this rare feat of combining critical and commercial adulation for good reason: it's the best movie of the summer.

I will be first to point out that Apatow handles his male characters better than the female ones, but in Knocked Up he sure comes close to nailing how real people, of both genders, behave in these sorts of situations. His last film was about a nerdy man in his 40's who was still a virgin and how his friends try to "help" him. The situation this time centers around Ben, a slacker with 5 roommates, who hooks up with Allison, a young professional whose career is on the rise. It's a one night stand by every meaning of the phrase and the moment she finds out she's pregnant is when the movie really starts.

As the potentially happy couple tries to get to know each other and "make it work", we meet and get to know some of their friends. Ben is living in never-neverland where you don't have to grow up. He and his friends sit around watching (and quoting) movies and making stupid bets with each other. Allison lives with her sister Debbie who has a husband and two little girls. As Ben and Allison grow closer, they watch as Debbie's marriage goes downhill. Lines are drawn, sides are chosen and... well, you'll just have to go see it if you want to know how the funniest movie of the year ends.


For more on Judd Apatow's work, here's an interview with him about his career starting with TV's Freaks and Geeks.

Reviews: Pan's Labyrinth, Dreamgirls, Children of Men (All Snubbed!)

I've been meaning to write about a few films that I feel got a big fat snub at last year's Oscars, even though they were each wonderfully made. All of these films are out on DVD now, I highly recommend each one.

Pan's Labyrinth

I just got this on DVD, I absolutely loved it when I saw it at theater. I kept thinking about it and telling people about it days after I saw it. It's magical, scary, beautiful and brutal all at once. Watching it again I couldn't help but think about "Labyrinth", the Jim Henson production from the 80's. I loved those kind of movies and to me Pan's felt like a grown up version of those Henson fantasy stories. And I'm serious, this one is not for the kiddies. Pan's Labyrinth is for the adults who are still kids at heart.



Dreamgirls

My wife had wanted to see this when it came out, but I wasn't crazy about going; traditionally I don't enjoy musicals, at all. But she had made me watch Chicago which turned out to be pretty good so I trusted her on this one, besides the early buzz on Dreamgirls was very good. It was surprisingly good; I even believed, for 2 hours, that Beyonce Knowles could act. I fear it might not be as impressive on the small screen but it is a great film regardless. Maybe I'll cave in to my wife's wishes after all and watch Moulin Rouge! with her next.



Children of Men

I just got this one on DVD also. If you are a film geek, you have to see this one simply for the cinematography. My jaw was on the floor during every single action sequence. Read this if you want to know more about how the film crew created some of the most breathtaking chase and combat scenes I've ever seen on film. And on top of the longs takes and flawlessly blended effects, you have a great plot and strong characters inhabiting a frighteningly realistic setting. One of my favorite releases of last year, go rent it now.

Are you there George? It's me, Vader

Dear Mr. Lucas,
I recently read a post on Fan Pop concerning the proper order in which one should view all of the Star Wars films. The traditional argument is usually between two different approaches: The viewer watches episodes I-VI in numerical order as you claim you originally conceived and intended. Or the films can be viewed in the chronology of IV, V & VI followed by I, II & III, the same order the stories were so dramatically rescued from your brilliantly cluttered brain to the open arms of the public. Some purists would argue that only episodes IV, V & VI are worth watching. At the same time other purists would claim that not only should the newer films be included but also the Clone Wars animated series... and the Ewok movies... and the Star Wars Holiday Special. Today, let's simply deal with how the six feature length episodes should be viewed.
To begin, whether or a potential viewer has ever seen a Star Wars film drastically affects what order the films should be viewed. Some would say that one who has never seen Star Wars is a perfect candidate to start with Episode I and watch it the way you intended. I would say rubbish, and remind that idiot of all of the great surprises and twists from the original trilogy that would be ruined by watching the prequels first (You're just wrong George!). However if one watches the original trilogy first, then the prequel trilogy the viewer is faced with ending their experience with lower quality films, boring side narratives, and one huge downer of an ending. Can this conundrum ever be solved?
Personally my favorite was the suggestion of watching Episode IV & V, then shift gears and watch I, II & III as simply a really long flashback, THEN watch VI to tie it all together. I Think this format works best both for fans and for those new to the saga, but that's just my opinion. They're your movies George, you can tell people how to watch them all you want, they just don't have to listen.

Sincerely,
D.V.


P.S. In honor of all of the hoopla on the web in regards to the 30th anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars, here's something I found to be entertaining; a look at Anakin/Darth Vader's psyche from a medical perspective.

Spidey = emo kid?

"Spider-Man 3" came out last Friday, and I had a feeling it was going to be record-breaking even at that point, before the box office figures came in Monday morning. We were there for the 9:30 show, and we were actually being seated by ushers, asking how many people we had in our group (we had six). We ended up sitting in the fourth row, a little too close for comfort.

I think it was pretty good. A little silly at some points, but that's okay for a comic-based film. Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker showed a new side-- wild and fun-loving at first, but breeding into something a little more sinister, eventually. I loved how Peter Parker's "dark side" looked suspiciously like the lead singers of many of today's whiny punk bands. Black eyeliner and all.

The biggest complaints I am hearing are about the villains; too many, and Venom was butchered. I think it can be agreed James Franco's character was a must, to wrap up that ongoing story. So, Sandman or Venom? I think Sandman was better created, but the filmmakers knew fans wanted to see Venom come into the films. Maybe it would have been best to wait.

Topher Grace plays a great smarmy Eddie Brock, rival photographer to Peter Parker (and determined to "catch Spider-Man with his hand in the cookie jar"), but he can't pull off how menacing Venom is meant to be. He's not big enough, and I can't picture VENOM still having the voice of Grace. Shouldn't he sound as demonic as he looks?

Mary Jane is given a lot of exposure in this film, showing a couple more facets to her character. She too has her own life, and doesn't ENTIRELY exist to be rescued again and again by Spider-Man. I know a lot of people don't think Dunst was the best choice for the role, but I think she does well, especially in this third installment.

The film's theme of facing your own dark side is conhesive with previous films' idea of "with great power comes great responsibilty." I appreciated the duality of the red and black suits, and thought Maguire did well pulling off both personalities.

The movie runs 2:20, probably due to cramming so much in, so go see it earlier than I did.

Oscar Predictions (with winners)

(2.26.07) UPDATE: Picks I correctly predicted are denoted with an (*), incorrect picks denoted with an (X) and have the actual winners added below. Out of the 21 categories I attempted to predict, I got only 11 right. No surprises with the big awards but I was surprised by a lot of the technical selections.

(2.22.07)
Here are my picks for Sunday's Academy Awards show:

Adapted Screenplay:
(X)Children of Men
Winner: The Departed

Original Screenplay:
(*)Little Miss Sunshine

Editing:
(X)Babel
Winner: The Departed

Cinematography:
(X)Children of Men
Winner: Pan's Labyrinth

Art Direction:
(*)Pan's Labyrinth

Costume Design:
(X)Dreamgirls
Winner: Marie Antoinette

Makeup:
(*)Pan's Labyrinth

Original Score:
(X)The Queen
Winner: Babel

Original Song:
(X)"Listen" from Dreamgirls
Winner: "I Need To Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth

Sound Editing:
(*)Letters From Iwo Jima

Sound Mixing:
(*)Dreamgirls

Animated Film:
(X)Cars
Winner: Happy Feet

Foreign Film:
(X)Pan's Labyrinth
Winner: The Lives of Others

Documentary Feature:
(*)An Inconvenient Truth

Supporting Actress:
(*)Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls

Supporting Actor:
(*)Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine

Best Actress:
(*)Helen Miren in The Queen

Best Actor:
(*)Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland

Directing:
(*)Martin Scorsese for The Departed

Best Picture:
(X)Letters From Iwo Jima
Winner: The Departed

I won't even try to pick the short film categories as I have not seen any of them, the academy should just upload the nominees to their website; it would benefit everyone involved.

DVD Review: A Prarie Home Companion

Featuring an all-star ensemble cast, meticulous pacing, and a demonstration in the fine art of blending comedy, drama and ambient dialogue, there's no mistaking who directed A Prairie Home Companion. Robert Altman's final film possesses each of the signature elements associated with his filmmaking style. It's not his best film, nor most groundbreaking; but now that the knowledge it was his last work has sank in, Companion has inescapably become one his most important films.
Yesterday Altman would have been 82. He never won an Oscar for directing, but he was nominated six times and received an honorary award from the Academy just last year. A Prairie Home Companion is an excellently crafted film with each of the players on top of their game. The film is about death, endings and last shows. It possesses both humor and tragedy and makes me smile just thinking about it.
The DVD is great, if you're an Altman fan, go buy it; it's essential to your collection.

Garrison Keilor worked closely with Altman on this film and he wrote a sort-of eulogy a while back, here's the link. And here's an article from today's New York Times about a recent tribute to Altman attended by many of the actors who had worked with him.

Oscar Nominations

Here are the big winners in order of nominations recieved:

Dreamgirls (8)
Babel (7)
The Queen (6)
Pan's Labyrinth (6)
The Blood Diamond (5)
The Departed (5)
Letters From Iwo Jima (4)
Notes On A Scandal (4)
Little Miss Sunshine (4)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (4)
Little Children (3)
Apocalypto (3)
Children of Men (3)
United 93 (2)
The Devil Wears Prada (2)
Flags of Our Fathers (2)
The Prestige (2)
Cars (2)

To see the complete list, go here.

There were some obvious surprises regarding the results announced today. But what about the subtle ones? Pan's Labyrinth got as many nominations as The Queen? Mel Gibson's Apocalypto snagged three nods along with Children of Men, and how about Little Miss Sunshine for best picture? That old bus may have a few more miles left in it after all.
I'm going to have to hurry up and see Babel, and The Queen. While I am at it, I'll have to check out Letters From Iwo Jima too; today's nominations just made me want to see it even more (I think it might the favorite for best picture now). At some point I'll make my predictions on here. I can't wait for February 25, should be a fun night.

Best Movies of 2006

Here is a list of all the 2006 releases I've seen, starting with my favorite movies of the year (NOTE: I didn't get to see half the films I wanted to in 2006).

My 10 Favorites
The Fountain
The Prestige
Borat
Children of Men
Clerks II
Little Miss Sunshine
The Departed
V for Vendetta
A Prairie Home Companion
Pan's Labyrinth

Runners Up
Brick
A Scanner Darkly
Over the Hedge
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Bubble
Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor)
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
United 93
Cars
The Illusionist
The Black Dahlia
Monster House
Thank You For Smoking
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
16 Blocks

Films That Disappointed Me
The Break-Up
The Da Vinci Code
Mission: Impossible III
X-Men: The Last Stand
Superman Returns
Marie Antoinette

Films I Did Not Choose To See
The Holiday
Eight Below
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Charlotte's Web
Employee of the Month
Take the Lead
Scary Movie 4


And in case you're interested, here is the list of 2006 films I wanted to see but didn't get around to (Blockbuster will be getting all of my money over the next few months). Some of these are still in theaters if you missed them as well.

The Proposition
Lady Vengeance
Art School Confidential
Hard Candy
Lonesome Jim
Winter Passing
Nacho Libre
Lady In the Water
Miami Vice
The Descent
World Trade Center
Half Nelson
Snakes On a Plane
Crank
Idiocracy
Hollywoodland
The Last Kiss
Jet Li's Fearless
The Science of Sleep
The Last King of Scotland
The Queen
Shortbus
Little Children
Flags of Our Fathers
Letters From Iwo Jima
Babel
Death of a President
Volver
Stranger Than Fiction
Casino Royale
For Your Consideration
10 Items Or Less
Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Rocky Balboa
The Good Shepherd
The Curse of the Golden Flower
Venus
An Inconvenient Truth
The War Tapes
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Jesus Camp
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
This Film is Not Yet Rated
Shut Up and Sing

Also, here is Wikipedia's 2006 in Film page, it's fun to look back.

By the way, The Oscar nominations will be announced tomorrow morning; I'll try to post my thoughts on the selections quickly so check back here periodically.

Film links

If George Lucas updated Singin in the Rain.

Funny preview of who could be playing James Bond next.

Another trailer mash-up, funniest idea for one that I have seen yet.

Wikipedia page explaining the re-cut trailer phenomenon.

Some clips from the film Jesus Camp, see some of it before it comes out of dvd.

An article about Charlie Kaufman and how he changed Hollywood screenwriting.

The 100 scariest scenes in the movies.

A web-game in honor of the Little Miss Sunshine DVD release.

Jim Emerson's tips on film criticism, a good read, he writes well.

Cinematical's seven best westerns you should be watching.

Article about movie heroes from the 80s coming back in new films, in honor of the news that a new Indiana Jones movie is officially starting production this summer.

Awesome site where you can download Mystery Science Theater-esque commentaries to play while watching your favorite films.

An article about how gays struggle to get decent work in Hollywood.

Article about Robert DeNiro and directing The Good Shepherd.

That's all I have today, enjoy!

Genre: The Romantic Comedy

After I made my post about The Fountain and Sci/Fi films I decided to discuss another genre, one that until recently, I cringed at the mention of: The Romantic Comedy. I've come to appreciate a good Rom/Com ever since my wife and I began dating two years ago. In that time there has been a few great examples of the genre but along the way there has been a lot of stinkers as well. Then I read this post about the current lack of good Romantic Comedies. These guys make an interesting point that the genre has evolved into many sub-genres. Obviously this transformation didn't happen overnight; over the last decade there have been some major shifts in direction for these types of films.
I think that there are a select few really good films in this genre. Then there are those many well-made attempts. Finally, there a whole bunch that all feel the same and end up being a waste of time watching because, essentially, you've seen it before (of course this thinking applies to every genre). Here's a list I found of some great Rom-Coms.
I just wanted to state that I'm more willing to watch these films now that I am married, even though I don't have a lot of interest in most of them. The good ones make it worth it. Oh, and the whole spending-time-and-watching-a-movie-with-my-wife thing helps too.

DVD Review: Clerks II

What can I say that would properly sum up Clerks 2?... it's a fitting conclusion. The whiny, obnoxious and crude duo of Dante and Randal (Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson) are well-loved characters among film nerds. Clerks is the model by which all aspiring filmmakers base their first attempts, either on purpose or unconsciously. The release of Clerks put director Kevin Smith on the map and since 1994 he has had, for the most part, a successful career making movies about boys who won't grow up and the women who inexplicably fall for them.
The Kevin Smith microcosm is made up of Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks 2. Smith's "View Askewniverse", named for his production company, contains a wide variety of characters; some make multiple appearances (Jay and Silent Bob appear in all of his films), while others seem to exist only within one of Smith's intertwined plots. There are even passing references to characters or events from past Smith films in his later ones to help interconnect the world he has created.
But the trials and tribulations of Dante and Randal are what got this whole mess started. Clerks 2 allows us to catch up with our favorite counter-jockeys and we learn that not a whole lot has changed; in fact the only thing that has changed is that Dante and Randal are now working at Mooby's, and that's only because the Quick-Stop burned down. Neither seem to know what to do with their lives yet, even though they are both rapidly approaching 30. The basic plot is Dante is about to be married and will soon move to Florida with the new wife (played by Smith's real wife) but Dante doesn't exactly seem excited about these new changes in his life, Randal is upset about this but doesn't make his feelings widely known, Dante however may be secretly in love with Mooby's manager Becky (Rosario Dawson). Randal takes out his frustration over losing his best friend on Elias (Trevor Fehrman), a hopeless, Jesus-loving nerd (these are some of the funniest moments in the film).
What I'm trying to say is: go rent it, it's frickin' hilarious. And the story is good too.