Monday, June 30, 2014

Good Night, And Good Luck. (2005)


Is this movie a fluke? Of the four films in George Clooney's directorial filmography, this is the only one that can unequivocally be described as a success. Who would've thought that between Clooney and Affleck, Ben would be the bleeding-heartthrob with stronger cinematic chops? Everything about this film is so on the mark (acting, directing, writing, cinematography, music, costumes, editing, production design) that one would think it the harbinger of a seriously important career. Instead it has been followed by the wildly off the mark one-two punch of Leatherheads and Monuments Men. I guess it's at least admirable that he's tried something different every time out of the gate rather than just repeating a successful formula, but...maybe he should? Oh well, at least we have this one. Good night, and good luck.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Pleasantville (1998)



In a late 90s world full of loud music and questionable fashion, David (Tobey Maguire) finds himself turning to his favorite hokey old 50s TV show "Pleasantville" to escape from it all. Things take an unexpected turn when he and his sister (Reese Witherspoon) find themselves trapped inside the world of the show where everything is perfect, everybody conforms, it never rains, and everything is black and white, and the two of them flip this perfect world upside down.

This film is very special to me. The acting is all great, especially from Joan Allen, William  H. Macy, and Jeff Daniels as the confused adults in this perfect 1950s setting. The score by Randy Newman is beautiful, and the special effects are really well done. Most importantly, though, I really love the message behind this movie. Color is introduced into this world when its citizens find themselves breaking the "rules," as it were. Having sex, standing up for themselves, expressing themselves...it's a visual sign of how you can come alive when you decide to ask questions and make up your own mind and be yourself. It's a lesson we can all be reminded of when we find ourselves sleepwalking through life. Movies can do that for you.

If you haven't seen this one, I highly recommend it. It's very underrated and quite lovely. And if you've already seen it, well, revisit it. It's a good one.

Friday Quote: The Virgin Suicides



"In the end we had pieces of the puzzle, but no matter how we put them together, gaps remained. Oddly shaped emptiness mapped by what surrounded them, like countries we couldn't name. What lingered after them was not life, but the most trivial list of mundane facts. A clock ticking on the wall, a room dim at noon, the outrageousness of a human being thinking only of herself."

The Virgin Suicides (1999)

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Listening To: Pride and Prejudice (2005)


I wrote a gushy love letter to this movie a few years ago, but I wanted to write a little something about the beautiful score by Dario Marianelli.

I'm a sucker for a pretty film score. The kind that you shut your eyes to fully appreciate, the kind that soothes the senses and gives you the feeling of floating among the notes. From the dreamy piano to the upbeat dancing music to the rhythmic drums of the soldiers marching into town, every note is pitch perfect, transporting the listener into a time long past. The film itself gives you time to really appreciate the score, whether it be during an intimate dance, or while Elizabeth Bennet stands wordlessly on a cliff, the wind blowing around her and the music taking center stage. It's a wonderful listen and I recommend it.



Monday, June 23, 2014

This Cinematic Screening: Strutter (2012)

At 7:30pm on Saturday July 12th, Filmmakers Allison Anders and Kurt Voss will be in attendance for a Q&A following this 
one night only screening!

An aspiring rocker loses his band and his girl but gains the friendship of his idol in this sweet and humanistic comedy that completes the Southern California musicians trilogy from longtime collaborators Allison Anders and Kurt Voss. The first film in the series, Border Radio (1987), is part of the Criterion Collection and published on DVD by Janus Films; the second, Sugar Town (1999), was the “centerpiece premiere” at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.

Since Border Radio Allison and Kurt have together or separately written and directed 20 films and various other writing and directing gigs including hit TV shows like Sex and the City, The L Word and Orange Is The New Black. They have between them directed everyone from Terrance Stamp and Salma Hayek to Ice-T and Madonna. They also co-wrote the screenplay for the Peabody Award winning film Things Behind The Sun which Anders directed.

Featuring a score by Dinosaur Jr. front-man J. Mascis and catchy pop from several great local bands, this Kickstarter funded love letter to the Southern California music scene is not to be missed!


Friday, June 20, 2014

Summer Fashion in the Movies


The first day of summer is tomorrow! Yay! I did a post over at Lookbook on summer fashion in the movies, but unfortunately they weren't able to use the fabulous collages I made so I'm sharing them here. Enjoy! 


Almost Famous (2000)



Dr. No (1962)



Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961)



Now and Then (1995)



The Sandlot (1993)

I'm ready to get my summer movie list checked off! What movies give you sartorial inspiration?


Friday Quote: Heavyweights


"Did you ever hear the story of Icarus, who continually rolled the ball up the hill? But when he got too close, the ball melted in the heat of the Sun. You're all like Icarus."

Heavyweights (1995)

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Old Town Music Hall

We recently took a trip to El Segundo to check out the Old Town Music Hall. Craig's aunt has been trying to get us to go for ages, and we finally decided to check it out. From their website:

"Old Town Music Hall is a treasured cultural landmark located in El Segundo, California, not far from the Los Angeles International Airport. Since 1968, Old Town Music Hall has been showing vintage silent and sound films, and presenting live concerts by some of the world's finest performers of jazz, ragtime, and popular music from the past. Silent films are accompanied by the Mighty Wurlitzer, a massive 1925 wind-powered pipe organ that has been meticulously preserved so that silent classics can be experienced with live musical accompaniment, just as they did when they were first shown. It's something you really have to see and hear to believe."

The place was tiny and absolutely darling. The organist was seated by the door and greeted us as we walked in. There were framed portraits of classic film stars and statues of Laurel and Hardy. Inside the theatre was an impressive looking organ, a player piano, and two chandeliers rigged up to flash like lightning during specific parts of the show. For just ten dollars, we were treated to a medley of old tunes by the organist, an audience sing-along, a short film (we saw High and Dizzy from 1920 starring Harold Lloyd) and, after the intermission, they showed the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup! It was a charming evening full of that special kind of joy that only classic comedies can bring. We all had a great time, and if you're in the area and you like early cinema, I highly recommend you check it out!





Monday, June 16, 2014

War of the Worlds (2005)


Steven Spielberg's filmography is an interesting one. Rather than making a film every year like Woody Allen or making a film every few years like the rest of the filmmaking community, Spielberg seems to approach his career like a sprinter. Years will elapse between projects and then all of a sudden he will make several films back to back. At least six times in his career he has released two films in the same calendar year. In order to accomplish this, he has to be working on projects concurrently. Editing the previous one in the evening while directing the current one in the day, tinkering with the screenplay for one between takes of another. Inevitably this has to result in some sort of cross-over. Though it's not really apparent how Jurassic Park influenced Schindler's List, the dialogue between War of the Worlds and Munich is undeniable. Viewed together you really get a sense of what Steven's brain looked like post-9/11.

The weird swirl of unrelenting horror mixed with unrealistic hope that makes up War of the Worlds seems to indicate a filmmaker who is caught in deep conflict between what he is authentically feeling and a desire to deliver what he believes audiences want. The result is nearly Brechtian in how alienating it is. After all the rivers of bodies and human savagery, the film's ending is such a blatant fabrication that Spielberg seems to be practically begging us to cry foul. But was he really intentionally toying with us? Or was he just unintentionally lying to himself? As much as I want it to be the former, upon revisiting the angry/cynical conclusion to Munich, I get the distinct feeling that it was actually the latter. Well at least whatever needed to be purged finally got out...so that he could make Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull completely unencumbered by angst.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Friday Quote: The Princess Bride


"Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder today. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam.."

The Princess Bride (1987)

Monday, June 9, 2014

24 Hour Party People (2002)


At the start of the digital cinema revolution, the few cinematographers who chose to work in the medium were met with a lot of animosity. Their work was called ugly and amateurish. Even among the cinematography community they were outcasts. Does this sound familiar at all? To me it sounds like all the stories I have ever heard about the birth of rock, punk and electronic music. It’s just noise! They don’t know how to play their instruments! They aren’t even using instruments! Doesn’t it make absolutely perfect sense that the film about the rise of electronic music was shot digitally? And not even smooth, crisp, hi-def digital either. The digital noise in some scenes is so pronounced that it is almost a character in the proceedings, bouncing around to the pulsing soundtrack. How’s that for poetic imagery? One revolution dancing with another. Both bouncing away with beautiful, joyous, chaotic abandon. Marshall McLuhan was right: The medium is the message.

Friday, June 6, 2014

10 Reasons to Rewatch Heathers (1988)


I'm sorry everybody, I don't have time to write a properly beautiful and insightful (ha!) review for this dark comedy classic. I had an extra long day at work and I need to marathon "Orange Is The New Black," so here's a quick rundown of 10 things that make Heathers great.

1. "What's your DAMAGE?"



2. Shoulder pads, shoulder pads, SHOULDER PADS.



3. The bitchiest croquet game ever.

4. "I don't patronize bunny rabbits!"



5. Veronica's angry journaling monocle.



6. Heather demonstrating the proper use for holy water.



7. Christian Slater's Jack Nicholson impression (basically the entire movie)



8. Father Otho!

9.  Mineral water.

10. "Well fuck me gently with a chainsaw!" and every other delicious quote from this wickedly twisted movie.

Friday Quote: Goldfinger


"My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!"

Goldfinger (1964)

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Some Like it Hot (1959)


Today is Tony Curtis's birthday, and my Instagram feed was blowing up with pictures of the actor. One photo in particular cracked me up, featuring Curtis in his skivvies with full makeup, and it reminded me that I haven't yet sung the praises of one of my favorite comedies, Some Like it Hot.

In case you haven't seen this (and what are you WAITING for??), it's about two musicians (Curtis and Jack Lemmon) who accidentally witness a mob massacre. Fearing for their lives, they disguise themselves as women and join an all-girls band. Things get a little complicated when one takes a liking to the vivacious and sexy Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe) and the other finds himself the object of a rich bachelor's (Joe E. Brown) affections. Sound like a hoot? It is!

This movie is definitely one of my favorites. I saw it in high school when I was first getting into classic film and it introduced me to the comedic brilliance of Jack Lemmon, who really runs away with this role. Curtis is restrained in his female role, but shines when in disguise again, this time as a wealthy playboy doing a hilariously over-the-top Cary Grant accent, in attempts to woo Sugar Kane. Marilyn Monroe is Marilyn, haha, playing the breathy bombshell as only she could. Her performances in this film are all memorable ("I Wanna Be Loved by You" and "I'm Through With Love") but my personal favorite is her first, "Running Wild" where she dances enthusiastically while rocking out on her ukelele. And the best part of this movie? It is so so so funny. It's one of those movies where I find myself giggling in anticipation of a favorite line or facial expression (Lemmon, again, is the funniest part of this movie). It's a comedy classic and worth a watch by just about everyone.

And if you don't like it? Hey, nobody's perfect!

Monday, June 2, 2014

A History Of Violence (2005)


A few years ago, when The Dark Knight Rises was about to be released, David Cronenberg was out promoting Cosmpolois and made the following statement in an interview:
“…a superhero movie, by definition, you know, it’s comic book. It’s for kids. It’s adolescent in its core. That has always been its appeal, and I think people who are saying, you know, Dark Knight Rises is, you know, “supreme cinema art,” I don’t think they know what the fuck they’re talking about.” [1]
This caught me a bit off guard as it was Cronenberg himself that directed one of my favorite comic to film adaptations – A History of Violence. This statement also seems odd coming from a man who has spent the better part of his career elevating the base genre of horror to the level of art. And what about films like the Oscar nominated Ghost WorldAmerican Splendor and Persepolis? When you get down to the heart of it, a comic book is nothing more than source material. Just as great movies have been based on books and plays, so have awful movies. And some of those great films even began life as pulpy novels intended for base amusement. The French New Wave practically made a habit of it. I guess that’s why it was Jean-Luc Godard who coined the phrase, “It’s not where you take things from, it’s where you take them to.” I could not agree more.