Week and a Half? Review #1?

1. The Royal Tenenbaums (dir. Wes Anderson)
This is my favorite movie now. It is everything I dreamed of in a movie except not knowing it. Some people feel it is painfully controlled, but the instances of emotion are almost crippling because of this control. The characters also do things that seem irrational and spontanteous while the style and the world is controlled by the film-makers. One scene that I think is perfect is when Richie sees Margot the first time in the movie when he is an adult. The music and everything creates the perfect feeling in me that I can't help, but love this movie. I know the rest of the movie isn't perfect, but it comes quite close.
Sidenote: It is quite interesting to compare this Paul Thomas Anderson's third film, Magnolia. They both have a father in it that attempts to reach out to his family by saying he is dying. Phillip Baker Hall's character might be dying while Royal is not dying at all. Hall's character however might have did far worse things to his family than Royal. Narration in both films is surpisingly similar. They both don't have narration in the middle of the picture, but bookend the film. There is alot more narration in Wes's film though. Both films seem to be controlled very elaborately compared to each film-maker's work before this. Rushmore showed Wes's signature style alot while Bottle Rocket just showed little bits like the jumpsuits. Paul's Boogie Nights showed the direction he would be heading with Magnolia, but hasn't made a film like it since. I also believe both those films are the best of their respective director.
**** out of ****
2. Dead Man (dir. Jim Jarmusch)
This movie is my favorite Jarmusch film. I cared for the characters and it felt surpisingly focused compared to his earlier work and even his later work (Broken Flowers). Thats not to say his other films I've seen are worth watching, but they fail to create a mood and a universe like this movie. The soundtrack is amazing and Gary Farmer's performance as Nobody is particularly noteworthy. The film felt like a spiritual western. I dig it.
3. California Split (dir. Robert Altman)
Elliot Gould is the man.
**** out of ****
4. Close-Up (dir. Abbas Kiarostami)
Kind of funny. Not the movie, the situation I watched the movie. I watched it right after the post below. It even says Based on a True Story in the beginning, but the film has documentary footage implemented of it. Some of the people in the documentary footage were willing to re-enact instances talked about in the documentary footage. The ending makes you wonder if the events actually happened or not so it isn't completely abusing its Based on a True Story. Most Hollywood pictures would have put no effort at all into the movie since the audience already has a sense of "Oh this really happened" even though they should be trying harder. Kiarostami is one of my favorite film-makers now.
**** out of ****

Based on a True Story or Events

Thats a line I never liked to see before a movie. It already gives you the impression that you will not be caught off-guard or surprised throughout the next hour or so. It already tells you that the director and crew take this film so seriously that they believe they are showing the audience some form of truth. Truth in cinema? Is that possible? I don't believe in truth in cinema thats not to say that cinema shouldn't make people feel what they are seeing is realistic. Cinema verite was a whole film movement based on trying to make the films as realistic as possible by using documentary film techniques even though whats on screen is usually written down in a script. Some of my favorite films are a part of this sort of idea of cinema like Battle of Algiers and John Cassavetes's films. Werner Herzog used documentary techniques on some of his films, but they are often bizarre like a dream. Thats what I believe films should be like. They should be like dreams. They feel frighteningly realistic, but you see things before that aren't possible in real-life. Truth has no purpose in films even if the film is autobiographical. Those type of films are usually based on fuzzy memories. Films should be based on dreams, fuzzy memories, and other images and ideas that are floating around in the director's skull. Why would I care about truth? Can't I just live my life and see truth through my eyes? I don't need a movie to show me truth. I want the director to show me his interpretation of truth. This post was based on a idea and an interpretation of truth like everything else is and should be.

PC RPGS?

Oh I love acronyms lol. I have never been a huge fan of rpgs even though I own alot of Final Fantasy games, but I have only beaten one. RPGs done right can be addicting as hell like Final Fantasy Tactics. I have never been big on PC RPGs since they mainly consist of clicking of the mouse constantly to kill something. I'll go over some RPGs that basically blew chunks or that I love for the PC.

Diablo series
I don't like it at all. It is so boring and mundane that I don't understand how it has such a large following. The beginning video on the first one is very moody and creepy and the music is too, but actual gameplay is as primitive as Gauntlet with a mouse and keyboard. I guess the online is where the real action is at and I might change my mind when I try that out, but in all honesty, I can't picture myself playing this game a bunch online. The only thing I like by Blizzard is StarCraft and thats the best RTS I have ever played.

Neverwinter Nights
Felt the same as the game above, but seemed more interesting. Alot more reading which I don't like that much especially when it feels like a generic fantasy game. I only played the demo and maybe these games are better online, but yeah. For now, I am not that impressed.

Deus Ex
I love first-person shooters. Well, I don't love everyone and this is a definate case. I might be pushing it by calling it a RPG, but it feels like one and it has alot of talking and text trees. It also has skill menu where you can upgrade skills. I never got past the first level of this game and I can honestly say that some of the things in the games are pretty revolutionary like the fact that you can basically pick up everything. It felt too stealthy and I honestly can't stand that when it feels like a trial and error fest like Splinter Cell. I should enjoy it, but I can't. It is in the category of games that are so hyped up that I don't understand like Final Fantasy VIII and the whole Resident Evil series except 4.

System Shock 2
I haven't played much, but I remember alot of reading and not much playing. If I did play, it would be for a few seconds until I died. It seemed interesting enough to give another try.

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The whole reason for this little blog of bullshit. I got this game last Wednesday and I've played it for 19 hours in the past 7 days. I love this game. It feels so immersive even the generic feel of the races and such feel wholly original and fleshed out. This game is a work of art and has so much shit to do even if you get stuck on a quest, you can just do something else. I can't imagine beating this game anytime soon, but its alot of fun.

I need to try Bioware's other PC titles like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale and maybe even play some Ultimas, but for now, PC RPGs haven't impressed me that much. I might try Guild Wars or some MMORPGs or something. I'll stick to FPSs for now and I should probably play more RTSs, but whatever.

Week in Review #4 or Day in Review?

I only watched one movie this week and thats basically it. I've decided I'm gonna write more blogs about videogames since I've been playing more and more of them lately or have I? I am currently in the process of watching Satantango which is directed by Bela Tarr. IT is a whopping 7 and half hours long. The beginning, I was impressed as hell, but now it feels like a chore just like Werckmeister Harmonies. He just seems to go overboard with some of the stuff that slows down the film's pace and basically hurts the film. Some scenes are so beautiful that I almost feel I should give it 4 stars, but I don't know. We'll see after I watched the whole thing. I've only seen 2 hours so this might be my movie of this week.
L'Argent(directed by Robert Bresson)
This is the first film of his that I can honestly say I enjoyed. Nothing felt distracting. The acting usually distracted me, but it didn't here. It felt soothing and mediative(?) in a way. I read a interview with Bresson and he says he wants to stimulate the eyes and the ears to create a truly audio visual experience. You often hear cars during this film and sound is usually used to change the setting. You usually cars whizzing by or the sound of a person walking before the setting changes. The story's themes are very old fashion, but not told in a very original way. A man's life basically crumbles after receiving counterfeit money. It causes him to lose his job and the respect of everybody. He can't get a job because of the incident and ends up turning to crime. He gets more jail time and his daughter dies and his wife leaves him. His life is basically shit just because of counterfeit money. His life takes a violent turn and yeah. Music was used minimal in this film and maybe thats what was distracting me in his other films since he used music in a very distracting way by basically blarring it. I never paid attention to sound that much in his other films. That might have been my problem. I dug it.
**** out of ****

Week in Review #3

Only watched a whopping two movies this week and beat a game. I finished a book today.
Book Review:
The Stranger by Albert Camus
It was a short and easy read that confronts you with the question what if there is no meaning in life and in this world? The book seemed to glide and have an amazing pace to it. The protagonist was relatable yet immensely flawed. This is a book that Camus used to push his philosophy of absurdism, but never feels like he shoving his message down your throat which takes alot of skill. A great book.
**** out of ****
Movie Reviews:
1. Tokyo Drifter Directed by Seijun Suzuki
I've always wanted to see a film by Suzuki. Some say they are hard to understand, but I don't get how they are or at least this one. It seems very surrealistic especially during a brawl in a saloon. Very stylized to the point I would call him the Japanese Jean-Pierre Melville even though Melville never had enough money to make a film like this, used insane sets or would use color in the way this film does, but it just screams COOL like Melville's films. I want to see more of this director's work.
**** out of ****
2. Point Blank Directed by John Boorman
This film is very similar to the first one in the sense that it is COOL. A man seeking revenge yet doesn't get it. It seems very unrealistic, but in a way it is portrayed in a very realistic fashion which makes it very good. Lee Marvin is in it so thats another bonus. Very stylish just like the film above, but not as bizarre and brilliant.
**** out of ****
Game Review:
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
This is one of the best first person stealth shooters I have ever played. I've played Deus Ex and hated it. I hate Splinter Cell. Thief: Deadly Shadows seemed interesting. This just seems to do it absolutely right. There is alittle RPG flavor to it with the increasing health bar and the interaction between inmates which leads to optional quests. The last part of it just seemed to fall into genre cliches with the action-packed shootouts and the use of a giant mech-like vehicle. The last boss seems fairly anticlimatic as well. Everything before it was amazing with the use scalpels and screwdrivers to take down enemies. There was some parts that seemed to drag like the dwellers and those funky creatures that explode when shot, but those sections didn't last too long. It is one of the few FPS's I have completed which means alot.
**** out of ****

Week in Review #2

I watched two movies a day this week to make up for not reading a full novel. I started reading For Whom The Bell Tolls, but couldn't really get into it so I read The Metamorphosis instead.
Book:
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
This could have easily been turned into a horror story, but it was more a domestic drama. A man turns into a vermin and causes his family great grief and problems. When he finally dies, his sister is allowed to metamorposize into a beautiful young women. Christ symbolism with cockroaches is good in my book.
**** out of ****
Movies:
1. A Generation directed by Andzrej Wajda
This is considered the weakest of his so-called War Trilogy. However, I enjoyed it more than Kanal. Kanal felt uneven with its depiction of war and their journey through the sewers. Both films are clearly anti-war. The only thing that doesn't work in A Generation is the ending. Sure, it makes its anti-war clear, it just feels out of place. I thought it was amazing.
**** out of ***8
2. Belle De Jour directed by Luis Bunuel
I'm surprised that I waited so long to see any Bunuel. His films are very normal. He is kind of like Franz Kafka of film. He presents bizarre situations in such a realistic fashion that it never becomes uncomfortable or even bizarre. This film however does not have a very bizarre situation. The ending I believe is pretty much the same as Discreet Charm, but I can't help, but this film is less surrealistic. I enjoyed it immensely.
**** out of ****
3. The Player directed by Robert(o) Altman
Robert Altman is one of my favorite directors. His films have a sense of humor that works very well with me. This could be considered his Breakfast of Champions. He criticizes film-making as Vonnegut criticizes writing, but it is what it criticizes. The film is made in a Hollywood fashion, but has a higher degree of artistry. One of its targets is how Hollywood have to end happily. The film ends happily even though it is unrealistic. The film is uncriticizable since it criticizes itself which makes it so great. The first time I saw it I didn't like it. I had a headache or something because I don't understand why I didn't like it.
**** out of ****
4. Naked directed by Mike Leigh
I haven't really watched that many British films which would make sense. Are they considered foreign films? I am not sure. This film has been often called bleak and it is. It is pretty uncomfortable watching it. It kind of reminds of a not as stylish A Clockwork Orange, but it seems more moral. I didn't really get the character of Jeremy or Sebastion. He seems to be an example of how Johnny could be. Johnny is the lesser of two evils. It presents the situation as it is unflinchingly and that is probably its greatest thing. A great film.
**** out of ****
5. Mystery Train directed by Jim Jarmusch
I've seen Stranger than Paradise and feel I should reassess it because I love the style of the film, but the reason I gave for not giving it four stars was lack of emotional involvement, but is that really a problem? There is some emotion to his films, but it doesn't go overboard like Hollywood films. I loved the first story in this film and the other two I liked. I digged it.
**** out of ****
6. The Naked Spur directed by Anthony Mann
I felt the need to get into classic Hollywood westerns. This film is alot alike his other western that I have seen by Anthony Mann called Winchester '73 in the sense the shootout is almost done in a similar fashion. This one is better since it has Jimmy Stewart throwing a spur at the villain's face and it got stuck in there until his partner shot him. Yeah...
**** out of ****
7. Winchester '73 directed by Anthony Mann
The situation is not as interesting, but the film feels more epic with its sprawling narrative about a stolen rifle. The narrative structure was very interesting and the action was grand.
**** out of ****
8. High Plains Drifter directed by Clint Eastwood
The film has a wierd feel to it. It can be considered a continuation of Clint's character in the Man with No Name Trilogy, but lacks their sense of humor. This film isn't very campy or as aware of its old-fashionness. It seemed bleaker, but not as artisitc as say Once Upon a Time in the West. The biggest fault is it takes itself too seriously. The supernatural aspect made it very interesting.
*** out of ****
9. Syriana directed by ?
The plot wasn't as confusing as people make it out to be, but I don't get how the stories relate to each other. I understand alittle bit, but not that much. The biggest problem for me was the editing. It was edited in a very Hollywood fashion which shows me its techniques and makes the thing easy to see where its going. The plot was interesting. More interesting than Crash. It didn't have a real message to it either that corporations are greedy and people die for oil which seems very true. What makes a effective movie is one that you don't understand how it has an effect on you. Directors are basically liars so what they need to do is cover up their lie. If they do this well and are original how they do it then they are a good director. There was one scene with a suicide bomber that had a typical scene of silence with the score going. This is done in alot of films today. It was still a good film.
*** out of ****
10. She's Gotta Have It directed by Spike Lee
This was Spike Lee's debut. It has modest production values and he doesn't take up very heavy handed subject matter. Race doesn't really come into play in this film as much as his others. The acting was not very good. Spike and his sister Joie probably give the best performances of the film. The pseudo-documentary film made it interesting.
*** out of ****
11. Johnny Guitar directed by Nicholas Ray
A western with women? Is this The Quick and the Dead? The women seem like total bitches in the movie even Vienna who is the protagonist of the movie. She is played like a bitch out for blood, but she somehow never wants to fire a weapon and kill anybody which doesn't make sense since how she is acted by Joan Crawford leads me to believe something else. Emma is played as a bigger bitch which makes you sympathize with Vienna more just because shes the lesser of two evils. It dragged alot, but when action happened it was entertaining. Not as good as a western as Anthony Mann's, but had a more interesting situation.
*** out of ****
12. On the Waterfront directed by Elia Kazan
This film is an allegory for the blacklist and the director ratting out people that were commies. Personally, I was bored with this film. The only thing I found interesting was the cinematography. I might need to rewatch this, but for now...
** out of ****

TV:
Coach Season 1
I love Coach. It has a feel like Cheers of warmth and familarity. It is a comforting feeling. I'm surpised by how much I care about Hayden and his friends. Hayden is not very likeable yet you care immensely for him. I love this show.
**** out of ****