Oh Thieves Like Us...

Thieves Like Us(dir. Robert Altman)
REVIEW PENDING...
***1/2 out of ****

Oh One Legged Cowboys, Ballet, and Severed Heads...

3:10 to Yuma(dir. James Mangold)
I've never seen the original film so I can't compare the two. This is just a straight-forward modern western. It doesn't try to rewrite the rules of what a western should be and in a way comes off sort of bland and clichéd because of it. The film gets more lively in it's final 15 minutes and this is definitely the point where I became more interested in the film after a long period of disinterest. It's not going to blow your mind, but I still slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
The Company(dir. Robert Altman)
It's basically a low-key version of Nashville that focuses on a Chicago ballet company instead of the Nashville country music scene. This is his most visually elegant film and it's one of his few films to be shot on digital. The gorgeous cinematography keeps you interested especially when it shows the ballet dance scenes that go on perhaps too long. I don't have an interest in ballet all that much so it's probably more my problem than the film's. The story is charming, but it frustratingly takes a backseat most of the time for the ballet. With my frustrations aside, I recommend.
*** out of ****
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia(dir. Sam Peckinpah)
It's a deranged near-masterpiece. It sort of gets silly with the whole talking to the head side of things, but for something this demented and strangely poetic, it's definitely a minor complaint. Warren Oates gives a hell of a performance in this. I might be underrating it, but I'd rather underrate something than overrate it. I highly recommend.
***1/2 out of ****

Oh Robert Altman...

Best to Worst
1. M*A*S*H
2. California Split
3. Nashville
4. The Player
5. Short Cuts
6. The Long Goodbye
7. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
8. Prarie Home Companion
9. Fool for Love
10. Secret Honor
?. Cookie's Fortune
?. Dr. T and the Women

Oh Harry...

Fool for Love(dir. Robert Altman)
An engaging mess. It's pretty obvious that this was a play before it turned into a movie. I'd imagine Bug is similar to this with it's white trash hotel setting. The end is compelling to an extent, but it's a little too crazy for it's own good. I recommend.
*** out of ****

Another Motherload...

Mirror(dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
Second time is a charm.
**** out of ****
Stalker(dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
**** out of ****
A Prarie Home Companion(dir. Robert Altman)
It started off pretty slow, but when it reached the point where you discover who the woman in the white trenchcoat is, everything seemed to fall in place. Definately not his best, but still good.
*** out of ****
The Man From Laramie(dir. Anthony Mann)
Definately better than The Naked Spur and Winchester '73. Quite possible be my favorite western.
**** out of ****
Rio Grande(dir. John Ford)
*** out of ****
The Searchers(dir. John Ford)
**** out of ****
Hondo(dir. John Farrow)
**** out of ****
Ten(dir. Abbas Kiarostami)
I absolutely loved this movie.
**** out of ****
A Better Tomorrow(dir. John Woo)
The plot is pretty bad. Theres not that much action. It's still a decent movie just for its style.
*** out of ****
Notre Musique(dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
I didn't really understand what it was trying to convey. I read other reviews of it and they talk about the idea of how being the victim in a war is better than being the victor. That makes sense and the film definately goes over that, but it was not that interesting. The best parts were the Hell portion where he uses footage from movie and creates a bizarre and somewhat scary view of war and his speech on shot and reverse shot.
** out of ****
Three Times(dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien)
This movie is extremely uneven. The first "time" is the best portion of the film. It had an innocent romantic charm that worked well with it, while the others just pretty much fall flat. The second "time" is interesting because its silent, but this stylistic choice is basically a gimmick. The third "time" is sort of interesting. The characters seem like those "dark" people on LiveJournal where they make up poems and other artistic things to show how intelligent and creative they are. Just like those people, I could care less about the characters in this part.
** out of ****
Rebels of a Neon God(dir. Tsai Ming-Liang)
**** out of ****
The Wrong Man(dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
*** out of ****
Winter Light(dir. Ingmar Bergman)
The first Bergman that I actually enjoyed.
**** out of ****
What Time is it There?(dir. Tsai Ming-Liang)
I absolutely loved it.
**** out of ****
Goodbye, Dragon Inn(dir. Tsai Ming-Liang)
It came together at the end.
**** out of ****
Days of Being Wild(dir. Wong Kar-Wai)
It was good, but the ending was pretty bad. He could have ended it probably three times before the ending and I would have been happy. It is interesting how different this film feels from his later ones.
*** out of ****

The Verdicts

The Sacrifice(dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
It achieved a dream-like feel better than probably any movie I have ever seen. The story is kind of vaguely told which helps create this feel. The way the lines were delivered were very soothing almost like music. They say this is his most Bergmanesque film which I kind of understand since the characters feel like they baring their souls and are very venerable. I however actually loved this film unlike any of the Bergman films I have seen.
**** out of ****
Little Miss Sunshine(dir. ?)
I think I realize now that I am a sucker for films about "dysfunctional" families. The Royal Tenenbaums is probably my favorite movie and thats all about a "dysfunctional" family. This film is amazingly funny, but in a way that is both intelligent and emotional. It shows a family coming together on a vacation through hardships and bad situations and plays it for laughs. It seems very honest and I loved it.
Night on Earth(dir. Jim Jarmusch)
Taxi Cab Confessions as done by Jim Jarmusch. This is my second favorite by him because the stories are interesting and funny. It is most like Mystery Train in the sense it is a collection of stories. This however has a constitent quality to it compared to Mystery Train where the first story was the best one and the others were lacking.
**** out of ****
The Long Goodbye(dir. Robert Altman)
This could be considered an anti-noir just like McCabe & Mrs. Miller is considered an anti-western. I have very similar feelings to this as I do for McCabe & Mrs. Miller. I thought it was really good, but its not as good as some of his other work. Elliot Gould is still the man so that makes it even better than McCabe.
**** out of ****
Choose Me(dir. Alan Rudolph)
Alan Rudolph was Robert Altman's assistant director on the film above. I thought that was interesting since it was unintentional that I would watch this movie after I've seen the film above. It feels like Altman made a romantic film and this is the product. It was definately alot better than his other film I saw called The Secret Life of Dentists. I loved it.
**** out of ****

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 ****

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 ****

Film Reviews

System for my reviews:
*-Bad **-Average ***-Good ****-Great
No zero or half star ratings.
No plot synopsises.
Just a star rating and maybe a sentence of what I liked about it.

Nashville(dir. Robert Altman)
****
Fascinating satire of our celebrity-obsessed culture. Ending redeemed itself from a ***.

Decalogue I(dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski)
****
Emotional devastating.

Decalogue II(dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski)
***
Not as good as I, but poses questions about abortion and infidelity.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day(dir. James Cameron)
****
Eddie Furlong is annoying, Linda Hamilton is over the top, and Arnold Schwareznegger is badass. An actual though-provoking action movie. Kicks ass.