Once Upon A Time In Mexico
Earlier this week I finished Robert Rodriguez's trilogy about El Mariachi with Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Like El Mariachi and Desperado, this movie worked … mostly. There is real joy in the filmmaking, and some really great scenes. But its over-the-top style doesn't carry it the whole way. Johnny Depp really stands out as a CIA agent with some wonderful lines ("Are you a Mexican or a Mexican't?") and a great character. Antonio Banderas does a good job carrying what Roger Ebert calls the "Eastwood" role. This was a fun movie, but it doesn't hold up to some Read more…
The 400 Blows
The cinema saved Francois Truffaut‘s life, he said again and again. It took a delinquent student and gave him something to love, and with the encouragement of Bazin he became a critic and then made this film by his 27th birthday. If the New Wave marks the dividing point between classic and modern cinema (and many think it does), then Truffaut is likely the most beloved of modern directors — the one whose films resonated with the deepest, richest love of moviemaking. via rogerebert.suntimes.com Last week I watched “The 400 Blows” with Matt. This is a film of the French Read more…
Speak, Roger!
Computers can do just about everything these days, from running airplanes to carrying out labyrinthine mathematical calculations. It would seem to be such a simple thing I am asking. I would like a computer to provide me with my own voice. Many people have suggested this: “Why don’t you get someone to take tapes of your speaking voice and create a voice you can use with your computer?” They make it sound so simple. They look like they’ve had a brilliant idea. But it is not so simple. via blogs.suntimes.com Roger Ebert, who has been unable to speak for about Read more…
Geeking out
Mary just got back from a week-long visit to St. Louis. While she was away, I let my inner geek run loose. There was the Saturday tech conference, of course. I finished the first season of Chuck, a show about a computer geek who accidentally ends up with government secrets downloaded into his brain. And my dad and I watched all three Lord of the Rings movies in 3 days. Inspired by that, I also sketched out an idea for a fantasy trilogy of my own if I ever decided to write one. Chuck is a fun show–a guilty pleasure Read more…
At the movies
If you've worked at a movie theater before, this short Coen Brothers film will resonate. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMYAtgapMro?wmode=transparent] My own favorite conversation with a patron at the Grand went something like this: "What time does A Prairie Home Companion start?" "7:00." "Is it a good movie?" "It's great." "Who is the companion?" "I'm sorry?" "The companion. Is it a prairie dog?" "…" "Like Little House on the Prairie?" "No, A Prairie Home Companion is the name of a radio show." "So it's not about prairie dogs?" "No, it's about a radio program." "Oh, well then I'm not interested, thank you." "It's Read more…
(500) Days of Summer
(500) Days of Summer is a very good movie. Legitimately funny with sweetness and remorse. It’s also a wonderful piece of filmmaking, with creativity in its creation, storytelling, and visuals. And yet for all that, it’s well grounded in real emotions, and doesn’t betray its characters or emotions. Zooey Deschanel, who I thought was great in Elf and Almost Famous, can’t really hold up to the character’s description (after all, how many people can legitamately be described as drawing “18.4 double-takes per day” while also looking like a normal person who could be someone’s secretary.) She’s good. It’s a very Read more…
A Prairie Home Companion
Once again, I revisited A Prairie Home Companion, and once again, I came away with a profound respect for Altman, Keillor, and the cast. I don’t know why this movies gets me the way it does, but it always succeeds. It’s got music, comedy, fart jokes, Lindsey Lohan, fictional characters, Minnesotans, angels, and is still somehow a beautiful meditation on death. I’m always touched when I see it. If I were ever to write a critical analysis of a film, I think I’d probably choose this one. … either this or Death Proof (no foolin’, I think Death Proof, for Read more…
Bottle Rocket: Early Wes Anderson
I enjoyed watching Bottle Rocket, Wes Anderson's first film. It has much of the elements of his work: deadpan tone, and a focus on family–even though Luke and Owen Wilson don't play brothers, it's pretty hard to forget that they are. Bottle Rocket is also a good reminder of why Owen Wilson is so much fun to watch on screen. I think that one of the reasons the movie succeeds is that Anderson allows his characters to break the deadpan-ness that characterizes his later films. Both The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited suffered from too much distance, I felt. Read more…
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