I understand that the movie business is indeed that. A business. And businesses have to make money in order to be successful. But I really hate the suits that run the movie industry and the Weinstein's are two of the worst offenders. Here for your viewing pleasure is a letter in which Harvey Weinstein blasts Errol Morris for being too boring. I can understand feeling the need to coach someone on how to deal with publicity but there are somewhat more tactful ways of doing it.
" If you continue to be boring, I will hire an actor in New York to pretend that he's Errol Morris. If you have any casting suggestions, I'd appreciate that. "
Bulgaria, “The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner,” Stephan Komandarev, director;
France, “Un Prophète,” Jacques Audiard, director;
Germany, “The White Ribbon,” Michael Haneke, director;
Israel, “Ajami,” Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, directors;
Kazakhstan, “Kelin,” Ermek Tursunov, director;
The Netherlands, “Winter in Wartime,” Martin Koolhoven, director;
Peru, “The Milk of Sorrow,” Claudia Llosa, director.
I'm absolutely floored that Almodovar's 'Broken Embraces' didn't even make the shortlist and had hoped it would at least become an augmented choice. But Spain has won 4 times now so I suppose I can understand cutting them out but I can't believe there are no Asian countries in the final round. South Korean Bong Joon-Ho's 'Mother' certainly deserved a final spot as did the Vietnamese director Nhat Minh Dang's 'Don't Burn It.' But alas....
I think it's safe to say that 'White Ribbon' will come away with the win but I can't decide which 4 movies will get dropped from the final round though I do believe both 'Ajami,' and 'Kelin' will make the cut.
for all intents and purposes, sitcoms have been around since the advent of television. it's an ancient medium that has always been geared to hit as many target demographics as possible, and as such, been consistently watered down so as to not offend the delicate sensibilities of john q. public while still getting them to chuckle at broad jokes stemming from the premise of "men are from mars and women are from venus, and their in-laws are crazy."
the long ago canceled hbo series lucky louie, created by and starring comedian louis ck, takes all the stereotypical tropes of the modern sitcom (predictable plot lines, dirt-cheap sets, an emasculated husband, the loving wife who puts up with him, their precocious kid, more wacky neighbors/coworkers/family members than are probably necessary, all filmed before a live studio audience) and tries to bend them to its will. that the show was on hbo allowed for some subversive humor that turns genre expectations on their head, while never straying very far from the basic frame of any given episode of say, everybody loves raymond or king of queens. for instance, there are a lot of penises in this show, as well as an ample amount of explicit sex talk and general profanity. oftentimes this subversion works well, sometimes making scenarios much more relatable than their network tv counterparts, and other times it seems a little overindulgent. generally, the times it works make up for the times it doesn't. i'm not sure if i would call this a forgotten gem per se, but it's definitely a worthy footnote for having approached the sitcom genre from a truly unique angle.
one of the few upsides of having a busted leg is that i get to call up friends and invite them over to watch whichever movie they've recommended to me on numerous occasions but i haven't gotten around to seeing.
my friend matt has gone through four copies of the last of sheila in recent years, having loaned them out to friends who never got around to returning it. while a more cynical person might see this as sad indicator as to the quality of his friends, i would like to think that they've all either fallen in love with it themselves or loanedit out to other deserving recipients.
the last of sheila turned out to be a great puzzle of a picture, loaded with catty hollywood in-jokes, rapid fire dialog kicked back and forth by a great ensemble cast, more twists than a contortionist convention touring a pretzel factory (yeah, i said it), and each and every one of james coburns teeth. the script, written by noted puzzle nerds anthony perkins and stephen sondheim, is intricately plotted and takes some interesting chances in the ways that it plays with the audiences perceptions and expectations of its characters. the cast has excellent chemistry and really seems to be having a lot of fun trotting around the mediterranean for this fun little mystery.
this strikes me as one of those weird "only in the 70s" sort of movies that can be easily overlooked, but ultimately rewards multiple viewings.
as followers of the four star facebook feed might be aware, some guy named chris broke his leg on saturday. that chris was ME! now have a ton of time on my hands (and OFF my FEET! har!) and plan on spending it watching hell of movies and hopefully tossing out a review once a day. the first of the bunch is junegug, directed by phil morrison.
this sweet little indie comedy from 2005 was such a wonderful surprise of a film. once you think you know where it's going, it quickly changes gears and becomes something else entirely while still feeling like the same movie at its large-hearted core. while everyone turns out solid performances, (even the oc's resident tough-guy ben mckenzie does alright!) this is amy adams' movie. she completely dominates every scene she's in, both with sly facial tics and perfectly aloof line delivery that never come off as insincere or belittling to her character, and towards the end with a dramatic turn that rings surprisingly true and never verges towards the overwrought.
happily enough, i was born and raised in north carolina and went to school in the appalachian mountains, so i have it on pretty good authority that this movie really nails the middle class rural southern family experience while staying away from any broad southern stereotypes. some of my favorite moments were the the long shots detailing vacant backyards, empty bedrooms and dinging rooms as well as small plots of freshly plowed red clay that manage to convey the tone of life in the foothills without being heavy handed.
on top of the great comedic and dramatic performances and perfectly detailed southern setpeices, there's tons of added value in the film, not the least of which comes from the work of the fictitious outsider artist and civil war phallus enthusiast david wark.
all in all, this is an excellent little film that might have gone overlooked by some people. highly recommended, says me. now, if you'll excuse me, i have a handful of batman the animated series episodes to get through before the pain meds kick in.
Eric Rohmer was a prominent writer, film critic and as a director stood side by side with the likes of Jean-Luc
Godard, Francois Truffaut, Jacques Rivette, and Claude Chabrol and his style was a great influence on many directors such as Woody Allen, Olivier Assayas, Arnaud Desplechin, Richard Linklater, Whit Stillman, Steven Soderbergh, and Andrew Bujalski. Four Star carries a great deal of Rohmer's work on both DVD and VHS. Notable entries include 'My Night at Maude's,' 'Claire's Knees,' 'Chloe In The Afternoon,' 'The Romance of Astrea and Celadon' which was his final film and another recent film called 'Triple Agent' from 2003 which was possibly one of his most demanding movies.
I'm well aware the decade is not yet over but since everyone else considered 2009 to be the end of it I've gone along. At Four Star we have around 10 employees, each with wide and varying interests. So when the deliberations came about what the store's "Best Of The Decade" list should include there were a fair amount of movies that the entire staff had not seen making it impossible to get them on the list no matter how deserving they were. Here is my personal top 10. I'll try to keep the details of each film limited & I've opted out of listing movies that are not currently available on dvd. After all, we are a video rental store.
1WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES -BELA TARR
In my opinion 'Werckmeister' had the second most awe-inspiring opening shot in the annals of cinema, with the first belonging to Orson Welles's 'Touch of Evil.' But, as with 'Touch of Evil,' 'Werckmeister Harmonies' does not succeed solely on the technical brilliance of the director. Existentialist fatalism has never been rendered so beautifully and harrowing. My heart tightens and I often tear up every time I watch this film. There are only 39 shots in the entire film! 39 heart rending shots.
2YOU THE LIVING -ROY ANDERSSON
If I had to explain this movie to someone I might refer to it as a mix of both Jacques Tati & Monty Python blended together with the above mentioned Bela Tarr & Ingmar Bergman. I think it's a film about basic human emotions & actions and while it is morose and full of pain it is also hilarious. I've never chuckled at misery more so than while watching it unfold in each of Andersson's brilliantly executed and almost entirely stationary shots.
3SARABAND -INGMAR BERGMAN
It is a disgrace that Ingmar Bergman didn't make each and every decade's best list. 'Fanny & Alexander' was set to be his last film back in 1982 but after continuing to work in theatre and writing the screenplay for 'Faithless' he decided to one more. This is a continuation of 'Scenes From a Marriage' but is not really about resolution and though I highly recommend watching the previous film first it's not entirely necessary as 'Saraband' stands on it's own. And oh how Liv Ullmann has aged so gracefully and beautifully!
4TALK TO HER -PEDRO ALMODOVAR
I may seem surly but it is abhorrent that Almodovar was missing from our decade's best of list. The exclusion of Bergman is somewhat understandable as many people weren't not even aware he was still alive but to leave out Almodovar, who is one of the most important directors alive today, is ridiculous. The man directed 4 movies this decade and I'd be okay with seeing any of them on a best of list. 'Talk to Her' is my personal favorite of his and I firmly believe it may be his best movie of all time. Perhaps that title should go to 'Woman on the Verge...." but it's a tough call.
5GLEANERS & I -AGNES VARDA
Part documentary about the struggling gleaners of France and part rumination of Varda's life as a filmmaker. This is the woman who directed 'Cleo From 5 to 7' one of the pinnacle works of the La Nouvelle Vague and which should be more than enough to garner your interest. Unfortunately there is no trailer available on Youtube.
6TOKYO SONATA -KIYOSHI KUROSAWA
At first glance this seemed to be a drastic departure for Kurosawa but upon viewing I can safely say that this is indeed a horror film of sorts. The horror is that of a daily rituals and partly that of the economy. If you don't watch many Japanese movies and have no interest in their culture it is possible that parts of this movie will be lost on you, but even so most of it should or at least could ring familiar enough to enjoy viewing it. This is actually the most uplifting of all of Kiyoshi Kuroasawa's films and ends on a strong and optimistic note. *No pun intended.
7GOYA IN BORDEAUX -CARLOS SAURA
Carlos Saura unfortunately passed away this year. He had continued to work in film producing important and pivotal works of art for 40 years and for some reason remains a little known director or at least little known outside of "film buffs." Much of his work is not even available on dvd in the U.S. but perhaps Criterion will come along and change all of that. 'Goya In Bordeaux' is absolutely brilliant and breathtaking cinema. I'd rank it next to both Peter Greenaway's 'The Thief, His Wife...." & 'Prospero's Books" as some of the most brilliantly staged and beautifully crafted of all cinema. Coincidentally even though Greenaway had no part in the making of this movie, Goya, did however influence one of Michael Nyman's operas with Nyman being a frequent collaborator of Greenaway.
8MATCH POINT -WOODY ALLEN
Woody Allen is one of my favorite directors of all time. I go to see almost every one of his movies on opening day and have so for the past 10 or so years. At Allen's rate of making movies that has been about 10 or so movies. For around three decades the man has managed to produce a movie every year! It's easy to forgive some of his less successful works when you consider this as most other directors only mange 2-4 a decade and few have his success rate. I'm glad that Woody finally left N.Y. and it U.S. entirely and feel it truly rejuvenated his career. O.K. I admit that 'Scoop' wasn't so hot but even his "failures" are leaps and bounds beyond anything else that is getting churned out. 'Match Point' was his best in years and even though it bore a lot of resemblances to his previous 'Crimes and Misdemeanors,' which happens to be a favorite of mine, I still loved it. And I absolutely loved the ending.
9THE SEA INSIDE -ALEJANDRO AMENABAR
Please do not let your personal, and possibly ignorant, views or beliefs on the subject matter of this movie keep you from witnessing, nay, experiencing one of the most beautiful & sincere movies I've seen in many years. Javier Bardem cemented his status as one of the best actors alive with his elegant portrayal of a man who simply wants to die. Rather than posting the trailer I've decided to post what is not only my favorite scene in the movie but one of my favorite scenes of all time.
10THE LIMITS OF CONTROL -JIM JARMUSCH
I referred to 'Limits' as an action movie without action long before I heard Jarmusch utter that exact phrase in an interview. It's a fitting description and I believe in the end this movie was a sort of treatise on action cinema. And through working with Christopher Doyle, Wong Kar-Wei's favorite cinematographer, Jarmusch has managed to produce one of the most beautiful "action" movies of all time and definitely his most gorgeous to date. Isacch De Bankole is perfect in the lead role and their are countless excellent, however brief, supporting roles. Jarmusch is almost always far reaching so if you don't appreciate his works such as 'Coffee & Cigarettes,' 'Night On Earth' then you should probably pass on this one as well.
RUNNERS UP: NIGHTWATCHING-PETER GREENAWAY, TROUBLE EVERY DAY-CLAIRE DENIS, HEADLESS WOMAN-LUCRECIA MARTEL, RUSSIAN ARK-ALEKSANDR SOKUROV, CAFE LUMIERE-HOU HSIAO-HSIEN, WENDY & LUCY-KELLY REICHARDT, NIGHTWATCHING-PETER GREENAWAY, BRAND UPON THE BRAIN/MY WINNIPEG-GUY MADDIN, SYNECDOCHE NEW YORK-CHARLIE KAUFMAN
there's an astounding set of films coming out this week. so much oscar heat and films of the year contenders are gonna be jockeying for position on the new arrivals wall come midnight this monday.
ba-zing! all of you out there in internet-land might be interested to know that we four star staffers got together and made a magically unscientifical list of our favorite films of the past decade. it's so unscientific that it tops out at the rather oblong 57 titles.
as will become obvious, they're in alphabetical order, so don't get all bent out of shape thinking that we're saying amelie was the best movie of the past ten years. nor should you get grumpy about us NOT saying that amelie was the best of the aughts.
enjoy, debate, suggest:
amelie american astronaut american psycho battle royale before sunset best of youth brand upon the brain brokeback mountain children of men city of god devil's backbone diving bell and the butterfly encounters at the end of the world eternal sunshine of the spotless mind fat girl fog of war four months, three weeks, two days friday night goodbye lenin good night and goodluck gran torino high fidelity human resources in the mood for love kill bill hedwig & the angry inch lives of others lord og the rings lost in translation love me if you dare lunacy man on wire mirrormask mulholland drive no country for old men o brother where art thou oldboy ong bak pan's labyrinth persepolis planet earth prestige rivers & tides royal tenenbaums shaun of the dead sin city spirited away station agent still life synechoche, ny there will be blood tokyo sonata triplets of belleville wall-e waltz with bashir werkmaster harmonies when the levees broke y tu mama tambien
this popped up on a few of the feeds i follow, but (no disrespect to them) i didn't actually click play till today when boing boing posted it. it's a truly majestic short film to behold, and it really takes a while to wrap your brain around the fact that it's entirely computer generated.
head over to the third and seventh for a little more information, as well as the promise of a making of video in the near future.
the crazy for cult gallery show has been going down annually for three years now, and god bless em for it. 100 artists present their takes on whatever cult films they want, and the results are about as awesome as you might expect.
though there are numerous jaw dropping works resented in there, my personal favorites are kirk demarais' olin mills style portraits of some (in)famous film families you should be able to easily recognize.
The full program for the Wisconsin Film Festival will not be available until March but 'Typeface' has already been chosen to be screened. The documentary centers on the impact that the amazing Hamilton Wood Type Museum has in the economically struggling town of Two Rivers, WI. As the directors put it, this is not only a film that will interest artists & graphic design enthusiasts but anyone interested in preservation & perseverance. It seemed as though Kartemquin was struggling to get this doc screened with no mention of a dvd release yet but with their up premiere in Chicago on the 29th and their inclusion into the WFF I think the release is in good hands.
On the 4th of January it was Carlos Saura's birthday and it is my opinion that Saura is a director whom everyone with an interest in cinema should be or become well acquainted with. He directed one of two movies I recommend to those who view 'Pans Labyrinth' as "unlike anything they've ever seen" or was "so original how it dealt with Franco's horrible regime et-cetera" and that movie is 'Cria Cuervos' and was actually made during the last months Franco was in power. It deals with the regimes fascist "truths" and the effect is has on a family while focusing in on one of the children whose insecurities mirror those of an unstable post-Franco Spain. The film manages to blend reality and fantasy perfectly with strong storytelling and subtlety rather than relying on a crutch such as CGI or violence. I should note that the second of the two movies, 'Spirit of the Beehive,' was directed by Victor Erice in '73 only two years before 'Cria Cuervos' and both movies star the same actress, Ana Torent, who happens to play a child named Ana in both. 'Spirit of the Beehive' also deals with the Franco regime in a subtle way and also blends reality and fantasy quite perfectly. Unfortunately Erice, though an obvious and important master of cinema, has only directed a total of three movies. But Saura is still working today & perhaps Erice will show his face again in the future.
it looks like this thing has managed to rack up a zillion and a half views, which means it's been around a bit, but at the end of the day it's an absolutely amazing remix video that, through "transformative storytelling," manages to act as a "pro-feminist visual critique of Edward's character and generally creepy behavior."
head over to the video's youtube page for a more thorough rundown of its various intellectual merits.
Title: Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Year: 2005 Time: 110 minutes
Discussion:
I was in high school when Enron collapsed and when it happened I had no idea what was going on. After watching this documentary I feel like I have a significantly better understanding of the reasons behind the collapse of one of the worlds largest corporations. Director Alex Gibney tells a compelling story that highlights the evils of greed and ambition while allowing the audience to experience the intense heartbreak of the unfortunate Enron employees that were raped of their savings by Enron's collapse. Gibney tries his best to tell a story that is not just about Enron, but about how the clever political maneuvering of these rich and powerful men influenced not just policy decision but also the policy makers themselves. Gibney insinuates that a media campaign against the governor of California ended in his recall and the election of a more Enron-friendly "Governator" I know very little about California politics and have no reason to disbelieve that Enron's powerful elite might have had a hand in that series of events, but the movie did not prove it and I am still somewhat skeptical about the leaps made by the film-maker. On another note, there were some very admirable aspects to this documentary. The narration, by Peter Coyote was stellar. I watch a lot of documentaries and rarely ever think about the voice of the narrator. Coyote's presentation did not distract from the message but certainly caught my attention. Also, the use of re-enactment (though not nearly as successful as the use of re-enactment in the documentary "Man on Wire") was interesting. The best thing about this movie was the music. Music supervisor, John McCullough did a spectacular job finding and using music that captured not only the emotional but the realistic aspects of the story line as the documentary progressed. From Dusty Springfield to Marilyn Manson and from Judy Garland to the Black Eyed Peas, the music was fun and as I have already said, befitting of the story arch. The original music performed by Tom Waits also deserves recognition even if you don't find yourself singing along.
If you get a chance to see this documentary you should take it. I still have a few criticisms about some of the conclusions made in the film but all in all it was well made, visually impressive and generally playful. The successful vilification of the "smartest guys in the room," crossed boundaries of just -what they did- into the realm of -what they looked like when they were doing it-. If I had never seen a picture of Lay, Fastow or Skilling, I bet I could have been shown a line up and picked them out if someone asked me to find the crook. Watch this movie and try not to get a little sick every time you see a stupid grin on one of their faces.
