Wednesday, July 19, 2006

WILD AT HEART

David Lynch's aptly-titled Wild at Heart is a pretty cool movie. It's like The Wizard of Oz on crystal meth.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS

Based on the semiautobiography by Giorgio Bassani, Vittorio De Sica’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis tells the story of a wealthy Italian Jewish family trying to stave off the mounting threats of Fascism and anti-Semitism in World War II-era Italy. Of course their cloistered existence can only go on for so long. Bassani has said he wrote the book partially as a way of resolving his own feeling about having done nothing—just like many other people—when anti-Semitism reared its ugly head right in front of his face.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

SID & NANCY

Alex Cox’s Sid and Nancy tells a story of the short, self-imploding romance between two tragic souls: Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his caustic, unfortunate girlfriend Nancy Spungen. This film shows what can happen when two lost individuals find each other. Their romance ended on terms so horrible that the situation has made the two of them inextricably linked in history. If a movie can only touch on the periphery of someone’s reality, then these two lived an incredibly bleak existence. On an positive note, the circa. 80’s punk/pop/rock soundtrack is pretty good.

THE THIN BLUE LINE


The Thin Blue Line is a fascinating documentary that reads like a classic film noir. Director Errol Morris argues that a man convicted of killing a Dallas police officer was wrongly imprisoned by a corrupt justice system pressured to find someone to pin the murder on. The case involves multiple stories from multiple witnesses. Anyone trying to find the actual facts must determine among a group with varying levels of credibility, who’s telling the truth, who’s lying, and who’s just sadly mistaken.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

ERASERHEAD


I’m hesitant to say what I believe David Lynch’s Eraserhead is about—being a David Lynch film, it could be about practically anything. Like almost all of his work, it is an obtuse film. But the narrative holds your interest. The creepy black and white photography and surreal sets paired with the oddness of the characters, creates a viewing experience that feels like you’re watching someone’s nightmare. Eraserhead demonstrates that Lynch was a filmmaker with a point of view right from the start.

Monday, July 10, 2006

PARIS, TEXAS

Movies about people trying to establish missed connections, or repair broken ones, can be very interesting. Paris, Texas is a good one. Harry Dean Stanton plays a constant wanderer seeking to reconnect with his young son and long-lost wife who he walked out on. The almost somnambulant Stanton is like a man awakened from years of sleep, and now desperate to find his place in the world. The cinematography is excellent—kind of reminiscent of the photographic work of Stephen Shore.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

I STAND ALONE


The Gaspar Noé film, I Stand Alone, takes the viewer into the thoughts and exploits of a man fully in touch with his inner pig. An interesting, relentlessly bleak film from a director who likes that kind of thing—see: Irréversible.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

TAXI DRIVER


In Martin Scorsese’s searing, absolutely brilliant Taxi Driver we get to watch as our misanthropic anti-hero slowly loses his mind. Before it’s over he’s become a delusional psychopath—which makes him fit in perfectly with the denizens of a 70’s-era New York City crumbling under the weight of its own moral decay—and a local hero. This is one of only a few post-noir noir movies to get it right. Robert De Niro’s icon status began to develop with this film. Scorsese forged his legend on movies that came after Taxi Driver. But even if he had stopped after this one, Scorsese would still be one of the best directors ever. This movie is haunting and unforgettable—a perfect film. Kudos to an at-the-time-mentally-unstable Paul Schrader for the incredible screenplay, and Michael Chapman for the gritty cinematography. Bernard Herrmann’s jazzy score provides the perfect punctuation.

CRUEL STORY OF YOUTH


In this Japanese potboiler a predatory young stud and his foolish would-be girlfriend take the fast road to self-annihilation. Before I saw Nagisa Oshima’s Cruel Story of Youth I never would have guessed that Japan c. 1960 was so rife with blackmailing, oversexed juvenile delinquents and pervy old men. Films like this remind me that there’s no such thing as the good old days.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

NOTEBOOK ON CITIES AND CLOTHES


A fascinating documentary about the Paris-based Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto, Wim Wenders Notebook on Cities and Clothes also serves as a visual rumination on the nature of the creative process.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

THE CELEBRATION


In Thomas Vinterberg’s "Dogma '95" film The Celebration a family get together slowly unravels to reveal deep levels of family dysfunction and long-held resentments. An entertaining drama that’s involved, but never heavy-handed.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY


Born on the Fourth of July shows Tom Cruise delivering some of his best work. Based on the life of Ron Kovic, the movie follows Cruise on a journey from bright-eyed golden boy, to disillusioned and broken Vietnam vet, to finally, a self-possessed man with a purpose. I doubt if director Oliver Stone, or Cruise will ever be this good again.

Monday, July 03, 2006

THE THING / INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS


Just as in the Alien movies, a common theme in sci-fi horror is the predatory alien organism that uses human bodies as host. Two good films are The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Their remakes of 1982 and 1978 respectively, are rare examples of the remakes equaling the originals.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

ALIEN / ALIENS


Surely Ridley Scott’s 1979 science fiction horror movie Alien has to rank as one of, if not the best, monster-from-outerspace-movies made to date. And with the current state of big-movie-making it will probably maintain that status for a very long time.

One of the few films in the genre to even come close to matching the suspenseful, hermetic, nightmarish quality of Alien is its respectable 1986 sequel, Aliens.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST


Robert Bresson’s Diary of a Country Priest looks like a somewhat stark version of a benign early 50’s melodrama—all soft flickering black and white. Behind its seemingly gentle facade lies a grim tale marking the ultimate failures and suffering of one good-intentioned soul.