Thursday, January 14, 2010

Movie Recommendation of the Day

2 Days In Paris - I was talking to my girlfriend and mentioned that a review I had read compared 2 Days In Paris to Away We Go. The expression on her face, as she said, "2 Days In Paris is a lot better," captured the sheer absurdity of the comparison. I do not want to say that Away We Go is bad, but 2 Days In Paris manages to capture the complexity and variation of emotions that occur in a relationship without relying on an unrealistic traveling couple plot. Written/Directed by Julie Delpy, who also stars, this film deals with the anxieties that come from intimate interaction with foreign cultures. Marion (Delpy) and Jack (Goldberg) are a couple on vacation in Europe. They take a train to Paris to stop by her parents' house and pick up her cat but decide to stay for two days. Any more discussion into the plot runs the risk of ruining the unexpected issues that arise and make it so interesting and entertaining. There are so many great things about this movie, a few examples include the characters, especially Marion's parents (played by Delpy's real life parents, Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet), the writing, and the general ambiguity. My favorite has to be the decision not to use subtitles (which might have been my own fault but definitely created a new and interesting movie watching experience). The lack of subtitles creates an environment where the solely English speaking audience does not always know exactly what is going on and has to figure out certain plot points from body language or reactions, basically recreates the experience of being in Paris with these people. A fantastic, deep, and entertaining movie.

Movie Recommendation of the Day

Brick - It's been a couple of years since I've seen this one, but an article on /Film has brought it back to my attention and I have strong craving to watch it again. This is one of those movies that grabs you by the balls from the beginning and drags you to the very end. It is original in a way that only indy films can be nowadays. It takes classic film noir and breathes new life into the genre by setting it in a high school. It's a revival of classic crime movies and should be watched by anyone who loves those types of movies and is tired of the repetitive nature they have taken on recently. Once again, available on Netflix instant streaming.

See the trailer

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Movie Recommendation of the Day

Ong Bak and Ong Bak 2 - These movies are great for anyone who likes a good martial arts flick. Heavy on fights, light on story, these two movies are excellently choreographed and show off Tony Jaa, an actor out of Thailand who could quickly become the next Jet Li. The Muay Thai in these movies is a great change of pace from other fighting movies. The first is available on Netflix streaming and definitely warrants a watch.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

On 3D


            Avatar has created quite the buzz in the movie industry. Indeed, it’s currently the second highest grossing film of all time and features “groundbreaking” 3D technology. And while I loved the movie, ignoring the poor script for the sheer beauty of the thing, I do not think that all movies could work in 3D, especially those half-classics of recent years that have already reserved a special place in our hearts with their 2D-selves.

Monday, January 11, 2010

A long bus ride and "Paper Heart"

So today I was on the bus to NYC and decided to watch Paper Heart, a documentary/comedy hybrid focusing on comedian/musician Charlyne Li's quest to find out what love is. It combines a contrived relationship* with Michael Cera and interviews with various people as to their definition of love. And while the fictitious elements were a little weak - albeit quirky and funny - the interview elements were quite endearing and left me feeling pretty good about love in a world that seems to be moving away from the notion. Worth a watch if you ever feel your inner romantic dying.


*according to an interview with Charlyne, though some sources insist the relationship was real

"Up in the Air" Review




            Jason Reitman is quickly proving himself to be a modern master. His movies are painted with a simple elegance that doesn’t detract from the strong messages conveyed, and each of his last three films has done this better than the last, which is saying something since Thank You For Smoking set the bar quite high, and Juno raised it even higher.  And now, Up in the Air has accepted the expectations presented by his previous movies and blown them away.

Movie Recommendation of the Day

The Fountain - Written/Directed by Darren Aronofsky, this movie has almost evenly mixed reviews meaning that it is, at the very least, worth serious consideration. This stylized and abstract story involves three interwoven love stories, or rather one love story with two side stories written by characters in the main story (according to Ebert's simplistic and realistic interpretation), that create an intricate mosaic examining death and the sacrifices that one makes for love. As confusing as that sounds, Aronofsky's ambiguity resists Haneke's characterization of American cinema's dis-empowerment of the audience and forces you to work to understand what exactly is going on. This means that it is not an easy film to understand but is definitely worth watching for the spectacular performances and equally spectacular visuals that draw you in if you allow them to. In my opinion this is the most beautiful and philosophically interesting of Aronofsky's entries into the American film canon.

The Bones Are Rotting



About ten days ago, I was watching The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers and Peter Jackson’s genius clicked for me. I firmly believe that no other person had the combination of vision and technical knowledge to bring that epic trilogy to life. From finding the previously unknown or unappreciated talents necessary to best bring the characters to life to his integration of the best technology of the time, Jackson established himself as an insightful filmmaker with a particularly acute attention to detail. Sadly Jackson followed up his successful popular mainstream effort with the disappointing King Kong.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Movie Recommendation of the Day

So, as often as possible we're going to try to recommend movies that you all might not otherwise know about/see

For today:

Gammorah - Directed by Matteo Garrone and presented by Martin Scorcese, this movie offers an unflinching account of gang crime in Italy. While the intertwined plots can sometimes be difficult to follow, this movie casts a truthful look at the reality of crime and its affects upon communities, in an unwavering style that is reminiscent of John Singleton's masterpiece Boyz N the Hood. See this movie, but be prepared, life is cruel.

"Daybreakers", yet another pointless vampire movie



               Today I had the misfortune of watching Daybreakers, a film that I was hoping could recover vampires’ castrated balls from the Twilight-saga. Boy was I mistaken.

Hey guys

So this is going to be a blog dedicated to Dave Daise's and my rantings, ravings, and reviewings of movies. Read it if you want, hopefully it will prove entertaining if nothing else.