indieWire has a round-up of indie films released/premeired in the first half of the year. While I'll try to get around to a write up of my 6-month standings soon, here are some movies to be watching for either in theaters or on DVD:
Top English-Language Films of 2011
1. Sound of my voice, directed by Zal Batmanglij (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (10.0 out of 13)
2. Martha Marcy May Marlene, directed by Sean Durkin (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.64 out of 13) [Ed: Cannot WAIT for these top 2. Although I'm surprised Sound of my Voice is in the Top 10 and Another Earth isn't....]
3. Weekend, directed by Andrew Haigh (SXSW 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (9.43 out of 13)
4. Pariah, directed by Dee Rees (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (9.27 out of 13)
5. Cold Weather, directed by Aaron Katz (SXSW 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (9.43 out of 13)
6. Like Crazy, directed by Drake Doremus (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (9.14 out of 13)
7. Meek’s Cutoff, directed by Kelly Reichardt (Venice 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (9.08 out of 13) [Ed: I've seen this one. It's good, although you have to appreciate languid films to enjoy it.]
8. Terri, directed by Azazel Jacobs (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (8.81 out of 13)
9. Submarine, directed by Richard Ayoade (Toronto 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (8.79 out of 13) [Ed: This one is very cute and has a fantastic cast.]
10. Take Shelter, directed by Jeff Nichols (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (8.71 out of 13)
*sigh* So many Sundance films I'm dying to see...
Top Foreign Language Films of 2011
1. To Die Like a Man, directed by João Pedro Rodrigues (Cannes 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (10.17 out of 13)
2. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Cannes 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.74 out of 13) [Ed: ARGH. NEED TO SEE THIS!]
3. Le Quattro volte, directed by Michelangelo Frammartino (Cannes 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.50 out of 13) [Ed: This is awesome. GOATS!!!!]
3. Circumstance, directed by Maryam Keshavarz (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.50 out of 13) [Ed: This is incredibly brilliant. Highly, highly recommended.]
5. The Kid With a Bike, directed by Jean Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Cannes 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (9.08 out of 13)
6. Le Havre, directed by Aki Kaurismaki (Cannes 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (9.07 out of 13)
7. Certified Copy, directed by Abbas Kiarostami (Cannes 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (9.02 out of 13)
8. I Saw the Devil, directed by Kim Jee-woon (Toronto 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (9.00 out of 13)
9. Tuesday After Christmas, directed by Radu Muntean (Cannes 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (8.95 out of 13)
10. Incendies, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Venice 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: B+ (8.90 out of 13) [Ah yes, the one I had a ticket for and missed... I should see this.]
Top Documentaries of 2011
1. The Interrupters, directed by Steve James (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (10.20 out of 13)
2. How to Die in Oregon, directed by Peter D. Richardson (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (10.00 out of 13)
2. The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975, directed by Göran Hugo Olsson (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (10.00 out of 13)
4. We Were Here, directed by David Weissman (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.88 out of 13)
5. Hell and Back Again, directed by Danfung Dennis (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.75 out of 13)
6. The Arbor, directed by Clio Barnard (Tribeca 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.73 out of 13)
7. Bill Cunningham New York, directed by Richard Press (New Directors New Films 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.63 out of 13)
8. Nostalgia for the Light, directed by Patricio Guzman (Cannes 2010/Theatrical Release 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.58 out of 13) [Ed: Ugh. Not my cup of tea.]
9. Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, directed by Rodman Flender (SXSW 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.57 out of 13)
10. Project Nim, directed by James Marsh (Sundance 2011)
criticWIRE average: A- (9.52 out of 13)
Ummmm.... How is Cave of Forgotten Dreams not in the Top 10? IT HAS ALBINO ALLIGATORS.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Kaiser Chiefs
Hmmm..... intriguing.
So I discovered the Kaiser Chiefs while I was living in Ireland. They're a good band, although their second and third albums didn't quite live up to their first. Still, there are lots of their songs that I like. Anyways, they have an intriguing concept going on. I'll let Amanda Palmer explain here. I thought I would just play around with the album creator for a bit, and then either buy someone else's album or download a few songs to see which I liked and then create one. But the album creator is REALLY fun to play around with, and an hour later; voila! Instant personalized Kaiser Chiefs record. It's a pretty ingenious concept. It discourages piracy, encourages word of mouth promotion, and it will let the band know which of the songs are resonating most with visitors. Very smart! Anyways - if you don't have an hour to play around on the creator, you can also buy my album (link below), and you get the 10 songs I picked, the album art I created, and I get 1 pound in my pay pal account. Nifty, eh?
So I discovered the Kaiser Chiefs while I was living in Ireland. They're a good band, although their second and third albums didn't quite live up to their first. Still, there are lots of their songs that I like. Anyways, they have an intriguing concept going on. I'll let Amanda Palmer explain here. I thought I would just play around with the album creator for a bit, and then either buy someone else's album or download a few songs to see which I liked and then create one. But the album creator is REALLY fun to play around with, and an hour later; voila! Instant personalized Kaiser Chiefs record. It's a pretty ingenious concept. It discourages piracy, encourages word of mouth promotion, and it will let the band know which of the songs are resonating most with visitors. Very smart! Anyways - if you don't have an hour to play around on the creator, you can also buy my album (link below), and you get the 10 songs I picked, the album art I created, and I get 1 pound in my pay pal account. Nifty, eh?
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Favorite musicians?
So I was trying to come up with a new iPod playlist this week and I found it an interesting thought exercise. Basically, I already had a Green Day/AFI mix that I listen to a lot. They're two of my favorite bands (so I know the majority of each of their repertoires) and since they are both East Bay punk rock, they fit together well on a playlist. But I wanted something broader that incorporated more of my favorite artists. So I decided I'd put together a Top Ten artist list. The criteria would be the top ten bands whose work I know best.
But that ended up changing a bit. Obviously I know Elastica really well as the original line-up only released one (very brilliant) album. So I decided I should go with bands where I know tons of their songs. I modified the criteria to be any band where I knew three (or more) of their albums intimately. Side projects could be added to the mix, too.
Now, this would leave off someone like Poe, who only has two albums, and Bush, because I really only know "Sixteen Stone" and the "Science of Things" (although it makes me wonder if I should take another listen to "Razorblade Suitcase"). Ditto The Offspring - I know "Smash" and "Americana" pretty well, and I know a handful of songs off of "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace", "Conspiracy of One" and "Ixnay on the Hombre", but I can't claim to know three of their albums inside and out.
Furthermore, I'm going back and forth on including Tori Amos. She's definitely one of my all time favorites, but she doesn't mesh as well with some of the other artists. (And technically, if we are talking about album familiarity - then the San Francisco Girls Chorus should be on there, too. Although I suppose that is music from many different composers... otherwise the SF Symphony, would be on it too. And, I suppose, certain Broadway composers... okay - let's limit this to rock.)
So - which artists/albums fit the criteria?
Garbage
-Garbage (1995)
-Version 2.0 (1998)
-Beautiful Garbage (2001)
-Bleed Like Me (2005)
-B-Sides and leaked Shirley Manson demos
I put in the B-Sides because if Garbage has done it, I have and know it. (Witness to Your Love, #1 Crush, Tell Me Where it Hurts, Lick the Pavement, Pretty Horses, The World is Not Enough, Enough is Never Enough, I Just Wanna Have Something to Do (cover), or how about Girl Don't Come? I'm Really Into Techno? Alien Sex Fiend? *sigh* I love Garbage.)
Green Day
-Dookie (1994)
-American Idiot (2004)
-21st Century Breakdown (2009)
-Bullet in a Bible (2005)
-International Superhits (2001)
-Awesome as Fuck (2011)
AFI
-Sing the Sorrow (2003)
-Decemberunderground (2006)
-I Heard a Voice (2007)
-Crash Love (2009)
-Cex Cells (Blaqk Audio - 2007)
-leaks from Bright Black Heaven (Blaqk Audio - 2011)
Muse
-Origin of Symmetry (2001)
-Absolution (2003)
-Black Holes and Revelations (2006)
-H.A.A.R.P. (2008)
-The Resistance (2009)
Red Hot Chili Peppers
-Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
-Californication (1999)
-By The Way (2002)
Tori Amos
-Little Earthquakes (1992)
-Under the Pink (1994)
-From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998)
-To Venus and Back (1999)
-The Beekeeper (2005)
-Original Bootleg: BofA Pavilion (2005)
(Interestingly - I'm not including Boys for Pele (1996) on here, because I'd say I know about half of that album. Actually - yeah. 9/18 songs exactly. Also - make a channel on youtube already!)
The Cranberries
This one was funny - because I don't often listen to The Cranberries much anymore and I tend to forget about them when I'm rattling off favorite bands. But really - I still know their stuff backwards and forwards (seeing them last year at the Orpheum in Boston was a trip). Anywho:
-Everybody Else is Doing it, So Why Can't We? (1993)
-No Need to Argue (1994)
-To the Faithful Departed (1996)
Amanda Palmer
-Who Killed Amanda Palmer (2008)
-Evelyn Evelyn (Evelyn Evelyn - 2010)
-Yes, Virginia (Dresden Dolls - 2006)
Fiona Apple
-Tidal (1996)
-When the Pawn (1999)
-Extraordinary Machine (2005)
Okay - this one is a little bit of a stretch. I know just over half of Tidal really well. I need to listen to it more...
So there you have it - 9 artists whom I know three or more albums for.
Ok. Your turn.
But that ended up changing a bit. Obviously I know Elastica really well as the original line-up only released one (very brilliant) album. So I decided I should go with bands where I know tons of their songs. I modified the criteria to be any band where I knew three (or more) of their albums intimately. Side projects could be added to the mix, too.
Now, this would leave off someone like Poe, who only has two albums, and Bush, because I really only know "Sixteen Stone" and the "Science of Things" (although it makes me wonder if I should take another listen to "Razorblade Suitcase"). Ditto The Offspring - I know "Smash" and "Americana" pretty well, and I know a handful of songs off of "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace", "Conspiracy of One" and "Ixnay on the Hombre", but I can't claim to know three of their albums inside and out.
Furthermore, I'm going back and forth on including Tori Amos. She's definitely one of my all time favorites, but she doesn't mesh as well with some of the other artists. (And technically, if we are talking about album familiarity - then the San Francisco Girls Chorus should be on there, too. Although I suppose that is music from many different composers... otherwise the SF Symphony, would be on it too. And, I suppose, certain Broadway composers... okay - let's limit this to rock.)
So - which artists/albums fit the criteria?
Garbage
-Garbage (1995)
-Version 2.0 (1998)
-Beautiful Garbage (2001)
-Bleed Like Me (2005)
-B-Sides and leaked Shirley Manson demos
I put in the B-Sides because if Garbage has done it, I have and know it. (Witness to Your Love, #1 Crush, Tell Me Where it Hurts, Lick the Pavement, Pretty Horses, The World is Not Enough, Enough is Never Enough, I Just Wanna Have Something to Do (cover), or how about Girl Don't Come? I'm Really Into Techno? Alien Sex Fiend? *sigh* I love Garbage.)
Green Day
-Dookie (1994)
-American Idiot (2004)
-21st Century Breakdown (2009)
-Bullet in a Bible (2005)
-International Superhits (2001)
-Awesome as Fuck (2011)
AFI
-Sing the Sorrow (2003)
-Decemberunderground (2006)
-I Heard a Voice (2007)
-Crash Love (2009)
-Cex Cells (Blaqk Audio - 2007)
-leaks from Bright Black Heaven (Blaqk Audio - 2011)
Muse
-Origin of Symmetry (2001)
-Absolution (2003)
-Black Holes and Revelations (2006)
-H.A.A.R.P. (2008)
-The Resistance (2009)
Red Hot Chili Peppers
-Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
-Californication (1999)
-By The Way (2002)
Tori Amos
-Little Earthquakes (1992)
-Under the Pink (1994)
-From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998)
-To Venus and Back (1999)
-The Beekeeper (2005)
-Original Bootleg: BofA Pavilion (2005)
(Interestingly - I'm not including Boys for Pele (1996) on here, because I'd say I know about half of that album. Actually - yeah. 9/18 songs exactly. Also - make a channel on youtube already!)
The Cranberries
This one was funny - because I don't often listen to The Cranberries much anymore and I tend to forget about them when I'm rattling off favorite bands. But really - I still know their stuff backwards and forwards (seeing them last year at the Orpheum in Boston was a trip). Anywho:
-Everybody Else is Doing it, So Why Can't We? (1993)
-No Need to Argue (1994)
-To the Faithful Departed (1996)
Amanda Palmer
-Who Killed Amanda Palmer (2008)
-Evelyn Evelyn (Evelyn Evelyn - 2010)
-Yes, Virginia (Dresden Dolls - 2006)
Fiona Apple
-Tidal (1996)
-When the Pawn (1999)
-Extraordinary Machine (2005)
Okay - this one is a little bit of a stretch. I know just over half of Tidal really well. I need to listen to it more...
So there you have it - 9 artists whom I know three or more albums for.
Ok. Your turn.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Whoops!
I had some linkspam I was putting together about a month ago that I never ended up posting. Better late than never?
The Future Trailer
Eating your Cultural Vegetables
Meek's Cutoff Review
Nostalgia for the Light Review
I love the SF Appeal weekend roundups. This week's makes a particularly good point; "Everything Must Go - Everywhere It's the latest entry in the "Old White Man Finds Himself" genre. These are especially poignant if they star Michael Douglas or Jack Nicholson. Or an ex-SNL star, as is the case here. You know what sucks? Besides EVERYTHING? This: Everyone is wondering about the box office potential of a comedy starring a woman (the horror!), but nobody is worried about a film that's basically two hours of a boring old white man sitting on a lawn?"
Locke & Key. ARGH. I am holding out hope that SyFy may turn this into a miniseries at some point. Otherwise, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Nick Stahl auditions for the Michael Chabon/Darren Aronofsky project about WWII magicians. Because that is the next tv project in development that I am going to stupidly get my hopes up for.
The Future Trailer
Eating your Cultural Vegetables
Meek's Cutoff Review
Nostalgia for the Light Review
I love the SF Appeal weekend roundups. This week's makes a particularly good point; "Everything Must Go - Everywhere It's the latest entry in the "Old White Man Finds Himself" genre. These are especially poignant if they star Michael Douglas or Jack Nicholson. Or an ex-SNL star, as is the case here. You know what sucks? Besides EVERYTHING? This: Everyone is wondering about the box office potential of a comedy starring a woman (the horror!), but nobody is worried about a film that's basically two hours of a boring old white man sitting on a lawn?"
Locke & Key. ARGH. I am holding out hope that SyFy may turn this into a miniseries at some point. Otherwise, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Nick Stahl auditions for the Michael Chabon/Darren Aronofsky project about WWII magicians. Because that is the next tv project in development that I am going to stupidly get my hopes up for.
Monday, May 23, 2011
The 100% Fresh List
From an email meme: supposedly all the films on Rotten Tomatoes with a 100% Fresh Rating. (Bolded I've seen)
11:14
12 Angry Men
A Hard Day's Night
A Shot in the Dark
Aliens
All About Eve
All the President's Men
American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein
Anatomy of a Murder
Batman: Under the Red Hood
Before Sunrise
Bob Roberts
Boy
Bride of Frankenstein
Broken Blossoms
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
City Lights
Coal Miner's Daughter
Comfort and Joy
Cool Hand Luke
Das Boot (I've seen parts...)
Days of Wine and Roses
Dr. Strangelove
Fat City
Frankenstein
Gasland
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Ikiru
Jaws
King Kong
La Belle Noiseuse
Last Train Home
Le Samourai
Lenny
Lord of the Flies
M
Mad Max 2 (I think? There are a few of these I feel like I watched with my parents when I was young, but I don't really remember the details clearly...)
Man on Wire
Marwencol (Yay! Marwencol!!)
Mary Poppins
Melvin and Howard
Modern Times
Murder on the Orient Express
My Life as a Dog
North by Northwest
On the Waterfront
Rashōmon (ugh.)
Rear Window
Rebecca (again - think I watched this with my mother... I tend to confuse Rebecca and Jane Eyre though...)
Rio Bravo
Road to Rio
Roger & Me
Rogue
Room at the Top
San Francisco (wow. Seriously?)
Sátántangó
Say Anything...
Scarface: The Shame of the Nation
Seven Faces of Dr. Lao
Seven Samurai
Shadow of a Doubt
Sherlock, Jr.
Shoot to Kill
Singin' in the Rain
Sons of the Desert
Soy Cuba
Stagecoach
Stalker
Suspicion
Sweet Smell of Success
That's Entertainment!
The 400 Blows
The Adventures of Robin Hood
The African Queen
The Band Wagon
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Endless Summer
The Evil Dead (that's fabulous)
The Godfather
The Gold Rush
The Grapes of Wrath
The Heiress
The Hidden Fortress
The Invisible Man
The Kid
The Killer
The King and I
The Last Picture Show
The Lion King
The Maltese Falcon
The Mark of Zorro
The Miracle Worker
The Misfits
The Odd Couple
The Red Balloon
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
The Terminator
The Third Man
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Wrong Trousers (wait - Wallace and Gromit? Really? I guess that makes sense...)
Them!
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Three Colors: Blue
Tokyo Story
Toy Story 1 & 2
War and Peace
Waste Land
Witness for the Prosecution
Woodstock
I like this list. It's an interesting mix of classics, populist, and critically beloved. And it has a great mix of old (Sherlock Jr., etc.) and new (Man on Wire, Marwencol). [Actually - great representation from modern documentaries.]
While I'd only argue for a couple of the ones that I've seen to make any "best 100" type list, it is kind of fun to have a list with both Them! and Woodstock together... or the Adventures of Robin Hood and the Evil Dead.
Plus it has a bunch that have been in the top 25 of my Netflix queue for donkey years (Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, All About Eve, Witness for the Prosecution...) Really have to get around to those....
11:14
12 Angry Men
A Hard Day's Night
A Shot in the Dark
Aliens
All About Eve
All the President's Men
American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein
Anatomy of a Murder
Batman: Under the Red Hood
Before Sunrise
Bob Roberts
Boy
Bride of Frankenstein
Broken Blossoms
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
City Lights
Coal Miner's Daughter
Comfort and Joy
Cool Hand Luke
Das Boot (I've seen parts...)
Days of Wine and Roses
Dr. Strangelove
Fat City
Frankenstein
Gasland
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
Ikiru
Jaws
King Kong
La Belle Noiseuse
Last Train Home
Le Samourai
Lenny
Lord of the Flies
M
Mad Max 2 (I think? There are a few of these I feel like I watched with my parents when I was young, but I don't really remember the details clearly...)
Man on Wire
Marwencol (Yay! Marwencol!!)
Mary Poppins
Melvin and Howard
Modern Times
Murder on the Orient Express
My Life as a Dog
North by Northwest
On the Waterfront
Rashōmon (ugh.)
Rear Window
Rebecca (again - think I watched this with my mother... I tend to confuse Rebecca and Jane Eyre though...)
Rio Bravo
Road to Rio
Roger & Me
Rogue
Room at the Top
San Francisco (wow. Seriously?)
Sátántangó
Say Anything...
Scarface: The Shame of the Nation
Seven Faces of Dr. Lao
Seven Samurai
Shadow of a Doubt
Sherlock, Jr.
Shoot to Kill
Singin' in the Rain
Sons of the Desert
Soy Cuba
Stagecoach
Stalker
Suspicion
Sweet Smell of Success
That's Entertainment!
The 400 Blows
The Adventures of Robin Hood
The African Queen
The Band Wagon
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Endless Summer
The Evil Dead (that's fabulous)
The Godfather
The Gold Rush
The Grapes of Wrath
The Heiress
The Hidden Fortress
The Invisible Man
The Kid
The Killer
The King and I
The Last Picture Show
The Lion King
The Maltese Falcon
The Mark of Zorro
The Miracle Worker
The Misfits
The Odd Couple
The Red Balloon
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
The Terminator
The Third Man
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Wrong Trousers (wait - Wallace and Gromit? Really? I guess that makes sense...)
Them!
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Three Colors: Blue
Tokyo Story
Toy Story 1 & 2
War and Peace
Waste Land
Witness for the Prosecution
Woodstock
I like this list. It's an interesting mix of classics, populist, and critically beloved. And it has a great mix of old (Sherlock Jr., etc.) and new (Man on Wire, Marwencol). [Actually - great representation from modern documentaries.]
While I'd only argue for a couple of the ones that I've seen to make any "best 100" type list, it is kind of fun to have a list with both Them! and Woodstock together... or the Adventures of Robin Hood and the Evil Dead.
Plus it has a bunch that have been in the top 25 of my Netflix queue for donkey years (Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, All About Eve, Witness for the Prosecution...) Really have to get around to those....
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Ranking the SFIFF films
Excellent:
Another Earth
Stake Land
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Circumstance
Really Good:
Meek's Cutoff
Le Quattro Volte
The Future
Submarine
Good:
Page One; A Year Inside the New York Times
The Trip
The Whistleblower
The Troll Hunter
My Joy
Didn't like:
Nostalgia for the Light
(The 15th film I saw was La Dolce Vita in a restored print, but since it was a special program, it doesn't seem to make sense to review and rank it with the rest. That said, it was beautiful and very, very long. I liked it, but I think I need to see some more Fellini, because I think I'll like some of his other films better. I get the impression that many of his films touch on similar themes, so.)
Another Earth
Stake Land
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Circumstance
Really Good:
Meek's Cutoff
Le Quattro Volte
The Future
Submarine
Good:
Page One; A Year Inside the New York Times
The Trip
The Whistleblower
The Troll Hunter
My Joy
Didn't like:
Nostalgia for the Light
(The 15th film I saw was La Dolce Vita in a restored print, but since it was a special program, it doesn't seem to make sense to review and rank it with the rest. That said, it was beautiful and very, very long. I liked it, but I think I need to see some more Fellini, because I think I'll like some of his other films better. I get the impression that many of his films touch on similar themes, so.)
SFIFF continued
I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up, so these will be quick mini-reviews:
The Whistleblower
The Whistleblower
Hm. This film is made well. And it is about an important subject (human trafficking in Bosnia after the war). Rachel Weisz continues to be one of my favorite actresses. And it is well directed, so it never becomes preachy or overly melodramatic. In fact, a long stretch of the film plays like a thriller, which works really well and keeps ratcheting up the tension.
All that said, it is about human trafficking. It's a hard subject to watch. I get the sense that it is like Precious. You have to be ready to go into a film knowing that it is very well done, but on a really depressing topic. If you have a day like that, this is well worth a watch.
3/5 Stars
Page One; A Year Inside the New York Times
This is pretty much a love letter to the Times. It isn't a particularly hard-hitting documentary, and given that it looks at the decline of newspapers in the rise of blogs and huffpo and whatnot, the topic could use something a little more informative. That being said, it is certainly entertaining and fun to watch. I can't imagine the material that must have come out of a year's worth of filming and the fact that it holds as a coherent narrative is seriously impressive.
3.5/5 Stars
Another Earth
This was brilliant. I completely loved it. I don't really know how best to describe it. It's about a woman, Rhoda, who on the eve of being accepted into MIT's astrophysics program, makes a horrible mistake. It is also the same evening that a second Earth is discovered. The film then follows Rhoda as she attempts to atone for what she has done and find a way forward in her life.
It's much more a character drama than a sci-fi label might suggest (Moon notwithstanding). Although the second Earth discovery does prompt a myriad of questions and possibilities. What if there is another me out there? Did they make the same choices? What would their life be like? The two leads, William Mapother and Brit Marling (co-writer, co-producer) give absolutely amazing performances. If anything, I wanted more time with the characters - they were just such complete, interesting portraits.
I can maybe sense that this is going to be this year's Hurt Locker/Winter's Bone (the brilliant small film that comes out in the midst of the blockbuster season). So save me the trouble of droning on and on about how amazing it is, and just go see it. (It comes out July 20th).
5/5 Stars
Circumstance
This was so good. (And, as a side note, it won the audience award at Sundance.) It's about two teenage girls in Iran who fall in love and try to survive adolescence in Iran. Much as I love Persepolis, I think this film gives a much clearer idea of what it would be like to grow up under such heavy restrictions. To have to do everything in secret, underground, to be scared of who to trust not to turn you in to the government - and to have such dire consequences when you most feel the need to rebel and experiment and act out. It's a beautiful love story, a wonderful portrait of a family trying its best to cope under difficult times, and a fully realized vision of Iranian youth culture. It has fantastic character development, it's funny, sexy and heartbreaking. Go see it.
4.5/5 Stars
My Joy
There's a reason I don't often delve into the great Russian authors. Great Russian art is a downer. This is a dark, absurdest series of vignettes that follows a truck driver as he goes down a cursed road. It keeps getting darker and weirder, and it certainly sticks to its convictions. Also - as an interesting side note - it was the only first feature film accepted at Cannes last year.
3/5 Stars
The Trip
An edited down version of a BBC miniseries. It's mostly Rob Brydon doing impressions for almost the entire running time, sometimes with Steve Coogan keeping up. It is intermittently hilarious. It is also filled with food porn. You should make reservations at a really great restaurant for afterward.
3.5/5 Stars
Submarine
Awww.. I'm glad this ended up being my last film. It's adorable. Very much in the Wes Anderson vibe, and it is quite cute. It's a coming of age set in Wales in the 80s and has Noah Taylor and Sally Hawkins, along with Paddy Considine, whom I did not know was in it as all. So - fantastic cast and very charming.
Hmm... that all comes off as precious. And it isn't, really. It's very deadpan. And it doesn't succumb to the cliche of wrapping everything up in a neat little uplifting bow. It's a lovely romance with lots of clever monologues, but the film also touches on heartbreak and depression. It's a pretty ambitious first film and the director carries it all off.
4/5 Stars
Awww.. I'm glad this ended up being my last film. It's adorable. Very much in the Wes Anderson vibe, and it is quite cute. It's a coming of age set in Wales in the 80s and has Noah Taylor and Sally Hawkins, along with Paddy Considine, whom I did not know was in it as all. So - fantastic cast and very charming.
Hmm... that all comes off as precious. And it isn't, really. It's very deadpan. And it doesn't succumb to the cliche of wrapping everything up in a neat little uplifting bow. It's a lovely romance with lots of clever monologues, but the film also touches on heartbreak and depression. It's a pretty ambitious first film and the director carries it all off.
4/5 Stars
I ended up missing the Redemption of General Butt Naked and Incendies, as well as the two shorts programs I had planned on. I'm exhausted. Still, 15 films in 13 days ain't too bad... I do need to catch Incendies on DVD, though...
Page One trailer
The Trip trailer
Incendies was a Scorcher
Circumstance brings it all at SFIFF
Mick La Salle: Not so much a fan of Meek's Cutoff
On a completely separate tangent, I've been looking forward to Locke and Key like crazy and I'm going to be SO DISAPPOINTED if it doesn't get picked up.
And on a final, final note, Burlesque has been playing in the background as I write this. There are so many things about this movie I don't understand. Are Cher and Kristen Bell supposed to be the same age? Why does Alan Cumming keep photobombing the proceedings? How much did Famous Amos pay for product placement? Why is Cher not given more than two emotions to play? Why can't the make up artists get Christina's eyeliner straight? Does she have a lazy eye? Did they really just start playing Mazzy Star? What decade is this in? Did the guy grow a beard in 24 hours? Does Kristen Bell really never go to rehab? Umm... is Christina Aguilera sampling Marilyn Manson? And could this plot be any more paint by the numbers? This should have been a whole lot campier and Chicago-esque. At least Stanley Tucci seems like he's having fun.
On a completely separate tangent, I've been looking forward to Locke and Key like crazy and I'm going to be SO DISAPPOINTED if it doesn't get picked up.
And on a final, final note, Burlesque has been playing in the background as I write this. There are so many things about this movie I don't understand. Are Cher and Kristen Bell supposed to be the same age? Why does Alan Cumming keep photobombing the proceedings? How much did Famous Amos pay for product placement? Why is Cher not given more than two emotions to play? Why can't the make up artists get Christina's eyeliner straight? Does she have a lazy eye? Did they really just start playing Mazzy Star? What decade is this in? Did the guy grow a beard in 24 hours? Does Kristen Bell really never go to rehab? Umm... is Christina Aguilera sampling Marilyn Manson? And could this plot be any more paint by the numbers? This should have been a whole lot campier and Chicago-esque. At least Stanley Tucci seems like he's having fun.
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