Friday, July 30, 2010
Holy Shit
Guillermo Del Toro has gotten a green light to make Lovecraft's "At The Mountains Of Madness"... and to film it in 3-D from the ground up... under James Cameron's executive production. Avatar was the technical blueprint... but the content wasn't half as exciting as this. This is like the horror/dark fantasy holy grail. I personally never thought he would get it made, or at least never get it made to his ideal (ie. Terry Gilliam's Don Quixote), but he seems to have gotten a no-bullshit greenlight with a big ass budget. I feel like this is going to go over a lot of the general public's head like Watchmen. But it will be a truly glorious day for genre geeks.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wrong Man, Harryhausen
Last night watched the much underrated Hitchcock feature The Wrong Man... which is carried by a great Henry Fonda performance. For such a downer of a flick this one sure had its grip on me from front to back. On a lighter note, I am extremely excited about the Blu release of Jason And The Argonauts, and have planned a Ray Harryhausen double-bill of Jason b/w his penultimate classic, 1981's Clash Of The Titans. Could more fun possibly be had at home? Results pending.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Trey Songz - Bottoms Up [Ft. Nicki Minaj]
I don't know what this leaked off of, but this is sure to be a radio banger in the near future... on the level of Say Aah. I can't stop playing it. This is the type of single Nicki needs to net for her debut to really get me excited about her album. Something on the level of this, or Usher's Lil Freak. I would say Usher and Trey owe her one, so they should be popping up on her debut. We still have yet to see an I Get Crazy calibur song from her album sessions. But back to Bottoms Up... it's great... and like Sah Aah, Blame It, Silver & Gold, Wasted, and now Shots!, I just can't get enough of a sublimely produced banger that is directly about alcohol consumption. I'll give Yeezy partial credit for my new favorite quotable "How's Ye doin'? I'm survivin'. I was drinkin' earlier, now I'm drivin'." That's all for now. Bout to start a huge marathon of Hitchcock movies in the aftermath of Inception... today's double feature? To Catch A Thief (1955) b/w The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956).
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
William Forsythe
is totally underrated. I am now watching Dick Tracy, where I barely recognize him as Flattop, but it reminded me of watching Above The Law last week and he is crazy good in it. I also love him in Devil's Rejects and Once Upon A Time In America.
That is all.
That is all.
Inception
Man, I am really stoned, so it will be difficult to collect my thoughts on Inception. I will go with the random, jerky amateur review that is becoming my specialty.
First off, I think the solid B rating it has gotten basically across the board is correct. I think it is amazingly shot, logistically marvelous, and wonferully mechanical. The set pieces are incredible, all the architecture is great, the cast is pitch-perfect. I like almost everything. But the thing with Nolan is, the things he excels at are astounding, so the things he has trouble with stand out like a red stain on a white suit. Chief among these things is his lack of talent for editing. Some people may say they enjoy his editing style for its circumvention of direct, chronological sequencing, and that is fine, that is not what the problem is. That whole thing has kind of become his signature, having gotten its test run in indie debut Following, then being perfected in the now-classic Memento, and I like it. The problem is the "flow" or "feel" of his cut-to-cut, line-by-line in-scene editing. There is never a moment's pause between dialogue and it does not feel naturalistic once you become aware of it. The cuts happen constantly, and super-quickly, and if you find yourself dwelling on the "feeling" of the moment-to-moment editing, it begins to detract heavily from the performances. These performances, good as they may otherwise be, have absolutely no room to breath at all. This is one subtle aspect of his film technique that could lead someone to accuse his films of being "too mechanical", or "souless". I mostly believe that is bullshit, but it is at least half-true in the sense that only Heath Ledger's Joker has really had the breathing room to blossom on the screen, being knowingly displayed by his director.
I like to think of Nolan as being Hitchcock-y in his deliberation. I think of Dark Knight as being his Psycho, with its superbly iconic villian performance. Well, this is his North By Northwest. Classicly grandiose, risky Hollywood. Among the director's very best. But you just don't love it the way you love Psycho. It's missing that intangible thing a grand screen performance and unforgettable character bring to a film. Rear Window had it. Vertigo had it. North By Northwest feels less warmly characteristic. It is somewhat characteristic of espionage film.
What we got is still a new classic American film, proof that Nolan can create a buzz in the middle of the summer even without the pop culture advantage of a beloved franchise (given a $160,000,000 budget), and it brings him closer to attaining the smartly obsessive auteur status of his great hero Stanley Kubrick. However, it is simply not The Dark Knight.
****************SPOILERRR**********************************
Off of the record, and having only seen it once, I find myself questioning whether DiCaprio's character was even remotely deserving of redemption (Why in the hell was he putting his wife at danger with this crap? And how did they get trapped there? He knowingly sedated her beforehand? Did I miss something huge somewhere?) And I also feel very sorry for the guy from 28 Days Later/Red Eye/the Scarecrow in Batman Begins. I guess you are supposed to think it is a happy ending because he is tricked into believing his father loved him even though he actually didn't? Fuck that, I would want my business back. The guy basically seems like a nice dude and gets totally fucked over by the supposed protagonist. And then of course is the fact that we are more or less told that planting an idea in someone's head, being done even SLIGHTLY inefficiently, will eventually make them batnuts crazy and completely change the type of person they are. I really feel bad for the dude.
I'm losing my high and my gf is bored so I am outtie. Hope you liked my Inception review.
First off, I think the solid B rating it has gotten basically across the board is correct. I think it is amazingly shot, logistically marvelous, and wonferully mechanical. The set pieces are incredible, all the architecture is great, the cast is pitch-perfect. I like almost everything. But the thing with Nolan is, the things he excels at are astounding, so the things he has trouble with stand out like a red stain on a white suit. Chief among these things is his lack of talent for editing. Some people may say they enjoy his editing style for its circumvention of direct, chronological sequencing, and that is fine, that is not what the problem is. That whole thing has kind of become his signature, having gotten its test run in indie debut Following, then being perfected in the now-classic Memento, and I like it. The problem is the "flow" or "feel" of his cut-to-cut, line-by-line in-scene editing. There is never a moment's pause between dialogue and it does not feel naturalistic once you become aware of it. The cuts happen constantly, and super-quickly, and if you find yourself dwelling on the "feeling" of the moment-to-moment editing, it begins to detract heavily from the performances. These performances, good as they may otherwise be, have absolutely no room to breath at all. This is one subtle aspect of his film technique that could lead someone to accuse his films of being "too mechanical", or "souless". I mostly believe that is bullshit, but it is at least half-true in the sense that only Heath Ledger's Joker has really had the breathing room to blossom on the screen, being knowingly displayed by his director.
I like to think of Nolan as being Hitchcock-y in his deliberation. I think of Dark Knight as being his Psycho, with its superbly iconic villian performance. Well, this is his North By Northwest. Classicly grandiose, risky Hollywood. Among the director's very best. But you just don't love it the way you love Psycho. It's missing that intangible thing a grand screen performance and unforgettable character bring to a film. Rear Window had it. Vertigo had it. North By Northwest feels less warmly characteristic. It is somewhat characteristic of espionage film.
What we got is still a new classic American film, proof that Nolan can create a buzz in the middle of the summer even without the pop culture advantage of a beloved franchise (given a $160,000,000 budget), and it brings him closer to attaining the smartly obsessive auteur status of his great hero Stanley Kubrick. However, it is simply not The Dark Knight.
****************SPOILERRR**********************************
Off of the record, and having only seen it once, I find myself questioning whether DiCaprio's character was even remotely deserving of redemption (Why in the hell was he putting his wife at danger with this crap? And how did they get trapped there? He knowingly sedated her beforehand? Did I miss something huge somewhere?) And I also feel very sorry for the guy from 28 Days Later/Red Eye/the Scarecrow in Batman Begins. I guess you are supposed to think it is a happy ending because he is tricked into believing his father loved him even though he actually didn't? Fuck that, I would want my business back. The guy basically seems like a nice dude and gets totally fucked over by the supposed protagonist. And then of course is the fact that we are more or less told that planting an idea in someone's head, being done even SLIGHTLY inefficiently, will eventually make them batnuts crazy and completely change the type of person they are. I really feel bad for the dude.
I'm losing my high and my gf is bored so I am outtie. Hope you liked my Inception review.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Where to start?
It's been a minute since I posted. Still working for the census. Pop culture...
Toy Story 3 was incredible, hands down the best theater experience I've had in years. I implore people to go see the 2D, the animation is worlds above Toy Story 2, which I just watched on Blu and I think even that still looks amazing. The story is succinct and perfect, with a great emotional wollop in the third act. It is, in Toy Story 1 & 2 fashion, a "crisis" movie for the bulk of the plot. The new characters all work terrifically. Michael Keaton is a welcome addition to the voice cast. Same with the lady that is the #1 fan on the Flight Of The Conchords TV show.
Pop music... I have been playing:
Waka Flocka Flame - O Let's Do It (Remix) [Ft. Rick Ross]
Jeezy - Lose My Mind [Ft. Plies]
Jay-Z - Young Forever
Eminem's Recovery album
Drake's album
Katy Perry single
Usher - Raymond Vs. Raymond
B.O.B. album
Plies - Goon Affiliated
Playing lots of old stuff during this somewhat boring summer for music:
Buck Owens '53-'64 box set
Louie Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit (1961)
early Beach Boys - Little Deuce Coup (1963) & Summer Days (And Summer Nights) (1965)
Elvis Presley - complete '50's masters
Tupac - California Love [Ft. Dr. Dre] (1995)
Mooooooooovies:
Rewatched all Pixar movies on Blu, and suprisingly to myself, I LOVED CARS. I had never seen it, originally skipping it for being something that "looks like I wouldn't like it".
Watched the DTV Batman anime Gotham Knight. Good stuff. Way better than Animatrix.
Going to see Predators in a few days to avoid opening weekend crowds. CAN'T FUCKING WAIT. Though I already watched the attached new Machete trailer online and it is sweet as all shit, I actually prefer it to the cinco de mayo trailer, though I seem to be alone in that regards. I did lament the cutting of Lindsay Lohan from the trailer... but as one internet poster wittily responded "You can take Lindsay out of the trailer, but you can't take the trailer out of Lindsay..." On the upside I saw some new Seagal footage I believe.
Watched Seagal's Out For Justice on Blu and had a pretty damn good time. They just don't make genre movies like this any more. And all the good ones are just a bit too self-aware for their own good and I find it hard to consider them genre classics because of this. This right here is signature action b-movie stuff. As good as anything with Fred Williamson or Jim Brown. I promise. And this is the coolest William Forsythe performance this side of Devil's Rejects. I love that guy. I saw him at the DC horror convention but was too starstruck to speak to anybody. I also was just feet away from talking to Sid Haig. I would jump at the chance to go back.
Bout to watch Clash Of The Titans and The Crazies remakes back-to-back on Blu, with some new trailers beforehand... Disney's release of Tales From Earthsea, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Seth Rogan's take on The Green Hornet (which looks extremely Rogan-ified, and not very faithful to the character's pulp roots, but I will see it out of Rogan fandom... not out of Green Hornet fandom, as I know it will drop the ball in this area.)
PREDATORS BIATCH! Can't wait to get my pre-Machete Trejo on, although I hear he is criminally underused. People have been bitching about the Larry Fishburne performance too, although that just makes me want to see it more, as I could see it as being a classic camp performance. I mean the original Predator did have The Governator and Jesse The Body Ventura in two of the largest roles...
Be back when more interesting shit starts happening. Has not been the most banging summer, especially on the music front. I would actually defend it on the movie front. But sadly it seems like the modern pop renaissance of the last 5 years is slowing down majorly. Where is this summer's Blame It? I want some radio summeriness. Maybe when King Uncaged drops in August? I would totally take a new Live Ya Life or Dead And Gone calibur song to cap off the summer. So it wouldn't be a total loss. Oh well, we'll always have O Let's Do It (Remix) to keep trunks banging all over the south.
Toy Story 3 was incredible, hands down the best theater experience I've had in years. I implore people to go see the 2D, the animation is worlds above Toy Story 2, which I just watched on Blu and I think even that still looks amazing. The story is succinct and perfect, with a great emotional wollop in the third act. It is, in Toy Story 1 & 2 fashion, a "crisis" movie for the bulk of the plot. The new characters all work terrifically. Michael Keaton is a welcome addition to the voice cast. Same with the lady that is the #1 fan on the Flight Of The Conchords TV show.
Pop music... I have been playing:
Waka Flocka Flame - O Let's Do It (Remix) [Ft. Rick Ross]
Jeezy - Lose My Mind [Ft. Plies]
Jay-Z - Young Forever
Eminem's Recovery album
Drake's album
Katy Perry single
Usher - Raymond Vs. Raymond
B.O.B. album
Plies - Goon Affiliated
Playing lots of old stuff during this somewhat boring summer for music:
Buck Owens '53-'64 box set
Louie Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit (1961)
early Beach Boys - Little Deuce Coup (1963) & Summer Days (And Summer Nights) (1965)
Elvis Presley - complete '50's masters
Tupac - California Love [Ft. Dr. Dre] (1995)
Mooooooooovies:
Rewatched all Pixar movies on Blu, and suprisingly to myself, I LOVED CARS. I had never seen it, originally skipping it for being something that "looks like I wouldn't like it".
Watched the DTV Batman anime Gotham Knight. Good stuff. Way better than Animatrix.
Going to see Predators in a few days to avoid opening weekend crowds. CAN'T FUCKING WAIT. Though I already watched the attached new Machete trailer online and it is sweet as all shit, I actually prefer it to the cinco de mayo trailer, though I seem to be alone in that regards. I did lament the cutting of Lindsay Lohan from the trailer... but as one internet poster wittily responded "You can take Lindsay out of the trailer, but you can't take the trailer out of Lindsay..." On the upside I saw some new Seagal footage I believe.
Watched Seagal's Out For Justice on Blu and had a pretty damn good time. They just don't make genre movies like this any more. And all the good ones are just a bit too self-aware for their own good and I find it hard to consider them genre classics because of this. This right here is signature action b-movie stuff. As good as anything with Fred Williamson or Jim Brown. I promise. And this is the coolest William Forsythe performance this side of Devil's Rejects. I love that guy. I saw him at the DC horror convention but was too starstruck to speak to anybody. I also was just feet away from talking to Sid Haig. I would jump at the chance to go back.
Bout to watch Clash Of The Titans and The Crazies remakes back-to-back on Blu, with some new trailers beforehand... Disney's release of Tales From Earthsea, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Seth Rogan's take on The Green Hornet (which looks extremely Rogan-ified, and not very faithful to the character's pulp roots, but I will see it out of Rogan fandom... not out of Green Hornet fandom, as I know it will drop the ball in this area.)
PREDATORS BIATCH! Can't wait to get my pre-Machete Trejo on, although I hear he is criminally underused. People have been bitching about the Larry Fishburne performance too, although that just makes me want to see it more, as I could see it as being a classic camp performance. I mean the original Predator did have The Governator and Jesse The Body Ventura in two of the largest roles...
Be back when more interesting shit starts happening. Has not been the most banging summer, especially on the music front. I would actually defend it on the movie front. But sadly it seems like the modern pop renaissance of the last 5 years is slowing down majorly. Where is this summer's Blame It? I want some radio summeriness. Maybe when King Uncaged drops in August? I would totally take a new Live Ya Life or Dead And Gone calibur song to cap off the summer. So it wouldn't be a total loss. Oh well, we'll always have O Let's Do It (Remix) to keep trunks banging all over the south.
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