Flipside Movie Emporium

[beltmann]

[matt header]

In the last week or so:

sex, lies, and videotape (Soderbergh, 1989) Soderbergh's celebrated film supposedly set off the American Indie movement of the late '80s and beyond, but I was massively disappointed. All of these mindgames are meant to be an unsettling psychiatric exercise for these characters, but the film itself feels too much like a visit to the psychiatrist: it's cold, systematic, and blandly inquisitive. Soderbergh offers us nothing more than the most textbooks conclusions on humanity and sexuality. The acting is admirably controlled throughout, but unfortunately I cared about none of these characters. C

Finding Neverland (Forster, 2004) For a movie about the liberation of the imagination, Finding Neverland is awfully self-serious and solemn. Whenever we see J.M. Barrie's play of Peter Pan taking shape, its celebration of boyish curiosity and whimsy among a cruel world got to me, even during the maudlin performance in Kate Winslet's parlor just for her and her family. But Forster, as he did with Monster's Ball, makes everything ridiculously melancholy and self-indulgently serious; in his eyes, realism apparently is made up of depressed but attractive people wallowing in their melancholy. Depp's performance is bland, but there was nothing he could do with this role: Barrie is made to be such a flat, altogether noble character -- completely honest, fatherly, and loving -- that it's hard to be interested in him. C+

House of Flying Daggers (Yimou, 2005) I loved it as much as Hero but for different reasons. While Flying Daggers is less political and perhaps less complex than Yimou's earlier work, I think it's equally as exciting, perhaps more cinematic, beautifully sweeping, and probably equally as concerned with the pure rush that film form has to offer. A+

Husbands and Wives (Allen, 1992) Good Allen, but not as great as I was hoping. It took me a while to see this one, so maybe great expectations simply let me down. The cast is uniformly terrific and I loved the free handheld camera, so I'm not entirely sure why I didn't really get into this. B

Red Lights (Kahn, 2005) I really hope someone on the board has seen this as well, because my friends and I have a debate of sorts about this French thriller: some of us (including me) say it's a rather straightforward but precisely made adaptation of a noir novel by Georges Simenon, while others say the latter half of the film takes place in the main character's mind and that identities suddenly transfer to other people without warning. I'd rather not think that, actually; it's more satisfying and less gimmicky if taken as a unique suspense film than yet another was it real or wasn't it mind game. B
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"I don't like talking to people I know, but strangers I have no problem with." -- Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"

[Danny Baldwin]

1/11 - 1/17

I totally forgot to post this on Monday, so I may have to be brief with the comments.

Coach Carter (Carter, 2005) - Wonderfully directed and shot, but the cliches got to me, after awhile. Samuel L. Jackson is solid, as always.



Elektra (Bowman, 2005) - Not as bad as everyone says. Jennifer Garner turns in a fitting performance and looks good. One of the villains, appropriately called Tattoo, is fun to watch. I liked it more than Daredevil, but the premise is pretty pathetic. I could've thought of a far superior story-line in ten minutes.

In Good Company (Weitz, 2004) - Warm and biting at the same time. Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansson are both terrific, and Dennis Quaid can now officially claim that he gave one good performance in 2004. Paul Weitz is slowly earning my total respect as a writer/director.

Beyond the Sea (Spacey, 2004) - Structurally, it's a total mess. Spacey's direction is all over the place. However, as an actor, he is terrific, right along with Kate Bosworth. The music is a treat and the eras it depicts are

Fat Albert (Zwick, 2004) - To its credit, it has one really stupid, really funny sequence in which Fat Albert has a footrace against a toned high-school bigshot, taking very small steps and seemingly gliding across the track. The rest of the movie, on the other hand, is annoying as hell.

Two more weeks of watching a bunch of 2004 stuff and then I'll be onto some meatier stuff.
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Danny Baldwin

View My Reviews

[Danny Baldwin]

With finals to study for and football over the weekend, I might not even get to see anymore 2004's on DVD. I had hoped to see more than I have, so far.

I believe I'm going back to see Hotel Rwanda and House of Flying Daggers for second times, though, which marks the first time I've paid to see any movies twice since...well...Beauty and the Beast when I was two years old.
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Danny Baldwin

View My Reviews

[the night watchman]

1/16/05-1/23/05

THX 1138 (Lucas, 1971) - The criticism levelled at Lucas's first feature is that it lacks emotional resonance, and I can?t argue. Even if all the characters are supposed to be drugged into a state of bland happiness (although, apparently, not all of them to the same degree), the viewer needs something to latch onto. On the other hand, I do have an affection for dystopic SF, maybe because I'm a child of the '80s. In any event, THX offers more humor (subtle and bleak though it may be) than I remember. I also like how Lucas isn?t too concerned with some of the logistics of this world (like the strange ?barrier? in the prison, or a hologram that suddenly decides to enter the real world). Except during the incident with the nuclear core, the new CGI effects don?t really add anything to the movie, and, in fact, they somewhat diminish the sense of the city?s sterility. Not a masterpiece, but not a movie without merits either. It?s at least a refreshing break from today?s pyrotechnic extravaganzas.

Darkness (Balaguero, 2002 [2004 USA]) - For awhile it seems as though Balaguero and co-writer de Felipe are simply trying execute a rather standard, even formulaic, horror movie, if a reasonably engaging one. But then an unexpectedly cunning rationale settles in during the last third, which leads the story, and the unwitting characters, in a more unnerving direction. It certainly has its flaws, not the least of which is the inclusion of, not one, but two Characters Who Explain All, one of whom is a Villain WEA. Yet it is refreshingly free of jump scares and fake jumps, and concentrates instead on gradually heightening a sense of dread and foreboding. It certainly didn?t deserve the vicious trouncing it took from most critics, many of whom apparently require their horror movies to spoon-feed them all the answers and then reward them with a lollipop at the end.

Detour (Ulmer, 1945) - Detour plays like the bleary, possibly half-fabricated recollection of a movie watched at 2 o?clock in the morning; which is appropriate since the story is basically one man?s bleary, possibly half-fabricated recollection. The production?s limitations serve the film amazingly well, collapsing the protagonist?s world into solipsism and myopia. Al and Vera are shallow people, but not one dimensional characters. It?s hard to sympathize with them, but it?s fascinating to watch them.

Man Your Battlestations (Settlement Skateboards et al., 2003) - Filmed in my town. Not exactly the craziest skateboard video I?ve ever seen, but it was cool seeing my old high school and junior high, and I daresay this is the only skate video you?ll ever see that features music by Michael Jackson and Johnny Cash.

Assault on Precinct 13 (Carpenter, 1976) - The lack of budget shows, and the dialogue falls flat sometimes, but Carpenter is a pro at suspense. Fun, if sorely dated. [scorn]Michael Bay[/scorn] should take notes.

The Aviator (Scorsese, 2004) - Never less than wholly engaging entertainment, told with skill and vitality. Hopefully DiCapprio?s performance here will finally get some much deserved props for his talent.
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

-David Cronenberg

[the night watchman]

[Jim Harper]

16/01/05

Audition (dir. Takashi Miike, 1999)

Underworld (dir. Len Wiseman, 2003)

17/01/05

Island of Terror (dir. Terence Fisher, 1966)*

Hulk (dir. Ang Lee, 2003)*

18/01/05

Anatomy (dir. Stefan Ruzowitzky, 2000)

19/01/05

Whispering Corridors (dir. Ki-Hyung Park, 1998)

20/01/05

Memento Mori (dir. Tae-Yong Kim, 1999)

21/0105

The Toolbox Murders (dir. Tobe Hooper, 2003)

The Nest (dir. Florent Emilio Seri, 2002)*

I've watched very little new stuff this week, sadly. Island of Terror was fun, even if the monsters were less than amazing. Cushing is still great to watch and the film has a certain style.

The Hulk was depressingly bad.

The Nest is a French take on Assault on Precinct 13 starring the lovely Nadia Fares. There's nothing at all new here, but it's consistently entertaining and moves along at a wonderful pace. Recommended.

[Jim Harper]

[the night watchman]

[Danny Baldwin]

[beltmann]

1/17 ? 1/23/05

The Crusades (DeMille, USA 1935)

Ford Transit (Abu-Assad, Palestine 2002)

Bombshell (Fleming, USA 1933)

What's Wrong With This Picture? (short; Travis, USA 2002)

Chinese Wall (short; Kok, Netherlands 2003)

Dreamscapes (short; McBride, USA 2003)

Friday Night Lights (Berg, USA 2004)

In Absentia (short; Kibbey and Heald, UK 2002)

The Big Brawl (Clouse, USA 1980)

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (Hopkins, USA 2004)

The Ghost of Frankenstein (Kenton, USA 1942)

Within Our Gates (Micheaux, USA 1920)

Phantom (Murnau, Germany 1922)

The Garden of Eden (Milestone, USA 1928)

Of those I most enjoyed Ford Transit, The Ghost of Frankenstein, and Within Our Gates.

Ford Transit is a marvelously informative and entertaining documentary about a taxi driver in Palestine. There?s a peculiar, oil-and-engine thrill to watching him imaginatively navigate his Ford minivan through Jerusalem streets and military roadblocks, but the real purpose is to eavesdrop on the various passengers and their thoughts regarding war, repression, and current events.

Lon Chaney, Jr. is no Boris Karloff, but he offers a capable, reasonable impersonation as the Creature in The Ghost of Frankenstein. For my money, there are very few horror franchises as rewarding and fun as Universal?s Frankenstein cycle.

Although it ostensibly deals with a schoolteacher coming to Boston to raise funds for her black Southern school, Within Our Gates swiftly dispenses with narrative and character, operating almost exclusively as a social document offering very compelling scenarios related to racism. What?s remarkable is how far-reaching Micheaux?s criticisms are?this fiery movie reflects all of the contradictions and complexities of American race relations in the ?20s.

I?m also convinced that Peter Berg will someday be a valuable voice in Hollywood.

Eric
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"When I was in Barcelona they showed pornography on regular television. I'm assuming it's the same way in Mexico since they also speak Spanish." - IMDb user comment

[Monkeypox]

Reponses to Assault on Precinct 13 (Richet, 2005):

It's 20 degrees outside right now, and even colder in the film. Good atmosphere says I. Snowed-in Precinct 13. Why New Year's Eve, though? A little over the top for my tastes. Seems an unnecessary bit, but it works. My point, however, stands. The old junker precinct in the forgotten parts of town, standing alone in the snow, resonates like the house in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Me likey.

Good casting, better script than most action fair. It's almost like someone wanted us thinking of these characters, making it matter when they're unceremoniously executed. Oh, and they are.

Little Larry Fishburne's a long way from that river into Cambodia. Martin Sheen's withering on weak TV poli-drama and Fishburne's riding the cool, like Samuel L. in the mid-90s, but he's gone a step further, doing it without words. Fishburne's got it all down to the eyes now. Opens up to occasionally say something like "Maybe" and you're thinkin' "Hell yeah, maybe!"

Ethan Hawke's all over the place, and I'm liking him for it. Acting without thinking, maybe the first time I've seen him do that. Kind of a shame, really, considering.

I don't like many films, and even less remakes, but this gets an A. Punches you in the guts, twists it around a couple hours, and kicks you out the door. Everything about it is cold... the weather, Larry F., the simple brutality.

3 points for a lack of Vin Diesel.
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Rattlesnake's Texas Cobra, you sonofabitch!

[Danny Baldwin]

[beltmann]

[mfritschel]

Sickness equals time to watch more movies, in preferential order -

Hotel Rwanda (George, 2005) - I was a little hesitant at first simply expecting another Schindlers List, but the movie was very powerful and moving on its own accord. Much so because of its focus on the family, rather then trying to cover the entire genocide. Also, I felt the movie does an excellent job of developing an underlying sense of doom in the beginning as it move closer and closer to the rebellion.

Rio Bravo (Hawks, 1959) - Simply put a very entertaining western, a classic of the western era.

Infernal Affairs (Lau, Mak, 2004) - Well developed crime thriller, that the more I think about really seems that much more well put together.

Napoleo Dynamite (Hess, 2004)

Warriors of Heaven and Earth (He, 2004)

Time of the Wolf (Haneke, 2004)