What I Watched This Week (Feb. 21-Feb. 27)

Wow, another slow movie-watching week. I really have been running short on time these past few weeks. This week, my Mock Trial competition got in the way, and I spent most of my time prepping for that. I had hoped to get a review of each Best Picture Nominee out each day leading up to the awards, but I’m going to have to post two-a-day starting March 1st. Anyway, I’ll be busy working on those ten reviews, so this coming week will probably be another movie-scarce week.

2/18 - An Education (1971): This was the final Best Picture nominee that I hadn’t seen. Overall, this was an excellent film. The characters are real, and the journey that the main character goes through is enlightening, albeit a tad disappointing in the end. This movie was shot beautifully and features terrific acting from the entire cast. Look for my full review next week during my Best Picture Countdown.

March 2010 Preview

After a slow start to the beginning of the year, movies finally are starting to pick up. Although not too many big films are being released in the coming month, we can all look forward to Alice in Wonderland, Green Zone, and Hot Tub Time Machine. Here’s what you can expect this month:

3/5:

Alice in Wonderland

Brooklyn’s Finest

The Secret of Kells (NY)

3/12:

Green Zone

Our Family Wedding

She’s Out of My League

3/19:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Hubble 3D

Repo Men

The Bounty Hunter

The Runaways

3/26:

Chloe (Limited)

Hot Tub Time Machine

How to Train Your Dragon

I Love You, Phillip Morris

Waking Sleeping Beauty (Limited)

3/31:

The Last Song

The Oscar Race(s) for Best Screenplay

The writing categories at the Oscars have always interested me. In years past, I have simply judged the screenplays by the films that were born out of them, but this year I’ve decided to hunt down the actual scripts for each movie. I haven’t gotten to reading them yet, but I’m certainly looking forward to it. Below are links to the 10 nominees for Best Screenplay, both Adapted and Original. Enjoy!

Original:

• The Hurt Locker – Mark Boal
• Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino
• The Messenger – Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman
• A Serious Man – Joel & Ethan Coen
• Up – Bob Peterson, Pete Docter (screenplay and story) and Tom McCarthy (story)

Adapted:

• District 9 – Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell from the short film Alive in Joburg by Neill Blomkamp
• An Education – Nick Hornby from the book by Lynn Barber
• In the Loop – Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche from the television series The Thick of It
• Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire – Geoffrey Fletcher from the novel Push by Sapphire
• Up in the Air – Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner from the novel by Walter Kirn

Note: When I could, I linked to officially released screenplays, but as far as I know, The Messenger, Up in the Air, and District 9 were not released by their studio. I have linked to an unofficial scan of Up in the Air, but could not find the other two. I will update this post if I find them.

The Oscar-Nominated Short Films

This year I was fortunate enough, once again, to be able to the see the Oscar-nominated short films on the big screen. I live in Delaware, so I’m not stuck in the middle-of-nowhere, but it is still difficult to find any non-mainstream films in my are. Lucky for me, the only independent cinema in my area, Theatre N in Wilmington, decided to show the Oscar-nominated shorts again this year.

There are two programs – one for animated and one for live-action – which are put together by Shorts International and distributed by Magnolia Pictures. It’s a great experience to be able to see so many films in the theater in one day. I had a great time watching these wonderful little films. So, what did I think?

Animation

French Roast (France, 8 min):

This was my least favorite of the bunch. The animation was good and the story was humorous, but I didn’t find it really entertaining. It wasn’t that funny and didn’t fit together very well. The camera movement was great, though. The movie consists of one shot that shifts based on what is going on at that moment. It is a nice touch made possible by the computer animation and the short format. Although not bad, I wasn’t impressed.

Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (Ireland, 6 min):

This was a hilarious short. Granny O’Grimm loses the plot as she tries to tell the story of Sleeping Beauty to her granddaughter. Her version of the beloved fairy-tale was great, and the granddaughter’s reaction was terrific. The mix between CG and traditional animation worked very well, although the CG was a bit lacking. Overall, this was an extremely funny short.

The Lady and the Reaper (Spain, 8 min):

I loved this one. The story was a bit macabre, but charming at the same time. The character design was excellent with all three main characters being awesome. I especially admired the reaper character, with his square features. The adventure was fun, with a surprisingly funny ending.

Logorama (France, 16 min):

Now this is a crazy movie. Composed almost entirely with logos, I originally thought this was a statement about consumerism in America, and it basically was, but with violence and language. In the movie, Michelin Man cops are on the hunt for the psychopathic Ronald Macdonald. The innovative use of hundreds and hundreds of logos was astounding and I have no idea how they got permission to use all of them. This was a very enjoyable, albeit strange, movie experience.

A Matter of Loaf and Death (UK, 30 min):

Wallace and Gromit are back. This time, someone is murdering bakers one by one. I love the comedy in this series. The slapstick and Rube Goldberg-esque antics in the movie are great. Also, this serves as a fun whodunit, although the answer isn’t too hard to figure out. The animation and set-design in this movie are fantastic. This is definitely the best-looking film of the bunch.

Live-Action

The Door (Ireland, 17 min):

This is a deep movie about loss and perseverance after a tragedy. It centers on a family forced to evacuate Pripyat after the Chernobyl disaster in ’86. This is definitely the most emotional film of the group and is very somber in tone. I thought the movie was terrific, but not my favorite.

Instead of Abracadabra (Sweden, 22 min):

This was by-far the funniest short film nominated. It focuses on Tomas, an aspiring magician who still lives with his parents. The entire movie is filled with hilarious moments and the cast if great, especially Jacob Nordenson, who plays Bengt, Tomas’ ashamed father. The film is also an insightful character study of a man plagued by desolation. You really care for this lovable loser by the end of the movie, and you even become embarrassed for him when he fails.

Kavi (USA/India, 19 min):

This was a good story that was never fleshed out. Sure, the plot continued to a conclusion, but I felt that this movie could be expanded into a feature with not much effort. It was a good story, shot well, that leaves only a little impact on the viewer. Overall, I’m on the fence with this one.

Miracle Fish (Australia, 17 min):

This is another weird little movie. What starts out as a day-in-the-life of an ordinary kid quickly turns. I don’t want to give anything away, but this movie definitely caught me off guard about half-way through this film. The movie is about the boy’s encounter one day, and I’m not sure that its theme comes across very well, but in general the movie was excellent.

The New Tenants (Denmark/USA, 20 min):

This movie starts with an elegant monologue about the failures of humanity and then goes on to show the two main characters a more sinister side of life. They have just moved into a new apartment and quickly find out just how bad of a choice they have made. Vincent D’Onofrio kicks things off as a vengeful husband and things only get worse. This movie was funny and touching, and had a very poetic ending.

Once again, I really enjoyed all the short films. My favorites were The Lady and the Reaper and The New Tenants, but I predict Logorama and The Door will win come Oscar night.

What I Watched This Week (Feb. 14-Feb. 20)

This was a slow week for my movie viewing. I’m not sure what happened, but all-of-a-sudden the week flew by. In any case, I was treated to two very special theater-going experiences this week: Seeing Shutter Island at midnight and catching all 10 of the Oscar-nominated short films on the big screen.

2/18 – Macbeth (1971): I watched this in my high school English class over the past two weeks. What a horrible way to view a film. I cannot really make an accurate judgement after watching this film in several parts. (And the VHS was pan-and-scan, which bugs me to no end!) Overall, I didn’t like this movie. I guess it’s the language, but the acting seemed so unnatural and the overall feeling of the movie was silly. However, the ending of the movie was excellent. Starting with the shot of Macbeth looking into the distance at the approaching army, I don’t know how, but the movie was actually very good. That is the only reason I’m giving this 3 stars.

2/19 - Shutter Island: I saw this at midnight and I’m certainly glad I did. What an amazing film. (And it my first Scorsese picture on the big screen.) I loved this movie, see my full review.

2/20 – The 10 Oscar-Nominated Short Films: Once again, Theatre N, my local independent theater came through and showed all 10 of the Oscar shorts in one day. What a delightful experience. Read about my thoughts on each one specifically here.

Review: Shutter Island

Sometimes, it’s not what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it and that is definitely the case in Shutter Island. Martin Scorsese delivers an incredible film from good, but flawed source material.

Shutter Island stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy, a US Marshal who, along with his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), are assigned to investigate the disappearance of a psychotic patient from the mental institution on the titular island. Dr. John Cowley (Ben Kingsley), along with Dr. Jeremiah Naering (Max von Sydow) and the warden (Ted Levine), run the facility with an iron fist. The fantastic supporting cast is rounded off with Jackie Earle Haley and Michelle Williams. As the mystery unfolds, Teddy learns that the island is definitely more intimidating than he first suspected.

From the opening shot of this film, you know you are in for something special. The opening sequence is clearly the work of a master filmmaker. Scorsese lets his shots run their course, rather than cutting away. We watch as the boat slowly emerges from the fog heading toward the island. After some dialog, we see the island for the first time in a shot that says a lot about the character of this wretched place – the jagged rocks, the rocking boat, the imposing cliffs. As the on-edge police force escorts the marshals into the institution, Scorsese utilizes his signature sweeping camera moves which give the film a constant kinetic energy.

Shutter Island is visually stunning. The composition is absolutely perfect. The movie is also partly surrealist. The dream sequences play out through unique visuals and give a glimpse into DiCaprio’s mental collapse. Overall, the pacing and editing make for an incredible thriller. Scorsese channels his inner Hitchcock and continually builds suspense. Rather than rely on simple jump scares, this film is psychological. The score also contributes immensely to the overall feeling of the movie. Incredibly, a score wasn’t even written for the movie. Instead, Scorsese and singer-songwriter Robbie Robertson created an ensemble of already-recorded music. The haunting music and, even more so, the lack of sound during certain scenes also adds to the unnerving atmosphere.

The plot of the film plays like a classic thriller. The movie uses several horror clichés, such as the telephone lines being knocked out by a storm, but I didn’t mind them. As for the sotry, it started out well, but then fell short a little around 2/3rds of the way through. Towards the end, I did not like the direction the story was going, but the ending was amazingly ambiguous. (I’ll definitely have to write more in-depth about this in a later, spoiler-filled post.) In the end, the craftsmanship of the film outweighs any shortcomings in the script.

Apart from the technical aspects, which were virtually perfect, Shutter Island provides several levels of enjoyment. There is suspense throughout – the film is an excellent thriller. On a deeper level, the movie examines the nature of human sanity. Overall, Shutter Island is an engrossing thriller told through excellent visuals that only Scorsese can create. The fantastic directing, acting, and technical aspects of the movie take a typical horror film and make it into a thought-provoking, beautiful film.

My List of Shame

You know that movie – the one that everyone has seen except you? We all have several of those movies. I’ve even bluffed my way through a conversation to hide the fact that I hadn’t seen the movie up for discussion. It’s really hard, too, when you start to earn the reputation of a movie buff among your friends.

There are two criteria for this list: Either the film must be one where the majority of people have seen it OR the film is regarded as a classic and is well-known in film circles. Anyway, here is my list of shame, in no particular order.

• Gone with the Wind
• Billy Madison
• Happy Gilmore
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Scarface
• Spaceballs
• Tron
• Blazing Saddles
• Metropolis
• The Big Sleep
• 8 1/2
• Elephant Man
• Dune
• American Beauty
• The Shawshank Redemption
• Saving Private Ryan
• Goodfellas
• Requiem for a Dream
• There Will Be Blood
• Annie Hall
• Robocop
• Battleship Potemkin
• North by Northwest
• Kill Bill
• Reservoir Dogs
• Pulp Fiction
• Titanic
• Ben Hur
• The Untouchables
• Blade Runner
• La Dolce Vita
• The Last Temptation of Christ
• Nosferatu
• Alien
• Dirty Harry
• The Exorcist
• Mad Max 2 / The Road Warrior
• Tokyo Story
• The Breakfast Club
• Se7en
• Braveheart
• Empire of the Sun
• The Day of the Dead

Whew! That was good to get off my chest. I’ve added these all to my Netflix queue, so hopefully I’ll be able to see them all before the end of the year.

I was inspired to write this list after listening to an episode of my favorite movie podcast, the /Filmcast. I believe “List of Shame” was coined by Dan Trachtenberg of the Totally Rad Show.

So, what are some of the movies from your list of shame?

What I Watched This Week (Feb. 7-Feb. 13)

This week, I focused on Oscar-nominated films that I didn’t have a chance to see earlier. I also had a lot of time to work on more writing for the near future while I was snowed in.

2/7 – The Cove: What an amazing documentary. This film combines traditional fact-based doc reporting and a thrilling narrative to great effect. See my full review.

2/8 – The Blind Side: I was surprised to see that this film was nominated for Best Picture, as were many film buffs, but I decided to see it before I passed judgement. In short, it was a good film, but definitely not one of the best of the year. Look for a full review next week when I will be reviewing all the Best Picture nominees.

2/10 – Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire: This movie has gained heavy buzz since it won both the Grand Jury Prize for drama and the Audience Award  at Sundance last year. I finally was able to see it, and it met my high expectations. The film has such an emotional affect – it is nothing short of amazing. Again, look for my full review leading up to the Oscars.

2/11 – A Serious Man: The Coen Brothers do it again. This film is another genre-bender that combines comedy and drama. In addition, the questions that this film asks about the meaning of life and suffering are very intriguing. I loved this film; look for a full review the week before the Oscars.

2/13 – Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief: I had no idea I was going to see this film, so I enjoyed going into it with virtually no knowledge beforehand. This movie had potential to be an awesome romp through Greek mythology, but was betrayed by a terrible script. Despite its shortcomings, I did enjoy the film. See my full review.

Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is not the next Harry Potter. That’s exactly what 20th Century Fox was going for – based on the series by Rick Riordan, it stars Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson, a young man who discovers that Greek legends are real, and is directed by Chris Columbus.

Although based on an intriguing premise, “The Lightning Thief” falls flat. It’s a real shame, too. It could have been a fun adventure through Greek mythology. Instead, it falls into a simple movie formula that we’ve all seen many times over.

The film begins with Zeus (Sean Bean) confronting Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) over the theft of his lightning bolt. The scene plays off well as tongue-in-cheek comedy, although I don’t think that’s what they were aiming for. The dialogue is ridiculous, but if the entire film just stuck with this not-too-serious feel, I would have liked it much more.

The first major flaw is the lack of an introduction. We see Percy and his best friend, Grover (Brandon T. Jackson), but we never really get to know them before the plot quickens and the action begins. The writers hit the points they need to, but the characters never come alive.

The plot of the movie is terrible. This film takes a good premise and ruins it by making it so formulaic and predictable, there’s almost no point in watching it. The only redeeming factor is that the movie is actually pretty fun most of the time.

The acting is atrocious all-around. Even the excellent supporting cast, including Uma Thurman, Catherine Keener, Joe Pantoliano, Pierce Brosnan, and Sean Bean, are humiliated through silly dialogue with no real characters beneath. As for the stars, this film goes to show you that very few teens can actually act.

However, these shortcomings don’t diminish the movie as much as they should. Somehow, this mess of a screenplay plays out as a surprisingly fun family adventure. Although not a good film by any stretch, “Percy Jackson” provides a fun adventure suitable for the whole family, and is better than most films aimed at the same audience.

Metropolis Restoration

Exciting news on the film restoration front. Metropolis, Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent classic will be screening at the Berlin International Film Festival Friday night in a new, restored cut.

In July, 2008, film experts discovered a 16 mm reduction of the original cut of the film in Argentina that ran over 210 minutes. As of that time, the best version available was a 126 minute cut available on DVD, but now, after extensive restoration, the film will be shown on the big screen once again.

The current version is much closer to the original cut, although one scene was too badly damaged. Unfortunately, I have never seen the film, but this is an extremely important find for cinema. As a cinephile, it really excites me that such a classic film that once was lost can now be enjoyed in its original form.

As many of us in the states cannot make a trip to Germany for the première, there is hope. It will be broadcast on ARTE in Germany and France, so if you can get that somehow, you can see it that way. Even better, Roger Ebert is reporting that the film will be streamed on the internet via http://j.mp/9SS92S, http://j.mp/9W8Pua, or http://j.mp/dhktCR. At this point, it is unclear which link will be streaming it, but we’ll have to wait and see.

The show starts at 8:15 PM Europe time and the film premieres at 8:40, so tune in around 2:15 Eastern Time. I won’t be able to be there at that time, but I have a friend in Germany who I think can tape it for me.

Hopefully, we will all be able to see this classic film in this new form very soon.

Thanks to Roger Ebert for the tip, via Twitter.

Toy Story 3 Trailer #2

Here’s the new trailer for Toy Story 3:

I cannot wait for this movie. Toy Story, the first computer-animated feature-length film, as well as its sequel, Toy Story 2, were magnificent movies with a real heart and the new installment is looking just as incredible. Pixar is a great studio and I can’t imagine them rushing a story through just to get cash.

Toy Story 3 looks like an even grander adventure than its predecessors, as the toys are sent to a Day Care Center and must get back to their beloved owner, Andy.

Toy Story 3, directed by Lee Unkrich and starring Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, hits theaters June 18th.

Meet the New Characters in Toy Story 3

Earlier today, Lee Unkrich, director of the upcoming Toy Story 3, posted an intriguing picture of 14 new characters that will be appearing in the film. The film focuses on the toys as they begin a new life at a day care center when their beloved Andy goes to college. Presumably, these new cast members are toys from the day care.

Here’s the image (click to enlarge):

Right now, we can see two new characters, Peas in a Pod and a Ken doll, while the rest are hidden in silhouette. Any guesses as to what any of them will be? Please post your predictions in the comment section below.

Billy’s Guide to the 82nd Annual Academy Awards

Its been a week since the Academy announced the nominees for this year’s Oscars. Although there are several glaring omissions and, in general, very few surprises, I, for the most part, am satisfied. I may get to this more in-depth next week, but for now I just want to lay down an overview of this year’s nominees.

I am going to try to see all the nominated films before the ceremony on March 7th, but here is a selection of 15 films which are must-sees in order to have an informed conversation about the awards.

Here we go:

Avatar

Nominations (9 - Art direction, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Original score, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, Visual effects)

Why You Need to See It: As the highest-grossing movie of all time, everyone and their mother’s sister has seen this movie. If you haven’t seen this, you’re going to miss a large chunk of the awards.

How To See It: In Theaters Everywhere

The Hurt Locker

Nominations (9 - Jeremy Renner – Performance by an actor in a leading role, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Original score, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, Original screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: As a favorite for Best Picture, and tied for the most nominations, definitely a front-runner.

How To See It: On DVD and Blu-Ray

Inglourious Basterds

Nominations (8 - Christoph Waltz – Performance by an actor in a supporting role, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, Original screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: Quentin Tarantino’s fun-filled, irreverent World War II film got a lot of love from the Academy this year and Christoph Waltz is a lock for Supporting Actor.

How To See It: On DVD and Blu-Ray

Up in the Air

Nominations (6 - George Clooney – Performance by an actor in a leading role, Vera Farmiga – Performance by an actress in a supporting role, Anna Kendrick – Performance by an actress in a supporting role, Directing, Best picture, Adapted screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: Nominated for all the high-profile awards, including two supporting actresses. Also, it is simply a great film.

How To See It: In Theaters Everywhere

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Nominations (6 - Gabourey Sidibe – Performance by an actress in a leading role, Mo’Nique – Performance by an actress in a supporting role, Directing, Film editing, Best picture, Adapted screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: Last year’s Sundance favorite has both Best Picture and Director noms, along with some frontrunners for actress and supporting actress.

How To See It: This is a tough one. Hopefully it is still playing near you, or you may be out of luck.

Up

Nominations (5 - Best animated feature film, Original score, Best picture, Sound editing, Original screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: One of the best movies of the year, and another Pixar classic. Fortunately, it is also nominated for Best Picture and is only the second animated film to earn that honor, after Beauty and the Beast.

How To See It: On DVD and Blu-Ray

The Blind Side

Nominations (2 - Sandra Bullock – Performance by an actress in a leading role, Best picture)

Why You Need to See It: This is the most controversial Best Picture nomination, and any discussion of this year’s Oscars will probably include this. In addition, Sandra Bullock is the favorite for Best Actress.

How To See It: In Theaters Everywhere

An Education

Nominations (3 - Carey Mulligan – Performance by an actress in a leading role, Best picture, Adapted screenplay)

Why You Need to See It: Every year there are a few small films that make it big and this year its this, nominated for Best Picture and Best Actress for the 24-year-old Carey Mulligan.

How To See It: In Theaters (Almost) Everywhere

Crazy Heart

Nominations (3 - Jeff Bridges – Performance by an actor in a leading role, Maggie Gyllenhaal – Performance by an actress in a supporting role, Original song – “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)”)

Why You Need to See It: Jeff Bridges’ is the favorite for Best Actor, and his performance should be seen before making your judgement.

How To See It: In Theaters (Almost) Everywhere

So, if you’re a little behind on 2009′s films, if you can see these, you can at least have an informed discussion about this year’s biggest film awards.

Want to Make it Big as a Hollywood Director? Just Be More Like Chris Nolan

The interwebs were abuzz this morning after Deadline Hollywood broke the news that Christopher Nolan, acclaimed director of Memento and The Dark Knight is officially on board with a Batman sequel, and has also agreed to oversee the Superman movie that is also in the works at Warner Bros.

Nolan’s return to the franchise, although definitely not unanticipated, was not a sure thing and this story should comfort all of us who love the character. Most likely, the script is getting under way now with David S. Goyer, who recently left his position on ABC’s FlashForward, and Jonathan Nolan writing.

The even bigger news is that of Nolan’s involvement in the Superman reboot. He has agreed to mentor those working on the film, and has not been attached as director, which is very unlikely to happen. I think the guidance he could give on adapting the comics will prove to be very beneficial for the film. However, I do not want a Nolan Superman. While Bruce Wayne is a troubled soul taking justice into his own hands, Clark Kent is a more up-standing citizen and I feel the approach should be entirely different.

In any case, I have my doubts about the Superman reboot, but Nolan’s involvement is bound to help it.

I also would like to point out how Chris Nolan has become more of a classic film director. He started with a small movie, and has now worked his way up the ladder and become an integral part of Warner Bros. He even gave them first dibs on his sci-fi thriller Inception, due in theaters July 16th. If more directors could establish this kind of healthy creative relationship with a studio, everyone would benefit.

Review: The Cove

The Cove, directed by Louie Psihoyos, follows him in his quest to expose the cetacean massacre in Taiji, Japan.

The movie begins as Ric O’Barry, a dolphin trainer turned activist, guides the director into the small coastal town of Taiji. The sequence introduces the town so naturally, as we are taken on the ride with the director. Psihoyos becomes the audience’s stand-in and we see the town for the first time through his eyes. Then, we are given some background into the “star” of the film, Mr. O’Barry. The movie progresses as a typical, although extremely well-crafted doc. We see some aspects of the dolphin hunt, including many of its disastrous consequences as well as the primary causes and corruption that keeps it running.

However, the main plot of the film centers on O’Barry and Psihoyos as they assemble a covert team to infiltrate “The Cove.” Everything is building up to the final act, in which the team attempts to get footage from inside the guarded killing cove. Their mission is as thrilling as any narrative spy film, and this is where the movie really succeeds.

This film is a leap forward for the documentary format. It cuts between a more traditional documentary (interviews, clips, etc.) and the team’s covert operation. And this works perfectly. By contrasting the two styles of filmmaking, both aspects of the movie have much more effect.

At the end of the film, Psihoyos makes a very wise choice. He lets the images speak for themselves. Rather than pontificate about the evils of the hunt, the audience is given the images and we must make of them what we want.

The Cove is a superb film that transcends its documentary label and impacts the audience like very few films of any kind can.

Superbowl Movie Trailer Roundup

[Due to WordPress.com's limitations on embedding objects, this post will not display correctly on my homepage, only on the post's specific page, so please go here to view the videos in their entirety. Sorry for the inconvenience.]

Well, that’s it for Super Bowl 44. Overall, the trailers were good. Not much new but I want to see all but the last two. It was a good game, too. The Colts dominated at the beginning, but the Saints pulled through in the end.

(I blogged these live during the broadcast, hence the reverse chronological order.)

The Crazies (February 26th): This is the first I’ve seen of this zombie flick, a remake of the Romero film of the same name. Like I said, I’m not a horror fan, so I don’t plan on seeing this one. Anyway, it doesn’t look that promising. I didn’t see anything unique in the trailer, but hopefully it will prove me wrong and be another addition to the “zombie renaissance” of the past few years.

The Back-Up Plan (April 23rd): What the hell was that?! That had nothing to do with the movie. There were no plot points, nothing about the main characters, even. I mean, it was some lady giving birth in a kiddy pool. Maybe the film’s audience will like this trailer, but there’s got to be a better marketing strategy.

The Pacific (March 14th): I realize this isn’t a film, but miniseries are really just a twist on the regular movie format. I never got around to Band of Brothers, but this looks great. It’s incredible how much money people will throw at a project when Spielberg is involved. I mean, this is a 10-part period piece set in World War II and it looks fantastic! Hopefully, I’ll be able to catch this in March. I really should watch more miniseries.

Coming Soon

Alice in Wonderland (March 27th): Tim Burton and “Alice in Wonderland” is a match made in heaven – or some kind of weird Burtonesque netherworld. In this promo we see some more of the characters. Unsurprisingly, Johnny Depp looks great as the Mad Hatter. I’m not digging the whole look of the world, though. While the character designs are brilliant, the backgrounds aren’t convincing, but they’re not fantastical enough to be stylistically interesting, either.

Shutter Island (February 19th): This movie looks amazing. I’m not sure if I would be this excited about it if it wasn’t a Scorsese picture, but this is definitely my most-anticipated film of the year. As for the trailer, we’ve been seeing remixes of the same thing since August, and it still looks incredible.

The Wolfman (February 12th): I’m not a horror fan at all, but I can’t wait for this movie. We’ve seen this footage before, though. I love the classic monster flick vibe and that final shot in the trailer when he turns toward camera in the woods is beautiful.

Robin Hood (May 14th): Russell Crowe reunites with Gladiator helmer Ridley Scott with the legend of Robin Hood. Supposedly, the movie is very historically accurate, but why does that matter for this story. I haven’t been excited about this film, but that trailer looked awesome. Hopefully, it lives up to the likes of Gladiator and Braveheart. On a side note, this this a prequel?

Bonus Section: So, when I was finding the trailers to embed, I came across several sites that claimed that The Last Airbender, Prince of Persia, and Despicable Me had trailers during the Big Game. I’m not sure if this is just bad information or whether I actually missed them. To add to the confusion, sometimes it is unclear whether a post is a prediction of what will air or a list of what did air. In any case, here is a “bonus” section of additional trailers that may or may not have aired.

Prince of Persia (May 28th):

The Last Airbender (July 2nd):

What I Watched This Week (Jan. 31-Feb. 6)

I got to see a lot of movies this week. After kicking off my 1,000 films challenge with The Rules of the Game and getting distracted by all the Oscar nominations on Tuesday, I watched Julia on Netflix Instant Watching. Yesterday, we were hit with an enormous snowstorm, so I went out and got a few Redbox movies to watch while I was stuck in the house.

1/31 - The Rules of the Game: When I kicked off this blog at the beginning of the month, I declared my goal of seeing every film on They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They?‘s list of the 1,000 Greatest Films of All Time. My first movie of the list was #3, The Rules of the Game, directed by Jean Renoir. It was an excellent film. I enjoyed the story and was surprised at how timeless the comedy was. After more than 70 years, the same things are still funny. Most Renoir’s criticisms of the social elite can still be applied today. It was also a great story of star-crossed lovers. I was surprised to find that the best performance in the film (Octave) was given by the director himself! Although I recognize the film’s significance in cinema and thoroughly enjoyed it, I’m not sure if it should be given such a high ranking. Only time will tell, though. I still have 906 movies to go!

2/3 – Julia: Kidnapping children is always a bad idea. In Julia, the main character (you guessed it – Julia), decides to help her friend steal her child back from her father-in-law. The plan doesn’t go well and Julia bonds with the child, despite her malicious intentions. This movie is held up entirely on Tilda Swinton’s magnificent performance. I don’t care about the technicalities, she was robbed of the Best Actress Oscar.

2/5 – Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: So, Pixar isn’t the only studio that can make good computer-animated films. “Cloudy,” produced by Sony Pictures Animation, is a thoroughly enjoyable family film. The story is formulaic, yet inventive and the visuals are great. I love how the movie knows that it is a cartoon, so the characters aren’t even trying to be real. James Caan’s character doesn’t even have eyes (kind of)! The lovable main character, Flint Lockwood, is an amateur mad scientist, who never gets anything right. Although most of the film is aimed at a young audience, I still enjoyed it. The tone is very tongue-in-cheek and you can tell a lot of fun was put into this movie.

2/5 – The Brothers Bloom: I absolutely loved this movie. See my full review.

2/6 – The Soloist: I almost don’t like this movie at all. Let me explain: As a general rule, I don’t like movies based on true stories, especially ones in which the main character is a journalist writing a story, which will then be turned into the film you are watching. I never like that writer character, except when he is Robert Downey Jr. Up until around the hour-and-a-half mark, I was on the fence about this movie. I liked the characters, but the story was not intriguing at all. And then the ending won me over. Overall, the plot was very uneven. The flashbacks did not feel complete, and the middle of the film felt rushed. However, Jamie Foxx and Downey Jr.’s performances save the movie from complete disaster. Foxx is incredible as the fast-talking, schizophrenic master cellist and Robert Downey Jr.’s character really grows as a person and those are the keys to the film.

Review: The Brothers Bloom

The Brothers Bloom is my kind of movie. When I selected the film from my local Redbox, I expected to enjoy it. I mean, it’s a comedic con-man story. I figured it would be good, but I never expected to be so enthralled. Trying to describe the film cannot do it justice. All I’m going to say is imagine the perfect mixture of Big Fish, Matchstick Men, and Chinatown.

To be clear, this is not a perfect film. I have seen better films recently, but The Brothers Bloom is my favorite film of the year. And I don’t feel uncomfortable drawing this distinction. There is definitely a distinction between good movies and those you like the most. I’m not going to go into that right now, but, to explain, Star Wars is my favorite movie of all time, yet The Godfather is the greatest film I have ever seen.

So, why did I love this movie so much? For the life of me, I cannot pinpoint a specific aspect of the film that made it stand out, and that in and of itself is one of its strong points. Everything – the direction, the cinematography, the acting, the writing – comes together and creates this fantastic blend of mystery, fantasy, and comedy.

The opening sequence brings you straight into the brothers’ world. With a fantastic narration by the magician Ricky Jay, we see Stephen, 13, and Bloom, 10, as they craft their first con, and already we have a good idea of the relationship between the two, as well as their differences, which is at the heart of the film. In the next scene, we see the brothers 25 years later, at the top of their game. They are true con men, and the movie has fun with a quick rewind to explain what we just saw. After these introductions, the plot really picks up when Stephen goes to Bloom with one last con.

The story itself isn’t entirely original. It is a typical con man story, but the movie is just so much fun and still has something deeper to say. The performances are good throughout, although no one specific stands out. The film also looks great, with a clever closing shot that really gives closure to the story. However, I don’t want to go into more detail about the technical aspects of the movie.

It all comes down to tone. The entire film gives you this feeling of wonder and that is what movies are all about. No matter how technically perfect or how many layers of meaning one can find in a movie, it makes no difference if it doesn’t provoke any emotional reaction. I can’t articulate exactly why I enjoyed this movie so much, and that is part of the reason it is so memorable. The Brothers Bloom is a magnificent film, with a perfect mixture of fantasy, comedy, and emotion that I absolutely loved.

Figure in the Snow

Earlier tonight, a large snowstorm hit the Eastern Seaboard. My school cancelled yesterday, in anticipation. (Ironically, the storm didn’t start until several hours after school should have ended.) I was getting ready to call it a night, so I took the dog out and realized that we already had more than a foot of snow! I grabbed my Flip video camera and went back out to get some shots.

In the bitter cold, I got some decent footage, but nothing that great. Then, I walked out into the middle of the street and pointed the camera straight down it. I expected a cool shot, but was quickly disappointed. In any event, I started recording. Suddenly, I realized that there was a figure walking toward me. At first I thought it was my imagination, just a dot on the screen, so I looked up – and there he was: a lone man slowly heading down the street.

So I kept the camera rolling as he got closer and closer. I thought for a minute that I should probably stop video-taping him, but I kept going anyway. Slowly, he approached. When do I stop? Eventually, as he came within talking range, I moved the camera and went back inside.

Here’s the shot I got:

I have no idea who this man was, where he came from, or where he was going, all I have are those images. There’s some kind of magic that, the mystery behind the shot.

On the Set of Shutter Island

You should definitely check this out if you’re at all interested in filmmaking. Basically, its behind-the-scenes footage on the set of Shutter Island, the new Martin Scorsese picture.

I love how this is simply them making the movie – no commentary, clips, or anything. I have watched more than my fair share of DVD special features, and I can count on one hand the number of clips I’ve seen like this. To just see a professional film crew making a movie. Why do I love this so much?!

[via FilmJunk.com]