buyjesus Reviews

The Parallax View (1974)

beatty, conspiracy, an inadequate justice system

[6/10 · 11 August 2004]

The widescreen to video transfer on this puppy was annoying as all hell. A lot of the film relies (perhaps too heavily) on long shots, and the aspect ratio for VHS was not kind to this director's choice. Sometimes the main action would be cut off and other times, there will be an overtly apparent aesthetic crop that would overwhelm the on screen narrative for purposes of silly concision. It made me relieved to live in the world of DVD, but not any bigger a fan for this movie.

In addition, Pakula made the questionable move of moving the soundtrack back along with his camera in the long shots, making high-energy scenes bottom out against leaps of contrasted volume levels.

The film itself does not delve that far, though it keeps one intrigued the whole way. You get the sense that Pakula, who would go on to Direct All the President's Men, was attempting to say something, but those pesky conventions of thriller cinema kept thwarting him as if he were drowning in his own little Hollywood conspiracy.

At the time of the film's release, America was still reeling from the duplicity of Kissingerian power politics. Political assassinations were still taking place both in Washington and across Latin America. Thankfully, we've become critical enough as a culture to question the motivations behind suspicious deaths (wall street journal, meet vincent foster) and the Johnson-era gamut of creepy intelligence "dissapearings" has slowed...at least in the homeland.

However, this film never presupposes any systematic executive level conspiracies in the course of its storyline. Despite the fact that all the targets of assassinations appear to be ambiguously "rogue" progressive senators with electoral wet dreams, the killing machine comes in the form of a mysterious mercenary corporation called Parallax. There's some pretty silly elementary psychology involved, assuming that angry anti-socialites with no apparent agenda other than ending poverty will sign up simply for the warmth of feeling "needed" and being told that there's nothing wrong with them. To recruit these barbound chair-hurlers, there's a neato multiple choice test and Clockwork orange-style voluntary film screening, which merges and flashes a series of words like "Mother" and "Country" to try to synergize an insecure upbringing, misplaced patriotism, and vitriolic fantasies of revenge.

On the corporate angle, The Parallax View may have hit the mark. When Coca Cola hires paramilitary units that assassinate union leaders in Columbia and The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation is coordinated like a holding company that imports proto-fascist dictatorships in or around the equator, it appears that running some archangelic bloodwork from the hands of NAFTA-protected big business is the only angle that still works (discrediting Novak-style press leaks about former ambassadors's wives).

As the row of judges at the beginning and the end of the film deliberate like animatronically programmed waxworks and the 9/11 commission wraps up its investigation with many unanswered questions still brewing, films like this one and JFK ask us to keep pursuing beyond the official statements of the hegemony. Overall, this film is a 40-minute overrun of a sloppy X-Files episode, but its desire to raise your eyebrows and examine the innards of a mechanistically violent culture stem from the proper ideals, even if the answer it comes out with is; if you keep questioning, you'll probably wind up dead.

The Quiet American (2002)

a quiet, albeit gripping film

[8/10 · 12 June 2004]

After a string of questionable popcorn flicks (including what Anthony Lane refers to as the first Hollywood film that makes absolutely no sense), Phillip Noyce returned to his native Australia for two out-of-the-blue features in 2002. While it's hard to judge between this film and Rabbit Proof Fence, it is an honor to see him dedicating his efforts outside of tripe like the Bone Collector.

The Quiet American, originally scheduled for release around the time when certain disasters were shaking the nation that Miramax is based in. Fortunately, the delayed release came at an apt time- when Afghanistan, a country in which none of the September 11th hijackers came from, was having its civilian population decimated and little quagmire called Iraq was causing murmurs in the press. What could be a more subversive movie then than this little innocuous thriller based on 1950's Graham Greene novel in which a British Journalist declares no national identity and, despite attempts to steer clear of involvement in the conflicts arising around him, becomes forced to choose a side. The result is like some twisted Casablanca, with no moral boundary left unquestioned.

The story flies across the screen breezily with a grace rarely duplicated in films of this magnitude (and by that, i mean small films). Noyce has used his Hollywood training well to bring a mesmerizing and enticing charm to a feature that does very much with the very understated. Michael Caine excels of course and Brandon Fraser's acting screams that he, like Thomas Fowler, choose a side and either revise his moronic encino man role in a thousand kiddie flicks or go the art-house end and showcase the genuine talent he can bring to a screen.

my only real problem is that (as unfortunately tends to be the case in films where two males vie for one female) the character of Phuong is criminally underdeveloped. As an object of desire, she's easily instantly attractive and a plausible source of the two men's lust. But her physical beauty is never outshined by any specific niceties or overwhelming personality traits.

It seems that her reserved character disallows the audience from painting a full picture of the women to whom the men lose themselves in behind closed doors. However, in a story that is at least partly about intimacy and respectful affection (and not, surprisingly enough competition), this is an unforgivable sin. Not egregious enough to suggest that you should miss this film by any means, but as a general concern for the diminishing leading roles available to women in the film industry (maybe Noyce felt he could let the strong young girls of rabbit proof fence compensate for this).

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980)

yeah, swindle. for real. rotters

[8 June 2004]

after seeing John Lydon break down over the senseless exploitation of sid vicious when he absolutely hit bottom in Temple's other sex pistols film "The Filth and the Fury," he must have wanted to disown this little piece of trashy lucre. the finale with its spinning headlines and the anka-fueled massacre are just the tips of the iceberg on the meaty, excessive collage film assembled here.

the star on board is mclaren, in full sleazeball form. to the unsuspecting eye, it seems like an act. it is, of course, until you realize that it's the same act he kept up in the public eye for years, while running his little pet project dry. mclaren cut his teeth on theater of the absurd and fancies his managerial life a kind of kaufman-esque performance. the only problem is that mclaren often-times does not have the consent of his lab rats, a bunch of naughty British hooligans that called themselves the sex pistols (no, mclaren did NOT come up with the name).

therefore, it's partially amusing to watch mclaren credit himself with inventing the wheel in punk rock, and partially disgusting when you approach the subject matter knowing he gave nary a shat about the well-being of his bandmates nor the political and social commentary they, especially rotten, were trying to convey. mclaren was more interested in assembling a forefather to reality TV- life as nihilistic, self-imploding art.

the movie itself is not much. there's laughs here and there, but mostly it's a bloated and deadweight companion piece to "The Filth and the Fury," mostly wound into watchability by excellent live performances and some bizarre visual interpretations of songs (some of which seem hardly composed on a punk rock budget). "who killed bambi" (also mclaren's idea with none of the band members really interested in the idea) shows up in several parts and proves to be a quite pointless endeavor.

the majority of punk rock was not known for its rock star exploits off the stage (in fact, that was kinda the point- that these werent rock stars at all). if there had to have been a band to make a boisterous film with sex and drugs and midgets and animation and disco dancing, it's probably best that it was the sex pistols. overall, this film should be mostly reserved for hardcore fans, though others may find value in the sheer novelty of the package. but do yourself a favor and see "filth" first.

The Myth of the Liberal Media (1998)

learn the meaning of the word propaganda

[7 June 2004]

"This video is so bad and biased that..." yeah well, on goes the ever-analytical mindset of the right, unable to confront the fact that, yes, documentaries are biased. curious though, why are no documentaries being made by republicans? wait, i mean valid ones...

the ideas in this documentary are none that are better articulated somewhere else. and surely, there's nothing all too special about the manner in which this piece was tossed together, unlike achbar's chomsky doc Manufacturing Consent, which makes the case a little better.

pundits and casual observers will always argue until their heads fall off about the political slant of the media because essentially the terms right and left are deductive, figurative conceptions, often times part of the same beast. right or left, the corporate plutocratic state makes sure that infotainment first passes through several filters to keep in check the news in check with what is popularly being decided the truth will be. it doesn't take a postmodern scholar ( or an"idiot talking head" to point this out, you can ask dan rather about it and he'll tell you the same. he may not use terminology to allude to the oppressive nature of such filters, but the devices are definitely in place.

from what i remember of watching this video, it merely scrapes the surface. and yes, some of the examples are rather weak, but with an obvious title like "the myth of the liberal media" and the brevity of the video itself, it serves as a good introduction for any one who is read to open themselves up to decentralized thinking.

every voice coming through our television sets is a narrative, a cool medium, structured for our engagement by some level of hierarchy. we must be critical of everything, especially that which we never even thought to question. the most important questions are not even what is being said on the news but: what is the source material? what is the hierarchy of responsibility for what shows up on the screen? and who stands to profit?

Prelude: Dog Star Man (1962)

god's sight

[10/10 · 16 May 2004]

yeah yeah.

so you dont sit down and watch the dog star man series. can we move past this now? its still beautiful and worth every penny of your pocket if you can track it down. i recommend putting some music on in the background though- something like william bakinski or aphex twin's select ambient II or my bloody valentine or what have you. and, you know, do whatever you have to do chemically to your body to.

brahkage is itself an experience. visually, you will never run into anything quite like what he constructs in the way he constructs it unless you are seeing something that generously takes from him. its a totally now construction.you wont confine or condition anything from his films to memory apart from the overall breadth a brahkagian work in motion.

Human Traffic (1999)

forgivably styled over substance

[7/10 · 24 September 2002]

Human traffic is unique work. Boldly existentialist, with little if any major conflicts. the only real task of the (unfortunately nicknamed) group of young hipsters is to survive the night. This movie is complete daesin of British youth. While the style recalls Danny Boyle and Guy Ritchie and Bahz Luhrmann and just about any other 'MTV'-style hectic editing, it can be forgiven of its willingness to appeal to youth market trends. There are some great moments that strike alarmingly true in Human Traffic (such as the various asides and daydreams in which we enter the narrator's true thoughts. How many of us would really just like to shake off that person that we see in public but have absolutely nothing to say to.)

Interestingly enough, the night of debauchery and substance abuse results in no overdoses, no arrests, and no social complications....which is usually the case in real life. And we're presented with the sage advice of the late great Bill Hicks to guide us down this path (which unlike Hicks' philosophy is not about self-discovery but rather getting really ripped) Surely not likely to be popular among the Just-say-no and straightedge crowds. The films has a surreal sense to it, that apart from all the fun and intentional surrealness (such as the play-by-play of a kid trying to snag a toke off the joint going around), actually does quite a good job of simulating a high. Though the ending lacks a certain closure (how do you end a movie like this), the enthusiasm levels arefar to hyperactive to be realistic and the style often impedes into the subject matter, Human Traffic is a good weekday movie for those dreaming of the weekend and a good motivational tape for those who've never tried ecstasy.

Bill Hicks: Revelations (1993 TV Special)

i was at that meeting down at the docks

[9/10 · 24 September 2002]

not exactly bill in peak form, but nonetheless a relic from the life a brilliant, sincere, intellectual mastermind who weaved tapestries of social commentary that provoked, intrigued, or just plain made you stand at attention. it is all just a ride and with Hicks as conductor, you're sure to understand it all a little better. you get a little bit of everything here on revelations. not all the best material is here, but like her always said "i'm not a f'n jukebox, okay?" To hear all the gems, pick up his 4 essential albums on rykodisc. you must just be inspired to squeegee open your third eye and see beyond the wool thats been draped down over you.

A Trip to the Moon (1902)

blastoff

[8/10 · 24 September 2002]

Mélies' own piece of cinematic history is a fascinating watch. The special effects and techniques used are stellar for the time period and show off the desire of even early directors to use the camera in every conceivable way for myriad effects. The indictment of the bumbling imperialists is apt and definitely set the way for the next century of sci-fi (hmm..colonization of space? ummm, 2001? star wars?) as a place for commentary and the motion picture itself as a medium for presenting that which we couldn't see everyday with our own two eyes (or in the case of the moon man, one eye).

The Atomic Cafe (1982)

nicely nicely

[7/10 · 23 June 2002]

rather than using a biased narrative or a series of carefully constructed evidence, the atomic café lets its subject matter speak for itself. what results is a montage along the lines of a cultural mix tape, some fotage remixed and edited for effect, others shown in their entirety. The subject matter is the atomic bomb and while some of the archived footage is tedious, others that splice footage of radiation poisoning into a series of "don't panic" public service announcements. There are some genuinely funny segments too, like the announcer who takes a moment out to state that in the midst of all the communist "propoganda" flying around, he's proud he is that he owns 2 lovely shopping plazas, which he proceeds to shamelessly advertise. And of course, the classic Duck and Cover videos shown to schoolchildren worldwide in the mid-50's. The soundtrack of forgotten country, lounge, and rockabilly tunes about hydrogen bomb fears is stellar as well. But the culmination and as well as the most powerful moment comes when a simulated Nuclear attack on the US combines footage from all of the previous segments into a harrowing collage of post-war hysteria.

Tape (2001)

this movie left me cold

[8/10 · 12 June 2002]

This movie comes from a seasoned director who, in the same year, nonetheless, shot another movie which i would consider the best film of 2001. This one, also shot on digital cameras takes place in a dingy hotel room and contains a cast of, count 'em, 1,2, THREE people, who are never seen outside of the context of the dingy motel room. So, don't expect for the scene to change. This film, based on a play, strives on realism, hence no orchestral score, no unnecessary settings or extra characters, just three fantastic actors dealing with issues. One (Hawke) is a volunteer firefighter/ drug dealer who likes to, ahem, get excessively high off his own supply. Another is his high school buddy,a budding young director whose film is being screen in the Lansing, Michigan Film festival, whose apparent maturity and superiority over his drug-binging pal and confidente is deceptive. The final character, who arrives 2/3 of the way through the movie is a former high school crush/ associate district attorney with significantly surrogate emotional ties to both of the men.

The riveting conversations that evolve from somewhat sneeringly nostalgic to downright inhospitable fluidly move the film more actively than any number of action-packed popcorn flicks out there. In fact, you'll have no trouble getting over the fact that you're just watching 3 people talking in a room for 2 hours (I'll admit that that was a little intimidating at first). The film successfully lures us in with that inherent voyeurism that brought those first moviegoers into the transformed vaudeville theaters. As a passive observer, we become immersed in exactly that which should be none of our business, just like Hawke's character pulls himself into a situation that is none of his business. By the end, no clear resolution is reached and as compelling and intriguing as it all was, we feel guilty for looking through the peephole.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

best indian cricket movie of the year

[9 June 2002]

since the movie clocks in at around four hours and I payed exactly four dollars to get into it, I had precisely 1 hour per dollar. And i did indeed get my penny's worth. I was skeptical about the whole viewing experience, having been mainly pulled into the theater by a friend of mine, but i was not dissapointed. The film concerns a group of indian civilians trying to stand their own against a rotten old british tyrant. The colors and the cinematography are gorgeous, as is the fluid motions of the camera. The musical numbers are stunningly choreographed and their style stands up against any music video you could name. The length of the film also does not detract from its viewing enjoyment. There are no real bland points or unnecessary tangent plotlines. Although there was an intermission held at the showing I went to, it felt largely unneeded and was the only point when the action of this bollywood epic broke.

The film does have its weak points however. I am not entirely convinced that had the film plot removed itself from early 21th century india to 1950's hollywood, that this would have been another busby berkely forgotten yawknfest. The script is pretty much predicatable and clichéd. Any one who's seen a sports movie knows the basic outline of how the big game will go. Any one who's seen a love story knows where that will go. The female leads are also kind of one-dimensional and boring. It is a movie exclusively driven by the men, which seems unfair since the love triangle appears to be a big part of the plot. The villian of the film also seems intolerably awful. There is absolutely no sympathy for his actions, he seems to simply act out some nihilist Iago power-trip fantasy. The fact that the other elite Brits accept and laud him for that behavior without any insight into motivation seems a little trite. The film also gleefully throws around the term "Whitey" describing the british, which comes off a tad racist.

However, these are points that can be looked past to see what might be the "titanic" of the indian cinema (rather than the "crouching tiger"). It's fully entertaining, pretty, and upbeat. Bring the kids.

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970 TV Movie)

like, trippy

[6/10 · 4 February 2002]

now, any stoner can point to a bizarre or avant-garde sequence in a film, especially an animated one, and make outlandish claims that the creators were smoking some serious weed when they came up with it. Usually, I would tend to disagree with this dramatic stereotype. But the creators of Santa Claus is Coming to Town must have been toking something righteous when they designed what is by far the most psychedelic christmas special ever. Beyond the confusing 30 second musical sequences and violent pupil dilations, santa claus is coming to town is an interesting look at a young Santa Claus' rise to fame over a toy-hating mayor burgermeiser meiserburger. Excluding camp value, for which i give this piece a 10, the plotline is thoroughly entertaining and the animation unique to its time period. The color schemes of the delightfully morbid town then meiserburger inhabits supposovely inspired none other than Mr. morbid himself, Tim Burton. particularly interesting to this non-denomonational piece are the portraits of Santa Claus as a Christ-like figure and the inclusion of a warlock whom Santa befriends, which i suppose adds to and detracts from the commercialization of Christmas as an all-religions afair.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964 TV Movie)

christmastacular

[8/10 · 4 February 2002]

perhaps the best of the early rainker/ bass productions, Rudolph and the tale of the island of misfit toys is classic, nearly flawless with great original songs. there is little better to get into the holiday spirit. the animation is a little bizarre and perhaps even a little frightening for young kids, which may explain why they don't show it as much. or maybe it's because it lacks flash and pizazz and all that showy junk that passes for entertainment on tv nowadays. Give me this stuff anyday. the only problem i have is the fact that they make santa and all the other reindeer out to be such b*****ds. If I were Rudolph, I wouldn't let santa use me as his tool, I'd tell him to cram it. Of course that's just my opinion.

The State (1993–2009)

skit comedies don't often come like this

[23 December 2001]

despite glaring pythonisms, the state was the best Post-python era sketch comedy show ever. Founded back in the "golden" age of MTV when Jon Stewart and 'alternative' music reigned the airwaves, the state came out of nowhere as a smart, funny, innovative, and inventive masterwork. At times delightfully dirty, the show was mistaken by many for being low-brow. But like all great things comedic, the base humor came from somewhere sincerely genius. Witness the brilliance of a man delivering tacos rather than mail, or the incredibly popular gay student, or 20 year old pet sea monkeys. This often overlooked gem in television history could really benefit from some sort of re-release by MTV, who has to date released one short compilation video. Their lovely art spoke wonders to many of us growing up in the 90's in a way that no other television show has. It gave us a reason to watch television, which is scarce in this day and age.

Frosty the Snowman (1969 TV Short)

illustrates uneven story logic

[5/10 · 23 December 2001]

spoilers frosty the snowman is loaded with continuity errors. first of all,frosty has to escape from the rural east coast or he'll melt. fine. but once he gets high up into the snowy mountains of canada, he insists on continuing straight on, despite his human companion dying of hypothermia at his side. regardless of whether frosty's looking for a permanent solution or the ultimate icy fountain of youth, he's got a responsibility to that kid. he can find a temporary home in canada where the temperature won't rise above freezing until at least late february. Until then, him and the kid can chill and do whatever a magic snowman and a kid do for fun. Instead he keeps pushing and pushing towards the north pole and winds up getting trapped inside a greenhouse. I have no pity for him, it's his own fault. There may have been some magic and that old hat, but there sure wasn't a lot of logic. Despite all this, frosty is a classic Christmas tale to watch with an open mind. it's pretty much the best frosty we've got, unless you consider the michael keaton classic Jack Frost, but I'm not touching that one with a ten foot stick.

Waking Life (2001)

words can't even express

[10/10 · 22 November 2001]

I feel it's trivial to attempt to express the experience of waking life to anyone who has not experienced it themselves. it's like trying to express being in love to someone who's never been, or being drunk to someone who's never been.

it is easily the most mentally and visually stimulating film that i have seen in recent memory, if not ever and automatically ranks among the greats of film history in my personal opinion. at different times in the film, i felt pertubed, enlightened, excited, depressed, frightened, joyous, stoned, like i was having an acid flashback,in various other altered-consciousness states. the extreme cathartic release of just immersing oneself in this piece of art and letting myself go in film has reinvigorated something both within my personal spirits and within the spirit of film itself by reinventing it as a medium for thought.

most amazing of all, it didn't end as the current closed. i felt as if i should be interacting with everyone in the theater and connecting some way, because after all some day i won't be able to wake up. i left the theater literally afraid to turn a light switch or look at my digital watch. I didn't want to lose grip of that potential for anything.

even if mr. linklater's philosophy is diametrically opposed to your own or blotchingly similar, this film is still an enthralling experience and most definitely worthy of a view. it is one for the ages that will be studied and riddled over for years to come. It's beautiful and I'd like to send a personal thanks to mr. linklater and the crew of this movie for letting me be a part of it.

Dungeons & Dragons (2000)

fun?

[3/10 · 22 November 2001]

you know what? i'm gonna have to agree with what my friend james said shortly after the completion of this whopper of cinematic craftsmenship. this movie was terrible but i had so much fun sitting around with friends and making fun of it that it will always hold a special place in my heart. there oughtta be more movies like that. in fact they should have a rack at the video store that separates them from the films that you can even try to take seriously so you don't get confused. honestly i can't believe that this film was intended to have storyline that made sense, it's all about having something so loose that if you catch most of it, you're okay. and just repeat lots of phallic words like rod to give us something to play off of. and through in an ambiguously gay blue-lipped cue ball with a lisp as a supervillain (Was he even SUPPOSED to be comic relief?). I mean honestly, the kids that grew up playing D&D are the same people that are controlling this country right now. they weren't all unusual, geeky, and STUPID. a lot of them were smart cookies. you'd think they could cook up a more intelligent, inspired, and reverent plotline to the role-playing event of the 20th century century. i honestly don't think you were supposed to take this seriously. I mean- marlon wayans ....in medieval times, making a complete ass of himself in a role that could only be construed as being uncle tom-esque racist. Welcome to Camp. Let's have as much fun as we can at the counselors' expense.

Totally F***ed Up (1993)

araki's most sincere effort

[8/10 · 22 November 2001]

with obvious allusions to vivre sa vie (the film is divided into 14 seemingly randomly segregate segments), gregg araki takes a journey into the lives of a group of gay teens in LA (not ALL gay teens, just a group). Well, maybe journey is the wrong word for it. Those familiar with Araki's other works are aware that they are loud, colorful, bombastic, and over-exentuated. They are also very MOBILE, in that a lot happens in the stories (usually someone gets killed, they run from johnny law, etc.). Totally F**ked up is not a mobile film. It doesn't go anywhere. Araki seems to proscribe in this film to the philosophy ( a Rossellini/ Godard staple) that life is less about actions or even interactions than boredom and other people's stories. James Duval plays a teen who broods in self-antipathy, spouting off despeate (and often pathetic) catch phrases like "life is sh**." or "love does not exist." But the underlying notion is that he really has lost faith and all hope, and as much as it ills him to become a statistic he keeps creeping that way, unable to find an outlet to truly express his real dismays.

Araki's trademark self-coined slang and gother-than-thou art references are still in tact as we view this period of life that is less transitional emotionally than just a shift of behaviors- as we all act like babies. maybe it's just making up excuses - a character being lured into cheating because of a bootleg nine inch nails video- or maybe it's just talking in goofy language and popping pills in abandonned garages to watch each other fall over.

as for the film's "crappy" look, I could either chock it up to lack of funds or intentional grainy filming. After all, every single one of his films are laced with characters using intentionally awful dialogue and intentionally bad acting to disguise its actual intentions. it makes since that he could do this visually too. And with the interspersed interviews with steven's video camera- it could easily be construed as the actual camera eye of the group, a 7th member if you will. either way, it didn't distract me.

People who enjoyed Araki's other films because of the pretty colors and big loud noises need not apply themselves to this film, because it does take patience. but the result is a rewarding experience.

In a Year with 13 Moons (1978)

hijincks of GID

[6/10 · 22 November 2001]

Fassbinder have have drilled the nail into the coffin of art film, forever establishing it as a genre in which only 1 person out of a thousand will actually like, enjoy, or want to study. One of those people happened to be my narrative avant-garde film proffessor. while this story of a man who switched genders...."just because" is deatheningly depressing and bloatedly long, there are redeeming qualities. This is appears to be a crystal clear message of struggle and love letter to the suffering of existence by Rainer Fassbinder, a homosexual who lived a short life and probably wrote this about an ex-boyfriend of his who committed suicide in his apartment.

The greatest moments in this film come when the storyline completely veers off center about 2/3 of the way through the film when we confront the bill gates-esque anton saitz, who has been a mythically obtuse figure up until this point. the director's wonderful gift for presenting the postmodern shows up first when elvira meets a man who mysteriously knows everything about anton s"ai"tz. "that's anton with a-i. that's the important thing" Next, we are treated to some wonderful dialogue between a suicidal janitor and Elvira which can only be described as highly surreal. Elvira reports the janitor's behavior to a hard-of-hearing secretary-like woman who may easily have been referenced in Being John Malkovich, who shrugs it off to look through a mysterious keyhole.

Apart from this, Fassbinder's film is heavy on human emotion, which is curious taken Fassbinder's philosophy that emotions are lies. surely, Elvira is not a character that the film itself is sympathetic with (this is not melodrama or 'boys don't cry'-like message sending), but one can sense the pain and confusion within her undoingdespite her being such a pathetic creature. so much so that it's difficult to even watch.

my love for the mid-section of big business is also unfortunately my source of dismay at this movie. it's violently uneven. and i have a hard time with film directors who can get away with this 'avant-garde' crap by taking simply playing around with the medium, wherein with any other form (literature, poetry, television, music) that jumping around would just seem like you didn't know what you're doing.

In the Year of 13 Moons is a wonderful movie for study, but it's not for enjoyment or amusement- as with so many films that have followed it.

Children of the Corn (1984)

linda hamilton dances

[5/10 · 1 September 2001]

this movie starts off scary enough, peter horton wakes up to the terrifying visage of linda hamilton dancing to some long-forgotten oldie throwaway in a manner that would turn children against their parents and corn against its consumers. The technique is absolutely flawed and proffessional dance instructors or choreographers with heart conditions should stay the hell away from this film. it's the kind of jiggle that could have never been fashionable. the kind that soccer moms purposely do in front of their kids to embarass them. and worst of all she sings along with the verses of a song that the original writers of the song probably forgot years ago.

i rented this flick because i saw the two subsequent parodies of it on south park and the simpsons in one week. i thought "hey, this has gotta be a classic, right? south park AND the simpsons paid their respects to it." the rest is little more than memorable. most memorable are how creepy little isaac's voice is, which leaves you wondering if there are kids like that in real life and if you yourself could spawn something so ridiculous-sounding 2nd would be the sinister maliki whose appearance is straight out of deliverance. the casting director did an excellent job at finding the most alien-looking young folk out there. 3rd what parent in their right mind would let their children be in a movie where the majority of their screen time is dominated by their child running around with sharp objects in their hands? and 4th is the already stated horrific linda-hamilton-beliaal-boogy scene.

Sure the actual plot has some good ideas- the use of empty space. the suspense leading up to the entrance of gatlin. the lack of violent excess. taking something sacred (children) and turning into an object of fear, but it's really just not well-executed throughout the majority of the film. worse, the film seems to be preaching about religious fundamentalism. i liked the religious element, actually. i thought it was a strong point- but i don't like to be preached at.

i mean, all in all "children of the corn" kept me entertained for however long it was and the acting was good enough (especially by child actors) to keep me concerned about the characters. so, hey it's worth a gander ...or maybe a glimpse. but i would hardly call it a classic.

Girl (1998)

my so-called movie!

[2/10 · 20 July 2001]

This movie confused the hell out of me. Maybe it the surroundings of teen turmoil that conflict my everyday existence that hit to close to home. maybe it was how i couldn't seem to find the remote to just press a single button and erase this horrible fiasco from my life.ormaybe it was the fact that i was really stoned and couldn't determine whether the directors and staff of this movie were actually trying to pull off a serious coming-of-age tale (and hopelessly failed) or rather trying to parody the genre by instituting characters and situations supposed to exemplify my generation that are so trite, stupid, and goddamned awful that I actually felt a bit insulted. and i hate my peers. it's not easy to get me insulted on their behalf. maybe, in order to get a "fresh perspective" on what high school was like, they took a pen and some paper to a high school detention room and let a couple of half-wits write the script. or maybe they passed around a sheet at a local mall asking the most pressing issues facing teens and tried to jam pack them all into one movie. because that's exactly what they did. i am fairly positive (and my friend chris can back me up on this) that there was a scene involving bulimia that lasted for about 40 seconds and had absolutely no relevance to the rest of the film. it was never brought up, or mentioned again. YET...YET....i was uncontrolably drawn to it.

like it was produced by satan himself. i could not bring myself to stop watching this film. even though i never started caring once.

The Last Boy Scout (1991)

pakt wth axion like sardine kans in a tin box

[8/10 · 20 July 2001]

Spoilers watching this movie reminded me of the simpsons episode where homer and mel gibson remake mr. smith goes to washington. "When did the country lose its way?" lamented mr. simpson " When did we stop rooting for the guy with the machine gun?"

back when bruce willis was famous for killing every mofo in the room, he made this; tony scott's powerful and moving indictment of the corporate corruption that has destroyed once honorable institutions like pro-football......then he threw away that script and made this movie....which is about killing people. make no mistake, that's all this movie is about.

and is there anything wrong with? it's even self-aware. as bruce willis exclaims at one point when a character tries to explain himself "who gives a f***? you're the bad guy, right?" (oooh, irony) That's all you need to know. They're the bad guys, he's the good guy, along with former quarterback James Dixx (played by Damon Wayans), and a lot of people get shot.

there's dialogue that's sardonic and cynical to the point of almost placing the good guys in an anti-hero stature. bruce willis doesn't care about anyone or anything and that's what makes him cool. because he doesn't learn his lesson by the end and he continues to not give a s***. Maybe this is just a John McClane redux, that same character who has completely given up on the world after having to go through the same ordeal over the course of three movies. these movies are made for when you want to get the bad guys yourself. you live vicariously through these characters, which is simple, because they can easily adopt your personality, seeing as they have none of their own. and what's wrong with that?characters die left and right with little emotional baggage (see damon wayans witness his girlfriend's death, watch bruce willis see his best friend die....you've never seen anyone more inert)

from the superb opener which features a PCP-addled football player making some rather rash decisions on the field to the closer where the bad guy bites it in one of those wrong-time-at-the-wrong-place situations that could only happen at the movies (oops...don't want to give away that the bad guy dies in the end,) this is an entertaining flick through and through. the kind that hollywood doesn't even make anymore. you won't be upset if you know what's in store

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)

and the book of shadows is...?

[4/10 · 27 May 2001]

This movie could have benefited from never being made. In theory, it was probably a great idea. Take a look at the phenomenom spawned by the Blair Witch Project- a recent cinematic feat that's been mirror and mimicked by plenty since (even I've made a bloody blair witch spoof), cast the director of Paradise Lost- guys who've researched mysterious child murders with possible occult tie-ins, and let the dollars come rushing in. Unfortunately, this film is a mess. It was a tricky idea to pull off, and it looks like they really rushed their way through what could have been a carefully constructed study on media exploitation of cultural phenomena, psychosis, and faulty camera equiptment.

the movie is just generally uneven. The commencement focuses on the Blair Witch hysteria and how its plagued the small town in witch its based, carefully never hinting as to whether the movie was ficitional or not. The characters in the movie live in a sublet of our culture wherein the phenomenon caught on, but the three actors didn't go on talk shows and get numerous interviews. "We know it's real" they exclaim. Blair-Witch Hunt crews explore the woods and exploit people's wallets. It's a biting satire of the the capitalizisation that inadvertently comes with every trend. This segment of the movie is designed with cheesy one-liners and a generally light-fared plotline. The movie then attempts to take itself seriously and falls flat on its nose, cracking that nose causing a surge of blood and gore to gush out ruining what could have been a delightfully beautiful face. Speaking of which, there's relatively no gore in this movie- which is a plus- but the more explicit scenes come in flashes of projected Blair Witch induced slayings- which may or may not be the ones that legend has said took place in the woods.

the acting is subpar. the terror is absent. and it's not because barely anyone dies or because nothing jumps out of each corner, that was a wise part on behalf of the directors-who obviously took notes from the first movie. It's just that nearly every attempts to turn frightening fail to inspire the sympathy for the characters that other movies, such as the first Blair Witch did. They're each unique and i did appreciate some of the techniques used by the actors/actresses (esp. the uppity "i understand and you don't cos I'm a" wiccan character. that hit close to home) but the development is severely lacking. On a positive note, the movie does leave you with a dilemma that the film never answers and you can debate with your friends afterwards- but it hardly inspires you to sit down and go through the process of watching it again.

Little Nicky (2000)

a step forward

[7/10 · 27 May 2001]

Sandler and Herily should be commended at the very least for attempting something new. There is currently no other movie out there like Little Nicky. It screams for recognition and unfortunately got little to none and perhaps (as his next project has director Paul Thomas Anderson attached) when Adam Sandler pulls a miraculous Jim Carrey 360 into an actual actor of artisitic merit, this will be the overlooked gem. The special fx look crisp and cutting edge. Hell itself is fantastic. the actors give their all with effective comic timing. even non-comedians like harvey keitel. it effectively blended a slight surrealist tinge with some pretty crude and lowbrow humor, which is not an easy task. it also touched on the subject of religion, being satirical without being offensive. make no mistake, the film is no masterpiece. it falls victim to many of the same serious pitfalls that stifle other comedies made by former SNL members. It also overcompensates in an idealistically complex plot that leaves quite a few loopholes that audience members might scratch their heads at. But screw it, movies like this don't win awards anyway and at the very least it shows remarkable potential and growth for the writing time that has spawned the majority of the Sandler-driven movies to date. it has terrific cameos by the likes of dana carvey, henry winkler, regis philbin, etc. the final 20 minutes loses momentum a bit and drags on for a while, but all is rewarded by the end.

The Family Man (2000)

just in time to rectify Nic Cage's areer...but does it?

[4/10 · 6 January 2001]

I seem to remember liking Nicholas Cage at one point. There as a point when all his previous mistakes of the past were forgiven and slosh like Con Air could be possibly just another bad decision by a good actor. But Maybe Nicholas Cage doesn't make bad decisions, maybe he's just really not too smart in landing rolls. Fresh from one of the worst, studio-concocted summer flicks of all time `Gone In 60 Seconds,' which just happened to have been gleefully gobbled up by the public, another Christmastime warmness-inducing studio-concocted sentimentalist melodrama like The Family Man is Cage's next big starring role- must've looked like a real good idea on paper. Not only is The Family Man a horrendous extended ripoff/homage to `It's a Wonderful Life,' ` A Christmas Carol,'the Rob Reiner dump `The Story of Us,' and basically any other movie that questions ‘What would have happened if….,' it is dripping in unforgivably predictable goo. There's a cute little kid who acts as a guide, a big greedy fatcat unconcerned of his workers(Cage in his pre-epiphany stage), a man/dog bonding thing, the obligatory black guy who acts as another guide/ spirit (though his character confusingly starts off as a brainless hoodlum trying to scam himself a winning lottery ticket), and an ending providing little solace of believable hope for the futures of its characters. I can't stress how terribly astray the ending goes in presenting an open-ended scenario that in all likelihood will ultimately fail. Maybe it was a final desperate attempt to stray from total predictability. Despite multi-dimensional acting roles performed with skill by Tea Leoni and even Nicholas Cage, I still can't excuse this boring, lengthy,uninspired script. Just can't do it.