Archive for February, 2008

Be Kind Rewind

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 26, 2008
in Comedy and Filmmaking
. 2 Comments

If you’re any fan of Jack Black, you should probably see this. If you’re a fan of Mos Def, you should probably see this. Lastly, if you even remotely liked Michel Gondry’s previous films, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party or The Science of Sleep, you should probably see this.

Be Kind Rewind was the one movie I had been looking forward to seeing so far in 2008. I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint one bit. Mos Def, Mike, works for Danny Glover, Mr. Fletcher in his video store. The building is facing being condemned and torn down by the city to pave the way for improvements. The store doesn’t see that much business, but it’s definitely a big part of the community. Mr. Fletcher goes on a short trip to strategize how to make the store more money, to pay for the required improvements, and leaves just one instruction, “Keep Jerry Out.” Jerry, played by Jack Black, is a bit of a bumbling fool hell-bent on his conspiracy theories. One night while trying to sabotage the government Jerry becomes oddly magnetized and, without knowing, erases all the tapes in Mr. Fletcher’s store.

One customer, who happens to be close friends with Mr. Fletcher, demands she gets Ghostbusters by 7:00pm or she’s telling the boss. Hilarity ensues as Mike and Jerry try to come up with a copy of Ghostbusters to keep the problem on the “down low” until they can fix it.

Rated PG-13, I would say this is a movie the whole family can enjoy…and I actually mean it. I’m not talking about Bambi or one of those other silly movies for kids that I get roped into seeing during the holidays every once in a while. I’m sure all of you know how hilarious Jack Black is, but I also think it’s worth pointing out Mos Def. As a musician-gone-actor, I’ve been pretty impressed with his performances. Usually people in the entertainment business who try to diversify their talents don’t do so well. Remember when Michael Jordan tried to play baseball? Even if Mos Def hasn’t been in a particularly great film, I feel like he’s always done his part to the best of his abilities - just like Samuel L. Jackson.

I can’t recommend this film enough. Go out and see it today, if it’s in your area, or keep your eyes peeled for when it hits the shelves on DVD. I loved this movie.

3/5/08 - Here are some “sweded” fan movies a friend gave me a link to.

Rating: ★★★★★

Nightwatch

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 25, 2008
in Abortion, Action, Based on a book, Based on a novel, Comedy, Epic, Fantasy, Horror, Narrated, Russia, Sci-fi, Thriller, Trilogy, Vampires and War
. 2 Comments

Nightwatch is a vampire movie I heard about a few years ago from a buddy of mine. I’ve been meaning to watch it for quite some time and wouldn’t you know, it’s available on-demand from Netflix. Set in Russia, there’s an ongoing, epic battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. In this context they are the Forces of Light and Forces of Darkness and they are called Others. At one point during this epic, immortal battle, a truce was formed. Humans now had to choose their own side. They could no longer be forced into serving the Light or the Dark.

There was an ancient prophecy about a virgin that would pretty much bring about the apocalypse. There was also an Other that would join the battle and have to choose which side they would fight for. This choice would turn the tide for whichever side he/she chose.

This brings us to modern-day Russia where the Others walk amongst the humans pretending to be mortal. The Light are called Nightwatchers and the Dark are called Daywatchers. Both sides monitor each other to ensure the truce is held. That truce is eventually broken and all hell, literally, is about to break loose. The apocalypse is upon them and both sides are trying to find “the one” in order to bring them to their side.

Based on a book, this story is being put into a trilogy. In fact, the second film, Daywatch is mentioned in the end credits. Unlike some vampire-esque movies this one isn’t filled with gore or pointless sex and nudity to cover up the slow and weaker parts of the plot and script. I’m really interested in seeing the second installment now. They’ve got me hooked. I’d definitely recommend this to any fan of the vampire genre.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Madame Tutli-Putli

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 25, 2008
in Animation, Canada, Foreign, Puppets, Short, Stop-motion and Trains
. 0 Comments

I don’t think I would have watched Madame Tutli-Putli if I hadn’t noticed it was nominated for Best Animated Short Film last night while watching the 2008 Oscars. Besides being animated and a short, this film is also done with stop-motion and utilizes puppets or marionettes.

The story line was kind of confusing. There’s no dialog, but there is a soundtrack/score to it. We start off seeing a woman waiting at a train station with a huge pile of suitcases and stuff. Next thing we know, she’s on the train and every time she looks up, we are introduced to more people in the train car with her. Eventually it’s nighttime and some weird guys board the train and things get really strange. I figured there had to be some sort of message to this because everything seemed pretty symbolic. I found this description on IMDB.

Madame Tutli-Putli boards the Night Train, weighed down with all her earthly possessions and the ghosts of her past. She travels alone, facing both the kindness and menace of strangers. As day descends into dark, she finds herself caught up in a desperate metaphysical adventure. Adrift between real and imagined worlds, Madame Tutli-Putli confronts her demons and is drawn into an undertow of mystery and suspense. The National Film Board of Canada presents a stunning, stop-motion animated film that takes the viewer on an exhilarating existential journey. The film introduces groundbreaking visual techniques and is supported by a haunting and original score. Painstaking care and craftsmanship in form and detail bring to life a fully imagined, tactile world unlike any you have seen. Jungian thriller? Hitchcockian suspense? Artistic tour de force? The Night Train awaits you. Written by courtesy of National Film Board of Canada

Hopefully I’ll be able to see some of the other shorts. I wouldn’t say shorts are always great just because, however, they usually pack a punch if they’re done well. They don’t have 90-120+ minutes to beat around the bush while getting their point across.

Rating: ★★★½☆

Oscars 2008

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 25, 2008
in Movie News
. 1 Comment

For those of you who saw the Oscars last night, I hope you would agree with me that Jon Stewart did an amazing job as host. Reelfanatic mentioned that the middle third of the presentation is usually pretty boring. I totally agree with him, but last night kept my attention all the way through.

Being a huge Coen fan, I had my fingers crossed for them to win big for their latest, No Country for Old Men. The Coens didn’t make Oscar history by winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay (I was really hoping Roderick Jaynes would make an appearance), but 3 out of 4 isn’t bad at all in my book. The film was nominated for 8. I was really happy for the duo because even though they are taken seriously in Hollywood, I felt like they were getting rewarded for all their hard work over the past few decades.

Another big winner I was hoping to see was There Will Be Blood. Directed by P.T. Anderson, this movie was no exception in his catalog of blockbusters. It was nominated for 7 awards and won for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), and for Cinematography. And speaking of Day-Lewis, it’s hard to come up with words grand enough to describe him. The man is totally normal and totally awesome. I loved his speech.

A few others I was glad to see were Once winning Original Song, Juno for Original Screenplay, and Tilda Swinton for Best Supporting Actress in Michael Clayton. Ratatouille is one I still need to see and am looking forward to seeing. I know ReelFanatic is happy it won. Another great year for movies. You should check out some of the nominated films if you haven’t seen them.

Film Geek

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 21, 2008
in Comedy, Cult film and Independent
. 2 Comments

I randomly came across this movie looking for something to watch on my computer while browsing Netflix. This movie is amazing. It’s like an independent, low-budget High Fidelity about movies; minus the narrating and soul searching.

Scotty Pelk is a super-movie-geek who gets fired from his job at a video rental store. He’s a walking encyclopedia of movie knowledge and lacks most social skills. Apparently he bugs the customers when he tries to tell them about movies, directors, actors, etc. I can’t say my movie knowledge comes anywhere close to this guy, but I can say that I’ve thought a lot of similar thoughts…I usually just keep my mouth shut.

One of my favorite parts is when he’s still working at the video store and a guy wants to rent a couple movies. Scotty informs him the versions he picked out aren’t letterbox. Scotty tries to tell the customer he should get the widescreen version in order to see the movie like it was made. The guy responds with, “you mean with the black bars on top and bottom that cut off the movie?” Another hilarious part was when I noticed the picture (shown above) of the Coens where Scotty pasted himself in there.
In High Fidelity fashion there are lots of Top 5 lists throughout the movie. Not so much talked about, but flashed on the screen. Throughout the film you see Scotty always wearing a hat advertising his website - Scottysfilmpage.com. It’s an actual site for the movie. From here you can get to a couple MySpace pages and a lot of what-have-you.

This is a great film for any true movie fan. Yeah it’s geeky, but it’s way better than Napoleon Dynamite in several ways. Definitely not for the kids. Worth a rental. Check it out.

Rating: ★★★★★

Dark Days

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 21, 2008
in Documentary, Drugs, Homeless, Independent and New York
. 2 Comments

I heard about this movie a few years ago and added it to my Netflix list.  Had almost forgotten about it, but just watch it through the “on demand” feature.  Dark Days is a documentary about squatters living in the Amtrak tunnels near Penn Station in New York City.  Marc Singer, the director and creator of this film, decides to go live with them and film their stories.

A lot of the people living down there are or where crack addicts.  Some of them have realized what it’s doing to them though and have kicked the habit.   They actually weren’t living too poorly down there.  They had built pretty sturdy one-room houses with scrap lumber and other materials.  They had electricity, lamps, TVs, beds, couches, hot plates, etc.  Most of them scavenged for things people threw out in the trash to re-sell.  Some of them had even been living down there for 20 years.

Eventually Amtrak had enough or found out about it.  During the filming they gave the residents a 30 day eviction notice.  A group of advocates for homeless people were going to try and fight for the squatters’ rights to live there, but, in cooperation with the government, they were able to provide housing for these people and help them find jobs.

I’ve always heard horror stories about handouts and everybody’s hear about “the projects.”  I think these people were different though.  They were so grateful for what they were given.  There was some footage at the end of these people in their new apartments and they were some of the cleanest, neatest places I’ve seen in a long time.  I think some good was done here.  It seems like Singer was able to bring some attention to and get help for this underground community.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 20, 2008
in Based on a novel, Crime, Drama, Narrated, Perfume, Prostitution and Thriller
. 0 Comments

Ever wonder what it would be like to have a super power? You know, like a superhero. Ever wanted super-human strength? The ability to fly? Laser beams shooting out of your eyes? Well how about a super sense of smell? In Perfume, Jean-Baptiste is born with an amazing sense of smell. I don’t even know how to describe it other than he’s like a human hound dog. He can smell you coming and going.

Jean-Baptiste lived a hard life during the French Revolution. He was born in a fish market and soon ends up in an orphanage. If you didn’t know, those places weren’t all fun and games. I’d probably have to describe them as hell holes. Anyways, he eventually starts working in a tannery and one day gets to go into town for a delivery. There are all kinds of wonderful smells he’s never encountered before. He eventually smells the most wonderful scent he’s ever encountered, but tragically loses it.

Jean-Baptiste’s next line of work then becomes the perfume industry. He starts learning how to make perfumes in the effort to preserve smells. He wants to recreate that smell he found in town that one day. As you can probably tell from the title, Jean-Baptiste also happens to be a murderer. I don’t want to give the story away though, so I won’t get into that.

This film is a good watch. There is a slight, crazy twist at the end that kind of involves a mass orgy. Don’t really see that one coming. For this reason I won’t be recommending this to a lot of people. It’s not crazy or too revealing…especially after seeing John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus. If you’ve seen Perfume, we’d love to know what you thought of it. If you liked it, you might want to check out some of Tom Tykwer’s other movies such as Run, Lola, Run or The Princess and the Warrior .

Rating: ★★★½☆

Air Guitar Nation

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 20, 2008
in Documentary and Music
. 0 Comments

Ever wanted to be a rock star?  Being a fan of the video game, Guitar Hero, I must recommend Air Guitar Nation to anyone else who likes the game, likes rock music, and likes documentaries.  I would have to call this riveting, fun, hilarious, and amazing.

If you didn’t know, there are international air guitar championships.  Seriously, this is a real thing.  People get up on stage from around the world and are judged on how well they can mime being a rock star.  This documentary follows the story of David S. Jung, otherwise known as C-Diddy, as he competes in the first ever U.S competition and World competition in 2003. The real drama stems from another contestant, Dan Crane aka Bjorn Turoque.  This guy just won’t quit.

You also learn a little history about this little-known sport and we find out it’s all based on love and world peace.  Those are two concepts hard to disagree with.  I highly recommend this film and can honestly say this is one I could watch over and over.  If you watch this and are interested in learning more, here are links to The US Air Guitar Championships and C-Diddy’s website.

Rating: ★★★★★

Good Night, and Good Luck

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 20, 2008
in Cold War, Communism, Docudrama, Drama, History, Journalism, Politics and War
. 0 Comments

Good Night, and Good Luck is a film about a very fearful time in American history.  It takes place during the Cold War and the Red Scare.  You might remember those from history class.  It was a time when Senator McCarthy was given a free hand in accusing whomever he pleased of being a communist.  Sounds kind of crazy, right?  In a way I think that kind of fear and aggression can be translated into how people of Middle Eastern/Arab descent, as well as anybody looking “ethnic”, can be labeled as terrorists and be detained until proven they are not.  Sounds kind of crazy, right?

I heard a lot of people describe this movie as slow and boring.  To borrow a superb line from Office Space, “Ooh, uh, yeah. I’m going to have to go ahead and sort of disagree with you there.“  I really liked it.  I found it very interesting, especially since it was based off of actual events.

This was both written and directed by George Clooney.  Even though Clooney has done a lot of producing, this is the first movie he has written and the second one he’s directed.  I think he did a fine job.  In our Michael Clayton review, we talked about being somewhat disappointed in Clooney’s recent work.  This would be one of those movies that stands out for me.  I highly suggest this one and hope you’ve already seen it.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

Published
by
Chalupa
on February 20, 2008
in Action, Adolescence, Drama, Foreign, Martial Arts and Samurai
. 0 Comments

This was kind of a weird movie. If you’re familiar with both Yojimbo and the Zatoichi story, then you can probably figure out what the movie is.

Yojimbo is a classic Samurai film written and directed by the great Akira Kurosawa. A story that has been used for other films like Last Man Standing and A Fistful of Dollars. It’s in the Criterion Collection and is a must-see for any fan of the Samurai genre.

Zatoichi is the classic character of a blind swordsman. There are many, many movies out there about this character. I saw Zatôichi from 2003 and really enjoyed it.

I wouldn’t rank this movie as a favorite by any means. I also wouldn’t urge you to rush out there and rent it. Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo is interesting because both stories are meshed, but that’s about it. I don’t know how interesting it would be if you weren’t already familiar with what this movie is based off of.

Rating: ★★★☆☆