The Filmcake

January 25th – January 31st

I Spit On Your Grave, Peeping Tom – A couple of films I sought out after reading Carol Clover’s Men, Women & Chainsaws book. The first is a rape-revenge movie from 1978 that Roger Ebert described as a “vile bag of garbage.” In his 1980 review, he also described it as “so sick, reprehensible and contemptible” that he couldn’t believe respectable theatres were even screening it. He also equates the rapes in the film with the revenge that is taken. That was thirty years ago and there is no indication that he has had the inclination to revisit the movie. While I wouldn’t call this movie feministic, it’s also not as vile as Ebert (of 1980, at least) would have you believe. Identification of the audience with the rapists and the revenge-taker are more complicated. At any rate, Camille Keaton’s Jennifer is certainly an antecedent for Tarantino’s women of late–the girls of Death Proof, Kill Bill’s Beatrix Kiddo, and even Shosanna in Inglourious Basterds.

Peeping Tom was another film rich in controversial history. After its release, the movie was panned so harshly that it essentially destroyed director Michael Powell’s career as a director in the UK. Thankfully, Martin Scorsese championed both the director and the film to give them both a second chance. Watching it now, the movie seems so obviously “important.” It says so much about voyeurism, scoptophilia (“the morbid urge to gaze”) and the cinematic gaze. This is what viewing (and making) movies is all about.

Gomorrah – A mafia movie that quotes Scarface but doesn’t bother to be just another rip-off of The Godfather and Goodfellas. It is a slice of the horror that The Comorra has wrought. But ultimately it is a critique of capitalism and of Western notions of power (and more tangentially of the American wars in the Middle East). Success (or wealth) isn’t a matter of intelligence, or of good conquering evil. It is a matter of who has the more powerful gun. And all of us who participate, who share in its riches, are complicit. There is no escape.

Fight Club – There’s a lot that could be said about this movie. I find it kind of maddening myself. It’s about one thing. And then it’s about another entirely different thing. While it says something, I’m not sure thatsomething is consistent. Or maybe that inconsistency is what the movie is trying to convey–our identification and authenticity are as confused and fragmented as The Narrator’s (Edward Norton) mind.

Objectified, Scenes From a Parish - A couple from PBS’s Independent Lens. I was a little disappointed with Objectified, Gary Hustwit’s follow-up to his excellent Helvetica doc. This one wasn’t nearly as enlightening or entertaining as that one. Scenes From a Parish was a bit of a surprise. It was roughly about a priest’s attempt to bridge the gap between two different groups of parishioners whilst trying to get a soup kitchen built. If it weren’t for the religion and parishioners, maybe church wouldn’t be so bad…

The Room - Ahhh, it never gets old. I just hope I manage to attend a midnight screening of it at some point. In the meantime, kindly put your comments in your pocket.

Blindness - Eck. This seemed like a movie that was trying way too hard to convey a message. But what that message was is unclear. It just seemed like the work of a naive, untalented hack with a dangerous streak of earnestness. As soon as the surgical scissors were introduced I wanted nothing more than to stab out my own eyes. I’m guessing it was trying to say something about humanity (or government) or something. But since the messages it was sending out were conflicting and confused, it didn’t actually end up saying much of anything.

A Boy and His Dog – Now this was a genuine surprise…and almost made up for the awfulness that was Blindness. Up until a couple weeks ago, I hadn’t really been aware of this movie. Manohla Dargis’s made reference to it in her review of The Book of Eli, calling it another “post-apocalyptic fairy tale.” Give me a dog and a post-apocalypse and I’m SO there. I immediately added it to my queue. And, then last week I saw where it was going to be shown in Los Angeles as part of a double feature with the documentary Waiting for Armageddon (which I am also very eager to see). Well, that just shot it straight to the top of my queue. And what a delight! And with a young Don Johnson. Wow. I could certainly see a remake of this–if only so the female character (Quilla) could be better constructed. Not that every old movie needs to be remade…

Big Fan - A decent little movie starring Patton Oswalt as a devoted New York Football Giants fan. It’s not a great movie, but it has some nice moments. One thing I realized is how similar geeks are to sports fans. It’s all just a matter of what you geek out over. You could easily replace comic book guy with sports talk radio guy and still be talking about essentially the same person.

January 19th – January 24th

Jennifer’s Body - Kind of disappointed with this one. As far as teen horror movies go, it holds its own. But, I was hoping for a little more from the Diablo Cody-scripted and Karen Kusama-helmed project. It just seemed kind of flat. Not really horror. Not really dark comedy. Not really biting satire. All that stuff was lying just beneath the surface, I’m sure, but only in an impotent sort of way.

Still, the reviews of this movie did get me to buy Carol J. Clover’s Men, Women & Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film which I just finished reading. While it can be a little heavy on the Freud and psychoanalytic school of film criticism at times, it was still an excellent read. The first chapter, where she presents her “Final Girl” theory, is required reading. And a Tarantino fan can’t read the third chapter without thinking of Beatrix Kiddo.

The Messenger - While not a war movie, this one certainly belongs with The Hurt Locker among the best (so far) movies dealing with the Iraqi war. The movie takes place entirely in the United States and there are no war scenes–so it’s not a war movie. But, it does seem to say a lot about the soldiers’ experience. War changes a soldier so fundamentally that he or she see things differently than their civilian counterparts. I don’t know if it’s a question of for better or worse, just simply new and different eyes. And eye drops don’t always work.

The story revolves around a couple of soldiers who are tasked with giving notifications of deceased soldiers to their next of kin. The handful of scenes we get where the news is delivered, some of which work better than others, are truly heartbreaking. To imagine those scenes repeated 5,318 times (Operations Iraqi Freedom & Enduring Freedom, to this date) is almost too much to bear.

Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton are both excellent here. And Ben Foster is a surprise after his creepy Russell in Six Feet Under.

In The Loop - A hilarious satiric take on the incompetency (both British and US) that lead us to war (and has resulted in–unhilariously–the 5,318 deaths, mentioned above). Peter Capaldi’s Malcolm Tucker is the insult king. I will not think of horses the same way again. This movie is worth watching for his insults alone. If you’re looking for good one liners, this is certainly a better pick than the Cody-isms of Jennifer’s Body.

January 11th – January 18th

Of Time and the City - A visual poem from Terence Davies about growing older in Liverpool. This film was a slow build for me. I went into it not knowing much about it, except that some critics including Michael Phillips had included it in there best of 2009 lists. As the movie started, I was a little unsure. Then I started liking it. Liking it more. By the end, I was in love. Through music, poetry, original narration and mostly found footage, Davies stitched together a moving story about the transitions of life and city over time. It was a lovingly nostalgic tale without the misfortune of pollyannaism. Life is what it is. For good and bad. It is the only one we get.

Know Your Mushrooms - A mildly interesting if unfocused documentary about the wonderful world of mushrooms. It should have either been about mushrooms (and the science behind them) or it should have been about mushroom devotees, but not both. As it was, the movie mixed science facts about mushrooms with ridiculous claims about them to result in a mess of information and a lack of direction. On a positive note, The Flaming Lips did provide the soundtrack music. Some of us enjoy our Flips and shrooms in the comfort of the real world.

35 Rhums (35 Shots of Rum) - I loved this movie. And seeing it at OKCMOA’s Noble Theatre was my quintessential movie-going experience. It was a good movie that only got greater with discussion afterwards at the pub. It is an experience that I live for.

Claire Denis presents the story in a brilliantly subtle manner. When a French director as great as Denis does it, subtlety does not seem guarded. It just seems normal. It’s such a striking difference to most Hollywood films which are exercises in the obvious and unambiguous.

That this is a French film with hardly any white characters is somewhat of a revelation to me. The immigrant story is certainly becoming a very relevant story. And a story about emotional inertia is a universal one and one that connects on a personal level.

I look forward to seeing Denis’ The Intruder and Beau Travail.

Arrested Development (Seasons 2 & 3) – Made it all the way through this hilarious yet too short series. While I still think the best television lies in dramas (still need to make my way through The Wire), this is easily one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen. All week I’ve been quoting the series (“Come on!” “I’ve made a huge mistake.”) and recalling my favorite moments with a giggle. I can now be counted among the many eagerly anticipating the upcoming movie.

January 4th – January 10th

Kill Bill Vols. 1 & 2 – While the second volume drags a little bit at times, this Tarantino epic is SO, SO, SO much fun. Sure, much like Inglourious Basterds it is self-indulgent. But it’s self-indulgence with a great deal of taste, an eye for the bad-ass, and a reverence for his women. Whenever I have some time, I’d like to delve into some of the films that inspired this one and Basterds.

Arrested Development (TV) First Season — I’m only about six years late, but I have finally seen the first season of the critically lauded Arrested Development. My problem with watching stuff (TV or movies) is that I MUST watch it in its entirety. Unless I watch something from the beginning all the way to the end, it hasn’t been watched. So, I can’t start watching a TV series unless I start with the first episode and commit to it for the long haul. A friend recently loaned us the entire series on DVD, so we leaped in and watched the entire first season this past week.

The show is absolutely hilarious. I doubt that any previous TV series has made me laugh out loud quite as much as this one. The cast is wonderful. Will Arnett certainly now has one more devoted fan. And, Portia de Rossi has one more male admirer. And, yes, I’m aware that she’s a lesbian. Why is it that all the good ones are gay?

I’d say the first quarter of the season started out a bit frantic. There was so much going on–so many asides and little gags–that it was starting to get a little exhausting (a little too Family Guy at times). But, the last three-quarters of the season were solidly paced.

Up in the Air – I’m still a little undecided on this one. It’s a solid, polished movie from Jason Reitman that maintains some ambiguity by refraining from answering all the questions it poses and by refusing to tie up all its loose ends. I love that about a movie. The possibility of multiple interpretations is usually a certain asset. Nevertheless, there was something about this movie that seemed incomplete. I’m not sure if it was me wanting more Ryan Bingham, or less Ryan Bingham but more Alex and/or Natalie. Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick were all great…as was the screenplay. I haven’t put my hand on it, but I left this movie wanting just a little more. I’ll have to come back to it on DVD to see how well it holds up on a second viewing.

Jack Frost – The 1996 movie featuring a killer snowman, NOT the Michael Keaton family film from two years later. This one isn’t quite a cult classic, although it may be a Christmas cult classic (for us at least). It’s bizarrely funny, knowingly campy, and a good amount of fun. The special effects aren’t so much primitive as they are nearly non-existent (e.g. puddles of water). This movie is pretty bad, but I don’t think I’d be going out on a limb by saying that I’d guess it’s a lot more watchable than the Michael Keaton film.

December 28th – January 3rd

World’s Greatest Dad - This one was a genuine surprise. And while a film should properly stand or falter based on its own merits, it can’t go without saying that this film was written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. It’s sort of a slightly more demented version of an Alexander Payne film that is also one of the few films I’ve ever seen that could be credibly classified as Heathers-esque. To be clear, this movie is not as good as Heathers or an Alexander Payne film, but it is certainly a refreshingly perverse black comedy. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I look forward to checking out the other two Goldthwait written and directed films: Shakes the Clown and Sleeping Dogs Lie (or Stay).

The Cove - A documentary that follows Ric O’Barry (the original Flipper dolphin trainer), director Louie Psihoyos, and crew as they delve into the Japanese town of Taiji in order to expose the dolphin drive hunting that occurs in a hidden away cove. It is a compelling documentary and certainly worthy of its place on the 2009 Oscar shortlist. It’s an effective piece of advocacy filmmaking. For all the people who attend Sea World and its ilk, or have ever paid to swim with dolphins, this is mandatory viewing. And even though the film is obviously one-sided, it’s hard to think that there exists a reasonable explanation for why the inhumane treatment of dolphins is okay.

Perhaps I am so firmly on board with the animal welfare argument this film makes, but part of me was underwhelmed with the horrors the movie espouses. The film itself claims about 23,000 dolphins are killed annually in Japan, with a tenth of those killed in the town of Taiji. Is that so much more horrific than the more than 100 million pigs slaughtered in factory farms in the U.S. each year? Are dolphins that much smarter and cuter that they deserve that much more of our sympathy? Perhaps dolphins are exceptionally intelligent–and an argument can be made for why it is more morally wrong to kill a more sentient and intelligent creature over one that is less so–but are pigs (not to mention chickens and cattle) so unworthy of a life free from cruelty and the horrors of captivity?

My initial Top 10 of 2009 list. There are still so many from this year that I haven’t yet had an opportunity to catch. I’ll post a more finalized list in a couple of months.

1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Where The Wild Things Are
3. Antichrist
4. Summer Hours
5. Tulpan
6. District 9
7. Fantastic Mr. Fox
8. Up
9. Avatar
10. The Hurt Locker

My favorite movies of the 2000s. There are easily 15 more that could’ve made this list. But this list is only fifteen.

1. Children of Men
2. Shaun of the Dead
3. The Royal Tenenbaums
4. Where The Wild Things Are
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. Best in Show
7. Inglourious Basterds
8. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
9. No Country for Old Men
10. Wall-E
11. Ghost World
12. Pan’s Labyrinth
13. There Will Be Blood
14. Lost in Translation
15. Brokeback Mountain

December 21st – December 27th

It Might Get Loud – This documentary is a success for not trying to do too much. It doesn’t aim to tell a complete history of the electric guitar, nor does it aim to give a definitive biography of its three featured guitarists, Jack White, Jimmy Page, and The Edge. Instead, you get an enticing glimpse how each of the three musicians approach their instrument which leaves you wanting more. After watching this documentary, I immediately put on The White Stripes’ concert film Under Blackpool Lights to enjoy even more of Jack White’s virtuoso work. And now I’m really anticipating the forthcoming Under Great White Northern Lights concert documentary.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – This is kind of a troubling film. Ferris could certainly be described as a douche. He basically uses and lies to his family and friends for nothing but selfish reasons. He is only concerned with finding pleasure for himself and seems little concerned with the consequences they have on the people he presumably cares about. And I can’t think that things are really going to end up okay between Cameron and his father. Sure, Ferris offers to take the blame. But, that’s too little too late. The damage has already been done.

Antichrist/Dancer in the Dark - Two from Lars von Trier on Christmas Day. Why? To put the Anti-CHRIST back in Christmas, perhaps? Antichrist still remains a beautiful yet confounding film. It’s provocative in what seem to be the right proportions. As for Dancer in the Dark,I think Bjork is absolutely brilliant for the role of Selma. Bjork can be polarizing, as a singer and actor, but I can certainly be counted as a fan.

District 9 - This was a surprise. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the tone of this film just caught me by surprise. There just seemed to be a lot of inventiveness and creativity thrown into this film. A lot of fun. I may have to add this one to my Blu-ray collection. It seems like this one would have a fairly high rewatchability factor. And I’d like to see how they accomplished some of the special effects for a relatively small amount of money. I look forward to seeing what director Neill Blomkamp does in the future.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence - Haley Joel Osment is excellent here as David. Much like Bjork as Selma in Dancer in the Dark, I’m not sure how much of it is acting prowess as it’s a credit to casting and the directors getting just what they needed for their characters. Part of me wishes that Stanley Kubrick would have survived to bring his complete vision to the film. But part of me likes the Spielbergian patina that covers the film–that lulls one into thinking this is a film for families instead of the dark thing that it actually turns out to be. I think the film, including the ending, is many things (to different people). Sentimental, however, is not a word I would use.

The Room - This movie just isn’t getting old. It’s still horrible. But it’s still so fun to watch. Unfortunately, the misguided attempt at following this one up with another film featuring Greg Sestero (Mark in The Room) was not so fun. It turns out that Retro Puppetmaster isn’t all that entertaining after all.

Sunshine – This one now officially belongs in the pantheon. When I want a science fiction space film and I’m not sure I’ll stay awake throughout the entirety of Kubrick’s 2001, I pick up this one.

Avatar - There is a lot of commentary out there about the ethnic stereotypes and white liberal guilt this film evokes. I certainly don’t think that commentary is unwarranted. But I don’t find it overly problematic either. This film is still a lot of fun. This is the first 3D film I’ve seen (since the ’80s) and it looked quite good. It didn’t seem overly pervasive. It wasn’t necessary by any means and I’m not sure if it makes the movie better, but it does make the movie even more of a thrill ride. The Na’vi characters, created with James Cameron’s version of motion capture, looked amazing. Definitely a step forward technically.

The Royal Tenenbaums - Despite all of its twee preciousness and precociousness, this Wes Anderson flick still manages to make things a little dusty upon each viewing. Chas reconnecting with his father at the end of the film, beginning with the acquisition of the dog Sparkplug, gets me every single time.

December 14th – December 20th

South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut – I think a much better transition to the big screen than The Simpsons Movie. Nicely irreverant soundtrack. Good stuff.

Inglourious Basterds - This is likely the best Blu-ray title have purchased so far (although my collection still numbers under 10). I can’t wait to rewatch this one and delve into the special features. The opening scene is one of the best of the year. This one is also vying for the top spot on my best of the year list.

Angels & Demons - This movie had the Hollywood star and slick production values that a $150 million budget affords but otherwise was not much better than the average Syfy Original Movie. The Da Vince Code wasn’t a great movie by any means, but it was immensely more enjoyable than this one. This one lacked the cleverness and pulse that was sometimes evident in the previous film.

Funny People - I’m a little conflicted about this one. On one hand, I enjoyed how the movie feels barely held together. It succeed while feeling like it could spiral out of control at any point. It was easily 30 minutes too long though. Once Eric Bana’s character arrives, the movie probably would’ve benefited from spiraling out of control to a quick end. On the other hand, a stronger script could have made for a compelling story about mortality and the lonely world of the comedian. Maybe it’s just me but I think there was a The Wrestler-like story in there that might have been worth watching. At times, Funny People approached something dramatically compelling only to lose its way.

The Goonies – For people my age, this is a childhood favorite. But, man, this one just really doesn’t hold up. Perhaps the nostalgia is strong enough for others to be able to stomach it into the present day. But for me, it was just way too grating. Just about every single character in this movie seems to exhibit moderate mental retardation. Impaired cognitive functioning abounds.

Heathers – One of the great screenplays of my generation. I am still genuinely surprised with how this 20-year script old deals with homophobia. It just seems so surprisingly progressive. Considering that it was made just three years after The Goonies, Heathers proves just how awful The Goonies really was.

December 7th – December 13th

The Tale of the Fox (Le Roman de Renard) – See previous post.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Haven’t seen this one in a very long time. This time it was from the Blu-ray release which looked quite good. And the disc looks to loaded with lots of interesting extras. An argument can certainly be made for the sexism present in the movie, but its longevity works to its advantage. This movie was released over 70 years ago–there have been plenty of worse offenders in the years since.

2001 - First time watching this on Blu-ray. I didn’t do a side-by-side comparison with the DVD version, but it didn’t seem dramatically better. I did notice that the blacks looks really good. Sometimes blacks can look grainy and grey; here the blacks looked black. The main reason for purchasing this Blu-ray edition (I already own the DVD) was because of the additional special features included on this one. On a side-note, my dog Sammy Davis Junior Jr. was absolutely enraptured with the beginning “Dawn of Man” sequence.

New World Order - An almost frustratingly evenhanded look at conspiracy theorists (including Alex Jones) who fixate on the Bilderberg group and the 9/11 Truth movement. While you are always aware that these people have taken a selective portion of distorted facts to come up with their own “truth,” you can also sort of understand what makes some people feel so strongly about such ridiculous things. Still, I would have liked some voices of reason, to illustrate the invalidity of these various conspiracy theories.

Humpday - A Mumblecore response to the Neo-Neo Realist Old Joy from Kelly Reichardt. There are certainly similar thematic elements in both movies even if they are different in tone and setting. Still those differences act to show where Mumblecore and Neo-Neo Realism intersect and diverge and also how poor both of those words are at describing the movies that are ascribed to them. Interestingly–perhaps to me only–is that Joshua Leonard (one of the leads in this film) was one of the original trio in The Blair Witch Project.

Annihilation Earth - A horribly awful Syfy Original. Bad story, bad casting, bad acting capped off with special effects that were also just bad. About as far as they went with the special effects was badly superimposing either smoke, fire, or explosions on what had already been filmed. In the world where the movie exists, Earth is obliterated. So for people in that imaginary world, any memory of this movie has ceased to exist. Lucky for them.

Herb & Dorothy - On one hand, this documentary feels very touching and sweet. This old couple who make relatively little money working for the government amass a quite impressive contemporary art collection. A singular passion leads to them being amongst the most important collectors in the art world. But on the other hand, it almost seems unfair. It seems like these people just used some sort of dogged perseverance as well as playing up their eccentricities and age to guilt artists in to selling them art on the cheap. So, I was conflicted about Herb & Dorothy Vogel throughout a good portion of this documentary. But upon learning that they continued to insist on not profiting from their collection in favor of sharing it with the world, even when it would have been both beneficial and warranted to do so, I couldn’t help but think of them as a pair of true heroes.

The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States is currently on display at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art through May 30, 2010. The fifty works donated to OKCMOA by the Vogels will then become a part of the museum’s collection.

Rushmore - What a great movie. Without a doubt it’s one of my Deserted Island picks. It sort of lies in that same area with Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction whereupon subsequent viewings really demonstrate how much of that filmmaker’s “language” has seeped into contemporary movies off all stripes. Can’t wait to watch this as a double feature with Mike Nichols’ The Graduate, a movie upon which this one itself seems to derive.