The Filmcake

This year as a Christmas present to each other, Sarah and I purchased a membership to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Privileges include free admission to the museum (and others) as well as discounts on film tickets. After seeing Trouble the Water there a couple of weeks ago and seeing what was upcoming, I was determined to make it a more regular habit of getting to the Noble Theatre. We saw A Christmas Tale last weekend and upcoming films in the next few weeks include Ballast, Happy Go-Lucky, and Let the Right One In. I’m so excited about our membership. There’s a special exhibit in the museum on American Impressionism that I need to hit before it closes. And then coming up in February there’s going to be a Harlem Renaissance exhibit that looks quite interesting. It’s all more than enough excuse for more brunches at the Museum Cafe and dinners at Trattoria Il Centro.

And then deadCENTER 2009 will be here before I know it. Ooh!! I have a feeling that 2009 is going to be a wonderful year in film for me.

December 22nd – December 28th

House of Saddam – A somewhat interesting (but not profound) HBO miniseries about the former Iraqi dictator. It was good enough, but it suffered severely from myopia. Taking place almost exclusively at one of Saddam’s palaces, it kept everything focused on Saddam (and his sons). But Iraq is not Saddam only. The Iraqi people were given absolutely no voice in this miniseries. The latest Iraqi invasion wasn’t given much more than a few seconds montage until we abruptly move ahead to “Six Weeks Later.” But, Saddam’s post-invasion hiding out got a whole boring hour. I look forward to seeing real Iraqi stories, hopefully told by Iraqi filmmakers. I’m sure there’s an Iraqi Persepolis out there waiting to be made. I can’t wait for it.

Juno – I’m a bit embarrassed as to how much I like this movie. But not apologetic.

Death Proof- There aren’t a whole lot of filmmakers who can get away with staring at the asses of their leading ladies and still come off as deeply respectful and admiring of the same women. Kudos Tarantino. Your women are, as the saying goes, the type of women that other women want to be andmen want to be with.

Dr. Strangelove – Now that we have a new HDTV in the living room, the old TV has migrated into the bedroom (replacing the 12″ TV that had been wasting away in our bedroom for over a decade) making watching movies in bed suddenly a lot more plausible. Dr. Strangelove is the first movie we’ve watched in this new situation. It’s ridiculous how good and watchable this movie is. This one would definitely be one of my desert island movies.

Celebration – A short documentary on the Disney-designed city in Florida. The documentary didn’t take sides, but it didn’t really have a whole lot to say either. Still, it revealed enough for me to know that the town of Celebration and the type of people who would inhabit it are some things to stay very, very far away from.

Duets- So, sometimes you get roped into watching a movie kicking and screaming (no, not the Noah Baumbach written film which would have been infinitely more bearable). This was one of those times. The in-laws saw this movie on TV and just had to buy it off of e-Bay. And because they loved it so much, they wanted us to see it because they figured we’d like it as well. Oh. My. God. Likely the worst movie I’ve seen in the last year…at least since Shooter(the movie we watched with the in-laws the last holiday season) and Indescribable (the holiday season before that). Horribly written. Horribly acted. Tonally confusing. Morally disgusting. Eck. I almost need a shower after that one.

Starting Out in the Evening- Another one of those movies (along with say Baumbach’s latest stuff) that makes me wonder (fantasize, maybe) about what it would be like to have parents andfamily who are literate, with whom I could really discuss films, books, and art. I wonder if it would be fulfilling or just stifling. At least I have somebody. Anyway, great performances from Frank Langella, Lauren Ambrose, and Lili Taylor.

Taxi to the Dark Side- Last year’s Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature (Alex Gibney). Another in a line of damming documentaries that illustrate just how horribly the Bush Administration has behaved on their watch. Like the response to Hurricane Katrina, this is one of those stories that doesn’t sound believable in this country. Some where else, but not here in America. I’ve moved Errol Morris’ Standard Operating Procedureto the top of my Netflixqueue. But after that, I think I’m just about done with these depressing docs about the insanity and stupidity of the Bush White House. Maybe Gibney’s most recent one about Hunter S. Thompson will be a lot more sane and comforting.

The Dark Knight- The 2nd Blu-ray in our collection. And, the second viewing of this one. It seems to hold up even after the months have passed since its summer blockbuster run. I was less impressed with Ledger’s performance this time around but more impressed with the screenplay (even if it’s not quite profound, it still seems solid).

A Christmas Tale – This one may become a part of a new holiday tradition. Granted, I won’t be watching this one with the in-laws (see above). But I will be watching it again (and again) because it gets at what I often feel during the holidays. A beautifully dense and performed film that gets at an honesty about families (esp. during the holidays) that is both comforting and maddening. May very well end up as my best film of the year.

December 15th- December 21st

Red Dawn, Mad Max, I Am Legend – A trio of post-apocalyptic movies. I remember enjoying Red Dawn back in my youth. It seemed like an adventure. Like some grand game of extreme camping or something. Watching it now, one of the first things I thought was that this movie is aching for a RiffTrax treatment. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Charlie Sheen and C. Thomas Howell. And, of course Lea Thompson as some sort of psuedo-feral victim of Russian misdeeds (apparently having something to do with her ass…I can only imagine).  In a way, this movie is a RiffTrax of itself. It’s that bad. Nevertheless, the film did manage to be prescient in a couple of ways. It seemed to predict both the disaster of 9/11 (those angry Afghanistanis!) as well as the insurgency in Iraq (those pesky Wolverines!). In a way, this movie managed to be both fiercely pro-American and a defense of the Taliban (one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist). I have no idea how the proposed remake will be able to dance around these conflicting motivations.

I think this may have been the first time I’ve even seen Mad Max. I’d long ago seen Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome. But, I didn’t remember any of this first installment. The first half was mostly incomprehensible. I was on the verge of giving up on it. But, finally, Max gets mad. And then the fun began, redeeming the movie with a barrage of chases and violence. Sadly, there are films today with 100 times the budget of this one that don’t get it as good as this one did.

Which brings us to I Am Legend. I honestly liked Will Smith’s performance. He can pull off the silly, isolated self-talk that on occasion approaches Charlton Heston’s turn as Robert Neville.  And, I liked the dog. But, c’mon. How do you interject all this religious crap into this story? Prayer, angels sent by god, a savior. This isn’t the vampire story I want to see. I’ve actually never even read the original Richard Matheson novel. So, my complaints have nothing to do with the fidelity to the source material. It’s just that some things work, and some things don’t. Besides these Christian themes, the other thing that really didn’t work in this film was the CGI effects. The CGI was used effectively in making the city look desolate. But, elsewhere it was entirely ineffective. Starting with the herd of deer and the lions, you are exposed to the stark fakeness of CGI creatures. And, the monsters looked hideous–but in a good way. They looked like LOTR‘s Gollum on steroids. There was little sense that these creatures were infected humans. They looked otherworldy. And not scary at all. Deranged and severely sick humans are usually scarier than CGI creatures. Invest in a bunch of extras and a good make-up team instead of poorly executed CGI and you’ll end up with a better final product as well as cost savings.

Man on Wire – This documentary was inspirational and beautiful and absolutely jaw-droppingly amazing. You can not help but to me mesmerized as this story unfolds. This film will surely stand up as one of the greatest tributes to the World Trade Center that we’ll ever have. I certainly expect this one take home an Oscar early next year.

The Times of Harvey Milk – This documentary did take home the Oscar in 1985. That the tragic story of Harvey Milk can still provide so much hope and inspiration is what makes this documentary and Gus Van Sant’s Milk required viewings. Still, twenty-four years after this film was made (and 30 years after Milk’s death), things can certainly look a bit discouraging.

December 8th – December 14th

Milk, Trouble The Water, No End In Sight- Watching these three films, one cannot help but to feel a tremendous amount of hope and anticipation in regards to President-elect Obama’s upcoming administration. One hopes we can step out of the mire of the past and into a more promising future.

While Milk predates the Bush administration, its fight has very contemporary parallels. Prop 6 is reflected in Prop 8. Anita Bryant (Miss Oklahoma 1958) is reflected in a swarm of religious homophobes and bigots. While I’m not sure how much Obama will be able to accomplish on this front, I am confident that he’s on the right side of this issue. I think we can get closer to treating gays and lesbians how they deserve to be treated. Religious dogma doesn’t always have to trump what is right. It’ll be a slow and agonizing fight, but I think the right side will prevail in the end. As for the film, it’s a really good biopic with a bunch of really good performances. Overall, I think Van Sant’s Paranoid Park is a stronger effort, but I certainly can’t dismiss this one. This is a story that needed to be told. And, it’s about time.

Trouble The Water was a forceful slap to the face–a stark reminder of the devastation of Katrina. I had forgotten, and in some cases had never seen, how the storm and the subsequent government reaction had wreaked so much havoc to the people of New Orleans. What a shameful moment that was. Luckily, there are those who persevere in the face of adversity. Kimberly Rivers Roberts and her husband, like Harvey Milk, amazingly manage to turn that adversity into something positive. And Ms. Roberts, under her moniker of Black Cold Madina, sends shivers with her rap of “I’m Amazing.” It’s likely the best rap song I’ve heard all year.

As if Hurricane Katrina weren’t enough to guarantee the Bush Administration it’s rightful place among the worst US presidencies, Dubya also has the grand quagmire of Iraq. No End In Sight plays like an even more maddening episode of Frontline, cataloguing the incompetence of the Bush Administration in going into war and especially in managing the aftermath. How can Obama not be a symbol for hope? You can’t do much worse than his predecessor.

Son of Rambow – As a child of the eighties, I absolutely loved this one. For me, it gets that quirky brand of humor just right. It’s quirk with a purpose, or at least with identifiable nostalgic references. It’s quirk that is more grounded than the quirk of Napoleon Dynamite or Eagle vs. Shark. Son of Rambow also manages to out-Swede Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind. While there were some clever moments in that film, Garth Jennings manages to convey a more genuine love for movies here with the “Sweding” of First Blood. I’m left with a movie that represents why I love movies.

December 1st - December 7th

Fargo – Frances McDormand’s Marge Gunderson is nothing like Sarah Palin. Marge is sympathetic. And also smart and likable. You betcha. I need to see Miller’s Crossing and Blood Simple. I always have a lot of fun with the Coen Brothers. It’s a shame I haven’t seen those two yet.

Near Dark – The “other” vampire film from 1987. I’m only slightly ashamed to say that The Lost Boys remains a personal favorite. I loved the soundtrack (I was a huge INXS fan). I loved the movie. I watched it over and over again. I am ashamed that I’ve just now gotten to seeing Near Dark. It’s still got that often cringeworthy 80′s vibe to it (see Tangerine Dream for one example). And Bill Paxton is quite often cringeworthy in any decade. But still this movie is infinitely more watchable and less dated than The Lost Boys.

November 24th – November 30th

Wall-E- Like the dystopian Pixar Earthof the future, it got a little dusty for me even upon this second viewing. I saw this on its theatrical release and really had a bunch of fun with it. So, when Black Friday rolled around and we found ourselves with an HDTV and a Blu-ray player, we figured Wall-E would be a decent first experience with the high-def format. While I still anticipate seeing a live-action dramatic film in high-def, Wall-E looked really, really good.

Bug- This one was written by and based upon a play by Oklahoma-born Tracy Letts. Tracy is the son of Billie Letts, author of the book Where The Heart Is(later made into a film starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd). He also just won a Tony and the Pulitzer for his play August: Osage County. While Bug may have made for an excellent play, it just didn’t seem to me to be all that cinematic. Moving from the stage to the screen didn’t enhance anything. The acting performances may have been compelling on the stage, but on the screen it tended to look silly at times. I imagine that the stage version would be a bit more ambiguous and less campy.

November 17th – November 23rd

Okie Noodling- Brad Beesley’s film about a unique type of fishing involving diving underwater and wiggling your fingers until a huge fish with sharp teeth bites down on your hand. These people are a unique breed, that’s for sure. I just don’t get it. Everything about noodling is directly opposed to my way of life. I’m Okie born, but I’m still very much a city boy. Like cockfighting until very recently, I kind of think noodling just makes Oklahoma look even more backward than we already are.