The Filmcake

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?