The Filmcake

August 16th – August 22nd

Greenberg — While I haven’t even seen Noah Baumbach’s first three films, I have really liked his last three (The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding, Greenberg). Sure, they are populated with nasty characters. But to me nastiness isn’t the same as unsympathetic. I think we’re all nasty. Maybe we’re nasty in the privacy of our own homes, or amidst failed relationships, but it is a common human trait nevertheless. To see these caustic characters on screen is to remind us of our own short-comings. I’ve heard the complaint about Baumbach films that nobody would want to spend time with Bernard, Margot, or Roger in real life so why would they want to spend time with them at the theater (or at home). I think movies (or all of art, really) are supposed to make us feel, not simply to make us feel good (or happy). Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) is a pain in the ass. But his life is kind of heartbreaking. And, because we are given minimal information as to the full extent of his nervous breakdown, we’re unsure of the seriousness of his emotional problems. It certainly makes judgment of Roger more difficult.

And I’ll go ahead and take this opportunity to jump on the Greta Gerwig bandwagon. She is delightful to look at without being movie star gorgeous. And she delivers a strong performance as the assistant to Roger Greenberg’s brother. I look forward to looking at some of those small movies she’s already done and what she’ll do in the future (she’ll be Russell Brand’s love interest in the upcoming Arthur remake).

American Movie — Finally got around to seeing this documentary classic from Chris Smith. The first question I had upon seeing this was to ask whether this was real. For a decent portion of the film, I was convinced that this was a mockumentary. Like with Anvil! The Story of Anvil, the subjects of the documentary don’t simply appear to be idiosyncratic characters so much as seemingly comically-crafted inventions that serve some broader satirical purpose. But alas these are apparently real people (though they still may act to serve a broader satirical purpose). And Smith, the film’s director, does treat them like real people. Sure we see the film’s central character, Mark Borchardt, almost seeming to take advantage of his frail grandfather. But at the same time, we see him in tender moments with him, as when he is helping him to bathe. Taking advantage of people AND having tender moments are what human relationships are all about, right?

The second question I had was to ask myself if I would ever be able to make a movie better than Coven (which could be seen in its entirety as a special feature on the DVD). I’ve seen worse short films than Coven. It’s something that wouldn’t be entirely out of place in the Midnight Shorts section at deadCENTER. And if it were cut down, it actually might be kind of good. It also proves that passion may drive a movie more than money or talent. Unless you’re particularly rich or well-placed, passion seems to be the essential force in actually getting a movie made. All the other stuff falls in place thereafter. Sure, budget and talent may affect quality…but they’re not the necessary component.

August 9th – August 15th

The Wire (Season 2) — I love this show. After following the Barksdale crew, the Baltimore detail moves on to the docks. Such a wonderfully written show with fabulous characters. My favorite character this season would have to be Ziggy. I could never quite figure him out. He made me angry, he made me laugh, he made me sad. Also, I now know what a stevedore is.

Romance — Another one from Catherine Breillat. While she makes great films, I’m getting a little tired of the formula. Still, this one is shocking not only for its explicit and unsimulated sex (featuring porn star Rocco Siffredi), but for the fact that the film concerns itself with the sexual life of a woman. If these Breillat films have taught me anything, it’s how one-sided film and social norms (and pop culture) are in their portrayal of the sexual life. The bias assumes an active role for the male and a passive one for the female, even if only implicitly. Breillat seems to turn that idea on its head.

Jackie Brown — My least favorite Tarantino film. It’s a solid film, no doubt. Pam Grier and Robert Forster really anchor the film, in that career resurrection Tarantino way. Whereas I think I can say I love Tarantino’s other movies, I can only say that I quite like this one.

The White Ribbon — Michael Haneke’s beautifully photographed take on what went wrong in pre-war Germany. One could say the movie is simply about how Nazis became Nazis. But it is more than that for sure. Simply its about the dangers of authoritarianism of any sort, political, religious, or familial. The film shows how authoritarianism destroys people, how it reproduces itself, and how it manages to survive. In this movie, the perpetrators of evil are never clearly identified. And the one person who has the gall to investigate and make an identification (the teacher, possibly Jewish) is essentially forced out of the village. Better to keep quiet–and let the authoritarian power structures roll over you–than to stand up and fight against it. Same as it ever was.

The Big Lebowski — The Dude. Because after watching Haneke’s film, one must go for lighter fare or else risk falling into a dark depression. And for some reason, this movie was much more hilarious that I had remembered.

August 2nd – August 8th

reasons to be pretty (stage play as produced by Ghostlight Theatre Club) – Neil LaBute’s Beauty Trilogy comes to an end with this play following up on The Shape of Things and Fat Pig (presented in Ghostlight’s previous two seasons). I didn’t get to catch The Shape of Things at Ghostlight, but I did see the film version. I did, however, catch the excellent Fat Pig there last season. Out of the three, I think reasons to be pretty is my favorite. It’s the most subtle of the three. And compared to some of LaBute’s early films–In The Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbors–it is a much gentler examination of the human condition.

Some of LaBute’s stuff plays like a horror film, populated with monsters (in most cases, men). Think Aaron Eckhart’s Chad or Jason Patric’s Cary. In this one, the most monsterish character is Kent (Jeff Burleson, just as excellent here as he was in Fat Pig). And Kent isn’t so much a monster as he is just kind of a dick. And, yes, I think there is a difference. But the rest of the characters play like complicated human beings who have moments of cruelty which are altogether human and familiar.

This play, perhaps more so than the other two, is less about beauty and more about relationships. It’s about growing up and learning to love yourself as well as how to make yourself happy (without destroying everything in your wake).

I applaud Ghostlight for putting on another wonderful performance. The musical interludes, while sometimes on the nose, were excellent choices. The minimal stage setting was effective once again. And the acting was superb. It was nice to see Burleson, who had a co-starring role in Fat Pig, shine in a more supporting role this time (just as it was nice to see him eventually get his come-uppance at the ballfield). Scott Hynes was wonderful as Greg. And after the first scene, which seemed perhaps a bit too much like acting, Victoria Stahl cruised along quite comfortably in the role of Steph. But, Rachel Bouton impressed me the most in the smaller role of Carly. All around wonderful casting.

I absolutely love the Ghostlight. I can’t wait to see more stuff there. I can’t wait to see these actors again. My knowledge of stage plays, and the craft therein is sadly lacking. Ghostlight, and other local theatres/companies, should aide in rectifying that deficiency.

July 25th – August 1st

The Runaways – I like Kristen Stewart. She seems to be improving. And if that brooding, biting her lip thing is the only thing she can do, then I truly like that thing she does. And whereas Dakota Fanning has been wonderful since she started this whole acting thing (at age 7 with 2001′s I Am Sam), it has taken me a while to come around to seeing her as a genuine actor rather than some precocious brat. And, of course, Michael Shannon impresses as always. But performances aside, the movie was just too musical biopic meets after-school special cliche. Even with some tame drug use and too obvious bisexual curiosity, the story seemed sanitized. I wanted gritty. I wanted something crafted with handmade stencils, black spray paint, ripped t-shirts, and safety pins (or a chainsaw, at the very least). This movie is too pretty and neat. It was like some faux-vintage The Runaways t-shirt for sale at Hot Topic passed off for authentic. Getting at the right idea while kind of completely missing the point.

The Wire (Season 1) — Oh. My. God. This show is wonderful. I gave up on it too soon when it first aired. It just wasn’t doing it for me. But all the critical praise and love for it made me reconsider it. And boy am I impressed. I can bet that I dismissed it too early the first time through for being another police procedural. Whereas I was into the character drama of something like Six Feet Under, this didn’t do it for me. But now…after making it thru the first season…I am in love. It’s so beautifully dense and feels terribly authentic. And the performances–from the leads to the street soldiers–are amazing. I can’t wait to start up on season 2.

July 19th – July 25th

The Crazies — I was disappointed with this remake of the 1973 Romero flick. I’ve not seen the original, so that wasn’t my problem. And this one wasn’t terrible. It just wasn’t very good. There were some good moments. A couple of good set pieces. But the rest was just too convoluted and boring to make the whole all that worthwhile.

Mad Men (Season 3) — In anticipation of last night’s season four premiere, I went back and watched the entirety of the third season. This is a Great Show. Great actors behind interesting and imperfect characters. Great stories to move everything along. And, perhaps my favorite aspect of the show, a great world they inhabit–a NYC ad agency in the 1960′s. It informs not only the locations, set decoration, costumes, and music, but also the commentary on how much and/or little things have changed since that time period. It’s a world that I love getting lost within.

July 12th – July 18th

Inception – Christopher Nolan’s latest is one in which you can’t really be brief in talking about it. A proper post would run on and on. That being said, I really loved this movie. A truly great summer blockbuster. And a true relief from all the remakes, reimaginings, and reboots. After watching it the first time without knowing too much about it, I then consumed all the reviews (both positive and negative) and interpretations that I could get a hold of before seeing it a second time. Somewhat surprisingly, I found myself liking the movie even more the second time around.

A Real Young Girl and Perfect Love — Two from Catherine Breillat. The first is a rare coming-of-age story. It’s rare in the fact that it deals with an emerging sexuality in a truly visceral way, full of fears, confusion, kink, and exploration. It’s also rare because it’s a girl’s coming-of-age story. This uniqueness makes for a sometimes shocking little film. The other tells the story of a young man’s inadequacy (which are several) in making his relationship with an older woman work. There are some really good performances in this one, and Isabelle Renauld is stunning as Frederique. After a half-dozen or so Breillat films, I can say that I’m certainly a fan. Sure, they can be disturbing at times, but those feelings are not without their purpose.

Bukowski: Born Into This — A documentary about the seedy American poet. I really like Bukowski’s work, or rather the little I’ve read of it. But the man himself…I’d just like to punch in the face. He comes off–for me anyway–as too insufferable. He seems like a cliche of the tortured artist, except one who might throw his empty beer bottle at you if you ever made such a claim in his presence. That being said, the perceived behavior of a man is not necessarily his art. I’m still curious to check out more of his stuff, particularly some of his novels.

2012 — A much, much, much stupider summer blockbuster (than Inception). But one that I still have a lot of fun with. Along with The Day After Tomorrow, Roland Emmerich delivers fun popcorn movies. They’re like high-budgeted SyFy Originals. They may not engage the brain all that much (okay, not at all), but they’re an entertaining amusement park ride.

June 28th – July 5th

District 9 — Wanted to see this one again. And it was on Netflix Instant Viewing. Unfortunately it wasn’t in HD. Still a good, fun movie. The movie is a little schizophrenic. It feels like it’s trying to be several different movies all at once. Thus it never seems to fully play out its various intentions. But for the most part, it manages to hold things together adequately.

Five Easy Pieces — I came to this movie mostly just with the awareness of the diner scene. I became interested in seeing it after reading Peter Biskind’s book about New Hollywood, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. And I also go into this movie almost a little sick of Jack Nicholson. Maybe it’s his more recent acting choices, but I was beginning to think of him as highly overrated.

But with this one, Nicholson delivers a great performance as Robert Eroica Dupea. At the beginning of the film, Dupea appears as a roustabout on the oil fields. He is thoroughly blue collar. He survives in motels and bowling alleys with a dimwit waitress. He seems every bit a redneck jerk.

But then he must return to the family home on news that his father is ill. Once he arrives, we realize that he comes from a decidedly sophisticated family. He was classically trained on the piano. His family mixes with artists and intellectuals. Dupea isn’t working the oil fields because he’s blue collar. He’s just trying to avoid his family and this other part of his life.

The movie pits sophistication against provincialism. Dilettante against redneck. The soundtrack to the movie even pits Chopin, Bach, and Mozart against Tammy Wynette. Dupea struggles against both sides of his past. Eventually, he rejects them both in favor of Alaska.

Thirst and Let The Right One In — A couple of really good vampire movies from the last couple of years. These certainly aren’t your daughter’s vampire movies. And neither is American either. Thirst was a real surprise. It was not at all what I had expected. I think I was waiting to see an ultra-violent picture that was trying too hard to be badass. But what I got was a well paced, beautifully shot story that took me to some unexpected places. It explores religious guilt, morality, and the absurdity of eternal life through a vampiric perspective. I kind of can’t wait to see it again. I also really want to check out director’s Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance Trilogy.

Let the Right One I had seen at the theater. After Thirst, it made the perfect double-feature. Thankfully, the Netflix Instant Viewing version featured the theatrical subtitles. After watching them both, I’m convinced that a vampire’s life (much like a religious afterlife) would be tedious struggle of monotony.

Jaws — It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this one. And I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen it in an uninterrupted and unedited format (I may have only ever seen it on TV). I was honestly surprised with how serious the movie is. Seeing as it pretty much launched the Summer Blockbuster, I expected something a little more goofy. Big summer movies seem to be primarily about escapism. This was downright horror. The shark was impressively scary to me. Except for one particular scene, I thought the horror of the beast was quite believable.

Toy Story and Toy Story 2 — With the third installment at the theaters, it was about time that I actually saw the first two. While the toys make for delightful characters to follow around, I was left a little empty. They were okay. But I certainly prefer Ratatouille, Wall-E, and Up to either of these. I wanted to love them…but I just didn’t.

June 21st – June 27th

Bluebeard — I really like this movie a lot, so much so that I ended up watching it twice. Based on the Charles Perrault story, the movie recounts the original folktale as a pair of more modern sisters rediscover it while playing in the attic. Sisterly rivalry, a common theme in Catherine Breillat’s films, is certainly present all over this one. Certainly, this film is less sexually explicit than some of her other films which ought to make it more accessible.

This was a folktale “period piece” done on the cheap. But very effective. Because of that, it seemed like something Herzog might have done. The story was compelling enough to make costume and location seem adequately authentic. And Breillat captures the story with very painterly compositions. The eclipse scene is especially striking. At first, it just seems too artsy and conscious. But as we pull back and figure out what is going on, its effectiveness is apparent.

Lola Creton, Dominique Thomas, Credit: Strand Releasing

This is an art film. So it’s not all that accessible. Thank god. It means there can be nuance and complexity. Lots of swirling grays on Breillat’s canvas. I love that about this movie. It’s feminist in an unexpected way. Marie-Catherine (Lola Créton, wonderful) is no saint. She is most certainly flawed. She’s a gold-digger, for starters. But Bluebeard (Dominique Thomas) is a godlike figure with quasi-religious power over her. He may value honesty and trust. “If you tell me the truth, you’ll never anger me.” But no mortals can obey the rules of his game. It’s a rigged game he sets up. So of course she must disobey him. For that, she pays with her life.

Of course, this movie makes me not only want to see more of Breillat’s films but also to explore more un-Disneyfied folktales from Perrault and others.

The Maid — Another really good one. This one a Chilean film from Sebastian Silva. It features a remarkable lead performance by Catalina Saavedra as Raquel. The movie itself tackles what is meant by family and the power of inertia.

Family isn’t simply blood relatives. Family are those who you care about and who care about you. New friends, fleeting friends, even a pet are sometimes more genuinely family than blood relatives.

Personal inertia seems to be popping up in more and more films these days. Or else I’m just aware of it more. Certainly my mental well-being is dependent on overcoming inertia. For Raquel, inertia is literally killing her. Her life is a repetitive cycle of house-cleaning and caring for kids who are not her own. Not until she is nudged out of her numbing stasis by a rival maid does she overcome her inertia. At that point, happiness becomes a possibility once again.

June 14th – June 20th

The Box — After liking Donnie Darko but not Southland Tales, I wasn’t sure where this one would take me. But I ended up really liking it. Like those previous two from director Richard Kelly, this one is imaginative, weird, and mysterious. It seems to say something about free will. But then it seems to say something about determinism. It seems to describe god. Or an alien god. Or no god at all. It’s confounding, to be sure. A lot of that surely comes from Richard Matheson. The film is based on his short story “Button, Button.” But Kelly takes the movie a little farther.

A lot of people were disappointed in the aftermath of Donnie Darko. That movie sparked a lot of interesting interpretations. All of Kelly’s movies challenge viewers to try and figure things out. That investigation can be a lot of the fun in watching enigmatic movies like his, even when there is no obvious (or correct) answer. It provides motivation for multiple viewings. But things are ruined a little when the director provides too much information, as Kelly may have done with the commentary track and supplemental materials on the Darko DVD.

I don’t want a definitive answer from the director. I don’t want too much information. I want the film to exist as the strongest piece of evidence for various interpretations. A few pages from the Human Resource Exploitation Manual seen in The Box is available online. It adds a level of interactivity to the film, but I don’t think it improves anything. And any more information would diminish the nice mysterious nature of the film. Aside from broader ideas about the source material or tone or something, I kind of want the director to make the film and then step away. Leave the interpretation to us!

Pink Flamingos — A test of endurance. But one I’m glad I can cross off the list. The name of the film implies a kitschy quality. And the film itself teeters between a disgust for the freakish, a genuine respect for the freakish, and exploitation of the freakish. It’s a strange, strange movie. And one of the scariest horror movies I’ve seen in a while. That Divine reminds me of John Wayne Gacy will only amplify my impending nightmares.

Star Trek — Prior to catching J.J. Abrams reboot of the classic TV & movie series last summer, I hadn’t been much of a Star Trek fan. I’d watched Deep Space Nine for a season or so. But other than that, I’d only seen a handful of episodes and if I’d seen any of the movies, then I sure didn’t remember them. But I went into this reboot with a basic understanding of what was going on in the Star Trek world, as well as some of the most famous character behaviors and lines of dialogue. And to be honest, I wasn’t all that excited about going into this movie last summer. I had never got excited about Star Trek before, how was this going to be any different?

But I have to say after catching it again, I really like it. It’s just a wonderful movie to pop into the Blu-ray player and have fun with. One of the better blockbuster/popcorn movies we’ve seen in the last several years. I think it looks dazzling. Sure, there are just way too many lens flares. But the movie just looks really good to me. The integration of sets and special effects and make-up actually impressed the hell out of me. Sure it’s a big budget film. But I was still impressed.

The story is a bit convoluted at times. The way they get around the reboot through an alternative reality is somewhat clever. But somehow the script remains fairly strong. As far as performances, I believe I had somewhat dismissed Chris Pine the first time around. But upon this viewing, I found his performance to be quite impressive. He gives us a little bit of the original Kirk while still bringing his own stuff to it. I think the rest of the cast fills out strongly. This might just have to be one that I add to my Blu-ray collection.

Michael Winterbottom’s The Killer Inside Me, shot mostly in Oklahoma, was still shooting during last year’s deadCENTER festival. In my mind, the movie is intimately linked to the local film festival. We got our pictures taken with the “Alba Shark.” We saw them shooting a scene downtown. We caught glimpses of Simon Baker and Jessica Alba at a local lounge. I saw Casey Affleck heading to Bricktown as I checked out of the Colcord. Many locals were extras or helped out with the crew. It was a legitimate film, with a legitimate director, being filmed in Oklahoma during the best film festival in the state. So part of me was a little disappointed that it didn’t screen during this year’s festival. Sure, it probably wouldn’t have been the best movie to screen outdoors for the public. But it would’ve been an excellent addition to an already impressive 10th festival.

The Killer Inside Me Films in OKC

Michael Winterbottom is always a bit of a surprise. He seems to fly under the radar. Perhaps it’s the variety of his projects–the way he bounces around from genre to genre, from tone to tone, from mood to mood. But he’s certainly underappreciated. Most people will know him from A Mighty Heart. But, he’s done so much more. He did Jude, Welcome to Sarajevo, 24 Hour Party People, Tristam Shandy, and now The Killer Inside Me. In addition he’s managed to make a documentary based on a Naomi Klein book and a movie that has gained some notoriety because of its unsimulated sex.

I think he does fine work once again with The Killer Inside Me. Based on the pulp crime novel by Oklahoma born Jim Thompson, the film follows the exploits of Sheriff Lou Ford (Affleck) as he navigates his own slippery grip with psychopathy. All of the ingredients of hard-boiled fiction are present. There are unflinching takes on violence and sex. There are twists and turns and double-crosses. It certainly puts the dark back into noir. And for the cherry on top, an ample dose of Freud takes a stab at explanation.

The film is brutal. With seemingly little reason for doing so, Lou turn’s the beautiful face of prostitute Joyce Lakewood (Alba) into something resembling cube steak. It’s brutal. And frustrating. Freud stutters with a reason for this behavior. But whether the Freudian explanation is for Lou or for us remains unclear. Do we even care if violence (or sexual dysfunction) has a cause? Does it matter where the root lies? Or is it enough that it exists?

The violence of the film is also brutal because it comes from Lou’s perspective. To him, the women he loves somehow want this violence inflicted on them. They don’t put their hands up to block punches. For Lou, it is their sexual desire fulfilled.

Why the film offers potential paths toward explanations (e.g. the Freud books on Lou’s bookshelf, the babysitter, the back seat of the car, etc.), it doesn’t provide definitive answers. Perhaps Lou’s past has acted as a compass, directing him down his present path, but he is still very much guiding his own ship.

Casey Affleck impresses once again, playing a psychopathic version of The Coward Robert Ford. He keeps getting better and better. Kate Hudson just makes me long for Almost Famous with the hope that she can rekindle that fire at some point in a future project. Ned Beatty is great as usual. But I’m still not convinced that Alba can really act. She’s a pretty face who delivers some clunky lines. Luckily, a doormat is what the script called for so it’s not as if it’s bad casting. I want to like her as an actor. The shark posters she plastered all over the city last year actually kind of made me like her.

Mostly, I’m just glad that a major film from a credible director was made right here in the Great State of Oklahoma. I hope there is much more that links Hollywood with Oklahoma into the future.