The Filmcake

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.