The Filmcake

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.