Sunday, January 27, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Weekend in Hollywood
We woke up, bought groceries and made a trip to the Amoeba on Sunset. I found some great lasers: Pulp Fiction, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lawrence of Arabia (all three on hard to find Criterion Collection CAV discs), Psycho (on Universal's Signature Series, another rare one) and a great compilation of Ed Wood films containing Plan 9 from Outerspace, Jail Bait, and Night of the Ghouls. In total they added up to $23.77 because the cashier forgot to charge me the $3.99 for the Ed Wood compilation. Or maybe she didn't, either way should you really have to pay to see some Ed Wood films? I had $14 is store credit from some DVDs I sold back a few weeks ago in Berkeley. That brought the cost to $9.77 for seven films, about $1.40 each from an original $3.40, which I still would have paid. Excluding the Ed Wood compilation, the packaging and special features on the rest of the lasers are great and not available on DVD.
In order to avoid traffic for the afternoon commute, we decided to watch No Country For Old Men again. I feel the same about it; it is a well made film but I'm not impressed with it at all. Not once was I emotionally engaged with the story or characters. This year presented a far superior film of a murderer, the police pursuit to catch him, the surrounding community, and the lives of those left affected. It is a shame that Zodiac has received no recognition. In general I favor the Coen Brothers over Fincher, but for these two individual films competing for accolades in the same year, and when the scale has tipped so heavily in favor of No Country, I have to side with Zodiac. It is sadly, the forgotten great film of 2007. Every year has one.
Afterwards we went to the LACMA to see Thelma Schoonmaker present Michael Powell's Bluebeard's Castle followed by Powell and Pressburger's The Tales of Hoffmann. I was really in awe to see Schoonmaker in person, she's played a huge creative role behind some of my most favorite films. These were the first Powell film's I've seen, a privelege since Bluebeard's Castle has never been screened publicly in the U.S. I was very impressed with The Tales of Hoffmann, but I can't say that I loved both films. I look forward to exploring other film's by Powell and Pressburger. I own Peeping Tom and Judy has 49th Parallel and The Red Shoes. Schoonmaker said that Powell and Pressburger's The Thief of Bagdad will be released soon on Criterion. Her announcement was complimented with a new post at On Five discussing the transfer of Thief that I discovered when I got home.
In order to avoid traffic for the afternoon commute, we decided to watch No Country For Old Men again. I feel the same about it; it is a well made film but I'm not impressed with it at all. Not once was I emotionally engaged with the story or characters. This year presented a far superior film of a murderer, the police pursuit to catch him, the surrounding community, and the lives of those left affected. It is a shame that Zodiac has received no recognition. In general I favor the Coen Brothers over Fincher, but for these two individual films competing for accolades in the same year, and when the scale has tipped so heavily in favor of No Country, I have to side with Zodiac. It is sadly, the forgotten great film of 2007. Every year has one.
Afterwards we went to the LACMA to see Thelma Schoonmaker present Michael Powell's Bluebeard's Castle followed by Powell and Pressburger's The Tales of Hoffmann. I was really in awe to see Schoonmaker in person, she's played a huge creative role behind some of my most favorite films. These were the first Powell film's I've seen, a privelege since Bluebeard's Castle has never been screened publicly in the U.S. I was very impressed with The Tales of Hoffmann, but I can't say that I loved both films. I look forward to exploring other film's by Powell and Pressburger. I own Peeping Tom and Judy has 49th Parallel and The Red Shoes. Schoonmaker said that Powell and Pressburger's The Thief of Bagdad will be released soon on Criterion. Her announcement was complimented with a new post at On Five discussing the transfer of Thief that I discovered when I got home.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Prediction
Not until the last years of college, and fairly recently, did I believe there could be films that would connect with me as strongly as the ones I watched when I was younger. I felt confident and stubbornly defensive in the films I claimed to be my own little niche. This all changed when I saw the works of Tran Anh Hung and more than ever I'm excited to explore more filmmakers. It was a long, rewarding wait to see There Will Be Blood because, for me, it was a return to the excited 13 year old who was just discovering the beauty of this medium. And now another wait begins and until then I'm eager to see what new works are yet to be discovered; but I assure everyone that the best film of 2008 will be Je Vien Avec la Pluie (I Come With the Rain).
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Almendros
The second Great Moments article, titled Nestor Almendros: The International Cineaste, covers the renowned cinematographer's visit to the 1986 San Francisco International Film Festival. I worked a long time on this one and it never really came together (I prefer the Lancaster article). I'm still not satisfied with it but it's an informative piece on a great collaborator who spent a lifetime devoted to cinema.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Best Films of 2007
1.There Will Be Blood (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) The year's best film spawned the year's best piece of film criticism: An American Primitive, Forged in a Crucible of Blood and Oil by New York Times writer Manohla Dargis. Don't read it until you see the film.
2. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (dir. Cristian Mungiu)
3. Zodiac (dir. David Fincher) The extended Director's Cut will be released Jan 8.
4. Atonement (dir. Joe Wright) Wright is my favorite new filmmaker. He merges traditional British filmmaking with the energy of the French New Wave. Atonement is an extraordinary film.
5. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (dir. Julian Schnabel)
6. Control (dir. Anton Corbijn)
7. Hana (dir. Hirokazu Koreeda) This film is a bit of a cheat since it has not been released theatrically in the U.S. If it were, it would be the year's best and most beautiful comedy. An amazing tribute to the films of Kurosawa and Mizoguchi.
8. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (dir. Sidney Lumet) A modern day Greek tragedy by one of America's greatest filmmakers.
9. The Way I Spent the End of The World (dir. Catalin Mitulescu) Another astonishing piece of Romanian filmmaking. Another cheat since it has not been released theatrically in the U.S.
10. Grindhouse (dir. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez)
11. No Country For Old Men (dir. Coen Bros)
12. American Gangster (dir. Ridley Scott)
13. I'm Not There (dir. Todd Haynes)
14. Charlie Wilson's War (dir. Mike Nichols)
15. Eastern Promises (dir. David Cronenberg)
16. The Bourne Ultimatum (dir. Paul Greengrass)
17. Boarding Gate (dir. Olivier Assayas) Not yet released in the U.S.
18. Blind Mountain (dir. Yang Li) Not yet released in the U.S.
19. Jar City (dir. Baltasar Kormakur) Not yet released in the U.S.
20. No End in Sight (dir. Charles Ferguson)
21. The Darjeeling Limited (dir. Wes Anderson)
22. Silent Light (dir. Carlos Reygadas)
23. Lust, Caution (dir. Ang Lee)
Need to See:
Paranoid Park
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Gone Baby Gone
Michael Clayton
The Kite Runner
Rendition
Sweeny Todd
The Savages
Margot at the Wedding
Juno
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Sunshine
Syndromes and a Century
Colossal Youth
Once
The Host
2. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (dir. Cristian Mungiu)
3. Zodiac (dir. David Fincher) The extended Director's Cut will be released Jan 8.
4. Atonement (dir. Joe Wright) Wright is my favorite new filmmaker. He merges traditional British filmmaking with the energy of the French New Wave. Atonement is an extraordinary film.
5. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (dir. Julian Schnabel)
6. Control (dir. Anton Corbijn)
7. Hana (dir. Hirokazu Koreeda) This film is a bit of a cheat since it has not been released theatrically in the U.S. If it were, it would be the year's best and most beautiful comedy. An amazing tribute to the films of Kurosawa and Mizoguchi.
8. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (dir. Sidney Lumet) A modern day Greek tragedy by one of America's greatest filmmakers.
9. The Way I Spent the End of The World (dir. Catalin Mitulescu) Another astonishing piece of Romanian filmmaking. Another cheat since it has not been released theatrically in the U.S.
10. Grindhouse (dir. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez)
11. No Country For Old Men (dir. Coen Bros)
12. American Gangster (dir. Ridley Scott)
13. I'm Not There (dir. Todd Haynes)
14. Charlie Wilson's War (dir. Mike Nichols)
15. Eastern Promises (dir. David Cronenberg)
16. The Bourne Ultimatum (dir. Paul Greengrass)
17. Boarding Gate (dir. Olivier Assayas) Not yet released in the U.S.
18. Blind Mountain (dir. Yang Li) Not yet released in the U.S.
19. Jar City (dir. Baltasar Kormakur) Not yet released in the U.S.
20. No End in Sight (dir. Charles Ferguson)
21. The Darjeeling Limited (dir. Wes Anderson)
22. Silent Light (dir. Carlos Reygadas)
23. Lust, Caution (dir. Ang Lee)
Need to See:
Paranoid Park
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Gone Baby Gone
Michael Clayton
The Kite Runner
Rendition
Sweeny Todd
The Savages
Margot at the Wedding
Juno
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Sunshine
Syndromes and a Century
Colossal Youth
Once
The Host
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