Monthly Archives: January 2012

Movie Mini-Reviews: Assault on Precinct 13, Senna, Magic Trip, The Help

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Another batch of mini-reviews to wrap up the month of January:

Assault on Precinct 13 [1976, Carpenter]
Assault on Precinct 13 [1976, Carpenter]
I did a mini-John Carpenter marathon this month, and Assault on Precinct 13 was my favorite of the group. This gritty 70s action movie is indebted equally to westerns and Night of the Living Dead. While the story is pencil thin, the battle that pits the understaffed precinct against a seemingly endless supply of gangsters is a blast to watch. With no one else to turn to, Lt. Bishop (Austin Stoker) forms an unlikely partnership with convicted killer Napoleon Wilson (Darwin Joston) as they are boarded up inside the precinct. A shocking moment during the first quarter of the movie quickly showed that this was going to be a no holds barred affair. This movie is worthy of its cult following, and it is one of Carpenter’s best. 9/10

Senna [2010, Kapadia]
Senna [2010, Kapadia]
Moving documentary about an F1 racer who I knew little about before watching. Ayrton Senna is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers of all time, and he remains a hero to his native Brazil. His life was cut tragically short after crashing during a 1994 race. The documentary, which is masterfully pieced together, shows his rise to the top of the racing world. By the end, I was holding back tears even though I knew the outcome. Although I wish more details would have been provided about his life outside of racing, this is still a great documentary, and it is one that is accessible to non-racing fans as well. 8/10

Magic Trip [2011, Ellwood & Gibney]
Magic Trip [2011, Ellwood & Gibney]
I have always found both the Beat Generation and the 1960s counterculture scene to be fascinating, so this little-known documentary caught my eye. Magic Trip is essentially a collection of found footage of author Ken Kesey (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and his group of Merry Pranksters on their acid-fueled road trip across the country. There are some amazing clips shown in this feature, including an audio recording of Kesey’s U.S. Government-performed acid experiment, but the documentary definitely has a “home movie” feel to it. There is also the burden of some terrible voiceover narration from some of the original Pranksters, particularly one woman who talks in an irritatingly dramatic raspy whisper. If you have any interest in the era, this is worth seeing, warts and all. 7/10

The Help [2011, Taylor]
The Help [2011, Taylor]
The very definition of Oscar bait. The Help is well made, but everything is dumbed down for the audience. If you ever get confused as to what’s going on, don’t fret because it will be explained by one of the characters immediately. Speaking of the characters, every single one of them is a stereotype of some sort. Many of the top names (especially Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer) do an excellent job with the weak material, and they keep this from being a total waste of time. Do I even need to mention that white people save the day? Not a bad film, just a frustrating one. 6/10

Movie Mini-Reviews: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Slacker, Sin Nombre, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

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I didn’t get a chance to do full reviews of these movies, but I wanted to share my thoughts in “mini-review” form. My movie watching has been all over the place this month, but this particular batch is a pretty good one.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [1969, Hill]
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [1969, Hill]
This Newman/Redford collaboration rides heavily on their impeccable chemistry, with pleasing results. One of the original “buddy” movies, this follows the famous outlaws on the run to Bolivia after a train robbery goes wrong. Cheesy montages aside, this still holds up well today mainly due to the witty banter from the main characters. The legendary freeze-frame closing shot is a perfect cap to a fun ride. 8/10

Slacker [1991, Linklater]
Slacker [1991, Linklater]
The ultimate movie about nothing. Set in early 90s Austin, Texas, Slacker is presented as a series of vignettes and does not follow one character for more than a few minutes before moving onto someone else. Essentially a cast of local musicians and burnouts, the characters talk about anything and everything but have a penchant for the weird. The movie’s most famous scene shows a girl excitedly trying to sell a Madonna pap smear. Another follows around a conspiracy nutjob who rants and raves about aliens and trips to the moon. This is very much a love it or hate it type film, and I fall in the former category. 9/10

Sin Nombre [2009, Fukunaga]
Sin Nombre [2009, Fukunaga]
A young man goes on the run from a Central American gang that is looking to retaliate for the death of one of its leaders. Director Cary Fukunaga spent two years researching this film by staying with real gang members in order to make this as authentic as possible. At times, the movie does indeed feel like a documentary, with the end result being a very moving experience. The story is a familiar one, and is predictable as a result, but this is a very well-made movie that deserves a bigger audience. 8/10

Rise of the Planet of the Apes [2011, Wyatt]
Rise of the Planet of the Apes [2011, Wyatt]
A summer blockbuster that turned out better than anyone could have imagined. James Franco and Andy Serkis (as Caesar, a chimpanzee) are great in their roles, particularly Serkis, who has been the recipient of multiple petitions to get him recognized during this awards season. More character depth for some of the supporting cast (particularly John Lithgow as Franco’s Alzheimer’s-suffering father) would have been nice, but the CGI is top-notch and the characters are easy to like. A strong reboot of the typically lackluster Apes franchise. 8/10

What do you guys think? Have you seen any of these movies?

Poll Results: What is your personal favorite from Eric’s Top 10 Movies From 2011?

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End of the year lists are always fun to create and discuss with others, so I was curious to see what YOU thought was the best movie from my top 10. It turns out that… you agree! Drive was your top choice as well. Very cool, but I can’t say I am too surprised — Drive has been getting a lot of love in the blogging world (though that did not translate to the Oscars, unfortunately). I think the biggest surprises here are seeing I Saw the Devil get a couple of votes (nice!), and no love for Shame at all (ouch).

Drive [2011]

THE RESULTS:
- Drive: 8 votes
- Hugo: 5 votes
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 5 votes
- 50/50: 3 votes
- I Saw the Devil: 2 votes
- 13 Assassins: 1 vote
- Attack the Block: 1 vote
- Shame: 0 votes
- The Ides of March: 0 votes

Thanks for voting!

Blogging Community Highlights: 1/21 to 1/27

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Happy Friday everyone! I am working on some new material, some of which may be posted over the weekend, but first I wanted to share with you some of my favorite posts from this past week.

  • Dan over at Public Transportation Snob is throwing an Oscar prediction contest, and all are welcome to join. There’s even a small prize for the winner.

  • John’s Fake Criterion Covers over at The Droid You’re Looking For are always a treat, and his latest collection focuses on the Coen Brothers.

  • PG Cooper delivered his list of the Top 20 Batman: The Animated Series episodes. I just started watching the show myself, and it will be fun to compare.

  • Funk’s House of Geekery shared a list of the Top 5 Gaming Sandboxes.

  • Bonjour Tristesse shared some thoughts on The Future, Miranda July’s latest film.

  • Shane from Shane’s Visual Cues shared his top five least favorite films from 2011. There were a lot of bad movies last year, weren’t there?

  • Hot Dogs in the Dark wrote about The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence), the sequel to one of the most controversial horror films of all time.

  • Jsick from SlickGaming posted a video review of Tetris: The Card Game. Yeah, I didn’t know it existed either, but it sounds pretty cool.

  • John from My Brain on Games wrote about Jupiter Strike, a VERY early Playstation shoot ‘em up that is set in space. Spoiler: he didn’t like it.

    • Have a great weekend!

The Movie Project, Part Two: The Final Lineup

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After much thought and deliberation, I have decided to expand this year’s Movie Project to a full 50 films, just like last year. It was hard to narrow down my proposed list to just 50, but I am feeling pretty good about this year’s batch. I kept most of the suggestions from my initial announcement, and I added several films that I have been wanting to see for a long time. I tried to incorporate a good mix of genres from all eras, and I included a few films from trilogies that I have not yet completed (Dollars, Indiana Jones, Vengeance). I am eager to get this project started, so be on the lookout for the first post sometime soon.

The Final List:

Metropolis [1927, Fritz Lang]
M [1931, Fritz Lang]
Modern Times [1936, Charlie Chaplin]
The Philadelphia Story [1940, George Cukor]
Gilda [1946, Charles Vidor]
Notorious [1946, Alfred Hitchcock]
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre [1948, John Huston]
All About Eve [1950, Joseph L. Mankiewicz]
Singin’ in the Rain [1952, Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly]
On the Waterfront [1954, Elia Kazan]
The Searchers [1956, John Ford]
Paths of Glory [1957, Stanley Kubrick]
Touch of Evil [1958, Orson Welles]
Shadows [1959, John Cassavetes]
Some Like It Hot [1959, Billy Wilder]
Lawrence of Arabia [1962, David Lean]
To Kill a Mockingbird [1962, Robert Mulligan]
A Fistful of Dollars [1964, Sergio Leone]
For a Few Dollars More [1965, Sergio Leone]
The Wild Bunch [1969, Sam Peckinpah]
The Last Picture Show [1971, Peter Bogdanovich]
Vanishing Point [1971, Richard C. Sarafian]
Aguirre: The Wrath of God [1972, Werner Herzog]
Pink Flamingos [1972, John Waters]
Coffy [1973, Jack Hill]
Enter the Dragon [1973, Robert Clouse]
The Sting [1973, George Roy Hill]
Rocky [1976, John G. Avildsen]
The Blues Brothers [1980, John Landis]
Blow Out [1981, Brian De Palma]
Paris, Texas [1984, Wim Wenders]
Blue Velvet [1986, David Lynch]
The Fly [1986, David Cronenberg]
Cinema Paradiso [1988, Giuseppe Tornatore]
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade [1989, Steven Spielberg]
The Nightmare Before Christmas [1993, Henry Selick]
Dead Man [1995, Jim Jarmusch]
Ringu [1998, Hideo Nakata]
Rushmore [1998, Wes Anderson]
The Truman Show [1998, Peter Weir]
All About My Mother [1999, Pedro Almodóvar]
O Brother, Where Art Thou? [2000, Coen Brothers]
The Bourne Identity [2002, Doug Liman]
Chicago [2002, Rob Marshall]
The Pianist [2002, Roman Polanski]
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang [2005, Shane Black]
Lady Vengeance [2005, Chan-wook Park]
Casino Royale [2006, Martin Campbell]
The Lives of Others [2006, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck]
Into the Wild [2007, Sean Penn]

So, what do you guys think? Are any of your favorite movies listed? Are there any films in particular that I should see first?

Silent Film Review: Battleship Potemkin [1925]

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Battleship Potemkin [1925]

Battleship Potemkin [1925]
Director: Sergei Eisenstein
Genre: Drama/History/War
Starring: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov
Runtime: 75 Minutes

This review contains spoilers of an 87 year old film.

One of the most powerful propaganda films ever created, and one that could still light a fire under the right audience even today.

Sergei Eisenstein’s second feature film focuses on the (very real) mutiny that occurred in 1905 aboard the Russian battleship Potemkin. Tired of poor working conditions and general disrespect, the ship’s crew reaches a breaking point when they are told to eat rotten meat that is crawling with maggots. The captain, in an attempt to dispel the outrage, orders those who refused to eat the food to be shot and killed underneath a tarpaulin. However, one crew member, Vakulinchu (Antonov), speaks up right before the guns are set to fire and appeals to his squadmates to ignore the orders. They agree, and a massive battle transpires, resulting in the deaths of multiple officers as well as Vakulinchuk. The Potemkin, now in control of the crew, sails to the port of Odessa where Vakulinchuk’s body is put on display, making him something of a martyr to the townspeople.

Battleship Potemkin [1925]

The revolution is underway. As more and more civilians flock to the harbor to see the body, many remain on the large flight of stairs overlooking the water. At this point, the Tsarist regime has noticed the giant gathering and begins to march in their direction, firing at anyone and anything in their paths. Men, women and even children are murdered in a disgustingly barbaric display of violence. The Potemkin fires back at known military locations, but it is too late: countless lives have already been needlessly lost.

Fearing an attack from the shore, the battleship leaves the area only to find a squadron of warships waiting to retake the Potemkin. A tense series of moments occurs as both sides prepare for war, but at the last possible second the battleship is allowed to pass through, and the Soviet brothers wave their hats in friendship. It seems brotherhood has prevailed over politics, at least in this instance.

Battleship Potemkin [1925]

There is no denying the power of Battleship Potemkin. Eisenstein expertly portrays the Tsarist regime as pure evil, especially in the legendary Odessa Steps scene. This display of brutality was unheard of in 1920s cinema, and I looked on in horror as innocent women and children were mindlessly murdered on screen. Who wants to see that? These images are blunt and forceful, and bound to stir up powerful feelings from any viewer.

While the 1905 mutiny really happened, the aforementioned massacre did not. Eisenstein clearly took some liberties with the movie, inserting the violence for dramatic effect. He wanted to hammer the point home, and he easily accomplished this goal.

Propaganda aside, Battleship Potemkin is a fascinating piece of cinematic history. The film shows both the positive and negative sides of a revolution, and it is a perfect demonstration of just how powerful the medium of film can be.

Battleship Potemkin can be viewed in its entirety for free on YouTube.

Video Game Review: Marvel Pinball [PS3, 2010]

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Marvel Pinball [PS3, 2010]

Marvel Pinball
System: Playstation 3 (Xbox 360, iOS, Android, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PC)
Genre: Pinball
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Zen Studios
Release Date: December 14, 2010

Last month’s free game for Playstation Plus users was Marvel Pinball, an attempt to capture the Marvel comic book world into video game pinball form. The main package comes with four unique tables, and includes the option to purchase more if desired.

The tables are based on four of the most popular Marvel characters: Wolverine, Spiderman, Iron Man and Blade. Each character’s table has its own quirks and features, as well as its own theme to separate it from the rest. Every hero appears in their table, and enemies pop up to wreak havoc as well. Between the villains talking trash and changing the table’s dynamics to the pinball flying wildly to well-concealed areas of the board, there is a lot going on at any given time.

In fact, this can be too much of a burden on occasion. As the characters wander about and tweak the elements, it can sometimes be difficult to see where the ball is actually going. The tables look cool as hell, and I like the fact that they are so well-designed, but a greater emphasis should have been placed on making sure everything was clear.

Marvel Pinball [PS3, 2010]

That’s not to say that the game plays out poorly. The table physics are outstanding, and it feels like a real pinball game would. Hell, there is even an option where you can tilt the PS3 controller to shake the table in the game! The amount of detail that Zen Studios put into this game is remarkable.

Even though it can be hard to keep track of the ball from time to time, Marvel Pinball can get pretty addicting. I wasn’t expecting much from this title, but there were times where I found myself playing for hours just to see if I could beat the scores of my friends. The leaderboards are great in this regard, and there are options to play head-to-head and online if you would rather go that route.

Naturally, fans of the Marvel universe and/or pinball games will get the most out of this, but it won’t be hard for casual gamers to get hooked as well. Marvel Pinball is a solid little timewaster, and a good appetizer in between major games.

7.5/10

Blogging Community Highlights: 1/14 to 1/20

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It’s time for another end-of-the-week wrap-up with this collection of Blogging Community Highlights! We have a pretty good selection of reviews and lists this week, and even an ongoing movie awards event to vote on.

  • Be sure to vote in The Focused Filmographer’s second annual Red Web Awards! The polls close on Sunday night, and there are a lot of close calls.

  • Mike & Tom from Front Room Cinema compiled personal top five lists of their favorite Studio Ghibli films.

  • Nostra at My Filmviews added a new entry to his terrific “The Many Faces of…” feature by taking a look at Robert De Niro’s legendary career.

  • Ruth from FlixChatter asked a very good question: “Whatever happened to the planned Martin Luther King Jr biopics?“

  • Sam from Duke & The Movies shared his thoughts on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a movie I am really looking forward to seeing.

  • Kevyn at Anomalous Material listed the 10 Most Heinous Oscar Snubs — a list that is already provoking a great discussion.

  • Max from Impassionedcinema selected 50/50 as an Editor’s Choice pick, which also happens to be one of my favorite movies from 2011.

  • Matt & the Art of Motion Pictures wrote about one of last year’s most overlooked movies, Win Win.

  • Dan from Dan the Man’s Movie Reviews has been writing about many recent theatrical releases, including Mark Wahlberg’s Contraband.

How about you guys? Did any of these articles catch your eye? Do you have anything else to recommend?

Movie Review: The Artist [2011]

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The Artist [2011]

The Artist [2011]
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Genre: Comedy/Romance/Drama
Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman
Runtime: 100 Minutes

Of all the films generating Oscar buzz right now, The Artist is most intriguing. It is not often a silent movie is made in this day and age, and perhaps this novelty is its greatest appeal. This is a sparkling homage that revels in its silent nature, even opting to break out of past molds and play with the dynamics a little.

The year is 1927. Silent film star George Valentin (Dujardin) is on top of the world as one of the biggest names in the business. His partnership with studio boss Al Zimmer (Goodman) has resulted in a great deal of success, and the two seem in for a lucrative future.

Fast forward to two years later. Zimmer announces the end of production of silent films, claiming that “talkies” are the future of the business. Valentin calls this transition a fad, and opts to produce and direct his own silent film. This doesn’t go well, and another series of unfortunate events leads to Valentin hitting rock bottom.

The Artist [2011]

Meanwhile, young up-and-comer Peppy Miller (Bejo), an acquaintance of Valentin’s, is taking advantage of the new medium and has become a star in her own right. The two have an interesting history — it was Valentin who “made” her trademark mole so she would stand out from other aspiring actresses. There is a clear connection between them, and they continue to cross each other’s paths from time to time (sometimes conveniently when they need each other most).

There are some pretty heavy moments in The Artist, particularly when Valentin is alone and wallowing in his own self pity. However, when he and Miller are on screen together, the movie becomes electric. Their chemistry is terrific, and Dujardin and Bejo are both so much fun to watch. Dujardin, in particular, seems like he could have been a silent film star himself. His natural charisma translates very well to the movie’s classic setting.

The Artist is a real crowd pleaser, and it’s easy to see why it is blowing up the awards circuit right now. There are just so many enjoyable aspects of the movie — the charming little dog Uggie who brings laughter to a few scenes, the strategically wonderful use of vocals on rare occasions, the frequent nods to cinematic classics — that it’s hard not to fall in love with The Artist. This is a movie that even those ignorant of silent or black-and-white films can appreciate.

9/10

Video Game DLC Review: Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare [Xbox 360, 2010]

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Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare [Xbox 360, 2010]

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
System: Xbox 360 (also on PS3)
Genre: Third-person shooter
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar San Diego
Release Date: November 22, 2010

Whoever came up with the idea for Undead Nightmare deserves a pat on the back. Inserting zombies into the wild western world of Red Dead Redemption? That is a stroke of genius, my friends.

What makes Undead Nightmare so great is that it isn’t just a killer concept — this is premium downloadable content. For a mere $9.99, you get access to a lengthy single player campaign (approx. 10 hours to get 100% completion) as well as two new multiplayer modes. That’s more than some full-priced retail games offer! Expansion packs don’t get much better than this.

Reformed outlaw John Marston is once again the main protagonist, and this time he is out to find a cure for the terrifying new plague that is sweeping the land, all so he can get his wife and child back to normal. The entire Wild West is being overrun with zombies, with the undead rising from their graves all over the area.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare [Xbox 360, 2010]

The plague hasn’t just infected humans. It has spread to animals, too, even in John’s preferred method of transportation: horses. I was horrified (yet also amused) when I whistled for a horse, only to have one arrive with half of its face missing. It must also be stated that you don’t know fear until you are attacked out of nowhere by a zombie bear.

Rockstar didn’t just include zombie animals, they also opted to entertain by introducing mythical creatures to the game. Now you can randomly come across chupacabras, sasquatches and unicorns. It’s pretty clear that the developers had a damn good time making this DLC.

As stated earlier, the single player campaign can last a good ten hours or so to finish completely. Aside from the main storyline that brings back some old favorite characters, there are also side quests and random encounters with loners out in the wilderness. Perhaps most fun are the objectives where you can clear out a whole town’s mess of zombies and let them live in peace, albeit most likely for just a few days. This brings a sense of heroism to John’s meandering adventure.

Fans of Red Dead Redemption’s multiplayer will be pleased with Undead Nightmare’s two new modes: Land Grab and Undead Overrun. The former is a free roam feature in which you attempt to hold onto a piece of territory for a certain amount of time, all while fighting off any attackers. The latter mode is my personal favorite, as it is basically a Horde mode against increasingly difficult waves of zombies. Even with a good group of players, this mode can get pretty damn crazy. There were times when I was the last survivor and had to run for my life against a seemingly endless onslaught of zombies. It beats the hell out of Call of Duty’s Nazi Zombies feature, that’s for sure.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare [Xbox 360, 2010]

While Undead Nightmare offers an impressive amount of content, it isn’t quite perfect. I ran into some weird glitches, including one particular annoying bug in which I had cleared out the zombies in a town except for one that remained somehow stuck in the walls of a building. I couldn’t get to the bastard, so I had to restart at the last checkpoint and save the town again. Not a huge deal, but an inconvenience nonetheless.

Glitches be damned, this is still a fantastic expansion for those looking to continue the wonderful Red Dead Redemption experience. It is a shame that more developers do not create such engrossing DLC as Undead Nightmare, as this really is one of the best that I have come across. Every now and then this expansion goes on sale for $5, but even at its $9.99 price it is more than worth purchasing.

9/10