Movies

From Loews (via Drudge):

Loews Cineplex today announced that it will begin publicizing the start times of feature presentations. Beginning with the Company’s locations in Connecticut on May 13, Loews movie listings will note that the feature presentation will start 10 to 15 minutes after the published showtime. The Company expects to begin including this added information in all markets nationwide over the next month. Loews anticipates that patrons will continue to arrive prior to showtime to visit the concession stand and select their seats.

I like watching the trailers and previews because I love movies, but there have been occassions when I have watched so many movies that by the time the movie starts I have forgotten what exactly I came to see.

Now, if Loews institutes a policy that makes it permissible for me to shoot chattering teens, whining babies, people who chew their popcorn with their mouth open (CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH) and the tall person who invariably sits right in front of me, I will be a customer for life.

A Novel IdeaPost + Comments (7)

I was wondering if any of you had some suggestions regarding Asian cinema. All I have ever seen are the mainstays, including:

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
House of Flying Daggers
Hero
Warriors of Heaven and Earth
Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle

I liked all of them. I tried to watch the Master Swordsman, but that was awful- it was like an Asian A-Team.

Any suggestions?

I should probably add that of all the ones I listed above, my favorite, by a boatload, was Gojoe. Keep that in mind when you make suggestions.

Asian CinemaPost + Comments (40)

Just saw House of Flying Daggers, and thought it was pretty damned good. Two thumbs up.

What an excellent use of sound, and the colors were just amazing.

Movie BloggingPost + Comments

Apparently the lies in Fahrenheit 9/11 were not enough, and Michael Moore had to tell lies ABOUT the movie’s popularity:

As publicity for Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore himself could not have written better stories. And he did seem to write some of them.

Lies Michael Moore Told MePost + Comments (26)

If you take the threat of radical Islamist terrorism seriously (who doesn’t?), then the movie “Dirty War” will scare the living hell out of you.

The movie is, according to the website, fiction that was “based on factual research by BBC Current Affairs.” I watched it last night, and man, does it present some frightening scenarios, as well as really capturing the chaos should a dirty bomb be set off in a metropolitan area.

I understand that there is some discussion about whether dirty bombs are possible- I would choose to err on the side of caution. After watching this movie, I have some real questions about the preparedness of the Department of Homeland Security. Can we ever really be prepared?

A Real Eye OpenerPost + Comments (5)

So much for me being a film critic. I hated Mulholland Drive.

Two plus hours of masturbation, lesbianism, detached dream sequences and film noir that makes an incoherent jumble of an utterly incomprehensible and unpenetrable movie. To be fair (and honest about what a pig I am), the lesbianism was the high point of the movie.

The only somewhat coherent explanation is that this was a two part dream sequence- which is a pretty lame tool any lesser skilled director could employ with much greater effect. That the movies clues are so obscure and disjointed doesn’t make the film good- it just shows Lynch is trying so damn hard to be ‘different’ that he can’t even use a cheap apparatus like a dream sequence with any reasonable success.

If I were Ebert or Roper, I wouldn’t give this a thumbs down. I would give it the finger. And I generally like David Lynch.

This was a serious mess, despite Naomi Watt’s talented performance. If I had paid for this in a theatre, I would be demaning a refund and an explanation why I should ever invest my money and time in another Lynch movie.

And don’t tell me I didn’t get the movie. At some point, it is ok to say that some art isn’t simply ‘beyond’ the average viewer. Some art is, quite simply, crap. This is example one in an exhibit of obtuse bullshit. I am with this Amazon reviewer:

Terrible… In fact its beyond terrible. I would give it negative stars if i could. I want those two hours of my life back. This clown had an opportunity to make a potentially good film but bombed it by trying to be clever. Its only redeeming factor was the Naomi Watts nudity. Beyond that, this film is a complete waste of time. Anyone who thought this was good needs their head examined. And go shove your snooty “your not smart enough to appreciate it” attitude. I got it. It didnt need to be so compicated, that was what made it bad. This guy went out of his way to be difficult so he could come off as “brilliant”. You know, if i drive ten miles out of my way to go to my next door neighbors house, its considered idiocy for my waste of time, resources, and energy. In fact, id probably get whacked upside the head by any reasonable-thinking person for doing something so pointless. That is the same for this film. We only have so much time on this earth, you shouldnt waste it watching this movie. Go watch paint dry instead.

Mulholland DrivePost + Comments (6)

Maybe it is my inner geek speaking, but Donnie Darko may be one of my favorite movies of all time, and I just saw it tonight for the first time.

There was one scene in particular, that, to me at least, was everything right about movie making. I don’t even know what the terminology for this technique is, but at around 16 minutes, when Donnie jumps out of the bus, and Tears for Fears Head over Heels starts, the entire scene travelling through the school was masterful. There was no dialogue, but you saw a great number of different people in their own lives, and you knew who they were, what they were feeling. You just got it. At least I did. What a way to set the stage for a movie about the corruption of time travel and abstract perceptions of reality- by showing the inconsequential actions of numerous people all happening at the same time.

Can’t wait to watch it again.

And before the obligatory snobs come and tell me that this isn’t a new idea- I have seen 12 Monkeys. I own Memento. I own Jacob’s Ladder. I have read An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge. This was better.

*** Update ***

Apparently I have an eye for something. In the comments section, Jim points out the scene I discussed is called a ‘tracking shot,’ and I am not the only one who ‘got it:’

The film’s cinematic signature, one which will probably be studied in film schools for years to come, is a long tracking shot following Donnie through the school’s hallway, featuring speeded-up and slowed down segments, accompanied by yet another Tears for Fears song, “Head Over Heels.” Though showy, it also provides a remarkably compact introduction to many of the movie’s characters: the school bully, Gretchen, Farmer, the principle. By and large the film is very tightly edited, providing just enough information before moving on to the next scene.

Inner GeekPost + Comments (12)