In My Humble Opinion

Le Petit Soldat

2008-04-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

Jean-Luc Godard, 1963. Interesting film in this director's oeuvre, but wasn't personally satisfying. Horrific scenes of torture, though, including a kind of waterboarding...

Why We Fight

2008-04-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Vital documentary about the industrial-military-congressional complex by Eugene Jarecki.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

2008-04-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

Interesting film, beautifully done. I liked the attention payed on Robert Ford's life post-killing of JJ. Great acting by Casey Affleck(!)

Bourne Ultimatum

2008-04-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Good stunts & fight scenes.

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

2008-04-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Kinda funny, kinda lame, still found it weird that this movie was made while Guantanamo continues to be what it is, but maybe it'll serve to increase or at least maintain attention on the issue.

The Sopranos

2008-04-22T10:41:00.001-07:00

I finally finished watching the entire series. What a trip! I'll miss Tony and the rest of the violent, dysfunctional gang...

Le Petit Lieutenant

2008-04-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Somber French policier.

Black Snake Moan

2008-04-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

Intense movie about the blues, loneliness and redemption. Don't let it scare you away - let it shock you awake. Craig Brewer continues to be a director to watch.

Dog Soldiers

2008-04-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Neil Marshall's first film follows a group of soldiers battling werewolves in rural Scotland. Over the top and sometimes campy but overall a great effort and worth checking out.

Extras - Extra Special Season Finale

2008-04-22T10:33:00.001-07:00

Great, great stuff. Brought tears to my eyes and made me laugh out loud several times. I really love Gervais and Merchant's writing and acting.

Forbidden Kingdom

2008-04-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

Jackie Chan and Jet Li Kung Fu family flick. The kids enjoyed it.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

2008-04-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Great documentary about classic video game competition for high scores.

The Human Stain

2008-03-04T13:12:00.001-08:00

The Orphanage

2008-03-04T13:11:00.001-08:00

Hannah And Her Sisters

2008-03-04T13:10:00.001-08:00

The Hours

2008-03-04T13:09:00.001-08:00

The Wicker Man

2008-03-04T13:07:00.001-08:00

1973

The Last King of Scotland

2008-03-04T13:06:00.002-08:00

The Blues

2008-03-04T13:06:00.001-08:00

PBS, Martin Scorsese

Harakiri

2008-02-17T17:58:00.003-08:00

Black Book

2008-02-17T17:58:00.001-08:00

Avenue Montaigne

2008-02-17T17:57:00.001-08:00

To Catch A Thief

2008-02-06T14:32:00.002-08:00

Brute Force

2008-02-06T14:32:00.001-08:00

Diva

2008-01-29T14:00:00.001-08:00

The Guns of Navarone

2008-01-29T13:59:00.000-08:00

1408

2008-01-28T12:42:00.001-08:00

Blow-up

2008-01-28T12:41:00.001-08:00

Art of the Devil

2008-01-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

Feh. Not impressed at all by this one, and I don't think it was just because I could only get the dubbed version to play (which was pretty awful!).

Not scary, melodramatic. Thailand, 2004.

My Life To Live

2008-01-22T21:33:00.003-08:00

Godard, French new wave, 1962. Bleak, stylistic, very abrupt ending.

Here's a clip:

The Double Life of Veronique

2008-01-22T21:33:00.001-08:00

From the great Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski comes this fairytale-like film of identity. Beautiful, strange, compelling.

The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair

2008-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Well made but maddening documentary of an Iraqi journalist's mistaken arrest and subsequent tribulations at the hands of the US occupation.

BattleGround: 21 Days on the Empire's Edge

2008-01-20T08:58:00.002-08:00

Birth

2008-01-20T08:58:00.001-08:00

Cloverfield

2008-01-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

Breakdown

2008-01-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

Kurt Russell. Tense film that follows Russell's everyman as he searches for his abducted wife in the middle of nowhere.

The ending was a little heavy-handed and over the top, but still a decent viewing experience.

No Reservations

2008-01-16T15:46:00.000-08:00

Anthony Bourdain is my new hero. If you're a foodie at all, and like Bourdain's bad ass, opinionated delivery of food and culture as he travels the world, you'll enjoy this show.

Here's a taste of the show, from Ireland:

The Negotiator

2008-01-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

Takashi Miike. Stylish policier + complex Japanese take on the revenge drama. Solid and interesting film.

The Bird People In China

2008-01-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

Takashi Miike. A Yakuza and a salaryman trek to China in pursuit of jade. Hilarity and sweetness ensue. Nice film, unexpected from Miike.

One Missed Call

2008-01-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Takashi Miike. Horror. Pretty good, always like creepy Japanese ghosts.

Gozu

2008-01-16T15:41:00.000-08:00

Takashi Miike. Yakuza horror theater. No english dialogue, so watched it in Japanese. Not sure if this makes it more or less confusing, but I'm looking forward to watching it again with subtitles.

7 Faces of Dr. Lao

2008-01-06T13:22:00.001-08:00

Weird western.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension!

2008-01-06T13:21:00.004-08:00

Fun, weird film. A little messy, but enjoyable.

Shoot the Piano Player

2008-01-06T13:21:00.003-08:00

Truffaut. New wave, French cinema. Strange, beautiful film.

Amarcord

2008-01-06T13:21:00.001-08:00

Fellini. Another beautiful film from the Italian master of cinema.

Meet the Feebles

2008-01-06T13:20:00.004-08:00

Peter Jackson. Drugs, snuff films, dirty journalism, live theater, STDs, murder and mayhem. All done by puppets.

Bangkok Dangerous

2008-01-06T13:20:00.003-08:00

Pang Brothers. Hyper-violent thug life on the streets of Bangkok. Follows the travails of two friends, one of whom is deaf, who are guns for hire.

The Bad Seed

2008-01-06T13:20:00.001-08:00

Great classic horror film. Psychosis passed down the family line into the body of a little girl. Great characters, over the top acting, cone shaped bras (it's the 50's!). Only the heavy, moralistic ending marred it for me.

Green For Danger

2008-01-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Murder mystery set in Britain during WWII. Under the constant threat of flying rockets from Germany, inspector Cockrill attempts to solve the murder of an ordinary postman.

Forty Shades Of Blue

2007-12-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

Slow, depressing, dreary story of a Russian woman's life in America, her older, rich boyfriend, and his oldest son (who is more her age).

The Name Of The Rose

2007-12-31T11:16:00.000-08:00

I just watched this for the second time, having seen it when it came out in 1986! I remember really being intrigued by this one, and followed it up by reading the book by Umberto Eco, which led me to more of his books and others. And it has Ron Perlman! (of whom I know I wasn't that aware of in 1986).

Corpse Bride

2007-12-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

Tim Burton and the usual suspects doing a creepy, stop-action story. Even though it's a musical it was fairly enjoyable, especially the animation.

Flight Of The Conchords

2007-12-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

Very funny show on HBO (just finished watching Season 1) about two singer-songwriters from New Zealand and their manager trying to make it in the USA.

Here's a clip featuring one of my favorite songs, Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros:

Daywatch

2007-12-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

Russian. The sequel to Nightwatch, this one continues the story of Anton and the war between the forces of darkness and light. Great FX, a bit of a confusing storyline at times, but it's all tied up nicely at the end. I found both of these epic fantasy movies to be very enjoyable.

Tekkonkinkreet

2007-12-26T11:28:00.000-08:00

Anime, based on the manga by Taiyo Matsumoto. Weird power struggles between yakuza, street gangs, and two kids, Black and White, in Treasure Town. Great animation, though the story was a bit hard for me to follow.

AVP-R

2007-12-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

Aliens Vs. Predator Requiem. Should be the last one since it's a requiem, but from the ending it looked like a set up for another, though maybe just a Predator movie. Anyway, it wasn't more than I expected, a B movie with the usual shortcomings. But I just couldn't resist the genre, or the chance to see such a movie on xmas day.

Army of Shadows

2007-12-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

L' Armée des ombres, 1969, Jean-Pierre Melville. Dark, well structured and paced movie about the French Resistance in Nazi occupied Paris.

The Lives of Others

2007-12-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

German drama about the East Berlin Stasi in the mid-80's. Very poignant, moving film about secrecy, identity, and the slippery moral ground of state control. I really liked this one, though I had a bit of a problem with the protagonist's too-quick conversion from tough hard-liner to convinced realist to active humanist. Also questioned the need for a certain character to die and how that death serves the story.

Fido

2007-12-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

Comedic zombie flick set in a world where the zombies have mostly been controlled, and enclaves of 50's era towns use them as slaves doing menial or low-end jobs. A boy and his zombie romzomcom. Great production values, some pretty funny moments, but felt flat overall.

Quai Des Orfevres

2007-12-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

A French policier, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. Beautiful, touching film of jealousy, love, and murder.

What I've Watched Recently

2007-12-12T10:12:00.001-08:00

Haven't posted to this in quite awhile, but here's a quick list of some movies & documentaries I've seen recently, in no particular order:

A Woman Under the Influence

The Mist

Beowulf

Into the Wild

Band of Outsiders

Breathless

Jules and Jim

Day For Night

Comedy of Power

The Bridesmaid

L'Avventura

8 1/2

Disturbia

The Burmese Harp

Peeping Tom

28 Weeks Later

Perceval le Gallois

Z

Shower

La Moustache

Nobody Knows

The President's Last Bang

Northfork

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism

No Logo

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

Dexter: The First Season

*I'm sure I've forgotten some...

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

2007-08-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

China. Beautiful, moving film.

Sunshine

2007-08-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

Danny Boyle, etc. Beautiful film.

Antone's: Home Of The Blues

2007-08-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

Nice documentary about a blues club in Austin.

Action: The Complete Series

2007-08-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

Pretty funny.

Anchorman

2007-08-16T09:44:00.001-07:00

Will Ferrell doing his thing.

Matador

2007-08-16T09:43:00.001-07:00

Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear. Comedy about an aging assassin and his unlikely attempts at retirement with the help of a random stranger who becomes a friend.

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts

2007-08-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Directed by Spike Lee.

Extras: The Complete First Season

2007-08-12T12:17:00.001-07:00

Brilliant!

The Simpsons Movie

2007-08-12T12:16:00.002-07:00

The Golden Compass

2007-08-12T12:16:00.001-07:00

The book, not the movie.

Deadwood Seasons 1-3

2007-07-26T09:14:00.001-07:00

Just finished watching the last episode last night, then found out HBO has cancelled the fourth season(!), though creator David Milch is working on financing it.

This is a great show, a western set in a gold camp rife with prostitution, corruption, and nobility. The acting, direction and writing are top notch - especially the writing! It verges on the Shakespearean - with a double helping of curse words to boot. Engaging stories and characters, this is highly recommended.

And for a taste - Deadwood Swearing:

Idiocracy

2007-07-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Another Mike Judge satirical comedy.

The future is rulez by dumb peoples!

Cryogenically frozen for 500 years, a pair of modern day citizens end up being the smartest people in the world, and have to quickly learn their way around a civilization that has devolved to the point where water is only used in toilets and sports, violence and sex are pretty much all anyone cares about.

Mongolian Ping Pong

2007-07-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

Charming film set in Mongolia, following the discovery, confusion and wonder that a ping pong ball brings to a trio of young friends. Filling their childhood with excitement, jealousy and danger, the ping pong ball, "China's national ball", comes to symbolize both a collision of cultures and an awakening for these children of the steppes.

Blade Runner - The Director's Cut

2007-07-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

Watched this with a couple of buddies, all fans, who have never seen the director's cut, and haven't watched the movie recently.

Still a great film, with awesome special fx for 1982. I'd like to watch the studio version again soon, to see how different it is to my viewing experience. I remember liking both versions, mostly because I like voice-overs, which the director's cut doesn't include. Though I like the director's cut's less uplifting ending better.

Dick Tracy

2007-07-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and more. A colorful, fantastical take on the comic, I had to watch this movie again. I haven't seen it since it came out in the theater in 1990(!). I remember being impressed, especially with Vittorio Storaro's cinematography. And the colors are still amazing.

I enjoyed watching it again, though it struck me as even more violent the second time around.

Here's a clip of Pacino as Big Boy.

30 Days, Season 1

2007-07-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me fame, continues the momentum with this series that asks participants (including Morgan and his fiance in the first episode) to live a certain kind of life for 30 days. From minimum wage to homosexuality, Islam to binge drinking, this series is interesting, provocative, amusing and enlightening. Walk for awhile in someone's shoes to really know their life? Try living it for 30 days. Recommended.

Thieves Like Us

2007-07-15T22:58:00.001-07:00

The U.S. vs. John Lennon

2007-07-15T22:57:00.002-07:00

MAS*H

2007-07-15T22:57:00.001-07:00

I Am A Sex Addict

2007-07-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

Written, directed and starring Caveh Zahedi, this strange documentary follows his travails around relationships and sex. It's very funny and moving stuff, an intense peek into someone else's psyche and intimate experiences.

Recommended for all grownups. Unless you're hung up on prudish, puritanical morals. Then you probably won't enjoy it - though you should at least sit through it. Maybe you'll learn something.

Children Of Men

2007-07-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

Beautifully shot and directed (Alfonso Cuaron) movie about a world where no human gives birth anymore. Of course that means that everything tips over into a totalitarian, fascistic, violent world.

Dark, depressing, and at the end, strangely hopeful.

My favorite scene: When the crying of a baby causes all the fighting to stop - at least temporarily.

Afro Samurai

2007-07-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

Samuel L. Jackson and Ron Perlman play the voices of the two main characters, warriors battling over magical headbands in a tale of bloody revenge that ultimately leads to some sort of godhood, but no redemption.

Great animation, and with music by The RZA, this epic anime is worth checking out.

Kicking & Screaming

2007-07-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

Will Ferrell. Non-engaging story of a father coaching his son's soccer team against his father's soccer team.

There are some funny moments - I especially liked Ferrell's character's growing addiction to coffee - but this movie was way too predictable and mundane.

Bravo to Mika!

2007-07-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC refused to "lead" with a Paris Hilton story - and her co-anchors are totally unsupportive.

At least she had the courage to work against the Infotainment industry that's eating journalism from the inside out and at the same time helping to bury the public's heads even further in the sand. She should get an award of some kind.

Rome, The Complete First Season

2007-07-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

Another great series from HBO. Rome at the time of Ceaser's assent to power, wonderfully recreated with interesting, sympathetic characters and insights into the strangely familiar society of a struggling republic empire.

Bad Guy

2007-07-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

Ki-duk Kim, South Korea, 2001.

Inscrutably depressing. I wanted to like it, but was lost several times.

Volver

2007-06-30T08:15:00.005-07:00

Full Frontal

2007-06-30T08:15:00.003-07:00

McCabe & Mrs. Miller

2007-06-30T08:15:00.001-07:00

John Doe live @ The Nightlight

2007-06-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Ten

2007-06-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

Abbas Kiarostami. Iran. Follows an Iranian woman as she drives her car with various people, including her son and sister. Ten short vignettes offer a glimpse of her life. The whole movie is shot from within the interior of the car, either looking at the driver or the passenger, with occasional glances of street life and buildings as they drive around.

It was interesting, but didn't really engage me, though I remain a fan of Kiarostami's work.

Inside Man

2007-06-25T09:05:00.001-07:00

Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, Clive Owen. Pretty good bank heist film, interesting plot, excellent (as always) direction. Enjoyable, if not edge-of-the-seat stuff.

Reno 911: Miami

2007-06-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

I love the series, and the movie was just as good. It had me laughing pretty hard, which is all I ask of it.

Curse of the Golden Flower

2007-06-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

Chinese court drama/martial arts epic. Heavy on the drama, with some pretty good fight scenes. Very beautiful tragedy.

Calvaire (Ordeal)

2007-06-21T13:37:00.002-07:00

Belgium. Horror.

Very disturbing, well done, sparse, taught flick. Especially appreciated the lack of mood heightening music, the only tunes being those that were happening within the scene itself.

Clerks 2

2007-06-21T13:37:00.001-07:00

Kevin Smith & Co. Charming, rude, funny, and surprisingly sentimental. Or maybe not. Smith's films in general often hinge on sentimentality, but there's always a sincere heart beating beneath the surface.

And any film with Jay & Silent Bob is good!

Battlestar Galactica Season 2.0 & 2.5

2007-06-19T10:42:00.001-07:00

Duck Season

2007-06-18T09:28:00.003-07:00

Lower City

2007-06-18T09:28:00.001-07:00