It’s been a while since I have last written about a movie. I’m going to change that tonight. It’s been a weird week. I just wanted to disclose that. There’s a another issue I would like to address. It’s December 9th and I was thinking, when is it time to do an end of the year list. I mean, we’re starting to see awards coming out in the art circuit but films such as Wolf of Wall Street and The Hobbit have no been released commercially yet. I’m going to wait until after Christmas to make my list. I want it to be complete. This will also give me a chance to catch up n films I missed during the year like The World’s End.
That’s all. I’m going to watch a couple films tonight so stay tuned.
Directed By : Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
A documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.
There’s nothing like watching a documentary like this at midnight and having your blood boil so much that you can’t get to sleep after it’s over. That was my experience watching The Central Park Five. I was born in 1989 so my memory of these events and the following trials were how I like to say in New Jersey non freaking existent. I’ll be honest, I’ve never even heard of this trial until I read about this film a couple months ago. The trial and crime swept my native tri-state area more than twenty years ago and the fact that I’ve never heard of it just shows how forgetful the media can be, forgetful and menacing.
The film really does a great job building up tension as pretty much all the key players are present giving interviews including the kids (now adults). The only people absent are the detectives themselves but nobody really expected them to show their faces on film and tell us how wrong they ended up being. It really was unbelievable how the events took place as the NYPD basically lied out their asses so that they could convict basically five kids who showed up first. It’s also a wonderfully character study on the psychology of being interrogated for 30 hours straight and how you’ll literally say anything to get out of that room. It’s hard to talk about this film without giving most of the events that take place away, even though these events are pretty much known to most people anyway.
The film ended up being infuriating but highly interesting and intense. The fact that it’s on Netflix is just another good reason to check out The Central Park Five.
This three hour epic of a drama visualizes the poems of Raymond Carver in which we follow the lives of about 8 families/couples as they weave in and out of each others lives. I’ve always been a fan of Robert Altman but have always found his films a challenge. I think it has to do with the amount of characters. There’s like 500 of them. I mean, look at this cast list.
Andie MacDowell
Bruce Davison
Jack Lemmon
Julianne Moore
Matthew Modine
Anne Archer
Fred Ward
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Chris Penn
Lili Taylor
Madeline Stowe
Tim Robbins
Lily Tomlin
Tom Waits
Frances McDormand
Peter Gallagher
Annie Ross
Lyle Lovett
Robert Downey Jr.
That’s a lot. There’s a lot of tragedy, bad people, good people, failing marriages, secret hatred, redemption, tension, connecting storylines, and horrible decisions packed into a three hour storm of weaves and intersections. It reminded me a lot of Magnolia but without the superb acting performances or the unique camera shots. That doesn’t mean that this is devoid of those elements, Paul Thomas Anderson is just one of a kind. I ended up liking a lot of the film but as a whole viewing experience it’s a tough watch. It’s like peeling a band aid very slowly. I will say that the whole film is worth watching for individual elements if three hour dramas are your thing. Jack Lemmons small part was extremely fantastic.
Oscar Nominee for Best Cinematography
Oscar Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film
Palme d’Or Winner at Cannes Film Festival
A very strange and long movie about two stage brothers as they ascend the steps to stardom in the Chinese opera circuit and encounter love and government opposition along the way. The film is gorgeously shot and acted but I just couldn’t get into the story as much as I thought I should given its credentials. I think I just find that part of Asian culture too strange for my tastes. It’s a very well made film though full of backstabbing, political conflict, subtle homosexuality, and a very fitting yet tragic ending. If you can sit through the three hours and like these sort of dramas, I’d say go for it.
I saw this is a packed theater in an urbanized area. I expected to have a horrible time but I think the fact that I saw it with so many people better’d my experience because I ended up really enjoying the film. This is a tame rated R film but also a very creepy one that capitalizes on scares the never come off cheap and had me jumping on more than one occasion. The biggest reason I enjoyed this was because it actually had good acting. Horror movies always have interesting ideas that are either carried out half assed or are ruined by cheap “talent”. None of those factors were present here as Vera Farminga, Patrick Wilson, and Lilli Taylor were all fantastic in this. It made the film more believable and ultimately more watchable. James Wan gave us the first Saw which I’m greatful for because I still think that’s a great film and he’s now given us one of the better horror films to come out in the last couple years. Lets just see if his next film which comes out in two months (Insidious II) lives up to his recent success.
Thoughts From the Booth 