December 2008
Pink Flamingos (Waters, 1972) 5.5
The story has a remarkable simplicity and Waters' screenplay is surprising in its expressiveness. The contrast made between the non-territorial, non-intrusive, convivial (to those who understand her way of life) and principled and self-respecting Divine and the imposing, fascistic, materialistic Marbles has an almost brilliant clarity. The sort of defensiveness implicit in Waters' all-in championing of the private agency of the extra-ordinary outsider (and the support of those of exclusive good nature) does have a poignancy and one that comes through in the vivaciousness of the film.
5.5, though, because it's a lot of juvenile antics and stunt repulsiveness to take, and, like, zero effort seems to have been made by Waters toward any formal directorial craft. Good set design. The film is complete trash filmmaking, so maybe it does deserve a lower score... but the meaning and sensibility behind the film's story is there, and it's damn funny sometimes. Divine's proceeding over the Marbles' trial and fielding of the press is expert comedy.
Southland Tales (Kelly, 2006) 4.5
The Fall (Tarsem Singh, 2006) 6
* The Mist (Darabont, 2007) 7.5
Le Petit Soldat (Godard, 1963) 8
Elephant (Van Sant, 2003) 7.5
Tropic Thunder (Stiller, 2008) 5
The Squid and the Whale (Baumbach, 2005) 7
Me and You and Everyone We Know (July, 2005) 6.5
Wings (Shepitko, 1966) 8.5
* Re-Animator (Gordon, 1985) 6
* The Long Goodbye (Altman, 1973) 8.5
* The Elephant Man (Lynch, 1980) 6
* Dogville (Von Trier, 2003) 9
* Heavenly Creatures (Jackson, 1994) 9
* Frenzy (Hitchcock, 1972) 6.5
Walkabout (Roeg, 1972) 8.5
* Red (Kieslowski, 1994) 7.5
* Blue (Kieslowski, 1993) 9
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
November 2008
NOVEMBER 08
Quantum of Solace (Forster, 2008) 4
Rogue (McLean, 2008) 5.5
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Darnell and McGrath, 2008) 4.5
* The Funhouse (Hooper, 1982) 6.5
Happy-Go-Lucky (Leigh, 2008) 8.5
* Sleepaway Camp (Hiltzik, 1983) 5.5
No Lies (short) (Block, 1974) 8
The Double Life of Veronique (Kieslowski, 1991) 7.5
Rachel Getting Married (Demme, 2008) 8.5
Suzanne's Career (Rohmer, 1963) 8
The Bakery Girl of Monceau (Rohmer, 1963) 7.5
Imitation of Life (Sirk, 1959) 8.5
Decalogue: VIII (Bear False Witness) (Kieslowski, 1989) (TV) 8.5
* Christine (Carpenter, 1982) 7
Let the Right One In (Alfredson, 2008) 6
I don't think it's empty, and I'm glad this sort of emotionally lofty and patient horror film is being embraced by all sorts of people, but the film is a bit lethargic and dull around the edges, and when it does finally perk up, it's usually for some easy morbidity.
The Decalogue: IV (Remember the Sabbath Day) (Kieslowski, 1989) (TV) 7.5
The Decalogue: II (God's Name in Vain) (Kieslowski, 1989) (TV) 8
* Joshua (Ratliff, 2007) 7.5
Quantum of Solace (Forster, 2008) 4
Rogue (McLean, 2008) 5.5
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Darnell and McGrath, 2008) 4.5
* The Funhouse (Hooper, 1982) 6.5
Happy-Go-Lucky (Leigh, 2008) 8.5
* Sleepaway Camp (Hiltzik, 1983) 5.5
No Lies (short) (Block, 1974) 8
The Double Life of Veronique (Kieslowski, 1991) 7.5
Rachel Getting Married (Demme, 2008) 8.5
Suzanne's Career (Rohmer, 1963) 8
The Bakery Girl of Monceau (Rohmer, 1963) 7.5
Imitation of Life (Sirk, 1959) 8.5
Decalogue: VIII (Bear False Witness) (Kieslowski, 1989) (TV) 8.5
* Christine (Carpenter, 1982) 7
Let the Right One In (Alfredson, 2008) 6
I don't think it's empty, and I'm glad this sort of emotionally lofty and patient horror film is being embraced by all sorts of people, but the film is a bit lethargic and dull around the edges, and when it does finally perk up, it's usually for some easy morbidity.
The Decalogue: IV (Remember the Sabbath Day) (Kieslowski, 1989) (TV) 7.5
The Decalogue: II (God's Name in Vain) (Kieslowski, 1989) (TV) 8
* Joshua (Ratliff, 2007) 7.5
Thursday, October 30, 2008
October 2008
OCTOBER 08
* Hostel (Roth, 2005) 6.5
Hostel still exhibits a sober sort of plangency with its cinematic decor - from an ambitiously layered script, to a sober eye for cinematography, to moments of earthy, depressive gravity that pepper the film - but this second viewing (after three years since seeing it on its opening weekend) revealed the flaws in the film lies in Roth's callow sense of dramatic pacing. The film has sparkling moments of sensitivity, but they often seem too short, too concise. Instead of being woven into the film, they are just glimmers of the dramatic sense Roth has as a director, scattered smack in between moments that are rote and expositional. He doesn't realize that a great film breathes even the most purely utilitarian scenes with some ascendant aesthetic/dramatic sensibility united with the thematic core of the film, and thus creating a unified "great" whole - which Hostel is not, unfortunately. And he doesn't know how to give a buffer to his attempts at grace to allow them to breathe and proliferate with meaning. This makes the film just sort of sloppy. Its going from restrained to loud-mouthed, or emotionally striking to emotionally mundane, in the split of a second, and it is often really frustrating. I am still a relative proponent of the film, though, despite the new evaluation.
* May (McKee, 2003) 8
Damn good filmmaking, really frickin' sophisticated sometimes.
Chloe in the Afternoon (Rohmer, 1979) 9
Claire's Knee (Rohmer, 1978) 7.5
* Cat People (Tourneur, 1942) 8.5
Cat People's dialogue is dynamite. Upon this re-watch, I was actually kind of underwhelmed by Tourneur's directing (still great, though, probably just the 'Re-visiting with too-high expectations' effect), but the dialogue really never lets up. Really political and sociological, and its play with psychoanalytics is really "with-the-times." The only thing that (still) bugs me is that I just can't fathom Oliver being that patient with Irena, half a year past their wedding. Thankfully, the screenplay comes to the rescue, giving Oliver a moment to express to Alice (who came off as utterly shameless this time around) his irrepressible attraction to Irena's "foreignness," despite their considerable lack of intimacy.
My Night At Maud's (Roher, 1974) 7.5
* The Curse of the Cat People (Von Fritsch and Wise, 1943) 8.5
I can understand why someone wouldn't like 'Curse.' Plot-wise it is kinda "blah," nothing really happens, and its point of conflict with the old woman and her daughter is just really vague in an off-the-wall sort of way... but the film's just too fucking magical. To wit, it's magical, touching, ethereal, and damn beautiful to look at. Plus, its elevating of imagination and fantasy (and the dark and sad kind, even) over a general sort of traditionalism is a major plus for horror film fans like myself. This idea is presented with livid and arch beauty in the Christmas scene, where the dark specter sings the French carol Il le ne, le divin Enfant - with her fey, foreign lilt - in counterpoint to the self-satisfied singing of Shepherds Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep by a flocking group of comfortable Anglos inside.
* Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960) 8.5
* Dawn of the Dead (Romero, 1974) 7.5
The Ascent (Sheptiko, 1977) 9
Synecdoche, New York (Kaufman, 2008) 6.5
* Hostel (Roth, 2005) 6.5
Hostel still exhibits a sober sort of plangency with its cinematic decor - from an ambitiously layered script, to a sober eye for cinematography, to moments of earthy, depressive gravity that pepper the film - but this second viewing (after three years since seeing it on its opening weekend) revealed the flaws in the film lies in Roth's callow sense of dramatic pacing. The film has sparkling moments of sensitivity, but they often seem too short, too concise. Instead of being woven into the film, they are just glimmers of the dramatic sense Roth has as a director, scattered smack in between moments that are rote and expositional. He doesn't realize that a great film breathes even the most purely utilitarian scenes with some ascendant aesthetic/dramatic sensibility united with the thematic core of the film, and thus creating a unified "great" whole - which Hostel is not, unfortunately. And he doesn't know how to give a buffer to his attempts at grace to allow them to breathe and proliferate with meaning. This makes the film just sort of sloppy. Its going from restrained to loud-mouthed, or emotionally striking to emotionally mundane, in the split of a second, and it is often really frustrating. I am still a relative proponent of the film, though, despite the new evaluation.
* May (McKee, 2003) 8
Damn good filmmaking, really frickin' sophisticated sometimes.
Chloe in the Afternoon (Rohmer, 1979) 9
Claire's Knee (Rohmer, 1978) 7.5
* Cat People (Tourneur, 1942) 8.5
Cat People's dialogue is dynamite. Upon this re-watch, I was actually kind of underwhelmed by Tourneur's directing (still great, though, probably just the 'Re-visiting with too-high expectations' effect), but the dialogue really never lets up. Really political and sociological, and its play with psychoanalytics is really "with-the-times." The only thing that (still) bugs me is that I just can't fathom Oliver being that patient with Irena, half a year past their wedding. Thankfully, the screenplay comes to the rescue, giving Oliver a moment to express to Alice (who came off as utterly shameless this time around) his irrepressible attraction to Irena's "foreignness," despite their considerable lack of intimacy.
My Night At Maud's (Roher, 1974) 7.5
* The Curse of the Cat People (Von Fritsch and Wise, 1943) 8.5
I can understand why someone wouldn't like 'Curse.' Plot-wise it is kinda "blah," nothing really happens, and its point of conflict with the old woman and her daughter is just really vague in an off-the-wall sort of way... but the film's just too fucking magical. To wit, it's magical, touching, ethereal, and damn beautiful to look at. Plus, its elevating of imagination and fantasy (and the dark and sad kind, even) over a general sort of traditionalism is a major plus for horror film fans like myself. This idea is presented with livid and arch beauty in the Christmas scene, where the dark specter sings the French carol Il le ne, le divin Enfant - with her fey, foreign lilt - in counterpoint to the self-satisfied singing of Shepherds Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep by a flocking group of comfortable Anglos inside.
* Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960) 8.5
* Dawn of the Dead (Romero, 1974) 7.5
The Ascent (Sheptiko, 1977) 9
Synecdoche, New York (Kaufman, 2008) 6.5
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
September 2008
SEPTEMBER 08
Il Deserto rosso (Red Desert) (Antonioni, 1964) 6.5
L'Urlo (The Howl) (Brass, 1970) 5.5
* L'Eclisse (Antonioni, 1962) 8.5
* La Notte (Antonioni, 1961) 9
* The Return of the Living Dead (O'Bannon, 1985) 7
Blithe Spirit (David Lean, 1945) 6.5
* Night of the Creeps (Dekker, 1986) 5
* L'Avventura (Antonioni, 1960) 8.5
Forces of Nature (Hughes, 1999) 4
"The Decalogue": Adultery (Kieslowski, 1989) (TV) 8.5
The Girl at the Monceau Bakery (Rohmer, 1963) 8
What Dreams May Come (Ward, 1998) 5
Brewster McCloud (Altman, 1973) 9
Il Deserto rosso (Red Desert) (Antonioni, 1964) 6.5
L'Urlo (The Howl) (Brass, 1970) 5.5
* L'Eclisse (Antonioni, 1962) 8.5
* La Notte (Antonioni, 1961) 9
* The Return of the Living Dead (O'Bannon, 1985) 7
Blithe Spirit (David Lean, 1945) 6.5
* Night of the Creeps (Dekker, 1986) 5
* L'Avventura (Antonioni, 1960) 8.5
Forces of Nature (Hughes, 1999) 4
"The Decalogue": Adultery (Kieslowski, 1989) (TV) 8.5
The Girl at the Monceau Bakery (Rohmer, 1963) 8
What Dreams May Come (Ward, 1998) 5
Brewster McCloud (Altman, 1973) 9
Saturday, August 30, 2008
August 2008
AUGUST 08
Office Space (Judge, 1999) 4
Cat People (Schreider, 1982) 4
River's Edge (Hunter, 1986) 7.5
* Hostel: Part II (Roth, 2007) 5.5
* Popeye (Altman, 1980) 7
* The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Carter, 2008) 7
* Carnival of Souls (Harvey, 1962) 7
The Stunt Man (Rush, 1980) 7.5
Pineapple Express (Gordon Green, 2008) 6.5
Spontaneous Combustion (Hooper, 1990) 6
Inside (Baustillo, 2007) 5
Straw Dogs (Peckinpah, 1971) 8.5
Office Space (Judge, 1999) 4
Cat People (Schreider, 1982) 4
River's Edge (Hunter, 1986) 7.5
* Hostel: Part II (Roth, 2007) 5.5
* Popeye (Altman, 1980) 7
* The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Carter, 2008) 7
* Carnival of Souls (Harvey, 1962) 7
The Stunt Man (Rush, 1980) 7.5
Pineapple Express (Gordon Green, 2008) 6.5
Spontaneous Combustion (Hooper, 1990) 6
Inside (Baustillo, 2007) 5
Straw Dogs (Peckinpah, 1971) 8.5
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
July 2008
JULY 08
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Carter, 2008)|||||6.5
Bruiser (Romero, 2000)|||||5
The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008)|||||6
Season of the Witch (Romero, 1978)|||||8.5
Immortal Beloved (Rose, 1995)|||||6.5
Belle de Jour (Bunuel, 1967)|||||7
Two Lane Blacktop (Hellman, 1971)|||||7.5
Wanted (Bembaktov, 2008)|||||3.5
Mission to Mars (de Palma, 2003)|||||5
Hard Labour (Leigh, 1976)|||||7
You Can't Take It With You (Capra, 1937)|||||4.5
Magic (Attenborough, 1976)|||||8
Noriko's Dinner Table (Sono, 2006)|||||7
The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Carter, 2008)|||||6.5
Bruiser (Romero, 2000)|||||5
The Dark Knight (Nolan, 2008)|||||6
Season of the Witch (Romero, 1978)|||||8.5
Immortal Beloved (Rose, 1995)|||||6.5
Belle de Jour (Bunuel, 1967)|||||7
Two Lane Blacktop (Hellman, 1971)|||||7.5
Wanted (Bembaktov, 2008)|||||3.5
Mission to Mars (de Palma, 2003)|||||5
Hard Labour (Leigh, 1976)|||||7
You Can't Take It With You (Capra, 1937)|||||4.5
Magic (Attenborough, 1976)|||||8
Noriko's Dinner Table (Sono, 2006)|||||7
Monday, June 30, 2008
June 2008
JUNE 08
Wall-E (|||||7.5
All That Heaven Allows (Sirk, 1954)|||||8
* Diary of the Dead (Romero, 2007)|||||7
Winchester '73 (Mann, 1955)|||||7
* Charisma (Kurosawa, 2000)|||||8.5
O.C. and Stiggs (Altman, 1986)|||||8.5
30 Days of Night (Slade, 2007)|||||3
Lonely Are the Brave (|||||5.5
Retribution (Kurosawa, 2006)|||||7
The Man From Laramie (|||||8
Cleo From 5 to 7 (Varda, 1956)|||||8
After the Thin Man|||||6
Syndromes and a Century (Weerasethakul, 2007)|||||8.5
The Happening (Shyamalan, 2008)|||||5
Hannah Takes the Stairs (|||||6.5
The Third Mother (Argento, 2008)|||||4
Crocodile (Hooper, 2000)|||||2
Wall-E (|||||7.5
All That Heaven Allows (Sirk, 1954)|||||8
* Diary of the Dead (Romero, 2007)|||||7
Winchester '73 (Mann, 1955)|||||7
* Charisma (Kurosawa, 2000)|||||8.5
O.C. and Stiggs (Altman, 1986)|||||8.5
30 Days of Night (Slade, 2007)|||||3
Lonely Are the Brave (|||||5.5
Retribution (Kurosawa, 2006)|||||7
The Man From Laramie (|||||8
Cleo From 5 to 7 (Varda, 1956)|||||8
After the Thin Man|||||6
Syndromes and a Century (Weerasethakul, 2007)|||||8.5
The Happening (Shyamalan, 2008)|||||5
Hannah Takes the Stairs (|||||6.5
The Third Mother (Argento, 2008)|||||4
Crocodile (Hooper, 2000)|||||2
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