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  • 26 Apr

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    DVD Triage: April 24, 2012

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    New Release Pick of the Week

    The Innkeepers
    Easily one of my favorite films of last year (it even made my top ten list), Ti West’s take on the haunted house is equal parts well-played comedy and atmospheric horror, and both parts work perfectly. I loved every second of this film, and I’m looking forward to revisiting the Yankee Pedlar soon.
    2011 USA. Director: Ti West. Starring: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis.

    Other New Releases

    11-11-11 (2011 USA, dir Darren Lynn Bousman, stars Timothy Gibbs)
    Albatross (2011 UK, dir Niall MacCormick, stars Felicity Jones)
    Cinema Verite (2011 USA, dir Shari Springer Berman, stars Diane Lane)
    Dark Tide (2012 USA, dir John Stockwell, stars Halle Berry)
    The Fields (2011 USA, dir Tom Mattera/David Mazzoni, stars Tara Reid)
    Let the Bullets Fly (2010 Hong Kong, dir Wen Jiang, stars Chow Yun-Fat)
    Night Wolf (2012 USA, dir Jonathan Glendening, stars Gemma Atkinson)
    Return (2011 USA, dir Liza Johnson, stars Linda Cardinelli)
    Some Days are Better than Others (2010 USA, dir Matt McCormick, stars Carrie Brownstein)
    The Theatre Bizarre (2011 USA, dir various, stars Udo Kier)
    Titanic (2012 USA, stars Peter McDonald)
    Young Goethe in Love (2010 Germany, dir Philipp Stölzl, stars Alexander Fehling)

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 22 Apr

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    Film on TV: April 23-29

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    Monday, April 23

    8:00pm – Sundance – Paris, je t’aime
    I have a huge soft spot for Paris – basically any movie set there I will like to at least some degree. So an anthology film with eighteen internationally-renowned directors giving their take on Paris with eighteen short films all mashed together? Yeah, instant love. Obviously some sections are far stronger than others – the Coens, Gus van Sant, Alexander Payne, Isabel Coixet, Tom Tykwer, and Wes Craven turn in my favorites.
    2006 France. Director: various. Starring: many.
    (repeats at 1:30am on the 24th)

    1:00am (24th) – TCM – Stagecoach
    Major breakthrough for John Wayne, here playing outlaw Ringo Kid – he and the various other people on a stagecoach form a cross-section of old West society that has to learn to get on together to make it to the end of the ride alive. Excellent performances and stunt-filled action sequences make this one of the best westerns ever made.
    1939 USA. Director: John Wayne. Starring: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, John Carradine, Andy Devine, Thomas Mitchell.
    Must See

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  • 19 Apr

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    TCM Film Fest: Girl Shy

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    Until a few weeks ago, the only Harold Lloyd films I’d seen were his signature Safety Last with its famous building-climbing set-piece, and The Freshman, which I cannot, at this point, separate in my mind from Keaton’s College. Lloyd is one of the Big Three when it comes to silent comedians, but in terms of the popular consciousness, he still falls well below Chaplin and Keaton, and I was content with his third-wheel position based on what I’d seen. After a recent double-feature at Cinefamily, I was primed to change my view on that, and Girl Shy clenched it. Lloyd is every bit as worthy a giant of silent comedy as either of his rivals. They’re all in a dead heat as far as I’m concerned.

    Lloyd’s essential persona is a normal, slightly nerdy guy who deals with problems as they come along, usually involved with trying to get a girl. He has neither Chaplin’s downtrodden acceptance nor Keaton’s stoic stubbornness in the face of the outrageous situations that befall him, but instead shows his exasperation and yet continues to push through toward his goal. In Girl Shy, his own worst enemy for much of the film is himself, and his irrational fear of women that causes him to be flustered and stutter uncontrollably whenever a girl comes near him. It doesn’t help matters that he’s adorable and girls tend to flirt with him, even to the point of tearing their stockings so he can fix them (he’s the tailor’s son in a small town).

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  • 19 Apr

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    TCM Film Fest: Retour de Flamme – 3D Rarities

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    For reasons I can’t entirely explain (but I’ll probably try anyway), the prospect of seeing vintage 3D films fascinates me, even as I do my best to avoid current 3D as much as possible. Part of it is simply a the ability to see something in a form that we usually can’t anymore (because 3D films from the 1950s and before are usually seen only in 2D now), part of it is an interest in the more experimental shorts included in the program, part of it is an illogical preference for old things, part of it is mere curiosity about whether it would be better or worse or different than modern 3D, and part of it is just perversity. In any case, I knew from the moment this program was announced that I would try to go see it, and I’m very glad I did, for all the reasons I just mentioned, and because Serge Bromberg, the French film historian who curated and presented the program, is an absolute delight, as well as being extremely knowledgable and able to accompany the silents himself on the piano. If scheduling had permitted, I would’ve gone to his Trip to the Moon program as well.

    The program had everything from Disney cartoons from the 1950s 3D boom to Pierre Lumiere remaking his own turn-of-the-century films in 3D in the 1930s to experiments as old as 1900 to Russian nature films, and even a couple of modern CG cartoons. Pretty much everything was delightful in one way or another, and I’m just going to go through the program short by short, mostly in the same order Bromberg did. One note: we were given two pairs of glasses at the beginning, both red/green anaglyph paper glasses and modern RealD polarized glasses. We only used the anaglyph glasses on one film, which surprised me. Somehow I thought all the 1950s films were done with that technique, but actually, it seems very similar to current 3D, and the RealD glasses worked perfectly for them all. I know very little about the technical side of these things, so I apologize in advance for any errors I make on that front, and please correct me.

    Three Dimensional Murder, aka Murder in 3-D (1941)

    This was the one film that used the anaglyph glasses, and it was basically a tech demo for 3D, albeit directed by George Sidney. Part of the Pete Smith series of shorts, this one has Smith (first-person camera pspective) heading into a creepy house and being attacked by all sorts of things – a mummy with a spear, a witch’s hand, and Frankenstein’s monster throwing or dropping everything in sight directly toward the camera. All the stereotypes of 3D being about hurling or thrusting things at the camera, yeah…they’re all here. With the glasses on, the red and green tints combined to make a black and white image – to do color, they had to go to a different technique, much closer to what is done today. This short was ridiculous, but fun, until it wore out its welcome about halfway through. The anaglyph process is not that great, either, and was easily the most eye-straining part of the program, with the colors flashing annoyingly on the screen and a lot of ghosting effects.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 18 Apr

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    DVD Triage: April 17

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    New Release Picks of the Week

    Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol
    This film got much better reviews than I ever expected it to, and that’s after I was already interested due to Brad Bird and Jeremy Renner (sorry, Tom). Busy holidays kept me from it, though, so I’ll have to catch it on DVD…which is sadly not IMAX-sized.
    2011 USA. Director: Brad Bird. Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner.

    Shame
    A divisive film in many ways, with some praising Fassbender and the film’s style, while other were put off by its lack of depth. I didn’t manage to get out to see it in theatres, but I definitely want to catch up with it before too long.
    2011 UK. Director: Steve McQueen. Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan.

    Other New Releases

    After the Banquet (2009 South Korea, dir Kim Yoon-cheol, stars Sin Seong-woo)
    American Dad!: Volume 7 (2011 USA, creator Seth MacFarlane)
    Bob’s Burgers: Season 1 (2011 USA, stars H. Jon Benjamin)
    The Divide (2012 USA, dir Xavier Gens, stars Lauren German, Michael Biehn)
    Garbo: The Spy (2009 UK, dir Edmon Roch, stars Nigel West)
    Girlfight (2011 USA, dir Stephen Gyllenhaal, stars Anne Heche)
    A Heavenly Vintage (2009 New Zealand, dir Niki Caro, stars Keisha Castle-Hughes)
    Hell’s Labyrinth (2011 USA, dir Drew Maxwell, stars Leah Rose)
    The Last Rites of Joe May (2010 USA, dir Joe Maggio, stars Dennis Farina)
    Man on the Train (2011 USA, dir Mary McGuickian, stars Donald Sutherland)
    7 Below (2012 USA, dir Kevin Carraway, stars Val Kilmer)
    Up from Slavery (2011 USA, dir Kevin R. Hershberger)

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 17 Apr

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    TCM Film Fest: Raw Deal

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    When we think of film noir as a concept, we often describe it as a B movie phenomenon, a look and feel associated with low budget crime dramas. But a lot of the big names we immediately think of as noir films are actually higher-budget A pictures with top stars and name directors – Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, Sunset Blvd, etc. This year TCM (and Noir City Foundation programmer Eddie Muller) has done a great job of programming actual B-level films in the noir sidebar, intentionally choosing independently produced films that are clearly low budget programmers, which Raw Deal definitely is, despite being directed by Anthony Mann (before he got big) and starring recognizable but often B or second-lead actors like Claire Trevor and Marsha Hunt.

    Unusually, this film has a voiceover from a female perspective, with Claire Trevor narrating some, but not all, of the film. She play Pat, who is planning to break her man Joe (Dennis O’Keefe) out of prison, where he’s been taking the rap for his boss Rick (the inimitable Raymond Burr, consistently shot from the most imposing angle possible). Meanwhile, Joe’s lawyer’s assistant Ann (Marsha Hunt) is trying to convince Joe to hold out for a couple of years until he gets parole. Thinking he has Rick’s support, he opts to stick with the prison break plan. Unfortunately, Joe’s just a loose end to Rick, who expects and intends for the police to do his dirty work for him and eliminate Joe during his escape.

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  • 14 Apr

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    Saturday Morning Toons

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    I‘ll state right off the bat that I haven’t actually watched this cartoon yet, except for the first several seconds to check quality and sound and that sort of thing on the YouTube upload. I will be watching it in full later today as part of a special program of 3D shorts put on at the TCM Film Festival (I’ll have a full write-up on the program at some point; it includes both live-action and animated 3D experiments from the 1930s through the 1950s, as well as a few outliers), and I’d rather save my first full viewing of it for that. Even from the opening credits, though, you can see it was intended for 3D, especially with the way the title swoops off the screen toward the audience. Melody is the first in a short-lived series of Disney cartoons titled “Adventures in Music” – in fact, there was only one other cartoon made in the series, and it’s the arguably better-known Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom (which I have seen many times; hence my totally ego-centric claim it’s better known). Both cartoons star an owl who teaches a group of young students about music and musical instruments. I’m looking forward to seeing Melody very much, especially as it’s extremely rare to see it in the original 3D. As a side-note, I’m amused at myself for being so intrigued by these old-school 3D presentations, yet I’ll go far out of my way to see 2D presentations of current 3D films. I don’t understand it either.

  • 13 Apr

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    TCM Film Fest: The People

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    Reviews and write-ups of individual films will be coming soon, but I wanted to take a quick moment to talk about why I always look forward so much to the TCM Festival each year. The reason to come to the TCM Classic Film Festival is, of course, the wealth of incredible classic films both essential and obscure that they program every year, and I pack my schedule full of them. Getting to see these films on the big screen in fabulous theatres like Grauman’s Chinese is an amazing experience. But the reason the Fest stands out above other rep screenings, and the reason that I choose to see so many films here that I could probably catch at other times here in LA is the people. All festivals have a bit of a heightened air about them, a sense of camaraderie with the other festivalgoers surrounding you, but I’ve never felt that as strongly or as deeply as at TCM.

    The audiences here in general are fantastic, both respectful and truly enjoying the films, filling up theatres big and small for all sorts of movies. Seeing these films on a giant screen is great, but seeing them with a full and receptive audience is really what makes it amazing. The TCM Fest is really a communal moviegoing experience, and everyone here feels like a kindred spirit – finally people who get as excited as I do when Elisha Cook Jr or Thelma Todd walks onto the screen, and will pack out houses for Poverty Row noir films and obscure silents.

    Of course it’s awesome to meet up with other bloggers and LA film people who I knew would be here, like the Cinementals crew, Titania (who I’ll hopefully meet up with soon!), Kristen, and the Silent Treatment folks, but that’s expected and can be planned for at any major festival. What I love here is the random conversations that strangers in line strike up. If you know me, you know I’m not a very outgoing person, and I don’t tend to start conversations. I have not yet been in a line at any of the three TCM Fests I’ve attended without chatting with the people around me in line, and having a great time doing it. I’ve met USC cinema students, high school teachers from Wisconsin finally able to come because the fest coincided with spring break, the wife of the festival’s technical director, silent film fans from North Carolina excited at all the silent programming this year, and more. These conversations are easy to start, and easy to join, because we share a connection that goes deeper than most film fans. I presume similar things happen at other niche genre festivals, but I do think there’s something special about the community that TCM has managed to build around their programming and their brand.

    I tend to pack my schedule too full of films to spend much time in Club TCM, the pass-holder only area at the Roosevelt Hotel that gives fans, TCM staff, and special guests a chance to hobnob and relax with a few drinks, as well as enjoy special panels and events throughout the weekend, but just from my interactions during the rest of the festival, I know that’ll be a great experience, too, should some year there be a timeslot with no films I care to see (ha, that’ll be the day). Having all these community options available, and centered on the film buffs rather than on networking, or selling films, makes the Fest that much more of a joy to attend, even when you live in a city where rep screenings are plentiful and varied.

    TCM Fest: Come for the films, stay for the community. It’s a great one.

  • 10 Apr

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    DVD Triage: April 10, 2012

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    New Release Pick of the Week

    Littlerock
    One of the subtler, quieter pleasant surprises of last year’s festival season, with tourist siblings Atsuko and Rintaro winding up stuck in a small California town. Despite their speaking no English and the Americans nearby speaking no Japanese, they become friends with a group of twentysomethings. A very beautiful and evocative work.
    2010 USA. Director: Mike Ott. Starring: Atsuko Okatsuka, Cory Zacharia, Rintaro Sawamoto, Roberto Sanchez, Markiss McFadden.

     

    Other New Releases

    Donald Glover: Weirdo (2011 USA, dir Michelle Captuo, stars Donald Glover)
    Justice League: Doom (2012 USA, dir Lauren Montgomery, stars Kevin Conroy)
    King of Devil’s Island (2011 Norway, dir Marius Holst, stars Stellan Skarsgard)
    Miss Representation (2012 USA, dir Jennifer Siebel)
    One Tree Hill: Season 9 (2012 USA, stars James Lafferty, Sophia Bush)
    The Seminarian (2010 USA, dir Joshua Lim, stars Mark Cirillo)
    Surviving Hitler: A Love Story (2012 UK, dir John Keith Wasson, stars Christopher Karl Johnson)
    The Veteran (2011 UK, dir Matthew Hope, stars Brian Cox)
    The Witches of Oz (2011 USA, dir Leigh Scott, stars Paulie Rojas, Billy Boyd)

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 08 Apr

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    Film on TV: April 9-15

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    Monday, April 9

    7:15am – IFC – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
    Julian Schnabel’s intensely moving retelling of the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, who was almost completely paralyzed in a car accident, able only to move his left eye. The impressionist storytelling lends an otherworldly beauty to the film, already solid due to the script and acting.
    2007 France. Director: Julian Schnabel. Starring: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josee Croze.
    Must See

    9:45am – IFC – Che
    Steven Soderbergh’s ambitious two-part epic about South American revolutionary Che Guevara. IFC is playing both parts back to back.
    2008 USA. Director: Steven Soderbergh. Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Julia Ormond, Rodrigo Santoro.

    3:30pm – IFC – Miller’s Crossing
    The Coen brothers take on 1930s gangland with this film, and do so admirably well. As they do most things. I have to admit I wasn’t quite as enamored of it as I usually am of Coen films, but it definitely has its moments.
    1990 USA. Director: Joel Coen. Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Jon Polito, Albert Finney.

    8:00pm – IFC – Valhalla Rising
    Nicholas Winding Refn’s nearly wordless take on the Viking action film, privileging visual storytelling and a somewhat surreal and philosophical feel.
    2009 Denmark. Director: Nicholas Winding Refn. Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Maarten Stevenson, Alexander Morton.

    1:00am (10th) – TCM – Theodora Goes Wild
    Irene Dunne got a few chances to test her screwball comedy skills, and while I don’t think Theodora Goes Wild is as solid as The Awful Truth on any level, it’s still a fun showcase for Dunne’s comedic talents.
    1936 USA. Director: Richard Boleslawski. Starring: Irene Dunne, Melvyn Douglas, Thomas Mitchell, Thurston Hall.

    2:45am (10th) – TCM – Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
    One of Frank Capra’s most whimsical films stars Gary Cooper as an unassuming country boy who suddenly inherits a great amount of money. When he decides to give it all away to whoever comes and asks for some, he garners a media frenzy, everyone thinking he’s crazy. Idealistic, warmly funny, and, yes, Capracorny. But as corn goes, it’s among the best. Also, any chance to see Jean Arthur is worth taking.
    1936 USA. Director: Frank Capra. Starring: Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, George Bancroft, Lionel Stander, Douglass Dumbrille.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 06 Apr

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    Good Friday One Sheet: H(a)unted Poster for Rian Johnson’s Looper

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    Seems like we’re being inundated with new trailers and posters this week, but of them all, this is the film I’m probably most excited about this year. I’m a huge fan of Rian Johnson’s Brick (my favorite film of 2005, in fact), and his follow-up The Brothers Bloom wasn’t too shabby, either. Now he’s re-teaming with Brick star Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who’s also doing pretty well in his career, if you hadn’t noticed) and adding the likes of Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt to the mix with a trippy sci-fi time travel story. And that’s all I know about the film, and all I want to know. This poster will be the last piece of marketing I look at for this film. I’m already sold.

    Looper opens September 28th.

    Look under the seats for the upside-down version.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • 04 Apr

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    DVD Triage: April 3

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    Not a great week for DVD releases, though there are definitely a few worth checking out. But wow did Netflix drop a bunch of stuff on Instant Watch this week. Most of it seems to be Warner Bros catalog releases, but there’s nothing wrong with that; some of the finest films ever made are among this group of films. And hardly any expirations, so that’s nice.

    New Release Pick of the Week

    Tyrannosaur
    I was sorry to have missed Considine’s directorial debut at the LA Film Festival, and judging from the reviews and comments I saw later, I really should’ve made more of an effort. Sounds like a difficult film to watch about some very broken people, but definitely worthwhile.
    2011 UK. Director: Paddy Considine. Starring: Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman, Eddie Marsan.

    Other New Releases

    The Afflicted (2010 USA, dir Jason Stoddard, stars Kane Hodder)
    Angels Crest (2011 USA, dir Gaby Dellal, stars Thomas Dekker, Jeremy Piven)
    The Double Hour (2011 Italy, dir Giuseppe Capatondi, stars Filippo Timi)
    Dysfunctional Friends (2011 USA, dir Corey Grant, stars Stacey Dash, Terrell Owens)
    Enter Nowhere (2011 USA, dir Jack Heller, stars Scott Eastwood, Sara Paxton)
    Redemption Road (2010 USA, dir Mario Van Peebles, stars Michael Clarke Duncan)
    Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011 USA/UK, stars John Barrowman, Bill Pullman)
    Truth About Kerry (2010 USA, dir Katherine Torpey, stars Stana Katic)

    » Read the rest of the entry..

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