Archive for the ‘Musings’ Category

  • Fighting for 35mm…and Our Cinematic Heritage

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    There’s no doubt that the future of cinema is going to be digital rather than film (as a physical format). Theatres are converting to digital projection right and left, with fewer and fewer 35mm film prints struck all the time, and the major camera manufacturers are ceasing production of film cameras to focus solely on digital cameras instead. It’s where the demand is. But this shift to digital doesn’t only affect new films, which are likely to be shot, edited, and projected digitally, never spending any phase of their creation on physical film – it also affects older films, which were shot on 35mm and meant to be projected on 35mm. Many Hollywood studios have declared their intention to stop producing 35mm prints of older films for use in repertory cinemas, museums, film forums, universities, etc, instead presenting those films only in digital formats as well.

    On the one hand, it’s easy to see why this makes sense to them. Digital copies are much easier and cheaper to store and transfer to theatres than bulky 35mm film prints. And many people will argue that digital looks better anyway, or at least consumers won’t be able to tell the difference. I heartily disagree with that – I love the tactile, physical look that 35mm has vs. the sterility of digital. But my point of view is quickly labeled romantic and old-fashioned in a world where cinema is a business and 35mm is antiquated technology. To some degree, it is a romantic perspective. I certainly get a rush of emotion every time I walk into the Silent Movie Theatre and see the film canisters sitting there, ready to be lovingly threaded through the projector by the seasoned projectionist for the evening’s screening. I smile when I see the cigarette burns signalling a reel change. I feel a connection to other audiences when a print is flawed through its many uses in other cinemas, screened for other audiences in other places. But what do my emotions, certainly the emotions of a minority of cinemagoers, matter in this equation?

    I’m definitely not alone in my love for seeing films projected on 35mm (or 70mm or whatever format was originally used to shoot them) – Julia Marchese of Los Angeles’s New Beverly Cinema, one of the foremost repertory cinemas in the country and one that would certainly feel the loss of 35mm prints, has started an online petition to Fight for 35mm. It currently has nearly 6,000 signatures of a hoped-for 10,000. Here’s the bulk of her plea:

    I firmly believe that when you go out to the cinema, the film should be shown in 35mm. At the New Beverly, we have never been about making money – a double feature ticket costs only $8. We are passionate about cinema and film lovers. We still use a reel to reel projection system, and our projectionists care dearly about film, checking each print carefully before it screens and monitoring the film as it runs to ensure the best projection possible. With digital screenings, the projectionists will become obsolete and the film will be run by ushers pushing a button – they don’t ever have to even enter the theater.

    The human touch will be entirely taken away. The New Beverly Cinema tries our hardest to be a timeless establishment that represents the best that the art of cinema has to offer. We want to remain a haven where true film lovers can watch a film as it was meant to be seen – in 35mm. Revival houses perform an undeniable service to movie watchers – a chance to watch films with an audience that would otherwise only be available for home viewing. Film is meant to be a communal experience, and nothing can surpass watching a film with a receptive audience, in a cinema, projected from a film print.

    I feel very strongly about this issue and cannot stand idly by and let digital projection destroy the art that I live for. As one voice I cannot change the future, but hopefully if enough film lovers speak up, we can prove to the studios that repertory cinema is important and that we want 35mm to remain available to screen.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • The Year’s Just Getting Started: Most Anticipated Movies Still To Come

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    Summer is no more. Gone are 2011′s big summer blockbusters and as much as I enjoyed them (the likes of Super 8, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the last Harry Potter flick really impressed) now is the time when the heavy hitter, Oscar-ish films start to hit screens. The serious films we can all really sink our teeth into.

    Since there’s a lot of noteworthy films still to come out between now and the end of the year (although some won’t hit screens in my British neck of the woods until early January/February next year) I thought I’d make up a list of what I’m most looking forward to checking out before year’s end, from 15 on down to 1.

    I decided in order to qualify the films have to have a theatrical release scheduled (i.e. festival showings don’t count) somewhere in the world, whether that be in the US, the UK or anywhere else.

    So without further ado, let’s get to the list, shall we?

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • What’s In A Movie Title?

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    As I was walking in to see Rupert Wyatt’s wonderful Rise of the Planet of the Apes a couple of weeks ago I started to think about titles and their effect, if any, on my preconceptions of a movie. In the case of the latest Apes flick I have to say it bothered me a little. Regardless of the quality of the film itself, the title doesn’t exactly role off the tongue (I still don’t see why the simpler “Rise of the Apes” couldn’t have sufficed) and whether it’s right or wrong it cast a small shadow on the film before I’d even sat down. I didn’t let it affect me while watching the movie or my opinion of it after I’d seen it but I have to admit I was irritated every time I saw the poster beforehand.

    The question it raised for me was what’s the real importance of a title? After all it has no real bearing on the movie itself, it’s only a signifier of a main character, a crucial plot point or quote (which we don’t usually know until we see the actual movie itself) or maybe even just an overall theme. And how does a title affect the film’s chances at the box office? It’s true that a simple, often one-word title can serve some movies, particularly big blockbusters, very well. Something tells me – and it pains me to write this – that the upcoming Battleship movie will do very well at the box office and at least part of that success will come down to its easily remembered title (and that’s not just because it’s based on one of the world’s best known board games). But then again look at the Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers franchises – with the exception of Michael Bay’s first movie about robots incessantly punching each other they all have long ass titles and as we all (unfortunately) know they have made more than some whole countries are worth.

    Some titles are misleading; The Constant Gardener isn’t really about someone who does nothing but cut the grass and arrange flowers, Million Dollar Baby doesn’t actually involve a very valuable newborn and there are no actual submarines in Submarine (spoiler alert!). Other titles are are so blunt it’s like being hit over the head; Snakes on a Plane, Monsters, Fighting and Bad Teacher (to name a few more recent examples) all deliver exactly what they say on the tin. Does an ambiguous or obvious title play that big of a part in a film’s success or does the content speak for itself?

    It would be impossible to prove in any sort of definitive way that a short and sweet title does the trick money-wise better than a longer, more complicated one. It’s more about how well it’s marketed to the public and, for the sake of repeat viewings and word-of-mouth buzz, the content of the movie itself. So ultimately I’ve gotta’ fall on the side of “it’s just a title, nothing more” side of the fence. But nonetheless I can’t discount them completely.

    Do you place any importance (big or small) on a film’s title or could you care less what a film is called? Just for fun what are some of your favourite movie titles and why?

  • Finite Focus: “My Rifle, My Pony and Me” (Rio Bravo)

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    Rio Bravo posterHallmarks of the Western genre include shoot-outs, cowboys battling Indians, chases on horse-back and the classic good versus bad mentality. But Howard Hawks’ wonderful Rio Bravo (which I just saw for the first time recently, I am ashamed to admit) is one of those which proves that a little sing-song is welcome every once in a while.

    Instantly taking its rightful place on my list of all time favorite movie scenes is when Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson sit back, relax and join together to sing “My Rifle, My Pony and Me.” Added touches of joy come from Walter Brennan’s Stumpy playing the harmonica while he awaits eagerly to join in on the next song (and he very much does!), as well as Western veteran John Wayne happily watching on without singing a word. The scene is so well played that you forget, if only for a few moments, the overall plot of the movie.

    Truly one of the great “take a break from the action” moments of all time and surely one to cheer you up if you’re feeling down. Sublime.

     

  • OK I Admit It. The Final Harry Potter Trailer Looks Pretty Awesome.

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    I‘ve seen parts 1,2 and 4. To say I was underwhelmed is putting it delicately. That said, I think I’m finally ready to go back and watch them all in order (still interested in the Alfonso Cuarón entry) so’s we can check out this epic conclusion properly. On the big screen. In 2D. As awesome as it looks, I still wouldn’t say that I’m super excited about it but this is an event film; and you know how I hate to be out of the loop.

     

     

  • 5 Things the World can Learn from Dogtooth. *MAJOR SPOILERS*

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    “Art is lies that tell the truth.” On one hand it is easy to dismiss such a graphic oddity such as Giorgos Lanthimos Oscar Nominated provocation Dogtooth (David’s Review). On the other, its brand of pitch-black comedy and hybridized cocktail of surrealism and lizard-brain-intellectualism (David Lynch, meet Michael Haneke) does get at exposing some things about how society functions at the microscopic level: Indoctrination and conformity to what you have been taught. Are you Christian because you parents were, because you were born in a certain part of the world? Muslim? Buddhist? Liberal? Conservative? If anything Dogtooth is a bit optimistic that we can all transcend, but boy-oh-boy if you do not have a basic toolkit, you are likely still going to be in a truck-load of trouble.

    Rearing children is and is not dog training.
     
     
    You can argue nature vs. nurture until you are blue in the face, but Dogtooth spends a lot of time equating the discipline of children to obedience training of canines. The title even derives from the made-up concept told from the parents to the children that people become adults when they lose their large incisor, their “dogtooth.” (left or right side is not important.) Cats are the ultimate enemy on the outside (and occasionally the inside) of the family compound. Rubbing the nose in the crime is shown by the assault of a VHS tape (duct taped to father’s hand like a training mitt) after watching forbidden films. The the arc of the film is this: How long can these kids (presumably late teens to early twenties) be stuck at adolescence playing low-stakes children games, collecting stickers (or giving a lick to a body-part as an act of soliciting a gift) before they find a way to grow up, with or without the help of their ‘masters?’ How entrenched in the human psyche is ignorance and submission? Children are bound to explore the extent of their own limits, well beyond any sort of disciplinary action. In short, kids grow up and dogs stay dogs.

    Parenting may be a full time job, but over-parenting is performance art.
     
     
    The lengths that the two parents go to in Dogtooth to raise their 3 children (possibly 4 at one point) sheltered from everything is both inspiring and disturbing. Nobody is more dedicated (or deluded) as these two thinking that they can be the only act of influence on their children’s lives. Horror (and satire) is best executed by taking an aspect of society and exaggerating it beyond recognition. The parents depriving their children of any form of coping mechanism to their emotions (other than some minor rewards and a new set of anxieties and fears) is one of the key sources of conflict in Dogtooth, something underscored by how the female security guard paid to service the son eventually seeds the destruction of the whole family, simply by interacting in brief fits and starts with three children. And some times you should just let your kids watch big American blockbusters such as Jaws, Rocky and Flashdance; if nothing else than it livens up the household charades night. When the security guard is removed from the picture, incest is the only viable option that will keep their sons urges in check and not upset the harmony of the household. Yup, performance-art.

    Xenophobia creates the worst kind of monsters.
     
     
    Watching the youngest daughter get a little miffed at her older brother and slash him with the kitchen knife, or later, offscreen, whack him with a hammer, tends to underscore that willful ignorance and sheltering from any engagement to the outside world is the worst possible thing you can do for human beings. There is a reason for the phrase anti-social behavior. Certain aspects of Japanese culture (one of the most ‘culturally pure countries’ (i.e. Xenophobic) over the centuries have also produced some of the worst atrocities (their treatment of the Chinese and Koreans over centuries), while ‘Fortress America’ operating unilaterally starting with Vietnam and moving into the 21st century has its own brand.

    Xenophobia with a healthy dose of righteousness and hypocrisy is worse.
     
     
    Certainly the worst aspects of religion (from Muslim extremists to the Westboro Baptist Church) are brought about by the leaders preaching one thing and doing something else. When the parents shelter their kids of damning influences of the outside world but need bad pornography to get the romantic spark going in their own relationship, well, what then? Dogtooth never drops the full set of intentions of the two parents with any easy exposition or explanation, but one imagines in their strange minds, they have only the best intentions for their young ones.

    Life Will Find a Way
     
     
    The climactic losing of the ‘dogtooth’ by the eldest demonstrates Jeff Goldblum’s (the mathematician from Jurassic Park) theory that all forms of control will only spur on new levels of inspired biology and instinct. When language and vocabulary show a solution to ‘growing up and getting out of the house’ she is not above speeding things along with a set of running-weights. This scene is graphic and messy and evolution at its best.

    Who would have thought that one 94 minute film that is violent, suspenseful, entertaining, weird and gorgeous to look at could cover such a wide number of topics: Language, Religion, Parenting, Evolution, Sociology, Hollywood Cinema, and the absolute evil nature of cats. It has less than a snowballs chance in hell of winning the Foreign Language statue from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but they are onto something for giving this one a nod.

  • 8 Movie Characters Who Are Cooler than Your Man

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    This one goes out to all of those who may be in a happy relationship with a man they love and cherish, but who deep down know that he lacks one key component that would really light their fire: coolness. Well, ladies and gents, not everyone can be as cool as these guys listed below – but if you want to give them a lesson or two, you can have them check out these movies and maybe they will take the hint. And if not, maybe it’s time to move on.

    1. Eddie Felson


    Movie(s): The Hustler, The Color of Money
    Quotable: “I’m the best you ever seen, Fats. I’m the best there is. And even if you beat me, I’m still the best.”
    Why he’s cooler than your man: Granted, he smokes too much, drinks too much, he hardly knows when to quit, and he doesn’t much know how to treat a lady, but when it comes down to it, his nearly fatal flaws are what make him so cool, even if that was not Paul Newman’s intention in his creation of the character. Smarmy, stubborn, and obsessive, his pool playing skills have inspired thousands of men to pick up the cue stick at the bar – none of whom have ever been able to pull off the over-the-top confidence like Fast Eddie could. Your man usually just ends up looking like a real dick.
    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • Evokative’s Food for Thought: American and Canadian Fans of Upscale Foreign Cinema

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    Here is a worthy discussion for those of you who spend your money at film festivals, or like to watch foreign cinema of all stripes and colours. American (and Canadian) exhibition of foreign language cinema (outside of Japanese genre flicks, Bollywood imports and the occasional break out Euro-hits like The Millennium Trilogy films, Downfall, Tell No One or Cache) has been taking a nose dive for years. Some blame the ever expanding festival market which cannibalizes art-house releases, others blame a glut of product on the domestic and foreign markets and an overall decline in importance of film with so many other entertainment distractions. For that matter, subscription packages like Netflix and overall apathy with the theatrical experience are contributors as well. Well Stephanie Trapanier, founder and owner of Evokative Films, put out a clarion plea for the very survival of the few boutique distributors that want to give quality and unique foreign cinema a go on this side of the pond. A motivator? A guilt trip? A State of the Union? Either way, a worthy discussion for film lovers. Stephanie’s entire note is below:

    “Hey there friends and cinephiles,

    Today I’d like to exchange on a very important subject with you, one directly related to Evokative’s very existence: Let’s talk about your interest in International films. It’s a bit of a long read, but I promise I get to a point.

    For a long time, mostly when I was lining up for films at Fantasia and later on when I became part of the staff, I kept hearing the film fans complain about the lack of decent releases for International films, dissing the Bad Big Distributors who didn’t give the proper love to the titles they did pick-up and deploring all the great films that had been left on the side of the road after festival acclaim, because they had been deemed “Not Commercial Enough” by the Bad Big Distributors. I totally agreed on the discourse.

    I thought, “Hey, isn’t there a market right here, film fans who are passionate about the art and want to see someone go out there and nurture these films? Wouldn’t they be happy about that and support that company that would go against the mentality of the Bad Big Distributors to be a Nice Small Distributor?”. Then I started out in the business and more seasoned folks would tell me how “courageous” I was to venture out in this type of film, and I would always reply with confidence that I knew that the audience was out there, it just never had been properly listened to.

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • Community and Contrarianism: Almost 3 Years of Row Three

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    Rowthree

    So, we do not actually turn three until some time in October, but there is no time like the present for a little bit of back-clapping, narcissism and nostalgia! Here we offer the Row Three Posts that generated the largest number of comments, for one reason or another. Click the links and re-live the great digital water-cooler and film forum on offer. We are glad you keep coming back and bring all the feist and fury (and wit and knowledge) to the conversation.

    A little bit about the numbers. We have a plug-in on the site which feeds back the most commented posts here at Rowthree. Commenting and conversation and recommendation and elucidation are what we are all about, and it is satisfying that we more than 30 posts on the site that generated over 100 comments and almost a handful that broke the 200 comment mark

    Here is the countdown:

    #11. Kurt’s Review of Shutter Island – From continuity errors to psychiatric patient weaponization, to the sweet final piece of dialogue in Martin Scorsese’s sharp genre film – yes, we pretty much cover it all in the comments section. (139)
     
    #10. Kurt’s Transformers 2 Challenge – When an archival audio snippet of how much Kurt hated Transformers 1 is posted on the eve of Transformers 2 things get ugly. (160)
     
    #9. Kurt’s Inglourious Basterds Review – For the Love of Cinema, we talk a lot of Basterds! (166)
     
     
    #8. Andrew picks The Five Films That SHOULD Have Been Nominated for Best Picture Oscars in 2008 – “I Am Your Sensei And if You Do not Agree I will interrupt you!” It’s a cornucopia of come-uppance in there, but we do go to the old standby – The Lady In The Water Debate. Michael Haneke, WallE, Bergman vs. Antonioni, Speedracer and Norwegian Black Metal makes for one of the more tangential comment treads of the site (and that is saying something!) (166)
     
    #7. Cinecast #118 – In Fabulous 2D! – Lots of debate on Observe and Report. (174)
     
     
    #6. Kurt’s Review of The Wrestler – Wherein Gamble brings up the whole ‘contrived and manipulated’ argument against the picture and once that gauntlet is thrown down, things drift to the WWE and There Will Be Blood and the whole high art / low art debate ensues. Let it not be said that the comments section does not have range. (190)
     
    #5. Cinecast #114 – The “Major League” Solution – Matt Gamble joins the cinecast as a regular and oh, boy – so many things in the comment section, Our rambling Watchmen review, but also a lot of love/hate for Dear Zachary and Behind The Mask and Time Crimes and even The Staircase. (213)
     
    #4. Brave New Worldview – 30 Science Fiction Films of the 21st Century Bringing out fans of hard science fiction, fanboys of all stripes and sizes, and a lot of StumbleUpon folks that had trouble reading the title yet commented anyway. Some savvy folks chime in with a few more obscure titles too. (218)
     
    #3. Rot’s Collapse Review Wherein the Rowthree community takes sides in calling Rot a conspiracy obsessive, or a passionate follow-up guy. (260)
     
    #2. David’s Avatar Review – Wherein Spectacle vs. Originality is the starting point, and the merits of Kung Fu Fighting as a soundtrack is brought up (again) along with the ever popular 3D debate. The chaser: Alfred Hitchcock’s vs. Gus Van Sant’s Psycho (seriously.) (336)
     
    #1. Rot Rewatches and Reconsiders Paul Haggis’s Crash – Oh boy. All bets are off folks, it is flat out war in there. (375)
     
     

  • John Hillcoat is THE Shiznick

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    Seriously. You can’t really get any cooler that John Hillcoat. The Proposition, The Road, Red Dead Redemption: The Man from Blackwater… he’s not exactly cruisin’ the mainstream but he does things his own way and I can totally get behind that.

    Check out his newest bit of entertainment. Grinderman is a band. It features the awesome Nick Cave. Actually, it’s basically a re-incarnation of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. They have a new studio album dropping later this year and to promote it, they called up their bud John to make a short commercial. It’s only 30 seconds but they’re an awesome 30 seconds.

    Thanks for making my day John.

  • Andrew’s Oscar Recap

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    The Hurt Locker didn’t win tonight; Avatar lost. This means I get to uphold my vow and still get to watch the Oscars next year. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let’s start at the beginning.

    Aside from one or two jokes (The Jew Hunter being one of them) the duo of Martin and Baldwin was pretty yawn inducing. Actually, it was more cringe worthy, as I expected the pair to really bring down the house. Can no one see that an Oscar host needs at least 2 years in a row to get warmed up and comfortable with the position? Jackman got luke warm reviews last year, but he was much more charismatic, charming and fun than these guys. Heck, even Jon Stewart got really hot in the second half of his hosting duties a couple of years ago. But in all honesty, the Academy should do all it can to just bring back Billy Crystal. Steve, where was your banjo? Seriously. Not funny = boring. Neil Patrick Harris opening the show with a Broadway-esque bit of comedy was semi-delightful and at the very least much more in the spirit of the Oscar ceremony aura. Maybe they should’ve just stopped there and let NPH continue on with the hosting duties? It couldn’t have been much worse than what we got (and maybe Joss Whedon could help out with some of the scripting?). But hey, Alec and Steve were only on the television for a total of what, 45 seconds after their opening monologue dialogue? So let’s focus on some of the other, more fun aspects of the evening (what there were of them) shall we?
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  • Finite Focus: “Someone get me a fucking wiener before I die!” (One Flew Over The Cukoo’s Nest)

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    In this age of 3D glasses, product placement, and an abundance of needless special effects, I sometimes forget what it is that has always made me love movies so much. For me, I’m reminded during those rare moments when the actors completely take over a scene, where everyone and everything just clicks, and I become so engrossed in the moment that I am no longer aware that I am sitting on the couch in my living room in podunk Pennsylvania munching on reheated pizza. It’s those times when my analytical eye goes blind, when I forget that I’m watching people act, where I’m no longer examining the camerawork and mentally tearing apart the story for inconsistencies, and imagining the directors orchestrating the scene during production.

    There are some scenes (and entire movies) that are just so perfect, that when I watch them or think about them, my mind pulsates with elation to the point where I think that one of these days when I watch it, my brain very well may explode from an overload of sheer awesomeness. This is one of those scenes. This is one of those movies. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is not a movie that is a stranger to critical and commercial praise – it won five Oscars after all, including Best Picture – but sometimes the praise it has received makes me take for granted how great of a movie it really is. It is a showcase of brilliant acting, a “how-to” for any aspiring young actor out there, and a delicious treat for anyone who, like myself, watches films first and foremost for interesting characters and deeply layered performances.

    This scene should be viewed in all Acting 101 classes.

    p.s. Does anyone else find Brad Dourif grossly underrated as an actor?

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