At My Most Beautiful (BIUTIFUL Trailer)

Sometime today I should receive an email from TIFF telling me what films I have indeed secured tickets for.

I'm actually quite optimistic that I'll score most of my first choices. You see, they pick a spot at random to start filling orders from to keep things fair - sorta like a wristband policy for concert tickets. While the randomly selected spot isn't going to do my friends Kurt and Danger Girl any favours, I'm hopeful that it works out well for me. I know - that sounds bad...I'm a bit greedy after a year off.

If I get everything, than one premiere I'll be especially looking forward to is the newest one from Alejandro "21 GRAMS" Gonzalez Inarritu. Here's a peek at this gritty opus.

Midnight Radio: The Matineecast Episode 20

As the days start to shorten, and back-to-school sales increase, there's no denying that autumn's here. (Awesome song by the way...by Hawksley Workman...anyone...?).

After giving a personal friend a spin in the shotgun seat for an episode, we're back to a fellow blogger this week. It was a lot of fun finally getting to talk to this cat, after reading his stuff for over a year. The audio quality on this one isn't the greatest (my cold-ridden voice, plus his grumpy microphone). However, the conversation was a lot of fun, so I've kept it all the same.

Here's the Mike Schmidt episode...



(Go here or to iTunes if the embedded player doesn't start)

Here's what's in store in episode twenty...

Runtime
63 minutes

Up for Discussion

1. Introduction
2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY - Q & A with this episode's guest, Marc from Go! See! Talk!
3. COME TALK TO ME - Listeners suggest ideas for my upcoming TIFF coverage.
4. THE NEW SLANG - Review and reaction of THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED
5. THE BEST OF YOU - Marc and I list five films we're excited for in fall 2010.

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

I Know It's Gonna Happen

I usually don't explain the truth behind the stills I pick for my "Today, I Feel Like This"...but in case you were curious, yesterday's entry came from me trying to put the finishing touches on my TIFF selections.

What's amusing, is that just two weeks ago, I told Danger Girl that the TIFF selection mantra is "You can't see everything, so don't even try". Of course, it'd be swell if I could follow my own advice. What's holding me back isn't exactly trying to jam more films in than there are hours in the day. No, I'm suffering from cinematic commitment-phobia for fear of a hotter movie coming along the minute after I've offered another movie my class ring.

Before TIFF 2008, I did up this post pointing out some of the gems I'd missed in festivals past. Well in fine form, that year's festival was no exception. See despite seeing a lot of great flicks that year - including a wickedly early glimpse at SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - I still overlooked some awesomeness. What had me kicking myself the most?

Oh, I dunno...

ONE WEEK
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
WALTZ WITH BASHIR
THE BROTHERS BLOOM
PONTYPOOL
HUNGER
SUGAR
and
THE HURT LOCKER

It all works out in the end of course, but I promise you that when I drop off my order form at the box office this morning...I'll already be thinking of what films will make up the miss-list when I do this post next year.

Work It Out

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 8 - 25 (Chatter From Other Bloggers)

Jeepers - a lot can happen when a blogger takes a week off from looking around. I guess Ferris Beuller was on to something, eh? Between soaking up a genre film festival, trying to map out my viewing schedule for another festival, and taking a few days to get hit with the sniffles, I must concur that "Life moves pretty fast".

Hey funny story - I went to a double feature last night, and when the second film started, I was caught off-guard as it wasn't the film I thought I'd be seeing. It was still good, and still something I wanted to see...just not what I expected. I'm tempted to ask if anyone else has ever sat down expecting to watch something, only to be surprised by a totally different film.....but I'm pretty sure that much like the cheese, I stand alone.

So as I consider taking a weekend off from moviegoing, and put the finishing touches on Matineecast #20, check out what my classmates are up to these days.

For your reading fulfillment, I give you...

Ever find yourself with a craving to hear Kai and Fletch show off their movie smarts?? Well Univarn did, and luckily for us he had the tape rolling.

Speaking of tape rolling, our favorite Brit podcasters are looking to tweak the show. Give them some constructive criticism won't you?

Fandango is questioning just how much love can endure.

One film at Toronto After Dark that I'm starting to regret skipping out on is a flick called HEARTLESS. CS saw it and has jotted down some thoughts.

If I go see something this weekend, it'll likely be Robert Duvall and Bill Murray in GET LOW. A blog I've started following called Cinematically Correct has seen it and posted their thoughts.

Meanwhile, Peter over at Magic Lantern is feeling very theatrical these days and put together a list of fifteen choice films adapted from the stage.

Enjoy!

I Choose (TIFF 2010 Selections)

I must admit - while I did very much miss all the usual TIFF goings-on as I sat it out last year, I certainly didn't miss going through the hell of film selection.

To the uninitiated, most of those attending TIFF are going in with some sort of "choose-your-own" package with a set number of films (as few as 10, as many as 50). On a Tuesday in late August, you finally get to see a full rundown on every one of the 300 films playing (many of the smaller ones, while announced, often come with little details)...and the schedule for when they are playing.

You then have one week to submit your selections, insodoing figuring out which films you want to see most, and balance that out with when they are playing, what's playing at the same time, and how long it will take you to run here and there around the city.

It sounds like hell, but given that this is my ninth go-round, I've pretty much got it down to a science. Here's what has my eye...

127 HOURS

HEREAFTER

NEVER LET ME GO

LET ME IN

LEGEND OF THE FIST

I'M STILL HERE

BIUTIFUL

THE TRIP

THE ILLUSIONIST

SUPER

MIRAL

BALADA TRISTE

I SAW THE DEVIL

CHICO & RITA

ANYTHING YOU WANT

ANPO

SUBMARINE

NORWEGIAN WOOD

YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER
BLACK SWAN

I'll be turning in my order Sunday morning - say a prayer to the gods of random selection for me, would ya?

The Climb (127 HOURS Trailer)

After a few hours spent circling, highliting, scribbling and highliting some more...I think I have settled on which 20 films I am going to try for at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

Which films am I picking? Well I'm loathe to say just yet, as selections could change as my missus tries to talk me into and out of certain screenings. You'd think by now I'd listen to her - after all, in years past she's tried to steer me towards CITIZEN DOG and PAN'S LABYRINTH.

One thing I will share however, is that this was one of the gimme's. From the moment Danny Boyle's film appeared amongst the announced titles, I knew I'd be chasing it down.

Down With the Sickness (Anatomy of a Movie Geek's Sick Day)

I truly don't try to let something like a cold knock me out, but this one kicked my ass. The only small upside to it is that there were hundreds of dvd's to keep me company.

9:30am... Get out of bed, walk up to the drug store to top up on cold meds and orange juice.


10:00am...Upon returning, the day starts with BRICK. Almost forgot as I fired it up that I'd be witness to a slight INCEPTION reunion with Jo-Go Levitt and Lukas Haas. The flick is a good starter since it's the dialogue in it I love so much, which allows me to close my eyes and listen. Inevitably, I sleep through 80% of it.


12:30pm... Having watched KILL BILL volume 1 on Sunday, I decide to reach for volume two. I also drift in and out of sleepiness with this one (I'm gone through the entire Pai Mei sequence), however watching the gusto with which David Carradine makes a sandwich rekindles my appetite and sends me to the kitchen finally. (I forget - is it feed a fever, starve a cold?).

3:00pm... I decide that it's been ages since I've watched ROCKNROLLA, so that goes on next. The INCEPTION reunion continues as I'd completely forgotten that Tom Hardy plays Handsome Bob in this film. Quick show of hands, who thinks my 'sick day movies' so far are an odd bunch?


4:45pm...I'm finally out of bed and into the living room. I've decided to move to Lady Hatter's dvd shelf, which as we all know is a very scary place. But there are treasures to be found there - such as THE ROYAL TENNENBAUMS. Admittedly, the early bunch of gritty and tough movies might not have been the best idea today, as this one seems much more of an appropriate tempo. So far, it's the only one I've been awake for all the way through.

8:30pm...Much of the cold seems to be leaving my system. My patient wife has returned home, and there's some semblance of dinner in my stomach. But a slight state of melancholy is soaking in, thus the evening's choice is ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. My left eye has suddenly decided to act up, blurring my vision nicely (I can only tell Winslet and Carrey apart by the blue hair).

10:45... Time to take one last dose of meds and try to sleep the last of this bugger off. My earlier Wes Anderson film seemed to mellow me out nicely, so hopefully another one will work to knock me out for the night.

(Thanks for endulging my sick day activities - your regularly scheduled Dark of The Matinee will resume this time tomorrow)

Unwell

I don't usually post these on Mondays, but since this summer cold is kicking my ass it feels apropos.

Today, I Feel Like This...

Review: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED * * * *

I find that my taste in art lends itself to minimalism. Indeed I can be moved by the largest orchestras playing the fullest symphonies...but I'm often even more affected by a one voice/one guitar simplicity. Where film is concerned, this is difficult of course, since the medium leans heavily on a certain level of expanse. However, elegance in minimalism is possible in film as THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED demonstrates.

And indeed, it is wickedly successful in its minimalist approach.

I found that what made my experience of this film so wonderful was knowing so little about it. So allow me to just say this:

Alice Creed (Gemma Arteton) has been kidnapped.
Danny and Vic (Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan) are the kidnappers.
They want £2M for her return.
They are keeping her in a meticulously thought-out, soundproof place with no phone which cannot be exited without a key.


On the surface, the gimmick of this film seems like it would wear thin after forty five minutes. After all, how far can a mere three cast members carry a film. However, as we learn the details of this kidnapping plot, it continually affects the dynamic of these three actors and how they relate to one-another. What this does, is hold our focus in a much better fashion than a formulaic kidnapping film.

The formula is likewise sidestepped by J Blakeson's intricate vision on display in this film. Through both photography and editing, he accomplishes two things. For starters, he takes menial tasks and gives them a wonderful melody. In the hands of many people, seeing two men shop for hardware supplies and reno a bedroom would seem like tedium. Blakeson manages to give such a scene real life and beauty.

The other thing he manages to do, is heighten our sense of dread. On more than one instance in the film, moments play out that have us muttering to ourselves "This is a very bad idea". Blakeson takes that very feeling and pushes it further and further down an avenue of dread by cutting here and there around the scene...almost echoing a silently ticking time bomb. It's a great technique, and sign of great promise in a first-time director.

Suffice it to say, the parameters of the kidnapping in this plot get altered once or twice (as they often do). Ordinarily this just plays as a plot twist to further the story, but in ALICE CREED it's every deviation from the formula has a heavy ripple effect since it alters the way these three characters relate to one another - and such changes can be monumental when dealing with a plan like this.

Every shift in the plot radically digs into Alice's fear of her kidnappers. It causes her to fear and interact with Danny and Vic in very different ways from scene to scene. Every shift also changes the dynamic between Danny and Vic - two criminals who "are in it together" as they say. Honour amoung thieves is tantamount in this sort of plot, since Alice might not know a whole lot about her kidnappers, but her kidnappers could write the book on each other, and of course hand that book over to the authorities. Thus, it's compelling to hear them continually declare themselves partners, and likewise to watch their tells as the make their declaration.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED succeeds by way of its cleverness, and its refusal to adhere to formula. As the abduction takes place, it's very easy for the audience to fear that they have signed up to watch some sort of disturbing fetishized ballad. However, it's not long after that the film seems to hold up it's hand and say "Hold on folks - There's more". And indeed it offers a story that is nuanced and creates a three-character tapestry that we don't expect.

What did you think? Feel free to leave comments with any thoughts or reactions on THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED.

Roll With It (RUBBER plays Toronto After Dark)

Now that's more like it!

You might recall that two days ago I blogged about my first dose of The Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and how I was a bit saddened that the audience wasn't really impressed enough to pull me through and make the night more fun. Well last night was the complete antithesis to CENTURION. Last night was a wickedly original and truly fun movie. Last night the crowd didn't need to pull me through, since we were all having a blast equally.

Last night.....was RUBBER.

RUBBER is about a radial tire that one day becomes cognitive and pulls himself up out of the dirt he's been tossed into on the side of an abandoned desert road. Like a newborn fawn, it takes him a few tries to get the hang of keeping himself upright and rolling in a straight line. Once he gets the hang of that, he discovers that when he rolls over certain things - bugs, plastic bottles - they get destroyed.

But when he finds more solid items - glass bottles, tin cans - he realizes he can't destroy them. That's alright though, because the tire figures out he has psychokinetic powers...and can blow them up. This also seems to come in handy on animals, birds, and indeed - humans.

That's right gang - RUBBER is about a killer tire.

You'd think that would get old over the course of 85 minutes the concept would get old, but thankfully the film isn't only about the killer tire. The film, directed by Quentin Dupieux, has framed itself nicely in a rather self-aware way that I dare not spoil, since it's best enjoyed cold. Suffice it to say that the film realizes how absurd the premise is, and has constructed itself in a way that builds on its own absurdity.

As I mentioned, the crowd had a blast...you could almost hear the smile widening across everyone's faces as the tire would ominously roll into the background of a shot. Likewise, the joint was cracking up when some of truly great deadpan humour hit their mark perfectly.

I feel bad that I only got two small doses of The After Dark festival this year, but such things happen sometimes. After the fun I had watching rubber though - next year I promise you I'm all in.

Three (3rd Blog-a-Versary of Dark of The Matinee)

Thanks.

If you're reading this right now, allow me to thank you. For dropping by, for giving my movie-related musings a moment of your precious time, and for encouraging me to continue to do it. When I first started this blog three years ago, I didn't think anyone would be interested in what "one more blogger" had to say. And for a good few while there, I was right.

But as I kept posting, you kept reading...and kept encouraging me to keep writing...that there was indeed a spot for "one more blogger". That support and encouragement has only pushed me to try harder, be a better writer. It's inspired me to pay that support forward as exponentially as I can, and while I know that this is really all "for funsies"...it's slowly become something I identify myself with. Again - there's no way I'd ever feel that way without you.

So here I am: 936 posts, 150 reviews, 26 podcasts, a few dozen new friends and three years later. I've been acredited as press for three festivals so far, and have even managed to eclipse the song my blog is named after to become the top search result on Google!

You've been with me when I said goodbye to someone, you've been there when I said 'I Do' to someone. You've been there day after day for every geeky, dorky, ranting, raving, overenthusiastic, passionate word. You have been great friends to me and helped me believe in bigger possibilities.

I know this might seem a bit over-effusive for "just another blog"...but I know for certain that it would have been over in three months had it not been for everyone who gave me two minutes of their time.

So here's to more film festivals, more arguments, more conversations recorded for posterity, more cups of tea, more community, and of course - more movies.

To You!

sincerely,
Hatter.

The Hunter, The Hunted (CENTURION Plays Toronto After Dark)

So tonight was a new experience for me, as it was my first go-round with the Toronto After Dark Film Festival.

Bob has been suggesting to me for a while that I should give it a go. It's not exactly in my wheelhouse, as I'm admittedly not the biggest fan of genre films...but the fun times I've had at the small handful of TIFF Midnight Madness screenings I've been to - not to mention last month's blast at HOUSE - led me to give it a try. Got off to a bit of a slow start though.

Despite the festival running for almost a week, tonight was my first screening - Neil Marshall's CENTURION. It's a hyper-violent sword and sandal epic about a platoon of Roman soldiers on the run from a legion of Celtic warriors on the fringes of The Empire. It stars Michael Fassbender, Noel Clarke, Olga Kurylenko and Dominic West, and draws more from GLADIATOR than it does THE 300. Unfortunately though, it wasn't nearly as much fun as either one of those movies.

One of the best things about it is Olga Kurylenko playing a rather badass tracker - who's mute, but still manages to let loose a damn good scream. She has a confidence about her, and her character seems to have this Terminator-like unstopability. She plays the sort of hunter you'd desperately try to hide your tracks from, because once she finds you - she's going to take you apart.

Then there's Michael Fassbender as our lead roman, a dude named Quintus Dias. He plays the part well, but isn't given a whole lot more to do besides continuing to lead his band of foxes from the would-be hounds that are perusing them. No badass lines, no wicked cool fighting moves...nothing to make the character particularly memorable in that Leonidas or Maximus sort of way. Again - not much fun.

These shortcomings (and there are many more) aren't a bad thing per se, as this festival isn't exactly about bringing in the best films the world has to offer. Unfortunately though, this wasn't quite the sort of B-Film to get the crowd ramped up. Don't get me wrong, they certainly were appreciative of a handful of delightfully gory deaths...but it didn't quite seem to connect with them on a level that I'm told PHOBIA 2 and ALL ABOUT EVIL achieved. Not too sure what this says about CENTURION's mainstream chances if it didn't click with an After Dark crowd.

Oh well, ya gotta start somewhere...and it's always fun to spend a night with my fellow Toronto movie bloggers.

Look for more TADFF coverege on Saturday when I recap my experience watching RUBBER - the film about a killer tire.

Review: HARRY BROWN * * * 1/2

How long are we supposed to stand back and do nothing? How long are we supposed to pull or drapes shut, and pretend that things we know are wrong just aren't happening in our backyard? Is it possible just to keep your head down and hope it all goes away...or will we eventually have to get our hands dirty when trouble comes knocking.

If HARRY BROWN is to believed, it's impossible to stay above the fray...and sometimes even the unlikeliest of people will get dragged into the fracas.

Harry Brown (Michael Caine) lives on a council estate in south London. It's a shitty neighbourhood, and a place where reckless young thugs have made innocent people afraid of setting foot out their front door. However, Harry has managed so far - mostly by sticking to his routine, and ignoring what's happening outside of his own front door.

However, one of Harry's only friends isn't so ambivalent. Leonard (David Bradley) has been harassed endlessly, and now conceals a bayonet on his person for protection should push come to shove with the young thugs. Harry begs him not to take matters into his own hands, and instead to go to the police. Unfortunately that very night, Leonard gets into an altercation with the punks which costs him his life.

The next morning, when detective Frampton (Emily Mortimer) comes knocking to tell harry the bad news, Harry is very sad for about sixty seconds, then he lashes out at the cops for not being able to do their job. It's here that Harry seems to have seen enough. He decides to take it upon himself to avenge his murdered friend, and try to restore some order to the slum his neighbourhood has become.
HARRY BROWN really all boils down to Michael Caine and his ability to create such a distinct character. Harry is a man of few words, but we can see in his routines and his habits what sort of a meticulous man he is. He's not only the sort of man who does the same thing every day, but he's very particular in how he does it. This is to say that not only does every morning begin with a cup of tea and piece of toast...but that breakfast is immediately followed by sweeping the crumbs from the table and washing the dishes. So perhaps we shouldn't be so surprised when Harry finally takes matters into his own hands. But we are - making his decisions all the more unsettling.

Harry might have a lot of fight left in him, but he often moves around as though a badly masoned cobblestone will send him face-first into the sidewalk. Thus when he knocks on the thugs' door looking to get a handgun and put his plan in motion, we are filled with a sense of dread. So much so, that the only thing we can think of that will let him walk out alive, is the fact that his name gets top billing in the film.

Much to our surprise though, harry is as meticulous in his vengeance as he is in sweeping up crumbs and doing his dishes. Its this part of the character that makes Michael Caine's performance so amazing to watch. With his every expression and gesture, he embodies a man who has gone to great lengths to put distance between himself and his violent past as a soldier. He urges us all to trust the authorities to protect us, and the sadness in his eyes almost turns it into a plea. But when those very same authorities let him down, those pleading eyes turn scolding in a hurry.

Then, once Caine is finished scolding, he takes us on a boat ride down the darkened river. The story of HARRY BROWN gets grim in a hurry...continuing on where a story like GRAN TORINO would be wishing it a goodnight and good luck. Deeply unsettling, and stunning in its grittiness, HARRY BROWN wants to tell us about the violence that even the most seemingly passive person is capable of. This person might hold a desire to stay out of the fray...and this person might believe that they're a changed person. However, what this film understands, is that we all have that one particular nerve, that when pressed can bring out a side of ourselves we truly wanted to leave behind.

HARRY BROWN is ultimately a simple story elevated to an exceptional film through subtle direction, gloriously dreary tone, and a stellar performance. Having become accustomed to see Caine cast as the wise and docile elder statesman, it's a welcome sight to see him walk as a badass again. Such a badass in fact, that I'd wager he could take on every single one of The Expendables, come out with barely a scratch, and still make it home in time for tea.

What did you think? Feel free to leave comments with any thoughts or reactions on HARRY BROWN.

Review: STEP UP 3-D (Zero Stars)

107 minutes of my life that I'm never getting back. What's worse, is that it didn't have to be this way...

Our story begins with Moose and Camille on their first day at NYU. Moose becomes distracted, and gets separated from Camille, eventually finding himself stumbling into the middle of a dance battle. Supposedly, he does well in this impromptu battle and shows up a prominent dancer (I say supposedly because I am unaware of how one actually wins a battle). This dancer isn't too thrilled with "being served", and chases Moose clear out of the park. This is where Luke comes to the kid's rescue.

Luke takes Moose under his wing, hoping to recruit him into his Lost Boys-like dance crew. ("Well, I am just about to start my freshman year at a top school...but I should have tonnes of free time, why not?"). Luke invites Moose into The Vault, a sprawling NYC loft that only exists in the movies where his crew - The Pirates - live, work, and play. They have it all. Workshops through every door, enough living space for ten dancers, an audio system made up of a wall of boomboxes...and what seems like a twelve by twenty foot wall filled with sneakers. Don't get grabby though: "Around here, we have to earn our kicks". (That one's a direct quote).

But life ain't all beer and pizza for The Pirates. See, they're behind on they're rent (I'll bet with a pad like that). They're one shot at keeping the joint lays in winning some contest called The World Jam (doesn't it always). And while a new girl who catches Luke's eye named Natalie might be the missing ingredient, she might also be hiding something (hard to believe, I know).

Can Moose dance and be an engineering student?
Can The Pirates save their home?
Is Natalie the one for Luke, or is she hiding something?

But most of all:

Should we care one iota about any of this???



Where to begin? With the amazingly lame B-FAB mantra? (B-FAB standing for Born From A Boombox. Yes really) With the protagonist who pays lip service to the fact that he's at NYU for engineering, but spends nearly every waking minute dancing? With the dance crew that follows that protagonist into a men's room and challenges him to a battle while he's still standing at a urinal? Or what about the amazingly predictable love stories, one of which actually fires off the classic "But that was before I knew you" SHE'S ALL THAT special??

Am I giving this movie zero stars because it's "not my cup of tea"? No - that wouldn't be fair. I'm giving this film zero stars because I believe that it fails on every level. Not only does it feature acting that would make the worst thespian on The CW look classically trained, but it handcuffs every actor involved by forcing them to recite the worst dialogue George Lucas never wrote. It has decided to ride the 3-D wave into theatres, and done so with silly 'comin-at-ya' visuals usually reserved for theme park attractions.

Finally there's the dancing. The dancing on display in this movie is actually top notch. Unfortunately, the film's director and producers feel that it isn't enough to have show great dancing by great dancers backed by great music. Instead, they have laced every major routine with more sound effects than a TRANSFORMERS film. Likewise, they seldom let the routines stand for themselves. Nay, in order to truly make each routine "special", it must incorporate moves made through puddles, through dust, or through every prop imaginable on a fake Manhattan street. Or when all else fails - outfit everybody in Light Brite Jackets.

This is upsetting for two reasons. First of all, there are in fact many dance crews around the country that put in countless hours spent on being insanely creative to achieve their dreams. I'd wager that their story is an entertaining one: why wasn't their story told instead of this rejected Degrassi script? Secondly, if TV ratings tell us anything, it's that there is a large audience out there for dance nowadays. Offering them a chance to watch what they love on the big screen is admirable - but insulting their intelligence once you have them in the cinema is a dick move.

Indeed, I realize that I am not the target demographic for this film. However, when I think about those who are the target demographic, it's difficult for me to envision them enjoying this film - on any level. They don't all have to be MEAN GIRLS, but hopefully they can be something better than JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE. I believe that every teen film should aim for escapism, if not entertainment.

STEP UP 3-D provides neither.

What did you think? Feel free to leave comments with any thoughts or reactions on STEP UP 3-D

PS - If I haven't wailed away enough on this cinematic waste of time, take a listen to an impromptu episode of The Matineecast that Lady Hatter and I recorded.

Midnight Radio: The Matineecast Episode 19

It's taken the better part of four months to co-ordinate a Matineecast recording where the guest was actually sitting next to me, and given the quality of the results, I may have to try not to let so much time pass by before doing it again. Judging by the box office, the movie we decide to chatter about isn't one that many people decided to see, but here's hoping the enthusiasm of two friends talkin' over tea and cake can convince you to give this movie a go.

I'm talkin with my best friend's girl for the Tony Gwynn episode...



(Go here or to iTunes if the embedded player doesn't start)

Here's what's in store in episode nineteen...

Runtime
65 minutes, 04 seconds

Up for Discussion

1. Introduction
2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY - Q & A with this episode's guest, Lady Cheshire. (1:32)
3. COME TALK TO ME - Listeners mention movies they'd like to see on a big screen. (10:30)
4. THE NEW SLANG - Review and reaction of SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (16:04)
5. THE BEST OF YOU - Lady Cheshire and I count down our top five young love films. (28:56)

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

PS - If you're new to The Matineecast, might I suggest making this episode a double feature and going back into the archives to hear Lady Cheshire's husband take his turn at the mic. If you haven't listened to it before, might be fun to go way back and listen to the Cheshire Cat Episode.

Enjoy!

Review: SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD * * * 1/2

If only love was as simple as a video game.

There would be no awkward conversations trying to make a new flame understand your baggage - you'd be able to control the flow of information with buttons under your thumbs. There would be no long strings of dating droughts as all it takes is a few rounds of watching a boss' attack pattern to figure out their rhythm. And even if you went horribly wrong and found that the game was over, you could try it all over again with the drop of a fresh quarter.
As we begin SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD, our titular hero (Michael Cera) is a broke bass player dating a high schooler. Why is he dating a doe-eyed worshipper who still has that new-car-smell? Because it's unchallenging, which is precisely Pilgrim's speed. He gets enough challenge by playing in a band that doesn't seem to be going anywhere - with his ex-girlfriend Kim on drums to boot. If that isn't challenging enough, there's also the spectre of another ex-girlfriend looming large in Envy; the lead singer of the hot-as-hell band Clash at Demonhead.

Scott's life is surrounded with complication, thank-you...so the simplicity of teenage worship feels like just what he needs. That is, until he is hit by the fuchsia-haired lightning bolt that is Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

Scott is smitten, and succeeds in weaselling his way into a date with this rollerblading siren. And while her initial standoffishness is thawed by our heros impish charm, there is trouble afoot.

Ramona, you see, has left quite a bit of heartbroken carnage - and they seem a tad displeased that Pilgrim seems poised to awkwardly win her affection. Thus we learn that if Scott Pilgrim wants to have any sort of future with Ramona, he must first defeat her evil exes. All seven of them.


What Edgar Wright does best with this film is capture the sort of frenetic energy and pace that best suits the story. The technique is no fluke, since he already flexed these muscles in HOT FUZZ and SHAUN OF THE DEAD. While the style made those two films a rousing success, Wright's style seems even more suited to PILGRIM since it's being used to encapsulate the near-hyperactivity of video games, rock & roll, comic books and young love. On top of all of those elements, we have the nature of Pilgrim himself; a kid whose brain always seems to be going a mile a minute, but whose guts never seem to find first gear.

With that in mind, it's amusing that aside from his battles, Pilgrim never seems to be at the wheel of his own life. Ramona inspires him, Wallace prods him, his band drags him, and his sister supports him. One has to wonder if Pilgrim would even be able to find matching socks in the morning without these people. For this reason, the casting of these supporting players was wickedly important to how the film would succeed - and indeed the supporting cast is wickedly successful.

Of them all, Kieran Culkin's spin as Wallace stands out, since he taps into the character in a way that turns him into a cool, charismatic, gay Jiminy Crickett. Following right behind him, is Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona. A character like Ramona is tricky, since it dares the actor to play her bitchy or flakey. Happily though, Winstead plays her with a mixed up honesty - sort of like Scott himself, but with balls. We listen to her try to rationalize her past mistakes with a hint of sadness in her eyes, and immediately we understand how it is that her rollerblades are able to melt snowbanks.

What made me most thankful for these characters and performances, is the way it helped draw the spotlight away from Cera, who I fear was miscast as Pilgrim. Not that I have anything against the guy, or what he does, but I'm beginning to believe that Michael Cera can only play Michael Cera. And while the character of Scott Pilgrim might in fact be Cera-esque...he's not quite as wallflowerish as Cera tends to play his characters. The bashfulness he brings to Pilgrim role is good enough - but with a different actor, I believe the part could have been great.

Lead role miscasting aside, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD is truly a fun movie. It plays to the part of our hearts that believes in fighting for love, and the dorky part of our brain that sees comic book bubbles above peoples heads filling in their thoughts. While I worry that it won't resonate as well with people who have never played a video game, I come back to that madcap energy. It assures that even those who wouldn't know master Chief from Sonic the Hedgehog, will crack a smile just keeping up with this twitchy twerp...and watching what he goes through to achieve his twitchy, shoegazing version of true love.

What did you think? Feel free to leave comments with any thoughts or reactions on SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

Everybody's Talkin' 8 - 14 (Chatter From Other Bloggers)

If you've been following this blog for more than two weeks, you'll know that usually on Saturdays I take a bit of a breather: I put up a screen cap from a movie that suits my mood, and declare that "Today, I feel like this". Well my friends, this week I really don't have that luxury as I've reached a whole new level in my movie obsession.

Two days ago, we had an impromptu podcast. Yesterday brought my entry into the G-S-T Blog-a-thon. There's another episode of the Matineecast coming on Monday. Surrounding it will be three film reviews from screenings I've been to in the last week!

Crowning it all off - my participation in covering a small bit of Toronto After Dark.

Oh yeah, and did I mention we're less than a month away from TIFF?? What kind of monster have I created? Well as I take a slight breather, here's what everyone else is up to...

For your reading enjoyment, I give you...

A pretty crowded weekend for new releases, no? Well vance at The Audient has a pretty good grip on who will see what where demographics are concerned.

Check it out! My friend Joe got to talk to Dolph Lundgren!!

All year long, I've had an eye out for THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED. Well, The Mobsters have seen it and shared their thoughts with us lucky readers.

Another blog-a-thon is on its way - this time hosted by Fletch at Blog Cabins. Take a peek over yonder at what's coming our way for the "30 Days of Crazy" event.

Young Gutierrez is ready to call it a summer. Not only is he calling it a summer, but he has decided to hand out The Fits Awards for the best and worst this summer had to offer.

Kaiderman and Number Six got together to record a podcast - have you listened yet?

Enjoy!

HIStory (Films That Defined Us Blog-a-Thon)

Some time ago, I received an invitation to participate in a blog-a-thon. Marc from Go! See! Talk! has rallied a bunch of us movie geeks to take a look in the mirror and try to describe how we came to be the popcorn rats we see staring back. I must give the man props, because it has actually turned into quite the assignment and taken far more introspection than I anticipated. It's tricky to think back on twenty-some-odd years of movie-going and identify exact touchstones...especially when I'd much rather continue taking the piss out of STEP UP 3-D.

But an assignment's an assignment, and I've never been one to back down from a challenge. So take a look beyond the jump, and listen while I explain how where this hatter's madness began.


When I was a kid, almost every movie I watched came to me through one of two ways - either a video my parents rented, or something that played on TV. My parents had a taste for dramas when I was younger, so while many of my friends were cheering on slashers like Freddy and Jason, I learned about Diane Fossey. While they were splitting their sides laughing at nerds getting revenge, I was trying to understand what autism was and why Raymond Babbit was freaking out about missing Wapner. As such, I developed an early taste for dramas, perhaps exemplified by PLATOON.

It's as serious as cancer, and if I were my parents, I don't know that I would have let 11-year-old me watch it. But they did, and I did, and luckily for us all the version I saw was the edited for time and content version they showed on local TV. Some of the gore was trimmed down, but it got its point across. The story drew me in...that score haunted me...and at a young age it made me want to learn more about its subject.

I'd eventually start watching those romping comedies my schoolmates were watching, but I'd wager it took them years to appreciate the sorts of dramas I was watching between the age of eleven and thirteen.


Now because of all those home videos and taped-from-tv features, I could probably count off the number of films I saw in theatres before high school on my fingers - and the bulk of them were animated. Despite growing up walking distance from two different theatres, it just wasn't an experience I was used to. Thus, the reverence about experiencing Batman and Indiana Jones on a big screen were lost on me...until the summer of 1993 when I saw JURASSIC PARK.

This would be when I first understood the idea of a film as spectacle. Indeed by now, I'd watched actions films like TERMINATOR, TOP GUN, and STAR WARS at home...but to get lost in it...to lean back in a padded chair and completely immerse myself in a blockbuster world was forbidden fruit not tasted until that T-Rex broke loose of his paddock. Those dramas I watched on video might have got me off to a good start as a cinephile - this showed me how fun it could be.

The next major evolution happened in the summer of 1998...the year The AFI released its 100 Years, 100 Films list. At the time, my film literacy where classics were concerned was pretty bad, so being handed an unofficial curriculum became the next logical step. Actually, this moment in my metamorphosis gets a heavy assist from my kid brother. See, he broke his ankle that summer which had him home watching endless amounts of classic videos...thus, I was seeing a lot of them by convenience.

Of course, with any list you start at the top - so CITIZEN KANE was the first one we watched. Seeing that brilliant story unfold, and soaking in Welles' electric performance flipped a switch inside of me that I didn't even know was there. Suddenly I was drawn to a more timeless story...a world of velvety blacks and grainy whites.

In one quick shot to my cinematic heart, KANE gave me a thirst for the classics. It's been twelve years, and that thirst isn't even close to being quenched. And I don't care what any of my fellow bloggers say - it is that good.


The next step would come quickly, about six months later to be precise. It would be around this time that I watched LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. Now in hindsight, many of us can agree that this film is not-so-hot...but it was still an important step for me since it marked the first foreign film I'd ever watched (in a theatre no less!).

I'm proud to say that I came into it without hesitation. Thinking back, it didn't feel all that tricky to read-and-watch-and-read-and-watch. The comedy was still funny...the drama was still dramatic. It didn't matter that I couldn't speak Italian. Looking back it was a baby step...and it would take a good few years before I'd see another. Still, it opened my eyes to the what the rest of the world was doing, and like what KANE did with classics, gave me a thirst for a brand of vodka I'd never tasted before.


The touchstones I've described would have been enough - along with casting an eye towards independent cinema around the middle of 1996. However, there was still one thing missing, and I found it the afternoon I watched TRAINING DAY. Seems like an odd inclusion in this conversation, doesn't it? Well, you're right...but it needs to be there since it stands as the very first movie I ever watched at The Toronto International Film Festival.

Taking in my very first film festival was the final step in turning me into the passionate movie-lover you now know. It was a taste of an environment filled with other movie lovers. A Mecca-like collection of filmgoers whose passion for a wide variety of genres went well past just saying "That was cool" when the credits rolled. That first festival opened my eyes to the broad palette of cinematic colours I now find myself drawn to. But most importantly, it raised my awareness of film discussion...and made me seek out the sorts of people who read this space and write other spaces like it (often better than mine too).

The road that has brought me to this place in my movie watching and film-literacy has been a long one. Thinking back on it over these few hundred words, the landmarks I remember most aren't exactly the ones I would have mentioned off the top of my head. But I'm glad I followed the route markers, and took the route that I did. I'd like to hope that the evolution of my tste isn't complete...but by 32 I've probably developed into the movie lover I'm always going to be.

If not...maybe I'll write another one of these in ten years.

Midnight Radio: The Matineecast Episode 18.1

Yeah...I'm surprised too.
That said, this might be my favorite episode so far.
Consider yourself warned, we spoil the holy hell out of STEP UP 3-D



(Go here or to iTunes if the embedded player doesn't start)

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

What It Feels Like For a Girl (SUCKER PUNCH Trailer)

So yesterday was fun, wasn't it? I'll respond to anymore questions any of y'all might have in that post...just might take me a little bit longer at this point.

Admittedly I'm about a week late on this one that premiered a while ago at Comic Con...and in that time I've been trying to decide whether this will be really awesome, or really suck. What say you?

Call and Answer (aka "Ask Hatter")

I'm going interactive today gang...

Ask me any movie related question about myself that you'd like. As the day goes on (and as long as the questions keep coming) I'll continue to update this post and answer them. Release the hounds!

Who's your favorite director(s)? (Alex)
MH: In no particular order...Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, Michael Mann, and David Fincher

Is there a movie you thought you would hate, but ended up loving it? (MovieNut14)
MH: I'm kinda bad when it comes to 80's movies that I didn't see in the 80's. With that in mind I was surprised how much I dug BETTER OFF DEAD.

If you could recommend only one film that every film geek must see, what film would it be? (Rachel)
MH: RAGING BULL, which I still believe is Scorsese's masterpiece. One of the greatest examples of excellent acting, characters, story, photography, direction, editing and style. A classic that not enough film geeks our age have seen.

MANY more questions and answers can be found after the jump. Take a look!

What movie consistently affects you most on both an emotional and intellectual level? (Sean)
MH: Congratulations - that's the toughest one to answer so far. For that I have to go back to one of the few films I can never watch again - REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. It emotionally kicked my ass, but likewise left me in awe of its construct. Perhaps on one bright and sunny afternoon I'll try to revisit it.

What's a classic/essential film that you've never seen? (Fletch)
MH: My first choice was going to be Kurosawa's 1962 classic "Ballad for a Smartassed Blogger"...
...but in all honesty HIGH NOON is one I've never seen that I really think I should. I have a big blind spot for many of the classic westerns, and this is one of my worst offenses.

What would you consider as the most disturbing film(s) you have seen? (CS)
MH: Another tough question, as I don't really do "disturbing" all that often. One that comes to mind though is a documentary called TARNATION. A guy cobbled together the video diaries he recorded growing up with home video footage of his home life. His mom was in terrible shape from being forced into shock therapy, and there's a scene of her at the end that I found rather unsettling. Probably the closest I've ever come to leaving a screening.

**Edit** I'm horrible when it comes to movies dealing with exorcism. So much so that I can't watch them (and I've tried). So along with TRANATION, I admit to being a giant pussy where any of the Exorcist movies are concerned.

Why do you insist on keeping your dvd collection separate from your wife's? Are her movies not good enough to mingle with yours (pretentious much?)? Or are you preparing for an eventual break up? (Lady Hatter)
MH: Because I have an elitest streak. It would pain me to see BRIEF ENCOUNTER on the shelf spooning with BRING IT ON. Yes, I'm pretentious. No, I'm not bracing for a break-up.

NEW HOPE or EMPIRE? (Marc)
MH: Finally - a layup! Growing up i was always more drawn to EMPIRE for the scenes of The Millennium Falcon dogfighting with Star Destroyers. As I grew up I found myself drawn to the darker tone of the story.

What was the first film that really got you attached to movies in a way that went beyond enjoyment into a passion? (Heather)
MH: I actually aluded to this in my podcast with Meredith. DEAD MAN WALKING is a tipping point that comes to mind. As a teenager, I certainly watched a lot of movies...and indeed more than just the blockbusters. However, most of the dramas I was taking in were still of the big-budget Hollywood variety (A FEW GOOD MEN, JFK, PHILADELPHIA). But as I approached my 18th birthday, I started to find that I was getting drawn to the somewhat smaller, more human stories. They were the ones that stuck with me...and they were the ones I loved to tell people they should go and see.

Do you prefer to podcast or write? (Heather)
MH: You again? If I had to choose, I'd write. It's one of those things that I've always loved to do, and there are a lot of days I still can't believe I'm writing to an actual audience. But...Podcasting has been such a fun experience since it has allowed me to actually speak with so many other passionate movie enthusiasts. It's a boatload of extra work, but so very worthwhile. Still, if I could only do one, I'm sticking with the keyboard.

What's your "go to" movie. The one that you can play again and again, ad infinitum, without getting tired of? (Danger Girl)
MH: ALMOST FAMOUS is of course my yearbook answer. But others would include OUT OF SIGHT, WALL-E, FERRIS BEULLER'S DAY OFF, and CASABLANCA.

Are you a crier? Do you easily get moved by movies you watch? (Marc)
MH: Where's all the repeat business coming from all of a sudden - everybody on lunch or somethin? Some movies have indeed made me cry...probably no more than a dozen. It doesn't happen often or easily, but I'm not above showing emotion in a film if I'm seeing something particularly sad or particularly beautiful.

Why are movies your artistic medium of choice? (David)
MH: Truthfully - they're not. Along with the amount of movies I watch, I also read a lot of books, listen to a boatload of music, take a fair amount of photographs, and watch too much tv. Movies are just what I've decided to write about.

You can only take one with you - The Godfather or Pulp Fiction? (Fitz)
MH: Another layup. (About time too, these questions are getting deeper in a hurry). My answer for "What is The Greatest Movie of All Time" is THE GODFATHER (over CITIZEN KANE, CASABLANCA, etc). Thus the choice is easy.

I appeal to your buddhist leanings, are there any has-beens you'd like to see make a triumphant return à la Downey or Rourke? (Sean)
MH: Everytime I think I've heard the hardest question, I've been proven wrong. I'd love to resurrect Paul Hogan's career. Part of me thinks he might make for a cool gangster in a Quenten Tarentino movie. Get him away from the goofiness...perhaps he can surprise us.

Agree or Disagree? With all of the 80's movie remakes out there these days, isn't it time someone re-did some justice to Weekend At Bernie's? (Susie Q)
MH: I actually plead the fifth - I've never seen either of he BERNIE'S movies.

If you could eliminate one movie from eternity, which would it be (Nicole)
MH: The entire _____ MOVIE series (SCARY MOVIE, DATE MOVIE, NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE, etc). There are a lot of movies I think are crap, but I can see why a certain audience would enjoy them, and thus wouldn't want to deny them their fun. However, parody films are the lowest movie lifeform in my eyes. I'd wager if we actually hooked up the sensors to someone watching one, we'd actually be able to witness brain cells dying.

Do you think my book would make for a decent movie? Assuming neither of us was allowed to influence the casting of Trick the Dog? (Susie Q)
MH: I do indeed actually. I see Laura Linney in the role of Emily, Carrie Anne-Moss as Julie, Rose Byrne as Samantha, Elisabeth Moss as Sara, and Mark Ruffalo as Ryan. Oh, and find the mutt that played Sandy in ANNIE - he's Trick.

What's a film that for any reason you wish you'd made? (Fletch)
MH: There are a lot of films that I could simply watch on mute, and given my photographic background...I'd love to be able to say "I fuckin' shot that!". At the top of the heap in that respect, is a movie recently mentioned by our friends The Film Cynics. ROAD TO PERDITION, for the final scene alone to say nothing of the countless other moments of beauty.

You're on death row and you get your last meal and have to choose a last movie- What movie do you pick? (Wild Celtic)
MH: I'm goin' out laughing...queue up CHICKEN RUN.

A man walks up to you in the street. He tells you that you can pick one actor/actress. All others will be airlifted to an undisclosed location and never be heard from again. Who do you choose to save? (Sebastian)
MH: That one's easy - we could never deprive the world of the international treasure that is Christopher Walken.

How do Doc Brown and Marty McFly know each other? (The Film Cynics)
MH: Question of the day - congratulations. I'm gonna go with the fact that Doc is so busy doing all his mad experiments that he never has time to walk Einstein, thus he hired Marty to do it. The dog-walking led to Marty getting curious, which eventually led to an odd friendship.

Do you think that Terry Gilliam has a hit left in him? Was it the studios or the passage of time that have robbed him of his greatness? (The Film Cynics)
MH: Unfortunately not. The man thinks outside of the box...so far outside that he'd be charged by the minute if he wanted to phone the box...as such, his vision has drifted well away from what mainstream hit-making audiences want to embrace. He likely has more wonderful stories left in him, but his draw has a strongly defined ceiling. If Ledger's last performance in PARNASSUS couldn't bring 'em in - Terry's screwed.

What could you stand to lose to the MPAA: All the swearing or all the violence? (The Film Cynics)
MH: Three questions? What am I, OZ the Great and Powerful?? At least this one is a loose puck in the crease. I'd definitely ditch the violence. Beyond historical context, it's hard to advocate a need for violence in film. Language on the other hand can be used effectively, even if it is a tad off-colour. I could live with never seeing another drop of blood shed, but I wouldn't want to live in a world where I couldn't sit in a dark theatre and hear a character tell another character to "Eat penguin shit".

What book would you most like to see get an adaption? (Simon)
MH: One of my all-time favorite books is John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany which was bastardized into the movie SIMON BIRCH. I'd like to see it get a proper go-round. Likewise, being the big Chuck Palahniuk fan that I am, I'm anxious to see what can be done with Survivor...should it ever actually get made.

Who's your most upstanding, great, I-hope-my-kid-turns-out-to-be-like-that-guy/gal movie character? (Aiden)
MH: Not to state the textbook answer, but given that it's one of my all-time favorite films I have to choose George bailey from IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. People with his sense of community and greater good are in short supply these days.

Most loathsome, blood-curdling, that-jerk/skizzank-deserves-a-nice-swift-boot-to-the-groin movie character? (Aiden)
MH: Going back to one of the first war movies I ever watched, Tom Berrenger's Sgt. Barnes from PLATOON. The guy seems to have lost all sense of humanity in that jungle.

Your favorite actor and actress? (Castor)
MH: I was wondering if His Castorness was going to join in on this. Glad to have you sir...this entire post was in part inspired by wuor current 31DBBB Series.

I haven't really had a favorite actor or actress in a while, mostly because actors don't get me into movies - directors do. But as for the ones that have my eye these days, Marion Cotillard is certainly up there for me. Loved her in PUBLIC ENEMIES, LA VIE EN ROSE, and BIG FISH. I have to go back and re-watch A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT since Kurt from Row Three always brings up her part in that film as an assassin.

As for actors...I actually find that question a lot harder since there are so many I like a lot. Christopher Walken, Javier Bardem, Daniel Day Lewis, Russel Crowe, Alfred Molina...but if I have to put one above them all, I think I go with Sean Penn. The guy just has a grizzle to him that I love, and has certainly had quite a decade at the movies.

Is there any genre of cinema you wish you could simply implant in your brain that you really can't be bothered to watch? (Simon Columb)
MH: I don't entirely undrestand the appeal of B-Movies, probably because my sort of crap film is a different genre of crap film. However, around the blogosphere - and certainly amongst my local circle of enthusiasts - B-Movies are spoken of with a reverence reserved for the Dead Sea Scrolls. Never been my bag.

Since TIFF is just around the corner, what was your favorite experience covering the festival in 2008?
MH: One thing I love dearly about TIFF is being able to walk into films knowing precious little. At least a few times I'll grab a ticket based only on the person directing it, and/or perhaps an actor or two. Going back to 2008, this tendency hit the jackpot by sitting down for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE blind. I knew the title, and that Danny Boyle directed it - everything after that was a glorious surprise.

What's your favorite way to refer to the actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt? (Kai Parker)
MH: JO-GO!!!

Is there an actor/actress you just don't understand the appeal for? (MovieNut14)
MH: Acting-wise, I can't think of any. the only thing that comes to mind, is how I can't ever seem to bend my brain around why certain young stars are famous other than the fact that they have pretty faces. That might make me sound like a crumudggeon, but I'll take crumudgeonness over sitting through a Chase Crawford movie any day.

What's your favourite kids movie, in the sense that it satisfies you as an adult too? (Madgestic)
MH: A tough one, since I find that many movies we like as children don't hold up terribly well when we look at them through grown-up eyes. But that said, it'd have to be E.T. I really wanted to be on one of those bikes as a kid, and pretty much grew up munching on Reese's. Now, when I watch it as an adult, along with the sadness of the story moving me so much more, I'm also quite taken with the intricate direction Spielberg brought to this film. As the old saying goes - they don't make 'em like that anymore!

Do you keep your DVDs and Blurays separate...or do you let them mingle? (Besides Mrs. Hatter's, I mean.) Follow up: Do you have a prefered method for arranging your DVDs? (The Film Cynics)
MH: Brace yourself boy-o...I don't have a bluray! If I did I would likely keep the separate due to the physical size difference between a dvd case and a bd case.

As for preferred organization method, there's a funny story there. I really dig organizing my films chronologically - which puts THE PUBLIC ENEMY on the top shelf, goes year by year along and would end with EHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE at the bottom (for now). Unfortunately, most of my friends and family mocked me for such geekery and claimed that they could never find anything ("When the hell did SCARFACE come out???"). Thus, I caved to public outcry and organized all my dvd's alphabetically.

Suckiest movie you've ever seen? (MovieNut14)
MH: I think I've told this story before, but a girl I once knew twisted my arm to take her to BLAIR WITCH 2: BOOK OF SHADOWS. As the credits started rolling, I turned to her and said "You owe me ten bucks".

Jump Around (Hatter's Guide for Dumbasses Who Don't Know How to Theatre-Jump Properly)

So there's me on the weekend - trying to soak in a truly engaging documentary about our soldiers fighting and dying in Afghanistan. And on two separate occasions, I find my concentration stymied by people who are quite clearly theatre jumpers. How do I know they were theatre jumpers? Well when you arrive thirty seconds from the start of the film and continually talk over the first five minutes of the movie, odds are you didn't just buy a ticket to a war doc. Even easier to spot are the two kids who came in 2/3 of the way into the movie (though at least they were quiet).

I doubt either of these clusters of theatre-jumping-young'ns read this space, but just in case they do, here are some helpful hints to making it a doubleheader while still respecting your fellow man...

• Pay For the Little Guy: Put some forethought into your larceny. If you know you're the sort to go two-for-one at the multiplex, at least have the forethought to buy a ticket for a smaller indie film. They truly need your cash - the big-budget studio picture doesn't.
• Stick the Landing: You might be finishing off one movie and making a mad dash for the next cinema door you see, but some of us have been in that darkened room from the beginning. Your ungallant entry might really shake the concentration of a paying customer who really wants to see the film. Slip in quietly...or better yet, if it seems like the film is already well on its way - don't slip in at all.
• Think About It: Do you really want to see that second film, or are you sneaking in "just because". The title and poster are outside the cinema door - rather than sneak in, get bored, and bumble out...take a second and decide if you wouldn't be better off with something more up your alley.
• Shut Up: Pretty simple really - if the film you snuck into wasn't your first choice, shut your pie hole. Some people came specifically to see it - and to hear it.
• It Takes Two: As much of a blind eye folks like me are willing to turn to these sorts of antics, don't get greedy. If you saw your movie - and a good chunk of a second movie - call it a day. Yes, you could feasibly spend an entire Saturday from 1pm to midnight jumping from screen to screen of a badly laid-out multiplex, but after a while you'll cross a barrier from skimming into full-on stealing.

Any questions? Leave a comment and I'll be glad to answer 'em.

Review: RESTREPO * * * 1/2

I don't want to waste words on trying to convince you.
I don't want to spend time painting a picture you probably already know.
I want to say "Just see this movie" and be done with it.

...But that would be taking the easy way out, and the soldiers of OP Restrepo deserve better than that.

RESTREPO takes us to The Korangal Valley in Afghanistan. As one officer describes it, the Korangal Valley is "where the road ends": everything ahead of this point is Taliban controlled. As such, this particular position has become an amazingly dangerous dispatch. It is here, where we meet 2nd Platoon, B Company, 2nd Batallion, 503rd Infantry regiment of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. We spend a year with these men - some of whom barely look old enough to shave - and learn first hand what it is to serve in such a dangerous forward area.

It doesn't take long for the soldiers to size up the geography of Korangal. They're surrounded by mountains, making any position in this valley only slightly better than that of a sitting duck. Knowing this full well, they still push forward in the dead of night to get a better position. In an act of equal parts bravery and defiance, the build a new outpost...something that required them to alternate digging in, and returning fire.

We learn about all of this from conversations with the men of the platoon, which is what makes this film stand out. The reporting of this story has been constructed by embedded journalists, but we never hear them speak a word. Nor are any senior officers, politicians, or strategists given an opportunity to offer their opinion. RESTREPO gives us a year in the life of one platoon...and is told to us by the soldiers of that platoon.

A clue about the sort of men that make up this platoon can be found in the name of the outpost. Once they fortify this position, they decide to name it after their platoon medic who was killed - PFC Juan Restrepo. It's this sort of loyalty to one another that makes these men the best at what they do, and deserving of our unwavering respect and admiration. I for one don't think I could ever deal with seeing one of my closest friends killed. These men grieve in record time, erect the positional equivelant of a middle finger at their enemy...and name it after their fallen brother.

Watching these soldiers tell this story evokes pride and sadness all at the same time. Pride in the fact that they are off defending our way of life while many others their age are flipping burgers...sadness at the fact that we in the allied forces seem poised to abandon the mission. Thinking about the fate of this mission, and overlaying it on to the faces of the men who told me this story might very well make this one of the saddest films I've ever seen.

War stories have been thrown at us in abundance over the last ten years, and I wish I could say that the wave was close to breaking...but I don't think any of us see that as the case. With it's honest tack, RESTREPO elevates to become one of the most enlightening of the war stories we've been told. Likewise, it is perhaps the greatest tribute to the men and women serving in Afghanistan yet.

Many times this summer, I've urged readers to look a little harder, drive a little further, and chase down the summer films that are truly worthy of our time and money. It's pretty safe to say that RESTREPO would be a film to add to that chase...and perhaps to put it at the top of the stack.

What did you think? Feel free to leave comments with any thoughts or reactions on RESTREPO.

Live Your Life

Today, I Feel Like This...

Absolute Beginners: Chatter From Other Bloggers aka "Everybody's Talkin"

In July of 2009, I started one of my favorite weekly blogging features. See as awesome as I think it is that you've clicked on to my lowly patch of cyberspace...I'd be remiss if I didn't direct people's attention to other equally wonderful patches of cyberspace.

Thus, every Friday, I turn the mic over to various people I read and listen to online. They are the writers and podcasters that enlighten, amuse, and sometimes infuriate me - but above all else they inspire.

I have a few mental guidelines that I adhere to when I compile the weekly "Everybody's Talkin" (E-T) list:

• I like to pull posts from the last seven days, re-enforcing the weekly timing of the post
• I almost never feature the same blogger two weeks in a row
• I try to vary up the content of the posts, and prefer not to post more than one review.
• With my newfound love for podcasting, I've been trying to push my twenty eight listeners towards other bits of audio awesomeness.

The one other constant to the weekly feature is the photo that accompanies each post. You see, once upon a time, I wanted to be a pro photographer. And while the money might never have materialized, my passion for seeing the world through my camera lens never went away. Thus with one exception, the photographs that accompany every E-T post are my own work.


Now that I've explained all of that...

Remember that game show Univarn started a few weeks back...the one where I staged that amazing last-minute comeback? Well episode two has arrived pitting Heather the Movie Mobster against recent Matineecast guest GMan.

During the last pub night, conversation worked its way toward the films of Michael Mann and how bad MIAMI VICE may or may not be (for what it's worth - I dig it). Looks like it's not just me that digs it, since Wonders in The dark has created a post in Vice's defence.

The Kid in The Front Row just took in the double-feature of my dreams.

The Reel Fanatic takes an interesting look at 3-D's trend of diminishing returns.

The m0vie Blog has come up with an interesting theory surrounding the loveable star of the Toy Story series.


Enjoy!