THE DARK OF THE MATINEE

Closing Time (The Matinee Turns Four, and Gets a New Home)

2011-08-20T08:00:00.004-04:00

Four years ago today, I began writing The Dark of The Matinee. Today I thought I'd honour that by shutting this space down...

...and moving it all to a brand new home.

For much of this year, I've slowly been mapping out how to up my game, and I firmly believe that what this change will enable can help me, as the saying goes, to "Dream a Little Bigger, Darling".

So thank-you all who have helped make The Dark of The Matinee as successful as it has been up until this point, but it's time to let Franz Ferdinand have their song back.

Please reset your bookmarks, readers, or whatever else you use to follow along with my brain droppings, and find me at The Matinee.

Out With the Old...

Everybody's Talkin' 8 - 19 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)

2011-08-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling nostalgic today. As such, I decided to take a break from my usual link routine where I refrain from linking to the same blogs and podcasts two weeks in a row. You see I happened to reflect on how I managed to keep writing this space as long as I have, and I realize that it was those sparse few comments I got in the early going that kept me plugging away.

So today I give a quick tip of the cap to that early fraternity and sorority of film enthusiasts...the ones who took a moment to read my words when few others were.

For your listening and reading fulfillment, I give you...

Scott got tired of all of us making him endure the unendurable and took back control of his show with Whitney last week. take a listen to a very special episode of Frankly My Dear. ("Very Special Episode"...sounds like it should end with Mayim Bialik telling you that to learn more you can find all sorts of info at your local library)

Shannon the Movie Moxie soaked up THE HELP as part of her 2011 Book-to-Fim club.

Fandango Groover spent recent days going on a bit of a Potter bender.

I think Blake might be begging to be hit in the face so he can truly see some stars.

My dvd shelves swell with suped up editions of movies and many Criterion titles. But as Dylan points out, such consumer excess and cinemania isn't for everyone.

Someone who was with me before the beginning is Charles in Chicago. One of these ays, I must meet the man and buy him many beers. He watched SUPER recently and seems as though he's one of those who enjoy it (like myself).

I've recently become the proud owner of a Film Forager Original. Have you checked out her handsome work? I actually haven't seen the film that inspired this week's handsome piece, but nobody tell Alex - OK? She might lose what little respect she has left for me!

Enjoy!

Summer In the City (Reflecting on Summer 2011)

2011-08-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Given Hollywood's complete disinterest, I'm gonna call the time of death on the summer right now. 8am on Thursday August 18th, Summer 2011 at The Multiplexes officially ended.

Oh sure you can still soak up some Frightful Nights and some barbaric dude named Conan before Labour Day weekend arrives and really throws cold water on it all, but let's call a spade a spade - we're all finished with this summer...we're all starting to look forward...we're all beginning to smell autumn in the air.

Right about now is when you'll start to see summer recaps - weighing out how the blockbusters did, and decrying the state of affairs with a longing for better times. I could follow suit, but if you'll recall - I already did that. In the time between then and now, my movie-watching slowed a little bit, more because of outside influences than lack of options, since a quick skim of the listings tells me that I would have half a dozen films that interest me to pick from were I to go to a screening tonight.

Being in this position pushed me to reflection on what exactly summer really brings us at the movies - and specifically, what it has brought me. The handy thing about this blog is that it allows me to take pen-to-paper and examine my passion from a statistical perspective. Examining what I have written about for the summers of 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011, certain things jump out...

I have seen an increasing amount of films every summer. From 15 in 2008 to 21 last year. This year's tally sits at 19 and there are still a few titles I intend to see.

Every summer has brought me at least two four-star films. The last two summers have actually given me four each.

And give or take a quarter point, my average score for each summer's crop of films? Three stars out of four.

Interesting information, but what does it mean?

For starters, the fact that I am able to continually expose myself to more and more material is helping to keep the balance. Sure the blockbusters feel like they're disappointing more and more...but the indie offerings are delivering a great bounty, which is the spoonful of medicine to help the sugar go down. I don't say this to boast, I say it because I never want to forget it - I am truly lucky to live in the film-going market I do. (Sidebar: Analyzing these summers didn't even include instances where I catch screenings of old films)

The fact that every summer without fail has given me a film that I later regard as one of the best of the year is also telling. Whether it's just a studio not knowing where to put a smaller title, or a blockbuster delivering on its promise, I can't sob too hard at the state of summer at the movies when the warm months have given me THE HURT LOCKER, WALL-E, TREE OF LIFE, and INCEPTION. Thus it would seem that studios hording everything until the fall to angle for the best Oscar chances isn't entirely a true concept.

Finally, for better or for worse, the median score of my summer experiences is staying steady from year to year. Sure I catch some turkeys - summer of 2009 gave me two 1.5 star films on the same day!! - but they continue to be propped up. It doesn't take a stats wizard to understand that the steady rise in movies seen is helping to filter the crappy scores, but I can't easily point to a declining scorecard and say "You see! I'm not just being old fashioned! They don't make 'em like they used to!" It tells me that the goods are out there to be had...you just have to stray off the trodden path a little bit.

Taking a moment and summing up my own experience - and more importantly taking that summation and comparing it to what has gotten me this far was a bit surprising for me. I was all ready to sit here and say "Told Ya!"...but as in the past, the fact is that sort of negativity just isn't true. Understandably, my sort of luck isn't the norm all over; but three of my four top scores received wide releases. Ditto five of my six "excellent" films (3.5/4).

The fact is my friends, that we can get through a summer with nothing but happy memories. The trick, it would seem, is to always be selective, and wait to drown in SUPER 8...as opposed to wading in COWBOYS & ALIENS.

Lay Lady Lay (SLEEPING BEAUTY Trailer)

2011-08-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned yesterday, one film announced for TIFF that has me curious is SLEEPING BEAUTY (even though one reader has suggested that it's not up to snuff).

While the concept is still drawing me in, I think some small part of my subconscious wants to see if Emily Browning can do something this year to get the taste of SUCKER PUNCH out of my mouth. Admittedly, I could be wasting a pass...but at the moment, I'm thinking I just might take the gamble.

News of The World iv (TIFF 2011 Announces More Titles)

2011-08-16T10:28:00.005-04:00

This is the day my head usually explodes. TIFF announced more galas and special presentations today, and along with the bounty that is easy to spot from a distance there, the festival also unveiled its programme for contemporary world cinema and visions.

Within these two programmes are the titles and directors that might not be quite as recognizable at a glance, but are bound to supply festival-goers with wonderful international content. Essentially, it's the part of the line-up people like me have to study a bit harder because there's no sexy directors or actors to tip off the bounty within.

But amongst the titles that I do know a thing or two about, today's announcements unveiled that TIFF 2011 will include...

KILLER ELITE: A shoot-em-up pitting Clive Owen & Robert DeNiro against Jason Statham
MACHINE GUN PREACHER: Marc Forster's new film starring Gerrard Butler
TRESSPASS: Joel Schumacher's new film starring Nic Cage and Nicole Kidman
SLEEPING BEAUTY: Julie Leigh's twisted tale starring Emily Browning.

The details of the international titles can be found at TIFF.net, and the full details of today's Gala & Special Presentation line-up can be found below the jump. Take a look and tell me if any title jumps out at you that I should keep in mind!

Page Eight
David Hare, United Kingdom
Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving M15 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron (Michael Gambon) dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file, threatening the stability of the organization. Meanwhile, a seemingly chance encounter with Johnny's striking next-door neighbour and political activist Nancy Pierpan (Rachel Weisz) seems too good to be true. Set in London and Cambridge, Page Eight is a contemporary spy film which addresses intelligence issues and moral dilemmas peculiar to the new century. Also stars Ralph Fiennes and Judy Davis.

The Awakening
Nick Murphy, United Kingdom
Haunted by the death of her fiancé, Florence Cathcart is on a mission to expose all séances as exploitative shams. However, when she is called to a boys’ boarding school to investigate a case of the uncanny, she is gradually forced to confront her skepticism in the most terrifying way, shaking her scientific convictions and her sense of self to the very core. Haunting and moving in equal measure, The Awakening is a sophisticated psychological/supernatural thriller in the tradition of The Others and The Orphanage, but with its own unique and thrilling twist. Starring Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton.

Beloved
Christophe Honoré
France
From Paris in the 1960s to London’s modern days, Madeleine and her daughter Vera waltz in and out of the lives of the men they love. But love can be light and painful, cheerful and bitter. An elegy to femininity and passion with musical outbursts. Starring Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve.

Hysteria
Tanya Wexler
USA/United Kingdom
A romantic comedy based on the surprising truth of how Mortimer Granville came up with the world's first electro-mechanical vibrator in the name of medical science. Academy Award®-nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy headline in this untold tale of a young Victorian doctor's quest to figure out the key to women's happiness. Also starring Jonathan Pryce, Rupert Everett and Felicity Jones.

Killer Elite
Gary McKendry
USA/Australia
Based on a true story, Killer Elite races across the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East in the action-packed account of an ex-special ops agent (Jason Statham) who is lured out of retirement to rescue his mentor (Robert De Niro). To make the rescue, he must complete a near-impossible mission of killing three tough-as-nails assassins with a cunning leader (Clive Owen).

Machine Gun Preacher
Marc Forster
USA
Machine Gun Preacher is an inspirational true story, about Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the saviour of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers in Golden Globe®-nominated director Marc Forster’s (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland) moving story of violence and redemption.

Trespass
Joel Schumacher,
USA
What happens when a man with everything – a beautiful wife, a teenage daughter and a wealthy estate – is confronted with the reality of losing it all? That is what Kyle Miller must come to terms with as he and his family become the victims of a vicious home invasion. Starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman.

Winnie
Darrell J. Roodt,
South Africa /Canada
This film reveals the enigma that is Winnie Mandela. A sensitive depiction, Winnie portrays her life’s journey amidst the unwavering love between her and Nelson Mandela, and their unfaltering commitment to the struggle for democracy in South Africa. Winnie takes the audience on an epic voyage of understanding – painting a vivid portrait of one of the world’s most remarkable women. Starring Jennifer Hudson, Terrence Howard, Elias Koteas and Wendy Crewson.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

The Cardboard Village
Ermanno Olmi,
Italy
An old priest and his church are about to be demolished. A group of clandestine immigrants seeking protection find refuge in that church. In a circumstance of crisis and discouragement, together these people will be able to find the real meaning of the word “solidarity” and realize that the church is much more than a place for liturgical ceremonies and golden altars. Starring Michael Lonsdale and Rutger Hauer.

Damsels in Distress
Whit Stillman,
USA
Damsels in Distress is a comedy about a trio of beautiful girls as they set out to revolutionize life at a grungy American university – the dynamic leader Violet Wister (Greta Gerwig), principled Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and sexy Heather (Carrie MacLemore). They welcome transfer student Lily (Analeigh Tipton) into their group, which seeks to help severely depressed students with a program of good hygiene and musical dance numbers. The girls become romantically entangled with a series of men – including smooth Charlie (Adam Brody), dreamboat Xavier (Hugo Becker), the mad frat-pack of Frank (Ryan Metcalf) and Thor (Billy Magnussen) – who threaten the girls’ friendship and sanity.

Death of a Superhero
Ian FitzGibbon
Germany/Ireland
Donald is 15 and dreams of girls, sex and crazy adventures. In his fantasy world, he creates an immortal superhero who fights against all evil. And in reality? Donald is falling in love with the school rebel while fighting against a terminal illness. Starring Andy Serkis, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Aisling Loftus, Michael McElhatton, Sharon Horgan and Jessica Schwarz

The First Man
Gianni Amelio
France/Algeria/Italy
An adaptation of Albert Camus’ autobiographical last novel. Part childhood memoir, part epic narrative of Camus’ beloved Algeria and its struggle for independence from France, The First Man was left unfinished by the Nobel Prize-winner who died at age 46.

In Darkness
Agnieszka
Holland, Canada/Germany/Poland
In Darkness tells the true story of Leopold Socha, a sewer worker and petty thief in Nazi-occupied Lvov, Poland. Stumbling upon a group of Jews in the sewers, he agrees to hide them for a price. What starts out as a straightforward business arrangement becomes something unexpected, as they all try to outwit certain death during 14 months of intense danger. Starring Robert Wieçkiewicz and Benno Fürmann.

Intruders
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Spain World Premiere
Juan and Mia, two children who live in different countries, are visited every night by a faceless intruder – a terrifying being that wants to get hold of them. These presences become more powerful and start ruling their lives as well as their families’. Anxiety and tension increase when their parents also witness these apparitions. Starring Clive Owen.

Life Without Principle
Johnnie To,
Hong Kong
What do a bank teller, a small-time thug and a police inspector have in common? Nothing. Not until a bag of stolen money worth $10 million crosses their paths and forces them to make soul-searching decisions about right and wrong and everything in between on the morality scale.

Low Life
Nicolas Klotz, Elisabeth Perceval
France
After making love, the youngsters slipped happily into dreamland… but when they opened their eyes the world appeared joyless, and stomach-wrenchingly old. And so they quickly sank back into their happy world, where all sleepers are equal. This is the place they called Low Life.

Mausam (Seasons of Love)
Pankaj Kapur,
India
Mausam is a story of timeless love in the face of political hostilities and religious conflict, between a proud Punjabi air force officer and an innocent Kashmiri refugee. Set against a landscape that transcends decades and spans continents, Mausam is a classic journey that transports one into a world of indestructible bonds of love enveloped by the roulette of destiny. Starring Shahid Kapur, Sonam A Kapoor and Anupam Kher.

My Worst Nightmare
Anne Fontaine
France/Belgium World Premiere
Agathe doesn’t realize to what extent her life is going to be turned upside down when she takes in Tony, the best friend of her son Adrien. Tony’s father, Patrick, leads Agathe down a merry path of existential chaos, which just may deliver her from herself. Starring Isabelle Huppert.

Rebellion
Mathieu Kassovitz
France World Premiere
April 1988, Ouvea island, New Caledonia, a French colony. Thirty policemen are kidnapped by locals fighting for their independence.
Three hundred members of the French army special forces unit are immediately sent on a mission to fix the situation. An encounter of two cultures: Philippe Legorjus, head of the unit, versus Alphonse Dianou, head of the rebels. Together, they’ll fight to resolve the situation through mutual trust and dialogue over violence. Except that they’re at the heart of the most-tense presidential elections in French history – when issues at stake are purely political, rules of law and order are not exactly moral.

Sleeping Beauty
Julia Leigh
Australia
“You will go to sleep: you will wake up. It will be as if those hours never existed.” Death-haunted, quietly reckless, Lucy is a young university student who takes a job as a Sleeping Beauty. In the Sleeping Beauty Chamber, old men seek an erotic experience that requires Lucy’s absolute submission. This unsettling task starts to bleed into Lucy’s daily life and she develops an increasing need to know what happens to her when she is asleep. Starring Emily Browning and Rachael Blake.

Terraferma
Emanuele Crialese
Italy
Terraferma is the story of an uncontaminated Sicilian island inhabited by fisherman. Still barely touched by tourism, the islanders have begun to alter their mentality and behaviour as they realize the economic potential of this new industry. At the same time, they deal with illegal aliens flooding the island and a new law requiring them to turn back undocumented peoples seeking aid.

That Summer
Philippe Garrel
France/Italy/Switzerland
A couple living together in Paris – he’s a painter, she’s a film actress – befriends a couple of film extras who fall in love with each other. All four go to Rome where their relationships undergo profound changes as emotions shift and change.

Violet & Daisy
Geoffrey Fletcher
Violet & Daisy, the whimsical story of a teenager’s surreal and violent journey through New York City, follows Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, Atonement, The Lovely Bones) as Daisy. With her volatile partner-in-crime Violet, played by Alexis Bledel (Sin City, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Gilmore Girls), the two young assassins face a series of opponents, including one unusually mysterious man (James Gandolfini), in a life-altering encounter. The film, written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious), also stars Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Danny Trejo.

Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Wei Te-Sheng,
Taiwan
Wei Te-Sheng’s epic film Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale reclaims an extraordinary episode from 20th-century history which is little-known even in Taiwan. It’s a story of the encounter between a people who believe in rainbows and a nation which believes in the sun. It takes the form of a heroic battle in defence of faith and dignity.

Wuthering Heights
Andrea Arnold
United Kingdom
A Yorkshire hill farmer on a visit to Liverpool finds a homeless boy on the streets. He takes him home to live as part of his family on the isolated Yorkshire moors where the boy forges an obsessive relationship with the farmer’s daughter. Starring James Howson and Kaya Scodelario.

Days of The Week (Films Watched 8/6 - 8/12)

2011-08-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Once more I'm posting a Saturday feature on a Monday. What can I say - it's been that sort of weekend. Hopefully now that I have my computer system back, I can get myself back into the swing of things. Who knows - I might even manage to get out to a theatre sometime soon! I've gone two weeks without seeing a new release and I'm actually starting to feel a bit squirrely.

Seriously - I can't remember the last DOTW post that had no screenings listed. Instead this past week was spent boning up on films for a pair of upcoming podcasts. I'm sure it won't be hard to spot the common links.

Here's what was on tap...

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Never Seen
SCHIZOPOLIS - Tremendously odd, but I want to watch it again.
ALL THE REAL GIRLS - Unexpectedly lovely.
THE TENANT - One of the best Polanski films you'll find.
THE NINTH GATE - It all goes well until the Satanic sex.
YOUR HIGHNESS - That's gonna leave a mark
THE GOOD GIRL - Why it took me so long to catch up with this indie gem, I cannot say.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Watched Before
THE PIANIST - Even better than I remember it.
CHINATOWN - Seems like a few people were watching this one last week.
THE AVIATOR - Was Ben from Parks & Rec always in this?
10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU - Got your Ledger, Got your Gordon-Levitt, what else could you want?
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER - Actually, I'm Sid.

Boxscore for The Year
148 First-Timers, 108 Re-Watched
256 Movies in Total

How's about you - seen anything good?

Review: 30 MINUTES OR LESS * * * 1/2

2011-08-14T08:00:00.003-04:00

I'm beginning to wonder if the trick to a good comedy is identity. Ever watch a comedy and just think to yourself that it's "trying too hard"? I get the hunch that such instances come when a film sets out to make us laugh but doesn't, it's because the film doesn't have a sense of self...and without that, there's nothing for the audience to identify with, attach to, and ultimately be amused by.

Happily, not all hope is lost. 30 MINUTES OR LESS knows precisely what sort of movie it is...and that's what helps it work.

Jesse Eisenberg plays Nick, a pizza delivery boy. He lives an unassuming life; He delivers pizzas in thirty minutes or less, pines for a lovely girl named Katie, and hangs out with her twin brother Chet (Aziz Ansari). He talks like someone who wants more, but if he's doing anything about it we aren't privy to it.

By contrast, we meet Dwayne (Danny McBride) who is doing something to help himself - even if it is wildly misguided. Dwayne wants to get his mitts on his father's money, so like many a criminal before him he plots to kill a man for his money. To do so, he orders a pizza from Nick's restaurant. When Nick shows up to deliver it, Dwayne and his friend Travis (Nick Swardson) strap a bomb to him.

At this point the math is simple: Nick will rob a bank to get money for Dwayne to pay a hit man to kill his father and gain an inheritance. If Nick tries anything sly or can't get the job done in ten hours....."boom".

That notion of identity I alluded to in the intro is announced with authority during one of the film's biggest action scenes. During a particularly exciting moment, the film's soundtrack begins to blare out a pop hit from the 80's. As those notes wail, one can't help but smile as memories of similar films start flooding. The predicament of Nick and Chet could easily be played out by Lieutenants Riggs and Murtough. It could be played out by Axel Foley. It could be played out by John McLane. 30 MINUTES OR LESS is the sort of of buddy/crime caper that has seldom been seen since the Berlin Wall came down.

Part of how 30 MINUTES makes the format its own is how it shows how much an everyman can trip over the steps of robbery and extortion. Think about a film like OUT OF SIGHT and how charismatic Nick Foley is while holding up the bank. makes it look easy doesn't he? Keep cool, act confident, be professional and you can get in and get out lickity-split. But of course, we aren't all as suave as George Clooney, are we? What's worse is that actually robbing the bank is just one step. I've never tried of course, but something tells me that if I were forced to jack a car and meet up for a drop like Nick does, that I'd fumble the job in the same way he does.

This is the second feature film directed by Ruben Fleischer, and his first film ZOMBIELAND, had a few of those retro flourishes too. It's not like the guy is flat out copying slapstick comedies of the 80's, nor is he making an homage. What he appears to be doing is mining them for the elements that still work, and updating the comedic rhythms with fresh delivery. So far with the two films, it's worked rather well. The story tends to find the right rhythm, and in large part that's because we don't stand around letting a gag run itself into the ground...unlike some modern comedies.

Beyond the throwback structure, what makes 30 MINUTES OR LESS succeed as well as it does is the chemistry and performances turned in by Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari. The fact that they both bring the goods is encouraging for both actors. For Ansari, it's great to see that he won't always be playing Tom from Parks & Rec (Chet is less cocksure). For Eisenberg, it's another step on his breakout path that he's been walking down for two years now. He's as funny as he was in films like ADVENTURELAND and ZOMBIELAND, but without the wimpiness. After playing the socially detached character of Mark Zucherberg, this was a choice follow-up.

Sure enough, 30 MINUTES OR LESS has a firm grip on its identity. That alone would bring the laughs and allow it to succeed. But what puts it over the top and raises it beyond a typical blue comedy is the way the film knows what it is, but so few of the characters know who they are. Nick deludes himself that he's killing time as a pizza boy, Chet has to muck around in other people's lives since he finds his own so unsatisfying, and Dwayne just knows that he wants more but hasn't a clue how to do it through hard work.

Identity: It can avoid you making a royal mess of your life, and give an audience some great laughs too.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to 30 MINUTES OR LESS

Radio Bomb: The Film Locker episode 11

2011-08-13T20:00:00.000-04:00

There were a few bumps getting number eleven nailed down, but hopefully we can make up for it with a better bout of luck when we record the finale tomorrow.

We go to Mexico for the eleventh with conversation focus on Guillermo del Toro and PAN'S LABYRINTH.

(If the embedded player doesn't start, please tune in through Podomatic or The iTunes Music Store)

Take a listen, and be sure to check out the Film Locker Blog for further writing, updates, and conversation.

I Think I See The Light

2011-08-13T15:00:00.000-04:00

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 8 - 11 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)

2011-08-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

And now for the really hard part...

The next seven days are gonna sting folks, but once they're over I can breathe again and finally get back to normal for a few weeks before TIFF begins. Around these parts, things oughta be especially nutty as I'm recording three podcast episodes in four days. In the category of "Small Mercies", one of the three isn't my responsiility to edit and post.

All I can say is bring it on!

Not sure what I'm seeing this weekend, though a showing of LA DOLCE VITA is there for the pickin'. We shall see...

For your listening and reading fulfillment, I give you...

The ladies of Reel Insight welcomed a new guest to their fold this week when David stopped by for some John Cusack chatter. Listen closely and you can hear the margaritas being slurped.

Like something that is generally derided? Mike at You Talkin' wants you to nut up or shut up.

A doc I've been wanting to see for almost a year now is Errol Morris' TABLOID (perhaps the doc's subject matter will even troll my comment section!). The newly spruced-up Film Forager has seen it and adds another log to my burning fires of curiosity.

Anomolous Materials wonders whether we have seen the last of the great blockbusters (I say nay, but they're becoming fewer and further between).

I'm anxiously waiting for a blu-ray copy of MODERN TIMES to arrive in my mailbox (thanks again RI). Stupid Barnes & Noble is taking a stupid long stime shipping me the stupid package (harumph!). In the meantime I can catch up with Charlie and The Void's thoughts on this Chaplin classic.

Rich wonders (rightly) if we have to be grossed out to laugh these days.

Enjoy!

Balance (Reflecting on a Summer of Watching With a Purpose)

2011-08-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

What a busy summer it has been for me movie-wise. With the end of it in sight - and in many ways the final crux of it happening over the next ten days - I find myself trying to take a breath this morning and understand what I brought upon myself...for better, and for worse.

Once upon a time I was chided for suggesting a movie get watched (or re-watched) specifically for blogging/podcasting purposes. The prevailing argument seems to be that what so many of us do is "for funsies", so why turn it into work? Right behind that was the point that there are so many hours in the day. Thus, what point does it serve to re-watch something to be in-the-know for a podcast, when those two hours could be better spent watching something newer and/or more fun.

My blog-writin' co-horts might be on to something...then again, they might not.

Leafing through the official tally, I see that from the beginning of May until now I have watched exactly 100 movies. Of that hundred, fifty-two of them were watched (or re-watched) expressly for podcasting or blogging purposes. In some instances I was truly happy to do my homework. Other times...far less so.

But as a wise sitcom once said, "you take the good, you take the bad".

Watching a self-assigned syllabus is tricky. Beyond the fact that it can feel like work, and likewise take the joy out of something that is supposed to be fun, you are deliberately turning down avenues you wouldn't normally travel. Following this particular road map might have left me grumpy at times (I could have done without FRANTIC and A LIFE LESS ORDINARY), but I tried to hold fast to the fact that I was building a better appreciation of context.

I'm lucky that it worked out for me - especially after my foray into the Shelf of Doom. Setting one's self a watchlist doesn't always work out. You end up sitting through movies because you think you should, and less because you would. That leads to thoughts of boredom, restlessness, and increased discontent for the movie at hand. That's understandable, after all I much rather would have re-watched HIGH FIDELITY for the six hundredth time than enduring NAKED LUNCH (at midnight). But the way I look at it, experiencing NAKED LUNCH and reflecting on it was educational.

It was like a film lit lecture...but without the thousands of dollars in tuition fees.

So would I take my experience and suggest that everyone who blogs or podcasts deliberately set themselves a checklist? Not entirely. If it feels like work, it won't do you any good. Likewise, swimming out of your depth is a pretty bad idea - hence, no Bergman episode of The Film Locker. My old thoughts about familiarizing one's self (or re-familiarizing if it's been a while) remain unshaken, so don't think I'm going soft in my old age.

If you're reading this space, odds are you have some sort of "to-watch" list. As you scratch titles off that list through the days, weeks, and months to come, I can promise you that they won't all be up your alley. When that happens, don't sweat it - think about the glimmers of goodness the film offered you, and let go of the rest. I promise you, it will make it all feel less like work...and more like the fun that watching movies is supposed to deliver.

News of The World iii (TIFF 2011 Canadian Titles Announced)

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

Admittedly, I have a bit of a blind spot for the cinematic landscape of my home country, but I am proud to say that day by day, that blind spot is dwindling. My taste for the domestic must be improving because in the past I might just glean over the Canadian titles announced for TIFF's programme...this year however, there is a lot that gives me the tingles. Among them...

GOON - Starring Sean William Scott and Jay Baruchel about a bouncer who becomes a hockey enforcer
CAFE DE FLORE - A supernatural love story directed by C.R.A.Z.Y's Jean-Marc Vallee
TAKE THIS WALTZ - Sarah Polley directs Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams
I'M YOURS - Described as "a sexy and irreverent two-hander"> What else does one need?
HARD CORE LOGO II - Fifteen years later, Bruce mcDonald goes back for more.
and
KEYHOLE - MY WINNIPEG's Guy Maddin goes gangster.

The full programme of 2011 TIFF Canadian Features can be found below the jump.

Starbuck
Ken Scott, Canada
Just when David Wosniak (Patrick Huard) decides to finally take control of his life, this eternal 42-year-old teenager discovers that he's the biological father of 533 children. Suddenly, his life is much more complicated than he anticipated. Also starring Antoine Bertrand, Julie le Breton.

Previously announced Canadian Galas include David Cronenberg‟s A Dangerous Method and Sarah Polley‟s Take This Waltz.

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

North American Premiere

Afghan Luke
Mike Clattenburg, Canada
Disheartened when his story about Canadian snipers possibly mutilating corpses in Afghanistan is buried, Luke (Nick Stahl) quits his job but is even more determined to return to Afghanistan to get the real story. Starring Nicolas Wright, Stephen Lobo, Vik Sahay and Steve Cochrane.

Breakaway
Robert Lieberman, Canada World Premiere
Breakaway is a cross-cultural hockey drama set in the Indo-Canadian community in suburban Toronto, Canada. It‟s also a keenly observed cross-cultural drama with a hero caught between a family‟s traditional expectations and a dream to make it big in the national sport of an adopted country. Breakaway is a fun, action-filled sports comedy bringing a dash of Bollywood entertainment to Canada‟s favourite sport. Starring Vinay Virmani, Russell Peters, Anupam Kher, Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi, Sakina Jaffrey, Noureen Dewulf, Rob Lowe, Camilla Belle and Akshay Kumar.

Café de Flore
Jean-Marc Vallée
North American Premiere
Café de Flore is first and foremost an epic love story between a man and woman. And between a mother and her son. Two people from two different eras who live two extraordinary moments of passion that shake their lives. A mystical and supernatural odyssey on love, starring Vanessa Paradis.

Edwin Boyd
Nathan Morlando, Canada
World Premiere
Based on a true story, WWII vet and family-man-turned-bank-robber Eddie Boyd is torn between the need to provide for his family and an unfulfilled Hollywood dream. He starts robbing banks to satisfy both, but Eddie‟s dream for stardom leads him down a path of danger and tragedy. Starring Scott Speedman, Kevin Durand, Kelly Reilly, Joseph Cross, Brendan Fletcher, Charlotte Sullivan and Brian Cox.

Goon
Michael Dowse, Canada
World Premiere
Goon is the story of Doug Glatt, a down-on-his-luck bouncer, who‟s been touched by the fist of God. Upon discovering both his right hook and skates, he joins a hockey team destined for the cellar and inspires them into the playoffs. Starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Marc Andre Grodin and Eugene Levy.

Keyhole
Guy Maddin, Canada
World Premiere
Keyhole is a rousing gangsters-meet-ghosts sonata in which dream and waking life are deliriously blended to arouse the eerie lusts and sadness that can slumber in an old home – in every home. Starring Jason Patric, Isabella Rossellini, Udo Kier, Louis Negin and Brooke Palsson.

Monsieur Lazhar
Philippe Falardeau, Canada
North American Premiere
Bachir Lazhar, an Algerian immigrant, is hired to replace an elementary school teacher who died tragically. While the class goes through a long healing process, nobody in the school is aware of Bachir's painful former life. Starring Fellag, Sophie Nelisse, Emilien Neron, Danielle Proulx and Brigitte Poupart.

The Moth Diaries
Mary Harron, Canada/Ireland
North American Premiere
Rebecca, haunted by her father's suicide, begins her junior year at an elite all-girls‟ boarding school, hoping for a fresh start. Her friendship with sunny Lucy is shattered by the arrival of Ernessa, a mysterious girl. As Ernessa consumes more of Lucy's attention, the latter‟s body grows pale, thin and weak. Starring Lily Cole, Sarah Gadon, Sarah Bolger, Judy Parfitt and Scott Speedman.

CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA

388 Arletta Avenue
Randall Cole, Canada
Seen entirely from the point of view of hand-held and surveillance cameras, 388 Arletta Avenue tells the story of a couple, Nick Stahl and Mia Kirshner, who do not realize they are being watched. The watching becomes a subtle manipulation which ultimately escalates into a deadly cat-and-mouse game.

Billy Bishop Goes to War
Barbara Willis-Sweete, Canada
World Premiere
In Billy Bishop Goes to War acting legend Eric Peterson and award-winning writer/composer John Gray reprise their iconic two-man play that has captivated audiences for three decades. Through raucous stories, haunting memories, and vibrant song, an aged Bishop (Peterson) recounts the triumphs and horrors of „the war to end all wars.‟

I'm Yours
Leonard Farlinger, Canada
World Premiere
I’m Yours, a sexy and irreverent two-hander, sees disillusioned Wall Street broker, Robert, kidnapped and blackmailed into taking a road trip with hot and free-spirited Daphne. A thought-provoking romantic comedy about two lost souls who learn what love ultimately means as the world around them comes undone. Starring Rossif Sutherland, Karine Vanasse.
Sisters&Brothers Carl Bessai, Canada World Premiere A comedic exploration of the lives of four intersecting sister and brother relationships. A hard-done-by “entrepreneur” corrals a young girl and her sister into a trip to Los Angeles to chase the acting dream. A schizophrenic man and his pro-bono lawyer who lives in the woods cause problems with his sister. Starring Dustin Milligan, Amanda Crew, Cory Monteith, Gabrielle Miller and Kacey Rohl.

MASTERS

Hard Core Logo II
Bruce McDonald, Canada
Fifteen years have passed since Bruce McDonald completed his infamous documentary that chronicled the demise of the punk rock outfit Hard Core Logo and captured lead singer Joe Dick‟s on-camera suicide. Reluctantly, Bruce finds himself following the band Die Mannequin to a recording studio in a remote town after hearing that band leader Care Failure has claimed to be channelling the spirit of Joe Dick. As increasingly bizarre events unfold, Bruce tries desperately to connect with Care in the hopes of saving the young rock star from the same tragic fate as Joe. Starring Bruce McDonald, Care Failure, Julian Richings and Paul Shull.

REAL TO REEL

Pink Ribbons,
Inc Léa Pool, Canada
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people walk, run and shop for “the cure.” Millions of dollars are raised in the name of breast cancer, but where does all the money go, and what is actually achieved? Award-winning Quebec filmmaker Léa Pool directs Pink Ribbons, Inc. which examines what many have called the „dream case‟ of cause-related marketing. Inspired by Dr. Samantha King's book “Pink Ribbons Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy,” the film juxtaposes footage from some of the biggest fundraising walks and runs in North America with uncompromising interviews.

Surviving Progress
Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks, Canada
World Premiere
Ronald Wright‟s bestseller A Short History Of Progress inspired this cinematic requiem to progress-as-usual. Throughout human history, what seemed like progress often backfired. Some of the world's foremost thinkers, activists, financiers and scientists challenge us to overcome „progress traps,‟ which destroyed past civilizations and lie treacherously embedded in our own.

VANGUARD

Doppelgänger
Paul Dylan Akio Smith and Kris Elgstrand, Canada
World Premiere
Following a near-death experience, Karl comes to believe that Paul is his doppelgänger. When Karl finally reveals himself to Paul, a unique and troubled relationship begins to form, a relationship that is severely tested when Karl grants Paul the privilege of reading his 20,000 page manuscript, A Book About How Much I Hate Myself. When Karl‟s book is published 17 months later in a vastly edited version credited to two other authors/doppelgängers, Karl and Paul hit the road to confront the plagiarists but end up confronting themselves instead. Starring Tygh Runyan, Brad Dryborough, Ben Cotton and Matty Finochio.

Lookin' For a Leader (THE IDES OF MARCH Trailer)

2011-08-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

George Clooney is directing a new film that will be premiering at TIFF next month, and I find myself curious.

See Clooney has directed one great film (CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND) one masterpiece of a film (GOODNIGHT AND GOOD LUCK) and...well...one other film (LEATHERHEADS). SO one has to wonder, will this film right the ship, and bring the former Doctor Ross back to a place of influential direction...or will he slip further down the slope and become "just one more actor/director?"

Guess I'll find out at TIFF!

Midnight Radio: The Matineecast Episode 38

2011-08-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Once more, I bring you a break from the podcast you have come to expect from these parts. You see it was just too nice a day last weekend to hole up inside and hang out around an iMac, so my dear friend and I took a jaunt down to the lakeshore and recorded a podcast al fresco at Sunnyside Cafe.

There's an ambient distraction or two, and halfway through some guys were seated at the table next to us and traces of their conversation trickles in and out...but it doesn't take away from our geeky conversation all that much. So for best results open up the windows, let in some fresh air and pour yourself a drink.

Here's the Carlos Zambrano episode...

Mp3 Player Widgetgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

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

Here's what's in store in episode thirty-eight...

Runtime
60 minutes, 16 seconds

Up for Discussion

1. Introduction
2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY - Q& A with this week's guest Beth the Danger Girl (1:55)
3. COME TALK TO ME - Listener messages about filmgoing experiences (7:58)
5. THE NEW SLANG - Review and reaction of COWBOYS & ALIENS (13:35)
6. THE BEST OF YOU - Hatter's top five cowboy films, Beth's top five alien films. (28:31)

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

Enjoy!

Review: HORRIBLE BOSSES * * *

2011-08-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

The star power of HORRIBLE BOSSES is an interesting roster. The six leads are comprised of three "A Listers", and three "B Listers". And while the "A Listers" get the showier roles, it's the other guys who come through and carry the film. Show of hands all those who saw that coming?

HORRIBLE BOSSES is the story of three friends and the terrible people that employ them.

Nick (Jason Bateman) is a financial executive putting in long hours trying to play the corporate game and earn a promotion. His boss is Dave (Kevin Spacey); a demanding, manipulative asshole who has been stringing Nick along with promises of a promotion he has no intention of granting him.

Dale (Charlie Day) is a dental hygienist who through bad luck has limited employment options. He is currently working for Julia (Jennifer Aniston) who is a filthy-mouthed nymphomaniac who can't seem to hear "No thanks, I'm engaged" as a reason to stop her sexual harassment.

Finally there's Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) who has a job he enjoys working for a chemical company owned by Jack (Donald Sutherland). Unfortunately, Jack dies suddenly, and the business is handed over to his son Bobby (Colin Farrell), and if there was a yang to Jack's yin - it's Bobby.

After a drink or six, Kurt, Dale and Nick decide that life might be better is all three of their horrible bosses were to meet an untimely demise. Now they just have to figure out how to actually accomplish such a deed.

HORRIBLE BOSSES succeeds despite its plot. I say that because along with its being silly, preposterous, and borderline racist, it's also a plot that steals a lot from a bunch of films we've already seen. In some other movie, that might bring the whole things down, but HORRIBLE BOSSES leaves you fully satisfied - perhaps even wanting more. How it pulls off this bit of "pay-no-attention-to-the-crappy-plot" misdirection is a great bit of comedy chemistry between Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day.

Watching these three TV comedy stars play off each other instantly made me wish they'd create a TV comedy that all three could star in together. Their friendship feels authentic in its easy-going nature, and the way they are able to tease each other with their wit and incredelousness just stokes the fire of amusement their scenes provide. It's enough to almost make you wish that the whole film was just the three of them talking in various bars. That's a good thing, because the titular "Horrible Bosses" are a bit of a letdown.

Kevin Spacey is able to do this sort of part in his sleep these days. That's not a knock on what he does here, just a note that the story doesn't take the talent he rolls out of bed with and take us anywhere unexpected with it. Colin Farrel is both outrageous and funny as the bratty boss Bobby...but I get the feeling that a lot of his role was left on the cutting room floor. He's barely in the finished film, and certainly runs a distant third in the jackassery department in comparison to Spacey and Aniston.

Speaking of the former Rachel Green, her part in this film feels like it's been played on a bounce. Sure, it's funny to watch an actress like Aniston who comes with a wholesome image suddenly speak like a horny trucker. However, the film doesn't seem to know what to do with her once the boys set their murderous plot in motion. She is essentially sidelined and dropped in the final act - and when time does come to settle her score, it feels more lightweight than the fates of Bobby and Dave.

Sounds like I'm complaining a lot about a film I'm claiming I liked, doesn't it? Admittedly, I am being hard on it, but I believe that comes from a place of seeing goodness where we could have seen greatness. There are some great moments of writing on display in this film ("I'd like to bend her over a barrel and show her the fifty states"), and the outrageousness of Farrell and Aniston deserves credit for taking famous faces somewhere unexpected. It's like a burger that smells and looks great but as you take a bite, you realize that it's overcooked.

Despite not elevating itself into something special, HORRIBLE BOSSES is something fun. Sudeikis, Bateman and (especially) Day are able to play with the movie's preposterous plot through comedy that is equally smug, zany, and clever. Their charm and camaraderie are able to send the audience home laughing at what the movie does best, and forgetting much of what it doesn't.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to HORRIBLE BOSSES

Days of The Week (Films Watched 7/30 - 8/5)

2011-08-06T20:00:00.001-04:00

Ain't nothin' like a long weekend to jack up one's movie-watchin' time. After several weeks being down a quart, I found myself back on my usual pace this week. Back up to my usual weekly number, back up to seeing more new stuff than rewatches, and back up to finding myself in a theatre more than once.

That, my friends, is a good week.

Here's what was on tap...

Screenings
COWBOYS & ALIENS - I'm still trying to get a grip on what went wrong.
HORRIBLE BOSSES - Sis-in-Law chose this as her birthday outing, and I must say that I'm rather glad she did!
WEST SIDE STORY - In stunning 70mm no less! All I needed was for the theatre to make my double-bill dream come true with MANHATTAN.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Never Seen
TANGLED - Dear Disney: This film was beyond remarkable. Please figure out what you did right and keep doing it.
DEATH & THE MAIDEN - This was a recommendation by Andrew James. part of thinks I owe him a beer now.
FRANTIC - The Reel Insight ladies recently decried this movie. By and large, they were right to do so.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Watched Before
THE ICE STORM - Find yourself feeling that AMERICAN BEAUTY hasn't aged well? Watch this instead.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN - Even better than I remembered.
FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH - Looks like I dig it more than Jess does

Boxscore for The Year
142 First-Timers, 103 Re-Watched
245 Movies in Total

How's about you - seen anything good?

Radio Bomb: The Film Locker episode 10

2011-08-06T14:00:00.001-04:00

Double digits already? Lordy does time ever fly!

Hope y'all enjoyed our spirited talk about Simon's favorite director. This episode brings us to a more neutral territory - and one that sparked Simon to do a lot of first-time watching! Here's the tenth chapter with discussion of Ang Lee and his 2000 gem CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

(If the embedded player doesn't start, please tune in through Podomatic or The iTunes Music Store)

Take a listen, and be sure to check out the Film Locker Blog for further writing, updates, and conversation.

All Down the Line

2011-08-06T08:00:00.001-04:00

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 8 - 5 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)

2011-08-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Fellow Bloggers...

I beg your patience and forgiveness. My reading of your work, and likewise my commenting on it is at a record low. I have fallen into a rhythm of skimming my Google Reader and occasionally hitting the drop-down key to get just a taste of what you are offering...but on the whole, I'm not the comunity member I usually am.

The good news is that in about two weeks, things will get back to normal and I'll be able to drown in your words, clips, images, and overall geekosity to my usual obsessive level. The bad news is that between now and then I'll be a little bit of a hermit without explanation. Hopefully I can make it all up to you though.

My mere skimming shows me that I'm missing out on boatloads, this week's posts for instance gave me a wealth of links to choose from...here's a mere six.

For your listening and reading fulfillment, I give you...

The Row Three Cinecast continues to amaze and entertain (and not just because they continually record episodes that would make Cal Ripken blush). This week, they brought in Jim Mickle (director of STAKELAND) to rap with them about COWBOYS & ALIENS.

I'm hoping that Lady Hatter and I might be able to enjoy some CRAZY STUPID LOVE this weekend (And then go see the movie - hey-o!!!). If my good friend Meredith is right, and she usually is, it's a pretty solid watch.

A ~~pair~~ trio of blog-a-versaries happened this week. Give it up for Movienut's Defiant Success and Mr. Helms' Life in Equinox turned two (only??), and Ms. Arcieri whose Cinefille turned six!

Shannon the Movie Moxie is feeling reflective and anticipative all at once.

Big daddy Mister Small had a rough night at the movies recently.

On the flip side is Miss James who was pretty darned giddy to be seeing a classic movie musical with some of us Toronto folk (in 70mm no less). Check out her post on it if for no other reason than to see the pretty nifty trailer that's amused many of us locals for a few weeks now.

Enjoy!

Falling For the First Time (Talkin' FAST TIMES with Jess Rogers)

2011-08-04T08:00:00.001-04:00

For the most part, my Falling For the First Time Series has tested pop culture classics I believed would be unassailable. I could see how the effects of GHOSTBUSTERS or GREMLINS might hold them back, but all of the others were movies I believed would transcend.

Then a funny thing happened on the way to the eighth selection: I watched the film again.

So after championing the screenwriting debut of Cameron Crowe to the talented blogess behind Insight Into Entertainment, I started to think that I'd made a grave miscalculation...and that my MTV Generation ass was about to be handed to me. Do get a good seat and see how I make out as I discuss FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH with Jess Rogers.

MH: Alright dude - what did you think?

JR: It reminded me that 80s comedies were a lot raunchier than I remembered. It's a funny movie to be sure but the "kids" in it seem more like 30 year olds than some of the other teen comedies from that era.

MH: I'd argue that a lot of the so-called "kids" in movies over the years are in fact too old. But the raunchiness you mention - is it at least merited? Or does it feel like it's trying to play for SUPERBAD-esque shock points?

JR: It felt a lot like it was trying to talk and act like teens really do. For some characters they nearly get there and for others it's really fake. So some of the raunchiness works well (the red bikini scene makes sense) but losing your virginity staring at grafitti didn't work for me.

MH: Slight tangent - When Cameron Crowe set out to write the original book this was based on, he actually went undercover and spent a year in high school in his early twenties. He wrote about his experiences there, and later adapted his own book into the screenplay. Now that's not to say that he didn't shine things up a bit to play to an audience better, but a lot of it was based on real occurrences.

Change your opinion of the script at all?

JR: No. Still works in some places and charicatures the others.

MH: Guess Crowe doesn't carry the clout that he used to! Which characters work, and which felt forced?

JR: Linda (Phoebe Cates) as a character works and is like girls I knew. Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) doesn't work and I actually have trouble believing they'd be friends. Brad (Judge Reinhold) is a good brother but is wholly unbelievable as a high school stud based on what we're shown. I'm actually starting to think a bit of my belief in characters that didn't work are types that didn't exist in my high school.

I loved Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) but it just seemed pretend that he'd get away with being that stoned at school. And a high school ticket scalper? Really?

MH: Hey, there were drug dealers in my high school - at least scalping doesn't involve illegal substances. Let's get back to Stacy for a second, since it is by & large her story. What about her didn't work for you? Further, what did you make of her sexual coming of age?

JR: I think Stacy stays so naive, yet gets sluttier as the movie goes on. Then she has the "epiphany" that sex isn't love. And all if that in less than a year. It seemed really forced and contrived to get that journey in one person. Linda seemed more real if not particularly high school than Stacy.

MH: Fair point - but think about life in high school...things can change dramatically over the course of a year, no?

JR: Life most definitely changes fast, but her sexual exploits seemed odd given her attitude about sex (naive but curious). I suppose it makes sense that she gets knocked up, but I just didn't buy her journey. Plus she's such a bitch for having sex with Damon when his best friend adores her. I didn't feel bad when she got pregnant.

MH: Wow - tough room! So on the whole, you weren't sold on the tale of Stacy's coming-of-age?

JR: I didn't think so, no. I thought Chad's story and even Rats' story were more believable. Likewise, Linda's "starting over" theme was all more relatable and touching than Stacy.

Her story feels more after school special against teen pregnancy and having sex without love than anything particularly genuine.

MH: Hey now, knowing is half the battle! I'd be remiss if I didn't ask your thoughts on the iconic scene of Linda and her red bikini.

JR: It was actually as hot as I expected, and it totally made sense in the context of Brad's fantasy. Specifically, she doesn't actually take the top off - just undoes it. That always bothered me, but now I get it. As iconic as it is, I was glad it wasn't a main point of the story - I was hoping the movie wouldn't revolve around it and it didn't.

MH: Cool. I could probably predict the answer to this question, but I ask it every time: How dated did it feel?

JR: It wasn't as dated as I expected it to be honestly. It felt a bit more like something from now that is trying to be dated like the Robin Sparkles videos from How I Met Your Mother. The soundtrack was really awesome though.

MH: Really? We're talking about a movie where someone unironically uses the term "fag", and front row concert tickets can be had for $20

JR: Yeah but they seem oddly out of place like trying to place it in time rather than being of the time. but a lot of it felt like it doesn't matter when it takes place. I know they were of that time...it just didn't feel like it was authentic. It was more like everything was included to sure it felt "of the time"

MH: Makes sense. Part of me wonders about the relativity of this film - which is a strange question I realize since we're both handily removed from our high school days. Did you see any of your high school experiences in this film?

JR: Definitely the friend crying because her boyfriend dumped her. The nearest mall was 30 miles away when I was in high school, so those scenes not so much. I honestly couldn't tell you if lots of kids did drugs. Given the number of pregnant girls in my class they were having sex for sure.

I think overall it did hindered my enjoyment that my high school was so rural compared to these kids.

MH: That makes sense. On the whole, how does it compare to other like films of the era?

JR: It felt less genuine than FERRIS BEULLER'S DAY OFF (which outside of his exploits feels a lot like my high school). Overall, it felt much more raunchy than any John Hughes film period. There does seem to be a parallel with Kevin Smith's movies for the nineties/aughties, but those are deliberately verbose and this isn't.

MH: Any other little bits stick out for you?

JR: I really liked when Chad picked Stacey up from the clinic -it just gave his character depth. Also the carrot scene was funny (and pretty shocking). Finally, when the Mr. Hand arrived to waste Spicoli's time as payback - loved that and thought it was brilliant.

MH: And so...on the hallowed scale of one to five?

JR: 2.5...I liked about half of it and disliked about half.

(Editor's Note: The streak ends! Every movie in this series has landed a score of 3.5 out of 5. FAST TIMES becomes the first clear miss).

News of The World ii (TIFF 2011 Midnight Madness Titles Announced)

2011-08-03T10:53:00.004-04:00

Sure TIFF may be all about prestige films and Oscar hopefuls, but one of the coolest parts about it is the Midnight Madness programme. Unfortunately I don't usually partake in the premieres(a week solid of staying up until 3am is a bit much for me), hearing about the titles that play and the reactions they get are always entertaining.

In the past, this programme has unleashed BORAT, SAW, A TOWN CALLED PANIC, THE HOST, HOSTEL, KONTROLL, BUBBA HO-TEP, and CABIN FEVER.

This year nine of the ten films are world premieres and all of them offer chills, pitch black humour, and promises of not letting audiences get a good night's sleep.

Check out the full list of depravity after the jump.

The Day Douglas Aarniokoski

USA World Premiere
In a post-apocalyptic future, an open war against humanity rages. Five survivors wander along rural back-roads, lost, starving and on the run. With dwindling food stocks and ammunition, an attempt at seeking shelter turns into a battleground where they must fight or die. Starring Ashley Bell, Dominic Monaghan and Shannyn Sossamon.

God Bless America
Bobcat Goldthwait, USA World Premiere
Loveless, jobless and possibly terminally ill, Frank has had enough of the downward spiral of America. With nothing left to lose, Frank takes his gun and decides to off the stupidest, cruellest and most repellent members of society with an unusual accomplice: 16-year-old Roxy, who shares his sense of rage and disenfranchisement. From stand-up comedian and director Bobcat Goldthwait comes a scathing and hilarious attack on all that is sacred in the United States of America.

The Incident
Alexandre Courtes, France World Premiere
George, Max and Ricky are in a rock band and waiting for their big breakthrough. Between small gigs and rehearsals they work in the kitchen of a high-security asylum for good pay at minimum risk – they have no physical contact with the inmates. One night just before dinnertime, a big storm shuts down the security system, the doors open and the lunatics break loose. Help is on its way and should soon arrive... they just have to survive until it does.

Kill List
Ben Wheatley, United Kingdom Canadian Premiere
Eight months after a disastrous job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, ex-soldier-turned-contract-killer Jay is pressured by his partner Gal into taking a new assignment. As they track their prey, they descend into a disturbing world that is darker and more depraved than anything they experienced on the battlefield.

Livid
Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, France World Premiere
The directors of 2007’s Midnight Madness hit A L’Interieur (Inside) return with a twisted gothic nightmare. A young woman and her friends break into a decrepit mansion looking for treasure, only to unlock a dark secret of unspeakable horror ready to dish out bloody punishment for their greed.

Lovely Molly
Eduardo Sanchez, USA World Premiere
When newlywed Molly Reynolds returns to her long-abandoned family home, frightful reminders of a nightmarish childhood begin seeping into her new life. She soon begins an inexorable descent into evil that blurs the lines between psychosis and possession. From the director of The Blair Witch Project.

The Raid
Gareth Evans, Indonesia World Premiere
Deep in the heart of Jakarta’s slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world’s most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the run-down apartment block has been considered untouchable to even the bravest of police. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite swat team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord, the building’s lights are cut and all the exits blocked. Stranded on the sixth floor with no way out, the unit must fight their way through the city’s worst to survive their mission. Starring Indonesian martial arts sensation Iko Uwais.

Sleepless Night
Frederic Jardin, France/Belgium/Luxembourg World Premiere
When Vincent, a double-dealing cop, steals a big bag of cocaine from some drug dealers they counter by kidnapping and threatening to kill his son if the bag isn’t returned – fast. The swap is to go down at their headquarters in a big nightclub on the outskirts of Paris, but Vincent gets caught in a spiral of deception and betrayal and must fight his way through packed dance floors and dark corridors of the labyrinth-like club.

Smuggler
Katsuhito Ishii, Japan World Premiere
After his dreams of becoming an actor go nowhere, 25-year-old Kinuta does nothing but gamble every day. Broke, framed and now neck-deep in debt, he is recruited as a smuggler – an underground mover of everything from dead bodies to illegal goods – but one cargo triggers the rage of a psychotic gangster hellbent on revenge. By acclaimed cult director Katsuhito Ishii of Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl and Funky Forest fame.

You’re Next
Adam Wingard, USA World Premiere
From the director-writer team that brought TIFF audiences A Horrible Way To Die in 2010 comes a new experiment in tension. A family comes under a terrifying and sadistic attack during a reunion getaway. Barricaded in their secluded country home, they have to fight off a barrage of axes, crossbows and machetes from both inside and outside the house. Unfortunately for the killers, one of the victims proves to have a talent for fighting back.

Lost My Driving Wheel (DRIVE Trailer)

2011-08-02T08:56:00.003-04:00

What a week...

Saturday posts happening on Mondays, Wednesday posts happening on Tuesdays...it's all gone pear-shaped I tell you! (I blame the long weekend).

Here's another trailer from a film playing TIFF this year, however this selection comes with a curveball. TIFF has become a springboard of sorts in recent years for movies coming out in September. Sort of a way to get a bigger crowd into a big premiere.

As such, some films start their theatrical release before the festoval is even over. Last year for instance, BURIED, EASY A, and THE TOWN all played TIFF but all also opened in theatres on September 17th...while the festival was still going!

This year, one such selection is DRIVE - which was one of the titles I was most looking forward to. So the question becomes - do I burn a pass and see it a few days early, or just wait until the fest ends and see it for 50% less?

Days of The Week (Films Watched 7/23 - 7/29)

2011-08-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

Yes, yes, I know - this is usually a Saturday feature. But you see, it's a long weekend up here and I've been taking full advantage of it. I've packed it full of social activities you see, and not slated myself any time to write (though lots of time to watch). Thus, I'm rearranging my features to suit my own whimsy. Any complaints?

Again, the list is short this week - and there is a reason for the dip in activity, but I'll explain that at a later date. Again though, what I lost in quantity was made up for with quality. Well.....for the most part anyway.

Here's what was on tap...

Screenings
EQUILIBRIUM - While I dislike the film and find it inexplicably bad, I did at least have the good fortune to surround myself with friends and laugh my way through it in a theatre. Had I watched it alone in silence on dvd, I'd likely be more angry.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Never Seen
THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE -I sorta want to watch this one again, because there were a few plot elements that I think I got distracted and missed. Still, it was pretty damned cool.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Watched Before
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON - It's easily been five years since I watched this last. Likewise, I reminded myself that it's been just over ten since I first watched it. I'm happy to report that it's held up remarkably well.
PAN'S LABYRINTH - Hey Potter fans: Did you know that a Mandrake makes an appearance in this film as well? Pretty cool, huh?
EAT, DRINK, MAN, WOMAN - I've said it before, I'll say it again: Never watch this film on an empty stomach.

Boxscore for The Year
139 First-Timers, 96 Re-Watched
235 Movies in Total

How's about you - seen anything good?

Review: COWBOYS & ALIENS * 1/2

2011-07-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

Splicing together film genres can be a wonderful thing. It can bring together elements of different movie styles in a way that each one is complimented, and something completely unique is created. However, just like splicing actual DNA one needs to take care...lest unforeseen problems overshadow the result of the experiment. In short, just because a director wants to fuse genres together doesn't mean he should ignore the rules of the individual genres and "wing it".

Our story begins with Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) waking up in the middle of nowhere. He has no clue how he got there, his abdomen is wounded, and he's wearing some sort of new-fangled bracelet. Hoping for help, he makes his way into the closest town - a less-than-thriving metropolitan called Absolution. Once there, he sparks the attention of a comely lass named Ella (Olivia Wilde). Why she's interested in him is a mystery - including to Lonergan.

While in town, Lonergan gets mixed up in a fracas with a reckless brat named Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano). His involvement manages to get Percy arrested, which doesn't sit so well with Percy's father Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). Woodrow comes into town to have his son released, and while there takes an interest in Lonergan and the reward being offered for his capture.

As Dolarhyde is demanding his son's release, and Lonergan's collar, strange bright lights appear on the horizon. As they approach the town, all hell breaks loose. Seems as though the wild west of the 1800's was of some interest to aliens. What they are, and why they're here is one mystery that panics the townspeople - why they seem to be capturing citizens and abducting them, panics them even further. By the next morning, Lonergan and Dolarhyde find themselves on the same side - looking to find out where the aliens are coming from...finding out what they want, and denying it from them.

COWBOYS & ALIENS is an unforeseen mess. Its opening thirty minutes - detailed in most of the film's trailers - are wonderful. Dropping Lonergan into a Bourne-esque "Amnesiac Badass" situation is played well by Craig. The once-and-future Bond can single-handedly dismantle a band of hooligans with the best of them. Likewise, the introduction of Woodrow Dolarhyde and his vigilante intrusion into the arrest of Lonegan is well-played by Ford. In the early going, both men seem to have a clear read on the sort of film they are in, and deliver precisely what moviegoers like me expected from them.

However, after that initial alien attack on the town, the film loses its way. The film has no interest in following the path of a classic western, nor a run-and-gun modern western. That's forgivable, but when it turns its back on the tropes of science fiction too, it basically shrugs its shoulders at the audience and asks us to "just go with it". We can't. We won't. We don't want to. At this point the narrative has jumped ship, and the posse is looking to beat the aliens just to beat them. There's lip service paid to various members of the team wanting to get friends and family back, but we aren't given any chance to see the personal connections, nor the voids looking to be filled.

In much the same way, the reason for the aliens being here is a flimsy one. It's under-explained and wildly unoriginal. So to summarize, we have cheaply motivated villains, and two-dimensional heroes. However, all is not lost. This is the summertime, remember? Such details of the truly great films can be forgiven so long as there is spectacle and fun. However if it's forgiveness that COWBOYS & ALIENS is after, then it has many more rosaries to recite. There is no set piece in the final three-quarters of this film that will stick with us and be spoken of with joy in summers to come. There's no badass gun play...no extraterrestrial terror. There's just wanderings, and ponderings, and the occasional skirmish.

Perhaps the film would have stood a fighting chance had it focused on Lonergan's evolution a little bit more. We're only given the faintest of brushstrokes towards who he was and what he had done. This is a man with a $10,000 bounty on his head - not exactly pocket change. And yet, along with this dastardly villain that he was supposed to have been, he was also deeply in love with a women whose absence haunts him. The script never pays any of that more than lip service: Basically it ends after noting that the town is named Absolution. We're left as blurry as Lonergan's hazy memory, even after his recollection is cleared in a cheap and preposterous manner.

Note to the five (!) screenwriters credited on this project: Audiences like distinct characters. We like flaws, ambitions, evolutions, and bravado. We hold on to these things, and speak of them warmly as years pass. We might not be able to name you every sidekick or every patriarch, but heavies like Tony Stark, Peter Venkman, Hans Lander, Maximus Decimus Meridius will stay with us for ages.

There's stories to be told about "Space Cowboys", and evidence out that confirms a small but devoted hunger for them. But to pull a quote from my favorite bowling film; "This isn't 'Nam, there are rules". If directors and screenwiters choose to ignore the rules, then odds are their film will suffer a similar fate in the eyes of filmgoers.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to COWBOYS & ALIENS

Radio Bomb: The Film Locker episode 9

2011-07-30T14:00:00.001-04:00

Any listener who knows anything about Simon Columb and didn;t see this episode coming needs to give their head a shake.

After a more muted turnout for episode eight, we officially move into the final quarter of Series One with the Danny Boyle episode featuring discussion on his 1996 modern classic, TRAINSPOTTING

(If the embedded player doesn't start, please tune in through Podomatic or The iTunes Music Store)

Take a listen, and be sure to check out the Film Locker Blog for further writing, updates, and conversation.

Be My Icon

2011-07-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 7 - 29 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)

2011-07-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

More than once in the last two years, someone, somewhere - never the same person twice - has suggested that I check out EQUILIBRIUM. I'm always extolled its virtues, and told how underrated it is. Usually this is all concluded by the explanation that "THE MATRIX came out just before it and out-Equilibrium'd EQUILIBRIUM".

Well, last night I caught it at Toronto Underground during the Defending the Indefensible Series. Every one of y'all that told me I needed to see this over the years? You're stoned. This movie was laughably bad, and I would have called the whole night a miss if it wasn't for the fact that ten of my film geek friends all happened to be at the same showing. A night out to laugh with friends is never a total loss. Luckily I ditched out before they moved on to the second half of the evening's affairs - GHOSTBUSTERS 2.

For your listening and reading fulfillment, I give you...

Reel Insight came back this week! Funny thing - they were only of for a week, but it felt like a whole lot longer. What can I say, a week without Thurogers is like a week without sunshine.

Admit it folks - you've done this.

Wilde.Dash over at Love & Squalor plugged a hole in her pop culture database this week; Take a look as she experiences GHOST for the first time (Full disclosure: Part of this link is the hopes that I can convince Wilde to do me a solid).

Helms is working on some revisionist cinema. I want to contribute, but my brain is tapioca for such things these days.

A Fantasia film I heard good things about was William Eubank's LOVE. I'm hopeful that it turns up in my local scene sooner rather than later. Edgar at Between The Seats has a pretty swell write-up on it, stoking my anticipation even more!

In other film festival news, young Clift is taking in the sights at MIFF this week.

Enjoy!

It Takes Two (The Double Feature Blog-a-Thon)

2011-07-28T09:30:00.003-04:00

Marc from Go, See, Talk wants me to indulge in a geeky dream - the dream of owning and operating my own movie theatre.

What a wonderful world that would be. I can tell you for certain, that my theatre would contain a bar that opened when the films ended so that people could gather and passionately discuss what they'd just seen. Of course, what sort of proprietor would I be if I didn't foster the conversation myself?

But this geeky dream that Marc has planted in my head doesn't come for free. I have to lure patrons in with a creative week of double features. Well, in deciding what sorts of double features I wanted to unfurl, I thought it might be fun to take people away to cities they might dearly love, or cities they might never have seen...

Monday: NEW YORK CITY
Few people capture Gotham like Woody Allen, and for me there is no movie more quintessentially New York than MANHATTAN. Captured in all its black & white splendour, audiences can begin their week with Gershwin and peaceful benches in front of the Brooklyn Bridge. After that, it's time to let the streets of New York really sing with WEST SIDE STORY. The city gets used in a very different way in this film, but it's still wonderful how Bill Shakespeare's original tale of tragic Italian love can feel so very New York.

Tuesday: LONDON
Time to hop the pond and head over to Merry Ol'. London was actually a tricky spot to program, since so many films take place there. I decided what was best was to show it's past, and (hopefully not) it's future. We begin in "Swingin' London" of the 1960's with Michael Caine in ALFIE. He'll charm the parts off you - it's what his character does - and leave you asking "Jude who?". After seeing what London was, it's time to sweat out what it hopefully never will be with V FOR VENDETTA. This dystopian tale features the government rallying people with deceptively frightening "Strength through Unity ; Unity through Faith" creedo. However, in this world where government has exceeded its bounds, one man still has something to say...and if he has to, he'll take pull down every historic brick in London to get his message out.

(For this screening, audience members will be given free Guy Fawkes masks)

Wednesday: PARIS
The city of lights is next, and choosing films for this city was actually a little tough. Many films reference Paris, or take place within it...but I was hoping to find titles where the city itself is more than just a setting. I wanted stories that take us through Paris...not just ones that nod to Paris. BANDE A PARTE is a programming nod to all my fellow movie geeks, as it was a podcasting guest who suggested I track it down. Its iconic scenes have been copied in a few other films, and it will make you want to listen to jazz, smoke, and drive through Pare-eee with the top down. Playing against all that mischief and youthful abandon is the quiet contemplation of BEFORE SUNSET. I'm hoping some other blogger-run-theatre out there will be doing a double feature of this film and its predecessor, but at my joint, audience members can gather, watch the long walk through Paris unfurl, and ask themselves their own "what if" questions.

Thursday: VENICE
Next we go to Venice to look at it from two different perspectives. Actually, of all the entries in this series, this might be the one that takes such opposite views of one city. We'll begin with WINGS OF THE DOVE, which as a period film, makes Venice look very lush and romantic. But just to make sure people don't run too quickly to their travel agent, we'll follow that with DON'T LOOK NOW which actually makes Venice look rather dirty and menacing.

Friday: TOKYO
As the weekend begins, we go to japan. Here I'll begin with what I reckon would be a low-attended showing of LOST IN TRANSLATION (I'm discovering a lot of people loathe it). I still like that movie a lot, and I think it's a well-suited entry into this series since it focuses on being a stranger in a strange land and connecting with other strangers. But before you decide to stay home and watch reruns of Friday Night Lights, consider coming for the late show and seeing Godzilla destroy much of Tokyo. If it sweetens the pot, you can imagine that Bob and Charlotte are still canoodling below 'Zilla somewhere and get squished by his giant reptillian foot.

Saturday: LOS ANGELES After going as far east as we can, it's time to hop on a plane and start circling back to home. The City of Angels has been filmed a trillion different ways, but for some reason I'm most drawn to the way it is represented in mid 20th century noir. Thus we begin with L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and its look at the seedy underbelly of LA-LA Land. The story is amazing, the acting is top-notch, but it's the look of this film that allows me to drown in it. We're privvy to Hollywood sets and sprawling mansions, but likewise to seedy diners and No-Tell Motels. It's as if the film wants to tell you "You can love L.A., but you have to love all of it". Coupled with that is another classic noir tale, 1975's CHINATOWN. The two films have a lot in common as they both involve grand cover-ups, however Polanski's tale seems to come with an inherent helplessness that Hanson's never finds.

Sunday: TORONTO
C'mon - you knew this was coming. After a long week, Sunday brings me back home with two of the very best movies representing my hometown. I've written ad nausem about why they best represent this city, so I won't bore you with repetition today. All I will say is that respectively, CHLOE and SCOTT PILGRIM embody how sexy and fun Toronto can be. Hopefully finishing out the week with these films can send the hometown crowd home happy.

$2 off for anyone who presents a bag from Sonic Boom Records and a cocktail napkin from The Rivoli.

If you blog, consider writing an entry for this series before Saturday...if you don't leave a comment with your week of double features.

Every Day is Yours to Win (MONEYBALL Trailer)

2011-07-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

With the announcement of TIFF titles yesterday, the focus of this blog will become very festival-centric for a while. Hopefully I don't burn y'all out by the time mid-September rolls around.

Here's a title that will be premiering in Toronto, and while it will go wide the next week, I do believe that I'll have to take the bait and jump on it early.

Get ready to play ball folks...

News of The World (TIFF 2011 Galas and Special Presentations Announced)

2011-07-26T10:20:00.007-04:00

That time of year agin. The time where my anticipation turns itself up to eleven and I let my movie geek flag fly: TIFF 2011.

Titles of some galas and special presentations were announced today, and for the first time in a long time, the opening night selection is right in my wheelhouse.

Amoung the highlights...

FROM THE SKY DOWN by Davis Guggenheim, a doc about U2
A DANGEROUS METHOD by David Cronenberg starring Viggo Mortensen & Michael Fassbender
THE LADY directed by Luc Besson starring Michelle Yeoh & David Thewlis
TRISHNA directed by Michael Winterbottom starring Freida Pinto & Riz Ahmed
MONEYBALL starring Brad Pitt
PEARL JAM TWENTY by Cameron Crowe
50/50 starring Joseph Gordon Levitt & Seth Rogen
DRIVE by Nicholas Windig starring Ryan Gosling

All the films announced today can be found here.

Midnight Radio: The Matineecast Episode 37

2011-07-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

And now for something completely different...

Welcome to the first ever Matineecast where I'm not a part of the conversation. How does that happen you may ask? Well you'll just have to listen to find out.

I do leave you in very capable hands, with two of the three people at the table experienced podcasters themselves. As for the third, she's no stranger to a mic either

Here's the Dave Stieb episode...

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

Here's what's in store in episode thirty-seven...

Runtime
53 minutes, 46 seconds

Up for Discussion

1. HATTER'S PREFACE
2. INTRODUCTION - "Courtyard Apocalypse" by Alexandre Desplat (1:20)
3. KNOW YOUR ENEMY - Learning a bit more about guest hosts Sasha James, Matthew Brown, and "Lady Hatter" Lindsay
4. THE NEW SLANG - DIscussion of THE DEATHLY HALLOWS pt. 2 (15:27)
5. COME TALK TO ME - Hatter comes back to field listener feedback about the Potter film series (39:00)
6. THE BEST OF YOU (sorta) - Back to Sasha, Matt, and Lindsay for a short discussion of their favorite Potter moments (42:24)
7. HATTER'S FINAL THOUGHT - "Do The Hippogriff" by The Weird Sisters

Comments and feedback are welcome - especially curious to know what people think of the format switch - and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

Review: CAPTAIN AMERICA - THE FIRST AVENGER * * * 1/2

2011-07-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

There doesn't seem to be one right way to adapt a comic book into a movie. Some films want to ground themselves in the reality we know and become "gritty". Some want to wink to the camera, knowing full well the property that they represent. Others want to go the completely fantastical route, and make it crystal clear that the story we are watching is not one of this world.

So what to make of this latest offering...an adaptation that blends the facts and the fictions?

It's 1942, and Uncle Sam needs all the willing and able men he can to fight Hitler and his forces of evil.

In Brooklyn, young Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is plenty willing, but very far from able. He's a pipsqueak who's likely 90lbs soaking wet (while holding a brick). Despite multiple tries at being enlisted, he is continually declared "4F" and denied enlistment. While at the 1942 Stark Expo, Rogers is spotted trying to enlist (again) by a scientist named Erskine (Stanley Tucci). Erskine sees something in Rogers no one else has yet, and recruits him into a platoon that will be tested to find a suitable candidate for Erskine's project.

The platoon, commanded by Col. Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) are all three times his size. When it becomes clear though, that Rogers is faraway the smartest and bravest soldier, he is officially selected to become America's first Super Soldier. If the process works, then Erskine and Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) will turn frail little Rogers into a perfect human specimen.

A perfect specimen is dearly needed too, since a splinter group of Nazis are posing a real threat. The division calls itself Hydra - named for the mythical creature that would be decapitated and respond by growing two heads where once there was one. The platoon is led by Johann Schmidt, aka "Red Skull" (Hugo Weaving). Along with the fact that he seems more focused than Hitler, Red Skull is greatly feared by The Army since they suspect he has tapped into an unnatural power source. Should he manage to turn it on The Allies, the whole war could be over in a hurry.

A little history: The character Captain America was created in 1940. This of course was one year into World War II, and the character was a deliberate tug at people's patriotism. One year later, when America joined the fray after Pearl Harbor, Cap became an even bigger symbol of stepping up for the cause. His stories had him doing battle with Japanese and Nazi soldiers, and even burst on to the scene of printed comics by socking one to Der Führer.

Origin stories feel a dime a dozen these days, but the way this one blends fact and fiction gives it oxygen. The film easily could have stuck to the evolution of Steve Rogers: Super Soldier. The movie could have introduced us to the pipsqueak, pumped him full of Vita-Ray and tossed him into the fight as "The Ultimate Weapon". That's what so many other comic-based films have done, and that's why so many have failed to elevate themselves. Instead, when Cap is dry-docked into morale boosting, the whole film becomes self-aware and in so doing, takes a step above the rest.

Morale during wartime is a strange animal. Sometimes the support for a mission is high, sometimes it's low. Sometimes it begins high then drops low. This movie wants us to remember the way the call used to go forth...in days before we changed our Facebook profile pictures to support ribbons. It's easy to forget now, but it's arguable that during the time this film is set in, icons like Rosie the Riveter and Rosenthal's Iwo Jima Photo rallied enough support to keep morale up - and keep the money coming in.

That's not to say this film gets everything right. The counterweight to all that time spent showing Cap as a morale booster, is that when time comes for him to properly join the fray, we're only given a montage of the Super Soldier crippling Hydra's positions. This is a bit unfortunate, since the raids that we do see proper are pretty exciting (likewise Cap's first unofficial engagement on the streets of Brooklyn). It's an unfortunate sacrifice, but at the same time I can't think of any way around it.

A big piece of what makes this film work so well is its overall aesthetic (and I'm not just talking about Evans' physique...though high praise to his trainer). I was unsure of what we'd see when Joe Johnston was announced as the director of this film, but in hindsight I should have known better. Marvel Studios wanted to tell us a story about The Greatest Generation and have it drip with sepia toned nostalgia. Who better to do that than the guy who brought THE ROCKETEER to life?

Johnston's vision for the story might be off-putting to some, but in these superhero trolly-tracks in which we find ourselves, having a director have such a distinctive tone and setting for a movie should be heralded as a welcome change. If you're going to build upon all of the aforementioned rah-rah - and infuse it with Saturday Matinee sensibilities - then making it look like it could share a double bill with Indiana Jones is an inspired move.

CAPTAIN AMERICA might not be the film everybody wanted...but in a lot of ways, it was the film we all needed right now. As a character, Cap is an icon to rally behind. We're living in days where so many things seems to want to pull us apart - remembering what happens when we pull together might be worth a moment or two of our time and attention. Beyond that, the film ends off the summer of the superhero with a very distinctive decree:

The superhero genre isn't dead or played out yet. What will matter going forward, is making these movies with a great deal of vision, tapping into what makes the character truly unique, and using that brush to paint the screen.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

Days of The Week (Films Watched 7/16 - 7/22)

2011-07-23T23:00:00.001-04:00

True story: Between watching far too many movies, editing two podcasts this week, and plugging away at some other writing projects, I've been staying up until 2am or later a lot lately. As a consequence, I've also been oversleeping in the morning. Of course the oversleeping hasn't been helped by the fact that my alarm was going off 40 minutes later than it's supposed to. Yep - winner, right here.

Interestingly the watchlist this week is a potent brew. The quantity of watches is way down (and likely will be for a few more weeks), but of the five movies I did watch, four of them were screenings and the fifth one was a film I've never seen before. Quality over quantity, right?

Here's what was on tap...

Screenings
THE IRON GIANT - Finally got to see one of the very best animated films in all its big-screen glory.
30 MINUTES OR LESS - Y'all are gonna love it.
PARIS JE T'AIME - It wasn't a date!
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER - Review coming soon, I suspect I liked it more than some.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Never Seen
THE WEDDING BANQUET - The only Ang Lee film I'd never seen, and damn is it a gem!

Boxscore for The Year
137 First-Timers, 93 Re-Watched
230 Movies in Total

How's about you - seen anything good?

Radio Bomb: The Film Locker episode 8

2011-07-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

As I figured, the David Fincher episode went off like gangbusters. can Simon and I build on the momentum? We'll certainly do our best as we round out the third quarter of the show.

This week we go for the high octane heist. Michael Mann is up in episode eight, with discussion of one of my all-time favorite films: HEAT.

(If the embedded player doesn't start, please tune in through Podomatic or The iTunes Music Store)

Take a listen, and be sure to check out the Film Locker Blog for further writing, updates, and conversation.

In Between Dreams

2011-07-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 7 - 22 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Consider yourself warned folks - next week it begins. Beginning Tuesday, you'll heard one word...one syllable...repeated over and over on this sight for seven or eight weeks:

"TIFF"

Announcement of the opening night entry, and likely a few of the primo selections, comes down on the 26th...and you know I'll have you covered.

Speaking of my favorite local indulgence, this last week felt like training for the festival, as somehow or another I managed to find myself at five screenings in six days! Pretty sure this is officially a sickness. While I look for a cure, take a listen to some folks with healthier habits.

For your listening and reading fulfillment, I give you...

Going back a little bit, the gals of Some Cast It Hot had fun swooning over MIDNIGHT IN PARIS this week. Go see the film if you haven't already, then give a listen and play everybody's favorite new game: "Is that Alex or Sasha?"

You still have two days to get in on Rich's "My Hometown" Blog-a-Thon. Write 'em up people, and if you're not a writer, be a reader and tune into his site this weekend to see the entries.

Year-in and year-out, I learn about more and more film festivals I'd like to attend. Last year, Kurt Halfyard piqued my interest in Fantasia in Montreal, and this year he might have finally sold me on it once and for all.

Andy Buckle remembers his first time(s).

You know those movies that you love, that you've seen dozens of times, and when you come across while flipping channels you instantly stop doing whatever else you were doing? For me, that's OUT OF SIGHT. The Void watched it this week and put together this great write up.

If you're new to blu-ray, Marc at Go! See! Talk! talks you through the A-B-C's.

Enjoy!

I Get Around: PARIS JE T'AIME @ Harbourfront

2011-07-21T08:00:00.002-04:00

A funny thing happened on the way to scratching one more off the watchlist...

I had plans on braving the heat two nights ago and catching an outdoor screening of PARIS JE T'AIME alone at Harbourfront here in the city. (Not to The Locals: if you do want to be outdoors but don't want to dehydrate in sixty seconds, the waterfront makes for a nicely breezy respite). Lo and behold, midday didn't my phone start buzzing with a friend offering her company.

So as we settled into a (surprisingly packed) screening and indulged in the Parisian goodness, I suddenly felt a funny feeling wash over me. The feeling was one of being out of place.

Here I was watching story after story of different types of love, each of them dedicated to a different region of a city I've never been to but have long wanted to see. For a few moments I felt myself beginning to drown in thoughts of the left bank, Claude Monet, and Bande a Parte. Seriously folks, I was *this* close to Gil Pender territory.

But then something unexpected happened. A big play must have unfolded at The Rogers Centre, because the crowd erupted with cheers. And even though the stadium is a solid three or four city blocks from the screening, with the roof open the sound carries pretty well. Suddenly I was yanked out of my daydreams and acutely aware that I was sitting on a bench in Toronto. The CN Towers blinking lights winked in my periphery...the seagulls echoed in my ears.

I oddly felt like a fraud - like the person who only yanks a team's jersey out of mothballs when they make the semi-finals. It was the direct contrast that brought this up: that I was enjoying something designed to celebrate summer in my city, but all the while focusing on another city. I felt like I was on a date with another woman but "thinking about her the whole time".

Clearly, this wouldn't have happened in a cinema - nor of course at home on the comfort of my couch. While I did of course dearly love the film, it was an odd experience all around, and one I never could have seen coming. I'm sure it will pass though - my next scheduled outdoor screening involves Muppets.

I'm certain I can immerse myself in that film without feeling any geographical infidelity.

One Chance (HUGO Trailer)

2011-07-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hey, did that Batman teaser get released?

Here's one that seems to be dividing people. On the one hand, it seems as though this film - shot in 3-D - is employing a lot of gimmickry in its look. It isn't just going for depth, it's going back to the cornier tricks of stuff coming out of the screen at you over and over.

But...and I can't stress this this too forcefully...it's Marty-effin'-Scorsese!

If any director in Hollywood has earned my benefit of the doubt, it's this man. Thus, in November, you can be sure that I'll be putting the glasses back on

Heart of The City (CHLOE in My Hometown Blog-a-Thon)

2011-07-19T08:00:00.005-04:00

Rich over at Wide Screen World is hosting a blog-a-thon this week called "My Hometown"...and when I think about my hometown in film, I can't help but crack a smile.

For a lot of reasons - financial, convenient, aesthetic - Toronto has been the staging ground for many a rolling camera over the years. The reason I smile though, is that in almost every instance Toronto does not get to play itself. Instead "Hogtown" has stood in for New York, Chicago, Boston, Munich, Tokyo, Baltimore, and Detroit to name a few.

But once in a while, my city has been able to do its own stunts. One such instance happened last year, in a film that might have used Toronto better than any film that came before it. Some (rather spoilerific) thoughts on Atom Egoyan's CHLOE after the jump...

Chloe, played by Amanda Seyfried is a high class escort - smart, young, pretty, and clean. In other words, she isn't the sort of prostitute you'll find walking the streets at night (though we do have those here too). No, in order to get a few moments to find a working girl like Chloe, Julianne Moore's character Catherine has to go to a very swank restaurant called 'One'...the sort of joint where even the soup is $13

There's a romanticism in the air in this scene, the sort of thing that bars and restaurants in this area of the city (Yorkville) tend to specialize in. You'd hope so, if you're going to hand over that much money in a gourmet joint - and in this case pour your soul out to a prostitute - the least they can do is light some candles for ambiance.

Catherine bumped into Chloe once before through chance, but now she wants to actually hire her. She thinks her husband David (Liam Neeson) is cheating on her, and she believes that Chloe might be just the sort of bait she needs to prove it. She sets her plan in motion by telling Chloe to look for David at cafe Diplimatico on a Saturday morning.

Now this joint I am familiar with as I have been there for many a breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the years. It's an interesting little spot in a bustling neighbourhood, the sort of restaurant you can dress up or down depending on your mood. Its vibe is overall quite casual, the sort of place I like to go for a coffee-for-one. This it's not too hard for me to figure out why David would frequent such a place.

Cafe Diplimatico has these gigantic windows that face west, so during the day, the place tends to be drenched in this bright natural light...which creates quite a radiant and flattering effect on its patrons. I don't believe for a second that director Atom Egoyan didn't flood it with a bit more light just to be sure, but nevertheless, if you were looking to see someone you think is lovely look ever the more lovely, Diplimatico in the morning in the place to go.

When time comes to regale the story to Catherine, Chloe meets up with her at a spot called The Rivoli, which I've been to once or twice. What's interesting about the Rivoli is the way it's many things to many people. It's a bar, it's a restaurant, it's a club. You can go there to have a great lunch, or you can go there to see an amazing band. In essence, it's whatever you want it to be - much like our heroine.

When Chloe sits Catherine down to give her the whole sordid story, they sit in the front window - filling the frame with Queen Street West behind them. I've mentioned this before about other films, but this is what fascinates me about life in a big city. You often find yourself having deeply intimate conversations - painfully intimate sometimes - while hustle and bustle surrounds you. Chloe and Catherine at least have a pain of glass to hide behind, but nary a day goes by where someone doesn't argue with their family, air out dirty laundry, or sometimes even make a professional misstep with tons of strangers surrounding them.

Chloe tells Catherine that she and David spent their time together at Allen Gardens - a greenhouse in the middle of a downtown park.

Interesting thing about the greenhouse, it's a handy stop during the winter when weather can get bitterly cold in this town. It allows a peaceful escape: a chance to unbutton your coat, surround yourself with natural life, drown in daylight and pretend you're somewhere else for a little while.

That illusion of stepping outside of the true, cold, Toronto can be echoed by stepping outside of oneself. If you're going to pretend you aren't surrounded by the dead of winter, why not pretend you're not surrounded by marital vows?

Confession: Lady Hatter and I have spent a few afternoons in this greenhouse...but never have the passions bubbled to this level. Maybe there's a section I didn't notice with more aphrodisiac foliage.

For some reason, Catherine hasn't heard enough after all of this, so she goes to track down Chloe again. this time she finds her at The Windsor Arms.

This hotel is back in Yorkville, so as like the restaurant they first met at, you can almost smell the money as you walk in the door. Catherine finds Chloe here late in a "shift". Thus again, we're reminded that talent like Chloe's doesn't come cheap.

I've only ever walked outside of The Windsor Arms, a hotel that dates back to the late 20's. Seeing the inside of it within the plot of a movie is a little surreal, but I'm happy I finally got a glimpse (Can't afford to stay there, and probably wouldn't even if I could). Looking at some of these shots, I see small traces of The Bradbury Building in L.A.

The plot thickens during a recital performed by Catherine and David's son Michael. He performs in the recital hall of The Royal Conservatory of Music. Egoyan gets high marks here for utilizing a rather new space in my city. having just been given a massive reno, The Conservatory is an intriguing hybrid of modern additions to an old structure. When walking through it however, one can't help but feel dwarfed by its design. Thus, when Catherine gets yet another reminder of David's infidelities, her frustrations likewise drown her like the notes of the powerful music The Conservatory is known for.

As Catherine leaves in a huff, she makes her way towards Philosopher's Walk with The Crystal of the Royal Ontario Museum rising in the background. here Egoyan does something truly intriguing. The Crystal is a divisive entity in Toronto - many locals hate the look of it, precious few truly love it. What Egoyan has done though, is used its design to his advantage and given it a purpose. On this night, Catherine feels betrayed...angry...cracked. Completing the effect, is that gorgeous zig-zag in The Crystal that she is walking right towards.

So yeah...what better way to get back at your spouse for cheating on you..than...y'know...

As Catherine taxis away from this hazy, lusty, dream of a night, the coloured lights of Yorkville in the winter twinkle in the backdrop. Momentarily suggesting that perhaps this is all fantasy.

The next morning as catherine begins to come to her senses, Egoyan pulls his next trick. That grand arch you see behind her? It makes for an elegant backdrop a few times in the film. The kicker is that if you took a photo of it and polled ten Torontonians, I'd bet you no more than two could tell you where it is. Egoyan frames it and suggests that it carries the majesty of L'Arc de Triomphe. Truth is, it's just a very pretty roadway into a condo complex.

Not every note in CHLOE works. When Catherine calls Chloe up, hoping to get some distance between them, Chloe takes the call standing in front of The Art Gallery of Ontario. Now truthfully, this spot is very much in the loop that the film has been running - Allen Gardens and The Rivoli are indeed nearby. However, Chloe being in this particular spot comes without rhyme or reason. So in a sense, the landmark's inclusion feels like a form of stunt casting. It'd be like a film set in London's West End suddenly taking a moment and filming a scene in front of Buckingham Palace.

This brings us almost back to the beginning. Catherine decides to confront David once and for all at Diplimatico. Remember what I said about dressing it up or dressing it down? Compare the aesthetic of it in these frames to the ones of David and Chloe earlier. If you didn't know better, you might think for a moment that this restaurant is uptown in Yorkville too.

Once again, you live in public in this town. Sometimes you just can't wait for the bad news to pass...just gotta cry in your soup.

Nearing the end of their emotional teather, David and Catherine step outside of Diplimatico on to College Street. In many ways this is fitting since it's more of a genuine neighbourhood than Yorkville - which is almost exclusively where we've seen them together. Here they are forced to be honest with one another, unable to hide behind any fancy settings or prestigious jobs. They finally have it out as genuine people with genuine feelings...and once again, they're having this conversation in public.

After all the cards have been played, Catherine and David find themselves on a patio that is closed for the winter. Like their marriage, it is in a state of limbo, but has the promise of wonderful things when the conditions improve. A detail that you can barely notice in this frame is the streetcar passing behind them. The streetcar makes a particular noise as it passes through the roads of this town, and during the final conversation between Catherine and David, it dots the discussion like the heavy sighs these people want to let out.

I live in this city. I have all my life, and I might be here for the rest. I do love it, but have never seen the romanticism in it that Atom Egoyan found with his lens for CHLOE. Sadly, the film doesn't completely work...but as I zero in on how he was able to turn Toronto into a heartbeat for this story, I'm left proud of the city I've called home.

And a little turned on.

Review: MEEK'S CUTOFF * * *

2011-07-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's crazy to think that there's anything left to say in the western genre. After all, the style has been around since the very earliest of films...and all its fairy tales have all been told.

But just when you thought you've seen all there is to see from men in white hats and men in black hats, along comes MEEK'S CUTOFF to tell you something new.

MEEK'S CUTOFF is the story of a band of settlers moving across the Oregon High Desert in the late 19th century. Their guide, Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood) has taken them on a route that has more than doubled the estimate travel time, leaving supplies and morale a tad low.

The men; Solomon, Thomas and William (Will Patton, Paul Dano and Tommy Nelson) aren't sure just how much more rope they should give their trusty guide. The women; Emily, Glory, and Millie (Michelle Williams, Shirley Henderson,and Zoe Kazan) can only hang back and try to deal with their unrest while tending to the camp and their families.

Right about the time things seem like they can't possibly get more uncertain, the pilgrims run into a lone native man. Thus to all the questions they already have, two more are added:

Can this person possibly help us? And even if he can, should we trust him?

Fair warning: MEEK'S CUTOFF isn't for everybody. If your typical western film is a slow burn, then MEEKS'S CUTOFF is the glowing ember left when the flames die. It will require attention, patience and grace - and that might not be what you are looking for in a film. But if you are interested in such things at the cinemas, then read on.

This is a film about the unease of a journey. Think about any trip you've taken where you and a fellow traveller have disagreed on the route. Take that feeling of tension and complicate it with unfamiliarity, power dynamics, and a survival struggle and you have this movie. We step into a setting where the men lead the migration and the women follow well behind. They know the stakes just as well as the men do - probably even better - but when decisions are made they are made well away from the women's earshot.

There's not much in this world as frustrating as being out of the loop, and when "the loop" is deciding on matter of life and death, frustration can turn to anger or panic in a hurry...and right on cue, we notice that Emily is angry, and Glory is panicked. It's a sad, tense state of affairs and one that was likely far too common back then. There's a reason why military officers don't want their soldiers to see them wrestle with a decision - because doubt breeds dissent. The hitch is that in this case, the dissent coming from Emily and Glory is deserved. Their officers - the men - really don't know what they're doing, and it's putting everybody's lives in jeopardy.

Something that makes MEEK'S CUTOFF so memorable is the way it juxtaposes the vastness and the claustrophobia of the frontier. The film includes some wonderfully composed photography that sticks with you like a bright purple flower pushing up through the dead, grey plains. It impressively captures that duality that comes with a pilgrimage across the frontier: the way ot seems to go on forever in every direction, but also seems to close in on you and feel like there's no escape.

The temptation with such visuals is to spread them out, making the vistas spread as wide as our eyeline can handle. But in a daring move, director Kelly Reighardt has shot this film with a tight "square" 4:3 aspect ratio...evoking the line of sight the women on this journey would experience with their bonnets on. The lovely side effect of course, is that the women's line of sight is so limited, and yet they can see what's going on far clearer than their men.

I say "they" when I should really be saying "she"...as in Michelle Williams. Her work as Emily is bold, and continues a wonderful run she's been on in recent years. She brings a toughness that we see from the very start - a sort of intuition that they other women in the caravan don't have. So when time comes to make a stand, it comes as no surprise that she's the one to stand up, speak up, and do so without hysterics or drama.

MEEK'S CUTOFF doesn't want to dazzle us with the sexiness of a western so much as it wants to intimidate us with the logistics of a western. It wants us to consider the harsh realities of traversing the unknown terrain, and putting our faith into the unknown. If the typical western includes the jacked heart rate of a gunslinger pointing his pistol at you, MEEK'S CUTOFF delivers the unsettling dream of the gunslinger merely resting his hand on the holster.

Note: I'm reviewing and rating this film based on a bad screening experience. The only showing I could find of MEEK'S CUTOFF was projected far too dim; so much so that the nighttime scenes were pitch black images dotted by splashes of firelight. Were I able to experience it properly, my enjoyment and opinion of the film could easily change for the better - MH

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to MEEK'S CUTOFF.

Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS pt. 2 * * *

2011-07-17T20:00:00.002-04:00

It's a bumpy road to the finish, but when we get there we find ourselves in a truly wonderful place. My thoughts on the end of it all below the jump.

Begging your pardon, I'm not going to go too far into the plot. My feeling is that either you already know it, or if you don't - you should just let it play. I will say that HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS pt. 2 picks up immediately where its predecessor left off. Harry, Hermione, and Ron now have a clearer picture as to how to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes...and the task sends them back to Hogwarts, where the mother of all battles awaits.

This film is an epic and fitting conclusion to the series we've all been following in multiplexes for a decade now. Through the earliest chapters, the spectre of dark magic and bloodthirsty violence was only whispered. In the later chapters it was touched upon, but often only as a fraction of what might come to pass if the willing weren't successful in completing the task. Now the darkness and violence is on full display. It is no longer being whispered about in classrooms, it sparks screams of terror in open ground. Where payoff is concerned, it's hard to imagine any that could be better than this.

The film also finally secures Harry's legacy as "The Chosen One". Through many an adventure over seven films so far, he has often been graced dumb luck, great allies, or both. Here however, Harry is finally ready to be decisive and make daring decisions. His actions stand in stark contrast to the last film (the first half of this particular tale) where he was wandering aimlessly, waiting for somebody to tell him what to do next. It's almost as if something clicked when Harry buried Dobby: "This is what being indecisive brings me...it's what it has brought me for years now...the death of those I care about."

So by the time this film begins...literally moments after he finishes burying his friend...Harry has become a man of action. As always he has his brothers and sisters in arms to lean on (and again, he does) but this time, he takes the lead. As such, everybody can see a determination in Harry that they've never seen before - including us. If one were to tell the story of how a boy grows into a man, they'd be pressed to do better than the evolution of one Harry James Potter.

But that's not to say that this film is without flaws...far from it in fact.

For starters, you might recall that I took a lot of heat for calling the last film "incomplete". When I consider that film in conjunction with this film, I stand by that assessment. This film feels more cohesive. Where the last film lacked a sound ending note, this film lacks a proper beginning, but that's more forgivable. It's more frustrating for a storyteller to trail off than if they started in the middle and left it to you to catch up.

When taken together, the films create something with broad daring scale. They reach to every corner of the world the author created and then go to the heart of danger for one final brawl. I contend that had the studio been as daring as the author, and combined the films into one 3+ hour event, it would stand as a monumental achievement.

This particular film - part 7.2 if you will - has an odd pacing problem. David Yates is still wildly obsessed with taking the scenic route in and out of scenes. Even as the bedlam begins, he still always wants to start the camera miles back and carry us in. That's not always a bad decision as it can create some wonderful perspective, but when its done time after time it begins to add up. David - this is the end of the story. I know what this world looks like by now...intimately. Get on with things please.

He oddly makes up for it by short-changing some important moments. I felt like a few of the deaths that happen during the battle of Hogwarts don't carry the sort of weight they should. Either because the series didn't spend enough time with the characters already, or the fact that the event of their death was off-camera, or that we weren't given time to grieve. Back on the action side of things, the staging of moments like "Molly Weasly goes Bad-Ass" and the final Potter/Voldermort duel feel rushed. It's an odd decision since we've spent eight years building up to this battle...one would think they'd have mapped out the emotional beats better.

But warts-and-all, this final film delivers. It reminds us early and often of how far we've come with these characters, and paints a very dreary picture of the stakes. Like us, they have not gone unaffected through their life.

Those who came to this series young - both books and films - feel a kinship with Harry. They feel like they have grown up with him. For those of us who came in older, there's a different feeling...the feeling that we have helped raise him. We share the feeling of his teachers, his surrogate older siblings, his godparents and his parents - both surrogate and blood. We have watched over him since he was a meek boy living in a cupboard, and now we stand proud to see the man he has become.

It feels sad to be saying goodbye to these films after ten years, but it also makes me happy to have witnessed the tale of young harry Potter as it happened.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS pt. 2.

Days of The Week (Films Watched 7/9 - 7/15)

2011-07-16T20:00:00.000-04:00

It was a busy week for me movie-wise, and that trend looks to continue as a lot of great screenings will be happening in the city soon. All of this in addition to a lot of dvd watching to get through the home stretch of The Film Locker (you listenin?).

In OCD news, I've decided that I'm going to start working through the dvd's on my shelf alphabetically (hence the Gilliam), so expect to see a bunch of random titles starting with number over the next few entries. Yeah, I know, i'm a geek.

Here's what was on tap...

Screenings
HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS pt. 2 - Heard of it?
MEEK'S CUTOFF - A dim screening of this movie will test your patience in ways you never knew.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Never Seen
CRONOS - There's not much Del Toro that I've yet to see, but this is one.
REPULSION - I've thought about buying the Criterion of this without seeing it first: It's taken a lot of willpower not to.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Watched Before
THE LAST WALTZ - The sort of film I could have on the TV daily
HELLBOY - How did I manage to skip this when it was in theatres?
12 MONKEYS - Note to self; rent LA JETEE
HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS pt. 1 - I was testing a theory; Turns out my theory was correct.

Boxscore for The Year
133 First-Timers, 92 Re-Watched
225 Movies in Total

How's about you - seen anything good?

Radio Bomb: The Film Locker episode 7

2011-07-16T14:00:00.000-04:00

It would seem as though we threw a few of our listeners for a loop last week with Almodovar. What we lost in familiarity, I hope we gained in inspiring some of you to track down some of his work.

This week should be a bit more in the wheelhouse. Get ready for David Fincher folks, with discussion of his modern classic SE7EN.

(If the embedded player doesn't start, please tune in through Podomatic or The iTunes Music Store)

Take a listen, and be sure to check out the Film Locker Blog for further writing, updates, and conversation.

My Style

2011-07-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 7 - 15 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)

2011-07-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Pardon me for keeping my repartee brief, but as I type it is Thursday night, and I have mere moments to collect and celebrate some linkage before heading out to a midnight showing of a movie about that Potter kid.

Speaking of which, do tell - What are your thoughts on the Potter series to date? favorite films, favorite moments, not your bag, relation to the books?

Leave me a comment or two, and then listen up for your input during the next Matineecast. Speaking of which, yesterday morning I mapped out what I'm hoping to do with the show for every episode between now and the end of the year. That's a dozen episodes pencilled in, and right this moment, I'd wager that at least five of them don't go to plan. Anyone want to put money down?

For your listening and reading fulfillment, I give you...

A podcast that is quickly becoming one of my favorites - and not just because they are fellow Torontonians - is Crtical Mass. This week they rolled discussion about TRANSFORMERS and BAD TEACHER into a talk about guilty pleasures. Give it a spin.

Univarn continues to spark interesting conversation at The Equinox. This week, he calls out Christopher Nolan...warning him of the perils of third volumes.

Sebastian reviewed SUPER 8 yesterday, but also took it as a chance to wax poetic about a moviegoing era he wished he was around for. As you'll notice in my comment, I couldn't help but feel all MIDNIGHT IN PARIS about this sort of declaration.

Speaking of films Sebastian wished he was around for, Nick over at Cinema Romantico has written an ode to one of the best-yet-underrated scenes in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

A gent who links to me pretty much weekly is young Duke. He's got a lot going on over at his site, and if you aren't reading his work already, you should be. For funsies, he has sparked the argument over who one would take if only one could survive: David Fincher or The Coen Brothers?

Finally my Film Locker co-hort has tackled a classic musical this week. take a gander at what Simon had to say about GUYS AND DOLLS, and then try to stop humming "Luck Be a Lady" for fifteen minutes.

Saying Goodbye

2011-07-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Harry...

So this is it, huh? Tonight around midnight brings the beginning of the end...the last time you'll tell me a tale or two before closing the book forever. It's a strange feeling - one I always knew was coming, but like so many milestones, one that feels odd to finally have arrived. Have you ever had that happen? Like in school when you spend so many days wishing you can be somewhere else, and once that final bell rings you feel a bit saddened to never be coming back?

Of course you've never had that happen. You're fictional.

I have to openly wonder what it felt like to grow up with your stories, to have been ten or eleven when those first books hit the shelves instead of being in my late teens and early twenties. Maybe if I'd been younger and more impressionable, this day would feel even more bittersweet than it does. Yes, I know I act very immature but that's not the same and you know it.

I'll always remember working in a camera shop around the turn of the century when my boss recommended your books. 'Course when he started his recommendation by telling me that the books belonged to his boys and that they were children's lit, I scoffed...but eventually, I did indeed become very curious. Thus I bought a book...then another...and another. Soon after I'd go looking for the fourth part of your story the day it was released, only to find it was sold out everywhere!

But of course, as much as I'm a bookworm, it's the movies of your life that have fanned the flames all these years. Like that fourth book, I've shown up for the stories of your adventures the day they were released - sometimes the very hour. They drew a smile from my admittedly immature sensibility, and increasingly impressed me as they got better and better. That's no easy feat Harry - just because your story is a good one doesn't mean someone can't screw up telling the story.

(By the way - good move getting rid of the HOME ALONE guy)

So here we are...twelve years later from the start, ten from the first time I watched you come to life in living colour. Admittedly, I've taken a step or two back in the last few years, but hopefully you weren't feeling ignored. I just had to put you on the shelf for a while...the same way you need to step away from an album everybody is playing for a while. I needed to get a bit of distance in an effort to let some things fade, and reclaim a bit of their newness when I returned to them.

I'm rambling here mate, so I'll get to the point: I'm going to miss you. Your tales showed what Hollywood was capable of when they wanted to do their best, and the effect you've had on a generation of kids is immeasurable. I'll still look back on your journey from time to time - my wife will make sure of that - but for now, allow me to extend my hand, and wish you well.

Safe journey young man.

sincerely,
Hatter.

Shadowboxer (SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS Trailer)

2011-07-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Seems like just yesterday that SHERLOCK was playing in theatres doesn't it? Geez how time flies.

It's been a bit of a rough ride for sequels lately (isn't it always?), so I will come into this with a bit of trepidation. Likewise, while I loved a lot of the visuals in this clip, I'm left wondering what is leftover to carry us through the film. Would Wb really tip their entire hand five months early?

The Beginning After The End

2011-07-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

Over the last few days there has been a bit of a fervour online about Spike Lee having the gall to remake OLDBOY (for the record - never any harm in trying). Lost in the fracas however, was another - and for my money, more interesting - bit of news out of the Lee camp.

Spike has announced that he is working on a film called RED HOOK SUMMER. Right now we've only been given the broad strokes of the plot, but it involves a guy from Atlanta spending time in the Red Hooks neighbourhood of Brooklyn. So why do I find this more interesting than the OLDBOY bit? Because in RED HOOK SUMMER, we are supposedly going to run into Mookie - Spike's character from DO THE RIGHT THING.

In the film - as in real life - more than 20 years have passed since that hot summer afternoon in DO THE RIGHT THING. Beyond wondering what ever became of that racially torn neighbourhood, I'm also truly curious to know what happened to Mookie. Surely he isn't still running orders for Sal...hell, I'm not even certain that he made things work with Tina. The funny thing, is that I dare say I haven;'t even wondered what happened after that fateful day in Brooklyn until Spike told us this week that we'd get to find bits out.

That's the funny thing about movies isn't it? Unless the film is part of some sort of franchise, you get what you get and that's the end. Sure once in a while we're given something wonderful like BEFORE SUNSET, but wouldn't you pay a king's ransom to find out if Lloyd Dobler and Diane Court did live happily ever after? How about knowing what awaits Eli and Oskar after the events of LET THE RIGHT ONE ON? What became of the torn soldier Chris Taylor after the hellish conditions of PLATOON?

Admittedly, there are a few hurdles. For starters, there's the massive possibility that much of the story after we leave off just isn't worth telling. No matter how much we might want it, the days that follow the drama that we see on screen is just an endless series of "And then"s. Even if there is something worth knowing, I think it's pretty crucial to get the whole band back together if you're going to put on a reunion concert. For instance, is it possible that THE TWO JAKES sucked because Roman Polanski decided not to join in?

This is why RED HOOK SUMMER intrigues me - because Spike is all in. He'll write the part, he'll direct again, and he'll do his bit in front of the camera too.

In many ways, I believe that "we are who we are" once we reach a certain age...but that's not an absolute. Time has a tendency to take the edge off, hopefully make us wiser, sometimes even wear us down. I don't think seeing such qualities in iconic characters does them a disservice. If anything, I'd wager that it makes them even more relatable...more human in a way.

Beyond RED HOOK SUMMER, there are two other concepts that have been whispered about Hollywood over the years: Danny Boyle's PORNO, and Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL volume 3. Both would involve original cast members in one way or another.

I'm not here to say that this should become a widespread trend - I think that's a quick way to ruin a whole boatload of great films. I'm just here to say, that there are a small few stories that I'd welcome the chance to catch up with, and see how it all worked out.

Midnight Radio: The Matineecast Episode 36

2011-07-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

The summer of experimentation continues with no film up for a full-on review this episode. The change has us playing fast and loose as we recap May and June - I'll be curious to know what y'all think of the change-up.

As for the guest spot, I'm back across a wire to South Carolina, home of James Brown, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and Stephen Colbert. It's also the home of this week's guest who I was happy could join me. She's had a lot going on in her life the last little while, so to find an hour to sit and rap movies is truly appreciated.

Here's the Joe Nathan episode...

Mp3 Player Widgetgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

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

Here's what's in store in episode thirty-fsix...

Runtime
62 minutes, 48 seconds

Up for Discussion

1. Introduction (0:00)
2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY - Q& A with this week's return guest Meredith from M.Carter At The Movies. (3:11)
3. COME TALK TO ME - Listener messages about their 2011 faves. (10:41)
4. The Mid-Summer Void (17:15)
5. Thoughts on BRIDESMAIDS (18:22)
6. Thoughts on X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (26:31)
7. Thoughts on TREE OF LIFE (35:09)
8. Thoughts on BAD TEACHER (44:13)
9. Meredith and Hatter choose their 2011 favorites so far (52:31)

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

Enjoy!

Review: ARMADILLO * * * *

2011-07-10T13:00:00.000-04:00

Trying to encapsulate war documentaries continues to challenge me...after all, there's just so many ways one can write "war is hell". What I will say is that I have to commend filmmakers who are taker audiences deeper and deeper behind the lines. They are showing us the cold hard math involved with soldiers keeping the rest of us safe.

"The math" as it were, seldom gets colder or harder than it does in ARMADILLO.

ARMADILLO is the story of a unit of Danish soldiers deployed to Forward Operating Base Armadillo. The position is in Afghanistan's Helmand province - tremendously close to Taliban territory. The base is manned by more than 250 Danish and British soldiers, who steadily find themselves engaged with the enemy.

While at first the young men find themselves antsy for some action - and thus kill time calling home, playing video games, and watching porn - they soon get what they came for. The firefights are close and intense, and just in case we didn't believe that, they take us along to join the fight.

As ARMADILLO played out, one has to marvel at how far we've come with being able to experience the truth of war. International forces have been entrenched in Afghanistan for ten years now, so you'd think the concept of embedded journalism would be old hat by now. It isn't - not by a longshot. With ARMADILLO we are watching engagements first-hand, getting that lump in our throat as events happen rather than reacting to the people involved recount them. Part of what makes ARMADILLO stand out is the absence of talking heads - and we don't miss them for a moment.

We don't need interviews to add context - it's all there on the screen. We tag along on these patrols as if we were watching scenes in PLATOON or THE HURT LOCKER. But we're not - we're watching actual events. We're watching actual young men get injured and seeing their true reactions to returning fire and killing for the cause. It's enlightening and disturbing all at once. It doesn't disturb in an exploitive sort of way, more in the sense that we are somewhere that we aren't supposed to be.

If one wanted to look into the events that happened during these engagements, some of the info would likely be classified. So how am I, a moviegoing patron, allowed to drop down six bucks Canadian and get all the gruesome details in a cinema? It's one thing to watch war films based on events that actually happened and have to measure that effect when considering the film's legacy...it's a whole other experience watching the actual events.

There's also the unit themselves - all of them kids in the grand scheme of things. If we're left with any question about how young they are, seeing the scraggly facial hair that they try to grow through deployment remind us of the little'uns that they are. They're full of bravado, even in moments where they seem unsure. In one scene we watch them killing time by playing a "call of Duty" sort of video game on a laptop, and the fact they love such things is a huge help since it's possible that it gives them the detachment neccessary to do what they have to do.

If there's ever a question about the mettle of these young men and what Afghanistan did to them, it is summed up in the film's final moments. In some ways I was surprised to learn what I learned, but after watching their experience at FOB Armadillo, I really shouldn't be. War affects everybody differently, and being a soldier is about more than just being physically fit and quick-witted. Having what it takes doesn't just affect your ability to do the job, but it tempers your likelihood to keep doing the job. As evidence we watch a conversation between two of the men discussing the possibility of another tour in Afghanistan.

When faced with the notion of a second tour, the soldier's body language says one thing - what he actually does runs completely counter to that.

Ten years in, I continue to be shaken and shocked by what is happening in Afghanistan, and if I ever needed to test that position, ARMADILLO is the perfect pop quiz. The running line is that soldiers tend not to talk about what they experienced on the battefield...and after seeing something like ARMADILLO we here on the homefront instantly understand why.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to ARMADILLO.

Days of The Week (Films Watched 7/2 - 7/8)

2011-07-09T20:00:00.000-04:00

As life settled back into the usual routine this week, I was able to return to my usual viewing habits. It wasn't the sort of ten title week I began the year with - mostly because I do have a life, and have likewise been trying to finish off season three of Breaking Bad. That said, the long weekend and the week that followed did return me to a one-a-day clip

Here's what was on tap...

Screenings
HARRY POTTER & THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE - Lady Hatter and her brood have been attending weekly showings of the whole series. This week I tagged along.
ARMADILLO - What a war doc! Track this down if you have the means.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Never Seen
A LIFE LESS ORDINARY - Now I understand why I waited so long.
MILLER'S CROSSING - Yes, yes, I know...the fact that it took me so long is a crime unto itself.
SHALLOW GRAVE - Ditto

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Watched Before
28 DAYS LATER - Figured out which Film Locker episode I'm recording yet?
HEAT - Was Jeremy Piven always in this?

Boxscore for The Year
130 First-Timers, 88 Re-Watched
218 Movies in Total

How's about you - seen anything good?

Radio Bomb: The Film Locker episode 6

2011-07-09T14:00:00.000-04:00

We get some foreign flavour from the locker this week as we discuss the great Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, focusing in on his 2002 film TALK TO HER.

(If the embedded player doesn't start, please tune in through Podomatic or The iTunes Music Store)

Take a listen, and be sure to check out the Film Locker Blog for further writing, updates, and conversation.

Time to Build

2011-07-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 7 - 8 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)

2011-07-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

In case I haven't mentioned it already, thanks to everyone who's been leaving me lots of thoughtful comments lately. I've always said that my favorite part of writing this space is the discussion that it sparks...and I can't help but notice that a handful of passionate new followers are spurring the conversation quite nicely (even if I've been busier than usual, and thus unable to fan the commenting flames).

It's noticed and appreciated boys and girls - keep it coming.

Likewise, as Simon and I prepare to post the Film Locker episode that will mark the halfway point of the series, I want to thank everyone who has been tuning in to that too. We think we might only be talking to twelve of you (or less), but we want to thank the passionate few, as lord knows there are plenty of other podcasts you could be spending your time with.

Looks like I have some smaller films on tap this weekend. ARMADILLO at The Lightbox tonight, followed by a toss-up between BEGINNERS or MEEK'S CUTOFF tomorrow.

Here's to the small stuff to get me through to the Potter/Cap/Cowboys triple play!

For your listening and reading enjoyment, I give you...

The Franklies turned fifty this week! Give their audio badassery a listen if you aren't already a dedicated tuner inner.

Not everybody is giving TREE OF LIFE a virtual tongue bath. Case in point: Tom Clift.

If you're looking for some daily fun, head on over to my neighbour across the Canad-U.S. border. Kano is hosting a daily 'March Madness' like bracket poll ranking the women of TV. Already some early match-ups have been tough pickin!

Vance celebrated Independence Day by examining American patriotism in film.

I seem to recall after I gave SUCKER PUNCH a zero star review, some smart-assed bloggers on a site that linked to my post said that I would feel like a right git when The Director's Cut landed on dvd and answered all lingering doubt. Well according to Bryce, that Director's Cut isn't exactly victory from the jaws of defeat.

Ruth is shining the spotlight on bad guys who are...well...bad.

Enjoy!

Summer's Killing Us

2011-07-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today we finish the first week of July, and like many I find myself reflective on what the summer has brought so far.

Back around Christmas, I read an article in GQ bemoaning the death of the original blockbuster. It pointed out - quite rightly as it would seem - that experiences like we got last year with INCEPTION would be a rarity. We have entered an age where studios are afraid to launch event films unless they are propped up by a known quantity. The known quantity can be a toy (TRANSFORMERS 3), a previous hit (THE HANGOVER 2), or a popular piece of written material...like a comic book (GREEN LANTERN). These films are expensive to make, and even more expensive to market. Perhaps the down economy is to blame, but all of a sudden, Hollywood has become gunshy of sinking all that cash into something that could be the next LAST ACTION HERO-like turkey.

As such, I sit here this morning underwhelmed. On the one hand, sure this summer has brought a few glorious bits of sunshine to my movie-lovin' life. If enduring CARS 2 means i get to delight in MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, I'll happily make that trade. Hell, I'll even throw in a player to be named later. But as much delight as I've taken in ATTACK THE BLOCK or SUPER 8, I feel like I've been let down. Between the end credits of SUPER 8, and the opening chimes of HARRY POTTER (a blockbuster I'm certain to love), an entire month will pass.

That's four whole weeks where mainstream Hollywood gave moviegoers with my sort of taste the bird. "Sorry Hatter" the suits said "But we're not interested in giving your kind any big budget entertainment with brains...we're too busy going after those suckers ready to pony up for TRANSFORMERS again". (Sidebar: To everyone who paid for a Transformers ticket, thank you so much for encouraging such behaviour).

As it stands, the big-budget summer is all but over for me. After POTTER and CAP, there's nothing huge that has me anxiously waiting. This saddens me, that another summer has to go by with no one in Hollywood finding the huevos to try and make the next JAWS, the next DIE HARD, the next INDEPENDENCE DAY.

And while the lack of a blockbuster for yet another summer is reason to be a tad bummed, it is not reason to stay in and start tearing through one's Netflix queue. Instead, if you have the means, seek out some of the indie offerings. Some cities are already playing CONAN O'BRIEN CAN'T STOP. Others are playing THE TRIP. Both of those movies were film festival experiences for me, and thus were not given a full review, but if pressed I'd say they were both easily 3.5 Star movies.

As the weeks go on, you'll also find more awesome nonfiction in the way of SENNA and PROJECT NIM. Again - fantastic stories that are far superior to anything Kevin james will get into in his latest bit of dumbassery. Strange, isn't it? I'm soaking up sunshine as I walk around the city, playing the pop music more than the sad bastard tunes. When I go to the theatre, I find myself in the mood for hamburgers. But Hollywood's hamburgers look like they've been sitting under the heat lamp for two hours. They're actually forcing me to go look for a steakhouse.

No worries. A quick scan of the local listings tells me that CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, WIN WIN, ARMADILLO, and IN A BETTER WORLD are all out there for the watching.

Sorry Hollywood - I was primed and ready to give you my money, but you just don't seem to want to take it from my hand.

Dig a Pony (WAR HORSE Trailer)

2011-07-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

I realize that news of this this is "so last week", but it's been a good long while since I posted any trailer on this site, and in getting back into the habit there was no way I could ignore the upcoming flick by my favorite director.

Here I Go Again (An Ode to Repeat Screenings)

2011-07-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Last night, I went to a screening of HARRY POTTER & THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. Lady Hatter has actually been seeing screenings of Harry Potter weekly through the summer, and she's been joined by a few other local geeks. Not to be outdone, I enlisted the company of a fellow geek myself. While most of the others are massive Potter fans, I wanted to see this one the most because my first kick at it in a theatre had me nodding off for ten minutes in the middle (midnight shows do that to me these days).

Momentary nap aside, this now marks two times I've seen this film in a theatre and it got me thinking about the phenomenon of multiple screenings.

Many of you know by now my viewing habits, and how I tend to consume far more movies in an average week than most people would during a rainy week at the cottage. The thing to that is that a lot of my repeat viewings happen at home...with the luxury of a dvd collection that allegedly had a young Miss James unable to concentrate on anything else when she recently visited Casa del Hatter. Repeat viewings in a theatre are a whole other matter.

There are a ton of films that I see in theatres, and as I walk out I feel a certain bounce in my step and glimmer in my eyes at the notion of seeing them again. I enjoy them just so much that I have to restrain myself from not just getting back into line. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER comes to mind...as does HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON...or INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS.

The funny thing is, I rarely do. Once in a while, going with a different group of friends will spark me actually going to see something in theatres again (INCEPTION, STAR TREK, and GARDEN STATE to name a few). Beyond that, there's the chance to see something in a different way...IMAX screenings of THE DARK KNIGHT or SAVING PRIVATE RYAN for instance.

But on the whole, I tend not to see films in theatres more than once. One small part of the issue is time...even with a theatre up the street from my apartment, there's a commitment involved. Staying in and getting a few things done before popping on a dvd can often make the difference between a good night's sleep or being up late (like tonight). The other consideration is money - in Toronto, an evening show (and even certain matinees) can run $13 a pop. That adds up fast.

For these reasons, it's a rare few films that I've seen in a theatre more than twice (TITANIC, GOOD WILL HUNTING, and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN come to mind). Don't get me wrong; all things being equal, I could see certain movies three or four times over in a cinema. Heck, as it is I'm a bit antsy to give TREE OF LIFE and SUPER 8 another go. There's something to be said for experiencing a great flick over and over with all the big screen/big sound trimmings. I guess what I'm saying is that if I ever won the lottery, I'd be an easy person to find every day.

What about you folks - do you find yourselves seeing the same movies over and over in a theatre? You a "one-and-done" sort? Do you have any titles that you saw in theatres a certain number of times?

I Get Around: E.T. @ Dupont Circle

2011-07-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

When I travel, if I happen to find myself with a bit of downtime, I sometimes try to catch a film (this especially comes in handy if I'm travelling alone). One small sliver of interest comes from seeing "how the other half lives" - maybe I'll find that the pre-show routine is different...maybe better food...sometimes I even happen upon a sweet little oasis of cinema. Now I realize the silliness of spending precious time in cities like New York or Seattle watching movies might seem like a missed opportunity, but sometimes I just gotta go where my feet take me. Just so happens, that my feet often take me to the movies.

Around ten days back, I was in Washington D.C. On my last night there I'd just finished an amazing dinner, polished off by a stop at an ice cream stand, and started making my way back to the hotel. As I was approaching Dupont Circle, my ears perked up to a familiar sound. It was unmistakeable...mostly because it's a sound I tend to deplore. Somewhere in the neighbourhood, somebody had just popped in a Warner Brothers dvd and had the volume up very loud.

Without hesitation, the light bulb in my brain went off. "Outdoor screening" I thought, and I started looking around the neighbourhood for the source of what I'd just heard. The search didn't take long as I was soon able to see a crowd gathered in the park at the centre of Dupont Circle; most were perched on the fountain's edge, and many had started sprawling on picninc blankets on the grass. They were all facing a respectable sized screen, so with no better plans for the night I decided to sit for a while and see what my luck might bring me.

The opening act - the culprit behind the WB chime that brought me there - was a selection of Bugs Bunny shorts. Quite a good choice to get the crowd warmed up if you ask me...it reminded me of the golden age of cinema when features would often be preceded by cartoons and newsreels. While I was enjoying watching Bugs match wits with Daffy, Yosemite Sam, and one brazen bull, my mind was racing. What feature film could possibly be coming up? (Note to self: Next time pay the extra cash and turn on my iPhone's roaming feature).

I soon got my answer as a helpful volunteer started handing out leaflets - it was Spielberg's classic E.T., a personal favorite. The revelation gave me an even bigger grin as I realized that I'd never seen the tale of the beloved alien botanist on a big screen. So I tried to get comfy (no easy task with no blanket, and nothing to recline on) and enjoy. Some small problems were at hand though.

The first glitch game from the programming: They decided to show the 2002 redux version for reasons unknown. The differences between the original and the redux are subtle, but noticeable if you're like me and have the darned thing committed to memory. Namely, the pace feels off which is to be expected with a handful of scenes added in and more glimpses of the government agents skulking about on E.T.'s trail. That said, I'm happy to have been party to any version screened, so I can't bitch too loudly.

The other little glitch was harder to ignore. E.T. is a surprisingly dark film (think about all the scenes at night or in the dim of Elliott's room). The screen was sitting in such a way that there was a lot of light nearby and even shining through. So while I was able to follow everything that was going on, I fear for any kids that were seeing it for the first time and trying to figure out just what they were looking at.

Glitches aside, it made for a wonderful night in the American capital. The place was pretty busy, everyone was completely caught up in the movie and there was even a round of applause when Elliot's bike took off and gave us the iconic shot of him riding across the moon. I'm not entirely sure what I would have done with my night if I didn't stumble across this little happening...but I'd wager that there's no way it would have involved the words "penis breath". Guess my knowledge of the music studios assign their dvd's finally came in handy.

Review: CARS 2 * * 1/2

2011-07-03T14:00:00.000-04:00

What's everyone complaining about?

CARS 2 begins by informing us that Radiator Springs' adopted son, Lightnin' McQueen (Owen Wilson) is a four-time Piston Cup champion. While back home for some R&R with his best friend Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and girlfriend Sally (Bonnie Hunt), he learns that a new racing series is coming together. A Wolrd Grande Prix has been organized by Miles Axelrod (Eddie Izzard), a tycoon trying to push a new alternative fuel. The racing series wants to bring together the champions of various racing circuits, and pit the against each other for one winner-take-all event.

As all this is happening, strange things are afoot. An evil mastermind named Professor Zündapp has been commanding a rogue group of misfit cars, and amassing oil reserves the world over. Trying to stop Zündapp is Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) - British secret agents. Through a wild series of co-incidental events, McMissile and Shiftwell come to think that Mater is their American intelligence contact, and enlist him into the fight against Zündapp.

While Mater doesn't completely understand what's going on around him, he goes along with it...mostly because he feels out of place. See these foreign customs that he's experiencing with the Grand Prix tour don't really sit well with his style, and after embarrassing McQueen one time too many, he finds himself a bit lonely...and happy to go along with anyone that treats him with half an ounce of respect.

If I had to sum CARS 2 up in one word, the word is "messy"...but one should not confuse "messy" with "bad". Let's get some of the obvious bits out of the way:

Yes, Pixar officially has a new cellar dweller.
Yes, pushing Mater to the forefront wasn't the greatest idea.
And yes, talking cars remains a silly premise.

With all of that in mind, there is nothing on the screen in CARS 2 that makes it any worse than the last two Shrek sequels. Matter of fact, there's nothing on the screen that makes CARS 2 worse than most of what Dreamworks has been offering up for the last decade. We as an audience have come to expect the moon from Pixar, and just because they didn't bring us something great does not mean that they brought us something bad.

For starters, the race sequences involve some really fantastic direction. We get more of what we saw in the first film, but on an F1 style track allowing for more exciting visuals. Further, the actual dastardly plot afoot by Zündapp and his henchmen is actually pretty clever. I've always been a big one for motive in a crime story, and the standard motive of money gets old after a while. Having lemon cars lead a plot against energy efficiency is a neat twist: combining a want for world dominance with the lingering hang-up of being a cast-off.

There are far worse things in the world than a Pixar spy movie - even one that is cast with talking cars. One switch that I might have made, is to drop the characters we knew from the first film even further into the background. Were the film to task McMissile and Shiftwell with solving the caper while the World Grand Prix plays out behind them, the result might have made for a better experience.

If the film did need to keep the original band of misfits in play, Pixar might have wanted to pull a different character to the forefront. I don't have any problems with Mater, nor the fact that he's an extension of Larry the Cable Guy. However, I didn't think his character was the right fit for the spy story. I liked the relative restraint Pixar has shown with Mater, and actually quite like his role in a tale about loyalty...but I didn't think "the fool fooling people with his foolishness" was the right play.

I'm not here to champion the film the same way I champion its predecessor (which remains a deceptively good film). What I'm here to do is try to slow the tide of hate. The film made me laugh, made me smile, and once again provided for at least a few bits of visual wonder. It delivered a story that wasn't completely predictable from the moment the light turned green, and dared to deviate from the original formula that spawned it.

Pixar might have miscalculated, but when Pixar misses the bullseye they usually at least still manage to hit the target.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to CARS 2.

Days of The Week (Films Watched 6/11 - 7/1)

2011-07-02T20:00:00.000-04:00

Hey gang - remember this feature?? Yet another usual shenanigan of The matinee that got back-burnered through most of June in the name of other goings on. If anyone was waiting on it with baited breath, I'm happy to report that it has returned.

Plan the parade; I passed the bicentennial mark for the year. While my average is still close to one movie per day over the last three weeks, my film watching habits have dipped a wee bit. Mostly because I've been catching up on a bit of TV on dvd (Season One of The Wire, Season Three of Breaking Bad, and Ken Burns' Baseball Series if you're curious). Fear not though faithful readers, I'm sure your favorite obsessive compulsive will be back up to a ten title week in no time.

Here's what was on tap...

Screenings
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS - Quickly becoming Woody Allen's biggest box office draw, and for good reason.
GREEN LANTERN - I might never get over this disappointment
E.T. - Walking through Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. and happened upon an outdoor showing!
CARS 2 - Not nearly as bad as everyone had me believe.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Never Seen
RAINMAN GOES TO ROCKWIZ - NXNE Selection: I still want to see the longer cut.
YOU CAN'T SING IT FOR THEM - NXNE Selection: Kinda wanna join a choir now.
IVORY TOWER - NXNE Selection: Whimsical absurdity if ever there was some.
CAMP CUCAMONGA - Left a mark that isn't going away anytime soon.
POPEYE - Someone please tell me why she still owns this?
WHAT A GIRL WANTS - What's going on with Amanda Bynes' career anyway?
CEDAR RAPIDS - Not bad, but I was getting distracted so I might want to watch it again.

Blu-Rays/DVD's I've Watched Before
DAZED AND CONFUSED - "That's the thing I love about these high school girls..."
DRACULA (1931) - I now have no default pecking order for pulling dvd's from the shelf.
TRUE GRIT (2010)- Lookin' glorious on blu ray I must say!
SE7EN - For the 100th time or so.
TALK TO HER - The silent film in the middle of it still cracks me up.
ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER - My Region 2 copy of it doesn't play in the blu-ray. *sigh*
MONSTERS - Another film that looks amazing on Blu ray.
TRAINSPOTTING - I was home sick on Wednesday...so, y'know...

Boxscore for The Year
126 First-Timers, 85 Re-Watched
211 Movies in Total

How's about you - seen anything good?

Radio Bomb: The Film Locker episode 5

2011-07-02T14:00:00.000-04:00

Get ready for a dose of snobbery, this week we have Stanley Kubrick in the locker with feature discussion on his 1980 thriller, THE SHINING.

(If the embedded player doesn't start, please tune in through Podomatic or The iTunes Music Store)

Take a listen, and be sure to check out the Film Locker Blog for further writing, updates, and conversation.

Good Life

2011-07-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today, I Feel Like This...

Everybody's Talkin' 7 - 1 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Canada Day folks! It's a day off for all of us up here in the great white north, in honour of our country's 144th birthday. One amusing tidbit - my American bretheren might have taken up arms to fight for their independence from England. We here in canada just annoyed England long enough that they told us to take a hike and fend for ourselves.

Dif'rent strokes, right?

In honour (note the spelling) of this glorious event, allow me to throw the spotlight on my fellow Canadian bloggers. So before you get out there and enjoy the long weekend (which is likewise a long weekend on the other side of the border - happy 4th gang), take a moment and peruse the following links over a cold bottle of Molson and a plate of steaming poutine.

For your listening and reading enjoyment, I give you...

The CriticalMassCast takes an episode off from the new releases (at just the right time if you ask me) and dedicated an entire podcast to rhyming off their favorite films of all time. Listen in, won't you?

Kurt and The Kids are back. This time they got to see a guy's still-beating heart get pulled from his chest in The Temple of Doom. (That's some great parenting Kurt).

Despite its critical drubbing, odds are I'll be seeing CARS 2 this weekend. Bob Turnbull didn't like it...but the guy turned down free Blue Jay tickets this weekend, so what does he know?

Courtney wonders what happened to the career of one of the greatest femme fatales of all time.

A Canadian blogger talking with a Canadian director about a Canadian film - what more can I offer? Joe from Black Sheep talked BARNEY'S VERSION with director Richard Lewis.

Last but not least, my wife's new bestie Sasha James has a dvd review of the underrated and underexposed I LOVE YOU, PHILLIP MORRIS. Give it a read, but for the love of God don't get her started on her thoughts toward X-MEN: FIRST CLASS.

Enjoy!

Humble Me (Belated Reaction to 2011 Lammys)

2011-06-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

I must apologize for the tardiness in putting up this post - the blog has primarily been running on auto-pilot for a while to cover my travels. But with NXNE and The King of Pain all finished, I have the chance to take a second and profess a word or two of thanks.

You may recall that The Dark of The Matinee was nominated for eight Lammy Awards in seven categories. Well the beans were all counted, and by the time everything was said and done, my fellow bloggers gave me the awards for:

Best Awards/Film Festivals Coverage - TIFF 2010
The Brainiac Award
Most Prolific Blogger
Best Podcast
Best Blog

To say I'm humbled would be putting it mildly. For every one of these awards, I can think of a blog or blogger more deserving and if you're not reading them, or listening to them, you should be.

Thanks for starting my summer with a bang everybody - and I suppose there won't be too much time to bask in the glow as I just picked up my passes for TIFF 2011 this morning!

Radio Bomb: The Film Locker episode 4

2011-06-29T14:00:00.003-04:00

Like The Matineecast post earlier today, this one should go under the banner of "Better Late than Never". The episode itself has been available for four whole days now, but my post publicizing it needed to wait until after my blog-a-thon of misery had concluded.

Anyways, here's Simon and I talking about The Coen Brothers...

If the embedded player doesn't start, please tune in through Podomatic or The iTunes Music Store)

Take a listen, and be sure to check out the Film Locker Blog for further writing, updates, and conversation.

Midnight Radio: The Matineecast Episode 35

2011-06-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'd love to tell you that this episode shook down exactly as planned, but I'd be a liar. Likewise there's a glitch here and there - but the energy is present and I'm starting to think that's the one part that my wonderful guests bring best and help make the show what it is.

As I mention, this episode starts a run of experimentation for the summertime...just to shake things up a bit...have some fun...keep you fine listeners on your toes. Special thanks to my three blogging co-horts who helped me pull this together on short notice. Many thanks to every guest and listener who has helped make this show what it is.

Here's the Frank Thomas episode...

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

Here's what's in store in episode thirty-five...

Runtime
62 minutes, 04 seconds

Up for Discussion

1. Prologue w. Rachel Thuro
2. Introduction (1:10)
2. KNOW YOUR ENEMY - Q& A with this week's guests Joanna Arcieri from Cine-Fille and Blake Griffin from Bitchin' Film Reviews. (3:11)
3. Lammy Thanks. (16:05)
4. THE NEW SLANG - Review and reaction of GREEN LANTERN (16:54)
5. THE NEW SLANG - Review and reaction of SUPER 8 (27:41)
6. HOT TOPIC - We discuss child protagonist'd films (44:00)

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

Enjoy!

The King of Pain: My Fellow Bloggers Join In

2011-06-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

Much like Dr. Jones there, I'm about ready to cut the cord and bring this whole blog-a-thon to a crashing end...but not before turning the mic over to a few fellow bloggers.

Truthfully, I was hoping to have a longer list of offerings for you readers, but I'm guessing that enduring crappy films isn't nearly as fun a prospect to my fellow bloggers as many of the other blog-a-thons that have made the rounds over time. So to the few who participated, kudos - misery does indeed love company.

Note: If you're a blogger and you do still feel like doing a post, drop me a note and I'll ammend this post to include it.

For now, here's the four corners of this monument to crap...

"Big Daddy" Courtney Small starts us off, as he took on not one...not two...but three of the toughest offerings his lovely wife's dvd shelf had to offer. Take a look as he endures THE SWEETEST THING, RV and BEAUTIFUL.

Next in is Rich from Wide Screen World. Rich dug through the dvd collection of his friend Reid and came up with a real gem: THE ADVENTURES OF FORD FAIRLINE. It ain't no CAMP CUCAMONGA, but I'm still glad that I didn't have to endure it.

Playing things a tad differently is Miss Rogers from Insight Into Entertainment. Jess didn't endure someone else's offerings (Actually, I can't prove it, but I think she watched her own copy). What Jess did was go back to the original list of 20 films I had you fine readers vote on and choose from them. Turns out she doesn't think THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS is completely terrible.

Last but not least is Alan from The Great Movie Project. Alan also went through the shelves of a friend (wouldn't it be weird if Alan and Rich both knew and borrowed from Reid??). Alan's friend is the proud owner of SLACKERS - not to be confused with the amazing Linklater film SLACKER. Despite a moment or two of amusement, it turned out to be every bit as bad as Alan thought it'd be.

And with that, dear reader, I close the book on these nine days of pain and return to my usual hijinks. This has been an interesting experiment for me, and certainly made for a great way to give y'all some content during an out-of-town stretch. I hope you folks agree, but try not to assume.

Thanks so much for your comments and thoughts over the last nine days...we now return you to your regularly scheduled Matinee.

The King of Pain: SUMMER SCHOOL

2011-06-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Note: This is my final entry for the King of Pain Blog-a-Thon. Tomorrow I'm hoping to cap it all off by turning the mic over to my fellow bloggers. If you'd like to contribute an entry, this post explains how.

-Hatter

My long, slow journey across the cinematic River Styx is over, and if there was one film that helped me step on to the other shore, it was SUMMER SCHOOL. I didn't love it exactly, but of all eight films within this crazy caper, this was certainly the easiest to endure. For the uninitiated, SUMMER SCHOOL is about a gym teacher getting grabbed at the last minute on the final day of school and co-erced into teaching a class of deadbeats during the sunny days of summertime. Think DANGEROUS MINDS but without the inner city angst.

Jokes aside, the film actually provided a bit of amusement - mostly courtesy of the wannabe movie critics/class clowns (one of them prefers to be called "Chainsaw" - that never stops amusing), and the Guttenbergian performance put in by Mark Harmon. Things get a little icky when 16-year-old Courtney Thorne Smith throws herself at him, but the movie manages to weather the Nabakov storm and come up smiling.

Oddly enough though, watching the movie exposed me to something fellow blogger Tom Clift mentioned to me in reaction to GHOSTBUSTERS: The rhythm of 80's comedies feels different. It's hard to put my finger on it, but the jokes felt...tamer?...more lowbrow? Something was ever-so-slightly different. Like when you make spaghetti sauce but forgot to put in those two tablespoons of oregano. I'm beginning to believe that it's the hardest part about watching old comedies after the fact: The jokes don't land the same way they did to the intended audience.

All told, I enjoyed SUMMER SCHOOL. Not enough to own it mind you, but enough not to switch the channel if I found it on TV.

Going through all of these films has been an enlightening experience. It has widened my margin of what constitutes good filmmaking. It has exposed me to what I missed out on growing up (not much!). It has primarily proven my theory that some films don't play well if you weren't there at the time - and this goes for more than just the fluff. And it has opened my eyes as to what amuses my wife.

But as much as I like to call her collection The Shelf of Doom, I always remind myself of one thing: Were she to have the exact same taste in film as I do, things would get boring in a hurry. I don't know about you, but I never envisioned myself starting a life with someone who was just like me. Who wants that? I can barely stand myself some days, the last thing I need is to come home to another "me". That's where Lady Hatter having things like different ways to do things, and different tastes is a good thing - at the base level, it keeps things interesting.

I've mocked her taste in film a lot this week, but the truth is that I very easily could have filled eight posts with great films from her shelf. Furthermore, there are lots of great films I've seen over the last nine years that I never would have actively picked up if it weren't for her. She can be a source of great cinematic pain...but she has pointed me toward immeasurable film-watching joy as well.

In the end, it more than balances out.

The King of Pain: WHAT A GIRL WANTS

2011-06-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

My walk through the darkness is almost over...I'm beginning to see the light. Well, something lighter anyway.

WHAT A GIRL WANTS is clearly a movie made for kids - so evidenced by the squeaky clean starlet who plays the lead character. It's got admirable themes of identity and family, and in the right hands might even make for a good movie. But this wasn't really put into the right hands, and what I endured was akin to going to the county fair and consuming too many bags of cotton candy. This is a bit of a shame given the talent involved (I dare you to speak a bad word about Colin Firth or Jonathan Pryce)...and that teenagers deserve good movies to call their own.

I look at this movie and wonder "what if"...as in what if it'd been given the care and attention of a film like CLUELESS or EASY A (no small co-incidence that those - like WHAT A GIRL WANTS - are both loosely based on classic lit?).

But here's the thing, as much as the snob in me would like to rip this film to shreds, I really can't. It's harmless. It may not have enlightened me in any particular way, but it didn't anger me the way that some of the others films I've watched this week did.

I can't even play the "Why does my wife own this?" card. While this film really isn't my thing, and as much as I might want to mock it for being a teen-centric movie in an adult's movie collection...we all have films like this that we've seen and possibly own. They are the lighter fare that we maybe shouldn't like, but do...the movies that make us feel better when we're in bed with a cold.

For me, it's movies like MAJOR LEAGUE, REAL GENIUS, FACE/OFF, and SPEED. Movies that I would never hand over to someone and say "You gotta watch this!", movies that a filmgoer like me should be "above"...but films that I come back to nonetheless. If I watch THE THIRD MAN with dinner, then FEVER PITCH is my dessert.

So while this film was a head-shaker at times - I think there was a script quota on Amanda Bynes acting klutzy - to pick it apart would be akin to stepping on a bunny. I can wish it was better 'til the cows come home, but movies like this are made by filmmakers who only want them to be "good enough". And if we're measuring whether or not the film was good enough, one only has to look at the box-office numbers to realize that the film doubled its money. So mission accomplished.

It certainly isn't my cup of tea, but to paraphrase the great Douglas Adams, WHAT A GIRL WANTS is "Mostly Harmless".

The King of Pain: CAMP CUCAMONGA

2011-06-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is it gang - the lowest depths of hades. The most excruciating pain this monarch of agony will have to endure. No torture, no abuse, no misery is there...more insufferable...than early 90's made-for-tv specials.

CAMP CUCAMONGA was a movie made by NBC in 1990. The concept was to gather a bunch of actors tv-watchers would be familiar with, and lob them together GRAND HOTEL-style into one big clusterfuck of crap. The result had actors from Cheers, Amen, Full House, Family Matters, The Wonder Years, Head of The Class, Mama's Family, My Two Dads and the TV version of Ferris Beuller head off to summer camp. Oh, the humanity!!

This is a "movie" that wants me to believe that Jaleel "Steve Urkell" White is a lady's man. The same film that wants me to buy Danica "Winnie Cooper" McKellar as a bad seed. Are you kidding me?? Putting the girl in a leather jacket and Mötley Crüe tee shirt can't take the wholesomeness out of her face, or the sweetness out of her voice. (Sidebar - remember when leather jackets and Mötley Crüe were a sign of being badass??). As for Urkell, if there's any doubt as to how cool he's supposed to be in this film, he steps up to the mic and raps to prove it.

Yes really.

What you're about to see is actually part of the plot, as the kids think a rap video can save their doomed summer camp. So they make...this...

Oh the humanity!

Here's what I don't get. Clearly this "movie" was aimed at kids, as were many of the shows the stars came from. Why is it that producers feel like when the audience is young that they have to play to the lowest common denominator? Do they think that kids can't appreciate intelligent entertainment, or that if they don't dot it with "hip references" that kids won't tune in? We're in an age where some really great young adult lit is being written that disproves that whole theory.

While I did get a slight chuckle from John Ratzenberger's character continually changing the meaning of "Cucamonga" ("It's Navajo for Enthusiasm!"..."It's Cherokee for Determination"). I inevitably started counting the minutes until it would all predictably end. I can't pretend that I didn't watch more than one of the shows these actors were from...but I have no desire to go back and revisit them now.

And that's what left me most perplexed. She might very well weigh in with the answer, but I haven't the foggiest idea why Lady Hatter needed to own this dvd. There's nothing wrong with saying she liked it back then, or that she remembers it fondly...but needing to have it on the shelf, to take it down and be able to watch it on a whim is something I don't get.

There's crap from my past that I would probably sit and watch were I flipping channels (old cartoons like G.I. Joe, old shows like Parker Lewis Can't Lose)...but I've never felt the urge to clear a spot on the shelf for a dvd copy.

So while I go disinfect my eyes with bleach, and look forward to the last legs of this series where things get a bit better, perhaps my beloved still holds on to this steaming pile of 90's idiocy.

The King of Pain: POPEYE

2011-06-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

The descent into darkness continues my friends, and I didn't expect the darkness to contain such an attempt at levity.

Back in 1980, Paramount thought it'd be a great idea to make a live-action adaptation of Popeye. They thought it was such a good idea in fact, that they spared no expense: assigning wonder-producer Robert Evans, ace director Robert Altman, and threw $20M into the budget (which was a lot of loot at the time). The result was a loopy, disjointed mess.

This wasn't the first time - and won't be the last time - that Hollywood takes something mildly amusing and thinks that it can provide the basis of a mainstream film. It could be a toy, it could be a comic strip, it could even be an old TV show. Somewhere deep in the dungeons of Hollywood are a team of monkeys facing a giant wall of every mildly popular pop culture property. Day after day they continue to fling their poop at the wall, and once or twice a year the poop hits a bullseye on one of these properties. The head monkey then takes it off the wall, wipes off the poop and gives it to some keen studio go-getter to be green-lit.

POPEYE is a mess. It has actors romping around a wildly elaborate set, slap-sticking their way from scene to scene, muttering lines that don't seem to want to tell an actual story and occasionally bursting into song. Some of the songs, composed by Harry "Everybody's Talkin" Nilsson, are actually pretty sweet. Not all of them though - which only makes this silly property seem sillier. At least they provide a break from the insufferable dialogue.

In the last few years, I've been becoming more and more of a fan of director Robert Altman. I've found myself quite charmed by his humanistic stories and overlapping dialogue. With that said, I can only hope that Altman bought himself a really beautiful house with the money he made off POPEYE. He wasn't the first director to take the money and run, and likely won't be the last. Every director has one of these films in them - the property that seems like either an opportunity or an opportunity to cash in. Heck, look at what Ang Lee did with THE HULK!

It's up to us to finally stop the monkeys from flinging their poop. We are the ones who need to resist paying our hard-earned to watch big screen offerings like DUKES OF HAZARD, MARMADUKE, and JONAH HEX. It's gonna get harder going forward, as producers seem more scared than ever to give us original material (brace yourself for BATTLESHIP: THE MOVIE next year).

As for this film's place on the shelf, as I endured the pain, I was able to take a small measure of satisfaction in knowing that I was right. You see as the film began, my beloved was in the room with me watching. After fifteen or twenty minutes, she declared "I swear I remember this being better" and realized she had other things to do. In the past I've questioned why she owns this film - I'm happy to know that she's questioning that too now.

'Course it doesn't salve the wound POPEYE inflicted on my movie-watching soul.

The King of Pain: AIRBORNE

2011-06-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

We begin to descend into the darkness today dear friends. Today the pain of my kingdom was inflicted upon me in a whole new way.

My half-assed research leaves me unable to prove it, but if I had to make a bet, I'd wager that AIRBORNE was greatly funded by Rollerblade. I make the presumption because of how major a role the sport of rollerblading plays in this film, and the fact that damned near every shot of the activity features a character brandishing the "Rollerblade" logo on a piece of equipment. Even hockey sticks! My friends I have never in my life seen a Rollerblade brand hockey stick - and I'm Canadian.

You might be asking yourself "Does it matter? Product placement happens in films all the time.' That is true dear reader, but there's a world of difference between feature film that uses product placement to score some cash, and a film that is made to be one long commercial for a product (Watched THE WIZARD lately?). When all the filmmakers are concerned with are selling a product, nothing else will matter - not acting, not direction, and certainly not script.

The script negligence gets proven early on, as the "Saved By the Bell" reject who is the lead character in this film moves from sunny California to wintry Ohio. Once there, it doesn't take much to send him on a badly written poetic ode to the sport of surfing...three times...inside of the first 45 minutes! Was Rollerblade selling surfboards in 1993 as well??

I kno one thing for sure: They weren't making hockey jerseys. During the one scene of ice hockey where two schools are competing and our poetic surfer is suited up and pulled on to the ice...they give him every piece of equipment he'd need...except a jersey. For the uninitiated, even during a game of pick-up hockey with your buddies - nobody plays without a jersey. Even if somehow you do, you sure as shit don't shoot on your own net.

This isn't like football where it's easy to get caught up in confusion and forget which direction your team is headed downfield. At the other end of the ice is a guy from your team defending the goal, wearing the same jersey as you (if you decided to wear one). Nobody looks at that guy and thinks to themself "Get it past my own guy and I'm the hero!". An idiotic character moment inspired by idiotic writing.

So as if I haven't convinced you of how terrible this Rollerblade commercial was, allow me to present to you, the jury, exhibit M...as in "made to order". The dvd release of AIRBORNE is part of the Warner Brothers Archive Collection. This is a series of titles WB owns the rights to, but doesn't think would sell well enough to run a pressing of copies. So if you want one of these cherries, Warner doesn't even press the dvd until the order goes through!!!

And yet a copy was purchased, pressed, and now lives in my home.

Seriously gang - no amount of "Watch it again" goading is worth this sort of punishment.

The King of Pain: SPACE CAMP

2011-06-22T08:00:00.002-04:00

When did we stop dreaming about outer space?

As this film played out, I was fascinated by the scores of kids of all ages who were wildly excited to be at Space Camp. Every character - no matter how cool or uncool they are supposed to be - acts as though getting to go to Space Camp is akin to winning the lottery. As they come together they all have very little in common, but they all share a desire to go further into the final frontier than humankind has gone.

And oddly, that thread which stitches them all together is what dates this film the most.

Fifty years ago, our imagination was clearly focused on the skies. The question wasn't whether or not a human would get to the moon, but which human would get there first...and which human it would be. Once we got there, we began dreaming of how much further we could go, specifically wondering how long it would take to land a mission on Mars. Interestingly, while all of this was happening in real life, books and films were being created that suggested that by the year 2001 we would be able to send manned missions to Jupiter.

And yet here we are:

2011.
No Mars, no Jupiter.
Less and less boys and girls who dream of going into space.

It saddens me to think that kids like Kevin Donaldson (Tate Donovan) or Kathryn Fairly (Lea Thompson) could have grown into the sort of adults that see NASA as a waste of taxpayers' dollars, or that their children could be hard pressed to name a single crew member on the last space mission. After all, we're talking about astronauts here - people who were once spoken about with the same sort of reverence as rock stars. At one time it was the thrill of a lifetime to shake an astronaut's hand; now it'd likely be met with a "Hey, cool".

Perhaps that's what makes this film feel "So 80's". Not Kelly Preston's perm, nor the fact that teenagers once had Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton blaring from their car stereos. It's the way it reminds me of a mindset before Challenger killed astronauts on the way up, and Discovery killed more on the way down. It's a movie that was made at the end of an era where lots of kids dreamed of exploring the universe, instead of the gifted few who show great aptitude for math and science. A big part of me has to see that as a bit of a bummer...as though an entire generation of kids just gave up.

Hopefully as more time passes I'll be proven wrong. Hopefully we are now just in a lull, rather than at the end of a long slow fade out from trying to push the limits of what's possible.

If that's to be the case though, I truly hope the men and women who make that possible aren't subjected to this movie. It's terrible, and unbefitting of their passion for the galaxy.

...Oh and by the way, this movie was terrible.

The King of Pain: THREE O'CLOCK HIGH

2011-06-21T08:00:00.002-04:00

This film should almost be titled "John Hughes Made It Look So Easy".

I've come to the conclusion that sitting down to watch any film aimed at teenagers if you aren't a teenager is a dangerous proposition. The proposition gets infinitely more dangerous if you're watching it outside of the era it was made. The tropes and flourishes are all geared to be very much 'of-the-moment', and when the moment passes...look out.

What's worse is that a writer like John Hughes became a genre unto himself, so he became the style writers and directors tried to copy. The problem is that the wannabe's weren't missing by inches...they were missing by miles, and giving audiences movies as lame as THREE O'CLOCK HIGH.

I never got bullied as a teenager, so this film gave me nothing to latch on to. Even if I was still working through a traumatic past of being bullied with a whole team of psychiatrists, I doubt this film would have anything for me since the idea is so thin (Geek gets bully's attention - spends all day knowing he's getting his ass kicked at 3pm). Sure, the idea is to take an average high school day and drop in this catastrophic event for our lead geek Jerry. But it's only the day that's supposed to be average...not the whole damned movie.

The "averageness" of the movie is at its worst with the actors on screen. Nobody is memorable - not the geek, not his friend, not the principal, not the bully. Think back to any other high school movie or TV show - they tend to make those roles memorable, right? Hell, think back to your own time in high school! Even if you didn't know them personally, these sorts of people made an impression on you. In this film however, they are just..."there".

The interesting thing, is that in the slightest of ways, the film is a precursor to NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. As Ellis tells Tom Bell near the end of that film, "You can't stop what's comin'...it ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity". It's the same lesson that Jerry has to learn in this movie. No matter what he does - pull the fire alarm, try to run, send someone else to stick up for him - all he is doing is postponing the inevitable. Sure Jerry doesn't deserve to be taken apart for merely touching a bully, but to paraphrase William Munny "We all have it coming...'deserve' has nothing to do with it".

So maybe...just maybe...if you dropped actors like Jon Cryer or Judd Nelson or Jeffrey Jones into this film, you could create something with legs. Perhaps with them, and let's say Cameron Crowe as a writer, you might have the teenaged version of HIGH NOON. But by filling it out with talent that was only "good enough", the filmmakers made something forgettable.

Appropriate, since I find myself not really wanting to wail on this film...I just want to forget about it and move on.

The King of Pain: SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE

2011-06-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

Six or seven years ago I really began to love cooking. There was something about being creative in the kitchen that reminded me of studying art back in high school...exploring something sensory, diving into alchemy. The difference of course was that unlike my oil paintings, my creativity in the kitchen came with an extra level of joy when I picked up my dinner fork.

So you'd think that where a food movie like SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE was concerned, that I might take the bait and look past the flaws. I didn't, but more on that in a bit.

There's something wonderful about food movies done well. It could come down to the fact that they are surprisingly rare, but I have always loved scenes that involve people talking about, delighting in, and especially preparing food. Hell, even watching an animated Remy get in touch with his culinary joy in RATATOUILLE gives me a smile and makes my mouth water.

So with that in mind, perhaps it actually makes sense that Lady Hatter owns this film. Perhaps there's something to be gained from a whimsical tale of a girl whose emotions magically seep into the dishes she creates? After all, the food certainly looks good! (Side Note: Films that succeed in making me hungry usually gain a notch or two in my overall impression)

Unfortunately, in the case of this cinematic silliness, there is no magic, no joy, and no whimsy. The whole thing plays out with the "ludicrous" filter firmly set in front of the lens, and that doesn't even include the fact that all of Buffy's culinary chops are courtesy of a magical crab. (Hey Sebastian, give us a chorus of "Under the Sea" while the soup simmers).

Knowing how fond my wife is of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I presume that the purchase of this dvd was an offshoot of that passion. And that right there my friends is why I have always warned against going into a film strictly for the actors. Hell, even Patricia Clarkson, who is usually as trusty a thespian as they come, can't save this stupidity.

Oh well. I was inspired to whip up one or two tasty dinners over the days that followed this dvd, so it wasn't a total waste of 90 minutes. But if someone can explain to me why my wife still owns this dvd, I'd dearly appreciate it. Hopefully, it all gets better from here on in.

Radio Bomb: The Film Locker episode 3

2011-06-19T20:00:00.002-04:00

Already we find ourselves at the quarter pole - time sure does fly when you're having fun! This week, Simon and I have David Cronenberg in the locker, with an emphasis on his 1986 creep-fest THE FLY.

If the embedded player doesn't start, please tune in through Podomatic or The iTunes Music Store)

Take a listen, and be sure to check out the Film Locker Blog for further writing, updates, and conversation.

Review: GREEN LANTERN * *

2011-06-19T14:00:00.001-04:00

After reading scores of Green Lantern comic books in recent years, the character had started to pose a challenge to Superman for the title of "Hatter's Favorite Hero". Not that you'd guess that after watching this movie.

Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is a test pilot. He's the ace of Ferris Aircraft - a military contractor whose vice-president is Carol (Blake Lively), a woman who shares a history with Hal. Just in case you forget about that, the film will remind you about a dozen times. One night, Hal is drawn to a strange phenomenon. A spacecraft has crashed on the coastline, and some sort of glowing green power has pulled Hal to it against his will.

With his dying breath, the alien inside tells Hal that the ring - the source of the green glowing power - has chosen him because he is capable of great willpower. He is to take the ring, speak the oath, and become Earth's protector as The Green Lantern. For the how's and why's of his newfound power, Hal is yanked into outer space to a distant planet called Oa. There he is taught how to wield the ring's power and learns of the dangers facing earth. Too bad nobody thinks he's up to the task.

Meanwhile back on earth, the dead alien is handed over to a scientist named Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) to examine. In doing so, he comes into contact with the force that killed it - a source of great fear called The Paralax. It affects him in the strangest ways - giving him telepathic and telekinetic powers. Like Hal Jordan, he seems overwhelmed by his newfound power, but unlike hal he does not seem to have the inner fortitude to get a handle on it. Doesn't help that his power is pure evil either.

Thus it is up to newly minted Green Lantern Hal Jordan to save earth from the terrible power of Hector Hammond, minion of The Paralax.

As a fan of the comics, I was rather hopeful coming into this film. I've been drawn to the core of the story and know what the narrative can offer at its best - and cousin, this ain't it. The movie stumbles over the character's origins - which is not to say that I'm sick of origin stories. I actually think that where comic book films went wrong for so many years was skirting past where a hero came from, or misfiring on telling that tale.

No, where GREEN LANTERN goes wrong is in trying to show us too much of Hal Jordan's back story. Hal being gunshy because he witnessed his father's death really isn't important in this chapter, nor is his relationship with his nephew. At this stage you can pay them lip-service, and hold back on a bit of personal past until the sequel. The whole notion of who The Green Corps are and what they can do is resource enough. Don't make audiences wait to see that because you want to establish that Hal and carol have a past for the third time in the film.

Think it's any co-incidence that the film seems to find a higher gear when Hal goes to Oa? What about the tease of possibilities when he comes back to Earth and negates certain catastrophe by building a virtual stunt car track. These are the chapters that audiences want to listen to - the hero learning what's possible as we do and using it to save the day. Making audiences endure chapter after chapter of prologue, and then putting the brakes on the narrative to pause for character exposition is counter-productive.

What's worse, is that with this type of property, a lot was riding on the look of it and the level of the effects. We have become an audience that prefers our heroes to be grounded in the world we exist in - and believing in an intergalactic cop with jewelry that unleashes nuclear willpower was going to be a stretch for starters. Make that look fake even for a second, and it was game over. To that end, the film brought the goods. Everything in space, everything on Oa, every imagining unleashed from the ring and even Hal's suit looked pretty darned good. I guess Warner and DC decided to give the effects team the biggest budget possible...even if it meant stealing a few bucks from the writing department.

The pity of it all is that this could spell the end for Green lantern on the big screen, which I do believe is a shame. He is a key member of the DC universe - meaning any larger projects like what Marvel is doing with The Avengers is on thin ice. But more than that, he's a pretty darned cool concept for a hero. He has weaknesses (which weren't really explored). He's a god but still human (somewhere in between batman and Superman). Best of all - his power is only bound by the limits of his imagination. Seems like great potential for a film franchise, but now we might never know.

Like the power of the ring itself, GREEN LANTERN was a story that held great possibility. As a fan of the property, I latched on to good things within the film, but not nearly enough of them. It could have played on all sorts of emotional touchstones like overcoming fear, the hazards of giving over to an immoral tactic, and infectious power of determination. Sadly, for this first iteration, they paid those themes only lip service, and got too enamoured with letting pretty A-listers canoodle in scene after scene.

Note to Warner: I can see Ryan Reynolds canoodle in a dozen different romantic comedies - that wasn't what I was hoping to get here.

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to GREEN LANTERN

Review: MIDNIGHT IN PARIS * * * 1/2

2011-06-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Being an artist involves a certain amount of self loathing - you're always convinced that you don't measure up. You don't measure up to your fellow artists, and you certainly don't measure up to your idols. It all gets infinitely worse if the person you love doesn't really think you measure up too.

The best remedy for such self doubt? True romantic inspiration.

As the film opens, we meet Gil and Inez (Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams). They are engaged and on vacation in Paris with her parents. Inez is just happy to be away from home, and is quite content to soak up the City of Lights for a stylish perspective with heavy emphasis on food and shopping. Gil on the other hand feels a romantic kinship with the city. As the film opens at Monet's Garden in Giverny, we listen as Gil - a writer -waxes poetic about what Paris means in the grand scheme of artistic history. He seems in love not just with the city, but the inspiration it has given to so many.

That night at dinner, they bump into acquaintances from back home named Paul and Carol (Michael Sheen and Nina Arianda). Carol is pleasant enough, but Paul is a classic know-it-all ass. During outings to The Louvre or Versailles he goes on and on about the meaning of this, and the cultural significance of that. He seems to have read just enough on every topic to make himself seem like a man of letters. But what he's missing, as Gil can clearly see, is true passion for any of it. Pity Inez doesn't feel the same.

Exhausted from keeping company with a couple he doesn't much care for, Gil begs out of a night of dancing and decides to take a late night walk through the city back to the hotel. It's then that his infatuation with Paris turns into true love, as the clock strikes midnight and the city opens itself up to him to bring true inspiration.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is primarily about the spark of creativity. For the romantics out there, illumination can come from so much and so little. An ordinary person could be riding on a train and just see it as a means to an end - but were a poet or a songwriter riding on that very same train, they might see genuine art in the moment, and find a way to express it. The trouble is, to those who don't look at the world that way, it could seem like the artist is trying to pull expression from where there is none. For them, being witness to that isn't always moving; sometimes it's just dull.

This is the role Inez is there to play. She is dazzled by what Paul seems to know and loves to tell, but has either grown weary or doesn't understand Gil's want for truth. On a base level she "doesn't get it", but it's worse than that - she's passive-aggresively discouraging the lyricism she doesn't see.

As MIDNIGHT IN PARIS began, I couldn't help but grin. The film starts with a montage of Paris set to Sidney Bichet music. Instantly, I was reminded of that iconic opening montage from MANHATTAN set to george Gershwin - but something felt slightly amiss. The MANHATTAN sequence came with the stripes that it was made by a local...New York as seen by a New Yorker. The opening of MIDNIGHT IN PARIS on the other hand, drapes us with the same images from the parisian tourist trail that everybody snaps on their first trip. It was almost a bad omen - like Woody was too far out of his element.

Then it dawned on me - he was romanticizing the city. He was giving us those same icons that we all see in our head when we hear the word "Paris" because it's the same sort of ideal that Gil believes in when he thinks of Paris. He isn't really charmed with it as a local - a person who endures the day-to-day with all its imperfections. He's lured to the ideal - the postcards, the romance. He's enchanted by the idea of Paris more than Paris himself.

It's a neat trick since it echoes Gil's own writings which centre on a character who works in a memorabilia shop. The film wants us to hold on to ideals - be it places or eras of time, but not hold so tightly that we begin to lose sight of the truth. The truth is that drawing inspiration from a romanticized time and place can give one a nudge towards something great, but we can't dwell too long on daydreams. Inevitably, we need to take these reflections and move forward.

If you've seen the film already, you've obviously noticed that I've been rather vague about one of the film's major plot threads. The reason for this is because going into it I myself was unaware of the angle the movie was going to play, and found myself delighted by the surprise. At first, I found myself perplexed that such a delightful tale would be kept quiet, but in thinking about how much unexpected charm I got from those chapters of the story, I realized that perhaps the decision wasn't mis-marketing, but a deliberate attempt to reward the faithful moviegoer with something wonderful.

Who am I to spoil such a genuine moment of inspiration?

What did you think? Please leave comments with your thoughts and reactions to MIDNIGHT IN PARIS.

Rock N' Roll Ghost: COLOR ME OBSESSED Plays NXNE

2011-06-18T08:00:00.002-04:00

Rock docs are a dime a dozen. Every week there is a new one; some getting a full-scale theatrical release, some created on the sham of what now passes for music television. They can range in scope from the creation of one particular album, to encapsulating an entire career. With all of that in mind, it's tricky to make a music documentary stick out...which is exactly what COLOR ME OBSESSED manages to do.

The film is a documentary about The Replacements, a band that exemplified college rock before "college rock" was truly a scene. They came together in the early 80's in Minnesota, played some legendary live shows, , and went on to record four great albums before moving on to three less-than-great ones (depending on who you ask). Their whole sordid tale is told to us by people who love them, people who critiqued them, people who recorded with them, people who "were there", and people who wish they were.

Judging by all of that, it sounds like just another rock doc, right? Well what makes COLOR ME OBSESSED isn't what's in the film so much as what is not in the film. Left on the sidelines are details like interviews with the surviving band members, archival concert footage and interviews, photographs - new or archival, and music. All music. Yes my friends, director Gorman Bechard has made a documentary about a rock & roll band, and not included so much as drumbeat of their music within the film.

When I asked Bechard about the decision, he explained that "The Replacements were god-like to me. We never see or hear God in films, yet people always believe. So I thought, what if I do a rock doc where we never see or hear the band."

What we're left with is scores of people speaking passionately, and if there's one thing I'm drawn to, it's passionate discussion. Think about times in the past where you might not have liked, or even known about, a musician, or a film, or a book. You meet somebody and as they begin to recommend it to you, their eyes begin to smile, and their voice takes on a loving tone. In hearing it described so lovingly, the enthusiasm rubs off...and the next thing you know, you're rooting through record stores looking for the very LP that was just talked up.

That's COLOR ME OBSESSED.

It's not just because the glowing praise comes from cool kids like The Decemberists' Colin Meloy, or Hold Steady's Craig Finn (although that doesn't hurt). It's because they all seem to be able to articulate that moment when The Replacements' music spoke to them. They describe that all-to-familiar feeling of not seeming cool enough, or good-looking enough. The people interviewed in this doc are like the vast majority of us that don't relate to rock Gods, sand find ourselves wanting a different type of rock God. That's what The Replacements are to them, and through their stories and opinions, that's what they want The Replacements to be for anyone who sees this film.

For my money - money which was handed over to iTunes when this screening let out - this bank-shot of a rock doc is a success. I came into the film knowing sweet nothing about The Replacements, and I left wanting to own their complete works. Wanting that of a band without hearing a chord or a chorus is a rare feat. Fitting for COLOR ME OBSESSED, since it's truly a rare film.

Rock & Roll is A Vicious Game: RAINMAN GOES TO ROCKWIZ plays NXNE

2011-06-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'm beginning to believe that everybody in the world "has something": some talent, some knowledge base, some special thing to offer the world. It might only be one small thing, and it might not be terribly useful, but dammit it's ours...and it can give us a moment in the sun.

For Mark Borebach, it's knowledge of 1980's music, something we get a wonderful dose of in RAINMAN GOES TO ROCKWIZ.

Mark has Asperger's Syndrome and as such is not exactly what you'd call a social butterfly. On top of that, he is 80% blind, so growing up he was picked on a lot. To cope, Mark imagined other worlds where he lived a happy life, and conceived of friends made of plastic that were completely loyal. But while he kept many of these mental wanderings to himself, there is one part of his mental capacity that he doesn't hide:

His aptitude for 1980's pop and rock. Pick any week at random from any year in the 80's, and Mark can tell you with remarkable accuracy which songs were top five on the charts at the time. Eventually, someone suggested Mark take this talent for a spin on a national Australian TV game show.

The doc has a lot of heart, and we really get drawn into Mark's life. It's especially fascinating to consider that while he could clean up at a game like Rock Wiz were it just a matter of answering straight questions, that his Asperger's and slight agoraphobia throw his senses off quite a great deal.

While I had a great time with RAINMAN GOES TO ROCKWIZ, I have one bone to pick. The version that is playing the festival is a 30-minute cut of the film that has been created to make the festival rounds. There are moments - specifically the end - where this cut feels rushed. While I do believe that seeing this cut is better than seeing no version at all, I do now find myself curious to see the longer edit.

RAINMAN GOES TO ROCKWIZ plays North by Northeast on Friday June 17th - 3:00pm at NFB (150 John Street).

Knight Moves: IVORY TOWER Plays NXNE

2011-06-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

For a film that's so short, IVORY TOWER sure does leave me scratching my head wondering where to begin...and I mean that in the best possible way. It's a story that dares the true douchebag to please stand-up, and one that wants its audience to leave their mathematical thinking aside for a while, and try to see things in a more syncopated way.

Oh, and all of this takes place via scene after scene of people playing chess.

The film, directed by Adam Traynor is the story of two brothers. Hershell (Gonzales) is a chess master who has been selfishly and obsessively travelling for years. He has now returned to his hometown of Toronto in the hopes of launching his entreprenurial idea, "Jazz Chess". His younger brother Thadeus (Tiga) has become a clean-cut success in his brother's absence, and even used the window of opportunity to steal his girl Marsha away (Peaches).

The first thing that grabbed me about the movie, is just how easy it is to become the dick in any situation. Through flashbacks, we learn how slimy and selfish Hersh is, secluding himself in his own obsessions and ignoring those who care about him most. That's the thing about most obsessions - they seem to come with a set of blinders buddy-taped to them. However, even though he should be scraping Hershell off the soul of his shoe, little brother Thadeus shows that the line between "Better Man" and "Preachy Asshole" is pretty damned thin.

Forgetting the fact that he has moulded Marsha into a fourth-string Stepford knock-off, he has bought into his own legend just a bit too far. He brags about having no "bad side" to his face, and uses phrases like "In a Toronto minute". I live here, and I can assure you that nobody talks that way. But for a twerp like Thadeus, the phrase makes perfect sense.

The movie comes with shades of BUFFALO '66, but with a lot more heart and charm. When at first you want to write Hersh off for being such a self involved twit (The guy uses terms like "Chessence"...as in 'chess essence'), you realize that his once jackass nature has turned itself into unashamed loserdom. Where once we would scoff at him, we now pity him and wonder how in the world he'll ever make something of the nothingness his life has become.

And through it all, there's Peaches' wonderful turn as Marsha. The electroclash icon is a wonder in this film, trading almost all of her shocking sensibilities in for a suburban haircut and some fetching sweater sets. She brings a softness I didn't expect from the artist behind "Impeach My Bush", and gives the audience someone to really pull for. As if the whole darned story wasn't pathetic enough, here we have a one-time creatively gifted woman, whose disappointment is palpable when one brother doesn't support her...and whose quiet restlessness rings true as another one takes her for granted.

I'm not completely sure how much acting Peaches feels like doing, but given the unexpected charm she brought to this film, I certainly hope she works it into her repertoire.

IVORY TOWER is a quirky story that's more interested in playing with the black keys than the white keys. It calls attention to the mathematics of both jazz and chess, and how someone so mathematically skilled can still come up with the wrong answer when given the heart as a variable. For all it's absurd "chessence", it's a film that is not to be missed.

IVORY TOWER plays North by Northeast on Friday June 167h - 2:00pm at Toronto Underground (186 Spadina Avenue).

Thieves Like Us: HIGH ON HOPE Plays NXNE

2011-06-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

I was never one for rave culture. To me the notion of spending the 1990's listening to repetitive music, in rooms that is an abandoned warehouse by day, surrounded by drug-dropping drama queens is akin to a ten-year root canal.

But after watching HIGH ON HOPE, I'm able to see where my theory is flawed. Just like so many things, what began abroad as a true expressionist movement, became a cheap, imitation shadow of itself by the time it reached North American shores. The me that was of the age in the 1990's in Canada couldn't have cared less about dance music culture. But had I been of the age in the 1980's in England, and been witness to how the whole scene began, I could easily be singing a different tune here today.

HIGH ON HOPE is the documentary of how the 1980's UK dance scene began. It is told by the people responsible, and the people who were there. It isn't content to just lay down the "what" - it wants to be crystal clear in explaining the "why".

Turns out the genesis of underground, illegal parties in questionable locations were actually a true form of rebellion. Its beginnings were feats of great ingenuity and defiance: heists worthy of Daniel Ocean and his eleven. Led by a select group of organizers and innovators, the movement was about giving people a chance to have a good time without judgement in an era where your status was determined by whose label was stitched on your jeans.

The documentary is well balanced, giving the audience not only a true dose of what it was like to be a part of the community, but also who the people responsible were, what they believed in, and what the consequences were for breaking the law so flagrantly.

So what I thought I knew was wrong - the drugs, the flakes, the repetitive music. There was actually a lot more to it - ideals that I believed in then and still do. But like many good ideas, something just got lost in the translation. A 1990's me might not have cared very much for the rave scene, but the 2010's me certainly did care an awful lot about learning where it all came from.

Take that for what you will, but please pass me my headphones and turn the volume up.

HIGH ON HOPE plays North by Northeast on Thursday June 16th - 6:00pm at Toronto Underground (186 Spadina Avenue).

Lord, Take My Hand: YOU CAN'T SING IT FOR THEM Plays NXNE

2011-06-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

When we come to know something as an institution, the temptation is not to tinker with it. After all, the very nature of an institution is something that is steady...lasting...constant. The problem with that line of thinking is that those steady, constant ideas can find themselves irrelevant if they don't adapt.

Institutions can be as grandiose as government branches, or as secluded as a community church - and its the latter's struggle with adaptation that is the subject of YOU CAN'T SING IT FOR THEM.

The doc, which plays this year's NXNE festival tomorrow, takes us through one year at Messiah Baptist Church. Specifically, it focuses on the parish music director Jonathan Barryman. Barryman is brought in to guide the church choirs, and one of his first ideas is to combine the three main choirs into one large choir. Considering that the members of these choirs have been singing together, the mere suggestion of tearing down the traditions is almost heresy.

But undeterred, Barryman takes us through this daring undertaking, and in so doing reveals just how fickle a gospel choir can be. One would think that expressing one's faith through music would be the most important thing, but as we watch the events of the year unfold, we learn that choirs are just like any other group dynamic...everyone has an opinion, and there's always dissention as to what "should" be done. So yes folks, it would appear as though there is a right and wrong way to pray.

Along with the drama at Messiah Baptist, Barryman gives us a lengthy history lesson of Gospel music and how it has evolved. While truly fascinating, the digression feels like a bit of a hiccup since it stops the narrative dead in its tracks for a solid ten minutes. It might have been more ideal to break up the history lesson and weave it into the journey the film takes us on. That said, the history is essential, and I would never dream of suggesting it be cut.

Which leads me to my only wish for YOU CAN'T SING IT FOR THEM - I wanted more. What Barryman had to accomplish couldn't have been easy (he jokes that the church didn't need a musician; it needed a magician). Late in the film, his predecessor who had been musical director for decades suggests that he needs to feel the music more to truly be able to guide the choir.

In that same vein, I wish I was able to feel the film more to truly be able to dissect it. But if a film about gospel music taught me one thing, it's to be open and to be thankful, and with that in mind I am truly thankful for the 68 minutes I got with YOU CAN'T SING IT FOR THEM.

YOU CAN'T SING IT FOR THEM plays North by Northeast on Wednesday June 15th - 12:00pm at NFB (150 John Street).

Haunting You: BETTER THAN SOMETHING - JAY REATARD plays NXNE

2011-06-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Jay Reatard is a hard person to sum up in so many words. There's a lot about him that seems warm, forthcoming and joyful. On the other hand there are things that he's done that make him seem maladjusted, standoffish, or an outright jerk. The truth is somewhere in between and it seems to be what BETTER THAN SOMETHING wants us to learn.

Reatard (born Jay Lindsay) died suddenly last year at the age of 29, and his death envelopes this film in a rare manner. As we begin, we know that Jay has passed away since we are watching footage of a tribute concert to him at the 2010 SXSW festival. Friends and colleagues cover his songs, speak lovingly and often times with a brutal honesty, giving us a sense that whoever Jay was, he meant the world to a select pool of musicians and music lovers.

Then the film hands us a surprise - Jay appears on camera and starts talking about his life and career. The conversations with Jay aren't any sort of archival footage, or interviews cobbled together through the years. The scenes are a new series of videos shot in 2009 for this film...so it's as if, after witnessing the wake, Jay is brought back to tell his side of things. The result is a documentary that is surprisingly charming about a truly creative man.

Reatard isn't easy. His early music is abrasive and he is legend for being uncooperative or outright belligerent during interviews and concerts through the course of his career. However, through the film we are able to see that he lived to make music. The abrasiveness was just a part of his artistic evolution; his belligerence was his defence for being uncomfortable. Listening to him talk you can't help but be drawn in by how down-to-earth he is...and wonder what might have been had he lived longer.

Dotted with some bitingly honest conversation, and some amazing music. BETTER THAN SOMETHING is a fitting final movement to the requiem of Jay Reatard.

BETTER THAN SOMETHING: JAY REATARD plays North by Northeast on Saturday June 18th - 5:30pm at Toronto Underground (186 Spadina Avenue).