Day 141: Short Cuts

"Wouldn't it be a trip if Alex Trebek bought a nude painting of me?"

It’s kind of fun to watch a film from years past and distinguish what aspects of it are precursors to the films we see today. It’s like an Easter egg hunt except without your family members obnoxiously competing for eggs. As you can imagine, most of these hints at the future are found within the work of directors who are institutions in the film realm. From Scorsese to Kubrick, the films of today are filled with their influence. Perhaps one of the more overlooked directors to have left his imprint on film is Robert Altman. Altman, a man with a deft eye for character, can arguably be seen as the grandfather of sprawling character pieces. If you look at the work of Paul Thomas Anderson, whose films like Boogie Nights and Magnolia contain a massive cast, you can see Altman bubbling at the seams. Yet, amongst film circles, Altman seems to be the odd man out when it comes to his holding on today’s films. If there was ever an Altman film that assisted in the formation of today’s foundation it would be Short Cuts.

Day 140: Somewhere

"I'm fucking nothing."

We live in a time where we stare in awe of most celebrities, who are in no place to dictate the way we live our lives. Yet, we refuse to allow ourselves to be exposed to the harsh realities of what it's really like to live in Hollywood and truly have that "live fast, die young" mentality. It's much more than just girls, cars, and drugs. Our protagonist, Johnny Marco, living in the famous Chateau Marmont, shows us that the true poison for most hot-shot actors nowadays is absolute loneliness. It's well known amongst my 7DC writers that I'm a rather large Sofia Coppola fan. My reasons for loving all of her films is the same reason why most impatient critics love to bash her films and accuse her of nepotism and her movies of self-indulgence. It's often said that her movies are incapable of being taken seriously because the characters in her film are unsympathetic due to the fact that for the most part, they always seem to be wealthy. I don't quite understand why that's a factor but I suppose it's a matter of opinion. Anyways, what I find interesting about this film is that I have a feeling that Ms.Coppola was aware of these criticisms of her characters and instead of switching gears, she perhaps creates her most unsympathetic character yet: Johnny Marco.

Day 139: Black Swan

"I just want to be perfect."

One of the most gut wrenching films I’ve seen has to be Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Certainly, there were ghastly elements to it that seared my eyes, but what was so suspenseful about Kubrick’s film is that he let it exist with no bounds. From Jack Nicholson’s larger than life performance to a telepathic child, the film lived off of the preposterous. This is all initially jarring, but the level of insanity the film reaches eventually gives way to an unpredictable sense of dread. Although there have been many films that have attempted to replicate the horror found within The Shining, only a handful of them have been able to match Kubrick’s controlled descent into madness. One such film would be Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, a sexualized thriller set in the world of ballet.

Day 138: 9 Songs

"Exploring the Antarctic is like exploring space. You enter a void, thousands of miles, with no people, no animals, no plants. You're isolated in a vast, empty continent. Claustrophobia and agoraphobia in the same place, like two people in a bed."

9 Songs probably won't ever be critically acclaimed classic like other small low-budget indie flicks. It currently has a 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, it'll always be a classic in some sense. It's ability to spark debate on the role sexuality plays in cinema is a notable one. There certainly is a debate on what separates pornography from other more risqué editions of film. This is what makes 9 Songs so interesting. The film is more or less, about sex. There really isn't much of a plot and there really isn't much dialog either. There's not much character development, and there's not much acting either. Yet, I think it's one of the most brilliant things I've ever seen. And I'm almost certain that you will disagree with me completely.

Day 137: The Lives of Others

"The best way to establish guilt or innocence is non-stop interrogation."

One of my favorite pieces of pop art inspired by Pink Floyd is the image of a brick wall that’s completely covered in graffiti. Amongst the layered spray paint is a simple question that always made me wonder. Said question is: “Mother, should I trust the government?” This particular question carried significant weight prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, where it wasn’t uncommon for the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) to investigate and vehemently follow the lives of their citizens in an attempt to assert control. Through mentally exhausting interrogation and the bugging of one’s home, the GDR were willing and able to follow those who they suspected were critical of their state, or looking to aide and embed a citizen across the border into West Germany. Rekindling the type of regime that existed in post-WWII Germany is Florian Henckel Donnersmarck’s amazing The Lives of Others.

Day 136: W.

- Mr. President, what place do you think you will have in history?
- History? In history we'll all be dead!

I'll try my best to divorce myself from the natural political bias I'll have as I'm writing this. It shouldn't be too hard though because Oliver Stone's film is actually not that political. Instead we get a pretty friendly, and effective portrait of Mr. W. It's certainly something to watch. It's more personal than it is political and it's empathetic instead of critical. It balances humor and drama delicately, but perfectly. Instead of just a passing film in the pretty solid filmography of Mr. Stone, it's actually a joy to watch and, in my opinion, a classic in the genre of "political films."

Day 135: Zero Effect

"Fucking whales? Fuck the whales!"

Zero Effect is the directorial debut of Jake Kasdan (Freaks and Geeks, Orange County), son of legendary writer/director Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes, Raiders of the Lost Ark), and it stars Bill "Chill" Pullman as the film's protagonist, Daryl Zero. Daryl Zero is a brilliant private investigator known for being very reclusive and having impeccable deductive reasoning. Due to Zero being a recluse, his assistant Steve Arlo (played by Ben Stiller in a co-headlining role) does the representative work in the field while Zero works from afar. Zero is basically a modern day Sherlock Holmes, and Arlo is his Watson. Both Watson and Arlo had to deal with the eccentricities of their employers and how it effected their private lives ( Dont know that much about Sherlock Holmes though. I've only seen the three episode television series that aired on PBS a few weeks ago). This dilemma comes to the forefront half-way through the movie where Arlo's girlfriend suggests that he retire, a decision Arlo has been struggling with for awhile. Why put up with a guy who writes terrible songs on his guitar and snorts amphetamines on a daily basis? Zero "needs" Arlo despite his actions and his unwillingness to show it.

Day 134: JFK

"Back, and to the left..."

I love me a damn good conspiracy theory. It’s not that they’re entirely realistic, but that they offer a different view on reality that’s seeded in our deepest worries. Is the government out to get me? Does the Illuminati actually exist? Perhaps that last one is farfetched or just idiotic, but nonetheless, conspiracy theories fuel what would otherwise be a flavorless debate on a questionable event in history. This is even more so when one considers that conspiracy theories themselves set forth their own kind of narrative. No one seemingly knows this more than writer/director Oliver Stone who, through his most impressive work, has spouted controversial sermons with guile. With films like Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July, Stone doesn’t shy away from his political beefs. Despite his political candor, Stone is at his best when he puts on his conspiracy theory detective guise in his three hour opus titled JFK. As you can imagine, assuming you’ve peeked your eyes into a history book, the title references America’s 35th president, John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was seen as a leader during a turbulent time, but his steadfast leadership has been overshadowed by his shocking assassination.

Day 133: Good Hair

Good Hair by Chris Rock is an interesting documentary. The backstory for it is quickly mentioned as you begin the film. Chris Rock's daughter, aware of the world she's grown up in, asks a completely logical question: "Daddy, why don't I have good hair?" And so, Chris Rock begins his quest. Why doesn't the average African American woman see her hair as "good" as her white counterparts?

Day 132: Capturing the Friedmans- (A Second Viewing)

"Can't you put your anger aside for one minute?"

Capturing the Friedmans is a deeply unsettling film on several levels. I have been putting off writing about it simply because I didn’t want to have to think about it anymore. I just wanted to move on, to act like it never happened, much like how the family in the film just wanted to have it be done with and get on with their lives, how they used to be, but they realize that’s no longer possible.

Day 131: Just One of the Guys

"Dresses like Elvis Costello, looks like the karate kid – I'm gonna get him."

Just One of the Guys is the first teen comedy in recent memory to use Shakespeare's Twelfth Night as a reference point. Guys influenced countless other studio execs to do the same, whether it was the "bigwigs" over at the Disney Channel who gave audiences the criminally overlooked "masterpiece" Motocrossed!, or whether it was the "tour-de-force" performance given by Amanda Bynes in She's the Man, Just One of the Guys changed the game when it came to adapting shit, and is one of the prime examples of a remake done right. Full analysis after the jump.

Day 130: The Counterfeiters

"I'm myself. Everyone else is everyone else."

Survival is often an ironic thing. Through hypothetical questions, sometimes we venture a guess as to how we’d react when placed in a moment of danger. Our answers, often shrouded in humanistic ideals, usually are placated with limits. We’re willing to go to one level, but never above and beyond to do something we find morally questionable. Oh, how things change when a hypothetical situation becomes reality. Suddenly what was an issue of won’t becomes a declaration of will. Of course the real life situations can vary, but there probably has been no survivor story that matches the fervor of the Holocaust. Now, usually when a film based on the Holocaust comes around, more often than not it’s treated as Oscar bait. Certainly, there are some films that exploit a mass murder for prestige purposes, but every once in awhile there comes a Holocaust film that’s intentions are honest and worthwhile. Enter in  The Counterfeiters, a game of survival that pits two Jewish prisoners against one another as their views of survival and morality clash amongst the S.S.’ brutality.

129: The Bourne Identity

"Everything I found out, I want to forget."

The first of the "Bourne" film series, The Bourne Identity is an action packed conspiracy thriller staring Matt Damon, Franka Potente and Chris Cooper. Released in 2002, I'd have to say that this is my favorite of the current three "Bourne" films, with the fourth set to hit theaters in July of 2012. The film is based off of Robert Ludlum's 1980 novel, which hoists the same name as the movie, along with the other two in the series.

Day 128: The Class

[no quote this time.]

Teaching students must certainly be a hard job. Why do they even bother? Is it from some sort of self-fulfillment? That really can't be it. The kids these people work with are at that tipping point. At around 12-16 you know nothing, and don't quite give a damn if you don't either. These aren't exactly the type of kids you want to teach. I mean, why not teach a class with older students? (Now that I think about it. He says he taught these students before but aren't teachers usually assigned to a specific grade and unable to follow a class? Anyways...) I imagine that people become teachers the same way they want to become lawyers or doctors. There was probably that moment when they were younger that triggered it. There was probably that moment where taught someone something special and it gave them a feeling of absolute worth. That person knows that one thing because you taught it to them. You've made an impression. I mean what more valuable thing is there than knowing that you left the earth leaving a mark behind?