Dig!

7.30.10
Dig!
(2004)
Starring: The Brian Jonestown Massacre & the Dandy Warhols

"The fuckers. The bean-counters, the lawyers, all of these assholes at every label. Those are people that wreck the music business. Not Napster, not some college kid downloading shit. The people without vision." - Anton

A rockumentary about the little known, but genius band called The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dig! is the sad chronicle of a band who had nothing going for them but the music they made. Anton Newcombe is the mastermind behind the Brian Jonestown Massacre, a musical genius of epic proportion who can't keep his junkie habits and his unbridled temper from ruining his chance at fame. Essentially, the end of this film simply degrades into a constant feed of Anton's antics including bar fights, heroine binges, abusive relationships, and arrests. But the crux of the film is really the interaction between the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the joke of a pop band, The Dandy Warhols. Courtney Taylor and the rest of the "Dandys" practically worship Anton and the Jonestown boys, to an embarassing degree. All of this incriminating action caught on film, denial isn't an option for the puffed up egos of the band who could never hope to be one ounce as brilliant as any half baked creation of Anton's. The Brian Jonestown Massacre is doomed from the get go, because Anton believes signing with a record label is selling out and subsequently always sabatoges the bands shot at making it big time. The rotating entourage of the Brian Jonestown Massacre includes Matt Hollywood, Frankie Emerson, Ricky Maymi, Collin Hegna, Dan Allaire, Rob campanella and last but certianly not least Joel Gion (the tambourine man). This group of performers sticks around as long as they can put up with Anton's madness. Overall, this film will chronicle a band that could have been great, a story of brilliant musicians doomed to oblivion in the overstimulated ears of a generation of ipods filled with music that will never reach the pinnacle of the talent that is channeled through The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

"I'll just say what I got to say. I'm here to destroy this fucked up system. I will do it. That's why I got the job. I said let it be me; I said use my hands. I will use our strength. Let's fuckin' burn it to the ground! " - Anton

"Let the song sing itself" - Anton

Before Sunrise

07.22.10
Before Sunrise
(1995)
Starring: Ethan Hawke & Judy Delpy

Before Sunrise, the prequel to Before Sunset is full of youthful hope and vitality. A young couple, an american and a french girl, meet on a train and decide to spend a day together before the young man (ethan hawke) has to catch his flight back to America. I actually watched this film after i had first watched Before Sunset, and the movies worked almost better that way for me. Although, i understand, as a filmmaker how the films couldn't have been created in that order. All of the beauty of Before Sunset is because it draws on all the memories and rich emotional connection that was built between Ethan Hawke and Judy Delpy in this film, Before Sunrise. Before Sunrise was directed by Richard Linklater, one of my very favorite writers and directors, and his beautifully written script is the main character in this film. The dialogue is so rich and thought provoking. Despite my partiality to it's predecessor, i could never write off the beautiful chemistry Linklater cultivates and captures in Before Sunrise.

"Isn't everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?" - Celine {Judy Delpy}

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

7.20.10
Fantastic Mr. Fox
(2009)
Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, William Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Wes Anderson

Mrs. Fox: You know, you really are... fantastic.

Mr. Fox: I try.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox is a whimsical movie from Wes Anderson. Very typical to Anderson's eclectic style, but set apart from his other work because of the digitally animated characters used to personify his quirky creations. The amazingly star studded cast (listed above) really made the Movie for me. None can discount Wes Andersons' talent, but this was not my favorite film of his, because it was a little too contrived and scripted. Anderson's typical character interaction is stilted, that's part of the humor in it, but the problem is that type of comedic style doesn't translate well through an animated characters face. The prevailing charm in any Anderson film is the rich non-verbal communication between characters, such as the circle scene in the Darjeeling limited where all the brothers and Anjelica Huston are grieving for their father. Much of the heart and soul was lost through the animation, but it also lent it a cute child-like whimsy that couldn't have been achieved through his normal medium. I would recommend this movie, but i wouldn't lead anyone to believe that they would be floored by it's production.

"They say all foxes are slightly allergic to linoleum, but it's cool to the paw - try it. They say my tail needs to be dry cleaned twice a month, but now it's fully detachable - see? They say our tree may never grow back, but one day, something will. Yes, these crackles are made of synthetic goose and these giblets come from artificial squab and even these apples look fake - but at least they've got stars on them. I guess my point is, we'll eat tonight, and we'll eat together. And even in this not particularly flattering light, you are without a doubt the five and a half most wonderful wild animals I've ever met in my life. So let's raise our boxes - to our survival." - Mr. Fox

Death At A Funeral

07.16.10

Death At A Funeral

(2007)

Starring: Matthew Macfadyen, Andy Nyman, Ewen Bremner

Jane: Would you like a cup of tea, Sandra?
Sandra: Tea can do many things, Jane, but it can't bring back the dead.

Not yet this year have i watched a film that made me laugh so hard i cried. Hilarious is the only word i can use to describe this witty British comedy. The dynamic between all of the characters was beyond brilliant. The humor from the cast is contagious and the viewer feels as if they've been hurled into the eye of a hazardous family storm. One unfortunate event after another marks a day in the life of Matthew Macfadyen's Fathers funeral. Accidental psychedelic drug episodes, crabby old men, sibling rivalry, and dissatisfied gay-lovers are only a tip of the catastrophic iceberg that make up Death at A Funeral.

New Moon: Twilight

07.08.10

Twilight: New Moon

(2010)

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

As a whole, i haven't really jumped on the whole Twilight bandwagon, but was somehow corralled into watching the teenage vampire crazed movie. Compared to the first film of the series this was far superior in the special effects department and even the story construction. I'm under the impression that the two werewolves fighting was where much of the special effects budget was spent and it was well worth it! The story would not have made much sense to a viewer who had missed out on the prequel, it was constructed almost like a giant inside joke that anyone missed the first film would have felt extremely left out of. The acting was moderate to poor and not even the attractive Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautener could outshine that fact. Overall, I was entertained, but the two hour viewing time did begin to drag about an hour and fifteen minutes in. Not a movie i'd recommend or speak highly of, but it was exactly what it was intended to be, a film for the generation who missed out on Harry Potter.

Gummo

07.03.10
Gummo
(1997)
Directed & Written by Harmony Korine

"Life is beautiful. Really, it is. Full of beauty and illusions. Life is great. Without it, you'd be dead"- Solomon


I don't know where to begin. Gummo is a movie, who's haunting images will be burned forever into the back of my eyelids. Harmony Korine created a world for the big screen not often given any thought in the star studded Hollywood world, the extremely poverty stricken middle America family. The scene is set in a small town by the name of Xenia, Ohio before it's destruction by a tornado in the early 1970's. Poor teens shooting cats to get money to huff glue, hidden sexuality, the rotting stench of machine-hindered death, family proctered prostitution, and many other harsh realities are overwhelming. Gummo is so realistic you can almost smell the aroma of the scene, a fact which caused me to feel physically sick during the film. All of these things are artfully couched in innuendo, and many of the atrocities are left to the imagination, which makes them all the more potent. Harmony, in an interview for the film stated that he didn't want any one story or main character, he simply wished to create bits and pieces of life, a goal he most effectively achieved. Only five of people in the entire cast of Gummo were professional actors, the rest made up of locals. The heartbreaking stories that come floating to the grimy surface of Gummo will do nothing less than leave a deep marking impression on your mind. A must see.