With at least 2 certified cult classics under her belt (Near Dark, Point Break), Kathryn Bigelow is one of the most significant female action directors...ever. That's partly because few other women have tried to do what she does. It's also because she makes visually beautiful films with the occasional poetic flourish uncharacteristic of action filmmaking and pretty much everything else out there. Co-directed and co-written by Bigelow's college classmate (and future Wild at Heart producer) Monty Montgomery, The Loveless marks the debut of both Bigelow and one of the finest character actors of his generation, Willem Dafoe. Light on story but heavy on attitude and style, the film's 50s-inspired rockabilly flavor is occasionally reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's best work. While Bigelow went on to bigger and better things, this was an interesting start.
If you told me that Lars Von Trier kept actors in sensory deprivation for sixteen days prior to shooting a TV commercial, I'd probably believe you (if you're trying to produce unusual emotions, it's not a bad idea). But the part of this video that really won me over is this: "the ads took over one year to complete due to Von Trier's decision to wire his own jaw shut and communicate with the cast and crew in a form of sign language he created himself." On first viewing, I appreciated this as a tribute to Von Trier, but now I'm starting to fear that it's a straight-up parody. If the latter is true, I'm not convinced that The Onion "gets" Von Trier's peculiar sense of humor. The high concept gestures they appear to be mocking (ie. Dogme, The Idiots, The Five Obstructions) had tongue-in-cheek comic intentions all along.
Since everyone else seems to be blogging live about the Oscars, we figured we should... be like everyone else. We all have our own Oscar night favorites, but there's at least one thing we all agree on: Avatar is bad news. No offense Avatar fans, but in spite of our shared pre-release enthusiasm/curiosity, none of us understand what all the fuss is about. In fact, it's fair to say that we're all pretty anti-Avatar. So keep that in mind as you read our distinctly anti-Navi Oscar night play-by-play.
JD: This everyone-on-stage opening is embarrassing.
NK: This is such a weirdly coordinated, humorless thing. It's like a Miss America pageant.
SD: I love Neil Patrick Harris, but this is terrible. I feel like I'm on a cruise ship.
One of the most beloved films in the history of Hollywood, The African Queen is finally making its long overdue debut on DVD. For years, fans have been begging for a release of this scrappy comic adventure featuring what may be the finest performances of Humpherey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn's storied careers. It's also one of John Huston's most charmingly laid back, yet utterly enthralling pictures. A cursory glance at the transfer on this disc -- I'll take a closer look when I get my hands on the Blu-ray -- suggests that it was worth the wait. Paramount has not only cleaned-up the film, they've also dared to remove distracting distortion from the original rear projection shots, giving the film a visual clarity it never quite achieved, but always desperately wanted.
With the inspired curatorial assistance of one-time Godard collaborator Jean-Pierre Gorin, the Cinematheque Ontario has put together a pair of outstanding programmes on the essay film in recent months. The current programme is especially notable for its inclusion of Thom Andersen's much-admired, rarely-seen gift to cinephiles, Los Angeles Plays Itself. This is a witty and insightful dissection of Los Angeles (not "L.A.," Andersen insists) as represented in (mostly) Hollywood cinema. Surpassing even Martin Scorsese's epic pair of cinephilic essay films (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies, My Votage to Italy) in the diversity, complexity and originality of its ideas, Los Angeles Plays Itself is essential viewing for anyone with an insatiable appetite for film history -- or history as defined by films.
One of the greatest film directors, Max Ophuls created at least two masterpieces: Letter from an Unknown Woman and The Earrings of Madame de. Legend has it his final film, Lola Montès, is also a masterpiece, but it has been difficult to verify that claim. After a disastrous Paris premiere in 1955, the film’s producers attempted to increase its commercial viability by cutting scenes and remixing the sound. At the end of 1956, it was further re-edited, which some argue may have hastened the director’s death in 1957. In 1968, producer Pierre Braunberger bought the rights and re-edited Lola Montès into something approximating the original version... but with washed-out visuals. Using digital technology, the Cinémathèque française created a completely restored version, now released on Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection. Was the 55-year wait worth it? Certainly. Is Lola Montès another Ophuls masterpiece? Probably not.
Small-scale horror productions typically yield iffy results. Then again, many of the genre’s standouts were made cheaply and, for that reason, effectively. On that note, how The House of the Devil got stuck with an infinitesimal theatrical run to coincide with a hopeless video-on-demand run is anyone’s guess. The latest indie-horror offering from Ti West (The Roost, Trigger Man) -- discounting that god-awful Cabin Fever sequel he tried to remove his name from -- even managed to receive raves from non-horror critics and boasted some of the coolest retro promo art ever.
by Jonathan Doyle and Neil Karassik
(with special guests Sarah Duda and Ken Stuebing)
At the conclusion of our recent Blaxploitation Marathon, we jokingly hinted at Vol. 2. Well, it looks like it's happening. The first marathon was a spontaneous reaction to a) Black Dynamite and b) a cold winter weekend in Toronto with not much going on. This time, a lot more thought went into the game plan.
Based on Shutter Island's effective, but relatively generic trailer, you'd have no way of knowing that this seemingly by-the-numbers horror film is actually one of Martin Scorsese's most ambitious, assured and enigmatic films to date. There's a tendency to speak of Scorsese's considerable talents in terms of "technical virtuosity," as if he simply knows how to push the right buttons on the tools at his disposal. However, as Shutter Island proves, this technical skill is at the service of something much more substantial: Scorsese's incredibly rich and original imagination. He shoots scenes in a manner that is visually striking, yes, but he also invests even the most mundane moments with unexpected detail, insight and purpose. He's the consummate filmmaker, but with the wealth of wildly original ideas on display here, you get the sense that he could thrive in any creative field.
While Vivian Girls lack the irreverent feminist spirit of The Fabulous Stains -- and this Stains clip doesn't capture the more rocking, Vivian Girls-like sound they develop later in Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains -- these bands have a lovable tunelessness in common. It should also be noted that The White Stripes were kind of named after the Stains' hairstyles... I think. Watch the trailer and you'll see what I mean. -- JD
Hardcore
(Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 9.14.2004)
After making an incredibly visceral, politically-charged directorial debut with the strangely forgotten Blue Collar, Paul Schrader wrote and directed this absorbing, but bizarrely square companion piece to Taxi Driver. Standing-in for Schrader's own Calvinist father (a fact Schrader has acknowledged in print), George C. Scott plays a staunchly religious widower from Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose teenaged daughter abandons him -- for a life in porn.
Even more Grindhouse than Grindhouse, Scott Sanders’ super sly sophomore feature satirizes, deconstructs and duly honors seventies-era blaxploitation cinema with intelligent affection. In roughly the same tradition as the Wayans’ I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and the craptastic Eddie Griffin vehicle Undercover Brother, Black Dynamite re-establishes the black counter-culture genre’s trademark clichés: pimps, ho's, nun chucks, a general porno ambiance, insane conspiracy curveballs... and all that jive.
by Jonathan Doyle and Neil Karassik
(with special guest Sarah Duda)
It's been almost three years since our last DVD Marathon, but this weekend we're bringing the tradition back! In honor of recent blaxploitation gem Black Dynamite and its impending DVD/Blu-ray release (expect a review from Neil Karassik in a few days), we're watching/re-watching some blaxploitation classics this weekend. It's Black Film History Month, suckas!
So keep checking this space. We just opened some forties (seriously) and we're kicking-things-off with Melvin Van Peebles' Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song -- on Criterion laserdisc!
File under long-rumored, but we’ve just received word that Quentin Tarantino’s years-in-gestation new project is going to be an in-name-only remake of Enzo G. Castellari’s giddy WWII-set macaroni combat flick (legit subgenre, honest), The Inglorious Bastards. If this review were written when Castellari's film was initially released on DVD two years back, it would begin somewhat like that. A year and a half later, as Severin's Blu-ray upgrade hits stores, Tarantino’s bizarrely-spelled Inglourious Basterds is the certified recipient of conflicted critical acclaim, Tarantino's best box office performance to date, a swift home video release and eight Oscar nominations. But Tarantino and Castellari's films have little in common -- other than their title(s) and their totally goofball takes on World War 2.
Somewhere between the age when kids learn to speak and the age when they stop being cute, they develop a lethal, extremely offputting habit: manipulating people with their cuteness. There's that knowing glint in their eyes. They know they're cute and they know they can use it to get stuff. That's Zooey Deschanel in a nutshell. For a while, the strong-willed, opinionated awkwardness of her screen persona (in movies like Mumford, Almost Famous and All the Real Girls) was a breath of fresh air, but then she got comfortable and settled into the relaxed, carefree cuteness of Audrey Hepburn, but with the crucial lack of Hepburn's foreign discomfort. Deschanel always seems comfortable onscreen, casually cueing the responses of the audience and her fellow characters. This cuteness is lethal and in (500) Days of Summer it's supposed to be.
This bizarre-looking movie is pretty hard-to-see -- as far as I can tell, it's not even listed on imdb -- but it's definitely out there somewhere. Thanks to DiscLand contributor Jason Woloski for bringing this Jimmy Buffett-scored oddity to my attention. He's seen Tarpon... and he totally vouches for it. -- JD
Pauline Kael in Conversation
These videos have some strange technical glitches -- and the intro is repeated in each clip -- but this is a rare chance to see legendary film critic Pauline Kael in conversation. People who take issue with her occasionally harsh, contrarian approach to film criticism may be surprised by the humor, enthusiasm and level-headedness she exhibits here, but I always thought these qualities were pretty evident in her writing. Either way, prepare for some enlightening thoughts on the work of Robert Preston, John Boorman, Sidney Lumet, Paul Newman, etc. -- JD
For reasons that should be obvious in a minute, this holiday classic rarely gets the attention or airplay it deserves. Produced by MGM on the eve of World War II, Peace on Earth is too dark and depressing for the the happy-go-lucky tastes of today's parents, but it's an extremely potent anti-war message movie. Seventy years later, it still packs a punch. Below Peace on Earth, you'll find its lesser, but still quite effective Hanna-Barbera re-make, Good Will to Men. -- JD
Whether you love this time of year or can't wait for the hoopla to end, this mix of cheerful and chilly movies should help get you through the holi-daze. To read any of these reviews from DiscLand circa 2006, click on the corresponding thumb nails.
Of particular note is The Junky's Christmas, which has become a surprising holiday staple for me since reviewing this disc three years ago (it's depressing, yet oddly touching... uplifting even). While you should definitely get your hands on this DVD, there isn't much time left before Christmas -- so I've included the complete short (in four brief chapters) below. -- JD
Quentin Tarantino’s madcap blend of world history, film history and faux history sparked one of this year’s most divisive debates amongst cineastes -- it seemed as though critics and audiences were either dubbing it his best or his worst. For me, QT’s latest genre riff falls somewhere in between, and considering that all of his films are essential viewing, no matter how off-balance or over-indulgent they tend to get, that’s nothing to moan about.
