And Now, For Something Completely Different...

Welcome to my movie blog where today I'll be reviewing a book.

It's another Woody (Allen) Wednesday and I have officially caught up for the ones I've missed *holding for applause*.  Now, as you may have figured out, my love for Woody Allen expands above and beyond my love for any other director.  I own his movies, a t-shirt with his face on it, a poster, I quote him all the time, he is my phone's wallpaper, and I own his books (also want to point out none of this is creepy I just idealize the man).  Yes, I own his books and not just books where he is interviewed, or people write about him, although I own a few of them, but books written by him.  I thought I'd be a nice change of pace if I reviewed one of them, Without Feathers.

Without Feathers, along with many other books by Allen, is a compilation of short stories and plays originally written for newspapers and magazines while Allen himself struggled to break into the movie business (in fact I believe many were written while he was in Europe waiting to film Casino Royal.... I'm actually kinda positive, probably shouldn't know this off the top of my head but what the hell I do). Now my attention span is short, very short, I've walked away from this computer multiple times while in the middle of writing a single post, yet I somehow sat down and finished this book within a few hours.  I have mentioned here before how I am more a watcher than a reader and yet I love this book more than almost half the movies I've seen.

In particular a play entitled, Death (A Play).  I want to see this play performed, put on a stage, somewhere, anywhere.  It is just too good to sit in a book unread by so many people.  I have personally bookmarked this play, highlighted it, and handed it off to a friend while crying.  Perhaps my favorite lines of dialogue to have ever been written resides in this play (and now on this blog): "I'm not afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens."  Is your mind blown?  Is that not the most beautiful thing you've ever read?! Now read it in Woody's voice!  I'm sorry, I'm pressing the keys on the keyboard rather hard I'm so happy to be able to share this with you.  That's just one line in an otherwise Allenesque stream of conscious play, and entire book

Another play, God (A Play), breaks the 4th wall so many times I've lost track.  It features actors on stage, Allen himself as a director, and an audience of actors making the play you read on the page.  I reread line so many times in order to keep my head from exploding.  The play is extremely hilarious and also something I would pay to see performed, both plays feel like they belong in a movie ensemble similar to the format of Everything You Have Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Too Afraid to Ask.

In this book it is extremely apparent that Allen wrote whatever he could think of and whatever, to him, was funny. Fortunately, what's funny for him turned out to be funny for just about everyone and a few years after they were published, Woody was steadily becoming one of the greatest, well-known directors of his time. Years later, in the early 80s, those publications were put into book form where they now sit, on my bookshelf, surrounded by multiple other Woody Allen books.

The books doesn't necessarily make sense, I'd be lying if I said I understood what he meant by half the stories but that is part of the comical appeal.  It is a humor book, and I know many people don't find reading fun but I died of laughter in a public park reading this, certainly you will too.  It is not too long, I'd give the precise page count except I've lent it to someone.  I would also like to recommend that if this book is something that interests you, look into his other three master pieces as well.  I have not fully finished them all, although I do own them, but I have read halfway through them and cannot wait to have the time to read further, in fact, I'll start now.

I'll be back to movies on the next post!

Sleeper (Woody Allen Wednesday make-up)

My best friend's mom apparently recommended I watch this movie after she found out I loved Woody Allen. According to my friend, and I'm paraphrasing here, "have you seen that one where he's frozen? Apparently that's good."  For all intense and purposes, she was right.  Sleeper was one of Woody's earlier films, not long after Take the Money and Run and both had the same slap stick quality to them that I have come to love as classic Woody Allen humor.

The introduction quite clearly lays out a future in which an organization wakes a man who has been frozen since the 70s, Mile Monroe, played by Woody Allen.  The organization bestows upon Miles the duty of gaining government secrets and stopping the "Aires Project" since he does not have an identity in society and thus can infiltrate the oppressive government structure without notice.  Along the way Miles is forced to go undercover as a robot servant where he meets Diane Keaton's character Luna. Luna is happy with the structure of the government being as how she is basically programmed and lied to in a society based on sex and drugs.  Miles kidnaps her and introduces her to the underground, anarchist movement to which she becomes a major part in.

The political undertones, while not necessarily relating to anything in actual society, were reminiscent of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.  If you are familiar with the book and you may be pleasantly surprised by how the two share similar government and societal structures.  Having said that, I love Allen's movie WAY more if only because the comical perspective was more entertaining.  If Allen himself were trying to make a political stance, I don't know, but it is quite clear that the government in this movie is too controlling and must be handled.

As I mentioned earlier, the comical partitives to Sleeper are quite note worthy.  As is the case with many of Allen's earlier films, Take the Money and Run, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Too Afraid To Ask, Bananas, and even Annie Hall, there is a classic set of humor that I can only classify as Allenesque.  As you get later into his filmography this comical undertone is still apparent  yet not as slap stick as it appears here in Sleeper.  I, personally, love the comedy found in these films and find their successors just as funny.  If you are not familiar with many of his earlier works you may be surprised by the amount you'll be laughing.

Sleeper had a Charlie Chaplin-esque feel about it as well.  Most noteworthy being the giant fruit scene in which Miles breaks onto a farm to steal a piece of giant food to eat while hiding in the woods.  The scene is filled with music as Miles scurries away back into the woods while supposedly being chased by the farm's owner.  One could watch this movie with the sound off and enjoy it just as much as someone who has the sound blaring.

For one of his earliest works I still consider Sleeper to be one of Allen's bests (yes, I do say that about everyone of his movies).  It is comical and interesting especially since we are almost living in the future that Allen tried to describe.  I can't wait until I have my robot servant though, maybe I'll dress up as one next Halloween.

My Halloween costume one year

My Top Ten Movies

I'm always asked what my favorite movie is.  This is a huge problem considering the fact that I can't remember the last five I've even watched, there are too many.  I love movies, as if that we not already apparent by the fact that you are on my movie blog.  So when I say I can't possibly limit it to one someone raises the stakes to "top five" still impossible.  So here you have it folks (and I'll also post it below my top 5 directors) my top ten favorite movies.

Woody Allen's Manhattan (which may actually be my favorite)

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo

Darren Aronofsky's Pi

Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting

Zach Braff's Garden State (I was recently reminded of my love for this movie when a friend discovered Scrubs.  I cannot wait for Wish I Was Here)

Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs

Billy Wider's The Apartment

George Lucas' Star Wars (part of me wants to defend my nerdy side but this is who I am, deal)

John Landis' Animal House

Mary Harron's American Psycho

Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen Wednesday make-up)

Blue Jasmine was the first Woody Allen movie I have ever seen in theaters.  I know it makes no sense but I have this irrational fear of going to the movies alone.  The reason it makes no sense is I used to work at one and hundreds of people would go in by themselves daily and I never gave it a second thought. When faced with the idea of doing this myself, however, I felt like a total loser.  But I needed to see this movie and I needed to see it in theaters.  So I gathered up the courage, stuck some cheap candy in my bag, and headed to the theater.  I was early and the theater was quite empty, mind you I saw it it's third week in theaters, so I sent a text to my dad asking what loser status I was at going to a Woody Allen movie by myself.  He quickly answered I was, in fact, the biggest loser, thank you dad.  Yet I was still determined to see this movie, dammit.  Slowly the theater filled, as only a Woody Allen movie could, with couples and friends of multiple ages, all brought together for the same work of art.  Even then, three weeks after it's release, on a holiday weekend (it was Yom Kippur and although I should have been hidden away, cut off from society somewhere, I was there) the theater became packed.  Looking around I was probably the only one alone, and the youngest, but I was still among my people, the fans of the greatest director of all time.

I watched the movies in awe, the rest of the world didn't exist, I wouldn't allow it to.  I was so captivated by perhaps one of the best acting performances I'd ever seen and a plot that was interestingly simplistic and beautifully masterful all that the same time.  As if I could love Cate Blanchett any more after her work in Lord of the Rings, her performance in this movie had me unable to breathe it was so believable and touching.  I have been hearing reviews about Blue Jasmine since it came out and the one repetitive claim is that the acting in this movie was phenomenal.  I could not agree with anything else more.  Not only by Blanchett, who portrays Jasmine, but by the entire cast!  The emotionally bondage I felt to these characters was unmeasurable to anything I'd ever watched before.  Aided by Sally Hawkins, Ginger (Jasmine's sister), the female duo creates a wonderful sisterly bond and friendship.  Both teaching and learning from the other, Ginger mostly learning to not be her sister and instead be herself.  The male entourage: Alec Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavalle, Peter Sarsgaard, and Louis C. K. also gave memorable performances, and I will admit that when I saw the cast list I was a bit concerned, I was proven wrong on so many levels.  (Also I didn't know it was possible for me to hate a character played by Louis C. K.)  The acting and connections that the acting created made the movie, as it is a character driven movie rather than plot.

The way the movie flowed was very characteristic of Woody Allen, told through the memory sequences of Jasmine to her marriage with Hal, Baldwin.  It was a failed marriage of course filled with cheating and lying, another signature of most Allen films.  The story follows Jasmine after a failed marriage with the rich and successful Hal, after which she moves to California to be with her sister after she's supposedly lost everything.  We learn a lot about Jasmine through her interactions with a fellow passenger on the plane who leaves and tells her husband she has no idea who Jasmine is or why she was talking to her, supposedly she'd started by talking to herself (foreshadowing of Jasmine's ill mental state).  We learn that Ginger is divorced and her ex, Augie, Clay, that Jasmine is a bit "stuck up".  We follow the story and learn about Hal's unfaithfulness and his scamming ways which caused Jasmine to become broke. Other information is revealed to the viewer in further flashbacks and Jasmine's interactions with her estranged son.

Jasmine is a pretentious, snobby, and narcissistic woman who, despite her bankruptcy and dependency on her sister, still believes she is better than everyone.  She tries to tell Ginger how to run her life and in the process drives her away.  She is incapable to be honest with herself and in turn others which make it impossible for her to make new relationships and destroys them if she does.  She goes from having everything to having nothing, we see the cause and effect of her actions and the downfall of a powerful woman into, almost, insanity.  Never has a character been so well rounded and beautifully captured withing 90 minutes as Jasmine, not to mention had a beautifully depressing story and amazing supporting cast.

I was stuck in my seat for a good five minutes as the credits rolled.  Not quite sure what to do with myself from there.  I wanted more of the story yet I was content where it let off.  I wanted to see more of the characters but I had a good idea where they were going.  I really had no unanswered questions that should be answered.  Truth be told I just wanted more of Woody Allen's work.  I am never let down, and Blue Jasmine certainly lived up to expectations.

Blue Jasmine is completely beautiful and I can't wait to see what comes next year.

Cate Blanchett (Jasmine) and Sally Hawkins (Ginger)

The Apartment

Yes, another Billy Wilder review.

This movie was recommended to me by a friend and usually I procrastinate watching movies I haven't chosen myself, it's sort of a pride thing and a product of being told what to do for years.  Anyway, a Billy Wilder recommendation seemed to me too good a movie to pass up.  I was not wrong.

C. C. Baxter is special.  Not special because of a talent of intelligence, but because he has the key.  The key to his apartment.  Everyone at Baxter's job is willing to help him get promoted in exchange for his key and the use of his apartment for their affairs and privacy.  This of course gives Baxter the upper hand at work but destroys his personal life as his neighbors believe him to be a creep and he can never actually go home.  Baxter's new boss and head of the company ends up wanting to use Baxter's apartment with the elevator girl Fran whom Baxter is interested in.  Unfortunately, Fran is very into Sheldrake, Baxter's married boss, who leaves her alone in the apartment on Christmas to be with his family.  Fran swallows all of Baxter's sleeping pills and when he returns he finds her half dead. Luckily a neighbor is a doctor and saves her, leaving Baxter to care for her. There is more of course but I refuse to ruin the ending.

This movie is steadily becoming my second favorite of all time (nothing surpasses Woody Allen's Manhattan).  This is surprising since I'm not usually one for romance, The Apartment is one of the few exceptions to this rule (yes, most movies have a hint of romance but this one is full one romance with a hint of comedy).  The plot and acting were so strong that I was captivated for the entire 2 hours.  As if I needed another reason to love John Lemmon after Some Like it Hot, Billy Wilder gives me more excuses to compare him to the always fantastic, never disappointing, James Stewart.  Both actors put on brilliant performances that are both interesting and captivating.  While I usually fall for a director's work a proceed to view multiple movies of theirs, very few times am I actually so motivated to follow an actor's works.  Expect me to be writing more reviews about John Lemmon and, what I am sure, his brilliant work.

The movie begins with one of the most beautiful monologues ever (though I am a fool for facts and figures) as Baxter rants about the number of people who work in his office and the hours and himself working late.  Taken out of context one might think this is a movie about a normal business worker and his hard work to get promoted, and honestly if he worked those hours without ulterior motives he'd get the promotion without sacrificing his apartment.  This opening monologue is interesting though and a great lead in to the entire motivations behind Baxter's actions.

As always Wilder does a fantastic job of creating a movie I can't help but become attached to, even after just one viewing.  His movies are ones that I am willing to sacrifice sleep, work, and society for.  I become so emotionally entrapped in the world he has creating that our own does not seem as bright, despite being in black and white.  The characters in this movie are just everyday people like you and I, and their interactions are  common (It was also useful in telling me how to get ahead at work!  If anyone is hiring and need to use my dorm I'm your girl).

The audience is given the upper hand of knowing Fran's relationship with Baxter's boss before Baxter himself is aware.  The dramatic irony leading up to Baxter's discovery are painful to watch as her, for lack of better terms, makes an ass out of himself trying to impress her.  I sat on the edge of my seat for a good half hour just waiting for the characters to catch up to my knowledge.  A painful half hour that I am most certainly a better person for (I hope).

I don't think I've ever felt so happy for a character and as fulfilled as I was at the end of this movie. Certainly other endings have made me happy but I got everything I wanted out of this movie as the credits rolled.  If it hadn't been 3am the night before my 9am class I would have most certainly played it again.  This is also the movie that pushes Billy Wilder onto my top 5 directors list (sorry Kubrick, I still love you).

Some Like it Hot

Back from hiatus and I'm just going to jump back in with another Wilder movie and then another. Don't like it?  Then you picked the wrong blog to read.

Some Like it Hot probably wouldn't be viewed as taboo as it may have been when it was originally released in the late 50s.  It focuses on the prohibition era of the 20s and two musicians, Joe and Jerry, who witness a "mob hit".  Unfortunately, the mob head notices them and refuses to leave witnesses, ordering they be killed.  Fretting for their lives the men flee to Florida as part of an all girls band, adapting the alter egos of Daphne (Jerry) and Josephine (Joe).  Only problem is Sugar, Marilyn Monroe whom Joe, falls for.  Immediately the two men are thrown further into their lie, Joe pretending to be two people he is not, Josephine and the heir to the Shell oil industry to impress Sugar, and Daphne, gets caught in a love affair with a rich man who believes he is a woman.  As if that weren't enough, the mob ends up in Florida and finds out who they really are, leading to a whole chase.

The movie is a combination of romance, suspense, and hilarity.  The characters are hilarious in both of their personas and you can't help but get caught up in the drama they create for themselves.  Once you believe that they are in the clear and have rid themselves of the danger of being caught, another problem arises and in the ends leads us into a Scooby Doo chase with multiple costume changes and random door exits.

The premise is one that is absolutely ridiculous in and of itself, two men as women and traveling with a band and no one noticing they don't belong?  Not very likely, but I will expand my disbelief to unmeasurable bounds if only to have the ending that I get here.

The acting is also superb.  As I mentioned in the review of the Seven Year Itch, I must commemorate the acting of Marilyn Monroe.  She plays the same ditzy blonde here of course, and reminds me where we get stereotypes, but I couldn't hate her.  I learned more about Sugar in this movie than I did the main characters Joe and Jerry.  Yet the character development is one of my favorite things about this movie.  Not only do we learn about Joe and Jerry but we watch as they create new identities and stories for those identities.  Within this movie we have two characters playing five different people each of which has a very distinct and differential personality.  The character shifts are also very easy to follow.  Joe who is at first opposed to the idea of dressing up as a woman quickly jumps on board to save his life.  He acts professional until he notices how great Sugar is and creates a completely new personality to suit her needs.  Jerry, on the other hand, is furious with Joe to start but quickly becomes excited when surrounded by the woman's band.  Still mad at Joe, he disdainfully agrees to "wing man" his date with Sugar by going out with a rich old man.  The next morning Jerry, as Daphne, is happily engaged.  The shifts are notable and hilarious, I cannot unsee John Lemmon happily shaking maracas dressed as a soon to be married woman (as I will mention in my next blog John Lemmon is one of my favorite actors and certainly an asset to this movie and cinema in general).

I have been asked if I've seen this movie hundreds of times, and sometimes I see it advertised as playing in theaters, they do that in my hometown, but I am unhappy to admit I had never before last week.  This is certainly a movie I believe everyone should have the joy of watching.  There have been so many adaptations into modern movies, White Chicks, that I it is still relevant today.

Certainly one of Billy Wilder's greatest movies, it's hard to order them, but definitely among the top 5. If you want to watch something wildly hilarious and a bit chaotic, watch this movie.

Oy Vey, reasons I've been away

I have not forgotten about you blog, I've just been tired, busy, and, sadly, sick.  I hope to be back on track soon.  I realize I had a goal of critiquing a movie a day this month, and damn I was close, and maybe I'll pursue this again, but until now expect me to be back next week at the latest.  I will be resuming with the Woody (Allen) Wednesday post I should be writing today.

Until then, check out some work I've been doing and critique that: http://www.youtube.com/user/Alienation3rdKind/videos



Thanks for sticking in there guys.
And like Schwarzenegger in Terminator,  I'll be back.

Harmony and Me

This review is the combination of My Dinner with Andre and Lars and the Real Girl, I don't really know what I love so much about this independent movie cause nothing spectacular or amazing really happens.  In fact nothing happens.  The title interested me and it was only upon viewing the movie the hundredth time I realized the male protagonist's, Justin Rice, name is Harmony.  Even then I still have no idea who the me is supposed to be and it should be Harmony and I, but I digress.  

The story centers on the character of Harmony who is heart broken after a recent breakup.  He is kind of a pansy but you can't help but feel pity for the guy if only cause the people he's surrounded by are utter assholes.  Hey, breakups are hard, and the movies about them are numerous but for some reason I love this one the most, if only cause it feels real.  By real I mean almost unbearable to watch, in the good way, the emotionally empathy I feel for Harmony is so much more than any famous, gorgeous actor in Hollywood Romance movies who will surely get the girl in the end.  

In reality, Harmony is all of us after a break up.  Granted we aren't all going to wear a heart necklace and bring up our breakup to everybody, but we'll want to.  You want to spend time with friends and family and be reassured that there's someone better and they really weren't that great, but not all of us are greeted with dysfunctional messages at all ends, like Harmony is.  Perhaps the easy summation as to why this movie works is that simple: I like Harmony.  He is a genuine character that represents a great majority of people.  He is relatable while still being unrelatable.  Also, it was interesting to see a breakup from only a male perspective, and not the everyday guy you would expect but a genuinely kind guy.  That isn't to say that you don't get a glimpse of his girlfriend, Jessica.  The few glimpses into Jessica you see just add to the sympathy you already feel for Harmony and make you not want the cliche Hollywood "re-hookup".

It has the feeling of a documentary with rough cuts and vague notions of time.  Seriously cheap and easy to make it makes me feel like I could pick up my hand held camera and video tape the everyday shit that happens to me, I won't because it still wouldn't be as interesting as this movie.  The writer and director, Bob Byington, did a fantastic job at creating a character driven and oriented movie that truly made me feel rather than think.  This is not a bad thing, in fact I rather enjoyed just rewatching this movie  (also Netflix kept recommending it). Byington also makes a short cameo in the film as Harmony's brother Jim, which I didn't know the first time I watched it, but has since added to the dark comedy I already found in Harmony's interactions, especially with his family.

On a cool side note, I was researching the people in this movie, many of whom aren't really known for anything else, and found that Justin Rice, Harmony, who sings a song and plays piano in this movie, is credited most with songs and song writing in movies.  I just thought this was a cool little tidbit.  Any yes, there is music in this movie (please someone watch so when I break into the song "Finishing Touches" people will understand and stop staring).

Harmony keeping the harmony

Lars and the Real Girl

This movie is far too underrated for what it is.  Ignore the hipster in me when I say, "I saw this movie before it was popular," because after this review it will be (probably not, but a girl can hope).  I saw this movie back when it was released in 2007, back when I was actually figuring out what independent films were.  It's movies in this genre that you can thank for these posts and this entire blog.  Without movies like Lars, I would never have bothered delving into the unknown cinematic excellence you have probably come to know/expect (again, let a girl dream).  This is not to say the movie itself is anything revolutionary or spectacular, just something I'd never really seen before (I was only 13, give me a break).  I have since rewatched the movie so fear not, maturer me is the one writing this blog, and I still highly urge you to watch it, if only to chuckle at the idea that Ryan Gosling would date a doll.

The last line gives a pretty good overview of what the movie entails.  Lars (Ryan Gosling) lives next to his brother, Gus (Paul Schneider), and his pregnant wife, Karin (Emily Mortimer).  Lars is kind,church-going, naive man who gets along with everyone in the small town, but he is a bit strange.  Lars' cubicle mate shows him a website where you can order a realistic sex doll, which Lars does.  Not for sex, but for a girlfriend. Imagine a world where guys dated their sex dolls, hilariously pathetic and sad and it would be for Lars as well if you didn't feel so sorry for him.  At first everyone is creeped out and confused, especially Gus, but soon the entire town gets together to welcome Bianca (the sex doll) and help Lars.  It's actually touching.

As is the case with every independent movie, this was very low budgeted and nothing too spectacular happens, but the situation is so unique and interesting that it held my attention the entire time.  I always like to commemorated acting, but here a special round of applause is called for, if only because Ryan Gosling always plays the "cool" guy now (fuck Drive).

The characters, as well as, acting was done extremely well.  I felt for everyone in the movie  and respected how they each developed.  Especially the character of Lars.  We see how he is in the beginning and where he inevitable ends up, where we wanted him to be the entire time.  The use of Bianca as a catalyst for changing Lars was a tactic I'd never seen before and have yet to see in any other movie.  Bianca herself, although an inanimate sex doll, has her own story.  You really begin to feel as if Bianca is real.  She is personified in such a way that you want to believe that at any moment she'll wake up and treat Lars right (Chucky: Sex Doll go ahead and make that a Child's Play sequel).

The dialogue in this movie is also incredible, simplistic, and, at times, nonexistent.  One characteristic of Lars is a quiet, personal guy, who is often cut off from society in the garage he lives in.  the introduction of Bianca begins to bring him out of his shell and even attend parties.  He begins communicating with his family, who take care of Bianca, more to whom, even though he lives next door, he rarely spoke.  Yet Lars remains awkward, we see it in the beginning when Lars acts strange to a coworker who is flirting with him, and later, even after Bianca's arrival, where he doesn't want to talk to her doctor (actually his psychiatrist).  Lars has long conversations in silence with the doctor, these takes are often long and uncomfortable but great because they force you to be in the scene.

This movie is incredibly simplistic but original and quirky.  It isn't too long and it is worth the watch.  I do recommend checking it out.

Tell me this photo doesn't give you nightmares

La Strada (The Road)

Here he is, Zampano!

The more and more I watch of Fellini, the more I'm forced to ask myself which time of his work is my favorite.  Of course his neorealism movies like 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita are incomparable to any other movie and seeing anything done by Fellini during this time is easily identifiable as his own.  However, other works by Fellini are quite simplistic and not as outlandish as the two I mentioned.  La Strada is a perfect example of a Fellini work that doesn't necessarily scream his name, albeit his wife, Giulietta Masina, plays the lead.  One thing that I've found as a component in all Fellini films, no matter when, is that they each have a party scene and a clown-like character. I like think of this as his signature, and even works outside of neorealism contain this, La Strada especially.

La Strada follows the relationship of Gelsomnia and Zampano on "the road," (see where the title comes from?).  Zampano shows up at Gelsomnia's home bringing the news that her sister is dead and buys Gelsomnia from her mother for a great deal of money.  He takes her on the road to assist in his traveling art career where h breaks a chain with his lungs of steal. Gelsomnia is a weird woman and happily preforms for Zampano who treats her awfully and physically and emotionally abuses her and cheats.  Gelsomnia runs away and ends up witnessing a man tight rope walking, he turns out to be the Fool, an adversary of Zampano's.  When Zampano arrives and forces Gelsomnia to accompany him to a circus, they find the Fool works there.  A fight ensues which results in Zampano and the Fool going to jail.  Contrary to her own ideals Gelsomnia waits for Zampano and accompanies back on the road.

The passage of time in this movie isn't displayed too well, and I have no idea how much time passes from the beginning to the end, except on part where a woman says 4 or 5 years have passed since she's seen Gelsomnia.  Of course there are hints, for instance, Gelsomnia learns to play the trumpet, and it is implied that Gelsomnia has not been home for a long time.  We also see clear seasonal change, yet the movie never seems to move further.  The characters do not change much, Zampano is a rude, abusive person and Gelsomnia is a goofy woman who can't leave.

There is no real conflict throughout the movie, it is more of a character development, which is only apparently when you see the characters in the last 20 minutes of the movie.  Perhaps the thing to look at most is the road they took to get there (see what I did there?).  The way they became who they are at the end of the movie is what the whole movie is about and cannot truly be appreciated until the end.  There were dull moments but when I saw how they got to where they inevitably end my jaw hit the ground

Opposed to the neorealist movies of Fellini, La Strada is straight forward.  Everything actually happens without confusing dream o fantasy sequences, there aren't even memories.  Honestly while I was watching this I was heavily reminded of Bergman's Seventh Seal.  Perhaps this was due to the almost theatrical aspects of the movie along with many overlapping concepts, a traveling artist, living in a wagon, that theatrical acting,etc.  There were numerous things but the two are completely different overall, although I'd like to read a paper where someone compares the two... maybe I could write that paper...  Ideas people!

I digress, I was personally routing for Gelsomnia, she is innocent and naive.  Unfortunately bad things kept happening to her and people keep treating her awfully.  i was hoping that the Fool would be kind, yet he is as just as much an asshole as Zampano.  My empathy was expanded the entire movie and I believe this is due to the brilliant performance given by Giulietta Masina and Anthony Quinn's believable evil persona.

The plot was funny and simple, and if you like neorealistic Fellini it is interesting to watch the differences between this and movies like 8 1/2.  The movie is almost theatrical in a way, but adds to the expansion of disbelief that you can see Zampano preforming.  Anyway, highly recommend checking it out.

(Movie is in Italian and black and white)

Take the Money and Run

I'm not usually one for slap stick humor, usually I believe it to be a genre of only cheap laughs, yet as is the case with such classic movies like Airplane! I make an exception, Take the Money and Run is another great example of classic comedy.

The movie is set up like a documentary, much like Allen's later Zelig, about an aspiring criminal, Virgil Starkwell.  It follows Virgil through his many failed attempts at crimes and features interviews with those close to him.  Virgil is an awful criminal who's attempts at crime again and again end in disaster and time in jail.  Virgil even meets his wife while failing to steal her purse.  Virgil's main goal is to rob a bank, the only problem is that the heist is scheduled for the same day as another robbery.  Both groups go to jail and Virgil once again escapes.

If you are familiar with any of Allen's later films then you are very well acquainted with his type of humor, sophisticated yet juvenile (see Sleeper).  For instance, to get out of prison early Virgil becomes a gerbil in a medical experiment where he instantly becomes a Rabbi. When Virgil's parents are interviewed they refuse to have their real faces shown and instead wear masks.

There really isn't a moment in this movie where I had enough of the comedy, and there wasn't a moment that I didn't laugh.  Some reviews also say that the comedy is "outdated."  I have already addressed my hatred of that word in movie reviews (see Seven Year Itch) and it is even more ridiculous here.  Things that were comical in the 70s are still funny now, and Woody Allen is still relevant.

The inter-cuts of the interview kept reminding me I was just watching a movie and made me laugh at any idea this were possible.  While the expansion of my disbelief were not completely elevated the entire time, it kept me laughing.  The movie is presented as a serious documentary which adds to the comical appeal.

I don't know what else I can say about this movie other than it is a must see, especially if you like comedy.  This movie has many overlap to other media today, a comical shift on the normally serious prison movies, for instance, O' Brother Where Art Thou.

Woody (Allen) Wednesday

Of all the numerous directors, and all the fantastic films, Woody Allen reigns supreme (in my eyes, at least). It seems impossible that this far into this blog I have yet to mention even one of his films, but I just couldn't find the right way, the rights words, or the right movie to start with.  So why not just do them all?

I am proud to introduce Woody (Allen) Wednesday.  Every Wednesday until his filmography is done I will be reviewing a new Woody Allen movie, a challenge I gladly accept, although it will take a year (an impressive filmography).

Today I felt like it would only be appropriate to review Take the Money and Run (coming later today), the first movie Woody wrote, directed, and started in.  How I'll arrange them in the future, who knows?  I literally came up with this idea at 2am, give the gal a break.

Also I wanted to point out the irony of posting this following a Mia Farrow review.  If you have any criticisms towards Allen's work due to his life, leave them at the door.  I will hope you don't hold any prejudice against his work and keep an open mind/heart.  I will not be mentioning the Farrow/Allen fued other than in terms of how it affected/changed his work.

***DISCLAIMER*** I will say that every movie I review is "my favorite Woody Allen film and this is mostly true, I love everyone of his movies and as Woody (Allen) Wednesday gets further in you will surely realize this.  Having said this I will mostly try to focus on why I love that movie.  Also, my absolute favorite is Manhattan as you will learn when I eventually review that. In what I planned to be the third week, next week being his latest Blue Jasmine.  

Rosemary's Baby

Classic horror is the only real horror and Rosemary's Baby is certainly the epitome of classic horror. This movie is creepy, from the prologue music, hidden closet, creepy neighbors, to the impregnation scene.

The movie begins when Guy and Rosemary move into a new apartment, before belonging to an old deceased woman who suspiciously moved a wardrobe in front of a closet.  The neighbors are loud and can be heard through the walls and later Rosemary meets the neighbor's tenant who suspiciously commits suicide.  Soon the neighbors befriend Rosemary and Guy, Rosemary wishes to diverge from the neighbors but much to her dismay Guy continuously invites them over. One night, Rosemary imagines becoming impregnated by someone with evil eyes.  The following morning Rosemary is pregnant.

A long string of events takes place following the discovery, from Guy suddenly acting even stranger, Rosemary cutting off all her hair and suddenly becoming sickly, and the neighbors becoming overly involved in Rosemary's pregnancy.  A Rosemary's brings up his concerns for Rosemary's safety and brings up the ideas of "covens."  Unfortunately he becomes sick before telling Rosemary what he has found out about the building, her neighbors, and most importantly her baby.  (I won't give any more away as it would most likely ruin the movie).

As is always the case with Mia Farrow, the acting was stupendous.  In fact, it was this movie that really interested me in her later work, albeit the fact that she ended up in Woody Allen films would have eventually acquainted me with her none the less.  The performance is only comparable to Janet Leigh in Psycho, both classic women in classic horror movies.  The symbolism of Rosemary cutting her hair leads to a completely different characters, curious, ghastly, and scared about what is going on around her is powerful and rightly displayed.

I won't lie, I hated this movie the first time I saw it.  I was infuriated by the ending yet in hindsight I believe this was evoking a strong emotional response.  In fact many of the actual discoveries made in the movie and how everything unfolded had me yelling at the screen and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.  The concept of a happy ending doesn't really apply here, although I had no idea why I expected one after all the crap the characters had to go through.

Throughout the movie there are many interesting scenes that I still don't quite c=gather to this day. Rosemary sees a nun one day boarding up windows, yet she is in bed, possibly a dream (nightmare) although possibly a memory.  She has a similar scene while becoming impregnated, although here we can assume it is what actually happened.  These scenes were incomparable to anything I've ever seen before, in fact the entire movie is quite unique, though since then it has inspired many movies.

This movie has many long scenes and a large introduction, yet when the action actually starts it keeps you on the edge of your seat.  While I do believe many scenes could be cut shorter, overall the movie was so good otherwise that I don't even notice them anymore.  The movie is long, 2 hours and 15 minutes (just about).

(  Sorry if this is a bit rushed or disorderly, I am sick and was just trying to get it out as fast as possible.  Expect it to be updated as soon as tomorrow.  )

My Dinner with Andre

Sometimes I'll watch a movie and ask myself, "I love it, but why do I love it?"  After a few watches I'll be able to answer this question and still go "ah! I never noticed that part of this movie before."  The point I'm trying to make isn't that I talk to myself a lot, or even that I rewatch a lot of movies, but I'm trying to point out that even after watching My Dinner with Andre multiple times, I still have no idea why I find it so appealing.

I found this movie from an episode of Community, which very closely plays homage to it in the episode Critical Film Studies (it was only a matter of time before I mentioned this show in this blog and I think this is the right post to do it in). I was lost during the entire episode and have since, of course, checked out the movie, as I have been known to do (hello, this is a film blog).  Anyway, I'm glad the show introduced me to this movie cause it is perhaps one of my favorites.

Have you ever met up with an old friend and just sat in a restaurant catching up?  Neither one of you touches the food even after the waiter has put it on the table because you don't want to break a story.  I have become quite accustomed to this way of life since starting college and moving to another state.  An entire year may go by before I return home and have dinner with a friend.  There is so much to catch up on that you don't know where to begin and, hell, you never want it to end. There is no plot to My Dinner with Andre, there are just two men, old friends, Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, sharing a meal and stories.  Many of the stories belong to Andre, who has been off having crazy adventures and exploring.  The only real stories we hear from Wally are in the beginning when he is narrating about not wanting to see Andre, whom he assumes has gone nuts.

I wanted to come into this blog with an idea of why I love this movie so much, and the only idea I've concluded to is that it is real.  Nothing "Hollywood" happens.  There is one set, albeit the few outside shot of Wally in the beginning, and minimalist characters.  The restaurant isn't crowded and when the conversation is over the entire place is empty, as if the two have been reminiscing for hours.  

Another fine quality is the story telling.  While there is not much going on as far as visually, Andre's stories are so interesting and captivating you don't even need to witness them through flashbacks in order to appreciate them and truly love them.  In the way, the movie is almost like a book, leaving you the ability to imagine and picture what happened for yourself, something I haven't seen many movies employee.  Even then I was so captivated in the delivery of these stories that while watching the movie I didn't even care how it'd looked, it was only until it was over that I went "huh, I didn't see any of it."

Acting and delivery were other aspects of this movie that I truly love.  I believe that in any movie if you use the actors real name, it instantly becomes more believable.  Viewers expand their disbelief to assume they aren't just watching a movie with a character but a person.  If makes viewers want to see other works by them and it certainly has me wanting more of the actors.  My empathy was suspended here, more than it is watching a big Hollywood name play a character in a budgeted movie.  I felt a connection to the personas of the actors on screen, if only because they seemed normal and average, this is a strange idea since the stories that Andre are telling are completely crazy and unique.

I love this movie.  Sometimes I still ask myself "but why?"  And it is a valid question.  Nothing happens, it is all in the story.  Nothing flashy, nothing moves, there are two characters.  But I love it none the less and in the end, why doesn't mean anything.

OFF TOPIC SIDE NOT: Also, if you like the movie I suggest checking out the Community episode... in fact the entire series is pretty amazing and they talk about many other great movies as well.  Not to mention one day there will be a Community movie that I will certainly review (I already can, it's awesome).

Double Indemnity (last Wilder for a while)

My film history class watches a lot of amazing movies and recently we watched a Billy Wilder movie in class, Double Indemnity.  I won't lie it took me ages to figure out what the title was and what it meant (I kept thinking it was Double Identity).  Anyway, Double Indemnity refers to a clause in a life insurance policy if death is accidental. The entire plot revolve around this concept as Walter Neff, an insurance salesman, and Phyllis Dietrichson, plan to kill her husband.

The movie begins with a bloody Walter recording the story onto a tape recorder for his boss, the rest of the story is simply a flashback with Walter's narrating.  Walter goes to the Dietrichson's house to get the auto insurance renewed and in the process falls in love with Phyllis, a wife who is a little too interested in the company's life insurance policy.  From there Walter and Phyllis trick Mr. Dietrichson into signing a life insurance policy and eventually kill him, employing the Double Indemnity clause by using a train as means of murder.  From there all hell breaks loose as an investigation concerning Mr. Dietrichson means of death are investigated by Barton Keyes, Walter's boss.  Keyes can sense anything wrong in a death and Walter gets nervous that his plot will be foiled.  As I do not wish to spoil the rest I will leave it at that.

Double Indemnity is classic film noir.  The use of lighting is particularly beautiful here, creating a feel of unease and suspicion matching the emotions of our characters and keeping us interested.  Characters hide in shadows creating beautiful dramatic irony and tension for at any moment someone could die or get caught. One scene in particular stands out: the moments before Mr. Dietrichson's murder.  Walter hides in the shadows in the back of the car on the way to the train station.  Mr. Dietrichson is completely unaware of his wife's intentions and has no idea Walter is there.  The scene seems to go on forever as we wait, on the edge of our seats, for the inevitable.

As is a classic classification of film noir is the femme fatale.  Phyllis Dietrichson is the perfect example of a femme fatale.  She convinces Walter to assist her in the murder of her husband, while not out rightly asking she tricks him into it, and leads to his eventual demise.

There is also tension as we become more aware of Walter's possibility of being caught.  Even right after the under the car almost doesn't start, trapping Phyllis and Walter at the sight of the crime, foreshadowing all the difficulties the two will have getting away.  Later, a man on the train is almost able to identify him, definitely confirming it was not Mr. Dietrichson on the train.  Phyllis is called in for questioning, as it turns out there is a question as to the death of her husband.  Later, Walter listens to a tape in Keyes office which clears him as a suspect, yet the idea that he was under suspect is an alarming realization.  Many obstacles get in the way of the two claiming their money and escaping.

The fact that this movie is told through flashback is interesting because we know where our protagonist ends yet we must figure out how he got there.  We are aware that he is confessing and surely dying from a wound yet how he ends up there is in question for an hour and a half.  We have constant inserts of the present thrown into the story to remind us where our story will eventually lead us as well as show progression as to how Walter is doing, getting worse every time we see him.  The story is interesting and the pay off is great, though dark, as it is with most film noirs.  We witness first hand the downfall of our protagonist at the hand of a femme fatale.

Perhaps the reason I love this movie so much is my previous love for Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train which I couldn't help but notice the similarities to.  I did some research and it turns out Hitchcock was somewhat inspired by Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity while working on his movie and actually turned to it's crew for help.  The idea of two of my favorite directors working in collaboration, even through proxy, is enough to make me want to weep.  If you have seen either movie I urge you to see the other, the familiarity is haunting yet each director brought their own specialty to their own which I found to be quite remarkable.

Thanks for sticking in these last three days for Wilder reviews, I'll be reviewing a different director's work tomorrow.  Make sure to check out the Wilder films I've reviewed here as well as others, he is truly a great director.

The Seven Year Itch and thoughts about reviews

Like my Billy Wilder marathon, I've decided to follow Witness for the Prosecution with The Seven Year Itch.  Of course we are all familiar with this movie due to the iconic scene of Marilyn Monroe's skirt flying up on-top a subway grate, yet there are so many other memorable moments.

Richard Sherman's wife and son go away for the summer, as every wife and child does that time of year, and Sherman is left alone in his apartment with the rules: no smoking and no drinking.  What's a guy to do then? Most men in the neighborhood run off and find a mistress, as is the case with Sherman's janitor who sees Marilyn (an unnamed woman who lives upstairs and whom Sherman befriends) and assumes Sherman is doing the same.  After Marilyn nearly kills Sherman with a potted plant, Sherman invites her down for a drink.  Sherman instantly break both rules set by his wife and instantly starts fantasizing about Marilyn.  Paranoia takes hold of him as he believes Marilyn will tell everyone he has in some way forced himself upon her.  Eventually the two become friends, and nothing more.  This creates a great deal of dramatic irony as everyone else outside the situation would believe the two to be having an affair since soon Marilyn is living with Sherman and walking around the apartment barely clothed.

One of the strongest features of this movie is the use of fantasies.  Our main protagonist constantly runs possible scenarios in his head, which we all do, yet his are comical and wildly outlandish.  Before meeting Marilyn, Sherman has a long conversation with his wife, who isn't there, about how he could have an affair if he truly wanted and precedes to flashback to multiple advances by various women, which never actually happened.  Not long after, Sherman is in his apartment fantasizing about Marilyn and himself playing piano as elegantly as humanly possible.  Rather than let these fantasy sequences just play out, Wilder inserts the ridiculous expressions of Sherman as he watches himself and Marilyn.  In fact, he does this for most of the fantasy sequences.  Another sequence shows Marilyn using her commercial time to alert other women of Sherman's ways which we see Sherman's wife on vacation watching.  This fantasy leads Sherman to trying and avoid Marilyn, which doesn't work for long.  I love the use of these sequences in the movie and it is possible what make it so memorable.

The acting was also phenomenal, the characters play what you would assume they are like in real life.  For instance Marilyn is a ditsy model and actress, I am not at all trying to belittle her it just seems that is her default in many roles.  Tom Ewell plays the "everyday man," struggling with real life dilemmas and handling them how any of us would, by making ourselves out to be alpha in our heads.  His character grows substantially throughout the course of the movie.  While originally we feel of him as an imaginative weakling, he eventually stands up to a man he believes is sleeping with his wife, another fantasy, and takes off work to go see his family, even tough earlier in the film is is established that he can't do this due to "high time" at his job.  This movie is so down to Earth while still being so very imaginative that it is both relatable and outlandish, as contradictory as it sounds.

Now a  couple side notes: For some reason I found myself reading people's critiques of this movie on Netflix, where everyone is an expert (don't start explaining the irony of that sentence to me).  Anyway, one phrase that was constantly in the critiques was "outdated."  Excuse me for a moment while I bang my head against a wall.

This is asinine.  Of course women and children aren't sent away for the summer leaving their husbands to do whatever they want, though I'm sure there is a couple that does this somewhere, but the theme of infidelity and trying to overcome all urges is still relevant today (I would love someone to challenge me on this so I could challenge their face with my fist). And yeah maybe the girl next door (above you) is a myth, sorry prepubescent boys, but it is possible even if the girl is yards away.  Next time you want to claim a movie is outdated make sure you watch it first and grasp what it is actually about.  No movie is current forever, that's why it's called current, but while the styles and culture may change, some hell most values are stagnant.  This is a fine example of a value system we still employee.

Sorry for the rant but reading this I tried to grasp what the writers were talking about and as a fine movie reviewer myself (shut up) it bugged me.  Also, if you don't like this type of movie it isn't that the movie is bad it's that you have shitty taste in cinema and that your idea of a good movie is probably Twilight.  But in all seriousness, this type of movie isn't for everyone, and that is fine (we aren't friends but it's fine).  If you don't like this type of movie normally you shouldn't review is (yeah, I reviewed a horror movie but I know a good horror movie from a bad one, at least I've seen enough to compare).  That's it for my tangent thank you for reading if you've made it this far.  If you like older films and are a fan of witty, romantic, and classically funny movies watch The Seven Year Itch.  If you don't then you have no business here.

Witness for the Prosecution

I went on a Billy Wilder kick not to long ago, just watching movie after movie of his and it was incredible. One movie in particular stands out and has to be my favorite, Witness for the Prosecution.  While court room melodrama is one of the simplest genres to create and is now a days everywhere, Witness for the Prosecution stands out.  It is because of such courtroom classics as 12 Angry Men and Witness for the Prosecution that we now find this genre everywhere from our own TVs to the big screen,  from Law and Order to the Lincoln Lawyer.

Perhaps one of the features that makes this movie unique and amazing is the ability to manipulate the viewer. We jump into the story of a lawyer, Sir Wilfred Robarts, who has recently undergone complications with a heart condition, it is his first day returning to his office a peculiar case is brought to his attention.  At the complete opposition of his nurse, Robarts takes the case.  

We hear the case as it is first described and we form the conclusion that the man, Leonard Vole, is innocent, as does the lawyer.  We have no idea about any specifics of the crime aside from that a rich woman Vole befriended is dead, leaving him a great deal of money.  He seems very surprised to hear of his inheritance, furthering our belief that he is telling the truth.  When there seems to be beyond a shadow of doubt that the accused is innocent, his wife, Christine, shows up and says she is willing to lie that his story is that of truth and she is willing to take the stand and confirm it. 

Huge curveballs keep coming as Christine takes the stand as a witness for the prosecution, claiming she is not truly married to Vole but is, instead, still married to a man named Helm who Vole was unaware of.  She says that Vole is lying and committed the murder and later told her about it, telling her to lie to the jury. A woman comes forward giving love letters from Christine to Robart, in which Christine claims to be trying to get rid of her husband by accusing him of a crime he didn't commit.

My verdict kept changing every few minutes, keeping me intrigued the entire movie and wanting more even after the credits.  This movie deserves a sequel and the ending certainly provides the possibility for one.  

My favorite thing about this movie the the actual lack of information the viewer has.  While so many movies will give the viewer some inclination as to what the true verdict is, with Witness for the Prosecution you are given none.  By doing this, you are forced to go on a journey with Robarts, only knowing what he knows when he knows it and the payoff is so fulfilling.  I spent the entire movie asking "what happens next?!"  A true sign that the movie was done well.

Apart from the acting being so well done, every performance was so believing and had me hanging on every word the characters said, the characters were well developed.  There is an entire monologue and flashback to when Christine met Vole and how the two ended up together, an entire monologue and flashback about how Vole met the deceased, and every interaction the characters share with one another, especially when they first meet each other, is masterfully done.  I emphasized with out main protagonist, Robarts, if only from seeing everything from his point of view and being manipulated the same ways.

Although I already know the conclusion of this movie I would gladly rewatch it and still be on the edge of my seat, if only by the breathtaking performances.

Nine Dead (horror movie commentary)

Let's talk a minute about horror movies.  I hate them, there are a few exceptions to this rule and I'm not above going to a theater and burying my face in someone's arm, yet I don't understand the appeal and rarely choose to watch them on my own.  While I don't believe in ghosts, ghouls, witches,or anything paranormal like that, I can't help that when  I'm trying to fall asleep at night that every every bump or gust of wind terrifies me (all stemming from the time my brother put a Chucky doll in my room convincing me the doll was alive... my childhood was strange).  Perhaps the most terrifying sub-genre of horror is a crazed human killers. Paranormal is one thing but an actual human with a weapon is a real possibility and I try to avoid this subgroup, especially if based off true events.  Overall, however, I've been giving the horror genre a chance.

Of course I appreciate the classics: The Shining, Evil Dead, Poltergeist, Rosemary's Baby, etc; and very few of them actually "terrify" me if you will but with modern special affects I've all but expanded my disbelief to believe that an actual killer is going to show up in the theater (I also love Scream which this happens in).

One movie that I thought would be promising was Nine Dead, if only because Netflix kept shoving it in my face.  The plot intrigued me, a killer locks nine people in a room and threatens to kill one every 10 minutes if they don't figure out why they are all there, and the reasons connects each of them.  The characters are an array of different occupations, nationalities, and backgrounds, it seems very unlikely that one thing may connect them all.  I thought the idea of throwing a riddle into the mix would be an interesting twist on a horror movie.

So I sat through Nine Dead.  ALL OF IT, and I regret it every day.  I kept thinking to myself, "You're already 10, 20, 30, 60 minutes in." Then it just seemed impractical to turn the movie off with 10 minutes left, and most importantly, I wanted to hear the puzzles conclusion. All the while I was constantly hopeful that the payoff would be reward for wasting an hour and a half of my life and yet it was the biggest movie let down.

The puzzle is solved but I almost wish that the masked killer would have just shot everyone and saved me the time.  Nothing was good about the movie.  The plot was promising but poorly brought to fruition, the acting was awful but this may be contributed to the fact that the movie took place in one room, with only a few added shots and even then I could have shot this in my parent's basement with a handheld camera.

I have nothing to say that is good about this movie.  I hate it all.  In hell there is a room where they play nothing but this movie.  I will, however, be kind in saying that it was the first screenplay by it's writer's Patrick Wehe Mahoney and just to have anything created is an accomplishment.  Other then that, save yourself the time and if you must absolutely know the puzzles conclusion let me save you the time, look up the synopsis on IMDB.

Now as I mentioned I do not like horror movies and I thought before writing this review that this may seem a bit biased.  Rather than force anyone to suffer through the same hell I did, I read some of the reviews that others have left.  The census is that this movie sucks.  I usually don't listen to viewer reviews on Netflix because I like to form my own opinions (the irony of this statement on an opinionated movie blog is comical, I know) but I have seriously debated taking them into consideration from now own.  Don't believe me?  Read them yourself.  (Also the movie only got 30% on Rotten Tomatoes  http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nine_dead/)

Top 5:

I feel like this belongs here.

My top five favorite directors:
1. Woody Allen- I want to review all his movies but I fear that will annoy readers, maybe one day Woody, one day...
2. Alfred Hitchcock- I own this man's discography and I love every one of his movies, except Frenzy but that's a whole story and one day I'll tell it.
3. Ingmar Bergman- See Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal review
4. Federico Fellini- The more Fellini movies I watch the more I love him, see La Dolce Vita review and more coming soon
5. Stanley Kubrick- no explanation necessary

Getting this down to 5 was extremely difficult, I love so many movies and so many directors and the list is always growing.  I highly recommend checking out the work of all these directors as well as: Billy Wilder, John Ford, Darren Aronofsky, Quentin Tarantino, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, David Fincher, Francis Coppola, Charlie Chaplin, Martin Scorsese, and so many more.

Pretty in Pink (and my failed attempts at humor)

The 80's were an amazing decade, from the music and video games all the way to the style and movies. Unfortunately, I was born a decade too late but this doesn't mean I've missed out on any of the fun.  My iPod, not a walkman, shuffles from "The Future's so Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades," to "We're Not Gonna Take It."  I was always player two growing up, the hardships of being the youngest, but I can still kick your ass at Super Mario Brothers and finish the game in under 10 minutes. I never understood modern fashion and have always ideally wanted to return to the "crazed" style of the prior generation.  And most importantly, my dvd shelf is filled with the John Hughes discography: I learned how to skip school from Ferris, I was a member of the Breakfast Club (Ally Sheedy), and everyone forgot my 16th birthday (the last one is a lie, I was the only one that forgot).

Now I was going to review Breakfast Club, and maybe one day I still will, but I decided that would be cliched since every tween who just discovered cinema believe that they "own" that movie.  Instead I turn to another favorite I believe is an underrated classic, Pretty in Pink.

So many high schoolers want their lives to turn out like a Disney Princess movie where they live happily ever after, all the power to them, I was the girl who watched any Molly Ringwald movie and wanted to be her, like the makeover scene in Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink was my favorite.  I watched this dvd so many times that the case had a permanent residence on top of the dvd player.  I have since grown out of my 80's phase, but Pretty in Pink and most importantly, Ducky, still holds a special place in my heart.

Molly Ringwald, Andie, is a girl who lives on the wrong side of the tracks, her famiy is poor and, John Hugh classic theme of parents, an unemployed father who relies on Andie for everything.  Her best friend is the crazy Ducky, John Cryer, who is secretly in love with her.  Suddenly Andie sparks the interest of rich boy, Blane, Andrew McCarthy.  Andie doesn't think she's good enough for Blane whose friends don't think Andie is good enough for him.  It is a simple plot but the emotion that is packed into the script and the actors' performances make this movie a classic.  Friendships, relationships, family, and money are all brought to question.

If you are familiar with any of John Hughes' work you may notice that Pretty in Pink is quite different.  This is because John Hughes is simply the writer while Howard Deutch was director. This was the first movie that Deutch directed and it is still my favorite, while he does have a couple other movies that I rather liked.  The movie has the feel of most other 80's movies, simple sets, a party scene, and rebellious teens, everything you could hope for.

There is not much I can say in terms of the actual production of the movie other than I loved the entirety of it.  It was simple, and simple is one of the many reasons I love 80's movies.  (That and the music numbers and there is a musical number where Ducky lip syncs "Try a Little Tenderness.")  The character development in this movie also makes it amazing, I cared a great deal as to what would happen to them, no so much Andie, she was whiny, but more Ducky.  It is not often a secondary character carries so much power but Ducky accomplishes this.

Most comically in this movie is the fashions.  Usually I am capable of overlooking the styles I find in 80's movies, hell any decade movie, but this one is especially haunting since it is one of the major plot points.  A characteristic of Andie is her ability to create outfits.  The title of the movie refers to the pink dress that Andie creates from another pink dress.  Now this is just my humble opinion (and mind you I mentioned my inability to understand fashion earlier, and you just thought I was rambling) the dress she destroyed to create a dress was better than the monstrosity we get as a result, in fact all the outfit she wears throughout this movie were awful.  (Sincerely, 2013.)  But if you can overlook this quality, which you should cause how could they know in 1986 what would be fashionable now, though I doubt this as ever fashionable.  I would continue this rant but I don't want to become a fashion blog.

If you happened to make it through that last paragraph, congrats.  Overall, this movie is amazing and I understand why teenage me loved it so much.  If you are a fan of sappy movies or 80's cinema you'll probably love it as well.  Also it's really good if you're having a date night you want to end by getting laid, seriously it will probably work or just lie and tell her you love her, one is certainly faster than the other.

I keep getting sidetracked, wow this post sucks.  WATCH THIS MOVIE.

Thanks

I haven't been blogging for that long, I always found it to be a tedious act and frankly never thought I had anything that interesting to say.  I have been working on Fresh Tomatoes for what seems like an eternity, considering how much time a day I spend here, but is considerably less: 2 months almost.  While I have strayed from posting in the past I wanted October to be special and didn't want to be deferred in my quest to have a say in Cinema, no matter how asinine my reviews may be, by posting a movie a day.  So far I have done well in this quest and I aim to keep it going.

I appreciate any of you who may be checking out the website and I urge you to keep coming back, I do have a considerable amount of views despite few actual followers.  The feedback I have been receiving is supportive and keeps me posting so thank you for your kind words, whether of Facebook, Twitter, or even the comments on here.  If there was anything that you'd like to contribute I am willing to hear any criticism, commentary, opinions, kind remarks, hatred remarks, ANYTHING.  If you agree with my reviews or disagree, have any questions,  and especially recommendations I am glad to hear them.

Anyway, this post was just to express my gratitude for anyone who may be reading it.  So far I have kept up my October goal and I plan to keep it going on throughout this month, after which who knows?  Perhaps I will regain a steady stream of 2 posts a week, maybe not.  We'll have to see.

Coffee Town

I'm going to go ahead and switch things up for a bit.  I feel like my last few posts have been a bit stale and that may due to the fact that they are mostly about old and foreign movies.  So for now I'm going to have a bit of fun and review a new(ish) comedy and just for the hell of it I am typing this in a coffee shop.

I can honestly say I was looking forward to this movie since back in, what I think, was 2010 if not 2011 when I heard Collegehumor was getting into the movie business.  As an avid visitor of the site I was intrigued with whatever movie they had to offer needless of what it was about, who was in it, hell even the plot didn't matter, seriously I didn't care at all.  And I was not at all disappointed.

I was skeptical whether this movie would ever be released as the rumors dwindled and I heard nothing about a release when suddenly it popped up all over the website and twitter.  The cast is filled with some of the funniest actors and the plot is sound.  Glenn Howerton (Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Ben Schwartz (Park and Rec), Steve Little (Eastbound and Down), and Josh Groban, are some of my favorite people and they form the main ensemble of the movie.

The plot is both hilarious and interesting.  Will works in a coffee shop, no he isn't a barista or even an employee of Coffee Town, instead he goes there everyday and sets up his office.  He is often visited by his friends Gino, a cop, and Chad, who visits on his smoking breaks even though he doesn't actually smoke.  Sam, an actually employee of Coffee Town, hates Will and views him as a "parasite in 'his house of free wifi'" (which I now refer to every Starbucks as).

Coffee Town is unfortunately in a great neighborhood, I say unfortunately because this means it's going to be converted into a bar.  Will is faced with the possibly of losing both his office and his girl, Becca, Adrianne Palicki (who Sam also likes and spends the entire movie perusing).  Will doesn't want this to happen and it seems the only way to prevent it is for a crime to take place, or at least for it to look like a crime has taken place.  The three friends plan to break into Coffee Town and make it look as if someone has broken in and robbed the place, with Gino on duty the gang won't have to worry about being caught by police.

What ensues, however, doesn't go according to plan. Chad ends up fighting a guy with down syndrome, Will ends up cock-blocked by his laptop, Sam's band ends up failing a gig, and Gino screws up the date of the robbery.  You can decide which one is the worst.

One of my favorite things about this movie is how the perspective of Will is shown through use of doodles, for instance when we are introduced to Becca she has drawn angel wings.  This effect is not overused and is quite interesting, adding to the already funny plot.  Another thing would be the use of a musical number also portraying Will's perspective, this time while on ecstasy (but that's a whole different story), and later seeing the actual scene that took place (according to everyone else's perspective).

If you need any more incentive to see to see this movie, Brad Copeland, writer and director, did work on Arrested Development.  ARRESTED fricking DEVELOPMENT.  That's awesome.  (Plus if you're hipster you could brag to your friends about seeing this movie that they probably haven't already.  Call it "underground" or something.  If you're not a hipster, it's not actually underground but don't tell the hipsters.)  Anyway the point stands that this movie is hilarious and everyone should see it.

Most importantly, I learned something from this movie, like if someone lets you into a door before them, let them go in front of you it is the polite thing to do!  (Also it's a good idea to have a friend with down syndrome.)  There is not much else I can say about this movie.  I have watched it so many times since it was realized earlier this year and I still find it just as funny as the first time.  It lived up to the expectations that I had and I can't wait to see whatever the website and Brad Copeland do next.

Reservoir Dogs and Tarantino

There are two types of crime movies, those done wrong and those done right.  Reservoir Dogs falls into the latter.  While I believe at this point in everyone's life they've seen Reservoir Dogs, and if you haven't what is wrong with you, you should have, I feel the need to mention it in this blog if only for appearance sake.

Usually I am not for gritty, violent, or bloody movies, as you may become acquainted with as I continue this blog.  Reservoir Dogs, then, is certainly an exception to this rule.  The imagery of a man having his ear cut off and being dowsed in gasoline is certainly one that still haunts me and keeps me up at night.  While I would more often than not be sickened and turned off by this scene, I have come to expect such "quirks", if you will, from Tarantino movies.

Reservoir Dogs is the first of Tarantino's movies, and certainly one that I still regard amongst his best. Since his debut Tarantino has brought some of the most powerful and provocative movies, certainly some of my favorites, such as: Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill (volumes 1 and 2), and most recently Django Unchained.  It seems everyone is acquainted with Tarantino's work and if you are not I highly urge you to visit you local video store, or Netflix, and do some serious movie watching.

The plot of Reservoir Dogs is quite simple, a group of miscellaneous characters get together to pull of a robbery.  Each character is assigned a pseudonym, in the form of colors, to preserve their anonymity. Unfortunately the group is infiltrated and it turns out that one of them is actually an undercover cop. The movies is told through flashbacks to the characters' pasts and how they came about being involved in the heist.  Only a few characters pasts are shown: Mr. White, Mr. Blonde, and Mr. Orange.

The movies opens in a diner, not unlike Pulp Fiction, where characters have a simple conversation concerning tipping, which to this day I believe to be a very comical and quote worthy scene.  The camera pans around the table and we get a tiny taste of what the characters are like, but we have no idea what the movie is about, the next scene is Mr. Orange profusely bleeding in the back of a car while Mr. White tries desperately to calm him down.  It is like Tarantino gave you a nice symphony that suddenly broke into screamo.

The rest of the movie takes place in the gang's meet up place where they try to figure out who could possibly be the snitch.  All hell breaks loose here as Mr. Orange lies on the ground dying, Mr. Pink accuses everyone, Mr. White tries to keep the order, and Mr. Blonde goes bat shit crazy.  We see flashbacks and slowly get closer to finding out who the snitch is.  The use of flashbacks is my favorite thing in this movie.  The plot, the writing, the story are all so basic (with the exception of Mr. White, and this is not bad) but the editing make it unlike anything I'd ever seen before.  The present isn't what makes the story, the past is the story.  We don't see the robbery which is the entire cause for the situation but we see the gathering of people and what part they are meant to play.

The ending was also shocking.  While you may think twist endings are cheap story writing, this ending was one for the books.  Throughout this entire movie I never expected anything like it.  I would love to comment on the use of transition in the way that we do not truly see how the ending happens precisely but I do not want to ruin it for anyone who may not have seen it, which you should immediately, stop reading this and go watch it.

The acting should also be commemorated.  The cast is one that I personally regard amongst movies' finest, and most of them also appear again in later Tarantino films.  Harvey Keitel (White), Steve Buscemi (Pink), and Tim Roth (Orange) all appear in Pulp Fiction where Mr. Blonde's character is one of the Vega brothers.  Michael Madsen (Blonde) also appears in Kill Bill.  Tarantino also makes a cameo as Mr. Brown and in some of his later films.

Overall, Reservoir Dogs is one of my all time favorite movies, which is not a title I give out gracefully. I am a huge fan of Mr. Tarantino and if he sees this, which he won't, I'd love to interview you sir!  But I digress, Reservoir Dogs is phenomenal in every way, the screenplay and directing could not be better and it is a huge accomplishment that someone could create this masterpiece as their first full length film and I could only one day hope to be as close to this amazing (I won't be).  If you do happen to see Reservoir Dogs I recommend checking out all other works by Tarantino and trying to piece together his amazing Tarantino universe (a challenge even though I have seen all his movies).  The man is a master of his art.

 

Fear and Loathing

Welcome to Bat Country folks.  This movie is one hell of a trip both in its pursuit if the American Dream and the presence of some of the strongest narcotics one can buy.  Based on Hunter S Thompson's stupendous novel, Fear and Loathing shows everyone the faults in chasing the American Dream.  I don't condone the use of narcotics but for Hunter S Thompson they seemed to have worked (it has been pointed out to me that I unintentionally quoted Hunter himself here).  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the world's most interesting journalist and attorney movie, and this may be contributed to the amount of drugs our protagonist is on or that it is the only one.

Johnny Depp, a friend of the author, portrays Raoul Duke in the film and does a fantastic job doing so. Benicio Del Toro plays Dr. Gonzo, the attorney of Raoul.  Hunter also makes a small cameo as a future version of Raoul, this cameo is so short yet satisfying for anyone who is a fan of Hunter's.

Movies which are based off books is not a new concept and usually it's possible to watch a movie without having ever read the book.  I do not suggest this for Fear and Loathing, and not just because Hunter S Thompson is a brilliant writer, but the book helps put the movie in better perspective.  I originally watched the movie without any inclination as to what the story was about and having never read the book.  I have since read the novel and have a better understanding of what it is I was watching.  Granted my original assumption of the movie just being about bad acid trip was not far off.

Having said all of this I want to address the movie itself.  As I've said, if you haven't read the book this movie may be a little hard to understand.  There are scenes seen entirely in the perspective of our protagonist who is, for lack of better terms, "tripping balls."  These scenes while quite comical, really make no sense.  The narrations do help us follow the story yet they are the rants of a highly "medicated" Raoul.

The whole plot is based off our protagonist writing a story which I don't think he actually accomplishes based off the sheer amount of drugs and lack of doing any work.  The movie should be classified as "character-driven" if anything and yet we see no character go through a "change."

Despite having no idea what the fuck I am watching half the time, I love this movie.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that it is unlike any movie I have ever seen before.  Perhaps it is due to the phenomenal acting done by both Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro.  Perhaps it's due to the extremely amazing tripping scenes.  The way Raoul's perspective is captured, the special effects of the lizard bar, and the use of projections to show war on the hotel walls, both were amazing scenes that I haven't seen any other movie come close to.

This movie has the benefits of feeling the effects of drugs while still allowing you to pass a drug test in the morning and after all isn't that what we all want?         No?  Okay scratch that.

(SIDE NOTE: I feel the need in this blog to confirm myself as a "reader".  The order in which I read/watch the book/movie is not always the same.  Sometimes I'll see a movie just because I love the book and sometimes it is the complete opposite as is the case with Fear and Loathing.  Most of the time if I have not read the book already I will read it based off whether I enjoyed the movie or not but keep in mind that it is not always best to judge a book by its movie as my high school self learned from failing so many reading checks.)