**** Moonrise Kingdom
*** Frankenweenie
*** Hitchcock
*** Men In Black 3
*** The Dark Knight Rises
*** To Rome With Love
** Dark Shadows
** Skyfall
** The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
** The Pirates! Band of Misfits
* The Three Stooges
Monday, December 31, 2012
2012 In Review: Music
**** AC Newman - Shut Down The Streets
**** Aimee Mann - Charmer
**** Cate Le Bon - Cyrk
**** Corner Laughers, The - Poppy Seeds
**** Hospitality - Hospitality
**** Kooks - Junk of the Heart
**** Raveonettes, The - Observator
**** Scout - All Those Relays
**** Shins, The - Port of Morrow
**** Shonen Knife - Pop Tune
**** dBs, The - Falling Off the Sky
*** Beach House - Bloom
*** Bob Mould - Silver Age
*** Condors, The - 3 Item Combo
*** Eux Autres - Sun Is Sunk (ep)
*** Frankie Rose - Interstellar
*** Garbage - Not Your Kind of People
*** Imperial Teen - Feel the Sound
*** Lightning Love - Blonde Album
*** Metric - Synthetica
*** Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy
*** Paul Weller - Sonik Kicks
*** School of Seven Bells - Ghostory
*** Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror
*** Soundtrack of Our Lives, The - Throw It To the Universe
*** World Record, The - Freeway Special
** Anne Soldaat - Anne Soldaat
** Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
** Field Music - Plumb
** Goldfrapp - The Singles
** Invisible Cities - Meet the Lampreys
** Jeff Lynne - Long Wave
** Keene - Strangeland
** Peter Buck - Peter Buck
** Stag - Chameleons
** Susanna Hoffs - Someday
** Woods - Bend Beyond
* Ringo Starr - Ringo
**** Aimee Mann - Charmer
**** Cate Le Bon - Cyrk
**** Corner Laughers, The - Poppy Seeds
**** Hospitality - Hospitality
**** Kooks - Junk of the Heart
**** Raveonettes, The - Observator
**** Scout - All Those Relays
**** Shins, The - Port of Morrow
**** Shonen Knife - Pop Tune
**** dBs, The - Falling Off the Sky
*** Beach House - Bloom
*** Bob Mould - Silver Age
*** Condors, The - 3 Item Combo
*** Eux Autres - Sun Is Sunk (ep)
*** Frankie Rose - Interstellar
*** Garbage - Not Your Kind of People
*** Imperial Teen - Feel the Sound
*** Lightning Love - Blonde Album
*** Metric - Synthetica
*** Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy
*** Paul Weller - Sonik Kicks
*** School of Seven Bells - Ghostory
*** Sleigh Bells - Reign of Terror
*** Soundtrack of Our Lives, The - Throw It To the Universe
*** World Record, The - Freeway Special
** Anne Soldaat - Anne Soldaat
** Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
** Field Music - Plumb
** Goldfrapp - The Singles
** Invisible Cities - Meet the Lampreys
** Jeff Lynne - Long Wave
** Keene - Strangeland
** Peter Buck - Peter Buck
** Stag - Chameleons
** Susanna Hoffs - Someday
** Woods - Bend Beyond
* Ringo Starr - Ringo
Friday, December 21, 2012
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)**
Some spectacular CGI, particularly Gollum and the Great Goblin, Ian McKellan is in fine form and Martin Freeman makes a proper Bilbo Baggins, but it is far too long, too repetitive and too much of the same mold as The Lord of the Rings you get the feeling you've seen it all before.
Some spectacular CGI, particularly Gollum and the Great Goblin, Ian McKellan is in fine form and Martin Freeman makes a proper Bilbo Baggins, but it is far too long, too repetitive and too much of the same mold as The Lord of the Rings you get the feeling you've seen it all before.
Hitchcock (2012)***
Lackluster biopic enlivened by a superb Anthony Hopkins, a strong Helen Mirren (although miscast) and a stunning Scarlett Johansson.
Lackluster biopic enlivened by a superb Anthony Hopkins, a strong Helen Mirren (although miscast) and a stunning Scarlett Johansson.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Haywire (2011)****
It's a shame Steven Soderbergh is planning on retiring after his next film or two. No other director I can think of is so good at using unknown or non-actors to such great effect. A tight, action packed, tense, paranoid thriller, much more effective than any Bond picture, or other mega-million franchise. Highly enjoyable.
It's a shame Steven Soderbergh is planning on retiring after his next film or two. No other director I can think of is so good at using unknown or non-actors to such great effect. A tight, action packed, tense, paranoid thriller, much more effective than any Bond picture, or other mega-million franchise. Highly enjoyable.
Thursday, December 06, 2012
SFGate.com: Roman on read option: ‘The result was not the intent of the play call’:
"Still, does he regret calling the play?
“'I’ll just say the result was not the intent of the play call,' Roman said. 'I always look back and say, ‘Did it work. Didn’t it work? Why? Why not?’ And then move on from there.'
"The play, of course, has inspired more scrutiny and criticism than any other call during Roman’s tenure. He agreed it was a hazard of his job."
Hmm...seems like whenever there was an unusual play called when Mike Martz was OC, it was due to his massive ego only. No mention of the word "ego" in this article. Perhaps Martz is one of the few OC's or head coaches in the NFL to possess such a thing?
"Still, does he regret calling the play?
“'I’ll just say the result was not the intent of the play call,' Roman said. 'I always look back and say, ‘Did it work. Didn’t it work? Why? Why not?’ And then move on from there.'
"The play, of course, has inspired more scrutiny and criticism than any other call during Roman’s tenure. He agreed it was a hazard of his job."
Hmm...seems like whenever there was an unusual play called when Mike Martz was OC, it was due to his massive ego only. No mention of the word "ego" in this article. Perhaps Martz is one of the few OC's or head coaches in the NFL to possess such a thing?
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Holiday Affair (1949)***
Enjoyable, if predictable, rom-com that happens to take place during the Christmas holidays. Snappy dialogue and fine work from the leads (even the kid) and a nifty final sequence aboard a train.
Enjoyable, if predictable, rom-com that happens to take place during the Christmas holidays. Snappy dialogue and fine work from the leads (even the kid) and a nifty final sequence aboard a train.
Bill Murray, Star of ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ - NYTimes.com:
"Q. There seems to be so much serendipity in your life. Are you actively cultivating these moments or just hoping that they come to you?
"A. Well, you have to hope that they happen to you. That’s Pandora’s box, right? She opens up the box, and all the nightmares fly out. And slams the lid shut, like, 'Oops,' and opens it one more time, and hope pops out of the box. That’s the only thing we really, surely have, is hope. You hope that you can be alive, that things will happen to you that you’ll actually witness, that you’ll participate in. Rather than life just rolling over you, and you wake up and it’s Thursday, and what happened to Monday? Whatever the best part of my life has been, has been as a result of that remembering."
via kottke.org
"Q. There seems to be so much serendipity in your life. Are you actively cultivating these moments or just hoping that they come to you?
"A. Well, you have to hope that they happen to you. That’s Pandora’s box, right? She opens up the box, and all the nightmares fly out. And slams the lid shut, like, 'Oops,' and opens it one more time, and hope pops out of the box. That’s the only thing we really, surely have, is hope. You hope that you can be alive, that things will happen to you that you’ll actually witness, that you’ll participate in. Rather than life just rolling over you, and you wake up and it’s Thursday, and what happened to Monday? Whatever the best part of my life has been, has been as a result of that remembering."
via kottke.org
Monday, November 26, 2012
Fight Club (1999)****
Exceptional rant against corporatism and much of modernity, lead by excellent lead performances, design and direction.
Exceptional rant against corporatism and much of modernity, lead by excellent lead performances, design and direction.
Animal House (1978)***
One of the first "R" comedies to hit it big. Still enjoyable, but unfortunately it's success meant that we end up with dreck like this.
One of the first "R" comedies to hit it big. Still enjoyable, but unfortunately it's success meant that we end up with dreck like this.
Three lost trying to save family dog - SFGate
"When a state park ranger arrived on the scene, he had to park a half mile away and travel on foot because of the steep terrain around the beach, Jones said. The ranger saw the mother and pulled her out of the water, and he and a bystander began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The ranger then pulled out the father. Both parents were pronounced dead at the scene. The dog survived and the teen remains missing."
"When a state park ranger arrived on the scene, he had to park a half mile away and travel on foot because of the steep terrain around the beach, Jones said. The ranger saw the mother and pulled her out of the water, and he and a bystander began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The ranger then pulled out the father. Both parents were pronounced dead at the scene. The dog survived and the teen remains missing."
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
The Trial (1962)***
Orson Welles said in an interview that he felt this film was the best he had ever made. While I wouldn't go that far, it's certainly one of his best and I think why he felt that way was because it looks like he got everything he wanted to do with the film done. It's an impressive intellectual achievement but ultimately fails to engage, which I feel is a consequence of the kind of tale it is. Still, there are many impressive sequences and the acting is top notch, especially Anthony Perkins in the lead. Always interesting.
Orson Welles said in an interview that he felt this film was the best he had ever made. While I wouldn't go that far, it's certainly one of his best and I think why he felt that way was because it looks like he got everything he wanted to do with the film done. It's an impressive intellectual achievement but ultimately fails to engage, which I feel is a consequence of the kind of tale it is. Still, there are many impressive sequences and the acting is top notch, especially Anthony Perkins in the lead. Always interesting.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Bernie (2011)***
Director Richard Linklater almost achieves an Alexander Payne-esque tone to this film, but the casting of Jack Black as the lead does him in. Black is fine, but he is unable to overcome his persona which has us waiting for the inevitable winking at the camera and that creates a bit more distance than the film needs.
Director Richard Linklater almost achieves an Alexander Payne-esque tone to this film, but the casting of Jack Black as the lead does him in. Black is fine, but he is unable to overcome his persona which has us waiting for the inevitable winking at the camera and that creates a bit more distance than the film needs.
FBI's abuse of the surveillance state is the real scandal needing investigation | Glenn Greenwald | guardian.co.uk:
"So all based on a handful of rather unremarkable emails sent to a woman fortunate enough to have a friend at the FBI, the FBI traced all of Broadwell's physical locations, learned of all the accounts she uses, ended up reading all of her emails, investigated the identity of her anonymous lover (who turned out to be Petraeus), and then possibly read his emails as well. They dug around in all of this without any evidence of any real crime - at most, they had a case of "cyber-harassment" more benign than what regularly appears in my email inbox and that of countless of other people - and, in large part, without the need for any warrant from a court."
"So all based on a handful of rather unremarkable emails sent to a woman fortunate enough to have a friend at the FBI, the FBI traced all of Broadwell's physical locations, learned of all the accounts she uses, ended up reading all of her emails, investigated the identity of her anonymous lover (who turned out to be Petraeus), and then possibly read his emails as well. They dug around in all of this without any evidence of any real crime - at most, they had a case of "cyber-harassment" more benign than what regularly appears in my email inbox and that of countless of other people - and, in large part, without the need for any warrant from a court."
Sunday, November 11, 2012
A Cat in Paris (2010)**
So-so animated flick about a cat who helps a cat burglar save a young girl who gets into some trouble.
So-so animated flick about a cat who helps a cat burglar save a young girl who gets into some trouble.
Skyfall (2012)**
Spectacular opening sequence can't rescue the latest overlong Bond flick that tries way too hard to explain everything and thinks the use of extreme facial closeups is the way to do that. Watchable to the end thanks mainly to Naomie Harris and some nifty pyrotechnics.
Spectacular opening sequence can't rescue the latest overlong Bond flick that tries way too hard to explain everything and thinks the use of extreme facial closeups is the way to do that. Watchable to the end thanks mainly to Naomie Harris and some nifty pyrotechnics.
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Grey Owl (1999)**
Interesting, standard issue biopic of a real Canadian fur trapper turned conservationist in the 1930's, hampered by the casting of a non-actor as the female lead.
Interesting, standard issue biopic of a real Canadian fur trapper turned conservationist in the 1930's, hampered by the casting of a non-actor as the female lead.
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Black Sabbath (1963)**
Rich in creepy atmosphere and vibrant, with a terrific opening tale of terror. Things go downhill from there to a hard-to-believe second act and end up with a too long third story. Karloff is solid as usual. Impressive production on a limited budget.
Rich in creepy atmosphere and vibrant, with a terrific opening tale of terror. Things go downhill from there to a hard-to-believe second act and end up with a too long third story. Karloff is solid as usual. Impressive production on a limited budget.
It Happened Tomorrow (1944)**
Desperately needs a stronger cast as the script is very weak and the direction stays too laid back, too droll when more screwball is needed.
Desperately needs a stronger cast as the script is very weak and the direction stays too laid back, too droll when more screwball is needed.
Sunday, November 04, 2012
Rope of Sand (1949)**
Burt Lancaster, as well as Peter Lorre and Claude Rains are wasted in this strange flick that wants to be Casablanca but is far too crude and rude and just plain non-sensical at times. Weak female lead doesn't help.
Burt Lancaster, as well as Peter Lorre and Claude Rains are wasted in this strange flick that wants to be Casablanca but is far too crude and rude and just plain non-sensical at times. Weak female lead doesn't help.
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