Film Trailers: NEBRASKA

 
     No one films middle America like Alexander Payne. Whether it is the look of the people, the way they interact or do not with one another and just the storytelling that revolves around the issues we all face from day-to-day, Payne has an intelligence and ear for the heartbeat, nostalgia and struggles of Americans. I feel that every time I am watching one of his films I am seeing an examination and suggestion of the lives we live. Also, he is damn brilliant at adding a comedic, dry element to his films that balances everything out perfectly. I think most of his films are not classified by a genre, but contain elements from them all. He has directed Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt, Sideways and The Descendants. His next film, another one that visualizes an America, usually small town, that has not been taken over by corporations and mass advertising. Nebraska centers on the estranged father-son relationship of Woody (Bruce Dern) and David (Will Forte) Grant, as they take a road trip from Montana to Nebraska in order to claim a million dollar sweepstakes prize. Woody is an angry old drunk and word is that Dern is as great as ever. The man that helped, along with Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, begin the American film boom of the late 60s and 70s, is still giving outstanding performances. A vision of America as only Payne can tell. I cannot wait to see this film and the trailer is perfect. Love the black-and-white and the poster is my favorite of the year so far. The film will be released on November 22. Enjoy.

Credit by IMDB and trailer from ropeofsilicon.com.

Classic Trailers: REAR WINDOW

     

     Wednesday's Classic Film Trailer is a good one. A film that is magnificent in every aspect and one that I have seen five or six times. It was recently on Turner Classic Movies and I was hooked, once again, the moment I saw those singular rows of blinds roll up during the opening credits. I am writing of Alfred Hitchcock's classic murder mystery Rear Window, starring the remarkable James Stewart and the beautiful Grace Kelly. A film that is amazing because the whole film takes place in an apartment complex and its courtyard. A film that is seen from and through the point of view of Stewart's character. It is Hitchcock's "peeping tom" film and is my absolute favorite Hitchcock film. The camera work is phenomenal, the acting is perfect and the story and how it unfolds is legendary. I mean, what Hitchcock does with the limitations he has set with the script is brilliant and contains one of Hitchcock's most suspenseful moments when Stewart's character gets caught spying on a neighbor through his binoculars.
     James Stewart plays L.B. Jeffries, a boundless photographer. He is a risk taker and has suffered a broken leg that has left immobilized in a wheelchair. He is stuck in his apartment during the hot summer. Jeffries has an ongoing relationship with the wealthy, elitist Lisa Fremont (Kelly), but Jeffries does not know if she is the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with. He enjoys travelling and going on adventures, where Fremont prefers expensive dinners, clothes and meeting with the social elite. She loves him and wants his involvement in her affairs, but is happy just sitting around the apartment with L.B. It is great to see her playing rich beauty and adventure seeker all at once. She proves herself later in the film and her intoxicating beauty is hard to turn away from. Jeffries, through spying on his neighbors while being extremely bored, witness' a man and his wife fighting. The man goes out once and as the next few days come along, he sees that the man's wife is no longer there. The rest you can unravel and see for yourself like Jeffries does in the film. I highly recommend seeing this classic Hitchcock film. The cast is rounded out by Raymond Burr, Thelma Ritter and Wendell Corey. It was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Director, Best Color Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Screenplay for John Michael Hayes. Hitchcock never shied away from testing the boundaries of cinema and this is a true testament to his genius. A masterpiece. A true classic. Enjoy!

Credits by IMDB and trailer by YouTube.

Criterion Collection Announces Titles for December 2013

     

Release Date: 12.3.2013

     The Criterion Collection has announced its new releases for the month of December and what a group of films, just in time for Christmas. The big announcement is the first set of Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project. A nine disc set of little known films, from around the world, that have been preserved by Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation. The set will include films that would otherwise not get the proper exposure due to there location, finances or quality of the film stock. The preservation is impressive and here are the films that will be included: Touki Bouki Senegal (1973), Redes Mexico (1936), A River Called Titas Bangladesh (1973), Dry Summer Turkey (1964), Trances Morocco (1981) and The Housemaid South Korea (1960). I am highly interested in seeking these films out. I will probably have to wait until the Criterion Collection/Barnes & Noble 50% off sale next year to buy it since it is priced at $99.96, but what a group of films. I have not seen, much less heard of some of these films and this will be a great film and cultural education on world  cinema.

Release Date: 12.10.2013

   
     The other big announcement is that of Robert Altman's classic 1975 opus Nashville. This is a quintessential film of the American filmmaking boom of the 70s. The film follows twenty-four different characters and ranges from politics to comedy, musical to drama. The first time I saw this film I was pretty enthralled by it and cannot wait to see how the blu-ray looks. There is something about 70s films that look beautiful on blu-ray. The film stars Keith Carradine, Karen Black, Ned Beatty, Lily Tomlin, Shelley Duvall, Michael Murphy and Henry Gibson, amongst many others. The film is a cornucopia of American life and culture. Great addition to the collection.

Releas Date: 12.3.2013

     Another new release and one that caught my eye, being that I really admire and enjoy smart thrillers, is the Italian film Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970) directed by Elio Petri. The film stars the powerful Gian Maria Volonte as a Roman police inspector who investigates a crime he committed. Sold right there. Another 70s film and I am hooked. The film won Best Foreign Language Film at the 1971 Academy Awards and was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay. I have not heard of this film before, but I am going to blind buy it and I am looking forward to seeing it.
   

Release Date: 12.10.2013

The final release for December, and the only upgrade from within the collection, is the documentary Grey Gardens from directors Albert & David Maysles, Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer. Living on the Hampton's, cousins of Jackie Onassis, big and little Edie Beale, mother-and-daughter and high society recluses. The documentary is considered a classic and examines the lives of the Beales, which also turned them into fashion icons. I have not seen this film, but need to. The Maysles brothers are legendary documentarians and the film is a cult classic.
     That is it for the month of December and I have listed the release dates under the cover art . Check out the criterion website and check out these films once they are released. A great set and I, most likely, will purchase all of these at some point. Enjoy.

Credits by criterion.com.

Toronto Quick Reaction

     

     The Toronto International Film Festival concluded yesterday, September 15th, and a cavalcade of films had world and North American premieres this year. The big winner and the film that won the People's Choice Award was Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave. The film continues its streak of positive reactions since its premiere at Telluride and appears to be on its way too many more. The question is will it get the reaction and appreciation from the everyday audience or will it be too graphic and real to appreciate the craft and in-your-face honest of slavery. I know I will love the film since I have admired his previous two efforts, but how will it be received by the non-cinephiles and non-critical elite. Right now it is the critics darling of 2013 and hopefully will ride it all the way to the Oscars. McQueen, Ejiofor and Fassbender are top quality and deserve a much notoriety. Newcomer Lupita Nyong'o is also suppose to be outstanding in the film and will be someone to watch out for in the future.
     Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity continued its allure and appreciation with more positive notices from Toronto. I think enough has been said and seen by the critics and festival goers that I just want to see the picture. It is my most anticipated film of the year and I have stopped watching trailers and reading any sort of commentary or review of the film. I want to be wowed when I see it and I believe Cuaron will deliver.
     Another film I am really intrigued by is Jonathan Glazer's alien-in-human-form picture Under The Skin starring Scarlett Johansson. The film seems to be highly polarizing but beautifully made. An existential challenge and filmmaking that is bold and different than the usual. I like that and I am hoping a release date is announced soon.
    Prisoners, which also screened at Telluride, received very high marks and I am seeing this film this weekend. I love a good thriller and any film photographed by the great Roger Deakins is a must. Ron Howard's racing drama Rush received good notices as well and if the film is as good as people are boasting, it will be good to see Howard back in the good graces of film goers after his last couple of weaker efforts. Enough DaVinci Code shit. Get back to making interesting films. Going to watch this one at the end of this month.
     Not all the films got good reviews though. They never do. Atom Egoyan's Devil's Knot about the West Memphis Three trial got pummelled and even before I had read the film was being made I had a feeling there is no way it could be anywhere near as engrossing and terrifying as the series of HBO documentaries on the subject called Paradise Lost. Another film I was interested in seeing and still will, but my anticipation has died down a bit was Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Daniel Bruhl (also in Rush). The film appears to be sloppy, with a wonderful performance from Cumberbatch, but just a meandering mess. Sad to hear and I will still go see it, if nothing else for Cumberbatch's performance as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
     The one film with a big, impressive cast that had its premiere at Toronto was John Wells' film of Tracey Letts' Tony award-winning play August: Osage County. A cast that includes Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Cooper has to be good but reactions were mixed. Maybe a top-notch director would have made the reactions better, but it is also hard to turn a play into a movie. Word is that Streep is phenomenal as always, but Margo Martindale and Juliette Lewis are amazing as well. Dysfunctional family drama will still be a must-see in December.
     There are always films that will not be seen until next year that get good reactions. Films like Jim Jarmusch's Only Lover's Left Alive, cannot wait for that one since I am a huge Jarmusch fan and reactions are very positive, Richard Shephard's Dom Hemingway, starring a foul mouthed, drunken Jude Law and David Gordon Green's Joe, with Tye Sheridan and, apparently, a grizzled, fine performance from Nicolas Cage. We need the old Cage back anyways. Enough with the crappy choices and movies to get yourself out of debt. Do some quality work again and hopefully Joe is a start.
     That is it from this side. There were a lot of films I did not mention, but check out a plethora of movie websites or TIFF site and you can read about all the films. I just mentioned a few that peaked my interest and look forward to seeing all of these films as soon as possible.

Credits by TIFF.

NOW YOU SEE ME

Now You See Me

Directed by Louis Leterrier
Written by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin & Edward Ricourt

     I was not expecting much from Louis Leterrier's Now You See Me and I did not get much either. I never felt lost or that the script was crafty like I was hoping for, but it was fairly easy to pick out the surprises and there was little to no suspense of any kind in the film. There were a few points in the film that I did not mind, a Robin Hood-esque steal from the rich and give to the poor or financially abused, that was pretty good. The real problem lies in too many terrible shots, two main actors that appeared to be very uncomfortable, especially during the big magic events and the overall attempt at trying to be clever when the film was easy to pick apart. At least it had a talented cast, albeit wasted, and was a diversion from much of the superhero and CGI-laden films of the summer, even though there was CGI here too. The overall result was one that left me wanting to stop watching after about fifteen minutes.

     "The Four Horsemen," as these illusionists are called, perform magic tricks on huge, arena filled audiences and at the same time steal money from banks and the wealthy. They are a sensation because they give the money to the audience and let the wealthy wallow in the anger of being had. It is, however, odd that they keep so little for themselves. I guess they get a percentage of the shows growth, so they can afford to give back. The four horsemen include magician J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), illusionist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and con-artist/fighter Jack Wilder (Dave Franco). These four are hand-picked by a hooded ring leader, not shown to the audience, assigning them to put on shows that are covers for the actual robberies they are conducting. A facade to hide the real identity of what they are doing. A double whammy for the magicians and artists. The FBI is involved, knowing that these four are up to no good and agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) keeps getting closer and closer, but loses his hold and some of his sanity in his relentless search for what these performers are really doing. 

     The four performers have three different events, one in Las Vegas, New Orleans and Brooklyn, where they perform magical shows and, at the same time, steal from the rich and give back to those attending these lavish shows. The one in New Orleans is the best one in that they give back to victims who were robbed by insurance big wigs after Hurricane Katrina. Favorite, and only, good part in the film. There are also supporting turns and most likely the best acting in the film, from a DVD pioneer that unveils magicians tricks Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a French INTERPOL agent assisting Rhodes in the search Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent) and Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) who financially funds the four horsemen and there events or shows. Three immensely talented actors that were wasted on a meandering, unclever script and lackluster direction from Leterrier, who also directed the boring Hollywood films The Incredible Hulk and Clash of the Titans remake. 

     There are many problems with this film, mainly the attempt at writing a clever script that simply was too easy to pick at and solve the mystery of who was the hooded leader. There were definite hints along the way, especially in the way one of the actors performed and appeared. I am not a screenwriter and give credit to Solomon, Yakin and Ricourt for writing and I know it is a difficult task and there is no way I could probably do it, but it just did not work for me at all. Another issue was that Eisenberg and Fisher felt so out of place throughout most of the film. At the three big shows they seemed literally nervous and uncomfortable. It was a little too stiff and flat of a performance, even though in scenes where they were just talking or going through day-to-day doings, they were more natural and ok. They are performers and should show comfort and confidence as Franco and Harrelson did and I just did not see that in them. By the way, Franco has a fight scene that was also pretty decent and fast paced. The bigger issues were Leterrier's swooping camera and billions of shots from above. So annoying and distracting. It was a little disorienting and felt as if it had little purpose for the story other than showing the larger than life spectacle these performers were doing on a grand scale. I just did not like it.

     Now You See Me has an impressive, all-star cast, I am sure some decent paychecks and fun set pieces for the actors, but the overall result is middling and uneventful. Less widescreen, swooping shots and a more detailed screenplay would have made it more interesting. There are a few surprises along the way, but none that go without obvious tips and hints during the process. Yes, this film felt like a long, two hour process to sit through. You should be able to figure the film out and see through its plot holes rather quickly. I have read they are making a sequel to this film since it made over $117 million and it is more proof that Hollywood is sinking slower and slower. Anything that makes over a $100 million and sequels are automatically in the work. This movie was at least new but do we really need another one of these films. I do not think so. 

     

Classic Trailers: THE GRADUATE

     Wednesday's Classic Film Trailers is The Graduate from Mike Nichols. Released in the year that helped change Hollywood 1967, along with Bonnie and Clyde, and is the film that launched the career of Dustin Hoffman. The film presented the gap between two divided generations. The 50s were out and the 60s were in. The youth movement was not going down the road of corporate jobs and the desire to be doctors and lawyers. They were beginning to become and I am not saying this is a bad thing, but an overintellectualized individual. A young man coming to adulthood amidst the sexual revolution and worried about his growth and future, but doing little about in financial sense and focusing on personal pleasures. What to do? The education of sex, film and writing was blossoming away from conservatism and growing into rebellion. Civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protests were rampant and needed. The Graduate, though not a permanent political movement, presented life outside of the mainstream Eisenhower comfort and into showing sex, relationships and life in the observational, comedic way. I know that this film does not blatantly touch on many of fascinating and dynamic issues that were facing the country at the time, but the punch this film delivers and the mesmerizing performance from Hoffman set it apart as a definitive classic. 

     Ben Braddock (Hoffman) has recently graduated from college and upon returning home goes through a stage of denial and confusion on where his life should go. He reluctantly engages into an affair with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) who happens to be the wife of his father's business partner. At the same time, Ben falls in love with Mr. & Mrs. Robinson's daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross) and the trouble and humor ensues. The film is a fantastic piece of not only entertainment, but a film that was relatable to young people and the enormous gap between their parents and themselves. The world, and America, changed immensely during the 60s and The Graduate is a film that captures a moment in time that is unforgettable. The music from Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel is classic and Calder Willingham and Buck Henry's script is as about as perfect as it gets. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards: Best Picture; Best Actor - Dustin Hoffman; Best Actress - Anne Bancroft; Best Supporting Actress - Katharine Ross; Best Cinematography - Robert Surtees and Best Adapted Screenplay - Calder Willingham and Buck Henry. It won Best Director for Mike Nichols. See this movie if you have not and enjoy the trailer.

Credits by IMDB and trailer by YouTube.

Film Trailers: THE RAILWAY MAN

 
     Another film that recently premiered at this year's Toronto International Film Festival is the dramatic, World War II redemption story The Railway Man. The film revolves around an ex-British soldier Eric Lomax who, during World War II, was captured and forced to work in the Japanese labor camps and build the Thai/Burma railway. The atrocities were horrid and the wounds still have haunting implications to the older Lomax, as he looks back on the tortures of humanity during the war. Once he realizes one of his captors is still alive, he goes on a search, at the urging of his beautiful wife Patricia, to rid his mind of his demons and confront the Japanese soldier that continues to haunt him. The film has received positive notices from Toronto and comparisons to the 1957 classic The Bridge on the River Kwai have been noticed. Eric is played by Colin Firth and his wife Patricia by Nicole Kidman. The cast also includes Stellan Skarsgard, Jeremy Irvine (playing the younger Lomax during WWII) and Hiroyuki Sanada. The film is directed by Jonathan Teplitsky. No release date has been announced or distributor for the matter. Here is the trailer. Enjoy.

Credits by ropeofsilicon.com and trailer by YouTube.