An Epic

This post is an epic. No, it is not about an epic movie. This is far more important. This is one blogger's quest for a film. An epic quest lasting nearly a year. The quest, for Léon: the Professional. This may seem silly to you, dear reader, but wait, for the story will unfold, and then you will see.

Once, long ago, in the Summer of 2006, a certain man, let us call him 'Finix,' was doing what he did at some point every day- venturing to the Internet Movie Database for some light hearted fun at finding out studio briefs, reading articles, commenting on message boards, etc. There was a quote that instantly caught his eye, this one here:

"The rifle is the first weapon you learn how to use, because it lets you keep your distance from the client. The closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client. The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn."

Needless to say, Finix desperately needed to see this film, regardless of quality. He quickly found out what the movie was title, Léon, and eagerly began looking for it. And yet, no matter where poor Finix would go, the film eluded him. Could this really be so obscure that not a single Blockbuster, or Family Video, or even the lovable nut who owns every movie ever made and lives above his store, had it? It couldn't be! Natalie Portman! Gary -Fucking- Oldman! Jean Reno! These are not obscure names, their movies should be readily available to all.

Sadly, Finix was ready to give up after about 6 months. There was no hope, it would never be found. Then, just as the darkness was about to close in, someone lit a match! His roommate, CC, and he were talking one day about what movies they would like to see that summer. and he mention how Léon had been on his list for almost a year, and she had never heard of it. No one had. But then Finix began to describe it, and she said 'Oh! That's The Professional. Léon is the European title. ' Well, the search was back on. The first store he looked, they had it, but only on that obsolete beast, the VHS. The search continued, without success, until a couple of days ago, when he was searching through the 'Favorites' section of Family Video, and saw it. Just sitting there, waiting for him. JACKPOT!

Having watched the movie, the expected happened. It was not nearly as good as all the buildup had deserved. However, it was not a letdown either. And, most importantly, like any epic, this one has an uncertain future. Léon: The Professional has a longer version available. I do not know where to find it, but my story continues, and the quest will never die.

-Fin-

God Help Humanity

I don't plan on writing about TV with any regularity, but I had to with this. I was looking at IMDb's studio briefs, and was pleasantly surprised to see NBC had won a night, Tuesday, and has been experiencing better ratings than it did during the year. Then I looked more closely, and found that this was the result of America's Got Talent and The Singing Bee. What disappoints me about this, beyond the fact that anything related to reality 'vote' competition shows' success makes me sick, is that this is bad news for TV all around.

I was quite the fan of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a short-lived show last year about the backstage life of a show obviously ripped from Saturday Night Live. One premise of this show was that if networks stopped playing to the lowest common denominator, and instead produced quality, intelligent television, eventually that network would dominate. This show was killed by shows like The Bachelor and American Idol. The existence of Studio 60 led me to believe that its thesis was something that NBC was planning to attempt, and with it came such quality shows as Heroes, claimed by many (myself included) to be the greatest show released this season. My opinion, it is the best new show since House.

Sadly, it appears to me that the good days of quality TV is dead. I read an article last week that a new show, Masters of Science Fiction, was quite possibly the greatest show made in 20 years. Sadly, it was considered 'too smart' for its audience by network ABC (which, I'd like to add, uses brainless television to be the top network every week except those with new episodes of American Idol). Therefore, the show was pushed to be Saturday nights at 10 pm, a time slot sure to kill any show, no matter the quality. I even planned on watching it myself, but with such a time slot, I was unable to catch it, being out having a social life. Thus, even with my semiconscious effort (the most any TV show deserves), I managed to miss it. How then for those that just watch whatever is on? Unlikely they will be looking for quality television on ABC at 10 on a Saturday.

In conclusion: reality TV= the death to any chance that television will ever become accepted as a place to look for art and quality.

What film could be if only it tried

The Life of David Gale
Directed By Alan Parker
Featuring: Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney, Kate Winslet, and Gabriel Mann
IMDb

Now, contrary to the title, I am not going to be saying that this is the greatest film ever made. It isn't. It's a damn good one. What I mean by the title, (and I suppose Apocalypse Now would also fit here) is that film frequently fails to meet up to the full potential of the genre, and this film does not. Fail, I mean. The basic story of the film is that a death penalty protester, David Gale (Spacey), is about to be executed in Texas, and is giving three 2 hour interviews in the week leading up to his death. Bitsey (Winslet) is the reporter, and she becomes convinced of Gale's innocence in the murder and sets out in the last day to prove it.

What this film has that so many do not is realism. One of the many potentials of film is to create reality. It is something that theatre can't do. Sadly. Movies tend to try for realism to a point, but there is always the permission given of 'well, its just a movie, the audience will go with it.' Gale does not allow itself to do that. You can't always save the day in the last minute. Its a fact, but most movies do not allow for that. They'd rather save the day when the timer on the bomb hits one second, teasing us that maybe, just this once, the bomb will go off. Not saying that I am bloodthirsty in every movie I see; rather, I abhor the body count that summers rack up (although I am known to enjoy James Bond and Jason Bourne's antics). What bothers me is not that everyone lives all the time, but simply that that doesn't happen. When in history has anyone ever cut the right wire right at one second? But I ramble, and not about this movie. so moving right along.

I surfed the IMDb boards as I frequently do after watching a film, and found that a few people are railing that this film has terrible acting, a waste of the stars' talents. I disagree. Sometimes, the best acting you ever see is when you can't tell that they are acting. You don't sit there thinking, "wow, Kevin Spacey is fantastic." That is also good acting, but good acting with some removal, you know that the performance is good, and so does the actor giving it. In this, they are simply acting, simply creating real people with real faults and real virtues. David Gale is a fully fleshed out man, not just an amazing character like 'Verbal' Kint.

Direction: 4
Artistic Vision: 4
Acting: 4.5
Production Design: 3.5
Cultural Relevance: 5
Overall: 9/10

Already Breaking Promises

I know I promised Conversations or The Simpsons Movie next, but that is not to be. Both this weekend, promise. As it is I unexpectedly saw Apocalypse Now! for the first time, and it is more heavily on my mind.

Apocalypse Now!
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Featuring: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, Lawrence Fishburne
IMDb

Synopsis: A soldier/assassin (Sheen) in the Vietnam War is sent up a dangerous river to find and assassinate a rogue US Corporal (Brando).


This movie defines what a war movie should be. Though I don't consider myself a fan per say of the genre as a whole, I have had the opportunity to see many over the years. This one, quite simply, leaves them all behind. Infinitely quotable ("I love the smell of napalm in the morning... smells like victory"), it manages to recreate the time and the chaos of the war, as well as artistically manipulating it for the director's purposes. It has an intriguing plot, and powerful characterizations.

Marlon Brando is typically the actor talked about most when this movie is discussed, and with good reason. While he only appears in the late half of the film, his character is deranged, much as Brando himself became late in life, but to the point that he is dangerous. And yet, it is only when he himself recognizes that he is a danger that Sheen can manage to actually go through the act that he was sent to do. And let's put it this way: Brando is easily one of the greatest actors that ever lived. I have long believed this, and thought that I had evidence enough: The Godfather, Streetcar Named Desire, Don Juan DeMarco, even his last film, The Score, when the man had completely lost it to the point that he had to be directed in the voice of Miss Piggy. This film holds the final proof: the oft mocked line "The horror... the horror..." This line is nothing without the rest of the film, and is ridiculous out of context. But even then, any lesser actor with this line to die on would have made the entire movie a joke. Only an actor of the caliber of Brando can make you hear that line at that time and not burst out laughing. Simply fantastic.

There is not a war movie made that can affect its viewer in the same way that this film can. Others can show the reality, the romanticism, the victory, the defeat, but only this one truly shows the horror. And that is the harshest reality of them all.

Direction: 5
Artistic Vision: 5
Acting: 5
Production Design: 4
Cultural Relevance: 5
Overall: 10/10

Croupier

Croupier (1998)
Directed by Mike Hodges
Featuring Clive Owen
on IMDb
Synopsis: The film centers on a writer (Clive Owen) and former croupier, named Jack, who gets back into the casino business to make ends meet while he writes his book. The casino is an addiction to Jack, although the stories he experiences find their way into his novel.



Croupier was certainly a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. I have always loved Clive Owen, but have mostly seen him in his more mainstream roles (Closer, King Arthur, The Bourne Identity). This film was a wonderful opportunity to watch the man completely dominate a film and bring me in to the demented world of Jack. The narration called to mind that of Fight Club in style, although not as abrasive, and that was certainly one of the high points to the film. Metaphors play beautifully, and while I didn't always understand why Jack was taking the actions that he was, but it was never unbelievable in the least.

This is part of a dying breed of film: the intense character study. The goal fleshes out a single person to the point that the audience believes him to be real. The story is quite engaging, as are most films that attempt this style, and unfortunately that tends to get in the way, making fascinating stories but losing something in the characterization. Croupier manages to avoid this trap, maybe because its story is not as fascinating as its central character. Overall, a movie that should be seen by far more audiences than it ever will be.

Trivia: Was planned to be an Oscar contender, but it was shown on TV before the nominations, thus disqualifying it.

Direction: 4
Artistic Vision: 4
Acting: 4 (Clive Owen is a 5, other characters leave something to be desired)
Production Design: 5
Cultural Relevance: 3
Overall: 9/10

Coming Soon: Conversations with Other Women, The Simpsons Movie

So It Begins

I don't expect that this will be getting any hits anytime soon, but when it does, surely someone would like to know who the hell thinks their opinion is valid enough to be writing movie reviews. Let it suffice that I am a college student in the Midwest who has seen enough movies to have a sense of a good movie versus a bad one. I haven't seen every movie on AFI's Top 100, but I personally also believe that AFI is unable to recognize that there have, in fact, been very good movies made within the last 20 years, and even though Citizen Kane may in fact be the greatest movie ever made (though that is certainly up for debate), it doesn't mean that half of their top 10 must be made within 5 years of it.

As you are probably getting a sense of already, I can be abrasive, opinionated, and, of course, a self admitted snob. I will probably resort to being crude, especially with some of the worse movies that I am sure to see as time progresses. This blog will consist mostly of reviews of movies, though with any luck, I will be inspired to write in regards to industry decisions, actor's careers, major awards, and so on.

I will also close every review with 1-5 ratings in the following categories:
Direction
Artistic Vision
Acting
Production Design
Cultural Relevance
Overall (out of 10)*
*Overall will not necessarily be directly resultant from the other categories. For example, Die Hard would get lower marks for Artistic Vision and Cultural Relevance, but it is overall a well made movie, and would get a 7 overall.

My taste in movies ranges all over the place, but things you can probably expect:
I will hate most comedies targeted at my age group and lower. The Wayans brothers are Satan's work in the world, and should not be allowed to touch movies.
I will tend to enjoy movies that have first person narration. I don't know why, I just will
Favorite genres of mine include cult movies, and movies that the mainstream would consider fringe, and that the fringe would consider mainstream. Movies like Fight Club, The Usual Suspects, Sideways, Reality Bites, Tim Burton films, etc.

That's all for this post. I was going to include my first reviews in it, but I will instead put those in another post.