Some Movies Pts. 6 of Many

A Very Long Engagement

A film by Jean-Pierre Jeanuet, starring Audrey Tautou, with Jodie Foster in part of it, which surprised me. The film is about Mathilde and Machon, who have been in love since an early age, but the war (WWI) has tore them apart, and now Machon is known as "missing in action", but Mathilde knows he is alive and is determined to find him. I rented this movie because I saw Amelie and I wanted to see everything else this guy had directed. But this movie wasn't like Amelie at all, and it was a bit strange, but I still liked it in the end. “Doggie fart, gladdens my heart.” A part of my confusion in the film was the fact that half of the subtitles were missing, and I actually rented the DVD from Movie Gallery, so I only understood half of what was said. It is a beautiful film, transitioning from two parts; from Mathilde’s perspective trying to find her fiancé, which composes of wide sweeping shots and warm, bright colors that fill the mind. And the parts of her fiance in the trenches during WWII, dark and gritty, where everything is dirty and wet, sharp contrast from the warm colors of Mathilde.

The Bourne Supremacy

A film by Paul Greengrass, who also directed the Bourne Identity and United 93. Starring Matt Damon. His name is Jason Bourne, and he is living with his girlfriend in some tropical land. Away from everything his past had represented; which was a secret assassin for the CIA. But somehow they have found him, and while escaping his girlfriend is shot and he is presumed dead, now he has to find out you did it and come to terms with his past at the same time. The first time I saw the Bourne Identity I liked it immediately, maybe just because I love a good action flick, but it was something more. Since it had been a novel first, I figured it was deeper than your run of the mill action flick, and it was. Now the second film of the trilogy is out, and it is a great one, that’s what I think at least. It has a great storyline; due to the novel, and the action sequences are unlike any other action movie I have seen. I cannot wait until the third one, The Bourne Ultimatum comes out, it will put closure on this stunning trilogy.

Requiem for a Dream

Directed by Darin Aronofsky, the man who directed Pi and the upcoming movie The Fountain, which are both very good films. This movie is a real trip; it will give you a headache. A very scary reality of a mother-son relationship and friends falling apart because of drugs. Although t may be a sensitive subject for some and the movie is rated R, everyone should see this movie, because it shows some harsh realities of drug addiction and the directing is out of this world. He does a great job of slow motion and fast motion intertwined to show the affect of the drugs that the kids take.
The acting is also superb, for people who are just in their early 20's; they take desperate measure to try to get the money for the drugs they owe, prostitution anyone. Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and one of the Wayan brothers; I don't know which one. But you know who he is, starred in and made the movie White Chicks. These kids throw their lives away trying to get their big break, becoming distributors and selling drugs. They play the part of big dreamers very well, except that their dreams just can't keep up with them. Very disturbing, yet well-done film. If you want the most intense acid trip, and want to know what its like, then watch this movie.
A cool shot, when the 2 guys are coming out of their addiction in jail, the shaking of the screen and the screeching of the music when they scream out in pain.
The finale of the movie is absolutely insane.

Senseless Ramblings (Its not supposed to make sense)

Just a Note: Sam Van Eman

This advertising guy either doesn't have a good presentation or his concept just sucks.
"A women lying about cell phone coverage is looking for God." What is that supposed to mean?

I have this film that is great,
But the producer doesn't like it,
"More sex, more violence, more controversy,"
I don't like it, but if I don't
There will be nothing for my family and I.

- I'm mostly all blogged out, that last push bled me all out.
- Don't give the public what they want.
- When you try to appeal to everyone you appeal to no one.
- Feed your child fried food and sugar drinks.
- Undermining the ethics and business of Hollywood would destroy entertainment.
- If movies were my idols and I worshiped them, they would fulfill me until I died, because there is literally a limitless supply of them. I could watch movies all of my life and do nothing else, and still not see all of them.

Nothing is wrong with big blockbusters, in fact, I love them! Does that make me a capitalist pig, oh well, so be it. If you ever see anyone around campus with a red shirt on with the letter NFB on it and waving a Canadian flag around, you know who it is. Would he rather see the end of all mindless entertaining big blockbuster movies, I don't know, but that looks like the direction he is going in. Would he love it if the evangelical creative arts took over Hollywood and destroyed the money loving producers, absolutely. There is nothing wrong with movies that delight and entertain the mind and the soul, with no real meaning underneath it. A film doesn’t have to have a Christian allegory to be a great film. I would love to be a producer or director of some films that come out of Hollywood, pretty much anything would do, just to experience it. I would love to e an independent filmmaker, that is where the movie business is going anyway, and I want to be there. Sure Canada is pretty cool, and although you may not like America, it is way better than Canada will ever be.

- She tried instant oatmeal, and she got fat.
- Whether we like it or not, we are more culture than we are evangelical.
- Christians don't care about anything but their own moral code.

Take away from me these films?
They have no values and no message
Why do the capitalists make it so?
The only way, is to become no more.

There was once a boy with a knife
Who didn't know what to do with his life,
So he took up the blade into the air,
And brought it down into a juicy pear.

Some Movies Pts. 5 of Many (The James Bond Version)

Reviewing 3 different bond movies, spanning different time periods with 3 different bond actors.

Live or Let Die aka Butter Hook.

A bond movie directed by Guy Hamilton in 1973, it starred Roger Moore as James Bond trying to uncover some sort of evil plot by a gang of black people. Looking deep into its film I saw the civil rights movement and the importance of banging chicks whenever you get the chance, even if they have a gun on you. Watching it made me appreciate even the crap that comes out of Hollywood, compared to this movie it is really high rated. Here is something to rant about, a script not even amateurs filmmakers would use. Whoever wrote the thing needs to be institutionalized, which would be Tom Mankiewicz. The only reason they probably hired him was because he had experience with the Bond, when he wrote the screenplay for Diamonds are Forever. An example:

Solitaire: [Kananga has just died from the gas pellet shoved in his mouth] Where's Kananga?
James Bond: He always did have an inflated opinion of himself.

Now, I can see how it could be out of date because it is quite old and only having a 7 million dollar budget to go one. But that script is just pure corny, but as I found out, a corny script comes with a standard Bond movie. If you want a comedy, watch this.

Die Another Day aka Read This!

A beautiful modern day action movie. The invincible hero that runs around with guns and martial arts and disarms the bad villains while banging the chicks, while spewing forth sexual innuendos to no end. This was better than Live or Let Die, but the budget was about 130 million more than the older movie, so I will give it that. And it was the first Bond movie ever to have a torture scene in the intro sequence where Bond is actually getting tortured, to show that he is not actually a God, just a really lucky and obnoxious person. Directed by a standard action director, the guy who directed the sequel to XXX, that Ice Cube starred in. The story wasn't actually a book first, just the characters were adapted from Ian Fleming, and then the writers made up their own story. The plot of this story told me that I shouldn't trust people from North Korea. Bond , Pierce Brosnan, has to save the world from evil Koreans who have undergone plastic surgery and are trying to fry South Korea with a giant mirror that directs sunlight into a huge death ray that incinerates stuff on earth. And he does it, with great effect. Oh, and here are some great lines in the movie.

Jinx: Wait, don't pull it out. I'm not finished with it yet.
James Bond: See? It's a perfect fit.
Jinx: Uh-hm. Leave it in.
James Bond: It's gotta come out sooner or later.
Jinx: No, leave it in, please. Few more minutes?
James Bond: We really have to get these back.
Jinx: Still the good guys, huh?
James Bond: I'm still not quite sure how good you are.
Jinx: I am so good.
James Bond: Especially when you're bad.

They're talking about diamonds. Get your mind out of the gutter. Another thing, Halle Berry can't act.

GoldFinger aka Sean Connery is Bond

My favorite out of the 3 Bond movies we watched, classic and it had the original Bond acting, thanks to good 'ole Sean Connery. And to Richard M something, the guy who wrote the screenplay, he has written over 10 Bond movie screenplays, something I admire and respect. Compared to the other movies, the things that made this movie stand out were the movies ability to clearly state the plot and for it to absolutely realistic. I'm sorry, but a giant mirror in outer space with the ability to incinerate miles at a time is a bit out of my range. And I was able to understand the plot, it was actually stimulating, I respected the villain in this movie because he had some brains, unlike the black tribal peoples of the other Bond movie. It still had those corny lines, but those are standard with any Bond movie, so I let it pass, and the action scenes could have used some work. The slow and fast action of the chase scenes made me sick, and the strings you could see when they showed outside shots of the plane, oops. And here are some lines from the movie.

[after knocking a lamp into a bathtub to electrocute a bad guy]
James Bond: Shocking! Positively shocking!

I wish I could make up those lines.

As if you care...


The Dog That Gets Chopped Up

This is a very relevant film for today's society/culture. I think it perfectly matches what Hollywood is doing to the independent/upstart filmmakers of today. They would rather stay with the money and put out big blockbuster movies that are mindless entertainment. The poor artsy filmmaker doesn't get any attention because they don't make any money with their films; which is what runs Hollywood. The dog barks at the evil cannibals so they do not kidnap his masters.
The dog is the upstart filmmaker and he is trying to get the attention of the Hollywood Producers because they are getting jacked by the big blockbuster movies. So he tries to warn them against making only entertaining movies; like mindless horror movies and sex fests, but they get annoyed by his attempts and put him down. That’s the way it goes in reality, and they did a good job showing the comparison. Until producers start letting the upstart filmmakers save them, there will be no hope for the doomed Hollywood.

Hedgehog in the Fog

Good thing everyone was nice to the hedgehog. Music played nicely along with the visuals. And why was he a friend with a cub in the first place, wouldn't they be enemies in their natural habitat. I appreciate the tedious work that goes into creating these difficult animated experiences, props to Yuriy Norshteyn.

Film about Death

Very good, perfect for children, and even adults that are dealing with death. And you have to get past the fact that there are other people out there that think differently than you. If you don't want your kids to see this, then I would call that a crack in your faith, not to rude or anything, but hey, this is what its all about. If you don't question your faith, then what kind of person are you?

A Feather Tale

Creepy. Abuse, the music gave me the chills, and for some reason I was in suspense the whole time, very tense waiting for something awful to happen. When the guy chasing the girl chicken around it scared the crap out of me, so creepy, and then he took a bite of her, that’s some sick stuff.

Ryan

I love a movie that is rough and gritty, I can understand why people can be offended by that, but it is a pert of life. But I can't believe I have never seen, or even heard of this film before. It was very good, and very random with epileptic seizure inducing sequences. Chris Landreth did a great job in chronicling the career of Ryan in this short.

A movie terrorist if I've ever seen one.

Some Movies, Pts. 3 of Many

The Legend of 1900

Tim Roth and Pruitt Taylor Vince star in this film about a boy that is born, lived, and died on the ship Virginia, and never took a step on land. The author that wrote the book, which the movie was based on, did a great job with the story. The best parts of this movie were the cinematography, dialogue, soundtrack and the conflicts of characters. The director Giuseppe Tornatore did a great job with turning the story into a visual feast, the part where 1900 is playing the piano while it is rolling around in a storm is awesome. Apparently Tim Roth practiced the piano for 2 years so he could play the parts that 1900 played in the movie. I have to say, that is dedication, because the songs played on the piano are very fast, and I would never be able to move my fingers that fast. The music plays an integral part in the story, since 1900 is a prodigy, he can just listen to the music and play it right back on the piano like a recorder. The songs played match the settings and moods of the environments perfectly, playing theme songs for different people.

The Pianist

way they would just shoot anyone whenever they wanted, and it is terrible. The story revolves about the Holocaust. That was how it was, the raw violence of the Nazis was disgusting, theThe movie itself makes a very strong statement about he Nazis in Warsaw during WWII. And don't complain about the violence, because that is absolutely necessary to get the point across around one Jew who is a pianist in Warsaw, and follows him through the years of the war. It shows how the only way he survived was the compassion of others; there are hundreds of times he could have died. But because he was helped by other he survived the war, because they put their lives on the line for him, he survived; that cowardly little man.
Beautiful music, it is a great contrast. The music playing in the background while shots of war and destruction show on the screen, an amazing difference.
I would have been more impressed if Brody actually played some of the songs hat were played during the movie. But they never had any shots of him playing the piano, just close in shots of the person's fingers, cheap, if I could say so.

Coffee and Cigarettes

Directed and written by Jim Jarmusch. A film that has an all star cast, with appearances by Cate Blanchett, the Wu Tang Clan, Bill Murray, the White Stripes, and Steve Buscemi, just to name a few. The movie isn't visually appealing at all unfortunately, but the acting and dialogue make up for it ten fold. The movie is rich in beautiful conversation between many different set of people. It shows a lot of situations that people get in during conversation; twins with an annoying waiter, two cousins on the opposite end of the social spectrum, actors that are having awkward conversation, and two singers that can't seem to get it right. Even though I wouldn't' be able to sit through a movie with only 3 different shot, this film's dialogue is so stimulation that I didn't even notice the time fly by.
- Black and White anyone, adds to the dialogue of the film.

"A child will go all the way!"
-and please don't get in their path-
-because you will be destroyed-

That is a totally true statement, children have no boundaries. They can do whatever they want, way outside of what adults can do. Take, for example, the girl in the German film we watched that was collecting rocks in the beginning. How cute, I thought, she was finding smooth rocks to skip in the local pond or river. But oh no, how wrong was I , she has something much more sinister in mind. I would watch out, when she grows up, she might turn into an evil genius; my advice, kill them while they are sill young, before they cause irreparable damage.
On to the story, she ingeniously takes all the change out of her fathers change box and fills it with small rocks. How those rocks sound like small metal coins are way beyond my comprehension. Now, she goes to the grocer and buys a chocolate bar with all the money. And she picks up her dad at the bus stop and they buy some eggs. They go home and eat and her father goes to sleep on the couch to the sound of rising food prices. When he falls asleep she takes a bite of the chocolate and places it on a chair with a note…"Happy Birthday Dad!" the note says. How cute! And yet, how stupid and naïve was that little girl, she probably had no idea the consequences of her actions. Her father will be surprised and happy when he first sees the chocolate, knowing he has a daughter that loves him dearly.

But later, maybe days, weeks, or even months, when he finds that his change box is filled with rocks, he will be in despair. When he needs the money to buy food that he and his daughter need, he won't have any money, because all his change that he saved up is gone. But he can't buy any food, last time I heard, you can't buy food with rocks. He is dismayed, where did all of his money go, and he racks his memory looking for an answer. Then it his him…His birthday! His daughter, it had to be, he bursts into the family room/bedroom 3 feet away. She is sitting there, innocent as ever, watching television, and yet the epitome of all evil is waiting to trick him yet again. She took the money, how naïve can she be, she knows that food prices are high, she know that that was my saving box, now we need something to eat, and we have not extra change to buy it with. He walks up to her, how could she. I leave the rest to your imagination.

News Alert
The Herald Tribune
October 16th 2006
8:05 am

Updates to the Huntington theatre explosion, the fire department has concluded their analysis of the scene. They suspect that it was a homemade bomb used with common household materials and some fertilizer you could get anywhere. Police now have a full-scale investigation into the crime, and are in the process of gathering evidence and looking for suspects. "I couldn't even think of who would do such a thing, ruin an entertaining experience for the Huntington movie goers, probably the one place they can escape to. Whoever this person is, should give himself up now, before he hurts more people," local policeman. We will be posting you with updated info whenever we happen upon it, this story is hot, and the investigation will move as fast as possible and catch whoever did this heinous crime.

The Time Has Come….

We all now know what we must do….
Take up the sword of creativity and art….
And strike down those ruining culture with their slanderous views.

You know what I say…

I say we kill Hollywood.

Yes, that’s right, destroy, burn, explode, whatever is needed….

Hollywood is "the" symbol of American consumerist culture, smearing its influence over the planet like a wave of global death molasses. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the beautiful get botox. We'd all like to be rich and famous, but must we sacrifice our integrity to get there? No.

So what can we do to revolt against this impending doom…
When Sir Patrick said that performance was dead in Hollywood, he was right..

"Performance is dead, eat the corpse."
This is so true, and we must do something to stop it.

But we must first accept that performance is dead and has
now been turned into a processed art, only then can we
proceed with are project.

In the late 90s, Steven Spielberg was heard commenting on actors during auditions…

"These people have no life, its as if they have put their performance in a box,
and just placed it in little organized rows, there is no life, or anything else, for
that matter."

It is only a matter of time before Hollywood will implode on itself…
The mass amount of shallow compacted crap coming out will soon constipate…
You are not the amazing big blockbuster director you think you are…
All sense of direction will be lost, and you will die…

Die, but not the physical way, you will be sucked into the
monster and never come out.

This is the beast…
Deliver me from fast edited action movies…
Deliver me from shallow thrillers that have no meaning…
Deliver me from the tasteless screens that entertain…
The brain will turn to mush, looking on in uncertainty…

Deliver me from Hollywood.

Based on the quotes of when Peter lost his sleeve.

All quotes and references used in this rant were taken from www.killhollywood.com.
This blog is entirely fiction, do not believe anything you read in this blog.

Can You Plant Trees in the Jungle...

....well, does the Pope crap in the woods?

....yeah, thats what I thought.

I like animation that has actually story because it is easier to get lost in than animation that doesn't have a plot to it. Whether this is a true story or not, it is a masterpiece of storytelling. A man spending his whole life planting trees so hopefully his hard work will change the earth that he lives on. The whole landscape of the "no mans land" is flipped around, people are amazed that this natural forest just started to grow, and it brings all sorts of life, and soon the place is bustling with people as it used to. The waters that didn't flow do now, and the places that used to be dead are alive, it reminds of a Pay It Forward(http://imdb.com/title/tt0223897/) type of concept. Where you are just one person, but your best to change the world, you can, you have to pay it forward.

Talk about the end of the spear. We watched the film on Wednesday night for a chapel credit, and…for a Christian film, it is really good, and I was severely surprised. They really put a lot of money into the film, thanks to the help of my favorite craft and hobbies store, Hobby Lobby. From what I have heard, the guy that made the movie is the son of the President of Hobby Lobby, but I can't confirm that information. Although I can confirm that on the companies' part of their imdb.com webpage, Hobby Lobby is listed as a company with special thanks, but that is it. Great storytelling, told it just as it happened, captured the raw humanity of what those people were and the undying love of the missionaries for them, great. The ending was strange, and the actor playing the dad played the son also, which messed with the continuum of the story, if that is the right word, which it isn't, so you needn't worry.

News Alert
The Herald Tribune
October 13th 2006
7:38 pm

A local movie theatre in Huntington, Indiana experienced a horrifying event in the last hour. During the middle of the movie, The Grudge 2, while moviegoers where thoroughly enjoying themselves with the thriller, the projection room in the top of the theatre exploded. As the moviegoers screamed and started a mass exodus towards the exit signs glowing the flames, popcorn and drinks slid down the aisles, causing quite a sticky mess, the theatre ushers said. No one was injured in the explosion, the projection boy was on his break when this happened and only the equipment was destroyed. The police have agreed to investigate the scene and are waiting for results from the fire departments analysis. While the cause of the explosion is yet unknown, the majority of the people in the theatre seem to agree it was a bomb of some sort. Although why someone would put a bomb in the projection room of a fun and entertaining movie is baffling to our editorial staff. We will keep you updated when we get more information, thank you.

Just Some Movies: Parts Two of Many (Spoilers Ahead, Maybe?)

Gladiator: Obviously going to be a great movie, just leaving at the credentials. Ridley Scott and Russel Crowe, that is a good combination, and then you look at the awards, and you only need to look at one, Academy Award for Best Picture, and I'm not saying that everyone is going to like a movie just because it won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. But if you do not like this movie, then shame on you. The cinematography is beautiful; from the sweeping shot of battle, the tight quick shots of gladiatorial battles, to the wide shots of ancient Rome, they're all breathtaking. 9/10
- If I wasn't an unethical person, I would definitely buy this.
http://imdb.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.bold.gifcom/title/tt0172495/

Troy: After Gladiator I felt the need to feed my desire for ancient epic battles, so I picked up this movie from one of my friends. Not the best of films, but certainly the not he worst of some action epics I have seen. But lately Peterson has not been at the top of his game, with Troy no hitting a note at the box office and then going on to make Poseidon, which also didn't go anywhere when it came out, which is sad, because it cost so much to make. But on to the movie; starring Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom; directed by Wolfgang Peterson, who has done some big blockbuster movies, such as In the Line of Fire, Air Force One, and Das Boot, similar to Michael Bay, you could say. The epic battle of Troy, with Achilles and Hector battling out, and all those others heroes fighting and dieing for the sake of one mans greed. The scenes were grand, huge battle scenes and wide aerial angles of thousands of badly generated boats and giant cities. My history teacher pointed out something that I wouldn't have ever noticed before, during one scene in the movie, Achilles and his cousin and fighting in ancient Greek ruins. But if the movie took place during ancient Greece, wouldn't the "ruins" would act ally be a house or whatever they were. But all in all, a good movie, due to the fact that I applaud them at trying to fit a massive Greek epic into a 2 ½ hour movie, which would be hard to do anyway.
- A rental for sure, not enough to buy though.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0332452/

Amelie: Breathtaking film, wonderful, amazing, awesome, intriguing, beautiful, colorful, hilarious, imaginative, and any other adjective you or I can think of. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and starring Audrey Tautou, this film will take you away into dream land, if you let it, and I let it, just sweep me away into this magnificent film. The quirkiness of the whole thing just grabbed on to me at the very beginning, the story of poor Amelie, whose mother is killed by a suicidal maniac falling from the Notre Dame. And I have to wonder if the company Travelocity got their idea of the traveling lawn gnome from this movie, it would make sense. After some research, it is sort of tied into the traveling lawn gnome idea, "The traveling gnome was inspired a rash of similar pranks played out in England and France in the 1990s. In 1997, a French court convicted the leader of Front de Libération des Nains de Jardins (Garden Gnome Liberation Front) of stealing over 150 gnomes. The idea was later used in an advertising campaign for an Internet travel agency." Very interesting. I love movies that delve into imagfination and fantasy, where the world is how you dream it to be and go around B&Eing into peoples houses, booby trapping all of their stuff just for some pay back. My favorite scenes would have to be the ones of in fast motion, like the cutting of the note with scissors and the bike ride at the end, for some reason those got to me. And lets not forget a integral part to the movie, its music; some of the best soundtrack music I have heard that correspond perfectly with what is going on onscreen. I could listen to it over and over again and never tire of it.
- If you haven't seen it yet, get it from me or go to the rental store, NOW!
http://imdb.com/title/tt0211915/

Just Some Movies...Parts One of Many(Spoilers Ahead)

This weekend I watched some movies, from the whole spectrum of movies.

- District B-13 (Straight Action) : A French film that takes place in France in the future when the city of Paris is divided into 13 different districts. In this movie, District 13 gets a hold of a nuclear bomb and are going to bomb the government, and the cops have to do something about it. All about the action, two professional and very good stunt men were the main actors, they had no experience with acting before and they did a superb job. The movie would go from a action scene, to a slow scene that would explain what was happening, and go back and forth throughout the whole movie until the credits roll. The choreography is amazing, and if you like action movies, with no thought to "what the movie is really about" then this would be a good pick.






- Everything is Illuminated (Drama/Comedy/Historical) : A book to film movie, about a Jew that is trying to find the woman who helped his father leave the Ukraine when WW II started. Great film, something everyone should watch, as I said before, based on a book, and is very accurately portrayed, as it should. Perfect music, the situation this kid gets into are so awkward its perfect, the epitome of clashing cultures trying to figure each other out.






- United 93 (Intense Emotional Drama): A quasi-documentary about the attacks on the WTC on 9/11, but focuses on the flight that went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Very intense, very emotional, hits deep with anyone who watches this film because it affected us all. It is impossible to explain, so I'll just leave it to you to watch it.




- High Tension (Thriller/Horror) : Another French film. A girl and her friend are going to the friend's family's house to study for their exams and it all goes awry when a crazy killer dude comes and starts the slaughter. A classic horror movie with a twist that even I wasn’t expecting, which is very strange. If you don't like horror movies, then you shouldn’t' watch this, that is obvious, and for anyone of you who are gurus of horror movies, then you might give this a look, its not that good, but for a blood and guts movie, it has all the elements, and its French, with some plot holes.