Monday, August 31, 2009
Assault Girls
I have never seen Ghost in the Shell amazingly enough. I'm not really into anime, but I have seen the director of Ghost in the Shell's film Avalon, which was a unique blend of anime styling set in the physical world. Mamuro Oshii's second venture into live action is Assault girls, which looks to take things up a notch.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Kim Ji-Woon
You probably don't know that name, but you should. He is not only my favorite asian director, but he is about to break into the international spotlight. Films like The Quiet Family, A Tale of Two Sisters, and A Bittersweet Life have showcased Kim's unique talent. He has done it all, comedy, horror, noir, action, even an Asian western in the form of the recent The Good, The Bad and The Weird. He has basically never put out a film that I did not enjoy immensely and I don't expect that to change for his remake of Claude Sautet’s 1971 heist classic Max et les Ferrailleurs (to be titled Max and the Junkmen). There is talk that Kim has his eye on Clive Owen and Sienna Miller to star. If you've seen his action-noir masterpiece A Bittersweet Life than you should be very excited at the possibilities. Here is a taste:
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Inception
Inception is Christopher Nolan's next masterpiece (I hope). After Dark Knight, who could expect less? The trailer for this, Leo Decaprio starring, dark-fi, mind freakout will leave you with more questions than answers, but it looks like a wild ride.
The Wolfman
Wolfman looks to be a return to the classic monster movies of yesteryear. All the B-movie roots are there, but then we have some fine acting pedigree. Starring Benicio Del Toro as the man fighting the beast within, and Anthony Hopkins this could be the lycanthrope film you've been waiting for.
Gentlemen Broncos
Count me in as excited about this new film by Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess. Jemaine Clement, of Flight of the Conchords fame, plays Ronald Chevalier, a washed up fantasy novelist who steals a young boy's novel and claims it as his own. Starring too many familiar comedy faces (including Sam Rockwell) in this to list, Gentlemen Broncos looks nothing if not a lot of fun-anuss.
Mew - No more stories Are told today I'm sorry They washed away No more stories The world is grey I'm tired Let's wash away
There will always be a soft spot in my heart for these Danish prog rockers. Mew's new album, No more stories Are told today I'm sorry They washed away No more stories The world is grey I'm tired Let's wash away (my fingers are sweating now), takes a more dreamy approach without losing their complex prog pop sensibilities. Being a huge fan of dream-pop and shoe-gaze, I welcome this stylistic growth with open arms. Listen below.
Avatar Trailer
I'm sure everyone has already seen this, but this is the first official trailer of James Cameron's newest epic Avatar. Boasting the newest in CGI and 3D technologies this labor of love certainly look spectacular, but will it have a story to match? James Cameron definitely has a good track record so I have to give him the benefit of the doubt...i guess.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Dear Readers...
Well I've debated this since I started this blogging adventure and finally decided to add the "followers" gadget to my blog in an attempt to allow people another way to stay connected. This is not a blog with high aspirations, just an outlet for me to share stuff that I like with other people, and its exciting to think that I could potentially connect with someone across the global who has the same dysfunctional interests that I do. The beauty of this gadget is that you can connect to each other as well. So anyways it's to the right if you want to use it, and thanks for reading. (and you can still use twitter, facebook, digg etc. links if you prefer)
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
District 9 Review
This is not an easy film to review, but here is my disjointed perspective anyways:
You can't write about this film and not infuse your review with the politics involved so here we go. I would have to praise the film for bringing a form of political realism to the table. We live in a world where politics and issues are far from Left or Right, Black and White, or Good or Bad...no matter how hard we try to present them that way. The people presented on both sides of this story are never clearly shown as the good aliens vs the bad military regime. The main character himself shows a certain conflicted, and at times purely selfish, morality, and the director Blomkamp is able to effectively have us be disgusted with him at parts in the film and root for him at others. The aliens obviously have their problems as well, infected with their own dose of degenerate behavior, and a seeming disinterest in integrating themselves in this new culture they find themselves in. Yes they are clearly marginalized by the government and local community, but they also marginalize themselves. I find this realistically muddied take on things to be refreshing, and feel that every time I watch this film it will reveal a new layer.
On the other side of the camera, I was impressed that Blomkamp and crew were able take us from mockumentary to documentary to thrilling action film seamlessly. This was clearly a stylistic decision, not an inability to sustain a single format, which is a common complaint. I was even more AMAZED by the CG work involved. I can't imagine the amount of time and effort it took to insert these creatures into each seen. I never once felt like I wasn't watching an organic living thing on screen. Avatar now has something to live up to. Each of these elements add up to an richly conceived alternate reality that provides an firm foundation for everything else presented in the film.
The bottom line is that this movie single handedly saves this summer for me. There has been far more disappointments (Wolverine, Terminator, Transformers, GI Joe etc...) than rewards (Star Trek, Drag Me to Hell), but this summer will now be remembered as the summer when District 9 showed what (Sci-fi) cinema is capable of.
Here's the Distric 9 panel discussion at Comic Con '09 with Blomkamp, Peter Jackson etc. (Jackson even talks about the Hobbit and HALO a little):
You can't write about this film and not infuse your review with the politics involved so here we go. I would have to praise the film for bringing a form of political realism to the table. We live in a world where politics and issues are far from Left or Right, Black and White, or Good or Bad...no matter how hard we try to present them that way. The people presented on both sides of this story are never clearly shown as the good aliens vs the bad military regime. The main character himself shows a certain conflicted, and at times purely selfish, morality, and the director Blomkamp is able to effectively have us be disgusted with him at parts in the film and root for him at others. The aliens obviously have their problems as well, infected with their own dose of degenerate behavior, and a seeming disinterest in integrating themselves in this new culture they find themselves in. Yes they are clearly marginalized by the government and local community, but they also marginalize themselves. I find this realistically muddied take on things to be refreshing, and feel that every time I watch this film it will reveal a new layer.
On the other side of the camera, I was impressed that Blomkamp and crew were able take us from mockumentary to documentary to thrilling action film seamlessly. This was clearly a stylistic decision, not an inability to sustain a single format, which is a common complaint. I was even more AMAZED by the CG work involved. I can't imagine the amount of time and effort it took to insert these creatures into each seen. I never once felt like I wasn't watching an organic living thing on screen. Avatar now has something to live up to. Each of these elements add up to an richly conceived alternate reality that provides an firm foundation for everything else presented in the film.
The bottom line is that this movie single handedly saves this summer for me. There has been far more disappointments (Wolverine, Terminator, Transformers, GI Joe etc...) than rewards (Star Trek, Drag Me to Hell), but this summer will now be remembered as the summer when District 9 showed what (Sci-fi) cinema is capable of.
Here's the Distric 9 panel discussion at Comic Con '09 with Blomkamp, Peter Jackson etc. (Jackson even talks about the Hobbit and HALO a little):
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Faunts - Feel.Love.Thinking.Of.
Great nugaze band flexes their electro-muscles on this new album and beautiful dark-pop ensues.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tron Legacy
I can't imagine there being any way they could match the hype on this one. Especially since the original was so groundbreaking. On the other hand this trailer does look promising...
The Vampire's Assistant
Vampires and John C. Reilly. Not sure what to think about this one, but it could be quirky fun. Fans of the book's ultra-dark and violent story-line are squirming at the trailer's kid-friendly comedic side. Here's hoping their just not showing all their cards in order to lure the general public.
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