i'm in the process of actualizing my grad school self. expect more words at a late date.

Hot Docs Recap

I got sick during Hot Docs this year so unfortunately I didn't get to see as many movie as I wanted. I bought the late night pin for $10 and saw 4 movies, so i am happy i got my moneys worth. Here's some thoughts on each one.

TalHotBlond

On the whole the topic was interesting, but there needed to be a little more liberties with the editing. It kind of felt like this moderately talented documentarian fell upon a really good story. It does really ring true for those of us who grew up with the advent of the internet though. I remember going into chat rooms when I was 9 and people asking a/s/l, to which i always answered 16/f/california. It seemed totally normal to me at the time, but i guess is kind of disturbing in retrospect.

4/8

Parking Lot Movie

For what was probably a student film this was amazing. Take a boring monotonous job and infuse really interesting characters and you've got an interesting film. Almost everything about it evoked working at Queen Video, all the in-jokes and shenanigans and pranks we pull. Also, the drummer from Yo La Tengo was in it.

7/8

People Vs George Lucas

I saw this on May 4th, and I waited in line. One could say I am kind of a Star Wars nerd, though I don't own any apparel or movies. They are representative of my childhood and my love of movies, though. I liked this doc, it was charming though lets face it the topic has been well charted. After watching it all I wanted to do was go home and watch the original Star Wars.

6/8

We Don't Care About Music Anyway...

This one was basically all Japanese noise rock which would normally be a turn off, but it was so artfully done and so deep (hate to sound cliche). One guy hooks up lights to his chest and they flicker with his heart beat while he is performing in the dark. It is worth it for that scene alone, but the doc had so much more to offer.

7/8

Ghost Writer

Walking into a Roman Polanski film, I was riddled with anticipation. At the same time, I haven't really heard too much buzz around his new film, Ghost Writer. After his arrest, and court drama, I really thought this film would be a big deal but I am glad it wasn't. I think that would have over-hyped it for me. The film was extremely well done, but it's not one of Polanski's best. That being said, the screenplay was ridiculously tight, and the last shot of the film was nothing short of an art piece. Ewan McGreggor manages to be suspenseful and comedic at the same time, which is a feet. Ghost Writer also had Tom Wilkinson in it. I love that guy. During the course of the film I kept thinking about how enjoyable it was as a filmic experience, before I remembered it's a Polanski film. He's made some amazing movies, i shouldn't have been surprised. It was a nice change from the wannabe cinematic drivel I've subjected myself to in the past. Ghost Writer is definitely something to see in theatres if you're even mildly interested in the storyline.

The Runaways

One image stuck in my head after watching The Runaways: Dakota Fanning singing Lady Grinning Soul in hot pants. I'm not going to lie, I felt kind of dirty but that was the point wasn't it. Kristen Stewart was pretty dead on as Joan Jett, she got the mannerisms down and I feel like i can think of her as something other than a replacement Jenna Malone or a tween bore. The sex, the drugs and some of the rock and roll were all there but the girls needed a little more bite. It seemed like the girls were their managers puppets a little too much to buy into the girlpower selling point of the film. I did like how nonchalant the Joan/Cherie hook-up was. It was an all around enjoyable experience. The Runaways is a fun 2 hrs, nothing more, nothing less.

I'm With Streisand: Oscar Commentary

I'm not going to lie, ever since the very first time I laid eyes the Oscars telecast i wondered where all the women were, specifically in the best directors category. By my teens i played with the idea of doing it myself, but after last night's Oscars, history was made. I was routing for Kathryn Bigelow, and when she won I was no less than ecstatic. I identified with Barbara Streisand's teary eyes when she announced that winner and I could not wait to hear what K Bigs had to say. After the speech was done I realized she thanked mostly men and one girl and made no mention of being the first woman. Perhaps I have thought about this moment too long that I had certain expectations. As she left the stage I wondered where feminist film sat. Is it dead now that the Oscars finally awarded a woman? She didn't have to thank women and focus her speech on her gender, many would argue not calling to her gender is more productive. This is a big and exiting win, but I am plagued with the question, to what end?

Also, this years Oscars were so anti-climactic otherwise. The best speech was the woman who won best costume designer. Also, the stars of Twilight seemed so useless at the oscars, their acting is far far from Oscar par and everyone knows it. Don't think we didn't notice the brief twilight clip haphazardly thrown into the Horror montage. We know it's no Horror movie and they threw it in there to pretend you have a use other than drawing a more youthful Oscar following. We weren't fooled. Why did you get to speak but somehow no one gave Lauren Bacall a mic. How embarrassing. Why didn't anyone clap for Eric Rohmer in the In Memorium section? There were lots of why's in this years Oscars. I want the glam back!

Revanche

The Austian film Revanche made a big splash in 2008, and was even nominated for an Academy Award. In 2010 it got the criterion treatment, and usually I dislike it when Criterion releases new films (cough: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) but it really helped the overall image. Most of the allure to Revanche derives itself from the meaning behind what is said. The film explores a succession of events that inevitability intertwine and mulls them over within each character so poignantly. The characters react with such calm the idyllic setting further perpetuates the dissection of meaning that distances itself from typical question of mortality. Revanche is a film so rigorously dedicated to endearingly flawed characters that the seemingly flawless countryside accentuated through the cinematography prove to be that much more captivating.

Shutter Island

Walking into a Scorcese movie is not like walking into any movie. You go in with certain expectations and an idea of the sorts of characters he likes to construct. Shutter Island plays like an idea i've seen done before but with better cinematography. It's like in 3rd grade, when a kid in my class got an A++ for his project on Australia even though he basically printed off everything the online encyclopedia had and it being the early 90's most kids didn't have access to such things. The acting was well done and the writing, though predictable and somewhat muddled, was still entertaining. The strongest aspect of the film was the cinematography. Scorcese definitely took cues from Kubrik, and some of the cranes shots were amazing but somehow it still felt like I was watching a print of a Scorcese film and not the real thing. He went through the motions, but it just didn't compare to his other works. All the same motifs and personas were there, but it all just seemed so tiresome. I did not dislike this film I just wish I could have left the film with more.

Valentine's Day (the movie)

Don't worry I didn't pay to see this movie. Valentine's Day is a film so clearly made by a 75 year-old man, and comes with such a sanitized version of love that Disney looks like Filmore's. I think the last thing I wanted to see was Emma Roberts preaching abstinence or Taylor Swift in general. I did go into the film with very low expectations, but usually there is one charming moment that though I realize is a candy-like craving, makes the 90 minutes seem worth it. What can I say, my filmic preferences have a lot of depth, but sometimes I need Hollywood schlock if even to poke fun at.

I liked Valentine's Day the movie as much as I like Valentine's Day itself, so not at all. Unlike this year when I was pleasantly surprised, I was not at all by this film EXCEPT for the gay football player but that was just too minor of a character to win me over. Come on, they don't even kiss. Wasting time blasting or critisizing a movie like this seems like a moot point, its all-star cast is just smoke and mirrors to draw in the general public despite having an overly cliche...well everything. The over abundance of heteronormativity, while nothing new, was kind of frightening. I mean the film made even heterosexual sex look boring. I can't wait for this shit to catch up with the times.

Frozen

These guys are drinking at a party. One guy says to the other "Man, i thought of such a great movie." The other guy, intrigued, asks what it is about. The guy looks him square in the eye and tells him this: "Okay, so these three people are snowboarding and skiing and whatever and they just have to go on one last run. They beg the chairlift dude to let them on, and he does but he leaves and they get stuck. Here's the thing, the hill won't be open for another week. So they like start freaking out and one guy jumps off the chairlift to try to get help but he breaks his legs. Then like wolves come and totally tear him apart. The other two like freak out but decide to try to wait it out but like they wont make it because its so cold so the other guy tries to escape but he also gets eaten by wolves. Then there's like one chick left who falls off the chairlift, almost gets eaten by wolves but like makes it. The end. How rad is that?" After hearing this story, the guy drunkenly calls his producer friends and then movie magic happens.

A Headless Woman

Sometimes it is refreshing to see a subtle film. A Headless Woman demands a deep performance from the lead actress by basing a feature length film around the effects of a 10 second event. The additional characters accent the experience of said event, but with remarkable and unspoken loyalty. The silent malaise of the main character works to curb any dramatization of the categorically terrible event so as not to distract from the more deep rooted emotions that become more and more evident as the film progresses. A Headless Woman works as an interesting character study over a case study, and should be watched without distraction.

A Single Man

I watched an interview with Tom Ford a month ago where he stated that his filmmaking and his fashion are two separate entities. After watching A Single Man, it was clear to me that he was being a little too ambitious about that statement, which worked wonderfully. Not only was the fashion of the film completely breathtaking, interesting and remarkably diverse, but the cinematography was on point. The sudden outburst of colour at opportune times during the film really called to popular film as an art. Yes, it was a pretty film, but what was even more surprising was the complexity and precision of the plot. A fashionable film is often devoid of a decent storyline, but Colin Firth as a grieving professor was particularly intriguing. He showed great depth, and I understood some of the hype around his performance. A Single Man is essentially Tom Ford's wet dream, but who cares when it works out so well!

James Cameron, racist.

Okay so I am being a little facetious with the title, but was anyone buying it? Not only is it basically the plot line to Dances With Wolves (and I'm sure I am the millionth person to point it out) but it's so blatantly problematic. Apparently coming up with an 'alien race' really meant blending a couple that already exist on earth. Wow, SUCH creativity. Furthermore, the white man saves the day again? And not only that he does it while posing as an Avatar. Sure, they've accepted him into their tribe, but somehow by the end of the film the message is: White man can perform your identity better than you can. It's silly, and I can't believe that in 2010 this kind of shit is still being made, and not only that but POPULAR. Don't even get me started on the ablest problems as well. I just think that there should be more questioning of these portrayals of identity, and more accountability. Avatar, really?!!