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Showing posts from November, 2014

Incendies (2010) ****

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William Peter Blatty "Legion" (1983) ****1/2

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Rushmore (1998) *****

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 Angelic.   Dr. Nelson Guggenheim : We're putting you on what we call sudden death academic probation. Max Fischer : And what does that entail? Dr. Nelson Guggenheim : It entails that if you fail another class, you'll be asked to leave Rushmore. Max Fischer : In other words, I'll be expelled. Dr. Nelson Guggenheim : That's correct. Max Fischer : Can I see some documentation on that, please?  Max Fischer : Sic transit gloria. Glory fades. I'm Max Fischer. Rosemary Cross : Hi. Max Fischer : Hi.    Max Fischer : So you were in Vietnam? Herman Blume : Yeah. Max Fischer : Were you in the shit? Herman Blume : Yeah, I was in the shit.   Max Fischer : I like your nurse's uniform, guy.  Dr. Peter Flynn : These are O.R. scrubs.  Max Fischer : O, R they?  "UNLOCK IT!!" Max Fischer :   The killing's gotta stop, esse. It's getting too loco. No more gats. 40  Ounce : Nigga, you the crazy one. People be

Gimme Shelter (1970) ****

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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013) ****

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Wetlands (Feuchtgebiete) (2013) ***1/2

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TRAINSPOTTING   meets AMELIE .

Life After Beth (2014) **1/2

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The Room (2003) ***

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The Room   (2003) is a quite the experience with a large audience and the man himself, Tommy Wiseau , present. A fun event, complete with props—in the tradition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show  (1975) — and a bit surreal. Things I'll take away from this night: how cold it was waiting outside before the movie began, Tommy  walking past the line to get in, throwing a football to fans, and lots of plastic spoons.

Life Of Crime (2013) ***

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Based on Elmore Leonard 's novel 'The Switch' , LIFE OF CRIME   (which is a dumb title) starts out with a lot of Leonard  flavor (although derivative of  Soderbergh 's superior OUT OF SIGHT ), but loses steam pretty quickly. The tone is off overall, particularly the score a good deal of the time (which also seems derivative of  David Holmes ' score from OUT OF SIGHT .  Jennifer Aniston  is serviceable but not as good as Jennifer Lopez in OUT OF SIGHT (both seemed like odd choices for Leonard  adaptations). But it is nice to see Mos Def  and John Hawkes   (who deserved to be billed higher and whom I love - he never seems like he's acting in any movie he's in) portray Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara  respectively, characters that originally appeared in Leonard 's book 'Rum Punch'   and were portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson  and Robert De Niro   in Tarantino 's adaptation,  JACKIE BROWN . And the ending is great.

Enemy (2013) ****

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Enemy  (2013) is an eerie, unsettling film that is equal parts Lynch , Kubrick , Fincher , Cronenberg and Kafka . Both films that I've seen by director Denis Villeneuve (this and Prisoners   (2013)) have been excellent.

The Babadook (2014) ***1/2

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Horns (2013) ***

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Focus On Film: Episode 23 – February 2015 Criterion Titles

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Focus On Film   Episode 23  is up! Download the MP3  HERE . In this episode: February 2015  Criterion Collection   Titles Announcement Best/Worst Of The Month  – HALLOWEEN H20: 20 YEARS LATER  (1998), NIGHTBREED  - Director's Cut (1990/2014), BIRDMAN (2014), NIGHTCRAWLER (2014) "Criterion Most Wanted" Link to MULHOLLAND DRIVE Salon article "Focus On Film Theme"  & commercial music:  Daniel Sardella

Blue Ruin (2013) ****

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Starry Eyes (2014) ***1/2

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The Innocents (1961) ****

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Dumb And Dumber To (2014) ***

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Child Of God (2013) **1/2

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Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History Of Friday The 13th (2013) **** [Jasonthon Pt. 11]

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David Cronenberg "Consumed" (2014) ***

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Consumed  (2014) is an interesting and unique story involving insects, hearing aids, 3D printing, STDs, cannibalism, and more, which is very much a product of its maker. Mostly engaging, but I can't help but thinking with all its excruciatingly detailed descriptions of technology that it would make a better film.

Jason X (2001) *1/2 [Jasonthon Pt. 10]

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Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) (2014) ***1/2

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Fugazi "First Demo" (2014) ***1/2

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Fugazi 's first demo (hence the title) from 1988, featuring demo versions of songs from their self-titled debut  EP, Margin Walker   EP Repeater , 3 Songs   EP, and more (including a never released song). Pretty great for fans.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead "IX" (2014) ***1/2

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Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1993) *** [Jasonthon Pt. 9]

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The Mummy (1959) **1/2

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Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) * [Jasonthon Pt. 8]

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The Vanishing (Spoorloos) (1988) ****1/2

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Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) ** [Jasonthon Pt. 7]

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UHF (1989) ****

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Röyksopp "The Inevitable End" (2014) ****1/2

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Jason Lives: Friday The 13th Part VI (1986) *** [Jasonthon Pt. 6]

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Friday The 13th: A New Beginning (1985) **1/2 [Jasonthon Pt. 5]

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Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) ***1/2 [Jasonthon Pt. 4]

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Friday The 13th Part III (1982) *** [Jasonthon Pt. 3]

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Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) ****

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Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981) *** [Jasonthon Pt. 2]

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Friday The 13th - Uncut (1980) *** [Jasonthon Pt. 1]

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Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010) ****1/2 [Freddython Pt. 8]

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Interstellar (2014) ***

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Whew. What a lofty film. And what a love/hate relationship I have with it after my first viewing. First let me get it out of the way that I think Christopher Nolan  is a "good" filmmaker. I happen to love Memento   (2000)   and  The Prestige  (2006)—both excellent films. I think  Insomnia  (2002)   and Inception  (2010) are "very good" films. In the case of Insomnia , the original film is better, but Nolan's version benefits from some great lead performances. I happen to think his Batman films are overrated and actually don't hold up all that well on repeat viewings. What I admire about Nolan is his willingness to take chances and craft interesting and beautiful-looking films that can equally entertain and frustrate. I'll always go see his films because he's definitely not a "boring" filmmaker. Now on to Interstellar   (2014)... *SPOILERS* Essentially it's a modern version of Armageddon  (1998). It even includes a lot  of

New Nightmare (1994) ***1/2 [Freddython Pt. 7]

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Dracula (aka Horror Of Dracula (1958) ***1/2

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