Master List (films I've seen since I've started this site, with original [mostly] outdated comments intact) currently showing Oct '03-Nov '04 [missing Dec. '04, Jan '05, Feb. 05]

• Anchorman (2004, USA) Adam McKay - The biggest surprise of my summer viewing has been this eccentric little comedy from writers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay (from Upright Citizens Brigade). Occasionally a film comes along that happens to perfectly connect with a comic's persona, so much so that it manages to alienate half of the audience with its bold dedication to the comedian’s antics. Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura Pet Detective, Ben Stiller in Zoolander, Chris Farley in Tommy Boy, Adam Sandler in Billy Madison--each of these films were reviled upon release only to be reborn some years later when the country has had time to finally catch up with these comedians and get in-sync with their humor. Will Ferrell’s Anchorman is one of those films--a hilarious, no holds barred comedy that allows its star to cram a lifetime of comedy routines into a 90-minute film. Adam McKay directed, but this is clearly Ferrell’s show and a damn funny show it is. The “brawl” sequence is perhaps one of the most ingenious bits of comedy I’ve seen in years. *** a must see (Theatrical screening) [07/04]

• Au hasard Balthazar (1966, France) Robert Bresson - One of the supreme masterpieces of cinema. This is as close to a perfect film as you can come, with images so powerful that I would prefer to keep them in my head than attempt to elaborate. The deceptively simple story of a donkey as he is passed from one owner to the next speaks wonders. As the Chicago Reader points out, Jean-Luc Godard perfectly said,"Everyone who sees this film will be absolutely astonished, because this film is really the world in an hour and a half." **** Masterpiece [02/04]

• Azumi (2003, Japan) Ryuhei Kitamura - A group of children are raised from birth to become deadly assassins and blah blah blah—a lot of people get killed, the camera is everywhere and a great many CGI effects are used. I had a lot of fun with Ryuhei Kitamura’s previous feature Versus, a film that playfully blended samurai swords and zombies. This feature attempts a slightly more serious tone, although its dedication to a “movie as video game” approach to filmmaking is so faithfully adhered to, any attempts at drama wind up seeming superfluous. There is a damn fine and entertaining piece of filmmaking to be found in this 145 minute clump of ideas, if only Kitamura would have spent a little more time in the cutting room. ** worth seeing [08/04]
• Baba Yaga (1973, Italy) Corrado Farina - Rather unexciting erotic giallo about witchcraft and lesbian seduction. Based on a popular S&M comic book series, this apparently created quite the stir when it was released in the 70's, but seems rather tame by today's standards. Genre fans might find something to enjoy here. * has redeeming facet [02/04]

Bad Education (2004, Spain) Pedro Almodovar - *** a must see (Theatrical screening) [09/04]
Bad Guy (2002, South Korea) Kim Ki-duk - ** worth seeing [05/04]

• Bad Santa (Terry Zwigoff, 2003)- **** Masterpiece (Theatrical Screening) [11/03] In 1983 Bob Clark released what remains to be the greatest holiday film of all time, A Christmas Story. The film worked so well because it had the holidays figured out. It showed that Christmas was not a season of joy and giving, and instead depicted it for the overblown spectacle that it truly is -- a depressing month overflowing with stress, frustration, and ultimately letdown. Fast-forward twenty years to Terry Zwigoff’s new film Bad Santa, about a contemptible SOB with a taste for booze and penchant for cracking safes. Following in line with the previous Zwigoff protagonists, Billy Bob Thornton brings just the right touch of misanthropic flair to his character. This is a man who never got a Red Ryder BB gun as child, but he doesn’t complain, he knows he'd just end up shooting his goddamn eye out. A lot of people have attacked this film calling it rude, vulgar, and misogynistic. They might be right, but I’d like to add that this is quite possibly the funniest movie I’ve ever had the good fortune of seeing. It is quite possible that you won’t agree with this film’s sense of humor and Will Ferrall in an elf suit is more your style -- that’s fine, but there still is no denying the marvelous picture that Zwigoff has crafted. Personally, I think Elf is for cinematic idiots with the mentality of an 11 year old. Santa Claus can put me on his naughty list for saying so, but I’ll be putting Bad Santa on my Top 10 list - **** Masterpiece (Theatrical Screening #2) [12/03]

The Band Wagon (1953, USA) Vincente Minnelli - *** a must see [10/04]
The Barbarian Invasions (2003, Canada) Denys Arcand - ** worth seeing (theatrical screening) [02/04]
Bay of Blood (1971, Italy) Mario Bava - *** a must see [11/04]

• Bashu, the Little Stranger (1986, Iran)- Bahram Beizai - Saves face a little in the final reel, but can't make up for some obvious Spielberg trappings. This film was apparently a tremendous success when first released--which for this viewer is just another sign of its mediocrity. ** worth seeing [02/04]
• Before Sunrise (1995, USA) Richard Linklater - The film that confirmed Richard Linklater as a major talent in American cinema, one of the key independent works of the 90’s, quite possibly the most romantic movie ever made, and according to critic Robin Wood’s passionate essay—one of the greatest achievements in the history of cinema. It isn’t hard to come up with great things to say about this film. Ethan Hawke plays Jessie, a heart broken youth on his way back to the US after a trip to Europe to meet with his girlfriend ends in breakup. On the train he meets Celine (Julie Delpy), a beautiful and intelligent French girl on her way home. The pair spends the next 12 hours walking around Vienna talking about love, and quite possibly finding it in each other. A magical experience on all levels, if this film doesn't fill you with bliss, I suggest checking for a pulse. **** Masterpiece [08/04]

• The Big Bird Cage (1972, USA) Jack Hill - Sort of a misfire from Jack Hill, the filmmaker responsible for a string of tremendous B-movies under producer Roger Corman during the early 70’s. Hill has the resourcefulness of an Edgar Ulmer, even if he doesn’t quite have that distinct cinematic eye. This film was a notable part of a wave of “women in prison” films that flooded the drive-in scene and featured a lot of gratuitous shots of women baring their breasts. Pam Grier stars, before her breakout roles in the Blaxploitation genre, as the tough woman who must go undercover in order to bring down a South American work camp. The story juggles around too many characters and Hill still seems to be figuring out how to get the most out Grier. There are several choice moments involving gay prison guards and some mud wrestling, but overall this a B-movie that barely lives up to its name. ** worth seeing [03/04]

• Birth (2004, USA) Jonathan Glazer - The opening shot of ‘Birth’ has the camera tracking behind a jogger as a voice-over of presumably the same man discusses his skepticisms regarding reincarnation. Very shortly, that same jogger will enter a long, dark tunnel where he will drop dead – the shot is both a painful representation of the isolation of death, but can also be read as a beautiful metaphor for the birth process. This scene, like the rest of the film, is a carefully constructed and meticulously thought out piece of filmmaking. Director Jonathan Glazer collaborated with frequent Buñuel scriptwriter Jean-Claude Carrière to create a script that not only questions ideas of the spirit incarnated, more importantly, this is a film that takes a confrontational look at that obscure object which is desire, and its crumbling effect on bourgeois values. By no means is this a perfect film, but I can’t recall a more recent movie that got me thinking this much. The original score by Alexandre Desplat is simply astonishing. *** a must see (Theatrical screening) [11/04]

• Blaze Starr Goes Nudist (1962, USA) Doris Wishman - One of the first films Doris Wishman ever made, is what many commonly refer to as a “nudie cutie,” a term used to describe low budget skin flicks of the 1960’s, where the films were too 'innocent' to be labelled lewd. Wishman would go on to earn a reputation as a cult filmmaker of tremendous prestige, her body of work is most often compared to that of the woefully underrated Ed Wood Jr. This heavily dated work is part of a DVD box set of Wishman’s films that is newly available from Something Weird Video. To say the title means giving away the entire plot, which mostly consists of topless women playing volleyball, jumping in pools, and shooting suction cup tipped arrows on the “archery range.” It was all I could do not to fall asleep during this. As an artifact of vintage erotica though, I suppose this might interest somebody. • worthless [03/04]

• Blonde Cobra (Ken Jacobs, 1963)- An indelible masterpiece, Ken Jacobs' 1963 avant-garde work is constructed around the mad genius of filmmaker Jack Smith. Jacobs works with footage shot by Bob Fleischner, which was given to him to do with as he pleased after Smith and Fleischner had a fallout due to a fire that was started when Smith's cat knocked over a candle. Most of the black and white 16mm footage has Smith dressed in drag playing an array of characters (or are they personas?). The film frequently cuts to screens of black leader where Jacob's inserts audio clips from tapes of Smith saying bizarre and hilarious things. The beauty of this work rests in the bravery of Jack Smith, who bares his creative soul for all to see, a Beat poet sensibility combined with that of a frightened little boy. Deeply personal, highly creative, equal parts hilarious and sad, this is one of the true marvels of cinema.- **** masterpiece [11/03]

• Bloodsucking Freaks (1976, USA) Joel M. Reed - Cool title. Fucking terrible movie. Lots of full frontal nudity. Still a fucking terrible movie. A guy slurps brains through a straw. Still a fucking terrible movie. A black midget sporting an afro and armed with a blowgun. That's pretty cool. • worthless [camp rating ***] [03/04]

• Blue Sunshine (1986, USA) Jeff Lieberman - The horror genre is easily the most socio-politically minded cycle in filmmaking. This little slice of suburban paranoia is about a bad batch of acid ingested 10 years earlier by a group of Yale college students. A scathing look at the baby boomers, the film has former drug experimenters, now middle-aged housewives and business execs, losing their hair and turning into psychopathic killers. This film is reminiscent of the great Larry Cohen with its rich satire, detailed stereotypes, and frenetic pacing. If execution was everything, this would be far from a great film, but sometimes we need to give credit and respect to such daring and original works. *** a must see [05/04]

• Bully (2001, USA) Larry Clark - I show this film to more and more people and yet it still remains a masterpiece. Clark's camera is ever unflinching and the results are equal parts provocative, pornographic, and beautiful. Now if only his Ken Park could pick up US distibution. 4th vewing, no change in rating **** [05/04]

• Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1980, Italy) Andrea Bianchi - • worthless [camp rating of ***] For its ability to remain entertaining despite being one of the worst films I've ever encountered. The could be the basis for a wonderful drinking game...

• Candyman (1992, USA) Bernard Rose - I remember nothing about seeing this film when it first came out, but I recall finding it genuinely frightening. Oh, how things change. The premise is decent and I even found the first 30 minutes or so rather gripping, but unfortunately after the first two reels things go sour. Like the cannibal exploitation films of the seventies, this relies on white anxieties of the other race to produce a mood of fear. The crazy scientists in the cannibal films would stop at nothing for the sake of science, including marching into the perilous jungles. This is the same story only we supplant the ghetto for the jungle and an attractive white female for the anthropologists. The formula is simple--places inhabited by white people are safe and peaceful—places home to black people are scary and hellish. The special effects are quite good but the film’s politics are fucked. * has redeeming facet [04/04]

• Castle Freak (1995, USA) Stuart Gordon - Stuart Gordon is an enigma to me. After bursting onto the scene with the brilliant Re-Animator in 1985, he slowly faded back from the limelight in favor of making direct-to-video releases on his own terms. Even after selling his story for “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” to Disney in 1991, where selling-out was probably a viable option for him, once again he avoid Hollywood and went to Full Moon Pictures where he continues releasing direct-to-video horror features. Unlike Takashi Miike, who is capable of turning out as many as eight low-budget productions in a given year, Gordon’s films come once every three years or so. This gory little film has a family moving into a mysterious castle that they inherited, that unbeknownst to them, is home to a deformed freak who was raised in the castle dungeon. Gordon is a master of stretching the most out of his limited actors and miniscule budget. Sex and gore are used to maximum effect and spread liberally throughout the story, that is your paradigm for Z-grade narratives. The fact that I was glued to my seat and thoroughly entertained goes to prove the filmmaker that Gordon is. I yearn for the day that he will step up and take on a theatrical production. The guy is an artist even if he doesn’t realize it. *** a must see [11/04]

• Le Cercle Rouge (1970, France) Jean-Pierre Melville- Perhaps my favorite film by Jean-Pierre Melville, this one surpasses his earlier Le Samourai with its slant on male machismo and lurid color cinematography. Alain Delon perfectly embodies the role of Corey, a recently released convict who finds himself uncontrollably involved in one last heist. Everything is dripping with noir fatalism, from the opening Buddhist quotation (which some may find a bit tepid), to the corrupt cops, the gloomy locales, and the extraordinarily paced finale. Recently re-released in a special edition DVD, you can’t afford to pass this up. **** Masterpiece [04/04]

• City of the Living Dead (1980, Italy) Lucio Fulci - Lucio Fulci, the horror director who sent audiences retching to their knees with one of the goriest films ever made, The Beyond (1981), directs this nonsensical piece of zombie horror. I don’t mind that many of the late Fulci’s films don’t make any sense. It stands to reason that this would happen since so many of this man’s films were hacked apart by censors for overseas distribution and then hastily reassembled some years later so that they could be marketed as “uncut.” My problems with his work rest simply in the fact that I just don’t think he’s a very good director. Even when he is at his best, like in Zombi (1979), you get a feeling that he’s trying to mask his shortcomings by overloading us with all things icky and gross—how can people see the poor direction when they can’t look at the screen? Maybe I’m being too hard on these movies, but I don’t have patience for people who can compare this guy to the infinitely better George A. Romero or Dario Argento. Still, if gross-out schlock is your thing, then this is the guy for you. • worthless [03/04] (let me add that I was mostly right about this film, but seriously wrong about the filmmaker when I wrote this)

Clash By Night (1952, USA) Fritz Lang - *** a must see [09/04]
Clean (2004, France) Olivier Assayas - ** worth seeing (Theatrical screeing) [09/04]
The Clearing (2004, USA) Pieter Jan Brugge - ** worth seeing (Theatrical screening) [07/04]
Club Dread (2004, USA) Jay Chandrasekhar - • worthless [05/04]

• Cockfighter (1974, USA) Monte Hellman - An eclectic little film from Monte Hellman, who with the exception of John Cassavetes and Martin Scorsese, qualifies as perhaps the most important American director of the 1970’s. Warren Oates stars in a virtually silent performance as the enigmatic cockfighter who has taken a vow of silence after his big mouth almost ruined his career. I found it hard to stomach some of the film’s brutal fights and mindless slaughter—did you know they affix huge spike heels to the roosters in order to speed up the carnage? In the hands of Hellman however, everything becomes strangely existential and even something as ridiculous as cockfighting begins to take on profound meaning. Not quite up to par with his earlier masterpieces such as Two-Lane Blacktop and The Shooting, nonetheless this like all of Hellman’s work, demands to be seen. *** a must see [03/04]

• Color Me Blood Red (1965, USA) Herschell Gordon Lewis - Part three of H.G. Lewis’ Blood trilogy represents a retreat from his two previous features. Both Blood Feast and 2,000 Maniacs were stupid, low budget excercises in on-screen gore, however both managed to be entertaining in their wacky premises and shoddy production values. Lewis, who photographs most of his films himself, is at his worst here with many poorly executed camera movements and frequent focus problems. The story deals with a painter who reacts to a critics remark that he “has no sense of color” by switching to a palette of human blood. The gore is scarce and even at 69 minutes it all seems too long. For a similarly themed story, I would recommend Roger Corman’s A Bucket of Blood, a film that was also shot in a few days, but manages to put everything about this movie to shame. * has redeeming facet [04/04]

Comanche Station (1960, USA) Budd Boetticher - **** Masterpiece [11/04]

• Come and Go (2003, Portugal) João César Monteiro - **** Masterpiece
  As Jonathan Romney lucidly points out about Monteiro’s final film, “At once a fond farewell, a joyous celebration of sex and the lawless imagination, and an unrepentant 'fuck you' to the world, Come And Go sees Monteiro going out in inimitable style.” This three-hour masterpiece alternates between a public park in Portugal, a city bus, and Monteiro’s apartment, and is perhaps the closest the Portuguese master ever came to making a Tati film. Essentially a deconstruction of the director’s filmic persona, this is bound to illicit some head scratching from those unfamiliar with Monteiro’s “Deus Trilogy” (comprised of Recollections of the Yellow House, God’s Comedy, and God’s Wedding). But for the adventurous viewer, and for those who can appreciate this eccentric brand European humor, plan to be enraptured. The final shot is a stunner. [03/05]

• Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004, USA) Sara Sugarman - I suppose I could argue for a level of unintentional surrealism on the part of the filmmaker behind this, but I'm not sure it deserves it. Things just seem to 'happen' in order to further the plot, characters come and go without explanation, and the extras seem to be having more fun than the leads. During at least three different points of this cheese-fest I could be heard uttering the phrase "What. The. Fuck." I can't say I had a bad time with this, but I can't say I quite 'got' it either. Mark Mothersbaugh, the man responsible for the genius scores behind Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums picked up an easy paycheck for the soundtrack. * has redeeming facet [02/04]

• Control Room (2004, USA) Jehane Noujaim - The “truths” of war is a fascinating subject and is certainly worthy of an entire film as opposed to the brief aside given it in Michael Moore’s hastily assembled Fahrenheit 9/11. Director Jehane Noujaim (Startup.com), an Arab American, spent the entirety of Operation Iraqi Freedom at the media headquarters CentCom in the city of Qatar. The focus is on Al Jazeera, the gargantuan Arab news channel that pulls in about as many daily viewers as our Super Bowl does. Is this network spinning Iraqi propaganda or simply conveying the truth? A great many ideas and a great many versions of the “truth” are explored in this straightforward and vitally essential documentary. Noujaim presents the material justly and thoughtfully, and his ability to rattle our bones makes this required viewing. When asked who is going to keep the American’s from getting out of line as a World Power, Al Jazeera correspondent Hassan Ibrahim replies, “I have complete and utter faith in the American constitution. The Americans are the ones who will stop the Americans.” Let’s hope his words are prophetic of our upcoming election. *** a must see (Theatrical screening) [08/04]

• Cremaster 5 (1997, USA) Matthew Barney - The final installment in Matthew Barney’s amazing Cremaster cycle takes the form of a grand aria in the famous Budapest Opera House. Everything moves at a snails pace, but the achingly beautiful imagery makes this one of the most sustained pieces of filmmaking of the series. The climax features Barney in an underground fountain with pigeons harnessed to ribbons affixed to his scrotum– a symbol of the gonads at their most descended state. An underwater finale with balloons and water sprites shows the cycle coming full circle and perhaps even starting over again. Essential viewing. [note that I am not assigning a rating to this film since it remains a part of a much larger piece] (theatrical screening) [02/04]

• Cursed (2005, USA) Wes Craven - * has redeeming facet

  Wes Craven has essentially made a children’s film with this modern day PG-13-take on the Universal classic The Wolf Man (or is it Teen Wolf?). Craven’s focus on the familial unit and the lack thereof of parental figures is still present, but the rest of this overblown moneymaking scheme is essentially a trodden pile of shit. The laughs come at the expense of the cast of recognizable pop-icons and their stilted performances, leaving me wishing that at least some of these people would end up getting horribly mauled. Alas, this being “a family film” of sorts, we get no such thing and the only horrific mauling it delivers is to the name of a once great horror film director.

• Dawn of the Dead (2004, USA) Zack Snyder -" I guess it is only fair that a movie about mindless cannibals should be made by mindless cannibals as well…" This was my vehement reaction several months ago when I heard that Hollywood planned to “attempt” a remake of George A. Romero’s 1979 masterpiece and one of the greatest films ever made, Dawn of the Dead. I’ll start by saying that the film is not all bad, and aside from some questionable camera work and a few glaring holes in the plot, it’s pretty damn entertaining. Screenwriter James Gunn, whose roots lie in the schlock distributor Troma Films, seems at home in the genre, even if he has stripped the story of the brilliance that was Romero’s political undertones and scathing comments on consumerism. As for the films watchability, I think it is the simple premise of being trapped in a shopping mall while the world crumbles around you that almost guarantees you will be glued to your seat. The characters this time around are cardboard cutouts so you won’t be growing even the slightest emotional attachment to them. A blonde female character for example, is so hastily introduced that the audience I saw the film with could be heard uttering the phrase “who’s she?” and before we had time to think up an answer she was promptly fucked only reappear some 20-minutes later only to be cut in half by a chainsaw. All in all this is a far cry from Romero, mostly a lot of loud things that jump out of the dark and say Boo, however I suspect this might be one of the better mainstream horror films we’ll see this year. Tom Savini, Scott H. Reiniger, and Ken Foree from the original film all have cameos. ** worth seeing (Theatrical screeing) [03/04]

• Death Race 2000 (Paul Bartel, 1975)- A sport that involves racing cars cross-country and running over pedestrians for points has become the fuel that drives the fascist America of the future. The talented Paul Bartel directed this Roger Corman production with incredible efficiency. Everything is dripping with sleaze and sex to the point that its hard not to be taken by it. A terrific B-Movie script headed by the incomparable David Carradine (Bill from Kill Bill) and a very young Sylvester Stallone rounds out this delicious entertainment. *** a must see [11/03]

• The Door in the Floor (2004, USA) Tod Williams - I have not read the John Irving story that this film is based on, but I have a hard time imagining that it could be as uneven as this movie is. The script is all over the place, beginning as a serious family drama and then inexplicably morphing into 30 minutes of comedy before quickly returning to drama for the final act. Kim Basinger and Jeff Bridges play Marion and Ted Cole, a couple grieving the loss of their children some years earlier. A young teenager shows up as Ted’s summer writing assistant (newcomer Jon Foster doing an admirable Timothy Hutton impersonation), but the poor lad spends most of his time fucking Kim Basinger and driving around Bridges’ who is fucking Mimi Rodgers. There is a very quick passage where Ted reads his “Door in the Floor” story that--no big surprise here--serves as the key to unlocking the big ending. * has redeeming facet (Theatrical screening) [08/04]

Doppleganger (2003, Japan) Kiyoshi Kurosawa - * has redeeming facet [08/04]

• Double Agent 73 (1974, USA) Doris Wishman - I have now seen five films by Doris Wishman and have yet to muster anything more than mild amusement from her work. This may be her greatest achievement, worthy of a place in my heart right next to my favorite item on the McDonalds dollar menu. Chesty Morgan, a woman endowed with 73 inches of natural breasts, stars as a secret agent who has a camera implanted in her nipple. She goes around killing off bad guys and is constantly taking off her top to snap pictures of the dead bodies. Repeated shots of people’s feet and random ashtrays hide errors in continuity in what can be defined as “classic Wishman.” Viewed with friends this could make a hell of a drinking game, taken alone it may induce a nap.* has redeeming facet [04/04]

• Duel to the Death (Ching Siu-Tung , 1982)- The first in a long line of martial arts flicks that I intend to watch in the wake of Kill Bill, Ching Siu Tung's Duel to the Death is a lot of fun. This Hong Kong film falls into the category of Wu Xia Pan or flying swordsman film, the basis for the style of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The story revolves around a Chinese school of martial arts and a rival Japanese school who arrange a duel to prove whose technique is the best. I often had a hard time figuring out who was doing what to whom and why as I watched this film, but I didn't much care. The marvelous Scope cinematography and ass kicking choreography kept things thoroughly entertaining. *** [10/03]

Dune (1984, USA) David Lynch - **** Masterpiece [09/04]
Early Summer (1951, Japan) Yasujiro Ozu - **** Masterpiece [11/04]
Eating Raoul (1982, USA) Paul Bartel - *** a must see [04/04]
The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1983, Hong Kong) Liu Chia-Liang - *** a must see [11/04]
Eija-Lisa Ahtila: The Cinematic Works (1993-2002, Finland) - collected shorts, highly recommended! [05/04]
Elephant (1989, UK) Alan Clarke - **** Masterpiece (TIFF theatrical screening) [09/04]

• Elf (Jon Favreau, 2003)- Jon Favreau's half-funny Christmas movie should prove a heartwarming experience for kids of all ages. For me, this played like a 90 minute Saturday Night Live skit -- throw Will Ferrell in an elf costume and have him run around -- laughter will follow. The problem is that this would have worked better as an SNL skit and to make a film out of it, means inserting storyline between the gags and disrupting the flow of the humour. Fans of Ferrell's antics should find this enjoyable, me, I was never more than mildly interested. Zooey Deschanel, who seems to have no idea why she is in this movie co-stars. ** worth seeing [11/03] Theatrical screening

• Eureka (2000, Japan) Shinji Aoyama - I'm still brooding over this 221 minute beauty and suspect that I will continue to do so for some time. The sepia photography is a wonder to behold and makes life in Technicolor seem drab by comparison. Why the critical world didn't fall head over heels in love with this is beyond me. Download the Jim O'Rourke song of the same name. **** Masterpiece [02/04]

• Even Dwarfs Started Small (Werner Herzog, 1970)- Werner Herzog's second feature film also happens to be one of his best. This is not an exploitation film, but a surreal nightmare, equal parts terrifying and hilarious. When a band of dwarfs takes over the compound that rules them, a revolution of violent and destructive behavior ensues. The cast, composed entirely of dwarfs, seems of normal size by the end the film, with the oppressive world around them turning into an out of proportion grotesquerie. Not to be missed. **** [10/03]

• The Eye (The Pang Brothers, 2002)- In a recent interview, Quentin Tarantino stated that the only cinema that really interests him these days are the terrifying Horror and gruesome Yakuza films coming out of Asia. He's on to something there… The works of Takashi Miilke and Kiyoshi Kurosawa are pretty fucking awesome to say the least. You could also add Hideo Nakata to that list, the man who directed the original and far superior Ring and wowed me with the highly effective Dark Water earlier this year. I suppose that right now, you either (a) Have no idea who any of these people I just mentioned are but you've seen the American version of Ring or (b) You've heard of the aforementioned and would like to point out that I didn't mention Fukasaku, Suzuki, or any of the Ishii's. Either way, there is no denying the popularity of these directors -- even Blockbuster Video has jumped on the band wagon and has started carrying some Miike titles (in horrendous R-rated cuts) and there are currently FOUR! American remakes of successful Asian films in the making by filmmakers like Wes Craven. One of these is from a pair of Thai brothers, Danny and Oxide Pang, who have constructed a fairly effective thriller with The Eye. Despite some Sixth Sense trappings, the story is about a young girl who after a cornea transplant finds that she can see dead people, the Pang's create a genuinely terrifying atmosphere with some brilliant camerawork. This is not as good as anything by the likes of Miike or Kurosawa, but it’s a hundred times better than anything creepy that Hollywood has to offer.** [10/03]

• The Falls (Peter Greenaway, 1980)- Peter Greenaway's three and a half-hour avant-garde masterpiece has to be seen to be believed. This is a wildly inventive, encyclopedic experiment, that attempts to document the lives of 92 people who are victims of the VUE or Violent Unknown Event, and all of whom have a last name beginning with the letters FALL. Greenaway breaks his film into 92 shorts, each one shot in a different style, about the bizarre effects of the VUE on these people's lives -- such as why they all somehow take on bird like qualities or a fascination with birds. The results are frequently hilarious, highly surreal, and almost certainly unlike anything you have ever seen before. My favorite passages include a tale about a man who weds a turkey after his wife dies, only to have it shot by a veterinarian whom he in turn shoots, and a brilliant section about an Ornithologist who hypothesizes that Hitchcock is behind the VUE and studies the film The Birds for answers. Michael Nyman wrote the wonderful score. **** [10/03]

• Fellini's Roma (Federico Fellini, 1973)- Fellini's poetic reverie to the great city is what many consider to be the height of his anti-narrative film phase. I prefer Amarcord, which he would make two years later, but this film is still pretty damn enchanting. Working equally on the streets of Rome and in the studio, Fellini jumps from one exquisite set piece to the next, often ignoring reality to indulge his own guilty pleasures. Where Buñuel was fascinated with feet, Fellini was a lover of big bottomed, large busted women. As he recounts his experiences in brothels during WWII and a fantastic sequence featuring a dreamlike fashion show, these fetishes (among his many others) become overtly apparent. As always, everything is beautifully photographed as Fellini walks you through a world that is entirely his own. *** a must see [11/03]

• The Five Obstructions (2003, Denmark) Jørgen Leth & Lars von Trier - I can't remember the last time I was so ambivalent towards a film only to be knocked flat by an ending that made me reconsider and deeply appreciate everything that came before. No, this is not a Sixth Sense twist, but a brilliant meditation on the artistic process. In fact I find it impossible to even engage this film in so few words, even if I could reveal vital plot points, what with the layers upon layers of reality that exist in this, I use the term loosely, "documentary." Sharp, brilliant filmmaking in every way, this is the kind of thing Kiarostami was once capable of pulling off before the film festival circuit got to his head. Do yourself a favor and just see it. **** Masterpiece [10/04], 2nd viewing [10/04] no change

• Footprints (1998, USA) Bill Morrison
  Like Morrison’s masterful Decasia, this small film also shows the filmmaker in all his found footage glory. Various snippets of cinema are sampled, starting with early Méliès and moving up to the modern 20th Century Fox logo. Essentially a film about cinema that tries to communicate via cinema-- its beautiful to look at and features an alluring sampled soundtrack, I’m sure there is more being worked out here than I was able to pick up on in my two viewings. (6 min. short, recommended) [08/04]

• Foxy Brown (1974, USA) Jack Hill - Always sexy and never to be fucked with, Pam Grier battles a ring of drug dealers in this, perhaps my favorite of all the blaxploitation pictures. Jack Hill was one of the great B-movie auteurs of the Seventies. Despite making some tremendous pictures, he never quite got the deserved recognition that Larry Cohen and Monte Hellman did. In the spirit of all of Hill’s films, this one is vulgar, offensive, overloaded with sex and violence, and without a single dull moment. Grier cuts off a man's penis and claims to have a black belt in barstools. Girl, You is Bad Ass! *** a must see [03/04]

• From the Drain (1967, Canada) David Cronenberg
  Described as a surrealist sketch by the filmmaker himself, this early 16mm black and white short by David Cronenberg was made while he was still a student at the University of Toronto. Made on a budget of $500, the film resembles a Samuel Beckett play as two war veterans sit fully clothed in a bathtub and discuss recent changes in plant life. Eventually some kind of vine comes out of the drain and strangles one of the men while the other removes the dead man's shoes. Somewhat of an experimental oddity, this will probably appeal only to diehard Cronenberg fans. (14 min. short, *** a must see) [08/04]

• Game of Death (1979, Hong Kong) Robert Clouse - Considering that Bruce Lee died almost 6 years before this film was released, it’s not quite as awful as you might expect. Director Robert Clouse uses a plot that has Lee faking his own death in order to hide from gangsters who want him dead. This basically requires that his character appear in disguises or big dark sunglasses, hence the Bruce Lee stand-ins aren’t as noticeably apparent. Unfortunately only about 30 minutes of this film is footage of the actual Bruce Lee, most of them appearing during a fight sequence with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The kung-fu finale that has Lee battling through five levels of villains, each of whom specialize in a different martial art, is really the only thing that makes this movie worth seeing. The American DVD unfortunately only contains 4 levels of fighting and those are apparently presented out of order (the fifth was edited by censors). Overall, a mildly enjoyable Kung-Fu film, however I have to question the morals of a director who would use footage from Lee’s actual funeral in his movie. Tarantino pays homage to the film’s famous yellow jumpsuit in his Kill Bill vol. 1. ** worth seeing [04/04]

• God of Cookery (1996, Hong Kong) Stephen Chow - ** worth seeing

  This is my first encounter with Stephen Chow, distinguished Hong Kong comedian with a decent worldwide following and acclaimed director of the recent films Shaolin Soccer and Kung-Fu Hustle. As an early outing for Chow as director, the direction is a bit creaky at times, perhaps because Chows comedy is far more developed than his skills as a director at this point. The plot follows the downfall of the “God of Cookery”—a powerful and arrogant chef (played by Chow) who is revealed to be a fraud, left in the gutter only to mount a killer comeback after studying martial arts cooking at Shaolin Temple. The jokes range from hilarious to pitiful and by the time the well staged ending rolls around it feels a bit too little and a tad too late. Still, as an entertainment, this film works just fine and I cant say I’m not looking forward to checking out the rest of the Chow oeuvre. [03/05]

• God's Wedding (1999, Portugal) João César Monteiro - **** Masterpiece

  I can confidently state now, without any reservations whatsoever, that João César Monteiro was a Master. Directing exactly ten feature films since 1978 and a dozen more shorts, he developed an eccentric and paired down style along with a savagely funny and self-reflective on-screen persona that was entirely his own. Yet, despite receiving critical acclaim from publications such as Cahiers du Cinema and winning numerous awards at festivals such as Venice and Cannes, you rarely hear Monteiro’s name dropped w/r/t contemporary world cinema as you might Kieslowski or Kiarostami. This is truly a shame since no other filmmaker has given me this much inspiration, not to mention laughter, since I discovered the late period work of Luis Buñuel. Monteiro is most recognizable for his appearance—a frail and lecherous man, Nosferatu mixed with Buster Keaton—his performance was the center of most all of his films. The Keaton comparison is suitable for the stone-faced performance, but Chaplin’s Tramp might better sum him up, take this quote from Keaton for example, "Charlie's tramp was a bum with a bum's philosophy. Lovable as he was, he would steal if he got the chance…" This perfectly sums up Monteiro’s Deus character, add to it a piss and vinegar taste of surrealism and a prolific collection of woman’s pubic hairs and I think you’ll be able to form a suitable portrait of the kind troublemaker this guy was. Sadly, Mr. Monteiro passed away from cancer in early 2003, a major loss to the artistic world, that I’m sure anyone who has been afforded the experience of viewing one of his films can agree with, and for those of you who have not, I say you have not experienced cinema until you have sampled at least one Monteiro film. Dialogue excerpt from film found here. [03/05]

• The Gore Gore Girls (1972, USA) Herschell Gordon Lewis - H.G. Lewis has no idea how to frame a shot and if he had a light meter at any point in his career, he sure as hell didn’t know how to use it. Oddly enough, this small time director of over a dozen Z-grade horror pictures is probably the biggest influence for the early works of George Romero, John Waters, and Tobe Hooper. Lewis’ talent lies in the fact that he knows how to come up with a catchy premise. Recanting his plots typically makes them sound many times more frightening and gruesome than they really are. Even if you find his work to be nothing more than a curious oddity, as I do, we should still recognize that this filmmaker is probably the godfather of modern gore. The story this time around deals with a psychopathic killer who has a taste for disfiguring Go-Go dancers. If memory serves, this may be Lewis’ most gruesome picture, though far from his best. ** worth seeing [03/04]

• Hairspray (1988, USA) John Waters - Very close to a masterpiece. This film represents John Waters at his most tame, but it also represents the filmmaker at his most mature, most political, and at his most cinematically adept. The story deals with racial integration on a TV dance show during the early 1960’s. Ricki Lake stars as Waters plump little starlet and does a wonderful job with the character. Waters axiom Divine plays a dual role in what would be his last screen appearance. Perhaps everything is a little “too” candy coated for my tastes, which explains why I only give this a three star rating, and would also explain the success of the Broadway adaptation. I have to admit I deeply respect what Waters is doing in this picture, even if I prefer the anarchistic approach to filmmaking that defined his earlier work. Waters has yet to make another film of this caliber. *** a must see [03/04]

• Hellboy (2004, USA) Guillermo del Toro- There is no denying that Guillermo del Toro certainly has talent. Whether he is making big budget Hollywood action pieces such as Blade II, or grinding out art house horror films in Mexico as in The Devil’s Backbone, he always seems to deliver the goods. I prefer his more personal projects made in Mexico, however I have admit to a fair level of enjoyment from his Hollywood fair. Hellboy is yet another comic book adaptation that is equal parts a thrilling experience and a tedious mess. The fantastic make-up of the title character was like a breath of fresh air compared to the computer-generated shell that was the Hulk. Even as the end of the film approached and the movie narrowly escaped constituting as a Men in Black remake—not to mention I had hardly any idea what was going on—I have to confess to having a good time. Fans of del Toro’s Cronos should find the knife wielding character named Kroenen (phonetic hommage?) a delight. His mechanical body might be the first “del Toroian” image I’ve seen. ** worth seeing [04/04]

• How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (1976, Germany) Werner Herzog - *** a must see

  A documentary about those fast-talking auctioneers at American cattle events, this is classic Herzogian material—an alluring blend of the mundane and the macabre. For those people who take issue with Herzog’s documentaries claiming that he displays a lack of respect for the material and his subjects (a claim I happen to vehemently disagree with), you will be happy to find that Herzog has largely distanced himself from the material in this film, remaining a casual viewer, and allowing his images/audio to speak for themselves. You get the feeling that in Herzog’s mind this is like one gigantic horror show complete with ranting and raving cowboys, chewing tobacco, bake sales, and ugly patterned house dresses. His thesis is simple—what is it about the American capitalist drive that has necessitated the development of this strange new language? The answers are not as straightforward, and the film (rightly so) leaves you to address that on your own time. Herzog used one of his quick-tongued subjects to auction off Bruno S.’s house in his film Stroszek. [03/05]

• The Human Stain (Robert Benton, 2003)- A well acted but ultimately an enormous let down from director Robert Benton. Based on a novel by the talented Philp Roth (which I haven’t read), this tells the story of a successful college professor who watches his life go to shambles after a slip of the tongue brings about accusations of racism. He finds sexual reawakening in the form of a woman half his age (Nicole Kidman), whose life is an even bigger mess than his own, and things progressively get colder and more depressing from there. I found it hard to swallow that we are supposed to believe Anthony Hopkins in the role of an aging Jew, but the ludicrous denouement is potentially even more offensive. This kept my interest for a while, but eventually I couldn’t wait for it to end. Gary Sinese and Ed Harris co-star giving evidence that whoever cast this picture wasn't a complete jackass.* has redeeming facet (Theatrical Screening) [12/03]

• IYHuckabees (2004, USA) David O. Russell - David O. Russell really goes over the top in this one, and despite what you might hear elsewhere, he manages to make it all work. This delightful adult comedy follows the exploits of a group of lost souls, whom, frustrated with life and the unending search for its meaning, employ the help of the Existential Detectives—a pair of foppish philosophers (Dustin Hoffman & Lily Tomlin) who follow you around and help you sort out your life with their “Inter-connectedness philosophies.” Jason Schwartzman plays an environmental activist, loosely based on a young O. Russell, and Mark Whalberg plays his 9/11 inspired Other, a petroleum obsessed firefighter who upon arriving on the scene of a fire decides to take to watering a neglected lawn than to putting out the fire. There are quite a few inside jokes with regards to the writings of Kafka, Hegel, Freud, Plato, Sartre, and Lacan that are spouted off with a snobbish brilliance. If none of those names are familiar to you, don’t worry, the rest of the cast, which includes Naomi Watts, Isabelle Huppert, Tippi Hedren, and Jude Law (in his 450th film of the year) are dynamite as well. This is the kind of sharp-witted intellectual humor that often reminded me of the great Woody Allen of twenty years ago. *** a must see (theatrical screening) [10/04]

• Incident at Loch Ness (2004, USA) Zak Penn - ** worth seeing

  I have to admit that I’m a little pissed off that Herzog decided not to go through with the “real” Loch Ness documentary, but that’s not why this comedic sham fails to work. The idea is great—Werner Herzog sets out to make a documentary about the Loch Ness Monster while his Hollywood minded producer (Zak Penn) stages all kinds of elaborate hoaxes in order to spice up Herzog’s film. Before long Herzog catches onto Penn’s little tricks and the two clash, but not before possibly clashing with the real Loch Ness Monster. Given Herzog’s megalomaniacal reputation for pushing himself and his production crew to the very limit in his quest to capture the “ecstatic truth,” this had terrific comedic potential. In the end however, many of the great stories from Herzog productions past (the most famous of which has Herzog directing Klaus Kinski at gunpoint on Aguirre) wind up being too esoteric to stage lengthy jokes around, and to avoid having this lost on the viewer, the filmmakers reach out and try to walk the audience by the hand through the material, butchering the joke in the process. Another downfall is the presence of Zak Penn himself. Unlike Herzog who remains cool and totally convincing, Penn comes across as unfunny, thoroughly unbelievable, and even a tad obnoxious. Loch Ness on the other hand is completely gorgeous and the film remains compulsively watchable despite having failed as a comedy. Whether or not Penn and Herzog manage to succeed in their less obvious goal—to make a comment on the nature of truth in documentary filmmaking--remains debatable. [03/05], [rating raised to *** on second viewing]

• The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!? (1964, USA) Ray Dennis Steckler - It’s hard for me to articulate just how bad this movie is. In fact, I found myself watching this all the way through just to see if there was anything even remotely entertaining to be found in this unending piece of nonsense (the answer turned out to be no). For an 80 minute film there is a phenomenal amount of time spent on the dreadful musical acts and dancehall routines of the carnival in which the film is set. I can only suspect that these served as “make-out interludes” for the drive-in audiences of thirty years ago, as they serve no purpose other than to put this reviewer to sleep. Take my advice and avoid this at all costs. • worthless [10/04]