March 9th 2010, Week regarding 3/2/2010 – 3/8/2010

Movies Seen: First Time Viewed*
The Big Sleep*
Platoon*
Timecrimes*
Jurassic Park
2001: A Space Odyssey*
Planet of the Apes*
Babel*
Sunshine Cleaning*
Son of Ranbow*

Can you say science fiction? I believe I did an excellent job swimming through the universe that is SF film this week. A few classics, a foreign film, and one of my top 25 all time favorites. Big week full of flicks, this is Joel buckling down and killing his brain cells the only way he knows how. Besides drinking and basic cable that is.

The Big Sleep (1946 Howard Hawks):
This is the 3rd Bogart film I have ever seen (that is as far as I can recall). He’s good, I don’t know if you are aware of this. Even though he is certainly cast because he is Bogart and himself a character, every line that slips from his mouth, the subtleness of his actions, these things are full of a grace no one else has had before or since. Or, perhaps I am just hero worshiping. I read Raymond Chandler’s book before watching this movie, and I was actually a bit miffed at the way they had changed things. Naturally because of the time period in movie history the romantic relationship in the film had to be amped up a bit, I understand that. The sense I got from Phillip Marlowe in the book though was of a man who did not expect things to work in his favor, even with the ladies. He did his job, he did it as best he could, and he didn’t get mixed up in any real bad business if he could help himself. So, Bogart ending up with Bacall in the end did not please me. Then again, Marlowe had a very good reason not to end up with Vivian (who is played by Bogart and Bacall in the movie respectively), as in the book she tried to have him killed. So, there isn’t much to be done about it, no reason to over think it. I recommend both the movie and the book. A bit of a warning though, I watched it on Netflix streaming, and even though the dialogue was at a normal level, whenever a gun was fired the sound seemed way too loud. So you know, watch out for that and stuff.

Platoon (1986 Oliver Stone):
Hmm, Oliver Stone. The only other Oliver Stone movie I have seen is Any Given Sunday (1999), so I cannot really comment on the director as an auteur. Platoon was alright. I feel as though I am missing a manly chromosome just for feeling that way. The movie felt like a big soap opera to me. It had an obvious villain, a martyr, a young hero changed forever by the seeds of war, and Dr. Cox. I’m pretty sure after Charlie Sheen goes home from Vietnam, he becomes the Godfather. Ok, not really. There was no dignity in Vietnam, and this movie is as good as any at showing that. Good guys, bad guys, it’s all the same when you are the one being aimed at. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

Timecrimes (Los cronocrimenes)(2007 Nacho Vigalondo):
The Slashfilmcast members have been raving about this movie for some time. Those guys seem like nice enough fellows so I decided to give this a shot. I really don’t want to give anything away about this movie. Sufficed to say this is a movie people should see, because it is one really great piece of sci-fi. It’s only an hour and a half long, but that hour and a half is so surprisingly good! I kept thinking, and this a little spoilish so be forewarned, that the movie was way too predictable, and then BAM! I was like WHOA, and then like NO WAY, and then I was like SAY WHAT? Sorry, I just really want other people to check this out. Timecrimes is currently being remade by Hollywood, so do yourself and the makers of the film a favor and check out the original. It is SO FREAKING GOOD! And just in case it wasn’t clear in the title of the movie, it’s about time travel and its consequences. And creepy Spanish dudes.

Jurassic Park:
Sam Neill? Check. Dinosaurs? Check. Children you wish would get eaten? Check. The only this movie is missing is Samuel L. Jackson. What’s that you say? Oh, he’s in it too. I got to see this on the big screen on classic movie nightt with my gf and my pals Aaron, Kempo, Nick, and Kelsey. This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and to tell you the truth, I was a little sad after watching it this time. The dialogue is bad, Jeff Goldblum takes off his shirt and someone thought they should grease him up, and the children survive. Did I mention I hate the children? What was worst for me is that I think I realized I like Jaws better. Jaws had amazing acting in it (well, amazing is a stretch, but it’s better than Jurassic Park) and it was more innovative with the camera (I know, I know, due to the lack of SFX available at the time). Jurassic Park to me now feels like pure blockbuster. Damn you Spielberg! You should have just left the substance out of all your movies! Heh, substance makes me think the ooze from Ninja Turtles.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968 Stanley Kubric):
What. A. Trip. This movie is at the same time absolutely amazing and extremely frustrating. I’ve got the two words that sum it up for me: Space ballet. The amazing effects (for the time) and music are combined to make something that should have Fantasia (1940) fans pissing their pants with glee. Despite how visually stunning the movie is, it has about 30 minutes of actual narrative. 30 minutes of story and the rest is, as I said, ballet pure and simple. I really dig the costumes in the movie. If I could find me a stock of replica costumes based on this movie, guess who would be sporting a different colored space suit each day of the week? I loved this movie, but I can see a lot of people afterwards going, what the HELL was that!!?? Maybe this will come off as crazy, but I got a definite sense of the Italian neo-realism. There was a focus on micro actions all throughout the movie. 2001 is art, something that should be playing in a museum 24/7 while people stand around it drinking coffee and smoking French cigarettes. Even now I can see the image of spacecrafts floating in space while the blue Danube plays in the background, and I feel calmness over my mind. I should mention that the story was of course ruined for me by years of pop culture references, but no one could ever replicate the eloquence of the actual film. Sigh, my heart is a flutter!

Planet of the Apes (1968 Franklin J. Schaffner):
Wow, same year as 2001. These two movies are sci-fi apples and oranges. I really liked Planet of the Apes, and I am surprised about that. Charlton Heston delivers some of the weirdest monologues I have ever heard, the creepy bastard. All around a good time though. Nothing brightens a day like apes on horses that suck at using nets. I’ll tell you what though, Dr. Zaius? He’s a dick. I wish Heston had got him around the neck and gave him the old snickity snap! Of course, I have anger issues, and without Zaius they couldn’t have made 200 sequels. By the way, it’s thanks to the podcast the Filmsack that I even bothered watching the movie. If you like comedy and movies, that podcast is really good. Makes me laugh every time.

Babel (2006 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu):
Well, that’s the last one for me. Little did I know when I started this movie that it was from the same writer (Guillermo Arriaga) and director of 21 Grams (2003). I was not a fan of that movie. In fact, I am not a fan of most movies that leave you feeling like your grandmother just died. Babel wasn’t as bad as 21, but I still didn’t like it very much. The Brad Pitt parts were weird, the Japanese parts were weird, the Mexico parts… weird. If the goal of the movie was to make me feel bad for people, it succeeded. Even so, I can’t think of anything production wise that really stood out about the movie. It was interesting seeing different cultures, but I could just watch the travel channel. At least then I wouldn’t have to see anyone masturbating. What was the movie about? I still have no clear idea. Something about language barriers and cultural barriers and Clifton Collins Jr.

Sunshine Cleaning (2008 Christine Jeffs):
This movie… this damn movie broke through the ice shield guarding my heart. Ok, that’s a little too much cheese. I just found this film to be very endearing. Something about Amy Adams not being annoying really worked for me. It was a cute story. The writers did an excellent job of going neither too quirky nor too morbid. And once again, we got a visit from Clifton Collins Jr. That man is everywhere now days I tells yah! Nothing really special about the cinematography or anything, the story is what has me really won over. The acting was very solid too. Emily Blunt SHOULD have annoyed the hell out of me, as she reminded me of my little sister, but she didn’t. So kudos to her and the rest of the cast.

Son of Rambow (2007 Garth Jennings):
Let me just say this first: DO NOT let that title throw you off of watching this movie! It is so great! I admit, the title is pretty bad, and it is certainly misleading. Son of Ranbow can only be about one thing right? Well, it’s actually about kids in England during the 80’s who decide to make their own movie. This film, Son of Rambow, is so GOOD! It was laugh out loud funny, and relatable, and just freaking charming. I want to grab a group of you and tie you to chairs and make you watch this movie so you can share the joy with me (he says while polishing his tools)! God, what can I say about this movie? Ah! The children! I didn’t want to strangle the children in the movie! Isn’t that an accomplishment in its own? I certainly think so. There is a great use of animation mixed into the film that makes the imagination receptors in your brain fire up. I feel all warm and tingly just talking about the movie. Please, go watch this movie so I can talk to you about it. And by you I mean the completely anonymous mass that is the internet.

ARGH! I may have seen a bit too many films this week to actually see the substance of some of the movies. But I have learned that you can’t really know a movie until you have seen it a few times, and almost all of these were the first time through. Anybody got any recommendations they want to see me talk about? I would love some feedback about this crap. Any questions, comments, or misguided angry political statements, please send them to JDTMovies@gmail.com. Toodle doo till next week!