Sunday, November 29, 2009
Look what I found on a random flash drive.
As the title says, look what I found on a random flash drive filled with assignments from freshmen year. I must have not known yet that I could email things to myself. Anyways, as loud, obnoxious, and rhythmless as I am, you should really be watching Rick Frazel in this video. He has no idea what's going on. As I recall, he has no memory of this.
Old Moon (aka The Road)
Well, I just watched the film "The Road" and have some very mixed feelings about it, so I'm going to write a review here. For those who don't know, The Road just came out in theaters on Thanksgiving and stars Viggo Mortensen as an unnamed man. There are small appearances by Robert DuVall, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, and Michael K. Williams (from The Wire). It tells the story of a man and his son as they struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world after an unspecified disaster.
It's very difficult to not give spoilers, but I'll try. The reason for my difficulty assessing The Road is that its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: its too real...
Okay, I'm done using the BK template for my review. Especially since I didn't specifically pay attention to the music or cinematography. One thing I can say however, is that the acting is incredible. You always get what you pay for with Viggo. Another thing I can say is that the film really reminded me of Fallout 3. Except there weren't any mutants or other fucked up looking people. And there also wasn't any form of organized government. BUT, there were plenty of Raider-like people. The movie was actually kind of an emotional rollercoaster. Especially if that rollercoaster consisted of two emotions: fear and sadness. Yes, I was scared for their lives, and yes I was crying like a bitch. The worst part about the movie was that it was depressing as shit. In a good way though. It has some nice messages about how there is hope for humanity...or at least human nature (1) (2) (3).
Overall, I'd give this movie a 3.5 out of 5, but I can see others giving it a 4.5. I attribute this to the fact that I had no idea that the movie was going to be so sad. To be honest, the worst part about this movie is that the trailers sucked. I guess that's what you get when you go to a movie that wins a shitload of awards at film festivals.
Also, while I'm writing a review, I should mention something. The show Bored to Death that I recommended a while back isn't that great. The episodes I reviewed, the first and second, were a lot better than the rest. On the other hand, the show Dexter is AMAZING. It's a showtime original series and you can watch it all on the web. I've only seen season 2 and I loved it. I've heard season 1 is better. The show is on its 4th season now. This show is about a serial killer who works for the police department and only kills murderers. The story is actually more complicated. I love this show. Honestly, I'd say its right up there with the Sopranos. Its hard for me to think of a better show. To put it into perspective for you, I'd choose Dexter over Jurassic Park.
It's very difficult to not give spoilers, but I'll try. The reason for my difficulty assessing The Road is that its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: its too real...
Okay, I'm done using the BK template for my review. Especially since I didn't specifically pay attention to the music or cinematography. One thing I can say however, is that the acting is incredible. You always get what you pay for with Viggo. Another thing I can say is that the film really reminded me of Fallout 3. Except there weren't any mutants or other fucked up looking people. And there also wasn't any form of organized government. BUT, there were plenty of Raider-like people. The movie was actually kind of an emotional rollercoaster. Especially if that rollercoaster consisted of two emotions: fear and sadness. Yes, I was scared for their lives, and yes I was crying like a bitch. The worst part about the movie was that it was depressing as shit. In a good way though. It has some nice messages about how there is hope for humanity...or at least human nature (1) (2) (3).
Overall, I'd give this movie a 3.5 out of 5, but I can see others giving it a 4.5. I attribute this to the fact that I had no idea that the movie was going to be so sad. To be honest, the worst part about this movie is that the trailers sucked. I guess that's what you get when you go to a movie that wins a shitload of awards at film festivals.
Also, while I'm writing a review, I should mention something. The show Bored to Death that I recommended a while back isn't that great. The episodes I reviewed, the first and second, were a lot better than the rest. On the other hand, the show Dexter is AMAZING. It's a showtime original series and you can watch it all on the web. I've only seen season 2 and I loved it. I've heard season 1 is better. The show is on its 4th season now. This show is about a serial killer who works for the police department and only kills murderers. The story is actually more complicated. I love this show. Honestly, I'd say its right up there with the Sopranos. Its hard for me to think of a better show. To put it into perspective for you, I'd choose Dexter over Jurassic Park.
New Moon
Well, I just watched the film "New Moon," and have some very mixed feelings about it, so I'm gonna write a review here. For those who don't know, New Moon just came out in theaters as the sequel to Twilight and the prequel to Eclipse. The film stars the incredibly attractive Kristen Stewart, the incredibly muscular Taylor Lautner, and the incredibly handsome Robert Pattinson, and is the sixth directoral project of fashion designer and novelist John Weitz' son, Chris Weitz. It tells the story of Bella, the resident of Forks, WA who is in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. After an unspecified amount of time being in a relationship with Bella, Edward is forced to move away from Forks when his brother attempts to eat Bella's blood as a result of her getting a paper cut while opening a gift from the Cullen family on her birthday.
It's very difficult to not give spoilers, but I'll try. The reason for my difficulty assessing New Moon is that its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: New Moon is vampire film. The vampire theme resonates strongly (but not too strongly) throughout this film - the mark of an intelligent and tasteful vampire-film-maker. However, the plot delves into the same questions that were asked by the vampire films of old (Twilight included), but does not shed any new light on where we have progressed since then. The beginning and end of the film are masterfully crafted; the story subtly creates the tension of true love (thanks largely to the unbelievable job that Robert Pattinson does in this film, I never knew he could act so well) and is intriguing. However, once the cat is out of the bag and the big "twist" is revealed, the film just trudges along in a predictable path to its conclusion. The film does feature a different take on the interaction between man and vampire within the film; I think this is one of the few times in vampire film history that the vampire isn't the bad guy. The cinematography is gorgeous and the music is by Thom Yorke (Twilight, Radiohead).
So, do I recommend the film? Absolutely. I'm definitely too picky about my vampire flicks, but at the same time the conclusion of the film felt very empty. The questions that the film raises are not only left unanswered, they are unacknowledged. This could be due, in part, to the fact that the film has a sequel and the saga has yet to be concluded! I don't mind when a film raises questions and in the end they can't be answered, but New Moon's plot diverges from those issues and does not address them (I see vampires and humans as a metaphor for broader race relations in our society, but the film doesn't explicitly acknowledge this). The deeper issues are lost; at the conclusion the plot controls the film rather than the themes, and this diverged from the feel of the beginning and the middle. All in all, 4 out of 5 stars, and I'm looking forward to Eclipse, the final film in the Twilight Saga.
It's very difficult to not give spoilers, but I'll try. The reason for my difficulty assessing New Moon is that its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: New Moon is vampire film. The vampire theme resonates strongly (but not too strongly) throughout this film - the mark of an intelligent and tasteful vampire-film-maker. However, the plot delves into the same questions that were asked by the vampire films of old (Twilight included), but does not shed any new light on where we have progressed since then. The beginning and end of the film are masterfully crafted; the story subtly creates the tension of true love (thanks largely to the unbelievable job that Robert Pattinson does in this film, I never knew he could act so well) and is intriguing. However, once the cat is out of the bag and the big "twist" is revealed, the film just trudges along in a predictable path to its conclusion. The film does feature a different take on the interaction between man and vampire within the film; I think this is one of the few times in vampire film history that the vampire isn't the bad guy. The cinematography is gorgeous and the music is by Thom Yorke (Twilight, Radiohead).
So, do I recommend the film? Absolutely. I'm definitely too picky about my vampire flicks, but at the same time the conclusion of the film felt very empty. The questions that the film raises are not only left unanswered, they are unacknowledged. This could be due, in part, to the fact that the film has a sequel and the saga has yet to be concluded! I don't mind when a film raises questions and in the end they can't be answered, but New Moon's plot diverges from those issues and does not address them (I see vampires and humans as a metaphor for broader race relations in our society, but the film doesn't explicitly acknowledge this). The deeper issues are lost; at the conclusion the plot controls the film rather than the themes, and this diverged from the feel of the beginning and the middle. All in all, 4 out of 5 stars, and I'm looking forward to Eclipse, the final film in the Twilight Saga.
Moon
Well, I just watched the film "Moon," and have some very mixed feelings about it, so I'm gonna write a review here. For those who don't know, Moon came out this year, stars Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey, and is the directoral debut of David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones. It tells the story of Sam Bell, the lone resident of a lunar mining colony who is finishing up his 3 year contract. After 3 years of complete isolation from humanity, Sam begins hallucinating and has an accident while gathering samples to send back to Earth.
It's very difficult to not give spoilers, but I'll try. The reason for my difficulty assessing Moon is that its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: Moon quotes nearly every great scifi film ever made. Alien, Blade Runner, and 2001 resonate strongly throughout this film, which is the mark of an intelligent and tasteful filmmaker. However, the plot delves into the same questions that were asked by Blade Runner 27 years ago, but does not shed any new light on where we have progressed since then. The beginning and middle of the film are masterfully crafted; it subtly creates tension (thanks largely to the unbelievable job that Sam Rockwell does in this film, I never knew he could act so well) and is intriguing. However, once the cat is out of the bag and the big "twist" is revealed, the film just trudges along in a predictable path to its conclusion. The film does feature a different take on the interaction between man and AI within the film; I think this is one of the few times in film history that the computer isn't the bad guy. The cinematography is gorgeous and the music is by Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain).
So, do I recommend the film? Absolutely. I'm definitely too picky about my scifi, but at the same time the conclusion of the film felt very empty. The questions that the film raises are not only left unanswered, they are unacknowledged. I don't mind when a film raises questions and in the end they can't be answered, but Moon's plot diverges from those issues and does not address them. The deeper issues are lost; at the conclusion the plot controls the film rather than the themes, and this diverged from the feel of the beginning and the middle. All in all, 4 out of 5 stars, and I'm looking forward to the next film from this director.
It's very difficult to not give spoilers, but I'll try. The reason for my difficulty assessing Moon is that its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: Moon quotes nearly every great scifi film ever made. Alien, Blade Runner, and 2001 resonate strongly throughout this film, which is the mark of an intelligent and tasteful filmmaker. However, the plot delves into the same questions that were asked by Blade Runner 27 years ago, but does not shed any new light on where we have progressed since then. The beginning and middle of the film are masterfully crafted; it subtly creates tension (thanks largely to the unbelievable job that Sam Rockwell does in this film, I never knew he could act so well) and is intriguing. However, once the cat is out of the bag and the big "twist" is revealed, the film just trudges along in a predictable path to its conclusion. The film does feature a different take on the interaction between man and AI within the film; I think this is one of the few times in film history that the computer isn't the bad guy. The cinematography is gorgeous and the music is by Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain).
So, do I recommend the film? Absolutely. I'm definitely too picky about my scifi, but at the same time the conclusion of the film felt very empty. The questions that the film raises are not only left unanswered, they are unacknowledged. I don't mind when a film raises questions and in the end they can't be answered, but Moon's plot diverges from those issues and does not address them. The deeper issues are lost; at the conclusion the plot controls the film rather than the themes, and this diverged from the feel of the beginning and the middle. All in all, 4 out of 5 stars, and I'm looking forward to the next film from this director.
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