Forthcoming Reviews

American Gangster
Barbarella
Danger: Diabolik
Shattered Glass
Darjeeling Limited
Michael Clayton
The Kingdom
CQ
Lars and the Real Girl

2 Days in Paris

Julie Delpy wrote, directed, and stars in this film alongside Adam Goldberg in this wonderful film. The story revolves around a couple who have been together for two years and are spending 2 days in paris on their way back to NYC after a week in Venice. Adam's character meets Julie's family, friends, and a few of her exes. The film is charming, hilarious, well done, and definitely worth checking out. I really enjoyed it.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

This documentary is on eof the better films I've seen this summer...and maybe all year. It has a lot going right for it. Incredibly rich characters, a monster rivalry, and good vs evil. It's hard to imagine a documentary about two guys playing donkey kong being all that good, but this film is definitely worth checking out. I was surprised how good it was.

Update

***it's been four months, but I'm going to try to start this up again. It's not like anyone but me reads it anyways***

Bande a Part (Band of Outsiders)

I finally saw this. It is classic Godard. I thought it was great. The extras on the dvd, especially the section that shows 18 different "quotes" Godard uses in the film was especially worth watching. If you like cinema, you have to watch this film, if only for the scene of them running through the Louvre.

After the Wedding

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and rightly so, this Danish film is excellent. The story, acting, and cinematography are all beautiful. Just an overall wonderfully executed film that touches on a variety of topics, all done well. Definitely worth checking out.

Danielson: A Family Movie (or, Make a Joyful Noise Here)

This film is interesting in how it covers such a long period of the band. Most documentaries tend to be limited in scope, but this manages to cover a rather substantial part of the bands career. Additionally, it is an odd film as it does spend some time talking about Sufjan Stevens' solo career despite him being a more minor member of the band. The film initially starts out attempting to be both an artistic film and a documentary film. For whatever reason, it drops the artistic approach early on, only to return briefly to it once or twice in the rest of the film. As a documentary it is a success. It's interesting in both the context of the band itself as well as the context of a Christian rock band (as they are near-always described) trying to fit into the indie rock scene where atheism is almost a requirement. A worthwhile film whether you are a fan of Danielson Familye, Sufjan Stevens, indie rock, or interesting documentaries.

Doom Generation

Um, wow. I should have known based on the person who recommended this that it would not be very good. Perhaps back in high school I would have found the film edgy and "crazy." However, at 22, I find it pointless, unnecessary, and un-artistic. I guess Gregg Araki really wanted to shock people...and maybe he did. But one thing he did not do was make a good film.

I know his last film, Mysterious Skin, got lots of good reviews. I saw it and thought it was good. It is definitely better than Doom Generation. I wish I had my 90 minutes back. Stay away!!!

Friends with Money

I like Nicole Holofcener's films. For what they are supposed to be, they are excellent. Seeing Friends With Money reminds one of why relationship tend to be bad things and why people in them are often so miserable. The film does a good job offering a variety of adult relationships. It wasn't the best film of 2006, but it was memorable, enjoyable, well-done, and written well enough to make you forget that Jennifer Aniston is in it.

First Snow

First Snow stars(as much as is possible for him) Guy Pearce. It is the writing/directing debut from one of the several co-writers of Children of Men (which is strange when you think about it since the film is based on a novel...how many people does it take to adapt a novel). That sounds promising, right? Children of Men + Guy Pearce +a pretty decent trailer SHOULD equal good. However, it is a deeply flawed film. It is obviously a film on a smaller scale, but it fails on that level too. Maybe worth a netflix, but not worth a cinema ticket.

The Wind that Shakes the Barely

It won the Palme d'Or 2006. This, for me at least, has in the past been a mixed blessing. Clearly there have been some great films that have won the Palme d'Or (La Dolce Vita and Elefant come to mind) but there have also been some terrible (L'Enfant comes to mind immediately).

Luckily, The Wind That Shakes the Barley is far closer to the greater winners than the terrible ones. I would suggest that the film won because it humanizes an insurgency while showing the brutality of the occupying force. I don't say this isn't a fair enough reason to provide the film with a wider audience.

The film itself, politics and awards aside, is a decent enough film. Worth checking out. It does a good job doing what I imagine the film was written to do, tell the story of the 1920's Irish rebellion/turmoil as well as make comparisons in the audience's mind about Iraq (and Afghanistan). Overall, a worthwhile film to see.