10.13.08
Posted in double feature, drama, reviews at 11:31 am by FilmFemme
“Who the fuck is Omar Benson Miller?” you may be asking. If you’re asking, then you clearly haven’t seen a movie with any black people in it in the last few years, because he has been in a bunch of them. He’s the huge one. Seriously, HUGE. 6′6″ and over 300lbs. He also happens to have had very prominent roles in the 2 recent black people movies that I saw.
Miracle at St. Anna
Black guys fight in WWII. And have sex with white women. And befriend a small Italian boy who may or may not be Jesus.
The Express
Black guys are good at football. People from Texas are racist. So are people from Syracuse, but not quite so much.
And sometimes really good football players get Leukemia and die before they get to play in the NFL. It’s probably not because they are black, though. Probably.
Permalink
02.16.08
Posted in film festivals, indie, double feature, documentary, drama at 11:36 am by FilmFemme
A Screening of 3 Short Films at the Northwest Film Forum in Seattle.
(1) Documentary about some guy who built some crazy instrument. Documentary consists of black and white digital interview that occasionally zooms in just on his eyes because that’s ‘artistic.’ Second half of documentary is silent footage of said guy while he plays his crazy instrument LIVE. Crazy instrument sounds like something Phillip Glass’ retarded child would make. Only worse.
(2) Silent Super 8 movie in which a woman hires a hitman to kill her husband’s mistress. It’s a good thing the (brilliant) director (of all 3 films) explained the plot before the screening! Thanks, guy!
(3) Silent 16mm movie in which a woman may or may not be the last person on earth. A skeleton follows her around. Then some people make out and drink martinis. Martinis are so cinematic. Also in black and white. And there is a band with a cello in it that plays LIVE.
I never thought that I would long for film school screenings. Mercifully all three films were under 10 minutes in length. After the last one, they tried to trick me into staying to watch the band jam (practice) by not having a pause. Fuck that.
Permalink
01.28.08
Posted in indie, double feature, drama, reviews at 1:02 pm by FilmFemme
Dear Patricia “Patty” Clarkson,
You are so beautiful and so talented and I really hope that
(1) You get to fucking star in something really soon. Because you are totally awesome as a supporting actress, but I want someone to write something really spectacular (me, maybe?) FOR you. Because you are awesome. and
(2) That I look half as great as you when I am 49. 3/4 as great? No, half would be just fine.
Love,
FilmFemme
The reviews:
The Station Agent
Actor Thomas McCarthy, who you might recognize from HBO’S The Wire (uhhh…) or All the King’s Men (try again…), ok, um, Michael Clayton (he was just a voice in that, dude)…right, then, you probably wouldn’t recognize him but he made his feature debut as both a writer and director with 2003’s The Station Agent starring the most awesome dwarf actor since Danny Devito (sorry!) Peter Dinklage, our lady Dame Patricia Clarkson and hot & goofy Bobby Cannavale (oh, THAT’s who that is!) And it’s a pretty fucking great movie.
Read the rest of this entry »
Permalink
01.27.08
Posted in romance, double feature, drama, reviews at 1:15 pm by FilmFemme
Atonement
Yes, we get it, your movie, your score, James McAvoy in a a suit and Keira Knightley in green satin are all very pretty. Everyone is in love and/or dead and/or wracked with guilt and it’s all very tragic.
There Will Be Blood
Yes, we get it, Daniel Day-Lewis has three names and is a great actor - truly intimidating and calculating and cold and awesome. Everyone is ambitious and/or crazy and/or doomed and it’s all very dramatic.
Paul Dano is a revelation, though. I’m sad that his Academy nod didn’t come through , because I think it was deserved. I feel like there is some discrimination against young men in the Oscars - because there’s always some young starlet or girl (Abigail Breslin? Come on! This year it’s Atonement’s own Saorise Ronan [um, get a name that’s easier to spell and then we’ll talk]) that’s nominated, but never a young guy. Too bad, Paul. I think you’re great.
Permalink
12.21.07
Posted in double feature, documentary, reviews at 1:32 pm by FilmFemme
New York Doll
Directed by Greg Whiteley, New York Doll is a documentary about Arthur “Killer” Kane, one of the founding members and bassist for seminal punk band, the New York Dolls. It seems that after the Dolls broke up, Kane was in a pretty bad state. Hopelessly alcoholic and without any real direction, he went back and forth between New York and L.A. for a while, forming various bands and just trying to eke out a living. Until one day he joined the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He became a fucking Momon! Isn’t that wild?
Anyway, during the course of this documentary, Kane gets a chance to reunite with the Dolls in a show that Morrissey is putting on in London. The extent of the movie is basically just following him around while he works in the Momon library in L.A. and gets ready to go play a show for the first time in decades. Then he goes and plays the show and makes amends with his old bandmates and it’s pretty fucking touching, actually.
The story of his rise & fall was interesting and the way that he is such an unassuming guy is almost mindblowing. There are these 2 really hilarious old Mormon ladies that were like “Yeah, we had no idea Arthur was such a big deal!” Then he dies like, weeks after getting back from the show. It’s kind of sad, but because they had interviews with all these people that were like “All he ever talked about was getting the Dolls back together” the fact that he actually got to have that happen before he died is sort of awesome.
Technically speaking, the movie is kind of so-so, mostly beacuse it seems kind of Ex Post Facto - like the director heard about the Morrissey show and then tracked down Arthur and decided to make a documentary and just got lucky that he died at the end, so it seemed kind of epic and important. I’m sure all the other interviews were shot after Arthur died. There were some pretty cool animations though, but the whole thing could have been a little better.
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
In contrast, The Devil and Daniel Johnston was clearly a labor of love for director Jeff Feuerzeig who obviously spent years on it. And it was totally worth it, because I thought it was great.
As I have previously mentioned, I was not a cool kid. I’m not claiming to be a cool adult (especially not when it comes to music), but there is no way I would have heard of Daniel Johnston even though a lot of people have. I just like documentaries.
Apparently this guy was this totally brilliant underground singer/songwriter who also happened to be batshit crazy (seriously, majorly, unmedicatedly bipolar). But he was also extremely driven to be a musician and made his way on to MTV and Kurt Cobain wore one of his t-shirts and people definitely knew about him. But once he finally got a record deal, he went all paranoid crazy and wouldn’t sign the damn contract!
Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie because it introduced me to this guy who seriously, even though he really sucks at guitar writes these really awesome Bob Dylan-esque songs that are kind of great! And it’s one of those Better Than Fiction stories.
Permalink
12.19.07
Posted in family, double feature, comedy, animated, reviews at 11:35 am by FilmFemme
Enchanted
I like princesses, big song productions and McDreamy as much as the next girl. If not more. But 2 hours? Come on.
Alvin and the Chipmunks
What is the deal with Jason Lee? I always think I like him. But I’m pretty sure that he can’t act. Like at all. I’m sure it’s hard to act with like fake chipmunks and stuff - but it can’t be harder than it is to act like you like Shannen Doherty.
But David Cross was awesome. Per usual.
Permalink
11.02.07
Posted in double feature, comedy, drama, action, reviews at 10:07 am by FilmFemme
Rendition: Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Sarsgaard, Meryl Streep. Ok, there are just too many double vowels in this movie, that must be why it was so boring.
Dan in Real Life: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dianne Wiest, Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson. I think I’m on to something big here. This one is consonants because it’s a comedy (I think). I will say, when Dane Cook & Steve Carell sing to La Binoche, I got a little choked up, but it was a cheap shot.
Permalink
10.22.07
Posted in foreign, double feature, classic, reviews at 2:07 pm by FilmFemme
La Piscine: En francais. Nudité. Sexe. Meurtre. Alain Delon. Amusement pour la famille entière.
Joy House: In English. More Alain Delon. Jane Fonda is crazy and super horny. Some seriously funny parts.
Jane Fonda to Alain Delon: I like you cause you’re poor! I’m poor too!
Permalink
10.03.07
Posted in double feature, comedy, drama, reviews at 9:00 am by FilmFemme
The Game Plan: I wish The Rock were my dad.
Feast of Love: I wish Robert Benton were dead.
Permalink
