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Bloody Geniuses!

Coenraad Heijdemann — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:15:11 +0000

Simultaneous interpreters are funny creatures. I always say that we must have some kind of strange t

Nietzsche versus Irmãos Cohen

edsonhcs — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:34:51 +0000

: A obra dos irmãos Cohen vista sobre um ponto de vista Nietzschiano

A filmografia dos irmãos Joel e Ethan Coen, é uma das mais elogiadas do cinema atual. Sempre alternando entre comédias e dramas pessoais, a dupla retrata seus personagens como sujeitos normais que se envolvem com crimes e acabam perdendo o curso de suas ações. Já Friedrich Nietzsche é um dos mais influentes filósofos do mundo. Seu trabalho e obra estudam o pensamento e a existência humana, e até hoje, são objeto de estudo

O livro “A insustentável leveza do ser”, do tcheco Milan Kundera, começa com uma breve análise da teoria do eterno retorno de Nietzsche. Eterno Retorno é a tese de que pólos se alternam em nossas vivências numa eterna repetição. Alegria e tristeza, saúde e doença, bem e mal, belo e feio, todos são elementos que vão e retornam. Esses opostos não são faces de uma mesma realidade, mas sim, contíguos de um jogo. Enfim, tudo o que já foi vivido vai se repetir um dia num eterno retorno indefinido. No fim, uma pessoa não pode fugir de sua essência e de quem é, está fadado a retornar a sua persona.

Na obra The Gay Science, o filósofo reconhece: “A idéia de uma recorrência de cegueira, variações sem sentidos, caóticas e misturas de matéria e leis, vão inevitavelmente vomitar mundos culpa evolução do tempo vão inevitavelmente recontar as aparentes histórias sem sentido das nossas vidas”. Essa idéia serviu como corredor para seus princípios do Niilismo. Tomando como ponto de partida essa teoria, podemos começa a analisar o filme “Onde os fracos não têm vez”.

Onde os Fracos Não Tem Vez (No Country for Old Men)

Dirigido e Adaptado por Joel e Ethan Coen

Baseado num livro de Cormac McCarth

Com Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson e Kelly Macdonald

A trama se passa nos anos 80, no Oeste do Texas. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) é apresentado para os espectadores enquanto caça. Com um veado em na mira de sua arma ele erra o tiro certo e acabar por atingir a perna do animal que foge mancando. A cena, que a principio parece bastante trivial, define bem que é o personagem. Um veterano da guerra do Vietnã, que agora vive uma vida pacata no interior. Seguindo, o animal que feriu, Moss encontra no meio do deserto o resultado de uma briga de dois grupos rivais e encontra uma maleta com dois milhões de dólares e um mexicano implorando por ajuda. Ele volta para casa, manda a mulher fugir e resolve voltar para ajudar o homem ferido, mas acaba sendo perseguido por uma van que dá conseqüência à uma perseguição de gato e rato quando um assassino profissional é pago para devolver a maleta a seus verdadeiros donos.

No decorrer da trama, somos expostos a vários momentos em que o personagem parece estar em total controle da situação para depois vê-lo falhar. Em “O mundo como vontada e representação”, Nietzsche diz, “Os atos dos seres vivos são fruto de uma cega vontade de viver”. Essa cega vontade de viver move Moss pela trama enquanto tentar fugir de seus perseguidores. A vida é um eterno retorno, pela obrigação humana de errar e voltar a errar tantas vezes. Se tudo retorna, existira a real necessidade de continuar a sua vivência, sempre na mesma realidade? No momento em que o personagem de Josh Brolin se questiona disso, e, aparentemente, resolve trair sua mulher perto do final do filme, temos a quebra do grande retorno. Mas, como as obras dos Coen e de Nietsche mostram, a continuidade da vida não está nas mãos daqueles que a vivem. Quando a personagem decide se libertar de seu padrão, de seu ciclo, ele é posto de volta na sua posição antiga e é morto.

O mesmo acontece com os personagens de “Queime depois de Ler”. Em toda sua trama, os personagens tentam fugir da realidade de suas existências, seus ciclos, mas não estão no controle de suas vidas quando fatores externos provam ser maiores do que o controle do curso de suas ações. Nietzsche condena a incapacidade de se aceitar a finitude da vida, levando somente ao declínio da vontade forte de poder. Além desse tema, podemos enquadrar toda a temática do “Onde os fracos não tem vez”, e a filmografia dos Coen, em torno de outro estudo do Nietzsche, o Niilismo.

“Quem luta com monstros deve velar por que, ao fazê-lo, não se transforme também em monstro. E se tu olhares, durante muito tempo, para um abismo, o abismo também olha para dentro de ti.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)

O crítico do Eduardo Graça, da revista Carta Capital, escreve em resenha: “Não há redenção, punição, nem mesmo uma condenação explícita ao legado da violência ianque explicitado nas áreas de fronteira do vasto império. Fica a sensação sufocante da impossibilidade de escape.” Esse sentimento de que o Moss conseguirá fugir de seu implacável perseguidor, o assassino contratado Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) se enquadra nisso. Sempre que o “mocinho” parece estar um passo a frente ele é arrastado de volta a sua condição inicial de perseguido, até que seu final implacável se concretiza.

Chigurh foi considerado como um equivalente moderno da Morte de Ingmar Bergman, personagem do Sétimo Selo. O personagem é o arquétipo do Mal Imparável da obra dos Coen, como os Alemães Niilistas, do Grande Lebowski, e a KKK, de E aí Meu irmão Cade Você?. A tentativa dos personagens de fugir de seus destinos quando frente a frente ao matador, a súplica de “Você não precisa fazer isso”, não tem volta. A cena em que um frentista tem que decidir na moeda se vive ou não, mostra a total falta de sentido nos atos da personagem. Voltando ao Eterno Retorno, Nietzsche apresenta uma só saída ao ciclo: a criação na destruição. Só assim podemos afirmar a vida em valor dos detrimentos de valores. A luta de Moss para viver está na contraposição contra esse personagem.

Nietzsche trata defende a atitude dos poderosos, dos homens fortes; ele vai contra a compaixão, a piedade com os necessitados, crê que tudo isso é contrário à exaltação da vida, que é contrário aos valores vitais. É curioso que essa exaltação de tudo que é enérgico, poderoso, triunfador em Nietzsche. Segundo o niilismo existencial, tudo o que existe carece de propósito, inclusive a vida. Todas as ações, todos os sentimentos, todos os fatos são vazios em si mesmos, desprovidos de qualquer significado. Seguindo essa ótica, viver é algo tão sem sentido quanto morrer, e estamos aqui pelo mesmo motivo que as pedras: nenhum.

“Se todo o caminho que você seguiu até hoje te trouxe até aqui, então qual foi o sentido de tudo isso?” diz Anton para a personagem de Woody Harrelson, um outro caçador de recompensa que interfere no caminho do matador original. No território que os irmãos exploram, ou você se adéqua a seu próprio sistema de ética, ou você estará no caminho de alguém. Em suas histórias eles provam, que: amor, família, fazer a coisa certa, são escolhas certas e quase sempre o melhor para optar. Mesmo assim, ter um código de moral é melhor do que não ter nenhum. Mesmo quando um assassino impiedoso decide seu destino por um jogar de moeda (Onde os Fracos Não tem Vez) ou quando alguém faz xixi em seu tapete (O Grande Lebowski) pelo menos eles tem algum código de ética próprio.

“Nietzsche se opõe à supressão das diferenças, à padronização de valores que, sob o pretexto de universalidade, encobre, de fato, a imposição totalitária de interesses particulares; por isso, ele é também um opositor da igualdade entendida como uniformidade. Assim, denunciou a transformação de pessoas em peças anônimas da engrenagem global de interesses e a manipulação de corações e mentes pelos grandes dispositivos formadores de opinião” (Oswaldo Giacóia Junioé professor de filosofia na Unicamp. Formado em Direito pela USP, mestre em Filosofia pela PUC-SP e doutor em Filosofia pela Freie Universität Berlin, Alemanha)

No mundo dos Coen, aceitar certos costumes e leis é quase que um sacrifício das liberdades pessoais. A existência pelos próprios meios é quase como uma prova de mostrar que sua existência possui algum significado. Esse niilismo é explorado em obras como “Fargo” e “Grande Lebowski”, onde seus personagens como O Cara e os bandidos de Fargo, criam suas próprias regras e costumes, a impossibilidade de confiar realmente em alguém é ressaltada como fazer parte de uma sociedade de valores corrompidos. Esta é a essência da filosofia dos irmãos: “O mundo é cruel e sem sentido, a vida está presa apenas por um fio e o desejo humano de seguir acabar por trazer consequências terríveis da pior natureza.” (Josh Rosenblatt, redator do site GutterSpineNews, sobre os filmes do Coen).

O contraponto do personagem de Javier Bardem no filme é o xerife Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), que representa a procura da racionalidade, alguém que tenta entender a trilha de sangue que se espalha pelo Texas. No começo do filme, o xerife Ed Tom Bell, lamenta o fato de a violência aumentar cada vez mais em comparação aos tempos em que seu pai era xerife. O personagem diz não entender os motivos de tantos crimes e mortes, e que, em tempo antigos, pelo menos havia motivos para pessoas matarem umas as outras. Encaixamos ai a morte do sentido, que toma conta da cena quando todos valores tradicionais se despedaçam e não há um caminho exato ao qual seguir. Anton Chigurh é um personagem niilista e seu antagonista não é Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), mas sim Tom Bell, que observa toda trama de fora e não consegue ver nenhuma razão nas ações do assassino.

Scott Foundas, redator do site The Village Voice, exalta a trama dos Coen que não está interessada no destino da maleta de dinheiro, mas sim, na força primitiva que força os personagens adiante. Todos os personagens são espécies garantindo sua sobrevivência em um jogo de caça e caçadores. Se não podemos garantir a existência de Deus, se o mal pode sair impune, e somente ser parado por razões alheias aos esforços dos bons (Como por exemplo as mortes de forma “idiota” ou por azar, como os personagens de Queime Depois de Ler, Fargo e Matadores de Velhinhas, e aqui, o acidente de carro de Anton) qual a razão de seguirmos uma ética moral?

“Onde os fracos não têm vez” termina assim, sem sentido, sem resgate, sem a salvação ou a redenção do movimento da história e da natureza. A trama toda se movia para o assassinato de Moss, é assim é seu final. No fim, o filme é uma clara demonstração de como os sentimentos humanos são distorcidos postos a parte quando somos postos contra uma sensação de destino sem fuga. Esse visão niilista, não tem a pretensão de apontar qualquer caminho, ele também nunca poderá servir como pretexto para qualquer revolta, afinal, não existe uma verdade ideal a se defender. Não se trata de simpatizarmos ou não com a moral, mas da constatação segundo a qual ela é um sonho, uma fantasmagoria inventada por nós próprios.

"A Serious Man" Review

benmcc549 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:39:00 +0000

(Cert: 15, Running Time: 97mins, Release: 20^th Nov)

Verdict: One of the Coen Brothers Best Films 5/5

The new Coen Brothers film is their most personal and their best film to date, a dark comedy/drama set in 1960s Minnesota. “A Serious Man” tells the story of a Jewish Professor whose life has just gone completely wrong. His wife wants a divorce, his teenage son’s Bar Mitzvah is two weeks away, he can’t his brother to move out of the house and he doesn’t know if he is going to granted his tenure.

The Coen Brothers are Jekyll and Hyde to me. They have made some brilliant films, like “Fargo” and “No Country For Old Men”. But have made some terrible films, like “The Lady Killers” and “Intolerable Cruelty?” which are all comedies. So I was nervous going into this film, but the Coen Brothers have made a comedy that I actually like. It doesn’t go for the big laughs; it has small laughs from small situations such as a student’s attempt to bribe the professor to give him a pass, and in a series of montages, the professor sees 3 different rabbis who don’t have any answers for his questions about God. This is funny stuff; this proves that you don’t need to make your characters complete and utter morons for them to be funny a la “Burn After Reading”

But the Coen Brothers aren’t finished there; there is some very thoughtful and interesting discussing about God. These mostly consist whether god exists, whether he is watching over us, whether he is set a certain path for us to navigate around, and whether God will punish us for our sins. This is some great stuff to talk about the film; this will fuel long debates about the existence of God. It is captivating.

But the key performance in the film is Michael Stuhlberg, who plays the Jewish professor. It is a brilliant performance that anchors the entire film on his shoulders; the look of utter confusion, frustration and sadness is just mesmerizing from beginning to end. Along with the rest of the cast, who give really good performances, but the film belongs to Michael Stuhlberg, who will be hopefully be on the Academy Award nominations list come February 2010, along with the film itself.

Please see this film and not Twilight: New Moon!

Quemar después de leer (Burn after reading)

sospe — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:44:41 +0000

“Quemar después de leer” es la ultima gamberrada de los hermanos Coen. No la vi en su día y este fin de semana se presentó la ocasión y aunque no soy un fan tremendo de los Coen, si que me gustan la mayoría de sus películas y a esta ya la iba teniendo ganas por que todas los comentarios que escuché eran malos.. así que ya iba ganando puntos para que a mi si me gustara.

Y lo llamo gamberrada porque después de la estupenda “No country for old men”, vuelven al histrionismo puro y absoluto de “Ladykillers“, pero elevado a N. En aquella la palma se la llevaba Tom Hanks, pero es que en quemar después de leer, están todos tremendos. Cada cual es peor, pero el trio George Clooney, Brad Pitt y John Malkovich se llevan la palma. Sin desmerecer a Frances McDormand, ni a Tilda Swinton, que también están que se salen, sobre todo la segunda. Cada cual esta peor de lo suyo y todos llevan sus personajes al extremo, pero Brad Pitt y George Clooney son caricaturas andantes, con las que lo mismo te ries, que te llevas las manos a la cabeza.

La historia gira en torno al despido de un analista de la CIA (John Malkovich) que es relevado de su cargo y decide escribir unas memorias, memorias que por x motivos acaban en manos de unos empleados de un gimnasio (Brad Pitt y Frances McDormand) que deciden por motivos mas absurdos aun, intentar chantajearle para conseguir algo de dinero. A partir de aquí se va enredando la historia con personajes conductores y comunes como George Clooney, y los enredos y líos se suceden, dejándonos tan ojoplaticos como lo están los responsables de la CIA que van, desde una sana y prudente distancia, viendo el tremendo WTF? que va desarrollándose e intentando comprender algo.

Yo me lo pase muy bien. Un rato divertido, con sus momentazos. Casi todos los mejores momentos los protagoniza John Malkovich, que esta inmenso, y por ejemplo cuando va por ahí hacha en mano o cuando oye ruidos en casa y va a por la pistola y de paso se prepara un wiskazo y baja con pipa y wiski a ver quien anda por ahí.

Es una comedia, con sus momentos de drama que no esperas.. o que yo no esperaba, y con unos personajes ridículos, increíbles, absurdos, pero que a pesar de que pudieran parecer adjetivos peyorativos, en este caso son virtudes interpretativas y que casan muy bien con todo el tono general de la película. No es el “Gran Lebowski”, ni “LadyKillers”, ni “Crueldad intolerable”… al final lo bueno de los Coen es que no hacen 2 películas iguales ni cuando hacen comedia, ni cuando hacen drama.

Yo me divertí mas de lo que esperaba.. un 8.

1986

Not Us...

coreyanderson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:48:16 +0000

That’s the first thought that goes through your mind when you are told that your son has “severely delayed motor skills”. I mean, I’ve never had a baby before, so I’m not sure exactly what to look for in terms of motor skills development but I was aware you weren’t crawling very much until about your first birthday (this past Saturday).

I was given a bit of a heads-up by your Grandma Nancy that there might be some “issues” based on the video I provided everyone on your first birthday. She said she noticed some things, including your flapping arms.

Well, the pediatrician confirmed those fears this morning and recommended we take you to see a neurologist and enter you into an early intervention program. All that means is that they want to check and make sure your motor skills catch up to your age level.

So, I just placed a call to the early intervention program to get you going as soon as possible because we really care about you and your development. I’m sure everything will check out OK, but it’s just the initial shock that has to wear off. Hence, this blog post.

Movie Review: A Serious Man

Daniel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:53:15 +0000

We can all relate to this

I stole the format for this review from one of my most beloved sites: Something Awful. So without further ado, hope aboard the review express!

Expectations: This being a Coen Bros. film, I expected to find an engaging, progressive, original story that, while very entertaining, would shake me to the core and maybe teach me a life lesson or two. As a by-product, I anticipated being exposed to wonderful dialogues, engrossing characters and wit so hot that would decimate a wax museum in one fell swoop.

The Reality: Christa and I departed the theater an hour into the film because nothing resembling a story, joke, plot, or an interesting character manifested itself onto that silver screen.

It was as though the peon charged with handling the ever precious reels dropped them into a vat of sea animals that only devour things like “fun” and “entertainment.” Not one to upset the cinema king, the peon grabbed whatever garbage the sea animals didn’t eat and stitched them together to create the film they showed me in that theater.

What makes this a very sour experience for me is that critics were raving about this film. Go to its entry on Rotten Tomatoes! I don’t know what these critics saw that I didn’t, but I know that not a single LOL escaped my lips.

In the first hour of the film, we are introduced to a family that is falling apart and at the epicenter of that vicious hurricane is a man, Larry, who doesn’t seem to care. He pathetically plods along life’s chosen path, without the will or ambition to talk to connect with his kids, make good with his wife or confront his neighbor who is building a shed on his yard. Instead, Larry climbs up onto the roof and stares at the women next door who sunbathes in the nude. Hey, dude. Why don’t you quit starring at naked women and try to get your life back on track? Clearly, I didn’t understand the motivation of any of these characters.

Some of scenes in the film that one man in our audience laughed out loud to were the following:

1. Larry’s son smoking pot in the boy’s bathroom at school while repeatedly saying “Fuck.”

2. Larry’s wife’s new boyfriend hugs Larry.

3. Larry looks at a pair of breast.

4. Something extremely Jewish happens.

I’m a patient person, but I didn’t have the will power to sit through the rest of the movie that seemed to be an elaborate cinematic trick. I’m sure at the end the Coens come onto the screen and tell everyone that they’ve been had and then use very advanced 3-D technology to give the theater a repentant hug.

I can’t help but wonder that the Coens are pulling an Andy Kaufman and actively trying to upset their fan base. Unfortunately, this results in people so desperate to understand the meaning of this film that they’ll declare it a masterpiece without knowing why. Of course, I’m probably just a big ol’ dummy who doesn’t understand the beauty of film making and thus, I’ll die alone in a very small apartment that smells of my own urine because my brain isn’t capable of grasping such concepts as “hygiene” and “toasters.”

Un Hombre Serio

filmfestival2009 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:04:52 +0000

A Serious Man Con esta pelicula los hermanos Coen se quedan tranquilos que nadie se las va a piratea

One Whole Year Old!

coreyanderson — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:17:13 +0000

Coen-Bud,

Exactly one year ago, you came into our lives-which means that it’s your 1st birthday today! We’ve got a great day of activities planned at Uncle David and Aunt Marilyn’s house in Uptown Charlotte. They are kind enough to host all of us at their sprawling condo on top of the Trademark Building.

Ralphie in "A Christmas Story"

Your mom and I couldn’t figure out what in the World we should get a one-year old who has everything he could possibly ask for. So, this year (you wouldn’t remember unless I wrote this down) we decided to give you pajamas with the little footsies because you are very adapt at taking your socks off.

Momma likes your feet to stay warm at night and since it’s the first week of November and starting to get pretty chilly at night, we decided to give you no choice. Hey, at least we’re not sticking you in the infamous bunny costume that Ralphie had to wear in “A Christmas Story”. (We really hope you grow to love that movie as much as we do!)

Anyhow, reviewing all the posts from this time last year has been a lot of fun and I’m going to make an effort to share your stories throughout the day!

Happy Birthday, Coen-Bud!

Los hermanos Coen abren el Festival

filmfestival2009 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:38:54 +0000

La 24ta. edición del Festival Internacional de Cine de Mar del Plata comenzará mañana con la exhibic

Raising 2012 - Raising Arizona improves everything

liveforfilms — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:20:32 +0000

This is without doubt one of the best mashups I have seen and really lifts 2012.

I must watch Raising Arizona again.

Source: Film Drunk

A Serious Man FYC Ad

Rob Eng — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:21:39 +0000

I can’t wait to watch this movie.

Presentazione "Musica errante" di e con Gabriele Coen

librerianerosubianco — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:34:23 +0000

Educational contradictions - a modular life?

owen59 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:12:31 +0000

Within two pages of this Weekend Australian, the glaring contradictions about the educational needs of children and adolescents were boldly declared. On page 3, the remote Cape York town of Coen has, under the leadership of one of Australia’s foremost Aboriginal leaders, Noel Pearson, adopted a 9 hour school day, to bring educational standards up to national levels and ensure cultural training including language. On page 5, Prince Edward, Federal and NSW Sport’s Ministers, Headmaster of an elite Sydney school, and parents, supported the necessity of the danger factor in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, after a schoolboy died on a sole bushwalk as part of the program.

So, indigenous children are, ‘catching up’ by being constrained within the school boundaries for the best part of their life, while middle and upper class children are being taught that only “real experience, out of comfort zones, with risk, will equip and empower you for life”.

I can understand the dilemma on Cape York. Family dysfunction, alcohol use, child abuse, truancy, and community violence, is extraordinary. Noel Pearson, having become Australia’s most well-known Aboriginal lawyers after being brought up in Lutheran mission conditions, must see the answer for children in stable, disciplined institutional parameters. He has certainly had advice from some educational experts and cooperation from the Queensland Teachers union. This educational model is not only about the children, it is about re-engineering whole communities.

The irony is, that Cape York Aboriginal Communities were traditionally people of the vast landscape with vast expertise in flora, fauna, geology, within their own world-view. But experience of a life lived daily with very real risks were part of the traditional lifestyles.

Meanwhile, middle and upper class children who lead the way in mall surfing, whose parents built the malls, now find that a taste of dangerous wilderness after school hours is important for the ‘real’ world. For the elite side of Sydney, the ‘real’ world is the corporate boardroom and a tower of lawyers, or on the up side, breakthroughs in technological research, and then, on weekends, taking the most expensive pieces of boating technology onto Sydney Harbour for a ‘buzz’ or a leisurely lunch.

It seems that Noel Pearson would like Cape York Aboriginal Children to emulate elite Sydney-siders. His hope seems to be that they will be able to build and work within developmental infrastructures in trade, training and governance on Cape York. And maybe more than just a few will venture down to the big smoke and become industry leaders. I can’t blame his hope. In many ways I support it. I think it is necessary, even inevitable. However, I wish there was a way that community and educational designers were able to look at our society through a larger telescope, understand that much of this ‘sitting in boxes’ is harmful to a child’s development and the development of future society.

Both Coen and Sydney schools, should be moving away from the modular approach to education towards a more experiential, problem-solving approach. ‘Sitting in boxes’ is valuable for specific abstract learning functions such as reading, writing, mathematics, research and evaluation processes, and learning to use information technologies. Access to workshops are important for learning artistic and manufacturing methods. These are the tools of a modern social person. Yet, every hour in a ‘tool’ learning process should be supported by a couple of hours in an application in the community. Such applications should place the child and youth in a place of responsibility, especially of others. It should assist the child to communicate clearly with a range of community members from toddlers to the very aged, in a variety of settings, home, businesses, labouring, outdoor environments. It should assist the child to be able to move through all landscapes, natural and built, with ease and dignity. It should build awareness in the child of its limitations, the process of increasing capacity, and the nature of risk. It should allow the child self-guided exploration, rest, and free association with others.

The near future world is one of extreme risk. Coen school is right to want to educate children so that they are adaptable to the world that will place them at greatest risk. But the risk itself, will probably be multiplied if we continue to establish communities and educational processes that are modular. The risk can only be mitigated by children who are raised to be whole social and environmental beings, for in this, their knowledge is more acutely balanced, their ethics clearer and their ability to provide leadership stronger.

Rapidinha

notobviouscinema — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:29:38 +0000

O filme novo dos irmãos Coen, a serious man, já estreou lá fora. Eles continuam criativos: veja nest

london film festival 2009 - a serious man

mintyblonde — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:12:07 +0000

The Coens are getting positively prolific these days, treating their hardcore fans like yours truly with a movie a year and with their latest release A Serious Man they have taken the comedic strand of their work into unchartered waters. For this potential highlight of the Film Festival I thought I’d conduct an experiment, film fanatic that I am I visit a few news and rumour sites on an almost daily basis and eagerly get my hands on any trailer of potentially interesting projects as soon as they become available. Rather more warily, depending on the film I will read non-spoiler reviews and listen to podcasts discussing the relative merits of certain movies, it all depends on the podcast pedigree and potential quality of the film, who’s in it and made it, what’s their pedigree, all sorts of factors. This approach of course is fraught with peril, I’ve stumbled across submerged spoilers in the past and had films almost ruined so with A Serious Man I embarked on a total media boycott, I didn’t read a single word intentionally about the film, I didn’t watch the trailer, I didn’t visit the IMDB page, I stuck my fingers in my ears, closed my eyes and started yelling to drown out the ambient media, even then I still managed to ascertain that the film centred on the life of Jewish intellectual, was set in the 1950’s or 1960’s and was supposedly the Coens exploring their Jewish identity for the first time on screen. It was still a real joy to walk into a movie knowing relatively nothing about the plot, its setting or indeed who was in it (interestingly no-one particularly famous as it happens, a few recognisable faces from US TV and certainly none of their usual acting roster – Buscemi, Goodman, Clooney, Hunter, McDormand etc.), a joy compounded by the appearance of the brothers themselves to give a characteristically succinct introduction before the applause faded, the lights dimmed and we were sucked once again into the Coenverse.

Minnesota, the late 1960’s. Jewish professor – and I only stress the Jewish status as it is instrumental to the films chutzpah – Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is not having a good month. After taking tests for a mystery medical ailment Gopnik is accosted by a disgruntled South Korean student who subsequently attempts to discredit his reputation with anonymous letters to the tenure committee after Gopnik failed him in a critical test. His bickering children ignore him, his red-neck neighbour is encroaching on his property with his home expansion designs, his medically afflicted brother is staying with him to the exasperation of his distant wife who most distressingly reveals early in the film that she is going to leave him for the affections of scene stealing widower Sy Albeman (Fred Melamed). Seeking the wisdom of his community leaders, a trio of Rabbi’s unconsciously echoing the early middle and late stages of life, Gopnik embarks on mid-life odyssey to remain a virtuous man, a serious man, as events conspire to wreck his intrinsically good if somewhat ineffectual nature.

As skilful as ever the Coens incrementally pile on the frustrations of Gopnik’s disintegrating life whilst drawing forth laughter at his hapless situation, a spoonful of sugar to swallow the bitter pill, this is certainly their most idiosyncratically funny work since Lebowski. But there are darker forces at work here buried beneath the suburban angst – this is no mere Sam Mendes film – underneath the carapace of the film there is a notion that life is suffering, that destiny is an indifferent, unassailable force, for Gopnik even a mind expanding and potentially physical sojourn with a sexy neighbour is interrupted by the intrusion of the foibles and weaknesses of our fellow players in the charade of life. As with the ominous coin tosses of No Country For Old Men and the phlegmatic consequences of fate the film delves into the parameters of cause and effect, the bell curve chart of fortune and adversity that populate both films. At first glance A Serious Man could be the Coens most systemically structured film, Schrödinger’s cat allusions nestling next to a fascinating delineation of the Jewish experience, the film is littered with the religious trappings and cultural mores of the Hebrew faith, most memorably with Gopnik’s sons Bar Mitzvah and his allegorical discussions with the second Rabbi serving as the films two most hilarious sequences.

Regular cinematographer Roger Deakins provides the unobtrusive visuals, this is a movie with the details stitched into the plot and dialogue rather than any visual symphony, stalwart Coen composer Carter Burwell also providing another of his habitually lyrical scores. If it’s possible to chart two alternate strand to the Coens career, the crime films moving from the lo-fi noir of Blood Simple to the homage of Millers Crossing, the bleakly humanist Fargo to masterpiece No Country For Old Men and the comedies from broad Raising Arizona to cultic Lebowski, from curio The Hudsucker Proxy to reverential O Brother, Where Art Thou then both strands have bivouacked at the same nucleus, perhaps an absurdity of life, with the final scene of A Serious Man mirroring the seemingly abrupt finale that graced <SPOILERS> No Country For Old Men. I mentioned in my twitter feed that the film was pretty good but after a night of reflection and thought this could be one of their very best, up there for me with Lebowski, Millers Crossing, No Country and The Man Who Wasn’t There in the brothers career and certainly a film that merits future viewings and contemplation. Oh, its also got one of the greatest dream feints of recent cinema, an observation which leads me nicely to this years planned Halloween movie and its terrifying, pig masked hooligans – a new glorious digital print of An American Werewolf In London.

Matt Damon and Josh Brolin have True Grit with the Coens

liveforfilms — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:20:20 +0000

Matt Damon is in discussions to star in Ethan and Joel Coen’s remake of True Grit. Josh Brolin, who starred in the brothers’ No Country for Old Men and is starring in the comic book Western Jonah Hex, is also in talks for a major role according to THR.

Paramount Pictures and the Oscar-winning writer-director team are moving fast on their re-adaptation of the Charles Portis novel, first reaching out to Jeff Bridges, and now Damon and Brolin, to potentially star. Damon would take on the Glen Campbell role of a Texas Ranger tracking an outlaw along with a gruff U.S. marshal originally played by John Wayne, who won an Oscar for his role in the 1969 Western.

All three actors are in discussions with the studio, which hopes to move into production in the spring. The story concerns a 14-year-old girl traveling into dangerous territory with the two lawmen in search of the man who murdered her father, who Brolin would play.

Some nice casting in this one so far. Could be one of the Coen Brothers great ones.

Da Bukowski a Tarantino, ecco le passioni di Davide, il nuovo cantante dei Mirsada

mirsadatorino — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:15:16 +0000

Si chiude un capitolo, se ne apre un altro. Diverso per contenuti e prospettive, eppure sempre coinvolgente ed entusiasmante. Seba ha lasciato la band. Al suo posto, dopo un numero non indifferente di provini, abbiamo scelto Davide, che da oggi in poi sarà il nostro cantante, la nostra voce, la nostra guida. Gli abbiamo chiesto di presentarsi con uno scritto di qualche riga, perché chi ci segue potesse avere di lui un’idea più precisa. Detto, fatto. Ecco le sue ragioni. Ecco, il suo credo. Benvenuto, Davide.

Sono un ragazzo nato alla fine degli anni 70 come tutti voi. Non so perchè ma in qualche modo sono sempre stato affascinato, nonchè fiero di essere nato negli anni più significativi della produzione musicale di sempre; per lo meno per i miei gusti. Allora c’era tutto da inventare, tutto da cambiare e occorreva essere veramente speciali e pensare al di fuori degli schemi, addossandosi tutti i rischi del caso ed anche tutti i vantaggi naturalmente.

Per me la musica è sempre stato un mondo affascinante, al di sopra di tutto, anche se poi ho compreso che anche la cosa più astratta e naturale necessita di regole e di “dogmi”.

Forse mi sto dilungando un po’ troppo! Cmqe la musica in cui mi sono sempre identificato è il rock, in tutti i suoi aspetti: il rock n roll di Elvis, il punk, l’hard rock, il dark, il brit pop, il folk di Dylan, il grunge di Seattle, la progressive dei fine anni 60 americana, il blues da cui è nato tutto, il jazz e lo swing di Sinatra. A dire il vero non sono un grandissimo esperto, ma questa musica mi è sempre entrata dentro e nel mio piccolo ho cercato di raccogliere del materiale, in modo tale da capirne di più. Forse se cerchiamo di capirne di più su ciò che ci piace, riusciamo anche a capire un po’ di più chi siamo, o chi vorremmo essere, no?!

Mi piace molto leggere, per lo più romanzi. I miei scrittori preferiti sono Bukowski, Palahniuk, Christopher Moore, Scarlett Thomas, Camilleri e Zafon. A giudicare da quello che scrivono, la maggior parte di questi autori sopra citati sono praticamente fuori di testa. Forse è per questo che mi piacciono, riescono a pensare e quindi a scrivere delle cose al di fuori della normale e comune immaginazione. Mi piace scrivere, soprattutto poesie, ma sono vittima dei capricci dell’ispirazione che viene e va quando vuole.
Amo i film un po’ strani, dai dialoghi accesi e tipicamente americani di Tarantino alle situazioni ambigue e grottesche dei fratelli coen. Ultimamente mi sono impigrito un po’ e preferisco film storico-musicali e comici. Mai e poi mai i panettoni italiani di De Sica and company.

Ho una grande passione per il cibo e il buon vino, forse è più golosità!! Amo viaggiare soprattutto all’estero per scoprire culture diverse e posti nuovi. Adoro il mare e il caldo, spiagge bianche e acque cristalline.

Dopo molti anni mi riaffaccio in maniera consistente nel vortice avvolgente e tenebroso, affascinante e difficile della musica. Mi lascio andare nel modo in cui mi è più congeniale, facendomi trascinare dall’istinto. L’istinto è sempre stato una componente preponderante del mio carattere e delle scelte della mia vita. Ma questa volta è un istinto differente, mosso dalla consapevolezza che la parte istintiva di me non può essere fine a se stessa, ma necessita di un supporto più solido, fatta di studio e di sacrificio. E’ la creatività che mi spinge e che è il filo conduttore di tutte le cose che mi caratterizzano. La creatività fa sognare, c’è sempre tempo per sognare e c’è sempre bisogno di buona musica per rendere un sogno tale. And so I’m gonna tell you:

My music today is called Mirsada
it’s going high and shine
without the walls of the time
alone like a perfect star, always in my mind
she’s like a woman who run to me
and smile with her angel eyes
There’re not high sorrow anymore
untill the end, when the revolution day will rescue me,
and the music I fell that’s called Mirsada

From Bukowski to Tarantino, here are the passions of David, the new singer of Mirsada

It closes a chapter, he opens another. Different in content and perspective, yet always engaging and exciting. Seba has left the band. In its place, after a considerable number of samples, we chose David, who after today will be our singer, our voice, our guide. We asked him to present a written a few lines, because those who follow us could get him a better idea. Said, done. Here are his reasons. Here, his creed. Welcome, David.

I am a boy born in the late 70 as all of you. I do not know why but somehow I’ve always been fascinated, and also proud to be born in the most significant musical production ever, at least for my taste. Then there was all invented, everything needed to change and be really special and think outside of the plans, shouldering all the risks involved and also all the advantages of course.

For me, music has always been a fascinating world, above all, even though then I realized that even the most abstract and natural necessity of rules and “dogmas”.

Maybe I’m lingering a bit ‘too! Cmqe the music that I’ve always identified is the rock in all its aspects: rock n roll of Elvis, punk, hard rock, dark, Brit pop, folk Dylan, the Seattle grunge the progressive end of the 60 American, the blues from which everything is born, jazz and swing to Sinatra. Actually I’m not a great expert, but this music, I always came in and in my small way I have tried to collect the material, so as to get more. Maybe if we try to understand more about what we like, we can also understand a little ‘more about us or who we want to be, not!

I enjoy reading, mostly novels. My favorite writers are Bukowski, Palahniuk, Christopher Moore, Scarlett Thomas, Camilleri and Zafon. Judging by what they write, most of these authors mentioned above are almost insane. Maybe that’s why I like them, are able to think and then write about things outside of the normal and common imagination. I love writing, especially poetry, but I am a victim of the vagaries of inspiration that comes and goes whenever he wants.
I love the movie a bit ’strange, the dialogues on and typically American Tarantino to ambiguous situations and grotesque Coen brothers. Lately I have a bit lazy ‘and prefer historical film-musical and comedians. Never, ever, De Sica, Italian panettone and Company.

I have a great passion for food and good wine, perhaps more goodies! I love traveling, especially abroad to discover different cultures and new places. I love the sea and the warm, white beaches and crystalline waters.

After many years I have consistently reappears in the vortex wrap-around dark, fascinating and difficult music. I let myself go in the way most congenial to me, making me drag instinct. Instinct has always been a predominant part of my character and choices of my life. But this time it is a different instinct, driven by the knowledge that the instinctive part of me can not be an end in itself but needs a more solid support, subject of study and sacrifice. E ‘creativity that inspires me and that is the underlying theme of all the things that I characterize. Creativity makes you dream, there’s always time to dream and there is always need of good music to make such a dream. And so I’m gonna tell you:

CINEMA. Ultimo giorno.

pinkandthecity — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:12:15 +0000

Finalmente l’ultimo giorno è finito. E’ stato anche il più intenso. Ora potrò finalmente dormire e nutrirmi, e passeggiango, non mi sembrerà di stare in una visione hippie con tuttii colori esaltati e la sensazione di camminare su una distesa di emninflex. Ma cosa è successo?

INIZIO GIORNATA. La giornata inizia con una scoperta sconvolgente. Arrivando rantolando all’Auditorium, con la pioggia e l’umidità, vedo apollaiate sul carpet le prime bimbeminkia giunte per il red carpet di NEW MOON. Ora, dico io. Già che sono le 8.45 e se devo fare sega, al massimo vado da Babinton’s a bere tè alla cannella, ma poi, se il red carpet comincia alle 16.30, e le altre colleghe minkie sono a scuola, che cosa ci venite a fare all’Auditorium?

JILIA & JULIE. Finalmente è arrivato il momento più gay della storia del festival. La proiezione del film con Maryl Streep che parla di una cuoca degli anni ‘50 che scrive un libro di cucina. Un tripudio di cibi, risolini ed icone gay. Un inizio perfetto ed un bel film rilassante

MARIELLA SPOGLIARELLO in arte Meryl Streep ha incontrato la stampa. Io, scapicollandomi come quella trans brasiliana delle Olimpiadi, ho preso il mio posto in prima fila. La Mariella Spogliarello parlava ed io pendevo dalle sue labbra. Intervistarla due volte nello stesso anno già è una cosa meravigliosa, ma starle talmente tanto vicino che ti arrivano le sputacchiate in faccia è proprio un’altra sensazione. Maryl ha parlato del film, e, come al solito, di tutte le cose che le passano per la testa. momento topico quando un giornalista (che dovrebbe essere ucciso) ha chiesto: “ci trova anche lei una forte vicinanza del suo personaggio al papa giovanni paolo quando lei dice “per dissossare l’anatra ci vuole pazienza am tutti ce la possono fare?” Ok. Domanda completamente composta con parole random. Lei ha risposto semplicemente: “Papa ed anatra…” e poi ha cominciato a ridere.

FRATELLI COEN. Questi due già mi stanno antipatici, poi cominciano a ridere quando i giornalisti fanno le domande ed in più fanno una ridicola conferenza stampa di venti minuti. Alla fine, come al solito, urla ed applausi per loro. Io, seriamente, trovo che siano dei paraculi interessanti e nulla di più.

NEW MOON. Il momento che aspettavo da 11 mesi, ma che dico, da un anno, è arrivato. La presentazione di 20 minuti di NEW MOON e l’intervista con il prossimo sostituto di Robert Pattinson sul Cioè. Del film effettivamente abbiamo visto solo una manciata di minuti, di cui più della metà erano immagini del licantorpo senza maglia. Per il resto solo chiacchiere con questi tre ragazzetti e qualche backstage. Ma lo spettacolo era fuori. Sul carpet sono arrivati gli sbandieratori di Volterra, e con loro le bimbeminkia urlanti, e quindi anche Pink. Poi sono arrivati sti tre vampironi e via con gli autografi e le urla spaccacristallo. Una ragazza l’ho vista camminare senza meta. Pinageva ed urlava: “mi ha toccatooooooo”. Ecco, volevo dirle, vatti a lavare che con questa suina non si sa mai.

Poi è calato l’abbiocco e dopo aver arrangiato dei pezzi, io e V (compagno fedele di viaggio), abbiamo dichiarato la CHIUSURA della quarta edizione del Festival Internazionale del Cinema di ROma. Torno a vivere.

A "Serious" Man

roshinidav — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:09:07 +0000

Ok, so I’ve been inactive for a long while. Knew this would happen! But I plan to be more diligent from now on.

Anyway, I went for the movie “A Serious Man” recently. It’s by the Coen brothers. I had seen the trailer before and so for the first 10 minutes, I thought we had come to the wrong show! The rest of the movie is about a middle-aged guy in the 60’s having problems ( that’s an understatement), but the first 10 mins was a ghost story with yiddish-speaking characters! And you know what, I still have NO idea what that was about!!! Ohhh, and i have no clue about the ending, either! (calling it open-ended is a HUGE understatement!). But the middle was awesome!!!

The movie is about this jewish physics professor, Larry, whose life is falling apart. Wife wants divorce, job under scrutiny, etc etc. My favourite character is this korean student, Clive. Now, Clive has received an F in Larry’s exam and he doesn’t like it. So, he tries to bribe Larry for grades by leaving an envelope full of money on Larry’s desk. When the good professor discovers the parcel and asks Clive if he left it, Clive says “I don’t know!”. So, Larry is like, “How can you not know?! You either left it or you didn’t!”, to which Clive answers “Embrace the Mystery”. LMAO!!

Anyway, I recommend the movie to anyone who likes dark humour or the Coen brothers. And don’t worry if you don’t “get” it. Just embrace the mystery .

Until later,

Roshini

Os melhores filmes da década atual

Marcelo Dillenburg — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:18:33 +0000

Amigos, andei um pouco ausente aqui do blog, pois estive envolvido em algumas coisas, e uma delas foi a soma das notas de uma enquete que fizemos entre os usuários do fórum Cinema em Cena. Tal votação teve o intuito de eleger os melhores filmes da década que vivemos. Bom, completado o trabalho duro, compartilho com vocês o resultado:

1. Onde os Fracos Não Têm Vez (Irmãos Coen)
2. Kill Bill (Quentin Tarantino)
3. Cidade dos Sonhos (David Lynch)
4. Marcas da Violência (David Cronenberg)
5. Antes do Pôr-do-Sol (Richard Linklater)
6. Encontros e Desencontros (Sofia Coppola)
7. Dogville (Lars Von Trier)
8. Brilho Eterno de uma Mente sem Lembranças (Michel Gondry)
9. Sangue Negro (Paul Thomas Anderson)
10. Ratatouille (Brad Bird)
11. Wall-E (Andrew Stanton)
12. O Senhor dos Anéis (Peter Jackson)
13. Oldboy (Chan-wook Park)
14. O Pianista (Roman Polanski)
15. Amor à Flor da Pele (Wong kar-wai)
16. Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood)
17. Bastardos Inglórios (Quentin Tarantino)
18. O Novo Mundo (Terrence Malick)
19. Femme Fatale (Brian De Palma)
20. Amnésia (Christopher Nolan)
Match Point (Woody Allen)
Cidade de Deus (Fernando Meireles)

Os últimos três empataram em pontos. Trinta e uma pessoas participaram da elaboração dessa lista. Desses 22 filmes, só não vi Amor à Flor da Pele. Tem coisas que eu mudaria, claro, não colocaria Sangue Negro de forma alguma, também não colocaria Wall-E, entre outras mudanças, mas em geral acho que ficou uma lista bem forte. Vocês concordam?

Our Top 18 Date Movies

chelseakrisanda — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:27:42 +0000

Today is going to be a special post. To celebrate our one-year engagement, my fiance and I thought it would be cool to put together a list of our 18 favorite date movies. We hope you enjoy it and feel free to let us know what your favorite date movies are! (C=Chelsea, D=Damen)

18. Being John Malkovich- C and D: Even if you’re not obsessed with John Malkovich like we are (and everyone in the film), this makes a great date movie for several reasons. 1) The dance sequence. Nuff said. 2) Spike Jonze is a mastermind of visually captivating images and this one is chock full of them. 3) cute monkey.

17. Forgetting Sarah Marshall- C: Okay so we didn’t completely agree on this one. But I think it’s a great date movie because it’s got a little bit of everything: heartbreak, new romance, cute jokes about relationships and sexuality, and situations that can simultaneously make you laugh and feel a little uncomfortable.

16. Doubt- C and D: This is a great movie whether you’re on a date or not but we like it because it’s a conversation starter. The ending leaves you with questions; questions that you’ll want to be asking each other when it’s over. It’s powerful, Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are incendiary on the screen and the tension between those two characters could be cut with a knife.

15. Star Trek- C: EPIC!!!!!!!!

The Enterprise crew

14. The Princess Bride- C: a classic. Hilarious and romantic. Princesses, pirates, Andre the freakin giant (RIP). You just have to love everything about this movie, no matter how many times you’ve heard someone quote “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die.”

13. Watchmen- C: Okay before you watch this one, both parties really should read the graphic novel. It’s brilliant but even if you don’t, the film is still packed with awesome. It’s a long one but what’s better than a group of costumed heroes that are really just everyday people with no special powers? (with the exception of Dr. Manhattan). There’s tons of action, a little humor, and some VERY steamy scenes between Silk Spectre II and Night Owl…umm…make sure there’s no kids around for this one (unlike the parents who decided to bring children to the theater when we saw it. That was awkward). Anyway, it’s a masterpiece, but you have to really pay attention to it to get the full effect of the awesomeness. Oh yeah, and it has a kickass soundtrack too.

Night Owl and Silk Spectre II kickin ass and takin names

12. Burn After Reading- C: Damen loves the Coen Brothers and he was really excited to see this one. I was looking forward to it but I did not expect to react the way I did. No exaggeration, I HAVE NEVER LAUGHED SO HARD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!! This is the funniest movie I’ve ever seen. I’m sure many of you may disagree but I can’t think of anything funnier. The plot is so unique, so many unexpected twists and yet there is no actual conflict, it is all perceived through the minds of the most neurotic bunch of characters you can pack into one film.

Chad Feldheimer talking to Osbourne Cox

11. The Royal Tenenbaums- D: This is a unique contribution to this list. I feel it makes a perfect date movie because it blends the themes of a lot of different types of films but somehow they dovetail into a very interesting story about a family on the verge of falling apart. Parental separation, forbidden love, family secrets- this film has it all. Gene Hackman as the patriarch of this strange family is at the top of his game and Wes Anderson is a visionary director who knows how to tell a story. If you’re watching this on a date, you’re sure to get some solid laughs with whomever you’re with, and also he/she will appreciate your choice of a smart contemporary comedy.

The Tenenbaums

10. Back to the Future- D: Come on. You’d have to be crazy not to LOVE this movie. Male or female, this movie is a classic. It’s got adventure, laughs, romance and MICHAEL J. FOX. The guy’s a legend. This really is a timeless film, and there has never been a time travel movie that has even come close to being as good as B.T.T.F. (unless you count Donnie Darko, but that may be a little too dark for a date) Doc Brown, Biff Tannen, and a classic rendition of “Johnny B. Goode, see this movie with somebody and you’ll have a long conversation about being a kid and seeing this movie.

9. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark- D: I still get goosebumps when that first image of Indy in his iconic fedora appears on the screen. Audiences young and old still appreciate this movie for exactly what it is- a fun adventure. As far as a date goes, this one may be perfect. It’s got thrills, romance (Marion Ravenwood was my first crush ever), laughs and a few sequels to keep the date going. All the fellas who read this will agree with me 100 percent on this choice.

8. Lars and the Real Girl- C: The main romance in this film is between Lars and a life-sized doll named Bianca. It’s not perverse, it’s just a sweet, humble guy who is so far removed from society that in an effort to find companionship, all he can do is project his ideals of a real, living, breathing woman onto a plastic one. Everyone knows Bianca isn’t real, but everyone is on Lars’ side and wants him to be happy and in an effort to get him more acclimated into the community, everyone treats Bianca as if she were a real person. It’s touching, sweet, and a perfect portrayal of the inherent goodness of humanity.

Lars and Bianca

7. Chicago- C: This is my favorite movie of all time. It also happens to be the film I saw on my very first date during those oh so wonderful days of high school. It opens with a bang. “All that Jazz” sung by the strong, sultry Velma Kelly, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones in an Oscar-winning performance. Renee Zellweger plays a lovely little jazz killer with a murder on her hands and a guilt-free conscience, Richard Gere makes a very convincing, tap dancing lawyer, and Queen Latifah plays the powerful, tough-as-nails prison guard Momma Morton. So why is this a great date movie? It’s fun, sexy, exciting, and all that jazz.

Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart

6. Spiderman- D: Despite the fact that Spiderman is one of the most recognizable figures in popular culture, the film translation of the comic book is pretty spot on. Origin stories of comic book heroes are always the best because you get to know the characters and where they come from. Spiderman does just that and introduces the well known Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson love story. This is where the movie becomes a date movie. It’s got a great blend of action and romance, and it’s sure to entertain you and your date.

Spiderman and Mary Jane

5. Edward Scissorhands- C: I cry every time I watch this movie. I don’t know a chick that doesn’t cry watching this movie. Guys, this works to your advantage. Ladies, two words: Johnny. Depp. The character of Edward is so loveable and sweet, you forget how threatening those large, sharp blades attached to his arms are. When a person has been as isolated and lonely as Edward has for so long, we want him to be happy and feel loved. Of course those scissorhands are the permanent barrier between Edward and the normal life of Suburbia. Sad but genuine and beautiful, this one is definitely a winner with the ladies.

Edward and Kim

4. Breakfast at Tiffany’s- C: Diamonds are a girl’s best friend–well in this case, they are second only to a cat named cat. Maybe some guys would consider this a chick flick but I disagree. The main character, Holly Golightly played by Audrey Hepburn is charming, impulsive, stubborn, and fiercely independent, a character idolized by many women and one that men will undoubtedly find very intriguing. This film shows the uncommonly shown woman who is afraid of committment and her struggle to recognize love as something different from dependence.

Paul Varjak, Holly Golightly, and Cat

3. 500 Days of Summer- D: This is kind of the anti-date movie. Yet, somehow it says something honest about how relationships really work. Like the fact that some of them have expiration dates. Really, this is not a romantic comedy. It’s about a man named Tom Hansen who works as a greeting card writer, but secretly longs to be an architect, which is what he studied in college. Tom is also looking for the love of his life. Then he meets Summer. Summer seems to be the girl of his dreams, but there is one problem- she doesn’t believe in love. The film chronicles the ups and downs of their Jekyl and Hyde relationship. Of all the films of this genre, I think this one is the most relatable. We all know how Tom feels because we’ve been there. We’ve all had our Summer. Really the film is about being in your 20’s, after college, trying to figure out what you want. It’s funny and heartbreaking at the same time, with an awesome soundtrack. Watch this with your date and you’ll hear alot of these: “Oh my god that’s definitely happened to me before,” and “Ugh I know exactly how he feels.” Watch it, and you’ll know what I mean.

Tom Hansen and Summer Finn

2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind- C: They meet on the train. It’s certainly not love at first sight, it’s more like a guy who just wants to be left alone and a chatty, obnoxious woman who starts pestering him. Somehow it turns out to be love and the road is rocky the whole way. You wonder, “why are they together?” until one day, Clementine does not recognize Joel. This beautifully crafted masterpiece is about loving, losing, and winning it back even though you know you’re going to lose it again. It’s about two people who are so wrong for each other but just can’t seem to live without each other.

Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski

1. Juno- C: The reason why we chose this movie for number 1 is more of a personal one. You could rearrange this list in pretty much any way because all of these movies are amazing. This happens to be the film we saw on our first date and it was the most perfect date movie we’ve encountered thus far. Why? Well, it’s how we discovered we have pretty much the exact same taste in films and music. This movie really does have it all. On the surface, it’s a simple premise: a teenage girl gets pregnant and gives up her baby for adoption. Not something you’d typically want to see on a date. But the characters are so well written and the actors fill the roles flawlessly. Every character is loveable and more importantly, they are relatable. The best way to describe this film is unique. It’s cute, the jokes are impecable, and the soundtrack is amazing.

Juno McGuff and Paulie Bleeker

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

blogdecineyseries — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:54:00 +0000

Año: 2000
Director: Joel Coen
Duración: 93 min
Guión: Joel & Ethan Coen
Música: T. Bone Burnett
Fotografía: Roger Deakins
Reparto: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Charles Durning, Michael Badalucco
Género: Comedia

Sinopsis: Siempre con algo interesante que ofrecer, los hermanos Coen firman una divertida e inclasificable comedia, con algunos eficaces giros dramáticos, que narra la historia de 3 reclusos que se fugan de una cárcel sureña, decidiendo en plena fuga ganarse un dinero grabando una canción que será todo un éxito. A destacar el simpático Clooney, que demuestra su talento tanto para la comedia -se llevó el Globo de Oro al mejor actor- como para la música -la banda sonora de la película también alcanzó gran popularidad-.

Audio
Canal 1: Castellano 128 kbps
Canal 2: Ingles 128 kbps
Subtítulos en castellano (los mejores que he encontrado)

Bonds Baby Search has lead me to conclude..

babynamelover — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:56:07 +0000

There is a overbundance of the following in Australia. 2008 Ranking McCrindle Research.

Grace (14), Coen, Jayden, Zoe (20), Isabelle, Sienna (10), Kai, Lachlan (3), Cooper (7), Ava (11), Jai, Abbey, Charlie, Zachary, Brock, Maya, Noah (10), Olivia(7) , Chloe (5), Taj, Cody, Jacob, Matilda, Riley (6), Taylah, Scarlett, Jackson,Ethan (9), Xavier, Angus, Caleb, Mia (3), Summer, William (4), Sky, Lily (9), Xander, Isla, Marli, Emily (2), Caitlin, Indiana, Charlotte (6), Layla, Logan, Nathan, Lola, Jack (1), Joshua (2), Addison, Archie, Maddison, Mason, Bailey.