My head is mush. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve spent 11 days inebriated by a pool in Cyprus cooking my skin off, three days back at work, one night getting smashed and eating too much barbecued food in a brilliant south London meat smokery – Bodean’s… if you live in London, go, it’s ace – and two days in bed after being struck down with a bizarre incapacitating brain-ache (migraine?) that put me to sleep for something like 28 hours.

I feel like someone’s chopped out my brain, chucked it in a blender with a pint of milk and then piped it back into my head through my ear. Plus I’ve been so off my face on Lucozade over the past couple of days that I think I might be going a bit orange. And I should probably shave.

All of this might explain why I had no reaction when someone at work called me Simon Cowell. This obviously means my trousers were riding too high up my waist, and, as any right-thinking man knows, that is unacceptable. And yet, as I said, I had no reaction. I just let the words go in to my head, nonchalantly mumbled something incomprehensible back, and walked off.

Now, I don’t know how this happened. I don’t dress like Simon Cowell. Fuck off, I don’t. More likely is that my quipping colleague was at a weird vantage point when he delivered his wisecrack, and perspective was messing everything up. That’s just plain, old-fashioned science, my friends. But I’m still worried about why this comment didn’t really bother me until, well, now.

The more I’ve thought about this, the more I’ve come to think maybe it’s not the head full of mush. Maybe it’s just part of a national desensitization to Cowell and his never-ending TV odyssey (sorry Homer!) X-Factor, which starts another gargantuan TV run on Saturday night.

I should hate this programme. I should really fucking hate it. But over the years, I think I’ve been a little bit sucked in. Funny to laugh at all those people who work in chicken factories by day and sing Dolly Parton songs into a comb in front of a mirror at night make fools of themselves. Emotional to witness someone’s heartbreaking rags-to-riches (and usually back to rags, but don’t concern yourselves with little complications like that) story while Simon Cowell nips out to buy some new (even-higher-waisted) trousers with even bigger pockets to line. Joyful to see someone crap who’s music you’d never even dream of listening to otherwise finally win after 8,000 rounds of doing some gruelling (mainly for the viewer) singing at a little table of punchable judges. Apart from Cheryl, of course. She’d probably punch you back.

It all just becomes too easy. You switch on the TV, pictures come into your house and you look at them with your eyes while you slide triangles of pizza into your mouth. And I get it; there’s a time and a place for The Counterfeiters and six o’clock on the sofa on a Saturday night is not that time or place. But shouldn’t we all want something else by now? Fuck, even that show called Hole In The Wall, where a wall with a shape cut out of it hurtles towards a cowering contender in a crash hat and threatens to flatten them if they don’t contort their body into that exact shape in time and slip through to safety, was less formulaic. Actually, I think that one’s probably genius.

The most inexcusable, inexplicable thing about the X-Factor, though, the thing that everyone on earth just seems to have accepted, like it’s the most normal thing in the world – which it isn’t, by the way – is Simon Cowell’s ridiculous hair. What the fuck is that hair? He’s a multi, multimillionaire. He could have any hair that he wants. Which means that IS the hair that he wants. Six-year-old boys who get 50p pocket money a week don’t have that hair. Monkeys don’t have that hair. Even out-of-fashion horses don’t have that hair.

Just look at it next time you let him beam his stupid, smackable little face into your front room – it doesn’t make a shred of sense. It’s too fucking short to have a centre parting. You cannot physically centre-part hair that short. Which makes me think he’s spent millions developing a way of chemically centre-parting it.

It is just the clearest evidence that he’s inappropriately spending all that money we give him by watching the crap that he peddles. Let’s stop it, eh? Before he starts making everyone else think they want that hair, too.

For the record, I categorically do not dress like Simon Cowell. But I am just going to check my hair quickly in the mirror.

I just saw a movie called The Counterfeiters, and it was, not unlike most holocaust-centered films, intense. It won an academy award for best foreign language film of the year in 2008, so admittedly I am behind the times. Those of you who are more with-it than me have probably seen it already, but for the sake of those who haven’t I wont give too much away.

The main character, Salomon Sorowitsch, is supposedly one of the best counterfeiters in Europe at the dawn of WWII. Being a Jew in Berlin, Salomon is captured and sent to Mauthausen, a concentration camp, and is put to work counterfeiting British and American currency to fund the Nazi war effort. Without giving too much away about the plot, let me explain what I loved about this movie.

I have seen a number of holocaust and WWII films (the best of which was The Pianist), and in every film the most disturbing aspect has been the Nazi’s ability to dehumanize the Jews. The Counterfeiters maintained this theme, although it was portrayed from a fairly sophisticated stance. The members of the counterfeiting squad are treated much better than any other prisoners in the concentration camp, primarily because the Nazi’s find them useful. They are given beds, warm clothes, and the occasional cigarette. Much of the conflict in the film centers on the guilt which accompanies such preferential treatment in contrast to the harshness of the camp.

The movie played with my emotions and loyalties far more than I expected, which is something I’ve come to appreciate, especially after becoming so inescapably hooked on Dexter. That being said, holocaust movies tend to be in a class unto themselves (a class of Oscar-magnets), and while this movie was moving and interesting, it did not reach the emotional intensity that I have come to expect from the genre.

Oh, and the trailer is awesome.

The Counterfeiters is a well-acted, compelling film that succeeds in its even handed approach at storytelling.  The film takes a topic covered extensively in film (the Holocaust) and presents it with a seemingly appropriate mix of emotion and reason.  One can easily tell that this film was not made by Americans as it does little to pull heart strings or paint things in black and white.  Sometimes the greatest emotions, the deepest passions, are seen in restraint . . . in a clenched jaw and an intensity in the eyes.  Bravo to the director and actors for not letting this film slip into sentimentality and for telling it straight and true no matter how heart-breaking the tale to tell.

Last night I watched a wonderful foreign film called The Counterfeiters.  I have desired to see this movie for a while because of all the chatter surrounding it.  

This movie is based on a true story of a Jewish man who is a professional counterfeiter in the days of World War II.  Because he is a Jew this affluent man is sent to a concentration camp.  He views the concentration camp as a survival of the fittest and develops schemes to stay alive.  One scheme is showing off his artistic talent which gives him some respect and artistic projects from the Nazis while the other camp inmates are abused and mistreated.  He also befriends a young jewish boy that also has artistic abilities.  

These abilities land these two men and some others in different concentration camp.  They are placed in a secret part of the camp where Nazi’s were making counterfeited money to help fund the war (and themselves).  The inmates task was to master the English Pound and then onto the American Dollar.  A moral conflict arises within the group though, because in reality the inmates were being forced to fund an ongoing war which was enabling more Jews to be killed.  

This movie is a struggle between good vs. bad, right vs. wrong, and survival vs. compliance.  The cinematography portrayed is absolutely magnificent.  The emotions are real and the struggle is not only heart-bending but mind-bending. The Counterfeiters definitely earned the Academy Award it won for best foreign film.

Over at The Search, Brett McCracken lists five Holocaust-themed movies he considers (along with at least 10 other non-Holocaust-themed movies from last year) to be better than The Reader, which was recently nominated for a best picture Oscar:

Schindler’s List: The granddaddy of all Holocaust films. Steven Spielberg’s passionate, timeless epic is not easy to watch, but it is a master class of classic narrative filmmaking.

The Pianist: Adrien Brody’s performance as pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman won him the Academy Award, and rightfully so. It’s a phenomenal performance, and a stunning film. The music scenes—especially near the end—are exactly what catharsis should be in cinema.

Life is Beautiful: This film’s mix of joy, tragedy, laughter, and tears—featuring perhaps cinema’s only madcap comedic performance in a Holocaust film—makes for a truly compelling viewing experience.

The Counterfeiters: If you haven’t seen this 2007 film yet, rent it! The true story of a band of Jewish counterfeiters who stayed alive by lending their services to the Nazis (which, ironically, kept them operational and able to kill more Jews) is way more provocative than The Reader could ever try to be.

Night and Fog: This 1955 French documentary from director Alain Resnais (before he became a leader of the French New Wave) is supremely evocative and features some of the most devastating early documentary footage (e.g. bulldozed piles of bodies) of the horrors of the concentration camps.

I thought The Reader was pretty good, and Kate Winslet was certainly terrific in it, but a best picture nominee??? I could think of at least ten movies from last year that are more deserving (see any listed here). Alas, the fact that it is at least partially about the Holocaust lends The Reader the sort of gravitas that Academy voters love. But there are much better Holocaust-themed films out there than The Reader, and just in case you hadn’t seen any of them, here are five of the best:

Schindler’s List: The granddaddy of all Holocaust films. Steven Spielberg’s passionate, timeless epic is not easy to watch, but it is a master class of classic narrative filmmaking.

The Pianist: Adrien Brody’s performance as pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman won him the Academy Award, and rightfully so. It’s a phenomenal performance, and a stunning film. The music scenes—especially near the end—are exactly what catharsis should be in cinema.

Life is Beautiful: This film’s mix of joy, tragedy, laughter, and tears—featuring perhaps cinema’s only madcap comedic performance in a Holocaust film—makes for a truly compelling viewing experience.

The Counterfeiters: If you haven’t seen this 2007 film yet, rent it! The true story of a band of Jewish counterfeiters who stayed alive by lending their services to the Nazis (which, ironically, kept them operational and able to kill more Jews) is way more provocative than The Reader could ever try to be.

Night and Fog: This 1955 French documentary from director Alain Resnais (before he became a leader of the French New Wave) is supremely evocative and features some of the most devastating early documentary footage (e.g. bulldozed piles of bodies) of the horrors of the concentration camps.

The Daily Reveille — Jewish film festival arrives in Baton Rouge

The 2008 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film will make its Baton Rouge debut tonight during the third annual Baton Rouge Jewish Film Festival at the Manship Theatre in the Shaw Center for the Arts.

“The Counterfeiters” is the true story of Salomon Sorowitsch, counterfeiter extraordinaire.

After being arrested and sent to a German concentration camp in 1944, Sorowitsch is forced to help the Nazis counterfeit Allied bank notes in an attempt to destroy their economies. The prisoners have a choice: They can ensure their survival by cooperating with the enemy, or they can risk certain death and sabotage the operation.

“It is really a very tough film,” said festival co-chair Harvey Hoffman. “If they messed up, they would be killed immediately. If they didn’t mess up, what they produced would prolong the war.”

Following the 7 p.m. viewing, Kenneth Hoffman, education director of the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, will address the audience.

The festival operates in conjunction with Jewish Cinema South, an organization based in Jackson, Miss., which helps communities with smaller Jewish populations put on film festivals.

“If we are going to attract businesses and people to come and live here, they’ve got to feel that this is a diverse and tolerant society,” said Harvey Hoffman. “Having a Jewish film festival sends a message that we are diverse and do respect people and their differences.”

Harvey Hoffman has been the co-chair of the festival in Baton Rouge for the last three years. When selecting the movies to show, Hoffman looks at their entertainment value and universal appeal. All films contain “something Jewish.”

“If it totally depended on the Jewish community here, it would not be successful. There are not enough Jewish people living in this area to support something like this,” Hoffman said. “The largest group of people who come to our films are not Jewish.”

Hoffman said an extra day this year after selling out two nights and nearly selling out the third last year. The expanded schedule allowed him to sort the movies by category.

The festival began Wednesday with a comedy night featuring “Circumcise Me,” a documentary told through the conversion story of Hassidic comedian Yisrael Campbell, and two romantic comedies, “Advice and Dissent” and “The Orthodox Way.” The festival continues tonight with the screening of “The Counterfeiters.”

The festival will resume Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. screening of “Unsettled,” the story of the historic 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip through the eyes of six young people. Director and filmmaker Adam Hootnick will speak after the film.

A matinee presentation of “Arranged” will kick off the final day of the Festival at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The film focuses on the impending arranged marriages of two women, one an Orthodox Jew and the other a Muslim.

The Festival will end after the 7 p.m. showing of the documentary “So Long Are You Young” and the short film “Got Next.”

Hoffman said he tries to be diverse in the genre of movies he selects to appease a wide variety of audiences.

“Sometimes the South gets a bum rap,” Hoffman said. “People don’t realize the amount of diversity and tolerance that exists here. Religion is important in the South, and if you practice your religion, you are respected.”

Tickets are available through the Manship Theatre Box Office or online at www.manshiptheatre.org. Reserved seats are $8.50. Tickets can be purchased at the door on a space available basis and will go on sale one hour before each screening.

New Years was nice. I went to North London with my friend Liz and we met up with my Roommate Theo. I am sort of begrudgingly writing this particular post, I am a bit burnt out on writing. Firstly, because I decided it’d be a good idea to write about a bunch of movies released this year—just for “fun”. And secondly because I’ve finally started drafting the second paper for this Christmas break (after a lot of reading).

So, New Years. Liz and I got a late start on the train up, and only had time to visit one place. We chose the Natural History Museum of London. A wise decision. The museum is massive, we spent maybe two hours there and only saw about half of it (maybe) and didn’t spend very long in any particular area. I took some pictures which you can see via the my flickr page, but they don’t really do it justice. It’s beautiful, it is almost like the Louvre of Natural History Museums—I haven’t ever seen one as expansive and big. I think it was larger than the one in Chicago, which is the only other major city NHM I’ve been too. I enjoyed the animal section of the museum on dinosaurs and mammals, but I would have liked to see the mineral and rock area if I ever have a chance to go back.

After that we headed to Brick Lane; however, Theo didn’t meet up with us until later because he lives in London and this stuff is all pretty old news for him. Brick lane is a very long street in east London that is overflowing with Indian restaurants. Generally, it seems like people enjoy to wait and eat out later when they are hungrier because when we got there it was hard to find a restaurant with people already in it. We looked for a restaurant that had people in it already in order to solve the problem of finding a good restaurant. We took for granted that a pretty full restaurant meant good food and chose a place called “Monsoon.” We got a standard order of pompadom with chutney’s to whet our appetite. Then, with naan and rice of course, we shared an order of lychee and vegetable Kashmiri (which was a nice korma-ish sort of sauce with potatoes and lychee fruit) and an eggplant and tomato dish which ended in Jhool (but I can’t remember the full name for—I sure wish Monsoon had a website). I also got a beer and the price of the whole meal would have been less than 20 pounds if I hadn’t ordered it, so it was pretty darn cheap. If you ever go to London, and you enjoy Indian, this might be a place to go (though, really, it’s hard to go wrong with Indian in London in general)

Theo met up with us at the restraurant and showed us how to get to a friends house party in New Cross Gate (north London). Here we mainly talked with some of Theo’s friends, played video games, watched the fireworks from a nearby park as the year turned to the long awaited 2009, and played more video games. I actually didn’t sleep, much to Liz’s chagrin (I believe), and I felt terrible the next day. Truely terrible. I am easily influenced by lack of sleep, and I felt fairly depressed after having spent 48 hours awake, because I decided to stay up the following day (with the exception of a 2 hour nap) in order to get back on a regular sleeping schedule immediately.

I’ve been deciding if this is worthwhile to post, and sense I’ve spent a bunch of time on it, I suppose it is.

No Numbered Top List, Just Some Things to Say About Cinema I Saw From 2008. There are spoilers, so be aware.

Wall-E
Right at the top, because it was the best movie of 2008. It utilized the robot-human paradox (A.I., 2001: A Space Odessey, etc.) but was a childrens movie. It had a green message, and pulled my heart strings to tears. It was a Pixar movie, and beautifully and inspiring-ly animated. A.K.A it was pure brilliance. Pixar films are an experience before they are an essence. You can say they sort of look the same, but there is something else in these movies that Dreamworks just can’t reproduce no matter how hard they try. It’s a tight knit group of auteur’s if you ask me. However, the stand out man here is Andrew Stanton, who will be producing the (AMAZING SOUNDING) John Carter of Mars by 2010 (hopefully).

Encounters at the End of the World
Another ‘extreme’ Herzog film. In ‘European Realisms’ class my professor sort of glossed over a concrete look at Herzog, but mainly managed to say that his documentaries manage to find Germany where-ever he goes. So, what is Germany, really? What does Herzog think Germany is? And in what ways did he show us Germany at the North Pole? Well, I can concretely say he did manage to find the only weird German people at the South Pole. The film was essentially about strange characters, who, while traveling and being some type of nomads, ended up together at the bottom of the world. I think the best part of the film was getting a bunch of weird-eccentric scientists (“…many of them express grave doubts of our long lasting presence on this planet. nature, they predict, will regulate us.”) to put their ears to the ground (obviously they were asked to, and would not normally) and listen to the super strange sounds that come from beneath the ice (basically seal noises and ice cracks).

The Dark Knight
Heath Ledger died. The film was fantastic. I’ve heard some complaints (Nile probably) about the acting career and style of Christian Bale, but look, he’s hot and can act cold/hard-boiled, I think he is perfect for Batman. I think there was some total cheese with the boat detonators, but I suppose that’s just the way it goes with hero movies, and they litterally left Joker hanging at the end for a plot line that I found sub-par (but may have been a wise production decision), with two-face. That said, the movie was beautiful, totally engrossing, and it really had that new action spine-chill. Please don’t compare it to Jack Nicholson, they were both great—can’t we just enjoy two brilliant movies?

Iron Man
Sort of an unexpected hit, from my perspective. I hadn’t really expected much but it really was good. And the ending, fantastic, completely on par with the recent Civil War series by Marvel. I wish more movies tackled that concept, it is a main plot point in The Watchmen so I’m looking forward to that.

Burn After Reading
Way underrated. I think it was closer to the Big Labowski, but more focused on the subruban overflow and upper middle class nonscense. A line that became a running joke with Theo and I, George Clooney: “I should try to sneak a run in.” These characters are all pretty neurotic in some way, aside from the people we don’t really get to know (CIA folks). Anyway, I thought it was really entertaining, and got sort of bad reviews compared to their last academy award winner despite being notably more fun and less boring (not to say boring is a bad thing, just that it’s ironic that people prefer a more boring movie than a funny American introspective).

The Wackness
I really would have liked to have seen this with Monica, but it didn’t turn out. Regardless, I enjoyed it a lot, but there was something missing (besides Monica). I think it was the absolutely narcissm and destructive personal choices of the mid-life-crisis psychologist father figure—I couldn’t identify, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I especially enjoyed the bit where the kid couldn’t have sex because the booze made him impotent. The music/soundtrack was superb, and the direction was pretty fantastic. I think at first I enjoyed the random little “fantasy” moments, like dancing on the sidewalk and having blocks light up, but they were so spaced out and detached from the rest of the film that I think they were sort of useless, and in the end detracted slightly from the film. It makes the film worth seeing just in reference: Josh Peck of Nickelodeon fame.

X-Files: I Want to Believe
This film wasn’t that good. But look, it had Mulder and Skully in it, what more do you want. And talk about a hot bed scene, that had to be the most cathartic moment in the history of the X-Files: “FINALLY!” There was no weird super natural stuff, mostly a normal old psychological thriller, and no aliens—for that, I am not happy. Anyway, besides the skully-mulder relationship, I think the film was unsatisfying to critics and fans. No weirdness, no previous storyline, no funny quirky moments, no David D cheese, too much drama, no “get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich” dialogue, etc. Ok, so there is a lot more that I want(ed).

The Counterfeiters
It was strange how I ended up with this film. I had heard nothing about it, and it sort of ended up in my computer due to a roommate who I resented living with (another story altogether). I watched it with a really new friend, neither of us knew each others taste or moods but we watched this serious movie anyway. It sort of blows back to Schindler’s List (sans German portagonist), in that it’s about a special group of Jewish individuals who avoid death by being useful, or seeming useful, to the Nazi’s under the guise of a cold but kind male super-manager. The film’s plot revolves around, obviously, counterfeiting. Specifically the counterfeiting of the American dollar, which is really quite interesting from a “how things are made” aspect. If it were legal, it’s be amazing to see one of the “how things are made” episodes focus on American, or any countries, currency.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The Woody Allen film for this year. Scarlett Johannson, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and Rebecca Hall make about an all-star-average-hot-list cast. I saw the film with Monica, so I think a couple extra drops of seratonin seeped into my enjoyment of the film—hence I liked it. P Cruz played a pretty good crazy woman. Still, I wasn’t overly impressed with it—Woody Allen’s more conceptual stuff I’ve always found more entertaining (“I think I’m losing my focus” from Deconstructing Harry). It did, however, make me want to go to Barcelona really bad—which, hopefully I’ll be able to do next semester.

Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Alright, I have to admit, and I may be the only one to do so, the alien stuff excited me at first. By the end though, I felt ripped off by the alien concept. Aliens are awesome, but they missed the whole point of aliens in the cultural/humanistic perspective, what they represent in the human condition and psyche. This movie, probably should never have been made. Side note: I wish Monica was here to remind me what we were talking about regarding Russian’s as antagonists, and women portraying them with sub-par accents.

The Happening
People hated this movie, it will go all over top lists as the worst movie of the year. So, I’ll talk about what I liked. It was ridiculous. The acting and dialogue were just plain B-movie, but the film had majory stars (Zooey Deschanel, Mark Wahlberg)—props for that and not doing it on purpose as per Planet Terror. I absolutely loved the approximate 45 minutes of the film spent on grass and trees blowing in the wind. Brilliant.

Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Saw this on the plane on the way to London Heathrow. It was sort of embarrassing when Harold and Kumar end up at a bottomless (instead of topless) pool party and most of the girls decided they would just as well be naked, because I was sitting next to a complete stranger, and there were plenty of children around. I suppose it’s just sexy naked people though, no big deal really. The movie itself was just entertaining, filled pop culture caricatures of those individuals who were employed in new government positions under the Bush administration that will end up helping to define the attitude of the generation that lived through it—and just wanted White Castle (or, if I wasn’t vegetarian, Wendy’s [tm]).

Funny Games
Technically the release date of this was in 2007 (the re-make, the original is from 97′), but I don’t think it got to most theaters until 2008—so I’m throwing it in this list. I liked it! As a re-make it was sort of like the American re-makes of the Grudge and Ring. The director cared about the subtleties of the mise-en-scene enough to copy the film, essentially shot for shot, and just replace the locations, actors, and household items in the film. The fact is, if you don’t live in Germany, you’re not going to recognize the branding on the milk carton—and that’s half the point of the film.

Diary of the Dead
(Similar situation to funny games, I think technically it came out in 2007, but was in theaters in 08′) I love zombie movies and post-apocalyptic movies. This movie, however, was not good. Cloverfield (which I’ll get to) and this are missing out on something. There is a REAL emotion to hand-held, and they aren’t capturing it. It’s not gritty enough. I really don’t think I’m reading into it too much. It feels empty, but movies like the original Dogme 95′ films, and most of Harmony Korine’s stuff for that matter, get it. It dosen’t have to be scary, it’s just there needs to be a different process for making this films, they can’t be filmmed like normal Hollywood films—or at least the actors need to learn how to make it feel like it’s a home movie (Michael Cera?)

In Bruges
Not that into it. It was ok. Just felt sort of boring and contrived to me. Wonderful acting, beautifully filmmed, the plot wasn’t half bad. The male characters were nice. Maybe I was in a bad mood. Uh oh…I think I just realized I don’t like Colin Farrell. I’m sure he’s a great guy…it’s just. It’s not working out. I’m sorry.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Best indiependent film of the year. Got the Cannes palme d’or. I rarely watch the commentaries and special features of films, but I loved this film so much that I did. The cinematographer is a genius. He worked with the locations, and used Kubrick’s invention to steady cam on the waist, to film a lot of the movie. Huge long night shots, up stairs through dark places. A huge realism in this film. I wish we could have talked about it in my European Realisms class.

Teeth
Enjoyed this film with Monica as well. Funny, disturbingly funny. Good idea, loved the 50s feel to it. Not the best film of the year, I think just because it wasn’t supposed to be. It felt like a really carefully crafted school project. Nice subruban atmosphere disrupted by feminism (though a male director). Entertaining. Boy, I am running out of steam.

Cloverfield
Already talked about this. More monster, less hype. The plot was pretty weak, I must say, I didn’t care enough about the characters. But this idea blows back to the whole reality-tv hand-held-camera comments I made in the look at Diary of the Dead. Cool idea though, is it a coincedence that both of the major Hollywood films which hand-held cameras were post-apocalyptic? J.J. Abrams is all hype, literally (he didn’t direct it, but he produced it, and this just yells his style). I said so in his TED talk. He’s not interested in what’s inside the box just the mystery that the outside generates.

Hancock
Early on people kept saying that Hancock was like our friend David (based on the trailers). He’s not though, like the reviews said, he’s just an asshole. Super powers rock, if you’re going to be depressed about it do it like The Watchmen—in a impotence generating vacuum of a never ending cold war. But, where I don’t fall for Colin Farrel, I completely fall for Will Smith. I kind of think he’s hot, and he did those great “Wild Wild West,” and “Men In Black” songs.

Quantum of Solace
You really need to watch the previous Casino Royale and this one together to grasp the film in it’s entirety. I did not, instead read the wikipedia summary to refresh myself, and then got it. I actually liked how detached Bond was in this one. His job isn’t a happy one, and it’s understandably cold to remain dignified in a job like that. Therefore, I think the film continues with the tradition successfully bringing it into a new age. Maybe the real problem is all of the rest of the Bonds, these films seem to ask “was I having too much fun, isn’t this a really messed up world?”

Wendy and Lucy
Heard about this from Sam and Sagan in seperate ways. I watched Old Joy again recently and looked to see if I could find a copy, lucky me. The film follows a girl and her dog, and she loses the dog, and has to find it. It’s enjoyable. This is an example of an entertaining, emotional, fun, boring, beautiful, independent film. Very slow, but sometimes it’s nice to slow down. Still, wasn’t my favorite movie. There was this interesting backstory with her parents in Muncie, Indiana that was rendered essentially unimportant. The film was really nice in that it simply showed you, and didn’t tell you, what happened. It was sort of like what I wanted Into the Wild to be, but it never could be.

Kung-Fu Panda
[re-arranged this so I could end on a happy note] This film should be tied with Wall-E for the best film of the year. It was Soooo good. I can’t stress how entertaining, fun, and individualistically statisfying it was for me. Jack Black did a fantastic job, and seemed to let go of the asshole aspects of his persona for this role, a wise decision (though without the asshole, we’d have never heard ‘Drive-Thru’, but that’s a totally different story). The voice cast was pretty star-full, so it’s got that going for it too. But really, it’s just a good story.

Looking forward to and/or Can’t comment about:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Where the Wild Things Are
Star Trek
Choke
Blindness
the Wrestler
American Teen
W.
Wanted
Speed Racer
Yes Man
Mamma Mia
Frozen River
The Elite Squad
A Christmas Tale
The Edge of Heaven
The Class
Milk
The Wrestler
Ashes of Time Redux

New years resolution: make three films or more before 2009 (editing the ‘Half Right’ project counts as one). Travel through time more often. Try my hardest to visit Barcelona and Berlin. See Monica in two days!

Check out some of the best movies, from their movie genre, of 2008. 

1.Thriller: Let The Right One In

The Swedes make a movie about vampires that is unlike any other.  The film is beautifully done.

2.  Romance: Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This could possibly be one of the best movies of the year.  Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are amazing.  

3. Drama: Elegy

An Isabel Coixet film where the idea of independent manhood is questioned by a sexual relationship gone serious.

4. Comedy: Hamlet 2

Seriously one of the funniest, most sacrilegious movies of 2008.  Steve Coogan, who plays Dana Marschz the struggling drama teacher, is a master at playing awkward.

5. Action: The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger gives a performance that will leave you with chills; he was the best Joker in Batman history (sorry Jack).  Aside from Christian Bales strange “Batman voice” the movie is a hit, certainly worth a place in your home theater collection.

6. Animated: Wall-E 

I never thought an animated movie could be so incredibly moving.  Wall-E tells one of the best love stories of 2008. With little words and amazing animation it is by far one of the best films from 2008.  

7. Foreign:  The Counterfeiters

It is a powerful film about a group of men in a concentration camp during World War II.  Based on the true story of the largest counterfeit project in the world to date.

8. Documentary:  Man on Wire

The gripping tale of a man who wants to walk between the twin towers in the air.  Phillipe Petit tells us about his amazing journey.

The Counterfeiters won the Foreign Language Film Oscar last year for Austria. The movie tells the true story of the greatest counterfeiter working for the Nazi in exchange for their lives, Salomon “Sally” Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics).

This was based on the book by Adolf Burger, played in the movie by August Diehl. He worked alongside with Sally. During last months of WWII, the Nazis were secretly outsourcing Jews in Sachsenhausen to create fraudulent British pound notes and also the American dollar.

At first, I thought the movie spoiled the ending at the beginning of the film. It starts with Sally in Monte Carlo spending the “money” that he stored in a bank. He meets a woman. They spend the night together. She looks at his arm to see the prisoner number from the concentration camp. Then, he flashes back to when he was captured by a secret SS soldier, Herzog (Devid Striesow) and taken to Mauthausen.

After seeing his talent for drawing, he is taken to Sachsenhausen to head up the operation to help the Nazis. They were fed, clothed, showered while others were exterminated around them. They feel guilt that they are treated better then their follow bretheren.

It was a good movie. It wasn’t best movie I have ever seen. It beat out Mongol, which I thought it was a shoo-in to win. You have to wonder was this movie better than Mongol. I can’t answer that.

My rating: ***1/2 stars.

Saw a movie on Sunday which I just needed to tell you about. Left me breathless and in tears.

Here

A true story.

And we think things are tough if our net goes down…

Cape Ann Community Cinema, originally uploaded by captjoe06.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18

SHOWN AT 5:00PM
A wry blend of dark humor, romantic deception, and stylish melodrama—with an invigorating dash of suspense—Married Life is an unconventional fable for grown-ups about the irresistible power and utter madness of love. After decades of marital contentment, Harry (Chris Cooper) concludes that he must kill his wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson) because he loves her too much to let her suffer when he leaves her. Harry has fallen hard for the young and lovely Kay (Rachel McAdams), but his best friend Richard (Pierce Brosnan) wants to win Kay for himself. As Harry implements his maladroit plans for murdering his wife, the other characters are entangled with their own deceptions. Like Harry, they race towards their passions but trip over their scruples, seemingly well-intended towards all, but truthful to none. Married Life is an uncommonly adult film that surprises and confounds expectations. While it plays with mystery, comedy, and intrigue, its ultimate concern is: “What is married life?” In its sly way, Married Life poses perceptive questions about the seasonal discontents and unforeseen joys of all long-term relationships.

“A sly little fable with at least six very obvious homages to Alfred Hitchcock thrillers, and a dark little heart that happily hides under a double-breasted suit.” -Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

SHOWN AT 7:15PM

La Scala Ballet brings to the Teatro degli Arcimboldi what could be called a “sold out” premiere, which has indeed been the case worldwide for Mauro Bigonzetti’s much celebrated Mediterranea, a production that La Scala is adding to its repertoire in world exclusive.

On this occasion, for the fifteenth anniversary of the show (created for the Balletto di Toscana in 1993), Mauro Bigonzetti will give the La Scala artists not only a revival but a true choreographic adaptation. With them and “on” them he will renew the production while maintaining its strength and colors, and the sense of travel through the musical cultures of the countries that face each other on the mare nostrum.

Mediterranea, which does not indulge in the folklore but varies the musical genres that range from popular Turkish music to Ligeti and Mozart to archaic Grecian melodies, focuses on the gestures and the moves in a refined balance between lyricism and pure energy.

Tickets to this special event are $15.00,
and can be reserved by e-mailing the CACC at the address at the top of this page.

Come experience “Mediterranea” with us in glorious HD, the next best thing to being there!

“A hit with the public, ‘Mediterranea’ was acclaimed by critics for its power…” -Dance Magazine

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19

SHOWN AT 12:30PM
“Gonzo” is the definitive film biography of Hunter S. Thompson, a mythic American figure, a man that Tom Wolfe called our “greatest comic writer.” Thompson is the man that launched a thousand sips of bourbon, endless snorts of cocaine and a brash, irreverent, fearless style of journalism – named “gonzo” after an anarchic blues riff by James Booker. “Gonzo” is directed by Alex Gibney, the Academy Award nominated director of “Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room” and the director of the Academy Award-winning documentary, “Taxi To The Dark Side.” While Gibney shaped the screen story, every narrated word in the film springs from the typewriters of Thompson himself. Those words are given life by Johnny Depp, the actor who once shadowed Thompson’s every move for the screen version of “Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas,” and who bankrolled Thompson’s spectacular funeral (photographed for this film) in which the good doctor’s ashes were fired from a rocket launcher mounted with a towering two-thumbed fist whose palm held a giant peyote button.

“A tender, even-tempered elegy to a writer who at his peak could ingest staggering (literally) amounts of drugs and alcohol and transform, like Popeye after a can of spinach, into a superhuman version of himself.” -David Edelstein, New York Magazine

SHOWN AT 2:45PM
In their documentary “Chris & Don: A Love Story,” directors Tina Mascara and Guido Santi show us so many of the famous people that artist Don Bachardy and author Christopher Isherwood (“Cabaret”) knew in their more than three decades together that anyone coming to the film in the middle without any context might think it a “Forrest Gump” caliber ruse. However, there is no digital manipulation here, just incredible pictures of scores of moments from an incredible love shared by an unlikely couple.

“Primed as we are by a culture rich in both homophobia and dirty old men, we can be forgiven for anticipating a sordid cautionary tale. It’s a shock – a happy shock – when ‘Chris & Don’ recounts a love that approaches the transcendental.” -David Edelstein, New York Magazine

SHOWN AT 5:00PM
Actor, performer, and multi-platinum rock icon Marvin “Meat Loaf” Aday reveals surprising shades of himself – and a fertile creative mind in constant flux – in this intimate and highly entertaining theatrical feature documentary. The time is early 2007, one of the most stressful in Meat Loaf’s career. He’s about to launch his most ambitious tour ever, an 18 month long marathon to support “Bat Out Of Hell III,” the final album of the legendary “Bat” trilogy. The earlier “Bat” albums were two of the biggest sellers of all time, with combined sales of over 55 million, so a lackluster but respectable performance on this new tour just won’t measure up. Meat Loaf’s exhausting and often poignant journey takes him from grueling rehearsals in Burbank, California and through the Canadian portion of his tour. Along the way, an unexpected media controversy erupts over the staging of one of his songs – a controversy that raises questions about his art, his age, his relevance – and brings into focus the drive (and demons) that have fueled his over-the-top stage persona for almost 40 years. “Meat Loaf: In Search Of Paradise” is a rich, first-ever portrait of an extraordinary, international icon that includes riveting performances of his biggest hits like “I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” “Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth,” “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad,” and of course, “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.”

“Meat Loaf: In Search Of Paradise” is part of our “Sundays Swing” music series.

“‘In Search Of Paradise’ portrays Meat Loaf as an obsessive, self-punishing performer, striving in vain to put on a live show that matches the visions in his head.” -Matt Zoller Seitz, The New York Times

SHOWN AT 7:15PM
This year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film is a curiosity of sorts; it is a Holocaust drama, yet its protagonist is an antihero. Soon after meeting Salomon “Sally” Sorowitsch (a captivating Karl Markovics), we realize that he is an opportunistic forger whose dubious skills and penchant for partying landed him in a concentration camp in 1936. As we flash-forward to the back side of the war, we soon realize that Sally has been tapped to create flawless copies of the pound and the dollar with which his Nazi captors will flood the British and American economies while funding a faltering Third Reich’s own war effort.

“Slick, exciting, emotionally trenchant – well done all around.” -Ty Burr, The Boston Globe

]]> http://franzpatrick.com/2008/10/04/persepolis-the-counterfeiters-baghead/ Sat, 04 Oct 2008 08:44:43 +0000 Franz Patrick http://franzpatrick.com/2008/10/04/persepolis-the-counterfeiters-baghead/

Persepolis
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]

This may be an animated film on the outside but don’t let that fool you. This is a heavily political, self-aware, coming of age film that focuses on an inquisitive Iranian girl that turned into a strong Iranian woman. I have to admit that I didn’t understand the politics because I don’t know much about the history of Iran. So, it took me a while to get used to the background of the story. Things really started to pick up when the focus turns to the character; how she had to lose people she loved because of the Islamic Revolution, her immigration to western Europe, her experience with boys, and her eventual return to her home country. I thought this was a very insightful film but the drama wasn’t heavy-handed. In fact, there were a lot of humorous scenes from time to time in order to make the story a little lighter. I could relate with the main character’s rebellion even though I didn’t go through the same things she did, whether it’s hanging out with people who are outsiders themselves or immersing herself with hard rock music. Her most sensitive episodes when she came to be embarrassed of who she is and where she came from is not far from what I had experienced when I had to assimilate when I was new in America. This really is an impressive not-so-ordinary animated film because it aims to bring down barriers: that animated movies are mainly for children. I must also give kudos to Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi for writing and directing this good-hearted picture. I also admired the voice-over of the main character by Chiara Mastroianni. I enthusiastically recommend this movie because it’s something different and it really does have a great message about our relationship with our cultural identities.

Counterfeiters, The (2007)
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]

I thought I’ve already seen all the kinds of stories about the concentration camps in World War II so this movie really surprised me. This is the first time I’ve seen a movie that took the angle of the counterfeiters’ experience in the camps (I wasn’t even aware that the Nazis had the operation until I heard about this film). Not only is it interesting, the style of it made me feel like I was right there with the characters. Although slow in some parts, those are more than forgiven because the film is undeniably well-written and well-directed. I got this feeling that desperation is always in the air even though the characters are being treated “well” (as opposed to the ones not in the counterfeiting operation). All of the actors did a convincing job playing their roles, notably Karl Markovics and Devid Striesow. They embodied their roles with such intensity that it was fascinating to see them interact. I also enjoyed how each character can be placed different points on the moral spectrum; their choices in action and words make them complex characters worth spending time with. This is generally a very good film but it’s even better if one is hoping for a different vantage point regarding the victims in the concentration camps.

Baghead
[ 3 stars out of 4 ]

I adore films that are able to prove that you can make a movie for basically next to nothing, but if it has a clever script then most of the other crucial components will come into place. I must mention Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass for writing and directing a movie that made me laugh and feel fear most often wrapped in one scene (some of the humor are borderline darkly comic). Even though it took its merry time to establish the characters and their motivations, hand-held camera and all, it was an interesting watch from start to finish. We find out something about each character after each minute, whether they may be talking about nothing or just sitting in awkward silence. Speaking of awkward, I did adore the awkward humor, which I don’t want to go into specifics because I don’t want to ruin the surprise for those who are interested in watching the film. I also want to commend the four actors: Ross Partridge, Steve Zissis, Greta Gerwig, and Elise Muller. Even though their acting might be a bit amateurish, I liked their zeal. Somehow, their style worked because I feel like they are people I can meet anywhere; they seem very amicable. But I must say that they’re really good at freaking out and being cute with each other, basically the extremes. As for the horror aspect of this picture, I have to admit that I did get scared at times, especially during the night scenes, specifically in the last thirty minutes. This is a pretty effective horror-comedy that almost feels like a documentary because of the hand-held camera. Don’t let the low budget scare you because the filmmakers really do have something interesting to offer.

Calma, nenhum artista consagrado foi preso por essa infração, pelo menos não que soubéssemos até a hora que esse post foi finalizado.

É para avisá-los que o filme premiado na cerimônia do Oscar 2008 como melhor filme estrangeiro de 2007, “Os Falsificadores“, será exibido nessa quinta-feira, dia 2 de outubro às 20hs no Centro Cultural São Paulo.

O filme de co-produção austríaca e alemã mostra homens em condições extremas que falsificavam dinheiro alemão para financiar a guerra e dar uma falsa impressão de crescimento da economia local.

Local: Rua Vergueiro, 1000, Paraíso
Telefone: 3383-3402.
Retirada de ingressos: uma hora antes de cada sessão
Sala Lima Barreto (110 lugares) – entrada franca

The title says it all so here we go:

• Shine A Light - Here are some words I thought I would never say. The Rolling Stones are irrelevant. This documentary of The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang tour was directed by Martin Scorsese. Keith was never able to sing, but he apparently is now tone deaf. He proves this in Far Away Eyes. If you need further proof then watch the outtake of Little T&A. Mick still can’t play guitar. The sound editor all but eliminates Mick’s guitar in the film and Mick should thank him if he hasn’t already done so.To top it off, Mick is now sounding almost as bad as he did on Love You Live and that’s not a good thing. Martin Scorsese tries his best to put lipstick on the pig, but alas, it is still a pig which makes the whole thing that much sadder. Now some people might think a different director would have improved the result, but keep in mind, Mr. Scorsese got his start as the assistant director on the original Woodstock documentary. More recently he directed No Direction Home: Bob Dylan and he will soon be directing a documentary on George Harrison. In the end, Shine A Light will remind you of Neil Young’s lyrics, “It’s better to fade out than it is to rust.” I only wish the Glimmer Twins had heeded this advice.
• Recount - This is a decidedly one-sided story about the Florida recount in the 2000 Presidential election. As long as you know that going in, it is an interesting rental. Kevin Spacey is outstanding, but his performance is offset by the over-the-top caricature portrayals of several other figures, most notably Katherine Harris (played by Laura Dern) and Warren Christopher (John Hurt). What is most amusing is the portrayal of Al Gore as a sympathetic figure who really only wanted to do what was best for the country with no regard for his personal advancement.
• The Counterfeiters - This may be one of the best films ever done on the Holocaust. It not only brings the atrocities of World War II to life, it also shows the many different moral decisions faced by the Jewish people during their time in the concentration camps. The film is about a group of Jews who must produce counterfeit currency to help support the German war machine during World War II in order to stay alive. There are more shades of gray in this film than in my winter wardrobe.
• Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day - I saw this movie on August 25th and I’ve already forgotten most of it. What does that say? The acting was fine, but the story was uninspired and unoriginal. You will know the ending well before it thankfully arrives. Feel free to make a sandwich halfway through while the movie continues. I promise you won’t miss anything.
• Entourage, Season Four - Alright, I know it’s not a movie, but I love Vincey-Mark and his funky bunch, however, I am concerned about the long term viability of the franchise based on this season. The characters are, for the first time, in trouble of becoming caricatures. Drama wants to get a part in anything that will take him, Turtle wants to smoke weed, Eric can’t figure out what he is supposed to be doing half the time, Vince is still pretty, Lloyd is still gay, and Billy is still an insecure ass. The only one who evens shows a hint of growth is Ari when he sheds a tear for his son and then is forced to publicly admit who he is. Still, the worst season of Entourage still beats 99.9% of everything else on television.
• Smart People - A well written movie about bitterness, ego, and opening one’s heart to new experiences. Thomas Haden Church is absolutely great as the ne’er-do-well brother and Dennis Quaid and Ellen Page both turn in solid performances. I wouldn’t have wanted to go to the theatre to see this, but it’s not bad for a rental.
• 21 - This movie was not written for the serious gambler who will be able to point out flaw after flaw in much the same way Trekkies can tell you exactly which doors didn’t open when they were supposed to on the original series. However, if you want mindless entertainment this is for you.
• In Bruges - This film is exactly why you should read this blog for movie reviews and not the film critic in your local fish wrap. Most film critics will tell you this is one of the best films of the year. I promise you — it is not! It is an enjoyable film with a couple of plot twists and it is a somewhat interesting study in human behavior and emotion, but come on guys, this isn’t Citizen Kane. Once again, it’s worth a rent, but I wouldn’t have spent a full admission on it.
• Rockumentaries - I rented Sixties Rock. Don’t bother. Picture MTV with lip synched performance videos in black and white. I also rented Good Rockin’ Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records. I’m pretty sure director Bruce Sinofsky is now dating Sam Phillips. Sam was allowed to do his usual rant about being the father of rock ‘n roll. Fortunately, Billy Lee Riley is included and pretty much tells Sam exactly what he thinks. This documentary is worth the rent if for no other reason than the performances, however you should be ready to listen to a lot of angry and bitter old men. The Stax Records Story is wonderful. In the 1960s, soul music was defined by two labels — Motown with its lush arrangements and polished sound and Stax with its raw, straight from the streets sound. At Motown the house band was The Funk Brothers. At Stax it was Booker T. & the M.G.’s! Smokey Robinson was Motown. Otis Redding was Stax. The Four Tops were at Motown, but Sam & Dave called Stax home! After watching this documentary a nice companion piece is Wattstax. It’s an amazing event in light of what all was occurring both in the Watts section of L.A. and what all was happening back at Stax Records in Memphis. Talk about going out with a bang.

With that said, BANG!

A deft blend of suspense and docudrama, Stefan Ruzowitzky’s sixth feature focuses on history’s largest counterfeiting operation. Before World War II breaks out, Salomon Sorowitsch (the compact yet steely Karl Markovics), a Russian-born Jew, lives the good life in Berlin. He forges documents, like passports and banknotes, and sketches beautiful women to the romantic strains of tango records. Sorowitsch’s dolce vita comes to an end when he’s sent to Mauthausen concentration camp. Once Reich officials decide to deploy imprisoned printers, craftsmen, and bank officials to counterfeit foreign currency, they draft Sorowitsch for “Operation Bernhard” and ship him to Sachsenhausen. Though he and his colleagues receive preferential treatment, the threat of execution hangs over their heads at all times. First, they master the pound; then they tackle the American dollar. At this point, communist co-worker Adolf Burger (The Ninth Day’s excellent August Diehl) suggests sabotage. As he explains, they’re extending the conflict and increasing the death toll, but the entire team will suffer if they fail, even their SS supervisor, Freidrich Herzog (Downfall’s Devid Striesow), whose career depends on it. As Jews, however, they stand to lose more than their jobs. Based on Burger’s book The Devil’s Workshop, Austria’s Ruzowitzky (Anatomy) sheds a compassionate light on the guilt and complicity of survivors. Though The Counterfeiters plays more like a prison camp movie than a Holocaust drama–Stalag 17 comes to mind–that doesn’t make it any less significant, just less wrenching than some of its counterparts. –Kathleen C. Fennessy

The Counterfeiters is available at Amazon for $19.99. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

Want to get some other Format / Binding / Version? You can search for them from here

Other Products of Interest

• The Bank Job
• 21 (Single-Disc Edition)
• There Will Be Blood (Two-Disc Special Collector’s Edition)
• In Bruges
• Vantage Point (Single-Disc Edition)

Salomon “Sally” Sorowitsch is an opportunistic document forger living a decadent lifestyle in pre-war Berlin until he is arrested and sent to a concentration camp. In the camp Sally is recruited to work with other criminals, printing professionals and bankers – all fellow prisoners – to undermine the Allied economies by counterfeiting the pound and the dollar.

This extraordinary story is based on the memoirs of fellow prisoner and Communist sympathiser Adolf Burger, whose attempts to sabotage the counterfeiting operation creates the moral dilemma the prisoners face. To what degree should they assist the Nazi war effort in order to save their own lives? Their burden of choice is part of what makes The Counterfeiters so powerful.

Writer/director Stefan Ruzowitzky, who previously made the Anatomy horror films, does not shy away from the brutality of the concentration camps but nor does he revel in their nastiness. His low-key direction allows the film to focus on the relationships between the counterfeiters so that their friendships provide the film with its emotional core. This Austrian winner of Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars is one of the most compelling films to have been made about the Holocaust.

Originally appeared in The Big Issue, No. 303, 2008

© Thomas Caldwell, 2008