2008: The X-Files: I Want to Believe di Chris Carter

“La coppia eterna dell’FBI tra ironia e moralismo strappa la sufficienza” ha scritto DayNews, e Il Giornale afferma “…tanto amore e pochissimo mistero”. Concordo pienamente.

Nove anni di strepitoso successo, il prestigioso settimanale “Entertainment Weekly” che definisce il programma come  “a cult favorite”, 16 Emmy Awards e 5 Golden Globes, proclamato nel 2004 dall’Accademia dei Telefilm (in occasione dei 50 anni della televisione italiana) “miglior serial fantascientifico di sempre” e “miglior serie tv di tutti i tempi”. Questi, e tanti altri, i titoli di merito di X Files, sicuramente una delle migliori e inquietanti produzioni che la televisione abbia mai realizzato.
Nel 1998 Rob Bowman girò il primo film per il grande schermo, film che non entusiasmò molto ma si fece apprezzare per il ritmo e per il “notevole brio inventivo, soprattutto nella seconda parte con la base extraterrestre nascosta sotto le nevi dell’Antartide” (il Morandini).

Dieci anni dopo abbiamo questo secondo film diretto proprio dal creatore della serie, Chris Carter, che ha dovuto affrontare un doppio problema. Soddisfare i fan della serie-mito, piacere a chi di questa non sa nulla. Il risultato è che non ha accontentato quasi nessuno (e gli incassi modesti in tutti il mondo non lasciano dubbi sulla mediocrità del prodotto finale).
Terribilmente lento, il racconto (che pare eccessivamente lungo e che affronta il tema dell’amore attraverso l’evoluzione del rapporto tra Mulder e Scully ma anche argomenti come il contrasto tra fede e ragione, e la necessità del perdono e della redenzione) si trascina stancamente.
Trama un po’ scontata, sceneggiatura povera di idee, a tratti pure monotona. Completamente assente tutto quanto ha caratterizzato, per tanti anni, la produzione televisiva: le emozioni, la suspense, l’ispirazione, il brivido, il senso di novità, la vena narrativa, l’analisi di casi incredibili (ai confini della realtà) che nascondono misteri inquietanti e non hanno alcuna spiegazione logica, il ritratto di un mondo dove tutto è possibile anche se mai conoscibile fino in fondo (un mondo completamente privo di certezze: nessuno è colui che sembra, tutti hanno qualcosa da nascondere)…

Ritroviamo solo lo scetticismo di lei (nonostante tutto) e l’incorreggibile idealismo di lui (nonostante le mille sconfitte),“persone in crisi in un mondo senza pietà, in lotta con i propri fantasmi e con seri problemi di adattabilità alla società contemporanea” (Daniela Catelli) in “un thriller-horror del tutto slegato dalla mitologia della serie” (Emanuele Rauco). Occorre ammettere comunque che David Duchovny e Gillian Anderson sono una bella coppia, la loro alchimia sullo schermo è perfetta. Singolarmente, bisogna dire che mentre la seconda mostra buone qualità drammatiche, il primo risulta un po’ statico e monocorde. Molti critici hanno giustamente stroncato il film ma è comunque da apprezzare l’uso accorto e ragionato degli effetti speciali, che non prevalgono mai sulla storia, anche perché l’attenzione del regista si concentra sull’animo (i dubbi, i conflitti, il lato oscuro) dei due protagonisti.

p.s.
Se il regista voleva fare qualcosa di nuovo e di diverso (…niente di male), perché allora dare questo titolo al film? Chiaramente uno specchietto per le allodole: come è possibile non sentirsi traditi e presi in giro?

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You may want to bubblewrap the floor so when your jaw falls towards it, it doesn’t break.

I know who'll be left behind... Me!

The widely anticipated ‘2012‘ will soon hit cinemas globally very very soon.. Did I mention it was soon? Namely November. However, why is it so anticipated? This question could be answered in a multitude of ways, just as the end of the world is depicted in the film… A multitude of ways. The film is ultimately anticipated due to the glamorisation the media has put on the ‘2012 – End of the world because the mayan calander says so‘ frame of mind… Shockingly enough, people are buying it. On the other hand, the movie trailer is impressively nonchalant considering it’s  a disaster movie, and I like that. It’s admirable.

What could be making you lovely readers at home concerned, is the fact the director of ‘2012′ is one and the same, Roland Emmerich. Emmerich’s previous works include ‘Independence day and The Day After Tomorrow‘. Which were amazing and slightly less amazing respectively. Now I know many a person who will say ‘The Day After Tomorrow‘ was a very poor film, however… I disagree. It was a great film, with alarmingly great special effects for its time. 2012 promises to be the same in terms of CGI, but because of the real-life ruckus that’s being stirred by the end of the world mentality, the film may either be a godsend or a new way of life. I don’t know about you, but personally… I just can’t wait for the film itself.

Now a film cannot be bad if it has John Cusack (1408; Igor), Woody Harrelson (No Country For Old Men, Seven Pounds and upcoming Zombieland), Thandie Newton (The Pursuit of Happyness; Run, Fat Boy, Run; Mission impossible II) and Danny Glover (Top Gun; Lethal Weapon franchise, and far too many amazing films to list) in the cast, can it? Oh I forgot to mention the lovely Amanda Peet. (Something’s Gotta Give; Syriana; X-files: I Want To Believe) All in all the lineup is pretty impressive; impressive cast; impressive director; impressive special effects; let’s see if it can impress me. Now finally, the trailer you should all see, is in my next post.

Today a star fell. Dora and her monkey Boots, which I really think she should have a permit for owning, ran after it. They blankly stared at me for a few minutes and asked if I would help them find Little Star. Waiting for a response I never gave, they figured I could spare some time and assist, which okay, I guess I could.

But, them asking me to point out where Little Star was, when he was clearly just laying face down in a bush, was a little demanding. I managed to look in the stars general direction anyhow and they got the hint.

Dora asking me to sing Little Star a song to cheer him up was going too far. I just met her and was still getting used to the fact that Boots was not on a leash. Sing the star a song? I don’t think so.

She was taking advantage of my kindness, and when I said no, she blurted out words in Spanish I didn’t understand. Then mocked me by repeating it’s meaning. That was one angry explorer and the last straw.

I changed the channel and can only assume that Little Star never cheered up, turned to a hard life on the streets never to return to the sky, and is now face down in an alley, much like when I first found him.

On a “post-worthy” note, here is a hilarious video from SNL a while back making fun of my demanding little friend. Enjoy, and I apologize for anyone having to read about my experience this morning. I’m glad that X-Files: I Want To Believe is now on and I can divert my attention elsewhere.

There were no real house projects (I re-stained part of a bench). I didn’t do any homework. Spouse and I drove into Frisco for the BBQ Challenge – Big Hoss had the best sauce, fyi. I started to rain as we were leaving, so we came home and couched watching movies.

The Wrestler was good, as predicted. I think the creepiest part about it is that Mickey Roarke’s own career has to feel very much like the character, making it less like acting and more like voyeurism. We also caught most of the latest X-files movie on cable. It was… strange. Good strange but not really what I was expecting. Spouse likened it to a much longer X-files episode. Pretty accurate and ultimately satisfying. One can never have too much Scully.

I was unsuccesful seeing The Proposal. In fact, I completely forgot about it until we were halfway over the mountain. I think the plan is to make it part of Spouse’s vacation week.

Tomorrow, life returns to normal. Work, then homework. Rinse and repeat for Monday.

I loved this movie!

I enjoyed the X-Files television program.  I wouldn’t say I was a diehard fan or anything, but I liked it quite a bit.  So when I saw the commercials X-Files: I Want To Believe, I made a note to check it out on DVD, but didn’t get worked up enough to go to the theatre for it.

X-Files: I Want To Believe has virtually nothing to do with the previous X-Files movie.  And it also thankfully didn’t demand expert knowledge of the television show, either.  A few terse lines of dialogue pretty much caught everyone up to speed.  Sure, there were a few moments for the devout fans, but by and large, anyone could come into X-Files: I Want To Believe and simply enjoy a good movie.

Speaking of which, I just had a great time watching this film.  Mulder and Scully are such cool characters, and David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have such wonderful chemistry, I just really can’t get enough of these two on screen.

The plot is devoid of aliens or monsters; rather, it’s a murder mystery that takes on a slight science fiction element, but nothing supremely outlandish.  The crux of the story revolves around Billy Connolly playing a former man of the cloth who has visions related to missing women.  Scully, of course, doesn’t believe a word of it, but Mulder, as you would expect, gives Father Joe (Connolly) the benefit of the doubt.

In true X-Files fashion, the movie ends with just as many questions as answers, but hey, that’s what makes it an X-File, right?  Even with that being said, Anderson and Duchonvy offer fine performances and the movie is well made and very exciting.  Some of the acting is a little below par, specifically in regards to Amanda Peet and Xzibit-yes, Xzibit plays an FBI agent in this movie.  Also, they used the phrase “I want to believe” so many times it got to be a distraction.  I got it when it was first said-I caught the connection to the title.  No need to drive it home over and over again.

Instead of trying to create a garish, monstrosity of a movie, Chris Carter and the gang deliver an enigmatic, tense mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat and felt more like a really long episode of the TV show-and that’s a good thing!

Oh, and by the way, the subplot featuring Scully’s patient brought tears to my eyes.  Seriously.  If you’re a parent, keep the tissue nearby.

Most people followed the X-Files movement in the early 90’s.  My boyfriend was one of them.  I never got into the show, but my boyfriend being such a fan and us in dire need of a movie for date night, we chose this one.

The movie wasn’t that bad, but as far as my knowledge extends on the X-Files show, it didn’t fit.  I expected something/anything about aliens.  Not because that’s what the show was centered around, but because doesn’t the title sound like aliens should be a pivotal point in the plot.  So, in case any of you were wondering, it has nothing to do with aliens.

Basically, Dana Scully is working as a doctor in a hospital and Fox Mulder is a recluse in some abadoned house on a huge farm.  Scully and Mulder are still continuing their relationship from the show and I guess (because it’s never really made clear) they are living with each other.  However, after having a child and being in a relationship this long, you’d think they’d call each other by their first names.  It doesn’t happen and it seems a bit awkward to me that 2 people who are clearly in a “healthy” relationship still call each other by their last names.  Of course, if your boyfriend’s name was ‘Fox’ would you really want to refer to him as that?

Alright, so plot sum up, we have 2 women missing, a psychic former priest excommunicated from the Church on the grounds of molesting alter boys, and a bunch of Russians.  It all comes down to a huge search for the women, finding several body parts in the process, and weird visions from the psychic priest (whom is not well liked by anyone).

We have 2 main Russians.  I never caught their names during the flick and they weren’t major characters to begin with, so we’ll just refer to them as Russian #1 and Russian #2.  Russian #1 is in love with Russian #2 (yes a homosexual relationship).  Russian #2 is dying and, so out of love his boyfriend, Russian #1 wants to save his life.  This where the missing women and body parts come in.  We learn by the end of the movie that Russian #2 has a rare blood type, which he shared with the two women.  In the quest to save his life, Russian #1 gets this “magnificent” idea to just decapitate his lover and the women and place Russian #2’s head on the new bodies.  It’s your basic Frankenstein story, but updated.  It even calls the Russian doctor doing these transplants Dr. Frankenstein in the headlines at the end.

What does this have to do with all the body parts?  Simple, the womens’ bodies begin to decay rapidly (but Russian #2’s head stays “alive and healthy,” for some unexplained reason) and the best way to despose of a human corpse is to chop it up into smaller more toteable pieces and deposite them as far away from their little Russian camp as possible.

The movie itself was entertaining.  Not really scary, except for the part where you actually see Russian #2’s head detached from the body and blinking its eyes.  That sent chills down my spine.  If this were any other movie, I would’ve have liked it, but it’s not.  It carries the great X-Files name to it.  I expected something paranormal that cannot possibly be explained by science, no matter how hard Scully tries to do so.  The only event that is even remotely paranormal is the psychic priest.  I really didn’t like this character because he still has that “holier than thou” attitude and after what he did, society does not even view him as a person any more.  He doesn’t deserve any respect given to him and I stand behind Scully 1o0% in how she behaves around him.  Anyway, the priest has visions and only helps in recovering body parts from the kidnapped women.

His character really isn’t needed.  Cadaver dogs do the same thing except without the visions and the baloney that this man has to say.  I guess the writers just needed to through an element of the supernatural in there to make the movie worthy to bear the X-Files name.

Another portion of the movie I thought needed fixing was the whole Frankenstein bit.  First off, it’s been done.  Over and over, it’s been done.  I think if  “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” has done it, then it’s time for a new idea.  However, as far as my knowledge extends (and I’m too lazy right now to do the research) it’s medically and scientifically impossible to decapitate and reattach the head to another body.  The extent the body would have to go through, it would surely bleed to death or suffer hypothermia to keep the bleeding to a minimal.  Either way, the human body is not mean to sustain a major blood loss or temperature drop.

Now, you’re probably thinking, we’ll it’s a movie and it’s certainly not mean to be real or taken seriously and further more it’s meant to be entertaining and not literally proven.  You would be absolutely right.  However, in the past, X-Files has played on the notion that it could be real and it could not be real.  We have no proof that life exists off the planet Earth, however there is a massive amount of unexplored space out there.  How do we know that we’re the only ones alive in it?  It is neither provable or inprovable.  This whole head-relocation thing is.  You need only a basic lesson in anatomy to figure that out.

This is a movie I’ll probably only watch once and never watch it again.  I would have liked it better if it did not carry the X-Files name.  The movie did not live up to my expectations nor did it even live up to the title.  Just what do we what to believe?  That there are some sadistic self-centered monsters in this world willing to put others in danger for their own gain?  Well, I, like all of you reading this, already knew that.  I think it’s a movie worth seeing at least once and from there you either like it or you don’t.  I truly think all the die-hard X-Files fans out there are going to be highly disappointed in this movie.  I was….and I’m not die-hard about it.

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!

10) The Happening

The critics were not kind to The Happening.  And for it’s flaws, I still think the movie works and deserves a spot at number 10 on my list. 

9) X-Files: I want to believe

Agents Mulder and Scully are back! The movie feels a lot like the first few seasons of the X-Files, when the show was in its prime. No aliens, no problem – hopefully this won’t be the last X-File movie!

8) Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who

“On the fifteenth of May, in the jungle of Nool, In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool.” This movie is fun from start to finish, with excellent animation to magnificent voice talent of Carry and Carell. 

7) Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Zack and Miri make a porno, but also make a pretty darn funny movie. 

6) The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

The second movie in the Chronicles of Narnia series was so good, I re-watched it as soon as I finished viewing it the first time! C.S. Lewis would be proud of how much the filmmakers have stay true to his books. 

5) Forgetting Sarah Marshall

This could easily be one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. 

4) Wall-E

Have you seen Wall-E?

No?

Why not? 

Go… rent… or better yet… buy this movie… now.

3) Cloverfield

I have not been more excited about seeing a movie since I saw the Green Mile (and I’m a big Stephen King fan). Cloverfield marketing campaign was as brilliant as the film. Slammed by critics as a Blair Witch knockoff, but actually it lives up to Blair Witch’s greatness (and surpasses it).

We have this monster attacking New York (when will NYC catch a break), and the story does not focus on explaining the creature, rather we get to be a passenger on how this small group of people react and try to survive. 

I look forward to Cloverfield 2. 

2) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I have not been more excited about seeing a movie since I saw the Cloverfield! I first saw the preview for this movie in April of 2008 and was hooked! I patiently waited the rest of the year and it was not in vain. 

Brad Pitt should win an Oscar for his performance as Benjamin Button. The movie is based on a silly short story from the first half of the century about a baby who is born an old man. 

The movie takes the subject much more serious. A baby is born with a fictional disease that makes him suffer from all of the elements of old age. The movie is not typical as it does not have a neat and pretty ending. The movie will make you think and hopefully make you appreciate the relationships we have with the ones that we love. 

1) The Dark Knight

It is not an exaggeration to say, the Dark Knight may be one of the best films in the crime genre ever made.  Christopher Nolan gave us everything we loved about Batman Begins and then topped it with the Dark Knight.

Dir. Chris Carter
(PG-13) ★ ★ ★

Ten years after the first big-screen adaptation of the cult hit FOX series and a full six years after the series ended, this summer’s follow-up The X-Files: I Want to Believe came later than most fans had hoped for — perhaps too late. Upon its release in July, it was greeted with a shrug from audiences and derision from critics, scoring a mere 32% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 47 on MetaCritic. It deserves better.

It is neither a great film nor a great addition to the X-Files canon, but it is effective, well acted, and contains richer themes than one can expect from most Hollywood films. Show me another mainstream thriller that unleashes its monsters to pose questions of redemption and faith.

The story reunites Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), no longer with the FBI but asked by the bureau to consult on an investigation into the disappearance of an agent. They formerly specialized in cases involving the paranormal and are needed to evaluate the credibility of a man who claims to have a psychic connection to the case.

The psychic is Father Joseph Crissman (Billy Connolly), who claims the visions are a gift from God, an opportunity for him to repent for his sins — he is a convicted pedophile. Scully, a Catholic and a medical doctor, doesn’t believe him, but something he tells her hits close to home and she is not sure what to believe.

A subplot involves Scully’s treatment of a young boy with an untreatable neurological disease. This storyline has no connection to the film’s central mystery and is a bit of a narrative sore thumb, jutting in awkwardly. Its purpose is to further the film’s theme: Scully develops a painful, experimental treatment for her patient that is opposed by her colleagues and the hospital’s administrative priests — “I have taken it up with the highest authority,” Father Ybarra (Adam Godley) warns her, “as should you.” But she believes that a message from God has told her to risk the procedure to save the child: a cryptic message from the pedophile priest.

Would God choose to speak through such a disreputable man? Has He spoken to her as she believes He has? Chris Carter’s direction and screenplay (co-written by Frank Spotnitz) lean towards overwrought sentimentality, but Anderson’s performance makes the hospital story work; she gives it the necessary weight and conviction.

Mulder has a different kind of faith: He believes in the paranormal, in the existence of extraterrestrials. Scully is empirical, a scientist, and believes what she can see, but in her religious faith she has more in common with her partner than she perhaps realizes. Though they argue about the truth, they both believe that it’s out there.

The story shapes up as a grisly case of surgical experimentation — I won’t go into the details. It’s the kind of ghoulish plot you’d find in an about-average episode of the X-Files series, though by divorcing itself from the unwieldy alien mythology that devoured the program over its nine seasons on the air the film gets the chance to breathe, to focus on its characters and themes. It gives us an interesting supporting cast, including Connolly as the disgraced priest and Amanda Peet as an open-minded FBI agent, though I could have done without Agent Mosley Drummy, who as played by rapper Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner does little more than scowl.

The film was more successful in foreign markets than in domestic ones, and its worldwide box office gross of $68 million more than doubles its modest production budget. In addition, I suspect many fans of the series who passed on the film in theaters will come to it on DVD, as I did, giving perhaps some meager hope that a third X-Files film isn’t out of the question. Unlikely, but I want to believe.

Note: The X-Files: I Want to Believe is rated PG-13. It includes multiple decapitations, an impalement, assaults, murders, kidnappings, and disturbing, graphic depictions of forced surgery. Frost/Nixon is rated R. According to the website Kids-In-Mind.com, it includes a grand total of five F-words. The MPAA thinks the X-Files movie is more suitable for young teenagers. Let your sanity guide you; the MPAA’s has gone astray.

Dia 121, quarta-feira:

Música:

• The Wild Ones, Suede

Comentários:

1. Agora que nivelei meu sono, não consigo parar de dormir. ¬¬
2. Assisti ao segundo filme do Arquivo X, I Want to Believe. Ownnn… can’t help it… Mulder & Scully são tão fofinhos juntos… eles são perfeitos. E tipo, gostei do filme. Não concordo com quem diz que é uma merda. Dois comentários, though: 1) Realmente, parece mais um episódio novo do que um filme propriamente dito. Talvez por isso tenha irritado tanta gente. Mas, pra mim, como fã incondicional, foi perfeito. 2) WTF?!?!?! O que aconteceu com tudo o que eles disseram no último episódio da série??? Tipo, o mundo ia acabar, os ETs já tinham invadido a Terra, a situação era praticamente hopeless… tipo, até a última cena do episódio foi dúbia – Mulder e Scully deitados na cama, como no primeiro episódio, conversando e filosofando.. tentando ainda ter esperanças com relação a algo, tentando não desistir da vida.. blá blá blá… Termina assim e a gente fica com uma esperancinha de que eles arrumem algum jeito de impedir que os ETs destruam tudo e nos façam de escravos eternos, mas não sabemos se realmente vão conseguir. Tá.. até aí tudo bem… mas, DO NADA, eles voltam, 7 anos depois, como se NADA tivesse acontecido!!! Oi?!?!?!? Ninguém nem toca no assunto. Nem precisavam fazer outro filme sobre a mitologia alienígena.. não pedi isso… mas o mínimo de explicação pros fãs o Chris Carter devia né??? Oi, alô?!?!?!? Juro que achei total mal escrito isso… E isso me incomodou bastante. Mas, só de ver a Gillian novamente, já me fez esquecer tudo e mandar um foda-se. Hahahahahaahahah! Eles são lindos. Ai ai… tá, e outro comentário: o que foi aquela cena deles olhando pra foto do Bush, no escritório do FBI, e se entre-olhando, e a câmera mostra a foto mais de perto e começa a tocar a musiquinha do Arquivo X. Gente, nunca ri tanto na minha vida. E foi tão bom relembrar esses momentinhos de piadas internas que só nós fãs entendemos… é como se estivéssemos lá com eles… gente, fiquei horas rindo. Acho que decidi que gostei do filme aí. Hahahahahahaah! Bom, adorei. Deu pra perceber… mesmo com as falhas… didn’t really give a fuck.
3. Ai trabalho, trabalho, trabalho…. falta de saco…. trabalho…. zzzzzzzz
4. Meus sonhos são os mais fodas. Por que não posso continuar vivendo neles? =/
5. Escrevi mais algumas cenas do longa. Estou me empolgando cada vez mais com isso.
6. Ai o botão do foda-se está tão ligado, mas tão ligado que nunca me senti tão leve e livre na minha vida. Perfeito. Até meu sono voltou lindamente.
7. Tem gente que não desiste, né? Quer te puxar pra baixo de qualquer maneira. Ainda bem que estava bem longe quando tudo ocorreu. Pfff… meu UH!

Summer 2008 Post-Mortem Awards

Best Film of the Summer:

The Dark Knight

Best Superhero movie of the summer not starring Christian Bale

Iron Man

Best Superhero movie of the Summer not starring Christian Bale or Robert Downey Jr.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best Horror movie of the Summer:

The Strangers 

Most Underrated/misunderstood film of the summer

X-Files: I Want to Believe – I don’t care what anybody says (except maybe Mom) this was a good flick. 

Movie I liked a lot when I first saw it, but totally forgot it existed by the end of the Summer:

Wanted

Most “meh” flick of the Summer

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Film most rewarded by low expectations:

The Happening 

Even though I didn’t see it (and pray to God I never will) this was the worst film of the Summer:

Disaster Movie – What the hell are they even parodying now? 

Best Performance of the Summer:

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight 

Worst Performance of the summer:

Xzibit in X-Files: I Want to Believe

Best movie featuring a Strip club I’ve been in:

The Incredible Hulk - The Strip Club in question is Zanzibar in Toronto. It’s shown briefly during the fight scene between Hulk and Abomination. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ardenstreet/2602025830/

Movie most unfairly bashed by Geeks:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Yeah, Shia LaBeouf looked like the 7th memeber of the Village People, but I still enjoyed seeing Indy back on the big screen.

Può (o dovrebbe?) esistere un film che, colpo di spugna agli ultimi 15 anni, decide di lanciarsi alla conquista di un pubblico che potrebbe non avere idea della sua origine televisiva? Oppure, au contraire, può davvero dirsi “per tutti” un film che nei primi 5 minuti conta già 2 o 3 riferimenti più o meno espliciti ai fan della serie? È davvero un compito improbo quello di X-Files: voglio crederci. Deve accontentare tutti. Deve accontentare gli estimatori della saga, rimasti orfani della creatura di Carter da ormai 6 anni (malignamente qualcuno potrebbe sostenere che artisticamente lo sono da molto di più) e deve accontentare quelli che Mulder e Scully non sanno nemmeno chi siano, magari avvicinatisi al film più “per sentito dire” che non per effettiva curiosità. E dovendo accontentare tutti, come spesso succede, finisce per non accontentare nessuno. Perchè i fan hanno moltissime puntate più originali ed emozionanti con cui rinverdire i fasti della memoria, mentre tutti gli altri, per trovare un thriller girato meglio, più coerente ed ispirato, e che sappia davvero spiazzare e turbare, beh…hanno solo l’imbarazzo della scelta.

Ammettiamolo: X-Files ha senso solo nell’ottica della rimpatriata tra creatori (Chris Carter e i due interpreti in primis) e il loro fedelissimo (e storico) pubblico, anni dopo una chiusura dello show non certo esaltante, e la consapevolezza che, con una gestione più oculata (e qualche divismo di meno) forse il telefilm avrebbe potuto dare ancora molto. X-Files: voglio crederci non può esistere senza i quindici anni di serie che l’hanno preceduto, e forse non sarebbe nemmeno giusto, sebbene il reparto marketing si sia sforzato di venderlo come film “per tutti” e il buon Carter abbia infarcito la sceneggiatura di spiegazione e riferimenti sui soliti temi storici della saga. Forse l’unico vero pregio della pellicola è che “esiste”, nel senso più puro e semplice della parola. Chiedere che fosse anche un bel film era troppo. Non dopo tutti gli anni di meravigliosa programmazine televisiva, non dopo le beghe legali tra Fox e autori, non dopo che gli interpreti principali hanno intrapreso vite diametralmente opposte e lontane dalle gloriose annate di successo in TV.

In un gioco di specchi deformanti, sembra che il destino che ha accolto i due agenti speciali dell’FBI abbiano colpito anche David Duchovny e Gillian Anderson. Ormai quella vita che fu non è più. C’è il presente, e il presente è molto diverso da quello di dieci anni fa.
Nello stesso tempo però, è innegabilmente piacevole, per il fan, riscivolare in quelle atmosfere così familiari. Lo scetticismo di lei, nonostante tutto, e l’incorreggibile idealismo di lui, nonostante le mille sconfitte. È piacevole e confortante sapere che qualcuno resiste. E continua a credere. Visto come semplice appendice del finale televisivo, il film mostra tutti gli ingredienti che hanno reso celebre il prototipo originale e, purtroppo, anche gli stessi difetti. Forse non è stata felice (ma di certo è stata coraggiosa) la scelta di non portare avanti la “spina dorsale” dello spettacolo, la cosidetta Mitologia (ossia la sottotrama del complotto governativo sull’invasione aliena) che era il colpo di scena finale in chiusura della serie.
Ma slegato dai soliti temi a sfondo ufologico, la storia può permettersi di recuperare quei suoi tratti distintivi che ne decretarono il successo. Peccato però che forse non è stato ben valutato il fattore tempo, e una storia che poteva interessare qualche anno fa, ora purtroppo sfigura a confronto di molti altri esponenti meglio realizzati.

Rimane la felicità di poter essere tornati “nel luogo che fu”, allo stesso modo in cui può essere divertente rispolverare un gioco che porta alla mente tempi lontani, ma mai come ora è forte la certezza che X-Files ha dato tutto quello che doveva (e poteva dare). L’unico rammarico è rappresentato dalla convinzione che il successo, le pretese e le aspettative abbiano da una parte allungato a dismisura la durata dello show, annacquandolo e sporcandolo come il taglio di un vino pregiato ne compromette irrimediabilmente il gusto, e dall’altra non gli abbiano permesso una degna conclusione. Forse, un “vero” film conclusivo potrebbe placare gli animi di quanti sentono una specie di vuoto al pensiero di X-Files. Come dice il buon Mulder, alla fine basta crederci.

David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connoly, Xzibit, Mitch Pillegi

Mulder gets pardoned from the FBI for his past sins and is asked to verify the visions of a pedophile ex-priest about a kidnap case.

What? No aliens? I am a big X-Files fan, but the film is a big disappointment. What is the point of making a film based on a series that it is based on aliens that has no aliens in it. The movie should be only about ALIENS and nothing more. It was like seeing a big boring episode.

Also the FBI cannot be that incompetent and cannot find clues on a crime scene. The whole team was running behind the ex-priest who was running like a mad man all around. Doesn’t the FBI know about the CSI?

Scully’ s existence in the film was pointless and Mulder wants so much to believe that if he was told he could fly he would jump of a bridge with no hesitation. At least now I know why the FBI didn’t bother arresting him all the time. The guy is nuts and no one believes a mad man.

I want to believe that Chris Carter will redeem himself with something better next time.

PS. Scully found a cure for a brain disease from the Internet. Can I buy a doctor’ s license from e-bay too?

Este é o filme Arquivo-X 2 e para os fãs da série é um bom filme, pois nada mais é do que um episódio de longa duração. Nada de alienígenas. O interessante deste filme é que resgatou MUITA coisa dos bons tempos do seriado.

O padre pedófilo que tem visões, Skinner e muitas citações a casos antigos de Mulder e Sculy.

Ah sim, falando neles, acabou a palhaçada de tantos anos e mistério entre a relação deles, agora são definitivamente um casal.

Curiosidade sobre o filme é que o rapper X-Zibit faz o papel de um agente especial do FBI. Quanta ironia pra quem até já trocou tiros com a polícia!

Assim como o primeiro filme, não deixaram nenhuma amarra para uma continuação, mas, fazendo filmes que são praticamente episódios mais compridos,nunca se sabe se haverá um terceiro filme, eu quero acreditar que sim

Mulder and Scully in "X-Files: I Want To Believe"

It has been a few years since the “X-files” tv series ended and about ten years since the first movie.  Would a another movie be necessary?  If they keep making them this good then I would hope so.  But the movie flopped in the theatres so I would imagine this might be the last.  Chris Carter, the creator of the show, writes and directs this as a creepy, haunting and complexly layered story.

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their roles as Mulder and Scully.  Neither of them is an FBI agent anymore.  Scully is a top surgeon who is faced with a moral dilemma with her current patient.  Mulder is technically a fugitive due to the FBI bringing charges against him.  Those charges are dropped after the FBI suddenly needs agent Mulder’s expertise in a kidnapping case.  An FBI agent has gone missing.  Billy Connelly plays a convicted pedophile who claims he is having psychic visions of the missing woman.  He leads the bureau in to a vast frozen lake and uncovers body parts.  Mulder only agrees to help if Scully comes along. 

What is interesting is that this is a stand alone movie that has nothing to do with any of the events of the television show.  What we get is an engrossing mystery that asks us to think for ourselves, and poses many moral questions.  This is a real character thriller, where most of the events hinge on the people’s personalities.  Where it ends up is truly creepy and very unexpected. 

What I really liked about this movie was not only the amazing story, but the details of Scully and Mulder’s lives that are hemmed in perfectly.  Scully’s current patient seems like an unnecessary side story at first, but develops into a fully realized part of the plot.  I also liked how the events of the TV series, still haunt her to this day.  She describes it as the darkness within.  She is trying to move on from it, but Mulder is easily drawn back in.  He is still immensely interested in the paranormal but he is also genuinely trying to find the missing agent.  Billy Connelly is also very effective as a man who knows he will never be forgiven for his sins, but tries to make peace anyways. 

The budget of this film was no where near the size of the first instalment’s, but I think it allowed Chris Carter to rely more on story and character, than effects and action.  I think he was more interested in the story anyways.  But here he constructs a complex thriller, and brings it to life with excellent performances from the cast, and a haunting, dreadful mood created by the snow covered locations.