The only thing that kept us from walking out of this movie is that it was 90 degrees in Seattle and the movie theater was air conditioned.
This is a very bad film.
Interesting facts: Filmed in Seattle. Good Troll under the Fremont Bridge Footage. According to this movie, you can run from Ballard to the Alibi Room (which they turned into a coffee shop!) in Pike Market in less than 5 minutes.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Beowulf & Grendel
This was pretty well done. I don't think I've read the poem, but it didn't matter and I realized I was more familiar with the story than I thought. The Geats come to save the Danes from Grendel who is terrorizing their village. Beowulf is tough and burly and can save anyone from anything. Grendel just wants some understanding for why he is so mad. Sarah Polley plays the role of Selma, the witch who Gendel loves (?). She was in Don't Come Knocking, which we saw recently. I didn't like her in this at all. I give it 2 1/2 stars out of 5 because I love a "period piece."
Friday, June 16, 2006
loudQUIETloud: A Film About Pixies
An opposite experience to the Leonard Cohen movie. This had tons of concert footage and tons of great interviews and the Pixies are still so cool it hurts. I didn't want this movie to end. I also hope they don't force themselves to make music together anymore. They obviously don't get along and have other things to do with their lives now. I am happy with what they gave us before they became one of the most influential bands in history.
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
This is a documentary about a concert. Not a Cohen concert, but a tribute concert. Many artists came together in Australia to perform cover songs that showcase the -songwriter- that Leonard is. Knowing this before I went in to the movie saved the experience for me.
Some of the performers were Nick Cave (sigh), Rufus Wainwright, Beth Orton and (my aunt will sigh longingly here) Jarvis Cocker.
There were some great performances of Cohen songs interspersed with fantastic footage and interviews of Leonard himself. Those left you wanting more and wanting him to sing his songs.
Throughout the movie, Edge and Bono are also interviewed and because they weren't in the tribute concert, we wondered what they were doing in this movie.
At the end of the film, our desire to hear Leonard's voice sing and the answer to the U2 question were both fulfilled. The camera pans back and you see Leonard, Bono, Edge and a Vegas-esque showgirl on a tiny stage. They are singing I'm Your Man and that's great except the stage is framed by red sequined curtains and the scene is so Twin Peaks bizarre that the WHOLE audience laughed. Poor Bono. His politics are good, but he takes himself far too seriously most of the time to pull this scene off.
I give it a 3 1/2 because I love Nick Cave and he gets great screentime. Also, the interviews with Cohen are so great and reveal a sly, smart, zen monk of a man who is one of the great poets of our time.
Some of the performers were Nick Cave (sigh), Rufus Wainwright, Beth Orton and (my aunt will sigh longingly here) Jarvis Cocker.
There were some great performances of Cohen songs interspersed with fantastic footage and interviews of Leonard himself. Those left you wanting more and wanting him to sing his songs.
Throughout the movie, Edge and Bono are also interviewed and because they weren't in the tribute concert, we wondered what they were doing in this movie.
At the end of the film, our desire to hear Leonard's voice sing and the answer to the U2 question were both fulfilled. The camera pans back and you see Leonard, Bono, Edge and a Vegas-esque showgirl on a tiny stage. They are singing I'm Your Man and that's great except the stage is framed by red sequined curtains and the scene is so Twin Peaks bizarre that the WHOLE audience laughed. Poor Bono. His politics are good, but he takes himself far too seriously most of the time to pull this scene off.
I give it a 3 1/2 because I love Nick Cave and he gets great screentime. Also, the interviews with Cohen are so great and reveal a sly, smart, zen monk of a man who is one of the great poets of our time.
The Proposition
I really hope Nick Cave continues to write movies...he reportedly wrote the script in 3 weeks - imagine what he cold do if he really put some time into it.
The landscape is as brutal as the characters are as dark as the story. This is a western in it's truest, bleakest sense. Family, conscience, loyalty and imperialism all swirl in the dust.
Horrifically violent. Guy Pearce is spot-on.
The landscape is as brutal as the characters are as dark as the story. This is a western in it's truest, bleakest sense. Family, conscience, loyalty and imperialism all swirl in the dust.
Horrifically violent. Guy Pearce is spot-on.
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston is a crazy man with a crazy story. His brief rise to fame and lasting blip on pop culture's radar are both engrossing and disgusting. I felt, at times, to be watching a car wreck for entertainment -- but the filmmaker handles the story as respectfully as he can. I wasn't familiar with the music or story of Johnston before seeing this movie, but it was fascinating all the same.
The Davinci Code
I don't know what we were thinking.
It was my idea. I can't blame Jon.
I really, really don't like Tom Hanks.
It was my idea. I can't blame Jon.
I really, really don't like Tom Hanks.
Adam's Apples
A neo Nazi is sentenced to live with a vicar whose faith is so strong it is literally keeping him alive. Throw into the mix a couple weird characters (a fat kleptomaniac and a burglar among others) and an actress named Paprika and you've got Danish gold. Very funny and bizarre and surprising.
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