2404 Impressions

ROSA

2011-11-10T18:38:00.001-06:00

Amazing Stuff. Enjoy!

Adjustment Bureau

2011-07-03T19:57:00.004-05:00

This is one each romantic Philip K. Dick film, highly recommended!

The Tree of Life

2011-07-03T19:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, it was worth the wait. And the drive -- after all, why would the Cannes Palme d'Or Winner show any closer than Wichita? Thanks to the Warren Theaters for not just showing the film, but showing it properly. Even a quiet film needs great sound and sharp focus.
A quiet film tackling the big questions. Well, not so much as tackling as holding the questions up to the light in a way we might not have seen yet. Certainly " The Thin Red Line" was a war movie, but it was a war movie like no other, and this film, apparently long delayed, resonates at an even higher frequency than Thin Red Line.
Is that possible, one might ask, since the Criterion Blu Ray of the The Thin Red Line, freshly viewed, gave this viewer several days of shame about the quality of his entertainment choices.
Comparing TRL and Tree of Life is actually more appropriate than comparing it to Transformers or even Malick's last masterpiece, "The New World". Thematically TRL and TOL both probe the nature of man, the nature in man, and perhaps urges us, albeit obliquely, to humble thyself in the face of the beauty and majesty of the shape of chaos that seems to exist in every nook and cranny.
Call TOL "Affliction" with a positive outcome and a side of God, if one must, as long as one recognizes this is not a sign of conversion from yours truly. Malick has something to show us all. I was able to enjoy Transformers this long weekend also, so have no fear, I am not going all Arthouse on you. Tree of Life is for anyone with an open heart and an open mind.
(there are dinosaurs!)
Recommended.

RIP Gil Scott Heron

2011-05-28T05:57:00.000-05:00

Saw Gil Scott Heron some time back in the '80's. Steel Pulse opened for him. He wrote songs with fantastic social commentary, catchy lyrics and a message, sometimes embedded in real poetry. Arguably his best known title, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", is proving prescient, if narrow-focused on "his people's experience" in the still struggling with it -- in spite of a black president -- United States. I am glad the USA has come as far as at has and refuses to say it is over.
Reading a recent New Yorker profile of him it seems like this might be the release from pain he has been chasing for awhile. Regardless, his voice, mind and passion will be missed.

The King's Speech

2011-05-02T06:28:00.001-05:00

A guest review from my Wife, Sarah Desmet. Yeah, she is a better writer!

When I learned of The King's Speech (TKS) trailers online I woke early in Costa Rica to begin downloading. By one afternoon several days later the snippets shared the King's awkward public address and beauty of Helena Bonham-Carter, but saved everything of the experience I would one day see on screen: The ineffable command to communicate we humans share, a soulful courage fighting halting, silent fear.

We are not birds with one signature chirp, but mammals with the shared grace of human speech. Slightly Cinderella but far from Pygmalion, TKS traces the battle line we worldwide fight from inside the mind: “What do you expect to hear from me?” “Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth?” “Can you feel me?”

Jeffrey Rush nails the future King in this fog of duty and asks “What are you afraid of?' To speak includes fear of not being understood for who you are, who you want to be, and who you must learn to be.

We were once two face to face lovingly crammed in an elevator going down to a Piccadilly Place where what we most feared – being direct, angry, honest -- is the native tongue. Today when one day a stutterer smooths a phrase we've heard haltingly ever before, we think, You found your flow! To do as others do does not give one his voice and TKS reminds us that to embrace being unique – left handed; a model maker, not collector – are places where we find our command of language. How we, as Kings, lead lives with the strength of clarity.

TKS shares a place of history when the language, the physical audio contact of how what was said, mattered so psychically, so physically – from tongue, jaw, heart, smile and finally ephemeral fears of being 'just human', and ever so full of grace.

Academy Awards or none, eminently memorable.

Hanna

2011-04-27T09:35:00.000-05:00

I have no idea how or why we got this fabulous film here in Manhattan Ks, just going to count my blessings. You see the small print, "music by The Chemical Brothers", don't you? The boys are back without the block rockin' beats, but man can a choreographer work some magic to their particular and unique churning ambience. Not that this is a fight film.
Call it "The American has a Baby" and get part of it right. You would have to start with a patriot sold out rather than a cynical arms dealer the shadow world is catching up to, but still. What would that guy do, knowing scorched earth is the policy that applies to him and his family?

Cate Blanchette trumps the last Bourne CIA director and even pushes Oldman's John Rain antagonist CIA dude down a notch, "Darlin". Eric Bana, excellent as usual, let's Hanna chew the scenery all to the beat of Joe Wright's camera of discontent. YEs, the camera is as good as it needs to be, and better than the Haters deserve! Don't make me name names. I am still shocked at the critics blasting a guy for shooting a "could have been by the numbers" spy film with verve and experimentation.

So: music, camera, acting and a clever script all equal a really good excuse to see a quality film on the big screen!

Recommended.

Faster

2011-02-23T20:24:00.000-06:00

Here is an enjoyable and dark ride, one of slew I've seen lately, that stands above the crop. The crop? "Edge of Darkness", "Law Abiding Citizen", and "Harry Brown" come to mind, each have their merits and strengths and I sat through them entertained. "Faster" offers similar themes, stripped to their essence, monologue redacted.
Dwayne and BB Thornton live in their roles. I know, the car repair dude in "U-Turn", but man, both of these guys hit this Grindhouse Joint with nary a wink to the audience. Tom Berenger does a quick, perfect turn as the flic opens, as effective as his role in "Inception" but even more fleeting.
The score is by Clint Mansell, and does not assault, but informs. The camera is, on the other hand, flash and spectacle. This is not the Crank Camera kids incredible acro-cam, (they actually shot in daylight) but dark, grimy hi def angles and zooms. This dark palette meshed seamlessly with Mansell's throbbing bottom.
No one wanders into a movie like this expecting high art. It is certainly a treat to see fine craft and charisma together without the Luc Besson slapstick(which I love) or the gore fest that has gained so much ground since the wars started.
Make no mistake, the violence is quick and harsh and big, but I saw no identifiable organs and the camera chose to linger on the list rather than bodies. Let me wrap this with the title of a Minutemen Doc as a summation, "We Jam Econo" and a nice quote from Faster, "Where's the exit?"
Recommended.

The Black Swan

2011-01-11T22:29:00.000-06:00

The Black Swan. Where to begin?

Aronofsky makes some damn compelling, difficult, films. I am still rubbing my Requiem scar in phantom pain. The only deeper cut was seeing the Fountain by myself in Topeka because there was a game on, or some such nonsense preventing the normal movie people from joining me.

Black Swan is a psychological horror film in the Joseph Conrad mold, a tale of self destruction and recovery a la “The Secretary” and an exploration of a modern day child star mother-daughter relationship with a bit of titillation thrown in to get the guys to come to the show.

Black Swan might be a dissection of celebrity culture, perhaps an examination of ballet, at the very least a bird's eye view of a mind driven too hard to perform and cracking under the pressure. Aronofsky does this with his characteristic great camera, style adapted to match the story, and a cast that is willing to pull out all the stops to make us believe.

Darren(not Aronofsky) and I had this discussion: what if Portman's transformation hadn't been done with effects? Well, the answer is, of course, we would have been watching either a dance or a play, not a movie. The transformation is as perfect and breathtaking as it is startling. I can feel the shivers I got watching it just thinking about it.

Black Swan is a dark Christmas film, one that gives me hope for the genre, and adds another notch to Aranofsky's belt. Bring on the Terrance Malick!

Recommended

In The Loop

2010-12-12T10:28:00.000-06:00

I generally don't like "Comedies". This statement is still under evaluation based upon the large number of exceptions to the rule that have been cropping up. In the interest of fair and balanced reporting I refuse to take the short route out by branding this film "Satire" and not "Comedy."

"In the Loop" is, in fact, one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. It is the story of the run-up to the Iraq War (2) from the British side, looking in at the inner workings of the 'Empire" and the kids across the pond that seem to be leading the dance.

"In the Loop" is a behind-the-scenes look at Diplomats, their aides, and staffers that was perfectly timed for my viewing in these weeks of cable-gate courtesy of Wikileaks. Like the Sopranos episode that mirrored real life with the pair of FBI Mob assassins, In the Loop is a fiction that lays bare the clumsy and frustrating dance of international relations, domestic press, and personal foibles.

The UK government is skewered as hard as the US Government, from a uniquely British perspective. Like the LeCarre portrait of Ollie North in "Tailor of Panama" the caricatures ring true. The acting is spot-on, the writing sharp and irreverent with nary a nod to the fourth wall.

The camera is zoomed chaos, flitting about between abrupt scene changes, swooping and panning to catch reaction shots and details crammed into the lightning paced narrative. Nooks and crannies of the foreign branch are illuminated, backdoor dealings get teeth once the action gets to Washington, and all of this is wrapped in a "keep up if you can" take no prisoners screenplay.

Gandolfini proves once again more than capable of the role, I am thinking of his turn in "Perdito Durango" and the Redford film with the upside down flag who's name escapes me atm. The actor's prize in this ensemble piece has to go to Peter Capaldi, the Scottish press guy with a mouth like a machine gun firing depleted Uranium whenever he opens it.

I came late to the party on this film, overseas as I was when it was released, but this film is still relevant, wickedly funny and damn good entertainment.
Recommended.

Colbert In Congress

2010-09-24T20:30:00.001-05:00

He speaks the truth, he captures the zeitgeist, he gets it. Who is in charge? Why? Is there a solution to everything that he hits on in such a short time? If he can package it, explain it, grok it so quickly, back it up with facts, why are we sending in the drones?

I pulled the code out of a Politico article that was bought and paid by someone trying to discredit him.

Bravo Mr Colbert!

Tyler Feeney, I hope you are listening...

TV 3Fer - Virtuality, Global Frequency, Rubicon!

2010-09-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

One of these shows never got to pilot, one was never picked up, and the other is rockin' my world every Sunday night...

"Global Frequency" began as a comic written by Warren Ellis. He is the comic writer/personality responsible for Planetary, The Authority, Gravel, FreakAngels, Red and a very entertaining novel, "Crooked Little Vein". According to Wikipedia, the Global Frequency pilot was leaked in 2005. The leak irritated the producer who said, "No more." Most torrents die quick, this one is still live, and kicking.

Global Frequency is a crowdsourced agency defending the world from itself across national borders and continents. My favorite Bajoran Ensign Ro, aka Commander Cain of the Pegasus aka Michelle Forbes is the head of this far reaching organization, linked by a dedicated cell phone network.

I am pretty sure that within a few episodes the bumps and quirks in the non-pilot would have been ironed out and this show would have been another excuse to keep the cable...seek it out!

"Virtuality" is a 2 hour pilot that never got picked up, packaged as a movie. It is very much Philip K Dick meets "Reality TV" via an episode of the Outer Limits and a brief dash of JG Ballard. The pilot, of course, does not resolve at all, but nonetheless stands on its own. It is TV, and the commercial break rhythms are in place, but are upstaged by the Solipsism and Holo-Deck sims.

I am a big fan of long space voyage novels and films, check out my "Pandorum" review (or just rent it), and Virtuality did a nice job honing Ronald Moore's vision of "Caprica". When are you back on the air, "Caprica?" Until then, rent the Dvd "Virtuality" for some good TV.

Rubicon is an AMC show, currently on its eighth episode, who's title, "Caught in the Suck" is so good why even give you a snapshot? Remember "3 Days of the Condor" which had Robert Redford reading for the CIA? Well, Rubicon is about a group of analysts reading and analyzing data in real time for the US Government caught in an apparent conspiracy, revealed in codes.

The Wire, one of my favorite shows, was on fire, plot development wise, compared to Rubicon. You will remember this reviewer loved "Crank" and "Gamer", so I am no cerebral "War and Peace" reader, but I do love a great cast mixed with current events and espionage, and I prefer a slow build to a dozen red herrings and filler episodes.

Sunday Nights are crowded, but I'm pretty sure that is why they make Tivo, right? Since Rubicon is the only one of the three shows mentioned actually airing, I politely request you set the Dvr to "Record".
Recommended

SnapIt Screen Capture Utility

2010-09-15T13:18:00.001-05:00

I have been blogging for a number of years, and considered monetizing once, during the ValisCafe days. I went so far as to sign up for Adsense and check the layout, but ultimately I couldn't bring myself to do it. Blogging is a creative outlet, not a revenue inlet.
My slim readership and odd topic choices have insulated me from click frenzy lures and the weird ads that fill the right side of my gmail folder. Then I reviewed "9" and was offered embed code for the trailer. Well, everyone wins then, instead of a movie poster image I had the trailer.."click".

SnapIt wrote me asking for a review of their software. (wow), in exchange for the software, which is shareware that will cost you $17.99 to purchase. I went ahead and downloaded it. Longtime readers know I don't do negative reviews, there are too many good things happening that I attend/buy to waste time hurting someone else, so, on with the review!

What is wrong with right click save image you ask? Why not just hit print screen and paste? Well, those have worked for me for years, but in these days of flash and Chrome things are not so easy. Snapit allows me to crop a full print screen to whatever rectangle I desire, very handy.

The install was very straightforward, starting with a clean website download page and instructions that are clear and concise. It took me about five minutes of trial and error to get the hang of how the software works. I am nearly over my fear of cluttered taskbars, and with the little SnapIt camera sitting there I know it is one click and a drag to size to save whatever I want from the screen.

(image captured with SnapIt)

There is customization available as far as "hotkey" and naming conventions, as well as file format for the capture. Part of me believes a browser writer should buy up this functionality and build it in to right click options, but until that happens SnapIt "works for me".

Here is a link for you to try it for yourself!
Once you have tried it Digeus software is giving it away in exchange for a review in a blog, Facebook or Twitter. Once you have written the review simply contact julia.taylor@digeus.com for a reg code!
Recommended

Air Doll

2010-09-09T23:24:00.001-05:00

As I approach the second anniversary of my 3rd marriage I posit this: I have learned nothing!
I take this position as axiomatic, but what is an axiom without proof you say? Well, herein lies my proof:
"Hey honey, I picked out a great drama for us tonight, it is about a Japanese love doll, whadd'ya think?"
Nothing. I have learned nothing. Read on...

The spouse was skeptical from the start, as we watched the lonely Japanese guy riding home on public transportation. "Wow, a seat on Japanese public transportation."

This wasn't going to go well.

By the end of this movie we were both in tears...

This is a well shot film. The costuming is spot on, the story supposedly Japanese but apparently universal. There are a lot of people that are empty inside. Ride the metaphor into modern urban life. Take it to the movies, or at least the movie store.

The soundtrack was so perfect I sought out, and found, a few discs by "World's End Girlfriend" and find it strangely moving, like this film. The spouse has seen "Lars and the Real Girl" and said that "Lars" was about Lars, and that "Air Doll" was about the doll..

The film worked for me on more than a cinematic level, it commented on modern life in so many small ways, the meeting with Gepetto, played by the Japanese son in "Plastic City", seemed like an "of course" moment.
That meeting is one of many moments in this film, each of them bathed in history and pathos and not without humor, though occasionally grim, to truly dark.

The Air Doll Nozomi is asked once, point blank, if having a heart had turned out positive...

Where is your plug?
Recommended

Avatar Special Edition

2010-09-08T14:08:00.002-05:00

This is the tale of my 10 hour journey to see Avatar in Imax 3D...
Before we begin, let me cut to the chase: seeing this film, with that technology, was worth everything you are about to read. Trying to get my mind around the thousands of details involved, from the initial starship scene to the updated mech-suit control surface, makes me wince when I read the reviews deriding the minute count of added content. There are no home theaters available that can present this anywhere close to what I saw in Escazu. To not see it when possible, would be a darn shame.

We bought tickets online 3 days early, lured by a red herring 25% discount for using our Visa card. Without having seen the inside of the theater we were allowed to pick seats. Yep, assigned seats for a movie! Matinee price, $10.00 a ticket included the glasses.(no, there was no discount, as we do not have a Visa Infinity card)

"Avatar Eve" the rain started in earnest here in Panica. We set both phones to wake us at 4:00am. We needed the rain to stop so the bridge wouldn't wash out again. We use our phones for alarm clocks as no one would take the odds on us not losing power that night.

Spencer picked us up promptly at 5am, and we headed to the ferry, all 3 of us silently hoping the bridge was not under too much water. The TLC is good for about 2.5 feet...We made it to the Ferry 5 minutes before the boat left, the rain had stopped and it was a steamy-dreamy jungle dawn in the harbor.

One cafe and one Campari doble later we got out of the boat in Puntarenas, and onto the bus. Stopped in town, bought 3 Jamon Queso pastries and walked 3 blocks to the "Direct Bus" to San Jose. We arrived in San Jose 2 hours later, hopped on the wrong bus and headed vaguely towards the hotel.

The bus ride ended abruptly not much closer than we would have ended up had we taken the direct bus the whole distance. Our bags were light so we walked to the hotel. Our plan was simple: connect the computers to the internet, take a hot shower, change into nicer clothes, head to the theater for the 2:40 show. Piece of cake!

The room wasn't ready, wouldn't be until 2pm. It was only 11am. 3 hours is too long for me to sit and drink in the hotel bar...so we went out for a light lunch and a beverage. We went looking for a non-gringo place to relax, but not quite the seedy Cacique and beer joints filled with old men that San Jose seemed full of, at least at this end of town. Then the rain started.

Umbrellas keep the top of your head dry, only. We decided to bus to Escazu and eat there. We took the wrong bus. We did not want to drink at TGIF or Tony Roma's. We decided that we would treat ourselves to a good scotch at the French place near the theater. We were told: walk straight down this street for a long way and you will come to the fence at the back of the theater. Just walk the fence until you find the front.

We were already soaked. We walked, and walked, letting the new neighborhoods help us forget the kilometers involved. When we got to the fence our target was in sight. No entrance. To get to the entrance we ascended and then descended a muddy slope, in the rain. Mud oozed into my sandals. I helped the spouse down with muddy hands, leaving inappropriate prints on her white top.

After 20 minutes drying her socks in the restroom we made our way to the restaurant, tickets in hand, just an hour left to kill. Glenfiddich all around and a gorgeous cheese plate...

The Nova Repretel Theater is brand new. "Product C", who was to be the HowlerCafe Seafood vendor, has a new restaurant going in off of the food court. Brand spanking new Imax! Apparently I did not explode waiting, probably being soaked helped.

Our seats were perfect. The audio was spot on, deep loud bass, crystal clear. I was confident they would shut off the stair lights when the movie started (they lit the bottom 1/3rd of the screen) and was only off by about 15 minutes in that estimation.

By the time the cryosleep pod thrust out of the wall into my lap the fact that we had stumbled into the Spanish Dubbed showing of Avatar was apparent...Thankfully this was my 3rd viewing, and I am thinking I preferred dubbing into a foreign language better than 3D subtitles anyway...

Did I mention the AC was blasting the place down into the 60s and we were soaked to the bone? It only mattered when the Spouse had leg cramps...The guy behind mine was only on the phone for about 3 minutes, and as mentioned, they killed the lights within 15 minutes of the movie starting.

Avatar 3D Imax is one hell of a technical marvel, the extra minutes add depth and nuance, and I would go every day it was showing if I had the time, just to remind myself of what can be done, in spite of all the roadblocks, the war, and all other manners of lunacy that keep the good stuff from us!
Recommended

Splice

2010-09-05T16:39:00.000-05:00

I'll admit it: Cronenberg's "The Fly" brought tears to my eyes. Here is what you can garner from that: I can suspend disbelief, I'm a touch old and something of a softie. Brody and Polley are a fine update to the Goldblum and Davis pair...and Splice is a worthy update to "The Fly", with several twists and changes that reflect the director's (Natali) sensibilities and the changing role of science in our lives.

Cautionary tales are cautionary tales, and Splice blows up the bio-engineering fear that grips the food and medical press reporters and then takes it ...somewhere else. What looks like a creature feature really cuts deeper into the psyche of the scientists.

It used to take a lot of sheep to make a single vial of Insulin. Science changed that, via bio-engineering. The "trans-genic" organism as "drug factory" is not an entirely preposterous jumping off point. Just add hubris and stir...

Natali, the director of "Cube" keeps the story moving even as he builds tension. The creature effects start early, and never stop. While we move from "Robocop" view slugs to Dren we also dig deeper into our pair of scientists. They unravel even as "Dren" reaches new levels of complexity.

The cinematography, music and fx never crowd out the human story at work in this "sci-fi horror" film, and I did not miss the crew of attractive teenagers that are normally slaughtered in the service of scaring us...I think the director wanted us to leave the theater thinking rather than frightened. Just a guess.

Recommended

Nefes

2010-09-04T09:13:00.000-05:00

2404 has not turned into the War Channel, Discovery has already claimed that prize!
I was tempted to drop in the review of 9th Company and change the names and nationality, but that would do a disservice to both films. "Nefes" is another terrific variation on the "from training to combat" story.

I am not sure whether this is based on an actual battle like the 9th Company was, but that is neither here nor there to appreciate the film. The film is Turkish, and follows a small group of soldiers to a remote outpost in the mountains.

A standout performance by the commander is highlighted early in the film during a passionate 5 minute speech to his men standing in formation in the snow. I don't speak a lick of Turkish, but his delivery was so powerful I was glued to the screen. As this type of film goes, the entire ensemble of men we meet grab and hold us, making us care about their fate (which, of course, we already know).

The camera is excellent, to contrast with 9th Company again, where that camera felt organic this camera felt sharp and technical, a dispassionate eye that captured sniper fire and reaction. The music, poetry and song that infect this film and our team are as moving as the deadly combat.

This is the third film about war from another culture's perspective that has gained my attention and held it for days. The first was a Korean film, the second the Russian, and now this Turkish movie. I have, of course, seen the "home" versions, and one thing rings true: war is a plague that has little to do with civilian everyday life and yet infects entire nations with bitter and ugly pain.

That being said, if someone rolled a tank down my street to liberate me I would take up arms too.
Recommended

9th Company

2010-09-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

"Charlie Wilson's War", from the opposing side. CIA armed terrorists stop a superpower cold in Afghanistan (which begs the question, who is stopping the hyperpower today?). One cannot take the eye off of the machines, or the machinations of war.

Comparisons to "Full Metal Jacket" are apt, if misguided. 9th Company is a based on a true story, and this film apparently captivated the Russian -- no longer Soviet -- public when it hit the screens there, 5 years ago. Who loves US Film Distribution more than me? Everyone! Can I get an Ong Bak in da house? /digression

The Hind gunship is very photogenic, particularly when flying in formation. The Soviet troops, in their striped tanks n' tees, chanting "pull the pin, throw the grenade" as they jog even more so, it is just a matter of scale. 9th Company has a lot of hardware on display, and even more bared souls.

Our war films are so close to us now. The bitter taste and high cost of Iraq and now Afghanistan(as if Afghanistan was a new front for us) have borne several small, tight and great films that have failed to keep people in the theaters, precisely because of their concision, and the lack of distance.

Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Platoon, and the 9th Company are all exploding history, not current events. 9th Company is now current events for the United States. All of these films have one thing at their center, and Conrad said it best, "the horror, the horror."

9th Company is filmed organic. The vistas and machines and men glow with warmth. Heart and soul and the can-do make it work ethic in the face of adversity rule the day. Vodka, pot, dreams of Olya and home inked tatts fill the spaces in between. The score is as dead on as the action and actors are riveting.

Tears will flow before you pull the Blu-Ray disc from your PS3, subtitles or not.

Somewhere in the film it is stated, "no one has ever beaten Afghanistan in all of history." God forbid we learn a lesson from that.
Recommended

Youth Without Youth

2010-09-01T14:58:00.000-05:00

A second dip into the surreal in as many days. Coppola confounds critics (mostly) and spikes debates in the dreaded comment sections respectively.We have already talked about "Mr Nobody" being compared improperly to "Benjamin Buttons", well here is perhaps the 3rd go at reverse aging, but I'll refrain from the "Buttons" comparison save to note that both films star exquisite beauties as the "unobtainium" that drives the eye inward.

I wish I had scene this on the big screen. The absolute only advantage to the Blu-Ray I own is the Director's Commentary. Mr Coppola is as interesting to listen to as his films are a delight to watch. Sure, I do not understand all the references, and have only vague memories of having read about the origin and branching of languages, but a film can sometimes be enough as a feast for the eyes and ears.

I enjoyed another film called "Stop Making Sense" a long time ago. I've enjoyed puzzling the logic out of David Lynch's clues, found "2046" lush and moving even if the train went nowhere. "Youth Without Youth" has its own rhythms, logic and paths that are as Escher as anything in the jaw dropping "Inception's" architecture of dreams.

To dismiss "Youth" as too cerebral is flat out wrong. To dismiss the film because it has no discernible plot would be a shame. Every film should be judged, perhaps, by the rules the director is playing by. Yes, I'm a fan of Lars Von Trier too.

"Youth Without Youth" might not be your cup of tea. I don't care for "torture porn" but made it through "Unthinkable" in spite(after all that, Mamet made the same point in "The Unit", before that, "The Battle for Algiers", but terrific modern nuance made it worth the disruption to my household). Coppola has put his mind and heart on the screen, and his years. He does so with easily discernible skill. His cast has faith in him, and performs for all of us as well as I have ever seen Roth act, which is to say, bravo!

Do pick up the Blu-Ray, worth the dime for the resolution and the audio and that commentary track.

Recommended

Plastic City

2010-08-31T16:02:00.000-05:00

Anthony Wong in Brazil!
USS Iwo Jima docks in Costa Rica!
"24 City" director Yu Lik-wai rips some pages out of the Latin-American Surrealists playbook!

Buckle up, this will be a long one.

This alleged review is a tale of the end game of Capitalism, the shattering of Libertarian Idealism at the hands of reality, all in the service of a movie steeped and delivered in plasma blasted super saturated imagery...

Yes, I'm an ex-libertarian. Yes, I do believe the end result of one world not nation-states or transnats, where we all get the stakes of our actions, and work to help each other is a worthy goal. My time in the 3rd world, brief as it has been, has shown me just how far off we are, and how difficult the transition is going to be.

San Jose, Costa Rica on foot is a terrific experience. The spouse and I walked up and down busy crowded streets passed dozens of shops selling the latest in Chinese....everything. Granada had a multi block open air market selling used books from the United States, used Clothing from the United States, cheap electronics, counterfeit fashion and footware as well as local fruits and vegetables.

Managua Nicaragua has 2 large markets, miles of tin and plastic covered stalls, selling everything from dried herbs to cologne, and toys from a decade ago. These markets are jammed with buyers and sellers, and, in these economic times, mostly sellers.

Sao Paolo, Brazil is apparently much like the Central American cities I mention. The spouse informs me that Sao Paolo has the largest Japanese diaspora in the world. Yu Lik-wai films a fantastic and diverse multi-ethnic street scene, bustling with races, colors and languages.

This relates to the movie very directly: Anthony Wong traveled to Paraguay via Brazil from China to set up a counterfeit goods distribution center. 20 years into it he has an adopted Japanese son, a small empire centered in Sao Paolo, and political connections aplenty. Along comes FTAA.

With that as the bare thread of a plot, one can extrapolate where the tale goes, but one might not anticipate some truly startling parkour along the way and the first "rooftop" fight scene to approach what Wimmer did in Ultraviolet with Milla against the Blood-Chinois.

The soundtrack is minimal glitch ambient, mutated sound field recordings with snatches of 70's Funk, J-pop and Arabica grating up against digital feedback and distortion. Heavy, appropriated and appropriate. The mix of Portuguese, Cantonese and English as the spoken languages was a terrific stab at authenticity, regardless of the speaker's actual skill-level.

I've mentioned the surreal sequences already, but the camera is not to be missed. Surreal doesn't mean hectic, doesn't mean hyperactive, but does mean colorful. These seem to be mostly film and camera rather than digital manipulation, which lends an organic quality to every frame.

This film is so much more than a gangster movie, so much more than a political film. One only has to have seen a single Anthony Wong film to know that a film like this has to brim with soul.

A friend once dated a Korean woman who told him Korea's relationship with the United States was like having a Tiger in the kitchen, one felt safe but hoped the Tiger never got angry.

I wonder what the White Tiger that appears in Plastic City symbolizes...

Recommended

Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer

2010-08-30T13:02:00.001-05:00

I have a theory about movie titles, (don't we all) buttressed by my time at the Digital Shelf, that posits: some titles can sink a perfectly great film. Two quick examples: "Sexy Beast" and "Dirty, Pretty Things". Both fantastic films, neither remotely erotic or sleazy, but who wants to come home and say, "Honey, I picked out a great film for us tonight, "Sexy Beast!". Those film titles are fine for their films, just make the selection difficult in a world of easy choices...

The Ghost Writer title has a different problem, though it is a perfect title, and the movie itself fits the title on at least 3 levels, but it is so generic I added the "Polanski" to the review title. His association with the project brings all kinds of unrelated baggage from the "know the man, know the work" and the "the work should stand apart from the man" camps, but this is a blog, not a thesis.

Roman Polanski, like Woody Allen, can't just make a movie anymore, but they can't not make a film, either. They both have too much to say, too much craft, to stop. We should be thankful. This review is about "The Ghost Writer", but feel free to apply it all to Woody Allen's superb "Whatever Works".

The Ghost Writer stars Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan as ghost and subject respectively. Pierce Brosnan will always get the Bond reference, but Tailor of Panama, Matador, and now Ghost Writer demonstrate that the brand can be extended into new territory...a great performance. Ewan Mcgregor isn't Tom Hanks, but to drive across continents with Charlie Boorman, snare Cameron Diaz and train Darth Vader bespeaks an everyman as everyman as Forrest Gump and Jim Lovell.

Ghost Writer is set largely in the ghost town of Martha's Vineyard in the wintertime. The modern architecture of the summer cottage with the bold but cold lines of the modern art that be-spectacle every grey surface, the slate gray sanded beaches and grey clouded skies, and the shiny black rain splotched BMWs speak volumes to the ghosts(and spooks) in and around this film.

The Ghost Writer is as thoughtfully paced and shot as the other "thriller of the summer", The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Both films bring a decidedly cerebral and European feel to the cineplex, and expect the audience to keep up. The rewards for doing so last a lot longer than the bon mots the new breed of romcom, sitcom and superhero fare deliver.

I do think TV pacing and dialog rhythm have intruded as far as should be warranted into the movie format. Tv is not Cinema. I want my films, and I want them on the big screen, shot by masters or upstarts, but with passion, not accountants, calling the shots.

Stay tuned for reviews of "Youth Without Youth" and "Tetro" by Coppola, but never fear that I've gone to the darkside. B13U and Ong Bak 3 still play on the ol' video shuffle(oh wait, that tech isn't here yet)...

Meanwhile track down "The Ghost Writer" and feel like you've eaten at a restaurant instead of a drive-thru.
Recommended.

Blindness

2010-08-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

Move over Danny Boyle, Fernando Meirelles has joined you in the winners circle of modern "Lord of the Flies" movies with this fantastic piece of work, "Blindness". Mr Meirelles caught our attention several years ago with "City of God", and cemented his reputation as a director with vision with his outstanding adaptation of Le Carre's "Constant Gardener".
"Blindness" is the hat-trick (omg, a sports reference) film, starring some heavyweights like the new Hulk, Mark Ruffalo (as Mike Dukakis) [yes, arcane ref, but after the film{you do rush out and watch my recs!}check back and nod to yo'self in understanding], Julianne Moore and (since we are working in 3s) Danny Glover, that elevates Meirelles work into must see territory. Both Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo reach deep and pull off fantastic, daring performances.
The camera is sure, the editing and pacing spot on, and the music just right. We knew all that from the "Constant Gardener", of course, but, since this film is only his 3rd to hit these shores I feel compelled to mention. Like Danny Boyle and Robert Rodriguez and heck, even Ang Lee, Fernando Meirelles trusts his audience to keep up with his innovative storytelling shorthand, trusts us to connect the dots.
This is not a happy film, and apparently on theatrical release, made a few groups -- notably some of the blind -- downright angry. Well, the Catholic Church protested the Exorcist too. I am guessing this is why I just found this film, or maybe it was living in a country with the closest movie theater 4 hours away by bus and boat, but who knows? This film no more slurs the blind than the Exorcist, a very pro-faith film imho, did Catholicism.
This one is not to be missed, and you can bring the SO, but not on a first date!
Please note, the lack of synoptic detail is deliberate, I am 100% glad I did not read the reviews I read - post viewing - prior. This movie-goer grows frustrated with spoilers on the back of boxes, in trailers and most especially in reviews that treat us as if we have never seen a film before.
Recommended

Blood and Bone

2010-08-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

Blood and Bone is an English language street fighting Martial Arts movie.

Anyone left?
Ok, you fans of Bloodsport and Lionheart, gather round for the no hecticam, no flash edits, no wire 7 black belt holding Michael J White battle(s) royale. He is a pleasure to watch, the embodiment of power and grace in the over the top flash of the LA street-fighting scene. This scene is, apparently, the proving grounds for the "international underground fight scene" run by the nefarious and largely invisible "Consortium".
Besides the fighting and moralizing there is the Genghis Khan center filtered through the screen burning Eammon Walker, who is also a fan of Wang Chung. Mr Walker commands the screen without taking his shirt off, though he does bare his sword.
What sets this film above the usual suspects is the subtle application of restraint in the tropes. The crowd is not filled with society women in finery savoring blood spatters off of their cleavage. The mixed races of LA are authentic, the stakes are in the hundreds not thousands and millions, at least at the beginning.
The slow burn of the plot is punctuated by the ratcheting up of the skill level of Mr White's opponents, the replacement of the rims on his promoter's car, and flashbacks to the prison he just left. What's not to like about a chess playing Tai Chi master?
The climax of the film is all too brief, and betrays the careful pacing of the rest of the film, but is not a dealkiller. Did I notice Zoe Bell in the credits :)
Recommended

Once A Gangster

2010-08-27T07:45:00.000-05:00

Starring:
Jordan Chan as Roast Pork.
Alex Fong as Kerosene
Candice Yu as Lady Pearl
1990s translation goofiness or could it be...satire!
Yes, this is in fact the second review in 2 days that is about comedy and restaurants. This one has Kung Fu though, and the spouse loved it. All that chop-socky I've force fed her paid off in spades as this film riffs hard on legendary films, directors and stars.
These are not the soft chuckles of Soul Kitchen, but full throated laughs as the Departed/Infernal Affairs "cast" goes from arm to arm and the arguments of which right arm the cast was on escalate...
I suppose the caveat is if you have never seen a Johnnie To film, The Departed, any of the 11 or so films in the Young and Dangerous series this might not be the film to start with. With that in mind I would be hard pressed to find as sharp a satire on this side of the Pacific that has the original stars lampooning themselves.
Yep. Asian comedy without Stephen Chow. Who'd a thunk it?
Recommended

Soul Kitchen

2010-08-26T14:15:00.000-05:00

A few things we need to make clear, for the new peeps: I own a restaurant that has just closed, I don't care for comedies, and I don't mind subtitles.
Soul Kitchen is a subtitled romcom, and I loved it.
Still here? Think I've gone soft?
It is macht nichts if you haven't started the insane journey into the food biz or spent 18 months in the superfine country of Germany, where "Soul Kitchen" takes place, these things just got this film in the narrow door of movies I'll actually watch. Yes, even a comedy. You are right. My wife has seen enough Kung Fu...
The movie starts off quick with a typical improvised solution to an unintended crisis. We meet the crew, the girl, the con brother (don't tell anyone) and the customers. It never slows down. We follow the Greek wheel the Greek lead is riding (you know the one you learned about in comp 101[composition, not computers]) with the usual mix of dread and hope.
Nodded my head to the minimal techno, tapped out of time to the funky soul, laughed and pointed at the prep and kitchen insider stuff. Loved the knife wielding chef with the mystery bark, and smiled the whole movie through to the credits.
This is light life affirming stuff, the plot stress is catch and release, the heartbreaks heartfelt but resolved and at the end of it I didn't have any speeches, just a broken heart for my broken dream.
Recommended.

Catching Up

2010-06-28T11:09:00.001-05:00

Before I begin: wow, long time between posts! I have been publishing with another blog tool, tumblr. Most of the posting there has been about the restaurant, HowlerCafe, that I opened a year and a half ago with Spencer. We are now closed, and it is time to catch back up. Here are some links to those posts:
all things Howler
reviews, rips, short form stuff
trip to Granada, in pics

Tumblr has some advantages over blogger, but it does not seem to be about the texts...as Twitter isn't about pictures or exposition I suppose. The new strategy is to get 2404 back to current and use tumblr to point. thanks for listening, and enjoy!

Little Drummer Girl

2009-10-22T15:14:00.003-05:00

This is the first LeCarre I had my wife read. I saw the film in the 90's and thought it relevant then, and, apparently, still now. Pretty entertaining also. This clip is from the Warner Bros Archive, as it is not available on DVD. Warner will burn a copy for you - a great service!

Gamer

2009-09-26T07:46:00.004-05:00

Please ignore 99.7% of the Gamer Reviews and "comments" -- the boat has been missed and the Lemmings have supplied chorus.

So way back when we stumbled into Crank alone. Movie buddies shook their collective heads.."dude, that shite ain't worth turnin' off my cellphone for 80 minutes"...

We all know now exactly how different Crank is/was will be -- clever, daring, amplified with a DIY in your face style that took no prisoners. To borrow a term from the other tabooland, Gonzo filmmakin'.

Gamer takes it to the next level.

I am trying to remember the movie from a few years back full of violence and gore where the fourth wall is broken and the character screams at the audience why are you watching this!

We have all seen the trite tsk tsk movies about games. We have all been disappointed by our games being made into truly awful movies, and endured the scorn of so called adults pawing through our media calling us 13 still.

Well my answer is: science fiction paved the way for your damn cell phone flashlight you use sitting in front of me in the dark. Science fiction tried to warn you about now needing a calculator to multiply 72 x 3. They also warned you about microflash transactions -- the trades that brought the first world to its knees last year. But please, keep up your condescension. I know you don't read anymore so by all means post that iPic to your Facebook and move on.

Wow, touched my own nerve writin' a dang review.

Gamer isn't perfect, even for what it thinks it is doing. It does it better than most though. Movie 2.0 if you will, and there are a scant handful of directors/camera-peeps even thinking at that level, never mind delivering.

I am reminded of the first 20 minutes of Magnolia where information is pile driven quickly to bring you up to speed then the movie relaxes and slows down. Gamer does not until the very end. It is not so much frenetic as it is deconstructed.

Its "message" is hung on a trope we have all seen before -- Running Man, Rollerball, Death Race etc. I loved the remake of Death Race -- real cars, tough gritty performances, but it was an homage, a cover version if you will. Gamer goes beyond that.

FPS games get all the bad press -- responsible for every male child loner with a handgun and no girlfriend after all -- and the foreground of Gamer advertising is in fact that particular brand of game. Second Life and the Sims -- where the other gender games -- are also subjects of Gamer, as is Capitalism, role playing, and the Wall-E thing.

My favorite is the complicity of the IT department who have apparently never heard the Google motto "do no evil".

Highly recommended, a must see on a screen bigger than the one you aren't allowed to watch the Superbowl on.

Pandorum

2009-09-26T06:57:00.002-05:00

Pandorum, in spite of the poster and the trailer, is not a horror film.

Pandorum is science fiction, and well wrought at that.

A long time ago - and many miles away - I ran a book club out of Borders (at the cusp of them deciding "corporate" made more sense). Our topic was "space voyages that last 100 years or more". There are a surprising number of books written, and worth reading, on the topic.

Pandorum is a movie we would have discussed in the club. Joseph Conrad rears his head without Marlon Brando. So does James Cameron, yes, Ridley Scott and all the other "related" horror science fiction guys being bandied about in the sniggering negative press. The comparisons being made seem to be calling this film a pastiche, but it is much better than that.

There is no fourth wall breaking film stutter to signal the end of madness. There are no tanks of blood spewing and only one Casshernesque gene pool..

I was hoping for something as cool as watching Steve beat "Dead Space" - a PS3 game with a rich backstory - and got something even better!

Recommended.

Threefer - District 9, Star Trek, 9

2009-09-10T06:56:00.004-05:00

3 days, 2 theaters, 3 movies. A fine "welcome back" to the 1st world. No embedded travel stories in these short reviews, I promise. Reviewed in viewing order:

District 9 - Wow. Terrific film here. This is the new school stuff, with seamless CGI blended into daytime instead of night, the real world instead of a dark, post-apok alterna-verse.

Great story, well written, that does not beat you over the head. I am thinking "3 Kings" good as far as the writing goes. The lessons and points are absolutely there to be taken, but are not force fed through a narrow tube or POV down the throat.

The main character is an everyman that does not make all the right choices in any situation. His acting is top notch, and fearless.

Peter Jackson presented this, so 'nuf said about the SFX.

This one is a must see.

Star Trek - They got it right, finally. I have enjoyed moments of all the other Star Trek movies, but usually leave shaking my head. I went to this one hopeful (and at the dollar theater) but not unguarded. Everyone that told me how good it was was too young to have seen the original "back in the day".

This is a real treat for those of us that did. A bona fide feature length episode that perhaps shits on the Shat too much, but that is geek humor. Trust the audience enough to present the multiverse without too much of a didactic spew of over-explanation.

Kudos to all the fearless actors playing characters so dear to so many and getting it as right as the script allows. MVP to Karl Urban for being "the Bones".

This one might not ignite a new generation of fans, but will bring us all back in 2011 for the next installment...

9 - I am a sucker for animation, and Burton has done a lot for the genre. This film advances that, and offers a dark alternative to the laugh a minute coolness Pixar off handedly tosses us with such startling consistency.

This movie earns its PG 13 rating. I hope teens do go, and I hope the goth/emo/weird kids have enough buying power to keep this afloat long enough for the moneymen to greenlight Burton's next piece, because the younger kids will be scared out of their minds. I'm not one to a> respect the rating system or 2> believe it, but this no breasts, little gore, and animated, film pushes some sophisticated buttons.

I am still digesting this 3rd one, as it conflicts with a bunch of my base principles, but i can without hesitancy say that this is a must see for anyone who wants to see big screen risk taking.

Recommended

Howler/Costa Rica/Through the Looking Glass

2009-07-11T09:07:00.002-05:00

A Picasa built collage of recent (7/9/9) photos..
Included: Law of survival. Diving in the shallows, crabwalk, kitten in the window, HowlerCafe guests at night (or 5 on a Quad), cleaning woman's bike and a little sushi!

Happening(s) @ the HowlerCafe

2009-06-29T11:38:00.002-05:00

Completed security for the Cafe..Art is found in strange places...

Looking through towards the ocean. Yes, walking distance.

Apocalypse Now has nothin' on the Howler. Taken from the front of the restaurant!

Spencer is the Barkeep, Waiter and the President of HowlerCafe Inc! The taller, more shy partner and author of this post hides in the kitchen, preppin' the Ribs..
Serving Handroasted Coffee daily on the Peninsula, Playa Tambor.

RIP Marilyn Chambers

2009-05-05T17:30:00.003-05:00

I guess this happened awhile ago. I remember some great nights watching her perform on the big screen, years ago. She recently did a commentary track for the "Definitive" version of "Insatiable", which was a delight to see again after all these years. The Ivory Snow girl was 56 when she died.

Crank 2

2009-05-01T10:36:00.002-05:00

The expectation? They can't possibly live up to the first one.
Very few sequels outdo -- perhaps because of the novelty factor, a la "bullet-time" in the Matrix -- the original. Crank was such a surprise, fantastic camera, decent acting and Dwight Yoakim, that I figured it would follow the Charlie's Angels model.
You remember, the first Charlie's Angels was perhaps overlong but had a terrific sense of humor and nice campy visuals, and the second one lost it.
Crank 2 is a sequel that replays the first one in feel and deed. The feel was "wow" these guys(Neveldine/Taylor directors, and the entire cast) had a great time making this and are not too arty to share with us. Yes, there is way too much misogyny, homo jokes and gore, but Christ we live in a time that Pirate Bay is in jail and Bush got away with it.
Crank 2 felt fresh in a way "Shoot 'em Up" should have but didn't. The film is packed with ideas, everything seems easy and edgy and pushed as hard as they wanted.
Recommended!

Senseless Juxtaposition

2009-04-18T11:42:00.004-05:00

We interrupt this occasional Howler update page to voice a little rant. Apologies in advance!
My gmail box gathers a few journals and news feeds, including the ACLU. Oddly enough I know enough Kansans to finally understand they are just a bunch of communists trying to destroy our country from the inside. These are the same Kansans that hate listening to me rant in person about unlawful wiretaps, being searched at the airport, etc ad infinitum. The ACLU writes:
The new administration will not pursue legal action against the torturers or the architects of the criminal acts carried out in the name of "security". They will continue wiretapping, but that is another rant. This is a juxtaposition.
So, the juxt: Pirate Bay founders get a year in jail each and severe fines. Media companies applaud (and paid for) this brave decision to put those cassette trading, used book reading communist hippy freaks away.
So, crimes against humanity committed in the name of Freedom by a country I once called home are not worth addressing, but some suits tricklestream coke budget is.
What a wonderful world we have made. Let me lock the gate.

Ice Machine Lives

2009-04-15T17:30:00.000-05:00

For now just a picture, coming soon, the entire "saga of the Hoshizaki"....stay tuned!

HowlerCafe Lives!

2009-04-10T14:49:00.000-05:00

Rib night at the HowlerCafe. Guests included some local Ticos who usually find my food too spicy, but loved the Jamaican Jerk! A nice couple from Massachusetts were in attendance, eating Howler Chicken and beans..
Sold through the ribs, the Diablos, and the Stag dessert I designed(think Rhino and Raspberries). We have been well received, now it is just a matter of doing it every day really well, keeping it fresh and paying attention to costs! Simple, right?
No AC as you can see, but it is comfortable outside the kitchen with the useless overhead fans and the ocean breeze. One might hear the ocean if your host didn't have the blues turned up so loud! Towards the end of the evening when your the Blind Boys are belting out their holy thing the entire restaurant gets a gentle rocking vibe on, and spanish and english people mingle together like rice and beans.
Makes me smile!

Benjamin Buttons

2009-02-27T11:39:00.003-06:00

The San Jose HowlerCafe shopping trip ended in a mall, of all places. The theater in the mall showed movies that are either dubbed or subtitled, as Costa Rica is a Spanish speaking country. They don't bother asking the audience to turn off their cellphones, which the stadium seating allowed me clear view of bright phone screens, as opposed to the film, which was film, not digital, but it sure was terrific to see a movie on the big screen again!
I am in a foreign country with my <6 month wife, missing her terribly and not due home for another miserable(where miserable = not sleeping with aforementioned spouse) night.
"Benjamin Button" is about the big thing(s), with concentrations in "living in the moment", family, love, old age and love. Yep, love is all over this film.
I left home at 3am with an unfinished collapse of understanding between the spouse and I weighing heavy on my heart. We will not be able to resolve the misunderstanding when I get back -- temporary madness and all -- but that is another matter. The tough part of dramas like "Button" is that they always seem to be about the trouble(s) in ones own life. Things happening in the film ring with truth because you just lived it, particularly when the writing and the acting are up to the task.
Fincher and his crew are, and are playing for keeps. This movie, without overt flash, pulls out all the stops, and only shows off a little. Great whale and squid ww2 scene in the midst of button, arcs of tracers illuminating even as it rips apart the target. There is of course the CGI conceit of the premise and the sepiatoned bits, but these diminish over the course of Benjamin's long life.
"Benjamin Button" is the movie "the Notebook" wanted to be, with more sex and alcohol. The movie is long, thoughtful, and willing to show us what we need to stay engaged. I was at the end of a day that started at 3am and found myself enthralled over the entire 3 hours of this epic. Many of the reviews I have read after watching the film seem to find it too "Gump" or too trite, for me it banged on all cylinders, in a way Gump did not.
Living in the moment may be a lesson we all have heard, but few live it, regardless. Nothing wrong with a reminder once in awhile. The response here in Costa Rica to the question "how are you?" is "Pura Vida!". I hope some of those peeps on the phone caught that message before they filed out of the theater.
"Benjamin Button" is a 3 hour tour de force of skewed time and gets it right.
Recommended.

Sunrise from the Ferry

2009-02-12T10:26:00.002-06:00

One of them is the moon.

Costa Rica Jumble

2009-02-09T12:20:00.000-06:00

HowlerCafe Meter

2009-02-06T11:28:00.000-06:00

Our new power meter. I cannot wait to watch the kilowatts count up!
The boat has arrived with my equipment, now it is in customs. Custom duty is 46% of declared value. I love borders, passports, duties and tariffs!

Bug Beauties

2009-02-04T10:37:00.000-06:00

These got left off the Aliens posting...

Is this gonna be a stand-up fight, sir, or another bug hunt?

2009-02-03T09:15:00.000-06:00

Local critters hanging around the not quite open Howler Cafe...

Pre-emptive Strike

2009-01-31T12:59:00.000-06:00

So we were chillin' in the dining room last night. Doors open..no AC, commenting on how this "vacation day" involved the Wife being at work --pro bono-- for a 9 hour stretch, and in walked this fella...
We are not unfamiliar with scorpions, after all Jezebel had immaculately conceived 17 of them in my care, but this one was walking across the floor. Very healthy, medium claws which means pain not death, but as you can see no small beastie.
I thought a couple things: wife might be upset if I kill it which would mean long debate about killing things that are genetically mean and could ruin a potentially good Friday night forecast, or I could take the let the scorpion be and kill bugs that don't bother us until it stings us in our sleep..
So I killed it.

Nicaragua Contrasts

2009-01-30T17:38:00.000-06:00

Nica Culla!

2009-01-30T10:52:00.000-06:00

Nicaragua Pictures

2009-01-30T10:33:00.001-06:00

Tourist Visa in Costa Rica is a flat 90 day Visa. This means one must apply for an extension or leave the country for 72 hours. Those of us staying here have 2 drivable options: Nicaragua or Panama. My main man had overstayed so I went along for the ride.
He is my partner at the Howler which is still “under construction”. We have a party of 25 booked for February 18th. I am hoping we nave been up for a week before that, but I digress...suffice to say I chalked my trip up to “research”. San Juan Del Sur is a tourist town, nice roads, running cold water and 90% uptime electricity. I'll be posting pics here and on flickr (sign up, viewing is free. Add me as a contact and see all the weirdness in macro) On to the snaps!

Nica at Night

2009-01-27T08:51:00.003-06:00

(written in MyScene Notebook, 2am)
It is 2am in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. The 75cl of Queen Anne scotch is empty, if not dry.
I am reading Delillo´s Underworld. Listening to dogs bark. Deep, not low, bass music with a woman singing. Echo, reverb, wind.
The beat is a stop start throb. The voices (not the singer) are audible/overlapping but incomprehensible as I speak less than pidgeon Spanish.
It was later than this last night when I was jolted awake by the sound of sex in the next room.
The pain raised then was different than this. This is drink and existentialism and the loneliness of 4 days away from the woman I love.
I need to look up Bruegel´s "the Triumph of Death" tomorrow b4 returning to Costa Rica.

Angry Island - Hunting the English

2009-01-26T10:00:00.005-06:00

This is a collection of essays by A.A. Gill. My wife first brought the author to my attention with a restaurant review from the London Sunday Times. You know, London, where we met ;)

His review was delicious.

This collection revolves around the conceit that the English are noted for their barely controlled rage. He makes a pretty good case. Most of the blurbs take the book as satire/humor and seem to leave it at that.

Perhaps it is my being a stranger in a strange land here in Nicaragua, separated from the aforementioned wife who is not in London but nonetheless distant, but I got a lot more than a couple of good hours in the pages from this.

Not sure if the book imprinted better by my being jolted awake at 3am by the local talent in the adjacent room, but imprint it did. Let me spoil an essay:
Voice -- is an essay that discusses class structure and upward mobility based on accents, with an emphasis on the various English accents. I learned to speak watching TV, and have been known to jibe at my Kansas friends for their pronunciation of words like "cement" -- you know "see-ment", and "lawyer".

Boy, do I feel like a jackass.

This skinny book is replete with behavior altering, cool insights, just like that. From the guy that doesn´t like comedy, I highly recommend it!

Costa Rica Color Study(s)

2009-01-25T18:35:00.006-06:00

More pics from the back catalogue.
New new stuff coming Wednesday!
The trick to blogging from internet cafe in Nicaragua: 1 pic at a time!

Nicaragua

2009-01-25T13:59:00.002-06:00

Internet cafe too slow for me to upload pics, so a current events instead:
Woken at 5am this morning by roosters that warned the trucks would be coming soon anyway, I might as well get up.
Used keys to open shared bathroom for the cold shower. Soap supplied by hotel = 1 sliver of a travel bar. Contacts out in borrowed case, purchased solution for 7 dollars, actually in date. For perspective: room with 2 beds = 18 dollars a night, with 2 towels.

I was surprised the fifth of "Queen Ann" scotch was only half empty, but remembered the full bottle of vino tinto I drank at the "Dolce Vita" prior to the late night Howler strategy session. Dinner for 2 with 1 scotch, 5 beers and a full bottle of house wine = 35 dollars. Food was good, service hot. After dinner drinks marred by the arrival of rude gringos arranging tables the way they like without regard to seated customers. I cringed when the table leg hit the back of the eating customer without even a half hearted Spanglish apology.

Drank the bottle of wine watching spanish dubbed low rent Hercules meets Froddo in the bar.

Bar, tables, roofing and lighting now set for the Howler.

Coffee and Hummus for breakfast at the Gato Negro, delicious. Bought the wife a copy of a fat book that I never got back from Ken, back in the day, Delillo´s "Underworld".

Walked to Spencer´s dream home designed by a dictator a couple of leaders back, took a bunch of snaps I hope to post "soon". Lunch at the Gecko. Met the owner of this themed bar after a couple mid-Sunday margs -- a Spanish major with a minor in foreign relations -- talked about the downward spiral the states are in and the sharp look to his establishment.

Another restaurant this evening for research. Walked to Pali looking for lemons and Cardamon. Looks like a stop will be in order in Pachera..

the Way to Costa Rica

2009-01-24T18:18:00.003-06:00

Thanks to several complaints about file size, exposing everyone´s email etc, I have decided to share the "new life" pics here on the blog, pending the launch of the HowlerCafe website...
I am a few big emails behind, but wanted to get started, so ENJOY...
(yes, I will caption the new stuff)
I have chosen to not reactivate my Facebook account as the "college students" doing "homework" via Facebook has soured me to that social network. Feel free to comment on the pics as you see fit here..

Night at the Iguana on the Isle of Jura

2008-12-19T07:17:00.008-06:00

The delicious Jura beat back the cold on this the final movie night hosted by the 2404i crew. Big thanks to Steve for a fine scotch pick. A shout out also to David, for recommending the too good for the iPod generation film, "Night at the Iguana".

Movie Night ended then at the 2404 location.

Movie night will return 5 days a week and a Sunday Matinee relocated in Tambor, CR pending renovation of the existing building and acquisition of a DVD projection system.

Planned schedule: Monday - Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10:15pm. Sunday Matinee at dusk. Admission free, seating limited. Accepting suggestions for "Grand Opening Film"..

Quantum of Solace

2008-11-14T06:59:00.005-06:00

The Vesper Martini: 3oz Gordon's Gin, 1oz Stoli, 1/2oz Lillet, lemon peel and we all know how to prepare it. Served a batch before the Midnight Opening, and it set the tone for a normal Bond film: excessive and in good spirits -- but this was no normal Bond film.
Let me whip out a reviewer word "hyperkinetic" and then continue down that path - nope! Can't join that whining line o' chatter.
Never mind the title sequence, just enjoy the cool title track and the rest of the film's "Bond variations" soundtrack. Where is the tracking gunbarrel and blood wash? Where is Q? Patience!
This film is edited in shorthand. The fourth wall is chalk outline. I went to the film with the usual suspects and the newcomer, my less than 2 month hitched wife, who has not seen every Bond film 3 times like some of us. She has not scoured the intertubes looking for bits about Parkour or even contemplated seeing "Blood and Chocolate" for the Parkour alleged therein..so the editing was a little hectic for her.
Just right for me though. The film was like a conversation between two East-Coasters -- half sentences and interruptions and a whole lot of ground covered really quickly. Bring it on. I am sure I am not the only one looking for the next level.
Recommended!

Obama. I still can't believe it. Wow!

2008-11-05T05:58:00.003-06:00

Fingers crossed that the new boss ain't the same as the old boss. Hope. There is still time to fix this big country. Darren was right, racism has lost. I predicted White Fear to stop this, and I am happy to be wrong. I thank Science Fiction, and the dream of a color blind world. Now if we can just get the media to stop fanning the ashes..

Electric Dragon 80.000V

2008-10-15T07:40:00.004-05:00

This is Japanese CyberPunk from Sogo Ishii. Yes, yes, the guy that did the insane "Burst City". "Electric Dragon" is a touch more linear, and benefits from that for my tastes. This is shot in black and white, with deft camera movement and embedded animation, Manga style. I'd like to comment on the terrific music that Dragon Eye Morrison (our hero) wrenches out of his electric guitar.
The movie is short, loud and fast. It has a stripped down lean feel, like an old biker film with a sheen of art and better editing. This is highly recommended with the caveat that it is not for everyone. It is non-linear, abrasive and gorgeous. The soundtrack is psychedelic punk guitar. There are no Asian women, no Kung Fu, just the crackling of 80.000v!

babylon AD

2008-09-04T07:04:00.005-05:00

Vin's "Children of Men" earned a 4 on the "Tomatometer". Partly because it was "Children of Men", partly because it was Vin, and most assuredly for the editing of the fight scenes. That being said "4" is harsh and wrong and a collection of straight world reviews. PS: not all science fiction has to transcend the genre.
This is genre, it is chock full of cool things, it has the Belle Parkour Team doing the stunts -- and if you don't know who those guys are you haven't been paying attention. Did I mention Michelle Yeoh as a co-star? No? A 4 -- shame on your tomatometer. Check out the interactive folding map in the trunk and then you give it a four.
Recommended

Red Belt

2008-09-04T07:03:00.005-05:00

Next time you catch a rerun of Married With Children -- and I don't care if it is for the sharp writing, Christina Applegate or Peg's Leopard top -- try to get your head around "Al" being a Black Belt. We already know from the "Spanish Prisoner" that he and Mamet work together..but to this Kansas transplant they seem an unlikely pair. Apparently Ed O'Neill (Al) has some martial arts in him, and got Mamet involved.
"Redbelt" is the first child of this pairing on that subject, and man is it good.
Like all Mamet it is important to have the guests seated and focused and well-lubricated prior to pressing play(you assume correctly Grasshopper, this did not make the 50 mile travel for a movie radius). "Redbelt" opens hard and fast and keeps moving. The moments of stillness that come in the film are oasii of reflection and conjecture as the none riveted parts of the mind fill in the backstories, the time and the place of this wonderful tale.
Top notch writing a given -- this is Mamet -- and the actors are up to the task. Camera is good, if not excellent, as is the soundtrack. The story may strain plausibility -- but look at the VP on the Republican side -- truth can be stranger than fiction.
This is highly recommended on several fronts, not the least of which is my love of action films -- which this qualifies as easily, though is not confined by the label, and as another feather in the cap of Mr Mamet.

Mad Men

2008-09-04T07:02:00.005-05:00

I will start off by mentioning my bias: I am an ex-salesman. "Glengarry Glen Ross" is not a sad movie about desperate men for me but a tour de force by Mamet that captures the biz on key, perfectly. Additional bias includes watching the series on Blue-Ray with a beautiful woman that loves the show. No, she does not call me "Don Draper" at inappropriate times...
All that being said, here is a quick synopsis, and a couple o' comments. "Mad Men" are a self-promoting group of Madison Avenue advertising guys in the late 50's - early 60's. The 1st Season introduces the team, and their office -- and the politics of the office and the times.
This is done with a hyper saturated palette and sense of irony. The viewers already know the results of their campaigns (or at least we should -- I work in an office that thinks Pinochet is a wood puppet) but the entertainment is in the details. Like the Glengarry Glen Ross crew these guys are charismatic, focused, and completely wrong on so many levels.
The show is nuanced enough to keep you watching, and caring, for these b-(ad) men and the women that love them. As a period piece it may be way over the top. As a costume drama it is nearly as interesting as "Rome" -- yes, the costumes are at that level -- and the colors of Rayon and Polyester pop amidst the clatter of manual typewriters and glass doored office spaces.

I am so looking forward to Season 2!

Twilight Samurai

2008-08-20T08:46:00.002-05:00

This poster is a little misleading: there is precious little blood in this quiet, moving film. Apparently the critics mistook Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat's understated acting as turgid and unemotional way back when "Crouching Tiger" landed on US soil. Not sure how this could have been said, as every gesture and glance spoke clearer love than I can even imagine, never mind endure..
"Twilight" has as powerful an emotional feel, in a slightly different period of time in history.
I'm betting the critics were too busy reading the subtitles to see the actors! A common complaint, "I want to watch movies not read 'em," apparently extends beyond the Kansas borders...
"Twilight Samurai" is the first part of a trilogy I have been hounded to watch for over a year now.
I was not fooled by the cover, and imagined a slow period drama sleeper, in spite of the stand up guy that recommended the film. I should have been more trusting, as this film is superb.
So you lean back, mumble a bit about my incoherent spoiler free reviews and think, well, he says it is a Samurai film without blood and has love at the core, so how could his original assertion that the film must be a boring period drama have been so wrong?
Alienation does not always mean tattoos and piercings or even that we are all storage cells for the hive mind!
Recommended

RIP Bernie Mac

2008-08-09T09:04:00.003-05:00

As my sister once said, "Bernie Mac is one funny motherfucker."
"Kings of Comedy" was the movie we were discussing. Bernie Mac, bigger than life with a bigger heart. He will be missed -- and I don't like comedy. We could talk about his show, we could talk about the smartfellas trying to find a place for this very funny guy -- from his TV show to the "Transformers" and yeah "Charlie's Angels 2". That list should let you know just how hard they tried and failed to contain/showcase his talent.

Anthony Wilson "Adult Themes"

2008-08-05T20:20:00.002-05:00

The nature of my day job is largely thankless. We replace electronics for the insurance industry, so are customers are not repeats, usually suspicious, and have just been ripped off by thieves -- not the best environment for fun. I am no longer a rep, but the IT guy. I do answer the phones once in awhile, and, as luck would have it, found a fellow Jazz listener.
I recommended Kip Hanrahan, he recommended Anthony Wilson. I ordered "Adult Themes" on his rec, and was delighted with what I heard. Anthony Wilson has put together a terrific album. I enjoyed it from the first listen, but took a couple more spins just because.
"Because", the Beatles tune, is one of the covers on this record, and it is very well done. It is nice to have a familiar melody deconstructed and exploded by guys at the top of their game, and this is a pretty solid cover.
The gem on this disc is the "Adult Themes" suite, which closes the record. It is done in several movements and really swings. This is big band music with intimacy and chops that hold up to repeated listenings. Like Mr Gold(thank you), I will have to recommend this one!

Dark Knight

2008-07-21T06:25:00.006-05:00

Darren says: Best comic book movie ever. Christopher Nolan says, damn skippy.
"Memento" rocked. "Batman Begins" rocked. That is just the director.
Toss in Christian Bale -- "American Psycho", "The Machinist", "Equilibrium". "Reign of Fire", "The Prestige" and even "Velvet Goldmine" -- as the darkest Batman yet and the only thing that could go wrong would be the villain.
Actually the hardest part of the Dark Knight is knowing Heath Ledger is dead. He made a lot more movies than James Dean, and leaves us with quite a legacy. The marketing suits play up the connection, but it is absolutely unnecessary, excessively tawdry, and even worse than all the damn product tie ins that play during the previews/tv ads.
Ledger played the Joker unflinching. A masterful performance. I could not watch, just as I had trouble with "the Crow", and forget that the guy I was watching was dead. A true shame.
On the positive side, this bleak uncompromising vision of Gotham has terrific camera. I was actually able to see the heightened depth of field of the Imax equipment, and Nolan was able to show it off. Fight scenes were brutal, quick and physical. Until the blinking blue eye caps we are treated to Bale in the blackest black suit and the clearly real world engineered Batmobile with a dose of real world weight and heft unmatched in the artificial light of the CG choreography that rules the modern actioner. No F15s in midtown Gotham!
Nolan does not live in a bubble, and like every film made since 911, he pushes the Iraq War into our face. Batman faces his heart of darkness, we must face our chickenshit response to a conflict we choose not to understand. We must face the absurdity of serving evil to destroy a perceived threat, and understand the cost to our own soul.
Heavy stuff for comic books.
That just means you haven't read any comics lately. Comic writers have been grappling with power and the abuse of it long before Bush took office, but the lines have never been drawn with such emphasis. Artists are sensitive people, and the assault on morality and reason has been unrelenting for the last 8 years. Enough is enough, and that plain fact has bled onto the screen, into the comics, and blogs and the cereal aisle at Dillons.
Janet Jackson (fine rescinded) was charged a half million dollars for a breast flash while we waterboard human beings. Thank goodness the Pentagon has a voice in every newsroom to make excuses.
The overt critical movies like "Rendition" and "Stop Loss" died like "Talladega Nights" should have, Nolan is smart enough to wrap his message in Batwings and serve it hot, in the dark.
Since every man woman and child in America will see "Dark Knight" twice (if the box is to be believed) perhaps the tide will turn -- no more eviscerated, bubble-gum "Fantastic Four" movies, and no more draconian laws and pardons for the illusion of safety. When the corporate ties to modern evil are a given (A la Iron Man) and government collusion (Lord of War) not even a twist, perhaps the voting public will make the connection.
"The Sheep Look Up" if you will, with all apologies to John Brunner.
Recommended (even though you have already seen it)

Hellboy 2

2008-07-21T06:22:00.004-05:00

Hellboy 2 was worth the wait! Real time seemed to pass very slowly, as it was clear all Mr Del Toro needed was a green light to make this sequel. In the interim we received "Pan's Labyrinth" and that pedigree is evident in Hellboy 2. Maybe pacing had some issues, maybe silly and slapstick were pushed a touch far -- but you can choose to let the bowling pin sounds in "Burly Brawl" ruin the film or just go with it.
The creatures and attention to detail will have me watching this on Blue Ray over and over.
There a section of the film that plays as an homage to the puppeteers of that underseen gem "Strings".
Jim Henson is smiling from the grave at Hellboy. The Brothers Quay and even Tim Burton have to love what Del Toro has done!
This movie slathers a little weight over the lightness, and a little silly romance...We lost our straight man Myers and the cigar smoking bald guy has also undergone a script castration, but Ron Perlman is Hellboy. No one else could pull it off, not even Christian Bale! It is about time Perlman got the DaVinci/Lovecraft symbols cut into his flesh -- they look great, and think of the time he will save in make-up for number 3!
Our ace badguy, the long haired sword swinging freak in the trailer, was my last concern that was completely demolished by the very first scene of advanced Tai Chi with stick and blades.
Recommended

Brave

2008-07-07T08:51:00.003-05:00

A Thai action-comedy. You can see above cool haircut, glasses and even legible titles...
This was the film I saw the trailer of on the "Chocolate" stunner reviewed earlier. There were several trailers on that disc, this was the one I did not already have. It appeared from the trailer to be a must see, and, thankfully, did not disappoint!
This film has some very nice stuntwork, a convoluted plot and a couple of high kicking receptionists--the only thing missing the Thai Trannie! I am getting used to the slapstick Thai sense of humor, I suppose it may atone for the over the top brutality of the Muay-Thai elbow. "Brave" is not a Tony Jaa or even a Jija Yanin Vismitananda take no prisoners elbow smash stunt man wounding epic, but it is no slouch either!
Ultimately it will be my kick along while watching heartrate that eventually stops me from watching these crazy films, but until then stay tuned.
Recommended

RIP: Thomas Disch

2008-07-07T08:14:00.002-05:00

A suicide along the lines of Spaulding Gray perhaps? Done on July 4th, so perhaps a touch more pointed, but Disch was a poet. He was also a science fiction writer.
I found him after reading a blurb from him on the back cover of Theodore Sturgeon's "More than Human."
Follow the journey, pick up a copy of "Camp Concentration." This is not your father's Space Opera.

4th of July Reflections

2008-07-07T07:56:00.003-05:00

I have a dirty secret. I listen to Limbaugh on the way home at lunch, a 7 minute commute. I don't make it home without shutting it off in disgust, but last week I found myself sitting in the car in my driveway listening while he read the following text:
A Not-So-Glorious Fourth
When he finished reciting he launched into a tirade about the Left and the Media and I enjoyed my lunch, "Rush free." I looked up the editorial, read it through a couple more times, and chose not to celebrate Friday.
Chris Satullo hit the nail on the head. Thanks!

Blue Ray B-13

2008-07-05T14:05:00.003-05:00

I vowed I would not rebuy movies I already own just because they are available on Blue Ray. The image can't be that much better can it? My flat screen only goes to 1081i, what is the point? The movies are more expensive! Yes, I have 105 other reasons not to make the jump.
I did it.
It is that much better, even in 1080i.
District B-13 is, like Crank, a perfect "B" movie. Unlike Crank it showcases Parkour, and the clarity that Blue Ray brings to the image rules. There is absolutely no excuse not to see this movie now. Get to it!

Resistance: Fall of Man

2008-07-05T10:42:00.004-05:00

I finally finished my first borrowed PS3 game. "Resistance" is an FPS, and if you ask around those that know will tell you I am an iD fanboy with a Quake tat where my heart belongs. That should give you all the necessary clues to recognize that I am not a console gamer by nature!
Regardless, I played on medium setting and had a blast. This alternate past alien invasion shooter made the hours go by with amped up heart rate and twitchy finger. Hardest thing for me was to not mash the right stick and go into zoom mode during melee.
Artwork looked great -- what doesn't on the PS3 -- if somewhat dated. Concept stuff was cool, if derivative of all our FPS favorites. Half-Life, Unreal Tournament, Halo et al. Thank goodness they left the "only what you can carry rule" out -- I must have had an arsenal of 10 cool weapons in a sack. Gameworld paused while I switched weapons, which is very handy for a guy who wants to hit the 3 key for the shotgun!
Medium was not particularly challenging, which is good because this has a "checkpoint" save system, and we all know how a long checkpoint through total crap play can ruin a game. I have to kill all the flying pigeons again??!! That being said, there were no standout desperate must get to checkpoint moments.
Apparently this has a multiplayer component, but that will remain untested. Tuesday I return the game with a sincere thanks.
Recommended

Hancock

2008-07-02T09:34:00.003-05:00

Summer Fluff?
I think not! Sure, Hancock is shiny, has Will Smith, and some really funny bits we have all seen way too many times in the trailer -- but Hancock has meat. Hancock has emotional weight -- unlike "Iron Man," who had a heavy suit. I am not denigrating "Iron Man" just pointing out the differences.
There are parts of this movie that will be really heavy for young kids. I don't like trailers, never mind spoilers, but suffice to say that the 8 and under crowd may find parts of this disturbing, and not in a gore way but in the consequences of modern, broken families.
I cannot underline enough my pleasant surprise with "Hancock." It is the flipside to the comic book cynicism of "Wanted" -- where the comic artists are grappling with new view realities that recognize secondary consequences, and just what we have been doing over the last 8 years and how that has shaped the national psyche.
Christ, look at the deep-ness of this summer movie review.
Hancock! See It!

Wall e

2008-07-01T11:20:00.003-05:00

The opening Pixar short was absolutely fabulous. Inventive, with not a frame wasted...
"Wall e" does not suffer the same economy. Because this is "I Am Legend" or perhaps more apropos "Silent Running" there is not a lot of dialogue in the single robot in post apocalyptic world scenario...and plenty of sprawl.
This freaked the adult audience out..they squirmed more than the kids at the showing I saw! That being said, this is not for the short of attention, perhaps too long for kids, like "Speed Racer" before it.
"Wall e" is light satire, but should be understood by all as not an illogical conclusion to our present behavior as a species. It reminded me of "The Happening" -- a film I went in wanting to like but was put off by the gore -- but I am still thinking about both of these films, days later. "Wall e" tells a great tale, gently. Humans are the cause, and the cure. There is hope in this film, and a warm gentleness that might let its message sink in.
Recommended

archive -- American Psycho

2008-06-28T15:25:00.003-05:00

Directed by Mary Harron.
Starring Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Cara Seymour.

For me American Psycho joins a number of films in the past year that nail my experience(s)/mindset.
The other films on this list?

Fight Club
American Beauty
Magnolia

It has been said by more than one person that the books I read are all the same. Sometimes the speaker will qualify--
the books aren't about the same thing, but the "tone" and "outlook"(bleak) are the same.
I found that all of the films listed above had similar themes, similar outlooks, etc, but in my deconstruction the endpoint is hope.

To American Psycho, pointedly: the "eighties" (the actual main character in American Psycho, not the lead "role") was my time in the corporate world.
I remember showing off my business card design. I remember nouvelle cuisine, audiophilia, and yes, Huey Lewis and the News.
American Psycho is black comedy in the vein of Natural Born Killers, without that film's air of voyeurism.

I'm tempted to read the book!

Could this body be the next Batman?

Kung Fu Panda

2008-06-28T15:17:00.003-05:00

Martial Arts? Animation? Panda? How can this possibly work?
Wonderfully.
It may not be "the Incredibles" or "Wall E" but it is a fun film for everyone, not just boomers and their late born spoiled children!
I don't want to sell this short by comparing it to two of the best big budget animations, but I found little to offend my "delicate sensibilities" and a lot to recommend. I prefer a theater filled with excited children to a bunch of rude texting teens anyday.
Recommended.

The Incredible Hulk

2008-06-28T15:15:00.003-05:00

The "Incredible Hulk" arrives with some baggage. It is not a sequel to Ang Lee's fine film, but a "redo." One could derive the rest of this review by simply deconstructing that sentence, but I'll elaborate. Let's pretend the baggage doesn't exist.
Starting there, the Incredible Hulk impresses. Origins are dealt with quickly in the title sequence, but it will be awhile before we see the Hulk big and green. Norton does a fine job with the human Banner half of the Hulk, though I would not say that he has channeled Bill Bixby -- the TV Hulk -- which was part of the intent. This human half Hulk has more in common with the "The Ultimates" Hulk, a more rounded, less sympathetic portrayal.
Tim Roth impresses before the CGI takes him out of the picture. William Hurt does a less blustering more tortured General Ross than the comics I remember, but he is a delight to watch. The action sequences are fine green eye candy. A couple of them are inventive, and there is some nice "Parkour" chase stuff sprinkled throughout.
However -- this Hulk is not even 25% better than Ang Lee's, and that is the line I drew in the sand. Remakes -- like "Batman Begins" and "Casino Royale" must exceed what has come before, particularly when they start with the stated -- we can do better. "Batman Begins" did it, "Casino Royale" did too, for it's Bond audience.
Go to this one if you didn't like Ang Lee's, enjoy your Hulk Smash -- otherwise go to Hancock!

Wanted

2008-06-28T15:02:00.003-05:00

Unlike "Tomb Raider" the image above is the only deliberately prurient shot in the film, and it is very short. This is a nihilistic comic book action film directed by the crazy guy that brought us such delight with "Nightwatch" and "Daywatch". Blood is the fluid most oft displayed, but the action sequences are nearly "Ultraviolet" impossible and require a supreme suspension of disbelief.
The movie opens with one of these pieces, and by the time the human propelled flight ends you will know whether you should stay or not.
I stayed twice.
That being said, there is a mean streak at work here and in the source material. I might add that the comic book origins have been watered down like "The Golden Compass" -- without the film spoiling that evisceration caused, but still changing things as only a nervous Hollywood can.
Recommended.

archive -- Wonder Boys

2008-06-13T17:33:00.002-05:00

Directed by Curtis Hanson
Starring Michael Douglas, Robert Downey Jr., and Tobey Maguire.

archive -- Pitch Black

2008-06-12T15:52:00.002-05:00

Directed by David Twohy. 2000
Starring Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser.
Anticipation and expectation once again collided with reality.
An hour long special on SCI FI, Into Pitch Black, created an intricate picture of
the Vin Diesel character, Riddick. Glimpses of the planet, hints of plot: I was
hooked.

Movie opened in space, camera tracks inside ship. Best image of the whole movie:
Riddick in chains and horsebit, blindfolded but awake during cryosleep.

Crash land into "Alien in the Desert".
The good:
Vin Diesel
Zeke (character)
Landscape Camera
Bang for buck special effects
Pace
Bad:
Coincidence
Stupidity
Lack of character development

Verdict:
Try to ignore the real obvious plot problems, get your head spun around for a couple
of hours. This is bad science fiction, not horror. Bad science fiction beats Teen Comedy
in my book EVERY day.

archive -- End of the Affair

2008-06-12T15:42:00.002-05:00

Directed by Neil Jordan 2000
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore, and Stephen Rea.

A portrait of jealousy in brown,black and rain.

40 years later, even through the camera lens, Graham Greene's self-loathing is palpable.

It is hard to feel sympathy for the man, he wants us to stare at jealousy and understand it's
power to destroy love, and life. Neil Jordan paints it black.

The cuckold, his wife and her lover.

Painful to watch; civilization straining it's layered linen and wool in a time when to "let it all hang out"
was simply out of the question.
Recommended.

archive -- Magnolia

2008-06-12T09:55:00.008-05:00

Directed by PT Anderson
Starring William Macy, Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall.

"How come there's no 10 o'clock show?"
"The movie is 3 1/2 hours long sir."
So I sat in the front row so I could stretch my legs.

The movie opens "Bond style", a few minutes of action, then credits, then into the film proper.
The few minutes of action were 3 short "films", all shot in wildly different styles.

After the credits the camera began throwing images at us as the narrator continued. He stopped. The camera
did not. After about twenty minutes of the camera pouring information straight into my hind brain I leaned to my partner and said,
"if he can keep up this pace for 3 hours I'm going to pop." It was like a moving "Run Lola Run" jag.

Of course it is not all that fast, and we soon settle into solid story(ies)telling. Multiple characters, same general location, same day.
Variable weather titles break the action up into chapters, or movements. We've seen similar technique, "Go", "Pulp Fiction", "Happiness".

Well, this is the film "Happiness" should have been, and is just as ambitious. Sure, we all have the scenes we'd like to trim out, but who are we?
I had written some painters a while back about the size of their canvas. Cristo is the only one who responded, with the point that if I was orbiting the planet his scale would seem just right.

Our themes here? Guilt, regret, forgiveness, aging. Why would a young, charismatic guy develop a mysogynistic self help system called Seduce and Destroy? What sends a man into that kind of rage?

"It's in my bones, I'm fucked. "

"It is dangerous to confuse children with angels."

These people careen through the day mindless of the connections, watching a quiz show developed by a dying old man, hosted by a dying man, turning parents into monsters and kids into freaks and in the end we slip the shoes on and pull the strings taut and who would have guessed how well they fit?

Great cast, worked well together. Some of the "notes" of this symphony seemed more phony than symphonic, which hurt the film, like Spike Lee's hammy acting in Summer of Sam. Sure, they pulled you out of the frame, but there was way too much greatness there, and in this film, to make it fatal.

Have an early supper, catch this film. Spend a few days looking inward at the heart of darkness, stare the beast down.
Oh yeah, buy the soundtrack!

archive -- Supernova

2008-06-12T09:40:00.014-05:00

Directed by Tommy Lee (aka Walter Hill)
Starring James Spader, Angela Bassett.

One quick question: What kind of dimension-jumping ambulance can't bring the wounded to a hospital?
I'll back up:
In order to travel multiple light years in minutes instead of decades all living crew must be in protective chambers.
This ship has exactly enough chambers for the crew, and no one else! They jump multiple light years and have to leave the patient(s) where they find 'em.

But enough about plot!

How about zero gee sex!

But we cut the movie into a short pg13 version!

Ok, what about cool spaceships!

Babylon 5?

Star power! Angela Bassett, usually hotter than Georgia asphalt, the best part of Strange Days, limps through this role on ice. Spader is decent as the new guy freshly off some future drug addiction and also second in command. Oh wait, we talked about plot already!

What happened? Making movies takes a lot of time and money. The SFX guys worked hard, the actors did there best but nothing gelled. I wanted to like this movie, like I wanted to like Event Horizon.

I enjoyed the time in space, on the ship and off, and I guess I still don't value my time and money enough.

This is a solid "B" movie, I think the new term is straight to video. If you're a sci-fi nut go ahead. You've seen worse.

Maybe the Dvd version will be put back together.

archive -- The Hurricane

2008-06-12T09:34:00.003-05:00

A picture only review from www.valiscafe.com. Movie bred a little controversy, and an older guy at the T-Star through me this tidbit:
The shells from the crime were in the Hurricane's car. This is not in the film, which I enjoyed!

Archive -- Stuart Little

2008-06-12T09:13:00.004-05:00

Wow! A review with a review from the ol' Valiscafe.com site!
Directed by Rob Minkoff.
Starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and the voice of Michael J. Fox.

"Please pass the gravy."

With that line George Little dodges his parents gentle pressure and underlines the basic problem of having a mouse as an adopted brother.

Colorize a Tim Burton film, add SOTA (state of the art) animation, and squeeze a "Little" house into Manhattan.
Fabulous sets and locations; a Surreal skew on the Big Apple

Ignore natural and physical laws.
Mouse adoption, cat co-operation, crossing the street in New York.

Put Duracell batteries into the toys.
To run the radio and lights of the Roadster across the city and back.

Give George a basement bedroom, complete with train set straight out of Track 29--and a model building table!
To build the boat and a wooden RC controller overnight!

Did I mention two loving parents?

Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Iron Giant, Toy Story 2, Stuart Little. I'm not sure what is driving the current bonanza in animation but please continue.

Getting a single ticket for Stuart Little @ 9:20 pm is like buying a condom in a drugstore--b4 Aids made it ok!
So get your friends to go with you.

Archive -- Anna And the King

2008-06-12T09:07:00.003-05:00

Another www.valiscafe.com picture "review".
I brought Ray and Hazel to this film as I was blown away by my first viewing and thought everyone should see this beautiful place. Then there were the beheadings..

archive project -- Eye of the Beholder

2008-06-12T08:19:00.007-05:00

My old site was valiscafe.com, hosted by a good friend TR who has since moved to more siliconized pastures. He leaves the site up for historical value I suppose. It was a much more ambitious undertaking than this blog, and consumed a lot more time.
Pauline Kael's "5000 Nights at the Movies" is a staggering work for sheer breadth. My reviews have thus far been scattered across 3 blogs, 2 sites and one long out of print magazine. I will be slowly transferring early reviews to this site...which is not to say I plan on publishing the pile, but nothing wrong with consolidation. Those posts will be marked as archival, and let me apologize in advance for rough edges of the older posts, this opening post is a case in point.
My review of "Eye of the Beholder" had links to other reviews, and the following pics!

Yes, I enjoyed the film thoroughly!

Chocolate <--M &Ms in Thai!

2008-06-10T22:21:00.002-05:00

Some kick ass martial arts Thai style. Let's take a look under the hood:
Homages to: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Tony Jaa, David Bell, check.
cool tattooed women with scars, check.
ladyboy assassin squad, check.
guns, swords, blocks of ice, parkour, check.
What is not to love?
Rush out and find this please. Yes I liked Iron Man. Sure, Forbidden Kingdom had Li and Chan, but this is Muai Thai!
No budget, all heart and knees and elbows and one riveting flic!
Recommended!

Round Black Ghosts

2008-06-09T16:00:00.004-05:00

This is a cool Dubstep collection. I have owned it for awhile, but it took several at volume listenings to really feel the disc. First impression was oh..the tempo is too fast...as it was late at night and I was looking for dark journey inside my skull, not a spine based trip. The next spin was at brunch while I multitasked in the kitchen. Much better.
The record is not "drum n' bass" tempo stuff, just not dubbed out honey...which, of course, is my "easy listening." To enjoy this record you will need a system with some bottom, and a time when you have not been beaten up all day by the stresses of "real life." Given those two conditions this will prove to be a hot disc for your edge electronics ears.
Recommended

The In-Kraut Vol 3

2008-06-09T15:52:00.004-05:00

What a fun series -- though I only have this one! Swinging music made whole and fresh..
A bunch of covers including "Whole Lotta Love" -- all recorded by German Artists in the late sixties and early seventies. Some engineer has made magic happen, these tracks sound fresh and clear as if they weren't 35 or more years old!
We will be wearing this one out at brunch...

Last Hero In China

2008-06-09T15:47:00.003-05:00

Jet Li as Wong Fei Hung, reprising a role from "Once Upon a Time in China". This is the same character Jackie Chan plays in "Drunken Master 2", and yes, Jet Li does a version of "Drunken Boxing".
The action is fast and furious and wire enhanced..
The humor is misogynist and slapstick and nearly unwatchable because of it...
However, the biggest criticism other reviewers have talked about is Jet Li in a chicken suit. I have to wholeheartedly disagree. Not only did it fit the film, it was a fantastic way to show how various Kung Fu styles were adapted.
This is a younger Jet Li than the guy in Fearless, and it is great to see the action!
Recommended

MUTO

2008-06-04T06:23:00.000-05:00

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
Found this on DVD Savant. Check it out!

R.I.P. Sydney Pollack

2008-05-26T21:56:00.003-05:00

Dammit.
Actor/Director
Spot on in Michael Clayton, Eyes Wide Shut and damn near everything else...
Directed a movie that actual changed the course of my life: "Absence of Malice".
That wasn't hyperbole -- that film ended my budding journalism career. Track that one down, it is still relevant today!
We lost a powerful talent today. Reflect for a moment.

Revolver

2008-05-23T08:30:00.006-05:00

Two stylized blue pics in a row...must be birthday weekend! Actually I wanted Liotta's mouth open, and the hot chick lounging next to him in the frame..but oddly enough, I didn't get the press kit!
"Revolver" is a couple years old, just now hitting DVD. It was directed by Guy Ritchie, and Luc Besson appears in the credits. This movie was maligned by the press -- Ebert wanted the film burned as for him it was insultingly bad. Wow. Marrying Madonna does have its perks!
I enjoyed the film immensely, but it should be clear that saturated colors, bass driven soundtracks and Chess as a motif are headshots for this reviewer. Toss in a slice of anime in tribute to Tarantino's tribute and all you would need to completely satisfy me would be a gorgeous female assassin. Oh wait, there is one of those too!
I mention Besson, because this film, billed as "thinking man's action", dovetails very nicely with "Angel A", Besson's psych piece, (also maligned, by the hipper than thou, fwiw). Both of these films take different routes to understanding and undoing the self-destructive tendencies of their protagonist. The commentary track pulls the curtain back entirely, stating that the movie is all about "transcending the conceptual self."
Their is plenty of action, not too much torture(for these desensitized and pro-torture times[what, you thing being human gets you something if you are not a citizen? Damn liberal!]) a smattering of gratuitous nudity, and some superfine silk robes. What's not to like?
Recommended.

Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus

2008-05-23T08:28:00.003-05:00

A jazz classic. With Rollins blowin', Max Roach on the drums, Tommy Flanagan playing piano and Doug Watkins on bass, it is absolutely magic listening. I have owned this disc before, but lost it long before moving out here to Kansas. A good friend sent me this, as my "real soon" migration to Costa Rica brought the opening track, "St Thomas," to mind for her.
She was right, it fits.More Rollins!

Bullet and Brain

2008-05-12T07:47:00.005-05:00

How different would my life be if I had not stumbled across Anthony Wong's soulful performance in "Beast Cops" so many years ago? I most certainly would still have had Chow Yun Fat, Tony Leung, Maggie Chung and Michelle Yeoh, but Anthony Wong can make nearly anything watchable. Thankfully "Bullet and Brain" has plenty of other redeeming qualities.
Bullet and Brain are the trade names of a legendary pair of hit men. They have retired, but also left some "get out of jail free" cards -- and the hot granddaughter of the dead Triad boss is calling them in for protection.
Throw in the stiff rookie cop with kung fu chops, the 3 days to retirement police chief and the blonde, ambitious, disrespectful lieutenant in the Triad and there you have it: HK Action! Make no mistake all of those elements are there -- like horses and cowboys in westerns I suppose -- and this is an enjoyable 1.5 hours of genre action, with a side of Anthony Wong.
Recommended

Speed Racer

2008-05-11T20:51:00.005-05:00

At brunch just prior to viewing I was reminiscing about "Speed Racer", one of the cartoons I watched as a sprout, and mentioned the ultrafast race around hairpin turns up a mountain in the rain. It was in there. The jump sound was in there. Racer X -- who used to make your heart stop every time he hit the screen -- is finally unmasked!
The one doubt I had was the kid and the monkey and they were fine.
This movie is 2+ hours of head spinnin' color and sound, like the end of 2001 except in color. Bright color.
I like serious movies, I do. This one wasn't, it was just the most fun I've had a live action animated film for kids since "Spy Kids". You adult types? Stay home.
Please compare and contrast Christina Ricci's roles in "Speed Racer" and "Black Snake Moan", 5 page minimum, single-spaced.
Recommended

Dynamite Warrior

2008-05-11T20:41:00.006-05:00

Thai action comedy. "Tears of a Black Tiger" Anyone? This is one each kick ass crazy mystical rocket riding martial arts film. It is a slice of another culture. Watched this on DVD and, like "Ong Bak" before it, I was blown away.
Slapstick humor pervades the film, black slapstick humor. Great action sequences, rockets and virgin menstrual blood mix together to right wrong, defeat evil and unleash the buffalo.
This movie has food I want to eat, clothes I want to wear and a whole host of peeps that can stand on one foot, solid as Sears, for as long as they have to. Camera movement is good, editing good, but the budget --enormous for Thailand no doubt-- is thin far as film stock and processing go. Those of us watching these films over the years can see through this, but "Fearless" and "SPL" have spoiled us with bright clear pictures and dynamic sound. The humor is not as postmod as "Tears", but the fighting is absolutely authentic, and the guns are few and far between.
This is fast paced fun.
Recommended

"Is that enough human justice for you?"

2008-05-11T20:36:00.005-05:00

It is hard to stay pissed at a show this good.

Slippery Slope

2008-05-10T10:04:00.005-05:00

More politics, rather than reviews. I am well aware that I have very limited access to the truth with regard to "official" anything. The overt manipulation of the media by this administration is poo-pooed and dismissed by my conservative friends with a "you think it started with Bush?" offhand response.
The NYT column I am linking to here discusses things that will never come fully into the light, just like much of our history. Bob Herbert's OP-ED "Seeds of Destruction" deserves a few minutes of contemplation before you rush out to see "Iron Man" again.
The United States cannot lead the planet to a more civilized place without first getting itself in order. That starts with a sense of decency and fairness that belies "survival of the fittest" and "winner takes all". I think that teaching the pitfalls and fallacy of applying Darwin to everyday decisions might go along way towards reaching the goal of a compassionate sustainable existence.

Iron Man

2008-05-03T20:57:00.006-05:00

Bravo!
Okay, need to go a little deeper than that.
Robert Downey Jr and Director John Favreau get it right. Soundtrack, in spite of Carmike Cinema's best efforts to destroy the viewing experience, was pop good. If Spiderman ushered Superheroes back in, the restart of Batman sealed the deal. Comic book movies are here to stay.
There are enough "geeks" in the mainstream to sustain this kind of entertainment. The times are so fantastically scary a good vs evil show with tech at the center becomes a triumphant feel good for a country just waiting for a regime change.
By the way, in case that is interpreted by a hyperpower as a cry for regime change? Please let me state now that I have no gold tub for your soldiers to bath in after their mission is accomplished.
I might use this space to talk about the cinema schizophrenia that demands absolute realism from it's historical fantasies (10,000BC) but lets the most improbable Iron Man stunts (and these bastards) off scot-free..
There is a "perhaps" involved I think.
Next viewing: 5 hours. Please assume that I will be once again asking management why AC-DC sounds louder from inside my car on the streets of St George than it did at the all digital, 1/2hr of TV commercials, second ticket price hike in six monthes -- oh wait! Hard Drives are made of corn.
I'm not saying the gun sounds were as weak as Halo 3's, I'm saying the sound was sculpted nearly as carefully as ILM made the suit, and deserves to be heard.
Recommended (in spite of this insanity) and even this.

An Empress and the Warriors

2008-04-30T09:23:00.003-05:00

Epic in scope, this is a simple tale of unrequited love, palace intrigue and several large scale battles..and yes, Donnie Yen does take on an entire army with a sword. Ok, so there is all the synopsis you are going to get..
Swords, arrows and cool armor bathe this cross and double cross in blood rather than speeches. There is one speech, given by a "pharmacist" that decides the course of a nation. Apparently back in the day people actually listened to their pharmacist.
It helped a little that this pharmacist was the sole survivor of a fierce warrior tribe...
Not sure I need to say more, but this is a love story, and a heartbreaker to boot. You could watch it for Donnie Yen alone and not be disappointed, but there is nothing wrong with the double treat of being able to bring the other half to a kung-fu movie and having her like it..
Recommended

Like a Dragon

2008-04-30T09:21:00.002-05:00

The picture above is for the video-game that this movie is based on..but do not let that deter you, the director is Takeshi Miike! His movies are nearly comic books in the best sense of the word -- picture driven, graphic, lightning fast. I'm prettty sure the whole "storyboarding" business has more than passing commonalities..
I'm not sure Japanese Schoolgirls without socks would be labeled an innovation, but certainly the young foil in this film begs the question! "Like a Dragon" no doubt references Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon," and, as such has a lot of kung-fu on display, sans Yuen Woo Ping. How many other choreographers can I name? Have you not read my review of "City of Violence?!"
One of my favorite recent Yakuza Characters was "Big D" from Johnnie To's outstanding "Election". Big D tore up the screen with his flamboyance, boasting, and a sadistic streak on full display via brutal acts of ultraviolence. He didn't have Majima's bat! Majima is the pirate patch wearing over the top crazy bastard..and Miike spells over the top with 2 eyes!
Kazuma is the good guy here, and quite a fighter. These sequences fall under the new term, mixed martial arts..though I can't seem to recall the Japanese Character for "shotgun".
All this being said, this is a gentler Miike film than even "Blue's Harp", and might be a good intro film, perhaps better than "City of Lost Souls".
Recommended

Southland Tales

2008-04-27T07:32:00.005-05:00

What do you do after "Donnie Darko?" You have managed to capture the minds of smart girls like no other movie this side of "Edward Scissorhands" and had one of the coolest songs ever, "Mad World", on the soundtrack, so what's next? I suppose you might hire the Rock and make a sci-fi satire of today..
I was sold when the backup for the cop named Taverner said "Flow My Tears..."
Yes, this is that kind of movie. Be prepared to connect the dots, and, like "Bladerunner" I suppose, be prepared to ignore the narrator.
This is a tale of an alternate near future, soaked in Hollywood, and served cold. Hippies and Republicans are skewered equally, as are the rest of us in this diamond hard, teeth clenched during the laughter film.
Recommended