Z At the Movies - Episode #1

Hey check out my new video reviews!

Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/user/MrJakeziegler#p/a/u/2/-hgARP1aLc4

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/user/MrJakeziegler#p/a/u/1/u-2qFaTvKAw

Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/user/MrJakeziegler#p/a/u/0/HDfQ9tRC8hE

Z At the Movies – Errol Morris Week– August 27, 2009

Give this man an Oscar.

I apologize for my absence the last two weeks, but my friends Nik, Jeff, and Lauren were all in town for Jeff’s wedding (well, Lauren wasn’t, she just happened to be back from Nicaragua at the same time Jeff and Kelly chose to get married). So I’ve seen more movies than this, but I’m going to stick with the format of just writing about what I’ve watched in the last week.

(500) Days of Summer, 2009 / ***½

Doing cutesy romance these days can be difficult, because it’s been done to death over the last couple of years. But writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber manage to make something wholly enjoyable and mostly original. Joseph Gordon-Levitt anchors the movie with a solid performance, and the luminous Zooey Deschanel is always a pleasure to watch. As a guy I found certain parts of this movie very frustrating because it felt so real, and that’s always a high compliment to give a movie like this.

Inglorious Basterds, 2009 / ****

Quentin Tarantino is still one of the most exciting filmmakers working today, 17 years after bursting onto the scene with Reservoir Dogs. This is Tarantino’s first period piece, but it’s clear from the early going that this movie wasn’t going to adhere to any prior rules set by the bevy of World War II films that have been made. The dialogue is so deliberate and tenaciously builds suspense to sudden outbursts of violence. The performances are all remarkable. Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine is pitch-perfect; watching him speak Italian may be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in a Tarantino movie. Melanie Laurent is outstanding as Shosanna, the emotional core of the movie. The rest of the supporting cast is great, of course. But no one gets more screen time, and does more with it, than Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa, the world’s foremost “Jew Hunter.” The finishing sequence is visually stunning and thrilling on a purely visceral level. This is one of the best movies of the year.

I Love You, Man, 2009 / ***½

Paul Rudd and Jason Segal are both undeniably likable in this affable comedy about the awkwardness of making guy friends. Outside of one projectile vomit joke the movie stays pretty close to realistic and just genuinely funny. I don’t remember too many “lines” from the movie per se, and that in this case is a positive. The supporting cast, with Rashida Jones, Jane Curtin, J.K. Simmons, Lou Ferigno, Andy Samberg, and a host of other recognizable faces are all very funny, but Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly stand out the most as the constantly bickering married couple.

Race to Witch Mountain, 2009 / ***

I’ve never seen the original version of this movie, but I’ll pretty much watch anything Dwayne Johnson stars in. This was a pretty entertaining family-oriented action movie that zipped right by. Johnson is always entertaining, and Carlo Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb, and Alexander Ludwig do a fine job.

Gran Torino, 2008 / ***½

Just for full disclosure, Clint Eastwood is one of my favorite directors and actors of all-time. He says this is the last time he’s appearing on camera, and it was a fitting swan song. His Walt Kowalski is a bitter old racist who has no peace in his life until he starts to bond with his Hmong neighbors, Sue (Ahney Her) and Thao (Bee Vang). The movie is very good, but both Her and Vang have never acted before. While I admire the casting, and sometimes they have their charms, other scenes come off as awkward and clunky. The movie is also more emotionally straightforward than some of Eastwood’s more recent complex drams like Letters from Iwo Jima, Million Dollar Baby, or Mystic River. Many like this movie even more than I do, and it was Eastwood’s most financially successful film ever, so there’s certainly something to it.

Gates of Heaven, 1978 / ****

Errol Morris is in a class of his own when it comes to documentary filmmakers. This is his first film, a chronicle of a California pet cemetery and people who have their pets buried there. It’s absolutely fascinating from start to finish, as Morris’s unobtrusive style allows the story to tell itself. This is absolutely one of the best documentaries ever made, and a sign of things to come from the Morris.

Vernon, Florida, 1982 / ***½

This is Morris’s second documentary feature, a 52-minute piece originally made for PBS. It’s another fascinating look at the eccentric residents of this small Florida town. Morris talks with the one policeman, the preacher, a group of turkey hunters, and other townspeople to paint an intimate portrait of the Vernon residents.

Ponyo, 2009 / ****

Director Hayao Miyazaki simply does not miss, and this is another amazing entry in his filmography. The story follows Sosuke (Frankie Jonas), a five-year-old boy with a fascination for the ocean. One day he finds a goldfish and names it Ponyo (Noah Cyrus). Ponyo is no ordinary goldfish, which must be why her father Fujimoto (Liam Neeson) wants her back. To try and explain Miyazaki’s films in words do them a disservice. The images he conjures up are nothing short of amazing. If not for Up this would have to be the frontrunner for Best Animated Feature, an award Miyazaki won previously for Spirited Away. This is a beautiful film.

The Thin Blue Line, 1988 / ****

I closed out the week with another of the greatest documentaries of all-time, and another from Errol Morris (thanks Christopher). This one looks back at the legal fallout from a November 1976 murder of a police officer in Dallas. Morris innovatively uses recreations to show the various stories people are telling. This film was so revealing that the man originally convicted of the killing, Randall Dale Adams, was released from prison. Perhaps more than any other, The Thin Blue Line truly displays the power of documentary filmmaking.

Coming up this week: District 9, Departures, and who knows what else?

That’s all for this week – see you in September!

Z At the Movies – TCFF – August 6, 2009

Here’s the rest of what I saw at the Traverse City Film Festival. Since there are so many, I’ll be covering them in even shorter fashion than last week. I rate them on the four-star scale.

Mary & Max, 2009 / ***½

This was a beautiful claymation film, a wonderful story about a long-distance friendship. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette do a wonderful job voicing the title characters. Even though it is animated, this film is definitely not for children.

Outrage, 2009 / ***½

Kirby Dick’s last documentary was the amazing This Film Is Not Yet Rated, and his newest is similarly incendiary. Dick’s controversial tactic of “outing” who he believes to be closeted homosexual United States congressmen who vociferously support anti-gay legislation may cross some boundaries. But in that sense it does what great documentaries do – it gets people talking.

Humpday, 2009 / ***½

This was my second favorite new movie that I saw. The plot follows two old college buddies, one of whom has become a Kerouacian beatnik, and the other is a boring old married guy. One night while drunk at a party, they cook up a scheme to enter an amateur porn festival by filming the first ever hetero-guy-on-guy porn. The way the story develops is truly unique, and the performances by Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard are completely believable. However, Alycia Delmore steals the show as the wife in the equation.

The Girlfriend Experience, 2009 / *

It’s talky, pretentious, boring, and pointless. Steven Soderbergh continues to disappoint me.

The Garden, 2009 / ****

I saw this one back in February but was more than happy to see it again. Go Here to learn more, and see this one any way you can.

Sneak Preview Hosted By Jeff Garlin

This wasn’t actually a movie, but a sneak peak at the first two episodes in the upcoming new season of Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. I won’t reveal plot details, but suffice to say I think it’s going to be a great season.

Roger & Me, 1989 / ****

Michael Moore, founder of the Traverse City Film Festival, presented this film on its 20th Anniversary, when it’s as relevant as ever. Seeing the film with an audience was a terrific experience, and the post-film interview conducted by Larry Charles was a rare look into Moore’s process.

Metropolis, 1927 / ****

This silent-era classic by Fritz Lang was accompanied by a 16-piece orchestra inside the impressive Traverse City State Theater. It looked great up on the big screen and the orchestra was a perfect accompaniment.

Blood in the Face, 1991 / ****

This was billed as “Mike’s Surprise,” a film that Moore had worked on prior to Roger & Me. A trio from New York was to make a documentary about the Nazi and Ku Klux Klan in Michigan in the 1980s, and Moore was instrumental in getting them access to the groups, and conducted the on-camera interviews. This is a rare gem and a really cool surprise. Also, before this movie he showed a never-before-seen three-minute trailer for his new film, Capitalism: A Love Story. It looks pretty great.

Registered Sex Offender, 2009 / ***

This is a comedy about a thoroughly detestable young man, who is, as the title indicates, a registered sex offender. He takes nothing seriously, hits on everything he sees, and treats his pretty girlfriend like garbage. It’s pretty funny actually, but the style gets a little monotonous.

On the docket for this week: The Hurt Locker, (500) Days of Summer, Funny People, and I might even rent Race to Witch Mountain. I’m a mark for Dwayne Johnson, so what?

Z At the Movies – Azucar – July 30, 2009

I’m totally keeping my promise by writing about the movies I’ve watched since last Thursday. I score movies on the four-star scale. Let’s dive right in.

Chéri, 2009 / ***

I’ll see anything by Stephen Frears, who makes films as varied as The Grifters, High Fidelity and The Queen. This one isn’t quite as good as any of those, but I certainly enjoyed it. The story focuses on Lea de Lonval (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her May-December Relationship with a boy she affectionately refers to as Cheri. The story is largely predictable but the performances by Pfeiffer and Friend are both very good, and Kathy Bates is almost always a pleasure to watch. I’d rent this one.

Watchmen, 2009 / ***

I have no experience with the graphic novel, so everything in the story was brand-new to me. I certainly can’t fault the ambition of director Zack Snyder (300, and the underappreciated Dawn of the Dead remake), as at 161 minutes he certainly put everything on the table. Several strong performances stand out, most notably Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach and Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl II (and how different is this movie than the last one these two were in together?). Billy Crudup is also excellent as the intriguing Dr. Manhattan, but the love story with Malin Akerman’s Silk Spectre II didn’t really do it for me. Still, this is a unique and visually arresting film, so I definitely recommend seeing it.

Coraline, 2009 / ***½

This movie scared the crap out of me. Directed by Henry Selick from a story by Neil Gaiman, this is a thoroughly absorbing film that could be an awards contender in a year in which Up didn’t exist. I saw Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher’s names in the credits, but I never thought of them after that, their voices perfectly suited every aspect of the characters. Toss in a dash of Ian McShane, and you’ve got yourself one terrific movie.

Yes Man, 2008 / **½

Truthfully, this wasn’t as bad as I thought. Sure it’s pretty much the same concept as Liar, Liar, but Zooey Deschanel, Bradley Cooper, and John Michael Higgins help make this one more enjoyable than I thought it would be. I wouldn’t rush out to see it, but I paid like 50 cents to rent it thanks to the many deals at Family Video, and I don’t feel ripped off.

Big Fan, 2009 / ***½

Comedian Patton Oswalt takes a walk on the dark side with his affecting performance in Robert Siegel’s (who wrote The Wrestler) directorial debut. Oswalt plays Paul Aufiero, a 36-year-old man-child who lives with his mother and works in a parking garage. To say he and his best friend Sal (Kevin Corrigan) are socially inept would be an understatement. But they’re huge fans of the New York Giants. One night they spot their favorite player, Quantrell Bishop and follow him from Staten Island through Stapleton and finally to a trendy club in Manhattan. When they finally get to meet him, Paul lets slip that they had followed him through Stapleton, and the offended Bishop delivers a savage beating to the helpless Paul. This kicks off a fascinating storyline that revolves around Paul’s decision to neither pursue a lawsuit nor assist the police in making the criminal pay. After all, the Giants can’t win without him, right? It’s a tragically funny and thoroughly absorbing movie that once again reminds people that comedians can act, too. As a bonus, I saw this movie at the Traverse City Film Festival, where both Oswalt and Corrigan were there to introduce the film and host a Q&A afterwards.

Sugar, 2009 / ****

Writer-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck previously impressed with 2006’s Half Nelson, and they’ve really done it again with this offering. Sugar tells the story of Miguel “Sugar” Santos, a young Dominican boy with aspirations to pitch for the major leagues. I know, that description makes it sound like another lame, tired sports movie, but Sugar sidesteps every possible convention to tell a story that’s more engrossing than the mere plot synopsis makes it sound. Most baseball movies use the sport as the main device to drive the story, but Sugar is about much more than just a game. This is a story about young men from the Dominican Republic getting dumped in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa, where they can’t even order food. Definitely see this movie any way you can.

And that’s all for this week – join me next Thursday!