a piece of cake

August 18th - August 24th

I Bury the Living - Basically this Albert Band film plays like a slightly longer Twilight Zone episode. But we get a pretty lame ending here rather than what might be expected. Some commenters on other sites suggest that the original ending was changed by the “studio” and that’s why we get the lame ending. Or maybe the filmmakers just miscalculated. Still it has a pre-technology J-Horror feel to it that I kind of like. It plays on larger themes of playing God and the clash between reality and the supernatural. But, really, it just needs more zombies. Like the cowbell, the walking dead make just about everything better.

Rainbow Around the Sun - Well, finally we got around to seeing this one. We missed it at deadCENTER, but luckily it was playing as part of the OKC Museum of Art’s Bumper Crop series this past weekend. The concept of a rock opera can come off as bit gimmicky. My god, you think you can sing and strum a guitar!? Now you think you can do all that in front of a camera for 80 minutes!?

I had to see it, of course, because it is quintessential OKC film. It’s the deadCENTER film festival–perhaps the best long weekend of my year–encapsulated in a narrative film. The footprints of OKC and deadCENTER are all over this movie. But to be honest, a lot of the time when you see a “local” film, it’s just not really all that good. You might admire the filmmakers’ passion, or at the least you might just hope that everybody had a lot of fun making it. Hell, I’m impressed that people actually put stuff on film or DV that never makes its way out of the recesses of my own head.

So that’s where I was going into this one. I was skeptical. Unfortunately, one of the touchstones I have in my head for a locally made film is the horribly awful Sam & Janet (possibly the only movie I’ve ever walked out on…at deadCENTER or elsewhere). Anyway, it took me a while to warm up to it. I thought it was going to be more of the same. As it got going, I fell in love with the music (I have to buy the album now), but wasn’t convinced that it translated well to the screen. But gradually I warmed to it and ended up really liking it.

For one, there was actual talent behind the camera. Directors Beau Leland and Kevin Ely gave us some actual style for once. And Matt Brown is just fine behind a guitar and mic or in front of a camera. Also, the filmmakers used the city (Oklahoma City) in a way that was recognizable to me. It’s the city I know. Is that Sidecar? I think that may be Saturn Grill. Is that the bathroom at The Conservatory? There were none of the stupid establishing shots that so often pop up in local projects. We don’t have to linger on outdoor signage to know that the next scene takes place in a bar. Finally, I appreciate so much that the movie was ultimately about a guy and his dad. Normally filmmakers move past the dad (even if he’s central) and rush right over to the blonde to make it a movie about a guy and his girl. A guy chasing his dad to get him back is almost always more compelling than a guy chasing the girl.

There were a couple of dialogue scenes that ran a bit too long (the phone conversation and the cupcake scene) and could have been edited down just a little bit to keep them from seeming so akward. But, aside from that, I was really impressed with Leland and Ely at the helm and Brown everywhere else.

Monster Ark- What do we do now? Well, if you unleash a Biblical monster that is hell-bent on starting Armageddon, then you better bring out the big guns. I just don’t know if you should give those big guns to Tiny Lister, who uses his blind right eye to line up the sights. No wonder he couldn’t ever take down the creature. Luckily Tim Dekay (Jonesy, from the short lived HBO series Carnivàle) was able to regain his faith (ugh) in order to disable the monster. This Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie was the equivalent of a classic tomb raider, unapologetically stealing  treasures from Indiana Jones and The Da Vinci Code. For shame…

The Tracey Fragments- This film, starring Ellen Page, literally unfolds in fragments. The screen isn’t just split in two, it is fragmented into numerous pieces depicting different scenes, different angles, and different perspectives. This, too, can come off as a bit gimmicky. But as this film progresses, this technique becomes more and more effective. At times it can be a little heavy handed–ooh, her life is falling apart, and so is the screen. But ultimately it works. Memories, especially those of youth and those formed out of traumatic experiences, are very fragile and malleable. We alter those memories so much that they look little like the actual experiences. We create lies–in a way, semi-autobiographical biopics–of ourselves which become the new truth. In a way, this film is a sort of “What If?” What if Juno made a different sort of mistake and didn’t have parents who really loved her?

The Candidate - For the political junkie I am, I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve seen this one. Although it was made in 1972, this one rings so true in today’s political climate. Idealism can only take you so far. You still have to answer to the pimp that is the political process. No matter how much hope you have, you’re still his whore. And the last line–What do we do now?–is just classic.

August 11th - August 17th

Tropic Thunder - Robert Downey Jr. is great as Kirk Lazaraus as Lincoln Osiris. It’s worth the price of admission just to watch what he does on screen. It would be a crazy year in movies indeed–come awards season–if acting nominations went to one guy in clownface and another guy in blackface. Finally, it should go without saying that this is an R-rated comedy with satirical elements. It makes fun of things. That’s why they call it comedy.

The Jane Austen Book Club - Answer: What you’d get if the Sex and the City girls liked books half as much as they like shoes (and were more interesting to boot). Don’t get me wrong. Girls can love shoes. And some shoes are worth loving. But shoes aren’t books. They never will be. It also doesn’t hurt that this book club includes Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, and Amy Brenneman. Instantly, these characters are smarter and sexier than the SATC girls could ever dream of being.

July 28th - August 4th

Wall-E - I really enjoyed this one. I don’t see that many G Rated movies. It was hell getting through a behind-the-scenes featurette and eventually a trailer for the upcoming Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Eck! But Wall-E was good enough that I’m looking forward to rewatching this one on DVD. There seemed to be a lot of little references that will make additional viewings enjoyable. I was most impressed with the portions that took place on Earth. Earth looked so dusty and grimy. And I could have watched Wall-E roaming around by himself all day. And while EVE and the Axiom are slick and futuristic, they lack the realism and individuality that a little dirt and rust add.

Stop-Loss - The second film (9 years after Boys Don’t Cry) from director Kimberly Peirce. I haven’t seen many of the narrative films that have come out of the Iraq war. But this one wasn’t horrible. Some of the video segments–meant to imitate the type of videos shot by soldiers–seemed quite authentic. The battle scenes were convincing. It wasn’t overly political yet still not timid either. And I’ll even admit that I was a bit smitten by Abbie Cornish. But it seemed to miss the mark on a few points. First, it seemed like a bit of a stretch that this guy would be stop-lossed as he was essentially walking out the door. It also seemed strange that he had to be told what stop-loss was (as it is spelled out for the audience as well). Second, the whole underground changing your identity thing and going to Canada seemed a bit contrived. Is the military really going to let you just slip away? Then again, they still haven’t found Bin Laden… Third, I think it presses its case a little too far by suggesting that every soldier is going to go through some sort of freakout (digging a foxhole in your girlfriend’s front yard, assaulting the MP and going AWOL, or committing suicide). It just seemed a bit over the top in that regard. Not everybody is going to suffer from PTSD.

Chop Shop - Ramin Bahrani’s follow up to 2005’s Man Push Cart. Like the previous film, this one is small, dark & dirty, and sympathetic towards those who don’t get to live the American Dream. It’s strange to realize–in this country where a man named Barack Obama is possibly 3 months from the Presidency–that this is an American film. Like Obama, Bahrani has a non-typical name, yet he was born in North Carolina. Bahrani’s films are shot in a style, with mostly non-actors, and in locations that seem more like foreign films than typical domestic films. And yet both of Bahrani’s films are very American. They are both about working to struggle to stay afloat in the dingy background of everything America has to offer. It is so important to remember–and easy to want to forget–that despair exists not only in the slums of Rio de Janeiro and other far away places but also right here at home.

July 21st - July 27th

“Mad Men - Season 1″ (AMC) - As the Season 2 premiere approached, the critical esteem coalesced and the Emmy nominations were announced, I felt lost not having seen a single episode of this series. And the “very long wait” warning on Netflix wasn’t very promising. Luckily, the entire first season was available OnDemand. So we watched the 13 episodes of the first season over the course of the week.

I’m hooked. It continues the tradition of the HBO dramas, like “The Sopranos”. It’s full of the deep themes and complicated characters. But the thing that has impressed me most are the details. There are little details in the set dressing, in the costumes, the hair, that really pull you into the period. I love it.

The Werewolf of Washington - Dean Stockwell as a Werewolf in Watergate era Washington. This movie is perhaps only watchable because of its sure awfulness. There are some things that certain cheaply made horror movies have that lift them into the realm of camp or even cult status. This movie lacked most of those things. The film made a few failed attempts at parodying the then timely Nixon presidency and Watergate scandal. And there wasn’t much else–acting, special effects, cinematography–to redeem those failures. Most strikingly, this film was the polar opposite of the next film I would watch.

Bad Taste - Where Werewolf of Washington was a jumbled mess of awfulness, Bad Taste was clearly the work of a talented filmmaker (Peter Jackson’s first film). While it was obviously cheaply made in terms of cost, this movie had the eye of someone who could make something out of nothing. It was so much better than Werewolf. The special effects were infinitely better. The cinematography was infinitely better. The direction was infinitely better. What a surprise.

For me, watching Bad Taste right after Werewolf of Washington was a symbol of a lot of the amateur art you see whether it be writing, music, or film. You don’t need Final Draft to write a screenplay. You don’t need a Les Paul and your own PA system to make music. And you don’t need a big budget to make a movie. You really just need passion and talent. If you don’t have that to begin with, you’re really just wasting your time & money. I saw plenty of passion and talent in Bad Taste…not a whole lot of it in Werewolf of Washington.

Batman Begins - Had to watch this one again in preparation for The Dark Knight. Man, I must’ve been drunk or asleep the first time I watched this. There was so much of it that I didn’t remember. What I was really watching for most of all was the Joker card reveal at the end.

Control - Rock photographer and music video director Anton Corbijn’s bio-pic of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis. This is no Ray or Walk The Line. This one was very nicely directed without the tired bio-pic cliches, excellently photographed in black & white, and stellarly acted by Sam Riley in the lead role.

The legendary Sex Pistols gig of June 4, 1976 was supposedly only attended by about 30-40 people. But that handful of people would shape the Manchester music scene. Morrissey was there. Members of the Buzzcocks and The Fall were there. And of course, members of Joy Division attended the show separately and are said to have become a band as a result. That’s enough right there for a good movie. Watching this one with the very enjoyable 24 Hour Party People would make for a great double-feature.

This film traces Curtis’ life from a kid listening to records in his room through a miscalculated marriage and to his final struggle with epilepsy. To see Riley transform this character…to see Riley/Curtis’ stage dancing evolve into a commentary on his own ailment…and to see where fear and uncertainty can finally lead someone. Man. The performance was certainly convincingly heartbreaking if it wasn’t entirely sympathetic.

The Dark Knight - I have to admit that this one lived up to the hype that I had created for myself. I’m not a huge superhero fan. I am a fan of good movies though. And this one was pretty damn good. The greatest compliment I can give it is that as I’ve talked about it and thought about it, I realize that I must see it again. I’ve created so many questions that can only be answered through a second screening. Heath Ledger’s performance is certainly Oscar worthy. And his makeup was perfect. That seems weird for me to say. But the simple detail of seeing the pores on his nose through the makeup added this weird level of realism that made him all the more creepy. This one will have to be one that I come back to later. And thanks to just finishing Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, I’m seeing her philosophy in lots of other stuff…including Batman (and, more overtly, in “Mad Men”). More on that later…

July 14th - July 20th

The Atheism Tapes - This was a collection of six interviews conducted by Jonathan Miller (with Colin McGinn, Steven Weinberg, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Arthur Miller & Denys Turner) for his documentary series Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief. These extended interviews didn’t make it into that series…so they are shared here in this collection. It was all very interesting stuff. I really enjoyed the interview with Arthur Miller. I’ve never read (or seen) Death of a Salesman or The Crucible. And now I feel so completely lacking.

The other interviews were all interesting and enlightening to various degrees. The interview with Denys Turner, however, was almost completely lost on me. I’m not sure what he was trying to convey. A lazy Sunday afternoon in a semi-sluggish state resulting from the previous night festivities of your 10th wedding anniversary is probably not the best way to watch that particular interview. Whether or not I dozed off a couple of times during that interview, I’m not sure if I would have retained any more of it. Something about asking now whether god exists, but why anything exists at all…I’m…getting…sleepy…

July 7th - July 13th

Independence Day - Another one DVR’ed over the weekend. It’s still a bunch of fun. Watching the White House get blown up is worth all of the bad dialogue. It’s still a little weird whenever the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers show up in a movie…especially a disaster movie. Especially when the tops of the buildings get blown away. Too soon!!! Er, too early!!!

Summercamp! - Had to watch this one because it was co-directed by Brad Beesley (Okie Noodling, Fearless Freaks). And I see that Beesley was one of the directors of the short lived “Rollergirls” A&E series. Interesting. Anyways…I thought I was going to have a tough time with this one. When I was that age, the thought of summer camp wasn’t all that appealing to me. Now that I’m a childless adult, the thought of watching a whole bunch of kids at summer camp doesn’t appeal all that much to me either. And in the beginning of the documentary I was on the verge of becoming annoyed. But as the film let us get to know these kids a little more, I have to say I was really drawn in. A lot of these kids weren’t just children, they were interesting and complex people. Of course, I’m sure there were a big share of little shits and bores that didn’t make the final cut. And the chickadee girl just broke my heart. I wanted to break through the TV and give her a big hug.

Alan D. Wilson, www.naturespicsonline.com, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 retrieved at Wikimedia Commons

Space Camp/War Games - These two came together in one of those cheap double-feature DVD packages. I had to have it. I’m fond of both of those movies. The space and computer stuff fascinated me as a kid. Now, the space stuff doesn’t seem terribly outdated while the computer stuff seems downright nostalgic. They’re both still a bunch of fun. And, I heard on Filmspotting the other week that War Games was getting a limited theatrical re-release, for its 25th anniversary, on July 24th. And, apparently a “sequel” is to be released directly to DVD on July 29th.

Be Kind Rewind - Michel Gondry’s visual and special effects prowess are second to none. He can make beautiful and awe inspiring things happen before your eyes. And most of the time, he doesn’t use CG as a crutch. His effects are more like magic. You may know that nothing supernatural is happening…but you still can’t quite believe your eyes. That being said, this movie lacked the kind of story that could keep up with the visual feast. It’s still well worth watching.

Persepolis - I so, so love the idea of animation and/or graphic novels that tell personal and dramatic stories. They can be such a great media for these kinds of stories. A graphic novel doesn’t have to be a comic book and an animated feature doesn’t have to be dumbed down for the kids. They don’t have to be about talking animals and superheroes. There is so much that you can do with them…they shouldn’t be wasted. And they don’t have to be six-year Pixar projects either. They can be lo-fi. All you need is a good story and a drawing. I know there is plenty of good stuff out there…they just don’t always make for a good transition to the big screen.

June 30th - July 6th

Hell on Wheels- We caught this one at Noble Theatre at OKCMOA. First we had dinner at the Museum Cafe–taking advantage of their Prix Fixe Menu($28/person which includes the movie ticket)–and then we saw the movie. It was a documentary about the inception and early struggles of women’s roller derby in Austin, TX. Director Bob Ray was in attendance and answered questions following the screening. It was like deadCENTER never stopped.

So, I was already an admiring fan of Satan’s Cheerleaders. Tattoos and bangs are enough to make me swoon on just about any day of the week. But add roller skates and some fierce competitiveness and I’m all in.

These girls are sexy. There’s no doubt about it. No argument. But that doesn’t do them justice. They’re sexy and just plain bad-ass. They’ve embraced the punk rock & DIY aesthetic and made something out of it that continues to grow and continues to build admirers worldwide. There may be splinters here and there as conflicts ensue. But in the end, this is feminism at its core. Its women coming together to create something great.

At one point, the newly founded derby league was described as a place where a bunch of loners could come together. That was enough to sell me on it. Part of me was kind of jealous…that I wasn’t of the opposite sex living in Austin. If I can’t be a derby girl, dammit, I want something in my life with half the passion of those girls on skates.

I’m already anxiously anticipating the Oklahoma Victory Dolls’ next home bout on July 26th at Miles’ Roll-A-Way Rink. And I’m even looking forward to Whip It!, Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut starring Ellen Page that revolves around derby the derby culture.

I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With- I was let down by this one. There were a few laughs here and there. But it was too scatter-shot to be really funny and too devoid of emotion to otherwise be compelling. I’d much prefer an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” with Jeff Garlin as Larry’s manager than Jeff Garlin as star/writer/director. Maybe I need to see Marty…

I’m Not There- I wouldn’t call myself a Dylanophile, but I got my share of references in this not-so-conventional biopic. And that made it a lot of fun. I thought it really got to the essence of artistry as invention. Nothing is new and nothing is old. Everything is borrowed and everything is lent. If it tugs at your heart, does it matter how authentic it really is?

And while I’d seen clips before, I was still somewhat taken aback as to how Cate Blanchett was more physically Bob Dylan than anybody else in the film. And her Jude Quinn wasn’t a novelty part. She truly pulled off the portrayal. I must get to a record store and buy more Dylan.

“The Hill” (TV series)- We DVR’d this six episode series and watched them all back-to-back. It was a behind-the-scenes look at Capitol staffers for Florida Representative Robert Wexler (The Fighting 19th!). Much like with Hell on Wheels, I found myself yearning to be in their shoes. If only I could have pursued a D.C. internship back in college…

The series was an interesting look at both the process and the personalities behind it. I was enthralled. It fed my political geek hunger. Those people were me…but with more ambition and more connections (and as a result more prestige and more money). I wanted more episodes. Why does this not interest everybody else like it interests me? Why didn’t “K Street” last beyond ten episodes?

June 23rd - June 29th

The Mist - This one finally trickled up to the top of my Netflix queue. After the initial reviews, I wasn’t all that interested in checking out. But since then, I’ve heard several positive to raving reviews of the film. As a result, it percolated all the way to the top of my list and landed in my DVD player this weekend. I was enjoying it in the beginning. The claustrophobia of the grocery store shrouded in the mist was palpable. But then I was turned off by the sight of the “monster,” or rather an appendage of said monster. Only for a moment though. I was initially turned off by the extreme artificiality of the CG appendage. It really took me out of the suspense of the movie. But then very quickly I realized that the monsters are secondary. They’re almost MacGuffins Monsters. The real horror, the real monsters are very much human in nature. The Food House transformed from a grocery store to something much more terrifying–Oklahoma. Well, not really, but it did have it’s share of smitten sheep to scare the shit out of you. When you have someone raving about Biblical End Times there’s not much more need for monsters.

Still, the monsters weren’t all that bad. Most of the time, they lurked in darkness or the mist so that the artificiality was kept at bay. And when you did see of them, they looked half-alien and half-prehistoric, a nice touch. Given the ending, I’d still take the rational path over the superstitious one, even if it sometimes leads to more morbid outcomes.

RiffTrax’s of The X-Files: Fight the Future and Raiders of the Lost Ark - This was my first foray into the post-MST3K commentaries from Mike Nelson and crew over at RiffTrax. I was not disappointed. Sure, I miss the silhouettes of Tom Servo & Crow and singing along to the theme song (…”if you’re wondering how he eats and breaths, and other science facts, la-la-la…“). But the funny was certainly still there even if there was no theme song. I haven’t laughed that much in a single evening in quite a while. It was therapeutic. The margaritas should probably get some of the credit, too. I can’t wait to check out some of the other commentaries, with or without a pitcher of delicious goodness.

The Savages - I loved, loved, loved this movie. Sure, it’s not the feel good movie of the year. But something–the tone perhaps–was right up my alley. It was brilliant. Maybe it was the wonderful duo of Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Maybe it was the dog. Or the cat. Maybe it was the subject matter–dealing with life’s real problems. And what a damn good screenplay.

It’s not something that I want to revisit anytime soon. I mean, I don’t really want to confront end-of-life issues for myself or my parents. But sometimes a little cry with a little laugh is exactly what I want out of a movie. I don’t know. Writer-director Tamara Jenkins got this just right. She got at the subtleties of life where things are sad and funny and gross and embarrassing and disappointing but still so worth the trouble.

June 17th - June 22nd

Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York, Mansquito, and Wraiths of Roanoke - Ouch. Sure, our COLON: A Sci-Fi Channel Original Pictures Production Triple Feature was a lot of fun. But it was a little painful as well. Disaster Zone was seemingly shot by someone suffering from Parkinsons–all shaky cam for no apparent reason. And using stock footage of the Twin Towers smoldering from 9/11 was certainly film making at its finest. TOO SOON!!! Still, I love me a disaster movie. And this one was a disaster. Mansquito, thankfully, lacked the off-putting camera work. But that’s about the best I can say. It was pretty bad. As for Wraiths, I’m not even sure. It was late and I was tired. I frankly don’t remember much of it. It looked like somebody had watched Terrence Malick’s The New World and thought that maybe the fortress and the costumes in that movie would make for a good idea for a much worse movie. Setting and costume are important. But you also need a writer and director, too.

You know, I’d much rather be making horribly bad movies for a living than working at my current job. But man, it’s sometimes hard to comprehend how this crap gets made. Sure they’re made cheaply and quickly for an audience that is pretty much expecting badly made fare. But this same audience would very much appreciate a smartly executed horror or sci-fi film as well. I don’t know. I sure enjoyed it though.  I kinda want more.

Funny Games (2008) & Diary of the Dead - These two made for an interesting double feature. In their different ways, they were both kind of looking through the camera at the audience (more or less overtly) to see how complicit the viewers were/are in violence. Funny Games played like a psychology experiment. As George (Tim Roth) says: I get it. How must we feel about ourselves when we enjoy such violence on screen? Good? Horrible? Should we walk out? Vomit? I actually enjoyed the film. But I don’t enjoy violence. I do wonder what the experience would have been like having seen it at the theater. Would that crowded public setting disarm people enough so that they laugh even in inappropriate places? Or take it more or less seriously? For that matter, I wonder how I would view a movie like Hostel if I saw it at the theater, surrounded by a bunch of frat boys who don’t look much different from the victims up on the screen (dumb Americans). I’ll admit I’m a bit of a film snob–the megaplexes around here aren’t exactly teeming with a sophisticated audience. Then again who am I to say that some level of sophistication is required to enjoy any movie?

Diary didn’t take itself quite that seriously. Still it was trying to say something about how we hide behind our technology in a way that removes us from the reality of violence. I could have done without the figurative hammer to the head at the very end (”Are we worth saving?”). Still it was a lot of fun. Romero’s zombie movies may come with a message, but you can always count on having a lot of fun along the way.

Soldiers in the Army of God - Another look at the pro-life terrorist movement. Scary, scary stuff. This was a 2000 HBO documentary about the radical elements in the pro-life movement. The documentary itself was reactionary. I think Lake of Fire takes a fuller look at the issue–approaching terrorist Paul Hill before he murders and illustrating a variety of outlooks on abortion. Lord I hope Obama wins in November.

June 9th - June 16th

deadCENTER films - See my previous posts for thoughts on those films.

The Man Who Fell to Earth - This one concludes the 70s Sci-Fi marathon (from the Filmspotting podcast). I think I was distracted by the fact that David Bowie reminded me too much of that “Leave Britney Alone!” guy. Otherwise, he makes a good alien. The film was certainly a little strange, and cult-friendly. And in places, even a bit sexy.

Charlie Wilson’s War - I was impressed with this script (by Aaron Sorkin). Not Earth shattering or anything, but still a lot of fun. I found myself rooting for the mujahideen even knowing how it would all turn out later.