Films non stop

The Town - This film which stars and was directed by Ben Affleck is quite good. Films about bank robberies are always tricky. It’s based on a true story, but still, you see one bank robbery… you know how that goes, but that’s not always true. From the Inside Man, To Set it Off, films about bank robberies can be interesting depending on how it is done. Remember Dog Day Afternoon?

In The Town the robbers are bold and inventive in their approach to getting what they want. I really enjoyed this film. The film also stars Jeremy Renner and Blake Lively.
I found out recently Jeremy Renner played Jeffery Dahmer in the film Dahmer and he was quite good in the role. It’s funny how people go unnoticed and then all of a sudden you had seen films that had done that the face just didn’t stick out at all.

That was the case when I met Josh Evans. I met Josh at the Seattle International Film Festival when he was promoting the film Inside The Goldmine. It was sort of artsy with a lot of dialogue like that of Quentin Tarrantino. Josh wrote, directed and stars in this film. I learned a lot about Hollywood and getting films made while doing SIFF. Josh Evans is part of a legacy he still needed a name to get his film made. Drew Barrymore got attached and though she is only on the screen for a couple of seconds it was all that was needed to get the film made. Once a film is made then you need distribution and an audience to buy tickets. Film festivals help films get noticed.

I watched The Doors for the first time this weekend and to my surprise Josh Evans appears in the film as the manager of the group. There were many actors in this film giving incredible performances. I’m guessing the only reason I never saw this film before is because I really didn’t know who Jim Morrison was. I don’t recall hearing much about him after all I was only a kid in the 60’s. Val Kilmer gives an incredible performance as Oliver Stone gives his take on the troubled singers life.
Crispin Glover pops up as Andy Warhol. I think Andy Warhol has been portrayed by more actors than any other person. Mimi Rogers takes the screen briefly taking those iconic photographs. There’s Michael Madsen as one of Andy Warhol’s discoveries.
The music, the cinematography all come together to tell an amazing story not only about Jim Morrison, but of the 60’s and 70’s. Kevin Dillon, Kyle Maclachlan, Frank Whaley and Meg Ryan round out the lead cast.
The one thing I liked about this DVD set was the extras. It is rare that you hear anyone talk bad about a director or what they didn’t like about the film. It took a long time to get this film made because a lot of people had to sign off on it. Even after they signed off there were still things they didn’t agree with. In the end they all enjoyed working on the project and I’m sure they’ve learned something about the world of make believe.

RED - Retired, Extremely Dangerous. The film stars Bruce Willis, Mary Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren. It’s about a group of ex CIA agents that know just a little too much and they need to be retired permanently.
A few scenes were shot in New Orleans and it was quite interesting to see what they did. It’s always fun to see people go from any point in the city and always end up in the French Quarter in a flash. Once again, the magic of movie making.
The film has its moments and is very entertaining. I think John Malkovich steals the film.



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Coming up: Filming in New Orleans, The Social Network, The Trial, The Fighter




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Disturbing Images

I’ve seen my share of films that have some disturbing images, but recently I saw some films that triggered those memories.

One of the first films that I thought was gross was the film Xtro. I’ve never seen this film again and I’ve never even seen it advertised on DVD. It is possible it could have been renamed. It was an alien type picture. I’m sure you guessed that from the title. I have no clue what it was about, but the scene that stays in my head is where a woman is on her kitchen floor and she gives birth to a full size alien creature.

The next film that would keep me awake at night was Friday the 13th, the original with Kevin Bacon before Footloose and the game six degrees of Kevin Bacon. The ending scene when Jason comes out of the water was just horrifying. I remember one of the movie magazines decided to make that image their cover so I had to see it whenever I was in a store for an entire month. And you know when you try not to look at something it seems to be in your face even more.

Another film that had a disturbing image was I spit on your Grave. There is a scene when the victim begins to get revenge and she castrates one of her attackers in the bathtub.

I also must not forget Blacula. Black people make some ugly and scary looking vampires. Especially to a kid of 11 or 12 years old.

The Anti Christ is a bizarre film that stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Rampling The visuals in this film are stunning at times. There’s not a lot of dialogue and a good bit of sex. There is this one scene where the wife cuts off her husbands penis after bringing him to orgasm. Talking about being cruel.

The Killer Inside Me stars Casey Affleck, younger brother of Ben. I’m not sure why he hasn’t done more mainstream films, but perhaps he’s happy with the obscure stuff. There is a scene in which his character attacks Jessica Alba’s character and it is brutal. I had to turn my head. He just keeps hitting her in the face until she is unrecognizable.

It reminded me of Jared Leto’s scene in Fight Club, in that instance it was a fight so you were expecting blood. This was totally unexpected. I guess also it was the fact that he was hitting the woman the way you would hit a man. It made me cringe.


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Oprah's Last Show

Oprah’s last show had a personal touch to it. She talked to her audience and shared moments. She stood for the entire show. There were no guests, but there were many celebs in the Audience.

Since I don’t have cable I can’t watch OWN. The upside is that my evenings are free. I don’t have to rush home to watch Oprah at 4PM. I’ve been trying not to watch as much television, but there are some shows with useful information, The Doctors, and The Nate Berkus Show.

I also like watching the PBS channels. I happen to have three of those.

It’s weird that Oprah’s contract would end mid week. They could have completed the show on a Friday. They are now running reruns. That’s always good, I can watch those shows where I didn’t get home in time. Some of the shows are worth watching again and again.

You can’t say Oprah went out with a bang, but Oprah’s surprise spectacular was great. Beyonce gave a great performance. I was thinking Patti Labelle would come out to sing Somewhere Over The Rainbow and she did. Doing the moves only Patti can do.
There were many memorable moments.

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Coming Up: Thoughts from an Artist Part 2, What happens next?, Cutting back, Entering contests

River Phoenix

My Own Private Idaho

Sometimes I’ll watch a film and it will trigger a memory about an actor and I’ll feel like watching one of their films. That was the case recently when I watched Sneakers which starred Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier and River Phoenix. It made me think of some of River Phoenix’s earlier work, The thing called Love, Stand by Me, Running on Empty, Mosquito Coast and My Own Private Idaho.

River Phoenix was like James Dean. There was something about him on screen that you were just draw to him. He really got into his roles and perhaps that could have been the downfall. Artists of any magnitude are a misunderstood people. Everyone has a different way of getting into their creative frame of mind.

The thing called Love makes me think of James Dean. River Phoenix’s performance is exceptional. I often wonder what things would have been like if he were still alive. Would he have been offered the parts that went to Leonardo Dicaprio? I think River would have been a great Howard Hughes. He brought a lot into the characters that he played on the screen.

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Tom Hanks Double Feature

I have to be in a certain mood to watch certain movies. There are films that I watch at least once a year and then there are those that I watch every three, four or longer before I see them again. I had been wanting to watch Cast Away, but its such a long film and all I remembered was Tom Hanks being on a deserted island talking to a soccer ball. The only reason I went to see the film was because it was Tom Hanks. I don’t think I would have seen this film if it had been any other actor.

Tom Hanks was on a role and he commands the screen when he does the right film. There were a few comedic roles that I didn’t care to see, but it really didn’t have to do with him. It had more to do with his co star. I was never a big fan of Shelly Long or Meg Ryan. I did however like Bachelor Party, Big, and Forest Gump, but that was mostly Tom Hanks.
There are certain comedies I like and some I don’t. I was also never a big fan of war films.
Watching Cast Away made me think of what I would do. It also reminded me how life sends us a curve ball and some people are forced to make decisions they wouldn’t normally make on their own. It’s important to go with ones heart. If you believe in something make it your cause no matter what anyone else says. I enjoy films that make me think. Of course there are times we want to watch a film to escape our own mundane lives.

The second feature was The Green Mile. Normally, I would stay away from a film based on a Stephen King novel or short story. I was not impressed with Cujo or Pet Cemetery. When the Langoliers made it to television I was disappointed, but the Stand changed my mind on adaptations of his work. I had listen to parts of The Green Mile on cassette when my sister-in-law was listening to it. I wanted to see how it would play out on the big screen and I must say it was done quite well. The cast was excellent. Tom Hanks, David Morse, James Cromwell, Sam Rockwell, Michael Duncan, Bonnie Hunt and Patricia Clarkson to name a few. For me when you wait a long time to watch a film it adds to the excitement of trying to remember what’s going to happen. Remembering the first time you saw the film and whether you shared the experience with someone or if you went alone.

For many years I preferred to go to the movies alone because I liked watching movies and sometimes no one wanted to see what I was interested in viewing. Back then films weren’t coming out on VHS after one week at the movie theater. I made a wise investment in my movie collection. I love movies so its not important that I have Blu- Ray or DVD. Of course if I could afford it I’d probably get it, but I can’t. I still watch VHS tapes from time to time because the film may not be available on DVD or the price is just too high for a film that I can still watch on VHS.

Tom Hanks has given a plethora of films and incredible performances. Cast Away and The Green Mile are excellent, but his body of work shows a broader range and that he isn’t afraid to take on a role that he knows he can breathe life into.

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Sounder

I had this film in my collection for many years. I bought it by accident because I saw the title and just assumed it was the original. This is a remake which is directed by Kevin Hooks who played the young boy in the original. I had no idea they had remade this film and why? I’m not crazy about remakes unless they are going to do a better job. Cicely Tyson was great in the original. I remember we went to see this film as part of a school field trip. It was something they felt it was important for us to know. On the surface the film didn’t stick with me because I really didn’t remember much about the film except that the Dog was named Sounder and even that had escaped me. The film was about determination and not giving up. Paul Winfield who played the father in the original, also makes an appearance as the school teacher.

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Tickets

A friend that I met ten years ago at a film festival party sends me some of his movies from time to time when he is finished looking at them. Since I love film, I never pass up any movies regardless of what they are about. Watching film is very inspirational and I admire anyone that can do something I haven’t done yet.

Tickets is an interesting film that is set on a train in Italy. It brought back memories of my train ride from Milan to Pordenone. The film follows several characters and their slight interaction as the story captures them from different points of the train ride and their connection.

Each segment had a different director. I was not familiar with any of the stars that appeared in the film, but it was quite entertaining. Riding a train in Europe is quite the experience. You get to see people from all over going to their next destination or returning home. There are many languages being spoken from time to time. The scenery can be breath taking depending on how long of a ride you’re taking.

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