Short film Reviews II

I am not a big Sci fi fan, but I will watch them from time to time. I think my biggest issue with Sci fi is that there is always that point in the film where they feel they have to explain everything to you. As if you can’t figure it out on your own. The other issue I have with Sci fi is that most of the films star unknowns, like the horror genre. It’s as if no big name actor wants to be affiliated with the films. But its those genre’s that usually launches a career.

In the film Prometheus which is a prequel to Alien, we find a crew lead by Charlize Theron. All of the other actors are faces you will know, but the names aren’t well known. The visuals and special effects are cool. It is an entertaining film. I guess if you are a fan of the alien films then you’ll want to see how it all began.

Charlize Theron is always pretty to look at, but there isn’t much of a performance here. She isn’t even on the screen that much and doesn’t get to encounter any of the creatures. I guess they just needed a name to get the people into the theater.

Another film I watched is Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. I am not a big fan of Steve Carrell. (I hope I spelled that correctly). It may have had to do with the fact that I used to watch the original office and as I’ve mentioned many times I’m not a fan of remakes. Perhaps its the role of the boss because I wasn’t crazy about Ricky Gervais either. Anyway, I watched the film because someone gave it to me. I really enjoyed the film. Maybe because it wasn’t silly. Not every scene had Steve Carrell looking like a deer caught in the headlights of a moving vehicle. The characters were interesting and it seemed to me that there would be people that might act this way if they new for sure the world was coming to an end.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind.

Melencholia

Melencholia - Art comes in many forms, and film presents it in many ways. Just to put together a film is art, but to tell an artistic story, now that’s the beauty of the art. I had never heard of the film Melencholia. While watching the film it made me think about the film festivals I used to be a part of. It allowed me to see films that most people never get a chance to see. Sometimes a film doesn’t get distribution or it goes straight to DVD. There are many reasons a film doesn’t get the appreciation it should get despite what some audiences may think.

Thanks to my friends who love movies as much as I do, they supply me with films I can’t get around to seeing. We trade off movies or they just send me the films they are getting rid of. One such film is Melencholia. The film opens with visuals. I wasn’t sure what to expect. It looked like an experimental film. There were images that were very artsy. They appeared to be stills, but then it looked as if the images were moving in slow motion. I was really getting into it and then there was the fade to black. A title appeared on the screen Part one Justine. The people in the film looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure. The film opens with a bride and groom in a stretch limo trying to maneuver a short curb in a country hillside. There isn’t a lot of dialogue. The story is being told by the facial expressions of the characters. There is joy, sadness, uncertainty and happiness in various moments as everyone in the car takes a turn trying to drive the car around the sharp turn. Who exactly achieves the feat we never know, but the bride and groom are in the back of the limo when it arrives at the top of the hill.

The host is very upset as the bride and groom are two hours late for their own reception. Again, dialogue is not the main aspect of this film. What  little the actors say is brought out by their actions as we get a quick understanding of the relationship between the newlywed couple, Michael and Justine. We meet the family through toasts and little introductions as one would normally have at such an event. We become a part of the wedding reception.
Justine is going through a transition and it not sure if she has made the correct decision.
Michael is the loving husband doing his best to show support.

The audience then gets to understand the opening of the film and what Justine does. She works in advertising and her boss is at the wedding seeking a tag line for a recent ad which he flashes the photograph on the screen at the reception. The pressure is on as Justine’s decision affects several people at the wedding. A newly hired employee, her boss, her husband and herself. We see the dysfunctional family appear right before our very eyes.

A mother who hates weddings because her own marriage didn’t work out. A sister that loves her sister very much, but she doesn’t seem to comprehend the love. A father that seems to be on the verge of dementia and refers to everyone as Betty, even his own daughter.
Parts of the film are shot in an amateur manner and then some parts are so artistic. Its like an artsy reality film. There are many long shots where we can take in the beautiful scenery. The aerial shots are breath taking as we see the characters on several occasions riding the horses. Sometimes through the fog or clouds and other times on a clear day.

Part two Claire centers on the sister and we find out what Melencholia is all about. Melencholia is a planet. Claire’s husband is obsessed with the phenomenon, but we can sense the fear that Claire has. She is afraid to die.

Melencholia is great to watch and there’s something unexpected in almost every scene. The ending certainly was unexpected. The cast is just incredible to watch. There are a few actors I'd not seen in anything for quite some time. The film is directed by Lars Von Trier

The film stars Kirsten Dundst,  Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgard, John Hurt, Charlotte Rampling, Stellan Skarsgard, Brady Corbet, and Udo Kier.

Bones

 This is not about the television series of the same name. As much as I like to make comparisons to what came before, it wasn’t until yesterday that I realized the film Bones was like a reincarnation of J.D.’s Revenge. A 70’s film that starred Glenn Turman known for his roles in Cooley High, A Different World and once married to Aretha Franklin. Bones stars Snoop Dogg, Pam Grier, Clifton Powell, Michael T. Weiss, Ricky Harris, Bianca Lawson, Khalil Kain, Sean Amsing and Merwin Modesir.

The film is about a murder in a big house that now inhabits the spirit of Jimmy Bones. A group of aspiring young adults buy the building to turn it into a night club when they end up stirring the past and bringing Jimmy Bones back to life to reek havoc on those that killed him.

I wouldn’t call Bones a horror film. It’s more of a suspense thriller with a hint of comedic terror. Anyone that knows me can figure out why this film is even a part of my collection.
Pam Grier looks great in her 70’s costumes as does Snoop, but there isn’t a stretch in their acting abilities. It was something to watch as I passed away the time.

Unless you are a fan of Pam Grier or Snoop I don’t highly recommend it, but if you are a film maker and you want to know what not to do perhaps this is a great training film. There are too many things going on. It’s not hard to keep up, but as I mentioned its hard to categorize the film. Maybe that was the filmmakers intention.

One of my favorite lines from the film, " Four can keep a secret if three of them are dead."

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind and do come back again.

Short Movie Reviews

The Girl - This is a film about the relationship and obsession of Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren. Toby Jones is great as Hitch and Sienna Miller is Tippi. It’s a great story about one of the greatest suspense writers and directors of our time. As an adult there are only two of Hitchcock’s films that I see on a regular basis, Psycho and The Birds. I don’t recall ever seeing Marnie which I now want to see. There are other films I remember bits and pieces of, but if I did see them I was very, very young. It’s always interesting to see a film again when you grow up. When you have a better understanding of the subject matter.

The film is called the Girl because that is how Alfred Hitchcock referred to Tippi Hedren when he saw her in a television commercial. “Get me the girl...”
With no acting experience, Hitch turned Tippi into an incredible actress. The camera loved her and she had many years of modeling experience.
Just has he made her career he also killed it when she didn’t acknowledge his advancements.
This is a great piece of work if you really love film, you’ll love this film.

Game Change - Stars Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson and Ed Harris in the political event of historical proportions. The film centers on the Republican nominees for President and Vice President of the United States. What was behind the choice of Sarah Palin and the coaching to keep up with her star appeal. Julianne Moore and Ed Harris look like the characters they are portraying. The make up team did an incredible job. Political films can sometimes be boring, but this is not one of them.
There are many films that give insight to different aspects of politics. As technology continues to change so does the way we handle things. Game Change shows the impact the Internet had on this particular election and those that would follow.

Some of my other favorite political films are The Contender and Power.

Thanks for stopping by. Do come back again and remember to think creatively.

Tru

Because I’ve been seeing a lot of theater recently, I’ve decided I would write about it. Theater is just as important as film. All art is important, it makes us think.

Last night I got to see Tru at the Zachary Scott Wisenhunt Theater. This was my first time attending this theater. Talk about an intimate setting. Although you are very close to the person next to you, the seats are very comfortable. This was theater in the round. Tru was written by Jay Presson Allen, who was a producer, writer and actor. Tru is directed by Larry Randolph and stars Jaston Williams as Truman Capote.
Tru is a one man show. It gives us snippets into the life of the famous writer, but it revolves around his last book. The play is set around the Christmas of 1975 in his New York Apartment. It’s always great to see the set designs as some of them I get to see being prepared. Being an artist I really enjoy seeing the work of other artists come together.

We find Mr. Capote drowning his sorrows during the holidays as part of his newest book Answered Prayers has been released in a magazine and the rich and famous seem to have turned their backs on him. Appalled by the fact that he has written about them and named names.

Mr. Williams gives a great performance and from images I’ve seen, at times he even looks like  Mr. Capote. The mannerisms seem to be on point as well as the voice which was as much a signature as the big glasses and the scarf.

 There are some funny lines in the play as well as taking the audience into some dark deep places. With the intimacy of the theater, I could see the reactions of some of the audience members faces as lines triggered something within their psyche. It’s not often that you are so close to people that you can pick up on the vibe from across the room. One has to remember this is a play about someone else and their comments gives us a clue to who they were. Even if it is being written by someone else.

Of course one can’t help, but remember personal experiences. A reminder of someone in their own life or their own personal story. There were many instances that I could relate too. Knowing someone that was an alcoholic and being a writer knowing how I never wanted to use real names. I’ve based characters on several different people as to not cause any problems or destroy friendships.

I recommend this performance if you like theater or have an interest in Truman Capote.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Think creatively.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (remake)

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

For those of you who have read this blog before, you know that I am not fond of remakes. Now there are some exceptions. If I never saw the original or knew it was a remake at the time. If I see a remake and I find out later that was the case, I’m always interested in seeing the original to make a comparison.

Although the formula’s for film have been done. I just don’t understand why people don’t apply that and try to make something new as opposed to remaking something that is considered a classic. Whether cult or otherwise.

I wonder if anyone has ever thought of just redoing the soundtrack? I wonder what would Last House on the Left would be like if the music were changed? The remake was okay, but I think the original is interesting. Because its not dealing with monsters it makes it all the more scary.

Now on to our feature. The remake of TGWTDT stars Daniel Craig as Michel Bloomkvist and new comer Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Solander. In the original and this remake, the woman have made incredible transformations to bring Lisbeth to life. The book was an interesting read and every writer takes some creative license, they both hold up to the book. Although the story is told out of sequence on film. Other than the film being made in English, it’s pretty much the same film. Why not just do an English dub. This is the part that makes no sense. Make a prequel or create another sequel. Hollywood wants to make money, but it doesn’t always happen. Daniel Craig has had box office success as Bond, but that doesn’t mean it will carry over into his other films. There is something about him as Bond. In my opinion he is the most masculine of all of the bonds. He’s not a pretty boy, but he does have those piercing blue eyes.
There is definitely a screen presence to Daniel Craig and he brings that to TGWTDT. If you don’t like reading subtitles, and you’re a fan of Daniel Craig, then you’ll enjoy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Check back or become a follower.

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Happy Halloween

 From New Orleans' City Park, 2010.

     October is usually the month that I watch all of my horror films, but this year I did a Friday the 13th marathon on Friday the 13th and I watched the Scream movies when I thought I was going to go and see Scream 4. I’ve also gotten back into watching TV so that only leaves Friday nights and Saturdays for movies after I’ve taken care of everything thing else. So far I’ve watched Hollow Man, The remake of Last House on the Left, The remake of Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hell Night and The Exorcist. I’ve only seen the Exorcist three times in my life and when I tried to read the book I could not do it. I always watch Halloween on Halloween night so I look forward to that. This weekend I’m not sure what I’ll watch, but I’ll find something I haven’t seen. I’ve been thinking about Rosemary’s Baby and Night of the Living Dead. Perhaps I’ll do a Candy Man marathon. The movies aren’t that great, but I have a personal connection with Candy Man II since I was on the set for the filming.

I decided to watch Secret Window which is an interesting film. It’s more suspense then horror. Horror films deal with monsters and suspense films deal more with gory killings.
I watched Psycho IV which is the prequel to the Psycho franchise it stars Anthony Perkins, CCH Pounder and Henry Thomas in the role of Norman Bates as a teenager. Although Anthony Perkins made many films, he’ll always be known for his role as Norman Bates.

I’ve watched Dawn of the Dead, The Thing, The original Friday the 13th and Sister, Sister.
I think we all like being scared and we react differently. People talk back to the screen or laugh to deal with their fears. There are a lot of horror films I’ve never seen and I probably won’t see them unless someone has them in their collection. I’ve never seen any of the Saw films or the Paranormal films. I’m not a big fan of remakes, but there are some that really did a good job in giving the story new life.

As I get older films that used to make me jump don’t have that effect anymore. I guess it also has to do with me being able to write my own suspenseful stories.

Thanks for stopping by; keep an open mind. Check back or become a follower.

Coming up: Shutter Island, I Love You Phillip Morris, Kansas, The Blob, Seven,

http://artbydlonzo.blogspot.com

http://vimeo.com/27482821

http://dlonzo-OpenYourMind.blogspot.com

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54325957

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54365247


Coming up: Dallas (the original television series), American Psycho, www.artbydlonzo.blogspot.com

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=54325957
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