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The Dark Knight

Review: The Simpsons Movie: ***1/2

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Celluloid Notes - what are you watching?

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Celluloid Notes - January 2008

Lech Harris is sharpening his teeth

I don't believe I ever wound up posting anything on the subject, but a good friend of mine, Lech Harris, recently published two excellent stories in an online magazine. If you're a fan of fiction (especially some newer stuff like McSweeney's, All-Story, etc.) the stories are definitly worth taking a look at, they are odd, and particular.
HERE'S the LINKS:
My Matriculation
Dozetown

The new Sony Teeth Sharpener

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January 31st 2008 @ 23:13

Posted By: Dustin - Category: No Category

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Lost in Beijing review and trailer

Director Yu Li calls this film a bit of a step into the mainstream, using star actors and China’s capital as a backdrop. But this film is anything but a step into the mainstream. Lost in Beijing is devastating. Aside from one major MacGuffin in the film (not very likely that a woman’s husband was washing windows at the exact moment she is being taken advantage of…) the writing is spectacular. The film is like a knot that turns in on itself repeatedly. The performance from the four stars of the film are great, the cinematography is beautiful and jarring. Lost in Beijing is one of the best films to come out of mainland China in years. It’s a disturbing portrait of the changing socio-economic landscape in Beijing. The flood of new money coming in has made a class of “nouveau riche” that are simultaneously changing the moral landscape of the city. The film meditates on the clash of the influx of émigrés to the city and their struggle to eek out a living against the rising nouveau riche. Part of the reason it functions so well is that the socio-economic politics of the film, the really frightening analysis of humanity and the monetary system that guides the morals of a society, could be set anywhere. It is only in Beijing because that’s where the flood of money is happening for this film, this could be set anywhere in the world and still have the exact same analysis of the human condition. It’s dark, disturbing, poignant and generally pretty off-putting, but brilliant.

To read the full review go here[LINK]

There is limited English in this clip from a news program but it's what is available:

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January 27th 2008 @ 04:19

Posted By: Dustin - Category: No Category

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Still Life review and clip

Still Life was the winner of the 2006 Golden Lion at the Venice film Festival. This film is very much in the tradition of the great Italian neo-realists: many non-actors (whom the director frequently uses), simple locations (though beautifully shot), natural lighting, no flashy editing patterns, simple human stories. Still Life is remarkable for it's ability to tell a modest story that has little to do with the actual themes of the film, and still manage to fully develop those themes. It centers in a Chinese village called Fengjie, at the heart of the Three Gorges project. The film is trying to portray the devastation that will come from the completion of the Three Gorges Dam. (If you haven't read about this project it's an interesting story, it has been in the works for over fifty years and will displace over one million people). There are some weird surrealist pieces of the film (maybe totalling one minute of actual air time) but on the whole this is an incredibly interesting film that is finally coming to the US (I'm not sure about the UK and Australia - it's being distributed by New Yorker Films). If you have the opportunity, see this film. It's beautiful. For my full review go here

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January 24th 2008 @ 15:59

Posted By: Dustin - Category: No Category

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Heath Ledger 1979-2008

Heath Ledger in Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm

There is something very James Dean about the legacy that Heath Ledger is going to leave behind. A young actor who was emerging as a serious, talented actor, slowly gaining popularity with the auteurs of the cinema, just beginning to become consistent awards show material. There will always be the question of how far his career would have taken him.

Anyhow, there are plenty of blogs, new sources, and gossip rags speculating on the cause of death, what was going on in his life, what will happen with his family, etc. It is not my intention to go that direction, I wish everyone who knew him the best. But, since this blog primarily focuses on the film arts I think it is appropriate to pay small tribute to Mr Ledger, who was finally emerging from being a teen heart throb and becoming a serious actor, with talent. He did some questionable films early in his career ("Ten Things I hate About You," etc.), and to be honest I was never I big fan, when I saw that he was going to be in a film I wanted to see it was always kind of a bummer, but it's hard to deny that the actor was just coming into his own, picking interesting films, working with prestigious directors. "Brokeback Mountain" was something of a breakthrough for him, aside from the many award nominations he received for the role, it was a great performance and the first time he portrayed a character who would likely become a part of film history. He had just finished shooting on the "Batman Begins" sequel "The Dark Knight," (which you have to admit it looks as though he could rival Jack Nicholson's Joker in Burton's "Batman") and various sources are saying that he had also finished shooting on what would be his final film, Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." (They'd previously collaborated on "The Brothers Grimm," which is a very underrated film - for the Hollywood film it is, it's quite imaginative and well constructed.) There is no official word on the state of the film and whether they actually finished or if the film will ever see the light of day (it would not be Terry Gilliam's first failed attempt - See "Lost in La Mancha" among other failed films). Below I've compiled a short gallery of trailers from some of his best roles, including the forthcoming "Dark Knight."

Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee):

The Brothers Grimm (Terry Gilliam):

I'm Not There (Todd Haynes):

The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan):

Casanova (Lasse Hallstrom):

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January 23rd 2008 @ 21:53

Posted By: Dustin - Category: No Category

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The Cost of War

This has all been said before, in one form or another, but it's been awhile (for me anyways) since I've herd specifics on war spending. It's pretty easy to fall into a lull or just allowing the war to settle into the back of your mind when you're against it. It's been five years and anyone against the war has to feel a little tired at this point. You have to feel a little helpless. You've protested, you've written letters to congress, signed petitions, but what has come of it? Nothing yet. But it's good to be reminded that you still care and that others are still thinking about it and trying to do something. It feels just as futile, but it is heartening, somehow. I can't vouch for the group that made this video, I read a bit about them, seems as though they are doing some good stuff, but I don't know enough to really endorse this, I thought it was a good reminder of the cost of war (monetarily speaking, let alone the greater costs - see below).

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January 23rd 2008 @ 16:47

Posted By: Dustin - Category: No Category

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Tao Lin, Brad Liening, Kara Hendershot

InDigest Magazine has just released issue 3. And it's pretty solid. There is a new flash fiction piece from Tao Lin called "The Disappointed Ant." It has the above paint drawing from his underwater hamster page attached to the story. There is also a few new poems from Brad Liening (wrote Ker Thunk on H_ngm_n B__ks) that are great. (I especially love "Ode to Arugula")

You never talk shit

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January 20th 2008 @ 15:56

Posted By: Dustin - Category: No Category

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Day Zero review and trailer

I recently reviewed a new indie film that is out, oh I don't know, in a couple of weeks in NYC and LA. The film, Day Zero, is about three high school friend who reunite in their 30s when they've been drafted for service in the US army. (The film is set an indefinite time in the future). It's kind of interesting take on the barrage of Iraq War films that have been coming out this year (almost all of which have been horribly received, and are probably about three years past their due date) It's an interesting film (though the human relationships in the film are far more interesting than it's politics). Despite any objections politically or artistically to the film, it is a new take on the subject and it does get you thinking about war in a fresh way (at least compared to the way Hollywood seems to want to engage the discussion). And despite the obvious connection of war it doesn't advertise itself as such, but it is certainly about the war in Iraq, the war they are forced to enlist in is fairly undefined throughout the film but you do know that one front is in Iraq, but the war has spread throughout the Middle East. (Oh, and surprisingly Chris Klein doesn't suck in it.) Anyhow I shouldn't continue on when I'd just be repeating myself. You can check out the review here