Documentary Wednesday: "Pulling John"

     No fringe sport seems to rival the exclusive but earnest following that professional arm wrestling has garnered, and Pulling John is a 72-minute explanation of why.  Entering the world of competitive professional arm wrestling, we find that there are just as many trash talkers, hot shots, and aging veterans as with any other sport, and they all collide perfectly in this documentary gem.

    The documentary's focal point rests on John Brzenk, the reigning arm wrestling champion for over 25 years.  John is considering retiring and getting out while he's on top, while out in Virgina, an up-and-coming champion named Travis Bagent is stealing the spotlight.  Travis is a big talker who has a victory record to back it up, and more than anything he wants a match with his hero and icon, John Brzenk.  Meanwhile, a Russian champion, Alexy Voevoda, trains in the Ukraine in hopes of besting Travis, who he lost to in a previous match.  The fate of the three athletes rests on their rigorous exercises, their confidence (and sometimes arrogance), the support of their friends and family, and most importantly, their mental strength to face the wrestling matches of their lives.  

     It's a short film, just barely over an hour, but it's an educating and amusing look at the world of arm wrestling and the crazy guys who inhabit it.  It might be a good film to watch before arm wrestling becomes an official Olympic sport in the 2012 games.  That's not a joke; it actually is going to be an official sport next year, which may or may not be beneficial.  I mean, now the thumb wrestlers may come forward and demand their Olympic spot.  It's a slippery slope if you ask me. 

(img source= qubmovies.com

Comedian Patrice O'Neal Dead at 41

     Rest in peace, buddy.  The world is less funny without you.

(www.thelaughbutton.com)

Movies I Watched Over the Weekend

     I know some of you are sad that I didn't do a Thanksgiving-genre movie collection review...it's coming for Christmas, so don't worry.  In the meantime I watched films that span from foreign and depressing to John Travolta in cheesy and revolting 80s clothes.

1. Treeless Mountain

     

   I am becoming a pretty big fan of Korean cinema.  They have some quality productions, from the scary and ridiculous to the dramatic and touching, Treeless Mountain being the latter.  This film follows two young girls, Jin and Bin, adjusting to life without their mother after she leaves to find their estranged father.  They are dumped into the hands of a strict, verbally cruel aunt who would rather drink in bars with her friends than feed the girls a decent supper.  Their adventures, from befriending a mentally-handicapped boy to selling roasted grasshoppers for snack money, are chronicled in a slow but methodical drama.  The lack of music or a soundtrack, along with strong, natural acting and minimalistic but engrossing dialouge primed the film for a very "real-life" feel.  The characters, almost all women, were flawed but likable.  As the older sister, Jin is brave and determined, but also rash and occasionally cold; Bin is young, innocent, flexible and kind, but very naive and easily lost without the watch of her older sister.  Their relationship takes on a new mold as they realize life without their mother may be more permanent than they initially thought, and that the roller-coaster ride of emotions is all a part of growing up.
2. The Experts
     
This 1989 flick is absurd and stupid, but also, to its credit, entertaining while taking a few jabs at the Cold War era mindset.  The ''experts" in this movie are two down-on-their-luck loser friends Travis and Wendell (John Travolta and Arye Gross, whose last name actually describes every outfit and hairdo he flaunts in this movie).  Travis and Wendell work the bottom rungs of a New York nightclub, dreaming of better things besides a life in a studio apartment and their ladies leaving them.  When a mysterious man offers them a chance to start a nightclub in Nebraska, they jump at the opportunity and are relocated to a small-town resembling America not on the cusp of the 90s, but the 50s.  What they don't know is that a) They are in Soviet Russia, not Nebraska (the town is a replica in the middle of nowhere), b) everyone in the town is a Russian spy, and c) they were only brought in as "experts on American culture" so that the spies would blend easier into American society across the ocean.  Obviously humor, adventure, and romance with the local girls ensue.  There's nothing too deep or realistic about this film at all - just a lot of it is clever one-liners, decent, amusing acting by Travolta, Gross, and Kelly Preston, and some bad fashion.  Watch it if you don't care about losing 90 minutes of your life, or if you're stoned.  It's written by one of the guys that wrote Hardbodies for God's sake.
3. Running on Empty

     
     As I'm sure you know by now, what with all the Stand by Me posts, references, links and such, that I am slightly obsessed with River Phoenix.  In fact, I'm going to take this time to educate you: Leonardo DiCaprio owes his career to the death of River Phoenix, because if Phoenix was still alive and breathing today DiCaprio would be a nobody.  All of DiCaprio's roles would've easily gone to Phoenix, because, you know, River Phoenix is cooler.  And more talented.  And better looking.  But I digress.  
     This movie was such a breath of fresh air for me - slow, but not dull or boring; realistic but pleasant; with such great acting, great writing, and great direction, I'm surprised it wasn't nominated for more than two Oscars (River Phoenix lost Best Supporting Actor to Kevin Kline and Best Screenplay Written for the Screen went to Rain Man instead).  Running on Empty is, in a sentence, about a family fleeing from the mistakes of their past, and one son's brave decision to stop and take hold of his future, no matter what the cost.  River Phoenix is Danny Pope, a high school senior whose parents, Annie and Arther Pope (Judd Hirsh and Christine Lahti, who are amazing in their roles), are wanted by the FBI for a bombing they carried out in protest of the Vietnam War.  Danny is certainly used to picking up and moving, changing his name, and keeping the family secret, but that proves difficult when Danny falls for a quirky girl (Martha Plimpton, one of Phoenix's real-life partners), and a music teacher at his new school nurtures his talent for playing piano and offers him a chance to go to Juilliard.  Siskel and Ebert named this film on their "Best of 1988" list, River Phoenix stars in it, and 1988 was also the year I was born.  If those aren't reasons for you to get off your ass and see this movie, I don't what are.

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Trailer for "Mission Impossible 4"

     You're welcome.  Happy Friday. 

 

Scorsese's "Hugo" Meets Theaters with Rave Reviews

     Martin Scorsese's newest mob/crime FAMILY film Hugo featuring the talents of up-and-comer-kinda-Elijah-Wood-look-alike Asa Butterfield and his co-star Chloe Moretz is opening today nationwide, and I'm sure they have a lot to be thankful for.  It's already received a 97% rating on RottenTomatoes, mostly praise for its lush and vibrant visuals.  If you and your family celebrate Thanksgiving in front of the silver screen, please don't see pop culture drivel crap like Twilight.  See films with imagination and technique, and, you know, heart.

 

Blast from the Past!: "Girl, Interrupted"

     Girl, Interrupted is as disturbing and lingering in the brain as an overdose of Valium, but the even better news is that it has so much more going for it than that.  It is actually one of the only movies I don't totally hate that is set in a mental hospital and set around mental health patients, their friendships, failures, phobias and disorders. 

    It's disappointing, because the setting of a mental health facility - present day, or 50 years ago - is brimming with potential, in every facet of film.  The character dynamics, score, and camera work all can be explored in unique ways due to the fact that the environment is full of broken mental states and larger-than-life personalities and stories.  Hollywood smelled the opportunities from miles away long ago, and must have decided after releasing the amazing One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest in 1975 that mental health movies should instead be full of cliched and unrealistic nonsense that borders on disrespect and ignorance.  The most recent criminal has been John Carpenter's The Ward, which was more than just an awful film - it was an awful film about a mental hospital.  It failed in every way that Cuckoo's Nest and Girl, Interrupted have succeeded.

     Based on the nonfiction book by Susanna Kaysen, the movie follows Susanna's downward emotional spiral that eventually ends up with a borderline personality disorder diagnosis and 18 months in a mental health facility.  During her stay she becomes close friends with each inhabitant of the ward - in particular, a fragile young burn victim, a rotisserie-chicken eating sad case (Britney Murphy is fantastic), a pathological liar (Clea DuVall), and Lisa (Angelina Jolie), a hyper-psychotic blonde with a sharp tongue and not a care in the world what people think of her or the havoc she brings to herself and others around her.  It is Susanna's relationship with pseudo-leader Lisa that is the cause of Susanna's every high point and low point during the troubled 18-month period of her life.

     Some people debate whether Jolie deserved the Oscar she received for her performance in this film; I find myself thinking that she absolutely deserved it, but not without mentioning that she managed to merge herself so seamlessly with the insecurity and recklessness of Lisa due only to the equally incredible performances surrounding her.  This is one of Winona Ryder's better films, and one of Britney Murphy's most shining moments.  Whoopi Goldberg is a surprising strong point in the film, whose character resembles nothing of "Nurse Ratchet".  The writing is engaging, focused, and realistic.  The moments of sorrow and anger are cocooned well within the moments of laughter and hilarity, sharing with the audience the roller-coaster ride of emotions that come with living among - and being - mentally ill.  Girl, Interrupted offers up one story out of thousands - a girl who lived, wanted to die, cried, laughed, drank, smoked, broke rules, took medication, and healed from it all.  

*Available to watch instantly on Netflix*

(img sources = isky.co.nz/flickr.com)

Teaser Trailer Tuesday: New "Hunger Games" Trailer

     

      Elizabeth Banks looks...kinda crazy in this.

Movies I Watched Over the Weekend

     Old-school horror and new-modern thriller were the name of the game.

1. Carrie (1976)

       I can't believe I had never seen this film before.  Holy crap it scared me.  I hadn't been that creeped out since seeing The Exorcist or The Descent.  Sissy Spacek as the lead protagonist of poor, abused, mistreated Carrie White was brilliant.  Supporting roles from Amy Irving, Piper Laurie, and John Travolta were just as engaging.  There are certain famous scenes in movies that are described to you your whole life - when Orson Welles drops the snow globe in Citizen Kane and whispers, "Rosebud"; when Al Pacino is shot up at the end of Scarface; when Janet Leigh is stabbed in the shower scene of Psycho.  Carrie had several such iconic scenes, most notably the havoc she releases onto her school when she is humiliated at prom.  That scene was under-described to me my whole life.  Sometimes darkly comical, but nothing ever less than dark, this movie was one of the better adaptations of Stephen King, and makes me wish for the days of true horror films. And shame on you Patricia Clarkson for participating the TV remake!  Geez-us, is nothing sacred to you people anymore?!?
2. Marathon Man (1976)

      Nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1977 (Laurence Olivier), Marathon Man is a thriller following the story of a man's murdered government-agent brother and the Nazi psychopath that comes looking for him.  This particular Nazi has an affinity for diamonds and amateur dentistry, so I wouldn't recommend anyone watch this movie if they have a weak stomach when it comes to dental drills and scalers as torture devices.  The soundtrack is as jarring as any 1970s film, building tension in every scene.  Dustin Hoffman was stellar as usual; this film was post-All the President's Men, Midnight Cowboy and Straw Dogs, but pre-Rain Man, Tootsie, and Kramer vs. Kramer.  Between playing a woman, a handicapped man, a male prostitute, and a marathon runner-wannabe being chased by Nazi war criminals, I'd say Hoffman's career warrants the phrase "eclectic".
3. The Perfect Host (2010)

      The Perfect Host is not the perfect movie, but it proves itself to be entertaining, cunning, and full of bewildering twists, headlined by two fantastic leads nonetheless.  Like many reviews you're bound to find on this film, it's better if you just watch it on your own, instead of having it described to you.  That way nothing is given away.  It's actually kind of like Last House on the Left meets The Dinner Game (French film).  And by that I mean, a "slick criminal" meets an "absolute psycho" and realizes he is way in over his head at probably the sickest dinner party you'll ever be invited to.

*All recommendations are available to watch instantly on Netflix*

(img sources=horronews.net/wearysloth.com/shockmansion.com)

Teaser Trailer Tuesday - "Into the Abyss"

     Werner Herzog's latest film.  Finally, the filmmaker who has directed so many films on life, from Grizzly Man to Encounters at the End of the World, it looks like he is finally making a movie about the other side - death.

Happy Belated Birthday to Peter Jackson

     I had no idea, but apparently Peter Jackson was born on Halloween (Oct. 31st, 1961), which made him 50 years old yesterday.  Happy Belated Birthday, Peter.  I would have posted something yesterday, but I was too busy stuffing my face with candy and watching bad scary movies.