Badass Documentary Trailer - The Imposter!

    This gave me chills!

 

Gary Oldman joins cast of "Monster Butler"

      


Gary Oldman was confirmed today as the newest addition to the coming-soon indie film Monster Butler, the true story about Roy Fontaine, a bisexual jewel thief/ con man/ serial killer.  Malcolm McDowell takes the lead role as Fontaine, and Dominic Monaghan is also slated to play David Wright, a friend of Fontaine.  This was on the list of "The Year's 28 Most Anticipated Films of the Year", and with a cast like that, it's not hard to see why.(thehollywoodreporter.com/photosurf.net/fanpop.com) 

Documentary Wednesday - "The Devil's Miner"

    Every day in Bolivia, atop the highest city in the world, Potosi, over 800 children rise each morning and set off to work in the Bolivian silver mines.  They don't have Fruit Loops or morning cartoons or Pop-Tarts.  They are lucky to have heat in their houses.  At nearly 14,000 feet, Potosi is a rural mining village set in the backdrop of the Cerro Rico, a mountain known for large veins of silver.  "The Mountain That Eats Men", as the natives say, employs one such child, named Basilio Vargas.  He is 14 years old.  He had been working in the silver mines of Cerro Rico for almost two years when documentary filmmaker and writer Kief Davidson, as well as his camera crew, decided to make a movie about his daily life.  The Devil's Miner is a quality film about children thrust into adult roles full of danger and drudgery, and how they, while still being children, are able to dream, laugh, and live under such precarious conditions.   
    The historical significance of the silver mines of Potosi is tactfully and succinctly highlighted in the film without overshadowing the story of Basilio and his family.  The Spanish conquerors of Bolivia transported the silver back to Spain during the expansion of the New World Empire in South and Central America.  To a young kid like Basilio, however, the silver mining of the Cerro Rico is just work.  Being the oldest boy in the family and having lost his father years before, he has become the head of the household, and has a father-like protective nature over his little siblings and his mother, a basket weaver.  The relationships Basilio has with others around his is sweet and extraordinary.  Basilio's bosses in the silver mines are not exploitative or abusive; they are mentors to Basilio and his younger brother, especially in matters of safety.  Every day, the miners pray to God outside of the mine below a cross, begging for safety and provision.  But once inside the mine, they believe they are in the Devil's quarters - and they bow and pray to "El Tio", a statue with horns, represented to be the Devil.  Basilio teaches his younger brother to not be afraid of Tio, and to ask him for help in staying alive while occupied with such dangerous work.  
     What's so interesting about this documentary is that it never got a wide release, and probably wouldn't be as well known in smaller circuits as it is today unless it wasn't on Netflix.  The material is stunning and important, and the way that Davidson films and portrays the people is justified and true, not condemning nor pretentious.  This is a documentary about kids that hasn't tugged at my heart strings so hard since I saw Which Way Home last year, about illegal immigration through Central America and Mexico.  Great movie and a great documentary.

Teaser Trailer for a Tuesday: "Skyfall"

   James Bond will never die.

 

Films I've Been Watching This Week...And You Should Too

     If you are in the mood for unsettling dramas and distressing downers, this week you're in luck.


Tyrannosaur

     The amount of anger and violence this cinematic depressant carries with it is quite extraordinary.  With a plethora of violence between men and women, men and other men, men and animals, Tyrannosaur is not for the faint of heart.  Set in the unwelcoming neighborhoods of the projects of Ireland, this film focuses on two main characters who could not be more different - Joseph, an out-of-work widowed drunk who can't even get along with his own pet dog, and Hannah, a deeply religious shopkeeper whose husband viciously abuses her.  How their paths cross is trivial; it is the fact that their paths cross at all that intertwines them both fatally into each others' corroded and distorted lives.  They are both prisoners in different cages - Joseph, a prisoner to poverty, rage, and malicious behavior, and Hannah, a woman not safe even in her own million dollar home.  Attempting to help one another break out of those cages proves only to be disastrous.  Despite the weight this film brings to the audience, it is loaded with incredible writing and even more incredible performances.  Amateur director and writer Paddy Considine has proven his worth and talent with this film festival favorite.  If you are at all curious, take a gander at this film, and let it touch you - even for a few minutes.

Melancholia

       Lars Von Trier continues his controversial film run from Antichrist to Melancholia, a truly melancholy piece, yet a visual feast for the eyes that delves into human fears and courage, the rationality of science and the mythic realm of imagination, and the strained relationships these are all placed into.  Kirsten Dunst very convincingly plays Justine, a mentally ill and depressed woman who struggles to cope on the night of her wedding with a looming planetary disaster ahead.  Justine, as we discover later, is not so much mentally ill and sad as she is aware and awake; she is unable to perceive or buy into illusion.  This is not the case for her sister, Claire, a fully-functioning and capable adult whose husband John (Kiefer Sutherland), a rich astronomer, repeatedly assures her that a newly discovered planet, Melancholia, rightfully named for its blue hue, will not crash into Earth.  But Claire discovers quickly that is not the case.  The pivotal shift of roles in the characters highlights the whole film for me.  Once the patient protector and provider, Claire becomes the distraught and anguished sister in the relationship, whereas Justine must step in as a calm and peaceful presence in the midst of a mysterious phenomenon.  A cross between The Tree of Life and Another Earth, Melancholia is something I enjoyed thoroughly.  It is a movie largely and purposely made for discussion, debate, recollection, and re-watching. 

Infernal  Affairs

     I'm going to come out and say it - Martin Scorsese's The Departed completely, almost scene for scene, ripped off this film.  Yes, it was always stated to be the inspiration for the Academy Award winning crime film, but it's so obvious, there isn't even in shame in it.  I'm not saying The Departed isn't a good film.  On the contrary, it's a fantastic film, and in some ways, better than its original Chinese counterpart.  But it is absolutely not original.  This Chinese crime thriller is a pull-no-punches action drama about a gang mole and an undercover cop that has a solid plot, great acting, and an amazing director and cinematographer heavily involved in Hong Kong filmmaking.  If you liked The Departed, watch this film.  The only thing you'll be disappointed in is how familiar it all seems.


(img sources=cinesnark.wordpress.com/cinefamily.org/d-addicts.com)    

"Arrested Development" Movie Starts This Summer

      

And here's the article link to prove it:
http://www.vulture.com/2012/04/arrested-development-movie-will-shoot-this-summer.html?mid=rss

Teaser Trailer on a Friday - "Total Recall"

Total crap.

 

After a month long hiatus, I'M BACK!!!!!!!!  
And this is what I've been watching lately.  As of yet, the picks have been 'fresh', so to speak.

1. Take Shelter

     This movie was amazing.   I posted the trailer months ago here on BoomMic and have been excited to see it ever since.  When it became available on Netflix, I jumped at the chance to get the DVD, and it was well worth it.  It's a movie that brews just like a storm - slowly but surely.  Micheal Shannon stars as Curtis, a family man slowly losing his mind to nightmares and apocalyptic visions he begins to see as prophecies to a gigantic storm coming to harm him and his loved ones.  When Curtis decides to build a storm shelter in his backyard, every facet of his life begins to unravel - from his marriage to his job to his sanity.  The leading and supporting casts are all great.  Jeff Nichols, a fairly new name to cinema, both wrote and directed this movie, and he did a great job.  I'm sure we will be seeing more of him in the future.  The writing was absolutely engaging and enhanced by each of the actors.  A dangerously subtle, quiet thriller, be prepared - this movie knows how to scare you.

2. What Dreams May Come

      Although this movie wasn't quite what I expected, What Dreams May Come isn't too dated or old to pull on the old heart strings.  Robin Williams role was probably what impressed me most; the polar opposite of The Birdcage and Hook, Williams is physcian Chris Nielsen, who, after passing away in an accident and going to "heaven", discovers his wife has committed suicide and has been sent to "hell".  Believing he can save her, Chris sets out to find his wife in an extra-terrestrial visual world full of vivid colors, beauty, horror, darkness, and light.  It's no wonder that this film won Best Visual Effects for the 1999 Oscars, but I suppose what bothered me most was not the fact that most of the movie was no doubt shot in front of a green screen, or that the worlds of heaven and hell were fairly archetypal.  The film does not seem to depict neither heaven nor hell - only Purgatory.  I'm assuming the director and writer were either 1) truly following the book this material was based on, or 2) didn't want to delve too deeply into the political correctness of heaven and hell, or reincarnation or any kind in the after life.  What I took away most from this film was that it is love story about two soul mates attempting to connect with one another across the chasms of space, time, and death.  Accompanied by a soaring score, What Dreams May Come is a dream anyone who has lost a loved one has dreamt before - one last chance to see them again.


Troubled Water

     Norwegian filmmaker Erik Poppe presents an intense and disturbing look at God, forgiveness, and evil in the drama Troubled Water.  Released in 2008, this foreign gem is about a young felon, Jan Thomas Hansen, who is released from prison after serving time for murdering a child.  He gets a job as a church organist, and begins a romantic involvement with the church's female pastor.  His attempt at a normal life is seeming to go well...until the mother of the child he murdered recognizes him and decides to make his life hell.  As unoriginal as this storyline sounds, the acting, direction, and writing are all fabulously original.  It does not attempt to explain why horrible things happen to certain people; it's as if the filmmaker knew his burden was not to lay a sermon or gospel truth on the audience.  This film presents consequences, accountability, and acceptance as they are - dreadfully painful.  This exceptional drama is a foreign film not to miss.

(Img sources=dadsbigplan.com/blogspot.com)  












 

TGIF

     New trailer for the new Clive Owen thriller, Intruders.

 

Actor Daniel Von Bargen Attempts Suicide

  

     Actor and TV legend Daniel Von Bargen was rushed to the hospital this week after a failed suicide attempt left him with a serious gunshot wound to the side of his skull (wonderwall.com)  Apparently he is a diabetic, and was having a few toes amputated within the next few weeks, and didn't want to go to the hospital for the operation, whereupon he decided to end his life.  The irony in this is that he did indeed play a commander of a military academy in Malcolm in the Middle who had multiple amputations and fake limbs.  Maybe he was afraid of becoming a method actor.  Von Bargen also stated that he didn't want to go to the hospital anymore either, but there's really no faster way of getting to a hospital than shooting yourself in the head.
   All jokes aside, I am glad he survived, because I love Daniel Von Bargen.  His roles are all so memorable, from Mr. Kruger of Seinfeld to Basic Instinct and Silence of the Lambs, and of course, my favorite, Commandant Spangler from Malcolm in the Middle.  He is said to be recovering well in a hospital in Ohio.

    Feel free to thank the doctors and paramedics after I leave.

(img source=fanpop.com)  

Big Screen, Small Screen (NEW SEGMENT!)

     This blog is getting boring, so I decided to add another segment - Big Screen, Small Screen.  Several times a month, whenever I get the chance to see a new movie in theaters (if I can afford a goddamn ticket anymore) and a new movie on DVD, I'll write a blurb on them both, review them, blah blah blah.  You know the drill.  

BIG SCREEN:  The Grey

      Liam Neeson plays a hard-headed, stoic bad-ass in this bleak and disheartening man vs. nature thriller drama.  After a devastating plane crash in the Alaska wilderness leaves oil rig workers stranded and wounded in the unforgiving cold, Irishman Ottway (Neeson) takes the reins in hopes of leading the survivors away from a unrelenting and vicious pack of wolves that pursue them at every turn.  This movie should've been called The Black.  It was terrifying and sorrowful almost the entire way through.  Not without some plot holes and stretched story lines, the brutalness of the film renders you a little speechless.  An impressive survival movie comparable to the likes of Alive, director Joe Carnahan and writer Ian Mackenzie Jeffers did a fantastic job utilizing every actor to their full potential, and as unsettling as the movie is, it is well worth the money to see it on the big screen.

SMALL SCREEN:  Moneyball 

      Director Bennett Miller appears to be King Midas when it comes to Oscar gold - the last movie he directed besides this years Moneyball was Capote nearly six years ago, rendering two more acting nominations (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener).  Certainly not the most enthralling movie I've seen the last 12 months, Moneyball holds its own as a great sports movie that kind of isn't about sports.  Brad Pitt plays general manager Billy Beane, whose  strict budget and stingy ball club only work against him as he tries to bring his team, the Oakland A's, into a championship.  It isn't until he meets an economics graduate from Yale (Jonah Hill) that he begins to see the game of baseball differently - causing him to make some very strange decisions that drive his coaches, bosses, and family crazy.  You don't have to even like baseball to like this movie.  The writing, acting and score (similiar to the Explosions in the Sky score of Friday Night Lights) are all superb.  Emotional and inspiring, Moneyball brings back, as Pitt would say, "the romance of baseball".  

(img sources=blogspot.com/christiannewyork.files.wordpress.com)

Teaser Trailer Tuesday - "The Raven"

     For fans of Poe...and Cusack!  C'mon, they basically look the same.

Teaser Trailer Tuesday: "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"

     There are 100 reasons to like our 16th president.  Now there are 101.

 

Bad Movies I've Been Watching.....On Purpose.

     Readers, I have conjured up a very bad addiction - scanning through the countless awful amateur horror movies on Netflix and subsequently watching them.  Shitty lighting and camera work, atrocious acting, wooden, cliched writing, and no coherent plot are all trademarks of this films.  These are the three worst of the worst films I've seen so far, and I dare you to see them too.  Just don't say I didn't warn you, be prepared to waste your time and your life.  Drinking beforehand helps.

1. ThanksKilling

       The ridiculous tagline for this film is only the beginning of a long, downward spiral.  ThanksKilling is about a homicidal turkey from the 1600s brought to life by a group of reckless, stupid college kids that go camping in the woods during Thanksgiving.  The "turkey" is actually a foul-mouthed hand puppet that does his very best to be funny when he's not trying to find gravy-flavored condoms (yea, WOW) or new ways to kill innocent people, but it's more awkward and unnerving than anything.  I chuckled a few times at his lines, but ended up laughing at the actors more than anything.  It just might be the worst performances I've ever seen.  I've seen high school plays with better acting, sets, and effects.  The only scary thing about this movie is that they're making another one - ThanksKilling 2: The Beak-quel!  No, that's not a joke.  Look it up on IMDB.
2. MegaPiranha

 

       The joke of a production company Asylum Films came out with this soul-killing garbage of a film in 2010, made for TV originally.  There aren't enough words in ANY language to explain how horrible this movie is.  Described as a "sci-fi world-disaster film", it certainly has the "disaster" part down.  The premise is nonsensical - a group of killer, evolving piranhas leave their original habitat after scientific testing goes awry and they break out to destroy the world (and helicopters, apparently).  The special effects are indeed special - as photoshopped as that picture above appears to be, that is actually how the piranhas look in the film.  The actors, from no-names like Jason Bourne wannabe Paul Logan to stars that apparently are strapped for cash like Tiffany, are all equally bad.  The Asylum is known for ripping off other film ideas, especially big-budget, end of the world films.  They made a film called TransMorphers immediately after Michael Bay's Transformers was released and duped confused buyers and movie renters into purchasing their product instead of the real thing.  Classy.  MegaPiranha is so bad it almost isn't funny.  Maybe that's why it was the hardest to watch.

3. Birdemic - Shock and Terror

 

       Birdemic: Shock and Terror took four years for Asian director James Nguyen to make, but you wouldn't know it from watching it.  After seeing both Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth,  Nguyen decided that they logically fit together, and Birdemic was born, taking its rightful place as probably the worst movie ever made, in my opinion beating out even Troll 2 and The Room.   The camera used to make the film was no better than a household digital camera, with clearly no microphone other than the microphone on the camera being utilized.  The sound is so dreadful it is distracting.  The story takes about 45 minutes to even get started - Rod (played by Alan Bagh) meets up with a beautiful model named Natalie (Whitney Moore) and courts her, all the while making millions of dollars at a software company.  After his company is bought out and he makes millions more, he builds and invests in a solar panel company that works towards renewable energy.  That's when the birds come in - well, they DIVE in actually.  And explode.  And occasionally just hang in the sky and squawk.  The "animation" appears to be a series of gifs - it's that bad.  The acting, especially by Bagh, is not even worthy to be deemed acting.  This guy couldn't even walk convincingly.  The writing is plain and unbelievable.  The storyline, as much as Nguyen tried, doesn't strike any environmental themes home to the audience, mostly because they've all either fallen asleep or left the building.  As bad as it is, it's not without a "so bad it's funny" element.  Watch it with some of your friends and be prepared to laugh your ass off.  It also wouldn't hurt to jot down some notes on how to NOT make a successful film.

(img sources=fanpop.com/bananasaboutmovies.com/3news.co.com)  

Teaser Trailer Tuesday - "Sassy Pants" (That kid from "The Sixth Sense" is alive!)

     You know, I always wanted to know what happened to Cole after a childhood of seeing dead people. 

Mark Wahlberg is a Tool

     Mark Wahlberg has always kind of gotten on my nerves.  I can't explain it, but I don't like his movies, his acting, his rapping, or that shit-eating grin of his.  Oh, and I also don't like actors who belittle heroes who died on 9/11.  That always grinds my gears a little bit.  

    During an interview with Men's Journal, Wahlberg, apparently inflated by a fat Hollywood ego and dreams of too many "badass" movie stunts floating around in that empty head of his, had the audacity to claim that had he been on one of the planes that went down on 9/11, "...it wouldn't have gone down like it did.  There would have been a lot of blood in that first class cabin, and then me saying, 'Ok, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry."(Slate.com)  

   You know Mark, I am kind of wishing you HAD been on that plane now.  Because honestly, we don't need you making any more more movies about terrible people that live in Boston - Ben Affleck has that covered now.  Your time card is punched, man.  You're free to clock out.  Just remember that in reality, the world is an insanely different place than a Hollywood set, with bullshit cables, a script, and FAKE terrorists and FAKE drug cartels with FAKE machine guns that kill FAKE people. 

    I've said before that Hollywood is just a giant Kraftsman toolbox.  You, sir, are the biggest in the box.  

(img source=nextmovie.com)

 

Trailer for a Wednesday: "Moonrise Kingdom"

     Wes Anderson's trailers prove to be as Wes Anderson-y as his films.
    Oh, and this will be awesome by the way.

Peter Jackson's "West of Memphis" Innocence Project Documentary Premieres at Sundance Jan. 20th

    
      Awhile ago I posted on this blog regarding Peter Jackson and his wife, Fran Walsh, being involved in the West Memphis Three case of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, who were released this year from prison 20 years after an unfounded murder conviction placed them behind bars for most of their teenage and adult life.  Now, Jackson, Walsh, and documentary filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil) are putting their talents to use.  
     Their new joint effort documentary, West of Memphis, premieres at Sundance this upcoming week, and looks riveting.  Jackson certainly seems to stay busy.  The link below is to an article at EW.com that includes an interview with Echols, Jackson, Walsh and Berg, all discussing the film and how it came to be.  Read up and enjoy.  Man, maybe I should be falsely accused of murdering three 8-year-olds.  Maybe then I could finally meet Peter Jackson. 
     Link to article is here.

(img source=brisbantimes.com)

TGIF

     I don't know who Hart Crane is, but his life looks pretty messed up.  The directional debut from James Franco.

 

Movies I Watched This Week (So Far)

     Ugh, I know this blog has been lame the last few weeks.  I haven't been able to write as much and keep up, but I will do better, I promise!  Which leads me into my newest segment, "Movies I Watched This Week".  Since I didn't write about the weekend on Monday.  My pulling-ideas-out-of-my-ass skills are improving.

1. Mystic River

      One of my favorite movies of all time, and one of the most depressing reads you'll ever come across, Mystic River is the type of movie you can only watch every few years, just to refresh your memory.  The gruesome somberness of it all is almost too much to handle if you watch it any more than that.  Sean Penn and Tim Robbins garnered two Oscars for their roles, both of them well deserved (especially Robbins).  It's a Clint Eastwood film that in some ways doesn't really feel like a Clint Eastwood film; there's too much darkness and murder and child kidnappings involved.  The storytelling of Eastwood, however, is phenomenal.  Boston is grim and filthy in this story about three friends who grew up together but parted ways after a horrific event.  Another horrific event 25 years later reunites them.  As bleak as that synopsis is, trust me, the movie is bleaker.  Intense, thrilling, and profoundly sad, this one stays with you.

2. Fahrenheit 9/11

      Oh man did I used to hate Michael Moore.  I used to think he was so, SO obnoxious and annoying.  Then I watched some of his movies, and no matter which side of the aisle you find yourself on, no matter what your politics, Moore does tend to make great films.  He has a distinct satirical and emotion style, both off-putting to some and heart-warming to others.  He certainly has balls to go where no other documentary filmmaker would go.   Like to the middle of Guantanamo Bay in a lifeboat.  Or asking senators to enlist their children in the army, as he did in this gem of a film, awarded Hollywood Movie of Year (and some Razzies, which makes me lol) in 2004 when it was released.  Moore examines the US before and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the Bush administration's response to them.  One thing I did notice about this film was that it seemed like Moore was more distant from the subject than in other films like The Big One, Roger and Me, and Sicko.  He wasn't even on screen that much, not even while doing interviews.  He probably wanted us, more than ever, not to pay attention to him, but to the content.  The subjects he covered could almost be enough material to fill two movies, not one.  Other works of his, such as his newest, Capitalism: A Love Story, seemed to be more focused and the right length of time in ratio to the content.  This was the only thing that distracted me during the film.  But in the end, Moore raised important, startling, and unsettling questions about one of the darkest events America has experience in this millennium.

3. Snow White: A Tale of Terror

     Do be distracted or deceived by the somewhat cool special effects/make-up/costumes this photo depicts.  What a terrible, terrible film.  The writing was wooden and surprisingly unlifelike amid the backdrop of an adaptation of the Brother's Grimm's Snow White tale.  Despite stars like Sigourney Weaver and Sam Neill, the acting seems amateur at best and lazy at worst.  It's almost laughable.  Half of the time it is difficult to even figure out what the hell is going on.  It was never released in theaters, and now I can see why.  Do not waste an hour and forty minutes of your life on this.  By the end of it, you'll be wishing you had a poison apple to eat.


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Trailer for a Thursday - "Prometheus"

     The prequel to Alien, Ridley Scott is still the man behind the wheel on this one.  Not like you couldn't tell it wasn't Alien related from the gradual, linear formation of the title screen.

The Producers Guild of America Announces Nominees for Best Picture

     Here's the official list for Best Picture that the PGA announced today, and to tell you the truth this list disappoints me.  Really, Bridesmaids?  What the hell?  It was a funny movie, but now it has actually become a joke being on this list.  I personally think Tree of Life, Take Shelter, and Another Earth should be included.  At least The Descendents got a nod.  Wow what a bunch of bullshit.  Good thing the PGAs aren't important or anything.

  1. The Artist
   2. The Descendents 
  3. War Horse
  4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  5. Bridesmaids

    

     6. The Help

     7. Hugo

     8. The Ides of March

     9. Midnight in Paris

    10. Moneyball