Thoughts: Roger Ebert

To follow-up my previous babbling about critics and the possibility of their becoming obsolete, I wanted to share this little bit about Roger Ebert.

He's had his reviews posted online for some time but now it seems that he's started an actual blog. You can find it here.

There have been many times when I've read his reviews and been absolutely baffled. Did we just watch the same movie? Because it certainly didn't seem like it... However, I do have a respect for him and I have to acknowledge that he knows his movies.

I may not always agree with him but I appreciate him and I'm glad he brings his love of film to the world of critics.

He's had various health problems over the last couple of years. I just want to take a second and wish him well.

So yeah, check his stuff out.

Thoughts: My Weekend in Film 4/21

So with Birthdays and Passovers and other life things, my weekend was once again uneventful in the film world. What did I do?

Friday PM:



Sex in the City! I know, I'm such a girl.

I actually have not seen much Sex and the City in the original, HBO form. I don't have HBO and haven't had it for years. So I watch a lot of the syndicated, edited episodes. I enjoy the show, it's fun, but I have a feeling I'll like the HBO uncut versions better.

My roommate on the other hand is a huge fan. She has the DVDs somewhere (not in our house or I would have watched them), is excited for the movie, etc. Most of my Sex in the City watching is due to her putting it on.

Not that I mind, like I said I enjoy the show. It's a nice little bit of escapism that I can relate to my Real Life even as I recognize the fantasy. While I don't necessarily think that my life should revolve around dating and I'm certainly not in a rush to settle down, I like talking about boys. I will probably always like talking about boys. And Sex in the City gives me exciting boy talking with out all of the mess and nonsense that accompanies it in Real Life.

I have enough Real Life. If I can have a couple of hours of fantasy on a Friday night... excellent.

Saturday late late PM/Sunday early early AM:

After a long day of cooking and eating and drinking wine (it was the first night of Passover) and hours of swinging on the neighbors hammock, it was time to come inside, thaw out, and catch a flick.

I flipped through my DVDs but honestly I was just too tired to commit to anything. So when I turned on the TV and TBS was playing A League of Their Own... good enough for me!



I grew up with baseball and still have a soft spot for this movie. Mostly for the baseball and because I'm a girl. Girls playing baseball? Awesome!

It's been a while since I'd last seen it and while I still enjoy it, not all of it holds up. A lot of the jokes just come off as cheesy. There is also more sap than I'm generally a fan of.

But there's baseball and that makes me smile. It's an easy, fun movie than I can lie on the couch and fall asleep to.

Sunday PM:



Again my day was filled with things other than film. By the time Sunday night rolled around I was ready for another easy watch. Sticking on the theme of a chick weekend, the roommate and I put on Little Women.

I feel much the same way about Little Women as I do about A League of Their Own. Not all of it holds up, there is an excess of cheese, but it focuses on interesting Women characters who manage to have more in their life than just romance and talk of romance. Almost an opposite of Sex and the City.

Another easy watch that is somewhat of a guilty pleasure.

And that was pretty much it. I may actually attempt to go to the theater sometime this week. It's been a while.

Still on the slate:

Once. With everything else that went on during the past week I never did make it to Once. It'll happen this week.

More Tudors. I got the second DVD from Netflix! Yay!

Maybe some other things. We'll see what happens.

Thoughts: A Critical Ending

There has been a lot of talk lately about the "death of the critic" and speculation as to its cause. I have thoughts and opinions on the subject but before I get into it I want to share a couple of these articles.

Anne Thompson talks about the changing times and provides a few good links that I think set up the discussion well. Links Here.

One article she links to is Patrick Goldstein's The End of The Critic? I think he also covers several key points.

Briefly, some of my thoughts.

I look for a couple of things in film criticism.

One, simply, I want to know if a movie is supposed to be any good. I don't get to see many films in the theater. There are some that I will see no matter what, even if the critics hate it. And then there are others that I may be on the fence about. It's these films that I look for other opinions. Should I rush to see it? Can I wait for it to make it to the second run theater that has the cheaper tickets? Or should I just wait for video? When I'm all ready missing films like Ang Lee's Lust, Caution I don't really want to waste my movie going time on something like Drillbit Taylor which will probably be just as good (or bad) off of Netflix.

A second thing I read critics for is to find new films. Even if a film may never play in a venue I can get to, I like to know what's going on in the film world. I like to know what's new, what people are getting excited about. When I can't get to Sundance or Cannes myself, I can read about the films from others who were there. Or when a museum is hosting a retrospective on a filmmaker whose work isn't always readily available, I can find a new name to at least look for.

There's so much film out there that if you look to just the mainstream you'll miss most of it. Film critics can be a great source for finding the new, they can bridge the gap between the blockbuster and the obscure art film. A wonderful thing.

The third reason I look to critics, and the area where I find myself being most frustrated, is to find critical discussion, discourse, debate. I want to see what other people who love film, who are educated in film theory and history, have to say about something like No Country For Old Men for example. Is it really as great as everyone likes to think it is? I can watch No Country and see for myself that the cinematography is great. What I'm looking for is something beyond the obvious. I want an artistic context.

Instead, most of what I find is this: "It looks great. The Coen brothers are great. Javier Bardem is great (despite his funny haircut)."

Well, really? I could tell you that. In fact, I did tell you that. I don't want to read the things that I can come up with on my own. I want something beyond that.

So are we seeing the end of criticism? I don't know. The nature of criticism is certainly changing. Like most of the articles you'll find behind the links say, the internet is democratizing criticism. And not just for film. For everything. Anyone can start a blog on any topic they care about. Anyone can post a review. I think that's a great thing. There is a value in that.

But there are elements that you are just not going to find in Joe Everyman's review. Because us bloggers, we're just the laymen. I like to think of myself as being competently educated in film but I don't have the knowledge or skill to contextualize the way I would like to see films contextualized.

What I would like the future of criticism to be is a mix between the highbrow and the low. Between the experts and the fans. A beautiful balance that will create a community of film lovers. A utopia of sorts. Community. And we're starting to get it. You can find it in the obvious places like Rotten Tomatoes. My hope is that we can have the new, this democracy of opinion, without completely losing the old.

I think it's something that is certainly possible. And I think a shake up in the world of print criticism is not a bad thing at all. Clear away some of the nonsense, bring critics in touch with what is going on in the world. Create debate.

What I love so much about reading older critics like Pauline Kael is that they not only discuss a film and whether or not it's good. They argue with each other. They argue with their audience. There is a discourse. And their reviews end up revealing just as much about the state of the film world as whether or not a movie is good. Through their writing we can see a reflection of our culture as a whole.

Film is more than just entertainment for me. It is an integral part of my life. I want to find the critics who I can relate to. I don't need another hack. I need people like Jonathan Rosenbaum. I may not always agree with him but when I read about how film has shaped his life, when I read about why he likes or dislikes certain films, I know I have found a kindred spirit. Another lover of film.

I look to the critics for opinions, for advice, but mostly for their love. If this shake up can knock out a few of the hacks... then by all means, shake away!

The establishment always gets nervous when they see the world changing. But that's just how the world works. It changes. The new becomes old. The old is retired. Sometimes the change is for the best, sometimes it's not. It is, however, always inevitable. The only way to survive it is to roll with it. Ebert has figured that out. If others want to as well, then I recommend they start blogs of their own. If they're any good, the audience will find them.

Thoughts: My Weekend in Film

Normally I use my weekends as catch up time for all of the movie watching I failed to do during the week. However this past weekend was rather lackluster in terms of film. It was just too nice outside to spend my time indoors. I did manage a little movie and television watching though.

Saturday AM:



Before I managed to make it outside, I did spend some time on my couch recovering from Friday night's mischief. A couple hours of Scrubs did help me forget about my slight hangover.

I still really enjoy that show. They manage to create a nice blend of humorous situations and serious topics. It's not just another medical drama (although I am a fan of a couple of other medically themed shows. Like House) but it manages to deliver on the dramatic medical topics.

It's also possibly my favorite thing that Zach Braff has done. Garden State was okay I guess but I like him better in Scrubs. And Dr. Cox makes me happy to no end. He's by far my favorite character.



Unfortunately Comedy Central decided to air the movie Ladies Man after a couple of delightful hours of Scrubs. I don't have much to say about it other than it caused my headache to come back. It was good for one thing: it managed to motivate me to turn off the TV and move from the couch.

Saturday Early PM:



Before I finally left my house for bike riding and beach going, my roommate and I watched the first episode of season 1 of The Tudors. I know, I'm still on season 1. I have the excuse of not having Showtime but I do have Netflix. So The Tudors DVDs are slowly making their way to my living room.

I've so far watched the first two episodes, as well as a smattering of little bits from later in the season. I'm very excited for the series. It has an immensely talented cast, high production values, and it's about an incredibly fascinating period of history. Sex, war, intrigue. It delivers in every way that The Other Boleyn girl failed to. (If you've read my review of that, you know I was extremely disappointing with the awful adaptation of Phillipa Gregory's novel).

We only made it through the first episode. It was a gorgeous day and we do live only a mile from the beach after all. Couldn't spend the entire day in front of my TV!

Saturday PM:



So after all of this beach time and biking, not to mention continued hangover recovery, I definitely did not have the energy for an excessive Saturday night. So instead of too much crazy the roommates and I stuck in the, ah, entertaining Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

How exactly does one describe this movie? For my one roommate who watched it as a kid, she went back to a place of nostalgia and childhood fear. For me, having only seen it in the midst of my horror movie craze, I enjoy the cheese, am vaguely disturbed by horribleness of it, and mostly just laugh. For my other roommate, who had never seen it before, she was mostly just mystified by our giggles and saw it as only one of many bad 80's horror movies.

It's a sort of unique, sort of bizarre, mostly terrible genre film. It subscribes to most of the horror conventions of 80's horror and contains bits that are just down right bad (the hillbilly's accent and dialog any one? Ugh). At the same time... I mean, they wrap people in cotton candy and drain their blood. They shoot popcorn at people and chase people with balloon animals. They kill people with puppet shows. Who thinks of these things??? There are so many elaborate set-ups that I can't help but being reluctantly impressed.

And it's a movie about Killer Clowns! Clowns make you laugh! Lots of people are scared of them! The movie is horrible but it just has so much going for it that I can't help but be entertained.

That being said, I really don't recommend the special features on the DVD. At least not viewed directly after the film. There's only so much a sober brain can take.

If you're so inclined you can see more of the Chiodo brother's, the masterminds of Killer Klowns, at their website here.

Saturday Late PM:



My final viewing of the night, of the weekend in fact, was a late night screening of Disney's Aladdin. It was always one of my favorites as a kid so naturally I own the DVD.

There were a few years, when I was still a part of Disney's target audience, when it seemed like just could not miss. The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King. Each one presented us with stellar animation, engaging characters, songs that I still know the words to. Maybe it's just that I was the right age for them but personally I think it's more than that. I think they're all well crafted animated films that will continue to appeal to kids and parents for a long, long time.

Although, watching Aladdin again after not having seen it in a very long time, I did notice points that were not quite as cute as I remember them being. Aboo can be annoying and Gilbert Godfrey's charm has kind of worn off. (Um, Gilbert Godfrey has charm? Not exactly...)

I still enjoy singing along though. That at least will probably never change.

Sunday:

It was way too nice out yesterday to sit inside at all. And with no hangover, I had nothing to even tempt me to take up residence on the couch. So sorry, no Sunday movie watching to report!

On the slate for this week:

More Tudors for sure. I've got the next two episodes on disc 1. Then I'll send it back to Netflix for more!

Once: It's been on my To See List since I first heard about it and I've finally got it to watch. I'm excited.

There Will Be Blood: Possibly. The DVD came out last Tuesday and I picked it up over the weekend. I'm ready to watch it again. We all ready know that I love PTA. And I like milkshakes.

Other than that? Not sure yet. There are a few things I might try to catch in the theater. Juno comes out on DVD tomorrow. Who knows what will be on TV. Or how much time I'll have. There will be something though, there always is!

Production: The Book of Caleb

Way back in the fall of 2005 I left the comforts of my parents house in warm, sunny south Florida to spend the winter in the cold of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I drove over twenty hours in order to work on my very first feature film. I was to be the script supervisor on the ultra low budget indie The Book Of Caleb. Written and directed by FSU alum Matt Manahan, The Book of Caleb was a production unlike any I've seen or been a part of since.

It was run incredibly professionally, crewed with immense talent, fueled by passion. And done on a tiny budget that shouldn't have allowed most of the things we accomplished to occur.

Now, after a long wait and much anticipation, The Book of Caleb is finished. I'm incredibly excited for Matt and everyone else who has spent countless hours putting this thing together. And I just wanted to share my excitement and spread the love.

So go visit them at their website. And if you want to see it, check them out at From Here To Awesome. Or even at YouTube.

For your viewing pleasure, a taste:

Thoughts: Uwe Boll Cont.

(Videos possibly Not Safe For Work and Not Appropriate for All Ages. Or something like that)

And so it continues.



I continue to giggle. The bit where he calls Michael Bay an F-ing retarded and then proclaims his own genius is priceless.

Speaking of genius:

Thoughts: No Country For Old Men

Since I mentioned No Country yesterday while babbling about Paul Thomas Anderson, I feel like it's only fair to give it a bit of time as well. Yes, it's true my preference is for There Will Be Blood. However, that doesn't really have anything to do with my feelings towards No Country For Old Men.

I was a fan of the Coen brothers long before I came to appreciate PTA and I feel like I'd be a bit of a traitor if I didn't give them their due. While I might find PTA's work more inspiring in the moment, the Coen brothers are hugely responsible for my love of film. The Big Lebowski is still one of my favorite movies. And the summer that Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? came out they hijacked my movie watching and every night became an attempt to see Oh Brother. (A comedy of errors of sorts, it took me over a month to actually see the film. After it was released on video).



So yes, I bought No Country For Old Men the night it was released on DVD. My roommates had yet to see it so last night we burned a bunch of food, grabbed some comfy blankets, and settled in for the cinematic adventure that is No Country For Old Men.

It's a hard movie. It's violent, harsh, and unforgiving. While the violence can be slightly over the top, I don't feel like it's ever really campy. It just is. There are moments so tense I found myself clutching the pillow on my lap. And this was after I'd all ready seen it once, all ready knew what was coming.



It's well crafted, well told, and certainly well acted. The most complaints I've heard have to do with the ending. While I can see where people may be coming from, I think the ending is great. For me it brings the story full circle. People are dead, the ghost disappears, and we're left with an old men who can do nothing but accept what's coming.



Call it fate, call it destiny, call it what you will. Even though it feels like it, we are not the centers of the world, even our own world. There are events that happen outside of our control, outside of our awareness. We can look for what's coming. But rarely will we see it until it's there.

Anyway. No Country For Old Men is a great film. The Coen brothers continue to make me a very happy girl while they continuously reinforce my love of film. I watch the movies they make and I remember why I am in this industry.

Thoughts: Stop Dr. Uwe Boll Petition

I really had to laugh when I heard about this petition. It's popped up on several film sites now including Total Film and FilmSchoolRejects. I know I've mentioned previously how much crap I think his movies are. And I'll stand by that. However, I feel like this petition is mostly just silly. I don't really believe that he'll stop making movies and honestly I'm not sure I believe he should stop anyway. I think it's completely lame that he's able to make films when other people, who probably deserve it more, can't but still. Freedom of expression, being able to do what you love, all that. If making crap makes him happy, then more power to him. I'm just not going to watch it.

However, if you're so inclined, feel free to sign yourself. Or at least join me with a good giggle:
Stop Dr. Uwe Boll Petition

Thoughts: Punch-Drunk Love

I love Paul Thomas Anderson. To the point being a little fangirl-ish. Normally I reserve my fangirl excitement for the cute faces of actors like Josh Hartnett or Johnny Depp. However, I occassionally get just as excited over someone working behind the scenes. The combination of Wong Kar Wei and Chris Doyle, for example.



PTA is by far my favorite of the moment. I loved There Will Be Blood with a fangirl's blindness. (What do you mean you liked No Country For Old Men Better????) I think Boogie Nights is utterly brilliant. And Magnolia? I may not ever completely understand the frogs but I still think it's genius.

With all of that, I've just now gotten around to seeing Punch-Drunk Love. Why the long wait? I have no idea. There are just so many movies out there that occasionally, or frequently, I don't come even close to seeing all of the ones I want to. Netflix helps but what I really need is more than 24 hours in a day.

Punch-Drunk Love is not my favorite PTA film. I think it's good, there are elements I think are great, but overall I found myself unable to fully connect with the story. The first half is incredibly slow and while Adam Sandler's performance is actually very good, I found the film lacking in humaness. I felt like I was being kept at a distance when I desperately wanted to be engaged.

As the story develops and more characters are introduced things improve. By the second half I was completely involved and very happily so. I think what really helped to crack the ice more than anything was Emily Watson. I think she's a great actress and she is beyond adorable in this movie. And while her wide eyes frequently convey a sense of childish wonder and innocence, she is capable of expressing an impressive range of emotion. I really feel like her performance in this film is spot on.

While this film is filled with the bits that I've come to look for in PTA's work, it's not his strongest film. Which I'm sure he all ready knows. However, with strong performances and visual style that grew on me as the film progressed, it's worth seeing. I don't think other fans of PTA will be disappointed.

Thoughts: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Dude. I have Nick Cave in my head so bad. I'm obsessed with Dig, Lazarus, Dig! I've always liked Nick Cave. I guess with his new Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds coming out in like a week I might be a little excited. Go figure.

I think the video is kind of rad too.





Also, you other X-Files fans, you remember this one?





I love you Nick Cave. You make me happy.

New Album available in the states April 8th. Rock out to that mustache. You know you want to.