Monday, July 30, 2012

The Daytrippers

What a disappointing mess of a "comedy" this cult indie film is - just more people behaving badly to me. Meh. 2/5

The Daytrippers on Netflix

Sunday, July 29, 2012

The Double Feature Weekly Wrap-Up, 7/29/12

Welcome to this week's edition of  the Double Feature Weekly Wrap-up!
Here are my self-imposed rules taken from my first edition:
  1. No pairing of sequels. Obviously Watching Iron Man 2 with Iron Man would  be a good double feature, but that's so obvious I don't think it should count. Same with pairing it with another film in the Avengers series.
  2. No pairing remakes with originals. Yes, it's tempting to pair the new Arthur with the original, but again that's too obvious.
  3. No pairings with the same director or lead actor unless a REALLY persuasive case can be made.
So, without further ado, here's my double-feature pairings for the week:


  • Nobody Knows - This Japanese drama based on actual events just broke my heart. The slow pacing of this film made it even harder to bear as you could really feel the impact of time throughout the film. I had to think hard to find a film that cold equal the dark tragedy of this and I found it in the Ukraine's Lilya 4-Ever. You know you're watching a seriously tragic film when there are times you wish the protagonists would die not because you dislike them but because death would be a kinder fate than what's happening on screen - Lilya is very much in this camp. Haunting.
  •  Bellflower - I really felt this was an awesome movie that just never quite found its way. The story was intriguing but the characters false and plot full of holes. Visually it was a feast for the eyes and I saw what they were trying to do. I Melt With You is the film Bellflower wanted to be - a tortured story of four men dealing with a crucial turning point in their lives. I Melt with You is one of my favorite rentals of late with perhaps my favorite trailer in a LOOONG time.
  • Meeting Evil - Again this was a decent idea gone all wrong. The plot was unbelievable from jump and even Sam Jackson flubbed his character in this flimsy thriller. It reminded me of Bill Paxton's Frailty , which suffered from many of the same problems of muddied plot and poorly drawn characters.
  • Jiro Dreams of Sushi - I expected this documentary about the king of sushi to be great. I didn't expect to be so well educated by it, nor did I expect the bombshell ending of the story which changed my whole perspective of the story. While lacking the ending twist, Kings of Pastry , a documentary about the ultimate French pastry competition, is a perfect pairing for this. Ah, all the lovely food!
  • Attack the Block - I got a huge kick out of this fun and fast action/adventure comedy set in London. The characters were great and the action engaging without sacrificing its edge. Pair this with the similarly toned Tucker & Dale vs. Evil , a hilarious horror/comedy mix starring Alan Tudyk.
  • Tinker Tailor Solider Spy - The writing in this spy thriller was magical and the acting superb. Every time I thought I had it all figured out I found out I was mightily wrong which I greatly appreciated.The whole time I was watching this I was reminded of Costner's No Way Out, a spy thriller with a similar edge with an ending that I don't think anyone predicted/
  • 42 Up - Apted's series keeps getting better as the characters we now have grown to love keep getting older and wiser. What a wonderful idea for a series so perfectly realized! For a documentary with a similar main idea but completely different approach try Life in a Day , a documentary that tries to capture a feel for the everyday and the extraordinary over the course of one single day in July of 2010.




There you go - my double feature pairings for the week! I hope you enjoy them and happy movie watching! 

42 Up

Suzy is my new hero in this wonderful installment of the UP series which continues to be one of my favorite things. Love! 5/5

42 Up on Netflix

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012

Attack the Block

What an awesome, fun, well directed and well acted little movie this is! Surprised it didn't get more love. 4/5

Attack the Block on Netflix

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

A riveting documentary about sushi? You bet, with a bombshell at the end that floored me. Excellent. 4.5/5

Jiro Dreams of Sushi on Netflix

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Meeting Evil

Why oh why did Sam Jackson agree to star in this idiotic film that makes no f'n sense at all? Beats me! Ugh. 2/5

Meeting Evil on Netflix

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The Double Feature Weekly Wrap-Up, 7/22/12

Welcome to this week's edition of  the Double Feature Weekly Wrap-up!
Here are my self-imposed rules taken from my first edition:
  1. No pairing of sequels. Obviously Watching Iron Man 2 with Iron Man would  be a good double feature, but that's so obvious I don't think it should count. Same with pairing it with another film in the Avengers series.
  2. No pairing remakes with originals. Yes, it's tempting to pair the new Arthur with the original, but again that's too obvious.
  3. No pairings with the same director or lead actor unless a REALLY persuasive case can be made.
So, without further ado, here's my double-feature pairings for the week:

  • Nothing Personal - This Polish drama set in Ireland was beautifully daring in that it was comfortable in its own silence. There was no backstory given for the characters and none needed - the female lead never even had a name. A truly poignant film worthy of an equally daring and poignant pairing. I would watch this with Breaking the Waves, Lars Von Trier's gorgeous and daring film that also explores complex relationships without over explaining. Tonally the two match well and I think would compliment each other greatly.
  • 28 Up - This continuation of the UP series finds our subjects now at 28. Most of the cast returns for this segment with a few great surprises. The thrust of this installment was opportunities, which is why I would pair it with Nursery University, a documentary that tackles the subject of elite nursery schools in Manhattan and the crazy things some parents will do to secure their child a place.
  • Man on a Ledge - I'm still mixed on this film. The action was exceptional and the heist portion really well done. It was the whole man-on-a-ledge part that was hollow to me and very unbelivable. This film really wanted to be The Score, the De Niro/Norton/Brando heist film that had all of it's pieces fit tightly together.
  • Griff the Invisible - I had such high hopes for this film having seen so many wonderful variants on this theme as of late. This didn't really deliver for me in the way I had hoped it would - I didn't believe it. Of all the "superhero" films I've seen lately this most reminded me of Special, a similarly themed drama starring Michael Rappaport as a young man who can't quite find the line between reality and fantasy any longer.
  • Devil's Playground - This documentary about the Amish rite of Rumspringga was fascinating in theory but light on content. I really had wanted to learn more about both these kids and the culture from which they sprang. Pair this with Jesus Camp, a wonderful documentary about the culture of Evangelical Christians in America that passes no judgments.
  • Chalet Girl - I love Felicity Jones but this romcom about a former skateboarder turned snowboarder was very average. It took me three days to remember the name of the movie it reminded me of - Blue Crush, a very similar film substituting surfing for snowboarding.
  • 35 Up - This installment of the UP series finds us reunited with a cast member we missed in 28 Up but lacking another. Having tracked these subjects for nearly thirty years it's just amazing to see how much of the person really had been there at age seven. Following Sean is the perfect pairing for this - it tracks down a documentary subject first caught on film at age four thirty years later to see how he, and the filmmaker, have changed.


That about does it for this week - happy movie watching!

Bellflower

This confused movie was sumptuously directed but nebulously written & roughly acted. High aspirations not met. 3/5

EDITED TO ADD ON 4/6/13: I actually just ran into this old review and I have to say that "Bellflower" has stayed in my head continuously since I saw it. I cannot forget it - the characters, the direction, the framing... and that car. This movies imagery has haunted me since the night I first saw it, and for that it gets a rating adjustment to a 4/5... maybe even 4.5 honestly. I wouldn't have predicted the long term effect this film had on me, but there you go.

NEW RATING: 4.5/5

Bellflower on Netflix

Monday, July 23, 2012

Nobody Knows

This Japanese drama is both chilling & heartbreaking with phenomenal acting. I can't believe it's a true story. 5/5

Nobody Knows on Netflix

Sunday, July 22, 2012

35 Up

This documentary series continues to be the most interesting look at human development I've yet seen, I love it. 4.5/5

35 Up on Netflix

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Chalet Girl

Decent enough film with good acting & snowboarding but so thoroughly plastic it didn't stick. I'm meh on this one. 3/5

Chalet Girl on Netflix

Friday, July 20, 2012

Devil's Playground

A fascinating look at the Amish tradition of Rumspringa - I wish it had gone into more details though. 3/5

Devil's Playground on Netflix

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Griff the Inivisible

I really felt like this movie could go somewhere with this idea but it felt false to me - good, not great. 3/5

Griff the Invisible on Netflix

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

28 Up

This next installment in the UP series finds both triumph & tragedy in our 14 kids. So amazing to watch it all unfold! 4.5/5

28 Up on Netflix

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Nothing Personal

An absolutely gorgeous, lush, understated drama about relationships that dares to be nearly silent. Lovely. 4/5

Nothing Personal on Netflix

The Double Feature Weekly Wrap-up, 7/15/12

Welcome to this week's edition of  the Double Feature Weekly Wrap-up! A couple of tough ones this week but I think I made good choices in the end. Here are my self-imposed rules - rules I admittedly broke this week, but still....

  1. No pairing of sequels. Obviously Watching Iron Man 2 with Iron Man would  be a good double feature, but that's so obvious I don't think it should count. Same with pairing it with another film in the Avengers series.
  2. No pairing remakes with originals. Yes, it's tempting to pair the new Arthur with the original, but again that's too obvious.
  3. No pairings with the same director or lead actor unless a REALLY persuasive case can be made.
So, without further ado, here's my double-feature pairings for the week:

  • Safe House - This Ryan Reynolds/Denzel Washington action thriller has great acting and action but it's terribly predictable. All the reviewers at Netflix compared it to The Bourne trilogy, but watching this made me think of Hanna, an action thriller about another unlikely spy-hero against a seemingly unstoppable force.
  • Vertigo - This Hitchcock thriller starring James Stewart is just perfect in pretty much every way. I know I said no matches with the same director or star, but this really needs to be watched with Hitchcock's Rear Window. Can you blame me for this? I think not!
  • 71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance - Haneke's experimental film crafts a brilliant story in a non-linear style with unconventional camerawork. Pair this with Look, another experimental film that solely uses shots from surveillance cameras to tell it's story. You'll thank for for this one - I don't think anyone really saw Look and it's truly brilliant. 
  • Seven Up/Seven Plus Seven - Michael Apted began this documentary series in 1964, where he began checking in with his fourteen subjects every seven years. This disc has the first two films shot at ages seven and fourteen. Pair this first installment with Babies, a wonderful documentary that tracks the lives of four babies from vastly different geographical areas for the first four years of their lives.
  • 21 Up - This second installment of the UP series checks in with Apted's subjects fourteen years from the first film at age twenty-one. This one would pair nicely with Born Rich, Jamie Johnson's documentary about the children of the extremely wealthy.
  • Big Nothing - This squalid comedy tells the story of a reluctant criminal who finds himself committing a crime spree almost against his will. At it's core, this is just a poorly told version of Heathers, the cult hit with a similar plot and tone (except SO much better!).

Well, that's it for this week! Happy movie watching!

Big Nothing

A terrible, awful, inane, poorly plotted, weakly acted nonsensical farce that you shouldn't waste your time with. 2/5


Big Nothing on Netflix

Saturday, July 14, 2012

21 Up

This documentary follows all the children from 7 up to age 21 - wonderful to see how they're growing up, so fascinating! 5/5

21 Up on Netflix

Friday, July 13, 2012

Seven Up/Seven Plus Seven

This fascinating documentary follows a group of children from age 7 to 14 - I can't wait to see what happens! 5/5

Seven Up/Seven Plus Seven on Netflix

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Vertigo

I'm know I've been on a Hitchcock kick, but can you blame me? The man was a genius & this a masterpiece - brilliant! 5/5

Vertigo on Netflix

Monday, July 9, 2012

Sunday, July 8, 2012

The Double Feature Weekly Wrap-Up, 7/8/12

Welcome to this week's edition of the Double Feature Weekly Wrap-Up! Rules for match-ups here - let's get started!  

  • Tiny Furniture - Lena Dunham created a lovely indie drama here with smart writing and a bit of bite. It reminded me very much of Slaves of New York in it's tone and humor - a good match for a double feature.
  • God Bless America - I'll follow Bobcat Goldthwait almost anywhere, but this black comedy really missed the mark. If you're into this you'd probably love Kevin Smith's Red State which dabbles in a similar area. I didn't like either, but there you have it.
  • Dial M for Murder - This Hitchcock classic weaves such a magnificent plot I was mesmerized. For a good film noir night of intrigue pair this with Double Indemnity, a similar noir thriller that will keep you on your toes.
  • The Artist - I'm in the minority in that I found this modern silent film gimmicky and a bit stale. My objections mainly lay in that, if you're going to do a "silent talkie" you shouldn't break the illusion you're trying to create, which I felt The Artist did too many times. For reference, pair this with Chaplin's Modern Times, a true silent talkie that does everything right.
  • Last Night - This moving drama about infidelity is just heartrendingly honest and beautifully acted. I can't believe more people haven't seen this - it's really wonderful. It would pair beautifully with Blue Valentine, another poignant film that looks at the difficulties in a modern marriage.
  • A Thousand Words - This Eddie Murphy film started out with a great idea and just made it cheesier and cheesier throughout the film. You could go two ways with a double feature here. For another film about the power of words go with Ricky Gervais in The Invention of Lying, which I found both hilarious and eerily accurate in it's observations. If you'd rather pair A Thousand Words with a film about a lost man who needs to learn a lesson about life look no further than Groundhog Day.


So there you have it, your double feature recommendations for the week. Happy watching!

A Thousand Words

This comedy had a great idea but just executed it quite poorly. Murphy was pretty great though - shame. 3/5

A Thousand Words on Netflix

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Last Night

Possibly the best & most realistic film about infidelity I've yet seen - wonderfully acted & just heartbreaking. 4/5

Last Night on Netflix

Friday, July 6, 2012

The Artist

This movie got in its own way far too often & turned it's hook into a gimmick too often. Very average for me. 3/5

The Artist on Netflix

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

God Bless America

Bobcat had a good idea, one I could get behind, but went WAY too overboard in this black comedy. Shame. 2/5

God Bless America on Netflix

Monday, July 2, 2012

Tiny Furniture

Lena Dunham's writing is both sharply witty & incredibly endearing - the acting is wonderful as well. A winner. 4/5

Tiny Furniture on Netflix

Sunday, July 1, 2012

The Double Feature Weekly Wrap-Up, 7/1/12

Welcome to the third edition of the Double Feature Weekly Wrap-Up! Boy oh boy were some of these tough to pair up, but I'm proud of the picks I finally made. My self-imposed rules for matching up movies are in my first post here. Let get started with the week's reviews!


  • The Tempest - Julie Taymor's adaptation of Shakespeare's final play was luscious if somewhat misguided. I know it seems unfair to pair it with another fusion Shakespeare film, but this is just screaming to be watched alongside Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, which, in my opinion, is still the best fusion Shakespeare out there.
  • Bal - This moody, understated Turkish drama about a father-son relationship is so arresting and gentle in it's approach it was almost diaphanous. After much thought I decided this really needed to be a triple feature as there are two movies that would enhance and draw out the two different sides to this wonderful film. The first is Australia's Romulus, My Father, which is an understated but complex look at a dysfunctional family. The second is Michael Haneke's The Seventh Continent, a visually arresting look at a family gone all sorts of wrong. Watch Romulus first, Bal second, and end with The Seventh Continent as the final shots of Haneke's film will stay with you forever.
  • And Everything Is Going Fine - Soderbergh's posthumous tribute to Spalding Gray is composed entirely of older recordings and pieces of Gray's monologues and interviews. Pair this with Howl, a drama about Ginsberg's long poem composes entirely of snippets of the poem and the obscenity trial about it.
  • The Puffy Chair - This early Duplass brother's film about a road journey gone sideways was my biggest challenge of the week. I wanted something that had relationship issues, family issues, and a twist to it all wrapped up in an indie package. I got it with Easier With Practice, a fascinating little film about two brothers on the road and a strange but intriguing anonymous phone call. I admit to a small measure of pride for thinking of this match - it wasn't easy!
  • Neds - This film about a troubled teen growing up in the violence of 1970's Scotland pairs perfectly with This Is England, a film about a troubled teen who gets pulled into skinhead extremism in England. Make sure you leave the subtitles on for both of these - the ascents are amazingly thick!
  • The Vanishing - The original Dutch version of this thriller is infinitely more chilling and frightening than the American remake. Because the original had a grainy, indie feel to it I really wanted to pair it with something of both similar tone and style. I got that with Peacock, a haunting tale about a man devolving into psychosis with Cillain Murphy in the role of his life.
  • The Elephant in the Living Room - This documentary about man's desire to tame the wild pairs perfectly with Grizzly Man, Werner Herzog's documentary about one man's quest to live with grizzly bears in the wild.


So there you go, my double feature recommendations for the week. Enjoy and happy movie watching!

The Elephant in the Living Room

This is a fascinating documentary that doesn't take sides but asks lots of good questions. 4.5/5

The Elephant in the Living Room on Netflix