2015 @ The Movies Archives - January

Monthly Movie reviews originally published on Facebook - YEAR 2:

January 1 2015 through January 30 2015:

2015 @ the Movies take 1 : “Big Eyes” In Tim Burton’s latest, a female painter (Amy Adams) gets robbed of her authorship by her unscrupulous husband (Christoph Waltz). They then become the wealthiest "art couple" of their generation selling countless reproductions of her work. Here resides the interest of the story: this irony or strange ambiguity - who is the author if the piece of art is mechanically reproduced? The printer? In our age of uncredited pictures reproduced ad infinitum online, there was a worthy theme to explore. However, Burton portrays painter Margaret Keane as the complete victim of her manipulative husband, and fails to address the murkiness of the situation. He seems more interested in the look of the film creating a lush late 1950’s San Francisco full of "big-eye"-popping colors. The plot and character development are neglected into the realm of formulaic biopicness… Quel dommage! Experienced at Wehrenberg Campbell 16 Cine in auditorium 5 withTerry Miller Barakat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOavDSErmak

2015 @ the Movies take 2 : “Whiplash” (2nd Viewing!) The piece retains all of its punch the second time around. This repeat viewing allowed me to appreciate more how power relations are in constant flux throughout the piece (Foucault would be proud). At first sight, the music teacher seems to be the great puppet master, but Andrew’s realtionship with the other characters also shows similar dynamics, and ultimately loops back for the final showdown. Miles Teller’s performance in scenes sans J.K. Simmons is definitely worthy of attention. Experienced at Moxie Cinema in theater 2 with Single-tear Susie & Kurtis Fletcher. 
A case in point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFRuFU-LwZI

2015 @ the Movies take 3 : “The Interview” As expected, the film is a mixture of butt humor and political satire. When the butt humor reaches hairy depth, the political satire is timid at best. I appreciate the fact that the piece both ridicules the absurdity of the North Korean regime and the profound stupidity of the US entertainment machine permeating the entire globe. However, the “Hurray for democracy!” resolution of the piece completely undermines any attempt at meaningful subversion. A more fitting conclusion would have been for our female Korean revolutionary to become the new supreme leader of NK to put, when the time comes, her child (of Rogen descent) on the throne… Then Kim Jong-un would have had something to whine about. Experienced at Moxie Cinema in theater 2 with Susie Park & Kurtis Lee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frsvWVEHowg

2015 @ the Movies take 4 : “Wild” This film could easily be called “Into the Wild Tracks” as a perfect representative of the lonely-hiker-with-a-checkered-past biopic genre. The road to self-discovery is a path through a hostile natural world where toe nail injuries are likely: groundbreaking! Yes, Reese Witherspoon gives a decent makeup-less oscar fishing performance. One originality of the piece is the use of very very brief flashbacks to synthesize the traumas that prompted the hike. Like disorganized chunks of memory that the audience needs to piece together. The muzzle flash reflected in the eye of a horse is my favorite. However, a heavy reverb-laden voice over quickly comes to explain everything and further longer flashbacks tie everything in a pretty bow at the end… of course, the film closes with the requisite pictures of the real person who truly did what the movie is really showing because it is a veritable, not fake, true real story in the life! Experienced at Wehrenberg Campbell 16 Cine in Auditorium 13 without makeup.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn2-GSqPyl0

2015 @ the Movies take 5 : “Imitation Game” In a world… where biopics dominate the silver screen, it is high time for someone to get it right. Yes, the ambiance of war-torn Britain is perfectly captured (like I was there…), but the film shines by focusing on what matters: the human element. Turing’s life-long struggle to connect with others takes center stage and resonates far beyond the fact that he built the first computer and changed the course of history. Of course, the film owes a great deal to Benedict Cumberbatch’s impeccable interpretation, but Kiera Knightley shows a great range as well. See that’s one biopic that I like Phil :) Experienced at Regal College Station Stadium 14 in auditorium 3 with Susie & Kurtis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuPZUUED5uk

2015 @ the Movies take 6 : “Inherent Vice” The tendency of material to deteriorate due to the essential instability of the components or interaction among components. In the legal sense, inherent vice may make an item an unacceptable risk to a carrier or insurer. If the characteristic or defect is not visible, and if the carrier or the insurer has not been warned of it, neither of them may be liable for any claim arising solely out of the inherent vice. That said “dealing with the Hippie is generally straightforward. His childlike nature will usually respond positively to drugs, sex, and/or rock and roll, although in which order these are to be deployed must depend on conditions specific to the moment.” To which I retorted "What was “walking on water,” if it wasn’t Bible talk for surfing?” Experienced at Fuckhenberg Campbell 16 where cinema usually trudges towards a sure demise, but on that precisely chilly Sunday afternoon around 4:15pm in auditorium 6 it had a few breaths left… with Terry Snoozefest, Susie Overnighter & KurtisSaxotello. The only lines worth reading in this murky post are Thomas Pynchon's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZfs22E7JmI

2015 @ the Movies take 7 : “The Overnighters” AKA “Frack thy neighbor" A very unsettling documentary that is structured like a piece of fiction. Oddly, the documentarian keeps shifting the focus of the piece as if to enhance the complexity of the issues it raises. Each social problem becomes the outer layer of a deeper one with less prospects for an easy fix. What starts as a housing crisis in times of economic growth becomes a deep interrogation on faith, identity and the limits of selflessness. Highly recommended even on a Tuesday night. Experienced at Moxie Cinema in theater 1 - where cinema soars with new life - with Susie & Kurtis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_50-lKvqF4

2015 @ the Movies take 8 : “Selma” The film chooses to cast a wider net in its approach by not only focusing on MLK. The piece succeeds in creating a sense of group struggle. During the first half, it successfully avoids the biopic pitfalls and experiments with interesting sound & picture editing choices. Unfortunately, the last 15 minutes revert to stale agiographic documentary-like clichés that mar most biopics. Still worth watching, but doesn’t quite reach the biopic high mark set by "Imitation Game.” Experienced at Regal College Station Stadium 14 in Auditorium 11 withTerry, Susie & Kurtis and an older couple who would not sit by us.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6t7vVTxaic

2015 @ the Movies take 9 : “Blackhat” When casting a movie with Chris Hemsworth in the lead role, it is extremely ill-advised to only give him hastily sharpened screwdriver to wield. The man needs his hammer! As for the villain, he needs a devious Loki, not an aging Seth Rogen look-alike in a damp Hawaiian shirt. Except for a couple a trademark action sequences, it is hardly believable that this was put together by Michael Mann. Experienced at Regal College Station Stadium 14 in auditorium 12 (the one with the yellow stains on the screen) with Susie , Kurtis & Tatiana and some dude who left 30 minutes in the movie. Better rewatch Mann’s 1981 “Thief” than this vapid bore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHgAEcVzh1o

2015 @ the Movies take 10 : “Foxcatcher” The best dramatic actors are comedians. This axiom behind the magic of “Breaking Bad” is perfectly illustrated by this dark study on the exercise of power. Steve Carell transforms into a tragic vulture persuaded to be an eagle. When “Whiplash” posits abuse of power as a condition for talent to emerge, “Foxcatcher” posits talent as the ultimate commodity. Let's not omit yet another great performance by Mark Ruffalo (The actor with the most coughable last name). A very powerful piece that further complicates the Oscar race. Experienced at Moxie Cinema in theater 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8361stZ8n0w

2015 @ the Movies take 11 : “American Sniper” It is hard to decide how to feel about this film that does not seem to know what it wants to be: part war hero-worship biopic shot like an NRA promo add, part timid socially-conscious commentary on post-war trauma. Bradley Cooper navigates the contradiction effectively, but not to the point of Oscar-worthiness. The portrayal of the Iraqi population is also quite problematic. They are innocent kids or treacherous adults with dangerous kids, not much nuance there. Finally, casting a Jafar look-alike for the super-villain “butcher” part is dubiously cliché. You are better off re-watching “Generation Kill”, “Hurt Locker” & “The Deer Hunter.” Experienced at Springfield 11 in IMAX with Susie, Tatiana & Kurtis. Sorry, I will not make the joke about the movie missing its target... Crap! I just did. For those of you who forgot who Jafar is:

2015 @ the Movies take 12 : “Beyond the Lights” All the ingredients are there: a young Afro-British woman groomed by her white single mother to be the next Beyoncé - there was so much to explore: music versus image, manufactured beauty, racial dynamics, body as commodity, mother/daughter relations etc… Gugu Mbatha-Raw & Minnie Driver certainly had the chops to pull it off. However, all the promises rapidly evaporate into a very insipid love story with a super-hunk-Whitehouse-hopeful cop who has the charisma of a puffed up sponge. The film is nominated for Best Original Song with the tune “Grateful.” A feeling I share considering I only had to pay $1.50 to experience this gem at the Palace Theatre in a very uncomfortable seat that brought back sweet memories of the early years of the Moxie Cinema... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfcfZn8nq3w

2015 @ the Movies take 13 : “Police Story III: Super Cop” (1992 ENG Sub) Last time I saw a Jackie Chan film in the theater was the 1987 French release of Police Story I. Even though I never got to see Police Story II, I was able to follow this Hong Kong classic splendidly. Most of the interest for this 3rd installment resides in the virtuosity of the practical stunts. It is refreshing to feel this long forgotten thrill in the age of green screen dominance. However, the pre-1997 poke at the Mainland China regime by everybody’s favorite gravity-defining debonair Cantonese is a ton of fun. Experienced at the MONDO Moxie Cinema in theater 2 hanging from a helicopter with Susie Yeoh & Kurtis Chan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuwBN-o6iv0

2015 @ the Movies take 14 : “Paddington” With a trailer so bad that I almost asked for a refund before the beginning of the feature presentation, there was no chance in hell I was going to devote any more time to this production. However, the allure of a bargain Tuesday ticket at the downtown picture show and upon remembering that, besides France, there is no hell, I came to reconsider my initial revulsion. Good thing I did! Now, 98% on Rotten Tomatoes is certainly a bit carried away. Still, “Paddington" is beautifully made and full of interesting visual story telling ideas. The immigrant story subtext is also a pleasant twist - the scene of our recently arrived bear trying to greet crowds of oblivious Londoners in stilted English will resonate with the ESL crowd. Homesickness portrayed as a live band musically translating Paddington’s feelings at every street corner is also a great idea. The main flaw of the film is its villain. Her motivations don’t really make sense. Worse, the final showdown is weak and plagued by a very sappy speech that awkwardly hammers the subtext down the throat of the viewer… Experienced at Regal College Station Stadium 14 with Susie Brown and the noisiest movie goers ever. So as to avoid the hideous trailer, here a teaser:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sukaz4_-SHU

2015 @ the Movies take 15 : "Oscar Live Action Shorts 2015” 5 short films from 5 countries are competing this year. Overall, it is a strong selection that seems to place people’s need to connect with each other as its unifying theme. 

Parvaneh (Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger - 25 min Switzerland) shows how, in the space of a few hours, two teenage girls can overcome the cultural divide and see the birth of a friendship. Nice effort, but the piece tends to keep the Afghani girl in the role of the victim saved by her Swiss pal too much. A nice opportunity to hear Swiss German and Dari, though.

Butter Lamp (Hu Wei and Julien Féret - 15 min France-China-Tibet) The most successful entry of the program that illustrates the idealogical power of pictures using the simplest setup: a single still camera shoots families of Tibetans posing for group portraits in front off absurd stock shot backgrounds. A gem! Best line: "Representatives from the local socialist bureau are coming. Clean your houses inside and out!"

See the how the old lady blocks Mao's iconic portrait :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3MD76xGXN4
The Phone Call (Mat Kirkby and James Lucas - 21 min UK) A counselor from a crisis hotline tries to save a suicidal man. An acting tour-de-force that missed its perfect ending by adding a useless sappy backstory wrap-up. The first 20 minutes are still a masterpiece.
Aya (Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis - 39 min Israel and France) In the Jerusalem airport, a young woman pretends to be the driver of a newly arrived Danish traveler. A brilliant look at making deep human connections beyond social conventions in a very short time. The short explores a moment like a full-length feature film could not.
Boogaloo and Graham (Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney 14 min - UK) Even though it takes place in Northern Ireland in 1978, this is the lightest of the selection. Two kids become obsessed with their pet chickens. The success of the piece resides mostly in the hilarious performance of the two kids - best line to persuade your parents to keep a pet chicken “My reading is really coming on!"
Experienced at Moxie Cinema in theater 1 with Susie, Kristina & Kurtis.

2015 @ the Movies take 16 : "Oscar Animated Shorts 2015” 5 shorts films from 4 countries are competing this year. Overall, it is a not the most exciting selection, but it has its moments. 

Me and My Moulton (Torill Kove – 14 min Canada) A very nice blend of form and subject matter for this look at out-there parental decisions (those pesky modernist architects!) that can be poetically problematic for a child who just wants a bike. Dig that jazz soundtrack.

Feast (Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed) – 6 minutes/USA A strong contender with no strong offering from Disney or Pixar in the animated feature category, this dog POV piece overflows with gorgeous cuteness. I wish the human protagonists had remained off-screen throughout the piece, but it is a visual marvel.
The Dam Keeper (Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi – 18 min USA) A beautiful piece that suffers from too many themes (bullying, punctuality, global environmental crisis, the power of caricature…) and is a bit too long for the same reason.
The Bigger Picture (Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees – 7 min UK) The most avant-garde piece in terms of form - it mixes 2D and stop motion animation in an interesting way. However, the story fails to grab as much the arresting visuals.
A Single Life (Marieke Blaauw, Joris Oprins, Job Roggevee – 2 min /The Netherlands) A fun twist on the time machine theme that feels like a sequence taken from a Tex Avery classic. Experienced at Moxie Cinema with Susie & Kurtis.
http://vimeo.com/95169157