What a fascinating topic for a movie, right? Discovering the aliens that seeded our planet and somehow unraveling the mystery of their demise? AND it's connected to Alien? Great! I'll just fall asleep during that movie then. Not only because it is dark and quiet and slow to progress but also because Ridley Scott somehow doesn't want you to know for sure about anything that is happening during the film.
Listen, I don't mean to be so American about movie watching and seethe so about ambiguity and open ended plot devices, its just that I have a hell of a lot of movies to watch right now and I don't have time for re-watching and admiring this amazing gift for nuance. IF that is what is happening. I love a layered movie that I can continue to enjoy and make greater discoveries about on subsequent viewings. I even love some films that leave me with a "what the hell" feeling such that I become intrigued enough to follow up and try to unravel the mystery.
Prometheus felt like neither one to me. It just felt like a lot of hard work. I read several blogs and websites after trying to watch it to figure out what I had missed. Many of them told me that the film is only fully understood and enjoyed by spending hours hashing it out in conversation with other scifi fanatics. Oh? I need to return to my twenties to enjoy this? I'll skip it, then. Another site revealed (if this is true) that Ridley Scott shot scenes that answer all of the questions that would make this a much easier film to ingest and then cut them out of the movie and put them on the DVD version. I guess I watched the wrong version.
I will give this movie another try in the future, but I do resent the extra effort it requires. The VFX were just fine.
Monday, February 18, 2013
The Gatekeepers
The Gatekeepers blew my mind. This is a powerful documentary that interviews all of the heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli version of the CIA and Homeland Security combined. The subjects were frank, honest, sometimes critical, sometimes defensive, but always willing to take a fresh look back at the history of unrest in the Gaza Strip and West Bank and call into question any number of choices made by themselves and others over the course of five decades.
It reminded me of Errol Morris' Fog of War, but with a whole chorus of people to play off of one another. Their various disagreements and corroborations build a really interesting drama around the analysis of a political situation gone horribly wrong.
Additionally, the production design that went into presenting the historic stills and video footage was really top notch. They created entire "3D" reenactments out of still photos and set up elaborate virtual stages that contributed to the feeling of looking in on a world that few are meant to see.
I left feeling that I had learned something new, been challenged in my own thinking and been entertained a bit in the process. This translates to high marks for a documentary; I would definitely recommend The Gatekeepers.
It reminded me of Errol Morris' Fog of War, but with a whole chorus of people to play off of one another. Their various disagreements and corroborations build a really interesting drama around the analysis of a political situation gone horribly wrong.
Additionally, the production design that went into presenting the historic stills and video footage was really top notch. They created entire "3D" reenactments out of still photos and set up elaborate virtual stages that contributed to the feeling of looking in on a world that few are meant to see.
I left feeling that I had learned something new, been challenged in my own thinking and been entertained a bit in the process. This translates to high marks for a documentary; I would definitely recommend The Gatekeepers.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
I knew it!
I always feel a bit queasy when people take the stand that anyone in the armed forces is automatically a hero and must be heaped with praise and a multitude of thanks. I understand this makes me a bad person. But I feel that enlisted people are also just people and maybe they aren't all awesome?
Well, The Invisible War proved me right! And who doesn't like to have their point of view validated? Actually, honestly, I didn't. Watching that movie was awful. Another Oscar doc has proved to me what a horrible world we live in, filled with unremarked injustices. This time, the alarming rate of rape in the military and an unforgivable culture that allows no recourse or justice.
The only good news is that Leon Panetta got off his butt and changed things two days after seeing the movie. Holy crap! Don't ever think that all film making is fluff! And my husband and I signed petitions after we saw it, because we are well off white people, so what else would we do? I really hope these film makers focusing their lense on this topic will do some good in our life time.
Well, The Invisible War proved me right! And who doesn't like to have their point of view validated? Actually, honestly, I didn't. Watching that movie was awful. Another Oscar doc has proved to me what a horrible world we live in, filled with unremarked injustices. This time, the alarming rate of rape in the military and an unforgivable culture that allows no recourse or justice.
The only good news is that Leon Panetta got off his butt and changed things two days after seeing the movie. Holy crap! Don't ever think that all film making is fluff! And my husband and I signed petitions after we saw it, because we are well off white people, so what else would we do? I really hope these film makers focusing their lense on this topic will do some good in our life time.
How to Survive A Plague
How to Survive A Plague, the documentary following the activism responsible for drug development and testing that has led to the effective control of the AIDS virus is both gut wrenching and inspirational.
The amount of archival footage that was amassed and used for this film is really quite remarkable. It made for a really complete account of the struggle that ACT UP faced and provided a great through line to the survivors' stories today.
It is a film full of fades to black, which I take some issue with. I understand that there is a great deal of mourning built in, and the pauses facilitate that process, but it also messes with the pacing for me. It probably stands out to me because I have been guilty of it myself. I enjoyed this film and don't feel like it is going to be the winner. Which means it is probably a lock.
The amount of archival footage that was amassed and used for this film is really quite remarkable. It made for a really complete account of the struggle that ACT UP faced and provided a great through line to the survivors' stories today.
It is a film full of fades to black, which I take some issue with. I understand that there is a great deal of mourning built in, and the pauses facilitate that process, but it also messes with the pacing for me. It probably stands out to me because I have been guilty of it myself. I enjoyed this film and don't feel like it is going to be the winner. Which means it is probably a lock.
Friday, February 15, 2013
5 Broken Cameras
Alright, so I watched 5 Broken Cameras in bed and had some trouble staying awake. I'm only human! The basic gist of this is that Israel is evil and killing Palestinians unjustly. I kind of figured this might part of what was going on over there, but of course it is always disturbing to see it play out before you.
A man in a Palestinian village becomes obsessed with recording the destruction of the town's olive orchards and the systematic stealing of their land by Israeli settlements. He uses five cameras which are broken over time, almost always by Israeli forces. The town is super non-violent and plucky in their resistance of the Israeli incursion.
I found myself doubting the veracity of some of the footage. Was this town really always so non-violent? Because sometimes they are also very angry and rightly so. And its hard to get a whole village of people to agree on a single course of action. And if these Israeli forces are truly so aggressive and bloodthirsty in their defense of their illegal wall (which I am prepared to believe) then why are these townspeople so frequently bringing their children along for the anti-wall festivities? I felt as if I was missing some of a really sad and unjust picture.
Nonetheless, it was a compelling story that will stick with me and no doubt shape my thoughts about the conflicts in that region.
A man in a Palestinian village becomes obsessed with recording the destruction of the town's olive orchards and the systematic stealing of their land by Israeli settlements. He uses five cameras which are broken over time, almost always by Israeli forces. The town is super non-violent and plucky in their resistance of the Israeli incursion.
I found myself doubting the veracity of some of the footage. Was this town really always so non-violent? Because sometimes they are also very angry and rightly so. And its hard to get a whole village of people to agree on a single course of action. And if these Israeli forces are truly so aggressive and bloodthirsty in their defense of their illegal wall (which I am prepared to believe) then why are these townspeople so frequently bringing their children along for the anti-wall festivities? I felt as if I was missing some of a really sad and unjust picture.
Nonetheless, it was a compelling story that will stick with me and no doubt shape my thoughts about the conflicts in that region.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Two Flights
First off, Denzel is always solid but he doesn't have a shot at Best Actor for Flight.
With that out of the way, Flight was a strange mix of two movies. One kind of awesomely slick look at the super cool, edgy life of sex, drugs and alcohol. The music had attitude. John Goodman had a ponytail. And coked up mother f&$kers were gettin' shizz done!
Alternately, there was this sad, gritty drama about addiction. The camera sort of meandered and the music was, like "heavy piano" sad. It was interesting to see the two play off of each other. The only problem was that the reality version was sort of a downer and I longed for the other version even though that one was clearly the "wrong" choice.
Tarantino would never put me in this predicament!
I guess what won out was that women were objectified in Flight 1 and treated like real people in Flight 2. In fact, it is the fact that a woman acted heroically, not negligently, that swung the balance for the main character, as well. So Flight 2 takes the day, but let's let John Goodman keep the ponytail, shall we?
With that out of the way, Flight was a strange mix of two movies. One kind of awesomely slick look at the super cool, edgy life of sex, drugs and alcohol. The music had attitude. John Goodman had a ponytail. And coked up mother f&$kers were gettin' shizz done!
Alternately, there was this sad, gritty drama about addiction. The camera sort of meandered and the music was, like "heavy piano" sad. It was interesting to see the two play off of each other. The only problem was that the reality version was sort of a downer and I longed for the other version even though that one was clearly the "wrong" choice.
Tarantino would never put me in this predicament!
I guess what won out was that women were objectified in Flight 1 and treated like real people in Flight 2. In fact, it is the fact that a woman acted heroically, not negligently, that swung the balance for the main character, as well. So Flight 2 takes the day, but let's let John Goodman keep the ponytail, shall we?
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Moonrise Kingdom
Me and Wes Anderson have different tastes.
His films are beautiful. Whenever I try to remember one of his films, I picture these artistic and striking tableaus. I think of walking through a museum of bright and edgy paintings, struck by color palettes and composition. I can never, however, recall a damn thing about the plot or emotional arc of a single one of his films.
Moonrise Kingdom is one of my favorite of his films. These actors have mastered the art of playing a Wes Anderson caricature and they do a great job. The film is stunning to look at and I feel somehow warmed by the quirky fire of the world he creates. I only regret not feeling anything. Depicting a whirlwind romance in a manner that is devoid of all emotion is pleasingly ironic but I still just feel better at the end of a film if I have been on my own emotional journey as well.
His films are beautiful. Whenever I try to remember one of his films, I picture these artistic and striking tableaus. I think of walking through a museum of bright and edgy paintings, struck by color palettes and composition. I can never, however, recall a damn thing about the plot or emotional arc of a single one of his films.
Moonrise Kingdom is one of my favorite of his films. These actors have mastered the art of playing a Wes Anderson caricature and they do a great job. The film is stunning to look at and I feel somehow warmed by the quirky fire of the world he creates. I only regret not feeling anything. Depicting a whirlwind romance in a manner that is devoid of all emotion is pleasingly ironic but I still just feel better at the end of a film if I have been on my own emotional journey as well.
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