Published by drockwood April 24th, 2007
in Uncategorized.
One of my favorite movie sites chud.com has embarked on an interesting list: the top cinamatic disappointments. So far they’re two items into the list of fifty and already they’ve picked a film I love; Once Upon A Time In Mexico. An odd film to be sure but that’s what I treasure about it.
As for own list I would include Rodruigez’s Sin City. A film that in it’s slavish devotion to the literal rendering of the source material completely missed the book’s appeal. From that same year I still haven’t recovered from the jaw dropping I failure I found to be David Cronenberg’s A History Of Violence. Again I’m in the minority.
I would also have to include the entire US career of John Woo, a director who never came into his own after relocating here.
Popularity: 20% [?]
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Published by drockwood April 21st, 2007
in trailers.
Holy shit, it turns out that Faye Grim is a movie that is real and not just something I’ve made and told people about. And it co-stars Jeff Goldblum.
Evidence: There is a trailer that you can watch.
And the tailer’s got quotes from critics as well, critics who have seen the movie. So apparently this is a done deal.
Oddly enough the trailer choses not to capitalize off of the popularity of the prequel Henry Fool, said film goes unmentioned.
I love Henry Fool and this looks like a fun little sequel. It seems like it might have a Third Man sort of feel with Henry in the Orson Welles roll.
Leave lots of comments about htis exciting venture.
Popularity: 19% [?]
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Published by drockwood April 20th, 2007
in reviews.
Disturbia is a film I’m going to assume you’ve never heard of but it has been number one at the box office for the past two weeks. I’ve been hearing a lot about the box office failure of Grindhouse which people have been analyzing and conversing about. Well this Disturbia film is the reason why: so enamored is everyone with its charms they just don’t have time to buy tickets to sit and watch Grindhouse for three and a half hours.
Depending on how snide you want to be Disturbia is either a remake of Rear Window or a rip off of it. It is also geared towards the teenage crowd so instead of a Jimmy Stewart with a broken leg it’s the Disney Channel’s own Shia LaBouef under house arrest for punching his Spanish teacher. He gets an ankle braclet that will go off if he steps outside his property so he spends his time stalking his room window. He and his obligatory Asian comic relief friend spend half their time ogling the new girl next door and the other half convincing them selves that their other neighbor is a notorious serial killer. One thing that bothered me was that their evidence against the neighbor was less than convincing. Of course in the great tradition of Rear Window rip offs they are never less than zealous in their convictions that this guy absolutely has dozens of hacked up bodies in his garage.
As soon as you get that this is Rear Window for the under twenty crowd you know exactly what will happen. This is as predictable a film as you’re likely to see in the theater anytime soon. But what Disturbia gets right is that it has an uncanny understanding of its audience and what they want to see. Pop songs, cell phone cameras, Xbox live. Whatever they’re into this movie is into as well. Plus, for some reason I really like the Disney Channel’s own Shia LaBouef, possibly for the same reason I like Cory Feldman.
I’m a reluctant to come out a recommend this movie but it has an easy charisma that sort of won my over.
Popularity: 16% [?]
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Published by drockwood April 10th, 2007
in reviews.
Listen assholes, and by assholes I mean you the readers; I’ve never heard of this ‘Grindhouse’ business before Quentin Tarantino started using the word in every other sentence during his Kill Bill press. In fact I half suspect this is something that Tarantino and Rodriguez just made up.
So whatever it is that’s being paid tribute to here, I don’t know what it is. I have no idea if this is a faithful recreation of the supposedly epoch defining phenomenon or more of a hokey send up or whatever. So if you’re reading reviews looking for the “scoop” on that, look else where.
As a member of the general viewing public I was a little late in the game on catching ‘Grindhouse’ at my local non-grindhouse theater which is a multiplex where something called Meet the Robinson’s was playing in the next room. I’d been consciously avoiding early reviews and spoilers least my impressionable mind be influenced but nonetheless I’d been privy to the general scuttlebutt which was that the movie was a mixed bag and a bit of a disappointment. The rumor on the street was that Rodriguez’s ‘Planet Terror’ was a fun but forgettable action movie meanwhile Tarantino ‘dropped the ball’ because he’s a ‘hack’ and his movie ‘Death Proof’ is ‘self-indulgent’ and also ‘a boring piece of shit’.
That was not exactly the reception I’d been hoping for what was for me at least arguably the most anticipated movie of the year. Usually I’m one to tell the naysayer’s to fuck off when it comes to my beloved favorite movie directors. But Grindhouse is a bit of an exception; this was a movie sold as being the ultimate in crowd pleasing technology. If the crowds weren’t pleased that probably meant something went wrong.
Continue reading ‘Review for GrindHouse’
Popularity: 20% [?]
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Published by drockwood April 3rd, 2007
in Uncategorized.
For awhile now I’ve had a minor obsession with film critic Armond White. If your at all familiar with his work then you don’t need to ask why.
I equally love the anti-Armond “blog” (short for web-log) armonddangerous. Extra points for a great name, I’m sufficiently ashamed of my lame title for this post.
Somehow I’d managed to overlook the amazing wikipedia entry on the combatant critic whose captured my heart. Here’s the best part:
A blog established in 2006, Armond Dangerous, deals with many of these issues by posing false arguments, illogic and ad hominem attacks on White. The blog is maintained by an anonymous source; its writers do not identify themselves which undercuts their attempt to “criticize the critic.” It is evidence of the envy and hostility and cowardice that consumes fanboys of the internet subculture; they are dead-set against White’s freedom of speech.
Popularity: 21% [?]
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