Movies and The Internet--ON_LINE
Posted by: j_john
I'd seen a bit of this film when it played at my theatre a few years ago (the line "would you like to polish my knob" is unfortunately stuck in my brain), but I only recently sat down to watch it for the series. On_Line is aimed at the young, tech-saavy youth of today, who think they will be able to use the internet to help fulfill their sexual wants and desires. It focuses on an introspective young guy named John who runs a service with his roommate Moe called Intercon-X, where people can connect with others through video chats to help get each other off or possibly meet-up IRL. The irony here is that John is unable to get over his ex-girlfriend and spends all his time updating his video blog and admiring girls without ever contacting them.
Things get more interesting when cheating, potential suicide, and bisexuality are introduced, but overall this was a pretty tame film with some lofty ambitions to update the classic romance formula with new technology. Let's take a look at some photos.
Note: On_Line is the first film in the "movies and the internet" series to be viewed in High Definition, which didn't really make much of a difference, except that I was forced to take literal screenshots of my display for the images. Of course, there is something weird about watching something in HD that contains a good amount of footage obtained via webcams.
This is our protagonist, a classic internet nerd with nothing much to say except things like "the world is a lot smaller than you think" and "this is my life, these are my obsessions"--ugh.
Whoa, this shot is underneath the desk! There were so many attempts to make sitting at a computer seem dynamic and sexy.
Check it out--John's roommate is totally Michael from LOST!
This is the computer of the totally sexy lady Jordan who drives the guys crazy. Let's take a look around--furry pink monitor! a dildo! a wig and sunglasses for pretending to be that other character!
To get deeper into John's world, make sure you use the SnorriCam.
John meets up with Jordan and the screen explodes into dozens of frames! This made my head hurt--what am I supposed to pay attention to?!
Moe meets this lady Moira who likes to spend time with the suicide-obsessed on "Final Exit", chatting with people why they talk about how miserable their lives are.
Look! Moe/Michael is totally playing with himself!
Things don't work out with Moe and Moira, so John steps in and she helps him get over his ex, who we find out is the girl on the "Angel Cam" we have been watching the whole film. Something about watching your ex live her life out on a web cam seems a tad bit unhealthy, no?
I didn't really enjoy this film, since it compromised in too many areas while it tried to be provocative and progressive. The use of video chats was somewhat cutting-edge, but I'm unaware of any sites that actually have the bandwith alloted to maintain a half-dozen simultaneous video chats some 4-5 years after this film came out. The film mostly doesn't work because there are only so many ways you can convey information via computer screens, and it tries way too hard to make that interesting.
I leave you with a few more choice quotes from the cast:
"How exquisite it must feel to be a thing of beauty"
"Of course I believe it--it's on the fucking internet!"
"It's much easier to love an image than a real person."
From: February 23 | Comments (1) | Permalink
Super 35 & Open Matte
Posted by: j_john
I return with some findings about HD presentations, specifically in regards to this whole KING KONG letterboxing situtation. Thanks to everyone who commented on my previous entry, and thanks to the various sources on the wonderful internet (see below) who provided the answer to this short-lived mystery.
Turns out KING KONG was shot on Super 35 mm film, which allows the filmmakers to utilize additional space on the film that the soundtrack would have previously used, to create a larger negative to work with. It also helps to enhance the presentation of different formats, as it can add horizontal space to home video releases, and with todays widescreen televisions means you can see a significant amount more of the horizontal image.
Of course you are losing some of the vertical image as a result, as is always the case with non-letterboxed scope aspect ratio films, but the difference is less noticeable than it used to be on a standard 4:3 television. For the HBOHD version, they made it open matte to show the additional horizontal image that was always there. Which is basically the same thing they've been doing for full-frame TV versions, but here at least you aren't losing as much. Kind of an interesting compromise if you think about it.
Check out this thread on AV Science Forum where a bunch of nerds like myself went over the same comparisons. (Thanks to cag.com member Ph8te for pointing me in the right direction.)
Also, if you feel like delving even deeper into this, check out widescreen.org's aspect ratios and filming techniques page (their motto is "defending the visions and intentions of film makers").
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
HBO-HD vs HD-DVD
Posted by: j_john
Okay, I still have some movies and the internet stuff waiting to get published, but before I finish that series I need to post some HD-related "Consumer Reports-type" content. I've been meaning to comment on the different presentation qualities present among the broadcast HD channels, and now I can also see how they compare with the current Blu-ray and HD-DVD technologies (yeah, I have both). First up was the obvious comparison of recently debuted on HBOHD "King Kong". Since my HD-DVD player came with a copy of "King Kong" on HD-DVD, it would be easy to see it stacked up against my Comcast HBO feed.
Upon tuning in to HBOHD I immediately noticed that the movie was not being shown letterboxed. This surprised me, considering that I had watched a bit of the HD-DVD and knew it to be heavily letterboxed (Peter Jackson loves his epic, cinema-scope scenes). I took a few screenshots to directly compare how they displayed the exact same shot. What I found astonished me:
First we have this close-up shot of Kong on HBOHD:
Then the corresponding shot on HD-DVD:
Whoa! It actually looks like the letterboxed HD-DVD is cutting off part of the image! I would have guessed the opposite to be true. To further illustrate my point let's take a look at a wide shot of the airplanes that attack the giant ape:
First we have the shot on HBOHD:
Then the corresponding shot on HD-DVD:
You can totally see more sky above, and also more of the plane in the lower right corner. Weird. I guess I need to find out more about what kind of version HBO receives--and if the HD-DVD is actually fake letterboxed?! If anyone has any idea what is going on, feel free to comment. Also, I should point out that no amount of fancy HD technology could possibly make me enjoy this piece of shit film--"but it looks pretty good."
From: February 23 | Comments (8) | Permalink
Movies and The Internet--SNEAKERS
Posted by: j_john
SNEAKERS, released in 1992, features an "all-star cast" of Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, my old John Sayles buddy David Strathairn, Dan Aykroyd, a pre-death River Phoenix, Mary McDonnell (another Sayles alum), Ben Kingsley, Donal Logue, and a final cameo by Darth Vader. Pretty cool lineup, right? Pretty lame movie...
It covers the same surveillance territory that FF Coppola tackled in 1974's THE CONVERSATION, only with more updated, computer technology. I became immediately skeptical of this film the second they tried to make me think this rag-tag bunch would be capable of infiltrating high-level security.
Aykroyd is annoying as ever as "Mother", full of tired conspiracy theories. Strathairn's "Whistler" gets a few comedic turns as a blind man whose hearing is so acute he can detect the slightest change in audio levels, etc. Also, he gets to read braille Playboys and drive a van. Phoenix doesn't do much except be a pretty boy charmer, and Poitier almost saves himself with a good one-liner at the end. Redford carries the film for the most part, but can't do much to save the boring, implausible script, which basically involves the group stealing a high-tech espionage device, then having to re-steal it. HIJINKS!!!
Let's look at some photos:
Here is the braille Playboy--perhaps the joke is that old saying that guys like the magazine for the articles.
This is the guy they have to steal the device from initially, and yep, it's Donal Logue, AKA Jimmy the Cab Driver. I bet he'd like to forget how lame he looks as a nerd in this film.
Ha Ha! The blind man dances funny! Ugh.
More blind jokes--look, "Whistler" is hacking in the dark.
At least he is able to decode this mess.
Obligatory license plate enhancement shot:
The film takes an amazingly dark turn for a second when Poitier's character "Crease" lets loose on some bad guys with the line "Motherfuckers mess with me, I'll split your head!" WHOA.
James Earl Jones shows up at the end to provide some unneeded comic relief, granting blackmail wishes to the crew.
Finally, Redford looks like he is just as glad as I am that this film is over with.
From: February 23 | Comments (3) | Permalink
Movies and The Internet--THE NET
Posted by: j_john
Next up in my series is 1995's THE NET, starring Sandra Bullock. The movie starts with an awesome crane shot into our protagonist Angela Bennett's house, as she plays Duke Nukem and chats with her employer. He asks her to dinner, but she "has a prior engagement", which we then find out is ordering pizza.
Oh, look--it's pizza.net! Which, 11 years later, is "the world's largest pizza search engine." Who knew? At least I can say I've ordered pizza on the internet before, so let's give credit to the foresight shown by THE NET's creators.
After some slices we find Ms. Bennett chatting with her cyberfriends, and the movie feels compelled to make things more aurally interesting, so all of the chats are spoken in computer voices.
How great is "the net is ultimate condom"? Very great.
Angela obviously needs to take a break from this stressful life, so she goes on vacation, but first she needs to make her airline seat reservation:
Despite the basic graphic, this is another instance of THE NET actually delivering on a technological promise.
When Angela shows up at the airport the next day, things have gone a bit haywire due to, yep, a computer malfunction.
Would they really say "Hijacked"?!
Eventually she makes it to her destination, where she meets this alluring gentleman, who makes the moves on her with his smooth words "We're sitting on the most perfect beach in the world and all we're thinking about is where can I hook up my modem."
Brilliant sexual metaphor man!
Okay, I've grown bored of describing the plot, so here are the rest of the movie's highlights:
Don't mess with dudes who know computers, they could give you virtual VD.
When your budget is tight, call on Dennis Miller for the love interest.
Then kill him off because no-one is buying it.
Look at how cute that laptop is. Awwww.
Just don't press that button.
Now you did it.
I enjoyed THE NET more than I thought I would, mostly as a historical artifact. The movie really preys on the early internet privacy fears, and is probably the reason people still won't order things off the internet, but will instead call up some catalog and provide a live human with their credit card number. I can't wait for THE NET 2.0.
From: February 23 | Comments (7) | Permalink
DVR Notes
Posted by: j_john
Watching Lebowski for the umpteenth time the other night (first time in HD though), I noticed a couple things.
1. Aimee Mann plays the female nihilist (aka, the one who sacrificed her toe). So, the table at the pancake house features Flea, Mann, Peter Stormare, and Torsten Voges, whose career certainly peaked with that 1998 performance. An excerpt from an Onion interview with Mann from 2000:
O: Do you have any proper lines in that movie?
AM: Well, I'm supposed to be German, and me and the other Germans are sitting around the diner talking. One of the other guys actually was German, so he and I got together and actually figured out a little dialogue in German so we'd actually have something to say, because otherwise, when they say "action," you have to make up some fakey German-y fake language. Which is what Flea did, and the other guy is Swedish, so he kind of spoke this Swedish-German composite. He didn't care.
O: What were you talking about in German?
AM: Um, he says to me, "Do you have the key?" And I say, "No, you have the key." We had an argument about who had the key. "Well, you had the key, you locked the door!" "No, I didn't lock the door, it locked by itself." It was really stupid. Then the waitress comes and we order pancakes.
2. Also, David Thewlis plays Maude's excitable friend, a man more well-known for his Harry Potter performances, even though I always confuse him with Alan Rickman.
Yesterday I attempted to ignore the heat while watching the made-for-TV movie "Mission Of The Shark", about the USS Indianapolis, a battleship lost in the Pacific Ocean towards the end of WWII, shortly after dropping off a vital piece of the atomic bomb. Anyone who has seen "Jaws" will hopefully remember the scene towards the end of the film where the three main men are drunk and Robert Shaw's Quint character describes how he was on the ship that sank and watched his fellow crew members get picked off by sharks. There was even talk about making one of the Jaws sequels a serious prequel regarding this incident. However, that never happened and instead we are left with this tame film.Â
The subject of the boat's survivors being abandoned and the subsequent court martial of the captain (along with the delivery of the atom bomb) is quite fascinating, and should have made for a decent historical war film. Of course I wasn't expecting much from something custom-made to insert commercials, and the story is therefore way too condensed. Also, adding sharks to the mix is kind of an afterthought to the maker's of "Mission", and it would be nice to see this story remade with a decent budget.Â
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Ozu and "Good Morning"
Posted by: j_john
Awhile ago I wrote about watching Yasujiro Ozu's "Tokyo Story", and how I had to overcome my initial lack of interest to discover the beauty of his realistic cinema. I recently watched my second Ozu film, Good Morning, which has further cemented my appreciation for the social and familial elements in his films. In some ways it reminds me of the work of my favorite director John Sayles--I'll never forget the transformation that occurred upon viewing "Lone Star" in the theater--"this is what it's like to actually think in a movie!"
Except Ozu is a bit more subtle than Sayles--he keeps things simple and there is a certain brilliance behind all of his characters. "Good Morning" is actually kind of a comedy, complete with fart jokes (I'll get back to that). The majority of the film is spent following a pair of brothers who go on a vow of silence in protest to not having a television set. It's the late 50s and the neighbor's TV is beckoning them to watch wrestling matches, which clashes with their parent's desire for them to study. (This premise is easy to relate to--I remember having to earn enough money doing chores to buy my first Nintendo--but I suppose it was that much sweeter.) The small suburban community plays a big role in the film, complete with dirty rumors and false smiles. In the end I was a bit disappointed when the kids get their TV only because their parents wanted to do a favor for the man who landed a new job, not because they showed they deserved it by being responsible.
Oh yeah, and the fart jokes--the kids eat pumice stones which makes them emit the kindest farts ever heard on film.
From: February 23 | Comments (4) | Permalink
The Grindhouse Returns!
Posted by: j_john
It's time again for another weekend of films that define the genre of "kick-ass cinema"--the Grindhouse Film Festival starts this Friday at the historic Hollywood Theatre!
Last year we showed Portland a rare print of the massively influential classic "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" and a number of other greats like "Shogun Assassin" and "Lady Snowblood" that Tarantino pulled from to make "Kill Bill." This time things are a bit more diverse, representing KUNG FU, BLAXPLOITATION, SAMURAI VENGEANCE, SPAGHETTI WESTERNS & ZOMBIE genres.
Titles include:
Coffy, Pam Grier's most famous role in a beautifully restored print. I've never seen it so I'm highly anticipating checking it out for the first time on our big screen.
Zombie, Lucio Fulci's legendary take on the zombie genre, where a zombie fights a shark!
Executioners From Shaolin, another Shaw Brothers classic where we see the character of Pai Mei (seen recently as Uma Thurman's martial arts teacher in Kill Bill) defeat foes with his legendary Tiger Style. His crotch grab move is unbelievably awesome.
For A Few Dollars More, Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western with Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef in a restored print.
Fist Of The White Lotus, which I've been instructed to promote as "an old-school ass-kick-a-thon"--featuring Shaw Brothers legends, Gordon Liu and Lo Lieh. I haven't seen this one, but with those headliners I am super-pumped to check it out.
Shogun Assassin. A fan favorite from last year, Shogun Assassin returns as a blood-soaked samurai revenge tale with amazingly haunting dubbed narration. The blood squirting in this one is insane.
Five Masters Of Death. A lost Shaw Brothers classic directed by Chang Cheh, "the Godfather of Hong Kong cinema." This guy directed over 100 films!
Chinese Boxer. A super-fun/bad-ass hybrid with Jimmy Wang Yu from last year's Master of The Flying Guillotine. For some reason he puts on a surgical mask and oven mitts and goes to work getting revenge for the death of his martial arts master.
From: February 23 | Comments (2) | Permalink
MNP entry
Posted by: j_john
I wrote about a (somewhat) new documentary Tell Them Who You Are over on the MNP blog.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Eraserhead 2000
Posted by: j_john
Last week I had the pleasure of viewing David Lynch's Eraserhead for the first time on DVD. I've seen most of his films/shows, but knew little about this first feature of his, which definitely heightened my experience. For those that haven't seen the (somewhat) newly released "Eraserhead 2000" (available only through Lynch's official site and Netflix), you are in for a treat.
The first text that appears on the screen is a prompt letting you know that you will need to adjust the brightness of your television for optimum viewing of the film. After turning the brightness all the way down I pressed the forward button and was prompted to turn the brightness up until I could see the image on the screen. Now I was ready to watch the film in its intended contrast of black and white. (This type of dedication is probably only possible when you have thr rights to release the DVD yourself.)
I won't get into the specifics of the film, but suffice to say it was one of those times where I couldn't believe I'd waited so long to see it. Anxious to check out the bonus features (something Lynch is notorious for not including--the guy doesn't even allow chapter tracks), I was totally amused by the 90 minute documentary, mostly featuring Lynch sitting in a chair and telling anecdotes about people that helped him make the film. A typical excerpt is something like "oh, he was such a good driver--you never were jerked around in your seat when you were in the car with him, because he would feather his braking just perfect."
In addition to these stories you do occasionally hear pertinent tidbits about the production, such as the fact that it took so long to film that there is one shot where the transition between opening the door and walking into the room actually comes from two different time periods 18 months apart.
So, for the netflixers that haven't seen it yet--add this to your queue!
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Totally Bale'd Out
Posted by: j_john
Last night Paul, Mike and I checked out the new Batman Begins--I really enjoyed myself, but I still had some minor complaints (too many one-liners, lame love story, weird Bat-voice). Regardless, I was excited to talk about how good Christian Bale was in the role of Bruce Wayne, and after comparing Bale to previous Waynes Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney, Mike pointed out how ripped Bale looked.
The last time I saw Bale on the big screen was in The Machinist, where he spent the majority of the film in a gaunt state of barely existing. There couldn't have been too much time between that film and getting buff for the Bat-suit, so this man must have been on quite the exercise routine. Let's take a look at the difference:
From: February 23 | Comments (10) | Permalink
THE STUFF
Posted by: j_john
Sometime last year I read an intriguing article about filmmaker Larry Cohen in The New Yorker. Although he has been writing and directing for over 30 years, his script for the 2002 film "Phone Booth" had been a somewhat surprise hit and exposed him to a new generation of fans. I wasn't sure if I had seen any of his previous films, but I was struck by his desire to create a "phone trilogy" (last year's "Cellular" was the second part), and his ability to maintain a high level of energy and excitement about his new ideas was endearing, so I made a mental note to check out some of his older films.
I didn't quite follow-through on the plan until a couple of weeks ago when his name came up again at work. Dan said something about adding the Larry Cohen film "THE STUFF" to his Netflix queue and I was instantly flooded with fond memories of watching this horror film in my childhood. Since the details were fuzzy, I was looking forward to seeing it again after almost 20 years, and it didn't dissapoint. If you are still with me no doubt you are asking yourself, "what is THE STUFF?"
THE STUFF is a special yogurt/ice cream-type dessert that some old guy finds spurting out of the ground. He tastes it, likes it, and decides to market it. It's a huge hit (The catchy jingle "One taste is never enough, of THE STUFF!" plays throughout the film) and everyone starts pounding cartons of THE STUFF, everyone except for a 12 year old boy who sees THE STUFF move in his fridge and gets a weird feeling it might not be safe.
Jason tries to warn his family but they are so pumped about THE STUFF that they won't listen. Turns out THE STUFF brainwashes all those that eat it, and then it makes your jaw stretch and your eyes pop as it works its way out of your body. You see, THE STUFF is totally a parasitic organism. Eventually Jason teems up with this guy named Mo (Michael Moriarty from Law & Order) and they convince Mira Sorvino's dad to blow up the place where THE STUFF is harvested, and humanity is saved.
Something about the propaganda and the young protagonist obviously struck a chord with me when I first saw it, but it was good to know I could still enjoy it after spending the past decade immersed in film history.
So, next up on the Larry Cohen watch list are:
God Told Me To, about an alien abduction, eerie killings, the apocalypse, and religious angst.
&
The Ambulance, with Eric Roberts trying to track down a mysterious ambulance where patients disappear.
From: February 23 | Comments (2) | Permalink
Cinema Scope vs. The Portland Mercury
Posted by: j_john
CinemaScope's review of Son of the Mask was featured in the
Portland Mercury film section. They did a good job of editing it, and even though I didn't have much to say since the film left me feeling fairly numb, I've heard some positive comments about the piece, especially regarding my plea for males to injure themselves at home instead of going to the theatre to see trash like SOTM.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Happy Birthday Maggie
Posted by: j_john
In honor of Ms. Maggie Gyllenhaal's 27th bithday, I present the maggie collage:
Jessica was kind enough to send me this amazing photo:
And finally, all the way from Italy courtesy of Azure:
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Premiere
Posted by: j_john
On Saturday Middle Names Productions proudly hosted the premiere of "The Great Crane-Off 2004" at the historic Hollywood Theatre. I was excited to share something Mike and I had been working on for so long with everyone--and especially anxious to hear what Cabel and Jona thought of it.
Thanks to everyone who made it out (especially those of you with bad hangovers!). To everyone else who couldn't make it, we should have some DVDs ready in a few months, although Jona's touring schedule makes it difficult to carry out our plan for multiple commentaries.
One of the main reasons we embarked on this project was to learn Final Cut Pro, and with these new skills I am motivated to tackle new and bigger ideas.
(Hope to share some photos from the event courtesy of our press photographer, Daniel Peterson.)
From: February 23 | Comments (1) | Permalink
Middle Names @ NW Documentary
Posted by: j_john
I posted about our great experience showing the Crane-Off to a group of kids on the MNP site.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
doc talk
Posted by: j_john
Blog neglect! Ouch, didn't realize how long it had been since I updated sosodeep. To quote Andrew "Hitch" Peterson: more like "sososhallow."
I have had a pretty decent summer so far, making use of Oregon's numerous swimming holes as found here.
In other news, K. Mike and I have made some great progress on the not-forgotten crane documentary. We've conducted some incredibly valuable test auidence sessions, and I'd bet that until I schedule an official screening I'll be continually editing it. Who was it that said "You're never really done with something, you just run out of time"? Some genius.
Meanwhile, we are gonna try and submit the finished product to some film festivals, and then start planning the next documentary...anyone have any great ideas they want me to capture? Be sure to check out our Middle Names Productions Web site for all our thoughts on documentaries and other film/video projects.
From: February 23 | Comments (3) | Permalink
McMovie
Posted by: j_john
It looks like the group blogs have taken my interest away from writing about videogames and sports here in sosodeep-land. However, since there isn't a film group blog happening yet, I thought I'd share my thoughts about the recent viewing of the new documentary, SUPERSIZE ME.
First, it must be noted that I actually had to pay to see this movie, and pay I did, since I went to the fancy-pants Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood where one reserved-seat ticket will cost you $11. You know what? It was worth it.
I knew quite little about the film before going, having heard some tidbits about a documentary dealing with the fast food fascination in America that peaked interest at Sundance in a way that seemed to echo Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine." Without revealing too much about the film, it does a good job at providing a narrative to keep you watching, as the subject of the film, Morgan Spurlock proceeds to consume mass quantities of McDonalds to gauge the effect it will have on him. Along the way we are presented with info about the popularity of fast food in our nation, and how it greatly contributes to our growing health problems, especially in children.
After the film I felt bad about nitpicking something that my friends seemed to want to appreciate for its refreshing, important message, allowing us all to think about the relationship we have with fast food. However, being a big fan of the documentary film, I couldn't help but take issue with some of the attempts to draw conclusions and narratives where there didn't seem to be much to go on. Also, there is one particular scene that appeared staged and over-dramatic--it bothered me to see a great concept resort to such tricks, potentially undermining the effect it should have on the viewer. Regardless of these issues, Spurlock is a much more focused, effective, and likeable guy than Moore, and his film will hopefully have a postive influence on McAmerica.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Au Revoir
Posted by: j_john
Yesterday I dragged Andrew down to the Fox Tower to see this crap French film, Bon Voyage. I was upfront about my motivations--this was my latest chance to see my beloved Virginie Ledoyen on the big screen. We had a good analytical talk about it on the brisk walk back to the Hott Denn, being especially critical of the melodrama and overuse of "classic film conventions" that made it into a dumb attempt to Hollywood-ize something that could have been uniquely French. There was one scene where the camera zoomed-in on the nemesis of our protagonist and he totally raised his eyebrow and glared menacingly. What should have been an interesting plot about false-imprisionment during the outbreak of France's occupation by the Germans in WWII ended up focusing most of its attention on Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani, who are convincingly annoying in their respective roles as a French minister and a movie actress. Then the American actor Peter Coyote enters the picture from somewhere, playing a French journalist who is really a German spy. Weird casting.
At least Virginie had some good screen time, and she inhabits the role of nerdy-but-cute student girl well.
From: February 23 | Comments (1) | Permalink
Japanese Story
Posted by: j_john
Recently I've been going through a bunch of Japanese cinema (Kurosawa and Ozu) and most recently watched Ozu's "Tokyo Story", which deals with the dynamics of a family with grown children who aren't able to spare the time to be with their parents. It was depressing to see the bickering and selfishness in that film and how it applies to my life and the lives of pretty much everyone. The universal truths and elegant simplicity of life. At first I thought I was bored by Ozu, hopefully I can come to understand the relevance and deeper significance of his realistic approach to cinema.
Kurosawa might have been more fun to watch (what with the Samurais and all), but right now I need something that speaks to me with a realistic voice. Or maybe I'm just kidding myself. Say, I guess I still want to see "Dawn of the Dead."
From: February 23 | Comments (3) | Permalink
An Apology
Posted by: j_john
Awhile ago I haphazardly started a "Bad Movie Night" (BMN) at the Hott Denn. After two successful screenings of bad DVDs starring Sir Michael Caine (Victory and Jaws: The Revenge), I happened to land a copy of the infamous John Travolta flop "Battlefield Earth", and decided it would be a good fit for the BMN. The evening started out well with Ritchey and I preparing some good eats for the guests, and we made sure to get the alcohol flowing to hopefully highten the anticpated hilarity. Thankfully not too many people showed up, allowing me to more easily accomodate showing the film in my room, as well as lessening the guilt that I was soon to feel over subjecting my friends to THE WORST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN.
I will not attempt to describe what it is that happens in Battlefield Earth, for that you should check out Ritchey's more comprehensive blog entry, because I fortunately don't really remember that much about BE. Once I became aware that what I was watching would not provide me with the laughter I so rightly anticpated, I began to take naps in between yelling at the TV. I sincerely hope my behaviour didn't impede my fellow BMN viewers from the desired critique and ridicule they deserved to hurl at Travolta and co.
Despite these negative comments, I'm not entirely sorry that BE came into my life, as it provided me with some of the deepest and enjoyable laughter upon discovering what the marketing team considered a review positive enough for inclusion on the DVD case. It certainly made my PowerPoint presentation much more fun to create, especially the bit with the Metacritic score that suggests "overwhelming dislike and/or disgust from critics."
I'd also like to personally apologize to Mr. K. Mike Merrill for suggesting that he should not have been allowed to sit on the couch, having wrongly accussed him of not attending a previous BMN, since he played a great role in the first such event when Victory was projected. Also, Mr. KMM provided the BE antitode in the form of House Gymnastics, a highly enjoyable and beneficial new sport.
So, what's next for the BMN? Can it possibly survive in the aftermath of BE? Well, folks, in the words of Barry Pepper or something, we must "take back the BMN the only way we know how--by including Michael Caine in the movie!" I am thus accepting submissions for the next screening, although I've already heard great things about this one.
From: February 23 | Comments (5) | Permalink
Target Audience
Posted by: j_john
Overheard at Target last night while shopping for a Swiffer:
"So, I was at Blockbuster last week and I tried to rent Intolerable Cruelty, but they messed up and gave me Lost In Translation. That was the stupidest movie I've ever seen. There was no point!"
"Yeah, that's what I've heard."
Totally.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Coppola Kids
Posted by: j_john
One of the benefits of working at a movie theatre is Academy Awards night. The one night of the year where most film goers decide to stay home, I go to work and watch the event on TV, because, you know, it's part of my job to stay up on this type of information. It was a fairly predictable year in terms of awards dished out to the New Zealanders and Pixars, but I still managed to lose out on the office pool because I took a gamble with my Best Director pick (Peter Weir) for a film I never bothered to see (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World). So people dressed up and cried and laughed and all the usual pomp and circumstance...but I was focused most of the night on the Coppola family. The three of them, Francis, Sophia, and Roman--all talented filmmakers, two of which are now Oscar winners.
So, what about Roman? Everyone loves those Godfather films that Francis made, and Sophia's made two beautiful films, but what about the other sibling? Sure, I'd heard he directed a Strokes video, but Roman Coppola made a damn good film, CQ a couple years ago, and I only recently saw it, but it is not to be missed. The DVD extras are plentiful, since there are more than a half a dozen documentaries on the making of the film. I guess when you're about to make your first big picture you want to capture as much as you can, and there are some great candid moments of the young Coppola stressing out throughout the production.
Also worth mentioning is the work that Roman performed on his Sophia's films as second unit director, helping his little sister get her projects done when they were behind schedule. What a nice big brother.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
The Competition
Posted by: j_john
Well, the Crane-Off happened today, and after reviewing the tape, it has been determined that there was an incorrect count in the toy grab-a-thon. It turns out that contrary to our on-site count, Cabel matched Jona's total of 7 toys grabbed. However, there can be no disputing Jona's dominance in the head-to-head ball grab, as he easily won with a count total of 6 to 1.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Smash Talk
Posted by: j_john
Took some great footage today for the Crane-Off. I present to you Mr. Cabel Sasser, a man who means business.
Meanwhile, Jona is looking relaxed, but who will be the victor? Stay tuned...
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
So It Begins...
Posted by: j_john
Took some preliminary footage for the Crane-Off this afternoon...check out these photos of contestant Jonathan Bechtolt.
Jona shows off some of his craning techniques.......He's about to get all "Rocky" style.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
True Story
Posted by: j_john
Just got back from a productive lunch meeting at Hot Lips Pizza with K.M.M. wherein we discussed two video projects, one of which is the very "present" Crane-Off. Inspired a bit by the Growin A Beard and 72 ounce steak documentaries, this "Crane-Off" will show two highly-skilled competitors (Cabel and Jona) doing battle in the cut-throat world of crane-operated games. More on this project as it develops.
Great initial progress was also made in developing the adidas project, since I am now going to make it into (what else?) a documentary. It might end up being just about myself and my love for adidas, so I can show off my apparel and what it means to me...a simple, yet effective way for me to convey the message of "Every adidas Has a Story". Oh, and I can mock myself which will be VERY FUNNY.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Whole Lotta Evil
Posted by: j_john
In other gaming/film news, I recently completed the fun Resident Evil prequel, RE Zero, and it prompted me to find out some info on the upcoming sequel to the 2002 big-screen adaptation. After a bit of searching I came across the trailer for the new film, Apocalypse.
I like the Umbrella-related preview, although finding out it contains the beloved Jill Valentine is a bit surprising. I'd assumed they would stay away from trying to introduce the same characters as in the games, since title character Alice (Milla Jovovich) was new to the scene. A look at the imdb page for the film shows quite a few favorite names from the games, but at least it looks like Michelle Rodriguez won't be back (you'd think I'd remember if she died in the first one, I dunno). I know I'll end up seeing it regardless, since I'm the sucker who checked out Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and anything else I've quickly forgotten.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Beard-off
Posted by: j_john
Mike loaned me this interesting documentary Growin' A Beard. It chronicles a beard growing contest in the small town of Shamrock, Texas, wherein a handful of guys start growing beards on New Year's Day and are judged on St. Patrick's Day on the their "Donegals." I recently sent a copy to John "Illadelphia" Anderson who has been know to grow a mean beard (or bearg) and watch a good film. I could see him looking like this guy in 50 years.
Besides the main feature on the DVD it also contained a short of a steak-eating contest. That part was interesting and wisely kept short. I was a bit dissapointed to see the guy eat the whole 72 ounce pile of beef and then watch him bring it back up in the bathroom afterwards. I keep my doughnuts down!
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Big-Screen Football
Posted by: j_john
Last night I subjected my friends to this somewhat decent, 
predictable film about playing football and trying to escape a WWII POW camp, Victory. Even though it had big names like Stallone, Michael Caine, and Max Von Sydow, the main attraction for me was the appearance of real football (soccer) stars like Bobby Moore and the great Pelé. I'm still not sure if his lines were dubbed, but Pelé got to act the part of "Luis from Trinidad" and even used his classic bicycle kick to score the tying goal in the climatic scene. It didn't hold up to the memories I'd had of watching it as a child, but it was still pretty fun for me. Victory inspired me to conduct a bit of research, and here's what I came up with:
Director John Huston
won acclaim back in 1941 with the classic film noir "The Maltese Falcon."
Pele previously appeared in some Brasilian films, but accoring to IMDB his last big-screen role was in the 1987 epic Hotshot.
An earlier draft of the film had the players executed after the match. I wanna see that version!
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Tilda and me
Posted by: j_john
My beloved Tilda Swinton has a new movie out--Teknolust, and in a recent article for The Oregonian she talks about how much she enjoyed spending time in Portland filming the upcoming "Thumbsucker". She goes on to mention how much she liked The Hollywood Theatre, which she calls, "the most beautiful cinema. That was the only cinema I went to, and I went to it twice because I loved it so much."
Now, I don't have to be told to read between the lines, but would she have come to see multiple films if she didn't receive good service (keep in mind I sold her Milk Duds)? I don't think so! I think what she's really trying to say is that she liked the people at the theatre, "especially that great guy that sold me my candy".
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Palme D'Boring
Posted by: j_john
Despite repeated encouragement I have yet to use this 
blog forum to fully express my opinions on a recently viewed film. However, I now feel compelled to declare my dislike for Gus Van Sant's latest film Elephant...
Beginning with a promising and seemingly realistic look at the lives of random high-school students, "Elephant" (I'm thinking this title refers to "that thing in the next room no-one wants to talk about", but I dunno) eventually frustrated me with its lack of depth. Running a scant 80 minutes, we never get to see what our characters are truly about, instead they became stereotypes of "nerd", "jock", "skater", "popular girl with bulemia", etc.
I do like what Van Sant has to say about how he didn't want to provide answers to anything, because they would immediately negate any other possibilities, but is it too much to ask for a bit more character development? Not to mention that the school where it takes place is about as populated as a WNBA game. This is the film that won the Best Director and Palme d'Or awards at Cannes? Perhaps those foreign dudes were impressed at the stark look of the film, and didn't care about (or didn't understand) the lack of realism. I liked Gerry a bit more than this one, but I'm beginning to lose interest in Van Sant's vision.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Formulaic French Filmmaking
Posted by: j_john
Last night at the theatre Dan (new projectionist) and I were talking about 
the new film Gothika-our conversation began with our joint assessment of its potential to be completely terrible, based on the stupid premise and our mutual dislike for Halle Berry. When I mentioned that I was curious to see why Mathieu Kassovitz,famous French actor (Amelie) and director (Hate) would choose to direct this kind of film, Dan seemed surprised as well.
I then remembered a film that Kassovitz made called The Crimson Rivers, which was basically his attempt at creating a Hollywood-style thriller starring Jean Reno and his good friend Vincent Cassel.
This film was quite a disspointment considering the names behind it--instead of being a unique foreign persepective on an old genre, they were trying to copy a style that should have been left alone. Listening to the director's commentary I cringed when Kassovitz gushes about how successful he was at tackling this type of film (which must have been how he obtained the director's chair for Gothika). I suppose it could be "fun" to try something different, but after the breakthrough of Hate it's dissapointing to see a director inevitably make the switch to this kind of forgettable filmmaking.
From: February 23 | Comments (1) | Permalink
Let the Hipsters Laugh
Posted by: j_john
There was a big crowd at the theatre last night for the Jackpot Recordssponsored free showing of the new David Cross DVD Let America Laugh. I guess it makes sense that everyone came to see a comedy video yet much more innovative fare like the previously mentioned Director's Label showing gets only a handful of people.
The director of the project, Lance Bangs, was there, and it was nice for him to have such a large audience, but I could have done without all the hipsters sneaking in and then leaving their cans of PBR for me to pick up.
At least those Jackpot Records guys are totally rad dudes...
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Life as a film snob
Posted by: j_john
This past weekend at the theatre we had a film festival inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Basically there were a bunch of geeks and goths, and geekgoths, and they watched really bad horror films. They were nice enough folk, but it made me realize how different my passion for film was from them. I don't care for any of that cult horror film shit like Evil Dead so I have a difficult time finding any enjoyment out of stuff like Re-Animator.
I am truly a film snob.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Secret movie stuff
Posted by: j_john
Growing increasingly impatient at the thought of waiting weeks to see the new film by my favorite filmmaker John Sayles, I had recently been concentrating on forcing my way into a preview screening for "Silver Screen Members" at the NW Film Center. However, as a result of my many movie connections in the city of Portland I was invited on Monday to a special press screening of "Casa De Los Babys" by my awesome co-worker and fellow Sayles fan Margaret.
Three reasons why this situation was completely great: the screening took place at Cinema 21 (less than 2 blocks from my apartment), I found out about it literally 5 mintues before the movie started (thrill of the unexpected), and I didn't have to deal with a whole theater full of potentially annoying people. It was awesome. Oh, and the movie was of course really good, although I have to see it again before I can feel comfortable giving an accurate review--I was too excited by my sudden opportunity. One thing I can say for sure is, Maggie Gyllenhaal has replaced Reese Witherspoon as my new movie-star crush.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
Who put the melodrama in my helping of indie film?
Posted by: j_john
Tonight I saw my first previews of the new Coen Bros. and John Sayles films, "Intolerable Cruelty" and "Casa De Los Babys"--and was extremely dissapointed. Usually I am filled with this wonderful feeling of anticipation upon seeing what my two favorite contemporary filmmakers are releasing. However, after seeing these trailers I just wanted to (hopefully) place the blame on the marketing people--the films can't be as bad as the way they advertised them, can they?
My main complaint with both of them was the attempt to promote the romantic elements, which I guess is good if you're trying to lure in the female audience. The Coens and Sayles have never been about pure romance, their films are much more complex and I feel like these trailers were all just one mood. Perhaps I will eventually see the ones that were edited to bring in the geeky film auteurs.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
More Tilda
Posted by: j_john
Her Resume
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
"I just love the way American movie theatres sell candy in little boxes"
Posted by: j_john
Possibly my biggest "star sighting" ever last night--actually, it wasn't a "sighting", it was an interaction, a transaction if you will. I sold acclaimed British actress Tilda Swinton Milk Duds! It was such a rush, I could hardly count the change correctly...
Some would say Ms. Swinton isn't that big (Orlando, The Beach, The Deep End, Vanilla Sky, etc.) but to me it's probably more important that I respect and admire her work. She said she would be back to see another film, so maybe then I'll be confident enough to ask her what is was like to work with Virginie Ledoyen.
From: February 23 | Comments (0) | Permalink
