Bizarre: Oregon family robbed by victims of fake Craigslist ad
I have to wonder about the people who were “duped” into stealing.
Bullet Proof Vest
The black & white cinematography beautifully highlights the harsh realities of a “lost generation.” As always, when you let kids ramble on, you get the most truthful assessment of what a situation feels like. This is a classic.
Corporate Whore
Stop motion short film that tells the story of a female professional.
Strictly crafted with elements found in an office setting such as PowerPoint slides, photo copies and fluorescent lighting, it’s perfect for when you feel penciled in.
Written, directed and produced by A.M. Peters.
Watch it in hi res or low res.
Review of There Will Be Blood
Wow! Director Paul Thomas Anderson flexes some serious filmmaking muscle in this film. This is the Raging Bull of our times, less optimistic (imagine that), less character arc but they do share the same theme: a strong character who cannot escape from himself. In Raging Bull, the redemption or the self awareness comes, in There Will Be Blood, there is not even a hint of such notions.
The obvious checklist: great acting: check; best acting performance by Daniel Day Lewis: check; incredible detail to costumes and times: check; great supporting cast: check; great directing: check; great cinematography: check; fantastic editing: check; powerful story: check.
So all the great reviews you have read about this movie are true.
Here are some of my favorite moments from the film that you will not hear about:
- Daniel Plainview comes to a small farm to check out a family who are sitting on a valuable oil reserve and don’t know it. He shows up with his son pretending to be shooting quail. The family patriarch, Abel Sunday (played by David Willis) comes out to greet him. The scene is slow and awkward but real. Anderson and the actors weren’t simply recreating an awkward moment, they are recreating a moment from the early 1900’s (I can only guess, of course). David Willis is simply incredible, he manages to play a character without a brain, a simple minded man. Of all the great acting in the film, his performance manages to stand out.
- Another great piece of acting from David Willis is the close-up shot of him eating, right after Daniel Plainview has beaten up his son. At first, he seems to have taken a stand against Daniel but the following close-up of his son (played by a wonderful Paul Dano) indicates that he is actually standing up to his son. Willis manages to show his simple minded choice of ignoring the problem but all the while knowing what is at stake. Fantastic.
- When the baby strokes Daniel Plainview’s face on the train. Such an easy moment to indicate that he is going to father the child. Simple, no fancy shots of paper signing or whatever.
- The bowling alley in Plainview’s house is one of the best set pieces I have ever seen. Seriously, how cool is that. And Daniel chasing Paul around the back, it is playful. You forget how powerful those bowling pins can be. Which is wonderfully relevant to what happens next.
- The final line “I am finished” can be interpreted in so many different ways. From what is just happened to what will happen in the future to the actual movie.
- When Daniel talks about the peachtree dance hall and his brother can’t remember. My reaction to the information mimicked Daniel Day Lewis’.
One of the greatest movies of all time.
Picture This
Three young men on a mission to save a failing motion picture studio. And their own asses.
A short animation by Juan Pablo Sans, Julio Galan, and Matthew Doble.
Review of Atonement
The book by Ian McEwan is one of my favorite books of all time. Surprisingly, the movie lives up to the book. I expected the film to be decent, not great, as I haven’t heard much of a buzz for this film. However, after seeing it, I’d be shocked if this film doesn’t get a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
One of the fears I had about the movie was it would abandon the beautiful structure that McEwan devised to tell the story. Thankfully Christopher Hampton, who wrote the script, not only keeps the structure but also manages to keep some of McEwan’s poetics. The scene where Briony sees her sister and Robbie near the water fountain is exactly how I had pictured it from all of the various perspectives.
A lot of credit should also go to Director Joe Wright. This easily could have been a film that we as an audience could watch from a distance. Instead, almost everything is seen through the eyes of a character. Everything is laced with a character’s subjectivity. To switch perspectives, there is no fade to black or any other visual device. It is a stream of consciousness that switches back and forth. So well done!
The biggest difference, in terms of emotions, is the beginning of the second half of the book/movie. The book’s second half numbs you to the pain from the 1st half. One of the greatest scenes in any book I’ve ever read. The movie sadly disappoints here, why wasn’t there more walking? more brown? more carnage?
The acting ensemble is solid. I am not entirely convinced of Keira Knightley as Cecilia, however, James McAvoy as Robbie is picture perfect. To many, this might seem like another stuffy costume drama. This is as modern as any film you will find. From the story to its character to the film’s style, there is a lot of risk taking. Go see it, this is one of the great tragedies of our time.
Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon
After all these years, the film still remains daring and avant-garde as ever. When I saw this in film school, so much of my attention was spent on the craft but now my eyes are glued to the subtlety of the directing and acting.
Watch it (1 hours and 27 mins)
The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard
The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
Go for it! (Flash Video)
Money Money Money Money…
Money makes the world go ’round. Or to hell?
A campaign for WWF Brasil, developed by DM9 and realizd at PixPost.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
Fox Products Placement on The Simpsons
Or: Marge kills Dr. House (and a few others guys…)
Watch it. (Flash Video, MPEG-4, Quicktime)
What would Jesus Buy?
Is this really a documentary? Where did they find this guy? Can’t wait. Produced by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me).
Watch the trailer
Pitching The Twilight Zone
idents.tv has a couple of clips of this young dude, Rod Serling, trying to pitch his new scifi TV series, something called The Twilight Zone. Poor guy, he ain’t got a chance… 
Go for ‘em. (Quicktime, MPEG-4, Flash Video)
WGA Strike
A couple of videos from the writers on strike. The Daily Show writers let you know why you should support the strike. While, Colbert Report writers explain you how silly the strike is.
You could also visit the United Hollywood blog and watch their video Why We Fight.
UPDATE: Watch Harlan Ellison’s rant.
Li’l Happy Logos
In trouble for shooting a couple hundred Iraqis? Change your logo.
When the nasty truth gets out, just change the brand. Lie after lie, an endless shell game.
Animated vignette by Mark Fiore.
Watch it. (Flash)
via Pollyticks
Bonus: Bill Maher interviews Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army. Watch it here. (Quicktime)
Atonement trailer
One of the best books I ever read. I wonder if the movie can live up to it.
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