The Watercooler: 8/25/08
By Craig Kennedy - August 25th, 2008; 12:01 am
For the first time in a long time I stayed away from the movie theaters this weekend. There were a few things that looked promising, but nothing that felt like a must-see.
I guess we all need a break once in a while.
So, for my part this will be the shortest Watercooler ever, but surely the rest of you saw stuff and want to talk about it.
Commence the discussion.
Filed under: Watercooler
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Is everybody boycotting the thread this week? LOL!
I saw four films this weekend in the theatre:
Mamma’s Man **** (Friday night)
Trouble The Water **** (Saturday night)
Fly Me To The Moon * (Sunday afternoon)
Bottle Shock ** (Sunday night)
Two of them were terrific, the independent, cinema verite-styled MOMMA’S MAN which stresses cinema over linear narrative, and the LIC endorced Hurricane documentary TROUBLE THE WATER, which humanizes the tragedy when condemning those responsible for dragging their feet. Timing and extraordinary luck allowed me to speak personally with the two filmakers after the sold-out 7:30 P. M. show concluded and a most interesting Q & A was conducted. I even managed some pictures with teh family. Ms. Lessin, co-director, said of our esteemed Craig Kennedy, who interviewed her and her colleague earlier this week, “what a wonderful man.”
FLY ME TO THE MOON was in 3D, but it was a complete abomination that even the kids were ambivilent to, I feel 90 minutes was stolen from my life. LOL. Finally, last night, Lucille and I treked over to the Quad to see a disappointing “winery” film called BOTTLE SHOCK, that isn’t one-fourth what SIDEWAYS was.
On the DVD front I watched the new BFI release of Terrence Davies’ masterpiece THE LONG DAY CLOSES, a film that will stay with you through your entire life. Pure cinema.
I didn’t see anything this weekend, with my internet not working and nothing opening near me, I just had movie free weekend and “socialised” in a style way more appropriate for my age, it was fun.
Saw Up the Yangtze this weekend and I liked it. A little different from what I expected but affecting and interesting none the less. After Encounters at the End of the World and Man on Wire, both heavily narrated and narratively driven, this doc was a nice change of pace.
Otherwise, didn’t get to much. I’m bummed events conspired against me for my theater run this weekend, but hoping to get that back in line for the holiday weekend.
I saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Overall it worked. It seemed a bit slow at times, but I really liked what Allen was trying to portray . . . and say about a world that operates in juxtaposition to traditional mores rather than being controlled by them — a milieu I’m most familiar with.
The narrative device, to me, was an integral and effective part of the film that superimposed a valuable and meaningful point of view.
And of course Cruz was very effective and very affecting.
I saw Vicky Christina Barcelona this weekend and really enjoyed it. It’s not up there with the best of his works but Woody is a peerless writer and storyteller and can still write a truly entertaining film. Penelope Cruz was wonderful - this is really her year. I’m planning to see Elegy next weekend. The narration of the movie bugged me a little not because of the narration itself but because of the voice of the guy that narrated. I don’t know why Woody didn’t do it himself as usual. And maybe I’m just used to him.
At home I saw The Third Man once again. I never tire of that film. Top notch filmmaking in every dimension and I love, love, love Orson Welles in that film. An incredible presence thanks to the narrative and Orson’s impish look the first time we see him, despite the limited screen time.
I also watched The Last of the Mohicans which I had never seen from beginning to end. DDL was awesome of course (he looked good with long hair too) and the score is lovely. It dragged a little at the beginning but once it picked up it was an engaging period action movie.
Finally, I watched an RDJ movie I had never seen called Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He’s good in whatever he’s in and I hadn’t seen Val Kilmer in forever before that, but what a waste of two hours.
Pierre: I have voiced problems with the film, but I’m most happy you did like it (and your reasons are eloquently conveyed as always) especially because I love Allen as a filmaker.
Wow, the tables have turned. I went to a movie on the weekend for the first time in over a month!
So last Wed. saw VCB. Still have to read all of your reviews, but I enjoyed it. I can’t defend it too far, but I thought it was sumptuous.
Thursday night saw Bottle Shock. Definitely with Sam on this one, as Nick and Craig have already discovered. What a complete waste of an otherwise interesting story. Serves me right for not consulting RT beforehand.
Yesterday I saw Hamlet 2. Great work by Steve Coogan, no work by anybody else (which sadly includes Catherine Keener and Elizabeth Shue). Rarely do you see someone so completely responsible for carrying a movie by themselves. Unfortunately he couldn’t handle the load, and I found myself laughing only once every few minutes, like clockwork. Reminded me A LOT of the Foot Fist Way, both in my reaction to it and how the story was set up - lovable loser, frustrated marriage, etc. Interested to hear what you think if you see it, Craig. Or if anyone else has seen Foot Fist.
Also saw Frozen River yesterday. I have to admit I was pretty captivated from start to finish, but I don’t know that it snagged me as emotionally as I hoped it would have. Talk about a bleak story anyway, jeez. Award-worthy work by Leo.
Definitely want to see Momma’s Man (been waiting since reading the Sundance synopsis) and Trouble the Water (especially after getting your email, Sam).
Nick , I do wonder - what’s more appropriate for your age than movies? :-P
I’m glad Yangtze at least wasn’t disappointing, Joel. You’re right that the style was light on the narration and heavy on the interviews and imagery. I really liked that, especially the last horrific scene of the river rising.
Juxtaposed with the mind-blowing closing ceremony of the Olympics last night. London must have started freaking out as soon as they saw the opening ceremonies. Their contribution to the ceremony was pathetic last night, literally laughable compared to the artistic vision of the Chinese. Not that I’m not excitedly looking forward to the 2012 Olympics, of course. Just that I’m realizing Beijing’s performance will probably never be equaled.
Friday: Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat yet again, despite having written my M-Z review for it a couple of days earlier. What a great film. I followed that with Lang’s Clash by Night. I understand why many critics were left cold by it at the time, but I’ve always enjoyed this expressionistic noir drama. After that, They Only Kill Their Masters: a “nice enough” little yarn.
Saturday: Ava Gardner double feature, with George Cukor’s Bhowani Junction, which had a good first and even second act but it really lost my interest by the end. The Angel Wore Red, an interesting film about the Spanish Civil War with her and Dick Bogarde and Joseph Cotten and Vittorio De Sica. Luscious black-and-white cinematography. Then the 1929 Barbara Stanwyck-starrer, The Locked Door. I was amused by the makeup for the leading man, which was much like the silent films, making him look like Dracula. Stanwyck’s performance was one she later said was awful, and she had not yet figured out how to act in a “talkie,” but for that very reason I found it interesting, noting her development.
Sunday: My Sister Eileen, a pretty lousy comedy, made marginally better by Rosalind Russell. The Major and the Minor, Billy Wilder’s first film (not counting Mauvaise graine), with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. Enjoyable the second time, but not one I plan on revisiting much more.
That review of The Big Heat is a stunning dissection. Remember when Alexander didn’t have a place to grace the world with his theses on cinema? *shakes head in wonder*
Alexander just found this bit that I buried in the comments of my VCB review. Anybody who has seen it, or even if you haven’t, take time to read this immediately. I’m dropping it in wherever I can. I don’t laugh at loud at much. This killed me.
Glad you’ve picked up the movie-going torch that I dropped this weekend, Daniel. Looking forward to next weekend, there isn’t much either. Honestly, there’s really nothing between now and Burn After Reading. Well, except Toronto…which is fine if you’re there.
I hope you don’t all abandon me during the slow patch!
That’s too bad about Hamlet and Bottle Shock. I had modest hopes for both of them. I do love Steve Coogan so I still might catch the former. I’ll probably let the latter slide however.
Pierre and Alison, of course I’m thrilled to hear VCB worked for you. I was utterly charmed by it as you know and it kind of took the wind out of my sails to read some negative responses to it. I’ll live however, and I expect so will Woody.
I had a similar response to Yangtze that you had Joel in that it wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It hasn’t stuck with me over the months since I saw it like some films have, but I liked it a lot at the time.
Alexander, apparently they’re publishing a bunch of Dirk Bogarde’s letters and the Telegraph has excerpts. Kind of interesting for fans:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/08/17/bocol117.xml
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/08/10/sv_dirkbogarde.xml
Sam that’s great news about Momma’s Man. It’s high on my list for when it hits LA. Hopefully this weekend and I’m jazzed you liked TTW and got to talk to the filmmakers. Thanks for dropping my name!
I don’t know, just behaving like the boundless, irresponsible youths that I am so used to witnessing in film. The one’s I usually feel embarrassed to be associated with, I was forced to remember that I am actually one of them, and have not had that much fun outside of a movie theatre for quite a long time.
But I do have an awful lot to see this week and this weekend, so playtime is over. Tomorrow I have The Elite Squad, The Edge of Heaven and Chop Shop, so I’m definitely looking forward to all that.
Also, Alison there are some huge KKBB fans out there. I’m not one of them despite liking the cast.
It was ok…sounds like I liked it better than you, but it was a little too pleased with how clever it thought it was.
Some people are in the tank for Shane Black the filmmaker.
Nick I socialized a bit too…it was nice for a change.
Sounds like you’ve got 3 good movies lined up for tomorrow. I loved Chop Shop. Alexander I believe had great things to say about Edge of Heaven. I’ve heard good and bad about Elite Squad.
For the most part I liked the cast of KKBB too, Craig. You already know that I feel that RDJ makes everything better.
You sum the movie up perfectly - it was a little too pleased with itself at how clever it thought it was. It got old fast. And Michelle Monaghan bugged the hell out of me.
Yeah, I’ve tried to drink the cool-aid twice on KKBB and it hasn’t really grabbed me either time. I can see the appeal of it but the “satire” just doesn’t click, in spite of some solid work by Downey and Kilmer.
Hope you like Chop Shop, Nick!
I’ll probably give it one more try one of these days Joel, but i think the result will be the same.
Alison, the reason I liked it a little more was maybe because I like MM better…though honestly I don’t remember her in the movie that much….
Let me think, I saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona on Thursday but that’s not the weekend…
All I managed was to go to UCLA for their restoration of The Exiles on Saturday, which was a nice time capsule of a movie, and then on DVD, The Descent that evening, and also on video Woody Allen’s Sleeper on Sunday. Pretty slow weekend but I also went to Sunset Junction for a while so there’s that.
Managed to see TROPIC THUNDER at the Cinerama Arclight thing. I laughed a lot, hoped it would be more biting, but Downey was just so awesome. Cruise and McConaughey pretty good too. I’m glad any kind of satire is getting an audience.
Christian, I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about McConaughey. So nice to see him in something besides a vapid romantic comedy.
Jeff do you go to UCLA much? They’ve always got something cool going on, but I never seem to manage to make it over there. The seats at the Billy Wilder are a little uncomfortable, but they’ve got great programs there.
This was my first time, it’s kind of a pain for me to get there from the other side of town (Los Feliz).
Saw “An American Crime” this weekend…talk about disturbing! I mean, I can’t even put into words how upset this film made me. Great performances all around; especially from Catherine Keener (terrifying), Ellen Page, and Ari Graynor. As much as I admired the performances, the film itself leaves a lot to be desired, what with the inappropriate musical score and sub-par cinematography, not to mention a very average script. And YET, the story is so gripping that I could not take my eyes off the screen. It eloquently illustrates the depths of inhumanity your average person (child or adult) is capable of. Watch at your own risk.
I do plan on seeing it eventually Dorothy, and have wanted to for a long time now.
I heard about that one DP. I overlooked it in a recent Movies You May Have Missed column because I simply didn’t know anything about it. Sounds very disturbing.
The very worst part is that it’s based on a true story. It blindsided me. Just thinking about it again (and I saw it Friday night) makes me sad/angry. I’d be curious to see how you guys react after seeing it.
Yes I think that story has inspired other films as well.
Normally that kind of thing isn’t my cuppa, but you’ve got me curious now.
I think it made the film festival circuit than kind of went away. I wonder if it went right to DVD after that. Probably not an easy film to market.
How was Ellen Page? Was she different?
I think it went away after the festival circuit but was aired earlier this year on Showtime (got a rave from the New York Times as one of the best “television” movies to come around in a while).
Now, Craig, you know I was no big fan of “Juno,” but Page was fantastic in this. It’s a tough role to play (quiet, reserved, subtle, pure - the anti-Juno if you will) but she is very nuanced and intelligent about her choices. Having now seen three of her performances, I have to say the woman has a gift and that I look forward to seeing her in other movies.
But this is Keener’s show all the way. It hurts to say this, because I’m a serious fan of her work, but I will never look at her the same way again. She was *too* good at being evil. Surely I can tell the difference between the actor and the person, and I might get over it, but man, did I despise this character.
Oh yeah, went to Amoeba to snap up the letterbox LD of MATINEE with the full MANT extras. — which ain’t available cheap on dvd, 5 bucks!
And experienced SHAKMA at the Cinefamily which Craig and other LA folk need to support. Or else. The schedule is mind-blowing.
I wanted to see Shakma, but drinking got in the way, unfortunately. Their October schedule is particularly enticing, though.
I love the Page-ster even though I’m cool on Juno. That’s hard core about Keener though. I don’t want to hate her!
I still haven’t been to Cinefamily. My suckage is enormous.
COOL AS ICE suckage. Get thee on it!
Maybe i’ll break my cherry with Fritz Lang’s Die Nibelungen in september.
I just learned that Catherine Keener was nominated for an Emmy for her work in “An American Crime” this year.
Am I confusing this movie with something else?
No, you got it. I think that, somehow, the Showtime “premiere” made it eligible as a TV movie project. It appears that it never did get a theatrical release after hitting the festival circuit.
if it’s as intense and disturbing as it sounds, not surprising it didn’t get a proper theatrical release
It’s pretty horrid. But it has some value. Still, I don’t blame distributors for staying away from it.
I’m touched by your kind words, Daniel.
I agree with Dorothy that An American Crime has some value, but only for the performances. Page is particularly effective. But the direction is haphazard and the film more accurately fits the description of Pauline Kael’s slam on A Clockwork Orange, which is that it’s not complex or brave, just confused.
It’s worth taking a look at to decide for yourself, though. Interestingly, as horrid as its subject matter is, and Dorothy is certainly completely right, it is, the movie didn’t stick with me much.
Very well put, Alexander. I think the film could have been “bigger” than it ended up being.
Alex, I’m curious: did you know anything about the subject matter before going in? I think part of the reason I reacted so strongly to it is because I knew nothing about the real life case.
By the way, I’m a fan of anybody who can quote Kael that well and appropriately!
I only had some knowledge of the actual case, Dorothy. It’s a good point, though–and question–about the difference in reaction to the movie from folks who know about the subject matter and those who don’t .
“By the way, I’m a fan of anybody who can quote Kael that well and appropriately!”
Thank you. :)
I didn’t comment earlier, because, well, I didn’t see any movies this weekend. I was spending the weekend in Terschelling (a dutch island. Yeah, we have islands). Which was fun, I suppose.
I started the bf on The Third Man on monday, but it was after a copious and -as the French would say- bien arrosé dinner, so we pretty much fell asleep after fifteen minutes. We’ll get around to it though. It is, as said above, a movie you just don’t get tired of.
On the topic of VCB, has everyone seen this?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/movies/24alle.html
There’s also a little something about you officially having your Master’s degree now, non?
Hence the celebratory dinner, indeed ;-) I thought maybe bragging on my own blog was enough for now…
Hell no! You’ve earned the right to brag anywhere you want and you always have a free pass at LiC anyway.
Daniel pointed that out to me Alison. It’s funny and it’s all the proof I need that Woody doesn’t think he’s Javier Bardem.
Ah, I missed Daniel’s link. Woody can still write a funny piece.
Yes, he does. Makes me want to go back and read some of his stuff.
So I’m not the only one who didn’t show up for film blogging duties this weekend? How did we manage to coordinate that?
We picked a craptacular weekend?
Smashing utterly fabulous congratulations to you, Hedwig.
You are a woman now, honey. An educated one.
Thanks, Miranda :-)
It’s only just starting to sink in. Like how I have a meeting with the bank on monday because I still have a student account and well, I’m not a student any more.
Generally though? It feels pretty damn good.
So I didn’t end up seeing Chop Shop, I still plan to see it this week, but I did see The Edge of Heaven (which I thought was very good) and The Elite Squad which was pretty mediocre.
So… has anyone else seen Hamlet 2 yet? I’m kind of dying to hear y’alls reactions.
“We picked a craptacular weekend?”
Yeah, but then shouldn’t we still be on vacation?
Speaking of craptacular, I’m sorry to report that Traitor betrays the good senses of cinephiles everywhere…
KB. Movies are my vaction.
Evan, I just couldn’t muster the interest this weekend and I’ve been doing other things of evenings so far this week. Its increasingly looking like a future rental.
Nick, that’s about in line with what I’ve been hearing about Elite Squad. It played at LAFF, but it was a low priority and I never got around to it.
Nice tagline Daniel! Both the NY Times and LA Times seem to be giving it positive if unspectacular reviews, but I’m not buying it. If it was really any good, it would’ve come out either earlier in the summer or later in the fall in my opinion.
For the tools it has to work with, it really doesn’t achieve its potential. Besides that it’s predictable and more poorly written than a network TV police procedural.
What it does do, or at least attempt to do, is portray somewhat of a positive light on Islam. At the end of the day, though, the peaceful Muslim is still unfortunately the exception and not the rule. There’s no excuse for continuing to further that stereotype.
Unless you consider pandering to audience fears for money an excuse.
I don’t.