things i think i think

Courtesy of SlashFilm (one of my favorite cineblogs):

“Directed by Adam Berg, Carousel is a 2 minute 19 second short film sponsored by Philips. The film offers an exploration into one single frozen moment of time in a robbery gone wrong in one Hard Boiled-inspired continuous tracking shot. The story line is obviously taking a cue from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, featuring a swat team who has moved in to a decimated hospital, entering into a shootout with a bunch of robbers wearing sinister clown masks. Around 90 per cent of the footage and stunts were captured in camera.”

And here’s the unbelievable video:

Watch four minutes of Dan Eckman’s off-beat indie comedy ‘Mystery Team’ on his website, here. This looks incredibly promising. Be advised: NSFW.

Yes, he’s fantastic and best of all — he’s a Northwestern alum. Plus, I agree with his picks.

I love celebrity profanity-laced tirades and this one has just made it’s way near the top of my list. Listen to Christian Bale rip the DP Shane Hurlbut a new one here — all because he was apparently wandering around on set and managed to distract Bale during a scene. This is definitely NSFW, but it’s totally worth a listen. Boy, would I not want to be that guy. Did I just lose respect for Batman? Hell no! This is gold.

Also noteworthy: Buddy Rich flipping out at his band after a show (also NSFW, obviously.)

We’ll see what the foreign critics think of this year’s fare later on tonight, but for now — here are my picks.

Best Motion Picture Drama – Slumdog Millionaire
Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – In Bruges
Best Actor Drama – Sean Penn for Milk
Best Actress Drama – Kristin Scott Thomas for I’ve Loved You So Long
Best Actor Musical or Comedy – Brendan Gleeson for In Bruges
Best Actress Musical or Comedy – Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actor – Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress – Viola Davis for Doubt
Best Director – Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Best Screenplay – Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan
Best Original Song – “The Wrestler” by Bruce Springsteen
Best Original Score – Slumdog Millionaire
Best Animated Film – WALL-E
Best Foreign Language Film – Gomorra

It’s always been infinitely easier to pick the Oscars and this year pans out to be no different: the foreign press is often hypocritical because of its propensity to latch on to hype and yet try to reward film, actors or TV shows left to the wayside by American critics. We’ll see — but, of course, I’ll be watching the season premiere of 24 tonight instead.

Although I saw this film originally some three weeks ago (the day after Christmas, as a matter of fact) I’ve been kicking around some thoughts on it since then. So, without further ado, here they are.

First, it’s good. Not great and not bad. Valkyrie has a lot of things going for it: a compelling and intriguing story, a more than competent director at the helm in Bryan Singer, and a supporting cast full of big name Brits. There’s something too dramatic in its approach, however, and this is merely heightened by the fact that Tom Cruise, complete with staunch American accent, is the leading man. Cruise is more subdued than usual, but it doesn’t stop him from spewing dialogue that sounds dubbed over from his previous work. Any cursory search on the history of the attempts on Hitler’s life reveals that Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) was killed after his go at it was foiled — and yet, there is the sense that Cruise could never possibly die. There’s too much Hollywood and too little heart.

On the other hand, the film builds a tremendous amount of what becomes unnecessary tension: we all know that Hitler was not killed in this manner (he took his own life) but Singer threads suspense throughout — we wonder, as each attempt comes to fruition, is this the one? Likewise, Cruise, on the rebound after a (wise) brief hiatus from the industry, is wondering the same: is this the one that will finally put me back on the map? And the answer, unfortunately, is no.

An aside for those wondering how the film approaches the obvious and much-criticized language ‘barrier’: Singer actually pulls a surprising graceful move, having Cruise butcher narrate his first few lines in German and then repeat them in English — a transition that is surprisingly smooth and suggests that this is an ‘Americanized’ retelling of this period in history.

Finally, as much fun as it is (and as popular as it has become) to bash Cruise for his personal beliefs, the actor is a savvy businessman and a great producer of entertainment — this just isn’t the comeback vehicle he’s looking for. Valkyrie is undoubtedly flawed but is still worth a look. Rent, borrow or steal this one and microwave some popcorn.

Took the opportunity last night to go and catch ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ at the cinema, but before I talk about the film, let me just say that ticket prices and big-box cinemas are fucking ridiculous. Last night – on a Wednesday, no less – I spent $20.50 on two tickets and I was told that they no longer offer student discount tickets every night… only on Thursday. Wait — what? As if any student, especially considering the huge number of high school aged kids in these neighborhoods, is going to go out of their way on a Thursday night to see a film. Bravo to the marketing people at AMC theatres – what a load of bullshit. Anyways, ‘Slumdog.’

It was excellent. For those unfamiliar with the film, it tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy living in India, his appearance on the Indian version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ and his romantic involvement with a girl he has searched for all his life. I won’t give away too much more of the plot. The cinematography is fantastic: dramatic and risk-taking with action-adventure flair and a touch of that ‘foreignness’ that we attribute to any film made outside of Hollywood.

Major kudos to director Danny Boyle as well, whose distinctive ‘mood images’ provide a breathtaking and heartbreaking glimpse into India’s tremendous poverty and the struggles of the caste system. The soundtrack is killer and it’s what drives this film home — credit to Boyle and his team for using MIA’s Paper Planes. Bad ass.

The film starts to fall into the usual romantic tropes but it feels fresh because of its superior aesthetic qualities and unique approach. I came away from the theatre completely satisfied. It was the total filmgoing experience: captivating and thought-provoking storytelling coupled with sensual sounds and imagery. It’s a must-see of the year and will undoubtedly be nominated for Best Picture.