Masterful Cinematography...

Americans are seldom treated these days to movies that are just flat-out beautiful. Instead Hollywood has decided to suck all of the color out of film stocks these days as if it were a reflection of life in general - gray. However, for those willing to expand their horizons and check out films outside of the mainstream, you will be amazed. Here is a great screen capture from Wong Kar-wai's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE.

Although you don't have to read subtitles to enjoy such lush camera work, check out Todd Haynes beautiful melodrama send up to Douglas Sirk in FAR FROM HEAVEN (2002), starring Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid.

Natasha's 21st Birthday...

Here is a picture of us at our joint Birthday party from February 8th, it was a great time, GO PENS!!!

Steely Dan: Aja

If you've come along this far in life and have NOT heard or for that matter do NOT own Steely Dan's legendary album Aja in some medium or another, do yourself a huge favor and just break down and buy this in some form, preferable CD for now. Although if you want to download from iTunes or something similar, fine, just do it.

Now why do I make such a fuss over this album? Well, simply put this could be one of the most perfect albums ever made and a landmark record in many aspects, especially one of the most amazingly produced albums ever and you won't find a tighter, more creative, more energetic, vibrant, and all-out Jazz rock fusion album out there that even compares to just how brilliant, masterful, articulate, and downright genius as this. The work here between Donald Fagan and Walter Becker is just magnificent. This is an album you can spin non-stop and never get tired of it's brilliance or it's seemingly playful nature, yet below that mellowness is some intricate and complex writing in both lyric and melody alike. I am not really a big fan of Steely Dan in general and perhaps some of that is due to the fact that I can't get into their other material after being completely blown away by this album, everything else pales in comparison.

3:10 to YUMA - The Remake...

Two actors that I really enjoy are Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, but 3:10 To Yuma (the remake) unfortunately cannot be saved by either talent. I wanted to like this film, I really did, in fact I not only had high hopes, but I was certain that I would love it. So where did it go wrong? Well, despite being beautifully shot and set against a great Western backdrop the unfortunate demise of this film was flat-out silliness. Yes, I said it ...silliness. The characters in this film do things that just don't make sense. I can take a bit of this and I don't mind needing a crane to suspend my disbelief, but there is nothing more annoying than characters doing things that are just nonsense. Then the film becomes highly predictable and while it tries to parallel the original 1957 film, the ending twists it up a bit and makes sense overall, but by this point in time I was just disappointed and really couldn't care for any of the characters left in the film. I think character development was severely lacking quite a bit, although that does seem to be a lost art in Hollywood these days, but this film tries to blur the lines of good and bad a bit too much and no one wants to watch a film without someone to root for, regardless of whether they are good or bad, we need to know who we want on our side. So, alas 3:10 to Yuma, I won't be taking that train anytime soon. 5/10

Listen(s) of the Day

Today I spun two discs that are about as diverse as they get, yet they both share one thing in common and that is how addictive they both are. The first is the amazing soundtrack to Darren Arronofsky's THE FOUNTAIN, which is composed by Clint Mansell and is as beautiful as it is haunting. It's probably one of my most spun soundtracks with the exception of perhaps Philip Glass' THE HOURS. What I like about both of these soundtracks though is that they have a common motif, which is revisited throughout, and that makes sense as the narratives of their respective films have a theme that is coming full circle. THE HOURS of course is set during 3 different eras (1920's, 1950's, and modern day) whereas THE FOUNTAIN poses the question of what a narrative would be like if it spanned over 1000 years of time.

The second listen for today is none other than one of the all-time greatest if not THE greatest Jazz albums, Miles Davis KIND OF BLUE. What struck me about this album in my most recent listen, although i've certainly listened to this album a billion times, is that it's one of the few albums that you can listen to over and over to on repeat mode and really never get tired or uninterested in it. It can be listened to very intently or it can serve as just background noise as if you were in a true Jazz club. You can analyze it note-by-note and with the most critical ears and yet you can also allow it to lazily rest on your ears and the rawness and emotion of this album never wears off, it's just that good. No wait, it's sublime. It's the blueprint or gold standard of what any Jazz album should be and is the first album anyone who is new to Jazz should put on their list. Although, they will have a hard time finding one better as they plunge into the genre, but what a great start!

Listen of the Day

Caribou's recent album Andorra combines 60's harmonies with modern electronic happiness and it's refreshing to see a band that can pull it off well.

Hilarious Movie Trailer Spoof...

I found this video online a few years ago and applaud the kids that made this spoof trailer, which is obviously low-budget, but that's what makes it so great. Awesome choice of music, which is exactly what makes it funny because horrible movies think that they can attract people with a trailer that involves good music set to misleading footage.

Listen of the Day

Decided to listen to one of my favorite recordings, Mozart's Requiem, which is simply beautiful in surround sound.

Film Vault: Underseen, Underappreciated & Unheard of

This months film vault consists of 10 films that are likely to have not been seen by the general public or have been long-forgotten, yet are worthy of being seen if not revisited, and they are:

1. STATE OF GRACE (1990) - overshadowed by a huge gangster year STATE OF GRACE fell backseat to several other pictures that year including GOODFELLAS, THE GODFATHER III, THE GRIFTERS, THE KRAYS, and MILLERS CROSSING. However, STATE OF GRACE starring Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, and Ed Harris is a superb film that deals with the Irish Mafia and the challenges of being a cop mixed up with the 'old neighborhood'.

2. THE RULING CLASS (1972) - all I have to say is Peter O' Toole plays a man who thinks he is Jesus one moment and then Jack the Ripper the next in this British social satire/dark comedy/musical.

3. THE NAKED KISS (1964) - amazingly dark and brilliant pulp drama directed by Sam Fuller in a way that very few can. A story of redemption, discovery, and revenge with one scene in particular that you just have to see to believe!

4. WOLFEN (1981) - brutal animal attacks lead a NY cop on a trail after a werewolf in this suspenseful enviro-film.

5. FALLING DOWN (1993) - most people recall this film, but it's definitely one to revisit as it has aged well as Michael Douglas plays a man who breaks down one L.A. afternoon and takes his bad day out on a few innocent bystanders.

6. DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS (2002) - a group of Catholic boys plan a heist to turn their comic-book alter-egos into real life local legends, oh and Jodie Foster is Nunzilla.

7. THE DESPERATE HOURS (1990) - had this film arrived a year later it might be a whole different story as Anthony Hopkins was on the verge of superstardom after his role of Hannibal Lecter was unleashed, yet this remake of the Humphrey Bogart picture is worth your time just the same.

8. ROB ROY (1995) - it's still amazing to me how many people have yet to see this film, yet have seen BRAVEHEART multiple times, perhaps the two are just too similar, but this film about the highlanders of Scotland is highly memorable and the sword duel between Liam Neeson and Tim Roth is just awesome.

9. THE DUELISTS (1977) - speaking of dueling swordsman this film centers around such and is one of Ridley Scott's lesser known films, yet demonstrates the early talents of what would later becomes one of todays finest filmmakers.

10. GATES OF HEAVEN (1980) - I had to get at least one documentary into the mix here and what better than one involving a pet cemetery and eccentric pet lovers discussing their affection for their deceased pets, it's like watching a train wreck - you just can't look away.

Ratatouille & Pixar...

After finally getting around to seeing Ratatouille I decided to give my ratings to the catalog of Pixar films since ranking them in order is nearly impossible...

I usually don't like star ratings, but in this case I'll make an exception.

A BUGS LIFE **1/2
TOY STORY ***
TOY STORY 2 ***1/2
MONSTERS INC. **1/2
FINDING NEMO ***1/2
THE INCREDIBLES **
CARS ***1/2
RATATOUILLE ***1/2

American Gangster

Finally got around to seeing Ridley Scott's AMERICAN GANGSTER starring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington and like most of Scott's films...I liked it. In some respects it went against the more conventional gangster-genre style in that it wasn't centered around action and pointless violence. Instead the film was about the rise & fall of a very smart gang leader who oddly enough never indulged in the drug life that he controlled. It's based on a true story set in the early 1970's. While the film was one of the better films I have seen recently it does not quite compare though with either of David Cronenberg's memorable gangster films: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE and EASTERN PROMISES. Both star Viggo Mortensen and demonstrate his incredible acting chops to go from a Irish mafia man to a Russian bodyguard. Just incredible. I'd give AMERICAN GANGSTER 7/10.

First Post

There is something about the first post that makes it difficult. Perhaps it is like writing a new book and you can't seem to get those first few sentences down on paper. Staring at the blank page waiting for the black ink to interfere with the ghostly page and then when it happens it can sometimes seem to just work and other times it seems as though that ink should have never come close to that snowy page. So what do I say? What words to I write and express on this blog to begin with? I don't really know, nor have I really thought much about it. Perhaps it is similar to a line from the film ONE HOUR PHOTO:

"And if these pictures have anything important to say to future generations, it's this: I was here. I existed. I was young, I was happy and someone cared enough about me in this world...to take my picture."

One really interesting moment in the film comes from when the Robin Williams character states that no one ever takes a picture of something that they want to forget. I suppose that a blog is a simple time capsule that shows that someone did exist and that they write down things that they want to share and perhaps want others to read, or at least hope to. Well, I suppose I want that to.