As I type this blog on a Macbook Air I realize how Steve Jobs has been compared to The Beatles and Michelangelo. I remembered when he died and their was candlelight vigils and flowers in front of the Apple Store's. I never once fell for this joke of a modern icon. It always seemed ironic to me that people where calling a man who designed a computer a Renaissance man and a revolutionary. He could not hold a candle to Michelangelo. Steve Job's was a corporate tool that helped contribute to the icy solitude of our society by developing technology for computer products. Think of a time in life without computer products and how much more enriched the experience was when most people were actually aware of the present moment.
Needless to say going into Danny Boyle's film I had my doubts. However, Michael Fassbender is on fire as an electric narcissistic, egomaniac, obsessive compulsive, control freak. The line of Aaron Sorkin's dialogue that keeps resonating in my mind is during the second launch Fassbender exclaims to Kate Winslet "of course we are going we are going to start on TIME!!!" This may sound like a trivial line, but in a sense it signifies everything about the character he portrays. The efficiency and robotic nature of Fassbender in the role is awe-inspiring. Like Anthony Hopkins portraying President Nixon in Oliver Stone's Nixon. There is no physical similarities to the characters. As a viewers you may find Nixon and Jobs despicable, but you want to keep digging through the layers of the cake. Their is no mimicking either. Fassbender creates someone who is not Steve Jobs, but someone of his own. He arranges flowers to look more simplistic. He dips his feet in toilet water. This is someone who denies his offspring and is horrible to all of his friends. In many ways he is so obsessed with creating the Apple Computer because he thinks the operating system will heal himself. He is an orphan and has trust issues. By having a more user friendly computer perhaps he thinks he will be a more user friendly person.
The acting is the best I have seen all year. Fassbender goes above and beyond and creates a character unlike any other. He sees himself as a conductor of an orchestra. He is determined beyond belief, yet their is a vulnerability that he does not have the ingredients or social skills to be human. He lives in a delusional reality and is so egocentric that he cannot even see other peoples problems. Even when those problems are hitting him over the head like a frying pan. The scene between him and Kate Winslet when she throws the papers on the floor is star studded. The exchange that occurs between Fassbender and Seth Rogen in the symphony room dictates the crux of the whole story.
Cheers to Fassbender, Aaron Sorkin, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Danny Boyle Steve Jobs was the movie of the year.
Thanks to the hits from ITALIA, Russia, France, Indonesia, and Argentina!!! Keep global cinema rolling.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
EVEREST
In life there are peak experiences and valleys. Their are also plateaus. The men and women that journeyed to Everest in 1996 were looking for peaks. The joy of getting to the summit must be an irresistible urge. As Josh Brolin explains "the reason I am climbing Everest is because when I am not climbing I am extremely depressed." John Hawkes explains "I want my kids when I share at their school to be proud of me." Thinking about Hawkes point made me realize that for modern men and women's lives there comes a point where there is a struggle to find purpose and meaning. Climbing Mt.Everest is definitely an extreme choice. In a way it is totally crazy that the only way some people can feel truly alive is to be at the summit of the highest peak on Earth. For others actors like Jason Clarke and Jake Gyllenhaal they are tour guides and climbing Everest is a job. The visuals of Everest are spectacular. Baltasar Kormakur is an Icelandic director I have never heard of. However, being a native of Iceland he seems to have a gut instinct for shooting cold weather.
The performances by all the actors are well done. The movie will no academy awards because many critics feel that parts of the film are too syrupy. I vehemently disagree. I think the phone conversations between wives and climbers are the glue that holds the film together. I also believe it the best acting by Sam Worthington I have ever seen. Being allowed to use his native Australian accent. "We are going to get you some O and some hot tea, you just got to keep moving" was a powerful scene. Many deep scenes occur by radio and telephone.
The film touches on the theme on survival and mankind's willing to go to extremes to keep that happening. Being able to risk it all in order to do what you love.
That theme was exemplified in the year's Best Documentary Meru. Where Jimmy Chin, Conrad Anker , and Renan Ozturk climb Meru which is arguably the most difficult mountain to climb in the world.
Shout out to ITALIA, Iceland, and Sweden.
The performances by all the actors are well done. The movie will no academy awards because many critics feel that parts of the film are too syrupy. I vehemently disagree. I think the phone conversations between wives and climbers are the glue that holds the film together. I also believe it the best acting by Sam Worthington I have ever seen. Being allowed to use his native Australian accent. "We are going to get you some O and some hot tea, you just got to keep moving" was a powerful scene. Many deep scenes occur by radio and telephone.
The film touches on the theme on survival and mankind's willing to go to extremes to keep that happening. Being able to risk it all in order to do what you love.
That theme was exemplified in the year's Best Documentary Meru. Where Jimmy Chin, Conrad Anker , and Renan Ozturk climb Meru which is arguably the most difficult mountain to climb in the world.
Shout out to ITALIA, Iceland, and Sweden.
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Sicario's: Shock & Awe
"Have you ever been to Juarez before?" Early on Benicio Del Toro poses this question to Emily Blunt's character in Denis Villeneuve's latest film Sicario. The question is the mineshaft a viewer finds themselves thrust into in Villeneuve's cartel drama. I myself saw Juarez from 100 yards away 5 years ago during the height of the cartel violence. Even from the Texas side the town seemed like a combination of skid row and criminal activity. Driving along the fence line in El Paso I could see the poverty in the form of shanty houses and the mountain of Ciudad Juarez. The mountain had a gigantic Mexican Flag and white spanish letters reading Ciudad Juarez. The energy seemed ominous and having actually visited Tijuana and Nogales Arizona the vibe was totally different. Perhaps as a reader you may ask why I am mentioning this so much. Well because when you watch the French-Canadian Denis Villeneuve's behind the wheel as director in his latest feature Sicario and it feels like going into Juarez in a military convoy to hunt for a cartel jefe you still don't feel safe at all even with the military in Juarez. The convoy of driving from El Paso into Juarez is the best driving sequence I have seen in a long time. Accompanied with an elegant and eerie score that bleeds in long sequences of reverb you feel like you are going into another dimension like Apocalypse Now.
Well Steven Soderbergh's Traffic will undoubtedly be compared to this film. Both tackle the drug war and border violence. In addition both features star the amazing Benicio Del Toro in which he won an oscar for the later. In this feature he vanishes into the shadows of truly creepy and tour-de-force acting. He does not yell in the entire film which makes him much scarier. He looks sleepy, but he is more alert and has a deeper understanding of what the cartels are doing than anyone in the film. He does not work for the CIA or Mexico, but is a personal contractor for himself for personal reasons and they are not money. I can't say enough about Del Toro in this film he truly walks away with it. That is not to diminish Emily Blunt or Josh Brolin's performances they are both outstanding.
Sicario wants to dig deep into the actual cartel and border activity itself in the supplying of drugs to the United States. The film wants show how a fiercely determined Emily Blunt similar to Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs, and Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty tries to do the right thing at all costs. In many ways Blunt has multiple titles she is an FBI agent, liaison, volunteer, bait, and most importantly an observer. She gets the filmgoer to observe the insane environment from a normal person's perspective and see how truly crazy it is. She keeps trying to convince all these people that they need to do things by the book and she wants to build a legitimate case. She is a fearless hunter for the truth and willing to go a great distance.
Brolin gives a performance that has shades of Oliver Stone's W. In the sense that he is a man with a mission and he is going to accomplish it regardless of the costs or harm it causes to others.
The shock and awe of the film is like No Country for old Men in that there is no comic relief from start to finish. The film digs deep into the darkness of the human condition and the war on drugs.
The film will never win oscars because it is too bold and goes for the jugular. Denis Villeneuve is building one hell of a resume. With just Prisoners and Sicario he has made more of a directorial splash than just about anyone. Everyone else is pretty well established. There is an intensity and a freshness to his perspective. He creates tension like few can. From the opening sequence of the armored vehicle piercing the stash house. To the final frame of Blunt's decision. He stays true to this concept of creating a tough as nails environment.
Can't wait for his next two Story of Your Life and Blade Runner 2.
Shout out to the hits from Italy, Portugal, Mexico, Russia, and France!!!
Go Fall Summit Cinema 2015!
Well Steven Soderbergh's Traffic will undoubtedly be compared to this film. Both tackle the drug war and border violence. In addition both features star the amazing Benicio Del Toro in which he won an oscar for the later. In this feature he vanishes into the shadows of truly creepy and tour-de-force acting. He does not yell in the entire film which makes him much scarier. He looks sleepy, but he is more alert and has a deeper understanding of what the cartels are doing than anyone in the film. He does not work for the CIA or Mexico, but is a personal contractor for himself for personal reasons and they are not money. I can't say enough about Del Toro in this film he truly walks away with it. That is not to diminish Emily Blunt or Josh Brolin's performances they are both outstanding.
Sicario wants to dig deep into the actual cartel and border activity itself in the supplying of drugs to the United States. The film wants show how a fiercely determined Emily Blunt similar to Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs, and Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty tries to do the right thing at all costs. In many ways Blunt has multiple titles she is an FBI agent, liaison, volunteer, bait, and most importantly an observer. She gets the filmgoer to observe the insane environment from a normal person's perspective and see how truly crazy it is. She keeps trying to convince all these people that they need to do things by the book and she wants to build a legitimate case. She is a fearless hunter for the truth and willing to go a great distance.
Brolin gives a performance that has shades of Oliver Stone's W. In the sense that he is a man with a mission and he is going to accomplish it regardless of the costs or harm it causes to others.
The shock and awe of the film is like No Country for old Men in that there is no comic relief from start to finish. The film digs deep into the darkness of the human condition and the war on drugs.
The film will never win oscars because it is too bold and goes for the jugular. Denis Villeneuve is building one hell of a resume. With just Prisoners and Sicario he has made more of a directorial splash than just about anyone. Everyone else is pretty well established. There is an intensity and a freshness to his perspective. He creates tension like few can. From the opening sequence of the armored vehicle piercing the stash house. To the final frame of Blunt's decision. He stays true to this concept of creating a tough as nails environment.
Can't wait for his next two Story of Your Life and Blade Runner 2.
Shout out to the hits from Italy, Portugal, Mexico, Russia, and France!!!
Go Fall Summit Cinema 2015!
Friday, July 24, 2015
Southpaw: TKO
Dear Ladies and Gentleman,
Sprinkled with the magic of Paulie Malignaggi, Scotty Olson, Michael Carbajal, Joe Hipp, Tommy Hearns, and Mickey Ward. The guts the glory of Rocky, The Fighter, Raging Bull and Bloodsport.
Typified with the primordial rage of fire, blood, ice. Here comes a film that does not offer apology. The peak and rock bottom lifestyle of championship boxing. Where they seize your mansion and your entourage leaves at the flip of a switch. Where Mike Tyson is cascaded in flashbulbs on the red carpet like the shell of a lion for his one man show. Tyson is still touring the world to get out of debt when he was the highest paid athlete in the 1980's. Don King charged him $5,000.00 for towels in his corner. When I saw Mike in reality in Hollywood for his one man show he looked like a wounded lion. A deep sadness came from his eyes on the red carpet. Yet when I watched him on the television carpet as a small boy with my father I never had seen a higher athletic peak before or since. Boxing is all or nothing.
The summer movie award goes to Antoine Fuqua's Southpaw because it captures just that. Jake Gylenhall pulls out a tour de-force performance. His chiseled boxer's body is not super-hero chiseled but boxing chiseled. Forest Whitaker gives one of the best performances since Panic Room as a trainer he digs deep into the logic of boxing. Rachel Mcadams hot off of True Detective 2 kills it as his wife.
The peaks and valleys of boxing is what Fuqua masterfully achieves.
Getting into the hunger and the decadence are well done by the Rocky franchise. The poverty and the royalty of men who are not that bright. Yet are given their moments to stand like gladiators in the arena and be crowned champs. Only done with the help of great trainers or in my life a heroic father.
Sprinkled with the magic of Paulie Malignaggi, Scotty Olson, Michael Carbajal, Joe Hipp, Tommy Hearns, and Mickey Ward. The guts the glory of Rocky, The Fighter, Raging Bull and Bloodsport.
Typified with the primordial rage of fire, blood, ice. Here comes a film that does not offer apology. The peak and rock bottom lifestyle of championship boxing. Where they seize your mansion and your entourage leaves at the flip of a switch. Where Mike Tyson is cascaded in flashbulbs on the red carpet like the shell of a lion for his one man show. Tyson is still touring the world to get out of debt when he was the highest paid athlete in the 1980's. Don King charged him $5,000.00 for towels in his corner. When I saw Mike in reality in Hollywood for his one man show he looked like a wounded lion. A deep sadness came from his eyes on the red carpet. Yet when I watched him on the television carpet as a small boy with my father I never had seen a higher athletic peak before or since. Boxing is all or nothing.
The summer movie award goes to Antoine Fuqua's Southpaw because it captures just that. Jake Gylenhall pulls out a tour de-force performance. His chiseled boxer's body is not super-hero chiseled but boxing chiseled. Forest Whitaker gives one of the best performances since Panic Room as a trainer he digs deep into the logic of boxing. Rachel Mcadams hot off of True Detective 2 kills it as his wife.
The peaks and valleys of boxing is what Fuqua masterfully achieves.
Getting into the hunger and the decadence are well done by the Rocky franchise. The poverty and the royalty of men who are not that bright. Yet are given their moments to stand like gladiators in the arena and be crowned champs. Only done with the help of great trainers or in my life a heroic father.
Friday, May 22, 2015
The Cut
The Cut is a film that is both political and epic in scope. On the hundredth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide many critics have argued that it is not appropriate for a director of Turkish descent to take on a story set in this time. Global cinema is vital to promote empathy and understanding. Anyone should be allowed to offer their perspective on any historical topic regardless of their geographic location or cultural background.
The Cut is directed by one of my all time favorite directors Fatih Akin. The first master stroke of genius I had the privilege to witness by Akin was Head-On. In that film Birol Unel gave one of the most unrestrained amazing performances I have ever seen. The film took place in Germany and had a conservative Turkish perspective and a punk rock one. Akin loves to press the envelope. The Edge of Heaven was about a Lesbian couple in Germany and again was fascinating. Soul Kitchen was his biggest commercial success about a Greek restaurant owner in Germany who revolutionizes his menu by getting a new chef. Birol Unel was the chef. Soul Kitchen was a comedy and arguably Akin's most accessible film. The comedy again has punk rock sensibilities and a great dose of humor.
Music is always one of Akin's best uses as a director his documentary Crossing the Bridge: to Istanbul does a great job of capturing such a wide range of music from that region. From hip-hop, punk rock, traditional music, and female vocalists.
The Cut is a film itself that is epic in scope. The movie covers continents and is essentially a survival tale. Akin had to move mountains to make this film. The fact that it is a period piece set in multiple countries around the turn of the century was practically biblical. The attention to historical detail and extras was awe-inspiring. I have never seen Cuba and the United States portrayed in such a historical way on such a limited budget.
The look of the film is one thing. The acting of Tahir Rahim who I have never seen before is another. The lead actor is essentially silent throughout the feature, but conveys such a range of emotions simply with his eyes. His speech has been removed for a variety of reasons. One being the physical and the other the emotional. This man has witnessed so much carnage and pressed through so much turmoil. When he watches the silent films of Charlie Chaplin at the refugee camp he is deeply affected.
Akin has a number of sequences where Rahim is walking for extended periods of time. I feel that sadly not enough contemporary films allow this to happen organically anymore. The Lawrence of Arabia sensation has vanished from so many screens. By the end of the film I felt I had been taken on a journey unlike any other in a long time.
The film is not just about politics, religion, or survival. The director hits on the human condition and history like Scorsese with The Last Temptation of Christ, Bertolucci with The Last Emperor and Oliver Stone with Alexander. The film has heart that will stay with you regardless of culture, status, or religion. When that happens you know the entire production has done it's job. Thank you Fatih Akin for staying true to art and continuing to inspire a sense of heart and self in audiences.
The Cut is directed by one of my all time favorite directors Fatih Akin. The first master stroke of genius I had the privilege to witness by Akin was Head-On. In that film Birol Unel gave one of the most unrestrained amazing performances I have ever seen. The film took place in Germany and had a conservative Turkish perspective and a punk rock one. Akin loves to press the envelope. The Edge of Heaven was about a Lesbian couple in Germany and again was fascinating. Soul Kitchen was his biggest commercial success about a Greek restaurant owner in Germany who revolutionizes his menu by getting a new chef. Birol Unel was the chef. Soul Kitchen was a comedy and arguably Akin's most accessible film. The comedy again has punk rock sensibilities and a great dose of humor.
Music is always one of Akin's best uses as a director his documentary Crossing the Bridge: to Istanbul does a great job of capturing such a wide range of music from that region. From hip-hop, punk rock, traditional music, and female vocalists.
The Cut is a film itself that is epic in scope. The movie covers continents and is essentially a survival tale. Akin had to move mountains to make this film. The fact that it is a period piece set in multiple countries around the turn of the century was practically biblical. The attention to historical detail and extras was awe-inspiring. I have never seen Cuba and the United States portrayed in such a historical way on such a limited budget.
The look of the film is one thing. The acting of Tahir Rahim who I have never seen before is another. The lead actor is essentially silent throughout the feature, but conveys such a range of emotions simply with his eyes. His speech has been removed for a variety of reasons. One being the physical and the other the emotional. This man has witnessed so much carnage and pressed through so much turmoil. When he watches the silent films of Charlie Chaplin at the refugee camp he is deeply affected.
Akin has a number of sequences where Rahim is walking for extended periods of time. I feel that sadly not enough contemporary films allow this to happen organically anymore. The Lawrence of Arabia sensation has vanished from so many screens. By the end of the film I felt I had been taken on a journey unlike any other in a long time.
The film is not just about politics, religion, or survival. The director hits on the human condition and history like Scorsese with The Last Temptation of Christ, Bertolucci with The Last Emperor and Oliver Stone with Alexander. The film has heart that will stay with you regardless of culture, status, or religion. When that happens you know the entire production has done it's job. Thank you Fatih Akin for staying true to art and continuing to inspire a sense of heart and self in audiences.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Clouds of Sils Maria
The Clouds of Sils Maria is a fascinating journey about the way a female star skyrockets to stardom in youth and plateaus in middle age. Juliette Binoche takes the role head-on and allows herself to be completely exposed. Kristen Stewart plays her personal assistant and life imitates art throughout the picture. Bella Swan is in some ways Chloe Grace Moretz's character. The mega-star comic book heroine. Moretz knows how to satisfy Binoche in a key scene when they first meet. Moretz endlessly compliments Binoche on her achievements and cites that she is the reason she wanted to become an actress.
The lines that are read in the film within a film between Stewart and Binoche are captivating. The French are absolutely correct to give Stewart a Cesar for this performance. Stewart shows the depth and holds her own with Binoche as the two women joust in a remote chalet in the Swiss Alps. The clouds become a character in this film. The snake is an splendid experience to witness as a filmgoer. Oliver Assayas exposes all the haunting qualities of celebrity from youth to middle-age. He was great in making Something in the Air about the music scene and politics in France. Boarding Gate by him as well happens to star my favorite actor of all time Michael Madsen and the powerhouse Asia Argento is another terrific experience.
The Clouds of Sils Maria belongs to the women in the film. Binoche, Stewart, and Moretz all represent different aspects of the industry and the film is a testament to their hard work, iciness, vulnerability, and glamor.
Pop the champagne to France, Switzerland, and ITALIA!!!
The lines that are read in the film within a film between Stewart and Binoche are captivating. The French are absolutely correct to give Stewart a Cesar for this performance. Stewart shows the depth and holds her own with Binoche as the two women joust in a remote chalet in the Swiss Alps. The clouds become a character in this film. The snake is an splendid experience to witness as a filmgoer. Oliver Assayas exposes all the haunting qualities of celebrity from youth to middle-age. He was great in making Something in the Air about the music scene and politics in France. Boarding Gate by him as well happens to star my favorite actor of all time Michael Madsen and the powerhouse Asia Argento is another terrific experience.
The Clouds of Sils Maria belongs to the women in the film. Binoche, Stewart, and Moretz all represent different aspects of the industry and the film is a testament to their hard work, iciness, vulnerability, and glamor.
Pop the champagne to France, Switzerland, and ITALIA!!!
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Jauja
In Lisandro Alonso's Jauja a viewer is brought into a dreamscape immediately. The first images of peat moss covered rocks in tide pools are a microcosm of the world the film represents. A surreal dreamscape where a tattered army is helpless and lost in the frontier of Argentina. A land where a colonel offers a horse as a trade for the only woman in a 100 mile radius. A place where men are swallowed by a merciless desert. An area where a renegade former colonel dresses in women's clothes and hunts humans in the hinterland.
Oh how refreshing that ambiguity is served up in all it's forms, but here the film never goes over the line. The film Jauja is not El Topo or Inland Empire. However, the picture is a traditional Western in many respects. The storyline is basic in structure. A ruthless frontier, a missing daughter, and a father that wishes to track her down. A man looking for his daughter in the desert is the rudimentary story. However along this journey many strange things start happening.
The film looks staggeringly beautiful and the landscapes are breathtaking. Viggo Mortensen is perfect as the lead. He portrays a Danish father with poise and grace. His quest for his daughter is quite an adventure. The score of the film is Spanish guitar done by Viggo himself and it has a haunting and relaxing quality. The locations of Patagonia in Argentina are unlike anything I have seen before. They are remote and extraordinary. The film is the kind of film that lingers on a viewer long after the red credits.
Many thanks to the hits from Italy, Argentina, France, Russia, Turkey, and Indonesia! Long live global cinema!
Oh how refreshing that ambiguity is served up in all it's forms, but here the film never goes over the line. The film Jauja is not El Topo or Inland Empire. However, the picture is a traditional Western in many respects. The storyline is basic in structure. A ruthless frontier, a missing daughter, and a father that wishes to track her down. A man looking for his daughter in the desert is the rudimentary story. However along this journey many strange things start happening.
The film looks staggeringly beautiful and the landscapes are breathtaking. Viggo Mortensen is perfect as the lead. He portrays a Danish father with poise and grace. His quest for his daughter is quite an adventure. The score of the film is Spanish guitar done by Viggo himself and it has a haunting and relaxing quality. The locations of Patagonia in Argentina are unlike anything I have seen before. They are remote and extraordinary. The film is the kind of film that lingers on a viewer long after the red credits.
Many thanks to the hits from Italy, Argentina, France, Russia, Turkey, and Indonesia! Long live global cinema!
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