Cinema Outcasts » Indie

The Girlfriend Experience

peter — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:59:39 +0000

If you got to know someone who was self loathing and very shallow would you hang out with them? Would you consider them as someone you could grow close to? Steven Soderbergh’s latest feature stars a porn actress in search of herself and it features her un-daunting competitiveness in a field that usually ends in tragedy.

I found this movie to be quite depressing. Sasha Grey (in a role that she does well in) portrays the often lonely but very edgy escort named Chelsea. Chelsea is at the top of her game in the escort business and looking to expand. She caters to rich men who are either cheating on their wives or looking to get away from their tedious job.

Half of this movie is a slanderous look at rich men complaining about the downturn of the economy and the effects it is going to have on their business. Sasha makes on impression on these men because she doesn’t just have sex with them, she talks to them about their daily lives trying to uplift them. All of this happens with her boyfriend supporting her.

The movie turns when Sasha encounters a man who is similar to her.You feel compassion for the boyfriend because she goes about breaking up with him in such a shallow manner. Soderbergh is brilliant in showing his compassion for her and his support for her, to which she doesn’t give a shit about. Thank god the movie ends like karma on display in an episode of My name is Earl.

The movie is summed up for me at the tail end of the story. Sasha is interviewed by a journalist who is interested in writing a story about her. He talks about how she is so cold that she doesn’t show any emotional feeling towards others and this makes her more the less shallow

Good movie, but very depressing. If you want to see rich assholes that are self loathing, this movie is definitely for you. If you do not care for rich moguls that are depressed because they aren’t going to make as much money as they once did, then you might want to stay away.

Bright Star

peter — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:32:11 +0000

Love. The four letter word has always been on the cusp of our emotional conscience, but what does it ultimately mean? Coming off of a bad relationship, I had a hard time identifying with most love stories. My emotions were drained from the idea of romanticism. Therefore, I initially wanted to stay away from them because it was too unbearable. And then I saw a review for the movie Bright Star. I have a kind heart for Victorian English love stories because they don’t have the same type of snideness that American romantic comedies bring these days.

Bright Star is based on the true story of the ill fated lover John Keats and his attempt to quell the system of the sanctity of marriage. Jane Campion, the director of the Piano (one hell of a movie!) creates the eclectic backdrop of the two very young lovers. Keats is a very poor and starved poet, living with a tutor and friend in rural England. Keats lover Fanny, played by Abbie Cornish, is a woman whose undeniable passion for something different makes her more desirable.

After meeting the eccentric woman that lives next to him, Keats begins to fall in love because of her undying interest in the arts. In fact, it’s a treat because we see the world through her eyes and not Keats, which makes the story much more mysterious and engaging.

As the story progresses, we begin to see the predicament that the two lovers are in; John Keats is a poor poet, who is embarrassed and ashamed that he cannot support himself to be able to marry Fanny (Abby Cornish); His friend and confidant, Charles Dilke (played by Gerard Monaco) goes through his own self discovery which separates the lovers from each other.

The true testament to this story is Keats poetry. When Fanny reads his letters allowed, we begin to see the passion that Keats has for his lover and the passion and intrigue that Fanny exudes in Keats conscience. The poetry is glorious and renowned even to today, which I believe helped the director (Campion) basic storyline and because of this she was able to create an emotional feeling that identifies with the audience.

Now because this is a Victorian era love story, most people would compare this movie to Jane Austin’s books, but I believe it has more of a presence. Pride and prejudice, and Sense and sensibility are great stories nonetheless, but they don’t have the same emotional sensibility that this movie has. A must see for people who love serious romantic stories. If you are more into romantic comedies… Meh. This movie is about passion for the arts and passion for undying love. I totally recommend this movie, and I was happy to see it bring back my excitement for romanticism.

Whip It!

joseph — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:03:11 +0000

The few people who know me may be surprised that I went to see Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut in theaters, a cute “girl” movie about women being empowered by donning rollerskates and cute pseudonyms, but in my defense, I sneaked in to the movie, for one, and a few hours later my face was planted in between a pair of very lovely breasts. Anyways, I kind of liked the film. Whip It! is of course another Ellen Page vehicle, and whether or not you have interest in her movies, you have to admire her ability to be charismatically vulnerable. I never got around to seeing Juno, but I was impressed by her performance in Hard Candy, a movie that I hated on the whole (Patrick Wilson’s general awesomeness notwithstanding), and Whip It is another great showcase for Page’s talent.

The story of a teenage girl who joins an Austin Roller Derby team to escape from the oppressive genteelities of her mother’s southern beauty pageant culture, Whip It borrows from about every underdog-sports/coming-of-age formula there is, which would make the movie seem like little more than a checklist of cliches, if there wasn’t something more to it than that. The movie has a self-aware quality that is more than a little charming and plays like The Mighty Ducks meets Ghost World (a shame that the film’s ensemble cast had no room for the great Emilio Estevez and Steve Buscemi).

Also appearing in the movie is Daniel Stern as a lovable goof father that should be familiar to anyone who’s lived in the suburbs. You’ll also see a few familiar SNL cast members, the singer Eve, and the always uncontainable Juliette Lewis who plays the token arch-rival/bully in a performance that is comically, self-deprecatingly bitchy. All in all, Drew Barrymore’s film will be a delight for young female audiences, and even a few of us emotionally-dead older people may recall a time when movies were fun for the sake of fun.

Paranormal Activity

peter — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:49:29 +0000

Standing in line for a midnight showing wasn’t my idea of a good time. Americans are so used to these multiplex movie theaters that it seems awkward to do so, especially at a midnight showing. However, since it’s October and it’s nearing Halloween, this was a perfect chance to catch a screening of Paranormal Activity. After reading a few reviews and seeing a trailer on MTV (rare because I don’t really watch MTV these days), I grew curious and decided to bring some friends with me to one of the thirteen screenings. To my chagrin, everyone else had the same idea and we were forced to sit four rows from the back even though we had arrived a half hour early. I was terrified that I wasn’t going to see the screen and because of this, I began to laugh because I was so disappointed. Fortunately the energized crowd began to roar with excitement as the movie started to roll which helped calm my nerves down. The movie starts out casual, a very typical day in the life of a newly moved in suburban couple. Micah, the boyfriend, has purchased a new camera because his girlfriend, Katie, has told him that she is being followed by a presence. At night Micah sets up the camera by the bedside to record all the events to disprove her claim that she is haunted. With the camera’s night vision turned on and the timecode continuously running, strange events begin to occur. The doors slam, loud demonic screams are heard, and finally a picture of Katie as a child is found up in the attic. The only thing is that Micah continues to believe that this is all a joke and that it isn’t real (either that or he thinks that ghosts are nice and not mean spirited). His curiosity to delve deeper into the spiritual world is what keeps the plot moving and keeps the scares coming.

The ending was changed by the request of Spielberg and it makes it that much more terrifying.In fact, Spielberg was rumored to have turned off the movie half way through because he was too terrified to continue. For those of you who are splatter buffs, this movie is not for you. For those of you who like ghost stories and like the hitchcockian effect of filmmaking, this movie is very much for you. Very reminiscent to the Robert Wise 1963 movie “The Haunting” a movie like this one comes along once every ten years. Very good movie, and if you get the chance to see it with an audience, do so, it makes it that much more appealing.

Eraserhead

peter — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:25:27 +0000

This movie made me want to get into filmmaking. The eeriness of the movie as a whole (sound and visuals) is very terrifying. Most people have debated about the plot and what the movie is supposed to mean; nevertheless, Lynch has literally left it up to the audience to decide making it more fun to discuss.

Very surreal, dark and almost organic, this movie and Lynch’s style of directing have gone on to inspire a slew of copycats (Richard Kelly’s ‘Donnie Darko’ to name a few). This movie has also created a cult following for more of Lynch’s movies. Fortunately this movie was made because it almost wasn’t. And unfortunately if this movie were released in our current American cinema, it wouldn’t have the same impact that it had back in the 70’s. Thank god for the midnight theaters, and thank god for David Lynch! Sometimes we need to look beyond ourselves and dig deeper into our inner conscience. If you can sit through Eraserhead, it will be a great discussion with your friends and it will haunt your dreams.

Quadrophenia (1979)

peter — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:39:06 +0000

The ending thirty minutes of this movie are worth the watch alone. The Who’s music plays formulaically with the lead actor (Jimmy) as he rides his scooter over the edge of the British Isle’s. Each motion that the character takes on his bike and each scene goes so well with the music that you feel the same emotion that the lead character Jimmy is feeling. His heart wrenching depression makes you cringe at the very sight of him and makes you feel for yourself.

The rest of the movie is about teenage angst. Jimmy revels at the chance for revolution (or maybe just some good ol’ rocker bashing). His obsession over the pretty girl is what drives this movie. As Jimmy and his hood of Mods build up for the big get together in Brighton Beach, we can feel the story turning. The mod versus rocker riot is something that we will probably never see in movies again, and it is very enjoyable to watch. The timing to it is amazing and the riot seems so authentic (watch for glimpses of Sting).

The end of the film is a great climax. Jimmy’s denial of his obsession with Steph becomes his own personal salvation as he rides off into oblivion. A very enjoyable film, especially for the rebellious youths of today and yesterday.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley

peter — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:26:19 +0000

I believe that Ken Loach’s filmmaking style is what Hollywood should start looking at and try to imitate. This movie’s design shows how effective a movie can be without CGI animated effects and over the top camera angles. It also shows how Hollywood has become so enamored with stylistic directors.

By shooting the actors with a wide angle long lense, Loach allows his actors to move in comfort without the stringent use of the camera mark. This along with the natural realism of his shooting style, the actors are now allowed to act off one another which helps create a more compelling scene. The reason that I like and respect Loach’s technique is because the movie doesn’t seem amateurish at all.

The storyline sticks to a beginning middle and an end and it is quite refreshing. Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, Batman Begins, and Sunshine) plays the lead Damien O’donovan, outcast, doctor and partial leader of the guerilla movement that took place in Ireland during the 1920’s. His brother Teddy O’donovan (Padraic Delany) heads the guerilla warfare group and eventually trades sides to become a British Confidant (after the treaty of 1920). In the beginning of the story, Murphey is torn and confident that he is going to leave Ireland for more medical practice; however, the influence of his brother Teddy pulls him back. Murphy soon realizes that he is a part of Ireland and that he has to fight for the democracy that the Irish want and believe.

The near perfect script continues to build on the trust of the brothers and climaxes to their doomed ultimate decision in the end. I believe that the ending is the most satisfying in the movie.

Tideland

joseph — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:49:11 +0000

Like my other favorite Cría Cuervos, here’s another film dealing with innocence, death, and escapism from harsh realities, also starring a young girl. I mention this film and Cría first because it is so rare to find films about childhood that don’t Spielberg-ify them into idyllic stories of politically correct Haley Joel Osmond caricatures being bullied and then winning against all odds due to either the power of their imagination, a talking dog, or a school that teaches witchcraft. Terry Gilliam’s Tideland is his (and novelist Mitch Cullin’s) eschatological version of Alice in Wonderland, but no magic mushrooms are needed in this story — the reality of protagonist Jeliza-Rose is just as surreal and grotesque as her daydreams and it is often hard to determine which is which. Critics hated this film, largely because it portrays childhood and innocence not in the standard platonic sense, but as something that is by definition morally ambivalent, equally susceptible to good and ill, something that many in the grown-up world chose not to remember.

The Name of the Rose

lefrenchie — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:39:59 +0000

Umberto Eco is the one writer that can talk about the dark ages better than anyone, and his novel, the Name of the Rose is without a doubt the apogee of his writing, that’s why the movie directed by Jean‐Jacques Annaud and starring Sean Connery and a very young Christian Slater, is a marvel that controversial nature keeps away to be mainstream, despite being an absolute cinematic masterpiece. Guillaume de Baskerville, portrayed by Sean Connery, is an educated monk with a trouble past, who is summoned in an abbey where evil has claimed the life of a few recluses; opposing reason to blind faith in a time when inquisition was an oppressive and dominant force that ruled; the movie is never hiding or trying to put to the sides the dark themes from the story, quite often stinging at the demonic side of religions.