I’m Not Here

Where the hell have I been? Watching the Olympics, The Lego Movie more than once, but more often than not I’ve been hanging out in editing hell. That is to say that I’ve been editing not one, but two of the shorts that were recently shot for Cold Cockle.  Not that it’s going poorly, but editing is not my favorite part of the process. Should have something to show soon or at least some news. In the mean time you should all be watching The Lego Movie as well as catching up on some of the better films from last year, there were many. The Film Vault will continue uninterrupted, but my written take on movies will be a bit sparse for the next few weeks.

Thanks for checking in,

Anderson

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Only if Mitty forwent the entire point of the movie. Had he ignored his inner adventurer and instead stayed in the office, this could’ve been a contender. If he never went looking for the sanctimonious Sean Penn on the mountain he would’ve never tried to teach us the overtly simplistic and ultimately insulting lesson that life is about life. Not since Into the Wild (directed by Sean Penn from his mountain perch) has such a finger waging message been shoved in our face via the silver screen. Damn shame too as there is so much to like about Mitty and his secret life. (more…)

Her (2013)

An Emos Terminator. After the initial response to Scarlett Johansson as the disembodied AI/OS wears off, you’re left with the building blocks of a romantic comedy, minus the comedy. There is poetic humor here, just not the kind you’d typically find in a romantic comedy. Not the first time the idea of falling in love with an AI has been explored either. See Robot & Frank, AI and even Moon to a lesser extent. She is incredibly lovable and you’re missing something if part of you doesn’t fall for her, but it’s a gimmick, a big idea gimmick, but a gimmick nonetheless. That’s all fine and good and there is a large audience out there who love their love stories and they’re bound to love this one. Thankfully Her has something for the rest of us as well. The world where this gimmicky love story takes place is transportive. (more…)

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Rich white men behaving badly for nearly three hours would be a more accurate title. Not as catchy though. Scorsese’s Christmas comedy is overweight, coked up and luded out. Problem is, it’s funny. Shouldn’t be, but it is. Was embarrassed at my laughter and attempted to stifle it on numerous occasions, but failed every time. Was it the overt Goodfellas undertones that seduced me? Jonah Hill’s overbite? Maybe DiCaprio dusting off his inner Gilbert Grape performance for his Quaalude scenes that got me going? Unfortunately it was all of these things and more that caused me to cover my mouth in horror (albeit gleeful horror) as spontaneous laughter spewed forth.

It should be noted that this is the director’s first feature since the children’s movie, Hugo. You have to look back to 2006′s The Departed to find a Scorsese movie with men doing bad things.  With that in mind you get the feeling that he was scratching a seven year itch and having a great time doing so. (more…)

American Hustle (2013)

“He’s just doing Scorsese.” “He’s too obsessed with the period.” “The women outshine the men.” These are all things that have been uttered in my presence and much to my chagrin. All true statements, but none of which detract from what very well may be the best film of the year.

The nearly perfect  Eggplant Scene in True Romance remains my favorite of all time. In just over ten minutes of cinematic perfection the viewer feels, I mean really feels: fear, intensity, humor, joy and ultimately sadness and despair. American Hustle took just under 138 minutes, but all of these same emotions were worked over by the end. Many movies can cause laughter, sadness and or fear, but to nail so many and to do it so effectively without the use of violence is something to be respected.  (more…)

Out of the Furnace (2013)

Out of the Furnace is sure to thrust you into the depression, despite the use of Pearl Jam to not only open, but used to awkwardly close the film as well. Compelling performances bring this less than gripping tale to something resembling a sad and dark life. Christian Bale transforms himself once again into something almost unrecognizable as a Pittsburgh steelworker with that rare trait of accepting responsibility for his actions. Afleck, the good one named Casey, plays his little brother, a War Vet with PTSD and a hankering for fast money made by taking dives in underground fight clubs. It’s the wicked Harrelson who  makes this ordeal of a film worth while though with his ultra evil performance as a New Jersey hill dwelling meth head and lord of the underground fight ring syndicate. He’s arguably more unsettling and creepy here as Harlan than he was as Mickey in Natural Born Killers. (more…)

Nebraska (2013)

A portrait of depression with a wink and a smile. Went in resisting, but Nebraska defeated me in the end and tears did stream. Resembling an early Jaramucsh film with less humor and fewer beats per minute, Nebraska is a slow burn to say the least. There is an uncut  scene where an old woman leafs through a large book as she looks for an article that takes almost an entire minute of screen time . Don’t let that scare you off though, this an investment worth making. Solid and sentimental from beginning to end, Nebraska is chock full of truths in the character’s dialogue and in their actions. It’s a movie so simple in both, that it could have worked 40 years ago and is sure to work 40 years from now.

(more…)

The Armstrong Lie (2013)

We should all consider ourselves lucky, with the exception of  Lance Armstrong. We as an audience are fortunate that Academy Award winning documentarian, Alex Gibney (Enron: The  Smartest Guys in the Room and Catching Hell) was amidst a superfluous fluff doc about the infamous and storied cyclist’s 2009 return when it all hit the fan.  What was set out to be one story had to be twisted into another and while Lance is a  liar and a cheat, the man has big ball (maybe cheap, but not a typo) and allowed the director one last interview so that the film might be salvaged. (more…)

Blue Is The Warmest Color (La Vie d’Adéle) (2013)

Imagine an ungodly long movie about an American who falls in love with Japanese culture, wonders around Japan, just taking in the scenery, only to  occasionally stop off for lengthy sushi meals which are eaten in multiple parts of the restaurant and in various positions. That’s what Blue is the Warmest Color  was like.

An in-depth character study that is really more of a gratuitous romp into realms of exploitation cinema that are rarely seen today. (more…)

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Ridiculous. Matthew McConaughey was so good in this it was ridiculous. Nobody can do his performance justice with descriptive words on a page. You must see his spindly determination for yourself. After seeing it you’re likely to agree that he is one of the truly great actors working today.

If a gripe were to be had with Dallas Buyers Club, it would be with the story itself. The script was based on a 1992 article in The Dallas Morning News about Ron Woodroof, a homophobic, drug addicted cowboy living with aids in the 80s when it was still thought of as a “gay disease”. The true-life story centers around Ron’s battle with the hospital, it’s doctors, the drug companies they represent and ultimately the FDA. With any story there are always three sides which are yours, theirs and the truth. Had a hard time seeing the truth with this one as the writers and or director had an apparent axe to grind and most of the major players were illustrated in a fairly black and white manner. (more…)