The Director Is In

To Catch A Thief • director Alfred Hitchcock It’s always...

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:30:35 -0400

To Catch A Thief • director Alfred Hitchcock

It’s always a wondrous experience to watch the master’s work for the first time. While I will say that I figured out the ending to this film within the first thirty minutes, I don’t know if I can blame that on the story telling or that the movie has been in the film cannon longer than I’ve been alive - it’s a part of the movie subconscious.

Above and beyond the story telling used in all of his films, Hitchock was a technical and aesthetic master. He’d design his own lenses and expect perfection in everything. The exteriors in this film were all created on sound stages on the Paramount Lot, and though Hitchcock was afraid of heights he climbed up into the catwalks to watch his actors at work.

It’s been said that Hitchcock never had to look through the viewfinder because he had already designed the entire shot prior to filming. And that incredible attention to detail shows.

Star Trek Into Darkness • director JJ Abrams They say that...

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:35 -0400

Star Trek Into Darkness • director JJ Abrams

They say that lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice. In the case of JJ Abrams and Star Trek movies, I’d like to respectfully disagree.

I won’t say much here to avoid spoilers, but this is a Star Trek film that is steeped in lore, and yet a bad-ass, relatable film for anyone that hopped on the Star Trek bandwagon with the 2009 edition.

I must again praise not only Mr. Abrams talent at re-imagining things and distilling them to their essence, but his absolute talent at casting. The actors in this film, new and old, are perfect for their roles.

While I would like to protest the single shot of Alice Eve in her underwear for no apparent reason other than getting Alice Eve in her underwear, I can say that this is a film that uses it’s characters, all races and genders as actual, rounded characters that have an opportunity to advance the story. No one is a throw away here.

And once again, Karl Urban is a revelation as Bones. Doctor McCoy will always be my favorite character.

Iron Man 3 • director Shane Black What makes Iron Man - the suit...

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:26 -0400

Iron Man 3 • director Shane Black

What makes Iron Man - the suit or the man? I am so glad that an Iron Man movie has delved into this question, and answered it in a wonderful, character building way.

This is a fantastic, fun, smart and witty Iron Man film - one of the best Marvel films so far.

My hat goes off to Shane Black. I am so glad he was able to don his director’s hat again.

Star Trek • director JJ Abrams

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:30:33 -0400

Spock: We must gather with the rest of Starfleet... to balance the terms of the next engagement!
Kirk: There won't BE a next engagement! By the time we've "gathered," it'll be too late! But you say he's from the future - knows what's gonna happen? - then the logical thing is to be unpredictable!
Spock: You're assuming that Nero knows how events are predicted to unfold. The contrary, Nero's very presence has altered the flow of history, beginning with the attack on the U.S.S. Kelvin, culminating in the events of today, thereby creating an entire new chain of incidents that cannot be anticipated by either party.
Uhura: An alternate reality.
Spock: Precisely. Whatever our lives might have been, if the time continuum was disrupted, our destinies have changed.

Thor • director Kenneth Branagh

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:30:21 -0400

Thor • director Kenneth Branagh

"To be an anarchist in Salt Lake City was certainly no easy task, especially in 1985. And having no..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 13:30:25 -0400

“To be an anarchist in Salt Lake City was certainly no easy task, especially in 1985. And having no money, no job, no plans for the future, the true anarchist position was in itself a strenuous job.
~ Stevo”

- SLC Punk • director James Merendino

Jurassic Park • directed by Steven Spielberg I had to go see...

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:30:31 -0400

Jurassic Park • directed by Steven Spielberg

I had to go see Jurassic Park 3D in Imax. Jurassic Park is one of the first films that I truly remember seeing in the theater, vividly. So when I had the opportunity to see it again on the big screen, the biggest screen, I had to go.

It was truly like being a kid all over again. Seriously, I adore this film. Spielberg will always be one of my favorite directors.

Pitch Perfect • director Jason Moore

Mon, 06 May 2013 13:30:36 -0400

Bumper : I have a feeling we should kiss. Is that a good feeling or an incorrect feeling?
Fat Amy: Well... sometimes I have the feeling I can do crystal meth, but then I think, mmm... better not.

Insomnia • director Christopher Nolan

Sun, 05 May 2013 13:30:35 -0400

Insomnia • director Christopher Nolan

The Thief and the Cobbler • director Richard Williams Let me...

Sat, 04 May 2013 13:30:34 -0400

The Thief and the Cobbler • director Richard Williams

Let me just say that this is not a movie that you watch for the story, it’s basically Aladdin. However, the reason you watch this movie are the visuals. The visual style of this film is absolutely incredible, it’s truly unlike any film I’ve ever seen.

Premium Rush • director David Koepp I had a great time watching...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:30:36 -0400

Premium Rush • director David Koepp

I had a great time watching this film in the theater. But it’s so rare that there’s a really good popcorn movie that I wasn’t sure it would hold up if I saw it again. So I rented Premium Rush to see if I could still enjoy it.

I loved it again.

This movie is just fun to watch, and it actually works. I breathed a sigh of relief, and eventually, this movie will be purchased.

"You know, we always called each other good fellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, :You’re..."

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 13:30:17 -0400

“You know, we always called each other good fellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, :You’re gonna like this guy. He’s all right. He’s a good fella. He’s one of us.: You understand? We were good fellas. Wiseguys. But Jimmy and I could never be made because we had Irish blood. It didn’t even matter that my mother was Sicilian. To become a member of a crew you’ve got to be one hundred per cent Italian so they can trace all your relatives back to the old country. See, it’s the highest honor they can give you. It means you belong to a family and crew. It means that nobody can fuck around with you. It also means you could fuck around with anybody just as long as they aren’t also a member. It’s like a license to steal. It’s a license to do anything. As far as Jimmy was concerned with Tommy being made, it was like we were all being made. We would now have one of our own as a member.”

- Henry Hill ~ Goodfellas • director Martin Scorsese

Looper • director Rian Johnson Favorite Line: “I’m...

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 13:30:23 -0400

Looper • director Rian Johnson

Favorite Line: “I’m from the future. You should go to China.”

The Brother’s Bloom • director Rian Johnson Favorite line:...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:30:41 -0400

The Brother’s Bloom • director Rian Johnson

Favorite line: “You don’t understand what my brother does. He writes his cons the way dead Russians write novels, with thematic arcs and embedded symbolism and shit.”

Brick • director Rian Johnson I realized I have a favorite line...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:30:15 -0400

Brick • director Rian Johnson

I realized I have a favorite line or dialogue exchange from every single one of Mr. Johnson’s films. So here’s the first one.

Brad: Yeah?
Brendan: Yeah.
Brad: Oh, yeah?
Brendan: There’s a thesaurus in the library. Yeah is under “Y”. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

TiMER • director Jac Schaeffer If there was a way to know the...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:30:31 -0400

TiMER • director Jac Schaeffer

If there was a way to know the exact day you would meet your true love - would you do it? In this film society has embraced the timers - a device/dating service that simply requires a small fee and they implant an electronic timer into your wrist - if the love of your life has signed up for the service as well and has their own timer then it begins to count down to the midnight before your first meeting. Once you know when it’s going to happen it’s up to you to sit back, plan for the future and wait for your inevitable soul mate to walk into your life so you can take it from there without doubting the future of your relationship. The only problem is not everyone’s timer gives good news.

Oona and her step-sister Steph are to people who have timers, but aren’t entirely happy with what their timers have told them. For Steph, there’s still another 14+ years until she’ll meet her soul mate - she’ll be half way through her 40’s. And for Oona…well despite having her timer since she was 14 it’s still blank, which means her Mr. Right doesn’t have a timer so she has to keep kissing frogs who haven’t signed up to get their own timers. Together the sisters keep watching everyone around them, including their teenage brother, meet their mate while they wait in the not knowing and wondering if the timers are truly worth the emotional price they pay.

If you can get past the initial concept of the timers, this is a film worth watching. It examines something truly at the heart of our relationships - yes, we all want the One to come into our lives, but by forgoing the other relationships we’ve all experienced - the ones that end - do we give something up? Do the detours we take on the way to finding the right one matter? This film would argue that they do.

Spartacus • director Stanley Kubrick

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:30:27 -0400

Julius Caesar: I thought you had reservations about the gods.
Gracchus: Privately I believe in none of them - neither do you/ Publicly, I believe in them all.

Hairspray • director Adam Shankman If this movie cannot put a...

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:30:32 -0400

Hairspray • director Adam Shankman

If this movie cannot put a smile on your face…there may be something wrong.

Point B: Laying It Out

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:30:15 -0500

Point B: Laying It Out:

point-b:

I normally don’t do text posts on this blog, as it’s mainly a visual board of sorts for me to collect inspiration for the film I’ve been writing, and planning on directing. However, it feels like the time has come for me to put something out there - to you, those that read this blog, and the…

Sorry to post this here, but if you’re interested in my take on movies, you might be interested in the movie I’m trying to get made.

Django Unchained • director Quentin Tarantino Quentin Tarantino...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:40:00 -0500

Django Unchained • director Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino has a way of taking subject matter, pushing it to its absurd boundaries, and making it delightful. Django Unchained is his latest masterpiece in that department.

In my book, Tarantino seemed to turn a corner in his film career starting with Death Proof. He did what he does, and took something considered camp, or exploitation and made it fresh - and for the first time, linear. While I always enjoyed Tarantino’s non-linear films, seeing his style work a story straight through start to finish, was wonderful and in Death Proof - oddly uplifting.

With Death Proof, Inglorious Basterds, and now Django Unchained,Tarantino seems to have released himself into the pure joy of what he loves to do and it shows in his films. Tarantino’s films have always been enjoyable, but now, he seems to be taking his subject matter to new heights - fairytale proportions. Brother’s Grimm style, but still fairytale.

If Inglorious Basterds was a WWII fairytale, then Django Unchained is a western one of a slave getting his revenge over the white masters of the south - all in the name of love. Heck, Tarantino even references a German fairytale directly in the film.

Sure, this fairytale is violent, and somewhat unsettling - but in the original telling of The Little Mermaid, Ariel doesn’t get her prince - she’s told to kill him and instead flings herself to her death in the sea. Tarantino’s love story may be violent, but at least the boy gets the girl. What else could you want?