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Posts Tagged ‘Movies’

Delicatessen

March 10th, 2010

Delicatessen.  A dark comedy released in 1991, tells the story of  a post-apocalyptic world where meat has become so scare that it’s used as currency.  Residents inhabiting the world of Delicatessen live in an apartment complex situated above a deli which is run by a butcher who lures in his victims with the promise of a job as the building’s handyman.  Unfortunately, none hired have lived long enough to see a paycheck.  They instead end up as meat for sale in the delicatessen.

This film pulls off such a macabre premise with style and flair that doesn’t rely on shocking violence, but instead thrives on brilliant characters and some of the most amazing set designs you’ll ever see on film.  Nothing short of a Terri Gilliam film could even come close to touching the style that this movie managed to capture.  Easy enough for the entire family to watch, but filled to the brim with enough bizarre situations and filming techniques to keep this flick firmly entrenched in cult status, this is one movie you can’t afford to miss.  

Luckily this film was re-released on DVD in 2008, and can easily be picked up from Amazon.  Be sure to check out Jean Jeunet and Marc Caro’s other film The City Of Lost Children, which stars a pre-Hellboy Ron Perlman.  TCoLC is about a scientist who steals the dreams of children in a bid for eternal life.  This movie is much like Delicatessen, but to the 10th power.  Best to ease into this one with a viewing of Delicatessen first…

dom

Dominique Pinon (whom you might remember from the movie Alien Resurrection) plays an unemployed clown who's duped into becoming the latest in a long line of unfortunate handymen.

The Snail

The Frog Man, who lives in an apartment inhabited with frogs and sails.

The fragile Aurore Interligator who believes that spirits in her apartment are urging her to kill herself in ever more complex ways.

The underground rebellion who

The underground rebellion who live, literally, underground.

The man butcher

The mad butcher anxiously awaits the arrival of the newest handyman.

 

Movies

Avatar

March 8th, 2010

Karin and I saw Avatar on an IMAX screen in 3D this weekend, and I have to say I was more than a bit impressed by the whole thing.  The last time I saw a 3D movie was in the 80’s, sitting in front of a television, wearing a pair of the retro red lens / blue lens cardboard glasses.  Ah, but technology has changed a bit since those days.  When we purchased our tickets at the theater yesterday we were handed two sealed plastic bags, each containing a pair of sturdy plastic Buddy Holly-esque tinted glasses (and yes, when we left the theater I kept mine 8) ).  No more paper cuts behind the ears.  Nice.

Let me tell you, when people say that “3D is the future of Hollywood”, they aren’t kidding.  Gone are the days of cheesy “poke a stick at the audience” effects.  James Cameron has shown the world how to make a 3-D movie that works.  It doesn’t pander to the audience with traditional gimmicky 3-D shots.  Rather, it seamlessly incorporates three dimensions into the story.  It does the job so well that you soon begin to forget that it’s a 3D film, and instead accept it as an natural, essential part of the story.  Your brain quickly conditions itself to embrace this film like none other before.  

It’s hard to explain, but when you’re thrown into the world of Pandora you actually feel that you’re witnessing something firsthand…that you’re a part of something.  It’s almost as if the 4th wall has been broken, and you, the audience, are in the briefing room with the Colonel Quaritch as he sternly tells you that you’re about to go on the offensive against the Na’vi, circling the great floating islands on the back of a Banshee, and jumping off a cliff as you attempt to run away from a sharp-fanged Thanator.  

I can understand why some people are watching this movie multiple times.  I hope that when this flick is released on blu-ray that it a 3D version is available.

Oh, and if you haven’t seen this movie yet, please do so before it leaves the theaters.  Watching this film on anything less than on an IMAX screen in 3D would be criminal.

Movies

1408

March 3rd, 2010

I’m a fan of the movie 1408.  If you asked me what I think of Stephen King films, I’d have to say my favorite film adaptations of his are The Mist, The Stand, and 1408.

This was only the second time I’ve seen this film, but both Karin and I noticed a few odd, interesting things that had us pausing the film in several spots.

As a disbelieving Mike Enslin investigates room 1408, he scans a quick passage in a bible (Samuel 2:11) then tosses the bible back on the nightstand.  For a few quick frames this was visible:

This is one of the early signs that this is indeed an “evil fucking room”.

Room 1408 seems to be running just a bit too hot for Mike’s taste.  Sweating, he saunters over to the thermostat to give it a quick tap:

Wow, this thermostat goes up to 115° (and quite possibly even high.  It doesn’t appear to be pegged out).

Later in the story, 1408 begins to cool down well below the point of freezing:

Again, it appears that this room is capable of temperatures well below 15°.  Also note the letters “SJK” on the thermostat.  I thought this might be a nod to Stephen J. King, but alas Mr. King’s middle name is Edwin, so out goes that theory.

Oh, and my take on this movie is that Mike died while surfing.  As he unwittingly eased into the afterlife he received the postcard from Gerald Olin urging him to avoid 1408, which was obviously bait that Gerald knew would draw Mike to the Dolphin hotel and, ultimately, to forever suffer in a personal hell of his own construction; to repeatedly relive a lifelong collection of failures, traumas, and regrets.

Very cool movie.

Of course this is just my take on this film.  Would you have a different interpretation?

Movies

I Feel So…Used

February 23rd, 2010

I knew that the movers and shakers in Hollywood were masters of the green screen, but I never knew how rampant and nefarious their use of this technique truly is:

After watching this, I’m finding it ever more difficult to not hate Hollywood for pulling the wool over my eyes for so long. Damn those dreamers of the dream…

Movies

The Best Of 2009 (And Beyond)

January 4th, 2010

Looking back on a year filled with enough fear, uncertainty and doubt to last me multiple lifetimes, I’m amazed at what took place on the periphery when I wasn’t paying attention. Putting the housing crisis, political tensions, and financial hardships aside, 2009 (and the decade) shaped up to be a rather interesting time.

And with that mindset, let me introduce to you a collection of links highlighting the good, bad, and downright ugly of 2009 and beyond. If there are any that I missed, please let me know.

Top 10 Archaeology Finds of 2009
9 Astronomy Milestones Of 2009
Top Ten Space Pictures of 2009
Life’s 2009 Photos Of The Year
LA Times Best Photos Of 2009
Reuters Best Photos Of 2009
100 Best Sports Photos Of 2009
The Top Ten Google Earth Finds
The Decade In News Photographs
Top Scientific Breakthroughs Of 2009
Ten Gadgets That Defined The Decade
40 Things That Were Popular At The Beginning Of The Decade That Aren’t Anymore
50 Things We Know Now That We Didn’t Know This Time Last Year
Wired.com Readers’ Favorite iPhone Apps Of 2009
Sports Illustrated Notable Pop Culture Moments Of The Decade
Sports Illustrated Top Ten MLB Games Of The Decade
Top Ten Tech Failures Of 2009
Great And Disappointing Operating Systems Of The Decade
The 87 Lamest Moments In Tech 2000-2009
The Best Free Software Of 2009
The Best Free Fonts Of 2009
The Best Of CSS Design 2009
50 Best Websites Of 2009
Fortune Magazine’s 100 Best Companies To Work For
Joystiq’s Top 20 Video Games Of 2009
Board Game Gift Guide Of 2009
NME’s 50 Best Albums Of 2009
Billboard’s One-Hit Wonders Of The Decade
50 Best Albums Of The Decade
Top 10 Vinyl Albums From The Past Decade
The Strokes’ ‘Is This It’ Top NME Albums Of The Decade List
Wired’s Favorite Sci-Fi Movies Of The Decade
New York Time’s 10 Best Books Of 2009
Amazon’s Best Books Of 2009
The Smoking Gun’s Mug Shots Of The Decade
11 Greatest Mug Shots Of The 2000s
‘You lie!’ On Yale List Of Year’s Memorable Quotes
Time’s The Top Ten Of Everything 2009
YouTube’s Viral Video Legends Of The Decade Compilation

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