Movies on DVD: Death of a President

One wonders how a film about the assassination of President George Bush could be unbias in any way, yet Death of a President manages to accomplish this feat. At first I was also dubious that this subject matter could fill ninety minutes, thankfully, I was somewhat wrong in this regard. Death has a wide array of characters presenting the story of the assassination, obviously nobody who is real presents any sort of interview segment; Bush and the rest of the fearless leaders of the free world appear in archive format, with reused speeches and news footage amounting to Bush’s role in the movie. Highlights of the interview portions include Becky Ann Baker as Bush’s speech writer, namely because she’s one of the few likable characters; almost everyone else is presented in negative light one way or another. This is the reason I saw it manages to be unbias in it’s presentation: it’s like the bad side of everything and everyone. The protestors are violent and out-of-control; the Secret Service agents are paranoid, classist, and racist; and of course the American public is blissfully ignorant. And unfortunately, it is hard to listen to some of these highly unlikable characters after a while, especially when everything they’re saying has already been repeated ad nauseum; this is the film’s major weak point, it would be much better off with fifteen to thirty minutes cut out. At the end of the day though, this film points out a few things that you may not have thought of before, and at the very least, ought to make us wary with the bleak picture it paints, because I do truly believe that if someone did assassinate Bush, the backlash would be exactly what happens in this movie, if not worse.

My IMDB Rating: 6 Stars

Movies on DVD: The Last King of Scotland

The Last King of Scotland, or Ghost Dog as Dictator of Uganda as I like to think of it, is a film that attempts to take a gritty look at the Warlord Amin’s (Forest Whitaker, in his Oscar-winning role) dictatorship of the African country in a fictionalized account through the eyes of his doctor, Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy). Garrigan comes from a wealthy Scottish family, and after receiving his degree, and longing to get away from his overbearing father, he sets out to the first (well, second) country that he randomly picks off the globe, little does he know what he’s getting himself into. The hardest thing about watching this movie is that you know what is inevitably coming, you know that the fictional play-world that Amin crafts for Garrigan cannot last long and is bound to come crashing down. Garrigan’s somewhat willful ignorance to everything else Amin does is probably the most interesting point of this movie, as it shows what those of privilege will do to maintain their status, knowingly or otherwise. My main point of nitpick about the way the plot unfolds though, is that the conflict is always the same, it is rather obvious that Amin commits atrocities while serving up plates of lies about improving the country to Garrigan, wash, rinse, repeat and you have almost every scene after the first thirty minutes until the last twenty. Thusly, it is the ending that picks this movie back up, and works up some real emotional concern for the well being of our protagonist. While the acting may be the supposed thing to watch in this film, I found the cinematography to be well done, albeit similarly captured to Hotel Rwanda, a lot of handheld, shaky camera shots during the scenes of action, as well as epic angles capturing the charisma and charm that Amin could sometimes possess. In the end, this film is interesting, if not entertaining, and certainly worth watching at least once.

My IMDB Rating: 8 Stars

Movies on DVD: Reservoir Dogs

The first written/directed by Quentin Tarantino venture, and probably the second best, stands out as far as crime movies go, mainly for a few highly notable scenes (the walk out of the diner, the ear, the mexican standoff). Overall though, this is one of those dialogue heavy Tarantino films (see: Jackie Brown, Grindhouse), and thus probably not for everybody; however, I find the dialogue in this to be far superior to the other two films. Performances are top notch here as well, Tim Roth and Harvey Keitel have a palpable on-screen chemestry as Mr. Orange and Mr. White respectively. For the most part, all the actors perform well, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi and even Chris Penn all have good turns in their roles. The structure and setting of the story belie Tarantino’s original intentions for this film, as he was going to make it on a $30,000 budget with his friends, when he managed to actually acquire other backing and thus a much larger budget, and so he didn’t have to put up his paycheck from selling True Romance. So, armed with a much larger budget and better actors than he ever good have anticipated, it’s no wonder Tarantino puts forth such a magnificent effort and provides such a quality film. Perhaps my slight bias towards Reservoir Dogs comes from having seen Pulp Fiction (easily a superior movie) first, and thus I can’t help judging by comparison.

My IMDB Rating: 8 Stars

Movies on DVD: Little Miss Sunshine

One of the ultimate indie films, picked up by Fox Searchlight at the Sundance Film Festival, Little Miss Sunshine is both heartwarming and hilarious. This is the type of movie that allows the audience to watch each and every character grow and change over the course of the movie, and it handles its charge of balancing multi-character drama rather well. The story focuses on the beauty taspirations of young Olive (Abigail Breslin), who strangely does not seem to possess the figure of a normal beauty-pageant-goer. The rest of her life is very much driven by the activities and attitudes of her exceedingly dysfunctional family; highlights include Steve Carell as Frank, Olive’s scholarly uncle with a recent suicide attempt under his belt, and Alan Arkin as the heroin-snorting, foul-mouthed Grandpa. The overarching plot of reaching the beauty pageant is very secondary to the interactions between the various characters, and how they mold, bond and otherwise react to each other. It is very well written in this regard, setting up numerous payoffs from the very beginning, thus keeping the story interesting, even when it may seem like nothing material has been accomplished. As great and idealistic as the message of this movie is, and as awesome as the dramatic acting is, humor is still probably the main reason to view this film. There are way too many classic lines to pass this one up (namely from the Grandpa). Finally, one might think that spending 50% of the movie in a van could get a little boring, not so, the cinematography is dynamic and the shots well composed, thus holding the viewer’s attention until the end.

-My IMDB Rating: 9 Stars

Movies on DVD: Goodfellas

Oh, what’s this? An ethnic mob movie adaptation directed by Martin Scorsese? Looks like the The Departed train was the late train. Yet, this is also a classic mobster moving that can do nothing but make you want to be a gangster. Ray Liotta, in his own nasaly-voiced way, performs marvelously as the protagonist Henry Hill. Henry’s just a boy who happens to grow up working for mobsters, becomes one himself along the way, and thus finds himself stealing alongside the likes of insane Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci in my second favorite of his roles in Scorsese movies) and the merciless but gentlemenly Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro). All the principles as well as the supporting actors manage to have amazing on-screen chemistry, it truly feels like a brotherhood of criminals; that aside, it seems like every Italian-American actor in Hollywood managed to himself in this movie, and one wonders if things like The Sopranos would even exist without Goodfellas paving the way.

This is also one of the most heavily referenced movies in other media (Swingers, Family Guy, and the Simpsons come to mind), and it’s easy to see why. So many classic scenes, such as the entrace to the club through the back, with Henry paying off everyone along the way or Scorsese’s own mother playing Tommy’s, are a definite part of film history. Scorsese and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus set up some fantastic shots and include plenty of extremely long, well-choreographed takes, which is one of my personal favorite things to see in film. Thelma Schoonmaker does a superb job with the editing, the opening scene feels absolutely perfect, a great in medias res drop-in. I love all of Scorsese’s movies, but this one definitely ranks in the top three, and certainly what he should have won an oscar for instead of having to wait sixteen years.

-My IMDB Rating: 9 Stars

EXTRA: Play the ‘Spot Tobin Bell (Jigsaw) Game.’ Can you find Tobin in his small role in Goodfellas?
ANSWER: He’s the parole officer when Henry, Tommy, and Jimmy are planning their coke operations.

Movies on DVD: White

White, or Trzy kolory: Bialy, is the second film in Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colors Trilogy, and in my opinion, the best of them. Zbigniew Zamachowski stars as Karol, a somewhat introverted Pole who is married to, but unable to make love to, his beautiful wife Dominique (Julie Delpy). She subsequently divorces him and kicks him out of their house, and thus being a homeless Polish man in France, Karol decides to return to his native country. This too presents more problems for Karol, as he is without money or a passport, but a chance encounter with Polish bridge player Mikolaj (Janusz Gajos) leaves Karol with a means and a plan. Overall, the story of White is a tad farfetched to be realistic, but if you willingly suspend your disbelief, it is an amazing story nonetheless. Zamachowski acts wonderfully and captures all the moods, the highs and lows, of Karol in such a true-to-life fashion, it is easy to believe him. Just so, Julie Delpy is absolutely amazing as the icy goddess that is Karol’s wife, she remains beautiful but unattainable, hovering just out of Karol’s reach. Additionally, Kieslowski conducts his cinematography in a very personal fashion for his main characters, as they occupy the screen the majority of the time, even when minor characters are talking; he wants you to watch their respective reactions to what is being said and done around them, as well as watching what transpires between the characters themselves. His tight camera shots make for a very intimate movie, this is the exact opposite of a historical epic; the only sweeping wide shots you’ll see are of a somewhat desolate Poland, but that’s probably one of the reaons for the title. Though mostly thematically linked to the other two films in the trilogy, one can still see how this fits in amongst Blue and Red, and together they are an epic film making achievement.

-My IMDB Rating: 9 Stars

Movies on DVD: Network

At first glance, Network may seem to be something of a wild satire, yet, as both director Sidney Lumet and writer Paddy Chayefsky have said, this film is certainly more realistic than some may want to admit. That being said, this is still one of the most ridiculously hilarious movies I have ever seen, and not only that, it is also features amazing dramatic acting from the majority of its cast (and a number of best acting Oscars won too, and back in 1976 when it may have meant something). Featured, is Peter Finch as Howard Beale, a news anchor, who, when faced with his being fired, starts ranting and raving against anything and everything on the air. Executives Frank Hacket (Robert Duvall) and Diana Chirstensen (Faye Dunaway) are at first wary of such madness, but quickly realize that Beale, with his foul-mouthed championing of the everyman, is getting their poorly rated network a slue of good ratings, thus they seek to exploit him. To me, at least, the main humor of this movie comes from some of the best lines ever written for the screen, I hesitate to even quote them lest I spoil the moment when they crop up in the movie. There are also a number of not-so-apparant gags that the casual observer may miss, as certainly all the humor stems from the fact that this is ultimately a movie that takes itself seriously. Also to note is Lumet’s somewhat unique lighting scheme, he claims that the movie starts out dark, and each scene is a small bit brighter than the one before; and a final note: the only music is from televisions in the movie, one of the many television references throughout. But, be wary, this is primarily a movie for film and television buffs, or people that were actually alive in the 70’s. If you can stand a bunch of old school humor mixed in with highly dramatic moments and great performances, I highly recommend watching this.

-My IMDB Rating: 9 Stars

Movies on DVD: House of Flying Daggers

Shi mian mai fu (or The House of Flying Daggers) is director Yimou Zhang’s followup to Hero, supposedly conceived as almost a ‘companion film;’ it certainly seems like this is the case, given the starkly similar movies. In House, Jin (Takesha Kaneshiro), a policeman, is sent by Leo (Andy Lau), his superior, to a brothel in order to investigate the new girl Mei (Ziyi Zhang), who happens to be blind and who just might be the leader of an underground rebel movement. Of course, this is just the exposition to much broader and slightly more interesting plotlines, but they are ultimately not terribly intriguing. The main reason to watch this is the beautiful cinematography and the CGI-assisted fight scenes, and this is where it truly follows Hero. The coloring of the various wardrobe pieces for each character are distinctly contrasted to dissimilar characters, and made to stand out against the various environments as well. Finally, this is definitely a movie that saves the best for last, as the final fight scene is nothing short of amazing, though apparantly the weather was a fluke. In the end, House of Flying Daggers is worth taking a gander at for its amazing visuals.

-My IMDB Rating: 6 Stars

Movies on DVD: Sin City

Ah Sin City, my favored of the two Frank Miller adaptations, probably mostly due to Miller’s directorial touches in this movie. Each of the three main stories featured here have their own unique merits, yet enough overlapping themes and characters crossovers that it feels like a cohesive movie; Miller certainly crafted his world with great care and detail, and this is certainly shown in this adaptation. The diverse cast portrays an astoundingly large motley crew of misfits, criminals, killers and prostitutes; and while some acting is weak, each actor still seems uniquely suited to their respective roles. Marv’s story, The Hard Goodbye, is the most compelling to me, perhaps because it’s the first Sin City story, but more likely because I enjoy the story of a man with no purpose finding a goal to his mixed up life. Marv’s blood-soaked trail of revenge is a thoroughly entertaining ride: his enemies are numerous and powerful, and he is the determined underdog; somewhat similar to Dwight in the The Big Fat Kill. Clive Owen dons his calmest of demeanors to breathe life into the character of hitman Dwight McCarthy, and he executes flawlessly, becoming potentially the highlight of the whole movie. Dwight’s tale of helping the well-armed damsels-in-distress of Oldtown is a decidedly gritty take on some classic themes, something of which Miller is certainly aware of, given Gail calls Dwight “Lancelot.” That Yellow Bastard is definitely the most disturbing of these three stories, both plotwise and in terms of what happens on screen. Yet, it shares much with the other two stores, given the noble male sacrificing himself for his love and the nature of the villains.

I am personally not a huge fan of movies being filmed entirely in front of green screens, as certain actors do not do this well, yet, Sin City has always pleasently surprised me with how quality of a product it is. The almost shot for shot reconstruction of Miller’s comic book panels also works well for the film, director Robert Rodriguez’s camera motions and zooms add a visual flair furthering enhancing the cinematic qualities of Miller’s already great compositions. There is such a connectivity between the positions of screenwriter, director and editor that it doesn’t surprise that Rodriguez edited this himself; armed once-again with Miller’s drawings, he truly makes a living graphic novel on the screen.

-My IMDB Rating: 7 Stars

NOTE: For a potentially better viewing, indulge in the Extended edition DVD. Although not much extra is added (about 4 minutes or so), it also offers the option to view each story seperately, and not cut together like the theatrical version.

Movies on DVD: Rushmore

Rushmore, to me, is the quintessential Wes Anderson film. Although it is certaintly arguable that all Wes Anderson films are quintessentially ‘Wes Anderson,’ this is the one that has it all: the quirky lingering shots, the odd dialogue, the odd obsession with the sea, the seperated husband staying in a hotel indefinitely and of course a close look at the inner children inside all of us. The story of Max Fischer can be related all across the board, and whether you’re a slacker, busybody or just a pathological liar you probably have something in common with Max. The odd thing is, for Max, is that he manages to meet someone in Herman Blume who is very much like himself, but if there’s one thing Max knows about himself, it’s that he only looks out for himself. Thus, while Max and Herman get along for a while, they are ultimately doomed to fail should they continue upon their respective selfish courses. It takes the angelic Rosemary Cross and her affect upon both of the childish gentlemen for them to truly embrace the world and their relationships with others, which is what Wes Anderson movies are usually ultimately about.

Rushmore is a very fun film to watch, Anderson and cinematographer Robert Yeoman craft wonderful shots, displaying vivid color schemes across a wide palette of constantly entertaining environments. The sequences in which Max produces his plays are particularly enjoyable to watch, and the amazingly high production values of his performances as well as the references to other movies are quite humorous. The editing is brisk, the comedic timing perfect in many scenes, and although the film perhaps suffers from one too many montages, I wouldn’t necessarily want it to be any longer. The soundtrack performs exactly as soundtracks should, and stands out as totally complementary. The actors all marvelously characterize their role, standouts include Olivia Williams as Rosemary cross and Brian Cox as Dr. Nelson Guggenheim; Bill Murray essentially plays Steve Zissou minus the ocean and Jason Schwartzmann holds his own, especially given that this is his first major production. Overall, whether you hold my views on this movie or not, Rushmore is worth watching simply as a beautiful expression of the human experience.

-My IMDB Rating: 9 Stars!