Movie Loner

The AFI Dallas International Film Festival wrapped up today. The fest had an excellent slate of films, including Snow Angels, writer/director David Gordon Green’s latest effort. One film peaked my interest in particular, Life Before Her Eyes from director Vadim Perelman, who directed one my favorite films of 2003, House of Sand and Fog. Perelman is making a name for himself: he’s been tabbed to direct the adaptation of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing Life Before Her Eyes. There is a fine review over at Cinematical.

Here’s the link

No Comments »

Well, if you’re an avid moviegoer like myself maybe you have seen them. Either way each of these films is worth checking out.

10) Stalker (1979) - Director Andrei Tarkovsky’s metaphysical journey to a place called “The Zone,” where dreams allegedly come true. Overlong and a chore to process this is pure science fiction which is a rarity in movies today.

9) Fulltime Killer (2001) - Competing hitmen duel over the title of #1 Assassin and the affections of the same woman in this brazen bullet-filled action movie. This is the kind of film John Woo used to make before Hollywood ruined him.

Irreversible (2002) - Gasper Noe’s brutal meditation on violence and revenge told in reverse-order. Not for everyone, but a brilliant expose on man’s futile battle against time.

7) Amateur (1994) - Maestro of deadpan Hal Hartley’s biting comedy about a porno-writing nun, an amnesiac porn kingpin, and a runaway porn star. Think this movie is about pornography? You’d be correct.

6) Session 9 (2001) - Eerie creepfest about a HAZMAT crew hired to clean-out an abandoned mental hospital. Sanity erodes faster than cheap paint inside the walls of this domed manor.

5) Three Businessmen (1998) - Alex Cox of Repo Man fame directs and stars in this eclectic dialogue heavy tale of two salesman in search of a good meal in Liverpool. Odd but good.

4) Beau Travail (1999) - French auteur Claire Denis’ surreal vision retells Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, focusing on power and the jealousy of youth. Beautifully photographed by Agnes Godard.

3) The Dancer Upstairs (2002) - Oscar winner Javier Bardem plays a pensive detective tracking a suspected terrorist organization in Latin America. A thought-provoking feature length directorial debut by John Malkovich.

2) Killer of Sheep (1977) - Writer/Director Charles Burnett’s neorealist exploration of a working-class family in Watts, Los Angeles. Poetically depicts the monotony of home-life versus the compelling lure of the street.

1) Oldboy (2003) - A masterfully told story about a man held captive in a room for 15 years without explanation. Upon his release the man sets off to find his mysterious captor but instead uncovers a shocking secret that reveals a fate worse than imprisonment.

Agree or disagree with my selections? Eventually, I’ll get around to reviewing all these movies.

No Comments »

It’s time to wrap up sci-fi week with what I believe to be the best science fiction movie of the decade. Those familiar with the short-lived FOX series Firefly have heard of Serenity, the feature-length follow-up/conclusion. Creator Joss Whedon made Buffy the Vampire Slayer a smash success from 1997-2003, but a prolonged battle with FOX executives afforded him only 14 episodes of Firefly. Thankfully, he was able to secure funding for Serenity, a rip roaring space adventure that never fails to entertain.

Mal Reynolds, stalwart Captain of the ship Serenity, and his crew of space pirates have been hiding Dr. Simon Tam and his sister River, an unstable psychic whom Simon rescued from an Alliance medical facility. The Alliance, a ruthless galactic government, fears what River knows so they dispatch a cold-blooded assassin called an Operative to find her. Concerned for River’s safety, Simon chooses to remove her from the criminal lifestyle aboard Serenity. Before the Tams can leave, River unleashes an deranged attack on the patrons of a bar, leaving her near catatonic and muttering the word “Miranda.”

An angered Mal locks up River and interrogates the good doctor. Simon confesses that River was trained to be a weapon and what’s inside her head threatens the Alliance. Rather than give River up, Mal decides to stay on the run. The mystery behind Miranda sends the crew to the remote reaches of space in search of a forgotten planet. Standing in their way are Reavers, cannibalistic marauders who terrorize the galaxy. A stunning revelation pits Serenity versus the enormous Alliance army and the maniacal Reavers in an action packed climax.

This film just plain kicks ass. A layered story, smart, witty characters, knockout action sequences, and a menacing villain make Serenity a memorable movie experience. Nathan Fillion is sensational as Mal, the gruff but charming Captain who will risk everything to do what’s right. Opposite the heroic Mal is the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an astute, malevolent loyalist who kills without compunction. A note to Joss Whedon: make a sequel. Well, that wraps up sci-fi week at Movie Loner. It’s been fun. Until next time…

A scene from Serenity:

No Comments »

Welcome to day 4 of sci-fi week at Movie Loner. Hardcore fans of the genre know all about this movie. When I caught Pi a couple weeks back I had forgotten just how compelling it is. Writer/Director Darren Aronofsky set the film world ablaze in 1998 with his debut film, an intense roller coaster ride inside the troubled mind of a mathematical genius. Dazzling black and white cinematography and an appropriately unnerving electronic score are just two of the sensational attributes in Pi.

Max Cohen is a brilliant recluse who suffers from extreme migraines. A steady diet of pills helps ease the pain but Max’s obsession with numbers plagues him more than headaches. Numbers rule Max’s life, and the world, according to his philosophy. His latest compulsion is plugging digits into his homemade super-computer in an attempt to break the code to Wall Street. Track the numbers long enough and a pattern will materialize. Max’s nonstop analysis produces a theory; a theory that will lead him down a path toward madness.

Max’s numeric doctrine draws interest from Wall Street heavy hitters and a silver-tongued Hasidic Jew devoted to the Torah. The introverted Max can’t handle the sudden attention. His headaches worsen. Paranoid delusions consume him daily. A constant buzzing fills his head. Is his theory plausible or is it perhaps a message sent by God? These unanswered questions and many more affix Max on the precipice of insanity. Will he survive this dangerous numbers game?

Pi grabs hold early and never lets go. At just 27, Aronofsky created a cult masterpiece that astounds from start to end. It’s a startling expose on the thin line between genius and madness. Max dwells on an alternate plain of existence overwhelmed by digits and code. His brain never stops, never tires. It will not rest, not until it successfully unravels the mysteries of the universe. You don’t have to be a sci-fi nut to appreciate the clever simplicity of Pi. Check back here tomorrow for the final installment of sci-fi week.

The trailer for Pi:

No Comments »

Day 3 of sci-fi week brings us an offering from one of my favorite directors, Michael Winterbottom. Varied and unafraid to experiment with genre and narrative, Winterbottom has delved into the past (Jude, The Claim, 24 Hour Party People), the present (In This World, A Mighty Heart), and finally the future with Code 46, a forgotten little opus that transports us to a future where love is defined through genetics and those without legal ID are exiled to a desert wasteland.

Tim Robbins plays William Weld, an ‘Intuitive’ who investigates fraudulent identifications called “papeles.” William travels to Shanghai to probe a company where fake papeles are being circulated. His prime suspect is Maria Gonzalez (Samantha Morton), a free-spirited young woman whose cryptic dreams reveal her fate. William ignores Maria’s obvious guilt but can’t ignore his attraction to her. Together they hit the town for dinner and drinks, leading them back to Maria’s apartment. A night of passion ends with William flying home to Seattle, unaware that his brief affair has violated society’s most stringent law: Code 46.

His time home is cut short after hearing of a mysterious death in Asia. William returns to Shanghai only to find Maria has gone missing. He soon locates her at a hospital on the city outskirts; Maria believes she is there for a minor procedure, but William learns that her memory of him has been erased as punishment for breaking Code 46. William still exists in Maria’s dreams so they leave Shanghai fully aware the law forbids them to love. On the run, they realize their time together will not last.

Drawing similarities from the superb modern classic Gattaca, Code 46 presents a grim world where government restrictions disallow certain people to procreate. Winterbottom and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce present a tragic love story where science and technology are the real villains. Humans, armed with test tubes and petri dishes, blindly pursue perfection with no concern for the natural order of things. Love and sex are too messy. The science is true, but we can only hope that Code 46 remains fiction. Come on back tomorrow for day 4 of sci-fi week.

A scene from Code 46:

No Comments »

It’s day 2 of sci-fi week at Movie Loner. If you suffer from claustrophobia you may want to avoid Cube, a gripping nightmare of a movie that is certain to freak you out. You could easily include this in the horror genre but a dystopian setting and the integral role of math/science to the plot firmly positions Cube in the sci-fi category. It was filmed in Canada and directed by Vincenzo Natali, who believe it or not is from Detroit.

Seven strangers wake up inside a cubical labyrinth. Each person is there for a specific reason: the cop, the architect, the math student, the doctor, the fugitive, the autistic, and one man who falls victim before we learn his identity. The six remaining prisoners convene to find a way out. Each cube is a different color with a set of engraved numbers. Some are harmless, others are armed with wicked traps designed to kill.

Utilizing their combined knowledge and skills, the six devise a formula to navigate the deadly maze. Their ability to work together and maintain sanity is the key to survival. The longer they stay incarcerated the more desperate they become. Panic takes hold. Some seek personal preservation while the rest adhere to the group mentality. Can they reach the outer shell of the monstrous catacomb or will they destroy each other along the way?

Cube is a truly frightening movie. Fear of entrapment is inherent in all of us, as is the sense of helplessness that comes with it. Natali keys on these basic emotions in his characters. He keeps hope at a minimum which adds to the terror. The relatively unknown cast is solid, delivering diverse performances that endear us to them. A simple story executed with ingenious preciseness, Cube is deserving of finding a larger audience. Stay tuned tomorrow for day 3 of sci-fi week here at Movie Loner. Until then…

The trailer for Cube:

No Comments »