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I actually have the credentials to be a total cinema snob. I got a piece of paper from Webster University that says I can be. It was mostly an accident that got me this piece of paper. I love movies. I have always loved movies. It comes from my dad who loves movies and used to sit me down and tell me to watch certain movies because he figured I would like them and, most of the time, he was right. This is how I became fans of “Fail-Safe,” and “The Wild Bunch.” I also saw the suite of Man With No Name movies by Sergio Leone that starred a young Clint Eastwood in a poncho and bad dubbing.
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Children Of Men
Wow. This is the second new movie this year with a graphic birth scene (Apocalypto being one, The Nativity Story not being one). Children of Men is certainly a hell of a movie. Director Alfonso Cuaron shows off, but it's in a good sort of way; for example, when some blood splashes on the camera lens he leaves it there for you to look through for the next few minutes as if only to prove that no tricks were involved, it was all one long shot. This is one of the best representations of a worldwide apocalypse ever filmed, and it is rightfully being compared to Blade Runner, though Clive Owen's character is not a comic book character like Harrison Ford's was. He's an average, ordinary yokel (who says fuck a lot) who gets tangled up in a web of betrayal when the first baby born to the world in 18 years comes to an illegal immigrant who is part of a revolutionary movement against the British government. What a plot, and Michael Caine smokes a lot of pot. How can you lose?
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The movie “Thank You for Smoking” is now available on DVD and it is definitely worth adding to your NetFlix list or taking a trip down to your local rental store or whatever it is you do to watch movies these days. If you want a movie that will repeatedly make you laugh out loud while also making you think with devastatingly biting writing and outstanding comedic performances than you need look no further than this movie. While much of this has to be slightly over-stated for comedic purposes you know that there is much truth hidden here.
“Thank You for Smoking” tells the story of Nick Naylor who is also known as the Sultan of Spin. He works for the big tobacco companies and he does what he can to spin the negative aspects of smoking and the detrimental effects of smoking into something positive. For example, in the opening scene as he sits next to a boy who is maybe sixteen and has been smoking since he was a pre-teen and is now dying of cancer he makes a surprisingly valid point. Why would big tobacco want to kill this young man? They are losing a customer. The anti-smoking people, however, want this boy to die because in his dying he furthers their cause. Now THAT’S spin.
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The movie “Syriana” came into theaters in 2005 and won George Clooney an Academy Award. At the time the critics praised it but they warned that the plot was a labyrinth and almost impossible to understand. Upon hearing that it was determined by me that I would simply not try to connect all of the dots or put all of the pieces together and that I would just watch the movie and watch the performances. Although the DVD has been out for a while, I must recommend this movie because you cannot watch it without having the feeling that this is true.
Essentially what you need to know about the plot is that big oil companies have gained such power that they can influence the policies of not only this country but the countries where the oil comes from. That, in a nutshell, is the point of this movie. The details as to how each individual story fits together are really secondary. This is a complex movie with very adult themes and that trusts its audience. This is a movie that does not pause to explain at length what is happening. This movie trusts the people watching that they are adults and capable of adult thought and it makes its point and moves on. This is a rare thing in modern movies.
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All in all, 2006 was a pretty lame year for movies. But right now I don't have much to bitch about, because the recently released movies have been, for the most part, good ones. Let's take a look anyway, bitches.
The Good Shepherd
There has been a lot of talk comparing The Good Shepherd to The Godfather. Okay. The Good Shepherd is a good movie. However, The Godfather is a great movie. Perhaps the buzz is referring to the plot itself. In The Good Shepherd, the CIA is portrayed as sort of a government mafia, within which the rules dictate that even loved ones must be sacrificed if they betray the trust (can you say kiss Alfredo in Godfather II). And I guess some of the Skull and Bones scenes of The Good Shepherd can be compared to the lavish wedding scenes in the original Godfather. But most likely it is simply the fact that Robert De Niro (of Godfather II) serves as Director, and that won't let The Good Shepherd stand as a creation of its own. I'm confident that The Good Shepherd is a good movie mainly because it clocks in at nearly three hours and Matt Damon remains quiet and stone faced through just about every minute of it, yet I didn't lose interest. The plot itself is severely muddled, however, which is what makes The Good Shepherd less than a great movie. Of course, it is an espionage "thriller" (or drama to be more precise), so the facts aren't necessarily meant to be on the surface. But too often I found myself not understanding what motivated the characters to do what they were doing. And by the end I was totally confused about who was who and who was real and who was not. I understand the need for mystery in a movie about how its characters can't trust each other, but just a pinch of clarity wouldn't hurt things either. Days after seeing it I found myself reflecting and thinking oh, yeah, I think I get it now, or maybe not.
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I am a movie snob. I have a degree that gives me permission to be this way. Considering the tremendous amount of money my parents forked over to the university I went to so I could earn that piece of paper I think that truly entitles me to the right to be a movie snob. It wasn’t my actual major but my minor and it technically is called Film Theory and Criticism.
The great thing about getting this minor is that you spend a lot of time watching movies. The other great thing is that you got to watch a lot of older movies. Older movies are things a lot of people don’t think about these days. I know some people who don’t even want to consider looking at a movie that isn’t in color. It’s like there is an entire generation who thinks the history of movies started with “The Godfather” and then advanced from there. Good lord, it would be unthinkable to consider watching a movie that’s in black and white.
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I have been a fan of horror and horror movies for almost as long as I can remember. I have been through the various phases of horror. When I was a kid it was common to find those black and white movies that probably instilled terror into the hearts of movie audiences in the 1930s. Back in those days, during the depression, the idea of mummies and vampires was probably pretty scary. Bela Lugosi in a cape and speaking in a strange accent was probably enough to scare the heck out of people.
Even as a kid I never found those monster movies very scary. I mean, for crying out loud, you could get Dracula, Phantom of the Opera and Frankenstein’s Monster action figures when I was a kid. How scary is it when you can get a plastic toy to play with? Especially when the plastic toy is only slightly bigger than the Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader action figures I had sitting somewhere across the room, how scary can they really be?
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Casino Royale
I wouldn't say Daniel Craig is the best James Bond ever, but he certainly is a different one. A buff body and brute force replace sly wit and tricky gadgets. Unfortunately, a big chunk of this movie has been borrowed from other movies. For example, the airport chase scene will remind you of Die Hard 2, and the big action sequence at the beginning of the movie is nearly exactly, shot for shot, duplicated from a French movie called District B13. Furthermore, the villain who weeps blood is obfuscated by the fact that he is only working for a higher up villain. We never quite know who the bad guy is. The opening credits are the most artistic part of the film, but I'd still recommend this tribute to hand to hand combat to 007 and action fans alike; it's not a total waste of time.
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My original idea was to create another list. Since the holidays are upon us I figured it would be a good time to write about some of the best holiday movies. People like lists. The other lists I wrote seemed to get a decent response. It creates dialogue, it seems. People like making suggestions. As such, I figured holiday movies would be a great topic what with it being the Christmas season.
However, as I sat down to write I immediately ran into a problem. The problem is very simple and can be summed up in three words: holiday movies suck. Yes, that’s exactly what I am saying. I tried to come up with a list. I went for a walk. I pounded my head against a wall. What did I end up with? I got sore feet and a headache.
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Just like the movie “Batman Begins” did last year for that flagging franchise the new James Bone film “Casino Royale” gives a stale series a much-needed shot of adrenalin. This is, without a doubt, the best Bond film I have seen in a long time. For those of you who were worried about Daniel Craig taking over the role, you don’t have to worry because he could be the best Bond yet and, yes, I am even factoring in Sean Connery.
I am a James Bond fan. I can’t help it. In my family the James Bond movies were always watched whenever they were on television. To this day, whenever AMC or one of the other cable channels has the Bond marathons, I am glued to the television nearly ever night. Yes, some of them are fairly dreadful (“Moonraker”) but most of them are a lot of fun. In fact, even the bad ones are fun.
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