Caché - 2005 - Dir. Haneke

I don't know why, but all of a sudden, I'm all interested in Michael Haneke. The only movie I saw of his was Funny Games back in high school, which I loved but I think I was hesitant to watch another of his films, even the shot-for-shot US remake. My brother was watching the US version and I suddenly delved into the man. I have the remake and the original lined up to watch, but I decided to kick it with something altogether new: Caché. Haneke definitely has a bit of a auteur thing going. And the man can make a smart thriller. I do fall on the side of being an awesome film. Sure, they aren't always the most satisfying thing to watch, he's a big fan of leaving the view to speculate. But by now you should know that I have a boner for that. I like that he can be a little mean in his story telling. I like his long, wide shots. I liked 'em eight years ago in Funny Games, and I liked 'em this afternoon. Caché did nothing but confirm this: I must like Haneke. I have to say after you catch on with what the movie is doing, it's a little less interesting. So I guess there's a bit of a slump along the way, but there's still plenty of questions that need answering, and whether or not Haneke answers these questions, he handles the rest of the film deftly. Also, I was a big fan of Auteuil in the film. I've never seen anything he was in before, but he pulled off the character to a T.

Michael Haneke is about sneeze!

Old Joy - 2006 - Dir. Reichardt

I had never heard of Old Joy, which is reasonable. It's a slowly paced indie flick about two guys hanging out in the woods. I could take or leave a film with that information. I, luckily, took this movie. First of all, because it showcases the lovely area of and around Portland, OR, a place I happily spent a few months and would gladly spend some more. On pure nostalgia value alone, this movie had me going. And the movie really lets us soak in the scenery of both the woods and scenery. The two pals we're hanging out with are interesting company. Mostly because they barely speak. Well, one of 'em at least. The film doesn't hurl at us metaphor after metaphor and throw a huge tie-up monologue. In fact, this is the nice kind of movie that forces you to do some looking for the through-line. Granted, it's not terribly difficult to find, and I feel hokey saying this but a conversation after a movie like this can be pretty enlightening to see what was taken from the film. Like my favorite dramas, this doesn't behave like a drama. It's quieter. The glares we see when a character's back is turned isn't always the honest truth. In fact, the movie doesn't bother with truth. Not that it doesn't care. It just knows that it isn't that simple.

Oh man, Will Oldham. You look like you woke up under a couch.

The Men Who Stare At Goats - 2009 - Dir. Heslov

I enjoyed The Men Who Stare At Goats as I watched it. Part of me feels though, at the end of the day, that this movie frustrated me... possibly, it even disappointed me. Certainly, I laughed a lot at the movie. And if the movie was just joking around with us, I could have been happy. But the movie had something to say. Just what? I'm not exactly sure. It's a bit funny, the movie spends a good chunk of time poking fun at the characters in the film and their beliefs, but by the end, just seems to expect us to side with them. I feel like we're sent mixed messages throughout the film. It's opinionated enough to really prevent us from exploring the concepts on our own and doesn't follow through with really anything apart from cheap jokes at the expense of New Age/Hippie ideas and bad-mouthing straights. The film also can't seem to decide whether these techniques are actually effective, consistantly making fools of Bridges and Clooney's characters while also admitting that "Maybe they have super powers." Ewan McGreggor's own little "leap" of faith feels especially tagged on. Additionally, I couldn't really buy Ewan. I'm generally a bit of a fan, but his character was just completely unbelievable, probably just because he was a thin line to tie the past to the present. Even his motivation to go to Iraq is left as: He wanted to impress his wife? The films subject matter lends it to chuckles though. And some terribly fantastic actors are telling us the story. I especially liked Stephen Lang, who was intensely underused but I was fixated on the man whenever he was on screen. It was also amusing to see Nick Offerman without a moustache.

Whose that handsome devil staring at goats?

The Carabineers - 1963 - Dir. Godard

I can get behind a nice, smooth, and easy Jean-Luc Godard film. Like a warm beverage. You know, nothing is more soothing than a Godard film. All right, I stop being sarcastic now. I like Godard though. I'm not crazy about him. Sometimes I wanna punch him in his stinkin' face, but most of the time, I will sit and watch and enjoy a Godard film. I had been watching a lot of his Color films recently, which I honestly enjoy a lot more. La Chionese still sticks it too me. And it SOCKS it to me as well. So, The Carabineers is a black and white, which generally means its a little less visually striking to me. Tonally, it's pretty gentle for a Godard film. He pulls his usually bag a tricks what with people going on and on about this and that but it feels like its presented in a much more upfront manner than Godard is wont to. There's a direct narrative that we're following. There's also a lot of people listing things WHICH IS AWESOME! As well as extended shots of people enjoying and identifying objects in photographs. Perhaps my personal favorite was the four characters yelling french names with random zooms in and out. You know, this film is really fun. But for 75 minutes, it runs long. It also doesn't really surprise you where it ends up going. But it's fun taking the trip.

Sigh... I can't think of anything funny and its the only pic I could find.

The Warriors - 1979 - Dir. Hill

What finally got me watching The Warriors was it's description as being a movie made up of introductions. Which, having now seen the film, felt pretty apt. There is something kind of thrilling of just seeing shot after shot of RIDICULOUSLY dressed gang members (see below). And with the pumping, synthy 80ish soundtrack, there's definitely something really classy going on in the film. That's right. CLASSY. Oh, and we can a young James Remar, who was a blast to see being all youthful. Since he's generally cast of a straight-type these days, it neat to see him being a hot-head gang member. I did feel kind of funny about the way the movie treated character deaths. I don't know why, but for some reason, I kept expecting the characters to show up again, never really expecting them to stay gone. I don't know why exactly. I dunno, it kept throwing me off. The film is campy enough, and moves somewhat swiftly. Enjoyable. It's easy to see why the film has stuck in so many heads. It's incredibly stylish, it's a shame a great deal of the acting is a little dull though. Especially the lead who is just a terrible bore. The villain is a silly ass and I think I could have used a bit more of that. CAN YOU DIG IT!? Also, I fucking hated that Cyrus guy, he says as he quotes the m-f-er.

Sigh... The Baseball Furies. That's what I'VE got a bad case of.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan - 2009 - Dir. Olmos

I was a big BSG fan back in the day, and by back in the day, I meant when the re-imagining came out. I'm not sure the series really fared terribly well in the long run. I don't think my memories of the series are BLOWN AWAY POSITIVE. Mostly this is due to the increasingly muddled later seasons. I do forget, however, that it started COMPLETELY AWESOMELY. And after watching The Plan, I wanted to get right back into the mini-series. I'm not sure if I thought The Plan was terrific or anything. In fact, it's mostly pretty one-note and paced a little slowly. It does add a neat bit of depth and is honestly weaved in impressively well with the beginning of the series from the opposite point of view. It was engaging for a BSG fan who forgot why the show was so mesmerizing to begin with. I think most of the one-notedness was the prevalence of Dean Stockwell, who I do love with all of my heart. His consistent unwavering cynicism gets to be a bit much, but its fun to watch everyone around him crumble under the weight of their task. Well, not fun, but it's certainly engaging.

Jeez, Sharon! You're ALL WET! AAAAHAHAHAAHA!

Three Days of the Condor - 1975 - Dir. Pollack

I rented this movie because the plot is based around paranoia, and maybe a little bit to do with Redford and his acting that he does. It does what these kinds of movies do so well, have you watch a handsome, overly capable guy figure out how to get out of the situation he's fallen into and then DO THE RIGHT THING. All of those things happen in this movie. Sometimes, I must admit, that Redford was a little TOO capable. Especially for someone who just "read books" for a living. I must say that I got a real kick out of Max Von Sydow in this as the noble freelance assassin. And perhaps some of the most interesting scenes are those between Redford and He. The film holds back revealing anything much about the conspiracy for quite a while and then lets loose almost all at once. Naturally, there's tons of loose ends and some pretty big leaps of reason that we must make but I suppose these films aren't exactly attempting to be realistic, rather exaggerate. Although, what with the government and all, perhaps it isn't an intense exaggeration but that's neither here nor there. The film ends in a somewhat unsatisfying manner but I think it does wrap up nicely enough. I feel like Redford was likable enough so I wanted as many details about his life after the film as possible and in that sense, we're left with a cliff-hanger. An expertly done thriller. Some exciting fights. Secret meetings. Everything that should be here is, and it's done well.

I don't see what Redford is getting all excited about. He could just escape into his collar.