May 29, 2006
Shaun of the Dead
It's been ages since I've posted anything about a movie I've liked. It's not that I haven't seen any movies. Capote was quite good (Phillip Seymour Hoffman is a badass), Garden State was charming and I really enjoyed Christopher Nolan's first movie, Following. I also highly recommend both seasons of The Office. (Ricky Gervais I bow down before thee!).
Which brings me to Shaun of the Dead.
This is a wonderfully funny little movie and a great twist on the typical zombie fare. There are some unexpectedly touching moments and I loved seeing Lucy Davis from The Office. (Martin Freeman also had a non-speaking cameo.)
Posted by Thomas at 12:02 AM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2005
Batman Begins
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Casting by: John Papsidera & Lucinda Syson
I went to see Batman Begins this past Sunday afternoon. They really hit a home run with this one. Talented cast. Good story. Nice pacing. Wonderful performances by interesting actors. (Cillian Murphy was cool and creepy as the Scarecrow.) They dealt well with the "how" of Batman becoming Batman. There were only a couple of moments of "Ok, not so believable". (When Batman drives/jumps the Batmobile over what I suppose was the Gotham river and manages to find Officer Gordon was one such moment...Maybe he had Google Maps!). I was still able to suspend my disbelief long enough to continue enjoying the story.
This was the first time I'd seen Christian Bale in a movie. I'd heard of The Machinist and had seen some clips showing his freakish weight loss for the film. He was a good choice for the role of Batman. Intense but also human. Michael Caine was great as Alfred and added nice comic moments and heart at the right times. It was just a really well assembled cast.
I've seen Christopher Nolan's Memento and Insomnia, both of which I really liked. There was alot of depth to this film and it really had the darkness that Batman needs. Well done Christopher Nolan!
Posted by Thomas at 04:16 PM | Comments (2)
July 08, 2005
Sideways
Directed by Alexander Payne
Casting by John Jackson
NY Casting by Alice Parks
I just finished watching Sideways. It's an interesting little film about a roadtrip through California wine country by a pair of college roomates. There is alot of rich and subtle writing in this film. The characters take you on a bit of a journey, especially Paul Giamatti's character, Miles. I don't drink wine but found myself wishing that I did, especially in the scene on the porch where Miles & Maya talk about why they love it.
I think I'll add About Schmidt to my Netflix cue. I definitely want to check out more of Alexander Payne's storytelling.
Posted by Thomas at 03:05 PM | Comments (0)
April 12, 2005
Lost in Translation
I just watched Lost in Translation. It's a lovely little film with wonderful performances by Scarlett Johansson & Bill Murray. It further emphasizes something I've been discovering in my acting classes. So much of good acting is not in how you say the lines. Bill Murray says so much with just a gesture or a look. From a filmaking perspective, it's also beautifully shot and edited. I also like that it was made for 4 million, and has grossed 44 million. (That whole Robert Rodriquez "make movies inexpensively" ethic, though they're obviously very different types of filmakers.) I'm also inspired by the feeling I got about Tokyo. Seems like it's an amazing city. So wacky! Really makes me want to visit.
Posted by Thomas at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
June 08, 2004
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
I went with a group of friends from my acting school to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I liked the first H.P. movie well enough I guess, but not enough to rush out to see the second. The books for me were ok...definitely page turners, but kinda like brain candy. (Enjoyable while you're reading them, but they don't stay with you long.) Again, I read the first one...not sure about the second and read the third, and I definitely didn't run out and buy them.
Anyway, to the movie. This actually had looked interesting to me because of the trailers, and the change in director. (The darker tone looked like it would be cool, and Gary Oldman is a great actor.) Overall, a very well made movie. Sorta like "The Day After Tomorrow", in that it's good summer fare, but not something you're going to think too much about later. The CGI is really well integrated into the film, the characters are beginning to mature and the dark tone of this movie is well executed.
Posted by Thomas at 06:33 PM | Comments (0)
May 31, 2004
The Day After Tomorrow
Sure the cliches run heavy and thick. Sure they put an environmental beatdown on NYC. But what the hell, it's Memorial Day, so I went to check out a matinee showing of The Day After Tomorrow. I'm sure that the science is dicey, but this film delivers as the fun summertime movie that it's supposed to be.
The Plot?
Man = Amazon deforesting, greenhouse gas emitting Dumbass
Nature = Badass Lawman come down to wreak havoc upon aforementioned Dumbass
Question: Will Dumbass survive?
You'll have to go see the movie to find your answers. Suffice it to say that there will be massive destruction to notable landmarks, a touching young lovers story, a fathers search for redemption, and of course the inevitable bald kid with cancer.
Apparently the idea for the film came in part from a book called The Coming Global Superstorm
Posted by Thomas at 06:27 PM | Comments (0)
May 29, 2004
Pi: Faith in Chaos
After an aborted attempt at watching David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" (Note to the braintrust who put out this DVD: Chapter Selection in a DVD is not optional. People are bound to want to stop the DVD in the middle and watch it later... Shit happens... power goes out...Catastrophe's abound! We don't have the patience to watch your bizarre meanderings and little people bad guys repeatedly just to get back to where we stopped watching...), I watched Pi: Faith in Chaos, written and directed by Darren Aronofsky. This was the film that put him on the map. It won the directors award at Sundance in 1998. He went on to Make Requiem for a Dream, which is also supposed to be pretty good, and is next in my Netflix cue.
Anyway, back to the movie. It's shot in extreme contrast black and white, and has a really cool visual style. As to content, I enjoyed the movie. It's about a genius mathematician who's obsessed with numbers theory and the deeper meaning behind Pi (3.145350504 etc. etc...) and it's relationship to the undepinnings of the stockmarket & meaning of life. It's also shot in NYC, with lots of footage of Chinatown, and the subways. At one point a high powered evil wall street firm get's involved, as well as a sect of Hasidic cabalistic Jews. Oi!
All in all, I'd say check out this DVD!
Posted by Thomas at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)
May 02, 2004
Kill Bill vol.2
I just saw Kill Bill vol.2 this afternoon. To me Quentin Tarrantino has really hit it out of the park with both Vol. 1 and especially Vol. 2. Each movie has it's own unique style, (which is interesting considering they were originally shot as one film) and both are satisfying to watch. The cinematography in Vol. 2 is great, as are the story and characters. They feel like old Sergio Leone westerns. I'd definitely recommend this film.
Posted by Thomas at 05:50 PM | Comments (0)
Dark Days
As I write this I'm completely aware that I'm probably way behind the times with my knowledge of this film, but hey... I just got Netflix so I'm trying to catch up. The DVD I'm talking about is Dark Days, and if you haven't seen it you should. It's a documentary about street people in NYC who lived in the abandoned Amtrak tunnels that run from 72nd street to 123rd street on the west side. The "filmmaker" basically lived with these people for 2 years underground. It's shot on 16mm black and white. I put "filmmaker" in quotes because this was the creator Marc Singer's first film. The idea to make a documentary about these people only came about after he'd already been living in the tunnels for about 3 months, and one of the residents said "you know, someone should make a movie about all this." Check out the link above for a more complete description.
It's also pretty interesting that these tunnels are only about 5 blocks from my apartment.
Posted by Thomas at 05:47 PM | Comments (0)