Shaving is a funny experience. I just did an all over, leaving my extended 'burns, and while I was doing it, I tried to give myself a moustache, more out of curiosity than anything. I've worn a stache before, and I looked like a fat musketeer (Porthos?), especially since I had long hair, so it wasn't for me. But I've always kind of wanted one.
Maybe it's the extended viewings of Magnum, P.I. and SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT as a kid that have made me long for such a piece of facial hair, but when I did it today, I wanted to cut it a little shorter, but I cut a bit too much.
So much that I looked like The Fuhrer.
I have a theory that, through accident or just for a laugh, a lot of men do this when they shave, mostly because it's such a notorious example of a lipslug, although when I do it I look scarily like my dad, who as far as I know, didn't slaughter any Jewish people.
It's funny though. I remember the first time I shaved my head completely over. I didn't just shave it straight, but instead cut it into a few weird styles - including the Tintin, a popular hairstyle at the time which, well, made you look like Herge's famous Belgian explorer - before doing the full cut. But who knows how many people have done the Hitler when shaving.
Have you?
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Russ Meyer
I like tits as much as the next guy, but I've never been able to get into his movies. Am I missing something here?
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Monday, August 22, 2005
Frank Miller's SIN CITY (2005)
I'll get this out of the way first: I love the Sin City books, and I dig Frank Miller as a whole, except for that nasty Dark Knight Strikes Back business. So once again, this is something where I'm in some way connected with the source material.
SIN CITY is stunning to look at. It truly is two hours of comic book panels come to life. It doesn't look like cheap DV cam footage, which is what the low-res preview stuff I saw looked like. Bluescreen has always been a hard thing to pull off, so I'm always wary about entire movies that are made of it. SIN CITY pulls it off in a way something like SKY CAPTAIN didn't, at least for me. Maybe cause I was drawn in more by the story and the characters, I don't know. Giant robots and sky fortresses and that great pair of tits named Angelina Jolie should have been a done deal, but it just wasn't to be.
However, SIN CITY works. I'd be lying if I said it works perfectly all the time, but it works most of the time, and most of it is good enough to make me forgive the rest. It's strange watching a movie where you know absolutely everything that is going to happen. I mean, every book or comic adaptation usually has a little creative licencing somewhere, but SIN CITY is word for word, and panel for panel. But it's an intriguing experiment.
Probably the most successful part about the film is the casting. Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Nick Stahl. Even Clive Owen, whose weird anglo-american accent I was wary about, pulled it off. I'm not sure Elijah Wood was the best choice for Kevin, although I think there's something about LOTR that maybe figures into that. It's just so hard looking into those eyes and not seeing Frodo Baggins.
The story's set into three parts, adapted from 'The Hard Goodbye,' 'The Big Fat Kill' and 'That Yellow Bastard,' each of which cross into each other. It's in no way chronological, and it's better that way. I think TBFK was my favourite. TYB has always been my favourite of the books, but the combination of Clive Owen, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro and others, together with that amazing final sequence of all the girls on the roof, it just blew me away.
There are a few problems. There are a few times where the dialogue slightly grates, where I think it's been such literally translated that, while it works on the page, it doesn't necessarily work on screen. And Michael Madsen is pretty bad, but he isn't in it for long. Also, it's kind of weird seeing Hartigan use RoboCop's gun.
Overall, I dug the fuck out of it. I'm a whore for black and white and beautiful women, and I adore the source material. I just hope RR doesn't get any bright ideas about adapting DK2.
SIN CITY is stunning to look at. It truly is two hours of comic book panels come to life. It doesn't look like cheap DV cam footage, which is what the low-res preview stuff I saw looked like. Bluescreen has always been a hard thing to pull off, so I'm always wary about entire movies that are made of it. SIN CITY pulls it off in a way something like SKY CAPTAIN didn't, at least for me. Maybe cause I was drawn in more by the story and the characters, I don't know. Giant robots and sky fortresses and that great pair of tits named Angelina Jolie should have been a done deal, but it just wasn't to be.
However, SIN CITY works. I'd be lying if I said it works perfectly all the time, but it works most of the time, and most of it is good enough to make me forgive the rest. It's strange watching a movie where you know absolutely everything that is going to happen. I mean, every book or comic adaptation usually has a little creative licencing somewhere, but SIN CITY is word for word, and panel for panel. But it's an intriguing experiment.
Probably the most successful part about the film is the casting. Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Nick Stahl. Even Clive Owen, whose weird anglo-american accent I was wary about, pulled it off. I'm not sure Elijah Wood was the best choice for Kevin, although I think there's something about LOTR that maybe figures into that. It's just so hard looking into those eyes and not seeing Frodo Baggins.
The story's set into three parts, adapted from 'The Hard Goodbye,' 'The Big Fat Kill' and 'That Yellow Bastard,' each of which cross into each other. It's in no way chronological, and it's better that way. I think TBFK was my favourite. TYB has always been my favourite of the books, but the combination of Clive Owen, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro and others, together with that amazing final sequence of all the girls on the roof, it just blew me away.
There are a few problems. There are a few times where the dialogue slightly grates, where I think it's been such literally translated that, while it works on the page, it doesn't necessarily work on screen. And Michael Madsen is pretty bad, but he isn't in it for long. Also, it's kind of weird seeing Hartigan use RoboCop's gun.
Overall, I dug the fuck out of it. I'm a whore for black and white and beautiful women, and I adore the source material. I just hope RR doesn't get any bright ideas about adapting DK2.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Top 10, 2005
It seems everyone's doing their lists for the best films of the year now summer's coming to a close, and while I'd like to do the same, I've only seen two 2005 movies this year (for a film student, I suck) and both weren't exactly great movies. So I'll make a compromise, and do the top ten movies I've liked the most that I've seen this year.
1. THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
2. THE INCREDIBLES
3. A TALE OF TWO SISTERS
4. THE RULES OF THE GAME
5. DOG DAY AFTERNOON
6. BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA
7. THIEF
8. THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE
9. REVENGE OF THE SITH
10. BATMAN BEGINS
1. THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
2. THE INCREDIBLES
3. A TALE OF TWO SISTERS
4. THE RULES OF THE GAME
5. DOG DAY AFTERNOON
6. BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA
7. THIEF
8. THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE
9. REVENGE OF THE SITH
10. BATMAN BEGINS
Saturday, August 20, 2005
A Couple of Things
- Star Wars: Battlefront is insanely addictive, so much that I'm considering becoming a full-time Imperial Shock Trooper.
- BLADE RUNNER is probably the best sci-fi movie known to man.
- I still haven't watched I <3 HUCKABEES.
- Hospitals suck.
- BLADE RUNNER is probably the best sci-fi movie known to man.
- I still haven't watched I <3 HUCKABEES.
- Hospitals suck.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Thursday's Gone
I hit the sales today with birthday money, and picked up a few things, including the soundtrack to THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU (review coming soon), the special edition of HEAT, and the following two movies, one of which was an unseen purchase, the other an old favourite I hadn't seen in a while.
ZOOLANDER (2001)
This was an odd one. I'd heard a lot about it, mostly that it was banned in Malaysia, but I didn't know what to think. I'll be perfectly honest, I think Ben Stiller is getting to the point of overkill. Don't get me wrong, he can be amazingly funny, but I don't think he's consistently funny enough, and I seem to prefer him in the smaller stuff like MYSTERY MEN or his cameo in ANCHORMAN. I watched THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY recently, and despite Keith David, Chris Elliott, Lee Evans' and Brett Fav... re's combined efforts, it was pretty dire.
ZOOLANDER took a while to get going, but it was worth it in the end. I think it's somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde picture - some stuff had me pissing myself, while others didn't even make me break a smile. It was mostly Will Ferrell's stuff that I didn't find funny. I don't know why, he was ace in ANCHORMAN, but here, I just couldn't laugh at him at all. The funniest stuff was jokes made at Derek's expense, and Jon Voight was pretty damn funny, although I'm curious if it was makeup or not that made him look so bad. But the star of the show for me was Owen Wilson, which is interesting, because I'm not usually that big a fan of his. But I think his dumb blonde naivety worked perfectly here, and he was really good. The iMac scene especially, doing the whole 2001 thing, was hilarious. I'd probably mark it 7/10. If it was as good in the first half as the second, it'd probably get an 8.5 or possibly 9, but it just didn't do it for me that much, at least not on the first viewing.
DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993)
I can't really remember the first time I saw Richard Linklater's DAZED AND CONFUSED, but it was roughly around 95 or 96. What stood out to me then was the great soundtrack, and the fact that these people seemed to do pretty much the same stuff we did around that time, i.e. drive around, drink beer and get high. But after seeing it again and again, it hit a different chord, and I can really see it now for the great piece it really is.
It really seems to capture the 70s post-Nam disillusionment well, but I think this could be a great movie if it was set in any era. The time period is just a backdrop for themes that - allow me to get pretentious for a sec - resonate, and have done for a long time, and probably will do in the future. There's everything - the rebel trying to live up to his own code and not be forced into signing bullshit rules from his coach, the young kid who takes a beating from the seniors but then gets inducted into their social group and by the end is one of them, the older guy who still hangs around with the younger kids, the dumb stoner, the whole initiation senior/freshman deal, especially with the girls, the disillusioned kids who have no idea what their future is, the asshole neanderthal who is just there to kick ass and drink beer.
It's really well-written, with all of the different strands of the characters, of which I guess there are like twenty, all gelling amazingly well. It's quotable dialogue, for sure, but it all sounds pretty natural, and doesn't sound written. The acting is pretty great across the board, and you never think 'Oh, that's Matthew McConaughey,' or 'Hey, it's the lesbian from CHASING AMY.' No one besides those two or Milla Jovovich seem to have done anything of note after, either. Oh well.
The music is also amazing, especially in its use. I always think of the best times that I can remember what I was listening to at the time like it was yesterday, and this works in the same way. I wonder if there would be any possibility of a sequel, to see what these kids did in the 80s or even 90s, and whether they ever broke free from their dissillusionment and rebellion and who they would be at this time.
I'd like to see that.
ZOOLANDER (2001)
This was an odd one. I'd heard a lot about it, mostly that it was banned in Malaysia, but I didn't know what to think. I'll be perfectly honest, I think Ben Stiller is getting to the point of overkill. Don't get me wrong, he can be amazingly funny, but I don't think he's consistently funny enough, and I seem to prefer him in the smaller stuff like MYSTERY MEN or his cameo in ANCHORMAN. I watched THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY recently, and despite Keith David, Chris Elliott, Lee Evans' and Brett Fav... re's combined efforts, it was pretty dire.
ZOOLANDER took a while to get going, but it was worth it in the end. I think it's somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde picture - some stuff had me pissing myself, while others didn't even make me break a smile. It was mostly Will Ferrell's stuff that I didn't find funny. I don't know why, he was ace in ANCHORMAN, but here, I just couldn't laugh at him at all. The funniest stuff was jokes made at Derek's expense, and Jon Voight was pretty damn funny, although I'm curious if it was makeup or not that made him look so bad. But the star of the show for me was Owen Wilson, which is interesting, because I'm not usually that big a fan of his. But I think his dumb blonde naivety worked perfectly here, and he was really good. The iMac scene especially, doing the whole 2001 thing, was hilarious. I'd probably mark it 7/10. If it was as good in the first half as the second, it'd probably get an 8.5 or possibly 9, but it just didn't do it for me that much, at least not on the first viewing.
DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993)
I can't really remember the first time I saw Richard Linklater's DAZED AND CONFUSED, but it was roughly around 95 or 96. What stood out to me then was the great soundtrack, and the fact that these people seemed to do pretty much the same stuff we did around that time, i.e. drive around, drink beer and get high. But after seeing it again and again, it hit a different chord, and I can really see it now for the great piece it really is.
It really seems to capture the 70s post-Nam disillusionment well, but I think this could be a great movie if it was set in any era. The time period is just a backdrop for themes that - allow me to get pretentious for a sec - resonate, and have done for a long time, and probably will do in the future. There's everything - the rebel trying to live up to his own code and not be forced into signing bullshit rules from his coach, the young kid who takes a beating from the seniors but then gets inducted into their social group and by the end is one of them, the older guy who still hangs around with the younger kids, the dumb stoner, the whole initiation senior/freshman deal, especially with the girls, the disillusioned kids who have no idea what their future is, the asshole neanderthal who is just there to kick ass and drink beer.
It's really well-written, with all of the different strands of the characters, of which I guess there are like twenty, all gelling amazingly well. It's quotable dialogue, for sure, but it all sounds pretty natural, and doesn't sound written. The acting is pretty great across the board, and you never think 'Oh, that's Matthew McConaughey,' or 'Hey, it's the lesbian from CHASING AMY.' No one besides those two or Milla Jovovich seem to have done anything of note after, either. Oh well.
The music is also amazing, especially in its use. I always think of the best times that I can remember what I was listening to at the time like it was yesterday, and this works in the same way. I wonder if there would be any possibility of a sequel, to see what these kids did in the 80s or even 90s, and whether they ever broke free from their dissillusionment and rebellion and who they would be at this time.
I'd like to see that.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
One Year Older
I thought I should post here... don't seem to have done it for a while.
In just under an hour and a half, I'll be twenty-seven. I haven't really thought about it much, but now that it's impending, it's really starting to dawn on me. I dunno, I've never been that bothered about my age. In spite of a couple of things, I have a pretty sound life right now. I'm doing my best to live out the whole filmmaking dream thing. Yet I feel like Kirk making a log entry during STAR TREK II. Like life and time is slowly dripping away.
I guess with everything that's happened in the past year, the overwhelming mantra is to make sure I make the best of my life, which I'm trying to do as much as possible. Who knows. And as long as an English town called Cockfosters still exists, I can be happy.
Oh yeah: The Black-Eyed Peas are shit. And it's hilarious that chick pissed herself on stage.
In just under an hour and a half, I'll be twenty-seven. I haven't really thought about it much, but now that it's impending, it's really starting to dawn on me. I dunno, I've never been that bothered about my age. In spite of a couple of things, I have a pretty sound life right now. I'm doing my best to live out the whole filmmaking dream thing. Yet I feel like Kirk making a log entry during STAR TREK II. Like life and time is slowly dripping away.
I guess with everything that's happened in the past year, the overwhelming mantra is to make sure I make the best of my life, which I'm trying to do as much as possible. Who knows. And as long as an English town called Cockfosters still exists, I can be happy.
Oh yeah: The Black-Eyed Peas are shit. And it's hilarious that chick pissed herself on stage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)