Tenn. eleven, twelve…

I and my new Sony HDR-FX1000 had the opportunity to attend the EP release show for one, Crystal Thomas, in Nashville on April 16. A tripod and an extra master shot would’ve helped my footage which alternated between hand-held and resting on a table top, but the performance speaks for itself.

Also in Nashville I caught I Love You Man ***1/2, the starring vehicle for Paul Rudd, who proves that being socially awkward is fun for everyone (except young children of course – this one is rated R).

Finally watched the Peter Sellers’ classic Being There (Netflix probably thought I ran off with the thing) and it was quite an experience. Sellers performance is one for the ages and the final shot is utterly inspiring.

Another little gem I happened upon thanks to Harry Knowles over at AICN was the low-budget time thriller Timecrimes. Using the time travel theory made popular in the Back to the Future films this one tells a simply intricate tale.

One month of school left and then what promises to be a busy summer…

i watch the watchmen

i'm not batman

Watchmen (***1/2) is ambitious, and epic, and larger than life, but ultimately lifeless when it comes to the overall feeling you’re left with after watching it. Pretty pictures, and not much that resonates with you after the fact.  Director Snyder has done this to audiences before with 300. Half-naked Spartans spouting “meaningful” diatribes while fighting faceless Persian zombies in slow motion and I cared not a whit for any character.

I enjoyed reading Watchmen, the comic book, it was a nice yarn with surprising depth, but I’m not a fanatic who thinks its the greatest “graphic” novel ever written so I came to the movie without a checklist to be entertained , and I was for the most part (didn’t even glance at my watch for the nearly three hour running time), but there was something missing – a connection to the characters, a reason to care about what happened to them. It never happened for me, and then the movie was over, and all could remember was that Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach was inspired casting, oh and that Zach Snyder has a violence fetish.

Definitely worth watching (in IMAX if you can), but don’t expect a transformative experience. Its a bloody comic book movie, floating above the deep end.

i c u

Let the Right One In (*****) is probably the best film about “vampires” I’ve ever seen mostly because it’s unlike any other in the genre. It’s a small story centered around a 12 yr-old boy who befriends his new neighbor (also seemingly 12) who happens to be a vampire. Classic coming of age tale with a bloody twist, but all of the beats are here. Problems at home, problems at school, learning to be a man and stand up for yourself and others  – we’ve all seen it a million times before, but this go-round  there is a measured, genius (or happy accidental) pace, there is surprising revelation, subtle and effective visual F/X, real friendship, and shocking violence all rendered with fantastic cinematography. It’s debatable whether the ending is touching or tragic (perhaps a bit of both), but whichever, the success is in the details.

weren't you in that film gladiator?

Body of Lies (***) Ridley Scott doesn’t make bad films starring Russell Crowe (well maybe A Good Year), but he definitely doesn’t make bad films with Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. This is a good little political thriller with some action sprinkled here and there to wake the less-educated audience members. Not breaking new ground, but entertaining and worth a watch on Blu-Ray.

is that a metal apron you're wearing?

Midnight Meat Train (**1/2) is based on a short story by Clive Barker about a photographer who (in his attempt to snap an amazing photograph) stumbles on a butcher who is confused as to what or who he should be swinging his cleaver at. Relentlessly violent, with a surprise ending that should have been expounded upon, this film is ultimately an exercise for gore hounds. None other need apply (except perhaps for fans of early Alias, and Popular).

08 in order

slumdog gets the oscar and the girl

2008 Movies in their order of preference + or – a spot (it’s not like it makes a difference whether Untraceable is 57 or 59, the point is it kinda sucked considering I only saw 64 new movies). The top ten are set in stone (at least until I watch something better) and I only included films that I saw (obviously) released sometime in 2008. Some of these were watched recently and never given a formal review so I added a few brief comments (just to be fair). One of the reasons this list is so late is that I was hoping to squeeze in a few more of the lauded films like The Wrestler, Ben Button, etc, but that proved to be difficult due to my clogged schedule. Ever onward….

1. The Dark Knight *****

2. Wall-E *****

3. Slumdog Millionaire ***** – Wonderful story that pulls on all the heartstrings. A bit sappy near the end, but the previous hour and and half earn it.

4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days *****

5. Iron Man****1/2

6. Tropic Thunder ****1/2

7. The Bank Job ****1/2

8. Quantum of Solace ****

9. Mongol ****

10. Man on Wire **** – the best documentary I saw this year.

11. Transsiberian **** – great film in the vein of classic Hitch.

12. Appaloosa **** – straight up old fashioned western

13. Redbelt ****

14. The Visitor **** – really well-written characters.

15. In Bruges **** – original spin on an old concept and the best performance I’ve seen from Colin Farrell

16. Rogue **** – best man vs. beast movie I saw this year.

17. Ghost Town **** – Gervais’ premiere feature-length is quite spirited and features the first Tea Leoni performance I truly enjoyed.

18. Son of Rambow ****

19. The Fall ***1/2 – beautifully shot but overlong and a bit too nonsensical

20. Cloverfield ***1/2

21. Speed Racer ***1/2

22. Australia ***1/2

23. Burn After Reading ***1/2

24. Be Kind Rewind ***1/2

25. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull *** – the most disappointing movie of the year.

26. Doubt *** – moving performances from Hoffman, Streep and Adams.

27. Hellboy II: The Golden Army *** – too cartoon-like removed any and all suspense.

28. The Ruins ***

29. The Incredible Hulk ***

30. Cassandra’s Dream *** – the only Woody Allen film I got to this year.

31. Forgetting Sarah Marshall ***

32. Leatherheads *** Nice old fashioned feel to this one, but the plot plays it too safe.

33. Run, Fatboy, Run ***

34. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian *** – LOTR light part two

35. Get Smart ***

36. Eagle Eye ***

37. Rambo ***

38. The Air I Breathe ***

39. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist *** – not much to write home about here, but watchable.

40. Hancock *** – Will Smith as an ancient god? Bateman is the only reason this one gets three stars.

41. Street Kings ***

42. Quarantine *** -

43. Mirrors **1/2 – Jack Bauer vs the Mirror Demons – nice production values.

44. Pineapple Express **1/2– I laughed twice during the two hour running time, and continue to marvel at the success of Seth Rogen. High production value deserves half a star.

45. Snow Angels **1/2 – utterly depressing despite some strong performances

46. Wanted **1/2

47. Penelope **1/2

48. Chaos Theory **1/2

49. Yes Man **1/2 – decent comedy but below Carrey’s standards.

50. Jumper **1/2

51. Birds of America **1/2

52. The Signal **1/2

53. Transporter 3 **1/2

54. Sukiyaki Western Django **1/2

55. 27 Dresses **

56. The Strangers ** – nice opening and then the characters become horror-movie stupid.

57. Untraceable **

58. Babylon A.D. ** – interesting concept thwarted by a terrible script

59. Punisher: War Zone ** – yet another disappointing Frank Castle flick

60. War Inc. ** – perhaps the worst film of John Cusack’s career, but definitely the worst John Cusack film of 2008

61. Pathology **

62. Smart People **

63. Doomsday **

64. The Happening *1/2 – the absolute worst film of the year by a “name” director with “name” stars.

NvilleII

Went to visit my sister who just recently relocated to Nashville and brought my camera along. The following are snippets from our visit to Centennial Park…

Top Movies of 2008 coming soon…

Ground Control

Another Mutemath video using the same base as “Spotlight Experiment.”

There’s been no official video for this song released (although one was shot and later discarded due to some “issues” ) so I thought I’d mess around with some of the space exploration stock footage I recently purchased. Threw in some live performance clips from YouTube and stirred it up but good.

Note: This is the “live” version of the song that includes the extended bridge. Good Stuff.