The Puffy Chair

My expectations weren’t very high, to be sure. I have had spotty success with so-called festival movies like The Puffy Chair. But I was cruising the Sundance channel, and I saw it was on and recorded it.

Went back to watch it today, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Its easily as strong as most independent films, with good acting and camera work that definitely adds to the momentum of the movie. It has some painfully funny scenes, suspense (really!) and good dramatic tension. The writing (I didn’t get the feeling that it was improvised to any great extent, though I could be wrong – it happens once in a while) is terrific. The whole movie just works as a movie. The story is surprising (for a festival-type film) in that it is told in a very traditional three act structure, and despite the lack of stars and effects, that structure and the strength of the material.

Very strongly recommended, and if someone can explain to me what “mumblecore” is, I’ll be very appreciative.

The Puffy Chair


Grumps.

I Am Legend

Just a few words.

Many of you have already seen this (584 million worldwide) so I may be preaching to the choir. But I am not writing for those of you who obviously would have been attracted to something like a Will Smith action apocalypse zombie movie. You know who you are.

I am writing to those of you who would never consider seeing a movie like this based on the seven to ten word blurb that is used to market a movie like this in 110 countries around the world.

THIS MOVIE IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT IS.

What it is, is an intriguing character study of a man's reaction to isolation. What it also is - an amazing performance by a leading man who just seems to get better with age, and like Pursuit of Happyness, one that is not a simple extension of his prior, enjoyable but less impressive work. Will Smith is amazing in this movie, playing a role that you've never seen him play. There are two moments of emotional performance that are just classic (legend?) - I wont mention them so as not to spoil them, and you'll know them when you see them.

There isn't a lot of blood (very little actually), but there is a lot of story telling, and a lot of surprises, and pathos, and emotion.

See it. It really has something for everyone, and is one of few recent blockbusters (Ratatouille, being another) that really deserves that big an audience.

Role Models

First, can I start by saying, this being sick stuff is really more boring than anything else. Thankfully, I’ve found a role model, one I can study while on the recline.

OK, so he isn’t a real role model. He’s a character on television. Hank Moody, played by David Duchovny. Yes, so he isn’t a real person.

The show is Californication. Its about a New York writer who moved to Venice California. He is a confirmed bachelor with some intimacy issues. He hasn’t quite figured out the whole L.A. thing, or the whole relationship thing. But he’s got an artist inside, and he’s got love in his heart.

Maybe he’s not so much a role model. Maybe he’s an imaginary twin – he might just be a step or two up the ladder. Maybe, actually, down the ladder. I don’t know, on the ladder. Its close.

And its very entertaining.

2girls1cup.com

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Bug

William Friedkin, Billy. The Exorcist. French Connection. Some pretty remarkable work.

And now, Bug.

I mean, whoa. Holy cow. What the hell was that. Is something burning?

Bug is a play that was made into a movie for Lionsgate. It still sometimes feels like a play. Except for Friedkin’s amazing eye, it would probably feel exactly like a play. Or a very overwritten, very stagy movie.

But Friedkin’s immense talent saves it. And if you think Ashley Judd is boring, see this movie. It will change your mind. She’s terrific - revelatory.

And Michael Shannon, who is this guy. He’s incredible, a ball of energy. So interesting to watch. He doesn’t stop, he never gives the audience a breather.

I feel like the actors were on crystal meth during filming. I can’t recall that level of intensity in movie acting, maybe ever.

Its interesting to note that the movie was marketed by Lionsgate as a horror movie. Even the name of the movie makes it sound like it should be a horror movie. And I suppose that it’s the result of the modern movie marketing machine that a movie has to be classifiable in a genre for marketing bundles and demos. It has to be. It just does (why?).

But Bug isn’t a horror movie, though its cringe inducing and horrific in turns. There is plenty of horror. But if you’re expecting your typical Eli Roth mayhem, or even Rob Zombie or Cronenberg, forget it. Not gonna find that here.

I recommend it. I think for a lot of people it’s a love it or hate it kind of thing. I’m a little more love it, but I probably view this kind of work less extremely than a bunch of us. And I appreciate the acting and editing and directorial choices with the camera so much. There isn’t a move in the movie that wasn’t considered. Such a sure hand Friedkin displays. He’s been doing this a long time.

I am rambling. You get the point. Rent it or buy it.

The Devil's Rejects

It’s a wild crazy ride, and one that’s certainly not for everyone. But it’s a great story, strongly told in its own way but with references to classics both within and outside of the genre.

Rob Zombie’s The Devils Rejects somehow escaped my attention its first time around. Its now come out as part of a three disc set with House of a 1000 Corpses, Zombie’s first flick, together with a behind-the-scenes making of documentary, 30 Days of Hell.

Corpses was a very interesting homage to B-movies, with some great moments. It had style, and it was referential within the genre in its own way. Rejects takes a very big leap forward, though. It sports a great cast of familiar faces and horror icons, but used in a way that never becomes played, because the characters are well written enough that these genre stars get to do something that they haven’t been seen doing time and again.

The soundtrack, coolin' in its own right, gives the film a throwback feeling and drives the story forward. I found the photography, by documentary legend Phil Parmet, stellar, and the editing and vis FX work was amazing. The story was textured through the FX and editing in a manner that made the transitions vibrant and exciting, but without even losing track of the narrative.

For horror fans and filmmaking fans, I very much suggest you check the 3 disc set. With terrific box art and retooled intros and extras on the DVDs, its definitely on the holiday shopping list.

Grumps

Insurgents Review from NY Press

This Insurgents review is from the NY Press. I redacted it slightly because it has some spoilers in it, but you can check the nypress.com site if you want it unspoiled.

******

The indie thriller The Insurgents addresses political discontent and terrorism in post-9/11 New York more intelligently and honestly than its big-budget counterparts. It had a short run at Cobble Hill's cinema and is now available on DVD.

The Insurgents focuses on a foursome of would-be terrorists planning a Downtown Manhattan attack, and the film's ostensible protagonist is the group’s lone female member, ex-sex worker Hana (Juliette Marquis). The narrative is constructed around her participation in the attack, particularly as she becomes a bargaining chip the men deploy to keep each other in check. Their discontent with the current political climate does not, apparently, include discontent with its misogyny. James (Michael Mosley), the object of Hana’s faked affection, is a pawn to Robert’s machinations. Hana’s slightly more genuine love interest is Iraq veteran Marcus (Henry Simmons), sent home after an accident. Epitome of the emasculated brute type, Marcus articulates a frightening nothing-to-lose abandon that confuses the personal with the political: if he can’t assert his masculinity by fucking women, the logic goes, he might as well die attacking the system that destroyed his manhood (and some less-important things like Iraq). The plot’s mastermind is Robert (John Shea), a charismatic leftist author and ex-CIA agent whose charm and intelligence bring his three co-conspirators onboard. In the most disquieting moments of writer-director Scott Dacko’s film, Robert’s eloquent diatribes tap into viewers’ cynicism and discontent, nearly eliciting our support for his scheme.

As double-crossings and covert agendas emerge, however, The Insurgents starts to focus less on terrorism and more on acting. The talented cast members strive to decipher each others’ performances, all the while trying to maintain their own multiple roles. Between its political drama investigation – how can individual citizens change a spiraling system?– and its more classic thriller elements – how many lies can each character convincingly balance? – the acting and writing in The Insurgents keeps it compelling and nerve-wracking to the last moment.

Mean Streets - See It Again

What can you say about Mean Streets? Is it possible to determine the overall impact of the movie, Scorsese’s early classic, on not only his later films, but on the entire genre of gangster movies (which Mean Streets is not), Italian-American cinema (which it is), and film acting in general (due to stunning perfs by Deniro, Keitel, and very powerful and realistic supporting characters played by David Proval, Richard Romanus, and Amy Robinson, who was never again in a movie (though she has produced many)).

I don’t want to review this movie here. Its been review to death. Just reminding those who haven’t seen it, or seen it for a while. See it again. It might be Scorsese's best movie. Its like watching a French new wave film shot in Little Italy (and Los Angeles, where most of the movie was actually filmed), with Deniro instead of Belmondo and Amy Robinson instead of Jean Seberg or Jeanne Moreau. Its simply kinetic and realistic. And timely. The movie hasn’t aged, except for perhaps the sequence where the two Riverdale kids get swindled out of the firecracker money.

Review: Hair, at the Acorn Theater

Review: Hair, 40th Anniversary. At the Acorn Theater from The Real Theatre Company, Dir. Maggie Levin



Now I don’t claim to be any kind of theater guru. I know a lot about film. Not encyclopedic, but I can hold my own in most conversations. I understand the medium. But theater is a little bit more foreign to me. So take my review with a grain of salt. Cause whaddoiknow.

Anyway, I went with Adi and her friend Rona to see Hair this past Sunday. It’s the fortieth anniversary of the original production. I should say from the start that the show and its messages (other than the universal messages of racial harmony and peace) maybe aren’t my thing. While I am fairly liberal, I wont ever be confused with a hippie. I like my coffee when I wake up and I conspiculously remove body hair (comment filed under the too much information category).

But the show, despite a few rough patches due partially to technical/budget issues, was contagiously energetic and really got me. It started a bit slow, with its disorganization by design (after all, this is Hair) and the first act felt a little long, as the play set up the characters a bit. Real Theatre Co’s. version of Hair runs two and half hours, which someone joked was the director’s cut of the play. And it did feel a bit long.

That being said, after a brief intermission at the bar at the Acorn, on Theater Row, the play literally picked up an enormous amount of momentum and the second act flew by in a moment, culminating in a rendition of “Let the Sunshine In” that had the whole crowd singing and clapping along. Even yours truly, Grumpy, was among them.

Levin’s directing and staging, even at this modest budget, is quite sure-handed. Everything seems very well thought out. Of course, all of the singers are good and some are quite a bit better, upto Broadway quality. And all of the performances work, and I was pleased to see standout performances from a few of the actors cast in Digger, including Jessica Walck, Helen Highfield and the always entertaining and sometimes cross-dressing Adam Schneider. They are certainly not alone in a strong cast that keeps your eyes open, a smile on your face and your toes tappin’.

What more can I say? Go see it, tix are available online at ticketcentral.com. It ends soon, so do it now.

Grumps

What I'm Watching, What I am Reading

What I'm Watching
Entourage Season IV. Yes!
Borat - Funny but remarkably uneven. Way overhyped, i thought. Brilliant performances, though. But like the show, kind of a one joke wonder. And the producer's body, I just didnt need to see that. Ugh.
William Castle's Homicidal -Dated psycho ripoff from the master showman. And I didnt even figure it out.
Friday After Next. It is what it is. Has some good stuff. Katt Williams with the pliers is a funny bit.
Battle for Shaker Heights. Say whatcha want, I liked it. I liked the script a bunch.
For Your Consideration. Good, though felt like it coulda been better than good. Some very funny stuff, tho.
Biggie and Tupac. Great, spooky doco. Check it out.

What I am Reading
Making Movies, by Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico). Pretty interesting so far.

Fear And Loathing Review

Sometimes you see a movie and it doesn’t resonate properly the first time. Maybe it’s the depth of your experience, or lack thereof. Maybe its something else, like there are layers of subtext. In the case of my initial reaction to Terry Gilliam’s adaption of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I think the cause was different. For whatever reason, when I first turned it on, watching it on DVD when it was released, I didn’t make it past the first twenty minutes. And I love Terry Gilliam, always have. I think, though, that when I saw one of my favorite books on screen, from one of my favorite directors, it set my expectations for comedy so high that what I saw in the first twenty minutes was quite disappointing. I was watching at a friend’s place, we turned it off, and I never bought or rented it afterward.

Well, its years later, now, and I’ve had the chance to see this brilliant movie. I think the first twenty minutes is kind of the orientation period. It’s the elevator ride down. I stopped the movie before I had a chance to acclimate to its vision, to embrace what Gilliam was trying to do with the book. The way that a world is created is undeniable, and even after watching just the first bit made me realize that he had done that, but to write it off as a terrific failure, one that was brave and masterful and just didn’t work.

But I had to give it another chance. I mean, this is Terry Gilliam. Brazil, Terry Gilliam. With Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. And I am glad to report that it was my short attention span, my ADD, whatever, that led me not to recognize the brilliance in the vision and the humor that resounds throughout. Its just that he doesn’t explain his vision, the background of the characters and their real-life behavior; he just asks you to hold on to the back bumper until youre running faster than you ever have, at the same speed as the car.

The casting is brilliant, with great cameos up and down, including Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Ellen Barkin, Chris Meloni (great as Sven, the Hotel Clerk), Gary Busey (may I have a kiss before you go?), Viggo Mortensen, Cameron Diaz, Penn Jillette, Harry Dean Stanton and a bunch of others. The photography completes the trippy atmosphere, as does the use of the rear projection in driving scenes. And Del Toro is a great foil to Depp, whose movie it is and who carries the movie with his performance and voiceover and complete dedication to his homage to Hunter S. Thompson (who appears in a flashback).

Watch it. Own it. Live it (well, probably not, you’ll get arrested). And try the Land Crab.

New Movies

One of the things that I love about movies is the fact that you can be surprised, delighted and amazed by a movie unexpectedly. (Unfortunately, that’s become a little too infrequent with the onslaught of studio pablum that gets released.) Another great aspect of this is that a new movie, for lack of a better way of describing it, is any movie you haven’t seen before.

I watch a lot of movies. A lot. But there are always bunches that I want to see, intend to see, read about, hear about. I love the actors, and the storyline sounds intriguing, but for some reason, it falls in between the cracks and I don’t see it during its initial release in theaters, video or television. But the movie has already registered in my personal consciousness and forms part of an unwritten list of movies that I am going to see. (And Netflix’s queue system is actually a perfect analog for this, though my problem is that I often have rentals sitting around for months, so I don’t always get through the queue at all, and it is 120 rentals long).

One of the movies that’s been near the top of this list for quite some time is “The Station Agent.” And what is so great about the fact that its held a place on my own, personal list is that I finally watched it, and it was worth holding a place in my consciousness for that long. Its quite a good movie.

I don’t want to write a full on review of the movie here, because if you’ve seen it, you probably don’t need my review, just read Roger Ebert’s, he’s better at this stuff than I am (though, IMHO, his review gives away a little too much about the movie, so be careful if reading before seeing the movie, or while watching it, something i do sometimes). And if you haven’t seen it, I don’t want to take away anything from your viewing of the movie. Just let me say that cast and direction don’t get much better, Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Canavale (for whom my respect, already high, has gone even higher now), Michelle Williams, and a wonderful Raven Goodwin. It’s a winner of bunches of awards, including a BAFTA Award for the Script, Audience Award at Sundance and an Independent Spirit Award for Patricia Clarkson (who is good but by no means alone in a strong perf).

Walk, don’t run (you might fall), to your video store and rent it. Or Amazon it, its worth owning, or Netflix it. here. And enjoy. Lemme know what you think.

Grumps.

The Masses Speak

Well, maybe not the masses, but those with websites.

Both of my last two posts, on top horror movies, and on the last Sopranos, have been covered again and again on the internet. Its interesting, almost all of our horror picks are uniformly present on these other lists at various places.

The Sopranos thing (of ours?) is mostly very negative, from my perusing. I seem to be one of very few, other than Kevin Smith, who seems to have given David Chase a pass.

Btw, I watched Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead yesterday, and while I really liked it, I thought, in a recurring theme on this blog, that the ending kinda sucked. Lots of action with no resolution. The opposite of the last Sopranos episode?

Leaving Jersey

So you may be wondering, probably not, but you may be wondering, what I thought of the last Sopranos.

As every person with his senses in the western world (and maybe much of the rest) knows, Tony and company made their last bows on Sunday, in a very controversial episode that wrapped up about ten years and eight seasons of Sopranos. The irony of the fact that the episode was controversial derives from the fact that very little actually happened, and even more from the fact that it didn’t provide answers as to the fates of most of the main characters, in particular, Tony Soprano. Instead, as you all likely know, the screen just went black at the end of the episode, and then it was over.

When the episode was over, I have to admit, I reran (on TiVo) the last thirty seconds to make sure that my TV hadn’t played a cruel trick. I mean, of course, it immediately occurred to me that the ending was left open by David Chase, and that nothing was wrong with the cable. I saw a short film of the Lady and the Tiger in elementary school (maybe I read it too) and I’ve been very well versed on open endings ever since.

My doubt crept in because my initial reaction to the open ending was that it was highly unsatisfactory and that it was a cheat of people who have stayed with the show over the years, waiting through the long off-seasons, watching the last few which, quite frankly, didn’t always have the zip of the earlier seasons (I particularly missed Ralphie, not that he was around for that long). But I fancy myself some kind of half-assed intellectual, at least with respect to film and things related, and I think some paert of me could appreciate the fact that Chase didn’t necessarily want to tie up the storylines in a neat package. Actually watching these last few episodes, I was a little bit prepared for that ending because I didn’t see anyway to really tie everything up in any kind of satisfactory manner given the limited amoung of time left. And as each week of this final season passed, that seemed to be so much more the case.

But what about this episode. Was it so terrible? If your favorite Sopranos tend to be the gorier, plot-driven mob business episodes, then it definitely was like old canoli. But even for you folks (I am not sure I am one of you, but I am not sure I am not), there were some great moments, like Tony’s visit with Junior (“You and my dad ran North Jersey” “That’s nice,”) was a great way to wrap up the show. In fact, to me, it might have made a lot more sense to wrap up the show with that scene with Tony and Junior, in that way, which could have showed both the scope of the show over the whole of the series, and at the same time, the basic existentiality of the characters (and through them, us) because in the end, all of Junior’s actions became meaningless and disappeared in his own memory. And then, by implication, Tony’s too, and yours and mine. Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

More of my problem with the last episode has to do with my problems with the last season or two. Some of the storylines lacked the firepower (hehe) of previous ones. I couldn’t stand the AJ storyline, listening to his whining all the time, his depression. I am not saying the storyline didn’t make sense, Tony passing his empty soul down to his son, but it was like beating a dead horse, and I just didn’t want to spend so much time with this one note character. When he briefly perked up for a while when hanging with the fraternity boys, it improved, but then the storyline reverted and there was nothing new and interesting.

Part of me does feel like they cheated us the last few seasons. While there were good and developed storylines, including this beef with the NY family, there were lots of developments that just seemed to go nowhere, and new characters who were introduced simply for the purpose of being whacked out an episode or two later (like my friend and former client John Bianco). For example, what ever happened to the storyline with Bobby killing the guy in Montreal? That storyline never went anywhere, so why introduce it? And there are many examples of these types of storylines.

And because I am a producer, I always have my doubts about motivation for the direction of any show. Are they cutting down the action to save money? Its always a consideration, in any business, show business included. The well was going to run dry, so why not spend less to make the shows, which results in more for producers and key cast that has leverage. Is it true? I don’t know, but there definitely seemed to be less action in the last two years.

What does seem clear, at least at this point, is that they didn’t leave it open ended for a movie. There seems to be very little interest on David Chase’s part to do a Sopranos movie. I bet Tony Sirico would do it though.

All in all, I got a lot of enjoyment out of the Sopranos. I didn’t start watching it from the beginning, I think I caught up after it had been on two seasons already and was on its third. I had the great pleasure of getting to watch the first two seasons over a week or two period, and those seasons were terrific, the basis of the franchise. It built HBO into the powerhouse that it is. So I can’t complain too much if the last few seasons, the Vito Spatafore storyline (Johnnycakes) and the AJ stuff and some of the other storylines felt a little weak and diluted. How many shows are ever so good that they create this level of discussion? How many shows are ever this good that a mediocre episode or season can create the level of discontent that the final episode did?

I am glad to have been a Sopranos fan. It is a show with some of the best writing, acting, and most compelling characters ever produced. And it ushered in an era of television being edgier and more risk-taking, more anti-hero oriented than ever before. And that has ultimately led to some of my favorite shows, like The Shield (don’t comment you haven’t seen it, I will lose all respect for you). So I can’t complain, but you can.

Hit me.

The Top 25 Horror Films to Date

YET ANOTHE UPDATE, June 2, 2007
Its the nite before the tenth PictureStart Film festival and I am just getting used to having my mac back. I've been on a slow PC all week long, and now I am back among the 21st century dwellers. Anyway, need to respond to some of these comments, and bring the list up to date.

DONT GET LAZY, WE"RE NOT THERE YET.
I've succumbed to some other subgenres including Aliens and The Thing on the list, as well as action/adventurer/natural monster movie Jaws, which is arguably the best movie on the list.


SECOND UPDATE, May 28, 2007
Wow, so we have a lot of respondents, including one, John, who nearly wrote his own blog on horror. It kind of raises the issue of what qualifies as horror (at least for the very minor purposes of this survey). Horror has many sub-genres, including monster movies, slasher, ghost/supernatural, torture, and comedy, to name a few. There are also the thriller horror crossovers, like Se7en and Silence of the Lambs and perhaps the Omen (listed below, but maybe more horror, if only judging by the amount of gore in that movie vs. its contemporaries)and the Exorcist. I guess when I was thinking of this, while I thought about the old Universal horror stuff, and the old monster movies, I wasn't necessarily considering that sub-genre. Nor was I particularly considering other related genre movies like Tod Browning's Freaks, or action/sci-fi movies like James Cameron's great Aliens, or monster action like Blade, and straight thrillers like Diabolique, which I saw when I was seventeen or eighteen, and which my father always described as the scariest movie he had ever seen. I guess where one draws the line is somewhat arbitrary.

Do Lon Chaney and more importantly, Bela Lugosi, belong on this list somewhere. Yeah, of course (not that they care), but that again raises the issue of where to draw the line. Lugosi is one of the godfathers of horror. But movies like Phantom of the Opera, to me, dont really feel right on this list. Great, influential in effects, acting technique, maybe even music (though I believe it would have been performed live, no?), yes, but horror, not so sure.

Anyway, with the obvious issue of arbitrariness now out in the open, lets update the list a bit.

FIRST UPDATE
My mac is broken (ugh, took it to apple in soho today, waited forever so that they could send it back - i should have it back in a few days or a week (maybe ten???) but if my computer skills (or for those of you who know me, my email response time) is less than stellar, well, now I have an excuse) and Im working on my ass-old PC.

The updated list from your write-ins is below. And I may up it to 30, because it appears I may have bit off more than I can chew. And just cuz your suggestion didnt make it in yet, doesnt mean it wont, I am just conserving space for the time being.

Cool thing about the list, it makes a good netflix or to watch list for aspiring horrorphiles.
********************


So by request, I was asked to write a blog about the best horror movies ever made (before I started making em, right- maybe I’ll make one some day that can be on the list). I didn’t really do anything about the request, and I certainly know a bunch about horror, but would not consider myself an authority at all. I’m no Eli Roth (haha, wink wink).

What we did before here was to let people make their comments about the best teen movies of all time. Given my immersion in the horror world over the last six months or so, seems like a good time to make a new list, a horror list. I went to the horror Fango Con in Burbank this past Sunday, to hang with Bob Kurtzman, special fx wizard and the director of upcoming films like Dimension Films’ Buried Alive, and the independently produced The Rage. Bob is an authority on horror, and his work shows it. He’s also a great guy and I think we’ll be working together for a long time, or at least I hope so.

So anyway, now I am sitting in my little hovel in Hollywood, and having grabbed a bunch of DVD’s from the main house, I’ve been focusing on watching horror in preparation for Digger and Slaughter. So because of this, I have the first two (lets go for twenty five) entries, films I watched yesterday and today, for the list. Lets get the list (and blood) flowing.

1. Psycho – An original. Groundbreaking, and a film that has been copied from so much, in films considered classic themselves, like Silence of the Lambs, Dressed to Kill, and this next film…
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre – Toby Hooper’s classic horror oevre. I remember watching it at age 13 or 14 in Garden City. Middle of summer, late nite, everyone else was asleep. After the girl got hung on the hook by Leatherface, I proceeded to close every window on the first floor and lock em. Remarkably, there is next to no gore or blood in this movie. Other than a few rotting corpses, its all done by suggestion.
3.Halloween- Simply one of the best, and deserving of a top stop on any list. Back story goes that Moustafa Akkad approached John Carpenter after seeing Precinct Thirteen and told him that he wanted him to write and direct a movie about babysitter murderers. Carpenter and Debra Hill sat down and wrote Halloween in three weeks, on spec. They made the movie, and history, for about 300K (1979 style or whenever that was, maybe 1978).
4.Scream - One of the great scripts, one that took an overwraught genre and turned it on its head. Not the craziest about Neve in the role, but no one is perfect. Totally reinvigorated a dying (nopunintended) genre.
5. The Shining- The definition of scary. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. If you haven't why are you sitting there.
6. The Exorcist - The thinking man's (or woman's) supernatural horror thriller. Maybe not as gory as some of the entries on the list, but cemented into the minds of everyone who saw it. Created a sensation when it was released, with lines around the block, becoming one of the original blockbusters (without the bloated budget). Hopefully, Friedkin's return to the genre, Bug, will hold a candle, but I digress.
7. Suspiria - Considered by many to be Dario Argento's masterpiece for your more erudite horror fan, cant leave out the foreign entries, which brings us to...
8. The Ring (Japanese version)- the start of the japanese horror remake brigade, with The Grudge, which we making slaughter happily understand.
9. The Omen (original) - Gregory Peck and Lee Remick in another child-oriented supernatural thriller, with Richard Donner at the helm. The original is really good, a point made more clear when you watch the remake (which has its moments, mostly involving Mia Farrow and Pete Postelthwaite).
10. Night of the Living Dead - One of the groundbreakers in low budget horror and the godfather of Zombie movies.
11. Nightmare on Elm Street - The house in the first one was recently for sale in LA. Thanks, I will keep renting. Pirates on Elm Street, anyone (Johnny Depp's jump to movies from tv - and another Wes Craven entry).
12. Evil Dead - while i prefer its comedic sequel (remake), one of the standard bearers in no-budget horror, complete with arborial rape.
13. Alien - Ridley Scott sci-fi horror (yeah so I guess the parallel works) with Sigourney running around in her underwear while we all wonder if the cat has the alien inside of it.
14. Jaws - By proclamation, this great movie is a horror movie, for purposes of this list. A masterful piece of cinema, not just belonging on the great horror movies list (as if), but on the list of the great American movies.
15. The Thing - John Carpenter's 1979 remake classic with another great alien monster that had some unbelievable effects and more of his go to guy, the incomparable Kurt Russell.
16. Dawn of the Dead (2004) - Widely considered, here and elsewhere, a modern horror masterpiece, better than the recent Rodriguez entry in Grindhouse.
17. Poltergeist - Still the subject of a raging debate as to whether this is a Tobe Hooper movie or a Spielberg movie (answer is, probably both), has some of the great spooks and plenty of gore for the bloodhounds.
18. Manhunter - Michael Mann directing William Petersen and Brian Cox, with great villany and support from Tom Noonan as the toothfairy. Perhaps not as well knownm as the other entries on the list, and unfairly so. A great movie. Which brings us to...
19. Silence of the Lambs - I couldn't justify not including Jonathan Demme's scarer while including Michael Mann's movie which covers most of the same ground. I have to admit, I don't know why Mann's feels more horrific than Silence, maybe its the lower budget. Perhaps neither of them belong on the list, I don't know, but I love them both and enough of you said they belong.
19. Keep going, we arent done yet with this debate.

Multiple Award Winning Movie "My Brother" starring Vanessa Williams - Theatrical Release in 19 Cities, March 16th - Please read and forward

Please read and forward-
From the Producer of My Brother:

Friends,
I am writing this letter because I’ve had the good fortune to produce the multiple award winning movie, “My Brother,” which was conceived, written and directed by Academy award-nominee Anthony Lover, and stars Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty), Nashawn Kearse (Desperate Housewives), Tatum O’Neal (Dancing With The Stars, Rescue Me), Rodney Henry (The Lion King) and Fredro Starr (Save the Last Dance). The actors I just mentioned are names that you know for their work in other shows. We chose them because we thought they were great in what they had done before in their careers. But producing this movie has been a life-changing experience, different from other films I've produced, because of the participation of two newcomers to the movie industry.

These are the two lead performers in the movie to whom at I want to introduce you, Chris Scott and Donovan Jennings. They each are now accomplished performers themselves, with Chris winning the Founder’s Award at the HBO American Black Film Festival (the film won Best Picture honors there as well) and Donovan winning the Youth Spirit Award at the International Family Film Festival.

Neither Chris nor Donovan had ever acted before My Brother. But they have more in common – Chris and Donovan both have Downs Syndrome. They are the first African Americans with a developmental disability ever to play lead roles in a feature motion picture. And with their awards (they have won awards and the movie has won 26 awards to date in film festivals and screenings across the country, making it the most celebrated film targeting African American audiences since The Color Purple), and the way that they have touched audiences around the country, they also have proved, together, that given the opportunity and support, people of all kinds can achieve things that are beyond what many of us can imagine. Never having worked before My Brother with people with developmental disabilities, I am just one person that gained this understanding from this movie.

Because of their truly stunning performances, we now are getting the word out about My Brother with different organizations all over the country, including the Special Olympics and the National Institute for People With Disabilities. We’ll be doing premieres for My Brother with the Special Olympics on February 27th in Washington, D.C., and thereafter in Houston, where Christopher lives and works as a teacher’s assistant, and New York. We're also marketing the movie with other partners - e.g., Reverend Jesse Jackson has called the movie "A must see for African Americans."

My Brother comes out in theaters in March 16th. Organizations around the country, whether in health care or education, like the NIPD and the Rize School, are organizing group parties for the movie and buying groups of tickets in blocks to see it in the nineteen cities in which it is being released (a list of theaters is attached). Because of the way that the movie business works, for the movie to get the fullest rollout possible, its important that people go see it on its opening weekend, and not to wait until even the second or third weekend.

Please take the time and have a look at our website, www.mybrotherthemovie.com, and our myspace page, www.myspace.com/mybrotherthemovie. Check out the trailer and behind the scenes documentary for the movie. And more importantly, spread the word and join the thousands of people that have been amazed and touched by Donovan and Chris. A list of the theaters where we open March 16th is attached.

Thanks for your time,

Gregory Segal
Producer – “My Brother”

SOUTHLAKE PAVILION 24 Atlanta
MAGIC JOHNSON CAP CNTR 12 Washington DC
EMPIRE 25 New York
SOUTHFIELD 20 Detroit
STONECREST MEGASTAR 16 Atlanta
HOFFMAN 22 Richmond
WHITE MARSH 16 Baltimore
OWINGS MILLS 17 Baltimore
JERSEY GARDEN 20 Elizabeth NJ
MAGIC JOHNSON 9 NY - Harlem
FAIRLANE 21 Detroit
COUNTRY CLUB HILLS 16 Chicago
AVENTURA MALL 24 Miami
WESTBANK 16 New Orleans
REGENCY 24 Jacksonville FL
HAMPTON TOWNE CENTRE 24 Richmond/Hampton VA
CHERRY HILL 24 Cherry Hill NJ
MAGIC JOHN. GREENBRIAR 12 Atlanta
MAGIC JOHNSON 15 Los Angeles
34TH STREET 14 New York
MESQUITE 30 Dallas
GULF POINTE 30 Houston
CRESTWOOD 18 Chicago
BAY STREET 16 Oakland
TALLAHASSEE MALL 20 Tallahassee FL
NORTH DEKALB 16 Atlanta
STUDIO 30 HOU. Houston
BAY PLAZA 13 NY / Bronx
CONCORD MILLS 24 Charlotte
600 NORTH MICHIGAN 9 Chicago
FORD CITY 14 Chicago
EASTON 30 Columbus OH
ORANGE PARK 24 Jacksonville
ONTARIO MILLS 30 Los Angeles
POTOMAC MILLS 18 richmond/Norfolk VA?

Airplane Bloggin’: Far From Home Edition

On the flight back to NYC from Salt Lake City, after a week in Park City for Sundance, Slamdance, Snow and Sex. We’re only gonna be discussing the first two, because I didn’t go skiing and I don’t kiss and tell (not without compensation at least). Hopefully film related matters can keep you entertained for the next few minutes.

All in all, I spent eight days in Park City, though not quite as close to the primary “Festivities” as I thought I would be. Had a really nice condo near Kimball Junction, which normally isn’t more than a ten minute taxi ride to Main Street, home base for both Sun and her wicked brother, Slam. But on days where the industry is departing for the airport, like Monday after opening weekend, you can’t get a cab. Like you call up, and they say, ninety minutes. Or they don’t answer. They just don’t answer. And you’re sitting there, on the other end of the phone, like “Hello?” And the phone rings and rings and rings. And then you try again. Nothing….Hello? What the Fu**!(*&$Y#$(

Anyway, you get the idea. I didn’t actually even make it into the Main Street area on Monday until the evening when the taxi parade had died down a bit.

But this blog isn’t about traffic patterns. It isn’t about logistics. This particular entry is about the movies and biz of Sun and Slam. So lets get to it, shall we.

The week kicked off with the realization that at Sun, tickets are a scarce and well-guarded commodity. Even tickets to movies where you’ve raised a sizeable portion of the equity of the movie. So on Friday nite, when the Ten premiered, I went to the party (also that nite to the Snow Angels party), but actually didn’t go to the movie. I was with a friend V, and the chance of getting two tickets to the movie was absolutely zero. So instead, I settled for Tuesday screening tickets, and headed back to the condo a bit on the early side.

Tickets across the board at Sun were tough, but it’s just a learning process. And in the gaps, I was getting great tickets for Slam, because of the production deal Angel Baby has with them now. I am a sponsor. Free coat. Free hat. T-shirt. And all the redbull you can drink (not just for sponsors).

The great people at Slam (John, Peter, Sarah, and Kate) wanted me to see every movie, it seemed, so I got to go to anything I wanted, even things that were sold out. They put aside tickets for me for screenings I hadn’t even asked about in case I wanted to see them. And I saw a bunch of great stuff up at the Treasure Mountain Inn, where Slam takes place, including the audience award winner, Murder Party, a hilarious send-up of Williamsburg hipsters killing as performance art, Cold Prey, a taut slasher flick from Norway with great acting and direction, and the Jury Prize winning Tijuana Makes Me Happy, with a half-narrative half-doco style feature that was definitely unique and interesting. In addition, both Murder and Tijuana had NY filmmakers. Go team.

Down the hill, at Sun, the ticket pickings were scarcer, and I thought based on what I was hearing and seeing, less consistent. Aside from the Ten, which I found to be hilarious in parts (so did Variety) and overall very amusing (and which Ain’t It Cool News described as the best movie at Sun, 9.5/10), I saw Houndog (not my favorite, despite the presence of Grumpy fave, David Morse), and very over-hyped because of the Dakota rape thing. Also saw Low and Behold, which was exec. produced by former Film Sales Co. exec Jared Moshe (now at Sidetrack), and is, perhaps, the best true independent movie I have seen in years. Aside: What I mean by true independent movie is a movie with no stars, no names. Just compelling storytellings, spot-on acting, and great comic moments mixed in with the tragedy. Its represented by William Morris Indy, so I hope it sees the light of theatrical day. Y’all should make a point of seeing it. Miss it, and you’ll be missing out.

Other than that, I saw a few shorts programs, including Slamdance Winner Cow Thief (a definite PictureStart Film Festival invitee), took some meetings, hung with the City Lights boys, the Dough Boys guys, and David T. a bit, met Adrian Grenier, whose excellent short, Across the Hall was in the last Picturestart, and generally chilled (especially when the temperature dropped below 0F). Thank god for long johns.

The parties were fun, and I ran into a bunch of people I expected to and a number more that I didn’t expect to. The Ten had two parties, a private, exclusive one where Harvey made the rounds, and a bigger one that saw near-riots outside when people couldn’t get into the Premiere lounge. Thankfully I was already inside, escorted by Exec. Producer Jack Fisher. We actually left that party early, to go see Cold Prey up at Slamdance, a decision well worth having been made.

Besides, Jessica Alba wasn’t there.

(Though I met actor/producer Paul Rudd, who told me he plays cards with Hot Baby star Brian Vincent every Tuesday, and the very gracious Ken Marino (writer and co-star of The Ten), who I ran into a number of times with Director David Wain, who I’d already met at the National Board of Review Gala a few weeks before). Winona was there, but I didn’t have an opportunity to say hello.

We also hit the Snow Angels party with David T. from Crossroads. Also at the Premiere lounge, different nite, a key sighting was Dustin Diamond (Kate Beckinsale wasn’t in the house, and I didn’t see Grumpster favorite Tom Noonan). Kept trying to get V. to take a pic with Screech, but she declined. I guess she didn’t want to end up on his next internet video.

Dough Boys, the Louis Lombardi directed movie, which was co-produced by Peter Orphanos (who developed the My Brother website, mybrotherthemovie.com), had a party as well, at Celsius. (Louis, best known for 24 and for being the FBI agent that flipped Big Pussy on the Sopranos, was very friendly and gracious all week. We went to dinner a few times, including at terrific and expensive steak house Prime, where Michael Apted and Antonio Banderas were dining at the same time) And NY Film Commission had a party up in the hills, but we were so wiped out the night of that party, we never made it there.

Of course, an absolute highlight of the week was meeting Nathan and Bobby, the young authors of the Slamdance Horror Screenplay competition, with their script Slaughter (FYI- not a romantic comedy). From the UK Midlands, these guys (one of whom works in a video store, just like Quentin Tarantino did), flew to Salt Lake on a day’s notice when they found out they won the Horror Competition. One of them (Nathan I think) had never been on a plane before the trip to LA from Heathrow. How amazing is that. And they are bright-eyed and ready to go, do a little script polishing and get on set. I think we really hit the jackpot with these guys winning the Contest. Not only did they write a great script, but as people, they are just a pleasure to be around and are themselves a great story to boot. Having Nathan and Bobby on is gonna make this experience even better. And it was already gonna be great. Cheri W. from Maverick and I got on stage to announce the winners at the Slamdance Awards Ceremony and give them the award, which they accepted with terrific grace and class. Little do they know that members of the Slamdance staff pee on the Sparky trophies before they are handed out.

Seriously. Wash your hands. It’s a Slamdance tradition, but its kinda gross.

Anyhoo, now I am back on the plane to NYC. Pretty good flight, except that they are showing the movie I paid to see on the way out here, Invincible.

That’s OK. I had a great week.

Talk to y’all soon.

Grumpster.

A Classic

On the day before I leave for Slamdance and Sundance (yes, in that order), I have another review of a movie. Not so much a review, perhaps, as a series of superlative accolades.

Many movies don’t stand the test of time. There are movies that are absolutely resoundingly well-thought of when they come out, but this approval doesn’t last. There are aspects of a movie that stale, like old milk, in some cases. This can be the case despite great performances, terrific scores, imaginative editing, or a great script. For whatever reason, a movie can fall off. Usually one of these items (often the screenplay) loses its timeliness, its edge. It can become trite. It can be antiquated. For whatever reason, its no longer what it is.

And then there are movies like Risky Business. Made in 1980 by Warner Brother with a young Tom Cruise as Joel Goodson, this movie, which was quite popular across age groups when it came out, isn’t necessarily mentioned as a great film when people talk about the best movies of the 80’s. That is a wrongful omission. This film, to me and my perhaps less than fully trained eye, is one of the very best films of its genre, and of the eighties. Its simply fantastic, and hasn’t lost the edge it had when it came out. Not a bit.

(Forgive me for sounding like a Peter Travers review, but its true).

The story of a teenager left home by his parents, getting into trouble, became a staple of Hollywood’s teen genre (see, e.g. Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, Adventures in Babysitting, Weird Science and Sixteen Candles (at least the party) to name a few). But none of these movies did this nearly as well as Paul Brickman’s entry to the genre that became one of the princes of the box office and the source of doppelgangers to this day (See, the pleasant but somewhat punchless The Girl Next Door).

Why does the movie stand up so well? I think there are a few reasons. First, the writing, acting, music and editing are all top notch. Richard Chew, the editor, has quite the pedigree, working with Milos Forman on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and George Lucas on the original Star Wars (with Marcia Lucas editing as well). The Tangerine Dream score was ultra modern then, and still holds a minimalist sound that works terrifically in movies today. And the acting, well, bundle together some names of people that went on to substantial careers, even besides Cruise, like Curtis Armstrong, Joe Pantoliano, Bronson Pinchot, Richard Masur (as the Princeton Interviewer) and Rebecca De Morney at her very best, and you have a cast that, in a terrifically directed understated way, moves the story along with an urgency that puts you on the edge of your seat for the whole ride.

So go rent it, or buy it. Particularly if you haven’t seen it (I don’t know how popular the film was outside the US, so maybe some non-US readers haven’t seen it). Even if you aren’t a Tom Cruise fan, I don’t think you should be deterred. It is, frankly, too good to miss.

Go ahead, take a chance. Sometimes you just gotta say, "What the fuck, make your move."

Everything Is, Indeed, Illuminated

Just saw a great somewhat unknown movie (at least unknown in relation to how great it is). I don’t really do reviews for many of the reasons I’ve previously stated here. Like I don’t know who reads this blog and I don’t want to badmouth people that I work with, want to work with, might want to work with, my friends work with and I might meet. And in general, there isn’t a whole lot of need for me to negative about other people’s work. Its not like I expect everything I will ever do to be Academy Award worthy.

But that shouldn’t stop me from making reviews of things that are great. Right? Because if you don’t have anything bad to say, then why shouldn’t you feel happy to say it.

Everything Is Illuminated, which was directed by Liev Schreiber, and starring Elijah Wood. It’s a comedic, and subtly ethereal journey through the past of the Ukraine into a personal history of two families during the Holocaust. Its beautifully photographed, classic cinema based on character development and an intriguing story. Schreiber wrote the screenplay as well, which was based on the book by the same title by Jonathan Safren. While certain reviews have said that Liev greatly simplified the storyline from the book, I see a lot of depth in the way the movie brings across the tales that the characters want to portray. I haven’t read the book, but I don’t see this as a simple film at all. In any event, I hope you all will take the time to see it. Its worth your time.

Grumpy.