Sight And Sound List

It's really funny how obsessed I can be with lists, then again I guess that's not so surprising as many movie geeks like myself consistently compile lists just for fun, Iit's just part of the culture. Take for example Roger Ebert who just unveiled the LIST he will submit to Sight and Sound for their prestigious poll of the greatest movies ever made, this poll gets done every 10 years, which means it was last done in 2002. This, of course, got me thinking of my own list of the best films ever made, which oddly enough I never really put much thought into, until of course I took a glance at Roger's list.


The Godfather
The Godfather Part 2
Vertigo
The Searchers
The Tree Of Life
12 Angry Men
Pulp Fiction
2001 A Space Odyssey
A Clockwork Orange
Dr Strangelove
Apocalypse Now
Mulholland Drive

Summer Movie Preview 2012

You hear that sound? That's the sound of explosive bombs, superheroes, no character development and little to no substance. Yes, it must be summer and with summer comes loads of big, loud, abrasive movies. It's been like this for a good long time now. The studios release their biggest blockbusters, suited for hormonally raged teenagers that just want escapism. Hey, there's nothing wrong with escapism, I like the occasional movie that wants to do nothing but entertain and numb the sense but there's something very shallow and unmoving about a movie season that takes its pride in doing that. The following 10 movies are the ones to look out for this summer. These 10 movies don't just want you to forget and escape, they have something to say and directors that have a real conscience for feeling and character. As American Beauty once tagged in its promotional campaign, "look closer".

The Dark Knight Rises (July 20th)
Here's the big one. A superhero movie that might go all the way to Oscar glory. With 2008's The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan raised the bar for Superhero movies with a Batman that had deep, humane flaws in his tortured, dark soul. It was one for the ages and The Dark Knight proved to be the biggest blockbuster since Titanic. The anticipated sequel has higher expectations and no Heath Ledger as the Joker. Instead we get Tom Hardy as big, bad Bane and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. If everything goes right and the film is just as good as its predecessor, Oscar might call for multiple nominations including a long overdue Director nod for Nolan.

Moonrise Kingdom (May 25th)
Wes Anderson is not one to abide by formula. His films are unique in tone, bold in look and original in story. Just look at his body of work (The Fantastic Mr.Fox, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited) an extendedly rich catalogue that will grow even further in the years to come. His latest, Moonrise Kingdom, stars Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and an outstanding supporting cast. Details are hush hush about the plot but what we do know is that it centers around a pair of young lovers that run away from their New England town. Opening the Cannes Film Festival this May, Moonrise Kingdom should be way up in your must-see list.

Dark Shadows (May 11th)
Whenever Tim Burton releases a movie, we pay attention. No matter how disappointing his last few remakes were -Charlie And The Chocolate Factory? Alice In Wonderland?- his latest is nevertheless anticipated. Based on the 1960's Gothic soap opera of the same name, Dark Shadows casts Burton favorite Johnny Depp as a patriarchal vampire that wakes from a century long sleep. Leave it to Burton and Depp to bring dark humor to a film that most definitely needs it in loads. Although Burton is at his best when telling his own original stories (Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd) here's hoping he nails it with this one.

The Dictator (May 16th)
Sacha Baron Cohen might just be the funniest guy in movies. 2005's Borat was not just funny, it's now a comedy classic. Expectations are high for Cohen's latest incarnation as an oppressive, western hating dictator. The trailer's jokes are hit and miss but one cannot discount Cohen's ability to provide humor with scathing satire. Although the movie might look brain dead, it looks to be painting a broad, scary picture of a society that's crumbling before our very eyes. Heavy stuff right? Leave it to Cohen to find the scary in the funny just like he did in Borat and Bruno.

Magic Mike (June 29th)
Does anybody want to watch a movie about the life of a veteran male stripper? I do. Especially when Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) directs. Channing Tatum stars as the stripper and to makes things even more interesting, Tatum started out his pre-Hollywood career as -you guessed it- a male stripper. Matthew McConaughey co-stars as the strip clubs sleazy owner.  It's the sort of personal autobiography that I look forward to in a summer of muck. It could hit all the right notes, especially with Soderbergh at the helm of this one.

Brave (June 22nd)
The folks over at Pixar (Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Up, Toy Story 1,2,3) rarely hit a false note. Their tales are filled with deftly handled characters, adult oriented themes and storytelling that's just bliss. So it's with great anticipation that we look forward to their latest original tale, Brave. In fact it is the first Pixar film to feature a female heroine, Merida. A redheaded Scotswoman that can throw a fiercer bow than Katniss Everdine ever did. Although Cars 2 was an immense disappointment, I wouldn't count Pixar out just yet.  Judging by the trailer, Brave has the potential to do big things

Prometheus (June 8th)
One of the most anticipated movies of the year, Ridley Scott's Prometheus is a prequel to his sci-fi classic Alien. Not much is known about the movie, and the teaser trailer doesn't help any further in trying to assemble the missing pieces of the puzzle. What we are left with is a scat amount of images involving the cast (Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron) as they suit up for a space mission that looks scarily bleak. In an age where the entire movie is revealed in the trailer, Scott is trying to defy the odds and have you go along with him for a ride that is riddle with questions. Isn't that how movies were supposed to be in the first place? mysterious?

To Rome With Love (June 22nd)
Woody Allen's follow-up to last year's successful Midnight In Paris has another stellar cast at its disposal. This includes Jesse Eisenberg, Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin and Allen himself . Expectations are at their highest for the Woodman's 43rd film, which follows the same formula he used in Midnight In Paris. To Rome With Love is a love letter to a city he has always adored. Will it be another successful artistic achievement or will it fall in the same routine trap as his latter career films (Scoop). No matter, if we've learned one thing about Woody Allen over the years, it's that you never count him out.


The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3rd)
The Bourne Legacy (August 3rd)
Two movie franchise reboots. If there's anything we can learn from Summer 2012 it's that fresh, new ideas are not seen anywhere. In The Amazing Spider-Man Andrew Garfield takes over the Tobey Maguire role and Marc Webb takes over Sam Raimi's directorial duties, yet there's hope. Webb directed the awesome 500 Days Of Summer, Garfield is a talented young actor and the trailer looks like it won't be the same old story. This could be a major surprise. In The Bourne Legacy Matt Damon is replaced by Jeremy Renner yet there is no Jason Bourne in the movie, it's a new agent and a new setting. Tony Gilroy, who directed the great Michael Clayton, takes the helm of the franchise and I'm betting he's going to do a solid job.

Is Television better than Film?

Vanity Fair's James Wolcott had a piece the other month on Television's quality compared to that of the movies these days. Which got me to start thinking about the state of cinema as we speak. Is there anything as good as Breaking Bad out there right now? I don't really think so. Vince Gilligan's series is so breathtaking and intense that I just wish there was a film half as good as it out there. Name me one great American movie you've seen in 2012. Yeah, that's what I thought and we are almost halfway through the year. 21 Jump Street was funny but really just funny and The Hunger Games had a bite that was lacking throughout its running time. Breaking Bad on the other hand is incendiary stuff. It chronicles Chem teacher/turned meth maker Walt White and the nervous breakdown he gets once he learns that he has lung cancer. It's a jumpy, flashy, exuberantly alive series that deservedly won Emmy's for Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. It's precisely what cinema has been missing for the past 5 months.

Want comedy? Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm is as snappy and comic as any movie out there. Having just completed its 9th season in 2011 and about to debut its 10th this August, Curb continues the ironic humor David started with Seinfeld in the 90's. The series hit its peak in an episode called "The Palestinian Chicken" in which Larry has to choose between a sexy Palestinian chicken restaurant owner or his neurotic Jewish friends. Sadly the cinema can't replicate the political incorrectness David does on HBO. It's as if movies are too scared to think outside the box whereas its cousin -Television- is no holds barred and ready to take on anything.This is the Golden Age of television and Hollywood is watching it carefully. Yet one thing Wolcott forgot when writing his article is the fact that the year's best movies still triumph over the year's best TV shows.

Maverick directors such as Terrence Malick, Nicolas Winding Refn, David Fincher and Darren Aronofsky are not on TV, they are in cinema and they are there to stay for now. If ever directors such as these make the leap to Television then maybe we can start  comparing more seriously the artistic merits of both mediums. However, for now it is too early to compare. Yes, Breaking Bad is mesmerizing stuff and the best show on TV but it can't achieve the cinematic nature of a masterpiece such as last year's The Tree Of Life or the year before with Black Swan. Those films took leaps and risks that I have not yet seen on any TV show. Their cinematic languages are as strong as anything on HBO or AMC. It's as simple as that. Although for the time being I'm more hooked on watching HBO's new series Girls - a Judd Apatow created treat that brings you into the lives of 4 new york city girls. The show isn't afraid to show these girls and all their flaws, it's a scathing, penetrating look at a subject that might be too taboo for Hollywood. Go for the ride.

"The Hunger Games"

 ★★ ½ (PG-13)

When Gary Ross decided to tackle Suzanne Collins' ultra popular book Hunger Games' translation onto the screen, I was kind of hopeful. Ross is really no Hollywood hack trying to make a quick buck. His previous 2 films were the delightful Pleasantville and the more than decent horse race flick Seabiscuit. In Hunger Games Ross does the legion of Collins fans proud, of course this all comes with compromises. The books aren't necessarily what I'd call high art in the first place and the story -although an interesting concept- has been done before in films like The Running Man and Battle Royale. The Hunger Games is much tamer than those 2 films and that is one of the problems I had with Ross' film. It doesn't have that Tarantino explicitness going for it. Then again there's is stuff to recommend here too.

The story is set in the near future where a "survivor"-type reality TV show is organized by a big brother-type of government. The catch? the government chosen, lottery picked teenage contestants have to kill off each other with only one winner remaining in the end. Pretty dark stuff right? And Ross does an admirably good job with the story and keeping our attention throughout. The problem lies with the fact that the 140 minute running time isn't enough to fully develop the story. And of the 24 contestants vying to stay alive, only a handful actually get decently developed. There also is a gooey love story that just didn't need to be developed this much -even though I hear it's just as prominent in the book, which kind of explains all the rabid teenage girls that have fallen prey to the novels. The film falls short in being a great Sci-Fi movie because it just doesn't have the social criticism that infused such classics as Minority Report or 2001 - the series' readership sadly does not have the ability to comprehend such heavy stuff.

What keeps this film from being a dissapointment? Jennifer Lawrence's great performance as heroine Katniss Everdine. Lawrence, who's quiet performance in 2010's underrated Winter's Bone still haunts me to this day, shows incredible flair for a 20 year old actress. Her wits as an actress are noticed and the film just wouldn't be the same without her fiery talent. Everdine is an expert archer and her bow is the talent that can keep her from dying in the bloody contest. There are gripping action scenes which are just as disturbing as anything I've seen in Hollywood this year. Kids fighting kids to death? of course that will get our attention, it's a juicy plot that really works at times. However at close to 142 minutes long the film can be draggy and doesn't go anywhere but then again Ross -out of nowhere- can grab our attention by staging expertly done and suspenseful action set pieces.

"Titanic 3D" & memories

It's really no surprise when I say that Titanic 3D is the best movie playing right now in movie theaters. Its epic scope and unsurprising amount of passion beats anything. I remember watching the film for the first time more than 17 years ago and being amazed by its pop spectacle. And all through the years I've had a chance to re-watch it and re-live what I had experienced in that very same theater in December of 1997. One can however look back on the flaws that have encompassed James Cameron's film. I always thought the upper class/lower class divide in the film was a bit too facile and manipulative, as if Cameron wanted the rich too be sleazy and devious and the poor to be all too innocent. Ditto Cameron's dialogue which has always been a problem in his films from The Terminator all the way to Avatar.

Then there's the love story which is really the heart and soul of the film and something that I'm sure was well thought out and had substantial meaning to Cameron. It can clearly be seen on screen through the images he creates and NOT the dialogue -"I'll never let go Jack"? ugh. That's the thing though, with all the flaws that come with a Cameron film you can never deny his passion for the images he creates. Just look at Avatar which was worth watching for its incredible imagery despite its Pocahontas-like deja vu and semiprofessional dialogue. In Titanic Cameron explains his story through harrowing images like that of an upside down ship cracked to it foundation, falling bodies dipping into a sea of nothing or two lovers standing at the peak of the boat with their arms up in the air as if finally free of the conventions.

Then there's of course that famous scene in which Kate Winslet's Rose poses naked for Leonardo Dicaprio's Jack. Such pop culture moments are far and few these days. When was the last time a movie came out in which an entire nation was dissecting a slew of its scenes? That stuff just doesn't happen anymore not even when The Dark Knight came out and made Titanic-esque money. However as much as Cameron is to be congratulated for his poet's eye and degraded for his tin ears, one cannot forget the amazing performances that came in the form of Dicaprio and Winslet's. Their careers were just starting and they were not yet known as major talents yet the film changed everything. This is one of those rare instances where actor and actress came together to create something special & given the fact that Dicaprio didn't even get nominated for an Oscar shows the lack of brains in the academy's arsenal at the time.

At the end of it all this was a pop culture masterpiece. Something that not only critics could rave about but audiences too. A kind of Gone With Wind phenomenon that America hadn't really seen since that 1939 epic. Sometimes a movie is just too damn good to neglect despite its obvious flaws and Titanic was that very movie, an American epic that just wow-ed people and convinced them of the power and possibilities that movies can create. James Cameron visual eye, Winslet & Dicaprio's incredible talents and the breathtaking special effects took it all home for us and left us moved by the end of its blown up 194 minute running time . Now if only Cameron could have resisted and taken out that god-awful Celine Dion song.