Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Hunchback of Notre Dame- Awesome. Underrated. Sure, the gargoyles are kind of annoying, but all disney movies need a bit of comic relief. I would probably place it at the level of 'Hercules', where it's great to go back to and gives you a real uplifting feeling for watching a good movie, but it's too modern to be a classic. The actual story of the film is extremely interesting and thought provoking, with religious themes and imagery that are kind of mind blowing. It kind of gives me the same feeling I got at the end of the 'Sinbad' animated film, where the love triangle chooses not to satisfy the viewer (at least in my opinion), but it's disappointment only makes me feel like I watched a more real film than a dark one. Also, it's short so it's not to much of a hassle to come back to.



Shaun of the Dead- Coming off of watching the new 'The Walking Dead', this film is just what I needed. I've always preferred the horror comedy hybrid genre over flat out horror, and Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg wrote pretty much the staple for the modern day. The satire on the younger generation's "laziness" and the thrust into the "Hero story" is pitch perfect and this and 'Hot Fuzz' have become classic for this reason. The cast is great, obviously Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who are one of the my memorable duos of recent history, but especially Bill Nighy as Shaun's Stepdad, Phillip. I just love the way the film is constructed. Its got fast paced cuts, great one liners, a killer soundtrack ("Ghost Town", "Zombie Nation", tongue in cheek, yes). How about that Queen, "Don't Stop Me Now" scene? It just works so well. If you've seen it, it's great for a second, third, fourth, etc. viewing, and if you haven't seen it, rent it now. Although, to be fair, if you aren't a fan of gore, some bits could freak you out. Wright may poke fun at the genre, but it's more of a homage then spoof, and includes just as many horror elements as well.



- Jeff Bassin

Tuesday October 25, 2011

Meek's Cutoff- To be fair, I have been working on this movie for about a week now, in between class and other things. But I finished it today, so that's when I'll make my opinion on it. The first few minutes are kind of unbearable, but for people who crave the west, I'm sure staring at shots of the Oregon Desert will be all you need to fill your odd shaped belly. But for people like me, we're gonna need something else to settle the meal. I'm going to stop with that metaphor. Throughout the film, I wasn't really involved in any character whatsoever besides Stephen Meek (and that's just because he has a fine shaped beard). The cast is great, but it seems wasted when you see them mostly doing everyday 1845 stuff like washing clothes or drinking water. Sure. It's realistic. But hey! It's not interesting. But don't worry, by the halfway point it starts to get there. It's a unique film that portrays the times and difficulties of the Oregon Trail (Yes, this is basically like the computer game, The Oregon Trail: The Movie). My biggest problem is that it never really gets to that big thrilling moment you want it to. It's like a snapshot picture of a family left at a museum. You know there's a story behind them, but is it really worth telling?



Funny Games (1997)- To be fair, here's some insight. I had seen Haneke's 2007 version of 'Funny Games' when it was originally released and thoroughly hated it. Somewhere between the (SPOILER) murdered child and long a** 10 minute shot of the parent crying on the floor, I gave up on any point it was trying to make.

But maybe I wasn't prepared for it. Maybe I expected an american hollywood horror film, where the heroes are victorious (except for the abrupt sequel endings), and there isn't a strong message to be found. That's the schema of facts that brought me to such hatred for this vicious film. But somehow, instead of being the story written by a sadistic man to inflict pain on viewers (the remake), this (original) version became the story of a sadistic man writing to point out that everyone in the world is just as sadistic as him. I can't quite agree with that message, but at least I got the point this time around. It's truly funny, that I've come to this belief, since they are the same film, shot for shot, line for line. Maybe I have to watch the remake again. I did watch it with a lack of expectation, so one can understand my shock in initial viewing. It's a provocative film. It gets you talking and asking questions. It gets you thinking. I guess thats good. That first viewing, I guess somehow, something got lost in translation.



- Jeff Bassin

Sunday October 23, 2011

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory- Caught this one on ABC Family today, and it's sometimes difficult to compare a remake film to its original, but in the end, one must decide. Despite making several improvements on this version, it's hard to hate on a movie with as much imagination, color, and catchy songs as this one. Sorry, but Gene Wilder just works the screen in a way that Depp doesn't. Maybe it's Depp's utter creepiness and acid attitude that keeps me away, but this film shows Wonka in a much less crazed tone, which is kind of comforting. In the new version, when Charlie ends up working with Wonka, I get a weird unfriendly/psycho killer vibe, while in the original, I feel genuine heart. I think the biggest differences between the 2 really is the musical aspect and the character of Wonka. Wonka in the original seems to have his plan well put together, weeding out kids like he wrote it in fate's weave. The new Wonka seems like he wrote a death song for everybody and every situation, because he gets a simple pleasure from watching kids bite the dust. Either way, both are good films, and I wouldn't expect it, but they go well together.



- Jeff Bassin

Saturday October 22, 2011

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Caught it on ABC Family and was able to appreciate it more this time than ever before. Burton adapts the film from the book, making it worthy of watching on it's own, and completely different from it's original, kind of making it the perfect kind of remake. What can I say, I really enjoyed Burton's symmetrical designs for backgrounds and the dark humor of John August's tight script. I might not have dug Johnny Depp's crazed version of Willy Wonka, but to be fair, this is probably how he would have come out if he had the childhood that is portrayed in the film. Maybe. I accept it. Also, David Kelly's performance of Grandpa Joe wasn't as good as Jack Albertson's, but that's small potatoes by comparison to just about the perfect cast of child actors I've seen in a film. Freddie Highmore has always done a good job playing innocent, but Charlie Bucket is probably the best of all those roles. Just as well, AnnaSophia Robb, Julia Winter, Jordan Fry, and Philip Wiegratz have all done such a good job with their roles, that I can hardly remember the former cast. Also, I'm glad Burton removed the disturbing-ness of the Boat Scene… to replace it with the horrific sight of Puppets burning, and the children's odd shapes when departing the factory. At least I can laugh through one version. Nice work.



- Jeff Bassin

Tuesday October 18, 2011

Young Torless- This is a pretty darn fantastic German film. It's one thing to watch 'Schindler's List' and see the disturbing events of the Holocaust, but better than that is to truly be frightened by the events when they are not even happening. 'Torless' uses the poor treatment of a child at a Boys' School to portray the Holocaust and the limited power German society had to stop the words of the Nazi Party. The even greater knowledge is knowing that it was a novel that was released 40 years prior to the events of the Holocaust. The novel by Robert Musil in many ways predicted the events to come, and now made into a film by Volker Schlondorff 20 years after the Holocaust, reminds the audience that even though everyone in the Nazi party didn't agree with their leader, sometimes, conforming is the only way to keep one's self safe. Dark stuff. Dark stuff indeed.



- Jeff Bassin

Friday October 14, 2011

Bad Teacher- A dumb guilty pleasure type film, it will make you laugh, but it won't blow your mind. The premise is the combination of bad santa except with a teacher, and it plays off in a more tame way. Cameron Diaz is funny and wild in her rude and selfish attitude, with Justin Timberlake playing the exact opposite of Diaz, and Jason Segal not really trying to do anything at all and just floating along with the tide of the film. I enjoyed certain moments more than others, and whenever the film turned to gross out comedy, it lost my attention, but there are some genuine moments, and those are the ones that made this film worth the viewing. It also didn't make teaching seem like a good profession, with all of the characters coming across stupid, lazy, or weird. Also, it was nice to see Eric Stonestreet (Cameron of 'Modern Family') playing against his MF character type (though that might not be true, since there are a lot of muscle pictures on the wall of his apartment). It's a rental film. So see it if you want a feel good time.



- Jeff Bassin

Tuesday October 11, 2011

The Murderers Are Among Us- Outside of sounding like an old 50s B-movie or an episode of the 'Twilight Zone', this is a solid movie about the struggle of the mind after tragedy. It's kind of like 'Ordinary People' but with the holocaust being the role of the brother. In that, I mean it's about a Doctor who drinks and atones for the sins of his past horrors, so he mopes around for an hour and a half. But it's a good mope. Although the chick character's involvement could have been better. She was in a concentration camp but she falls in love with the ex-nazi doctor like she was put in a different movie entirely. We are in 'Crime and Punishment' but she is in some random love movie. I think they really gave up a chance to explore her character although she is a strong silent force behind the Doctor's rehabilitation. The film was made right after World War II (the first German movie made after WWII), so it's kind of like the equivalent for 9/11 movies of our day. The stark and bleak tone perfectly matches the war torn locations the film was shot on. It is intensely political (with statements like Peace is just the Pause between the droves of more dead, etc.) and holds messages of hope through the Doctor's attempt to right the wrongs of himself and those around him. It also makes a solid christmas movie sort of because it describes the idea of christmas' message of forgiveness. I mean, if you want to show your kids a movie about the holocaust on christmas.



- Jeff Bassin

Wednesday October 5, 2011 - AMERICAN HORROR STORY PREMIERES

It's been a while since I've posted anything (busy and all that junk, so I wrote a review for another premiere.

American Horror Story- I'm going to be honest. First look, awesome. Second look, blah, what the fu#$? Third look, Ughhh. I mean, it's an intriguing show premise, like that of the novel 'House of Leaves', but it's confusing and way too over the top for me to "want" to willingly invest my time in it. Obviously, that means I will. Hopefully it pays off. Also, I feel like it's stealing elements of horror films rather than paying homage to them. There are way too many, "hey, that reminds me of the twins in 'The Shining' and that reminds me of the weird old lady that appears young in 'The Shining'" moments for this show to leave an "Original" impression on me. Sure, it's got that weirdo pushing boundaries style that Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk presented over and over again in their previous show, 'Nip/Tuck' (I remember all the old ads for it claiming it as the most "Provocative show on television"), but that show ran out of story arc ideas after three seasons and this one seems like it has even less room to build on. Keep in mind Murphy and Falchuk are also responsible for the ever so losing interest and ideas, 'Glee', so perhaps that may become a factor as the show progresses. Plan ahead guys, Joss Whedon style. Then again, Whedon's recent TV efforts are cancelled before their time while everything these two do end up in that 'The Office' time continuum. When will it end? Steve Carell is gone. That was the show. But that's not the point. This show is okay. At least for now. I mean, how much insanity can a family face before they either kill themselves or each other? In fact, that could be the new title. Ehh, too long. But it would summarize the show better than it's current.



- Jeff Bassin