The Matrix: Revolutions

There’s not too much to say about this one. It’s certainly better than The Matrix Reloaded but not nearly as captivating as the first Matrix. The graphics are outrageous and the various battles are entertaining (ok, I’m a sucker for those fight scenes that involve characters running up walls, floating in slow motion through the air while administering judo moves and defying gravity with a blink of an eye). Almost all of the scenes involving Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) are nauseating - the romantic blah-blah sounds artificial and the acting is far from convincing. Let’s hope this really is the end of the trilogy – it’s time for the Wachowski’s to take on something different.

Hustle & Flow

A few months back the New York Times ran an article about recent films their reviewers wanted to single out as worthy or exceptional in some way. There were a few well known titles but mostly the list was devoted to independents, foreign releases, or films that had never caught the public’s eye. Hustle & Flow made the list, and on the surface it didn’t sound like very much – Memphis pimp tries to turn his life around through rap music and the help of an old friend. And yes, the film is exactly that –- but what clearly warranted its inclusion on the Times list was the solid acting that kept a familiar plot from becoming too predictable. Terrence Howard has received accolades for his role as Djay, but my favorite performances were from Taryn Manning and DJ Qualls as the slightly dim-witted Nola and the perpetually sweaty and over-eager Shelby. Hustle & Flow is a few steps removed from MTV fodder (not surprisingly, MTV had something to do with the final production or distribution) so don’t expect a critical analysis of African American poverty, urban blight, and societal breakdowns. There are other films that address those issues – but this isn’t one of them.

Object of Virtue

Based on the book jacket description of Nicholas Nicholson’s Object of Virtue, I expected a historical fiction with a strong dose of intrigue, “While researching a priceless work of art, a young man stumbles upon mystery and dark family secrets.” Sasha works for a high-end auction house in New York City as a Russian art expert specializing in Faberge craftsmanship. Anticipation mounts as Sasha traces the history of a legendary Faberge figurine that a Russian of dubious lineage has brought in to sell. The story alludes to old family feuds, and an unknown cousin associated with the Russian selling the figurine creates controversy, but despite various hints the secrets of the family are never fully revealed. A bit of danger and suspense are introduced as Sasha travels to Moscow to conduct research in the government archives, but you never get the impression he’s placing himself in real danger. Nicholson has certainly produced a well written and researched book – my knowledge of Faberge has increased from nothing to a little bit of something as a result of this reading. Object of Virtue is certainly an interesting book, just not quite as mysterious as the jacket makes it out to be.

Brick

Go out and watch this movie now. It’s been making the indie theatre circuit and is now available on DVD through Netflix. It’s hard to believe Brick is Rian Johnson’s debut film; it’s got great pacing, acting, storylines, and suspense. Yes, the dialog is slippery slick. Amazingly complex lines flow flawless from the characters’ lips – it’s as if everyone attended the Eminem school of conversation - but it works so well. How often do you enjoy a film simply because the language is so captivating? Brandon, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is the next John Cusack. He’s scruffy, boy-next-door cute but without the 80s naiveté and plays the tough guy with a good soul role perfectly, can’t wait to see where his career goes… If you enjoy the classic film noir from the 40s and 50s, this is the movie for you. Sure, the “wise guys” and “dames” are identified with different terms now (and the clothes are certainly different) – but it’s still popcorn-muching good fun.

Saved By Radio

I had the great fortune to locate Salem 66’s Natural Disasters, National Treasures on eBay a few weeks back (Salem 66 lament posted on July 4), and when it arrived I discovered that a “bonus” CD titled Saved by Radio: 2006 Folk Alliance Sampler had been included. The word Folk doesn’t turn me off as it once did, and if truth be told, my punk rock fix is largely satiated by Netflix documentaries, so I decide to see if salvation was at hand.

Even though the cover indicates folk, it wouldn’t be right to call it that, or country, or new country, or singer-songwriter (yuck! worst term ever), or alt-folk. Some of those labels fit some of the songs, but no one label applies to the entire album. There are a few tunes like “Pipe Dream” by Robin Hunter and Mark Davis’ “Face the Day” that bring to mind the great Joe Ely from mid-80s Austin, TX or Mike Ness’ Cheating at Solitaire – real punchy, roots-rocking fun. But then you take a turn and meet up with Chris Vail’s alternative-rock/college radio vibe. “We Fill the Cracks” is up-tempo pop a-la-Fountains of Wayne (that's a positive, "Stacy's Mom" is a delicious dose of power-pop in my book) and “Spit in the Mouth” combines earnest, mumbled vocals with a catchy guitar line. The synth stuff at the end of the song is a bit campy, but the first three minutes more than make up for it.

Then we come to “Harmony” by Ayla Brook and “Pages of Your Book” by Lorrie Matheson– and all I have to say is that if Dave Pirner and Dan Murphy from Soul Asylum had traveled down this road, instead of venturing into the tar-pit of crap they’ve been stuck in for the last several albums, they would still have people buying their records. The songwriting here is smart, meaningful, and sung with conviction. These are the songs that you play over and over until you learn all the lyrics so you can sing along. When Matheson sings, “if I owned the blame finger, I’d be pointing it at you” it brings back the spirit of what was so great about Made to Be Broken and While You Were Out. In 1986 Pirner and company fueled us with the line, “it ain’t bad luck, it’s just you ain’t that tough” and there is twenty years of irony to be read in those words… The Saved by Radio folks certainly deserve good luck, and hopefully they can tough it out as well.

Visit http://www.savedbyradio.com/ for a dose of hope and inspiration.

The Machinist

The Machinist is a creepy, psychological thriller about an insomniac. Careful use of colors, imagery, and music pay homage to Hitchcock’s best and combined they take an ordinary plot and twist it into something dark, uncertain, and disturbing. The pacing is often intentionally slow and the cinematography makes for great photograph-style shots that are captivating and complex. Christian Bale is perfectly unhinged as machinist Trevor Reznik, and one can only imagine the starvation diet he endured during filming – Adrian Brody’s character in The Pianist looks healthy by comparison.

The only questionable aspects were the scenes shot in the machine shop. Having spent a little time in those environs, the machinery and atmosphere were reasonably authentic, but no business in their right mind would allows welders and machinists to go without protective head and eye coverings. The little details do count for something.

Rave

Netflix’s 2-star rating of this film is pretty accurate. Rave is a cross between a bad daytime drama and an after-school special (do they even have after-school specials anymore?) Young, misguided LA hipsters want to go to a rave. They get all gussied up, do some drugs and then all sorts of bad things start to happen. Fights, teen pregnancy, OD-ing, drive by shootings – pretty much everything you could image except an earthquake. There are a few brief glimmers of acting talent, but the script is wooden and some of the scenes are laugh out loud horrible. If you’re looking for a better rave experience, Go, the 1999 film with Sarah Polley and Katie Holmes is exponentially better – even Party Monster with Macaulay Culkin would be a better choice.

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return

I devoured the first Persepolis last month (see review dated July 9, 2006) – from start to end in one sitting. Persepolis 2 is very different from the first, and it’s told accordingly - it’s hard, sad, tormented, and thoughtful. Picking up where the first book leaves off, Marjane is a young teen attending school in Austria to escape the war and growing fundamentalism in Iran. The transition proves difficult as she attempts to find her place is a society and culture so different from the one she has known at home. We witness Marjane’s isolation, drug use, love life, and depression in the stark black and white illustrations she creates for us. Following a period of homelessness, Marjane returns to Iran as a young woman and must again integrate herself into a society that she is from but no longer of. An amazing and beautiful story to read, mull over, and appreciate.

Awesome: I Fuckin’ Shot That!

I love the Beasties but I was a bit skeptical when I heard that this concert film was shot by giving video cameras to random folks in the audience. But really, I should have known better…The sound quality is awesome, which immediately elevates this film well-beyond “bootleg” status, and the editing from the various cameras is creative, interesting to watch, and well done – even if the color is a bit washed out or yellow at times. Awesome is 90 minutes of non-stop action – no wonder these guys are still so skinny. Sure, the close-up shots reveal that it’s not 1986 anymore, but who cares? “Brass Monkey” will launch your butt off the couch, “Ch-Check It Out” will keep you on your feet and with the closing song “Sabotage,” you’ll be forming your own mosh pit in the living room. Beastie Boys, you rock.

Dancer in the Dark

Last Christmas I heard Bjork’s version of “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music on the radio. The lyrics were the same as the original but the intonation was eerie – it was sung as a sad, emotionally wrenching lament. The DJ mentioned it was from the film Dancer in the Dark, and now, eight moths later; it finally reached the top of my Netflix queue. I’m a big fan of Bjork’s voice and music, especially the older stuff, so I wanted to enjoy this film – but there were parts, particularly in the middle, that were almost impossible to get through because the story-line is just so tragic. When one terrible circumstance after another happens it just gets a bit too depressing to watch. Bjork is quirky, lovely, and complex in the role of Selma, a blind factory worker desperately saving money for an operation that her son needs. However, some of the other characters – Bill, the landlord, and Jeff, the co-worker who loves Selma - are too wooden and one-dimensional. I have to say that the best part of the film was the scene where Selma sings “My Favorites Things” – it made everything else worthwhile.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I didn’t read the book, and have only a vague recollection of the original film, but this offering by Tim Burton is curious to say the least. All of the children, with the exception of Charlie, are despicable and Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka is eerily like Michael Jackson – complete with a pale, expressionless face and Jackie-O sunglasses. The set design is pure eye candy and the Oompa Loompas steal the show with their song and dance routines. There’s also a pretty funny reference to Burton’s disastrous Planet of the Apes. At least someone can laugh about it now…
Despite all the fantastical candy making gadgets though, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory leaves you craving something with a bit more substance.

Lost, Season 1

I’m a late arrival to the Lost party, and my excuse is that I relinquished my cable TV service 18+ months ago. However, seeing that so many people talk about the show with rabid enthusiasm, I added it to my Netflix queue to see if it was really worth all the froth. After watching all seven discs, in rather rapid succession, I abashedly admit to being hooked, line and sinker.

The plot has a great blend of supernatural intrigue and complex human personalities. I really enjoy how each episode shines a little light into a particular character’s past as it makes the show into something more than just “40 people on a freaky, creepy island.” There were a few bits and pieces that were a bit over-the-top but for every melodrama there were five totally captivating and spot-on scenes, so it more than compensated. I highly recommend the extra features DVD – it’s worth it for a “behind the scenes” look at the production of the polar bear and contained some hysterical footage of the original scene which involved the “bear” and the character Sawyer.

Didn’t I do a good job of not providing any spoilers? If you haven’t gotten on board with Lost, do so now. Season 2 will be available on DVD in September and I’m already queuing it up.

11:14

11:14 is the debut film from director Greg Marcks and it’s certainly worthy of renting – especially if you’re a fan of dark comedies like Shallow Grave. Five separate stories converge in the moments leading up to 11:14pm and as the film unfolds we see the connections between the various characters. There are a few brilliant performances – Hillary Swank is hysterical as the convenience store clerk who’s desperate to keep her job, and Patrick Swayze has a particularly memorable scene with a dead body and a golden retriever. And I certainly can’t leave out the antics of three teen-age boys in a van… shaving cream, book burning, and a detached penis provide an entertaining mix of dialog and urban myth. The film gets off to a somewhat slow start, but the ending provides a big bang (pun intended) and an interesting surprise.

11:14 is available through Netflix. :-)