100 Film Facts About Me

Oh, what better way to commemorate your 1000th post than by blatantly stealing a post idea from another blogger? In this case, yet another post originated by Stevee and with at least a dozen other bloggers following suit with their own posts. (I'm counting down the days before she becomes the most prolific film blogger online.) Anyway, without further ado, the 100 film facts about yours truly.

The Last King of Scotland

In one moment early on in Kevin Macdonald's The Last King of Scotland, Ugandan leader Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker) is delivering a speech. Cut to Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) watching Amin speak on the floor below. There's a look of marvel in Nicholas' eyes as he listens to the speech.

Amin actually appoints Nicholas as his personal physician, something Nicholas accepts very graciously. He is thrilled to be working for someone as prolific as Amin. But Nicholas soon sees the true nature of Idi Amin, something that results into a living nightmare.

Although not an entirely true tale, it's still fascinating to watch. Seeing so much promise turn completely sour with the simple change of a personality. It's a haunting sight to behold when you're in its presence.

The performances from Whitaker and McAvoy are superb. Whitaker displays a power-hungry madness underneath a charismatic persona. McAvoy, who should really have an Oscar nod or two by now, is compelling to watch as he goes from bystander to ally to victim of Amin's reign.

The Last King of Scotland in all honesty is a remarkable film. Whitaker and McAvoy are great in their roles. Macdonald presents the audience a cautionary story where the moral is don't believe everything you see. Sometimes it's just smoke and mirrors.

My Rating: *****

Sleepless in Seattle

With Nora Ephron's recent passing, Hollywood lost one of the more clever female writers. Anyone who has seen When Harry Met Sally... can agree with me here.

Ephron's most famous work as a director is without a doubt Sleepless in Seattle. It's easy to see why. It's everything a woman looks for a romance film, and everything a man looks for in a comedy. You don't find these films very often.

Being the classic film lover that I am, the allusions and references to An Affair to Remember made me smile. It's not exactly a film I love with a burning passion, though I admire how Ephron used it as an influence. At least it's a nice tribute to An Affair to Remember rather than a blatant rip-off.

And of course that script of Ephron's is wonderful. Very much like When Harry Met Sally..., the script for Sleepless in Seattle is full of funny moments that are also poignant at times, though it does get soppy towards the end. (My favorite moment was when one character starts crying when she talks about An Affair to Remember, and two others doing the same when they talk about The Dirty Dozen.)

I really liked Sleepless in Seattle, much more than I thought I would. (Well, I am a chick. Aren't we supposed to have a soft spot for chick flicks?) I didn't generally love it, but I might watch it again in the near future.

My Rating: ****

The Lives of Others

A good thriller is one that delivers on the first viewing. A great thriller is one that does that on every viewing. Not many fall into the latter category.

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's The Lives of Others is one of those few titles. Just the way every scene unfolds is fantastic. Think of it as a German version of The Conversation.

The way Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe) behaves in the opening scenes of the film is very much like Harry Caul in The Conversation. Both are heavily devoted to their jobs almost to the brink of obsession. Yet they find the danger of what they do as time wears on and they're too deep to get out unscathed. It's also a hell of a performance from Muhe.

Like the targets in The Conversation, the targets in The Lives of Others have absolutely no idea that their every word is being recorded. In an era where people have to be careful with their every action, this makes the blindness of the targets' own inhibitions all the more staggering. Also, the look of betrayal on Georg's (Sebastian Koch) face when he learns of the wiretapping is just transfixing.

The Lives of Others is a very fascinating film. Since we live in a world where privacy is almost not an option, it's haunting to see the era which practically started the unwavering gaze of Big Brother. Honestly one of the best films of the last decade.

My Rating: *****

Meek's Cutoff

When films open on a quiet note, meaning no dialogue or music and contains only sounds of the scene, that means the director means business. They aspire to capture the mood just from the images rather than with words. It's a move I personally like.

Kelly Reichardt does such a thing with Meek's Cutoff. In fact, she does that for the first twenty minutes or so of the film. It's a bold move for anyone to attempt it, but Reichardt makes it work.

The tale Reichardt presents in Meek's Cutoff is one of survival. Well, not exactly the characters getting so desperate they resort to cannibalism, but rather they find themselves slowly running out of resources and need to find the essentials quickly before it's too late. It's something straight out of the old westerns.

You know what "cinematography porn" is, right? That's where a film has cinematography so gorgeous and stunning, it's practically obscene. (This is applied to, say, every Terrence Malick film.) That is what Meek's Cutoff proudly displays. Shot by Chris Blauvelt, the film captures vast landscapes of barren ground that's reminiscent of the westerns by John Ford.

Meek's Cutoff in toll is a very well-crafted film. Its slow pace and lack of action might be a problem for some, but not for me. In fact, it really works on a scale this small. Really something you shouldn't skip out on.

My Rating: *****

Moonrise Kingdom

I really like Wes Anderson's films. They're sort of the sole reason for why I love movies in the first place, which is to escape reality and forget your troubles by watching someone else's.

Anderson's films always tend to display a simple story played out by eccentric characters. His new film Moonrise Kingdom continues that trend. He always knows how to infuse his films with a certain charm you can't find anywhere else, and this film is full of said charm.

Much like Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris last year, Moonrise Kingdom is a film that's simple in concept and spectacular in delivery. (You don't come across those often enough.) As mentioned earlier, there's a certain charm that's resonant throughout, again a rarity in Hollywood today.

Another noted aspect of Anderson's films is the eclectic nature of the casts. The names range from his motley crew of regulars to actors you would never guess in a million years would appear in a Wes Anderson film. With Moonrise Kingdom, the names include Bill Murray, Edward Norton (!), Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis (!!!), Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Bob Balaban and Harvey Keitel. The stars of Moonrise Kingdom, however, are Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, the protagonists of the film and both very promising young actors.

If I wasn't clear enough, Moonrise Kingdom is a wonderful film. Like Anderson's previous films, The Royal Tenenbaums in particular, it blends humor and sentiment very nicely. Do yourself a favor, and go out and see this.

My Rating: *****

Aliens

Yeah, most everyone knows that some sequels don't deliver the goods. Thankfully there are those that are just as good or even better than the original.

With Aliens, James Cameron graciously stayed true to the vision Ridley Scott presented seven years earlier. Hell, he improved it. You got to admire a director who previously worked under the wing of Roger Corman and picked up where a now-known director left off.

One of the improvements Cameron made was making Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) a more prominent character. Scott introduced us to her; Cameron made her a more in-depth role. And Weaver displays what Cameron wrote flawlessly.

In some eyes, this representation of Ripley is somewhat of a feminist's wet dream. Sure, her kicking ass and taking name is pretty awesome, but bear in mind this was released in the 1980's, an era where women were trying to reinvent their image (with shoulder pads and HUGE hair). Though I couldn't help but smile when Ripley said this to the Alien Queen: "Get away from her, you BITCH!"

In short, Aliens is probably the most badass film out there. Weaver definitely delivers here, and I applaud Cameron for making that possible. Badassery, thy name is Ripley.

My Rating: *****

Alien

Yes, we all know of Ridley Scott's sci-fi marvel that is Alien. The chestburster, well, bursting out of John Hurt's chest. The tagline reading, "In space, no one can hear you scream." We all know that. But there's more to it.

One question that I had slightly persisted as I watched Alien. What genre does it qualify under: sci-fi or horror? On the one hand, it's set in outer space so therefore it's a sci-fi film. Yet on the other hand, it's basically the freakiest shit I've seen since God knows when so therefore it's a horror film. I'm just going to say it's both.

Of course you can't talk about a film without even mentioning what went into it. I personally think it was a very smart decision to make Ripley a woman because let's face it. There are enough male heroes out there. Let the women have some fun. (Oh, Ripley was originally written as a guy, so that's why I'm saying that.) Also, the score by Jerry Goldsmith is pretty much the most horrifying score alongside John Williams' for Jaws and Bernard Herrmann's for Psycho.

I'm not sure if this was the screenwriters or Scott's idea, but the immense suspense building up to each appearance of the alien is genius. It's possible that Jaws provided some inspiration for that aspect of Alien, but for now I love that concept.

Much like when I saw The Silence of the Lambs or Halloween or Rosemary's Baby, I'm really grateful I saw this in the middle of the day. I'd probably have nightmares had I saw it at night. Probably.

My Rating: *****

Bells Are Ringing

There's always that great feeling when you see that one film you immediately fall in love with once the credits start to roll. You don't come across those very often.

For me, I saw Vincente Minnelli's Bells Are Ringing, a musical comedy starring Judy Holliday (in her final film) and Dean Martin. Much like when I saw Singin' in the Rain, this film reminded me why I love movies in the first place.

I personally think Holliday is one of the most unsung talents to even perform. From her squeaky-voiced dumb blondes in Adam's Rib and Born Yesterday to her gentle performance in Bells Are Ringing, she always make the screen light up when she's present and especially when she smiles. Also, who would have imagined that a woman who could do a voice that could break glass could also possess a very lovely singing voice?

Martin I already liked in Rio Bravo and a little in The Young Lions. Here in Bells Are Ringing, he is very charming in his role, and his comedic timing is wonderful. Also, try to find someone who doesn't swoon when that man croons. (Very impossible, trust me.)

I just loved Bells Are Ringing. It's just one of those films that you could watch over and over, and not get tired of it. Seriously, just talking about it makes me want to watch it again.

My Rating: *****

Contempt

The death of a marriage can be hard on one or both members of the union. Okay, not as much if the couple essentially hates each other more than loves each other.

The best example is shown in Mike Nichols' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, but Jean-Luc Godard also provides such a portrait in Contempt. There's still a flicker of passion between Camille (Brigitte Bardot) and Paul (Michel Piccoli) when we first see them, but that fizzles out by the next scene of them together.

But this film isn't just about a crumbling marriage, oh no. It's also about making a film, in this case The Odyssey directed by Fritz Lang (as himself). Sure, it's not exactly what Francois Truffaut did with Day for Night, but it's also a French director's tribute to cinema though it's not as heartfelt.

Contempt displays many feelings frequently found in foreign films (say that three times fast), but mostly those that are regular in Godard's other work. Such feelings include disinterest, bitterness and, well, contempt. You don't see those feelings on a grand scale in an American production.

Contempt is a very fine film. Along with the acting and Godard's direction, Raoul Coutard's cinematography and Georges Delerue's score are both haunting and beautiful. It's a very bewitching film.

My Rating: *****