The Darjeeling Limited

In Wes Anderson's new film three brothers embark on a 'spiritual' journey in India. While carefully organizing the spiritual quest big brother Francis (Owen Wilson) wrapped in bandages from a car accident orders brother Jack (Schwartzman) and Petter (Brody) around. Aboard the Darjeeling Limited a precisely planned odyssey becomes anything but.
In the past Anderson has made classy high brow comedies like The Royal Tennenbaums and the Life Aquatic. His unique use of pastelish colors, off-beat writing and odd pacing have made him one of the few great independent writer directors of this generation. What makes Darjeeling stick out is that this time around Anderson has written a story that focuses on just a few characters and their journey. It's diverse in its narrative and tells a well rounded story. It's consistently funny and even manages to bring a few tears to the table.
Some say that all Anderson films are the same. Yes, the style is similar but this is why i admire Anderson's work. 'The Darjeeling Limited' is his best work so far. It utilizes everything that makes Anderson such a great artist and also is an accessible feature with great performances all around.

Inland Empire DVD out now.

The first time I saw this movie I was upset. After a long wait Lynch releases a perplexing experimental ultimately inaccessible film. The people I saw it with were First-Time Lynchers and pretty much Lost in Absurdia. I enjoyed the film to an extent but thought it was way too long and could've used some trimming. Digital Video is not meant to be blown up to theater screen size and looked kind of muddy.

I decided to give the film another chance thinking that I might see something new the second time. The second time around was entertaining and invaluable. I had gotten past the initial viewing and had a chance to watch it alone in the safety of my home. (with all the lights out, eekk) The film jumps around a lot, but, I think I started to put things together:

1. There are many universes in this film. Worlds within worlds within worlds. Each world is a muddier second generation dub of the one before.
2. Each character is represented differently in each world.
3. The rabbit at the beginning of the film is controlling everything.
4. The rabbit and the Director (Jeremy Irons) are the same person.
4.5 The girl in the bedroom represents the audience.
5. Nikki (Laura Dern) jumps between worlds, she becomes the character she is playing in the film (Susan)She jumps into the body of the pregnant prostitute (Juliette Binoche) and is trying to save the girl in the bedroom watching what we are watching. (saving the audience, tying things together)
6. Nikki has an affair with Devon (Justin Theroux) but its really her character Susan having an affair with Devons character (Billy). But, to everyone else, Nikki is having sex with Devon.
Thats all the guster I can muster.

ONCE

There's not much one can say about this film. Rarely is a movie so beautiful that it is beyond words. I am a music lover and before seeing this film hadn't heard of Dan Hansard or The Frames. An irish singer-songwriter is playing guitar on the street singing with the passion and the conviction that only a true artist can create. He instantly connects with a girl Marketa Irglova, who likes his songs and wants more. They connect musically while playing one of the singers songs in a closed music shop.
Eventually the this relationship inspires the singer to get record a demo and motivates him to go to London and join his lost lover. The film doesn't fall into cliche' romantic territory. It is simply about two people who find in each other something real and tender and while there is an attraction it's merely spiritual. This is my favorite movie this year. I wholeheartedly recommend this film to any film lover and any music lover.

The Simpsons Movie

I used to think the Simpsons was a dirty show. I would see T-shirts at the mall with pioctures of Bart Simpsons flipping the bird saying"F**k you man!" This is why my folks banned the Simpsons from our house. Everyone at school talked about how funny the show was. I just cried at home having been neglected pristine entertainment. Poor poor me.
Years later though I was a grown up and capable of making my own decisions. I discovered that The Simpsons wasn't just a foul-mouthed crass show about an eight year old boy. But, a hilarious satire about American Life, dead-beat dads, over zealous christians and popular culture. Ironically my parents have to ask MY permission to borrow my DVD sets of the Simpsons seasons. HA HA!

The movie version of the show is quite spectacular, maybe a bit too spectacular. The original writers are back, bringing us a funnier movie than any epsiode in the last four years. (The last time Simpsons was consistently funny was maybe season 14.)
The pacing is slower and the scenes last three times as long as the show since the writers are not constrained by twenty-one minutes. This gives them the time to tell a story. The writing is funny, the animation is excellent.
I was dissappointed again by my local theaters choice to show this in High Def. You could make out the scan lines and the whites seemed a bit too white. This needed to be shown on 35mm to get the correct effect. Also some of the characters were a bit different than the show. Bart was kind of a wuss, a little too needy maybe. Other than that the movie was great. See it. yay.

the arcade fire

Cold Wind by the Arcade Fire



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i just saw the arcade fire at the Chicago Theater (easily the best place to view a seated concert in chicago) I love this band. Maybe even my favorite band besdies radiohead. And if anyone knows me thats saying a lot. The new album is brilliant and every pore in my body feels every word in that album. I saw the show with my consumate concert buddy Shimmin. We were both nearly in tears by the end of 'AntiChrist tV blues.' Beautiful song about God and Money and ultimately television. I think anyone who likes music should listen to this band and really anybody thats not a total 'enemy of cool' will appreciate every aspect of this spectacular group. Best show of the week. Better than the morrissey REDUX last Tuesday and more emotional and fun than Bjork and her shiny gold dress that made it impossible for me to make her out as a human being.

Blood Diamond

One day I want to get married. Maybe even buy a ring. A ring with a diamond on it. A big nasty diamond. You can have it. I love you.
If you are at the video store this week and have to decide between like Apocalypto or some other heavy schlock rent 'Blood Diamond.' Easily one of the best films of 2006 and easily one of the best of the last few years. The film was not quite on myl.ist of films to rent but my netflix que was slim and I felt as if i needed to fill it. Wow.
The film centers around an African who is kidknapped and forced to work as a slave unearthing diamonds. He loses his family and eventually his son, a diamond slugger played mioraculously by Leonardo DiCaprio and a bleeding heart journalist played by Jennifer Connelly. The film is directed by Edward Zwick who hasn't directed anything important since 'Glory.' This film is gritty and real and intense and emotional. Very good. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

evil peter wears black and looks like connor oberst

Being a film buff is a constant compromise. I was turned into this drooling looney creature as a teenager when I was introduced to "independent" films (basically anything released by Miramax in the wake of Pulp Fiction). So my admiration of film has come from great storytelling and investing my emotion in deep and interesting characters and not grand Special effects and action. But, also being a dork I find my self inexplicably drawn to Comic book and Fantasy films. Unfortunately I have not seen an indie I so greatly admired as say the "lord of the rings" series or Spiderman 2 (the best comic adaptation yet), in a few years. Maybe more. Anyway, on with the review of Spiderman 3.
S3 is total popcorn. It lacks the emotional capacity of part two but ups the ante with more villains and tighter action. I expected a film that had too much story to tell and not enough time to do it. So was I disappointed? No. It was definitely fun but not as good as the first two. But, not as bad as Fantastic four or the disastrously awful X-men 3.
The cast in the spiderman films is great. I really hope that if Raimi decides to direct another installment that everyone is still involved. S3 is highly recommended. (Although I am sure that most of you that want to see it have already seen it. ) Spiderman is by far my favorite comic book series. I don't read comic books (or many actual books for that matter) so my opinion maybe skewered. I do love Spiderman because he's easy to relate too. He's torn at the seams, he struggles with his powers and has a real life. He's not some rich jerk that likes to fight crime (Batman anyone?) He's just a young guy that just wants to do a little good and has a crappy apartment and can't quite seem to get the girl. So my friends, go see Spiderman 3 and then go home and watch part 2 to remind yourself how good part two and is hopw part 3 could've been just a little better.