List of Shame #4 | My Own Private Idaho (1991)

★★★★★
Directed by GUS VAN SANT

Starring RIVER PHOENIX and KEANU REEVES


THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF THE LIST OF SHAME PROJECT: 100 MOVIES THAT WILL SHATTER MY CREDIBILITY

Expectations were high, for I've only heard the best things about it. And indeed My Own Private Idaho deserves every praise. This unconventional film about two hustlers is moving and funny, but more importantly it has depth: whether intellectually or emotionally, you realize that there's much more to it than an unrequited love. River Phoenix is as real as one can be, sublimely embodying Gus Van Sant's unique insight on human behavior. It's a film that enthralls for its creative, clever and cohesive mess. 

imdb | trailer

Happy Birthday: Sir Ian McKellen

List of Shame #3 | Psycho (1960)

★★★★★
Directed by ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Starring JANET LEIGH and ANTHONY PERKINS

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF THE LIST OF SHAME PROJECT: 100 MOVIES THAT WILL SHATTER MY CREDIBILITY

Alfred Hitchcock is said to be the master of suspense, but Psycho isn't scary. The movie starts, there's immediate mystery, and your curiosity sparks, but nothing too special. As the movie proceeds, you begin to feel a bit uncomfortable - and if you're like me, you think you're hungry, so you grab something to eat. Shortly after finishing your cornflakes you realize it wasn't hunger, for nothing has changed: your stomach feels funny, the air you inhale isn't enough, you feel your heartbeat just a bit more than you usually do. 

That's Psycho. It may be due to the soundtrack, Bates' eery shyness and mood swings, those moments of apparent passivity, or even the stuffed birds. But there's one thing that unsettles you the most, and that is a faceless killer. It has a woman's haircut, so it should be the mother, but how can you be sure? Besides the hair, all you see it's a knife and a dark shadow where the face should be. So you're imagination feeds on the possibilities, filling that missing element with the one thing you fear the most. But when the story finally unfolds, you're still not scared. You are, however, horrified by the depravity of its protagonist's mind, as the ending monologue confirms his utter madness.

So no, Psycho isn't scary - you probably won't scream or even feel the need to look away. But you will feel nervous, tensed and disturbed, and you will wonder how anyone could do such horrid things, or even imagine them.

imdb | trailer

List of Shame #2 | Gone With The Wind (1939)

★★★★★
Directed by VICTOR FLEMING

Starring CLARK GABLE, VIVIEN LEIGH and THOMAS MITCHELL

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF THE LIST OF SHAME PROJECT: 100 MOVIES THAT WILL SHATTER MY CREDIBILITY

Sorry it took me so long to watch this one - I've been busy of course, but also the film is four hours long! It's like the epic romance version of Lord of the Rings (I hope I don't offend anyone with this comparison). Both of which I absolutely loved. I was a bit concerned with Gone With The Wind - I never watched it, partially because I never though I'd like it. I knew it was considered a spectacular film, but like many other films whose grandeur is universally acknowledged, it could be, well... boring. It's not. I apologize for once again not be able to say much, but it's the same situation as Casablanca. I much rather learn some more before sharing my thoughts. Hopefully this is the last time. I did, however and again, enjoyed it very much. 

I'd also like to share a little text I found here. Just a curiosity about the most famous line in the film.

In 1939, the Hollywood Production Code dictated what could and could not be shown or said on screen, and Rhett Butler’s memorable last line presented a serious problem.  A few of the suggested alternatives were “Frankly my dear… I just don’t care,” “… it makes my gorge rise,” “… my indifference is boundless,” “… I don’t give a hoot,” and “… nothing could interest me less.”

Although legend persists that the Hays Office fined Selznick $5,000 for using the word “damn”, in fact the Motion Picture Association board passed an amendment to the Production Code on November 1, 1939, to insure that Selznick would be in compliance with the code. Henceforth, the words “hell” and “damn” would be banned except when their use “shall be essential and required for portrayal, in proper historical context, of any scene or dialogue based upon historical fact or folklore … or a quotation from a literary work, provided that no such use shall be permitted which is intrinsically objectionable or offends good taste.” 

With that amendment, the Production Code Administration had no further objection to Rhett’s closing line, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”   

imdb | trailer

Small Talk: Convictions of a Ghost

THE GHOST WRITER (2010)  | ★★★½
Just like I had promised you, I finished watching this film. And my initial take on it remains: it may not be Polanski at his best, but it sure didn't deserve all that negativity. It's one of those steady thrillers that take their time to develop the story, building up tension slowly, until they unleash it all in one scene (that would be the ferry escape). They even wrapped it up with a nice ending, just enough to shock you a bit. So it's not meant to be scary, or creepy, but more of a conspiracy theory kind of film. Pierce Brosnan is rather convincing with all the anger, and Ewan McGregor is perfectly balanced in his character's emotions, which I believe fits the film perfectly. And yes, visually wonderful - I find those foggy beach scenes breathtaking. 

CONVICTION (2010) | ★★★
A good drama that instantly draws you in, and the fact that it's based on real events makes you linger on it afterwards. How come Sam Rockwell doesn't have hollywood at his feet.

List of Shame #1 | Casablanca (1942)

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★★★★★
Directed by MICAHEL CURTIZ

Starring HUMPHREY BOGART, INGRID BERGMAN and PAUL HEINREID

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF THE LIST OF SHAME PROJECT: 100 MOVIES THAT WILL SHATTER MY CREDIBILITY

At the top of my List of Shame, could only be Casablanca. This iconic film is set in Africa, during the beginning of World War II, following the love triangle of Rick Blaine, Ilsa Lund and Victor Laszlo. Casablanca demands its place on every must-see list. Some of its legendary lines include: We'll always have Paris, Here's looking at you, kid; Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship; and the often misquoted Play it Sam. Play "As Time Goes By". Though I must say my favorite is "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine", and of course, the one I chose to highlight. I really don't feel like I can say much about it at this moment. I'm still fairly new with the Old Hollywood era, but I can say that I enjoyed Casablanca very much. It's elegant, tender, funny, heart-breaking. It goes beyond, if you know what I mean. One to watch again, for sure. 

imdb | trailer

The List of Shame: 100 Movies That Will Shatter My Credibility

I knew I was missing some essentials, but I guess I never realized how many! Today I started a list of a few movies I needed to watch urgently, like the first three, Casablanca, Gone With The Wind and Psycho - I bet that's a shocker, but it gets worse. Even though I never claimed to be an expert, and even though I rarely write about the must-sees, it seemed quite ridiculous that I was writing film reviews, when I was missing such crucial classics. So out of curiosity, I decided to take a look at all the 100 Movies You Need To See Before You Die kind of list, just to see how far off I was. Well, I came up with 100 films, so I suppose I'm pretty far. I've always had a tendency to drift towards the underappreaciated, independent films - and only recently started exploring the classics - keeping stubbornly away even from big hollywood productions, like Avatar (took me a year to finally watch that one). So in my crusade for the lost and forgotten, I didn't take the necessary time to watch the officially grand films. 

To make emends, I created this list, and decided to take its shame and turn it into something positive:
This lack of the greats shall be corrected - I'll start watching them, ideally one per day, and following the list's order. As always, I'll be blogging about this epic and shameful journey through my own lazy ignorance, now with hopes of embellishing it.  

And so, even though this is a really bad move for someone who owns a cinema blog, I give you the 100 Movies I Should Have Watched By Now.

THE LIST OF SHAME POST INDEX

True Blood Season Four: Countdown

BUT WE WON'T SUFFER FOR LONG.

Summer may be the worst time for films, but it sure isn't for series. As usual, the highly praised True Blood arrives when others end - its fourth season premieres on June 26. 

For those who never heard of it, don't get scared away for being yet another show about vampires - unless you consider Twilight, or even The Vampire Diaries, the grandeur of vampire tales. True Blood is about the monster version of vamps, not the glowing, stalker, touchy one. It's also about a whole different society, one where the existence of supernatural beings is well known, but not necessarily accepted. So besides amazing and gory visuals, visceral performances and astonishing bluntness when it comes to human behaviour, you can expect a deeper, intellectual layer that makes True Blood irresistible. 

The Funniest 10

Some say that within acting it's the toughest job you can imagine, others say that it's an art that can't be taught - you're either born with it or without it - and the truth is, few thrive is this genre. Either skinny or hairy, they're unlikely heroes that constantly surprise us, cheer us up, and so often trigger nausea. Here are some of the greatest faces of the fairly new generation of comedy actors:

JONAH HILL, ZACH GALIFIANAKIS, JAY BARUCHEL, SETH ROGEN, CHRISTOPHER MINTZ - PLASSE, ANTON YELCHIN, JASON SEGEL, TY BURRELL, MICHAEL CERA 

I can't pick the tenth guy, I'm torn between Paul Rudd and Jon Hamm. I'd say Rudd has been around for a while, and it's a full-on comedian, but even though Hamm is better known for his role as Don Draper in Mad Men, I think that after SNL, and now Bridesmaids, everyone agrees he's hilarious - what do you think? Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd.

Small Talk: Loving Tourists on Greek Pineapple Nights

This week's Small Talk arrives a day early, for I'm pretty sure I won't be able to post anything tomorrow. Sunday I realized most of the movies I had watched since last wednesday were comedies, and keeping that in mind, I carried on watching this genre, leaving you with four pure comedies and one with a more action-like feeling:

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (2009) ★★½
The first time I tried to watch this movie I stopped after the first twenty minutes, for my grandmother was in the room. And had no intention on trying again, until it was the only thing on tv two nights ago - and how ashamed I am for presuming it wouldn't be any good. As the story evolves the jokes get funnier, and the plot thickens just enough to keep it intriguing. It's rather silly, so you must be into that kind of humor - though you should expect that already, just by knowing it stars Jim Carrey. 

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (2008)

Attempting to rate this movie is a nightmare, and I have tried since I last saw it - and so I won't, for the hate messages would surely arrive after I'd give it the same rating as Black Swan. It's insane, but wonderfully insane. Afraid of writing in a too casual style, even for this segment, I will only say that it's the best stoner movie ever. Both Rogen and Franco portray a finally convincing state of being under the influence of drugs, accompanied by proper stoner jokes. It's awkwardly hilarious, and very, very silly. 

GET HIM TO THE GREEK (2010) ★★
It's got some really funny scenes, but sometimes I wondered if it was ever going to end. I suppose comedies are hard to please, for what humors each of us is often difficult to define, and so ultimately diverse. And they are certainly a drag to watch if you don't like them.

THE TOURIST (2010) ★
I almost never give such negative reviews, and there is usually only one thing that makes me wish there was something below a one-star-rating. And that is a pretentious movie that sucks - I'm sorry for the full-frontal here, I know it's reckless, and so not like me, but I mean no disrespect. It's a great cast: the three often underrated Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany. But it keeps getting slapped by an dreadful script - it's a never-ending perfume add, wrapped in foolish clichés and persistent crescendos.

DATE NIGHT (2010) ★★★ 
It doesn't have the best plot you could hope for, but as always, Tina Fey and Steve Carell manage to work around it, delivering some fine jokes. Also, the various cameos and small parts, played by wonderful actors and comedians, help make every single character colorful - Mark Wahlberg, Kristen Wiig, Mark Ruffalo, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Leighton Meester, Samantha Bee and Jason Jones.

Howl (2010)

★★★★

Directed by ROB EPSTEIN and JEFFREY FRIEDMAN

Starring JAMES FRANCO, JON HAMM and AARON TVEIT

Allen Ginsberg was a 20th century poet, regarded as one of the main figures of the Beat Generation, a turning point for american poetry. His most acclaimed poem - Howl - was accused of being obscene, and so, for publishing it, Lawrence Ferlinghetti was arrested and sued, originating the famous 1957 obscenity trial. Rob Epstein's and Jeffrey Friedman's film shifts between three parts: excerpts of the trial, an interview with Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) and certain moments of the poet's intimate life, and the declamation of the poem, Howl. All of this is arranged almost like a documentary, being too, most of the script, a direct transcript from real recordings and articles.

Ginsberg didn't go to the trial, justifying his absence by simply stating that he was not the defendant.  The tension is the courtroom wasn't that big, the dialogue was not heated. However this didn't diminish the scenes intensity in any way: while we listen to the witness's testimonies (Treat Williams, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeff Daniels), and the lawyer's interventions (Jon Hamm and David Strathairn), it's hard not to be astonished by the sheer restriction of liberty of speech that the prosecution intended, not so many years ago. Allen Ginsberg's interview, and key moments of his life - such as his mother's disease, the time he spent at a mental institution where he met Carl Solomon, and the intimate partners and friends he had, including Jack Kerouac (Todd Rotondi), Neal Cassady (Jon Prescott), and Peter Orlovsky (Aaron Tveit) - not only provide a deeper insight into the poet's life and character, but also help understanding the numerous autobiographical references that Howl contains.

James Franco embodies the poet, thoroughly capturing Ginsberg's gestures, diction and speech rhythm, vanishing behind artsy wayfarers and a thick beard - an euphemism when compared to the one Ginsberg would later grow. Franco and Tveit give life to the poet's relationship with Peter Orlovsky, in moments that thrive for the ease and precious comfort that these two actors so wonderfully display.

When it comes to Howl's declamation we are before the movie's strongest and weakest feature. In San Francisco, Allen Ginsberg presents his poem in front of a small audience. At first, shyness makes his speech hesitant, but with the audience's excited response, his confidence builds up and the declamation gains such strength and magnetic power that it will soon ignite the room, and awaken the minds and spirits of those who listen. While portraying this moment, Franco manages to achieve the same reaction, enthralling those who are on our side of the screen with Ginsberg's words, in an emotive and hypnotizing performance. Unfortunately, this great performance is repeatedly interrupted by animations that illustrate what's depicted in Howl. And even though they do help to the poem's comprehension, and never questioning their quality, they also do become a bit exhausting and excessive, especially when watching the film for the first time.

imdb | trailer