Long Time No Post

So it has been a while since I last posted dear readers, and for this I apologize. I know there aren't many who read this, but for those who do here is another one of my posts right after this one. Things in my life have been slightly hectic, and hopefully as they start to slow down now they I will have more time for blogging. So hope you enjoy my next few posts.

Heat or one of the best modern crime dramas ever

This movie is an older movie that came out in 1995. It features some of the finest actors of any day. A few of these being little names like Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Val Kilmer. Ya know, no one that well known. In case the internet has failed me and it didn't come through, that was sarcasm. This movie is full of big name A-list and B-list actors. Almost everyone in this movie had, or has a pretty decent acting career. Than there is the excellent score that sets every mood exactly the way it should be. The directing, and the director of photography should be applauded for making something that looks and sounds incredible. But I'm just delving into the technical aspects there and that isn't what this is meant to be about.

First of all I want to preface this by saying this movie is one of those that anyone who has 3 hours of their life to kill on a movie, they could do much worse than to watch Heat. The story is pretty simplistic. It is about a crew (lead by a stone cold Robert DeNiro) that takes down major scores, that's a group of criminals who are big deal thieves. This crew catches the eye of a big deal cop (Al Pacino) who works taking down guys like them. He and his team start to work on trying to take down DeNiro and his crew. Pacino is on the downslope of a marriage because he really is married to his job. DeNiro is working on his "one last job" to be able to finally leave with a woman he's just met. His crew is full of their own issues that add to the overall story, not take away from it unlike most movies like this that try and create more character out of their side stories. Now one of the reasons Michael Mann got so much attention to this movie was because he did something no one else ever had. He got DeNiro and Pacino sharing the screen for the first time ever and having a conversation between one another. This scene sums of the themes of the film perfectly. It is some of the most powerful dialogue in cinema that simply states DeNiro is his crimes, and Pacino is his hunt to catch criminals.

This movie is FULL of action and huge tension filled scenes. It is constantly either building towards a big scene, or is in the middle of one. Anyone who likes well made, character filled action movies will enjoy this movie. I guarantee it.

You keep reading them, I'll keep writing them.

Five Easy Pieces

This film that I am going to be talking about is a bit older than a lot of the ones I normally would discuss. Now I don't talk about older movies normally because I feel like most people would have already seen them, not because I don't like them. This one is considered by many to be a classic, but I feel like over the years has been overshadowed by a lot of the other much more popular movies by its lead actor. The movie I am talking about is Five Easy Pieces (1970), and the lead actor is Jack Nicholson. Now most people will say The Shining (1980) is their favorite Nicholson film. Others will say One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975). Still others might say Chinatown (1974). In my case it is this film. Five Easy Pieces is one of those movies you will watch and be amazed at the depth of the emotions and the acting that Nicholson pours into his character. It had a number of awards poured onto it at the time, and a number of critics gave it high ratings. However, I think that at this point after all the movies Nicholson has done, and the type of movies he has done it becomes ignored.

The movie is about a family of upper-crust individuals who Nicholson is a part of and has completely separated himself from. Most of them are musically gifted, including Nicholson who is an extremely gifted pianist. He has, however, not only left his family behind, but also his wonderful gift with the piano. He seems to have done this almost as a part of leaving his family because it is part of what his father expected of him. He learns that his father is sick and has had a stroke leaving him unable to speak, and also that his current girlfriend is pregnant. So he packs up his car to go see his family who he has not seen in years. He brings along his girlfriend, despite his trying to leave her behind when he goes. He does this at the time not because he doesn't want to bring her, but more because he knows she will not fit in with his family at all. So he leaves his job on an oilfield to go to his family, he stops to see his sister during this, and in a very emotional scene plays the piano for the second time in the film. She tells him he shouldn't have left behind his gift, and that he should try and make up with their father as well since he is so sick. He blows her off and says he needs to go. All throughout the movie you see that he is angry with his family, with himself, and with the world at large. You aren't sure why until a very charged scene where he talks with his father in a one sided conversation since his father can't speak. This monologue completely encompasses what this film is truly about. There are several scenes in this movie that should not be missed, and this is one movie that people should do themselves a favor and watch if they have never seen it. Karen Black is also in this as Nicholsons girlfriend and she is quite good, although I don't know that she deserved the Oscar that she got for her performance. I think in a lot of ways she received it because it was so different of a part from her normal type as a scream queen.

So in the end all I want to say is see this movie with an open mind and put aside any feelings you have for or against Jack Nicholson and his performances in general. If you do you will see a movie that is both humorous at times and heart wrenching, even bleak. It is a powerful film by any standards and deserves to be remembered and seen. You keep reading them, and I'll keep writing them.

All Star Superman The Cartoon Movie

"Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Kindly couple. Superman."

Now to start off with I want to highly recommend anyone who likes cartoon movies to go out and check out every single direct to video DC Universe cartoon movie that they have put out. Marvel may be winning in the theatrical live action releases right now, but they can't touch DC with the cartoon direct to video market. The titles that they have release all have either Batman, Superman, or both in them so far with one exception (that would be Superman/Shazam because of the short cartoons that they included with that that were far better than the main feature that featured The Spectre, Jonah Hex, and Green Arrow). All Star Superman is the icing on the cake for this argument. It is so excellent and so filled with wonderful story and solid voice acting that I wish I could go back and watch it again for the first time. It is based on the popular Eisner award winning Grant Morrison story. However, those that are coming to the table expecting everything that was in those comics will be greatly disappointed. So if you've read those comics, come to watch this with fresh eyes as best as you can. Those that haven't read it yet, please don't read it until after you see this.

Now as for the story it starts off as most Superman stories start off. Superman has to save the day for some scientists who have been sabotaged by Lex Luthor. What makes this time different is that not only is this a trap for Superman, but this time it works. Superman saves the scientists who are out in space from crashing into the sun. What happens as a result of this though is that Supermans cells get so charged with solar energy that he gains new powers, and greatly enhances his already existing powerful abilities. Doesn't sound so bad, right? Wrong. See what this also has done is that Supermans cells can't handle all this solar radiation. Kind of like a battery that has been overcharged. So now Superman finds out he's dying. This is how the story starts out. From there it goes on to show what he does with his last days, and how he wraps up all of his unfinished business so that he feels like he can die and leave the world safe. That is where the story gets really interesting. I don't want to give anything away, but he does clash with Luthor a few times, and he sees another one or two of his old enemies. He also finds a way to settle things with Lois. This story isn't your grandfathers Superman. It has a lot of depth, heart, and drama. The score to this is so good it makes you want to own the soundtrack. The voice acting, as I've said, is solid. They get people who know how to use their voices properly, and know how to act using just their voices. The animation is really good considering it isn't cell animation. It isn't Pixar kind of computer animation, but rather the new computer animation that is made to look somewhat similar to cell animation. Honestly, you have to watch this one to get why it is so good though. So do yourself a favor and turn off your brain and watch this. It doesn't need a lot of time, just one chance and that's all it ever needed. After you see the movie you'll understand why that was a little bit of a joke.

Once Upon A Time In America, Late to the party

So I just recently, on a much needed day off, watched a movie called Once Upon A Time In America. Now firstly I have to say that I know I am very late to this party with this one. This movie came out in 1984, 2 years after I was born, and was Sergio Leone's last film he directed, and one of his last to have written. I have been meaning to see this film, and many people have told me I should, but just plain and simply never had gotten around to it. The length of the definitive cut alone is enough to make you want to put it off (3 hours and 49 minutes). However, I finally did watch it. I'm not going to say what I think, and I'm not going to comment on the quality of the film. The reason being this is one of those movies that I think each and every person who watches it may have a very different opinion on it based on different factors in it. What I intend to do is talk about Leone's masterful art of creating a film like this, and a little about the actual films content and structure.

First of all I want to talk about the movies content. It is a gangster movie that if you've seen The Godfather you'll feel right at home with. Its about a group of friends who group up in the Jewish ghettos of New York City in the early 1900s. They grow up to become gangsters running booze and pulling jobs during the 1930s. They of course become rich and start to get in with the unions and politicians. This all leads to a tragedy of all of them but one, the main character Noodles played by Robert DeNiro, dying in a shootout with the police. Than in the 1960s we see Noodles returning to New York City because of a mysterious letter he has received, and than a suitcase of cash. Now all that I am saying is taking this movie down to its most simplistic roots and giving you a VERY rough idea of what its about with little plot being given. There is quite a lot of strife in the group, especially between Noodles and his friend Max, played by James Woods, about who runs things and what jobs and people they will get involved with. I'm also completely leaving out a love story between Noodles and a neighborhood girl who is the brother of a friend of his who runs the speakeasy that they get involved with in the 20s/30s. The reason I am not getting into deep detail is twofold. One because this movie is incredibly long and it would take me quite a long time to go into it in detail even with just the first third of it. Two, because the movie is very complex as well, and in order to detail out even some of the major events the minor events need to be explained as well to help the reader/watcher understand the motives that are driving the characters involved. So as for the plot, if you want to know it, watch the movie.

Now for the actual technical part of the film. This is a joy to speak about. The music of course is wonderful, as is the music in all of Leone's films. It sets the tone, moves the transitions along, and helps to put us in the proper mindset for each scene. The sets and costumes are amazing. I felt like Leone had taken a camera to these three eras and filmed them. The buildings, the cars, the clothes were all so perfect and detailed. You never have a moment where you think to yourself, "Gee that is so 1980s, they really should have fixed that." Leone is a stickler for details, and it shows. It really is a crime that not a thing of this movie was put up for an Academy Award. This was due to the U.S. distributor did not file the proper paperwork, or any, to make any part of the film eligible for the Oscars. The editing of this film is simply wonderful. It confuses you at first because Leone moves from the 30s to the 60s and than back to the 30s and than to when the characters are boys. However, after the first two or three transitions, this is expected, and almost welcomed. You get this sense of the movie just being remembered by Noodles (DeNiro) and feel like you're inside his mind instead of just a voyeur watching through a television screen. This is something that makes this movie into a work of art in a way that it otherwise may not have been.

So in closing I am just going to say that if you are going to watch this movie be prepared for a long sitting, and that you more than likely won't get up until it is done unless you have to go to the bathroom. The movie may be similar to The Godfather, but it isn't The Godfather, and don't expect it to be. It is darker, and more realistic in many ways. This movie is based on a book that was written by a man who claimed it was all true, so expect some things in it to seem gritty and almost surreal. This is partly due to Leone's style, and partly due to it being an adaptation of this book. So give the movie a chance and see what you think. You may be surprised, you may be disappointed, you may get exactly what you expected. Like I said in the beginning, I am not going to let on what I thought. What I will say is that I really enjoyed the technical aspects of the movie, and I doubt anyone will argue that point. Enjoy, and if you keep reading them, I'll keep writing them.

Brick, a movie you should see

So recently I rewatched one of my very favorite movies of all time. It's a little movie called Brick. The reason this movie is one of my favorites isn't because its action packed, or because it has amazing special effects, or even because it makes you think. It isn't any of those really. It is a detective story with a pretty good hook, its based in a modern day high school where people say things like "status quo" or "upper crust" as the kids in the popular/rich group are called. I saw this movie on a lark years ago because of Netflix (thanks again Netflix for giving me the chance to see a great indie film). It recommended it to me because I love the movie Memento and because I rated that highly and also rated The Maltese Falcon highly. I got it and figured, well the worst that could happen is I watch it, hate it, send it back immediately. That isn't at all what happened. I watched it, than watched it again to be certain I had actually just seen the movie I thought I did. Than I watched it a third time the next day with my roommates at the time. They loved it.

It has a fresh off of 3rd Rock From The Sun Joseph Gordon-Levitt in it as our main character named Brendan. He shows us glimpses of great things in acting to come, which are still coming again and again if you see Inception you can see what I mean. He brings an air of maturity, stability, and determination to the character that you don't see often in modern movies, and especially in modern detective films. You watch it and get a feeling of a Sam Spade type of character running down the suspects to find out what happened exactly so he can finger the right person and possibly outplay them at their own game. The plot is fairly simple to understand, but hard to follow if you aren't paying attention, like any good detective movie this is the case but also you want to pay close attention as well. We start off with Brendan (Levitt) hunched over by a dead girl near a tunnel, and than we flash back to him getting a phone call from the same girl. Her name is Emily (played by Emilie de Ravin) and she wants to talk to him, and than when she does, she tells him she needs his help. They get cut off, something scares her off, and they later meet up. She tells him she cares deeply for him but he has to move on with his life, alluding to a previous relationship the two had, and that she doesn't need his help any longer. The entire scene pulls hard at your heartstrings and makes you wonder if Brendan knows she is essentially saying good bye to him forever, or if he thinks he will see her again soon. Soon after they let us see how Brendan ended up at that tunnel with the dead Emily, and what happens next is him trying to find out how she ended up dead, and why she did. The fantastic and underused and underrated Nora Zehetner plays opposite him as the girl who won't stop trying to help him in his quest. She wants to help him because she sees how much he loved Emily and wanted nothing but to help her. She sees this, and from what we can gather early in the movie, is almost jealous of that. She continually is offering her help to him. Brendan refuses, stating he can't trust her. He decides that somehow Emily got involved with the kingpin of the area. So he sets out to find him. What happens next, and from there on, is where the true detective elements of the story start. I don't want to get too into anything else other than to say, watch the movie. I have purposely left out elements of even the beginning of the movie to make sure not to ruin anything.

Nothing about this movie feels cheap or contrived. Not the sets, not the actors, not the dialogue, none of it. You would think making a modern detective film set in a high school would end up somewhat ridiculous even, but it never does. It keeps your interest from start to finish. You want to know what happened to Emily, and how Brendan will get through the next thing, and will he live to avenge Emily. You really end up caring about Brendan to such a degree that it almost takes away from the other very clever and well written characters. I did say almost though, and the other main characters of the film are both interesting and feel real. The movie should feel almost like a weird version of The Maltese Falcon in fact, since the director actually even uses lines from it in two different parts (try and guess where when you watch it). Also, the film is entirely shot at San Clemente High School, which is just a little shout out to one of my faithful readers. So give the movie a try, I sincerely doubt you will be disappointed.

You keep reading them, and I'll keep writing them.

Dresden Files, and why wizards are still cool

So remember the first time you ever read a story or saw a TV show or movie about Merlin when you were young? Remember thinking, "Wow, this guy is so cool! I wish I could do that stuff!"? I really hope I'm not the only one there. Now remember the first time you saw or read a true gritty crime/detective novel or movie or show? Remember thinking something similar to what you thought about Merlin? Thinking that those detectives had it all together, but were at the same time definitely human. Now take those two and put them together. What do you get? Well I will tell you, The Dresden Files.

What are these books? Well they are detective novels where the detective is a wizard. Now he isn't an all knowing, all seeing, all powerful wizard like Merlin was. He is a lot more human. He has limits, and he gets tired and worn out. He has to pay his bills, and even has to do some pretty crap jobs to make ends meet. There are 13 books in the series, well almost, 13 is out June 2011. The first two are decent, they aren't going to make you raise an eyebrow, or bowl you over though. But they are good for someone who was just starting out when he wrote them. The third one and on is when the meat starts really coming into the books though. The author, Jim Butcher, starts taking 3 and on and linking them together and even building a conspiracy eventually.

The first book is about Harry Dresden, our resident hero, taking on an evil wizard, a warlock to be exact, all the while having a glorified babysitter from the council of wizards watching over him, the police trying to prove or disprove if Harry did the murders this warlock committed, and his paycheck needed so he can pay his bills. Oh, and the warlock might be planning on trying to kill Dresden as well. All this, and Harry by the end of the book is almost running on empty on energy to use his magic, hasn't eaten or slept much, and has to rely almost solely on his crafty brain and wit to allow him to find this killer and stop him. This book is a great start to the series mainly because it gives you a real sense of who Harry Dresden is, and why we are going to like him. It also introduces us into his world. A world that is right beneath, even right in the middle of, the world we know. One full of magic, demons, fairies, and other creatures thought to be fictional.

Essentially here is why you should read these books. If you like detective novels full of wit, humor, and plenty of mystery you will enjoy them. If you like fantasy novels with magic, mystical creatures and occurrences, you will enjoy them. They are essentially clever, well written pieces of literature that has something for almost anyone. Give them a try, I promise you won't be sorry.