Volver

Volver is a wonderful film. In all ways.

I noticed, while watching it, that there are certain things about films in foreign languages (foreign to me, at least) both draw emphasis and take away emphasis on language. They draw in emphasis on language because reading adds a certain focus onto what is being said. But they take away emphasis because you don't hear what is being said, so the mind can take in what it doesn't understand and view other aspects of the film. In the case of Volver, I was very much drawn into Almodóvar's direction. I tend to do this with foreign directors (I was the same way with Jean-Pierre Jeunet).

Seeing films in foreign language is quite an experience on its own.

But particularly about Volver, the performances are really incredible on all parts. Having a lot of hispanic relatives, I know what it's like to be deep in the culture with family. A lot of the film felt very real. It is a great piece of work. So far it's the first of the Best Foreign Language films that I've seen, and I must say that I hold it in high esteem.

B+

IMDB information on VOLVER

Children of Men

I like movies that bring something up that hasn't necessarily been done before. This was the first thing that drew me into Children of Men, focusing mostly on the concept of a future where children cannot be made. Therefore, when people die, there is no one left. It's creepy. And Children of Men isn't the kind of film that is going to be optimistic about such subject matter.

This is one of the best directed films of the year. I feel this way about Babel as well, but they are two very different styles and are so for different reasons. Where Babel's genius in directing lies in the way it beautifully intertwines it's stories, Children of Men is wonderful at putting the audience into the moment. The film has a lot of handheld cameras. While watching it, a co-worker of mine thought that the film was messed up. The cameras are shakey a lot of the time, and this can seem a bit distracting at times. But it just adds to the realism of the directoring style, which is best shown in an amazing scene executed perfectly with a long shot and wonderful fast paced action.

The plot progression is a bit flawed and it feels like not a lot is accomplished in the movie overall, but it is hardly unsatisfactory. Where the movie ends up is in a comfortable ground. I felt very good about the way things came together.

It's a cool movie. It's not groundbreaking or anything, but it's still a very noteable film and one of the best of the year. Clive Owen proves yet again that he is a very solid actor. And director Alfonso Cuarón creates a piece of work that I can really admire. And I do.

A-

IMDB information on CHILDREN OF MEN

The Good Shepherd

3 hours. You can feel it, too.

The Good Shepherd is about the lifelessness of a man who is an essential part of the beginning of the CIA. And the movie's tone takes on quite the lifeless feeling. There's really no feeling towards the characters. There's not a lot of feeling towards anything. It's a movie that looks like it should be amazing thoughout, and yet it's just a lot of dead air. The fact that it's directed by Robert De Niro and includes quite a number of wonderful actors do even more to draw attention to it. But the fact of the matter is that there's just not a lot of substance. It's the kind of movie people will feel like they should like. I foresee a popular reaction to this movie by the typical American audience being, "yeah, it was pretty good." Why? Because that's what people say when they think a movie is good even though they didn't really like it. And that's just the kind of movie this is. As for me, I don't really think it was very good. Had some good technical work and a good overall look to it, some good performances (although Edward Jr., both versions of him, did much to annoy me), and little things that were positive. 3 hours though... that's pretty damn long. And reminiscing upon it, having just seen it less than an hour ago... I couldn't tell you very much about the movie at all.

C

IMDB profile on THE GOOD SHEPHERD

AFI Best of 2006 List

The AFI has voted and the list of the top 10 movies of 2006 are up. They are...

*Babel
*Borat
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
*Half Nelson
*Happy Feet
*Inside Man
Letters From Iwo Jima
*Little Miss Sunshine
*United 93

( * movies I have seen )

I've seen seven of the movies. Well, I saw half of The Devil Wears. I didn't walk out because I didn't like it, I was only watching it to take up time before screening Clerks II. From what I saw of The Devil Wear's Prada, I felt little need to return and watch the end. I do want to see Dreamgirls. At first I wasn't sure, but it's getting a lot of good buzz. Yes, and it has the personal recommendation of my friend Nora, who'd shove it in my face if she heard me say I want to see it (I told her at one point that I didn't really care about it).

As for the part of the list that I have seen, I'm not sure. I agree with a lot of the obvious ones (Little Miss Sunshine, at least), but some I'm different on. I don't have my top 10 list yet. I still have a large handful of films to see before I'll even think about making one. But I'm not sure what I think about Happy Feet being in the top 10. I was only mildly amused by the film. And even Borat seems odd for me. It was pretty funny, but wasn't that great of a movie. And even movies like Babel or Inside Man seem like they weren't fantastic enough for a Top 10 list. But who knows, maybe I haven't surveyed things out enough yet.

I didn't find Half Nelson to be as great as a lot of the critics said. It was a good movie, but I wasn't overly impressed with it. Just satisfied. I don't think that'll be making it to my list.

I'm also very glad that United 93 made it on the list and World Trade Center did not. WTC was a bad movie. I very much disliked it. But United 93 was much better.

The worst part of the list is the injustice. Where the hell is The Departed, most likely the best movie of the year? There's no reason for so many so-so movies to be featured (especially Happy Feet) and The Departed to be nowhere in sight! And where's Little Children? To me, Babel was a lesser version of what Little Children was. Little Children was a much more affective and emotion-filled movie.

Not a bad list, but hardly perfect. I guess this year wasn't too full of hands down wonderful movies, so there's much room for debate. I'll have to see how my list turns out in the next month or so. Who knows, I might end up eating my words...

AFI 2006 Awards

Eragon

In an age where Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are supreme box office titans, a movie like Eragon can just come along and... well, be unnoticed. Really, the movie is quite forgettable. Even fans of the book feel so (as I've heard). It's fun for kids, even for adults at times. I enjoyed parts of it, I admit. I didn't hate it too much, to be honest. It was just plain. It was generic. And when it was done, no one cared. That sums it up pretty well. The best thing it has going for it is that it's not over 2 hours like most other crazy fantasy movies. So it's only an hour and a half of your life wasted.

C-

IMDB information on ERAGON

Stranger Than Fiction

Once again my dad made a stupid observation. "It was definitely different than Anchorman." Really? I wouldn't have guessed...

I was wanting to see this for a while, and I'm glad that I did. It was what I had hoped it to be. It was funny, it was entertaining. It had a bit of depth in it, in that way that so many movies don't these days. But at the same time it just wasn't that deep of a movie. That is, it doesn't stand out too much. The acting wasn't so amazing. It was just plain good. The direction wasn't taking anything to a new level. It was very adequate. What drove the movie was a very well written script, and it kept the whole movie feeling right. That's something that needs to happen more often.

I liked it a lot. But I can't see caring much for it as the years go by and the dust starts to settle. It's the kind of thing that would be a pleasant surprise in years when flipping through channels and coming across it, after having forgotten how much I enjoyed it. But until that point, I'll just stick with the fact that it was an enjoyable movie. For most people, nothing more is needed.

B

IMDB information on STRANGER THAN FICTION

The Fountain

People complain. People walk out of the theater. People are just so restless.

Lots of people did not enjoy The Fountain. It's slow. It's quiet. It requires a lot of acceptance and reflexion. It requires attention. People don't want to give that. People... they just suck, frankly.

I'm not in love with the film or anything. I enjoyed it a lot. It's hard to explain. I was just willing to give the movie what it asks of the audience. And it turned out to be lovely this way. The story caught me, the emotion engulfed me; I was sold.

But the movie does have its flaw. It does drag on a bit. It is quite confusing at times and does little to help the audience. But you know what? It doesn't want to explain things further. It would rather be slightly vague than slightly patronizing. I like that. I'm fine with it, actually.

It's an interesting piece of work. For those willing to put their brain and their heart into a viewing (and maybe some coffee, if you fall asleep easily), something grand can be found here. People just need to stop being afraid of what they don't or can't understand. People need to stop expecting something very surface level or criticizing anything that isn't. Once that point is reached... then there's something to do.

Hard to love, easy to hate. It's quite a journey.

B

IMDB information on THE FOUNTAIN

May 2007 Box Office Extravaganza

May 2007 should prove to be an explosive month for box office hits. Opening are the third installments of 3 of the top grossing franchises around: Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Shrek. As far as overall box office ratings go, all three of the series are in the top 10 of all time. Spider-Man 1 and 2 are both in the top 10 (placing in 7th and 10th place, respectively). Pirates of the Caribbean: The Dead Man's Chest is #6, and Shrek 2 is in an impressive place of #3. With this, movie theaters across the nation will be packed for at least the entire month, but probably trailing off into June. I'm really looking forward to working during that month.

All Time Top Grossing Box Office (USA)

My To-See List...

Because of the time off from watching movies I took, I missed a lot of movies. As time goes by, I'm losing my opportunities to see them.

I will not be happy with the year until I've seen...

Stranger Than Fiction
The Fountain
Casino Royale
(Those are all playing at my theater, so I still have a chance of catching them soon)
Fast Food Nation
Flags of Our Fathers
Marie Antoinette
Volver

...and there are probably more. But hey, that's a start. I'm planning on seeing Stranger Than Fiction and possibly The Fountain this week. But I've got to get moving. For my own sake.

Babel

I must confess that I really enjoy movies with large ensemble casts, multiple storylines, and alternations in time that all tie together in some way. I'm really not kidding. I always have. Even before I had seen any, or before the large number that have been coming out in the past few years, I was attracted to the ideas of little storylines coming together to show connections in people's lives. I remember feeling right at home upon first viewing Magnolia. And then there was Crash, my favorite movie of last year. I heard a lot of the bashing given to Crash and I can agree with a lot of it, but it just boiled down to it being a well made and powerful movie to me. Ah, whatever. This isn't about Crash...

I also happened upon Alejandro González Iñárritu. Well, I wouldn't have been able to tell you that then. Even now I have trouble saying the name. But I came across 21 Grams. I was told I wouldn't like it and it was confusing. I saw it and loved it. And later, in an unrelated and unintentional double feature run on my birthday, I saw Amores Perros. I loved both of the films, although in different ways I guess. I just felt a strong connection with characters and emotions in both films. A disturbing emphasis on uncomfortable subject matter can actually lead to interesting things about characters that just aren't gained in most films. It really stuck with me.

Now here is Babel, the third film of the director, with the same focus on an ensemble cast with different stories, each in their own time, all connected in some unknown way that is slowly revealed. One difference is the lack of choppy flashbacks that were frequent in 21 Grams (and may have cause some people to get that "confusing" description I was given). The story sticks to a strict pattern in its 4 alternating stories so you always know what's going on and when in the story that is on. It's a much more open movie for many to follow. But, it's not necessarily meant for a different audience than the other films. There is still some disturbing and strongly emotional stuff in there. Characters are brought down to low levels that some people might not want to deal with. I got similar feelings in Babel as I did in Little Children, which was an uncomfortable fascination.

As far as the movie goes, it was made with an intensely strong level of direction. As I mentioned before, it is very easy to follow, while at the same time the audience isn't exactly sure when or where things are. The shots in the film focus on the physical depth of the character where you can see traces of the deepness of the characters without getting too deep into them. There is a lot of sharing with the actors, so no one is focused on too much. With this, some characters appear to have a little bit less time devoted to them and maybe don't get the treatment they deserve. Some stories just don't feel like they get where they need to go. And at times, some things just feel empty. It's a mixed bag. A lot of the movie works, but the two hour and forty minute length begins bearing down after a while, and the film doesn't flow smoothly enough for audience members to not become restless. Of this trilogy that Iñárritu has created, this is the weakest film. But there is so much good in here for it to hardly be considered a bad film. It's still pretty good. It's just been done better before. And that's what is drawn to mind when an overall thought on the film is reached.

B+

IMDB information on BABEL

For Your Consideration...

While walking out of For Your Consideration, my dad said something typical of most Christopher Guest fans' reactions to the film. "It wasn't his best." Okay. I can live with that. But that doesn't say whether we have an enjoyable movie here or not. It could not be his best and be a piece of shit. Or it could not be his best yet still be a worthwhile gem.

My perspective on the matter is that it is a delightful little film. It has enough witty banter and idiosyncratic characters to love. There's a wide variety of characters, yet none of them are too overblown. They're given their space and their time to be funny. If anything, the film gives them too much space and leaves more to be desired. But that's not necessarily true. A movie like this can only be made exactly as it was, and therefore can only be enjoyed to the exact extent that it is. It's not a non-stop laugh-o-coaster. It has a dry, dead air kind of humor. It's no classic, but definitely worth a viewing. Fans of Guest's work will be very much pleased. People who enjoy little jokes about the film industry will be pleased. Many people will find it hard to sit through. I witnessed some walkouts. But all in all, it's one of the more enjoyable films in theaters at the moment and worth your time if you'll give it.

B

IMDB Profile of FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Disappointing Winter Movie Season...

Although I haven't been seeing too many movies lately, I feel that I have a lot of time to catch up because of the lack of movies of interest coming out within the next while. This is a real disappointment since the winter season is usually the time for Oscar bait, and just for the year to catch up with all of the good movies it can fill in before its end. But as I scrolled through the up and coming movies from this point until the end of December, I just found nothing that I was truly excited about. And nothing that looked promising enough to sweep me off my feet. But then again, there's always the fun in the surprise, eh?

I'm just so disappointed. By this time last year I was scrambling to see all of the great movies that I could before they left theaters, and trying even harder to get in the movies I missed throughout the year. But there isn't much scrambling going on right now. I feel that my movie hunting will be done with within the first few weeks of beginning.

Robert Altman dead.

Robert Altman is dead.

When I was insanely infatuated with Paul Thomas Anderson (which wasn't too long ago, mind you), I was forced to find out more about Robert Altman. The names were always connected based on PT Anderson's inspirations coming greatly from Altman. I viewed an Altman double feature of The Long Goodbye and California Split. I thoroughly enjoyed The Long Goodbye, though I must admit that by the time California Split rolled around I was dozing off for most of the film. I loved The Player. And I made an effort to watch A Prairie Home Companion upon its arrival this past summer. Not a very thorough run in with the acclaimed director, but he was always on my list of "who I've got to check out." In fact, I remember missing another double feature that included Nashville, one of his most talked about films and one I've been dying to check out. I was very let down.

In honor of the death of a director I wish I had known more, I'm moving Nashville to the top of my Netflix queue. I'm sure as my knowledge of his filmography increases I'll feel worse and worse as I realize what a loss this was.

Happy Feet

Because of business for the past couple of weeks, I haven't been able to watch too many movies lately. My return to the cinema (for the first time since the opening of Borat) occurred with a viewing of the latest animated penguin musical, Happy Feet. I don't know what I was really expecting with this, but I was a bit let down. It was a fun little romp of a film, but it just lacked something. The dancing wasn't very exciting and the songs were just oddly amusing, if anything. I'll admit that the film won my heart during a few of the fun scenes, but it was just everywhere. I couldn't relax with it. Kids will enjoy it, if they're at the age where anything upbeat and musical will get them jumping up and down and screaming.

When watching the beginning of the film, I was reminded of last year's March of the Penguins. Happy Feet covers a lot of the same ground with the mating patterns and the warming of the eggs and such, with one exception: no deaths. I'm sure viewing the films consequetively would cause a stir about the little emphasis on the harshness of the penguin life. But, then again, it's a kids movie. An animated feature, at that. And to top it all off, it features songs ranging from Prince to 98 Degrees to Steve Miller Band. I'm sure people will be able to let if off a little easy.

Top movie of the box office in its second weekend? I really thought Casino Royale would have had it beat. But then again, I didn't see Casino Royale, and what I do determines everything.

C+

New Spider-Man 3 Trailer. [Edited, the video works again]

'Nuff Said. Seriously.

Movie title fun

I can't be the only person who finds it funny that A Good Year and Harsh Times are coming out at the same time. C'mon.

That reminds me of when Little Man and Little Miss Sunshine were in theaters at the same time. The marquee at the theater I work at could only fit 10 letters, so two different movie choices were "Little Man" and "Little Miss."

The best news I've heard in a while.

Ben Affleck turned down a Daredevil sequel.

You'd think that the horrible Elektra would be enough for them. But a sequel is still being considered. I know it's one of the industry's most overused jokes, but I have to say it: if Ben Affleck turns it down, it has to be pretty bad.

Grindhouse! Rejoice!

Who isn't excited about the Grindhouse double feature that directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino are collaborating on? The two directors are mainstream masters of gory bliss, and they're coming together to revive the grindhouse genre that is wittling away in this day and age. The two feel that the genre is what they grew up with and have been inspired by, so they don't want to see it die. I have faith that the two will pull together something very fun. After all, this time they carry with them a mission. Even if that mission is to create the best in campy, gory entertainment, it is a mission nonetheless. It is slated for release on April 7, 2007.

Here's the RottenTomatoes Story.

As for the other projects the directors are supposed to be working on (Rodriguez's Sin City 2 and Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards), it's hard to say what will be going on with those. We'll just have to hold on to what we can get.

Out of Order Out of Order Cinema

My brother was telling me a funny story about something that happened at the movie theater that he works at. A girl, who was newly trained to run projectors, threaded her first movie. That is, she put all of the reels together and prepared it to be played. All seemed to go well for her. Oh yes, and this film that she threaded was The Prestige.

I loved The Prestige. I really liked it a lot walking out of the movie, but the extra layer of the mixture of the storyline made me love it even more later on. After having a long conversation with my brother the day after we had both seen it, I started to appreciate the depth of the movie so much more. And by the time we were done discussing, we were blown away. It is just an amazing piece of work.

But, for those of you who don't know, The Prestige is told out of order. This is one of the things that makes the story so much more complicated (yet more fun). It's a very jumbled film. Time and narrator shifts around based on the progression of the plot. So if the movie happened to, for some reason, be out of order, it would take a long time for the audience to really realize this.

A week and a half, in fact.

Yes, the new girl threaded the movie out of order. An entire reel was placed too early. This basically means about a fourth of the movie was just in the wrong spot completely. And it took a week and a half for this to be realized. People actually walked out of the movie and understood it, even loved it, and it was not in the right order. I'm not sure whether that means people are just stupid or the movie is that brilliant. Perhaps a bit of both.

So apparently I like The Meaning of Life better than Holy Grail...

I saw a Monty Python double bill at the New Beverly last night. It was Monty Python and the Holy Grail and The Meaning of Life. I had seen Holy Grail before, but not Meaning of Life. I had been in denial up until last night about how funny Holy Grail was. I knew when I saw it before that I felt it was overrated. It took a second viewing to reveal that I actually did feel this. Although I do enjoy the movie a lot, it is no where near as good as the movie quoters will lead you to believe.

But Meaning of Life... that's a different story. It is probably the least talked about of the Monty Python movies, but I enjoyed it more than the rest. Perhaps the fact that it wasn't following a steady storyline gave it more room to spread the Monty Python wings and have a level of humor more similar to the Flying Circus stuff (where the genius truly lies). I haven't laughed as much as I did during the Sexual Intercourse Class scene in a long time (and I just watched Borat the night before, which has buzz of being the possible "funniest movie ever").

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation

I love Borat on the Ali G Show. I loved the trailer for Borat. I figured it had to be really good. There were crowds of people to see it. I had to sit on the floor because the theater was sold out. I was pumped.

But the movie itself was disappointing. While the Borat character works so well in interviews, about half of the movie is Borat setting up plotpoints so that the movie isn't directionless. The segments of plot just make the movie more pitiful and the jokes don't seem very funny when they're not used in a satirical way, as they are in interviews. I just wasn't entertained by a lot of the lame excuses at creating a plot. They were pretty bad. But I must admit that the legitimate Borat moments that included interviews and/or hidden cameras create some of the most genuine laughs created in a movie theater. It's just impossible to gather up all of those moments and create a movie without A) doing what they did here, or B) making a random collection of segments (ala Jackass). Either way the film would not have been perfect. They did what they did and it works for a lot of laughs. It's just not perfect. Hardly.

The necessary welcome.

This is my blog. I will be using it for movie related things. I just have all of these thoughts about movies in my head that I want to spread around the world like manure... but instead, I'll just use this.

I am Jon DuBos. I'm 17-years-old and I watch a lot of movies. Based on that sentence you can make opinions as you will.

I used to write reviews for Epinions.com a lot, but I kind of stopped. I felt too pressured to write under that website. Sometimes I just feel like spilling out thoughts... and that's what this is for. Spilling out thoughts, reviewing the latest movies I've seen, and spreading the word. I hope this can be appreciated by more than just myself.

Enjoy!