In the recent wake of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, I'm forced to remember the formidable filmmaker Oliver Stone used to be. Seemingly, in lieu of his earlier films, he appears to create by this creed. W. and Wall Street, Part II, and the first two cuts of Alexander aside, he still has the heart of warrior filmmaker. I ran across this quote earlier today while setting up this blog and it resonated in an incredibly specific way."Forget the grand. Forget the master scheme. Forget control. That is the bleak but true basis of independent cinema. Inch by motherfucking inch we must, because we have no other choice." - Oliver Stone
For the longest time, since I've been a small kid, I've had an addiction to film. And I've long wanted to be a critic, or a screenwriter or a director, or what have you. But, we must all start somewhere. I've written many reviews independently, and thankfully I had my first one published on www.moviesididntget.com. For Colored Girls, by Tyler Perry. And I've been told that as long as I give them the reviews, they will have a home. Here, though, I'll allow myself a bigger, more personal format where I can give news, reviews as they come from whatever I see, and an outlet to voice my frustrations over Hollywood's refusal to tell an original horror story.
But, for now, I leave you with this - go watch a movie. It's the weekend. We've all earned it.
Try this one on for size -
A beautiful film, by Sean Penn, based on the book by Jon Krakauer. Inspired by the unfortunate true events, Emile Hirsch and Penn bring vivid life to Chris McCandless' ill-fated journey to Alaska. Supported by Vince Vaughn, Hal Holbrook, Kristen Stewart, Catherine Keener, and William Hurt, and a moving folk score by Eddie Veder, the movie barely seems as long as it is. Its pace is remarkable. The screenplay has a few dry spots, especially toward its uniquely powerful ending, but what few drawbacks the film has are more than covered up by Penn's earnestness as a director and the film's beautiful images. It'll give you chills.
Enjoy it, if you choose to watch. It's one of the 2007 films I revisit as often as I can,
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