Why I Love Film - #3

In 2006, a small film came out called Alpha Dog, and I was reintroduced to an actor I came to know when I was a kid watching the Disney channel. Ben Foster was in a goofy "sit-com" called Flash Forward with a girl named Jewel Stait, who went on to achieve her own fame through Firefly. She grew to be the same adorable actress I was used to, but... Ben Foster?

from the Disney channel?!

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Season of the Witch - Part II

In my initial review of Season of the Witch, I promised a second part, after going into detail about why it's not so bad, as long as its not taken seriously. Much like Nic Cage's other outings recently (notably, The Wicker Man) the comic gold mined from the project is invaluable. But, here in this, I want to take a closer look at what it is exactly that makes this film something special. Not something good, but... special.

It's the hair. 

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The Mechanic

Victory loves preparation 

The Mechanic, based off of the 1972 Charles Bronson movie of the same name, is an interesting film. In Micheal Winner's original, the storyline is the same, the performances are weaker, and the direction is inept. With this slick remake, however, everything is polished and put neatly into its place. I was reminded of 2008's Taken more often than not, and any movie that can get me to remember that one is solid in my book. Taken, by all means, is a beautiful film. 

However, this is The Mechanic we're talking about. A Simon West film, of which Roger Ebert said "this film is so well made, that one forgets to ask why it even had to be made at all?" To him, I pose another question "why the hell not?" 

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In Theaters This Weekend

Single White Meester

There isn't much happening this weekend in terms of releases. We have a Single White Female rip-off called The Roommate, a James Cameron produced underwater (shocker) thriller, a Natalie Portman marriage melodrama, and a mystery experiment from director Aaron Katz called Cold Weather. 

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Let Me In, Monsters, and Others On DVD This Week

I do my best to post these entries on Mondays, and sometimes on Tuesdays if Mondays do not permit.

But, I had to work at 4am yesterday, and I woke up about two hours ago. So, ... the DVD's this week have been released, whether or not I blog about them. Let's take a look at what came out, yeah?

Let Me In, Monsters, Conviction, and Welcome to the Rileys were released yesterday. I warmly enjoyed the first three, and have yet to see Welcome to the Rileys. But, now that it's on DVD, I can pick it up and get to it. I love Kristen Stewart, especially her indie work, and the combo of Melissa Leo and James Gandolfini is bound to be intense.

Outside of that, though, which is worth your money? My money will be spent on probably either Monsters or Let Me In, but I want to talk about each.









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God Save the King, Book I

Stephen Takes a "Stand" in Theaters Soon

Petition to bring Molly Ringwald back to the big screen.

It's happening again. Stephen King is letting another one of his books be adapted for the big screen. But, this is a bit different - technically, it's not a remake, by general standards. The Stand has never been a feature film before, but it has been a miniseries. Granted, that was back in 1994.

So, in honor of this King classic being rebirthed for the filmgoers in all of us, I want to take a look back at the man's contribution to the world of film. The good, the bad, and the wtf. From the top. In four parts.

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Let Me In

From the director of... Cloverfield?

In 2008, Tomas Alfredson gave audiences a nervous peek at the life of two lonely people - one, a young boy with an interest in vengeance and knives. The other, a child, who feeds off of human blood. Both children walk through life feeling alone, though seeking very similar things. They both need comfort, they need togetherness, they need each other. In any way they can get it. 

Director Matt Reeves, of Cloverfield misfortune, tackles not just the screenplay by, but also the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist "Lat den ratte komma in (Let the Right One In)". Lindqvist wrote the 2008 adaptation.

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The Company Men

If Ben Affleck keeps this up, he'll never have to look for work.

When critiquing a film, there are a handful of things you have to consider - the tone of the film, the depth of the performances, how it flows as a whole, key moments that help the film develop an emotional resonance, so on and so forth. At least, that's how I do it. One should judge the story presented, and how it fits into the world the film assumes. The Company Men, for all intents and purposes, is a perfect film. Nothing is out of place. But, even though the film sets out to do what it achieves and has no sense of pretense about it, there is something in the mix that just doesn't ring true. 

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