tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41260643207468729742024-03-13T21:22:37.154-07:00G l a s n e r O n F i l mCBC Film Reviewer Eli Glasner and his big screen thoughts.Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-41802922358324988572011-03-18T08:35:00.000-07:002012-11-12T13:16:43.921-08:00New Digs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFXYc8szpnCvkQhkSusoR1k89nQItulg6EuAoP8pZ9rWIC967R7ajgaVZqyC1HvHDaP1d5TYAQN23bMkpcmYWq35OY_allfvZh_XQ8wn0L83GvFD9xYI8aykBfyC6At04jS1Olb7DHQM1/s1600/3970221388_b27dffddd7.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585468233282340930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFXYc8szpnCvkQhkSusoR1k89nQItulg6EuAoP8pZ9rWIC967R7ajgaVZqyC1HvHDaP1d5TYAQN23bMkpcmYWq35OY_allfvZh_XQ8wn0L83GvFD9xYI8aykBfyC6At04jS1Olb7DHQM1/s400/3970221388_b27dffddd7.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 301px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
Howdy folks. Sorry the blog's been fossilizing while I've been busy writing reviews over at cbc.ca/arts. <br />
If you'd like to see a more recent collection of my stuff just <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/the-buzz/author/eli-glasner/index.html">follow the link.</a><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/things-that-go-pop-blog/author/author794b8/"></a> <br />
Otherwise, kick off your shoes and take a look around. You could start with my <a href="http://glasneronfilm.blogspot.com/2010/12/top-twenty-of-2010.html">top twenty</a> list from 2010. Or my anti-retro rant inspired by <a href="http://glasneronfilm.blogspot.com/2009/10/sorry-spike.html">Where the Wild Things Are</a>. <br />
See ya soon.Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-88304239002336203662011-01-03T18:30:00.000-08:002011-01-03T19:53:16.532-08:00"Does it? Bollocks!"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTev_0h9enRZnzcNBuy15qmLL72GageP8dqaSn-3WxP-u_XC6UFrEvseC0T91UctmknrPCOVPY-wzoN99oeJzl5uXLmZRAw8J6_FVTc771zVTVOZ8LGU5wO_DKGCeSmya-GnhHD9LBj9x/s1600/PeteP.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTev_0h9enRZnzcNBuy15qmLL72GageP8dqaSn-3WxP-u_XC6UFrEvseC0T91UctmknrPCOVPY-wzoN99oeJzl5uXLmZRAw8J6_FVTc771zVTVOZ8LGU5wO_DKGCeSmya-GnhHD9LBj9x/s400/PeteP.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558152652231697474" /></a>Good god, what a face.<div><br />We've lost another great one. <div><a href="http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/2720">Pete Postlethwaite</a>.<br /></div><div>Anyone with those lines, those nooks and crannies could have been a great character actor.<br />But there was a fierceness there, behind his eyes that made him more than just another interesting face.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to those Norman Rockwellesque looks Pete was often slotted into a lot of salt-of-the-earth type roles. Although his range was much <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiLWIZgN8uo">wider</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Take a look at the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115744/">Brassed Off</a> video below. Yes, it's one of those "we're all in it together" charming British pics they do so well. Pete played Danny, the conductor of a coal miner's brass band. Like he did with so many movies he took a simple little role and gave it gravity.</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lKx3MUqzCcQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lKx3MUqzCcQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div><div>"Aye, they can knock a bloody good tune, but what the fook does that matter?" </div><div><br /></div><div>So long Pete. </div></div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-13490295490160314382010-12-25T10:50:00.000-08:002011-01-06T06:55:31.539-08:00Top Twenty of 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2MsfsVyMdCv6uDARFrsPFaAS2gk5Ojt8TeDjpKwQ8rtmlrRwHzmIgca8LLZsgmVSA6oqboj0XK-ftG2JaSsPeoB-0Jp0FM762xKAfahdW7-9AxM9HuTo5_rGB2sPlKsOyppQzF08lL0e/s1600/The-Kids-Are-All-Right-Poster.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7E-ix147hqrNGiMB7e8E0JylsWGSKPYbkFC-x1jdD0G9lsOn3fP7_HKYHoEBWuVytjRUCAq13xVHkafVAsaKIIvYziPURks3Bejpy3R7lg8i4fdQGB1dfYBYCQfXFgMIuIwRwr3FW16AE/s1600/exit_through_the_gift_shop_movie_poster_01.jpg"></a>Every year it's the same; as January washes over me in a grey mid-winter gloom, I look ahead at the year on film and wonder, what will be the one? What magical film will give me that spark of awe. A crinkle of a smile. A knowing nod. A film where I'll see myself or even a glimmer of something otherworldly. The kind of experience that makes up for sitting through the latest Nicolas Cage trash-sterpiece.<br /><div><br />Now here we are, another year has gone by and below are 20 plus films. Each great, many in different ways. The film industry continues to simultaneously shrink and bloat. Producers worry, studios shift, and somewhere someone is making the next Great Thing. A writer or director has convinced a Hollywood mogul to throw millions behind her demented fever dream. Here's 20 of those fever dreams committed to celluloid for our mutual pleasure. </div><div><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">TOP TWENTY OF TWENTY TEN</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXI7gNx5ER5nbZnR4CV0sMD8ttNj5V7_JSRdSrT3xzMxLZABHpLu2HzgDDC0UDOlRix2u5hKKM_uCVa3xTAROTfDmegl54egmpx4smCecmAlH5BSoKKaaBvS6cPyjnqGInlODFNmUdlQKC/s1600/the_town_poster_i.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556587611114623970" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXI7gNx5ER5nbZnR4CV0sMD8ttNj5V7_JSRdSrT3xzMxLZABHpLu2HzgDDC0UDOlRix2u5hKKM_uCVa3xTAROTfDmegl54egmpx4smCecmAlH5BSoKKaaBvS6cPyjnqGInlODFNmUdlQKC/s200/the_town_poster_i.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>20. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0840361/">The Town </a></div><div>Directed and starring Ben Affleck The Town was an action film that was far better than expected. In some ways a return to the no-nonsense action films of the 70s. I figure if The Departed hadn't happened, The Town would have been an Oscar contender. Nevertheless it's a great gritty heist flick, with muscular performances, a strong cast and fine work all around by Benny boy.<br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556586882962084962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAulb2l0L1p2rBv-XLLb-lbd_tsRdMZ3AM_Gvlqjla2Dg1T81VIW-AW8LAbzZmbcPf9WdhhMoJ5k5SnchvEfbFdpKJWKRqqHfVn5iuL0hKO9TnO4DZ0qXLvxzGve1cDdcCSasLIG6ToUM0/s200/tangled_movie_poster.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>19. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398286/">Tangled</a> <div>Simply an enchanting movie that allowed Disney to do what it does best. A fairy tale that doesn't try to smother us in pop culture references. It lives in its own world and is populated with smart self-aware characters (including a Princess you won't mind your daughter emulating). Mandy Moore and Zach Levi both delivered great performances. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614220/">Donna Murphy</a> was divine as the witch, Mother Gothel, and fits in nicely with Disney's long line of classic villains. "Mother Knows Best" should have been a contender for song of the year at the Oscars. Why it hasn't made the list is beyond me.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556586112782342962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyVs0hAp94V4nMXegcML76jGSX6SJwgr-wUeENPyvGAJCOAlGBLNQKI5Fw-vXd6r3n7EloDMnX8MRkqO549EV9ksiZ2RUeaMT6b5VMQTA6STf8ReHwOsu28IRiPp5mhvYvDD3wIyC-pyq/s200/Tales_from_the_golden_age_poster.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>18. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1422122/">Tales From The Golden Age</a> <div>From the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0612816/">writer and director</a> of Four Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days comes this absurd tale of life in Communist Romania. A series of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/video/2009/oct/21/tales-from-the-golden-age">short films</a> spun from urban myths of the life during the 1980s. The stories are populated by grifters and romantics, bureaucrats and average Joes. Life in a country governed by committee where having a healthy sense of humour is essential.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0Tn0mqBS0l4zEkOhF0JY_-brmZ1PSeAdruIX8LLFR_zbLVdJU1es0LGjhH1D3QTBXPqYyw9yc4iTmer3Ko8jOdD8ukMq99baJ03yf-yryOHnAeLB07K8tYDotBtx0kp58nHSQsrX0qIf/s1600/The-Wild-Hunt-Movie-Poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556585269021091266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 138px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0Tn0mqBS0l4zEkOhF0JY_-brmZ1PSeAdruIX8LLFR_zbLVdJU1es0LGjhH1D3QTBXPqYyw9yc4iTmer3Ko8jOdD8ukMq99baJ03yf-yryOHnAeLB07K8tYDotBtx0kp58nHSQsrX0qIf/s200/The-Wild-Hunt-Movie-Poster.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>17. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1493886/">The Wild Hunt</a> <div>Done for pennies, The Wild Hunt, similar to Fubar II, is an example of ballsy filmmakers putting to rest the stereotype of boring Canadian films. Set in the world of medieval reenactments or LARP, The Wild Hunt starts a little slow but once it gets going it gallops at a furious pace. Gritty, funny and an original take on a tired genre.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556584814635411634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 137px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVbTjO2DjzBxrrpdCeEaCBC359rig_-RUxTL_dTbMu2Ci9oCmEOAhtfn-HwLa4WuYAJ0ls04tuAVBoQ_P708l5cI030gm0G4xnsPdLIdvhs_9ca8_269snroEezJ6JNenfUeYT3R9gclC/s200/true-grit-jeff-bridges-poster.jpeg" border="0" /></span> <div>16. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1403865/">True Grit</a> <div>Take a Western. Peel off the excess emotion, the bigger-than-life characters. Leave in the dirt, the scruffiness. Add in a generous measure of language. Eloquence and Oratory the way only the Coen's can. Stir with a grizzly Jeff Bridges, a cocky Matt Damon and a shooting star of a performance by Hailee Steinfeld. "Go Little Blackie Go!"</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556584158382647138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 156px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO4b9GpVW66dWt-w04p7U_sqIaNcJPJtKBmiB7ZBFupQVF8ArkaZdRytN6HA5qqhhvtGdX888ZjP8hYEaA0CUhEYuLlZJ1YwPCOGCwS4joyCifvvq610Z8CrGqRFUahUmn3SSjhUBmLyjq/s200/Easy-A-poster_2-535x684.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>15. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1282140/">Easy A</a> <div>If only all Hollywood comedies were as smart and subversive as this high-school fable about rumours and promiscuity. Yes Emma Stone is a great wit, spilling off lines like a modern <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bennet">Elizabeth Bennet</a>. Credit is also due to the parents, great supporting work by Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci.<br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556582187447412098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GAevdwomKTgVOI33fqy4VDhnAREBiAxlWItkiPsI3F22Q0ivgN1rE38M9VAHjKb3FSjLWXVGn-IuGZGX-mpM9ScKV6p7OU8B-9T36NUCaTmQz4PZ5x5TMEGqdv8H1F3Cgww0muPv-uDe/s200/despicable_me_poster-535x764.jpg" border="0" /></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556583213025390882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGr2TctELEZ3ElXjhwRnY8DHYUlRs4ldF5oDCSxbIe2RP9frk5a08wjEJ6YDVvV48NNjSUpnzNMCk1kl-QYSLxeeYlXbFust8ZQnC2tz3wwmldnXD8sdV-Mhj3nKdhKm_3EFHXsoLO0is/s200/megamind_poster_a1.jpg" border="0" /> <div>14. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1001526/">Megamind</a> / <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1323594/">Despicable Me</a> <div>A tie here for the two great animated films that mock super heroes and villains. Both as smart as the super-villains they focus on. Excellent work by Steve Carell as Gru and Will Ferrell as Megamind. Bonus points for the lovable sidekicks, the minions (both David Cross and the funny yellow-pill shaped dudes.)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556580315403285378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eQ_h9cdjP1gLjJwT3MOGJVdFKRls9h4p-aMQxbG-N_Af6sqb373VOGoJNGG394QufDut-ZXQIilsJyqqiTc4hetKDst3uvvQpoNLiSPHXQfxF9rHdAXMdJHztPclh2spoh8Ypgoup4Vv/s200/stone-poster.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>13. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1423995/">Stone</a> <div>Stone is here for two main reasons. One, as a reminder Robert DeNiro can be a cinematic force when he isn't playing poor <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289848/">parodies</a> of himself. Two, for how director John Curran used the prison drama to say something bigger about post-911 America's hollowed out post-industrial wastelands. Empty factories, farm fields and prisons are the primary colours of this film.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556579439744420258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOHI0aV88HQtZXN6KHkEhEPLPa6rQZv9SbCkkX1TVwhiGi1JVRzhDvTIeRaEq69xTwpo_wrbiXmeETUdkZJxYsG4gZiKxZerlbIisRv0P0DOH364jbMWOCHr7vdFK5ZTaq2PqWA0XdGDg/s200/get_him_to_the_greek_ver2.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>12. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226229/">Get Him To The Greek</a> <div>I guess after his performances in Get Him to the Greek and I'm Still Here we all have to take P.Diddy/Puff Daddy/Sean Combs a little more seriously. In fact, this movie made me reassess my opinions of Russell Brand, Jonah Hill and Puff. Seriously funny, wacky, dozens-of-jokes a minute kinda stuff.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uHhyl7dg5SAuqBvzTHVFtLRawEHUKLQmQL3FtBxE-zu6kz2N89lkF95PCyYJpgc1Qi0UgaCferbhen6s1D83GxWylh0t_wtaXe4VftLSvsQ1xlLi_93Uqs6ExnWTqd0iCRsmg5PzJbIG/s1600/127_hours_poster_02.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556577999777640594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3uHhyl7dg5SAuqBvzTHVFtLRawEHUKLQmQL3FtBxE-zu6kz2N89lkF95PCyYJpgc1Qi0UgaCferbhen6s1D83GxWylh0t_wtaXe4VftLSvsQ1xlLi_93Uqs6ExnWTqd0iCRsmg5PzJbIG/s200/127_hours_poster_02.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>11. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1542344/">127 Hours</a><br />The "guy-who-had-to-cut-his-arm-off" movie found director Danny Boyle returning to the adrenalized energy of Trainspotting. Remember the terror of the <a href="http://moviesfilmsmotionpictures.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/49-the-worst-toilet-in-scotland-scene-trainspotting/">toilet</a> scene? Boyle still has that ability to put us THERE, in the moment. Digging deep into his filmmaker's toolbox. Macro and micro shots. Time lapse, split screen and more. Whatever it takes to put us in the canyon with Aron the giddy hippie making peace with himself as he faces his final days. Franco is unforgettable and almost too charming in a movie about life, not death.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCGbU1RD8D2lBvtSyq5tUb0Nyv5F9MUISHvGqC3_HkRHDi3GgpEAf5yRrwU_a_X6JrAZK6dH3K5jzmtojEwFfnQFypKkBWTDA3VXaaorkhaWYG_zpJGTgBCud4osU1KvmmgZ90yTrVbvv/s1600/blue-valentine-poster-0.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556576818123897442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCGbU1RD8D2lBvtSyq5tUb0Nyv5F9MUISHvGqC3_HkRHDi3GgpEAf5yRrwU_a_X6JrAZK6dH3K5jzmtojEwFfnQFypKkBWTDA3VXaaorkhaWYG_zpJGTgBCud4osU1KvmmgZ90yTrVbvv/s200/blue-valentine-poster-0.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556577205798695234" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBQ87sWycruVp7xXUiiGd8WfDev3QShsWUd-myRLijMxS0pgnp8KYX1l6OJFtGlZlda2lpCiS7naO5a859O9Pndai6rfwkqNs1pBb23_iDvePmf7-GcBzYG1ZuAc8AEJLh-n_g03Kg9po/s200/Cyrus.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>10. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1120985/">Blue Valentine</a> / <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1336617/">Cyrus</a><br />A tie for two films about performance. About small moments. About giving actors space. Blue Valentine is a bittersweet love letter to a failing marriage, cutting the sour with the sweet as we watch the couple falling in and out of love. Sweet without pretension. Cyrus, a small comedy of manners and strangeness. John C. Riley gets lucky for once, Marisa Tomei sparkles and Jonah Hill gets to stretch (a little.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556575633273431618" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 136px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjGkYRK6pZc-Gzlg7jKrYjwtNSM5xAZDuYhdSo6MaV_pA6QtbwMgUkzPB_aye3jbTBcguYxTMaoVRMU5I3MjSYxn_2ih1IZOIwXMuWMWEtcKziipY-Xp2ArHw_p1dGNlU8K7sng9mzgBhc/s200/midaugust_lunch_ver3.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>9. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1277728/">Mid-August Lunch</a> <div>If Mid-August Lunch was a story it would be a novella. As size goes, it's just right. A man, his mother and some unintentional house guests. A leisurely ride on a scooter through Rome. And many many glasses of wine. Nothing more or less than it has to be. Salut! to Gianni the director and actor in this charming follow up to Gomorrah.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556574673140694866" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 137px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCVrwFIXzBfkP3VWPy3zpf6aChZhZROdqu5zGFbfPIAkS2ECVQq6d8brTD1HTXQbUPBaI82WhkLbBgFFuIuFUjmivPcbUufxQJSKk0uvxbq36SICacxoBWK6Pm1Nov84Cv6ZGluSzaVRB/s200/kings-speech-poster-2.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>8. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/">The King's Speech</a> <div>After all the hype, I was a slightly disappointed with The King's Speech. Only because I'd expected something akin to the second-coming of Christ on screen. Still, once I'd adjusted my expectations it was easy to savour this beautifully told buddy movie. The awkward friendship of King George and Lionel Logue. Colin Firth is getting a lot of attention for this role but it was the idiosyncratic performance of Geoffrey Rush that won me over. Plus, once again Tom Hooper brings a keen eye to Britain's most upper-class family. Hooper is half Australian and it's his skeptical gaze that elevates The King's Speech above a typical period piece.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556574184492621714" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 136px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf2MsfsVyMdCv6uDARFrsPFaAS2gk5Ojt8TeDjpKwQ8rtmlrRwHzmIgca8LLZsgmVSA6oqboj0XK-ftG2JaSsPeoB-0Jp0FM762xKAfahdW7-9AxM9HuTo5_rGB2sPlKsOyppQzF08lL0e/s200/The-Kids-Are-All-Right-Poster.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>7. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0842926/">The Kids Are All Right</a> <div>The Kids captures a lot of beautiful moments of how kids and parents, gay or straight relate to one another in 2010. This is very modern smart stuff filled with earthy characters. Mark Ruffalo as the organic restaurateur/sex god. Julianne Moore as the confused free-spirit and conceptual gardener. It's a movie about love, about family and the danger of making assumptions. Great subtle stuff by Mia Wasikowska. Ruffalo is at his most magnetic. The script is super sharp and yes, a damn fine turn by Annette Bening.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556573318677796402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 138px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7E-ix147hqrNGiMB7e8E0JylsWGSKPYbkFC-x1jdD0G9lsOn3fP7_HKYHoEBWuVytjRUCAq13xVHkafVAsaKIIvYziPURks3Bejpy3R7lg8i4fdQGB1dfYBYCQfXFgMIuIwRwr3FW16AE/s200/exit_through_the_gift_shop_movie_poster_01.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>6.<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587707/"> Exit Through the Gift Shop</a> <div>Is it a hoax? A brilliant meta-prank? A wry comment on the modern art scene, the hyperspeed hype factory ready to leap on the Next Big Thing? A guerrilla style doc on the graffiti scene? Yes. Yes. Yes. Whether you believe it or not, Exit Through the Gift Shop was a brilliant remix of the traditional doc. Hijacking the form to continue Banksy's practice of manipulating the media for the message. If you're looking for more, check out these <a href="http://moviecitynews.com/2010/10/entering-the-gift-shop-pt-1-of-2/">behind the scene</a> notes from Producer Jaimie D'Cruz that only deepen the mystery.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556572555683834930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 138px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8OrqMUpVPapF0UcG0MULZrTg3fx0S7dZH33PICsBnKQbicHaRNbikZ76iKraotZNGsjpcQ3r3b4nXzLvIOTgkyh94dtaDtdfipRxJgsAmOfIWt6vZJb3FVkZm4aVNVDMk6kUtfvtTCCwF/s200/scott_pilgrim_poster.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>5. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446029/">Scott Pilgrim vs. the World</a> <div>A personal pleasure but a complete one. Maybe you don't like Michael Cera. Maybe you could give a damn about comic books and 8-bit video games. But if you do, and you're like me then you were in heaven from frame one for this witty pixel-powered romance/21st century battle royale. Triple Score Awesomeness.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556571629501211602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 138px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjID-KpNLlNzLglukPMNIBD9B3Si16R-aUMBgCJoAF12Rs-IPfJRu6iH1hT8oh3FwC3PT1NncPnDS1fIoX7I0Pa0qaZd0AtZWsU3E5Sa9B9dWwH1_fsL6l9azlTcMzb2cuXERygSGk1brLT/s200/incendies-movie-poster-1020553909.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div>4. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255953/">Incendies</a></div><div><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255953/"></a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0898288/">Denis Villeneuve</a> crafts an origami-like story that folds back on itself as a brother and daughter delve into the secret life of their mother. The final scene is a silent, earth shattering thud. Heart breaking and never failing in courage, Villeneuve is one of Canada's treasures.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGe_R3okV6xbOByZ-shV6eI0tjNYBZVYltQEIjRM1Hcb8cUzxp3GkMHRpvLn2mcI0E6Tf2i2m0WFDJ1NWml2N5E85FF6iEHEM3L2nejWy3XwX0Oyz6l_gtzgtjH3iMRkyaG7pP_RSAisbH/s1600/I-Am-Love-poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556568702066312098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGe_R3okV6xbOByZ-shV6eI0tjNYBZVYltQEIjRM1Hcb8cUzxp3GkMHRpvLn2mcI0E6Tf2i2m0WFDJ1NWml2N5E85FF6iEHEM3L2nejWy3XwX0Oyz6l_gtzgtjH3iMRkyaG7pP_RSAisbH/s200/I-Am-Love-poster.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>3.<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226236/"> I Am Love</a> <div>Like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023490/">Il Divo</a>, it was the marriage of music, motion and emotion that won me over completely. A movie of manners, high society and Italian Style but different, due to the rawness of the actress so good she's almost alien, Tilda Swinton. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloAHWf69HfadMnCHeC448AZ4SbFGYhrBqeaZ02rQ_wPmhhyUbZdEnAUfSlfd-yCZ1w658kqjb6vvxOX5EXlsQK05T5HQA9WIxL1OE8_778XABaBswrfHFe1_NbGozImmVDPenp4cr8fQf/s1600/inception_lg.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556567615688096898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloAHWf69HfadMnCHeC448AZ4SbFGYhrBqeaZ02rQ_wPmhhyUbZdEnAUfSlfd-yCZ1w658kqjb6vvxOX5EXlsQK05T5HQA9WIxL1OE8_778XABaBswrfHFe1_NbGozImmVDPenp4cr8fQf/s200/inception_lg.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>2. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/">Inception</a></div><div>Far too appropriate in the year when we lost <a href="http://www.ted.com/speakers/benoit_mandelbrot.html">Benoit Mandelbrot</a>, the father of fractals, Inception arrived. In the middle of the summer, in between happy-meal ready movies like Marmaduke and Prince of Persia, Christopher Nolan gave us a movie that wasn't quite sci-fi but far too strange to call a typical action flick. A heist film to end all heist films. Movies are often the realm of dreams and so Nolan crafted a caper set in the dreamscape. Dreams within dreams. The closer you look, the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foxD6ZQlnlU&feature=related">deeper you fall</a>. Inception isn't perfect. The vocabulary of the action set pieces, (the downtown car chase, the Swiss Alps fortress) is dissapointingly conventional compared to those early moments of architectural chaos. But Inception was a film that made the audience work and rewarded us for our efforts. In the middle of a season of loud sounds and empty moments, Inception was a statement. Yes we like action and car chases and things that go boom but we want it to mean something. We want a uniting idea. We want to be teased and provoked. We want beauty, fine acting, quick quips and an amazing experience. We want it all. (And Joseph Gordon Levitt's <a href="http://www.ifc.com/news/assets_c/090810_josephGL_Inception.jpg">wardrobe</a>. Could we have that too? )</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSZC59y-CcI8nDPCFV-cUBYsyeMCxw8_Cv7HJlwPnrhzE_TXrdaCHgwz0DWkHXFOVsG2oyyv0-CwpBazeEQFl4yzP5eH5DKUl-JtVOJd62MHewIufk9pImRYQC5W3aKwHMBa7ZfT0gIkO/s1600/social-network-poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556566888366309858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSZC59y-CcI8nDPCFV-cUBYsyeMCxw8_Cv7HJlwPnrhzE_TXrdaCHgwz0DWkHXFOVsG2oyyv0-CwpBazeEQFl4yzP5eH5DKUl-JtVOJd62MHewIufk9pImRYQC5W3aKwHMBa7ZfT0gIkO/s200/social-network-poster.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span>1. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016/">The Social Network</a> <div><br /></div><div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /><br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/O6aWSBSEgVk?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/O6aWSBSEgVk?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /></div></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6aWSBSEgVk&feature=player_embedded#!"><span class="Apple-style-span">(click to see in youtube)</span></a></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">Honourable mentions:</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">A-Team, Barney's Version, Fubar II, Defendor, </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">Black Swan, Get Low, Morning Glory (except for the last 20 minutes), </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">Splice (except for the swamp battle), The American, Winter's Bone, </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">Shrek Forever After</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-68133806863855317712010-12-14T07:39:00.000-08:002010-12-14T07:43:59.381-08:00Meta Montage (Year in Film 2010)<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/I4dEWOB6THE?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/I4dEWOB6THE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Best parts are at the beginning and end and I wonder how he/she gets all those clips, but a great overview of 2010.Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-25560320272572034942010-10-01T14:13:00.000-07:002010-11-25T15:16:09.744-08:00Big Box Filmmaking<p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrc5Sqp34INVUixxbAc79sKS78TdRA4-TIiHufvnxHG_ZxTmMqoSis3KoL-LGFG5-OexZBTDQbbnXaDgVU781Tnk2vjt8yJhqbKsz1MnAah9fMHJ9cjAcTvdc95Z2uFY4KTPpzZZCbaUO/s1600/Buried_movie_poster_UK_Ryan_Reynolds-2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523189097202386866" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 358px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrc5Sqp34INVUixxbAc79sKS78TdRA4-TIiHufvnxHG_ZxTmMqoSis3KoL-LGFG5-OexZBTDQbbnXaDgVU781Tnk2vjt8yJhqbKsz1MnAah9fMHJ9cjAcTvdc95Z2uFY4KTPpzZZCbaUO/s400/Buried_movie_poster_UK_Ryan_Reynolds-2.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1462758/">Buried</a>, the new movie starring Ryan Reynolds was one of those legendary scripts that floundered on the "black list." The list of amazing screenplays that are considered un-filmable. Until one day, director Rodrigo Cortes got in touch with Reynolds and showed him how it could be done.<br /><br /><br />Given the story, you can see how the script would be intimidating. The entire film takes place inside a coffin. The cast, one man - Paul. A truck driver who is working in Iraq for a private contractor and wakes up in a wooden crate. (There's also a couple voices on the cellphone with excellent reception.) Soon his captor is calling with their demands. 5 million dollars or they leave him there. Oh, and there's a snake.<br /><br /><br />The biggest surprise is how cinematic Buried becomes. Sure it's claustrophobic at times. In fact, be prepared to listen quite carefully since occasionally there's nothing but black and panicked breathing. Kudos to Cortes and his cinematographer for constantly finding ways to vary the setting. Changing light sources and using everything from macro to crane shots.<br /><br />Of course none of this would be worth it, if the story and Reynold's performance didn't work. Luckily the script is rather tight, with the exception of one silly flashback episode. When you<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXzZ5Tccd39xAaJhiAeQtmdfVnZmgfzWfhwILmTF16PJVjpo7Gl7Q_UBSSoG230yQFY8442Osqxm0c-V1sW0HDY_8-YhUrYxfGPTO-fO0oDkgWrwYzVc5BjBXzpg-ZyYupzrtMM1TLR-0/s1600/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523206657540383106" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXzZ5Tccd39xAaJhiAeQtmdfVnZmgfzWfhwILmTF16PJVjpo7Gl7Q_UBSSoG230yQFY8442Osqxm0c-V1sW0HDY_8-YhUrYxfGPTO-fO0oDkgWrwYzVc5BjBXzpg-ZyYupzrtMM1TLR-0/s400/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a>r entire film takes place in real time...don't go for the flashback montage.<br /><br />As Paul, Reynolds has no trouble holding our attention. I've always liked Reynolds, who has a sly funny streak that seems to pop up in most of his roles. Buried isn't exactly Van Wilder (not that I wanted it to be) but if not humorous, there's a sincerity which helps pull us even deeper into his predicament.<br /></p><p><strong>(somewhat minor spoiler)</strong></p><p>Finally, after a number of wishy-washy films about Iraq, this is one film that takes a stand with a finale that won't soon be forgotten. Buried is a film that almost feels like a short story in the way that it had the potency of a simple, well told tale. Enjoy. </p><p>Finally, after a number of wishy-washy films about Iraq, this is one film that takes a stand with a finale that won't soon be forgotten. Buried is a film that almost feels like a short story in the way that it had the potency of a simple, well told tale. Enjoy.</p><p></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; ">(Minor Update: saw the trailer for Reynold's upcoming Green Lantern superhero <a href="http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=11&ved=0CGoQFjAK&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftrailers.apple.com%2Ftrailers%2Fwb%2Fgreenlantern%2F&ei=vuruTJ_OK6rvnQfB8rG7Cw&usg=AFQjCNH7FPk0eQQv777etOuWIhTLXFCS6A&sig2=fZ7IQeSxQJL8_Y18-a5HYQ">spectacle</a> and it's as I feared. Looks like a galaxy of bad CGI with Reynolds' typical charm wedged into an outfit built to show off his best <a href="http://www.google.ca/#sclient=psy&hl=en&q=ryan+reynolds+abs&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&psj=1&fp=b7ff6689f5240577">assets</a>. Alas)</span></p><p></p>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-35025860717789213502010-09-26T20:58:00.000-07:002010-09-27T11:42:56.371-07:00Recommended Listening for Never Let Me Go<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YK33t_4QTAA8lcJPTQNDqpa1bAac-qgSUf7i08THyzsK4GuKzOCfCghGM6wZFR-kyR2fe1F63qlplyzP9sAD2QyeaZANHu_-WEtATxxOKdW9S7QjqgrsJb_3t3ZtCs_F-YtwSlE-vYil/s1600/never-let-me-go-poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521438218043267474" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YK33t_4QTAA8lcJPTQNDqpa1bAac-qgSUf7i08THyzsK4GuKzOCfCghGM6wZFR-kyR2fe1F63qlplyzP9sAD2QyeaZANHu_-WEtATxxOKdW9S7QjqgrsJb_3t3ZtCs_F-YtwSlE-vYil/s400/never-let-me-go-poster.jpg" border="0" /></a>Among some of the many new movies you should try to catch (Fubar II, Easy A, The American, I'm Still Here and Machete) you should also check out <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334260/">Never Let Me Go</a>. <div><br />Never Let Me Go takes a well worn sci-fi trope and holds it up as a mirror on the human condition. Or perhaps mirror isn't the correct word, because the situation faced by the characters simply magnifies something we all share. I wont spoil the details, although they're getting increasingly impossible to avoid. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(I saw a trailer for Never Let Me Go that just about revealed every single important moment, not to mention critical lines of dialogue....but that's another rant for another day.)</span></div><div><br /></div><div>This is beautiful meditative movie that take places over the span of 3 decades. Three friends Ruth, Kathy and Tommy grow up together and confront their uniquely limited destiny. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the very least it is a heartbreakingly beautiful film, shot with a palette of soft mustard yellows and earthy greens. The setting, a seemingly arrested version of 1950's Britain. </div><div><br /></div><div>And the cast, well this is mainly Carey Mulligan's film. Watching her piercing gaze made me realize just how much intelligence was missing from her Blogger Barbie role in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Also, Keira Knightley does a fine angry scared girl and Andrew Garfield made me sit up and think, "Who is that guy?" (Answer: The Guy who is the next <a href="http://io9.com/5577950/andrew-garfield-cast-as-peter-parker-in-the-new-spider+man">Peter Parker</a> and now I understand why.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, all of this was all just an excuse to suggest if you enjoyed the film, or the book it was based on, there's a terrific discussion with the screenwriter Alex Garland and the original novelist Kazuo Ishiguro at <a href="http://creativescreenwritingmagazine.blogspot.com/2010/09/never-let-me-go-q.html">the creative screening magazine podcast</a>. Enjoy!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="LINE-HEIGHT: 17px;font-size:11;" ><br /></span></span></div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-88998442164407253082010-09-24T13:38:00.000-07:002010-09-27T11:39:54.155-07:00Post TIFF Recap<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBLZ5VTzw6rguC78X2htFMVHrDVH-BDaJfeNdDob3sIdvosYRDPGKeCiAPGX0N-zwTK5OzOCEA7bnAYDvBKo4goYTJJUj9Rz1ieA5GHeR0OsTFh9KBMb6v4zJSCKNPjC3z6SCtSH024jX/s1600/rare_exports_teaser_poster_en.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtI-Og1pKr_4A8gpvTh8031D_3uMO6QD8Yzj6RVmPyW8W8idhr4StCuFpbQ0A0Ep2f5PmZ9wpHoV4D1KKexCYUjG_2TDdc5S8I1B2yRUcBRTpezgdlyp8b9Ayg3RlJG38wAHbk7p-VRa_M/s1600/tiff.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521433888688598242" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 62px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtI-Og1pKr_4A8gpvTh8031D_3uMO6QD8Yzj6RVmPyW8W8idhr4StCuFpbQ0A0Ep2f5PmZ9wpHoV4D1KKexCYUjG_2TDdc5S8I1B2yRUcBRTpezgdlyp8b9Ayg3RlJG38wAHbk7p-VRa_M/s200/tiff.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaULOLMqta93S6_v4KEiakexVjdJ8OZuHxlquTuGdxrQQ_1hcld_LHsJmLtEUgsXZPL_r2OccEmaHsYBXL3WLsMEdLsMQFM40EIzSvSPsc3PEkoKsQuajzHZMTHarNCNBedO2S-M6FJdSS/s1600/tiff.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhem-0GrBOTk90GzdoPjNo581iJMo9q7RrGlOXTZ1OZGOPekMFcm93gAz4ALUU3y-tPblmLL4s8lqkjr9xPoH0kVDxCE2U7iwey_E4DmDvwPj3cFaDkpfB1YXKANNlTveFzZi5ApFedzdFa/s1600/TIFF2010.jpg"></a>Howdy! TIFF is done and I'm here to share what has been an extremely busy season of cinema.<br /><br />So here are some of the highlights from my time at the Toronto International Film Festival. Don't miss 'em when they return.<br /><br /><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521432901066329378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 120px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihITLMqt-GlEK4PuSi5YOdhznPCt5ks8ue47JyWwnHweuOu-V4MxRvYgzF9SldBLDKJos4CjHNv2m3Hi-oMSM5vzWAb5XL55CaP0LKpw4xosrvZ1pMYQ1DmxFDo56IqM3-rbu92zbZtPg0/s200/THE-TRIP-006.jpg" border="0" /> <div align="center"><b>The Trip</b></div>It's the British Odd Couple on a road trip, except that it feels like a documentary and we're in the hands of the subversive director Michael Winterbottom. A relaxed, droll and silly ride, this is highly recommend for fans of Steve Coogan or James Bond. (That will make sense after you see it.)<br /><br /><br /><div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521431193197697586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 106px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6UH2CxFgaCHxe5vEqCHeaDgeR1Wbf3frA1OcGK6AwXgals3Je_oe6s1Ffhf5MhGDjGX0_VskkhU6T6odVxYvip1Lbv5wbD9CAf0ciJG90SmsZjke2wLoIqqs41dOaOYRazC7HHCiiOcb/s200/13-assassins.jpg" border="0" /></span> <div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><b>13 Assassins</b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"></span>From the director of Ichi the Killer comes a classic samurai tale. A Japanese spin on the "one last job" genre. 13 Assassins finds a group of samurais on an impossible mission, to kill the sadistic emperor who is ruining the country. 13 men versus an army. Makes 300 look like the cartoon it was based on.<br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/neds"><b>NEDS </b></a></div>One of the strongest films I watched and a film that totally caught me off guard. NED is short for Non Educated Delinquent. Set in Glasgow in the 1970s, the movie follows the tale of John. A bright kid with a brother in a bad spot of trouble. Soon he's on the same path, running with the wrong boys and getting shunted into the slow class at school. Think Gommorah meets Lord of the Flies. Very strong stuff, look for it.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><b>Cave of Forgotten Dreams</b></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521431419218012098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 174px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00aa8AmWeNO0cEVzEFCKlgxHOJMtuQuPKeaVUPLLEF79uQN9wLc2FK4xL9ZBtlO0Anx8xHZ8xuCf5nayt6HS2nI_u_lTJLDVdzwT9VIFHizmgh_gQdYybQ5WVMvFIXsJV5Htv9MJPRUDQ/s200/cave-of-forgotten-dreams.jpg" border="0" />Werner Herzog serves up the best 3D experience since Avatar. A lyrical, whimsical trip into the Chauvet Caves of Frances. This made my fest.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><b>Stone</b></div>You'll be hearing more about this later this fall. But let me just say, this prison drama starring Edward Norton and Robert De Niro is a better movie than the trailer suggests. Will surprise you.<br /><br /><p align="center"><b>Biutiful</b></p><p>Tough to watch yes, but worth it, not just for Javier Bardem's performance as a struggling father in Barcelona, but also for the unvarnished look at life below the social safety net. A world of street vendors and sweatshops, but it's also populated by real people as director Alejandro González Iñárritu reminds us. A more tightly drawn web than Babel with some haunting set pieces. </p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1291652/"><b>Easy Money </b></a></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521431642350740626" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWARf_sAHAU2ATLKbXLvxBioh0AM7oE58iUb5CKoUtvqR8PekBmq4b8HC6z42vR46jBnW8QhI9Wtwe2EsiEaeA5Dk4JpEHRlR5JwpOD8OZNSwUfMTAInv6YO3E71E5DqJBsoKd01IQ26q5/s200/snabba_cash.jpg" border="0" /></span> <p>From Sweden another look at the criminal underground. Drug runners, the upper and lower class all meet in the middle of this wild ride. A snappy little flick which will no doubt be remade into a movie starring Paul Walker any day now. </p><br /><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/gorbacifthecashierwh"><b>Gorbaciòf - The Cashier who Liked Gambling</b></a></p><p>Il Divo's <a href="http://www.oknovara.it/cinema/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/toni-servillo-nel-ruolo-di-giulio-andreotti-in-una-scena-del-film-il-divo-60601.jpg">Toni Servillo</a> knocks it out of the park again playing this sweet and sour little tale of Gorbaciof, a nearly mute prison cashier who falls for the waitress at the local Chinese restaurant. Servillo is a strange cross between a gangster and a clown, but such sadness in those eyes. </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521434116830120498" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: pointer; COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); HEIGHT: 200px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBLZ5VTzw6rguC78X2htFMVHrDVH-BDaJfeNdDob3sIdvosYRDPGKeCiAPGX0N-zwTK5OzOCEA7bnAYDvBKo4goYTJJUj9Rz1ieA5GHeR0OsTFh9KBMb6v4zJSCKNPjC3z6SCtSH024jX/s200/rare_exports_teaser_poster_en.jpg" border="0" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><b>Rare Exports</b></p><p>Your new favourite Xmas movie. </p><div><br /></div><br /><p></p><br /><p><br /></p><div></div></div></div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-6903151563615997492010-08-02T08:46:00.000-07:002010-08-02T08:59:03.893-07:00Projector on CBC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2W4xsBPNou-SGcomUTAQvowwiGUYGrZON-KuxORMvx088OFDmfN8xZbSOhayQzwpxC-lGF1wfsxMY5YuKEMJ9HcHRPM0aXPJH0VQ3x54CYBCgexoTgjvjp95UCI_ZZ_pr8gvtiw843gQ8/s1600/navlogo-thumb-268xauto-40208.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2W4xsBPNou-SGcomUTAQvowwiGUYGrZON-KuxORMvx088OFDmfN8xZbSOhayQzwpxC-lGF1wfsxMY5YuKEMJ9HcHRPM0aXPJH0VQ3x54CYBCgexoTgjvjp95UCI_ZZ_pr8gvtiw843gQ8/s400/navlogo-thumb-268xauto-40208.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500841447390861266" /></a><div>I'm happy to announce Projector, my movie show on CBC Radio debuts today. The two part program airs today at 4 PM. If you miss it there's also a fantastic website where you can hear the entire show for yourself, not to mention some great bonus content (trailers, longer interviews etc).</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">You can find it all at </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/projector/">http://www.cbc.ca/projector/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Projector is a true labour of love. It began as a radio pilot and grew into this summer special. The first part explores heroes and in the second part we look at fear on film. It's not a film review show per say, but more about how we see ourselves on film and how films see us. </div><div><br /></div><div>Enjoy!</div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-63310477056341652272010-07-26T20:55:00.000-07:002010-08-02T16:55:35.983-07:00Taking Inception For Another Spin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjwoKfQDjmFIhB96HkdF2NGmcdgTvV0EKLt_MHvcPWA3wBX2Ip3MiRpfqdkpX7f8kssI9K_rJX8If87rWMbCMxOfmnLVeFPxHoWrSjS3b4xv75rHTZKJMitDoaY7USmImLO1-NECLribg/s1600/inception_poster2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498532227482795570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 247px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjwoKfQDjmFIhB96HkdF2NGmcdgTvV0EKLt_MHvcPWA3wBX2Ip3MiRpfqdkpX7f8kssI9K_rJX8If87rWMbCMxOfmnLVeFPxHoWrSjS3b4xv75rHTZKJMitDoaY7USmImLO1-NECLribg/s400/inception_poster2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Inception isn't a masterpiece.<br /><br /><br />But it is a great, great film and a reminder of the difference between the films we watch passively and films that ask something more.<br /><br />Having rewatched it recently I can say it's much more enjoyable the second time.<br /><br />There are themes, motifs and clues spread throughout the film I missed (the first time) because frankly, I was struggling to keep up.<br /><br />Inception is certainly an elegantly constructed movie. Director Christopher Nolan has carefully thought out the rules for this universe of dreams. The exposition littered throughout the film does a decent enough job of explaining it. But if you, like me, still have some lingering questions, here are some great links to explore.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/inception/index.html?story=/ent/movies/film_salon/2010/07/19/inception_explainer"><strong>The Ultimate Inception Guide</strong></a>. Over at Salon, Sam Adams begins with a very detailed recap of the film and goes on the explore the various levels and the rules.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSoxbfIOAMQvKbSAc2SP9u33KNZI_PPP6XY9oepH9HQ1Jy2LdF7X_074cQhm0ptZ7BNaiVLiDos1aSXNd63TAvL67u-9byTyPi4x_nGIZpUSQIhPlsf45H14C37r3lsaijg54XJ1UAB1A/s1600/zz22344f92.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498694445610943106" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSoxbfIOAMQvKbSAc2SP9u33KNZI_PPP6XY9oepH9HQ1Jy2LdF7X_074cQhm0ptZ7BNaiVLiDos1aSXNd63TAvL67u-9byTyPi4x_nGIZpUSQIhPlsf45H14C37r3lsaijg54XJ1UAB1A/s320/zz22344f92.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/07/inceptions_dileep_rao_answers.html"><strong>Interview with Dileep Rao</strong></a>. On the always entertaining Vulture blog Dileep Rao answers some of the questions surrounding the rules of the Inception world. Dileep would know because he plays Yusuf, the chemist on the team. Read the interview and you'll see he doesn't look too kindly on the "it's all a dream" interpretation.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/new/An-Illustrated-Guide-To-The-5-Levels-Of-Inception-19643.html"><strong>A Chart!</strong></a> If you're still confused the pretty colours provided by the fine folks at Cinemablend might help.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt/tt100714christopher_nolan"><strong>Interview With Chris Nolan</strong></a> On the always excellent The Treatment show, host Elvis Mitchell puts Christopher Nolan under the microscope in an extended interview.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/07/28/hans-zimmer-explains-the-intersection-between-edith-piaf-and-the-inception-score/">Multi-layered Muisc</a>. Hans Zimmer talks about how the Édith Piaf song was altered to suit the<br />fractal nature of the film. Sooooooo cool.<br /><br /><p align="left"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1yzGdiVGwRk-8uzJGW0xB1h1RG6kSWnNvdMn-8fFVmYOlSHIWuARVsTTmgOi_mvc4Ho_hp7V6wcEUwH2vlwLyZCIIl0ag_Q1o5z5rkF5gLZHiESKzMzDpbsEu3Hho6_3I2_z5m2OWk59/s1600/top.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498531608376472066" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 199px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1yzGdiVGwRk-8uzJGW0xB1h1RG6kSWnNvdMn-8fFVmYOlSHIWuARVsTTmgOi_mvc4Ho_hp7V6wcEUwH2vlwLyZCIIl0ag_Q1o5z5rkF5gLZHiESKzMzDpbsEu3Hho6_3I2_z5m2OWk59/s400/top.png" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1yzGdiVGwRk-8uzJGW0xB1h1RG6kSWnNvdMn-8fFVmYOlSHIWuARVsTTmgOi_mvc4Ho_hp7V6wcEUwH2vlwLyZCIIl0ag_Q1o5z5rkF5gLZHiESKzMzDpbsEu3Hho6_3I2_z5m2OWk59/s1600/top.png"></a></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"></p><p align="center"></p><div align="center"><br />*</div><div align="center">*</div><div align="center">*</div><div align="center">*</div><div align="center">*<br />*<br />*</div><div align="center">* </div><div align="center">*</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><b></b></div><div align="center"><b></b></div><div align="center"><b></b></div><div align="center"><b></b></div><div align="center"><b>ALL ABOUT WOBBLE </b></div><b><span style="color:#cc0000;">(Spoiler Spoiler, Good God Man for the love of Mary go see it first, SPOILER)</span></b><br /><br />So, is Cobb dreaming in the final scene?<br /><br />On my first viewing of Inception I was convinced the entire final scene, Cobb returning home, seeing his children, was an extended dream. The evidence: the top/totem was still spinning, the kids looked identical to the previous flashbacks, even the way the scene was lit seemed to suggest a dream-like state.<br /><br />Now, having watched it again, I have to say I was wrong. But in my defence Nolan has put a lot of red herrings into Inception, ammunition for the "it's all a dream" team. (For example the dream-like chase sequence with the closing walls in Mombasa.) Why did I change my mind? Well, in the end it's all about the <strong>wobble</strong>.<br /><br />Cobb returns home. He looks around. He's agitated. He takes out his totem and begins to spin it. Just then he sees his children. Their clothes are similar but slightly different. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(</span><a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/08/inception_costume_designer_rev.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Confirmed here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.) </span>They turn, we see their faces and he's finally reunited.<br />Then we cut back to the top, still spinning, spinning. Then just seconds before we fade to black, the top begins to wobble.<br /><br />It's not much of a wobble. But it's certainly the beginnings of a top that is going to give in to gravity. Ergo, top falls = real life.<br /><br />However, as Sam Adams and others have suggested in a way it doesn't matter. The ambiguity is part of the larger theme Nolan is playing with as he explores the reliability of perception and the power of memory. Listen to the interview from The Treatment and you'll hear these are themes that have followed Nolan throughout his career.<br /><br />In the end that's what makes Inception so satisfying. It takes a universal theme (<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498701631927721634" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9A-6mftU0av01LUWZgO8Hr46B3iTxr2LQO6zDCxsHLLT8SOJdz3SMaQCBmgtUfcZX-3wcAwEboW30IwUaTacu307fyh7jUAvjD4NSRgGiw__Q4lIfYpXZUH74cK87q7P3dupw6TqkAAc4/s200/gi-joe-snowjob-2.jpg" border="0" />is this real?) or perhaps the oldest of film cliches (it was all a dream?) and builds an entire movie on that quandary. And his way of exploring these concepts? Using the cinematic language of action films. In fact my single biggest critique with Inception is how it abandons the surreal landscape of the dream and instead serves up something like an extended G.I. Joe action sequence featuring an army of <a href="http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.gijoeactionfigures.net/images/gi-joe-snowjob-2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.gijoeactionfigures.net/&h=400&w=265&sz=95&tbnid=HHpT3Z392icJfM:&tbnh=276&tbnw=183&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dg.i.%2Bjoe%2Bsnow%2Bjob&usg=__YpAbV4OF4Y-NLWrK1Wko-N6F7yc=&sa=X&ei=lU5PTO_YDIiosQPcv4WQBw&ved=0CBgQ9QEwAA">Snow Jobs</a>.<br /><br />That said, what makes Inception so engaging is the way Nolan embraces the basic language of film, and reminds us the difference editing, music and motion can make. Time stretches and compresses. We flash back and forth between levels. The van falls and falls. It's a beautiful ballet of space and time, a dance of booms and buildings falling and in the centre, a haunted man trying to escape his past, but refusing to let go.Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-44607094248596227222010-06-25T06:11:00.000-07:002010-06-25T09:22:59.998-07:00A Summer Film That's Good For You (Cyrus)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3mHWLQHBmi7zn4F04312H95GqIGK9O7SLTKW0aICTQUO37lsDZ8_BJDDZKMHHlX6BVes7OrHhGPe8T3MPQAyIiGqklENX58CJyM4p2BIzIynbHaHULBrM42J7bk6-UJq0Ufq0RZSS08i/s1600/cyrus.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486704093834763042" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3mHWLQHBmi7zn4F04312H95GqIGK9O7SLTKW0aICTQUO37lsDZ8_BJDDZKMHHlX6BVes7OrHhGPe8T3MPQAyIiGqklENX58CJyM4p2BIzIynbHaHULBrM42J7bk6-UJq0Ufq0RZSS08i/s320/cyrus.jpg" border="0" /></a> Stuck in the middle of this summer of junk food cinema <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1336617/">Cyrus </a>is fresh garden mix of funny. It's simple movie filled will subtle moments. Little micro bursts of emotion we so often miss in larger louder films.<br /><br />The plot is rather simple. A sad schlub of a man finds his second wind when he hits it off with Molly. But Molly's 21 year old son Cyrus is threatened by the new man in his mother's life.<br /><br />In other hands this would have become a run-of-the-mill Hollywood comedy starring Gerard Bulter and Jennifer Aniston. But it's more than off-kilter casting that makes Cyrus different.<br /><br />It's about watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000604/">John C. Reily</a> arch his eyebrows ever so slightly. It's the way <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000673/">Marisa Tomei's</a> eye crinkle when she smiles. It's the quivering lower lip of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1706767/">Jonah Hill</a>. It's a movie filled with generous close ups and awkward pauses. It's a movie that breathes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxgsdOfKlyRncbcmewPVO0R8t_7IAugVUBEgS9Gq-cTusavlp73qzF_2buRwtYOAocn55as-P5wXbJn7j1qeuHsFGCyz1z40b6hQLTA_WoVcT5Ynv5cffAHl7oZsaHWCGZKNd-1cMGv05/s1600/jay-and-mark-duplass.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486705834774568242" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxgsdOfKlyRncbcmewPVO0R8t_7IAugVUBEgS9Gq-cTusavlp73qzF_2buRwtYOAocn55as-P5wXbJn7j1qeuHsFGCyz1z40b6hQLTA_WoVcT5Ynv5cffAHl7oZsaHWCGZKNd-1cMGv05/s320/jay-and-mark-duplass.jpg" border="0" /></a>If you have any interest in writing or directing I implore you to go listen to latest <a href="http://creativescreenwritingmagazine.blogspot.com/2010/06/jay-and-mark-duplass-cyrus-q.html">Creative Screenwriting podcast</a>. It features a long interview with Jay and Mark Duplass, the writing directing duo behind Cyrus.<br /><br />Like their movie, the Duplass brothers are endearingly honest. As they say on the podcast it took them years, years of making crap to find their voice. Here's a few of the gems from their interview.<br /><br /><strong>$3.00</strong> - That's what it cost to make their first successful short <a href="http://www.maximumfun.org/2009/12/04/duplass-brothers-john">This is John (watch it here)</a>. Just their parent's video camera and the cost of a tape. But it was that short film (shot unrehearsed) that got them into Sundance, and led to the films The Puffy Chair, Baghead and Cyrus.<br /><br /><strong>Story and Characters</strong> - That's all that matters for the Duplass brothers. Technical stuff, the set, the lighting and all the rest come a distant second. <br /><br /><strong>The Vomit Draft</strong> - When they sit down to write their first script they have a unique method. You could call it the Vomit Draft. The brothers first agree on the basic structure of the film. They have a series of cue cards. Then Mark sits down with a dictaphone and talks his way through the first draft of the script. That's correct, he "writes" the movie orally. This has a couple advantages. One, you can't go back and fixate over anything, so the process keeps you moving forward. Two, your body naturally tells you when to move on.<br /><br /><strong>Don't Fixate Over Dialogue</strong> - Since the Duplass brothers use a lot of improv in their films, they never get too hung up about the words, since the script is just a starting point.<br /><br /><strong>Long Walks</strong> - When they hit an impasse during shooting, they leave. The two brothers walk off the set and talk, until they solve the problem. <br /><br /><strong>Don't Move On Until You Feel Comfortable</strong> - As one of the brothers says, "If you don't know if you got it, you didn't get it." He's talking about the pressure to keep moving to the next scene during shooting. But he says, you know if you've got something and you can't let the pressure to keep on schedule to affect your movie. (Of course when you operate with lower budgets it's easier to stay in control. More money = more pressure.)<br /><br /><strong>"Fuck all the noise and ask yourself what do you want to see next?</strong>" That's Duplass philosophy on filmmaking.<br /><br /><strong>Don't Direct the First Take</strong> - No direction or blocking for the first take. The surprises that occur are about 25% of the film. <br /><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Shoot Chronologically</strong> - More expensive but works better for the actors who are improvising.<br /><br /><strong>No Marks -</strong> No blocking for the actors, the action is shot documentary style.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>"Are you Gung-Ho and brave enough, to come and say 'we don't know' with us and try and figure it out together?" </strong> - What they ask of the actors.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Skinny Movies</strong> - The Duplass brothers like skinny movies. 5 characters. 86 minutes.<br /><br /><strong>The Script Isn't a Piece of Art</strong> - The Duplass brother spoke about how when they were working with Fox Searchlight, their screenplay began to change from a subtle comedy to something more overt. Part of the process was how the studio execs were influencing them to write scenes that read well on the page. But the Duplass style of comedy doesn't read well. The really subtle moments that ring true don't work on paper. So it's worth remembering, the script is not a piece of art. It's just a blueprint to get you to the point where you're making the movie.Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-81785533621049703512010-06-11T20:51:00.000-07:002010-06-11T22:02:10.432-07:00Pity the Fool (A-Team and MacGruber)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoeXYIeRCQAcjwfLVHC6AxfWPHytRgxbgPO3I0HG-n0luUqheGvgW7rS5WjnNIRhrxcoTnqfxNoY7TA4kp6QnQU4GUhT16FW4EqPPX3UtVaIOsCFa89ZRJ51hEycGyy0m7hY0AuqITrif/s1600/A-Team-2010-1024x646.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_8LQVYwNpdHwkRL9doagXwUwm8zUbIV31kOkWk0jb0PGdrzybAQrlgk0D__7hTR6mQij3rxgMJMHS0FbNB-FS4-Z0gkOX2xpYoa77cmL7W0de_geaOoXKqg3vDiTb1hoClqx1kmNCRiK/s1600/the-a-team.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_8LQVYwNpdHwkRL9doagXwUwm8zUbIV31kOkWk0jb0PGdrzybAQrlgk0D__7hTR6mQij3rxgMJMHS0FbNB-FS4-Z0gkOX2xpYoa77cmL7W0de_geaOoXKqg3vDiTb1hoClqx1kmNCRiK/s320/the-a-team.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481738998069350882" /></a><br />I've been thinking a lot, far too much about the new <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429493/">A-Team</a> film. Now let's be clear. This is a film based on a show that was about as realistic as the GI JOE cartoons of the same time. And the new A-Team continues the legacy of lunacy. <div><br /></div><div>There is a memorable scene (SPOILER) where the guys attempt to slow a plummeting tank by firing at the rapidly approaching ground. Now I'm no Mr.Wizard, but I don't think that's the way the law of physics work. And then again, who cares? Because instead you get Jessica Beil muttering "They're trying to fly that tank." And it's funny. But ridiculous. Which is the essence of my A-Team conundrum. <div><br /></div><div>There is a lot of fun stuff in the A-Team. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0177896/">Bradley Cooper</a> as "Face" has the kind of charisma that could grow into Clooney-esque proportions. The same cock-sure attitude, the man who smirks in the face of fireballs. Another high point is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1663205/">Sharlto Copley</a>. This is his first big role after playing Wickus in District 9. No Afrikaner accent here. Sharlto is playing "Murdock," the court jester of the bunch. His energy is manic and like Bradley it's infectious. </div><div><br /></div><div>These guys make the A-Team fun. The team clicks, the back and forth, the cross talk make being in the middle of the crew a fun place to be. But the action is insane. The set pieces feel like they were hatched by the bastard love child of Michael Bay and the demented geniuses behind the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479884/">Crank</a> series.</div><div><br /></div><div>Which is what frustrates me. The A-Team looks like an action pic. They're using the same vocabulary (car chases, fireballs, firefights) but there's no tension. It's a Noel Coward play drenched in Redbull and topped with gunpowder. </div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOoeXYIeRCQAcjwfLVHC6AxfWPHytRgxbgPO3I0HG-n0luUqheGvgW7rS5WjnNIRhrxcoTnqfxNoY7TA4kp6QnQU4GUhT16FW4EqPPX3UtVaIOsCFa89ZRJ51hEycGyy0m7hY0AuqITrif/s320/A-Team-2010-1024x646.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481739436584301250" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 202px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /><div><br /></div><div>But then last night, I figured it out. The A-Team is a remake, but what they've created isn't an action drama....it's a sitcom. An incredible expensive (& loud) sitcom. Call it Four's Company.<br /><div>Once I made that mental adjustment, all my issues; the lightness of tone, the unbelievable finale...they all melted away.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>Really in a way the A-Team is the kind of movie MacGruber wished it could have been. Look at the similarities. The both start in the desert. Both feature heroes who excel at making elaborate devices out of</div><div>scraps. Both use familiar action cliches to amuse the audience. It's just that the A-Team is actually funny. </div></div><div><br /></div></div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-61613204874703826232010-06-06T15:55:00.000-07:002010-06-06T15:59:51.673-07:00Song Remains the Same...<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(100, 95, 94); white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:verdana, sans-serif;font-size:10px;"><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12133254&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=12133254&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/12133254">Pure</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2138945">Jacob Bricca</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p></span>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-61215619447362193092010-05-28T13:40:00.000-07:002010-05-28T20:04:45.518-07:00How I learned to Love Liza (Sex and the City 2)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1GEAjMqxBPwlcG8edrz0uMIUvgl4q-dwOSKosaivoPk3WMghpHA7TsJCVj9O9BhjqhaSW6AgMHHCPF5oypbiRrEDqMtTYMeuk4L7ooyE2DO5TmaJ3uouAfRs5OIzDkDyHVfY4QFRDX-d/s1600/sexandthecity2_poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476447463874390194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 216px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1GEAjMqxBPwlcG8edrz0uMIUvgl4q-dwOSKosaivoPk3WMghpHA7TsJCVj9O9BhjqhaSW6AgMHHCPF5oypbiRrEDqMtTYMeuk4L7ooyE2DO5TmaJ3uouAfRs5OIzDkDyHVfY4QFRDX-d/s320/sexandthecity2_poster.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>So I've been on CBC <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=eli+glasner+cbc&aq=f">TV</a> and Radio for the past couple days cataloguing all the things that are wrong with Sex and the City 2. The never-ending tide of brand-name goods. The guileless zeal the fab four display for their divalicious lifestyle. The colour-blind avalanche of designer disasters. </div><br /><div>But....there are a couple things I liked about the sequel. </div><div>So in the name of positivity here is (semi spoiler warning...)</div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A SHORT LIST OF SOME GOOD THINGS IN SATC2:</span></strong> </span></div><br /><div><strong>It's funny</strong>. Occasionally. I will say the writer/director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455078/">Michael Patrick King</a> has a knack for staging the outrageous. Two scenes stick in my mind. First, Carrie and Mr. Big in bed listening to a screaming baby in one room, and Samantha's wild animal sex in the other. Watch the trailer if you want to see the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjWl-82Yau4">punchline</a>.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of Samantha, my other favourite moment comes as Sam has just finished proselytizing about the power of vitamins for fighting menopause. Then she sees Charlotte's new nanny, (played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1404408/">Alice Eve</a>) a voluptuous vision, bounding bra-less towards them. Samantha's mouth hanging wide open crammed with vitamins is classic. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXoGE_IPhXW8gqGR-QYg0nSoobCqIezBaY__P2iJepGFnblEIBV5yB3hkHlj6XRdAAeXa8uJij5JNu6QBEouneOf_MYbURvr_xbH1EJdpEKdveHgjhwCuDfgOsByYEOk5a0z280tdijbw/s1600/sex_and_the_city_2_poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476447737092277266" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXoGE_IPhXW8gqGR-QYg0nSoobCqIezBaY__P2iJepGFnblEIBV5yB3hkHlj6XRdAAeXa8uJij5JNu6QBEouneOf_MYbURvr_xbH1EJdpEKdveHgjhwCuDfgOsByYEOk5a0z280tdijbw/s200/sex_and_the_city_2_poster.jpg" border="0" /></a> <strong>Carrie.</strong> I hate to say it but Carrie is still the best character <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000572/">Sarah Jessica Parker</a> has played. When SATC works it's like the best of Woody Allen crossed with Nora Ephron. But I think part of the problem with the sequel is that Carrie's got it all. In the TV series she was still a scrapper. Sure she had the shoes, but only one apartment and hadn't hit it big as a writer. (At least not at the beginning.) Now Carrie has her man, the swanky NYC digs, she's a best selling author with presumably an unlimited credit card. Hard to feel her pain when it's whether to wear Dior or Dolce to dinner.<br /><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>Liza</strong>. Yup, Liza Minnelli. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CVC4yky1Bmwram7e_eZAOBwYEXhkXLDba-Mm-UAiy5X3bwdAVIECpoaWgwIreeyjrFP_HTu48ghGN35HpSw82inKnmXBSKpnoV-Ew47j85uimN1P06VhPlJp5YUR4G_odWEOWDPJA-Ci/s1600/Liza_Minnelli_in_Sex_and_the_City_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476448343894200178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 178px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6CVC4yky1Bmwram7e_eZAOBwYEXhkXLDba-Mm-UAiy5X3bwdAVIECpoaWgwIreeyjrFP_HTu48ghGN35HpSw82inKnmXBSKpnoV-Ew47j85uimN1P06VhPlJp5YUR4G_odWEOWDPJA-Ci/s200/Liza_Minnelli_in_Sex_and_the_City_2.jpg" border="0" /></a>The queen of Carbaret shows up at the ultimate and I mean ultimate gay wedding to officiate. (There are swans!) </div><div></div><div>Now when she first appeared and spoke, well to be honest, I felt a little sorry for her. But then Liza performed a cover of Beyonce's "All the Single Ladies." Now I'm not a fan, or at least I wasn't. But I gotta say Liza owned that song. She rocked it. Great performance from a real woman that <em>almost</em>, almost made Sex and the City 2 worth seeing.</div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-43344564745726833952010-05-22T19:49:00.000-07:002010-05-22T21:08:05.748-07:00Summer Alternatives<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjya4BtK70vKAhyl15YcTbwEEOP7GfE1eR9w9UbjAfrpoTZYa6zVZlT5AZU_sxqnArskVBjFzHNeC1JJm6YzRJMgAMwkvX6fEIBkfyYEOfyvQtg2VIggS9tvx3L3Hhemwiy_sJ4tnNi-E92/s1600/The+Secret+In+Their+Eyes+Poster.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjya4BtK70vKAhyl15YcTbwEEOP7GfE1eR9w9UbjAfrpoTZYa6zVZlT5AZU_sxqnArskVBjFzHNeC1JJm6YzRJMgAMwkvX6fEIBkfyYEOfyvQtg2VIggS9tvx3L3Hhemwiy_sJ4tnNi-E92/s320/The+Secret+In+Their+Eyes+Poster.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474298982722426594" /></a>Long time no update, blah blah blah, is there anything worse than a blogger apologizing? <div><br /></div><div>Right then, as I look back on the list of movies I've watched recently I see there's a number of little gems that might go unnoticed next to the season's swath of blockbusters. So here is a short list of some of the smaller and dare I say smarter alternatives out there.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1305806/">The Secret In Their Eyes</a></b></div><div>If it sounds familiar it's because The Secret won the best foreign feature at the Oscars. At the time I couldn't see how anyone would fail to pick <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149362/">The White Ribbon</a>, but having seen Secret I understand the decision. (I don't agree, but I think I can see why.) The Secret In Their Eyes has a lot of things voters look for in an <i>Oscar-Caliber</i> movie. An epic love story. Dark themes. Restrained but effective acting. This is a movie about the dangers of desire. About being consumed by it or haunted. It has touches of film noir. It's also a very subtle look at the many lives of Argentina. And, as a murder mystery The Secret makes most Hollywood films feel like an episode of Law & Order.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1fEoTPhecwTScDTZ5A_ytRLcZISegZS0JW22OBpp1_QTWbFNw2ZtusGYM1lBgMRrTIiDVg4d7-D_fmTFxj6Shm7TiBQSkljAd-Sde6cv-xG390I8hupoRaAI-7TqABjan85gm2EYrRuF/s200/EXIT_RAT_WILD-thumb2.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 138px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474299338274406402" /></div><div><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587707/">Exit Through The Gift Shop</a></b></div><div>This is an extremely frustrating movie only because I greatly enjoyed it, but I'm afraid if I explain what makes it so satisfying I'll spoil it. So, I will only say this is much more than a movie about the street artist Banksy. This is movie about what happens when you invite the anarchists into the art gallery. It's quite consistent with Banksy's raison d'etre and one of the most provocative docs I've seen in years.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Zr2nWOE_d6ST6mRUzwanWPuEMU07GMhY1NJQmsG_xAwHGRAAYh2aU08WgJrrVdwN19tJ4iVReiP0ut-nVz9Y34Yw9U0lbwCI2OkkToXHHugzcXxCFKNzKDabbazH2lJtc9l37hdqNUF4/s200/the-trotsky-movie-poster.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474299133470938706" /><div><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1295072/">The Trotsky </a></b></div><div>This is a high school comedy that posits the question "Boredom or Apathy?" Which is why I love it. (Well they already had me at the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015648/">Battleship Potempkin</a> parody.) But for the rest of you let me say <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0059431/">Jay Baruchel</a> is all the reason you need to watch this film. Like Che Guevera crossed with Buster Keaton, Jay's conviction brings Leon Bronstein (aka Trotsky) to life. The Trotsky is as close as Canada has gotten to making a movie like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128445/">Rushmore</a> but director Jacob Tierney did it, by creating his own unique spin on the high-school hero genre.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1277728/">Mid-August Lunch</a></b></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN2dWJMRbNNsx5N6Uk24FgfouKFFnyAr6SWODdNfeNW5LsCOYnd8Y3HI3mMp3w6kv7cc7OBKBk33aAgmhozBYnTRjEpDqEzRtNhdowgYTjwqx_UFP5D36a1BkuHk5fFdpcCsbB5wsVmEkh/s400/mid_august_lunch.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 246px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474299796076648050" /><div>From the co-writer of the searing <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0929425/">Gomorra</a> comes a zesty, </div><div>light-as-air comedy of mild-manners: Mid-August Lunch. During a holiday in Italy a good-natured mama's boy Gianni gets stuck watching his mother and a couple other ladies. </div><div>Watching the suave, calm and collected Gianni deal with these clucking, complaining women is a master class in coping, not to mention an excellent advert for powers of white wine. A gentle, affectionate comedy that brings to mind <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115678/">Big Night</a> at moments, Mid-August Lunch doesn't oversell its story and knows sometimes a little is enough. (Written, directed and starring Gianni Di Gregorio who based it on his own real-life experiences with his Mama. Awwwwwww.)</div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-31656591013076954862010-04-09T15:03:00.000-07:002010-04-13T08:13:07.054-07:00Wild Things, With Fangs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISoseuixByoGh1Vd6BGtRIDBVxrRwzXiRUMgh-gMvaVW4kglqwh5HNMl2NDRiuA7-QqmQI92gtZtbE41nSa35uiYwqfqX6THnqdkbxduLVvFqWdNUDeDcUsqG5QsmRczaMbJzCfKmuYwK/s1600/wild_hunt.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459362288119114722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 217px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgISoseuixByoGh1Vd6BGtRIDBVxrRwzXiRUMgh-gMvaVW4kglqwh5HNMl2NDRiuA7-QqmQI92gtZtbE41nSa35uiYwqfqX6THnqdkbxduLVvFqWdNUDeDcUsqG5QsmRczaMbJzCfKmuYwK/s320/wild_hunt.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p align="center"></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">LARP</span> (Live Action Role Play)</strong></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"><strong>+</strong></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"><strong>Lord of the Rings </strong></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"><strong>=</strong></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"><strong>THE WILD HUNT</strong></span></p><br /><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;"></span></strong></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">See it, it's good. Worth your time. Bloody good fun, a nice twist on the dungeons and dragons genre. Great example of the new wave of Canadian cinema, like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pontypool</span>, Fido and Ginger Snaps. Smart slick takes on genres, fun films that don't depend on stars to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">succeed</span>.</span> </span></p><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;">More here: </span><a href="http://www.wildhuntfilm.com/main.html">http://www.wildhuntfilm.com/main.html</a></p>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-25095057976677677222010-04-01T11:25:00.000-07:002010-04-06T13:52:14.351-07:003-Duped<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGuebrWt7W-uOhh2z0gFFUNxmPlKxML8rzRgSQuipGuL6FjKtvy8orhgmr9_sH5XIcOw_0SUbCKH02Ma6LN5uHaeDK1WZgEaFJQS1vKzxayXF6QlouakgRS7KvnfUFjIHARLaHoYkk8HO/s1600/PerseusMedusa.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455240532278673410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGuebrWt7W-uOhh2z0gFFUNxmPlKxML8rzRgSQuipGuL6FjKtvy8orhgmr9_sH5XIcOw_0SUbCKH02Ma6LN5uHaeDK1WZgEaFJQS1vKzxayXF6QlouakgRS7KvnfUFjIHARLaHoYkk8HO/s320/PerseusMedusa.jpg" border="0" /></a> I got a little glimpse of the future last night.<br />And it involved a lot of people wearing funny glasses.<br /><br />I happened to see two different 3-D experiences. First, Samsung’s new <a href="http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/research/article/rc8753.aspx">3D TV</a>, and then the 3-D film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800320/">Clash of the Titans</a>.<br /><br />Care to guess which was the better experience?<br /><br />It was the TV.<br />The screen was crisp and the graphics hovered out in front of the set like something out of Minority Report. The content wasn't much, a loop of sporting events, but 30 seconds of a soccer game was all I needed to understand the potential.<br /><br />Of course, for the full 3-D experience you'll need a new TV, a new Blu-Ray player, and don't forget the special 3-D glasses. A steal at <a href="http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/samsung-samsung-rechargeable-adult-3d-glasses-ssg-2200ar-za-ssg-2200ar-za/10140322.aspx?path=bbdc80d065c3c1c7314aeb15cac797a9en02">$249 a pair</a>.<br /><br />Well now, perhaps the movie is looking a little more affordable eh? An extra 3 dollars a ticket doesn't seem so bad if you get a 3-D experience in return… Except this isn't real 3-D. This is a 2-D film, <strong><em>converted</em></strong> into 3-D.<br /><br />Seems the producers of Clash of the Titan decided they'd spend an extra 5 million to convert the flat 2-D film into 3-D. Or almost 3-D. Call it 2 and half.<br /><br />Now, I’m not a fan of 3-D but I’m know when it’s done right. Avatar. Coraline. Up. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ez6v5wt2tmbfEsnT1I1E8rWWclCkkUd7AJ591gVR4doUbPN6gtBRpjW6wZJHxql8SwR-vAilIGBjhND75TUUGyGyBSQSjz9g0Tz0YTjkGSHWx_pHLx6X9ZGTX5T6pRBX0svEwwG1z32T/s1600/reald-3d-glasses.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455240632993341330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 126px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Ez6v5wt2tmbfEsnT1I1E8rWWclCkkUd7AJ591gVR4doUbPN6gtBRpjW6wZJHxql8SwR-vAilIGBjhND75TUUGyGyBSQSjz9g0Tz0YTjkGSHWx_pHLx6X9ZGTX5T6pRBX0svEwwG1z32T/s200/reald-3d-glasses.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Of the new breed of 3-D films Clash of the Titans is the worst viewing experience I have seen in years. Some scenes have no depth at all. Take off your glasses and you'll see little or no difference. Often one or two characters appear to hover in front of the background. The effect is basically that of a children’s <a href="http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://gamil.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/starwars-pop1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.gamil.com/2008/02/08/ho-lee-star-wars-this-pop-up-is-awesome/&usg=__2nDvA2LUcQ77m2-ujkjOyRljYC4=&h=235&w=400&sz=28&hl=en&start=5&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=qEZHZzh4tGliMM:&tbnh=73&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpop%2Bup%2Bstar%2Bwars%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7ADBR_fr%26tbs%3Disch:1">pop-up book</a>.<br /><br />Many film blogs have <a href="http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2010/03/diet-coke_3d.php">relished</a> sharing the details that the producers actually outsourced the 3-D conversion to a shop in <a href="http://www.primefocusworld.com/">India</a>. Meanwhile <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5493832/the-movie-studios-big-3d-scam">SFX wizards</a> are pointing out that most theatres aren't equiped to properly project 3-D films. The polarized sunglasses you wear darken the image and hurt picture quality. One can imagine the animators who worked on the new and improved <a href="http://moviecultists.com/2009/12/17/awesome-new-trailer-makes-clash-of-the-titans-a-must-see/">Kracken</a> crying when they see the muddy results.<br /><br />Now, let’s be clear. Without or without 3-D, Clash of the Titans is no future classic. It’s the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114436/">Showgirls</a> of action films. A quick and silly sword and sandals adventure, (regarding Medusa, our hero says “Don’t look the bitch in the eyes”) with a plot that belongs in the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAMm7XwdD_M&feature=related">Mighty Hercules cartoon</a>.<br /><br />But who cares right? We just want to watch <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0941777/">Sam Worthington</a> slash stuff!<br /><br />Meanwhile movie theatres are converting to 3-D capable systems as fast as they can. Far from being a novelty, 3-D films are beginning to clutter up the multiplex forcing theatre owners to make tough decisions. The charming <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892769/">How to Train You Dragon</a> barely got a foothold before Clash of the Titans came along.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvx8o17fYHGBFsafR24TwibkJIHrqSKaPaxh4dQKgSRIwDHH-q9_pOw5m8ZPxXQNzjCPsFjKpHYbbGS3xn9uYtIi7A6od23U0K7ilqP4DLI-wykz9gljo0ZVz847dW6AzS6u1Lwege6pLT/s1600/1950s-3d-movies.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455240737472040994" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 302px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 317px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvx8o17fYHGBFsafR24TwibkJIHrqSKaPaxh4dQKgSRIwDHH-q9_pOw5m8ZPxXQNzjCPsFjKpHYbbGS3xn9uYtIi7A6od23U0K7ilqP4DLI-wykz9gljo0ZVz847dW6AzS6u1Lwege6pLT/s400/1950s-3d-movies.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />But the worst effect of the return of 3-D is how it brings out Hollywood’s shallow side.<br />Now more than ever it's not about how good a picture is, it's about the spectacle.<br /><br /><br />The industry considers movie like State of Play or Duplicity failures. All that money for big movie stars and nothing to show for it? So why waste time writing something smart and hard to sell? If you have a movie with a great visual component just slap a 3-D on that title and you’re set!<br /><br />So get ready for Tron 3-D, Smurfs 3-D, Piranha 3-D, Harry Potter 3-D, and Erector Set…3-D.<br />(<a href="http://www.imdb.com/news/ni1588173/">Really</a>. )<br /><br /><br /><br />A now in honour of the next ten years of squinting through sunglasses, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvIAyxpjEuc">a classic from Timbuk3</a>.<br /><br /><br />*Update*<br />The Big Picture has an <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2010/04/clash-of-the-titans-will-it-be-3d-that-really-kills-off-movie-stars.html">interesting take</a> on why Movie Stars should fear 3-D the most.Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-84462638347109516182010-03-03T12:35:00.001-08:002010-03-09T11:33:36.553-08:00Revisiting Up in the Air<div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHk6Gy1T5A76l56ey7Nkvo7LtZfL9tm2Akvr7cDvhBhjUrTs21L5bKhrVqlP4HLX8_DWAT6BaXLL2gZy9dCXGYjb2cYHjsAmQvXBnZ90Ij24FY0dtNKXvHcHWhXmA8k3hgKSrCfhrd2TWh/s1600-h/101.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444509106796035922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 235px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHk6Gy1T5A76l56ey7Nkvo7LtZfL9tm2Akvr7cDvhBhjUrTs21L5bKhrVqlP4HLX8_DWAT6BaXLL2gZy9dCXGYjb2cYHjsAmQvXBnZ90Ij24FY0dtNKXvHcHWhXmA8k3hgKSrCfhrd2TWh/s400/101.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="left">There's no doubt Jason Reitman's Up in the Air is a contender for Oscar glory this year. </div><div align="left">Sure it probably wont win best picture, but best adapted screenplay is a safe best.</div><div align="left">And already the Great Recession love story has appeared on dozens of “best of” lists (<a href="http://glasneronfilm.blogspot.com/2009/12/20-for-2009.html">mine included</a>.) </div><div align="left"><br />But not everyone, it seems, agrees about what happens to the main character: the modern man in grey, Ryan Bingham as played by George Clooney.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>***Fasten Your Seatbelts, plenty of SPOILERS below***</strong></span><br /><br />For me, one of the great pleasures of Up in the Air is how it grows from a slick and smarmy love story to a tragedy. In the beginning, George Clooney's character is the master of his domain. He's not only comfortable in the alien artificiality of an airport, he revels in it. Perhaps it’s because the cold comforts of air travel mirror his life.<br /><br />But by the third act the frequent flyer has been cruelly grounded. He made the ultimate sacrifice, taking a direct flight to his lady love only to find himself stuck in the snow; the door quickly closed in his crumpling face.<br /><br />To me, this is the point of no return.<br /><br />Like a bubble boy stepping outside for the first time, the character Ryan has lost his ability to enjoy the freshly sanitized pleasures of air travel. When his boss tells him they're sending him back on the road indefinitely (“send us a postcard when you get there”) there's a weary look in Ryan's eyes.<br /><br />And so here's the question: Near the end of the film, (George Clooney's character) Ryan arrives back at the airport. We see him staring up at the departure board; carry-on luggage at his side. There's a close-up of his face. His hair is less than perfect. His eyes are wide. And he lets go. Lets go of his perfect-traveller’s suitcase as he stares up at the sea of destinations.<br /><br />What is he thinking? For me, there's a sense of resignation there.<br /><br />He doesn't want to be there. Having felt some real warmth in his life, going back In The Air is the last place Ryan wants to be.<br /><br />Yet he does – which is the beauty of the film. And then there's the final line:<br /><br />"Tonight, millions of people will come home to screaming children, barking dogs. Their spouses will hug them and ask them how their day was. The stars will wheel forth from their daytime hiding places; and one of those lights, slightly brighter than the rest, will be my wingtip passing over".<br /><br />Now to me, those are the words of a man in exile. Sure it's artful but there's a sense of sadness there. Of course, not everyone sees it that way.<br /><br />A friend of mine had a very different interpretation of that moment in the airport. When Ryan is looking at the departure sign, my friend felt he was happy. Ryan was returning to a place where he felt safe. After giving a real relationship a try and getting burned, he's running back to his refuge in the sky.<br /><br />And there’s one more interpretation to stoke those fires. Another friend believes Ryan is looking at the departure board and planning to use all of his remaining frequent flyer miles (he should still have about 9 million or so) to plan his very own trip around the world.<br /><br />Of course I believe it's option A. Sure the final shot is a heaven of sorts… with it beautiful sun-kissed clouds. But again, it's a false paradise. Outside, the air is freezing and the wind howls.<br /><br />What do you think? </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"><span style="color:#6633ff;">*UPDATE*</span></div><div align="left">Watch this deleted bonus scene from the DVD. </div><div align="left">More fuel for the fire!</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MoynbQwKOQI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MoynbQwKOQI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div></div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-42478414922078530992010-02-25T06:46:00.001-08:002010-02-25T06:48:01.268-08:00Pretty Poster, Nice Movie<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeEy2cNPAhKiw37oHk82bI-ORoNDeCSxzXJ_aeVgaw1QlEVIFpQqwAKbdvHH-Hz4WfL1MzNM7y052ZKUZnllKoaJXytrnny6QEB9zhjfhjIRR315aH9UFr0k08EWWBHJUOspCofNz9A51/s1600-h/20100225_goodheart_560x830.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442192716947288786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeEy2cNPAhKiw37oHk82bI-ORoNDeCSxzXJ_aeVgaw1QlEVIFpQqwAKbdvHH-Hz4WfL1MzNM7y052ZKUZnllKoaJXytrnny6QEB9zhjfhjIRR315aH9UFr0k08EWWBHJUOspCofNz9A51/s400/20100225_goodheart_560x830.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Saw this at TIFF, was lovely. </div><br /><div></div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-8593233886081724202010-02-19T11:20:00.000-08:002010-02-19T12:57:25.070-08:00Ghost World<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uqpC5WUNbMy_mzp4JZPO7qEpCR1_xDO-3JgTBj3cOhzrTRTXcg_d65yGou0LshBLxAIxAb0VZTT4K3jqToOhMtshT9rVfd6yCq8M6LxS9SJ_MVGUhUGNJAnClE6J9n-_E-728P5_nn9Q/s1600-h/Shutter_Island_Di_Caprio_Head.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440037114543122594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 283px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uqpC5WUNbMy_mzp4JZPO7qEpCR1_xDO-3JgTBj3cOhzrTRTXcg_d65yGou0LshBLxAIxAb0VZTT4K3jqToOhMtshT9rVfd6yCq8M6LxS9SJ_MVGUhUGNJAnClE6J9n-_E-728P5_nn9Q/s400/Shutter_Island_Di_Caprio_Head.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>SPOILERS ABOUND, BEWARE</strong></span><br /></span></p><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p>I’ve haunted by Hollywood lately.</p><br /><p>Or to be specific, hack Hollywood writers.<br /><br />This week marks the third film I’ve seen this year where ghostly daughters visit their grieving fathers.<br /><br />First there was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974014/">Creation </a>where the adorable Annie Darwin caused her Papa (Charles Darwin) to be reduced to tears, chasing a phantom across his estate. </p>Then there was Mad Mel Gibson playing a bereaved father on mission of revenge in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/rg/HPBO_/TOP_LHS//title/tt1226273/">Edge of Darkness</a>. As Thomas Craven, he can shed blood with the best of them, but he’s not above calling out for Emma, his recently dispatched daughter. And while the movie is aiming for Dirty Harry status, the Hallmark Card ending with father and daughter arm in arm would make the hard-boiled hero want to swallow his Magnum.<br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">(Spoilers, remember?)</span> </strong></span><br /><br />Which bring us to today and Martin Scorsese’s pretzel-plotted thriller <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130884/">Shutter Island</a>.<br />Here we see US Federal Marshall Teddy Daniels visited by not just his daughter, but also his dead wife. As Teddy, Leonardo DiCarprio copes as best as he ca<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM4d25BdDmXZTRf3xQso7p20JB5iWZIpukW-98MC5_VEond9a9HK_iSP85fIsXHreoiskwDoEdB-WwJ3uDP9yqnI5CfbUneF3G4m3CEEhId_qKrI4O3Wiek9hn9JuZXIwj6Yy7AE6G_cn/s1600-h/shutterisland_photo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440038068970440082" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 136px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkM4d25BdDmXZTRf3xQso7p20JB5iWZIpukW-98MC5_VEond9a9HK_iSP85fIsXHreoiskwDoEdB-WwJ3uDP9yqnI5CfbUneF3G4m3CEEhId_qKrI4O3Wiek9hn9JuZXIwj6Yy7AE6G_cn/s320/shutterisland_photo.jpg" border="0" /></a>n with these chalk-coloured phantoms, but there’s a fine line between ghoulish visions and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460644/">The Ghost Whisper</a>.<br /><br />So Hollywood hear my plea. Enough with the ghost writing already. Surely you can find another way to show the father’s grief. I know “Show Don’t Tell” is screenwriting 101. But some things are better implied than described.Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-14699129631708045492010-02-05T07:56:00.001-08:002010-02-05T13:50:17.490-08:00Saint Steve<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53FQ74EmWabUh21NU1nxs0qY9W8L9n3T8nYJ_WJXvqIW9bqKJodoEaGAnNI2FHJyEpkCcWm62OEBfqRr-xCORQic7lAidjek0Iem4nHmYGB8r3YzF7a9K77vch7tfMdbazp5DUVGAcU_F/s1600-h/saint_john_las_vegas.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434789007161631634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53FQ74EmWabUh21NU1nxs0qY9W8L9n3T8nYJ_WJXvqIW9bqKJodoEaGAnNI2FHJyEpkCcWm62OEBfqRr-xCORQic7lAidjek0Iem4nHmYGB8r3YzF7a9K77vch7tfMdbazp5DUVGAcU_F/s320/saint_john_las_vegas.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>My cbc radio reviews for this week are <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0989757/">Dear John</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179034/">From Paris With Love</a>. In that film John Travolta plays one of the strangest characters you've seen in a while. Charlie Wax. A bald, biker-dude turned secret agent. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_vaNwHmoklTo_iWQd3nta7iH_TEpMnfwU2OYR4oo8iOMYc7m8GD8dLqE94CUCiPD5vPIJ9iHB0dDBfVsNeZXYYL4G1nv4JbDCGQUTDOP3oc2eaHemHhsYbINiqbL25u_v-ySNhyhK3M2/s1600-h/from_paris_with_love_65.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434795329704650082" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 97px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_vaNwHmoklTo_iWQd3nta7iH_TEpMnfwU2OYR4oo8iOMYc7m8GD8dLqE94CUCiPD5vPIJ9iHB0dDBfVsNeZXYYL4G1nv4JbDCGQUTDOP3oc2eaHemHhsYbINiqbL25u_v-ySNhyhK3M2/s200/from_paris_with_love_65.jpg" border="0" /></a>(right)</div><br /><br /><br /><p>If you want to see him and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001667/">Jonathan Rhys Meyers</a> blow up Paris good, go nuts. But I think you'd be better off rewatching any of the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372183/">Bourne</a> identities. </p><p>For a great stab at what's wrong with From Paris With Love, check out <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372183/">this review by Roger Ebert</a>. </p><p>And for a movie that's actually worth watching, try Saint <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1276105/">John of Las Vegas</a>. It's a rare treat for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000114/">Steve Buscemi</a> fans giving him ample space to do his trademark slow burn. </p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLHnWUX66SJspFzZ-kQP5TUxkkswZR6BbaCaxQuMKh1zM1J2ho2eFUkIMrjvjKgXBuC3KdNhV7R31xEcakM-RmJF3AV7xi9LRRFy9PKUpDPQpxX7Wv29wCsVNWOSCQcoiy09aFaJPmQCb/s1600-h/103_saint-john-of-las-vegassmall-550x364.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434794857117319986" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLHnWUX66SJspFzZ-kQP5TUxkkswZR6BbaCaxQuMKh1zM1J2ho2eFUkIMrjvjKgXBuC3KdNhV7R31xEcakM-RmJF3AV7xi9LRRFy9PKUpDPQpxX7Wv29wCsVNWOSCQcoiy09aFaJPmQCb/s200/103_saint-john-of-las-vegassmall-550x364.jpg" border="0" /></a>Saint John of Las Vegas is a road movie of sorts. Steve plays John, a reformed gambler turned insurance investigator on the case of a suspicous car crash. With his no-nonense partner Virgil, they set off to visit the scene of the crime and interogate witnesses. Along the way you'll meet Tim Blake Nelson, Sarah Silverman and John Cho.<br /><br /><br />What I liked about this film is that it didn't try to oversell the comedy. This isn't going for a in-your-face laugh attack like the overhyped The Hangover. Saint John is a gentler, more grounded brand of funny. John is just a guy, trying to do a job and get back in one piece. And who better to play the sad-sack hero than Buscemi, a man whose face was built for pain. Like watching Charlie Brown trying to kick the football, you can help but root for him.<br /><br /><br /><p>As a opposed to John Travolta's over-sized Mini Me character, John fits Steve Buscemi as well as the simple suits he wears. You might say he's typecast from his <a href="http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=mr.pink&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=-ERsS9muN43k8QbygbWGBg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCYQsAQwAw">Mr.Pink</a> days of Resivor Dogs. But I think he's just playing to his stregth. </p><br /><br /><p></p>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-26750713551151882882010-01-29T06:52:00.001-08:002010-01-29T07:29:13.452-08:00More Mel<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKKMo0tp2zVXw6eMxzx1UtF_GKqa5XluWJopGzQIXhTQ5O2STQyOhyeZyCJ7rgp23Oi0ZRkSdDxptH2C-Uyeb-mB5mQE9YpcWERleE1_o_C-YyaaZ3pDWJk2UQZAmJNLtKRG4fjtsOLcv/s1600-h/EdgeOfDarkness.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432174916292018738" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKKMo0tp2zVXw6eMxzx1UtF_GKqa5XluWJopGzQIXhTQ5O2STQyOhyeZyCJ7rgp23Oi0ZRkSdDxptH2C-Uyeb-mB5mQE9YpcWERleE1_o_C-YyaaZ3pDWJk2UQZAmJNLtKRG4fjtsOLcv/s320/EdgeOfDarkness.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TzG6qdzMZJ9PiHjAZgJUG2KDf_kCRlfRGCusRtbNABtaENlzC8haCM6aA9z14jXVDpWAXETqtIyh4OOdxIX_p7Ql6QFdV8coU2XkmIIEyh18YjWOKyYzp1GYoPCEG9qYvwJZvNMYVYm8/s1600-h/Edge-of-Darkness-Poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432174811081384450" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TzG6qdzMZJ9PiHjAZgJUG2KDf_kCRlfRGCusRtbNABtaENlzC8haCM6aA9z14jXVDpWAXETqtIyh4OOdxIX_p7Ql6QFdV8coU2XkmIIEyh18YjWOKyYzp1GYoPCEG9qYvwJZvNMYVYm8/s320/Edge-of-Darkness-Poster.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This week's radio/podcast review is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226273/">Edge of Darkness</a>. </div><div></div><div>In short it's a mess. Cramming the plot from the original BBC miniseries (right) into a 2hour flick just doesn't work. </div><div></div><div>The big question of course is just how Mel would do, returning acting after an 8 year absence. </div><div><br />I have to say the results are disappointing. The new Mel just seems angier. It's Mel against the world, nothing new. </div><div></div><div>If you're looking for a little more context on the return of Mel, let me suggest two links. </div><div><a href="http://www.moviefone.ca/2010/01/24/mel-gibson-interview-turns-nasty/">This is an interview</a> with Mel done by a local entertainment reporter who had the temerity to bring up the whole racist drunk driver episode. The results are uncomfortable and I'd suggest illustrative. </div><div></div><div><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-mel-gibson24-2010jan24,0,2405376.story">The Shadow in his smile</a>, is an excellent article by Geoff Boucher of the LA Times. He actually got to spend some time with the man and gets a sense of how he's struggling to put the past behind him. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for reasons to watch Edge of Darkness? <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0404111/">Danny Huston</a> plays a great piece of corporate scum. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935653/">Ray Winstone</a> is fine, but really why wouldn't you just rent <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203119/">Sexy Beast</a> instead? </div><div></div></div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-68866518474810511782010-01-22T14:04:00.000-08:002010-01-22T14:36:30.808-08:00THE SECRET OF THE TOOTH FAIRY<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-lJJ4PjTcB0m_Qhdi_thX_m5vbD3_WQgQPnOFJGGCg_JI2smCwcxI3T-M0G4_dVq9gKxWVLFv67xWREtYvD0wK6zZ7v1CPJ_8GAw7ifltzjJnz9IE1vAqgD84MDxN1Pr7RmxIqwHBe0f/s1600-h/the-tooth-fairy-movie.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429688725003914226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 232px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-lJJ4PjTcB0m_Qhdi_thX_m5vbD3_WQgQPnOFJGGCg_JI2smCwcxI3T-M0G4_dVq9gKxWVLFv67xWREtYvD0wK6zZ7v1CPJ_8GAw7ifltzjJnz9IE1vAqgD84MDxN1Pr7RmxIqwHBe0f/s320/the-tooth-fairy-movie.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The secret of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808510/">The Tooth Fairy</a> is that it doesn't suck. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Here's 3 reasons why. </div><br /><div>1) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0425005/">Dwayne Johnson</a> remains a likable cross of <a href="http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=Guy+Smiley&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=7iJaS_GuEM_S8QbMw8nIBg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQsAQwAA">Guy Smiley</a> and Godzilla. Also he has the whitest teeth on Earth. Like a thousand suns. My God Man, drink some coffee, smoke a cigar, turn those things down. </div><div></div><br /><div>2) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000345/">Billy Crystal</a> wanders on for a 5 minute cameo as the tooth fairy stock room guy, and he's actually funny. It's fun, fast and even a little naughty. Makes me wistful for when Billy Crystal movies were worth watching. </div><div></div><br /><div>3) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0580351/">Stephen Merchant</a>. If you don't know him, he's the tall skinny guy f<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTv8a7IM7NjWvXz8rL6NGFIoYF5fpwDLYuAhEWUrriyT4PnMqBwT5NiWkinPfhbYEQG9UcG0hnDHAgCQKdfuRHJP5yMuAdl_5Pc2E8kBes_8KTPqTZfQk5nsUBOO0PGsWg2NUJ4BeTcnJ-/s1600-h/extras-merchant6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429690298833344786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 144px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTv8a7IM7NjWvXz8rL6NGFIoYF5fpwDLYuAhEWUrriyT4PnMqBwT5NiWkinPfhbYEQG9UcG0hnDHAgCQKdfuRHJP5yMuAdl_5Pc2E8kBes_8KTPqTZfQk5nsUBOO0PGsWg2NUJ4BeTcnJ-/s200/extras-merchant6.jpg" border="0" /></a>rom the British <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386676/">The Office</a>. He plays Tracy, a fairy administrator with "wing envy." Stephen can actually stand up to the former wrestler, he isn't easily intimidated and has a great time sniping the big buffoon. </div><div></div><div>Great stuff, too bad he's almost invisible in the trailer. But trust me, if you end up taking the kids to this one, Stephen is the one who makes it worth sitting through. </div><div></div><br /><div>Also in other news I liked <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974014/">Creation </a>and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=the+last+station">The Last Station</a>. Check out my <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/pastpodcasts.html?58#ref58">podcast</a> for more info. And if some reason you'd like to actually see me, there's now a video version on the CBC site. Keep an eye on my <a href="http://twitter.com/glasneronfilm">twitter </a>feed for links. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>See ya in the dark!</div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-52942971266281918682009-12-26T20:28:00.001-08:002009-12-31T23:50:35.745-08:0020 for 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdA2qst7IkcnGIcyb1xQklZMyE7Ri-0G-mZK3_bXGbDs5wLUfTYpeq_EhfED09hL3_BX_fO3BcVbD0oxq0xxhbiN9jzVut3jCy4LIRi-qK3CBJ3P0uxxHmuGOTUcpwe0G2UcLjNko1rqky/s1600-h/il_divo_poster.jpg"></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">It's been a rough year for the big boys in Hollywood. DVD sales are weak, downloading is still a cause for fear and strangely audiences refuse to reliably go see pre-manufactured pablum like Land of the Lost. 2009 was the year when big stars couldn't guarantee a film's performance (Julia Roberts in Duplicity, Russel Crowe in State of Play to name a few..) and when<br />other stars came back with a bang (Hello Sandra Bullock).<br /><br />Still, look long and hard and you'll see signs of hope. From Fantastic Mr. Fox to Paranormal Activity and yes even Avatar, filmmakers proved that all audiences really want are artists with vision. Someone who knows how to move the camera and has something to say.<br /><br />As for the industry, both blu-ray and 3D are here to stay, which means more money for people to play with. Expect more spectacles and pray for some smarts.<br /><br /><br />From 2009 here are 20 films that stood out.<br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7S_Os_8leVEQ6H1rlZZ403q71uHHA7VZ8sdU69LZQZJZA1XcabXcNp8hexnL2X4PmCgbYcgmdhoiwTIX1aSCQggGmrIjitmpcp56ypn-Uo-SCMdxpHIAhUMvThuTVinJbvIJVMHCPz_rB/s200/movie_9360_poster.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 200px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419775316375492514" border="0" /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">20 <a href="http://www.atowncalledpanic.com/">A Town Called Panic</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">It's hard to describe a film which stars a toy Cowboy, Indian and a Horse. The stop-motion animation style is primitive, the voices are just above the level of Pingu and it's freakin hilarious. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I watched this at TIFF, truly it hasn't come out in theatres in Canada yet but I couldn't leave it off my list. A Town Called Panic is one of the funniest and most inspiring films I saw this year. Silly and absurd, a blast of play-doh coloured craziness. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkQER-bAygAGqnFFwlxfx03aYbpKy67kLh2VcElZXgRtbmuMVaQP1hhtW9NtYtHaP_jqIs5Qjsh7cqslwsMVb90GHym8e8oUKo3LeZdKXOEFx0tAr7XOrQM9nrais_LjxGz4a95dz3R0Z/s200/necessities-of-life-poster_280x415.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419778422290061682" border="0" /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> 19 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1280501/">The Necessities of Life</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">An Inuit hunter. A case of tuberculosis. What starts as a mission of mercy becomes an act of cruelty. There are many pleasures in this moving film from Quebec. Set in the early fifties it's a bracing look at what was done to aboriginal populations in the name of good. It's also a movie about survival, even in the most unlikely places. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);font-size:100%;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIx8e5qyFYW2-UcWnJtbCzn_CUwdyziE6h9apyozE9DpCKeQriyp1cq5YqmkPhxqAVJSBpdCg8Orj3WCPUoAB0n326Toww9EiZQDKaecUukfF2lxEspbanQJ_TRjv9HG7RYHkIdr9D06po/s200/the_white_ribbon_poster-424x600.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419780880260572946" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);font-size:100%;">18. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149362/">The White Ribbon</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;">If I had to pick a single film from this year people will still be talking about two decades from now, this would be that film. </span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;">Set in a small German town on the eve of the first world war this is a movie about power, about fear and the folly of fascism. Stunning work by the director who also brought us <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387898/">Cache</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia,serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia,serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro28-UV7sGus2C_9OCxLke8JKkHk7UJW7GHXyfateRQFU7LMyEC-F7AlW1HD2uHxMaLRJG-cqNlvCR7Xoy0lZ88HuKKWRS3Q_QYxOkzyvg_0gh3PGIu44slAu2WAPnKTwqwh_BnpQr-JE/s200/whip-it.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419782426531816034" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia,serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span">17. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172233/">Whip It</a></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia,serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I loved this movie perhaps more than I should have for a simple, girl-gains an-attitude-and-puts-on-some-skates, kinda film. But perhaps it was about all the things that Whip It wasn't. Whip It didn't make the heroine into some type of patsy. She didn't moon over her man (hello Bella) and it contained a nice grungy mix of gals. Good actors, great soundtrack and some body blows to cap it off. No princess in this teen wonderland. Rock on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000106/">Drew</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO73pU9TF_tIrSshScRgMiWVt_9Vc-rBP2FHvBRIYt3Z9xJYjLDJHMs5QrOTUen38gOq-Zx9KFXM1edSh9LLDywgbezVsUt3umdN8K7miK1ZCjNNKCWfDIWjKHFIFHdGIiavIqvDz3Dv9L/s1600-h/tetro.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO73pU9TF_tIrSshScRgMiWVt_9Vc-rBP2FHvBRIYt3Z9xJYjLDJHMs5QrOTUen38gOq-Zx9KFXM1edSh9LLDywgbezVsUt3umdN8K7miK1ZCjNNKCWfDIWjKHFIFHdGIiavIqvDz3Dv9L/s200/tetro.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420522049227107250" border="0" /></a>16. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0964185/">Tetro</a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Two brothers, a woman and Buenos Aires. As I said when I first wrote about Tetro, this is a <a href="http://glasneronfilm.blogspot.com/2009/08/1000-cinema-taking-on-tetro.html">time capsule</a> of a film. A rich sip from the pre-AVID age of cinema. It's not that Coppola has made something dated, but like The White Ribbon there's a timeless feel here, which makes up for many of the great director's indulgences.<br /></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia,serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMixGn_ZTPd2__oK7EPTacgeHo9PJ5hSq7guImn6sSOxCn3_Fu6Qsv2XSwZb50nonjIcS-CMTtmBp1NqyX0E22sfh4slPkpmQ7sPXpv0BM3-qrD_WloK2CL5eK4LiAXD9kP_Rzowyo7pQ4/s1600-h/cove_xlg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMixGn_ZTPd2__oK7EPTacgeHo9PJ5hSq7guImn6sSOxCn3_Fu6Qsv2XSwZb50nonjIcS-CMTtmBp1NqyX0E22sfh4slPkpmQ7sPXpv0BM3-qrD_WloK2CL5eK4LiAXD9kP_Rzowyo7pQ4/s200/cove_xlg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420523708715964802" border="0" /></a>15. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313104/">The Cove</a><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia,serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />The second best documentary of the year works on many levels. As an activist film opening your eyes to a horrible crime. As a personal journey, watching a man tied to the image of the domesticated dolphin trying to make amends. And finally, as a caper, a mad mission-impossible type scheme involving high tech gizmos and daring feats. Watch the film to the end and you'll see how the director never rests on his laurels. Always finding new ways to stimulate our senses.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X3dmINrr-7emJmSVqm9BhT5UqBEzDrhUGRfz8re8McA4d9Bciv3p4pPZmUP8uVVCUPAKHWZ14Imlz6bbpawlo80-hjpFPPfBSkqc3QuCXPunYK1s3Jy6Y2floxvLSifwdGNE-O7They7/s1600-h/district_nine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3X3dmINrr-7emJmSVqm9BhT5UqBEzDrhUGRfz8re8McA4d9Bciv3p4pPZmUP8uVVCUPAKHWZ14Imlz6bbpawlo80-hjpFPPfBSkqc3QuCXPunYK1s3Jy6Y2floxvLSifwdGNE-O7They7/s200/district_nine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420526165036655954" border="0" /></a>14. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/">District 9</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Let us now sing the song of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1663205/">Wikus</a>. The regular Joe. To be honest a bit of a jerk really, with his easy smile and that late seventies mustache. Played with verve by Sharlto Copley, it's just one of the many differences that helped set District 9 apart. A heck of a first film for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0088955/">Neill Blomkamp</a>. So glad <a href="http://www.halothemovie.org/">Halo</a> fell apart.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwlOQ-gFqegmpGh85jJH-7nsmgZwt3r4-3HStl1Q4bQoi5O-AdC8sfeFwKJyeD3d_nBfhrjtlY5z9IDclh4gf03X3LC7iXlpl9ecHQ0uIlswmqy0c7HQfQsfB2Lnc5V9wnpL2YfmuVclk/s1600-h/damned_united_poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwlOQ-gFqegmpGh85jJH-7nsmgZwt3r4-3HStl1Q4bQoi5O-AdC8sfeFwKJyeD3d_nBfhrjtlY5z9IDclh4gf03X3LC7iXlpl9ecHQ0uIlswmqy0c7HQfQsfB2Lnc5V9wnpL2YfmuVclk/s200/damned_united_poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420530578856910978" border="0" /></a>13. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226271/">The Damned United</a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The story of a soccer coach makes it here for two reasons: 1) The amazing performance of Michael Sheen as the swaggering Brian Clough. You would think the arrogance would cancel out the charisma but instead it almost has a multiplying effect. 2) The beautiful structure of Peter Morgan's script, almost Shakespearean in the way he dissects and displays Clough's fatal flaw.<br /></div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-size:medium;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZMVWI8MumlMOYmW0ZAThvlx-GjcvaPGZJyxixAHIH4TlYtfbNClLnSKA8KD54T-gRh7VPIYbqxtihC_O9ex0lIZIue7e5eT-QbcSyGLvAI-swLts3CiKlP9VWCCtlTwwPy39LAnsPEJi/s200/crazy_heart_poster_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420857723124491250" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-size:medium;">12. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1263670/">Crazy Heart</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Another movie on the list mainly because of one performance. Somewhere around the 20 minute mark I lost sight of Jeff Bridges. He slipped entirely from view, replaced by "Bad Blake" the tarnished country star at the centre of this tale. And I aint what you'd call a country music fan, but I sure as heck was humming some of those tunes by the end. (more on the music <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/12/crazy_heart_songwriter_and_gol.html">here</a>)<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-size:medium;"> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqRV7pBRSyEAvlEzrK3CpoenOP6uksaCwina8yRwQFzx5yWPjUJYlHRFPjKzuazy71Y5nLzK9gF3O0pQiN1jJQfXSo4aB8owf4gj-Ft5xlZ9-TjpY6RPOdHQBUEAFF_BhW8hEyANk0dCd/s200/fantastic_mr_fox_ver2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420861726879100306" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-size:medium;">11. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432283/">Fantastic Mr. Fox</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Not much to add about this film except that I think it's interesting that the occasional excesses of Wes Anderson's style work perfectly in this children's tale. Although what put this on my list over Up, over Coraline, were the very adult themes Anderson managed to smuggle into this film. Something about that dance in the supermarket at the end really stuck with me. There's a subversive quality there, and the fact that Anderson cribbed it from Roald Dahl's notes makes it all the better. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPlJ-dYUE95sNn4o-6tqtmIRo0KdaaE3cGXeQoy3nJJXqHL-fuxxMn8qAiko5DVtFTlePXudVrm_h44Nrz8QLZggVk0fAMPWF1egOP_e5tlJkdcZSqYtK8d_-HLlzhE00OlVsuTJUKEVw/s200/up_in_the_air_movie_poster_US_george_clooney_jason_reitman_01_jpg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420864041308140290" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);">10. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1193138/">Up in the Air</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sure it's slick. It's stylish as all hell. From the second the opening credits begin you know you're in the hands of someone with something <i>to say</i>. But there's also some courage there. From Reitman, willing to make a movie about the collateral damage of the Great Recession. (That empty office with the receptionist crying should be the image of the year.) And credit too, for George Clooney on taking a role that plays with his own image. Or maybe he just did it to share scenes with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0267812/">Vera Farmiga</a>. Yowza!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw6ehAPTjm2H6CeNC5NqxduE1lch5vCtyU4frgbMQGxqW8erLBmfPYuh5SjvDNuzC7laIasweM7o6DZt3FIXedrE7XvA9NYNctLYw8NyiVEfg4P53PL4EpFgreKBjQRXCXVVi60dtiaO1k/s200/2008-09-ibposter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420866318183031426" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);">9. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/">Inglourious Basterds</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I.B. is one of those films that has gotten better as time passed. Immediately I was disappointed with the lack of battle scenes. Sorry but you say WW2, I have certain expectations. Now I appreciate it for everything else. The glorious dialogue. The slow burn of the set pieces. The farmer's table. The German bistro. And the sheer balls of Tarantino who plays tribute to his idols while smashing them to pieces. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xqVfiNQQPuReKE-3bpF7C9GAM-olJLuY1WZ8Pq-8zMnqvhGYIR-ybD_2sUsBcXH37CQqFYbvD_Y03fcatIggcB3ByQgllJkQgcU7Y5_XAOCJpHeyEGh59tKVyoQhRRf6CPxUAV7jGXlL/s200/in_the_loop_ver5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420872437022926722" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);">8. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226774/">In the Loop</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The best movie about the Iraq War wasn't about the war. It was a comedy about the run up to the war. And it was made by a bunch of Brits. If <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0113048/">Col. Hans Landa</a> is this year's villain, Malcolm Tucker is a close second. The crown prince of cursing. A master of vigorous vulgarity. No amount of alliteration can prepare you for his foul-tongued fury. (Check out my interview with him <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2009/08/19/f-in-the-loop-peter-capaldi.html">here</a>.) Lovely stuff. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOm3_GRY6eIAWsjpbwFTSLSGddB2wS_JBurrkM950-VGWzEMMPPFBV67R-0dawwmGLBqEPpyNNzNBF7M-VJLXN20nFB_UavA9KmIuja9tCra77HXsp_GPK-YGYawV4mxNOoVeNUR9ByT3l/s200/moon_poster_blog_sized.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420874777233332722" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);">7. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182345/">Moon</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We long suffering <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005377/">Sam Rockwell</a> fans finally got the movie we were waiting for. A movie to showcase Rockwell's jittery genius, in all his manic glory. Moon is a future classic with little flourishes that cement its place in the sci-fi canon. The vibrating soundtrack. A kindly robot. (Kevin Spacey!) Flawless mise en scene. And a plot that swallows it's own tail. Plus those final shots.... Such economy in storytelling. Perfect. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi42IFvDtz7lOSJVUCtinSimrdJkMEd6LUMKD7c71G9qQp6LtZmcieK6EYiUAdL3OMg3LHvuK1QIdh7nWbYQgs3iULCVkBfLXB2eMBkJo_Duh-N_ATS6Ne0podsY0sNeMt8GycFZ2Ht48W0/s200/hunger_ver2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420877236531348914" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);">6. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0986233/">Hunger</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's beginning to look like the next couple years will belong to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1055413/">Michael Fassbender</a>. But this is the film that got him there. An amazing performance, I don't want to say much more since this was my number one <a href="http://glasneronfilm.blogspot.com/2008/12/top-ten-of-2008.html">last year</a>. Well now it's actually out and in your video store so I'm putting it on my list again. It's that good. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtv5waEnxTrBKSgglbtX2tYoblTB-VzfN0RhYYek-rDKOj0vbB70l9sByFlde_k5PxhntZ4JNDD7WKdIbsdREY3_BUtV4v9lGd-xqBR03lWbcsTFfzuS7Jeo4bz34mIuR86-Z5EQXUxgP8/s200/collapse_xlg-691x1024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420878640411242706" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">5. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1503769/">Collapse</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;">The best doc of the year is about a man in a meat locker explaining the way the world ends. Whether as character study or a warning, it's fascinating stuff. Suddenly the X-files feel like fairy tales. (More <a href="http://glasneronfilm.blogspot.com/2009/12/all-http://glasneronfilm.blogspot.com/2009/12/all-fall-down.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tiff/blog2009/2009/09/multilayered_collapse.html">TIFF coverage here</a>.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFwxqrd4uQJvYc8lx3wbMoQnLAjAXCIXGhN9QBWdcdh7kQaGL-IcHKqx8RzC5AaRCExuwdLKhGUKTHrgnAPipda1wCY3OHPwg5rbCXzpPxD8rr6KsEa9wyic3cA3TRDHpCPrc2AoMCfeA/s200/a-serious-man-poster-664x1023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420883328000834626" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);">4. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/">A Serious Man</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"> Let us all now pause and give thanks that we live in a world where a movie as bleak and as twisted and funny, yes funny, as A Serious Man could be created. And give thanks to the Coens who aren't afraid to make movies with questions but no answers. Also, ending of the year. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvxVVmOpF1ugrjI0Y8TRSfGBP8hoxwI0z5Vhmg_S7ggwnrI2q4-euSz7R4YB0loBp5RKKSAEcpIrH1y5N9xxt5iDLyR1Ud1IfinRFUi8sC9Yag8Lu_lIDSK1HHhb1Ezq-bMXUaeror0Jv/s1600-h/bright_star_poster_.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvxVVmOpF1ugrjI0Y8TRSfGBP8hoxwI0z5Vhmg_S7ggwnrI2q4-euSz7R4YB0loBp5RKKSAEcpIrH1y5N9xxt5iDLyR1Ud1IfinRFUi8sC9Yag8Lu_lIDSK1HHhb1Ezq-bMXUaeror0Jv/s200/bright_star_poster_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421522584725878834" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyxEMJLaTdCEukXTuWBoIcDwvo2a20GPnnOd6SmsIh6lvgN30AaUHkGkYj5IHigeDPavAORcwbQwQdGJO4gGN_bjEfUCMDX8HpFuAu-iPaxIMnA2RXPHbP022MKL8ujSmrF_8b3l0xfRC/s1600-h/star_trek_poster-jpg.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDyxEMJLaTdCEukXTuWBoIcDwvo2a20GPnnOd6SmsIh6lvgN30AaUHkGkYj5IHigeDPavAORcwbQwQdGJO4gGN_bjEfUCMDX8HpFuAu-iPaxIMnA2RXPHbP022MKL8ujSmrF_8b3l0xfRC/s200/star_trek_poster-jpg.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421522476684198530" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></a> 3. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/">Star Trek</a> 2. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810784/">Bright Star</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFwxqrd4uQJvYc8lx3wbMoQnLAjAXCIXGhN9QBWdcdh7kQaGL-IcHKqx8RzC5AaRCExuwdLKhGUKTHrgnAPipda1wCY3OHPwg5rbCXzpPxD8rr6KsEa9wyic3cA3TRDHpCPrc2AoMCfeA/s1600-h/a-serious-man-poster-664x1023.jpg"></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;">Two of the most beautiful films of the year, each in their own way of course. (What? You don't find exploding starships beautiful? Well then you're reading the wrong blog.) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;">Also two films where the director is in total command. Each are rewriting history in a way. One a revisionist version of Star Trek, the other a famous poet wooing his neighbour (or was that the other way around?) Each succeeds entirely. These movies took me away and I want to go back.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdA2qst7IkcnGIcyb1xQklZMyE7Ri-0G-mZK3_bXGbDs5wLUfTYpeq_EhfED09hL3_BX_fO3BcVbD0oxq0xxhbiN9jzVut3jCy4LIRi-qK3CBJ3P0uxxHmuGOTUcpwe0G2UcLjNko1rqky/s200/il_divo_poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421603614580142194" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px;" border="0" /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">1. </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023490/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Il Divo</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#330033;"> You take the energy of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208092/">Snatch</a>, the drama of The <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/">Departed</a> and add the epic quality of The <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/">Godfather</a> and you have Il Divo. A movie about the mob. About politics. About a man, who believes above all in himself. Watch the trailer <a href="http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/ildivo/">here</a>. Then go rent it on DVD. Enjoy.</span></div></div></div></div></div>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-88290403922956956262009-12-23T13:22:00.000-08:002009-12-23T17:50:48.517-08:002009 - 7 MinutesI'm aiming to get around to my best of list but in the meantime this is one masterful montage.<br />I recommend watching it in HD and full screen.<br />Enjoy<br /><br />(Well done <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/keesvdijkhuizen">keesvdijkhuizen </a>whoever you are...)<br /><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s5bc8zFUiQE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s5bc8zFUiQE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4126064320746872974.post-80020043180580086932009-12-21T08:45:00.000-08:002009-12-26T20:23:25.314-08:002009 on film<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsSRcjg92YoWDP70xKFJYOUYw8475-xmMI_RgFbZ90g40_1DAfmAmsa-izjAJXjKYHGCBgteIKI_l7aTcp9y0Pm1BE_56Odozo9p4okyBsq44M_bgbMmayMmUeP0U_fiXExKJUqEbW3xE/s1600-h/LA4127-003.jpg"></a><br /><div align="center"><strong>FILMS I SAW THIS YEAR:</strong> </div><br /><p align="center"><br />Act of God<br />Adoration<br />Adventureland<br />Amelia<br />Angels & Demons<br />Antichrist<br />Anvil! The Story of Anvil<br />Astro Boy<br />Avatar<br />Away We Go<br />Bride Wars<br />Bright Star<br />Broken Embraces<br />Bronson<br />Bruno<br />Che<br />Collapse<br />Confessions of a Shopaholic<br />Coraline<br />Couples Retreat<br />The Cove<br />Crazy Heart<br />The Damned United<br />Disney’s A Christmas Carole<br />District 9<br />Il Divo<br />Duplicity<br />Easy Virtue<br />An Education<br />Fanboys<br />Fantastic Mr. Fox<br />Fast & Furious<br />Fifty Dead Men Walking<br />Fired Up!<br />(500) Days of Summer<br />Flame and Citron<br />Food, Inc.<br />Funny People<br />G-Force<br />Good Hair<br />Gomorrah<br />The Hangover<br />Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince<br />He’s Just Not That Into You<br />Humpday<br />Hunger<br />The Hurt Locker<br />Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs<br />I Killed My Mother<br />I Love You, Man<br />The Informant!<br />Inglourious Basterds<br />The International<br />In the Loop<br />Invictus<br />Julie & Julia<br />Land of the Lost<br />The Last Station<br />The Limits of Control<br />The Lovely Bones<br />The Men Who Stare at Goats<br />Monsters vs. Aliens<br />Moon<br />The Necessities of Life<br />New in Town<br />New Moon<br />Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian<br />Nurse. Fighter. Boy.<br />O’Horten<br />One Week<br />Paper Heart<br />Paranormal Activity<br />Pirate Radio<br />Polytechnique<br />Pontypool<br />Precious: Based on the Novel « PUSH » by Sapphire<br />The Private Lives of Pippa Lee<br />The Proposal<br />Public Enemies<br />Push<br />The Road<br />A Serious Man<br />Sherlock Holmes<br />A Single Man<br />The Soloist<br />Star Trek<br />State of Play<br />Summer Hours<br />Surrogates<br />Taken<br />The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3<br />Taking Woodstock<br />Terminator Salvation<br />Tetro<br />This is It<br />The Time Traveler’s Wife<br />Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day<br />Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen<br />2012<br />The Ugly Truth<br />Under the Sea 3D<br />Up<br />Up in the Air<br />Watchmen<br />Whatever Works<br />Where the Wild Things Are<br />Whip It<br />The White Ribbon<br />X-Men Origins: Wolverine<br />Year One<br />The Young Victoria<br /><br /><br /><strong>AT TIFF (NOT YET RELEASED)</strong><br /><br />Cole<br />Cooking With Stella<br />Daybreakers<br />Defendor<br />The Trotsky<br />Suck<br />Kelin<br />Max Manus<br />My Year Without Sex<br />Youth in Revolt<br />Colony<br />The Art of the Steal<br />Google Baby<br />How to Fold a Flag<br />Bunny and the Bull<br />The Frontline<br />Angel<br />Accident<br />The Good Heart<br />Vahlallah Rising<br />Chloe<br />The Wild Grass<br />Symbol</p><p>Something like 130 so far. Many missed, much loved.</p>Eli Glasnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06677566992681168333noreply@blogger.com0