Lifetime Movies

1974
Vin: The Godfather, Part II
Frank: The Godfather, Part II

1975
Vin: Jaws
Frank: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

1976
Vin: Eraserhead
Frank: Taxi Driver

1977
Vin: Star Wars
Frank: Star Wars

1978
Vin: The Deer Hunter
Frank: Animal House

1979
Vin: Apocalypse Now Redux
Frank: The Muppet Movie

1980
Vin: Raging Bull
Frank: The Shining

1981
Vin: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Frank: Raiders of the Lost Ark

1982
Vin: Diner
Frank: Fast Times at Ridgemont High

1983
Vin: Scarface
Frank: National Lampoon's Vacation

1984
Vin: This Is Spinal Tap
Frank: The Terminator

1985
Vin: Brazil
Frank: Brazil

1986
Vin: Blue Velvet
Frank: Aliens

1987
Vin: Robocop
Frank: Full Metal Jacket

1988
Vin: Biloxi Blues
Frank: Eight Men Out

1989
Vin: Batman
Frank: Field of Dreams

1990
Vin: Goodfellas
Frank: Goodfellas

1991
Vin: The Silence of the Lambs
Frank: The Silence of the Lambs

1992
Vin: Reservoir Dogs
Frank: Reservoir Dogs

1993
Vin: Groundhog Day
Frank: Army of Darkness

1994
Vin: Pulp Fiction
Frank: Pulp Fiction

1995
Vin: Heat
Frank: The Usual Suspects

1996
Vin: Swingers
Frank: Swingers

1997
Vin: Boogie Nights
Frank: L.A. Confindential

1998
Vin: Dark City
Frank: Dark City

1999
Vin: Eyes Wide Shut
Frank: The Matrix

2000
Vin:
Frank: Memento

2001
Vin:
Frank: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowshp of the Rings


2002
Vin:
Frank:


2003
Vin:
Frank:


2004
Vin:
Frank:


2005
Vin:
Frank:


2006
Vin:
Frank:


2007
Vin:
Frank:


2008
Vin:
Frank:


2009
Vin:
Frank:


2010
Vin:
Frank:

SMC Podcast

Let us know what you think or suggest future topics at singlemaltcinema@gmail.com.

Michael Bay & Brett Ratner Distillery

The Distillery is the ultimate arbiter of truth. Could these two oft-maligned directors find redemption in the objectivity of the most advanced cinematic distillation apparatus known to man? Have you seen their movies?

---

Danny Boyle Distillery

Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle wants to be a Distillery millionaire. But sorry, Danny Boy, there's no phoning a friend here. You're born alone, you die alone, and you get distilled alone.

---

David Fincher Distillery

Director David Fincher learns the first rule of The Distillery. Oh, no, there is a Distillery and you can talk about it all you want. That rule: you don't want to know.

---

Single Malt Cinema Episode 4.0

America's favorite podcast is back with an all-TV edition and a very special friend. That's right, Paul joins us for a discussion about series finales and the best HBO shows of all time. And just in time for Paul's birthday.
Happy Birthday, pal. You are now immortal.

---

Single Malt Cinema Episode 3.0

Ridley Scott, director of Alien, Blade Runner, and White Squall--prepare to be DISTILLED! Actually, it already happened. Sorry, Sir.All that plus more of the usual charm, wit, and hi-jinks. And hats. Don't forget the hats. (Please note: hats may not be visible on the podcast.)

---

Single Malt Cinema Episode 2.0

2010 Summer Movie Preview! Plus, Vin on what films are making him mad! And, we welcome a new sponsor!

---

Single Malt Cinema Episode 1.0

You'll never forget where you were when you first heard this episode as Vin and Frank introduce their paradigm-shifting invention The Distillery. Your and Steven Spielberg's lives will never be the same.

---

Single Malt Cinema Episode 0

The infamous Episode Zero! In the kickoff installment of our podcast series, our dashing hosts use the Spanish film Timecrimes as a launching pad for a conversation about time travel and all its fantastically opaque implications. They may have also had a couple of drinks.

About

Single Malt Cinema is a collaborative project based on the revolutionary concept of having a few drinks and discussing films. Usually at the same time.

In addition to this site, you will be able to aurally savor our keen cinematic insights via the Single Malt Cinema podcast.

From time to time we will be focusing the conversation on specific directors, actors, or film-inspired topics. In between, help yourself to these fine, artisan-crafted features:

Playlist

• Journal of what we're watching

The Distillery

• Visionary and definitive journey through a director or actor's oeuvre

Source Material

• A genealogical study of the history of an idea

Money Shot

• Thorough dissection of a key or influential scene

Film Oddities

• A look at oddities on film

Contacting Greatness

• Connecting with the artists who inspire us, or who don't have someone screening their email

We encourage comments on all our posts. In fact, we would physically coerce them from you if not for the present limitations of the medium. That's how much we want to hear from you.

Email us at singlemaltcinema@gmail.com with any suggestions of films/directors/actors you would like to see covered. Even better, let us know if you would be interested in contributing to our growing community.

Distillery

					Vin					Frank
Rank	Director	Films		+	-	x	%		+	-	x	%	Score
	Steven Spielberg	25		14	6	5	56		14	6	5	56	56
	Ridley Scott	19		15	3	1	79		6	2	11	32	55
	Francis Ford Coppola	21		15	3	3	71		10	3	8	47	60
	David Fincher	8		7	1	0	88		5	3	0	63	75
	Danny Boyle	9		4	0	5	44		6	2	1	67	56
	Michael Bay	8		2	5	1	25		1	2	5	13	19
	Brett Ratner	8		1	4	3	13		0	4	4	0	6
	Christopher Nolan	7		6	1	0	86		6	1	0	86	86

Key: + = Film Liked; - = Film Not Liked; x = Film Not Seen

Playlist: Stranded

It's a fools quest to see all the films of an actor. A director, at least if they made 3 films, must have some standing and their films make it to the theater or at least DVD. But actors really are a dime a dozen...and they make any film for money...so they can make a lot of films in a year. My quest is to see every Vincent Gallo film. I used to try and see every DeNiro film..or at least every Pacino film..that was very difficult and I failed at it...so now there is Gallo. He has been in a lot of foreign films and independent films, so this makes it very difficult to track these films down. Many of the films are also bad. So I give you "Stranded".

Six astronauts go to Mars...they crash and must figure out how to survive or die trying. Gallo happens to be the most important astronaut, so he is the one that gets to be on board the ship last with co-star Maria deMederios , who also was Bruce Willis' girlfriend in Pulp Fiction. Gallo has a scene where they all are gonna die and so they have a montage of how the astronauts are dealing with their demise..Gallo of course comes out of a bathroom and zips his fly while putting the porn magazine away...once he is alone with his co-star his only response is basically to ask to have sex with her during their last 12 hours to live.

Pure Gallo touches are throughout..This film also stars friend of Gallo..Joey Ramone of the Ramones...he plays an astronaut who is the stranded folks' eye in the sky...So would you have an astronaut with a thick Queens accent watching your ass?

The end is dismal...ok...so 3 survive..Gallo and 2 women...help is 2 years away..and they find air and food on Mars...not necessarily Total Recall-style...more like..."Oh...Mars has air..but just in this spot"

O-God

SMC Update

Sorry for the lack of recent posts. Your faithful staff here at SMC haven't been themselves for varying reasons. Let's just go with the whole "air of mystery" thing and leave it at that for now. However, changes are afoot and we'll return to our regular scheduled programming shortly. We appreciate your continued loyalty and respect your integrity in not paying for our services in order to keep the Web free for all.

Boom!

Playlist: Clash of the Titans

So how bad was it? That's all it comes down to, right? This thing was panned more than Northern California in 1849. So? So, it was ok.

I think most of the derision for this came from the fact that it was released as an upconverted 3-D money grab by a desperately clueless studio. You'd think these geniuses would have learned from their past attempts at colorization--half-assed products will always look half-assed. Not that this was whole-assed to begin with.

My biggest problem going in with this state-of-the-art CGI extravaganza of a remake was that I enjoyed the original so much precisely because it was so old school lo-fi. And that is what ultimately kills this movie. Now, that's not nostalgic bitterness. By all means, take the new technology and make a full-throttle adventure film set in that world (though considering how rich Greek mythology is, why not take a weekend and come up with a new story. Or why not just make a God of War movie?.) Technology is good. But stop using your computer as a storytelling crutch. SFX characters do not automatically equal characters. At least not characters anyone cares about (or as in the case of monsters, characters anyone is scared of). And, no, I have no idea who I'm speaking to right now. As FOB (Friend Of the Blog) Paul has said about video games, too much realism blurs the line of fantasy, which is what games and movies like this should feel like. I think we may have reached the technological event horizon of fun.

Speaking of CGI characters, I have to call a time out on Sam Worthington. I liked him in Terminator Salvation, but it turns out there was a reason he was so effective as a robot. Here, just like in Avatar, he's screen filler. He looks like a leading man, but he has the personality of background scenery. Maybe that's just how he's being directed. Maybe it's just about hitting his marks against the green screen and looking tough. But he sums up the ultimate problem with this movie: it looks fun, but it's not.

And director Louis Leterrier doesn't help. This is an action movie and the action scenes are forgettably dull. Poor editing and worse musical choices. That's a little surprising since I thought he did a good job with the last Hulk film. One of the only good things this has going for it is Gemma Arterton, who's an actress to keep an eye on. Not that she has much to work with here.

So, yeah, it's not awful. But it's not necessarily good, either. If it were on TV, there would be worse things to watch.

Playlist: In the Loop

If you like the British "The Office," you'll...well, you know the rest. And you will. This is classic Brit satire, this time in the world of politics. Specifically, in the State Departments of both Great Britain and your United States of America. Even more specifically, a fictionalized take on the build-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It's funny in that scary Strangelove way in that, yeah, this is probably how it all really did go down.

Actually, if you like ranting, cursing Brits in general--and who the hell doesn't--then you'll love this. Specifically, the f-carpet bombing Peter Capaldi as pro-war Director of Communications Malcolm Tucker. Capaldi (who I loved as Sid's dad on the BBC's "Skins") is worth watching this for by himself. Not that you have to because the whole cast is good, including a very un-Tony Soprano James Gandolfini as a skeptical U.S. general. But my favorite bit of casting is this: Anna Chlumsky. Yes, the return of My Girl herself. And it's about damn time. Thomas J. would have wanted her to keep acting.

Playlist: A Prophet

This French crime drama was the front-runner for Best Foreign Film Oscar last year, but ended up losing to another crime movie, Argentina's The Secret in Their Eyes. Not that its shelves are empty: it cleaned up in Europe, including winning the Grand Prix at Cannes, which from what I hear ain't too shabby. Also, do films have shelves?

Tahar Rahim plays Malik, a young Arab sentenced to six years in prison for beating up some cops. French cops, but it is France, so it's all relative (and get this: French prisoners get full baguettes. I know, right? I bet their prison rape is even romantic.) Anyway, Malik's young and weak and gets dragged deep into the crime world by the Corsican mafia boss inside. Two things: one, the Corsican mafia is like the real Mafia of France, and two, there is no such thing as the Mafia.

To me, it felt a little like Goodfellas in a French prison. The young ethnic outsider gets caught up with Le Famille and slowly makes his way up the ranks. The endings differ and I won't say any more because this should definitely be seen. It's long--155 min--but plot-driven so it moves fast. Director Jacques Audiard is now on the Watch List.

Bonus: a very cool cover of "Mack the Knife" at the end.

The Kaufman Kronicles: The Rest

Adaptation: The most brilliant film script ever...yes...my thoughts are that in the film screenplay that fake Kaufman is writing he doesn't add a fake brother...he just uses his real brother...once Donald takes over the film becomes what Kaufman is not...he has found a way to keep his cred., and still make a film with car chases, sex and drugs...we will see what he does with Kung Fu Panda 2

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: I watched the film with commentary on...Kaufman has stated that he hated this process...in the start he is real open with the commentary, but then even makes fun of Gondry by saying "so your just going to do a play by play of the film"...or something like that...he gives some good insights...but lets Gondry take over...there is a lot of spot light in this film...in the end it all makes sense...unlike the next film

Synechdoche New York:

I watched this film again for about the 5th time. Everytime I have except the first, I went in with the mission to figure out the plot...then I go back to the first time I saw it, and say...Its about the troubles of a mans life, his search for truth...and then he dies. But there is so much here to make you want to find more answers. In an interview Kaufman basically says that his others films have a nice conceit...there is a safety in them where you "can" figure it out...Adaptation is smart but you know its just a film and he writing about writing...in Malkovich its just a movie and we understand who is who, and there is little to no dream logic...in Synechdoche, its not safe...there is no easy explanation, things are rattled and things are falling apart...even with out hero...so do we take all the symbols and side characters, all the clues and try to enclose them, try to repair and make a story out of what Kaufman lays before us? I try and watch this with new eyes each time, but I fall for all the clues...this time I see it as Kaufman really writing and being "true" (as he has stated in many interviews)...and is writting about his life, his fears, real people in his life and how what he does as a writer has affected that...but then we get these clues that throw me and as I watch the film I get more Ideas...I see on the IMDB Boards, all these ideas..it seems like people really focus on one thing or another...either the burning house, or the switch to Ellen, or something to explain everything...isnt that funny since the name of the film is exactly that definition...we want films to be our thing, to represent our one thing, whatever that may be...clues that have led me to false starts and dead ends:

1. Time:

even before the film starts the girl is singing, then the news radio plays an interview about death, bot are symbolic...the clock says 7:43, Caden wakes up and looks in a mirror..the clock changes before a real minute is over and soon its 7:46...he gets up and is in a different mirror...after you've seen this film a few times this opening becomes everything..."the end is built into the beginning" as Hazel says...so is Caden just dreaming..is this actually the end of the film...if I reedited the film we see a dream like old Caden talking about he stage and it goes to white...the voice in his head says the time checking off 7:43, 7:44, 7:45...when he wakes up in the beginning...she says die...he opens his eyes at 7:45 in the start...tries to wake up..its 7:46...time flies by, he goes down stairs...its a perpetual loop..it this to mean that its recursive?...is it a big version of Groundhogs day?...why the time?...why give us that if he is not dreaming...people in the film even say he is a man already dead...the psychologist says he is unrecognizable...I want to make sense in a linear way...thats my human nature...but Kaufman denies that...and thats why this becomes a GREAT film...

2. Names and Transposition:

When the funny space music plays...we have transposition...one life becomes another...this is shown in names...Adele Cotard (Cotard is a disease..someone believes they are dead)...becomes Adele Lack...did she remarry?...is this her maiden name?...Adele the wife of Caden then becomes Adele Capgras (in the apartment)...Capgras is a disease where schizophrenics believe that someone they know is someone else...here in the apartment Caden becomes Ellen...because he chooses it...then he has to cast an Ellen...that Ellen then becomes Caden...its like in Adaptation...the snake eating itself...Kaufman has written himself into his screenplay...but there it was funny and here it is sad...there are funny moments but sad

3. Olive:

Who is the woman at the end...I always saw it as his long lost daughter...at first I took it as what she says...just an actress...then he says that he wanted the picnic with her...this was in Ellens dream...is he still Ellen..is this her daughter? Stool as paint..I just read this great article that makes me understand the stool scenes...the stol all looks like paint and the paint is from all the crap that Adele the painter is feeding Caden and Olive...at this point its a world he has created...its a world Kaufman has created and Hoffman as Caden is playing his own beliefs..his own thoughts...the voice says that Caden is all of the characters...he is the Synechdoche

There is more...much more..it hurts my head to think about...but I will..I just wont write it all..cause this post is a synechdoche of the film.

Lifetime Movies: 1998

Winner: Dark City

I had no idea I was going with this until I typed it a few seconds ago. A lot of solid contenders this year, but nothing that really stands out from the pack. Vin's write-up definitely helped sway me.

Whatever happened to director Alex Proyas? After The Crow and this, I thought we had a new visionary director to follow. In the past 12 years he's only made 4 movies, only one of which is worth noting, I, Robot. And it's only worth noting for how good it looked and how disappointing everything else about it was. The thing that impresses me most about Dark City is that it's an original sci-fi story. For a genre based on imagination, that's actually a rarity. At least in Hollywood. It's also similar in a way to Blade Runner. Neither did much at the box office, but both had a huge influence on the design and tone of science fiction films for years to follow (including Inception). Now, sleeeeeeeeeep.

Films of Note:

American History X: All the behind the scenes drama between Edward Norton and "director" Tony Kaye overshadowed the film. What it didn't hide was the most disturbingly violent scene I've ever seen in a movie. Put your mouth on the curb!

Apt Pupil: Speaking of Nazis, how about a real one? Bryan Singer's follow-up to The Usual Suspects was based on a Stephen King novella and introduced me to the great Ian McKellen. One of the most overlooked films of the decade.

The Big Lebowski: Probably the runner-up for the year. Jeff Bridges gives us an all-time great character and the Coen Brothers are at their comedic best. Thinking about it, this should probably have won. But would The Dude really want me to rewrite this whole post?

Elizabeth: Cate Blanchett's performance in the title role is still the best I've seen by an actress. I remember being blown away. Unfortunately, this was the year Miramax bought the Oscars for Shakespeare in Love and Cate lost Best Actress to Gwyneth. Ridiculous.

Saving Private Ryan: And speaking of getting screwed with an Oscar (still more comfortable than an Emmy), this was easily the "best" film of the year. For the sake of this list, though, the rewatchability just isn't there. Too serious, too tough to watch at times. That's not a knock, it's how it was intended. Know what I remember most about this film? No, not the incredibly orchestrated opening beach invasion scene. It was that Craig Kilborn spoiled the ending during "The Daily Show" right before I saw it. Well, who's laughing now, you snarky bastard?

Ok, now Vin can finally unleash his thoughts about 1999.

Playlist: Kick Ass

Ok this is a film that was independently financed and so you gotta give props for the team that put this together. No company seemed to want to touch the harsh subject matter for some reason...I mean 300 was violent..I guess it was the 11 year old girl who swears a lot and kills people violently...because that's it...that's the reason. This film is good...but not as good as I thought it would be.

On one level I see that it is an anti-superhero film...pretentious folks will say "the deconstruction of the super hero phenomenon"...others said that about Watchmen...I think the film Defendor...and I haven't seen it yet...but that film with Woody Harrelson probably is better suited for that tag line...this film tries to say..."what would happen if you became a super hero" and you really had no powers...at least that's the way it starts off...I wish it would have stayed there...but no one had the reigns on this film...because it was financed independently...and that reason alone is not a reason to just make whatever crap movie you want to make...not that this is crap...but we just have way to many story lines that we have all seen before thrown together...the bad guy...the dead wife..the revenge...the kid is a wuss..the girl is the killer, the evil bad guy and how he became evil...this film starts out as a salve for all the bad superhero films of late and by the end becomes a crappy super hero film...as for the violence and language..Punisher Warzone was much much better..

As for the acting...the kid who plays Kick Ass is just OK...McLovin is terrible..the bad mafia guys are terrible...the great part ..the true greatness even is not with this "Hit Girl"...although I like her storyline best and if they make a sequel she will be worth it...but the best of course is Nic Cage...he has had a re-birth of good old school Nic Cage Craziness...He does an Adam West impersonation here...not over the top..but if you know Adam West as Batman...you will recognize it...remember in Bad Lieutenant he does a Jimmy Stewart impersonation out of no where?...here it works just as well...this guy plays memorable characters that you say.."What the Fuck was that?"...and that's the point..he is in the prime of acting again...maybe not Leaving Las Vegas...but at least Wild at Heart...his story line is the one most like a super hero story line...and the film uses that to say "look this is a typical story line and we will show you that we are making fun of those films by showing ultra violence, and what a real Batman would do"...but it winds up being bad ass and cool and instead of winking at that cliche...the film actually does a great job to promote that type of film to us, and by the way didn't The Dark Knight show us that a guy wearing hockey pads and a shot gun will get his ass handed to him by the real Batman?...we want to see Nic Cage kicking ass..and not this gay ass "Kick Ass"...

Overall I enjoyed it...Big Daddy was the best...real superheroes would simply have guns...that's why we have Police...in real life Batman would be dead in like 4 days...but Big Daddy he will not be in a sequel for "spoiler" reasons...the director is now getting ready to make X-Men First Class...great..he made an independent anti-superhero film...just to make a mainstream piece of steaming crap that we all see coming...sure the Twilight Tweens will watch that garbage...but not me...there are too many superhero films these days..and the critics are right..its overload..I have a feeling that Iron Man 3, Thor, and Green Lantern will all be terrible..I really do...I have hope for Captain America...but that will probably be just OK..The Avengers will be watered down..and all these independent graphic novel films will eventually dry up...we will be left with the hopes that Batman 3 is good enough to push for the Nolan inspired Superman...Nolan is our Only Hope.

Lifetime Movies: 1998

Nominees:

Dark City, Pi, Rushmore

Lets face it, I am running through these years just to get to the incredible, life altering year of 1999. But as I look upon 1998 I see more of the beginnings of some great directors...and at least one director that had a great year and then just crapped out on us...that person is Alex Proyas who created my favorite film of 1998

Dark City

I remember seeing the trailer and being bold enough to plunk down some money and see it with some friends...expecting to see some cool graphics and sci fi fun...what I got was something completely different...it was mesmerizing...it was a puzzle...it was Chris Nolan before Chris Nolan...it was the Matrix before The Matrix...it was Jennifer Connolly at the end of a beach pier before Jennifer Connolly in Requiem...it was a fallen shell of a man Keifer Sutherland before Jack Bauer...it was a Director who made a great great film...Roger Ebert called this the film of the year...and I had agreed with him 100% then and now. The graphics are CGI and maybe not CGI...the script is multi-level in meaning and a puzzle to solve...the ending is a great classic twist ending and the acting and secrets of this film dare you to see it 2 and 3 times more.
The film mergers ideas of film noir, and scifi punk...in the recent days of Nolans Inception...that film was compared to Dark City...and even though I think Inception so far is the best of 2010...this film towers over Nolan's. I can only hope that Proyas goes back to making good films...The Crow was good, I-Robot was bad...so was Knowing (but I did like the ideas in it...the guy can fins good ideas)




PI- You may be surprised this is not first...with my obsession with Aronofsky..I do love it and saw it at the Tampa Theater...but lets face the facts that I saw it for one reason...the poster was cool...it had the Pi math symbol and numbers all over it...I liked it alot...it was shot all guerrilla style and in my hometown of Brooklyn so I identified with that. The acting is ok...Sean Guillette who used to be in Aronofsky's films was a good lead...the ideas are great sci fi fun with a bit of passover thrown in. I great first film for Aronofsky.

Rushmore- "These are O.R. scrubs"...."O.....ARE THEY?"...what a great line...a great sophmore film for Wes Anderson...I mean with his films you would think he was a rich snob from Westchester NY or something...he just films such crazy, as if it were normal, semi-absurd things...but Jason Swartzman (Coppola Connection)...is just great in this and plays a kid you want to smack and hug at the same time...Bill Murray is great too...it makes you look back at this film and try to forget Andersons other films which have started to feel "THE SAME"...but I gotta say Fantastic Mr Fox cured that for me...that was a great film...and so is this...so enough with the nominees...here are thoughts on other films I thought were worthy of this list.

Saving Private Ryan- I get pissed off every time I think of all the other guys who dies and this prick who turns out to be none other then Freaking Matt Damon gets to live and Hanks has to die...that first 40 minutes though was better then 2 Star Wars Prequels put together.

Buffalo 66- Of course Vinny Gallo gets a spot here...I have been watching alot of his films from Netfilx recently...why?...because his films dont make it to the theater and they are never on tv...he is in a lot of non-comedies...this film is a comedy...and he is freaking awesome in it...very funny...not to mention Mickey Rourke is in it and the sadness of Buffalo..and the Joy of seeing the Giants win that Superbowl over and over is a joy to this NY City Boys life.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas- for about 2 weeks after this film can out I only spoke like Johnny Depp as his character in the film..its good enough to be on this list...but I gotta say I think I only have rewatched it 1 time since the theater.

The Kaufman Kronicles: Human Nature

Last Nights film continuation was "Human Nature"...a film Charlie wrote after Malcovich and really wrote years before either of these films were close to being made. This one is way under the radar when it comes to films...and way under the radar if you are even a Charlie Kaufman fan. While most of Charile's work may me labeled "dark" ...this is more screwball and fun...it reminds me of farsical humor. Its got some funny jokes...its got dead pan humor..its got parallels to the state of man and nature and how we all just want to deep down have sex as much as possible...its closer to a sit com style funny and less like Adaptation and very far from Synechdoche.



Regardless This film had no "strange loops" of life imitating art or the reverse...this film was directed By Gondry who later does Eternal Sunshine...its got great shots of Patricia Arquete and Rhys Ifans is really really good in this. He goes from animal man to classy, British sophisticate. He's also good in one of my favorite romantic comedies and guilty pleasure, Notting Hill.

I will take a break tonight to watch and report on "Kick Ass" which just came to my mail box...and maybe a little Madden Football tonight...but I will return to Blog about Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine (which I will listen to the commentary with Gondry and Kaufman)...and lastly Synechdoche NY...which I misspell every time.

Lifetime Movies: 1997

Winner: L.A. Confidential

Film nerds always talk about how Chinatown is the perfect screenplay. For me, this is the new Chinatown. Director Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland's script (based on the James Ellroy novel) is a beautifully complex noir perfectly brought to life by a great ensemble cast, including Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe (who I didn't even know were Australian at the time), Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, and Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner Kim Basinger.

Hanson took two successful ecclectic directorial turns after this with The Wonder Boys and 8 Mile, but  seems to have hit a wall. Helgeland looked like a writing superstar in the making, but as was the case with a lot of the brilliant screenplays around this time, he never hit the bullseye again. (Strange phenomenom we should look into.) Pearce also looked like a future star, but while he's proven to be a helluva actor, he's never broken through to the acclaim he deserves. Crowe and Spacey, obviously, went on to bigger things (I love cusp of stardom Crowe. All that raw energy without the gigantic ego). Just a perfect confluence of talent.

I have to mention Boogie Nights here, too. It's a brilliant film and one of my favorites. But...there's this scene. This one scene that bothered me when I first saw it and every time since. It's early on and features Mark Wahlberg arguing in his room with his mother. And it's horrible. The acting. Horrible. Even when I know it's coming, it takes me out of the movie. Fair? Nothing about my brain is fair.

Films of Note: (Vin took care of most of the big ones)

Anaconda: One of the top entries in one of my favorite subgenres: Giant Killer Animals. So much better than it should have been, which is pretty much true of any halfway decent Giant Killer Animal movie. Or Killer Animal movie, for that matter.

Cube: SMC favorite and one of the top sci-fi movies of the decade. We're still waiting for Vincenzo Natali to break through. Maybe Splice is the start.

Donnie Brasco: The movie that gave the rest of the world fuhgedaboudit. Really, this is when everyone started saying it. Pacino is actually underrated in this. So many great jobs by veteran actors this year (see below. Also, see above for Jon Voight's awesomely cheesy turn as snake food.)

Eve's Bayou: Movies like this always get lost and we always think that it's a shame. It is. Just saying. This is a powerful little Souther Gothic film starring Sam Jackson and a terrific little girl named Jurnee Smollett. See it.

Ulee's Gold: Peter Fonda gave one of my all-time favorite performances. A quietly powerful, dignified job. Should have won the Oscar. Or at least Robert Duvall in The Apostle. But Nicholson was way too over the top in As Good as It Gets not to get handed the award.

The Kaufman Kronicles

An old interview that I have on iTunes got placed on my iPod by accident. It was a 2 hour interview for Wired magazine and has Charlie Kaufman in a restaurant with this interviewer. It's a great listen and got me thinking about Kaufman's films...so I decided to watch all his screenwriting and directed films in order with the exception of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind...since he feels it's not really the script he wrote.

1st. I think it was Frank...but I want to say that I turned him on to "Get A Life"..I saw it from day one and missed only one episode, "The Gang Episode"...this show was brilliant and it was the most fun Kaufman ever had from his TV show writing days...form The Mighty Wildebeast, to Wallet Boy , to Time Juice...Charlie Kaufman had a role in the maturity of my comedic youth.

As I watched his first screenwriting film, Being John Malkovich, come to life I was finding myself laughing out loud again and finding the sadness and "wackiness" of this film...Kaufman takes literary jumps and originality to a whole new level with each film..in this one I forgot how hot and sexy Cathrine Keener was, how ugly Cameron Diaz was...how pathetic John Cusack was, and how sad it was to see John Malkovich have 1 second where he was back to himself before Mr. Lester and crew enter his body...I also watched this film to prepare myself for the 1999 write up for best film..I am dreading that one. Apparently, Francis Ford Coppola was sent the script by Kaufman and thats how Spike Jonze got the script..it's all "strange loops" when it comes to Kaufman...once you start reading stories and how things change ...like the original plot involving Satan and Malkovich did not want to star in it...and actually Kaufman had the script for like 5 years before anything happened with it...it all goes loopy...just like a Kaufman script....see the old scripts at the link above....

Next I will watch the Underappreciated Human Nature

Playlist: The Damned United

I thought I'd check out this film about English football while I am still recovering from World Cup fever. In all seriousness, I should be bed-ridden. But I soldier on for you, dear reader. Up and at 'em to the ol' desktop computron (No laptop for me. I have a water bed and don't want to get electrocuted).

The Damned United is an account of famed (and controversial) manager Brian Clough (Michael Sheen, as good as he has been in everything lately) and his obsessive battle to prove he was England's best manager. At the time (early 70s), English football was dominated by Leeds United and their manager Don Revie was a national hero. Clough was the up-and-coming small club wondercoach who would finally get the chance to eclipse Revie only to be damned by his own ambition. From what I've read, they played a little loose with the facts, but they got their point home. Which was to shed a little light on a lesser known personality--or a completely unknown one in God Bless America. These are the bios we need because while it may be worthwhile to read a 400 page book on Lincoln or DiMaggio, chances are I'm not going to be reading one about Brian Clough.

Ok, I'll cut to the chase: where does this place on the All Time Soccer Movie list? I'll tell you: I don't know, third? Fourth? Shaolin Soccer is One. Victory is top three, though I don't remember if I've ever seen the whole thing. Bend it Like Beckham is probably Two. Oh, wait, what about Ladybugs? Ok, I'll stick with Four. Maybe Three.

Playlist: Pandorum

You've been here before: Earth of the future has a foot and 4 toes in the grave and our desperate descendants have to seek a new planetary home to slowly ravage. You know the spaceship, too: all exposed wires and flickering lights (at least our crappy work ethic will survive. Speaking of which, sorta, what are the chances that people will be speaking exactly the same as we speak today centuries into the future? Right, none. I know why movies overlook this. Because it's a movie. I'm just saying). Oh, and since non-hyperdrive interstellar travel is such a drag, someone inevitably gets a case of cabin fever and goes all space Shining. "Three years into their shift, one of their officers had a psychological breakdown. The doctors referred to it as ODS symptom. The privates, we call it Pandorum. It drove him insane. He became convinced that the flight was cursed. Evil."

Ooh, right? Like I said, nothing new. But, and here's where this whole post reverses trajectory, or something. This is a good movie. A goof sci-fi movie, which sadly, is saying something considering the quickie Syfy dreck we have to endure. And by "have to" I mean because we're idiots. No, this is a film that takes a standard premise and just does it well. Nothing spectacular (though I want to shave with one of those laser razors), but a lot that was solid. I didn't even mind that the double twist ending was visible from a light year away (Science in your face!). It wasn't played for shock value so much as just the resolution to the plot.  

That quote, btw, was from Dennis Quaid, who is the big name here, though not really the star. That goes to Ben Foster who has to race to save the ship's reactor (along with Milla Jovovich knockoff, Antje Traue. Seeing as this was made by the producers of the Resident Evil series I can't imagine that was an accident.) Foster's been putting together a nice run of strong performances in smaller movies. (One more casting bit: I hate Cam Gigandet. Not in an Affleck way, but in a this guy is way too good at playing a prick way. he probably gives kittens CPR in real life. Unlike Affleck, who eats them.)

Lifetime Movies: 1997

What a beautiful family picture:...1997 was our foray into PT Anderson...the Wunderkind. I saw Boogie Nights in the theater..my first reaction was "Someone just ripped off Martin Scorsese"..as time went on I saw that yes he did...but in other ways he surpassed the master...Scorsese would have a tough time balancing the comedy, drama, action, etc..not that he "can't do that"...but he really hasn't I think...anyway enough about that...this is about Boogie Nights..the best film of 1997.

Leonardo DiCaprio was to play the role that went to Mark Wahlberg...I think Wahlberg was the best person for this...he plays naive so well...he was born for this role...sometimes in film I can't stand him...but other times he is perfect...here he was..the casting is spot on...Julianne Moore is incredible and our fan favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman is the best actor alive..or at least close to it...but the star is PT Anderson...he does ensemble well..he does single character studies well...the guy was the kid in high school who wouldn't have to study and then set the curve for the class and get all A's...you hate him because he makes it all seem so easy. Every scene is crammed with stuff to look at and discuss..every line is thought out and means something on many levels...as for the DVD..it's the last commentary PT has done and is a good one...the last shot is brilliant...as for the fake penis, according to the commentary it's still around and each year is deteriorating more and more...but this film will live on for years as a classic.

Others films:

Chasing Amy: Mostly seen as K. Smith's best film...it probably is, but the ending is still weird...Ben Affleck actually offers to have a 3some for real? I haven't seen this in a while..I just can't handle Ben crying in that car.

The Game: Underrated Fincher film...I remember the trailer being great..it got me so excited for it..it showed Micheal Douglas drowning and pieces of a puzzle coming together..it was awesome...by the way originally Sean Penn's character was to be played by Jodie Foster...also the writers...I mean this film is original and cool...so you would think that the writers went on to make cool original films..but I guess sometimes you get the SE7EN syndrome...like Andrew Kevin Walker...a one hit wonder..these writers went on to do Surrogates, Terminator 3, Terminator Salvation,and Catwoman???

Gattaca: I love this film...it's original, slick looking...I care about all the characters and it's an interesting take on a real future and the love of space flight...not to mention Ethan Hawke is great and should be in a million more films..The director Andrew Niccol is returning to sci-fi after S1mone and Lord of War.

Orgazmo: South Park...after episode 6 with the Mr. Hanky I was done...this film though about Mormons and the Porn Industry is a nice funny compliment to Boogie Nights..."I'm done with Hamstersyle"

Waiting For Guffman: I love the Christopher Guest Mockumentaries...this one is about the second best one...the best is the "My Dinner with Andre" Action Figures.

Lost Highway: A great Lynch film...the scariest guy almost ever in a Lynch film with alleged murderer Robert Blake..and Patricia Arquette is hot hot hot...look for old Hank Rollins as a security guard...and Marilyn Manson as a porn star

In The Company of Men: The film that introduced me to Aaron Eckhart...he is AWESOME in this...I expected great things from director Neil LaBute...but, came a lot of films from him that I just never saw...maybe I should...this film is just an experiment in everything you want to do as a man to hurt women...all women