Cineblog

I, Curmudgeon (Alan Zweig, 2004)

2009-06-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

I, Curmudgeon (Alan Zweig, 2004)
Rating: 6.0

The Milky Way (Luis Buñuel, 1969)

2009-06-30T00:06:00.000-07:00

The Milky Way (Luis Buñuel, 1969)
Rating: 6.2

Boy (Nagisa Oshima, 1969)

2009-06-30T00:03:00.000-07:00

Boy (Nagisa Oshima, 1969)
Rating: 9.0

Grandeur et décadence d'un petit commerce de cinéma[/B] (Jean-Luc Godard, 1986)

2009-06-30T00:02:00.000-07:00

Grandeur et décadence d'un petit commerce de cinéma[/B] (Jean-Luc Godard, 1986)
Rating: 5.0

The Rain People (1969) (Francis Ford Coppola, 1969) - 7.5

2009-06-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Rain People (1969) (Francis Ford Coppola, 1969)
Rating: 7.5

Distance (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2001)

2009-06-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

Distance (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2001)
Rating: 8.5

My Left Foot (Jim Sheridan, 1989)

2009-06-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

My Left Foot (Jim Sheridan, 1989)
Rating: 7.5

4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, 2007)

2009-06-29T23:56:00.000-07:00

4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, 2007)
Rating: 5.0

Living In Oblivion (Tom DiCillo, 1995)

2009-06-29T23:55:00.001-07:00

Living In Oblivion (Tom DiCillo, 1995)
Rating: 5.9

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (Jim Jarmusch, 1999)

2009-06-29T23:45:00.000-07:00

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (Jim Jarmusch, 1999)
Rating: 6.2

Tetro (Francis Ford Coppola, 2009)

2009-06-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

Tetro (Francis Ford Coppola, 2009)
Rating: 4.1

Pornostar (Toshiaki Toyoda, 1998)

2009-06-29T23:40:00.000-07:00

Pornostar (Toshiaki Toyoda, 1998)
Rating: 7.0

Angels With Dirty Faces (Michael Curtiz, 1938)

2009-06-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

Angels With Dirty Faces (Michael Curtiz, 1938)
Rating: 8.1

The Third Generation (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979)

2009-06-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

The Third Generation (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979)
Rating: 8.5

À nous la liberté! (René Clair, 1931)

2009-06-18T15:49:00.001-07:00

À nous la liberté! (René Clair, 1931)
Rating: 8.7

Love and Death (Woody Allen, 1975)

2009-06-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

Love and Death (Woody Allen, 1975)
Rating: 7.3

Brakhage (Jim Sheddon, 1998)

2009-06-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Brakhage (Jim Sheddon, 1998)
Rating: 6.2

Quiet City (Aaron Katz, 2007)

2009-06-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

Quiet City (Aaron Katz, 2007)
Rating: 2.3

6ixtynin9 (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, 1999)

2009-06-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

6ixtynin9 (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, 1999)
Rating: 5.5

Last Life In the Universe (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, 2003)

2009-06-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

Last Life In the Universe (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, 2003)
Rating: 7.5

Vinyl (Alan Zweig, 2000)

2009-06-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Vinyl (Alan Zweig, 2000)
Rating: 8.5

The Hangover (Todd Phillips, 2009)

2009-06-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

The Hangover (Todd Phillips, 2009)
Rating: 5.5

Le Samouri (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967)

2009-06-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Le Samouri (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967)
Rating: 7.8

Demonlover (Olivier Assayas, 2002)

2009-06-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Demonlover (Olivier Assayas, 2002)
Rating: 6.4

Up (Pete Docter, 2009)

2009-06-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

Up (Pete Docter, 2009)
Rating: 6.2

Dreams (Akira Kurosawa, 1990)

2009-05-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

Dreams (Akira Kurosawa, 1990)
Rating: 7.5

Les Carabiniers (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963)

2009-05-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

Les Carabiniers (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963)
Rating: 6.8

Pig (Nico B., 1998)

2009-05-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

Pig (Nico B., 1998)
Ratng: 6.8

Dancer In the Dark (Lars Von Trier, 2000)

2009-05-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

Dancer In the Dark (Lars Von Trier, 2000)
Rating: 7.4

The Burmese Harp (Kon Ichikawa, 1956)

2009-05-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

The Burmese Harp (Kon Ichikawa, 1956)
Rating: 9.9

Ashes and Snow (Gregory Colbert, 2005)

2009-05-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

Ashes and Snow (Gregory Colbert, 2005)
Rating: 9.0

Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters (Paul Schrader, 1985)

2009-05-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters (Paul Schrader, 1985)
Rating: 8.5

Kicking and Screaming (Noah Baumbach, 1995)

2009-05-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

Kicking and Screaming (Noah Baumbach, 1995)
Rating: 2.4

Scenes From a Marriage (Ingmar Bergman, 1974)

2009-05-20T20:50:00.000-07:00

Scenes From a Marriage (Ingmar Bergman, 1974)
Rating: 5.8

Rudo y Cursi (Carlos Cuarón, 2008)

2009-05-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

Rudo y Cursi (Carlos Cuarón, 2008)
Rating: 7.0

The Young One (Luis Buñuel, 1960)

2009-05-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

The Young One (Luis Buñuel, 1960)
Rating: 8.4

Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

2009-05-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)
Rating: 7.0

Fires on the Plain (Kon Ichikawa, 1959)

2009-05-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Fires on the Plain (Kon Ichikawa, 1959)
Rating: 8.2

Stanley Kubrick Boxes

2009-05-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

The Limits of Control (Jim Jarmusch, 2009)

2009-05-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

The Limits of Control (Jim Jarmusch, 2009)
Rating: 8.3

Arizona Dream (Emir Kusturica, 1993)

2009-05-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Arizona Dream (Emir Kusturica, 1993)
Rating: 6.7

The Informers (Gregor Jordan, 2009)

2009-05-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

The Informers (Gregor Jordan, 2009)
Rating: 5.3

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1974)

2009-05-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1974)
Rating: 7.8

Hour of the Wolf (Ingmar Bergman, 1968)

2009-05-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hour of the Wolf (Ingmar Bergman, 1968)
Rating: 8.6

Notre Musique (Jean-Luc Godard, 2004)

2009-05-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Notre Musique (Jean-Luc Godard, 2004)
Rating: 7.6

You, The Living (Roy Andersson, 2007)

2009-05-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

You, The Living (Roy Andersson, 2007)
Rating: 7.5

The Yakuza Papers, Vol. 5: Final Episode (Kinji Fukasaku, 1974)

2009-05-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

The Yakuza Papers, Vol. 5: Final Episode (Kinji Fukasaku, 1974)
Rating: 6.3

The Fall (Tarsem Singh, 2006)

2009-05-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

The Fall (Tarsem Singh, 2006)
Rating: 8.4

Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman, 1972)

2009-05-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman, 1972)
Rating: 6.9

Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, 1982)

2009-05-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, 1982)
Rating: 9.7

Klass (Ilmar Raag, 2007)

2009-05-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Klass (Ilmar Raag, 2007)
Rating: 7.4

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Luis Buñuel, 1972)

2009-05-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Luis Buñuel, 1972)
Rating: 8.2

Hail Mary (Jean-Luc Godard, 1985)

2009-05-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hail Mary (Jean-Luc Godard, 1985)
Rating: 7.9

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Joseph Sargent, 1974)

2009-05-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (Joseph Sargent, 1974)
Rating: 6.6

Seven Beauties (Lina Wertmüller, 1975)

2009-05-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Seven Beauties (Lina Wertmüller, 1975)
Rating: 9.3

In the City of Sylvia (José Luis Guerín, 2007)

2009-05-20T20:12:00.001-07:00

In the City of Sylvia (José Luis Guerín, 2007)
Rating: 6.8

The Yakuza Papers, Vol. 4: Police Tactics (Kinji Fukasaku, 1974)

2009-05-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Yakuza Papers, Vol. 4: Police Tactics (Kinji Fukasaku, 1974)
Rating: 6.0

Z (Costa-Gavras, 1969)

2009-05-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

Z (Costa-Gavras, 1969)
Rating: 8.9

Simon of the Desert (Luis Buñuel, 1965)

2009-05-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

Simon of the Desert (Luis Buñuel, 1965)
Rating: 10

Still Walking (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2008)

2009-05-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

Still Walking (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2008)
Rating: 7.3

Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh, 2008)

2009-05-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh, 2008)
Rating: 2.5

Two-Lane Blacktop (Monte Hellman, 1970)

2009-05-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

Two-Lane Blacktop (Monte Hellman, 1970)
Rating: 8.1

Where the Green Ants Dream (Werner Herzog, 1984)

2009-05-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

Where the Green Ants Dream (Werner Herzog, 1984)
Rating: 6.8

The Room (Tommy Wiseau, 2003)

2009-05-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

The Room (Tommy Wiseau, 2003)
Rating: SPOON!

Mutual Appreciation (Andrew Bujalski, 2005)

2009-05-19T21:39:00.001-07:00

Mutual Appreciation (Andrew Bujalski, 2005)
Rating: blah blah blah

Mumblecore is a disgrace to cinema. Next time I want to watch hipsters conversing, I’ll go to a record store. Fuck you Bujalski.

A Bittersweet Life (Ji-woon Kim, 2005)

2009-05-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

A Bittersweet Life (Ji-woon Kim, 2005)
Rating: 6.2

Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008)

2009-05-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008)
Rating: 8.6

Signs of Life (Werner Herzog, 1968)

2009-05-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Signs of Life (Werner Herzog, 1968)
Rating: 9.5

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (Werner Herzog, 1974)

2009-05-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (Werner Herzog, 1974)
Rating: 9.4

Street of Shame (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1956)

2009-05-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Street of Shame (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1956)
Rating: 9.4

Resurrecting the Champ (Rod Lurie, 2007)

2009-05-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

Resurrecting the Champ (Rod Lurie, 2007)
Rating: 1.5

Watchmen (Zack Snyder, 2009)

2009-05-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

Watchmen (Zack Snyder, 2009)
Rating: 3.0

The latest attempt to capitalize on the graphic novel adaptation trend is a nearly 3 hour wannabe epic that takes itself way too seriously. Perhaps if a third of the film wasn’t in slow motion, the run time might have been a little less excrutiating, unfortunately this film was directed by, “Zack Snyder, who is being marketed by Warner Bros. as a “visionary” which is grateful studio’s code word for “competent hack.” (J. Hoberman)”) The film begins by simultaneously butchering American history as well as Bob Dylan’s “The Times, They Are A-Changin’” by way of tacky 3 minute title credit montage. That would be the first, but not the last song this movie would desecrate. The soundtrack reminds me of the first mixtape I made after becoming a Napster member when I was 14, as it spits on everything from Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday, to Philip Glass, Joplin, Hendrix, and probably most embarassing of all, Simon & Garfunkle, among others; the choices become gratiutiously obvious and rather comical. It’s so hystrerically awful, that it brings The SNL parody of the OC to mind. The convuluted semi-nonlinear narrative is presented poorly. The bad makeup jobs, and abhorrent CGI doesn’t help matters much and the fabricated reality world isn’t even slightly believable for me. Films like Roger Rabbit or Cool World, where cartoons characters interact with real people, have more plausiblity to me than the video game quality special effects in this movie; and it’s not just the CGI and obvious greenscreened studio sets that makes this so hard to swallow, but also the complete lack of emotional connection with any sort of sense of humanity outside the “superhero” community.” The film leaves me no choice but to be as apathetic and disconnected towards “the world” as they speak of in this film, as Dr. Manhattan.

The crowd sequences are obvious set pieces and completely souless. Take for example the mob scene: Dozens of extras holding picket signs, as the camera pans over and two men step into the foreground to throw a molotov cocktail; it appears to be nothing more than a group of bored extras giving a half-assed effort more than an actual riot. There is no chaos, the blocking is dull as each of the extras basically remains static, and the bar scene has a similar feeling. It’s not surprising that Snyder’s crowd scenes are so dismal and his character development so one dimensional considering his film 300 (representing the number of Spartans) only introduced us to a handful of Spartans without any sort of depth, and never showed more than about 30 men standing in the frame. Even the main character’s are poorly developed and it’s not as if the dialogue and action picks up the slack. Maybe if Snyder could have spent a little more time making us care about the character’s and the story if he wasn’t preoccupied with his gimmicky overstylization. I personaly found the fight sequences to be yawn inducing. I’m sure the story and artwork itself makes for a great comic. To be honest I like some of the themes and plot points, and of course there are a few worthwhile shots within the 2 hours and 50 minutes, it’s just a shame it wasn’t left to be digested strictly as the originally intended medium. I don’t blame the studios though. Watchmen has certainly already proven itself to be a financial success and entertaining enough and comics and graphic novels are a hot commodity at the box office these days. I just feel that cinema is the most powerful and expressive tool we possess and it’s a shame that this is the kind of film that is making excessive amounts of money and being overhyped and seen by the majority. The source material could certainly be made into something worthwhile if only the budgets of mainstream cinema and sensibilities of auteurs such as Darrren Aronofsky, Terry Gilliam, or maybe even Richard Kelly could coalesce. When I see film franchises like The Fast and the Furious getting 4 films, it’s not only extremely discouraging, but seems more grounded in an alternate reality.

Snakes on a Plane (David R. Ellis, 2007)

2009-05-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

Snakes on a Plane (David R. Ellis, 2007)
Rating: .01

Heart of Glass (Werner Herzog, 1976)

2009-05-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

Heart of Glass (Werner Herzog, 1976)
Rating: 8.0

Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

2009-05-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)
Rating: 8.0

Two Lovers (James Gray, 2008)

2009-05-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

Two Lovers (James Gray, 2008)
Rating: 7.7

Frontier of Dawn (Philippe Garrel, 2008)

2009-05-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

Frontier of Dawn (Philippe Garrel, 2008)
Rating: 4.5

Short Films of David Lynch

2009-05-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

“Premonition Following an Evil Deed” (David Lynch, 1995)
Rating: 10

The Amputee (David Lynch, 1974)
Rating: 6.0

The Cowboy and the Frenchman (David Lynch, 1988)
Rating: 2.0

The Grandmother (David Lynch, 1970)
Rating: 7.0

Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times) (David Lynch, 1966)
Rating: 8.5

The Alphabet (David Lynch, 1968)
Rating: 8.5

Women of the Night (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1948)

2009-05-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

Women of the Night (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1948)
Rating: 8.8

Belle de jour (Luis Buñuel, 1967)

2009-05-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Belle de jour (Luis Buñuel, 1967)
Rating: 8.4

That Obscure Object of Desire (Luis Buñuel, 1977)

2009-05-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

That Obscure Object of Desire (Luis Buñuel, 1977)
Rating: 7.8

Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green, 2008)

2009-05-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green, 2008)
Rating: 9.0

Downtown 81 (Edo Bertoglio, 1981)

2009-05-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

Downtown 81 (Edo Bertoglio, 1981)
Rating: 6.2

The Yakuza Papers Vol. 3: Proxy War (Kinji Fukasaku, 1973)

2009-05-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

The Yakuza Papers Vol. 3: Proxy War (Kinji Fukasaku, 1973)
Rating: 5.5

Wheel of Time (Werner Herzog, 2003)

2009-05-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

Wheel of Time (Werner Herzog, 2003)
Rating: 7.0

Gomorrah (Matteo Garrone, 2008)

2009-05-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Gomorrah (Matteo Garrone, 2008)
Rating: 7.0

The White Diamond (Werner Herzog, 2004)

2009-05-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

The White Diamond (Werner Herzog, 2004)
Rating: 7.8

Nobody Wants To Play With Me (Werner Herzog, 1976)

2009-05-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

Nobody Wants To Play With Me (Werner Herzog, 1976)
Rating: 7.2

Bells From the Deep (Werner Herzog, 1993)

2009-05-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Bells From the Deep (Werner Herzog, 1993)
Rating: 7.3

L’Âge d’Or (Luis Buñuel, 1930)

2009-05-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

L’Âge d’Or (Luis Buñuel, 1930)
Rating: 8.2

The Yakuza Papers, Vol. 2: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (Kinji Fukasaku, 1973)

2009-05-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Yakuza Papers, Vol. 2: Deadly Fight in Hiroshima (Kinji Fukasaku, 1973)
Rating: 7.2

Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)

2009-05-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
Rating: 8.1

George Washington (David Gordon Green, 2000)

2009-05-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

George Washington (David Gordon Green, 2000)
Rating: 9.5

Jag Mandir: The Eccentric Private Theater of the Maharajah of Udaipur (Werner Herzog, 1991)

2009-05-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

Jag Mandir: The Eccentric Private Theater of the Maharajah of Udaipur (Werner Herzog, 1991)
Rating: 7.0

The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Jeff Feuerzeig, 2005)

2009-05-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Jeff Feuerzeig, 2005)
Rating: 7.7

All the Real Girls (David Gordon Green, 2003)

2009-05-19T20:38:00.001-07:00

All the Real Girls (David Gordon Green, 2003)
Rating: 9.5

History of the World: Part I (Mel Brooks, 1981)

2009-05-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

History of the World: Part I (Mel Brooks, 1981)
Rating: 6.9

Los Olvidados (Luis Buñuel, 1950)

2009-05-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

Los Olvidados (Luis Buñuel, 1950)
Rating: 9.5

Lessons of Darkness (Werner Herzog, 1992)

2009-05-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

Lessons of Darkness (Werner Herzog, 1992)
Rating: 10

Herzog short documentaries

2009-05-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

Last Words (Werner Herzog, 1968)
Rating: 8.4

Herakles (Werner Herzog, 1962)
Rating: 7.2

Precautions Against Fanatics (Werner Herzog, 1969)
Rating: 6.0

The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreutz (Werner Herzog, 1967)
Rating: 7.0