Category: Cinematically Speaking…

So my best friend Dave has reviewed Clone Wars for Film Critic, an act of magnanimity that will save me the trouble of seeing it myself. I was tempted, but cooled off nicely upon reading this…

It would be nice to think that the infusion of new blood into the Star Wars
franchise, in the form of director Dave Filoni and screenwriters Henry
Gilroy, Steven Melching, and Scott Murphy, would reinvigorate the
series and correct the shortcomings of some of the previous
installments. It would be nice to think that the introduction of
animation to the mix might create new opportunities for the
storytelling aesthetic. It would be nice to think a lot of things, but
this latest installment suffers from all of the less appealing
qualities of its predecessors and benefits from few of their strengths.

And then, shoveling dirt to bury the stench of rot…

In watching The Clone Wars, one is filled with the overwhelming
urge to grab George Lucas, thank him for his immeasurable contribution
to the science fiction canon, and ask him politely to cut it out
already. This will not work, however, as The Clone Wars is scheduled to become a 3D animated TV series this fall.

Bullet (or Light Saber) dodged. Time saved banked for plans of world conquest. Or pruning of toenails with oyster fork.

No Reservations (2007): "Since all women in romantic comedies have glamorous jobs, I submit there is a place next summer for a romantic comedy about a pretty, career-driven sanitation engineer who ‘just doesn’t have time to date right now."

Recount (2008): "Is the first priority of an election respecting the process or winning it?"

Notes: HBO film on how the 2000 presidential election went down. Tom Wilkinson as James Baker and Laura Dern as Katharine Harris both deserve Emmy nominations. Emphasizing, how fragile and difficult maintaining the integrity of a fair democratic election is, this movie will scare you awake just in time for November.

According to Netflix, Recount will be released on DVD on August 19th. Don’t miss it. 

I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932): "Is a system worth maintaining if it harms those its supposed to help?"

Seen: As movie #263 in my quest to the entirety of the AFI 400.

Why We Fight (2005): ‘War is this country’s biggest business and as such, the darkest stain on our soul."

Notes: Documentary on our national relationship with war. Posits that war is essentially a shakedown from greedy defense contractors to ensure a constant influx of government contracts. A bit simplistic at times but if even 10% of what director Eugene Jarecki suggests is true, this country has a lot of explaining to do and should be ashamed of itself.

Segment about a father who lost his son in the World Trade Center and believed that the War in Iraq was retribution for 9/11 will break your heart.

Seen: After picking of a cheap DVD copy at, of all places, an Office Max.

Starting out in the Evening (2007): "A dying world should only be saved for what it produced, not how it made us feel."

Notes: Beautiful, sad movie for grownups about ambition creativity, family loyalty and a dying New York literary culture where books were an entire city’s obsession. We can argue whether that world actually existed or whether it benefited many more than its greatest cheerleaders. But this movie is less about that than about what its like to feel obsolete, in a place that used to breathe a confirmation of your very existence.

If you love books, of course you will love this movie. But you will also if you crave great, understate performances, fine writing and movies with a sense of theater that do also seem flat and literal. Frank Langella and Lauren Ambrose deserve Oscar nominations for their leading roles. It is saying something equally impressive that a when-all-else-fails actress like Lili Taylor gives the least impressive performance in the film.

Starting out in the Evening received an 86% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 4 stars from Roger Ebert. I rented it via Netflix where is also available as part of their Watch Instantly program. It is one of the great overlooked movies of this decade. Please do not miss it.

Chicago 10 (2007): "The line between democracy and Orwellian terror is about as easily crossed as misunderstanding change for threat."

Seen: At the lovely Red Vic Movie House.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008): "Why do I like Jud Apatow as a person yet want to punch his movies in the face?"

Notes: Seen at the end of a horrible day at the glorious Grand Lake Theater. So maybe I’m not being fair. But this movie is pitched at the level of a knock-knock joke. For 2 hours. Pause for a moment and picture a two-hour knock-knock joke.

Cloverfield (2008): "It’s now gospel that the best 9/11 movies are only metaphorically about that day."

Seen: On an iPod on an airplane, on the way back to San Francisco.

The Life of Emile Zola (1937): "The true test of our courage can come when we think we are too comfortable to be courageous."

Notes: Seen in Ann Arbor as part of my ongoing quest to watch the entire AFI 400. Also will probably send me on a little Paul Muni kick, who knocks it out of the park as Zola. He’s got two other films on the list.