jasmine » Film » Rocky Balboa

When I received the email asking, “Do you want to see Rocky Balboa tonight? Sly’s scheduled to appear.”, I’d just had a long day and was feeling kind of crabby and bored. Sure, I could use a laugh, so I said yes. It’s not like celebrities ever show up to these things anyway…

Rocky Balboa’s not even scheduled to open in theatres until Christmas Day, so I felt privileged, even after waiting in line for a half hour and in the theatre for an hour and a half. As movie time was approaching, the buzz became a little louder about Sly showing up. I first heard that he was at his hotel, then in the building. When the camera crews came barreling into the theatre, I knew it was real. Sylvester Stallone walked into the theatre, said a few coherent, kind words and introduced his new movie.

I really thought that this was going to be a horrible, cheesy movie. Stallone wrote and directed the film and since I associate real life Stallone as being just like Balboa – a big, dumb ape with a heart of gold – I wasn’t expecting much. Boy, was I wrong. Stallone’s character was just how I’d imagine Rocky to be at 55+ years of age. He was out of fighting shape, slow and fairly low-key, running a restaurant named after his late wife, Adrian. He seemed like he was only interested in doing goodwill toward others and didn’t have too much “tough guy” to him.

What piqued his interest in getting back to boxing was a fight simulation that ESPN computers conducted between 1970’s champion Rocky and the current heavyweight champion, Mason “The Line” Dixon. Dixon’s a 20-something kid with a bad attitude. He’s hardly the bad guy, but there were a few moments where I thought an ass-beating would probably knock him down a few notches.

So, yeah, Rocky trained and fought Dixon in an exhibition match at the end of the movie. I won’t say who won the fight, but I will say it was very anticlimactic.

Overall, I think this movie’s worth seeing. If you have a son between the ages of 10 and 17, take them. It’s a good dad/son movie. Enjoy.

jasmine » Music, Film, etc. » ketchup

This has been an interesting year for music. Putting the Days to Bed by The Long Winters is still at the top of my list. However, I don’t remember another year where I’ve heard so few albums that have caught my ear, yet they’ve really stuck with me. Guess it’s quality over quantity this year.

I recently picked up Let’s Get Out of This Country, the latest release from twee pop darlings, Camera Obscura. Because they’re Scottish, Camera Obscura can really do no wrong in my eyes. However, I believe that it’s okay to experiment with different sounds from one album to the next. Although this album is excellent for what it is, it would be nice if it didn’t sound so close to their last effort, Underachievers Please Try Harder.

If you like pornography dressed up in an arthouse film costume, please proceed immediately to the nearest showing of Shortbus. The new John Cameron Mitchell film tackles the touchy subjects of finding that elusive female orgasm, open (gay) relationships, suicidal tendencies and the nature of bdsm relationships. All of the main stories are connected by a secret club in NYC called Shortbus, so named because of the likeness of its “special” or “different” users. At Shortbus, you can do whatever you want and Mitchell’s definitely not afraid to show everything. So, proceed with caution. It’s a sweet story with a LOT of sex.

The Shortbus soundtrack, however, totally easy on the ears and full of music that I’ve not heard anywhere else. Two pleasant surprises are from stars of the film. Sook Yin Lee, as Lee & LeBlanc, contributes “Beautiful”and Jay Brannan sings about being a lush who’s hitting rock bottom in the poppy, “Soda Shop”.

Other recent purchases:
Up Jumped the Devil – Robert Johnson; A two-disc set which I got from Tower for $5.99 (after the 40% liquidation discount!).

Jukebox Hits 1943 to 1952 – T-Bone Walker; I tortured myself a little bit with this one. The first mixtape given to me by my ex-husband had the song “I Want a Little Girl” as the first track. I haven’t listened to the song in years, so I bought this album and sat down and listened to it today. Memories and emotions came flooding back, but it’s worth it because I now own an amazing blues gem.

FT » Film » Idiocracy

Up to this point, Mike Judge has done no wrong. Every single one of his creations has been both absolutely hilarious and absurdly realistic. Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill and Office Space all seemed pretty ridiculous at first blush, but each revealed unflinching truth beneath a veneer of whimsy. So, that being the case, why has it taken more than a year after being finished for Judge’s “new” movie, Idiocracy, to finally be released — and only an unpublicized limited release, at that???

Rumors have run rampant, including everything from repeated script rewrites, disastrous test screenings and even withdrawn financing. And given the fact that it sat on the studio shelf for more than a full year before being unceremonously dumped into a handful of theaters with no trailers or ads of any kind to be found, it would seem that perhaps rumors of Idiocracy’s demise were not exaggerated in the least.

I had been desperately trying to keep track of developments on the Idiocracy front, which was made even more difficult by the fact that the oft-referenced “Untitled Mike Judge Project” has also been known at one time another by such working titles as 3001 and Uhhmerica. But a few months ago, I had pretty much given up hope on ever seeing this film, no matter what the title. So, it was quite a surprise when checking the local movie listings this past Saturday to find a late showing of Talladega Nights: The Legend of Will Ferrell’s Undies (or whatever the heck it’s called), I saw Idiocracy right there alongside the other films now showing at the neighborhood cineplex. I immediately notified all three of my friends, and off we went.

The premise of the film is classic Mike Judge: a stultifyingly average Joe (literally) gets volunteered by his Army bosses to participate in a living cryogenic experment, along with a low-rent hooker (played by SNL’s Maya Rudolph), only to discover upon being unfrozen 500 years in the future that the world’s entire population has been overrun by the unchecked breeding of mentally-deficient white trash and similarly dim-witted and empty-pocketed schlubs of all ethnicities. As a result, Joe (played by Luke Wilson) has shockingly found himself the smartest human alive.

Idiocracy plays something like a live-action Futurama crossed with the original Planet of the Apes, as Joe discovers his severely altered planet of tomorrow contains equal parts wackiness and danger. The condition of Earth five centuries from now proves to be fertile ground for Judge’s biting satiric wit, as he attacks many of our developing societal ills with hilarious precision. Whether it’s our growing prediliction for fatty foods, reality television or celebrity politicians, each target gets blasted by Judge’s acerbic ray gun.

All that being said, it certainly is somewhat understandable why the studio might have been unsure exactly what they had on their hands here. Unlike the disaffected teens, suburban rednecks and downtrodden cubicle dwellers who inhabited his previous works, the masses might not be able to as easily identify with the characters from Idiocracy. The plot is a good deal more bizarre than what we’ve seen from Judge before, and though the gags are almost universally hilarious throughout, some of the performances and production values are not quite up to challenge.

But at the end of the day, a comedy is ultimately “judge”d by just one thing: whether or not it was funny. Any plot holes, production snafus or acting shortcomings aside, the humor in Idiocracy is relentlessly hilarious. And for that reason alone, it is definitely a movie worth seeing. The only question is whether or not you’ll even get that opportunity. As it stands today, unless you live in or near Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago or Toronto, you might not. If the powers that be decide to skip the nationwide theatrical release and plop it onto DVD, be sure and snatch it up when it hits store shelves.

Chris » Film » The Criterion Project: “A Woman Is A Woman”

A while ago, on one of my excursions to Virgin Records Union Square, I noticed a particular section of DVDs for sale.
All sorts of genres, that would normally be placed in separate sections, were sitting there on the shelf as one.
I quickly came to realize this section was known as the Criterion Collection.
This, of course, piqued my interest.
It had occurred to me, these were classic films that I had heard of but had never watched.
In fact, out of the hundreds of films in stock, I had only watched three of them.
Being a huge fan of the cinema, I wondered why I had failed to take notice of films that were highly recommended by film critics and friends.
Films that were influential to some of my favorite current filmmakers.Right then, I knew I had to, at least, give the films in the Criterion Collection a chance.
Last weekend, began my official journey…

————————————————————————————

A WOMAN IS A WOMAN
“Une Femme Est Une Femme”
Directed
by
Jean-Luc Godard
1961

Jean-Claude Brialy
Anna Krina
Jean-Paul Belmondo

Jean-Luc Godard is a genius at writing small talk that arouses interest and incites one’s imagination.
In a genre such as romantic comedy, where the subject matter can be so ordinary, to be able to sustain an entire motion picture just on dialogue is no small feat.
Striptease artist Angela (Anna Karina) is at odds with her live-in boyfriend, Emile (Jean-Claude Brialy), when he refuses to have a baby.
After several attempts of trying to reason with him, Angela takes up with his best friend, Albert (Jean-Paul Belmondo), in order to make the laconic Emile jealous.
In the meantime, Godard brings to our attention several pleasant surprises and provides some funny and moving sequences.
None funnier than “the pronunciation of R’s in the correct French dialect”.
With that said, the plot is as insignificant as it can be.
Godard seems content in simply showering us with joyful moments of beautiful people fascinated by the allure of being in a musical.
Nevertheless, a minor snag in what is an otherwise charming, beautiful, exuberant, and most of all, enjoyable picture.

Chris » Film » The Criterion Project: “Lacombe, Lucien”

A while ago, on one of my excursions to Virgin Records Union Square, I noticed a particular section of DVDs for sale.
All sorts of genres, that would normally be placed in separate sections, were sitting there on the shelf as one.
I quickly came to realize this section was known as the Criterion Collection.
This, of course, piqued my interest.It had occurred to me, these were classic films that I had heard of but had never watched.
In fact, out of the hundreds of films in stock, I had only watched three of them.
Being a huge fan of the cinema, I wondered why I had failed to take notice of films that were highly recommended by film critics and friends.
Films that were influential to some of my favorite current filmmakers.
Right then, I knew I had to, at least, give the films in the Criterion Collection a chance.
Last weekend, began my official journey…

————————————————————————————

LACOMBE, LUCIEN
Directed
by
Louis Malle
1974

Pierre Blaise
Aurore Clément
Holger Löwenadler
Therese Giehse

“Lacombe, Lucien” is striking in its understated portrait of how one’s own interest and pride can lead to regrettable choices.
The film’s major achievement is in showing the appeal that collaboration had to the disaffected youth and the underachievers in the community, as did, the attraction of unearned power.
The film tells the story of Lucien, a rural French teenager who, having been rejected by the French Resistance for being too young, joins in with the German occupiers.
As an individual without status or a sense of self-worth, Lucien becomes attracted to the Gestapo, but ultimately must be held accountable for his ignorance.
As the news on the war gets continually worse, Lucien, along with the collaborators hang out in a local hotel, getting drunk and lamenting their lot, eventually getting picked off by the emboldened locals.
Using his recent power as a bullying tactic, Lucien forces himself into a sexual relationship with a not-entirely unyielding young Jewish immigrant woman.
Unexpectedly, the two develop what seems to be a genuine, although short-lived, affection for one another.
In the end, Lucien’s decisions would prove fatal.
Devastating and unforgettable.

FT » Film » “Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus”

I’ve really become a big fan of Jim White over the past few years, so when I stumbled upon his film “Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus” while surfing past The Sundance Channel the other night, I immediately stopped down and began watching. I was expecting some kind of full-length performance piece, and while both White and his music are prominently featured, there are several others along for the ride.

Joining White at various stops along his roadtrip through Dixie are Johnny Dowd, 16 Horsepower, The Handsome Family and David Johansen (yes, THAT David Johansen!). I saw Dowd open for Neko Case last year, and he is one bizarre dude. His presence here adds a twisted bit of eerieness to the already skewed proceedings, and you can almost imagine him as White’s hard-livin’ “Uncle Johnny.” Along with 16 Horsepower, The Handsome Family and Johansen, Dowd and White’s musical interludes powerfully punctuate the scenery and those who reside within.

What really struck me about this film was how closely White examines the dichotomy between good and evil in the American South, and how folks in small Southern towns are almost universally either zealously devoted to their church and their version of God or completely consumed with the desire to drink, drug and fornicate. No sides are taken here, as various Pentacostal-style churches are visted with scenes of people speaking in tongues, while seedy dive bars are also seen with patrons shown whooping it up with every bit of intensity witnessed inside those “fringe” churches across town.

Like the South, the pace of this film might be too slow for some people, but I found it to be a thrilling ride, regardless.