The Wonders of the Internet

I'm flattered. And excited. I just found this.

Someone found my short film Edit This and posted it on youtube. I have no idea who this person is but I can only assume that they liked it and that's why they posted it. Made my day.

Thank you cyberdelicamusic!

I said "arigato" to a Korean man.

There is a terrific interview with Paul Thomas Anderson over at cigarettesandredvines.com. They discuss There Will Be Blood (can't fuckin' wait), Robert Altman, shoes, sandwiches and some other cool stuff.

Cloverfield

It appears thats the title. Works for me...not that I have a choice. I like that it isn't a direct (as far as we know) reference to a monster or event, i.e. Godzilla or Independence Day. Better than the title is the new trailer. This trailer shows, however fleeting, much than we've seen yet so if you want to remain completely in the dark about the film don't watch it. Not that it gives much away but some people don't want to know anything. That being said, it's a kick ass trailer.

Of note...look at the page the trailer is on. NYC smoking in the background of a headless Statue of Liberty. Spiderman 3 also had the floor of a building, in NYC, destroyed with people falling out. Why is that okay, but the film United 93 was deemed "too soon?" Just curious...

Sicko

Sicko will fucking piss you off! It will also unsettle, unnerve and upset you more than, quite possibly, any other film you've ever seen. Why? Because it's true. Because it has happened to people like you and me. The movie will also make you laugh because it's made by Michael Moore, who always infuses his films with humor. Thank Christ, because if not they would make audiences monumentally depressed.

I'm a Michael Moore fan. Big time. I've seen all of his movies and every episode of his, sadly, short-lived TV show, The Awful Truth. I realize not everyone feels this way. Moore divides people. He's a "you either love him or hate him" kind of guy. I think people misunderstand him.

The style he uses in his films makes his vision clear. In my mind at least. He's telling you, through his film, when he's making a funny or when he's having fun with the material. Listen to the music he uses, or the images he shows. This is what you do when you make a film, you use image and sound to get your point across, to manipulate the viewer. Manipulate? Sounds bad, right? Well it's true. Have you ever seen Psycho? Chinatown? The Usual Suspects? The Sixth Sense? See what I’m sayin’? The reason I’m explaining this is because Moore gets accused a lot, by Republicans or neo-con big mouth talk shows "hosts," of manipulating things. I've been hassled for liking his films and challenged by people, angry people, about how honest he's being and what his motivations are. I think he's being honest. I realize that he's being completely one-sided in some cases. The same big mouth blowhard fuckhead talk show "hosts" are one-sided. I feel Moore's trying to prove a point. And he does. Quite effectively. Whether you like his approach or him as an on-camera personality, there's one thing you can't deny, he's out there for the better of this country and the people who live in it. He's asking questions that no journalist will ask. He's bringing up hypocrisies in politicians, and policy. People are scared of him and that's why they don't like him. There's a scene in Sicko that proves this. I won't spoil it.

Whether you're liberal, conservative, extremist or somewhere in between, this movie will scare you, move you and even make you laugh. You may laugh because of misplaced anxiety though because what's going on with our Healthcare is downright frightening.

Usually, Moore is front and center in his films, on camera and interacting with his subjects. He lays back a bit in Sicko. Especially at the beginning. He doesn't need to be front and center, the stories do. He slides in at just the right time because I needed a break from the stories. They were that upsetting.

This is the kind of film which should be shown in classrooms across the country. Kids need to see this film and understand we need change. They're going to be the ones to save us, to carry the torch that will hopefully be lit in the very near future, burning for everyone's right to live a healthy life, unburdened by the threat of getting sick and not having a chance to be taken care of because they aren’t “covered.” But I shouldn't just place it on the kids. Everyone should watch this film.

Is Daniel LaRusso the Most Hated Man in the World?

I was 9 years old when The Karate Kid was released in theaters. I loved it. My father took me on opening night and I saw it 2 other times in the theater. I think Elizabeth Shue was my first crush. I remember the crowd cheering when Daniel crane kicked that fucking prick Johnny, snapping his head back, thus winning the championship. The Karate Kid epitomizes "crowd-pleasing." It's a completely memorable movie and much like everyone else my age I can quote the movie up and down.

However after watching it one night my freshman year of college I had a different outlook. I laughed more. A lot more. By the time Daniel flipped out and threw his bike in the dumpster ("I hate this friggin' bike") we were on the floor in hysterics. When Miyagi got drunk, the chopsticks & the fly, anytime Daniel got beat up, the music, "Just like grape" we cracked up...the list goes on and on.

I suppose this happens- we grow out of our adolescent loves and see how much we've grown. Of course one could argue my laughing at a poor kid getting picked on and beaten up shows my immaturity but that's besides the point. And anyone who knows me could tell you that anyway. The point is through the tears (of laughter) I discovered something- Daniel LaRusso may be the most hated man in the world. Yes I said world, but I'll get to that. Maybe hate is a strong word and maybe all of the so called "bad guys" are just misunderstood. Maybe Daniel is just an insufferable little shit who instills a rage in the people he meets whereby they whip his ass. Take Johnny for example. One could argue that Johnny was a bully. But one could also argue he was just sticking up for his girl. Some punk from "The Dirty" (new jersey for you westcoasters- thank you jason) was trying to get my woman, I'd kick some ass too. Especially for Elizabeth Shue. Let me rephrase- I'd try to kick some ass. Accomplishing would be another story.

But that was how it started. Daniel tried to nicely help a girl from being taunted and humiliated by her boyfriend and his got his ASS HANDED TO HIM. Even his new friends ditched him. In fact when he bumped into them next they gave us the title of the movie in dialogue form "hey Karate Kid, got any cool moves?" Then one of Johnny's buddies- a fellow Cobra Kai student- went after Daniel in soccer tryouts. Daniel got a nice punch in but got kicked out of the tryout claiming that the school "sucked" and causing Allie to do her cheerleading routine half-heartedly as she watched him walk away. This fight caused the Cobra kai to try and kill Daniel. In the dark of night, on their motorcycles, versus Daniel's bicycle (see the symbolism here) they ran him off the road, down a steep hill, sending him flipping along until he smashed his head on a rock or something. It was after this that much hilarity ensued when he threw his "friggin" bike out and yelled at his mother about how much the place "sucked" for him (there's that word again). I think Daniel was projecting his anger on his mother, and his poor bike, over his inability to win over the girl and not be able to handle himself against the thuggish Cobra Kai. Maybe he's the problem, not the place. I mean it is California after all.

Miyagi had overheard the fight between Daniel and his mother and we know this because he poked his head out of his apartment after they left and stared contemplatively. I wonder if he thought Daniel was projecting too. Oh well, who knows, on to the next ass-kicking for Daniel.

At this point, one would think Daniel had learned his lesson, but no. He went to the Halloween dance dressed as a shower, thanks to Miyagi, and even got Allie to dance with him in the shower. Keep in mind he had a great, private place to make his move but the sadomasochist in him prevailed. Not only did he soak Johnny with water but he ruined a perfectly good joint that Johnny had been rolling. By the way, if Johnny smoked pot I doubt he'd be picking fights with people, but I digress. So Daniel inevitably gets chased out of the dance, all to an appropriately written pop song called "No Shelter." The Cobra Kai catch his sorry ass and take turns demonstrating their karate skills on Daniel's face and body. Johnny is ready for the kill strike but one of his Cobra Kai-ians stops him. "He's had enough." Johnny disagrees. "The enemy deserves no mercy!" This was the tipping point for me. "The enemy." "No mercy." Johnny really does want to kill him. And he would've if it weren't for a super slow moving old man from Okinawa who saves Daniel's ass. After this we the audience, along with Daniel, are schooled by Mr Miyagi. We learned lots of ways to fix up the house, wax our cars (in the literal sense) and how to get stinking drunk (the funniest part of the movie), but sadly there are no more beatings. Miyagi takes Daniel to the Cobra Kai Dojo to face his attackers. He quickly realizes they are not welcome there and that the Cobra Kai Sensei, now, also hates Daniel. For no other reason than- well I'm not sure. Because he's a wuss maybe? No, because Miyagi beat up his students who were beating up Daniel. So everyone hates everyone. But Miyagi smoothly arranges a "hands off" policy for Daniel while he prepares for the tournament. Which brings me to...? Yup. The tournament.

Everyone remembers the tournament. "Put 'em in a bodybag-yeeeaaahhhhh." It's classic. The best song in the movie- "You're the Best" is set to a montage of Daniel beating opponent after opponent. Then- "Sweep the leg." At this point Johnny is confused and expresses concern. Where the motivation for that comes from I don't know. On his own terms Johnny wanted to fucking kill this kid but once his Sensei tells him to "sweep the leg" he's all concerned about Daniel. Any-who he sweeps the leg, Miyagi performs some magic on Daniel and then he cranes kicks Johnny in the face and wins. It doesn't happen that quickly but it's close. Hurray. Everyone loves Daniel now, I mean it is high school so people are easily swayed. Annnnnnnnd movie over. Everyone loves him- Johnny, the Cobra kai gang, even his old "new" friends- there's even a freeze frame goddamnit! They don't end sad movies about hated characters with freeze frames! So why is Daniel the most hated man in the World not just California? Duh the sequel.

This kid travels across the fucking global to Miyagi's homeland and what does he do there? Hooks up with a girl which pisses another guy off and he and Miyagi are practically chased out of the country. A) How is this different than the first Karate Kid and B) Didn’t this little shit learn his lesson? I suppose it’s slightly different than the first one, I mean they gave Miyagi a love interest. This time though, they literally try to kill Daniel because his last fight is on a little island where only the winner comes off. The crowd even played little hand drums. That is serious shit. My favorite part is when the Father of the bad guy (kid in this case and yeah I forget his name) comes around to be on Daniel’s side. First of, didn’t the Father “raise” him? He probably raised him to be an asshole so who the hell does he think he is turning his back on his shitty son for some little non-lesson-learning puissant from California (formerly New jersey)? As we all know Daniel survives and even has a cute little moment where he honks the bad guys nose instead of killing him. What happened to the bloodlust of the crowd by the way? They were beating drums and everything. No crowd in a Jean Claude Van Damme movie would let that happen! P.S. I love that Daniel’s girlfriend is face face (hahaha) on the ground, cold-cocked and not moving. I don’t maybe it’s me but that added a whole level of humor to the whole thing. P.P.S. Wouldn’t it be great- for movie-going shock value alone- to have Daniel get killed in the end? Imagine the dead silence in the theater is Daniel was beaten to death, the bad guy leaves the island and we FADE TO BLACK. That would be sweet.

I haven’t the second Karate Kid in more years than I can count and really didn’t give a shit when the third one came lout. If I remember correctly the Sensei from the first movie comes back with an angry friend to get Daniel. They really lost steam for that one. They should’ve had Daniel be a drunk who forgot his karate skills and has to have Miyagi’s grandson teach him the way again after Miyagi is killed in a fight at a classic car rally and Daniel wants to avenge his death. But that’s just me.

Ralph Macchio thought better of starring in the 4th Karate Kid, convienently titled The Next Karate Kid, so they hired a Million Dollar Baby before she was a Million Dollar Baby, Ms Hilary Swank, Chad Lowe's ex-wife. I don’t even think I saw this one. What’s the point?

All right so maybe I overshot with most hated in the world, I mean there's plenty of other people to hate but let me ask you this; Have you ever moved somewhere or left the country and had people want to see you DEAD? I hope not. In the end, I suppose the lesson is if some greasy faced, obnoxious little punk from New Jersey one day, be nice to him because chances are some half-in-the-grave, slow moving old man from Okinawa may teach him how to fight and he could humiliate you in front of all your friends. Oh and steal your hot girlfriend.

Please enjoy:

I found this a few months ago and it seems like the perfect time to share it.

This video was directed by none other than William Zabka, aka Johnny Lawrence. Try and spot some of the cameos.

Bodyrock Ya'll

I've been a fan of Moby since the first time I heard his music, but now I love him. Check this shit out! Certainly would be nice if more artists did this. It takes an enormous amount of generosity and trust to lead this charge. Thanks Moby! He's a Connecticut boy to boot!

"Damn it feels good to be a gangsta"

Gangsters are easy to glorify and glamorize. It would also be pretty easy to make a vapid, wanna-be cool gangster film by simply being violent and using badass music. Go peruse the “Action” section at your local Blockbuster and you’ll see dozens of B gangster films all trying to be Goodfellas. Everybody wants to be Goodfellas, but Goodfellas is only Goodfellas because it wasn't trying to be something else. The film tells it’s story, we get to know the chararcters and come to care for them. All the while Scorsese throws his camera flourishes out there and his direction is beautiful, but it never gets in the way of the story. Ridley Scott has done the same with American Gangster.

American Gangster is an extremely involving film about cops, drug dealers and NYC in the 70’s. Clocking in at 2 hours and 40 minutes, the film feels like 5 minutes- there is no fat on it- everything counts. As usual, I’m not going to go to heavy into plot- one day I may and start putting “SPOLIER WARNINGS” on my “reviews” but not now. The film is based on an article titled “The Return of Superfly” which appeared in New York Magazine back in the summer of 2000. The film and article tell the untold story of Frank Lucas, a low-key man in a high profile world…drug dealing. Lucas enters the world of drug dealing through the backdoor and before Harlem knows what hit it, he has taken over. Poised to take down the drug trade is Richie Roberts, a cop so honest he turns in $1 million dollars in unmarked bills he finds in a drug bust. He’s also studying for the bar exam. These are two smart, determined men, working at opposite ends of the spectrum and you know they are going to collide because two people rising that fast are going to meet along the way.

One of the things Scott does so well is production design. Think about Blade Runner and Black Hawk Down. He’s a visionary. Here he recreates the 70’s so well you don’t even think about. The look and feel of this film is soaked in the 70’s. It’s isn’t just the production design though- it isn’t just the clothes, cars, music, and décor. It’s Vietnam, Ali vs Frazier, police corruption, and the casual mention of the French Connection job. It’s also the clothes, cars, music and décor. This film is about a time and a place and you never for one second even question that.

Both Russell Crowe (Rickie Roberts) and Denzel Washington (Frank Lucas) give terrific performances as one would expect. Crowe's character has much more to him than at first glance- he's flawed, like any human being and while he does right morally at work, he may not do so at home. Also, with the headlines Crowe makes in his personal life (i.e. throwing telephones at hotel clerks or biting people’s ears in bar fights) he brings some raw baggage with him. When you see him charging someone, or getting ready to break a door down to go after a suspect you know this guy is going to kick some fucking ass. Denzel gives a great performance as well. I’m never disappointed with him- he’s always good. He’s calculating here. Quiet. Strong. Ferocious, at times. When he lays down the law you best get out the way. Josh Brolin, who also has the lead in No Country for Old Men has nice supporting turn as a greasy, corruptest of the corrupt, NYC cop.

Ridley Scott is an excellent director- Alien, Blade Runner, Black Rain, Thelma & Louise, White Squall (highly underrated) Gladiator, Hannibal, Black hawk Down, Matchstick Men, and now American Gangster. I haven’t seen Kingdom of Heaven, but I’ve heard the directors cut is the version to watch. That was a huge film. Huge in everyway possible- big battles scenes, cast of thousands, sets, production design…While prepping that film, he made Matchstick Men. Yeah, he made that in the middle of producing a fucking epic. Have you seen Matchstick Men? It’s exceptional. He should do films like that more often. The point is, he’s at the top of his game. And American Gangster is the sum proof of that fact.

Of special note, Harris Savides shot this film. He has been doing exceptional work for awhile and the look he creates here earns a special spot at the top of his already illustrious list. Zodiac being another notable achievement,from earlier this year. He’s shot music videos for Madonna, Michael Jackson and such visionary directors as Mark Romanek and Michael Gondry. Slowly but surely he crept into film work starting with Heaven’s Prisoners and then onto The Game with David Fincher. Beautiful work…

Few New Reviews

Even though it's a cool picture, I actually saw the following films from the comfort of my own couch.

I’ve seen a few movies over the last week or so that I figured I’d weigh in on, but not too heavily. The first is Reign Over Me starring Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler. Don Cheadle plays, Alan Johnson, a happily married, successful dentist, who reconnects with his college roommate, Charlie (Sandler) who lost his wife and three daughters on 9/11. The film isn’t about 9/11, it’s about a man who isn’t able to deal, and ultimately function, with the loss of his family. I liked the film overall, it’s a little heavy handed at times and could’ve been better by laying off some of the schmaltz, but Cheadle and Sandler are good and there’s some nice moments so I think the film ultimately succeeds.

Next I saw The Invisible, which was a nice surprise. The film is about a bright kid who’s about to graduate high school and has aspirations of being a writer. One night on his way home from a party, he is attacked, beaten brutally and left for dead. Thing is, he turns up in the morning, walks into to school only to discover no one can hear him or see him- this is were the title comes from- He’s invisible (clever, huh?). He has to convince one of the living, or pray to God, that someone finds his body before he dies. The film goes into a direction I couldn’t have possibly imagined from the previews and I liked that it had more on it’s mind than a revenge thriller or some stupid seen-it-all-before bullshit. I recommend this one too. The film stars Justin Chatwin, who has been in The Chumscrubber and War of the Worlds and seems like a pretty promising young actor. Another find is Margarita Levieva who is very good and also very pretty- I’m sure you’ll see more of her in the future, starting with Noise, a movie starring Tim Robbins, which has an interesting concept- a man living in NYC is overwhelmed by the noise and takes a vigilante approach to solving it. Check out The Invisible.

Have you ever seen Shaun of the Dead? Oh for real? Well go rent it right now because it’s friggin hilarious! And so is the latest from the same filmmakers- Hot Fuzz. Both films star Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and are directed by Edgar Wright. Here’s the drill: Hot Fuzz is about a policeman who gets reassigned to the quiet country because his arrest re cord is too high and he’s making the other cops look bad. He relocates to the quiet country and finds out it’s not so quiet. I watched Hot Fuzz for the second time this past weekend and found myself laughing even harder than I did when I saw it in the theater. Same went for Shaun of the Dead. Both films start out by poking fun at the genre their films take place in but they do it in a very underhanded, unassuming way and before you know it the film turns into just the thing they were initially making fun of. Very, very, very funny…I highly recommend them both.

Finally, I saw Spiderman 3 this weekend. Frankly I’m not sure what to make of it. I loved the first 2 Spiderman films. Solidly acted, and very well directed by Sam Raimi, the excellence of the first 2 made me think the third would be another out of the park home run. Not necessarily so. I didn’t hate the film, but it felt unfocused and certainly bloated. It bit off more than it could chew and then tried to swallow everything quickly. In between were varying degrees of tone which didn’t switch as deftly as they should’ve. Whether they’ve or not is beyond me because I wasn’t sure what Raimi was trying to do. Anyway, the jury is still kind of out for me because of how I felt about the first and how I feel about Raimi as a filmmaker. But at this point the film was a bit of a letdown. The action scenes were incredible as usual but I think the franchise has run it’s course. Of course they are making a fourth one, but without the help of any of the actors or director…so far at least. I have Sicko, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and Ratatouille on the way from Netflix so I’ll drop a note about those when I watch them.

My excitement lays upon more emotion than words can express- my good friend, and incredibly talented DP- Adrian Correia- just landed the head DP (Director of Photography) job for a documentary, which will carry him around the country and air on the WE channel. He was one of two candidates up for the job, the latter of which being a 30 year experienced DP in documentary work, and he fucking won out! The director/producer chose Adrian based on his “work” and “personality.” Clearly this woman is intelligent. Adrian is one of the most genuinely sweetest, kindest, nicest person(s) (did I write that right?) I know and his work is one of a true artist. This is a major break into the broadcast television world and I don’t know of anyone more deserving. Adrian is an artist. Plain and simple. Period- end of fucking story. On top of which, as I stated, he is also a top notch human being. Being on set is very stressful and all one can ask for in a DP and friend, beyond natural talent, which he has in spades, is a calming, ‘I’m-all-for-it’ attitude and he has all that and MORE. His work and attitude are unparalleled. I can’t express my happiness for him in words- as I would want to, but I can offer him all the best wishes I can possibly muster. Say goodbye to the dayjob, Sir, and say hello to everything you deserve- CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!

No Country for Old Men

Not sure if this movie is on anyone's radar yet but it's released next friday and I can't wait. This is the new Coen brothers film, based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy. I've yet to read the novel but the trailer looks great and the early word is very good.

I'm a big fan of the Coen brothers. Raising Arizona is one of all time favorites and I still laugh my ass off when I watch it no matter how many times I've seen it. Miller's Crossing is a truly underrated film and it's hard to fully appreciate until watched it a few times. Blood Simple, Fargo, Barton Fink, O Brother Where Art Thou (just revisited this film on sunday), The Man Who Wasn't There, The Big Lebowski...impressive stuff. Sadly their last 2 films The Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty have disappointed me. No Country looks to be a return to form, of sorts, for the Coens. Although their films are fucking hilarious, their films can also be brutally violent. Watch the trailer and see if you sense the doom for poor Josh Brolin's character.

Another thing I like about them is that they've employed my favorite cinematographer, Roger Deakins, for almost 20 years. Good trivia question...What now famous director was the Cinematographer for the Coen's in the early days. Same said director also shot some pornos on 16mm back in the day. Start googling...