On Perry

I never really sat down and decided my list of favorite directors. At some point, I'll make it official, but I can tell you now, as it stands, Scorsese, Tarrantino, Reitman, and def Spike are up there. Spike is just a guy who continues to astound me with his strength of voice, clarity in vision, and unflinching opinion. Although I may not always agree with what he says (re: Eastwood/Flags of our Fathers controversy), I'm intently interested in whatever he says and the conviction with which speaks.
I like Tyler Perry for completely different reasons. I dislike most of his movies, but I still have this desire to see him do well. Why? Because he's black? Well actually that's precisely why. There are so few black directors who are even mentioned in the film community that I want to see him create, author, and express whatever is on his heart. Maybe not whatever, which is precisely why I'm writing this blog post.



Now admittedly, I watched some Tyler Perry plays on bootleg in my preteenage years. They felt like a kept secret; some dude from Atlanta wrote these crazy plays about armed grandmothers and combined soap-operas with gospel. He really tapped into an underrepresented section of our community. His combination of baptist upbringing and theatricality felt natural and sharp. When I heard they, and when I say they I mean white folks, gave 'em money to actually produce and distribute his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, I was like lovely, another black storyteller telling HIS stories with his final say. Yet somewhere between him making that first 20 million opening and now I really can't spend money on his stuff.
It just doesn't sit right with me every time I see the same recycled gags about Madea cappin somebody or Brown shuffling around like it's the early 1900's. It feels like stereotypical nonsense. He kinda just plops these characters on screen and they just kinda sit there in these contrived situations screaming at each other. Now one may reply there are messages of redemption, love, and spirituality in all of his films. Granted. Yet they are muddled by the imagery of a minstrel show at times. Many people in the black community have come out against his films, Spike Lee in particular calls it buffoonery (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ciwhh3fB6vE). Honestly, I can't disagree.
Still, you can say I’m enamored with the idea of Tyler Perry more than his actual films. I want to love this guy. He represents the classic American Dream; He even named his production company Miracle on 34th street. That is precisely why I'm interested to see him get out of the canon his older films and stretch into For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.



With an amazing cast, including Kerry Washington, Anika Noni Rose, Whoopi, and Phylicia Rashad, I think this will be his first critically acclaimed forray. Combining his reverence for the stories of black woman and the sheer brilliance of the text, I think Perry can do some real damage. I’m an optimist.

I slept soundly...

Paranormal Activity is the scariest movie of all time! Well, that's what they would have you to believe anyway. By they I mean the marketing execs who have pushed this movie on the film-going public like a drug dealer in the Taj Mahal (veiled movie reference is somewhere in there). I give them their props in creating a cultish culture around this movie before it even releases properly. The thing was made in 2007, but it seems like people are all about some Paranormal Activity. It is good to see a fright-fest like PA garnering a bunch of attention especially since it is NOT in 3-d and had a micro-budget that I probably could have afforded. Truly reflective of the times, pre-fans had the oppurtunity to "demand" this movie online and bring it to their market. WHAT FRIGGIN CONCEPT! It taps into the I WANT IT NOT mentality of technology. You already can get your info, clothing, and music that way. Why not your theatrical releases? Very cool.

As for the movie, I enjoyed it. Aside from some parts that were mind-numbingly boring, the frights def delivered for some "oh sh*t" moments. I found it tough to get past the constant zooms and shitty exposure. Of course, it's supposed to be amature, but jeez it was like a thorn in my side. I founc it to be really uneven though. If i wasn't bored by their pseudo-investigation of this otherwordly phenomena I was tense at the prospect of what might occur. I'm being vague so as not to spoil, but once you get into it you'll know what I mean. I don't know if I can validate the hype for you all, but I def enjoyed it. The movie's finer points is its concept of home invasion. The fright lives in the most intimate of places, the darkness of your house and the depths of your sleep.

The Lovely Summer Films of 09

Sorry yo. Finally got some time to write. The last couple of months have been kinda ridic. Actually, no. I apologize for that excuse. Rule Number 76: No excuses play like a champion.

I'm just now getting to wrap-up my favorite time to watch movies, the summer. Admittedly, this season has its fair share of clunkers. Still, I love the mass amounts of press and promo, the glossy tv spots, and the atmosphere of the midnight showing or the new must-see film. There is just something incredibly cool in a movie that's going to be seen by the world and reacted to differently by each person. I know i'm waxing poetic about these movies, but at the same time of my top five movies of the summer, only a couple elicited that attention. Whatever. Stop judging me. In any case, I based my rankings off of my usual criteria. How did I feel initially after the first showing? Did I spend my weekend thinking about it? Was there enough to chew on thematically? Was it cool as shit? etc. Here goes:



1) Up

I almost wish they could make a film that isn't perfect. Even when their movie doesn't hit the mark for me 100% (Ratatouille), I still appreciate it for being a strong piece of work, miles above the fiels. Up is just a delight from start to finish beginning with a a sweet establishment of its characters and a gorgeous silent montage ellipsing a lifetime of a beautiful relationship between the main character and his ill fated wife. With sweeping visuals and a truly thought provoking 3rd Act choice I gotta say I'm all up on some Up.

2)Inglorious Basterds
Highly referential of the myriad of films Tarrantino is into, Basterds is just head to toe a work of art. Classic Tarrantino. I love it's structure so much because it is textbook storytelling. The scenes build, brimming with tension until WHAM! There's a huge payoff or it goes into a different direction then you thought. I'd recommend a cold viewing. Just don't go in expecting to see wall to wall brad pitt killing nazi. Expect a good old fashioned, well made, revenge flick.



3) The Hurt Locker
I saw this film w/o knowing too much about it. Admittedly I was kinda turned off since I wasn't up for another forray into the wonderful world of Iraq. Boy was I wrong. This movie is kinda badass, not just because Kathryn Bigelow's intimate camera yet epic scale, but because of the attention its truly provoking characters. Se makes Jeremy Runner's character look like a friggin rock star (and not in the stereotypically cool way, but the enigmatic and trainwreck kind). Oh and shoutout to Jeremy mackie for delivering the best perf I've seen him give as the slightly assholeish, but completely identifiable supporting lead.

4) Moon
Duncan Jones directed this gem of a sci fi pic. As little you know about this movie before stepping into this movie the better because it honestly rewards a surprise. I'm completely on board with Sam Rockwell after his perf in this film. I can't write too much because I'm afraid to spoil anything. Just know that the film will stick with you after the showing, meditating on some of the themes of being human and the the human expense of evolving technology.



5) Star Trek
2 tons of fun. This was the best way to kick off the Summer of '09. A glitzy, intense sci-fi pic with pretty people doing awesome things. The constant lens flare did kinda annoy in the beginning, but once Kirk gets on that ship, i got swept away. I know nothing about star trek, but I left wondering "Wow, why was I not on this?" Prolly won't be wathcing any episodes anytime soon, but JJ Abrams is batting 1.000 with me.

Honorable Mention: 500 Days of Summer

Worst Movies/Let Downs

I didn't really see many, but they were out there.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Public Enemies, Terminator Salvation

Sumthin, Sumthin, Sumthin Stack that cheese. Or Props to summer '09

Bored at work? Perfect time to publish some gems of celluloid delight. Summer '09 was pretty fantastic for a lot of reasons. For one, I went to LA trick (more on that later) where I was blessed to intern at Double Feature Films (Pulp Fiction, Garden State, Erin Brokovich)for a couple months. Also (for markedly less selfish one), it was the biggest summer at the box office since '07. Now, it's no surprise that accounting for inflation movies seem to get bigger and bigger w/ little increasing quality, but wow 4.17 billion? Mass amounts of bucks.

Another thing that causes pause for me is when i think about the quality of said films. '07's top money earners were Shrek 3, Pirates 3, and Spiderman 3. I saw them. Wasn't too impressed (maybe a bit for Pirates). Now let's compare. '08 had The Dark Knight (would it be the same w/o the Joker), Ironman (good plain fun and charisma), and Indiana Jones (don't care). '09 Transformers 2 (groan), Harry Potter 10 (I don't care), and Up (beast). I'll let you surmise what you will.

Don't call it a comeback!!!

My boy Quentin Tarrantino showed ya'll expletives wut it is. He pulled down 37.6 mil and a not too shabby 65.1 mill worldwide. Personally, i'm happy for the news, not only because he shares my name (kinda) but he avenges his last movie Death Proof connected to Planet Terror in the experimental Grindhouse double feature. It was majorly slept on for no real reason I can think of. It kinda got panned for being talky especially after the raucuous zombie actioner that was PT. After sitting through a feature length flick and an assortment of fake trailers, i think people were spent and lost some attention. Still, Death Proof was cool as shit for being nothing more than a polished, fun, original revenge plot featuring 4 girls who do what girls normally do, beat some ass. I'm not a girl, but if i were i would think i'd be in love with this movie. And it featured Zoe Bell, who is friggin nuts and cool as hell all at the same time. I can't wait to see Basterds and highly suggest the movie if for nothing else than Brad Pitt's Aldo Raine.

Me calling the kettle black

I’m not elitist. Random right? And so early in the blog. But still I was inspired to write on the subject of snooty nosed filmic critiques when last Friday my sister and I watched a segment of Movie Mob on Reelzchannel (they owe a check for that plug).If you don’t know Movie Mob is essentially a symptom of our faux-starmaking times. Instead of actual talent, producers put joe blows with an internet connection and a netcam on television to spaz out and deliver movie reviews (I promise I don’t mean to throw salt I’m just so sick of the miserly execs and their cheap reality shows, but that’s another blog entry). Anyway, the lowest vote getters get kicked off. Given the buzz around the toy flick, I don’t need to tell you it got ugly. They thrashed the film pretty handily. I watched desensitized to the flame throwing, but my sister stared, with a twisted expression of her face. Y’know the kind you give when someone cuts you off, or someone closes the door in an elevator when they obviously see you coming. Y’know the one you give to an asshole. Well, she shared with me a peeve of hers. My sister exclaimed how lame it is that people go after movie that hard. They seemed to exude this air of pretentiousness in their review. I was taken aback a bit. Have I became the chest thumping, mean-spirited film elitist my sister despised?

Since I changed my major to film studies, (and thereby crushing my parents dreams) I’ve understood films on a different level. Before I started following films seriously-somewhere in high school I suppose-I demanded little more than explosions, glossy special effects and maybe a breast or two. The more I grew as a film snob I started to desire more than pretty brauds and cool set pieces. Now, dare I say it, I refuse to relinquish my hard-earned money for nothing less than novelty and characterization. All of that is a long winded way of saying that I fear I may be among the dregs of suit wearing, snooty aired, film critics or tech-savvy, toxic movie message board whores who rip movies apart to shreds throwing adjectives like Middle East projectiles. Hiding behind their apt command of the human language and an open thesaurus, they shit on movies for simply being what they are. Summer movies are what they are for a reason. Broad, gross-out comedies are what they are. It’s unfair to judge a film harshly to standards it doesn’t seek to attain. Movies are like food. If you don’t have a palette for the broadness of a Tyler Perry film then maybe you’re in the wrong theater. I recognize the function of the critic as a modern wolf crier, championing the great films for us and steering us from the bad ones. Still, it has become a competition to viciously denigrate movies that have no intention of being Casablanca or The Graduate.



We have to just take a look at why we take a movie apart by the limbs. Why should we feel the need to beat on it to no reason when a simple “Do not Recommend” will suffice. I’ll give you that certain films out there are mindless as shit. Transformers I’m looking at you. Nonetheless, it’s never cool to bash someone’s art no matter how little of the art you think there is. Is it because we compare it to other films with markedly different intentions? I know no film exists in a vacuum, but it’s important we make a distinction. Because I tell you elitism is not fly. I don’t know, what do you think?

Recs in effect:
My recommendation for this week isn’t a movie, but a resource for good criticism that I cosign
Filmspotting- These guys have an incredible podcast that I listen to weekly. They take every film seriously and focus on how the film works together holistically. They keep it lively and encourage a full discussion with listeners about why a movie works or does not. Does it push the medium? Is it original? Does it provide a visceral reaction? Highly recommended.

It's official. I'm in love with Summer.

So for this summer I hadn’t many films that I ravished the opportunity to see. Sure you had your Star Treks and your Hangovers that I was interested in seeing but honestly I lacked that visceral desire to view. The summer 09 was weak and with good reason coming off the summer 08 with the likes of Ironman and that flying rodent movie. Still, it does have its diamonds.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw one of those diamonds in the rough when I checked out Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer. It seemed to be ages since I first heard about this film which led to months of anticipation. Immediately, the trailer sold me, communicating such a note of originality and post-modern freshness. The field of rom-coms are sorely lacking these days and this movie claimed to be something more, and more importantly something different. Given my sorespot for rom-coms, and desire for some innovation I’ve been looking forward to these 500 days for a little less than 200.

Tom is every man in the history of life at one point or another. As a greeting card writer who lost his way on to something much grander, he’s stuck in holding pattern of work functions and adequate living standards. Until the Girl, Summer. Sometimes the best conflict comes in the simplest terms. I definitely have to give it up for this movie for having one of the best taglines I’ve heard in awhile. Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn’t. Plainly put, 500 will probably be the most originally fresh movie you see so far this year. It feels like a really savvy take on typical rom-coms, sometimes steering into the trappings just before surprising you. (Spoiler alert!) Make no mistake, they don’t end up together, but the journey is so much more satisfying. The movie darts around their relationship sacrificing a timeline (and natural progression/deterioration of a relationship) allowing Webb to make some editorial juxtapositions that unveil his ideas of this whole love thing. The way the little things that make you fall in love with a person can quickly turn into painfully annoying peeves. Webb taps into the love sorrow of all of us and the chemistry on screen emotes the pain and euphoria requisite in a serious relationship. Tom and Summer seemed destined and doomed together all in the same film thanks to two really wonderful performances. Joseph Gordon Levitt turns a love-sick, punch drunk puppy, but manages to still be a man, just in a lot of pain. And Zooey Deschanel’s Summer reminds you of every girl who rejected you, but made you come back for more. The movie adds to itself with some gorgeous shots such as this one below proving some really deft cinematography. It was lit by Eric Steelberg who also worked on Juno apparently as well as some lesser known flicks. I love that it has such an organic feel and Webb's not afraid to move the camera. At the same time, it's not distracting. Also, it's worth mentioning the incredible soundtrack as well gliding along with delicate piano riffs and this utterly downloadable song from Regina Specktor which opens the film.

Elixir: This movie really couldn’t miss with me. I love rom-coms and this one really enlivens the genre for me, opening it up for a post-modern generation (An Annie Hall for the facebook generation?). The most important thing about this movie is how genuine it is. 500 feels familiar in so many ways because it refuses to give what we’ve been conditioned to want. It teaches a lesson about being grown-up about love. That’s said, I really hope it makes money. Execs need to see that audiences are crying out for films like this. It’s a story that doesn’t give you what you want, but what you need.