Robert Rodriguez / Quentin Tarantino / Guests
2007
Initially the biggest issue with 'Grindhouse' is the sheer impossibility of completely recreating grindhouse cinema. Not only were ambitions and production values (rightly) set high, but in an all but DVD-driven market there is no hope of audiences flocking to theaters for basic, low-budget exploitation . In this sense, 'Grindhouse' is a paradox in origin. Pastiche and parody become the best one could hope for, but Tarantino/Rodriguez achieve more than that, which makes me wish they had opted for a more fine arts, gallery-oriented film, an exploration of the history, an evocation of the grindhouse feel.
Wistful pretension aside, both films on this double bill manage to deliver. 'Planet Terror,' Rodriguez's opener, is the better of the two. The film contains, but is not limited to, flesh-eating zombies, a renegade military squad, a jar full of severed testicles, and of course, Rose McGowan with a machine-gun pegleg. This fantastic genre outing is high on cheeky style, chock full of gross-out makeup effects (all hail Greg Nicotero!), and full of wink-wink references for the nerds. Its almost embarrassing that a gutsy genre plot like this needs to be marketed in such a self referential package, considering the film stands up fine on its own.
Tarantino's production is more problematic. In it, Kurt Russell stalks various groups of girls in his tricked-out muscle car, eventually killing them in collisions. Its quite a sexual thrill for him after all. 'Deathproof' is far more meta in terms of a grindhouse style film. For a flick about high octane automotive mayhem, it is extremely slow paced, which is a lot to ask from an audience that has already sat through one feature. The real failure here is in the seemingly endless dialogue scenes, completely uninteresting, and hackneyed. I don't want to say that the 'Tarantino style' has shot its wad, but most of the hipster talk comes off as a bad parody of the guy who directed 'Jackie Brown.' Ole' Quentin went behind the camera himself for this one, and while the footage is absolutely gorgeous in its freshly amateur compositions, and treated colors, I think this could be the cause of the story's shortcomings.
As a package 'Grindhouse' really shines with its small touches. The retro 'coming attractions' and 'feature presentation' title cards and the unforgettable faux trailers, made by some of the finest names in genre filmmaking, are highlights in and of themselves. A special mention should go to Eli Roth for his 'Thanksgiving' trailer, its not to be missed.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Thursday, April 05, 2007
The Host
Bong Joon-Ho
2006
Spring is here, bringing rebirth, renewal, hormonal overdrives, and the bountiful growth we've come to expect from the season. Something is growing bountifully indeed in Korea's Han river, but its not due to sunshine and fresh air; this little mutant 's the product of gallons of toxic formaldehyde sent down the drain at the behest of an anal american mortician. The Host, named for the killer virus our beastly star is potentially carrying, is by no means a reinvention of the monster flick but is instead a wildly entertaining return to form.
At the heart of the story is a hopelessly dysfunctional, yet limitlessly endearing family, running a prepackaged-ramen kiosk on the river's concrete banks. Dad offers daughter a beer while watching Auntie choke at her archery competition, meanwhile uncle stumbles back to the stand after a hard morning's shochu binge, as bumbling Gramps tries to placate customers. Its a snappy setup that segues right into the big guy's entrance. Out of the river and onto terra-firma springs a rampaging multi-mandibled, dino-amphibioid bruiser who tears up the scenery before returning to the drink, with little Hyun-Seo in tow. The CGI effects aren't the best you've ever seen, nor are they particularly consistent, but they're adequate considering the ballsiness of shooting a decent sized CG monster running around in broad daylight. Traditionally you get a lot more wiggle room when the visual effects are done in low and dramatic light situations.
The geopolitical satire a la Romero kicks in as the survivors of the fracas are corralled into an emergency center, and ultimately an Orwellian medical facility, by government guys in banana-yellow hazmat suits (more than a little reminiscent of The Crazies). As the U.S. intervenes in "the incident" they become a good go-to bully oppressor. There's more than a little anti-American sentiment here, and the resentment is palpable in the depiction off a handfull of duplicitous, pasty officials talking down and muscling their hapless Korean victims. It doesn't help that the formaldehyde premise is taken from an actual mishap in 2000.
The picture benefits from an adventurous score that heightens the action and prods the film along like a cattle drive. When the film hits its most somber moments the spirited music drives the family on to right the wrongs, and to "look out for ours." The camerawork is superb too, with the most graceful tracking shots I've seen in years, and a surprisingly novel use of that perpetual action cliche, slow motion. The film's humor and shifting tone are its greatest assets. Though this is the first of Bong's films I've seen, I'm willing to wager this vein of spot-on comedy is a hallmark of his direction. Bouts of hilarity mesh with deft action setpieces, and disastrous tragedy to provide a gripping final product. The family remains charmingly goofy throughout the ordeal, but is put through a wringer of hardships so severe that their perseverance makes them lovable. While the film's plotting is the stuff of madcap fantasy there's an emotional verism to these characters, and an appeal sent directly to the fragile fuck-up narcoleptically nodding off in ourselves.
2006
Spring is here, bringing rebirth, renewal, hormonal overdrives, and the bountiful growth we've come to expect from the season. Something is growing bountifully indeed in Korea's Han river, but its not due to sunshine and fresh air; this little mutant 's the product of gallons of toxic formaldehyde sent down the drain at the behest of an anal american mortician. The Host, named for the killer virus our beastly star is potentially carrying, is by no means a reinvention of the monster flick but is instead a wildly entertaining return to form.
At the heart of the story is a hopelessly dysfunctional, yet limitlessly endearing family, running a prepackaged-ramen kiosk on the river's concrete banks. Dad offers daughter a beer while watching Auntie choke at her archery competition, meanwhile uncle stumbles back to the stand after a hard morning's shochu binge, as bumbling Gramps tries to placate customers. Its a snappy setup that segues right into the big guy's entrance. Out of the river and onto terra-firma springs a rampaging multi-mandibled, dino-amphibioid bruiser who tears up the scenery before returning to the drink, with little Hyun-Seo in tow. The CGI effects aren't the best you've ever seen, nor are they particularly consistent, but they're adequate considering the ballsiness of shooting a decent sized CG monster running around in broad daylight. Traditionally you get a lot more wiggle room when the visual effects are done in low and dramatic light situations.
The geopolitical satire a la Romero kicks in as the survivors of the fracas are corralled into an emergency center, and ultimately an Orwellian medical facility, by government guys in banana-yellow hazmat suits (more than a little reminiscent of The Crazies). As the U.S. intervenes in "the incident" they become a good go-to bully oppressor. There's more than a little anti-American sentiment here, and the resentment is palpable in the depiction off a handfull of duplicitous, pasty officials talking down and muscling their hapless Korean victims. It doesn't help that the formaldehyde premise is taken from an actual mishap in 2000.
The picture benefits from an adventurous score that heightens the action and prods the film along like a cattle drive. When the film hits its most somber moments the spirited music drives the family on to right the wrongs, and to "look out for ours." The camerawork is superb too, with the most graceful tracking shots I've seen in years, and a surprisingly novel use of that perpetual action cliche, slow motion. The film's humor and shifting tone are its greatest assets. Though this is the first of Bong's films I've seen, I'm willing to wager this vein of spot-on comedy is a hallmark of his direction. Bouts of hilarity mesh with deft action setpieces, and disastrous tragedy to provide a gripping final product. The family remains charmingly goofy throughout the ordeal, but is put through a wringer of hardships so severe that their perseverance makes them lovable. While the film's plotting is the stuff of madcap fantasy there's an emotional verism to these characters, and an appeal sent directly to the fragile fuck-up narcoleptically nodding off in ourselves.
Monday, February 26, 2007
The Taste of Tea
Katsuhito Ishii
2004
This pleasant comedy is a slightly scattered, multi-faced picture with influences ranging all the way from Jacques Tati and Luis Bunuel to some of Takashi Miike's more surrealist impulses, as well as the pleasantly meandering quality of Ozu. Its a steady, unhurried Sunday afternoon of a film centering around family togetherness, the foibles of childhood, and good-clean laughs.
The film concerns itself with a family living in out-of-the-way Tochigi prefecture in some extremely green and rural looking surroundings. Mamma's an aspiring manga artist, Dad's some sort of hypnotherapist, Uncle Ayano's a semi-listless shaggy haired audio mixer, little sis is plagued by an enormous avatar of herself, and big brother is a perpetually crushed-out Go enthusiast. Let's not forget a second weirdo uncle with a fierce bowl-cut and a grandfather who looks and acts like the anime characters he used to draw. This is an offbeat yet immensely recognizable family illuminated by the less-than-ordinary domestic idyll of Ishii's script.
Deliberate filmmaking is the name of the game here. The cinematography is simultaneously wry and deadpan, punctuated with brilliantly timed jokes and performances that are psychologically serene, pleasantly candid, and emotionally resonant. At times the picture is guilty of being overly sentimental, occasionally veering into corny and sappy. Ishii also comes dangerously close to the overly quirky, soulless posturing of film's like Zach Braff's "Garden State." Thankfully the director always manages to pull it back from the brink, preventing his quaint family study from becoming a heartless hipsters' tin-man. Some notably wonderful sequences include a (literally) shat on yakuza ghost, a pair of enthusiastic otaku sporting some seriously nerdy robot/hero costumes, and a brutal beatdown dispensed by a petit, squeaky-voiced secretary to name a few. This brush with violence aside, there is little slapstick to be had, and much of the humor is quietly mused over as the family members enjoy cups of the film's eponymous beverage together during mornings and evenings.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
2004
This pleasant comedy is a slightly scattered, multi-faced picture with influences ranging all the way from Jacques Tati and Luis Bunuel to some of Takashi Miike's more surrealist impulses, as well as the pleasantly meandering quality of Ozu. Its a steady, unhurried Sunday afternoon of a film centering around family togetherness, the foibles of childhood, and good-clean laughs.
The film concerns itself with a family living in out-of-the-way Tochigi prefecture in some extremely green and rural looking surroundings. Mamma's an aspiring manga artist, Dad's some sort of hypnotherapist, Uncle Ayano's a semi-listless shaggy haired audio mixer, little sis is plagued by an enormous avatar of herself, and big brother is a perpetually crushed-out Go enthusiast. Let's not forget a second weirdo uncle with a fierce bowl-cut and a grandfather who looks and acts like the anime characters he used to draw. This is an offbeat yet immensely recognizable family illuminated by the less-than-ordinary domestic idyll of Ishii's script.
Deliberate filmmaking is the name of the game here. The cinematography is simultaneously wry and deadpan, punctuated with brilliantly timed jokes and performances that are psychologically serene, pleasantly candid, and emotionally resonant. At times the picture is guilty of being overly sentimental, occasionally veering into corny and sappy. Ishii also comes dangerously close to the overly quirky, soulless posturing of film's like Zach Braff's "Garden State." Thankfully the director always manages to pull it back from the brink, preventing his quaint family study from becoming a heartless hipsters' tin-man. Some notably wonderful sequences include a (literally) shat on yakuza ghost, a pair of enthusiastic otaku sporting some seriously nerdy robot/hero costumes, and a brutal beatdown dispensed by a petit, squeaky-voiced secretary to name a few. This brush with violence aside, there is little slapstick to be had, and much of the humor is quietly mused over as the family members enjoy cups of the film's eponymous beverage together during mornings and evenings.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Pan's Labyrinth
Guillermo del Toro
2006
Pan's Labyrinth provides a nice companion piece to del Toro's The Devil's Backbone (2001) in its use of supernatural and fantastic elements set squarely within the milieu Spain's civil war. While Backbone's ghostly chills reflected the visceral horrors of the war, del Toro's new offering presents a fascist hell bearable by only the strongest spirt. This grim coming of age is loaded with shades of "Alice in Wonderland" and contains a healthy dose of special effects, yet no matter how nightmarish our little heroine's fantastic double-life grows, the harsh reality of Franco's regime is far worse.
Young Ofelia is carted off to the country along with her pregnant mother, Carmen, to the home of mom's new fiance, the tyrannical Captain Vidal. Understandably-bummed Ofelia has trouble getting along with her menacing step-dad, who treats her mother as little more than an heir-factory, better seen than heard. Solace comes in the form of kindly, underground rebel house-marm Mercedes and the discovery of an old stone grotto housing a mystical Faun who kindly informs Ofelia she is the rightful blood princess of a glorious underkingdom. To prove her mettle, the little girl must complete three otherworldly tasks before the moon is full, while simultaneously navigating an oppressive household and a country at war.
The visual effects qualities used are interesting and admirable but far from brilliant. The CGI bugs/fairies look behind the times in terms of technical rendering and the Faun's aesthetic is too whimsical for the film's dark tone, too cuddly to be appropriately creepy. The most successful effect comes from the child-eating "Pale Man" character, a faceless ghoul with saggy skin and skeletal legs.
Its an ambitious film to say the least, clearly more than a mere effects picture, however at times the real life drama between fascists and guerillas seems to inappropriately take precedence over Ofelia's point of view. Simply put, Pan's Labyrinth needs more Pan. With a minimum amount of fantasy setpieces, and a gripping albeit sprawling war yarn the film ends up with two excellent plots competing disharmoniously against each other. Of course del Toro is no greenhorn, and his experience and passion come through during even the most tenuous moments. Its an imperfect picture, but a worthy accomplishment nonetheless.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
2006
Pan's Labyrinth provides a nice companion piece to del Toro's The Devil's Backbone (2001) in its use of supernatural and fantastic elements set squarely within the milieu Spain's civil war. While Backbone's ghostly chills reflected the visceral horrors of the war, del Toro's new offering presents a fascist hell bearable by only the strongest spirt. This grim coming of age is loaded with shades of "Alice in Wonderland" and contains a healthy dose of special effects, yet no matter how nightmarish our little heroine's fantastic double-life grows, the harsh reality of Franco's regime is far worse.
Young Ofelia is carted off to the country along with her pregnant mother, Carmen, to the home of mom's new fiance, the tyrannical Captain Vidal. Understandably-bummed Ofelia has trouble getting along with her menacing step-dad, who treats her mother as little more than an heir-factory, better seen than heard. Solace comes in the form of kindly, underground rebel house-marm Mercedes and the discovery of an old stone grotto housing a mystical Faun who kindly informs Ofelia she is the rightful blood princess of a glorious underkingdom. To prove her mettle, the little girl must complete three otherworldly tasks before the moon is full, while simultaneously navigating an oppressive household and a country at war.
The visual effects qualities used are interesting and admirable but far from brilliant. The CGI bugs/fairies look behind the times in terms of technical rendering and the Faun's aesthetic is too whimsical for the film's dark tone, too cuddly to be appropriately creepy. The most successful effect comes from the child-eating "Pale Man" character, a faceless ghoul with saggy skin and skeletal legs.
Its an ambitious film to say the least, clearly more than a mere effects picture, however at times the real life drama between fascists and guerillas seems to inappropriately take precedence over Ofelia's point of view. Simply put, Pan's Labyrinth needs more Pan. With a minimum amount of fantasy setpieces, and a gripping albeit sprawling war yarn the film ends up with two excellent plots competing disharmoniously against each other. Of course del Toro is no greenhorn, and his experience and passion come through during even the most tenuous moments. Its an imperfect picture, but a worthy accomplishment nonetheless.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
Monday, January 22, 2007
Tears of the Black Tiger
Wisit Sasanatieng
2000
Better late than never is the long overdue U.S. release of this singular Thai curry-western. A film of Interlocking genres complemented by a surreal kaleidoscopic palette with a predominantly pink Bangkok, a blood red river, and a swirling backdrop painting just past the horizon line.
Dum the Black Tiger is the most prized gunslinger in bandit Fai's gang of rootin' tootin' outlaws. When his childhood sweetheart Rumpoey is affianced the local do-gooding Police Captain Kumjorn, Dum resolves to protect his love in the looming battle between Fai and the police, though it means winding up on wrong side of both factions.
Cowboy trappings aside the melodrama between Dum and Rumpoey, told mostly through flashback, has a strongly Eastern feel and saddles and six-shooters are mostly absent. Old timey Thai pop records fortify feelings of longing and heartbreak in this poor-boy meets rich-girl forbidden love story. This gooey frosting is mercifully cut with scenes of pure gonzo mayhem as cops and informers clash with the outlaws. The almost absurdist scenes of violence incorporate plenty of machine guns, an astronomical body count, and rocket launchers! The macho element is further played up in Dum's tenuous friendship with fellow sharp shooter Mahesuan, a pastel and neon wearing betelnut chewer with a quick temper and drawn-on moustache.
The film is remarkably well balanced for its indulgence and the stylistic elements are consistent and sure-footed. Every time Sasanatieng is in danger of going overboard he switches gears in another direction. This fanciful fare also benefits from an emotionally jarring and utterly sobering finish that goes a long way towards redeeming the film from being mere oddity. Let's hope there's a good edition DVD release on the way.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
2000
Better late than never is the long overdue U.S. release of this singular Thai curry-western. A film of Interlocking genres complemented by a surreal kaleidoscopic palette with a predominantly pink Bangkok, a blood red river, and a swirling backdrop painting just past the horizon line.
Dum the Black Tiger is the most prized gunslinger in bandit Fai's gang of rootin' tootin' outlaws. When his childhood sweetheart Rumpoey is affianced the local do-gooding Police Captain Kumjorn, Dum resolves to protect his love in the looming battle between Fai and the police, though it means winding up on wrong side of both factions.
Cowboy trappings aside the melodrama between Dum and Rumpoey, told mostly through flashback, has a strongly Eastern feel and saddles and six-shooters are mostly absent. Old timey Thai pop records fortify feelings of longing and heartbreak in this poor-boy meets rich-girl forbidden love story. This gooey frosting is mercifully cut with scenes of pure gonzo mayhem as cops and informers clash with the outlaws. The almost absurdist scenes of violence incorporate plenty of machine guns, an astronomical body count, and rocket launchers! The macho element is further played up in Dum's tenuous friendship with fellow sharp shooter Mahesuan, a pastel and neon wearing betelnut chewer with a quick temper and drawn-on moustache.
The film is remarkably well balanced for its indulgence and the stylistic elements are consistent and sure-footed. Every time Sasanatieng is in danger of going overboard he switches gears in another direction. This fanciful fare also benefits from an emotionally jarring and utterly sobering finish that goes a long way towards redeeming the film from being mere oddity. Let's hope there's a good edition DVD release on the way.
Review by Brett A. Scieszka
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Bleach Bypass 10 Best Films of 2006
Here is the second annual "10 Best" list of 2006 according to Bleach Bypass' Brett Scieszka
10.) Sympathy For Lady Vengeance - Park Chan-Wook
Not as flashy, heady, or stylish as its brothers in Park's "Revenge Trilogy," but provides a fittingly elegiac coda, a solid anchor to round out the cycle. While the film may be more delicate than its manga inspired predecessors Park's extreme sensibilities are brought along for the ride in the form of graphic finger amputations and eccentric torture scenarios. The black comedy's played a little more subtly this time and Lee Yeoung-Ae's performance is further proof that Park is impeccable in his casting.
9.) Hostel - Eli Roth
The lousy marketing for this film failed to entice me in the slightest: another dull torture film with a dash of xenophobia, etc. Thankfully I didn't miss what would turn out to be one of the most fun horror films of the year. Roth presents us with a handfull of gory setpieces so deft and raw-dog that one cannot help hooting and hollering at the screen (hanging eyeball! hanging eyeball!). Can't wait to see this one as a midnight screening.
8.) The Descent - Neil Marshall
This should be required viewing for anyone interested in serious horror. Marshall wastes little time in creating a hell-on-earth scenario involving claustrophobia and interpersonal trust issues. Then the monsters show up. 'The Descent' is neat as a pin, tight as a drum, and pitch perfect. No cheesy "cave lighting" here either, the cinematography is ingeniously natural with little more than helmet lights and lamps to illuminate the underworld. The audience sees just as little as the poor spelunkers.
7.) Marie Antoinette - Sofia Coppola
The ingenue of ennui hits another ball out of the park with her latest daydream. If you squint real hard you can almost see Coppola's own privileged upbringing on the screen, set to '80's hits, and romanticized to the hilt. The supporting roles (particularly Steve Coogan, Rip Torn, and Molly Shannon) are wry little winks in and of themselves, and this proves to be Jason Schwartzman's best role since 'Rushmore.' Who else can turn a tragic French Queen's life story into a teenage girl's ultimate fairy tale fantasy? No wonder Coppola has pink cans of champaign named after her.
6.) The Queen - Stephen Frears
Frears has directed a lot of crud over the years but comes through admirably with his latest picture. Historical fact and weighty subject matter are handled with a wonderfully light, almost comic touch that suggests just a hint of Lubitsch. Real world politics rarely seem to interfere with what becomes an artfully constructed drama and character study. It is also blissfully convenient that the Never Neverland quality of royal life lends itself quite well to cinematic treatment.
5.) The Hills Have Eyes - Alexandre Aja
Easily the most terrifying film of the year. Aja proved his mettle with the slasher 'High Tension' and now crosses the pond to run amok. A fist-fuck of visceral violence and relentless brutality, rounded out with dark Americana in the form of an "ugly American" family and our shared shady nuclear legacy. The initial mutant assault on the hapless travelers is one of the most intense scenes ever committed to film. Let's not forget the great dog role. There's something so satisfying about a good canine role in genre film.
4 .) The Departed - Martin Scorcese
Since the turn of the century Scorcese has become increasingly good at churning out well-crafted, large-scale films with pleasant auteurist pretensions and wide release appeal, and this is the best of the lot. The ensemble cast is a treat to watch, ubber-ham Nicholson isn't given a chance to hog the screen (to the film's benefit), and the Boston accents are charmingly theatrical. Its a rough and tumble tussle worthy of Scorcese's best work.
3.) Old Joy - Kelly Reichardt
As reviewed in Bleach Bypass.
A lovely meditative picture not wanting for melancholy or heart. This is small scale cinema of the very best kind, with eye-candy cinematography and warm performances. NY based Reichardt is the discovery of the year (though she's no stranger to the film biz), and hopefully we'll be seeing more of her. Great score by Yo La Tengo and another great dog role.
2.) Slither - James Gunn
Its a real tragedy that everybody (myself included) slept on the theatrical release of this brilliant gob of entertainment. A box office bomb with "cult classic" written all over it, containing some of the wackiest and most creative creature scares to come along in the last decade. The Troma veteran sensibility shines through (in a good way) and the realization of what must have been a bitch of a script to film is commendable. So many good setpieces here, and while it is comic-horror the laughs are served straight up as opposed to the infuriating tongue-in-cheek manner so woefully in vogue today.
1.) Wassup Rockers - Larry Clark
As Reviewed in Bleach Bypass
At the beginning of the year, if someone told me the best film of 2006 would be a Larry Clark picture I probably would have doubled over laughing. Turns out the joke's on. Clark serves up ebulliently honest portrait of youth without a hint the director's exploitative sensationalist proclivities. A two-part verite meets punk-chaos vibe only helps to compound the fist-pumping energy. A jaw droppingly good film. Who knew Clark had it in him?
10.) Sympathy For Lady Vengeance - Park Chan-Wook
Not as flashy, heady, or stylish as its brothers in Park's "Revenge Trilogy," but provides a fittingly elegiac coda, a solid anchor to round out the cycle. While the film may be more delicate than its manga inspired predecessors Park's extreme sensibilities are brought along for the ride in the form of graphic finger amputations and eccentric torture scenarios. The black comedy's played a little more subtly this time and Lee Yeoung-Ae's performance is further proof that Park is impeccable in his casting.
9.) Hostel - Eli Roth
The lousy marketing for this film failed to entice me in the slightest: another dull torture film with a dash of xenophobia, etc. Thankfully I didn't miss what would turn out to be one of the most fun horror films of the year. Roth presents us with a handfull of gory setpieces so deft and raw-dog that one cannot help hooting and hollering at the screen (hanging eyeball! hanging eyeball!). Can't wait to see this one as a midnight screening.
8.) The Descent - Neil Marshall
This should be required viewing for anyone interested in serious horror. Marshall wastes little time in creating a hell-on-earth scenario involving claustrophobia and interpersonal trust issues. Then the monsters show up. 'The Descent' is neat as a pin, tight as a drum, and pitch perfect. No cheesy "cave lighting" here either, the cinematography is ingeniously natural with little more than helmet lights and lamps to illuminate the underworld. The audience sees just as little as the poor spelunkers.
7.) Marie Antoinette - Sofia Coppola
The ingenue of ennui hits another ball out of the park with her latest daydream. If you squint real hard you can almost see Coppola's own privileged upbringing on the screen, set to '80's hits, and romanticized to the hilt. The supporting roles (particularly Steve Coogan, Rip Torn, and Molly Shannon) are wry little winks in and of themselves, and this proves to be Jason Schwartzman's best role since 'Rushmore.' Who else can turn a tragic French Queen's life story into a teenage girl's ultimate fairy tale fantasy? No wonder Coppola has pink cans of champaign named after her.
6.) The Queen - Stephen Frears
Frears has directed a lot of crud over the years but comes through admirably with his latest picture. Historical fact and weighty subject matter are handled with a wonderfully light, almost comic touch that suggests just a hint of Lubitsch. Real world politics rarely seem to interfere with what becomes an artfully constructed drama and character study. It is also blissfully convenient that the Never Neverland quality of royal life lends itself quite well to cinematic treatment.
5.) The Hills Have Eyes - Alexandre Aja
Easily the most terrifying film of the year. Aja proved his mettle with the slasher 'High Tension' and now crosses the pond to run amok. A fist-fuck of visceral violence and relentless brutality, rounded out with dark Americana in the form of an "ugly American" family and our shared shady nuclear legacy. The initial mutant assault on the hapless travelers is one of the most intense scenes ever committed to film. Let's not forget the great dog role. There's something so satisfying about a good canine role in genre film.
4 .) The Departed - Martin Scorcese
Since the turn of the century Scorcese has become increasingly good at churning out well-crafted, large-scale films with pleasant auteurist pretensions and wide release appeal, and this is the best of the lot. The ensemble cast is a treat to watch, ubber-ham Nicholson isn't given a chance to hog the screen (to the film's benefit), and the Boston accents are charmingly theatrical. Its a rough and tumble tussle worthy of Scorcese's best work.
3.) Old Joy - Kelly Reichardt
As reviewed in Bleach Bypass.
A lovely meditative picture not wanting for melancholy or heart. This is small scale cinema of the very best kind, with eye-candy cinematography and warm performances. NY based Reichardt is the discovery of the year (though she's no stranger to the film biz), and hopefully we'll be seeing more of her. Great score by Yo La Tengo and another great dog role.
2.) Slither - James Gunn
Its a real tragedy that everybody (myself included) slept on the theatrical release of this brilliant gob of entertainment. A box office bomb with "cult classic" written all over it, containing some of the wackiest and most creative creature scares to come along in the last decade. The Troma veteran sensibility shines through (in a good way) and the realization of what must have been a bitch of a script to film is commendable. So many good setpieces here, and while it is comic-horror the laughs are served straight up as opposed to the infuriating tongue-in-cheek manner so woefully in vogue today.
1.) Wassup Rockers - Larry Clark
As Reviewed in Bleach Bypass
At the beginning of the year, if someone told me the best film of 2006 would be a Larry Clark picture I probably would have doubled over laughing. Turns out the joke's on. Clark serves up ebulliently honest portrait of youth without a hint the director's exploitative sensationalist proclivities. A two-part verite meets punk-chaos vibe only helps to compound the fist-pumping energy. A jaw droppingly good film. Who knew Clark had it in him?
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