Happy New Year

This picture makes me happy as two of my favorite things, Keira Knightley and Ishiguro's novel Never Let Me Go, join forces in making sure I'll have at least one amazing filmgoing experience in 2010.  I'll be interested to see how this adaptation turns out, but I remember reading the novel a few years ago and thinking that Keira would be perfect as the opinionated Ruth.  Anyway...I'll have more to post on Monday, but you know, I can never get enough of Keira Knightley...so there ya go.  Happy New Year, everyone!

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Your Summer Quiz is Due at SLIFR

Another brilliant quiz has been constructed by Dennis Cozzalio of the brilliant movie blog Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule. Head here to the take the quiz. My answers come after the jump...


1) Second-favorite Stanley Kubrick film.

2001: A Space Odyssey

2) Most significant/important/interesting trend in movies over the past decade, for good or evil.

The length of films – it’s both good and bad. It’ good because in this hyperkinetic, ADD society we live in I find it interesting that some of the most popular movies every year are 140+ minutes long (with a lot of comedies clocking in at 120-30+ minutes). It’s bad because a lot of those films don’t need that much time to tell their story. What ever happened to the art of making the 90-minute action or comedy film? I mean Passenger 57 was only 81 minutes long…

3) Bronco Billy (Clint Eastwood) or Buffalo Bill Cody (Paul Newman)?

Bronco Billy

4) Best Film of 1949.

The obvious answer is The Third Man, but I’ll go with the noir masterpiece Force of Evil by Abraham Polanski.

6) Has the hand-held shaky-cam directorial style become a visual cliché?

In action movies, yes. Quantum of Solace would have been a lot better had they decided to film the action scenes by keeping the camera on some medium shots for more than half a second. However, the shaky-cam can still be an affective tool a la a Dardenne Brothers or Michael Mann film.

7) What was the first foreign-language film you ever saw?

John Woo’s The Killer

9) Favorite World War II drama (1950-1970).

Army of Shadows

10) Favorite animal movie star.

The Mogwai from Gremlins

11) Who or whatever is to blame, name an irresponsible moment in cinema.

Michael Bay – not for his directing, but for producing the horrid remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre which kick started the barrage of god-awful “re-imaginings” of classic horror films.

12) Best Film of 1969.

I don’t want to repeat myself (because Army of Shadows is already mentioned here), so I’ll say The Bird with the Crystal Plumage by Dario Argento.

13) Name the last movie you saw theatrically, and also on DVD or Blu-ray.

Theatrically: Public Enemies
DVD: The Son

14) Second-favorite Robert Altman film.

3 Women

15) What is your favorite independent outlet for reading about movies, either online or in print?

Every blog I have listed under “what I read”.

17) Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei) or Olive Neal (Jennifer Tilly)?

Mona. Not even close.

18) Favorite movie that features a carnival setting or sequence.

Some Came Running. I agree with Scorsese that it remains one of the most brilliant and expressive uses of Cinemascope.


Click here to watch video


19) Best use of high-definition video on the big screen to date.

Miami Vice.

20) Favorite movie that is equal parts genre film and a deconstruction or consideration of that same genre.

Hmmm. I could just answer with my favorite film 8 ½, but I think I’ll go with a movie I just talked about on my blog: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.

21) Best Film of 1979.

Good year for movies (Alien, Breaking Away, Manhatten), but I’ll go with the obvious (and deserving) selection: Apocalypse Now.

22) Most realistic and/or sincere depiction of small-town life in the movies.

Wow. Great question. Can I cheat? I’ll assume you said yes…anything by David Gordon Green, October Sky, American Movie, and Breaking Away.

23) Best horror movie creature (non-giant division).

Freddy Kreuger. But only when he was a serious boogeyman, not the sardonic caricature he became in the films sandwiched between the original Nightmare film and New Nightmare.

24) Second-favorite Francis Ford Coppola film.

Jack…I kid, I kid…The Godfather.

25) Name a one-off movie that could have produced a franchise you would have wanted to see.

The Talented Mr. Ripley. I know there have been other adaptations of the Highsmith books about Tom Ripley, but I think it would have been amazing to see Matt Damon and the late, brilliant director Anthony Minghella continue telling their version of Ripley.

26) Favorite sequence from a Brian De Palma film.

The homage to Argento in The Untouchables where the viewer gets the POV of the black-gloved killer made famous by Argento’s gialli films. Here it is:


Click here to watch video

27) Favorite moment in three-strip Technicolor.

I like Jamie’s answer of anything from Argento’s Suspiria, but I don’t want to copy him. So, I’ll go with the scene on the lake in Leave Her to Heaven where Gene Tierney’s femme fatale watches her fiancé’s paraplegic brother, one of the last people to stand between her and her future husband, drown. The scene is incredibly eerie and off-putting because we don’t expect these noir moments to occur in beautiful, vibrant thee-strip Technicolor. Video below (go to about the 5:20 mark):


Click here to watch video

28) Favorite Alan Smithee film. (Thanks, Peter!)

Let’s Get Harry -- written by Samuel Fuller; starring Gary Busey, Mark Harmon, Ben Johnson, Rick Rossovich, and Robert Duvall.

29) Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) or Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau)?

No question about it: the wisdom of Crash Davis.

30) Best post-Crimes and Misdemeanors Woody Allen film.

Deconstructing Harry

31) Best Film of 1999.

This question is quite relevant to what I’ve been doing the last few months on my blog.

Anyway the best film of 1999 is The Talented Mr. Ripley.

32) Favorite movie tag line.

"Does for rock and roll what "The Sound of Music" did for hills." This is Spinal Tap.

33) Favorite B-movie western.

What a convenient question as I was just talking about this movie: The Last Hard Men.

34) Overall, the author best served by movie adaptations of her or his work.

Stephen King

35) Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn) or Irene Bullock (Carole Lombard)?

Susan Vance. I fall in love with her every time I watch Hawkes’ masterpiece.

37) Bruno (the character, if you haven’t seen the movie, or the film, if you have): subversive satire or purveyor of stereotyping?

Meh.

38) Five film folks, living or deceased, you would love to meet. (Thanks, Rick!)

(In no particular order): Orson Welles, Ingmar Bergman, Cary Grant, Roger Ebert, and Keira Knightley of course…

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Kevin's 10 Most Desirable Film Adaptations

I was looking at some of books today, and started thinking about how there are thousands of great novels yet to be made into movies. Names like Rushdie, Amis, McEwan, and Coetzee really haven't had their best work translated to celluloid, just their most accessible. I'm still holding out hope that the failed (and altogether scraped) Cronenberg adaptation of Martin Amis' hilarious and brilliant London Fields will come to fruition. It was then that I realized once upon a time I started a list of novels I would love to see made into adaptations. One can dream right? So it's with that very thought that I indulge myself and post the list with comments, whether or not the film is in production or in talks of being made, and who I would consider for the job of making the film (if it's not ever set to be released). If you feel the urge to trek through these indulgences of jumbled thoughts and murky sentence fragments, then please post your desired adaptations in the comments section. And away we go...


In alphabetical order with who I think could direct, and possibly star:

The Book of Evidence, by John Banville - I find it odd that this title is on my list because I really didn't get into the book all that much, but it's a hell of a story; one that could, cinematically speaking, be on par with "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer". The everyday, nonchalant attitude of the books main character Freddie Montgomery is something that a great actor could make a career off of (think Hopkins as Hannibal). It's not that Montgomery is evil -- he is as startled by his own amorality as the reader -- but it's that he is someone we could picture knowing: neatly dressed, well educated, likable. Through the testimony of Montgomery we see not an excuse or reason to why he murdered the girl, but the story of a mans life, that surprisingly we come to find some form of sympathy in. I felt Banville's writing to be a little too matter-of-fact at times, as I mentioned I thought it was a little difficult to get through, but the overall experience is memorable, and if we're talking movie adaptations here -- well The Book of Evidence would make for an interesting film experience. Director: Mike Hodges. Lead role: I could see someone like Ray Winstone (too easy?) or if you want to make it real paradoxical I guess you could cast someone like Clive Owen.

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley - Universally beloved and known by millions, this story of a future Utopia is often connected to the similar, and just as popular Orwell masterpiece 1984. Even though Brave New World has been adapted into a few poor;y made television movies, I think we could all use an adaptation that has a budget and a cast that is worthy of the material. The themes of the novel are timeless, and although Michael Bay sorta did an adaptation of the novel with his film "The Island", I think we could use something that is fully committed to the idea. I think a perfect director would be Steven Spielberg. Not only can the man balance a large budget and effect and still make an the audience care about the story (see "Minority Report") he has the vision to pull this off beyond the conventional 'futuristic drama' realm. I'd imagine if Spielberg did the film then we'd have one of the Tom's as Bernard, the lead character.

The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Okay so I was already to write about this, but a simple search on imdb shows that there is already a pretty big film adaptation of the famous Russian novel. But I keep it in here in hopes that you'll click on the link to see who played Alexi....brilliant, just brilliant. But hey, they should still remake it today.

Disgrace, by J.M. Coetzee - Professor David Lurie's journey throughout the post-colonial masterpiece Disgrace is the best thing I've in a long, long time. I came late to the party in regards to Coetzee's work, but boy am I glad I finally found my. One of the most brilliantly paradoxical novels written it's at once: beautiful and ugly, dark and optimistic, poignant and repugnant. And through all of that, more than anything it's a celebration of life; one of those rare books that the moment you put it down you immediately thumb through it again to glance over some of your favorite passages. The novel has been made into a movie starring John Malkovich as Lurie (great choice) and directed by Steve Jacobs. Set to be released in 2009. I'm officially excited.
Jack Maggs, by Peter Carey - This re-imaginig of the Dickens character Magwitch (from Great Expectations) is one of the most enjoyable readings I've ever had. A page turner in the truest sense of the phrase, the novel is rich with memorable characters and distinct locations. Carey is one of the best novelists working today. I actually wouldn't mind seeing someone like Jim Broadbent try his hand at this character, but he seems to be much too old for the role. Now that I think about it, Daniel Day Lewis would be awesome in this role. I can see any number of competent directors taking on this pretty straight-forward novel.
Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie - pshaw! I know, I know....but like I said, this is a dream list. This is probably the most impossible novel to screen adaptation there is. Although, it would be fun to see someone try, as it would most likely result in a Francis Coppola-like breakdown....and if you don't know what that means, then you need to watch "Heart of Darkness: A Filmmakers Apocalypse". The only person I could see making this movie is Rushdie himself.

Money, by Marin Amis - The most important novel of the 80's as it pertains to postmodernism (as well as Reagen's America and Thatcher's England), Money is so darkly comic and perverse that it's wishful thinking to ever hope for a film adaptation. Sure, there have been films that have pushed the envelope, but none that make you laugh out loud like Amis' novel does comparable to a film like "Man Bites Dog", Money is just as ruthless in using the seedy elements of life (violence, drugs, and pornography) to try and get a laugh. Hell, even suicide is a means for a punch line. John Self is one of my favorite characters in all of literature. I could see Ian McShane trying his hand at the character with Martin McDonagh ("In Bruges") directing. I did notice on IMDB that they are making a film version of Night Train, Amis' attempt at the American detective novel, you can see my thoughts on the novel here. I think Sigourney Weaver as Detective 'Mike' Hoolihan is a great, great casting choice; plus the fact that Nicholas Roeg is directing rules...."Don't Look Now" is one of my favorite movies.

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro - This fantastic novel has all the makings of a compelling art house/sorta sci-fi film ala "Children of Men". As a reader, every vague observation, every unsure sentence by its unreliable narrator keeps you guessing as to what the whole mystery of the novel is. It's amazing how Ishiguro's simple, yet elegant and nuanced, prose keeps you absorbed throughout, when really there isn't a whole lot happening. It took me awhile to warm to this novel, but after the 100 page mark, it flies. Rumors are that the film is in production, and that the writer of "28 Days Later" is at the helm of the adaptation. Ishiguro's prose reads so smoothly it's like a knife going through warm butter (hey, there's a metaphor lifted straight from the Arnie classic "Commando"!), and I don't see why it wouldn't transfer well to screen. His most famous novel The Remains of the Day was a pretty decent film (not as good as the book of course). I would love to Keira Knightley as Kathy H., the novels narrator. But then again, of course I would like to Knightley in that role. Looking forward to this film, if the rumors of its production are true.

The Powerbook, by Jeanette Winterson - Winterson's steamy celebration of storytelling and simulacra could probably never be produced (at least not with an 'R' rating) and would probably fair well in the hands of someone like Bertolucci, who at least some experience with mature and adult love stories that are about more than the sex that occupies them. Winterson's stop-and-go and repetitive style of writing mirrors the way we may live our lives and what we may or may not remember about love, sex, passion, loss, and just life in general. Her work seems like it would be extremely hard to transfer to the screen since so much of it is about the art of storytelling (read: the process of writing) and the act of inserting ourselves within those stories. See the adaptation of Ian McEwan's Atonement for a perfect example about how a novel about letters and the how we manipulate narrative is almost impossible to translate to the screen.

Saturday, by Ian McEwan - It does look like there has been an informal announcement about the prospects of McEwan's brilliant novel about terror and post-September 11th livelihood being made into a film. Hooray! I'll cling to anything I can at this point. I so badly want to see this done right after the so-so effort (content-wise) of the film version of "Atonement" (it did look gorgeous). Easily a top three novel for me, Ian McEwan is a god, and if you haven't read anything by him than you are really depriving yourself of great literature. I always envisioned the main character of Perowne to played by someone like Jeremy Irons, but upon second reading I think it could work with an equally capable actor who is, here in the states, lesser known: Bill Nighy. Nighy was most recently in "Valkyrie" and "Hot Fuzz", but his last 'significant' role was in the 2006 thriller "Notes on a Scandal", which I quite liked. Interesting note, the writer of that film, Patrick Marber, is (apparently) adapting Saturday for the screen. Looking forward to this....if it's true.

Well that does it here. I'm excited that some on this list have been made into movies or are in the process of being made, and if you haven't read any of these novels than consider this a good list to begin compiling for some Summer reading. Be back shortly with my best films of 2008.

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Grading 2008: Reflections on Movies I've Seen, and Why the Hell Did I Watch "Vantage Point"?

Above is a quick glimpse of the checklist of movies I kept this year. Obviously non-graded movies have yet to be seen. 29 isn't all that bad considering there was a stretch of about three months of no movie watching whatsoever. click the picture to enlarge it....sorry that's as big as I could get it. Some interesting things of note:

- In Bruges is far and away the most surprising film experience I had all year. I really was expecting that thing to suck. Boy I love being wrong sometimes.

- There may not be a more misguided, ultra-violent, vomit inducing film all decade than Stallone's Rambo. Just when you want to enjoy the film for its over-the-top violence and gore, Stallone gets all preachy on us and for some reason splices in all-too-real footage of Burmese villagers being massacred. I think Stallone thought he was making something valid and not exploitative. The movie was supposed to be a fun time at the movies; a call back to the glorious, ridiculously violent action films of the 1980's and 90's, and instead it ended up just being a big downer.

- Ladies and Gentleman the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture goes to...

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married.

(applause)

This doesn't make up for the fact that while she's accepting the award, her newest movie Bride Wars will be in theaters....but still a damn fine performance.

- Ugh....yes I did waste two hours of my life watching Vantage Point. I was hoping it would be so bad it was good....but it was just bad. At least Matthew Fox wasn't a complete cinematic waste this year, he was in Speed Racer, a film that is probably the most visually entertaining movie (read: crap story) since Dick Tracy.

- Missed out on W. and Quantum of Solace even though I was really looking forward to them. Bond still may be seen as it continues to play in local theaters, but W. came and went, sadly, quicker than his time in office (I couldn't resist the all too easy George Bush bashing, I should rise above it, but meh).

- The Strangers sucked and American horror films needs Wes Craven more than ever.

- I actually saw my fair share of docs this year. I am proud of myself.

- Comedies were very hit and miss. Consider the amazingly funny Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Pineapple Express and contrast them with the painfully mediocre Tropic Thunder and Step Brothers. Luckily I didn't watch anything with Mike Myers or Adam Sandler.

- Despite what some may say The Dark Knight is not as serious and thought provoking as they may think, and despite what the other side may think, the film isn't edited poorly and is still one of the most entertaining films of the year. But it's all moot because Iron Man was far superior.

- I missed Argento's newest film Mother of Tears. Sad because I love Argento and Italian horror, but maybe it's a blessing because the reviews for the thing were awful.

- Despite the well deserved kudos Mickey Rourke and Clint Eastwood are getting this year from the award circuit, it's Michael Shannon of Shotgun Stories that turned in the years best performance.

- Finally I have to state that this was a great year for movies....and not because I was thinking it was going to be a crap year for movies, but because any year that can provide me with 20+ reasons to write on this here blog....well then I'm happy to be alive and to be a film buff. I think every year is a good year for film. You won't find any caveats here.

And a year at the movies wouldn't be complete without feeding my unhealthy infatuation with Keira Knightley who starred in The Duchess this year....sadly I never saw it, but I always have this to motivate me to rent it on DVD:



Now the fun part....making the obligatory (and arbitrary, albeit fun) year-end list. I'll shoot for next Friday (I have a test to take this weekend for grad school) to get the list up here; hopefully by then I'll have seen all of the movies without grades assigned to them....but I don't think that'll happen as some just aren't making their way to Portland in time. Be back shortly with some more quickie reviews.

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