The Bourne Ultimatium Rocks My World. Film at 11.

Here is one of the year's smartest, energetic films, a ball of fire into a year of action and adventure films that has given us promises without delivering the goods. In a year where The Transformers spins everything into a blender and gives us a smattering of computer graphics and when John McClane can't even utter an F-Bomb in a Die Hard sequel where he's supposed to Yippie Ki Yay, Motherfucker, it's simply wonderful to see a movie as synthetic, appropriately stylized and downright FUN as The Bourne Ultimatium. This is every bit as fresh and exciting as The Bourne Identity and then some.

What makes these films so exciting is that we identify with the character of Jason Bourne, a man who is trying to find himself. He's in an uphill struggle to find identity in his life. In the first film, he lost his memory and was amazed in how his primal instincts would kick in when even he didn't realize it. His slow realization of the Treadstone project with the Central Intelligence Agency led him to the people responsible for his brainwashing and eventual training as a "$30 million dollar killing machine."

In The Bourne Supremacy, he was still battling with his past and the Treadstone project, and several fleeting images of his training were coming back to haunt him. He became more aware of who he is and his surroundings, all the while battling the CIA, the Kremlin and even Eomer from "The Two Towers" chasing him down a freeway tunnel in Moscow.

In Ultimatium, Bourne is finally putting all the pieces together. Clues are starting to become known about how he became who he is now. In the end of the last film, he was given the name David Webb, and in the first chapter of the film he gets classified information from a reporter (Paddy Considine from My Summer of Love, who even in a small part is wonderful.) Clues lead him from Paris to England and even back to Nikki (Julia Stiles), who has had a small part in Bourne's life previously and is more of a main player in the story here.

Bourne is "on the run", but if you watch him carefully you'll see him more walking fast than lifting his feet up and down. He's always on the move, always breaking down the problem and solving it quickly. How he's able to move around surveillance, agents and various bad guys unharmed is part of his training. Credit must also be given to Matt Damon, who flawlessly makes us believe in this character and his physical ability. When Bourne gets in a car crash late in the film, some audience members at my screening scoffed that "Well of COURSE he's okay." I wanted to shout out "Well of course he's okay...he's Jason Bourne. He's built to survive that crash you silly beans!"

Ultimatium is what Roger Ebert would call a "Bruised Forearm" movie, where you're grabbing the arm of the person who is sitting next to you. The film's pace never lets up, giving us nearly two hours of a pure adrenaline rush. But in this particular case, it makes deep and resonating sense, and even though there is so much globe-hopping in the film that you wonder when these characters sleep, it is all told clearly and faithfully by director Paul Greengrass.

In what is quite possibly one of the best action sequences I have EVER seen, we follow Jason, Nikki and an assailant through the streets, alleyways, staircases and rooftops of Morocco. What's amazing about this sequence is how Greengrass and editor Christopher Rouse are able to carefully cut and blend these three elements in such a way that we're completely in control and keeping in touch with all the perspectives of the hunter, the hunted and the guy you better not mess with.

I was so energized and so "there" with the film that I kept bumping the arm of the gentlemen sitting next to me at a screening of the film, and he did just the same. I think the key is in Greengrass' and cinematographer Oliver Wood's terrific use of hand held photography; while many people have complained about the "shaky cam" and the unsteadiness of the image, I think it's absolutely essential to the story. When Bourne is running, so should we.

Is "The Bourne Ultimatum" the best of the Bourne series? Possibly. There are elements of this film that I admired the most, which is the same way I feel about "The Bourne Identity". I still recall seeing that film in 2002 and breathing a sigh of relief at the film's end credits, happy to discover that we're still getting well-made espionage thrillers in a sea of remakes and sequels. That a sequel in 2007 that can perform with just as much high octane energy and adrenaline is a delight to behold.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Oh, and I want to apologize to anyone out there who reads this blog on a regular basis. VERY sorry for the lack of updates lately. I've been a bit exhausted, not feeling well, working on other writing projects and also, I'll admit, procrastinating. If you've read this blog before, my thanks, and I'm hoping to return full time soon. -- JW

Once is a freaking masterpiece. Film at 11.

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So rarely these days when at the cinema do I find myself transported directly into the screen, unaware of my theatrical surroundings. This is a feeling that home video can rarely, if ever, duplicate and I'm forever thankful of the theatrical experience, so we can see films like Once every now and then.

Watching Once, I disappeared into the moment. This is a beautiful film about love that transpires through music and the musicians that communicate their feelings through it. A man (Glen Hansard) is singing some soulful music on the sreet when he meets a woman (Marketa Irglova). They talk and connect. She finds out he fixes vaccum cleaners on his day-to-day, she's married (but only 18 years old) and they both share a passion for music.

In quite possibly the most beautiful moment I have witnessed in a motion picture this year, we watch our two lead characters as they get to know each other in a music shop. One of the many right notes is how director John Carney gets both participants to sing the song "Falling Slowly". In a lesser movie, these two would just start singing in perfect harmony, but the man teaching her the song slowly brings her in, teaches her the notes and then try out the song.

The shots last forever, the framing is loose but simultaneously concentrated and the lyrics speak so deeply about the connection that is about to happen. I felt a small tear dash down my cheek as the two of them ever-so-lightly looked at one another, although Carney didn't linger on those moments. These are the kind of scenes you show people when asked why you love film so much.

These two are connected at this point in each of their lives where they are about to take a next step. For the man, he has deep musical talent and needs to go to London. For the woman, she has a past that she decides to live up to. What's great about the film is that it deals with these problems honestly and the film's finale is unexpected and deeply moving.

Once left Victoria recently but is rumored to be picked up at the Star Cinema and Cinecenta, and I'm hoping anyone out there reading this takes interest in this lovely and unique film.

Also, La Vie en Rose is a mess. A glorious and beautiful mess of a motion picture. This is a good thing, since the life story of Edith Piaf is one of illness, drugs, madness and triumph, and not all in that order. Since Piaf is so all over the map in her life, director Olivier Dahan has told the story in this manner, jumping to and from her childhood, young adult life and all the way until her ragged out death. The film is playing for one final week at the University Cinemas 4.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Weekend In Movies: Pottermania Happens.

This weekend signals only two new releases in the city of Victoria, mostly because we're still in the thick of the summer movie season and everyone but Warner Brothers is scared to open up against that shrill, big wall of noise known as Transformers. There are also a handful of other great films to be seen in the city, and I'm hoping that you put your money towards that instead.

What's new:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Silvercity, Star, Capitol 6, University 4, Caprice) -- Thanks to Warner not screening this in advance last week, I have still not seen the latest chapter in the Potter franchise. Potter gets darker and more menacing this time around, and with every film it becomes less kid-oriented and instead focused on the darkest channels of our souls. Opening Wednesday to get a few more dollars before the final The Deathly Hallows book takes over every Potter fan, this film has already scored an insane amount of money and it WILL be busy this weekend, so plan your cinematic attack early.

Captivity - For the five of you out there who still think "Wow, Roland Jofee has a new film out? Awesome! Can't wait to see it!", you might want to remember that he did the godawful Goodbye, Lover a few years ago and hasn't done a good movie since The Mission in 1986. Now, here he is with a long-delayed movie that has been confirmed as two hours of "torture porn" by James Berardanelli. Not even the gorgeous Elisha Cuthbert will make me want to see this filth.

What else you should be seeing:

Ratatouille -- If you're a bit too spooked to see Harry Potter or are scared off at the huge lines, why not see what I am still considering one of the year's best films? Pixar films refuse to age, and this one is no exception. You can still see Remy cook, Linguini dance and let your heart dance to the sights of Paris.

Once -- I'm finally seeing this on the weekend and still recommend that you check out this Irish music film while it's still in town. And grab that soundtrack while you're at it!

La vie en Rose -- Also seeing this weekend is the big widescreen story of Edith Piaf brought to life. Still Oscar talk on Marion Collitard as Piaf.

Knocked Up -- Hey, were you one of those fools who saw License To Wed last weekend and want to rectify that mistake with a REAL comedy? Check out Judd Apatow's flick, still the funniest of '07 and STILL playing at the Odeon. That's an order.

Away From Her oddly double billed with Shrek The Third at Roxy -- If you still haven't seen director Sarah Polley's wickedly awesome directorial debut, feel free to skip the year's lousiest and most pointless sequel and check out the Oscar-worthy Julie Christie.

And if you are up for a funny movie on Monday night, The Matador plays at Movie Monday at the Eric Martin. Check out Pierce Brosnan in one of the funniest performances of his career as a tired-and-weary hitman.

Oh, and fuck the Transformers. I've fought all week with people who desperately want to see two and a half hours of shit blowing up. People, you're better than this garbage. It wouldn't bother me as much if the shots lasted more than two seconds, heavy filters weren't utilized so much by cinematographer Mitchell Amudsen and Michael Bay would keep the damn camera still. Spinning your big 'ol Panavision camera isn't cool anymore. (It wasn't even cool THEN.) Oh, and how about giving us something, ANYTHING to care about? And by that, I don't mean black people running through windows and uber-hot Australian code-crackers who probably own The DaVinci Code on DVD. The film made me woozy, tired and desperately wanting a Red Bull afterwards. It's one of those fanboy films that I think even the fanboys will hate when the mass hysteria over the flick dies down and they realize how lousy all of it is. A monumental waste of time, although Megan Fox is kinda cute in a porn star kind of way.

Will be back next Thursday when I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Hairspray are scheduled to open.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

DVD of the Week: Billy Bob says you're picking up The Astronaut Farmer on DVD this week.

A film that did not do very well on its theatrical release back in February, the sweet, good-natured and yet slightly off-kilter (but GOOD off-kilter, you see) The Astronaut Farmer was just released to DVD on Tuesday.

It tells the story of Charles Farmer (Billy Bob Thornton), Ex-Nasa, who wants nothing more than to build a rocket and shoot it into space. He has a few hurdles, however: he's building the rocket all by himself, on his own coin, with only his family's help (who will run mission control? Why, his own son of course). The government steps in when Farmer wants to purchase some industry-level rocket fuel.

There's an unexpected level of love by Farmer's family. His wife is certainly concerned about the goings-on of her husband but is overall supportive of Farmer's plight. It's the basic law of marriage. As well, his kids are nothing but excited and want to see his dad in space. And they better be, because this guy is damned determined.

Deep down, that's the core of the story, to love and support your family no matter how insane the quest is. Another telling aspect of the film is knowing what you want to do and how to attain it, rather than let someone else get you down. "What do you want to do when you grow up?" asks Farmer to a student. "I don't know," the kid responds. "Well, you better figure know what you're going to do before someone knows it for you."

The images, lensed by cinematographer M. David Mullen and directed by the brothers Mark and Michael Polish, are just whacked out and cool enough to fall in love with them. One of the film's opening images has Farmer riding across the countryside, on a horse, wearing his spacesuit. Later, there's a beautifully framed shot of Farmer amongst a group of local dignataries in court...but wait, there's no "court" in this small town, so they have to hold it in the school gymnasium. A kid then walks in to play basketball and is stunned at the meeting that is going on.

The Astronaut Farmer has just a slight weird edge in this improbable story, and the reason it works is because the characters are so firmly drawn and fleshed out, and the filmmakers have backed them up with a movie that makes us care about it. They believe it, and so do we.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Weekend In Movies: Once Is It.

The first weekend I'm out of town in nearly three months and there's one hell of a cinematic lineup upon us. I'll be playing catch-up next weekend when all of these are playing (as well as Pottermania along with Spider-Man 3 in IMAX) giving me one hell of a busy weekend.

Once (Odeon) -- FINALLY opening in Victoria -- after some confusion on whether the Vic or the Odeon was going to open it -- is this universally acclaimed Irish musical film about an unlikely friendship over the course of song in Dublin. The trailer is enough to make you fall in love with movies again, and here's hoping it will find an audience in the music-loving city of Victoria.

La vie En Rose (The Vic Theater) -- The life of Edith Piaf from beginning to end, in this much anticipated french import that is garnering Oscar talk for lead Marion Collitard (who you may have seen last year as Russell Crowe's ridiculously hot love interest in A Good Year) who disappears into the part.

The Transformers (Odeon, Silvercity, Caprice, University 4) -- Again, fuck Michael Bay. I should be either munching popcorn or suffering through this Bay picture sometime this week to get a glimpse of a whole lot of visual effects blowing up on the screen. There have been some good reviews (Ebert himself gives it 3/4) to go along with the bad ones, so who knows.

Licence To Wed (Silvercity, Odeon) - With a whopping 10% on the Tomatometer and some crushingly unfunny TV spots, this "comedy" with Robin Williams and Mandy Moore about pre-marital shenanigans will mostly appeal to the morons that forgot that Knocked Up was still in theaters. As much as I admire director Ken Kwapis (who has directed many episodes of the U.S. version of "The Office" along with "Freaks and Geeks"), this may just be another Beautician and the Beast for the guy.

Also:

The long-awaited release of David Lynch's nightmare epic Inland Empire is playing at UVIC Cinecenta on Friday and Saturday. If you miss this show, the DVD will be out in early August, but theatrical Lynch is just not the same.

Ken Loach's heartbreaking Irish film The Wind That Shakes The Barley is also at Cinecenta on Sunday, and you must check it out, but you might want to plan ahead if you're going to get there by car and don't like construction.

What else you should be seeing:

If any of the above don't interest you, how about seeing the little animated masterpiece known as Ratatouille this weekend? This great Pixar film did well last weekend and I'm hoping will continue to wow audiences as its theatrical release continues.

If you're still looking for a laugh, Knocked Up is STILL bringing in audiences and should be the first film you think about seeing if you even have an inkling to see Licence To Wed. Oh, and it is doing another week at the beloved Star Cinema in Sidney.

Also, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix has been pushed (smartly) to Wednesday, to grab a few more dollars before every Pottermania. A midnight show is scheduled at the Capitol for Tuesday night, and perhaps Silvercity Tillicum will announce one soon as well.

UPDATE (9:18pm): There will also be a midnight show at the University Cinemas 4, but still no word on whether or not Silvercity will pony up. If they're smart and want to make a few grand, they will.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

DVD Of The Week: Riggs and Murtaugh implore that you pick up their triple feature.

Since there are absolutely no DVD's to recommend this week (and I would have recommended Black Snake Moan last week, but I still haven't watched my copy yet), allow me to point you to a strangely cool el-cheapo DVD that Warner was smart enough to release earlier this year.

In a curious move for Warner's budget titles, many of their catalog films have resurfaced in triple feature disc sets, which are for the most part full-screen only transfers of films jammed and compressed into one dual-layer DVD9 or one DVD18.

Since Warner was lazy enough to do full-screen transfers of their Lethal Weapon films, instead they have imported the previously released Director's Cut DVD's and put them on two discs.

Side one of the DVD-18 presents the amazingly awesome first Lethal Weapon, which is still one of the best action films ever made. Despite a few odd haircuts and an old Pepsi logo, the film still hasn't aged and packs an incredible punch.

Watching it again, I was amazed in deeply realized and careful the characters of Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) are brought together. Both Vietnam veterans, Riggs is at the bottom part of his life after his wife was killed, and Murtaugh is a family man who is getting on in his age. That their characters are so fascinating to watch, it makes the bad-guy and action elements all the more tense to watch, especially when members of Murtaugh's family become targets.

I had never seen the director's cut before, so it was strange to see Riggs' brilliance introduced in a sniper sequence prior to the original one, where he busts a cocaine deal in a Christmas Tree lot sale. It's a bit repetitive to see Riggs save the day, twice, but I guess his lack of fear of losing his life is ongoing. A few other short scenes are added which give a bit more revelation to our two leads, and are welcome.

Lethal Weapon 2 is on the flip-side of the disc, and is just about as good as Donner's first film. Riggs is still kind of wacky and Murtaugh hasn't changed much, and the South African diplomat storyline is quite interesting. You also get to check out some very topless Patsy Kensit, as well as a full rush of adrenaline as Riggs goes absolute apeshit postal when she's knocked off in the last half hour.

On its own disc, Lethal Weapon 3 is the weakest of the trilogy, but still has enough fun action and big laughs to recommend. An ex-cop is selling armor-piercing bullets, the still-hot-as-hell Rene Russo is in her prime here, and there's a hilariously overdone motorcycle chase down the wrong way of a Los Angeles highway. I saw this film the most on laserdisc while growing up and going through my action phase, and it was amusing to see it again and realize how many of the lines I remembered.

Oh, and I thought Lethal Weapon 4 was pretty lousy, and would go against the whole "Triple Feature" concept, so it was not included. (If you're a completist, however, you should be able to find it in the $6.88 bin at Walmart.)

More info about this disc: Disc one is a DVD-18 (double sided, dual layered) which features the first three films in the same 2.40:1, anamorphic widescreen transfers with Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 sound from the 2001 director's cut release. There are only the theatrical trailers for extras, the best being for the first film with outdated logos and horrible edits.

This trilogy can be found for about $10 in Future Shop, Walmart, HMV, et al, but be prepared to look around and ask for availability. Recommended if you can find it, however!

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Weekend In Movies: You're seeing Ratatouille.

Happy Canada Day Weekend everyone! I hope you have something fun planned for this weekend and enjoy another great birthday for this awesome country we call home.

And to celebrate you wacky Victoria residents, you're going to get off your bums, go down to the Capitol 6, Star Cinema, Silvercity, Caprice or University 4, walk up to the box office and demand tickets for...

Ratatouille - **** One of the most joyous cinematic experiences this year (besides Grindhouse, of course), Ratatouille is the story of a lovable rat named Remy who wants nothing more than to cook at the prestigious eatery Gusteau's in Paris, and the relationship that he makes with a "garbage boy" who works at the eatery that is losing its star rating.

This film is for anyone who loves not just a great story but a great cinematic experience (and it's also the first animated film I've ever seen that has left me HUNGRY as the credits were rolling). Not only that, Remy is one of the most beautifully realized characters in a film this year and it will only take you five minutes to fall in love with him. The story and themes are universal, the animation is so good that you'll forget about computers and digital trickery and go along with the visual beauty, the voice casting is top notch and the film finalizes on a sequence so wonderful and just bizarre enough that you'll never want it to end.

I want you to see this film so much, in fact, that I'm posting the showtimes right here for your convenience:

Capitol 6 - Daily @ 12:40, 3:30, 7:00 & 9:40
Silvercity - Daily @ 12:45, 3:45, 7:00 & 10:00
Star Cinema - Daily @ 7:00pm. Additional Friday & Saturday @ 9:15; Matiness Sat-Thu @ 2pm
University 4 - Daily @ 1:00, 3:50, 7:00 & 9:30
Caprice - Fri, Tue & Wed @ 2:00, 7:00 & 9:25; Sat - Mon @ 1:00, 3:30, 7:00 & 9:25

Don't know how to get there? Google Maps will help you. So you have the showtimes and the maps. You now officially have no excuse.

Here's the film you are seeing this weekend. I don't want to hear about how busy you are, or how you're not interested in an animated film or how you would rather see Evan Almigthy. No, you're going to this lovable, wonderful movie. Trust me, I guarantee you will love it.

Full review on efilmcritic.com this friday.

Sicko (***1/2) -- Surprisingly, this excellent new documentary from Michael Moore is not getting as wide of a release as anticipated. Only scheduled on one screen at the downtown Odeon, you still have access to Moore's take on how dreadful and careless the health care system is down in the United States.

Live Free or Die Hard -- While it opened on Wednesday, here's another mention of the long-delayed Part Four to the Die Hard series. Not sure exactly how badly we need a fourth entry into this series, but nevertheless I'm curious to see how director Len Wiseman (Underworld) handles a PG-13 Die Hard. (Silvercity, Odeon, University 4)

Evening -- I want to tell you to go see this unapologetic weeper of a family story that spans a few generations. I want to tell you that I'm a fan of director Lajos Koltai (Fateless) and can shoot a beautiful picture from a mile away. I want to tell you that I have had a massive crush on Claire Danes and can't wait to see her in Cinemascope. And I'll see it, because it's my gig and I see everything except for Nancy Drew. But for you, the moviegoer that goes to one movie a week, if that...you're going to Ratatouille, I'm sorry. (Capitol)

The Transformers -- Fuck Michael Bay. That is all. (Silvercity, Odeon, University 4)

Wild Safari: The IMAX Experience - FINALLY shuffling up the dull-as-nails IMAX schedule (and even moreso on 7/13 when Spidey 3 opens in the blown-out 'MAX format) is yet another doco that pretty much explains itself in the title. It's wild! It's safari! What, you thought this was about the Isreal-Palestine conflict?

Also:

With all the big movies opening this weekend and that Brad Bird movie I'm urging you to see, the fine Vancouver-based film Everything's Gone Green screens at UVIC Cinecenta on Sunday. This is Douglas Coupland's first foray into screenwriting and he does a great job.

Also, if you're up for an interesting experience on Monday, swing by the Eric Martin Pavillion and check out The Journals of Knud Rasmussen playing at Movie Monday. From the director of The Fast Runner, this is another look at the arctic life that you'll otherwise never get to see.

Bon appetit.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Top 10 Films of 2007...So Far!

I finally found some free time in my crazy schedule and published my annual mid-year Top 10 on efilmcritic.com. This has been one hell of a great year so far for movies, and I look forward with great eagerness to see what the rest of the year holds in store.

The best films of 2007 so far:

1. Grindhouse
2. The Lives of Others
3. Paris Je T'aime
4. The Wind That Shakes The Barley
5. Knocked Up
6. Bridge to Terabithia
7. Vitus
8. The Lookout
9. Breach
10. Away From Her

Worst films: 1. Because I Said So, 2. Love and Other Dilemmas, 3. Wild Hogs, 4. The Reaping, 5. The Ex.

This list is current until June 15th. I really wanted to showcase Away From Her which is a knockout film from Ms. Sarah Polley. Ratatouille opens on Friday and will give this whole list some shaking up. Not to mention a LOT of press later this week.

Click HERE to read the whole article.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

It's just an AFI list, people.

The folks down at the American Film Institute have updated their "100 Years, 100 Movies" list with a new Top 100 based on critics and filmmakers who have voted for their favorite American films. Citizen Kane has taken the cake, as it has in the past (and should), and all I'm thinking is "What, no GRINDHOUSE?"

Of course I'm kidding. But since people are more drawn to complain rather than to embrace, this list has immediately drawn fire from people who automatically think that since THEIR movie isn't on the AFI list, immediately the list is worthless. "How can they put X movie on there when Y movie is better?" Then along comes someone else going "How can they put Y movie on there when X movie is better?" It reminds me of the Oscars, where everyone suddenly thinks they're the authority on the awards, everyone disagrees and nothing is resolved except for a lot of useless pissing and moaning from people who secretly like to detest film. The act gets old and tired pretty damn quick, and people forget that we all bring our own attitudes towards film. We should be asking ourselves what we love about this medium if all we do is be so cynical.

This reminds me of why I enjoy going to the Vancouver Film Festival every year. No one agrees on anything. "Paris Je T'aime" and "The Lives of Others" were my favorites of VIFF '06, yet you could find as many people who detested it as much as people who adored them. The annual visit to this festival is a powerful reminder to think for yourself and not to let someone "higher" in power sway your opinion. You just think differently than they do. And that's good.

When I saw the AFI list back in 1998, I didn't need to agree with it. What I took from the show was its underlining power: "Hey, here are some good looking films that I need to go check out on DVD!" And I did. And for any aspiring film students or avid filmgoers who are looking to see some better movies in this day and age of Shrek The Third, this can be a great benefit. It is also a benefit to have interviews with established filmmakers, writers, actors and film scholars to give their reasons for why they adored each film.

If anything, the AFI, -- which in itself is a great film institution -- does a lot of good (I have a few friends enrolled there currently), and I think these lists and shows that air on TV are a good thing. If I can offer a critisicm, however, I really feel that the shows should stay as far away from giving away the endings to a lot of the movies being profiled. The clips for Citizen Kane, for example, explains Rosebud and plays the very last shot of the film. Offensive, to say the least.

For wit, here is my personal Top 10 Favorites of All Time and how they stack up on the AFI list:

#1. Apocalypse Now - AFI #30
#2. 2001: A Space Odyssey - AFI #15
#3. The Apartment - AFI #80
#4. Stop Making Sense - N/A
#5. Woodstock - N/A
#6. Grave of the Fireflies - N/A, since it is a foreign film
#7. Network - AFI #64
#8. Grand Illusion - N/A, since it is a foreign film
#9. The Godfather Part II - AFI #32
#10. Magnolia - N/A

Haven't seen any of those? Well, start renting some DVD's!

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Weekend in Movies: Summer's Too Busy for Jim Carrey.

Honestly, people, why the hell do you want to see Shrek The Third? Pirates of the Caribbean? Fantastic 42? You all keep whining about how bad movies are and how you want to see better stuff, yet you keep emailing or coming up to me and asking about these lousy summer sequels, and completely ignore me when I recommend you try something a little different from your cinematic junk food diet. Are you THAT afraid to try something new once in a while?

There are so many great films playing in the city of Victoria this weekend, but none of you will see them. Instead, you'll ignore this post and go watch an Ogre yell at you for 90 minutes. Or you'll spend your dollars on a movie that has Steve Carell in it this time, since Jim Carrey was smart enough to realize you don't sequel-ize a God Comedy.

Victoria is slowly but surely getting its art house back, I'm noticing. With the success that the French Film Festival has been having over at the Ridge this past month, we have opened some great new films locally. I'm hoping the trend continues (and it does, we open the Irish musical "Once" on the 29th while the Oscar-worthy Edith Piaf film "La vie en Rose" screens on July 6th).

So what have we got this week:

A Mighty Heart (Odeon) - Wall Street columnist Daniel Pearl was abducted in Pakistan in 2002, and this story is about his wife, Mariane (Angelina Jolie) who risks great emotional pain to find him. This story is based on Mariane's autobiography about her husband Daniel, and the film is directed by British indie-guru Michael Winterbottom, who is no stranger to films depicting our post 9/11 hell (check out his 2005 film "The Road to Guantanamo" sometime).

Evan Almighty (Silvercity, Caprice, Odeon, Star) - Now Steve Carell is god. Bruce (Jim Carrey) is nowhere to be found. And now he has to build an ark by Mr. Morgan Freeman's request. There's just something so inherently wrong with this concept that I don't know where to begin. The trade reviews have been awful and only five year old kids have laughed at any footage (when I saw "Ratatouille" last week, The trailer is woefully unfunny, and it pains me to see Lauren Graham, now no longer Lorelai Gilmore, in such films like this.

1408 (Silvercity, Capitol) - The promotions for this film REALLY want you to know it's based on a story by Stephen King. Forget the fact that John Cusack, a wonderful and gifted actor, is in the lead, or workaholic Samuel L. Jackson is seen giving strong support in this story of a travel writer who decides to stay in a hotel room that has had a history of being haunted. The trailer certainly intrigued me.

Day Watch (Capitol) -- I still haven't seen the sequel to the Russian hit "Night Watch", a film which didn't do very well in these parts so I'm surprised that the Capitol 6 picked it up. This whole "Lights vs. Darkness" battle in Moscow is pretty big back home, and if you've seen and liked the first I very much recommend checking the sequel out on the big screen.

Live Free or Die Hard (Starts Wednesday at Odeon and Silvercity) -- Since these series blog posts go up on Thursday, I'll quickly mention Die Hard 4.0, a project that has been in production limbo for over a decade. Since Die Hard originator John McTiernan has shot himself in the foot with so many bad films over the year and thus not allowed to direct anymore (what a shame!), Underworld auteur Len Wiseman has been brought in to helm with the countless script rewrites over the years. And watch out for that Kevin Smith cameo!

Also:

Not much in the city this week for special or rep house screenings, but if you haven't seen the very good pro-shark documentary Sharkwater, you get a chance to check it out at UVIC Cinecenta on Sunday night. The doco very much changed my mind about those great white creatures, and it should for you too.

What else you should be seeing: Waitress, Paris Je'T'aime and Away From Her STILL rock on at the Odeon, the delightful Ocean's Thirteen is dealing aces everywhere, Knocked Up is still laughing up audiences all over town, while the war epic Black Book goes into its second weekend at the 'lil Vic Theater. And you tell me there are no good movies to see right now...

Showtimes, as always, at tribute.ca

Jason
efilmcritic.com

I'm an Old Pornographer.

My (exactly) one year long reign of having a photo of mine being the first thing you see when you go to the official site for The New Pornographers has come to an end. What you see above was a photo I decided to take, on a whim, since I was snapping away shots of the concert with my piddling old Fuji cam and wondered what a thousand people behind me looked like. That image was that good enough that the fine folks at the site chose to make it the image of their home, and for all this time I have been thankful.

The changing of graphics is understandable, of course, since the Porno's have to promote their new album entitled "Challengers", yet another blast of joy from the Vancouver-based band that includes the adorable Neko Case, the not-so-adorable Dan Bejar of Destroyer and wacky AC Newman, among others. They're "itchingly fun psycho pop rock", as I like to inaccurately label them, as these guys just defy description. The music is like, sooo damn addictive.

I had been listening to the NP's on and off through the years, but it was the 2005 release of their landmark album, Twin Cinema, that launched my love for this group into the stratosphere. And on the first day of my Vancouver Film Fest vacation that year, I mosied on down to the Commodore Ballroom to see the most wild concert of my life. Not only did I first meet Immaculate Machine followed by a drunk Bejar jam with his group Destroyer at that show, but also witnessed a freakin' TWENTY-EIGHT song blast from the NP's that still rings in my ear as I think of them. I danced, I made a few friends, I perspired like crazy. It was the most perfect night.

And their new album Challengers is amazing. Yes, I've listened to it early, even though the disc is due out in August. It takes some time getting used to, but I've had these songs on constant repeat on the MP3 player ever since it went in there. These guys know what they're doing, and it blows me away that they're still cranking out great music. I'm seeing them TWICE in concert this September, the latter in Vancouver at the Commodore, where Ms. Neko is in attendance once again. I can't wait to groove and dance to "Use It" once again.

Download a free NP's MP3: My Rights Versus Yours

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The goofballs at Disney marketing say you're picking up Bridge to Terabithia on DVD this week.

As much as I admire Walt Disney Pictures this year for bringing some of the best films out of their studio in years, they and Walden Media are responsible for one of the biggest marketing blunders of 2007...the lousy theatrical trailers and marketing devoted to the early-year film Bridge to Terabithia. How can one of the year's best films have a marketing campaign scared of what the film is really about?

And you know what? I went along with it. I went into the movie not having read Katherine Paterson's book, instead having a theatrical trailer based around the film's five to ten minutes of visual effects whimsy. I came out of the screening 100 minutes later, in tears and a changed person, having witnessed an unforgettable gem about a real friendship.

Jess (Josh Hutcherson) and Leslie (Annasophia Robb) are two outcasts at school. Josh enjoys his morning jogs and his drawing, while Leslie likes to create stories. Both are bullied by their respective classmates, something that they are trying hard to ignore. A chance meeting at school strikes up a small friendship, but as they realize they are neighbors and they have this unlimited amount of forest around them, they venture out and create Terabithia, a world limited only by their imagination.

I grew up with bullying. I grew up with long afternoons where my mom made sure I went outside and used my imagination. This film spoke to me so deeply about what it is like to be a kid and to create a place where only two people can share, and not to let anyone or anything impact it even when they still have to deal with harsh reality. Where the film takes you in the film's final act I can't say, but it is some of the most emotional filmmaking I've seen in a family film since "E.T.", and the film finalizes on a sequence of amazing power.

Even though the film did very well financially, I am still annoyed that Disney led a lot of people into the wrong movie. The effects are such a minor part of the overall package, which perhaps Disney was too scared to market to a younger audience. I think this is required viewing for kids, but also for the kid in all of us. We've all been there and we've been Jess or Leslie in some form or another, and it is nice to see a movie that admires imagination and being yourself as much as I do.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Ratatouille is a freaking masterpiece. Film at 11.

Ratatouille is a freaking masterpiece.

I have just returned from seeing yet another Pixar film that has leapt off the screen and into my heart. This is the kind of gem that its production company, Pixar Films, is known to deliver, but there's something wonderfully fascinating about a rat that can communicate his love for life through the love of cooking. It comes as no surprise that it comes from one of our best storytellers, Brad Bird, who is a bit animated himself. Here is not just a great piece of animation, but also one of the best films of the year.

Remy, who sounds a bit like Paul Giamatti (but is instead wonderfully voiced by Patton Oswalt) loves to cook. He adores the creation of food and the serving of it, as we first witness with Patton and friends outside of a small house in the french country. When Remy is washed away into a sewer, he comes across a famous restaurant in Paris that takes pride in its all-important star rating.

Quickly, Remy is hooked. He wants to cook. But what is a rat to do? Simple: he will befriend Linguini (voice of Lou Romano), the "garbage boy" who is vulnerable and doesn't want to get into any trouble. Remy eventually befriends Linguini and convinces him that he can cook, so the two bring together a plan: Remy will provide all the work by staying on Linguini's body, while Linguini does all the show.

Ratatouille is two-fold: it is about the love of food and the creation of it, but it is also about someone who fights to do what he loves despite adversity. In this case, Remy is a rodent, he knows this and accepts that he is not human. But that does not stop him from forging a relationship with a human, who himself wants more out of life than what he has. Remy and Linguini's stories are fairly parallel, and their interplay as they each fault and stumble through the film is fascinating to watch.

These themes are brought carefully by Brad Bird, who with his team of animators and storytellers use sublety and careful storytelling to their advantage; it reminds me of the storytelling of Hayao Miyazaki, who is known for accurately balancing his characters and their situations instead of trying to wow us with computer animation. Mr. Bird is no exception; his 1999 film "The Iron Giant" is one of the best animated films of all time, and his 2004 film "The Incredibles" is a joy that will last generations.

Ratatouille may be his best work, however, as he is at the top of his game in how he tells this story. Nearly the entire film takes place in the restaurant, especially the kitchen, where Remy belongs. Mr. Bird reveals things slowly, taking his time to let us savor the experience, much like a good meal. I don't want to reveal much of the film's final act, which was something I was not expecting, and was blown away at Bird's audacity at how far he takes it. It brings everything to such an emotional high that I floated out of the cinema happy as a clam, and I'm still on cloud nine as I write this.

Which reminds me of a point that I have made time and again: animation is supposed to look animated. During the end credits for Ratatouille, there is a statement that guarantees that no motion capture has been used to animate any of the film whatsoever. This is a curious remark, as motion capture can be wonderful in its own right (see "Monster House") but Pixar's approach to storytelling is to take you out of the bounds of reality and let you loose into their own world. And there's nothing quite like it.

Ratatouille is a glorious entertainment, the kind of animated film that we should be seeing more often. It is a film for everyone, not just kids or the parents that accompany, but for every man, woman and child who loves a great story and the filmmaking that goes with it. This year has been a three-knockout punch for the mouse house known as Walt Disney Pictures; with Ratatouille, Bridge to Terabithia and Meet The Robinsons all stellar films, I have no doubt that we will be seeing great things in the future. Disney just isn't a cool new logo; with new people in charge of their filmed entertainment division (including Pixar head honcho himself, John Lassiter), they are quickly earning back their reign as the best in their game.

****

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Weekend In Movies: Forget What's Fantastic and Go French.

It's sequel and adaptation week at the 'plexes in Victoria, yet all I'm thinking about is how well represented French cinema is in town right now. Both in live action short form and animated from the good folks at Pixar (for one night only!). Yet I get the sinking feeling the majority of Victoria filmgoers will ignore my pleas to watch these and instead settle on another noisy, joyless sequel like...

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Odeon, Silvercity, University 4, Caprice) -- I flat out HATED the first Fantastic Four film -- four drab superheroes and not one of them are the least bit interesting -- and yet I'll probably see this anyways as a "job" screening to kill a Saturday afternoon (at least it is mercifully short at 92 minutes). What is also bizarre is that the first film made money yet was detested by most, and suddenly people who I have talked to "like" the first one since there's a sequel coming out and it has a money-shot trailer. What is going on here?

Nancy Drew (Silvercity, Capitol) -- Emma Roberts is adorable and she looks primed to be a movie star one day, although I didn't grow up reading the adventures of the female sleuth detective (Hardy Boys, bitches!) so I have no idea if it will be a faithful representation of the source material or a teeny-bopper comedy with a Hot New Soundtrack (I'm assuming the latter). Since Warner doesn't screen movies in advance in Canada now, I was unable to see this last week with my local press friends and heckle the film with them.

Black Book (The Vic Theater) -- Paul Verhoeven goes back to his roots with this WWII film from the Netherlands, a surprise since he has been a staple of pushing the envelope with splatter studio pictures for over the last decade. A hit in its Vancouver release a month ago, it should find some curious souls down at that wee little Vic theater downtown that seriously needs to book better films (and faster!).

Also:

Ratatouille sneaks at Silvercity this weekend, which is a surprise as I can't recall the last time Disney screened an animated film two weeks ago, let alone a film from Pixar! Not only am I excited to see this "rat becomes chef in Paris" story which is also Brad Bird's followup from the awesome The Incredibles, but I'll get to take a peek at it two weeks ahead of the game.

And a quick aside: Disney is on a freakin' ROLL this year. With the outstanding Bridge To Terabithia earlier this year and the delightful Meet The Robinsons (which I just saw recently), this has been a solid year of cinema from the Mouse House. Now they just have to add vintage shorts to all their films and they'll be on my A-list.

If you haven't seen it yet, go see Paris Je T'aime at the Odeon, now in its second successful week. This short film ode to the City of Love is so joyous, so life-affirming that your heart will leap while you watch it. I was blown away by local critic Michael D. Reid for giving this a lousy 2.5/5 rating. This is one of the best films of 2007 and I urge you to see it.

Also playing in town is another one of the very best films of 2007, the Oscar-winner The Lives of Others, which plays at Cinecenta Friday and Saturday night. If you have missed this masterful look at a love story amidst fierce German politics and law in the 80's, here is your chance to go out and take a look.

If you're around Cinecenta on Sunday night, check out a screening of either The Painted Veil or The Host at Cinecenta. The former is a beautifully filmed love story set in 1940's China during the second world war with Edward Norton and the intoxicatingly beautiful Naomi Watts, while the latter is a creature feature box office smash from South Korea that is a lot of fun. Both are great in their own ways.

Ocean's Thirteen is also a delightfully funny film and might very well be the best in the series. It may not contain Soderbergh's best cinematography (that belongs to Part Twelve), yet it is his most breezy, most entertaining Ocean's film yet. (It's playing at Silvercity, Capitol, University 4, Star Cinema and Caprice.)

Waitress and Away From Her also rage on at the Odeon (the latter is also getting a run at the Star Cinema in Sidney this weekend), Knocked Up is still laughing up screens all over town, and the funny animated penguin comedy Surf's Up is recommended for the family.

This is one busy weekend! Stay away from the ogres, the pirates and Eli Roth. There are so many better movies that you can be seeing right now. For showtimes, click yourself to tribute.ca.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Chris Cooper says you're picking up Breach on DVD this week.

In case you haven't watched Stop Making Sense or The Third Man on DVD last week (you silly bean, you went out and rented Norbit or Because I Said So, didn't you?)

Breach hits DVD shelves this week, and has been lingering in my head ever since I saw it back in theaters in February. It is director Billy Ray's excellent follow up to his 2003 film Shattered Glass which featured a whip-smart yet seriously flawed character in Stephen Glass, who outwitted everyone with his fake articles at The New Republic.

Ray was definitely on my cinematic radar, and it's nice to see that he's developing a true style with his work in Breach. He follows his dynamic and flawed characters with the true story of FBI boss Robert Hansen (Chris Cooper, who still has Oscar possibilities with his amazing performance), who sold secrets to the Soviet Union. The film follows new agent Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillipe, excellent here) as he is assigned to track him.

Breach is not just a cat-and-mouse game, but an interesting study on the ethics and personalities of two men, one of which is a seasoned professional who is tired and weary after years of experience, and the other who is young, vulnerable and still has his heart in all of it. The film unfolds slowly and calmly, but it must to keep with the emotional weight of these characters.

I am currently finishing up an article on the best films of 2007 to date, and Breach is on the list. This is a tense and well done drama that I hope will find a bigger audience on disc.

Also out on DVD is the Glastonbury documentary, so if you want to get your rock on and have a good sound system to do so on, then by all means.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Grindhouse should have had an intermission.

Before the freakin' SIXTH time (I'm addicted) I was about to sit down and partake in the Rodriguez and Tarantino Double Feature (this time at UVIC Cinecenta), a staffer at the cinema approached the audience and told us that there would be a brief, two minute break in-between the shows, as they wound Planet Terror and Death Proof onto separate platters. "Cool", I said to a nearby filmgoer as we chatted briefly about what we were going to see.

Planet Terror came and went as per usual, and what was interesting was how the projectionist simply let the film tail out of the projector, letting every last frame of film dance through the projector. For the kind of scratched, banged up film this was, it was kind of a cool effect. (Not only that, the "faded white stock" that was seen in-between all the trailers at the start of PT was repeated at the end of reel 6, but it's been cut out of every print I've seen to date.)

Only about two or three minutes passed as I again talked to the nearby filmgoer, adjusted in my seat and stretched. A few people got up and made a quick run for the bathroom and made it back. To help matters, Cinecenta was smart enough to attach a trailer for one of their upcoming movies before the "Fake trailers" and DP began.

None of this would be worth mentioning if not for the fact that the audience participation was dramatically improved because of this. The few minutes of breathing room gave them a bit more time to adjust and they sat through the dialogue sequences with nary a twitch. And those final, insane twenty minutes of Zoe the Cat going nuts on Stuntman Mike drew applause and cheers (mostly from myself) much more so than my previous screenings.

This is my only minor criticism of the otherwise miraculous Grindhouse experience: there's no intermission and there should have been. All 12 reels have been ordered by the filmmakers and studio to play out straight, forcing anyone who chooses to hit the commode to go at the "fake previews" and miss half of them. And there's no cool down from PT, either, which is unfortunate. For exhibitors, this could be a godsend for anyone who wants to hit up some refills at the concession stand.

I'm not saying that ALL longer films should have an intermission; Magnolia needs you to hold on for those 189 minutes, for example. But since double bills in these old Grindhouses gave you a quick break to pee and load up on goodies, they should have figured out a way to include a five minute rolling stock clip ("Let's all go to the lobby!") or split the film onto different platters, as this cinema did tonight. The quick break made the film even better than it already was.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The Weekend In Movies: Go to the Oceans or Go To The Ocean. Better yet, go visit Le Seine.

As we're finally starting to get rid of those blockbuster behemoths that hogged all the screens around town last month, a few new films open this weekend, one of which you must make priority if you plan to go filmgoing on le weekend.

Paris Je T'aime (****) -- A joyous film featuring 19 filmmakers each doing a 5-10 minute segment on the city of love. Featuring work from Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuaron, Tom Tykwer, Sylvian Chomet, Gerard Depardieu and Vincenzo Natali, among many others, each short segment contribute to a glorious whole and is a flat out love letter to filmmaking. I am thrilled that the Odeon in Victoria booked the film and I do hope that it finds an audience here. (Odeon)

Hostel Part II -- I was not a fan of Eli Roth's first Hostel (however I did quite like his Cabin Fever from a few years back), so I am unsure as to whether or not to see his horrific followup. (Silvercity, Capitol 6)

Ocean's 13 - The enormously watchable gang is back and there's another heist to be had, with Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin jumping onto the cast list. I adored the first two films and hey, it's directed by Steven Soderbergh so that alone has sold me a ticket. (Silvercity, Capitol 6, Star, University 4, Caprice)

Surf's Up -- I quite admired the theatrical trailers for the film which frames the story as a documentary about penguins entering a surfing competition. Not only does the film have some jaw dropping animation, it looks like a whole load of fun, even though I am already tired of movies featuring those damn penguins! (Odeon, Silvercity)

What else:

Grindhouse (****) gets a last-chance, final screening at UVIC Cinecenta on Friday and Saturday, so if you have not seen the film thus far, drop whatever you are doing and check out this awesome double slam of fun. And if you've already seen it, why not give it another go and watch Zoe the Cat kick some ass?

The Namesake (***1/2) also screens at Cinecenta on Sunday night, which is Mira Nair's beautiful story about an Indian family that moves to New York and the hardships the youngest son faces as he finds love against the wishes of his parents.

Also, if you're around Cinecenta on Tuesday, by all means park your butt in a seat and watch Truffaut's The 400 Blows, by way of a new print from Janus films. It is the start of an every-tuesday-for-six-weeks screening series which also include Carne's Les Enfants du Paradise, Bergman's Summer With Monika and Ozu's Tokyo Story.

Elsewhere, Away From Her and Waitress rage on at the Odeon, Knocked Up is laughing up the box office and is playing all over town, After The Wedding hits up a third week at the Vic and Hot Fuzz is double billed with the lousy Blades of Glory at the Roxy. And if after all of this you decide to see Shrek The Third this weekend, double donkey shame on you.

Showtimes are up at Tribute.

Jason


Jason
efilmcritic.com

David Byrne says you're going to track down my DVD instead of renting Because I Said So.

Since there are no new DVD's to recommend this week (unless, that is, you're dying to see Eddie Murphy in a fat suit all over again), I'm going to mention two films on DVD, the latter of which I'm anticipating I'll be making a double dip on soon:

Stop Making Sense - I had a stat holiday day off last week and not much to do, so I decided to give the 'ol house some cleaning. And there's no better way to clean your tabletops and dust off your shelves than to crank your speakers and jam out to what is possibly the greatest concert film ever made. Jonathan Demme filmed three nights of Talking Heads shows when they played in LA in 1983, and the resulting concert film is both a technical masterpiece and a study on the importance of shared experience and the way that live, performed music can make a connection to the viewer. Not only that, this film is flat-out fun and alive.

The Third Man: Criterion Collection - The journey of good 'ol Holly Martins to find Harry Lime in shadow soaked Vienna is all nice and restored; what else would you expect from Criterion? A new film print has been unearthed and slightly windowboxed to battle with all that nasty overscanning your TV does. The 2-disc set also has all new bells and whistles including a commentary by Steven Soderbergh and enough documentaries to cover this Carol Reed gem. I have yet to give this disc a spin (oh wait, I have to BUY it first) but I can't wait to check it out.
Jason
efilmcritic.com

(Also, I missed a Lazy Sunday update due to helping a friend move into his new house. More pictures are getting uploaded this week.)

Sarah Silverman has brass fucking balls. Film at 11.

I knew I should have thrown a tape in to watch this otherwise useless awards show.

Sarah Silverman is a comic known to break the mold, but to joke about Paris Hilton while IN attendance at an awards show in the way she did is kind of brilliant. Just remind me never to piss Sarah off.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Hey Mickey!

From now on, I think that every G, PG or family oriented film should have an animated short before the feature begins.

I was at the Roxy (an improving grindhouse in the Victoria area) tonight for a screening of Meet The Robinsons and was treated to the delightful, fully restored 1938 Mickey Mouse short Boat Builders, featuring Mickey's friends Donald, Goofy and Minnie. They're all together to build a cute little boat that seems to be made out of sticks, and they quickly learn that it's not all it's cracked up to be.

It was quite interesting to see the short attached to a computer animated, whiz-bang feature that sees the future as if the film is set in 1954. I found "Robinsons" to be a delight; it is somewhat of a return to Disney's charm and apt storytelling that sort of lost itself when Pixar came to the game over a decade ago. With this and Bridge to Terabithia, I am now pleased to see the Walt Disney logo before a family picture. This is both suitable for children as well as adults, with or without child accompaniment.

As for Boat Builders, I am pleased that Disney went back into their vaults and fully restored the short back to its three-strip technicolor origin and remastered the sound. I was blown away by not only the entertaining short but the fact a studio would add this to their new film to complete the moviegoing experience. Disney does do this on occasion with their features, but I do feel that they should be doing this much, much more often.

And other studios dealing with animation could join the concept: Warner can run a Looney Tunes before a Harry Potter flick, for example. And for those that don't have a past in animation (Dreamworks), how about creating a short film to run before your feature starts? In a time where attendance is going down and exhibitors are trying to get people back to watch movies in a cinema, here is a good start.

Jason

efilmcritic.com

The Weekend In Movies: Don't let Mr. Brooks Knock You Up to Death.

Hey, look ma, another addition to my Blog Series! This one is a brief rundown of what's opening in my home town of Victoria, what I'll be seeing, and my thoughts on each. Bonus points if I've seen them already, and in this case I've already seen two!

Mr. Brooks (* 1/2) - Imagine A History of Violence but Viggo's bad guy has an imaginary friend following him around, and, how's this for irony, he's played by William Hurt! This lousy, clunking bore of a thriller picture casts Kevin Costner as businessman by day, killer by night, and also throws in Demi Moore as a rich cop who's out to get him. (Odeon, Silvercity)

Knocked Up (****) -- The year's funniest film -- brought to you by Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin) -- and by far an event film for the summer. Watch the hilarious Seth Rogen accidentally impreginate Katherine Heigl (from Gray's Anatomy). Watch Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann own the film as a bickering married couple. Watch some of the best comedic timing and writing of any film you'll see this year. (Odeon, Silvercity, University 4)

Bug (N/A) -- For some odd reason, Lions Gate didn't get this film to Vic until this weekend, but I'll still be happy enough to check out William Friedkin's new film, which looks equal part spooky (it helps that Mr. Spook himself, Michael Shannon, is cast here) and a lot of fun. Here's hoping! (Odeon)

What else: The Roxy is double-billing Meet The Robinsons and Blades of Glory starting at 7:15. I'll be attending the former as I still haven't seen the latest Disney picture (which got good reviews), but forget the Will Ferrell is Gay Skate Comedy as I could hardly watch it the first time.

What else you could see that's playing this weekend: After The Wedding at the Vic, Hot Fuzz at the Capitol, Zodiac at UVIC Cinecenta, Away From Her and/or Waitress at the Odeon. Failing all of that, how about catching a series of food documentaries at the UVIC international Food Conference this weekend?

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Watanabe says you're picking up Letters From Iwo Jima on DVD this week.

In trying to resurrect my DVD of the Week series (and this whole blog in general), I'm hoping that at least once a week I can pick a movie for you. For those times that you're in a Ballbuster, a Rogersless or Flick Gallery, or wherever you rent the DVD's, and you have no idea what to look for. Well, now you do.

In the trilogy of the best films of 2006, Letters From Iwo Jima stands tall and strong. It is Clint Eastwood's followup to his very good, if not great, Flags of our Fathers which was about a group of Americans involved in the Iwo Jima battle. This film tells from the perspective of the Japanese side and Eastwood has made a war masterpiece that ranks along the works of Kurosawa. It's a bit difficult to compare to other war films, as we really haven't had many stories on Iwo Jima in the past. If anything, it earns comparisons to Das Boot in the way we are given a complex view of war from the "other side".

It also helps that Ken Watanabe gives one of the best performances of last year as the strong-headed general Kurbiyashi. He is also supported by a strong group of characters, all with their own perspective of the Iwo Jima battle, who add to the horrors and the brutal reality of this war of which they lost.

The film is beautiful in many ways. Along with the complex characters and performances, Tom Stern's bleak and dank cinematography adds to the horrors of the situation, and Clint Eastwood's haunting score stays with you days after you've seen it.

This is an unforgettable film that would make a great addition to your collection. Oh, and I don't want to hear any bull about you not reading subtitles. There is no english dubbing, there are instead simple and elegant words along the bottom of the frame to help guide you along this great film.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Return Your Phone Calls.

Well, what do you know, I've been stood up again.

I had plans to have fun with some friends out of town. A friend called about a week ago about us getting together when they arrived in Victoria. I then asked if I should secure two days during the week off, friend said yes, and then I did. This friend promised that night to talk the other night about getting together yesterday (tuesday). I should mention again that I was able to secure two days off in the middle of the week.

Well guess what, they didn't call. Nada. Zilch. I just wasted an entire day sitting here on my ass writing, fixing my computer and watching Gilmore episodes on DVD. I even called once earlier tonight and left a message, and my calling late-at-night rules are pretty lax (I keep late hours). The phone didn't ring. No explanation.

This is something that has been bothering me for a long time and I've went over into the reign of I'm Mad As Hell and I'm Not Going To Take It Anymore. People who don't return phone calls suck, and I am now going to get on your case if you are one of these people. Now, I normally don't use the word "suck" to describe anything (except for when I'm drunk, perhaps), but when I take the time to call someone to connect and I don't hear back from them in less than 24 hours, I consider it being ignored. It's personal. And it sucks, it really really sucks.

Has this ever happened to you? I'm sure it has. You call, their voicemail works, you leave a message and you don't hear back. You then try again a couple of times, but still to no avail. You don't want to overdo it. You wonder why they haven't returned the call. Are they busy? Are they in surgery? You backtrack to wonder if any previous conversation made them not call you back. Is their cell phone dead?

If you have a cell phone, normally the "I'm busy" excuse is bullshit. You ALWAYS have time to return a phone call, when you're walking from one place to another. If you're working, take a moment of rest and pick up the phone. If you're going to be out of town or unavailable to return a call, here's a wacky idea: update your voicemail message to note this. Or even better; if you are the kind of person who doesn't return phone calls, say this in your message!

What makes matters even worse is that I rearranged my schedule for nothing. Since this day was supposed to be about spending time with friends out of town, then they suddenly pull a Claude Rains and I have no idea what's going on. My friends leave for home on Thursday and I don't think I'll be seeing them for another nine months because of this.

If anything, this makes me question who my friends really are. I may not be seeing them in nine months after all.

Oh, and since this blog is normally about movies, er...Go see Grindhouse. Or if you haven't seen it yet and are looking for a good DVD to rent, try the Howard Beale Show. You don't want to not return that guy's call.

Okay I'm done. At least in this opinion I'm not alone.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

The BATMAX Experience!

When I first heard that Christopher Nolan was taking on the Batman franchise a couple of years ago, I was blown away. Batman is my favorite comic book character and I enjoyed the movies -- but didn't adore them -- and it was about time that someone made a REAL film on the Dark Knight. Nolan succeeded in 2005 and Batman Begins was #5 on my list of that year's best films.

The wait for the upcoming The Dark Knight is already a long one, especially after seeing recent glimpses of Heath Ledger easily fitting into the shoes of The Joker. Nolan clearly knows what he's doing, so I have total faith in this film. And now it's getting even bigger.

Scott Bowles of USA Today fame has reported that Nolan will be shooting four segments of The Dark Night in the 15-perf, 65mm IMAX format, one of which includes the entrance of the Joker (which now means I should probably avoid all of the trailers for the film which are sure to reveal these).

Since Warner is a big gambler in the IMAX, DMR blow-ups, do we think that a great step has been taken towards, I dunno, shooting an ENTIRE FEATURE FILM THIS WAY? Or at the very least in the Super Panavision 70mm format, which would also allow cinemas to project this superior, stronger film format and allow easier transfers to IMAX/DMR prints?

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Lazy Sunday Short Ends: Computer a Troublin, New Photo and Pirates BOFFO BOX OFFICE! Because that's all that matters.

Well, Lazy Sunday wasn't much of one, as I was working. An anti-Lazy Sunday if you will.

At your left is a picture that I took from a moving bus on my way into Victoria last weekend. Pictured is a neighborhood gas station near the Dean Park area, where I grew up. The weekly quotes I enjoy to glance at on my ride into town every week.

Prior to that, I had a brief power outage last night and I couldn't get this lousy computer of mine to work properly. Which is partly my fault as this current PC is an absolute mess thanks to years of downloading, writing and burning archives and I look forward to getting it restored -- or possibly replaced -- soon.

Aww, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. You didn't break Spider-Man 3's monetary record, but you came close. Watch as Disney will tabulate the weekend numbers and say it's "The Biggest Pirates of the Caribbean Opening on Memorial Day Weekend Ever!"

And what a sluggish movie it is! Unbelievably overlong at 168 minutes, there were so many zigs-and-zags, far too many characters and pacing problems that had me checking my watch for nearly half the running time. It looks great, of course, and you can never take your eyes off of Keira Knightley, but this was dull and forgettable as Dead Man's Chest was, just in a different way.

Before the film, I was blown away to see that there's an upcoming sequel to one of the worst films of 2004, just in time for the holiday season! Not even the radiant Diane Kruger will get me into the moobyplex for this one.

Already this summer season is a dreary and boring one. Why can't people flock to some better movies in their area instead?

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Fuckin' A, Stuntman Mike!

As excited as I am about the prospect of getting to see Death Proof on its own in a director's cut, in another way I'm a bit saddened to think that the great version that exists as the better half of the Grindhouse experience may be ignored after this comes out. It won't by me, that's for damn sure.

Thankfully, Mr. Snake Plissken agrees. He's in Cannes promoting the director's cut and isn't too happy with the reaction to the film over here. Here's the news feed from IMDB Pro:

Source: WENN

Kurt Russell has warned U.S. cinemagoers [and Canadian s too!] they will regret not savoring the recent Grindhouse movie because there will never be a cinema experience like it again. The double bill helmed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez aimed to replicate the grindhouse experience of the 1970s by showing fake trailers between the two movies - but the films will be released separately for its European theatrical release after a poor showing at the U.S. box office earlier this year. And Russell, who starred in Tarantino's installment Death Proof, is saddened by the audience's response. Speaking at Cannes Film Festival, he says, "There will be no movies made in the next five years like Planet Terror and Death Proof. These two movies are going to go off with a life of their own, but my prediction is that 20 years from now, you'll want the Grindhouse experience. You won't want them separately. For the full effect, the other experience is something bizarre that I've never experienced before and I like the short version."

I've seen Grindhouse five times. I'm one happy repeat customer, and will go check out the 192-minute, 12-reeler with all the missing reels, scratch marks and watch Zoe the Cat until I get sick and tired of it all (which is a long way's away). I'm more than positive that the director's cut of Death Proof will be great, but we can't ignore what is already there.

Jason
efilmcritic.com

Short Ends: Look at the new Look!

As we're about to embark on a weekend of trying to figure out which screening of Pirates of the Caribbean 3 is the least busy (hint: if you're living in Victoria, BC, might I suggest going here this weekend), I thought I'd update and mention the nice new look of the blog which so far I'm enjoying.

Utilizing the new Blogger software, the columns are widened just a bit, there are new tag and link sidebars on the right, and you might have noticed that new banner on the top! I'm still working on THAT as well, so you may see a new one later this week.

(For now, the left-to-right includes me pointing a camera at you, friends of the VIFF group, Fergus The Dog pictured at the beach, dad and me at VIFF together, a wacky shot of myself dancing at the VIFF gala and a shot of my friends at SxSW this spring.)

My new camera is wonderful and I'm still working out some of the kinks. Not every photo I'm taking is flawless but that's understandable given the nature of the beast. Hopefully when the sun comes out later this week I can grab some new outdoor shots for my next Lazy Sunday contribution.

The reopened National Westwood (formerly Mann National, now run by an independent) is playing one of my favorite films, Paris Je'Taime, so if you're anywhere in the area, go line up and enjoy Paris beauty on one of the biggest screens in the world. The place also looks like it's turning into showing art house, foreign and independent, so if it turns out to be successful, then that might take the bite out of it getting redeveloped.

Some funny new updates on Laura's Funny Celebrity blog, and I'm hoping that she puts up a future post on why a particularly famous, former Alcohol Anonymous members probably shouldn't have Svedka Vodka as a sponsor for your next birthday party.

Also, coming soon to efilmcritic is a discussion on why you should watch The Fountain on DVD. Goss, Brian, Rob and myself will all be ordering you to run out and rent it, because you were too silly to miss it in cinemas. You silly bean.

Jason
efilmcritic.com