Until The Light Takes Us

I wanted more from "Until the Light Takes Us". I have only seen two shorter "documentaries" about Norweigan black metal (Metal: A Headbangers Journey and an interview done with Vice Mag) and all of them have been fairly vague. I think it is always going to be hard to get an accurate doc out there about the scene/movement seeing as how most of the original founders are all not so willing to speak clearly about it. Its not that they dont want to talk exactly because there is a TON of talking but its hard to piece together what they are trying to say.

"Until the light takes us" tries to offer some back story and even explanations about the black metal scene in Norway. In the late 80's the bands started popping up, from what we get in the film it was partially about being dark and sounding as shitty and "lo-fi" as possible (recording albums through tiny amps, headset mics, etc). They wanted to be different and to get away from this com-modified metal that was around them. Later on we start to get to the infamous church burnings of the 90s. Members of bands began burning down ancient churches all over Norway, according to the media they were satanist. According to them they were not satanist, they wanted to make a point that they werent going to respect Christianity since Christianity hadnt respected Norway and their ancestry (since christianity was basically forced upon every country in the world). They called it a movement, a movement to reclaim their ancestry in a way. After though, the media got a hold of the scene and exploited it to be seen as this satanic metal movement which got kids and copy-cats across the country starting bands and burning down churches in the name of satan.

Despite an hour and a half I still didnt learn much more about black metal than I already knew. I do agree that some of these guys are creepy and most likely messed up, some are putting on an act (which is addressed in the film) but one thing I did get was that it doesnt seem like being an arsonist, murderer or satanist is really what they are all about. Even the directors talk about this in an interview, yet they still refer to them as murderers when in fact there was only ONE murder during this whole thing. One thing I do agree with the directors on is that this movement was about the "politics of identity and authorship and what happens if you are a person that creates things, what happens when youve put it out there and how things are interpreted and reinterpreted and how the context changes the original meaning and how the original meaning, it retroactively changes the reality of what occurred".

There was a lot going on in this documentary and I think that the directors needed to hone in a bit. Listening to them speak about it, you can understand what they were getting at but theyre film didnt really reflect it as well as it should or could have.

"Are we still the good guys?"- The Road

I had been looking forward to The Road for a while mainly for its bleak dark look. I enjoyed it overall but didnt love it, although some scenes really stuck with me as a photographer. I think it was a hard movie to do in the first place because of the following the book has, and also because with a book it is so much easier to put yourself into the characters shoes as well as stir up your nerves with your own imagination.

I cant imagine anyone else playing the lead, Viggo Mortenson was a good choice and the kid who played his son was not bad. Im sure one common complaint with the movie is wanting to know "what happened?", how did the world turn into this grey, bleak place in what seemed like a relatively short amount of time. At the same time, in the long run it doesnt matter whats happened just that theyre supposed to keep going even though it seems pointless and tough try to be the good guys. A lesson for life? I guess so. I think the movie got itself sidetracked with trying to be mainstream and action packed when the main story is about a man trying to raise a good son in a world that has fallen apart. You still get that from the film but not as much as we could have, it feels like hes preparing his son to survive not necessarily to be a good person as they try to emphasize in a lot of ways.

Now We Know. And Knowing Is Half the Battle.

This movie should have never been made. Or maybe it should have to show us what movies shouldnt look like. I understand the GI Joe Frranchise wanting to get in on the action like Spiderman and Transformers but this was a half baked attempt. One of the first complaints I encountered when the movie was announced was the fact that the GI Joes were not going to be US Military but an International mash up of people. I could see why that would bother fans but honestly the worst part of this movie were the special effects. I have seen better graphics in video games and I never understand how some big budget movies fall so short of effects.

I also really cant believe Joseph Gordon Levitt did this movie. At all. I heard that he did it to get a taste of effects make up but if thats all he wanted im sure he could have gotten some people to have a "Mrs. Doubtfire" moment at home one night and make him up as something. Adding a Wayans brother or sibling for that matter is also a recipe for failure. sorry guys but its true. When I think about it though, I dont think GI Joe really could have ever been a good movie no matter who made it or who starred.

Funny People Not So Funny

Im sure that title has already been used to describee Judd Apatow's Funny People, but its really all I could think of. I have taken a serious liking to Apatow over the last few years, the best thing about his movies are that they are smart comedies dealing with real issues in peoples lives not like comedies of the past. This one just fell short for me and it took way too long to get there.

Funny People stars Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan. Seth as a starving comedian and Sandler as a rich and famous comedian who has recently been diagnosed with leukemia. The two meet and for a bond as Rogan tries to help him write as he returns to stand up. Eventually we meet the lost love of the story and we think "ok great the woman is going to take him back and everythings gonna be alright". But no, sure turns out Sandler is going to get better but things arent going to wrap up nicely. The movie is almost two and a half hours long which is way too long for any comedy in my opinion, and once its almost over the ending is disappointing and makes you think about all the women that led you on and did you wrong.

The best part of this movie is the character Daisy, played by Aubrey Plaza. She is best known recently as the intern on NBC's Parks and Recreation. Her dry sense of humor is pretty great, check out her stand up scene where she gives her take on hip hop:

"You almost knocked over your alcohol with your knife"-Zombieland

Zombieland was in one word, AWESOME. It had everything, action, a decent love story, comedy, great cinematography. The reviews had been really good, basically saying that it was a sleeper from this year and I agree, I think people should really give it a chance even if it isnt their "typical type" of movie they would be into.

The story takes place in a post apocalyptic sort of world where the zombie virus is running rampant (a mad cow mutation of some kind) and causing humans to be outnumbered. We dont learn character names, they are only referred to by their city they are traveling to in order to find any surviving friends or family. Columbus is your typical uptight, nerdy, Michael Cera sort of character who is forced to man up to protect himself in his new found violent world. No longer hiding himself from living life by playing video games in the comfort of his dorm, he sets out to find his family in Ohio. He has a list of rules which he follows to keep himself alive; for example Rule #2 The Double Tap, which is genius because I think at some point we have all watched a horror movie where we wonder why the hell did the character not shoot the "villain" more than once to make sure theyre dead?!

Eventually he meets self proclaimed badass Tallahassee who has lost a loved one and merely searching for a new place to call home and kicking zombie ass and taking names along the way. He also teams up with Wichita and her sister Little Rock who are headed to an amusement park in California that is rumored to be zombie free. Along the way they grow closer, get into danger, find joys in the little things left of human life and blow a ton of zombies apart the whole way.

Sauna

I had wanted to see Sauna a while back and since it is Finnish it took a little for it to show up on DVD. To be completely honest. I didnt get it. I really dont know what happened in this movie but I wish I did. As a photographer, the cinematography is awesome in every way, the colors and vividness of it all reminds me of "Defiance" and "The Village".Sauna takes place in 1595 at the end of the Russian/Swedish war, two Swedish brothers are traveling and plotting the new country borders on a map. The oldest brother has endured this 25 year war and its brutality, the youngest has not and is studying to be a geography professor when he returns. At some point they lock away a young girl and leave her to die, as they get further away from her and happen upon a small undocumented town, the youngest brother is haunted by this girl. In the town they find a big concrete "Sauna", where it is said one can "Wash Your Sins". According to the official site (www.washyoursins.com) the movie is about "sins and repentance".

It is marketed as a horror movie, and some scenes are a bit scary/startling as well as tension filled. Unfortunately there is a lot lost in translation between the Finnish and English subtitles I believe, because when things start getting underway in the film things just stop making sense to me all together. Overall, the movie was beautifully shot and the scary things look awesome and are creepy but there might as well have been no subtitles because I cant even figure out the last half of the movie. Would have made a great photo exhibit of still images though.

Netflix Withdrawl

Someone either living or working within the building is stealing Netflix. It’s so not ok. About 6 discs of mine I’ve had to report missing this wk. Hoping something shows up tomorrow.

"This is huge, this one night changes everything for me" - The House of the Devil

I finished my work day early on this afternoon and had 4hrs to kill. I had been hearing great stuff about The House of the Devil and decided to go check it out.

It was awesome. It is your classic 80's "C" list sort of horror movie but done way better than films from the actual time period. An Official Tribeca film festival selection of 2009, the movie is shot to look as if it were actually made during the rise of the horror genre, the director ran a huge risk of being campy/cheesy in the worst way possible. But it seems like director Ti West knew exactly what he wanted to do and was able to execute it perfectly, I cant imagine it being shot in any other way or taking place in any other time.

The story revolves around a college sophomore, played by Jocelin Donahue, pressed for cash for a new apartment to escape her messy roommate. She miraculously finds a babysitting job posted on campus with only a few days to come up with her first months rent. To her friends reluctance she heads out to the house only to find out that there is no baby and she will in fact be watching and elderly woman. At this point she is offered more money than she needs and knows that she has to take this job despite being misled. Sit around, watch tv, order pizza and wait till midnight. Simple enough. After tons of suspense, bumps in the night start to get to her and things start to really get rolling.

The suspense in the film is well played, there was only a minute or two where I started to get a little antsy but overall I was on edge waiting to jump and I definitely did. I have been a fan of grindhouse/exploitation/C List movies for the last few years and it was awesome seeing a new one that was done right.

Eli Roth Produces "Cotton"

Eli Roth is currently producing a new film coming up called "Cotton". So far its drawing comparisons to Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and the Blair Witch Project in terms of shooting style. The movie revolves around a priest that has turned away from the church and decides to team up with a documentary crew to film his last exorcism. According to Roth, "In short, Cotton is the scariest script ive read in years". I hope your right Bear Jew...but by the looks of the first released image, he could be onto something.

"My favorite color is fluorescent beige"

I used to think that the screenwriters for "Million Dollar Baby" sat down and decided "lets make the most depressing movie ever about a single person." Precious easily cancelled out whatever meeting those people had. Anything that could happen to this girl in 1980's Harlem happened on the most grand of scales.

Precious is a 16 year old repeat middle school-er who is overweight and pregnant with her second child by her own father, the first born suffers from down syndrome and has been banished from their home by Precious's mother. Precious lives at home in a small apartment in Harlem with her mother (Mo'nique) where they consume massive amounts of soul food for what seems like every single meal. Her mother is unemployed and scamming the welfare system (by claiming Precious and Precious's first born daughter) to sustain herself while she watches tv all day alone. Precious attends school during the day where she is tormented by students for her size and then goes home to be verbally, physically and sexually abused by her mother and a father that has left the household but is seen briefly in graphic abuse scenes. Her life takes a turn for the "better" when she is sent to an alternative school and begins to learn to read and write. For once in her life she meets a teacher and peers who are her true friends and love her, all of which is nice and heartwarming but as a viewer we are quickly jolted out of that and thrown back into her home where in one scene she is almost decapitated practically by her mother wielding a frying pan. To say that this is not the feel good movie of the year is an understatement. There is never a point during this film that I felt I could breath a sigh of relief for Precious, because in the back of your mind you know this girl is totally screwed. Granted, there are some funny moments caught in Precious's classmates especially Joanna who I quoted for the title of this post. Hilarious.

The performance by newcomer Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe was great, I saw her in interviews a few weeks ago and to see the transformation between her and her character is pretty amazing. Mo'nique is seen as we have never seen her before, she has always been a graphic loud mouthed comedian, in this case she is loud, angry, disgruntled, and abusive in every way possible. She was terrifying to be honest. I would not be surprised if both or at least one of them is nominated for this years Oscar's, seeing how Mo'nique will react to that will be interesting considering her bad attitude and demands for money could be jeopardizing such prestigious nominations. According to her she was only in this movie for money and didnt care about "no Oscars". She has also opted out of all promotional duties for the film because Lionsgate and the films producers Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey will not go along with her $100,000 appearance fees.

The film is more graphic than I originally anticipated, I went into the movie knowing what was contained in the book but a New York Times article led me to believe that the sexual abuse scenes would not be shown in their entirety. They werent but more was seen than expected.

*SPOILERS* We learn that Precious is pregnant by her absent father for a second time, the first child has down syndrome and is forced to live with a relative away from Precious and her mother. We never learn the girls real name, only that they refer to her as an animal or "Mongol" short for mongoloid. On top of being raped by her father and having spawned two children from incest, she is also forced to perform sexual acts on her mother. I was not prepared to see this as I had thought I read earlier that this aspect was not in the film. With all of this on her plate, she eventually comes to find out that her father has AIDS and that she now does as well, luckily her baby does not.

Overall the performances are great from two new and unsuspecting actresses, but proceed with caution, this will no doubt bring anyone's mood down.

Das Weiße Band (The White Ribbon)

Michael Haneke has been directing films and causing audiences to squirm for years. His most famous works being Cache, The Piano Teacher and Funny Games (the original and the remake).

*Note: If you could handle Funny Games, checkout his other earlier film Bennys Video

His movies are not for the faint and are often slow moving and hard to watch, but if you can stick with them you have the opportunity to see boundaries pushed and human nature displayed in ways unseen before. His newest film, "The White Ribbon" recently won the 2009 Palm D'Or at Cannes and is also an official entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2010 Academy Awards. I have been waiting to see it for quite some time so I am glad to see that it will finally be arriving to select theaters December 30th.

10 years in the making, The White Ribbon is shot entirely in black and white, reminiscent of "Schindlers List" in some ways and the look of the characters reminds me of other holocaust films as well. Set in a small Protestant village in Germany right on the heels of WWI in 1913-1914. The story is narrated and follows children apart of the church choir that is ran by the local schoolteacher, Pastor and their families. "Strange" occurrences start to happen and startle the village, the question is who is behind it all. From what I have read the last few months, the film seems to be about repression mostly, if you raise children and people of a town to be strict and obedient, there is bound to be consequences of such strict upbringing. The film clearly serves as foreshadowing to the breakout of WWI and eventually the rise of the Third Reich and WWII.

"In a climate of everyday repression and parental brutality, passed from generation to generation, any political evil is possible," writes Richard Corliss for Time. "Nazism can bloom in Germany, the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, the slaughtering armies in Rwanda and Sudan. Is man's humanity to man inherent? Or does it just have to be carefully taught? That is the central question of this fascinating film, which demands much of viewers and offers ample rewards for their involvement.... Haneke is not a perpetrator of cruelty but a prosecutor of it; and 'The White Ribbon,' constructed step by meticulous step, scene by forbidding, foreboding scene, is his grandest indictment of intolerance."