I'm Still Here

Oh Joaquin. I am not simply a lover of movies but also of pop culture as a whole, so when Joaquin Phoenix's first "rap" performance appeared via cellphone camera online...well, I laughed hard and shook my head. Around the same time word was spreading that Casey Affleck was filming a documentary about Phoenix's foray into the rap world. (Another one of my favorite posters this year)



I hoped it was real and not all an act. Especially when this happened around the 2:50 mark...



Im Still Here follows Phoenix as he decides to abandon acting and make a rap album with Sean Diddy Combs as his producer. Unfortunately his spiral into a music career, drugs and what seems like losing his sanity all turned out to be an act and I was thoroughly disappointed. Not that I would wish anyone to go a little crazy but it would have been a lot more fun watching a train wreck than an act, that being said Phoenix did do a good job in what could be called a character piece as he and Affleck explore the notion of celebrity, consumer and what effects they can have on the celebrity themselves. There are some funny moments and some sad, and definitely some that make you roll your eyes in a "are they serious?" fashion. I could have lived my life without seeing this movie but I'm not screaming to have that time back either.

Im Still Here
Released 2010
Directed By Casey Affleck

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

This poster is one of my favorites from the last few years as is the documentary itself. I saw it awhile back but recently showed it to my family on a visit home for the holidays, they were as blown away as I was which is saying a lot for them. Aside from the artwork I had not heard anything about it and checked it out on a whim, in the beginning it seems like a sappy story about a guy who died and his best friend interviewing friends and family so that his infant son can "know" him. But that is far from what this movie is really about, we soon learn that baby Zachary's father was murdered by his psychotic ex girlfriend right before she discovers shes pregnant with Zachary. The filmmaker makes his way around the country interviewing but also unfolding a story of murder, a failed justice system and a families love for a child that is so strong they pack up their lives and move to Canada to fight for custody and reform the judicial system.

Dear Zachary: a Letter to a Son About His Father
Released 2008
Directed By Kurt Kuenne

I Spit On Your Grave: Unrated (Remake)

In 1978 director Meir Zarchi brought the world the original "I Spit On Your Grave a.k.a Day of the Woman", and the world banned it in five countries from even being released. This movie is an expression of the most diseased and perverted darker human natures", wrote Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun Times. "I walked out of the theater quickly, feeling unclean, ashamed and depressed." When I saw the first trailer for the remake my first thought was "I can't believe they are remaking this movie...and why?"

I Spit On Your Grave has a very straight forward plot, author Jennifer Hills rents a secluded cabin to write her new novel. Shortly after arriving a group of the surrounding towns degenerates inflict brutal torture and rape on her and leave her for dead. Fortunately for us she is not dead and returns to unleash revenge on the men one by one. At the time of its release it raised a great deal of outrage from churches, potential viewers, critics and feminist. I would say the times have changes significantly considering I saw this after a college professor suggested I do so to get inspiration for my senior thesis. It was hard to watch for a few reasons, the brutal nature of the plot of course but also because its an older low budget film so it is slow paced and as a twenty something of the bloody torture horror generation this almost doesnt compare to what we see now. Its the kind of movie you have to think about when you watch it, put yourself in the time period it was made in order to understand why this film is such a big deal.

Friends are still outraged and turned off when I talk about exploitation films because they only see the violence against women aspect but fail to see the female heroin side of the story as well. A huge point of most of these kinds of movies is the female empowerment that results from these horrifying acts. Tell me that at the end of Tarantino's "Death Proof" you did not feel some sort of "YEAH!" for these girls that just kicked the piss out of a guy who previously killed three defenseless women? I Spit On Your Grave and other films like this are doing the same thing but in a more hardcore sort of way. As far as the remake goes, it was a bit more unnerving than the original for me probably because its set in my time and there was a bit more realness that could be applied to it. The rape scenes are very hard to watch and at a certain point I started feeling like maybe this is going a little long, but I think thats what the director wanted, and to say her revenge was satisfying to watch is an understatement. It was pretty awesome, each one tying into what they had inflicted on her. I Spit On Your Grave is not for everyone, especially the faint of heart but worth seeing if you can appreciate exploitation films and want to see an updated but pretty true to the original versions of a classic.

I spit On Your Grave
Released 2010
Directed By Steven R. Monroe

Holy Rollers

Since I was a kid I always had a fascination with Hasidim, now I live in a city and area that serves as a mecca for many hasidic families from around the world. The garb, the germanic sounds of yiddish, the sea of sukkahs perched out from apartment buildings around Williamsburg have me wondering what is happening on the inside of this community. Its very rare that you can catch any sort of glimpse as to what is going on behind closed doors, to my knowledge there is only one documentary, "A Life Apart" which is actually pretty great but very outdated. Throughout the years there's been few well known controversies that have come out of the hasidic community but one of the biggest has to do with the introduction of ecstasy to the United States.

"Holy Rollers" is based on a true story, taking place during the nineties, hasidic jews from Brooklyn were recruited as drug mules to smuggle in ecstasy tablets from Amsterdam. Each person was paid roughly $1,500 and given a free trip to Europe in order to do this job, what young sheltered individual that will soon be providing for a family would want to pass that up? Especially when you are told you are merely transporting medicine or diamonds. The film follows Sam Gold a young hasidic man who is not content with his current life and profession. He is approached by his neighbor who claims to work in pharmaceuticals and offers him the chance to join him in traveling and making money. Even after he finds out what is really going on he goes further down the rabbit hole in a quest for happiness and independence. One of my favorite scenes seen above was did not use extras, instead they shot down a street in a hasidic neighborhood in Brooklyn capturing the true reactions of people walking by which gives a true sense of what it is like to be ostracized amongst this community.

I really enjoyed "Holy Rollers", Jesse Eisenberg sort of plays the same character we know him to be, shy, timid, quiet. But also exhibits desperation and characteristics of being a lost individual. Actress Ari Graynor really won me over as well, I have seen her here and there in a couple of things but she has a charm and realness to her that should be appreciated, but she was also able to give us a glimpse of what it is like to be one of those people who seem to be in control but really are just as lost and looking for something like the rest of us. Joseph Zimmerman does a good job of playing Sam's self absorbed neighbor and douche bag who is quickly spiraling out of control as well. Im a sucker for a movie based on true intense events and this was very satisfying. Click here for more info on the Hasidic Ecstasy Ring

Holy Rollers
Released 2010
Directed By Kevin Asch

Human Centipede (First Sequence)

First off, I did not think this concept was that awful. Maybe I've seen too many weird and outlandish movies at this point but this was not shocking to me really at all. Every time this movie came up in conversation it was always prefaced with "Oh my God have you heard about Human Centipede?!" or ended with "Eww thats so disgusting and fucked up". Newsflash guys, thats the point. This film was not made to be mainstream, it was not made to make you scared of bumps in the night, it was made for you to say "whoa that was fucked up!" at the end. The acting is not amazing and nor is the dialogue yet again, not the point. It got people talking and generated its own buzz without doing anything, hell it was only showing at our tiny IFC in the west village with few showings, but most of my friends (most of which are not into movies like I am) heard about it at the least.


Human Centipede is a Dutch horror film that takes place in Germany where three tourists are kidnapped by a psychotic Dr.Heiter who has devised a plan to create a new "pet", which consists of sewing three humans together "mouth to rectum" and redirecting their digestive tracks to work as one, thus dubbing it the human centipede. Does it sound a little gross? Sure ok yeah by traditional squeamish standards. Did I personally find it that disgusting and horrifying? No, not really. Maybe it is because this concept is somewhat so outlandish that it's hard putting myself in these characters shoes or on their hand and knees to be more accurate. I think in most horror movies we imagine ourselves in the positions of the characters or at least are seeing situations we know could potentially effect us, for me this just isn't one of them and trust me I am well aware of the insane people there are in this world that are fully capable of making this plot a reality. The surgical scenes and dreaded "someone is going to have to go to the bathroom eventually" scene weren't that graphic to me and I feel that other human torture movies like Hostel or I Spit On Your Grave cause more of an uncomfortable feeling than this movie did. It's all really about shock value and one of those things you feel you just have to see to see and if you're interested there is a sequel coming titled "Human Centipede (Full Sequence) aka "The Human Millipede".

Human Centipede
Released 2010
Directed by Tom Six

Paranormal Acitivty 2

I just returned from a much needed week long vacation in LA where on my first night I went to check out Paranormal Activity 2 at the Arclight theater in Hollywood (which was an awesome theater but I will get to in later post). PA1 was a horror flick that was high on my wishlist of movies that in my opinion needed to come to New York so I would be able to see it, word had been floating around for a good amount of time (possibly a year or so) that this movie was great but was only doing limited showings in tours around the country. Eventually it became popular enough that they film website put up a "Demand It" program giving movie goers the opportunity to vote for it to come to their city. I finally saw PA at a 1am showing in times square (it was only showing after midnight in this godforsaken location) on the first night sleeping in my new apartment. Mostly I loved it, the acting was not the best thing on the planet but it was entertaining, suspenseful and definitely had me looking over my shoulder all night once I made it to bed. The most successful thing about this series is that it stays with you in the way a scary movie should, every now and then I think about it and still get a little nervous thinking about what could maybe be happening around me while I am asleep.


Once the trailer appeared for the sequel I was skeptical. They made a hit once and it was everything I wanted it to be, but a sequel could sink very quickly and to my surprise it didnt. I may have enjoyed Paranormal Activity 2 more than the first, I was glad to see more characters involved and that the scares made their way out of just the bedroom and hallways and into more areas of the house. It took less time for things to start happening as well luckily so there wasnt as much time to lose interest. My favorite sorts of scary movies are ones where not much is seen; for example, M.Night's "Signs" is one of my top suspense films, the imagination is far scarier than anything you see or hear. Unfortunately his reveal at the end puts a damper on things but if you stop before the last 10 minutes you can save yourself. PA doesnt use music the way Signs does but it does use sound or the lack thereof to create tension before all hell breaks loose.

Im still not sure how I feel about the ending and I dont know how I'll feel if a third is made either, there are still a few unanswered questions which leaves room for another film. Knowing me I will see it but the stakes are high for failure if they continue, then again I was proven wrong on the sequel...

Paranormal Activity 2
Released 2010
Directed By Tod Williams

"The internets not written in pencil Mark, it's written in ink" - The Social Network

Do you remember when your school got added to "The Facebook"? Remember when it was called "The Facebook"? I do, as will most people my age. The Social Network blew my mind. I was bummed to see it end and going on Facebook after just felt odd to say the least. Some people have expressed to me that they have absolutely no interest in seeing this movie and that they actually hate Facebook (yet still have accounts?). But in my opinion, I dont care if you hate Facebook, you have to admit that its creation is one of the defining moments of our generation and modern times and it cant hurt to go see an extremely good movie about the building of this empire.


The Social Network is the story of Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) a Harvard student struggling to find his place in a school full of over achievers, heirs to excessive amounts of wealth and an overwhelming desire to be "somebody". After a drunken blog rant he creates a site, "Face Smash" (a site allowing you to decide who is hottest between two girls images), in a matter of hours the traffic brings down the schools server landing Mark in hot water with the school board. Hes soon approached by the Winklevoss twins (Both Cameron and Tyler are played by Armie Hammer), identical twin rowing powerhouses who are everything Mark desires to be; good looking, rich, powerful and popular. The twins and their friend Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) proposition Zuckerberg to help them code a site for social networking and dating that is exclusive to Harvard. Zuckerberg takes the boys for a ride for a little while without ever doing any actual work for them and eventually pulls out, at the same time he unveils The Facebook with the help of his only real friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield).

The story is told through scenes of two separate lawsuits that were later filed by the Winklevoss twins/Divya and Eduardo Saverin, the rest of the film is in real time as the events are described by the boys involved. I couldnt imagine The Social Network being any other way, in terms of cast, writing, cinematography, everything fit the film. Eisenbergs performance as Zuckerberg was completely different than any other character he has played in a film before, for once he plays an asshole. As most know the real Zuckerberg declined to take part in the films production (however Natalie Portman has been linked to helping some due to the fact that she dating someone involved in an exclusive final club within Harvard that Eduardo was apart of) so who knows how he really is but its not the best portrayal of him as a person. Hammer as both Winklevoss twins was also brilliant, stitching his face on the second twin was done seamlessly and it was awesome to be able to see the differences in both characters. Since seeing the film I have gotten into numerous discussions over who created Facebook and was Zuckerberg at fault for being sued. I think that he created Facebook and was sued out of jealousy to an extent and like he says in the film, "If they could have created Facebook, they would have". Case and point.

As for the visual aspect of the film, there really was not a thing I wanted to complain about. I felt the saturation and dark color palette was appropriate and fit the tone. One of the most talked about scenes being the rowing competition the Winklevoss twins take part in which is one of the first times the "tilt shift" technique has been used in a film. I will say anytime I see this technique I am immediately taken back to my days of sophomore year in college where as a photography major one is required to take view camera and learn the ways of tilting and swinging. In photographs this has been overdone a bit at this point, mainly because you can easily apply this look in photoshop, however seeing it on film in a major motion picture is very new and done nicely in this scene.



The Social Network
Released 2010
Directed by David Fincher

Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go is an adaptation of the novel of the same title written by Kazuo Ishiguro, I had hoped to read if before the movie was released but it came quicker than I expected and felt the need to see it immediately. The story begins with three friends Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley) at their childhood "boarding school" Helshaim on the English countryside where everything seems perfect and picturesque and follows them through young adulthood after their cruel fate has been shared with them and the boundaries of love and friendship are tested and in some cases crossed.

I thought that the casting choices were done well in this film, we get to see slightly different sides of Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield (a drastic shift from his portrayal of Eduardo Saverin in the Social Network) and would not be surprised if Mulligan was nominated for another Academy Award this year for her role. The cinematography was also very well done, the colors and landscapes lead you to think that the story takes place in 1960-70s England possibly, yet at the same time we see the characters passing electronic wristbands over beeping devices that would only seem to exist in present time or the future even which ads to the mystery. I really liked Never Let Me Go, a heartfelt story with a dark undertone that gives the film just enough of a twist without killing the story and still has enough room to leave you seriously contemplating if youre doing all that you can with the time you have here.

Never Let Me Go
Released 2010
Directed by Mark Romanek
Adapted from the novel "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishoguro

Frozen

Anyone who has been skiing or snowboarding can tell me that when the ski lift stops in midair for a few minutes your heart doesnt jump into your throat and start to beat a bit faster. You look down at the ground and realize just how high up you are and how much it would suck to be stuck there...Frozen takes on those fears. Three friends go skiing for the weekend and after bribing the lift operator to let them take just one last run ultimately get stuck at the top all alone. Someone would notice eventually right? Wrong, they are closed for a holiday weekend and theres a storm moving in.

I think the main hesitation for audiences with this film is the idea that a whole movie taking place on a ski lift would be or get boring. I didnt find that to be the case and was pretty interested the whole way through, there is obviously a lot of dialogue but that allows for character development and gives you an idea of what each character is going to have to overcome within themselves to push through this situation.

Frozen
Released 2010
Directed By Adam Green

A Nightmare on Elm Street (Remake)

I'll pretty much see any horror movie that comes out. I was really drawn into a few scenes depicted in the initial trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street that look very much like fine art photographs reminiscent of Gregory Crewdson, such as the suburban bedroom filled with snow. The film is a remake of the 1984 classic originally written and directed by Wes Craven, it stays fairly true to the original story. As someone who is from the more gruesome torture and blood driven generation of horror films, I was never a huge fan of the original. Freddy Kreuger was always a little too cheesy in demeanor for me personally, more like that creepy guy on the corner with bad inappropriate jokes than a nightmare haunting murderer. However I can appreciate what he has brought to the genre as a whole.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is based finger knife wielding Fred Kreuger, a former school grounds keeper and accused child molester who was brutally burned alive in an abandoned building by his victims parents. Years later he begins to haunt dreams of teenager who fight for their lives to stay awake once they realize if you die in your dreams you die for real.

As dark as it is, as well as taboo subject matter, I like the Kreuger story. It is reminiscent of old exploitation films that push the boundaries of what could be acceptable subject matter. I did enjoy Jackie Earle Haley's (Shutter Island, Watchmen, Little Children) portrayal of Kreuger, he made the character much darker and less of a jokester than the original making the movie all around a bit scarier and uneasy. The acting was not terrible as long as one goes into it without pretentious expectations and wants to be creeped out and entertained I'd say its worth a watch on a fall night with friends.

A Nightmare on Elm Street
Released 2009
Directed by Samuel Bayer

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.