Filmcap: The week of Oct 30-Nov 6

La Haine, and the first season of The Wire make up the whole of this short post. It's pure coincidence that this post has a sociopolitical theme in which the crummy lives of the poor and how the police respond to that are examined. One is set in France and the other in Baltimore, USA. Two entirely unique locales, but both reveal that the lower classes and minority races are very marginalized in society. Both La Haine and The Wire reveal a bit about the other. La Haine is helped by The Wire because the side of the police is not addressed with as much importance as it is in The Wire, and so it helps to understand the police and the problems they have themselves. The Wire is aided by La Haine in the sense that it gives the The Wire a more international perspective instead of the show being purely about America. La Haine shows that the problems of urban life in Baltimore displayed in The Wire are not just exclusive to America. Anyways, both of these are pretty important and I highly recommend both. 

Filmcap: The week of Oct 23-30

Don't Look Now, Hoop Dreams, and Morvern Callar are some of the highlights from this productive week of movie watching. In this post you'll two "adaptations" of classic novels by two very different authors, two mesmerizing movies about the different ways people deal with grief, and also a movie with a typewriter that is a bug. Many more reviews of 2011 movies that I'm catching up with coming in the coming posts. Now that it is winter break I hope to catch up a bit with these posts. Also, the movie posters for the movies this week are all pretty good (except for the In Time one).

Filmcap: The week of Oct 16-23

Vagabond, The Constant Gardener, and The Messenger are some of the movies reviewed this week. There's also a little bit of a World War II theme with Resnais' Night and Fog and Truffaut's The Last Metro, both French films coincidentally. In this post you can also find some words about how people view free spirited people, how we can avoid another Holocaust, and the different ways we all grieve. 

Filmcap: The week of Oct 9-16

Rumble Fish, Germany Year Zero, and the epic fourth season of Breaking Bad. Only three things this week, but they're all very top notch. Only one week after the long Deadwood Season three post, I come back with an even longer post that is almost as long The Tree of Life post, but still not quite. The review of Breaking Bad has no detailed spoilers at all, and there are some statements about the trajectory of the show, nothing should be that bad. If you want to be completely pure of any and all spoilers, like some of the complex characteristics of Walt, then you may want to stay away. Otherwise I hope it will convince most of you to watch the show. For those who have seen the show, I point you towards the last paragraph for my thoughts on what the show is about on a macro level. 

Filmcap: The week of Oct 2-9

Bunuel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, von Trier's Europa, and the final season of Deadwood all feature in this post. Yes it's been a long while since my last one, and I am good awfully behind, but I am determined to keep it going. Quite a large variety of stuff in this one. It includes a couple of television documentaries about history and also the culmination of a series that almost serves as the history of society. The Deadwood post is possibly the longest in this blogs history, maybe being second only to The Tree of Life post. 

Filmcap: The week of Sept 25-Oct 2

Repulsion, Viridiana, and My Night at Maud's are some of the highlights from this quality-filled week. You've got classics from Luis Bunuel, Eric Rohmer, and Roman Polanski. If you're a fan of Catholic guilt and religious confusions then you'll love the first two movies in this post. You'll also find a review on my one and only 2011 documentary I've seen so far and also a review on one of the few British TV shows I've seen. 

Filmcap: The week of Sept 18-25

Blue Valentine, Last Year at Marienbad, and A Streetcar Named Desire are highlights from this week. Yes I finally saw Blue Valentine and yes it's very good. In this post you'll find discussions on what is subversive in old Hollywood movies, conflicting emotions when a well-intentioned movie doesn't succeed, and how an artsy pretentious movie can still be a masterpiece.

Filmcap: The week of Sept 11-18

The Conversation, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, and Drive are some of the highlights of this week. Not quite as packed with great stuff as last week, but the great movies definitely continue. Included in this post are some discussions on the American perspective of Mexico, comedies of failures, and turning the political into the personal.

Filmcap: The week of Sept 4-11

Fish Tank, Grand Illusion, Funny Games, and recently completed season of Louie are highlights from this abnormally great and lengthy week. Minimal amount of schoolwork, a realization that this is my last year of school and thus last chance to really go all out with my movie watching, and also the ending of two television show seasons all culminated in a lot of entries for this week. In this post you'll find discussions on how the differences between a great miserabilist film and a bad one, the benefits of personal filmmaking, and the lack of intellectual provocation in the movies. 

Filmcap: The week of Aug 28-Sept 4

Beginners, The Limey, and the second season of Deadwood are in store for this post. A television show that shows us the beginnings of our society, a movie that shows how the beginnings are always the best, and then a movie in which you can't always tell what is the beginning and what is the ending.

Filmcap: The week of Aug 21-28

Highlights from this week are "The Wackness" and the surprise of 2011, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." This week's post marks the start of the school year and with that, more movies every week. I usually have one new movie a week that I review for The Daily Evergreen, but this week I saw a film on a Sunday opposed to a Friday or Saturday and so "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is in this weeks post as opposed to last week. Included in the reviews are discussions on the paradox of a movie about how important books are, and the importance of authenticity in the effectiveness of a familiar story. 

Filmcap: The week of Aug 14-21

"The Debt" and "Barcelona" this week. The first is so straightforward I had a hard time finding anything substantial to say about it, and the other I found a lot to say about it quite easily. This is a post about grown up thrillers and cross-cultural love. Enjoy. Next post is the start of the school year, so I hope you're excited for double the amount of movies every week. I certainly am. 

Filmcap: The week of Aug 7-14

You may have noticed I've skipped a few weeks, that is because I was out of the country and did not view any films during that time. This week, my first week back, I only watched one film, but it's a brilliant one. In this review of a prophetic 1979 film, the in's and out's of reality programming is discussed.

Most anticipated films of fall/winter 2011

I did a similar list for the first four months of the year and the second four months (the summer), but really it's all about these last four months. That's when it all comes out. The first eight months were pretty bland, and I had a hard time picking 10 worthwhile movies for those lists, but for this one I had a very hard time keeping it to 25. A lot of very promising movies coming out, and even more movies that are not on this list that could very well breakout and become hits. I know for a fact that I would not have been anticipating "A Prophet" or "The King's Speech" all that much last year, and they both made my top 10 of 2010.

Most of these movies chosen were chosen based on some combination of director (like Martin Scorsese being the sole reason I am anticipating "Hugo"), trailer ("The Lady" and "Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy" both have brilliant trailers), early buzz ("Martha Marcy May Marlene" and "Take Shelter" got some great buzz from Sundance), and other miscellaneous tidbits (like Jonsi is doing the music for "We Bought a Zoo" and "50/50" is based on the life of the screenwriter).

FIlmcap: The week of July 17-24

This week are two movies, one from last year I have seen and reviewed before, and one from this year that is a bit under the radar. Included is a short discussion of the double standards of martyrdom. 

Filmcap: The week of July 10-17

This week I watch two "kids" movies. One of them is rated PG-13, and the other is rated PG. I am willing to bet that more 10 year old kids saw the PG-13-rated movie than the PG-rated one. I talk about how the Harry Potter movies will be remembered forever, but not for their quality, and I also revisit a sweet film I've already reviewed on the blog before. 

Filmcap: The week of July 3-10

This week I discuss the weakest Almodovar film I've seen yet but still comment on how good he is, and I also compare apply the lessons of a Kubrick classic to the recent London riots. 

Filmcap: The week of June 26-July 3

This week I review one way-too-long movie and one "short film." I talk about how Spike Jonze can make fake stuff feel real and I become another one of those Michael Bay haters (also known as "people who hate fun" in some circles).

Filmcap: The week of June 19-26

This is called a filmcap, but this week it's a TVcap. I review four television seasons that either had season finales or I finished myself in this week. I give my input into the first critically-panned AMC show, rave about a show more about community than "Community", compare a fantasy show to the Arab Spring, and talk about why comedies have a harder time being good than dramas.

(I was out of the country for about two and a half weeks hence the lateness for this post and the reason no posts were published in the last few weeks. I watched minimal films in the weeks after this post and so I'll probably be getting more posts up in the next couple weeks before school starts at a more hurried pace than normal, which will hopefully make up for the lost time).

Filmcap: The week of June 12-19

This week I discuss how easy it is to make fun of terrorism, how everyone from Wes Anderson to Judd Apatow owe something to Woody Allen, and why a birth of the universe scene should be in every movie. One review in this post also marks my longest one yet. My write ups seem to be growing, but I doubt I will ever reach a point in which all of my reviews will reach the length of the one on "The Tree of Life." I could actually write more if I had the time, but I'll save that for another time because I'm sure I'll find reason to write about it again. 

(I couldn't choose just one image from "The Tree of Life" to feature at the top of this post, so I embed a one minute clip that is filled with beautiful images that all deserve to be at the top. It also serves a good mood setter for the review of the movie. Bonus points to you if you recognized that the background tile image of this blog is from "The Tree of Life")

Filmcap: The week of June 5-12

In this weeks post, I go on about how Matthew Vaughn is one of the better hack directors, how J.J. Abrams is talented but ultimately pointless, and another example of why Terrence Malick is one of the best to ever play the game (I did see "The Tree of Life" and that will be in next weeks post. Look forward to that one).

Filmcap: The week of May 29-June 5

This week an uncharacteristically great but now-cancelled cop and corruption show, a movie that's pretty much a religious cop and corruption movie but in the Crusades, another film set during the Crusades but this time with a main character that never says a word, and then a for some reason a chick flick that's not a chick flick. As you can see I've been reviewing a lot of television recently because they've all been ending, but this is one of the last ones out of the show I've been watching. In two more posts from now I'll review "The Killing" and "Game of Thrones" and that will probably be the last of them until at least this winter. 

Filmcap: The week of May 22-29

A great week of movies this week. Two really good brand new yet-to-be-released 2011 films (sure to be two of the years most talked about amongst some circles), and then one movie released more than 50 years ago just to spice things up. Two great new filmmakers, and one all time great. 

Filmcap: The week of May 15-22

I went to Sasquatch which messed up my posting schedule even more. I'll slowly get back to a more regular rhythm though. This week's post sees the end of two television seasons for two very similar comedies that I do end up comparing a bit. There is also one very good 2011 movie (from Wales) and one great American movie that will probably be one of the few poetic and beautiful movies you will see from a Texan director. Watch out for the next post, which will include my favorite movie of the year so far. 

Filmcap: The week of May 8-15

There seems to be much fewer things in the summer on this blog, but that's not much of a surprise for me. Family life, work life, and the addition of many more extracurricular activities in a much more urban area will have that effect. This week I saw the finales of two television series', the only connecting strand between the two being Kevin Corrigan (who has a minor role on both of them). The only film this week is an American classic I had never seen, and it did not disappoint. 

Filmcap: The week of May 1-8

Yes I am still very behind on these, you should probably get used to that now. In this post I include a great TV show that I've now caught up with, a spaghetti western (right when "Community" had their spaghetti western episode), a Woody Allen film, and brand new superhero movie of cosmic proportions. 

Filmcap: The week of April 24-May 1

Still a few days behind with this one because of finals, but they are now over thankfully. Finals are also why only 3 movies this week and expect something of the same for the next filmcap. This week though does feature a nice variety. A colorful Spanish film, a black-and-white American film, and a samurai Japanese western. 

Most anticipated films of Summer 2011

I made a most anticipated list for the first 4 months of 2011, and it was a completely useless list because the movies that come out during that time are never really any good with the exception of some foreign films that I usually don't see until they come on DVD anyway.

Here's a list for the summer (first week of May to last week of August) which will surely be packed with spectacle, but probably few movies that will end up on my year end list. The number one movie on this list was very easy to pick because it is Terrence Malick, one of the top 5 directors working today, and from what I hear the movie promises to be a very unique experience. It's easily my most anticipated film of the entire year. The rest of the movies were chosen by director, trailers, early buzz, and gut feeling.

Filmcap: The week of April 17-24

So I am officially about a week behind on these because of finals. Though I think I'll be able to catch up soon once finals die down. This week I finally finish Band of Brothers, some Italian World War II stories, one very artistic Iranian film, one very Hollywood-ish Iranian film, and two movies about bank robberies.

Filmcap: The week of April 10-17

This week I review a recent HBO miniseries, a quirky but great movie, two thrillers from different eras, one character study, and another Iranian film in my continuing research for a paper on Iranian cinema I'm going to write soon for my Art & Society class.

Filmcap: The week of April 3-10

This week saw a whole lot of stuff, much more than usual. We've got the end of a television show, two Italian films from the 50's, an impressionistic Terrence Malick-like film, a meta Iranian film, two films from Joe Wright, and a tale of a recent election. It's a lot, but I'm only preparing for what I assume will be less film watching in the summer. Have at it. 

Filmcap: The week of Mar 28-April 3

This week saw my second pre-Annie Hall Woody Allen movie in two weeks, a 1990 movie that feels very much like a Woody Allen movie, a very stylish French noir, a violent Korean movie, and newly released 2011 film. I've also been watching the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," when I finish that I'll review that in one of these as well (probably in a week or two).

Filmcap: the week of Mar 20-27

In this post I've got a couple superb realist post-crisis foreign films, one from post-war Italy, and another is post-revolution Iran. A couple recent films, one brand new and horrible, the other from last year and amazing. Then there's a little-talked about film from a great director, and a much-talked about genre film I have finally watched. Also, links to two very good short films.

Filmcap: The week of Mar 13-20

For some reason during spring break I had less time to watch movies. Actually it's because there's just way more to do in the Seattle area in my spare time. Anyway, I only have three movies in this post to talk about. One is a great documentary, and the other two are new movies that just came out into theaters. Also, a bit about Portlandia. Hopefully next week will see me get back to my regular programming.

Filmcap: The week of Mar 6-13

This week I watched a couple great British dramas released more than 60 years apart, a couple only slightly above average star-studded American films also released more than 60 years apart, and then one mysterious Argentinean Oscar-winner (somehow I'm much more busy during spring break than normal which is why this filmcap was posted so late, so for that same reason don't expect a lot of movies for the next one). 

Filmcap: The week of Feb 27-Mar 6

A lot of movies this week that also broke the two week absence of no A/A- movies but also includes some well deserved B+'s. Coming up we've got two film noirs, two intimate European dramas, two surprisingly similar "black" movies, and one 2011 movie. 

FIlmcap: The week of Feb 20-27

We now have gone two straight weeks without an A- or A movie. Doesn't mean these have been bad, but nothing amazing yet and it's been the longest since I started this thing. This week comes three very different B movies and two other interesting yet lackluster films. 

2011 Academy Award Predictions

I have a hard time understanding the amount of fascination the public and the media has with the Oscars. Maybe it's just the media actually, because I really don't know how seriously the casual movie fans take the Oscars. Super serious film buffs don't take the Oscars too seriously because they're always a bit more conservative than we'd like, but I don't think many casual filmgoers do either because the Academy's choices are still too obscure and serious for them as well. I could explore this issue in like a 5000 word article probably, but instead I'll just rant a bit about it below.

(Click "Read More" for more on this and my predictions for this year)

Filmcap: The week of Feb 13-20

A busy week made me post this weeks installment late and also watch fewer movies than average. I only watched three on my own, all of them interesting but flawed, and the fourth was a special movie I watched in theaters in Seattle with my family. 

Filmcap: The week of Feb 6-13

This week I watched a couple great foreign movies from the late 50's (Bergman and Kurosawa), what is known as the first ever film noir, a contemporary movie about an infamous African dictator, a fascinating documentary, and an also fascinating TV movie.

Filmcap: The week of Jan 30-Feb 6

This week somehow happened to a pretty good movie watching week with four legitimately great films, one Polish, one British set in Australia, one French in English, and one French and Austrian in French. The two not as great movies were (coincidentally?) both American and both big Academy Awards winners, though admittedly one of which, as you'll see below, was actually pretty good. Read all about it.

Filmcap: The week of Jan 23-30

(Could be a picture taken this week, but it's actually a still from a freakishly relevant movie made 40 years ago)

I watched two Italian films this week, one that features an American actress playing a Russian speaking Italian, and the other features no Italian at all, only French and Arabic. I also watched my third John Ford film thus far, the breakout dwarf movie, and a very unique addition to the growing neo-noir genre. 

My favorite movies of the year 2010

(We made contact with some great movies this year)

The 2010 Oscar nominations were released today and so I guess there's no better day to release my personal favorite movies of 2010. These ten films are in my opinion, the ten movies from the year 2010 that were the absolute best. Some were masterpieces, some were near-masterpieces. All of these films are pieces of art worth watching multiple times and cherishing. They are presented in alphabetical order (because ranking them individually is impossible), followed by a list of movies that were not quite as amazing as the ten, but still most definitely worth your time. For your information, here is my 2009 list.

Filmcap: The week of Jan 16-23

(Sofia Coppola doing her thing)

This week we've got one amazing documentary, two highly acclaimed 2010 movies, and one of the more least talked about Coen Brothers movies (for good reason).

Thoughts on "Twin Peaks"

Twin Peaks (1990-1991): Besides "Arrested Development" another series I watched over the past semester and just recently finished is "Twin Peaks." The best way to describe it would be I guess to say it's a David Lynch soap opera, and all the expectations that go with that. It's written as a show with a central mystery of who killed Laura Palmer, but it's directed and acted with a sense of weirdness and off-the-wall humor and dialogue. The latter is what made this show so great and unique. Creating a mood on television is very rare on television, and only when you get a gifted film director like David Lynch did television finally get a show that combined great writing with a great sense of mood and atmosphere.

Filmcap: The week of Jan 9-16

In this week's second ever installment of Fimcap I write about a movie with an amazing poster, the single best sports movie of all time, two early John Wayne-starring acclaimed westerns, and one of the independent movies that started all independent movies.

Thoughts on Arrested Development

Arrested Development (2003-2006):
I recently finished watching all three seasons of the television comedy series "Arrested Development" for the first time. It's probably most famous for being an incredibly clever show that got critics and certain fans gushing over it but then getting cancelled in its third season despite being, you know, good. Over the last few months I watched the three seasons of the show and I can attest to the fact that it's not one of those movies or shows that's got all this acclaim but is actually just okay. It's an extraordinarily fun show to watch and a very rewarding comedy.

Filmcap: The week of Jan 2-9

I decided to start this so I can practice my movie writing skills. It will usually be recap of the films I watched in the past week, so basically, a Filmcap.


The Fighter (David O. Russell, 2010): I found this to be really heartfelt and entertaining drama about family dynamics. It has some issues with where the emotional focus is and where the movie focuses. Christian Bale's character, Dicky Eklund is more compelling than Mickey Ward and because Mickey has more screen-time that distinction is even more noticeable. I also thought the soundtrack was a missed opportunity. It used a lot of famous songs that come with pre-conceived associated feelings. The movie could have done better in picking songs that would accentuate the emotion in the film instead of using the emotions we have associated with the songs. But the movie's a refreshingly unpredictable sports movie that's very funny and feels very real, a lot of that in part to Christian Bale's performance, easily one of the best of the year.
Grade: B


The King's Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010): This one impressed me a lot because the story could have been done in a really cheesy and predictable way, but the movie ended up being actually legitimately emotional and exciting. A large part of that is because of how invested the movie gets us in Bertie's life. In getting to know his situation and character the speech impediment he has becomes much more than just embarrassing, the stakes are more emotional. One of my favorite things about the movie was also the visuals. Tom Hooper seems to be really great at blocking and composing images in the frame. Every frame looks like a professional photograph because of the set direction and especially where everything is placed. There's also a really cool fish-eye lens thing he does once in a while which gets us real close to the characters.
Grade: A-


F For Fake (Orson Welles, 1973): This is a really unique documentary/video essay that raises some really interesting questions about the authenticity of art and the overall nature of art. Orson Welles makes the movie in an incredibly unique way, he uses reenactments, interview footage, and short fictional segments to tell the story. Sometimes it's hard to make sense of what's happening because the editing is so fast and insane. This is a film that is definitely built because of the editing. A few times he intercuts footage of two separate interviews to create a fascinating narrative. Welles himself even is sitting in an editing room when he's narrating the movie. Even if you can't handle the weirdness of the movie, you won't forget it.
Grade: B+


Bowling For Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002): Michael Moore is a guy with big ideas, and a lot of them. He seems like a genuine person who wants to make the country a better place, and I respect him for that, but that doesn't mean he's perfect. I think this movie is one of his most interesting ones and it raises a lot of great points. I liked that he focused on the violent nature of America, and didn't necessarily say it's because we have so many guns. While he asked great questions and raised really good points about our violent nature and gun control, he didn't necessarily give me any lasting answers. He made me ponder about a lot of these issues and I do consider that an achievement, but the film is not necessarily the cure for our ills. Though I don't know if Moore wanted to singlehandedly cure us, he knows he probably can't, so I think he's happy that a lot of people watched the film and started thinking about the issues.
Grade: B


Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola, 2006): I felt the goals of this film were to create a stylish, familiar-yet-unfamiliar world while showing the real issues Marie Antoinette went through and debunk many of the misconceptions about her. I feel like the film succeeded with those things. It's definitely a stylish film that is a joy to watch and behold. All the production values are very impressive. It's very unique in the sense that it tries to be historically accurate in terms of the sets and costumes but not the dialogue or acting. That decision did not bother me, I was taken aback by some of the music when watching it, but after it's all said and done the films overall message is what stayed with me and the music, acting and dialogue helped that message. One of the only real flaws with this film is the handling of the politics. There has to be politics in this story, but the way Coppola did the film was very apolitical and so when the political decisions come around the effect they have aren't great. I've seen every film Coppola has done except her new one, "Somewhere," and I've been extremely impressed with her sense of style. Even with this imperfect film, she's turned into one of favorite filmmakers working today.
Grade: B+


Mother (Bong Joon Ho, 2010): This very personal murder mystery is brilliantly crafted in the sense that it plays with your expectations and keeps you captivated. Like a woman, it leads you on and when you think you've figured it out it then suddenly goes in another direction and does it all over again. The conclusion does not disappoint and is really well done. If you're looking for an entertaining, captivating, and personal murder mystery this is a great choice. Kim Jye Ha, who plays the mother character is also very impressive in this film, always convincing, even when she does some very surprising things you wouldn't think an old lady like her would do, but then that's exactly what this movie is about, a mother doing anything she can to save her son.
Grade: B+


Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese, 2010): I watched this back when it came to theaters and I liked it a good amount and was curious to see how it would hold up to a second viewing. Someone told me the movie was worse the second time, and then I also heard it was better. After seeing it a second time, I can say that Shutter Island was definitely even better the second time. Once you know the actual plot the film becomes something more than just a plot-based thriller. It becomes an intense psychological character study of a deeply disturbed but very interesting character. I still think this is Scorsese doing a B-movie, but a B-movie directed by one of the greatest directors of all time is still going to be pretty damn good. Scorsese did everything he could with this plot, including infusing it with a creepy atmosphere highlighted by the awesome Kubrickian music choices.
Grade: A-


2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968): Speaking of Kubrickian, here is Stanley Kubrick's best film. I don't think I can add a whole lot into the conversation about this film, but I think it's worth pointing out that more than 40 years later this film is still one of the most unique films in cinema history. I think most of that is due to the fact that no one can really replicate what Kubrick did without copying what he exactly did. Certainly many films have been influenced by "2001", the music of "Shutter Island" and the beginning of "There Will Be Blood" being recent examples, but none have really taken the approach to science fiction 2001 has. Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain" is the lone film that tried and more or less succeeded in making science fiction that's not just tech-based, otherwise the only film that I can compare to "2001" is Andrei Tarkovsky's "Solaris." I'm looking forward to Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" because from the little information I have about it, I get a very 2001 vibe to it in terms of the big ideas it seems to be playing with and certainly the imagery in the trailer. It's been hard to keep my expectations low for that movie. In regards to "2001," I believe this is my third start to finish viewing of the movie and it's simply one of the finest achievements in cinematic history and quite easily the best science fiction film and one of my favorite films of all time. If I was forced via waterboarding to name my single favorite film of all time, there's a good chance I would say "2001."
Grade: A (there is no such thing as an "A+" in my gradebook)