list JScott's Recent Activity - Spout http://www.spout.com/ JScott's Recent Activity - Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg JScott's Recent Activity - Spout http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 Spout Group:Spout Customer Care - Get answers to your questions here! http://www.spout.com/groups/Spout_Customer_Care/420/default.aspx Group Name: Spout Customer Care - Get answers to your questions here!
Group Description:

Have a general question? Need help with some thing on the site? Have a bug you would like to report? Well then, you have come to the right place. No matter what you are having trouble with, we would like to help you find a solution. And maybe, through your own experience with the site, you will want to help other users too. That's what communities are all about. 


Created: 8/1/2007
Number of Members: 79
Number of discussion posts: 513
]]>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:47:00 GMTSpout Customer CareWed, 01 Aug 2007 09:06:04 GMT790513Group Spout Group:HORROR MOVIES 101 - FOR ALL WHO LOVE HORROR MOVIES http://www.spout.com/groups/HORROR_MOVIES_101/222/default.aspx Group Name: HORROR MOVIES 101 - FOR ALL WHO LOVE HORROR MOVIES
Group Description:    " I bid you welcome...  Enter freely and of your own will..."
Created: 12/17/2006
Number of Members: 414
Number of Lists: 6
Number of discussion posts: 2333
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:53:17 GMTHORROR MOVIES 101Sun, 17 Dec 2006 01:20:09 GMT41462333Group Spout Group:foureyedmonsters - Talk to Susan & Arin about the movie and those addictive podcasts. http://www.spout.com/groups/foureyedmonsters/338/endorsed.aspx Group Name: foureyedmonsters - Talk to Susan & Arin about the movie and those addictive podcasts.
Created: 6/4/2007
Number of Members: 322
Number of discussion posts: 56
]]>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:42:31 GMTfoureyedmonstersMon, 04 Jun 2007 15:28:43 GMT322056Group Spout Group:Weekly Theme - "Fighting off boredom with the Iron Fist of Variety" http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/625/default.aspx Group Name: Weekly Theme - "Fighting off boredom with the Iron Fist of Variety"
Created: 6/30/2008
Number of Members: 52
Number of Lists: 12
Number of discussion posts: 701
]]>Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:20:23 GMTWeekly ThemeMon, 30 Jun 2008 15:13:45 GMT5212701Group Spout Group:Spout Mavens - Spout's best movie reviewers. Membership is limited. http://www.spout.com/groups/Spout_Mavens/366/default.aspx Group Name: Spout Mavens - Spout's best movie reviewers. Membership is limited.
Group Description:

A group of Spout's best reviewers.
Read the requirements.


Created: 6/20/2007
Number of Members: 36
Number of Lists: 9
Number of discussion posts: 451
]]>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:10:52 GMTSpout MavensWed, 20 Jun 2007 10:13:29 GMT369451Group Spout Group:missing a film - we'll help you find a film http://www.spout.com/groups/missing_a_film/263/default.aspx Group Name: missing a film - we'll help you find a film
Created: 3/5/2007
Number of Members: 131
Number of Lists: 1
Number of discussion posts: 234
]]>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:30:05 GMTmissing a filmMon, 05 Mar 2007 16:37:43 GMT1311234Group Spout Group:Friends of Foreign Flicks - Discussions of all films not American. http://www.spout.com/groups/Friends_of_Foreign_Flicks/591/default.aspx Group Name: Friends of Foreign Flicks - Discussions of all films not American.
Group Description:

At some point you just want more than what's right in front of you.


Created: 4/24/2008
Number of Members: 30
Number of Lists: 1
Number of discussion posts: 92
]]>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:05:26 GMTFriends of Foreign FlicksThu, 24 Apr 2008 11:44:11 GMT30192Group Spout Group:The Documentary - A place to talk about the much overlooked genre of the Documentary. http://www.spout.com/groups/The_Documentary/79/default.aspx Group Name: The Documentary - A place to talk about the much overlooked genre of the Documentary.
Created: 4/2/2006
Number of Members: 49
Number of Lists: 4
Number of discussion posts: 53
]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:05:39 GMTThe DocumentarySun, 02 Apr 2006 00:58:55 GMT49453Group Spout Group:Sound on Sight - Podcasts, movie reviews, interviews, news and more. http://www.spout.com/groups/Sound_on_Sight/529/default.aspx Group Name: Sound on Sight - Podcasts, movie reviews, interviews, news and more.
Group Description:

Sound on Sight proudly brings you two podcasts each week. Voted best podcast in 2008, these hard working hosts cover everything from mainstream Hollywood films to noir, horror, science fiction, cult cinema, documentary film making and more. Look out for a new show added every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

http://www.soundonsight.org/

 

 


Created: 1/6/2008
Number of Members: 104
Number of discussion posts: 150
]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:03:03 GMTSound on SightSun, 06 Jan 2008 21:24:34 GMT1040150Group Spout Group:Worst Movie Ever - The Group is dedicated to uncovering the bombs, so you don't have too. http://www.spout.com/groups/Worst_Movie_Ever/104/default.aspx Group Name: Worst Movie Ever - The Group is dedicated to uncovering the bombs, so you don't have too.
Created: 5/5/2006
Number of Members: 200
Number of Lists: 10
Number of discussion posts: 412
]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:43:26 GMTWorst Movie EverFri, 05 May 2006 20:20:45 GMT20010412Group Spout Group:Movie Polls - Vote in weekly polls and discuss http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Polls/657/default.aspx Group Name: Movie Polls - Vote in weekly polls and discuss
Group Description:

Each week I will post a new poll.  Please vote in the poll and reply to the discussion thread to discuss the question.  Please do not vote more than once.


Created: 11/25/2008
Number of Members: 66
Number of discussion posts: 414
]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:42:29 GMTMovie PollsTue, 25 Nov 2008 16:54:38 GMT660414Group Spout Group:Zombie Obsession - Zombie Lovers, Unite! http://www.spout.com/groups/Zombie_Obsession/329/default.aspx Group Name: Zombie Obsession - Zombie Lovers, Unite!
Group Description:

Join us to discuss your favorite or most horrifying Zombie Movies or just your most memorable Zombie Moments.  From Funny to Scary to Gory to Bizarre...

 


Created: 5/28/2007
Number of Members: 104
Number of Lists: 1
Number of discussion posts: 594
]]>Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:29:56 GMTZombie ObsessionMon, 28 May 2007 02:04:45 GMT1041594Group Spout Group:A World of MSTies - Thank You, Won't We? http://www.spout.com/groups/A_World_of_MSTies/590/default.aspx Group Name: A World of MSTies - Thank You, Won't We?
Group Description:

Glorify the best show ever (MST3K) with wit, wisdom and downright wackiness!


Created: 4/23/2008
Number of Members: 10
Number of Lists: 2
Number of discussion posts: 23
]]>Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:25:25 GMTA World of MSTiesWed, 23 Apr 2008 20:21:48 GMT10223Group Spout Group:It's a Wonderful Night for Oscar! - Devoted to everything nominated or snubbed by the Academy of Golden Guys http://www.spout.com/groups/It_s_a_Wonderful_Night_for_Oscar/46/default.aspx Group Name: It's a Wonderful Night for Oscar! - Devoted to everything nominated or snubbed by the Academy of Golden Guys
Group Description: Year after year, movie lovers and non movie lovers alike discuss ad nauseum the fate of films nominated for the utmost honor, the Academy Award. Some people watch it for the fashion. Some people watch for the haute couture. Some people watch for their fill of celebrity sightings. If you are a member of this group, you love everything about the Super Bowl of movies, especially the movies themselves! You love to make predictions, guess at the politics, discuss and dissect who should have been nominated and who should have won...or, you're just an avid movie lover that likes to pay attention. Come join the group!
Created: 3/4/2006
Number of Members: 41
Number of Lists: 58
Number of discussion posts: 226
]]>Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:11:33 GMTIt's a Wonderful Night for Oscar!Sat, 04 Mar 2006 15:24:32 GMT4158226Group Spout Group:Movie Marathons http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Marathons/693/default.aspx Group Name: Movie Marathons
Group Description:

This is a group for members to start and organize movie marathons. Its primary purpose is to get more people exposed to more film. And to watch these films and discuss them as a group.

Anyone can start a marathon and marathons can be organized in many different ways to showcase the films of a director, actor, genre, theme etc...

Check the Guidlines and Suggestions discussion for ideas.


Created: 7/22/2009
Number of Members: 15
Number of discussion posts: 22
]]>Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:33:02 GMTMovie MarathonsWed, 22 Jul 2009 01:35:58 GMT15022Group Spout Group:Movies we do not want to see - Try to convince us to see these movies! http://www.spout.com/groups/Movies_we_do_not_want_to_see/70/default.aspx Group Name: Movies we do not want to see - Try to convince us to see these movies!
Group Description: Want to be a member? Send me a message with a list of at least 5 movies that you do not want to see. There are many movies that I do not want to see. I'm not sure if its right of me to decide never to see a movie without seeing it. You know...like when a kid says they hate mushrooms even though they admit never trying them. So maybe this is a good spot for people to display movies they don't think they want to see, and see if anyone can convince us to try them out.
Created: 3/22/2006
Number of Members: 20
Number of Lists: 3
Number of discussion posts: 190
]]>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:31:56 GMTMovies we do not want to seeWed, 22 Mar 2006 14:27:50 GMT203190Group Spout Post: Re:Cinematographer Style http://www.spout.com/groups/Spout_Mavens/Re_Cinematographer_Style/366/43302/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: JScott
Post To: Spout Mavens
Post Date: 7/28/2009 11:08:41 PM
Body: [quote user="Risselada"] Here, below, finally is my review of Cinematographer Style: Spout Mavens review - Cinematographer Style [/quote] Risselada is there a chance to borrow the screener from ya? I'd like to get a chance to see it.
]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:08:41 GMTJScottSpout Mavens7/28/2009 11:08:41 PM[quote user="Risselada"] Here, below, finally is my review of Cinematographer Style: Spout Mavens review - Cinematographer Style [/quote] Risselada is there a chance to borrow the screener from ya? I'd like to get a chance to see it. Spout Post: Re:Manda Bala http://www.spout.com/groups/Spout_Mavens/Re_Manda_Bala/366/43301/1/ShowPost.aspxPost By: JScott
Post To: Spout Mavens
Post Date: 7/28/2009 11:05:57 PM
Body: Are there any more copies of this available for review? If so I'd like to check it out.
]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:05:57 GMTJScottSpout Mavens7/28/2009 11:05:57 PMAre there any more copies of this available for review? If so I'd like to check it out. Spout Post: Re:The Sidney Poitier Collection http://www.spout.com/groups/Spout_Mavens/Re_The_Sidney_Poitier_Collection/366/43300/1/ShowPost.aspxPost By: JScott
Post To: Spout Mavens
Post Date: 7/28/2009 11:02:05 PM
Body: [quote user="csprague"] Hola! We have one copy of this, so let me know if you want it. The Sidney Poitier Collection [/quote] Is this still available? I'd love to get a chance to review it.
]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:02:05 GMTJScottSpout Mavens7/28/2009 11:02:05 PM[quote user="csprague"] Hola! We have one copy of this, so let me know if you want it. The Sidney Poitier Collection [/quote] Is this still available? I'd love to get a chance to review it. Spout Post: Three Monkeys [Review] http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2009/1/6/39142.aspx Post By: JScott
Post To: JScott Blog
Post Date: 1/6/2009 11:12:37 AM
Body: Nuri Bilge Ceylan has been a name on the international film circuit since 2002 with Distant - a "well-paced" character study - and has continued his success with Climates (2006) and now Three Monkeys (2008). Ceylan is putting Turkish film on the map through unorthodox shots and unconventional story telling techniques. Three Monkeys succeeds on many levels while being quietly devastating. Aesthetically we are presented with images of civilization on the brink. The dark nature of the film’s content and meaning is echoed beautifully in the cinematography. The clouds thicken as the plot does. As Eyüp (Yavuz Bingol) throws a tantrum so does Zeus. The breadth of darkness that cinematographer Gokhan Tiryaki is able to achieve adds a noirish richness to the film. The lingering shots place emphasis on the inner-workings of the characters. The deliberate pace could be mismanaged by lesser actors. Ismail - convincingly acted by Rifat Sungar - is the son. Eyüp, the father, goes to jail to cover the crimes of his boss, small-time politician Servet (Ercan Kesal: co-writer of Three Monkeys). Eyüp is virtually absent from the first half of the film while serving a jail sentence but leaves a heavy depression through an impactful performance. Hacer (Hatice Aslan) is the mother who is a lonely yet empowered persona. The entire cast worked through a minimalistic style with deliberate themes rooted deep in their character. These characters are shown often shown with animalistic undertones: Ismail's eating habits and hygiene, Hacer's lounging, being surrounded by birds, the soundtrack, and so forth. . These people are all capable of anything and in a moment’s notice will revert to a survival state. The animals that the title refers to are the three wise monkeys - see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil - from the Japanese parable. Today it is commonly used to describe someone who doesn't want to be involved in a situation, or someone turning a willful blind eye to the immorality of an act in which they are involved. This goes back to the underlying political message of the film that the rich can often sidestep their legal responsibility. All three members of the family are guilty in covering a crime for the bourgeoisie politician. Ultimately the less fortunate and marginal will have it fall back on them. Ceylan leaves potentially excessive and cliché scenes (i.e. sex, murder, etc.) to the viewer's imagination. What he chooses to show us is more impactful than blood, lust or other stimulate. It's the aftermath of an accident or the reaction to hearing something you shouldn't have. The silence between a father locked away by his duties and the son who is caged up in his own guilt can tell so much. Nuri Bilge Ceylan has successfully created another emotive film. Three Monkeys has well choreographed pace, award worthy acting and a story that is deep in tone and text.
]]>Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:12:37 GMTJScottJScott Blog1/6/2009 11:12:37 AMNuri Bilge Ceylan has been a name on the international film circuit since 2002 with Distant - a "well-paced" character study - and has continued his success with Climates (2006) and now Three Monkeys (2008). Ceylan is putting Turkish film on the map through unorthodox shots and unconventional story telling techniques. Three Monkeys succeeds on many levels while being quietly devastating. Aesthetically we are presented with images of civilization on the brink. The dark nature of the film’s content and meaning is echoed beautifully in the cinematography. The clouds thicken as the plot does. As Eyüp (Yavuz Bingol) throws a tantrum so does Zeus. The breadth of darkness that cinematographer Gokhan Tiryaki is able to achieve adds a noirish richness to the film. The lingering shots place emphasis on the inner-workings of the characters. The deliberate pace could be mismanaged by lesser actors. Ismail - convincingly acted by Rifat Sungar - is the son. Eyüp, the father, goes to jail to cover the crimes of his boss, small-time politician Servet (Ercan Kesal: co-writer of Three Monkeys). Eyüp is virtually absent from the first half of the film while serving a jail sentence but leaves a heavy depression through an impactful performance. Hacer (Hatice Aslan) is the mother who is a lonely yet empowered persona. The entire cast worked through a minimalistic style with deliberate themes rooted deep in their character. These characters are shown often shown with animalistic undertones: Ismail's eating habits and hygiene, Hacer's lounging, being surrounded by birds, the soundtrack, and so forth. . These people are all capable of anything and in a moment’s notice will revert to a survival state. The animals that the title refers to are the three wise monkeys - see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil - from the Japanese parable. Today it is commonly used to describe someone who doesn't want to be involved in a situation, or someone turning a willful blind eye to the immorality of an act in which they are involved. This goes back to the underlying political message of the film that the rich can often sidestep their legal responsibility. All three members of the family are guilty in covering a crime for the bourgeoisie politician. Ultimately the less fortunate and marginal will have it fall back on them. Ceylan leaves potentially excessive and cliché scenes (i.e. sex, murder, etc.) to the viewer's imagination. What he chooses to show us is more impactful than blood, lust or other stimulate. It's the aftermath of an accident or the reaction to hearing something you shouldn't have. The silence between a father locked away by his duties and the son who is caged up in his own guilt can tell so much. Nuri Bilge Ceylan has successfully created another emotive film. Three Monkeys has well choreographed pace, award worthy acting and a story that is deep in tone and text. Spout Post: Re:Collaboration - Best Films of 2008 http://www.spout.com/groups/Community_Recommendations/Re_Collaboration_Best_Films_of_2008/643/38125/1/ShowPost.aspxPost By: JScott
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 12/9/2008 11:47:59 AM
Body: I actually really enjoyed Speed Racer unlike most. My other obvious winners for this year are Slumdog Millionaire and Milk. The Good The Bad and The Weird (played at Telluride, comes out Summer 09 I think) The Dark Knight I enjoyed. I'll come back with more but I think in 2008 I saw more old films than I did new releases.. I thought Nobel Son was lame.
]]>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:47:59 GMTJScottCommunity Recommendations12/9/2008 11:47:59 AMI actually really enjoyed Speed Racer unlike most. My other obvious winners for this year are Slumdog Millionaire and Milk. The Good The Bad and The Weird (played at Telluride, comes out Summer 09 I think) The Dark Knight I enjoyed. I'll come back with more but I think in 2008 I saw more old films than I did new releases.. I thought Nobel Son was lame. Spout Post: Uncounted [Review] http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2008/11/14/37305.aspx Post By: JScott
Post To: JScott Blog
Post Date: 11/14/2008 12:27:00 PM
Body: Since 2000 the United States has been up-in-arms about its voting. 2000 was the year of Bush/Gore and the infamous Florida chad - who is not some guy you hung out with on Spring Break. WOO SPRING BREAK!! Director David Earnhardt challenges the electronic voting system and makes some incredible valid points. For one why a company (Diebold) would make a voting machine that gives out no receipts and isn't auditable when they are a company that produces most of the world's ATM machines thats only job is to print out reciepts and be auditable. While the evidence provided to us tends to lean towards showing us the Republican party gained more from the alleged voter fraud the documetary does claim to be non-partisan. Even as a liberal I found this documentary to be too one sided and only focusing on what the Republicans are rumored to be doing rather than spending too much time talking about ACORN and other hot topics of the day. It is difficult to judge this film on what is shown. I do find it making a convincing argument especially when a programmer testifies that he is the one who developed the software to switch votes (on purpose) and that he was paid by a man who works in the Florida State Government and has ties to the Bushes. Following some of the information provided in the film led me to Blackboxvoting.org which is run by one of the talking heads in the documentary Bev Harris. Director David Earnhardt is a frequent contributor on that site. Bev Harris and Mr Earnhardt also frequent the Alex Jones show. Mr Jones is the leading proponent of the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories and blames Bush and a secret shadow government (New World Order - not led by Hogan). Many of thoes claims seem far fetched to me so I wonder what their agenda is in this documentary. Again on the surface it does a good job on convincing you of all this wrong doing which I think is great. Get awareness out there so we can see it coming but I wonder how much of it is actual fact and how much of it is like the jump-to-conclusions mat. Basically what I took away from this is that the TruVote system is the best available (if we go electronic, it allows you to check on your vote online and prints out a hard ballot to be hand counted if needed) and if not we need to stick with paper ballots. I know in 2 and 4 years I will be volunteering at the local polling presinct just to be sure there is nothing shady going on. This documentary is propaganda and much of it may be true but I would urge you to do your own research and get involved in the political process.
]]>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:27:00 GMTJScottJScott Blog11/14/2008 12:27:00 PMSince 2000 the United States has been up-in-arms about its voting. 2000 was the year of Bush/Gore and the infamous Florida chad - who is not some guy you hung out with on Spring Break. WOO SPRING BREAK!! Director David Earnhardt challenges the electronic voting system and makes some incredible valid points. For one why a company (Diebold) would make a voting machine that gives out no receipts and isn't auditable when they are a company that produces most of the world's ATM machines thats only job is to print out reciepts and be auditable. While the evidence provided to us tends to lean towards showing us the Republican party gained more from the alleged voter fraud the documetary does claim to be non-partisan. Even as a liberal I found this documentary to be too one sided and only focusing on what the Republicans are rumored to be doing rather than spending too much time talking about ACORN and other hot topics of the day. It is difficult to judge this film on what is shown. I do find it making a convincing argument especially when a programmer testifies that he is the one who developed the software to switch votes (on purpose) and that he was paid by a man who works in the Florida State Government and has ties to the Bushes. Following some of the information provided in the film led me to Blackboxvoting.org which is run by one of the talking heads in the documentary Bev Harris. Director David Earnhardt is a frequent contributor on that site. Bev Harris and Mr Earnhardt also frequent the Alex Jones show. Mr Jones is the leading proponent of the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories and blames Bush and a secret shadow government (New World Order - not led by Hogan). Many of thoes claims seem far fetched to me so I wonder what their agenda is in this documentary. Again on the surface it does a good job on convincing you of all this wrong doing which I think is great. Get awareness out there so we can see it coming but I wonder how much of it is actual fact and how much of it is like the jump-to-conclusions mat. Basically what I took away from this is that the TruVote system is the best available (if we go electronic, it allows you to check on your vote online and prints out a hard ballot to be hand counted if needed) and if not we need to stick with paper ballots. I know in 2 and 4 years I will be volunteering at the local polling presinct just to be sure there is nothing shady going on. This documentary is propaganda and much of it may be true but I would urge you to do your own research and get involved in the political process. Spout Post: Re:2008 48 Hour Film Project film http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmmakers_Forum/Re_2008_48_Hour_Film_Project_film/435/36196/1/ShowPost.aspxPost By: JScott
Post To: Filmmakers Forum
Post Date: 10/11/2008 2:48:50 PM
Body: [quote user="ShaunHuston"] "The Decision", the film produced by the Monmouth Film Collective, my team in the Portland, Oregon 48 Hour Film Project, is now online. We drew "historical fiction" as our genre. The city elements were: character: Jake or Jane Gravenstein, wellness practitioner; line: "Okay, I think I got it straight"; and prop: jumper cables. We set our story in the 1930s and the Great Depression to give ourselves at least a chance of evoking another era. You can read more about the experience here. The film is on YouTube and also on blip.tv in either Flash or Quicktime (the last will take longer to load, but offers the best quality). [/quote] Sounds awesome, I'll look for it. I had a group that participated in the Minneapolis this year and will probably do it again in 09.
]]>Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:48:50 GMTJScottFilmmakers Forum10/11/2008 2:48:50 PM[quote user="ShaunHuston"] "The Decision", the film produced by the Monmouth Film Collective, my team in the Portland, Oregon 48 Hour Film Project, is now online. We drew "historical fiction" as our genre. The city elements were: character: Jake or Jane Gravenstein, wellness practitioner; line: "Okay, I think I got it straight"; and prop: jumper cables. We set our story in the 1930s and the Great Depression to give ourselves at least a chance of evoking another era. You can read more about the experience here. The film is on YouTube and also on blip.tv in either Flash or Quicktime (the last will take longer to load, but offers the best quality). [/quote] Sounds awesome, I'll look for it. I had a group that participated in the Minneapolis this year and will probably do it again in 09. Spout Post: The Year My Parents Went on Vacation [Review] http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2008/10/6/35954.aspx Post By: JScott
Post To: JScott Blog
Post Date: 10/6/2008 7:48:22 PM
Body: Director Cao Hamburger tells an almost Truffaut-like story of childhood, impossible love, abandonment and ultimately being found. This film reminds me a lot of The 400 Blows as children occupy the main space of this film. The actors give an almost neo-realist performance as characters who could be anyone you know. They are played to perfection and very relatable. The writing is humorous in the right places while choosing to remain classy instead of raunchy. I appreciate the extra effort taken to make this film approachable for all ages while being sophisticated at the same time. The somewhat whimsical story doesn't hold back on dealing with political issues and world events of the 1970s in Brazil. I feel that this is a very powerful tale of finding out that home and family are what you make of it. You could miss what isn't there but then you are just missing what is. Perhaps thats an overly optimistic view of it. If you enjoy films by Francois Truffaut, Roberto Rossellini or Pedro Almodovar I would think you should enjoy this film. Its a masterpiece.
]]>Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:48:22 GMTJScottJScott Blog10/6/2008 7:48:22 PMDirector Cao Hamburger tells an almost Truffaut-like story of childhood, impossible love, abandonment and ultimately being found. This film reminds me a lot of The 400 Blows as children occupy the main space of this film. The actors give an almost neo-realist performance as characters who could be anyone you know. They are played to perfection and very relatable. The writing is humorous in the right places while choosing to remain classy instead of raunchy. I appreciate the extra effort taken to make this film approachable for all ages while being sophisticated at the same time. The somewhat whimsical story doesn't hold back on dealing with political issues and world events of the 1970s in Brazil. I feel that this is a very powerful tale of finding out that home and family are what you make of it. You could miss what isn't there but then you are just missing what is. Perhaps thats an overly optimistic view of it. If you enjoy films by Francois Truffaut, Roberto Rossellini or Pedro Almodovar I would think you should enjoy this film. Its a masterpiece. Spout Post: Summer Palace http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2008/7/8/32274.aspx Post By: JScott
Post To: JScott Blog
Post Date: 7/8/2008 11:23:08 AM
Body: Summer Palace, which was first shown in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006, is remarkable for its candor about sex and politics. Predictably its honesty has not been appreciated by Chinese authorities who banned Mr. Lou from making movies for five years after he brought it to Cannes without their permission. The film’s fervent, unsentimental embrace of youthful idealism is likely to strike a chord with anyone who can recall — or imagine — such feelings overtaking his or her own life. Yu Hong (Lei Hao), a young woman, recently arrived at Beijing University from a provincial town. She displays a romantic, sometimes reckless appetite for experience, confiding in her diary a longing to live with maximum intensity. She satisfies this desire, in the movie’s heady, headlong first half, through a series of friendships and flirtations, most of all her fierce, jealous on-and-off relationship with Zhou Wei (Xiaodong Guo) - a skinny, brooding intellectual and the love of her life. But Yu Hong and Zhou Wei and the various other friends, rivals and hookups are hardly ordinary university students. Or if they are, their matriculation comes at an extraordinary moment. Yu Hong arrives in Beijing in 1988, and her first year at the university, already full of emotional and sexual upheaval, ends with the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square and their violent suppression by the Chinese government. Toward the end of Lou Ye’s Summer Palace, Yu Hong reflects that her college years were the “most confused” time in her life. A lot of us might feel similarly, but the beautiful and passionate heroine of this beautiful and passionate film, is something of a special case. Skip to next paragraph Mr. Lou, however, is not interested only in reconstructing a vanished moment of high, intoxicating promise in his heroine’s (and his generation’s) youth. He is equally concerned with what comes after, with the drift, disappointment and compromise that seem, for his characters, to constitute both the legacy of Tiananmen and the mundane facts of postgraduate life. He follows Yu Hong and Zhou Wei as they make their way across the splintered landscape of adulthood, and takes note, via television clips, of the changing world around them. Zhou Wei joins some of their university friends who have become expatriates in Berlin, while Yu Hong finds an office job in a provincial Chinese city. Fashions change. Rickety bicycles and battered envelopes give way to S.U.V.’s and e-mail. There are love affairs, a suicide, an abortion, and in the midst of it all Yu Hong clings to a belief in her own future that is all the more poignant for being somewhat vague. Neither the later disaffection nor the earlier ardor feels in the least bit melodramatic or overstated. And in spite of its 2-hour-20-minute length, Summer Palace moves with the swiftness and syncopation of a pop song. Like Jean-Luc Godard in the 1960s, Mr. Lou favors breathless tracking shots and snappy jump cuts, and like Francois Truffaut, his camera is magnetized by female beauty. Ms. Lei, a tough and uninhibited actress, is not simply the object of the film’s gaze; Yu Hong’s resilience and vulnerability are the film’s emotional core, and its feverish rhythms follow the chaotic pattern of her desires. The delirious scenes of dorm-room sex and nightclub dancing in Summer Palace convey more sensation than narrative or psychological meaning. And this is clearly the point. In the end Mr. Lou is not trying to reflect on the recent Chinese past so much as he is trying to communicate its texture. Perhaps inevitably, this effort leaves some loose ends and blurred impressions. Every day in China students were concerned about the future of their country, even while worried about their personal safety and their own possible punishment for taking part in the demonstrations. They were being awakened to political consciousness, and they knew the risk they were taking by expressing their views. The characters in this film were barely conscious of politics or anything else but their personal relationships. They were basically hormone driven and self-involved whilst living amid political change but too absorbed in their personal misery to notice. The story of a hysterical young woman who liked sex with cute guys and the poor saps who fell for her, along with her mixed up girl friend and other various young students could have been set in any university anywhere in the world. But in Summer Palace he nonetheless succeeds in finding a cinematic language that does more than summarize the important events of a confusing decade. He distills the inner confusion — the swirl of moods, whims and needs — that is the lived and living essence of history.
]]>Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:23:08 GMTJScottJScott Blog7/8/2008 11:23:08 AMSummer Palace, which was first shown in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006, is remarkable for its candor about sex and politics. Predictably its honesty has not been appreciated by Chinese authorities who banned Mr. Lou from making movies for five years after he brought it to Cannes without their permission. The film’s fervent, unsentimental embrace of youthful idealism is likely to strike a chord with anyone who can recall — or imagine — such feelings overtaking his or her own life. Yu Hong (Lei Hao), a young woman, recently arrived at Beijing University from a provincial town. She displays a romantic, sometimes reckless appetite for experience, confiding in her diary a longing to live with maximum intensity. She satisfies this desire, in the movie’s heady, headlong first half, through a series of friendships and flirtations, most of all her fierce, jealous on-and-off relationship with Zhou Wei (Xiaodong Guo) - a skinny, brooding intellectual and the love of her life. But Yu Hong and Zhou Wei and the various other friends, rivals and hookups are hardly ordinary university students. Or if they are, their matriculation comes at an extraordinary moment. Yu Hong arrives in Beijing in 1988, and her first year at the university, already full of emotional and sexual upheaval, ends with the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square and their violent suppression by the Chinese government. Toward the end of Lou Ye’s Summer Palace, Yu Hong reflects that her college years were the “most confused” time in her life. A lot of us might feel similarly, but the beautiful and passionate heroine of this beautiful and passionate film, is something of a special case. Skip to next paragraph Mr. Lou, however, is not interested only in reconstructing a vanished moment of high, intoxicating promise in his heroine’s (and his generation’s) youth. He is equally concerned with what comes after, with the drift, disappointment and compromise that seem, for his characters, to constitute both the legacy of Tiananmen and the mundane facts of postgraduate life. He follows Yu Hong and Zhou Wei as they make their way across the splintered landscape of adulthood, and takes note, via television clips, of the changing world around them. Zhou Wei joins some of their university friends who have become expatriates in Berlin, while Yu Hong finds an office job in a provincial Chinese city. Fashions change. Rickety bicycles and battered envelopes give way to S.U.V.’s and e-mail. There are love affairs, a suicide, an abortion, and in the midst of it all Yu Hong clings to a belief in her own future that is all the more poignant for being somewhat vague. Neither the later disaffection nor the earlier ardor feels in the least bit melodramatic or overstated. And in spite of its 2-hour-20-minute length, Summer Palace moves with the swiftness and syncopation of a pop song. Like Jean-Luc Godard in the 1960s, Mr. Lou favors breathless tracking shots and snappy jump cuts, and like Francois Truffaut, his camera is magnetized by female beauty. Ms. Lei, a tough and uninhibited actress, is not simply the object of the film’s gaze; Yu Hong’s resilience and vulnerability are the film’s emotional core, and its feverish rhythms follow the chaotic pattern of her desires. The delirious scenes of dorm-room sex and nightclub dancing in Summer Palace convey more sensation than narrative or psychological meaning. And this is clearly the point. In the end Mr. Lou is not trying to reflect on the recent Chinese past so much as he is trying to communicate its texture. Perhaps inevitably, this effort leaves some loose ends and blurred impressions. Every day in China students were concerned about the future of their country, even while worried about their personal safety and their own possible punishment for taking part in the demonstrations. They were being awakened to political consciousness, and they knew the risk they were taking by expressing their views. The characters in this film were barely conscious of politics or anything else but their personal relationships. They were basically hormone driven and self-involved whilst living amid political change but too absorbed in their personal misery to notice. The story of a hysterical young woman who liked sex with cute guys and the poor saps who fell for her, along with her mixed up girl friend and other various young students could have been set in any university anywhere in the world. But in Summer Palace he nonetheless succeeds in finding a cinematic language that does more than summarize the important events of a confusing decade. He distills the inner confusion — the swirl of moods, whims and needs — that is the lived and living essence of history. Spout Post: Mother of Mine http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2008/4/5/26986.aspx Post By: JScott
Post To: JScott Blog
Post Date: 4/5/2008 2:39:32 PM
Body: Mother of Mine is a film that focuses on the unseen impacts of war. Eero [Topi Majaniemi] is a Swedish child sent to live in Denmark after his father dies in the war and his mother gives up on life. He is taken in by a mother who isn't excited to have him and a father who wants nothing more than for Eero to be able to adapt and thrive. He takes Eero to school where they call him the "war child" which is all he knows about his identity anymore. It takes over his life. All he imagines are air raids.Every actor in this film is much more than capable. Personally I think the acting is the biggest strength of the entire film. Klaus Haro mixes the strength of the acting with the natural beauty and depth of the Finnish landscape.I am in the camp of people who believe the flash forwards take away from the film more than they add. I think the story would flow better and perhaps have more impact if it weren't for the disjointed feeling the flash forwards evoke.I think this film would make an interesting double feature with Koreeda's Nobody Knows about a mother who gives up on her children and leaves them to raise themselves without taking their lives into consideration. There are many great films about troubling childhoods. Anything from Francois Truffaut or the country of Iran would be a nice start. I will also always recommend seeing Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout as it might be my absolute favorite coming of age tale. I also am drawn to its colonizing undertones.I think Mother of Mine fits well into the childhood genre and lives up to the high expectations I have for such films and for this film because I had heard so much positive reaction going into it.
]]>Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:39:32 GMTJScottJScott Blog4/5/2008 2:39:32 PMMother of Mine is a film that focuses on the unseen impacts of war. Eero [Topi Majaniemi] is a Swedish child sent to live in Denmark after his father dies in the war and his mother gives up on life. He is taken in by a mother who isn't excited to have him and a father who wants nothing more than for Eero to be able to adapt and thrive. He takes Eero to school where they call him the "war child" which is all he knows about his identity anymore. It takes over his life. All he imagines are air raids.Every actor in this film is much more than capable. Personally I think the acting is the biggest strength of the entire film. Klaus Haro mixes the strength of the acting with the natural beauty and depth of the Finnish landscape.I am in the camp of people who believe the flash forwards take away from the film more than they add. I think the story would flow better and perhaps have more impact if it weren't for the disjointed feeling the flash forwards evoke.I think this film would make an interesting double feature with Koreeda's Nobody Knows about a mother who gives up on her children and leaves them to raise themselves without taking their lives into consideration. There are many great films about troubling childhoods. Anything from Francois Truffaut or the country of Iran would be a nice start. I will also always recommend seeing Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout as it might be my absolute favorite coming of age tale. I also am drawn to its colonizing undertones.I think Mother of Mine fits well into the childhood genre and lives up to the high expectations I have for such films and for this film because I had heard so much positive reaction going into it. Spout Post: Mother of Mine http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2008/4/5/26986.aspx Post By: JScott
Post To: JScott Blog
Post Date: 4/5/2008 2:39:32 PM
Body: Mother of Mine is a film that focuses on the unseen impacts of war. Eero [Topi Majaniemi] is a Swedish child sent to live in Denmark after his father dies in the war and his mother gives up on life. He is taken in by a mother who isn't excited to have him and a father who wants nothing more than for Eero to be able to adapt and thrive. He takes Eero to school where they call him the "war child" which is all he knows about his identity anymore. It takes over his life. All he imagines are air raids.Every actor in this film is much more than capable. Personally I think the acting is the biggest strength of the entire film. Klaus Haro mixes the strength of the acting with the natural beauty and depth of the Finnish landscape.I am in the camp of people who believe the flash forwards take away from the film more than they add. I think the story would flow better and perhaps have more impact if it weren't for the disjointed feeling the flash forwards evoke.I think this film would make an interesting double feature with Koreeda's Nobody Knows about a mother who gives up on her children and leaves them to raise themselves without taking their lives into consideration. There are many great films about troubling childhoods. Anything from Francois Truffaut or the country of Iran would be a nice start. I will also always recommend seeing Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout as it might be my absolute favorite coming of age tale. I also am drawn to its colonizing undertones.I think Mother of Mine fits well into the childhood genre and lives up to the high expectations I have for such films and for this film because I had heard so much positive reaction going into it.
]]>Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:39:32 GMTJScottJScott Blog4/5/2008 2:39:32 PMMother of Mine is a film that focuses on the unseen impacts of war. Eero [Topi Majaniemi] is a Swedish child sent to live in Denmark after his father dies in the war and his mother gives up on life. He is taken in by a mother who isn't excited to have him and a father who wants nothing more than for Eero to be able to adapt and thrive. He takes Eero to school where they call him the "war child" which is all he knows about his identity anymore. It takes over his life. All he imagines are air raids.Every actor in this film is much more than capable. Personally I think the acting is the biggest strength of the entire film. Klaus Haro mixes the strength of the acting with the natural beauty and depth of the Finnish landscape.I am in the camp of people who believe the flash forwards take away from the film more than they add. I think the story would flow better and perhaps have more impact if it weren't for the disjointed feeling the flash forwards evoke.I think this film would make an interesting double feature with Koreeda's Nobody Knows about a mother who gives up on her children and leaves them to raise themselves without taking their lives into consideration. There are many great films about troubling childhoods. Anything from Francois Truffaut or the country of Iran would be a nice start. I will also always recommend seeing Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout as it might be my absolute favorite coming of age tale. I also am drawn to its colonizing undertones.I think Mother of Mine fits well into the childhood genre and lives up to the high expectations I have for such films and for this film because I had heard so much positive reaction going into it. Spout Post: Movies 101: Leading Ladies http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2008/3/26/26634.aspxPost By: JScott
Post To: JScott Blog
Post Date: 3/26/2008 6:33:14 PM
Body: NYU Professor Richard Brown interviews Jennifer Anniston, Jennifer Connelly, Julianne Moore and Sigorney Weaver as part of an on-going series dedicated to sharing their experiences with his class. Each interview is about an hour long and focuses on their pre-cinema/television careers as well as previews their upcoming work (most of which was dated by the time I watched it.)The first interview in the set is Jennifer Anniston. I went in without a lot of "respect" for her body of work. No offense to her - I enjoy Friends and I think she is great as Rachel Green. I just never put a lot of faith in her talent. I learned however that at age 11 she had a painting hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I am obviously not the most well versed person when it comes to her life but I also learned that her dad (John Anniston) is an actor on a Soap Opera and has been for years. I am sure many out there are aware of that nugget of information but I wasn't. I originally felt like Jennifer would be the odd-duck in this line-up of fairly well established film stars who experiment with different roles. I think after watching the interview and because of Brown's in-depth questioning I found myself most pleased with the Anniston segment. The conversation between the two was very eye opening and I think even dug deeper than I think she was expecting. The second interview was Jennifer Connelly who I felt was kind of boring. Even with top notch questioning she fell a little flat. She talks about her desire to work in film and how she was discovered but overall nothing all that interesting to note. I have long felt that she has been on a downward spiral since her days of singing with Bowie and dancing with muppets - I think this just about clinches it for me. If you ever get a chance to watch these interviews you can just pass this one up.I am a huge fan of Julianne Moore. She may be one of my top five living actresses. She came out about how her parents supported her through her wishes to become an actor but also strongly cautioned that she prepare herself for failure by getting a degree that could lead to a graduate program down the future. While it doesn't look like she will ever need to take her parents up on that advice it was well taken and could be useful for hundred of people out there struggling to do what they dream. Her interview is completely uninhibited and she talks frankly about her set affair with her now husband and how she will feel when her children stumble upon the fact that she had done some nudity in her films. Overall I would say she was the interview I was most hyped up for and it delivers unquestionable.Lastly we see Sigorney Weaver who obviously has a spectrum of work from Sci-Fi to Comedy to Drama. She is just about everywhere. She was a lot less intimidating and commanding as I thought. Perhaps I bought into the Ridley Scott persona a bit too much but she seemed to be just surprised and pleased with her career. She doesn't take it for granted or too seriously while at the same time seeming dedicated and well educated about it. Along with Anniston this interview changed my mind about the person involved because it opened up a human side of them and showed the struggles and hardships they went through to get where they are.For those of you interested in acting or the art of acting this would be an inciteful viewing for you. Well researched by Professor Brown and well recieved by the audience this is a winner that easily compares to Lipton's Inside the Actor's Studio which gets far more noteriety. I can't wait to watch the rest of the series.
]]>Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:33:14 GMTJScottJScott Blog3/26/2008 6:33:14 PMNYU Professor Richard Brown interviews Jennifer Anniston, Jennifer Connelly, Julianne Moore and Sigorney Weaver as part of an on-going series dedicated to sharing their experiences with his class. Each interview is about an hour long and focuses on their pre-cinema/television careers as well as previews their upcoming work (most of which was dated by the time I watched it.)The first interview in the set is Jennifer Anniston. I went in without a lot of "respect" for her body of work. No offense to her - I enjoy Friends and I think she is great as Rachel Green. I just never put a lot of faith in her talent. I learned however that at age 11 she had a painting hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I am obviously not the most well versed person when it comes to her life but I also learned that her dad (John Anniston) is an actor on a Soap Opera and has been for years. I am sure many out there are aware of that nugget of information but I wasn't. I originally felt like Jennifer would be the odd-duck in this line-up of fairly well established film stars who experiment with different roles. I think after watching the interview and because of Brown's in-depth questioning I found myself most pleased with the Anniston segment. The conversation between the two was very eye opening and I think even dug deeper than I think she was expecting. The second interview was Jennifer Connelly who I felt was kind of boring. Even with top notch questioning she fell a little flat. She talks about her desire to work in film and how she was discovered but overall nothing all that interesting to note. I have long felt that she has been on a downward spiral since her days of singing with Bowie and dancing with muppets - I think this just about clinches it for me. If you ever get a chance to watch these interviews you can just pass this one up.I am a huge fan of Julianne Moore. She may be one of my top five living actresses. She came out about how her parents supported her through her wishes to become an actor but also strongly cautioned that she prepare herself for failure by getting a degree that could lead to a graduate program down the future. While it doesn't look like she will ever need to take her parents up on that advice it was well taken and could be useful for hundred of people out there struggling to do what they dream. Her interview is completely uninhibited and she talks frankly about her set affair with her now husband and how she will feel when her children stumble upon the fact that she had done some nudity in her films. Overall I would say she was the interview I was most hyped up for and it delivers unquestionable.Lastly we see Sigorney Weaver who obviously has a spectrum of work from Sci-Fi to Comedy to Drama. She is just about everywhere. She was a lot less intimidating and commanding as I thought. Perhaps I bought into the Ridley Scott persona a bit too much but she seemed to be just surprised and pleased with her career. She doesn't take it for granted or too seriously while at the same time seeming dedicated and well educated about it. Along with Anniston this interview changed my mind about the person involved because it opened up a human side of them and showed the struggles and hardships they went through to get where they are.For those of you interested in acting or the art of acting this would be an inciteful viewing for you. Well researched by Professor Brown and well recieved by the audience this is a winner that easily compares to Lipton's Inside the Actor's Studio which gets far more noteriety. I can't wait to watch the rest of the series. Spout Post: Re:Re:Great World of Sound http://www.spout.com/groups/Spout_Mavens/Re_Re_Great_World_of_Sound/366/23448/1/ShowPost.aspxPost By: JScott
Post To: Spout Mavens
Post Date: 1/2/2008 6:17:03 PM
Body: Here is my review:http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2008/1/2/23447.aspx
]]>Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:17:03 GMTJScottSpout Mavens1/2/2008 6:17:03 PMHere is my review:http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2008/1/2/23447.aspx Spout Post: How much do you believe in yourself? http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2008/1/2/23447.aspx Post By: JScott
Post To: JScott Blog
Post Date: 1/2/2008 6:07:34 PM
Body: Craig Zobel writes and directs this film produced by independent film maker David Gordon Green about a small record production company also called "The Great World of Sound" or GSW if you want to make a check out to them. Martin (Pat Healy) joins the new company in hopes to make a difference and get some pointers in the world of business to help promote his wife/girlfriend Pam's (Rebecca Mader) arts and crafts that she makes. Clarence (Kene Holliday of Matlock fame) is Martin's partner as they both learn the ropes of the industry together. For the record, Clarence is by far the most entertaining character in the film. The most true and talented artist of the entire film is Gloria a waitress at a bar in Indianapolis played very convincingly by Robert Longstreet.The film is about the choices made when faced with adversity. It shows the proverbial "slippery slope" when dealing with morals and success. From the small lie of using a cell phone as a camera phone to straight up taking people's hard earned money for a bogus venture the pair of Martin and Clarence run the entire gamut. Many of the potential artists are so willing to believe that they are something special that they blindly hand over checks of up to $3,000 in hopes of getting their music out there.Great World of Sound may turn people off with its ending which initially might leave some feeling unsatisfied. Zobel does a great job showing how a man even of the highest scruples can succumb to the lows of necessity, want and embarrassment of failure.I think this is one of the more real films in recent memory. There are con artists out there who are trying to play on the desire for people to become overnight sensations by making a quick buck without much work. It effectively shows the ways people are willing to compromise to believe in their dream. Smooth talking business men can accomplish a lot with just a few metaphors and words that strike the right chord with the right person.There are a lot of pitfalls to big business out there. Corporations set their own laws in a lot of cases but at least with them you know what you are getting even if getting them to hear your voice might be impossible. In this case it was the shady small businessman who had no remorse for his actions and left others to hold the bag both financially and morally.It is certainly not a positive film to watch in a lot of ways but it is enjoying and worth checking out.
]]>Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:07:34 GMTJScottJScott Blog1/2/2008 6:07:34 PMCraig Zobel writes and directs this film produced by independent film maker David Gordon Green about a small record production company also called "The Great World of Sound" or GSW if you want to make a check out to them. Martin (Pat Healy) joins the new company in hopes to make a difference and get some pointers in the world of business to help promote his wife/girlfriend Pam's (Rebecca Mader) arts and crafts that she makes. Clarence (Kene Holliday of Matlock fame) is Martin's partner as they both learn the ropes of the industry together. For the record, Clarence is by far the most entertaining character in the film. The most true and talented artist of the entire film is Gloria a waitress at a bar in Indianapolis played very convincingly by Robert Longstreet.The film is about the choices made when faced with adversity. It shows the proverbial "slippery slope" when dealing with morals and success. From the small lie of using a cell phone as a camera phone to straight up taking people's hard earned money for a bogus venture the pair of Martin and Clarence run the entire gamut. Many of the potential artists are so willing to believe that they are something special that they blindly hand over checks of up to $3,000 in hopes of getting their music out there.Great World of Sound may turn people off with its ending which initially might leave some feeling unsatisfied. Zobel does a great job showing how a man even of the highest scruples can succumb to the lows of necessity, want and embarrassment of failure.I think this is one of the more real films in recent memory. There are con artists out there who are trying to play on the desire for people to become overnight sensations by making a quick buck without much work. It effectively shows the ways people are willing to compromise to believe in their dream. Smooth talking business men can accomplish a lot with just a few metaphors and words that strike the right chord with the right person.There are a lot of pitfalls to big business out there. Corporations set their own laws in a lot of cases but at least with them you know what you are getting even if getting them to hear your voice might be impossible. In this case it was the shady small businessman who had no remorse for his actions and left others to hold the bag both financially and morally.It is certainly not a positive film to watch in a lot of ways but it is enjoying and worth checking out. Spout Post: No Country for Old Men http://www.spout.com/blogs/jscott/archive/2008/1/2/23442.aspx Post By: JScott
Post To: JScott Blog
Post Date: 1/2/2008 2:50:54 PM
Body: Get rich quick schemes used to be reserved for late night television preaching riches if you mailed a nominal sum for the packet containing instructions on how to master said system. Currently at all hours of the day can you find someone promoting a "system" or insider knowledge that has as much to do with chance as anything else.Surprisingly this is a main theme of the Coen Brothers' latest film No Country for Old Men. Llewelyn Moss (James Brolin), arguably the main character, stumbles on a drug deal gone the way most movie drug deals go - poorly. A number of poor moral decisions lead him to finding a large sum of money that belongs to another man Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) who is probably the most terrifying villain since Robert Mitchum in both the 1962 Cape Fear and Night of the Hunter. Llewelyn's desire to hold on to the $2 million leads him running down a path for his own life and the life of others. As always with a film by the Coens the dialogue is the strongest point of the film and technically this is probably their best work. The big gripe about the film is the ending. It doesn't really have one but at the same time it does. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) opens and closes the picture with a monologue. By paying attention to his scenes additional themes begin to develop and emerge from the story. The film isn't so much plot driven - although it is for 80% of it - but revolves around the characters and their traits. If you go in expecting everything to be tied up in a nice package like National Treasure then you will be disappointed. No Country for Old Men is closer to John Steinbeck's East of Eden where the aforementioned Nicholas Cage project is closer to Where's Waldo. The man in the striped red and white costume is there on the page, you just need to keep your eyes open. Steinbeck requires you to dig a bit deeper and examine the story and not just on the superficial Cain and Abel that they make reference to multiple times.No Country for Old Men has layers of depth and meaning to it but it will require some work on the viewer's part to dissect it. It is definitely worth seeing and might be one of the big winners come Oscar Night. **** (4/4)
]]>Wed, 02 Jan 2008 19:50:54 GMTJScottJScott Blog1/2/2008 2:50:54 PMGet rich quick schemes used to be reserved for late night television preaching riches if you mailed a nominal sum for the packet containing instructions on how to master said system. Currently at all hours of the day can you find someone promoting a "system" or insider knowledge that has as much to do with chance as anything else.Surprisingly this is a main theme of the Coen Brothers' latest film No Country for Old Men. Llewelyn Moss (James Brolin), arguably the main character, stumbles on a drug deal gone the way most movie drug deals go - poorly. A number of poor moral decisions lead him to finding a large sum of money that belongs to another man Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) who is probably the most terrifying villain since Robert Mitchum in both the 1962 Cape Fear and Night of the Hunter. Llewelyn's desire to hold on to the $2 million leads him running down a path for his own life and the life of others. As always with a film by the Coens the dialogue is the strongest point of the film and technically this is probably their best work. The big gripe about the film is the ending. It doesn't really have one but at the same time it does. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) opens and closes the picture with a monologue. By paying attention to his scenes additional themes begin to develop and emerge from the story. The film isn't so much plot driven - although it is for 80% of it - but revolves around the characters and their traits. If you go in expecting everything to be tied up in a nice package like National Treasure then you will be disappointed. No Country for Old Men is closer to John Steinbeck's East of Eden where the aforementioned Nicholas Cage project is closer to Where's Waldo. The man in the striped red and white costume is there on the page, you just need to keep your eyes open. Steinbeck requires you to dig a bit deeper and examine the story and not just on the superficial Cain and Abel that they make reference to multiple times.No Country for Old Men has layers of depth and meaning to it but it will require some work on the viewer's part to dissect it. It is definitely worth seeing and might be one of the big winners come Oscar Night. **** (4/4) Spout Post: Re:Anyone know anything about Pedro's next picture? http://www.spout.com/groups/All_about_Almodovar/Re_Anyone_know_anything_about_Pedro_s_next_picture/184/22012/1/ShowPost.aspxPost By: JScott
Post To: All about Almodovar
Post Date: 11/25/2007 8:12:58 PM
Body: Nevermind I guess I can answer my own question..."Oscar nominee PENELOPE CRUZ is set to re-team with VOLVER director PEDRO ALMODOVAR for his next feature - LA PIEL QUE HABITO. The film is based on French author THIERRY JONQUET's 1995 novel MYGALE about a plastic surgeon who exacts hideous revenge on his daughter's rapist. Almodovar's producer brother AGUSTIN says, "The role is far darker" than the feisty heroine Cruz played in Volver. He adds, "It's 70 to 80 per cent to be Pedro's next (project)." Then I found this..."Spanish film writer and director, Pedro Almodóvar, has started to write two new screenplays which will, according to his brother and producer Agustín, be used after his current project ‘La piel que habito' – 'The skin I live in', which starts shooting in the summer. The idea is to shoot the three films consecutively, in the same way that Almodóvar organised ‘Hable con ella’ and ‘Todo sobre mi madre’. The new project stars Penélope Cruz, although the male lead is still to be revealed. The screenplay is based on a French novel ‘Tarántula’ written by Thierry Jonquet, and tells the story of a plastic surgeon who takes revenge on his daughter’s rapist by kidnapping the offender and performing a sex change operation on him. Filming cannot start before the summer as Cruz is filming until then with Rob Marshall who is directing a screen version of the musical ‘Nine’ where Penélope´s co-star is already known – Javier Bardem, her current partner. Bardem takes the role played by Antonio Banderas in the stage show on Broadway."
]]>Mon, 26 Nov 2007 01:12:58 GMTJScottAll about Almodovar11/25/2007 8:12:58 PMNevermind I guess I can answer my own question..."Oscar nominee PENELOPE CRUZ is set to re-team with VOLVER director PEDRO ALMODOVAR for his next feature - LA PIEL QUE HABITO. The film is based on French author THIERRY JONQUET's 1995 novel MYGALE about a plastic surgeon who exacts hideous revenge on his daughter's rapist. Almodovar's producer brother AGUSTIN says, "The role is far darker" than the feisty heroine Cruz played in Volver. He adds, "It's 70 to 80 per cent to be Pedro's next (project)." Then I found this..."Spanish film writer and director, Pedro Almodóvar, has started to write two new screenplays which will, according to his brother and producer Agustín, be used after his current project ‘La piel que habito' – 'The skin I live in', which starts shooting in the summer. The idea is to shoot the three films consecutively, in the same way that Almodóvar organised ‘Hable con ella’ and ‘Todo sobre mi madre’. The new project stars Penélope Cruz, although the male lead is still to be revealed. The screenplay is based on a French novel ‘Tarántula’ written by Thierry Jonquet, and tells the story of a plastic surgeon who takes revenge on his daughter’s rapist by kidnapping the offender and performing a sex change operation on him. Filming cannot start before the summer as Cruz is filming until then with Rob Marshall who is directing a screen version of the musical ‘Nine’ where Penélope´s co-star is already known – Javier Bardem, her current partner. Bardem takes the role played by Antonio Banderas in the stage show on Broadway." Spout Post: Anyone know anything about Pedro's next picture? http://www.spout.com/groups/All_about_Almodovar/Anyone_know_anything_about_Pedro_s_next_picture/184/22011/1/ShowPost.aspxPost By: JScott
Post To: All about Almodovar
Post Date: 11/25/2007 8:05:33 PM
Body: I heard a while ago that Penelope Cruz will be involved in it again but I know nothing else about it. Has anyone else heard any rumors/news?
]]>Mon, 26 Nov 2007 01:05:33 GMTJScottAll about Almodovar11/25/2007 8:05:33 PMI heard a while ago that Penelope Cruz will be involved in it again but I know nothing else about it. Has anyone else heard any rumors/news? Spout Member:The_MOW - Mickey Micklon http://www.spout.com/members/148616/default.aspx Identity: The_MOW
Name: Mickey Micklon
Interests: movies, sci-fi, professional wrestling
Occupation: Unemployed
Location: Salem, NH
Films listed: 369
Number of lists: 4
Number of groups: 2
Blog posts: 372
Blog post views: 11337
Number of times tagged: 25
Member since: 4/4/2009
Last login: 10/13/2009
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTThe_MOWMickey Micklon369Uberlister (>100)Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:50:30 GMTMember Spout Member:horror http://www.spout.com/members/144661/default.aspx Identity: horror
Films listed: 1
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 1/17/2009
Last login: 1/17/2009
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMThorror1Beginner (<10)Sat, 17 Jan 2009 10:27:41 GMTMember Spout Member:butterknife http://www.spout.com/members/127080/default.aspx Identity: butterknife
Films listed: 1
Number of lists: 4
Blog posts: 1
Member since: 4/2/2008
Last login: 4/2/2008
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTbutterknife1Beginner (<10)Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:18:37 GMTMember Spout Member:rnt2630 http://www.spout.com/members/95208/default.aspx Identity: rnt2630
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/13/2007
Last login: 9/13/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTrnt26300Beginner (<10)Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:16:00 GMTMember Spout Member:dsalaski http://www.spout.com/members/94482/default.aspx Identity: dsalaski
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/10/2007
Last login: 9/10/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTdsalaski0Beginner (<10)Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:47:53 GMTMember Spout Member:jennkp http://www.spout.com/members/94443/default.aspx Identity: jennkp
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/10/2007
Last login: 9/10/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTjennkp0Beginner (<10)Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:45:31 GMTMember Spout Member:Don0262 http://www.spout.com/members/94195/default.aspx Identity: Don0262
Films listed: 2
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/9/2007
Last login: 9/9/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTDon02622Beginner (<10)Sun, 09 Sep 2007 15:33:14 GMTMember Spout Member:martinluthar http://www.spout.com/members/93901/default.aspx Identity: martinluthar
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/8/2007
Last login: 9/8/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTmartinluthar0Beginner (<10)Sat, 08 Sep 2007 15:58:58 GMTMember Spout Member:clwoolfe http://www.spout.com/members/93885/default.aspx Identity: clwoolfe
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/8/2007
Last login: 9/8/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTclwoolfe0Beginner (<10)Sat, 08 Sep 2007 15:09:50 GMTMember Spout Member:XtreamDenny http://www.spout.com/members/93661/default.aspx Identity: XtreamDenny
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/7/2007
Last login: 9/7/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTXtreamDenny0Beginner (<10)Fri, 07 Sep 2007 18:49:41 GMTMember Spout Member:bofo http://www.spout.com/members/93627/default.aspx Identity: bofo
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/7/2007
Last login: 9/7/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTbofo0Beginner (<10)Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:57:17 GMTMember Spout Member:seanjoneswrexham http://www.spout.com/members/93570/default.aspx Identity: seanjoneswrexham
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/7/2007
Last login: 9/7/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTseanjoneswrexham0Beginner (<10)Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:31:57 GMTMember Spout Member:nny921 http://www.spout.com/members/92277/default.aspx Identity: nny921
Number of lists: 4
Number of groups: 2
Member since: 9/3/2007
Last login: 11/20/2008
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTnny9210Beginner (<10)Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:27:22 GMTMember Spout Member:mr_lol http://www.spout.com/members/92275/default.aspx Identity: mr_lol
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/3/2007
Last login: 9/3/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTmr_lol0Beginner (<10)Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:25:57 GMTMember Spout Member:fire1311 http://www.spout.com/members/91742/default.aspx Identity: fire1311
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 9/1/2007
Last login: 9/1/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTfire13110Beginner (<10)Sat, 01 Sep 2007 21:48:24 GMTMember Spout Member:Argueta http://www.spout.com/members/91469/default.aspx Identity: Argueta
Number of lists: 4
Member since: 8/31/2007
Last login: 8/31/2007
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:00:00 GMTArgueta0Beginner (<10)Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:52:15 GMTMember Film:Funny Games http://www.spout.com/films/Funny_Games/288707/default.aspx Title: Funny Games
Year: 2007
Director: Michael Haneke
Times Tagged: 27
Number of Lists: 24
Number of blog posts: 14
Number of discussion threads: 8
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:47:00 GMTFunny Games2007Michael Haneke27Tag Target (>10)241483http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s288707.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Funny_Games/288707/default.aspxFilm Film:The Dark Knight http://www.spout.com/films/The_Dark_Knight/288704/default.aspx Title: The Dark Knight
Year: 2008
Director: Christopher Nolan
Times Tagged: 149
Number of Lists: 98
Number of blog posts: 156
Number of discussion threads: 55
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:13:34 GMTThe Dark Knight2008Christopher Nolan149Tag Target (>10)98156554http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s288704.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Dark_Knight/288704/default.aspxFilm Film:H2 http://www.spout.com/films/H2/397884/default.aspx Title: H2
Year: 2009
Director: Rob Zombie
Number of Lists: 1
Number of blog posts: 1
SpoutRating: 1
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:45:58 GMTH22009Rob Zombie111http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s397884.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/H2/397884/default.aspxFilm Film:Eleanor: First Lady of the World http://www.spout.com/films/Eleanor_First_Lady_of_the_World/10331/default.aspx Title: Eleanor: First Lady of the World
Year: 1982
Director: John Erman
Number of blog posts: 1
]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:47:51 GMTEleanor: First Lady of the World1982John Erman1http://www.spout.com/images/no_image.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Eleanor_First_Lady_of_the_World/10331/default.aspxFilm Film:Black Test Car http://www.spout.com/films/Black_Test_Car/328181/default.aspx Title: Black Test Car
Year: 1962
Number of Lists: 2
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:01:54 GMTBlack Test Car196224http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u37747stl5z.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Black_Test_Car/328181/default.aspxFilm Film:Dumpster Baby http://www.spout.com/films/Dumpster_Baby/273527/default.aspx Title: Dumpster Baby
Director: James Bickert
Number of Lists: 1
]]>Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:53:10 GMTDumpster BabyJames Bickert1http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t76920jjhow.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Dumpster_Baby/273527/default.aspxFilm Film:Rick http://www.spout.com/films/Rick/235722/default.aspx Title: Rick
Year: 2002
Director: Curtiss Clayton
Times Tagged: 1
Number of Lists: 1
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:32:48 GMTRick2002Curtiss Clayton1Slightly Tagged (1-5)12http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t51978e8qnf.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Rick/235722/default.aspxFilm Film:Speed Racer http://www.spout.com/films/Speed_Racer/297765/default.aspx Title: Speed Racer
Year: 2008
Director: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Times Tagged: 90
Number of Lists: 16
Number of blog posts: 41
Number of discussion threads: 16
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:21:45 GMTSpeed Racer2008Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski90Tag Target (>10)1641163http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s297765.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Speed_Racer/297765/default.aspxFilm Film:Speed Racer [Anime Series] http://www.spout.com/films/Speed_Racer_Anime_Series/32330/default.aspx Title: Speed Racer [Anime Series]
Year: 1967
Number of Lists: 1
Number of blog posts: 1
Number of discussion threads: 1
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:20:43 GMTSpeed Racer [Anime Series]19671113http://www.spout.com/images/no_image.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Speed_Racer_Anime_Series/32330/default.aspxFilm Film:The Raven http://www.spout.com/films/The_Raven/317289/default.aspx Title: The Raven
Year: 2007
Director: Ulli Lommel
Number of blog posts: 2
SpoutRating: 1
]]>Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:13:53 GMTThe Raven2007Ulli Lommel21http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u08974fjkcg.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Raven/317289/default.aspxFilm Film:The Ballad of the Sad Cafe http://www.spout.com/films/The_Ballad_of_the_Sad_Cafe/2239/default.aspx Title: The Ballad of the Sad Cafe
Year: 1991
Director: Simon Callow
Number of blog posts: 2
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:25:24 GMTThe Ballad of the Sad Cafe1991Simon Callow22http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t54643em1b1.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Ballad_of_the_Sad_Cafe/2239/default.aspxFilm Film:New York, New York http://www.spout.com/films/New_York_New_York/24524/default.aspx Title: New York, New York
Year: 1977
Director: Martin Scorsese
Times Tagged: 23
Number of Lists: 12
Number of blog posts: 57
Number of discussion threads: 2
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:22:40 GMTNew York, New York1977Martin Scorsese23Tag Target (>10)125722http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u47828gvtpe.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/New_York_New_York/24524/default.aspxFilm Film:St. Nick http://www.spout.com/films/St_Nick/402616/default.aspx Title: St. Nick
Year: 2009
Director: David Lowery
Times Tagged: 3
Number of Lists: 2
Number of blog posts: 5
SpoutRating: 5
]]>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:01:06 GMTSt. Nick2009David Lowery3Slightly Tagged (1-5)255http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s402616.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/St_Nick/402616/default.aspxFilm Film:We Are the Strange http://www.spout.com/films/We_Are_the_Strange/314016/default.aspx Title: We Are the Strange
Year: 2007
Director: M dot Strange
Number of Lists: 3
Number of blog posts: 3
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:25:52 GMTWe Are the Strange2007M dot Strange334http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s314016.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/We_Are_the_Strange/314016/default.aspxFilm Film:The Sadist http://www.spout.com/films/The_Sadist/29811/default.aspx Title: The Sadist
Year: 1963
Director: James Landis
Number of Lists: 4
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:08:29 GMTThe Sadist1963James Landis43http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t27402rl1sl.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Sadist/29811/default.aspxFilm Film:The Alligator People http://www.spout.com/films/The_Alligator_People/50507/default.aspx Title: The Alligator People
Year: 1959
Director: Roy Del Ruth
Number of Lists: 2
Number of blog posts: 1
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:04:19 GMTThe Alligator People1959Roy Del Ruth212http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t46806zj8ua.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Alligator_People/50507/default.aspxFilm Spout List:Movies I own.. by JScott /films/1008946/ViewFilmList.aspxMovies I own..
Description:


Created: 1/5/2008 12:23:35 AM

]]>Sat, 05 Jan 2008 06:18:07 GMT1/5/2008 12:23:35 AMList