tmoney Blog

Electroma

tmoney — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:52:37 GMT

I had the pleasure of seeing Daft Punk's "Electroma" at the Metro in Chicago a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. Aesthetically think Gus Van Sant's, Gerry. Except for two guys walking in the desert, it is two robots. There are some very disturbing images, and very beautiful images as well. I don't think there is a word spoken in the entire film, but I can't recall for sure. But it is great. I recommend it if you can find it.

Once is First Must See of The Year

tmoney — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 00:34:40 GMT

When I think of a musical, I think spectacle. I think random song and dance. I think melodrama. What would a musical be without all of those things? Once. Once is an absolute masterpiece and works on every level, but most of all as a musical.

I recommend to everybody who loves music to see this film featuring Glen Hansard of The Frames. My biggest complaint of The Frames has always been that the music is slightly too “pop-melodrama”. Well that works just fine for a musical about love. The music flows in and out through the film flawlessly, and really creates half of the emotional substance of the film. The other half is the simple, lovely story. But I can’t imagine this story told without the music, nor would I enjoy the music without the story.

The performances of the two leads are powerful, believable, and subtle. This is no Chicago or Dreamgirls. No. This film is much more. I cannot heap more praise on this special little film that will surely leave an imprint on anyone who has a heart.

originally posted on mostelitemusicblog.blogspot.com/

Why Transformers Was Amazing.

tmoney — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 06:34:26 GMT

I am putting my reputation on the line here giving such a good review to a Michael Bay film. Bay was the butt of all jokes in film classes (along with Jerry Bruckheimer). And he still ought to be the butt of all jokes to a seasoned film viewer. With films like Armageddon, Bad Boys, Pearl Harbor under his belt, it feels as if Bay invented the summer pop corn blockbuster. So going in to this, one must realize they are seeing a Bay film. That being said, Bay really out-Bayed himself this time.

I think Bay reached a point where he realized nobody would take a movie seriously about robots coming and fighting on planet earth. So he pushed EVERYTHING over the top. The acting, the robot dialogue, the special effects, the clichés (especially those), and created something closer to camp. I found this as a campy homage to a rediculous television show with an immense fan base. The fact that Megatron shouted his own name every time he transformed put a smile on my face as I found it rediculously good. This almost feels like a parody on the summer blockbuster, but it is not at all. It's just Michael Bay doing what he does best, and pushing it over the edge into a world of camp.

It tried.

tmoney — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 03:25:21 GMT

From the trailer, I expected this film to be a mysterious art film. I can't say it was bad film, it just didn't meet my expectations. It was a very straight forward, near Hollywood expression. If you were entranced by how this film was marketed, don't expect anything like that.

Night and Fog

tmoney — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:59:52 GMT

I watched this film a while back, and it was really a film that stuck with me. This is a short documentary in black and white, about the concentration camps and I must say it is quite powerful. It's a different kind of powerful though. When we watch a movie like Schindler's list or The Pianist, the mystique of the Hollywood story pulls us in, enchants us, and wines and dines us. It is all made possible with the magic of movie making. With emotion, story, script. And while it is all very affecting, there is something different about Night and Fog. The narration is monotone. It feels like what it is. A documentation of what went on. It feels like somebody going through a filing cabinet and reading off the facts of the case. This gives way to a chilling striking reality. Everything shown on screen isn't makeup and actors digging deep for a striking performance. It is chilling reality that reminds us how humans treated one another a few decades ago, and how not much has changed.

A masterpiece

tmoney — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 04:44:24 GMT

I am going to admit right here I bought this based on the cover. Criterion sure knows how to design DVD cases. Anyways, The Spirit of the Beehive is a truely magical film. Told through the eyes of a young girl, we see a world of magic, grace, and beauty. We get a perspective of a child's surroundings of nature, family, tragedy, and happiness.

My impressions of Moore past and present.

tmoney — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 03:28:22 GMT

How do we judge a Michael Moore film? Do we shun his films because they are obviously agenda based and biased? Do we judge him based on the level of deceptive editing tricks? Do we praise him because we agree with his stance on a particular issue? Moore has always been a difficult filmmaker to approach. My past approach as a film student was: Michael Moore is bad. And I could write 14 page papers (probably six Moore papers in college) based on a particular editing smoke screen that he pulled over his audience or biased approach, etc.

Well for Sicko I found myself taking a much less scholarly approach. I will sum up my impression of Sicko very quickly. 1. This is such a manipulative film. From the stories, to the music, to the narration. Everything is done to spoon feed and manipulate emotions in an audience. 2. Moore does (and has always) raised very interesting questions. So whether or not I agree with him as a filmmaker (which was of upmost importance as a film student), I now am more interested in what kind of questions he is raising. I now am curious how other people on Spout judge a Michael Moore film.

Don't miss this!

tmoney — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 04:23:00 GMT

Judd Apatow hit it out of the ballpark with the short lived Freaks and Geeks, yet I felt lost his touch with Undeclared and The 40 Year Old Virgin. Well folks, Apatow has created a masterpiece here. While this is no indie comedy, this is probably one of the best Hollywood comedies I have seen in years. i'll just spout off some words that come to mind: hillarious, poingnant, crude, sensitive, GREAT. There were moments I wanted to cry, and everybody was laughing, and other moments when everybody was crying I wanted to laugh. That's no easy feat. I had lost faith in the Hollywood comedy area, but Apatow has restored my hope, and cannot wait to recommend this and probably see it again with more friends. While the story line isn't exactly believable remember this is Hollywood, folks, but Hollywood at its best none-the-less.

If you can take it

tmoney — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 21:09:00 GMT

I was not around in 1978, and I guess I am glad, as I would have been disturbed beyond belief by the event that occurred at Jonestown.

Obviously I was aware of Jim Jones and the People's Temple cult, and the kool-aid suicide. I was NOT aware of how much footage and information there is about the cult and Jones.

I stayed up till 1:30 to watch this on PBS on Tuesday night, and I recommend (if you can handle the content) you find a copy or a show time on PBS and view this extraordinary story.

This film disturbed me greatly, but it is still fascinating and uncomprehensible how some 900 people committed suicide at Jones's command. Never underestimate the power of group-think.

Can't quite put my finger on it.

tmoney — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 04:58:21 GMT

I honestly can't explain why I enjoyed this film so much. For me, it just worked. I don't know how. It wasn't that funny, yet I could classify it as a humerous film. It wasn't very scary, yet I could also say it works well as a horror film. A bit of science fiction. A bit of melodrama. This film is highly entertaining, fun, and well crafted, yet difficult to explain why it works so well. From what I understand, it's the highest grossing Korean film in history. So I don't understand why it is not getting a wide release.