A Year of Movies

Man With A Movie Camera
Started & Finished: 11/23/09

“ATTENTION VIEWERS,” reads one of the only title cards in Dziga Vertov’s 1929 doc.  ”This experimental work aims at creating a truly international language of cinema based on its absolute separation from the language of theatre and literature.”  He lives up to this claim, but what Vertov doesn’t tell you is that you’ll be doing a lot of the work in helping him develop this new cinematic language.  I’ve argued it before and I still stand firm: The most rewarding film is the one that finds the elusive sweet spot between the narrative and the experimental, because it ends up being the most engaging for the viewer.  Man With A Movie Camera excels at this balance as few other films have.

While alone it may skew toward the experimental more than the narrative, an original contemporary score by The Cinematic Orchestra draws the viewer closer to the middle by recontextualizing scenes in ways Vertov likely never imagined.  The band’s compositions range from atmospheric to eclectic, and give the footage an eerie quality.  The score has a way of cutting straight through the viewer, and the subsequent vulnerability coupled with the rawness of the footage creates a brand new beast: Half man, half man with a movie camera.

Though Vertov claims it is simply “excerpt from a camera operators diary,” his editor (and wife) E. Svilova cleverly weaves a story of the human condition while showing off dozens of camera tricks and innovations that make Méliès seem dated.  Some may draw parallels to Qatsi Trilogy of the 80s and early 00s, and more recently (my personal favorite) Baraka.  But while they all attempt a universal cinematic language, Vertov accesses an unfathomable amount of depth in his work that make these contemporary films seem heavy handed in their imagery and messages.

This act of watching the film, spurred by the haunting score, creates a different encounter for each viewer in a way that words can’t begin to explain—it really deserves to be experienced for itself.  Lucky for you, Ninjatune (The Cinematic Orchestra’s label) just re-released this rare DVD.  Alternatively, you can watch it on Google Video.  While I’m kicking myself for not knowing enough about the historical context of the film, it is undeniably a masterpiece that stands alone and is well worth seeking out.

North By Northwest
Started: 11/13/09 | Finished: 11/21/09

Cary Grant may be Oompa-Loompa Orange, but Technicolor never looked so good.  North by Northwest truly is the “Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock films” as screenwriter Ernest Lehman stated.  Intrigue!  Suspense!  Comedy!  Road trips!  Hayes Code on a train!  But of course, you already are well aware of the highlights of this masterpiece.

I first saw NBNW in my sixth grade English class, over the course of 4 Thursday mornings.  As you might imagine, it was tricky to follow with such long breaks in between.  (Maybe this is where my movie-watching habits stemmed from.  Hmm…)  In any case, the vivid memories of taxi-stealing and pencil-rubbings and plane chases remained.

A bit older and more versed, this fresh viewing brought out all the subtleties formerly lost on my 11-year-old self (Eva Marie Saint’s blunt propositions, Martin Landau’s sexuality, Bernard Herrmann’s stunning score).  I suspect even more details will become foregrounded the next time I watch.  This is, in my opinion, a rare trait of the best films— the versatility of story that allows for multiple interpretations and revelations upon subsequent viewings.  50 years later, North By Northwest holds up remarkably well as not only classic Hitchcock, but fantastic filmmaking as well.

The Wire, Season Three
Started: 10/20/09 | Finished: 11/9/09

I was on a roll.  I was watching more movies (from start to finish) than I ever had previously.  And then you came along and busted it all up.

“Come on, just a lil taste,” you said.  ”Everybody’s doing it.”  Before long we were hanging together all day in the projects.  Things started to heat up, so we took a breather and started chillin’ at the docks.  But I needed my fix, so you took it back to streets where it all started. Just a couple of crews trying to make ends meet.  Now I’m in so deep I don’t know if I can get out.

I’m glad to see you’re bringing your A-game again.  I hear we’ve got some good times to look forward to together.  Hopefully they will include less from that fool Brother Mouzone, who sticks out like a sore thumb.  I mean, your reputation for reality precedes you.  Yet here’s this smooth talking, Nation of Islam gangster that is straight out of a comic book.  I just don’t buy it.

You know I need my re-up baby, but I’ve gotta pay more attention to my other people for a bit.  I got needs.  I’ve been neglecting the feature for quite some time, and I gotta man up and pay her the attention she deserves.  So forgive me if I take a break, but you know I’ll be back for you.

Alright this is getting weird so I’ll holler at you later, k?  I’m OUT.

P.S. You had me at Hamsterdam

Harmony and Me
Started & Finished: 11/1/09

Still one of my favorite movies of 2009.  Hopefully it’ll get a release on Netflix so you all can check it out.  In the meantime, DVDs available at harmonythemovie.com.  Feeling a bit lazy today with the words, so you can check out my notes on the movie here, and a good cross section of other reviews at IFC.

The Wire, Season Two
Started: mid-September, 2009 | Finished: 10/11/09

Second seasons of TV shows make me nervous.  They inevitably introduce a slew of new characters, which are difficult to adjust to.  Everything that was wrapped up in the first season is long since forgotten, and the gang is off to a new adventure this year.  The Wire is keenly aware of these pitfalls of serialized drama, and avoids most of them by giving a broader view of Baltimore’s drug scene in which all of these sophomore season traits are nothing but believable.

The jargon seems easier to follow this season (whether it be my own adjustment, or network execs clamping down after a wordy first season I’m not sure), but the complex interrelationships between an assortment of drug runners becomes the new hurdle to jump over.  I’m not sure I grasp the massive amounts of connections going on just yet- and I’m not sure how many are legitimately involved with each other, and which are symptoms of a small(ish) city being run by a handful of kingpins.

In any case, it adds much tension to the season when the detail is always several steps behind the crooks.  Despite humanizing the bad guys in Season One, I felt this season was much more tragic, in that neither the cops nor criminals prevail— instead, it’s the people who get caught in the middle of it all who take the worst beating.  In doing so, The Wire has sunk its hooks deep into me, and won’t let go until I see how the saga finishes.

A minor beef: Those quotes up front are almost unbearably cheesy.  I understand what you’re trying to do, but it’s the punctuation that really gets me.  None of these lines would be under Potent Quotables in tonight’s Jeopardy match.  It would be much more effective, and much less cringe inducing, to format the quote as a line from a script, or even a play, if need be.  Consider:

versus:

It’s just a little classier my way, and a lot less pretentious.  (The quote selection still needs work, as you can tell.  I mean come on.  Does anybody even remember that line??)  But if this is your show’s biggest problem, you’re doing a lot of things right.  Onward to Season Three…

Stingray Sam
Started & Finished: 10/3/09

Rewatching a Cory Mcabee film is always an experience— for me, at least, repeat viewings happen on DVD.  In an empty house.  Without a theater full of people laughing along with you.  And it is a very different experience.

Which is not to say it is subpar on DVD— it is still amazing.  And I still love this movie.  But there’s something about seeing it en masse, with people who openly chose to watch, that the small screen cannot recreate.  The awkwardness when you bust out laughing at a scene while your friends sit stoic on the couch next to you is difficult.  For one reason or another, they just aren’t feeling it.

I’m glad to say that upon second viewing, I am absolutely still feeling Stingray Sam.  This time around, I found myself wondering why Mcabee chose to narrate certain plot points, and save small, intimate plot points for the actual scenes.  In The American Astronaut, it was almost certainly the other way around.  But Stingray doesn’t concern itself with propelling the plot forward.  It lets you peek inside this bizarre world for just a few minutes at a time, and then you’re onto the next episode.  And I think that’s why it’s so successful as a narrative— it leaves you wanting so much more.

The Wire, Season One
Started: 8/13/09 | Finished: 9/15/09

People seriously freak out about this show, so I felt obligated to find out why.  But 13 dense, hour long episodes is a big commitment for someone with my attention span.  Nonetheless, I pushed through the first half of the season as it crawled to a start, my trusty guide Liz explaining who each character is and answering my every question.

This show takes effort.  It requires the viewer to follow every word spoken or you might miss the subtext.  Oftentimes, subtext is all you get and it’s up to you to connect the dots.  And usually, every three words spoken is either cop or street slang.  It honestly feels like learning a different language.  The learning curve is steep, but once you catch on, it’s easy to pound through 3-4 episodes in one sitting.

While it may be a turn-off to those who like everything spelled out for them, the de facto language barrier aligns the viewer directly with the lawmen and those evading the law.  It requires you to be just as quick-witted as the best of them, and soon, you’re as invested in both sides as the heroes are.  I’ve never been a fan of network crime dramas and their open-shut cases, but The Wire makes me want to be a detective.  Though you may not be able to tell by this bland write-up, I am officially hooked.

Full Metal Jacket
Started: 8/20/09 | Finished: 8/21/09

It’s been years since I watched this, and I only watched the first “half” last night— I’m eager to watch the second part so as to finally have an opinion about the famous compartmentalized nature of Kubrick’s Vietnam movie.  I have a feeling the two sections are not as discrete as they are made out to be.  Stay tuned.

——

Well, that hunch was pretty off-base.  I definitely enjoyed the first 45 minutes more than the final hour and 15, because it felt much more Kubrickian.  I feel that Kubrick makes the ordinary very disturbing.  But war is disturbing in its own right, so the focus of the first 45 minutes allows him more influence.

I love how Kubrick worked across so many different genres, and with such success.  His take on the war epic is no exception- a definite classic.

The Mighty Boosh: The Complete Series (thus far)
Started: 3/14/07 | Finished: 8/8/09

This one time in 2007, I turned on the TV in a hotel room in Cairns, Australia at midnight after a long-delayed plane ride.  This was the clip I saw:

As you can imagine, I was mesmerized.  It was Tony Harrison that really sold me.  And I’ve been hooked ever since.  For the last two years, I’ve been relying on bootleg DVD rips to watch the series, and as a result, never got past the middle of series 2.  But finally, series 1-3 came out on DVD in the states, and I’ve spent the last few weeks rewatching those I’ve seen, and finishing out those new to me.

Those who know me know I’m not a huge fan of British comedy— in fact, I tend to downright loathe it in most cases.  (Major exception for anything Ricky Gervais-related.)  But the Boosh is a different beast entirely: it forgoes a live studio audience and high-quality sitcom sets for low production values and downright absurd scenarios that often offer no explanations.  Because Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt know you’re watching to laugh, so why bother explaining the sudden disappearance of the zoo, for example?

While traditional British comedy traits do seep in on occasion (men and/or non-humans dressed in women’s clothing), they are few and far between.  Series 3 was a bit difficult to get used to, in that it embraced higher production values that the show intentionally eschewed in earlier seasons.  But when the show is at its Booshiest, all complaints are trivial.  This is by far one of the funniest shows I’ve seen.