Alright, let the journey begin! #gnetx #sse
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Sunday, February 09, 2014
The World's End
I feel the THE WORLD'S END was the ultimate maturation of the Cornetto Trilogy, mostly for the characters and the actors that played them. I liked SHAWN OF THE DEAD but was never crazy about it because I was tuned into more serious zombie fare. HOT FUZZ had more of that something special going for it with many layers of plot and twists on expectations. But it still didn't hit it home for me. But watching THE WORLD'S END, I thorough enjoyed following Simon Pegg and Nick Frost with all their baggage and as if they finally made sense to me. The plot wasn't nearly as sophisticated and the humor wasn't nearly as zany but it all gelled for me to the bitter end. It did remind me of THIS IS THE END but with less d*** references and with a little more sincerity - I really liked both movies. #sse #gnetx
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
5 Star Movies - Part 1
According to my Netflix ratings, these are films that I rated as 5 out of 5 stars. Granted a 5 star movie to me is usually a 4 star film that I happen to see at the right time and right place - where the film hit a distinct chord in me or marked a pivotal moment in my memories. And I never claim to have a particularly refined taste in film but I do know what I like. There are still many films yet to be added to this list - many good films in my 4 star list waiting to be promoted to 5 stars.
Ran - Epic Kurosawa. Bloody, haunting, tragic. It may be a slow burn but the totality of this film is of a time lost to Japan (in history and in film).
Quigley Down Under - What? A Tom Selleck movie in my favorite films of all time? Yes but there's also the venerable Alan Rickman as a villain as good if not equal to his Hans Gruber in DIE HARD. And it's a Western (in Australia) with one of the best showdown endings.
Spirited Away - A world building that is so uniquely Japanese and so uniquely Miyazaki, with many parallels to how we as humans are impacting our home world. And a touching coming-of-age story that only Miyazaki can tell.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - The best of the Indy Jones movies. As campy as it can get, the action, the plotting, the adventure is Spielberg in top form. A toy box of socio-political action figures in worldy-fictional set pieces - so much fun.
Blood Simple - This was my intro to the Coen Bros but more importantly as I studied the Coens I was introduced to hard boiled novelist Dashiell Hammett. Both have shaped me as a filmmaker and this film is a prime example of what you can do on the indie level with just a talented cast, a film camera, and a finely tuned, high-tension script.
#gnetx #sse
Saturday, February 01, 2014
Kurosawa Night!! Free Japanese Cinema Screening
Kurosawa Night! Wednesday, February 12@ 7:00PM. Venue: The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, Auditorium (5700 Wilshire Blvd. #100, Los Angeles, CA 90036). Admission: Free. Reservation is not required.
#gnetx #sse #skyguy76
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