Origins: Anomalous Material

13 07 2010

It’s two for the price of one today in “The Origins Project” with Castor and Red from “Anomalous Material.” Over the past few months, I’ve watched (with envy) as their site has grown into an enormous community.  They use the subtitle “Where Movie Lovers Show Up To Mingle” to describe their site, and it’s been nice to see the blogging community rally around it.  They are constantly making improvements to their blog, be it through the captivating design or just providing quality content.  Recently, they’ve undertaken the massive endeavor of creating a 128-movie “Greatest Comedy Ever Tournament,” which has proved to be smashingly successful and a whole lot of fun for all involved.  Castor and Red are two distinct personalities, and their answers give a great glimpse into what has made them enjoy such success.

What movie began your love affair with cinema?

CASTOR: I don’t think it was any one movie that began my love with cinema which has progressively grown over the years. For the sake of picking one, I would have to say Jurassic Park which is the first movie that I saw in theater that truly blew my mind.

RED: While I had watched plenty of movies before them, I would have to say the Lord of the Rings trilogy. When they first came out, I was 13 years old and thought they looked ridiculous. After finally giving Fellowship a shot, I fell in love. Not only with the story, but how it was told. Those movies are absolute technical monsters, and opened my eyes to what exactly a film could do. So many aspects of the movies were groundbreaking, and I’ve been comparing newer movies to them ever since.

When did you start blogging?

CASTOR: Anomalous Material began in November 2007. At the time, the blog was used for every single interest that I had and it was mostly about the stock market and my journey to Marine Officer Candidate School. Movie reviews were peppered here and there when I felt like I might have some thoughts about a movie I just saw. 90% of my visits were for my stock market analysis and about 9.9% were for my OCS posts. Needless to say, my movie reviews went mostly unread for a very long time. It was only very recently that Anomalous Material became exclusively a movie blog (about 6 months ago if I recall?) and started taking off.

RED: I somewhat started last October. I had my own blog, but after only a couple posts, I went a month or two without posting anything. I realized that running my own blog just wasn’t for me, and that’s when I joined with Castor in Janurary.

Why did you start blogging?

CASTOR: Initially, it was only to check out what this whole “blogging” business was all about. I signed up on Blogger and simply started typing stuff about some of my interests. I actually stopped for a few months before picking blogging back again. Soon enough, I received some fairly decent traffic for my daily stock market analysis as well as my posts about preparing for Marine OCS and I kept doing that for some time. Eventually though, it got boring and fairly thankless sharing market insight for no good reason –receiving hundreds of visitors and not one single comment!– so I stopped. I enjoyed writing about movies though so I kept doing that and here we are 😉

RED: Several reasons. Obviously I love to watch movies and share what I think of them. But growing up in a farm community in Nebraska and not really having anybody else around me that would be interested in the same movies as me, blogging opened up another entire world to me. It’s also an excellent release from the “real world” that is nice to escape to.

What has kept you going?

CASTOR: In large part, the blogging community since I discovered LAMB has been what has kept me not only going, but going for more. It truly is satisfying to look back and realize that you built up a meaningless little blog that received like 10 visitors a day for months (well the movie section was) to a relatively popular place that has a warm and supportive community that helps every one of us push ourselves to be better movie bloggers.

To all the bloggers out there who wonder whether it’s possible to go from an unread blog which seems to be read only by you to a place that has people regularly participating, I can tell you from personal experience that it is possible!

RED: Our awesome community with excellent fellow bloggers like Marshall! Our blog has certainly taken off within the past few months, and getting such a positive response is so uplifting. And besides, if I quit, what would I do with all that free time? Go back to ripping of mob dealers? No no no, our blog….completes…me.

Has there been a particular person (or people) that has helped you along the way?

CASTOR: I can definitely attribute the people who first started to comment on my blog regularly as the ones who have really jump-started Anomalous Material. When you are used to get no comments for months and no signs that anyone is reading what you are putting out there, I can definitely tell you that when a few people start leaving those first few comments, it really is a great feeling and you want to keep the momentum going! Although there was a few people who dropped by on an irregular basis before, Magnum and Ventilation Shaft from Cool Awesome Movies, Heather from Movie Mobsters, Jose from Movies Kick Ass are some of the very first “regulars” on Anomalous Material and I will forever be thankful to those guys! Finally, it’s always awesome when real life friends tell you that they read this or that on your blog or give you some future topic ideas for the blog so thanks to all you as well.

RED: Definitely got to give some props to Castor. I’m not exactly computer savvy, so I’m sure I have asked more than enough questions to annoy him. But he has been very helpful, giving me advice along the way, as well as a place to post all the silly things that I like to talk about.

What’s the best part of being a blogger? The worst?

CASTOR: The best part is being able to voice your opinion out there and knowing that there is dozens (or hundreds) of people out there that you know are reading the stuff you are posting and that maybe, you might affect their life even if it’s just a tiny bit on whether they would like to check out a certain movie or pay more attention to some aspects of movie-making. Not only that but also maybe affecting in some infinitesimal ways people’s taste for movies and the way those movies may be made in the future (I’m dreaming). Also, being able to engage in a discussion with the numerous participants on AM is always something to look forward to every day.

The worst part about being a blogger is related to content. Churning out content just for the sake of keeping the site “fresh” can get a bit boring every now and then. It doesn’t have to but you constantly have to be on the lookout for new topics and new potential material that can engage your readership. This can be fun or exhausting depending on the days as every blogger does go through some type of burnout every now and then.

RED: Being able to expand your movie knowledge. Like I said, I’m still trying to catch up with everybody. There are so many classics that I am ashamed that I haven’t seen, and blogging helps me discover which movies that I need to see. The worst part would be almost the same thing. With so many great movies being unwatched, who I am to say that I know what I’m talking about?

Has blogging increased or diminished your passion for movies?

CASTOR: I don’t think that blogging really increased my “love” for movies since I would enjoy movies whether I blog or not. However, I can say that it did increase my hunger to learn more about every aspects that go into making movies, good and bad. Hence, we could say it made me slightly more knowledgeable on the topic which is never a bad thing. Additionally, it has expanded my taste and I’m much more likely to see movies that I probably would have never attempted to watch before.

RED: Oh, definitely increased. While I can admit that I don’t watch as many movies that I did maybe two years ago, but I can’t say that my passion as diminished. I’m not working at Blockbuster anymore, so I don’t bring home 10 movies a week like I used to, but blogging sure does help out with the anticipation of upcoming movies and just improving your overall movie knowledge.

What’s your proudest moment as a blogger?

CASTOR: Getting a couple thousand visitors within a few hours after Heather posted my Top 100 Movies of the Decade on Reddit was definitely a early highlight of AM (At the time, we were only getting 50-60 visitors a day). Being able to help other bloggers a little bit to get their movie blogs to the next level and contributing in the overall movie blog community are also two things that feel great.

RED: The overall response to the Greatest Comedy Tournament so far. That first post received 190 comments with 350 movies nominated. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get that many movies mentioned. Though I did have to pay the price and get that number down to 128!

What advice would you give to someone looking to follow their passion? To someone starting a blog of their own?

CASTOR: Make sure to blog about something you truly feel passionate about. It’s the only way you will find the commitment to keep blogging for any extended period of time and be willing to put yourself out there. Yes, to create some sort of relationships with your reader, you have to be willing to reveal at least a few things about yourself. Additionally, ensure that you have a clear focus on your blog as this was one of the main mistake of my early days. Finally, be prepared to work hard and put in a lot of effort for very little results, especially early on. There is literally millions of blogs out there but only a tiny minority ever find some kind of following. Networking and posting good content are two of the most important things that you can do to put yourself ahead of the game.

RED: Just do it, because otherwise you’re going to regret it. It’s better to follow that road and then realize that it’s not for you, than to not take that road and always be asking yourself “what if?”. As for starting your on blog, just be patient. Your’re not going to get 20+ comments on every post right away. Just be humble and keep the ideas flowing on the site, and eventually you will get a following.


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NOLAN REVIEW: Batman Begins

12 07 2010

Nolan rose to a whole new level of notoriety by taking on the rebooting of the “Batman” franchise, taking the series in a new, exciting, and grittier direction.

Although I was alive in the 1990s, I wasn’t consciously aware of the rapid descent of the “Batman” franchise at the time.  Trying to brush up on my knowledge of the series before the release of “Batman Begins” in 2005, I watched these movies that had audiences cringing.  The Tim Burton/Michael Keaton collaborations had some sense of artistic vision, albeit in a fairly corny kind of way.  The Joel Schumacher/Val Kilmer teaming was pretty dreadful, but it doesn’t get much worse than 1997’s “Batman and Robin.”  George Clooney is a fantastic actor, but with his smug, pissy attitude, he was totally the wrong person to play the Caped Crusader.  Plus, the Batsuit had nipples, just a horrific manifestation of how far the series had sunk.

Then along came Christopher Nolan, who was still all the rage from “Memento,” with a darker vision for Bruce Wayne and Batman.  He based his approach to the movie on “humanity and realism” to make the rise of a hero all the more extraordinary.  Rather than delve into exorbitant villains like Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze, whose credibility rests on fantasy, he chose to have Batman fight the kind of men who might actually be on the streets striking terror into the hearts of citizens.

What Nolan delivered was nothing less than astounding.  He built not only a hero but a man, the oft-neglected part of superhero movies.  The priority with the movie was to develop the character of Bruce Wayne, to show what made him tick and why he would become a masked vigilante patrolling the streets of Gotham at night.  Nolan, who also wrote the movie, develops a highly effective psychological profile of Wayne (Christian Bale), who decides to done the guise of Batman to overcome the fear that has come to define his life since the murder of his parents at a young age.  He takes on the symbol of the bat, a fear of his since childhood, to share this fear with his enemies.

And it’s not just Wayne that Nolan goes to painstaking lengths to rebirth.  He also gives Gotham a facelift or rather, makes it a whole lot less glamorous.  I think that the city is one of the few things “Batman Begins” does better than its sequel.  It’s a dirty, graffiti-filled environment that looks like the breeding ground for criminals that it is.  The streets provide a great place for Batman to begin, taking down the mob and other organized crime.  They don’t really spawn much of a villain so much as someone with a threatening voice, Tom Wilkinson as boss Carmine Falcone.

We all know how great “The Dark Knight” is, and it’s easy just to bask in the glory of that.  But for Batman to start fighting a higher class of criminal, he had to learn to take care of the guys below.  In “Batman Begins,” we see just that.  Yet upon watching the movie post-“Dark Knight,” we realize that it has so much more to offer than just setting up a sequel and providing background.  It’s a fantastic movie for both character development and action that’s smarter than your average blockbuster.


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Random Factoid #349

12 07 2010

Viral websites.  Aren’t they fascinating?

It was really Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” that revolutionized their use in a movie’s advertising campaign.  I remember there was a site for just about everything in Gotham – the newspaper, the bank, the police, even the pizzeria.

Sure enough, “District 9” carved out a nice audience for itself using a similar campaign the next summer with the “Humans Only” signs on bathrooms and benches and such.  And Nolan’s own “Inception” is doing the same now.

I slap myself for not getting more involved with “The Dark Knight” viral sites.  They really did reward the people who stuck with them.  I remembered hearing that the people who put their names in had been sent free advanced screening passes to see the movie in IMAX.  Of course, only then did I scour the websites looking for a way to get my hands on the passes.  It was to no avail; I even called the number on the pizza site.

And for the record, my self-imposed moratorium on intake of “Inception” has kept me from joining their viral site.


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Origins: Get A Whiff of This Movie*

12 07 2010

Today’s “The Origins Project” comes courtesy of Andrew the Whiffer from the blog “Get A Whiff of This Movie*.” We are only beginning to explore each other’s blogs – at least through comments on his end and visits on my end – but his answers hold as much value as any long time blogging pal.  Enjoy.

What movie began your love affair with cinema?

There was no one single movie, but if I had to choose one that made me realize I was obsessed, it was “The Dark Knight.” And then I saw “Citizen Kane” and realized I liked old movies as well, and wasn’t an old fart like most of the critics I read.

When did you start blogging?

At last count, 386 days ago. 6/18/2009. Drudgery became enjoyment, very very slowly, over the next few months.

Why did you start blogging?

At first, it began because the blog was there, and now I had to at least use it. Part of it was also because I was bored. As a result, the first reviews are embarrassingly bad. I used a stuffed dog as an alter ego, redesigned the site, and I was on my way.

What has kept you going?

Mainly to simply get better at reviewing. Then after a while I would come up with new things to write about, and my blog would be my only way to put it down and out into the world. It’s gotten so bad that when I see something interesting, the writing will be composing itself in my brain. Because when normal people see a guy use a fan at full blast as a microphone, they pass it by. I can’t get it out of my head, and so I write about it, or work it into cinema, which I appreciate more through this blog and others.

Has there been a particular person (or people) that has helped you along the way?

Not at first. Then came the commenters. Two of them hated me. The third was my mother. Then I got a shout out from Roger Ebert. And you. And people at church. Even from a random attorney in Toronto whom I’ve never met, but has her own fantastic blog. I’m *hoping* that things will improve. For the longest time, I looked at the info and it said, quite simply, “NO COMMENTS.” It was pathetic. I felt like I was in a bad movie.

What’s the best part of being a blogger? The worst?

The best part is being able to express yourself on the Web without anyone killing you for it (although this is increasingly becoming less common.) The worst is the total solitude when nobody, and I mean nobody, comments for weeks upon weeks, or even responds via email, or elsewhere on the Web.

Has blogging increased or diminished your passion for movies?

Increased – but only for the good ones. After seeing great movies, I want to curl up into a little ball while seeing something painful, i.e. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

What’s your proudest moment as a blogger?

When I read my review of Play Time, then read Roger Ebert’s review of said film, and then David Bordwell’s, and realized that as far as competent style, you couldn’t tell the difference. And when Roger Ebert said that “the kid knows how to write.” Then again, he told you that “bloggers like you have greatly improved my outlook.” And he said similar things to Jenna Rocca, Grace Wang, S.M. Rana, David Bordwell, Conor Woody, and Wael Khairy. On every one of their blogs, they said something like “Oh my God! I got noticed by Roger Ebert!” Scary.

What advice would you give to someone looking to follow their passion? To someone starting a blog of their own?

If you think you can do it, go for it. Just practice, read what you’ve written, and then think to yourself, “Do I love this?” Not like a lot. Do I love what I’ve done? Would you hate to have that taken away from you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, tell me so I can check out your blog. Then full speed ahead.

On deck for “The Origins Project” is the guys from “Anomalous Material,” the booming movie lovers community.


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NOLAN REVIEW: Insomnia

11 07 2010

After the smashing success that was “Memento,” Nolan went mainstream and made a movie for Warner Bros. – a remake of the Danish film “Insomnia.”

“Insomnia” is definitely the most conventional and least Nolanesque movie that Christopher Nolan has made in his career, but even that doesn’t stop it from being one great movie.  It’s a great psychological thriller and murder mystery that is well plotted and paced, plus it features three great performances from Oscar champs Pacino, Williams, and Swank.

Tough-as-nails cop Dormer, played by Pacino of course, is sent along with his partner to investigate a murder in summertime Alaska – where the sun doesn’t set.  And the disturbing beating and death of the teenager doesn’t get to Dormer so much as that sun does, which causes him to grow restless.  As if that isn’t enough, his partner is willing to throw him under the bus for personal gain, and he has to put up with a zealous hometown cop (Swank) who learned how to do her job from the lessons he preached.

It’s got that same kind of eerie, psychological vibe as “Shutter Island” gave off this year.  But what makes the pendulum swing in favor of Scorsese’s latest over Nolan’s film is the directorial control.  Scorsese slowly leads us into the mental anguish of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Teddy Daniels, making us grow more and more anxious until we almost can’t take it anymore.  Nolan in “Insomnia” only hints at Dormer’s torment by giving the occasional visual clue.  At the end, he goes all in and uses the cinematography and quick editing to make us feel nauseous and overwhelmed like the character.  It’s very effective, but the power might have been even greater had it been more present throughout the movie.

In fact, I’d like to see Nolan remake his own movie here in a decade or so.  Not necessarily “Insomnia” itself, but with more filmmaking expertise, he could revisit this genre and give it a masterpiece.


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Origins: Detailed Criticisms

11 07 2010

Today, “The Origins Project” takes a look into Sebastian of “Detailed Criticisms,” a fairly new friend of this blog but a friend all the same. I’ve taken a particular interest in his site since we appeared on the LAMBcast together, and I encourage you to go check it out for yourself.

What movie began your love affair with cinema?

Oh boy. Starting things off with a hard question! Way to be! I’d have to say the movie that first got me hooked on movies was, and I know this is gonna sound really cliche and obvious, Star Wars. I saw it on VHS when I was seven, and absolutely loved it. Since most of my movie experience up till that point was made up of exclusively of Disney movies, this was just a completely new experience. It’s been a tricky love affair since then, but one that I continually enjoy!

When did you start blogging?

Well, my blog’s been active for about two years now, but, I was writing reviews and such for a year before that (see next question).

Why did you start blogging?

Funny story, actually! I was sitting in my room on day. I had just gotten back from skiing with the family for Christmas Break, and would be going back to school the next day. I felt like doing something to distract from the homework I had to do. So, I decided to write a review of a film I had seen over the break, in this case, No Country For Old Men. I couldn’t think of any place to write it, so I just wrote it as a note on Facebook. My friends read it, and, shockingly, liked it, and said I should keep it up. So, I did, via Facebook, and then, after about a year of that, I realized how stupid it was that I was writing reviews on Facebook, and started the blog! In retrospect: GOOD DECISION!

What has kept you going?

Just the love of movies and the fun of writing about them. Writing about movies just comes easy to me, for some reason, and I have never found it to be boring. The feedback and positive response that has started to trickle in as of late doesn’t hurt either.

Has there been a particular person (or people) that has helped you along the way?

Not really! It’s mostly a one man show. There are some people that definitely provide support (friends, readers, and the like), but, for the most part, I’ve been the biggest driving force behind the blog. Honestly, I’d still write about film and keep the blog, even if no one knew about it or read it.

What’s the best part of being a blogger? The worst?

The best part about being a blogger is the fact that you control the space, so you have the ability to fill it with whatever the hell you want! Write a review on some movie no one’s ever heard of. Post an article analyzing the supposed underlying current of anti-semitism in Disney movies. Go friggin’ nuts! If people love it? Fantastic! If people don’t love it? Fantastic!

The worst part is… you know, this is really hard. I guess for me, the worst part is feeling the need to live up to your peers. For example, my blog is primarily reviews of movies, and I don’t post all the often. Lately, I’ve been feeling the pressure to post a variety of things, and post more often. And, you know, this will ultimately help the blog become more varied, but, honestly, you should arrive at the point yourself, not because you’re trying to emulate someone who has been doing it longer.

Has blogging increased or diminished your passion for movies?

I wouldn’t say it’s diminished or increased my passion. That’s stayed pretty rocksteady! It has given me an excuse to see a perverse amount of movies that I normally wouldn’t see. If I wasn’t blogging, I can guarantee I would not have seen all three Twilight films.

What’s your proudest moment as a blogger?

About two months ago, Total Film ran their “3 Cool Blogs to Visit” section on their weekly newsletter. Imagine my surprise when my blog was featured, sharing the space with Encore Entertainment and Silent Volume, both of whom I consider my superiors in the blogging hierarchy, if there is such a thing. There have been a few other moments, like the complements people throw at me, or the fact that someone wanted to nominate my blog for a Lammy, but that one takes the cake!

What advice would you give to someone looking to follow their passion? To someone starting a blog of their own?

For both following a passion, and starting a blog: Just go for it! Don’t have any path set out in front of you. Don’t hop in hoping to create the next best thing; don’t have any aspirations to greatness. Just go for it, be enthusiastic, and good things will come to you.


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Random Factoid #348

11 07 2010

I’ve developed a new way of working out that makes it more fun, worthwhile, and quick.

Thankfully, I work out at a gym that had stays very up to date with technology. On most of the card machines, they have an iPod cord that allows you to play a video on the TV in front of the machine that’s stored on your iPod. I hadn’t utilized this capability until recently.

In the past few weeks, I’ve begun bringing up my surprisingly durable iPod from 2006 and watching some of the nearly 30 movies I have on it. So far, I’ve chosen three very different movies to watch: “Knocked Up,” “Crash,” and “Inglourious Basterds.” The latter took three visits to finish; the others took two. It really makes my work out a lot better because it adds an aspect that I enjoy to something I generally don’t really like to do.

So I guess the next step is to put a treadmill in front of my TV at home…

UPDATE: Thanks to my dad for telling me that I had a typo in this post before he told me “good morning” when I woke up today.


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REVIEW: Despicable Me

11 07 2010

A lot of comedies aren’t made by the main attraction.  We don’t love “Caddyshack” because of Danny Noonan.  “Knocked Up” might have been any old stoner comedy without Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd’s married couple breathing humor and humanity into it.  Even in animation, would you really say that your favorite character in “Toy Story” is Woody or Buzz?  Or Shrek and Fiona in the “Shrek” series?

So it’s unfortunate that Gru (Steve Carell), the despicable one that the title of “Despicable Me” alludes to, doesn’t really have much to offer us.  While most animated movies require us to suspend reality a little bit, here we have to go so far as to believe that a treacherous villain can go to Starbucks and have a house in the suburbs like normal people while still making headlines.  He becomes deadlocked in a fight for the top spot with Vector (Jason Segel), who we can never really buy as villainous because he looks like Edna Mode from “The Incredibles” in a track suit.  Their storyline is corny and, quite frankly, pretty stupid, but it sets up the “Grinch”-like tale of Gru’s adoption of three young orphans.

Thankfully, the movie doesn’t rely on Gru solely for laughs.  The minions are absolutely hilarious, easily the best part of “Despicable Me” and the real reason to see the movie.  Gru’s partners in crime resemble kernels of corn, and they pop off the screen with more energy than anyone else.  Every time they scamper on, a chuckle is guaranteed, but usually a giant laugh ensues.  We only get them in small doses as comic relief from Gru, yet I think I’d be more willing to sit through uninterrupted minion antics than the despicable villainy of their boss.

The movie has a big heart, something all kids movies should have but few really do nowadays.  This is most evident every time the three adorable kids waltz on screen, particularly the youngest, Agnes, who totally wins us over.  I probably would have cried had it been told with Pixar sensitivity.

So, despicable you, Gru, for hogging all the screen time.  You may be the #1 supervillain, but you aren’t the #1 attraction in your own movie.  B /


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Origins: Four of Them

10 07 2010

Today, “The Origins Project” takes a look at Simon/Ripley of the blog “Four of Them.” She was the winner of my commenting contest back in April and chose “A Serious Man,” my least favorite of the Best Picture nominees, as her prize. By the way, I did send it (albeit a little late) and didn’t get any sort of confirmation that it arrived. No “thank you” comment or anything. Such is the kind of thing she would say with her fiery and often foul mouth, as shown by my censorship below. But my rudeness is all in jest – and because she would do it to me in a heartbeat. This is one smart and darned funny blogger. Check out her remarks below.


What movie began your love affair with cinema?

Donnie Darko, or rather, it got me into the whole internet thing, as I was going through Google search pages trying to find some explanations.

When did you start blogging?

On and off since I was, like, 10, but I didn’t do it consistently and on my current site until January last year.

Why did you start blogging?

This time, my sister wanted me to make an account so she could get 200 followers, then I just started using it.

What has kept you going?

Comments, fool.

Has there been a particular person (or people) that has helped you along the way?

My lovely, glorious batch of followers, my a**hole sister, and my own drive to procrastination.

What’s the best part of being a blogger? The worst?

The best is getting comments, even if the entire post is me whining about how s***ty my computer is. The worst is I can’t watch a movie anymore without mentally writing a review for it.

Has blogging increased or diminished your passion for movies?

Increased.

What’s your proudest moment as a blogger?

The first time I got a post with more than ten comments, which, y’know, is kind of a big deal when you’re fairly uncontroversial. It was on my Desert Island DVDs post for Fandango Movie Groovers’ blogathon.

What advice would you give to someone looking to follow their passion? To someone starting a blog of their own?

Have an already-distant relationship with your parents. And have plenty of sugar daddies to buy you movie tickets.


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NOLAN REVIEW: Memento

10 07 2010

After “Following,” Nolan adapted his brother’s short story to create one of the most gripping psychological thrillers of our time, “Memento.”

I can’t tell you enough to see “Memento.”  And then see it again.

I’ve only seen it once, but I can easily foresee multiple re-viewings in the near future.  It’s a movie so brilliantly crafted by the fearless Christopher Nolan that it surely can’t be fully comprehended at once.  Plus, I get the feeling that I’ll appreciate how intricate it really is more and more with each time I see it.

I won’t claim to be any sort of expert on the movie, but there’s plenty that I can tell you from one viewing.  The trick is how to describe it without giving too much away.  Nolan adapted “Memento” from one of his brother’s short stories, and he uses ingenious plot devices to tell the story of amnesiac Leonard Shelby, played by Guy Pearce, who lost his memory after witnessing his wife’s murder.  He’s left with almost no ability to store new memories, something that greatly impairs his ability to hunt down his wife’s killer.  Leonard has to leave himself little clues and notes to remember key facts in his hunt, which he does mainly by tattooing them all over his skin.

We get to see his hunt through two different storylines that run perpendicular.  Nolan keeps us guessing until the very end as we feel there’s a twist coming but still manage to wind up completely dumbfounded and stupefied by the conclusion.  I don’t think I’m spoiling the fun for you first-time watchers because I was aware of the presence of a twist ending and was still caught completely off-guard.  It’s too genius to see coming, and if you do, kudos because you are clearly smarter than me.

Just like any movie Nolan directs, the tension in the air can be cut with a knife.  It’s masterfully made, told with a visually arresting style that will have you completely engrossed from the first Polaroid flash.  “Memento” is like a giant puzzle, and it’s one you almost certainly can’t have entirely pieced together once the movie is over.  It may take many, many viewings before all the pieces come together … and that doesn’t bother me in the slightest.


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Random Factoid #347

10 07 2010

The Bible has a lot to teach us, but you might be interested to know that it can actually lend insights into cinema.

For instance, on my Wilderness trip, I read the entire book of James.  There’s a passage in that book, James 1:5-6, that really stuck out to me:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Ever since I saw “Doubt” back in 2008, I wondered why John Patrick Shanley used the violent weather, particularly the wind, as a motif throughout the movie.  And now I know; it was a clever Biblical allusion.  At least that’s what I’m going to assume.


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F.I.L.M. of the Week (July 9, 2010)

9 07 2010

As the countdown to “Inception” hits seven days and the nail-biting stage begins, I think it’s a perfect time to look back on the career of Christopher Nolan.  Today is the kick-off for a week long celebration of the director.  I’ll review all of Nolan’s movies leading up to Friday, where I will offer my take on “Inception.”  In addition, I hope to take a look at some of Nolan’s influences, reviewing those movies with particular attention to how they shaped one of the most influential directors of our time.

And it all starts here with the “F.I.L.M. of the Week,” Nolan’s first film, “Following.”  It’s a very modest debut in terms of scale; it stars no one you know and is nowhere near as flashy as “The Dark Knight.”  To put Nolan’s success in perspective, “Following” was budgeted at $6,000.  “Inception” cost $175 million to make.  Yet it’s interesting to watch this movie now, twelve years after its release, and see how it set the stage for some of the themes Nolan would choose to explore as a filmmaker.

The film follows a young writer in London, so desperate to find a story that he begins following random people for inspiration – yet another Nolan character living outside the lines.  He begins to set rules to avoid being pulled into darkness and obsession, but eventually these rules begin to fade away as he follows a fascinating and wealthy man.

The man, Cobb, confronts him and introduces him to a world of burglary for a more psychological than material effect.  Before long, the young writer is completely drawn in, consistently accompanying Cobb for robberies.  In typical Nolan fashion, nothing is really as it seems.  Much like “Memento” and “The Prestige,” the movie leads you in one direction and then yanks the rug out from under you in the climactic moments.

It’s amazing how Nolan’s artistic vision and commitment to keeping suspense so taut can still shine in such a small movie.  I hadn’t even heard of “Following” before today, but it packs as much power in its 70 minutes as any of Nolan’s other movies.  Because it is incredibly obscure, the only way I was able to watch it was online.  I want you all to experience Nolan as well, so I took the liberty of embedding the Google Video below.  You can enjoy “Following” without even leaving this blog.


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Categories : Blog Events, F.I.L.M. of the Week, Movie Reviews, Nolan Marathon

Random Factoid #346

9 07 2010

Last night I got rejected from my second straight advanced promotional screening.  I’ve got some bad karma working, hopefully I’ll turn it around next week.

Anyways, the theater was nicer than any other I’d been to for these screenings and offered discount prices on all other movies.  All you had to do was surrender the pass at the box office.  I had four passes for two people, but I still printed them all out anyways.

I happened to see my Sunday School teacher and his nephew there to see “Toy Story 3.”  After my friend and I had exchanged our two passes for tickets, basic math would tell us that I still had two passes left.  Basic math is correct in this situation.

A thought then entered my head, and I decided to make someone else’s night.  I went up to my Sunday School teacher and gave him the other two passes.  It ended up saving him about $6.  As I handed them to him, I said, “Take these, it will save you money.”

As I made this exchange, the lady in charge of the screenings happened to be watching.  I walked away with a big smile on my face, and I happened to catch a glimpse at her expression.  She was less than pleased, as if I had just committed extortion or cheated.

And I didn’t care what she thought.  She got to see the movie, and I didn’t.  I did something good for someone else and made the best out of a bad situation.


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Origins: The M0vie Blog

9 07 2010

Today, “The Origins Project” takes a look at Darren of “The M0vie Blog.” We’ve only just begun enjoying each other’s company, but I value how much he comments on my blog – I should be more motivated to reciprocate and do the same. I want to say I discovered his site through “Anomalous Material,” but I can’t say for certain. Nevertheless, enjoy his response and imagine him saying them in his Irish accent (that I’m going to assume he has).

What movie began your love affair with cinema?

Hard to pick just one, to be honest – I’ve loved it since I was a kid – before I remember actually seeing any of these movies.

When did you start blogging?

I’ve been blogging for a year-and-a-month now, so am just a tiny bit old than your good self. I’ve posted more than 600 posts in that time – some of them have got to be half decent, right?

Why did you start blogging?

I’m not sure why. Maybe I had free time after college – work is just eight hours a day, but I’d been pushing myself a lot more during my education. Maybe I just wanted a little bit of space and to do something that I wanted to do – I’m not one of the ten people in the world who would do their job for free. Maybe I just wanted a bit of practice writing. I produce about 2,000 words a day, so when I figure out what I want to write about, it should be a synch, right?

Okay, so maybe that’s not going to happen, but it’s nice to have a little diary of my film opinions over the past year. So I can look back in a decade and chuckle at the naive young kid who thought Demolition Man was actually quite good. I tend to waffle a lot on stuff that I think about, no matter how small – it’s nice to put them into words.

What has kept you going?

I’ve never really had a “dark half-hour of the soul” or anything or thought of giving up, but the support from the blogging community (and friends and family when they found out) has been great.

Has there been a particular person (or people) that has helped you along the way?

Those other more experienced bloggers who took an interest in me and popped over the fence to say hello. I really appreciate that.

And the better half, who has plenty of time for my own personal foibles.

What’s the best part of being a blogger? The worst?

Best part is the freedom. Write what you want, when you want. Ramble about this, that or the other. Find people who are interested in these nerdy little things and want to share. And the community is pretty awesome.

The worst is… maybe the time you spend at it. Not in a bad way, just like I feel I have to post twice daily or I’m letting myself down. Like a daily jog before trying that novel-writing thing I plan to do at some point.

Has blogging increased or diminished your passion for movies?

It has made me more cynical. But we all get more cynical when we over analyse stuff, don’t we? As you pay more attention to films – structure, special effects, Hollywood politicking – it’s easy to miss the magic that slips between the frame. On the other hand, it has introduced me to talents I wouldn’t know otherwise, and it’s helped me observe a whole heap of storytelling conventions and mannerisms.

What’s your proudest moment as a blogger?

Making the front page of wordpress. Twice. Being quoted in an internet magazine discussing the Oscar voting changes. Sparking a bit of discussion over really inane things like whether Burton’s Alice in Wonderland could be considered a feminist text. Being named one of the five pop culture blogs in Ireland. Little things like that.

What advice would you give to someone looking to follow their passion? To someone starting a blog of their own?

Just do it. Figure out what works. Find what’s comfortable. There will be teething pains finding your voice, but you’ll love it. Or you’ll find out it’s not for you. Either one is a win.

Oh, and don’t worry about hits. I won’t lie and say that “if you write it, they will come”. I’m still not exactly setting my hit counter on fire. Do it for you, not for hits.


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REVIEW: The Last Airbender

8 07 2010

You’ve almost assuredly heard all the bad buzz surrounding “The Last Airbender.” And yes, it’s pretty bad.  But don’t let the 9% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes convince you that this some sort of cataclysmic flop.  It’s no worse than any of the other mindless, soulless blockbusters that studios engineer to turn our suffering into their profit.

The root of the movie’s problems is producer, writer, and director M. Night Shyamalan and his decade-old hubris from creating one of the greatest thrillers ever made, “The Sixth Sense.”  The allure wore off in 2004 with the release of “The Village,” and it’s been all downhill since.  No longer can he coast on the glory of that one movie; you can’t feed America crap and then fall back on dusty laurels.  One can only hope that this wakes Shyamalan from his stupor, and he will go back to making good movies.  That would make one good thing that could come from “The Last Airbender.”

Everything suffers from Shyamalan’s ignorance.  His script is unimaginative and dull.  Simply put, he just cannot handle themes or dialogue.  The plot does move, although at the pace of molasses sliding down a mountain.  It’s no simple task to dumb down genocide, but Shyamalan does it with ease (and that’s not a compliment).

The acting is all pretty laughable, even Dev Patel (for whom I yelled “JAMAL!” upon seeing).  I normally don’t think ethnic casting too big of an issue, but it did bug me that the three leads were white and everyone else was Indian.  Unfortunately, the worst among the ranks is Noah Ringer, who plays top dog Aang thanks to his discovery at an open casting call.  Apparently, they weren’t looking for anyone with any talent or acting skills.  You could have stuck one of the E-Trade babies in the movie and gotten a more emotionally compelling and appropriate performance.  Never did I think I would see the day when I would pine for models turned actors, but watching “The Last Airbender” made me do just that.

The visuals aren’t terrible, and the bending of the elements looked pretty cool.  I could even get over the fact that the art of bending looks like a step-by-step instructional for urban dancing.  But once again, Shyamalan undoes what the visuals could have done for the movie by sculpting horrible action sequences.  His use of slow-motion is more than excessive, it’s outrageous.  And when the adrenaline-fueled action moves as slowly as the rest of the movie, you know you’re in for a painful ride.  C- /


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