AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy

I usually watch a lot of classics in February/March because of the lull before summer movie season gets cranked up. Tonight I got a chance to see Repulsion (1965), the early Roman Polanski flick. Most people are familiar with his later work like Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby, or his much later acclaimed work, The Pianist. All of which are on my list of personal favorites. This is a much simpler, more frugal film, but with the same eye for detail and composition. It follows a young lady (the striking Catherine Deneuve) as she loses her mind in her sister's London apartment. Subtle at first, it quickly spirals into total madness. I'd hesitate to recommend this for people who don't like classics (or horror movies for that matter), but it's a must for any true cinephile. There's no other film quite like it. Polanski is a true master. 4/4.

Javale has always been must see TV for me.

I was thinking about this today. I'm not a conspiracy theory guy, except from a purely entertainment stand point. For instance, I enjoy watching Room 237 to hear about the wild Kubrick moon landing theories, etc. But with this, I feel like I'm telling myself it has to be a conspiracy because it could never be this obvious. But could it?

Watching CNN right now. Tapper's face as he listens to Jeffery Lord defending that clown show is hilarious.

Exactly my thoughts. A great time at the movies.

Badlands (1974). Terrence Malick's (The Thin Red Line) debut feature film. Martin Sheen goes on a cross country spree with a young Sissy Spacek. I wasn't exposed to Malick's work until I was in college, but I remember thinking that I had never seen a film quite like Badlands. It was beautiful in many ways, but somehow cold and brutal at the same time. There was a humanity to it that seemed to be missing from other films. I remember thinking it was going to be a drama, so I was struck by how violent it was. This is considered in many circles to be the best independent film of all time. It introduced me to another side of cinema, and should warrant consideration from anyone looking to broaden their film horizons. You'd be hard pressed to find a bad review of this film. It's the king of the art house and deservedly so. 4/4. I've started to find these "first four minutes" spots for some of these films. In some ways, they are better than trailers. They don't give away as much and you get an idea of what the film is like. True Romance fans will recognize the theme music.

John Wick: Chapter 2. I've always been a big fan of gun play films, going back to my early days of watching John Woo flicks. He called his style 'ballet with guns' and now they are dubbing the John Wick style as 'gun fu'. I don't really care what you call it, it sure is a lot of fun when done right. And here, it's done right. Best popcorn flick I've seen in a good while. Lots of fun. The 'mirror' sequence is sensational. I liked this one a bit more than the original, which I felt overstayed its welcome just a bit. 3.5/4. This is coming here next week. One of my friends really liked it, I've just never been a big Jim Jarmusch fan. He's one of those directors that I've just never been able to consistently lock step with. I did like Dead Man (Johnny Depp) a lot, but that's because I enjoyed the oddity of its pacing and I like Depp.

My man! Yeah, it kinda gets to you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

George Washington (2000). Follows a bunch of kids in a poor town over a summer as they pass the time and deal with a tragedy. I think I might've recommended this in here before, but I'm not sure I ever gave it the review it deserves. Very much in the style of a Terence Malick (Thin Red Line) movie, this film relies more on lyricism and tone than on an overly complex plot. It's poetry on screen. Other than Paul Schneider, the entire ensemble cast is comprised of non-actors. The performances given by the kids here are simply incredible. I still marvel at it, even though I've seen it several times. The cinematography is as good as any you will find in the indie or commercial arena. It's that good. Shot on 35mm anamorphic, it offers plenty of breathtaking images. Considering the budget, I think this stands as one of the finest pieces of independent cinema I have ever seen. It will quietly change your life. 4/4. Here's the opening sequence. If you enjoy it, I recommend finding it on Blu-Ray. Criterion put one out not too long ago.

One of my faves as well. Your lady has good taste...in movies.

Cheers brother. I am renting I Saw the Devil later this week, per your rec. Excited to check it out. Also, if you do get to check out Animal Kingdom, you should go ahead and see The Rover if you haven't already. Guy Pearce is awesome and Robert Pattinson steals the movie. Pearce hunts down a gang of three criminals who stole his car in a post apocalyptic Australian countryside. Much like Animal Kingdom, there's plenty of male bravado here. I imagine RT knocked it down a few spots because a lot of people hate films that are a bit vague. I'm more of a atmosphere/tone guy. If I dig the atmosphere, I'm gonna dig the flick most of the time. And the setting/atmosphere of The Rover is totally badass with plenty of 'whoa' moments tossed in for good measure. 3/4.

The Lives of Others (2006). This German film takes places in the early 80s in East Berlin. A government official assigns a secret police agent to conduct surveillance on a writer and his lover. As the agent builds his case, he tries to balance his dedication to the state while preserving his own humanity. This is such a beautiful film. It won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and it was much deserved. Although it's technically a spy/political thriller, this is more of a slow burner. The cinematography is exquisite. The characters feel organic. It reminded me a bit of how I felt after watching Remains of the Day, just in terms of tone. There were no explosions. Just a wonderfully crafted story that seems to keep its distance from you until you suddenly realize that it's worked its way into your bones. A terrific reminder of all of the liberties we take for granted, especially the freedom of ideas and expression. 3.5/4.

It's worth a watch for sure. You should be able to find it on Amazon, etc. It's not a super obscure title. Plenty of 'whoa' moments. Mendelsohn and the mother will blow your hair back.

Animal Kingdom (2010). It's an Australian crime flick shaped around a teenage boy and his family full of criminals. Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Pearce, and Joel Edgerton lead a strong cast, anchored by Jacki Weaver as the matriarch of the family. She is ruthless. A dynamite performance. The movie was directed by David Michod, who also directed The Rover (2014), which I was also a big fan of. I think most critics would say that Animal Kingdom is the better film, but I enjoyed The Rover a bit more for subjective reasons. I'm a sucker for dystopian, slightly strange movies. I would recommend Animal Kingdom, with the understanding that it is a rather bleak story with a strong indie feel. As it unfolds, our main character finds himself in an impossible situation that is surely to keep you in knots. The performances are the real star here. Michod just directed a Brad Pitt flick slated for release later this year. I think he's a talent worth watching. 3/4.

I missed Manchester. They pulled it a couple weeks ago before we got a chance to check it out. Bummed. I saw The Founder last night. Solid flick, but nothing special. I'm a huge Michael Keaton fan, I love his work. He's great here, but not enough to elevate the movie for me. Too much Hollywood whitewash to allow for enough grit to get under the skin. All scenes were solid. But man, there's gotta be something more here. A story with this kinda roots/betrayal/history should hit ya in the feels. It just never got there. Harvey Weinstein is becoming a ****. I did enjoy the story of McDonalds and the fast food revolution. Those details were interesting. Otherwise, a little flat for my tastes. 2.5/4 I will be reviewing several of my favorites over the next couple of months. February is always throw back month for me. Also looking forward to John Wick 2 and A Cure for Wellness.

Ron Brownstein is killing it on CNN right now. Compared the court's ruling to the route Republican attorney generals went to block Medicaid expansion in their states. Said that the next court that the decision would go to is the most Democratically slanted with about a 2-1 Dem/Pub ratio. Then, the Supreme Court would be next which sits, as we know, at 4-4. In short, Trump will have a real problem getting this overturned. Maybe I can find a video of this to post later. I thought it was the most succinct analysis I've heard yet.

Visas reinstated? Man, this is starting to feel like an all out mutiny.

Probably be fired? That's hilarious. She's toast. So brave. I couldn't be more proud of her. Now if all these Republicans could stop **** footing around the political fence with words like 'concerned' and 'worried' about the ban and call it out for what it is, maybe we could get this thing off the books. Just waiting for Donald Bannon to drop the hammer on LGBT. It'll be an HB2 for the entire country. And it'll be here before the weekend.

I like Gavin Newsom as well.

I totally agree. Any time that I discuss politics with my family (a rarity, because we know where it will lead), my first rebuttal is always 'before we discuss this, I want y'all to concede that I'm the only one in this room that has lived outside of a 60 mile radius of this house'. I still say 'yall' because even though I'm a coverted liberal, I still pander to my audience.

I realize that Spicer makes a good point every now and then. However, his insistence to continue to double down/triple down on things that are completely false disturbs me. His downplaying of Bannon, that Jews weren't mentioned in the Holocaust statement, etc. His attitude could use some tweaks as well. I do agree that Dems need to get out of Washington and see more of America. They will not like, or probably believe what they see. This is coming from someone who was raised in a conservative home, in a conservative small town in NC. Dems truly do not understand what they are dealing with.