day 31 - 500 Days of Summer

OK film fans, it's Sunday night and I'm feeling pretty lazy. I was going to post something easy, an old favorite or a goofy comedy, but I happened to visit my sister today and she told me she had just watched a film I had recommended to her. We talked about it for a bit since she said she had enjoyed and I asked her if I could borrow it (good ole Netflix) so I could re-watch it. Now, I had recommended this film to friends and family after one viewing when it first came out, but I was looking forward to re-watching it because during the initial viewing I found myself uncomfortable for about half of the film. I must admit that for a good 30 to 45 minutes I was beginning to hate this film.

500 Days of Summer is an unusually structured film that, as Roger Ebert points out, "begins by telling us how it will end and is about how the hero has no idea why." It also begins by telling us that this is not a typical love story. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt hitting full stride as a young actor) meets and immediately falls for the new girl in his office, Summer (Zooey Deschanel, my actress crush). The feeling is not mutual. That is not to say that she doesn't take a liking to him, she does, she just doesn't expect it to lead anywhere.

This is a common storyline in romantic comedies but it gets a twist and some fresh perspective thanks to a marvelous script from its first time scribes. Immediately it lets us know where Tom stands: he is enthralled with all things Summer and lets his intentions be known to his friends and family. 28 days from their first meeting, during a foreshadowing karaoke scene, we discover that Summer's ideas of relationships and love are starkly different from his. We know what day it is thanks to the labeling of the days that precede each new scene. We purposefully jump from Day 27 to Day 290 to Day 134 all in an effort to make us realize this film will not remotely attempt to tell a linear story. More astutely, it tells the story the way you might remember someone from your past, lingering on important days, both good ones and bad. And when you've recently been dumped you always start with the good. It takes more time and reflection to remember the bad.

This is important because, while Summer likes Tom, we find out early and often that typical Hollywood assigned gender roles have indeed been switched. And in this detail is where I find the script fresh, clever and painfully insightful. I've heard before that in all relationships there's a pursuer and the pursued. Someone always loves the other person just a little more than they're loved back. Here's a film that takes countless rom-com story lines about guys who are flippant or oblivious about a girls love and flips it. It works because its true and this film, like a modern descendant of the "Say Anything" species, sticks to its premise faithfully. Well, not entirely, there is a bit of Hollywood in its DNA, as evident in its ending.

Despite us knowing from the outset essentially how the film will end we find ourselves in Tom's shoes, reliving the days and trying to figure out how he ended up with a broken heart. In yet another wise script choice, we never fully understand who Summer is or why she makes her decisions, similar to the way we never fully understand how or why a partner in a relationship comes to their decisions. Summer sends mixed messages to Tom, she states she doesn't like being some one's girlfriend, she isn't looking for anything serious, just casual and yet she is the instigator of their first kiss and their first night together. They have tons in common, from their hipster dress styles to music and literature tastes. But these are superficial commonalities and Tom throws all of her cautionary statements to the side and blindly continues his pursuit, deliriously happy.

In some movies his traits, persistence, faithfulness and charm, would win him the girl. In some men's' lives this happens as well. But as Tom learns, these traits will not always help you win the girl, especially when the girl has told you this up front. I'll come clean here; this is what threw me while watching the film. I have been in Tom's shoes. I have been the pursuer and not been able to convince the pursued that I was the right choice. I have ignored the telltale signs that things are not going to end well, primarily for me, and blindly fell in love. I painfully learned that when a woman states she isn't looking for anything serious, 9 times out of 10 that exactly what she means.

Because of this (and probably my crush on Zooey) I began to resent Summer's actions and find her character cruel and mean spirited. And until I realized why, the effect it was having on me I found rather upsetting. If you watch the film casually you might come to the same conclusion. But all the signs are there to serve as warnings to young Tom. Even though Summer's actions sometimes belie her words and the finality of their relationship is presented in a way that can be at best described as absentmindedly cruel, Tom ensures his own heartbreak by not heading these warnings. Tom would not be Summer's last love, but he learns an invaluable lesson from her. He learns to listen to himself. He also learns how to play the Penis Game.

day 30 - Godzilla vs. Megalon, Ultraman

OK film fans, I woke up this Saturday morning feeling a bit nostalgic for the Saturday morning excitement I would feel as a kid. The rush my sister and I would get from waking up at the crack of dawn, full of energy missing during weekday mornings, to watch cartoons that ran from 7AM to 10AM. Fueling my excitement with copious amounts of sugary cereal until my mom would cut off the supply and send me outside to burn it off. On sunny days we would play football and baseball, ride our bikes anywhere and everywhere, and then play games like freeze tag, kick the can and dodge ball.

But if it was a rainy day, and there were plenty with all the thunderstorms passing through the Midwest, then I would often get on Cy-Ride, Ames' bus system courtesy of ISU, and head to one of the theaters in town. Now, being a college town, the theaters in Ames were a bit more experimental than the norm in most small towns, Iowan or otherwise. On many weekends they still employed a tradition know as the double feature, (which has disappeared from theaters like my favorite seat in the balcony) primarily geared for kids from the ages 8 to 12. Whenever I think of the double features there's always one show, from around '77 or '78, which comes to mind.

Godzilla vs. Megalon and Ultraman are a one-two combo punch of adrenaline and fun for kids of all ages. Usually a double feature would consist of two similar themes or have the same starring character. While these are both products of the abundantly imaginative Japanese TV/Film system of the 60s, they are also linked in my mind by two separate characters who I thought were one in the same as a kid. It's these characters that made an indelible impression on my fertile young imagination. Respectively, Jet Jaguar and Ultraman are similarly styled characters, especially in appearance.

A minor player in the Godzilla films, Jet Jaguar only made this one appearance, but what an appearance it was. I have always loved Godzilla films and this is one of my favorites in the series. It doesn't hurt that it was canonized by the classic show MST3K. If you have a rainy day to spare, here's their entire take on the film. Since you more than likely won't, here's a quick and educational summary and Jet's classic theme song (lyrics are courtesy of MST3K and may not be a direct translation.)

While Godzilla films were regularly seen in double features and matinees, I had already seen most of them on TV long before seeing them on the big screen, the Ultraman film was a singular experience that settled into my subconscious. I never saw any of the Japanese TV shows it was based on, but the effect it had on me and my friends lingered for years. It was the first combination I had ever seen of kung-fu and sci-fi, blowing the minds of every kid in the theater. For the next month my friends and I would mimic the moves and sounds we remembered from the film. It was an introduction to outrageous, acrobatic, over the top choreographed fight scenes with interlaced special effects, like a comic book hero none of us had ever heard of coming to life. It was Iron Man meets Bruce Lee and I loved every second of it.

Like the aforementioned Iron Man, I still have moments that jolt my inner little kid with a rush of adrenaline and fun, but these days the moments are few and far between. But sometimes, on a Saturday morning, I'll wake up in a mood that transports me back to the excitement of Scooby Doo, a bowl of Captain Crunch and a 17'' color TV.

day 29 - The Prophecy

OK film fans, it's Friday Night and I'm not going to dig in too deep tonight, but I do have a gripe I'd like to share with you. It never ceases to amaze me the crap that Hollywood will trot out, shiny with the polish of a big budget and a marketing campaign equal to the price of a dozen indie films. Allow me to point out a prime example of this downward spiraling trend.

The Prophecy is an odd little apocalypse film about the war between opposing factions of angels in Heaven extending their battle to Earth. Along for the ride is a cop who suffered a conflict of faith just as he was to become an ordained priest (Elias Koteas), a villainous arch-angel Gabriel (Christopher Walken), humanities best friend Lucifer (Viggo Mortensen) and a small town school teacher caught in the middle (Virginia Madsen). Written and directed by Gregory Widen, whose cinematic contributions include Highlander and Backdraft, the film is uneven but admirable in its originality. It takes an unusual look at theological concepts of good and evil and the role of angels in Christian ideology. It also has the wisdom to realize this is all too silly to be taken seriously and as such has the good sense to give a wink to the audience to let them know this is going to be a bit campy. Released by midsized studio Dimension Films in 1995 it grossed just a tad over $16 million on a budget of $8 million, making it enough of a cult success to spawn four sequels of which two went directly to video. All in all a nice little hall for a fringe movie.

But Hollywood executives, being the most inept, soulless, brainless, greedy scumbags on the West Coast (Wall St has locked down the East Coast), have never been confused with individuals who have mastered the concept of "original" ideas. At some point a Sony/Columbia scumbag was handed the script for Legion, that I imagine smelled of feces and broken dreams, which was attached to a visual effect guru turned writer/director named Scott Stewart. Now, I usually try to see films before I go into a rant but after suffering through this trailer, which is easily the most unholy collection of film cliches ever assembled, I feel confident in stating this film is a giant turd sandwich.

However, thanks to the growing hordes of film goers who are attracted to glossy visual effects over originality, like weasels drawn to a shiny nickel instead of berries on the vine, this craptastic explosion of regurgitated horror film/video game scenes has made almost $22 million in one week. I can only pray we are spared a world forced to endure sequels and video games devoted to this apogee of cinematic greed.

day 28 - Pulp Fiction

OK film fans, I'm feeling pretty spry for a Thursday night and since I happened across this film juggernaut tonight on IFC. As I mentioned just the other night, the formulaic state of Hollywood is something I despise. I understand that many people view films solely as an escape, a way to enjoy a few hours of mindless fun and many use films as a babysitter. But every so often a film comes out of nowhere and, typically using images of violence taken from the underbelly of society, manages to shock both Hollywood and the audiences out of their ossification.

Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is a classic example of postmodern film that simultaneously created a cottage industry of piss poor knockoffs (most notably 2 Days in the Valley and The Boondock Saints) and, as anything postmodern should do, riled the sensibilities of the mainstream. There are at least a dozen different topics that stem from this polarizing film, but tonight I'd like to detour into one few people seem to acknowledge.

Pulp Fiction is, since its release in 1994, one of the most ethical films of its time. That's right, a film that glorifies lowlifes and killers is one of the most morally intricate films in recent history. It offers a unique and vibrant dissection on the themes of rescue, miracles and salvation that few films attempt let alone find success in. Virtually every sequence in the film explores motifs on rescue. It begins with the rescue of the briefcase from the young hoods that have wrongfully come into its possession, proceeds with Vincent's rescue of Mia and Butch's rescue of Marsellus and ends with Jules's rescue of Honey Bunny and Pumpkin. This is paralleled by the presence of miracles throughout, the most obvious being the bullets that miraculously miss Jules and Vincent. No less a miracle is Vincent bringing Mia back from the dead or Butch somehow freeing himself from his ropes allowing him to save Marsellus.

Both of these ideas are combined with the theme of salvation where each character is presented moral choices which not only hold their lives in the balance, but their souls as well. Everyone in Pulp Fiction either accepts or rejects the moral choice to save or be saved. Let's look at the characters and their choices, as broken down by Thomas Pope:

Honey Bunny and Pumpkin - are saved by Jules
Vincent - remains "the tyranny of evil men" by denying the miracle; he does save Mia but remains unsaved himself.
Jules - changes from a murderer to would-be saint, taking lives in the beginning and saving lives in the end.
Butch - changes from a corrupt boxer to an honest man to an accidental killer to Marsellus's savior - "shepherding the weak."
Marsellus - even though he extends mercy to Butch, he remains "the tyranny of evil men"
Mia - is saved by Vincent
Mr. Wolf - saves Jules and Vincent.

Ultimately the film asks a question of us as well. Do you accept or reject these lowlifes and killers as worthy of salvation? This postmodern and pop culture wonder subtly reminds the mainstream that everyone, regardless of their transgressions, is worthy of both notice and salvation.

day 27 - Before Night Falls

OK film fans, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about our favorite foreign films. I included in my list films like The Discreet Charms of the Bourgeoisie and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, but I also listed tonight's film. Unfortunately, my memory did not serve me well and I'm embarrassed to acknowledge that, while set in Cuba, it was in fact not a foreign language film. However, it is still one of my Top 10 films of all time and is the perfect film for me to explain in part why this little experiment is so cathartic and, now more than ever, important for me.

Before Night Falls, by the gifted painter and director Julian Schnabel, is an impressionistic biopic of Cuban poet and novelist, Reinaldo Arenas (Javier Bardem, in his breakout role), from his childhood in Oriente province to his death in New York City. His impulse to write poetry arises in a world that has no room and no real need for it. The rest of the film follows his attempts to find a place where his passion can flourish. He has to fight for his words, and he almost dies for them.

At age 20, Arenas' first book, "Singing from the Well," was published, and would be the only one of his works to receive a printing in Cuba. By the late 1960s, the Castro government was coming down hard on artists and homosexuals, which made Arenas a double target. His second novel, "Hallucinations," was smuggled into France, where it was published to great acclaim. From there on out, authorities endlessly harassed him and, finally, railroaded Arenas into prison after the author was falsely accused of sexual molestation

Arena's writing was about tearing away concealment, as all great writing should be, and it is a testament to Schnabel's skill as a director that the film mirrors this objective. This film came out shortly after my own nondescript stint at a third rate film school had ended and sparked some emotions I often try to repress. Tonight in an effort to tear away some of my concealment, I'm posting, from a sporadically used journal, an excerpt of an entry made after I originally saw this film.

While watching the movie I was fixed on the story of this man who had literally nothing but the gift to write, which he seemingly had from the first day, a true gift from God. This gift allowed him to rise out of poverty and ignorance into the world of literature. And yet this gift from God couldn’t save him from the persecution of man. His homosexuality branding him a subversive and an outcast, he eventually escaped the prisons of Cuba only to die of AIDS in NY at the age of 40. Despite everything, the pain of his childhood, abject poverty, being fatherless, a despondent mother and hateful grandfather, the persecution of the Cuban government and his own short-comings, this is a man whose life was so much more fulfilling and complete than mine has been. He wrote in every condition possible and it boiled within him, lifting his spirit enough to survive. He loved even under fear of reprisal and took chances where surely lesser men would have fallen to their knees and asked God why or cursed him loudly and given up all hope. I realized that my life is afflicted in some way, that I have had opportunities many would only dream of having and yet have done nothing. Why? Because of my fear of what others might say, my fear of failure and rejection, my fear that I am not worthy nor gifted enough to succeed? Fear, plain and simple, has wrested control of my life from me.

As soon as the movie was over I left the theater, only just briefly nodding to Lori and Eze. I had no desire to talk to either one of them when neither would understand my feelings. I wanted to keep the moment pure and not share it with anyone. I wanted to reminisce about the patterns of the movie in my head without disturbance. I wanted to believe that I was worthy of putting my pen to paper and releasing the feelings that are so lost inside my head. I didn’t want to share the moment or speak a word and feel inadequate all over again. I put KUVO on and began to drive home, thinking of my feelings about the movie and my own life.

I realized that I was close to the park on 3^rd and Claremont, the one I always called Sundial Park. I pulled into the parking lot, got out of the car, sat on the cold stone of the steps and stared at the city lights with their reflective amber and white glow on the clouds above. I sat in the icy wind and let the emotions that were buried inside me well up and pour out. I breathed them out into the cold night and tried to let them go, but they are still with me, softer and less defined but lingering all the same. I breathed them out into the night and felt remorse for a life passing by and yet not truly lived. I stood up and reflected on the cool, still night; the rows of trees rustling ever so faintly in the background. I rose to my feet and inhaled the cold air. I breathed back in the emotions I had wished to expel. I got in my car, drove home and began to write. I hope this feeling never ends.

day 26 - Worlds Greatest Dad

OK film fans, as you might have detected from my posts, I am not the biggest fan of Hollywood stories and especially of Hollywood endings. And tonight's little gem is shining example of how much fun indie films can be when in the right hands.

Worlds Greatest Dad is among those wraith-like films that flicker into existence and disappear before most of us even know it was here. Thank goodness for Netflix! Written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, the auteur behind Stay and Shakes the Clown, is a film with merciless acuity that ridicules collective grief and the news media’s cynical marketing of inspiration and canonization after a death. This nihilistic comedy ultimately scorns the human impulse to find a deeper meaning in any tragedy, especially when none is forthcoming.

Lance Clayton (Robin Williams), a divorced failed novelist and poetry teacher in his son’s high school, struggles to put up with Kyle (Daryl Sabara in a surprisingly good performance from the new actor) and his anti-social behavior. Kyle is a pudgy, foulmouthed, not-so-bright loser, obsessed with masturbation. Kyle has only one friend, Andrew, a quiet kid just trying to get some time away from his alcoholic mother. Lance comes home after a date with his sometime girlfriend Clarie (Alexie Gilmore), the school’s art teacher, who has recently shown signs of interest in Mike, the newly published English teacher, to discover his son dead from auto-erotic asphyxiation in front of his computer.

Lance makes a quick decision to alter the appearances of the scene and make it look like suicide, complete with an introspective, emotional suicide note. Despite the slow start, it's at this point the film begins to shine. Based on the circulation of the suicide note, at the behest of the schools' newly appointed grief counselor, Kyle becomes venerated in the school. Once he discovers news of the note helping students come forward with their issues Lance fakes Kyle's journal for distribution to the school. Soon he is on a regional Oprah-esque TV show, publishers are courting him, his girlfriend refocuses her affections towards him and the school principal informs him the library is to be re-dedicated in his posthumous honor.

This is by no means a masterpiece. It's visually comparable to most amateur films and filled with one-dimensional caricatures. Still, the film knows what it wants to say and like a good film should, it shows you rather than tells you. But to be honest, without its brazen ending I wouldn't be writing about this film. Now I won't give away the ending, but as I said at the top, it's definitely not Hollywood and it's a hell of a lot more fun than the trite ending a studio would have tacked on. Even better is the not-so-thinly veiled message that the things you want most may not be the things that make you happy and that being lonely is not necessarily the same as being alone.

day 25 - Top 5 Upchuck Scenes

OK film fans, it's Monday night and I'm coming down with a cold. As you may know, sick is officially a four-lettered word in the workplace so I can look forward to dragging my ass in and feeling horrible all week. In honor of this enjoyable process, I give you the Top 5 Upchuck Scenes, and I think you know what I mean.

5. Sandlot Chewing Tobacco + Children + Tilt a Whirl = A crowd covered in nasty brown liquid chaw. I wasn't able to find the full scene of them on the ride, but you get the idea of where it's going from the clip. My first attempt was actually more visually stunning than this scene. When I was in high school, no I won't say what year, a group of us were at the local bowling alley in between parties on a Saturday Night. Not wanting to lose my buzz I thought I'd try a chew of Cope(enhagen). Always a good call when you have a stomach full of beer. Not being able to spit into a cup in the proper chew spittin' manner, after about a half an hour I managed to gut about half the chew. Feeling queasy, I got up from the table and begin to walk to the bathroom. By the time I reached the door I was at a full sprint and as I opened the door I launched a projectile wall of chaw soup that would have made Linda Blair proud. Unfortunately since I was running at the time I couldn't stop and ended up sliding on my own chew carpet across the entire length of the bathroom, hitting the back wall and having to grab the stall door to keep from ending up with a back full of chew hurl. Good times, good times.

4. I Love You, Man Bromances are so 2009, but hurling after chugging a beer, timeless. Hurling directly on a friend after chugging a beer, Epic.

3. The Exorcist This is perhaps the one, single film I've ever been truly freaked out by. It's difficult, at least for me, to watch it and say "This is only a film." This scene is just one of many that have lived in the collective pop culture minds of America for decades. No one could ever look at split pea soup the same again.

2. The Meaning of Life Monty Python and their wonderful, twisted little minds brought us the unforgettable Mr. Creosote. Maitre d': Good evening sir and how are we today? Mr. Creosote: Better. Maitre d': Better? Mr. Creosote: Better get a bucket. I'm gonna throw up.

1. Team America: World Police You gotta love a whole film made with Marionettes! And much like my favorite scene from Hot Rod, the boys from South Park know how to take a funny moment, hold it until it isn't funny anymore and then hold it even longer until it comes full circle.

day 24 - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

OK film fans I just got home from watching the Saints triumph in OT over the evil Vikings (GO BEARS!). When I plopped down on the couch to watch some boob tube and mellow out before the start of a new week I was pleasantly surprised to run across an old favorite. Some films are sentimental favorites because of a time or place they remind us of; some are sentimental because of the person we saw it with. Tonight's film is sentimental because it always reminds me of a single person, my mom.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was released in December of 1967, just about the time my mother found out she was pregnant with me. Stanley Kramer's groundbreaking film, billed as the first film about an interracial couple, won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress for the legendary Katherine Hepburn. Additional standout performances by Spencer Tracy, who died before the film's release, and Sidney Poitier create a film that, while dated, deftly explores many of the issues about race we still deal with today.

60's liberal elite newspaper publishing white couple Christina and Matt Drayton, Hepburn and Tracy (an off-screen couple from 1942 until his death that never married as Tracy was a devout Catholic and never divorced his wife) find out that their young daughter Joey (Katherine Houghton) is coming home with her fiancee, Dr. John Wade Prentice (Poitier) a world renown black doctor with the World Health Organization. The clever script adds a few more hurdles: they just met in Hawaii on vacation 10 days ago, will be leaving that evening at 10 PM and are seeking their parents' approval before they leave. As a progressive San Franciscan couple they have raised a daughter who is proudly a member of the first generation after the civil rights movement of the era that are attempting to live blindly and somewhat naively, in disregard of the significance of race.

This is a film that asks the same question we ask today, can we live in a post-racial country. Objections come from more than just white people, including the Draytons' black housekeeper Tillie (Isabel Sanford of The Jefferson's in her first film role after 30 years of stage acting) who accuses the Dr of using his education and position to hide from his true identity as a black man with marrying a white woman as the last straw. Things get even worse when Dr. Prentice's parents fly in from Los Angeles for dinner and discover who their son is marrying. His father vehemently objects to the idea and tells his son it is disrespectful in light of the sacrifices the family has made for his education. This leads father and son into an argument over parental responsibility and the growing schism between pre and post civil rights generations, issues still confronted in the black community to this day. While moving, it is the one scene that seems literally out of character, given everything else we see of the respectable Dr. Prentice

The film somewhat detours from taking on the issues of interracial marriage, adverting the issue of whites vs blacks and deals with the more covert issues of "not in my backyard" racism of liberals. It deals with the objections of the fathers by calling into question their judgment and their abilities as fathers which make the issue of race secondary. Instead of playing up cultural differences it deals with the common ground of parents wanting to protect their children from bigots. Instead of a fight between races we have a struggle between a generation that is trying to overcome racism and a generation that thinks we never will.

My mother, like the character Joey, was a proud member of the new post civil rights generation. A woman who was both color blind and more African-American in her soul than many African-Americans I have met, myself included. The hardships she faced as a young woman of an interracial marriage with bi-racial children, which were numerous and disgraceful, are not explored in this film nor any film I am familiar with, which is truly a shame since it is a slice of Americana few are familiar with.

The post civil rights era of the 70s was still rife with overt racism and she never wavered for a moment when confronted by it. She introduced me to this movie when I was a teenager in the 80s and it seemed anachronistic at the time. Now, many years later, I realize how much this film means to mother both as a source of strength during a time as young woman, in rural Iowa, who thought the whole world was against her and as a message of hope for the future of her child. And at that moment she was able to sit in a theater, in front of the silver screen of Hollywood and realize that she was not alone.

day 23 - Grandma's Boy

OK film fans, Saturday is here and I'm in full veg mode. Since I'm rapidly losing the capacity for complex thought let's keep this simple. A couple of weeks ago I posted my Top 5 Comatose Monday Night Films in which I professed my adoration for stoner flicks and their ability to clear your mind without having to inhale illegal substances. I realize that in this list I managed to leave out an all time favorite, resplendent in both its stoner humor and willingness to completely ignore the boundaries of good taste.

Grandma's Boy is a recent addition to the stoner genre written and staring Allen Covert, an actor recognizable to fans of Adam Sandler films. Covert met Sandler in college at NYU and has been a part of 14 of his films. This fact alone should inform you that we are not entering highbrow country, but every once in a while you need these types of films. I had this conversation with a friend where I made the analogy of films being like food. Some are like low energy dense foods that are good for you, while some are high energy dense foods that are filled with calories and give you a quick boost. We all crave something sweet or salty, a piece of pie or a burger, that we know will be bad for us. Salads and broiled chicken are great, but every now and then you crave some bacon. Believe me, this movie is a foot-long bacon-chili-cheese dog with a side of fries.

Alex has left his accounting job and at 35, has become the oldest (he's called "Gray Bush" by his co-workers) video game tester at Brainasium, but he's also the best. When his roommate fails to pay the rent for six months because he's spent every last cent at Madame Wu's Filipino Palace ("They're not hookers, they're massage therapists!"), Alex finds himself on the street. His friend Jeff (Nick Swardson) agrees to put him up, until an unfortunate accident involving Alex and an action figure in the bathroom…which Jeff's mom happens to, well, catch. Alex's last resort is to move in with, as he tells his friends, three hot babes.

He actually is living with his sweet and loving 70-year-old grandma Lilly (Doris Roberts), along with her two roommates: the "been there, done that repeatedly" septuagenarian Grace (Shirley Jones) and the not-quite-all-there, overly medicated Bea (Shirley Knight). Throw in his wacked-out of his gourd dealer Dante (Peter Dante), hot gaming exec Samantha (Linda Cardellini) and his arch nemesis, game designer J.P. (Joel David Moore) and you get a film filled with opportunities to act stupid. Happily, it more than lives up to our expectations, which are decidedly low.

day 22 - Zombieland

OK film fans it's Friday Night, the most glorious night of the week. The work week has ended and the weekend is in its infancy. Since there are endless opportunities available in the night, we'll make this short and sweet.

Zombieland is one of the most recent additions to the genre of the undead and is quite clearly on the zombies are funny side of the fence. With a combination of comedic timing and good acting the main characters are not only funny but, unlike the cast of the horrible remakes of the 80's horror classics (The Fog, Friday the 13th, Prom Night, the list just goes on), we actually come to care about their survival. Our narrator for the film, Columbus (Jessie Eisenberg, if you don't know who he is, see Adventureland) is a survivor heading from college in Austin, Texas to his home in Columbus, hence the name, who meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson in Kingpin mode). Columbus has a series of rules created to keep him alive while Tallahassee knows how to "enjoy the little thing", i.e., he loves the creative process of taking out zombies. No sooner do they team up than they run across sisters Witchita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), a pair who were already surviving as grifters before the apocalypse and thus are cagey beyond their years.

This is flat out a zombie crushing good time with just enough scares to keep you honest. And thanks to its short running time that clips along effortlessly (88 minutes with an Easter Egg at the end of the credits) it doesn't wear out its welcome. There's a hilarious cameo in the film, which if you haven't already heard about I won't divulge here. However, here's a hint, I've listed within this post a film in which the actor has another hilarious role. I have to say, I was surprised to find out how much I enjoyed this film. It's kind of a cross between the fun parts of Shaun of the Dead and the new Dawn of the Dead. Even more surprising is that Zombieland has become the highest grossing zombie movie of all time, not to mention the biggest opening for a film starring Woody Harrelson.

You are now released back into the wild, just make sure you employ Columbus' Rule #31: Check the Backseat.

day 21 - Avatar

OK film fans, sometimes there are films that become such an event, such a part of pop culture, that you feel it necessary, or forced, to see them. Now, as you may have been able to tell from some of the posts here, I don't always succumb to the pressure to see these types of film because, quite frankly, I think quite a bit of popular culture sucks. Now, least you think I'm an old fuddy duddy, rest assured, I am not. Well, maybe just a little bit. Before you worry too much, don't. I am not reviewing one of the Twilight films so you can sleep peacefully knowing that the world is not about to end.

Avatar, the behemoth that in just over a month has earned almost $1.7 BILLION, is the latest in the line of blockbusters from the mind of director James Cameron. To say this film is going to be a permanent link in pop culture is an understatement. To take part fully in the experience I saw the film on an IMAX screen in 3-D, which is probably the best bang for your buck here. Now, I've already seen a couple of films in this format before, both a 20 minute portion of the ghastly Superman remake and the relatively good Beowulf. Neither are in the same category technically with this film.

Without question it is a technical piece of work that stands on a plateau unto itself. However, that's sort of where it ends. We've seen this story before and there really are no original ideas that force their way to the center of the film. As I was watching it, especially in the first hour or so as we are introduced to the world that is Pandora, all I could think is it seemed like a mash-up of Heavy Metal magazine issues, 70s sci-fi books I read in Jr High, hippie commune fireside chats and some acid.

It's hard to review the film like this on its merits because whether you like it or not is basically irrelevant. It's like pop music and reality TV, millions love it so it must be good. The story is straight-line simple. The subtext is spoon fed so that even the most oblivious, brain dead cube farmer will comprehend it. Honestly, the story is so simple I'm not even going to go over the basics because they have already been talked about to death. If you want to save yourself the $15 (I think I just threw up in my mouth a little) I spent, this tool obviously drank the kool-aid and wrote out a synopsis of the whole friggin film.

I can't say I hate the film, the visuals are such an immense leap forward I could only compare them to feats by Bob Beamon or Usain Bolt. But it is filled with the most simplistic of cliches, so much so it make me wonder how much he's advanced as a story teller since his directorial debut, Piranha Part Two: The Spawning. In a clever artifice, the whole film is based on a MacGuffin (Unobtainium!). Predictably, it abandons any storyline it has in the third act in favor of an all-out action payoff. Cameron is no fool, he knows all the truisms of Hollywood, including the notion that most film-goers only remember 2 things: if they liked the beginning and if they liked the end. Then again, his other "masterpiece", Titanic, wasn't exactly Chinatown.

But there is something I would like to talk about, the film's primary message. This film is so Green, (How green is it?) I'm surprised the alien race is blue (ba dum bum ching!). It takes going native to a whole new level and espouses beliefs held in native societies (and liberal agendas!) since the dawn of mankind. Before I even thought about seeing this film I was already being bombarded with its backlash. The Vatican was warning us against turning nature into a new divinity. China pulled it from screens, concerned that it was drawing unwanted attention to the sensitive issue of forced evictions, in addition to other things.

Avatar has made about 70% of it's gross in foreign countries. Is it really just 3-D technology and sappy story elements that are bringing people to see this film over and over again? Or could it be that this anti-industrialism, pro-environment message is actually of some importance around the world; especially in countries where budding industry and growing populations are creating environmental issues of frightening proportions? It has been said that "History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives."

Let's put aside all of the scientific, religious and political arguments for a moment. If you think that our world, this planet Earth, is not one gigantic ecosystem that feeds of off itself in an ever replenishing miracle of life, I suggest you wander outside and take a look up into the sky. You'll notice that there is no vegetation on the moon, the other planets or the Sun. Yet, somehow they still exist. This is it. This is all we get. Once we work our way through this world we have no other options. If we strip this planet bare of every last drop of fresh water, every tree that reaches towards the heavens and every blade of grass beneath our feet, the planet will still exist, just as surely as we won't. Personally, I'd like to think this message is why Avatar is becoming the new box office king. But I'd settle if it just ends up being a subliminal thought in the back of our collective pop culture mind.

day 20 - Paris, Texas

OK film fans, last night we detoured into scenes with a particular, bittersweet tone. As a group, the films use a particular emotional connection to a subject to tell a specific story. Films, when they work well, connect with us, with an emotional event we can sympathize or empathize with. Tonight I thought we would take a closer look at the exploration of emotions in film, through dialogue, cinematography and music.

Paris, Texas is a film about individuality, loneliness and loss written by the iconic playwright Sam Shepard and directed by German master Wim Wenders (who also directed the phenomenal Buena Vista Social Club, which shares musical ties with this film.) Both Shepard and Wenders are known for works that explore rage, alienation and the search for answers in the vast spaces of America. It's a film about a broken man where telling a story becomes secondary to the exploration of who he is, who he was and how he became lost.

Travis Henderson (Harry Dean Stanton, in the same year as Repo Man) walks out of the Texas desert four years after disappearing from California. When his brother comes to pick him up we have been with this character for 25 minutes before we hear him talk. This isn't simply establishing a flawed character; this allows us to realize there are depths here which we have only just begun to examine. His brother and his sister-in-law are raising his now 8 year old son and his young wife has all but disappeared.

As soon as Travis reunites with his son he decides to find his lost wife as well. When he finds Jane (Nastassja Kinski) she's stripping behind a one way mirror. The mirror here is important because it creates one of the most emotionally voyeuristic, revealing and compelling scenes ever filmed. This is far beyond the bittersweet scenes from yesterdays post. This is the joy and anguish of the human condition expressed in a stark 20 minute scene. Shepard's dialogue is so sparse and concise that all the fat is stripped away. When the characters speak, all we hear and all we feel are their beliefs and fears. It stands out with even greater contrast now in comparison to many current screenwriters who imbue their scenes with so much pop culture witticism that the moment of connection gets lost in the translation.

The cinematography is so stunning there are enough scenes here to fill a dozen coffee table books with images of classic Americana. We see Travis marginalized, not only by the wide open spaces of the deserts and country roads in the opening sequences, but also against the unforgiving architecture of skyscrapers and 8 lane highways as the film approaches is conclusion. The intention is plain; Travis is a man alone, no longer at home in the cities, but mortal and isolated when on his own in the desert.

There is another scene within the film where Travis, after discovering he has a lead to Jane, begins to walk. Wenders brilliance here places doubt in the minds of the audience as we cannot tell if he may revert form and walk away from his family yet again. Just when we fear he may disappear into the hills he comes across another lonely and angry man, shouting from atop an overpass. The man's voice is passionate, shrill and almost afraid, which stops Travis in his tracks. It may seem an odd choice, but in the greater context of the film it explains what would keep him from regressing. And with the very next scene we understand that Travis has made a choice to stay, for the time being, amongst the living.

This film also introduced me to the slide guitar genius of Ry Cooder, who has since become a composer staple for directors in search of authentic blues that instantly add mood and credibility to a score. His haunting melodies further reinforce the sense of isolation felt by Travis no matter where he stays.

I'll not divulge the details of the ending, but if you have already seen the film and want a refresher or just have a morbid sense of curiosity, you can view part of the climactic scene here. The ending alone makes it deserving of its Palme d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival.

day 19 - Top 5 Bittersweet Scenes

OK film fans, before we get into it tonight I have a request. I know there are a couple of you out there, you've been kind enough to let me know in person and by e-mail. But this is going to be a lot more fun if you join (it's free you cheap bastards!) and make your opinions known. I need some replies out there to make this a conversation. Plus, if you get in now on the ground floor you can make crazy Bernie Madoff style cash. I'm not quite sure how, but the underpants gnomes have it figured out. And if you act right now I'll throw in a slap chop.

Wellll, this was a long holiday weekend and I am not feeling all that chipper. Not every day can be a Sonic Death Monkey day. And as you may have noticed in the short amount of time we've spent together, when I get punchy, I like to spout off a list. But when you're not feeling chipper, what should you make a list of? Tonight, here's my Top 5 Bittersweet Scenes. Well, at least they always get to me you heartless bastards.

5. Almost Famous Starting with a slow, underhand softball pitch right down the middle. Cameron Crowe's beautifully lit scene (symbolism alert, notice all the earth tones - yellows, browns and reds) captures the spirit of a girl who is in love with everything rock and roll has to offer. Kate Hudson twirls and glides on streamers strewn across an empty hall. It was one of many scenes that lead her to became the "It" girl of the moment. Even without the lilting Cat Stevens' "The Wind" floating over the scene we understand who exactly Penny Lane is through this moment, and it makes the scenes that come after it all the more heartbreaking.

4. A River Runs Through It Alright manly men, get out your hankies. There are few things in life that can impart as much wisdom in a single setting, without seeming preachy, as this film. If you don't like fishing don't worry, fishing is just the film characters common link and you can apply its lessons to your own passions. That's the beauty of the meaning in the title, the river is your life, and what "it" runs through is up to you. But you have to be willing to take a leap of faith and try the unknown to get the most out of it. A touching book turned into a beautiful, moving Ansel Adams photo by Robert Redford, this film is one of the few to use voice over work not as a crutch, but as another color from a palette that enriches the story. The ending (to avoid any spoilers, jump to the 1:35 mark) is still one of my favorites of all time. It's made bittersweet by the realization that, despite all the wisdom you have, sometimes it still doesn't help you save the ones you love.

3. Lost in Translation This is easily one of the most divisive films in the past decade. I think either you identify with the situation or you don't. And if you don't, there isn't a lot of story for you to get into. I love this film. While I can't say I've been in the same situations depicted in the May/September (or whatever) romance, there are moments it captures on film that just feel perfect. My favorite (part of which is the first 1:10 seen here) is just after the karaoke party on a cab ride home. There's something dreamlike about a cab ride back to a hotel, deep in the night of a strange city. Your windows partially down with foreign tasting air on your tongue, the glowing lights and unknown vistas disorienting your sense of direction. Add in the rhythmic whir of the tires crossing a long bridge, the kinds you don't really see in Colorado, and you have this ephemeral, hazy sensation on top of a night that was filled with promise coming to an end. Lasting just a little over a minute and shot primarily with a hand held camera, Sofia Coppola captures the feeling effortlessly. The music hits just the right note as well. It always takes me back.

2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Well, I told you this would come up again. I'm thinking we'll take a look at this film and its companion piece, The Science of Sleep, as a separate post. But for tonight, there is a scene that perfectly explores the regret of a moment passed and the damage it can impose on the future. Joel (Jim Carrey) is reliving a painful moment with his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) before he loses the moment forever. As the memories fade and crumble around them he explains himself to her, even if it is in his own mind. Jump to the 4:25 mark to get to the meat of the scene.

1. Heaven Help Us The Venn diagrams intersect here with a teensploitation from the 80's that fall's into my love of nostalgia films. An odd hybrid, it tackles comedy and drama in dealing with teenage life at Catholic High School circa 1965. New kid Michael Dunn (weepy Andrew McCarthy) tries to fit in but becomes entangled with troubled girl Danni (Mary Stuart Masterson), a dropout who runs the local dinner/teen hangout while her father deals with his demons. While the film itself is drastically uneven (the director actually was responsible for the Bobcat Goldthwait fiasco Hot to Trot), there is a scene that transcends the rest of the film. The two spend an afternoon together on the boardwalk. With ominous dark skies overhead and icy waters at their feet, they walk the beach alone, uninterrupted in their courtship. When it starts to rain they retreat under the boardwalk and fall into each others arms. The young couple is unaware of the heartbreak awaiting them and it makes the scene all the more bittersweet. While I couldn't find a clip online, the song played over the scene, which reaches its crescendo just as the young couple does, might help you visualize the moment.