explorations

up

Up (2009)
directed by Pete Docter
***1/2

Up confirms two things about Pixar: 1. they're brilliant and unequaled in the world of animation and 2. they're still hit and miss.

Part of me wants to declare just how much I love Up. But, to be honest, I didn't really love it. I enjoyed it, and I thought it had some fabulous moments, scenes, ideas. Actually, in some ways, this is as good as Pixar has ever gotten — the animation was through the roof, the central idea was oh-so-original and compelling, the voice acting was wonderful.

So what's left, you ask? [Beware: beyond this point there be spoilers!]

title sequence 5: catch me if you can

I remember when this film came out. It was delightful, different than what I thought it would be, but in such a better way. Not what I had imagined as a Spielberg movie at all.

And that title sequence! It's a perfect marriage of the old Saul Bass-style animated intros (think Psycho, Vertigo or North by Northwest) and a retro-hip tone to set for the entire film. I count it as a great example of telling the story without telling the story - it's able to subtly prepare you for the film without really having told you anything. Almost good enough to stand alone as a fun piece of art.

gran torino

Gran Torino (2008)
directed by Clint Eastwood
**3/4

I realize I'm going to make enemies with this review. So it goes.

This is not a good film. But, you insist - lots of people love it! It's currently #76 on imdb's list of the greatest films ever made! It's been iTunes top rental for weeks! Yes, this is all true ... despite the fact that the film is a failure in several respects. Bear with me here.

star trek

Star Trek (2009)
directed by J. J. Abrams
***1/2

I'll be brief: I always thought Star Trek was laughable (even though it was so strange and compelling that I've seen a couple dozen episodes). I could tell it was doing something political with all of its fake races and its cerebral posturing through bizarre adventures that seemed relentless in their arrival. When do these people use the restroom, really? It always felt too niche and nerdy for me. Not in 2009.

a tale of two vampires

Twilight (2008)
directed by Catherine Hardwicke
**3/4

Let the Right One In (2008)
directed by Tomas Alfredson
****

Vampires have long been a tantalizing topic for film, and it's no wonder why. The vampire's kiss is at once romance and victimization, death and eternal life, self-love and community. The entire genre is a perversion of the Lord's Supper, a creepy dissonance that has the power to tinge every celebration that involves drinking his blood and eating his flesh. In 2008, filmgoers were bitten by two new reels of undead celluloid. One was the real thing. The other wore plastic fangs.

top 10 films of 2008

It's only about six months late. But here it is, in all its imperfect, eager glory. My top 10 favorite films from the year 2008.

10. Slumdog Millionaire (directed by Danny Boyle) — Sure, it won Best Picture. But, to be honest, I think people would have enjoyed this relatively quiet, epic film if it didn't have so much hype surrounding it. The tale of a young boy who just barely makes it out of India's slums plays like a polished mashup of the archetypes of rags-to-riches, chase-your-love-down and what-are-the-chances? Surprisingly, this in-depth exploration of India's recent history was made by a Brit.

the wrestler

The Wrestler (2008)
directed by Darren Aronofsky
****

I remember when I first heard that Darren Aronofsky — the unbounded, creative mind behind Pi, Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain — was making a film about a professional wrestler. I was dumbfounded. And then I was curious. This, after all, was the director so talented that I had said I'd watch him direct the telephone directory.

If memory serves me, I also said he's a taste not for everyone. Pi, an intellectual, black & white film, was about our longing to understand life. Requiem for a Dream, a highly emotional, blazingly color film, was about the wages of sin, as well as their pleasures for a season. The Fountain, an unorthodox science fiction film that blurred emotion and intellect, was about the irretrievable distance we create by our own selfishness.