Beyond the Black Rainbow

Beyond the Black Rainbow
(2010) [Trailer]
Director: Panos Cosmatos [IMDB]

I watched the trailer for this title earlier in the year and thought it looked extremely interesting. After seeing some good and bad buzz about it, I noticed it popped up in Netflix on demand... so here you go.

Synopsis: A young psychic girl escapes being held captive by a crazed doctor in a secretive commune.

Beyond the Black Rainbow has its ups and downs, I'm going to address them both right now...

The ups: It's a visual heavyweight and takes notes from cinematic masters like Kubrick, Jodorowski, and David Lynch. There are a couple of really mesmerizing scenes... I don't do the drugs, but If I did I would imagine it would blow your intoxicated mind. The score sounds like something right out of a John Carpenter flick, which helps bring the tone of this movie into an eerie place. I also got delivered some great practical effects/make up work that was a pleasant surprise.

I had read a few reviews claiming this film didn't have any kind of plot... I would disagree. I think the story takes a while to roll out and it's very sparse at times. Black Rainbow tells it's tale more through pictures and sound, than through tons of dialogue. I can see that being a turn off for some, but at the end of it you get the general idea of what transpired.

The downs: The film is shot digitally and you can tell in a lot of places when it gets overly grainy. The worst thing is the ending, it was a bit of a wet noodle. I think they could have wrapped it up in a more satisfying way, I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just leave it at that.

If you're into films like Altered States, 2001, Eraserhead, Videodrome, or Suspiria... check it out... it definitely puts out that vibe.

The Hobbit

The Hobbit
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Peter Jackson [IMDB]

Little known fact about Curtis Williams: I took my wife to see Lord of the Rings on our very first date. I am an extremely huge fan of that trilogy and when I found out Peter Jackson was returning to crank out another three of these bad boys, I only had one thought... dear god... please don't let me die until I've seen them all.

Synopsis: A hobbit is recruited into an adventure of epic proportions by a Wizard and a group of dwarfs.

This movie is exactly what I thought it would be. I don't know if that's good or bad. On one hand I want more of the same and I got it. On the other, should Jackson have tried something different... nah, this is fine. That said I am going to rate this against the other films.

The Hobbit is very explosive and I felt like there was a lot of action. It's continually moving and there are not a lot of slow moments surprisingly... maybe a few here and there... but not many. The action set pieces are fantastic and I was a huge fan of the goblin fight scene in particule. I loved the execution of The Hobbit as well, it looks stunning. The visuals are seriously immense and awe inspiring. The CG and practical work are flawless and it's hard to tell which is which. The score is also just as good as ever and from that very first tune you know you're in for a good time.

The film does have one negative. I felt like it was unfinished, which obviously it is, but the ending was extremely anti climatic.

I really enjoy these films and they're perfect for just getting lost in and tuning out for a while. In a nut shell I'll end with this... If you were into LOTR, you'll probably like this, if you weren't, avoid it.

Amour

Amour
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Michael Haneke [IMDB]

I've been reading a lot of buzz about this film. It picked up the Palme d'Or at Cannes, has been atop many "best of 2012" lists, and almost gave the folks over at Gawker a heart attack. I decided to finally give into the hype machine and check this bad larry out.

Synopsis: An aging couple's love is put to the test when one of them falls ill and starts down the path towards death.

Now, if that synopsis didn't set off any bells maybe this will... this movie is bleak. It's not a feel good film in any sense and will probably make you want to have a drink afterwards... well maybe that's just me being an alcoholic. It's extremely sad and had me in tears throughout many scenes, I normally dont tear up in movies, but this one destroyed me. Wow... I don't know where to start, I was floored by this and the emotions it invoked in me. This is filmmaking at it's best and is truly worthy of terms like "masterpiece" and "a work of art." I haven't felt this moved by a film since I first saw Wild Strawberries, which actually shares a lot of the same themes. Both Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva are perfect, and Michael Haneke's direction is flawless in my book.

Love is something a lot of people look for in this world and often times... think they've found. People will confuse it with lust and will lose it as quick as they found it. But when it's real, it's really beautiful and when you see a film like Amour shed light on it in a unique way, it makes you appreciate it so much more. I finished this film and wondered how many people who say they are in love would go through this, this is really love.

The Comedy

The Comedy
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Rick Alverson [IMDB]

If you follow my musings on this here website, you'll recall a review I made about Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie a few months back.... oh, you don't remember? That's cool. Well, they (Tim and Eric) are back, but this time are getting a little more serious. I saw the trailer for this a few months back and it looked pretty interesting, so I decided to give it a whirl.

Synopsis: Tim Heidecker is a bored privileged hipster who's indifferent to everything and everyone around him.

The Comedy is avante-guard and "weird." Many people will automatically hate and write it off as shit. Others, who are willing to sit through it, may find it enjoyable. It is nowhere near perfect, but I did like The Comedy and it managed to do a rather effective job at keeping me entertained last night.

The Comedy is humorous at times, but as opposed to everything you've come to expect from Tim and Eric, it has a much more earnest feel to it. Heidecker does a good job at hopping between absurd and funny, into dark and somber. He is, pretty much, the movie... Eric is only on screen for a few scenes. Tim is also, as always, extremely adept at making the viewer feel really uncomfortable. One other thing The Comedy does well is exuding a feeling of emptiness about the protagonist, he feels like a man with no purpose and direction... which is something I wasn't expecting from this film at all.

The down side to The Comedy is some of the writing. For me, there were a lot of misfired jokes, or attempts at humor which didn't work.... who knows with them though, was that intentional? Also the film lacks plot, it really goes nowhere, I didn't mind that... but I could see that being problematic for a lot of viewers.

Re-Animator

Re-Animator
(1985) [Trailer]
Director: Stuart Gordon [IMDB]

I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid and I had honestly forgotten most of it. I remember there being lots of blood and nudity... you know what...  my memory is actually better than I thought.

Synopsis: A mad scientist invents a serum that brings the recently deceased back to life.

First, the good. The gore is amazing. You get tons of blood and guts... if you're squeamish I'd avoid this title. There's lots of nudity too, not just boobs, but like naked dead people trying to kill you... which is way better than plain old boobs. Stylistically, it's an impressive horror film with some of the best opening title credits out there and a killer score to boot.

Now, the bad. The acting is shit in many spots throughout its run time, it's a campy horror movie, so it's a little more forgivable I guess. The story is decent, but it's a bit predictable, especially the ending.

I'd definitely recommend this if you're into horror, especially from the golden age of the 80's.

The Queen of Versailles

The Queen of Versailles
(2012) [Trailer]
Director: Lauren Greenfield [IMDB]

We live in a society that's obsessed with things. We are so worried about obtaining wealth and making something of ourselves. All of us are guilty of this in some way and if you say you're not you are only lying to yourself. Some are definitely concerned about this more than others, the Siegel family may be some of the biggest offenders.

Synopsis: This documentary follows the rise and fall of the Siegel family, who are responsible for operating the largest time share company in America.

I enjoyed The Queen of Versailles on a few levels but felt like it lacked in other departments. Technically it's sound and feels like a reality tv show, only better constructed. The other impressive thing that I enjoyed was how the film crew came in on the up swing then were there to see things fall apart. It's always awesome when a documentary pulls off that kind of tenure.

The family dynamic is pretty interesting and like everyone says about shows like the Jersey Shore and Orange House Wives... it's like a train wreck... you're horrified but can't help but watch. I felt like husband was a pretty shitty guy and ultimately a sad man who doesn't have a lot of depth. I couldn't tell if the wife was dumbing it down for the camera, or if she really was that clueless, she seemed like a joke.

Either way, it's a interesting watch and worth your time.

Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia
(1962) [Trailer]
Director: David Lean [IMDB]

Piggy backing on my last review, I also decided to pick up another classic on blu-ray which I had never seen before, but read many positive things about... that film was Air Bud... I'm kidding, it was Lawrence of Arabia.

Synopsis: This film tells the story of T.E. Lawrence, an officer in the British military that infiltrated the Arab army and helped them fight against the Turks during the revolt against the Ottoman empire during WWI.

Also like my last review, this movie is also substantially epic and clocks in around the 4 hour mark. It's also does a superb job and drawing you into it's universe and making you forget about time and your shit life in the real world. Lawrence was an intriguing man and Peter O'Toole does a steller reenactment of his life in Arabia. I was also pretty impressed with the supporting cast... including my boy Claude Rains.

In my humble opinion, the greatest strength of the film is it's cinematography, it's as epic as the film itself. There are too many memorizing scenes and I'd say it's one of the most visually stunning movies I've ever seen. It also helps that the transfer to blu-ray is perfect, this looks like it was shot yesterday.

The score is also unreal and probably won lots of awards. It's like the music and the eye candy on screen are in a perfect symbiotic relationship.

This is another classic that I'm pleased to have represented in the growing hord that is my blu-ray collection.