Catching Up List

I've seen (or re-watched) a lot of movies in the last few months that I never commented upon here. Just will list as many as I can remember here and maybe add a few thoughts on selected films.

Highly Recommended
     - Citizen Koch - It's should almost be a civic duty to watch this excellent documentary on how money has overwhelmed politics, as seen through the lens of Scott Walker and his patrons the Koch Brothers. It is unfortunate that this movie has been somewhat smeared as more partisan than it really is as a result of PBS' abandonment of the project in an ill-fated attempt to appease their patrons - the Koch Brothers.
     - Missing - Given that much has been learned (or, rather, confirmed) since this film was released in 1982 about the U.S.'s involvement in the 1973 Chilean coup and the murder of American journalist Charles Horman, this movie might seem ripe for a remake. And yet it would be hard to imagine a movie dealing with these events that is more perfectly constructed than Costa-Gavras' brilliant film from 1982 (featuring great work from Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek). Must watch.
     - Duel - Recently had a chance to re-watch this projected in 35mm. Spielberg's 40+ year old TV movie remains a fascinating exploration of white male urban angst. Well worth watching if for no other reason than to explore the seeds of paranoia and insecurity that in current times makes Fox News and talk radio such powerful forces in America.

Recommended
     - The Drowning Pool
     - '71 - Solidly entertaining but the filmmakers' desire to seem non-partisan in a film about The Troubles overwhelms the drama at times. The lead character is also too much a cipher.
     - Milius - Lightly recommended, mainly for Milius fans. This film is more tribute than critical documentary. That means it tends to dance around some of the tougher issues and that it is focused on celebrating the colorful filmmaker rather than seriously critiquing his work.
     - Child's Pose
     - The Internet's Own Boy
     - Top Five
     - Obvious Child - The filmmaker works hard to provide a rebuttal to Knocked Up, and it is interesting in that respect, and decently charming. But I do wish it were a bit funnier.
     - Life Itself
     - Pride - Overly schmaltzy, but good.
     - Inherent Vice - As if taking a conventional noir or detective movie and then loosening each end to the point that the story collapses into deconstruction - which is for better and worse. If nothing else, it's an interesting picaresque revolving around a detective that barely solves anything beyond just being lucky enough to keep getting caught up in strange events swirling around him. As hard as it tries, still not a match for Altman's The Long Goodbye.
     - The World Made Straight
     - Skeleton Twins
     - BlackHat - Deeply flawed and pretty silly but entertaining enough to make the cut-line.
     - The Car - A childhood favorite I was able to see in 35mm in a double with Duel. It remains silly fun and a decent thriller. Worth checking out if you've never seen it. 

Not Recommended
Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter - Both bad and entirely too self-serious. Ugh.

I'm sure there were others that should go below the cut line here, but I can't remember them at the moment, which is probably for the best.

Capsule Reviews - Girl Most Likely (2012), Clerks II (2006), and Galaxy Quest (1999)

Galaxy Quest (1999) - It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since this outstanding entertainment was released. It remains remarkably fresh and, given the budget even for the time, looks pretty darn good - of course smartly using the fact that some of it is supposed to look cheap. While the film doesn't exactly spend a lot of extra time fleshing out the character backgrounds, if you're at all savvy about film and TV it won't matter. A fun story with hints of wit dropped throughout, this is an outstanding comedy well worth a refresh for those that haven't seen it in a while.

Girl Most Likely (2012) - If this were intended as an experiment in seeing what happens when filmmakers mash up a Todd Solondz film with a Farrelly Brothers movie, it might be interesting, if only to prove it doesn't work. Wild tonal inconsistency and characters that don't add up in the least are problems, but the cardinal sin is that it isn't funny - either as a dark comedy or as a broad one. I suspect part of the problem is that the filmmakers intended satire but really didn't have a clear sense of what they wanted to satirize. It also has a really mixed message - suggesting that the lead character, played by Kristen Wiig, needs to stop believing she's entitled to her princess fantasy, only to kind of let her have it anyway. Just go watch the superior Muriel's Wedding instead.

Clerks II (2006) - The sequel to Kevin Smith's DIY indie classic keeps the amateurish direction and poor acting but loses the original's chaotic, punk sensibility and sharp sense of humor. Most of the bits fall flat here and the story feels really forced. There's actually a bit too much story here, departing from the original's slice-of-life feel. Even Smith's stand-up tour videos work best as the witty raconteur delivering unstructured, off-the-cuff anecdotes that are more or less Smith going off on tangents about things that have happened in his life. That doesn't come through here. Because this one is packed with more by-the-books plot drama, it needs actors that can sustain it and that can provide depth beyond just reciting the (amply packed) words. Rosario Dawson mostly gets that done, but that is, unfortunately, about it, and she is really a sideline player here. It just doesn't work, although perhaps Kevin Smith die-hards will disagree (and it is really only for them).

All three were screened on Amazon Prime Instant.

The Butterfly Room (2012) - Brief Review

Barbara Steele stars as a lonely old lady in The Butterfly Room, an unfortunately too marginal horror film directed by Jonathan Zarantonello. The title refers to Steele's hobby of collecting and pinning butterflies, and her secret room housing her collection (and maybe something more sinister). Steele befriends two young girls, one hustling Steele for cash and the other just a lonely neighbor girl. When the first girl's hustle is revealed, Steele spirals into a murderous rage, meaning very bad things for everyone involved.

There are some interesting kernels of ideas here, but it is missed opportunity after missed opportunity. The non-linear storytelling is an interesting choice, but not executed well enough to add much (we also perhaps end up knowing too much, too early). Heather Langencamp appears near the end in a crucial role, but her character is not well enough developed. Steele does her part to play the character as suitably creepy, but time and again Zarontonello seems to miss the campy, fun boat. The movie instead mostly bores. A few fun moments arrive late, but it's too little, too late. No real fun camera angles, no real fun lighting - just a director not having nearly enough fun for a movie that cries out for it. The seeds were there for a fun b-movie horror, or at least some camp, but the result is instead a waste.

Screened at the Noho 7 via projection from a very poorly transferred Blu-Ray. The trailer's better than the movie, so enjoy.