Movie Talkback - Peace on Earth (1939)

The Holiday Season is almost over, but after coming back from Houston and still in the festive mood, I thought I'd share one of my favorite MGM animated one-reel shorts from 1939, Peace on Earth. Directed by Hugh Harmon, the short is about a post apocalyptic world where animals have replaced man. It's animated beautifully, the story is timeless and timely, and frankly I love these old cartoons.

So sit back and enjoy a story where two young squirrels ask their grandfather: who are these "men" from the lyric 'Peace on Earth, goodwill to men'...

Movie Talkback - Cinema 2009

So last year, a man by the name of Kees van Dijkhuizen uploaded a video on youtube that celebrated the year of movies in 2008, showing clips from movies played over a fantastic soundtrack. Well Mr. Kees van Dijkhuizen is back and frankly has outdid himself with his new video, a celebration of Cinema 2009.

What I like so much about the video and the job that Kees van Dijkhuizen has done is that it has clips from every kind of movie (good or bad, indie or blockbuster), and like a movie or not, the video really expresses the joy it is to be a moviegoer, the joy of watching a film and finding anew something you love, something with the power to transfix you.

So to Mr. Kees van Dijkhuizen, we here at the Cinema Cafe Podcast salute you and thank you for your efforts. You are a man among men, a movie lover among movie lovers and it was a pleasure to see your work.

Sit back and enjoy the video, a celebration of Cinema 2009...


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Movie Review - The Box (2009)

This 2009 sci-fi horror film is written and directed by Richard Kelly (of Donnie Darko and Southland Tales fame) and is based on the 1970 short story Button, Button by Richard Matheson (he of I Am Legend fame). The Box stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a married couple who are presented with a box and with a button by a stranger who offers them 1 million dollars if they press said button. The only drawback is that if they press the button someone they do not know will die. Is the price of a complete strangers life worth a million dollars, and once the button is pressed, is there a way back from the knowledge that you were the cause of someone’s death?

The question in all of the incarnations of Button, Button is, “what is it to know somebody?”, a universal question akin to what’s the meaning of life and why is South Park so funny. And this movie plays with that concept further, by tying it’s structure around the writing of French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, the thought that since there is no god, no creator, in Satre’s words, “we are left alone without excuse.” Basically since one cannot explain their own actions and behavior by referencing any specific human nature, they are necessarily fully responsible for those actions. Which is basically why I’ve always enjoyed all of Richard Kelly’s films, even his heavily flawed sophomoric effort Southland Tales- all his movies deal with some form of existentialistic thought.

Anyway, the original 1970 short story was first published in Playboy (see, people can really read Playboy for the stories) and was originally adapted for the 1985 reboot of the Twilight Zone television series. The Box even has a Twilight Zone type soundtrack, the sweeping horns, the striking violins, all to leave the viewer with a sense of paranoia and dread. I was wondering how they could drag out what has always been a short story and a 30 minute television show to a near 2 hour film. I needn’t have worried, because I absolutely loved this film, and it’s easily one of my favorite films of the year.

For a director with only 3 films under his belt, Kelly has an amazing eye. The tracking shots, the camera angles, watching this film, you can really tell that the man directing the film really lives and knows a lot about films. Every shot just seems to fall into place. The Box is a slow burn though, a very slow burn, with nearly 2 hours of set-up until the payoff, but anyone familiar with Kelly’s work already knows to expect that. But it’s because of it’s slow burn that makes The Box so compelling, so mesmerizing.

For me the weak point of the movie was Cameron Diaz. She really can’t act, and the choice to give her a soft spoken southern accent, akin to Anna Paquin’s X-Men, Rogue and Sookie Stackhouse from True Blood, is a really odd choice since it adds nothing to the story and makes her character seem at odds with the world around her. And hey, Cameron using an accent ain’t helping her acting. James Marsden is a passable Cyclops and Frank Langella (who many may know as Skeletor from the He-Man move) is absolutely fantastic as always as the man behind the box and movie, Arlington Steward.

For anyone that has seen the Twilight Zone adaptation, this film acts as almost an extension of that television episode. The first 30 minutes of the film are the Twilight Zone episode, and the film continues after the episode for those wondering about the consequences, the what happened after the episode ended to the characters. The remake ending was always inferior to the original story ending, but it was the only ending that Richard Kelly could follow that would have a necessary sequel. So basically the movie tries to add to the tv ending with more of a surreal Donnie Darko sci-fi bent that comes out of nowhere, and being a fan of the Button, Button and Donne Darko, I really really liked what Richard Kelly was going for here. Sadly this film has been out for over a month now and has only grossed 14 million domestically on its 30 million dollar budget.

So yeah, all in all, a definite, “bring your lunch from home because you do not want to miss this one” rating. A sadly overlooked gem of 2009, one that I hope will find a larger audience once it hits dvd.

Episode 53: The Princess and the Frog and Avatar

Hello there and welcome to the 53rd episode of the Cinema Cafe Podcast, the bi-weekly, twice monthly film podcast by the fans, for the fans. Join us each week as we review new movies releases, look at some dvd's, talk some film news and share our general love for all things cinema. The main goal is to have some fun and hopefully provide the listener with some helpful insight. We are back and the podcasting world is alight once again.

This week we have a treat: it's our 53rd episode, which means we've been bringing you "weekly" content for over a year now. This week we take a look at 3 movies that have been recently released or are on dvd. With that said here's a look at what we discuss on this weeks podcast:

* Avatar
* The Princess and the Frog
* September Issue
* Top 5 List: Worst Movies of 2009
* Upcoming movie releases for the weekend of 12.25.09

Also, film news and more, only on the Cinema Cafe Podcast. We hope you enjoy and happy movie watching.

Thanks as always to all our loyal listeners for sharing the ride with us as we've reached this milestone for the show. It's all due to your support that we have kept things going and we hope you continue to share the ride with us in the coming months.

We're now on Itunes so head there and subscribe to the Cinema Cafe Podcast. Thanks!

What I Think Of: The Princess and the Frog (2009)

In this week's podcast, we will review September Issue, The Princess, and the Frog, and Avatar.

For this particular post, we'll focus on this 2009 Disney movie, the first 2D movie since Home on the Range.

It was great watching a Disney princess film just because I haven't seen one since Mulan, which was ages ago. The overall story is a classic one--a girl in distress, and she needs to find her way out of the situation she's in and falls in love with a prince, while still looking beautiful. But what I like about this movie is that it took a classic story, and made it it's own. I know that sounds a bit cliche but here's a few examples of what it's still unique.

1. The princess, the lead character, is black, and she's not an African princess but an American girl who grew up in New Orleans, which brings me to my next reason.

2. The location is New Orleans, LA and the time period is early 20th Century. This is not a far away land, or some distant time, long long ago. Granted it's not contemporary, but the place and time is still identifiable to us (or at least our grandparents perhaps?).

3. Changing the story for an updated audience. It seems like these days, kids have "higher" thresholds for content that may be perceived as more mature. In the movie, the villian was definitely darker than most villians of Disney past, and also *SPOILER ALERT* the movie does touch on death, where a lot of times it seems to be glossed over. *SPOILER END* The story itself on how it evolves also isn't very "typical."

The one thing that was slightly a disappointment was the music, there were only 2 pieces that I thought were enjoyable and the others fell flat. But I still enjoyed the movie so I'd give it a "Bring Your Lunch From Home" because you do not want to miss it.

Hope you enjoy the review / the movie.

-Penny

Trailer Talk - Karate Kid remake

So Sony has finally released the first trailer for their upcoming Karate Kid remake starring Jaden Smith as Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan as Mr. Han, the Mr. Miyagi mentor type that can't speak English. Seriously though, I'm a big fan of the original, but it's frankly awful and should have stayed in the 80's. Yes, Jaden Smith is still the bane of all the acting gods, like he's slapping the face of all the people who see acting as a serious craft. And yes, since this takes place in Beijing, China they are techincally practising kung-fu instead of karate, but who the hell cares!!! None of that detracts from how this remake is still a bad idea, although I must admit, it does look very sleek and... fun??

The one thing I don't understand, in the original film, Ralph Macchio beat up a bunch of white kids in Cali who learned their craft from a martial arts studio in a strip mall, so yeah, maybe he could have beaten them after learning karate during one long summer. However, Jaden Smith is going to China and beating up kids who have learned martial arts in Shaolin temples since they were young. Seriously?!! Check out the trailer below and thanks for Firstshowing for it. Again it looks like it could be decent so fingers crossed. The picture above from the final tournament fight already looks better and I love the fly and chopsticks homage/spoof.

Movie Talkback - Alma (animated short film)

I wanted to mention a 5 minute animated short film I came across called Alma, about a little girl who comes across a small shop with a doll displayed in the shops window, that looks surprisingly very much like her. And you know what people say curiosity did to the cat right? Ran right over her. I don't have much inform concerning the short, but here's some information about the short's director directly from the films site, http://almashortfilm.com.

Alma is Rodrigo Blaas’ first short film as a director. Originally from Spain, Rodrigo Blaas has worked in animation for more than ten years, in Spain and in the United States.

Seizing the possibility of directing his first independent short film, Rodrigo Blaas asked some of the best artists in their field to take part in this independent project: French animator Bolhem Bouchiba, character designer Carlos Grangel and Sergio Pablos, ArtDirector Alfonso Blaas, music composer Mastretta and sound designer Tom Myers.

It's a bit freaky, weird and cute, all things that make Alma a winner for me. It's been making the festival circuit and winning awards and for a short time (I don't know how long) you can view the short for free. I've added the video below so check it before it's gone. It's definitely worth your time. Here's a big congrats to Alma's director Rodrigo Blass and here's hoping we see more from him soon.

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

Movie Talkback - Panic Attack (Ataque De Panico!)

I want to take the time to mention a fantastic, almost fairy-tale like story. Basically, an unknown producer from Uruguay, Fede Alvarez, shelled out about $300 to create a cool video of a robot invasion in Montevideo, the capitol of Uruguay. The four-minute short, "Ataque de Panico!" (Panic Attack) features huge (slow moving) weapon-wielding robots that blow stuff up. Panic Attack looks amazing, and when you take into account that the film cost 300 bucks, wow, it looks like it cost 100 times that much. But the story doesn’t end there.

Fede Alvarez told the BBC, "I uploaded 'Ataque de Panico!' on a Thursday and on Monday my inbox was totally full of emails from Hollywood studios." Long story short, a bidding war ensued. The offer he pocketed: A $30 million deal with Sam "Spidey" Raimi's Ghost House Pictures to direct a sci-fi thriller set in Uruguay and Argentina. So yeah, from 300 bucks to 30 million, sounds about right to me.
So congrats to Alvarez and it’s always nice to hear a good Hollywood story rather than stories of the rich getting richer and making bad movies.

So check our Panic Attack on below and let me know what you think. It has a very Neil Blomkamp vibe to it, so I'm very excited to see Alvarez’s upcoming movie.

What I think of: The September Issue (2009)

In this 2009 documentary by R.J. Cutler, we follow the bitch in charge editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour. But it's not just about Wintour, her bob hair cut, her large Chanel sunglasses, and her cold expressions, we also get to know a little bit about the "other" people that make Vogue, well Vogue. There is a sympathetic look at Grace Coddington, the creative director at Vogue who was once a model (though you may not have known it by first glance) and the struggles and battles she has in this passive aggressive manner with Wintour. You feel bad for Coddington because as the audience you are supposed to love to hate Wintour and you do.

As a documentary however, this story doesn't keep you interested very long, unless you are into fashion and running a magazine. I enjoyed it because of the subject matter but I can see why others may find it boring. There was a story but it wasn't told well and it didn't keep you hanging to wanting to know more. As discussed with Joshua, a good documentary, no matter the subject matter should keep you interested all the way through.

I give this a DVD rental for those who are interested in fashion.

-Penny

Episode 52: Ninja Assassin and New Moon

Hello there and welcome to the 52nd episode of the Cinema Cafe Podcast, the weekly film podcast by the fans, for the fans. Join us each week as we review new movies releases, look at some dvd's, talk some film news and share our general love for all things cinema. The main goal is to have some fun and hopefully provide the listener with some helpful insight. We are back and the podcasting world is alight once again. This week we have a treat: it's our 52nd episode, which means we've been bringing you "weekly" content for over a year now. So to celebrate this auspicious day, this week we take a look at 6 movies that have been recently released or are on dvd. With that said here's a look at what we discuss on this weeks podcast:

* Ninja Assassin
* Twilight: New Moon
* Whiteout
* Black Dynamite
* DVD Reviews of the 2009 rom-com starring Justin Long, Taking Chances, and of the classic 1971 Clint Eastwood cop thriller, Dirty Harry.
* Upcoming movie releases for the weekend of 12.11.09

Also, film news and more, only on the Cinema Cafe Podcast. We hope you enjoy and happy movie watching.

Thanks as always to all our loyal listeners for sharing the ride with us as we've reached this milestone for the show. It's all due to your support that we have kept things going and we hope you continue to share the ride with us in the coming months.

We're now on Itunes so head there and subscribe to the Cinema Cafe Podcast. Thanks!