movie posters

An interesting link on Thrillist today.  Cool movie posters from a one Viktor Hertz.  Check out the one for Point Break, haha.

Jane Eyre (2011)

 Social engagements, a bad SVU  watching habit and a self-mandated "read every day" rule have made it so I  am watching fewer movies than usual :'(  I did make it out to see Jane Eyre today, though.  I really need to read the novel.  I enjoyed the film a lot...I felt there was a femininity in how it was filmed that I really liked...the camera gaze would shift to blooming flowers in the trees, to something else, to the couple.  It was pretty.  It may have just been me, or the theater I was in, but some of the scenes filmed in the dark were really grainy?

the poster is cool

Les Amours Imaginaires

I really liked Heartbeats, a film about a love triangle.  Marie ^ from the film  had such charming style.  This was the first French Canadian film I've seen, I believe.  Parts of it were a little too "hip people doing hip things" and by the third arty sex scene I was kinda over cello and close ups of body parts...but overall still really great.  Awesome soundtrack.  When I read that directer Xavier Dolan is only 22, I was shocked.  To have made something this good, so young~

poster is cool too.

Some cool tracks from the soundtrack:

Jodorowsky Posters

So, there is a really interesting post over at 50 Watts (a really cool design blog) featuring contemporary Jodorowsky posters from Poland.  Peep game, it's way cool.


For more Polish posters.

Chickenproof

On Friday I headed out with a couple of friends to the Chickenproof shorts program at the SFIAAFF to see my friend Kevin Ung's short, Chubby Can Kill.  The program was at New People, a sort of gallery-cum-cafe-cum-shop-cum-cinema in San Francisco.  I'd been before, it's a cool spot, but I'd never had the chance to see anything at the Viz Cinema (they show Japanese films!) prior to this event.  I hope to catch more in the coming months.

The theme of the night as I interpreted it seemed to be unlikely heroes and surprise endings.  

cool poster

Masala Mama was the first film; a funny little comic book themed short.

Next up was Junko's Shamisen.  This was filmed with an interesting mix of live action, stop motion and animation...it looked really cool.  The story was a sort of Japanese fairy tale (not sure if it's a real one).  It was a kind of a cool Japanese/Canadian vibe with parts in English and Japanese.  This one showed at SXSW too!

Hang in There was a stop motion using paper dolls...it looks a lot cooler in motion than it does in the above picture.  It was cute/disturbing...I think this was a music video, I can't find it on IMDB!  

For some reason I couldn't find Gophers in Space on IMDB, either.  At first I was like "eh" about this, but the surprise ending was funny enough to win me over.  It feels like something that probably started as a joke between friends and became a movie.

Amazonia was another CG short.  It was cute and entertaining and it's clear that a lot of work, heart, and soul went into this short!

To Wander in Pandemonium  was cool in spite of the slightly overwrought title.  This was one of the two most professional looking films screened that night.  I discovered during the Q&A that the director, Edward Kim , went to UCLA (my alma matter, although I did not study film).  COOL~?

The Godmother was a sort of action-comedy-parody-homage to both The Godfather and Jersey Shore (from what I could tell).  This was a USC thesis film...they always say that film students at USC get a lot of money to work with, and it really showed with this film, I think.  It looked really professional and I enjoyed it. We actually had a chance to converse with the director and the producer after the screening and they were both really cool.

Finally, my friend's film Chubby Can Kill was the last film screened.  It's about a fat guy ^ who decides to take control of shit, etc.  It was funny and I really liked the color palette in the scenes in the video shop.  I thought the acting was all quite good too and that "Chubby" did particularly well/was funny.  It wouldn't have worked out without him, I don't think!  I was really glad to finally see my friend's film!  It's crazy to think that we all pretty much grew up together.

Some shots of New People--

my camera sucks. this is my friend Tammy, who was kind enough to drive...but my camera made her the same color as the orange walls ^^;

the theater interior is pretty snazzy with light decorations.  a bit much for a theater, but still cool.

Q&A after the screenings.

cool chandelier detail.

Movie Posters

I have been watching movies, but I haven't been posting because of "personal" stuff.  I'll catch up soon!  I did want to say, though, that today's Deal Pulp deal is for DLMEntertainment.com.  It's $8 for $25 (which is the cost of all posters).  The $7 shipping isn't included, but this still means you can get some awesome posters for $15.  That's $10 off!  They have some great selection...if I had more money and wall space, I'd probably pick up one of the awesome Black Swan Posters:

They also have a really big selection of vintage pulp posters.  Peep game!

Election

I should probably stop watching coming of age movies like Election, they get on my nerves.  What is more annoying than teenagers?  I hate the apathetic teen character like the sister in this movie, and I hate the overachiever character like Reese Witherspoon's Tracy Flick.  Of course, the Flick character is a gross exaggeration meant to appeal to all of us who hate people like that.  The Matthew Broderick teacher character is really endearing, as is the tall football player guy.  You see, I've already forgotten all these peoples' names.  To be fair, the film is a poignant coming of age story. I mean, I guess if the teenager characters are really annoying, the film is successful because it's true to life, yeah?

interesting...poster....

The Room

this picture most accurately portrays the film

The Room.  A movie which needs no introduction.  I finally saw this last night at a screening at Camera 3 downtown.  It was the first movie in their new midnight cult movie screenings....there are gonna be a few interesting ones, including Pink Floyd The Wall, Rock 'n' Roll High School, & Eraserhead (all of which I am planning on seeing!).

This was my first time going to any sort of audience participation movie.  I am going to avoid with all of my might ever seeing Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live audience.

It was fun/funny.  What else need be said?  

excellent posters, too

awesome posters.

Who knew the Polish had such cool movie posters?  I sure didn't until I saw this article on Thrillist nation.  Wow, really cool.  Tons more (for sale!) at the Polish Posters Shop!

A Woman Under the Influence

OK, OK.  I have no excuse for not having seen A Woman Under the Influence until now.  It's amazing.  The acting was so on point that I felt like I was watching a reality TV show.  Gena Rowlands is just amazing.  The camerawork is amazing. I like the silhouette scene toward the end when husband & wife are having a conversation and the part where Mable is dancing on the couch but you can just barely see parts of her arms moving and just everyone's reactions.

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Awesome poster, too:

拳銃は俺のパスポート

I def. watched this while wearing my snuggie.

So, I've finally finished the Nikkatsu noir boxset & A Colt is my Passport (cool title, eh?) was my hands-down favorite.  If you watch one movie from this boxset, watch this.  The other movies are really only of niche interest...the boxset is a great gift for any hardcore Japanese film fans or noir fans, but otherwise they're not of general interest.  

Anyway, this movie is one of Jo Shishido's best.  The film has a lot of beautiful shots.  I also liked the music--kind of a lonely Spanish/western sort of soundtrack with a lot of horns.  The final shoot out is great and shot in an empty landscape so the action speaks for itself.  It's a nice change of pace from the usual shootouts where people are hiding behind things and it's just bullets ricocheting everywhere.

main theme:

poster:

Cruel Gun Story

Watching more of the  Nikkatsu noir box set.  Cruel Gun Story was my favorite thus far (I have one movie left to watch).  I really liked the film's ending.  It starred Jo Shishido, who is a personal favorite.  He's the guy who got the cheek implants to make his face more interesting:

And interesting it was!  Also interesting:  Jo Shishido's official website, DIRTY JOKER (in Japanese).

This t-shirt is for sale on his website.  I need to figure out a way to buy it!!

True Grit (2010)

Saw the True Grit remake today at the movies with my dad.  It's a good father/daughter movie!   It was really great. The humor was on point.  Jeff Bridges was, as always, wonderful.  A movie to be enjoyed by all, even those who don't normally enjoy westerns.  Now I need to see the original True Grit.  Sadly, I don't know too much about westerns!

One bone to pick: I didn't really like the epilogue...didn't think it added anything to the story.

Oh, and the movie posters are cool, too: