Just Say NO

Comedy

The 12th Annual S.F. SKETCHFEST was held January 24 - February 10, 2013 and I attended 23 shows in 18 days (still only a fraction of the over 100 available). My recaps are posted over at the AST message board in this thread and feature many photos. I was more aggressive than before in getting snaps and meeting performers. And I think my attempts at capturing comedic moments in writing have improved as well. 

2/20 

Doug Stanhope @ Cobb's Comedy Club, 8pm

Host/opener Keith Lowell Jensen - smart material,  but only mildly funny 

Steve Poggi - slow start but got good with his Herbert the dumb baby / Sandy Hook story

Junior Stopka - great weird style, retard hillbilly but clever and absurd. Hedberg-ish

Doug Stanhope - told not so much jokes as rambling stories. Sounded completely off the cuff but I know there was prepared material. Each subject blended into the next: cancer update (he still don't got it despite his dissolute lifestyle), the late Chris Dorner (Doug is pissed that his name wasn't mentioned in the murderer's manifesto), drinking, attempting to enjoy the porno "Backdoor to Chyna," meeting Jake LaMotta, assisting his mother's suicide (true), how the Occupy Movement was worthless, cancer charities, and culminating in his on-the-playing-field rape of a football player. He was gruff, increasingly drunk (as the audience sent him shots throughout), but high-spirited and very intelligent. Hilarious. Cobb's was sold out, the balcony open - more folks on a Wednesday night than any of the Sketchfest shows I attended here on weekend nights.

Devices

Nicest looking and most spacious sounding headphones I've ever owned - Sennheiser HD 598. Ordered them from Crutchfield who have a lot of nice stuff and excellent customer support.

1/29 MacBook Pro to Apple Store. My trackpad crapped out after my 3-year warranty expired. The problem had been slight for the past few months but then went nuts, the cursor jumping and jittering on the screen. Could still type and select but with high risk and major hassle. Swollen battery was the culprit. Still, only $220 to replace both.

2/1 After a month a problems with some channels on our cable service, dozens of phone calls to Customer Support, missed appointments, and one unsuccessful technician visit who misdiagnosed the cause, Comcast finally replaced the actual coaxial wire connecting the house to the pole. No problems since.

2/20 Our Rheem Gas Furnace Heater (from the 80's) has gotten a big workout this colder than usual winter. It too has crapped out and I've struggled to understand how it's supposed to work. Taking it as a challenge, I have gotten it running again by installing a new Hot Surface Ignition Module, but still need an expert to fine tune it. Found a lot of useful advice in YouTube videos made by HVAC professionals. I now know more about gas furnaces than I ever thought I would. This guy's channel is one of the best…

Movies & TV

1/26 There Will Be Blood (2007) with audio commentary via "You Made It Movies" with comedians Pete Holmes & Paul F. Tompkins. This is Pete's favorite film and Paul appears briefly in it so this was a great excuse to watch this masterful film again while listening to two brilliant and knowledgeable fans talk over it. Inspired to me to see P.T. Anderson's latest again while still in theaters…

1/29 The Master @ Stonestown (2nd time) — serendipitous as it was playing at the mall where the Apple Store is located (see: Products, below). Loved this the first time, but admittedly baffled by some of it. This time was smooth sailing as I better grasped the themes and relaxed in its languid atmosphere. A visceral heady film, a romance between the two sides of man. 

2/04-09 The Wire (2002-2008) @ HBO all 5 seasons —- greatest TV series ever? Probably. Inventive blend of journalism and procedural crime drama, high-minded social critique and getting high with wanna-be gangsters. 

2/16 Breaking Away (1979) @ VOD

Comedians Jimmy Pardo and the Sklar Brothers frequently name this as one of the greatest sports movies ever. It is charming, uplifting fun, not at all the gung-ho jockfest I'd imagined. More an intimate portrait of class struggle in small town America (really!), bicycle riding is just the vehicle (ugh) used to tell the story.  

2/23 History of the Eagles @ Showtime  (3 hour documentary) — thorough, informative, at times moving (especially when sidemen are forced to quit the group). The lead guitar parts have fascinated me for years so I was glad to get some clarification on when Leadon, Felder, and Walsh were all in the group. Many high quality 70's era film clips in which figureheads Frey and Henley appear as humble geniuses, but self-important douches nowadays. Joe Walsh is damaged but glad to be alive. I dig a lot of their tunes, but recall trauma from The Long Run playing during a game of "truth or dare" at a birthday party of a gal I crushed on in 1980. Never forgave the Eagles for that. 

2/24 The Sessions @ VOD — Outstanding tearjerker, sexy, funny, and touching. Leads John Hawkes & Helen Hunt won Indie Spirit awards for acting the night before, which finally convinced me to see it. The trailers left me feeling manipulated by an over-celebratory indie rock soundtrack, but I was mistaken. None of that music appeared in the film itself which was more quietly dignified in its triumphs.

The Oscars (ABC) - had a good time with this as some of my favorites won (Django Unchained) but more did not (*boo* Hathaway - Hunt eared it with greater subtlety and way more screen time). Despite what mostly felt like a modern streamlined show, it was still bogged down with a misguided throwback tribute to recent film musicals that was as terrible as anything I've ever seen. And the whole thing still managed to run a half hour long. Strange. 

This series of videos http://www.fandor.com/blog/oscar-2013-who-really-deserves-to-win helped put the nominations in focus, solidifying why certain wins felt right and others wrong. For instance, in acting lead and supporting, both Phoenix and Hoffman from The Master were outstanding, but since the film itself was not publicly embraced, it was unlikely either would get the trophy. They also make a strong case for Silver Linings Playbook deserving the Best Motion Picture award as it is the most relevant to modern life.

2/25 Warm Bodies / Side Effects @ Century Daly City 20

First an enjoyable "zom-com," Romeo & Juliet meet Sean of the Dead. Then the latest from retiring (?) director Steven Soderberg, a tawdry exposé of big pharma and insider trading via Hitchcock with a touch of Basic Instinct. Engrossing and twisty, found myself enjoying Jude Law more than ever (Contagion, Anna Karenina) and loving the heck out of the loony performance by Rooney Mara (Social Network, the U.S. Girl w/ Dragon Tattoo). 

2/27 Girls @ HBO - watched Season 2, episodes 1-7

Good stuff, perhaps funnier than first season, aided by further development of supporting characters. Now more clearly a satire of young people, an ode to bad decision-making. Before, it seemed like a fantasy. I was too busy getting nostalgic for being a dumb, horny, narcissistic twenty-something living in New York City, recognizing people I knew in characters on the show.

3/01 

Happiness (1998) Netflix DVD (no extras) — enjoyed it. Clever interweaving storytelling, sad, funny, and gross. Can't say I'm a Todd Solondz fan. Must have seen Welcome to the Dollhouse back in the day, disliked it, and ignored him since, but this was a really good "feel-bad" movie. Manages to create empathy for unlikeable characters and to find humor in horrible situations.

Taken (2008) @ FXHD — As the movie was PG-13, I don't think much was cut for cable TV. Never seen it before. Impressed by how bad it was. 

The Americans @ FXHD —  Been hearing good things about this new spy show set in the cold war 1980's so I took advantage of the Friday night marathon running after Taken and caught up on the first five episodes. Excellent cast, conflicted characters, bursts of violent action, occasionally seedy and frequently suspenseful. Occasionally takes advantage of the historical setting to make commentary on current events. Sort of a "Homeland Babies," in that we see both sides of the struggle, sympathize with our morally dubious heroes, but with fewer histrionics than that show. Highly recommended.

3/02 

56 Up @ Opera Plaza 

No @ Embarcadero 

Archival video overload. Two foreign flicks, one a doc, one than feels like a doc but isn't (technically). Both terrific. 

Rifftrax

1/25 McBain — a terrible, terrible Rambo/A-Team mashup starring a sleepwalking Christopher Walken that no one should remember.

3/02 When A Stranger Calls Back — horror film that is not very scary but is unsettling in its treatment of the lead actress, not violent but embarassing emotional torture, lightened up by the wisecracking of the Mike, Kevin, & Bill. 

Drop Dead Legs

1/01 - etc. 

Twilight Zone Marathon @ SyFyHD

On New Year's Eve I cleared my DVR to record over two days of episodes which I watched hours at a time over the next week or so. Really enjoyable, the first time I ever took to seriously learn the shows history, techniques, and influence (IMDB helped to navigate). Amazingly, this was not even the full run, there are still a few still to watch including the entirety of Season 4 which are hour longs, and thus not part of any syndication airings. Thankfully Amazon Prime and/or Hulu have them all available to stream.

1/02 

Made a shopping trip to Haight Street with a couple goals in mind: 

Amoeba to sell DVDs (most were titles I had upgraded to Blu-ray), Dr. Martens to buy some new shoes (haven't worn DM's since my twenties - they are SO comfortable), American Apparel (for some shirts). Then back on the 71 bus downtown to catch a movie…

The Impossible @ Century Centre 130pm (1:47) Tense, thrilling tear-jerker based on a true story with a grueling performance by Naomi Watts (with some nasty leg injuries). And some stunning special effects of tsunami devastation.

1/04 

Triple bill of films with strong female characters, two of which involve leg amputations.

Tristana (Bunuel, 1970) @ Opera Plaza 

Here's the whole darn thing on YouTube (be sure to turn on English captions)

Zero Dark Thirty @ Century Centre

Rust and Bone @ Embarcadero

1/11

Amour @ Clay

Amazing, sad, poetic. The bit with the pigeon… profoundly funny. Overheard a woman after saying it was a primer on taking care of the elderly. Not looking forward to it myself.

California Solo @ Opera Plaza -  Character study of a fallen former rock star. Right up my alley. Terrific performance from Robert Carlyle. Some very cool music on the soundtrack. Him selling his vintage Les Paul (instead of giving it to his estranged daughter) is a only a minor tragic moment in a story filled with much larger mistakes.

1/11-13

Showtime did their annual free preview weekend so I took advantage and watched all of Dexter Season 7 (12 episodes) and Homeland Season 1& 2 (24 episodes) via On Demand. This helped prepare me for Sunday nights Golden Globes during which Homeland won a few awards (again, at least this time I knew why). Even though, by many accounts, this second season was nowhere near as good as the first. I dunno, having wolfed down the whole affair in about two days, I enjoyed it all. Kinda made me forget about Dexter which was fun but seems to be running out of steam.

Had some drama with Comcast this month which I don't really want to get into all the details of right now (macroblocking). A technician finally made it out and seemed to have fixed the (minor) problem but now a week later, it's back. May be weather related. 

Around the same time our heat wouldn't work. After some tinkering with the thermostat and the gas heater itself I got it working again. A service visit from PG&E helped to confirm it.

1/17
Anna Karenina @ Stonestown - This was on my To See list from last year, but I ignored it after reading some middling reviews. A few Oscar nominations (cinematography, costume, score, production design) convinced me to go and I was pleasantly surprised how good it was (and how deserved those noms are). Looked and felt like a musical, but there was no singing. Kinda wish Les Miz had been more like this. Particularly impressed by the romantic score (Dario Marianelli) and supporting actress Alicia Vikander (who was so good in A Royal Affair).

1/18 

Latest episode of The Todd Glass Show podcast is one of its finest, due to the guest participation of two of my favorite comics (and both fans of Todd's show) Paul F. Tompkins and Jen Kirkman.

1/18-19 

The folks at Earwolf did a cool thing, signing up with the Video Podcast Network and video streaming a few of their shows (and others) live from Sundance. They were fun to watch and also awkward as the hosts had to deal with technical glitches natural for first-time efforts. Overall a success and good move towards the future. The shows aired (already among my favorites) were: Comedy Bang Bang (two episodes), You Made it Weird, Who Charted?, & Call Chelsea Peretti. 

1/20 

NFC Championship - SF 49ers beat Atlanta Falcons (after a lot of effort). Fun game, only the second NFL program I've watched all season. Would have stayed home to watch the AFC (Pats v. Ravens) but had to go to see some live comedy…

The Sklar Brothers @ Cobb's Comedy Club, 8pm - I wrote about twin brothers Jason & Randy a few weeks back. First time I seen 'em was two years ago at SF Sketchfest doing a live version of their podcast Sklarbro County, which I had just begun listening to.* Now I'm a regular and despite not being a "sports guy" I find their takes on the Wide World of Sports  hilarious. Their standup act is fast, funny, and smart. They will sometimes literally complete each others sentences, play out scenes as characters, or pile-on tagging each other's jokes (what they call an "avalanche," or "laugh-alanche"). I met them after, bought a shirt, and complimented the heck out of them and they were both gracious and friendly. Their podcast turned me on to The Sheepdogs, whose recent video they directed.

*Second time was at a particularly chaotic Benson Interruption, also part of SFSF 2011.

1/21

The Rabbi's Cat @ Embarcadero 

This was an exotic delight, like Matisse's forays into Morocco. Based on a French comic series. Really enjoyed the character designs, backgrounds, and peculiar side trips into different animation styles. Also appreciated the high and low mixture of silly sexual matters with serious religious critique, with all characters yearning towards a place of acceptance.

Mama / The Last Stand @ Metreon 

Mama was creepy/scary. Chastain was hot as a punk and the kids were effectively freaky. But the sound design was overdone (like a lot of modern horror) and the CGI creature, once fully revealed, was weak and a bit silly looking.

TLS - I don't care about Arnold and never have, so he was not the draw for me, it was  director Kim Ji-Woon whose previous films I have enjoyed (A Tale of Two Sisters, I Saw The Devil, and The Good, The Bad, & The Weird). His U.S. debut is dumb as hell but fun to watch, though not nearly as stylish as his South Korean work.

All month

The Simpsons Season 5 (1994) 4 discs @ Netflix. I consider this period the peak of this long-running series for both its dense plots and fluidity of animation. These are among my favorites and they set the bar high for the subsequent nearly 20 seasons since. Each disc has 6 episodes each, all with commentaries by the creative team which are both funny and informative. I am so familiar with these shows that I am only renting them now for the extra behind-the-scenes insights. Currently watching Season 6.

Shameful Young Artists

Holiday Cheer

Had a nice visit over Christmas with family (mostly in-laws). Saturday saw the Masters of Venice exhibit at the de Young, ate at Park Chow, attempted to see Playland @ the Conservatory (but it was closed early), then took a nice walk around Land's End to see the ruins of the Sutro Baths and some lovely views of the bay.

Sunday featured opening gifts, a terrific dinner prepared by Nancy and her mother, much drinking and talk about movies (for Anna - here Nathan Rabin argues that Joe Versus The Volcano is a "Secret Success"). We then managed to watch three films: 

Sunshine Cleaning (Netflix DVD - good, light fun considering the grim premise + it confirms my crush on Amy Adams)

Amy A.  looking great in the awful Night at the Museum sequel

The Hangover, Part 2 (Comcast On Demand - as David Bax from BP said, "Probably a better movie than the first one, but they forgot to make it funny.")

Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom (DVD - much better than I remembered it. But then, for me, Raiders of the Lost Ark is a perfect film, so any sequels seem less - more on this later…).

I also caught a few comedy specials online and TV:

Apple Sisters Variety Show

The Nerdist: Year in Review (BBC America)

Rifftrax

Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (live streaming)

Magic Christmas Tree (VOD)

Movies 

Young Adult  (12/10 @  Metreon)

Charlize Theron gives a dynamic performance as as unlikable woman yearning for her glory days in high school. Comedian Patton Oswalt plays a lovable loser making the best out of a bad situation. The latest film from director Jason Reitman (Up In The Air) and writer Diablo Cody (Juno) is a touching comedy/drama about grown-ups who still have some growing up to do.

Shame (12/11 @ Embarcadero)

Michael Fassbender (man-crush) stars in this adult film (NC-17) meant for adults. I've never seen a film with this much sex and nudity that was also such a buzz-kill. But it's a work of art that made me somewhat nostalgic for late nights in Manhattan.

The Artist (12/18 @ Embarcadero)

Capone did a great interview with the director who reveals this was not the film's original title. Makes sense, as the "artist" in question is actually an "actor," but the current name fits, telling the story of how creative people must adapt to changing trends in their field. Perhaps even more than this year's My Week With Marilyn and Hugo, it gives a insightful look into what goes on behind the camera to create "movie magic." And yes, it's a "silent movie" (i.e., no dialogue) but it does have a score (and in two surreal scenes, a soundtrack).

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol IMAX (12/26 @ Metreon)

First off: too much punctuation in that title. But I liked it a lot. Action movie of the year, narrowly beating out Fast Five. I am a Tom Cruise hater, so I never saw the first three, but may now visit them. Pixar director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Iron Giant) did a fine job, again featuring his fascination with machines and gears in motion. 

………

Bunch of "Best of" lists coming out from folks I admire (even when I disagree)

Capone's Best of 2011 (very thorough list of 50 best, separate list of documentaries, and picks for worst) http://www.aintitcool.com/node/52440

A.V. Club 

Best Films (15 picks then lists from each contributor - 3 pages)  

Worst Films

Podcasts 

And a discussion between two critics about why one didn't like Scorsese's 3D film Hugo  

http://www.avclub.com/articles/hugo,67044/

I'm afraid I'll end up on the wrong side of history, but here's my own take on the hype, which I posted in the comments over at Battleship Pretension:

BP episode #249 12/27

"…I am with Tyler on not loving Hugo (and I saw it in 3D opening week). I'd rate it very good, not great, and am baffled by the nearly universal praise it is receiving on so many critics best of the year lists. I am tempted to say "the emperor has no clothes," but won't go that far - I did enjoy the film, I just find the recent spate of Scorsese efforts to be exercises in style rather than satisfying works of art. Tasha Robinson at the A.V. Club is one of the few vocal dissenters, labeling it a "gimcrack" (look it up). 

Not seeing it in 3D likely reveals its flimsy story. What begins with the promise of an inspirational child's fable devolves into a lecture on the importance of film preservation, reducing our protagonist to a passive observer. The central mystery of the automaton was not explored fully enough for me. Beyond its spectacular mise-en-scène and immersive 3D (which was gorgeous) I found the whole thing to be bit precious and ultimately hollow. Kind of like Avatar…"

Food

Ben & Jerry's Limited Batch "Schweddy Balls" ice cream

It only appeared once at my local 7-11 and it is delicious.

Music

While being forced to hear crap dance-pop radio at work for a few weeks this summer, I developed Stockholm Syndrome and started to appreciate the latest hits from divas such as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and the like. One song I heard a lot was "Like A G6" (by Far East Movement) which features a sample from this song by Dev which I find kind of hypnotic.

More songs I learned to love: Adele Rolling in the Deep, Rihanna What's My Name, Avril Lavigne What the Hell, Britney Spears Till the World Ends, J. Lo On the Floor , and of course LMFAO Party Rock Anthem.

TV/DVR

Hell On Wheels (AMC)

It's not trying to be Deadwood, though at first I thought it was. It's got the same look, but not the high level of writing. Luckily it's tackling a different set of issues: railroad, racism, immigrants, natives, religion, prostitution (OK, so it's not completely different). It was a ballsy move to kill off two of its most promising characters (the grizzled foreman - played by Ted Levine - and the sickly surveyor) in the very first episode. Kind of a dumb show, but it's a much less frustrating watch than The Walking Dead came to be. Enjoying the muddy Old West setting and the trains. 

An aside: One episode dealing with slavery got me wondering if anyone had ever made a movie about controversial abolitionist John Brown? Turns out he has been portrayed on film and TV, but not in any epic biopic like the one I imagine could be made. 

Metal Evolution (VH1Classic)

While visiting the U.K. in 1981 as a teen I bought Encyclopedia Metallica: The Bible of Heavy Metal (OOP), published during the heyday of the NWOBHM. My copy is filled with passages highlighted with yellow marker as I devoured it's contents multiple times. In four hours (of 11 total) host Sam Dunn has already covered the contents of that book.

Episodes seem way too short considering all the available material, but they are doing a good job cataloging the multi-headed hydra that is Metal. The first few shows covered territory familiar to me, so I can nitpick the omission of bands like Budgie, Blue Oyster Cult, Thin Lizzy, Montrose, and Angel Witch, but can forgive them ignoring B-level bands that I've only come to appreciate as I got older. Curious to see how they handle later 80's trends like hair metal ("nerf metal" as Chuck Eddy labelled it) and thrash.

Web Video

Kind of fitting that I started this year with a post about Mr Plinkett's SW3: Sith review, as he just released his latest takedown of  IJ4-Crystal Skull, making the argument that the latest entry (and hopefully last) betrays everything that made the series so successful. This got me wanting to re-see the second film Temple of Doom which I did Christmas Day with my brother and bro-in-law. It was pretty great, though the parts I remembered best, the mineshaft chase and subsequent brawl on the conveyer belt, now seemed to be the stiffest parts. They feel unnaturally set-bound and reliant on machinery and contraptions for the gags to work. But the rest of the film is a potent blend of old-fashioned action, humor, and the supernatural. Have not seen the two current Spielberg films and am not in a rush to just yet.

Cold Fish

The most recent film from Japanese director Sion Sono (whose Love Exposure I loved so much), Cold Fish is a darkly comic exploration of the male psyche set against the colorful backdrop of tropical fish shops. 

The story focuses on a shy introverted shopkeeper who is unwittingly drawn into the world of an insane criminal and finds his personality completely transformed by it. The charismatic, successful businessman Mr. Murata consistently urges his lowly competitor Mr. Shamoto to "man up" and take charge of his life, effectively blackmailing him by seducing his wife and brainwashing his daughter into his Hooters-girl cult of fish store employees. Things get stranger from there…

Like Sono did in his earlier film, the director masterfully blends disparate themes into a statement about being ruthless: in business, in nature, and as a person in general. Cold Fish explores the notions of dominance & submission, sexual violence, child-rearing, blackmail, murder, and includes a few gruesome sequences of corpse dismemberment (which are also quite funny).

Overall, I enjoyed it's characters, humor, eroticism, music and went along with some pretty shocking plot twists. But its grim final act makes it a hard film to recommend to anyone with a sensitive stomach. 

An interview with the co-screenwriter… and here's the trailer. 

Apparently Sono already has a new film currently making the rounds at European film festivals -  Guilty of Romance - which looks to be more female-centric and sensual.

Race Against Time

Senna 

Stirring celebration of a man I never heard of in a sport I never cared for (grown men driving in circles?). But Ayrton Senna (1960-1994) was a world champion Formula One race driver and a hero to the people of Brazil. After getting a glimpse into the back-room politics and the viewpoint from the driver's seat while on the track, I came out of this with a new respect for auto racing. 

Amazing that this documentary consists only of film/video taken of during Senna's career with audio derived from from years worth of interviews with the man, his family, and those within the racing world who knew or worked with him. He was such a superstar that while there is an abundance of footage before, during, and after races, there are also plenty of candid moments: Senna on vacation with his family, being mobbed by appreciative fans, or making appearances on Brazilian TV, all of which add up to a portrait of a charming, intelligent man who, even when drawing on the most cliched sentiment in sports (thanking God for giving him a victory), his faith and gratitude seem genuine. 

“Suddenly I realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously.
I was driving it by a kind of instinct, only I was in a different dimension.
I got closer to God."

See also: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/film/2011/06/03/ayrton-senna-movie-oliver-holt-remembers-the-magic-of-a-f1-hero-who-transcended-his-sport-115875-23175345/

…

Contagion

This is that rare Hollywood animal: an all-star disaster movie with class. Multiple stories overlap to show how different elements of society deal with a worldwide attack by a highly contagious deadly virus. Artfully directed by Steven Soderbergh, featuring a minimal electronic score by Cliff Martinez, and top-notch performances by its ensemble cast (Jennifer Ehle was particularly outstanding as a dedicated lab researcher who bravely tries out an experimental vaccine on herself), it is both bleak and hopeful.

Throughout, there are deaths, many deaths (including some of the big names in the cast), and once the public is informed of the magnitude of this disease, they naturally begin to panic. Soderbergh manages to balance these tense scenes of urban chaos against quiet moments of families dealing with grief. And lots and lots of laboratory work and logistical planning of how to quarantine and manage the infected. The clinical, procedural nature of the film makes it play out like a how-to manual in the case of a disaster. 

In fact, a cynical person could mistake this movie for a piece of pro-government propaganda. Most of the stories depict a best-case scenario in which a well-run bureaucracy (the CDC, World Health Organization, National Guard) fight the clock to identify, contain, and ultimately defeat this mysterious new enemy.  

Jude Law (sporting a strange snaggle tooth appliance - to tone down his beauty, I assume) plays an overzealous blogger who has his own paranoid theories about the disease involving government collusion with pharmaceutical companies. But in contrast to the way our "liberal media" usually depicts journalists as truth-seeking heroes, in the world of Contagion, he is shown to be a greedy crackpot.

With it's positive behind-the-scenes look at government officials in the face of crisis, and the high quality of film-making on display (is Soderbergh really planning on retiring?), this is 2011's  "feel good" movie about feeling bad. 

Love Exposure

I first learned of this 2008 Japanese film from an enthusiastic review on the sadly now defunct British podcast Mondo Movie (listen to the first 17 minutes of episode 102 - The Up-Skirt Locker) whose called it in their description "Sion Sono's dazzling four-hour mix of teen romance, religious fervour and pantie-peeking pornography." 

It finally started showing here in the States earlier this year and CHUD reviewed it lovingly, stressing that it is long (237 minutes) but that it feels more like watching a mini-series than the usual boring epic film. And also that it is a delightful mix of styles and genres unlike anything else. 

I'll hold off on calling it a "masterpiece" until I've seen more of the director's work, but for now I'll say that it is both profound and profane, and recommend it to anyone who loves cinema. And don't let the inherent weirdness turn you off, even the mainstream press have found it lovable:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/01/DDQV1KTP5K.DTL

http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/movies/love-exposure-directed-by-sion-sono-review.html

My Idiot Shark

Our Idiot Brother is a comedy I've been looking forward to since Sundance in January (when it was called MY Idiot…), mainly because of it's great cast (Paul Rudd, Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, Rashida Jones, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan) and potentially amusing premise: naive down-on-his-luck dude moves to the city seeking help from his family, awkwardness ensues, and everyone's life ends up being improved. Sounds pretty corny when put like that, but what makes Brother watchable is the charm of the performers, particularly Rudd's Ned, who I've I always liked (Anchorman, I Love You Man) and is so sweet and good-hearted here it's almost painful. 

The seriousness of some of the events (incarceration, infidelity, accidental pregnancy, child-rearing, unethical journalism) made it at times more of a dramedy, so the laughs were not as frequent as I expected. But there is funny to be found: T.J. Miller kind of stole the show as a helpful hippy who shows up a few times throughout the story. 

And Ned's horsing-around with his young nephew re-enacting fight scenes from Pink Panther movies was both silly and touching, and helped to establish a familial connection. In fact the main gripe I have is that his three sisters (who each have their own distinct set of personal issues that Ned manages to complicate) never seem like a real family that grew up together. It's like this brother of their's is a stranger not raised in the same household, neither sharing the same values nor memories. Some time is spent at the mothers house, but I don't recall a father ever being mentioned. So a bit more back-story might have helped me believe this group as a family unit. 

Likable cast, sweet story, but a bit hokey, and not quite as funny as I'd hoped.

…

Speaking of attractive casts, that was the main reason I decided to see Shark Night 3D. Sara Paxton (who I last saw get raped nearly to death in that Last House On The Left remake a few years ago) and Katherine McPhee (stunning on American Idol many seasons ago and was also in the Anna Faris vehicle The House Bunny) strutting around in bikinis along with some bland 90120-looking shirtless dudes there to protect them. (Note: that was supposed to be a joke but lead "nerd-hunk" - is that a thing now? - Dustin Milligan was indeed a regular cast member on the rebooted 90120)

Second reason was that it was shot in 3D, not post-converted. The high-speed boating and underwater sequences were stunning, with streams of tiny bubbles and bits of debris floating about that was truly immersive (submersive?). But with seemingly all the sharks being CGI creations (and there is a wide selection of shark species on display here, making it unlike most sea-creature attack movies) they generally lacked weight and real menace. There were a few jump scares (literally, twice, a shark jumped out of the water to munch on some pretty boy) but little gore. I guess to get it's PG-13 rating the filmmakers were selective about their bloody moments. There are a number of deaths we are never graphically shown. 

yes, in this movie a dude goes after a shark with a spear

Which actually leads me to the big twist of the film:

SPOILERS !!!

Turns out these sharks were put into this salt water lake by a couple of rednecks in order to make snuff films of real shark attacks. One of them explains it this way (and I'm paraphrasing):

"What's been the longest running annual event on cable TV? Shark Week. We're here to serve the hardcore fans who want to see the real thing."

So that's a pretty nutty idea that's introduced about 2/3rds through the movie. There's something "meta" about making a shark attack movie that condemns folks who just want to watch the carnage. And a bit of an insult to the audience to then not deliver the goods (at least not in the way last year's blood and boob filled Piranha 3D did - a film I must confess I missed in theaters, and can't bear the thought of seeing in measly 2 dimensions. In fact my regret at not seeing it is probably what most enticed me to see this one). Maybe director David R. Ellis was going for a more family-friendly version of Piranha. There was no equivalent here to Gianna Michaels' topless water-skiing or Kelly Brook and friend doing nude underwater ballet. Nor a dismembered "member" floating on the screen.

Shark Night does an effective enough job of setting up some 2-dimensional characters and putting them in a picaresque yet isolated location (stuck on an private island without phone service). It then manages to find ways to force them all back onto the water, allowing each of the seven kids to die (or nearly get eaten) in their own distinct ways. But the movie starts losing steam once the real villains are revealed and proceed to explain their motivations: revenge, greed, sadism, etc. Unfortunately the more time we spend with the human bad-guys, the less fun this shark story becomes. 

Still, some good moments underwater, and leads Milligan and Paxton were both likable (him for his character, strong yet shy, and her for being both  brave and vulnerable… and for that blue bathing suit).

ETA: Best part was probably the goofy post-credit rap by the cast.

Odd coincidence: in these two films I got to see both Zooey D. and Katherine McP sitting on toilets. Now I can scratch those fantasies off my bucket list.