@NOFS Review: "Upstream Color"

It feels a little awkward to compare a one of a kind film to anything else. Somehow, by putting it side by side with a similar movie - maybe one that is highly regarded - you are putting your knowledge of cinema and ability to express that knowledge on the line. An argument can be made about almost anything, but can you be convincing? Basically, you’ll either be thought of in a scholarly manner, or looked at as a weirdo from Room 237.

With that, I will now make the following case: Upstream Color is the successor to Inland Empire.

This is difficult for me, as David Lynch’s Inland Empire is one of my all time favorite films. On the surface, it is a 3 hour trial of confounding and crazy scenes; beneath all of that, it is an “Alice in Wonderland” meets Sunset Boulevard style odyssey. Lynch started his career by taking 5 years to shoot a black and white film, and may have concluded it by taking several years to shoot with Sony PD150’s. Everything has come full circle.

Along with coming full circle is the end. And, with every end comes a new beginning. Shane Carruth’s sophomore feature Upstream Color might not be as long as Lynch’s digital opus, but it’s a bit more absorbing. Oh, and just as confusing.

The tagline “A woman in trouble” was used to promote Empire, but the same could be said of Color. A young woman is drugged with a parasite, and hypnotized into giving all of her money to a thief. Coming out of her stupor, she forms a relationship with a man that may have also been infected. At the same time, a farmer who makes noize albums puts these extracted parasites into pigs, and observes the memories of former victims. The woman finds that her thoughts and feelings are shared somehow, and looks to solve this mystery.

The female leads in this and Empire share some things in common: both are in the movie industry, both get brainwashed, both experience the emotions of others and both confront their respective villains with a gun. The journey in Color might not be like at the end of a certain rabbit hole, but the stars do go through an Alice type adventure.

Everything is meticulously shot and designed, and executed in a very free flowing manner; scenes that don’t appear to make sense at first, feel as if they must soon afterwards because of the construction. There is a wonderful sequence where the farmer cuts from walking amongst pigs to walking around a married couple. The husband is cold to his wife, and the farmer sees the man’s regret when the wife becomes ill. All without leaving the farm. This is more than just a Body Snatchersadaptation, folks.

I think that Inland Empire was more than an expression of wacky ideas - it was a challenge for someone to one up it. An open invitation to grab the torch, if you will. It took some years, but Upstream Color did it. Where Empire was a horror showing a traditional hero tale, Color is a sci fi that depicts connections between people, environments and emotions. Both are similar in their creative obtuseness, but only Color can be said to have loftier goals. Success has been achieved.

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there with movie discussions, but do be careful and elaborate as much as possible. Now, I pass this next case onto you: Shane Carruth is the successor to David Lynch.

5/5 *s

The New Orleans Film Society will be presenting Upstream Color from May 19th - 21st at Chalmette Movies. Click here for more information.

Review: "Oblivion"

I have great affection for David Lynch’s Dune. It’s a movie that barely explains itself, but keeps throwing stuff at you anyways. Sure, The Original Star Wars Trilogy didn’t feel the need to spell everything out either, but it would at least establish and ground things to make the audience comfortable. Dune, on the other hand, expects you to have done some reading beforehand. Despite that problem, I really dig the flick. It’s a classic sci fi adventure with a weirdo modern (at the time) edge. It has a real “you just had to be there to understand” feel to it, and, knowing that I can never go back and “understand”, makes me love it even more.

The latest Tom Cruise movie Oblivion works well as a classic sci fi adventure, but without the special “you had to be there” feel. Actually, it’s really up to you if you want to go at all.

By no means is Oblivion bad; it’s a sleek looking and slickly told tale, constructed in a satisfying and easy to digest manner. At no time did I feel confused or out of place. It’s the kind of movie that makes you slurp an icee with glee and look forward to playing with your Wii when you get home (in fact, the ship Tom uses looks to be controlled by a Wii remote).

I just can’t say that it’s memorable. Is a cult following for this movie possible? Eh.

Tom Cruise plays yet another character named Jack, a technician assigned to maintaining the drones that protect mining machines on what is left of Earth. He must do this while fighting off the occasional Scav, the last of the aliens that invaded the planet years prior. Nearing the end of his mission, an old ship crash lands, revealing a woman Jack knows from his dreams. This leads him to a discovery that will determine the fate of humanity.

After the screening, I remarked to a friend that the story felt like the first in a franchise series, meant perhaps for a trilogy or something. Being a single film just feels off, as there are just lots of interesting things happening that deserve to be explored further. It really should’ve been an hour longer at least (seriously), giving us more to chew on. Morgan Freeman ends up expositing everything in a two minute sequence, clarifying for me that the producers just want you to shovel popcorn in your face while Tom Cruise shoots his gun.

To be fair, that isn’t too bad of a thing, as it actually works here. The visuals are top notch, Tom Cruise is at his most Tom Cruise and the action is fun. As a sci fi movie, it could’ve gone into philosophical territory regarding free will and blissful ignorance vs. knowing the truth, but opts instead for being adventurous on a superficial level. Disappointing, but hey - it works.

Dune, for all of its perceived faults, aimed for being something more than just space drama. It didn’t quite hit the mark, but the ambition was there. Oblivion is more than happy just sticking to what has worked before. It’s like the film equivalent of that guy who spends most of his life just chillin’, playing music and not making waves. Bless his heart, but please don’t follow in his footsteps.

3/5 *s

Top 10 Movies of ALL TIME (that I've seen)

In the latest episode of the #TeamNOLAFilm podcast, we discussed the recent change to the Sight & Sound Best Movies list, where "Citizen Kane" got bumped from number 1 by "Vertigo" - skip to 26:20:
During the discussion, we revealed our thoughts for best/favorite films ever. And, just a day or so ago, Sound on Sight asked its staff (including myself) to come up with individual Top 10 lists to be tallied for a comprehensive site list (coming soon).

So, with these two incidents happening side by side, I decided to just go ahead and post my slightly thought out and relatively pointless list of...

The 10 Best Movies of ALL TIME (that I've seen)!

1.(tie) "Apocalypse Now" and  Orson Welles' "The Trial"
- Yes, maybe it's a cop out coming up with a tie decision for the number 1 slot, but it is what it is. One may be the greatest war film made and the other may be the most absurd/hilarious comedy to be a depressing headache. Seek out both, and you will be automatically better for it.

3. Buster Keaton's "The General"
- Considering how far special effects and stunt work have come, this is truly amazing to watch. Back then, you had to do it FOR REAL. See where Jackie Chan draws his inspiration from.

4. "Once Upon a Time in America"
- You think Sergio Leone was only about the western? Pfft. If "The Godfather" is about family, then this is about memory, regret and friendship. Could've easily been at the top.

5. The Original "King Kong"
- One of the few movies to make me choked up in the end. You really end up caring about poor Kong. Another special effects wonder.

6. The Original "Metropolis"
- Not only has a wonderful message, but is dazzling and quite epic. It's a miracle that most of the missing scenes were found.

7. David Lynch's "Inland Empire"
- Lynch comes full circle from where he started with "Eraserhead". A 3 hour unofficial reinvention of "Alice in Wonderland", I like to think.

8. Abel Gance's "Napoleon"
- The only film on this list that I've NEVER FULLY SEEN. I read the book on the making of it, and knew it was among the best. Check out my earlier post on my optimism about its BluRay/DVD release.

9. "F for Fake"
- What? Another Orson Welles pick? Indeed. His final work (until "The Other Side of the Wind gets completed) is years ahead of its time. You can see where Oliver Stone got some of his techniques for "Natural Born Killers" (which almost made this list).

10. "Roman Holiday"
- I used to have a big crush on Audrey Hepburn, so I had to put this one on here. I love it when romantic comedies don't pick the easy way out, and go for bittersweet instead.

This is NOT meant to be permanent by any means, and even if it was, does it really matter? After all, these lists are really just meant to encourage discussion... So, with that in mind, please leave a comment!

Review: "Hot Cakes"

Cross posted from InvadeNola, where this will be appearing on June 16:

On the first episode of the #TeamNOLAFilmpodcast, we discussed the need for a real investment in local filmmakers and their projects. We have so many out of town productions coming IN to the area which is great, but not enough local projects coming OUT. Do producers need a good example of what New Orleans talent can make?

"I have been waiting all morning for a man with half a heart."

Marty, fresh out of prison, visits his regular post jail release diner.  His body language says he's yearning for a calmer future, but the scars on his face suggest something different; something deeper. Two other ex cons see this as well, and soon the three men are conversing over plates of pancakes. But there is more to their encounter than just short stacks...

Described as a sort of neo noir / urban western, "Hot Cakes" has a surreal nature to it; at times like Lynch, other times like Aronofsky. The appropriately timed music, the cryptic at times dialogue, the interesting framing (there is a Knight suit behind Marty in some shots) and even the setting - which comes off like a purgatory type meeting place for these characters - all makes the audience ask "what's this all leading to?" and "what does this all mean?".

Well, what DOES it all mean? What IS it leading to? A fortune teller in the diner is drawn to Marty, and makes a startling prediction for him; will it turn out to be correct? Will Marty be forced into a compromising position? His new friends certainly wish to pull him back into his harsh past. Will they succeed? The film's aesthetic gives everything - including eating breakfast - a sense of impending doom. And by the time the end credits roll, this sense still lingers; things just don't look good for Marty, in OR out of the diner. Is he in trouble no matter what? I absolutely loved this.

"No one should ever come here. I had teeth when I came here."

My only complaint is that it ended. I would like to see what the director Jo Custer could do with a feature length script. She's an example of the kind of local talent who deserve a shot. For Hollywood South to move forward, out of town producers bringing projects to the area need to make a meaningful investment in local filmmakers. Is an example of good local work needed? I just provided one.

4/5 *'s