Movies from Feb 2-8

Feb 2. 2009 -

"A Trip to the Moon" - Dir. Georges Melies - 1902

Star Theater - 1901

Move on - Dir. W.K.L. Dixon - 1903

Homage to Eaweard Muybridge - Dir. David Hanson

Shorts by W.K.L. Dixon: The Kiss, Serpentine Dances, Sandow (The Strong Man), Glenroy Brothers (comic boxing), Cockfight, The Barber Shop, Feeding the Doves, Seminary Girls

The Kid Part. 2 -

The second half of "The Kid" is good, but truly lost me a little bit. After they are re-united I think it is really sweet and really where the audience wants to see it end. That makes sense to me and really is nice ending. In fact, I still really love the movie up until the dream sequence in which is loses me.

The reason is that the film is so zeroed in on the relationship between the tramp and the kid that when that comes a long I get pulled out and don't care as much. I know that the kid is still at the center of it, but it still has that subplot about the woman which I really don't care about at all. The visuals are nice and all and there are funny moments, but it didn't work for me. Of course, with it ending there it leaves you with a sad idea if you really think about it. That is that the only time they are going to be together from this point on is in his dreams. I must give props to this ending as it isn't blatant and it being bitterly sweet. However, all the dream leading up to it is fairly pointless in my eyes, even though there is symbolism, but the symbolism just comes out of no where and I frankly don't feel as if it works.

It cannot deter my love of the film though.

Lumiere Brothers shorts: no. 91, no, 654, no. 88, no.99, no.186, no.4, no.82, no.40, no.105, no.101

San Francisco: Aftermath of Earthquake - Dir. Lumiere Brothers - 1906

The Great Train Robbery - Dir. Edwin S. Porter - 1903

Dog Factory - Dir. Edwin S. Porter - 1904

The Thieving Hand - 1908

Suspense - Dir. Lois Weber and Philips Smaller - 1913

Feb. 3, 2009

Zack and Miri Make a Porno - Dir. Kevin Smith - 2008

I love Kevin Smith. He is definitely one of the biggest influences on me as a writer. His dirty dialog coupled with an incredible heart at the center of it has always been something I have loved. This isn't is best film, but it is damn funny and really touching. Also, the scene where Zack and Miri finally have sex proves that he has come a long way as a filmmaker as it is such a personal and touching scene. I love this movie. It also has some more meaning for me because Zack and Miri are just like my friend Cera and I and I don't think anybody is as ever adorably dirty in a movie as Elizabeth Banks is.

Feb. 8, 2009

The Gold Rush - Dir. Charlie Chaplin - 1925

Review: Chaplin has always been very funny. That is why people know him. He is a great physical comedian and he knows how to take situations and make them ridiculous. However, the things that I have always thought he was best at was combining both the comedy with a message of sort. Be it the heart of “The Kid” or the early warning that “The Great Dictator” was. Chaplin has always been ahead of his time. Sadly, I don’t think he reaches it here.

Don’t get me wrong, “The Gold Rush” is a funny film, but that is about it. Almost every scene is a gag of some sort and most of them work. My favorites being the scene where he keeps transforming between himself and chicken. I think it is hilarious and a great way to treat his companion going crazy. It kept me laughing for a while afterwards. Of course, there is the famous roll dance. However, I don’t know how necessary that sequence was. I mean, we’ve seen him fall in love so many times and it is always the same. Meet cute, he charms them cause he is eccentric. Then he continues on. It works for the ending, but I wish there had been something a little more original in the middle of the film.

Also, his direction here was still clearly developing as most of the time it looks like he is shooting a play as opposed to “The Kid.” Except the climatic scene with the cabin tilting. Great bit by the way.

Basically, I felt this was a good, funny entry, but not much more.