Wassup Rockers

Larry Clark's 'Wassup Rockers' is about of salvadoreño and guatamalan kids from South Central LA, who end up going up to Beverly Hills for a day.

The first part of the film is very realist and revealing. I think it's probably a pretty accurate (tho stereotypical) picture of immigrant culture. The second half of the film, is the what would happen of if these immigrant kids ended up in a place like Beverly Hills. Clark does a great job of making you would if the poor immigrant kids aren't really cooler than all that money buys.

One highlight was the conversation the salvador boy has with the rich girl on her bed. Their conversation shows that really it's all the same.

Another nice touch was the boy was always asked where he was from. For the entire movie, he says that he's from the ghetto, until the end. As the boys arrive back in south central, some gangsta asks where he's from, and the latino answers, 'no where'... :D nice touch.


7/10

Coffee and Cigarettes

Coffee and Cigarettes is a serious of nine short episodes - all taking place around table with coffee and cigarettes. For an independent film, Jim Jarmusch managed to get a lot of very well known actors! The White Stripes, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, Roberto Begnini, Kate Blanchett, Bill Murray, and the Wootang to name a few.

It's pretty funny, and it would be great to watch with friends I think. I doesn't get too deep, but a few times it gets a lot into what other people think of you. I love the scene where Alfred Molina is a big fan of Steve Coogan, but Coogan remains cold, and then when he finds out that Molina is a friend of some other actor, he tries to act like his best friend. Social games. Excellent. People change what they say according to what they think of someone and how they fit in to the social scene.

Good film.... definitely funny, but with some more serious questions to ask - but no statements. I like it.


8/10

Trainspotting

Danny Boyle's drug movie 'Trainspotting' seems to be a very influential movie. I was almost surprised to see that it was made in 1996. It was ahead of its time.

The film was well written, and the actors are all very good. The film has lots of good surprises, and it shows how frustrating sin can be. At the end, as he chooses to leave and to 'choose life', you can't help but question his sincerity. How many other times had he tried to break out? The film is a bit of a downward, circular progression - so you have to wonder if he'll make it.

The story ends with a lot of questions ... What happens to Diane, does he succeed in choosing life, etc. But that almost seems appropriate for a drug movie.

The hit scenes were very well done. The worst of them was when he dived in the toilet! lol... Also as he's pulling out in his parent's house. Very powerful. Another highlight of the film is the soundtrack. Gotta love 'Born Slippy Nuxx'. nice.


8.5/10

Lost in Translation

I think that Sophia Coppola is becoming one of my favourite producers. Her films are so atmospheric. There's something about the combination of the great music (air, phoenix) with the shots she gets. I love how she kept getting the girl in "lost in translation". She's always sitting looking over tokyo, often with headphones. It's great.

The comedy was pretty good too. I liked some of the translation scenes. I like how at the end she remains pure and he chooses not to do anything - of course the irony is that he slept with that weird singer lady. Is adultery worse because he didn't even love her? Would it have been better if he had loved her? I don't know...

Anyway .. pretty good film. Great feel, though the whole story is about to married people's relationship. Odd, but somehow good.


7/10

l'enfant

The Dardenne brothers' film 'l'enfant' was made very simply. The plot is simple and has few complications, there is no sound track, and even the shots are simple and few.

I was impressed by the realism of this film. It's characters all seem to be real life people, and the story is almost too convincing. I'm not quite sure what do make of the film. I wonder what inspired the brothers to make it. Could it be a commentary on lower-class western life? I don't know ...

The end of the film took me a bit by surprise. To see the couple crying in the prison was a harsh image to fade off of.


7/10

Butterfly Effect

Eric Bress's film 'The Butterfly Effect' was reminiscent of 'Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind'. It's odd that two movies would come out in 2004 that dealt with the memory ... and both films ponder existentialism.

Ashton Kutcher's performance stands out - tho it might just be because we're used to him in comedies, not films so serious as this one. It's plot(s) are many and all deal with the gravity of choices made. Consequences are of decisions are immediately seen and felt.

The end of the movie was perhaps the most shocking. You don't expect an american movie to end so dramatically. Did he have to commit suicide to make everyone else's life better? Was that really the answer? When the baby strangles himself in the womb, it felt cheesy, but at the same time the viewer can't deny the gravity of his choice.



6/10

24 Hour Party People

I just watched the story of Tony Wilson in the film '24 Hour Party People'. The film was made as a sort of mock documentary. Apparently, they took a lot of artistic freedom, and changed the some of the details. The story follows Tony Wilson as he follows the roots of the punk movement, and then the beginning of the rave scene.

I enjoyed the movie, because it was about someone who was ahead of their time in the arts. He never makes it rich and cashes in, but instead he's always a bit too far ahead. What's cool is that he doesn't care. He's not in it for the money.

I also like the fact that he's well educated, and doesn't seem to be a typical punk, but he still manages to have such a big influence. He also manages to ride through different waves of art and culture -- that's cool.


6/10