I refuse to watch Avatar!!!

 Well, it is Oscar Night; a wonderful treat for myself (since I was a teen);I like to enjoy it comfortably, with wine, cheese and grapes, and always cheered for movies that meant something even if I didn't fully comprehended the message, instead of the usual Blockbuster that made the Academy, Hollywood and guys like Less Grossman (watch Tropic Thunder) very happy.

  This year is a very particular one, the Academy has nominated 10 movies for the first time in 43 years; and out of those 10, I have failed to watch only 2 ; The Blind Side; I din't get to it in time; and AVATAR, which I intensionally refuse to watch. Yes, I know James Cameron is a great Director, Yes I know he is pretty much a perfectionist in his craftsmanship; but honestly, can he go beyond the commercial-Blockbustery formula??? I am sick on seeing the stupidity of the tag line portrayed as something of substance, He is good as that as well....

  And so; my bets are towards the movies I particularly feel had some meat on the table...

  

 All of my money is on ,Kathryn Bigelow's Directing and the wonderful Script by Mark Boal in "The Hurt Locker" which sat me on my chair; if you think you knew anything about how a character evolves in a film, you were WRONG, because SSG William James gives you in the First 25 minutes of the movie the well known cocky soldier attitude that you dislike, but at the end of the film you understand him and accept who he is and absolutely respect him. Just that, and the wonderful minimalistic approach to create a war film, where even a chick like myself who cannot stand war movies enjoys, and  also gives the realistic comprehension on what a combat situation is like, This to me is worth an Oscar of the size of a House,and to top it off the Photography is spotless, the audio is excellent, and everything else in that movie screams of a near perfection film.

  My other favorites are in the following Order, Inglorious Basterds, Up in the Air,An education, District 9, and Precious with the Fantastic acting by M'onique.

  

All images are copyright to their respective movies.

"Meet me in Montauk" My visual love affair with Michel Gondry (and He doesn't even know it)

 It was the mid 90's, and it came as a lighting that struck down my eyes and brain, It just happened; my eternal visual love for Michel Gondry's work, just like any love at first sight. I still remember that those were the days when I was in my very early twenties, I was bored a little with the grunge music and the videos (yeah,videos were at one point extremely popular), and as I turned on my TV; I saw this petite girl-woman driving this immense trash truck in a post apocalyptic era, the music was industrial, techno, rough, synth like, with lots of texture and programing behind it. and boy!, she could scream on top of all of that; very expressive. ( I also loved Bjork back then). However, the more I watched the video the more it transmitted some genius element behind it.

  You see, everything looked very hand made; but at the same time there were effects and directional frames of a person with a creativity that could suck you in; well, this video is no other than "Army of Me", and was directed by Michel Gondry.  Back in those days He was not as famous;I think he was well known in France and have already done a video for Lenny Kravitz and another one for Bjork (Human Behavior). From that point forward anything that had the Gondry's trademark I would observe attentively. I could see all the use of imagery of something real, of something I could do myself and at the same time, the presence of technical precision of new and innovative techniques in filming. Furthermore, there was always the element of an oniric proportion, but also a little bit of a child like atmosphere somewhere.

  Time went by and he won awards for commercial videos,and made more music videos; and so, it finally happened; he jumped into movies; that is when it really got interested for me. I have in my hands his first full length movie, Human Nature (2001) which I have yet to see; however I have been able to enjoy all of the other ones that have come out, like my all time favorite Eternal Sunshine of The spotless Mind (He Directed and Co-wrote), The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind and the latest one called Tokio (Interior Design). ( He also has directed several TV shows Episodes, in other words, his body of work is vast).

  In conclusion expect the unexpected; all of his movies will make you think, they all catch you by surprise at one point or another, they scare you, make you laugh; leave you perplex, etc...What can I say?, I admire his work, his approach and creative thought process; and how he is able to represent and dismantle any physiological barrier within your brain.

Michel Gondry will release  in December 2010 his newest  film as a Director, "The Green Hornet" based on the 1960's TV series.















All images in this article belong to Michel Gondry directed movies.

A Motion Picture from The Highway

  Succession of still images always give you the impression of a story; like a movie. It has a beginning and an ending, it transports you to an specific space and time. What better place to have the continuing roll of images than on a highway?. All the elements jump at our eyes and we cannot escape them unless we sleep.
  I cannot sleep on it, I need to really be attentive to anything the road throws at me.  A bird looking down upon me, a house being swallowed whole by the trees, where do the concrete ends and the sky start? so much geometry on the bridges and overpasses....That is why I love so much the images on Little Miss Sunshine a movie with a Highway Gallery from the beginning to the end.
  Music POGO by Digitalism

Película: The Dying Gaul (2005)

Dirección y Guión: Craig Lucas 

Actores:

Patricia Clarkson como Elaine Tishop

Campbell Scott como Jeffrey Tishop

Peter Saarsgard como Robert Sandrich.

  Esta película, lleva directamente a el espectador a envolverse en el desarrollo de una relación entre tres personas; un productor  ejecutivo de Hollywood con  tendencias sexuales reprimidas (Jeffrey Tishop), su esposa quien es un escritora retirada (Elaine Tishop) y un guionista (Robert Sandrich), quien ha perdido recientemente a su amante a causa del SIDA; y el cual está tratando de hacer frente a la pérdida.  Esta relacion triangular se desenvuelve durante la revolución de la Internet a mediados de los años 90, cuando las salas de chat dominaron la interacción humana en la red,  y refleja cómo algunas personas intercambiaban e intercambian todavía contenido de extremadamente personal con extraños.

 Jeffrey como productor, trata de obtener los derechos para el guión de "El Galo moribundo" (guión escrito por Robert), a el mismo tiempo que seduce y empuja a Robert a mantener una relación sexual con él, independientemente de su matrimonio con Elaine. Robert cede en parte, debido a la soledad,  y en parte debido a la necesidad de vender su guion. Una vez  que Jeffrey obtiene los derechos al mismo, hace participe a Elaine en el proceso al permitirle su lectura, automaticamente se siente atraida hacia el escritor y se propone a entablar una relación de amistad con Robert, elemento en la película que te lleva constantemente a preguntarte si Elaine sospecha algo de la relación entre ellos.
La  curiosidad de Elaine la lleva a seguir a Robert hasta  el chat donde el se convierte en un libro abierto; (particularmente para mí, esta es la parte donde el guión es un poco débil, la curiosidad de Elaine es fiel a la naturaleza femenina, pero la falta de sospecha por parte de Robert, de la presencia de Elaine en el chat, es lo que he encontrado un poco  improbable).  Después de este suceso, la historia se mueve y se desarrolla rápidamente, llevandola a un desenlace de suspenso con consecuencias catastróficas. 

 Cuando termino la película, mi mente repetia una y otra ves una de las frases que Jeffrey dice al principio de la misma ; "las películas que te mantienen deliberando al salir del Teatro merecen la pena", con toda honestidad, ésta lo hizo. 

  Técnicamente, la película está extremadamente bien realizada, logra retratar con la fotografía, el tono de luz dorada /naranja que puedes encontrar en el desierto, por el mismo, se le recuerda una y otra vez al espectador que la película fue filmada en el sur de California. Especialmente en todas las tomas de interiores, donde este resplandor dorado esta presente, ya sea que se refleja en la pared, o proporcionando una luz tenue a un cuarto de baño, esta parte de la película fue de agrado personal. La casa de los Tishop para mí, se convirtió en el cuarto protagonista de la película, independientemente de que uno apruebe o desapruebe su arquitectura, se convierte en el recipiente y el filtro principal de la atmósfera de el film, añade elegancia y serenidad a la historia, especialmente en su relación con Elaine, quien  es su principal habitante. La cual refleja a pesar de las circunstancias que le tocan vivir durante  la pelicula un nivel de serenidad extremo.

 Mi recomendacion 4/5

Movie:The Dying Gaul (2005)

Director: Craig Lucas
Writer:   Craig Lucas (Screenplay)
Cast:
Patricia Clarkson  as Elaine Tishop
Campbell Scott     as Jeffrey Tishop
Peter Saarsgard    as Robert Sandrich.

The path on this movie takes you straight to a three people relationship; in between a Hollywood Executive Producer, living his sexual tendencies in the closet (Jeffrey Tishop), his wife who is a retired screenwriter (Elaine Tishop)  and a  screenplay writer (Robert Sandrich) who has recently lost his lover to AIDS,and is still trying to cope with the loss. This triangular affair is setup in the Mid 90's internet revolution; when chat rooms once were the main feature for human interaction on the web; and showcases how people used to then, get extremely confident with strangers.

  Jeffrey as a Producer, tries to obtain the rights for the screenplay "The Dying Gaul" (Robert's Screenplay); at the same time, he pushes Robert to sustain on a sexual relationship with him regardless of his marriage to Elaine.  Robert concedes in part because of loneliness, in part because of the need of getting his script sold. Once Jeffrey obtains the script; he involves Elaine in the process by letting her read the script; who being a writer herself, feels compelled to engage in a friendly relationship with Robert, his persona intrigues her, which along the course of the movie makes you wonder if she suspects anything from the beginning. 
  Her curiosity takes her to follow Robert to the infamous chat where he becomes an open book; (particularly for me, this is the part where the scripts goes a little bit weak; Elaine's curiosity is truthful to the female nature; however the lack of suspicion on Robert's part on what Elaine's is up to is what I found unsustainable).  After this, the story takes turns and moves along quickly with a buildup for an ending of catastrophic consequences. When it was finished, the only thing stuck in my mind was; Jeffrey warns you at the beginning, that movies that keep you wondering when you leave the Theater are worthwhile, in all honesty this one did. Even tough I have read some reviews about some people who considered that this ending constituted a badly made movie; I disagree. 
     Technically, this movie is beautifully crafted, it achieves a wonderful portraying of the golden/orange light you can encounter in the desert; by it, you are reminded over and over again that the film was shot in Southern California. Specially in all the indoors frames, where this golden glow is always shining onto a wall; or giving a dim light to a bathroom; I particularly enjoyed this part of the movie a lot.  The Tishop's house to me, became the fourth main character of the film; independently that one approve or disapprove its architecture, it becomes the container and main filter of the ambiance in the movie; It adds elegance and serenity to the film, specially in its relationship with Elaine; who is its main inhabitant. Elaine's demeanor amidst her circumstances, always maintains those same behavioral features throughout the film, serenity and elegance.

My personal rating on the film 4 out of 5 stars.