netflix

FILM / VIDEO / netflix — 1 Comment
1
Mar 10

The Legend Of 1900

The Legend of 1900 is one of the best films you’ve never heard of. Directed by the Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore of Cinema Paridiso fame, it tells the story of a piano virtuoso named 1900 who is born on a ship and never steps foot on land.   Told in flashback form this film deals with the fear of change through the immigrant experience.  To 1900 played by Tim Roth this ship is his life and the thought of stepping into a seemingly infinite world mortifies him.  This quote by 1900 courtesy of Photo-Art-Life blogspot sums it up the best.

“Take piano: keys begin, keys end. You know there are 88 of them. Nobody can tell you any different. They are not infinite. You’re infinite… And on those keys, the music that you can make… is infinite. I like that. That I can live by…”

You rolled out in front of me a keyboard of millions of keys, millions and billions of keys that never end. And that’s the truth Max, that they never end. That keyboard is infinite… and if that keyboard is infinite, then on that keyboard there is no music you can play. You’re sitting on the wrong bench… That is God’s piano.

Christ, did you… did you see the streets, just the streets? There were thousands of them! Then how you do it down there, how do you choose just one… one woman, one house, one landscape to look at, one way to die…?

Tim Roth’s performance as one of the least rounded individuals in cinematic history is endearing and will pull at your heart strings. This script is so well written that it is hard to believe this is Giuseppe Tornatore first English language film.  The musical score by Ennio Morricone is simply genius and garnered a Golden Globe for best score.  The clips embedded below illustrate the virtuosity of the musical score, cinematography and the writing.  Clip one which takes place halfway through the film is a duel between 1900 and the real life inventor of Jazz Jelly Roll Morton brilliantly played by Clarence Williams III.  The ships passengers who are rooting for and in some cases betting on 1900 are disappointed by his lack of effort. Unaware that he is just toying with Morton they proceed to boo him.  Morton fully aware that 1900 is mocking him pulls out all the stops.  What proceeds is one of the best duel scenes in cinematic history.  In clip two 1900 serendipitously finds inspiration for his first and only recorded piece.  Strictly from a musical standpoint, the story telling in that composition is powerful.  Play both clips if you have time, but if you don’t I recommend viewing clip two “Playing Love.”  It is a moving piece of filmmaking. The Legend of 1900 is on my top 5 list of the best films you’ve never heard of. If you get a chance pick it up on Netflix.

Enjoy

TrevzNewPop

TCM / VIDEO / netflix — No Comments
16
Feb 10

The Graduate is Too Funky

Until this past weekend The Graduate was a film that I only knew about through it’s famous quotes and scenes. Somehow I felt like I had already seen this entire film, heard all quotes and laughed at all the jokes, when I actually never watched it. My unfounded perception of this film as an irrelevant relic of another time discouraged me from actively pursuing this as a rental or purchase. Thank god for TCM where I am a passive participant of timeless gems from Hollywood past. This weekend I sat down and watched the entire film and to my surprise I was able to appreciate it for its cultural significance.

It is ironic when a work of art has such a strong cultural impact that its iconic status becomes a detriment to its viewership. Case and point, the scenes posted below have been played ad nauseum and as a result they have become greater than the sum of it’s parts. Most of us are aware of this film through bits and pieces. The relationship between the younger man and the cougar Anne Bancroft, the plot twist where he falls for her daughter, the chart topping soundtrack by folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. This familiarity takes away from the novelty that might otherwise draw in an unsuspecting viewer, robbing them of the experience that won over audiences when it first opened.

Upon my own viewing of The Graduate, what I found most compelling were the layers of pop-culture references that when viewed from the cultural landscape of the time were quite revolutionary. The seedy strip club scene, the references to “Agytators,” and “Plastics,” the stunning shots of the “Alfa Romeo Spider” on the freeways of California. This film directed by Mike Nichols ushered in the new wave of Hollywood directors and captured the spirit of the times. It reflected the changing of the guard in Hollywood and in society. According to Filmsite.org “two California settings (Los Angeles and Berkeley) and S. and N. California cultures (materialistic vs. intellectual), There was already a growing dissatisfaction with the status quo and middle-class values, and the breakthrough film mirrored that anarchic mood perfectly for America’s youth of the 60s during the escalation of the Vietnam War.” This quote explains why it resonated then, and why it resonated with me.

I included two popular clips from The Graduate below that I look at now with a fresh perspective. They are no longer meaningless clips from an irrelevant film, I look at them now as cinematic landmarks of a shift in American pop culture. I highly recommend renting this on Netflix or watching it whenever it plays on TCM again.

Enjoy
TrevzNewPop

I also sandwiched the 1992 George Michael video “Too Funky” where they use a sound-byte from The Graduate in the very beginning. Try to catch the soundbyte without getting too distracted by the very young Tyra Banks and Linda Evangelista.

Spoiler Alert!

FILM / TCM / TrevzNewPop / VIDEO / netflix — No Comments
25
Jan 10

The Anatomy of Cool

It always fascinates me when something considered cool generations ago becomes vintage cool for a contemporary generation. Often the past is a great indicator of what will be cool in the future. Go back around 20 years and you will often find indicators of the trends of today. That 20 year window leaves a great un-mined resource of vintage films, fashion and music to be re-examined and re-packaged for today’s generation. I would like you to consider another film that falls out of this 20 year pattern of appreciation.

The film “Anatomy Of A Murder” (1959) is an American trial court drama directed by Otto Preminger. This film is known for being one of the best trial movies ever made. What stood out to me and most critics of the time was how it incorporated jazz in the musical score. It was the first film to extensively do this. The use of what was the alternative music of the time was a novel approach. The Jazzy opening sequence with music by Duke Ellington and artwork by Saul Bass also added to the cool aesthetic. Imagine yourself as a teenager 1959 not knowing much about what is going on in contemporary pop culture and then you see this trailer or this poster. You may say to yourself ‘This ain’t your daddy’s music,’ and suddenly you wonder about the world outside of your small middle American town. Sound familiar?

Check out the embed below, and if you get a chance to see the movie on TCM or pick it up on Netflix I do recommend.

Enjoy
TrevzNewpop

TrevzNewPop / VIDEO / netflix — No Comments
23
Jan 10

Revolutionary Road

Last night I found myself watching “Revolutionary Road.” It is an adaptation of the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. It’s a dark commentary on American life in the 1950s and had some stunning performances and beautiful photography. The performance I found most captivating was the portrayal of John Givings by Michael Shannon. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role. The scene below was the best in the film. Michael Shannon’s character is a former mathematician who is now under psychiatric care in a mental institution. His character is the voice of truth in this film. As I start to shoot and write myself I am beginning to view films in a completely different way, with a new appreciation for how writers use characters to make their points. I notice how multiple characters are used to convey the message of a single voice. I see subtle ploys who’s genius are revealed only upon dissection. I see the dance, the give and take between the communicator and receiver. In the scene embedded below notice how Yates uses the Michael Shannon character to say what Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are thinking but to afraid to say. The couple played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet planned to move to Paris to escape the mundane suburban life. A trip that Leonardo’s character was much less excited about than Kate’s character. A trip that gets cancelled because Kate’s character becomes pregnant by Leonardo’s. Take a look at how this scene plays out.

Michael Shannon makes two appearances in this film, and in both cases Yates uses his character to move the story along by stating the truth. To have the characters get to the truth themselves would have lengthened the storyline. As an editor I appreciate the value of shortcuts. Some may argue that it is an easy out. I say it is unless it is artfully done. In this case it is.

One other note about this scene. The framing is genius in it’s simplicity. The balance achieved by the straightforward composition may look elementary at first glance, but takes an artful eye and courageous spirit to pull it off. Ask yourself would you frame it with such simple composition? With millions being invested in this film would you be tempted to try and make it more complex? Or would you trust that such a simple composition could carry such a heavy scene?

If you want to see more it is currently available on HBO or you can grab it on netflix.

TrevznewPop

FILM / TrevzNewPop / VIDEO / netflix — No Comments
16
Jan 10

Why Watch Watchman? Well…

The most endearing thing I find in Superhero movies is the vulnerability of the characters. The fact that Heroes have to deal with the everyday problems that plague us all makes it easier to suspend our disbelief. Movies like “Spiderman”, “The Incredibles”, “X-Men” and more recently the television series “Heroes” have all made vulnurability an integral part of their plots.

One film takes the cake when it comes to this portrayal. Watchman is set in an alternate-history 1985 at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. It received mixed reviews but there was one part of this film that was universally praised by critics and fans alike. That was the opening sequence. This sequence was effective in portraying these Heroes as gifted individuals grapling with problems of the time. Not only was this sequence technically masterful, but it had a quirky element that was endearing. My favorite clip in this sequence is the one where Neil Armstrong lands on the moon and you can see a reflection of Dr Manhattan in his visor taking his photograph. The question arises… How does a being like Dr Manhattan with the power of God himself get an assingment like taking photos? What I also found very peculiar about this shot was that you can also see the credits in the reflection of the visor. Something I did not pick up until much later. A very interesting quirk that added to the appeal of this montage. The Bob Dylan track “Times Are A Changing” is also very appropriate addressing the topic of “change” while simoultaneously enhancing the mood of this montage.

Compared to other Superhero films I found that these Heroes were portrayed with even more more human qualities than what I have become used to. This montage embodies this sensibility. Check out the clip below and then watch the movie whenever you get a chance. It’s currently playing on HBO. If you don’t have HBO do the Netflix thing.

I had to upload and embed video to thenewpop site because youtube would not let you embed this clip. Sometimes youtube just doesn’t play well with the Fair Use act. Enjoy.

FILM / TrevzNewPop / VIDEO / netflix — No Comments
15
Jan 10

Sky Captain to Avatar to PopBot

I saw Avatar this week and like just about everyone else I was blown away by the motion graphics and 3D animation. The story line was a bit simplistic and predictable, but because of it’s eco-friendly message it worked in spite of this. Technically speaking, it was the most imaginative movie I have seen to date. What made this movie so incredible was how realistic the CGi technology blended with the human actors.

This got me to thinking about another little known film that revolutionized blending CGi actors with humans. Do you remember the 2004 film “Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow”? Well it was one of the first films to be shot entirely on a digital backlot. Soon after that films like “Sin City”, “Immortal” and “300″, followed suit. I remember a couple of years earlier I came across this graphic comic called “PopBot” by the Australian artist Ashley Wood. This comic had an irreverent quality that mixed these sexy robots with journey man heroes and Pulp like characters. I loved everything about it, even the title which utilized my favorite word “Pop”. When Sky captain came out with it’s vintage stylized feel I got so excited that I saw it a couple of times. Up until then the only popular use of this technology was for the Star Wars prequel “Phantom Menace.” The “Sky Captain” movie was more sophisticated, more sexy, and I believed “PopBot” would be even more so if it were made into a film. I imagined it being a CGi cross between “Pulp Fiction” and some sexy arthouse French film. “Sky Captain” didn’t quite achieve that balance but it was one step closer. Critics loved “Sky Captain” but the film lost money at the Box Office. Anyway you should definitely order this on Netflix if you get a chance. I posted the trailer and some images from the PopBot comic below. Coincidently both “Avatar” and “Sky Captain” featured Giovanni Ribisi in a supporting role. Enjoy.

P.S. I heard they are going to adapt “PopBot” into a film so look out.

MEDIA / TCM / VIDEO / netflix — No Comments
11
Jan 10

Putney Swope, Corporate power and Race.

Putney Swope is a 1969 film written and directed by Robert Downey Sr. and starring Arnold Johnson as Swope. Swope is the only black man on the executive board of an advertising firm who is accidentally put in charge after the death of the chairman of the board. Renaming the business “Truth and Soul, Inc.”, Swope replaces all but one of the white employees.

I caught this on TCM the other night. According to Wikipedia “It criticizes and plays with black militant rhetoric, the portrayal of race in Hollywood films, the white power structure, and nature of corruption in any struggle for power.” What compelled me to watch this was the fact that Robert Downey Sr. directed it. Yes he is the father of actor Robert Jr. I had seen the movie “Tropic Thunder” where Downey Jr. plays a white man in blackface bringing up issues of race in Hollywood. Hearing that his father also dealt with the subject of race in this film peeked my curiosity. This film deals more with race in the corporate structure than Hollywood.

This film is not really well acted or well shot, In fact Robert Downey Sr. had to redub all of Arnold Johnson’s lines because Johnson could never remember them. There are some funny moments and if you are a fan of vintage movies dealing with Mod Fashion and Black Exploitation you may find this as interesting.

The two clips I added below deal with the shift in the power structure in Black and White America, a topic that is very relevant today with the election of the first Black President. I will deal with this issue in more depth in future postings. The second clip is a bit funnier to me personally because it deals with freelance artist relationships with the corp structure. And more specifically negotiating of ones rates which for the most part is completely arbitrary. If you’ve been in this situation you will take comfort in being able to laugh at it since you probably did more than enough bitching by now. The final clip is just a goofy ad from the “Truth and Soul” agency. The gimmick was that Truth and Soul, Inc were such a novelty that everyone wanted them to shoot their ads no regardless of wether they made any sense at all. The satire in this film is an accurate commentary on Madison Ave and Pop-culture today.

TCM / VIDEO / netflix — No Comments
11
Jan 10

Who Are You, Polly Magoo?

The 1966 French film “Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?” is a satirical art house movie spoofing the fashion world and its excesses. It stars native Brooklynite Dorothy McGowan as supermodel Polly Maggoo who is being followed by a French television crew. I caught this on TCM one night and was drawn in by how it poked fun at the cool mod style of the late 60’s. The director William Klein is a well known photographer and one of my inspirations. The asthetic beauty in this film, balanced with the cutting satire intrigues me. It draws many parallels to the world I work in today. Beautiful, inspiring and cool, while hilarious, silly and superficial. The difference with this film and a film like Zoolander, is there is a insiders perspective and reverence that acknowledges that there is something to love about this world. Zoolander tosses it all aside as fodder for laughs. Don’t get me wrong I love Zoolander, but “Polly Maggoo” deals with the dichotomy of that love hate relationship in a serious way without fishing for the big laugh.

The first clip is the opening scene from the film. It is a fashion show where the “clothes” are so outlandish and impractical that the models are cut by the material and the designer has to make modifications with a wrench. It illustrates just how silly the fashion world can be. The second is a trailer just in case you were thinking of renting or buying it. There isn’t much substance in terms of storyline, but if you are intrigued by cultural commentary about the super cool today, tomorrow, or 40 years ago, I would say go for it.

TCM / TREVZ / VIDEO / netflix — No Comments
10
Jan 10

Le Mans 1971.

Caught the movie Le Mans on TCM yesterday. The movie starring Steve McQueen is about 24 Hours of Le Mans and was filmed on the circuit during the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans race. What makes this race unique is instead of focusing on the ability of a car company to build the fastest machines of the time, the 24 Hours of Le Mans would instead concentrate on the ability of manufacturers to build sporty yet reliable cars and the endurance of the drivers. But what I found compelling about this movie was the culture of sophistication surrounding this event. How true to life this is then or now I don’t know. I am well aware of how easy it is for filmmakers to present things as they see it, but since this was filmed in part at the actual event and not entirely staged I am less cynical about it’s accuracy. The vibe felt more like a Polo match than what I have grown to expect from car racing. I suspect the European sensibility about art and culture that seems to permeate everything they do has allot to do with this. Especially when the two main cars involved were Porsche and Ferrari.

The clip I embedded below is a conversation between Mcqueens character Michael Delaney and Elga Andersen character Lisa Belgetti. After a serious accident that involved Lisa Belgetti lover she asks Michael why do men risks their lives for sport? Michael responds with the following famous movie quote. “A lot of people go through life doing things badly. Racing’s important to men who do it well. When you’re racing, it… it’s life. Anything that happens before or after… is just waiting.” This is followed by a beautiful montage that illustrates the subtle and not so subtle beauty of the sport, focusing not only on the cars, but on the faces in the crowds, and the lifestyle that surrounds this event. It is a beautiful piece of filmmaking. This all takes place in the first 4 minutes so don’t let the 9 min duration discourage you from viewing the clip. And if you ever get a chance to watch the entire movie or if you have a Netflix account, you should give this film a chance.

Trev