don't think twice

Top 10 Movies of 2009

// January 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // Film/TV

Only 5 days late.

I spent a lot of time in the theaters this year – sometimes leaving bored, other times angry; but mostly smiling. Many of the films on this list would actually make my non-existing top 20 list that I like to refer to. I should mention that there are still quite a few films that I didn’t get to see this year that could very well have made this list (like A Serious Man and Pirate Radio) that I’ll try my best to catch before awards season.

10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson

I don’t consider myself a Potter fan, and have felt ho-hum at best about the rest of the series, but I thoroughly  enjoyed this film. It was darker, shot beautifully, and actually felt like it could stand alone outside of the franchise. And I ALMOST went out and bought the last book after it was over. Almost.

9. Tyson
Directed by: James Toback

Didn’t see many docs this year, but this one stuck with me. Daring editing choices and revealing questions put you right in this guy’s head. Whatever you think of Mike Tyson, you’ll see him from an entirely new perspective after this one.

8. The Hurt Locker
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty

This could be the most suspenseful film I’ve ever seen. The Hurt Locker is a  film about the war that avoids the politics and drops you into the every-day life of these soldiers, whose internal battles feel as dangerous and real as the visceral action scenes.

7. Up in the Air
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick

An extremely character driven film in the vein of Reitman’s film Thank You For Smoking (another great one). The focus is on George Clooney this time, and while it’s not a breakthrough performance, the film finds it’s voice and offers consolation and hope in tough times.

6. Up
Directed by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Starring: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai

Every time I think Pixar might make something bad, they just….don’t. My favorite part of this film (aside from the brilliant opening sequence) is the character design, and I think it’s part of what sets Pixar apart from the other studios – they opt for art over realism, creating a distinctive style for each of their films.
side note: I’ve said this for almost every Pixar trailer I’ve ever seen, but I’m not feeling that confident about Toy Story 3. But they’ll probably prove me wrong.

5. (500) Days of Summer
Directed by: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend

I don’t have many favorite romantic comedies, although Sleepless in Seattle was my favorite movie as a kid (strange?). This one is classy and smartly written, a stark contrast to the over-the-top, slapstick romances that rule this genre (I hate to even put it in the same category). This is as real as it gets, and I think everyone who has had a relationship at some point in their life should see this one. Plus I saw it with my mom, and she loved it. That has to count for something.

4. Avatar
Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver

James Cameron’s newest sci-fi epic is finally here, and delivered on all of it’s promises. It’s action packed, visually stunning, and gives me a headache (what some call the ‘Avatar hangover’). While the story isn’t anything that will stick with you, the experience is.

3. Star Trek
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy

After the previous two attempts at Star Trek films made me cringe (and feel embarrassed to be a fan), I can’t describe how happy it makes me to see the series back in good hands. J.J. Abrams brought Star Trek back to it’s roots and the stuff that made me love it as a kid. Kirk, Spock, and Bones are perfectly casted and seeing these characters back together is enough to make the nerd in me tear up. I’ve heard other people say this, and I’ll go ahead and agree: 2009 is the year that brought back sci-fi.

2. Fantastic Mr. Fox
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman

Possibly my favorite Wes Anderson film, and that’s saying a lot. The timing of the animation with the comedy gives it a very distinct style and feel. Wes Anderson’s films have always dealt with adult themes from a childlike perspective, a quality that lends itself perfectly to a movie based on a children’s book. This is one you’ll want to keep watching just to be back in the world it creates, and also one that you’ll be quoting with friends for months afterwards.

1. Inglourious Basterds
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz

My reaction to Tarantino films has always been lukewarm, but Inglorious Basterds made me a fan. He is a master of dialogue, and more action comes from conversation between characters than from traditional methods. Rewriting history was a bold move, but the film is so well made from every standpoint that it actually works (I recommend a second watch just to admire the lighting and composition). Tarantino is fearless when it comes to breaking the rules, and this one feels as groundbreaking as it does classic.

Happy New Year, friends!

Happy Life Day

// December 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // Film/TV, Offbeat

If you’ve never seen the fiasco that was the Star Wars Holiday Special, you’re in for a treat.

Although I can’t imagine that this could make Star Wars fans cringe any more than when they watch the prequels…

Need B-Roll?

// December 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Film/TV, Offbeat

We’ve got it.

Looking good in the dark

// December 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Film/TV, Offbeat

It was bound to happen at some point. The first wave of designer 3D-glasses will hit around the new year with Ray-Ban and Gucci rumored to have their own in the works.

I’m digging the Model 01. (Click through for more)

Movie Review: ‘Avatar’

// December 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Film/TV

Avatar was never on my radar for movies to be excited about. Motion captured blue people? Dragons, mechs, and constant explosions? That actress I hated from Lost? No. It was never even close. Yeah, I read about the new technology and the fancy cameras – but I’d heard all of that before and been let down to the point where I just knew that anything you have to put on a pair of 3D glasses to see would be kitschy, diluted, and a chore to watch (I’m looking at you, Zemeckis).

Well Mr. Cameron, I stand corrected.

It should be said from the beginning that this film should only be seen in 3D. I know some would say that the film should hold up on it’s on, and I normally wouldn’t disagree with that. I’ll admit that I haven’t fully decided what seeing this film in 2D would be like – but it doesn’t matter. In my opinion, the 3D dynamic of this movie is as essential and integral to its viewing as the sound and image. My professors always talk about theaters selling not just the viewing of a movie, but a unique experience that can only be had by being there. That has never been more true. Watching this film in a packed theater, on the big screen, with your glasses on and a Coke in your hand is the only way it should be seen.

In a genre crowded these days by big-budget, flashy, over-the-top action flicks, Avatar stands above the crowd. Not that it isn’t all of those things (trust me, it’s all three and then some), it’s just that no one has ever done it like this. You’ve seen this story before – the kind, primitive culture meets the powerful rich people who want to take their land for money. And I’ll admit that the story is predictable right up to the end – but the ride it takes you on makes you forget all of it. Visually, this film is downright gorgeous. Colors bleed off the screen in every shot. The alien world of “Pandora” is realized through shot after shot of extraordinary environments and creatures unlike anything seen before. Yet even in this hyper-realistic, over saturated world, everything you see feels tangible – which I would credit to the extreme attention to detail and the pure imagination in every scene.

The animated characters are similarly believable in every way, thanks in large part to Cameron’s efforts in advancing motion capture technology. Halfway through the film I recognized the actress behind one of the main digital characters, and not because of likeness or her voice – it was from her expression and performance that was coming through in this 10ft tall, yellow eyed, blue creature that bears very little resemblance to her in real life (that person was Zoe Saldana, whom I was very impressed by). Subtle emotions come through in these creatures that I’ve never felt from motion capture before, and the creepiness factor that plagued previous attempts like Final Fantasy and Beowulf is a non-factor.

Avatar is just plain fun from beginning to end. It’s funny when it needs to be, and serious when it should be. I shouldn’t like this movie. I hate predictable films. I’ll take intimate dialogue over action and explosions any day. I think 3D is gimmicky and a detriment to the industry and the films I want to see made. Now James Cameron has changed all of the rules for epic filmmaking – simultaneously changing my personal rules, if only just this once, for the type of movie I like to see.

“Makeshift”

// December 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // Film/TV, Life, Sound

“Makeshift”, SCAD’s entry this year for the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker’s Award, wrapped shooting last night. I think we’ve got a winner.

It being a 50 second commercial with no dialogue meant that my job as production sound mixer was pretty relaxed. We went way overboard on equipment, but it’s always fun to try out all the sound toys – this is the first shoot where I’ve had talkback with my boom op, and that’ll be essential from now on.

It moves into post now (I’m hoping to work a little on the sound editing side of things in a few weeks) and we’ll find out the winner in a few months.

Your pre-historic family adventure is about to begin

// December 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Film/TV, Offbeat

Dinosaur-themed family restaurants are kind of my thing. Sure could go for a raptor-rita about now.