Wes Anderson Mix Tape
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Hello all. Mark here. Wes Anderson is my favorite director. His movies never get old. One thing I particulary love about Wes Anderson’s movies are the soundtracks. I’ve bought them all and Constantly listen to them. My cousin Jonny Moore sent me a text one day and told me he wrote a post about an all Anderson mix tape. I loved the idea and had to post it. Enjoy!
By: Jonny Moore
I’m ashamed to say that I read the reviews on NME.com. They’re not in depth enough and in my opinion, the reviews aren’t very good. But the chance of a new song I might like is why I read.
Two articles spun my interest on a Wes Anderson mixtape. The first being, Sufjan Stevens allegedly suffered a breakdown while watching Fantastic Mr. Fox. He described it as feeling like he was being possessed. Later he commented that he thinks Fantastic Mr. Fox is a “wonderful film”. The second being, the new Kurt Vile single was described as music that “Wes Anderson would Masturbate to” combining “Niko and Elliot Smith” (The first case of a review that was too in-depth. I listed the song below, you decide).
I looked at my iPod and put together a quick list of songs that might be on Wes’ playlist. My list was only 4 songs. So the search was on. I had to consider a number of things when selecting a song.
1. How indie was a song?
2. How popular was it? I considered using Dan Auerbach’s “Going Home” but a recent Budweiser commercial about a soldier coming home from a tour stole my thunder and all the exclusivity that my brother Jeremy loves (I still love it).
3. How old was the song? The whole playlist couldn’t entirely be the Stones, Niko and the Kinks. So recent music had to be considered.
4. Could I picture the song used in a slow mo sequence. One of the many things I love about Wes Anderson films is the music played in conjunction with the slow mo walking (See: “By the Way of the Green Line Bus” and “Rushmore Revenge” below).
If a song met any one or more of these criteria, it was considered. If it hit all four (See “Furr”) then it was pure gold. Here are a few of my favorite scenes from Anderson Films:
Rushmore Revenge
The Life Aquatic Gunfight
By Way of the Green Line Bus
Royal Tenenbaums “Needle in the Hay”
Here is my playlist.
1. “West Coast” – Coconut Records
Jason Swartzman’s band = super indie.
2. “Babies Arms” – Kurt Vile 3. “I Want You” – Bob Dylan 4. “Furr” – Blitzen Trapper 5. “Little Satchel” – Sam Amidon http://www.myspace.com/samamidon/music/songs/little-satchel-40259319 6. “Lost Cause” – Beck 7. “Oh Bessie” – The Teeth 8. “Still New” – Smith Westerns 9. “Titus Andronicus Forever”- Titus Andronicus 10. “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)”- John Lennon 11. “Ashamed” – Deer tick 12. “First Cut is the Deepest” – Cat Stevens |
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Fireball 2009
Fireball (2009)
By John Leavengood
MY CALL: What’s worse than an “F”? Is something worse? My rating of this movie is twenty kicks to the nuts. How about that?
WHAT TO WATCH INSTEAD: Whatever it takes, man. If this is your only option, you must be in Hell. If you wanted a good sports flick then try Any Given Sunday or Varsity Blues. For Thai martial arts try Chocolate or Ong-Bak (both of which I reviewed: https://moviesfilmsandflix.wordpress.com/category/john-leavengood/)
IF YOU LIKE THIS, WATCH: NOTHING! Nothing ever again. That would be an appropriate punishment for liking this movie.
This movie title gave me hope. “Fireball”. I imagined Shaolin Soccer with a flaming basketball and Dragonball-done-well wushu wizardry. It was none of that. The movie is about a fighting-fusion sports team.
Before their first game, this team of thrown-together Street Hoops-loving brawlers is nervous because they’ve never played together (as a team) before. But what do they have to fear? I’ll explain…Welcome to your first game of Fireball, where the teams are composed of Spidey-sense quick Thai dudes with a mean hook shot and a meaner right hook. The rules? Pretty simple: don’t die. I feel this movie would have done just fine if the rules were exactly like basketball, except that you could beat each other to a pulp with no fear of a foul. When the clock hits zero, the highest score would win, right? That’s not the case here. During a criminal coaches’ union meeting it is revealed that “the rules have changed since last year.” The new rules stipulate that whichever team has the last man standing wins regardless of the score. So why even keep score!?! Why have a ball? It’s Rollerball all over again.
It seems that the team’s worries are irrelevant. If they can kick ass, they’ll do fine. Despite these rather clear rules the teams, for reasons beyond my comprehension, actually try to play against each other. They mix elbows, punches and kicks in with dribbling, lay-ups and the like. Much like watching Dennis Rodman in a game with blind officials, this really should have been cool. Here, it’s not. There is no action moment worth mentioning
Basketball plus martial arts should equal AWESOME. But woe is the viewer who shared my misconception. Making up for none of this disaster, the movie also boasts poor camera work and mediocre film quality. As the camera shifts in attempts to follow the action the scene is blurred. The translators’ interpretation of what passes for slang nowadays was also disappointing. Worse yet, the combat choreography was God-awful! With the high combat quality of so many foreign and domestic releases, I feel that the action scenes in this movie are an affront to action-moviegoers of any age or nation.
After suffering through movies like this I just want to blacklist the director or choreographer. Fireball demonstrates a complete lack of innovation. If you enjoy martial arts movies, do NOT see this. If you have an appreciation for martial arts and your friends say they loved this, disown them. Watching this made me miss The Last Airbender (I NEVER thought I’d say that).
I’ll submit that there was one fun, marginally acceptably done scene in the whole movie when the members of the team have an interesting practice. They all start on the roof of a building. The first one to shoot a basket (in the court at ground level) wins. Go! It was like an obstacle course chase scene. Sadly, I was so overwhelmed with disappointment by the time I got to this scene that I don’t think I even cracked a smile in response.
The movie also had many elements which we expect from sports movies…
1) Dude throws a game for money because he’s in financial trouble and has a baby on the way.
2) Game in the rain.
3) Loss of a player to injury (= death).
4) A fight with the coach results in a key player quitting.
5) There’s a wildcard new guy brought to the team.
None of these elements performed their intended function as they did so well in Any Given Sunday or Varsity Blues…which is to make me care.
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The Last Exorcism 2010
Hello all. Mark Here. I agree with John on his review. The main character is solid…the others around him not so much. I get the ending but it still lost my attention quicker then I lose my keys. Watch the movie Insidious instead. Thanks John!
The Last Exorcism (2010)
By John Leavengood
MY CALL: This movie is to exorcism movies what American Psycho is to slasher flicks—a well-done satire. Not as well-done as American Psycho, not by a long shot. But it’s a good satire. While scare-seekers will be disappointed, well-seasoned horror-goers should find this change of pace to be a fun ride. [B+]
IF YOU LIKE THIS, THEN WATCH: Duh…The Exorcist (1973).
FOR THE SUPERFANS: Does Patrick Fabian look familiar to you? Do you just not know what movie you saw him in? It’s because you probably never actually saw him in a movie. He has, however, done tons of small roles on major TV shows.
Patrick Fabian is immediately likeable as a sensationalistic minister (Cotton) in this documentary-style horror. He is an exorcist who openly calls exorcism a scam and does not even believe in demonic possession, maybe not even in God. His son has a Novocain-y, cottonball-muffled voice which adds to the endearing set up that serves its purpose well as I begin to care about the protagonist and his family.
To prove his point before going legit Cotton decides to have his camera crew follow him on one last exorcism job, which he picks randomly from an abundance of “save us” mail. His pick: Ivanwood, Texas. During the drive to the site of this last hoax he shares his observation that this poor, largely illiterate area is a breeding ground for the demons and superstition that fill the pockets of would-be exorcists. He is amused when he has the opportunity to support his point simply by chatting with some locals. It’s a bit mean to small-towners, but cutely done. Our exorcist is very charismatic and the movie has a foundation of humorous charm that keeps me grinning.
As we are introduced to our victem, a young girl named Nell from a shallow breeding pool, we are bombarded by nauseating innocence. Cotton asks to see the young girl’s room and he proceeds to “rig” it (unbeknownst to the victim and her family) like he’s a producer for an episode of Ghost Hunters. After performing a mock exorcism on the girl—with Cotton’s amusing behind-the-scenes commentary—he pockets what hard-earned cash her father managed to rustle up and leaves.
From this point on, the movie takes a more serious turn. Cue weird! Weird. But still not creepy or scary. Despite the non-horrifying nature of this satirical horror, I’m gonna’ say see it anyway. The first half was REALLY well done in terms of developing a likeable antihero and the documentary within the movie was well-orchestrated. These two elements could not have worked without one another and their product was something noteworthy. The second half of the movie experimented with some things which, I think, blew up in the director’s face. But hey, perfect movies are rare.
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Bad Movie Tuesday: The Lost Boys: The Thirst
Lost Boys: The Thirst
The sequel to the direct to DVD sequel of The Lost Boys starring Corey Feldman as a guy named Froggy who hunts vampires.
This tongue in cheek little movie centers around a vampire DJ who throws massive raves around the world and wants to build an army of vampires. What I don’t get is that the guy is a successful musician. What is the allure of traveling to small cities to turn misguided teens into lounging vampires who bolster the leather trade?
There is a scene in the film where the vampires are flying around in their private jet when I began to wonder how these vamps make enough money to afford this luxury. Do they work?
What happens if you turn into a vampire? You’d have to quit your job….The question is how do they make money? This makes me question why so many people love vampires. Also, in every vampire movie humans want to become vampires. Why?
If you think about Dracula (the oldest of all vampires…I think) he lived in a castle by himself and taunted villagers. Is that anyway to live? He didn’t even have a pulsating beat to get his boogey on. My theory is that he attacked the villagers so he could have the cows to themselves…thus leather pants were invented.
Why does every Vampire enjoy raves? As soon as they become vampires do they have the sudden urge to dance? Do they order the clothes online or do they go to stores at night?…..even then they can’t see themselves in the outfits.
Check out these pics below. Even the vampires who hunt vampires accessorize. I never once aside from Twilight have seen a vampire work. They know enough to look hip but can’t handle the stress of stocking shelves at a Wal-Mart.
The Thirst movie had two things going for it.
1. A vampire monologues for a very long time and then asks “who do you think I am?”
Corey Feldman replies “ugly.”
2. This movie did feature a cool character. A reality star who made himself famous by wrestling bears. Now, he wants to fight some “skinny goth vampires.” This guy reminds me of me. Not only did I manage to put two indie kids in one headlock I also proclaimed after a long night in Korea that “I could punch a ghost in the face.” I liked the guy but he meets a vampire and gets his head punched off…Luckily I won’t meet the same fate because I choose not to enter sewers that are potentially full of blood suckers.
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The Girl Who Played With Fire
Hello all. Mark here. I asked my girlfriend to write about the greatest thing to come out of Sweden since my ancestors decided to immigrate to America. Megan impressively found a way to include Dolph Lundgren and boxing in this review of The Girl Who Played With Fire. Enjoy! Read more…
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Bad Movie Tuesday: 2010 Moby Dick
2010: Moby Dick
There is a scene in 2010: Moby Dick where the titular whale eats a helicopter. I began to wonder how it could digest the whole thing. That must be tons of metal, fuel and wiring. Wouldn’t the whale get a cramp? He couldn’t be swimming around after that. I hate to be vulgar but how does he pass it?
This film focuses on a current day Ahab. Ahab got his leg eaten by Moby Dick and has a dark resentment……..However, after seeing the whale eat an entire helicopter I’m thinking that Ahab got off lucky. Actually, he is incredibly fortunate that he only got his leg eaten. Imagine the stories you could tell at bars. Nobody would have a better scar story.
Sample Conversation:
Random Dude: Check out this scar. I got this while on a safari in Africa. A honey badger attacked me.
Female bar patron: Wow! nobody can top that story.
Ahab: Well! A whale the size of a football field ate my leg and now I hunt it 24/7 in a submarine I made.
Female Bar Patron: Torpedoes away!
I do have to say that this is the best looking film The Asylum has ever made. That isn’t saying much considering the other films are Megashark vs. Giant Octopus and they are responsible for this scene.
The movie still has its faults. There is a scene where Ahab is making a speech and it cuts to all the clean-shaven crew…all is good until it cuts to a guy with long hair and a chin strap beard. Then, Ahab is running around with the cheesiest looking rocket launcher ever. The thing flops up and down while he is running. The kicker is that he has to carry an ugly gun…then the harpoon from that gun proves to be his undoing.
I never thought I would say this but I’m growing tired of large aquatic creatures running amuck. I loved the megashark catching a plane out of the air but it isn’t thrilling when a whale does a belly flop on a boat. Also, the whale is a big time jerk. He destroys a random sub then he sees there is still a survivor so he breaks through an iceberg and drags the man back into the water. You can’t support that kind of behavior from any type of angry creatures.
At the end they try to create a message. the message is that the whale hasn’t been hunting them. they’ve been hunting it. Tell that to the cruise ship Moby destroyed or the aforementioned sailboat that met Moby’s belly. There is even a scene where Moby goes onto land and actively hunts down the sailors.
What I love is that there is a movie company that consistently produces junk. In their next film they have Thor running through the streets battling Richard Greico while shooting an uzi. Gotta love it.
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John’s DVD Round-Up
Hello all. Mark here. John has joined in on the DVD Round Up greatness. Today, he covers Faster and Death Race 2. Faster is a truly horid flick. Death Race 2…….is bad but better than it should be.
Enjoy! I agree with it all.
John’s DVD Round-Up
By John Leavengood
One with the word “race” and the other with a highway in the background, these two movies imply automotive speed. Neither deliver (speed nor highlight-worthy entertainment.
Death Race 2 (2010)
MY CALL: I’m not gonna’ beat around the bush. This movie wasn’t great. But it didn’t totally suck either. In fact, given that my expectations were low, this movie was actually a lot of fun. It’s got some actors I like, serviceable action, and it weaves the story that led us to Jason Statham’s Death Race. So give it a shot. It’s not a bad way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon. Just don’t make this movie the centerpiece of your weekend evening. [C+]
WHAT TO WATCH INSTEAD: Death Race (2008), The Running Man, The Condemned, Undisputed (parts 1-3)
IF YOU LIKE THIS, WATCH: Same movies as above.
Let’s start by saying that I simply love movies that turn death row inmates into to-the-death tournament participants. Add a game show element and I’m even more sold on the idea. These movies are just plain fun. I am also a fan of Luke Goss, who played the would-be vampire-reaper prince in Blade II, the supremely badass spear-fighting Prince Nuada in Hellyboy 2, and Frankenstein’s monster in the Frankenstein miniseries (that fact makes his choice for this movie interesting…hint, hint). Also odd that out of those three movies and Death Race 2, three are sequels.
This may be a sequel, but it also felt like a remake. A big black dude who races a big pick-up truck is the main antagonist of an in-shape white dude with a shaved head who’s sweet on his she-inmate copilot; just like Tyrese and Jason Statham’s dynamic in the 2008 predecessor. But that made it kind of fun. Seeing Danny Trejo in Ian McShane’s role was also cool. But, seeing Trejo is always cool as long as you don’t get fooled into watching Machete. For some reason Sean Bean is in this, too. I guess he squeezed it in before filming for Game of Thrones (new awesome series on HBO).
This movie was straight-to-DVD, and rightfully so. There’s not much to talk about regarding the plot and a LOT of the same elements from the first movie are used in this one…except for high-quality races! They seem to be outright missing. It is what it is: a rainy Sunday afternoon filler.
Faster
MY CALL: If you enjoy disliking Billy Bob Thornton, if you aren’t willing to give Dwayne Johnson another chance, or if you like movies with forced agendas, then you’ll probably like this. It will confirm your notions. I guess I’d watch it again, but it wouldn’t be “my call”. The Rock really needs to get back to his Rundown roots. I miss “that” Dwayne. Instead of this, watch any of the other movies referenced below. For the quintessential The Rock experience: the Rundown.
This movie may be called Faster, but it felt unnecessarily rushed from the first minute. The director was trying to make a point with this, but I found it more annoying than effective. Thankfully it somewhat mellows out later. Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) plays a big badass with a death wish hit list who displays complete reckless abandon from the moments he is released from prison.
Someone on his hit list hires a hitman to take care of him. The hitman is the kind of character we all find annoying, but presented in a way that made him fun to watch. He’s a mountain-climbing, software millionaire, thrill-seeker who cares about executing the most difficult consecutive 10-move combination of yoga positions. Just writing that yoga bit makes me want to punch him in the face after his little stretching session before he hits the juice bar! This guy decides Dwayne is his new “highest peak”. With an obvious relationship-hesitation and a lot of arrogance, he chats with his therapist while preparing for his hit. A bit cliche…a la You Kill Me, Grosse Point Blank, Gunshy, The Professional. We get it. Hitmen have some social issues and personality quirks.
The action is weak, but attempts are made to express brutality. Just don’t expect the kind of fun fighting from The Rundown. There were also two car chases and they were not so hot. I yearn for more Gone in 60 Seconds and The Transporter, but I saw no such glimmers. In all fairness, this didn’t feel like it was meant to be considered an action flick fueled by revenge (contrary to the trailer), but rather just a revenge flick. It’s all attitude. But this attitude isn’t really cutting it for me.
They tried for an unexpected ending.
I expected it. I’m not saying it was blatantly obvious from the start, but when my hunches are serially confirmed by movies’ end, then I think those movies are more likely to be predictable than my guesses are consistently lucky.
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127 Hours
Hello all. Mark here. I love love love this film. Surprisingly, the first time I watched it I thought it was decent. However, I watched it again and totally enjoyed it. Danny Boyle is my hero. 28 Days Later, Trainspotting and Sunshine are some of my favorite films. Turn off the lights, Shut off your phone and immerse yourself in this great flick.
Read the great review by John below.
127 Hours
By John Leavengood
MY CALL: Like director Danny Boyle’s past triumphs, 127 Hours is a test of visual and auditory captivation. Everyone will enjoy this extraordinary sensory experience, even if briefly taken aback by the scene that made this story newsworthy. Franco is nothing short of amazing in a role where the camera has little else on which to focus, thus magnifying any faults in his performance—if you can find any. This is an “A” film which tells a simple survival story in a cerebral, human and magnificent manner.
IF YOU LIKE THIS, WATCH: Plenty of movies offer thrills, but Boyle will place more than just your ass on the edge of your seat. If you like having your senses on their toes, then try his other films: Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, The Beach, Trainspotting, and 28 Days Later.
Not that this had me worried, but the first few minutes of this movie are filmed and edited like the opening scene of a light-hearted, college road trip-style movie. You know? Like you’d see lots of high jinks and cheap laughs from coarse humor. But that is just the unique styling of director Danny Boyle, who brought us Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, and many others—all of which delivered a trippy, psychological experience through creative use of brightness effects. Sounds ranging from panic breaths echoing as if inside of a hollow cranium to the employment of ironic score haunt, engage and confuse us (notably peaceful music when faced with imminent death or invigorating pop while in a daze recounting the events of one’s youth). Here the opening scene’s colors glow as an eye-grabbing city montage fast-forwards across the screen to an addictive rhythm.
The scenery is stunning, making the job of the cinematographers a bit easier. However, I’ve been to Canyonlands National Park and I must say that I am shocked that a film crew could do justice to what my eyes have seen with film and equipment of any quality.
This aesthetically pleasing movie tells the brave survival story of adventurer Aron Ralston, played by James Franco. Depicted as having not but a care in the world, we observe Aron maneuvering the dubious landscape of Canyonlands deftly, clumsily, and respectfully. He entertains a pair of young hikers and we see how personable, sharing and life-loving he is. But they will part ways, Aron will be back on his own, and then “it” will happen.
Up until this point I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen because of how visually appealing the movie was. Now, I still can’t, but the reason has changed considerably. Now the score transforms readily with Aron’s mood, whether fearful, industrious, determined or desperate, as he records journal entries with updates of his escape efforts. His occasional episodes of fantasy feel reminiscent of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with a Euro-MTV soundtrack. It feels delusory, but positive at times these memories and dreams serve to maintain his sanity. There are also some candid, humorous moments of acceptance, with darker intermissions, in his aside-like entries.
The remainder of the movie gets very intense, VERY FAST. The self-surgery scene is NOT, NOT, NOT for the feint. It is also not short, nor is the surgery site camera shy. But this is the crux of the movie, so make sure your girlfriend watches! After all, it will end on an uplifting, feel-good note. It honestly made me feel, well, just “good”.
I’m glad I watched this. You should, too.
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Romantic Comedy Football Team: You Had Me At First Down
This post is written by a man who once shot himself out of a cannon backwards. A man who busted out of an aliens chest. A man who first suggested Hummus.
This man is John Lasavath. When I suggested that he write a list I heard a “You’ve got mail” on my computer. It was a Romantic Comedy list. When I turned around John was gone…much like my truck. Read more…
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Sci-Fi Football Team: Whoa! I Know Football
Hello all. Mark here. This is the third entry in the Football team extravaganza here at moviesfilmsandflix. John Leavengood has come up with a team that could give my Horror team or Jonny’s animated team a run for their money. My personal favorites are the Jumper and Nic Cage references. Also, any team that has the Killer Clowns From Outer Space as their vendors has got to be great.
Read it, Enjoy it, Don’t mess with the Rancor. Read more…
Movies, Films & Flix 