27/08/12 "The Road"

 

Ben Reid recommended movie of the day! From the author of "No Country For Old Mean" and the director of this week's "Lawless" comes a potent post apocalyptic tale about the survival of a man and his boy and their detachment from what remains of humanity. It is as equally life affirming as it is depressing, but if this film accomplishes anything it is that it creates a tangible world not too far away. There is no explanation as to why things are this way, and in the end does it even matter? Viggo Mortensen gives one of his best performances to date. "I told the boy when you dream about bad things happening, it means you're still fighting and you're still alive. It's when you start to dream about good things that you should start to worry."

23/08/12 "The Magnificent Ambersons"

 

Ben Reid recommended movie of the day! A great movie that used to be grouped together with Orson Welles' previous film "Citizen Kane" as being two of the best films of all time. However, it is a sad product because of studio meddling and therefore an hour plus was cut out of the original picture. This means that this could be one of the most groundbreaking pieces of cinema never to reach full release. There are rumors that an original cut could still exist somewhere, but the evidence remains unseen, making it into a holy grail for champions of restoration. Aside from the last scene of the movie, this is a tight and near flawless flick with a story that evidently inspired the likes of Wes Anderson when he made "The Royal Tenenbaums." The film is a definitive tragedy of how one arrogant young man gets his comeuppance three times full. The foggy motives giving heed to the main character's dilemna makes this a compelling story. This film feels and is rightfully so a classic, however one cannot deny that it could have been absolutely magnificent if Orson Welles had got his way in the editing room. If we can completely restore "Metropolis" though, who knows what we can do? "The law's a jealous mistress and a stern mistress."

22/08/12 "Mean Streets"

 

Ben Reid recommended movie of the day! If you are a fan of the gangster genre, make sure you watch "Mean Streets," otherwise, you ARE a mook. "Mean Streets" is the film that broke Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro into the mainstream and into a career defining partnership. Seeing this film, it is hard to deny that the film has had just as much of an impact on the gangster genre as "The Godfather." De Niro is more eccentric than ever, leading the film with his manic behavior. His character reminds me a lot of John Turturro's in "Miller's Crossing." Is this film a bigger examination of the crime trap of New York poverty or of one man's faith? Though not his most refined effort, it easy to see how "Mean Streets" led Scorsese into his classics through his painting of conflicted characters and his grimy view of big city life. "It's all bullshit except the pain. The pain of hell. The burn from a lighted match increased a million times. Infinite. Now, ya don't fuck around with the infinite. There's no way you do that. The pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand; the kind you can feel in your heart... your soul, the spiritual side. And ya know... the worst of the two is the spiritual."

21/08/12 "Damsels in Distress"

Ben Reid recommended movie of the day! Though not his best work, Whit Stillman ("Metropolitan") presents his first film in almost 14 years as being not only his oddest and most philosophically light, but also perhaps his most risky. This film has more mass appeal than his previous films, which means it will also raise a lot of eyebrows with its narcissistic leads and final dance number. It is easy to pass "Damsels in Distress" off as a quirky chick flick, yet it is actually another interesting entry into Stillman's series of manneristic comedies signified by their dry humour and cultural awareness that went on to inspire directors like Wes Anderson ("Rushmore," "Moonrise Kingdom"). Stillman tackles middle age religions, depression, and soap in ways that normal films do not. "Damsels in Distress" often feels like a late companion piece to "The Last Days of Disco," continuing to explore generational trendsetting, female sexual roles, and social disguises. This is one of the better films to be released this year so far while being one of the more original.