Cesar's comments (member since Aug 29, 2008)

Cesar's comments from the Movies We've Just Watched group.

District 9 and Halo are two separate films from the same director,
Neil Blomkamp. Originally, Blomkamp was going to make the halo film, of which there is footage shot and online, here is a link for some of that

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUcreY0X3...

The Halo film fell through, so Peter Jackson encouraged director Neil Blomkamp to do an original project that he would finance. That became DIstrict 9.
District 9 is based on a short film from the director entitled
"Alive in Joburg"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHYBpljIc...

The aliens in District 9 seemed to be working class. Not necessarily leaders of their culture, but those who were use to taking orders. Hence they stayed in their ship for such a long time when they became stranded until physically extracted by humans. The documentary style aesthetic of the film is a character unto itself, and so much more effectively utilized than any mainstream Hollywood film has ever employed.

Some back story would have been nice, but the manner in which the story and the way it was told, it really wasn't really necessary. we are given enough information , quite ingeniously I might add, through the documentary style to enjoy the present situation.

The aliens in this film had a genuine humanity and depth to them that I cannot recall in a film for some time.

Why didn't they use their technology to blasts away humans?
Because they weren't on a mission of conquests. They were simply stranded, and trying to simply get along and make the best of a miserable situation.
These particular aliens were not leaders.

Obviously alien technology was taken out of the ship if all those weapons and suits were on earth. Other things made their way out as well, like the black fluid.

Neil Blomkamp is a brilliant director, Those who fail to recognize that are really just missing the ball. AUdiences and critics are loving this film.
This is a rare case, am epic film by an individual, not a committee in Hollywood, although perhaps some of you might prefer that.

Just saw a midnight screening of District 9.
I despise film reviews that regurgitate the plot and
essentially spoil it for anyone that might be interested in seeing it.
So I wont do that here. I will say
this is undeniably a modern classic of the genre. A challenging film both politically and morally. Director Neil Blomkamp has proven himself to be one of the most unique and visionary filmmakers to emerge in years. A thoroughly thought provoking and exciting piece of cinema.
To put it simply this film is a work of genius.
SEE DISTRICT 9!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6PDlMggR...

Curious to hear your thoughts Alex.

This movie looks like utter crap!
Guy Ritchie is a soulless hack who built his career ripping off Tarrantino and making the same goddamned movie over and over again. This interpretation of Holmes apppears just so ridiculous and alien to the spirit of what
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote. Why even call it Sherlock Holmes if you're going to make it that unrecognizable from the source material.
Just do your own damn project and scuttle the pretense of calling it a Sherlock Holmes film.
This is clearly aimed and marketed towards the same bunch of idiot kids who are flocking to the Transformers movies. Except in a way I think this is worse.
There is no literary pretense with Transformers. You pretty much know what you're getting with that. Most kids today have probably never experienced a Sherlock Holmes adventure. And it is very sad indeed that this tripe will be their first encounter with an iconic character.

This is probably the most disappointing film of the year. The potential for this film to be great. The story of John Dillenger, as played by Johnny Depp. There are stories circulating of clashes between Depp and director Michael Mann. Apparently Depp, instincts were right, and undermined by a director's ego.
Every other film of this genre I can think of is superior to this film by far.
Dillenger in this story has no real arc, and is never particularly engaging.
There is no real insight. Where idid his sense of outlaw chivalry come from.
The film doesn't even bother trying to explore this question.

SPOILER ALERT!
So as you know, John Dillenger was shot to death outside a movie theater.
Remember the Brian Depalma film The Untouchables,
about Elliot Ness and AL Capone.
The climax to that film when Al Capone was convicted for tax evasion, was so much more stirring, exciting and meaningful.
One man was shot to death, the other convicted for tax evasion.
You would think one climax would be much more exciting than the other,
well you would be wrong.

This is just poor filmmaking, plain and simple. A great true crime story of American history has been bungled by inept storytellers.

So far apparently, no one has heard of this film.
Thank you Mawgojzeta, for taking the time and interest.
I would love to hear your take on it once you have seen it.

Requiem for a Heavyweight.
Has anyone out there seen this film?
A forgotten classic of American cinema.
Released in 1962 and stars Anthony Quinn as a washed up boxer. This is one of Quinn's most poignant, memorable, and tragic performances. Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney also star.
The film also features a cameo by Cassius Clay,
as he was known at the time, playing himself.

I heard of this film in conversation with a friend over
The Twilight Zone. The film is scripted by none other than
Rod Serling. Though there in nothing supernatural in this story.
It is very gritty and very real.
This film has one of the most powerful endings I've ever seen.
Not the signature twist endings Serling was known for,
in fact the ending, though shocking, seems inevitable.

This is powerful storytelling,
and this film deserves greater recognition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbiOsZoEA...

Tom, I think you have more an understanding of what a bad movie is than most people. A lot of the movies people consider to be bad are movies that pissed them off, or they thought were just so terrible that they find themselves talking about to others of how they bad were. Movies that people hated, yet they inspired this passion that people can't stop telling their friends about this movie, even though they're saying it sucked.

I don't believe in the whole "so bad it's good thing."
A movie can have something going for it or not.
People talk about Ed Wood making bad movies. Well his movies are still around and people still talk about them and occasionally even screen them.
Most filmmakers will never have the kind of remembrance in the history of cinema that Ed Wood enjoys.
He must have done something right.

A lot of people make a lot of movies every year. A good portion of them are simply forgettable. Movies that don't make any kind of real impression. Movies that people don't even talk about how bad they were because they they are quickly forgotten.
Those are the bad movies.

Drag Me To Hell is a lot if fun! Especially if you see it the way I saw it, with a primarily black audience. It had been a long time since I had that kind of movie going experience. At one point at a scary part in the movie, this guy in the audience yelled out "Oh Fuck!" and ran out the theater.

The movie has a very Grindhouse kind of feel to it, more deftly handled than either Tarantino or Rodriguez could ever pull off.

You wouldn't think a PG 13 horror movie would achieve the scares it does. This puts exploitive garbage like the Hostel movies to shame. There is actually an artistic vision here, a unique voice in the landscape of cinema taking you on this ride.

I love animals by the way, but the part with the cat was funny.
Perfect comedic timing.

The Repo Road Tour

Repo The Genetic Opera will be having its last run in theaters.
This tour will be accompanied by the filmmakers.

Here are the dates

REPO ROAD TOUR dates with REPO! Stars:

1/13-/ TUESDAY - SALT LAKE CITY UTAH -The Tower Theatre Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich

1/14-/ WEDNESDAY- INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Indy Keystone Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich

1/15-/ THURSDAY- FOXBORO, MA -The Orpheum Alexa Vega, Terrance Zdunich, Darren Bousman

1/16-/ FRIDAY - NJ – The Williams Arts Center Alexa Vega, Terrance Zdunich, Darren Bousman

1/17-/ SATURDAY -GREENBELT, MD -The Greenbelt Theatre Alexa Vega, Terrance Zdunich, Darren Bousman

1/18-/ SUNDAY -CINCINNATI, OH -The Esquire Theatre Darren Bousman, Terrance Zdunich

1/20-/ TUESDAY- ST. LOUIS, MO- The Landmark Tivoli Bill Moseley, Darren Bousman, Terrance Zdunich

1/21-/WEDNESDAY- DENVER, CO- The Landmark Mayan Bill Moseley, Darren Bousman, Terrance Zdunich

1/22-/ THURSDAY- JACKSON, MI- The Michigan Theatre Bill Moseley, Darren Bousman, Terrance

1/23-/ FRIDAY – PHOENIX, AZ – The Chandler Cinema Bill Moseley, Darren Bousman, Terrance Zdunich

1/24-/ SATURDAY - LOS ANGELES, CA- Laemmle’s Royal Theater Paris Hilton, Paul Sorvino, Alexa Vega, Bill Moseley, Ogre, Darren Bousman, Terrance Zdunich

I'm not sure if I can post a YouTube video here.
If so, here is the trailer,
if not here is a jumble of letters.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xETgGym8cnE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xETgGym8cnE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Is there anyone else out there who has seen this film?
This is one of the most unique and amazing
pieces of cinema in years.
What the hell is wrong with you people!?

Repo! The Genetic Opera is is released today in limited release, and I believe to be not only the best film of the year, but a special film that will retain an enduring status in the history of cult cinema.

It is a dystopian, science fiction, rock opera. A future world in which there is an epidemic of organ failure, and one corporation and one man in particular, Rotti Largo and his company GeneCo, maintains a stranglehold of power.

When one can not pay for the cost of an organ to keep you alive, The Repo Man is sent out and takes back GeneCo's property, by the bloodiest means imaginable.

The actual story of the film takes on tragedy of Shakespearian magnitude. The music is vibrant and engaging. Every aspect of this film is so strong, form the direction, to the script, to the cast, the cinematography, art direction, costumes, and of course it's wonderful music. Repo breathes with such exuberant energy, there in never a dull moment. This film just nails every target with style.

The cast includes Paul Sorvino, Alexa Vega, Anthony Head, Bill Moseley, Paris Hilton, and musicians Ogre of the band Skinny Puppy and Sarah Brightman.

Repo! The Genetic Opera is unfortunately a victim of a power shift and egos at Lions Gate. Lions Gate, under new leadership, has decided to no longer make these kinds of films, in favor of more respectable, bland BS like everyone else is putting out. They have decided to dump all the films under the old leadership. Repo! is not being promoted in any significant way and will be whisked out of theaters quickly.

I sincerely believe Repo! The Genetic Opera is the single most exciting American film to emerge in years. I can not stress enough how amazing this film is and that the effort should be made to see this special, unique film on the big screen.
The way it is meant to be experienced.

Hi Holly,
The typing a lot, i believe is having an actual meaningful discussion on film and on one film in particular, instead of simply making lists no one cares about.
I'm happy I was able to start a discussion maybe not everyone joined in on, yet inspired certain individuals to ask questions of themselves, as well as articulating and validating their own points, even if there were disagreements.

I do feel An American Crime is an important film. It speaks of things often not spoken of. It brings to light a disturbing part of life and of human nature, most people would rather not discuss at all. It illustrated inexplicable events, as implausible as they may be, that in fact happened.

Thanks for the kind words Tressa. I've never seen Ravenous, everyone I know who has seen it has spoken of it very enthusiastically.

You know there is nothing courageous abut bashing a movie that everyone else is already hating on.
There are certain films that bomb upon their initial release and are panned by film critics as well, yet they go onto become classics, enduring the only critic that counts, time.
Scarface and Blade Runner come to mind. Both films failed at the box office and were reviled by critics at the time.
Both are regarded now as groundbreaking classics.
I wonder if that minority of moviegoers who saw the worth in these films back than, were made to feel stupid or silly
for appreciating them.

Personally i don't feel guilty about anything I find pleasure in.
I care very little what the critical reception or popular consensus is regarding particular films. If I get something out of it, than all the rest of that stuff means nothing to me.

I get what the thread here means though, even though some people who have posted here don't seem to.
It seems rather silly to mention films like Scarface or Pulp Fiction in this topic. Those films are beloved by many and regarded as classics now. Others simply listed classics.

Some films I love which aren't generally held in high esteem are
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.
This film really is comic genius. It takes these rich and distinctive characters, brilliantly performed by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, and thrust them into the most ridiculous of situations.
This movie really goes to such an extreme level of absurdity.
It's really quite courageous how far the filmmakers were willing to go. There is always a danger of going too far and alienating the audience.
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is an under appreciated film.
I really liked the sequel too actually, it did bring closure to the strange, funny story in a satisfying way.

Another film which wasn't necessarily loved that I enjoyed is
The Island of Dr. Moreau, directed by John Frankenheimer.
It stared Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, Fairuza Balk, and David Thewlis.
This was a fascinating film with very complex and thought provoking ideas that actually said something about humanity.
All the actors in deliver wonderful and moving performances.
Unfortunately some people couldn't get past the superficial level and go beyond seeing half man/half animals walking around talking.
Yet they turn out in droves for a piece of dog crap like Transformers, which says absolutely nothing about anything.
The original animated Transformers film was far more intelligent and meaningful.

Hey Philip.

You may not be able to make sense of something, does you should not try at all? Of course not, you should always yearn for some level of understanding, even if it seems impossible.
You grow and develop with the more difficult questions you put to yourself.

(SPOILER ALERT)

You feel you didn't learn anything of human behavior from watching the film? How ordinary children from the neighborhood could come to behave like monsters?
This didn't just happen to be a community of psychopaths.
The potential for the greatest evil, or the greatest mercy lies within all of us. In this case the greatest evil won.

People complain now that children don't respect adults the way they use to. Well this crime occurred in 1965, a time when children had an unquestioning fear and respect for adults.
The fact that the adult of the house led the abuse and encouraged it in all the children made it acceptable in their minds. Listen to what grown ups tell you. How could they know that this woman was actually deeply mentally disturbed.
In 1965, no one was talking about child abuse or mental illness.
I really don't know if were even talking about it today.

This is only a superficial glossing of what may have factored into inexplicable events.
My point was, that you should never shy away from knowledge.

I hate to beat a dead horse but let me ask you,
did Silence of the Lambs teach you something new about human behavior? Did Seven teach you something new about human behavior?
You might hate both these films, I don't know. But An American Crime says so much more about humanity than both those films, that's for damn sure.

This all goes back to my earlier criticism, more often than not, most people would rather the disturbing true stories out of life not be told at all. Because people become angry when they can't make sense of it. When they can't say, "well these things happened because of this, this, and this, and here are the moral repercussions. I'll sleep good tonight."

And I think you are being overly critical of the supporting cast, which are primarily children. Perhaps you are expecting too much of children to make sense of what will probably be the most complex and morally ambiguous work of their entire careers. If anything, I think they really acted the way the real kids acted, not intellectualizing it, simply doing.
That's the deeper truth of human behavior,
if that doesn't sit well with you, well that's on you.

And James Franco was very good in the film as well by the way.

I don't see anything wrong with presenting material, and leaving it to the audience to attempt to make sense of it. Again people tend to get mad when all the answers aren't handed to them in a neat package.

The film illustrates events which have largely been forgotten by the culture. It shows these events and how it was they transpired. This is as noble an endeavor as any.
From where I was sitting the film beautifully showed that there are things in this world beyond reason.
It's the entire movie, and closes the story with Ellen Page's haunting final words in the film.

In short,
I respectfully disagree.

Hey Alex, I think you possibly one of the few people out there who actually know what "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is.
When I say An American Crime pays homage to this, I'm sure you know what the nature of that entails.

I didn't realize you worked with law enforcement and victims.
Strange that you would choose a photo of a violent sociopath, albeit a fictional one, for your profile pic. I'm not trying to be a smart ass or anything, but you must admit, it is curious.
Such are the contradictions in man.

I think you are right Philip in that Burroughs quote, if something repels you , should look deeper and question why it is it unsettles you so.

I believe An American Crime is tastefully done and does not go for cheap exploitation. Though the very nature of the story is one that most would simply not want to hear.
How do you show someone's suffering without exploiting it?
At the same time, by not showing it, aren't you just following the flock and turning a blind eye to things that do happen in this world, whether we like it or not.

The moral ambiguity of this film lies in how the filmmakers approached it. I personally believe the film is very sensitive to the suffering Sylvia Likens endured. It could not be treated in a non-graphic or non-disturbing manner that would not be insulting to Sylvia's pain or the intelligence of the audience.

I wasn't at all being hostile Rob, I hope you didn't think I was trying to be. I'm sorry if it came across that way. You made your point, then I made my point. It is only discussion.

I can understand someone saying I can't bear to watch violent material. Not everyone needs to see everything.
Personally I'll watch anything if it's of quality, I don't care what it is, if it's the most hard core violent story, a childrens cartoon, or a so called chick flick, if it's well done, I'll watch it.

My initial grievance was that these sensationalistic thrillers, like the Saw films, or like I mentioned before Seven and Silence of the Lambs come out and make tons of money. People love being titillated by these kinds of movie. Then films of similar natures taken from real life come, and no one sees them.
I'm talking about not only this film, but movies like the recent
Alpha Dog, which isn't gory or exceptionally unsettling, it is very sad with it's conclusion. Where was the audience for this film.
Other films like Killer: A Journal of Murder, with James Woods.
What happened to the droves of people who are going out and paying to see the latest fictional Hollywood treatment of a thriller.

So it's not just, people don't want to see dark, violent material, because they do. But they'll only watch it if its been treated by Hollywood and removed enough from reality to not disturb them in any meaningful way.

There are plenty of people who won't watch the Saw films or other violent movies. I wouldn't expect them to run out to see
An American Crime, though I think they should anyway.

I meant no disrespect to you Rob, I'm sorry if it came across that way. You argued a point I had made, I defended that point.
That is all.

Hey Rob, My prescription for my rose-colored glasses don't seem to be as strong as yours. I'm just kidding. We're coming from two different mindsets, that's fine.
I will say this, even something like Schindler's List, which was an exceptional film, only scratched the surface of the atrocities committed by the Nazis during the holocaust. The world wasn't interested in Rwanda as it was occurring and did virtually nothing to stop it.
The case of Jeffrey Dahmer, there were certain things Dahmer did, that were so foul, so bizarre, and so disturbing, that the mainstream media simply never discussed them. Not that this information was suppressed, if you did the research you could find these things out. Most people are not aware of the extent of what Dahmer's crimes consisted of. I doubt there was any kind of collective conscious decision to not address these aspects of Dahmer's case. It just came down to reporters not wanting to go there, perhaps instinctually knowing that the public had no desire to go there either.

I promise you I do not hate humanity as much it comes across in that first post.

And actually, even this film scales back the full extent of the crimes committed. There were certain things done that just go way out there, that the film does not go into. I believe this is because the filmmakers were sensitive to the suffering endured by this young girl, and to what the audience can endure.

An American Crime is a beautiful, meaningful film about tragic, horrific events. Catherine Keener and Ellen Page give some of the best performances of their careers in this film. This film expresses things that cannot be put into words. Why isn't this film being celebrated for it's artistry and sensitivity. to those who have suffered. Unfortunately I think there are a lot of people out there who feel a film like this shouldn't be made at all. Like most of the masses, they'd rather the story just be swept under the carpet.
It can never be hushed away, it happened.
We are fortunate for this tale being remembered and brought to the screen by such gifted artists, actors and filmmakers.
This story needs to be told, and people need to hear it.