List-O-Mania 2004!

"I know it might sound ridiculous, like this is the scene of the movie where the guy tries to get ahold of the long lost son, you know, but this is that scene. This is that scene and I think that they have those scenes in movies because they really happen. And you've got to believe me - this is really happening."
- Phil Parma (Philip Seymour Hoffman - MAGNOLIA 1999)

It's LIST-O-MANIA 2004!

film babble blog's best movies of 2004

1. SIDEWAYS
2. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
3. MARIA FULL OF GRACE
4. BEFORE SUNSET
5. FAHRENHEIT 9/11
6. GARDEN STATE
7. BAADASSSSS
8. THE AVIATOR
9. SHAUN OF THE DEAD
10. RAY

the 5 worst movies of 2004

1. THE STEPFORD WIVES
2. GODSEND
3. THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
4. CLOSER
5. THE TERMINAL

5 near-misses :

You know, 5 flicks that almost had the right stuff but were misguided or mishandled or just planned missed something. Anyway we really were pulling for :

1. THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
2. I HEART HUCKABEES
3. NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
4. SKYCAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW
5. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE

More later...

More DVDs, Richard Linklater Lists, & More

"I don't really care for movies; they make everything seem so close up."
- Macon Leary (William Hurt - THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST 1988)

Well we here at film babble have boxed up all our DVD copies of 2004 political documentaries including of course FAHRENHEIT 911, BUSH'S BRAIN, OUTFOXED, and GOING UPRIVER - THE LONG WAR OF JOHN KERRY and we're sending them to OHIO. We implore you to do the same.

Well there is a lot to cover this post - Richard Linklater DVDs, roc docs, and lists galore.
Let's go -

In current release in theaters :

DiG! Dir. Ondi Timoner. This is the story of 2 bands - The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. Both came to the LA scene in the mid '90's offering a retro '60's alternative to the grunge and manufactured pop of the day. Both flirted with major record label deals and came dangerously close to getting the "next big thing" title. Neither achieved more than modest cult success. So why the movie you ask? Because Timoner was there from the beginning filming both these bands as friends jamming on stage together to backstage humilations to personal disses and questionable behaviour of all kinds. If any roc doc can make a claim to be considered the 'real-life Spinal Tap' its this one.

BJM frontman Anton Newcombe is the source of much of the tension and exaggerated rivalry. He dominates the footage with paranoid rants and pretentious pontificating about his 'revolutionary' songwriting. Meanwhile Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols has exaulted praise for Newcombe except a little concern about the competitive stalking of sorts. He also comes across a bit big-headed -"I sneeze and out come hits" he tells a record company executive upon being told their album was being shelved. "Well if that's the case I'm sure Capitol will finance your handkerchiefs" was their response. That Taylor narrates this movie works for me but others (including Newcombe) have criticized it for being biased.

I'm sure most people reading this are not familliar with these bands - Brian Jonestown or the Warhols - I myself knew precious little going in so the good news is you don't need to know anything beforehand. It's a good tuneful time at the movies that's funny and as involving as most dramas. I dug DiG! Bet you will too.

- DCJ

Because of the confused email we got over what the Hell I HEART HUCKABEES was about we were compelled to name :

THE TOP 5 MOVIES THAT SEEM DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU SAY "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!!?"

1. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001)- Dir. David Lynch (HONORABLE MENTION : ERASERHEAD, LOST HIGHWAY, TWIN PEAKS, and everything else he's ever done)
2. BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970) - Roger Ebert wrote this sleazy '60's sex flick directed by Russ Meyer and incomprehensible to the world at large. Remember that when Roger puts down yer favorite film.
3. BRAZIL (1986) – Dir. Terry Gilliam. Brilliant but mind boggling. A classic of glorious confusion.
4. HEAD (1968) – Robert Rafelson. The Monkees try to destroy their cute TV image with the help of Jack Nicholson and the most psychedelic songs of their canon and end up destroying their career and the movie-goers mind. It's a satire of Westerns, boxing movies, romances, dance pictures, war dramas, and every thing else you can cram in 90 min.
5. THREE WOMEN (1977) – Robert Altman. This movie based on a dream the director had is fascinating and a magnet for the eyes but what the Hell it means is beyond us. Shelly Duvall, Sissy Spacek, and Janice Rule are the 3 women - that's all I can tell you for sure.

HONORABLE MENTION: JOE VS. THE VOLCANO, HOWARD THE DUCK & THE BLACK HOLE. Just don't know what to make of those either.

Contributors to this WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!!? list were : DCJ, Amanda Fromwell, Anderson Moran, Bertie Shafer, and Sarah Weber.

Email CookieCulture :

cookieco@sprynet.com

And now some top notch babblin' about one of our favorite directors in -

OUR SPECIAL RICHARD LINKLATER SECTION:

To celebrate the fact that a spify brand new DVD of Linklater's classic debut film SLACKER has been recently released in a CRITERION collection edition, DAZED AND CONFUSED has gotten the Special Edition treatments and his most recent film BEFORE SUNSET has also just hit the DVD market we decided to give the man his film babble due. So here goes :

BASIC FILMOGRAPHY AND INITIAL GUIDE TO THIS BLOG:

S - SLACKER
DAC - DAZED AND CONFUSED
NB - THE NEWTON BOYS
BS - BEFORE SUNRISE
SUB - SUBURBIA
WL - WAKING LIFE
T -TAPE
SOR - SCHOOL OF ROCK
BS II - BEFORE SUNSET

The Richard Linklater Repertory Company Role Call:

Julie Delpy – BS, WL, BSII
Ethan Hawke – BS, NB, WL, T, BSII
Adam Goldberg – DAC, BS, WL
Charles Gunning - S, NB, & WL
Nicky Katt - DAC, SUB
Kim Krizan - S, DAC
Richard Linklater – S, WL
Michael McConaughey – DAC, NB
Parker Posey – DAC, SUB
Willie Wiggins – DAC, WL

5 GREAT LINES FROM THE MOUTHS OF RICHARD LINKLATER CHARACTERS:

1. "Withdrawing in disgust is not the same as apathy." - This was written on a card handed to somebody in S (This line was quoted in R.E.M.'s "What's The Frequency Kenneth?" Monster 1995)
2. "George Washington was in a cult, and the cult was into aliens, man." - Slater (Rory Cochrane DAC
3. "Your kids have all really touched me, and I'm pretty sure that I've touched them." - Dewey Finn (Jack Black - SOR)
4. "Idealism is guilty middle-class bullshit." - Jeff (Giovanni Ribisi - SUB)
5. "Did you ever have a job that you hated and worked real hard at? A long hard day of work. Finally you get to go home, get in bed, close your eyes. And immediately you wake up and realize that the whole day at work had been a dream. It's bad enough that you sell your life for minimum wage but now they get your dreams for free." - Guy Forsyth WL

More later...

New DVDs, Election Year Poli-Docs, & 10 Little Nixons

"Life isn't like the movies, where something happens and 10 seconds later you have a realisation."
- Lowell (Gene Hackman) POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE (1990)

So many movies...today we tackle a few new films in theaters and a stack o' new DVD releases plus more lists and other fun. First up :

I HEART HUCKABEES (Dir. David O. Russell, 2004) This is the ultimate "what the Hell was that?!!?" movie. It's been a few days since I've seen it and I'm still trying to process. Many critics don't even try to describe the plot or premise I'd just say it's about a poet activist (Jason Schartzman) who hires a married couple played by Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin who bill themselves as 'existential detectives' to sort out problems with his soul. Oh yeah there's an overly slick spokesperson (Jude Law) for a Target/Wal Mart type chain and his flighty model wife (Naomi Watts) as well as Mark Wahlberg as a fireman who hates petroleum - going to the lengths to ride his bike to fight fires. That's as good as I can do.

The characters all run aroung spouting lines like "There's no such thing as nothing"and "Nobody sits like this rock sits. You rock rock. The rock just sits and is. You show us how to just sit here and that's what we need." Some of this is fun, some of it is strained, some of it is just purely baffling. I mean at the end I was more confused than I was by the MATRIX sequels. I mean - now what's reality? It also doesn't help that HUCKABEES seems stiched together from other movie's styles. The soundtrack by Jon Brion and the color scheme recall the work of P.T. Anderson (MAGNOLIA, PUNCH DRUNK LOVE). The other Anderson - Wes Anderson comes to mind of course from the casting of Schwartzman (RUSHMORE). The screenplay seems suggested by the work of Charlie Kaufman (ADAPTATION, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND). So did I like it? I didn't hate it. That's the best I can do.
- D C J

For no other reason than that election day is 5 days away and these movies will lose their relevance here’s

10 ELECTION YEAR POLI-DOCS

1. FAHRENHEIT 9/11 Dir. Michael Moore. The leader of the pack. Newly released on DVD this powerful if uneven call for the ousting of George W. Bush from the White House sure makes a convincing case.

2. GOING UPRIVER : THE LONG WAR OF JOHN KERRY Dir. George Butler. A moving portrait of Kerry’s Vietnam tour of duty and his activism to ending that war. One sided to be sure but what a side it is!

3. OUTFOXED : RUPERT MURDOCH’S WAR ON JOURNALISM Dir. Robert Greenwald. Compelling and funny but in an unnerving way. Part of Greenwald’s series of “UN-“ poli-docs (either as Director or Producer) – the others being :

4. UNPRECEDENTED : THE 2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
5. UNCONSTITUTIONAL : THE WAR ON OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES
6. UNCOVERED : THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT THE WAR IN IRAQ

Other less heralded Bush must go shows :

7. BUSH’S BRAIN
8. BUSH FAMILY FORTUNES
9. HORNS AND HALOS
10. THE CORPORATION

I for one hope they work.

- D C J

And now here's some :

DVDS IN CURRENT RELEASE

GRAND THEFT PARSONS (Dir. Davis Caffrey, 2003) This road comedy set in the early 70's about a couple of shifty guys who steal a corpse of a recently deceased country singer looks and feels like a lot of low budget indie movies except for the fact that it's based on the true story about what happened to Gram Parson's body because of a pact he had made with his road manager. Johnny Knoxville (JACKASS) plays Phillip Kaufman who promised Parsons that he would set fire to his body at Joshua Tree - Parsons to do the same if Kaufman dies first, Christina Applegate plays Gram's greedy ex-girlfriend who is after the body for her own financial gain, Robert Forster puts in another sturdy understated performance as Gram's father, and Michael Shannon is the oblivious hippy whose yellow flower power herse is commandered by Kaufman. Knoxville does a credible acting job, the music is of course great - several Parson's standards are used well, and the movie moves at a good breezy pace. Not a great film but an amusing one and although not completely accurate it's a fine side note to Gram Parson's short but great legacy.
- Anderson Moran

SOME NON-MOVIE DVDS WE THOUGHT WE'D BABBLE 'BOUT :

BILL HICKS - SATIRIST, SOCIAL CRITIC, STAND-UP COMEDIAN LIVE (Ryko DVD 2004) - It's about time one of the great comedians ever got a proper DVD release! If you don't know who I'm talking about you're in for a treat - 3 different stand-up specials from 1991 - ONE NIGHT STAND - OLD VIC THEATRE, CHICAGO, RELENTLESS - MONTREAL, & REVELATIONS - London plus the documentary IT'S JUST A RIDE which despite it's brevity gives those not in the know a nice overview of this comic genius. Over 3 hours of hilarious biting ground breaking comedy - essential.
- D C J

DEVO LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN - JAPAN 2003. A recent live show in front of thousands of young adoring Japanese fans which is much better than it has a right to be! The Mothersbaugh and Casale brothers plus drummer David Kendrick really kick out the robotic jams here. They actually sound tighter and more powerful than 25 years ago - if you don't believe me check out the special feature extra Target Video Ultra Rare1980 live (whatever that means) performance "Gut Feeling" - the guitar work and group interplay is surprisingly way off when compared to the old fat DEVO of now. This is a fun as Hell concert DVD. If you have any interest in the spud boys from Ohio at all you should dig it.
- Bertie Shafer

Criterion just released a couple of great but overlooked for years Robert Altman projects -
the tortured Nixon one man play on film SECRET HONOR (1984) with Phillip Baker Hall (MAGNOLIA, & TANNER '88 the 12 episode Showtime mockumentary series with Michael Murphy (MANHATTAN) as a Presidential candidate and Cynthia Nixon (Sex & The City) as his ambitious daughter. Both are well worth checking out.

Because of the above mentioned Nixon SECRET HONOR we decided it would be a good time to list :

10 LITTLE NIXONS

1. Anthony Hopkins -NIXON (1995)
2. Phillip Baker Hall - SECRET HONOR (1984)
3. Beau Bridges – KISSINGER AND NIXON (1995)
4. Dan Hedaya – DICK (1999)
5. Bob Gunton - ELVIS MEETS NIXON (1997)
6. Dan Aykroyd – SNL (1975-1978)
7. Brian Cummins – WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM (1980)
8. Rip Torn – BLIND AMBITION (1979 TV MINI SERIES)
9. Harry Shearer – THE SIMPSONS (1989-present)
10. Rich Little – Various awful TV specials, talk show appearances, phone calls, and bar room banter fill-ins.

Did anyone catch James Spader on Conan not too long ago? He talked about how much he liked eggs. It was awesome.

Be sure to check out other CookieCo blogs:

http://home.sprynet.com/~cookieco/ : This is a music review blog which starting this week will post about a different CD everyday til the end of this year! Please take a look.

http://31songblog.blogspot.com/ : This is an ongoing project to compile different people's favorite 31 song-lists. Inspired by the Nick Hornby tome Songbook.

http://cookiequotecity.blogspot.com/ : Just random quotes. Mostly Simpsons lines. No big whoop.

More later...