So I have to give it to the people over at American Express. They have some great people over there with great ideas. Seems like their new theme for their "My Life, My Card" commericals is to get innovative directors to self parody themselves in commericals directed by themselves. By now I am sure everyone has seen the M. Night Shyamalan commerical a great spoof of his work while seemingly coming off as a damn cool ad. Wellm now the geniuses have decided to bring the one and only Wes Anderson along for the ride. Man, is this a pure brilliant commercial. To me at least, it seemed very Godard-esque, which is always a good thing. It will most likely be a very love-hate ad, depending on your feelings toward Anderson and his work. If you love him you will throughly enjoy it, while if you despise him you will probably loath it. The fine folks at Twitch gave the heads up this morning that YouTube has the commerical for your viewing pleasure. The spots can also been seen in a better quality although smaller picture at American Express very own "My Life, My Card" page. Pick your poison. Enjoy!

What is this? An update less than three days later. That's crazy.

So today was the big release day. Got my hands on Elevator to the Gallows and The Passenger already. Matter of fact, didn't pay anything for them. Exchanged them for some unopened dvds I had (they started to pile up because I was to lazy to return gifts I got doubles of...saved them for the perfect time...just like this). I tossed them in for a few minutes. Elevator to the Gallows transfer looks beautiful, while The Passenger commentary by Nicholson (yes, it made it on the disc...score!!) is just so damn enjoyable. I had to listen to him talk about the last 8 minute shot (in my opinion, the most amazing one shot in film history...followed by Boogie Nights opening shot). Great stuff. I managed to pick up The Emilio Miraglia Killer Queen Box set from eBay for 30 bucks (also free of charge because I have a paypal gift certificate). Working on the Fists in the Pocket and Scorpion: Grudge Song discs as we speak. Most likely I should be able to obtain these also for little or no money, depending on where I get them (right now a possible eBay purchase or Borders exchange is on the horizon. People may make fun of me for having films I have yet to open but it pays off sometimes when other films come along that you want even more. Hell, I even at one time returned a movie three years later (that I never opened) back to Borders before. What a wonderful place!

So one of the best damn theatrical distribution companies out there right now is Rialto Pictures. Just over the last few years they have released some amazing films from around the world. From French cinema (Masculin Feminin, Woman is a Woman, Classe Tous Risques, Le Cercle Rouge, Band of Outsiders, and most recently Elevator to the Gallows) to Italian classics (Nights of Cabiria) to rarely seen films from Britain (the amazing Peeping Tom).


Opening this week in New York and on May 12 in LA is a Jean-Pierre Melville film that has, until now, never been released here in the States. Army of Shadows is know by many critics as one of Melvillle absolute masterpieces. If you really aren't familiar with Melville's work, you really should be. He is the trend setter for the classic stylish gangster film. From Martin Scorsese to Quentin Tarantino to John Woo, the man and his films (especially his all around perfect film Le Samourai has inspired many of the great films makers of contemporary cinema). Please, please, please do yourself a favor and check out some of his work. I would definitely recommend Le Samourai, Le Cercle Rouge, and Bob le Flambeur to name his greats. So all you LA and New York friends, please go and catch this unreleased film in the theaters ( where everyone should see it) so that you can rub it in my face and tell me how brilliant it is so I can sulk in my tears until the day it gets released here (probably at least three months down the line at the Cleveland Cinematheque) . Check out the trailer here and see what all my ranting and raving is all about.

There I go again. Nearly a week since my last post. I whole hearted apologize.

It has been a good week.

For starters, I got in contact with a old friend I haven't talked to in quite a long time. My good friend, Bo, who if anyone met and talked to would sound like a long lost brother of mine. Our music, film, and literature similarities are rather scary. At least, they used to be. I can't wait to catch up with him. He is of at film school at Columbia University in New York right now getting his Masters (that lucky bastard) but is going to be home for the summer. Should be a good time.

Chiaki and I managed to catch a great French New Wave film over the weekend at our normal stumping ground, the Cinematheque, entitled Classe Tous Risques. Man, what a excellent film. Definitely more along the lines of a Jean Pierre Melville film than one of Jean Luc Godard, not that this is a problem. Part of that whole suave gangster film that countless directors have ripped off or pay tribute to (depending on the director or film) over the last four decades. Melville was definitely the king of the genre but I must admit that Claude Sautet did a stellar job with this film. I am not going to dive into a full review. You guys know that is not my thing. I will just simply say that it is one hell of a film. Its insane what has come out of France since the early 60s. I mean with Godard, Truffaut, Melville, Malle just name some of the great known legends. Its truly amazing if you think about. An they just keep on going with the likes of Jean-Pierre Jeunet who could stand his ground among the greats of yesteryear.

I must also give props to a good friend of mine, Jason Henry, who was also in attendance for the Classe Tous Risques screening. Rarely do I admit that someone knows more than I about a topic in film, especially something I admire as dearly as Jean Luc Godard, but Jason has corrected me not once but twice on different occasions (one of which was a comment I made during the screening) about Godard's films. For that Jason, I salute you. I am hardly wrong about something involving film but when I am, its great to have someone to correct me that has as vast knowledge about the subject as I do.

There I admitted it. Every once in a blue moon I may be off on a fact or two. It doesn't happen very often. But does occur. No ones perfect, right.

Finally, don't forget that April 25th is a great day for dvd releases. The Passenger and Elevator to the Gallows are a given for me with a possible purchase of Scorpion: Grudge Song or Fists in the Pocket, depending on which one I can find and how it will fit into my budget.

So caught a few films over the last couple days. Some great films. Actually. Both a bit on the bizarre side but equally amazing.

The first is a film I have been highly anticipating, Takeshis' the latest from Japan's Takeshi Kitano. And man is it a doozy. For starts, I will tell you I won't recommend this unless you a big fan of Kitano's work. Its a pretty trippy film. A lot of inside humor with reference to Japanese culture and Kitano's previous work. I also say a big Kitano fan because it is mainly a comedy. Big fans of Kitano know that he is not only known for his yakuza films but even more in Japan as a comedian. American audiences don't often see this side of him. It really wouldn't do the film justice for me to describe it because that would simply be damn bear impossible. Let me just say the film is as if you could ramble through the dreams of one's self and bounce a dream of a dream. The more one dreams the more it seems like a reality. I know it makes no sense what so ever. Its not really supposed to. Kitano has said that he wants to make a film that confuses people, a film where people have a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. I think he has succeeded on all levels. If you need a solid explanation to everything you watch then this film is most definitely not for you. On the other hand, if you really, honestly, want to see what is in the mind of one of Japan's greatest madmen then please do yourself a favor and check it out.

On the flipside, Chiaki and I watched Me and You and Everyone I Know last night. Wow, I love this film. Yet another film that I should have seen last year but didn't. I really need to make sure I don't miss all the greats this year. Anyways, the film really impressed me. I have had it on my Netflix list for quite some time but didn't move it to the top until both my friends Jason and Aaron highly recommended it. And I am glad I did. Don't get me wrong, both Miranda July (you also directed and wrote the film) and John Hawkes both impressed me, but the most powerful performance, in my opinion were the three kids. It is so hard to find children that can act these days. It always used to be a joke in the film industry that the death of your career lied in acting with animal or kids. Man, not in the case of this film. They were spectacular. Miranda July should also be recognized for dealing with the subject matter of adolescent sexuality so professionally tasteful. I am really sickened by and have a strong dislike for Todd Solondz, who tends to use this subject as shock value and usually shows it in a very non professional and disgusting matter. Not the case with July. To tell you the truth, I wish the film was longer. I wanted to learn more about these characters. Every single one of them. I highly recommend this film to everyone who is in the mood for a truly great independent film.

Poop back and forth forever! (just watch the damn film...please!)

I have said previously that if I am really excited about something musically I will choose to post it here... and I am. So I will. Deal with it!

What has me all giddy inside you ask? Well, the first exciting news came in form of my email. I haven't checked Dim Mak Records website in a while but suffice to say they emailed me a newsletter instead. And what was in this newsletter, you ask. Well they are going to release the new JR Ewing album in July. The album has been out in Norway for over a year now. I have been searching the internet for a long while trying to find this one but no luck. Now I only have to wait a few more months and I can have it in my greedy little hands soon. After the release of the album, they plan on touring the US again. I can't wait. Last album they toured California when I was in Ohio visiting. It made me pretty sad to miss them, but now is my second chance. If you all aren't familiar with this great ol' band, they are a great listen if you are into things like Refused, Song of Zarathustra, The Chariots, Death of Anna Karina. They are pretty freakin' amazing if that is your thing. If you can just really open up alittle bit to something different, something alittle bit chaotic at times, you would really dig it.

Speaking of chaos, even better news came my way yesterday while browsing the web. I figured since I would check the official page of one of my all time favorite bands, Envy. If you haven't heard me rant and rave about them, I will once again delve into them. Envy, is a hardcore band out of Japan that has been around for nearly 15 years. I stumble across them probably about 4 years ago when Dim Mak Records released one of their previous records. From there they moved on to Level Plane records to release their last record. Last January, they made a small two week tour of the US. You guessed it, I missed them. I was so pissed. It was around the time that we were moving back to Ohio and I had too much on my mind to savage through the web. Sure enough, I missed their due dates showing that they were playing in Columbus, Ohio around the time we arrived back here. Well, now for the good news. They just finished a new album on a new label, Temporary Residence Ltd. , and plan on a album release and North American tour in late summer. I am ecstatic now. Although, with my bad luck, they won't tour until October when we plan on going to Japan. What irony!! Here's to hoping for some good luck!

Oh yeah I almost forgot.....Happy Easter, everybody!

Who is that you ask? Thats Meiko Kaji, one of the coolest damn actresses ever to grace the silver screen. Around these parts you always here me rant and rave about the Japanese exploitation films of the 70s. Well, before the films went over the deep end into total sexploitation, ala the Pinky Violence films, their was the kick ass films of Meiko Kaji. Most people know here as Lady Snowblood and her music in the Kill Bill series. Beyond the Lady Snowblood films, she also starred in a series of films entitled Female Prisoner Scorpion or known in Japan as Sasori. The exposure of Kaji in America has grown in the last two years. Not only are the previous films available now or soon to be, but a hand ful of others should reach the shores by the end of the year. While starring in one of the Battle without Honor and Humanity films (part of the Yakuza Papers boxset, I also rant and rave about) She was also the lead in a series called Stray Cat Rock (which unfortunately the States have only seen third film released on dvd as of right now).

But that is not the end. 2006 keeps the films coming. Kino International has two more Kinji Fukasaku films set for June including Yakuza Graveyard starring Tetsuya Watari and Meiko Kaji. It has also been released recently that Discotek plans to release Blind Woman's Curse with Kaji as a female yakuza. Then there is my new favorite label, Panik House Entertainment, who hopes to release the Gincho Wanderer series within the next year. The love for Meiko Kaji is not about to stop as here popularity grows larger than ever.

Speaking of Panik House, they show no sign of letting up. After the release of 6 great films from the Pinky Violence era of Japan they have more in the pipe. Not only the series I mentioned above but also the Yoen Dokufuden set of films which I actually know nothing about but can't wait to see, since it has been said that they are the films that started the Pinky Violence era. If all these films weren't enough, they also plan to release the godfather of strangeness with a crazy film entitled Horror of the Malformed Man. Not only have I heard this film is a must see but several different people have compared it as a Japanese counterpart to one of my personal favorite films of the strange, El Topo.

So their you have it. More money for me to waste on dvds. But man, it will be well spent. Sadly not many of the films have release dates yet, which I guess is actually a blessing in disguise for my wallet. I can't wait.

I am trying to avoid that whole "it's been a week and no update" deal that most sites are so great at doing, therefore I will post two days shy of a week. Hey, I care. I really do care.

So I caught a few things since the last post. Of course there was Ice Age 2 on Thursday with Isaac. That was a fun time. The theater was completely empty, just Chiaki, Isaac, and myself. It was great we could talk as much as we wanted and be as loud as we wanted. What more could you ask for. Isaac loved the film, which made me feel good.

Last night we made a trek to the Cinematheque to catch The Spirit of the Beehive, a film out of Spain from the early 70s. It was pretty interesting. Not one of my favorites I ever caught there but not mad by any means. I think I really want to read more about it before rushing to judgment. If you really want to respect a foreign country's cinema and truly understand a filmmaker's vision I really honestly believe that you need to read more about the film and its texture before jumping the gun on critiquing it. Let's just say I liked it but was not blown away. I do have to say that the girl that played the lead actress, who had to be no older than 6 or 7 was absolutely amazing. I have never see a better child actor. Imagine Natalie Portman excellence at 12 and kick it back a few years and you will have this quality of work. Nuff said.

Chiaki and I finally sat down to watch the unaired episode of Showtime's original series Masters of Horror. Directed by Miike Takashi, Imprint was definitely the most f'd up of the whole bunch. While the lead actor, Billy Drago, was atrocious, the Japanese cast (which all spoke English), were just fine. The visuals were not only gorgeous (the cinematography was beautiful) but also pretty damn brutal. Miike definitely pulled no punches on this episode and I found it to be a great closer for the first season of the medicore season. It is right up there with the John Carpenter episode Cigarette Burns which I absolutely loved.

On one final note I would like to recommend a great book that I got from the library a few weeks ago. Entitled 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, It starts with A Trip to the Moon from 1902 and goes from year to year picking a dozen or so films from each year. The films come from all over the world and are really some great picks, in my opinion. There are so many films in this book that I have never heard that I am dying to see now. If you want to have a great introduction to world cinema or just want to discover a lot of great films from all over please try to find this book at your local library. You will not regret it.

So April 25th will be the death of me. Their are way to many great releases coming out on that exact day. For starts, Criterion Collection does a one, two punch and releases a double whammy of kick as films. First at the top of my list is Louis Malle debut film Elevator to the Gallows. I have been dying to see this film ever since I missed it at the Cleveland Cinematheque. The second stellar release by the company on that day is the Italian film Fists in the Pocket by Marco Bellocchio (also the debut feature length film by the director). I haven't heard too much about the actual film but I have been doing a fair share of reading about Bellocchio. One of his latest films, ironically also played recently at the Cinematheque (which again I missed).

But the list doesn't stop there. The 25th also brings a film I did see recently at the Cinematheque, Antonioni's amazing The Passenger. I can't wait to own this. I still haven't found out the final specs of this disc, which at one time was supposed to include a commentary track by Jack Nicholson. Media Blasters bust out another stellar film from the vaults of Japanese exploitation Scorpion : Grudge Song the final film in Meiko Kaji's Female Convict Scorpion series. Finally, my peeps at NoShame Films releases one hell of a cool looking set with the Emilio Miraglia Killer Queen Box Set, which even comes with a action figure of the killer Red Queen. In my opinion a release date doesn't come any better than that. It looks like I will finally cash in some of my Borders coupons, certificates, and return my extra copy of Grey's Anatomy that I have been holding on to for a special occasion like this. Hopefully with all this goodness I should be able to pick up at least three films without spending much cash at all. I am really looking forward to this film filled day.

So we are going to see a film very out of character for me tomorrow, Ice Age 2. Before you really start to wonder I will explain. Thursday is hangout day with Chiaki and I favorite person in the whole wide world, my nephew Isaac. This is a big day for us because we have never taken him to the movie. It should be a blast.

So Chiaki and I just got back from checkin' out Slither. Not too bad. Overall, a pretty fun movie a nice mixture of comedy and gore. Entertaining stuff. You see I have a problem though. Every genre film I watch as of late I keep coming back to comparing it to Hostel, which ruins the whole thing cause I love Hostel with a passion. So even though a film horror film might be pretty good it just doesn't live up with Eli Roth's film. After saying that, if you want to see some great gross out gore, check out Slither.

Back to Cache, which I ended up seening last Thursday. Man was it great. Its one of those great films that may piss a lot of people of for several reasons. One of which is the fact that it is often slow movie but builds up the more it goes. The other reason it may bug people is that it doesn't tie everything up at the end. To me, that is two things I actually loved about it. In my opinion it doesn't need to tell me what really happens, its just so powerful with out even knowing. I could care less. I really need to check out more films by Michael Haneke. The other day, my friend Jason asked me how Cache was and I told him it was excellent and that it doesn't leave you with a completely resolved ending, which I loved. He told me that a previous film of Haneke's called Code Unknown does the same thing so we came to the conclusion that this must be a common theme in his work. So I will shut up about it and just plain recommend it to anyone who really wants to experience a great film from a very promising French director.

If you are really open to some fun no budget horror films from Ohio you all should really check out this site. My friends Aaron and Jason are solely responsible for what lies ahead, which is a great trip to watch if you have a few minutes free. Right now they only have two films to their name but are working on a handful more in the not to distant future. Really, take some time out of your busy schedules and visit their site. You will have some fun.

The horror convention this weekend was a blast. I spent a little more money than I planned (I swear their was a little devil around my shoulder that kept on pushing me to buy more....I swear), but that happens when your having to much of a good time.

Here is what was involved in the damage to my wallet:

- Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (this baby retails for 25 bucks and I got it used for 10)

- a great set of giallo films from NoShame Films entitled The Luciano Ercoli Death Box Set, which even comes housed with a cool ass soundtrack

- a film I have praised before on this blog and will continue to praise now that I got my grubby hands on a copy, the one and only El Topo

I also went in half and half with my buddy Aaron on a copy of the new Dario Argento flick Do you like Hitchcock?, which is you guessed it, an homage to one of the greats. I really have been dying to get my hands on this film and am anticipating my first viewing. Speaking of Argento, two great newsworthy truths have come out of late about one of my favorites. One of which is the fact that he will finally be working on The Third Mother a long in the works conclusion to a trilogy of his films which started with Suspiria, continued with Inferno, and will finally come to an end with this film. The other great thing that Argento has talked about recently is his promise to return to more surreal films ala his greats from the 80's. Very good news if you are fans of his work.

Well I am sure I am forget a lot of things I wanted to ramble about but nonetheless I will save it for another time. Until then...