Just wanted to post Hollywood Reporter's review of Babel.

CANNES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tense, relentless and difficult to watch at times, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Babel" is an emotionally shattering drama in which a simple act of kindness leads to events that pierce our veneer of civilization and bring on the white noise of terror.

Brad Pitt,Cate Blanchett, and Gael Garcia Bernal give committed ensemble performances alongside seasoned character performers and nonactors as the story ranges from Morocco to San Diego to Tokyo.

The film, which also features exceptional work by director of photography Rodrigo Prieto, production designer Brigitte Broch, editors Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise and composer Gustavo Santaolalla, is headed for major prizes and large, appreciative audiences.

As with his previous films, Inarritu tells his story using scenes out of order so that the pieces fall together in a jagged form that heightens the tension. It starts in the Moroccan desert, where a man buys a Winchester rifle from a neighbor to help keep the jackals away from his herd of goats. A Japanese hunter had gifted the neighbor with the rifle in gratitude for his work as a guide.

The rifle is entrusted to the goat herder's two young sons, who end up firing it from a mountainside at a coach filled with Western tourists just to see how far the bullet would go.

The bullet, however, strikes an American named Susan (Blanchett) who is traveling with her husband Richard (Pitt) in attempt to patch up their marriage following the death of a child.

Four hours from the nearest hospital, the coach takes a detour to a remote village, where a local man offers shelter while the other tourists argue over whether to stay or leave.

Desperate, Richard phones the U.S. embassy pleading for help and also calls home in San Diego, where their longtime maid Amelia (Adriana Barraza) is caring for their other two children. With Susan bleeding and near death in the desert, he begs Amelia to remain with the kids as he tries to get help.

Amelia's son, however, is getting married across the border and, having exhausted attempts to find another sitter, she decides to take the kids with her to the wedding in a car driven by her friendly but hot-headed nephew Santiago (Bernal).

As Richard fights to keep Susan alive with the help of a wise and calm old Moroccan woman and a veterinarian, the shooting escalates into an international incident with security forces believing terrorists to be responsible and hunting for the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, a young deaf-mute woman named Chieko (Rinko Kikuchi) is grappling with the loss of her mother by suicide, fighting with her equally bereft father (Koji Yakusho) and trying to deal with the frustrations of adolescence.

The filmmakers succeed brilliantly in weaving these stories together, taking time to explore depth of character and relationships. The suspense builds throughout as everyone involved becomes lost in a place they don't understand with people they don't know if they can trust.

Several astonishing Tokyo sequences replicate what it might be like to be deaf-mute, and equal imagination is applied to scenes at night in the wasteland of the Mexico/California border and the barren mountains of Morocco.

This is not a fear-mongering movie, but it is unpredictable and shocking, with compassion hanging on for dear life.

Man, am I dying to see this.

So Babel screened at Cannes today with glowing reviews. It is already being tacked as the festival frontrunner for the Palme d'Or (just in case you are not a big film nerd, this is the award for Best Film). I am dying here. To make matters worse I can't seem to find a broadcast of the closing award ceremonies on Sunday anywhere on television yet (usually someone like Bravo or IFC broadcast them, I can't remember which one). There killing me, man.

So just wanted to throw out some more amazing casting news I heard about today. Apparently, Natalie Portman has joined the cast of Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights. Could this cast get any better. Man, I can't wait.

Okay so I am not a big monster movie guy. I have never really been a monster movie guy. I have always swayed more toward the horror side of things rather than the Science Fiction. But I will be damned if I don't sure this film out the minute it is available on Korean dvd.

The film is called The Host and is the next hopeful blockbuster to come out of Korea. Two of its stars are some of my favorite actors out of Korea, Song Kang-Ho (of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and JSA) and Bae Doo-Na (also of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Linda, Linda, Linda). It has gotten its world premiere as we speak at the Directors' Fornight at Cannes and the reviews have been very favorable. Can't wait to here more as things keep on rolling on through with this film.

Babel screens tomorrow at Cannes so I will be back in the next day or two to report on whets going on with this promising film. I hope to see some footage from the film pop up in the morning on Cannes website. Richard Kelly's (Donnie Darko ) follow-up film Southland Tales has already not receive the greatest feedback and I hope the response to Babel is a lot more positive. Nonetheless I will be there opening day to see it one way or another.

The films rolling into the New York Asian Film Festival are getting better and better but still know film schedule up on their site. We are planning our trip and schedule based around when Linda, Linda, Linda is playing so it all comes down to the damn times and dates. So hopefully They will update their page so that I can write more about the films we plan on seeing. Can't wait. We have been dying to go to New York since our last visit in June 2005. More on this as things start to come together.

Caught a few flicks over the weekend. The first was The Da Vinci Code.I assumed the film would be a big critically applauded film which would garner all the nods come Oscar time. Then the reviews came. And man did they stink. Matter of fact out of about 30 reviews from top of the line critics only about 3 liked the film. So my hopes as the day dragged along were slowly dropping. Then it came time for the film. And we like it. Chiaki and I enjoyed it a lot actually. Granted neither of us have ever read the novel but still it was a well made film with a great cast. It actually makes me want to read the book and the other novel Brown wrote which deals with a lot of the same things called Demons and Angels. Some of the critics made reference to the film as Hanks worst of his career. I just don't get it. The whole cast was entertaining as hell, at least in my opinion.

Speaking of entertaining as hell, we just got back from catch Lucky Number Slevin at the dollar theater, and damn was it great. Definitely has some Guy Ritchie undertones (granted it was directed by Paul McGuigan, a Ritchie clone), if that's your thing, but I think it has so much more than that in store. Some of it is predictable, yeah, but it throws in enough twist towards the end that at least you won't know everything single think that happens. Many people may get tired of the whole twist after twist ending but we both found it highly entertaining. And man, look at the cast: Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett , Lucy Liu , Morgan Freeman , Ben Kingsley , Stanley Tucci. I mean really, you can't go wrong here. Lucy Liu, in my opinion was the most enjoyable performance out of the bunch because it finally gave her the perky, adorable female role, instead of the total badass roles she usually gets typecast into playing. Definitely worth a buck to see (hell it was even worth full admission) and I would recommend it to anyone in the mood for a clever fun fast-paced movie.

So Cannes has been going on for a few days now. Wish I was there. Man, do I. Anyways some good stuff is playing in and out of competition as always. Wong Kar Wai is at the head of the jury this year so it should be an interesting award ceremony. Speaking of Wong Kar Wai I found this pick on line of a promo billboard for his next project he is starting soon, My Blueberry Nights.

In case your wondering who that is in the picture, it is Norah Jones, of all people and yes she he playing the lead. Other cast members are still in the rumor stage, however, most have been claiming that Rachel Weisz and Jude Law may also star. It will be Wong Kar Wai's first feature length English language film (that is if you count his BMW short film). I have high hopes for this one (if you know me well, you know my obsessions with Wong Kar Wai).

So back to the films at Cannes this year. In competition we have Pedro Almodovar's Volver, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Babel (probably my most anticipated film of the year), Richard Kelly's Southland Tales, Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, and Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. Those are the films I am really curious about in competition. On the other hand in either the out-of-competition or un certain regard sections of the festival we have more films I would kill to see including Johnnie To's Election 2 and the anthology film several years in the making Je T'aime. The latter film consists of 5 minute films each shot in different sects of France from such world renown directors as Walter Salles, Gus Van Sant, Tom Tykwer, The Coen Brothers, Olivier Assayas, Alfonso Cuaron, Alexander Payne, and Christopher Doyle. I have been waiting for this ever since I have heard about it almost 3 years ago.

They are even screening restored versions of both El Topo and The Holy Mountain in a tribute to Alejandro Jodorowsky. Also supposed at the Festivities even though its no where to be found on the website is the new Kim Ki Duk film Time.

So there you have it, a rather wide range of films I would have loved to check out if I was rich and could travel to France to the Cannes Film Festival (I swear I will go before I die). This stuff is just at first glance too. The more I look at the website the more things I find.

Sorry. its been nearly 10 days. Sadly enough, there not much I want to get out of my system recently as far film goes. Cannes started today (or yesterday if you wanna go by French time) so hopefully I should have some steady blogs of opinion as movie goodness leaks out the next week and a half. Also Chiaki and I are in the process of planning another trip to New York this year for The 5th annual New York Asian Film Festival. Last year was a highlight of our lives together. A perfect few days. I think we are going to try to shoot for a few days longer this year (4-5 days, hope, hope) and it should be one hell of a trip. A few flicks we have been dying to see (one of which is Japan's Linda, Linda, Linda) our playing and as soon as the schedule is released I will have a better idea of what we are going to see and when were are going. Check out the Subway Cinema page to learn more about the films and the fest.

That's all for now. I know, short post.

Just found out that my boys, The Blood Brothers, are recording a new record and guess who is co-producing it....Guy Freakin' Picciotto of Fugazi (the orginators of post-punk music) fame. I know that when most people think of Fugazi they think of Ian MacKaye but Guy was equally as important to the bands success and I can't wait to see what direction he take The Blood Brothers in. Exciting stuff, well at least for me it is.

Also of note, the new Tsai Ming-Liang film I Don't Want to Sleep Alone just got picked up by Fortissimo Films, a company responsible for releasing a lot of great films internationally. Tsai Ming-Liang describes the film as being about a group of laborers who enjoy watching Bollywood movies, a Chinese Indonesian girl who works in Chinatown, a man wandering in the streets without an identity, and a mysterious mattress abandoned by a rich man. It is a comedy, but it is also tragic.

Can't wait to here more about this, as Ming-Liang is one of those directors out their that I love everything that he does.

I know its been over a week and I promised there would be more posts and less time in between. Sorry. Who really reads this anyway?

So if you know me well, you know I have a soft spot for Tom Cruise so had to check out Mission Impossible 3 on opening weekend. So I drag Chiaki on Saturday afternoon to avoid the annoying Friday night crowd. So what did I think, you ask? Come on, what do you think. I loved it. Honestly, I think its a hell of a start for the summer and the best of the three films in the series thus far. I won't dive into details and all that boring stuff, but I will let you know that Chiaki was very tired of all Cruise's public appearance and really didn't want to see the film but came out absolutely loving it. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was evil as hell in the film too. He took the more sinister route instead of the over the top cheese of a villain and it worked out great for the film. A brilliant performance.

Also finally checked out my Elevator to the Gallows. Man, please go out and buy this or at least rent it. If you call yourself a film fan at all you really need to see this. Director Louis Malle never touched this genre after this film (which was his first) but could have truly made a living out of it. A French Hitchcockian film about murder, jealousy, mistaken identity, love and lost hope. So much a head of its time really. Also noteworthy is the amazing soundtrack, entirely composed by Miles Davis. I am in the process of digging this one up as we speak.

So you may be wondering what the hell is Aaron listening to nowadays. What albums have blown him away. I know I don't talk about music much on here but if you know me, you know I have a pretty damn wide range of music taste. Granted lately, I have filled my head with some pretty chaotic stuff, but that's not everyday stuff. I do have love for just about anything (others than country of course, what do you think I'm crazy). As long as your orginial and different, I can really dig it (the main reason why country doesn't appeal to me, in my opinion, it all sounds the same....ignorance is bliss).

As far as this year goes already there are at least two extreme good records out. The first, which has heavy rotation in my car since its release almost a month ago, is the new Built to Spill record. Man, is this record awesome. Their first album in almost 5 years is definitely some of the band best work. Even if you are not an indie rocker you really should check out their stuff. The latest record You in Reverse, almost feels like a classic rock record with its great guitar riffs and 70's sound. One of my all time favorite tunes by the band is "You were Right" from their '99 release Keep it Like a Secret, which mixed in famous classic rock lyrics to make a killer track. It seems like they took the band one step forward with this idea and brought it to a whole new level. Amazing record my favorite by far this year so far.

Another record, which matter of fact is in my player right now, is the new Mogwai album, Mr. Beast. Always know for being a great mellow band, whose lyrics never matter seem to matter as much as the beautiful music, hit the new record out of the park. I will admit, I haven't followed them much since their amazing album Rock Action from '01, but when I heard that the singer of Envy was on one of the tracks I figured I would check the album out. Man, am I lucky I did. Really great stuff here. Check it out.

Others than that I have been jamming to the Bloc Party full length for a while now (one of the best albums from last year) and when in Chiaki's car The Postal Service record (I know its way old but damn if its still not a great record years later).

But for those who really want to check out a great band you should really listen to some Death from Above (I refused to call them by their new name since signing to Vice Death From Above 1979, which was changed because they were being sued by the label DFA).

A great band out of Canada that I have been listening to for a good 3 years now. If you are not familiar with them they are a two piecer made up only of a bass and drums (the drummer, Sebastien, sings most of the time). There roots originally started as crazy synth-laced hardcore but has progressed into something even more amazing. Their latest release which consists mostly remixes and a few b-sides is some of my favorite stuff by them. And my favorite record from last year (yes, a remix album, a type of record which I normally don't like to begin with, topped my best of '05). Jesse, the bassist, also has to great side projects, Femme Fatale, a band who hasn't at all drop their hardcore roots over over three eps and I am glad they haven't, and a remix group entitled MSTRKRFT which are finally releasing their first record next month. Please, as I always say, do yourself a favor and check out their stuff.

Alright, enough for now. As always, I will try to update a lot more often even though only about four people read this (you know I love you guys!).

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...

Hell has apparently frozen over cause one of the best distribution companies is back from the dead. Fantoma, one of the best new (well, as far as the last 5 years) dvd companies, has gotten their asses in gear and are up and running again. They had not updated their site in almost a year and had even started a sale on all their films. I figured they were a goner. So their next release is going to be a Rainer Werner Fassbinder film called Why does Herr R. Run Amok? on May 30th. After that comes a Samuel Fuller film entitled Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street, a film I have been waiting for them to release for over a year now. This is great news. They claim they will have regular updates now and will have a new slate of film release very soon. Let's hope their right. Who knows, maybe they will finally release the two Yasuzo Masumura titles, Red Angel and Black Test Car, that Film comment claimed they were supposed to release 3 years ago. Okay, maybe I am pushing it. Also, if you really want to know more about the people who started Fantoma check out this cool little article.

I am heading off to Cleveland tomorrow to check out the first Cinema Wasteland of the year. If you don't know what it is, I will gladly tell you. Its a convention for us horror film dorks. It's a whole alot fun actually. Last year Sid Haig was their among other horror film guests, while this year hosts some more greats from the genre. Alright maybe not any great this year but still some interesting one, including Priscilla Barnes, of all people (actually its because this year hosts the victims of The Devil's Rejects while last year was home of the killers of the film). Another person this year that is pretty damn blog worthy is the one and only Kane Hodder (the best Jason to ever wear the hockey mask in the Friday the 13th flicks). He also oddly enough was the stunt co-ordinator for The Devil's Rejects. Now isn't that a great coincidence. I must finally give a shout out to Lloyd Kaufman, the head of Troma Entertainment, who will also be attending the convention (and the reason why my brother, Kevin, is planning on going).

On a final note, Chiaki and I saw Cache last night at Canton Palace Theater. It was a great film out of France, that everyone should check out. I will give you all more information about it soon.

I will report back tomorrow sometime, I promise. I know its been almost a week since my last post but I want to put all you naysayers to rest ( yeah you, Nate!) and promise to update the site more. Until then.

So my vacation is over and I am kinda sad. It was great while it lasted. Caught mostly great films over the last week My film festival venture included the Italian film Quo Vadis, Baby, which was pretty damn disappointing despite a very promising lead actress and Midnight, My Love, a great little quirky romance from Thailand with a whole lotta originality. I will definitely try to hunt for that as soon as it reaches dvd somewhere. The best film I caught from the fest was a great western starring Guy Pearce out of Australia entitled The Proposition. And man was it violent as hell. Really reminding me of some of the great spaghetti westerns. Hopefully this thing gets released with all the scenes intacted but at press time it is questionable. When it comes around, and I know it will, everyone should really check it out. I have a feeling it will stack up well with the rest of the great films released this year.

I also caught some mainstream flicks over the past week: V for Vendetta and Inside Man. If I had to choose the better film the ball would definitely be in Spike Lee's court, however don't get me wrong V for Vendetta is still one hell of a ride. Lee's Inside Man just really seemed to have more of a "what the hell is going to happen next" factor.

Some good stuff comes out this Tuesday if you a horror fan. Cigarette Burns, the John Carpenter episode of the Masters of Horror series, along with four Giallo films from the 70's. I am definitely picking up the former and really want to also pick up at least one of the Italian horror films. I guess we will see how bad it damages my wallet.

So I gone and done it again.I just saw a movie I should have gone to see along a time ago. An damn, was it entertaining. I feel so out of touch last year now that I realized I missed two of best films from last year. Cause its hard out here for a pimp...yep you guessed it, I just checked out Hustle & Flow. Man, I love this film. Terrence Howard is amazing in this film. Its great to see him go from Crash to Hustle & Flow. Two different yet equally outstanding performances. I will shut up about the film now cause its kinda too late to praise it and I am sure everyone has heard as much as they want about it but I just have to give it some props. I can't wait to see where Howard goes next in his career. An then theres Anthony Anderson, who up until this point I hated with a passion. He's great in this fim too. If you haven't seen this film yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. I don't care if you love hip hop or hate it, this movie is about so much more than that. Check it out.

How could I be so blind. So lazy. After watching the film I just watched, I keep on asking myself why I hadn't seen it earlier. This film is easily the best film of last year. It touched me more than any of the films I saw last year (including Munich and A Constant Gardener, two films I hold dare to my heart). What is this film, you ask? Well that film is...Crash.

If you know me you know that I always go against the grain I never follow the hype but, man, is this thing powerful. Its real. Its honest. It never holds back. It truly is the way life is. I could shoot myself for not see this last year and raving on and on about it because it truly deserves it. It wholeheartly deserves that Oscar. I am still glad that Ang Lee got the director award because he has had amazing career. Paul Haggis has so much ahead of him. I can't wait to see what he has up his sleeve. Hell, he has two screenwriting Oscars already and thats pretty damn great. This film immediately made me think of another Paul. Paul Thomas Anderson (and if you know me well, you know I love PTA). Crash needs to be seen by everyone, it really does. I guess I can't say anything that hasn't already been said about this film, I just want to say that its an exceptional piece of work that really touched the heart and it deserves every ounce of praise that it is given. Actually, why don't you just go pick up the director's cut of the film that comes out April 4th. I know I will!

Just got done watching one powerhouse of a film. But before I go ahead, I would like to back track a few steps. During the late 80's and all through the 90's, Hong Kong cinema was on fire. Matter of fact, my first love of international film (others than a handful of Italian horror films) came by way of Chinese cinema. I am about to mention a best kept secret....I used to be a huge Jean Claude Van Damme fan.

Okay, I am glad that is out of my system, we all can sleep better now.

Anyways, luck for me, I was introduced to John Woo in the early 90s thanks to the Muscles from Brussels (sorry again, I just couldn't resist). From their on it was all over. Everything out of Hong Kong I fell in love with. Slowly but surely, I expanded to other parts of the world of film, Spanish films, French films, Italian films, you name it. To be honest Mr. Tarantino himself, turned my on two great things thanks to his now-defunct distribution company Rolling Thunder, Wong Kar Wai's Chungking Express and Takeshi Kitano's Sontaine. Wong Kar Wai is now one of my favorite directors of all time and Kitano, also one of my favorites, was a great introduction to Japanese cinema. Wong Kar Wai also turned me on to Jean Luc Godard (who has highly influenced Wong Kar Wai) and we all know how highly I respect that director.

But something happened with Hong Kong films...they kinda died. It seemed that the only thing I would watch from their would be a Wong Kar Wai film (which if you are a fan of the man means every 3 or 4 years) or from time to time a good Tony Leung Chi Wai starrer. Nothing really was all that impressive until Infernal Affairs (possibly one of the greatest films out of Asia ever). Recently Korean and Japanese film has been far more successful on all levels than any out of Hong Kong. After Infernal Affairs, came SPL, a nice welcome return, but still not comparable to the other. Until now.


Like I said at the beginning, I just got done watching a pretty powerful film, Election. The film follows the Chairman selection process as two triad (the Chinese Mafia) leaders struggle with each other to head the Wo Sing Society. Matter of fact, the one Chairman is elected rather early in the film (in the first 15 minutes), that's not really what this film is about. Its about the war between them and how they must do what has to be done to stay on top and stay true to their name. The last 30 minutes of this film is right now of a Scorese film. And I don't mean this in a negative way, I think that the director, Johnnie To, has definitely done justice to the genre. It is truly some powerful stuff, especially the ending that really sets you up to wanting to see more (ironically the sequel comes out next month in Hong Kong). My only complaint is that I wish it was longer. I really wanted to see more of what was happening among these people. Do yourself a favor and check this film out please. Its not out state side as of yet but do some internet soul searching (by clicking on the image above) or check your local Chinatown. Trust me you won't be disappointed.

We just got back from Cleveland and I have to say I am pretty satisfied. The documentary we watch, Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story was heartbreaking. God, it was so well crafted. For those that don't know what the hell has been going on in Japan for the last 20 years or so I will try to fill you in. Starting back in the late '70s, North Korea began to kidnap Japanese citizens to bring to their country to teach Koreans how to be Japanese. Over the years North Korean has admitted to kidnap 13 Japanese and 5 have since been returned back to Japan. The others North Korea claims have died. One of which was Megumi Yokota, a 13 year old girl. This is her story ( along with information about the others). Its a very sad story but it was something I am very glad that I saw. Chiaki has been telling me about ever since 2002 (when the 5 Japanese were finally returned home) but the film really helped me in learning even more. It truly is a film everyone needs to see. I wish it would be nominated for an Academy Award this year so that the mainstream audience can discover it. I will be pushing hard for this film to play at the Canton Palace Theatre this year. This is really powerful stuff.

So I know. It has pretty much been a whole week since my last post. I have sorta been busy but that's no excuse really. It's laziness pure and simple. I apologize. So on with the post.

Went to my first meeting of the Art Film Committee of the Canton Palace Theatre. It went good. It was actually pretty damn cool. I was one of three new members, one of which was a friend of mine from work, Jeremy. They meet once a month and I will attempting to attend all of them from now. I have already been email them ideas for future film screenings. Hopefully, this will work out to be a great opportunity for me.

The Cleveland International Film Festival started yesterday. Our first film we are catching is tomorrow. I can't hardly wait. This is one of my favorite times of the year.

I picked up to films the other day while visiting Columbus. Three Times and Election (no, not the Reese Witherspoon film). One from Taiwan, and the other from Hong Kong. Both played at Cannes last year and are supposed to be excellent films. I picked them up at Eday, a relatively new store which sells Chinese films (along with some from Korean and Japanese). They also have a website you can order from if that is your thing.

Caught the The Hills have Eyes remake the other day. Not much to say about it. Most people I talked to loved it. I just thought it was okay. As far as the gore factor, the film blows most out of the ball park. I mean I am not quite sure how they got away with this much blood and gore. But others than that, it didn't grab me much. The actors were fine that wasn't my problem it just didn't do much for me. In my opinion, Hostel is superior on so many more levels.

Well, I guess that's all for now. I will post tomorrow when we get home from the film festival to let everyone know how it went.

So other one bites the dust. I just read that Wellspring, one of the great distributors of international cinema, is shutting there doors forever. To all you out there who don't know them you really should. Over the years they have released nearly a dozen Rainer Werner Fassbinder films, along with classics from Francois Truffaut, Hou Hsaio-hsien, Eric Rohmer, Tsai Ming-Liang, Akira Kurosawa, Takeshi Kitano. While forming named. Formally known as Fox Lorber, and sadly known for bad transfers, by tranforming into Wellspring they changed paths and became a critically acclaimed distributor of solid releases. They will be sadly missed. This news comes of the heels of the recent shut down of another great defunct distributor, Homevision (who was responsible for an amazing array of international films, one of which was the Yakuza Papers boxset that I drool over everyday). Luckily for us, some superb companies our coming out of the wood work to help film fanatics like myself see some of these great lost films from around the world. Tartan Video, Noshame Films, Discotek, Panik House Entertainment, Blue Underground, Synapse Films, Fantoma, Kino, and Criterion Collection are making us proud with their excellent array of releases.

So I always go on and on about the Cleveland Cinematheque and how great it is but I always fail to mention other great theater around me. This theater is even closer to me (as a matter of fact less than 15 minutes away), The Canton Palace Theatre.

This baby has been standing strong for 80 years. Look at that marquee doesn't it make you cry. The theater is a beauty from top to bottom. The coolest thing about them is that about 5 years ago they started to do a art film night every Thursday. A blockbuster Hollywood film would play on the weekend while a foreign or art house film plays on Thursday. Its pretty damn cool. This month we are going to check out Cache, a film from France that one the Prix de la mise en scene (the Best Director Award) at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Some they just started doing, as far as I know, is play Classic films on Sundays. They keep on getting better and better. A friend from work even recently inviting me to be on their Art film committee so you know that I am extremely excited for that. Hopefully I can get them some even great insight on the best films to get there. We will see, I guess.

So we had plans to Bowling Green today to check out the school, when I was reminded of something my friend Andrew, a Bowling Green student, told me last week. It's spring break. So it looks like my school visit will have to wait until next week.

We got back from Dave Chappelle's Block Party a few hours ago. It was quite an enjoyable hour and a half. If you go in wanted a all Chappelle stand up film your not going to get it. If you go in thinking you will see some crazy visuals from Michel Gondry, your not going to get that either. Matter of fact the only signs of Gondry is maybe the opening credits and his voice throughout. I would have to say their is more concert footage than anything else and man is it great stuff. I mean the music in this film is always the artists I have grown to love over the years as far as hip hop goes. The Roots, Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Kayne West. Great Stuff. Even the appearance of The Fugees, who I think were a bit overrated, was pretty entertaining. And don't think their isn't any Chappelle comedy mix in because their is definitely a fair share. I mean come on this man is leader of our generation in comedy. He is the second coming of Richard Pryor in my opinion (ironically he was wearing a Pryor shirt throughout most of the film). It really was a well made film. I would go as far as to say it is a groundbreaking film. Their has never been a film I can remember like this, with a wide release at least. Matter of fact I can't even find a film of the top of my head that is a documentary mix comedy with music.

Not much going on these last fool days. Sorry for the absence of posts theses days (for all five people that read this). While I stated early on that I wasn't going to talk much about myself on here I do have some pretty big news.

I have decided to go back to school and get my Masters degree. I seriously sat down and thought what the hell can I do with my life that I will really enjoy. Everyone that knows me knows that I love talking about film all day and night. I feel that I have a pretty good knowledge of and was thinking of the perfect thing that would fit me as a career. I decided that what I would thoroughly enjoy would be to teach film in college. I emailed a film professor I had and truly admired at Kent State, Professor Robert West, and he recommended that I participate in the Pop Culture graduate program at Bowling Green. So right now I am making those steps to see if that is the best thing for me. I am extremely excited to learn more about their program and the college. One of my friends have graduated from Bowling Green while another is currently attending it right now. Both tell me this is a great program. So I am pretty psyched, but enough about me.

I ordered Chiaki and I some tickets for a handful of films at the Cleveland International Film Festival. We are going for a record this year. So far we are planning on see four films. This year we plan on seeing the following films:

Abduction : The Megumi Yokata Story
At 13 years old, Megumi Yokota disappears on her way home from school. After nearly 20 years with no idea what happened to their daughter, Megumi parents learn from a North Korean defector she was one of at least 13 Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean spies in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Five years later, North Korea admits to the kidnappings and reveals the fates of the abducted. Resolving to bring Megumi home, her parents tenacious and untiring campaign takes their personal tragedy to the political forefront, resulting ultimately in a battle between nations. Set to haunting images of Megumi and wrought with half-truths and near triumphs, ABDUCTION (Executive Produced by Jane Campion, the Oscar winning director of "The Piano") is a shocking portrait of the strength of one family and the bureaucracy barring them from the truth. (In Japanese and Korean with English Subtitiles)

The Proposition
Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) is presented with a proposition by British police Captain Stanley to choose between his two brothers. The Captain, fixated on bringing civility to his English settlement and on relieving the settlement of its worst outlaws, creates his own rule of law . Charlie searches for his elusive, vicious elder brother while his younger brother sits, terrified, in a jail cell. In town, the consequences of the Captain proposition begin to spread far, wide, and rather bloodily. The havoc reaches even to the Captain gentle wife, Martha (Emily Watson), who is no longer able to be protected by porcelain teapots and English roses. Nick Cave screenplay astounds, and the haunting soundtrack fits perfectly with the visibly sweltering and audibly painful outback. THE PROPOSITION is a thrilling twist on the Wild West genre, dealing brutally and beautifully with loyalty, revenge, and love in a violent and unforgiving territory.

Quo Vadis, Baby?
Working for her father private detective agency in Bologna, Giorgia is an unglamorous, short-tempered, quick-witted investigator. She spends most of her time trailing cheating spouses and lamenting that she has wasted her life. But when she receives a box containing video diaries of her younger sister Ada, she begins to question whether or not Ada's death 16 years ago was really a suicide. On the tapes, outgoing Ada appears to be happily struggling with her acting career and having a secret affair; nothing that suggests she was suicidal. Convinced that her sister was murdered, Giorgia begins interviewing Ada friends and family members. As she digs deeper into the past, a questionable family history begins to emerge. Wholly clever, atmospheric, and stylishly shot, QUO VADIS, BABY? is a thrilling contemporary noir film that invites the audience in to play detective. (In Italian with English subtitles)

Midnight, My Love
Driving though the Bangkok night is Bati, a shy cab driver who is more interested in listening to dramatic radio shows and the music of a time past than in picking up customers. Reluctant to adjust to modern technologies, Bati is happily stuck in his ways, often lost in his own romantic reveries that play out like old musical films. One evening he picks up a group of four prostitutes in his cab, three of whom loudly tease him and one who sits quietly. Bati and the beautiful woman, Nuan, have dinner together, agree that he shall pick her up each night, and begin a chaste romance. Bati dreams of a more passionate affair and of saving Nuan from her tarnished life, but both have their reasons for keeping the other at a distance. Popular Thai comedic actor Pechtai Wongkamlao brings a spectacular dimension to his sad, sweet character and his uncanny reason for resisting modernity. Soft-lensing, a romantic soundtrack, and stunning images establish the dreamy feel of this memorable, melancholic tale of an unlikely love. (In Thai, with English subtitles)

Alright we are off to see Block Party. I will probably post tonight to give everyone my opinion. Until then...

I don't talk about music on here much (even though I should) but I have to give props to a great band who released their first full length US album today, Nine Black Alps. I bought there EP on a fling because it looked interesting and was only 4 bucks. It was amazing. So freakin' good. So you can tell how pumped I was to finally pick up their full length, entitled Everything Is, today (which mind you has been out in the UK for about a year). Just finished listening to the record and once again it blows me away. To be honest I haven't been listening to much new music recently. Matter of fact I haven't bought much music either. Aside from the Death From Above remix album that was released a few months ago, the only other albums I have been picked up are classic rock (Lynyrd Skynyrd and America). It really takes alot these days to impress me with something new. And you guys know me I listen to all kinds of crazy stuff. That being said, Nine Black Alps just make me smile. Just some great rock'n'roll. Everyone should check them out. The new record is actually on sale for 8 bucks at Best Buy this week. Please check it out.

We got our Cleveland Cinematheque memberships in the mail today. It put a smile on our faces. I think we might go see a film their sometime this weekend. They are playing a series of films by a lesser known French New Wave director by the name of Luc Moullet. His debut film from '66 entitled Brigitte and Brigitte is playing this week. I am not familiar with his work at all so I figured we may as well start from the beginning.

On a sad film note, the dollar theater around where I live Movies 4 has shut their doors for good. Apparently their lease was up and they decided to move on. It will be missed.

In case everyone doesn't know already, Spike Jonze is going to do a live action version of the famous childrens book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Well word is out that he is finally going to start filming soon and the cast is finally rolling in. They have already cast the actress to play the mother of Max (the main character just in case you didn't know). Who did they cast you ask? Well just the best actress working in film today...Catherine Keener. Man, this is getting better and better the more I hear about it. a while back Tom Hanks was attached to. I think as the voice of the narrator. However, I am not sure if he is still signed on, figuring that this was years ago. Hanks coming is still producing the film and as far as I know Dave Eggers (an amazing novelist) script is still the one being used.

So I have been catching up on my exploitation films recently. Finally watch Sex and Fury and another disc in the Pinky Violence Collection called Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom (I know its the most strangest and longest title ever). Both films were highly entertaining for fans of the genre. Too bad that both actresses that were icons of Japanese exploitation, Miki Sugimoto and Reiko Ike, retired from acting in the late 70s, because I think they could have had career revivals just like Pam Grier. They definitely have the look, charisma and coolness just as she did as she reigned the blaxploitation era that same decade. Come on Tarantino work your magic. One can only dream, I guess.

I am convinced that the Pinky Violence Collection is possibly one of the best boxsets available, second to The Yakuza Papers box (the Battle without Honor and Humanity series) of course.

In the theme of exploitation I picked up Thriller: They Call Me One Eye. It was only 11 bucks because it is the stripped down "vengeance edition" with no extras and the hardcore scenes cut out. Yes, I said hardcore scenes. Apparently the film has straight up porn scenes in it for no apparent reason. Friends have said its pointless and distracting so I figure I would pick up the newer version to check the film out for myself without distractions. I am looking forward to this disc's viewing soon.

Chiaki took me to see Duck, You Sucker (aka A Fistful of Dynamite) last night at the Cleveland Cinematheque for my birthday. The awesome thing was that my parents got us memberships as a gift so now we can save some cash (savings of 3 bucks per ticket actually). The film was great. Sergio Leone is great at mixing humor and over the top violence together perfectly. Duck, You Sucker seems at first almost more of a comedy than anything else but the second half turns more into typical Leone fare with a political flavor to it. The leads of Rod Steiger and James Coburn are absolutely made for these roles. Matter of fact, Chiaki was floored when I told her Steiger was a famous American and not a Mexican like he portrays. That's how convincing he was.

So the dvd for The Passenger was supposed to come out in mid-March now its late mid-April. To make matters worse the specs have changed from what was first said to be on the disc originally. The first listing claimed there would be a Jack Nicholson commentary and another by German director Wim Wenders. The new specs claim that their is only on commentary and only with the screenwriter and some journalist. Talk about depressing. I was really looking forward to here what Nicholson had to say about the film he is said to adore the most from his career.

To add more disappointment, Hong Sang Soo, the Korean director who was supposed to introduce his latest film Tale of Cinema at the Wexner Center in Columbus, had to cancel his plans to travel to the US and Canada because of some undisclosed minor injury.

Good thing my birthday is tommorrow or I would be pretty bummed out. Hopefully it won't get pushed back or cancelled.

1001 reason why I am a total film nerd:

I just used my sick/personal holiday hours at work (I had a plethora) to have off for the entire run of the Cleveland International Film Festival. That gives me free reign to see whatever. I know. I know. You don't have to tell me. I am a dork. After all I have to make up for not attending last year.

The time has come. The Cleveland Film Society officially released the line up for the Cleveland International Film Festival. At first glance I was alittle disappointed. Probably because I had high hopes for some films to be listed that are currently running the film festival circuits, like Invisible Waves, Takeshis, and Linda, Linda, Linda.

However, at second glance I really think that it could be a great year. Some films I recognize and really want to see like The Proposition and Factotum. While others sound very interesting after further reading, for example, Quo Vadis, Baby, Midnight, My Love, and Beauty Remains. Two documentaries, Henri Langois:Phantom of the Cinematheque and Midnight Movies: From Margin to the Mainstream sound promising. I am sure I will find others after digging deeper into the descriptions.

A few I have seen already ( like The Bow, a breathtaking film which is nearly ruined by a down right silly ending) and while others I heard are just awful (like Wassup Rockers, the new film by Kids photographer/director Larry Clark). All in all, however, I am really exciting about this year.

Chiaki and I caught Once Upon a Time in the West on the big screen, the other night. Man, was it beautiful. You truly have to see this theatrically, you will be in awe. It made me love the film more than I ever have.

Man, I guess I am slipping. I forgot to mention that we caught The Passenger a few days before that. We loved it. I had been dying to see this Antonioni film and I am so pleased that the Cleveland Cinematheque played it theatrically. Their is an amazing shot at the very end of the film that is to be seen to believe. I had to get online that night just to figure out how the hell he shot it. I am dying to pick this up next month on dvd so I can hear what Jack Nicholson has to say about the film. I read a while ago that this is the film in his career he feels most passionate about and he was responsible for its re-release.

Read some interesting news today. Marilyn Manson and his wife were married by cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky. So your probably saying who the hell is that, right? Jodorowsky is an absolute madman. He is a genius of the bizarre...and I mean bizarre. His most famous films El Topo and The Holy Mountain are the most strangest films I have ever seen.

I guess it is very fitting for him to marry one of the strangest people of our generation. It has been rumored for years that he has been seeking Manson for a sequel to his film El Topo called Son of El Topo. Jodorowsky was even supposed to originally film the cult classic Dune, in the 70s but it fell through. Below is a pre-production flyer and a little bit about what ended up happening with the project.

Jodorowsky had originally planned on filming Dune in the early-'70s, and had enlisted the help of Jean Giraud and H.R. Giger to create the movie's visual style. Salvador Dali­ was enlisted to play the part of the Emperor, and Jodorowsky also intended to cast his own son Brontis Jodorowsky as Paul, David Carradine as Duke Leto, Orson Welles as the Baron, and Gloria Swanson as the Benne Geserit Reverend Mother. The soundtrack was to be done by Pink Floyd.

According to Jodorowsky, "The project was sabotaged in Hollywood. It was French and not American. Their message was 'not Hollywood enough'. The storyboard was circulated among all the big studios. Later, the visual aspect of Star Wars(1977) strangely resembled our style. To make Alien (1979), they called Moebius [Giraud], Foss, Giger, O'Bannon, etc. The project signaled to Americans the possibility of making a big show of science-fiction films, outside of the scientific rigor of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). The project of Dune changed our lives." Jodorowsky also planned on making numerous changes to the source material, including making Duke Leto a eunuch and the spice a blue sponge. Author Frank Herbert openly despised these concepts.

Pretty crazy stuff, isnt it!

I really don't know how this got passed me. Apparently this news was released way back in September of last year. Anyways, Criterion Collection is set to release the definitive version of Dazed and Confused sometime this summer. This film has been aching for a proper release for quite sometime. The last release of the film was supposed to be a special edition but it had nothing on it. Like a documentary and deleted scene tops. Criterion will do this film justice and I can't wait. I am so glad I held off for so many years for this one. Besides I already had the laserdisc (I know you can fill-in any variety of words to describe nerd now).

So these next couple weeks are going to be pretty damn cool in cinema for me at least. For starters, sometime this weekend we are going to catch The Passenger at the Cleveland Cinematheque. This is Michelangelo Antonioni film I have been dying to see for years but have never been able to find a copy of. Now I get to see it on the big screen.

The following weekend brings one of my all time favorites, Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West. You have no idea how ecstatic I am to see this in a theater. Its just crying out to be seen theatrically and now I finally have a chance. The weekend after next brings not only my birthday but a screening of a Sergio Leone film I have never seen, Fistful of Dynamite (also known as Duck, You Sucker). Once again I am beyond excited.

Right around the time of this screening comes the announcement of something truly special here in Ohio. Something I live for every year, even when I was in California I would schedule a trip home during these 10 days. What 10 days, do you say? Well the Cleveland International Film Festival, of course. From March 16 to the 26th, Tower City Cinemas will be the home of one of the best things that Cleveland has to offer. After emailing the Cleveland Film Society they told me the complete film list should be online the week of February 24th. This year is going to be really special for us. Last year, Chiaki and I lost one of are most dearest friends with the passing of my Grandfather. We were to sadden to even think about the festival. This year will be our comeback year, in the name of my Grandpa Bucklew, we will have great year. If you get a chance I really think you should to.

So I guess I should catch up on a few films I have seen over the last few days. For starters I forgot to report about our viewing of Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist. Definitely a film you have to view a few times to fully understand. Also it is deeply in line with the times in Italy during the late 30's, therefore some of the situations may be confusing to those no familiar during the time and era. The film deals strongly with fascism and how it drove people to do unthinkable things. So what did I think of it. While I said previously that I was confused at times, I still thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. One of the main reasons was the way Bertolucci and his cinematographer shot the film. Man, this is one of the most beautifully and creatively shot films I have ever seen. I mean, in my mind, the two best cinematographers of all time are Raoul Coutard and Christopher Doyle. Those films not shot by Coutard and Doyle that I find breathtaking include Blow-up, Road to Perdition, What Time is it There? and A Very Long Engagement. I can proudly add The Conformist to that list.

I finally sat down to watch my copy of Hong Sang Soo's Woman is the Future of Man. Wasn't at all what I thought it would be but I really liked it (on the other hand, Chiaki hated it). Most reviews compare it Hong Sang Soo to Michelangelo Antonioni but to me his style reminded my a lot of Neil Labute. I say this because this film of his at least was very frank when it came to the subject of sex. Matter of fact, I found it to shadow Labute's Your Friends & Neighbors more than anything. But this is only my first Hong Sang Soo film so the more I see maybe the more Antonioni will shine out. I still have his first film to watch The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well his first film, which I also have on dvd. I am really looking forward to possibly catching another one of his films before we catch Tale of Cinema which will be introduced by none other than Hong Sang Soo himself. Pretty pumped!

We just got done watching a Japanese film called Tony Takitani. Its a very short yet poetic film. Excellent film, really. Do yourself a favor and Netflix it. So I haven't lived up to my promise I first started posting. That promise was to introduce a film, filmmaker, or actor that a lot of people may not have ever heard of but should.

Today's film is...

Man, do I absolutely just love this film. Saw it at the Cleveland Cinematheque 4 or 5 years ago and just fell in love with it. It is a revelation to see in the theater. The cinematography is so still yet set up so amazingly. Its hard to explain but it is some of the most complex shots you will ever see. Tsai Ming-Liang, the director, sets each shot so originally that action is going on in all corners of the picture. Like I said it is difficult to explain so you will just have to see it to really understand what I am talking about. I will warn you though Ming-Liang films move at a snail pace. If you are looking for a big fast movie film that holds your interest throughout with jaw dropping effects, this is not your style. However, if you want to try something different and can stomach a film with static yet astonishing cinematography, you should really check this out. Please do yourself a big favor and give this film a chance!

One last thing, the film which I am most excited about this year, Invisible Waves, finally has a website and, more importantly, a trailer. Check it out.

How the hell this is going to fit into Michel Gondry's new film The Science of Sleep , I have no idea? But man I am intrigued. I mention this film a few posts back. It is near the top of my list of films I am dying to see this year. I think this is a normal picture compared to the still below.

If you thought Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was a Gondry video fully coming to life, I think this film will out-weird it. I am drooling from anticipation.

So some awesome news was just announced for the future of international film here in the states. CJ Enterntainment, arguably Korea's largest distribution company, is building a 650-seat theater in Los Angeles to be opened by June 2007. It will screen Korean films simultaneously with their releases in Korea.

Do you have any idea how revolutionary this will be? There has never been a film that I can remember that has been shown in the US remotely close to its release in its own country. I mean look at such films as Hero, which was released a whole 3 years after it did in China and the rest of the world. Even something like Trainspotting took just over a year to reach the US. This is a huge step in international film distribution. I can't wait.

Man do I miss living in Southern California. I am going to be so jealous. I see many California trips in our future. To all my California friends, you better have you spare rooms cleaned by June of 2007.

Caught Brokeback Mountain over the weekend. Its a beautiful film. I think everyone should see it. Finally there was one film that the Academy got right for the Best Cinematography nominations. The film is one of the most breathtakingly shot films of last year. I definitely see Ang Lee winning for Best Director, however Best Picture will be very ballsy, I think. I mean this isn't the type of film the Academy votes for. Its not safe. The Academy likes to be safe. Did Tom Cruise win for Magnolia years ago? Of course not, instead they chose the more conventional performance of Michael Caine in Cider House Rules. that's just the way they are. Look at Russell Crowe. Did he win for his amazing yet not mainstream performance in The Insider? No, he won for the box office hit Gladiator. So we will see I guess. I still think Munich should take the top awards but I don't think it has a snowball in hell chance. So I will settle for Brokeback Mountain instead.

So being on a Pam Grier kick recently, I popped in Jackie Brown today. What a underrated film. I mean look what it is up against. You have the breakthrough first film, Reservoir Dogs. The mainstream hit Pulp Fiction, which made Tarantino a household name. I mean really how do you follow that film. I don't think the mainstream audience was read for an homage to Blaxploitation films. To make matters worse he followed it up with the epic that is Kill Bill. Of course the film is going to get lost. Its a shame. I will admit I was a little shaken the first time I saw it. I was a bit disappointed but also a bit curious how it would be on repeat viewings. That is really what Jackie Brown needs, several viewings. It gets better the more you watch it. It really does.

So I am off. I think I will throw in Coffy to keep in the spirit as we dose off to sleep.

So everyone is probably wondering what I thought of the Independent Spirit Awards...er..Academy Award nominations. There okay, I guess. I personally think its great that their our a lot of independent films nominated this year. Look at the Best Picture noms. 4 of the 5 films are from independent branches of bigger studios: Focus, Warner Independent, Sony Classics, Lions Gate. The one film in the best picture category that is distributed by a major studio, Munich, I wouldn't even go as far to say it is mainstream. Yeah it was shot for 75 million dollars, but that is pocket change for Spielberg and it doesn't even have a mainstream actor in it. Trust me, thats Spielberg being indie. So in that respected I was excited. But there are always disappointments.

Munich and Constant Gardener should have gotten more. I am surprised that Munich got the top two nods. It also deservered at least Best Actor and Best Cinematography (don't even get me started on this category, which left out so many good cinematographers this year). On the other hand, Constant Gardener got cheated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Cinematography.

So what do I think will win the big awards this year?

Philip Seymour Hoffman for Best Actor. He deserves it most from the list. He truly transformed in that role.

Reese Witherspoon for Best Actress. I think it is about time for people to take her serious. I haven't seen this performance yet but I head she embodies the role with ease.

Paul Giamatti for Best Supporting Actor. I haven't seen this film yet either but the man is amazing in everything he does.

Rachel Weisz for Best Supporting Actress. By far the best performance by an actress I have seen in several years. Man, is she stunning in this film. Such an amazing performance. Catherine Keener is also up for this award, who I think is the most talented actress working in film today. However, Rachel Weisz was the performance that blew me away last year.

Ang Lee for Best Director. As much as I want Spielberg to when this, I think it is definitely the underdog. I think Ang Lee pretty much as it in the bag. I have yet to see Brokeback Mountain, but I am sure it is a beautiful.

Brokeback Mountain for Best Picture. I can't see it not winning. Once again I think Munich was the film of the year but it is the dark horse in this category.

So thats that. I am sure my decision will change was the days go by. As I do every year I am going to have a Oscar pool going on among friends and family so I will have to make a final decision as the time grows near. Their are still some films I want to catch before then such as Crash, Hustle & Flow, and Brokeback Mountain. I think we might even check out the latter tomorrow. I will be back to give a full report afterwards.