tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32094341193393794002024-02-19T05:43:02.677-05:00Film Expressionrex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-73365171872037649452017-06-04T13:06:00.004-04:002017-06-04T13:07:36.370-04:00American Gods, Season 1 Episode 2 "The Secret of Spoons"
Race is an important aspect of American history and culture. It is the driving force in the nation’s development as millions of immigrants have come to the country in search of a new life and also the source of its original sin as the nation was born from the ashes of dead natives and the bodies of an enslaved and marginalized population.
“The Secret of Spoons” is a very obvious episode aboutrex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-50798606061541577302017-05-12T00:53:00.000-04:002017-05-12T00:54:34.736-04:00American Gods, Season 1 Episode 1 "The Bone Orchard"
Published in 2001, post the Y2K mass hysteria and only months away from 9/11, “American Gods” is a unique novel; equal parts fantasy tale and travelogue, with just a smattering of social satire. To briefly summarize the story, “American Gods” is a journey into the American firmament wherein modernity has made the old gods as obsolete as the telegraph or landline phones. Fast-forward to rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-16458320288299990562016-12-15T20:47:00.000-05:002016-12-15T20:47:01.452-05:00Ernest & Celestine (2012)
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what I love most about
the 2012 French animated feature Ernest
& Celestine. Be it the story, animation style, or voice acting this
little gem of a film can match any Pixar, Disney, or DreamWorks corporate
concoction blow for blow, all in less time and with less cloying
sentimentality.
Inspired by the works of Belgian author and illustrator
Gabrielle rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-90991995054317600262016-06-04T02:30:00.000-04:002016-06-06T06:59:25.964-04:00A Separation (2011)
Asghar Farhadi’s fifth feature, A Separation (2011), is a naturalistic drama that seeks to tie the
microcosm of the family, the individual, and religious institutions with the
macrocosm of society at large. This is established in the opening scene as bands
of light, moving horizontally, illuminate the screen, making us privy to a
montage of documents being xeroxed. From birth certificates to rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-61171763279831930502015-09-13T01:20:00.000-04:002015-09-13T01:20:48.571-04:00The Dread of Existence
The aesthetics of traditional Japanese art are unique on the
world stage due to the country’s history of isolation and assimilation. Be it
ceramics, woodblock printing, architecture, or poetry Japanese artists have
never been afraid to absorb and imitate various external influences, all the
while still keeping the work inherently Japanese. Of course, because of this
constant osmotic flow of rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-72986469521471674812015-07-26T08:42:00.000-04:002015-07-26T08:42:15.322-04:00Film Log 7.25.2015
The Confession (1970)
Director: Costa-Gavras
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Powerful and sad thriller.
State of Siege (1972)
Director: Costa-Gavras
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: The second Costa-Gavras film I've seen, and I continue to be impressed by the director's work. George Clooney's political thrillers seem to borrow heavily from Costa-Gavras's films.rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-40512118843284204772015-07-24T19:43:00.000-04:002015-07-24T19:43:16.835-04:00Film Log 7.24.2015
Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
Director: Robert Montgomery
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Unusual film noir. It's not set in the city, the cinematography is fairly bright, and has an upbeat ending. The juxtaposition of an American in the middle of a foreign environment. As in most noir the film is a dissection of American capitalism. How far would you go for riches?rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-9734695883738634922015-07-20T12:13:00.000-04:002015-07-20T12:13:12.890-04:00Film Log 7.20.2015 (BiFan 2015 Edition)
Violator (2014)
Director: Dodo Dayao
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: This film scared the shit out of me. I'm glad I got to see the film on the big screen. A laptop cannot do justice to the sound design in the picture. The appropriation of religious imagery adds a lot to the horror and dread that permeates throughout the picture. Each act is punctuated by suicide.
Horsehead (2014)
rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-90019810238813890012015-07-20T11:51:00.002-04:002015-07-20T11:51:55.574-04:00Film Log 7.19.2015 (BiFan 2015 Edition)
Poison Berry in my Brain (2015)
Director: Sato Yuichi
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Loved it!! A funny rom-com that doesn't do the cliche thing of trying to build a story on a quirky girl stuck between choosing the "right" man to be happy with. It instead asks a more important question "are you happy with yourself?" The romance angle is the least important part of the film. In Poison Berry rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-8990736171384602012015-07-18T10:00:00.001-04:002015-07-20T11:30:54.103-04:00Film Log 7.18.2015 (BiFan 2015 Edition)
Neko Samurai 2: A Tropical Adventure (2015)
Director: Takeshi Watanabe
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: She's back! Cute and cuddly Tamonojo returns! This sequel has more cat goodness. Great fun.
The Master Plan (2015)
Director: Alain Darborg
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: The second heist film I've seen at the fest. The film reminds me more of Bob le Flambeur than Ocean's 11.&rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-83531232758738150772015-07-18T09:19:00.000-04:002015-07-18T09:19:30.555-04:00Film Log 7.17.2015 (BiFan 2015 Edition)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Number of viewings: ~5
Comments: I have always had an ambivalent feeling towards this film. I hated it during my first viewing and over time I've grown to love it, but even though I now believe this film to be an essential Kubrick the film's length precludes me to doze off in some scenes.
Moonwalkers (2015)
Director: Antoine rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-6079545034165941092015-07-12T05:28:00.000-04:002015-07-12T05:28:18.387-04:00Film Log 7.12.2015
Ruined Heart: Another Lovestory Between a Criminal & a Whore (2014)
Director: Khavn de la Cruz
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: A pop crime film music video. Sensory overload. Beauty and ugliness freely mixing with one another. rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-12768331642421381872015-07-09T09:06:00.000-04:002015-07-09T09:06:31.526-04:00Film Log 7.09.2015
That Thing Called Tadhana (2015)
Director: Antoinette Jadaone
Number of viewings: 2
Comments: Brilliant. Favorite Romantic comedy of the year. Jadaone takes a very well-worn genre and, though not reinventing the wheel, adds fresh life into it. You actually root for the two leads to get together. Beautiful cinematography. rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-40551046029022326342015-07-05T08:57:00.001-04:002015-07-05T08:57:55.685-04:00Film Log 7.05.2015
Secretly Greatly (2013)
Director: Jang Cheol-soo
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Fairly typical action film.The North Korean backstory will be a familiar trope for fans of South Korean cinema. The apartment complex stand-off was an exciting action set piece.
Sanchu Uprising: Voices at Dawn (2014)
Director: Juichiro Yamasaki
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Visually a mix of Masahiro rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-74764325745115021902015-07-04T09:16:00.000-04:002015-07-04T09:16:18.035-04:00Film Log 7.04.2015
Lifted (2006)
Director: Gary Rydstrom
Number of viewings: ~4
Comments: A funny Pixar silent short. Nothing really extraordinary about it.
Ratatouille (2007)
Director: Brad Bird
Number of viewings: ~3
Comments: Great food film. An inspiring film that I could watch every few months a year and still be excited to watch it. Patton Oswald should do more voice work in animation.rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-33421480986130789972015-07-03T07:18:00.000-04:002015-07-03T07:18:51.946-04:00Film Log 7.03.2015
Godzilla (2014)
Director: Gareth Edwards
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: If Pacific Rim (2013) hadn't existed this film would be far more impressive. The fight between Godzilla and the MUTOs in San Francisco was pretty exciting though.
In Time (2011)
Director: Andrew Niccol
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Fantastic film. Loved the world-building. Niccol's is a true auteur. rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-88312709535791763862015-07-02T10:17:00.002-04:002015-07-02T10:17:40.031-04:00Film Log 7.02.2015
Pacific Rim (2013)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Number of Viewings: ~5
Comments: Saw this again with the Guillermo del Toro commentary. I don't understand why more people don't love this film more. It is both an ode to mecha and kaiju films and also an original work of genre cinema.
Way Back Home (2013)
Director: Pang Eun-jin
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: A Kafkaesque true story.&rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-6153274449106834962015-06-27T12:34:00.000-04:002015-06-27T12:34:44.301-04:00Film Log 6.27.2015
Seven Weeks (2014)
Director: Nobuhiko Obayashi
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: The funeral dirge soundtrack is haunting. Obayashi loves color filters: red, orange, blue, purple, green, etc. etc. The film is long and the circular narrative fits with the story. Death and rebirth. Our memories are a way of keeping the past alive. To forget may be comforting, but in the act of forgetting ourrex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-23164934750591984222015-06-26T09:09:00.000-04:002015-06-26T09:09:48.544-04:00Film Log 6.26.2015
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Director: George Miller
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Favorite action film of the year so far. I hope the franchise continues if this is the direction George Miller is taking it. The almost 2 hour runtime flew by so fast. Modern action filmmaking should start with this film. CGI in service of the story and action.
While We're Young (2014)
Director: Noah rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-56337135289360099832015-06-25T09:48:00.001-04:002015-06-25T09:48:50.751-04:00Film Log 6.25.2015
Massacre Gun (1967)
Director: Yasuharu Hasebe
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Nikkatsu Noir. Baroque shots and expressionistic lighting. An entertaining masculine bromance between Jo Shishido and Hideki Nitani's character.rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-23387074286338702132015-06-23T09:58:00.001-04:002015-06-23T09:58:16.828-04:00Film Log 6.23.2015
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Director: Federico Fellini
Number of viewings: 3
Comments: The good life, bursting with all sorts of pleasure but ultimately empty. The film is long and watching it can get exhausting, but still one of my favorites. A brutal film with a sad ending.rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-3907889106035285002015-06-21T08:21:00.001-04:002015-06-21T08:21:13.645-04:00Film Log 6.21.2015
It's Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2014)
Director: Emily Ting
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Godawful. White guy teaching Asian girl how to get in touch with her Asian roots. Jamie Chung's character is so helpless in this film. Not even close to approaching Linklater's Before trilogy. So many cliché shots. Terrible on the nose dialogue.
I Alone (2015)
Director: Sho Tsukikawa
rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-48906876760744766982015-06-19T07:37:00.003-04:002015-06-19T07:41:38.005-04:00Film Log 6.19.2015
Roma (1972)
Director: Federico Fellini
Number of viewings: 2
Comments: Visually baroque film essay on Rome. Episodic structure. Erotic, grotesque, and thought-provoking. As usual, this film is a fictional autobiography of Fellini's life. rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-85963584997855789512015-06-18T08:37:00.001-04:002015-06-18T08:37:43.378-04:00Film Log 6.18.2015
Round Trip Heart (2015)
Director: Yuki Tanada
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Fascinating film, but began to lose interest after awhile. Nothing particularly special or memorable about this film. Loved Yuko Oshima and Koji Ookura's performances though.
City (2010)
Director:Kim Ye-young & Kim Young-geun
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: Poetic short film that literally illustrates the rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209434119339379400.post-59335812777920995442015-06-17T08:38:00.000-04:002015-06-17T08:38:02.467-04:00Film Log 6.17.2015
See You Tomorrow, Everyone (2013)
Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura
Number of viewings: 1
Comments: A touching film. Ending made me tear up a bit. Love the way the film ended, neither happy or sad. It just closes. Maybe in a few years we will return to Satoru's story. Gaku Hamada is becoming my favorite male actor in Japan, at least of the new crop of male actors.rex baylonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00346158441683332923noreply@blogger.com0