The Americans: COMINT + Trust Me

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

the americans 2

A rapidly unfolding spy thriller without a clear semblance of stakes and a spine of dynamic relationships without distinguished truth between characters, The Americans continues to be a surprising and challenging entry in cable TV. As numbers hover only a few points above the Mendoza line, Americans (the real people out there) are missing out on a show that’s as cinematic as it is thoughtful and exciting as it is heady. The correlation to critics darling Homeland becomes more pronounced in COMINT (1.5) and Trust Me (1.6), however, unlike Showtime’s juggernaut, the stakes for The Americans remain in shadows. Still, by episode six, I defy any viewer to make a definitive statement on what Phillip and Elizabeth intend to get from the United States, save just being on the ground to do the motherland’s biding. There’s something Mamet-like about the humanity behind the games and the raw emotions that crawl under the skin of logistical and political work.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Television, The Americans | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bling Ring Trailer

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

By the looks of it, what with its long beat editing and key code burn-in, this teaser was culled together rather quickly. My guess is that the comparisons to Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers will continue to be apparent and the thought was to jump on the excitement surround that upcoming release. At first glance, I’m not sure I think that a comparison between the two movies is anything more than superficial. Sofia Coppola’s film seems to maintain that world of privileged people stuck in the slowing motions of a life that doesn’t have a purpose nor any great stakes. In that regard, Bling Ring is a perfect tale for her interest in people with shallow motivations endeavoring to suck some remnants of thrill out of an otherwise monotonous existence. I’d agree with most film lovers that Spring Breakers teases at a more effective aesthetic, displaying a teenage fantasy for those few weeks in a year where all rules are out the window. The cultural symbolism of thinning accountability, image, and fantasy vs. reality has the makings of an important document of our times. Yet, Korine’s intentions feel very different from Coppola’s so beyond the superficial plot points (basically pretty young girls behaving badly) I can’t quite see the connection.

Just because who doesn’t like watching it, here’s the trailer for Spring Breakers. Opens in LA tomorrow:

Posted in 2013 Movies, Films, Movies, Trailers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Americans: Ep. 101 – 104

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

TheAmericans_012813_1600

Like so many who were long excited for the show, I recently finished binge watching House of Cards. I’ve been less than compelled to talk about the show, think about the show, much less actually write about the show. And that very sentiment might be the best way to sum up my experience of watching Netflix’s first major original series. This is not to say that I’m always compelled write about something I enjoy or that I write about everything I see. It’s also not to say that I disliked House of Cards per se. In fact, there’s a great many interesting shows or movies that I can’t find the words or the time to talk about. However, House of Cards, with its uniquely cold presentation and iffy “entire season at once” output, feels specifically forgettable. Andy Greenwald recently wrote an engaging piece about the nature of TV or, more appropriately, how we as viewers are accustomed to watching TV. I agree with Greenwald that House of Cards may have built more of a cumulative effect had it be shown, like most TV shows, per week. Yet, I believe that the major issue with David Fincher’s show (and the issue with most forgettable pieces of media) is that not much happens and the characters are one-dimensional throughout. The only character with colors, as Greenwald mentions, is a pawn in the game of so many cardboard cutouts. And this character dies off before Season Two can even begin (I’ve never been so irritated by a character being killed off… ever). The problems with the show lay in the storytelling. There’s a lazy coldness to the way the moments unfold that feel more like a frat boy’s fantasy of the inner workings of government than a realistic or well-played metaphorical take. House of Cards tried to be cool where it needed to be new.

On the other hand, I’ve gotten through the first four episodes of FX’s The Americans, a show that gets it right where House of Cards consistently got it wrong. The characters are all deeply flawed and it’s their crippled emotions that threaten to undo them. When Homeland works best it does what The Americans currently does episode after episode. The greatest success of the series thus far is how it weaves inter-connected and somehow entirely fresh plots around familiar character development. The first four episodes feel like original one-offs tied together by a thread that is only gradually (read: hesitantly) being joined into the rest of the fabric. Perhaps audiences will grow disengaged by these fickle main characters whose motivations are gray and whose commitment to their ’cause’ can get soggy. To me, that’s what keeps this show a step ahead of a show like House of Cards, with its controlled one-tracked-mindedness playing like a repeated beat.

Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Television, The Americans, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Holy Grail: The State of Nonfiction

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Zac Petrillo
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71E_fbTzfFc%5D

Lately, a number of people have approached me about a troubling trend in documentary films. Basically, there’s a sense that while documentaries have risen to prominence, so too has a lack of creativity and a somewhat lazy reliance on interesting subject matter. I must say that I’ve been so blinded by what I see as an exciting emergence in nonfiction that I haven’t thought too much about the ways in which stories are being told – at least on the grand scale. Of course, I notice a weak film here or a missed opportunity there, but in general, I find that there’s so much thought in the documentary arena that criticizing these works can only have a counterproductive effect. That said, I’ve been an avid watcher of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series and their recent endeavor into shorts. I was initially excited by seeing these micro films, but to put it lightly, I’ve been disappointed with the majority of them. It’s not that I don’t find these topics interesting, it’s simply that the ways they are told tend to touch on strong concepts without committing to any.

Continue reading →

Posted in Documentary, ESPN 30 for 30, Films, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Stoker

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

Stoker-22

The tradition of Southern Gothic literature runs like an avoided shadow along the peripheries of great American art. Unlike, say, the cinema renaissance of the 70s or the Gatsby explosion of the 20s or Pollack and Hemingway’s high brow acceptance into the mainstream, great Southern Gothic writing, while some of the most pointed to ever come from American pens, has always seemed a hidden stepchild of surface culture. That’s perhaps the precise reason that I find the likes of Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner so compelling to dig at. They gave us a type of storytelling that has not and could not exist in any other space or geography, yet they don’t have nearly the kind of legacy that generally eats up this kind of work and chews it into a million pieces. I am always drawn to the haunting threads of Southern stories that pop up now and again, especially in the cinema.

Last year, Lee Daniels’ much-maligned The Paperboy conveyed the humidity, sex, dirt, and bombasticism of great Southern Gothic work. In the face of its comic book sheen, there’s seriousness to Daniels’ film. Similarly, Chan Wook-Park’s Stoker, billed for everything but its gothic roots (Nicole Kidman, Sundance fare, horror film, Park’s English debut) ascends what you typically see in theaters because of the creepy undercurrent running beneath its plantation style homes and regal costume design. That it’s directed by a man whose style and upbringing couldn’t be further from the American South only adds another welcome layer to what’s already a gleefully unbridled genre.

Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Movies, Films, Movies, Reviews, Stoker | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Final Oscar Predictions 2013

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

life-of-pi-oscar-poster-tom-whalen

I hoped to post about each category individually, but alas, time and life intervened so I only got through a handful. This has been a crazy awards year. Ultimately, it’s been a positive one for movies because the majority of the Best Picture nominees were grounded, relatively small studio pictures that brought in strong box office receipts. This bodes well for the possibility that studios might take further risks on character dramas once again.

As for the predictions themselves, there’s a few trap categories. If you are one of those people who have said you want to follow my lead in Oscar pools, know that Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Sound Editing are where I feel most in the dark. Keep a few things in mind. Christoph Waltz won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe and he’s never lost when facing De Niro or Jones. Each of those actors have won but Waltz wasn’t competition. Similarly, Emmanuelle Riva beat Lawrence at the BAFTAs and Lawrence hasn’t beaten Riva in any major race. Screenplay is me going with my gut. I know a handful of voters in the Academy and others in the industry who really, really liked Django Unchained. I haven’t heard the same kind of excitement about Zero Dark Thirty and Amour. It’s just a hunch. Best Sound Editing is just a confusing category this year. It may go to Argo because voters want to give it an Oscar for everything that movie is up for. It might go to Zero Dark Thirty because that film uses naturalistic, loud sounds to potent effect (this is the one that deserves it). Skyfall is the biggest and the loudest. For voters who don’t know what this category means, that will play a big role. My guess is Life of Pi, because that film’s a wealth of craft all around. Like Hugo and Avatar, voters may equate the whole of the experience to all the tech elements. That’s also why I think Pi wins for Best Production Design.

Do I feel comfortable predicting Life of Pi to win six Oscar? Not really. But with categories this tight, pick against it at your own risk. Of the 24 movies in the history of the Oscars that have been nominated 11 times, six of them have won five or six awards. Of those six, three DID NOT win Best Picture (The Aviator, Saving Private Ryan, and Hugo). So, Life of Pi would not be in unchartered territory for my predictions to hold true.

Also, I’m thinking that both Zero Dark Thirty and Silver Linings Playbook will be left with no wins. At least one of the major movies this year will have to be shut out. I feel that these were both too middling and unable to generate universal support. I could be entirely wrong, but it seems that the best chance for either of these films to win would be Robert De Niro in Silver Linings.

For fun, here’s five possible shockers:
1. War Witch wins Best Foreign Language Film
2. Michael Haneke wins Best Director
3. Bradley Cooper wins Best Actor
4. Philip Seymour Hoffman wins Best Supporting Actor
5. Silver Linings Playbook wins Best Picture

Now my picks:

BOLD = my pick to win

Best Picture:
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Alt: Silver Linings Playbook

Continue reading →

Posted in Amour, Ang Lee, Anna Karenina, Argo, Best Animated Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Django Unchained, Films, Foreign Films, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Movies, Oscar Talk, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thoughts on ‘No’

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Will Templin

no06

The question posed to me after screening No, the Chilean film up for Best Foreign Film at this year’s Academy Awards, was whether the film is cynical by pointing out that masses of people could only be mobilized for social change through advertisement campaigns similar to those of Coca-Cola, or optimistic by reflecting on the possibilities that media could change society’s attitude for the better. After some consideration, I would put forward that the film does neither. Instead, I believe the importance of No is its focus on the main character, Rene Saavedra, and the use of his talents for the campaign against the dictator Pinochet.

no08

Throughout the film Saavedra is played by Gael Garcia Bernal as a very passive character caught up in the political upending of Chilean culture. What makes this passivity ironic is that as a creative artist in the advertising industry, Saavedra time and again aggressively asserts his ideas and skills during sales pitches, pre-production meetings, filming, etc. In essence, you have a character that on one hand is driven in his field of talent, yet on the other hand remains uncommitted politically. How does an artist like Saavedra reconcile their passion for the creative process and their unattached attitude towards the goal of the project, whether it is to sell more soft drinks or bring down a dictator? This schism, I feel, produces most of the drama in the film.

Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 Movies, Films, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Looking Back: Will’s Favorite Films of 2011

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Will Templin

drive2

After compiling my list of favorite films for 2012, I was compelled to revisit some of my lists from the past few years. My interest in this retrospective was intended to be an exploration into the evolution of my tastes and interests in movie making and whether or not the films I chose held up to my present standards. The conundrum, of course, is that in another year those standards will surely change. And, to define those present standards succinctly, even to myself, seems like an imprecise, maybe impossible task. Regardless, it seemed like a fun undertaking.

Here is what I picked for my favorite films of 2011:

1. “Melancholia”

2. “A Separation”

3. “Tree of Life”

4. “Drive”

5. “The Descendants”

Continue reading →

Posted in Films, Movies, News, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Oscar Predictions: Best Writing

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

Best Adapted Screenplay Nominees:
Argo, Chris Terrio
Lincoln, Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell
Life of Pi, David McGee
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin/Lucy Alibar

silver linings

Two of the tightest races in this year’s Oscars will be Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay. In both categories at least three contenders have a good chance of taking the prize and each has a substantial amount of support in Hollywood.

Firstly, Best Adapted Screenplay at one point looked like a lock for Tony Kushner’s script for Lincoln. In the past month, the mood has soured a bit on Spielberg’s latest, leaving people wondering if it will take home anything besides Best Actor. Likewise, Kushner has fallen almost out of contention entirely in the minds of many pundits. To my mind, Kushner has enough respect as an established scribe to pull in massive amounts of votes. His script for Lincoln is the shining light of the film. A muscular, epic film that’s steeped in precise verbiage, Lincoln is lifted by the words from the page. Any accolades afforded the actors should also be afforded the words they were given. Kushner has a better chance here than he is getting credit.

Continue reading →

Posted in Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Films, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Movies, Oscar Talk, Uncategorized, Zero Dark Thirty | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Statue for Every Best Picture Winner

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

85oscarsposter.jpg

Posted in Films, Movies, Oscar Talk | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment