Film Review No. 4

       Written by one of the most intriguing figures in modern cinema, Harmony Korine, 2002's Ken Park offers a powerful look into the lives of suburban teenagers living in dysfunctional homes. Following four distinct characters throughout a single day, the story touches on the subjects of sex, drug use, violence, and abuse as they affect the everyday lives of adolescents in ways that society would prefer to brush under the rug. Clark and Lachman refuse to let us do that though, and put these issues out in the open, demanding our attention. 

Tiffany Limos and Julio Oscar Mochoso in Ken Park

     At times seemingly satirical, the story highlights the struggles facing each of the four leading roles. I was least compelled by the story-line involving Peaches (Tiffany Limos) and her father (Julio Oscar Mochoso) probably because it didn't make a whole lot of sense and was somewhat irritating to watch compared to the other narratives in the movie. 

James Ransone in Ken Park

          The best performance in the movie came from a young James Ransone, now an accomplished actor known for HBO's Generation Kill (2003). Ransone's character in Ken Park, Tate, was a deranged teenager living with his grandparents, filled with hatred and angst, constantly on the brink of apocalyptic destruction. Tate is not a likable character by any  means. He embodies pure evil, but that's partly why he is so intriguing. 

James Bullard, Stephen Jasso, and Tiffany Limos in Ken Park

     
    With his 1999 film, Julien Donkey-Boy, Harmony Korine was the first non-European filmmaker to produce a piece of work committed to the principles of the Dogme 95 manifesto, an oath penned by Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg that places priority on stories and acting rather than the technical aspects of film-making. That theme has been present in all of Korine's films, including Ken Park. It has proven to be a strength for some of his films, but it hindered this particular one to some degree. The sound quality was horrendous and the image was often out of focus, having been filmed on low-tech equipment. Since this film relied so much on story, it's pretty crucial to be able to see and hear what's going on to fully appreciate it. 

 

Film Review No. 3

Michael Fassbender as the title character in Steve Jobs

                                               Steve Jobs, a true genius

Film Review No. 2

     French-Canadian director, Xavier Dolan, redeemed himself with Mommy, after directing 2010's unremarkable Heartbeats, which was crippled by the young director's overzealous aesthetic choices and a weak script. Mommy still bears its flaws, but manages to tell a powerful story with considerable attention to cinematic beauty. The story of a teenage boy filled with anger and his mother burdened by her son's erratic, aggressive behavior is carried by soaring performances from Antoine-Oliver Pilon, Anne Dorval, and Suzanne Clement.

Antoine-Oliver Pilon in Mommy

     The performances were so good that they seemed like real life. Dorval mastered moments of intense emotion, ranging from sadness to happiness to fear. Pilon is a budding talent, commanding the screen with gripping displays of rage and angst, while maintaining a boyish innocence. And Clement showed much restraint as a character with repressed anger, waiting to be unleashed. The narrative consisted of a lot of emotional ups and downs and therefore jutted out in all sorts of directions. Despite the intensity of the story told, Dolan, who also wrote and edited the film, failed to leave me with a sense of catharsis, something I typically yearn to be left with at a story's conclusion. I actually teared up at one of the final few scenes that took a turn I didn't expect, but the scenes that came after seemed to cheapen that feeling and left me with anger towards Dorval's character, rather than a contemplative state of mind. I was, however, able to subjectively sympathize with her decisions.

Xavier Dolan in 2014

     I found the filmmaker's decision to expose only half of the screen for the majority of the film to be its most crucial downfall. He used it as a gimmick, and though I understood the symbolic meaning and admire his gumption, I generally don't find much appeal in cinematic gimmicks. During my time in film school, I saw a lot of my classmates get hung up on one visual concept, or some other sort of concept, and focus on it through the very end, even though they were the only ones who thought it was the coolest thing ever. "This will make my film," they think, and it just ends up crippling it. The select few parts of Mommy in which Dolan actually utilized the entire screen were so beautiful that it hurt to see him purposefully choose to stunt his artwork for most of the movie just to convey something so trifle compared to the greater meaning of the story.

     In conclusion, I am interested to see how Xavier Dolan continues to mature as a visual storyteller and plan to follow his work in the future, as I do see quite a bit of potential in his abilities.

    

Comic Book Review No. 1

     I think most people probably browse comic books about the same way, but just in case my perusing habits are more unusual than I might think, this is what I do: I go straight for the indie publishers, section by section, back and forth several times, searching for kick-ass cover art. 

     Unless it's an episode based comedy sans backstory like some of the crude smut I enjoy, I gotta start from the beginning. If the first issue is readily available to grasp in my sweaty palms, I'll flip through the pages to ensure it contains quality interior artwork and at least some really screwed up stuff. I might read a panel or two, and either hold on to it, or put it back. Sometimes put-backs, do end up getting adopted on a second or third round. Just depends. 

     One major reason Avatar's dark comedy, Code Pru, is so good, is that I didn't have super high expectations for it. It was one of those risky purchases in which I wasn't totally sold on it after my signature inspection, but I figured it was worth a try. I was pleasantly surprised by the dynamic array of characters, intriguing story line, and ridiculously witty humor. Caceres's striking black and white drawings perfectly compliment Ennis's charming writing. Not only was I laughing out loud, but I was also becoming acquainted with the characters who were very easy to relate to, reminding me of my own college roommate memories, both good and bad.  

Special Edition Wraparound Cover by Raulo Caceres

      In order to build tension or to provide a sense of suspense in certain scenes, Ennis craftily cuts back and forth between two separate storylines, that are sure to intertwine at some point, as suggested by the lovely cover art above. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who thinks it would be cool to play Monopoly with a snarky Octopus god while he lays alien eggs. 

 

Film Review No. 1

     I became infatuated with Gaspar Noe's distinct approach to cinematic storytelling a number of years ago when my brother and I first experienced his visual masterpiece, Enter the Void. I have since re-watched the 2009 film countless times, reveling in its stunning photography and loosely defined, yet equally engrossing story. 

Nathaniel Brown in Enter the Void

     I was initially skeptical as I began viewing Noe's most recent directorial piece, Love. I had cultivated such high expectations for him over the last few years, as a true visionary in the field of cinema, one whom, may not even be able to out-do himself. It wasn't until about half-way through the film that I realized he had, indeed, out-done himself and that I had stumbled upon the best movie of 2015, and quite honestly, of the past couple of years.

Karl Glusman and Aomi Muyok in Love

     I have read reviews from some crack-pot critics who claim Love didn't have a very substantial story and consisted only of one break up after another. Some other crack-pots suggest that Noe's sole intention was to shock the audience with graphic depictions of sex. What I would say to these critics is: "Okay, so you didn't understand the plot, nor could get you get past the sex. That's fine. But your analysis of Noe's creative purpose and of his story-telling ability is complete shit."  

     Enter the Void was almost like an experiment in cinematography techniques. He perfected those and was then able to add a deeply personal and moving story to the mix, creating Love, which I view as a sequel to his previous film. The story and characters have nothing to do with Enter the Void, but it feels like a continuation of the journey into the soul of humanity that he had begun in 2009. His work continually poses the question of what makes us human. And Love's response is, well, love. 

Karl Glusman and Aomi Muyok in Love

     The story's male protagonist, Murphy, portrayed by Karl Glusman, is an inspiring filmmaker who finds himself consumed by both sexual and romantic desires. He is said to represent a young Gaspar Noe himself, and verbalizes his fascination with filming not just the act of sex, but rather, sex that is inspired by love. He hopes to capture that human phenomenon on camera. Clearly, Noe, shares a similar fascination with his character. 

      Murphy's plight is an easy one to relate to. Much too often do we allow ourselves to push our aspirations aside to take pleasure in something much more tangible and readily available. I have found myself at times, talking the talk, but not walking the walk, so to speak, resulting in internal frustration. Murphy talks up a storm about making films, but we never actually see him making any, other than the home movies he films of the girl he is hopelessly in love with, the aspiring young artist, Electra. As the audience, we have the priveledge of witnessing both the incarnation of an all consuming love and its swift and brutal destruction, resulting in eerily obsessive behavior. Not everyone wants to take this sort of journey while watching a movie, but as someone who craves the feeling of catharsis, I love these sorts of stories.

 Karl Glusman, Aomi Muyok, and Klara Kristin in Love

      There is so much to be said about Love, that this review could quickly become a very long, rambling ode to nothing in particular. For the sake of staying on topic, I will leave you with this closing thought: Love is a beautiful piece of work and has made its way to my official list of the best films ever made. Like all movies, it's not for everyone, and I don't make a habit of recommending movies to anyone unless I know they have a similar taste, but it has made a lasting impression on me and I find that to be worth sharing.