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This Is A Moral Issue

July 18th, 2019

“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”

-Hannah Arendt

 

American citizen and Somali Muslim congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has faced death threats since her congressional campaign. She has stood bravely in the face of cowardly racism and bigotry, as she fights for the most radical reforms America has ever seen. She does this along with three other congresswomen of color, natural-born, who all together call themselves “The Squad.” Since they have taken office, this group has fought tough battles against the hegemony, which includes the septuagenarian stalwarts of their own party.

Earlier this week, President Trump tweeted that the squad should “go back” to the “totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” singling them out because of their ethnicities. Then the President doubled down. In a fiery, ugly smear of a speech, reminiscent of Adolf Hitler’s hate-mongering vitriol in Nazi Germany, the President of the United States called the aforementioned congresswomen “hate-filled extremists” who “hate our country,” and then proceeded to tell them to leave their own country.

In a liberal utopia, the crowd would have recoiled in horror and booed the evil Mr. Trump. But, in a liberal utopia, the evil Mr. Trump would not be President of the United States. America is not a liberal utopia. The President’s crowd loudly cheered him on, with whooping and hollering that blended together into a massive, chaotic swirl of noise. The only discernible language from this crowd was the incessant chanting: “Send Her Back! Send Her Back!”

In response, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi gave Trump credit for distracting the public. She did not specify what he was distracting them from, perhaps it was from suffering children starving in concentration camps, which Congress just gave $4.6 billion to keep torturing the children. With that statement, Pelosi was done fighting the President. Meanwhile, a swarm of pundits descended upon the country’s newspapers and television networks to espouse that this is Trump’s campaign strategy for 2020. Even though the Republicans’ caravan paranoia killed their chances in key battleground states during the midterms, these experts are positive that Trump is intentionally doing this for strategic purposes, and that the Democrats should further distance themselves from the squad to avoid further ugliness.

As a human being, this is infuriating. The President’s rhetoric has consequences far beyond elections. This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue. A sitting congresswoman is getting death threats on a daily basis, and now that the President is targeting her, the possibility of her assassination is not foreign. The conservative establishment leveled similar attacks of “communism” and “extremism” against civil rights leaders in the 1960s, many of whom were killed. Since Trump’s election, the majority of terrorism in the West has been perpetrated by right-wing extremists, and hate crimes have increased by over 17%. The President’s actions are potentially life-threatening.

And yet, the Democratic leadership meets it with callous indifference and the media spins this as just another part of the horse race. How can this be? It seems the powerful simply cannot acknowledge a world that exists beyond their own egos. The press and partisans reacted similarly when $4.6 billion was given to Border Patrol. Instead of focusing on the consequences of such blatant injustice, the focus was on the infighting political parties and how hard it was for Nancy Pelosi, who has a net worth of $16 million and is second in line to be the President. I’m sure a young child who doesn’t speak English, living in a cage with no bed and only a toilet to drink out of will surely understand the hardships of those in Washington, and how they are really fighting for the people. Perhaps this is unfair, since Pelosi’s House fought for a much tougher bill that would only give Border Patrol $4.5 billion. Interestingly, only four members of the House voted against that bill: the four members of the squad.

And now they are under attack on a national scale. The line between politics and morality is now blurred because of these women’s authoritative positions as politicians and the intense racism they are facing from the President of the United States. But still, the establishment reacts the way it’s programmed to. This is why we have this President. Treating the President’s outrageous conduct the same as any other President is the same as just ignoring it outright. More importantly, not considering the consequences of those actions, and the actions of his enabling party, is why they can get away with it over and over and over again. It’s why we don’t live in a liberal utopia.

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Faves

June 27th, 2019

In alphabetical order.

 

24 City (2008)

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Antigone (1992)

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The Aviator’s Wife (1981)

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Beau Travail (1999)

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Belly (1998)

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The Black Cat (1934)

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Body Double (1984)

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Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

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Broadcast News (1987)

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Bullet in the Head (1990)

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Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)

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La Chinoise (1967)

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La Ciénaga (2001)

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Colossal Youth (2006)

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Cure (1997)

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Dawn of the Dead (1978)

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Dil Se.. (1998)

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Do the Right Thing (1989)

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Duelle (1976)

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Emma Mae (1976)

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Enamorada (1946)

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E.T., the Extra Terrestrial (1982)

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Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

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The Fate of Lee Khan (1973)

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F For Fake (1973)

F For Fake

Fort Apache (1948)

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Francisca (1981)

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French Cancan (1954)

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Ganja & Hess (1973)

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Golden Eighties (1986)

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Green Snake (1993)

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The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

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Heaven’s Gate (1980)

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A Hero Never Dies (1998)

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His Girl Friday (1940)

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How Green Was My Valley (1941)

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In a Year with 13 Moons (1978)

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Insiang (1976)

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Ivan the Terrible, Part II (1958)

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I Walked With a Zombie (1943)

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Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

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Johnny Guitar (1954)

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Killer of Sheep (1978)

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The King of Comedy (1982)

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Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

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The Ladies Man (1961)

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Lancelot du Lac (1974)

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Late Spring (1949)

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Let’s Go With Pancho Villa (1936)

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Life, and Nothing More… (1992)

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Life is a Dream (1987)

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Lola Montés (1955)

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The Long Goodbye (1973)

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The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)

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Mazurka (1935)

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Miami Vice (2006)

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Mikey and Nicky (1976)

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Modern Romance (1981)

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Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

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Moolaadé (2004)

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Moonrise (1948)

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Morocco (1930)

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Mysteries of Lisbon (2010)

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Napoleon (1927)

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New Rose Hotel (1998)

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Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

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Ornamental Hairpin (1941)

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Pedicab Driver (1989)

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Playtime (1967)

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Poem of the Sea (1958)

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Portrait of a Young Girl at the End of the 60s in Brussels (1994)

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Predator (1987)

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Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

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Rio Bravo (1959)

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The Road to the Racetrack (1991)

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Rosa la Rose, Fille Publique (1986)

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The Rules of the Game (1939)

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Sansho the Bailiff (1954)

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Showgirls (1995)

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Smorgasbord (1983)

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Some Came Running (1958)

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Sparrow (2008)

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Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

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Stop Making Sense (1984)

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Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

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Taste of Cherry (1997)

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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

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The Thing (1982)

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Touch of Evil (1958)

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Tropical Malady (2004)

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Le Trou (1960)

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Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)

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Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)

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Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)

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Les Vampires (1915)

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Vampyr (1932)

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Vertigo (1958)

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Viva L’Italia! (1961)

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Wagon Master (1950)

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Yi Yi (2000)

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Top 100 Albums

November 14th, 2015

As a music lover, I have been tracking my tastes in an ever-changing list of favorite albums. As of November 14, 2015, here it is. I apologize for my boring taste. Also, while this is unrelated, my heart goes out to all who have been affected by the horrors in France.

 

  1. Exile on Main Street (1972) — Rolling Stones
  2. Rain Dogs (1985) — Tom Waits
  3. London Calling (1979) — The Clash
  4. OK Computer (1997) — Radiohead
  5. Nevermind (1991) — Nirvana
  6. White Light/White Heat (1968) — Velvet Underground
  7. Closer (1980) — Joy Division
  8. Raw Power (1973) — Stooges
  9. Surfer Rosa (1988) — Pixies
  10. Illmatic (1994) — Nas
  11. Bitches Brew (1970) — Miles Davis
  12. A Love Supreme (1965) — John Coltrane
  13. Dark Side of the Moon (1973) — Pink Floyd
  14. Kid A (2000) — Radiohead
  15. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols (1977) — Sex Pistols
  16. Trout Mask Replica (1969) — Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
  17. Midnight Marauders (1993) — A Tribe Called Quest
  18. Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982) — Dead Kennedys
  19. In Utero (1993) — Nirvana
  20. Fun House (1970) — Stooges
  21. Ready to Die (1994) — Notorious B.I.G.
  22. Sticky Fingers (1971) — Rolling Stones
  23. Abbey Road (1969) — Beatles
  24. Daydream Nation (1988) — Sonic Youth
  25. Unknown Pleasures (1979) — Joy Division
  26. Yeezus (2013) — Kanye West
  27. My War (1984) — Black Flag
  28. Horses (1975) — Patti Smith
  29. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998) — Neutral Milk Hotel
  30. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993) — Wu-Tang Clan
  31. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) — PJ Harvey
  32. Master of Puppets (1986) — Metallica
  33. Blonde on Blonde (1966) — Bob Dylan
  34. To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) — Kendrick Lamar
  35. Paranoid (1970) — Black Sabbath
  36. Sister (1987) — Sonic Youth
  37. Is This It (2001) — Strokes
  38. Remain in Light (1980) — Talking Heads
  39. Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980) — Dead Kennedys
  40. Hot Rats (1969) — Frank Zappa
  41. Station to Station (1976) — David Bowie
  42. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) — Kanye West
  43. Purple Rain (1984) — Prince & the Revolution
  44. Blood on the Tracks (1975) — Bob Dylan
  45. Paul’s Boutique (1989) — Beastie Boys
  46. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) — Arctic Monkeys
  47. Bone Machine (1992) — Tom Waits
  48. The Queen is Dead (1986) — Smiths
  49. Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000) — Godspeed You! Black Emperor
  50. Dummy (1994) — Portishead
  51. At Folsom Prison (1968) — Johnny Cash
  52. In Rainbows (2007) — Radiohead
  53. What’s Going On (1971) — Marvin Gaye
  54. Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985) — Pogues
  55. Ramones (1976) — Ramones
  56. Ege Bamyasi (1972) — Can
  57. Elephant (2003) — White Stripes
  58. To Bring You My Love (1995) — PJ Harvey
  59. Stankonia (2000) — OutKast
  60. Violent Femmes (1983) — Violent Femmes
  61. Uncle Meat (1969) — Mothers of Invention
  62. Innervisions (1973) — Stevie Wonder
  63. Ágætis Byrjun (1999) — Sigur Rós
  64. The Clash (1977) — The Clash
  65. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) — Lauryn Hill
  66. Locust Abortion Technician (1987) — Butthole Surfers
  67. The Moon & Antartica (2000) — Modest Mouse
  68. Damaged (1981) — Black Flag
  69. Last Splash (1993) — Breeders
  70. Channel Orange (2012) — Frank Ocean
  71. Maggot Brain (1971) — Funkadelic
  72. Twins (2012) — Ty Segall
  73. Pet Sounds (1966) — Beach Boys
  74. Electric Warrior (1971) — T. Rex
  75. The Number of the Beast (1982) — Iron Maiden
  76. good Kid, m.A.A.d. city (2012) — Kendrick Lamar
  77. New York Dolls (1973) — New York Dolls
  78. Some Girls (1978) — Rolling Stones
  79. Real Gone (2004) — Tom Waits
  80. Generic (1982) — Flipper
  81. Black Monk Time (1966) — Monks
  82. Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar (1981) — Frank Zappa
  83. Slanted & Enchanted (1992) — Pavement
  84. Superfuzz Bigmuff (1988) — Mudhoney
  85. Blast Tyrant (2004) — Clutch
  86. Ace of Spades (1980) — Motörhead
  87. Aquemini (1998) — OutKast
  88. The Modern Lovers (1976) — Modern Lovers
  89. Walk Among Us (1982) — Misfits
  90. Pork Soda (1993) — Primus
  91. Slaughterhouse (2012) — Ty Segall Band
  92. (GI) (1979) — Germs
  93. Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? (1986) — Megadeth
  94. Check Your Head (1992) — Beastie Boys
  95. AM (2013) — Arctic Monkeys
  96. Dookie (1994) — Green Day
  97. Like Flies on Sherbert (1979) — Alex Chilton
  98. The Money Store (2012) — Death Grips
  99. Easter Everywhere (1967) — 13th Floor Elevators
  100. St. Vincent (2014) — St. Vincent

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Birdman

August 21st, 2015

I REALLY want to give this movie a perfect rating. I really do, but there are so many things I had issues with, despite my fascination with this film.

The acting in Birdman is fantastic. Keaton deserves at least a nomination for Best Actor, if not a win. His duality between humanism and “super-humanism” is truly fascinating to watch. The supporting cast is great, especially Edward Norton, who plays an unpredictable method actor. Also, the editing is phenomenal.

However, this movie relies on “coolness.” There are really interesting decisions made by the director (the camerawork, the score, the lighting), but none of these decisions add anything to the themes of the film. They are simply done as cool gimmicks; I had similar complaints with Inarritu’s use of non-linear editing in 21 Grams. Despite my nitpicking, I still got a kick out of watching these weird decisions. And that’s Birdman.

Oh wait. Just kidding. There’s more.

This film has no central theme. Things are scattered around and glanced over, but there is no connection or correlation between these themes; they are merely presented.

However, these are simply little nitpicks. Birdman is actually a really enjoying watch, even if there are quite a few glaring flaws.

birdman

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American Hustle

August 21st, 2015

American Hustle is a hustle itself; it conned its audience in believing it was something substantive. Russell doesn’t pay tribute to the techniques of Scorsese or Paul Thomas Anderson, he straight up rips them off, but he’s not clever enough to employ the same subtleties or nuances that both directors have mastered. At first glance, American Hustle is a more restrained and deeper film than Wolf of Wall Street or Boogie Nights. On closer look, American Hustle is a copy-cat devoid of any heart or brain. Just a carefully created rouse to fool people.

Due to the absence of any character development (backstory doesn’t count as character development), the acting in American Hustle is awfully directed, so that each scene feels like a sketch. Most notable are the scenes between Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Bradley Cooper. These are all fine actors. But Russell gives them no real direction and they participate in his self indulgent fantasy sketches. Jennifer Lawrence is horribly miscast in a role that really has no reason to exist. In real life, there was no mob threat. So, every scene she’s in is pointless and her accent is awful. I almost walked out during the scene she dances to “Live and Let Die.”

The only reason I’m giving this 2.5 stars rather than 1 is because of two things. 1) Louis CK is in it 2) Jeremy Renner’s performance. The only performance that is not sketchy and all-over-the-place is Jeremy Renner’s. The audience is actually interested in his motives and his goals, thus leading to his downfall to be tragic. Renner is the saving grace of the film. This is ironic because he is the only actor from the film that nobody gushed over at Awards season. I have no idea why not.

While I definitely like this more than Silver Linings Playbook, I still find it an extremely empty and hollow experience. David O. Russell is a hack.

american-hustle__131125082336

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Top 100 Films (Again!)

August 21st, 2015

Hey, remember when I posted my favorite movies on here? And then I posted them again? And again? And again?

Well guess what? I’m doing it again.

This time, I edited a supercut of the films from 100 to 1. To summarize, my taste has changed. I am more a fan of the subversive and the irreverent. I am somewhat of a contrarian, but I also love the classics. But, I still have love for mainstream feel-good flicks. I love both the art-house and the blockbuster. Movies are movies.

These 100 films are not carefully constructed. I’ve tinkered with this list for a few years now. After updating it to this video, I’m pretty happy with where it is now. Or rather, I’m as happy as I’ll ever be.

 

List of films (from 100 to 1):

Audition (1999)

Putney Swope (1969)

Commando (1985)

Suspiria (1977)

Fireworks (1997)

Le Plaisir (1952)

The Fisher King (1991)

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Vampyr (1932)

Raising Arizona (1987)

Vengeance is Mine (1979)

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Oslo, August 31st (2011)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Eraserhead (1977)

Ashes & Diamonds (1958)

The Long Goodbye (1973)

Evil Dead 2 (1987)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Rushmore (1998)

Punch Drunk Love (2002)

Die Hard (1988)

Casino (1995)

Miller’s Crossing (1990)

Amarcord (1973)

La Jetee (1962)

Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Boogie Nights (1997)

Paris, Texas (1984)

Robocop (1987)

Chinatown (1974)

Chungking Express (1994)

Ugetsu (1953)

No Country for Old Men (2007)

The King of Comedy (1983)

The Sacrifice (1986)

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

The Thing (1982)

The Master (2012)

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Playtime (1967)

Ghostbusters (1984)

The Graduate (1967)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

M (1931)

Annie Hall (1977)

The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly (1966)

Rear Window (1954)

Citizen Kane (1941)

The Woman in the Dunes (1964)

Le Samourai (1967)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Barton Fink (1991)

Nashville (1975)

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Badlands (1973)

The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

Harakiri (1962)

8 1/2 (1963)

Barry Lyndon (1975)

The Red Shoes (1948)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Raging Bull (1980)

Back to the Future (1985)

12 Angry Men (1957)

Ordet (1955)

Days of Heaven (1978)

Alien (1979)

The Seventh Seal (1957)

Brazil (1985)

The Conversation (1974)

Paths of Glory (1957)

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Stalker (1979)

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Jaws (1975)

Goodfellas (1990)

Blade Runner (1982)

The Shining (1980)

Seven Samurai (1954)

Blue Velvet (1986)

Persona (1966)

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Vertigo (1958)

The Double Life of Veronique (1991)

Rashomon (1950)

Apocalypse Now (1979)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

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Top 10 SNL Cast Members

February 17th, 2015


Since the 40th anniversary of SNL is here, I’ve decided to rank my top 10 favorite Saturday Night Live performers.

 

10. Chevy Chase (1975 – 1976)

chevy chase

9. Bill Murray (1977 – 1980)

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8. Gilda Radner (1975 – 1980)

Gilda-Radner

7. Mike Myers (1989 – 1995)

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6. Dan Aykroyd (1975 – 1979)

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5. Tina Fey (2000 – 2006)

tina fey

4. Phil Hartman (1986 – 1994)

PhilHartman

3. John Belushi (1975 – 1979)

belushi

2. Will Ferrell (1995 – 2002)

Ferrell., Will

1. Eddie Murphy (1980 – 1984)

eddie murphy

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Inherent Vice: Movie Review

January 11th, 2015

inherent vice

PTA, you beautiful man…

This movie was easily my most anticipated movie of 2014. When the trailer was released, I was even more hyped. Then, earlier tonight, I finally sat in the theater and witnessed the glorious mess; Inherent Vice.

It was great. I don’t really have much to say about it. The casting was top notch; every actor stole their scenes. Josh Brolin is the highlight, delivering his funniest, and ultimately best, performance of his entire career. Joaquin Phoenix is pitch perfect as Doc Sportello, who is totally a kin to The Dude. Martin Short and Benicio Del Toro are hilarious, as well.

I have read complaints about the “bland” visual style, but I completely disagree. While the style isn’t as vibrant as something like Boogie Nights, it isn’t really supposed to be. Inherent Vice is a completely different beast; it is a comedy. The camerawork isn’t supposed to be extravagant or ostentatious. Plus, Elswit is still fantastic. The muted colors add to the idea that the 60s have ended both literally and figuratively. It’s brilliant!

And that’s true about the whole film. It’s brilliant! It’s definitely an acquired taste, but it’s so delightful. Overall, Inherent Vice is great. You should see it. Now.

 

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The Two Best Performances of the Year and 2014 in Movies

December 12th, 2014

2014 has been a remarkable year for movies. The year isn’t over yet (Inherent Vice OMG!), but I doubt any film performance is as good as these two. Coincidentally, these two performances are by a man AND a woman! Yay diversity! First off, lets talk about the female performance, Julianne Moore as Alice Howland in Still Alice.

 

Julianne Moore as Alice Howland in Still Alice

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Still Alice tells the story of Dr. Alice Howland, a professor of linguistics at Columbia University, who is diagnosed with early onset alzheimer’s disease at the age of 50. Her struggle and rapid deterioration is captured on screen. The film itself is pretty mediocre; a sappy, visually unimpressive character study. But, what saves the audience from boredom is the always amazing Julianne Moore, who plays the main character. Her performance is so good and so varied, she better be nominated for a ferking oscar and she better ferking win.

The opening scene is Alice on her 50th birthday. She is giving a toast to her family. She is lovely and vibrant. Throughout the first act, she always seems to be the center of light; the ones around her do not have the same positive energy that she encapsulates. But, when she learns of her disease, that energy changes. Her positive and lovely energy is brought down, as she becomes a wreck. She pees her pants, has breakdowns in the middle of the night, and even tries to kill herself. By the end of the film, Alice is so far gone that she can barely talk. She mumbles gibberish to her caretaker daughter, who is played really unimpressively by the always awful Kristen Stewart. Alice’s eyes are dead; you can tell that the true Alice is gone forever. Without Moore’s performance, this would be a boring movie about a really meh character. But Moore portrays a level of realism in Alice, that she seems to be Moore herself. With her remarkable performance, she elevates Still Alice from a boring tearjerker to a tragic tale of love and loss.

 

Now, let’s move on to the male performance, Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler.

 

Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler

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Nightcrawler tells the story of a driven, yet troubled, misfit who stumbles upon the strange and occasionally sick world of freelance local reporting; selling his often gruesome (and even illegal) tapes of accidents and murders to local news stations for money. That plot sounds interesting, but not as interesting as it actually is. Nightcrawler is one of the most twisted, yet extremely entertaining, films I’ve seen in a very long time. And a lot of that entertainment comes from Jake Gyllenhaal who literally kills it as Lou Bloom.

I’ve read interviews with Gyllenhaal; he says he jogged for 3 hours a day to lose weight and that he aspired to look like a coyote. And you know what? He looks like a coyote. To be honest, Lou Bloom doesn’t do many bad things. But, because of Gyllenhaal’s intensity, you watch him in complete disgust. But, you still watch him, nonetheless.

Gyllenhaal’s eyes are so huge and round, but when compared to the rest of his face, they seem so out of place. A weird mix of innocence, intensity, and insanity are reflected in his eyes; they’re all reflected simultaneously. It’s so strange.

While Nightcrawler is hardly a comedy, I laughed really hard during the movie because I just couldn’t comprehend everything going on. Gyllenhaal does such a good job, you start to question yourself about your own mental state. It’s so strange!!!

 

As much as I liked Julianne Moore’s performance (and it definitely deserves it’s recognition) Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as Lou Bloom is one of the best of all time. There, I said it. On a side note: Still Alice – 7/10, Nightcrawler – 10/10

 

Anyway, here are thoughts on other big 2014 movies.

 

The Grand Budapest Hotel

10/10 One of Wes Anderson’s best. Anderson rebels against the rules and creates a whole different universe to set his kooky tale. It might not be for everyone, but it was definitely for me!

The Lego Movie

9.5/10 One of the shittiest concepts for a movie, but it’s awesome. EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

8.5/10 An excellent throwback to 70s blockbusters. The casting of Robert Redford is pitch perfect; I really liked the industrial style. Marvel did it again!

X-Men: Days of Future Past

9/10 Best X-Men movie since the last one, X-Men First Class. This one takes it up a notch because every X-Man and his mom are in this movie. It might be a little overlong, but it’s still quite good.

Boyhood 

10/10 Richard Linklater has crafted a unique piece of filmmaking. It’s even more unique than the Before trilogy! The 3 hours go by really fast and everything is extremely realistic. The end is kind of weak, but who cares?

Guardians of the Galaxy

10/10 I haven’t had that much fun at a theater since ever. Marvel is saving the blockbusters and Guardians of the Galaxy is probably my favorite Marvel movie so far, so, yeah. I AM GROOT!

Whiplash

10/10 What sounds like a really stupid drama turns out to be a pulse-pounding thriller. Miles Teller’s a douche, but he gives a really great performance. J.K. Simmons kills it! The veins on his temple are scary!

Birdman

7.5/10 Meh. The acting is amazing (Keaton is fantastic, Emma Stone kinda sucks). Besides that, it’s really pretentious and anticlimactic. I like the soundtrack.

Interstellar

5/10 Nolan is a hack.

 

There were a lot of other movies this year, but these are the only ones I really cared about. So, yeah. I can’t wait for Inherent Vice! Full review coming as soon as I get to it!

 

 

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Top 10 Favorite Movie Performances

June 12th, 2014

10. Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth, Blue Velvet (1986)

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9. R. Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, Full Metal Jacket (1987)

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8. George C. Scott as General Buck Turgidson, Dr. Strangelove (1964)

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7. Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview, There Will Be Blood (2007)

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6. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, The Master (2012)

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5. Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield, Pulp Fiction (1994)

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4. Jack Nicholson as Randle Patrick McMurphy, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

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3. Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, No Country for Old Men (2007)

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2. Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, The Godfather/The Godfather Part II (1972-1974)

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1. Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta, Raging Bull (1980)

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