INCEPTION
When the dream is within a dream, it raises the question of where it all ends and reality begins. In our lives, the only reality is the moment about to pass, and all else is constructed of memory. That memory is faulty, riddled with inconsistencies and gaping holes that are altered and shaded according to our wishes and neurological imperfections. Christopher Nolan explored this notion in Memento, in which a man with retrograde amnesia represented an extreme of what everyone experiences as a memory that will simply fabricate that which it cannot remember to iron over gaps in one's retention. ...
20 BEST FILMS OF THE DECADE: PART 2
Pukahontus: Werckmeister Harmonies The mandatory choice of the artsy fartsies deserves it. Bella Tarr's films often contain scenes that seem to be drawn directly from Al Bundy's conception of critically acclaimed foreign films, and I think they can be fairly ridiculed in such instances. It's healthy to check yourself when your head starts to nod at really, really, long black and white takes of people from a backwater country not doing much or worse, speaking profoundly. But Tarr is still awesome. To start with, he is almost offhandedly, absurdly clever in this film. The climax features ...
UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION
Tagline: Reanimated. Rearmed. The Ultimate Rematch. Entire Story in Fewer Words than Are in this Sentence: Dolph and Jean-Claude convalesce, reunite with clothes on Homoeroticsim: Universally absent. With Andrei Arlovski on board I thought for sure we would witness a sweaty kimura or shirtless takedown at the very least but no, nothing substantial to report. Dolph and Van Damme exchange an uncomfortable moment before they man-wrangle that should be understood within the context of how poorly the Belgian has aged compared to his Swedish contemporary. In JC's defense, he can still lob a pretty vicious pacemaker, er, haymaker when provoked. The pre-fight silence is awkward ...
WISCONSIN FILM FESTIVAL 2010
The Wisconsin Film Festival has continued to grow, and is now one of the largest campus-based film festivals in the country. It does not challenge Toronto, Telluride, or Chicago for international renown, but it does provide a stunning variety of international and domestic releases and restored classics. The festival director has a soft spot for oddities and gives local filmmakers possibly their only shot at distribution. Funny that the opening film was about lesbian yodelers from New Zealand, while the biggest hit (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) was brought here on a whim and was not expected to fill ...
SEVEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT (THE REAL) CLASH OF THE TITANS
1. Calibos Maybe it’s the fact that I once fucked a carpet cleaner telemarketing chick who was his doppelganger. Or perhaps it’s the voice like Orson Welles, combined with that unforgettable ginger afro, that does the trick. Even more, it could simply be that he incurred the wrath of Zeus for killing off all the winged horses save Pegasus. Or his obsession with whipping the shit out of, well, everything. Whatever it is, Calibos is the heart, soul, and ravaged-mug center of Clash of the Titans. He’s brutish, deceitful, cruel, and not above sending a giant vulture into a woman’s room ...
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE
This is a movie where a mad scientist makes a giant centipede out of humans by sewing them ass-to-mouth.
20 BEST FILMS OF THE DECADE: PART 2
Jim Carrey, French guys, Korean guys… who made the decade’s best film?
AN AMERICAN’S GUIDE TO THE WORLD CUP
Ruthless Ron Mexico is a soccer fan from the Great American South.
