AndytheDirector Reviews

The Americans (2013–2018)

Originally good, not so great as you go along

[5/10 · 9 May 2014]

Two sleeper cell KGB agents in the USA operate in the Beltway in the waning days of the Cold War.

In and of itself, this is perhaps an amazing set-up. But, because this is from the Murdoch- owned FX, pathos are exchanged for idiotic stereotypes and reactionary dogma dressed as patriotism so to build the legend of that Greek god of the GOP, Ronald Reagan. The underlying message is that Reagan was a very good President and that it was feminists and blacks who were morally aiding the enemy in the Cold War days. The coded racism and the representation of black manhood is pathetic while women come off as either cold-blooded, wretched, wispy, or submissively Christian. It's worth a laugh, but not the stuff of high theater.

Parkland (2013)

Oliver Stone Rebutted

[8/10 · 13 November 2013]

Derived from the book by Vincent Bugliosi, this film rebukes the cottage industry of conspiracy theorizing and instead emphasizes the findings of the Warren Report, that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. From there, it re-constructs the events of the 3 days surrounding JFK's death, portraying the figures Oliver Stone accused of helping murder the Chief Executive as men and women who valiantly tried and failed to keep Camelot alive. Some may find this absurd, but in fact it shows the 'conspirators' as human beings who cared deeply about protecting their President and who felt nothing but remorse and shame for failing at that. Several popular talking head figures from the various conspiracy documentaries are debunked as either glory-seeking money grubbers with delusions of grandeur or those who would prefer to shift blame onto a wider conspiracy rather than accept their own guilt in failing to be more attuned to how dangerously Oswald was behaving in the month prior to the murder. Most interesting is the character of Robert Oswald, Lee's older brother, who never doubted his brother's guilt.

Frankly, JFK is an extremely problematic movie. Oliver Stone put together an amazing cast and edited the picture brilliantly, but his blatant and unapologetic homophobia, derived from 1930's screeds written by the Stalinists, who claimed homosexuality was a symptom of 'social fascism' and equated all types of homosexuals with the pedophile SA officer Ernst Rohm, seriously impacted my own self-image as a queer teen. I was made to think for a long time that being gay meant being like the racist perverts in the Stone film. This film is far less bigoted in that regard, and a breath of fresh air for those who grow tired of the shenanigans. Was there a conspiracy? Probably, in some regard. Was it as unbelievably complex and deep as Stone would claim? No, and for a simple reason: the entire -WHY- of the conspiracy, that murdering JFK allowed us to enter Vietnam, is now understood to be totally false. In fact, this country was deeply invested in fighting Ho and the Viet Minh as early as 1945, when American forces re-armed the French colonial officers with the weapons they confiscated from the Japanese. This was done under the auspices of President Truman, directly countering the pledge FDR had made to end French colonialism in Asia. Indeed, both JFK and RFK rode the bandwagon silently when McCarthy started his song and dance, and championed the Domino Theory when they could use it to claim that Ike and Nixon were soft on the Soviets. I suggest watching both films in tandem, and also perhaps watching de Antonio's great documentaries POINT OF ORDER and IN THE YEAR OF THE PIG.

Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater (2006)

Disgusting apologetic for the creation of the Southern Strategy

[1/10 · 12 May 2013]

Barry Goldwater was pro-choice, pro-LGBTQQ, and told the remains of his following to eject the Religious Right from the GOP due to what he called a blatant theocratic matrix of power that would destroy politics in America, essentially pre-saging the modern debacle of the Republican Party by 25 years. His sort of populist cowboy demeanor combined with austerity economic theory under the guise of anti-intellectual cherry picking of the Constitution was akin to the Ron and Rand Paul dog and pony show we witness today. Ronald Reagan was able to shape himself into a President by pretending to be Goldwater's second coming. Martin Luther King Jr. said that he found his views suicidal and the compliment to bigotry and racism, even though Goldwater fancied himself as opposed to racism.

The film skirts the major reason why Goldwater matters at all, regardless of his bogus theories of Conservatism: the Goldwater election flipped the Democratic Solid South to the GOP. Four years after making a fool of himself, Goldwater watched Nixon hire the same politicos and staff from the 64 Draft Goldwater organizations, who told bitter whites that they were a 'Silent Majority' of decent Americans, not bigots and racists who were angry about the end of an apartheid society.

A shrill and absurdly bizarre film that looks damned good and has great interview subjects, despite the fact that Goldwater is a real source of modern political stupidity and deadlock.

TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away from Keyboard (2013)

Another world is possible (?)

[10/10 · 10 February 2013]

Something about Scandinavians of late brings their best films towards a more persistent motif about hacking. Unlike the Faux-Book biopic SOCIAL NETWORK, a real grasp about what the Internet can mean as the next phase in social evolution from capitalism comes through here. In a sense, this is much closer to an example of what anarchist scholar David Graeber calls 'share economy'. And the most interesting element of that point is the absolute inanity of the subjects of the film, three defendants who would otherwise be losers and wastrels in the eyes of society. One is a pretty pathetic addict who lives in a cycle of crash and burn productivity. Another is a drunken anti-Turkish bigot with a loud mouth. The third, mousy and constantly calling his mom to assure her that everything will be OKAY, is a decent kid, but ultimately idealistic naif who is half-devotee and half-puzzled at why he is hanging out with a junkie and borderline neo- Fascist.

But through this, a world social order emerges despite the efforts of Capital...AMAZING!

X: First Class (2011)

A Queer Theory Bonanza!

[9/10 · 5 June 2011]

X-Men itself has always, in the best of times, been the best superhero comic books for analysis by academic critique. The issues of diversity and civil rights movements inspired Marvel Comics artists to transform the monthly adventures of our favorite mutants into an analogy about liberation movements in the USA, with Charles Xavier as Martin Luther King Jr. and Eric Lensherr as Malcolm X. Here they nail the analogy better than before, with Charles acting as quite the ladies man (not unlike the flirtatious Dr. King) while Eric is a radicalized and angry to the point of violence (not exactly Malcolm X in execution, but certainly in principle). This itself makes the film an important piece for analysis in the academy. The 'Mutant and Proud' slogan echoed throughout the film is clearly a pun on old gay rights slogans, with the analogy of hiding an identity in plain sight equally powerful.

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

A Critical View of Gibson's Passion (No Real Rating)

[5/10 · 2 January 2007]

We have just emerged from what we could call the Decade of Epics. Beginning in 1997, with George Lucas's re-issue of the original "Star Wars" films, Hollywood has churned out epic after epic every year, catering to every taste, whether it be classical fantasy (Lord of the Rings), children's fairytale (Narnia), or even monster movies (King Kong). Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" surely benefited from being conceived and released in this period (of course, Gibson laid the groundwork for a decade of epics with his "Braveheart" in 1995). Now that film audiences have begun to mellow a bit and begun watching smaller films, it is now more appropriate than before to appraise these films. Furthermore, given recent events, it is even more important for a viewer to re-evaluate "The Passion of the Christ".

Mel Gibson experienced a spiritual conversion after years of being a Hollywood wild child and returned to his traditionalist Catholic roots, and initiated this film as an exercise that he said was "good for the soul". However, following revelations about his father's Holocaust denials and Gibson's own religious views, which allegedly reject Vatican II, a council that reformed and revised certain aspects of the Mass while changing views of Judeo-Catholic relations, the film came under fire. The Anti-Defamation League and other anti-discrimination groups contacted Gibson, trying to be sure that his film would not further anti-Semitism. Gibson rebutted with statements both against anti-Semitism and with statements from one of his actresses, Hungarian Maia Morgenstern, who is Jewish and whose father survived the Holocaust.

The film was released to much fanfare and praise, while others said it was clearly anti-Semitic. While Gibson had said it was not meant to be that way, there are several reasons that have not been properly discussed which I feel show this film has two anti-Semtitic strains which greatly influence the film.

1) SOURCE: Gibson did not use the Biblical accounts of the Passion as a primary source. Rather, several scenes were derived from the revelations of a stigmatic German nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich, who was put on the road to sainthood by Rome recently. While the nun's sanctity is not up for debate here, the authenticity of the accounts of her visions are. Recent academic findings have shown that the man who transcribed her visions while at her bedside may have in fact added his own personal views to the work which was later published, which could include several extremely anti-Semitic passages.

2) CHARACTERIZATION: The history of drama in the post-Hellenistic world is tied to the history of Christianity. Many forms of popular entertainment were developed originally as forms of religious practice before expanding into the secular forums. This could include simple concepts of characterizing good and evil. Many early dramatizations of the Gospels were anti-Semitic, and it was in these forums that many ideas about how we view characters could have formed. Hence, while it may not be intentional on Gibson's part, his characterizations of the "bad guys" in the persona of the Sanhedrin and Herod do come across as anti-Semitic because modern dramatic audiences are used to character stereotypes that have anti-Semitic roots. For another example, think of vampires. While they are now viewed as nocturnal fantasy terrors, the origins of the vampire myth indeed lay in anti-Jewish propaganda from rural Europe that believed Jews would drink the blood of virgins and children at night.

While these two factors I have cited are surely not the only ones which could be used as argument for or against anti-Semitism in Gibson's film, I only note them to stress my final point. Be an educated viewer. This is a film which can change lives, for good or bad. Following its release, whole theaters were booked by church groups to show the film. However, in Europe, there were also anti-Jewish riots. While this film can be used as a tool to teach an important theological doctrine shared by millions, it could also be used to shape and warp minds.

Beat (2000)

The best minds he was talking about

[8/10 · 13 August 2006]

A great find for anyone who finds themselves enjoying the Beat Generation literature, this is the story of one of the most tragic and pivotal points in their story, the death of Joan Burroughs.

Lucien Carr and Allen Ginsberg, on the eve of their skyrocket to fame, take a trip to Mexico City and visit Joan and William S. Burroughs. Burroughs has excused himself to Guatemala with a boyfriend, so Joan and the two old friends hit the road, reflecting on Lucien's time in jail, unrequited love, Bill's adultery, and the entire meaning of what exactly Kerouac was romanticizing. If you aren't drawn to the Beats and their story, you may want to stray away. However, if you want a sort of proto-"On the Road" mixed with the true story of the events preceding this pivotal moment in Beat history, you will enjoy this film.

Clerks II (2006)

A fitting farewell...

[10/10 · 23 July 2006]

Kevin Smith has come a long way in the time he started out as the dude from the block who made it by some strange twist of fate and a fair share of amazing luck. From an admittedly awful looking 16 mm black and white film about mid-Nineties slackerdom to working at Skywalker Ranch, advising on what became Superman Returns, directing legitimate Hollywood films (for good or bad), submitting bits to late night comedy shows, and turning thirty, he surely has grown up over the last ten years. While I love "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", it's in the way I love "Animal House" or "Super Troopers": funny as all hell but not exactly the most emotionally fulfilling film. When that film ended and Smith said it was the end of the so-called "Jersey Trilogy", I was left kind of sad, mostly because the people I cared about most in the first film only got a passing one-liner about their cancelled TV show. If you also felt like something was left out, then fear no more, because "Clerks II" is a fitting continuation and resolution to the story of worisome Dante Hicks and ever-crude Randal.

Following the set-up of the original film, the story follows Dante and Randal again as they go through the grind of a minimum wage job. With the Quick-Stop having burned down the year before, the two now have ended up working at Mooby's, a satirical take on corporate fast-food restaurants. It's Dante's last day. In the morning he will drive to Florida with his over-bearing fiancée Emma to live out his days running a car wash owned by his in-laws. What follows is one eventful day, as Dante is forced to re-think his plans while Randal plans a going away party, argues the merits of Lord of te Rings against Star Wars, and tries to re-capture a racial slur as his own. Jay and Bob are also in tow, still slinging buds and standing around in between dance routines, but now Jay has the power of Jesus on his side, keeping him from smoking his product (a not-too-sublime nod to Mewes's real stint in rehab for heroin, which prompted Smith to write the script as a incentive to help Jay stay clean). Also in tow is the ultra-naive, ultra-Christian Elias the fry-boy, who can't seem to get over the Transformers cartoon, and Becky, the attractive boss who is the only one who could keep Dante in Jersey.

On the outside it sounds like a sequel in the lamest sense, meaning revamp. But underneath is a subliminal and poignant presence of the fear of having wasted your life and the painful awareness of a need to grow up, personified in Randal. And in Jeff Anderson there are moments of real acting gold. In the original, even admitted by Anderson, Randal was in many ways a one-dimensional putz, the foil to Dante's attempt at order. Here we see the character of Randal really develop into a painfully aware thirty-something who is in intense fear and pain about losing his best friend. In fact, the emotional climax of the film comes from Anderson, whose speech about how much Dante means to him is enough to make anybody who ever had THAT best friend, the one who you've known/knew for more years than you can remember, want to break down blubbering. Some may call it manipulative, but the fact remains that Smith is still the guy from the block, and he knows what he's talking about. Anderson may seem lame to some, but he's the voice of an entire generation's emotions and stands for what's important in life, mainly your boys and how to have fun with them.

Worry not, however, Clerks II is far from tame. This is as vulgar as all the Jersey Trilogy combined, and will have anyone with a sick sense of humor (read: male) rolling on the floor with hysterical laughter. Ignore what Mr. Siegel says, he has no idea what the meaning of this film is, and probably never will. This movie is worth every minute, but with some pre-requisites. To paraphrase the tagline of the equally-great Dazed and Confused, you have to see it with a bud.

Hate Crime (2005)

Dumb and dumber...

[1/10 · 29 May 2006]

I projected this movie last year when it was shown at a film fest I was working at. This is THE STUPIDEST type of movie I have ever seen. It's a Lifetime Channel movie, only with a vengeful lover instead of a vengeful wife. If there was just one substitution made, the gay couple for an interracial couple, you would have a terrible wannabe social commentary film.

The film follows Robbie, who's lover Trey is bludgeoned with a baseball bat one night, as he tries to solve the crime and prove it was his hyper-Evangelic loony neighbor. What follows is a bunch of conundrums wrapped in a McGuffin of an idiotic ending. If this movie was trying to make a point in the pantheon of gay cinema, its that there can be moronic thrillers that play on stereotypes from gay people too. If you want a good movie, see something else. If you want to have you want a hate crime committed on you so to end the pain of this mind-numbing dreck, rent this idiotic mystery.

August Underground (2001 Video)

Important

[10/10 · 30 October 2005]

I just finished screening this at the RI International Horror Film Fest. Someone said "this is what punk rock's filmic equivalent would be".

Several students and a professor at the Tom Savini School took a terrible little camcorder (I doubt it is even digital) and created a masterpiece. The basic premise is that it follows two teenage serial killers on their rampage and these are their home videos of drinking, having sex, getting into fights at hardcore shows, and randomly and mercilessly killing innocent people. Though at first it seems like a wanna-be snuff film (rumor has it that the director was actually arrested at the Canadian border because they thought it was actual snuff!), one slowly realizes several things: first, serial killers aren't these pseudo-sexual beings like Hannibal Lecter, they are actual monsters who are just like us and do many of the same things we do. Second, serial killing is not a glamorous thing, it is a terrible tragedy, and it is wrong to glorify the killers with cheap slasher films and stupid t-shirts. I cannot recommend this film enough, though it is not a film to enjoy.

If I Should Fall from Grace: The Shane MacGowan Story (2001)

Let me go down in the mud where the rivers all run dry

[12 July 2004]

There is a deleted scene on the DVD showing Shane MacGowan, the subject of this documentary, in a bar playing "Kitty", a love ballad from the first Pogues album. Out of the drunken stupor he has put himself into comes a glimmer of the genius this man once had. And then he finishes the song and returns to his drink.

MacGowan was the founding member and many would argue the driving force behind an Irish Folk/Punk band in the 1980's called The Pogues. They released several albums that are considered master works before it all fell to pieces due to Shane's heavy drinking. The film follows MacGowan around London and across the strait to Ireland as he prepares for a concert with his new band, The Popes. Along the way we hear the story of one of the punk generation's greatest song writers, told through interviews with MacGowan's parents, his wife, former band mates, and MacGowan himself. We also see archive footage and music videos interspersed thoughout. The difference between the Shane making the music he is known and loved for and the Shane of today mumbling drunkenly through songs is striking and sad. Its a great film, and I highly reccomend it, escpecially to parents trying to teach their kids about the dangers of addiction.

Ordinary People (1980)

Amazing

[14 September 2003]

I rented the movie becuase i didn't read the book and have a test on it tomorrow. However, this is an amazing film. Robert Redford has crafted a magnificent film. The score, which is a slow somber yet ultimately beautiful version of Pachelbel's "Canon" at first seems an odd choice for a movie of this nature. However, it fits perfectly. The performances are amazing. Sutherland is particularly good as a man who's watching his world fall to pieces and he can't help it.

The story is that of a family who is still recovering from the death of one of it's sons a year ago. The other son attempted suicide and now has been home from an aylum for about a month. See this movie. This is a predecessor to the family disfunction genre, which antithisized with the great American Beauty.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

It's inconsistent, predictable, the characters have no development, and it's the most fun I've had since Raiders of the Lost Ark

[19 July 2003]

This is perhaps one of the most uproarious movies of the summer. It's what it is: a swashbuckling adventure movie with beautiful damsels and heroic sailors. Don't go into it and want to tear it apart with errors is facts, continuity, etc. Go into it and expect a good old movie time. Orlando Bloom is great as a hero, recalling Errol Flynn's Robin Hood. Geoffrey Rush is a creepy villian, but he also has a motivation that is understandable and makes you sympathetic to him and his crew of pirates. And now to Johnny Depp: he steals the show. I almost wanted to see a movie just about him. His lines made me laugh out loud, and his stature, a gawking demeanor he carries that similar to a drunk, but he's sober, is a riot. There is just to much to say about his character. I think Hulk deserves Best Editting at Oscars, and Depp should win Best Supporting Actor. Yo-ho-ho-ho, a pirates life for me!

Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994–1998)

Great Show, regardless of bad animation in spots

[2 July 2003]

Alot of people complain about the animation in this show. While it was rather poor in spots, it had some good CGI backgrounds of cityscapes, which looked neat. And then there's the story: AWESOME!! So what is the animation is spotty, people read Lord of the Rings even if the edition is 25 years old, water stained, and smells of dank basement. I loved the stories about Venom, they showed real moral dilemmas. It was on par with the spectacular X-Men show of about the same time. Fox should put a definitive DVD collection out of this, X-Men, and maybe EEEKstravaganza.

Hook (1991)

Weird Feelings

[25 June 2003]

I get a weird feeling from this movie. On the one hand, it has awesome Peter Pan scenes, and the scenes with the Lost Boys are killer. But the whole side plot with Captain Hook warping the kids is way too weird, almost sickening. The whole watch smashing scene was just bizarre as hell.

Onto the plot: Peter Pan grew up 20 years ago and became a yuppie jerk with no time for his kids. On a trip to London to visit crazy old Aunt Wendy, who actually belives Peter Pan was real, Captain Hook kidnaps Peter's kids. This prompts him to return to Neverland and rediscover being a kid.

Overall, a good movie, just a bit weird in some parts.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Great Swashbuckling Fun!

[18 June 2003]

This is a great film. The stories of Robin Hood are brought to life on screen with great humor and warmth. Some great bits include Little John and Friar Tuck going back and forth constantly, making cheap shots at each other. The director made a great film that everyone can enjoy. I'm sixteen years old in 2003 and I still laughed at some of the comic bits from 65 years ago. I definite 10 out of 10!

Super Troopers (2001)

Great

[17 June 2003]

My friends brought this movie over last night. It's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. It's alot like Animal House for our generation. Okay, this is the story of a bunch of highway patrolmen who love to have fun on the job. They have great pranks, etc. they pull. The station is about to be closed, so they have to deal with the rival, jerk police station. The plot is dumb, but the lines and the gags are the funniest things I've seen since....Clerks, I guess. Rent or buy it, you'll laugh.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)

WOW

[17 May 2003]

I saw this movie last night, and I'm still amazed. I walked in a little bit into the movie, but I got sucked in pretty quick. In this movie, we see Zion, and meet the creators of the Matrix. However, I had alot of questions after this, which will hopefully be answered in November with Matrix Revolutions. There are a few laughs here and there, and nonstop action all the way. If you see this in the theater, stick around after the credits to see a preview of the next movie.

School's Out! (1992 TV Movie)

Thank you Kevin Smith

[14 May 2003]

I picked this video up at the Library because I have heard of it through the Kevin Smith movies (he always refers to the show in his movies). Though I never have seen any of the show, I figured, what the hell. I have to say, this is a good video. I am very interested in seeing more of the show.

The plot is this: All the kids graduate and go through one crazy last summer. Pregnancy, drunk driving, infidelity, and teenage marriage are all in the mix, along with some awful 90's music. All and all, a very neat way to show what happens when you grow up.

Chasing Amy (1997)

A Multi-Level Classic

[24 April 2003]

Most everyone should know the plot from reading the summary, but just in case, here's the story: Holden and Banky have been best friends for 20+ years, having known each other since grade school. They now work together on a comic book called "Bluntman and Chronic", which is basically Jay and Silent Bob as superheroes (Note: It's probably best that you've seen Clerks and Mallrats beforehand, as this is the third in his interconnected Askewniverse series, which refers to characters, places, and events throughout each film and has the one constant of Jay and Bob in it.) One night, Holden falls in love with Alyssa Jones while playing darts after a comicon. The next night, he goes to see her and finds out she's a lesbian. However, they become friends and and he soon enough falls in love with her, and they start a relationship, much to Banky's disgust, throwing their friendship into the trash.

This film not only is a great story and a meaningful message about friendship, love, and accepting the past, but an allegory for the years before he made this movie. Notice how "Bluntman And Chronic" is a hit but critically slammed (in the DVD special features of deleted scenes), just like Mallrats was. Also, Alyssa is (literally and figuratively) Joey Lauren Adams, Smith's girlfriend at the time who he broke up with over her past. Holden writes the comic in the end as an apology to her, just like Smith made the movie as an apology/Valentine to Joey. All the characters are him on some level.

This movie rocks. Skip renting the video and buy Criterion's awesome DVD, with deleted scenes, an awesome commentary track, and much more