jwatts83 Reviews

Días azules (2006)

Good movie, great soundtrack

[14 September 2006]

"Dias azules" manages to make the most of its simple plot line. Although it's being marketed as somewhat of a comedy, this movie isn't a comedy per se. It's a coming of age movie, and a pretty good one. The soundtrack is great, and the fact that the setting is in a small town is interesting (given that a lot of movies in this vein have been set in Madrid or Barcelona lately.)I liked the fact that the relationship between the brothers wasn't over sentimentalized. "Dias azules" is a movie where not a lot happens, the characters lives are marked by one big event and then the rest of the film bares this out. I like that not all of the characters' lives are neatly wrapped up.

Also, this movie has nothing to do with the external review in Variety, about a documentary about digging up Civil War graves, also called "Dias azules."

Slut. (2004 TV Movie)

interesting documentary

[7/10 · 2 February 2006]

"Slut." is an engrossing documentary which examines the etymology of the word slut, its historical, social, cultural, and economic meanings/ramifications. The documentary poses the question: should the word 'slut' be banned, or retired, and is the term still relevant today? "Slut." covers rich ground, interviewing several women authors, women who have been labeled sluts, prominent figures of the three waves of feminism, sex workers, lawyers, Ron Jeremy, a Ramones-cover band whose claim to fame is a song called "I only date sluts," academics, and people in the streets of New York. Some of the most affecting parts of the documentary are the interviews with women who appeared to be irrevocably damaged by being labeled sluts early in life, which contrasts sharply with a younger generation of women who seem to be embracing the term. The documentary suggests that this was due in part to a generation gap--as 'slut' was popularized during the 1950s, and after the loosening of sexual mores in '60s it supposedly became less of a slander. The documentarians thoroughly examine the murkiness of the word 'slut,' and its occasional confusion with 'whore' in an attempt to clarify what a 'slut' is and why it is so objectionable.

I Love Your Work (2003)

Trippy Movie from Adam Goldberg

[7/10 · 20 October 2005]

I was hooked into this movie after watching it for 5 minutes. Goldberg captures the movie- obsessed college kid existence very well (or at least, the whimsical movie-inspired lives that film students aspire to) with respect to Gray's past. Ribisi gives a gripping performance here, he's riveting as the insulated film star with artistic aspirations who slowly looses his grip on reality. What surprised me is Goldberg's talent as a director. He's really really good, got a great visual sense, but the overall structure of this movie reminded me of Mulholland Drive, similar to that movie, I left this one a bit confused. (though less so than MD, and with much more good will). Goldberg sends up the 400 blows, and a Jaques Demy musical, as well as self-conscious arty films, in the film within a film within a hallucination structure. Jason Lee is great & and creepy performance as a stalker. Franka Potente is funny, and it's great seeing her in a bigger role again. Elvis Costello has a hilarious cameo. I'd strongly recommend this, but you may want to see it a couple of times. It's a cool experiment, and I liked all the smoking, decor, and camera product placement.

The Edukators (2004)

Good. Shoddy Camera Work, Good Content

[7/10 · 4 August 2005]

The Edukators artfully combines the archetypal love triangle storyline with political discussion and your typical heist gone awry flick and a journey of self-discovery. On the one hand, it's fairly ambitious genre-crossing, on the other the political aspects of it (although relevant) feel outdated. Jan is like most Che Guevarra-loving undergraduate Marxists I know, and I agree completely with the frustrating lack of a cohesive politicized youth movement (in the US)to provide an outlet for angst, and dissent from the current regime, etc. but the manifesto of the Edukators isn't particularly compelling. It merely provides a set up for the clash between generations, and the realization that we do share something in common with our parents. Also it frames the love triangle, and emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. On a side note, I hated the grainy-ness of the film...weirdly I actually watched a film print of the DV transfer, so it might look better on a Digital Projector, & I also had the experience of watching the film burn through, which rarely happens now. DV sucks, especially for a movie that's based so much in the mountains and in nature, its a shame it couldn't be better captured.