Nights with Theodore

Part documentary and part narrative, Nights with Theodore is an exploration of Buttes-Chaumont Park in Paris, France. To be more specific, the film delves into the mystical history of the park and then quite effectively builds a fantasy narrative around it. We follow a couple, who, after spending the night in the park, are drawn back to it every night by an almost supernatural force, and while they enjoy their time in the park it is not without consequences.

Personally, Nights with Theodore filled me with nostalgia. It reminded me of those dreamlike nights where you connect with someone new and time seems to distort. You wander the streets talking and exploring without any real goal or destination, just wanting the moment to last as long as it can. It’s not everyday that a film strikes such a connection with me, and while it might not be one of my top films come the end of the year it will be a film that I’m forever glad I saw.

Showtimes for Nights with Theodore: Sun, Apr 28th – 6:45pm (Kabuki)

Mon, Apr 29th – 3:30pm (Kabuki)

Sun, May 5th – 9:30pm (Kabuki) Read More…

Stoker ends up feeling like M. Night Shyamalan and Wes Anderson got together in the bathroom and forged a massive turd then charged admission to go see it. How Chan-wook Park managed to channel the worse parts of two sometimes competent directors eludes me, but in Stoker he has done just that. I guess I should explain…

Characters clad in charmingly old fashion thrift store clothing delivering lines with indifference might be a staple of hipster culture and Wes Anderson films, but at a certain point this retro daydream shit has to stop. For fucks sake, Wes! You made a film about foxes and you still dressed them out of a vintage Banana Republic catalog. It’s not cute anymore and it’s spawning a whole little sub genre of films that already has a mile long list of clichés. Unfortunately this Wes-en-scène, if you will, slithered into the brain of Park and found a lovely little home in Stoker. It manifests itself not only in the wardrobes and art design but also in the overly blunt symbolism which makes you feel like you’re watching a film with training wheels. Read More…

Berberian Sound Studio

It is as if David Lynch directed a film about an introverted British man getting hired as Dario Argento‘s sound editor circa 1977. While every film geek in the world is now running to get tickets, the rest of you might need some more convincing. This brilliant movie explores the relationship of sound in film, art in life, and what happens when all of those things get thrown together in a nightmare blender full of rotten produce. To put it simply, Berberian Sound Studio is a must see film. Read More…

2012 in film was all over the place.  Films we wanted to love left us heartbroken and films we wanted nothing to do with ended up holding a spot in our hearts.  I hate to say it was a disappointing year for film, but that seems to be the word that keeps popping into our heads.  There were bright spots though – Paul Thomas Anderson made another masterpiece, foreign directors continued to challenge Hollywood style and content, and William Friedkin (The Exorcist) exploded back onto the radar. With the amazing slate of films lined up for 2013 we may eventually look back at 2012 as the calm before the storm, but as we take shelter inside our boats and sail into that storm, these are the films we’re bringing with us.

The list is presented in alphabetical order. Read More…

Director Ted Kotcheff‘s (known for First Blood) masterpiece Wake In Fright was almost lost forever. After poor turnouts in theaters across Australia and a pathetic two night NYC opening (there was a blizzard) investors got fed up and pulled the film from US theaters. The film then ran very successfully in France before disappearing. This was in 1971.

30 years later a producer of the film spent two years tracking it down. He finally found the last print of Wake In Fright in a United Artists storage bin marked for destruction. If he had waited one more week the film would have been lost forever. Good thing he didn’t because Wake In Fright, after much restoration, has made a triumphant return to theaters. It became only the second film in history to screen at Cannes Film Festival twice and then headed to the SFIFF2010, which is where I first saw it… Read More…

This Thursday Come support your local video store by joining Filmbalaya at Lost Weekend’s Cinecave for a French language double feature! We start off at 7pm with Godard’s hip romantic gangster classic and follow it up at 9pm with Kieślowski’s beautifully haunting drama.  Free fedoras for the first 20 people in the door.  See ya there.

This years list, much like last years, is not made for movie goers who only watch summer blockbusters and Judd Apatow comedies. While it does have some of those films, it also has an equal amount that may never be coming to a theater near you. With veteran directors such as Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson, Terrence Malick, and Quentin Tarantino releasing films, as well as some bright up and comers like Andrew Dominik, Derek Cianfrance, Martin McDonagh, and Jeff Nichols it looks like 2012 will be an amazing year for film.

Before we start:

Ryan Gosling is posed for another monster year with three films on the list.

Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity was third on the list but was delayed to 2013.

World War Z, The Hobbit, The Bourne Legacy, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 were all left of this list on purpose, I did not forget them.

I have been as thorough as possible while compiling this list, but some films might have slipped through the cracks. Feel free to comment below to share your opinion or news about other movies. Read More…

The Loneliest Planet

Before the film started director Julia Loktev told the audience to keep in mind what it feels like to be in nature while watching the film. I did my best.

The Loneliest Planet is the story of a young couple (Hani Furstenberg, Gael García Bernal), and their guide, embarking on a backpacking trip across the Georgian wilderness. The film wonderfully captures what it feels like to be on a hiking trip and in fact made me a bit nostalgic for the outdoors. That being said, while I do love the outdoors it doesn’t in any way mean I enjoy watching other people enjoying/not enjoying the outdoors. Imagine a hike you took where there were some ups and downs, now imagine other people took that hike and it was put onto film. If that sounds like something you want to watch for two hours you should see The Loneliest Planet. I appreciated what the film did but I don’t know if I would watch it again. Read More…