Theater Recommendation - GREEN ROOM (dir. JEREMY SAULNIER)

I went to an early screening of Jeremey Saulnier's Green Room, a hardcore-punk-nazi-horror film, 

and oh my god... wow. This follow-up to the surprising Blue Ruin stars Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, and Callum Turner as a punk band who find themselves in some serious shit when they play a gig at a Nazi-run venue... It's so gross and sleazy and honestly one of the best horror films I've seen in a long time, and it's already been a great year for horror (The Witch and 10 Cloverfield Lane). Imogen Poots, Mark Weber, Eric Edelstein, Macon Blair, and Patrick Stewart, giving one of his most bizarre and impressive performances ever as the Nazi club owner, make up the rest of the cast.

Okay, yes, this film is not for everyone, but legit horror fans should definitely check this out! The practical effects are some of the most disturbing I've ever seen and all of the scares are legitimate and surprising. It's sickly funny at times when you do not at all expect comedy. It's just fucking wild.

The film opens in NYC and LA on April 15th, and opens wide on April 29th.

Jeremey Saulnier also did a Q&A after the screening, so I'll list every interesting thing I learned below.

Let Me Try to Defend BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE...

This isn't the typical movie I normally talk about on this blog, but Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is currently the only thing I'm thinking about in general, so I need to talk about it, as well as try to defend it. 

I've seen the movie twice now, and Batman v Superman is by no means the “greatest superhero movie” of all-time. Honestly, I wouldn’t even define it as all that great. But, I think it’s decent. Maybe even good. Certainly better than what the terrible reviews suggest (and, oh boy, the reviews are terrible). I enjoyed it more than pretty much all of Phase Two of Marvel's Cinematic Universe (Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Soldier are about equal). I liked it way more than the overly obnoxious Deadpool. I always enjoy the X-Men movies and then literally forget everything about them since they seem to reboot themselves after every goddamn film… 

As for my general thoughts on Batman v Superman... it's jaw-dropping in all of the best and worst ways possible. It's loud and grim and takes itself way too seriously, but it's also bold, occasionally quite smart, and exhilarating!

The film made me think more than any other superhero movie in many, many years (for better and for worse), and it has me intrigued for what’s inevitably going to come next in Warner Bros. DC Extended Universe. 

I think that counts for something.

WARNING: I'm literally going to spoil the WHOLE MOVIE in this post, so if you haven't seen Batman v Superman yet, PLEASE BEWARE! However, if you've already seen it or don't mind spoilers, please enjoy :)

Women's History Month - Best Films Directed by Women on Netflix

March is Women's History Month, so what better way to celebrate than to watch some great films directed by women! Okay, I'm sure there are equally if not more important ways we can celebrate this month, like actually trying to make legitamate steps forward towards true equality in this country/world... but we can start by watching awesome movies, I guess...

I'm choosing ten films that I have not previously mentioned or recommended on this blog, plus I'm gonna include some bonus picks and add additional links to films I've talked about before.

Let's get started!!

Theater Recommendation - RIVER OF GRASS (dir. KELLY REICHARDT)

While I actually really, really liked the new sci-fi/horror film 10 Cloverfield Lane, the true event to see in theaters this week is Kelly Reichardt's directorial debut River of Grass. I feel particularly inclined to recommend this movie since I actually donated to Oscilloscope Laboratories' Kickstarter campaign to digitally restore this literally dying film, which prior to this restoration was no longer commercially available in any form. The film opens with a special shout-out to all us Kickstarter donors, which certainly put a smile on my face :)

Playing at the IFC Center until MARCH 17th ONLY (!!!), now is the best, and quite possibly only, time to see this film in theaters! The film is very Bonnie and Clyde-esque, focusing on two slightly dimwitted and completely unsatisfied Floridians, Cozy (Lisa Bowman) and Lee (Larry Fessenden), who are on the run after they may or may not have shot a man on accident. 

If you've never seen a Reichardt film (which you most certainly should... ALL of them if you have the time!!), then you're definitely in for a treat with this one. I just came back from the theater and it is safe to say that this is my favorite film from her, which is no easy feat whatsoever. It's very funny in unexpected ways and treats these moronic characters so gently and earnestly that you can't help but fall in love with them. The ending is also shockingly dark while still feeling completely legitimate and earned.  

Please, please go see this movie... it may truly be your last chance...

(It's also exclusively streaming on Fandor, a subscription VOD service specializing in independent, classic, silent, foreign, documentary, and short films, and you can start a free trial by clicking HERE!)

Click for showtimes.

Theater Recommendation - KNIGHT OF CUPS (dir. TERRENCE MALICK)

People either love Terrence Malick or they think he's a total hack... Either way, his films will always garner plenty of attention because there really is nothing else quite like them. His newest film, Knight of Cups, continues the ethereal aesthetics, nonlinear storylines, and barely defined characters prevalent in his earlier works (To the Wonder, The Tree of Life, and The Thin Red Line to mention a few). Also, like with all of his films, dialogue and story are not nearly as important as the film's environment and mood created by Malick and frequent collaborator (and three-peat Oscar winner) Emmanuel Lubezki.

This is offically Malick's worst reviewed film and it performed disappointedly at the box office, but it's better than that! First off, if you've never seen a Malick film, this is a great one to start with since it focuses on a familiar and recognizable world (or at least one many people are fascinated by). The film stars Christian Bale as a struggling Hollywood screenwriter who uses his writer's block as an excuse to party/hook up with multiple women, including Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, and Imogen Poots. Oh, and he has a lot of daddy issues... So, yeah, it certainly doesn't read as anything revolutionary or anything, and it by no means is, but Malick sure knows how to create something gorgeous and cinematic! The vapidness of his directorial style actually works really well within the wasteland that is Hollywood, even if it does next to nothing to establish his characters (but, let's be real, who sees a Malick movie for the characters???).

Bigger themes can be found if you choose to dig deeper: success often comes with a price; dysfunctional families help to form creative, but equally dysfunctional, individuals; the difficulties one faces in the attempt to "have it all," both professionally and personally, is often overwhelming and occasionally debilitating. It's definitely not Malick's best (I'm partial to The Tree of Life and Badlands), but it's still much more interesting than pretty much everything else out there right now.

Click for showtimes!

Recommendation - TAXI (dir. JAFAR PANAHI)

Jafar Panahi is a beloved Iranian filmmaker, whose films are consistently mentioned as the "best of the year" when released here in the States. He's certainly a director I've heard/read great things about, but I was never previously able to access any of his films. That has finally changed now that his newest docufiction Taxi (no, not the Jimmy Fallon + Queen Latifah one) has been added to Netflix.

The reason the film community loves Panahi so much is that he's technically making films illegally! In December of 2010, Panahi was convicted by the Iranian government, who viewed his earlier film work as "propaganda against the system," and he's now currently facing a 20 YEAR BAN from writing scripts, directing films, giving interviews, or leaving the country. However, this ban hasn't stopped him from creating art. He secretly made the documentary This Is Not a Film while waiting for his appeal to be approved (an appeal that was not granted to him). That film was then smuggled outside of Iran on a USB drive hidden inside of a cake (NO, I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!!!) and it went on to premiere at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Panahi was also able to make the drama Closed Curtain, which made the festival round in 2013, before making his newest film Taxi. It's a docufiction, meaning that the line between nonfictional and fictional elements in the film are blurred, if not completely nonexistent. In the film, Panahi plays himself, and he drives a taxi around town, picking up strangers (some of whom recognize and admire him) and family members. The conversational topics in the taxi range from movies to politics to simply life itself. I'm genuinely not sure which story lines are real or which are not (or if in fact they are all fictionalized and Panahi simply found brilliantly restrained actors), and, to be honest, I don't really feel like figuring that out since the truth may lessen the wonderful impact of this incredibly original film!

After finishing Taxi, I immediately understood Panahi's appeal. He's one of the most daring and provocative artists in the world right now, and he's displaying his rebellion by simply making a sweet, relaxed, and even strangely comforting picture. I can't wait to continue diving more into his work!

Taxi is currently streaming on Netflix!

Viewing Log - February 2016

(Strongly Recommended, Don't Bother...)

1. Mustang (2015, dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven)
2. Eagle vs Shark (2007, dir. Taika Waititi)
3. Blackmail (1929, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
4. Bone Tomahawk (2015, dir. S. Craig Zahler)
5. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989, dir. Peter Greenaway) [Netflix]
6. Tokyo Tribe (2014, dir. Shion Sono) 
7. Do the Right Thing (1989, dir. Spike Lee)* [Encore]
8. Hail, Caesar! (2016, dir. Joel & Ethan Coen)
9. Sabotage (1936, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
10. Even the Rain (2010, dir. Icíar Bollaiín)
11. Spaceballs (1987, dir. Mel Brooks)* [HBO]
12. The 39 Steps (1935, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
13. House of 1000 Corpses (2003, dir. Rob Zombie)
14. The Devil's Rejects (2005, dir. Rob Zombie)
15. Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie (2016, dir. Jeremy Konner) [Funny Or Die]
16. The Lords of Salem (2012, dir. Rob Zombie)
17. Happiness (1998, dir. Todd Solondz) [iTunes]
18. Life During Wartime (2009, dir. Todd Solondz)
19. Blood of the Beasts (1949, dir. Georges Franju)
20. Palindromes (2004, dir. Todd Solondz)
21. Rebecca (1940, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
22. Possession (1981, dir. Andrzej Żuławski)
23. Mars Attacks! (1996, dir. Tim Burton)
24. The Witch (2015, dir. Robert Eggers) [Showtimes]
25. Deadpool (2016, dir. Tim Miller)
26. Peeping Tom (1960, dir.  Michael Powell) [iTunes]
27. The Purge: Anarchy (2014, dir. James DeMonaco)
28. Damsels in Distress (2011, dir. Whit Stillman) [iTunes]
29. Jungle Fever (1991, dir. Spike Lee)
30. Boy (2010, dir. Taika Waititi) [Netflix]
31. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016, Yuen Woo-ping) (A genuine mess. I feel terribly for those who waited 16 years for this...)
32. It Felt Like Love (2013, dir. Eliza Hittman)
    
33. Victoria (2015, dir. Sebastian Schipper)

* indicates rewatch