Mystery Train

Mystery Train - 1989
 
Mystery Train opens with two young Japanese tourists pulling into Memphis on an Amtrak train. The girl adores Elvis and her boyfriend adores Carl Perkins. They are experiencing Memphis as a great American city - ignoring its obvious run down flaws that we viewers see - and as a shrine to the music they love. As Jun says during their night in Memphis, "Its cool to be here in America, right now, with you".

The movie plays the same evening time period over in 3 different vignettes. We see the same events happen from different perspectives. There is a gunshot in the distance and an all night blues station that link the three stories. All three find themselves staying at the same tacky Arcade hotel.

Jim Jarmush only puts out a movie every couple years but they are absolute gems. In Mystery Train, the New York filmmaker, a member of the late '70s/early '80s art-punk band Del-Byzanteens, knew his musical history. He chose Memphis, home of Sun Records, the storefront sound studio at which Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison rockabillied their way to stardom. Memphis, where bluesmen Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters played for change in the parks along Beale Street. Memphis, home of Elvis - and home of Elvis' home, Graceland.

In fact you'll find music personality presence throughout the film: John Lurie, Tom Waits, Joe Strummer, Rufus Thomas and Screamin' Jay Hawkins.

These themes - especially the ghost of Elvis permeate through the three stories. As Elvis's Blue Moon is played on that all night blues station, we feel as if we are experiencing a bit of after hours Memphis that is uniquely American.

Mystery Train is not a conventional story. It is not about how the story ends but how the lives go on. It is populated with dozens of small, meaningful moments - slices of life.

This exchange between the Japanese couple and Hawkins as the hotel night clerk gives us a glimpse into the lives of both...

Mitzuko: Hi! Good night!
Night Clerk: Good night. How may I help you?
Mitzuko: Umm... We would like most cheap room please do you have?
Night Clerk: All our rooms for two people are the same rate.
Mitzuko: Oh.
Jun: (speaking in Japanese) What'd he say?
Mitzuko: (speaking in Japanese) I'm not exactly sure. (In English) I'm sorry, that is too expensive.

This is a movie that is more enjoyable with each viewing. You will love it as much on viewing 50 as number 1.

Put this movie on your to do list. Again. And again. And again.

Research Mystery Train on Amazon here.

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TGIF Glass

Near PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

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25 Great Websites for Film Buffs

What are the best sites on the web to scratch your itch for movie information? Look no further - here they are. Each of these sites satisfies a particular film niche that make it stand out from the crowd.

Forums

1. Movie Forums - This forum site is a great place to unwind and chat a bit with other movie fanatics.
   
2. Talk-Movies - Talk Movies has discussion boards broken down into various genres such as Westerns and Sci-Fi.

Databases

1. IMDB - everyone knows IMDB, but it remains the big daddy of movie information. Check out the external reviews section of a movie for a great cross section of opinion on a movie.
   
2. All Movie - Part of the All Media family of websites, the All Movie site allows you browse movies by genre. It also has articles and spotlight features.
   
3. Bollywood Movie Database - Simple database that gives you pertinent details on Asian films. Has many references that IMDB doesn't. No browse feature - you must know what you are looking for to find this site useful.
   
4. Yahoo Movies - Yahoo always does websites right and their movie site is top notch. It especially excels at keeping a list of movies that you rate, review, etc.
   
5. Rotten Tomatoes - a dependable, objective resource for coverage of movies and videos

Movie Reviews

1. Critical Critics - They bill themselves as having the most poignant reviews on the web, penned by the most acclaimed film critics on the planet. They may just be right... (Oliver 40274 excluded). Their reviews are brutally honest and are not to be missed
   
2. Reviewing Whatever - Written by a journalism student, her reviews are witty and fun. Laura doesn't just do movies, check it out see what else she is reviewing.
   
3. Shhh.. The Movie's Starting - Read Tava's intro for why she writes reviews. She gets 5 stars just on her intro. Her reviews are great reads and way too far apart.
   
4. Oggs' Movie Thoughts - Smart, talented review writing from the Philippines
   
5. The Guru's Movie Reviews - More than movie reviews, here you'll find reviews of TV shows and stay updated on the latest DVD releases.
   
6. Nehring the Edge - One of the best places to visit on the Internet for a quick take on whether or not to rent that movie... [site moved to Good News Film Reviews]
   
7. Roger Ebert - Roger has taught America how to love movies. His pulls things out of movies that you missed and give you a greater appreciation for the craft.
   
8. Horror Movie a Day - Hard to believe that this guy could watch a horror movie a day - but the site is alive and doing well. This site is so well put together that I'm tempted to steal some of his layouts...
   
9. Christian Spotlight - Their goal is to provide accurate, biblical answers on a wide variety of questions asked by Christians and non-Christians about today's movies.
   
10. Flickhead - OK, I admit I don't know how to describe it but its one of my favorite movie sites on the web.
    
11. Oliver 40274 - Hey, you're already here! Check out these movie reviews: Oliver 40274 Movie Reviews

Independent Movies

1. IFC - If you don't get this station call your cable company immediately. IFC shows independent films, uncut and unedited, 24 hours a day - without commercial interruption. IFC also has exclusive live coverage of special events including the Independent Spirit Awards and Cannes Film Festival, creative on-air festivals and one-of-a-kind original series and specials.
   
2. Underground Film - Underground Film is a content framework for film distribution. Here you can watch films direct from the filmmakers themselves.
   
3. Indiewire - indieWIRE is the leading news, information, and social networking site for the international independent film community.

Movie Information

1. Film Ratings - Find out why movies got the rating they did and learn everything you ever wanted to know about the film rating system.
   
2. Film Sizes - No really, this is a very interesting site.

Fun & Games

1. Movie Quotes - Test your movie knowledge by identifying famous movie quotes
   
2. Mr MovieTime - Find times for movies at a theatre near you.
   
3. Movie Posters - Hang a movie on your wall.
   

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Deja Vu

Deja Vu - 2006

Spoilers ahead... this is a post - movie review...

There was a time, during the first, say... 25 minutes of this movie that I thought I hated this movie. Or perhaps more accurately... really disliked this movie. They were actually trying to tell me that they had all this sophisticated technology to show a detailed combined video montage of four days ago - they could rotate around objects - but we can't yet save it to disk and rewind it. Of course we find out a bit later that it is indeed sophisticated technology and is much more complicated than originally thought.

OK - I'm not saying that I bought everything I saw here, the movie was not without its flaws. But my wife kept saying to me, "Let it go Glenn, just enjoy the movie." Well I took her advice and went with it and went along for the ride. And by the end of the movie you realize what a fun ride it was.

I'm a fan of time travel movies (Back to the Future, Time Bandits, The Terminator). Its interesting how the writers and directors juggle the conflicting logic of turning time back on itself. In this movie, they bend time backwards, forwards, upwards... I'm thinking I have to rewatch it to get my head around it fully.

My wife TIVO'ed this movie solely on the strength of Denzel Washington. He doesn't disappoint here. He grounds the movie in everyday reality with his honest portrayal of Agent Doug Carlin. Paula Patton plays Claire Kuchever so well that she had me speculating that she was not exactly who she was (not an accidental outcome). And Jim Caviezel as the Satan character was brilliant. Just the opposite of his Jesus character a couple years back in the Passion of the Christ. Hows that for range?

I'm not sure how to classify this movie... science fiction thriller... procedural crime drama... love story... I think I'll classify it: "Damn fun movie to watch on a Saturday night"

Research the movie at Amazon here.

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TGIF Pittsburgh

The old next to the new in Pittsburgh

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Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten

The Critical Critics: Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten (2007)

I first saw Joe Strummer in a Jim Jarmusch movie Mystery Train. At the time I was unfamiliar with Strummer. I was really impressed with the performance I saw (and the movie - but that's another review...)

Turns out Joe has 12 movie acting credits under his belt. Not to mention the side career as outspoken front man for The Clash.

OK - for anyone under, say... 35, The Clash was a band that formed in 1976 (!) and spearheaded the British punk scene. As the band matured, their music broadened. While other punk bands floundered in local pubs and beer halls, The Clash had a wider appeal and routinely sold out huge stadiums. Worldwide.

If Joe even interests you a little bit, be sure and check out Mystery Train. Jarmusch clearly wrote the role of English Johnny specifically with Strummer in mind.

Mystery Train is in my Top 100 Movie List.

Research Mystery Train at Amazon here.

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Biofuels Harm the Environment

In honor of Blog Action Day, here is my environment related post...

A recent Guardian article suggests that environmentalists may be doing harm to the environment by pushing biofeuls.

This isn't something that you will readily hear in the United States. There is so much suppression of real debate by the left leaning media that this bit of news is conveniently overlooked.

The article states that:

Increasing production of biofuels to combat climate change will release between two and nine times more carbon gases over the next 30 years than fossil fuels, according to the first comprehensive analysis of emissions from biofuels.

The study warns that forests must not be cleared to make way for biofuel crops. Clearing forests produces an immediate release of carbon gases into the atmosphere, accompanied by a loss of habitats, wildlife and livelihoods, the researchers said.

America loves its junk science doesn't it? We have Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio telling us about global warming. We have scientists scratching their heads saying, "wait.. that's not exactly true..." and "well, that's not really whats happening." But we side with Gore over the scientists.

Gimme a big heaping plate of that good ol' junk science please...

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TGIF Mindy

Mindy Moola

Snap Shots

Introducing Snap Shots from Snap.com

I just installed a nice little tool on this site called Snap Shots that enhances links with visual previews of the destination site, interactive excerpts of Wikipedia articles, MySpace profiles, IMDb profiles and Amazon products, display inline videos, RSS, MP3s, photos, stock charts and more.

Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you "look ahead," before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.

Should you decide this is not for you, just click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.

[update] removed 11/23 for slowing down page loads.

Station Agent

Station Agent - 2003

I'm a big fan of IFC - the Independent Film Channel. Sometimes you'll find a quiet little gem out there that got absolutely no commercial fanfare, yet just absolutely blew you away. An independent film can touch a smaller segment of the population - not needing to hit that mass appeal. When you are one of those touched people, you feel like the movie was made for you.

The Station Agent is about Finbar McBride, played by Peter Drinkledge. Finbar is a dwarf. He is really only interesting to other people as a curiosity. He has gone through life with an isolationist altitude. When his one friend, who shares his passion for trains dies and leaves him an abandoned train station, Finbar sees an opportunity for escape and moves in. The people he meets in the small town form the basis of the movie and change his life.

One of the people that come into his life is Joe (played by Bobby Cannavale). Joe is a relentless extrovert and so forces his way into Finbar's life. There is the lonely Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), who needs friendship yet turns from it. Together these three form an unlikely bond of friendship. As Finbar initially rejects Joe's overt attempts of friendship, we see his inner turmoil of wanting that friendship. Later when the friendships are broken, he can think of nothing else.

There is scene when the drunk Finbar, disgusted with the play of events, climbs up on the bar and shouts to the world, "Look at me. Look at the little man...". This is a brave bit of acting here. But the movie is alternately funny, sad, good-natured. It examines friendships among different people without being heavy handed.

Joe's likability and Olivia's neediness pull Finbar out of isolation and into the real world. Its a frequently funny movie and I'm trying to find a place for it in my 100 Greatest Movie List.

[update] Added to 100 greatest Movie List 11/21/2007. Removed Rainman.

Research this movie at Amazon.

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The Prestige

The Prestige - 2006

In my review of The Illusionist, I made reference to the fact that as a fan of magic, I tend to set the bar rather high for movies about magic. The Illusionist didn't deliver. The Prestige did. It was dripping with intrigue and jaw dropping surprises. At times I thought I was lost or had missed something, only to find out that a full explanation was coming.

The movie was told predominately in flashback form - but often tripped in and out of time sequences. Some have expressed issue with this cinematic technique, but here it served to keep us involved in the story line, wondering what an event meant in the future; only to go back and have it explained. Its a movie that comes together bit by bit to the crystal clear conclusion.

The two magicians; Robert Angier (played by Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (played by Christian Bale) start out as magician apprentices but become bitter rivals after a tragic incident one night during the Chinese Water Torture trick. This rivalry becomes obsession for the two men that runs through their lives and takes everyone down with them. Borden develops a trick called "The Transported Man" that drives his competitor mad with knowing how its done.

The movie twists and turns and drives us mad at times as well. The prestige is the finality of the magic trick; the showing of the bird that disappeared, the assistant that went in the water tank. The film's prestige is revealed in the end and was not contrived or anti climatic.

There is a visit to America to contact Nikola Tesla, who may have the secret to The Transported Man. Tesla is played by David Bowie, although with a bit of overacting. How interesting to tell of the rivalry of the time of Tesla and Einstein over AC and DC electricity.

Again I see Piper Perabo showing us remarkable versatility. I liked her in 10th & Wolf - really liked her here.

Spoiler Ahead...

This movie shows us obsessive love - and obsessive hatred - played by the same person. Imagine Bale's performance here. The script requires him to alternately love & hate his wife. He must say "I love you." to her and at times really love her and at times not. I bought it, hook, line and sinker. I think I'll Tivo it again just to go over the thread again...

See these blog reviews as well.

• Nehring The Edge
• Oggs' Movie Thoughts

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TGIF Pittsburgh

City of Bridges

Sally Field's Crazy Concept...

I heard some recent comments from Sally Field at an awards ceremony. She wanted to make the point that a woman should be running the country because women were more caring and therefore there would be less wars.



Lets consider that. Does history support that theory? Lets take a look at women leaders throughout time and see what we get...

1. Margaret Thatcher - Prime minister of United Kingdom from 1979 - 1990. In April of 1982, Ms Thatcher sent a naval force to recapture the islands which had been invaded by Argentina. The operation was a success and was supported overwhelmingly by her country.


2. Benazir Bhutto - 12th & 16th Prime Minister of Pakistan. It was during Bhutto's rule that the Taliban (which she supported) came into power in Afghanistan. She was instrumental in escalating the Pakistani proxy war in Kashmir. She was subsequently run out of office on charges of corruption.


3. Golda Meir - 4th Prime Minister of Israel. Meir presided over the 1963 Yom Kippor war. She was not opposed to using pre-emptive strikes to defend Israel.


4. Indira Gandhi - 4th & 7th Prime Minister of India. Indira accelerated India's nuclear weapons program and in fact India became a nuclear country under her rule.


5. Empress Dowager Cixi - Tongzhi Emperor 1861 - 1908. She was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, ruling over China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908. Came to power in a coup. Her army defeated the Taiping Army in a hard-fought battle at Tianjing (present-day Nanjing) in July 1864. Empress Dowager Cixi's supported a violent Chinese nativist movement leading to the Boxer Rebellion which broke out in northern China in 1900. Eager to preserve traditional Chinese values, Empress Dowager Cixi threw in her lot with the rebels, making an official announcement of her support for the movement.


6. Victoria - Queen of the United Kingdom from 1837 - 1901. Victoria's reign was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire; during this period it reached its zenith, becoming the foremost Global Power of the time.


7. Anne - Queen of England from 1702 - 1714. Almost as soon as she succeeded to the throne, Anne became embroiled in the War of the Spanish Succession. This war, in which England supported the claim of Archduke Charles to succeed to the Spanish Throne, would continue until the last years of Anne's reign, and would dominate both foreign and domestic policy.


8. Catherine II of Russia - During her reign Catherine extended the borders of the Russian Empire southward and westward to absorb New Russia, Crimea, Right-Bank Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Courland at the expense of two powers — the Ottoman Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. All told, she added some 200,000 miles to Russian territory.


9. Boudica - queen of the Brythonic Celtic Iceni people of Norfolk in Eastern Britain who led a major uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire.

Whats the point here? There were many female leaders throughout history - some great, some not. Clearly the presence of a female leader does not guarantee peace or a conciliatory government. Not anymore than a male lead government means aggression and war.

See Neville Chamberlain and appeasement of Hitler.

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