thevoid99's Life Top Ten List: June 2009
Jun 30 '09 (Updated Jul 31 '09)
The Bottom Line Void Becomes Troubled by the State of Cinema thanks to Michael Bay.
Well, this has certainly been a very tough year so far. Let's see. In January, I lost my sister. A few months ago, one of our key people at Epinions is gone. Then in the matter of a week. We lose Ed McMahon, Billy Mays, Fred Travalena, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson within the span of a week. 2009 really f*cking sucks. After all, I just continue to write but lately. I've become frustrated with things like the state of world and cinema itself. Seeing the chaos surrounding Iran over an election and everything falling apart. A coup staged in my parents' home country of Honduras where things might seem to go right but then again, it could go wrong. Then there's the world of film itself and it's become a very depressing year.
So far, I've seen 3 films that came out in 2009 theatrically. Three factors have prevented me from seeing more films that I want to. Location, finance, and enthusiasm. Of the three films I've seen, Up from Pixar is the film I've been proud to see with Rian Johnson's The Brothers Bloom a good second. Then there was Watchmen, a film I thought was a good adaptation of the famed graphic novel but it wasn't as great as everyone thought it would be. Then there's the films that I missed that I wanted to see. Rudo y Cursi, The Limits of Control, Goodbye Solo, The Girlfriend Experience, and Summer Hours. These are art films that are a bit too far for me to see and they aren't coming to a multiplex near you. Instead, it's a barrage of mediocrity and trash that is just all over the place hitting the audience in the head with lifeless spectacles.
In the past 2 months, we see Wolverine go solo from the X-Men films to just bore audiences with mindless drivel. Ron Howard dumbing everyone down with Angels & Demons along with Tom Hanks' stupid hairdo. There's some bad comedies like Year One and Land of the Lost that doesn't make anyone laugh while an overpaid and overblown Eddie Murphy hits a low in another stupid family film. We have more mindless spectacle with Terminator: Salvation in which audiences hear Christian Bale scream and scream. Then there's the ultimate culprit and the film I wanted to loathe more than any other film. Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
I've been studying films and how Hollywood works for quite a few years. I know that Michael Bay is simply nothing more than just studio-driven, give-audiences-what-they-want kind of director. Yet, in his career. He's made a couple of decent, entertaining films. Bad Boys and The Rock. Yet, they're not high art but were entertaining and had some fun moments that were watchable. Still, there was nothing original about the filmmaking since it was all product of the Bruckheimer-Simpson films of the 1980s and early 90s. Then came Armageddon and thus, a new era of Hollywood spectacle began. Here was a film that had very bad humor, heavy-handed sentimentality, lots of slow-motion shots that tries to be dramatic, lots of flashy cinematography, high-octane camera work that lasts 5-10 seconds a shot. Fast editing and all sorts of things.
All of which would define the Michael Bay-style of filmmaking. Sure, it made a lot of money but cheesy acting, a bad script, not much sense of what was going on was a sign that this was truly a bad film. Then came Pearl Harbor where if it was a history report given to someone in high school U.S. history. It would receive a very low grade. Here was a film that tried to dramatize history but was filled with lots of inaccuracies, lots of heavy-handed drama, a love story that doesn't work, and shots that ranged from mind-numbing where the audience isn't sure what's going to a shot where it's shown from the viewpoint of a bomb. That's just sick. To me, it ranks up there as one of the worst films ever made. I'm not sure if it's the worst thing I saw but it's up there somewhere. Then there's Bad Boys II. What Bay did was take everything with the first film, pump it up with steroids, have more explosions, a loud soundtrack, and lots of bad humor. It was as if everything that was fun about the first film got lost in the second.
Then came The Island , a rip-off of various films including Logan's Run that had Bay try to make a sci-fi film on one half and the other, overblown action. Neither portion worked as Bay obviously tried to be Steven Spielberg but without the talent and then cram his own action style into something that was just wall-to-wall assault. Fortunately, that film flopped. Then came the first Transformers. Obviously with Spielberg as a producer, there must've been some control in the production. The film did have a few moments that worked. That famous shot of Megan Fox with her belly shining as she's looking at an engine. The Transformers transforming. That was it. Everything else was well, typical Bay. I found myself almost feeling sick from watching the film as everything was moving way too fast, the robots didn't look so great and it was just loud and I couldn't get a sense of what was going on. Who was fighting who and such.
I just find it very depressing that the second film, which is essentially the first film with steroids and not much of a story is already making money and what might be part of an elite club of high-making blockbusters. Yet, to have this film in the company of films that are actually ranged from really good to great like Titanic and The Dark Knight is actually sickening. No, it's truly depressing to the point that I really want to commit a mass suicide in protest to this film. Maybe I should burn myself to death to prevent people from wasting hard-earned money to see something that is so bad. I would rather put a gun to my head than watch this film. That's how passionate I am when it comes to film. I don't mind being entertained. I don't mind having something to laugh at. I don't mind if a film is all style over substance. I don't care if it's a B-movie with no plot, all action, and lots of naked boobies. I just want something that at least does its job and actually be a good movie.
Michael Bay just doesn't understand what it takes to make a good film. All he cares about is the spectacle and making lots of money. For that, he has no soul and I hope he is damned to the seventh layer of hell with the likes of some of the most horrific people out there. Well, that's enough ranting for now. Let's get to the Life Top Ten List for June 2009:
1. Eraserhead
Boy, this was a film that I will never forget. Watching it late at night, it was a film that truly was indeed, a mind-f*ck. David Lynch's debut film is truly one of the most original films ever made as it reveled into Lynch's world of surrealism. From frame one, it was a film that I had never seen the likes of. I mean, almost every time as I watching it. I was saying "what the f*ck?" almost every 2-minutes. With a film that has very little dialogue for something that was around 90 minutes. It was all about images with a woman with grotesque cheeks on her face, a reptilian baby, and all of this stuff. It is a film that I will never forget.
2. Phoenix-Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
I've heard of Phoenix for years and always thought they were a good band. Then I keep hearing about this new record and decided to check it out. Now, it's my 2nd favorite album of 2009 so far. It's catchy, it's got lots of upbeat songs, some experimental stuff, and lots of style. It's really the record to hear for the summer. Thomas Mars' voice exudes teenage innocence as it's just a wonderful, sunny record that is just fun to hear. It's a record that I widely recommend.
3. Nights of Cabiria
June's definitely been a good month for me to record things. One of the films that was being played on Sundance is classic Federico Fellini film Nights of Cabiria. The film about a prostitute who hopes to escape from her troubled background, it's Giuletta Massina's performance that really won me over. It's full of charm and attitude as I think it's one of the greatest performances in cinema. Along with Nino Rota's score, it's definitely a film that I think is one of the best films ever made.
4. Dirty Projectors-Bitte Orca
One of the records that is currently in my top 10 of the best albums of 2009, so far. Dirty Projectors' new album is definitely one of the weirdest but also catchiest records I have ever heard. With songs that have weird arrangements and in different styles from indie, folk, soul, and electronic music. It's a record that seems weird but there's a lot of catchy elements that makes the record be accessible. It's definitely a record that I'm enjoying at the moment.
5. Mark Kermode's Review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
I got to hand it to Mark Kermode. Only he can trash a film with such exuberance and make it so damn entertaining. Hosting his podcast at a film festival in Scotland, Kermode goes into the style of Michael Bay and the film itself where clearly, he didn't have a good time. His rant of how bad it is and how Bay shoots things where he compares it to the way porno directors would shoot a woman's anatomy. Kermode also goes to the idea of where Bay likes to have spectacles as he delves into that kind of style where he says, it's abuse. Not entertainment. Yet, it was Kermode's final words about the film that said it all. I HATED IT! That is definitely entertaining. Anyone who says critics don't know anything about films. Shut the f*ck up and listen to this review.
6. Sound Opinions Interview with Trent Reznor
Lately, NIN mastermind Trent Reznor has become an interesting personality as he's currently embarking on his final tour, for a while, in Europe. Yet, on the last few shows in the U.S., Reznor stopped by to chat with Sound Opinions hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot to talk about NIN and other things. Reznor revealed how he used to write songs and how he does it now along with criticism towards the industry and how they wanted him to make a record in a certain way. It was definitely an insight interview that was entertaining where Reznor gave an idea of what was going on with record executives and Chris Cornell in making the already infamous debacle Scream, which DeRogatis and Kot already have stated as one of the decade's worst albums. It was a fun interview and podcast that feature a great trashed review of the new Jonas Brothers album.
7. Grizzly Bear-Veckatimest
Brooklyn is definitely a place where weird yet cool music is coming out. Along with Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear is definitely a band that is truly original. A weird combination of folk and experimental rock, Grizzly Bear's new album is definitely one of its kind. Weird yet beautiful vocal melodies, sprawling arrangements, and styles that are truly hard to define. It's not a record at first listen that is easy to digest but with repeated listens, it becomes an amazing experience.
8. Roxy Music
With rumors that a new album is in the works for a possible 2009 release, it was time to explore one of rock's most original and influential bands. With the first two albums with original keyboardist Brian Eno that was wild in its experiments to the next three records with Eno's replacement Eddie Jobson that added more flair and sophistication. It's clear that Roxy Music were ahead of their time with Bryan Ferry playing a crooner while he is supported by guitarist Phil Manzanera, saxophonist Andy Mackay, and drummer Paul Thompson. While the late 70s/early 80s recording weren't that great, 1982's Avalon is truly a mesmerizing album that is seductive and cool.
9. The Brothers Bloom
One of the most anticipated films I wanted to see last year finally came out to theaters this year. While it may not have the brilliance of Brick, Rian Johnson's sophomore feature film about two con-artists brothers deciding to pull a con on a rich, eccentric heiress is definitely a fun, smart film. Featuring great performances from Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, and Mark Ruffalo. It's Rinko Kikuchi as the brothers' explosion artist Bang-Bang that steals the film for me. She only had 3 lines yet she was just so adorable and cool to watch in every scene she's in. Right now, she's my new crush where not since Faye Wong in Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express has a performance and character got me head over heels.
10. Film Trailers
While I'm pretty sure that 2009 is not going to be some amazing year. There are some films I'm waiting to see. There's the weird comedy Cold Souls where Paul Giamatti plays himself. The literary comedy The Answer Man where Jeff Daniels plays a novelist who seems to have all the answers but doesn't only to get help from Lauren Graham. The widely anticipated Miyazaki film Ponyo looks really good in a way that only Miyazaki can deliver. Finally, there is a comedy that truly delivers that I want to see. Zombieland starring Woody Harrelson as a guy who kills zombies with Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin that features great backing music from Van Halen.
Well, that's it for June. Coming in July will be a review of the seventh and final season of Gilmore Girls along with its unofficial, virtual ninth season. Also in the music front, there will be new reviews of albums by Neko Case, Andrew Bird, Bill Callahan, Mew, and various others (including a surprise of sorts). The music marathon for the month will be an exploration of the Bristol trip-hop scene of the 1990s where 3 acts will be profiled, Massive Attack, Portishead, and Tricky. In the film world, there will be reviews of films by Kurosawa, Fellini, Truffaut, and Bergman plus reviews of theatrical releases of films like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Funny People, and maybe some art-house releases like Moon and 500 Days of Summer. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off and doing the moonwalk in tribute to the King of Pop.
Life Top Ten List: May 2009 - Life Top Ten List-July 2009
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Member: Steven Flores
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