by Ray Velez

Let’s get this out of the way first: “The Thing” (2011) is a good monster movie. It has the scary jump moments, the CGI creature effects, the gore…pretty much everything that would make it a good monster movie. The problem is that, in making it a prequel to an awesome film (John Carpenter’s ”The Thing”), you have asked me to at least expect your film to play by a particular set of rules. Rules that were set up in the 1982 film.

Like I said, this is a good monster movie. But what made the 1982 film so good was that it wasn’t necessarily a monster movie. It was a film that played with paranoia, and when the monster did appear, the practical effects (which will ALWAYS be better than CGI, in my opinion) made you cringe with disgust. This monster was really there. But again, the monster only appeared out of necessity! It wanted to survive, and the best way for that to happen was to lay low until it was called out by Kurt Russell’s magnificent beard! Which I hear can cure cancer, but that’s neither here nor there. In the prequel (or reboot or whatever they are calling it), the monster is almost predatory, spending most of the film giving itself away, hunting most of the crew in its monster form. One of the scenes is reminiscent of the raptors-in-the-kitchen scene in “Jurassic Park”, which is NOT what “The Thing” should be! The people behind this film had an opportunity to make a film on par with the John Carpenter version, dealing with claustrophobia and paranoia. Instead, they just turned it into a loud affair, with very little subtlety.

All that said, the movie was nice to look at. The cinematography by Michel Abramowicz was beautiful, the direction by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. was visually appealing, the script by Eric Heisserer was strong, and the actors were all very good. Mary Elizabeth Winstead takes the lead, with Joel Edgerton as the helicopter pilot, minus any sort of epic beard. The rest of the cast, filled with what I assume are popular Swedish/Danish/Norwegian actors, were all very good, and believable in their roles. The lack of any real stars made it less obvious who was going to perish. And bonus points to the director and writers for having a good portion of the film in Norwegian with subtitles.

The score evoked John Carpenter’s film in some of its score, but again, most of the time just turned into a loud mess. The CGI effects of the monster were good, but the 1982 film still holds up today because of its practical effects. Sadly, this film’s special effects will be outdated in a few years. There were a few questions that I did have throughout this film that kind of bugged me. When Mary Elizabeth Winstead discovers for the first time what the cells of the creature are actually doing, she doesn’t tell anyone except her friend. Why!? Call me crazy, but you would have caught me blaring it over the loud speaker, writing the message in the snow with my own urine, and leaving post-it notes for everyone to find! Also, if this is a Norwegian base, why are most of the items in the background in English?

All in all, “The Thing” (2011) is a good, effective monster movie. I just wish they would have played with more of the elements that made the John Carpenter film such a classic. And though they left the film open to a sequel, I highly doubt we’ll get the opportunity to see it due to this film’s low box office numbers. Sad really, given that when the new Twilight film comes out in a month, it will more than likely break records… I miss the horror films of the 80’s.

There are films that speak for us, and there are films that speak to us. The film “Some Days are Better than Others” successfully does both. Written and directed by Matt McCormick in his feature directing debut, this film is truly remarkable. Premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2010, “Some Days” functions as a love letter to Portland and, in some respects, to this generation.

I screened this film at the Portland Film Festival, and will be eternally grateful to PFF for an amazing experience. The film takes place in Portland and centers around three people all going through what I would call a “coming-of-age” experience… after you have came of age. I don’t necessarily know if I want to give away a lot of what the film is about because that element alone is what makes this film so special.

James Mercer plays Eli, a directionless pseudo-narrator for both the story and the times we live in today. Carrie Brownstein plays the lead character Katrina in a powerhouse performance that evokes a range of emotion that has to be seen to be believed. Her character, also in need of direction, hopes to be an actress while volunteering at the humane society. As sad as it may sound, the film has something that most today are lacking: heart.

The supporting cast shines as well with Renee Roman Nose as Camille, a simple thrift store clerk who says everything she ever needs to simply with her eyes. David Wodehouse plays Otis, a character based on two different people that director McCormick knows personally. That in a nutshell is what makes these characters so interesting and full of depth. McCormick writes these people as if he knows them because he truly does. Brownstein herself volunteered at the humane society with the director and was a reason, he said, she was cast. McCormick wanted the film to feel as if you weren’t watching actors, and he’s done just that.

From the subtle yet powerful dialogue to the beautiful score that accompanies it, “Some Days are Better Than Others” works almost like a symphony for the soul. To understand why I really enjoyed this film, it’s because I related to it. Like most of my generation related to this summer’s “Toy Story 3″, this film speaks to me.
The three characters chosen all have stories that interweave with one another’s, but not in the clichéd, Altman-wannabe type you would expect. The film is a revelation and feels like the “Annie Hall” for this generation. It is to Portland what “Annie Hall” was to New York.

“Some Days” will leave you with a sense of wonder and reflection. This film is a shining example of originality and hope for the future of cinema.

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The soundtrack will be released on April 26th soundtrack through Temporary Residence Limited

Screenings for “Some Days are Better Than Others”

Albuquerque: May 6-8 @ The Guild Cinema

Hartford, CT: May 6-12 @ Real Art Ways

North Charleston, SC: May 14 @ Greater Park Film Circle

New York City, NY: June 3-9 @ Cinema Village

Kansas City, MO: June 17-23 @ The Tivoli Theatre

www.somedaysthemovie.com

www.rodeofilmco.com

Production still from Michael Tully’s “Septien”

Recap of Day 4 at SXSW 2011.

• JOHN’S GONE
• SCENES FROM THE SUBURBS
• SEPTIEN
• THE OTHER F WORD

Production still from “Fightville”

Recap of Day 5 and wrap-up of SXSW 2011.

• FIGHTVILLE
• HOW TO DIE IN OREGON
• HESHER

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Recap of Day 3 at SXSW 2011.

• WEEKEND
• CONAN O’BRIEN CAN’T STOP
• THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD
• 13 ASSASSINS
• PAUL
• THE FUTURE

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Having spent some time browsing the Criterion Collection’s site recently, I got inspired by the celebrity ‘Top Ten Criterion’ lists (not to mention some awesome best-of-the-decade lists from my friends Will Gray and Jordan Poss) and decided to make my own.

Here are my favorite Criterion films:

1: Yojimbo – Kurosawa molded the way I think about cinema more than any other director. ‘Yojimbo’ is the best film about violence ever made, and one of Kurosawa’s biggest hits. I put off seeing this film for years, even while being inspired by Kurosawa’s other masterpieces (‘The Seven Samurai,’ ‘The Hidden Fortress,’ ‘Rashomon,’ ‘Throne Of Blood,’ ‘High and Low,’ and ‘Madadayo’ in particular), and finally saw it in college. It’s an inspiration to me to this day.

2: Brazil – Terry Gilliam’s emotionally exhausting, hallucinogenic, hilarious masterpiece says more about who I am as a person than most starkly realistic dramas. Gilliam has always been a technical master, though an excessive and oftentimes frustrating filmmaker. His creativity often gets the best of him, and it’s a shame that Brazil is his only film that shows focus and emotional power. As literate and poetic as 1984, this Monty-Python-meets-George-Orwell journey into madness is the powerful tragedy of a man who can’t stop dreaming.

3: Rebecca – I don’t care of Hitchcock disowned this film; it’s one of his best: a literary girl-power drama with moral complexity that gives p.t. Anderson’s films a run for his money. And it’s packaged like a gold-plated bullet by Hollywood’s greatest sorceror.

4: Do The Right Thing – Raw, angry, profane, hilarious, ecstatic—Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing channels much of the conflict I witnessed as a child growing up in Baltimore (even though the film takes place in Brooklyn), and it’s directed with a humanity, empathy, and glee that evokes adolescent joy. Yeah, it’s angry, and yeah, the ending’s controversial (the first time I saw it, it just made sense to me–a character made a decision, and that decision caused a riot), but it is essential viewing for anyone who wants to know what it means to be an auteur. The clip below changed my life.

5: 8 ½ - Probably the pinnacle of 60s filmmaking. Ar self-absorbed, auteur-ego-worship extravaganza that became one of the greatest films ever made: a cartoonish, deeply personal ‘dream-autobiography’ of the Italian celebrity/filmmaker Frederico Fellini. This is the only Fellini film I’ve ever seen more than ten minutes of… but I could watch it over and over again.

6: Hoop Dreams – My second favorite documentary (behind my favorite film The Fog Of War) is an epic tale of the American dream. It’s the story of two young African American teenage boys fighting to keep their dream of getting into the NBA; a longitudinal documentary following them through all four years of high school. Words can’t describe the power and near-perfection of this film, the countless ‘I’m-a-guy-so-I-shouldn’t-be-crying-right-now’ moments on their journey to manhood. I took this film home once and watched it in the living room with my family, fully expecting them to walk out after ten minutes… only to watch, elated, as they finished the film with me.

7: Hard-Boiled – Profoundly influential, John Woo’s hyper-kinetic, technically astonishing, nine-mil-in-both-hands blast-fest is one of the greatest–and most stylistically excessive–action films ever made. I heard about it in high school: a friend told me that the climax of the film, a set piece in a hospital, was an hour long. I had to see it. I found it a couple years later on VHS at a Best Buy in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and was enraptured at first viewing. Later, I found the film onceagain–the out of print Criterion Collection edition–for ten dollars at a Blockbuster in Spring Valley, California.

Just a quick note: I can see why the Criterion Collection edition of this film wasn’t in print for long: the transfer kinda stinks. The extras are great (it even includes one of Woo’s student films), but the newer, non-Criterion version released a year ago is probably a better bet if you’re on the market to buy it.

8: Howards End – Rich and literate, with an entrancing atmosphere that threatens to envelop the viewer, Howards End represents the pinnacle of the Merchant/Ivory experience. This E.M. Forster adaptation of intersecting social classes also features top-of-their-game work from Anthony Hopkins (in the middle of his four-banger ‘best run of the 90s’ performances, which also include The Silence Of The Lambs, The Remains Of The Day, and Shadowlands), Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham-Carter, and Vanessa Redgrave. It’s the ultimate British costume drama; and the ultimate in fine, classically-styled film.