We’ve all known a Bad Blake or two—hauling ass to kick-up trouble, cause us grief, and brighten our lives. They have big hearts and little cash. You can usually spot a Bad by the inextinguishable twinkle in their eye and the deep, deep sadness tucked behind whiskey bottles, long laughs, and mischievous grins. Nobody loves as fully—or breaks your heart so completely—as a Bad. Bads are basically good but ultimately self-destructive, and if you love a Bad, as we all do, you’re going to get hurt. And that’s ok—it ‘s worth it. Never too late.
Crazy Heart tells the story of the ultimate Bad, and--to quote a Bad Blake original--how he began as "somebody and turned into somebody else."
In one, Alen Yentob, the creative director for BBC, follows a hip-hop star through the build-up to a performance at Glastonbury. In the other, QDIII, the son of Quincy Jones, sits with a hip-hop star on a tour bus and in a five star hotel in Amsterdam. The hip-hop stars have left their 'hood' and found footing in Europe for different reasons. Ultimately, both push an American dream and a brand by making music first and 'ruling the world' second--just in very unique ways.
It is rare that the presence of an audience around me in a cinema excites me to any level, it is after all supposed to vanish as the film elevates me to higher dimensions of escapism. This was not so much the case with The Room; the best worst film ever made. Not that the film itself didn’t elevate me to unknown levels of something (of what I have to admit I am not sure), but the audience is what made this particular Saturday evening unforgettable. The film is so awfully unintentionally ridiculous that it is well worth a watch in any circumstance, but if the chance presents itself to see it in a cinema: TAKE IT! If for no other reason that you get to lob plastic spoons at the screen as often as you like (in reality you lob them at the people in front of you, but it is one of the social advantages of this film that they will simply love you for it). Before I go any further, let me just say that this film is not for those of a strong feminist constitution; and that is simply because you are a woman.
The plot is simple enough – man and woman are engaged (mostly because he provides her with financial security), woman cheats on man (because she is evil), man saves boy next door from a drug-dealer (it’s ok, he’s going to prison), and, amidst it all, people the man and woman don’t know are eating chocolate of each other in their apartment.
Tommy Wiseau is the man behind this unforeseen success, a man with a strong vision, an indefinable Eastern European accent, a degree from an unnamed acting academy, unparalleled face-muscle density and the entrepreneurship to sell unknown numbers of fake leather jackets to fund his vision. He directed, produced, and, most importantly, starred in this rapidly rising gem on the cult-film-heaven. His interpretation of Johnny, the loving fiancé of the bitchy (such language is necessary in this case) Lisa, is, in short, indescribable. If most adjectives in my description come in negative form it is because words would never do The Room justice. I will however do a brief attempt to describe some of the prolonged and ‘tasteful’ sex-scenes that inspired many contorted facial expressions among the audience (and on the screen for that matter), as well as a mass-walkout: It looked something along the lines of a close-up shot of the rear end of a horse running – in slow motion. Considering this, along with pointless scenic shots of San Fran, an incredibly unsexy adulteress, a very sexy best friend in double denim, a lot of boys having a lot of fun tossing a ball to one another wearing cycling gloves or tuxedos, as well as mother that proudly proclaims she has breast cancer without ever mentioning it again, it is no wonder the film has risen to great heights of viewer participation. Just be sure to memorise the lingo and be ready to shout any of the following at appropriate moments:
Spoon! Cancer! Who the f*** are you? Hi Denny! Bye Denny! Cause you’re a woman! Unfocus! Alcatraz! Sestosterone! I put my evil inside you! You are tearing me apart Lisa!
Meanwhile, in San Francisco…
This film will have to be seen to be understood. I can safely say this though; The Room has changed my life – for the better.
fully how 1989 'really' happened. Son of Rambow, Broken Embraces, Be Kind Rewind, Sullivan's Travels, Cinema Paradisio, The Big Picture, Boogie Nights, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Adaptation, are all movies that I really like. These are all movies about making movies. I think it is a way for 'film-school' directors to substantiate either how serious or un-serious they take themsevles. I think it is also a really fun way to tell a story or to show how they, themselves like to tell a story. Watching Alex and his friend tell the story of how they wished the events of 1989 had occured is really fun. This is the third characteristic of movies I like that this movie does really well.
s outside her apartment, she makes it to the main road in time to see the statue of Lenin being airlifted out of East Berlin. As the sun sets, Lenin, although rigid like a statue, seems to nod towards Alex's mother in a final goodbye. As Lenin is drawn out into the sunset, Alex and his sister are there to catch their mother. Hollywood has done a lot of harm to cinema but they have done a lot of cool things as well. Sunset, cathartic slow-mo is almost always lame/sheshish/kitsch/poofter, but is simultaneously almost always enjoyable (depending on how cool the rest of the movie is or was). This is the fourth characteristic of movies I like that this movie does really well.
With only one day to go before the Academy Award nominations are announced, it seemed appropriate to watch The Blind Side, for which Sandra Bullock has won this year's Golden Globe for Best Lead Actress. 2009 was Bullock's most successful year, from a box office point of view. She is also one of the most ambivalent actresses in Hollywood. One moment she stars in great films like Speed, A Time to Kill or Crash; the next moment she somehow ends up on the sets of movie mishaps such as Speed II, Premonition and, most recently, All About Steve, for which she received her second Golden Raspberry nomination.
The teams 'Big Mike' plays against are always evil and their players racist. Overall it seems like everyone is racist, even teachers. Meanwhile the black kids in Michael's hood are - wouldn't you know it - jobless and crack-dealing Gs who want to 'tap' that foster mother of his. As Michael enters the scene, the lives of the Tuohys seem to revolve around nothing but him: How he needs to pass an exam, practice football and buy a proper shirt. Not once do we see them engage in an activity that has nothing to do with Michael, which makes the film lose credibility. 