I’ve been plagued by jet lag for the past few days, waking up around 4 wide-eyed and unable to roll over and talk in my sleep for hours (like I’d like to). It’s a nice, icy blue time of day–good to catch up on some reading, but even better to do some lonely home viewing. Here are a few of the things I’ve been enjoying at unlikely hours.

1. Breaking Bad — Okay, maybe you shouldn’t watch this at 4 AM: its tone is downright apocalyptic; and it’s more melodramatic than AMC’s other amazing offering, Mad Men. But Breaking Bad is not only engrossing and addicting, it’s pointed and truly modern in a way that fills a void left by The Wire and The Sopranos. The Season 3 premiere might be the best “the way we live now” ever.

2. By Brakhage — I’ve been revisiting these in preparation for the day when I buy Volume Two. Watching Brakhage without the flicker of the projector can be bizarre, but on DVD in the deserted morning it seems perfect: just let yourself zoom in, frame by frame, and watch everything pass and flow. But don’t look at it like a painting: it’s a film.

3. JFK — Why, yes, a healthy dose of epic conspiracy theory before the sun rises is more enjoyable than at night with friends. Paranoia is better in the dawn? Maybe. Don DeLillo in the evening, by the fire; Oliver Stone in the morning, with coffee. Back and to the left.

4. The Silent World — You’ve seen The Life Aquatic. Now spring for the real thing: Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle collaborated on this Oscar winning documentary which seems timelier now more than ever. All the DVD collections of Cousteau’s explorations are also highly recommended.

5. Guy Maddin — All of Guy Maddin’s bizarre and beautiful films are made better by early morning confusion and lightheadedness, especially Archangel and the amazing Careful.

Walter Murch on Editing

I’ve been editing Part II for the past 7 months, and it’s been a roller coaster of a ride. After a brief hiatus into production mode for re-shoots, I found myself back at the computer again with all of this new footage and the same old feeling of dread.  I slapped together what I thought was right and compressed it and sent it out.  Then, thank god, Spring Break (my last and surely best) swept me off my feet.  For fun, I brought along a copy of In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch.  They say that milk was a bad choice, but this was a good one.

In a series of brilliant micro-chapters, Murch explores the process and theory of editing, taking us with him through his transition from analog non-linear editing of 35-mm workprints to linear editing on flatbeds on to the avid system.  He writes about the advantages of each system and how he had to change his habits as the technology advanced.  (Peter Hutton, who had lunch with Murch recently, reports that he’s switched entirely to Final Cut Pro.)  I took my time with the book and still finished it in a few days.

Back after my week in Brewster, MA, I decided to try some of the new information I had gleaned from Mr. Murch.

TIP #1: Stand while editing.

This actually works.  I turned my mac pro sideways and put my monitor on top of it, my mouse on my subwoofer, and my keyboard on some DVDs.  I might look like a nut but it kept me focused on my film.  Plus, I could walk away from it and watch it from the other side of the room, which leads to the next tip:

TIP #2: Remember the scale of the image.

In our world of smaller and better screens, we often forget that the point of a film is to project it onto a big screen.  Murch suggests putting little paper people next to your monitor so you can see the image in relation to them.  I didn’t go that far, but I have been screening it in the cinema at Bard every week.  A bad cut glares at you from the silver screen- I’ve learned a lot seeing my film big.

TIP #3: Review your unused footage.

Murch laments the loss of the linear editing machine where, if you want to get a particular take from the reel, you have to play through the entire reel to find it.  One of my scenes wasn’t working exactly right, so I tried this method out: I searched through all of my bins looking for odds and ends that I had shot but not labeled.  I found 44 frames of Eli’s clothes sitting on the shore that I had shot to roll out, slowed it down a little, and saved the pacing of the scene.

TIP #4: Change your perspective.

Murch has his master output monitor mounted on the wall to his left.  This allows him to turn sideways and review the cut from a different vantage point.  At first I thought this sounded somewhat crazy, but I tried it out.  Now, after making a cut, I stand up, walk out of the room, walk back into the room, play the clip and stand against the far wall. Because I can’t see the timeline, I’m can’t anticipate the cut; it just happens.  It’s a great way to put your cuts through the “does it feel natural” test.

I highly recommend you buy In the Blink of an Eye and read it every once in a while.  It’s an easy way to get your film-theory gears turning.

After a record-setting year at the box office, what can we expect in 2010? More of the same. Don’t expect Hollywood to surprise us when things are going so well. Expect more 3D, more talking CGI animals, more lame comedies/soft dramas starring Sandra Bullock.

Not that I’m cynical.

Seriously, there are some really interesting projects set to premiere in 2010. Here is what I’m most excited to see:

Green Zone (March) The Bourne Occupation. Based on the nonfiction book Imperial Life in the Emerald City, Matt Damon searches for WMDs right before the surge of troops in Iraq. Judging from Paul Greengrass’ non-Bourne outings (United 93, Bloody Sunday), expect a meticulously-researched, taut thriller.  Not to be confused with Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg, out the same week.

Iron Man 2 (May) The exception to the unfortunate-sequel rule: sequels to superhero movies are generally bigger, badder, and bolder than their originals. The principal cast and crew is back and they’ve nabbed Mickey Rourke. The biggest movie of the year, and for good reason.

Inception (July) How do you follow up after making one of the most successful blockbusters–financially and critically–in history (The Dark Knight)? Use the new, expanded resources the studios are now willing to give you to return to your roots. This sci-fi, potentially time-travelling story (the press and trailers are vague) suggest Memento for Imax. Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page (!) star.

The Green Hornet (December) Michel Gondry, Seth Rogen superhero adaptation, just in time for Christmas, written by the scribes of Superbad and Pineapple Express. Could be all wrong, or just right. I’ll bank on the latter.

The Tree of Life (TBA) Terrence Malick makes films every half decade, if that. This generational epic, originally titled Q, has been in the works for 30 years. Brad Pitt and Sean Penn star. Expect something interesting, if not magnificent, with a pervertedly long running time.

The Beaver (TBA) A year ago, the script of “The Beaver” was number one on an “official” list of best unproduced screenplays. This quirky portrait of a CEO who suffers a mental breakdown and, following, can only communicate through use of a beaver puppet, originally had Steve Carrell attached but now has (gulp) Mel Gibson. I couldn’t think of a more fitting comeback.

The First Gun (TBA) The director of Hero and House of Flying Daggers remakes the Coen Bros’ Blood Simple for the Mandarin-speaking crowd. Hey, we do it all the time to them. Here is some sweet vengeance.

Black Swan (TBA) Darren Aronofsky’s psychological ballet thriller. Yeah, I know. I can’t wait either.

Life During Wartime (TBA) Todd Solondz’s sequel to 1998’s great dark comedy Happiness has already made the festival circuit to generally positive reviews. Apparently, it’s more talk-heavy and politically overt than his previous films. Suitably, it’s named after a Talking Heads song.

Rabbit Hole (TBA) John Cameron Mitchell has proven he’s capable of stage-to-screen adaptations. In this one, Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart star as a couple dealing with the death of their 4-year-old. Decidedly less wacky than Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

While my filmmaking brethren are location scouting up in the snowy land of Pickering, Ontario, I’m holding down the fort back here in the States and keeping warm in the nascent days of the new year.

The Round-Up Endorsements this month are leaner than they have been before, but never worry: come February, we’ll have more laid out for you.

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck  – Short, sweet and sour stories from a master of style and form.  Most people recall Steinbeck as a copy of The Grapes of Wrath, resigned to a high school senior’s reading list, but he’s at his best and grittiest when he’s spitting out short stories.

The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis  – Speaking of short stories, if you haven’t read Lydia Davis then you’re truly missing out on a modern pioneer of the form.  She packs more into a single paragraph than anyone else out there.

Alka-Seltzer  – Pop, pop, fizz, fizz, oh! what a relief it is! And, indeed, it is.  Get the original kind, the two tablets that drop into a glass of water.  Even though it seems just to be an ironic throwback (akin to, “Hey! Moxie soda isn’t just delicious, it’s nutritious too!” [actual advertising slogan]), we at the Company have found that Alka-Selter actually works wonders for both colds and hangovers.

Carrying Tea Packets in Your Coat  – Why not chase the tablets with some hot tea?  Everyone has more tea packets lying around their place than they would ever like to admit.  Make use of them, especially in these chilly winter months, by carrying a few around in your coat pocket.  Gas stations, cafes, and even Starbucks rarely charge for hot water, so keep your money and stay warm.  Also, green tea helps your immune system.  Hypochondriac or no, a little boost in flu season never hurt anyone.

Now, on this snowy New Year’s Eve, it’s a better time than ever to reflect back on the year and select our choices for the best cinematic efforts in 2009.

Myself, Peter Warren, Brian Barth, Giampaolo Bianconi, Jake Teresi and Matt Paley all wrote down our Top-10 lists (although Matt, in an uncharacteristically cynical move, declined to offer a full 10).  There were ten films overlapping our choices, and, ranked by frequency, comprise the final top-10 list.

Best Films.

Up (Dir. Pete Doctor) — 5 Votes
The Hurt Locker (Dir. Kathryn Bigelow) — 5 Votes
A Serious Man (Dirs. Joel and Ethan Coen) — 4 Votes
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Dir. Wes Anderson) — 3 Votes
Up In The Air (Dir. Jason Reitman) — 3 Votes
Inglorious Basterds (Dir. Quentin Tarantino) — 2 Votes
Lorna’s Silence (Dir. Jean-Pierre Dardenne) — 2 Votes
Where The Wild Things Are (Dir. Spike Jonze) — 2 Votes
The Road (Dir. John Hillcoat) — 2 Votes
Sugar (Dir. Anna Boden) — 2 Votes

———————

Peter Warren’s Picks

Up
Adventureland
Bronson
Coraline
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
A Serious Man
Sugar
Tyson
Up In The Air

———————

Giampaolo Bianconi’s Picks

The Road
Police, Adjective
Up
The Limits of Control
Summer Hours
Beaches of Agnes
24 City
Lorna’s Silence
Two Lovers
2012

———————

Brian Barth’s Picks

A Serious Man
The Road
Up in the Air
Crank 2: High Voltage
Sugar
The Princess and the Frog
The Hurt Locker
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Girlfriend Experience
An Education

———————

Matt Paley’s Picks

Up
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Bright Star
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Lorna’s Silence
Where The Wild Things Are
The Hurt Locker

———————

Jake Teresi’s Picks

Up
The Hurt Locker
A Serious Man
Adventureland
Funny People
Avatar
The Cove
Food, Inc.
An Education
Precious

———————

Adam Hirsch’s Picks

The Hurt Locker
Up
Where The Wild Things Are
Fantastic Mr. Fox
White Ribbon
Tetro
In The Loop
Star Trek
Up In The Air
Inglorious Basterds

———————

]]> http://sainteliotandco.com/blog/the-best-of-2009/feed/ 1 http://sainteliotandco.com/blog/snowed-in-pleasure/ http://sainteliotandco.com/blog/snowed-in-pleasure/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:00:00 +0000 Giampaolo Bianconi http://sainteliotandco.com/?p=1415

We’ve just had our first substantial snow of the season here in Boston, and it looks like it’ll be a long haul (as usual) until it’s gone.  With that in mind, here’s a list of four things I’ll be enjoying until I make my winterly migration south of the equator.

1. Friday Night Lights Season One — One of my professors recommended this when we were reading Don DeLillo’s football novel End Zone. There’s nothing more satisfying than the tribulations of small town Texas football, no actor more earnest than Kyle Chandler, and no bad-ass momma more fun to listen to than Liz Mikel.

2. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick — I’d never read Dick before I picked up this fast-reading and fascinating alternate history about a world in which the axis powers had won World War II.  If you haven’t, do.

3. Hot Chocolate from L.A. Burdick — Burdick, as I understand it, has three outposts: one in Cambridge, MA, one in Walpole, NH, and one in New York City. If you live in those places, odds are you’re familiar with their mousse-thick hot chocolate. It’s unbeatable. If you’re not familiar with it–well, you can order some online.

4. Die Hard — Last but certainly not least is my favorite Christmas movie. Oliver Stone said that Bruce Willis was the Humphrey Bogart of our generation. I don’t know about that, but in Die Hard he proves to be just as compulsively watchable as Bogie in To Have and Have Not or The Big Sleep. Alan Rickman, too, is delightfully devilish as the leader of a German terrorist group (oddly similar to the Icelandic hockey players from The Mighty Ducks). As for John McTiernan being Howard Hawks–I’d like to say time will tell, but it doesn’t look good…

The ride’s over.

There went the decade, crawling to a slow halt in the station, and now we disembark.  This decade had its ups (college, technology) and downs (war, hurricanes)–and the world of film was no exception.  Filmmaking went in two directions:  Hollywood films ballooned year by year with increasing budgets and frames, culminating with this month’s Avatar, James Cameron’s all-digital $700 million 3D action romp; Independent Cinema moved into inventive territory with uploads to YouTube and low-fi meditations in Neo-neorealism after many Studio Independent Branches that funded indies (for a period, c. 2003-2007) realized that there was no real market where they believed one to be and abandoned the cause.  Still, large theater chains carried more independent films than ever before, and distribution for independent films was bigger than ever with the internet and VOD cable television bringing cinema to places it never could have travelled in the past.

We forget that in 1999, DVDs were seen as the luxury alternative to VHS tapes (as Blu-Ray is to DVD now) and the local video rental store was the general access point to the cinematic world.  But with this decade came the domination of the disc, and Netflix rose with it along the way.  No matter where you live, so long as you have access to the internet and a DVD player, you can watch nearly any film.  Think about that.

This decade was the era of the superhero.  Television rooted itself in its conception of reality, though gradually began to lose itself to the power of the immediacy of the internet.  Just as the remote control killed the traditional nightly television schedule, so did TiVO and iTunes murder watching television on any predetermined schedule at all.

Here’s the Company List for the top films of the Noughties. These films are listed in chronological order, since the task of attempting to quantify a rank for such a wide variety of films is next to impossible.

2000.  In The Mood For Love  –  (Dir. Wong Kar-Wai)

Perhaps the best love story of the decade (another arguable candidate would be 2008’s Wall-E).  Wong Kar-Wai’s meditation on unfulfilled love sizzles with Christopher Doyle’s unreal colors and cinematography.

2001.   Mulholland Dr.  –  (Dir. David Lynch)

To settle the debate once and for all:  no one, no one, actually knows the “plot” of the film.  David Lynch created a multilayered maze that helped launch Naomi Watts’ career.  Nothing else came close to matching the beautiful terror of a man standing behind a dumpster waiting for us.

2001.   The Royal Tenenbaums  –  (Dir. Wes Anderson)

“…I always wanted to be a Tenenbaum.” From the opening Prologue, set to an instrumental version of “Hey Jude” and a voiceover by Alec Baldwin, to the last slow-motion shot at the cemetery, perfectly synchronized to the serendipitous “Everyone” by Van Morrison, Wes Anderson crafted a great film and a good story made even better from an outstanding ensemble cast.  No one has thought of anamorphic lenses quite the same way ever since.

2002.   Y Tu Mamá También  –  (Dir. Alfonso Cuarón)

Cuarón’s free-form journey to a mythical, idyllic beach with long, flowing shots sits as a permanent cinematic hymn to the confusion of love, the pain of youth, and the hidden beauty of the world.  But–were it none of those things–it still would have made the list for Luisa’s slow dance towards the camera near the end.

2004.  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind  –  (Dir. Michel Gondry)

Because breakups are hard and no one had known quite how to articulate a very old question:  if the end of the relationship is painful enough, would you prefer it never to have happened?  And because only Michel Gondry could irrigate the humanism buried deep within the complex script by Charlie Kaufman.

2005.  Caché  –  (Dir. Michael Haneke)

No other film perfectly encapsulated the Decade’s most prominent themes: a deep sense of uncertainty and the burgeoning digital universe of technology.  Haneke caught a lot of slack for the ending, but the mystery itself — who filmed us? — was the ideal metaphor for this period of time.

2007.  I’m Not There  –  (Dir. Todd Haynes)

I’m Not There represents an unmatched attempt at crafting a truly cinematic biography of a person:  fragmented, refractory, and incomplete.  Todd Haynes travelled down a clear salad bar of auteurs to choose from for inspiration — Fellini, Godard, and Sirk to name a few — in order to give every “glance” at Bob Dylan a new feeling.

2007.   There Will Be Blood  –  (Dir. P.T. Anderson)

The most poetic film of the decade was also the most potent indictment of the Bush-Era political mindset.  It’s not just one of the best because of Daniel-Day Lewis’ performance, which was easily one of the best of the decade, but because P.T. Anderson drew from a dark palette to give us an intense story using a deft economy of dialogue and exposition.

2008.  Wall-E  –  (Dir. Andrew Stanton)

In the opening ten minutes, Andrew Stanton was able to reduce storytelling to its oldest, and best, elements.  Though the entire film is nearly silent, it is easily one of the most emotional and engaging stories of the Decade.  It’s the perfect paradox:  the most artificially created film of the year was also the most human.

2009.  Ballast  –  (Dir. Lance Hammer)

Most people do the same double-take when they find out that the director of the film — a film propelled forward by an entirely African-American cast of non-actors giving intense, unsentimental performances — was white. Lance Hammer was able to reduce filmmaking to its guttural core by spending the better part of three years in the Mississippi delta casting the actors and workshopping the script with them.  Watching Ballast we’re given the clear harbinger of the next wave of filmmaking.

This is the time of the year when the big passion-projects come out–films that either soar (Lord of the Rings, Million Dollar Baby) or sorely disappoint (All the Pretty Horses, Ali, Alexander). It’s Oscar season, but you wouldn’t know it from the year-end mainstream releases, many of which hope to be THE hit Christmas movie. Don’t believe the hype: Sherlock Holmes will be mostly air, It’s Complicated won’t work out (just stop, Nancy Meyers) and were you actually going to see Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel? There won’t be much to see for a while besides Avatar, unless you live in a town with an independent cinema, until some of the indies start to expand.

Here are a half dozen movies I GUARANTEE are worth seeking out:

UP IN THE AIR:  Jason Reitman, it seems, was not destined to be a one-film wonder. Ironically, George Clooney flying around on planes and firing people seems like this year’s perfect Christmas movie.  (http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/upintheair)

PRECIOUS:  Okay, so it’s actually been out for a while in urban areas but I live in the middle of nowhere. We’re always drawn to great performances we didn’t see coming and this delivers two–by Mo’Nique and Mariah Carey. If a film about teen pregnancy can be uplifting (Juno), can a teen incest rape be too?   (http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/precious)

BROKEN EMBRACES:  Minor Almodovar is still better than 95% of films out there.   (http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/brokenembraces)

NINE:  Rob Marshall is flashy and mediocre but Daniel-Day Lewis is always worth watching. I suspect they’ll average each other out. With 9 nominations, it topped the Press Academy’s nominations earlier this week.    (http://www.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/nine)

AVATAR:  Let’s say that the naysayers are right and that it doesn’t deliver, that it isn’t the most sensational movie since Titanic, or that it’s not even close. I think this will be interesting to sit through. And if it’s not for the right reasons, go wasted.   (http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avatar)

THE WHITE RIBBON:  Haneke’s masterpiece. This is a film people will be watching in film school decades later.    (http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/thewhiteribbon/)

NOTA BENE: I had the exclusive pleasure of seeing a post-production lab work on Alvin and Chipmunks: The Squeakuel over the summer. This place had at least 150 workers dedicating their time to animating chipmunks in live-action scenes. “It takes a long time because we wanted to simulate the movement of real chipmunks,” the guide told us. No one bothered to tell him that chipmunks don’t hop around on on their hind legs. I signed a form promising not to disseminate details about the story of the film. Needless to say, a bunch of chipmunks scurry around, sing and play dodgeball. Watching the dodgeball scene, where Theodore and Simon battle real human children, I recall remarking: “I noticed some existential elements in the first film, but the squeakuel really takes it to the next level.”

My Thanksgiving.

It’s Thanksgiving–and I know, I know, you’ve got so many things to do–but here are some things to make your down-time that much sweeter.

1. The Top Ten Book Covers of the 00s. If you’re design inclined, it’s easy to chuck the maxim “never judge a book by its cover.” I do it all the time. It’s great to see some of the best covers of the decade in one place. Also the Book Cover Archive Blog just got added to my Googler Reader.

2. Speaking of Google, the great historian Robert Darnton has just written about “Google and the New Digital Future” for the New York Review of Books. It touches on the reasons why soon most books won’t even need covers.

3.Don DeLillo has a new story in this week’s New Yorker.

4. Look at this photo of Lauren Bacall before you eat. Think about it while you eat. Return to it after you eat.

5. Richard Brody talks about Pedo Almodóvar’s new film (thankfully staring Penelope Cruz), Broken Embraces. You can watch the trailer here.

6. You might want to consider following the turkey with a Camel.

Here are our humble endorsements.

Ordering a ‘Short’ Coffee at Starbucks
It’s kind of like ordering off the secret menu at In and Out Burger.  They don’t offer it in the usual three choices, and since all of us here at the Company prefer good ol’drip coffee to an impressively verbose latte order, the Short is the ideal size for the afternoon kick you need, or if you just want to go and read in peace.  Trust us:  you’ll be cooler than Shackleton’s right hand.  (In addition, thank you, History Channel, for the many late-night Shackleton documentaries.)

Collected Stories by Gabriel García Márquez.
Because great style never ages, and every story is a gem.  Amazingly, Márquez’s short-story output is slim.  Although the book only has just under 350 pages, it reads fast but goes to brave depths.  Buy a copy and you’ll come back to it again and again for years.  Also, he never uses adverbs — ever.  The man considers them to be cheating.  Go and try to find one.  We dare you.

Eating Dinner Around 8:00 p.m.
And do it with a good group of friends.  Don’t eat in front of the television, and don’t eat something that involves anything to do with a microwave oven.  Crack open a bottle of wine and eat sandwiches for an hour.  It makes life seem that much better.

Uni-Ball Signo 207 Medium Pens.
Black ink preferred.  The ideal writing instrument for anything and everything.  Unpretentious, quick, and easy.

Watching College Football on Saturday Afternoon.
Most people who watch football prefer the NFL to the NCAA (going by a completely unscientific poll).  But there’s an earnestness and, yes, even an innocence that can be found in college football that lacks in the NFL; every single one of those players does it for free and gives their heart to the team simply out of a love for the game.  Although the BCS system is extremely — read: extremely — flawed, most conference games and especially rivalries are worth watching.  Lay on the couch, turn it on, and pick a side.

KitKat Bars.
Gimme a break.  Do you really need a reason?

“Ruby My Dear” by Thelonious Monk
Listen to this song, performed by this man, if you ever wanted to know what falling in love sounds like.