2005 movies, part 2: hidden treasures

One of the biggest pleasures of watching movies year after year is discovering stuff I'd a) never heard of, b) never been able to find in any theater or video store, or unavailable due to being out of print or c) never been able to catch locally within the respective year of release.

So here is an extended list of discoveries I made this past year:



20:30:40 (04; 2005 AFFD screening) -- Very nice film about three women of varying ages (hence the title) who have varying degrees of success with their respective lovelives and careers.

A SNAKE OF JUNE (02; Tartan DVD) -- One of my personal favorites this year. From the director of Tetsuo: The Iron Man, a dark and strange tale of erotic necessity and misplaced love.

ANATOMY OF HELL (04) -- A Catherine Breillat film I did not dislike, and conversely, found to be one of the more intriguing films this year. A woman and a man make a bargain dealing in observation, sex and emotional detachment, with unexpected results. Nuff said.

ARAKIMENTARI (04; 2005 AFFD screening) -- Documentary about a Japanese photographer; by turns racy, bawdy, profane, beautiful and sad.

BAD TIMING (80; Criterion DVD) -- Who would expect Art Garfunkle and Theresa Russell to make for an interesting pair in this mysterious, overtly sexual film about lives that intertwine with all the worst results?

BREAKING NEWS (04) -- Yet another great Johnnie To film. Find it, buy it, love it.

CIRCLE OF IRON (78) -- David Carradine's valentine to Bruce Lee, it is dated and sometimes laughable, but still a pleasure to watch.

DOPPELGANGER (02) -- Kiyoshi Kurosawa's ever-so-subtle comedy about an inventor who's evil twin appears one day with mixed results. Another great film no one saw.

F FOR FAKE (73; Criterion DVD) -- Seriously dated but still wildly enjoyable if you have the patience and perseverance needed to watch it, this Orson Welles documentary is brilliant moviemaking and deserves the release and credit it never received.

GOZU (03; 2005 AFFD screening) -- This Takashi Miike ode to David Lynch-style weirdness-for-the-sake-of-weirdness was a mystery to me until I watched it at this year's festival, and I discovered an all-new appreciation for it. Not for everyone.

INFERNAL AFFAIRS II (03; 2005 AFFD screening) -- The first film was a solid cop show, but this sequel was charged with a dense drama of Godfather proportions, and was so powerful that I wondered how it never came to be released in the states. Brilliant work all around.

KAMIKAZE GIRLS (04; 2005 AFFD screening) -- Goofy, silly, trippy fun.

LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE (03; 2005 AFFD screening) -- It would be in my top ten if it were from this year. Tadanobu Asano stars as a highly introverted man who finds love while evading mobsters. Not in the slightest as wacky as that sentence sounds. It is a beautiful, lyrical film that deserves far more attention than it got.

LES CHORISTES (04) -- French film about a former composer who becomes a teacher in a school for delinquent boys. Not as schmaltzy as that sentence sounds.

MANCHILD (03; BBC TV/DVD) -- Britain's all-male version of Sex In The City, only all four of the primaries are guys pushing 50.

MPD PSYCHO (00) -- Another limited-run series, this time from Miike. Frequently impenetrable, often darkly comical, and always very, very strange, it's about a team of police trying to track down a pair of killer personalities that can jump from body to body.

RECONSTRUCTION (04) -- So weird. I loved it.

RIDING GIANTS (04) -- A second documentary from Stacy Peralta, this time about the history of big-wave surfing. Exhilarating and great fun.

SAMURAI CHAMPLOO (04) -- Finally, an anime series with the same catchy, intriguing style of storytelling and artwork that Cowboy Bebop had...which makes sense: Kaneshiro Watanabe did both shows.

SAVE THE GREEN PLANET (03; 2005 AFFD screening) -- Dark, dark, dark. Slightly satirical, slightly comical, always fascinating. A great film, and another winning effort from the South Korean film industry.

SURVIVE STYLE 5+ (04) -- Extremely hard to find. Extremely bizarre. Also one of the most colorful and gorgeously created films since Greenaway's The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover. Also, for the ladies: more Asano.

THE BIG RED ONE: THE RECONSTRUCTION (80) -- This re-issue of Samuel Fuller's WWII film on DVD is a victory for fans of the war genre and the director's work.

THE BIG SWINDLE (04) -- Another Korean flick. This caper will seem familiar to anyone who delves regularly into the crime genre, but it still maintains its freshness amidst all the cliches.

THE QUIET FAMILY (98) -- This precursor to Miike's Happiness of the Katikuris is a more subtle, clever and enjoyable thriller that asks the question "why do people keep dying in our possibly haunted inn?"

THE SEA INSIDE (04) -- A real tear-jerker, but also a wonderful film with Javier Bardem giving an award-worthy performance as Ramon Sampedro, an Argentinian man who, once paralyzed from the neck down, fought to gain the right to end his own life.

THIS SO-CALLED DISASTER (03) -- Behind-the-scenes look at the rehearsals of Sam Shepard's play The Late Henry Moss. Terrific review of actors working at their craft, without seeming obnoxious or self-serving.

THROWDOWN (04; 2005 AFFD screening) -- Yet another Johnnie To winner, this time about martial artists working at their craft, without seeming obnoxious or...oh, sorry.

WHEN WILL I BE LOVED (04) -- A perfect little short story of a film.

YAKUZA PAPERS 1: BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY (63) -- Pure brilliance. Before there was The Godfather, before there was Goodfellas, this tale of the creation of the modern-day Yakuza triads is the penultimate "gangster" film.

Whew.



Next: MOVIES, part 3

2005 movies, part 1: the filth and the fury

Because so much goes into my lists of films each year, and because many good films are released late in the year and well into January, it's actually easier for me to start off with the worst list, the disappointments on varying scales, and work up to the great stuff. One of the frustrating aspects of following films and not being a professional reviewer is I have to wait on some great movies that just don't get a wide or immediate release locally.

But the real crap was easy to spot. Let us begin:


THE BIG DISAPPOINTMENTS (if not 2005, year indicated by title)

9 SONGS -- Sex and music: sounds like a great weekend, but somehow this film failed to convey that.

ALEXANDER (04) -- When did warrior epics become silly and boring? Oliver Stone needs to find a new conspiracy to cover before he loses his touch.

ARAGAMI (02) -- Don't forget, I watch LOADS of Asian film, both for festival reasons and for general enjoyment. In this case, the film in question was good for neither purpose.

BAD EDUCATION (04) -- Mommy, I feel all dirty.

BEYOND THE SEA (04) -- When vanity projects go bad.

BON VOYAGE (03) -- Bon boring.

BOOGEYMAN -- The sound of Sam Raimi cashing a check.

BRIDE AND PREJUDICE -- I'll just find some REAL Bollywood.

BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS (04) -- Mommy, I feel sticky dirty.

CRIMINAL (04) -- There's this film, see, it's called Nine Queens.

DOOR IN THE FLOOR (04) -- What a bunch of awful, stupid people.

DOWNTOWN 81 (02) -- That's 81 minutes of drivel. This is why Basquiat is dead.

EMBEDDED (live) (04) -- Tim Robbins: don't quit your day job.

EYE SEE YOU (03) -- Eye feel sleepy.

HIGH TENSION/HAUTE TENSION (04) -- Pretty engaging and scary until you realize THERE'S NO FUCKING WAY IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. Who needs logic when you have masturbation?

HOTEL RWANDA (04) -- Which, sadly, feels like a movie made for people to cry over and award with statuettes.

HOUSE OF FURY -- Again, there's nothing like bad asian.

HOUSE OF WAX -- Not all that bad, if you like crap.

ICHI THE KILLER, EPISODE 1 (02) -- Animated feature that is so disgusting and reprehensible that it makes the live-action feature look like Sense & Sensibility.

IMAGINARY HEROES -- We're a family with emotional issues. Yawn.

IN MY COUNTRY -- We're a nation with racial injustice. Yawn.

IT'S ALL GONE PETE TONG -- This film has a terrific final third. Unfortunately, you have to sit through a tired, stereotypical first two-thirds to get there.

IVANS XTC (04) -- One of the absolute worst films of 2004. A shame I saw it in 2005. Or in any year, really.

LAND OF THE DEAD -- It was okay. But when you consider it's lineage, well...sigh.

LE SAMOURAI (67) -- What's all the fuss? This "classic" actually sucks!

LOVE BATTLEFIELD (04) -- The worst film the AFFD screened at this year's festival.

MAJOR DUNDEE (67, restored) -- Needs greater restoration.

MALICE @ DOLL (00) -- Really stupid and annoying. There, I've said it. And I can't type the title without my PC thinking it's a link.

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA -- Pretty, pretty, pretty. Shame it had no heart.

MINDHUNTERS -- I used to like Val Kilmer.

NIGHT WATCH -- I waited all year for this?

SAW 2 -- I like the part with the killer talking. Everything else was vile and muddled.

SEANCE (2000) -- When you've been enthralled with a director's work, a slight film can seem hugely disappointing. This is such a moment.

SEVEN SWORDS -- Pretty, pretty, pretty. Shame it had no guts.

SEX IS COMEDY (03) -- Which was neither sexy nor funny. Nor interesting.

STAR WARS EPISODE III SITHY SITH SITH -- They couldn't even close the deal. Man.

STEALTH -- Ray dies.

THE ICE HARVEST, THE JACKET, THE ISLAND, THE LEOPARD (63), THE LONGEST YARD (redux), THE MAN WHO COPIED, THE PASSION RECUT, THE WILD PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL -- Why?

WISHING STAIRS (03) -- Asians can make crappy horror films, too.



and now...not just badly made, but bad at their very core:
THE ABSOLUTE WORST FILMS OF THE YEAR


A SOUND OF THUNDER -- Childish science-fiction.
ALONE IN THE DARK -- Childish horror.
BAD NEWS BEARS -- Sloppy, irritating remake made solely for cash. Shame on Richard Linklater for agreeing to do so.
BE COOL -- Sloppy, irritating sequel made solely for cash. Shame on everyone involved for agreeing to do so.
DARK WATER -- Unscary, dull and boring remake of an Asian horror film that worked.
ELEKTRA -- Worst Marvel Comic of the year.
KICKING & SCREAMING -- Most unfunny comedy of the year and most shameful Robert Duvall appearance in decades.
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN -- When did period pieces about the crusades become boring?
MAN WITH THE SCREAMING BRAIN -- Unpleasant, unfunny, badly acted, sorrowful on every level.
THE BROTHERS GRIMM -- When Terry Gilliam fails, he really does it up right.
UNDEAD - Worst Australian zombie flick since...okay, just worst.
XXX: STATE OF THE UNION -- Loudest and most racially-charged annoying popcorn film of the year.

and the biggest loser is...
THE WORST FILM OF THE YEAR:

(historic four-way tie!)
MA MERE, MANDERLAY, PALINDROMES and THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (remake)
Four very distinct films that show off the utter mean-spiritedness, cruelty, ugliness, stupidity and disdain in cinema today, and not in a good way. I ultimately disliked all four of these films so intensely that they are awarded the dubious honors of Controlled Burning's WORST FILM status, not just for 2005, but for as long as they make the rounds in theaters and on DVD and cable. Their stories, their characters, the characters' behaviors, the "messages" implicitly or explicitly conveyed; everything about them was counter to what I would call good. In short, these are the movies from which you should steer clear.



Next: MOVIES, Part 2

interlude: the saddest footnote in the world

I am almost ashamed to say that I do not have a list of favorite books I've read in 2005 because, sadly, I didn't read sufficiently in 2005 to be able to do so. I say almost because my writing is on the upswing as of September after a 3-year drought, and I've been listening to lots of new work by local artists. But reading has taken a hit of late, and I hope to rectify that in 2006.

In the words of Jack Lucas: forgive ME.

2005 gaming

Holy mackerel. There were some incredible video games this year. Check:


MERCENARIES

Great mix of action, strategy and some good, old-fashioned North Korean wartime humor. I loved Mercenaries mostly because I played it for months before finishing. Any game that lasts months deserves a place, and thankfully this one was awesome anyway.


GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS (XBOX version)

Speaking of taking months...I had gotten as far as the last mission on the PS2 version when the XBOX released theirs, and I had to start the love all over again. Surely the pinnacle of GTA games (really, what else can they do?), San Andreas was a joy to play...again. For months.


NINJA GAIDEN BLACK

Wow, even on easy this game kicks your ass. But it is huge fun, beautiful to gaze upon, and did I mention it kicks your ass? Good stuff!


SSX: ON TOUR

Long before Amped 3, there was a snowboarding game with an arty twist, and it was by the king of boarders, SSX. Great game, great look.


HALF-LIFE 2 (XBOX version)

I don't care what they say, this was a great game. Gorgeous graphically, fun to play and, despite its HALO 2-style cold ending, highly satisfying as a gaming experience.


BURNOUT: REVENGE

Wow. I mean, wow.


...and the game of the year award goes to:

RESIDENT EVIL 4 and GOD OF WAR (tie)

Two massively satisfying games. Intensely good graphics, strong stories, great characters, terrific, entertaining experiences. Both deserve the highest honors in 2005.



and now...
What My 16-Year-Old Son Played:

Halo 2
Prince of Persia 2
Star Wars Battlefront 2
Peter Jackson’s King Kong
Star Wars Knights of The Old Republic 2



Next: MOVIES, Part 1

2005 music

I'll start simply: here are 14 things you should listen to (whether they were released in 2005 is actually a moot point; fact is, 2005 is when I heard them):


FIONA APPLE -- EXTRAORDINARY MACHINE

The wait was long but the CD is incredible. A unique voice taken in evocative musical directions.


THE WHITE STRIPES -- GET BEHIND ME SATAN

Another highly anticipated follow-up by an equally unique artist who chose challenging musical avenues, though this one didn't take nearly as long to produce. If you were expecting thirteen more Seven Nation Armies, you'll be sorely disappointed. A wonderful achievement for an industry driven by electric guitars and drum machines.


WARREN ZEVON -- GENIUS: THE BEST OF WARREN ZEVON

An artist I knew only from the radio, this collection is a must-own. Dark, funny, sweet, soulful and jaded, every song is a winner.


DANGER MOUSE & JEMINI -- GHETTO POP LIFE

Sure, that DangerDoom CD was fun, but researching further shows that MF Doom's raps are lightweight compared to the incredible tracks of Danger Mouse. This earlier CD is one of those wonderful "you won't believe what I just found" moments. Seek it out, cherish it.


LYRICS BORN -- SAME SHIT, DIFFERENT DAY

A remixing of an earlier CD, this is another "you won't believe..." moment. Whether you delight in spoken word, rap, hip-hop, eclectica, you name it, this CD is one of the biggest surprises I've come across in the past ten years. Astonishingly good.


MATISYAHU -- LIVE AT STUBB'S

Hasidic reggaeton hip-hop, anyone? You have to hear it to believe it. Great stuff.


GREEN DAY -- AMERICAN IDIOT

I only started listening to this CD during the first months of 2005 and found it to be surprisingly strong from both a songwriting and rocking standpoint. Bravo, punks.


GORILLAZ -- DEMON DAYS

I love these guys. And anyone who can get Dennis Hopper to do spoken word on their CD is cool in my book.


THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY -- ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK RE-ISSUE

A classic film with a classic theme that is easily lampooned, but listen to the rest of this CD and you'll find a strangely evocative, powerful series of compositions by OST god Ennio Morricone.


AQUALUNG -- STRANGE & BEAUTIFUL

Hell, I usually don't care for music that sounds like this, but I was eerily drawn into these songs, with their crafty, car-commercial, airy-artiness. I have yet to tell myself it's all a joke. I really dig this CD.


BECK - GUERO

Choosy listeners don't always choose Beck. But this collection of "songs" is highly catchy, well-done and enjoyable. Don't let the blank stare fool you.


DAVID SEDARIS -- DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM

This multi-CD reading of his latest book is a step in the right direction for humorist/essayist Sedaris, who had a few depressing bouts of unreadable there for a while. Half-expecting to be deeply disappointed, I was happily surprised.


PATTON OSWALT -- FEELIN' KINDA PATTON/222 live&uncut

These two versions of the same concert are hilarious and wonderful. The best kinds of comedy CDs, they never let up and never disappoint. Unfortunately, they also set the bar kind of high for any other work the comic does (see Dave Attell for example...Skanks For The Memories kills; Hey, Your Mouth's Not Pregnant does not). The Comedians of Comedy stuff isn't as non-stop funny, but hey, we'll see where the new-found success takes this kid (WINK).



and now...
What My 16-Year-Old Son Listened To:

Santana -- Shaman
Green Day -- American Idiot
Black-Eyed Peas -- Monkey Business
Shakira -- Oral Fixation Vol. 1
Nickleback -- All The Right Reasons



Next up: GAMING

it begins...

Here come the lists.

This time out, I am adding an extra set of opinions: those of my 16-year-old son. Don't want to seem hokey or gimmicky in any way, but I was interested in what he liked this year, so you'll get a taste of opinion from Controlled Jr.

Okay, let's go.

i mean, lyrics born

Lyrics Born.

Lyrics Born?

Lyrics Born.

Lyrics freakin' Born.

Lyrics Born!

Gosh darn it, I like him.




lyrics born

all things upon us

Wrap-up season is just around the corner. I'll be posting the best games, music and movies of 2005 in this space as the month progresses. So if you like lists, and you like ideas from people you don't know, stick around.

***

Dunn Bros. was cancelled due to an ice storm, so to speak. There was inclement weather preventing folks from going for simple safety's sake, but there was also a different kind of storm brewing. A patron of the coffee shop didn't care for some of the previous week's words, and filed a complaint with the corporate office. This surprised me as I didn't know Dunn Bros. had a corporate office. The rallying cry went out to a) tone down work for a while and b) write/read pieces with free speech themes.

The readings are promoted in advance as free-speech events, and that folks who don't care for it are welcome to stay or go, as they please. The manager of the place has been extremely accomodating and supportive of the readings, which is why it's a little diappointing that one person (in all the months they've been doing readings there) can cause such a straightening of spines.

My hope is that everything will blow over and we can resume our normal path, which is not to worry about what anyone might say.

***

The tree is up, lit and decorated; the gifts are all wrapped and happy in the nestling space; the weather went wintry on us for two days; I don't know about you, but I want to fast-forward to the holidays.




eezy-beezy-beezy-beezy-beezy-beezy-boo

running on empty

Wednesday, November 30th:

Dunn Bros. was great. If no scoring took place. Heh.

I took a sweet sixth place...let me repeat this part of the show: a sweet sixth place. Took home a box for wine as a prize. Not a box of wine. A box for wine. Crystal took home a sweet Jason Carney t-shirt that I won't print here. Again, heh.


Friday, December 2nd:

Joaquin was kind enough to explain what IWPS was, and to say that I should give it a shot. A good guy, that Joaquin.

IWPS is an national individual poetry competition which they are apparently doing only one last time in 2006. There is a competition to see who gets to represent the Dallas-are poets in a couple weeks, and eligibility for that hinges on coming in first or second at one of two remaining slams. I cannot attend the second one; the first was tonight. I did not make it.

"Despite, despite, despite"...a valiant effort, but badly mis-timed. I came in fourth and had no problem with it. I was resigned to one shot, and I got it. It did, however, make me sit up and realize I can't go off on a slam binge and not have an idea of how long a piece will read. That was just unfortunate, ill-preparation on my part.

Feh.


Saturday, December 3rd:

Aeon Flux and Walk The Line were highly enjoyable. AF was satisfactory science-fiction, something you get very little of these days, and WTL was far better than I expected...all due to Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and the incredible songs of Johnny Cash. I recommend both.

Also saw Murderball, on DVD. Great film. Highly, highly recommend it.

Kicking and Screaming, on the other hand, was a wretched piece of bad "wacky" comedy. Will Ferrell should be a bit more choosy with his movies.

Lastly, saw Les Choristes on cable the other day. It was a marvelous piece of work. Check it out, especially all you teachers who think the job just isn't worth it.



wake up, mr. west! wake up mr. west!