"... now comes the squat that is taking America by storm."

How to Do the Asian Squat

Tagline: "You Don't Know Nothin' If You Don't Know Squat!"

2002; ?; 5 min. 

Director: Daniel Hsia

Screenplay: Daniel Hsia

Music: Alison Plante

Cast:

Dr. Mario Ezekiel Chang-Goldstein, Narrator - Michael McConnohie

Man in Suit - Ewan Chung

Spokesmodel - Yee Yee Lee

Asian Squat Student - Jeff Lam

Western Squat Student - Paul Apelgren

Cool Cat #1 - Schumetta Lanier

Cool Cat #2 - Garrett T. Thompson

Sexy Legs - Garz Chan

We watched this short film as our first short film of the course, although I just got around to blogging about it now. (It really should have come right after "North By Northwest" in true chronological blog fashion.) The film is a documentary, possibly a "mockumentary," of a new Asian form of squatting. The film is set in a 1950's style, in black and white. The film uses "scientific" examples to prove that the Asian squat is far more effective than your average Western squat. The film is pretty funny, and definitely is worth watching. What I found amusing was when I googled the Asian squat, it actually came up with numerous hits! Apparently this squat is totally legitimate! After the film, Mr. D had us do the squat, because we were obviously all itching to try it. It's actually somewhat difficult to do - I guess I wasn't brought up squatting Asian-ly (Yes, I know that's not a word!). So go watch this short film and practice your Asian squat!

iRate: 3.5/5 squats

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?=vy76UbfBr5vo

*NOTE: This is not really a trailer, either, because it's technically the whole film. So, now you can watch the film in it's entirety with the link above.

"My wife asked me to get rid of these oranges. We have three trees and they won't stop producing."

Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?

2005; USA; 4 min.

Director: Miguel Arteta

Screenplay: Miranda July

Music: Miguel Arteta

Cast:

John C. Reilly

Mike White

Miranda July

Chuy Chavez

This film was SO short... How short was it?! (I don't know if anyone understands that was supposed to be a reference to an extinct game show, "Match Game." As lame as it may be, I actually enjoyed watching reruns of 1962 TV show when I was younger.) Anyhow, this has to be the shortest of short films. It made me wonder if anyone has ever made a five second (or shorter) short film and succeeded. This short film starred John C Reilly, who interviewed three people, asking them if they were the "favorite person of anybody." He then had them rank their certainty on a one to five scale. The whole question in itself is so awkward, and the answers that followed were quite humorous. It actually got me thinking about who my favorite people were and if I was the favorite person of anybody. I would recommend this short film - it's funny and if you don't enjoy it, it's over in four minutes. 

iRate: 3/5 oranges

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t-5PLQgcSA

*NOTE: This is not the trailer to the film! It is actually the entire four minute film! (I'm guessing it would be pointless to make a trailer that would be half as long as the film.)

"You bring in a sous chef from an Italian restaurant and I'm the one in therapy?"

No Reservations

2007; USA; 104 min.

Director: Scott Hicks

Screenplay: Carol Fuchs, Sandra Nettelback

Music: Philip Glass

Cast:

Kate - Catherine Zeta-Jones

Nick - Aaron Eckhart

Zoe - Abigail Breslin

Paula - Patricia Clarkson

Leah - Jenny Wade

Therapist - Bob Balaban

All I can say is that "No Reservations" is now one of my favorite movies ever. I've been meaning to see this movie forever, and I'm so glad that I did! I absolutely love everything about this film! "No Reservations" is the story of Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones), an obsessive complusive chef, whose life consists of solely cooking for the restaurant she works at, 22 Bleecker. When Kate becomes the guardian for her niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin), her life changes forever. Kate, unaccustomed to interacting with children, has to learn to care for Zoe, and become a maternal figure. Kate's life becomes a total mess when Nick (Aaron Eckhart) enters her kitchen at 22 Bleecker as a sous chef. The plot follows Kate and Zoe, as they try to adjust to their new lifestyles.

Everything in the film was just perfect. Parts of the film were sad and emotional, parts of the film were humorous, and other parts of the film were very sentimental and touching. The heartwarming story had me captivated from the very beginning. I absolutely loved the romantic aspect of this film - it was simply amazing and breathtaking. (Ok, so I'm a hopeless romantic!) The scenery in the film was gorgeous - featuring NYC in February. I could, and I plan to, see this film over and over again. Here are some of my favorite scenes:

This scene takes place when Nick comes over to Kate and Zoe's apartment to cook dinner for them. Zoe's wish finally comes true, and the three of them eat "in the jungle." Zoe and the adults pretend that they are on a safari adventure. After dinner, the triad plays pick-up sticks with breadsticks. This scene is one of the moments where Kate finally begins to let loose, and where we see her character begin to develop and change.

When Kate realizes that she cannot leave Zoe home alone at night while she is at work, Kate decides to bring her along to 22 Bleecker. Zoe begins to learn how to cook with Kate. What makes this extremely sweet is that Kate learned to cook from her mother, and now Zoe is learning to cook from her new maternal figure.

Overall, this movie was simply amazing! I absolutely love it and would recommend it to anyone, especially romantic comedy lovers!

iRate: 5/5 saffron sauces
Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi295567641/

"God, they're like those women in the Bible, you know, with the stones."

Death of a Cheerleader (UK Title)

(also known as "A Friend To Die For")

1994; USA; 87 min.

Director: William A. Graham

Screenplay: Randall Sullivan, Dan Bronson

Music: Chris Boardman

Cast:

Angela Delvecchio - Kellie Martin

Stacy Lockwood - Tori Spelling

Agent Gilwood - James Avery

Priest - Eugene Roche

Mr. Delvecchio - Andy Romano

Jill Anderson - Margaret Langrick

I ended up watching "Death of a Cheerleader," because I was bored, sick, and flipped the channel to ABC Family. Why I kept watching the movie - I don't know. I guess I wanted to see what kind of an actress Tori Spelling was, considering I've seen her on her reality TV show. Many people consider her to be a prime example of nepotism, due to the fact that her father is the late Aaron Spelling. The plot of this movie happened to be somewhat interesting. The plot begins with queen bee, Stacy Lockwood (Tori Spelling), knocking on a woman's door to ask if she can use her phone. Stacy, the quintessential example of "the most popular girl at school," says that her friend that she was with has been acting really "weird" and wants to try and call for someone to pick her up. When her parents don't answer the phone at her house, Stacy is offered a ride home from the woman's husband. What is interesting about this scene is that I thought that the man was the killer, however, I was wrong. Stacy arrives home and is assaulted and fatally stabbed. The movie then continues with a flashback to one of the first days of high school. We see many teenagers sitting in the auditorium, and the camera focuses on a stereotypical goth, depressed Monica Whitley (Kathryn Morris). The camera then pans over to Angela Delvecchio (Kellie Martin), who is sitting with one of her friends. After an inspiring speech by the Principal, Angela tells her friend that this year will be the "best year ever." Angela wants to become the editor of the yearbook, to be a cheerleader on the school's team, and to be part of the Larks, a service group of popular teen girls. Angela doesn't get selected for neither the yearbook nor the cheerleading team. However, all of the girls that Angela aspires to be, especially Stacy Lockwood, do. The rest of the plot unfolds as Angela tries to fit in with the catty, obnoxious Stacy and the popular crowd. 

This movie (I don't even think it can be called a film) is extremely predictable. The movie wants you to think that a certain person committed the crime, however, personally I thought that the killer was obvious from the first moment we see the person. Throughout the whole film, the blame is put on one person. This person's character then develops in such a way that her act appears to be believable. However, this person doesn't turn out to be the victim. I'm sure that the confession of the killing is supposed to be shocking, although, it was definitely not surprising whatsoever. This movie is definitely not of the best quality. Maybe it's the cheesy 90s over-exaggerated high school scene that takes away from the success of the movie. One thing that I actually find clever about the movie is the way that the director shows perspectives. At first, you see the crime through the victim's eyes, and later, through the criminal's. This helps to connect the story and convince the audience that the killer really was who it was. Otherwise, the cinematography and effects in this movie were pretty bad. 

What I find most upsetting about this movie is that it's based on a real event. I'm absolutely horrified to think that this actually happened. This movie actually happens to be extremely upsetting when you look past the fake blood and awful acting. After seeing the movie, I was quite disturbed and found the movie hard to stomach. This movie is not light-hearted. I guess the movie aims to show the effect of bullying, and in that respect, it does, although to an extreme extent. I wouldn't recommend this movie unless you're willing to deal with the possibly upsetting elements of it. 

iRate: 0.5/5 cheerleaders

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P1_mlwXYcQ&feature=related

*SPOILER ALERT: For some reason, the trailer happens to show who committed the murder, so if you want to be "shocked," don't watch it.

"Is that your dead kid? Give us a look!"

Six Shooter

2004; Ireland; 27 min.

Director: Martin McDonagh

Screenplay: Martin McDonagh

Cast:
Brendan Gleeson - Donnelly

Rúaidhrí Conroy - Kid

David Wilmot - Man

Aisling O'Sullivan - Woman

"Six Shooter" was our first Art of Film black/dark comedy experience. What this type of comedy does, is it takes a topic that is taboo and not humorous at all, and turns it into satirical comedy. Dark comedy solicits many laughs of discomfort and unease. Nervous giggles erupt from viewers who aren't exactly sure how to respond. There were many of these moments as our class watched the film. The topics that the film dealt with included cot death (the equivalent of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)), suicide, and murder. The plot begins with the death of Donnelly's (Brendan Gleeson) wife. We see her lying in her bed in the hospital room. One of my favorite moments in the film occurs right after. Donnelly is talking to his late wife and says, "I brought you the photo of David." The camera then zooms in to a close-up shot of the photo of David, a rabbit. While this may not sound funny in writing, the scene was very amusing. Donnelly later boards a train in which he encounters a couple (David Wilmot and Aisling O'Sullivan) dealing with the loss of their child due to cot death, and another strange man. The man on the train is, in my opinion, the funniest character in the film. There's one hilarious scene that involves him telling a story about his experiences with a cow. Another funny line that I like that this man says is, "I would have shot Marvin Gaye if I was Marvin Gaye's dad." The last scene of the short film is both shocking and so very comical at the same time.

Another thing I found interesting about this film is the fact that none of the characters have names except for Donnelly. Maybe it's to emphasize the fact that these people could be average people you could encounter. They come with their own background and stories. It shows how people have so many problems. Maybe Donnelly being the only one named is to demonstrate that he's in his own world after having to face his wife's death. Overall, I would recommend this short film - it was quite entertaining!

iRate: 3/5 cows

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63HZq85qe1Q

"What are you good at?"

Les Mozart des pickpockets

(The Mozart of Pickpockets)

2006; France; 31 min.

Director: Philippe Pollet-Villard

Screenplay: Philippe Pollet-Villard

Cast:

Matteo Razzouki-Safardi - L'enfant

Philippe Pollet-Villard - Philippe

Richard Morgiève - Richard

I found this short film to be somewhat entertaining. This is a story of two men who are professional pickpockets. The duo sets up scams in order to steal people's wallets and take their money and credit cards. When they begin to be followed a young child, they decide to take him in. He appears to have no parents, and to be a deaf mute. The men cannot communicate with the boy, even through sign language. They start to use the boy in their pickpocket scams, and after a while, the boy begins to catch on. He develops his own successful method of theft when he is taken to the movies one day. The boy earns a plethora of money for the two men who have taken him in. However, by the final shot of the short film, it is apparent that the young child doesn't comprehend the consequences of his actions.

The film is pretty cute little comedy, especially the scenes with the young boy. It's nice to see a different side of the two pickpockets when they take in the young boy. I would recommend this short film, although, it's not as good as some others that I have seen. 

iRate: 2/5 wallets

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi871432473/

*This is more of a short scene from the movie rather than a trailer!

"Sen! I'm sorry I called you a dope before... I take it back!"

Spirited Away
2001; Japan; 125 min.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki
Music: Wakako Kaku, Joe Hisaishi, Mike Castongtuay, Marc Terenzi, Ben Bledsoe

Cast (voices in the Japanese version):
Rumi Hîragi - Chihiro/Sen
Miyu Irino - Haku
Mari Natsuki - Yubaba/Zeniba
Yumi Tamai - Lin
Bunta Sugawara - Kamajii
Takashi Naitô - Chihiro's Father
Yasuko Sawaguchi - Chihiro's Mother

I was quite upset when I learned that we would be viewing a Japanese anime film. I have to admit, though, that I have never actually seen anime before. Based on my own knowledge about anime (which is very little), I had formed a prejudice opinion that anime included silly little cartoons and characters with squeaky voices, running around aimlessly. When I began watching this film, I was prepared to endure a torturous five days. Plus, "North By Northwest" is definitely a hard act to follow in my book! So, as the film began, I became exposed to anime. Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" has totally changed my view of this film genre. I think that the plot of the film is absolutely brilliant and the way in which the film is executed is exceptional. This film is unlike a "cartoon" in the fact that everything in the film looks so real! It's absolutely unbelieveable! One scene, especially, that caught my attention was when there is a torrential rain storm and rain is falling on the bridge to the bathhouse. The effects in this movie are so real and incredible! As the days went by, I became fascinated with this movie, not wanting to leave when the viewing time was over.

Now that I've talked about my "anime enlightenment," I'll give some background on the plot. The story is about a young girl named Chihiro, who is moving to a new home with her mother and father. While riding in the car, Chihiro and her parents get lost and go through a tunnel into what appears to be a totally abandoned amusement park. When Chihiro's parents eye an enormous buffet, they sit down and indulge themselves. It is this point in the movie when Chihiro switches roles from being a child to being a parental figure. Chihiro scolds her parents for their recklessness in eating what is clearly someone else's food. Despite the fact that Chihiro knows that this is morally wrong and voices her opinion, Chihiro's parents continue bingeing and encouraging Chihiro that "it's okay." Soon after, Chihiro's parents are turned into pigs and Chihiro encounters a Japanese bathhouse, on a quest to turn her parents back into humans. The only way that Chihiro can stay is if she works, and since humans are immensely disliked, Chihiro is given a very labor intensive job. The viewers soon discover that this bathhouse is no ordinary Japanese bathhouse, but a bathhouse inhabited by spirits who go there for cleansing, renewal and rejuvenation. The rest of the plot unwinds as Chihiro is dubbed "Sen" and tries to help her friend (and possible love) Haku, as well as she tries not to upset Yubaba, her ominous, mean boss, and also tries to get her parents back. Overall, I highly recommend this movie to anyone, especially to people who have preconceived notions about anime! Also, when you watch the film, I recommend watching it in Japanese with English subtitles - the Japanese voices preserve the intentions of the film's script. "Spirited Away" has definitely changed my view of anime forever!

iRate: 4.5/5 spirits
(Now the stakes are high to pick another great film, Mr. D!)
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6az9wGfeSgM

"That's wonderfully sensitive... especially from a man who wears such tight pants."

Music and Lyrics
2007; USA; 96 min.

Director: Marc Lawrence
Screenplay: Marc Lawrence
Music: various writers

Cast:
Hugh Grant - Alex Fletcher
Drew Barrymore - Sophie Fisher
Brad Garrett - Chris Riley
Hayley Bennett - Cora Corman
Kristen Johnston - Rhonda
Campbell Scott - Sloan Cates

I couldn't resist watching "Music and Lyrics" for about the fourth time when it was on HBO. This is definitely one of my favorite movies ever! The genre of this movie is romantic comedy - which I have said before is my favorite. The story is about Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant), an old popstar from the 80s, whose career is practically over. Alex's one last shot at fame is to write a hit song to be performed with Cora Corman (Hayley Bennett), who is more popular than "Britney and Christina put together." When we find out that Alex can't write his own lyrics, he encounters Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore), his plant watering lady, who has a magical talent for writing. The story goes on to examine both Sophie and Alex's pasts. (There is much more to the story than this - I just don't want to give it all away!) The casting in this film is absolutely fantastic! Hugh Grant does an outstanding job as Alex - he's charismatic, has a great voice, and he's also gorgeous. Drew Barrymore also has a personality that seems to fit her physical appearance. She plays the part of Sophie fabulously - you can almost imagine that she is somewhat like her character. Hayley Bennett's character, Cora Corman, is hilarious - she's a buddha-loving, wheatgrass drinking self-proclaimed "spiritual" type, yet at the same time she's a promiscuous tween idol.

When I began watching the film with my new "film eyes," I was able to notice things that I wouldn't have noticed prior to my Art of Film enlightenment. In the beginning of the film, there's one shot where the camera is looking into Alex's apartment through a window divided into three sections. It's clearly visible that Alex is standing the the left section and Sophie in the right section, with the middle window pane empty. This is demonstrative of the space between them in the beginning of the plot. As the film goes on and their relationship develops, Alex and Sophie are standing closer and closer to each other. Also, in one scene when there is conflict in the plot, Alex and Sophie are standing over a New York skyline with a tower separating them. (This film gives the viewer a great sense of the NYC atmosphere!) I was surprised at cinematic elements such as these because I don't really think of "Music and Lyrics" as a "quality film," but more of a movie. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it and highly recommend it! I also happen to love the film's soundtrack. As cheesy as some of the songs may be, they have great rhythm, and of course, lyrics. Funny and sweet, "Music and Lyrics" is an outstanding film that I would suggest to anyone.

iRate: 5/5 tight pants
Trailer:http://video.google.com/videosearchq=music+and+lyrics+trailer&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#

"I didn't realize you were an art collector. I thought you just collected corpses."

North By Northwest
1959; USA; 136 mins.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay: Ernest Lehman
Music: Bernard Herrmann


(A Shorter Version of) The Cast
Cary Grant - Richard Thornhill
Eva Marie Saint - Eve Kendall
James Mason - Philip Vandamm
Jessie Royce Landis - Clara Thornhill

Currently in class, we have been watching Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest," a film about Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), an advertising businessman, who becomes engulfed in a world of police chases, murders, and mistaken identities. I haven't finished watching the last segment of the film, but so far, it's an intriguingly genius plot. A huge part of the success of the film's plot is not only the witty writing, especially between the coquettish Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) and her sexual prey, Roger Thornhill, but also the directing by Hitchcock. He really knows how to craft "psychological terror" scenes, and by doing so, he makes the film enjoyable. My movie taste has previously not been extremely varied - I'm definitely one for romantic comedies. I'm hoping to get exposure to new genres that I wouldn't usually watch. While this movie does have moments of comedy and romance, the action and drama is certainly very thrilling. I thought a good way to start my first film post would be to a visual image that really struck me in the film (everyone likes pictures, right?):

"The Crop-Dusting Scene"

This scene occurs when Thornhill is sent by Eve Kendall to meet up with George Kaplan. Since I don't want to give too much away about the plot, I'll tell you about the cinematography during this scene. Hitchcock uses mostly long shots of the barren land to demonstrate just how alone Roger is during his quest for Kaplan. The area around Roger is eerily quiet, which is demonstrative of Hitchcock's nature to put make his audiencce uncomfortable and scared. Hitchcock also uses close up shots of Roger to portray how fearful he is while he is being chased by the crop-dusting plane. This scene is extremely suspenseful and shot impeccably. The sound in the scene is limited to that of the plane and other noises that one would encounter in nature. This scene is one of the most famous in American film, and rightfully so - it is wonderfully constructed.

"North by Northwest" is a fabulous story of Roger Thornhill's trek Northwest (coincidence? I think NOT) across the United States. One of my favorite aspects of the film is how it truly gives you a feel for that particular era in the past. I'm looking forward to seeing the ending of the film!

iRate (so far): 4.5/5 mistaken identities

Trailer: http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/35655/North-By-Northwest/trailers

*NOTE: My rating system is from 1 to 5, with 1 signifying an awful film, and 5 meaning an amazing film. I will be using different objects that relate to the film instead of the typical "star" ratings (hence, the "4.5/5 mistaken identities").

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