Of all the movies made about or glancingly involving the 19th-century outlaw Jesse Woodson James, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is the most reflective, most ambitious, most intricately fascinating, and indisputably most beautiful. Based on the novel of the same name by Ron Hansen, it picks up James late in his career, a few hours before his final train robbery, then covers the slow catastrophe of the gang's breakup over the next seven months even as the boss himself settles into an approximation of genteel retirement. But in another sense all of the movie is later than that. The very title assumes the audience's familiarity with James as a figure out of history and legend, and our awareness that he was--will be--murdered in his parlor one quiet afternoon by a backshooting crony.

The film--only the second to be made by New Zealand-born writer-director Andrew Dominik--reminds us that Dominik's debut film, Chopper (2000), was the cunningly off-kilter portrait of another real-life criminal psychopath who became a kind of rock star to his society. The Jesse James of this telling is no Robin Hood robbing the rich to give to the poor, and that train robbery we witness is punctuated by acts of gratuitous brutality, not gallantry. Nineteen-year-old Bob Ford (Casey Affleck) seeks to join the James gang out of hero worship stoked by the dime novels he secretes under his bed, but his glam hero (Brad Pitt) is a monster who takes private glee in infecting his accomplices with his own paranoia, then murdering them for it. In the careful orchestration of James's final moments, there's even a hint that he takes satisfaction in his own demise.

Affleck and Pitt (who co-produced with Ridley Scott, among others) are mesmerizing in the title roles, but the movie is enriched by an exceptional supporting cast: Sam Shepard as Jesse's older, more stable brother Frank; Sam Rockwell as Bob Ford's own brother Charlie, whose post-assassination descent into madness is astonishing to behold; Paul Schneider, Garret Dillahunt, and Jeremy Renner as three variously doomed gang members; and Mary-Louise Parker, who as Jesse's wife Zee has few lines yet manages with looks and body language to invoke a wellnigh-novelistic backstory for herself. There are also electrifying cameos by James Carville, doing solid actorly work as the governor of Missouri; Ted Levine, as a lawman of antic spirit; and Nick Cave, composer of the film's score (with Warren Ellis) and screenwriter of the Aussie "Western" The Proposition, suddenly towering over a late scene to perform the folk song that set the terms for the book and movie's title.

Still, the real costar is Roger Deakins, probably the finest cinematographer at work today. The landscapes of the movie (mostly in Alberta and Manitoba) will linger in the memory as long as the distinctive faces, and we seem to feel the sting of its snows on our cheeks. Interior scenes are equally persuasive. Few Westerns have conveyed so tangibly the bleakness and austerity of the spaces people of the frontier called home, and sought in vain to warm with human spirit. --Richard T. Jameson

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is available at Amazon for $9.99. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

Want to get some other Format / Binding / Version? You can search for them from here

Other Products of Interest

• Gone Baby Gone
• In the Valley of Elah
• The Brave One (Full-Screen Edition)
• We Own the Night
• Michael Clayton (Widescreen Edition)

Most horror movies establish an atmosphere of normalcy, which they gradually rupture with spooky or creepy or stomach-churning images. The Amityville Horror--a remake of the 1979 movie about a possessed house that torments the family that moves into it--tosses normalcy out the window in the first five minutes, unleashing a nonstop barrage of unsettling camera angles, decaying wood and stained wallpaper, half-glimpsed shadows in motion, fast edits of grotesque ghosts, and dozens of other horror-movie devices. Whether you like the movie will depend on whether you like feeling slightly nauseated and cut off from any semblance of reality--for many people, that's why they go to horror movies. Others won't be able to suspend disbelief that anyone but an actor would spend the time necessary to develop Ryan Reynold's insanely buff physique, prominently displayed as he runs around wearing nothing but a pair of loose-fitting pajama bottoms. In addition to Reynolds (Van Wilder, Blade: Trinity), the movie also features Philip Baker Hall (Magnolia) and Melissa George (Down With Love). --Bret Fetzer

From Michael Bay, the producer of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," comes the true story of Amityville. In November 1974, a family of six was brutally murdered. Now, a year later, an unsuspecting young couple, George (Ryan Reynolds, "Blade: Trinity," "The In-Laws") and Kathy Lutz (Melissa George, TV's "Alias"), and their children move into the house that was the site of the horrific event and is now haunted by a murderous presence. What follows is 28 days of unimaginable terror. With demonic visions of the dead and relentless screams of terror, this is the haunted house story that isn't just a movie - it's real.

The Amityville Horror (Widescreen Special Edition) is available at Amazon for $9.99. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

Want to get some other Format / Binding / Version? You can search for them from here

Other Products of Interest

• House of Wax (Widescreen Edition)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Special Edition)
• The Ring (Widescreen Edition)
• The Ring Two (Unrated Widescreen Edition)

while i was sitting in line at mcdonald's waiting to order a coffee, i saw a grasshopper sitting on the passenger side window. i asked him if he needed a ride somewhere. he said that he needed to get away from cleveland see new places. i told him i was going to greenwood and if he wanted a ride, i would take him. he climbed inside and sat in the passenger seat. he didn't say much for a while, but i finally asked him what his name was.

"my name is jesse james," said the grasshopper.

i figured he would give me some made up name. he told me about growing up in cleveland and how his parents were always fighting about bills that needed to be paid or his father's drinking habit or even misplaced scissors.

"i'm tired of this life and i'm tired of this town. i didn't think i would ever find an escape."

we listened to devendra banhart the whole time i was driving. jesse said he didn't really like that music. he said that he preferred chirping with other grasshoppers, but it was hard to find grasshoppers who thought the same way that he did. he said he always felt out of place.

"i hope you can find some like-minded grasshoppers in greenwood, but i doubt you will. the whole state of mississippi is full of grasshoppers who don't really care about art and music and connectedness," i explained.

when we got to greenwood, he told me to let him out on the side of the road. i stopped, opened the door and waved farewell as jesse hopped into a field of tall grass.

So, you can imagine how excited I was then to find that Mental Floss has constructed The Stories behind 5 Famous Exhumations.

It's a fun article and you should read it, but I'll give you what I thought were the most excellent parts here. (Remember, I'm paraphrasing. All the work was done by Mental Floss):

1. Jesse James. The outlaw James, who was killed in 1882, was dug up and probed in 1995 because of rumors that his young murderer shot the wrong man in an elaborate attempt to let James go into hiding.
Outcome: DNA proved it was James in the coffin. However, naysayers still didn't believe it and had the remains of two other poor S.O.B.'s examined, too. In one case, the exhuming team dug up the wrong body. Oops. All the evidence - three exhumations - led authorities to believe it was, in fact, the real Jesse James was in his grave.

2. The Tomb of The Unknowns. This is an example of the aforementioned sad exhumation. I can't imagine not knowing if a relation of mine was dead or not. And if he was, where his remains were. The Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery holds the remains of unknown soldiers from several of this country's wars dating back to WW1.

In 1984, the remains of a soldier from the Vietnam War were buried in the tomb. A journalist began a lengthy investigation that led him to believe the identity of the soldier was Lieutenant Michael Joseph Blassie, a missing pilot shot down over Au Loc in 1972. With his family's encouragement, the remains were exhumed in the mid-1990s. Outcome: The remains were those of Blassie and they were taken and re-interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis.
3. Our 12th President. To this day, no one is sure how ol' Zachary Taylor met his demise. Was it cholera? Gastroenteritis? A heat stroke?

One historian's theory that Taylor was murdered by arsenic poisoning seemed plausible enough and his body was exhumed in 1991. (Interesting to note: the historian paid just $1,200 to have the procedure done.) Outcome: nada. No evidence of poison. Maybe it was the heat stroke?

4. Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. Worshipped as god incarnate by Rastafarians, the Emperor died mysteriously in 1975 after being disposed by his own army.

One faction of the army had the Emperor buried in a latrine on palace grounds. His body wasn't removed until 1992 and his funeral wasn't held until the year 2000. Rastafarians to this day don't believe the Emperor died. They think he ascended to heaven in a fire whirlwind. I say it was heat stroke (see above).

5. Eva Peron. Yes, the lady who asked Argentina not to cry for her was exhumed. But that was the least of her corpse's adventures. After Peron died of cancer in 1952, her body was kept hidden by her husband Juan Peron, even after her was overthrown in a military coup in 1954.

For 16 years the location of Peron's body was kept secret. Extreme and weird measures were taken to conceal the whereabouts. For example, the new government had 25 wax replicas made Peron's corpse and put in the offices of high-ranking officials to watch over until her burial with each official thinking his Peron was the real thing. (A historian wrote later that the officials did gross things to the fake corpses. At least one was sexually abused).

In 1971, an Argentinean official disclosed that several years before Peron's corpse, dressed as a Catholic nun, had been smuggled into Italy. Peron was buried in Milan under a fake name. The body was exhumed and flown to Madrid to be reunited with the now elderly Juan Peron, living there in exile. For two years Juan Peron hept his former wife in her coffin in the house he shared with his third wife. In 1973, Juan Peron returned to Argentina with Peron's corpse and buried it there.

From their latest Myspace bulletin:

For better sound quality/compression/reverb etc., we're running (our part of) the show through this 16-track recorder. 

I don't really see why I couldn't hit record at the beginning of the set. Point being, we're going to have a live recording of this show.

It would be stupid to charge money for that, so, if you come to this show, just give us your e-mail address. And I'll e-mail you a copy as soon as I mix it.

Randy Bacon Gallery. September 7. Love you.

So yeah, they're going to record the show (or at least a portion of it). Then all you have to do is give them your email and they'll give you the tracks FOR FREE! That is one hell of an idea. And the first I've heard of in the area. Kudos. We'll be there.

The plot highlights the peculiar and somewhat baffling relationship between Jesse James (Pitt) and Robert Ford ( Casey Affleck). Being one of the most talented actors of this generation, Pitt probes his bag of tricks and delivers  a psychologically dysfunctional, and emotionally unstable portrayal of Jesse James. While Casey Affleck gives a much deserved Oscar nominated performance through his characterization of Robert Ford. I was very surprised to see Casey Affleck flourish in a role that required more than average acting skill. I've only see one or two other Jesse James films and this is easily the best Robert Ford portrayal. Due to the set up of the story, I would even go as far as suggesting that Ford is the main character of this film, while Jesse James is a secondary;although Affleck was nominated for Best Actor in A Supporting Role.

This film may not be packed full of the gun fighting and horse chasing of the classic holywood western, but  its emotional appeal allows it to be a very entertaining nevertheless. By emotional appeal, I'm referring to the films ability to invoke a sense of sympathy towards violent and coarse men, who would just be written off as murdering, thieving, violent criminals by the rational human being. If you are a movie buff who can appreciate a good long film, lacking explosions, blood and guts, but rich in content and strong is substance, then you should definitely give this film a try. You won't be disappointed.

Released: Sept 2007

Runtime: 2hrs 40mins

Rated: R

Granbury and Hood County are rich in frontier folklore and Texas history. Granbury is a door to yesterday with its Victorian architecture and charming country spirit that celebrates the culturally diverse. You’ll find that historic preservation has been a priority of our proud community.

The Granbury Courthouse Square became the first in Texas to be added to the National Register of Historic Places, and was the model for the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Program. It has been described as "one of the most complete examples of a late 19th century courthouse square in Texas." The readers of Texas Highways magazine voted Granbury as "The best Town Square in Texas," in 1998.

Our history serves as a great attraction for our visitors. The restored 1886 Opera House still is a great venue for live theatrical performances, and the Brazos Drive-in is one of only a handful left in the state. You’ll find stately turn-of-the-century homes that now serve as bed and breakfasts.

Heritage passed down from stories lived and told by ancestors of our local citizens create colorful first-person sagas not found in any history book. You can easily imagine a warm summer night when John St. Helen, and J. Frank Dalton swapped stories by a campfire on the banks of the Brazos River.

Granbury is rich in these legends and "history’s mysteries." You’ll find sites and tales surrounding John Wilkes Booth, Jesse James, Davy Crockett, and the hanging tower at the Old Jailhouse. Granbury Cemetery is the resting place for General Hiram B. Granbury; Jesse James; and Ashley Crockett, grandson of Davy Crockett.

Our Walking Driving Tour provides visitors with dozens of historic sites that take you back to the sparsely populated, rough-and-tumble frontier of yesterday and Granbury’s historic town square teeming with horse-drawn wagons and buggies. Come prepared to enjoy the old legends and historic tales of Hood County as you take a tour through the scenic countryside.

Granbury has an ongoing commitment to preservation that has been nationally recognized. Involvement with the "Texas Lakes Trail" initiative and the Texas/Oklahoma "Wind Power Trail" consortium keeps our heritage in the forefront and make today’s efforts our building blocks on the foundation of our heritage.

]]> http://uk2ga.wordpress.com/2008/08/02/film-review-the-assassination-of-jesse-james-by-the-coward-robert-ford-2007/ Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:41:18 +0000 Aidan Brack http://uk2ga.wordpress.com/2008/08/02/film-review-the-assassination-of-jesse-james-by-the-coward-robert-ford-2007/

The title really says it all. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is too long to grab you, packed with ambiguity and judgements we are invited to question and clearly establishes that we will view Jesse James through the eyes and actions of 'the Coward'.

The story is one of hero worship turned sour. Robert Ford has grown up reading stories of the train robber Jesse James. Desperate to get close to him, he weasels his way into the small gang that James has formed to carry out one last job, then becomes disillusioned when James does not appear to value or respect him as much as he would like.

Much of the film chronicles the slow evolution of this relationship between a lustful hero worship (with overtones of sexual desire on the part of Ford) to mistrust and paranoia. It frustrates that this portion of the movie passes so slowly. Good, multi-textured performances from Pitt and Affleck cannot save this portion of the film. I wanted more emotional conflict, to see the characters face themselves or talk to each other - instead we spend too much time with the gang, watching as their fates are sealed. This is incidental to the main thrust of the picture and could have been chopped happily without damaging the rest of the film.

It is perverse that we spend so long nearing the assassination that once we reach it, it passes far too quickly. Once Ford joins James for those final days the piece switches gear. We can see both characters trying to work out the thoughts of the other. The script allows the two actors to really seize the screen and build the tension before reaching a short, sharp climax.

For once I felt stimulated by the film as I wondered what leads James to turn his back on a man he surely knows will want to kill him. Is it a curiosity about death or a misplaced trust in Ford? Or has he misjudged his young fan, believing he will not be able to take hold of an opportunity so clearly presented to him? Suddenly I felt engaged and then it was all over.

Despite the frustrating approach adopted by the story, there are a couple of elements that really deserve praise. The landscapes are epic and haunting. Few motion pictures are peppered with this quality of backdrop. The scenes in winter stand out - the terrain becoming bleak, cold and desolate as James' mental state deteriorates.

Also I should highlight Casey Affleck, a young actor who clearly is destined for big things. Without his complex performance, I am sure I would have lost faith and abandoned this film. I look forward to seeing him again in other projects.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford underplays its elements, never delivering the compelling narrative that it ought to. It certainly has intense moments, particularly towards its end, yet the piece feels imbalanced and never truly satisfies.

Without its adherence to the poetic text of the novel and with a more ruthless editor, the film could well have gripped me. Unfortunately it simply takes too long to get going and by the time I found elements of interest it was already almost at its conclusion.

Originally published on Spout.com on July 25^th 2008

The Dark Knight - It's not just fluff - Heath Ledger really IS an amazing Joker. The movie was epic, which means it was long.  Batman sort of felt like an afterthought in the flick, but I'm okay with that - I couldn't handle his deep voice whenever he was suited up.  I understood the logic behind it, but it still made me laugh.  But the Joker... that was just creepy.  Creepy enough to make me want to see it again.

The Ruins - Rented this.  It's really bad.  Don't watch it.  But it IS a prime example of the depravity of the human spirit that chooses to rear its ugly head every now and then.  The "sense of life," to borrow from Ayn Rand, of this film is nothing but death and chaos.  No redemptive value at all.

The Music Within - Amazing movie about a deaf guy who works to help disabled people get jobs.  Loved it.

The Last Legion - I love Arthurian lore.  I did not love this movie.  In fact, I didn't even finish it.  Come on, Colin Firth.  What were you thinking?

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - LOVED this movie. The cinematography was great.  It's long, but it's worth it.

There Will Be Blood - Loved this as well.  Just a good film.

What have you seen lately?

1881: Der berühmt-berüchtigte Verbrecher Jesse James (Brad Pitt) ist alt geworden, mit 34 Jahren hat er mit seiner stark angeschlagenen Gesundheit, Paranoia und schweren Depressionen zu kämpfen. Gemeinsam mit den Ford-Brüdern Robert (Casey Affleck) und Charley (Sam Rockwell) plant er seinen letzten großen Clou, um sich danach zu seiner Frau (Mary-Louise Parker) und seinen beiden Kindern zurückzuziehen. Doch das Verhältnis der drei ist von tiefem Misstrauen geprägt. Schließlich tötet Robert Jesse, indem er ihn von hinten erschießt. „Die Ermordung...“ handelt von den Monaten vor dem folgenschweren Schuss: Wie kam es dazu, dass der unsichere, erst 19 Jahre alte Robert, der Jesse stets als sein größtes Idol verehrte, das fertig brachte, wozu die Sheriffs gleich mehrerer Staaten zuvor nicht in der Lage gewesen waren... (Quelle: filmstars.de)

Das sagt "Cowboy" Alex Cee: Was haben Die schönsten Bahnstrecken Europas - Frankreich: Villefrance de Conflent nach Latour de Carol und Die Ermordung des Jesse James durch den Feigling Robert Ford gemeinsam? Richtig, einen verdammt sperrigen Titel, ungefähr die selbe Länge und ganz bestimmt den gleichen Unterhaltungswert! Halte ich den Freunden der Eisenbahn allerdings zugute, dass sich während der Führerstandsmitfahrt im Nachtprogramm wenigstens noch ab und an die Landschaft ändert, muss der leidende Zuschauer von Jesse James selbst darauf verzichten! Überhaupt scheint der melancholische Western in einem Paralleluniversum zu spielen, in dem sich die Erde um eine graue, blasse und blutleere Sonne dreht. Anders lassen sich die furchtbar trüben Bilder nicht erklären, die durch den Film plätschern, wie geronnene Milch aus einem alten 1-Liter-Karton.

Selbstverständlich steckt hinter der deprimierenden Fassade Methodik, wie auch hinter allen anderen Stilelementen, die Regisseur Andrew Dominik krampfhaft einzusetzen versucht. Der Streifen ist schließlich keine Komödie oder ein leicht verdaulicher Tanzfilm, sondern ein Abgesang auf Amerikas ersten großen Popstar Jesse James, der im Nebenberuf noch eineinhalb Dutzend Menschen das Leben gekostet hat.

So erzählt Dominik die Geschichte eines des Lebens müden Mannes, der über seinen Zenit hinaus den letzten großen Coup plant und dabei hinterrücks von einem jugendlichen Verlierer, der einfach nur berühmt sein wollte und auf Anerkennung hoffte, erschossen wird. Ein Stoff, der allen großen Dichtern und Denkern gefallen hätte. Leider waren Homer, Shakespeare und Goethe zum Zeitpunkt der Drehbucherstellung schon tot.

Es bleibt die Erkenntnis, dass Filme mit Tiefgang und Geist einfach nicht nach Hollywood gehören. Auch der Versuch, den klassischen Western mit seiner stinkenden, staubigen Machowelt in das 21. Jahrhundert zu retten, funktioniert nicht. Schockierte Brokeback Mountain das prüde Amerika noch mit homosexuellen Cowboys, scheitert dieser Streifen bei dem Versuch, den Lack des historisch verbrämten Jesse James anzukratzen. Zwar liefern sich Brad Pitt und Casey Affleck ein Psychoduell alter Schule, doch ihr Kampf verliert sich in Kleinigkeiten und bleibt unkonkret. Dominik räumt den Protagonisten unendlich lange 150 Minuten ein, um mit machen Heldenpathos aufzuräumen, kommt jedoch niemals auf den Punkt und lässt den Zuschauer mit einer Ansammlung in sich geschlossener Momentaufnahmen zurück. Schade!

Da ich den weiblichen Zuschauern den stark aufspielenden Brad Pitt gönne, gibt es für dieses Machwerk noch 3 von 10 Gnadenpunkte. Mehr ist beim besten Willen nicht drin!

Deutscher Titel: Die Ermordung des Jesse James durch den Feigling Robert Ford
Originaltitel: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Studio/Verleih: Warner Brothers
Produktionsland: USA
Erscheinungsjahr: 2007
Länge (PAL-DVD): 150 Minuten
Originalsprache: Englisch
Altersfreigabe: FSK 12
Regie: Andrew Dominik
Drehbuch: Andrew Dominik
Musik: Nick Cave, Warren Ellis
Darsteller: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel, Meredith Henderson, Ted Levine, Mary-Louise Parker, Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard, Jeremy Renner u.w.

Deutscher Trailer:

Brad Pitt is the star attraction of the movie but, as the full title suggests, the main focus is on the cowardly act of betrayal by Robert Ford. Ford is played by Casey Affleck who is kid brother to Ben and looks like a young David Byrne. He is perfect in the role of nerdy wannabe outlaw.

Anyone expecting an action packed yarn will be disappointed. You only have to hear the score by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis to get the languid and melancholy mood. By the time we see what remains of the James Gang, they are a spent force. After one last hold up the only way is down.

The brothers Frank (Sam Shepherd) and Jesse are estranged and the law is tightening its net. Jesse at 34 is a shadow of his former self and no longer the dynamic man of action whose daring deeds led to his mythical status and notoriety.

Usually I hate the use of a voiceover for anything more than an initial scene setting. In Scorsese's Goodfellas and Casino, for example, this device struck me as intrusive and superfluous. In The Assassination of Jesse James however the poetic language , beautifully spoken by Scottish actor Hugh Ross, adds to the narrative of this elegiac western.

The screenplay as a whole, from the novel by Ron Hansen, is superbly judged as is the cinematography by Roger Deakens which gives the epic landscape a strangely claustrophobic atmosphere.

It's a shade too long and the cameo performance by Nick Cave singing the Ballad of Jesse James looks out of place but overall this is a remarkably assured directorial work by Andrew Dominik. He recognises that you can create dramatic tension in a movie even when you know exactly how it will end.

Il y a six mois, sur la première mouture de Retour Sur, nous établissions notre top 2007. Certaines choses ont changées, par exemple on a vu Paranoid Park depuis et on a revu les deux Election, d'autres se confirment : le Gray nous apparaît toujours aussi grand.
Il y a six mois nous faisions remarquer la pertinence de ne pas participer à une plaisanterie tel que le classement de fin d'année. On n'a pas changé d'avis. C'est toujours aussi marrant. Et bancal. Puisque nous n'avons pour ainsi dire vu aucun des films asiatiques que nous avions manqués.
Néanmoins puisque tous ces films doivent aujourd'hui être disponibles à la vente, revoilà le top 2007.

L'assassinat de Jesse James par le lâche Robert Ford, d'Andrew Dominik
Où Brad Pitt, barbu, enfouit dans une fourrure, nous livre un personnage crépusculaire au sein d'une longue fable naturaliste sur la place du discours. On reconnaîtra ceux qui ont du goût de ceux qui ont des appétits.
Eastern Promises, de David Cronenberg,
Où il est démontré que l'intégrité est un comportement aliéné. Flippant et grand.
La nuit nous appartient, de James Gray,
Où l'on ne baise jamais.
Death Proof, de Quentin Tarantino,
Où le féminisme est traité au niveau du machisme, avec la même hype, avec le même constat piteux.
Paranoid Park, Gus Van Sant
Où les fureurs d'une douche (sic) est plus signifiante qu'un livre entier de Camus.
My Blueberry Nights, de Wong Kar-Wai,
Où il ne se passe rien en dehors d'un cadre qui accroche la beauté au détour d'une love story sans intérêt. Peut-être l'absolu d'un cinéaste qui a - jusqu'alors - considéré avec beaucoup de sérieux l'amour.
Zodiac, de David Fincher
Où Gerry est un monde seventies dans lequel on tourne autour du pot avec la même envie de rejoindre l'autoroute, au passage d'une épure de la mise en scène.
28 semaines plus tard, de Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Où le zombie sportif trouve pour la première fois sa légitimité.
Le Rêve de Cassandre, de Woody Allen,
Où le christianisme toujours gagne, non sans avoir coupé des têtes lors de ces plus fâcheux égarements.
Election 1 & 2, Johnny To
Où l'on transfigure beaucoup. Un récit. Un personnage. Un propos. Mais l'où ne pose jamais la bonne vieille machette.

On retiendra la bonne forme du néo-classicisme américain, tant celui des anciens - Gray - que celui des nouveaux venus - Cronenberg, Dominik.
La bonne forme des anciens tout court : Kar-Wai et Lynch donnant une leçon de mélo au grand continent, Tarantino signant son meilleur navet.
On félicitera le nouveau-né Syndromes and a century. Une bonne chose en soi - paraît-il. Mais on félicitera surtout le vieux Resnais de ne pas avoir fait de film cette année. Merci.
Allen poursuit sa renaissance en dent-de-scie avec, dans ce film old-school ironisant sur le social, une bonne pioche en 2007. Johnny To tire trois fois dans le cœur de la cible - Election 1 & 2, Exiled - faisant frémir ceux qui l'avaient ignoré jusqu'à présent.
Kubrick est toujours mort en 2007.
Friedkin tremble de rage et de fatigue, son Bug accuse de l'un et de l'autre.
Harry Potter se voit offrir une cinquième illustration. Le film offre surtout celle de la suprématie des mots. Smokin'aces ravi aux Simpson la critique aigue des Etats Unis, pendant que Crank ridiculise Snyder et son 300 au rayon cartoon décomplexé.
Plus loin vers la gauche l'Asie se porte à merveille : pas moins de deux Kim Ki-duk cette année, un Apichatpong, un Wong Kar-Wai, un Jia Zhang-Ke, un Tsai Ming-Liang, un mauvais Park Chan-Wook, un Yimou - La Cité Interdite - qui prouve à lui seul combien My Blueberry Nights est subtile. J'en passe.
Au niveau des doublons, Ridley Scott nous assure par deux fois qu'il possède toujours aussi peu de talent que son frère (c'est très peu) et Rodriguez a toujours aussi peu d'estime pour le cinéma. Et pour le sien en particulier.
Pendant que Coppola prépare la naissance d'un immortel, son neveu prépare l'enterrement d'une époque fertile et crédible - crédible surtout semble être le bon mot en comparaison - avec les extraordinaires Wicker Man et Ghost Rider. Des leçons de cinéma par l'absurde.
Une année en patchwork donc, à l'image des accents d'Eastern Promises. Et surtout une bonne année pour la lubricité américaine avec, sans exhaustivité, Little Children, Black Snake Moan, We Own The Night. Rien en comparaison du Lust Caution à venir.
2007, c'est aussi une année en moins vers le prochain Malick.

The Fountain, Darren Aronofsky, 2006

Aronofsky est un des grands réalisateurs surcotés de ces dernières années. Pi essai à la limite du trip supra subjectif ne proposait que quelques figures sans liens. Un figuralisme aux pleins pouvoirs dans Requiem For A Dream où les traits stylistiques à la lisière du récit approchaient la caricature - à la manière d'un P.T. Anderson.
Et puis voilà The Fountain, fable mystique que les notes d'intention comparent à 2001 - tant pis si 2001 est le plus rationaliste des films de Stanley. Mais bref. The Fountain était raté. Le souffle n'y était pas. Le récit perdait en partie la force déterministe qui fait le succès de Requiem. Les figures plastiques manquaient de s'insérer correctement autour des personnages et des trois parties temporelles seule la dernière n'échouait pas à la reconstitution - le style ténue de l'approche d'Aronofsky tout entier réduit autour de deux personnages ne trouvant une adéquation que dans la phase futuriste où il sert enfin convenablement le propos.
Le propos d'ailleurs est à oublier. Trop claire ou trop confus, il renvoie trop à une trop grande multitude d'œuvres plus strictes ou plus inspirées.
Reste l'imaginaire - fort - d'Aronofsky dans ce voyage abstrait. La décomposition de la corporalité, la relation au biologique. Le réalisateur propose une vision ultime des trips chamaniques de Blueberry (seule chose intéressante survenue dans le cinéma français de cette dernière décennie). Le virtuel de l'image trouve une signification et un équilibre convainquant dans ce qui rappel une mixage fort à propos des visions de Clark/Blake.
Mais en dehors de ça, le film peine à convaincre et réduit considérablement la portée de ces visions futuristes dans un méli mélo si symptomatique des œuvres totale_ qui se veulent comme. Et portant il est attachant.

M le Maudit , Fritz Lang, 1931

Lang crée le film le plus judicieusement politique qu'on puisse faire. Plus épuré et directe que ses Dr Mabuse, M prend la forme d'un conte populaire avec son méchant aux attributs caractéristiques (le sifflement du dragon, les yeux globuleux de la sorcière, les signes de la folie latente des monarques totalitaires) et ses paysans effrayés mais corporatistes. Puis Lang renverse la donne dans un exemple de sur démocratisation de la morale : les paysans perdent leur qualité de groupe dans une individualisation élargie mais peu affable. L'acte politique est un déchirement du développement naturel de la communauté. La violence atteint non seulement le corps mais l'éthique des individus.
On retrouve ces positions encore aujourd'hui, par exemple chez Johnny To. Visionnaire !
Le film est un trésor de mise en scène, alignant des figures expressives et suggestives d'une force peu commune et si caractéristiques de l'importance de Lang dans l'histoire du cinéma. Jamais strictement abstrait ou épure, M sait aussi plonger dans l'action et en créer une véritable dramaturgie, ce qui fait défaut aux Dr Mabuse - simulacres dramatiques et plus arides.
L'étude de cette mise en scène dans la constitution de ces figures, et le rapport dialectique d'une figure à l'autre serait trop long à constituer. Au dessus de nos forces.

Film, Samuel Beckett, 1965

L'exercice de style proprement beckettien appliqué au cinéma. Le plus déstabilisant est encore la réussite totale de la compréhension de Beckett du média cinématographique. Le rôle de la camera, la dichotomie nécessaire qu'elle instaure entre les points de vue, la capacité du montage à créer un sens et une idée, la relation propre qui s'instaure entre le corps et son image-mouvement, tout est explicité et questionné dans le moyen métrage de Beckett. Film est à la fois conceptuel et simplement compréhensible - qu'importe le niveau d'abstraction auquel le spectateur se place.
Et puis Buster Keaton, fantôme de son génie à la gestuelle parfaite, suffit pour induire du sentiment dans l'œuvre.
Seulement Deleuze a déjà tout dit sur Film, si bien qu'on ne ferait que paraphraser.

Le cinéma de Tarkovski.

Par où et quoi commencer ?
Tarkovski, outre la beauté plastique et stylistique de ses films, possède cette aptitude incroyable de créer des œuvres originales tout en se référant constamment/naturellement dans l'histoire du cinéma. Sans rien dénaturer de sa vision, sans jamais faire de l'hommage ou de la simple constatation. Seulement le cinéma de Tarkovski s'approche de l'œuvre totale, avec la sècheresse et les complications de mise, et ouvre autant de thématiques générales que de considérations simples et limitées qui emplissent à l'occasion ses plans. Aussi beau que ardu d'approche. L'ensemble demande un lente maturation/mastication.
On y viendra sans doute par le biais des meilleurs plans.

Scènes de la Vie Conjugale, Ingmar Bergman, 1973

Comment convier quelqu'un à regarder les six scènes originales de l'œuvre la plus minimaliste de Bergman ?
Toute analyse devra mentionner les 5 heures de pellicule dont 4h50 sont constituées de dialogues, les 7 personnages dont 5 totalisent seulement 20 minutes d'apparition, les 6 uniques décors et peut-être la trentaine seulement de plans différents. De quoi décourager.
Et pourtant Bergman est largement un expérimentateur affuté, Persona, Les Fraises Sauvages entre autres, expriment la pertinence de ses propositions les moins narratives et le fort à propos de leur utilisation au sein de récit sans cela linéaires. Peut-être alors que l'expérimentation dans Scènes de la Vie Conjugale se tient dans la forme apparente d'un théâtre filmé avec le moins d'entrain possible. On a dit ailleurs à quel point croire en cette forme était illusoire, le caractère cinématographique de la série n'est pas en effet à remettre en cause. La proximité des faciès des personnages est au combien fondamentale dans l'approche du spectateur.
Néanmoins l'argument de bon sens « c'est chiant » n'est pas aisément réfutable. Et c'est peut-être vrai tant la conception bergmanienne du couple n'est ni reluisante ni fantasmagorique.
Reste l'extrême concision de l'écriture de Bergman, qui ne perd jamais le fil de son sujet et paradoxalement à la durée de la série (cinq heures donc) ne s'entiche jamais de ce qui ne fait pas avancer cette autopsie du quotidien amoureux. Scènes de la Vie Conjugale par sa pertinence analytique se pose en histoire absolue du couple et de ses transfigurations. La vision de Bergman est d'une clairvoyance triomphante et extraordinaire, s'approchant de ce que peut-être Guerre et Paix pour l'étude historico sociale.
La plus juste et belle d'histoire de l'amour.
Sauf si on rechigne à comprendre en quoi la justesse est la forme dans laquelle se tient la plus grande concentration de beauté.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Andrew Dominik, 2007

Un des meilleurs films de l'année passée selon nous, The Assassination est moins l'objet d'un étude qu'une proposition esthétique.
Autour de l'acteur dans les milles formes que peut prendre le corps de Brad Pitt. Autour du paysage dans les milles fonction qu'il peut entretenir - lieu narratif ou attache subjective. Autour des relations, dans la dialectique étrange qu'entretiennent Jesse et Robert. Autour du verbe, fait pour aliéner, pour impressionner, pour menacer ou poétiser le monde, pour construire une légende, ou pour la raconter, ou encore la nier.
Le souffle qui parcourt le film est irréductible à l'analyse. Sans doute ses propositions prises une à une ne sont-elles pas d'une pertinence incroyable, mais Dominik constitue ce que beaucoup échouent à faire : une œuvre intègre et stable qui ne se réduit à aucune idée, à un aucun axe narratif.
The Assassination est autant la fresque d'un bandit mystérieux, que l'histoire d'une trahison, que celle d'une amitié, que celle de la chute simultanée de deux êtres dans leur projet, que l'illustration d'une époque. Encore, c'est l'incroyable synthèse des forces en jeux dans l'univers. Un tableau strict à l'exécution parfaite de la complexité des étants dans un microcosme donné. Il y a quelque chose de subtilement Nietzschéen dans le film, dans son projet de synthèse non réductive des forces mais aussi dans ses personnages. Jesse James d'ailleurs ne se laisse t-il pas mourir après avoir approché la complexion inassimilable du réel dont il est dépendant (sa légende) ?
Le film se rapproche en cela du tristement passé inaperçue Lust, Caution d'Ang Lee. Le plus beau film de cette année pour l'instant.
De ce dernier il faudra qu'on en parle.

There Will Be Blood. (2007)

Seriously, was there any doubt that Daniel Day-Lewis would win the Oscar for Best Performance in a Leading Role this year? I've heard people who felt like his performance as Daniel Plainview was too much like Bill "The Butcher" Cutting in Gangs of New York. I guess I can see that because they both had mustaches and were dicks, but thats where the similarities end. You need to see this movie if you haven't yet.

Quote: "One night, I'm gonna come to you, inside of your house, wherever you're sleeping, and I'm going to cut your throat."

_____ 

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. (2007)

Best performance of Brad Pitt's career so far? Me thinks so. His portrayal of a restless outlaw haunted by his past actions made the audiences uncomfortable at times, but also made you feel down right sorry and deep hearted compassion for the most famous outlaw of all time.

Quote: "I've been a nobody all my life. I was the baby; I was the one they made promises to that they never kept. And ever since I can recall it, Jesse James has been as big as a tree. I'm prepared for this, Jim. And I'm going to accomplish it. I know I won't get but this one opportunity and you can bet your life I'm not going to spoil it."
_____ 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. (2004)

This movie was sort of like that episode of That 70's Show (which was probably a rip off of something else), after Eric broke up with Donna and wished he had never been with her. Then he got to see what his life would have been like if that happened and realized it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. I'm sure we've all experienced some sort of event in our lives that we would like to erase from our memory. I know I have. But Eternal Sunshine reminded us that memories (be it bad ones or good ones) helped to mold and make us who we are today.

Quote: "I could die right now, Clem. I'm just... happy. I've never felt that before. I'm just exactly where I want to be."
_____ 

Brokeback Mountain. (2005)

Daniel Day-Lewis said it best, "In Brokeback Mountain he [Heath Ledger] was unique, he was perfect. Um-and that-that scene in the trailer at the end of the film is as moving as anything that I think I've ever seen."

Quote: "Tell you what... truth is, sometimes I miss you so bad I can hardly stand it."
_____ 

Crash. (2004)

We all get a little racist from time to time. Generally for me, it happens at the movie theaters when certain people of certain races (not going to say who) live into certain stereotypes. Crash personified how people of mixed races and cultures act towards one another when pushed to the limit and their lives intersect.

Quote: "I am angry all the time... and I don't know why."
_____

There were plenty of other movies I wanted to add to this list. Lost In Translation, 21 Grams, Mystic River, Big Fish, etc. But choices had to be made. If you disagree with any of my choices, leave a comment and then make your own blog. Check back next week for...COMEDY!!!

I watched this movie several months ago, but for some reason I started thinking about it while twidling my thumbs on mid-shift tonight.  That's the kind of movie it is - it's just haunting.

This isn't a movie that you watch lightly, and walk away from unaffected.  This is the type of movie you watch while sipping some god-awful single malt scotch, that you idle twirl in its tumber as you muse about the implications of the characters actions.  Turn the lights down low, light a candle, and be prepared to think.

The one thing that really struck me about the movie was how it much it demanded of me.  My old choir instructor (at the Academy) once told us that while a sweeping musical climax was impressive, sometimes a delicate, almost barely audible ending bar was even more powerful.  This movie epitomizes this concept, but using the visual landscape as its medium.  The director wasn't afraid to have scenes where absolutely no sounds were made.  Perhaps it was just a 30 second clip of the wind blowing through mid-western grain fields.  Or it was as a man changed before our eyes from an awestruck teenager to a poisoned, angst-ridden man.  This movie demanded me to focus on what was happening, because there was nothing else to focus on.  I've never seen a movie quite like it in that regard.

The other aspect was simply in the acting.  The two standouts were the people seen on the cover - Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt.  I know not everyone watches movies for the acting, but these two were so good it was almost scary.  Coupled with the fact that both played characters that were scary...  Scary in this case is defined as a person who seems to show moral capacity, yet ruthlessly snuffs out a life.  Scary is watching a young man become poisoned by an idea.

I also found out that Brad Pitt had it written into his contract that he would pull out of the movie if the title was changed.  I also heard that the reason it was delayed for so long (years?) was because no studio thought they could make any money on it.

I give it 2 big thumbs up - but be prepared to watch something that might actually affect you instead of another flavor of the month action movie.