2009 Year in Review Redeaux

When I posted my Year in Review on New Year's Eve I must have been off my pills or something, because I made some serious oversights in the film section. And since we're not cheesy here at The Sound and Fury I won't be editing the old review and re-posting a corrected version. In lieu of that I present to you an addendum, of sorts.

In 2009, where films were concerned, I saw my fair share at home and in the theater. And to the old list I would like to add 3 films that I found to be of exceptional quality. Again, I can't understand why I neglected to mention them. But now that it's done, it's too late to take others off and add these in their place.

First up, Tarantino's newest film Inglourious Basterds. This film is truly the best work Tarantino has done since Pulp Fiction. And if Christoph Waltz doesn't win an Oscar (any Oscar!) for his portrayal of Nazi officer Hans "The Jew Hunter" Landa, then the Academy is cracked! Brad Pitt is hilarious in a role that I thought would have this movie jumping the shark. Not to worry, his performance is very well done and only funny when it's supposed to be.

Moon was a small budget sci-fi surprise for Kelley and I this year. Conceived and directed by Duncan Jones (son of David Bowie) and starring Sam Rockwell as the lone steward of a moon base mining operation, this film is a dark exploration of isolation and (without giving too much away) science. This is a MUST SEE for real science fiction fans. Sam Rockwell hits it out of the park. I will buy this on DVD when it hits stores.

Last but not least is a film that I didn't see the year that it came out (2008). Kelley and I waited until The Wrestler was released to DVD and then borrowed it from my dad. Man, I wish I hadn't waited. I haven't seen a film with such raw power as this one in a long time. This is the film that brought Mickey Rourke back, and his performance here is awesome, to say the least. I'm ready to see Iron Man 2 based solely on the clips I've seen of Rourke as one of the film's antagonists. How much better can it get? Two of the biggest come back kids in the business (Robert Downey Jr. and Rourke) in the same movie? Anyway, The Wrestler isn't a movie that I want to watch over and over again, but it is a fine piece of work.

I never got around to reviewing these films, but I highly recommend all of them if you haven't already seen them. I'll probably wait for my second viewing of Moon and Inglourious Basterds to refresh my memory, and then I'll get my thoughts up here. Also, look for my review of Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges in the next couple of days. I just got back from seeing it at the Alamo Drafthouse with Kelley and her mom.

Until then, Kirk out!

Shelfari: A great tool for book lovers!

I discovered Shelfari a while back while visiting fellow blogger David Wagner's My Little Corner of the World (thanks David!), and instantly fell in love with the Shelf Widget (look to the left of the page to see mine). Shelfari, as far as I can tell, is a social networking site for book lovers.

So if you're into books, this should be right up your alley. You can add, review, and discuss books that you've read and books that you plan to read. Or you can look books up and see what others have said about them, and decide whether you want to give them a try or not. There are also groups that you can join to participate in discussions about books and authors. You can also tie your books to read list into your Amazon (Shelfari is now owned by Amazon) wish list. How cool is that? And there are many established, well known authors who are members of Shelfari. It's great for writers, aspiring writers, and readers alike.


Hit the link below, sign up for a free membership, and start building your shelf.

Join Shelfari for free!
(By the way, I'm not being paid for this. I just think it's cool.)

Kirk out.

The Guitar: A film review

Once again I found myself afront of the television set with a strange film in the DVD player as a result of a recommendation from my dad. In fact, it was his copy that I'd borrowed some weeks before. Most of the time we like the same things; one could make a fairly good argument that my film and book interests, and my writing are all heavily influenced by what my dad liked when I was a kid. Nevertheless, we sometimes disagree as even family members are wont to do, and The Guitar is perhaps one small example of this.

The Guitar is a film about a woman named Mel, played quite effectively by Saffron Burrows, who, in the span of one afternoon, finds out that she is terminally ill (and only has a few months to live), loses her job, and gets dumped by her boyfriend. What follows is a story of perseverance and self discovery, but from a bit of a different perspective than a film like The Pursuit of Happyness.

Mel, having no reason to resume her ordinary life, physically sheds her clothing and, symbolically sheds all auspices of maintaining her former, ordinary life. She decides to live it up at the expense of her creditors for the remainder of her life, intending to leave a huge bill of debt after she passes from this life to what ever awaits her after. She buys many expensive material items, eats food that she would not normally have, and indulges in sexual encounters that may have seemed unbecoming before. But none of these things seem to fill the hole in her soul. Shot through all of this are flashbacks to Mel's somewhat troubled childhood and the memory of a red Fender Stratocaster guitar that she coveted.

In the end, Mel figures out that wants and desires, material or otherwise, are not enough to sustain the human soul, but that dreams... dreams, when pursued with abandon, are enough to cure even the sickest of folk.

The Guitar isn't a perfect film by any means. The flashbacks aren't very well done and began to annoy me after a while. The soundtrack left a lot to be desired and the cinematography wasn't overly impressive either. The film design, however, was spot on. As Saffron's character's discovery progressed, so too did the vibrancy and availability of color in the sets and costumes. The acting was above average; excellent in the case of Burrows and costar Isaach De Bankolé. I had no problem buying into who these characters were, even though I might not agree with their motives. And, in the end, the message was one I fully support:

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."

-Henry David Thoreau

Perhaps I wasn't as enthusiastic about The Guitar as my dad was (I'd never go out and buy it), but I didn't dislike it the way my wife Kelley did. But this is my blog. She can go get her own, if she wants to levy her criticisms about the film at anyone but me. If you like odd indie films and real-life messages, perhaps The Guitar is for you. If you are into films with huge budgets and lots of graphically engaging imagery, or cannot accept morally ambiguous scenarios, you probably won't be won over by The Guitar.

Score: 3/5

Kirk out.