Caught a glimpse of Pulp Fiction the other day and I'm currently stuck with 1 of the best dialogues E-V-E-R..Why do we feel it's necessary to talk about bullshit in order to be comfortable? - I don't know. That's a good question. - That's when you know you've found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence...
Back to reality I'm going to list a couple of notable movies I've recently seen...
A great story, taking place at the 70's, about Napa Valley and how the US wines managed to appear in the world market making a name for themselves...Jim Barrett is a down on his luck vineyard owner, whose last few seasons trying to make a decent Chardonnay, haven't bore any fruit and he isn't getting anywhere, no thanks to his uninterested son, Bo, a laid back, party loving surfer dude. When British oenologist Steven Spurrier (pictured above), owner of a Parisian boutique specializing in world wines, decides to pit the famed invincible French wines against unknown foreign product, he makes the trip out to the California hills, in order to locate worthy competition in his contest. As he slowly makes his way through the various locations and wine products, Spurrier raises the local hopes that their brands might get some much needed recognition on the global scale.
Best small budget movies are always the ones based on real-life events, especially inspired ones about underdogs who make their mark in the world. Most of the varied cast are memorable in their individual roles: Alan Rickman portrays Steven Spurrier with panache, as the ever-stereotypical wine snob looking for a way to increase business in his small specialty wine shop. Director/writer Randall Miller gives Rickman great lines, without making him a villain in any way, shape or form...Up and coming actor Chris Pine also shines as Bo Barrett, the surfer dude whose pride is bruised more than once during the story.
WHY I LOVED THIS MOVIE: Bottle Shock is the kind of precious little film that makes the audience want to pause the film in order to locate a good bottle and glass of a tasty vintage, in the spirit of truly celebrating a good wine, and the incredible effort and art behind the making of such. Like a fine bottle, this movie is to be savored again and again.
CHE PART I & II
Che” is actually two movies that tell one cohesive story. The first, “The Argentine,” follows Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s (Benicio del Toro) rise from doctor to rebel hero in the successful Cuban Revolution, while the second, “Guerilla,” tracks his later attempt to continue the cause in a not-so-successful charge in Bolivia. The reunion of “Traffic” Oscar winners del Toro and Soderbergh is an exciting prospect, and del Toro has already won a best actor prize at Cannes for his efforts here. Never been a fan of Che and this 1 is a classic "Hollywood" movie aiming at elevating his fame after death ... “The Argentine” cuts back and forth between Guevara’s rise and his political life years, providing enough narrative momentum to qualify as engaging. When it’s all over audiences are likely to have a clear understanding of Guevara’s commitment to his cause, but there’s an awful lot about the man (and his allegedly ultra-violent tactics) that isn't mentioned or showed. Shouldn’t four hours and two films deliver more than that?RIGHTEOUS KILL??? You can see how the ending is coming plus chemistry is something you can't teach...know what I mean???
GRAN TORINO??? Yes, Clint Eastwood is 1 of the all time greatest actors and yes that's all you need to know about the movie...Having him repeatedly calling out "the gooks" should be illegal...
First off let’s get one thing clear, this isn’t a film about milk. I didn’t see one glass of milk in the entire film. ;-) Milk is the true story of Harvey Milk’s crusade for gay rights, and his rise to becoming the first openly gay politician in California history. Unlike other films that deal with this subject matter, It was the cast that drew me to this film. The visual style of Gus Van Sant, really captures the look and vibe of the Seventies. He grounds the film with remarkable archival TV news footage that locks in the true story aspect of the film. Sean Penn, again delivers a powerful performance as the gay politician Harvey Milk. James Franco also delivers a powerful performance. Emile Hirsch and James Brolin (as usual) provide amazing life to there characters..A very educational film and if somebody comes to visit me I promise to take you to the man that had the whole gay community beg him to move his grocery store in Castro..heck he was getting free drinks at the famous SF Bar "The Cockpit"...
