I'm Hosting and Screening at Video Verite, 3 Nights a Week!

Yeah, Mark Mohan writer for "Beyond the Multiplex" is letting me present movies at his basement theater in Video Verite. Mark owns Video Verite and is happy with the selection I chose and I will be giving 10 minutes intros to films that are my favorites from my personal collection and some not from personal collectin. I will have themed nights of arthouse films, exploitaion flicks, spaghetti westerns, soft-core porns and just films you can hang out with a crowd! Come check it out! If you miss a screening, come talk to me and I'll try and see if I can show it again personally! Here is the list(with commentary)! Others will be presenting too...like Joe Dixon and Scott Binkley. They will be doing Tuesdays!

"First of tha Month, Wake up, Wake Up",Feb. 1st, Wednesday
Charles Bronson Double Feature Night!
6.50-10 minute intro

7.00 Violent City-dir. Sergio Sollima

8.40 The Mechanic-dir. Michael Winner

10.20 5-minute outro

Feb. 3rd, Friday

David Mamet Double Feature

6.50 10 minute intro

7.00 House of Games

8.42 Homicide

10.24 4-minute outro

Feb. 4th, Saturday

Crazy ASS DOUBLE FEATURE

6.50 10-minute intro

7.00 Alejandro Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre

8.32 Ken Russell's The Devils

10.32 2-minute outro

Feb. 8th, Wednesday

Dogme '95 Night

7.50 10-minute intro

8.00 Lars Von Trier's The Idiots

9.57 3-minute outro

Feb. 10th, Friday

Sergio Corbucci Spaghetti Westen Night

7.50 Intro

8.00 Django

9.30 Hellbenders

Feb. 11th, Saturday

Ivan Dixon Blaxploitation Double Feature

6.50 Intro

7.00 Trouble Man

8.40 The Spook Who Sat by the Door

10.22 Outro

Feb. 15th, Wednesday

Krzystof Kieslowski

7.50 Intro

8.00 Short FIlm About Love

9.26 4-minute outro

Feb. 17th, Friday

Early 80's Soft-Core Porn Night

7.50 Intro

8.00 The First Turn-On-dir. Lloyd Kaufman & Michael Herz

9.30 Private Lessons-dir. Alan Myerson

10.57 Outro

Feb. 18th, Saturday

Classic Soft-Core Porn Night

7.50 Intro

8.00 Emmanuelle-dir.Just Jaeckin

9.45 House of Love-dir.Tom Lazarus

Feb. 22nd, Wednesday

Top 10 on Aliye's list of All Time Favorites

7.50 intro

8.00 Le Jour Se Leve-dir. Marcel Carne

9.32 Outro

Feb. 24th, Friday

Sergio Leone

7.50 Intro

8.00 Fistful of Dynamite

10.38 Outro

Last Night for the month of February

Feb. 25th, Saturday

80's Musical Night

7.50 Intro

8.00-Xanadu-dir.Robert Greenwald

9.32 The Apple-dir.Menahem Golan

11.00 outro PARTY FOOLS!

Reflective, Small, Quiant Masterpiece Courtesy of Steven Soderbergh!

Top: Steven Soderbergh bottom: A Creepy ass Doll Head












Another crowd pleaser from a man that pushes the boundary for cinema from a small scale to a big Hollywood epic scale. Either way you really don't notice and could care less, because Soderbergh is a man finding a level for cinema. Is latest as been said to be "daring" and "innovative". A movie that is being banned from certain theatres because the way it is being released. It's giving the option of the audience to choose the way it wants to be seen. A movie released simultaneously in theaters and HDnet. On the web and later released on DVD. I rather like the ideas that are behind it, but if the movie is good. While surpassing it's innovation on releases it has done the same in film, story and character. After signing to a deal for directing 6 movies for HDnet, he begins with "Bubble" and carries the responsibility of doing it his own way.

All shot on digital, but not meek shaky handi-cam but with really drawn out cinematography. Mostly used with natural lighting, it's like a "Dogme 95" but without the "Dogme". Soderbergh uses non-professional actors that are neither bad or good but hits their mark for what Soderbergh was going for. The notion of using non-professional actors and the seemingly digital photography is that of a New Wave Robert Bresson. Running on 76 minutes, it's not overlong or too short but right on the nose where it wants to be. It is small masterpiece!

The movie takes place in a small town in Ohio where three people work in a doll factory. Martha(played by unknown Debbie Roechener), the oldest worker, as a fond crush on one of her fellow young co-workers Kyle(played by Dustin Ashley). Soderbergh looks like he was going for realism that later turns poetic. While not having any condensation towards these characters and no small detailed humor to point at their small town existence. Soderbergh doesn't go for those conventions, but instead shows it as is! Kind of like a cinema verite style driven piece, but takes an unexpected turn into a murder mystery.

During Martha's work relationship between somewhat develops, Rose a new girl comes into work who is more Kyle's age. You see Martha's eyes flare, but not to extremities for her actions towards her are for you to decide. Rose played by another unknown Misty Wilkins gives small sinister depth to her character but to the point of taking advantage of people. The main focus isn't on these three but mostly on Martha, before and after a murder investigation piles up when Rose is found dead in her apartment. Before, it shows Martha going through her daily tasks while taking care of her sick old father that is not used for sentimental cliche or sympathy, but rather depth to Martha but no piece into her actions. If you watch the extra features and watch the deleted scenes that Soderbergh took out, there is a scene that gives an answer. I think Soderbergh didn't want that, but rather gave a question and a true mysterious ending.

The other thing I noticed hen I watching it with my mom(yeah, that's pretty sad), she pointed out that through the montages with Robert Pollard's score in the background and shows Martha having a dense stare into the camera with a blue lime light surrounding her. My noticed that she looks like the dolls she makes in the factory. Rather not dull or bland and lifeless like the dolls, those orchestrated montages give depth to Martha that is neither creepy or relentless. Through the end of the movie Soderbergh shoots another closing montage of sculptures for baby dolls that is quite creepy. After the murder, Martha is still consistent that she was not involved in the murder even having evidence proving she did. Even when she is jail, we still don't know if she does believe or not....we are left another question and more!
This is Aliye Nyoka saying "PEACE OUT, PLAYA!"

A Hidden Creepiness that allows you to endure it, not just let it pass by!

Top: Michael Haneke. Bottom: Danny Auteuil and Juliette Binoche.












Caught a Sneak peek of Michael Haneke's latest psychological
Terror!


Not as in "your face" as Haneke's previous films like "The Piano Teacher", "Time of the Wolf","Code Unknown" and the dubiously great "Funny Games". It still carries those tones that Haneke expresses in his films. While not as overt as those films are, it still isn't as subtle as other people say. I really shouldn't and couldn't compare this film to his others. Haneke doesn't consist of terror that is in your face or let alone visceral but really psychological. Other will just pass it off as being a spectacle and not really getting under your skin, but it really does! He doesn't play the numbers as a thriller where you know where it gonna go because you really don't know where it's gonna turn. It is a movie not told through a single narrative, not even a non-linear narrative but rather a loose narrative implied though random shots. It's a pure chapter in mise en scene. It's not a movie you wait for the jump moments and its not consistent of just having moments of pure shock. Even in its moments when it is displayed as "quiet" leaves you in suspension. Each scene and dialogue is not plot motivated because the film is not worried about plot, but their not wasted only to add more to the momentum to the film. It is not minimalistic, that's one thing for sure or buried in detail because it shows a grand picture throughout the whole movie. Nothing against minimalism, but it doesn't have the tone as Wim Wenders but one of Polanski!

Let's begin about the movie, let's start with the opening shot that instills the movie's display of physiological horror. Then we I will begin with the plot of the movie. The opening title card is a continuous shot on digital video, you see the a house and a street and you watch the title cards go in a row and afterwards its just goes on for about a while. This shot here is the fore front of what this movie represents and more...As our days of the French New Wave of Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut heavily influenced the use of long takes for other directors to come like Scorsese. Others don't extend those point of views and instead tend to copy and imitate it for their use to be somewhat cocky and pretentious. Others use it to prolong a scene and add sense of quietness and not do anything with the long take. It's like when you watch a movie and you know when a director uses the "long take" and you know it. Here Haneke takes it to a another level, rather having the audience knowing you are using it the audience is somehow involved and doesn't notice! He also plays around with it and rather than the camera being the voyeur its the character's point of view looking at the tape that enables the film to have this "long take".

The other note to consider of this opening scene is that one of Haneke's favorite films is by Michelangelo Antonioni. The choice is eminent in his influence for this opening title card but not a mere imitation. It instills fear and creepiness but also beauty within its location. While it is not as minimalistic as Antonioni films are, this movie may have a slow preparation for scene to display visceral shock. But the movie is not all about that. Haneke uses the long takes after a scene of mutilation has happen to allow the actors breakdown! Now that I have talked a plethora about the opening shot let's get on with the movie! It unfolds into overt narration told from the characters point of view and their reaction to watching this tape that is taken in front of there house.

The story about a family getting mysterious videotapes sent to them via on there doorstep. They all appear nameless but are covered around a paper with a picture of weird images of a chicken or human being mutilated. Their all hand drawned like from a little kid and the couple can't seem to find where the camera is being placed and who is sending these tapes. The husband played by Danny Auteuil from the great "Girl on the Bridge", gives great performance same goes for the fine Juliette Binoche who also collaborated with Haneke on "The Code Unknown" and also gives a bleak performance as with that one. As that previous effort was use of the long take, here it gives to Binoche and Auteuil to just break down in front of the camera and it sometimes feels like it was improvised. As the movie progresses it digs deep into Georges(Auteuil's character) past and his growing up with a boy who is Algerian. A kid during his youth that he despised and starts thinking of him only when these tapes start appearing. Is it something that he regrets? It's not like I'm lazy and don't want to give the details into the plot, but I feel if the less you know the more it won't disrupt the experience. That is me being lazy and probably a lame excuse to not give a huge detailed explanation of a one note premise that unfolds into a realm of unpredictability. It's not a huge twist like in a M. Night Shymalan film that I'm giving away, but I feel better if you don't know what turns it takes. "Cache" gives no correct answer or a resolution but just more questions. Only leaving another last long take that leaves you to stay during the credits and engraves a creepy voyeur in your brain. I can see why Haneke won the best director award at the Cannes film festival, because his craft for macabre and keeping the audience suspended is something that has to be seen!
This Aliye Nyoka saying "PEACE OUT!"