FilmMattic

No, You're Gonna Tell Me Something Today, Tough Guy.        It's no secret. I'm a gluttonous sucker for gangsters. "Hans, *booby,* I'm your white knight." Kobayashi scoffs down Nathan's hot dogs. I scoff down bouts between criminal hotshots. It may be a subconscious byproduct of my Sicilian roots (the birthplace of "the Five Families"). Or, it may reflect my cinematic upbringing, by which, I mean, an adolescence regularly accompanied with countless trips to the theatre (the elitist spelling, I know), where my prepubescent eyes dovetailed into the real sensible kids stuff; you know, The Untouchables, Goodfellas, True Romance, Reservoir Dogs, Carlito's Way, Casino, Pulp Fiction, Heat, Donnie Brasco, Snatch. Perhaps, this tumultuous mobster childhood (criminality is in the eye of the beholder) explains my most recent dissertation: the one where I shamelessly professed my love for all that is De Niro and Pacino . Man, I love them gangsters. Al...

Tuning Into The Classics       I'm going to experiment with a new segment (bi-weekly, monthly, who knows?) called "What I've Been Watching." Beyond the intention of renewing interest in classic cinema, this segment represents an opportunity for me to underscore some of the "great" films that I've been watching recently. So, consider this debut segment, a repository of the classics. Films from Godard, Truffaut, Bergman, Fellini, Herzog (and so many, many more) will be featured prominently. Enjoy! And as always, I encourage feedback and discussion.

Say Hello to my Little Friend, Robert De Pacino        I reaffirm my faith in the beauty of cinema almost routinely. The most joyous moment in Francois Truffaut's The 400 Blows (one of my favorite films) occurred when young Antoine and his family ventured to the cinemas; cinema, as both an escape from delinquency and birth of inspiration, is one of Truffaut's most poignant and recurring themes. Fast forward to today. My fondness for film is like a rose in full bloom. "A guy told me one time, 'Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner." That's a quote from the memorable diner scene in Heat. It's one of those spectacular cinematic moments that deserves a "where were you when you watched Robert De Niro and Al Pacino square off before the camera, mano-a-mano" disclaimer. That scene represents the formative stages of my obsessive love for film....

VIP Red Carpet Screening of Captain America: The First Avenger       Promotional opportunities seldom, if ever, arouse my curiosity. That's about to change. A polite individual from the Visa Outreach Team contacted me regarding a marvelous fan opportunity. If you guys and gals like movies as much as I do (and I know most of you can easily answer yes), then Visa is giving us the chance, however slim, to win a trip for two to the Captain America: The First Avenger screening. The best part (if one of us wins) is we get to see it before it opens in theaters on July 22. Oh, and one minor thing: we'll be in the company of celebrities, which for you ladies, means a chance to propose to Chris Evans .        What's the catch, you ask. Just vote for your favorite city to host the VIP Red Carpet Screening (the 'entry form' link can be found below). The sweepstakes conclude on Friday. I apologize, but I was only made aware of this unique opp...

The Magic 8 Ball Knows All (Minor Spoilers)               Ask the magic eight ball a question: who is J.J. Abrams? J.J. Abrams is a purveyor of mystery and suspense. It is certain. But a more arresting realization can be gleamed from the co-creating mind of Lost . Beyond the scope of fortune-telling toys, I posit this belief: J.J. Abrams is a spectacular visual artist, a storytelling savant who wields his magical wand under the unique rubric of filmmaking. He is a tenured, world-renowned professor, the Indiana Jones of imagination, and he teaches a master's level course. He calls it, brashly but befittingly, the art of a movie. Beyond a terrifying waiting list, a number that's equivalent to the legion of Miami Heat haters, what does that all mean exactly? 

Mad-dy World, Mad-dy World       The world, beginning with the aughts, has been indoctrinated into the far-reaching tentacles of a seismic cultural realignment, byproducts of an impertinent mass consciousness. The ripple effects have decimated doctrines of normalcy, replaced conventions with hysteria, and necessitated an oversaturated media whose lifeblood is celebrity mania. No short film has ever conveyed this sense of, what I'll call, the madness of the media, better than director Chris Shimojima's Madeleine Zabel. 

Flying High         First Class is not only synonymous with a classy, comfortable form of air travel ( remember that Seinfeld episode? ), it's an apt descriptor for Matthew Vaughn's sturdy X-Men movie. And after flying First Class, much like Jerry Seinfeld, I can't go back to coach.       Imagine you’re about to board a commercial flight. No seat assignments have been communicated in advance. Your buttock is flummoxed. You step foot on the aircraft without the faintest idea of where to lower your gluteus maximus. A flight attendant by the name of Matthew Vaughn ushers you to that lovely place, a cushiony contraption replete with luxurious accoutrements befitting a person of high-class comfort and prestige . It’s conveniently nestled in the front section, prime real estate for air travelers, not to mention exquisite panoramas. It turns out that Mr. Vaughn is actually a film director masquerading as a flight attendant/pilot. And ...

Text at Your Own Risk       Be forewarned. If you don't like what I have to say, then expect repercussions. My retribution will involve one of the 100 Greatest Movie Threats of All-Time: "Don't mess with the bull, young man. You'll get the horns." I'll be raining down on you with such fury, you'll be wondering if the person pummeling you senseless is Mike Tyson. Ah, but I'm kidding. As a partial, not pseudo pacifist, I leave the fighting to the movies. Only in the movies can extreme forces of good and evil be imagined and realized...not imitated.

Unchained and Biblical       Batting leadoff today is a story, from Wednesday, that portends a very compelling possibility; imagine Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. If the story unfolds as expected, we won't have to imagine it. 

Fickle Film       Like any archetypical Clint Eastwood cowboy, I'll be donning a hat. We can call it the movie marshal's hat; Eastwood preferred a beaver felt Stetson made famous in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy . As an enduring cultural icon, Eastwood's name is synonymous with tough-talking-no-nonsense banter. So, I'm going to pay forward his legacy of straightforward talk. It's a spirit that cannot be effectively translated to words, of course, but I'm going to do my best. After all, stubbornness in spirit is also a primal facet of The Man With No Name. I'll be corralling the genuine and barefaced movie news of the day (sometimes the week/month/year), assuming the news is worthy of underscoring, and offering my brief analysis. My fierce pal, Dezmond of Hollywood Spy fame, also deserves some of the recognition for this post' inspiration. As the James Bond of movie news, he's consistently on the ball, reporting developments that appeal to m...

Hooked On Trailers       Is it just me or does every summer movie season feel like Hollywood's deliberate attempt to introduce moviegoers to a new Bond character: you know, trailers galore? The busy blockbuster-laden landscape of movies represents, for studios, what Christmas time means to retail/online merchants: BIG business. The influx of new and more polished looks at some future blockbusters is always met with great anticipation. The summer of 2011 is no different; Green Lantern, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Super 8, 3 0 Minutes or Less and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Part 2 represent some of the studios' more hopeful attempts to draw hordes of moviegoers to the box office. Whether you want to see the breathtaking world of Oa, the nefarious exploits of an evil transformer/alien robot copy machine, ascertain the "secret" of Super 8 , watch Aziz Ansari mold the minds of young, impressionable kids or witness the final showdown between Harry Pot...

Cool To Be Fuller Yourself       Sam Fuller is one of the beloved mavens of low-budget filmmaking. The energetic proprietor of pulp storytelling is responsible for pioneering a predominantly primitive style. But, like any great movie-making influence, Fuller also dabbled in other forms of film: notably, acting. Ah, you don't believe me. Well, I have definitive video proof. And the proof is in the witnessing; in my case, the revival of my "Person of the Week" crown. Yes, the crown, like MJ in '95 , is BACK...and to Sam Fuller and Al Pacino, go the spoils.

Hungover, Dehydrated and Drowsy       It was the best of Zach Galifianakis. It was the worst of Zach Galifianakis. The Hangover Part II is a bigger, a badder, but not a better amnesiac-ridden remake of the Wolfpack's virgin descent into infinite debauchery.