November 2007 saw the release of the film What Would Jesus Buy? which satirically focused on the commercialization of Christmas and materialism at large. The film stars activist/performance artist Bill Talen, who goes by the alias of “Reverend Billy,” and his troupe of activists, whose street theater performances take the form of a church […]

Punishment Park is a 1971 film written and directed by Peter Watkins. Conceived as a pseudo-documentary, it is hands down one of the most intense works ever in political cinema. To set the stage for the film… the Vietnam War escalates with Richard Nixion’s “secret” bombing campaign in Cambodia. Faced with a growing […]

I went and saw this film the day it came out, on a lark really. I had been outside the US the previous month and consequently missed any marketing of the film. But it looked neat, I enjoy animation, and had time to kill… the perfect storm.
And what a film it was. […]

Flipping through the Calendar section of the LA Times today, I noticed a small ad for a film entitled Shelter. Doubly noticeable was the image in the ad of two surfers standing on the beach. Curious, I went and checked out the trailer…

Hello! There’s a curveball thrown, and a strike by […]

Last night watching the election coverage someone made the analogy of this democratic primary playing out like groundhog day, as in Hillary had a couple inconsequential wins that will effectively prolong this droning campaign for another 7 awful weeks. An apt analogy for sure, though my first thought when I heard it was the […]

Happy to see the brothers get their due. I loved how uncomfortable they looked accepting their awards. There won’t be an odder, trippier, or bleaker film to win best picture for a looong time.
The best part of the entire show was when they let the Once girl come back on stage to […]

To recap (nerd out on) this years musical listening experience, rather than blab about what albums got the most attention, I thought I’d do something a little different and blab about a select group of songs. Each of these I’d liken to that Seinfeld moment where Elaine’s boyfriend shushes her when “Desperado” comes on, […]

If Jesus lived today, I’m sure he’d buy somethings. But what would it be? Could he pass up on the amazing “Black Friday” deals? Would he stay home and meditate? Would he join with the other celebration on the day after Thanksgiving…“Buy Nothing Day”.
Personally, I don’t know how Jesus would […]

six years and counting

A rarity these days are thoughtful, well-crafted sci-fi flicks. Something that’s not too convoluted in its technology or concept, and willing to delve headlong into the existential queries which surely awake humankind as time presses forward.
Sunshine, from director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Millions) is such a film. Unfortunately though, this movie seems […]