Oftentimes as I channel surf, I tend to stumble upon Leonard Maltin’s Secrets Out on Reelz. Watching a few minutes of the episode airing has become second-nature to me. For those of you who are not familiar with Leonard Maltin, he is a movie critic and reviews films on his show. I know Leonard Maltin in a different capacity, as he was my professor at USC and taught CTCS 466: Theatrical Film Symposium. This particular class was exclusive and enrollment was limited. The once-a-week, 4-hour course was located in Norris Cinema Theatre where the lobby area housed Frank Sinatra memorabilia, including his Oscars. Each class consisted of previewing a film that had not yet hit the box office and having a Q & A session with the filmmaker, actors, producers, etc. in which Maltin led the discussion. The goal was to learn about the business aspect of the film industry and the technicalities of filmmaking as it was applied to the respective film for that class period. Nothing was more exhilarating than finding out who would comprise the guest panel when showing up for class. Some notable figures that I met from this course were Morgan Freeman (10 Items or Less, 2006), Robin Tunney (Hollywoodland, 2006) and Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite, 2004). CTCS 466 gave me the opportunity to think critically about film and learn about the behind-the-scenes happenings which would often include unconventional stories about how the screenplays were completed and how actors were secured for certain roles. So- with all of that being said- watching Leonard Maltin’s Secrets Out somehow gives me an excuse to be nostalgic about my beloved college days in L.A. Regardless, Maltin’s views of movies are always presented in a very articulate way and he does continue to be an inspiration to me when it comes to my devotion to film.

The most current episode of Secrets Out involved a half-hour interview between Maltin and Hugh Hefner about his love of movies. Although terms of all sorts come to mind when thinking of the Playboy mogul, he explained that he values romance amid the vast perceptions of him as being strictly sex-induced. Growing up in the 1920’s and 1930’s exposed him to life in the Golden Years of Hollywood, which also contrasted with the Great Depression. “Hef”, as he referred to himself as after he was rejected by a girl he fancied in school, would immerse himself in films as a youngster to find an “emotional connection”. Growing up in a conservative, Methodist family in Nebraska was somewhat debilitating to the free-spirited Hef, who found movies to portray common universal myths. We can relish in the heart of the American Dream from film, which seems to be the lone medium through which this can be done in Hef’s opinion. Hef is also an advocate of historic film preservation.

Hef’s all-time favorite film? Casablanca (1942) which he watches every year for his birthday as invited guests join him wearing outfits from that era.

Just a couple of days ago around 2 a.m., I was flipping through the cable channels and came across one of the vintage Detective Sherlock Holmes movies, circa 1940, starring Basel Rathbone.   I was never much a fan of the movie series.  However I always liked the famous Sherlock catch phrase "Elementary, my dear Watson."   Sherlock Holmes would often say this before he would identify the murderer, or reveal how a crime was done. In other words, for super sleuth Sherlock Holmes, the solution was simple. But for the viewing audience (and his sidekick Dr. Watson) we would be in the dark until Sherlock Holmes showed us the light.

I am a fan of Robert Downey Jr. so I was a bit hyped to see how he would play this crime fighter extraordinaire in the latest Hollywood reinvention.  It's an action-adventure flick, not a cerebral exercise in logic and deductive reasoning. It takes place in London in the early 1900's and is replete with a fair number of explosions and simple old fashioned fist-a-cuffs (that's bare knuckle boxing). The plot centers on an evildoer who's sentenced to hanging but then miraculously comes back to life and resumes his evil ways.  While you watch the movie I don't suggest you ponder too hard how that could happen; I was happy to have it revealed during the final five minutes.

Downey is an eccentric, egotistical, sloppy mess for much of the picture.  He’s prescient:  someone who seems to know other's thoughts before they've even thought them. Someone who's completely aware of his physical environment, and appears to know what's going to happen before it does. This latest Sherlock Holmes is a wise-assed, low-grade superhero.  He’s a hero in fact who rescues a damsel in distress as she teeters on the edge of a bridge spanning the river Thames. Nice work.

So if you like action-packed, buddy pics this one sits solidly in that category. It's funny, with witty, rapid-paced dialog. 

Before I began to write this review I was again flipping through the channels and discovered there is yet another Sherlock Holmes, predating the Rathbone one, filmed in 1922.   It stars the classy John Barrymore (great grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore).  It's a silent film.  It had its charm.  And coincidentally, this latest generation of Sherlock Homes is a more like Drew Barrymore:  sassy.

Seasons Greetings to all of my Fo’ Reel readers!! I hope that everyone is enjoying an amazing holiday season filled with warmth, love, and laughter. There are many films at the box office at the moment that I have on my “To Watch” list, so be looking out for new blog postings related to releases at the box office. The fall term for school is coming to a close, and that means that the endless number of final thesis papers that I am writing is taking up the majority of my time. But the end is in sight, and a much needed winter break is in order.

Out and About…

I attended the Real Word. Magazine launch party on November 27th at the Aloha Tower Waterfront. The party was spectacular, with detailed trimmings at the venue and the finest foods by Hawaii’s distinguished chefs. The goal of the magazine is to showcase the art and culture of the local island people. Film-making, in my opinion, is the ultimate art form and I truly hope that filmmakers will submit writing to the magazine about their endeavors. To find out more about the magazine, you can visit their website.

I will be making an appearance tomorrow night, Saturday, December 5th, at the Indashio Fashion Show at Level 4. Indashio was the winner of Vh1’s “Glam God” hosted by Vivica A. Fox. According to an inside source, a documentary about Indashio will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2010, which follows him in the three days leading up to New York Fashion Week. I am hoping to learn more about this documentary tomorrow night. To find out more about tomorrow night's fashion show, check out Indashio’s blog. Tickets to the event can be purchased at www.honoluluboxoffice.com

Have a Splendid Winter Weekend!!

Kanani

So it’s Friday the 13th, and somehow I always feel inclined to watch a film from the horror series titled as such on a day like today. At this very hour in the islands, the looming thunder clouds and lightning flashes only add to the ambiance of the impending doom that is associated with the number “13” and Fridays. Just heed my warning that Camp Crystal Lake is probably not the best place to be at the moment (if such a place even exists outside of movieland). But fo’ reel… how did a day of the week and a number become so unlucky? Check out this article that I read in the Ball State Daily News to find out more.

On a lighter note, I am compelled to make mention of social media marketing and its relativity to film marketing specifically. I know most tech savvy people are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogger, etc. For the sake of argument, even if you are not tech savvy, but you know someone who can show you the ropes, you too are probably on these social media networking sites. Every time I log into my Facebook account, I gasp at the amount of networking power that is at my disposal. We have the ability in the 21st century to reach thousands of people all over the world through these sites. And the best part is that these sites are free- for now that is. So how has this changed the way films are marketed?

Well, besides the usual print advertising and trailers that can be seen on studio websites and TV, movie companies are using social media sites to get people involved and promote interaction. According to a blog by Eleven Marketing, movie companies are using Twitter, most notably, in “providing insight and commentary in real time (i.e .on location during shooting), promoting special contests and sneak previews, and facilitating collaborative video production experience.”

Luke Buckmaster, blogger of Cinetology, had this to say about the online media marketing of Paranormal Activity, the low-budget horror flick which grossed a fortune at the box office:

Before I had seen the film I had already engaged with it — and inadvertently helped to promote it — on two social networking websites. Two weeks ago one of my Twitter film colleagues ‘re-tweeted’ a link advertising free screenings across the country. I followed the link to Facebook, where I was essentially bribed to ‘become a fan’ of Paranormal Activity in order to collect my tickets. I followed the instructions, a willing accomplice to the film’s marketing strategies (the more people become a fan of something on Facebook, the more it is exposed to others).

The fact that an invitation to a media screening for Paranormal Activity arrived in my inbox almost a full week after I had already confirmed (along with all the other freeloaders) to attend a preview screening via Facebook says something about the importance Paramount Pictures are placing on online marketing and pre-release word of mouth.

Marketing films via social media networking sites can be a downfall for social media users who are not welcoming of such antics, but for the most part, it can be a win-win situation for movie lovers.

"Men Who Stare at Goats" is an absurdly funny picture starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey.  McGregor is a small-time journalist trying to do something big in his life after a failed marriage. He goes to Kuwait looking for a story and meets Clooney who relays what seem to be extraordinary military operations that began during the Vietnam War and lead up to the year 2003 in Iraq. It all centers on an intelligence operation called the "New Earth Army”, a top-secret division of the military that develops the psychic abilities of soldiers who could then use these abilities to defeat the enemy.  One such ability was being able to stop the enemy's heart from beating by using only focused, mental energy.  In a test environment, Clooney demonstrates this power by staring strangely and intently at a goat who then falls over dead, hence the explanation behind the unusual title of this movie. Clooney also demonstrates the ability to call heads or tails correctly on coin tosses over 250 times the row.  So we have some tangible evidence that Clooney is indeed a modern, psychic Jedi warrior, who is also in fact nuts.

Some of the story is told in flashbacks, starting with Bridges as a new-age hippy and founder of this "New Earth Army" platoon during the Vietnam War, and Spacey as an antagonistic peer who’s envious of Clooney’s talents.  The soldiers train in unorthodox methods; one such method is learning how to dance, because, it is said, if we cannot free our bodies in dance we cannot free up the potential and prowess of the mind.  The unorthodox training of these long-haired 'peaceful warriors' sees its demise when a soldier on LSD goes on a naked shooting rampage and ends up killing himself. Discredited, Bridges is discharged from the military and his whereabouts for years is unknown.

Now in 2003, Clooney’s convinced he’s seen a vision of Bridges that beckons him to come to Iraq and be 'reactivated' as a New Earth Army soldier. Clooney runs into McGregor at an Kuwait hotel and notices McGregor has doodled on a notepad the Masonic figure of a human eye and pyramid (like on the back of a $1 bill). This doodle matches a tattoo on Clooney's chest; Clooney sees it as a clear sign McGregor must play a part in his mission into Iraq. During the mission, many humorous hijinks happen.  Clooney drives into a rock while looking at cloud formations. Stranded, they are kidnapped by Iraqi hoodlums and are poised to being sold for ransom or worse.  Clooney coolly plans the escape and successfully calls upon his unique talents to get McGregor and himself out of capture, although they only end up stranded in the desert soon afterwards.

They awaken from their sun-stroked malaise by a goat wondering nearby, a clanking bell hanging from a rope collar.  Soon afterwards a military helicopter picks them up.  They are brought to hospital facility on a military base in the Iraqi dessert that is the base of operations for a military contractor called PSIC, a paranormal, psychological research firm that is a reinvention of the old New Earth Army program.  Spacey heads up this company and employs Bridges, although the years on the bottle have taken a toll on his abilities.  With their unusual reuniting the story comes full circle.

To describe more would ruin the ending for you, the reader, so I'll stop here. I’ll just tell you it involves more goats, happy goats this time. How do I rate this move? If you like inane, dark, satirical humor about the military, like the 1964 movie “Dr. Strangelove”, go see it.  I really did enjoy GOATS.   If you expect coherency, skip it.

I had the opportunity to attend the press conference for the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) on Thursday at RumFire at the Sheraton Waikiki. In attendance were Q’orianka Kilcher, (lead actress in “Barbarian Princess”), Jean Higgins (Executive Producer of "Lost"), Rick Kinsel (Executive Director of the VILCEK Foundation), Jeannette Paulson-Hereniko (NETPAC), and Toa Fraser (HIFF Juror). HIFF is dedicated to “advancing understanding and cultural exchange among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific Rim, and North America through the medium of film”. This year’s theme features an inkblot with the attached question “What do you see?” indicating that film is interpreted differently by each person.

The most highly anticipated film at HIFF this year is the world premiere of “Barbarian Princess” starring Q’orianka Kilcher, who previously played Pocahontas in the film The New World (2005). Much controversy has surrounded this film, especially with the negative connotations that are incorporated in its title. For those unfamiliar with the film, here is a synopsis taken from the HIFF guide:

Scarcely 13 years old, Princess Ka’iulani is separated from her family and her homeland and sent to a climate and a country that couldn’t be more different from Hawaii- Victorian England. Coming to terms with her fate, Ka’iulani undergoes a harsh and testing education that equips her with a sense of honor, duty and pride. Based on the inspiring true story, Barbarian Princess is a breathtaking romance about an unlikely heroine and her unwavering fight to defend the independence of her people.

The film was showing at the Hawaii Theatre last night to a sold out crowd. I have not seen the film yet, but will try to make it to the second showing on October 25th at 12:30pm at Regal Dole Cannery. You may visit www.hiff.org for more information about purchasing tickets to this event.

On a more personal note, I went to the press conference with a somewhat biased opinion about “Barbarian Princess” and left feeling very neutral about the film after listening to Kilcher’s responses to a couple of pointed questions. As a Native Hawaiian myself, I felt that a Peruvian woman should not play the role of Princess Kai’ulani, as I am sure a talented Native Hawaiian actress could have suited the role just fine. Another reservation I had was with the title of the film. Why “Barbarian Princess”? If we are trying to shy away from such stereotypes as indigenous people, the title of the film would only empower social stigmas that natives have worked so hard to overcome. Supposedly Princess Kai’ulani was referred to as a “Barbarian Princess” in news articles during her time, which is why the movie is titled as such. Despite my initial thoughts, Kilcher’s demeanor, poise, and graciousness really swayed me into believing that she may actually be a good fit for the role.

This controversial film is the basis of what the medium of film is all about. We all have our own opinions about the content and political implications of some films, but in the end, film can truly educate and help us to find some form of common ground in a world of differences.

I would love to hear your thoughts about HIFF and “Barbarian Princess”.

The No. 1 movie of late is Zombieland.  It's an offbeat, funny comedy. 2-cent summary: a deadly virus has swept the planet, turning 99 percent of the population into, you guessed it, zombies.   A few survivors, including Woody Harrelson, trek across highways strewn with abandoned vehicles, through desolate towns and cities, doing pretty much what they please.  And is the case in many of these apocalyptic stories with dangerous mutants/infected/zombie-type adversaries, there's a slim hope of finding other humans, or a safe location free from the crazed beings.  Their search is a tepid one, and Woody Harrelson is more in search of a Twinkie than anything else.

Armed with automatic machine guns  and  other weaponry, including gardening shears, Woody and his sidekick, played by Jesse Eisenberg, are pretty much in a free-for-all shooting spree of the Zombies throughout the picture.  And I must say they snuff them out quite handily, and with a flourish.

The duo is duped by a couple of teenage sisters, who steal their weapons and their styling Cadillac Accolade and are off.  Soon after however, they cross paths again and choose to make the adventure a foursome. They decide to make a trip to an amusement park where they will have free rein to go on the rides (and perhaps find Twinkies).  All the lights, of course, attract the stumbling zombies who swarm the park by the hundreds. The finale finds Woody and his sidekick attempting to rescue the two girls who are perched atop one of the rides, suspended 300 feet above the clamoring zombies who begin to climb toward them. Jesse Eisenberg breaks one of his rules of survival, number 17, I think: Don't be a hero.  But what's a finale without a hero.

This movie's absolutely stupid in many regards but was actually a good, funny movie to see.  Bill Murray makes a cameo appearance as himself.  Woody Harrelson gets his Twinkie.  All ends well in the land of zombies.

Love Happens appeared to be a typical “chick flick” from the advertisements and trailers, which was not the case after sitting through this film. The film had many similarities to Sleepless in Seattle, as this film was also set in the romantic city, and both plots ensued after the passing of the protagonist’s wife. In Sleepless and Seattle, the protagonist (Tom Hanks) moved to Seattle from Chicago in hopes of escaping the memories his previous city fostered. In Love Happens, Seattle was a city that harnessed all of the memories that the protagonist, Burke (Aaron Eckhart) insistently tried to avoid since his wife's passing. This film dealt with loss in a greater capacity than it did with romance. This was not necessarily an original twist to a chick flick, but it sparks sympathy and vulnerability in the viewer to become more enthusiastic of the love that is found at the end of the film.

The film also deals with how the most influential people cannot seem to use their gifts to motivate themselves to practice what they preach. The plot surrounds Burke and his success as an author and motivational speaker in helping people move on and become “A-okay”, per his motto, after the death of a loved one. His wife died in a car accident, which was the precursor to this endeavor. Unhappy, uninspired, and a little rusty in the dating area, Burke meets Eloise (Jennifer Aniston), who opens his heart and mind to honesty, coping, and new possibilities. This ultimately gives Burke a new lease on life, as he starts to practice his virtues. The film focuses on love through the experiences of loss.

Having the strength to move on is not an easy task, but having the right support system and inner will can do great justice to the most broken of hearts. Love Happens was an intelligent movie… I highly recommend seeing it if you haven't already!

The Movie: "Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock"

When: August 17, 2009 @ 7pm

Where: Regal Dole

Please email me...kananisouza@gmail.com and I will forward you the email you will need to printout for entry. Arrive early, as seating is first-come, first-served. Have an awesome week everyone!

The story parallels the two lives of Julia Child and Julie Powel, though both separated by time and distance.  For Julia Child, it’s the 1940s when she moved to Paris with her husband.  She falls in love with city and its food and decides to enroll in the world-renowned Cordon Bleu culinary school as its only female students.  She initially receives skepticism from her male counterparts as a competent chef, but through her determination, delightful personality, and her "fearlessness" in the kitchen she quickly wins them over.  After graduation her goal becomes to write a book on French cooking that makes doable the extravagant and perhaps intimidating-to-prepare cuisine. Her target reader: the average American housewife, a "servant-less" cook.  It's a task that takes eight years to complete.

Julie is a 29-year-old living in New York in 2002 working on the Lower Manhattan Project which is trying to help rebuild the city after the 911 attacks.  Though she finds the work important, she’s frustrated with the bureaucracy and needs to make some sense out of her life. She turns to the diversion of making all the recipes in Julia Child's cook book containing over 500 recipes in one year, all the while keeping a blog of her efforts.  She finds that whenever commotion she deals with during the day at work, she finds solace and joy, and a certain spiritual kinship with Julia Child, as she cooks, page by page through the book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking”.  Julia Child becomes like an imaginary friend to her in the kitchen. It's a series of ups and downs for Julie from a cooking standpoint, from a relationship standpoint with her boyfriend, and her job.  But, as is the case in many Hollywood movies it all works out.

As a child growing up in Chicago, I used to watch episodes of Julia Child's cooking show "The French Chef" on WTTW Channel 11. Watching it was like being a special guest in her home.   She was kind, talented, and loved butter.   Meryl Streep does an excellent job of characterizing Julia Child's endearing mannerisms and down-home approach to making great food.  I got hungry as I watched this movie.  I think I will attempt at least one of the recipes in the movie.  Chocolate Soup With Caramelized Bananas and Merigue sounds good.  Bon Appetit.