The first time I saw The Big Lebowski I didn't make the connection between The Dude and Philip Marlowe. This is how the Coen Brothers describe The Dude in an interview on the DVD. The Big Lebowski is a modern day detective story, but the protagonist is a dopey pothead instead of a brilliant detective. Replace The Dude with Sam Spade, and the pieces fall together as a classic film noir, or classic bowling noir if you will.

This leads me to Brick, a film by Rian Johnson. In Brick I foresaw a badly executed noir film in the making, this time in a high school setting with a teenaged protagonist. The trailer intrigued me, and I dared to hope it would live up to its potential. I set my expectations low, but Brick exceeded them. I assumed the setting would detract from the film and nullify the drama. Johnson overcomes this dilemma by poking fun of the fact that these are high school kids. He interjects humor between the tension, and this helps the viewer to accept the setting, and laugh at it at times.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Brendan, a high school age Sam Spade with a tiny bit of The Dude throw in for good measure. He's a bit of a chump and a recluse, but he leverages his wits to get what he wants. In a scene where he roughs up a drug addled yeg for info, he proceeds to quick slap him back and forth across the face a la Humphrey Bogart. He is a classic Dashiell Hammett figure, and I couldn't help but like him.

Brick is styled as a noir detective story, from the dialog to the cinematography, and it is done well. It wasn't too complex. It didn't try to expend a lot of plot to keep you from guessing the outcome. It's smart enough to keep you intrigued, but not too smart to be implausible. Mind you, you have to suspend your disbelief to accept teenagers in a more mature setting. If you can, it makes for a good film.

Recommend by Hannah. A documentary film by Werner Herzog.

Grizzly Man explores the life and gruesome death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife preservationist Timothy Treadwell.

. . .

Treadwell's crusade to defend the grizzlies tragically ended when he--and his girlfriend--were attacked and killed by a rogue grizzly in October 2003

The brilliance of Werner Herzog becomes readily apparent in this documentary. It would be very easy to paint Timothy Treadwell as a nut, a man with an absurd desire to become one with the bears. Its hard not to think that Treadwell was destined to be devoured by the bears, and it would have been easy to exploit the terror and tragedy of his story to create a sensationalistic documentary. Herzog turns it into something better. It is apparent that Timothy Treadwell's story is both absurd and tragic, but Herzog examines Treadwell's tale with interest. Instead of alienating and exploiting him, Herzog reaches to understand Treadwell's life and his ultimate destruction.

Treadwell attempts to paint a simplistic and fairytale picture of his experiences in nature with the bears. Throughout the hours of video tape he shoots he portrays himself as the gentle warrior protecting the humble giants. You see many clips of an exuberant Treadwell overcome by the wonder and beauty of nature. As the film goes on you see an man struggle with his demons, a man attempting to define his own place in the world that, at times, he does not seem able to comprehend. Treadwell retreats further and further from civilization, both physically and emotionally.

At one point Treadwell finds the severed arm of a cub. Herzog interjects that male grizzlies sometimes kill cubs so the female bears stop lactating and become ready to mate again sooner. Treadwell seems incapable of coping with this hard truth of nature. This act conflicts directly with Treadwell's perception of nature and the bears. Herzog, in turn, sees the beauty and wonder of nature, but he also understands the natural world as a chaotic and savage place where death and murder are primary ingredients.

Even though it is apparent that Herzog disagrees with many things that Treadwell says and does, he does not judge or condemn him. I think this is an important distinction that makes this film much more than just a sensationalistic story of a man eaten by a bear.

The Ocularist - a short film.

Open your eyes to the fascinating world of an ocular prosthetician. This award-winning documentary brilliantly displays how art and science are intertwined in the creation of acrylic eyes.

An interesting review of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

do not be fooled - 2 of 5 stars
Reviewed by [...] 12/12/04

I may be the only one to notice but The Life Aquatic is a film rife with satanic imagery and as a whole has a strong pro-satan message. I cannot believe what I saw. Still, it was funny.

And yet, Satanic messages can still be quite funny.

...and just to be clear.

A brief clip from Errol Morris of Donald Trump discussing Citizen Cane - via kottke.org.

Simply surreal...

Errol Morris: If you could give Charles Foster Kane advice, what would you say to him?

Donald Trump: Get yourself a different woman.

A few months ago I was pondering the origin of Brooklyn's Name. Was there a great brook that ran through the borough? Was it founded by someone named Brook or Brooks? Was it derived from the Native American name of the region. Today, while watching the Documentary New York, the answer was revealed.

In 1636, about twelve years after Dutch settlers began to establish the community of New Amsterdam at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, a handful of pioneers among them spread across the East River to set up plantations on the western-most edge of Long Island. In 1646, the first Dutch community on the island was incorporated. It was called Breuckelen, after a town in the Netherlands.

A Virtual Tour of New Netherland

don't be jealous (.mp3 40k)

It was you charlie (watrfrnt.mp3 522k)...