the liquid fractal - jayne's hat brigade

Jayne's Hat Brigade
fans of Firefly, fans of Serenity, fans of that cunning hat...

I can't remember what this film is about, but I think I heard about it from someone's favourite movies list.

I've just discovered this video and I've watched/listened to it at least 20 times today! Prepare to be addicted...

Another film that I've seen before, but I think it was before I watched everything by Wong Kar-Wai, so I didn't get the fact that the two leads are pretty much the most popular actors in Hong Kong. You may know Infernal Affairs as the movie upon which The Departed was based. Personally, I believe that the original is the stronger film, if only because of the length of dedication that the characters show, which is truncated in the American version.

By the way, I totally picked the movie before finding the poster. So the fact I'm watching this after just having watched Heat is just coincidence!

A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.

The subtleties of the two main characters, played by Andy Lau and Tony Cheung Chui Wai, are really what make this film great. Both characters just want to be good: one does good but appears to be a bad guy and the other is respected by good people who don't know that he's doing bad things. The former just wants to be seen as he really is and the latter desperately wants to be like the good people around him. The film certainly shows that recognition for one's actions may be equally important as the actions themselves.

I've seen Heat before, but I thought it might leave a different impression now that I've seen some of Pacino's and De Niro's earlier films.

Who isn't in this film?! I love that Natalie Portman and William Fichtner are in this.

A Los Angeles crime saga, "Heat" focuses on the lives of two men on opposite sides of the law - one a detective; the other a thief.

To me, this film is all about the quiet moments when the characters are just talking to each other. Overall, the story isn't really all that compelling to me - I think the characters that I care most about are those played by Val Kilmer and Natalie Portman. The two main characters seem to be set on a distinct path even from the beginning of the film, so nothing that happens seems to redirect them from the inevitable.

Haven't been home for a few days, so I'm just getting the hats finished now. I've seen Inside Man before and absolutely love it. It's a little dangerous for me to start watching because I get caught in a nearly endless loop of replaying the opening song (Chaiyya Chaiyya).

A cop has to talk down a bank robber after the criminal's perfect heist spirals into a hostage situation.

I had never caught all of the movie references before! It's funny that they refer to Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and The Godfather.

Had to order more yarn, because apparently there's a run on the hats! Not that I would ever complain about that. Whenever I get new hat yarn, I love putting it all in a basket and watching it deplete as I knit up the hats. I call it Rumplestilskinning (but I'm now using the original name Rumpelstilzchen, meaning little goblin - I didn't want to overthink the imagery of "stilt skin"). No children or miller's daughters are harmed in the construction of the hats.

I'm sad to admit that I had always confused Chinatown with Big Trouble in Little China. No clue why. Well, maybe it's because I really wasn't thinking too hard about these two films. So, now knowing my mistake, it's time to watch Chinatown.

A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.

I have to admit that I was completely engrossed in this film - there are so many twists to the story. And I think one of the most interesting elements is that the meaning of the title isn't apparent for the majority of the film, but the title suits the story very well. I also thought it was interesting to see a private detective sneaking around in a business suit, which would have probably been to be inconspicuous at the time but would be entirely conspicuous nowadays.

Just went for a ridiculously horrible interview. Seriously, I'm so happy that I know how much I should be paid an hour for the tasks that are assigned for a job. Receptionists can get a pretty hard time of it, especially if they're also people's personal assistants.

On the bright side, just sold another hat. So I'm watching Annie Hall while I get it put together. Oh my goodness, the people who are in this! Colleen Dewhurst, Christopher Walken, Paul Simon. Pretty amazing.

Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.

Okay, it's pretty much me on film. I'm officially a character from the seventies. Why am I not surprised?

I love the cameos in this film, and the scenes where the characters show up in someone's memory. I think the two best cameos are the actual Marshall McLuhan and a random Jeff Goldblum ("I forgot my mantra..."). Such a fun film.

08.17.2011 - Just sold #265 and #266, so finishing them up while watching Dog Day Afternoon

Could you guess that this one was next on the list? Watching Dog Day Afternoon and the Pacino-fest continues.

A man robs a bank; it turns into a hostage situation and a media circus.

I'm adding this to my list of top films. It was such a different story than what I expected, which is likely why the film received such acclaim. I was actually crying at one point (you can probably guess which one). The thing that I found really intersting is that the real John Wortzik was described looking like Al Pacino or Dustin Hoffman, and he was inspired by some of the events in The Godfather, which he watched sometime before the robbery. Add that to the fact that Pacino and John Cazale were in that film and this one, it makes for some interesting associations. SPOILER: (highlight to see) After the actual events, Sonny was imprisoned for ten years of a twenty year sentence, and got out about six months before his wife's death. I really hope they were able to spend those last months together.

I didn't know who John Cazale was before this Pacino-fest, and it's so very sad that he was in only five films before he passed away. All of them were nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture.

Scarface is yet another one that I've been wanting to see for a while. Has nothing to do with this picture, I promise.

In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug empire while succumbing to greed. (Cartel not Mafia)

So my first impression comes from my inclinations towards linguistics: everyone in this film did such an amazing job with the accents, especially Al Pacino and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. But it went beyond that, because they built the mannerisms of their characters on top of the accents, so it never felt like we were watching two-dimensional caricatures at all in the film. As for the story, it's feels like a morality play about the dangers of excess, while also giving a damning look at the promises of the American dream. I was intrigued by Tony Montana, but I never really felt empathy for him or any of the characters. I kept watching because I wanted to know how they would react to things and what they would do next. It was kind of like watching a car doing crazy and interesting things, but you just know it's going to end up a wreck. Entertaining as hell, but getting within ten feet of these people would be quite hazardous to your health. And I love that Giorgio Moroder did the soundtrack. I'd be really interested to see the original 1932 film that was the basis for this one.

So I did finish watching The Godfather trilogy. I think I enjoyed the second the most, but I'd need to give the first film a good viewing again before I can decide. I did love having the opera scenes in the third film. However, I am very sad to say that one of the lines in the third film will forever be said in Joey's voice (from Friends) just because I've listened to the show's soundtrack too often!

Continuing with my streak of films from the seventies, the next one is Paper Moon. On a side note, if there are any voice teachers out there, "Paper Moon" is the one song I've come across that absolutely everyone loves. I think I ended up teaching it to over thirty students that week - easiest lesson plans ever.

During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.

Ryan O'Neil was such a charmer back then! And I completely forgot that Madeline Kahn was in this. Really cute movie with some excellent acting from everyone involved. I love that it was filmed in black and white. Little things that I would take for granted in a colour film - like the colour of the sky when the characters go to the carnival - have to be planned for the best effect in a black and white film.