First of all. THANK YOU, Thank you Harry, Tim and others at Alamo. My Father and I had the times of our Lives. My Father even in ailing health stayed for the whole time. I will never forget the experience. The following is my reviews of the movies I saw. I noticed many women like me are writing in, but I thinks thats because the line-up was so great and diverse the mass appeal of these films will see no boundaries. If you use this call me The Bat. Thank You again. I am not a great writer so feel free to edit down.
Harry showed a short before the official start of BNAT. I think it was called “Chirpy”. This is a story about a canary that takes mushrooms and has sex with a horse. This was a really disgusting animated short but I will admit it was entertaining. The whole audience was cringing from this one. Thanks Harry for the messed up start.
Black Snake Moan – This is Craig Brewers follow-up to Hustle & Flow. It stars San Jackson and Christina Ricci. I don’t want to tell you too much about the plot, but it is about redemption and second chances. All of this with the backdrop of the Memphis blues. Sam Jackson sang the title song in the movie in one of the most iconic rmoments I have ever seen him in. I loved this movie and it was one of the best that night. I cannot recommend this film enough. This film gets an A.
One more note. Craig Brewer was there and I got the pleasure of sitting next to him. He mentioned he pulled Kim Richards out of retirement for this film. Kim Richards was the cute girl from Escape from Witch Mountain. He said that his first crush was her and I always wanted to be her when I was young. Very cool. Thanks for the wonderful anecdotes Mr. Brewer.
Dreamgirls – I really wanted to see this movie. Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey) the director was in attendance to discuss this film as well though he could not stay. This musical has a vibrant energy that pops on screen. Eddie Murphy was really good as people said but the person who steals the show was ex-American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson. If she is not nominated for an Oscar there is something wrong. Floored by this girl’s voice. Condon did a wonderful job translating the play to the big screen. Like the movie version of Rent, the only reason the film wasn’t perfect was from flaws in the original source material. See this all over at Oscar time like I predicted before. This was my father’s favorite movie from BNAT. A-
Once Upon a Girl - Harry introduced this film saying that there was only one print of this film and he tracked it down. This was an X rated animated porn. It was broken into three vignettes by a transvestite Mother Goose telling naughty stories in a court room. It was animated by Hanna Barbera’s animators on their own time. This first story was a naughty Jack and the Beanstalk. It was the best of the bunch. The movie was actually little boring and of course the animation sucked. My father took a nap during this one to block it out. I watched every single frame and it hurt. C-
Inherit the Wind (1960) – From an X rated court room to the best Court Room Drama ever made. Love this movie so much. I have seen it many times. It has not lost it’s potency after all these years and seems more relevant today with people trying to teach “Intelligent Design” in schools. Spencer Tracy and Gene Kelly are at the height of there careers and just explode on screen. If you have never seen this film RENT IT. I was amazed when Harry asked how many people in the Audience had not seen this film and it was almost two-thirds of the House. When Harry asked how many had seen it before in the theaters only three people raised their hands including my father. Thanks Harry for exposing this film to a whole new generation. A+
Rocky Balboa – Sometimes you just need closer. Many people felt that way when Rocky 5 was the bomb it was. While this movie does not covering new ground, I was very surprised how satisfied with this movie I was. It was a great end to a very successful franchise. The audience at BNAT had so much fun with film. We were yelling “Rocky’ and reacting to the only fight in the movie like it was live. Sly did an intro on DVD before this movie and basically said he was also exercising demons and this film is closer for him as well. If you are a fan of Rocky, I am actually am pleased to recommend this film. B
Fanboys – This film actually dropped out of BNAT, 9 days before the festival. The three young men who made the film still showed up and played us about 10 minutes. It did seem really funny and the audience could relate to these former BNATTERS. See it in August.
Knocked Up – This is the film that replaced Fanboys. Supposedly it is not going to be released until June. This is by director Judd Apatow and Producer Seth Rogan (follow-up to 40 Year Old Virgin). We saw the rough cut of the film. It was actually quite funny and it shows that Steve Carrell is not needed to make Seth Rogan good. In fact he carries this film quite nicely. This is a film about pregnancy for Guys and has some great laugh out loud moments. Seth Rogan was in attendance and a wonderful person to hear speak. This film just need a little tightening and will be a surprise hit this summer I predict. Keep an eye out for it. B+
Zwartboek (Black Book) – Paul Verhoven’s new film (Starship Troopers, Basic Instinct). I have a soft spot for Verhoven movies and was very please this was showed at BNAT. Technically this is a stunning film. You actually get the things you want from Verhoven like beautiful women naked, explosions and over dramatic scores. However unlike his other films this is most serious I think he has done. This is a story of a Jewish woman spy in the Gestapo for the Dutch resistance. It is in Dutch and German and a throw back to his earlier work. I did enjoy it, but feel the film falls into the trappings of his directorial style and does not quite have the depth it should. Not a great film but a decent one. B
The Informer (1935) – This is director John Ford’s (My Darling Clementine) movie about the IRA in1922 Ireland. It stars Victor McLaglen as a desperate drunk who makes a terrible mistake that causes suffering of people he cares about. Not a great film and its place in the line up (3 AM) made it hard to stay awake. I really like Mclaglen however. He was great in the Quiet Man another film about Ireland that Ford directed. That film I truly love with a passion. However I did not get the warm fuzzy feeling when I watch other John Ford films. B-
Raw Force – This vintage film from I think the early seventies had it all. Tits, drugs, kung-fu, thugs, Asian prostitutes, scary monks and zombie samurai all were part of this film. It was terrible but perfect to watch at 5 in the morning. I was highly entertained and found it funny how many of the women in the audience hated it. There was this one male fan in the front however who was little punch drunk and was laughing his butt off during most of the movie. This film was made with Korean money as well. Boy did there film industry improve vastly in the last few years. I am so grateful for that. I wonder if Chan Wook Park (director of Oldboy) has seen it. C
Smoking Aces – This movie was by far the biggest surprise of BNAT and my favorite experience. This movie kicks ass and takes names from frame one. A bunch of hitmen and good guys are all converging on a Lake Tahoe penthouse to either arrest or kill a mob informant. This has a stellar cast, Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Ben Affleck, Alicia Keys (yes the singer), Ryan Reynolds (the Notebook, Half Nelson), Ray Liotta (Goodfellows) and Jason Bateman (Teen Wolf 2) are just a few of the people that star in this film. The Audience was really jazzed after seeing this one and I am taking other people to see this in January when it comes out. I highly recommend this to people that like guns. A
300 – This was the last film of BNAT. This is the one that my father came to see. This film is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. 300 Spartan warriors decide to fight an army of one million Persians. Not historically accurate, but a very stylized version of the events. The director Zack Snyder (remake Dawn of the Dead) said that is a dream version as if told by a Spartan story teller. He also said about 100 FX shots were not finished. It did show. This is a very ambitious work. Gerald Butler (Phantom of the Opera) stars as King Leonides, and is a Rock Star the moment you see him. I have never seen a performance like this from him before and he carries the film to its inevitable conclusion. It is not a great film but does have some really cool and brutal battle sequences. I will probably see this again to see the finished project in 2007. The coolest part of this film is that in the gift bag there was an official T-shirt. I am very pleased about this and will wear it with pride. A great way to end a fabulous festival. B+
Friday
Pan's Labyrinth – This was a film I could not wait to see. Guillermo Del Toro’s (Hellboy) latest film and a semi-follow up to his amazing ghost story The Devil’s Backbone. It takes place during the end of the Spanish Civil war and the opening shot is of a young girl dying, very similar to the opening shot of Backbone. The similarities end there. This is by far his best film to date. It is a beautiful and tragic tale that needs to be seen to be believed. It better be nominated for foreign language Oscar. It deserves it, maybe even to win. I HIGHLY recommend this film for anyone, but warn you that it is graphic in some scenes. This director is not afraid to show the ugly truth to you. He never has and no one is safe in his films. Love Guillermo, love this movie. It was one of the best movies I saw in Austin. A
Monday
Children of Men – This is Alfonso Cuaron (Y Mama Tu Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) new film. A Dystopian futurist tale about the survival of humankind. A man Clive Owen (Closer) gets in involved in rescuing the only pregnant woman in London after a tragedy 18 years ago made all women go sterile. This is basically a chase movie. The exposition is some of the best I have ever seen in a movie. The director doesn’t really let you know the whole back story but hints at it through Billboards and newspaper articles through out this picture. This film has intense war sequences and it handheld camera work gives it a authentic documentary feel that enhances the sequence making you feel the bullets passing by. The world created feels like it is completely plausible and you are a participant. Cuaron has outdone himself. This is film making at its best with stellar performances from its amazing cast. By far the best film I saw and one of the best films of 2006. I highly recommend it for everyone. Warning, the war scenes are realistic and graphic. A+
-TheBat
