Jiro Dreams of Sushi

I heard about this film months ago. I read about it in Entertainment Weekly -- and in Rolling Stone -- I saw promo posters plastered throughout the Tenderloin -- and I love sushi so it was generally brought up as a must-see. For reasons that are inconsequential, I waited until last week to finally see Jiro Dreams of Sushi and I am happy to report that it far exceeded my expectations.

First, I must mention that usually when films are hyped up - even just a little bit - the chances that I will be disappointed are huge. This unfortunate phenomenon occurs because the hopes and expectations that I have built up have simply failed to manifest. I suppose the cosmic balance of things levels everything off with the instances when I don't have any expectations for a film (i.e Tree of Life or Drive) and the film ends up being an exceptional piece of work. Ah, such is life. Which brings me

J'adore le Genre: Minimalist Disaster Film

Disaster films have the distinction of being one of the most popular film genres of all time. Starting at the beginning of the century with films like Fire! and Night and Ice, to the mid-20^th century with films like War of the Worlds and King Kong, and on to more recent titles like Independence Day, The Road, and Melancholia, this genre has done its job of captivating audiences on a global level.

But I’m not going to talk about disaster films.

Today I will tackle another lesser known genre lovingly-known as the Minimalist Disaster film. A Google search of this genre may return very few results so I guess before I go any further I should mention…I made this genre up.

My reasoning for creating this genre was two-fold.

Fold One: I got tired of people referring to certain films as disaster films and lumping them into the same category as those mentioned at the beginning of this post when they are clearly different in many ways.

Fold Two: The films included in this niche category are some of my all-time favorite films and therefore I felt a need to segregate them and honor them with their own specific genre.

I think the best way to describe these films is to name some rules that a film must adhere to in order to be considered a true Minimalist Disaster film. These rules are non-negotiable and all must apply in order for a film to be considered a true Minimalist Disaster.

Official Rules of a Minimalist Disaster Film:

J'adore le Genre: The Switcheroo

This is the inaugural post of a series I am proud to announce called ‘J'adore le Genre’. Posts in this series will focus on a specific genre within the film industry that I absolutely* love.

Now, most people can name 5-10 film genres fairly easily (romantic comedy, horror, sci-fi, action, drama, etc.) and those popular and arguably over-used genres will not be mentioned here. I will instead, focus on lesser known genres that are near and dear to my movie-loving heart.

And I’ve will begin with a genre that is one of my all-time favorites: The Switcheroo. A.K.A the body swap, Switcheroo films involve

It’s your last decision. Better make it a good one.

There have been a lot of end of the world (or should they be called ‘end of the world as we know it’) films. Dr. Strangelove, The Stand, Children of Men, The Road, War of the Worlds, 2012, Melancholia…this is only the start of a very long list of films that encompass themes of our world ceasing to exist and what we as humans choose to do before, during, and after this imminent demise.

The entertainment value of these films is derived from the fact that movie-goers are interested in the decision making process that is thrown upon the characters, whether they like it or not. Given that everything comforting in their world has been taken, or soon will be taken, the characters embark on a journey of sorts into the primitive mindset of a human being who’s main concern suddenly becomes staying alive. It is fascinating to see this unfold and so, I never pass up an opportunity to watch an “end of the world” genre film.

They’re not all

Another year, Another Oscars

Its been a few days since the 84th Annual Academy Awards and I must say I was quite pleased with the outcome of most awards, although there was not much surprise with the winners. And a lot of the show was predicable and a bit canned. 

First off,  congrats to Christopher Plummer for winning best actor in a supporting role! I couldn't have been happier. And his speech was so genuine and sweet. 

As for other winners, there was no surprise that The Artist won best picture. In fact, I won a $50 bet that The Artist would win (my poor unsuspecting friend was so sure The Help was a shoe-in, poor girl). After watching The Artist clean up at the Golden Globes, and knowing the demographics of the majority of Academy voters, I knew they had it in the bag.

LGBT Point Foundation honors Focus Features

"Point Foundation (Point), the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit, will honor global film company Focus Features on Monday, April 16th at this year’s Point Honors New York gala."

According to the San Francisco Sentinel, Focus Features will be the recipient of recognition from the Point Foundation at its annual Point Honors New York gala.

One of the reasons I respect the productions of Focus Features is the daring risks they take with many of the picture releases. This is especially true of the films with an LBGT story line that so desperately need to be told. We are a world (slowly) working towards acceptance of all, and Focus Features is definitely a front runner in this journey.

 “Films like Milk and Pariah speak to the values of diversity and empowerment Focus shares with Point and the LGBT community.  It is so important that young people have an opportunity to watch films like these, where maybe they can for the first time find representations of themselves on the screen, and come away awed and inspired.” 
-Jorge Valencia, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Point Foundation.

Focus Features has produced films like Brokeback Mountain, Milk, and last years The Beginners, which is up for an Oscar this year for best supporting actor, Christopher Plummer. Focus Features' newest production, Pariah, is a coming of age story about a 17-year old African-American lesbian. 

For more information on Focus Features or the Point Foundation Honors gala, click here.

Cosmo the Dog from 'The Beginners', overshadowed by Uggie from 'The Artist'?

Uggie, the Jack Russell from 'The Artist' has received a lot of press lately. for a dog. There's been good and bad, and needless to say he has become quite popular. 

But what about the other Jack Russell who stole the scenes of 'The Beginners', a movie that was nominated for several awards this season? 

Cosmo the Dog played his part magnificently as the companion of  
the late Hal Fields and his son, Oliver. Cosmo's role is admirable as the comforter of Oliver and almost serves as a substitute for Hal or perhaps a conduit to Hal after his passing. 

Let us take a moment to recognize the other Jack Russell who warmed our hearts this past movie season. Great job Cosmo.

Click here to see a Focus Features exclusive video on Cosmo the Dog.

What famous movie dogs are your favorites? And who stole your heart more, Uggie or Cosmo?

Why I loved "The Beginners" (and why Christopher Plummer deserves the Oscar)

The Beginners is a testament to the fact that life is unpredictable, unreliable, and at times unbearable. And by life, I euphemistically mean the people around us. 

People are social by nature and therefore go to great lengths and pains to be together, even if it feels like misery. Sociability made sense as a survival instinct for most of our species's history. Over time, we have remained instinctively social even though it is not immediately necessary for the sake of our survival. 
It makes sense to be social if the relationship is beneficial, especially if the benefit is symbiotic. But what if its not?

Why do we stay anyway? Whats in it for us to do something that does not provide an clear benefit (or in fact, strips other benefits from us?)?

Oscar Nominations are in! Focus Features scores 5!

Focus Features captured 5 nominations for the 2012 Oscars!
3 for Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, 1 for The Beginners, and 1 for Jane Eyre.
Great Job!

Considering the results of the Golden Globes this year, my money is on Christopher Plummer to win best actor in a supporting role. And considering that this is shockingly, Gary Oldman's first Oscar nomination (I know right?), I hope he wins as well. 

'Tis a good day for Focus Features and congratulations to all of the nominees!

Click here to read more about the nominees from Focus Features

I'll be watching...Will you?

Focus Features' 3 best movies (besides Eternal Sunshine...)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind may be the best movie of all time, and it saddens me whenever I hear that the whole world has not seen it. However, Focus Features is home to many, many great movies that deserve much love and appreciation. Here's a list of my 3 favorite lesser-known Focus Films besides the great Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. 

1. Swimming Pool (2003)

This film focuses on the relationship between an uptight British novelist, Sarah, and a carefree french girl, Julie, who are forced to endure each others company while they are both vacationing at a remote house in France that was apparently overbooked by Sarah's boss - who also happens to be Julie's father.

Rich with deeps hues of French culture and countryside, along with scenes of violence and nudity have ignited this film with intensity and intrigue.

And critics have taken quite polarizing sides with this film because of its ambiguous ending. While I must admit that I was a bit baffled at the ending, none the less, I consider it one of the years best films and also one of Focus Features' best films of all time.