Happy 4th Of July, everybody! 

IRON MAIDEN: FLIGHT 666  (2009)  ****  Travel around the world in 45 days with heavy-metal legends Iron Maiden as they play 23 sold-out stadium shows from Asia to South America, battle the rigorous demands of an ambitious touring schedule, and even pilot their own custom-made airplane. Filmed during the Somewhere Back in Time world tour, this documentary grants viewers unprecedented access to the band members as they entertain nearly half a million fans.

My Review: Brilliantly entertaining, this is one of the best documentaries about a rock band I've ever seen.  I was under the mistaken impression that it was merely a concert video, but instead "Flight 666" chronicles the 2008 Somewhere Back In Time Tour, as the band and crew traveled (in a 757 piloted by lead vocalist and licensed pilot Bruce Dickinson, above) all the way around the world, playing in 24 countries in 45 days, packing arenas wherever they go (quite a feat, considering they haven't had significant radio airplay in nearly 20 years).

The film is hugely enjoyable - funny, beautifully filmed and it accurately portrays and pays tribute to the amazing loyalty and devotion that Maiden inspires in their fans, who, somewhat amazingly, keep getting younger (the sold-out audiences are not made up solely of aging ex-mulletheads as you might have thought).  Even if you know nothing about Iron Maiden I can't recommend this movie highly enough, as the affable band members (whose good humor and professionalism are a wonder to behold - no drugs or trashing hotel rooms here), the excellent cinematography and the fascinating 'round-the-world-in-an-airplane world tour would keep anyone's attention.  But of course if you're a Maiden fan it's even better, as the band sound as amazing as ever, and I would wager that anyone unfamiliar with them would be inspired to learn more after watching this great doc.

SURVEILLANCE  (2009)  ***  Revealing the stunning truth behind a horrific string of homicides near Santa Fe, a young girl (Ryan Simpkins), police officer (Kent Harper) and drug addict (Pell James) spill their wildly different witness accounts to FBI agents Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman). Jennifer Chambers Lynch (Boxing Helena) directs this thriller that co-stars Michael Ironside, Cheri Oteri and French Stewart.

My Review: Jennifer Chambers Lynch is David Lynch's daughter, and though I still haven't seen her infamous "Boxing Helena" (1993), she has certainly inherited many of her father's trademarks (grisly violence shrouded in esoteric mystery, eccentric FBI agents struggling to put the pieces together...), if "Surveillance" is any indication.  Something like "Rashomon" meets "The Devil's Rejects", it concerns a heinous string of killings that seemingly culminated in a violent confrontation on a desolate road, and the truth slowly becoming apparent as the three surviving witnesses recount their stories to the FBI agents played by Pullman and Ormond.  It's a dark, truly disturbing film, but a very good, very well-made one.  Well-paced, creepy, darkly funny, and the editing is terrific, milking the flashback-heavy structure for all the suspense and tension it's worth.

Of course there's a Big Twist, and it's one that I saw coming but it still works (though I wish the ending were a bit stronger).  And unlike a lot of movies that feature a Big Twist, this one actually improves on a second viewing, when you know all along what's actually going on. 

NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH  (2008)  ***  Journalist Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) turns Washington on its ear when she outs a casual acquaintance (Vera Farmiga) as a CIA agent. The government's formidable prosecutor (Matt Dillon) sends Rachel to jail for contempt, where she discovers the true impact of her decision. David Schwimmer, Alan Alda, Angela Bassett, Noah Wyle and Courtney B. Vance co-star in this drama from Rod Lurie, the politically savvy filmmaker behind The Contender and "Commander in Chief."

My Review: The excellent performances from the ensemble cast are the top reasons to check out this very topical drama.  Kate Beckinsale and Alan Alda in particular put in excellent work here.  It's a serious film about real issues made for adults and that's a very good thing.  Unfortunately, the script sometimes regards the characters as mouthpieces for various moral issues rather than human beings - so it's a good thing when a particularly good bit of character development or a wicked dialogue exchange snaps us back into caring about them.  Another problem is that the big final twist is obviously intended as a bombshell, but I saw it coming less than 30 minutes in.  Still, the cast is excellent (especially when the script lets them be people) and it's good for after-viewing debate.  "State Of Play" is way better, though.

ADORATION  (2009)  ***  Assigned to translate a terrorism-related news story for his French class, teen Simon (Devon Bostick) weaves personal details into his tale, which soon leaves the Internet swirling with rumors that Simon's dead father was an actual terrorist. Acclaimed auteur Atom Egoyan's haunting and lyrical drama -- cleverly structured as a mystery -- also stars Scott Speedman as Simon's caretaker uncle and Arsinée Khanjian as Simon's persistent teacher.

My Review: It is somewhat unlikely that Atom Egoyan will ever top his 1995 masterpiece "The Sweet Hereafter", but I will always be in line for his unique, atmospheric (and often bravely politicized) puzzle-piece mysteries of chance and fate.  "Adoration" is no different, an intriguing, fractured fable about family and regret (as well as about a thousand other things) that features a stand-out performance by Scott Speedman.  I have a feeling that if I were to really think about it, all the pieces of this particular Egoyan puzzle may not quite fit together, but at the very least it's still a spellbinding, thought-provoking film with some great performances.

On Monday, my bro needed some short-notice babysitting so me and Chris headed over to Roseville.  It was a lot of fun for all of us - here's some pictures!

AWAY WE GO  (2009)  ***  Buoyed by the news that they are expecting their first baby, Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) embark on a journey to locate the perfect place on the planet to raise their child. But their quest inevitably yields many unexpected surprises. Sam Mendes directs this quirky comedy while Allison Janney, Catherine O'Hara, Josh Hamilton, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeff Daniels co-star.

My Review: John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph are so wonderful and believable as an aging slacker couple facing the prospect of growing up for real that it makes it easy to try and overlook the flaws in this simple and enjoyable film from Sam Mendes ("American Beauty", "Revolutionary Road", the underrated "Road To Perdition"...) 

The biggest problems lie in the repetitive episodic structure and especially in the shrill caricatures that make up a large chunk of the supporting cast (chief offenders being those characters played by normally reliable actors like Maggie Gyllenhaal, Catherine O'Hara, Jeff Daniels and Allison Janney).  None of these episodes last too long, though, and Rudolph and Krasinski are so pleasant to spend time with that it ultimately doesn't matter much.  (Rudolph in particular is a revelation in her first dramatic role)  Their love and respect for each other, even through tough times, is never in doubt, so that when they reach their (possible) ultimate destination we feel their catharsis almost as much as they do.

Over the weekend Chris and I watched my "Mister Lonely" DVD, largely because of Michael Jackson's untimely passing.  He had never seen it and it was just my second time, so I was happy when it was just as brilliant and fascinating the second time as it was the first.  It's some kinda masterpiece in my opinion, a truly original film with so many layers of meaning and conflicting emotions that it boggles my mind.  And Chris liked it a lot, which was cool because he doesn't always have the patience for arty movies like this.

I also watched my DVD of the early-70's horror gem "Let's Scare Jessica To Death" and really enjoyed it again.  It's a weird, trippy film that is too vague and deliberately paced to catch on in the mainstream, but any horror buff with some patience and an interest in atmospheric, slow-burn ghost stories like "The Haunting" (the original), "The Innocents" and "Session 9" will find much to admire.  And check out that Japanese poster art!  Awesome and oddly appropriate (meaning that whoever made it seems to have actually seen the movie or is at least slightly acquainted with its core ideas)

And from thisiswhyyourefat.com...

Flapjack Fiasco

Layers from bottom to top: pancake; cookie dough; pancake; peanut butter and jelly; pancake; chocolate and bananas; pancake; caramel, oreo, marshmallow, sprinkles, M&M’s; pancake; caramel buttercream frosting granished with Trix cereal.

Good lord, I'm having a simultaneous orgasm and heart attack just looking at it!

On Thursday I watched my new copy of the "Friday the 13th" remake/reboot/re-imagining and I'm happy to say that I feel the same way I did months ago when I saw it in the theatre.  Let the "purists" hate if they wanna.  This movie is a fucking blast.  It's like a mix tape of all the things I loved about these movies when I was a kid - it's scary, funny, exciting, has an engaging cast (including Jared Padalecki from TV's "Supernatural") and several ghoulishly inventive suspense sequences, and on top of all that it looks fantastic.  It also has a surprising amount of respect for the originals and what their fans expect and enjoy (as well as several visual references to the previous films), which is why all the hate is baffling to me.  Oh well.

And yesterday I went to Yuba to hang with my Mom and my nephew -  I showed them "Pete Seeger: The Power Of Song", we went out to dinner, and then I showed my nephew "Splinter" - it was all awesome.

Have a great weekend!