NO SPOILERS EPISODE 5: ENEMY OF THE NORTH POLE.

Well it's that time of the year again the Christmas season is filled with those Rankin Bass classics and sitcoms paying homage to the Christmas Carol in full Scrooge glory. And I would like to propose to Holly jolliest of people to mix it up a bit and throw in one of the lesser known Christmas classics. In the past, I offered up Die Hard and Lethal Weapon as healthy festive changes of pace. This year let me suggest the "timeless" thin storyline of a Bruckheimer version of a Christmas parable: The Enemy of the State.

Okay, first knee jerk reaction is that Tony Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer don't do Christmas. They do and they blow it up nice with all the fixing you expect from a Blockbuster. On top of that, I would argue this is the perfect holiday classic. No need to watch every second of this flick as you wrap presents, cook a turkey or deal with Santa anticipating kids. If you miss a bit of "story", no worries, every 20 minutes the plot will be reiterated to you by one of the players. If you don't get the less than subtle message of the movie, let me sum it up real quick: you better watch out, you better not cry, someone is looking if your naughty or nice.

So, It's pretty fun, in the sense it's basically a straight up chase movie centered around Christmas gifts gone bad. As usual, I am not going to give away the less than basic plot but it's all about the holiday giving and sometimes the giving invokes exploding buildings. Merry Christmas with a bang.

Some notable other reasons to watch this new holiday classic is the cast old and new. Will smith in one of his early staring roles that would eventually lead to his super stardom. Jack black, Seth Green, Jamie Kennedy, all up and comers showing glimpse of their comedic future in the confined of the Tony Scott stylistic extravaganza. Jon Voight as the villain, Lisa Bonet and Gabriel Byrns all add to the roster of the cast.

Most importantly , Gene Hackman reprising his role of Harry Caull, the sound expert from the 70's classic,  the Conversation. This movie is arguably Francis Ford Coppolas best movie. If you haven't enjoyed this masterfully crafted movie made/directed by Francis Ford Coppola (edited and sound design by Walter Murch!) and the cast and crew of film icons, you haven't seen or experienced true cinema.

Yes it's one of my favourite movies, I studied it and watched repeatedly throughout film school. Moreover, it is set in ... Christmas time. This does't really make the cut of a Christmas classic but definitely a Boxing Day screener. 

Please sprinkle these classics during you holiday break and have a safe and Happy holidays!

No Spoilers Episode 4: LETHAL CHRISTMAS MOVIE

Okay you watched the Grinch, Frosty and Rudolph the Red Nose Reject that you accept only when you need him. (interest moral in that story!?) Now the kids are all snug in their beds, time for some Grown up Christmas Classics with a Bang. Last year I put to rest the PENULTIMATE CHRISTMAS ACTION MOVIE (that ones for you @hotdogsladies) Time to go to one of the lesser know Holly Jolly Flicks. Lethal Weapon(1987 R. Donner).

I know, the trailer fails to market the Ho-Ho-ness of the film but revisit this movie or watch it for the first time with some Hot cider and chestnuts roasting over an open fire. It has it all the Holly Jollies: Christmas music bookends the story, Riggs goes to shop for a Christmas Tree and he even has a less than tasty holiday dinner with the Murtaugh family.

Fear not, there is all the grown up action packed sequences edited by Stuart Baird veteran cutter and Richard Donner great rhythm and directing style. Mel Gibson crazy performance as Riggs is brilliant (foreshadowing his future wackiness) as he tries to get through the day without killing a Bad guy. Also, it may be the best Black retiring cop & Crazy White guy buddy movies of all time.

Ask Santa for this one for your stocking. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! 

*Watch the Director's Cut, it has all these scenes that affect the pace of the movie by overstating Riggs Craziness. It is like watching Touch of Evil's Studio added scenes. Film akward.

No Spoilers Episode 3: Point Blank, Lee Marvin & Hard Hitting Cuts.

Any Tom, Dick & Harriette can continuity cut, takes a master editor/filmmaker to edit in a variety of styles. I stumbled on this great piece of filmmaking as I was digging throught the crates (aka DVD collections) as I prepare to re-design my home office and update my gear. POINT BLANK directed by John Boorman, edited by Henry Berman.

I won't pretend to remember all the different style names from my Film Aestetics Class I took in the 90's but POINT BLANK uses a mixture of techniques that should be watched again and again.

There is what I call a time-matchcuts that break the timeline of the film, smash-cut flashbacks and a great opening title sequence that echoes the main characters mood, imagine being in the mind of an angry Lee Marvin. My Favorite is the Time shifted editing; using dialogue or sounds from other scenes that span the movie timeline. Hard to describe but It's that Steven Soderbergh Limey style like montage sequences (which he admitily inspired the style of The Limey; haven't seen that one, that is another one to watch again and again)

I think this is one of the hardest techniques since it's like pig latin of filmmaking. It's a variation on the film language. So, you have to teach the audience the new languge code with limited time without loosing them. It is not for the faint of heart because your playing with fire. If you do it and it fails you lost your audiences trust and probably their interest. Point Blank succeds in not loosing you, as it jumps around aggressively, very echoing the protagonist.

I know your saying, this movie or that movie does that even better but this was before non-linear editing, made on a movieola or a Steinbeck. Imagine editing Momento, Pulp Fiction, The Limey... I takes a cetain determination and coincidentaly a Lee Marvin like resolve to introduce this style of filmmaking in those technical conditions.

I won't say that it goes on for the whole movie because it is doesn't. It is mostly a conventionally edited movie with strong composition and great late '60s style. Which is reason enough to watch this movie. However, watching how this type of editing techniques being used is like watching a tight rope walker, juggling, without a net. Bold.

PS. I haven't done one of these in a while but I have a feeling that I will in the near future, things are changing around the "old Republic" aka Gorilla Productions...

No Spoilers Episode 2: Last Action Christmas Movie

As the Holiday Season nears; I remember last year's Christmas eve, when my wife and I were preparing the house for Santa. I suggested to my wife that we put on a Christmas movie to play in the background. I was all Grinched out and I like to watch Albert Finney's Scrooge in the morning. So, leafing through my DVD binder. I stumbled upon a hidden gem. Yippikaye Santa!

Release Date: July 15, 1988 Bruce Willis stars as New York City detective John McClane, newly arrived in Los Angeles to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged wife. But as McClane waits for his wife's office party to break up, terrorists take control of the building.

Honestly, it started as a "husband joke" but the more I made my arguments the clearer it became Die Hard is a Christmas movie!

It' s got all the element of a Christmas movie.

1- The basic plot is about a Jimmy Stewart-like Father who is trying to run back to his familly after he realizes the mistake that he has made. (This sorta gets lost in the gun fire, running on glass and exploding Building.) Also, a little girl (aka Cindy Loo Who) who wants a Christmas miracle.

2- Lots of christmas music (Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow and the timeless Christmas in Hollis by Run-DMC, classic)

3- A Grinch like bad guy who try to stop Christmas from coming (The Germans and the Black nerd from Matlock) by stealing the loot/gifts.

The Studio's Scroogy greed is to blame for not releasing this Mistletoe classic in its rightfully season. I remember first watchting this movie in Summer Blockbuster season. Christmas in July?! Pure Greed. 20th Century expect a visit from 3 ghosts on Christmas eve.

It seems that I am not the only one that thinks this is a Christmas Movie.

Also check it out for it's great Speilberg hermetic story telling (John McTiernan) and Jan Debonts bold use of Anamorphic flares... but I wouldn't want to spoil this holiday classic.

Happy Holidays to you.

No Spoilers episode 0: What is this sections is about?

Like many movie sequels, this blog post should have come before episode 1. So, consider this my Prequel Blog post or MIA 2.

I like talking movies. The people that I have worked with for the past decade, young and old, have heard my editing room, production meeting or creative brainstorming sessions rants about a movie's "epic" creative value. When I realize that they haven't seen this movie, I usually motion like I am going to flip the table in "rage" and film blasphame. (It's a dry joke but I like to recycle)

I thought I would blog about my film geek movie selects so that interweb folk can get some good film suggestions. Sometimes wacky or cryptic, not your classic AFI listings but I am not going to exclude these great movies either.

Not like this guilty pleasure of mine.

But check it out if you want to see how pre-computer graphics were done and a bonus see Dennis Hopper as a proffessor. (He plays a very similar roles as acharacter in one of his famous performances.) 

I don't believe in a good or bad movie or tell you that you should love this but you should probably check it out if want to see good movie making. Like my Philosophy 101 Professor pointed out in the first class, "My goal is to suggest a good lead, you should go and look into it yourself and my your own opinions, I AM NOT GOING TO READ THE BOOK FOR YOU" 

I will try not to SPOIL the movie by writing about the movies' plot twist. breakdown the storyline... Basically, I won't do the things that make reading film reviews frustrating to me.

Enjoy the movie suggest and please send feedback of what you thought of the movie and OBVIOUSLY NO SPOILERS in your comments please!