Valkyrie

With a film like Valkyrie one is left to ask... Why? What is the point of this movie? To give Tom Cruise another "hero" role? It's a historical "thriller", but, the problem remains that it is based on one of the most known events in all of history - Hitler's fate during World War II. So... What exactly is "thrilling" about it?

Tom Cruise plays Claus Von Stauffenberg, a Colonel who has come to the realization that Hitler is completely off of his rocker and is leading the German's to certain failure in this World War. After loosing an arm, an eye, and just generally getting BTFU in Africa, Stauffenberg returns to Germany to take a cush desk job, where he meets several soldiers and politico's who are trying desperately to figure out a way to kill Hitler, and disperse the SS. 

The problem with many of these films is that they are, ultimately, a lot more interesting as History Channel documentary's. At least in that format, their usually only an hour and a half long (commercials pop them up to two), and their not full of pointless and self important "drama" between characters that you never really get to know, and never really get to care about. Valkyrie was like watching paint dry, because, you already know what's going to happen - Hitler doesn't die. It would be like if James Cameron's blockbuster didn't flesh out the relationship between Jack and Rose, and actually tried to keep you in suspense as to whether the Titanic sinks or not. Bryan Singer, probably best known for the first two X-Men films, just didn't pull it off for me. I never felt interested in any of the characters, least of all Stauffenberg, and I found myself not really caring whether they succeeded at their plan or not (even though I knew they wouldn't). I think, on all counts, they just, flat out, made an uninteresting film, which seems to be happening more and more as the World War II film keeps coming back with a vengeance... It's like the Police Academy of genres... Maybe, someday, if we're all lucky, people will just let it go for a while, and, like Western's, we'll get a decent one every couple of years.

The Wrestler

Darren Aronofsky is one of THOSE kind of filmmakers. You know the type - The filmmaker that only releases something every once in a while (whether out of necessity or preference), and when they do, you end up salivating over the very thought of it for months before it comes out, and when you do, finally, get to see it, it usually fulfills all the expectations you had for it. With The Wrestler, Aronofsky doesn't disappoint.

The Wrestler is the story of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a one time WWF style super star, who fell out of fame, and out of money, and now subsists on working odd jobs, wrestling on the B-circuit, and the occasional convention, where he sells memorabilia and autographs. He is a man with an undying passion, a passion that he is so dedicated too, he lets all other things in his life go by the way side.  But, when the Ram starts facing undeniable health problems, he begins to realize that he may not have as much time ahead of him as he thought, and now, in his middle age, it may be time to right some of the wrongs of his life and leave wrestling behind.

Mickey Rourke does an amazing job as The Ram. You sense every ounce of pain and nostalgia for his previous life seeping out of Robinson because of the parallels between The Ram's story and Rourke's own. Marisa Tomei is electric as the aging stripper who decides to take a chance on letting this lonely, broken man into her life, and Evan Rachel Wood is undeniable as Ram's daughter, who was abandoned in her youth, and who Ram is trying to rebuild his relationship with.

Aronofsky is a character guy. He's one of the best there is. He brings these people to life so fully and so realistically, that you never once feel like one is there simply to push the plot along. I mean, let's face it, the plot of The Wrestler is not exactly anything new, but Aronofsky builds his film in such a meaningful and heartfelt way that it doesn't matter. You feel like your meeting these characters for the first time, and you are sucked into their world. The Wrestler is beautiful - In the way it's acted, in the way it's directed, in the way it's shot. In every way, it is a must see.

The Definers is on IndieGoGo

Sorry it has been so long since I've posted. A lot of work stuff has been going on, but that has also been tempered with a fair amount of laziness towards this blog... Oh well. Time to play catch up.

Just to let you know, I have started an IndieGoGo page for Schusterfilms. The Definers is up on it, so, should you feel the need (and I would be ever so appreciative of you if you would, fine reader), hop on over, check it out, and consider donating to make independent film happen. You can donate any amount, and any amount is appreciated.

Shawn Morrison's "Forever's Not So Long"

This is one of the funniest and most endearing shorts I have ever seen. So good. Hope you like it -


Forever's Not So Long from garrettmurray on Vimeo.

John Henry Summerour's "Chickamauga"

I recently saw this on Vimeo. It's really cool. Love the story, the cinematography, the editing... everything. Hope you like it - 

Chickamauga from Miky Wolf on Vimeo.

Me Right Now - Romero Weekend

I wanted to put this up right when I got back, but, unfortunately, I got sick, and then got caught up in a lot of other work that needed to be done. In February, I went to Charlotte to visit my good friends Wes and Kathryn, and attend "American Zombie - George A. Romero's Film Revolution", a Romero retrospective. Now, while I had to miss some of the lesser known stuff (I could only go to certain things because I was on a budget), I did get to attend the Night of the Living Dead screening, as well as the One on One with Romero, and the Dawn of the Dead screening, which had a Q&A with George, as well. He's a great guy. Really funny, really down to earth, and full of so much amazing information. 

If I can take one second to gripe about something, though, it would be this - The Light Factory and Reel Soul Cinema did an amazing job at putting this whole event together except for one thing - They showed DVD's of the movie! When your having a retrospective of someone's work, you ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, NEVER EVER EVER EVER show something on a DVD unless that is the way the artist intended it to be seen, or a print is impossible to come by. To add insult to injury, during the Dawn of the Dead screening, the person working the DVD player in the projection booth of a VERY fancy theater, couldn't even turn the commentary off! It took almost half an hour for them to figure out how, while the audience was yelling instructions from the theater... Point being - always show a print, unless you absolutely can't.

Anyways, here's the footage that I shot with my little Canon SD1000 pocket camera - 

Me Right Now - Romero Weekend from Stewart Schuster on Vimeo.

Frost/Nixon

I had reservations about going to see Frost/Nixon. I wondered whether or not the film would hold my interest, seeing as how it has to do with a subject that always felt, to me, like it would be more important to those that lived through it, than to those of us that were not even born when these events were happening. It has been getting raves, though, and I thought I'd give it a shot. I went to a VERY early show, expecting few if any people to be there, but was, instead, greeted by a throng of movie goers, all of whom were probably twenty to thirty years older than I was, and would have at least been kids when these events happened, if not young adults.

Frost/Nixon is the very simple story of David Frost, a British TV personality, and his quest to get an interview with the newly out of office President Nixon, who was forced to resign to avoid impeachment because of the Watergate scandal. It follows Michael Sheen (who played Tony Blair in The Queen), as David Frost, and Frank Langella as Nixon (reprising his role from the stage play that this film was based on). The two square off, with Nixon seeing Frost as an adversary, an opponent to be fought and to conquer, and Frost seeing Nixon as his ticket to a journalistic gold mine (even if it costs him everything).

Ron Howard directs the film that, as I said earlier, was based on a stage play of the same name. The film is masterfully put together, feeling like the 1970's every bit of the way. Langella is perfect as Nixon and Michael Sheen shines as the excited, but crumbling Frost, whose world is coming together and falling apart at the same time. Fantastic supporting roles by Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon, and Sam Rockwell, make Frost/Nixon into a film that seems like it is the final word on the events that happened during that bleak time in American history when this country's people were no longer sure if they could trust the presidency, and that is really where Frost/Nixon's genius lies - It's a film about an event that took place some thirty odd years ago, yet the parallels between Nixon's administration and George W. Bush's administration are worn, tastefully, on the sleeve of this film. The boiling point is, of course, when Nixon is challenged by Frost in the last part of his interview about the President doing things that are illegal, and Nixon retorts to Frost "What I'm saying is, if the President does it, that means it is not illegal". Wow... Howard hit the nail of our last president right on the head.