3 To See on DVD Now

3 to see on DVD

1. Moon

One sentence review: This little seen science fiction flick is the best to come out in years and Rockwell is incredible giving the performance of a lifetime.

2. Garden State

One sentence review: An incredible directorial debut by Zach Braff that is one of the best comedies I have seen, its not hilarious, but its powerful in a subtle manner.

3. Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

One sentence review: One of my favorite films of all time and the less you know about it the better it is.

Top 5 Films of 2010 so far

1. Shutter Island

Once again, Scorsese creates a masterpiece that is both a powerful character study and a great psychological thriller.

2. Greenberg

Ben Stiller is incredible and the film is a great character study of one of my favorite cinematic characters in years.

3. The Ghost Writer

Polanski directs one of his best thrillers and also gets out one of Ewan McGregor's best performances.

4. Kick-Ass

Fun, mindless, chaotic action flick that knows what it is and doesn't take itself too seriously.

5. Iron Man 2

http://cinergyfilms.blogspot.com/2010/05/iron-man-2-short-review.html

So far its been a very weak year, I just hope it gets better starting in June.

My Theory on Sequels and Franchises in General

Sequels are commonly made in hollywood now a days, mainly because they are quick cash cows. Personally I believe sequels are fine when done appropriately and not effecting the film prior to it. Lets take for example The Godfather. The Godfather, in my opinion, is a perfect film, and its sequel The Godfather Part II is near perfect. Too many times in films that are parts of franchises, such as Iron Man 2, much of the plot line is directed towards what will happen in later films, versus the current film. I hate this method, because it ruins multiple films in a series. The whole reason why The Godfather and The Godfather Part II succeed is because each film stands on its own, not dependent on the whole scope of the story to engage the viewer. There is a place for such story telling, its known as television. In television it is perfectly appropriate to leave clues for what will happen later on in the series, but that's because the season is a complete story. The thing with films is that, even if they are a member of a franchise, they should be able to exist on their own, as separate entities. There is a place for such story telling, its known as television. In television it is perfectly appropriate to leave clues for what will happen later on in the series, but that's because the season is a complete story. The thing with films is that, even if they are a member of a franchise, they should be able to exist on their own, as separate entities. This is the sign of a truly good franchise and sequel.

3 To See on DVD Now

This week I was lucky enough to see three excellent films to recommend for viewing on DVD.

3 to see on DVD:

1. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind

One sentence review: An incredible film and Charlie Kaufman's best.

2. Bringing Out The Dead

One sentence review: Another Scorsese masterpiece and Nicolas Cage's best performance.

3. Adaptation

One sentence review: Charlie Kaufman writes another great film and the performances are incredible, especially Nicolas Cage's and Chris Cooper's.

Iron Man 2 Short Review

I thought the first Iron Man was a great super hero film, and when the cast for Iron Man 2 was announced with, on top of Robert Downey Junior who personifies Tony Stark, Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell (the two actors who I think have given the best performances over the past two years, Rourke for The Wrestler in 2008, Rockwell for Moon in 2009). Needless to say my expectations were probably too high going into this film. I was expecting a sequel that topped the original in the tradition of other super hero films such as X-Men 2, Spider Man 2, and of course, The Dark Knight. What I got instead was a satisfying film that I think paled in comparison to the first one and under used its actors. The story isn't great, and I don't think we'll see the pay off for the Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) character until the third or fourth flick. That being said for the time they're on screen, Rockwell, Rourke, and Downey Jr. are terrific. Cheadle is ok as Rhody, though I liked Terrance Howard more in the first and found Scarlet Johansen's character pointless. The action sequences aren't inspired, but they'll entertain.

So do I recommend it? Yes, though I must say, if you can, go see Kick-Ass, which is a much better super hero flick and also a much more entertaining one as well.

My most anticipated film of the summer

The film I look to most this summer is Christopher Nolan's Inception. For those of you who don't know who Christopher Nolan is, he directed both entries in the new Batman series (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) and Insomnia. Besides its all star cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Marion Cotillard, the plot sounds incredibly engrossing, dealing with the subject of the mind (a personal favorite of mine). Im interested to see how the story plays out in a full length film, the visuals, and how audiences will react to such a film.

New Film Update

Theres almost no better feeling in the world to me then the one I get from finishing a screenplay. I finished the first draft of one of many projects I have in the works, though this is "the main one" if I had to designate it a title. Its a film about how people deal with guilt and grief. Its nothing like my last film, In Therapy, but thats a good thing. I think constantly exploring new genres, themes, and topics is a great thing to do. Stanley Kubrick never made the same kind of film more then once, and I can totally understand why. There are so many fresh stories to be told, that if a similar tale is told in a similar manner over and over again it ultimately gets boring and the audience does not like it anymore. I'll be announcing the cast for my next film shortly.

In Therapy

My latest film is entitled In Therapy and is available for viewing here:

In Therapy from Andrew Garbus on Vimeo.

The film tells the tale of a schizophrenic, James Townsen (Patrick Aloia), who goes to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Victor Corderberg (Leland Garbus), to get rid of his mischievous imaginary friend, Carl (Keenan Lam)

I hope you are able to watch the film and enjoy it.