The Top Ten Films of 2012

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As Subjectively Ordained by Blake R. Goble

Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to be able to share with you the Top Ten Films of 2012. I must admit this feels late given most critics bang these things out mid-December. Oh, what I’d give to have a press pass and more time. But, that’s just whining. I have to say, I had a wonderful time with the movies in 2012. I got out to the theaters a little more. Netflix Instant was a delightful access point on my TV. OnDemand made second chances possible for recent flicks. People were generous in gifts and recommendations. It’s not just that 2012 was an unusually good year for movies, but I’m happy to say I had a wealth of screening opportunities.

And now, here comes my favorite. I’d like to discuss some of these movies with you.

This year’s format is ordered. I’ll say a little about each. Then, if you’re curious, I’ve categorized every other new movie I saw in 2012. Some almost made the top ten. A lot were just good. And then, you get to throw tomatoes at the duds! It’ll be fun. I promise.

To re-phrase that nasty Calvin Candie, I think I had your attention, now I hope I have your curiosity.

Also, ignore the top banner. I did in fact see “Zero Dark Thirty.”

10. What begins as a cutesy conceptual star piece quickly turns in to a thoughtful examination on the possible end of humanity. Both light on its feet and heavy as an asteroid, this must be a new kind of romantic comedy. The jokes are wicked, and the romance is well-earned and true. Steve Carell and Keira Knightley are somehow perfectly paired as the friends looking for solace. You believe in them, and even hope for them. “Seeking a Friend” makes you hope that only you can be so lucky to be with someone when it all goes bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1sZgV3cKzU

9. Here’s something unusually satisfying. This is a thriller built on insecurity. Roger, the little headhunter and art thief, must provide for and impress his statuesque blonde wife. So, he puts on a façade. Pricey gifts, and fancy suits abound. It works. Up to a point. Thing is, he’s an art thief to supplement that. But through circumstances beyond his control, Roger gets thrown into one of the best cat-and-mouse chases of recent movies, fueled by ingenuity, shocks, and good old-fashioned tension. You’ll never be able to go near an outhouse again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv4qanQYaeQ

8. It occurred to me recently that this may be Mark Boal’s movie. Oh, yes, the hunt for Bin Laden is excitingly and exhaustingly chronicled by Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, and a team of skilled technical filmmakers and honest actors. But what separates this from the masterful war poem “The Hurt Locker” is the discourse. War here is observed and expressed through taught, tense journalistic fiction. That is what leads me to believe that this is writer and former newsman Boal’s awesome, breathless account.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wMsEUo7sxQ

7. Oh yes, Daniel Day-Lewis is just that good. No. He’s great as the 16^th American president. I love that he’s not an every-man, made reachable for audiences. No, he’s a legend you feel in awe of being around, the way Abraham Lincoln should make you feel. But it’s Tommy Lee Jones’s Thaddeus Stevens that is the powerful, emotional core of this breathtaking political film. This film, like him, when broken down through its harsh, cynical, tricky exterior is about morals and real, meaningful accomplishments. “Lincoln’s” a political masterwork.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Brh9iWajc

6. I mean, do I re-hash how excellent the opening scene was? You know? The one that was teased at extensively, where a bad boy Denzel Washington lands a plane through what could only be described as a miracle? Or I do I talk about his shocking performance? How about the film’s intense perspective on substance abuse, and contemplative look at guilt? Nah, you heard that already too. How about this? “Flight” is a really, really, great thrill ride, captivatingly directed, about a tragically flawed man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pzux2T8eNM             

5. The whole blue collar working-man angle in high-praise reviews for this film are nice. And true. Mike is a man just trying to get by in this economy. But, here’s a far simpler, more honest thumbs up for “Magic Mike”: It’s fun! It’s smutty, memorable, big kid, no-shame fun! I had the guilty pleasure of taking my Nana to see this and to quote her, this thing “sure has some fancy dancing.” I totally agree. Yes, mistakes are made. Mike evolves and you hope for his dreams. It’s all handled better than you’d think from a so-called “stripper movie.” Soderbergh’s Tony Manero for 2012 features sensational dancing, a surprising story, and a lead actor who despite the “himbo” thing, has become an nuanced, charming lead actor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8LDO-gwQZM

4. How hard must it be to atone for drug-addled sins of the past? What if you truly felt like you weren’t going to recover from addiction, or were never going to be forgiven for things you’d done. Such is the constant burden of Anders, and it comes to a dramatic boiling point on a day Norway when he should be doing a job interview. The emotions of this one lingered. “Oslo, August 31^st” is a thoughtful and intimate looks at a man who may not recover, physically, or even spiritually. Joachim Trier’s Norwegian drama is a terrifically human observation that captures a sense of place and the feelings it brings that seldom seems allowed to be in movies nowadays. It’s terrifically sympathetic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwec78ba3C0

 

3. Oh, yes, slavery should be treated with utmost seriousness in film, and “Django” damn near brutalizes you with it. But perhaps there’s more fun to be had in playing fast and loose with history. There’s raw emotion to be found in an initially exploitative concept – a freed slave gets ruthless revenge, and gets to save what he loves the most. This is a truly potent western that is funny, romantic, postmodern and violently cathartic. Also, Christoph Waltz elevates this film with what may have been the most entertaining performance of 2012 as a dentist turned bounty hunter that it’s charmingly heroic and wise and violent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAkravmoL0

2. It’s so exciting to see younger, newer talent be given a chance to perform and excel so well. Jennifer Lawrence is arresting and daring as a recently widowed woman trying to help an affably awkward Bradley Cooper, an ex-teacher/husband recently released from a mental institution. It’s a great story – benfitting from a killer script - about people, their problems, and the support systems that can see us through however unusual the process may seem. Perfectly heartfelt, while being tremendously hysterical, this is David O. Russell’s most accessible and enjoyable film. This may become a screwball dramedy for the ages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIVQUJYUKoY

1. What a wonderful, delightful oddity this was. Wes Anderson has made a quality career out of earnest quirk, but what makes “Moonrise Kingdom” his most accomplished film to date is its complete confidence in a unique and special vision. Sure, “Kingdom” is about Sam and Suzy’s 1960’s relationship, but it’s within a wholly imagined universe. It’s this vision of young romance that is sweet, strange, silly, sensational and ever so sly that is just so magical, that it seems like a film that only Wes Anderson and his team of filmmakers could achieve. “Moonrise Kingdom” leaves you over the moon. A meticulously perfect, emotional resonant, and quickly memorable production, “Moonrise Kingdom” was the best film of 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4MvYKen1CA

 

Thanks for reading. And now, the rest, if you're still curious. 

Maybes. They don’t feel they’re necessarily Top Tens, but they had certainly had something…

The 2012 Summer Olympic Opening Ceremony

I was told I’m bending the rules, but tough. Danny Boyle’s hodge-podge vision of a post Industrial, pop cultural London provided brilliant sights. Consider it like an abstract film? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QL_uG2GSZo&feature=share&list=FLwTeqCV9UKagIhh4Vecq6WA

The Amazing Spider-Man

An unusually fun comic book movie with both the grandeur of its genre and the intimacy of a great youth movie. The best comic book movie of 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrK61S_axCE

Argo

“Argo’s” such an amazing, unique story, that it could only be told at the movies. Ben Affleck’s a director capable of having fun and bringing you along for a ride.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QuWLRwIvEs

The Deep Blue Sea

A historical drama about one woman’s tragedies and emotions that acts like a dreamy Gaussian blur of the past. This is high art melodrama.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDJnui8jKKQ

Bernie

A black comedy akin to Alec Guiness films of the 1950s with a Texas flavor all its own. Such a strange hybrid of comedy and documentary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktEftbW7YwA

Haywire

David Bordwell is right. Steven Soderbergh really spares no time in making the trimmest, least wasteful films possible.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5_7iQkQHVg

The Three Stooges

“The Three Stooges” gets special consideration on the grounds that NOTHING made me laugh harder at the movies this year. Perhaps that speaks to my poor taste in some areas… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kukDE-sFsAU

Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie

This gets mega points for sheer irregularity. No more efforts towards justifying this. WATCH CLIP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6J6m4uv8vk

They were interesting and probably fun, but not without flaws. So you know, pretty good.

• Killer Joe
• Looper
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Hope Springs
• Klown
• Paranorman
• Ted
• The Loneliest Planet
• The Dark Knight Rises
• The Avengers
• Marina Abromavic: The Artist is Present
• The Vow
• Jiro Dreams of Sushi
• The Five-Year Engagement
• Skyfall
• The Hunger Games
• Game Change

Eh, to meh, to bleh.

• The Master
• The Salt of Life
• The Cabin in the Woods
• 21 Jump Street
• Prometheus
• Dark Shadows

Still to SEEEEEEEEEE!!

• The Queen of Versailles
• The Sessions
• Holy Motors
• Rust & Bone
• End of Watch
• Amour
• Arbitrage
• Life of Pi
• That stupid Les Miserables movie. 

The Top Ten Films of 2011

Oh hi there.

Guess who's back? He's back again, to talk about some of the better films of the year prior. But, first thing's first... this last year was a pain in the arse. This is not my most satisfying list. Hey f#&k you fella, you think it's easy?! Think about 2011, and what just kinda, plopped, into theaters. We (yet again) had a "Twilight" movie. Not a single non-franchise/sequel/prequel/comic movie cracked the top ten at the box office. Martin Lawrence afforded himself more blow (cocaine) with a third "Big Momma's House". "We Bought a Zoo" and "Zookeeper" existed. "The Green Hornet" and "Green Lantern" too. Oh, god, "The Dillema" happened.

..."Chipwrecked." Tell you what, I'll just quit 2011 while it's behind us.

BUT, at the end of each year, some good stuff comes out... or, rather, I make/have time to see movies worth seeing. And, by the sheer force of will, met with my still heated passion for the movies, I created a new Top Ten list (because a Top 11 is corny, predictable, and just too got damn hard at this point). I will share my brief thoughts, and some worthwhile clips. Also, there are some consistencies... meaning, I seemed to really dig nostalgia, film history, and the French in 2011.

So, for the Sixth Year running, it brings me pleasure to share with you the top ten films of 2011 (that I saw in theaters, because YOU KNOW I'd see "Shame" if I could for a fun time with Fassbender... what?).

10. Of the four comic book films in 2011, "Captain America: The First Avenger" was not only the most enjoyable and least messily assembled of the bunch, but it was a legitmitately entertaining and involving throw-back. A pastiche of (obviously) "Indiana Jones" and "Superman", the Cap had handsome sets, spiffy effects, nicely staged action and an affable, almost meditative lead in Chris Evans ("Fantastic Four") as the good Captain. His performance brought something to the performance that all the other comic flicks didn't - earnestness. Great escapist entertainment.

To catch a plane - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSvG2Gr4md8

9. This was one helluva literary adapation. With the assured hand of master director David Fincher ("Social Network"), handling the kind of dark, serious, genre matter he handles best, "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" had the tremendous luck of being the third iteration of a much lauded story... that was actually more exciting than prior adapations! "Dragon Tattoo" boasted stunning, sumptuous and controlled photography that helped frame this story perfectly. With a story like this, the devil's in the details, and that was a big thanks to Jordan Cronenweth ("Social Network"). All together frightening, sexy (really sexy), and fascinating. Thank god the sequel barely got greelit. I can never tire of Salander.

Credits can't be spoilers, right? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcp9Ysi75f0

8. This is arguably a poor man's Alexander Payne film. But, more accureately, "Cedar Rapids" is a scathing, darkly hysterical look at middle America, what people will do to get ahead, and oddly enough, the weird ways we can find friends. Miguel Arteta's ("Youth in Revolt") black comedy was a Sundance hit, that could both make you bitter, and start smiling. Ed Helms ("The Hangover Pt. II") is perfectly cast as a mild-mannered insurance salesman and John C. Reilly ("Step Brothers") is in his element as a crass, over-active jackass, bringing the best cheap laughs we got in 2011.

What about the Tiger? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJr-WMS91c0

7. "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" was a powerful observation of the American legal system, religious hysteria, lost youth and innocence, and so much more. Perhaps you've heard of the West Memphis Three. I had not, prior to the documentary. Their story, what has happened, and how everything has played out since 1993... well, it's a lot of ground in this third doc, and it's truly riveting and infuriating stuff. The impact of this film is huge. My only regret is not seeing the first films, and knowing about the West Memphis Three sooner.

The lawyers. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqRyHfhP83g

6. It felt so great to see a film and feel like a grown-up. Intrigue. Convoluted, slow plotting. Involving stories and intrigue. Ooh, this was fun. "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" was a careful, precise spy film deserving of comparison to "Spy Who Came in From the Cold" or "Day of the Jackal". At surface level, this is a mundane spy film. But, in actually, this is a scary thriller about suspicious, squirrely men, looking to assert power and control in the most passive of ways. Gary Oldman ("The Professional") is aces as the iconic George Smiley, bringing a patient, stately grace to the film. You never know what guy's up to... You may not know where the story is going all the time, but you're more than happy to follow it.

Also, catching a plane... - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ouqe85vvTsw&feature=relmfu

5. Within, oh, about the first 30 seconds of "Midnight in Paris" I was swept away into the film's magic. Perhaps Woody's most enjoyable film in ten years, I'd argue that "Midnight in Paris" is among the mans' very best work. Clever, beautiful, and lead by a shockingly well-casted Owen Wilson ("Hall Pass"), "Midnight in Paris" is pure whimsy. With it's blend a romanticized Paris (sweet crackers, I want to go there) with a clever cast of 1920's Parisian icons (Ernest Hemingway, The Fitzgeralds, Man Ray, Salvadore Dali...), and assured Woody Allen sense of humor, "Paris" was great this past year.

I want to go to there. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVoDASJ27CQ

4. Now, here's where we get to the movies I really start to love. Specifically, films dealing with the French, nostalgia, and film history. Oh, look! The first film to embody all three! It only makes sense that Martin Scorsese delivered one of the greatest love letters to cinema, free of mush and sap. Also, while proving that 3D could be a thing of beauty (in the right hands, of course), and that there's still magic in theaters. Sure, it's also an adventure, a mystery, a tragedy and more.. but interestingly enough, this seems to be about Scorsese's long-term realtionship with the movies. We're lucky he was willing to let us in. "Hugo" is a big-time movie about about the movies, through the eyes of a lonely little boy. "Hugo" makes you fall in love with the movies, really.

What's in the box? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX35WGxTQrQ&feature=related

3. A last minute addition, brimming with nostalgia, for the movies... by Parisians! "The Artist" was the year's shocking crowd-pleaser, offering laughs, tears and all that good cliched stuff you hate to admit you want in a movie. And it was silent! Ha! Jean Dujardin gives the best performance of 2011, as George Valentin, a silent-era super star, who can't come to terms with the sea change coming with films: sound. Dujardin commands with a dapper, smooth and incredibly nuanced performance, as the titular "Artist". It's a star-making, charismatic performance (that makes me want a pencil mustache...), and Dujardin doesn't really need words to do it. All at once heart-breaking and heart-felt, "Artist" is another kind of letter for a bygone era. Makes you really wanna watch some "Vertigo", William Powell and Douglas Fairbanks films.

Nice stems. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUQuabFoEQ&feature=relmfu

2. To hell with film school. This movies' got everything you need to know. Imagine a hybrid of "Chinatown", the films of Sergio Leone, Don Knotts, Clint Eastwood, thrown into a Looney Tunes-brand blender. "Rango" was a postmodern classic, that was thoroughly enjoyable, unique, and above all, extremely entertaining and fun. Gore Verbinski (those damned "Pirates" movies) was let loose and gets down with his inner Chuck Jones- style excitement for the movies. "Rango" was the most fun you could have at the movies in 2011, because the film itself loved the movies. Crytal visual, gonzo music, great voice casting and more were only cherries on top of this ridiculously good cake.

Birdy num-num. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YooEU0AiFA

1. It would haunt me not to call this the best film of 2011. You ever feel like you're in the midst of watching a masterpiece? Something so powerful, moving, grand and memorable? No, this is not an easily susceptible, new-ager speaking. This is someone saying, if there was a more fascinating and momentous film in 2011, then I certainly didn't see it. "The Tree of Life" was Terrence Malick's ("The Thin Red Line") haunting ode to that amazingly pretentious thing we call life. You can't deny the man's epic ambition with this. "Life's" scope is seemingly limitless. And, the thing is... that's just my interpretation! I've argued about this a lot. Some feel like it's a glorified screen-saver at times, or a cheap drama at others. The thing is, in the end, "Life" makes so much sense. Life is just nothing in the great, grand scheme of it all, so appreciate it. There are inexplicable feelings and sensations that bring us together, and Malick boils those down to a series of just, perfect moments. Would you like to see the formation of the universe, or a child learning of anger for his father? The sights and sounds are exquisitely presented to come together in a way that wouldn't make sense any other way. "Tree of Life" is a moving experience, that will stay with you. You will feel it. It is deep, true, and the best film of 2011.

The beginning. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkUBECRoAwM&feature=related

_______________________

THANKS AGAIN, PASS IT ON, AND SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! - Blake

Music I liked in 2011.

A prelude to a proper Top Ten Films (Jesus, that one's gonna be hard this year).

I just kinda feel like sharing some new favorites from this year, so, onward! I dig music!

SBTRKT probably created my favorite track of the year with this. This track bounces with optimism.


This track's so, so cool. A Gilles Peterson find.


Shawn Lee's become like, a one-man army of vintage funk and soul. But add Elliot Bergman of Ann Arbor's Nomo in to the mix, and baby, you got a groovy stew.


Like end credits for an 80's teen movie, just, without the movie. Anthony Gonzalez blew up with this guy. "Midnight City's" the king, but "Reunion's" the most exciting of his new tracks.


Come on, Common got back together with his producer from Like Water for Chocolate. And those dudes made "The Light!" This, may be close. Also, Maya Angelou!


Again, more party boy music... but really good party boy music.


So sad. So dreamy. TV on the Radio totally sold out in a good way. Also, an awesome video helps this thing out real good.


So, you wanna like, come over, and chill out with me over this? RIP Gil Scott-Heron.


Remixes of old songs, sure. But mellow-ass tracks!


Love 'im or hate him... I love him. Kid's entertaining as hell. Video and song are glorifiably nasty.


Whoa, whoa, whoa Wilco. This is weird sounding from you guys... and I like it.


From my sis. My only commentary? Fuuunkkkky boy!


Saw these chicks last summer. I totally feel guilty for the whole "rejecting Sleater-Kinny" thing. New classic rock, I think.


Yeah, I pretend to be coo.


Yeah, more party boy music. But, HAPPY party boy music!


Enjoy.

Unrecognzied Art Amidst a Chaotic Chicago

Photo courtesy of K. Hansen.
Photoshop manipulation by B. Goble.

By Blake Goble

To walk anymore in Chicago is like a game of artful bombardment. Light after light… stopping, going… just trying to ignore all distractions to get to a destination. But look at what presents itself to you every five feet. Stop, and look around.

See that? The newly designed, spiffy looking new sign resting atop a CTA bus stop on Michigan Avenue? Neat, right? Those multi-colored or minimalist flyers at North and Damen and Milwaukee showcasing the latest musical act looking for a local audience? The sign that actually makes sense and looks good as you're crossing the street? No one leaves donations, or feels the need to praise their creators or put these informational pieces up at the Art Institute. Hell, most people don't even notice these things at all. Yet, all these visuals, every one of them…are art envisioned and created by designers, engineers and artists.

This constant barrage of imagery is not the attention-grabbing, well known sculptures or paintings that we notice like the Daley Picasso or that big, loud Marilyn on display. I am talking about the under-recognized gems of art around Chicago, cleverly disguised as signs. The problem though, is that's there so much on display, it's hard to appreciate anything.

"It's a cacophony versus a chorus", says George Aye, an Assistant Professor at the School for the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Aye, a trained eye whose "Smart Cities" course was an examination of information systems, and how to make them better sees this work every day, and like most other people, tends to ignore it. "It's hard to tell when the good work is there, because the crappy stuff is always there, everywhere!"

Perhaps this work could be better, more streamlined and pointed. Or, more importantly, signs and public art could be more attractive. A former CTA designer, Aye feels the abundance of images in Chicago is overwhelming and ultimately easy to ignore. People move and take no time to stop and look at signs, even when design should be easy and understandable. "When everything is telling you not do something, the varying energy of humans, is to not do it!" said Aye. Function is often ignored in the hustle and bustle, and subsequently, the art too.

Kristen C. Hansen, a SAIC graduate design student, who also shares Aye’s sentiment, recently displayed a photo of a digitized CTA sign (seen above) on Facebook, admiring its artistry, functionality and roots in the ideas of the Smart Cities class she took with Aye. "It stuck because … it's such a simple solution, and to see it in place is really exciting! It caters to everyone, or at least people who don't know what to look at.”

The sign is functional, and arresting. "The art comes in making and moving around Chicago as a less stressful experience." said Hansen.

So there is hope for appreciation, or at the very least, notice. There are pretty images with purpose, that can still stop a person dead in their tracks. Rob Jurewicz, a designer for Akoo in Rosemont, thinks there are things worth stopping for, that normally go unnoticed. Even a nice-looking wall can do something for people. Look at "The Shedd Seawall." It is a beautiful concrete structure that captures the essence of a wave right along the water. When standing in front of it, it makes you feel closer to the water acting (as) a shield between you and the busy city."

Who’d dare say it’s just a wall?

The city might just be a victim of Metropolitan messiness, disabling anyone from being able to stop and look. Chicago "has a lot of great art. I think though, that because there are the excellent examples - or if not good, at least well known examples (I’m looking at you, Marylin Monroe) - a lot of ‘fluff’ just falls to the wayside… you just don't notice it." said Jurewicz.

To quote infamous Chicagoan, Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it." Good point. Maybe the Shedd Seawall is a good place to start.

Contacts
Geoerge Aye - georgeaye@gmail.com
Kristen Campbell Hansen – 248-701-8402
Rob Jurewicz - rjurewic@gmail.com

How to play with fire.

Music Box Films & The Millenium Trilogy
An Interview with Brian Andreotti, Marketing, Publicity and Press Inquiries at Music Box Films
By BLAKE GOBLE

You’ve heard this story: Small property comes out of nowhere to become a worldwide pop cultural phenomenon. Harry Potter did it. James Bond did it. Even that damn Twilight is still doing it. Now Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy i.e., the Lisbeth Salander books are on the verge of becoming an international sensation. No, scratch that. With the American movies about to begin, an H&M clothing line, and heavy marketing putting main character Salander’s name into the pop lexicon, "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is about to become a hyper-mega-global-super phenomenon. Ostentatious, maybe, but seemingly true. And it doesn’t make the story, or stories, for that matter, any less interesting.

How did Larsson get here? How did the books start out as one Swedish writer’s artistic endeavor only to become one of the most lucrative properties out there today? In looking at the growth of a franchise, I spoke with Brian Andreotti of Music Box Films, distributor of the Swedish film’s adaptations of the Millenium Trilogy to Lisbeth’s emergence. Andreotti’s a Northwestern alum who came to the Music Box about 15 years ago and made the move to distribution over the last several years.

How did you come to the “Millenium Trilogy” films?
“That came to, we had a lot of umm, advisors - people we know in the business, this country or internationally in this capacity - and one of our advisors gave us a tip: we should look at this film ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" 2009). We were vaguely aware of this popular book. But we had no idea how big it would become.

We got a screener of the film… I remember watching the film independently. I watched it in bed. I knew there was something there. Lisbeth Salander was such a great character that people would connect with her. It was a very accessible film. It was a thriller mystery that could appeal to an audience beyond art house.”

Did you read the books?
“No, at that point…”

How do you feel about the franchise?
“Yeah! Shortly before we purchased it at Toronto, I don’t think anyone knew … it probably would have been a more aggressive bid…

Harvey Weinstein (of Mirimax Films and the Weinstein Company) regrets not buying those films when he could.”

Where do you feel these films lie in the in the franchise? Coming after the books, but before the Hollywood film.
"We like to think we played a really important part. The films were popular before. Certainly it had a loyal following. We released them, umm, saturation points, reaching critical mass right around the time we released. They just blew up

I was shocked to pick up an EW (Entertainment Weekly) with someone reading the book on the cover. These films added fuel to the fire. Although, had the films not been good, it woulda been a different situation…”

What is the difference between the art and commerce of the Larsson franchise? Is the American film merely a money grab, or an extension and enhancement or appreciation of Larsson’s vision?
"I don’t know. I’m hopeful that they’ll be good. It’s in the best hands it can be. David Fincher. I just don’t reserve. I know there was a lotta controversy over the poster depiction of Lisbeth, she’s overly sexualized, even less powerful than the male lead… so I think people are suspicious. Let’s take a strong character, or attractive, sexualized aspect.

Obviously, it’s just the marketing.

We’ll all have to wait to see.”

Less, is Way More

“The Language of Less (Then and Now)”

Now at The Museum of Contemporary Art on E. Chicago Avenue

A Review

By BLAKE GOBLE

Go on any fashionable, hip site. Like say, a site that sells contemporary t-shirts and prints, or a pop cultural feed site, like Shirtoid, or Society6 or Buzzfeed. Go to any of them , and one will find a shockingly high volume of “minimalist” art. Movie posters are re-interpreted with single icons, or lines of text allude to the source material. A “Logan’s Run” poster re-make features a ribbed, rubber sphere suggesting “a world of pleasure”. Or, a UniCef tee at Threadless.com featuring a cartoon cargo plane runs for $300,000, suggesting the cost of supporting that icon in reality.

Posers.

Walk into the Museum of Contemporart Art's exhibit “The Language of Less (Then and Now)”, and the sights are too striking to brush off. It's the real deal.

On the Now side, a large safety glass pane rests cracked on floor, covered in clear wrap by artist Oscar Tuazon. A single set of navy mats are intertwined together and displayed ever so perfectly. Carol Bove's "Harlequin" may at first seem like spread sheet metal on plexi-glass, until one looks through and sees the amazing distortion that occurs with the space.

On the Then side, a large, metallic chess board takes up a chunk of floor, and onlookers avoid it with discreet fidelity. Yellow to orange squares lay within each other on canvas, and Masters like Frank Stella, Josef Albers and Robert Morris say so much, with absolutely nothing. These works could represent anything from color theory and how it makes us feel, or how the artists felt about Vietnam and Civil Rights. But the prompts, are not forced. That's never been the point of Minimalism, or minimalism.

Fortunately, The Museum of Contemporary Art knows about real minimalism. Er, beg pardon, Minimalism. Minimalism, that misunderstood movement of the 1960's, where artists were challenging themselves to address the most profound and worldly themes, with the very least artistic material possible. That’s a distinction this trend seems to forget. Art can be creatively succinct and thoughtful, yet something is lacking in the historical/contextual sense. Modern onlookers tend to slight these ideas.

From this month until March next year, MCA will be hosting “The Language of Less”, a riveting two-sided exhibition. It is an important exhibit, a relevant one, an exciting one, and even a frustrating one too that needs to be seen. Few appreciate the purpose or roots in minimalism, and "Language of Less" is an exemplary showcase of some of the finest, sparest and most thoughtful art of the 20th and 21st Century. It's not just about tee-shirts. It's about roots in social unrest and art theory, and looking at space for that extra second and realizing something completely different about what's being looked at.

The exhibit allows the art to merely exist within the space. Interpretation is open, and often rewarding. As the exhibit says, it's about "how objects assemble basic markers of the visual experience." Lofty stuff, for seemingly simple work. Same could be said for iPods, right?

“Language of Less” is a gem and a fantastic exercise. It’s important to look at that minimalist Spider-Man print, and realize how one sees the film with so little. Yet, how key is the social relevance there? It’s easy to think of what something on a facile, obvious level. But to look at something, see and read more from it? To feel and experience something beyond what is obviously put right in front ourselves, and see a time where people were trying to make sense of their work and themselves? That’s sublime.

In minimalist fashion: Worthwhile.