For the first time in the short history of this blog, Statler and Waldorf actually watched the same movie! I was fortunate enough to enjoy Michael Clayton along with my lovely wife and her mother just last week. This movie not only kept my mother-in-law awake for the entire two hours, it also left her excited about showing it to her husband.
I will agree with you Matthew that George Clooney was just OK as the title character. I don’t know that I would say that I prefer him in any particular genre or character. I do know that he was the worst Batman of the group (yes, which means you did not finish last Val Kilmer). With his tiny head, George’s Batman looked more like Bettlejuice (post head shrinking) than the Caped Crusader.
The one area of this movie that still has me scratching my head is the climatic scene where Michael’s car is bombed.
Just to paint a quick picture, Michael goes over to a guy’s house on the request of his boss Marty Bach (Sydney Pollack) to provide low cost legal assistance to a guy who hit a homeless man on his way home from work. After talking with the “perp,” Michael goes driving in the woods and is followed by the minions Matthew referred to who are going to set off a bomb they planted in Michael’s car.
Now, this for some reason had to be done in the goofy Hollywood style that is suddenly in vogue whereby you tell an incomplete story in the present and then you go back to replay the past and thus explain the present which is now much like the future. This style reminds me of the great quote “I have seen the future - it looks a lot like the present, only longer.”
So, in the present, as we find out in the future, as represented by the past, Michael is driving in the woods and he starts making sudden turns and going faster and pulling off the main road onto side roads in what appears to be an attempt to avoid the minions. However, the story never represents that Michael either knew that he might be followed or provided cinematic proof that he saw the minions actually following him.
As Michael is driving around in the woods the minions who are trying to set off the bomb they planted in his car are trying to follow him with their tracking and detonating device which is not working properly. And, as every minion with an easily escapable, overly intricate, hidden bomb killing plan knows, you have to think safety first when detonating the device. Instead of just blowing the thing up when they planted it, or when he was driving on the freeway, or when he was driving in front of them in the woods (or even when he was passing them in the woods) they had to wait until just the right moment when he was safely away from any passing vehicles, children’s t-ball games or endangered species nesting grounds. And, as you may have guessed they did not kill Michael with their detonation.
The reason that the bomb did not kill Michael, besides the usual minion ineptitude, was because for some unknown reason Michael pulled his car over to the side of the road, walked up a woodsy hill to look at some horses and missed the detonation of the car bomb. With a surprised, yet puzzled look on his face (the product of George Clooney’s years of good acting experience), Michael walked down to the burning car and threw his cell phone and watch into the blaze. For the amateur criminal this may seem like a good idea, but let’s take a second to think about this. When the Police arrive at this scene they will find no body but they will find a slightly burned watch and a slightly burned cell phone. Don’t you think that eventually someone will say to themselves “how did the body blow and then burn into zero findable parts yet the watch and cellular telephone were barely damaged?” Come on people, has Michael Baden taught us nothing?
The point of the past few paragraphs is why did Michael Clayton get out of the car when he did? If he thought he was being set up and his car was going to be bombed why wouldn’t he just ditch the car much earlier? And don’t tell me he needed to make it look like the car bomb plan worked so he would no longer be hunted by the minions. This is only a good plan if you know the exact time the bomb is going to go off. Much like the first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club, the first rule of the old “have the car blow up while I’m looking at horses in the woods” plan is you do not get blown up. Personally, if I thought there was a bomb in my car I would not be waiting around to find the perfect time and location to leave the car.
One more thought on that car bomb situation. If Michael was tipped off to the possible detonation by something that was said on the telephone between the aforementioned “perp” and Marty Bach, wouldn’t that implicate Marty Bach? If so, doesn’t the movie end in a manner which seems to indicate that Marty was not involved? And if you can say that Marty Bach had nothing to do with the situation, what tips Michael off to the minions tailing him or the possibility that he is in a car with a bomb packed inside the GPS? Either way, there is a hole in that bucket (Dear Liza).
I thought that Tom Wilkinson was great in this movie as Arthur Edens. Tom has played a lot of good characters lately. I thought his portrayal of Ben Franklin in the John Adams mini-series was very interesting and made me question my own perceptions of Franklin. But, it should also be noted that he once portrayed General Cornwallis in the movie The Patriot. If this guy shows up as Lieutenant General Rochambeau in a future movie I will be thoroughly impressed!
Finally, Danny Noonan was also in this movie. I don't care how tough a character Michael O'Keefe portrays, I will always see him as Danny (or Darryl Palmer from The Slugger's Wife).
So, to sum this one up, don’t forget to stop and smell the horses. It may just save your life!
Warren
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
HBO Movies
Continuing the post from yesterday. Of note. Although I saw a movie in a theater over the weekend, I doubt that I will make it to the theaters very often. So I'll just have to review movies that I watch on HBO. This actually increases the chances that Warren and I will happen upon the same movie, since he seems to be watching HBO movies a great deal as well. And then we can both give our opinions and rant about where we disagree and in general the fun will commence.
I went on somewhat of a George Clooney kick over the weekend. Not by choice. HBO and the Encore channels just seemed to show more George Clooney pictures over this past week than normal. The two that I watched had come out recently; I think that they are both from 2007. And I had wanted to catch them in the theaters, but never got the chance. So I am glad that they came on over the cable.
The first one was "The Good German." It was another example of Clooney branching off from his blockbuster Hollywood persona and doing a more intellectual, more independent-film studio, type film. The plot is that it is just after Nazi Germany has fallen. The Americans, British and Russians have carved up Berlin into sections and will be meeting in Potsdam to write Germany's future. All three parties have animosities to dispel upon the conquered nation. Clooney is an American Army war correspondent, a captain, who has come to Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference. He is met at the airport by Tobey Maguire. Yeah, Spiderman. Maguire is an entrepeneurial corporal for the Americans. He is reveling in the chaos that is post-war. As one of the victors he gets to subjugate the defeated Germans and profiteer in the decimated economy. Not a good guy, but played in a small-town boy with good intentions just trying to make good, kind of way. Maguire can't help but come across as at least one part innocent and several parts over his head. As part of his adventure within the valley of the vanquished he is banging Cate Blanchett. She is the wife of a former SS officer, who we come to learn was a scientist who was the assistant to the German scientist perfecting rocket propulsion technology. Cate Blanchett, prior to the war, had been George Clooney's assistant when he was stationed in Berlin before hostilities broke out.
Anyway, various officials, (British, American and Russian) are looking for Cate Blanchett so that they can get to her husband. She says that her husband was killed. Tobey Maguire ransoms Blanchett's husband to the Russians. He doesn't know if Blanchett is lying when she says that her husband is dead; he just wants to make a buck. He punches out Clooney in a bar, when Clooney tries to stop Maguire from taking Blanchett to the Russian sector to discuss the sale. Maguire gets killed and his body washes up on the Russian side of the river. Now Clooney, still pining for Blanchett, decides that she is danger. He commences to hide her from everybody throughout the rest of the movie. Meanwhile he trys to unravel the mysteries of 1) whether Blanchett is lying about her husband being dead, 2) who killed Maguire 3) why everybody wants the assistant to the chief German rocket propulsion expert 4) what else is Blanchett not telling him. Suspense, double-crossing, red herrings, and skulduggery ensue. In the end, the Russians are the bad guys. But so are the Americans. Clooney loses faith in all of them and ends the film as the world-worn, cynical, archetype we have seen in many other movies. Even Blanchett or Blanchett's husband, either of whom could be the good German of the title, turn out to be less so. War causes choices to be made.
"The Good German," is a gripping, well-done tale. It is shot purely in black and white. A little different, but that palette adds to the film noir aspects of the movie. Although the movie apes 1940 movie conventions, (in addition to being shot in black and white), it is shot with a modern enough sensibility that today's audience will not be put off by its different approach. The actors all do a stunning job. The genre, 1940 post war movie, calls for highly stylized acting, which they do admirably. But not to the extent that it becomes the over-emoted, violins streaming over the soundtrack, high contrast lighting effects, affair reminiscent of the movies they pay homage to. The final scene even brings to mind the last scene of "Casablanca." In the final assessment, "The Good German," may be too art-house for most. It is slower paced. A little frantic and jumbled in parts. And it is shot in black and white. But I enjoyed it and it didn't leap too far from the plausible. Warren seems to get most out of joint when the movies he sees "jump the shark." This movie didn't do that.
The other Clooney project that I saw over the weekend was "Michael Clayton." This movie was even up for a few Oscars this past year and I believe that Tilda Swinton won hers for Best Supporting Actress. Clooney is again pursuing a mystery and avoiding violence at the hands of them that mean him harm. He is "Michael Clayton" and works for a high powered law firm. He has been there for years, yet never made partner. He has been kept in place by the managing partner, Sydney Pollack, as the firm's fixer. Think Harvey Keitel in "Pulp Fiction," although not with as well written dialogue or as viciously morbid a sense of fun. Law clients mess up and Clooney makes arrangements to help them. Only this time its one of his own fellow lawyers who messes up. Tom Wilkinson freaks out at a deposition, takes off all his clothes, rambles nonsensically and just generally weirds out everybody in the room. The man is off his meds.
Clooney is sent to reel Wilkinson back in. Clooney gets him out of the town he is in and back to home base in New York. There Wilkinson reveals his true colors essentially rejecting his former duties as defense lawyer for the pesticide manufacture whose products seem to have caused cancers and death. Wilkinson has proof that the manufacturer knew that their products were deadly but sold them anyway. He secretly contacts people who are suing the manufacturer. Clooney is given the task of watching him and trying to bring him back to the fold. Tilda Swinton, as the Chief Legal Counsel for the manufacturer, sends her minions to watch Wilkinson and upon finding out what he knows and what documents he has in his possession, kill him. So now Clooney has to 1) mourn the death of a colleague 2) find out what he knew that got him killed 3) find out who killed him and 4) avoid the same fate. There are subplots about Clooney's drunk of a brother losing Clooney's $75,000 to the mob and now the mob is after Clooney, and Clooney's law firm is being sold and he will lose his job. Also, Clooney's young son, a product of divorce, doesn't like his Dad because Dad works too much and doesn't indulge the child's imagination or sense of fun. But none of these subplots amount to much.
The movie has a quirky sensibility about it and you never know quite what will happen next. That is due in part to the miscellaneous subplots and their ancillary characters buzzing about. It gets confusing. But the main themes are explored in interesting ways. I can't tell you the resolution. It isn't expected, but once it happens you say, "Well, that's a convenient way to wrap everything up." A little too convenient and pat. The main theme of business = bad, high end executives think of nothing but making money even at the expense of sacrificing little people lives, is a more resonant these days given the recent Wall Street meltdowns and revelations of how greed got us here. So the movie posits a populist resolution. And Clooney ends the film self satisfied.
This is another example of Clooney trying to establish a wide range of acting and a wide base of genres and characters. I must admit I prefer ol' George in either his suave, smirky fluff (Oceans Eleven, Out of Sight) or his bumbling buffoon roles (O Brother, Where Art Thou) so I am anxious to catch him in the latest Coen vehicle, "Burn Before Reading." These examples of him as the outsider, looking behind every corner to avoid his pursuers who mean to kill him all while solving the noble mystery and in the end striking a blow for righteousness or becoming weary from the fight, just isn't what I want to see him doing. He is a talented actor. He fills the roles. He performs well. But he is better at being smirky or dumb as opposed to being a moral compass. All the other actors did well and I suppose that Swinton deserved her Oscar, although I don't think that I saw any of the other movies from which actresses were nominated.
And finally, last night on HBO I saw "Reno 911: Miami." Just so you don't think that all I do is view intellectual movies. I have been told by many people whom I respect that I should be watching Reno 911 on Comedy Central. What the heck I have already declared Reno to be a hellhole of despair, I may enjoy others poking fun at it. But I gotta tell ya'. I just can't watch that show. I get it. The characters are stupid and don't understand how stupid they truly are. I've never been a fan of that type of humor. Pratfalls are occaisionally funny, but not as the defining premise of the show. And it has already been written by others that the movie is trying to carry that humor on for an hour and it just can't fill that large a time slot. I agree. The movie stumbled and dragged. I have to imagine that the producers injected far more cursing then would normally be allowed on basic cable, possibly in hopes of attracting more movie goers because the movie is allowed to more racy. It all just didn't work. Although I wasn't predisposed to the premise anyway. I won't bore you with the plot, there really wasn't much of one. Idiot cops act stupid, get lucky and solve big crime, and then return to Reno to be stupid in their home town. No reason for anyone else to see this movie. The nudity wasn't even any good. Saggy and older. Echh!
I'll continue to watch for movies to review. Let's see if Warren has seen any of these movies and then he and I can actually debate merits of some of these.
Matthew
I went on somewhat of a George Clooney kick over the weekend. Not by choice. HBO and the Encore channels just seemed to show more George Clooney pictures over this past week than normal. The two that I watched had come out recently; I think that they are both from 2007. And I had wanted to catch them in the theaters, but never got the chance. So I am glad that they came on over the cable.
The first one was "The Good German." It was another example of Clooney branching off from his blockbuster Hollywood persona and doing a more intellectual, more independent-film studio, type film. The plot is that it is just after Nazi Germany has fallen. The Americans, British and Russians have carved up Berlin into sections and will be meeting in Potsdam to write Germany's future. All three parties have animosities to dispel upon the conquered nation. Clooney is an American Army war correspondent, a captain, who has come to Berlin to cover the Potsdam Conference. He is met at the airport by Tobey Maguire. Yeah, Spiderman. Maguire is an entrepeneurial corporal for the Americans. He is reveling in the chaos that is post-war. As one of the victors he gets to subjugate the defeated Germans and profiteer in the decimated economy. Not a good guy, but played in a small-town boy with good intentions just trying to make good, kind of way. Maguire can't help but come across as at least one part innocent and several parts over his head. As part of his adventure within the valley of the vanquished he is banging Cate Blanchett. She is the wife of a former SS officer, who we come to learn was a scientist who was the assistant to the German scientist perfecting rocket propulsion technology. Cate Blanchett, prior to the war, had been George Clooney's assistant when he was stationed in Berlin before hostilities broke out.
Anyway, various officials, (British, American and Russian) are looking for Cate Blanchett so that they can get to her husband. She says that her husband was killed. Tobey Maguire ransoms Blanchett's husband to the Russians. He doesn't know if Blanchett is lying when she says that her husband is dead; he just wants to make a buck. He punches out Clooney in a bar, when Clooney tries to stop Maguire from taking Blanchett to the Russian sector to discuss the sale. Maguire gets killed and his body washes up on the Russian side of the river. Now Clooney, still pining for Blanchett, decides that she is danger. He commences to hide her from everybody throughout the rest of the movie. Meanwhile he trys to unravel the mysteries of 1) whether Blanchett is lying about her husband being dead, 2) who killed Maguire 3) why everybody wants the assistant to the chief German rocket propulsion expert 4) what else is Blanchett not telling him. Suspense, double-crossing, red herrings, and skulduggery ensue. In the end, the Russians are the bad guys. But so are the Americans. Clooney loses faith in all of them and ends the film as the world-worn, cynical, archetype we have seen in many other movies. Even Blanchett or Blanchett's husband, either of whom could be the good German of the title, turn out to be less so. War causes choices to be made.
"The Good German," is a gripping, well-done tale. It is shot purely in black and white. A little different, but that palette adds to the film noir aspects of the movie. Although the movie apes 1940 movie conventions, (in addition to being shot in black and white), it is shot with a modern enough sensibility that today's audience will not be put off by its different approach. The actors all do a stunning job. The genre, 1940 post war movie, calls for highly stylized acting, which they do admirably. But not to the extent that it becomes the over-emoted, violins streaming over the soundtrack, high contrast lighting effects, affair reminiscent of the movies they pay homage to. The final scene even brings to mind the last scene of "Casablanca." In the final assessment, "The Good German," may be too art-house for most. It is slower paced. A little frantic and jumbled in parts. And it is shot in black and white. But I enjoyed it and it didn't leap too far from the plausible. Warren seems to get most out of joint when the movies he sees "jump the shark." This movie didn't do that.
The other Clooney project that I saw over the weekend was "Michael Clayton." This movie was even up for a few Oscars this past year and I believe that Tilda Swinton won hers for Best Supporting Actress. Clooney is again pursuing a mystery and avoiding violence at the hands of them that mean him harm. He is "Michael Clayton" and works for a high powered law firm. He has been there for years, yet never made partner. He has been kept in place by the managing partner, Sydney Pollack, as the firm's fixer. Think Harvey Keitel in "Pulp Fiction," although not with as well written dialogue or as viciously morbid a sense of fun. Law clients mess up and Clooney makes arrangements to help them. Only this time its one of his own fellow lawyers who messes up. Tom Wilkinson freaks out at a deposition, takes off all his clothes, rambles nonsensically and just generally weirds out everybody in the room. The man is off his meds.
Clooney is sent to reel Wilkinson back in. Clooney gets him out of the town he is in and back to home base in New York. There Wilkinson reveals his true colors essentially rejecting his former duties as defense lawyer for the pesticide manufacture whose products seem to have caused cancers and death. Wilkinson has proof that the manufacturer knew that their products were deadly but sold them anyway. He secretly contacts people who are suing the manufacturer. Clooney is given the task of watching him and trying to bring him back to the fold. Tilda Swinton, as the Chief Legal Counsel for the manufacturer, sends her minions to watch Wilkinson and upon finding out what he knows and what documents he has in his possession, kill him. So now Clooney has to 1) mourn the death of a colleague 2) find out what he knew that got him killed 3) find out who killed him and 4) avoid the same fate. There are subplots about Clooney's drunk of a brother losing Clooney's $75,000 to the mob and now the mob is after Clooney, and Clooney's law firm is being sold and he will lose his job. Also, Clooney's young son, a product of divorce, doesn't like his Dad because Dad works too much and doesn't indulge the child's imagination or sense of fun. But none of these subplots amount to much.
The movie has a quirky sensibility about it and you never know quite what will happen next. That is due in part to the miscellaneous subplots and their ancillary characters buzzing about. It gets confusing. But the main themes are explored in interesting ways. I can't tell you the resolution. It isn't expected, but once it happens you say, "Well, that's a convenient way to wrap everything up." A little too convenient and pat. The main theme of business = bad, high end executives think of nothing but making money even at the expense of sacrificing little people lives, is a more resonant these days given the recent Wall Street meltdowns and revelations of how greed got us here. So the movie posits a populist resolution. And Clooney ends the film self satisfied.
This is another example of Clooney trying to establish a wide range of acting and a wide base of genres and characters. I must admit I prefer ol' George in either his suave, smirky fluff (Oceans Eleven, Out of Sight) or his bumbling buffoon roles (O Brother, Where Art Thou) so I am anxious to catch him in the latest Coen vehicle, "Burn Before Reading." These examples of him as the outsider, looking behind every corner to avoid his pursuers who mean to kill him all while solving the noble mystery and in the end striking a blow for righteousness or becoming weary from the fight, just isn't what I want to see him doing. He is a talented actor. He fills the roles. He performs well. But he is better at being smirky or dumb as opposed to being a moral compass. All the other actors did well and I suppose that Swinton deserved her Oscar, although I don't think that I saw any of the other movies from which actresses were nominated.
And finally, last night on HBO I saw "Reno 911: Miami." Just so you don't think that all I do is view intellectual movies. I have been told by many people whom I respect that I should be watching Reno 911 on Comedy Central. What the heck I have already declared Reno to be a hellhole of despair, I may enjoy others poking fun at it. But I gotta tell ya'. I just can't watch that show. I get it. The characters are stupid and don't understand how stupid they truly are. I've never been a fan of that type of humor. Pratfalls are occaisionally funny, but not as the defining premise of the show. And it has already been written by others that the movie is trying to carry that humor on for an hour and it just can't fill that large a time slot. I agree. The movie stumbled and dragged. I have to imagine that the producers injected far more cursing then would normally be allowed on basic cable, possibly in hopes of attracting more movie goers because the movie is allowed to more racy. It all just didn't work. Although I wasn't predisposed to the premise anyway. I won't bore you with the plot, there really wasn't much of one. Idiot cops act stupid, get lucky and solve big crime, and then return to Reno to be stupid in their home town. No reason for anyone else to see this movie. The nudity wasn't even any good. Saggy and older. Echh!
I'll continue to watch for movies to review. Let's see if Warren has seen any of these movies and then he and I can actually debate merits of some of these.
Matthew
Monday, September 22, 2008
So I saw a few movies over the weekend.
All right. First off I have to say that Warren has pretty much hit the nail on the head in terms of movie theater advertisements. I tend to tune out some of Warren's more offbeat rants, but in this regard he is absolutely correct.
A brother of mine and I finally saw "The Dark Knight," this past Saturday at the IMAX. A couple thoughts. First off did you hear that they are going to re-release it in order to position it for Oscar consideration. C'mon. Its a good movie in terms of action comics genre. But Oscar? Count me in as a vote for nuhuh. Yeah, Heath Ledger gave the performance of his life. Get it? Of his life? But still, the awsomeness of his performance hinges on the fact that he lost his Australian accent. He's an actor. That's what he does for a living. He is supposed to be able to lose his accent. He studied accents in class at University of Melbourne or wherever. Okay, maybe that is too cynical. He did give a sufficiently creepy performance outside of just losing his accent. But Oscar worthy? Let's see what other actors do this year.
The other actors were competant in their roles. I don't think the lead role for any action comic movie allows for a stunning display of emotion. Comic book heroes tend towards simple drama. I'm not saying that they are one-dimensional, just that their emotions are staid and predictable and the resolution of their inner conflicts are presaged. That's what comic books feed in us. The need for easy resolution of complex issues. Not the complex display of common issues which can be resolved in multiple ways. Anyway, Batman was played adequately as were the supporting roles.
Morgan Freeman seems to be resting on his reputation in all of his movies lately. He is capable of sterling performances, I reference his part in "Glory," among others. But lately he just seems to be phoning in the same character in every movie. Not that comic books are the place to be a great thespian, as I have already mentioned. I would have liked to see Katie Holmes reprise her role, if for no other reason than consistency sake. I am also a homer - she is from my hometown of Toledo, OH. But I like Maggie Gylenhaal (sp?). Many people will differ with me on this, but I think she is cute. Not stunning. Not even beautiful. But cute. Anyway. She did a competant job of filling the role of Bruce Batman's unrequited love interest. Again not a role that required much range.
I didn't really want to spend the extra $6.00 to see the movie in IMAX, but my brother was insistent and it turned out to be a good call. The movie theater wasn't so crowded that we couldn't get a good seat. It sucks to be in a seat off to the side and slightly towards the front in a regular movie theater, but in IMAX theaters it is death. That position 1)leaves you right in front of a tremendous speaker, 2)due to the size of the screen you get to see one fourth of the screen (the part showing insignificant data like a single rooftop in a panning cityscape), and 3) if you tilt your head way up to see the entire movie you ensure permanent appointments at the chiropracter and all the action and people are horrendously distorted. But we got good seats and all the aforementioned action and cinematography benefited from being on a big screen. The movie was pretty damn loud. I could have done with a lower volume. I know that in Batman movies there are explosions and punches and a lot of loud action. Presumably the movie theater owners know that too. They could have compensated by turning the volume down a tad.
Now to all the comic book geeks who are offended by my rant on the simpleness and implied insignificance (let it no longer be implied, I am officially stating that comic books are fluff) of comic book movie let me just say, get over it. I had always wanted to see the latest Batman movie. I enjoyed the last one and I had heard that this one was good also. But geek boys have been on the internet lately decrying the disrespect the establishment has heaped on "The Dark Knight." "Of course it and all its actors deserve Oscar consideration," they whine. Give me a break. I am not an elitist movie critic and the movies and actors who tend to garner Oscar nominations confuse me, but comic books are comic books. You know that the bad guy loses before you step into the theater. Its fun to watch the protaginists battle. I marvel at how innovative the sequences are. I appreciate the imagination that writes the story and constructs the movie, directors and computer animators all. But it isn't a deep portrayal of the human condition if the hero is challenged, has doubts, loses something or someone he values, and ultimately lives with the sacrifices that his choice engenders and the isolation that comes from being a masked savior. Other than masks, that is pretty much how everyone lives. And comic books tend to show all that a little more simplistic than other movies. And another thing. Where's the humor. Life has no meaning without humor. Humor is a constant, no matter how dire the situation. Comic books, their plot and their characters, are all too damn overwrought and serious. Batman needs a fart joke.
I'll end with some agreement commentary on ads in movies. First off the ads were for a regular sized theater, so they looked ridiculous on the IMAX screen. Secondly, the bulk of them were for the new Lexus sportscar that is coming out. Batman movie watchers have no jobs and live in their grandmother's basement, so they can't afford a Scwinn much less a matchbox Lexus. And finally, like Warren says, I already paid for the movie. The movie theater and the producers of the movie are already getting my money. They don't need the advertising revenue. And I don't need to be advertised to.
Matthew
A brother of mine and I finally saw "The Dark Knight," this past Saturday at the IMAX. A couple thoughts. First off did you hear that they are going to re-release it in order to position it for Oscar consideration. C'mon. Its a good movie in terms of action comics genre. But Oscar? Count me in as a vote for nuhuh. Yeah, Heath Ledger gave the performance of his life. Get it? Of his life? But still, the awsomeness of his performance hinges on the fact that he lost his Australian accent. He's an actor. That's what he does for a living. He is supposed to be able to lose his accent. He studied accents in class at University of Melbourne or wherever. Okay, maybe that is too cynical. He did give a sufficiently creepy performance outside of just losing his accent. But Oscar worthy? Let's see what other actors do this year.
The other actors were competant in their roles. I don't think the lead role for any action comic movie allows for a stunning display of emotion. Comic book heroes tend towards simple drama. I'm not saying that they are one-dimensional, just that their emotions are staid and predictable and the resolution of their inner conflicts are presaged. That's what comic books feed in us. The need for easy resolution of complex issues. Not the complex display of common issues which can be resolved in multiple ways. Anyway, Batman was played adequately as were the supporting roles.
Morgan Freeman seems to be resting on his reputation in all of his movies lately. He is capable of sterling performances, I reference his part in "Glory," among others. But lately he just seems to be phoning in the same character in every movie. Not that comic books are the place to be a great thespian, as I have already mentioned. I would have liked to see Katie Holmes reprise her role, if for no other reason than consistency sake. I am also a homer - she is from my hometown of Toledo, OH. But I like Maggie Gylenhaal (sp?). Many people will differ with me on this, but I think she is cute. Not stunning. Not even beautiful. But cute. Anyway. She did a competant job of filling the role of Bruce Batman's unrequited love interest. Again not a role that required much range.
I didn't really want to spend the extra $6.00 to see the movie in IMAX, but my brother was insistent and it turned out to be a good call. The movie theater wasn't so crowded that we couldn't get a good seat. It sucks to be in a seat off to the side and slightly towards the front in a regular movie theater, but in IMAX theaters it is death. That position 1)leaves you right in front of a tremendous speaker, 2)due to the size of the screen you get to see one fourth of the screen (the part showing insignificant data like a single rooftop in a panning cityscape), and 3) if you tilt your head way up to see the entire movie you ensure permanent appointments at the chiropracter and all the action and people are horrendously distorted. But we got good seats and all the aforementioned action and cinematography benefited from being on a big screen. The movie was pretty damn loud. I could have done with a lower volume. I know that in Batman movies there are explosions and punches and a lot of loud action. Presumably the movie theater owners know that too. They could have compensated by turning the volume down a tad.
Now to all the comic book geeks who are offended by my rant on the simpleness and implied insignificance (let it no longer be implied, I am officially stating that comic books are fluff) of comic book movie let me just say, get over it. I had always wanted to see the latest Batman movie. I enjoyed the last one and I had heard that this one was good also. But geek boys have been on the internet lately decrying the disrespect the establishment has heaped on "The Dark Knight." "Of course it and all its actors deserve Oscar consideration," they whine. Give me a break. I am not an elitist movie critic and the movies and actors who tend to garner Oscar nominations confuse me, but comic books are comic books. You know that the bad guy loses before you step into the theater. Its fun to watch the protaginists battle. I marvel at how innovative the sequences are. I appreciate the imagination that writes the story and constructs the movie, directors and computer animators all. But it isn't a deep portrayal of the human condition if the hero is challenged, has doubts, loses something or someone he values, and ultimately lives with the sacrifices that his choice engenders and the isolation that comes from being a masked savior. Other than masks, that is pretty much how everyone lives. And comic books tend to show all that a little more simplistic than other movies. And another thing. Where's the humor. Life has no meaning without humor. Humor is a constant, no matter how dire the situation. Comic books, their plot and their characters, are all too damn overwrought and serious. Batman needs a fart joke.
I'll end with some agreement commentary on ads in movies. First off the ads were for a regular sized theater, so they looked ridiculous on the IMAX screen. Secondly, the bulk of them were for the new Lexus sportscar that is coming out. Batman movie watchers have no jobs and live in their grandmother's basement, so they can't afford a Scwinn much less a matchbox Lexus. And finally, like Warren says, I already paid for the movie. The movie theater and the producers of the movie are already getting my money. They don't need the advertising revenue. And I don't need to be advertised to.
Matthew
Friday, September 19, 2008
I'm back. I think I pulled a muscle
So this blog was partially for the purposes of Warren and I amazing you readers with our repartee. Not an auspicious start. Oh, Warren has been brilliant. I fear that it will take me some time to orient myself toward his level. One thing of note, Warren and I don't seem to be seeing the same movies. We are sort of a dyslexic Siskel and Ebert. We review movies that have no relation to each other, much less reviewing the same movie. I guess the hope is that eventually these two monkees will find the same nut and write comments on it. Purely by coincidence.
But to fulfill the need of Warren and I actually getting to trade barbs, Warren and his wife visited me recently here in San Francisco. For those of you who are waiting for a movie review, this isn't it. I am fulfilling the "Lifestyle" portion of this blog for the moment. My movie reviews come next.
San Francisco is a beautiful city. It is tough to take it all in on a two and a half day weekend, but the three of us gave it a try.
The friends arrived Friday night late and stayed through Sunday night. Well actually they took off on Monday morning. Saturday was spent downtown, roughly. A walk tour. Warren and Jenny stayed at Le Meridian at Battery and Clay. Starting at 10:30 am we walked through Chinatown. Saw the enormous wooden penis with the bow on it. Walked up to Washington Square. Peeked inside at St.'s Peter and Paul Church on the Square. Walked up Telegraph Hill. Decided that the wait to ascend Coit Tower was too long and hot. Enjoyed the view from Telegraph Hill. It was sparkling clear, cloudless in the City, all weekend. Walked to and up Lombard Street to Hyde. Viewed the "crookedest street in America" from all angles. Walked down Hyde to Embarcadero and Fisherman's Wharf. Had just a fantastic lunch at Tarantinos; Clam Chowder, Fish and Chips, Shrimp Salad, wine, Anchor Steam. Goofed off around Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. They aren't really into super touristy things like Pier 39, but we didn't want to stray too far from the Piers. At 5:30 pm got in line for the night cruise to Alcatraz. Warren had bought the tickets a few months ago. Cold and windy on the boat over there. Really a great site to see once we were there. Interesting as hell. Once we were done with the mandatory guided audio tour looked for another tour to take and happened to hook up with a tour guide who, although attempted to take us to the tour we had asked directions for, decided to take us on a special backstage tour instead. Saw things not open at night. Saw places that are never shown to the public. Had a personal tour guide. She, and the tour, were fun. Then back on the boat and back to dock by 10:00 pm. Drove Jenny and Warren back to their hotel and I headed over to Paul's, my brother, place for the night.
So Sunday would involve stuff to do outside of the downtown area. A car tour with intermittent walking. Picked up the "not even really tired" couple at 10:30 am. Drove to Golden Gate park and parked near Kezar Stadium. Walked to the Haight. First stop Amoeba Records. Warren was suitably impressed as he collects vinyl. Jenny less so. Walked down Haight touring shops all the way to Masonic and then turned around and walked the other side of the street. Walked into Golden Gate Park. Watched some lawn bowling at the Club. Walked to de Young Museum Cafe for lunch. Walked back to the car and drove to where I would move into on Monday, 20th Ave. and Lawton. Took a picture outside of the place. Drove to Ocean Beach. Stayed for a bit. Back into the car and over to look at the American Bison in Golden Gate Park. Drove up to The Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park. Looked at the grounds and the golf course for 20 minutes until it was 4:30 pm so that we could go into the museum for free. Listened to the last half hour of the Steiner organ recital. Toured the museum briefly. Saw some paintings done by people whose names we recognized. Drove through Sea Cliff admiring the extraordinarily ornate homes that are there on our way to the Golden Gate Bridge. Got hung up in Golden Gate Bridge traffic. Drove through the Presidio. Parked at Crissy Field, got out of the car and walked up to the Bridge. Walked out to the first span and admired the view. Like I said, it was cloudless all weekend. Had been taking good pictures all weekend and took a few here as well. Drove back to the Fisherman's Wharf area to eat at a restaurant that Warren's parents had recommended. Had a wonderful dining experience at Scoma's. Seafood again. Why not? Let's see, Jenny had a melange of crustaceans (lobster, scallops, crab, shrimp) out of the shell and sauteed in butter, garlic and onions over a bed of risotto and a side salad. Warren had a crabmeat sandwich with a side salad. I had a fried melange of seafood (breaded scallops, shrimp and pollack) over risotto and a side salad. Of course there was beer and wine involved. Stopped off a Ghiradelli Square for hot chocolate, before heading back to our respective places for the night.
Good weekend.
I moved into my new place the following Monday. Really just dumped my stuff off. Paul helped me. Yeah, he carried the other box. He wanted to see the place. As he was leaving, he mentioned that right across 19 Ave. was a hidden gem of the City, Grandview Park. It is roughly at 15th Ave. and Moraga, so six blocks from me. Up a lot of steps. A lot of steps. And I was on what looked to be the third highest point in the City. I had an entire view of the City and surounding Bay area obstructed only by Twin Peaks and some hill far south of the City. Imagine the vista. Pacifica sweeping up the coast, all the way over Golden Gate Park, the Bridge, around the top of the peninsula, the marina, over the entire North Bay over to the entire downtown area, the extent my of sight stopping just about the Mission District. Really cool. I then walked down to 9th and Irving for lunch. I continued my perambulation to the Haight and at Shrader headed north. I wanted to see what the big church on the hill was. Found out that it is St. Ignatius. Walked back to Golden Gate Park and goofed off there for a few hours before heading home to truly unpack.
So not only for the weekend that Warren and Jenny were here, but just generally all the time that I have been in the City, this is what I have been up to.
Matthew
But to fulfill the need of Warren and I actually getting to trade barbs, Warren and his wife visited me recently here in San Francisco. For those of you who are waiting for a movie review, this isn't it. I am fulfilling the "Lifestyle" portion of this blog for the moment. My movie reviews come next.
San Francisco is a beautiful city. It is tough to take it all in on a two and a half day weekend, but the three of us gave it a try.
The friends arrived Friday night late and stayed through Sunday night. Well actually they took off on Monday morning. Saturday was spent downtown, roughly. A walk tour. Warren and Jenny stayed at Le Meridian at Battery and Clay. Starting at 10:30 am we walked through Chinatown. Saw the enormous wooden penis with the bow on it. Walked up to Washington Square. Peeked inside at St.'s Peter and Paul Church on the Square. Walked up Telegraph Hill. Decided that the wait to ascend Coit Tower was too long and hot. Enjoyed the view from Telegraph Hill. It was sparkling clear, cloudless in the City, all weekend. Walked to and up Lombard Street to Hyde. Viewed the "crookedest street in America" from all angles. Walked down Hyde to Embarcadero and Fisherman's Wharf. Had just a fantastic lunch at Tarantinos; Clam Chowder, Fish and Chips, Shrimp Salad, wine, Anchor Steam. Goofed off around Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. They aren't really into super touristy things like Pier 39, but we didn't want to stray too far from the Piers. At 5:30 pm got in line for the night cruise to Alcatraz. Warren had bought the tickets a few months ago. Cold and windy on the boat over there. Really a great site to see once we were there. Interesting as hell. Once we were done with the mandatory guided audio tour looked for another tour to take and happened to hook up with a tour guide who, although attempted to take us to the tour we had asked directions for, decided to take us on a special backstage tour instead. Saw things not open at night. Saw places that are never shown to the public. Had a personal tour guide. She, and the tour, were fun. Then back on the boat and back to dock by 10:00 pm. Drove Jenny and Warren back to their hotel and I headed over to Paul's, my brother, place for the night.
So Sunday would involve stuff to do outside of the downtown area. A car tour with intermittent walking. Picked up the "not even really tired" couple at 10:30 am. Drove to Golden Gate park and parked near Kezar Stadium. Walked to the Haight. First stop Amoeba Records. Warren was suitably impressed as he collects vinyl. Jenny less so. Walked down Haight touring shops all the way to Masonic and then turned around and walked the other side of the street. Walked into Golden Gate Park. Watched some lawn bowling at the Club. Walked to de Young Museum Cafe for lunch. Walked back to the car and drove to where I would move into on Monday, 20th Ave. and Lawton. Took a picture outside of the place. Drove to Ocean Beach. Stayed for a bit. Back into the car and over to look at the American Bison in Golden Gate Park. Drove up to The Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park. Looked at the grounds and the golf course for 20 minutes until it was 4:30 pm so that we could go into the museum for free. Listened to the last half hour of the Steiner organ recital. Toured the museum briefly. Saw some paintings done by people whose names we recognized. Drove through Sea Cliff admiring the extraordinarily ornate homes that are there on our way to the Golden Gate Bridge. Got hung up in Golden Gate Bridge traffic. Drove through the Presidio. Parked at Crissy Field, got out of the car and walked up to the Bridge. Walked out to the first span and admired the view. Like I said, it was cloudless all weekend. Had been taking good pictures all weekend and took a few here as well. Drove back to the Fisherman's Wharf area to eat at a restaurant that Warren's parents had recommended. Had a wonderful dining experience at Scoma's. Seafood again. Why not? Let's see, Jenny had a melange of crustaceans (lobster, scallops, crab, shrimp) out of the shell and sauteed in butter, garlic and onions over a bed of risotto and a side salad. Warren had a crabmeat sandwich with a side salad. I had a fried melange of seafood (breaded scallops, shrimp and pollack) over risotto and a side salad. Of course there was beer and wine involved. Stopped off a Ghiradelli Square for hot chocolate, before heading back to our respective places for the night.
Good weekend.
I moved into my new place the following Monday. Really just dumped my stuff off. Paul helped me. Yeah, he carried the other box. He wanted to see the place. As he was leaving, he mentioned that right across 19 Ave. was a hidden gem of the City, Grandview Park. It is roughly at 15th Ave. and Moraga, so six blocks from me. Up a lot of steps. A lot of steps. And I was on what looked to be the third highest point in the City. I had an entire view of the City and surounding Bay area obstructed only by Twin Peaks and some hill far south of the City. Imagine the vista. Pacifica sweeping up the coast, all the way over Golden Gate Park, the Bridge, around the top of the peninsula, the marina, over the entire North Bay over to the entire downtown area, the extent my of sight stopping just about the Mission District. Really cool. I then walked down to 9th and Irving for lunch. I continued my perambulation to the Haight and at Shrader headed north. I wanted to see what the big church on the hill was. Found out that it is St. Ignatius. Walked back to Golden Gate Park and goofed off there for a few hours before heading home to truly unpack.
So not only for the weekend that Warren and Jenny were here, but just generally all the time that I have been in the City, this is what I have been up to.
Matthew
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fury
Let me begin by saying I am sorry for the long delay in blogging. I have actually been watching movies but I have just not taken the time to write a review. Additionally, my co-blogger Matthew has been asleep at the wheel for quite a while now. I know he is busy decorating his new digs with Jonas Brothers posters and attending speed dating seminars, but there is really no excuse for either of us to have not written a couple of paragraphs for our legions of fans!
A couple of nights ago I came upon a real gem of a movie called Balls of Fury. This movie, written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Garant of Reno 911! fame, was just terrible enough to keep me laughing and simultaneously put my visiting mother-in-law into a ping-pong induced coma for 70 minutes. The problem is, I am not sure if I was laughing because the M-I-L was snoring like a Sesame Street character or because the jokes were so obvious and generally involved a kick to the grapes.
The star of this movie was Dan Fogler of whom I had never previously heard. I thought this guy was OK as the star and for some reason a lot of B level movie stars signed on to participate in this picture. The big draw for this movie was everyone's favorite movie star and cultural icon Christopher Walken. His character really made no sense and his lines were poor at best, but with the voice and the mannerisms and the delivery, Christopher Walken again made this into a memorable character. I, of course, was really hoping that at some point he would say "I have a fever, and the only prescription is more ping-pong," but that never came to fruition.
James Hong was in this movie as the blind master/teacher of ping pong. I remember him best as David Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China but it is hard to believe that that movie came out 22 years ago. If any of you are Dukes of Hazzard fans, I also remember him appearing in an episode of that show. I wonder if James Hong ever tells his agent he is being type cast? I mean, how come he always has to play the Asian guy?
The real reason I wanted to type a few paragraphs about Balls of Fury is because I am amazed that a picture like this not only got made, but also was released in theaters, printed onto a blank DVD and even purchased by HBO for home broadcast. I would have loved to be in on the creative meetings of this sales job. I can just see Thomas Lennon explaining that they have a ping pong picture that stars an unknown overweight actor with frizzy hair and James Hong. I am sure that the movie studio exec (or more probably, his secretary) said "OK, now what is the real movie you want to talk about" and then Lennon probably played the trump card by saying "we've also got Christopher Walken."
I don't want to be too hard on this movie though, I did laugh quite a bit. But I think that Lennon and Garant may have watched way too much America's Funniest Home Videos when they were growing up (I know I did). Although that show was an important part of the American experience in the 90's, and put an unknown host named Bob Saget on the comedy map (I don't recognize the existence of Full House), pretty much every week it was just 25 minutes of kicks, football throws, baby punches, and head-butts to the scoring zone (crotchal region). Balls of Fury had a number of re-occurring kicks and punches to the grapes along with a series of prat falls and "blind guy facing the wrong way" sight jokes (blind guy sight jokes...get it).
As for the cinematography on the ping pong scenes, this was a part of the movie I really enjoyed. I thought they did a good job of making the ping pong scenes look real, even though we all know that ping pong is not played with that speed and accuracy. In fact, when I was a little tiny baby blogger I recall that the home based rules of "pong" included hitting the ball back in forth until the full word P-I-N-G-P-O-N-G was spelled out just to determine who served first. At our home table, it was quite a feat just to keep the ball in play long enough to spell out that word. Not even in my foggy sports hero memory (imagination?) are there any reels of my father and I hitting smashes and lobs back and forth for five minutes.
So my verdict on Balls of Fury is....it will put your mother-in-law in a ping pong induced coma in less than three minutes - Guaranteed!
Warren
A couple of nights ago I came upon a real gem of a movie called Balls of Fury. This movie, written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Garant of Reno 911! fame, was just terrible enough to keep me laughing and simultaneously put my visiting mother-in-law into a ping-pong induced coma for 70 minutes. The problem is, I am not sure if I was laughing because the M-I-L was snoring like a Sesame Street character or because the jokes were so obvious and generally involved a kick to the grapes.
The star of this movie was Dan Fogler of whom I had never previously heard. I thought this guy was OK as the star and for some reason a lot of B level movie stars signed on to participate in this picture. The big draw for this movie was everyone's favorite movie star and cultural icon Christopher Walken. His character really made no sense and his lines were poor at best, but with the voice and the mannerisms and the delivery, Christopher Walken again made this into a memorable character. I, of course, was really hoping that at some point he would say "I have a fever, and the only prescription is more ping-pong," but that never came to fruition.
James Hong was in this movie as the blind master/teacher of ping pong. I remember him best as David Lo Pan in Big Trouble in Little China but it is hard to believe that that movie came out 22 years ago. If any of you are Dukes of Hazzard fans, I also remember him appearing in an episode of that show. I wonder if James Hong ever tells his agent he is being type cast? I mean, how come he always has to play the Asian guy?
The real reason I wanted to type a few paragraphs about Balls of Fury is because I am amazed that a picture like this not only got made, but also was released in theaters, printed onto a blank DVD and even purchased by HBO for home broadcast. I would have loved to be in on the creative meetings of this sales job. I can just see Thomas Lennon explaining that they have a ping pong picture that stars an unknown overweight actor with frizzy hair and James Hong. I am sure that the movie studio exec (or more probably, his secretary) said "OK, now what is the real movie you want to talk about" and then Lennon probably played the trump card by saying "we've also got Christopher Walken."
I don't want to be too hard on this movie though, I did laugh quite a bit. But I think that Lennon and Garant may have watched way too much America's Funniest Home Videos when they were growing up (I know I did). Although that show was an important part of the American experience in the 90's, and put an unknown host named Bob Saget on the comedy map (I don't recognize the existence of Full House), pretty much every week it was just 25 minutes of kicks, football throws, baby punches, and head-butts to the scoring zone (crotchal region). Balls of Fury had a number of re-occurring kicks and punches to the grapes along with a series of prat falls and "blind guy facing the wrong way" sight jokes (blind guy sight jokes...get it).
As for the cinematography on the ping pong scenes, this was a part of the movie I really enjoyed. I thought they did a good job of making the ping pong scenes look real, even though we all know that ping pong is not played with that speed and accuracy. In fact, when I was a little tiny baby blogger I recall that the home based rules of "pong" included hitting the ball back in forth until the full word P-I-N-G-P-O-N-G was spelled out just to determine who served first. At our home table, it was quite a feat just to keep the ball in play long enough to spell out that word. Not even in my foggy sports hero memory (imagination?) are there any reels of my father and I hitting smashes and lobs back and forth for five minutes.
So my verdict on Balls of Fury is....it will put your mother-in-law in a ping pong induced coma in less than three minutes - Guaranteed!
Warren
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