13 posts tagged “movies”

One of the main contributors to YFSF is moving out of the county. As a farewell to his beloved city he posted this:

Is it possible to have a better opening four minutes to a film? I have not seen Manhattan in maybe 10 years and this clip made me want to watch right now.

Side note: I have successfully gotten MLTU to appreciate They Might Be Giants. Her favorite song? "New York City". She knows all the words and now sings it, unprompted, all the time. It's very cute. 

So...is it wrong that she also knows some of the words to "Dead"?

Last week I heard this report on NPR about a French "checkout girl" named Anna Sam who happened to have a degree in literature and happened to start writing a blog with her daily observations on life in a supermarket that happened to get a lot of press in France which she happened to parlay into a book deal which you can buy in French and English.

As I listened to this segment it struck me that it had a cute and funny balance of human interest, slice of life narrative and navel gazing that is all the rage right now (present company included).

My bet is that it's only a matter of time before this book gets American-ized and turned into a film. And why Zooey Deschanel? Perhaps she is just on my brain what with that little movie that everyone wants to be the next big little movie, but I do think that she has the right mix of aloofness, cynicism and humor to pull this off.

Of course, it would be much more fun to see this film made in France first and then have it imported and adapted for the U.S. That way I can be one of the handful of people who'll say "meh, it was better with subtitles".

Yesterday the Academy (come on, there really is only one) announced that it would expand the field of Best Picture nominees to 10 movies!!!

10? Really? Oh dear lord. 

Not only is this going to make the Oscar Pool that much harder and (as NPR pointed out) make that telecast that much longer, it will also give us twice as many chances for some overly sentimental schlocky hack film like Crash or Million Dollar Baby (there, I said it) to win the top prize.

I suppose that I could hope that with more options the Academy voters might have better choices, but what is more likely to happen is that we will see an animated film get the nod each year along with two or three independent films. While this is good because it will raise the profile of the independent films, it is bad because it will spread out the votes of the Producers and Directors (i.e. those with taste) giving those damn sentimental actors (who I am convinced pick the schlock year after year) even more power than they already have.

This move would be fine if the Academy would also limit voting for Best Picture to those who get the awards (the Producers) like they do with every other category. Let the actors hand out awards for sentimental schlock in the four categories they already control.

I think I'm done with this awards show.

Yesterday was my mid-ish-thirty-something birthday. Despite being on edge about work, I tried to put things I can't control out of my mind and just relax a little bit.

On Saturday A Mistake and I went to see Watchmen. The movie was OK. I agree with his (and others) assessment that it probably shouldn't have been made into a film. Visually it was stunning, but there is only so much you do on film with source material that is so highly character driven. I will say that while it was a three hour movie it did not feel like one, so that was a plus. After the movie we grabbed a quick dinner (bacon cheese burger...ummmmm) and debated the relevance of mass media in the era of the internet and decentralized/diffused media outlets. Good times.  

Back at home I enjoyed an excellent Rye Manhattan while watching Weeds on DVD. Mary-Louise Parker and whiskey = excellent.

Sunday morning Em made me sausage patties and scrambled eggs (with cheese) for breakfast. I also got to eat a chocolate covered mini cheesecake once breakfast was over.

The day itself was fairly quiet. Em went to work and I just took care of things at the house. We met up in the evening and had a great dinner sans-kids. I had a martini and lamb with garlic mashed potatoes (yummmy). After dinner Em and I took a walk and debated the merits/reality of single-payer healthcare in the U.S. Her bottom line: we need a single payer system, mine: it will never pass Congress and I am still not sure its the best idea.

So to recap, it was a weekend full of cocktails, meals with meat products and healthy debate. But the best part of the weekend was MLTU turning to me and saying, "Happy birthday Daddy".

Thanks to everyone for all of the well wishes.

I'm not sure why, but I still belong to a "DVD of the month" club. I just declined my "Director's Selection" and somehow simply clicking "no thanks" was not a visceral enough response to convey how much I DO NOT WANT TO OWN this film:

Em's brilliance, wit and humor never stops. Here is a recent conversation:

Em: All the critics love this "Assassination of Jesse James" movie.

FAU: Yeah, but isn't it tanking at the box office?

Em: Oh well, maybe Brad will finally get his Oscar. Then he and Angelina will both have one.

FAU: What do you think their Oscars will do with one another?

Em: Oh, they'll get married and adopt an Emmy and an Obie.

The New York Times (my old nemesis) is reporting that The Producers will be ending its Broadway run on April 22nd.  All I have to say is good riddance.

The musical opened in 2001 with tons of buzz, an all-star cast of Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane and a revolutionary new idea: "Let's take  movie and make it into a musical, yeah, that's the ticket."

The result was a 2+ hour mess of a Broadway show.  Now I never saw it with the original cast, and I am sure that they were excellent, but when I did see it in 2004 I have to say that I hated it as I have never hated a Broadway show before.  It was long, it was overdone and it was essentially based around one joke song ("Spring Time for Hitler").  It did a disservice to one of my all time favorite movies and arguably some of the best work done by Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel.

But the worst thing about The Producers is what it gave us: a rash of "movie to musical" crossovers that includes Hairspray, Spamalot and The Color Purple.  It is a trend that has hopefully hit rock bottom with recent additions Legally Blond: The Musical and High Fidelity.  And now Mel Brooks will piss on my other favorite movie of his when he brings us the musical version of "Young Frankenstein".

This trend must stop.  What is it about our culture today that makes us gravitate to recycled entertainment?  Why are we paying $100 to sit and watch a reinterpretation of an idea that was better when it was originally produced? In marketing we talk about "channels" that you can use to reach a consumer (radio, print ads, TV, the web).  I guess in that sense Broadway is just another channel for the story, but I feel like it should have more respectibility than being the repository for rehashed ideas from sometimes forgotten films.

I like progress.  I love the internets and 10,000 TV stations and TiVo and VoIP and the Democrats controlling Congress (have you noticed how much I love Wikipedia?).  I do like when things change.  But today I found myself longing for three things to be like they were "back in the day"

Time was you didn't eat in a theater

The AP released a story today about Broadway theater owners allowing audience members to eat snacks in their seats.  Patti LuPone has taken issue with this and I happen to agree with her.  It's like we don't have any decorum any longer. I understand that not everyone takes their hat off when they eat like I do, or holds the door for a woman (out of respect, not sexism).  Fine, I can live with those things.  But if you are going to spend $50 to $150 on a ticket to a Broadway show, so some f**king respect and some self control and go a couple of hours without stuffing your face.  You want to eat popcorn? Go to the movies.

Time was you could give your baby Bourbon to get them to sleep

I am fairly sure my mom did this to me and I'm still here to talk about it. Needless to say MLTU is making very minor progress in the sleeping department, but after 2+ months of rocking her to sleep at 7 PM, she still cannot fall asleep on her own.  So right now I am ready for Bourbon or Ferberizing.  Of course this is all big talk on the blog, in reality Em and I will keep doing what we have been, slowly try to teach her that she can sleep by herself and be fine in the morning.

Time was there was ice on the lake for ice fishing

In about three weeks Lake Champlain will host the Ice Fishing Championships.  The only problem? There is not enough ice on the lake.  Why should I be surprised by this?  After all, bears are not going into hibernation and the cherry blossoms are blooming in New York. 

We've f**king broken this planet. 

I am going to bed.

Em and I recently received a subscription to Netflix as a gift.  This is brilliant. What a guilt free way to see all of the crappy movies that you want (plus the artsy ones that you don't want to spend $10 to see in the theater).  This, and my recent trip to California inspired me to turn in two brief film reviews:

First a selection from Netflix.  Underworld: Evolution -- Or as Em calls it (or claims I called it) "Underwear 2".  When Underworld came out I thought, what a great concept: a hot vampire (Kate Beckinsale) fights werewolves while clad in leather.  How could this concept go wrong?  Oh, it did. With an overly convoluted plot, not enough Kate, and campy character names like Lucian and Kraven the movie lumbered along and I lost interest. I think I actually fell asleep watching it.

So naturally when this sequel came out I though, what a great concept: a hot vampire and her hybrid vampire/werewolf boyfriend (Scott Speedman) fight the original vampire AND the original werewolf (who happen to be... wait for it... brothers). How could this concept go wrong?  Well, mostly it didn't. 

This one moved faster than the original because all of the crappy back story about the vamps and the wolves was out of the way.  There were a couple cool fight sceens, some fairly good CGI of the super vamp and super wolf AND a racy sceen with Kate which was sorly lacking in the first film (I mean come on, you put her in leather and gave it an R rating, is it wrong to except just a little racyness?). Underwold: Evolution was not a great film (not even a great vamp film) but it was fun and totally worth it for a night in.

Now for true crap on film I give you the latest offering from Academy Award Winner Kevin Costner (my in-flight film coming home from CA).  Dear Kevin, STAY AWAY FROM WATER!!! IT is not good for your fading career.  Did you watch Waterworld Kevin?  Oh, that's right, no one did.

Mr. Costner plays a U.S. Coast Guard Resuce Swimmer in The Guardian. He's a legend, the "best of the best" at saving lives on the high seas, but in a freak mishap, where he made a questionable choice, he loses his best friend and his helicopter crew. Oh, and earlier that same day his wife left him.  So Kevin does what any down on his luck legend does best: he trains the next legend.

Future legend is played by Ashton Kutcher, who previously was just a legend in his own mind.  Ashton (what the hell kind of name is that) plays an arrogant young swimmer who really wants to save lives on the high seas.  Of course he is supported by a cast of other earnest young swimmers to be, most notably, the obligatory black guy played here by Dule Hill (again, what kind of a name is this?)

New teacher/old legend Costner pushes the new-bees harder than anyone has, kicking the less qualified ones out faster then you can say breast stroke.  Along the way Ashton breaks all school records for speed in the pool (records previously held by, who else? Costner) and he makes time to have the obligatory relationship with the local girl who has "sees his kind come and go every 18 weeks". 

It all comes to a head when Ashton's arrogance cause him to get into.. wait for it.. a BAR FIGHT with some mean NAVY guys. On the verge of being kicked out he is called before Costner and we find out that a young Ashton lost his High School swim teammates in a freak accident.  The teacher and the student bond (mercifully sans man-hug). 

What happens next is the only thing that can happen:  teacher takes an assignment back in the field and student gets posted to the same station.  Teacher has a flash back while in the water and realizes that his time is up.  He hands in his papers to the Coast Guard, then visits his wife and shares a last tender moment before signing the divorce papers and finally goes to pack up his gear.

But wait, arrogant Ashton has gotten in over his head, literally, and is stuck on a sinking ship after saving three lives and trying to save a fourth. No one is available to go save him...except the old legend.  This sets up the greatest line in the film, when the commanding office turns to Kevin and says, "I need a swimmer". Blah, blah, blah. Kevin dies saving Ashton and Ashton goes back to find his love interest and in true An Officer and a Gentleman fashion visits her at work (which happens to be an elementary school) to win her back.

Full disclosure: my father was a Captain in the Coast Guard and I have a huge amount of respect for the men and women of that branch of the service.  So that made this movie even worse in my mind because it does a disservice to them.  It plays like a bad joke of a movie.  It has been done 100 times better in 100 other films.  Again, Kevin, get out of the water before someone offers you Jaws 5.

From now on we are going to see movies trailers with these two actor introductions:

• Academy Award Nominee Eddie Murphy
• Academy Award Nominee Mark Wahlberg

Here's hoping we don't have another Dr. Dolittle movie.