Weekend was for 'Couples,' but horror is hot
Looks as if the weekend’s big movie was “Couples Retreat,” which should come as no surprise considering it stars “Swingers” writer-directors Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau. More surprising is the performance of the little horror film “Paranormal Activity,” which is getting so much word of mouth even though it’s playing in only 160 theaters across the country.
“Couples Retreat” earned a 14 percent Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Here’s what Chris Vognar of the Dallas Morning News thought of it: “You know those comedies that hit a little dry spell and have a hard time recovering? ‘Couples Retreat’ has one that lasts about, oh, 90 minutes.”
By contrast, “Paranormal Activity” boasts an 85 percent Tomatometer rating (93 percent among “top critics”). Here is what Colin Covert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune said: “Without financing, stars or more than a couple of special effects, first-time writer/director Oren Peli has made a diabolically effective essay in irrational horror.”
No word on when Peli’s film will come to Spokane, if ever. But let’s hope it arrives before people start dumping on it, as they inevitably will do.
It's not Spinal Tap ... it's Anvil ... and Seth Rogen!
You may have read it elsewhere, but MTV Movies Blog is reporting that the metal band Anvil is set to perform in the 2010 expected release of “The Green Hornet,” starring Seth Rogen and Jay Chou.
Of course you may have read it elsewhere. MTV was passing on info originally carried in the Los Angeles Times. The Times’ emphasis was on Anvil’s documentary, “Anvil! The Story of Anvil,” copies of which had been sent to the 6,000-plus Oscar voters.
But the paper’s blogger Pete Hammond included the following note: “(T)hey made their movie debut on the set of fan and director Michel Gondry's big-budget flick ‘The Green Hornet,’ filming a cameo where they (literally) explode playing in a rock club.”
It wasn’t that long ago that the “Green Hornet” project was still being worked out. Now not only is it a reality (projected release date Dec. 22 2010), but it’s even including the likes of the little-known Canadian band.
Rumors that “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” is a remake of “This is Spinal Tap!” are just that. It’s more of an … homage.
Even in Spanish, creepy is as creepy does
For one reason or another, I never got around to seeing the horror film “Quarantine.” So tonight I did the next best thing: I watched the Spanish film “[REC]” from which “Quarantine” was adapted.
I’m glad I waited. While the film owes a lot to “The Blair Witch Project,” which famously made a video camera one of the film’s main characters, it has a few genuinely frightening moments.
Filmed in Barcelona, Spain, “[REC]” has a simple story line: A television crew for a show titled “While you Sleep” decides to do a segment on firefighters. When they go on a call, they find themselves in an apartment building that boasts strange happenings.
Before long, the bad stuff starts. And as Jeff Goldblum says in “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “Oh, yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and screaming.”
I could even understand some of the Spanish. Oooooooh, muchachos, que miedo.
Dueling characters spark 'September Issue'
One thing that becomes clear fairly quickly in “The September Issue,” R.J. Cutler’s documentary about Vogue magazine, is that “The Devil Wears Prada” stretches the truth more than a bit.
In “The Devil Wears Prada,” the film based on Lauren Weisberger’s novel, a young woman goes to work for a fashion magazine editor (played by Meryl Streep) who is demanding, bitchy, cold-hearted, noncompromising and several other adjectives, few of which are positive.
After graduating from Cornell University, Weisberger worked for Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue Magazine. Her novel is widely considered to be a roman-a-clef bit of snarky commentary about Wintour.
One point the movie stresses, though, proves to be less than credible: Our young protagonist (played by Anne Hathaway) isn’t seen as nearly fashionable enough as the other members of the magazine’s staff. You gotta be fashionable, the movie says, to work in fashion.
Yet as Cutler’s film, “The September Issue,” indicates, this isn’t necessarily true. Sure, Wintour, with her blunt bob hairstyle and whippet-thin body, is the epitome of fashion. But many of those slinking through the magazine’s hallways dress like … well, saying lumberjacks would be a stretch. But not as much as you might think.
Turns out having an eye for fashion doesn’t mean you need a riveting sense of personal fashion. This applies even – and maybe especially – to Grace Coddington, one of Wintour’s main associates. Coddington knows fashion, was once a runway model, but she would be far from what most of us would see as someone who once walked a Milan runway.
She’s even a bit, dare I say it, frumpy.
That said, Coddington ends up being an important presence in Cutler’s documentary. In fact, it is her prickly relationship with Wintour that gives “The September Issue” the tension that makes it far more than just a fashion story. That tension, the same kind that underscores any blending of business and art, makes Cutler’s film a story of dueling personalities.
It’s such a great duel that Meryl Streep, who can do anything, should consider adapting “The September Issue” as a narrative film. That way she could play both Wintour and Coddington. Maybe win two Oscars at once.
Wouldn’t that be a fashion statement?
Sometimes, two ideas are better than one
If you look hard enough ... check that, if you look at all, you’re bound to find some weird stuff on the Internet. As I’ve made a lifestyle practice, though, weird doesn’t necessarily mean bad. In fact, it can mean the polar opposite − as long as you imbue the weirdness with a bit of wit.
Take, for example, this Web site. It’s an intentional blending of two films at a time to make a unique poster for a new movie. And I don’t know about you, but I’d love to see a blending of “Pi” and “American Pie” (“American ∏”) or a melding of “Memento” and “Dude, Where’s My Car?”
Suggestions for new amalgamations:
HBO’s “Hung” and “The Magnificent 7” (“Hugely Magnificent 7”).
“Bolt” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (“Raiders of the Lost Bark”).
“Sssssss” and “Up”(“Sssssssup!”)
Anyway, you get the picture.
'Zombieland': It ain't 'Shaun of the Dead'
I managed a two-fer earlier this evening. My brother and I drove to NorthTown Mall to catch the 4:45 showing of “Zombieland,” caught a quick snack at the food court, took a quick tour of Barnes & Noble and then returned to Regal’s NorthTown 12 for the encore production of “RiffTrax: ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space.’ ”
First of all, “Zombieland”: It’s an amusing movie, though hardly more than that. There’s little character development and even less of a story line. Yes, Woody Harrelson does play a convincing redneck zombie killer, and Jesse Eisenberg is obligatorily nerdy. But this is no “Shaun of the Dead,” which is the standard for zombie comedies.
The “Rifftrax” event was somewhat better. If you’ve ever watched “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” you know what to expect. The three actors who do the movie commentary that makes the film funny to watch – actually, in some cases, worth watching – Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo) and Bill Corbett (Crow T. Robot) – did their usually gag-a-minute job.
And no film was better designed to be made fun of that “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” the Ed Wood-directed film that perennially makes worst-of lists of critics’ guilty favorites. My brother and I were among, say, 25 other moviegoers who laughed through the screening.
But … was it any better than renting any of the old shows on DVDs? And was it worth the $10 admission? Probably not. Will I attend another one? Maybe. Depends on what bad film they watch.
Something by Michael Bay might prove interesting.
Pearl Harbor would be perfect.
By Grabthar's hammer, Sigourney is 60
Thanks to IMDB.com for letting me know that Sigourney Weaver turns 60 today. There aren’t too many actors who can earn top spots on my favorite films list in genres as different as sci-fi/horror and sci-fi/comedy, but Weaver is one.
The latter is composed of the “Alien” quartet, of which only the first two are really worth wasting time on, being directed, respectively, by Ridley Scott (the 1979 original) and James Cameron (1986’s “Aliens”). David Fincher’s 1992 “Alien3” and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 1997 “Alien: Resurrection” are pale copies.
In all those films, Weaver plays Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, one of the most kick-ass woman characters in film history. We watch as she starts out as a somewhat officious, if ultimately correct, member of the Nostromo’s crew whose diffidence allows her to be manipulated, a fact that lead to disaster.
But Ripley grows, so much so that she survives and ends up accompanying the members of the second mission. And ends up that mission’s leader. Her battle with the queen alien, hydraulic loader vs. the alien’s massive bulk, is one of the great fight scenes ever filmed.
The sci/fi comedy is “Galaxy Quest,” which is one of those rare entities: a funny Tim Allen movie. Allen, Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Daryl Mitchell and Sam Rockwell play the main cast members of a “Star Trek” type show who now make their livings doing dinner theater, commercials and making the rounds of “Trek” festivals.
Then they get spirited off by a band of aliens who take them for the real thing. Weaver, as Gwen DeMarco, plays the Uhura equivalent, appropriately named Lt. Tawny Madison, the sexy computer officer whose breasts threaten always to burst forth but whose blond head hides a competent, brave soul.
The roles are complementary, two sides of the same fictional soul. But each is an essential part of its respective movie. And the movies themselves – at least those directed by Scott and Cameron, plus Dean Parisot’s “Galaxy Quest” – are some of the best movie watches ever.
And remember: “Never give up. Never surrender.”
AMC to go IMAX in time for 'Avatar'
If you’ve been to River Park Square’s AMC Theatres, you’ll notice that the management is now advertising its plan to bring in IMAX 3D. They’re in the process of taking one of the biggest houses, removing the first few rows, raising the ceiling and moving the screen closer to the remaining seats.
It won’t be true IMAX, which will remain available only at Riverfront Park. And it won’t boast IMAX sound. But it should be the next best thing and perfect for watching James Cameron’s “Avatar,” which is supposed to be released on Dec. 18.
BTW, pardon the ad with the trailer imbedded below. That's just the way the Web is going.
DVD releases: Not exactly superbad
If you’re not a fan of Jack Black or cheap horror thrills, you’re not likely to find this a great week of home viewing. The week’s top releases include:
“Year One”: Michael Cera (“Juno,” “Superbad”) and Jack Black (“School of Rock,” “Tropic Thunder”) star as members of a primitive tribe who end up witnessing some of the world’s most pivotal historical moments. This debuted in theaters when I was out of the country and is one of the films that do want to see.
“My Life in Ruins”: I did see this Nia Vardalos film, though I can’t remember where, and to say I was disappointed is giving the film too much credit. Vardalos gaimed fame as the star of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” and this film lamely tries to cast her, again, as the attractive loser who ends up finding the keys to happiness. Among others, Richard Dreyfuss should be ashamed – and be forced to return his Academy Award.
“Imagine That”: It’s hard now to remember that Eddie Murphy once was a comic genius. Remember “Trading Places”? “48 Hrs”? “Beverly Hils Cop”? All the skits he did for “Saturday Night Live”? Here is another of his recent efforts that teams him up with either animals or some cute kid.
“Audition”: It was 10 years ago that I first saw this creepy little modern horror film at the Seattle International Film Festival. Director Takashi Miike tells the story of a mild-mannered Japanese businessman who uses his connections to conduct fake job auditions in search of a woman he can date. The woman he ends up with comes equipped with some fairly big and frightening emotional baggage. Don’t watch this one alone.
“From the East”: Characterized as a “cinematograhic elegy,” this documentary film by Belgian filmmaked Chantal Akerman is told by Akerman’s cameras as she voyages from East Germany to Moscow. The film boasts no dialogue or commentary, just Akerman’s experience of recording “everything that touched me.”
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition”: Disney’s animated classic is now available in Blu-ray.
And, finally, a couple of obligatory horror offerings:
“Staunton Hill”: A group of hikers chance upon the Staunton family, “a depraved, diabolical brood that will stop at nothing to rid their property of ‘trespassers.’ ”
“Trick ’r Treat”: Four interwoven stories tell little tales of horror revolving around Halloween. Ooooooh, kids, scary!
Happy viewing.
The week's movies: The devil wears glasses
Our one-week run of too many good films to see ended pretty quickly. That’s OK, though, because it’ll give me a chance to see “Zombieland.” Maybe even “The Room.”
That second one might be appropriate. I’m hungry for a “Mystery Science Theater 3000” moment.
Anyway, here are the week’s openings:
“Couples Retreat”: This looks fairly good, mainly because it has Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman in the cast. The plot involves several couple, all friendly, who decide to spend some time at a resort that doubles as what the title suggests. Let’s hope all the good moments weren’t put on the trailers.
“The September Issue”: Documentary filmmaker R.J. Cutler (“A Perfect Candidate”) follows Vogue editor Anna Wintour as she prepares her magazine’s September 2007 issue. Since Wintour was the inspiration for what Meryl Streep did in “The Devil Wears Prada,” this could be one interesting view.
And the only other film is a re-release of “Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince.” Still, if you want to check out something that might be funny, go to the NorthTown Mall on Thursday. That’s when a real “Mystery Science Theater 3000” moment will be happening.
If it's rock, you gotta play it LOUD!
It’s been barely two hours since we recorded this week’s edition of “Movies 101,” and I’m now enjoying the post-recording glow.
Not that the show is any great shakes, but one of the movies that we review is “It Might Get Loud,” which throws us into the music of Jimmy Page (of Led Zeppelin), Jack White (of the White Stripes) and The Edge (of my second-favorite rock group of all time, Dublin’s U2).
And so, after arguing with Bob Glatzer over the worth of “It Might Get Loud” – given his Public Radio sensibilities, he would have preferred to listen to three classical musicians ramble on about their creative impulses – I had to rush to Hastings and then Best Buy to buy a DVD copy of “U2: Live at Red Rocks.”
That is what is blaring on my TV, with the volume pushed to 11, as I type this. It’s a film made of U2’s June 5, 1983, concert at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. And though the band has changed much over the past 26 – can’t believe it’s been 26! – years, all the elements of what they would become are there.
Not just Bono’s wailing vocals and rock-star charisma, Adam Clayton’s driving bass, Larry Mullen Jr.’s pounding drums but The Edge’s reverb-heavy guitar lines. It’s the secret behind those guitar lines that The Edge reveals in “It Might Get Loud,” how obsessed he is, he admits, about playing aloud the music that he hears in his head.
That kind of obsession is what The Edge has in common with Page, the one-time studio musician, who even at age 65, maintains his love of the craft he plied so well for so many years. It’s there in White, too, the obstreperous one of the trio whose tendency for affectation can’t quite mask his obvious talents and love of music that is as basic as it is life-affirming.
“It Might Get Loud” suffers from two things. While it is a decent exploration of the artist at work, it doesn’t reward us with enough music. And it isn’t nearly loud enough.
As I sit here, I’m curing both of those faults. Hope the neighbors don’t mind.
On second thought, to hell with them. Rock on, U2!
Winslet: Comfortable doing nude scenes
Today is Kate Winslet’s birthday. The English-born actress, who turns 34 today, received an early birthday gift last February when she won her first Oscar (after six nominations) for her role in “The Reader.”
Funny, I almost typed “Revolutionary Road,” a film that is far more memorable than “The Reader,” even if both received roughly the same middling critical reaction. But, then, “The Reader” is a Holocaust film, and you know how award juries like to honor that cinematic sub-genre.
Thinking about Winslet, though, got me to thinking about British actresses who aren’t ashamed to take their clothes off in front of the camera. Winslet certainly has done it, in films such as “Jude,” “Titanic,” “Holy Smoke,” “Iris,” “Little Children” and, of course, “The Reader.”
In doing so, she joins a great tradition. Think of Emily Watson in “Breaking the Waves,” Emma Thompson in “The Tall Guy,” Rachel Weisz in “Stealing Beauty,” Thandie Newton in “Beloved” and, of course, Helen Mirren in, among others, “Savage Messiah” and “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.”
Between those names, you have 16 Oscar nominations and four wins. Remember that the next time you hear of some movie star refusing to strip in front of the camera.
Winslet certainly doesn’t refuse any reasonable demand. Listen to what she has to say on the topic by clicking on the imbed below.
'Pandorum': Bits of far better movies
I’d love nothing more than to follow the Seahawks-Colts game with a showing of “Zombieland.” But … no such luck.
Instead, because my more responsible “Movies 101” cohosts wanted us to review the AMC Select feature “Bright Star,” that’s the movie we’re going to see at 1:30 p.m.
Damn. I’ll have to check out “Ode to a Grecian Zombie” another day. When I do, let’s hope that it’s good enough to wash the remains of “Pandorum” out of my memory.
I took my brother to see that sci-fi film on Friday, and it was quite the disappointment. For the first half hour or so, I was reasonable thrilled … even, once or twice, scared (more the claustrophobia scenes than anything involving mutants).
But pretty soon things devolved. Randy and I could pick up similarities to the “Alien” trilogy, a fair amount of “Event Horizon,” the look of “I Am Legend” and references not only to “Fight Club” but to all zombie movies since “28 Days” (one of the first popular uses of the quick-moving living dead).
One thing I liked: the performance of Ben Foster, the former “Six Feet Under” costar who has definite screen presence.
Should have taken Randy to see “Surrogates” instead.
Moore's 'Love Story': It ain't for the rich
Michael Moore will never reach the entire movie audience. That’s understandable. No single artist will ever appeal to every lover of any particular art … and, yes, Moore is definitely an artist even if we can argue about whether he creates art.
The argument, at the moment, extends to his film “Capitalism: A Love Story,” in which he makes a powerful, reasoned and – especially for him – straightforward indictment of the financial system that runs the United States, not to mention most of the world.
Moore is a provocateur, no doubt. And in his past films, he has played with the truth, taken shots so low that he earned even Charlton Heston sympathy and worn his liberal credentials so proudly that even some life-long progressives were pushed into eyeball-rolling territory.
(OK, maybe only my eyes rolled. Sue me.)
Even so, few artists who work the same area that he does have such a strong tie with the mainstream movie audience. And hardly any have won an Oscar (which Moore did in 2003 with “Bowling for Columbine”). It’s clear that Moore is touching some overall cultural nerve.
And that nerve is on good display in “Capitalism: A Love Story,” which refers all the way back to his first film, 1989’s “Roger & Me,” in exposing the problems caused by those who run the world’s economic system. Here, though, he goes further and condemns the very system itself, describing it as a long-standing Ponzi scheme that – with government collusion – is set up to make the rich richer by exploiting everyone else.
And how does this happen? By conspiracy (officials, past and present, of Goldman Sachs who held – and hold – government positions), by misdirection (“American Idol” and the rest of the media that keep us all occupied) and by fear (look, the president has issued an Orange Alert!).
What gives “Capitalism: A Love Story” such poignancy now is that it comes following one of the worst financial downfalls, and scandals, in American history. And that scandal is what fuels Moore’s muckraking anger, which he unleashes in a subdued, ironically calm manner throughout the movie.
In fact, while there are laughs throughout the film, “Capitalism: A Love Story” lacks much of the clownishness of Moore’s past movies. He does try some of the same ambush stunts, and his attempts to take money back in an armored truck is also one of his standard tricks. But he’s much more involved in the stories of real people – people who have lost their houses, people whose dead spouses earned money for the companies (such as Wal-Mart) that had bought life insurance policies in their names, people who lost their jobs and been refused final paycheck even when the banks (such as Bank of America) have been paid millions in stimulus monies.
Moore does plays politics. He is all too willing to aim at the easy targets of George Bush and Ronald Reagan while ignoring (for the most part) or forgiving the same actions of Bill Clinton and, most recently, Barack Obama.
Nevertheless, “Capitalism: A Love Story” is Moore at his most serious. And even more so than “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Bowling for Columbine,” he’s at his most important. His anger is the anger of many people out here in the real world.
You may not like Moore’s movie, but you should see it. He’s saying what Gordon Gekko never would: Greed isn’t good. And he just may be right.
Loss is just a four-letter word
My sister-in-law, Jean Treuthart, is a hell of a writer. Here is a post she wrote for her blog that deals with loss … and love. Enjoy.
Movie titles: It's all in a word
Anyone who has ever tried to learn a foreign language knows that, in many cases, a lot is lost in translation,. That goes doubly for movie title, as this Huffington Post citation proves.
My favorite: The Chinese retitling “The Full Monty” as “Six Naked Pigs.” That's called cutting to the chase.
Zombies, docs and 3D mark the week's releases
Looks like the fall season is beginning in earnest on Friday, what with zombies, a couple of interesting documentaries and the establishment of another 3D movie screen in Spokane.
Here’s what’s opening:
“Zombieland”: This zombie comedy features Woody Harrelson reverting to his redneck roots to play Tallahassee, “an AK-toting, zombie-slayin' bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth.” He teams up with the ultimate wuss, played by Jesse Eisenberg (“Adventureland,” “The Squid and the Whale”). Both roles aren’t exactly stretches for the respective actors. But Ruben Fleischer’s film boasts zombies, so it’s got that much going for it.
“Capitalism: A Love Story”: By now we know what to expect from Michael Moore – unremitting progressive sensibilities, ambush journalism, laxity with the facts, courageous convictions, all resulting in movies that, depending on your respective political persuasion, cause you to cheer or jeer. Here, angered by the recent economic meltdown, Moore goes after today’s robber barons. And, as usual, he takes no prisoners.
“It Might Get Loud”: Three guitarists, Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White, come together to talk about their music. Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”) is there to record what happens.
“The Invention of Lying”: Ricky Gervais co-wrote/co-directed (with Matthew Robinson) this story of a man who, unable to cope with a world where lying doesn’t exist, discovers how much fun he can have when he, uh, stretches the truth.
“Whip It”: Drew Barrymore, working from Shauna Cross’ screenplay adaptation of her own novel, directed her first feature about a young women (Ellen Page) who trades her small-town travails for the life of a roller-derby queen.
“Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D”: This Pixar-Disney duo, converted to 3D format, will play as a double feature. It’s partly a marketing ploy for “Toy Story 3,” which is now scheduled for a summer 2010 opening. But AMC’s River Park Square Theatres will be using it to show off its new 3D capabilities, joining Regal Cinemas’ NorthTown Mall and Coeur d’Alene Riverstone as one of three 3D-ready theaters in the area.
Gee whiz. Spokane is finally joining the 21st century.
“Bright Star”: Meanwhile, over at the Magic Lantern, owner Joe Davis is continuing his efforts to bring in the best of art/independent/foreign cinema. Quality abounds in this Jane Campion film about the famously doomed British poet John Keats and his love, Fanny Brawne. Kenneth Turan, writing in the Los Angeles Times, calls Campion’s movie “an exquisitely done, emotional love story that marries heartbreaking passion to formidable filmmaking restraint, all in the service of an unapologetically romantic belief in ‘the holiness of the heart's affections.’ ”
Hey, the Magic Lantern is $5 for all movies. It’s well worth a visit.
Happy viewing.
Dangerous movies: 51 of them
I’ve always been drawn to dangerous movies. Here is a site that I stumbled upon that boasts a list of some films that I have seen and many that I want to. So, how many have you seen?
The week's DVD releases: From 'Monsters' to Madonna
In looking up this week's DVD releases, which come out Tuesday, I stumbled over one title that, at first glance, I thought had to be a joke – “Cagney & Lacey: The Menopause Years.”
But, no, it’s no joke. It’s a four-disc compilation of the shows that were made after the series’ six-year run (1982-88). Included are “Cagney & Lacey: The Return” (November 1994), “Cagney & Lacey: Together Again” (May 1995), “Cagney & Lacey: The View Through the Glass Ceiling” (October 1995) and “Cagney & Lacey: True Convictions” (January 1996).
I was never a big fan of the show, so I’ll be happy to pass. But my wife had a different reaction. When I mentioned the “menopause” part of the title, she laughed and said, “I may have to buy that.”
The week’s other main releases:
“Away We Go”: John Krasinski (“The Office”) and Maya Rudolph (“Saturday Night Live”) costar in this sweet little comedy about a couple coming to terms with maturity and impending parenthood. One of the best films that I have seen so far in 2009.
“Fermat’s Room”: This little thriller from Spain features four mathematicians, all of whom have been invited to the remote home of a man known only as Fermat. They then are trapped in a room with walls that slowly compress for as long as it takes them to solve intricate puzzles. Talk about my worst math-hating nightmare … .
“Filth and Wisdom”: This little IFC selection, which follows three London roommates struggling to achieve their dreams, was directed by Madonna. The curiosity factor is reason enough to give this, uh, five minutes.
“Guns on the Clackamas”: Animator Bill Plympton’s 1995 live-action film, only his second, tells the fictional tale of the making of a Western movie. The conceit is that the production is hampered by a series of on- and off-set mishaps.
“The Hills Run Red”: With what, you ask? Guess.
“If I Die Tonight”: This 2006 documentary takes a look at both sides of the issue regarding NYPD brutality, using the Amadou Diallo case as its basis.
“In a Dream”: Another documentary, this one keying on Isaiah Zagar, a Philadelphia-based artist whose tormented, eccentric style has been splashed in mural form all over the city.
“Monsters Vs. Aliens”: The animated feature, which benefits from the vocal talents of Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen, Kiefer Sutherland and more, tells the tale of a special government squad of “monsters” who are brought out to save humanity from an alien invasion.
“Secrecy”: Labeled as a “searing exploration into the dark, unseen world of government secrecy,” this nonfiction film is a blend of talking-head interviews, animation and music that tries to shine a light on the obscure world of government intelligence.
“Shrink”: Kevin Spacey stars as a celebrity therapist who, following a personal loss, loses interest in helping his spoiled, silly clients.
“The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition”: With an into like that, who can resist another glimpse of Toto and the red-ruby slippers?
Happy viewing.
Good parents are hard to come by
I’m sitting here, watching “Mad Men,” which boasts one of the worst mothers in television – Betty Draper, the ice blonde played by January Jones. Damn, that woman is cold.
Bad parent: That’s one way to begin talking about “World’s Greatest Dad,” Bobcat Goldthwait’s dark (daaarrrk) comedy starring Robin Williams. Only in terms of Goldthwait’s film, Williams’ character – a high school poetry teacher named Lance Clayton – is a decent enough father.
His son, though, is a complete jerk. Played by Daryl Sabara, the kid from the “Spy Kids” movies, he’s a sex-obsessed, belligerent, lying creep of a teenager who doesn’t deserve Lance as a father.
And the fact is Lance doesn’t deserve a lot of what happens to him in his life. His students don’t appreciate poetry, his ostensible girlfriend (the art teacher, Claire, played by Alexie Gilmore) doesn’t want to go pubic with their relationship, his principal doesn’t think much of his teaching and the publishing world doesn’t think much of his talent (he’s written several novels, none published).
All that begins to change when something bad happens (I won’t get specific, but the movie gives us a preview so it won’t come as a surprise). Lance takes the opportunity to do something that has unexpected, positive consequences.
And it’s all based on a lie.
“World’s Greatest Dad” is a hard movie to sit through. It’s acted well enough, but Lance, for all his positive qualities, is a fairly pathetic character. And as he gets wrapped up in one lie after the next, the movie tightens around him and us as well. It, ultimately, feels claustrophobic.
Goldthwait, the squeaky-voiced guy from the “Police Academy” movies, gives us some release at the end. But I’m not sure it’s enough of a redemption. Or, maybe, it’s too much of one. Maybe the film would have benefited had it not opted for such a release. Hard to say.
For the moment, though, I’m going back to the early 1960s and “Mad Men.” And characters who aren’t particularly good people, much less parents.
I gotta say that, as a child of the '50s, it all feels pretty freakin' familiar.
Powell's: It's not Portland without it
As any reader who ever comes to Portland knows, it’s impossible to ignore Powell’s Books. A full block of every kind of book known to humankind, its main warehouse – there is no other word for it – sits with a main entrance on 10th and Burnside. That’s barely five blocks from our hotel, which means that we – or I, at least – have stopped by there three times in our not-quite-two-day stay.
And we’ll probably hit it again.
Giamatti brings heat to 'Cold Souls'
I’m hot and cold about Paul Giamatti. I loved him in “Sideways” and “American Splendor” I hated him in “The Prestige,” “Duplicity” and “Shoot ’Em Up.”
But, sitting here in my Portland hotel room, I’m thinking about the movie that I saw a couple of hours ago – “Cold Souls” – and I’m thinking about the Giamatti whom I like.
A kind of variation – at least in terms of the title – on Gogol’s “Dead Souls,” the film, which is written and directed by Sophie Barthes, is a strange blend of mystery, drama and sci-fi. It involves Giamatti, ostensibly playing himself, deciding to take advantage of a service that, uh, extracts the souls of people who, one, are unhappy, or, two, are desperate.
Giamatti is both. Rehearsing for a stage production of “Uncle Vanya,” he descends into a depressive state that hurts his acting. After reading a story in the New Yorker about a, uh, soul-extraction service, he decides to apply. But after taking advantage of it, he changes his mind.
But then, of course, things have gotten complicated. The service, which is overseen by a friendly seeming doctor (David Strathairn), loses his “soul” (which, strangely enough, looks like a chickpea). It’s been stolen by a Russian-based service that specializes in trafficking souls to American buyers. In this instance, a Russian woman desires the soul of an American actor because, she believes, the actor’s soul will help her own acting.
Barthes spends a lot of time in Giamatti’s world, but she presents us with a “mule” of the Russian service (played by Dina Korzun, last seen in 2005’s “Forty Shades of Blue”). And her camera travels from New York to St. Petersburg, capturing a feel for both cities. She also bounces us back and forth from the drama and mystery to the weird sci-fi plot point.
This latter part makes “Cold Souls” similar, in certain respects, to Michel Gondry’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” It’s not as rich as that bizarre movie, though, with its subtext of love and the desperate things we will do to hold on to it. Still, Barthes’ “Souls” is an interesting study, and Giamatti is great.
In fact, it’s the good Giamatti who makes all the difference. This time, at least.
Two authors in as many nights: Wow
It’s not often that you get to see two critically acclaimed, national-book-award winners show up to read in Spokane. But that’s exactly what happened last night and tonight in the Lilac Citry.
Last night it was Denis Johnson, National Book Award winner for the novel “Tree of Smoke,” who read at Gonzaga University. Johnson read from his new novel “Nobody Move.”
Tonight it was Jess Walter who treated his hometown to a reading of his new novel “The Financial Lives of the Poets.” An Auntie’s Bookstore full house showed up to see him, which meant that I had to stand so far back that I could hardly hear him read, even with the help of a microphone. My misfortune, though, meant success for Jess, who was as funny as he always is – even the time, years ago, when I emceed one of his Auntie’s appearances.
An interesting thing about Johnson’s event was that, in the middle of his reading, he stopped because … he found a grammatical error. He stopped, explained what was wrong, pulled out a pen and marked the page – 67 – and then continued.
Here’s the mistake: “She lay her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes.” It should read “She laid her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes.”
If seeing two national-level authors read from their works in as many night is rare, so is watching a writer rewrite his book in public.
The truth behind the dream machine
Memo to Hollywood
To: All studio heads
From: A concerned movie fan
Respected sirs/madams: First, thanks for all the great films that you have thrown our way over the past century (and some). Sure, along with gems such as “Citizen Kane” and “The Godfather” you’ve given us the occasional “Problem Child 2” and Chris Tucker. But there’s always a little chaff with the wheat, right? We understand.
And we understand that the movie industry is, overall, a business. So we don’t complain too much when, say, one “Lethal Weapon” is followed by three clones. Or even when, as has been happening a lot lately, you keep bringing out the same movie, with the same title (“Halloween,” “Fame”) and think that we won’t notice that you’re not even pretending to offer us a “sequel” but are merely recycling the same material. Hey, as long as Michael Meyers carves them up and the new dancers look good in tights, no problem. Go green. Or whatever.
And, seriously, we don’t resent your cramming the likes of Quentin Tarantino Michael Bay, Adam Sandler, gay-bashing plotlines, Paris Hilton, Renee Zellweger, Mike Myers (the “Austin Powers” guy) and Michael Myers (the serial killer), Mark Wahlberg, dance flicks, Zac Efron, Scarlett Johansson, bimbos, Tom Cruise, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers - did I mention Quentin Tarantino? - Gerard Butler, Kristen Stewart, zombies and vampires, Robert Rodriguez, Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, anything that smacks remotely of “Indiana Jones,” Shia LaBeouf, Christian Bale, graphic novels and superheroes, Johnny Depp and, of course, Quentin Tarantino down our throats. Really. We understand. And we don’t mind.
At the same time, I have to point out something. We, the public, are finally starting to catch on. We’re starting to see that, at least in a certain genre of film, you’re starting to tell the same story over and over. Yeah, they involve different characters, different worlds, sometimes even different dimensions. But they’re still, at the very base, the same story.
Don’t believe me? Then click here.
You see? We aren’t as stupid (bored, ignorant, inbred, asleep, hypnotized, apathetic, oversexed and underloved, insipid, juvenile) as you might think. We’ve seen behind the curtain. We’ve swallowed the red pill. We’ve left Tatooine far behind us. We’ve graduated both from Hogwarts and Starfleet Academy.
Not that we’re complaining overly much. As I say, we understand. Making movies is a business. And as long as you keep things moving, tempt us with Johansson’s shapely breasts or Hugh Jackman’s sturdy pecs, haunt us with a few zombies or vampires, replay World War II for the zillionth time (but, please, stay away from Vietnam because we hate losers), paint the screen with gore and blow things up real good, we’ll forgive you anything. Even Tyler Perry.
Just remember. We are watching. And our eyes are open.
For the moment at least.
Sincerely,
Rondo Hatton, movie fan
CC: Doyle Lonnegan, Vito Corleone, Gordon Gekko, Marsellus Wallace, Rick Blaine, Roger Kint, Harry Lime, Noah Cross, Dudley Smith, Eve Harrington, Kasper Gutman, Sen. Joseph Harrison Paine, Hank Quinlan, Johnny Friendly, Bill Daggett, Anton Chigurh, Hans Gruber, Professor Marvel, Daniel Plainview, J.J. Sefton, Walter Burns and, of course, Steven Spielberg
Crazy Mel: Nine to remember
I’m sitting here, on a Monday night, Corona in hand, looking at the sunset, switching from the Colts playing the Jets to “Lethal Weapon” on HD. Can’t imagine things getting much better.
Anyway, watching “Lethal Weapon” got me to thinking about my favorite Mel Gibson movies. See, long before he came out as a religoid wacko, he made a number of decent action flicks – along with some fairly good dramatic films.
Here’s my list:
“Mad Max”: Let’s start off with George Miller’s 1979 post-holocaust study in which Gibson plays the title character, a highway cop caught up in a devolving world. When his best friend and then wife and child are murdered by crazed bikers (led by Hugh Keays-Byrne as the Toecutter), he seeks revenge. And pretty much gets it
“The Road Warrior”: Known in some circles as “Mad Max 2,” this dystopian sequel is, if anything, superior to Miller’s first film. It has Max, now an outlaw, pulling into himself and, only reluctantly, helping a settlement escape an outlaw gang bent on stealing their gasoline. My favorite character: Bruce Spence as the Gyro Captain.
“The Year of Living Dangerously”: Gibson costars with Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hunt (who won an Oscar for playing the androgynous Billy Kwan) in Peter Weir’s film about journalists trying to report during Indonesian riots. Love Gibson, but I thought the movie lost steam with Hunt’s exit.
“Gallipoli”: Gibson plays one of the few Australian soldiers who survives the debacle of a real-life World War I battle.
“The River”: Gibson was thought to be miscast as the co-owner (with his wife, played by Sissy Spacek) of a Southern farm that is threatened by a deadly flood. But he pulled off the role, making it possible for him to break out of movies that accentuated either his looks or his handiness with weapons.
“Lethal Weapon”: OK, it might not hold up the way, say, “Bullitt” or “Dirty Harry” does. But Gibson does show a different side, one that emphasized his tortured soul instead of merely accenting his to-die-for blue eyes. And I’ll say that the three sequels don’t come close to living up even to the original.
“Braveheart”: While I’m not that big a fan of this revisionist historical study, I do admire how well Gibson looks with long hair, a painted face and holding a broadsword. “Freeeeeeedommmmm!!!”
“The Patriot”: Before it devolves into a blood-soaked bit of bad history, this Roland Emmerich film is actually pretty good. And Gibson is standout as a talented, if reluctant, killer.
“We Were Soldiers”: Gibson plays Lt. Col. Hal Moore, a real-life American officer who, in 1965, led his men out of a murderous ambush by North Vietnamese. My favorite character: Sam Elliott as Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley. Not that Randall Wallace’s film rates with the best of the Vietnam flicks, from “Apocalypse Redux” to “Born on the Fourth of July,” but it’s certainly second tier.
