So.
This is about the Gabrielle Giffords shooting. My knee jerked hard when I heard about the "surveyor's marks," of course, because those "surveyor's marks" were brought to you courtesy of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, aka "The Last Person I Want to See In National Office."
In case you don't know who Giffords was, or how Palin has been tied to the event, here's a quick rundown. Back when "Obamacare" was being voted on, Palin posted a graphic to her facebook site with what looked a lot like gun sights over various Congressional districts. These districts were key to the vote. Some mischief ensued - broken windows and such. This past Saturday, Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords (one of the people under those "They only LOOK like gunsights" icons,) was shot, along with several other people at an event she was hosting.
The gunman was apprehended at the scene. Congresswoman Giffords is, so far, alive.
And me and a lot of the Left reacted pretty strongly to that graphic.
But, as has been pointed out by a much smarter man than me (Jon Stewart, doing what he can to restore sanity,) conflating Palin and her incredibly irresponsible rhetoric with the Giffords attack is a lot like blaming the Columbine shootings on Marilyn Manson.
My reaction to the Columbine/Manson link is and always has been to call "Bullshit." Manson is and always has been an entertainer, and what he says and does is an effort to sell more of his product.
I do feel that Palin is in a very different position as a politician than Manson is as an entertainer. As a possible Presidential candidate, we actually do look to her for leadership and wisdom.
(Side Note: Using the term "wisdom" in reference to Sarah Palin hurts just as much as you'd think.)
Now, I don't think any reasonable person is actually looking to the former Governor for wisdom unless they're already looking to her for leadership. I don't feel like Sarah Palin is a good, responsible, or intelligent leader. Or person. But she does have the right to free speech. And because of who she is, her speech will be heard. She is an inescapable moose hunter, and she has fans. She is a regular on Fox News, one of the most-watched television networks in America. Two major bestsellers have been released under her name. She was a heartbeat from the Vice Presidency (which would have made her one missed heartbeat from President, and her running mate was looking pretty haggard on the campaign trail.)
To borrow from her spiritual grandfather, we're gonna have Sarah to kick around for a while. And whether she cleans up her act or she chooses to become even more inflammatory, people are going to be hearing her for a long while.
Just like Manson, though, her words and acts are calculated to sell. She is buying sponsorships (from whatever lobbyists and politicians she has) by selling a point of view. The more people that buy her books, that show up at her rallies, the more she has a base, and the bigger her base, the better as far as getting into office. Obviously. It isn't necessarily about the money - in fewer than five years in the national spotlight, she almost certainly could live comfortably, supporting her large family nicely, and never be on my TV again. And it isn't necessarily about power. It may be that she earnestly believes she is doing good and that the personal benefits to her and her family are an unnecessary bonus but that gets into circular arguments about authenticity.
I guess my full and final point is twofold: I would rather our political rhetoric was less violent, on all sides (but I'm not naive enough to think it will go away. Might settle down for a couple of years, though.) And it's true: I'm all for freedom of speech, as long as I agree with that speech. But I'm working on it.
By the way, I'm starting a band called "Inescapable Moose Hunter." The covers will all be images of Sarah Palin's head 'shopped onto embarrassing photos of Britney Spears. Mostly the upskirts.
12 January 2011
08 January 2011
How I Started Watching...
About two years ago, my beautiful bride moved in with me, and before she did, I got a bunch of DVDs for us to watch. She was a big fan of House, so I got a season of it. Also 24, Psych, and Chuck. And, since we both liked Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan, I got the first season of How I Met Your Mother.
HIMYM, as it's known by people who don't want to type "How I Met Your Mother" a hundred times in one article, is the first live-action sitcom I've been into since... I don't know, Cheers? It's one of three that we watch regularly, and it's definitely my favorite.
I really don't remember how I felt after watching the pilot episode of HIMYM. I'm sure I liked it, because within a week or so, we'd gotten the next season, and the next as soon as it became available - in spite of the sticker on the package that proudly touted Britney Spears's guest star turn. More on that in a few. We've been watching it ever since. I'd say we watch it religiously, but I think we might be watching it more cultishly. I watch HIMYM like some people watched LOST - which, this season, has been curiously apt.
Anyway, back to my early impressions of HIMYM. It was a decent if occasionally unremarkable ensemble. Alyson Hannigan can make all the shitty spoof movies and stupid teen comedies she likes - she used to be Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Neil Patrick Harris I had only recently gotten into because of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, but he was great as relentlessly straight Barney. Cobie Smulders as Robin filled my quota for hot Canadian chicks, but she really didn't get a lot to do for a while. Hannigan's on-screen fiance, Marshall, was played by Jason Segel, and it took a while to warm up to him. And the central character, Ted, as portrayed by Josh Radnor, was a little bit of a cipher. In the framing device for the show, Ted is played by Bob Saget, who is never credited and never seen.
By the way, at this point Jason Segel is one of my favorite actors. It probably started about the time he first slapped Neil Patrick Harris so hard Harris spun on his way to the ground. But it might have been when they were cuddling in cheerleader outfits. It might also have been the first season finale, where he has a dialogue-free scene that is still a startling moment of honesty from a guy I'd written off as a "schtick" actor. I don't know. In any case, Marshall Erickson is one of my favorite characters in TV, and Segel one of my favorite actors.
You know what, I had said I'd talk more about Britney. Fuck that. She was terrible. Her last couple of episodes, where she was more paired up with NPH's Barney, were the best of her run. She wasn't a prominent guest star, but she was there, and that was nearly bad enough. She was introduced during Sarah Chalke's run as Ted's love interest, Stella. Sarah Chalke (the blonde doctor on Scrubs) is cute and fairly funny, but it was the strike year, and I don't know if her part would have been more organic (or at least entertaining) if that pressure hadn't existed.
As a side note, other love interests for Ted have included Jennifer Morrison (the blonde doctor on House) and Anne Dudek (the blonde "cutthroat bitch" doctor on House.) I just hope we don't get Katherine Heigl as the mother. *SHUDDER*
Further to the side, it still kind of boggles my mind that the same Jennifer Morrison was Dr. Cameron on House and the homely, none-too-bright murder victim in "Stir Of Echoes." And she's also the same Jennifer Morrison that's credited as an associate producer on a lot of the first season of Glee.
Back to HIMYM and my LOST reference earlier. I wasn't kidding, by the way. And no, I'm really not stretching it. Like LOST, How I Met Your Mother is about destiny and, to a lesser extent than LOST, the interconnectedness of the characters and their stories. Like LOST, HIMYM isn't afraid of non-linear storytelling. Like LOST, HIMYM will occasionally pause over a moment of subtle beauty, and without the dramatic and beautiful backdrop of Hawaii. Like LOST, my favorite character is a time traveller (yes, really. It's a minor thing, though.)
Like LOST, Jorge Garcia has appeared as a somewhat clueless, probably stoned guy who everybody loves and who apparently was "stuck on that island" for years. It wasn't that funny in the moment, either. There are even smoke monster gags in the Garcia episode.
And, like LOST, this sixth season features a church as a primary location. The church here isn't an abstracted metaphysical place that represents some sort of gateway into an unspecified afterlife, but it is the scene of the titular moment. Sometime in the next eight to ten episodes, Ted is going to meet the mother of his children, and the series's days will be numbered.
There's a lot more I could say about the series. The most recent episode ("Bad News") alone is something I'd like to talk about, and I probably will. It'll be its own entry, though, so you can skip it if you like.
HIMYM, as it's known by people who don't want to type "How I Met Your Mother" a hundred times in one article, is the first live-action sitcom I've been into since... I don't know, Cheers? It's one of three that we watch regularly, and it's definitely my favorite.
I really don't remember how I felt after watching the pilot episode of HIMYM. I'm sure I liked it, because within a week or so, we'd gotten the next season, and the next as soon as it became available - in spite of the sticker on the package that proudly touted Britney Spears's guest star turn. More on that in a few. We've been watching it ever since. I'd say we watch it religiously, but I think we might be watching it more cultishly. I watch HIMYM like some people watched LOST - which, this season, has been curiously apt.
Anyway, back to my early impressions of HIMYM. It was a decent if occasionally unremarkable ensemble. Alyson Hannigan can make all the shitty spoof movies and stupid teen comedies she likes - she used to be Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Neil Patrick Harris I had only recently gotten into because of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, but he was great as relentlessly straight Barney. Cobie Smulders as Robin filled my quota for hot Canadian chicks, but she really didn't get a lot to do for a while. Hannigan's on-screen fiance, Marshall, was played by Jason Segel, and it took a while to warm up to him. And the central character, Ted, as portrayed by Josh Radnor, was a little bit of a cipher. In the framing device for the show, Ted is played by Bob Saget, who is never credited and never seen.
By the way, at this point Jason Segel is one of my favorite actors. It probably started about the time he first slapped Neil Patrick Harris so hard Harris spun on his way to the ground. But it might have been when they were cuddling in cheerleader outfits. It might also have been the first season finale, where he has a dialogue-free scene that is still a startling moment of honesty from a guy I'd written off as a "schtick" actor. I don't know. In any case, Marshall Erickson is one of my favorite characters in TV, and Segel one of my favorite actors.
You know what, I had said I'd talk more about Britney. Fuck that. She was terrible. Her last couple of episodes, where she was more paired up with NPH's Barney, were the best of her run. She wasn't a prominent guest star, but she was there, and that was nearly bad enough. She was introduced during Sarah Chalke's run as Ted's love interest, Stella. Sarah Chalke (the blonde doctor on Scrubs) is cute and fairly funny, but it was the strike year, and I don't know if her part would have been more organic (or at least entertaining) if that pressure hadn't existed.
As a side note, other love interests for Ted have included Jennifer Morrison (the blonde doctor on House) and Anne Dudek (the blonde "cutthroat bitch" doctor on House.) I just hope we don't get Katherine Heigl as the mother. *SHUDDER*
Further to the side, it still kind of boggles my mind that the same Jennifer Morrison was Dr. Cameron on House and the homely, none-too-bright murder victim in "Stir Of Echoes." And she's also the same Jennifer Morrison that's credited as an associate producer on a lot of the first season of Glee.
Back to HIMYM and my LOST reference earlier. I wasn't kidding, by the way. And no, I'm really not stretching it. Like LOST, How I Met Your Mother is about destiny and, to a lesser extent than LOST, the interconnectedness of the characters and their stories. Like LOST, HIMYM isn't afraid of non-linear storytelling. Like LOST, HIMYM will occasionally pause over a moment of subtle beauty, and without the dramatic and beautiful backdrop of Hawaii. Like LOST, my favorite character is a time traveller (yes, really. It's a minor thing, though.)
Like LOST, Jorge Garcia has appeared as a somewhat clueless, probably stoned guy who everybody loves and who apparently was "stuck on that island" for years. It wasn't that funny in the moment, either. There are even smoke monster gags in the Garcia episode.
And, like LOST, this sixth season features a church as a primary location. The church here isn't an abstracted metaphysical place that represents some sort of gateway into an unspecified afterlife, but it is the scene of the titular moment. Sometime in the next eight to ten episodes, Ted is going to meet the mother of his children, and the series's days will be numbered.
There's a lot more I could say about the series. The most recent episode ("Bad News") alone is something I'd like to talk about, and I probably will. It'll be its own entry, though, so you can skip it if you like.
The Glass Teat, or How I Stopped Worrying and Started Watching Sitcoms Again.
Haven't watched any movies this week. Still got a few from last weekend's Blockbuster frenzy, though. So this weekend, some TV talk. Particularly, about the Genre That Won't Die (despite periodic declarations from the critical community that it has/is about to/should) - the sitcom.
As far as I can tell, my parents ONLY liked sitcoms (and Days of Our Lives, in Mom's case.) Granted, in the late 70s and early 80s, there were some terrific ones. We loved M*A*S*H, because it really was one of the greats. All In The Family was another favorite in our household (I'm pretty sure Dad wanted to BE Archie Bunker.) My folks loved Newhart in all his permutations. Cosby, Night Court, and Cheers WERE Thursday nights. My racist mother watched and apparently enjoyed The Jeffersons and spinoff-of-a-spinoff 227. I don't know how she felt about her kids loving Diff'rent Strokes, but she never stopped us watching it.
And after high school, and I moved out of the family home, it would be almost ten years before I watched another half-hour comedy with any regularity. South Park, for the record. Then Family Guy, when South Park stopped being as funny.
But about two years ago, my beautiful bride moved in with me, and before she did, I got a bunch of DVDs for us to watch. She was a big fan of House, so I got a season of it. Also 24, Psych, and Chuck. And, since we both liked Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan, I got the first season of How I Met Your Mother.
HIMYM, as it's known by people who don't want to type "How I Met Your Mother" a hundred times in one article, is the first live-action sitcom I've been into since... I don't know, Cheers? It's one of three that we watch avidly, and it's definitely my favorite. Mel probably prefers Modern Family (which I also love, and will get to,) and we both like Big Bang Theory (I'll get to that, too.)
p.s. Recommendations for other sitcoms to check out? We plan to check out Community sometime. And I don't care how funny "Raising Hope" is, it stars Garrett Dillahunt, and screw that guy.
As far as I can tell, my parents ONLY liked sitcoms (and Days of Our Lives, in Mom's case.) Granted, in the late 70s and early 80s, there were some terrific ones. We loved M*A*S*H, because it really was one of the greats. All In The Family was another favorite in our household (I'm pretty sure Dad wanted to BE Archie Bunker.) My folks loved Newhart in all his permutations. Cosby, Night Court, and Cheers WERE Thursday nights. My racist mother watched and apparently enjoyed The Jeffersons and spinoff-of-a-spinoff 227. I don't know how she felt about her kids loving Diff'rent Strokes, but she never stopped us watching it.
And after high school, and I moved out of the family home, it would be almost ten years before I watched another half-hour comedy with any regularity. South Park, for the record. Then Family Guy, when South Park stopped being as funny.
But about two years ago, my beautiful bride moved in with me, and before she did, I got a bunch of DVDs for us to watch. She was a big fan of House, so I got a season of it. Also 24, Psych, and Chuck. And, since we both liked Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan, I got the first season of How I Met Your Mother.
HIMYM, as it's known by people who don't want to type "How I Met Your Mother" a hundred times in one article, is the first live-action sitcom I've been into since... I don't know, Cheers? It's one of three that we watch avidly, and it's definitely my favorite. Mel probably prefers Modern Family (which I also love, and will get to,) and we both like Big Bang Theory (I'll get to that, too.)
p.s. Recommendations for other sitcoms to check out? We plan to check out Community sometime. And I don't care how funny "Raising Hope" is, it stars Garrett Dillahunt, and screw that guy.
02 January 2011
Two More, and The Best of the Bunch
We finished off the weekend with two more movies: Taking Woodstock and Crazy Heart. And just to complete the minor marathon of movie-watching and reviewing, here I am. This is apparently the weekend for filmic forgiveness.
Taking Woodstock
Three things: Emile Hirsch, like Cera, Hill, and Mintz-Plasse, is not among my favorite actors. Like the others, he was in a movie that completely tainted him, but in his case, it was "Into the Wild." Sorry, McCandless was an irresponsible, selfish little tool who lacked the good sense to pack for a trip. He was amazing as Demetri Martin's friend.
The central storyline, Demetri Martin's relationship with the people around him, is very well executed.
And last but not least, it comes as the opposite of a surprise that Liev Schreiber does not make a particularly attractive woman. But he is a dignified one.
Score: 4.5/5
Crazy Heart
There is one thing to say about "Crazy Heart," in my opinion: it was pretty much a perfect movie. Music - at least as good as "Black Snake Moan" or "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"; acting - maybe better than "25th Hour"; writing - takes on all comers; cinematography - up there with "The Fountain" or "The Searchers." Even Colin Ferrell was great in this.
Scoring this movie would just be insulting.
Taking Woodstock
Three things: Emile Hirsch, like Cera, Hill, and Mintz-Plasse, is not among my favorite actors. Like the others, he was in a movie that completely tainted him, but in his case, it was "Into the Wild." Sorry, McCandless was an irresponsible, selfish little tool who lacked the good sense to pack for a trip. He was amazing as Demetri Martin's friend.
The central storyline, Demetri Martin's relationship with the people around him, is very well executed.
And last but not least, it comes as the opposite of a surprise that Liev Schreiber does not make a particularly attractive woman. But he is a dignified one.
Score: 4.5/5
Crazy Heart
There is one thing to say about "Crazy Heart," in my opinion: it was pretty much a perfect movie. Music - at least as good as "Black Snake Moan" or "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"; acting - maybe better than "25th Hour"; writing - takes on all comers; cinematography - up there with "The Fountain" or "The Searchers." Even Colin Ferrell was great in this.
Scoring this movie would just be insulting.
Batch Reviews
Eat Pray Love
I didn't hate "Eat Pray Love," in spite of this thing I have about chick flicks (a penis.) It was beautifully shot, for one thing, and had a decent storyline. I didn't really care much for the main character, who spent most of the movie rejecting things... which, to be fair, was the point. Richard Jenkins was a definite high point as a sort of Buddhist priest (a low-key Asian-inflected version of Judas Priest with way less leather,) Billy Crudup did his usual quietly amazing job (why isn't that guy a huge rockstar?) and James Franco has turned into a really good actor. Do not be surprised when, sometime in ten or so years, Franco is called "One of the best actors of his generation." Seriously. The kid from Spider-man. (3.5/5)
The Town
I was all ready to dismiss "The Town" as "Heat 2.0," which is still a pretty fair comparison, but it misses the point that "The Town" really is one of the best crime/action movies since Michael Mann sat De Niro and Pacino down in that diner for an all-too-brief conversation. But even with Mann's epic being a clear and heavy influence, Ben Affleck made a strong, assured film that happens to have a lot of similarities to the earlier movie, but stands on its own as a story and as a damn fine movie. The supporting cast was uniformly excellent, from Jeremy Renner to Blake Lively. Between this and "Gone Baby Gone," there really shouldn't be any doubt but that Ben Affleck is a damn good director. Where "Heat" was about responsibility and aging, "The Town" is about growing up and about loyalty, a subject Affleck has been concerned with since "Good Will Hunting." Seriously, see this movie if you didn't already. (5/5)
Vantage Point
I had a good time with this movie. It wasn't a great flick by any stretch, but it was a perfectly acceptable thriller, and had some nice twists and turns to it. Why it got no respect from any quarter for the editing, I'll never understand. And plus, Forest Whitaker is one of my absolute favorite actors. He's almost an elemental force, even when he's playing a somewhat nebbishy tourist with a camera in a B-movie thriller about seemingly superhuman Secret Service agents (Dennis Quaid is in a car wreck that stretches the suspension of belief past what is reasonable.) The score below includes a half point for the presence of Said Taghmoui, another favorite actor. (4/5)
The Brothers Bloom
Holy mother of God, why didn't I see this in theaters? Why didn't everybody see this in theaters? Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the absolute genius behind "Brick" a few years ago, this flick is THE con-man flick of the past decade. Twisty, turny, and full of note-perfect casting, you really are missing out if you haven't seen this one. There's Rachel Weisz playing quirky and adorable, Mark Ruffalo with charm and brains to spare, and Adrian Brody playing vulnerable in such a way as to make it kind of cool. And while those descriptions pretty much match a lot of what you've seen the three leads in, Johnson's script and directing are such that these three absolutely HAD to play those parts. Add in Robbie Coltrane, Maximillian mofuggin' Schell, and Rinko Kikuchi as one of the best sidekick characters I've ever seen, and you've got yourself a flick. A damn near perfect movie. (5.5/5 - extra credit for Kikuchi's Bang Bang.)
The Invention of Lying
Ricky Gervais. I was really only peripherally aware of who Gervais was until this past year or so. I knew of him, but I don't think I'd seen much of anything with him. When "Lying" came out, I saw him on "The Daily Show," and he was cool and funny and interesting, but I still didn't actually watch the movie. Then, on the trip to Florida a couple weeks ago, we caught a few minutes of his new standup special on HBO. He didn't displace Bill Hicks or George Carlin in my pantheon of great standup comedians, but he did floor me a couple of times. Then we saw this movie. Religious people will probably be upset at some aspects of the film, but Gervais puts across a very intelligent, very compassionate case both for and against "The Man in the Sky" (the movie's term, not mine.) Like the rest of the movies in this entry, the supporting cast was terrific... including the hated Jonah Hill, who was doing a toned-down version of his schtick, one that felt more authentic and truthful. There is a massive tonal shift about halfway through the movie, and I get what Gervais was doing, but it didn't click quite as well for me after a point. Overall, though, an excellent movie, and one that's about something - in this case, self-invention, and how to be "good." It appeals strongly to the existentialist in me. (4.5/5)
Paris, Je T'Aime
A lot of people love the hell out of this movie. There were pieces of it that were absolutely beautiful (in particular the Gus Van Sant segment near the beginning) but I'm not a fan of this type of movie. Vignettes are fine, but stringing a bunch of them together tires me out. And this movie had two strikes against it, starting about the halfway point - that fucking mime section, for one, and for two, I started feeling physically ill about the time Ben Gazzarra showed up. I don't THINK it had anything to do with the movie, so much as a couple of beers and some puerco pibil... And to be fair, I didn't finish the movie. But I don't think I will. (?/5, tending to 3/5.)
(Side note: We also got "New York, I Love You." I would have been reviewing it instead of "Paris," but our copy was slightly damaged, and started freezing up five minutes in.)
Kick Ass
Remember when I said I wished I'd seen "The Brothers Bloom" in theaters? Same applies here, but pretty much all my friends were actually recommending "Kick Ass." To those friends, I apologize. This might be the best superhero movie I've seen, and I've seen most of them since probably Burton's Batman. "Kick Ass" might have replaced "The Incredibles" for me for Favorite Superhero Movie (but I'm giving Pixar another chance, just as soon as they get "The Incredibles" out on Blu-ray. Any day now...) Chloe Moretz will one day own the entire city of Hollywood. And she actually wasn't even my favorite character.
Superbad (A brief aside.)
I hated Superbad. I thought it was stupid and pointless and determinedly unfunny. Jonah Hill was a shitty stand-in for Seth Rogen. Michael Cera is a bland, boring, dull dweeb with a black hole where his charisma should be. And Christopher Mintz-Plasse's McLovin... well, the only thing really wrong with Mintz-Plasse's performance in that movie was that everybody loved McLovin, and that's a great way to put me off the character. I hated Superbad SO MUCH that the hatred spilled onto all three of them... until "The Invention of Lying" showed me a more sympathetic Hill. Mintz-Plasse got past the Superbad Curse fully with "Kick Ass." More on Cera in a minute.
Kick Ass (the conclusion.)
In case the preceding didn't make it clear, Mintz-Plasse's Red Mist was a sheer pleasure. I can't wait for the sequel. (5/5)
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
I'm resisting a Scott 0, World 1, joke. Obviously not very well. Edgar Wright has never disappointed me. Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite zombie movies and one of my favorite comedies. Hot Fuzz is also a brilliant comedy, and works damn well as a buddy cop picture. I heard he was making this movie, and even though I didn't know much about the comics at the time, I was excited. Then he cast that black hole of talent and personality (you know him as Michael Cera) as Scott. I was less excited. Then he started filling in the supporting cast with people like Brandon Routh (who took an unfair kicking from Superman) and Jason Schwartzman (who I tend to like a lot, but I'm not always interested in the movies he makes.) I got a little more excited. Then the movie came out and got reviews that could probably charitably be called "mixed." Friends hated it. So I put it off. Then Blockbuster had it on sale for 3/$20. We were going to watch it NYE, after "Paris," but I was out of commission. So we watched it last night, right after "Kick Ass." I'm actually kind of glad we watched it at home, because that meant the whole screen was easily visible, and Wright put a LOT on the screen - far more than he usually does, and so much more than most filmmakers ever will. From the standpoint of just the pretty pictures, this movie was at least the equal of "The Matrix," or "Kill Bill," or "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," or "Dark City." (There are movies that I think are much better visually - "Pleasantville," pretty much all of Darren Aronofsky's movies, and some classics like "The Searchers." But "Scott" is definitely a recent high-water mark.)
(Cue pretentious amateur critic comment: "Edgar Wright has found new ways to convey information visually, borrowing from sources as diverse as cable news and comic books, to create a new kind of film grammar that perfectly carried this film's style, themes, and tone.")
Brandon Routh was hilariously smug as the super-powered Vegan Ex. Jason Schwartzman tore it up as End Boss Gideon, and hopefully over time, his supervillain character will be remembered as fondly as, say, Nicholson's Joker. Knives Chau (played by Ellen Wong) was, as in the books, the sweet soul of the movie. Kieran Culkin was spot-on with all the snark his character (Scott's roommate) deserved. And Aubrey Plaza is a comedy ninja. I loved her in "Funny People," too, but her Julie Powers was bitchy fun.
And the Black Hole of Charisma, Michael Cera... Well, fuck. Apparently, I just haven't seen the right Michael Cera movies. I kind of think that's because he hasn't made too many that I'd like (but I'm thinking I might try to catch "Youth in Revolt" sometime.) He may not have been the perfect choice for Scott, but Scott was definitely the perfect choice for him, if that makes sense. This part should have been a breakout hit for him - Scott's storyline is basically about growing up and coming into his own after a lifetime of just kind of floating and getting by, nothing at all for me to relate to there - but it probably won't be, because it wasn't the huge success that Superbad was. I actually feel like I owe the guy an apology. But moreso, I feel like I owe thanks to Edgar Wright for putting together such a great, heartfelt movie. It might not be for everyone, but it hit the spot for me. (5/5)
(Final side note, after watching "Kick Ass" and "Scott Pilgrim," we threw on "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," and as far as these things go, that was a hell of a good triple play.)
I didn't hate "Eat Pray Love," in spite of this thing I have about chick flicks (a penis.) It was beautifully shot, for one thing, and had a decent storyline. I didn't really care much for the main character, who spent most of the movie rejecting things... which, to be fair, was the point. Richard Jenkins was a definite high point as a sort of Buddhist priest (a low-key Asian-inflected version of Judas Priest with way less leather,) Billy Crudup did his usual quietly amazing job (why isn't that guy a huge rockstar?) and James Franco has turned into a really good actor. Do not be surprised when, sometime in ten or so years, Franco is called "One of the best actors of his generation." Seriously. The kid from Spider-man. (3.5/5)
The Town
I was all ready to dismiss "The Town" as "Heat 2.0," which is still a pretty fair comparison, but it misses the point that "The Town" really is one of the best crime/action movies since Michael Mann sat De Niro and Pacino down in that diner for an all-too-brief conversation. But even with Mann's epic being a clear and heavy influence, Ben Affleck made a strong, assured film that happens to have a lot of similarities to the earlier movie, but stands on its own as a story and as a damn fine movie. The supporting cast was uniformly excellent, from Jeremy Renner to Blake Lively. Between this and "Gone Baby Gone," there really shouldn't be any doubt but that Ben Affleck is a damn good director. Where "Heat" was about responsibility and aging, "The Town" is about growing up and about loyalty, a subject Affleck has been concerned with since "Good Will Hunting." Seriously, see this movie if you didn't already. (5/5)
Vantage Point
I had a good time with this movie. It wasn't a great flick by any stretch, but it was a perfectly acceptable thriller, and had some nice twists and turns to it. Why it got no respect from any quarter for the editing, I'll never understand. And plus, Forest Whitaker is one of my absolute favorite actors. He's almost an elemental force, even when he's playing a somewhat nebbishy tourist with a camera in a B-movie thriller about seemingly superhuman Secret Service agents (Dennis Quaid is in a car wreck that stretches the suspension of belief past what is reasonable.) The score below includes a half point for the presence of Said Taghmoui, another favorite actor. (4/5)
The Brothers Bloom
Holy mother of God, why didn't I see this in theaters? Why didn't everybody see this in theaters? Written and directed by Rian Johnson, the absolute genius behind "Brick" a few years ago, this flick is THE con-man flick of the past decade. Twisty, turny, and full of note-perfect casting, you really are missing out if you haven't seen this one. There's Rachel Weisz playing quirky and adorable, Mark Ruffalo with charm and brains to spare, and Adrian Brody playing vulnerable in such a way as to make it kind of cool. And while those descriptions pretty much match a lot of what you've seen the three leads in, Johnson's script and directing are such that these three absolutely HAD to play those parts. Add in Robbie Coltrane, Maximillian mofuggin' Schell, and Rinko Kikuchi as one of the best sidekick characters I've ever seen, and you've got yourself a flick. A damn near perfect movie. (5.5/5 - extra credit for Kikuchi's Bang Bang.)
The Invention of Lying
Ricky Gervais. I was really only peripherally aware of who Gervais was until this past year or so. I knew of him, but I don't think I'd seen much of anything with him. When "Lying" came out, I saw him on "The Daily Show," and he was cool and funny and interesting, but I still didn't actually watch the movie. Then, on the trip to Florida a couple weeks ago, we caught a few minutes of his new standup special on HBO. He didn't displace Bill Hicks or George Carlin in my pantheon of great standup comedians, but he did floor me a couple of times. Then we saw this movie. Religious people will probably be upset at some aspects of the film, but Gervais puts across a very intelligent, very compassionate case both for and against "The Man in the Sky" (the movie's term, not mine.) Like the rest of the movies in this entry, the supporting cast was terrific... including the hated Jonah Hill, who was doing a toned-down version of his schtick, one that felt more authentic and truthful. There is a massive tonal shift about halfway through the movie, and I get what Gervais was doing, but it didn't click quite as well for me after a point. Overall, though, an excellent movie, and one that's about something - in this case, self-invention, and how to be "good." It appeals strongly to the existentialist in me. (4.5/5)
Paris, Je T'Aime
A lot of people love the hell out of this movie. There were pieces of it that were absolutely beautiful (in particular the Gus Van Sant segment near the beginning) but I'm not a fan of this type of movie. Vignettes are fine, but stringing a bunch of them together tires me out. And this movie had two strikes against it, starting about the halfway point - that fucking mime section, for one, and for two, I started feeling physically ill about the time Ben Gazzarra showed up. I don't THINK it had anything to do with the movie, so much as a couple of beers and some puerco pibil... And to be fair, I didn't finish the movie. But I don't think I will. (?/5, tending to 3/5.)
(Side note: We also got "New York, I Love You." I would have been reviewing it instead of "Paris," but our copy was slightly damaged, and started freezing up five minutes in.)
Kick Ass
Remember when I said I wished I'd seen "The Brothers Bloom" in theaters? Same applies here, but pretty much all my friends were actually recommending "Kick Ass." To those friends, I apologize. This might be the best superhero movie I've seen, and I've seen most of them since probably Burton's Batman. "Kick Ass" might have replaced "The Incredibles" for me for Favorite Superhero Movie (but I'm giving Pixar another chance, just as soon as they get "The Incredibles" out on Blu-ray. Any day now...) Chloe Moretz will one day own the entire city of Hollywood. And she actually wasn't even my favorite character.
Superbad (A brief aside.)
I hated Superbad. I thought it was stupid and pointless and determinedly unfunny. Jonah Hill was a shitty stand-in for Seth Rogen. Michael Cera is a bland, boring, dull dweeb with a black hole where his charisma should be. And Christopher Mintz-Plasse's McLovin... well, the only thing really wrong with Mintz-Plasse's performance in that movie was that everybody loved McLovin, and that's a great way to put me off the character. I hated Superbad SO MUCH that the hatred spilled onto all three of them... until "The Invention of Lying" showed me a more sympathetic Hill. Mintz-Plasse got past the Superbad Curse fully with "Kick Ass." More on Cera in a minute.
Kick Ass (the conclusion.)
In case the preceding didn't make it clear, Mintz-Plasse's Red Mist was a sheer pleasure. I can't wait for the sequel. (5/5)
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
I'm resisting a Scott 0, World 1, joke. Obviously not very well. Edgar Wright has never disappointed me. Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite zombie movies and one of my favorite comedies. Hot Fuzz is also a brilliant comedy, and works damn well as a buddy cop picture. I heard he was making this movie, and even though I didn't know much about the comics at the time, I was excited. Then he cast that black hole of talent and personality (you know him as Michael Cera) as Scott. I was less excited. Then he started filling in the supporting cast with people like Brandon Routh (who took an unfair kicking from Superman) and Jason Schwartzman (who I tend to like a lot, but I'm not always interested in the movies he makes.) I got a little more excited. Then the movie came out and got reviews that could probably charitably be called "mixed." Friends hated it. So I put it off. Then Blockbuster had it on sale for 3/$20. We were going to watch it NYE, after "Paris," but I was out of commission. So we watched it last night, right after "Kick Ass." I'm actually kind of glad we watched it at home, because that meant the whole screen was easily visible, and Wright put a LOT on the screen - far more than he usually does, and so much more than most filmmakers ever will. From the standpoint of just the pretty pictures, this movie was at least the equal of "The Matrix," or "Kill Bill," or "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," or "Dark City." (There are movies that I think are much better visually - "Pleasantville," pretty much all of Darren Aronofsky's movies, and some classics like "The Searchers." But "Scott" is definitely a recent high-water mark.)
(Cue pretentious amateur critic comment: "Edgar Wright has found new ways to convey information visually, borrowing from sources as diverse as cable news and comic books, to create a new kind of film grammar that perfectly carried this film's style, themes, and tone.")
Brandon Routh was hilariously smug as the super-powered Vegan Ex. Jason Schwartzman tore it up as End Boss Gideon, and hopefully over time, his supervillain character will be remembered as fondly as, say, Nicholson's Joker. Knives Chau (played by Ellen Wong) was, as in the books, the sweet soul of the movie. Kieran Culkin was spot-on with all the snark his character (Scott's roommate) deserved. And Aubrey Plaza is a comedy ninja. I loved her in "Funny People," too, but her Julie Powers was bitchy fun.
And the Black Hole of Charisma, Michael Cera... Well, fuck. Apparently, I just haven't seen the right Michael Cera movies. I kind of think that's because he hasn't made too many that I'd like (but I'm thinking I might try to catch "Youth in Revolt" sometime.) He may not have been the perfect choice for Scott, but Scott was definitely the perfect choice for him, if that makes sense. This part should have been a breakout hit for him - Scott's storyline is basically about growing up and coming into his own after a lifetime of just kind of floating and getting by, nothing at all for me to relate to there - but it probably won't be, because it wasn't the huge success that Superbad was. I actually feel like I owe the guy an apology. But moreso, I feel like I owe thanks to Edgar Wright for putting together such a great, heartfelt movie. It might not be for everyone, but it hit the spot for me. (5/5)
(Final side note, after watching "Kick Ass" and "Scott Pilgrim," we threw on "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," and as far as these things go, that was a hell of a good triple play.)
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