Lou's Policework

DVD Review: Adaptation.

2009-03-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

Adaptation

(Dir. Spike Jonze)

What Adaptation does best is maintain humanity within it's oddity. While the film plays with narrative and tangles plots and toys with the line between real and fake, it never loses its heart. This is due to all the parts working together in a beautiful whole as is rarely witnessed.

Charlie Kaufman's screenplay features himself and his fictional brother (whom he gave real screenwriting credit to) as screenwriters. In the film Charlie is attempting to adapt Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief, a real bestseller about a real man, John Laroche. Charlie struggles, as he fails to write a screenplay about flowers (the first of it's kind, unless you count Flowers for Algernon as Donald Kaufman suggests). It also kills him to see his brother, Donald, succeed with a trite screenplay written based off of advice from Robert McKee at a writing seminar. Meanwhile, Susan falls in love with John whilst studying him, and Charlie develops a crush on Susan whilst studying her. They both attempt to keep objectivity, but the love/lust for their subject is too strong.

Spike Jonze brings Kaufman's script to the screen with a complete understanding of the creative process, which is the main emphasis of the film. Jonze mixes genres (much as the greatest film ever, Casablanca, did, McKee would claim), by bringing a lightness to the more comedic scenes, a deathly tension to the darker scenes, and a perfect blend of the two to the scenes that call for it.

The cast, which consists of real people playing themselves, real people playing other real people, and real people playing fake people, all do so by ignoring which category they fall into and absorbing their character as if they had known them all their life. Meryl Streep plays Susan, who has a longing just to long for something, and it's painful to watch her convice herself that Laroche is the thing. Chris Cooper plays Laroche as a man who may be missing his front teeth and common decency, but isn't just another hick. And Nicholas Cage plays both brothers Kaufman with such an understanding of both men that no makeup is needed to distinguish the characters when both are present on the screen. You can tell them apart by their unique personalities and little gestures and the pain beneath Charlie's eyes that Donald lacks.

Adaptation has many ideas and meanings and layers of depth that I couldn't begin to get into, mainly because I didn't understand most of them myself. But don't count this against the film. What it does so brilliantly is create such humanly flawed characters with such painful dilemmas that even if you don't get the subtext, you can still enjoy the way it's all delivered.

Grade: A

Music Break: Neko Case's MIDDLE CYCLONE

2009-03-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

Middle Cyclone by Neko Case

This is a very great album, which has beautiful undertones and rich melodies. The songs play with simplicity, never becoming bored, but instead enriching the context of each track. Also, the album ends with 30 minutes of crickets chirping. How awesomer could you get than that?

Key Tracks:
"The Pharaohs"
"People Got a Lotta Nerve"
"I'm an Animal"
"Don't Forget Me"

Grade: A

Film Review: Watchmen

2009-03-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

Zack Snyder had a tough job in front of him after agreeing to direct the film adaptation of Watchmen, one of the most beloved graphic novels in history. What Snyder did was just that, an adaptation. He filmed the movie with both a deep appreciation for the novel, and his completely unique style.

Snyder’s film depends heavily on the visceral experience. Luckily, there’s little wrong with this. By sticking to the story laid out for him, he gave himself the ability to spend most of his time with how the film looked and felt, rather than the ways it worked. However, this is not to say he leaves depth and character development and such things behind. He merely lets them fall in organically. This is most likely more attributable to the writers and the actors than Snyder, but whatever he did or didn’t do, he did it right.

The film’s only real problem is the lead actress, Malin Akerman. Her lack of acting ability is quite distracting, especially in the scenes which call on her to act. Luckily, the other performances range from good to outstanding. Patrick Wilson brings a vulnerability to Nite Owl, without bordering on pathetic. Billy Crudup perfectly plays Dr. Manhattan, an extremely difficult task considering how little humanity the character is given. The two standouts are Jeffery Dean Morgan as The Comedian and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. Morgan lets you love a character that you should hate. And Haley plays a man so emotionally mutilated by past horrors that he’s lost so much of what makes him human, but with a subtle desire to not be so sick, and a less subtle desire to make everyone like him.

Snyder’s distinct visual style, coupled with a handful of fantastic performances let the themes of the novel play their course while never forgetting that originality is what made Watchmen great in the first place.

Grade: A-

Movie Briefs: Cera Signs on Development, Andy Signs on Conan, Gondry Signs on Green Hornet

2009-02-24T15:25:00.000-08:00

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT MOVIE A GO! It is basically 100% official. It now looks like Michael Cera has signed on, and everyone else already has and awesome! There's no word on when they'll start filming or anything, because it hasn't actually been confirmed. But it basically has. Get very excited people

I know this is TV news, but I will be covering that sometimes when it is awesome enough to. This is one of those times. Hopefully assuring that Conan will at least keep some of his comedic absurdity, Andy Richter has signed on to be the announcer of the Tonight Show when the pale freak takes over June 1st. I never saw Andy Richter Controls the Universe, but I loved Andy Barker, P.I. and when he was on Conan and in Elf. Sadly, though, this means loveably creepy Joel Godard will be gone.

In the third piece of insanly great news today, Michael Gondry will be directing The Green Hornet. Yes, that Green Hornet, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg of Superbad and Pineapple Express fame. And starring Seth Rogen and Stephan Chow. It's kind of cool that, first, Seth and Evan's Express is directed by arthouse-hero David Gordan Green. And now, for their next big-screen blockbuster, they bring in the opposite of a blockbuster-director. Some are worried that the story of the Green Hornet doesn't give Gondry enough room to play, but that's why he's Michael Gondry! Because he can do amazing things, remember? I loved Eternal Sunshine, and it's currently one of my favorite of the decade. I also liked Be Kind, Rewind a lot more than most people. Paint me excited.

DVDs/Blu-Rays This Week: February 24th, 2009

2009-02-24T14:41:00.000-08:00

I'VE SEEN:

Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season

Creator. Vince Gilligan

(DVD)

To be honest, I only saw the first episode. Then, they started deleting from the DVR faster than I could watch them. However, I loved the first episode, and will definetly rent this in order to be caught up for the new season. Bryan Cranston is unbelievable in this, as is RJ Mitte as his kid. And the rest of the cast. After this and Mad Men, I can't wait to see when genius AMC spits out next.

I HAVEN'T SEEN:

Akira

Dir. Katsuhiro Otomo

(Blu-Ray)

The animation classic about a post-WWIII Tokyo and bikers and all that. To be honest, I don't know much about this film but I do know I want/need to see it. It is a classic after all.

The French Connection

Dir. William Friedkin

(Blu-Ray)

Another "need-to-see" movie coming out on Blu-Ray. There are so many movies out there that I need to see that I am going to start only with the ones on Blu-Ray. It makes it much more manageable, at least for now. Then I 'll go for the classics not on Blu-Ray, and finally start to delve more into specific genres and directors and all that. I just thought I'd throw that in there.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

Dir. Kurt Kuenne

(DVD)

Supposedly one of the most emotional films of last year, if not the most tear-jerker of a documentary ever made, Dear Zachary was filmed by Kurt as he tried to memorialize his late friend. While filming, he finds out that the woman who killed him was pregnant with his friend's son, Zachary of the title. The plot just typed out is hard to read, and I can't imagine it's a fun movie to watch, but a powerful one.

Out This Week: 3rd Week in February, 2009

2009-02-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

Fired Up!
(Dir. Will Gluck)
[Wide Release]

Plot: Two high school jocks (Nicholas D'Agosto and Eric Christian Olsen) can't stand the thought of another summer at football camp. So, they decide to go to cheerleading camp instead! They figure, more hot babes equals better summer, right? Well, it all goes according to plan until one of the guys falls in love with a cheerleader.

My Excitement Level (1-10): 3
Why?: C'mon, look at the plot. And D'Agosto sucked the big one on Heroes who stood out as uncharismatic among a sea of lameos. Plus, the commercials look really dumb (except for the "we are crashing/we we are crashing" line. That was pretty funny). Despite rave reviews from Ain't It Cool, I think I'll skip this one.
Current RT: 22%

Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail
(Dir. Tyler Perry)
[Wide Release]

Plot: A lot of black stuff happens to black people and Tyler Perry dresses up as a woman again.

My Excitement Level: 0
Why?: Not even going to bother.

Current RT: N/A

Must Read After My Death
(Dir. Morgan Dews)
[Limited Release]

Plot: A documentary about Dews' grandmother, Allis, who over her life collected a large amount of audio recordings, silent films, pictures and journals of and about her family's tough history. After her death, Dews discovered these treasures and created this film following the life of his grandmother, and her hisband and four kids. As their lives turn darker, so do the recordings, and Dews plays these tapes in contradiction with the home movies which create a much simpler and nicer facade.

My Excitement Level: 9
Why?: Maybe it's just because this film happens to come out the same weekend as the previous two movies I mentioned, but it seems very unique and quite possibly (and hopefully) heartbreaking. It reminds me of My Winnipeg, if not quite (or nearly) as weird, in the way that it strips the memories we create to show the truth of the pain we have stored in our past.

Current RT: 100%

DVDs/Blu-Rays This Week: February 10th, 2009

2009-02-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

I'VE SEEN:

W.
Dir. Oliver Stone
(DVD/Blu-Ray)

This film had some major flaws, including a disjointed story, and a lack of cohesiveness between the politics and the personal life of Bush. However, Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Banks (and Richard Dreyfuss, and James Cromwell and a lot more) are astoundingly amazing. Brolin creates a deep and moving character where he could have easily made a caricature. And the scene near the end, the conversation about Cats (and more) in the Bush bedroom, is one of the best scenes of last year. It is definetly worth seeing, but don't expect a masterpiece.

Film Grade: B-

I HAVEN'T SEEN:

Chocolate
Dir. Prachya Pinkaew
(DVD/Blu-Ray)

This film sounds awesome. An autistic girl can do any martial arts moves she sees in movies, and uses them to stop the evil creditors coming after her cancer-ridden mother. Seriously, how is that not one of the best plots ever? I definelty plan to rent this one.

Frozen River
Dir. Courtney Hunt
(DVD/Blu-Ray)

I mainly want to see this because of Melissa Leo's Oscar-nominated performance. The film itself looks good too, with illegal immigration and all that.

Movie Briefs: Inglorious Trailer Preview, 'Licoln' Gets Rushed, Krasinski & Baldwin & Streep & Martin

2009-02-10T15:52:00.001-08:00

The Inglorious Basterds trailer has not yet debuted, but what /film does have is a couple seconds of the film from Entertainment Tonight. It's a preview of the preview. With most any other film, a preview of a preview wouldn't mean a thing, but I've been dying for just a taste of Basterds. Pitt looks like he'll be very loose, and the film won't have a completely dark feel. This judging from about 2 seconds. But, either way, enjoy this footage, and get excited for Basterds.
John Krasinski joins Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in an upcoming Nancy Meyers film. Honestly, the plot is dull, but you can read it here, at JoBlo. And Meyers doesn't have a great track record. But it's near impossible to imagine that the cast won't make the film at the very least enjoyable.
Finally, a film I'm very much looking forward to just might be added to this year's docket. Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, a biopic about the 16th President, might be fast tracked to premiere around the holidays. Last time Spielberg did such a rush job, we ended up with the critically acclaimed Oscar-nominated Munich. Plus, Lincoln is written by Tony Kushner (Angels in America, Munich), and stars Liam Neeson as Abe. Also, the role of Booth is as of yet uncast (the film follows the last few months of Lincoln's life), and it wouldn't be surprising to see a big, awesome name in that role. So, yeah, get yourself freaking excited.

Movie Briefs: Dreamworks & Disney Get Cozy, Inglorious Trailer(?), Tom Tykwer is the What

2009-02-09T15:30:00.000-08:00

In very big news, Disney has bought Dreamworks from Universal. JoBlo reports that the deal will mean the Disney's Touchstone Pictures will release six Dreamworks films a year. While their animation department can't hold a candle to Pixar, they've made a couple good ones. Plus, this deal is all about the live action, and Dreamworks is pretty good there. The problem is that they're going for family films, and Touchstone pictures completely lacks in quality there. Hopefully everyone will work together and make great movies. Because we don't need another Swing Vote.
According to /film, director Tom Tykwer (the upcoming The International) is adapting Dave Eggers' novel What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng. The novel is a lose telling of the story of Valentino, one of the Sudanese Lost Boys. As a Lost Boy, he "was forced to leave his village in Sudan at the age of seven and trek hundreds of miles by foot, pursued by militias, government bombers, and wild animals, crossing the deserts of three countries to find freedom", according to book description. I've always wanted to get into Eggers, and think this would be a good reason to start.
I'm really, really hoping Inglorious Basterds is not just good, but great. I'm counting on the trailer to give me hope. Even though trailers often give very different impressions then the actual film, it'll be nice to at least see the style of the movie. /film says that it's looking like we'll be seeing this teaser trailer as early as this week. Even though it's quite a while until its supposed debut at Cannes in May, the trailer may be featured with the Friday the 13th remake because, you know, they're both movies.

Review: Coraline

2009-02-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

Coraline, an early contender for the best film of the year, creates not only a world to get lost in, but a world to get lost in within that world. Coraline follows the titular character as she moves to a new town without any friends and with parents who are much too busy for her. Add in an annoying boy down the road and oddball performers as neighbors and Coraline’s life is terribly unpleasant. Eventually, she discovers a tiny door in her new house, which leads to a world much like her own, except that every flaw of her original world is fixed. All she needs to do to stay? Sew buttons onto her eyes.

The film compares the world we live in with the world we dream of. While our own lives may seem dreary and depressing, the perfect world we envision is best left a dream. The reason is because there is always a price to pay for perfection. Most often we are not asked to sew buttons on our eyes, but this is merely a way of showing the sacrifices necessary to having everything we want.

John Hodgman proves that voicing is an art as much as acting is, by bringing a loving and comical quality to Coraline’s father. The film combines creepiness with its magical wonderment, creating an even more frightening spin by turning the colorful worlds we imagine into nightmares. And director Henry Selick’s stop-motion animation is perfectly used as a beautiful alternative to the common-place CGI.

Coraline expresses the belief that a perfect world cannot exist, but proves that a perfect film can.

Grade: A

A Re-Welcome

2009-01-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

I realized how little time I have. Here is what I am going to do. Everyday there will be one post min. It will be tidbits of information on stories I find interesting along with links to the sources. If something really strikes me, it might get a full post. Whenever I see a movie in theaters, it will get a review. Every Wednesday, I will post a Weekly Preview. Every Tuesday, I will post a DVD/Blu-Ray wrap-up, without reviews (no early access!). Every Thursday, I will mini-review all the films I have seen on Blu-Ray/DVD over the past week, unless I feel like I wish to post on said Blu-Ray/DVD in its own post. Every Sunday, I will have a special post picking my top news stories of the week, Top 3 in the Theaters, some DVDs/Blu-Rays to check out and the release I'm most looking forward to in the coming week. However, I will not be doing that this Sunday, but from then on.

I'm Back

2009-01-26T16:07:00.000-08:00

I gave up the blog, but now I'm back bitches.

Weekly Preview: Week of Nov. 24, 2008

2008-11-26T16:43:00.001-08:00

Let's face it: I'm broke. I don't have enough money to see very many movies. On top of that, I don't have a car, so I can't get to movies easily unless my friends are going. This makes it difficult to review 1, let alone all, of the movies coming out any given week. So in this feature, "Weekly Preview", I'll preview all of the films coming out this week, give their current Rotten Tomatoes score, what I think based off of word of mouth and the trailer, and more. I'll also list them in the order of my excitement, from the one I'm least likely to try to see, to the one I'm most likely to try to see. Enjoy.

Four Christmases
(Dir. Seth Gordon)
[Wide Release]

Plot: Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon play a couple who attempt to ditch their families at Christmas, but get stuck there nevertheless. Because both of their parents are divorced, they must visit all four of their families. Hilarity ensues.

My Excitement Level (1-10): 2
Why?: As much as I love Vince & Reese, they both deserve better than what looks to be two hours of material we've seen before and done better. The "jokes" look to be of the "punched in the crotch" variety, and Lord knows we need more of those.

Current RT: 26%

Transporter 3
(Dir. Olivier Megaton)
[Wide Release]

Plot: Shoot. Blow Up. Bang, bang. Jason Statham.

My Excitement Level (1-10): 4
Why?: At the very least, it could be entertaining. Even though Statham picks crappy movies (The Bank Job, War, anything he's been in), some of them can be worth watching merely for the popcorn value, but I'm not expecting anything on the level of the action greats (Blade II, etc.).

Current RT: 35%

Australia
(Dir. Baz Luhrmann)
[Wide Release]

Plot: Set in the titular country, on the brink of WWII, Nicole Kidman plays a wealthy English socialite who needs help from a not-so-wealthy local (Hugh Jackman) in order to keep her land, or something like that. Basically, it's a giant war/romace epic set in Australia during WWII.

My Excitement Level: 6.5
Why?: At first I was looking forward to this film a ton, based on the beautiful shots from the trailer. However, even the reviews that agree that the film is beautiful say that that's about all the film has to offer. I'm not a huge fan of either actor, but Kidman can be great when she wants to be. Also, the film length has me a tad concerned.

Current RT: 51%

Milk
(Dir. Gus Van Zant)
[Limited Release]

Plot: The film follows Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office. Sean Penn plays Milk, surrounded by an impressive cast (James Franco, Josh Brolin, etc.), as he gains public popularity and changes the face of the gay rights movement.

My Excitement Level: 9
Why?: While the film seems a little conventional, I'd much prefer that to a confusing experiment like Van Zant's Paranoid Park, however good it was. Sean Penn looks great in it, as do Brolin, Franco, Emilie Hirsh, and others. Also, with Propsition 8 so fresh in my mind, it'll be nice to see how far the movement has come.

Current RT: 92%

Invasions of the Body Snatchers: 1956 v. 1978

2008-10-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the 1956 version, is heralded as one of the greatest B-movies of all time, mostly for the fact that the only B aspect of it was being the second picture played at a double feature. Don Seigel, the director, could have fooled anybody by claiming this was the first film played, which it ended up being. The acting is fantastic, the story enticing, and the themes explored are both creepy and subtle.

The same greatness cannot be claimed by the '78 version. While Donald Sutherland is very good in the lead role, he has nothing on Kevin McCarthy, whose cameo in the remake was one of the film's highlights. The remake takes a much less subtle approach at its creatures. While the first film viewed those who have had their bodies snatched as humans who can simply not display emotion, the remake features stony characters, whose wail is anything but chilling.

The point of the subtlety in the original film was to exemplify how emotion is taken for granted by those who do not love. Love was a resonant theme of the first film, but fear seems to take an unwarranted precedence in the remake. In the first film, only those who truly love someone can tell when they have changed. Whether it be a son or a niece, it takes someone close to the victim to understand their loss of emotion. In the remake, it's quite obvious when one is snatched. They become unrecognizable in attitude and behavior. Also, they scream like annoying banshees. I don't quite understand who thought the screaming would be a good idea, but it does little to add and much to detract.

The second major difference between the two is the setting. The first film takes place in a small town, Santa Mira, while the remake is located in San Fransisco. The earlier film takes a good chunk of time showing how Dr. Miles Bennell (McCarthy) knows most of the people in the town. This makes the later scenes more filled with desperation and a much stronger emotional punch. These are people he knows and sees every day, changed, never to return. In the later film, Bennell (Sutherland) and Driscoll (Brooke Adams) live in a big city where it already seems dirty enough that these aliens are unneeded. Sure, maybe the message is that these aliens are cleaning up the earth, but that theme doesn't have near the emotional power of the first film. When Driscoll in the remake says that her city has changed, it doesn't mean near as much as when Bennell, in the first film, notices all the people he knew and loved have changed.

The second movies goes for stark realism, while the original knows that if you have an absurd topic, you need to attack with a level of absurdity, or scenes will occur where "real" people talk about aliens and such and sound like idiots, as is what happens in the '78 version.

But I am too harsh. The '78 version does do some things right. Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum (Jack Bellicic) are both very good, especially the former. Veronica Cartwright (Nancy, Jack's wife) is excellent despite some annoying, non-body-snatched screaming in earlier scenes. Also, the film is very well shot, and the story movies along at a solid pace. Sadly, however, the good does not outweigh the bad, and the film ends up a major dud. The Invasion, last year's attempt at a remake was not supposed to be anywhere near good, and I hope that means the attempts are over. The original is a sci-fi classic, a study in psychological terror and despair. Let's leave it alone, or at least attempt to bring back the subtle creepiness dare we try again.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956): A
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): C

My Apologies

2008-10-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in quite a bit, and for that, I am sorry. I have been busy, but not busy enough to excuse myself from my work (not my work). I think part of the reason is I set my bar too high. I am going to aim to get 1 news post every day, musings on some films I see, and full on reviews of other films.

Hathaway & Carter Are Burton's Queens

2008-10-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Source: THR

Yesterday it was del Toro, today it's Tim Burton; directors with beautifully original visions taking classic books, and updating their film version. For del Toro, it's The Hobbit which will have to have to struggle to be worse than the cartoon version. For Burton, it's an update of Alice in Wonderland; his version "will use a combination of live action and performance-capture technology" to tell the story famously brought to the screen in the Disney classic (one of my favorite Disney films). And, like Toro, news has recently come out that proves that this movie will kick even more ass than previously imagined. Two of the greatest actresses working today, Anne Hathaway & Helena Bonham Carter have signed on:

"Hathaway is playing the White Queen, a benevolent monarch who is deposed and banished by her sister, the Red Queen (Carter), who has an affinity for crying out, "Off with their heads!" The White Queen needs Alice to slay a creature known as the Bandersnatch."

I think Carter is perfect for the Red Queen. I can completely imagine her shrieking the classic line with such evil it may even give me nightmares. And Hathaway has apparently proven her brilliance recently (damn you Rachel Getting Married for not playing in Chicago), so it will be exciting to see her in what should be a brilliantly fantastic film. Plus, Burton has experience updating classic kids movies. While Charlie and the Chocolate Factory may not have touched the original (few kids movies can), it was still fantastic. Also, this news comes after we learned that Depp will be playing the Mad Hatter. Hopefully this won't hurt the chances of Depp playing The Riddler in Batman 3, which I know is just a rumor, but it's one I'm hoping for.

Audience Commentary: I thought Hathaway did fantastic on SNL; your thoughts on her hosting gig?

WWI + The Hobbit = del Toro Rules

2008-10-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

Source: ComingSoon

You can tell Guillermo del Toro is a brilliant filmmaker because to build hype for his films, he merely needs to let them exist. Of course, it helps when the film you're hyping is based off of one of the biggest books of all time, and a prequel to the most epic film trilogy since the original Star Wars. The Hobbit will be great, not only because I love the book and del Toro, but because he seems to get it. Listen, I loved The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. I thought it was loads of fun. Great performances, beautiful sets, etc. However, Jackson didn't seem to completely get what it all meant. That's why it helps when del Toro comes out and says the following:

"I find you have to discipline yourself to write in the morning, and then watch and read in the afternoons stuff that seems relevant, even in a tangential way. For example, reading or watching World War I documentaries or books that I think inform 'The Hobbit,' strangely enough, because I believe it is a book born out of Tolkien's generation's experience with World War I and the disappointment of being in that field and seeing all those values kind of collapse. I think it's a turning point that you need to familiarize yourself with."

It seems that Toro completely gets it. He's putting in the time and research (not saying Jackson didn't). I think these films (they're splitting it into two movies) will have the epic proportions of Lord of the Rings, but the sheer brilliance and vision of Pan's Labyrinth. It also helps that Pan was also using mythical creatures as an allegory for war (in that case, it was the Spanish Civil War) and it was one of thebest films of the year. I have extremely high hopes for this project.

Audience Commentary: Which Hellboy? I or II?

Why "Chihuahua"s Scare Me Not

2008-10-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

Many are troubled by the #1 film at the box office this week, Beverly Hills Chihuahua. I see where these people come from. It is upsetting that good films (such as the severely underrated Flash of Genius) recieve poor Box Office due to lame films (thought, to be fair, I did not see BHC, but most people seem upset at it's success). And I completely agree in cases such as Disaster Movie, Bangkok Dangerous or Meet the Spartans. But BHC is different. The people who Flash of Genius aims for are not the same as the people BHC aims for. The latter aims for children, that former for adults. The problem with kids movies is not that they can't be done well, as Pixar proves time after time that they can be the most brilliant films out there. However, they come along much less often. So, it makes sense that if a kid sees a movie with talking dogs, they will say "Yes, please". And guess what? I was raised on those movies. But I grew out of them. Just because you see these pieces of crap as a kid does not mean those bad tastes carry over. A parent, no matter how big of a snob, would be asinine to refuse to take their kid to a movie because it didn't look good. If your kid really wants to go see this thing, you can rest assured that part of the reason they want to go is because they love the theater. And that's great! Take them to the theater whenever a kid movie comes out (if you have the time and money). Instead of being a snob, let them develop their own taste for movies. Loving movies is so much more important than loving good movies. I'm a snob, and I'll be the first to tell you this.

Now, I must expand on a point a introduced a second ago. While these movies making money do not trouble me, movies such as Disaster Movie do, because it holds back careers. By rewarding shit filmmakers, they can create more and more shit, instead of letting geniuses come in and take over. I know movie taste is subjective, but seriously. The Dark Knight, Iron Man, and Pineapple Express proved that movies can be big, enjoyable and brilliant. There are no more excuses.

But let me return to my original point for a final word, a word of hope. Sure, BHC topped the Box Office, but guess what? If it had opened anywhere near Wall-E, it would have been demolished. Not only would Pixar's masterpiece beat it, but, because there was a better alternative, few people would have seen BHC at all. The kids would be happy with Wall-E, and have no need to see that shit. I will bet you that Bolt, if it's half as good as it looks, will do much better than BHC, because it will not only have kids dragging their parents, but it will have film buff parents dragging their kids.

Review: Flash of Genius

2008-10-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

The newest in a long line of great movies with awful ad campaigns is Flash of Genius. The trailers sell this film to be another true-story inspirational tale. At the end of this film, one feels anything but inspiration. Flash is the story of a man so stubborn that he drives everything away to gain something which was never worth it in the first place. Greg Kinnear brilliantly plays Bob Kearns, the inventor of the intermittent windshield wipers. When he presents his invention to Ford, they steal his creation and give him zero credit. Knowing that he is responsible for this technological advancement drives Kearns insane, and he becomes so obsessed with getting Ford to admit what they’ve done, that he drives his caring family away. Lauren Graham plays his wife who never stops loving Bob; she just can’t take his obsession anymore. The final act of the film takes place in a courtroom, featuring understated speeches and performances, where most directors would place yelling and unrealistically fiery speeches. The final shot shows that Kearns may have won a battle, but he lost the war.

Grade: A-

Letter To: SNL, On Jon Hamm

2008-10-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

I know Saturday Night Live is a TV show, and Jon Hamm is most famous for the beyond brilliant Mad Men, which is currently the best show on TV. But, I really want to write this, and so I’ll use the fact that Hamm is in The Day the Earth Stood Still remake (which I will see mostly for him) as an excuse:

Dear SNL,
I love you. I watch you every week, and understand that most of the time your skits aren’t funny. You normally have 2-3 gems, and then a couple amusing ones. Weekend Update is pretty consistently great, the only part of the show that is. I appreciate that it is difficult to write a lot of great skits in one week, but you have a duty. Because the freakin’ amazing Jon Hamm is hosting your show in three weeks, you start now. Start coming up with great skits NOW! Not that I don’t love Anne Hathaway or Josh Brolin, but Jon Hamm needs to prove his comedic chops, which I know he has from late night interviews and such. So please, SNL, start writing some brilliant skits now, so Hamm is not let down.

'Australia' Trailer.2

2008-10-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

The African Queen, the 1951 classic, followed a lowly dirty man (Humphrey Bogart) and a socialite (Kathrine Hepburn) during WWI, as they turn a tiny boat into a warship. While the new Australia may not have the warship, it definitely has a Queen vibe, but on a grander scale. But, regardless of its similarities to TCM staples, it looks freakin’ amazing. There’s everything you could want in a movie; romance, action, bigness, Nicole Kidman in a not-sucky movie (hopefully). It’s hard to imagine this film not being awesome.

'Australia' Exclusive Video: "Defy"

Top Ten Films of All Time

2008-10-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

“Fargo”
“Taxi Driver”
“12 Angry Men”
“Singin’ In the Rain”
“The Thin Man”
“Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”
“No Country for Old Men”
“Reservoir Dogs”
"Donnie Darko"
"Paths of Glory"

A Welcome

2008-10-05T15:57:00.001-07:00

This is the umpteenth blog I’ve tried to begin, but given this has the best name, I assume it has the best chance of survival. I’m also focusing my view; I’ve tried to do blogs on all of entertainment, but now I will stick to movies. Every Saturday (or around then) I will make a post about music, books and TV Shows you should check out.

But back to movies. The name of course comes from what may be the best movie of all time, “Fargo”. It is in hot contention with “Taxi Driver”. My first ‘real’ post will be my Top Ten of All Time List, but I must give this warning: I am hideously behind in my film education. I have not seen “The Godfather”. I have not seen “Goodfellas”. I have not seen “Fight Club”, nor “Pulp Fiction”. There are a million holes which I have to fill, but here is the silver lining. You will have the opportunity to follow me through my film education! I will try and post a review for each movie I watch, but if I see too many a week, I may do a summary post every weekend. This way, you can see what holes I’m closing and which I still have left. Also, every year, I will not only post my Top Ten of the year, but also a Revised Top Ten of All Time.

There will be features and reviews and news. I will try and do at least one movie review a week, and at least one DVD review. This will difficult, given my small budget, but I will attempt it. I will try to make 2-3 posts per day on movie news items. I will also have “neat” features. Once a month I will ‘write a letter’ to a celebrity who needs to learn a lesson for two (something tells me Dane Cook will get at least 10). Another feature will be called “Flashback”. I’m excited about this one. I will begin next year with 1992 (my birth year) and watch a movie that came out that week of that year. This will be bi-weekly at first (therefor the film can be from either of the two weeks), but it may become weekly eventually. Finally, I will do some sort of DVD round-up every Tuesday, because I quite like those.

Also, I will be seeing 5 films at the Chicago Film Festival (hopefully they will be: “Happy-Go-Lucky”, “Wendy & Lucy”, “The Good, The Bad, and the Weird”, “The Wrestler” and “A Christmas Tale”). I will then review these movies on the blog.

So please, stay. Hopefully you will enjoy what you see, and if not, then…