Avenue G

I Know You Want Me -- Picture courtesy of Acer

by blogSpotter
Dear readers, I’m having my year-end writer’s block along with coming off of colds, flu and vacations. If I can ever get back to my normal, quiet and otherwise healthy existence I may recover the muse of witty and provocative blog-writing.

That being said, we’ll have to make do with a "Christmas memory" retrospective and movie review combo. My mother has become frail in recent years and we don’t do an over-the-top, house-of-lights yuletide festival that we once did at her house. In fact, this year there was nary a Santa candle to be found on any table top. We still had a wonderful family gathering with good food, cheer and gift exchange. In a Dickensian moment, it finally occurred to me that Christmas is not about the gaudy tinsel decor or the towering Scotch pine Christmas tree. It’s not really about the Mississippi mud pie or pecan fudge desserts. No sir, not at all. In the final analysis, Christmas is about the gifts. OK, you can bring baby Jesus into it too if you want. After we did our exchange of cologne, jewelry, candy, gift cards and various DVD’s all was right with the world. Well, almost right.

My Mother’s gift to herself was a purple (Amethyst) Acer Aspire netbook computer. It’s the new model, with 160GB hard drive and Windows 7 Starter edition. She paid about the same as I paid a year ago for a black HP Mini with Windows XP and a seriously smaller hard drive. I don’t know why my mind works as it does, but in the time that I set up her new Aspire, my HP Mini (which now has a dark spot on the middle of the screen) lost pretty much all of its appeal. How can I go thru major electronics as quickly as other people go thru shirts or magazines? I haven’t done anything yet, but an avocado green mini is probably in the near future for me.

We had 10 people and 4 dogs crowded into 1 house, so I had to flee the premises a couple of times to go to the Round Rock Cinemark. I watched Up In the Air in which George Clooney portrays a workaholic bachelor who lives out of a suitcase and lays people off for a living. The movie is an eye-opener for some of us who can relate to the main character’s lonely but simultaneously clueless situation. This movie will make the viewer question what success is in any real sense. It ends a little bit sadly and ambiguously -- you hope that George’s character, Ryan, has found a key to happiness if not yet happiness itself.

I also caught Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey and Jude Law. This movie was stylish and plush with eye candy for all. With it’s clever plot twists, technical intrigue and fun bromance attitude, it reminded me of either Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid or maybe The Sting. Some of the technical gimmickry reminded me of Wild, Wild West where things improbable for 2009 are shown happening in London of 1887. No matter -- this movie is certainly not for historical nitpickers. This movie is for anyone who enjoys action, romance, intrigue and plot twists galore -- the main ingredients for all great cinema.

In sum, I had a really fun Christmas and very long (6 day) stay in Round Rock. I’m hoping that my future blog entries bring me back to history, science or philosophy but I’ll need to flush all the cold medicine, flu germs, and Christmas candy out of my system. Cheers, and Happy 2010 to all.


© 2009 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema, Humor, Retrospective

I don't think Mommy likes me -- Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
I just returned from a week-long vacation in LA and Palm Springs. As soon as I gather my thoughts and notes about all that, I may post a travelogue; I caught a bad cold halfway through the week and it has slowed down my thought process. That doesn’t stop me from doing a movie review (triple-header) however...

ORPHAN
This morning I watched a movie made for Halloween -- Orphan. The movie is basically a retelling of 1956’s Bad Seed which has Patty McCormack as the evil, possessed child. Orphan features less well-known actors, and has a very talented 12 year-old named Isabelle Fuhrman in the role of the disturbed 9 year old orphan, Esther. The movie has received some bad press because it seems to cast shadows on the whole adoption process. The movie company had to change it’s ad campaign as a response. "It must be difficult to love an adopted child as much as your own," was switched to "I don’t think Mommy likes me very much."

I wasn’t too keen that (early in the movie) she was singled out as potentially evil for being precocious or having a large vocabulary for her age. What are we implying? Must you be a dunce to not be evil? There I went and used a word like "dunce" -- hoping that doesn’t put me in the evil category. The movie has you believe that the step siblings wouldn’t report Esther’s bizarre, violent behavior to the parents. I guess movies need incredible events to proceed. Have to confess that I enjoyed some of the sillieness -- it's easily worth a $1 redbox rental fee.

WHATEVER WORKS
This small-budget Woody Allen movie challenges our assumptions about what normal really is, when a "normal" family from the deep south dissolves. The daughter seeks life’s answers in Manhattan, rooming with an old, acerbic retired physicist played by Larry David. The mother tracks her down, soon followed by the father. I won’t divulge what happens but each person experiences self-discovery in the unfettered setting of the Big Apple. I can’t say that the movie is ground-breaking since Allen and others have done similar topics in movies like Annie Hall and Manhattan.

MAIDEN HEIST
Can’t help but think that this was a "straight-to-video" movie since I never saw theater ads for it. It features three museum guards who scheme to keep a new curator from moving some of their favorite exhibits off to a museum in Denmark. They work up a plan to substitute forgeries for the real items and all manner of buffoonery ensues. With Morgan Freeman, William H Macy and Christopher Walken, even this "B" movie was an enjoyable use of time while I was answering the door for trick-or-treaters. I am reminded of what Carrot Top said on Jay Leno: "I make my movies right in the video store, and cut out the middle man". While that makes no sense it still made me laugh out loud.

OK, I’ve had my 3rd dosages of Wal-Phed and still feel like crapola. Have done all the usual things -- fluids, rest, chicken soup. Maybe about three more movies will bring me around. I have a busy week at work next week, as well as my first on-call rotation so we’ll keep our fingers crossed that everything works out OK.

© 2009 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema

A brat never looked so good -- Picture courtesy of A.A. Productions Ltd

by blogSpotter
TCM showed Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita (1962) last night -- a very black, splendid comedy about 20 years ahead of its time. Based on Nabokov’s novel, the movie tells the tawdry tale of Professor Humbert Humbert, a 50-something college professor rooming with a ditzy widow woman and her flirtatious beautiful teen daughter, Dolores (aka Lolita). He falls in lust (and even later into love) with the gum-chewing, hula hooping teen temptress. I’m not going to replay the whole plot line -- by all means rent this fantastic movie and wrap yourself up in the weird sequence of events.

There is so much to love in this movie, where to begin. Some misguided souls may see it as a drama or tragedy but it's very much the opposite -- it’s a smoldering, black comedy. The wordplay and names have double entendres that would shock and amuse David Lynch:

Cherry pie -- (Charlotte Haze bakes prize pastries, or is this what Humbert refers to?)
Camp Climax -- Where the bratty Dolores must go -- and why a camp with such a name?
Clare Quilty -- His strange last name is only one letter removed from “Guilty”
Charlotte Haze -- The ditsy 40-something has a last name that sums up her state of mind
Humbert Humbert -- A first & last name which may reflect upon the duality of Quilty and Humbert

The movie evokes Alfred Hitchcock in places. The road trip in the ‘58 Ford station wagon might call to mind Janet Leigh's character in Psycho, running from her embezzling crime, conscience in tow. The stark black and white photography also brings Psycho’s type of sleazy grittiness to the fore. Another great director who deals heavily in symbolism, irony and dream sequences is David Lynch (of Blue Velvet fame). He might have even gotten his Twin Peaks “cherry pie” pun from Lolita.

Here are a couple of interesting side notes about the movie. Pedophilia was such a forbidden topic that the novel was first published by a pornographer in France. In America, Lolita had to be advanced 4 years in age, from 12 to 16, so that the public wouldn’t be appalled (too much) by what it saw on screen. Sue Lyon played Lolita well and might even come across more as an 18 or 20 year old. Even so, the movie barely squeaked by the Hollywood ratings board and the Catholic Morals Council adamantly rejected the movie.

BlogSpotter has his own bizarre take on the movie. The Clare Quilty character played by Peter Sellers is portrayed as both a romantic rival and tormentor of Humbert. His character is most improbable -- throughout the movie he dogs Humbert and impersonates a state policeman, a German Psychiatrist and an uncle of Dolores. He shows up at strange but convenient moments when Humbert is feeling especially stressed and guilty. I think an argument could be made that Quilty isn’t even a real person -- he is in fact the guilty alter-ego of Humbert. The movie ends in suicide, not homicide. Discuss! OK, even the Nabokov screenplay has Humbert serving time for a homicide in a final note -- even he puts a literal take on his weird character(s). Movies like Fight Club and Sixth Sense have used “imagined” characters in years since Lolita was made; it might work in a rendition of this movie.

All said, the movie is excellent. I’m in a quandary as to whether I should ever erase it from my DVR, it’s that good. Please rent a copy of Lolita and see how far Kubrick had already advanced the state of cinema by 1962.

© 2009 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema

What Wall*E tells us about ourselves -- Picture courtesy of Pixar

by blogSpotter
This weekend I was under the weather so stayed in and watched a lot of movies. One that I watched is Pixar’s WALL*E about a lone (and lonely) sanitation engineering robot. The movie is set far in the future -- where Earth has been horribly polluted and trashed up by an over-consuming society. The humans have fled to a giant mothership (called Axiom) while waiting for robots to clean and de-pollute the Earth for rehabitation.

WALL*E has Pixar’s stunning detail and beauty -- it’s what we’ve come to expect from Pixar. But it has an allegory built in that many adults could stand to see and appreciate. The humans have been living on the Axiom for 700 years. The Axiom is a giant citadel spaceship with fabulous food and amenities for its inhabitants. It looks like a giant futuristic resort hotel inside a humongous space ship. The humans have been ship-bound and weightless for so long, they’ve become inactive and dependent on robot servants. Their bones have atrophied, their bodies have become large and doughy and most of them can’t even walk anymore, they ride around on air scooters.

A certain perniciousness becomes apparent -- the humans all have floating hi-def TV screens in front of their faces. They’ve lost touch with each other. They’re barraged with junk food ads and most are chowing down on shakes or fries while they succumb to the pleasant blandness of TV commercials. It turns out that the robot pilots have slowly fattened and seduced the humans into complacency, with no intention of ever returning to Earth.

I won’t say what all happens (you could safely guess a happy ending and the good guys win). What amazed me about the Axiom society was how much it resembles Dallas in 2008 -- all they did was push it to an extreme. Axiom featured a megalomaniacal corporation called Buy and Large playing a major role in the polluting of Earth, necessitating the cleanup. I challenge people to watch this movie and NOT see a family member among the humans depicted.

Of course the robots are highly humanized and adorable. Walle and Eve (Eve is the bio resurgence detection robot) make a cute couple at the movie’s finale. Pixar even did the impossible and they made a cockroach (Walle’s pet) extremely cute. For any number of reasons -- sci-fi gadgetry, fattened space humans and cute cockroaches, WALL*E is an allegory well worth seeing for people of all ages.

© 2008 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema

Ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille ... -- Picture courtesy of Paramount

by blogSpotter
Turner Classic Movies has become one of my favorite channels now. They run film festivals that honor specific people in the industry such as Alfred Hitchcock or Kirk Douglas. They also run movies without commercial interruptions, with small segments between movies for critics to dissect the movie just seen. It's as if someone created a channel just for the "movie nut". Thank you, Turner Classic.

Two nights ago, I watched one of the best movies ever made (it's in AFI's top 20), Sunset Boulevard. The movie is both a black comedy and a camp classic -- it provided fodder for a Carol Burnett skit many years later. It's considered film noir, although the style and content make it seem newer than 1950. The movie tells the story of Joe Gillis -- a handsome, young, down-on-his-luck Hollywood screenwriter. In running from repo men (chasing him to repossess his car), he dashes into the hidden driveway of Norma Desmond's secluded Sunset Boulevard manse. Norma is a semi-retired silent screen legend, age 50. Norma has a devoted live-in servant Max, a servile and vaguely sinister man also in his senior years. She mistakes Joe for an undertaker (summoned to bury a family "pet") and invites him in. From here, things develop and Joe becomes Norma's personal writer (fixing her unfixable Salome script). Joe ultimately becomes Norma's gigolo boy toy, -- showered with clothes, gifts and unwanted demonstrations of middle-aged, faded-star affection.

I won't rehash the plot much further. Sunset Boulevard is a classic in so many ways -- it has at least two lines of famous dialog:

"I'm still big. It's the pictures that got small".
"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille."

The movie is fast-paced and witty --- you might have to watch it three times to catch all the repartee. Joe Gillis is cynical and originates quite a few of the lines targeting Hollywood execs. The movie innovated some things -- techniques like filming a man floating face down in a pool, meshing film noir with dark comedy). It also set the bar for other movies (Play Misty For Me, The Player) that deal with women "scorned" and/or Hollywood elites. Even Rocky Horror Picture Show gets a big inspiration from Sunset Boulevard. The script was written and directed by Billy Wilder, a short little rotund Jewish émigré who engineered some of the best movies of the 20th century (Some Like It Hot, The Apartment).

Interesting side notes. Pola Negri was approached for the role of Norma, but her accent was too thick. Mary Pickford was going to be asked but it was determined that she'd be morally incensed by such a role. Greta Garbo thought it was tawdry and beneath her. Gloria Swanson turned out to be the perfect match anyhow -- still beautiful at 50 and intrigued by the part. (In fact, it was the role of a lifetime!) Montgomery Cliff backed out of the part and gave the Joe Gillis role to William Holden -- excellent break for an excellent actor. It's interesting that in 1950, 50 seemed insurmountably old. In 2008, we have Madonna still strutting in tights, and Cher still singing. How old is old anyway?

If you want to watch the quintessential Hollywood story, catch Sunset Boulevard. There is talk that the 1990's Broadway musical version will soon be brought to the screen. Nothing would be better than to see this production in color, with modern actors and a 21st century interpretation.

© 2008 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema

Donna and Sam share a moment -- Picture courtesy of Universal

by blogSpotter
This weekend I gave my self an audiovisual treat in the form of Universal Picture's Mamma Mia. The movie is based on the long-running play which itself is a pretext for putting a fun (if not profound) plot around some campy ABBA 70's hits. Where the play was claustrophobic, the movie has the backdrop of beautiful Greek Isles. Several friends beat me to the movie and told me all about it -- across the board, they all loved it.

The plot centers on a bride-to-be, Sophie, who sends wedding invitations to all three of the men her mother Donna (played by Streep) slept with the summer she was conceived. Sophie is hoping to discover which of the men is her father. Drama ensues when all 3 men, as well as various other wedding "party animals" show up for the nuptials. Donna's friends Tanya and Rosie balance out the cast; Tanya is played by the hilarious Christine Baranski -- I've missed her brand of humor since Cybil and Bird Cage.

I won't deconstruct this movie the way I might with something more complex -- this movie is eye and ear candy most of all. But I'll share some observations. The songs are "backed in" to the situations sometimes justified only by a main lyric. "Lay All Your Love on Me" is actually a sad song, sung by a love-obsessed woman. Here, it's a beach party anthem. "Winner Takes it All" is another sad song by a woman whose lost out in a love triangle -- in this movie it's a romantic ballad leading up to a proposal. Sometimes the fit of the lyrics to the situation is so jarring it makes the audience laugh. The audience also laughs at Pierce Brosnan's version of "SOS", but I actually think he carries the notes OK. He's also excellent as Sam, the principal ex-suitor. Meryl Streep is a surprisingly agile dancer and also a good singer -- she's basically the focal point of the show.

Mamma Mia brings back the color and vitality of a 50's musical; probably the last time the audience had this much fun was when Grease came out in 1978. Hairspray from 2007 comes close, but not as much audience involvement. The late-middle aged grandma sitting next to me was singing along to many of the songs. Mamma Mia has strong potential to become a sing-along movie like Sound of Music. I also forgot about the gay angle -- Colin Firth plays Harry, a handsome stockbroker; it turns out that Donna was the last woman he ever loved, that certain summer. At the end of the movie, the cast breaks into a dance that easily could feature the Village People, shirtless.

In sum, Mamma Mia has romantic plotlines for us oldies-but-goodies and music that anyone born in the last 40 years should be able to hum if not sing. The group ABBA has ascended to pop culture icon status through all of this and deservedly so. If you want to spend two hours in a totally escapist, musical Playland, you can do no better than seeing this ABBA-solutely fabulous movie.

© 2008 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema

Labels: Cinema, Television

Girl Fight! Girl Fight! -- Picture courtesy Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
I wanted a light-hearted, fairly short movie to download to my iPhone -- just something to show people how movies look on it. I found the perfect movie with 1964's Muscle Beach Party, the 2nd in a series of five beach movies starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. The movie was directed by William Asher (also known for Bewitched) and like many 60's era movies it shows teen behavior from a hilariously square adult viewpoint. I'm reminded of Brady Bunch where Sherwood Schwartz thought that "groovy" was a perfectly good word for a 1970's teen. By 1970, "groovy" had been deprecated to a terribly square phrase of the unhip. The kids in the cast tried to tell Schwartz to no avail. Thus, part of the giggle factor when watching beach movies or Brady's are things like "Johnny Bravo", songs like "A Boy Needs a Girl", and the word groovy.

A couple of things strike me immediately w/ Muscle Beach: Frankie and Dee Dee are supposed to be teens, but both are well into their mid-20's. Avalon is a heart-throb leading man, but is so petite he's barely taller than half the women in the cast. Like Mad, Mad World, there are some social sea changes since 1964 that would make much of the dialog and plot devices unlikely today. The women are sitting around mooning and pining over their men; they even have the occasional cat fight over a man. Nowadays, it's decidedly uncool to depict a woman in that way. Current day plots more frequently have the woman in the driver's seat -- leaving a man, attracting a man, or doing whatever she might do to a man in the active mode. From a purely stylistic standpoint I have to observe that Dee Dee (Funicello) has the highest hair I’ve ever seen, where it wasn’t intended as a self-parody. It was easily 5 inches high.

Don Rickles plays Jack Fannie, a gym manager on the beach. I forgot that in his late 30’s Rickles was not yet an obnoxious, fearsome insult-meister. He was perfect as the low-IQ and oddly vulnerable gym manager. His muscle men are depicted as preening divas wearing satin trunks (alternately pink or purple) with white thongs on their feet. Attitudes toward body building have evolved – it’s more mainstream now. The very concept of a “muscle beach” could evoke laughter in 1964, and would more likely get straight-faced queries of interest in 2007.

Last but not least in this movie was Luciana Paluzzi playing an Italian Contessa, Julie, who is smitten with Frankie. Her Italian accent is alternately charming and funny. The “cat fight” between her and Dee Dee makes the movie worth watching all by itself. Buddy Hackett is perfect as Julie’s business manager – Hackett was in his comic prime, having recently done Music Man and Mad, Mad World.

In sum, Muscle Beach Party is the perfect diversion if you want to laugh and have purely a good time. The simple stereotypes and implied “truths” might annoy people nowadays – most girls don’t aspire just to be “Johnny’s Girl”. The music, except for one song by a 13 year old Stevie Wonder, is largely forgettable tripe that leverages off of the styles of Leslie Gore or the Beach Boys (take your pick). The dialog is hilariously contrived; nobody would say these words, ever. For a 90 minute guilty-pleasure laugh fest, that should not be a problem. Pick up a copy of this movie and indulge yourself in a blast from the past.

© 2007 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema

The world keeps spinning 'round and 'round -- Picture Courtsesy New Line Cinema

by blogSpotter
I've seen several "Hairspray" reviews this past week, so will try not to rehash everything in great detail. You're probably familiar with John Water's story, set in Baltimore 1962. In the story, a porcine white teenager, Tracy Turnblad (played by Nikki Blonsky now), attempts to integrate a racially segregated TV dance review which hosts a monthly "Negro Day" and requires participants to dance on segregated dance floors. Tracy's newfound racial sensitivity comes from being sent to high school detention, where she meets black students who teach her some crazy new dance moves. The movie basically centers on Tracy getting the Corny Collins Show to become integrated. The reviewer for People Magazine thought that there was too little of Tracy and too much of the other bigger-than-life characters in this movie.

I have to respectfully disagree with People. The plot of "Hairspray" is pretty thin -- it could use some Minoxidil. Its depiction of racial strife is oversimplified and almost trite. The love affair between Tracy and Link (hunky dance star and obvious chubby chaser, played by Zac Efron) is not enough to sustain a 107 minute movie. Therefore, you HAVE to give lots of face time, dialog and dance numbers to the luminary costars -- they are pretty much the movie. We have the much-touted John Travolta doing fat-suit drag as Edna Turnblad. I couldn't discern his accent, and I can't help but think that his straight-guy drag shtick is too subdued. On the other hand he can bust a move in the dance numbers, and that's impressive. Queen Latifah is excellent as Motormouth Maybelle, the record store owner. She lends gravity to the whole affair and pretty well takes over the show at the end when she sings "You Can't Stop the Beat". Christopher Walken actually comes across as smart and sensitive as Tracy's father -- he usually plays zanier roles. Jerry Stiller has a bit part as the owner of a large woman's apparel store and 20 year old Elijah Kelley is a breakout as Seaweed, one of the best dancers. Allison Janney is hilarious as Penny's overprotective mother; I didn't even know it was her until I saw the credits roll.

I have to say that Michelle Pfeiffer steals the show as Velma Von Tussle, the snobby former Miss Boston and Corny Collins station manager. Her equally snobby daughter, Amber Von Tussle is favored to win the Miss Baltimore dance contest. Pfeiffer is beautiful in a deranged way and comes across as one of the best villains we've had since maybe Cruella DeVille. She's obnoxious and over-the-top -- everything a villain needs to be for the final come-uppance.

I'd be remiss not to also mention that "Hairspray" features some great early-60's clothing, cars and backdrops -- very colorful and fun. The imagery alone makes the movie worth seeing. The music and choreography are also great; I can only imagine that at least three of the numbers will end up as clips for "Show Tune" collections. Many people have declared that the musical is a dead format for movies, thinking fondly back to "Music Man" or "Sound of Music". "Hairspray" is pretty grand and may help to revive the genre. If you look closely in the opening "Good Morning Baltimore" number, you will see John Waters (the screenwriter of the original 1988 movie) do a cameo as a street flasher. From that flashy scene forward, "Hairspray" will keep you entertained.

© 2007 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema

Late Night Double Feature Picture Show -- Picture courtesy Rollins Stone.

by blogSpotter
Over my vacation break, I saw the "must-see" movie of the year -- Grindhouse. Created by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, Grindhouse is a terrific homage to B-movie exploitation flicks of the 60's and 70's. It's offered as a 2-for-1 double feature, much like you might have at a drive-in or a "grind house" theater showing B-movies at a reduced ticket price. The two movies are only 1 hour 15 minutes in length, interspersed with bogus ads and trailers.

Where to begin? "Planet Terror" gives us a small town invaded by flesh-eating "sickos" -- people who have succumbed to a bizarre virus and turned into zombies with bubbling boils. I won't go into all the details, but suffice it to say that a stripper named Cherry (played by Rose McGowan), who has an automatic machine gun for a prosthetic leg, saves the day at the end of the movie. This week's Rolling Stone magazine features the Grindhouse ladies in its cover story. "Death Proof" gives us Kurt Russell playing totally opposite his usual wholesome hero type. Russell plays a mentally depraved stunt man who seems to get a sexual thrill out of vehicular homicide -- killing women with his car. In this movie, he picks the wrong group of 'bitches' to terrorize -- a trio of stunt women who know how to kick a man's ass without ever uttering the word "victim". There was so much adrenaline flowing at the end of these two movies, I can only imagine that everyone had to go work out their aggressions at the gym after leaving the theater.

What does this movie call to mind? It has Night of the Living Dead, Thelma and Louise, Smokey and the Bandit all as influences. Mix in a little Big, Bad Momma and bring to boil. Voila -- you have the best movie so far this year. To capture the total experience, Tarantino and Rodriguez added cheesy faux film trailers, snack bar commercials, obligatory scratches and lines (mimicking poor quality grind house film stock) and missing reels in a couple of strategic places. When Machete and Thanksgiving trailers were shown, people were practically rolling in the aisles with laughter.

Is there any downside at all to this wonderful film? It was a disappointment on the opening weekend -- only 11.6 million dollars brought in. I figure that's due entirely to its 3 hour length and the fact that theaters can only schedule it for half as many show times. The other drawback could only affect a car enthusiast like me; in the movie, they destroy a Cadillac Eldorado, Chevy Nova, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger all from the golden early 70's era. Blasphemy! And yet, as you walk out of the theater you'll be drying your eyes from laughing so much -- maybe the supreme car sacrifice is worth it.

© 2007 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema

Mid-life, a time for crisis -- Picture courtesy Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
I just watched American Beauty from 1999 for the second time since I saw it in the theater. It was an excellent movie even then, and it garnered several Oscars. In the interim, I've done 8 more years of middle-aged living and can relate to the characters’ mid-life crises all the more, though mine has been a solo experience and less traumatic. American Beauty tells the story of an affluent middle-aged couple experiencing marital melt-down. The husband is smitten with the friend of his teenaged daughter; the wife is a successful "bitch-on-wheels" real estate agent and she is smitten with a successful local realtor.

There are more layers of complexity in the story. Lester Burnham, Spacey's character, feels trapped by all the materialism in their lives and he grieves for his lost youth. Carolyn Burnham, played to bitchy perfection by Annette Bening, feels encumbered by what she sees as her grossly immature, geeky husband. Their teenage daughter, Jane, is a quiet, nearly "Goth" teenager witnessing all her parents' extreme dysfunction firsthand. Jane finds refuge in the company of the equally strange teenage boy next door, Ricky. Ricky sells dope, makes home videos and tries to operate under the radar of his maniacal, homophobic, ex-marine father. In the final analysis, the Goth teens probably have a better handle on reality than anyone else in the movie.

Since seeing the movie in 1999, I can relate better to the Burnhams and I've had some mid-life epiphanies of my own. In the movie, Spacey buys a toy remote control car and replaces his humdrum Camry with a 1970 Firebird. He embarks on a rigorous weight training program to beef up his middle aged body (to impress Jane's Lolita-like friend of course). He quits his rat race job and gets work as a fast food fry cook. Just when it looks like Lester and Carolyn might have a rekindling of their love, Carolyn freaks out, "Don't spill beer on our $4,000 Italian silk couch!" He points out, rightly in a way, that it’s only a thing and they have too many things. There are hilarious and simultaneously sad reflections of the American Dream gone sour. You have to travel all the way back to 1967's The Graduate for a movie with an equally strong indictment of America’s suburban superficiality.

The movie has a shocking conclusion which I won’t disclose here – let’s just hope that we all have smoother transitions to the middle years. If there are times you feel like a hamster running on a wheel, you should pick up a copy of the simultaneously funny, hypnotic and tragic American Beauty.

© 2007 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema

Oscar goes red -- Picture courtesy Wikipedia

by blogSpotter

I'm watching the Oscars tonight as I write this, and am struck by how left-wing they've become. I myself am pretty left-wing, so this is no problem to me. Ellen Degeneres, an out lesbian is the host. Ellen pointed out that if it weren't for blacks, gays and Jews there would be no Oscars -- and probably nobody named Oscar.

Not only was Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth a nominated movie, but Gore himself was a presenter; Leonardo DiCaprio, his copresenter, egged Gore on to announce his 2008 candidacy. (Gore did not comply).

To go along with all the leftitude, Melissa Etheridge, another out lesbian, sang a theme song from Inconvenient Truth. Various data from the movie (about CO2 levels and such) were shown on the backdrop as she sang. At the close of her song it was announced that this is the first "Green" Oscar ceremony ever. Ellen Degeneres said she would recycle some old jokes to be ecological:

"What about that Ginger in Gilligan's Island? Can you believe how many clothes she brought for a 3 hour tour?"

This Oscar ceremony was also the most multiethnic, with more nominees of other races and nationalities. I was disappointed that Eddie Murphy didn't win for Dreamgirls. He was excellent in his role and the movie as a whole was shut out of other so many categories.

The show is still going as I write this. I'm rooting for Babel as best picture -- it's an outstanding panoramic movie about communication problems between humans. Of the 4 intertwining plots, the one about the deaf and emotionally starved Japanese girl was the most unusual, and the best.

As I sign off, Gwyneth Paltrow is giving an award for cinematography. Yet another lefty who moved to England and then talked trash about W Bush. I love the Oscars, and I really love this one. Many conservatives hate what has happened to the entertainment industry. To conservatives out there who don't like the Dixie Chicks winning Grammies, or Ellen recycling jokes -- here is what you must do. Become culturally aware and sensitive to the problems of other people. Different does not equate to bad. Understand that your religion is just that -- your religion. Realize that tax breaks and business profits are not the main objective in life. Gradually, you will decalcify; you'll become less of a Republican and more of a liberal. You'll agree with Hollywood -- and I hope that's not an inconvenient truth.

© 2007 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema, Humor

Reaching for new horizons -- Picture courtesy Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
To steal a line from Friends: Oh... My ...God! Harry Potter, aka the 17 year-old actor Daniel Radcliffe, is appearing nude in the London play Equus. He plays a stable hand, obsessed with horses. The topic was discussed on NBC's Today Show this morning. Matt Lauer aptly pointed out that people who object do not have to see the play. Others of a more Puritanical bent (mostly passerbies interviewed on the street), thought that the whole Potter series including an upcoming movie should be boycotted.

What to say? Daniel is the captain of his own ship -- maybe he didn't want to be typecast as a pimply teen wizard. Imagine if Kirk Cameron or Debbie Gibson had done something meatier and more daring early in their careers. Maybe they wouldn't be footnotes on Where Are They Now? Maybe they wouldn't have been trapped in roles that are unreal and unrelenting in their wholesomeness. Liz Taylor began her long career playing a wholesome teen. We can thank our lucky stars that she turned it all around vamping in roles like Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Who among us has not imagined how our career might be advanced by taking off our clothes? OK, well to be honest I haven't. As a programmer, there are no situations that call for nudity. And even if there were, nudity would probably get me a demotion. I have to say double standards are at work; a man who gets naked is testing his acting chops -- a woman doing so is more likely to be seen as a naughty girl. If the nude work is artsy (think Looking for Mr. Goodbar or for that matter Equus) the actor or actress has more of a naked leg to stand on. If it's characterized as soft core pornography, it can be career-ending -- there is a thin line to walk. It's not so much that the thespian looks immoral, but rather he looks like he's desperate for a role. "What? You couldn't get a bit part on Boston Legal? A cameo on Desperate Housewives?"

I haven't read any Potter books nor have I seen any of the movies. I wouldn't know a Voldemort from a finger wart. Daniel Radcliffe has stayed squarely on the artsy side of the line, and his move should free him from the bondage of kiddy flicks -- maybe to other forms of bondage. We should be hearing more from the lad in coming years -- at 17 he has many more films to make and we know already that he has a wide acting range.

© 2007 blogSpotter

Labels: Cinema

The doctor is in -- Picture courtesy Tristar

by blogSpotter
If you come from a dysfunctional family, you might find several things that look familiar in Augusten Burrough's biography, Running with Scissors. Even if you don't come from the Adams family, you'll be fascinated by the story of a creative, gay teenager whose parents go thru a nasty divorce. His father disavows the family, leaving Augusten with his manic depressive, poet mother. The mother, unable to handle her own life or reality in general, gives Augusten over for adoption to her equally nutball psychiatrist, Dr. Finch.

Dr. Finch is a "new age" person who believes that children should create their own boundaries. He presides over a filthy, fallen down manse on an otherwise upscale street. His wife Agnes is a frightened shadow of a woman and the house is a bedlam additionally populated by his haunted, older, 20-something daughter Hope and his more outgoing, naughty teenage daughter Natalie. Augusten becomes part of this weird family from age 13 to about age 18; my own impression is that he keys into their weirdness very easily and seems to enjoy, if not profit from, much of the goings on.

The book was recently turned into a movie with a stellar cast including Alec Baldwin as the father, and Gwyneth Paltrow playing Hope. Annette Benning is superb as the mother, Deidre Burroughs -- vacillating from a beautifully coifed Anne Sexton wannabe, to a madwoman in the throes of mania. The movie has received some savage reviews; I suspect many come from 'ordinary' people who can't imagine this type of family setting anywhere, ever. Justin Chang, of Variety, gives probably a nicer review; he says that the movie suffered in translation from book to movie, becoming a series of chaotic outbursts and lacking the author’s first-person deadpan, comic point of view. He might have something there, and yet the movie fascinated me nonetheless. Brian Cox had the perfect touches of both evil and innocence playing Dr. Finch. Joseph Fiennes was schizoid superbness as "step-brother" Neil; Jill Clayburgh was haunting as Agnes. Evan Rachel Wood was slutty perfection as Natalie and of course, Joseph Cross was good as the sensitive young Augusten.

I don't recommend running with scissors, but I heartily recommend Running with Scissors. It may help to listen to the book on tape, to get the 'cohesive narrative' before you see the movie. Then, no matter how weird your life is, be glad that you don't have a step dad who predicts financial turnarounds by the shape of his stool. Perhaps I've said too much already. :-)

© 2006 blogSpotter.

Labels: Cinema