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Clerks
(1/1/07) Netflix (1994 **1/2) Written and directed by Kevin Smith. The
last time I watched this movie was in the theater when it first came
out, I think. I figured I'd watch it before watching Clerks 2, which
I had on my Netflix queue. At the time I first saw it, Kevin Smith's
dialogue bugged me, though over the years I've grown to appreciate it
more. Watching his first film again, I can see why: much of it is unnatural
and polemic and too much time is spent with characters yelling at each
other.
On the DVD's special features
was an "alternate ending," one which Smith originally planned to use:
It picks up right after the last shot in the film, in which Dante has
said goodnight to Randal. A customer comes in, fatally shoots Dante,
and robs the cash register. Then the end credits roll in silence fading
into the ambient sound of a cash register ringing up receipts. I can
see why Smith as a young filmmaker might have wanted to use that ending
-- I found it disturbing -- though it was a very wise decision to remove
it before the film was released.
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A
Man and a Woman (Un Homme et Un Femme) (1/2/07) Netflix (1966
***) Directed by Claude Lelouch. This is one of the all-time great romantic
films, but it is also definitely a very odd duck. It features more pseudo-documentary
footage of race-car driving than one might expect. I haven't seen it in
eight years or so, and for what it's worth I think I appreciate it a bit
more now that I'm in my early 40's. It was especially interesting watching
the behind-the-scenes features on the DVD, which provided insight into
how the film was made: 29-year-old Lelouch was a down-on-his-luck filmmaker
who needed a hit or he was going to go bankrupt. During a drive he came
up with the idea, wrote the screenplay in a month and a half, spent one
month on pre-production and shot it in three weeks. During filming, he
used a used a very non-conventional, confrontational and improvisational
directing style. The result, fortunately for all involved, was a beloved
film and not an utter and absolute failure. |
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Portraits
from Life (1/3/07) Graphic Novel (2001 **1/2) Written and illustrated
by David Collier. This book definitely fits comfortably alongside the
autobiographical/biographical comic work by R. Crumb, Harvey Pekar and
Joe Matt, and so if you like their work you'll be more inclined to like
this book. It's actually the first book of Collier's I've read. I'm embarrassed
to admit it, but I bought it because it was marked-down to $5 on Amazon
and I needed an inexpensive book to qualify for free shipping. I'm not
sorry I bought it, either. The selection of subject matter in Portraits
From Life ranged from fairly obscure figures of Canadian history (feux
Indian Grey Owl and Olympic high-jumper Ethel Catherwood) to events from
Collier's own life as well as his grandfather's. My main criticism of
this book is that the narrative of the stories was frequently hard to
follow, jumping without transition from the subject to the narrator. I
wish the writing had been tighter. |
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Clerks
II (1/7/07) Netflix (2006 ***1/2) Written and directed by Kevin
Smith. At three and a half stars, this is a far higher rating than I'd
ever expected to give a film featuring a sex act between a donkey and
a human being. The thing is, I enjoyed Clerks II immensely. Having
just watched the original less than a week before, the sequel is such
a wonderful follow-up. Like any good sequel, it's not only respectful
to the characters of the original but it adds to it. There are a lot of
laughs -- my favorite moment was the geek argument over which trilogy
was better: Star Wars or Lord of the Rings -- but the heart
of the film is the friendship between Dante and Randal. I was genuinely
touched by the end of the film. While it was great seeing the original
actors again, Brian O'Halloran (Dante) hasn't learned to act in the intervening
decade. Rosario Dawson's acting strengths more than made up for it, however.
Will Jay and Silent Bob return again? My guess is yes. |
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World
Trade Center (1/9/07) Netflix (2006 ***) Directed by Oliver Stone.
When this movie came out, I was skeptical about whether a story about
two policemen immobilized in the rubble of the 9/11 attack would be compelling.
I certainly mean no disrespect by that, it's just that it's a real challenge
from a storytelling standpoint. I think this film handled that challenge
as well as could be expected. The film starts out from the point of view
of the two policemen, played by Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena, but after
they become trapped, the film alternates between them and their families.
While the film worked as a sincere, heartfelt tribute to the men and woman
who sacrificed their lives at ground zero, United 93 was a stronger film
and did a better job of capturing the horror of that day. |
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The
Pursuit of Happyness (1/8/07) DWA Screening (2006 ***1/2) Directed
by Gabriele Muccino. Based on a true story, Will Smith plays Chris Gardner,
a man who risks everything to change his life for the better. Set in 1980's
San Francisco, he and his young son descend into homelessness while he
participates in a competitive stock broker internship. This was an inspiring
movie, but was also a hard movie to sit through. It's so emotionally unrelenting
that I felt thoroughly drained afterwards. Will Smith delivered what I
believe was his best performance to date, and his real-life son (who plays
his son) was perfectly believable in his role. |
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CSI:
Criminal Scene Investigation: Double Dealer (1/9/07) Novel (2003
***) Written by Max Allan Collins. This is the second book in this series
I've read; My primary reason for reading it was research for my own writing,
but it was still reasonably entertaining. I'm still not truly familiar
with the CSI TV show, and I am pretty sure that if I were I might have
enjoyed it more. One negative thing I did notice was there were several
times throughout the book when it seemed like information related to the
criminal investigation was presented more than once, and I'm not sure
how necessary that was. I also noticed the staff of the CSI night shift
put in an awful lot of overtime. |
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Some
Like It Hot (1/11/07) Netflix (1959 ****) Directed by Billy Wilder.
It’s been awhile since I last watched Some Like It Hot, probably
five years or more. It’s one of those great screen comedies that really
holds up. Watching it this time around, I kept thinking about how it was
received by the world of 1959. Though nominally a screwball comedy, some
of the -- ahem -- alternative sexual themes that were touched on must
have really struck a chord with whatever homosexual or transvestite-friendly
audience that existed at the time. Watching Marilyn Monroe on-screen reminded
me why she was such a huge star: She radiated sexuality with every molecule
of her body. |
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Word
Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively (1/12/07) Nonfiction
(1999 ***) Written by Rebecca McClanahan. In my own writing I’m currently
focusing my attention on my own limitations when it comes to physical
description of settings and characters. This was my purpose in reading
Word Painting. There was a wealth of information in the book, and
the topics presented were explored in an appropriate depth. I appreciated
that and it certainly inspired me to think about things I hadn’t necessarily
thought about. One example of this that comes to mind is the notion of
"psychic distance," a technique I’d not been aware of before. Unfortunately,
the language in which all this great knowledge was communicated was not
one that came naturally to me as a reader. You see, as a writer, Ms. McClanahan
is primarily a poet, a fact which shows in her writing, which was often…
soft and flowery. At the risk of being branded a chauvinist, it was too
feminine for my liking. My writing tends toward the masculine, and so
I would have benefited more from a more male perspective on writing description. |
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The
Children of Men (1/14/07) Glendale Mann 10 (2006 ***1/2) Directed
by Alfonso Cuaron. The film opens with the world mourning the loss of
Baby Diego who, at age 18, was the youngest person on a dying planet.
This is a gut-wrenching, dreary, gray and utterly gripping portrayal of
a bleak world of the future we can all to easily identify with. Clive
Owen plays an alcoholic who proves to be an unlikely hero. The story isn't
necessarily complicated, though there were several times when I wasn't
quite sure what was motivating the action; I had to have my wife explain
a couple of the plot points afterwards. Many of the sequences were filmed
in one shot and were amazing tours de force. There is one nine-minute
shot in particular in which the viewer is literally immersed in the middle
of a battle that feels utterly real. When I first saw the trailer for
Children of Men, which accurately portrays the film's premise,
I thought it was a Twilight Zone rip-off and didn't plan on seeing
it. Then people at work started saying very positive things and I reconsidered.
I'm glad I did. Considering how depressing the film is, would I ever want
to see it again? Perhaps I would, and probably for the same reasons I
might re-watch Saving Private Ryan or Schindler's List.
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Le
Divorce (1/14/07) Netflix (2003 ***) Directed by James Ivory.
I almost didn't want to watch this film, but I'm glad I did. I saw it
for the first time when it was first released. At that point my own personal
experience made me less than receptive to a film centering on a divorce.
Kate Hudson (who I fell in love with in Almost Famous) is probably
the reason I saw it back then. This is a fine film, nominally about the
messy divorce of one sister (Naomi Watts), the affair of the other (Hudson),
and the fate of a painting of Saint Ursula. It's also about the cultural
differences between French and American families. Matthew Modine plays
an insanely jealous American husband whose character is completely out
of place tonally with the rest of the film, resulting in an end that feels
extremely false. |
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Mallrats:
10th Anniversary Extended Edition (1/17/07) Netflix (1995 *1/2)
Written and directed by Kevin Smith, starring Jeremy London and Jason
Lee. I remember watching this several years back and liking it a hell
of a lot more than I did this time around. Part of my disappointment was
because I was watching the extended edition, a version Smith himself describes
in the video introduction as "the version no one was ever supposed to
see." This was his first "real budget" picture, and so I guess I should
be a little forgiving. Having so recently watched Clerks II, it's
obvious Kevin Smith has made tremendous progress over the years, both
as a writer and as a director, while still remaining true to his roots. |
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Chasing
Amy (1/19/07) Netflix (1997 ***) Written and directed by Kevin
Smith, starring Ben Affleck, Jason Lee and Joey Lauren Adams. This is
an unconventional love story about a comic book artist named Holden McNeil
(Affleck) who falls in love with Allysa (Adams). The "wrinkle" is that
Allysa is a lesbian. I’ve been on a Kevin Smith kick lately and it’s been
interesting for me to revisit films I haven’t seen in almost a decade.
I remember liking Chasing Amy more the first time around. While
it’s definitely far superior to the two films that proceeded it (Clerks
and Mallrats), it’s not nearly as good as last year’s Clerks
II. This may be a reflection of Smith’s maturing as both a writer
and as a human being. I was taken out of the experience several times
by Holden’s insistence on being persistently stupid in a very non-real
way. On the other hand, much of the Allysa’s dialogue rang surprisingly
true. |
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An
Affair of Love (Une Liaison Pornographique) (1/19/07) Netflix
(1999 ***) Directed by Frederic Fonteyne, written by Philippe Blasband.
This is a story about a man and a woman who meet anonymously for fantasy
sex in a Parisian hotel room. We in the audience never learn their names
just as they never truly learn about each other. There’s a framing device
in which the two are interviewed years after the affair has ended. Their
recollections differ, and so we see the core of their problem: they had
both moved from physical love to something deeper; they had both fallen
in love, but in slightly different ways. When the woman declares her love
for him and he (though he clearly feels it) is unable to respond in kind,
they stop seeing each other and with a kiss go their separate ways. This
was a good film but in my view not a great one. I don’t mean this to sound
glib, but perhaps if I was French I would appreciate it more. I can easily
imagine it being remade for an American audience, probably starring Meg
Ryan as the woman. |
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The
Queen (1/20/07) La Canada Universal (2006 ***1/2) Directed by
Stephen Frears. Helen Mirren is a safe bet for best actress Oscar for
her absolutely perfect playing Queen Elizabeth during the week following
the death of Lady Diana in Paris on August 31, 1997. The movie provided
a rare glimpse into the workings of the royal family and especially the
relationship between the queen and newly-elected Prime Minister Tony Blair,
played with wide-eyed energy by Michael Sheen. I hope the queen herself
appreciates the way in which she was portrayed; In my opinion, she came
across as an admirable woman who committed veritable public relations
suicide by making an unfortunate error of judgment (keeping the family's
grieving in private instead of making it public) but still managed to
recover from it. Implicitly shown in the film is the dramatic contrast
between how England and America treat their respective elected officials.
Scenes set inside the Prime Minister's residence show a domestic normality
that more closely resembles my own home than the West Wing. |
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Much
Ado About Nothing (1/21/07) DVD (1993 ***1/2) Directed by Kenneth
Branagh, starring Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington.
I really miss Kenneth Branagh. Where has he gone, anyway? He was truly
able to make Will Shakespeare's words come alive. This movie is so full
of joy, a delight for the eye, the ear, and the heart. Nicely done! Now
if you see it yourself, beware: I had the "Weep no more, ladies, weep
no more" song (the merry note on which the film ends) stuck in my head
for a few days afterward. |
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On
Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (1/22/07) Nonfiction (20001 ***)
Written by Stephen King. This is a strange book. I'm not sorry I read
it, but it's strange all the same. The subject of the book is writing,
and it is largely comprised of one of the most popular authors of all
time discussing the business of writing. However, this is also the book
King was in the middle of working on in late 1999 when he was struck and
nearly killed by a van while walking along the side of the road. As a
result, the content of the book is a bit odd. It begins with a memoir
section of recollections from his life. It is tangentially related to
the main topic of the book in that it gives the reader an understanding
of King's development as a writer. In the second section, King describes
the writer's toolbox and in the third he waxes philosophical about his
feelings on writing. Finally, there's a lengthy epilogue in which he talks
about the accident and his slow recovery to being a productive writer
again. Overall, the resulting book was more lightweight than I'd hoped.
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The
Good Shepherd (1/22/07) DWA Screening (2006 ***1/4) Directed by
Robert Deniro, starring Matt Damon. At one point about an hour into the
movie I thought I was going to give it four-stars. But then it petered
out just a little bit. The subject matter, a close-on look at the birth
of the Central Intelligence Agency, was gripping. Where I lost interest
was when the film drifted toward Damon's characters family. Most of the
film is told in extended flashback with a "current day" framing device
that wasn't completely compelling. One big problem the production suffered
from overall had to do with makeup: Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie played
characters that aged from 18 to (I guess) 60, and neither really appeared
to change physically. It's as though the producers never even made an
effort to portray that aging. At one point Ms. Jolie looked really tired
and I thought to myself "Oh, she must be dying of some incurable disease."
No, as it turns out, she wasn't. It was just her playing old. |
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Mi-5:
Series 1 (1/25/07) Netflix (2002 ***½) For reasons I don’t recall,
my wife and I watched the second series (or season) first. This is a terrific
show and deserves the fan base it has. It was originally aired on the
BBC as Spooks, but apparently that title didn’t translate well
or something. The hallmark of the series is how much story the writers
are able to pack into a single 1-hour episode. It feels like watching
a short movie or two American episodes instead of one. |
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Justice
League Unlimited: Season 1 (2/2/07) Netflix (2005 ***½) The premise
of this series is that the Justice League of America has opened its doors
to virtually every available hero. I was intrigued by the notion of getting
to see a lot of minor DC Universe superheroes animated. This list includes:
Captain Marvel, Vigilante, Atom Smasher, Black Canary, The Question, Huntress
and many more. There is definitely a geek factor in that which cannot
be denied. As I started watching the episodes, not expecting much, I was
surprised by the high quality of the writing and that the level of dialogue
was as rich as it was. I’m not sure what the target audience was for this
show; it’s not what I think of as a kid’s show, though possibly ten-year-olds
are more mature these days than I was at their age. |
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Babel
(2/8/07) DWA Screening (2006 ***1/2) Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
This was a powerful film about four (well, maybe three and a half) stories
taking place around the world that are all connected. Some of those connections
are stronger than others. It's a fun film for post-viewing analysis: There
is a lot of duality and multiplicity at work, with echoes of actions and
themes from one story showing up in the others. It's not a perfect film;
the use of fractured chronology was sometimes distracting and there were
three or four story elements that didn't work for me. Still, the film
captured the drama of the human condition masterfully. It's clearly a
strong contender for Best Picture, and I won't be surprised if it wins,
though I personally preferred Martin Scorceses' The Departed. |
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Idiocracy
(2/8/07) Netflix (2006 *) Written and directed by Mike Judge. Luke Wilson
plays an army corporal who is statistically average in every way. Consequently,
he's selected for a special experiment. He's cryogenically frozen until
the year 2505. Thanks to the perpetual dumbing-down of the planet, when
he awakes he finds he's the smartest person alive. I rented this because
I thought it was a wonderful premise and a great opportunity for social
satire. I was also interested because I heard on NPR how the studio tried
to bury the film. Having watched it, I understand why. This is the worst
film I've seen in a long time. One of the contributing factors is that
watching scene after scene populated by people with operational IQ's in
the 40's isn't really that funny. |
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MI-5
Series 3 (2/10/07) Netflix (2004 ***) This is the season (or series
if you prefer) where the three Spooks we started with all leave MI-5 and
the show for various reasons. They all depart over the course of the ten-episode
season, which affects the tone of all the episodes. On the whole, I didn't
find the situations quite as involving this time around. I don't know
why that is. Another thing I noticed is that the episodes don't feel as
plot-dense as in seasons past, which is one of the things I really loved
about the show. I'm not sure if that's my imagination or not; It's possible
the soap opera aspects have started taking over. Having said all that,
it's still enjoyable, and I look forward to seeing what happens in season
4. |
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Kingdom
Come (2/12/07) Graphic Novel (1997 ***1/2) Written by Mark Waid,
illustrated by Alex Ross. I recently brought home a box of graphic novels
from my storage unit, and this was one of the first ones I pulled out.
It's hard to believe it's been a decade since I first bought and read
what is one of the top ten landmark graphic novels of all time. Reading
it again after a pause of about three years, I was almost immediately
more aware of the interplay between Waid's writing and Ross's spectacular
drawing/paintings as they contributed to the overall experience. You know
what? It doesn't work as well for me as it once did, and in particular
I didn't find Waid's story nearly as compelling this time around. I'm
still giving it a fairly high rating, just not as high as I'd expected. |
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The
Kingdom (2/14/07) Graphic Novel (2000 **1/2) Written by Mark Waid,
illustrated by various artists. Unlike Kingdom Come, which was originally
written and presented in four high-quality books, this follow-up was presented
in a more conventional serial format, with different artists on each.
I would have to say the beginning and end were fairly good but the middle
meandered and sagged badly. While the idea of a powerful villain marching
backward in time, killing Superman a different way each day was interesting,
devoting a chapter/issue to Plastic Man's relationship with his son was
less so. To me, it seemed as though Waid wanted to do his own version
of Kurt Busiek's wonderful Astro City, only set in his proprietary
parallel universe of Kingdom Come. |
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Breach
(2/16/07) Glendale Mann 10 (2007 **) Directed by Billy Ray. Chris Cooper
and Ryan Phillippe star in this factual story based on one of the U.S.
Intelligence communities biggest breaches. Honestly, given the intriguing
premise, I was expecting more spycraft and less interpersonal drama. I
feel the weakness lay in the screenplay; the actors didn’t have much to
work with. |
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Essential
Fantastic Four: Vol. 3 (2/17/07) Graphic Novel (1999 ***) This
520-page volume collects issues #41-63 and Annuals 3 and 4. Somewhere
in my storage unit I actually have all of these comics with the notable
exception of issue #48, the first appearance of the Silver Surfer. I haven't
read these stories in more than twenty years. Produced during the mid-to-late
1960's, it marks a period when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were really hitting
their stride. But you know what? I didn't enjoy these stories as much
as I'd remembered, nor as much as earlier issues. I think something got
lost somewhere along the way. The earlier stories were more self-contained
and considerably more plot-rich. As the series ran on, however, the plots
became more episodic, with subplots like "Will Johnny Storm and Wyatt
Wingfoot find Crystal and the Inhumans?" stretching out for half a dozen
issues or more. On the art side, Jack Kirby was in his prime; it's actually
during this period when he establishes the style that will last him for
the remainder of his career. As exciting as that is to witness, the flip-side
is that the writing took a back seat to the visuals. The unfortunate side
effect of the famous "Marvel method" of comic production (in which finished
dialogue was added after art was completed) meant that Stan Lee's dense
(some would say wordy) writing in the early years of The Fantastic
Four gave way to extended battle scenes. As a result, the individual
issues felt much "lighter." Let me put it another way: Each of the first
twenty or so issues felt to the reader like they were watching feature-length
science fiction movie from the 1950's; By contrast, each of the issues
in this collection felt about as weighty as a half-hour sit-com. |
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The
Pro (2/19/07) Graphic Novel (2004 ***) Written by Garth Ennis,
illustrated by Amanda Conner. 72 pages. I picked up this hardcover volume
at my local used book store on a whim. I'd never seen it before and scanning
through the interior I got a sense of the intriguing premise: A single
mom who is also a prostitute is given super powers. It was certainly a
fun idea and an opportunity to crack wise at the expense of super heroes
in general and the Justice League in particular. I enjoyed it for its
shock value as much as anything. Be warned: there is a lot of cursing,
gratuitous violence and adult situations. One example: When the main character
is hit by a power beam during a fight, she responds by beating the living
crap out of the villain and then peeing on her. It's definitely not going
to be everyone's cup of... er... tea, but I thought it was a fun read.
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The
Ultimates, Vol. 1: Super-Human (2/21/07) Graphic Novel (2002 ***)
Written by Mark Millar, illustrated by Brian Hitch. This is an updated,
"realistic" version of The Avengers. Brian Hitch's illustrations
are superb. The writing I found a little flat at times, though. While
I appreciated the attempt to add a heightened degree of nuance and weight
to Bruce Banner (and the Hulk), Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man,
The Wasp and Nick Fury, the results weren't always that interesting. Still,
it was an okay read and a visual feast: The high point for me was the
realistically-depicted rampage of the Hulk through the streets of Manhattan
as he attempts to find and kill -- believe it or not -- Freddie Prinze
Junior. |
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Lady
in the Water (2/28/07) Netflix (2006 *1/2) Written and directed
by M. Night Shyamalan. Like a lot of people I was a big fan of The Sixth
Sense. Like a lot of people, I've been waiting with each subsequent movie
for Shyamalan to do something as good. The Lady in the Water definitely
wasn't it. The backstory is that its plot grew out of an original bedtime
story Shyamalan told his daughter. Those humble (and gentle) beginnings
are clearly evident. Unfortunately, it was a total misfire (in several
different dimensions) from beginning to end. I could see what he was trying
to do as a writer, but he forgot one important thing: his audience. In
my mind's eye I can see this material working as a fantasy novel, but
not as a feature film. |
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Zodiac
(3/3/07) Glendale Mann 4 (2007 ***1/2) Directed by David Fincher. I really
enjoyed this movie. At 160 minutes it was a little long, but still good.
I admire the courage of the filmmakers: From a storytelling perspective,
this was a challenging tale to tell, especially in film form: the Zodiac
killer terrorized San Francisco and surrounding areas from the late 60's
to the mid-70's. During that time, the center of investigative activity
shifted between reporters at the San Francisco Chronicle and the SFPD.
Finally, the hunt was taken up by Robert Graysmith (played by Jake Gyllenhaal),
a cartoonist who went on to write the book on which the film is based.
Zodiac was never apprehended, but thanks to relatively recent events
the film was able to provide closure that the book could not. |
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For
Your Consideration (3/7/07) Netflix (2006 *) Directed by Christopher
Guest. This film was a real disappointment for me. I've been a huge fan
of Guest's films since Waiting For Guffman. I have to wonder: What
happened? The premise seemed a sure thing: Taking Guest's trademark pseudo-documentary
approach and applying it to the world of the indy film. According to imdb.com,
For Your Consideration is 86 minutes long, but the version I saw
went into its credits just past the 70-minute mark. Was there some sort
of post-credit sequence? I certainly wasn't in a hurry to find out, nor
was I curious to watch the deleted scenes. There were clearly scenes left
out of the final cut. One example: at about the 2/3 point in the film,
Catherine O'Hara's character suddenly appears to have a boob job and botox
treatments, yet it's never explained. |
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300
(3/10/07) Glendale Mann 10 (2007 ***1/4) Directed by Zack Snyder. Based
on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, this film set or broke serious box
office records both for March releases and for R-rated films. I have to
admit I didn't originally plan on seeing the movie; from the trailers
it looked too much like an extended video game cinematic. It was my lovely
(and apparently bloodthirsty) wife who wanted to go, and so we went. By
the time we'd gotten to the theater (after an appropriately-messy barbecue
rib dinner at Tony Romas), I'd heard the reviews were decent and so I
wasn't worried it would be a total waste of time. My expectations weren't
too high and I really enjoyed the film. The digitally-enhanced look was
consistent throughout, and I was pleased that there was enough visual
variety to keep my interest for the length of the story. It was pretty
gory, but then what does one expect from a film whose logo is rendered
in dripping blood? My only major criticisms, really, is that I found the
subplot with Queen Gorgo to be overly melodramatic and unpleasantly sexist. |
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Prime
Suspect: Season 1 (3/15/07) Netflix (1991 ***) Helen Mirren stars
as a homicide investigator forced to deal with sexism at the same time
trying to get a break in solving a series of murders. This story is told
over the course of four 1-hour episodes. At first I was more than a little
annoyed by all the obligatory "boys club" resistance to a female lead
detective, but over time that aspect of the story faded (as Mirren's character
earns the respect of her male subordinates) and became more compelling. |
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Stranger
Than Fiction (3/17/07) Netflix (2006 ***) Directed by Marc Forster,
written by Zach Helm. Will Ferrell delivers an uncharacteristically subdued
performance as Harold Crick, a man who discovers he's the fictional protagonist
in a novel being written by Karen Eiffel (played by Emma Thompson). There's
a distinctively "meta" aspect to the story, which tickled my brain. Unfortunately,
that dimension of the film promises more than it ultimately delivers.
The problem, really, is that the characters often don't react in believable
ways. This is especially true in the third act. |
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Sympathy
for the Devil (3/19/07) Novel (1998 ***) Written by Jerrilyn Farmer.
This is the first in Ms. Farmer's Madeline Bean mysteries series. The
premise offers a terrific story engine: Madeline Bean is a Hollywood caterer
who moonlights as an amateur sleuth. I bought this book because I was
considering taking a mystery-writing class she is teaching through UCLA
extension. After reading the first couple of chapters, I enrolled: Clearly
Farmer is a writer who knows what she's doing. I was particularly impressed
by her ability to establish a light-hearted, "cozy" tone while still dealing
with the seedy side of life in Los Angeles. |
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Modern
Romance (3/21/07) Netflix (1981 *1/2) Written and directed by
Albert Brooks. Frankly, I was disappointed. Watching this film has me
re-thinking my opinion of Albert Brooks' body of work. Maybe this film
was funny at the time it was released, but I sure wasn't laughing. If
nothing else, the film gives me a new appreciation for how far we've come
since the early eighties. We now have names to go along with unhealthy
dysfunctional behavior, names like: "codependency" and "stalking." |
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The
Host (3/22/07) DWA screening (2006 ***1/4) Directed by Joon-ho
Bong. The Host (originally entitled Gwoemul) was produced in South
Korea, with special effects from The Orphanage in San Francisco. I don't
go to a lot of monster movies, but if they're this good, I may have to
start! I was knocked out of my seat by how intense some of the sequences
were. There's a sequence early on in the film (when the creature first
makes its presence known) that was incredibly fun. It's not a perfect
film by any means, hence my wishy-washy ***1/4 rating; in particular,
there are times when the action seems to drag just a bit. While I enjoyed
the ongoing humor, it is a South Korean film and there's also a very definite
non-American sensibility at work. I don't want to give anything away,
but certain things happen in The Host that would never happen in a mainstream
Hollywood movie. |
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MI-5:
Series 4 (3/24/07) Netflix (***1/4) About two thirds of the way
through this, the fourth season of the British TV show Spooks, another
major character dies. On the one hand it does add a certain tension for
the audience, knowing that any of the characters can die at any time.
On the other hand, after awhile it’s tempting to stop investing emotionally
in the characters. Still in all, season four re-found a certain thrill
that was missing in the third season, and I was glad to see that back. |
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Meet
the Robinsons (3/30/07) El Capitan Theater, Hollywood (2007 ***½)
Directed by Stephen J. Anderson. I was fortunate enough to see this film
as a special DWA 3-D screening. This was my first time inside the beautiful
El Capitan on Hollywood Boulevard, which is an experience in its own right.
Based on the trailers and commercials, I didn’t have very high expectations
of the film and I was pleasantly surprised. Historically, this is the
first non-Pixar Disney film to bear the hint of John Lasseter’s thumbprint.
While it’s clear the story has "had some work done," it still managed
to show a hell of a lot of heart. Hopefully it will be rewarded at the
box office for its efforts. |
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It
Happened One Night (3/30/07) Netflix (1934 ***½) Directed by Frank
Capra. It’s been years since I’ve watched this classic film, a film often
listed high on lists of all-time great films. Winning five academy awards,
it’s the film that put Capra on the map. I didn’t realize until watching
the DVD’s bonus featurette prior to the movie that (a) the film was shot
in four weeks to accommodate a window in Claudette Colbert’s schedule
and (b) Colbert thought the film was a dog all the way through its production.
Knowing this made me more conscious of the economical measures Capra and
the producers took, and it was quite impressive what they were able to
do working within tight production constraints. |
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Blades
of Glory (3/31/07) Glendale Mann 4 (2007 ***) Directed by Josh
Gordon and Will Speck. My wife and I went to see this the opening Saturday
evening. The theater was very full, which ironically added to our enjoyment.
We got as big a kick out of some of the audience reactions as anything
happening onscreen. It was a pretty good comedy and I laughed out loud
many times, even though I was occasionally embarrassed at what I was laughing
at. I was pleasantly surprised that Will Ferrell shared as much of the
limelight with his co-star Jon Heder as he did. |
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TMNT
(4/1/07) Hollywood Mann 6 (2007 ***¼) Directed by Kevin Munroe. My wife
and I attended a special ASIFA screening of this film. The production
had a limited budget, with the production work being done at Imagi studios
in Hong Kong. I was familiar with Imagi; they were the studio Dreamworks
had tapped to do the animation for the short-lived TV series Father
of the Pride. Being in the animation industry, I was extremely interested
in seeing the level of quality they were able to achieve. I must say I
was impressed. The quality wasn’t quite as high as that of the big studios,
but at times it came awfully close. About 25% of the film (including the
opening sequence) was on shaky grounds visually, but that just means it
wasn’t as good as the rest of the movie. |
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Batman
Begins (4/2/07) Netflix (2006 ***1/2) Directed by Christopher
Nolan. So here's the deal: As a lifelong Batman fan, I'm one of the few
people who wasn't all that thrilled with Tim Burton's vision. I've been
waiting my entire life for the Batman film that fits my personal image
of the character. For most of Batman Begins, I thought that was
exactly what I was getting. I would probably give the first two acts four
stars, I loved it that much. Unfortunately, the third act was a total
letdown, and I'm not completely sure why. Something just got lost as the
thoughtful plot and interesting characters gave way to a less-than-engaging
car chase and "final showdown." |
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My
First Mister (4/2/07) Netflix (2001 ***1/2) Directed by Christine
Lahti, starring Leelee Sobieski and Albert Brooks. I very nearly missed
watching this little movie. It was on my wife's Netflix queue and she
didn't remember adding it. We considered returning it unseen, but we're
sure glad we didn't. The premise is this: a 17-year-old goth girl falls
into an unexpected friendship (and possibly more) with a 49-year-old salesman.
Though it drags a little in the third act, it truly is an underrated gem.
In a weird way My First Mister was reminiscent of one of my all-time
favorite films, Harold and Maude. As an added bonus, it also restored
my faith to some degree in Albert Brooks, having recently watched a couple
of his early films (Real Life and Modern Romance) that I
didn't much like. |
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Science
of Sleep, The (4/4/07) Netflix (2006 **) Directed by Michel Gondry.
This is definitely a case of a time when I really wanted to like a film
but it let me down. So what happened? Stephane, the main character, is
a man whose dreaming reality gets in the way of his real (waking) life
love for a girl. Throughout the film, I had a hard time identifying with
or even understanding Stephane and what was driving him to behave in a
generally dysfunctional and destructive way. To make matters worse, the
final scene is deliberately ambiguous, which was the final insult. Was
the ending happy or depressing? I have no idea. With so much wonderful
material to work with, why did Gondry have to screw it up? Why? |
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Hero
(4/5/07) Netflix (2002 ***1/4) Directed by Yimou Zhang. This movie is
truly unique, so much so that it's a challenge to describe. Though nominally
a martial arts movie, it is a feast for the senses, especially the eyes.
The use of color is out of this world. Jet Li plays a nameless warrior
who visits a tyrant King and tells him a tale. But is the storyteller
to be trusted? Hero's story is simple and complex at the same time.
Archetypal characters ("Flying Snow," "Broken Sword," "Sky," "Moon") meet
in mortal combat and kill each other, sometimes multiple times. Maybe
it's not for everyone, but if you're interested in an eye-opening experience,
you owe it to yourself to watch Hero. |
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The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (4/7/07)
Netflix (1988 ***) Directed by Marilyn Fox. There’s an odd charm to this
late eighties British TV production of C.S. Lewis’ most beloved stories.
It’s one of a series, and based on our Netflix queue I suspect we’ll be
watching others in the weeks to come. It’s probably not fair to compare
it to the 2005 Disney version, since the scales of production are quite
different. I got the sense they did the best they could with the money
they had to work with. One thing I will single out for criticism, however:
the casting of the character of Lucy was horrible. In the words of my
wife: "worst Lucy EVER." I don’t want to be mean, but holy cow did that
little girl have horrible teeth! |
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The
Middle Aged Man and the Sea (4/8/07) Short Stories (2005 ****)
Written by Christopher Meeks. Chris Meeks is the instructor of a terrific
UCLA Extension class I recently completed, entitled "The Writer‘s Workout."
Though I started reading this collection shortly after the class started,
I’ve been so busy with my own writing projects that I only just finished
it. That was actually quite appropriate for the material; It gave me time
to savor the individual stories, which explore various facets of human
relationships, often with just a touch of humor. I both admire and enjoy
Meeks' writing style; His voice is similar to my own, though richer and
more developed, which gives me something to shoot for. |
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Volver
(4/8/07) Netflix (2006 ***½) Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar.
Volver was highly visible this past awards season and much was
made of Penelope Cruz’s acting prowess when working in her native tongue.
Watching it, I couldn’t help but think that this story might not have
been made in the U.S. There was a definite European sensibility to it.
It’s also interesting to note that all the major and most of the minor
characters in this film are women. While I very much enjoyed this movie,
I must admit I managed to put together all the pieces in the puzzle long
before they were revealed. |
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Creature
Tech (4/9/07) Graphic Novel (2002 **1/2) Written and illustrated
by Doug Tennapel. This was another one of those situations where I picked
up a graphic novel at the low, low price of $4.95 at my favorite used
book store. Not much to lose, right? The premise was intriguing enough:
the scientific genius son of a pastor works at a secret government laboratory
dedicated to researching "unsolved mysteries." The plot is convoluted
enough I won’t even bother trying to explain here, but it included ghosts,
monsters, aliens, freaks, mutants, demons and the shroud of Turin. With
all those great ingredients, I wish Tennapel had managed to spin a more
compelling tale. Too bad he didn’t. |
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American
Splendor (4/9/07) DVD (2003 ****) Directed by Shari Springer Berman
and Robert Pulcini. I haven't watched this movie for a couple of years.
When it came out I was about 2/3 of the way through generating material
for My Comic Journal, my own 100-page collection of autobiographical
memoir stories in comic book form. Truth be told, I was a little nervous
about people thinking I was ripping off Pekar, when in my view I was just
following in a well-established tradition. The movie is wonderful; it
takes advantage of an interesting, almost postmodern situation to play
with what constitutes an autobiographical movie. As for Pekar himself,
I identify with him and his middle-aged inner drive to be recognized to
a large degree. I was an undergrad student when I saw him for the first
time on the Letterman show back in the mid eighties. There was something
truly mesmerizing about the way he interacted with David Letterman. |
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Rocky
Balboa (4/10/07) DVD (2006 ***1/4) Written and directed by Sylvester
Stallone. There was some part of me that wanted to see this movie when
it was released late last year. I'm very glad I didn't let that cynical
inner voice talk me out of watching it. Considering the mixed reviews
it received, I didn't expect much, and was therefore happily surprised.
Rocky Balboa captured much of what made the first Rocky film --
which was released thirty years ago -- great. While watching Rocky's struggle
to demonstrate his continued viability as both a man and a fighter, it's
impossible not to see Stallone going through the same thing. It's clear
from his performance and direction that Stallone truly loves his character.
Nicely done. |
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The
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader
(4/16/07) Netflix (1989 ***) Directed by Alex Kirby. This DVD contains
adaptations of two separate Narnia books, books I've never read. In my
view, it would be a mistake to watch these videos with a cynical eye.
With that in mind, I did my best to allow my inner child to enjoy them
for what they were, not what they weren't. The result? I learned there
are more ways to get to Narnia than just through a dusty old wardrobe.
Yes, I had a good time and look forward to the next in the series, The
Silver Chair. I may even try to make time in my busy schedule someday
to read the books on which they were based! |
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I'll
Be Seeing You (4/18/07) Netflix (1944 **1/2) Directed by William
Dieterle, starring Ginger Rogers, Joseph Cotten and Shirley Temple. Set
during the Christmas holidays, Rogers plays a woman released from prison
for a ten day furlough. Cotten is a shell-shocked WWII sergeant with secrets
of his own. Based on a magazine story that stretches credulity, this is
not a particularly great movie. It falls into the category of "good" movies
I've never had occasion to see. At one point I added a couple dozen of
these movies to my Netflix queue. I've never been a fan of either of the
two main stars, but it was fun seeing Shirley Temple playing a seventeen-year-old
sexpot wannabe |
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Justice
League Unlimited: Season 2 (4/24/07) Netflix (2007 ***1/4) It's
a pity this series has been cancelled, which explains why there were only
thirteen episodes in this season. I wonder if the things I liked about
it are precisely the reasons it didn't find a bigger audience among children:
There was a lot of adult humor and implied adult relationships. I liked
that it jumped around the DC universe, highlighting esoteric heroes and
villians, instead of focusing on the big three: Superman, Batman and Wonder
Woman. If nothing else, watching this series (which I started doing more
or less on a whim) has shown me that great strides have been made in the
writing and production of animated programs since the days of Super
Friends and Scooby Doo. As a result, I'm far more likely to
rent and watch this kind of program in the future. I'm giving this collection
a slightly lower rating than the first season because there was a deliberate
focus on Lex Luthor and the other villains in the Legion of Doom; I found
that direction less interesting that focusing on the heroes. |
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Killer
Wedding (4/29/07) Novel (2000 **1/2) Written by Jerrilyn Farmer.
This is the third book in the "Madeline Bean Culinary Detective" series,
and the second one I've read. My primary reason for reading it is that
I'm taking a class taught by the author and I wanted to get a sense of
who she was as a writer. By virtue of my male sex, I'm not the primary
audience for this book; The fact that its cover was bright pink ensured
that I never read it in public. It was an okay read but the storyline
seemed to wander a bit too much. In particular, the main story seemed
to take too long to get off the ground, primarily due to pages spent on
an ongoing sub-plot (a legal battle over the status of Mad Bean Catering)
that wasn't particularly interesting. I also felt the series' supporting
cast of characters wasn't utilized effectively: They didn't contribute
to the advancement of the main plot and only really served as foils for
dialogue. |
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JLA:
Syndicate Rules (4/29/07) Graphic Novel (2005 **1/2) Written by
Kurt Busiek. I bought this (used) because I'm a big fan of Busiek's writing.
I have especially appreciated the degree of verisimilitude he's often
able to inject into his work like Marvels, Astro City, and
Superman: Secret Identity. Maybe I expected too much, because I
was disappointed by Syndicate Rules. Overall it just felt stale. Busiek
didn't appear to be bringing much of his talent to the project. I also
was put off by the "multiple universes in crisis" storyline, which has
been a cliche' for at least a decade. |
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It's
a Gift (5/2/07) Netflix (1934 *) Directed by Norman Z. McLeod,
starring W. C. Fields. I rented this because it was one of those rare
classics I'd never seen. Settling down to watch it, I knew I'd made a
mistake almost immediately. I very nearly didn't make it all the way through
the thing, but at 68 minutes long it was short enough I went ahead and
persevered. As mind-blowing as it is, I somehow managed to make it to
the advanced age of forty-two without ever having seen a W. C. Fields
movie. Honestly, I don't get it. Why was this guy ever popular? From start
to finish, this film was grating and unfunny. |
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Dark
Passage (5/4/07) Netflix (1947 ***) Directed by Demer Daves, based
on a novel by David Goodis. This is a very strange movie. It’s the third
film Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall made together, following To
Have and Have Not (1944) and The Big Sleep (1946). The film
starts out shot (more or less) in the first person. We hear Bogey’s voice
but don’t see his face. Why? About a third of the way through the film,
Bogart’s character has plastic surgery to change his appearance. The first
person camera is an experiment that almost works. In addition to that
weirdness, there are a number of crazy over-the-top performances (including
a delicious one by Agnes Moorehead) that all adds up to a film that’s
not entirely satisfying, but worth seeing for its uniqueness. |
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Spider-Man
(5/5/07) DVD (2002 ***½) Directed by Sam Raimi. With Spider-Man 3
opening this weekend, I thought it might be a good idea to watch the previous
two, which I liked enough to have in my permanent collection. The first
thing I noticed this time around is the writing. The dialogue seems dumbed
down, as though it comes from a dimension halfway in-between the real
world and the world of the comic books. That probably wasn’t the wrong
decision; I’m not sure why it irked me slightly now when it never did
before. It’s still a wonderful film, though, full of simple action and
color and a sense of hope. |
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Spider-Man
2 (5/6/07) DVD (2004 ***1/2) Directed by Sam Raimi. The thing
that is remarkable about Spider-Man 2 is that much of the conflict
in the movie is internal. Peter Parker finds himself conflicted about
who he is and what his priorities are. Spidey doesn't meet Doctor Octopus
-- thus engaging the physical conflict -- until nearly an hour into the
film. Under normal situations, that emphasis on the internal would be
the kiss of death, and yet somehow it works. I think it works in a large
part because Peter Parker (and Tobey Maguire) is so damned likeable. Because
of that, the audience forgives a multitude of sins, including introspection
and the occasionally clunky, on-the-nose dialogue from Aunt Mae about
what it means to be a hero. Stan Lee really knew what he was doing when
he (along with artist Steve Ditko) created the character in the early
1960's. The essence of Spider-Man is that he is young and neurotic and
conflicted and doesn't know what he's doing most of the time. This contrasts
nicely with the more conventional and relatively stiff dual character
of Superman and Clark Kent. |
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Trekkies
2 (5/10/07) Netflix (2004 **1/2) Directed by Roger Nygard, hosted
by Denise Crosby. This is a follow-up to the 1997 original, which examined
the fringes of the Star Trek fan subculture in America. In addition to
catching up with some of the fans featured in the first film, the sequel
expands beyond the borders of the U.S., looking at fans around the world.
Of particular interest to me was seeing some of the subcultures within
the subculture, such as Star Trek themed rock bands. It was also interesting
hearing fans talk about "how much is too much." Not surprisingly, different
fans draw the line at different points. |
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Shrek
the Third (5/12/07) Sherman Oaks Galleria (2007 ***) Directed
by Chris Miller and Raman Hui. The third installment in the Shrek
franchise is truly gorgeous to behold. I was stunned by how many different
locations there were and the overall high quality of the film. There's
a visual richness in the world that is impressive. Unfortunately, as beautiful
as the film was, the story left something to be desired. The key to the
story working on an emotional level was making the relationship between
Shrek and the young King Arthur real. I hate to say it, but that never
worked for me. The original Shrek did a near-perfect job of hitting
all the right emotional notes and unfortunately Shrek the Third
suffers by comparison. |
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Excalibur
(5/12/07) Netflix (1981 ***) Directed by John Boorman. In the early days
of cable TV, this movie was played almost as much as Stripes. A gritty
telling of the Arthur legend, Excalibur holds up surprisingly well,
with some stunning cinematography. Unfortunately, most of the effects
shots look pretty cheesy by modern standards. Watching the bonus features,
I found it ironic that the shots with the highest cheese-factor were all
included in the theatrical trailer! |
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The
Harvey Girls (5/14/07) Netflix (1946 **) Directed by George Sidney,
starring Judy Garland. I consider myself to be among those who like musicals.
This one, however, left me flat. I was bored most of the time and by the
end of the film I would've gone stark raving bonkers if I'd heard "On
the Atchinson, Topeka and the Santa Fe" one more time! John Hodiak was
especially creepy as the love interest. His big-mouthed grin was truly
the stuff of nightmares! |
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Spider-Man
3 (5/19/07) La Canada 16 (2007 ***) Directed by Sam Raimi. Spider-Man
3 had the biggest box office opening weekend in history. That's really
saying something. At this point the critics have voiced their disappointment.
I went to the theater (a 9:45am Saturday showing, no less) with my expectations
appropriately set. So what happened? Most critics point to too many villains,
too much story. Rather than blame the failure on that, I'd like to point
instead to the "Temple of Doom" phenomenon. You remember the altogether
critically panned Indiana Jones 2, in which Indy turns evil and
slaps Short Round. Hey, screenwriters! Guess what? The audience doesn't
like that sh*t! A similar thing happened in Superman III. In fact,
the black "venom" suit in Spider-Man affects Peter Parker a hell of a
lot like Red Kryptonite affects Clark Kent in Smallville. |
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Showcase
Presents: The Brave and the Bold -- The Batman Team-Ups, Vol. 1
(5/19/07) Comics (2007 **1/2) I have a great fondness for Batman, and
many happy memories of Batman in the 1960's. After all, that's when I
was first introduced to him. However, I have unfortunately come to the
conclusion over the past year or so reading these inch-thick Showcase
collections that Bob Haney (who penned most of the stories in this book)
wasn't such a great writer. In spite of Neal Adams's dynamic visuals,
I was more than a little bored (and disappointed) reading through these
stories. Now it's quite possible I've become accustomed to the quality
of writing to be found in contemporary graphic novels. It could just be
historical perspective. After all, comic writing changed substantially
between the 1940's and the 1960's. It has certainly continued to evolve
in the past forty years. |
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Identity
Crisis (5/19/07)
Graphic Novel (2003 ***1/2) Written by Brad Meltzer, Illustrated by Rags
Morales. I last read and reviewed this book on 1/20/06. This time around,
my perspective was a little different: because I'm currently taking a
writing class devoted to the genre, I read Identity Crisis not as a superhero
book, but as a murder mystery. Now, in order for a mystery to work, certain
conventions must be followed. For the most part it works: Sue Dibney,
wife of The Elongated Man, is killed. Doctor Light is the prime suspect,
but is he the killer? Secrets are revealed until the final clue causes
the identity of the killer to click into place. Overall, it does work
as a mystery, with one big thing holding it back: there isn't a consistent
detective/protagonist/point-of-view character to carry the reader through.
I can't help but wonder how the book would have been different if there
had been. |
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Death:
The High Cost of Living (5/20/07) Graphic Novel (1994 ***) Written
by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Bachalo. I was going through some
old books and came across this one. I'm sure I've read it before but don't
remember it. It's been a while since I've read any of Neil Gaiman's Sandman
stories, but I think I'm going to start working my way through the series
again. This particular book, which centers on a version of Dream's sister
Death, isn't Gaiman at his best, but it's still better than most books
out there. |
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Barton
Fink (5/20/07) Netflix (1991 ***1/2) Directed by Joel Coen, starring
John Turturro, Judy Davis and John Goodman. My motivation for putting
this movie on my Netflix queue came from a filmmaking seminar I attended
about six months ago, which used several scenes from Barton Fink
as examples of good directing. It's hard for me to believe it's been sixteen
years since it came out. I hadn't watched it in a very long time, but
I'm sure I've seen it on video at least once since it was first released.
As I watched this film, I was frequently reminded of David Lynch's Eraserhead.
In fact, I would go so far to say that one could think of Barton Fink
as a much more accessible version of that film. That is not to say the
stories are equivalent, only that the Coen brothers were clearly either
influenced by David Lynch's work or were exploring similar territory.
Was there something in the water or in the zeitgeist in the early 1990's
that explains it? |
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Pan's
Labyrinth (5/21/07) Netflix (2006 ***) Directed by Guillermo del
Toro. I had heard wonderful things about this film (some people thought
it was the best movie of 2006) and perhaps my expectations were too high.
That'll teach me to listen to rave reviews, huh? Don't get me wrong, I
liked it, and would recommend... for some. I think it's safe to say it's
not for everyone. Set in WWII fascist Spain, much of it is... forgive
me... a real bummer. While I appreciated the importance of contrasting
Ofelia's imaginative world with the horrible reality in which she lived,
the fantasy elements were so dark they offered no relief from the suffering
she endured at the hand of her cruel (and yes, evil) stepfather. |
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The
Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes (5/25/07) Graphic Novel
(1989 ****) Written by Neil Gaiman. I'd almost forgotten how lilting Neil
Gaiman's writing voice can be. Lord Morpheus is definitely his greatest
character creation; there's something about him that's so damned engaging.
It's been about four years since I last read through my collection of
Sandman volumes. I figured the summer was a good time to start
going through them. |
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JLA
Vol. 7: Tower of Babel (5/28/07) Graphic Novel (2001 **1/2) Written
by Mark Waid. This was another one of those worldwide superhero crisis
books, but it does have some personal drama thrown in. The premise of
the main story arc contained in this volume is that Ra’s Al Ghul has stolen
Batman's secret plans for taking down his fellow Justice Leaguers and
has proceeded to do just that. Meanwhile, Batman has been lured away from
the action by the theft of his parents' bodies. Naturally enough, the
members of the League feel betrayed by Batman's actions. All in all I
thought the story was alright but nothing special. |
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13
Going on 30 (5/28/07) Netflix (2004 **1/2) Directed by Gary Winick.
Jennifer Garner plays a character who goes from her thirteenth birthday
party directly to her thirties without passing go. It's kind of like "It's
a Wonderful Life," only the main character learns how life would be different
if she grew up to be an asshole. 13 Going on 30 actually has a
sweet message about how the choices we make early in life affect who we
eventually become. Overall, I liked it more than I thought I would, due
primarily to the likeability of stars Garner and Mark Ruffalo. It's still
lightweight cinema, though, and the end of the film is more than a bit
problematic. Without going into detail, the filmmakers wrote themselves
into a corner and their solution was kind of a cheat. I can't help but
wonder if there wasn't another way to handle it, one that would be more
satisfying emotionally. |
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The
Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House (5/29/07) Graphic Novel (1990
***1/2) Written by Neil Gaiman. While still quite good, this volume wasn’t
quite as engaging as the first. This is probably due to the fact that
the focus is not on Lord Morpheus but on Rose Walker and her brother Jed.
The highlight of the collection (originally presented in The Sandman
issue 8-16) is probably "Collectors," the darkly comic serial killers
convention story. A second standout is the stand-alone "Tales in the Sand,"
in which an African boy hears a very special story about the lord of the
Dreaming; it provides an early hint of Neil Gaiman’s ability to tap into
the ancient tradition (and power) of storytelling. |
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Infinite
Crisis (5/31/07) Graphic Novel (2006 ***) This DC comics "event"
series got a lot of bad reviews when it was originally published. I didn’t
think it was so bad, but it wasn’t as strong as the original 1985 Crisis
on Infinite Earths. The purpose of the original Crisis was
to simplify DC’s complex continuity and to allow certain characters to
interact with other characters without weird "imaginary story" framing
devices. Thematically, Infinite Crisis is a diatribe about a certain
"sickness" in comics and in the world itself. It is highly critical about
the DC comics of the 1990’s, and seems to be making a case for stories
that make comics "fun again." However, the way it goes about doing this
is by turning Superboy (albeit the "Earth Prime" Superboy) into a mentally
and emotionally retarded homicidal maniac. There’s a lot of "uber-violence"
in the series (faces punched out, arms pulled off, etc.) that serves more
to sicken than to shock. The underlying message of Infinite Crisis is
that the world can be a better place if its heroes make better choices.
It’s impossible to read that without thinking about our current geopolitical
situation. |