The Watercooler: 10/6/08
Michael Cera and Kat Dennings in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Happy Monday everyone and welcome to LiC’s weekly look at how you the beloved reader spent your movie weekend. Consider it an open thread with a movie-centric focus. Talk about what you’ve seen lately or anything else that’s on your mind. You can even talk about Beverly Hills Chihuahua raking in nearly $30 million over the weekend if you want.
For my part, I tackled a few of the wide releases this weekend with mixed results. I didn’t have much hope for the first film How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. My interest began and ended with the cast including Simon Pegg, Jeff Bridges, Danny Huston and Gillian Anderson, yet my limited expectations still resulted in disappointment. What more can you really say about a comedy where you checked your watch more often than you laughed? Pegg evoked a few smiles, but Bridges, Huston and Anderson were completely squandered. Kirsten Dunst barely registered and pretty Megan Fox’s looks were no compensation for her utter lack of charm. It wasn’t offensive or even irritating, it simply wasn’t very funny.
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist on the other hand wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t especially original, but it delivered laughs and was elevated by the considerable charms of its likeable leads, Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. I knew Cera could deliver, but I was relieved to see him offer a little refinement of his usual socially awkward character. Unbeknownst to me, I’d seen Kat Dennings before in both 40-Year-Old Virgin and Down in the Valley. She never registered with me before, but I’m not likely to forget her after her turn as Norah. She was cute, funny, smart and a little sarcastic without being snarky. She was a believable match for Cera and it was easy to root for them to become a couple.
Blindness was a little more problematic. It was well done, but most of it was so unpleasant to watch. What’d we learn from it? When the crap hits the fan, people will be horrible to each other. The one group of people who tries to rise above the muck and maintain their humanity had an advantage over everyone else in that one of their number can see. I think the film would’ve been more interesting if the Julianne Moore character had always been blind instead of remaining sighted. She still would’ve had a credible advantage over the newly blind, but it would’ve added an extra layer to the film. Anyway, after doubting I was going to like Blindness for about 2/3s of its running time, the movie finally rallied for me in the last act and I’m ultimately glad I saw it. I’m not sure I recommend it though.
That’s my weekend in a nutshell. Did you see anything interesting?
Filed under: Watercooler
Tags: Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Blindness, Danny Huston, Gillian Anderson, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Kat Dennings, Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox, Michael Cera, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Simon Pegg
Even though I saw it Thursday, it somehow feels like it was part of the weekend when I saw Eagle Eye. I was, in large measure, pleasantly surprised. It’s not a movie I’ll long remember, nor will my mind periodically flash back to it for any reason, but as a diverting action thrill ride, it fit the bill rather nicely, actually.
Friday, it was The Onion Field and The Captive City by Robert Wise. I enjoyed seeing the former again, as I hadn’t seen it since I believe I was twelve or something. James Woods can play a sleazeball effortlessly. The Captive City was, to my knowledge, the last Wise film I had to see, and I must admit I was disappointed despite having lowered expectations from certain critical ratings.
Saturday, I went out and saw Blindness, which I disliked intensely. Meirelles doesn’t do much for me, but this would have been a rather unfortunate effort from just about anyone. An almost entirely disjunctive film, I believed. I came home and watched The 49th Man, Harper, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, Nobody’s Fool and The Devil’s Sleep. The 49th Man was this inoffensively corny 1953 nuclear secrets movie with John Ireland playing a rare good guy; seeing him stretch in that manner was the film’s solely memorable asset. Harper was even better than I thought, as were the other two Newman features. The Devil’s Sleep was a positively exploitative film about sleeping pill rackets and some spa underworld mumbo jumbo with a lot of scantily clad women–there were several curse words and other apparent no-no’s–how did this get past the censors?
Sunday, it was Sweet Bird of Youth, Hud, I Was Born, But… (thanks, Sam) and Fitzcarraldo! Great times, all around. I consider the latter three of these films to be truly great.
Sam, I’m going to see The Ascent in the next few days, I promise.
Too bad your weekend was so uneven, Craig, but you’ve made me more interested in Nick and Norah and despite Gillian Anderson’s presence I feel less and less inclined to check her movie out.
I should go to bed, especially since tomorrow is a big test day, but I’d rather write a review and maybe watch another film or two.
I spent the weekend (as it feels like I’ve spent the last month or so, and probably will be at for a while) catching up on films for a 2000s poll I’m doing on another site.
On Friday, I watched Rambo and Lord of War.
Rambo, save some decent action shots, was a total waste of time. I was hoping it would be a return to the feel of Rambo First Blood, which I really like, much how Rocky Balboa was for the original, save half the dialogue being in motivational speech format, but that’s a different debate for a different time.
Lord of War had it’s moments, namely Eamonn Walker excellently cast as the Liberian king, but was wholly forgettable and very much the definition of “there”.
Saturday, I made it through Lars and the Real Girl, The Cell, and F*ck.
Lars and the Real Girl didn’t really click for me until about 2/3 in. It felt repetitive and I didn’t really buy into Gosling in the role. While the premise was absurd, I didn’t get any comedy out of the film, as it felt more like a dysfunctional drama. However, I thought the final third shined, and it finally hit the charming promise it showed earlier in the movie.
The Cell I only watched out of a friend’s recommendation and my heavy enjoyment of The Fall. But while The Fall to me was really made by the strong performances of Lee Pace and Catinca Untaru, The Cell really faltered in it’s casting, as while D’Onfrio was great and genuinely creepy, I felt the rest of the cast really never fit into the roles, and while the visuals, as I expected with a Tarsem film, were gorgeous, the climax really fell flat with me.
F*ck, to me, was just kind of boring. In a time when there are excellent, edgy documentaries made all the time, this just kind of seemed content to revel in it’s own perceived edginess, lay out information that wasn’t explicitly new or interesting, and just kind of meander.
Today, writing this at… 4:30 AM, I watched Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, The Kingdom, and Smart People.
Sympathy to me, really became interesting about halfway through. Before that, the various intertwined, disconnected narrative tended to get on the repetitive side, while when it became time to tie them in during the second half, I enjoyed it. To me, it didn’t have the emotional hit as hard as Oldboy did, although it did whet my appetite to see Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, which I hope to do in the next day or two. Although, for my money, and admittedly, once I see Mr. Vengeance I might change my mind, I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK might by my favorite thing Park Chan-wook’s ever done.
The Kingdom worked better as a “smart action movie”, rather than a political drama with action overtones. The casting felt kind of wonky to me, but it might be partially that I don’t buy Jennifer Garner much as an actress, much less a bad-ass FBI agent. In addition, Jason Bateman really, really needs to stick to comedies, because I didn’t feel like he worked here. I did like Jamie Foxx’s work, though.
Finally, Smart People. I probably liked this more than most, based on the general word I’ve seen about it online. It had it’s flaws, but it never felt stagnant to me, there were enough genuine laugh out loud situations that it worked for me, and when the movie ended, I had a smile on my face. Possibly more of an actor’s showcase than a genuine piece of cinema, but I was OK with that for 80 minutes. Even Sarah Jessica Parker didn’t annoy me in this, and I generally dislike her.
And… save some football and the Sunday night TV shows, that was my weekend in a nutshell. :)
Kat Dennings, charming? I would say monotonous both in voice and activity. I don’t think that means charming. I hate that movie. Sorry, Craig.
True to my word, at around 12:45, I started watching Malle’s Au revoir les enfants and an old episode of The Twilight Zone (”A Pitch for the Angels”) before banging this out.
I’m about to start Fulci’s Touch of Death. Who needs sleep?
Thanks much for those acknowledgements Alexander, and what can I say about your marathon itineraries that hasn’t already been? Astonishing, and kudos for you for the Newman testimonial. I frankly can’t wait for your reaction on THE ASCENT. It’s amazing you have time to eat and breathe, but your passion is unbridled. I was deeply moved by that “Pitch For the Angels” episode and I use it each and every year with my sixth graders. It’s manipulative, but in a good sense and it is a writing triumph for Serling.
I see FITZCARALDO is up–I’ll be over at CCC soon enough.
Michael C: I see you are another insomniac! Hats off to you for pulling off such a diverse weekend of moviegoing!
Craig: Yeah isn’t it nice to acknowledge my good friend and the esteemed proprietor of this site—I haven’t seen NICK AND NORA or HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS, but I’m relieved to here they aren’t abominable.
My week was as hectic as I’ve ever had, and there doesn’t seem to be any rest in sight with the upcoming week either. On the DVD front I only managed three films over the past week with copies that were sent to me from the U.K. of INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION, BAR MITVAH BOY and Francesco Rosi’s ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES. All were quite good, although I had seen the former before.
I saw and heard a Bach-Tchaikovsky concert on Wednesday at Avery Fisher Hall and a theatrical presentation by the New Jersey Shakespeare Society of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE at the Drew University campus ampitheatre. Both were pretty much great experiences. 3,000 miles away though in the offices of LIC, a DVD of the Brando-Leigh-Kazan STREETCAR remains the final word on this greatest of America’s plays by our pre-eminent playright.
My trip to the Ziegfeld yesterday for the New York Film Festival showing of Clint Eastwood’s CHANGELING yielded mixed results. I have written a review for my network, and I was in a generous mood by awarding it three-and-a-half of five. It deserves a bit less that that, but it was entertaining, well-crafted and Jolie was beautiful to look at. Lucille liked it more.
Here are the films I saw theatrically:
Changeling *** 1/2 (Sunday morning)
Beverly Hills Chihuawa * 1/2 (Friday afternnon)
Blindness ** (Friday night)
The little dog movie was lame across-the-board and even the kids were bored with it. BLINDNESS was hugely problematic and a lamentable transcription of a masterpiece contemporary novel. I hate to say anything against a movie that headlines Julianne Moore, but that’s hardly the issue.
Plans to see BALLAST and RACHEL were dashed by Lincoln Tunnel traffic jams and a need to do at least some writing.
The Watercooler is a “show off thread” for sure, but it’s the only place on the net where we can all strut our stuff. It’s most reassuring! LOL! When other teachers ask me what I do with my Monday morning “prep period,” instead of saying things like “I did my plan book” or I graded papers, I say “I made a marathon submission at Living in Cinema.” Now that’s the ticket!
I will be heading over to the NYFF tonite at the Walter Reade Theatre to see Joseph Von Sternburg’s THE LAST COMMAND (1928) with Emil Jannings in aglorious, restored and remastered print at the Walter Reade Theatre. I expect it’s to die for.
I love how Sam, perhaps the most “cinephiliac” amongst us, is also probably the only one who saw Beverly Hills Chihuahua, although I guess that should be chalked up to the kids. Right, Sam? :)
Sad to see all the Blindness detractions – I had high hopes, but will now be skipping, perhaps to catch later on DVD.
I, sadly, saw nothing this weekend, as I was still recuperating from my marathon 2 weeks of 13 hour days. I plan to rectify that quickly, hopefully watching The Rape of Europa and Religulous today, and seeing City of Ember tomorrow (which I have low expectations for).
Hahah KB. I embrace your hatred of N&N even while it mystifies me a little bit. As I said, the two leads won me over.
As for Blindess…well, I agree with Alexander and Sam through the first 2/3s of the film, but I felt it offered a late inning rally that made it more palatable. As an examination of human nature, it’s still a bust, but I’d still give it 3 stars.
Evan, welcome back to the world of movies. I look forward to your thoughts on Religulous. I almost added it to my Saturday schedule, but I called it a day after 3 movies.
Michael, I totally agree with you on Rambo. I was really looking for a return to First Blood and got a dismal, ugly mess. One of the worst movies of the year. I liked Lady Vengeance and Lars quite a bit though. Smart People….not so much. Thomas Hayden Church was funny though.
Alexander, I should just go ahead and give you the unofficial best weekend prize. I don’t even know how you crammed all that stuff in. You’re a machine.
Aye, Evan, aye, although had not the projector broken down in BLINDNESS, I wouldn’t have been in CHIHUAWA with the kids, although I hate not to be with them. I returned to see BLINDNESS later that evening.
Thanks for the kind words.
And Evan, I eagerly look forward to those expected reviews at MOVIE ZEAL.
Good for you, Evan. I’m looking forward to seeing Rape of Europa soon too.
Foot Fist Way: I agree with Craig’s review. Funny, but not hilarious. Reminded me a lot of Will Farrell’s humor, which explains his utter devotion to the film. But Danny McBride is definitely talented.
Watched Godfather III this weekend, after having recently seen Godfathers I and II just a week ago. I was hoping fresh eyes and an open mind would shine fresh light on III, but to no avail. All the same issues cropped up for me again and I found myself somewhat disinterested by the midway point. There is a great movie in there somewhere.
Blindness: This may be the single most brilliantly executed effort in cinematography all year, only to be undermined by completely misguided scripting and misjudged direction. This is one of those books that should have stayed on the page. I don’t think it can work as a film.
Imagine a zombie movie where the zombies eat each other rather the one person who is “alive.” Now imagine that every scene contains a blatant “message.” Now imagine that this goes on for 120 minutes. That’s Blindness….pun intended.
Choke: I liked this one more than Blindness, but that’s not saying much. Good acting from a talented cast is one thing, but I never really liked the story or the characters all that much and the ending felt fairly empty to me. The movie does have some funny moments but it’s just too much Palahniuk for me to stomach.
I really should have seen Appaloosa and Burn After Reading again. Can’t win them all.
Lady Vengeance is my favorite of Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance trilogy, with Old Boy a close second. I think Lady Vengeance has a deeper emotional core than Old Boy, even though Old Boy might be more viscerally engaging to watch. Mr Vengeance kinda strained my attention though, although it’s got some interesting things going on. I just found the central narrative point of the film more contrived than the other two.
I feel rather ashamed of my weekend…. We had another bad movie day. Hard Rock Zombies, Postal (my first Uwe Boll) and Remo Williams. But truth be told, there was more fun to be had in either of those three than in The Women, of which there was a press screening this morning. I mean, it isn’t as much offensively bad as it is incredibly mediocre, from the cinematography and the dialogue and the performances down to smaller stuff like lighting. I’m all for a movie without a single man in sight: the concept is nice. But do they have to be so utterly vapid and one-dimensional?
Sunday I did see a good movie though: I introduced the bf to screwball through His Girl Friday. He thought it was fun. As for me, I loved it even more the second time.
Watched the Criterion Days of Heaven on Friday night. I’ve seen it numerous times and turned it on while I was writing a paper. Couldn’t resist it and had to stop writing. The perfect movie to watch at the beginning of Fall.
Put myself through Fireproof on Saturday night. It worked quite nicely as a comedy. A painful experience to say the least.
His Girl Friday is a favorite of mine, Hedwig. Maybe why I married a newspaperman.
All I saw in the theaters during a very busy weekend was Appaloosa, which like I wrote briefly on the review page, was a beautifully shot, squandered opportunity with wretched music undermining a couple of good performances (Mortenson and Harris, whose scenes together were among the best cinematic illustrations of the solid friendship between true male work partners) and underlining the bad ones (Zellwegger and Irons, both of whom I thought were woefully miscast, uninspired and weighed the whole film down). I say it’s a great candidate for a remake in 30 years.
I almost caught Ghost Town, but then the credit card bill arrived and we decided to stay in and watch Total Recall, which was much better than I recalled (haha) it being when I last saw it 18 years ago.
My new theory about Alexander is that :
a) He watches everything on fast-forward
b) He is secretly an android, capable of absorbing massive quantities of information in a fraction of the time it would take a mere human
c) “Alexander” is actually an virtual amalgam of an entire film studies class of students
or d) he has an ungodly comfortable movie-watching chair :)
I’m just envious, Alexander. You know I love ya.
Over the weekend I abandoned new releases in favor of an art-house screening of Alain Resnais’s Last Year at Marienbad, which I’d never seen. Was thrilled that the screening began with the original trailer of Godard’s Le Mépris (Contempt), which turned out to be the most wonderfully campy experience I’ve had in a long while. Regardless of what one thinks of Contempt, the trailer can be viewed as a perfect parody of the French New Wave. Marienbad, on the other hand, was absolutely fascinating. Upon leaving the theater, I overheard one of the attendees express dismay that the characters weren’t “more personable.” I laughed to myself.
The only other film I saw was a second viewing of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which I liked even more this time around — especially the screenplay and Rebecca Hall’s performance.
I saw Happy-Go-Lucky for the second time and saw Gomorrah, both are good. yay.
Missed the press screening of Appaloosa today because the press screening people changed it to this Wednesday without telling me, so I went and they screened When Did You Last See Your Father, which I saw and reviewed in June I think. Seriously. And I cant attend on Wednesday because of school.
“When other teachers ask me what I do with my Monday morning “prep period,” instead of saying things like “I did my plan book” or I graded papers, I say “I made a marathon submission at Living in Cinema.””
lol, love that, Sam.
I was at a conference all weekend, but squeezed in a Blindness viewing later on Friday night. My thoughts here.
I give How to Lose a Friends maybe a little more credit than you, Craig, but I agree that it starts and ends with Pegg. He’s approaching Will Ferrell status in my head – forgivable even in bad movies.
Regarding Nick and Norah, well I think I’m right in line with you there, and though we’re in obvious disagreement with KB on it, I still somehow admire his passionate hate for it!
Need to read your Appaloosa review now that I’ve jotted down my thoughts on it. I think I’m mostly with you, jennybee, though I liked Irons, maybe just because I hadn’t seen him in a long time.
His Girl Friday is just fantastic. I still think fondly on a theater screening of it just a few months ago.
I really want to see Gomorrah, Nick. I am fortunately seeing Happy-Go-Lucky this Saturday as part of a Mike Leigh film retrospective. He’ll be here for a discussion next week, but I think it’s the same night as the last prez debate. And it’s like $25 or something…
Oh, and I think it’s really cool that the arthouse Pierre references is a block away from where I currently sit. Speaking of which, I need to catch some of the Godard films this week or next.
One more reminder since I just got the email – Up the Yangtze will be screened on PBS a few times this week. You can check your local listings and sign up for an email reminder here.
Sounds like I’m on a tiny island of people who didn’t hate Blindness. I have to admit though that whatever I saw good in it is starting to fade already. It’ll be interest to see what other reviewers are saying about it.
Too bad Sam that Changeling wasn’t a little better. I’m starting to hear some negative things about it that didn’t crop up during Cannes. Before the trailer came out, I was skeptical. For some reason the trailer got me a little hooked, but now I’m sliding back into skepticism.
Interesting that even the kiddies disliked the talking dog movie. I need it to make about $70 million more for the purposes of Fantasy Moguls, but otherwise it can rot for all I care.
Hedwig, not that you were looking for my approval, but if the BF liked His Girl Friday, then you can keep him in my opinion :)
Joel, I was sort of hoping you’d rediscover G3 and convince me that it’s an underrated gem. Turns out, not so much eh?
Nick I might try to see Happy-Go-Lucky tomorrow. I hope you’re right and Jeff Wells is wrong (the odds are high.)
glad to hear the good word on Gomorrah too. I think that one is coming to AFI.
Hahah JB, how about a combination film studies class full of androids? Think about it. Not only does he watch all those movies and have a life, he also has time to blog and visit everyone else’s blog. It’s madness I tell you. And I sit here bitching all weekend about not being able to finish a single review of Ballast or Rachel Getting Married.
Pierre, Marienbad has grown on me but I’m a little embarassed to admit I find Resnais’ Hiroshima Mon Amour to be almost unbearable. I probably shouldn’t be admitting that publically in a film forum, but there it is. It’s the kind of foreign film that makes people hate foreign films. Marienbad is admittedly a challenge, but there’s something to hold on to somehow.
Daniel, your campaign to get the masses to see Yangtze is awesome.
Haha, Jennybee, Ryan from Awards Daily had dual theories, one being that I had a clone or two that did everything but watch movies, or I had this fantastic device that allowed movies to simply play in my head. Craig’s point that I’m a machine may have merit, too. :) Good luck with your reviews of Ballast and/or Rachel Getting Married, Craig! Fortunately I can tolerate blogging and visitng other blogs as they are all about films, haha!
I almost came back online after Touch of Death, to say Daniel’s review of Blindness is a most excellent distillation of what was wrong with it. Looks like it’s the new punching bag of LiC. I loved your points against it, Joel.
The Godfather III is a big sprawling mess, Joel, but I’m in agreement with you that a great movie is somewhere in that thing. It does feel rather superfluous at times, but to me it’s a case of a movie that is pretty great when it’s good and rather bad when it’s not so good.
I love Resnais, Pierre. Last Year at Marienbad takes a few viewings to truly comprehend, but it’s quite the intoxicating piece of filmmaking, and unlike Craig I rather like Hiroshima Mon Amour, though Last Year at Marienbad exceeds it in my mind.
I’m glad to hear you’re getting back into the swing of things, Evan.
Hedwig, you know I love His Girl Friday, which I’ve had a hankering to see again recently. Jennybee is as usual right to praise it–most interesting to learn that it may have been instrumental in your choice of a husband. Are you two “Hawks women”? :)
You’ve gone from the heights of Bach and Tchaikovsky to the lows of that little dog movie and everything in-between, Sam!
If this afternoon also counts as some of the weekend (weekends don’t matter as much when you’re a student whose not going to school this semester), then you can add Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead to my list of films. :)
I though PSH and Albert Finney were both absolutely incredible in their roles, although I never got the desperation from Ethan Hawke’s character that I think they were going for. Despite that, I thought it might be my favorite film of 2007.
Alexander, I’m no Rosalind Russell, but I can match wits with my husband pretty well, at least on a good day, and we both write articles for a living, so I suppose there’s that. There are worse things to be than a Hawks woman, I’d think.
Michael W., that’s mighty high praise for Before the Devil, especially in such a strong year. But I’m the only one I know who has Things We Lost in the Fire in her top 5, so I understand how subjective it all is. BTDKYD I think ended up somewhere in my top 20, but not the top 10
Phillip, Days of Heaven is one I’ve never seen, but I’ll make a point of it. I love a good fall movie.
Daniel, I’ve got Yangtzee on my calendar for this week, thanks to you.
I don’t think I can stand to see Blindness in a theater. Even if they were completely faithful to the source material–which I’m pretty sure they weren’t–so much of its greatness is not in the plot points but in the language itself and the humanity it conveys. I’ve never thought it was one that should have been attempted on screen. Metaphors and emotional arcs that soar on the page could I think seem impossibly clunky and heavy-handed on film.
Well, in full discretion, and don’t tar and feather me for this please :), but there are still numerous films, extremely well-regarded stuff that I have yet to watch. From the smaller scale stuff to even some of the Best Picture nominated fare. I can’t guarantee that it will stay my #1, but if I can find numerous films that best it, 2007 might look better than 2006, which to me, was the best year for films in years.
Days of Heaven in the fall sounds like a winner.
I always watch Days of Heaven in October.
Michael W., I personally consider 2007 the best year, at least for American film, in quite a few. I thought 2006 was rather weak. Some of that is just the luck of the draw, as Zodiac and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, just for starters, were both originally scheduled to be released in ‘06, but were pushed back.
I’d like to take another crack at Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, having seen it twice in two theatres.
Jennybee, there is certainly nothing wrong with being a Hawks woman from where I sit! Thank you for further relating your relationship with your husband, and the ties of writing. I wish I could say to not follow your instincts with regards to Blindness but honestly, it’s not a movie I can even suggest, “You may get something out of it that I didn’t.”
As always, it’s such a delight to stop by the LiC Watercooler. So many delectable offerings, so little time.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I only saw two films over the weekend. One being “Wall Street” and the other a British indie called “Dangerous Parking.” As to the former…it has its moments. I was incredibly annoyed by the Bud Fox character. The lack of ethics, the corruption, the flat out fraud; I was ready to punch the screen at one point. Thank God people in Wall Street nowadays are thoughtful, kind, non-greedy folk who know the difference between right and wrong. I was not as impressed by Douglas as I thought I would be. He’s always seemed so puny to me (for lack of a better word), and I spent half the movie wondering who would have been a fantastic Gordon Gecko (still not sure). Must have been a slow year at the Oscars for him to win. And Charlie Sheen…Charlie, Charlie…is it me or is this guy a horrendous actor? The scene between him and Martin Sheen in the elevator made me cringe with embarrassment. Sheen, Sr. was great, though. The saving grace of the picture, methinks. B/B+
“Dangerous Parking” also had it moments, though the protagonist’s ways of dealing with his affliction (alcoholism) and his selfish ways irked me quite a bit. He does redeem himself, especially when Saffron Burrows enters the picture. What a fantastically underrated actress she is (and I really hope she stops working in crappy American tv shows right now). In the end, it is the convincing and imaginative story-telling that rescue the whole endeavor. A-/B+
And Sam, hear hear about “Streetcar.” As I never tire of saying, Leigh gives the single greatest performance I’ve ever seen; male or female.
Finally, I re-visited a couple of films, but I must highlight “Best in Show.” Simply perfection and it gets funnier and funnier every time I see it.
“Thank God people in Wall Street nowadays are thoughtful, kind, non-greedy folk who know the difference between right and wrong.”
lol
Dorothy, what happened to the occasional ItG movie reviews? With gold like that you ought to be writing more of them.
I could give Best in Show another viewing, but I’m such a Guffman fanatic that my standards are unfairly high.
Jennybee, I might be a little nervous about flooding the interwebs with promotion for Yangtze if my recommendation wasn’t backed up by reputable sources, including most of the LiC readership. I’ve set a couple email reminders myself because I want to see how it translates to TV and if it’s actually as powerful as I remember.
Regarding Blindness, well your thoughts on it are pretty much all I heard before it came out. Why this was adapted, nobody knows. Thanks for your compliment, Alexander, but it would be worth reading a review from somebody who’s actually read the book. All I saw was a story with amazing potential go almost completely wasted.
Thanks for all the well-wishes, folks.
Daniel, I’m actually hoping to have a chance to interview the director of Up the Yangtze in a few weeks, but we’ll see if the distributor follows through on their promise. It’s a smaller film, so they’ll probably eat up whatever press they can get, but I’m not exactly prime press pickins.
Also, Dan, I don’t see how loving Guffman should preclude you from ALSO loving Best In Show. Gosh, I need to check that one out again, Dorothy. Thanks for the reminder.
Aw shucks, Daniel. Thanks. I’d love to write more reviews, but boy am I lazy. Well, not really lazy, I just can’t find the time. But thanks for the vote of confidence.
And don’t get it twisted, I totally have “Waiting for Guffman” ready for some re-visiting as well. K and I have been going back and forth about how underrated Guest is. Anyone want to join our Christopher Guest Appreciation Society? I already have Daniel and Evan down :-)
My favorite part about the Watercooler is it seems to encourage people to talk amongst themselves instead of talking to me….not that I don’t like to join in, but it’s fun to see what other people are doing.
Alexander, it might take me additional viewings of Hiroshima before I can fully grasp it. I’m not embarrassed to admit that it went over my head.
Michael, this afternoon definitely counts. I like to think of the Watercooler as being an ongoing thing throughout the week. And you picked a great film to bring up. Devil has grown on me more and more as time has gone by.
Jennybee, there wasn’t much humanity (in a good sense) in Blindness the movie so I’m going to go ahead and suggest your instinct to stay away is probably a good one. Eventually it kind of comes through, but it almost feels tacked on.
Hmmmmm Dorothy. Inspired by current events much? What’s crazy is that what’s going on right now makes Wall Street and Bonfire of the Vanities seem like child’s play.
Sign me up for the Christopher Guest appreciation society!!
I just scrambled for the SNL synchronized swimming sketch with Martin Short, but I couldn’t find it :(
I can certainly see how Hiroshima Mon Amour could come across as downright annoying or too impenetrable to be genuinely, particularly after just one or two tries, Craig. And unlike Last Year at Marienbad, it doesn’t have an enticing sumptuousness that gets you by even when you’re completely lost as I was during much of my first viewing of that film.
Best in Show is great and I think about it quite a lot actually, though like Daniel, Waiting for Guffman remains my favorite of his films. Waiting for Guffman is perfection. I swear I have lived in that town.
Michael W., if you haven’t already, I recommend you check out the Living in Cinema Readers’ Top 10 List at the top of the page. It’s as good a top 10 movies-to-see checklist as any out there, with mini-commentaries by some of us reg’lars. Even so, there are a good many comparably excellent movies that didn’t make it onto the list. 2007 was a great film year, much better than this one’s shaping up to be so far. 2008 is just a more ordinary film year– there’s some great stuff in it, but not in unparalleled quantities.
The only thing I saw this weekend was APPALOOSA, which I was disappointed by. It was entertaining, and I really liked the chemistry between Harris and Mortensen, but Renee Zellweger annoyed me and the whole thing seemed a bit aimless and awkwardly constructed.
I’m still excited about BLINDNESS…the accusations of it being unpleasant to watch actually bode well for it for me. I’m a big fan of Merellies and have great faith in his ability here.
I also saw Appaloosa this weekend, which I liked substantially more than Matt did. My biggest complaint was Zellweger’s character – between her performance and the way the character was written, she seemed to be not on par with the rest of the movie, which is ultimately a fairly big flaw. But I loved the look and feel of the movie, the performances from Harris and Viggo, and the dialogue.
On the other hand, I’m not a fan of Meirelles, so here’s hoping that when I see Blindness he turns it around instead of driving it in deeper.
I also disliked Zellweger completely (the performance and the character), but like Jeff I came away mainly liking the movie. As I said to JB on the Appaloosa thread, it was not Jesse James, but it was entertaining.
of course i didn’t watch any movies this weekend.and of course i didn’t do anything interesting either….
i’m happy the blindness and whatever that eastwood directed film with jolie (no i really don’t care) aren’t getting wowish reveiws.has me thinking that if something i like comes out/maybe it has a chance of getting some play…let’s see ‘the usua’l oscar bait stuff/hyped as potential oscar bait stuff fail/fall. *please*
*ha ha*
and will there be a funnier film this year than ‘ghost town’ ???
Jenny, I hadn’t seen the list, but checked it out upon your recommendation. I’ll admit, I’ve only seen three of the Top 10 listed. Everything else listed, save Once, which I actually passed up a chance to see this year at the BAFICI, is sitting on top of my DVD player in my “To Watch” pile. :)
Of those seen, I really did not enjoy I’m Not There. at the level the community at large did, as it felt more like a vanity project for the stars to me than a fully developed piece of work. There were great performances and moments of greatness, but they felt scattered across what I thought was an uneven plain.
The other two, Ratatouille and No Country.., are about where I’ve ranked them on my own lists.
Here in the next few days I think I’ll make an effort to catch up on a lot of my failed 2007 viewings.
I enjoyed the film as well…I just wasn’t quite as good as I expected. But overall I was entertained.
Well, I saw 50 films in 2007 and BTDKYD is entrenched firmly in my Top 5. As soon as I saw it it was there and it never left. But that’s just me…
I own DAYS OF HEAVEN.
Best film of 1978 for my money – and with films like THE DEER HUNTER and AN UNMARRIED WOMAN in release that year, that’s genuinely saying something….
Dorothy, I’m totally with Danny. I wish that you wrote more reviews. You’re a fabulous writer. Too bad you don’t have more free time.
Ah, the VIVIEN LEIGH thing. I’d forgotten about that.
IMO VIVIEN is not only one of the foremost talents of the silver screen but one of the great beauties as well. I think she was FANTASTIC in STREETCAR. Truly is a performance for the ages.
But I personally think that her SCARLETT O’HARA in GWTW is the best lead female performance EVER.
So we’re definitely on the same page, D. Just different paragraphs.
MICHAEL DOUGLAS, unfortunately, won the Oscar because (as with so many of them…) the industry thought that it was his time. He also did Fatal Attraction that year and it was an enormous BLOCKBUSTER hit. Certainly NOT because it was any bloody good. (Except for a totally brilliant performance by the great GLENN CLOSE.) But largely because it played into everybody’s fears about relationships, intimacy and infidelity.
So you take that huge one two punch, the fact that MD was well liked, popular, handsome and had been around forever. Plus (though I didn’t care for Wall Street myself) it was looked upon as a “serious” lead role and he had the “Greed is good” speech.
Those are the main reasons why he won. As our beloved Pierre so often states, we have to keep reminding ourselves that the Oscars are NOT about the best. If we remember that, then we won’t be upset at the outcome.
Well, MAYBE. Ha ha.
But MD is actually a fairly decent actor. He’s good in any film that he’s done with Kathleen Turner. Also TRAFFIC and THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT.
He just has to be cast correctly.
And you are spot on about Charlie Sheen. Absolutely horrible. I think the only thing he was ever half decent in was the scene in FERRIS BUELLER where he played that hoodlum that JENNIFER GREY meets in the cop shop. He was fine in Platoon. That’s pretty much it.
Otherwise, holy hell…
Women keep marrying that…man…and having children with him. Have you seen him lately…?
It boggles the mind.
What was that speech that FRANCES McDORMAND gave in FARGO? About what people would do for a little bit of money?
Um, yeah…..
It might be a guilty pleasure pick, but I see nothing wrong with Charlie Sheen in Major League (at least… the first one. The second one is an entirely different story).
Dorothy, I would be hard pressed to argue that, although I would pose that’s it’s a toss-up with Gloria Swanson’s in SUNSET BOULEVARD.
I saw no movies this weekend.
But I can offer this: goldfish funeral
Kids say the darnedest things, Alison. LOL!
Hahaha, thanks for sharing, Alison.
Thanks, Alison. Funny stuff.
Ah, Ms. W., why am I not surprised that we share the same opinion as to not just “Wall Street” but on Ms. Leigh. What a luminous presence she was; and far be it from me to even argue about her performance in GWTW. In fact, I look at those two Southern dames as two sides of the same coin. Both glorious, intensely demanding roles. And the fact that this fragile wisp of a woman was able to turn in two legendary, powerhouse performances. The Academy doesn’t always get it right, that’s true enough, but God, when it gets it right it gets it gloriously right.
Sam, I am a great admirer of WIlde’s “Sunset Boulevard” and Swanson is indeed unforgettable. I need to re-visit it again as my focus whenever I see it is on William Holden, who is another unsung hero of mine.
My gorgeous and gifted Dorothy, I could not have expressed myself better in regards to Ms. Vivien Leigh.
I’ve adored her since I was a girl. She was always a big favourite of mine. Broke my heart completely when I realized that she left this world long before I was born. So there was never a chance of meeting her.
I wish she had devoted a little less time to the theatre and that she had done more films. But she certainly made up for that with the superlative classic motion pictures that she appeared in.
I held out for a theatrical screening of GONE WITH THE WIND until I was a teenager. I REFUSED TO SEE IT FOR THE FIRST TIME ON TELEVISION. I worshipped that book. It just meant too much.
I wouldn’t crack. It just about killed me. But I finally got to go…and it SURPASSED all of my expectations.
(And how often can we say that about…well, anything???)
VIVIEN was unbelievably beautiful, fiery, passionate, spectacular. She WAS SCARLETT in all of her amazing glory. GWTW IS THE BEST FILM I’VE EVER SEEN. Only thing that can possibly compare is LAWRENCE OF ARABIA.
But GWTW is largely great because of VIVIEN’S exceptional performance.
So…as you said, when the ACADEMY gets it right, it really goes to town. Thank God they recognized this lovely woman’s sheer genius for BOTH performances. Though I don’t adore her acting in STREETCAR at that particular level, it is still a sublime achievement in any respect.
VIVIEN LEIGH was a remarkable woman and a brilliant actor. As film fans, we’re all forever grateful.
I didn’t see GWTW until I was in my 30s and was underwhelmed except for Leigh’s work in it. What’s interesting, though, is what her performance might have been had George Cukor remained onboard. There’s a documentary out there about Leigh that contains clips (outtakes) of a few scenes directed by Cukor that were reshot after he was canned. Leigh’s acting in these snippets is darker and deeper than what we see in the finished product. For someone whose performances were planned out in advance — right down to each inflection and gesture — Leigh’s acting comes straight from the gut.
I’m onboard for Christopher Guest. Although his work is a little one-note, that one note hits the mark and is quite entertaining.
Greetings and felicitations, Miranda — my attitude about the Oscars, developed years ago, coincides with the tagline that Sasha Stone features on her Awards Daily masthead: “The trick is not minding.”
Ah, I do adore you, Pierre. FOR ALWAYS.
Yeah, AD’S new tagline comes from our good friend RYAN ADAMS. (I know you know that.) It’s also (as I’m sure you’re well aware) a line of dialogue from LAWRENCE OF ARABIA.
I think I understand what you’re saying about VIVIEN’S performance, Pierre. I’m certain I heard this. Unless I’ve got my wires crossed somewhere.
Even though Cukor was sacked and they brought Victor Fleming on board, VIVIEN and OLIVIA De HAVILLAND were deeply attached to George. They not only considered him a good friend but they thought he was an extraordinary director where female actors were concerned.
(That’s definitely true. He possessed a genuine understanding of women and he helped a lot of them to a level where they gave extremely striking performances.)
Emotionally VIV and OLIVIA were quite devastated. They wanted to continue the film with George. But it just wasn’t going to be possible. I’ve read a variety of biographies of VIVIEN (a bunch are still in my possession) and apparently she and OLIVIA continued to rehearse with George and discuss things like character motivation with him long after he was fired.
So it seems that he remained a very positive influence on the girls and they continued to lean on him for support, encouragement and brainstorming on ideas concerning character portrayal. From what I was given to understand Fleming was a no nonsense guys’ guy whose insensitivity offended both women.
I think they knew that they had a better chance of flying to the moon than having a successful artistic collaboration with Fleming.
I have heard about the outtakes that you describe and what I’ve read (described above) certainly makes it sound like George would have brought out different dimensions and aspects of SCARLETT that didn’t readily come to light in the nearly four hours that we see her on screen.
Always cool to talk acting with you, Pierre. Your knowledge is profound and deep – and you have a lot of experience.
If I were ever to absorb anything new, I’d like it to be from someone like you….
Hey Miranda, am I getting spammed over at your site? My last 3 comments haven’t showed up.
Matthew, it could be that “moderation” delay. God, I would hate to have comments lost though.
Fascinating discourse above with Dorothy, Pierre and Miranda.
I left them starting like 2 days ago so I don’t think that’s the problem.