Quick Review: 'Contagion' (C-)

I watched 'Contagion' last night. I didn't really like it. It was made by the same director as 'Traffic' and tried his best to emulate that kind of story telling magic, but fell very short. However, I really appreciated Lawrence Fishburn's performance. He was the only stand out in this start studded cast. But all in all it was just bleh.

Quick Reviews: 'Crazy, Stupid. Love', 'We Need to Talk About Kevin', 'Super 8', and 'Moneyball'

I’ve been making daily updates on my movie marathon progress on Facebook. I realized that I should probably be posting them here too.

So here is a collection on my latest updates from the week:

‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ - (A)I finally watched ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ last night. It was great and it’s totally my kind of movie. Most importantly, this movie surprised me. Normally, I’m able to predict the course of a movie and although I enjoy them, I usually see things coming from a mile away. And for the most part I was… like Marisa Tomei’s character. I predicted that. However, about three quarters of the way into the film something happened that totally threw me and I was like, “BRILLIANT!” I didn’t see it coming at all. However, looking back at earlier dialogue, I should have. The compliment here is that ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ drew me in so much, that I stopped trying to make predictions in my head… and I just let the whole story unfold, which was awesome. Great script, great cast, great movie!


‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ - (B)We Need to Talk About Kevin'. This movie is very bleak and draining. It is a very tough and not so happy story. However, quite a lot of artistry went into telling this story. What could have been very graphic and violent was told very simply and with great care. I really appreciated the simplistic approach. Plus, Tilda Swinton's performance is the best of the year, so far, and new comer Ezra Miller (as Kevin) is a young man to watch for the future.


‘Super 8’ - (A)
Movie Marathon Update: Finished 'Super 8' last night after building a bunch of presents. Wow. It was really great. I just love JJ Adrams, that dude knows how to tell a story! Plus, the kids in the movie were spot on, plus Kyle Chandler (Sp?), from Friday Night Lights, was amazing as always as the Deputy Sheriff/ Dad.


‘Moneyball’ - (A)
I watched 'Moneyball' last night. Great movie! So far it is the best movie I’ve seen during my annual "Pre-Movie Award Season Marathon”. Oddly enough, I think Jonah Hill might have a chance for the Golden Globe, although I still haven’t seen the other four Supporting Actor Nominees… yet!

Review: ‘The Ideas of March’ (B-)

Director: George Clooney (‘Good Night and Good Luck’)

Okay, so I know my review of ‘The Ideas of March’ might seem a little harsh and I’m sure Clooney, if he knew I existed, would probably think I hate him, especially since I panned ‘Up in the Air’ a few years ago on my other blog.  However, that is the farthest thing from the truth.  Please know I liked this movie… well… I appreciated the movie; I appreciated the movie a lot.

Thematically, I think the movie was a success, mainly because it justified my personal opinion about American politics: Everyone involve, no matter the party, are shady back-stabbing liars.  And in driving this theme home, Clooney, but co-star and director, created one of the bleakest depictions of the American political system I’ve seen. 

The idealistic hopes and dreams that would drive most political movies died a quick and painful death within the first quarter of ‘The Ides of March’.  And playing against the norm, where the idealism would come back for a triumphant victory… the protagonist, Ryan Gosling, succumbs to what our political system is really about and plays the game harder and better than anyone else in the room.

This movie is good and it is worth seeing if you’re not in the mood for the feel good movie of the year… it is a well constructed film with an very good cast… almost too good… way too good. 

Let me explain:

A few weeks ago I reviewed ‘Cedar Rapids’, a delightful comedy staying Ed Helms, Ann Heche, and John C. Riley.  In my review I said, “And I hate to say it, but if Ryan Gosling and Kate Winslet had starred in this movie, rather than Helms and Heche, I think Cedar Rapids would end up being the toast of the town come awards season.  And that said, I’m not sure if Gosling and Winslet would have done a better job than Helms and Heche… and that is what makes EGOTing so frustrating.”

Well, I think ‘The Ides of March’ illustrates my point beautifully.  With a different cast I think this movies would have been forgotten faster than ‘Columbiana’… or gone straight to video.  And it would have ultimately been one of those movies that film buffs recommend to each other as “must sees”, but never attracts a mainstream audience.

The fact of the matter is that ‘The Ideas of March’ has a cast, who collectively has been nominated for 27 Golden Globes, 22 Screen Actors Guild Awards, and 12 Academy Awards.  And when you have that much award love floating around, you’re pretty much guaranteed more acclaim and nominations. 

Cast: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling (‘Half Nelson’), Philip Seymour Hoffman (‘Capote’), Paul Giamatti (‘Sideways’), Even Rachel Wood (‘Once and Again’), Marisa Tomei (‘The Wrestler’) and Jeffrey Wright (‘Angels in America’)

Reviews: ‘Hanna’ (B)

‘Hanna’ (B)

Directed by: Joe Wright ‘(Atonement’ and ‘Pride and Predjudice’)

Starring: Saoirse Ronan (‘The Lovely Bones’), Eric Bana (‘Munich’), and Cate Blanchett (‘The Aviator’)

I’ve been excited about ‘Hanna’ ever since I saw the preview last summer while in Pakistan... and it certainly lived up to the hype I built up in my head.  It was really great! 

That said, if you dig those run of the mill mindless shoot ‘em up, over the top action flicks we’re accustom to in the States… ‘Hanna’ might not be your speed.  This is nothing like ‘Salt’.

Although ‘Hanna’ has elements of an action thriller, its pace is more reminiscent of a drama, which makes a lot of sense when you look at director Joe Wright’s resume.  He took this script and played it to his strengths, which I think was a benefit to the overall product.

I highly recommend this film!

Trailer Triple Play: ‘The Dictator’, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, and ‘The Hobbit’

‘The Dictator’

Last year, when I found out Sasha Baron Cohen was basing his next film on a book by Saddam Hussein I what like, “What?!?”  And then, when I found out the book, ‘Zabibah and the King’ was actually a romantic fiction novel I was like, “Cohen’s movie is going to be BRILLIANT!”

Although the original novel takes place in 8^th century medieval Iraq, Cohen’s black comedy update seems to stay true to the major themes of the story:  “the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed"  

Beyond the shear brilliance of the source material, the mismatched cast looks nothing short than amazing: Ben Kingsley (Ghandi), Anna Faris (Scary Movie 1 – 5), Jason Mantzoukas (The League), Jerry Brooks (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Fred Melamed (The Good Wife and just about everything else under the sun), and B.J. Novak (The Office and Inglorious Bastards).

‘The Dark Knight Rises’

Drool.

I cannot wait for the final chapter of this series.  Chris Nolan has done an amazing job and has set the bar incredibly high for future Batman franchises.

 I love the addition of Joseph Gordon-Levitt to the cast… and based on what I see in the preview I am very excited to see what they’re doing with Bane.  And I’ll keep my fingers crossed for Cat Woman.

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’

Besides having Peter Jackson back at the helm of this film alongside ‘Lord of the Rings’ veterans Ian McKellen (Gandolf), Ian Holm (Old Bilbo), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), Andy Serkis (Gollum), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Christopher Lee (Saruman), and Elijah Wood (Frodo); I am thrilled to see Martin Freeman playing the young Bilbo.  Most American audiences will remember Freeman as Arthur Dent in ‘The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’ or John, the porn stand-in, from ‘Love Actually’.  And for those of you who are comedy purists, you will also know Freeman from the original (British) version of ‘The Office’ where he played Tim, (who was renames ‘Jim’ for the American Version).  Freeman is a solid actor and I am excited to see what he brings to Jackson’s Lord of the Rings/Hobbit legacy.

Speaking of British television (which is a vice of mine), Pete Jackson has brought in some of the best and brightest to fill out the rest of ‘The Hobbit’ cast, will introduce the Company of Dwarves, young Bilbo’s traveling companions for his adventure.  Jackson put together a VERY impressive group of actors for this: Richard Armitage (Spooks and Robin Hood), Graham McTavish (Red Dwarf), Ken Scott (Messiah), James Nesbitt (Cold Feet), and Aidan Turner (Being Human).

This movie will ROCK!

The Movie Award Season Begins NOW!

Game on. 

I live for this time of year.

Seriously, what with my work life overseas and my family life with two young kids, it is very hard for me to see a ton of movies… and even when I do, my viewing habits are undisciplined and unfocused.  I just go see movies at random and most of the time they’re with my five year-old… so we’re normally seeing ‘G’ rated fare.

However… that all changes during awards season when the nomination list start coming out:  The Golden Globes, American Film Institute, Critics Choice, Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild, Directors Guild… whoever! 

This time a year sets the ground rules... it gives me an organized and focused list of movies that are actually in contention… and thus begins my two month movie marathon leading up to the Oscar broadcast.  A marathon my wife grins and bares in return for my willingness to watch ‘Top Chef’ and ‘Project Runway’ the rest of the year.

As I said at the opening of this post: “Game on!” 

As the season progresses, my posts will probably be more frequent and definitely more focused as I start tearing through nomination list.

More later!

Grammy Awards – First Look… Annoying

Folks, to be completely honest, the Grammy’s give me a headache and they are the bane of my EGOTing existence.  There are 78 categories for the love of everything holy!  78 categories!  Come on… that’s just ridiculous! 

Listen, I totally understand that it takes different skills and talents to produce different genres of music; just like it takes different skills and talents to act in a Horror film verses a Comedy verses a Drama. However, come awards season, at some point you have to say enough is enough! 

Sure, it’s not abnormal for an Awards Ceremonies to honor separate genres.  The Tony Awards honor Musicals, Straight Plays, and Revivals separately.  The Emmy Awards honor Dramas, Comedies, TV Movies, and Mini-Series Separately.  And even the Oscars have separate categories for Animated, Documentary, and Foreign Films. 

However, the Oscars do not hand out separate awards for every conceivable genre like ‘Best Live Action Family Film’, or ‘Best Actor in a Horror Film’, or ‘Best Director of a Dramatic-Comedy’.  Just the idea of giving out such awards seems ridiculous… however, in my opinion; this ridiculousness is exactly what the Grammy Awards are doing. 

Check out the THIRTY different areas the Grammy’s honor and the number of awards they give out for each:

General/All-Around Awards: 4; Pop: 4; Dance/Electronic: 2; Traditional Pop: 1; Rock: 4 (Including a special category for ‘Hard Rock/Metal’); Alternative Rock: 1; R&B: 4 (Including a special category for ‘Traditional R&B’); Rap: 4 (Including a special category for ‘Rap Collaborations with Singers’); Country: 4; New Age: 1; Jazz: 4 (Including special categories for ‘Improvised’, ‘Vocal’, ‘Instrumental’ and ‘Ensemble’); Gospel: 5 (Including special categories for ‘Contemporary Christian’); Latin: 4 (Separate categories for ‘Banda’, ‘Tropical’, ‘Pop/Rock/Urban’, and ‘Mexican’); American Roots: 4 (Including Blues, Folk, Bluegrass… and ‘Americana’); Reggae: 1; Children: 1; World Music: 1; Comedy: 1; Spoken Word: 1; Music for Visual Media: 3; Musical Theatre: 1; Composing/Arranging: 3; Packing:  2; Historical: 1; Album Notes: 1; Production (Non-Classical): 3 (Including a special category for ‘Remixing’); Production (Classical): 3; Surround Sound: 1; Classical: 6; Music Video: 2;

And honestly, if the breakdown doesn’t seem odd enough, let me take a minute to point out some major inconsistencies:

1.       Why does Latin Music get FOUR awards, while the rest of the world gets only ONE?

2.       Why do genres like Traditional Pop, Alternative, New Age,  Reggae, and Children’s only get ONE award for ‘Best Album’, when other genres also get awards for ‘Best Song’, ‘Best Solo Performance’, and ‘Best Duo/Group Performance’?  Who decides that?

3.       Beyond all of the ‘Parent’ genre’s being honored… why are there so many sub-genre’s getting separate awards?

Perhaps I’m just a crotchety old man… I love music!  I really do!  I have a very eclectic music collection consisting of all the before mentioned styles… so I am definitely not questioning the legitimacy of the various genres and sub-genres… just the need for 78 different awards. 

And truth be told… the legitimacy of some of these awards need to be questioned when you see how some artist are able to cross over into multiple genres:

The Foo Fighters:  nominated for ‘Best Rock Performance’ and ‘Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance’… um… okay?

Coldplay: nominated for ‘Best Pop Duo/Group Performance’, while they are also nominated for ‘Best Rock Performance’ and ‘Best Rock Song’.  I’m confused… is Coldplay a Pop or a Rock band?

Radiohead: nominated for ‘Best Rock Song’ and ‘Best Rock Performance’… but instead of being nominated for ‘Best Rock Album’, they are nominated for ‘Best Alternative Album’.  Does anyone else find this a bit strange?

Foster the People: nominated for ‘Best Pop Duo/Group Performance’ and ‘Best Alternative Album’.

When there is this much cross over, the field becomes muddled and confusing.  Unnecessary. 

The Grammy’s should keep their four overall awards for Artist, Album, Song, and New Artist… but they really need to do a few things to clean up the rest of the show:

1.       Artists/Songs/Albums should only be allowed to compete in one genre.  Precedence: At the Emmy Awards, actors from Dramatic Comedies are not allowed to compete in both the Drama and Comedy categories for the same show.  Actors on Comedy shows are not allowed to compete in the Drama category just because they didn’t an episode with a ‘serious’ subject matter, or vice versa.

2.       Get rid of all sub-genre awards. 

3.       Only give out three awards for each parent genre: ‘Best Written Song’, ‘Best Album’, and ‘Best Performance’.

In closing, the most shocking thing about the Grammy’s 78 awards, is that their actually down from last year, when they had 109 awards!  Ridiculous.  Well… keep working Grammy’s!

Review: ‘Cedar Rapids’ (B)

Cedar Rapids was just plain old fun and I highly recommend this very simply, straight forward, and quirky comedy. 

The screenplay, by first timer Phil Johnston, was featured on the 2009 installment of the ‘Hollywood Blacklist’ honoring the best unproduced screenplays circulating Hollywood, and finally brought to the big screen by underrated director Miguel Arteta (Chuck & Buck, The Good Girl, and Youth in Revolt).  Together, along with a terrific cast, they have put together a film that doesn’t disappoint.

The Positive

This ensemble comedy is pretty remarkable and very balanced.  Everyone it perfectly cast, incredibly talented, and each individual compliments the rest of their team perfectly.  There isn’t a week leak among them.

Ed Helms (The Office) proves, once again, that he is the king of playing the nice guy.  Anne Heche, whose Television work I adore (Men in Trees and Hung) is as delightful as always.  Sigourney Weaver brings this amazing edge to the movie… and at times reason and much needed stability.  And John C. Reilly?  Well… John does what he does best: steal scenes. 

If you are a fan of John C. Reilly’s body of work, his performance in Cedar Rapids is a must see because he’s giving everything he’s got. In this movie John channels the comic brilliance we’ve seen in Talladega Nights and Dewy Cox, and harnesses it with the kind of sincerity we’ve seen in Magnolia and Boogie Nights.

And the same accolades goes to the stacked supporting cast as well:  Stephen Root (News Radio and Office Space), Kurtwood Smith (That 70s Show), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), Rob Corddry (The Daily Show and Hot Tube Time Machine), Mike O’Malley (Yes, Dear and Glee), Thomas Patrick Lennon (The State and Reno 911!), and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (The Wire).

Isiah in particular has a couple scene stealing moments as a mild mannered insurance agent who is an enthusiast of the HBO Series ‘The Wire’… a show he, in real life, starred in… and in one scene in particular he channels his character from ‘The Wire’ who is neither mild, nor mannered, culminating into a hysterically funny moment.

The Negative

There is a reason why Cedar Rapids was on the 2009 Hollywood Blacklist.  It’s great!  And this is the kind of comedy you would normally find vying for awards… however… it will go unnoticed, not due to the faults of anyone involved.  As a whole, the writing, direction, and performances were spot on.  However, sadly to say, the problem is that no one associated with this film is high profile enough to attract the kind of attention needed for a successful awards run. 

And I hate to say it, but if Ryan Gosling and Kate Winslet had starred in this movie, rather than Helms and Heche, I think Cedar Rapids would end up being the toast of the town come awards season.  And as a result, I actually think John C. Reilly would have ended up with an Oscar Nomination.

And that said, I’m not sure if Gosling and Winslet would have done a better job than Helms and Heche… and that is what makes EGOTing so frustrating.

The Golden Globes Honors Morgan Freeman

This year’s Cecil B. DeMille award goes to the VERY deserving Morgan Freeman.  Freeman is the 59^th recipient of this award honoring “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment” and it really goes without saying why he deserves such an honor.

Morgan Freeman has received numerous awards for his acting; including an Oscar and a Golden Globe… he has a star on the Walk of Fame… and he has received awards from International Film Festivals around the world.

However, when looking at the true meaning and significance of an award like the ‘Cecil B. DeMille’ I don’t think you can simply focus on the recipient’s body of work.  I think these lifetime achievement awards are much bigger than just giving some old guy a trophy and letting him give a speech.  The award is nice, I’m sure… but really it’s about placing the honoree in the company of the awards previous recipients.

Quite frankly, the ‘Cecil B. DeMille’ honor roll includes the likes of Bob Hope, Alfred Hitchcock, Walt Disney, Fred Astaire, Joan Crawford, Charlton Heston, John Wayne, Bettie Davis, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Lucille Ball, Laurence Olivier… and the list of legendary Hollywood elite goes on and on… all the way to 59, where Morgan Freedman’s name will accompany the rest for all time. 

These lifetime achievement awards aren’t merely an award… they are a Hall of Fame… this is where careers are immortalized for the next generations. 

And to truly appreciate this feeling it is important to put a perspective on it.  50 years from now, movie loving kids will look back to Morgan Freeman with the same kind of majestic wonder as I look back on Bob Hope.  And that… that alone… is amazing.

Congratulation Morgan!  You rocked in ‘Dolphin Tale’!

‘The Artist’ - Trailer

I can’t help but get chills.

There is something mesmerizing about the silent film era unto itself… but to see a film about that era, shot in the same style (black and white AND silent) is fantastically daring.  And apparently it works.

The star, Jean Dujardin, won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival, and the film won the Audience Award at the Leeds International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Film at the European Film Awards.

Judging by its American Release date (November 25^th) The Weinstein Company thinks they might have a winner on their hands… we’ll see… we still have a month and a half before the Golden Globe and Oscar nominations!

‘Steve Jobs’ – Book Review

Being functionally illiterate, myself, I can’t really give an adequate review of Walter Isaacson’s haphazard writing style… which certainly isn’t meant to be an insult in any way.  I haven’t read any of Isaacson’s other biographies, but from what I hear, he’s supposed to be a badass in his field.  Furthermore, what I am calling a ‘haphazard writing style’ was probably a specific choice Isaacson made to compliment Steve Jobs’ life.

Honestly, I do not envy what Isaacson, presumably, had to go through to write this biography and I salute his finished product... although at times it reads like it was rushed, premature, to the printers soon after Steve’s passing so people would buy it before interest faded.

Then again… that unfinished, unpolished feel of the book also compliments Steve Jobs’ life.

Even the exorbitant page count seems to compliment his life as well.

You see, Jobs had his hands in so many projects in such a short period of time that it was almost impossible for Isaacson to tackle the biography in a linier manner.  Instead, the book jumps a round focusing more of specific projects and relationships rather than timelines… which can be confusing at first, at least until you just let go and enjoy the ride.

In short… my take away from the book was that Steve Jobs was an unsympathetic wack-o.  He was cold, narcissistic, opinionated, and uncaring of anything he didn’t consider masterful, or anyone who wasn’t creating anything masterful.

However, Isaacson paints another picture of Steve Jobs; that of a man of great brilliance, passion, confidence, and innovation.  Steve Jobs’ story is also one of great inspiration.  His take no prisoners’ attitude towards business, although detrimental at times, was refreshing… and almost heroic.  Steve Jobs was the quintessential antihero of our times.

One quote from Jobs, in the book, has really stuck with me, and I am paraphrasing:  “I have little respect for person who has thousands of ideas but never gets beyond dreaming about them, however, a person who has one idea and can make something truly great out of it is worthy of my respect.”

Beyond the wacky story of an eccentric billionaire, there is a significant amount of the book dedicated to the creation of Pixar… which I found complete fascinating. 

I had known that Steve Jobs was involved with Pixar, however for some reason, I had always assumed he just sat on the company’s board.  The business world is pretty incestuous that way and all these rich guys sit on each other’s boards.   Well, I was wrong.  Steve Jobs actually bought Pixar from LucasArts and was its primary owner. 

In addition, Steve Jobs was the guy who negotiating Pixar’s dual branding deal with Disney to differentiate the movies Pixar made from other companies contracting with Disney (including Disney themselves).  Steve felt the separate branding of Pixar was important to differentiate their level of quality from the rest of the Disney library; a decision that has proved highly successful for Pixar.

Furthermore, at one time, Disney actually cancelled the production of Toy Story.  Mainly because they didn’t like the rewrites they forces Pixar to use.  So, in an act of defiance towards Disney and of support for his team at Pixar, Steve Jobs continued to finance the movie himself, ultimately allowing John Lassiter to make the film he had been trying to make before Disney started meddling.  And well… the rest is history.

Being the movie buff that I am, the story behind Pixar and Steve Jobs involvement with the company was amazing and those sections alone were worth reading the whole book. 

Billy Crystal Returns to the Oscars, Good and Bad

SWEET!

While many bloggers seem to be poo-pooing the Academy for wooing Billy Crystal out of retirement to host the Oscars for the ninth time, I love the idea! 

Like I said in my previous post about Ricky Gervais being tapped, yet again, to host the Golden Globes, it is very important to have a consistent host to help brand an awards show.  Sure, Crystal hasn’t hosted the Academy Awards since 2004… and no one has hosted in concurrent years since Crystal in 1997 and 1998… so you can’t really call him consistent, however Billy Crystal is an Oscar icon, second only to Bob Hope for the most number of hosting gigs.

In many ways, Billy Crystal is the face of the modern Oscars and he brings the kind of familiarity the floundering telecast needs… plus he is the perfect choice to pick-up the pieces and bring respect back to the award after the humiliating loss of Eddie Murphy due to the Brett Ratner debacle. 

However… my fellow bloggers are right.  Billy Crystal, as amazing as he is, at 63 years old, is an outdated choice.  And I fear that the Academy (and Brian Grazar) may be overlooking an opportunity to improve the reputation of the Oscars, not just for this year, but for years to come.

What am I driving at?

Well… I think Billy Crystal needs a co-host.

Over the years, the Oscar telecast has had a harder and hard time attracting younger views, not that they haven’t been trying.  In the last 10+ years they have taped the likes of Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, Hugh Jackman, James Franco, and Ann Hathaway as hosts.  And every time they just can’t harness that younger demographic and at times, they have come dangerously close to alienating their loyal (older) demographic.

The choice of Billy Crystal alone almost feels like the Academy has conceded the fight.  And that worries me.

If I were producing the Oscars I would do things very different.  I would approach a young actor with similar song and dance talents to Billy Crystal and who has experience hosting live awards shows … like Neil Patrick Harris. 

I would then offer him a four year hosting contract, with the first year co-hosting with Billy, as a sort of a ‘passing the torch’ year.

I think an actor like Neil Partick Harris would generate a lot of interest with younger demographics and I think having him host alongside an Oscar legend like Billy Crystal for the first year would help the loyal Oscar viewing demographics to not only accept a younger host, but also embrace him, almost like he had been handpicked by Crystal himself.

This is what the Oscars needs: a new face that we can count on year after year.  Like we used to count on Billy.  It’s time… but a successful transition is going to take some finesse.   

Billy Crystal is exactly what the Oscars need this year and he will do a fantastic job.

Upcoming Projects from 6 Great Directors

Today curiosity got the better of me and became obsessed with finding out what projects some of my favorite directors are currently working on… here is what I found out (in no particular order):

Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Bastards):  Django Unchained (2012) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gorden-Levitt, Samual L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Kurt Russell, Sacha Baron Cohen, Kevin Costner and Jamie Foxx.  “With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from the brutal Calvin Candie, a Mississippi plantation owner” (IMBD).  This movie is loosely based on the 1966 Italian spaghetti western Django, which at the time was considered the most violent movie ever made.  This should be great inspiration for Tarantino since Inglorious Bastards was also inspired by an Italian film of the same name.  Also, if that’s not exciting enough, Tarantino has also announces Kill Bill, Volume 3 (2014)!

Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia and There Will Be Blood):  The Master (2012) starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Laura Dern.  “A 1950s-set drama centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as "the Master" whose faith-based organization begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter who becomes his right-hand man,” (IMDB).  P.T. Anderson directs some of the most amazing character driven epics… I’m really excited!

Robert Rodriguez (Desperado and Sin City):  Who doesn’t love Robert Rodriguez?  Besides the Directors guild?  As it stands now, nothing has been announced for Robert… looks like his Sin City sequels have been tabled.

Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore):  Moonrise Kingdom (2012) starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Frances McDonrmand, and Harvey Keitel.  “A pair of lovers flee their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them.”  Amazing cast, amazing writer, amazing director… it’s going to be great!

The Coen Brothers (The Big Lebowski and No County for Old Men): Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) starring Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan and John Goodman.  “A singer-songwriter navigates New York's folk music scene during the 1960s.”  With the way things are going with the Coen Brothers, this film could potentially cement Timberlake’s acting career big time!

Stephen Spielberg (E.T. and Empire of the Sun):  Spielberg is the man who never quits!  The man has three projects in the works.  War Horse (2011) stars no one of consequence, but likely to launch some careers.  Lincoln (2012) starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sally Field, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader and Tim Blake Nelson.  Finally, Robopocalypse (2013) doesn’t have a cast yet, but sci-fi is Spielberg’s strong suit.  Say what you will about Spielberg, he makes great movies.

'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' - TRAILER

 

‘Win Win’ (A)

Okay, up front I’m going to admit that my review for ‘Win Win’ will be a bit biased.  This film is totally my style.  I love contemporary slice-of-life dramatic comedies.  ‘Win Win’ is one of those  gut-wrenching films with a lot of heart in the style of ‘Juno’, ‘Sideways’, ‘Little Miss Sunshine, ‘Dan in Real Life’, ‘The Kids are All Right’, ‘Up in the Air’, ‘About Schmidt’, ‘Lost in Translation’… seriously… I could go on and on.  These are the movies I love.

On paper, ‘Win Win’ has everything going for it:

1. Paul Giamatti:  This is what Paul does best.  As a small town lawyer and volunteer high school wrestling coach, Paul, like in ‘Sideways’, straddles the fine line between being sympathetic, morally reprehensible, and a loveable teddy bear.  There is just something about Paul Giamatti, in roles like this that draws the audience in and gets them to root for him even when the audience knows he’s not making good decisions.  In short, this is the kinds of role Paul was born to play.

2.  Amy Ryan: Every actress in Hollywood should hate Amy Ryan.  She is just too dang good.  So good that she makes everything she does look easy.  Whether it’s playing a junkie mom in ‘Gone, Baby Gone’ or portraying the perfect foil to Steve Carell on ‘The Office’ Amy Ryan is just so darn good it hurts.  And her work in ‘Win Win’ is no different.  She is so natural as Paul’s wife that you feel like you’re watching a REAL couple.  Their talents together create this really amazing portrait of a modern American couple trying to scrap by in a failing economy while raising their kids.  Brilliant!

3.  Alex Shaffer:  Simply amazing.  This kid was spot on and it is probably one of the best first performances I’ve ever seen by an actor his age; reminiscent of Christian Bale (Empire of the Sun) and Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People).  If you see a picture of Alex in real life, you’ll see a normal clean-cut awkward looking teenager.  And if I were to judge a book by its cover I would probably assume he’s pretty good in school but not overly athletic, and I would assume he has a group of very close friends but not overly popular.  Just a normal kid.  Well… his transformation into Kyle Timmons, the bleached hair, tattooed, cigarette smoking, wrestling prodigy is astounding.  This normal looking kid channeled what I can only assume is raw, natural acting chops.  Although, in real life Alex was actually a New Jersey State wrestling champion… this is probably where his similarity to Kyle ends… but what do I know.  All I can say is that LOVED Alex’s performance I would really like to see the Academy give him a nod for his work... but that is another issue entirely.

4.  Director/Writer Thomas McCarthy:  I for one have a man-crush on Thomas McCarthy.  I am a big fan of his previous movies: ‘The Station Agent’ and ‘The Visitor’… both are fantastic and if you haven’t seen them… you need to.  Also, it is worth noting that Thomas helped write Pixar’s ‘Up’.  In short, he is a force with an amazing track record for making excellent movies.  And you might even remember Thomas from his acting work on ‘Boston Public’ and ‘The Wire’… they guy has serious talent.

5.  The supporting cast: Leading performances can only take you so far… and the strength of Win Win’s supporting cast articulates one of the films on going themes:  Although wrestling (much like life) is an individual struggle… it is also a team sport and success can only be achieved by trusting and supporting your team (and them trusting and supporting you).  ‘Win Win’ has an arsenal of very talented and somewhat high profile supporting actors who compliment the story perfectly:  Bobby Cannavale (Third Watch, The Station Agent), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), Burt Young (Rocky), Melanie Lynskey (Heavenly Creatures, Informant!, Up in the Air), and Margo Martindale (Justified).

Ultimately I think ‘Win Win’ is a MUST see.  And I really think it should be an Oscar contender… however it probably won’t.  ‘Win Win’ premiered at Sundance in January and was released in theatres last March, which is way too early in the year.  By the time Oscar voters start narrowing the field, they will have, more than likely, forgotten about ‘Win Win’. 

As a point of reference ‘Sideways’ and ‘Lost in Translation’ were released in October, while ‘June’ and ‘Up in the Air’ were released in December.  ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ (released in July) is one of very few movies of this style that have been able to maintain enough momentum to get Oscar nominations. 

That said, I think ‘Win Win’ has a chance for Best Original Screenplay and of course, I hope the stars align and Alex Shaffer scores a Best Supporting Actor nod, but it’s a long shot.

‘Tabloid’ – Trailer

Holy shitake mushrooms.  The story behind this documentary is crazy… literally.  And the documentary itself looks great!  It’s directed by Errol Morris who also directed ‘Thin Blue Line’ and won the Oscar for ‘The Fog of War’.  Both are excellent documentaries and this one should be hilariously awesome.

 

Rick Gervais to Host the Golden Globes AGAIN!

In a hilarious turn of events controversial and unapologetic Golden Globe host Ricky Gervais will be returning to the stage as master of ceremonies yet again!  That’s right!  After all the hubbub last year about Gervais’ “rude and mean spirited” attitude towards the actors and actresses being honor, (which he also did the first time he hosted in 2010) the Hollywood Foreign Press has invited him back.  I wonder why?

Hmmm…

Could it be because of ratings?

OF COURSE IT IS!

The ratings for the Golden Globes have improved each year Ricky Gervais has hosted and, frankly, we live in a society of rubberneckers who love to see controversy in action.  The Hollywood Foreign Press isn’t stupid… they know exactly what they are doing.  Announcing Ricky’s third year as host has already ignited a firestorm of free publicity for the telecast.  And as a result, I think the Golden Globes’ rating will be up again with very little effort… this is a great example of a successful cost/benefit analysis.     

To be completely honest, I also think Ricky has done a great job with the Golden Globes.  Prior to Gervais, the Golden Globes had been a host-less telecast… and I think it suffered for that.  I don’t think the Golden Globes offered anything new, inviting, or familiar… at least in comparison to the Emmys and Oscars.  For better or worse, Gervais has given the Golden Globes a face and a voice.   

The Golden Globes has always tried to dub themselves as the ‘informal and laidback’ awards show where anything can happen… and Gervais has helped them achieve that. 

And it is also worth noting that there is something to be said about host consistency.  Investing and nurturing a host that can been counted on year after year really gives an awards show a bump above the rest.  This is why the Academy Awards had always been so darn successful… at least until Billy Crystal stopped hosting each year.

Now… I’m not saying the Golden Globes will ever overtake the Academy Awards… however, right now, the Hollywood Foreign Press are making very smart decisions and they are successfully creating a brand we, the view, can count on.

Here are some bits from Gervais’ previous hosting gigs:

2010

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2011

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‘The Descendants’ – Trailer

This is totally my kind of movie.  I love George Clooney and I love director Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt, and Election).  This is going to be good.

 

Broadway News – Kristie Ally, Boy Bands, Harry Potter & Ethan Cohen?

“The Fabulous Lies of Hollywood Whores”

Broadway has always been a place for pigeon-holed actors and actresses to reinvent themselves and show the world their not just a one trick pony… or a one trick ‘Jesse’ if we’re talking about John Stamos, who returned to television’s “ER” after staring in numerous Broadway musicals after “Full House”

But, John is only one of many talented performers to use Broadway to re-launch their career… here are a few more: Tom Wopat (The Dukes of Hazard), Kelsey Grammar (Frasier), Lou Diamond Phillips (Young Guns), Allison Janney (The West Wing), Christina Applegate (Married with Children), and John Larroquette (Night Court).

That said, it no big surprise that Kristie Ally’s name is being thrown around as a possible lead in the likely Broadway production of “The Fabulous Lies of Hollywood Whores”.  Honestly folks, this is big news for a couple reasons:

1^st, “The Fabulous Lies of Hollywood Whores” is written by Lance Bass (N’Sync) and is produced by Jamie Kennedy (Scream and MTV’s The Jamie Kennedy Experiment).  This team completely falls in line with Broadway’s mission to be younger and hipper, so the likelihood of this show making it to Broadway is VERY high.

2^nd, the storyline of this show is exactly what Tony voters like to see and honor: off-color Musical Comedies.  In the last decade Tony Awards have gone to off-color comedies like The Book of Mormon, Avenue Q, Urinetown, Hairspray, Spamalot, and The Drowsy Chaperone.  If “The Fabulous Lies of Hollywood Whores” goes to Broadway it will receive Tony Award nomination (if not the award itself)… and whoever ends up getting the lead, Kristie Ally, or not… will, at the very minimum, be nominated as well.  Bank on that.

Nick Jonas & “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying”

Speaking of boy bands and a younger/hipper Broadway, Nick Jonas, who appeared in numerous Broadway plays prior to the Jonas Brothers explosion, has agreed to be Broadways spokesperson for next February’s “Broadway Kids Night”.  This is a program, which gives free admission to 6 through 18 years olds (accompanied by a paying adult) is designed to foster interest in theatre, as well has fill seats during a traditionally slow month… however, in recent years, “Kids Night” attendance has been falling and Broadway producers hope Nick Jonas’ involvement in the program with give it the boost their hoping for! 

Also important to note, during this time Nick will also be taking over the lead in “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying” from Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter).  However… there is a 3 week gap between when Radcliffe needs to leave the show and when Jonas can take over… so… who will be filling in?

None other than Darren Criss (Glee).  Now, what makes the choice of Criss hilarious is that he got his big break playing Harry Potter in the original Michigan State Theatre production of “A Very Potter Musical” and “The Very Potter Sequel”, musical-comedy versions of JK Rowling’s books, which Criss co-wrote.  Videos of these performances went viral on YouTube back in 2009 and are hilarious!  I highly recommend seeing them!

“Chinglish”

“Straight Plays” or what you might call “Non-Musical Plays” are rarely given much respect.  They almost never have long runs or national tours, and are almost never talked about in random conversations about theatre outside NYC… but they do exist!  And they can be quite good.  Back in 1999 I saw   Martin McDonagh’s “The Lonesome West” the afternoon of the Tony Awards, for which it  was nominated for four (I believe) including ‘Best Play’… it ended up losing in every category, but it is still one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.

Right now, there seems to be a lot of buzz surrounding David Henry Hwang’s new play ‘Chinglish’.  For those who don’t know David Henry Hwang, he is quite good.  His most notable work is “M Butterfly”… and due to the buzz around “Chinglish”… dare I say “Pulitzer”?  I know… I’m being very premature, but it could happen.

I would love to see “Chinglish”, but I doubt it will be touring to Suriname anytime soon… so if you’ve see it… or have a script… and just happen to stumble across my blog, please send me an email!  I would love to hear about it.

Ethan Cohen + Off-Broadway = ?

I just thought it was worth noting.  Apparently Ethan Cohen’s new play “Happy Hour”, a collection of similarly themed one-acts, will premier at the Signature Theatre Company’s Peter Norton Space next month.  Again, I would be interested in hear from folks who had the chance to see it.

Peter Jackson and ‘The Hobbit’

Okay… so I am terrible ashamed.  I feel like I’ve been living under some rock in the middle of some 3^rd world country… er… wait a minute… I have!

But, living in Pakistan and a random Dutch speaking South American country is no excuse!  It has been over a year since Peter Jackson was named director of ‘The Hobbit’ films!  And I just hear about it a few days ago!!!!

I am seriously lost as a human being.

Anyway, no matter how late I am coming to the table, I am beyond enthusiastic about the return of Peter Jackson to the director’s chair of this project.  Although I think Guillermo del Toro is a wonderful direct and was THE perfect choice for replacing Jackson, I think something would have been missing for everyone… and most importantly there would have been something missing for Peter Jackson himself, as an artist. 

Jackson started this journey over 10 years ago, well before ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ hit theatres, so knowing Jackson will be completing his vision of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth saga in its entirety is somehow comforting and existing.

It’s a good day for EGOTing.

Review: ‘Straw Dogs’ (B-)

Now, when you look at movies… a B- isn’t too bad.  ‘Straw Dogs’ was far from being a perfect film, but it certainly doesn’t deserve the dismal 5.6 out to 10 from IMDB.com or the 35% from Rotten Tomatoes. 

Frankly, movie critics have been all over the map with their grades on this film, scoring ‘Straw Dogs’ anywhere from 1 to 4 stars on their 5 star scale.

Honestly… ‘Straw Dogs’ isn’t bad.  It is certainly more good than bad… however, since I haven’t been able to shake the movie from my mind since seeing it over a week ago… I would be inclined to call it better than ‘just good’.  However, it is still a very tough film to wrap my head around.

Let’s focus on some of the negative comments made by critics:

“Almost succeeds as an object lesson in the difference between being a man and being a macho animal. But it fails as a gripping home-invasion thriller.” - Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

I have to make a confession.  I’ve never seen the original Sam Peckinpah film from 1971.  I guess it’s supposed to be a classic.  Back when I used to work for Hollywood Video I received a frantic call from a film professor at Georgia State University.  To no luck, he had been calling around town all day looking for a copy of the movie to show his class… however, I knew we had it in stock the second he asked.  The cover art and the fact Dustin Hoffman starred in the film had caught my eye numerous times, but still I never watched it.

That said… based on everything I have read about the remake, I am pretty sure it is a close adaptation to the original.  So… I find Carrie Rickey’s comments very strange… mainly because ‘Straw Dogs’ IS NOT a home-invasion thriller… I don’t think it was even trying to be a home-invasion thriller.  To me, ‘Straw Dogs’ is about a whole plethora of different things that just happens to climax with a home-invasion. 

I mean come on… the movie was 110 minutes long and maybe 10 or 15 minutes of that was the actual home-invasion.  ‘The Strangers’ was a home-invasion thriller.  ‘The Desperate Hours’ was a home-invasion thriller.  However, ‘Straw Dogs’ is not. 

Although, in her review, Carrie attempts to make some very vague comparisons to the original, it is glaringly obvious that Carrie, like me, had never seen the Sam Peckinpah version of ‘Straw Dogs’.

In reality, she was probably horribly misled by the TV spots released for this film, which clearly marketed ‘Straw Dogs’ as a home-invasion thriller:

Here’s my problem.  After seeing ‘Straw Dogs’ my immediate response was, “Wow, this movie was marketed extremely poorly… it’s advertizing was totally misleading.”  However, it seems to me that Carrie Rickey used this preview as the bench mark of her entire review.

In her defense, I will agree… the movie was marketed as a home-invasion thriller.  However, it clearly wasn’t.  And since Carrie Rickey makes her living as a movie critic for a pretty reputable newspaper I would hope she would be able to make the same connection.  But alas… her review is completely phoned in, giving nothing more than a plot summery and a few vague opinions without feeling the need to justify her opinions.

Now… despite what you might think, me being a blogger and all, but I don’t really put myself out there as a legitimate movie critic… legitimate critics get paid for offering insight… just a guy who loves movies… so yes, I think ‘legitimate critics’ should be able to offer more than just a surface glance at a movie’s plot and a few off hand remarks.

"a bird-brained remake" that is "miscast, barely functional in terms of technique, stupid and unnecessary" – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

You know?  I totally dig (part) of what Michael is saying.  Aren’t ALL remakes unnecessary?  The only remake I have EVER seen that was truly successful was Alfred Hitchcock’s 1956 remake of ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day.  But, then again… it is worth noting that Hitchcock was remaking his own film.  He has actually directed the original in 1934!    

However… I don’t agree with his comment about the film being miscast.  Sure, James Marsden wasn’t spectacular and this is probably one of James Woods most phoned in performances… but when criticizing the week links in the cast we should, at the same time, honor the stronger performances.  Specifically: Kate Bosworth and Alexander Skarsgard.

Kate Bosworth was virtually unrecognizable in this film, in terms of shedding her Bosworthisms and creating a whole new character from scratch.  For the first time I didn’t feel like I was watching Kate Bosworth pretend to be someone else… I felt like I was watching a performance completely devoid of the actress’s true self.

And dare I say it… because no one will ever receive an awards nomination for this movie, but I’ll say it anyway.  Alexander Skarsgard delivers THE strongest supporting actor performance I’ve seen in the last few years.  He was creepy, sinister… and oddly sympathetic at times… at least until he crossed the line.  But until that moment, as an audience member I didn’t know who I wanted to root for, Marsden or Skarsgard.  And that’s the point of the movie.  Well… one of the points.

Now, even though I can see where Michael Phillips is coming from in parts of his review, he lost all credibility when he compared seeing ‘Straw Dogs’ to "being waterboarded by liberals outside a Democratic National Committee event.” 

What does that even mean?  What in the world does that have to do with going to the movies?  Phillips apparently has some issues that he needs to work out before writing about movies again.

"This new version of "Straw Dogs" is a reasonably close adaptation of the 1971 film by Sam Peckinpah. Change the location from England to Mississippi, change a mathematician into a screenwriter, keep the bear trap and the cat found strangled, and it tells the same story. It is every bit as violent. I found it visceral, disturbing and well-made" – Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times

Thank you Roger.  You see folks?  Roger gets it.  He always has.  He’s not flashy and he stays on point… and he also gave the remake of ‘Straw Dogs’ 3 out of 4 stars.  Here is a link, his review is very well written and deeply personal… thoughtful:  http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110914/REVIEWS/110919991

See?  I’m not crazy.

So… what is ‘Straw Dogs’ really about?  Is it about a mild mannered man who ‘mans up’ when he needs to?  Yeah, sure… in the most simplistic terms, ‘Straw Dogs’ is an “object lesson in the difference between being a man and being a macho animal” like Carrie Rickey suggested in her review.

However, the story of the screenwriter (James Marsden) and his wife (Kate Bosworth) is only half the story.  And to have a truly objective presentation, the other side needs to be represented as well… James Woods’ side… Alexander Skarsgard’s side.  The side of the town.  A town so wrought with tension, even before the protagonists enter the picture that it could have exploded at any minute.  This was a town just looking for an excuse to ignite… and they did...  forcing an ordinary man to act.