Brazil (1985) is a weird movie...really weird, and not all in good ways.
It takes place in a dystopian future that is not too far from the present day. And the dystopian aspects of the movie I liked. But it took off in totally random directions, and with stupid scenes, that really ruined the good aspects of the film.
A type of thought police keep the population in check, but there is a faction of terrorists that want to ruin this totalitarian regime. The hero is just a quiet man, who falls in love, in his dreams with a real woman, who may be part of the terrorist group. All this is laid on top of Monty Python-ish humor, and weird visuals, that seem more like a muppet movie than a real film.
And I still do not know what the name of the movie represents.
Look, if this is free on late night TV some time, and you have insomnia, I wouldn't miss it. Otherwise, take a pass.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
TV on Netflex-Justice League Unlimited: Joining Forces
OK, I have admitted it before...I have always loved super hero teams. From when I had a HUGE collection of comics when I was young, the collection was pretty much super hero teams. And the best of all was the Justice League!
So, I really enjoy these animated versions that show on Cartoon Network, and Justice League Unlimited: Joining Forces was no exception. I am not sure the 3 episode selected were actually the best of the series, but I really enjoyed it anyway.
If you were ever a fan of the Justice League, these shows are great.
So, I really enjoy these animated versions that show on Cartoon Network, and Justice League Unlimited: Joining Forces was no exception. I am not sure the 3 episode selected were actually the best of the series, but I really enjoyed it anyway.
If you were ever a fan of the Justice League, these shows are great.
TV-Dollhouse Update
As much as I was not thrilled by the 1st episode of Dollhouse, the second episode was so much better, it was like night and day. Intriguing and more suspensful, this episode really engaged in a lot of aspects of the series without getting too bogged down in having to set it up, like the first episode was compelled to do.
And again, Eliza Dushku is very easy to watch.
And again, Eliza Dushku is very easy to watch.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Movie-Changling
Changeling was an Oscar nominated movie, with Angelina Jolie nominated for best actress. She did not win.
Changeling (2008) was just an excellent film. About a single mom in 1920's Los Angeles, whose young son disappears. She almost loses hope, but after several weeks the police say they have found him with a drifter in the deep south. He is being sent home. But, who the police claim is her son, is not. And as she protests, the police, with the good publicity that comes from being heroes, grow upset with her.
Based on true events, much of the documentation is verified, the movie raises huge questions about the power of the state over individuals. When Christine Collins, played by Jolie, offers proof that it is not her son (Y'know, little things, like he is 3 inches shorter than when he disappeared, or that he is now circumcised) the police grow desperate to shut her up, and invoke a law that allows them to place her in the mental ward.
Again...this is true stuff! Christine does have allies, including a prominent minister (John Malkovich) who has pledged to expose and heal the corruption in the LA Police Dept. (yeah, I know, we are still waiting for that to happen 90 years later). And her eventual win over the police still feels sad, because she never finds her son.
There are terrifying moments of this film, including a serial killer that plays a huge role. And the feel of the era is perfect. Director Clint Eastwood sets the mood with fantastic skill. And all the cast is great, including the minister played by Malkovich, and the corrupt police brass,and Amy Adams as one of Christine's mental ward occupents.
However, I cannot say Jolie was great. The film carried her, she did not carry the film. I could imagine many actresses playing this role, as well, or better. And to me, someone who wins best actress should give a performance where you cannot imagine anyone else doing it so well, or even trying. I am not saying she was bad...she was fine, but certainly not "best."
Still, the film was fantastic. Eastwood makes very good movies, and this is some more of his excellent work.
Changeling (2008) was just an excellent film. About a single mom in 1920's Los Angeles, whose young son disappears. She almost loses hope, but after several weeks the police say they have found him with a drifter in the deep south. He is being sent home. But, who the police claim is her son, is not. And as she protests, the police, with the good publicity that comes from being heroes, grow upset with her.
Based on true events, much of the documentation is verified, the movie raises huge questions about the power of the state over individuals. When Christine Collins, played by Jolie, offers proof that it is not her son (Y'know, little things, like he is 3 inches shorter than when he disappeared, or that he is now circumcised) the police grow desperate to shut her up, and invoke a law that allows them to place her in the mental ward.
Again...this is true stuff! Christine does have allies, including a prominent minister (John Malkovich) who has pledged to expose and heal the corruption in the LA Police Dept. (yeah, I know, we are still waiting for that to happen 90 years later). And her eventual win over the police still feels sad, because she never finds her son.
There are terrifying moments of this film, including a serial killer that plays a huge role. And the feel of the era is perfect. Director Clint Eastwood sets the mood with fantastic skill. And all the cast is great, including the minister played by Malkovich, and the corrupt police brass,and Amy Adams as one of Christine's mental ward occupents.
However, I cannot say Jolie was great. The film carried her, she did not carry the film. I could imagine many actresses playing this role, as well, or better. And to me, someone who wins best actress should give a performance where you cannot imagine anyone else doing it so well, or even trying. I am not saying she was bad...she was fine, but certainly not "best."
Still, the film was fantastic. Eastwood makes very good movies, and this is some more of his excellent work.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Movie-Before Night Falls
Starring Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls (2000) is about Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas.
Arenas, grew up very poor, and as her grew into a young man, started his writing journey. He also was a big supporter of the Cuban rebels, led by Fidel Castro, and rejoiced when they ousted the Batista puppet government. But the rejoiced was not long lived, as the Castro regime became a dictatorship, and did not like intellectuals. The regime also did not like homosexuals, and Arenas was that also.
Bardem does a really good job here. The trouble is, I could not really get a connection to this character. This is a good film, but I just did not feel the emotional power of it. My lovely wife did! She loved it. But I just felt a distance from it that I could not bridge and I cannot explain why. It should be up my alley, a literary tale of courage in the face of adversity. But I could not feel that emotional center to the movie that made me care.
Arenas, grew up very poor, and as her grew into a young man, started his writing journey. He also was a big supporter of the Cuban rebels, led by Fidel Castro, and rejoiced when they ousted the Batista puppet government. But the rejoiced was not long lived, as the Castro regime became a dictatorship, and did not like intellectuals. The regime also did not like homosexuals, and Arenas was that also.
Bardem does a really good job here. The trouble is, I could not really get a connection to this character. This is a good film, but I just did not feel the emotional power of it. My lovely wife did! She loved it. But I just felt a distance from it that I could not bridge and I cannot explain why. It should be up my alley, a literary tale of courage in the face of adversity. But I could not feel that emotional center to the movie that made me care.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Movie- Primary Colors
Primary Colors (1998)is one of those movie I always meant to see, but just didn't. Oh man, I should have seen it long ago!
It is the thinly disguised story of Bill Clinton's run for the presidency in 1992. Starring John Travolta, who does a great job in portraying a Clinton-esqe character, and Emma Thompson as the much smarter Hillary-esqe wife. Primary Colors delivers the whole package. Sometimes outrageously funny, it is also by turns thoughtful, and really makes you wonder and ponder the political process.
With a fabulous supporting cast of Kathy Bates, Billy Bob Thorton, Larry Hagman and many others, Primary Colors is smart and so well made. The actors, script and directing are right on spot, and the points always hit their mark.
Really fantastic film. And I am not sure if it makes me like Clinton less, or more...actually, it makes me wonder that about BOTH the Clintons.
It is the thinly disguised story of Bill Clinton's run for the presidency in 1992. Starring John Travolta, who does a great job in portraying a Clinton-esqe character, and Emma Thompson as the much smarter Hillary-esqe wife. Primary Colors delivers the whole package. Sometimes outrageously funny, it is also by turns thoughtful, and really makes you wonder and ponder the political process.
With a fabulous supporting cast of Kathy Bates, Billy Bob Thorton, Larry Hagman and many others, Primary Colors is smart and so well made. The actors, script and directing are right on spot, and the points always hit their mark.
Really fantastic film. And I am not sure if it makes me like Clinton less, or more...actually, it makes me wonder that about BOTH the Clintons.
Book-A Good Dog
I am so conflicted about this book. There is much to like about it, especially the first half, that it is hard to reconcile it with the events of the second half.
A Good Dog, by Jon Katz, is a book that leaves me conflicted because the author himself has so many unresolved and inconsistent feelings in the book, that it feels bi-polar. Chronicling the true story of his relationship with an off-kilter border collie, Orson, Katz tells how he tries everything to keep Orson in line. Orson goes after school buses, even holding on to tires in his mouth as they keep turning, thumping him on the ground.
This is only one of Orson's behavioral problems, he has many, but Katz loves this dog so much, he tries almost anything, he says, to make it work. He buys a big farmhouse in the country, he takes Orson to New Age vets and shamans. But he can't buy a security screen that locks and has metal in it to keep Orson inside? WTF? He can't get a "Beware of Dog" sign and warn people to not reach out to Orson? That somehow seems beyond him.
I will tell you the ending, and get it over with. Orson bites some people, one a young boy. Katz has him put down. I do not disagree with his decision at that point...my problem is, Katz should have done a LOT more to keep it from getting there.
This is a dog that transforms his life. A dog that he says is his once in a lifetime dog. And he can't do more to help Orson keep from getting into messes?
I was disappointed in the book, in the true story. This man who says he understands dogs, just does not seem to. Hell, he does not even understand himself very well, as is evidenced too much in the book. Orson was good dog, and he should have had a better owner.
A Good Dog, by Jon Katz, is a book that leaves me conflicted because the author himself has so many unresolved and inconsistent feelings in the book, that it feels bi-polar. Chronicling the true story of his relationship with an off-kilter border collie, Orson, Katz tells how he tries everything to keep Orson in line. Orson goes after school buses, even holding on to tires in his mouth as they keep turning, thumping him on the ground.
This is only one of Orson's behavioral problems, he has many, but Katz loves this dog so much, he tries almost anything, he says, to make it work. He buys a big farmhouse in the country, he takes Orson to New Age vets and shamans. But he can't buy a security screen that locks and has metal in it to keep Orson inside? WTF? He can't get a "Beware of Dog" sign and warn people to not reach out to Orson? That somehow seems beyond him.
I will tell you the ending, and get it over with. Orson bites some people, one a young boy. Katz has him put down. I do not disagree with his decision at that point...my problem is, Katz should have done a LOT more to keep it from getting there.
This is a dog that transforms his life. A dog that he says is his once in a lifetime dog. And he can't do more to help Orson keep from getting into messes?
I was disappointed in the book, in the true story. This man who says he understands dogs, just does not seem to. Hell, he does not even understand himself very well, as is evidenced too much in the book. Orson was good dog, and he should have had a better owner.
Movie-Nights in Rodanthe
OK, Nights in Rodanthe (2008) is a total chick flick. I don't mind chick flicks if they are good, but this one, despite Diane Lane and Richard Gere, was a mess. I mean really, Diane Lane can fix almost any movie, but not this one.
I will just use some words to describe it: trite, unbelievable, manipulative, cold, shallow and unoriginal.
There were two things good about it: Diane Lane (yu-MMY much?) and that they portrayed a love affair between two people in the same age range, instead of having Gere get it on with someone who is 24 or so, that was nice.
A romance that did not sizzle, everything about the movie was just so flatline. The setup with how the two meet-- she watching a B&B for a friend and he being the only guest-- to the tragedy that keeps them apart---it is just so boring and unromantic it kills with boredom.
Miss this movie---not only the guys, but the girls too. It is a bad chick flick. find something that has a spark of romantic fire in it...this film is not it.
BTW-we got this film because Time Warner was selling it on pay-per-view for 1 cent. They may have overcharged.
I will just use some words to describe it: trite, unbelievable, manipulative, cold, shallow and unoriginal.
There were two things good about it: Diane Lane (yu-MMY much?) and that they portrayed a love affair between two people in the same age range, instead of having Gere get it on with someone who is 24 or so, that was nice.
A romance that did not sizzle, everything about the movie was just so flatline. The setup with how the two meet-- she watching a B&B for a friend and he being the only guest-- to the tragedy that keeps them apart---it is just so boring and unromantic it kills with boredom.
Miss this movie---not only the guys, but the girls too. It is a bad chick flick. find something that has a spark of romantic fire in it...this film is not it.
BTW-we got this film because Time Warner was selling it on pay-per-view for 1 cent. They may have overcharged.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Movie-Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda is an Oscar nominated film, nominated for best animated feature film.
OK...this is just a fun movie. It ain't great...no big story line, no message, no hidden agenda, but it is entertaining. It just is fun and pretty funny. Kung Fu Panda (2008) is an animated movie, starring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, and Dustin Hoffman to name a few, about a panda named Po, who must learn kung fu and save the Valley of Peace.
Black does a nice job as the lazy panda, who inexplicably is picked to be the "chosen one" to save the village. It seems like the character was picked for him, y'know, chubby, likes food, a little lazy, with a nice sense of humor. My lovely wife also noted the similarity towards the writer of this review~~~~ we do not have a comment about that.
It is fun in these movies to pick out the celebrity voices playing the main characters. And with the fantastic animation, this movie certainly does not disappoint. Is it the "best" animated feature. Well, it seemed entertaining to me, but does not elevate above that.
Kung Fu Panda- good Pixar animation fun.
OK...this is just a fun movie. It ain't great...no big story line, no message, no hidden agenda, but it is entertaining. It just is fun and pretty funny. Kung Fu Panda (2008) is an animated movie, starring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, and Dustin Hoffman to name a few, about a panda named Po, who must learn kung fu and save the Valley of Peace.
Black does a nice job as the lazy panda, who inexplicably is picked to be the "chosen one" to save the village. It seems like the character was picked for him, y'know, chubby, likes food, a little lazy, with a nice sense of humor. My lovely wife also noted the similarity towards the writer of this review~~~~ we do not have a comment about that.
It is fun in these movies to pick out the celebrity voices playing the main characters. And with the fantastic animation, this movie certainly does not disappoint. Is it the "best" animated feature. Well, it seemed entertaining to me, but does not elevate above that.
Kung Fu Panda- good Pixar animation fun.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
TV on Netflix
Weeds from Showtime is funny, subversive and odd. We just watched season 1 (2005), and loved the show. Starring Mary Louise-Parker as Nancy,a recently widowed suburban mom, with 2 kids to support. To get by, she starts dealing weed...maryjane...dope...pot...marijuana!
And Nancy is good at it. With her supplier and suburban network of smokers, she is at once appalled at her new occupation, and yet oddly happy that she is doing so well at it.
With Kevin Nealon as her accountant, laundering her money, and one of her best customers, who also happens to be on the city council, and Elizabeth Perkins as her love her-hate her neighbor, Nancy is an on-the-go soccer mom, with a nice business on the side.
This is a great juxtaposition, and lends itself to downright funny situations, as well as insight into the dark side of suburban living.
The funniest scene so far---Nancy's older maid, Lupita walks in on Nealon and Nancy's brother in law toking up and watching porn. They have gotten into a conversation about what the part of the body is between the scrotum and the anus. Taint is one, and i forget the other. But they are sitting in the living room, one on the sofa, the other on the love seat, their feet on the table, baked. "Lupita, what do you call the thing between the dick and the asshole?"
"The coffee table," she disgustedly replies! I was rolling.
Good good show. Went right back and ordered season 2.
And Nancy is good at it. With her supplier and suburban network of smokers, she is at once appalled at her new occupation, and yet oddly happy that she is doing so well at it.
With Kevin Nealon as her accountant, laundering her money, and one of her best customers, who also happens to be on the city council, and Elizabeth Perkins as her love her-hate her neighbor, Nancy is an on-the-go soccer mom, with a nice business on the side.
This is a great juxtaposition, and lends itself to downright funny situations, as well as insight into the dark side of suburban living.
The funniest scene so far---Nancy's older maid, Lupita walks in on Nealon and Nancy's brother in law toking up and watching porn. They have gotten into a conversation about what the part of the body is between the scrotum and the anus. Taint is one, and i forget the other. But they are sitting in the living room, one on the sofa, the other on the love seat, their feet on the table, baked. "Lupita, what do you call the thing between the dick and the asshole?"
"The coffee table," she disgustedly replies! I was rolling.
Good good show. Went right back and ordered season 2.
TV-New Show, Dollhouse
Dollhouse was a very anticipated show. Created by Joss Whedon of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fame, Whedon has a huge following. And Dollhouse stars Eliza Dushku, who was on Buffy, as the bad slayer, Faith. Again, a bit of a cult following.
Against those expectations, Dollhouse did not deliver. But I usually hear of an over-hyped show, and expect it to be absolute crap. Dollhouse is not that, so I was OK with it. It had enough intriguing elements, that I will be happy to give it a chance, as I also know Whedon builds well on ground he is laying.
Dollhouse's premise is that there are people, serving out a sentence, who volunteer into this program where their identities are erased. They then can be fitted with a new persona, as a client needs it. So Dushku will be a different person each episode, displaying the talents of the personalities overlayed on her brain, but also the weaknesses. So, they can be suitable in any situation, depending on how they are "dressed up" like dolls. Except, she starts remembering her past lives, and the real life she is not supposed to be conscious of.
The first episode was a lot of explanation, about the dolls, and the dollhouse where they live, and how the whole operation works. So the story was a little weak, and the lines were not splendid. But I think these issues can be easily worked out as the explanations are done with.
I will admit, Dushku is very easy to look at too, which does not hurt me giving the show a few episodes to prove itself.
We will see how Dollhouse plays out. Whether Whedon fails of creates another unique and thoughtful show.
Against those expectations, Dollhouse did not deliver. But I usually hear of an over-hyped show, and expect it to be absolute crap. Dollhouse is not that, so I was OK with it. It had enough intriguing elements, that I will be happy to give it a chance, as I also know Whedon builds well on ground he is laying.
Dollhouse's premise is that there are people, serving out a sentence, who volunteer into this program where their identities are erased. They then can be fitted with a new persona, as a client needs it. So Dushku will be a different person each episode, displaying the talents of the personalities overlayed on her brain, but also the weaknesses. So, they can be suitable in any situation, depending on how they are "dressed up" like dolls. Except, she starts remembering her past lives, and the real life she is not supposed to be conscious of.
The first episode was a lot of explanation, about the dolls, and the dollhouse where they live, and how the whole operation works. So the story was a little weak, and the lines were not splendid. But I think these issues can be easily worked out as the explanations are done with.
I will admit, Dushku is very easy to look at too, which does not hurt me giving the show a few episodes to prove itself.
We will see how Dollhouse plays out. Whether Whedon fails of creates another unique and thoughtful show.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Movie-Frozen River
Frozen River is an Oscar nominated film, with Melissa Leo nominated as best lead actress.
I had never heard of this movie before the Oscar nominations. But it is nice that the Oscars sometimes highlight some small films that really should be seen by more people. Frozen River (2008) is a movie like that.
Now it is not a "feel good" movie. It is about people just making it...just eking by their existence in small town America. Melissa Leo is Ray, a care worn, run-down, mother of two, whose husband, a gambling addict has just left for parts unknown. He leaves them behind right before Christmas, living in a trailer, with Ray able only to work part-time at a small store.
She lives near the Mohawk reservation, and gets caught up with smuggling people across the reservation from Canada to the U.S., across a winter frozen river. With a Mohawk woman, Lila helping her and teaching her how to smuggle, Ray does not like what she is doing, but can find no other way to keep her home, as little as she has, together.
This is a grim film for the most part. The setting is cold and dirty, and Ray herself echoes the setting. The circumstances of her becoming a human smuggler is grim too...survival. And the people she deals with live on the edge of the law, as she does...on the edge of American society.
Leo does a great job, portraying the tired and old-before-her-time Ray. The world weariness and exhaustion reek from her, as does the stubbornness, to somehow find a way, even against her own morals, to survive.
As I said, Frozen River is not light fare. But it is thought provoking, and very well made. You are in this life with Ray, you feel the grimness and cold. You feel her being pushed to the edge. An excellent movie.
I had never heard of this movie before the Oscar nominations. But it is nice that the Oscars sometimes highlight some small films that really should be seen by more people. Frozen River (2008) is a movie like that.
Now it is not a "feel good" movie. It is about people just making it...just eking by their existence in small town America. Melissa Leo is Ray, a care worn, run-down, mother of two, whose husband, a gambling addict has just left for parts unknown. He leaves them behind right before Christmas, living in a trailer, with Ray able only to work part-time at a small store.
She lives near the Mohawk reservation, and gets caught up with smuggling people across the reservation from Canada to the U.S., across a winter frozen river. With a Mohawk woman, Lila helping her and teaching her how to smuggle, Ray does not like what she is doing, but can find no other way to keep her home, as little as she has, together.
This is a grim film for the most part. The setting is cold and dirty, and Ray herself echoes the setting. The circumstances of her becoming a human smuggler is grim too...survival. And the people she deals with live on the edge of the law, as she does...on the edge of American society.
Leo does a great job, portraying the tired and old-before-her-time Ray. The world weariness and exhaustion reek from her, as does the stubbornness, to somehow find a way, even against her own morals, to survive.
As I said, Frozen River is not light fare. But it is thought provoking, and very well made. You are in this life with Ray, you feel the grimness and cold. You feel her being pushed to the edge. An excellent movie.
Movie-Encounters at the End of the World
Encounters at the End of the World is an Oscar nominated film, being nominated for best documentary film.
Encounters at the End of the World (2007) is a movie I did not enjoy as I watched it, and liked even less as I thought about it for a couple of days. Director Werner Herzog is this great "artsy" director, but he failed miserably here, I thought.
A documentary about Antarctica, it is disjointed and weirdly cut. I think he is trying to show that not only nature on this continent is weird, but so are people drawn to the place. But to do that, you need to have some affection for the people, otherwise, like here, it just becomes a freak show.
Some of the under the ice, underwater footage is fantastic, about the only thing that gave the movie any value. The rest of it was a bore, and Herzog's narration irritating and stiff grated on my nerves.
If this wins the Oscar, then there are huge problems with the judge's criteria.
Encounters at the End of the World (2007) is a movie I did not enjoy as I watched it, and liked even less as I thought about it for a couple of days. Director Werner Herzog is this great "artsy" director, but he failed miserably here, I thought.
A documentary about Antarctica, it is disjointed and weirdly cut. I think he is trying to show that not only nature on this continent is weird, but so are people drawn to the place. But to do that, you need to have some affection for the people, otherwise, like here, it just becomes a freak show.
Some of the under the ice, underwater footage is fantastic, about the only thing that gave the movie any value. The rest of it was a bore, and Herzog's narration irritating and stiff grated on my nerves.
If this wins the Oscar, then there are huge problems with the judge's criteria.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Movie-Honeydripper
Wow---this movie is one of those that no one has heard of, but is terrific. Honeydripper (2007) stars Danny Glover as Pine Top Purvis and is set in Alabama in 1950. The Honeydripper is the name of his club, and it is hitting hard times, with interest in the Blues, which his club features, ebbing.
Adding to his troubles is the new club across the way, which has a juke box and plays more modern music.
The film is atmospheric and bluesy itself. An underlying feeling of "life is rough" pervades and fits the music playing. The movie also takes its time, especially in certain scenes--scenes that are about perfect, and I was so grateful that a filmmaker can still use silences in conversations so effectively.
Purvis comes up with a plan to save the Honeydripper, but all does not go smoothly, as his headliner, playing modern music, Guitar Joe, falls sick. Purvis bets everything on the solution he comes up with.
Honeydripper is light where it needs to be, and still preserves the atmosphere of the deep south. Very nice supporting roles, especially from Stacy Keach, as the racist, but not over-the-top racist sheriff, and Charles Dutton.
The movie deserves to be seen more. It is an excellent film,deftly made and acted.
Just a funny note. I recommended this movie to one of my female friends, and her response made me laugh. She said that I couldn't fool her, the title sounds like a porn movie! See what kind of reputation I have huh!
Adding to his troubles is the new club across the way, which has a juke box and plays more modern music.
The film is atmospheric and bluesy itself. An underlying feeling of "life is rough" pervades and fits the music playing. The movie also takes its time, especially in certain scenes--scenes that are about perfect, and I was so grateful that a filmmaker can still use silences in conversations so effectively.
Purvis comes up with a plan to save the Honeydripper, but all does not go smoothly, as his headliner, playing modern music, Guitar Joe, falls sick. Purvis bets everything on the solution he comes up with.
Honeydripper is light where it needs to be, and still preserves the atmosphere of the deep south. Very nice supporting roles, especially from Stacy Keach, as the racist, but not over-the-top racist sheriff, and Charles Dutton.
The movie deserves to be seen more. It is an excellent film,deftly made and acted.
Just a funny note. I recommended this movie to one of my female friends, and her response made me laugh. She said that I couldn't fool her, the title sounds like a porn movie! See what kind of reputation I have huh!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Movie- 12 Monkeys
I had seen parts of 12 Monkeys (1995) before, but never really sat and watched the whole thing. Starring Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe and Brad Pitt as a certifiable crazy loon, the movie is Sci-Fi strangeness, with an ecological/technological bent.
Willis is James Cole, from the future, time travelling back to 1990's to try and gather information that will enable scientists to stop the virus that made the earth's surface uninhabitable.
Of course, when he comes back he is treated like a crazy man, and put into a mental hospital where he meets Pitt, the son of a virologist. He also meets Stowe, Dr. Rally, a psychiatrist who first thinks Willis is delusional, but starts believing him after he seems to know too many things that have are in her future, but his past.
The movie is fairly intense, with strange visions of the dystopian future, and grim looks at today's mental hospitals. Willis does a good job here, and I always think Stowe is great. But Pitt, with his crazy man persona, is remarkable.
I am a fan of dystopian fiction and movies, and 12 Monkeys does not disappoint. Pointing to our actions today, and looking at repercussions for those actions, the movie melds that with a thriller like script, excellent visuals, and very good acting.
Willis is James Cole, from the future, time travelling back to 1990's to try and gather information that will enable scientists to stop the virus that made the earth's surface uninhabitable.
Of course, when he comes back he is treated like a crazy man, and put into a mental hospital where he meets Pitt, the son of a virologist. He also meets Stowe, Dr. Rally, a psychiatrist who first thinks Willis is delusional, but starts believing him after he seems to know too many things that have are in her future, but his past.
The movie is fairly intense, with strange visions of the dystopian future, and grim looks at today's mental hospitals. Willis does a good job here, and I always think Stowe is great. But Pitt, with his crazy man persona, is remarkable.
I am a fan of dystopian fiction and movies, and 12 Monkeys does not disappoint. Pointing to our actions today, and looking at repercussions for those actions, the movie melds that with a thriller like script, excellent visuals, and very good acting.
Movie-Man On Wire
Man On Wire is an Oscar nominated film, being nominated for best documentary film.
I had heard about this movie before it was nominated for an Academy Award, hearing gushing reviews on NPR and other media outlets. But it did not seem that interesting to me. Sharlynn had the same reaction, but we put it in and were blown away by the movie.
Man On Wire tells about Phillipe Petit, the man who wire walked across the air between the Twin Towers in 1974. It was a feat that captured the world's attention. But how that feat happened is told as a thriller, and it watches like one. From the moment, as a teenager, when Petit sees a story about the construction of the towers, he knows he must do this.
He does some "practise" runs, wire walking between the steeples of Notre Dame and over the Sydney harbor bridge in Australia. But that is all a prologue. He must get to the Twin Towers, those buildings that he was fixated upon.
The movie is very thriller like, as Petit recruits shady individuals to assist him in getting the equipment he needed for his feat. Almost caught several times, having to hide under a tarp, unmoving for hours as a watchman was in the room where he was going to access the roof, the story is tension filled.
And then, he does it. Eight times he goes back and forth between the buildings. He lay down on the wire, and knelt on it, as police watched with frustration, not daring to go out into the chasm to catch him.
This movie is incredible and amazing. And a little freaky, watching him walk across the tallest buildings in the world.
9/11 is not mentioned in the movie, but it always lurks in your mind. And it is a tribute, in a way, to those engineering marvels, that they provided such fascination for Phillipe Petit--that they fired up his imagination and courage and foolhardiness.
This is an excellent film! Very entertaining and well done.
I had heard about this movie before it was nominated for an Academy Award, hearing gushing reviews on NPR and other media outlets. But it did not seem that interesting to me. Sharlynn had the same reaction, but we put it in and were blown away by the movie.
Man On Wire tells about Phillipe Petit, the man who wire walked across the air between the Twin Towers in 1974. It was a feat that captured the world's attention. But how that feat happened is told as a thriller, and it watches like one. From the moment, as a teenager, when Petit sees a story about the construction of the towers, he knows he must do this.
He does some "practise" runs, wire walking between the steeples of Notre Dame and over the Sydney harbor bridge in Australia. But that is all a prologue. He must get to the Twin Towers, those buildings that he was fixated upon.
The movie is very thriller like, as Petit recruits shady individuals to assist him in getting the equipment he needed for his feat. Almost caught several times, having to hide under a tarp, unmoving for hours as a watchman was in the room where he was going to access the roof, the story is tension filled.
And then, he does it. Eight times he goes back and forth between the buildings. He lay down on the wire, and knelt on it, as police watched with frustration, not daring to go out into the chasm to catch him.
This movie is incredible and amazing. And a little freaky, watching him walk across the tallest buildings in the world.
9/11 is not mentioned in the movie, but it always lurks in your mind. And it is a tribute, in a way, to those engineering marvels, that they provided such fascination for Phillipe Petit--that they fired up his imagination and courage and foolhardiness.
This is an excellent film! Very entertaining and well done.
Book-the Professor and the Madman
The Professor and the Madman is a fascinating look at the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which is the ultimate dictionary of the English language, and took decades to create. In creating the dictionary, the editor, Dr. James Murray, asked for help from people all over the English speaking world, to submit word lists, with definitions and quotations showing how the word is used.
He received thousands of these lists from Dr. Minor, most of them very helpful to the creators of the dictionary. But Dr. Minor, was not just fascinated by words, he was also quite insane, and was in an English mental hospital after a paranoid delusion made him kill an innocent man.
Simon Winchester weaves this tale very nicely. Not only telling the story of these two men, but with the history of the making of this huge dictionary as well, a gargantuan task. He tells the story with a reverence for words, and a droll sense of humor. My only quibble is sometimes he speculates a little too much about what things are unclear in the historical record. But it is a minor quibble.
The book not only traces the origins of dictionaries, but of words, and with Dr. Minor, the origins of mental illness. It is a very good book, especially for those who have an interest in words. The human story parallels the story of the OED, and the tale that comes out of it is pretty remarkable.
He received thousands of these lists from Dr. Minor, most of them very helpful to the creators of the dictionary. But Dr. Minor, was not just fascinated by words, he was also quite insane, and was in an English mental hospital after a paranoid delusion made him kill an innocent man.
Simon Winchester weaves this tale very nicely. Not only telling the story of these two men, but with the history of the making of this huge dictionary as well, a gargantuan task. He tells the story with a reverence for words, and a droll sense of humor. My only quibble is sometimes he speculates a little too much about what things are unclear in the historical record. But it is a minor quibble.
The book not only traces the origins of dictionaries, but of words, and with Dr. Minor, the origins of mental illness. It is a very good book, especially for those who have an interest in words. The human story parallels the story of the OED, and the tale that comes out of it is pretty remarkable.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
TV- Medium and other Midseason Shows
Well the mid-season of TV is in full swing, and shows are returning, even some shows that we have not seen since last season, like Medium.
I do like Medium a lot. Allison DuBois, a family woman, with a nice husband and three daughters is a bit unusual. She can see dead people, and clues about crimes come to her in her dreams at night, often in startling and not straight forward ways.
What I like most about this show is the dynamic between Allison and her husband Joe. They are the most real married couple on TV. Their arguments and disagreements are very real, and the whole way they relate to each other, and the kids, really seems like a family.
So I was glad to see Medium back and it was a good episode, very typical of the show. And after last season of angst with both of them losing their jobs, they are back on track.
Chuck is back, and I really like this show so much. Funny, with action and more than a little sexiness, this is one of the best, least watched shows on TV.
And Heroes is back. A new chapter that has people wondering if it will regain its old oomph, or continue to disappoint fans of the first season. It was a good start, I thought, but we will see how it proceeds. It has the potential to make a nice turn around though.
I do like Medium a lot. Allison DuBois, a family woman, with a nice husband and three daughters is a bit unusual. She can see dead people, and clues about crimes come to her in her dreams at night, often in startling and not straight forward ways.
What I like most about this show is the dynamic between Allison and her husband Joe. They are the most real married couple on TV. Their arguments and disagreements are very real, and the whole way they relate to each other, and the kids, really seems like a family.
So I was glad to see Medium back and it was a good episode, very typical of the show. And after last season of angst with both of them losing their jobs, they are back on track.
Chuck is back, and I really like this show so much. Funny, with action and more than a little sexiness, this is one of the best, least watched shows on TV.
And Heroes is back. A new chapter that has people wondering if it will regain its old oomph, or continue to disappoint fans of the first season. It was a good start, I thought, but we will see how it proceeds. It has the potential to make a nice turn around though.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Movie-WALL-E
WALL-E is an Oscar nominated film, with the movie nominated as best animated feature.
This Pixar film is pretty darn good, and deserves its nomination for animated feature. WALL-E (2008) does a nice job of making a feature that kids will enjoy, but adults will take a lot from too, and it does it with most of the movie showing a little tin can robotic creature that does not talk, and another robot that does not either. A animated film with no humans and no dialogue. I bet that pitch to the studio went well!
But, they pull it off. WALL-E has such a personality that somehow, it works. Set in earth's future, as humans abandoned it for space luxury space cruises, the environmental message is not subtle. WALL-E is about the only thing left moving on the planet, going about his job trying to clean up all the trash we left behind. When a probe comes down in the form a sleek and stylish robot, WALL-E is infatuated.
The movie follows his adventure, and it is fun, and a little scary to see what the movie-maker envisions humans to be in that future.
I really enjoyed WALL-E. It was fanciful, amusing and with great Pixar animation. It told a very good story, and somehow made you care about a little run-down robot.
This Pixar film is pretty darn good, and deserves its nomination for animated feature. WALL-E (2008) does a nice job of making a feature that kids will enjoy, but adults will take a lot from too, and it does it with most of the movie showing a little tin can robotic creature that does not talk, and another robot that does not either. A animated film with no humans and no dialogue. I bet that pitch to the studio went well!
But, they pull it off. WALL-E has such a personality that somehow, it works. Set in earth's future, as humans abandoned it for space luxury space cruises, the environmental message is not subtle. WALL-E is about the only thing left moving on the planet, going about his job trying to clean up all the trash we left behind. When a probe comes down in the form a sleek and stylish robot, WALL-E is infatuated.
The movie follows his adventure, and it is fun, and a little scary to see what the movie-maker envisions humans to be in that future.
I really enjoyed WALL-E. It was fanciful, amusing and with great Pixar animation. It told a very good story, and somehow made you care about a little run-down robot.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Movie-The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight has been nominated for an Oscar. Heath Ledger is nominated for best supporting actor.
I was a little suspicious of the accolades being given to the late Heath Ledger. Sometimes in death, people find extra to praise about a person. Boy, were my suspicions wrong. He elevated The Dark Knight (2008) from a good movie to an excellent movie with his take on the Joker.
Batman has long been a character of moral ambiguity...obsessed with justice and vengeance...with or without the legal system. And with Christian Bale playing him, that has stood out more in the last two Batman films. But, with Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, we see this ambiguity flipped on its end...we see the result of the moral choices the Batman makes.
The Joker is chaos...and in the Batman mythos, he is the result of not having clearly defined right and wrong...and Ledger displays that chaos so well, so totally, that we will never be able to think of the Joker the same way again.
The Dark Knight is a great action movie too, not just a movie about ethos. And all the actors do a very good job. With Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart to Maggie Gyllenhaal and Eric Roberts, the cast was great. The story was nicely scripted, and even at 2.5 hours, it was not overlong.
But yes, it was Ledger that made this movie as good as it was. He was amazing and transformed himself, and the movie.
I was a little suspicious of the accolades being given to the late Heath Ledger. Sometimes in death, people find extra to praise about a person. Boy, were my suspicions wrong. He elevated The Dark Knight (2008) from a good movie to an excellent movie with his take on the Joker.
Batman has long been a character of moral ambiguity...obsessed with justice and vengeance...with or without the legal system. And with Christian Bale playing him, that has stood out more in the last two Batman films. But, with Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, we see this ambiguity flipped on its end...we see the result of the moral choices the Batman makes.
The Joker is chaos...and in the Batman mythos, he is the result of not having clearly defined right and wrong...and Ledger displays that chaos so well, so totally, that we will never be able to think of the Joker the same way again.
The Dark Knight is a great action movie too, not just a movie about ethos. And all the actors do a very good job. With Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Aaron Eckhart to Maggie Gyllenhaal and Eric Roberts, the cast was great. The story was nicely scripted, and even at 2.5 hours, it was not overlong.
But yes, it was Ledger that made this movie as good as it was. He was amazing and transformed himself, and the movie.
Book-We Band of Angels
Elizabeth M. Norman writes a book about the army and navy nurses that were caught by the Japanese in WW II on the Philippines. She writes with a prose that is not glamorous, and is very straightforward. But the stories that come out of this unaffected prose carry such emotion and courage, that it fits well, and in fact, lets the nurses, with outtakes from diaries and interviews, tell the story themselves.
We Band of Angels is truly a story of courage and dedication from these nurses, the first to be caught by the enemy. They first were caught on Bataan, where they lived in the jungle with shells raining down on them and still treated thousands of sick and wounded men.
When Bataan fell, the were moved to Corregidor, and a vast tunnel system while the small island was defended with dwindling supplies and bombs raining down on the tunnel almost non-stop. And yet they still continued to nurse even as the enemy was landing and they became internees.
And their years of detainment are documented too. Near the end they were surviving on about 700 calories a day...so hungry some would fry weeds in packets of cold cream that the Red Cross had sent, just to have something to eat.
Norman then follows the nurses back home and even to the present day in her story of these women, and what they had endured and accomplished.
This is touching and deeply affecting. The moment of liberation especially was so moving. And all throughout the author stresses that these women, called the Angels of Bataan, felt that they were just doing their job, just being nurses as they were sworn to do.
This was an excellent book...an amazing story. Norman does these women proud in her real chronicle, not hiding the faults of the women, but telling the whole story. They were heroes, though they themselves would shrug off that mantel as if it did not apply to them. But that is what real heroes do, don't they?
We Band of Angels is truly a story of courage and dedication from these nurses, the first to be caught by the enemy. They first were caught on Bataan, where they lived in the jungle with shells raining down on them and still treated thousands of sick and wounded men.
When Bataan fell, the were moved to Corregidor, and a vast tunnel system while the small island was defended with dwindling supplies and bombs raining down on the tunnel almost non-stop. And yet they still continued to nurse even as the enemy was landing and they became internees.
And their years of detainment are documented too. Near the end they were surviving on about 700 calories a day...so hungry some would fry weeds in packets of cold cream that the Red Cross had sent, just to have something to eat.
Norman then follows the nurses back home and even to the present day in her story of these women, and what they had endured and accomplished.
This is touching and deeply affecting. The moment of liberation especially was so moving. And all throughout the author stresses that these women, called the Angels of Bataan, felt that they were just doing their job, just being nurses as they were sworn to do.
This was an excellent book...an amazing story. Norman does these women proud in her real chronicle, not hiding the faults of the women, but telling the whole story. They were heroes, though they themselves would shrug off that mantel as if it did not apply to them. But that is what real heroes do, don't they?
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