FLIX!
Quentin Tarentino never ceases to be fun and spectacular. Not only must it be fun to write such interesting stuff, but then to be able to get a deal to make it. And I mean a deal. To be able to shoot in different locations, and sign stars like Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, Oscar Nominee Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar Winner Hans Woltz, and Samuel L. Jackson, and surround them with guys like James Remar, Don Johnson, Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern, and Walton Goggins - that must be fun.
This is Tarentino's western. Some of his other films had westernesque qualities, but this is his out and out straight ahead western. So....where to start? Storyline I guess is as good a place as any.
This movie takes place in 1858 - two years before the Civil War. Django was a slave whose brutal history with his former owners bring him face to face with German born dentist-turned Bounty Hunter King Schultz (played by Oscar winner Christoph Waltz). Schulz is on the trail of the Brittle Brothers and needs Django to properly ID them. Schultz acquires Django - under dubious circumstances - and agrees to free him when they have gotten the Brittle Brothers....dead or alive. They do, and instead of splitting up, they decide to pursue the mission of acquiring Django's wife Broomhilda (played by Kerry Washington). Django and his wife Broomhilda were split up at separate auctions years before. Schultz and Django's search ultimately leads them to one Calvin Candie (played by Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of the infamous "Candieland" plantation where men are trained as "fighting bucks" who fought to the death to amuse their owners. Exploring "CandieLand" under false pretenses Schultz and Django fall under the suspicions of Stephen, Calvin' trusted house slave. Stephen was played brilliantly by Samuel L. Jackson. Of course, things go awry, and there is a bit of violence. SURPRISE!!! I hope I didn't spoil anything for you Tarentino buffs.
By the way, NOBODY does shoot-outs better than Tarentino. Reference? Any of his other movies. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?"
Tarentino loves movies and it always shows throughout any of his films. His film references flourish in everything he does. This guy has seen everything, and it is always obvious, most notably music that sounded straight off Sergio's spaghetti western soundtracks....as well as the choice of title graphics - straight from the westerns of the 50s and 60s. The soundtrack? A bit strange - from Jim Croce to Rap.
So what about this movie. Even though it runs nearly 3 hours, it kept me interested throughout. The violence, although never pleasant, could have been much more graphic than it was. There is a scene where dogs are allowed to tear a man apart. I told my daughter to be ready to cover her eyes, but she never needed to. It was bad, but mostly implied.
The Good: Wonderful performances from all of the actors in a storyline that wound it's way through different terrains, different seasons, rich with characters. Tarentino knows how to create tension as well as anyone and he does it never better in a scene where Calvin Candie takes out a box and removes a skull, cuts a piece off to demonstrate that there are dimples inside it that predispose black people to want to be servants. But we know that Candie has just been made aware of Schultz and Django's subterfuge. So it puts we as an audience on the edge of our seats, not knowing where this is going to lead. For some reason I have never cared for Leonardo DeCaprio, perhaps it seemed in the beginning that he was headed for teen idol status...but it cannot be because of his performances. He has turned in some dandies. And this is no exception. Samuel L. Jackson sold me on why the house staff on plantations were so reviled. Another great thing about this movie was that it made me like Christoph Waltz. He was so rotten in "Inglorious Bastards" that I went away not liking the guy. But in this, his character has heart and compassion, and was disgusted by slavery. From the beginning he saw Django as his equal.
The Bad: Really, Quentin, Jim Croce's "I've Got A Dream"? This one seemed silly. And I usually really love your soundtrack choices. And then there is Don Johnson playing "Big Daddy". Don Johnson was a great choice, but Mr. Tarentino, there already is a "Big Daddy" found in the heart of quintessential American Literature - that is, in a little thing scrawled out by a guy named Tennessee Williams called "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof". Ever heard of it? That is "Big Daddy". The only "Big Daddy." And finally, starting off calling the plantation of Calvin Candie "Candieland" in the early stages might have been funny, you know because of the child's game and all, but seriously, you left it in? Candyland?
The Ugly: 1. Great shootouts, but fake blood that looks like paint and is never believable. 2. Tarentino putting himself in a scene near the end wherein he is in a pristine Australian stereotypical outfit doing one bad Australian accent. 3. The sunglasses Django wore seemed out of period, but maybe not. I guess this one is unimportant - Tarentino is often not going for historical accuracy anyway; note the ending of "Inglorious Bastards."
But then again, very few films are perfect. Is this another masterpiece like "Pulp Fiction"? Nope. But it's pretty close. It is one of those films that I saw three days ago and can't stop thinking about. Like I mentioned it runs nearly three hours, but I didn't feel like it. It held my attention the entire time. Jamie Foxx was superb, and he and Waltz seemed like a natural team. But Mr. Foxx proves here once and for all "Ray" was no fluke. I like this guy. He's got real chops. I have to keep reminding myself that this guy started off as some kind of comic or something. That was a long time and a great distance ago.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to own this one. So see it if you can.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Life of Pi
FLIX!
When I went into the theater Friday night, I may not have got what I paid for, but I got what I expected. I watched a movie that will probably win some cinematic Oscars, but not for anything but camera technique. "Lincoln", you aren't in trouble on Oscar night from this one.
The performances were fine, and the story was what is was, but the lengths Ang Lee went to in order to keep it interesting were quite a stretch. But memorable, I'll give him that. Neon whales and acres of computer flying fish are impressive indeed. And one thing I have to give him kudos for: near the end when the Tiger is at the edge of the jungle at wherever they have finally landed, and kid as a narrator is saying that he wished the tiger would have looked back one last time, but DIDN'T....wow. How many pimply-faced movie execs did Ang have to fight to keep that?
Overall, not a great movie, but a good movie...okay, fair movie. If I never see it again, that's okay. But I am glad I saw it once.
When I went into the theater Friday night, I may not have got what I paid for, but I got what I expected. I watched a movie that will probably win some cinematic Oscars, but not for anything but camera technique. "Lincoln", you aren't in trouble on Oscar night from this one.
The performances were fine, and the story was what is was, but the lengths Ang Lee went to in order to keep it interesting were quite a stretch. But memorable, I'll give him that. Neon whales and acres of computer flying fish are impressive indeed. And one thing I have to give him kudos for: near the end when the Tiger is at the edge of the jungle at wherever they have finally landed, and kid as a narrator is saying that he wished the tiger would have looked back one last time, but DIDN'T....wow. How many pimply-faced movie execs did Ang have to fight to keep that?
Overall, not a great movie, but a good movie...okay, fair movie. If I never see it again, that's okay. But I am glad I saw it once.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Lincoln
FLIX!
In the opening sequence I thought to myself "Wow, they did a nice job on making Daniel Day Lewis look eerily like Lincoln." And that was the last time I ever thought of Daniel Day Lewis. He became Lincoln. He walked the way I always imagined Lincoln walked. He talked the way I always imagined Lincoln talked. I felt like I was let in the various rooms with Lincoln.
The movie takes a look at the last 6 months of Lincoln's life. It examines the toll the war was having on him, the stress caused by a wife still grieving over the loss of their son Willie, and his efforts to have the 13th Amendment to the Constitution passed.
If you think the political wrangling that we currently have going on Congress is anything new, you need to see this film. It has been going on since George Washington took the Oath of Office.
Daniel Day Lewis (My Left Foot, Last of the Mohicans, The Crucible) has never phoned in a performance in his life. He didn't want to do this role. Leonardo DiCaprio called him and told him that he really needed to do this one - and it got him to take the part. I, for one, am glad he did. But Daniel Day Lewis is not the only great actor present. Sally Field is wonderful as Mary Todd Lincoln. Tommy Lee Jones is masterful as Thaddeus Stephens. And there is a host of actors I admire very much filling out every nook and cranny of this film.
The screenplay was written by Tony Kushner (Angels in America), and he LOVES to hear the sound of words he's written. Yes, this film is a bit wordy. It is also cut a little fatter than it needs to be. Showtime was 9:15 and we got out at midnight. That is closer to the actual 6 months than it needs to be.
But the bottom line is this. Lincoln will win Best Picture Oscar for 2012. Period. Why? Well, although the Academy doesn't like Spielberg (Stephen directed this one), they love Abraham Lincoln - maybe the most Liberal President we've ever had. It is much like when the so-so film Ghandi won Best Picture and director David Lean acknowledged that most voters were not voting for the movie Ghandi, but for Ghandi himself. The same will happen this year. The voters will be acknowledging their love for the visionary Lincoln more than for the movie. But the film has many beautiful moments and is worthy of every accolade it can get.
In the opening sequence I thought to myself "Wow, they did a nice job on making Daniel Day Lewis look eerily like Lincoln." And that was the last time I ever thought of Daniel Day Lewis. He became Lincoln. He walked the way I always imagined Lincoln walked. He talked the way I always imagined Lincoln talked. I felt like I was let in the various rooms with Lincoln.
The movie takes a look at the last 6 months of Lincoln's life. It examines the toll the war was having on him, the stress caused by a wife still grieving over the loss of their son Willie, and his efforts to have the 13th Amendment to the Constitution passed.
If you think the political wrangling that we currently have going on Congress is anything new, you need to see this film. It has been going on since George Washington took the Oath of Office.
Daniel Day Lewis (My Left Foot, Last of the Mohicans, The Crucible) has never phoned in a performance in his life. He didn't want to do this role. Leonardo DiCaprio called him and told him that he really needed to do this one - and it got him to take the part. I, for one, am glad he did. But Daniel Day Lewis is not the only great actor present. Sally Field is wonderful as Mary Todd Lincoln. Tommy Lee Jones is masterful as Thaddeus Stephens. And there is a host of actors I admire very much filling out every nook and cranny of this film.
The screenplay was written by Tony Kushner (Angels in America), and he LOVES to hear the sound of words he's written. Yes, this film is a bit wordy. It is also cut a little fatter than it needs to be. Showtime was 9:15 and we got out at midnight. That is closer to the actual 6 months than it needs to be.
But the bottom line is this. Lincoln will win Best Picture Oscar for 2012. Period. Why? Well, although the Academy doesn't like Spielberg (Stephen directed this one), they love Abraham Lincoln - maybe the most Liberal President we've ever had. It is much like when the so-so film Ghandi won Best Picture and director David Lean acknowledged that most voters were not voting for the movie Ghandi, but for Ghandi himself. The same will happen this year. The voters will be acknowledging their love for the visionary Lincoln more than for the movie. But the film has many beautiful moments and is worthy of every accolade it can get.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Shaken, Not Stirred
I did something Friday night I had never done before. I saw a James Bond movie. "Skyfall" was playing at the local cineplex and I guess I just figured it was time. The franchise has been around 50 years after all.
Ian Fleming dreamed up 007 in the late 50's, but it was 1962 before the first Bond movie "Dr. No" hit the silver screen. To put it into perspective, other things of that era: Kennedy was President, John Glenn orbited the Earth, the Rolling Stones were just getting together, Dr. King hadn't had his dream yet, nobody knew where Viet Nam was, and the Beatles were a full year and a half away of appearing on Ed Sullivan. That was a while ago, and if Bond can last that long, there must be something to him.
There have been more than a few Bonds, and most older folks still swear by Sean Connery. Although my wife swears by Pierce Brosdon. At any rate, for me there is only Daniel Craig. He is a gifted actor and approaches this like it's a serious acting endeavor and therefore is wonderful. Plot? An old disgruntled employee. And in this one, no special gadgets. Just a radio tracker and a handgun that only his hand can shoot. But still this flick is lots of fun.
UPROAR ALERT: In one scene, Bond is seen drinking a ..... perish the thought....a beer (albeit Heineken which for my money ain't really beer).
I went in knowing that this was the franchise that spawned the action flick. I realized that the "Die Hard's" and the "Terminator's" and the "Rambo" movies would not exist if it weren't for Bond.
I enjoyed myself. And that is all I ask out of the hour and 40 minutes when I've dropped $9 a head. Daniel takes this seriously and actually puts in a performance, so I encourage you all to see it. And yes, he utters the cornerstones of the lexicon: "Shaken, Not Stirred", and "Bond, James Bond."
Ian Fleming dreamed up 007 in the late 50's, but it was 1962 before the first Bond movie "Dr. No" hit the silver screen. To put it into perspective, other things of that era: Kennedy was President, John Glenn orbited the Earth, the Rolling Stones were just getting together, Dr. King hadn't had his dream yet, nobody knew where Viet Nam was, and the Beatles were a full year and a half away of appearing on Ed Sullivan. That was a while ago, and if Bond can last that long, there must be something to him.
There have been more than a few Bonds, and most older folks still swear by Sean Connery. Although my wife swears by Pierce Brosdon. At any rate, for me there is only Daniel Craig. He is a gifted actor and approaches this like it's a serious acting endeavor and therefore is wonderful. Plot? An old disgruntled employee. And in this one, no special gadgets. Just a radio tracker and a handgun that only his hand can shoot. But still this flick is lots of fun.
UPROAR ALERT: In one scene, Bond is seen drinking a ..... perish the thought....a beer (albeit Heineken which for my money ain't really beer).
I went in knowing that this was the franchise that spawned the action flick. I realized that the "Die Hard's" and the "Terminator's" and the "Rambo" movies would not exist if it weren't for Bond.
I enjoyed myself. And that is all I ask out of the hour and 40 minutes when I've dropped $9 a head. Daniel takes this seriously and actually puts in a performance, so I encourage you all to see it. And yes, he utters the cornerstones of the lexicon: "Shaken, Not Stirred", and "Bond, James Bond."
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Pitch Perfect
No, this isn't a movie about Justin Verlander. This is a "Glee" inspired movie that we attended on a whim. The wife and I both really liked "A Joyful Noise", and this looked to be the college glee club equivalent. It was.
The film stars Anna Kendrick who continues to come on strong. The second youngest nominee for a Tony Award ever she apparently lit up the stage as Dinah in "High Society" on Broadway. I remember her mostly for her great work in "Up In The Air" as the neurotic, and interesting character Natalie Keener. At any rate, Ms. Kendrick stretches a bit here and pulls what might have been a so-so movie up several notches. She does a bit with a cup that deserves a standing O all on it's own.
Great cinema. Nope. Good movie. Yep. And I say that because I was entertained for the hour and a half or so while I was there. And in this day and age of ten dollar movie tickets and an arm and a leg for popcorn, that is all that I ask for. If a film happens to be excellent, great. But if it's only entertaining, that's great too, in my book. Movies are escapism and entertainment after all. So this film totally worked for me. Although for the life of me, I will never understand why she is crying while watching the end of "The Breakfast Club". Pleeeaasseeee.
If you haven't seen it, see it. And while you're at it, rent or buy "A Joyful Noise". Fun stuff for the whole family. It's movie candy. I'll never tell you candy is good food, but sometimes it's nice to have candy.
As a side-note and is now several weeks later, and I was surprised to see "Pitch Perfect" on many serious critics' "Best 10 Movies of 2012" lists.
The film stars Anna Kendrick who continues to come on strong. The second youngest nominee for a Tony Award ever she apparently lit up the stage as Dinah in "High Society" on Broadway. I remember her mostly for her great work in "Up In The Air" as the neurotic, and interesting character Natalie Keener. At any rate, Ms. Kendrick stretches a bit here and pulls what might have been a so-so movie up several notches. She does a bit with a cup that deserves a standing O all on it's own.
Great cinema. Nope. Good movie. Yep. And I say that because I was entertained for the hour and a half or so while I was there. And in this day and age of ten dollar movie tickets and an arm and a leg for popcorn, that is all that I ask for. If a film happens to be excellent, great. But if it's only entertaining, that's great too, in my book. Movies are escapism and entertainment after all. So this film totally worked for me. Although for the life of me, I will never understand why she is crying while watching the end of "The Breakfast Club". Pleeeaasseeee.
If you haven't seen it, see it. And while you're at it, rent or buy "A Joyful Noise". Fun stuff for the whole family. It's movie candy. I'll never tell you candy is good food, but sometimes it's nice to have candy.
As a side-note and is now several weeks later, and I was surprised to see "Pitch Perfect" on many serious critics' "Best 10 Movies of 2012" lists.
Friday, October 19, 2012
The Walking Dead - Season 3 has started.....
Season 3 of The Walking Dead took off with fierceness last Sunday night. The local band of real live people we love so much stumbled upon a prison and after weighing the options, decide that entering, and killing off all the zombies inside, is a viable way to keep them all safe. However there is something about zombies dressed out in riot gear that I find discerning.
They manage to fight their way in and take the "big yard". That night they all sit around a campfire. Really? The next day they enter the prison itself and take on many zombies. One bites Herschel, the closest thing they have to a doctor, and they have to do some emergency surgery of their own. I sure hope they can find the arsenal because how much ammo could have been carried in a satchel anyway?
I still love this show. I love the concept, the characters, the actors, the whole thing. Especially the new character they have introduced. She is hot. She drags zombies with her on chains sans arms or lower jaws. And she's beautiful. I soooo can't wait to find out what she's about.
Stay tuned TV fans. This one is still going strong.
They manage to fight their way in and take the "big yard". That night they all sit around a campfire. Really? The next day they enter the prison itself and take on many zombies. One bites Herschel, the closest thing they have to a doctor, and they have to do some emergency surgery of their own. I sure hope they can find the arsenal because how much ammo could have been carried in a satchel anyway?
I still love this show. I love the concept, the characters, the actors, the whole thing. Especially the new character they have introduced. She is hot. She drags zombies with her on chains sans arms or lower jaws. And she's beautiful. I soooo can't wait to find out what she's about.
Stay tuned TV fans. This one is still going strong.
Monday, October 15, 2012
55 Years After "On The Road" Daddy-O
In 1948 Jack Kerouac hitchhiked back and forth across the country and in 1957 he wrote about this adventure (too strong? Okay, "exploits"). He filled a coffee urn, loaded a continuous roll of brown paper towel into a typewriter and wrote the saga (too strong again? "account") of what transpired. It took several uninterrupted days but when he finally collapsed it was done. It was done, Dean Moriarity.
Along the way with Neal Cassidy (referred to as 'Dean Moriarity') Sal Paradise (as Kerouac calls himself) encounters other hipsters of the day: Allan Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and many others. Sentences run on for pages, just as the days ran into night and then into the next day. Four or five page sentences are not unusual. Nor was the voice of God in the clouds as Jack rolled into Denver. "You Boy" he would exclaim.
The nights, the days, the jazz. Kerouac often explained "I'm not a writer. I'm a musician. I play the typewriter." Truman Capote once said "He's not a writer, he's a typist." And I say -
"yeah Daddy-O, yeah!" You almost get it, you breakfast at tiffany's in cold blood hanging out with andy warhol because you think that will make you an artist loser. What else you got? What if Lennon/McCartney only ever wrote "I Should Have Known Better" and "A Hard Day's Night"? Do they diminish as artists? I think not, Truman, you arrogant piece of fat dead flesh.
Keep trying, daddy-o, because.....somewhere in America, when the night falls.....
I remember Dean Moriarity......and so does the whole world.
Along the way with Neal Cassidy (referred to as 'Dean Moriarity') Sal Paradise (as Kerouac calls himself) encounters other hipsters of the day: Allan Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and many others. Sentences run on for pages, just as the days ran into night and then into the next day. Four or five page sentences are not unusual. Nor was the voice of God in the clouds as Jack rolled into Denver. "You Boy" he would exclaim.
The nights, the days, the jazz. Kerouac often explained "I'm not a writer. I'm a musician. I play the typewriter." Truman Capote once said "He's not a writer, he's a typist." And I say -
"yeah Daddy-O, yeah!" You almost get it, you breakfast at tiffany's in cold blood hanging out with andy warhol because you think that will make you an artist loser. What else you got? What if Lennon/McCartney only ever wrote "I Should Have Known Better" and "A Hard Day's Night"? Do they diminish as artists? I think not, Truman, you arrogant piece of fat dead flesh.
Keep trying, daddy-o, because.....somewhere in America, when the night falls.....
I remember Dean Moriarity......and so does the whole world.
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