Day 90 - 3/31/09 - Movie #87
BEFORE: I could have kept the soap opera theme going with "Tootsie", which would have then led to me watching "Mrs. Doubtfire" - but I do think I've seen "Tootsie" before, so I'd rather focus in another direction instead. I'll pick another Kevin Kline film - this will be my third Kline film (and third Danny Glover film) so far this year.
THE PLOT: Six residents from different backgrounds whose lives intertwine in modern-day Los Angeles. At the center of the film is the unlikely friendship of two men from different races and classes brought together when one finds himself in jeopardy in the other's rough neighborhood.
AFTER: A social-commentary snapshot of L.A. in the early 90's - touching on racism, gang violence, homelessness, abandoned babies - it's a lot to pack into one movie. Especially with just 5 or 6 main characters - it's like a mini "Short Cuts". Can a film fix the world? Should it try to?
The film sort of asks this question by showing people trying to help each other out - are they really helping, or is the road just paved with good intentions? There are some other big questions asked here - do random accidents have larger meanings? Are luck and fate real or imagined? What impact do we have on the people we encounter, and how hard should we try to help them? In doing so, do we enforce our values on them?
Steve Martin plays a filmmaker who gets shot, then decides to stop making violent movies - does his character represent Lawrence Kasdan, director of this film? Did he have some kind of similar epiphany, which led to making this very film?
RATING: 5 out of 10 helicopters
Friday, April 3, 2009
Soapdish
Day 89 - 3/30/09 - Movie #86
BEFORE: I put this onto a DVD with "Dreamgirls" - 2 movies about behind-the-scenes relationships - this one on the set of a soap opera, starring Sally Field and Kevin Kline. I think one of my friends recommended this film, but I forget who...
THE PLOT: An ambitious TV soap actress connives with her producer to scuttle the career of the show's long-time star, but nothing works as they plan.
AFTER: Kevin Kline, great as usual. Sally Field? A little over-the-top, but the advantage with actors playing soap-opera actors is, it's OK to overact. The soap opera makes a great context for camera-hogging and scenery-chewing. The "real" relationships and drama between the actors turns out to be more interesting than the writers' plotlines for the show. BUT - would any soap ever do a live broadcast? And if they did, wouldn't the fans at home notice if the actors started calling each other by their real names? I'm just sayin'...
RATING: 5 out of 10 Daytime Emmys
BEFORE: I put this onto a DVD with "Dreamgirls" - 2 movies about behind-the-scenes relationships - this one on the set of a soap opera, starring Sally Field and Kevin Kline. I think one of my friends recommended this film, but I forget who...
THE PLOT: An ambitious TV soap actress connives with her producer to scuttle the career of the show's long-time star, but nothing works as they plan.
AFTER: Kevin Kline, great as usual. Sally Field? A little over-the-top, but the advantage with actors playing soap-opera actors is, it's OK to overact. The soap opera makes a great context for camera-hogging and scenery-chewing. The "real" relationships and drama between the actors turns out to be more interesting than the writers' plotlines for the show. BUT - would any soap ever do a live broadcast? And if they did, wouldn't the fans at home notice if the actors started calling each other by their real names? I'm just sayin'...
RATING: 5 out of 10 Daytime Emmys
Dreamgirls
Day 88 - 3/29/09 - Movie #85
BEFORE: Forgot about this one during "Dark Side of Fame" week - but to be fair, I was mostly watching films about REAL famous people, like Bobby Darin and Chuck Barris. But I guess this movie is a fictionalized story of the Supremes - so I guess it sort of qualifies.
THE PLOT: Based on the Broadway musical, a trio of black female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960's.
AFTER: I'm not a big fan of Beyonce (or Diana Ross, for that matter), but I do watch the "American Idol", so though I'm not squarely in this film's target audience, I sort of see where it's coming from. Idol is all about singers having the "big moment", when the music swells, and the singer BELTS, and this film is full of those moments. For Jennifer Hudson, anyway. There's no question she's got pipes, but did she deserve an Oscar? I guess the film's dramatic moments were intertwined with the song crescendos, so it's impossible to separate the two. But Eddie Murphy sang great and had his moments, so where's his Oscar? What's a guy gotta do to break out of the comedy box? And then Alan Arkin won the Oscar for a performance in a comedy - Ouch!
This is a powerful film, no question - I know because it reached out of the TV and grabbed me and said "Look how powerful I am!" But it's like using a sledgehammer to drive in a small nail - a lot of power-singing, tense moments, and personal betrayals. Is it overkill? Again, I'm not as comfortable rating this as I would be giving my opinion on a sci-fi film or a spoof comedy -
RATING: I can see how some people would give this an 8 or 9, but for me personally, my rating is 5 out of 10 gold records.
BEFORE: Forgot about this one during "Dark Side of Fame" week - but to be fair, I was mostly watching films about REAL famous people, like Bobby Darin and Chuck Barris. But I guess this movie is a fictionalized story of the Supremes - so I guess it sort of qualifies.
THE PLOT: Based on the Broadway musical, a trio of black female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960's.
AFTER: I'm not a big fan of Beyonce (or Diana Ross, for that matter), but I do watch the "American Idol", so though I'm not squarely in this film's target audience, I sort of see where it's coming from. Idol is all about singers having the "big moment", when the music swells, and the singer BELTS, and this film is full of those moments. For Jennifer Hudson, anyway. There's no question she's got pipes, but did she deserve an Oscar? I guess the film's dramatic moments were intertwined with the song crescendos, so it's impossible to separate the two. But Eddie Murphy sang great and had his moments, so where's his Oscar? What's a guy gotta do to break out of the comedy box? And then Alan Arkin won the Oscar for a performance in a comedy - Ouch!
This is a powerful film, no question - I know because it reached out of the TV and grabbed me and said "Look how powerful I am!" But it's like using a sledgehammer to drive in a small nail - a lot of power-singing, tense moments, and personal betrayals. Is it overkill? Again, I'm not as comfortable rating this as I would be giving my opinion on a sci-fi film or a spoof comedy -
RATING: I can see how some people would give this an 8 or 9, but for me personally, my rating is 5 out of 10 gold records.
21
Day 87 - 3/28/09 - Movie #84
BEFORE: Vegas Week rolls on with this story of the MIT students who counted cards at blackjack. A few years ago, I read "Bringing Down the House", the book this was based on. Plus I saw "Breaking Vegas", the documentary on the History Channel - so I do know a bit about the story already.
THE PLOT: The fact-based story about six MIT students who were trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.
AFTER: I was really looking forward to this film, but I'm afraid that the movie just didn't do the book justice - it oversimplified the card-counting process, and also lessened the number of people on the MIT team - some Hollywood executive probably thought that the average movie-goer wouldn't "get" the film if it were too complicated or had too many characters. The real MIT team had about a dozen spotters, not just 3, so they could cover more tables. They also actively recruited more players, had several teams going at once, and also visited Mississippi riverboat and Native American casinos across the country.
There were some weird anomalies in the film - like showing MIT students playing basketball (I doubt there's even a gym at MIT) or Fishburne's character offering to fix Ben's college transcript - HUH? How does a casino security guy have any juice at a Massachusetts university?
I also didn't care for Jim Sturgess, his acting was just horrible. I watched "Across the Universe" late last year, so whenever I saw him walking in slo-mo through a casino, I expected him to sing "Good Day Sunshine" or "Dear Prudence".
RATING: It would have been an 8, but I'm taking 2 off the count for being LESS exciting than the book. So 6 out of 10 decks
BEFORE: Vegas Week rolls on with this story of the MIT students who counted cards at blackjack. A few years ago, I read "Bringing Down the House", the book this was based on. Plus I saw "Breaking Vegas", the documentary on the History Channel - so I do know a bit about the story already.
THE PLOT: The fact-based story about six MIT students who were trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.
AFTER: I was really looking forward to this film, but I'm afraid that the movie just didn't do the book justice - it oversimplified the card-counting process, and also lessened the number of people on the MIT team - some Hollywood executive probably thought that the average movie-goer wouldn't "get" the film if it were too complicated or had too many characters. The real MIT team had about a dozen spotters, not just 3, so they could cover more tables. They also actively recruited more players, had several teams going at once, and also visited Mississippi riverboat and Native American casinos across the country.
There were some weird anomalies in the film - like showing MIT students playing basketball (I doubt there's even a gym at MIT) or Fishburne's character offering to fix Ben's college transcript - HUH? How does a casino security guy have any juice at a Massachusetts university?
I also didn't care for Jim Sturgess, his acting was just horrible. I watched "Across the Universe" late last year, so whenever I saw him walking in slo-mo through a casino, I expected him to sing "Good Day Sunshine" or "Dear Prudence".
RATING: It would have been an 8, but I'm taking 2 off the count for being LESS exciting than the book. So 6 out of 10 decks
Vegas Vacation
Day 86 - 3/27/09 - Movie #83
BEFORE: Vegas week continues - I've seen the first two "Vacation" films, but not the others. I wonder why "National Lampoon" is missing from the title - was there some kind of falling-out or legal battle?
THE PLOT: The Griswold clan is back and this time Clark makes another one of his spirited attempts to plan the perfect family vacation, this time to the glittering casinos and glitzy attractions of Las Vegas.
AFTER: Many theories have been proposed to explain the variable ages of the Griswold children - why they're older in one movie, and younger in the next. I'll leave that alone, but I'll propose a new angle: What if Randy Quaid's character is just a figment of Clark Griswold's imagination? Adds an air of "Fight Club" to the movie, doesn't it? Or maybe it's Christie Brinkley - she's not real, and Clark has some kind of brain tumor? Anyway, good appearances by Sid Caesar, and Wallace Shawn as a taunting blackjack dealer.
RATING: 4 out of 10 slot-machines
BEFORE: Vegas week continues - I've seen the first two "Vacation" films, but not the others. I wonder why "National Lampoon" is missing from the title - was there some kind of falling-out or legal battle?
THE PLOT: The Griswold clan is back and this time Clark makes another one of his spirited attempts to plan the perfect family vacation, this time to the glittering casinos and glitzy attractions of Las Vegas.
AFTER: Many theories have been proposed to explain the variable ages of the Griswold children - why they're older in one movie, and younger in the next. I'll leave that alone, but I'll propose a new angle: What if Randy Quaid's character is just a figment of Clark Griswold's imagination? Adds an air of "Fight Club" to the movie, doesn't it? Or maybe it's Christie Brinkley - she's not real, and Clark has some kind of brain tumor? Anyway, good appearances by Sid Caesar, and Wallace Shawn as a taunting blackjack dealer.
RATING: 4 out of 10 slot-machines
The Cooler
Day 85 - 3/26/09 - Movie #82
BEFORE: Well, the last 2 movies ended in Las Vegas, so while we're here, let's take a look around. Love Alec Baldwin (usually) and William H. Macy, so this could be good.
THE PLOT: In an old school Las Vegas casino, its top gambling jinx breaks his curse when he falls in love, much to his boss' consternation.
AFTER: It's an interesting exploration of "luck" as a concept - Macy plays a guy who's got plenty of luck, all of it bad. But he puts that to use, shutting down high-rollers in a casino. Macy tends to play two types of characters really well - know-it-all stuffed shirts (like in "State and Main") and sad sack losers (like in "Fargo"). I think, like Robin Williams, you can tell the type of role by the facial hair - if Macy's got no mustache, his character is a sad-sack loser.
The movie makes full use of Macy's droopiness, however once he falls in love and his luck changes, his job and life are in jeopardy. Essay question - do people have success because they are lucky, or do people make their own luck by living honorably and working hard? The film leaves this unanswered (substitute "karma" for "luck" and the plot works just as well...)
Essay question #2 - would the film have worked as well if Baldwin and Macy had switched roles? Not a chance.
RATING: 7 out of 10 broken kneecaps
BEFORE: Well, the last 2 movies ended in Las Vegas, so while we're here, let's take a look around. Love Alec Baldwin (usually) and William H. Macy, so this could be good.
THE PLOT: In an old school Las Vegas casino, its top gambling jinx breaks his curse when he falls in love, much to his boss' consternation.
AFTER: It's an interesting exploration of "luck" as a concept - Macy plays a guy who's got plenty of luck, all of it bad. But he puts that to use, shutting down high-rollers in a casino. Macy tends to play two types of characters really well - know-it-all stuffed shirts (like in "State and Main") and sad sack losers (like in "Fargo"). I think, like Robin Williams, you can tell the type of role by the facial hair - if Macy's got no mustache, his character is a sad-sack loser.
The movie makes full use of Macy's droopiness, however once he falls in love and his luck changes, his job and life are in jeopardy. Essay question - do people have success because they are lucky, or do people make their own luck by living honorably and working hard? The film leaves this unanswered (substitute "karma" for "luck" and the plot works just as well...)
Essay question #2 - would the film have worked as well if Baldwin and Macy had switched roles? Not a chance.
RATING: 7 out of 10 broken kneecaps
Beyond the Sea
Day 84 - 3/25/09 - Movie #81
BEFORE: I'll keep working this theme - the darker side of show biz. This one keeps popping up on the IFC channel, so I'll give it a whirl. I heard Kevin Spacey did his own singing while playing Bobby Darin in this film - unlike a certain other actor whose name rhymes with Shay Shiotta...
THE PLOT: A swooning study of "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby Darin, his rise to fame, and his relationship with his wife Sandra Dee.
AFTER: No, that Kevin Spacey certainly does not do things half way. In addition to the singing and dancing, he plays Darin warts-and-all, or is that receding hairline-and-all? From Darin's quest for fame, to his quest for love, and then quest for meaning in his life - it's rare to see a famous person portrayed during his down times, his periods of disillusionment or cultural irrelevance. I'm reminded of Patton Oswalt's joke about "The Passion of the Christ" - he said it was like making a film about Einstein, but only focusing on the week where he had a really bad stomach flu, and was sitting on the toilet a lot.
There are some unconventional storytelling methods used here, like having the older Bobby Darin interact with the actor playing him as a young boy. But then, Darin led a fairly unconventional life...
RATING: 7 out of 10 gold records
BEFORE: I'll keep working this theme - the darker side of show biz. This one keeps popping up on the IFC channel, so I'll give it a whirl. I heard Kevin Spacey did his own singing while playing Bobby Darin in this film - unlike a certain other actor whose name rhymes with Shay Shiotta...
THE PLOT: A swooning study of "Mack the Knife" singer Bobby Darin, his rise to fame, and his relationship with his wife Sandra Dee.
AFTER: No, that Kevin Spacey certainly does not do things half way. In addition to the singing and dancing, he plays Darin warts-and-all, or is that receding hairline-and-all? From Darin's quest for fame, to his quest for love, and then quest for meaning in his life - it's rare to see a famous person portrayed during his down times, his periods of disillusionment or cultural irrelevance. I'm reminded of Patton Oswalt's joke about "The Passion of the Christ" - he said it was like making a film about Einstein, but only focusing on the week where he had a really bad stomach flu, and was sitting on the toilet a lot.
There are some unconventional storytelling methods used here, like having the older Bobby Darin interact with the actor playing him as a young boy. But then, Darin led a fairly unconventional life...
RATING: 7 out of 10 gold records
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