In theaters. Rated PG-13, 128 minutes. 
If there's a genre I dislike more than Victorian Era period pieces, it would be fantasy epics. Ferries (magical), goblins, witches and the like just don't do it for my hyper-rational mind. Sensing that Stardust writer/director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake!) is probably of like mind, I decided to give this one a chance (also notable is the cast: Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Ricky Gervais, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller, Peter O'Toole, Rupert Everett and Ian McKellen (narrator)). If you are a big fan of the 'adult fairy tale,' then you will love this film. If you're like me, you'll like it and enjoy the pockets of great performances and legitimate laughs and put up with the 'magic.'
The main character in the film is Tristan (Charlie Cox), who lives in the English countryside town of Wall. Adjacent to the town of wall, and guarded by a wall(!), is another world, called Stormhold. No one has ever gone over the wall and into the other world, except Tristan's father, who conceived him in a one-night stand in the magic world 'market'. Tristan is in love with the beautiful Sienna Miller, the town hottie, but has no chance of getting her because she has a more sophisticated suitor and Tristan is a working class tool. Out of pity, Sienna goes on a walk with Tristan and they see a falling star. She agrees that if he will go and find the star, she will marry him.
Off he goes to Stormhold, where he finds the star (Claire Danes) and begins to bring her back to Sienna. The plot thickens because if you cut out the heart of a fallen star and eat it (!), you will live forever. This sends a prince and a witch on the hunt for the Star. Tristan and the Star go through lots of trials and tribulations and fall in love along the way while stuck on an airship captained by Robert De 
Niro's character, a gay cross-dressing pirate. Yes, a gay cross-dressing pirate. I knew about this in advance and thought there was no way it could work, but it does. In front of his crew De Niro is a merciless and vile captain, but that's all for show. He's really a stereotypical gay man that is only a captain to fulfill his father's wish that the ship keep sailing. His performance and interaction are great, and the laughs are legitimate. While on the ship, the group stops at a market owned by Ricky Gervais, and Lawyer nirvana occurs: a scene with Ricky Gervais and Robert De Niro. The other major character in the film is Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays the leader of 3 grossly old witches that are restored to beauty when they eat part of the heart of a Star. She does an admirable job, although I thought her storyline was the weakest in the film and conjured a little too much 'Death Becomes Her' for my liking.
This is a very strange choice for Matthew Vaughn (below) as 
a Layer Cake follow-up. My guess is that he is extremely cocky and wanted to prove himself as more than just a crime drama fluke. By any measure, he has achieved his goal. This film works and his touches keep it grounded in reality (as much as it can be) and don't let the film get too romantic or nonsensical for an intelligent adult to enjoy.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Stardust - B
Age of Innocence - A-
On DVD (1993). Rated PG, 139 minutes.
Daniel Day-Lewis + Martin Scorsese = Good. That equation alone should make this movie required viewing. Also co-starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder, this period piece is set in New York high society in the 1870's. DDL plays Newland Archer, an honorable but intellectually curious non-conformist that plays along as a member of society even though his mind bucks at the bridle of their customs and hypocrisy. Newland is engaged to May, played by Winona Ryder, the innocent and shallow 'right person to marry' for Newland. May's cousin, Countess Ellen Oleska (Michelle Pfeiffer), is just like Newland - except she lives her noncoformity instead of denying it. This draws Newland to her (and her beauty), and, despite his intentions and his mind, he falls deeply in love with her. Ellen tells him to marry May and he does; after that they see each other sparingly until it finally makes Newland crazy. As he begins telling May he will leave her and go to Ellen, she cuts him off and May reveals that she is pregnant. In that moment his fate is sealed and he stays with May and raises his family with her until her death at age 57. He then goes to Europe (where Ellen now lives) with his son (Robert Sean Leonard) and his son sets up an appointment with her. In the final scene Newland chooses not to meet with Ellen, instructing his son to tell her simply that 'he is old-fashioned.'
Whew. The film explores several meaty themes: defying convention, conformity, true 
love, honor, responsiblity, unrequited love, and sacrifice. The NY society is a collective character that results in unhappiness for all involved, despite the smiles and disingenuous notes on 'gilded' stationery. Scorsese doesn't hold back on the sweeping camera work or interesting shots just because its a Victorian era film. He uses yellow and red to signify the feelings of the characters, and shows DDL in the shadows as he falls deeper in despair. DDL is excellent in his most restrained role, and this is probably Pfeiffer's best performance. The first 2/3 of the film are a full A, but the final act is not as strong, knocking it down.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - A
Book Review
While this site is primary preoccupied with movies, music, and TV, any site that claims to focus on pop culture would be remiss if it did not discuss the concluding book of the pop phenomenon of the past fifteen years: Harry Potter.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling is a thunderous success in every sense of the word. In this, Hallows is that rarest of all pop culture events: one in which the hype comes primarily from the general public and in which the event surpasses the build-up.
SPOILER ALERT That said, what I’d really like to address in this article is the phenomenal, almost incomprehensible popularity of these books and how Deathly 
Hallows provides the necessary ending to the tale told within them (I’m assuming that the wild success of the films are fueled primarily by the novels). Several theories addressing the popularity of the Potter series have been proffered, all of which, I’m sure, are integral to its success. These include the fully-formed magical world, complete with history, from which the stories spring (the comparison’s to Tolkien’s Middle Earth are fully justified). Others include Rowling’s writing, immediate and lyrical. Still others hold up the characters. Each, from Voldemort to Tonks to Hermione to Harry himself, behave as humans, with recognizable drives, reactions, foibles, and strengths.
Still, while Harry’s popularity would not be possible without these, they alone are not enough to explain the ravenous hunger for this tale. That’s because, ultimately, Harry Potter isn’t about magical worlds or messianic destiny or even good versus evil. At its most basic, all Harry really wants is a home. A home that was denied him by the death of his parents at the hands (or wand, as it were) of Voldemort. The hunger for his mother and father and his inability to truly come to grips with their absence is on every page of every book. Of course, his view of what life would be like with his parents is idealized and made perfect. We (or those of us who grew up in families) know that there is no ideal home. We know home is a place of great happiness but also great pain. We know the heartache of having our expectations of how a mother and father should behave shattered by how they sometimes do. We know that parents are just humans, really. And so, as we travel with Harry on his journey to discover his parents, we are forced to confront our own broken pieces and disillusions. And, in the end of Deathly Hallows when Harry’s parents tell him, through the use of the Resurrection Stone, that they love him and are proud of him, we weep, too. Because we know how much we still long to hear that. And we understand, especially those who believe in an afterlife, how dying can be going home and why that’s a decision Harry is willing to make.
But if the story is ultimately about going home, why does that resonate with our current situation? A couple reasons, I suspect, that are tethered to each other. One is that between the hard sciences, a fundamentalist reading of scripture, and sociology, most of our meta-narratives have been destroyed. Christianity in particular, along with Islam and Judaism (the historical religions), have had their sacred books second-guessed until they died the deaths of a thousand cuts. We need meta-narratives, and, although Harry isn’t quite that big, it is a very big story that helps us understand ourselves.
Similarly, but on an even larger scale, post-modernism has so rattled then destroyed the foundations of our world and belief systems, we in Western Culture are longing to go home. But we know we can’t. Absolute Truth in its metaphysical sense seems impossible to determine. Our naivete has crumbled and there is no going back to a time and place of certainty and safety. The moorings of God, the Church, logic, and reason which once provided solidity to our world have been cut loose. We resonate with Harry and his frustration in only seeing part of the story. Even his priest (Dumbledore) knows only in part and seems full of more mysteries than truth. It’s for this reason that the oft-decried Epilogue is integral to this final book. Harry finally has a home, but he doesn’t know much more then than he did before. Instead, his home is purely relational. It is one that he’s built, bound to his wife, two kids, and good friends. It echoes quite strongly the ending of About a Boy in which Hugh Grant’s character finds himself in the same situation. And it provides, if we allow it to, a suggested way forward for us in these topsy-turvy times. It is in this that Deathly Hollows gives Rowling her greatest triumph and truly contributes to the human experience. A.
New Trailers
1. Be Kind Rewind - New Michael Gondry (director, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) with Mos Def and Jack Black. Looks cool: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809761737/video/3631941/
2. Reservation Road - Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Conelly, Mira Sorvino, Joaquin Phoenix; directed by Terry George (Hotel Rwanda). Very interesting and dark storyline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wb7_Y0lbAk
3. We Own The Night - Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg as brothers and the sons of Robert Duval. Could be a classic - I love 70's crime dramas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycByIa-GHrs
4. Rendition - Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Reese Witherspoon, Alan Arkin and Meryl Streep in a potential liberal boondoggle about detaining prisoners (directed by Gavin Hood, Tsotsi): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KRbIVk3_qE
5. National Treasure, Book of Secrets - One of my guilty pleasures: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx3opsdaLCk
6. Lions For Lambs - Directed by Robert Redford, starring Redford, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Peter Berg (new trailer): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OocAz9aNB8g
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Mr. Brooks - C
In Theatres. 120 Minutes. Rated R
Kevin Costner as a serial killer. Never thought I'd see that movie. That said, Costner in the title role is the best thing about this odd installment in an increasingly bloated genre. Mr. Brooks is the story of Earl Brooks, Man-of-the-Year, devoted father and husband, business owner, potter, and serial killer. Brooks' id is personified as a man named "Marshall", played by William Hurt. Brooks and Marshall speak back and forth, but no one hears (or sees) but the audience. Brooks likes to kill people, although he is trying to quit via prayer and AA (he identifies as an addict). He is spotted in one killing, and the witness blackmails him with incriminating pictures into taking him along on the next kill. Meanwhile, Demi Moore plays Detective Tracy Atwood, an about-to-be-divorced cop who's hot on his trail. Surprise, Costner begins to respect Demi even as he fears her. Marg Helgenberger (CSI) plays Mrs. Brooks adequately, and Danielle Panabaker plays his college-age daughter who has a few secrets of her own.
All the actors do a pretty good job, but the script quickly adds too many subplots and too many serial killers. But most troubling, the film seems to indicate that serial killing is like your hair-color. It's how you're born. If we allow our society to buy into this biological determinism (the door of which has been pryed open in the "source of homosexual behavior" debate), we will quickly spiral into a moral freefall, much as this film does. It wants to be taken seriously, but it's ultimately vacuous and empty C.
The Simpsons Movie - B-
In Theatres. 87 Minutes. PG-13.
As the longest running comedy in TV history, The Simpson’s place in pop culture now supercedes all but the most famous films. Considering this, I couldn’t help but wonder what (outside of money) would possess Matt Groening (the creator) and Co. to make a movie version. Given the endless creativity the writers have displayed over the years, I’d hoped it was because they had some fresh ideas on how to fill 89 minutes of big screen without making an 89-minute version of a 22-minute TV show. My hopes were in vain.
The plot (and this should be a warning) is a green-friendly, tree-hugging campaign to take care of the world. I’m actually fairly green (ideologically, at least) myself, but I’m already sick of this story-line. Springfield, (pick a state), is the most toxic city in the US, and, Homer Simpson, with the help of an (oddly disappearing) pet pig, pushes it over the top. The U.S. Government determines to seal in the problem by putting a giant glass dome over the top of the town, trapping the inhabitants. Chaos ensues.
It’s not that this film isn’t funny. It is very funny. The opening segment, an Itchy and Scratchy Movie, made me laugh uproariously. As did the always dependable church scene, this time dealing with the notion of prophets and what we’d do if one actually spoke to us. Very nice. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find more laughs in the theatre this year (outside of Knocked-up). The problem is that it’s not really a movie. It feels like those one-hour “Friends” episodes that everyone got excited about, but just seemed to drag on and on in the watching. The plotline of The Simpson’s Movie might be able to sustain 45 minutes, but the rest is gerrymandering and pointless plot twists to fill time. Pay ten dollars and catch it for an hour and a half of laughs or Netflix any disk from any season in the growing Simpsons library and get as many laughs with good pacing and without the pro-environment preaching. B-
Monday, August 6, 2007
The History Boys - D
Try as I might, I’ll never be able to understand foreign cultures like the New York Theatre District. Recent Broadway successes brought to the big screen include Hairspray, The Producers, and Dreamgirls. I would probably lose several fingers under torture before agreeing to watch Hairspray. I have seen The Producers (2005) and as great as Uma looks, you’re much better off watching the near-perfect 1968 original. My distaste for Dreamgirls is mostly because of the uninspired music. Chicago gets a pass (B) because of its beautiful cynicism.
Which brings us to The History Boys. It wants to be Dead Poets Society set in 1983 London. Like that 1989 film, the students struggle to get into fancy colleges and become inspired by a new teacher. Unlike Robin Williams who inspires his students by showing them that there’s more to life than a career, this teacher degrades them in the hope of making them achieve more. One of the common criticisms for Dead Poets Society is how “white” it is, but what would you expect from a 1958 American Boarding School? At least the characters are well-developed and distinguishable. In The History Boys, the ethnicity is increased (black, Muslim, Italian), but the students all act exactly the same. In DPS, director Peter Weir places the camera in the perfect location scene after scene, but in The History Boys, the handheld camera wanders aimlessly and without purpose. And the literature references in DPS were beautifully woven into the story, but stick out like Dirk Diggler in History Boys.
Which brings us back to the New York Theatre District. I don’t doubt that the much of the popularity of The History Boys on Broadway is due to its explicit and overt homosexuality. Teachers and students flirt with each other and use euphemisms that made my skin crawl. At least Dead Poets Society had the good sense to keep the homosexuality in the subtext. To me, Robert Sean Leonard’s acting and his father’s disapproval of it was a substitute – which would also help explain his drastic decision. Dead Poets Society: A- The History Boys: DSunday, August 5, 2007
Pearl Jam in Chicago - Concert Review
August 2, 2007. 
The opportunity to see Pearl Jam at the Vic Theatre (capacity 1300) in Chicago is not an everyday occurrence. Last week the band announced they would play the fanclub only show (as a Lollapalooza warmup) and I lucked out and got 2 of the scarce fanclub tickets that were available.
For starters, Pearl Jam is obviously one of my favorite bands if I am willing to travel to Chicago to see them, so the review will be less than objective. That being said, here we go (with ancillary environmental commentary):
As our cab turned the corner to reveal the tiny and aged Vic Theater, it became apparent that 'hard core Pearl Jam fan' was probably something I could never achieve. There before our eyes, 4.5 hours before the band took the stage, were 
about 600 people lined up to get into the concert (note the passing 'el' train in the photo). The logistics of the show were weird. No tickets were handed out, only wristbands based on whether your name was on 'the list'. Each person on the list had paid for 2 tickets (for a total of $150) and was granted the right to have a 'guest.' So I lined up with my guest and waited for the wristband guy to show up....he did, and we got our magical orange wristbands without incident. Because of the weird logistics, it made it almost impossible to scalp the tickets (although a pair was sold on EBay for $4000), and that yield about 2 dozen 'folks' begging for tickets with signs like "Will ____ for your guest ticket". Needless to say, most of those signs were held by 30 something dudes, who weren't successful in their quest.
The next decision seemed hard, but wasn't: stand in the sun for 4 hours to get into a general admission, floor only concert? For us, the answer was no, let's go to the hotel, relax, eat a good meal and head back. Walking back onto the same street around 7:00, we had to walk 2 blocks to find the end of the line (doors opened at 
7:00). Once we did, we were tossed into the classic Annie Hall movie line situation unavoidably eavesdropping on our adjacent linemates. The two guys behind us were, by my puritan account, both high and drunk, and in their late 40's. One guy had been to more than 200 PJ concerts and the other was only up to 157. They were talking opening songs and rarities with another guy who'd seen them 22 times before (for the record, my count is 8, including this concert). Mr. 200 must have said "Oh, that was a killer show" at least 200 times, and I wondered aloud how long that conversation could have gone on. 
Once we got near the door, everyone was barking at us to hold our arms up to reveal the wristbands. A guy in front of me had pirated one in the 3 hours between the doors opening and the wristbands being distributed, so I got the Jason Bourne treatment on the authenticity of my wristband. Now in the theater, we joined the 'merch' scrum to get a t-shirt and a coveted original silkscreen poster for the show (they make one for each concert, and I have the one for each show I've been to). Leaving my guest to that task, I headed into the tiny venue to stake out a spot. The liner-uppers were already filling the front part, so I claimed a decent perch about 30 feet away. 
As 8:00 neared, Eddie Vedder's wife, Jill McCormick, and daughter, Olivia filed into the box just to our left and we got ready. Vedder himself was the opening act, and he sang several acoustic songs, including Cat Stevens' "Trouble" and Tom Waits' "Picture in a Frame," plus Pearl Jam's "Dead Man Walking" and a made-up song about the Chicago Cubs, a dedication that drew equal parts cheers and boos from supporters and White Sox fans. Watching just Eddie and a guitar in a small venue is about as good as it gets for me and concerts.
At 9:00 the whole band took the stage. The setlist was dominated by rarities but 
featured several of my favorites, including "In Hiding", "Off He Goes" and "Indifference." The full set list is as follows: All Or None, Education, Sad, In Hiding, Parachutes, I'm Open, Wishlist, Down, Undone, Off He Goes, Hard To Imagine, Gods' Dice, World Wide Suicide, Rats, Gone, Why Go
Encore 1 No More (new song), Inside Job, Low Light, Love Reign O'er Me
Encore 2 Comatose, Black Diamond (Kiss cover, Matt Cameron on vocals), Sonic Reducer
Encore 3 Indifference (with Ben Harper). (The Tenclub website has the coolest setlist/concert archive I've ever seen. http://www.tenclub.net/tour/shows.php . You can find the setlist from each concert they have played, and each song is hyperlinked to reveal a 'song page' showing each show where that song has been played. Its worth a visit.)
The mood was light considering that it was mostly a family show with only fanclub members and invited guests in the house. The band is amazingly tight and can seemingly play any song from their entire catalogue at a moment's notice. A great experience.
The Bourne Ultimatum - A-
In theaters. Rated PG-13, 111 minutes.
The Bourne Ultimatum picks up exactly where the Bourne Supremacy left off, in Moscow with a wounded Bourne. Matt Damon, Julia Stiles and Joan Allen are back, this time with additional bad powerful white baby boomers the great David Straithairn and the old Scott Glenn as Bourne's CIA foils. The film is directed by Paul Greengrass, also the director of the Bourne Supremacy, and features the same kinetic and gritty camera work as his previous films.
Given that most people that read this will probably see the movie (I hope, at least), I'll try not to give out too many key plot points. Bourne is trying to track down who made him a killing machine, and a journalist for England's The Guardian begins a newspaper series on the Treadstone CIA operation, involving Jason Bourne. That leads Bourne and the CIA to the journalist, and that intersection hatches the film. Returning to familiar territory, Straithairn is the alpha-male with good reason to want Bourne dead, and Joan Allen is the sympathetic and reasonable ear trying to make the right decisions.
Bourne chews through the usual (but fantastic) European scenery (Madrid, Tangiers) and plot points before finally ending up in New York. The best line of the film is the one from the trailers when he calls Straithairn from Straithairn's office "No, if you were in your office we'd be having this conversation face to face." The eighth inning of the film (with Albert Finney) is a little weak, and almost pushed it to a B+.
The action sequences in the film, notably the main scene in Tangiers, are breathtaking. They are testosterone smorgasbords with amazing camerawork. The 
fight sequence with 'Desh' is the best of the series and just a sight to behold, starting with what will likely be the coolest camera shot of the year, with Bourne jumping off a roof into a window and being followed by the camera (the shot is in the preview). Bourne utilizes an encyclopedia and a towel with amazing force and violence.
Throughout the film there are subtle (but not distracting) homages to the current difficulties in Iraq and the Bush administration, with neo-con type characters using 'the times we live in' to justify an experimental program such as the one Bourne is in. The film is not overtly political, but it is impossible to miss the connection. In United 93, part of Greengrass' triumph was the fact that almost no one saw a political agenda in the film; in the Bourne series he is freed up from such delicate subject matter and chose (probably with the input of Damon) to land some sneaky jabs.
Of the three Bourne movies, the best is Supremacy, the middle is Ultimatum and the bottom is Identity. All together they form one of the best, if not THE best action series to date (I am sure the doc will correct me if I am omitting something - and I am not counting Star Wars as a competitor). Damon has likely achieved his apotheosis with the series, and has earned a full pardon from me for the Talented Mr. Ripley and those euro trunks that came with it.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Snap judgments - a quick review of 5 movies
Premonition (2007) – Sandra Bullock is informed her husband has been killed in a car accident, then wakes up the next morning finding him alive. This has as much to do with “premonition” as Déjà Vu had to do with “déjà vu”. Bullock is fine as the depressed and desperate housewife, but the story makes less sense than The Lake House. And at least that movie had the undeniable chemistry of Bullock and Keanu. The movie ends strong, though. The best scene in the movie is with a priest in the third act. The message about finding the important things in life ties the movie up better than it deserves. C+
Note to the ladies: if you find out your husband is cheating and want to keep him, tell him he’s going to be killed in a car wreck. Apparently, that seems to work.
Diggers (2006) – Four friends working as clam diggers in 1976 Long Island are losing their jobs as independent workers to a new corporation who is forcing the little guy out of business. Of the four, the druggie has some genuine laughs but the ladies’ man is underwritten. As one of the four, screenwriter Ken Marino is overbearing and obnoxious at first, but eventually settles down nicely. Best of all is Paul Rudd, who is pretty great as the heart of the movie. Lots of clichés and uneven at times, but the overall result is effective. The music is very good and appropriate. B-
Black Snake Moan (2007) – Samuel L. Jackson chains nymphomaniac Christina Ricci to a radiator in an attempt to cure her. Everything else in this scattershot crapfest makes even less sense. Justin Timberlake is OK as Ricci’s boyfriend who is sent to Iraq before the opening credits. He quickly gets honorably discharged for “nerves” and begins looking for Ricci who has already had sex with two other dudes. When he finds her, I wish he would have 1) cut a hole in a box, 2) put his junk in that box, and 3) got her to open the box. Instead, he still acts scared and she’s still promiscuous, but they think they’re good for each other. Jackson has some good scenes playing the blues on guitar, but his motives, reasons, and actions make no sense even upon cursory inspection. D+
Lonely Hearts (2006) – John Travolta and James Gandolfini play two fat cops investigating the murderous spree of a bald Jared Leto and a fellatio-giving Salma Hayek. Scott Caan is more annoying than usual and Laura Dern waits around for John Travolta to come home from the buffet, I mean, the investigation. The movie takes place after WWII as Leto/Hayek team up to rob war widows of their savings. When a movie with this much star power goes straight to video, there’s usually a reason. C-
The Number 23 (2007) – Jim Carrey is given a book from wife Virginia Madsen and begins to feel the book has crazy parallels to his actual life. The book is also obsessed with the number 23. The much maligned director Joel Schumacher actually combines some great visuals with interesting music (especially the “suicide blonde” sequence). Carrey tries hard to sell the story, but ultimately, the screenwriter lets them both down as he tries to outdo the endings of The Usual Suspects, The Sixth Sense, and Fight Club all at the same time. C
Bourne Identity -B+ / Bourne Supremacy -A-
Both out on DVD.
In preparation for the release of the Bourne Ultimatum, I rewatched the first two movies in this series to refresh my Bourne-like memory on the plot of the movies. The films are similar in style and score, with an interconnected plot starring Matt Damon. The supporting cast of Clive Owen, Brian Cox, Chris Cooper, Franka Portente, Joan Allen and Julia Stiles all provide quality fodder for the indominitable Jason Bourne.
The Bourne Identity, directed by Doug Liman (Swingers, Go) is an excellent but formulaic spy thriller. Bourne struggles to find his identity as a CIA operative as he tries to come to terms with the high level military skills he possesses. Along the way he falls in love with a beautiful but scattered German (Franka Portente) and through her is able to salvage his soul (tear drop). His foil is the CIA (Chris Cooper and Brian Cox) and its rogue desk-jockeys with reputations on the line.
The film is beautifully shot, with interesting and subtly majestic visuals of Berlin, Paris and several other European cities. Liman does a great job of utilizing the handheld camera throughout the film, not just in action sequences, and the result is an intimate feel. The fight sequences are intense and realistic, as are the car chases. This one doesn't get the A- because there's no 'there' there. Its good, but not great.
The Bourne Supremacy takes the foundation laid by Identity and takes the character and series to another level. Directed by United 93's Paul Greengrass, the film is more intense and cerebral than the first, with a much more resonant storyline and ending. 
The film opens with Bourne and his girl (Franka) in India living 'off the grid' in bliss. He gets dragged back into the melee with the CIA after one of the rogue agents plants one of his fingerprints in a deal gone bad to protect said agents' reputation. As a result, a Russian hitman comes to town to get rid of Bourne, killing his girl instead (and his soul in the process - tears).
That sets Bourne off, and Greengrass turns the tables for several minutes showing that Bourne is really a weapon to be dealt with. Now the stage is set for the classic 'Fugitive' storyline: Bourne is out to prove he is innocent against a corrupt government. Joan Allen plays the Tommy Lee Jones character, and does a great job.
The best sequences in the film are when Bourne is watching the CIA gang through the window, the magazine fight scene, the scene with the Russian diplomat's daughter (he killed her parents in his former life).
Friday, August 3, 2007
Star Wars - in 10 Pictures
The money shot.
C3PO thinks about coming out of the closet.
A great idea, a physical impossibility.
Harrison Ford becomes a movie star.
My 2nd favorite “porno” line: “You came in that thing? You’re braver than I thought.”
Stormtroopers' 0% shooting percentage continues.
Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi duel.
Luke disapproves of the outcome.
My favorite “porno” line: “Luke, at that speed, will you be able to pull out in time?”
R2 takes one for the team.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Flight of the Conchords - PLEASE READ and WATCH
I have previously posted that this show is great. It is now reaching another level of genius after Episode 7. The show is great not only for its writing and performances, but also for the groundbreaking visuals incorporated into the musical interludes. Episode 7 in particular is unbelievable. It is probably the best TV episode I've seen since the Carnivale episode (season 2) when Ben saves Jonesie.
Links:
Song: Too Many Mother Uckers (scene and song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqxnm6t3QMw
Full Episode 7:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=banFo6SDAUs
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOMDI286cVE
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9xIf4tWTFg
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Errata
1. The archived Siskel & Ebert film reviews will soon be made available on this site: http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/ebertandroeper/ . (Its cooler than it sounds).
2. Behind the scenes of Indiana Jones 4 - Go here and click on the "Comic-Con Preview". http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html
3. Ricky Gervais is set to star in "Early Retirement", which revolves around a workaholic businessman who decides to quit his job and spend more time with his family. Its meant to pick up where other movies, like Robin William's RV, leave off. Only this time, we get to see what actually happens back at home with the father out of work and the kids running wild.
4. Another trailer for Dark Knight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWw0ov-cAUg .
5. Another Vince Vaughn Christmas film, with Reese Witherspoon. The film is titled "Four Christmases" and apparently follows a couple at Christmas time who have to try to find a way to visiting all four of their divorced parents
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Make Yourself a Simpson
Sorry about no Simpsons Movie review (probably funny, but just a long version of an episode). But this seemed cool. Go to this site to make yourself a Simpson: http://simpsonizeme.com
You just have to upload a picture of yourself. Mine is to the right.
Sunshine - B+
In theaters. Rated R, 108 minutes.
Sunshine opens ominously and doesn't lighten the mood for 108 minutes. The Icarus II is a spaceship headed toward the dying sun with a massive nuclear bomb onboard - the plan is to reignite it in order to save mankind. If it sounds like Armageddon, but with the sun instead of an asteroid, that's because its the same basic plot. Sunshine, however, turns out to be a visual tour-de-force with a mood and mystic overtones that I enjoyed.
Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Millions, 28 Days Later) is at the top of his game conquering the sci-fi genre. The crew features several usual characters, with standout performances by Cillian Murphy (bad guy from Batman Returns) and Chris Evans (Flame-guy from the Fantastic 4 movies) as a jaunty physicist and duty bound 'flyboy', respectively. I typically don't like sci-fi movies, but the existential issues and reality based dialogue saved this one from the junk pile.
The relationship of humanity with the sun is a subtle backdrop for the film, with the 
character's being fascinated and some worshipping the sun. The tone of the film is heavy, because the characters know they are sacrificing themselves for the mission, and the modern instrumental music used is pitch-perfect for maintaining the mood. The first hour is great, an A-, but the last 48 minutes is a B because Boyle couldn't sustain the philosophical feel and import to the film in the third act.
The movie owes a debt to 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien, the former for its visual framework and Hal-like computer voice and the latter for its claustrophobic space feel. The visuals dictate that this one be seen in the theater, maybe even an IMAX.
Viewing note: Standing next to generic bluetooth guy at the urinal after the movie, it was apparent that he and his similarly situated buddy in the stall next to him both hated the movie because "nothing happened". Question of the day: Why would anyone need to be wearing a bluetooth at 9:30 on a Saturday night (let alone ever)?
New Trailers
1. The Darjeeling Limited. The new movie from Wes Anderson (Rushmore, Bottle Rocket, Royal Tennenbaums) starring Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody as 3 estranged brothers that come together for a spiritual journey through India: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcFBOsfoWxU
2. The Dark Knight. The new Batman movie with Christopher Nolan directing Christian Bale as Batman and Ennis Del Mar as the Joker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgOi9sXSY6I
3. Drillbit Taylor. Owen Wilson stars as an ex-military man hired by 3 geeky high schoolers for protection. From the Knocked Up gang: http://movies.aol.com/movie/drillbit-taylor/26638/main
4. Elizabeth - The Golden Age. Sequel starring Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen and Geoffrey Rush: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meCoQ2u_oV0
5 Country Songs I Will Admit To Liking
1. Islands in the Stream - Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Say what you will, this is a great song. Dolly and Kenny are underrated singers and songwriters (although this is a Bee Gees classic), and this captures all of the cheesy romance of 1983 with style (not that it needed to be captured). A classic.
2. Take this Job and Shove It - Johnny Paycheck. No song sums up how I feel after filling out another TPS report or IT Feedback survey than this one. Favorite Line: "My woman done left, and took the reason that I been working for."
3. Big City - Merle Haggard. This is Merle's best and it is always song #1 on my list of songs to listen to on a road trip. It captures the best of 70's country and the sense that living in a big city sucks. Best verse: "Been working everyday since I was twenty. Haven't got a thing to show for anything I've done. There's folks who never work and they've got plenty. Think it's time some guys like me had some fun. Turn me loose, set me free, somewhere in the middle of Montana. And gimme all I got comin' to me, And keep your retirement and your so called social security. Big City turn me loose and set me free."
4. Family Tradition - Hank Williams, Jr. Old school country is so much better than what is out today, especially the wet rat, Kenny Chesney. I replace the vices in this song with all of my family's bad habits, and it makes it genius. Best verse: Lordy, I have loved some ladies and I have loved Jim Beam and they both tried to kill me in 1973 when that doctor asked me Son how did you get in this condition I said hey sawbones I'm just carryin on an old family tradition. So don't ask me Hank why do you drink? (Hank) why do you roll smoke? Why must you live out the songs you wrote? Stop and think it over Try and put yourself in my unique position If I get stoned and sing all night long It's a family tradition! 
5. Always on My Mind - Willie Nelson. The red haired stranger has several classics, but none better than this. Tenderly explaining his infidelity and outlaw ways, I am sure this one drives his ex-wives crazy. Even the Pet Shop Boys version is decent. Runner Up: Whiskey River (no better live song).
Dangerous Liaisons - A-
On DVD (1988). Rated R, 120 minutes.
As a general rule, I can't stand Victorian-era period pieces, but Dangerous Liaisons is an exception. Set in 17th century Paris, this film follows the demented exploits of Marquise DeMerteuil (Glenn Close, in a nominated performance) and Vicomte DeValmont (John Malkovich), two gilded and jaded friends and lovers that enjoy ruining the lives of others.
The Marquise loves Vicomte but chooses not to reveal her love and instead challenge him to accomplish several painful conquests. His first conquest is the nubile future wife of the Marquise's ex-husband, Cecile (Uma Thurman, in a revealing performance). The central conquest for the Vicomte is Madame DeTourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer, in a nominated performance). She is a beautiful, married, and virtuous woman, and for that the Vicomte finds her to be a great conquest. Through his attempts, however, he actually falls in love with her. He ultimately chooses his reputation as a 'player' in Paris over his true love, and he unravels as a result.
This film was nominated for best picture, and Director Stephen Frears (The Queen) does a remarkable job at pacing the film so that it doesn't get bogged down (a la Amadeus, etc) in 10 minute operatic scenes that mirror the action or unnecessary period detail vignettes. The screenplay features relatively modern dialogue and sensibilities. I thoroughly enjoyed the film because of Malkovich and Close. Their morally bankrupt characters were refreshing (except for the depravity) and their mocking of the earnest hit a little close to home.
Worth seeing, even if you hate the period piece.
Monday, July 23, 2007
5 Documentaries Worth Documenting
Hoop Dreams (1994) – A heartbreaking film that captures the hopelessness and disheartening existence of an inner city ghetto. The only way out for Arthur Agee and William Gates, the two subjects of the film, is basketball. Talent is not enough. Luck and other external forces like poverty, bad parenting, and precocious responsibilities can hold you back. The astonishing commitment and patience of the directors is demonstrated over a 5 year course as life happens to the 2 athletes. It’s amazing how fast 3 hours flies by watching this. The commentary on the DVD is funny and informative.
Hearts and Minds (1974) – I find the Vietnam programs very hard to watch on the History Channel. Maybe it’s because the geography of the battles are harder to understand than Antietam or Iwo Jima. Maybe it’s because the scars left from the war still affect many of my family members. This one is fascinating to watch, however, because it seems to encompass all the important events, images, and videos of the war. From the napalm girl to the prisoner getting his brains blown out, it’s all here – presented with a blood-soaked, guilt-ridden bow. When my kids ask me what Vietnam was, I’ll start with this DVD. Note: There is strong nudity in one scene, apparently gratuitous at first, but I feel the scene is just another example of how America exploited Vietnam and its people.
Hearts of Darkness (1991) – The making of Apocalypse Now pretty much did Francis Ford Coppola in. He’s never recovered, falling from on high after an unmatched decade of excellence (only 1950s Hitchcock is in the same ball park). Eleanor Coppola accumulated behind-the-scenes footage of her husband and the troubling experience. This is perhaps the best movie about the artistic process ever made. The most memorable scene involves the Philippine government ordering the helicopters Coppola was using away from the film so they can use them to fight an uprising. Other great scenes show Coppola’s frustration with Marlon Brando as well as himself for spending so much time and money without a concrete ending. Unfortunately, it’s not yet released on DVD. 
No Direction Home (2005) –If I could apply the word “genius” to only one living filmmaker and one musician, it would be Martin Scorsese and Bob Dylan. When I heard Scorsese was hired to assemble unused documentary footage of Dylan, it was the equivalent of the Jessicas Alba, Biel, and Simpson asking me for a four-way. The movie is nearly 3 ½ hours beginning with Dylan’s childhood in Minnesota, continuing through his transformative Woody Guthrie phase, and into his early and mid 60s virtuosity. It’s centered on a 1966 performance in England where he played acoustic songs during the first half, and turned electric in the second half (which did not please the audience). The narration and songs are filled with so many brilliant ideas and deep thoughts that it’s hard to digest it all. Much of the film is spent on showing how uncomfortable Dylan was becoming a leader in the political changes in the 60s. He withdrew from politics and refused to be labeled by the media and fans. As a bonus, the movie also serves as terrific review of one the most turbulent decades in American History.
The Thin Blue Line (1988) – All of Errol Morris’s films are worth watching, but this one is 
my favorite. It involves the case of Randall Adams, a man on death row in Dallas who was convicted of killing a Dallas police officer in 1976. The circumstantial evidence was shaky and the police were pressured to swiftly solve the case for political reasons. Their only other suspect (David Harris, the actual murderer) was too young to execute. Morris’s reenactment of the crime was groundbreaking at the time as was the use of a score (by Philip Glass). A frightening example of the abuse of power and misuse of the judicial system.Note: This film was not eligible for the Best Documentary Oscar because of its scripted content. 14 years later, Michael Moore won Best Original Screenplay by the Writer’s Guild of America for Bowling for Columbine, which went on to win the Best Documentary Oscar.