In many ways, I am glad that "The Hangover" was not released prior to my own wedding, and therefore, bachelor party. I fell in a sweet spot between the Tom Hanks starring "The Bachelor Party" and 9 years before "The Hangover". My own bachelor party was a small and timid affair, to be honest, but it still was not something I was about to discuss with the in-laws, for example.
"The Hangover" is a genuinely funny movie, and a well conceived, well-directed one, too. Writer/ Director Todd Phillips is also a producer on the movie, and so the movie had an opportunity to be made without the usual watering down of ideas that would result in a fairly by-the-numbers comedy that didn't live up to much more than the trailer.
The movie remembers that the downfall of a good comedy can be when the plot takes precedence over why people showed up for your movie and the third act can easily get bogged down in wrapping up various plot threads instead of comedy. Its an odd thing to defy expectations of the audience by keeping it simple in order to focus on characters when that's where the humor starts. What could have been a riff on "Dude, Where's My Car" (yes, I've seen it), is most likely going to find its way into many a DVD collection and certainly become a staple of bachelor parties for years to come.
There's certainly the fantasy aspect of modern America, regarding both the bachelor party AND the with what seems like the limitless possibilities of an adult playground like Vegas. And, of course, the amping up of the common experience of waking up and attempting to piece an evening back together. And if that's not your cup of tea (finding tigers in bathrooms = funny), then I cannot help you.
Anyhow, I think to linger too long on a successful comedy is to do it a disservice. But I can say that all of the talent in the movie knocked themselves out (and, for once, I wasn't cringing at Heather Graham). We've come to know Ed Helms from The Daily Show and The Office. Bradley Cooper is good as the guy trying to stay cool, but I think the audience will be happy to take notice of comedian Zack Galifiniakis, who some may know from Comedians of Comedy. And, after "Knocked Up" and "Role Models", it was great to see Ken Jeong create another memorable character.
I enjoyed it. Depending on your tolerance for this sort of stuff and whether you think bachelor parties are despicable behavior or not, I give it a salute.
If I say I'm glad it didn't come out prior to my own nuptials, its that in some way, we expect (or maybe have an unspoken hope) that our bachelor parties will be a surreal experience, but, you know, not so surreal that we have to call off the wedding. In taking the bachelor party to absurd extremes, the movie opens the door for the "well, you wouldn't want that, right?" question from their very special lady, that anyone with a bachelor party would dread.
Of course not, baby, we say. I'm just going to have some drinks with the pals. And if we find a tiger in the bathroom, at least we'll have some good stories.
Also, I kept thinking that this whole movie could happen to Randy.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Superman Weekend Post
Superman Celebration in Starting in Metropolis, Illinois. And being reported by WGBS!
For Leaguers not in the know, in the 1970's and early 1980's comics, the Daily Planet was purchased by a media conglomerate owned by shady character Morgan Edge. Edge moved Clark Kent from the offices of the Daily Planet to the WGBS studios as a news anchor and reporter.
Anyhow, that's your background on Lois and Clark reporting for fictional network WGBS.
It's worth it just to see the mayor struggle with this whole Superman thing. That dude is old skool.
I will go to Metropolis as soon as possible, but am now thinking the first celebration I will attend will most likely be for the 75th anniversary in 2013 or so.
Superman: Secret Origin coming in September!
DC has already released the preview copy and images for Superman comics for September. I have to comment upon how much I've been enjoying the Superman line of comics. Really, since the 2006 re-launch, its been a great ride, but if I may, things are as good as they've been since the original Byrne re-launch.
Next week I'll probably put together a list of suggested readings, but we'll save that for later.
Of particular interest in the September previews is the release of issue #1 of Superman: Secret Origin. Written by Geoff Johns and with art by Gary Frank, its a great comic for just checking out Superman and get a snapshot of the character's history. It shouldn't require any special foreknowledge of the character.
Noel Neill Statue
Economic times are tough, and apparently the fair city of Metropolis is having a hard time scrounging the resources necessary to raise their statue of Lois Lane. The statue will be in the image of Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane in both the the original theatrical serials and for five seasons on TV's "The Adventures of Superman".
Metropolis has a very special relationship with Ms. Neill, where she is known as "The First Lady", and attends the Superman Celebration every year as the most honored guest (seriously, its like a whole town throws a party of the lady. Its terribly sweet.)
If you guys want to see the statue become a reality (and, yes, even Superman would feel it was maybe not the most necessary thing in these tough economic times) then you should visit the website and buy a brick.
Jamie has forbidden my purchase of a brick to date, but perhaps if you all tell her to buy a brick, we'll be that much closer to making Ms. Neill's statue a reality. And she seems like such a nice lady. She could really use a statue. (Tell Jamie its a good idea)
a mock-up of the statue
Ms. Neill and Mr. Reeves
For Leaguers not in the know, in the 1970's and early 1980's comics, the Daily Planet was purchased by a media conglomerate owned by shady character Morgan Edge. Edge moved Clark Kent from the offices of the Daily Planet to the WGBS studios as a news anchor and reporter.
Anyhow, that's your background on Lois and Clark reporting for fictional network WGBS.
It's worth it just to see the mayor struggle with this whole Superman thing. That dude is old skool.
I will go to Metropolis as soon as possible, but am now thinking the first celebration I will attend will most likely be for the 75th anniversary in 2013 or so.
Superman: Secret Origin coming in September!
DC has already released the preview copy and images for Superman comics for September. I have to comment upon how much I've been enjoying the Superman line of comics. Really, since the 2006 re-launch, its been a great ride, but if I may, things are as good as they've been since the original Byrne re-launch.
Next week I'll probably put together a list of suggested readings, but we'll save that for later.
Of particular interest in the September previews is the release of issue #1 of Superman: Secret Origin. Written by Geoff Johns and with art by Gary Frank, its a great comic for just checking out Superman and get a snapshot of the character's history. It shouldn't require any special foreknowledge of the character.
Noel Neill Statue
Economic times are tough, and apparently the fair city of Metropolis is having a hard time scrounging the resources necessary to raise their statue of Lois Lane. The statue will be in the image of Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane in both the the original theatrical serials and for five seasons on TV's "The Adventures of Superman".
Metropolis has a very special relationship with Ms. Neill, where she is known as "The First Lady", and attends the Superman Celebration every year as the most honored guest (seriously, its like a whole town throws a party of the lady. Its terribly sweet.)
If you guys want to see the statue become a reality (and, yes, even Superman would feel it was maybe not the most necessary thing in these tough economic times) then you should visit the website and buy a brick.
Jamie has forbidden my purchase of a brick to date, but perhaps if you all tell her to buy a brick, we'll be that much closer to making Ms. Neill's statue a reality. And she seems like such a nice lady. She could really use a statue. (Tell Jamie its a good idea)
a mock-up of the statue
Ms. Neill and Mr. Reeves
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Leaguer Interactivity Day: Paths toward madness
We live in a world that's far too complicated for our little monkey brains to handle. I recall reading a story by Ray Bradbury when I was a kid where people's brains essentially started filling up from too much input, and their minds would lock up and sort of start the little Mac Wheel spinning. It became problematic if they were speaking when this happened, as they would keep repeating the last few words they'd said.
I honestly believed this, and everything else Ray Bradbury talked about (and I read Farenheit 451 over and over) were all going to happen.
But thanks to one thing Bradbury totally didn't foresee, the internet, I kind of think its going to not be one thing that drives us all mad. It's going to be a million little pinpricks as we're all able to put ourselves out there and we can't avoid the endless chatter.
So what sort of stuff am I talking about? Let us ponder The Calvin & Hobbes Comment Section.
I make jokes about comment sections on comic websites, mostly because I think they really, really deserve it. But that's just a heavy mix of partisanship in comics and a lot of nerd grandstanding.
But in that vein... Like many, I enjoy the Bill Watterson strip "Calvin and Hobbes". As I enjoy a little diversion in my day, I've also book marked the strip online. Yes, the page design is ridiculous, messy and ad-filled, but that's not the issue.
I cannot NOT read the comment section. Which feels as if its written by the lobotomized and insane.
Every day its like that. Every. Single. Day. There's some weird internet hobo community that seems to live on the comment section of the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, just making nonsense noise at one another. And I cannot look away.
Here is a small, small sample:
I have no idea why this drives me mad. It simply does.
Other Examples of That Which Will Surely Drive us Mad Include:
YouTube comment sections
This blog (some guy I never met sent this to me. It is his.)
MySpace pages with elaborate background themes
People who actually blog on MySpace
twitter
poorly thought out articles about how articles about how "universities are doomed in the internet age"*
comic nerds going ballistic over a single, context-free image from a superhero movie and declaring the movie a failure
So what is going to eventually drive you insane from the internet?
*post topic for this weekend
I honestly believed this, and everything else Ray Bradbury talked about (and I read Farenheit 451 over and over) were all going to happen.
But thanks to one thing Bradbury totally didn't foresee, the internet, I kind of think its going to not be one thing that drives us all mad. It's going to be a million little pinpricks as we're all able to put ourselves out there and we can't avoid the endless chatter.
So what sort of stuff am I talking about? Let us ponder The Calvin & Hobbes Comment Section.
I make jokes about comment sections on comic websites, mostly because I think they really, really deserve it. But that's just a heavy mix of partisanship in comics and a lot of nerd grandstanding.
But in that vein... Like many, I enjoy the Bill Watterson strip "Calvin and Hobbes". As I enjoy a little diversion in my day, I've also book marked the strip online. Yes, the page design is ridiculous, messy and ad-filled, but that's not the issue.
I cannot NOT read the comment section. Which feels as if its written by the lobotomized and insane.
Every day its like that. Every. Single. Day. There's some weird internet hobo community that seems to live on the comment section of the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip, just making nonsense noise at one another. And I cannot look away.
Here is a small, small sample:
Ivy0730Lcsq said, about 20 hours ago
Sussie’s so sick of Clavin’s creepy lunch and stuff…lol
Rakkav said,
Calvin and Hobbes’ club G.R.O.S.S. (Get Rid Of Slimy girlS) would be countered by Susie’s club G.L.O.B.S. (Get Lost Onery BoyS).
genius!
grazer said, about 20 hours ago
Don’t be such a spoil sport, Susie—a squished toad can’t hurt anybody.
phfear said, about 19 hours ago
every time i read this strip, i always wonder what was in his hands, well that can be the 7th wonder of the world, or the 8th, whichever comes next
jelzap said, about 15 hours ago
no one in their right mind would guess…..but i guess i would…. c’mon susie whyy you ruining Calvins discovery
I have no idea why this drives me mad. It simply does.
Other Examples of That Which Will Surely Drive us Mad Include:
YouTube comment sections
This blog (some guy I never met sent this to me. It is his.)
MySpace pages with elaborate background themes
People who actually blog on MySpace
poorly thought out articles about how articles about how "universities are doomed in the internet age"*
comic nerds going ballistic over a single, context-free image from a superhero movie and declaring the movie a failure
So what is going to eventually drive you insane from the internet?
*post topic for this weekend
Noah arrives
So, a very important announcement to Leaguers near and far...
Yesterday, Letty and Juan Garcia welcomed their first child to the world. After Sloane reigned supreme for less than a week, Noah is now our littlest Leaguer.
We at The League salute you, Noah. And Letty and Juan, too. You landed yourself some awesome parents. I look forward to your dad Twittering your every move and your mom trying out all her recipes on you (and hopefully us).
Best of luck, kid.
Yesterday, Letty and Juan Garcia welcomed their first child to the world. After Sloane reigned supreme for less than a week, Noah is now our littlest Leaguer.
We at The League salute you, Noah. And Letty and Juan, too. You landed yourself some awesome parents. I look forward to your dad Twittering your every move and your mom trying out all her recipes on you (and hopefully us).
Best of luck, kid.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
There's a Reason we aren't showing up for "Grown-Up" movies, and it isn't the freakin' economy
Entertainment Weekly ran an article recently entitled How Movies for Grown-Ups Became Movies Endangered Species.
Not surprisingly for a standard EW article, the article isn't even really able to articulate the problem except by taking digs at movies that actually are financially successful, such as 2007's Iron Man, and pointing out that people didn't show up to see this Spring's offering of "State of Play".
Utterly shocked, the reporter releases these bombshells:
Well, actually... good call, Hollywood. I am an adult (no comments from the Peanut Gallery), I actually have a film degree, and I tend to think about this stuff as much as anyone would when their wife has had an Entertainment Weekly subscription since 1993. And I can't really imagine myself paying to see either of those movies.
Naomi Watts? You want to be seen as serious actress, and something that Meryl Streep would have acted the hell out of in 1986 probably sounds like your road to real Hollywood respectability. Your pal Nicole Kidman Cold Mountain respectability, but... surely some eagle eyed accountant pointed out that lately when actors get made up to look all grubby in some 3rd world country, and do something "important", nobody really shows up to see Naomi Watts or whomever pretending to be a global activist.
And, look, I like Richard Pryor's work (I even embrace his Gus Gorman in Superman III), and I understand he led a colorful, messed up life. But... I saw "Man in the Moon" and a dozen other bio-pics of entertainers. I AM an adult, which means that, like other people, I grew up on a steady diet of movies about all kinds of folks, from Johnny Cash to Charlie Chaplin, all of which sort of follow a familiar pattern of rise to fame, trouble, flagging career, some sort of ambiguous redemption as the entertainer's life really turns out not to fit too neatly in a 2 hour, 3-act structure. And our star is portraying someone so familiar, it really only sorta works...
How many of these do I need to see?
The article sites "State of Play" as an amazing adult thriller. I saw State of Play. It's a pretty standard airplane-novel story of intrigue with a standard issue hard-living journalist character with the only memorable scenes coming from a very hammy Jason Bateman. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone as anything other than "it's exactly what you'd think it is."
I see three major problems with what the author champions as "grown-up" movies.
1) As I mentioned, we've seen these movies. Another biopic about someone who led a fairly standard rise-to-fame, imbibed too much and cratered might be the bedtime story you tell little starlets at night in Hollywood to warn them of their potential future, but... I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to get out of the biopic that i didn't get out of 80% of the biopics that Hollywood churns out.
"Milk" is an interesting exception as it was actually about something different, but still about a real person. Sure, it felt all a little too pat as a movie, but I didn't necessarily feel I'd seen it before a dozen times.
So many of these movies, even ones that would have been considered cutting edge have just been done to death. The similarity to other pictures that Hollywood uses to suggest that if X made money, then X+1 should also make money sort of doesn't hold up after the tenth iteration.
2) Television is actually sort of interesting now. And I have 400 channels.
Subsection 2a) reality TV isn't all dumb
If I want a meditation on the effects of alcoholism, I need not wait for Oscar season and an actor trying to get a serious role which will lead to an Oscar. I wait for Intervention to run on cable. Likewise any of the topics, including global and political issues.
Thanks to the power of voyeurism and the bizarre habits of people to want to be on TV, no matter their issue, there's often little I feel I can learn about on a topic from a multimillion dollar production than I feel I can't learn from scrolling through my cable channels.
In some cases, it actually works against the film, even while promoting it. I actually skipped Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" not just because Tom Cruise is a boob, but because the History Channel ran a documentary on the topic in support of the movie while it was in theaters. After spending two hours watching a doc with historians interviewed, etc... It seemed sort of a waste to go see the movie.
Certainly I appreciate the attempts made by filmmakers to remain authentic, but in comparison to well-crafted documentary, its a tough sell to this viewer to really want to see an actor fake "important" topics. Even something as simple as divorce in a movie is nowhere near as bizarre, painful or compelling to watch as the slow dissolution you can get once a week on "Jon and Kate Plus 8".*
Subsection 2b) Narrative TV has improved
An odd side effect of having a blog that focuses on media and pop culture is that I am often suggested TV shows to check out. Everything from Deadwood to Whale Wars. There actually are some fairly engaging programs on premium cable, basic cable and broadcast TV. Stuff I can enjoy just as well, and with just as well written content. Hell, I may not love the show, but how much did Sex in the City make as a feature, coming from HBO subscriptions and syndicated re-runs?
3) Your definition of "Grown-Up" is useless
Sure, kids show up to see Iron Man, but its sort of useless to suggest that adults should be going to see movies like "State of Play" BEFORE they shell out their bucks to go see a dude in armor like a Camaro with missiles strapped to the hood fly around and give terrorists a hard time.
Sure, Iron Man isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but for the high dollar entry fee of going to see a movie these days, I'd point you to points 1 and 2 above, and what people seem to be willing to pay for, or at least what's compelling enough to convince them that it will be novel or different. Even if the plot of the Marvel origin story movies is always essentially the same (and it is), there's at least the promise of something visually interesting.
I'd also argue, that Hollywood's inner workings are now so well covered and reported, in conjunction with most folks' basic familiarity with how a movie is going to play out, that the insistence of sincerity in the making of a film and marketing of a film and obvious attempt for certain kinds of roles which are so familiar they're dubbed "Oscar Bait" (think of all the actors playing the mentally challenged, deranged, or putting on one long impression of a popular entertainer, etc... that get nominated each year), that we're sort of immune to "grown-up movies". When the process behind them seems canned and silly, and somewhat childish, how seriously can we take the final product?
I don't particularly care for "Tropic Thunder", but it did have the benefit of acknowledging to a wide audience outside of Hollywood what they already suspected about "grown-up" movies. It's a half-assed attempt to be kids playing grown-ups in situations that nobody involved with the production actually has any experience.
And point 2a, and the ready availability of documentary and reality programming may have devalued the currency of the institution of the "grown-up" movie.
So in conclusion...
I don't want to suggest that movies should only be superhero movies, or that we should be dancing on the grave of the American cinema experience in favor of the X-Boxification of the recent wave of hits.
What I would say is that (a) genre does not always equate to "kid's movie", and (b) Hollywood needs to quit playing it safe with their "grown up" films if they want to get people to show up for them. And, of course, realize when the audience is no longer onboard with your commonly held belief (you may want to believe Julia Roberts is box office gold, but that well ran dry for the average movie goer about 10 years ago). Know when you're just making more of the same (stop making celebrity biopics). Know when your mall-theater audience isn't likely to take your mega-star seriously in a role (Tom Cruise in anything. Naomi Watts as the White Savior of the earth). Don't assume Star Power is enough to get me to the box office. I didn't see "Michael Clayton" because I had no idea what it was about thanks to the plotless trailer (George Clooney threatening Tilda Swinton does not equal my $9).
Quit playing it safe and bring something new to the table, and we can talk.
*seriously. That show is just messed up.
Not surprisingly for a standard EW article, the article isn't even really able to articulate the problem except by taking digs at movies that actually are financially successful, such as 2007's Iron Man, and pointing out that people didn't show up to see this Spring's offering of "State of Play".
Utterly shocked, the reporter releases these bombshells:
Even projects that might once have been considered Oscar bait have fallen prey to executives' squeamishness. Paramount turned down director Bill Condon's planned biopic about Richard Pryor, with Eddie Murphy attached to star. Universal axed a drama starring Naomi Watts about a global activist.
Well, actually... good call, Hollywood. I am an adult (no comments from the Peanut Gallery), I actually have a film degree, and I tend to think about this stuff as much as anyone would when their wife has had an Entertainment Weekly subscription since 1993. And I can't really imagine myself paying to see either of those movies.
Naomi Watts? You want to be seen as serious actress, and something that Meryl Streep would have acted the hell out of in 1986 probably sounds like your road to real Hollywood respectability. Your pal Nicole Kidman Cold Mountain respectability, but... surely some eagle eyed accountant pointed out that lately when actors get made up to look all grubby in some 3rd world country, and do something "important", nobody really shows up to see Naomi Watts or whomever pretending to be a global activist.
And, look, I like Richard Pryor's work (I even embrace his Gus Gorman in Superman III), and I understand he led a colorful, messed up life. But... I saw "Man in the Moon" and a dozen other bio-pics of entertainers. I AM an adult, which means that, like other people, I grew up on a steady diet of movies about all kinds of folks, from Johnny Cash to Charlie Chaplin, all of which sort of follow a familiar pattern of rise to fame, trouble, flagging career, some sort of ambiguous redemption as the entertainer's life really turns out not to fit too neatly in a 2 hour, 3-act structure. And our star is portraying someone so familiar, it really only sorta works...
How many of these do I need to see?
The article sites "State of Play" as an amazing adult thriller. I saw State of Play. It's a pretty standard airplane-novel story of intrigue with a standard issue hard-living journalist character with the only memorable scenes coming from a very hammy Jason Bateman. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone as anything other than "it's exactly what you'd think it is."
I see three major problems with what the author champions as "grown-up" movies.
1) As I mentioned, we've seen these movies. Another biopic about someone who led a fairly standard rise-to-fame, imbibed too much and cratered might be the bedtime story you tell little starlets at night in Hollywood to warn them of their potential future, but... I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to get out of the biopic that i didn't get out of 80% of the biopics that Hollywood churns out.
"Milk" is an interesting exception as it was actually about something different, but still about a real person. Sure, it felt all a little too pat as a movie, but I didn't necessarily feel I'd seen it before a dozen times.
So many of these movies, even ones that would have been considered cutting edge have just been done to death. The similarity to other pictures that Hollywood uses to suggest that if X made money, then X+1 should also make money sort of doesn't hold up after the tenth iteration.
2) Television is actually sort of interesting now. And I have 400 channels.
Subsection 2a) reality TV isn't all dumb
If I want a meditation on the effects of alcoholism, I need not wait for Oscar season and an actor trying to get a serious role which will lead to an Oscar. I wait for Intervention to run on cable. Likewise any of the topics, including global and political issues.
Thanks to the power of voyeurism and the bizarre habits of people to want to be on TV, no matter their issue, there's often little I feel I can learn about on a topic from a multimillion dollar production than I feel I can't learn from scrolling through my cable channels.
In some cases, it actually works against the film, even while promoting it. I actually skipped Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" not just because Tom Cruise is a boob, but because the History Channel ran a documentary on the topic in support of the movie while it was in theaters. After spending two hours watching a doc with historians interviewed, etc... It seemed sort of a waste to go see the movie.
Certainly I appreciate the attempts made by filmmakers to remain authentic, but in comparison to well-crafted documentary, its a tough sell to this viewer to really want to see an actor fake "important" topics. Even something as simple as divorce in a movie is nowhere near as bizarre, painful or compelling to watch as the slow dissolution you can get once a week on "Jon and Kate Plus 8".*
Subsection 2b) Narrative TV has improved
An odd side effect of having a blog that focuses on media and pop culture is that I am often suggested TV shows to check out. Everything from Deadwood to Whale Wars. There actually are some fairly engaging programs on premium cable, basic cable and broadcast TV. Stuff I can enjoy just as well, and with just as well written content. Hell, I may not love the show, but how much did Sex in the City make as a feature, coming from HBO subscriptions and syndicated re-runs?
3) Your definition of "Grown-Up" is useless
Sure, kids show up to see Iron Man, but its sort of useless to suggest that adults should be going to see movies like "State of Play" BEFORE they shell out their bucks to go see a dude in armor like a Camaro with missiles strapped to the hood fly around and give terrorists a hard time.
Sure, Iron Man isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but for the high dollar entry fee of going to see a movie these days, I'd point you to points 1 and 2 above, and what people seem to be willing to pay for, or at least what's compelling enough to convince them that it will be novel or different. Even if the plot of the Marvel origin story movies is always essentially the same (and it is), there's at least the promise of something visually interesting.
I'd also argue, that Hollywood's inner workings are now so well covered and reported, in conjunction with most folks' basic familiarity with how a movie is going to play out, that the insistence of sincerity in the making of a film and marketing of a film and obvious attempt for certain kinds of roles which are so familiar they're dubbed "Oscar Bait" (think of all the actors playing the mentally challenged, deranged, or putting on one long impression of a popular entertainer, etc... that get nominated each year), that we're sort of immune to "grown-up movies". When the process behind them seems canned and silly, and somewhat childish, how seriously can we take the final product?
I don't particularly care for "Tropic Thunder", but it did have the benefit of acknowledging to a wide audience outside of Hollywood what they already suspected about "grown-up" movies. It's a half-assed attempt to be kids playing grown-ups in situations that nobody involved with the production actually has any experience.
And point 2a, and the ready availability of documentary and reality programming may have devalued the currency of the institution of the "grown-up" movie.
So in conclusion...
I don't want to suggest that movies should only be superhero movies, or that we should be dancing on the grave of the American cinema experience in favor of the X-Boxification of the recent wave of hits.
What I would say is that (a) genre does not always equate to "kid's movie", and (b) Hollywood needs to quit playing it safe with their "grown up" films if they want to get people to show up for them. And, of course, realize when the audience is no longer onboard with your commonly held belief (you may want to believe Julia Roberts is box office gold, but that well ran dry for the average movie goer about 10 years ago). Know when you're just making more of the same (stop making celebrity biopics). Know when your mall-theater audience isn't likely to take your mega-star seriously in a role (Tom Cruise in anything. Naomi Watts as the White Savior of the earth). Don't assume Star Power is enough to get me to the box office. I didn't see "Michael Clayton" because I had no idea what it was about thanks to the plotless trailer (George Clooney threatening Tilda Swinton does not equal my $9).
Quit playing it safe and bring something new to the table, and we can talk.
*seriously. That show is just messed up.
Old Home Week and Facebook Fans
Facebook Fans
Hey, Facebook Fans (and RSS fans, and the rare few of you who seem to actually click on the URL these days). At last count, we were up to 38 fans. And that's good stuff!
I was asked today why I'd set up League of Melbotis to feed into Facebook. Well, I sort of senselessly resisted setting up an RSS feed a while back, and now realize that wasn't just an exercise in futility, it just wasn't very forward thinking. And, of course, I know we're living in Twitter and Facebook these days, and I figured I would make it easier on LoM readers who were already checking Facebook (and you have the option to either read or not, and that's the way it should be).
Also, Facebook's very nature makes it a little easier to reach out than the conventional means. The very integrated nature of Facebook, such as those "Ryan is a Fan of League of Melbotis" things you see on the sidebar, mean its a bit easier for folks to stumble upon our doings here at The League.
And while I don't mind writing this for just NTT and Randy's amusement, it'd be nice to have a few more folks chiming in. I am, of course, concerned about managing comments both at the site proper and at Facebook, but we'll see how it goes.
Laura and Robb in Austin
So, this week has had an unusual bit of fun. As I mentioned, League-Pal Robb and his wife Neda drifted into Austin. We wound up having dinner with Robb, Neda, Jeff and Keora last night. This evening we caught up with League-Pals Laura "Cowgirl Funk" M-S and her husband, Eric and their cute-as-a-button kid, Sophie.
Laura I've known since high school. She was a few years behind me at good ol' Klein Oak, but thanks to the power of Klein Oak Drama and me having a driver's license, I got to know her a bit both hanging about backstage during productions and then heading back to our neighborhood. She was a swell dame then, and we caught up online here several years ago. She attended UT as a drama major, and somewhere along the line, met up with Eric, who happened to go to the same high school I went to my Freshman year, before moving to Spring. He's a couple years older, so we didn't happen to know each other.
They've recently returned from New York/ Brooklyn to our fair city. If moving back from Phoenix after 4 years was an adjustment for us, their return to Austin after 10 years (and Austin's seismic changes in that time) must be a massive change. And, of course, they've got 2.2 year old Sophie in tow, who wasn't around when they departed.
The internet has made it so easy to keep up, I sort of hope I don't ever take it for granted. But its great to reconnect and not have horrible, awkward silences, as we've been chatting on and off for much of the duration of League of Melbotis.
So, if you Austin-Area Leaguers start seeing Laura and Eric around, that's who they are. Be nice.
Robb I met when I drifted into the men's room in my dorm late on a Saturday night my Freshman year. He was down visiting Jeff and Patrick, who I'd gotten to know well at that point, but all I knew was that there was a guy I'd never seen before at the next urinal. I formally met him minutes later in Jeff and Pat's room. Mostly what I remember was that he played us the most recent Black Dog album.
The next year Robb transferred to UT, and was a part of the usual herd of folks who circled around one another. He was a musician and drummer, audio engineer, and always seemed to have a few other projects going on. Also, he was the person who sat me down and got me to watch "Stalker" and innumerable other movies in college, so my hats off to the guy.
In 2000, a good chunk of our crew packed their bags and moved up to Seattle for reasons which were never abundantly clear to me. Robb lived there, went to Berlin and other locations in Europe for a while, and then back to the US. While in Serbia, he met Neda, and it seems they were quite fond of one another as they are now hitched.
Anyway, its always a blast when these guys come back to town. I don't ever get up to Seattle (where they're all still at), and they only occasionally come back. So, yeah, its a little sad, too. I miss those guys.
Robb came into town in his usual style, alerting folks he was coming less than 24 hours in advance, and departing by Amtrak. I salute Neda for jumping into Robb's nomadic lifestyle. They're a good fit.
But that's the way it is with Leaguers. You come, you go, you come back again either to visit or to raise a darn cute kid. And, heck, as I write this, Letty is bringing a new Leaguer into the world. And Steven and Lauren are planning to make good their escape from the Capital City. Just know the door is always open here at League HQ.
Hey, Facebook Fans (and RSS fans, and the rare few of you who seem to actually click on the URL these days). At last count, we were up to 38 fans. And that's good stuff!
I was asked today why I'd set up League of Melbotis to feed into Facebook. Well, I sort of senselessly resisted setting up an RSS feed a while back, and now realize that wasn't just an exercise in futility, it just wasn't very forward thinking. And, of course, I know we're living in Twitter and Facebook these days, and I figured I would make it easier on LoM readers who were already checking Facebook (and you have the option to either read or not, and that's the way it should be).
Also, Facebook's very nature makes it a little easier to reach out than the conventional means. The very integrated nature of Facebook, such as those "Ryan is a Fan of League of Melbotis" things you see on the sidebar, mean its a bit easier for folks to stumble upon our doings here at The League.
And while I don't mind writing this for just NTT and Randy's amusement, it'd be nice to have a few more folks chiming in. I am, of course, concerned about managing comments both at the site proper and at Facebook, but we'll see how it goes.
Laura and Robb in Austin
So, this week has had an unusual bit of fun. As I mentioned, League-Pal Robb and his wife Neda drifted into Austin. We wound up having dinner with Robb, Neda, Jeff and Keora last night. This evening we caught up with League-Pals Laura "Cowgirl Funk" M-S and her husband, Eric and their cute-as-a-button kid, Sophie.
Laura I've known since high school. She was a few years behind me at good ol' Klein Oak, but thanks to the power of Klein Oak Drama and me having a driver's license, I got to know her a bit both hanging about backstage during productions and then heading back to our neighborhood. She was a swell dame then, and we caught up online here several years ago. She attended UT as a drama major, and somewhere along the line, met up with Eric, who happened to go to the same high school I went to my Freshman year, before moving to Spring. He's a couple years older, so we didn't happen to know each other.
They've recently returned from New York/ Brooklyn to our fair city. If moving back from Phoenix after 4 years was an adjustment for us, their return to Austin after 10 years (and Austin's seismic changes in that time) must be a massive change. And, of course, they've got 2.2 year old Sophie in tow, who wasn't around when they departed.
The internet has made it so easy to keep up, I sort of hope I don't ever take it for granted. But its great to reconnect and not have horrible, awkward silences, as we've been chatting on and off for much of the duration of League of Melbotis.
So, if you Austin-Area Leaguers start seeing Laura and Eric around, that's who they are. Be nice.
Robb I met when I drifted into the men's room in my dorm late on a Saturday night my Freshman year. He was down visiting Jeff and Patrick, who I'd gotten to know well at that point, but all I knew was that there was a guy I'd never seen before at the next urinal. I formally met him minutes later in Jeff and Pat's room. Mostly what I remember was that he played us the most recent Black Dog album.
The next year Robb transferred to UT, and was a part of the usual herd of folks who circled around one another. He was a musician and drummer, audio engineer, and always seemed to have a few other projects going on. Also, he was the person who sat me down and got me to watch "Stalker" and innumerable other movies in college, so my hats off to the guy.
In 2000, a good chunk of our crew packed their bags and moved up to Seattle for reasons which were never abundantly clear to me. Robb lived there, went to Berlin and other locations in Europe for a while, and then back to the US. While in Serbia, he met Neda, and it seems they were quite fond of one another as they are now hitched.
Anyway, its always a blast when these guys come back to town. I don't ever get up to Seattle (where they're all still at), and they only occasionally come back. So, yeah, its a little sad, too. I miss those guys.
Robb came into town in his usual style, alerting folks he was coming less than 24 hours in advance, and departing by Amtrak. I salute Neda for jumping into Robb's nomadic lifestyle. They're a good fit.
But that's the way it is with Leaguers. You come, you go, you come back again either to visit or to raise a darn cute kid. And, heck, as I write this, Letty is bringing a new Leaguer into the world. And Steven and Lauren are planning to make good their escape from the Capital City. Just know the door is always open here at League HQ.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Golden Hornet Project
When I was 15, Jason talked me into renting Fritz Lang's 1927 science fiction opus, "Metropolis". I was, of course, immediately disappointed to learn that Madonna's "Express Yourself" video was not a concept baked entirely new for The Material Girl. Instead, the creative team had told a sort of parallel (and sexier) story to the happenings of "Metropolis", in the same landscape.
Madonna's "Express Yourself"*
At any rate, I doubt I'd ever watched an entire feature silent film prior to that cut, but as I recall, it had some pop songs on it, and, of course, even on VHS the movie was brilliantly stunning and the story moving.
I don't really want to get into a whole conversation here on German Expressionist film of the pre-Nazi era, and how one of the seldom-mentioned casualties of Hitler's regime was the crippling of an entire media and art form. But there you have it. While I do enjoy some American and British silent film (like all good former film students, I appreciate me some good Buster Keaton and Chaplin), I'd argue that anyone watching Metropolis will be awed at how far ahead of Hollywood and London that the German's were in using the medium.
Ladytron
It's also impossible to separate Germany's post-WW1 conditions with the output of their cinema, and not wonder a bit about what Lang saw in his countrymen in the years prior to the rise of Hitler. Or his refusal to allow the film's resolution to make a solid case completely on the side of beleaguered labor (what with the Reds running around Mother Russia).
The dimensions of the movie are huge, even by today's standards. And while sets are necessarily re-used for the story, they're unbelievable in scale and practical effects, number of sets, etc... The models of exteriors are phenomenal, some scenes that I assume are matte prints continue to astonish, and the cast is enormous. It's tough to believe such efforts used to go into moviemaking, but clearly Lang wasn't cutting corners.
Sort of makes "New Detroit" in Robocop seem kind of silly, 1980's Dallas.
The imagery has, of course, become iconic and endlessly emulated in sci-fi films, in comics and elsewhere. Lang's Metropolis would come to define the massive super cities seen in everything from "The Fifth Element" to "Blade Runner", acknowledging that these cities will grow on the backs of a labor class who will most likely always have the short end of the stick. The glories of the towers and the miseries of the folks below would become a perennial theme in science fiction, and, one can see how the first quarter of the 20th Century would be enough to tell you where this was headed. The predictions for technology aren't as important to the film as the homily shared using the backdrop and extremes of the future presented in the film.
The effects are mostly practical and hold up because Lang's grasp didn't overextend his reach. The Man-Machine's metal body looks exactly like what its meant to look like, the flying machines and cars don't take bizarre shapes.
why is evil always more fun and noticeably hotter?
But what's just as striking are the hallucinatory visions experienced by Freder, including the approach of "death". These scenes are a fairly straightforward moment when Lang's involvement with Expressionism crosses over into the Metropolis.
And, curiously, its funny how different the same actress is as Brigitte Helm as "good" Maria and "evil" Maria.** While acting styles have definitely changed for film in teh ensuing 80 years, the actors are still committed and engrossing.
We lost a few things when they added sound to film, but nothing so much as the possibilities for a film to easily cross borders, simply applying new title cards.
My hat is off to the Golden Hornet Project. A friend at dinner asked if they're an offshoot of Austin's "Golden Arm Trio", and I really don't. But the band/ orchestra/ whatever was made up of about 8 musicians, featuring keyboards, two percussionists (phenomenal percussionists), and several strings and guitar players. I am actually very interested in seeing their other work in town this summer.
seriously, when was the last time you got this excited about one of your ideas?
The score was terrific, going above and beyond the call of duty to execute upon their task: helping to tell the story without getting in the way. Its unfair to try to categorize the work, so I won't try too hard here to do so. But what would you be if you didn't try? I kinda/ sorta would compare it in spirit to... oh, David Byrne's score for "The Forest". Only totally different.
Anyway, the movie is a favorite. It was a huge treat not just to see it on the big screen, but with such a huge amount of love put into the music.
I like to point out that for all the snooty, looking down the nose critics like to do with sci-fi, this 80 year old movie had three sold out shows and inspired musicians, who could be doing plenty of other things with their time, to create new works of art just to support it. And not just here. Nathan mentioned a similar effort in San Antonio, and when I described the screening to League-Pal Robb at dinner, he told me about a screening at Seattle's Gasworks Park about a decade back that attracted thousands. THOUSANDS.
Its not the genre that attracted the audiences, but there's something to the mix of story, homily and visuals that sci-fi makes possible. And while few have done it anywhere near as well as Metropolis in those years, I don't see "Wings" (best picture, 1928, and a really good movie in its own right) drawing three sold out nights and a new score.
For the record, there's no known direct connection between this movie and the naming of Superman's adopted hometown. Nor does there seem to be any direct connection between the film, its themes, its portrayal in the comic, etc... and the movie. I think teen-age comic developers, Siegel and Shuster, picked it out of the zeitgeist in the years after the movie appeared in the US. Superman would appear roughly 10 years after Metropolis, by the way. So, yeah, the Germans were ahead of us on this crazy sci-fi thing.
*Dang, yo, Circa 1990 Madonna... you are a bad, bad girl.
**Or "boring" Maria and "hot" Maria, as I declared when we left the theater.
Madonna's "Express Yourself"*
At any rate, I doubt I'd ever watched an entire feature silent film prior to that cut, but as I recall, it had some pop songs on it, and, of course, even on VHS the movie was brilliantly stunning and the story moving.
I don't really want to get into a whole conversation here on German Expressionist film of the pre-Nazi era, and how one of the seldom-mentioned casualties of Hitler's regime was the crippling of an entire media and art form. But there you have it. While I do enjoy some American and British silent film (like all good former film students, I appreciate me some good Buster Keaton and Chaplin), I'd argue that anyone watching Metropolis will be awed at how far ahead of Hollywood and London that the German's were in using the medium.
Ladytron
It's also impossible to separate Germany's post-WW1 conditions with the output of their cinema, and not wonder a bit about what Lang saw in his countrymen in the years prior to the rise of Hitler. Or his refusal to allow the film's resolution to make a solid case completely on the side of beleaguered labor (what with the Reds running around Mother Russia).
The dimensions of the movie are huge, even by today's standards. And while sets are necessarily re-used for the story, they're unbelievable in scale and practical effects, number of sets, etc... The models of exteriors are phenomenal, some scenes that I assume are matte prints continue to astonish, and the cast is enormous. It's tough to believe such efforts used to go into moviemaking, but clearly Lang wasn't cutting corners.
Sort of makes "New Detroit" in Robocop seem kind of silly, 1980's Dallas.
The imagery has, of course, become iconic and endlessly emulated in sci-fi films, in comics and elsewhere. Lang's Metropolis would come to define the massive super cities seen in everything from "The Fifth Element" to "Blade Runner", acknowledging that these cities will grow on the backs of a labor class who will most likely always have the short end of the stick. The glories of the towers and the miseries of the folks below would become a perennial theme in science fiction, and, one can see how the first quarter of the 20th Century would be enough to tell you where this was headed. The predictions for technology aren't as important to the film as the homily shared using the backdrop and extremes of the future presented in the film.
The effects are mostly practical and hold up because Lang's grasp didn't overextend his reach. The Man-Machine's metal body looks exactly like what its meant to look like, the flying machines and cars don't take bizarre shapes.
why is evil always more fun and noticeably hotter?
But what's just as striking are the hallucinatory visions experienced by Freder, including the approach of "death". These scenes are a fairly straightforward moment when Lang's involvement with Expressionism crosses over into the Metropolis.
And, curiously, its funny how different the same actress is as Brigitte Helm as "good" Maria and "evil" Maria.** While acting styles have definitely changed for film in teh ensuing 80 years, the actors are still committed and engrossing.
We lost a few things when they added sound to film, but nothing so much as the possibilities for a film to easily cross borders, simply applying new title cards.
My hat is off to the Golden Hornet Project. A friend at dinner asked if they're an offshoot of Austin's "Golden Arm Trio", and I really don't. But the band/ orchestra/ whatever was made up of about 8 musicians, featuring keyboards, two percussionists (phenomenal percussionists), and several strings and guitar players. I am actually very interested in seeing their other work in town this summer.
seriously, when was the last time you got this excited about one of your ideas?
The score was terrific, going above and beyond the call of duty to execute upon their task: helping to tell the story without getting in the way. Its unfair to try to categorize the work, so I won't try too hard here to do so. But what would you be if you didn't try? I kinda/ sorta would compare it in spirit to... oh, David Byrne's score for "The Forest". Only totally different.
Anyway, the movie is a favorite. It was a huge treat not just to see it on the big screen, but with such a huge amount of love put into the music.
I like to point out that for all the snooty, looking down the nose critics like to do with sci-fi, this 80 year old movie had three sold out shows and inspired musicians, who could be doing plenty of other things with their time, to create new works of art just to support it. And not just here. Nathan mentioned a similar effort in San Antonio, and when I described the screening to League-Pal Robb at dinner, he told me about a screening at Seattle's Gasworks Park about a decade back that attracted thousands. THOUSANDS.
Its not the genre that attracted the audiences, but there's something to the mix of story, homily and visuals that sci-fi makes possible. And while few have done it anywhere near as well as Metropolis in those years, I don't see "Wings" (best picture, 1928, and a really good movie in its own right) drawing three sold out nights and a new score.
For the record, there's no known direct connection between this movie and the naming of Superman's adopted hometown. Nor does there seem to be any direct connection between the film, its themes, its portrayal in the comic, etc... and the movie. I think teen-age comic developers, Siegel and Shuster, picked it out of the zeitgeist in the years after the movie appeared in the US. Superman would appear roughly 10 years after Metropolis, by the way. So, yeah, the Germans were ahead of us on this crazy sci-fi thing.
*Dang, yo, Circa 1990 Madonna... you are a bad, bad girl.
**Or "boring" Maria and "hot" Maria, as I declared when we left the theater.
New Lil' Leaguer (Sloane Shaw!)
I would be remiss if I did not mention the birth of Sloane Julianne Shaw. Sloane arrived June 7th at 8:33am to happy parents Reed and Jennifer Shaw.
No pictures yet, so...
here's a puppy with a blanet to tide you over.*
*We understand that Sloane is neither a puppy or blanket, but adding an image always makes for a better post.
No pictures yet, so...
here's a puppy with a blanet to tide you over.*
*We understand that Sloane is neither a puppy or blanket, but adding an image always makes for a better post.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
chillaxing y facebook
Sadly, not much to report on. We've had a very low key weekend. Friday we didn't get up to too much. I suspect that my new Ghost Hunters substitute will be "Whale Wars".
Saturday I ran some errands and we attended the annual MeatFest at the Shoemaker's. This year, we had the very special treat of not just the appearance of League pal Robb Kunz (fresh in from Seattle), but he brought his wife. And we didn't even know Robb HAD a wife. Yeah, it'd been a while since we'd talked to Robb.
Today we really didn't do anything, which is how I like my Sundays. Spent a couple of hours at Barton Springs and then grabbed lunch at Shady Grove.
I guess I can tell its summer because they're running the movies I fid myself watching annually. Today was "Trading Places", the 1980's movie with Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Denholm Elliot, Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche. I've seen it more times than I can count, and I'm still not sure I understand the transaction that takes place at the end of the movie that puts our heroes on top and gives the bad-guys their comeuppance.
But I can say with 100% certainty, I am not interested in the Taco Bell "volcano taco" that's been advertised every commercial break.
Lucy got on the couch with me and we both fell asleep for the entire middle of the movie. And to me, that's a good Sunday.
Tonight, I'm off to see that screening of Metropolis.
Facebook Help
I have started a page on Facebook for League of Melbotis. I'm not really sure how or if I can really use it. I'm going to try to push an RSS feed of some sort out through the thing, but Facebook's "Help" section hasn't been anything remotely like helpful. Anyway, if you're on Facebook, look up "League of Melbotis" and become a fan.
Also, if you know of HOW I can do this, let me know.
Saturday I ran some errands and we attended the annual MeatFest at the Shoemaker's. This year, we had the very special treat of not just the appearance of League pal Robb Kunz (fresh in from Seattle), but he brought his wife. And we didn't even know Robb HAD a wife. Yeah, it'd been a while since we'd talked to Robb.
Today we really didn't do anything, which is how I like my Sundays. Spent a couple of hours at Barton Springs and then grabbed lunch at Shady Grove.
I guess I can tell its summer because they're running the movies I fid myself watching annually. Today was "Trading Places", the 1980's movie with Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Denholm Elliot, Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche. I've seen it more times than I can count, and I'm still not sure I understand the transaction that takes place at the end of the movie that puts our heroes on top and gives the bad-guys their comeuppance.
But I can say with 100% certainty, I am not interested in the Taco Bell "volcano taco" that's been advertised every commercial break.
Lucy got on the couch with me and we both fell asleep for the entire middle of the movie. And to me, that's a good Sunday.
Tonight, I'm off to see that screening of Metropolis.
Facebook Help
I have started a page on Facebook for League of Melbotis. I'm not really sure how or if I can really use it. I'm going to try to push an RSS feed of some sort out through the thing, but Facebook's "Help" section hasn't been anything remotely like helpful. Anyway, if you're on Facebook, look up "League of Melbotis" and become a fan.
Also, if you know of HOW I can do this, let me know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)