One of the things I'm a bit tired of are multiple versions of movies being released on video formats. While there's nothing wrong with getting a true "Director's Cut" of a film where the director didn't have final cut and what was released is so drastically altered from what the director intended or is missing important sub plots and such, but the idea of "Extended Editions" and such has gotten out of hand. We are being innundated and overwhelmed by terms that no longer have any true meaning (is every Disney full length animated feature really a "classic"?).
While movies like Brazil, Dune, Blade Runner & Legend are all legitimate examples of warranting second or third versions of the film to exist, did we really need to be subjected to Extended versions of every Peter Jackson film of the last ten years? The Lord of the Rings films are perfectly legitimate in either their theatrical releases or their extended editions and the latter makes one wonder why the former had to exist in the first place, regardless of the fact that they work just as well. And did King Kong need to be even longer for a new version?
There is a new "cut" of a film now on DVD that deserves our attention for a variety of reasons. It is available as part of a box set as well as on its own...but lets talk about the box set first and my problem with the labelling.
Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition is a box set consisting of the four films starring Christopher Reeve and this year's Superman Returns in addition to a myriad of extras. Now, use of the word "Ultimate" to me implies that this will be the last word on the subject, but there is so much missing that it can't be (even if it actually is).
To explain this, we need to examine the history of these films and their creation. The first two films originally were made at the same time by director Richard Donner. When the producers were facing a deadline of getting part one into the theaters, the made Donner stop shooting things that weren't part of that film. By the time Superman reached theaters, Donner had reportedly shot about 70% of Superman II. He was subsequently replaced by Richard Lester who had to reshoot parts of two for a variety of reasons. All of this backstory is detailed in various forms (commentaries and documentaries) within this box set as well as several websites.
Superman was released to theaters with a running time of 143 minutes. Its an amazing film that set the standard for comic book adaptations (in spite of some people disliking the campier aspects of the villains) and still holds up very well today. (For the record, the original VHS release ran 127 minutes due to time compression and removal of the end credits...so while it's a "shorter" version of the film, its a technical anomoly). This version was released on VHS and Laser Disc, but didn't arrive on DVD until this box set (more on that later).
In 1981 producer Alexander Salkind created a cut for international release as well as syndicated TV sales that ran 188 minutes. There were lots of added bits that while making the film longer, didn't really disrupt the proceedings. Were they necessary? Probably not. Were they fun to see? Yes. (This version ran on ABC over two nights with 7 minutes missing).
In 2001, Warner Home Video wanted to release this longer cut on DVD and get Richard Donner's stamp of approval. He refused to do so with a 3 hour cut, so Warner felt it was more important to have Donner's participation and he added back 8 minutes out of the 45 "missing" minutes known to exist and seen in the International version. This 151 minute version arrived on DVD with a couple of other "deleted" scenes from the longer verion as extras on the disc (instead of being incorporated into the film ittself).
The new Ultimate DVD Box Set contains the original theatrical release at 143 minutes with commentary by producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler on Disc 1 (although a mistake in the authoring of the DVDs has left of the original soundtrack and we are left with a recreation from the 2001 DVD release which had remixed sound...there is a way to get a corrected disc via Warner directly if you have bought one of the uncorrected sets). Disc 2 contains Donner's 2001 cut and extras (there's a commentary by Donner and "Creative Consultant" Tom Mankiewicz). While Discs 3 & 4 are also devoted to the first Superman film, none of the still missing footage from the longer cut appears. It is still missing.
Now, if you're going to refer to something as being "Ultimate", to not include this footage in some form is a big mistake. Personally, it would have been better to have the 188 minute cut and not have either the 143 or 151 minute versions (I'm sure those could have been combined on one disc with seamless branching if they tried). The differences between the two "official" versions is negligible, while the differences between those and the longer cut are much more diverse (obviously since we're still missing almost 30 minutes of footage).
Superman II presents a more interesting case. For years, people have wondered what Richard Donner's version of Superman II would have been like. Richard Lester reshot enough of the footage already in the can so he could get his director's credit (by guild rules he would have had to shoot at least 50% of the film and Donner had already shot 70% of it). Lester changed the beginning and ending of the film, ditched all the footage of Marlon Brando and replaced him with Susannah York, reshot most of the Lois & Clark scenes and added some more comedy.
The theatrical cut of Superman II appears on Disc 5 of this set with commentary by Ilya Slakind and Pierre Spengler. It runs 127 minutes and holds up rather well. Lester's film got mixed reactions from fans (and still does to this day). There's a bit more comedy in the film (Lois' attempts to get Clark to reveal himself come to mind as does Luthor's demeanor which is even campier than before) and one instance of giving Superman a new stupid power he's never had before (the cellophane S he throws at Non during the final battle). In spite of this stuff, it's still a fun film.
Disc 6 of this set contains the newly compiled "Richard Donner Cut". Doing their best to create something that was 70% done had to have been a challenge, but Donner & editor Michael Thau have done an admirable job. The film is by no means perfect. In order to include one scene never officially shot, they needed to use the screen test version since Donner had used the scene to test Kidder and Reeve before they were even hired. Its a bit odd seeing both of them looking a bit different than they do in the finished footage, but it does work.
This version of the film is a bit darker than Lester's version. The villains seem more evil (watch as General Zod smiles as he uses a machine gun to kill people in the White House) and Superman's "sacrifice" seems more heartfelt as it is now his father who he talks to instead of his mother (they brought back the footage of Brando Donner shot for part Two that Lester reshot with Susannah York). The ending of Lester's version got some flack with Superman giving Lois a kiss to make her forget he's Clark Kent. This version includes Donner's original ending before he was forced to finish the first film. The ending is the same as the first film now since Superman turns back the world to make Lois forget (had Donner been allowed to finish the second film, he and Mankiewicz would have come up with a new ending for part two). That little stunt of turning back time works much better here than it does in the first film and would have left things in a nice place for a third film.
Donner's cut runs 116 minutes and moves very quickly (a bit too quickly in some spots as it feels rushed at times). And some of Lester's footage had to be included as well to complete this version. While it's easy to spot (its funny), its not too distracting. The worst I can say is that one of the best lines from the theatrical cut (General, would you care to step outside?) has been replaced by something bland and boring (Superman shows up to fight the threesome in Metropolis and says something about freedom of the press that's groan inducing).
Now...here's a potential problem. The Salkinds had also prepared a longer international cut of Superman II than ran 151 minutes. It's been a while since I've seen this version (and its not included in the set), but I believe that most, if not all, of the footage appears either as deleted scenes or parts of the new Donner cut between the two discs. Some of these scenes (like Luthor's arrest at the end of the film) should never have been cut in the first place (and why Donner didn't include them in his cut is beyond me), but at least they are here.
Disc 7 of the set contains extras devoted to Superman II as well as finishing off the Fleischer cartoons that appeared on disc 4.
While I would have liked to have seen DVD releases of the longer Salkind International cuts of the first two films, I am pleased with the amount of work Warner has put into this ultimately flawed, yet spectacular set.
I'll write up something on the rest of the set at a later date as Disc 8 which is supposed to contain Superman III with a number of extras actually contains the pervious bare bones DVD release. A replacement is on its way, so until it arrives, I'm forced to stop here.
But wasn't that enough?
Be seeing you.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Bond Is Back For The First Time Again
My first encounter with James Bond is a rather fuzzy memory of seeing The Spy Who Loved Me at some distant cousin's house in the Boston area when we were visiting back in the late 1970s (I wanna say 1978 for a variety of reasons). It was soon after this that my father gave me his collection of Signet paperbacks to read (I remember reading On Her Majesty's Secret Service for a book report in the 4th grade...a bit advanced for someone that age, but I loved the book...still have the collection...it's a bit dog-eared as I've read them a number of times each, but I plan on giving them to my son at some point when he's old enough). Moonraker was the only Bond film I got to see in theaters with my dad before he died (which is why I have this love/hate relationship with the film...its one of the worst Bond films, but I have a personal affection for it).
Regardless of where the films have gone or done, I've always been enamoured of Ian Fleming's original novels which have barely been adapted for the big screen...until now.
Casino Royale has had a long convoluted history in making its way to the big screen and I'll leave that story for others to retell (you can look it up on line)...what I will tell you is that this is not just a great Bond film, its also a great movie. Taking their lead from Batman Begins and being challenged to make Bond relevant for the 21st Century by The Bourne Identity, the producers have taken the character back to his rough roots as Fleming conceived him and as he's almost never been portrayed on screen (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and On Her Majesty's Secret Service were all either spot on or close enough).
The plot is rather simple to follow...after being awarded his license to kill, Bond is on a mission tracking terrorist funding. This leads him to several locations and he's eventually inserted into a high stakes poker game to force the money man into losing all the money he's holding for various terrorists and then having to turn to M.I. 6 for protection (where he will, in turn, give up info he has). Bond succeeds in his mission, but not without a high cost to himself.
This film starts differently than the other Bond films. There is no gun barrel logo and we're into the monchromatic pre-titles sequence showing Bond's kills that earn him his "00" status (in what may be the shortest pre-titles sequence yet). The opening titles contain no silhouetted naked women or the smashing Cold War symbols. This is all about Bond and violence and the look has more of a Saul Bass retro sixties feel than a Maurice Binder look. The title sequence also helps enhance the theme song that made for a very "meh" radio song. As an added note, David Arnold's instrumental arrangement of "You Know My Name" is peppered throughout the film and helps prop up Chris Cornell's bland lyrics that they remind you of (in a good way).
Once the "film proper" starts, we hit the ground running as Bond chases a target into a construction site in an amazing and exciting sequence that is made up of realistic physical stunts. This sequence has to be seen to be believed as Sebastien Foucan climbs and jumps his way up beams and walls that has only been accomplished using CGI before. This scene is followed by a few other action sequences over the course of the film. All of them feel "realistic" and "down to Earth" and keep the film moving along at a nice clip (you may have heard complaints that at two and one half hours the film feels long, but I felt it moved along perfectly and didn't feel long...unlike another film I just saw that ran the same length and felt twice as long...but more on The DaVinci Code next time).
The acting is all spot on and well done. Craig's Bond has a lot of depth to him...more so than Dalton's hard edged portrayal back in the 1980s. This is a rookie who will do what he has to in order to get the job done, but he also makes plenty of rookie mistakes.
Eva Green's Vesper Lynd is also a great, well realized character. And Mads Mikkelsen brings the perfect amount of menace to Le Chiffre, the villain who is unlike any Bond villain we've seen (finally breaking the Dr. Evil parody we had grown so used to seeing). He's all about business and in the gruesome torture scene (lifted directly from Fleming...even down to some of the dialog), he gets right down to business.
Three other brief mentions of Fleming characters are in order...Mathis makes his first screen appearance played by Giancarlo Gianinni. He's played a bit differently here than in Fleming's novels, but it serves the film's purposes well and I hope we get to see him again. Jeffrey Wright steps into the role of Felix Leiter, Bond's C.I.A. counterpart. It's not a big role by any means, but Wright puts more of a mark on it than most other actors who played him before. I also hope he returns in the next film with a bigger role (Leiter is supposed to become one of Bond's closest friends).
Lastly, in what could have been an oddity, Judi Dench returns as M. I'm not sure how I feel about this bit of casting. A true reboot should have jettisoned her from the role simply to keep confusion out of the equation...but its simple enough to say that this is not the same Bond as the previous 20 films (which did have some sort of odd-ballish continuity) and that there's no reason why this M can't be a different M. She is a bit different than before, while remaining somewhat similar in personality. What I'm saying is she works perfectly for the role in spite of having that "leftover" feel.
One thing I'm glad they didn't do in "modernizing" the franchise is go for that edgy look to the film. A few years ago, Quentin Tarantino had met with the producers suggesting that they finally do this novel as a period piece. Thankfully they ignored him. The camera would have been all over the place and the film would have had that "independant" look it doesn't deserve. The filmmakers have kept the film looking as beautiful and sumptuous as all the others.
This isn't just a great Bond film, it's a great film (my dad would have loved this film) and it's going to be a long two years before we get another one. I can't wait and while my personal hope would be to see a remake of Live and Let Die that's closer to Fleming's novel (modernized and without the blatant racism of course), I'm looking forward to wherever they take Craig's interpretation next.
Next time, The Prestige and The DaVinci Code.
Be seeing you.
Regardless of where the films have gone or done, I've always been enamoured of Ian Fleming's original novels which have barely been adapted for the big screen...until now.
Casino Royale has had a long convoluted history in making its way to the big screen and I'll leave that story for others to retell (you can look it up on line)...what I will tell you is that this is not just a great Bond film, its also a great movie. Taking their lead from Batman Begins and being challenged to make Bond relevant for the 21st Century by The Bourne Identity, the producers have taken the character back to his rough roots as Fleming conceived him and as he's almost never been portrayed on screen (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and On Her Majesty's Secret Service were all either spot on or close enough).
The plot is rather simple to follow...after being awarded his license to kill, Bond is on a mission tracking terrorist funding. This leads him to several locations and he's eventually inserted into a high stakes poker game to force the money man into losing all the money he's holding for various terrorists and then having to turn to M.I. 6 for protection (where he will, in turn, give up info he has). Bond succeeds in his mission, but not without a high cost to himself.
This film starts differently than the other Bond films. There is no gun barrel logo and we're into the monchromatic pre-titles sequence showing Bond's kills that earn him his "00" status (in what may be the shortest pre-titles sequence yet). The opening titles contain no silhouetted naked women or the smashing Cold War symbols. This is all about Bond and violence and the look has more of a Saul Bass retro sixties feel than a Maurice Binder look. The title sequence also helps enhance the theme song that made for a very "meh" radio song. As an added note, David Arnold's instrumental arrangement of "You Know My Name" is peppered throughout the film and helps prop up Chris Cornell's bland lyrics that they remind you of (in a good way).
Once the "film proper" starts, we hit the ground running as Bond chases a target into a construction site in an amazing and exciting sequence that is made up of realistic physical stunts. This sequence has to be seen to be believed as Sebastien Foucan climbs and jumps his way up beams and walls that has only been accomplished using CGI before. This scene is followed by a few other action sequences over the course of the film. All of them feel "realistic" and "down to Earth" and keep the film moving along at a nice clip (you may have heard complaints that at two and one half hours the film feels long, but I felt it moved along perfectly and didn't feel long...unlike another film I just saw that ran the same length and felt twice as long...but more on The DaVinci Code next time).
The acting is all spot on and well done. Craig's Bond has a lot of depth to him...more so than Dalton's hard edged portrayal back in the 1980s. This is a rookie who will do what he has to in order to get the job done, but he also makes plenty of rookie mistakes.
Eva Green's Vesper Lynd is also a great, well realized character. And Mads Mikkelsen brings the perfect amount of menace to Le Chiffre, the villain who is unlike any Bond villain we've seen (finally breaking the Dr. Evil parody we had grown so used to seeing). He's all about business and in the gruesome torture scene (lifted directly from Fleming...even down to some of the dialog), he gets right down to business.
Three other brief mentions of Fleming characters are in order...Mathis makes his first screen appearance played by Giancarlo Gianinni. He's played a bit differently here than in Fleming's novels, but it serves the film's purposes well and I hope we get to see him again. Jeffrey Wright steps into the role of Felix Leiter, Bond's C.I.A. counterpart. It's not a big role by any means, but Wright puts more of a mark on it than most other actors who played him before. I also hope he returns in the next film with a bigger role (Leiter is supposed to become one of Bond's closest friends).
Lastly, in what could have been an oddity, Judi Dench returns as M. I'm not sure how I feel about this bit of casting. A true reboot should have jettisoned her from the role simply to keep confusion out of the equation...but its simple enough to say that this is not the same Bond as the previous 20 films (which did have some sort of odd-ballish continuity) and that there's no reason why this M can't be a different M. She is a bit different than before, while remaining somewhat similar in personality. What I'm saying is she works perfectly for the role in spite of having that "leftover" feel.
One thing I'm glad they didn't do in "modernizing" the franchise is go for that edgy look to the film. A few years ago, Quentin Tarantino had met with the producers suggesting that they finally do this novel as a period piece. Thankfully they ignored him. The camera would have been all over the place and the film would have had that "independant" look it doesn't deserve. The filmmakers have kept the film looking as beautiful and sumptuous as all the others.
This isn't just a great Bond film, it's a great film (my dad would have loved this film) and it's going to be a long two years before we get another one. I can't wait and while my personal hope would be to see a remake of Live and Let Die that's closer to Fleming's novel (modernized and without the blatant racism of course), I'm looking forward to wherever they take Craig's interpretation next.
Next time, The Prestige and The DaVinci Code.
Be seeing you.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Short Reviews Round Up
Just playing catch up today with some long awaited (by whom we don't know) reviews:
Easily the best new show of the season, Heroes takes the serialized drama and moves it in the direction of the comic book (one could argue that Smallville had already done that, but that's had more standalone episodes and really isn't as serialized as this show). Interesting characters in interesting situations is what drives this. It's way too early to tell whether all the mysteries and subplots will come together nicely like Babylon 5 or become a tangled muck like Lost. I'm betting on the former.
Veronica Mars makes the jump to The CW from the now defunct UPN and has some small changes in the process. Gone is high school, but like any show that makes the transition to the next level of education all the important characters now seem to be at the same college (since most friends go to the same college anyway, right). The season-long mysteries have been shortened to wrap up in 7 or 8 episodes (in case the show gets cancelled). And the theme song has been slowed down to become more haunting or mature. Thankfully, its till a great show even if its a bit off.
Jericho is also a well written serialized show about the aftermath of a Nuclear attack on U.S. soil. So far it hasn't wandered into Lost territory, but I can easily see it getting there quicker than other shows. Unfortunately, CBS has decided to remove it from the air for a while with a fall finale (just like Lost) so it can return in the spring with a run of no-repeats. I hope this works, but I have my doubts. I will keep watching, however.
30 Rock is the sitcom version of what goes on behind the scenes at a late nite netowrk variety show. This is the one with TIna Fey, Tracey Morgan and Alec Baldwin. It is Baldwin that keeps you coming back for more. I smell Emmy. NBC is moving the show to Thursdays at 9:30 and trying to recreate a 2 hour block of comedy on Thursdays along with My Name Is Earl, The Office and Scrubs. It may just work (with the exception of The Office as I just don't like it).
Twenty Good Years is the perfect example of what happens when two very talented actors get stuck with material that is so far beneath them. John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor star in a show that NBC is taking off the air and probably will cancel outright soon enough.
Ugly Betty is an Americanized adaptation of a foreign show, but tends to feel more like the small screen version of The Devil Wears Prada (which is apparently getting its own TV series anyway). Lucky for this show its well written and funny. The subplot about the dead former editor who may have faked her own death and is manipulating things behind the scenes is a bit out there, but it doesn't interfere with anything.
The Illusionist plays to my fascination with magic very nicely. This story of a magician and a childhood love is a bit on the predictable side, but the story is so well told and the acting is so well done that any minor flaws can be overlooked...with one exception. The end of the film features a "revelation catch-up" along the lines of The Usual Suspects. In that film, we get to see all the clues leading to the big reveal as the character in question realizes what's going on and it works because we're barely a step ahead of him in realizing it. Here, if you hadn't figured things out as they were happening 9which wasn't the point of the story in my opinion), you should just stop going to movies, watching TV or reading fiction in general. The "revelation catch-up" here is just there to call the audience out for being stupid. Luckily, it doesn't ruin the whole film
The Departed reminds us of how wonderful a director Martin Scorsese really is. This remake of a Hong Kong film about dualling moles within a police force and the mob they're investigating is an amazing work of art with outstanding acting particularly from Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. Easily one of the best films of 2006
It took quite some time, but we finally saw Syriana. It's a good film, but a bit reminiscent of Traffic (except substituting oil for drugs). Definitely worth the wait (but not so great that I would add it to the collection).
I usually have no problems with romance films (or chick flicks if you prefer). You can't like movies in general and dismiss an entire genre because you feel it may offend your manliness. But I do have a problem with lazy storytelling. Up until the very end I was enthralled with The Lake House, but then things went a bit wrong. Maybe its because I like explanations, maybe its because I don't like predictability. Maybe its because time travel stories have their own internal logic that can't be messed with. My wife tells me to get over it and leave it at the magic of the Lake House. Maybe someday I will, but for now...the end ruins what could have been a great movie.
At one point I was working on a whole piece examining the movies that we've been getting just in time for the 5th anniversary of 9/11. But I got really cranky and depressing to be around at the time and neede dto put some space between me and viewing the films before reviewing them. Of the things I saw the standout is United 93. This intense film follows two tracks...what was going on behind the scenes with all of the Air Traffic Controllers as the events of that day occurred and what was going on inside United 93 (if you want to "experience" the on the ground stories of the loved ones who were called from the plane before its crash, check out the made-for-TV Flight 93). This film is intense and brilliantly made. The decision to use familiar, but not well known actors to portray the victims of the flight is a stroke of brilliance. It makes these people, whom we already feel a connection to since we all lived through the events not too long ago, even more familiar to us. We get that "I know that person" feeling when we may have no personal connection to anyone who was affected by these events. Its tough to sit through and one of those films that would be even tougher a second time around but it is not to be missed.
Well that's all for today. Next week should bring a review of The Prestige and Casino Royale then before we tackle a couple of hotly anticipated DVD releases before the end of the month...well..they're anticipated by me...all 5 seasons of Get Smart in one box with LOADS of extras and The Ultimate Superman Collection which packages together all 4 Christopher Reeve films, plus two documentaries, the newly "re-edited" Richard Donner cut of Superman II and this year's franchise relaunch Superman Returns. I can't wait.
Be seeing you.
Easily the best new show of the season, Heroes takes the serialized drama and moves it in the direction of the comic book (one could argue that Smallville had already done that, but that's had more standalone episodes and really isn't as serialized as this show). Interesting characters in interesting situations is what drives this. It's way too early to tell whether all the mysteries and subplots will come together nicely like Babylon 5 or become a tangled muck like Lost. I'm betting on the former.
Veronica Mars makes the jump to The CW from the now defunct UPN and has some small changes in the process. Gone is high school, but like any show that makes the transition to the next level of education all the important characters now seem to be at the same college (since most friends go to the same college anyway, right). The season-long mysteries have been shortened to wrap up in 7 or 8 episodes (in case the show gets cancelled). And the theme song has been slowed down to become more haunting or mature. Thankfully, its till a great show even if its a bit off.
Jericho is also a well written serialized show about the aftermath of a Nuclear attack on U.S. soil. So far it hasn't wandered into Lost territory, but I can easily see it getting there quicker than other shows. Unfortunately, CBS has decided to remove it from the air for a while with a fall finale (just like Lost) so it can return in the spring with a run of no-repeats. I hope this works, but I have my doubts. I will keep watching, however.
30 Rock is the sitcom version of what goes on behind the scenes at a late nite netowrk variety show. This is the one with TIna Fey, Tracey Morgan and Alec Baldwin. It is Baldwin that keeps you coming back for more. I smell Emmy. NBC is moving the show to Thursdays at 9:30 and trying to recreate a 2 hour block of comedy on Thursdays along with My Name Is Earl, The Office and Scrubs. It may just work (with the exception of The Office as I just don't like it).
Twenty Good Years is the perfect example of what happens when two very talented actors get stuck with material that is so far beneath them. John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor star in a show that NBC is taking off the air and probably will cancel outright soon enough.
Ugly Betty is an Americanized adaptation of a foreign show, but tends to feel more like the small screen version of The Devil Wears Prada (which is apparently getting its own TV series anyway). Lucky for this show its well written and funny. The subplot about the dead former editor who may have faked her own death and is manipulating things behind the scenes is a bit out there, but it doesn't interfere with anything.
The Illusionist plays to my fascination with magic very nicely. This story of a magician and a childhood love is a bit on the predictable side, but the story is so well told and the acting is so well done that any minor flaws can be overlooked...with one exception. The end of the film features a "revelation catch-up" along the lines of The Usual Suspects. In that film, we get to see all the clues leading to the big reveal as the character in question realizes what's going on and it works because we're barely a step ahead of him in realizing it. Here, if you hadn't figured things out as they were happening 9which wasn't the point of the story in my opinion), you should just stop going to movies, watching TV or reading fiction in general. The "revelation catch-up" here is just there to call the audience out for being stupid. Luckily, it doesn't ruin the whole film
The Departed reminds us of how wonderful a director Martin Scorsese really is. This remake of a Hong Kong film about dualling moles within a police force and the mob they're investigating is an amazing work of art with outstanding acting particularly from Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. Easily one of the best films of 2006
It took quite some time, but we finally saw Syriana. It's a good film, but a bit reminiscent of Traffic (except substituting oil for drugs). Definitely worth the wait (but not so great that I would add it to the collection).
I usually have no problems with romance films (or chick flicks if you prefer). You can't like movies in general and dismiss an entire genre because you feel it may offend your manliness. But I do have a problem with lazy storytelling. Up until the very end I was enthralled with The Lake House, but then things went a bit wrong. Maybe its because I like explanations, maybe its because I don't like predictability. Maybe its because time travel stories have their own internal logic that can't be messed with. My wife tells me to get over it and leave it at the magic of the Lake House. Maybe someday I will, but for now...the end ruins what could have been a great movie.
At one point I was working on a whole piece examining the movies that we've been getting just in time for the 5th anniversary of 9/11. But I got really cranky and depressing to be around at the time and neede dto put some space between me and viewing the films before reviewing them. Of the things I saw the standout is United 93. This intense film follows two tracks...what was going on behind the scenes with all of the Air Traffic Controllers as the events of that day occurred and what was going on inside United 93 (if you want to "experience" the on the ground stories of the loved ones who were called from the plane before its crash, check out the made-for-TV Flight 93). This film is intense and brilliantly made. The decision to use familiar, but not well known actors to portray the victims of the flight is a stroke of brilliance. It makes these people, whom we already feel a connection to since we all lived through the events not too long ago, even more familiar to us. We get that "I know that person" feeling when we may have no personal connection to anyone who was affected by these events. Its tough to sit through and one of those films that would be even tougher a second time around but it is not to be missed.
Well that's all for today. Next week should bring a review of The Prestige and Casino Royale then before we tackle a couple of hotly anticipated DVD releases before the end of the month...well..they're anticipated by me...all 5 seasons of Get Smart in one box with LOADS of extras and The Ultimate Superman Collection which packages together all 4 Christopher Reeve films, plus two documentaries, the newly "re-edited" Richard Donner cut of Superman II and this year's franchise relaunch Superman Returns. I can't wait.
Be seeing you.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
I Call Shenanigans!
So am I the only one who's starting to believe that Lost doesn't refer to a bunch of people stranded on an island and is more a refernce to millions of viewers who have been yawning and scratching their heads for the last six weeks as the show became more confusing and pointless? Are we all hoping that the ghosts of ABC executives past who forced David Lynch to wrap up the Laura Palmer murder return with a vengeance and do the same in triplicate to those behind this Gilligan's Island on ecstasy?
There's a huge difference between good storytelling in a serialized show and lazy-ass storytelling in a serialized show. Babylon 5 had a direction and a goal for the 5 years it was on. Even with changes forced upon the creator by various circumstances, he had enough of the story plotted out to be able to shift things around to still have a great story. Here, it just seems as if everything's running on past ratings glories.
The show started off well enough. It set up a good mystery and had an interesting set of characters that we could get involved with (and the flashbacks to life before the crash helped a lot). Season Two expanded things nicely, but as it wore on instead of getting answers, we just kept getting more questions. And some of the off-stage antics didn't mess well with on screen stuff. Characters getting killed off because the actors were difficult behind the scenes is lazy. It ended several storylines that had barely gotten started (Libby & Ana Lucia) regardless of what the creators said. And now with the pointless and silly death of Mr. Eko at the "hands" of the clanking smoke monster, we lose the most interesting (and pretty much last) of the characters who survived in the tail section.
While I haven't decided what I'm doing when the show returns in February (my wife has...I'm pretty sure she's finished), we'll see if I actually remember that its on. I'm hoping that when the show does end it gives us a St. Elsewhere kind of ending cause that's the only thing that's gonna make any sense at this point.
Meanwhile...I find myself changing my viewing habits due to technology and its not always for the better. Take Tivo and other DVRs for example. I can now store a bunch of episodes and then spend a few hours on a weekend watching them back to back. Or I can search out torrent files for things that aren't aired in this country (fully intending to pay for them when they are available over here). And finally, I can watch things in what I consider to be the 21st Century equivalent of bad VHS bootlegs...on my laptop.
NBC had a pretty good show in Kidnapped. First rate cast, well told story. But the ratings weren't there after 3 episodes...luckily, instead of cancelling it entirely, they told the producers to wrap it up in 13 episodes. The show came back in a dead time slot (on Saturdays...anyone else remember when Love Boat & Fantasy Island killed in the ratings on Saturdays) with 2 more episodes. Now it has been banished from network TV altogether and can only be watched streaming on the internet.
I've enjoyed this show enough to want to see how it ends, but the freezing and glitching and small screen video annoys the hell out of me.
And now CBS is giving me the unaired episodes of Smith in the same way.
If this keeps up I may long for that time when a show got cancelled and you never heard from it again EVER! (Anyone know where those unaired second season episodes of What About Joan are?)
That's all for today. I hope to be back in the next few days with some catch up reviews (now that one play is ending and another's beginning I'll have some free time to write). And I will be back next Friday November 17th with a big Bond review...we've already got a babysitter lined up to catch a matinee.
Be seeing you.
There's a huge difference between good storytelling in a serialized show and lazy-ass storytelling in a serialized show. Babylon 5 had a direction and a goal for the 5 years it was on. Even with changes forced upon the creator by various circumstances, he had enough of the story plotted out to be able to shift things around to still have a great story. Here, it just seems as if everything's running on past ratings glories.
The show started off well enough. It set up a good mystery and had an interesting set of characters that we could get involved with (and the flashbacks to life before the crash helped a lot). Season Two expanded things nicely, but as it wore on instead of getting answers, we just kept getting more questions. And some of the off-stage antics didn't mess well with on screen stuff. Characters getting killed off because the actors were difficult behind the scenes is lazy. It ended several storylines that had barely gotten started (Libby & Ana Lucia) regardless of what the creators said. And now with the pointless and silly death of Mr. Eko at the "hands" of the clanking smoke monster, we lose the most interesting (and pretty much last) of the characters who survived in the tail section.
While I haven't decided what I'm doing when the show returns in February (my wife has...I'm pretty sure she's finished), we'll see if I actually remember that its on. I'm hoping that when the show does end it gives us a St. Elsewhere kind of ending cause that's the only thing that's gonna make any sense at this point.
Meanwhile...I find myself changing my viewing habits due to technology and its not always for the better. Take Tivo and other DVRs for example. I can now store a bunch of episodes and then spend a few hours on a weekend watching them back to back. Or I can search out torrent files for things that aren't aired in this country (fully intending to pay for them when they are available over here). And finally, I can watch things in what I consider to be the 21st Century equivalent of bad VHS bootlegs...on my laptop.
NBC had a pretty good show in Kidnapped. First rate cast, well told story. But the ratings weren't there after 3 episodes...luckily, instead of cancelling it entirely, they told the producers to wrap it up in 13 episodes. The show came back in a dead time slot (on Saturdays...anyone else remember when Love Boat & Fantasy Island killed in the ratings on Saturdays) with 2 more episodes. Now it has been banished from network TV altogether and can only be watched streaming on the internet.
I've enjoyed this show enough to want to see how it ends, but the freezing and glitching and small screen video annoys the hell out of me.
And now CBS is giving me the unaired episodes of Smith in the same way.
If this keeps up I may long for that time when a show got cancelled and you never heard from it again EVER! (Anyone know where those unaired second season episodes of What About Joan are?)
That's all for today. I hope to be back in the next few days with some catch up reviews (now that one play is ending and another's beginning I'll have some free time to write). And I will be back next Friday November 17th with a big Bond review...we've already got a babysitter lined up to catch a matinee.
Be seeing you.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Election Day Quandries & Cynicism
While I usually don't get into political issues, I figured it's Election Day and its on my mind...so deal with it...if you don't like my opinions on things of this nature, stop reading now...I have no intention of getting into a debate about any of what I'm about to write.
Our system is broken and we (as a collective) don't seem to give a flying fuck.
When half of the eligible voters don't bother to vote, that's a problem.
When the half that does vote is split almost down the middle by the completely ridiculous concept of parties, that's a problem.
When we turn over our voting to corporations that are attempting to eliminate paper trails and use equipment that is faulty at best (and completely tampered with at worst), that's a problem.
When politicians are career politicians who are not interested in anything but their own power, that's a problem.
When every issue is boiled down to black or white, right or wrong, red or blue, Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, that's a problem.
We are living in a time where our voting options are not only limited by the quality of the candidate, but by the way they are marketed to us. It's akin to Ford rolling out a new car called the Pinto and using the tag-line "Exploding on the scene!" and no one getting the real message.
I disengaged myself from any political party affiliation after the 2000 election. I consider myself fiscally conservative, but socially liberal. But don't mistake that as an attempt to actually label myself. I refuse to be labelled.
This year, as always, I do my research to find the candidates that I feel comfortable voting FOR. I hate the idea of voting for someone because they're not someone else...but apparently that's the way our system is now inclined and I find myself being forced to do that.
It was pretty easy for me to find candidates here in CT to vote for, with one exception...Senator.
The candidate I wanted to vote for never made it on the ballot because of lies, manipulation and miscommunications on the part of our current Secretary of State (guess who's not getting my vote this year now)...so that leaves me with what?? While I'd prefer that the Senate get turned back over to the Democrats right now, I don't like either Lieberman or Lamont for various reasons. That leaves me with candidates from the Republicans (they're not even backing their candidate, which should say something), the Concerned Citizens Party (as a Jew it's like voting for Nazis), and the Green Party (where I'm currently leaning even though I don't believe in the "we need to bring our troops home now" attitude...regardless of why we're there, we are there, we've made a mess, it's our job to clean it up or set it straight...completely pulling out would make things worse).
I hate that CT election laws prohibit write-in candidates except from an approved list (this year its two Libertarians...which I don't understand as being write-ins if the Libertarian Party is on the ballot in other races...and while I don't have problems voting Libertarian, I only do so if I can find our specific info about the candidate and not just see the same old party line regurgitated). If I want to vote for Lex Luthor for State Senator this year, I should be able to...if only to send a message...but I can't.
I have no idea what I'm gonna do in this category when I step into the booth later today. Maybe I'll decide that it's more important for the Democrats to win than for me to stick to my principals. That would be unfortunate.
Meanwhile, anyone (Republican or Democrat) who hasn't caught the HBO documentary Hacking Democracy should do so. It is rather scary that this seems to be the direction we're heading in. The more technologically advanced we get, the easier we're gonna make it to have elections stolen and never find out about them (there's still no answer from Diebold as to how Al Gore got a negative vote count in one Florida county). Maybe the answer is less technology (paper and pencil can't go wrong...I for one may be going the absentee route once we switch over to the Diebold machines like the one used for the hacking demonstration in the movie).
Well...regardless...it's Election Day. Make sure you vote, whether you think it counts or not...because someday it will count again.
Be seeing you.
Our system is broken and we (as a collective) don't seem to give a flying fuck.
When half of the eligible voters don't bother to vote, that's a problem.
When the half that does vote is split almost down the middle by the completely ridiculous concept of parties, that's a problem.
When we turn over our voting to corporations that are attempting to eliminate paper trails and use equipment that is faulty at best (and completely tampered with at worst), that's a problem.
When politicians are career politicians who are not interested in anything but their own power, that's a problem.
When every issue is boiled down to black or white, right or wrong, red or blue, Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, that's a problem.
We are living in a time where our voting options are not only limited by the quality of the candidate, but by the way they are marketed to us. It's akin to Ford rolling out a new car called the Pinto and using the tag-line "Exploding on the scene!" and no one getting the real message.
I disengaged myself from any political party affiliation after the 2000 election. I consider myself fiscally conservative, but socially liberal. But don't mistake that as an attempt to actually label myself. I refuse to be labelled.
This year, as always, I do my research to find the candidates that I feel comfortable voting FOR. I hate the idea of voting for someone because they're not someone else...but apparently that's the way our system is now inclined and I find myself being forced to do that.
It was pretty easy for me to find candidates here in CT to vote for, with one exception...Senator.
The candidate I wanted to vote for never made it on the ballot because of lies, manipulation and miscommunications on the part of our current Secretary of State (guess who's not getting my vote this year now)...so that leaves me with what?? While I'd prefer that the Senate get turned back over to the Democrats right now, I don't like either Lieberman or Lamont for various reasons. That leaves me with candidates from the Republicans (they're not even backing their candidate, which should say something), the Concerned Citizens Party (as a Jew it's like voting for Nazis), and the Green Party (where I'm currently leaning even though I don't believe in the "we need to bring our troops home now" attitude...regardless of why we're there, we are there, we've made a mess, it's our job to clean it up or set it straight...completely pulling out would make things worse).
I hate that CT election laws prohibit write-in candidates except from an approved list (this year its two Libertarians...which I don't understand as being write-ins if the Libertarian Party is on the ballot in other races...and while I don't have problems voting Libertarian, I only do so if I can find our specific info about the candidate and not just see the same old party line regurgitated). If I want to vote for Lex Luthor for State Senator this year, I should be able to...if only to send a message...but I can't.
I have no idea what I'm gonna do in this category when I step into the booth later today. Maybe I'll decide that it's more important for the Democrats to win than for me to stick to my principals. That would be unfortunate.
Meanwhile, anyone (Republican or Democrat) who hasn't caught the HBO documentary Hacking Democracy should do so. It is rather scary that this seems to be the direction we're heading in. The more technologically advanced we get, the easier we're gonna make it to have elections stolen and never find out about them (there's still no answer from Diebold as to how Al Gore got a negative vote count in one Florida county). Maybe the answer is less technology (paper and pencil can't go wrong...I for one may be going the absentee route once we switch over to the Diebold machines like the one used for the hacking demonstration in the movie).
Well...regardless...it's Election Day. Make sure you vote, whether you think it counts or not...because someday it will count again.
Be seeing you.
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