- Wow, it's December 31st and 2007 is about to wrap. Pretty amazing. If you haven't already, check out my Best Of lists for music, comics, and TV, and check back soon for a general 2007 wrap-up and a look ahead to '08.
But for now, let's talk movies.
I've said it many times lately, as recently as in my last post, a review of PT Anderson's THERE WILL BE BLOOD - 2007 was a spectacular year for movies. And it's funny, because earlier in the year that might not have been the popular projection. Sure, there were some great flicks in the early part of 2007 - BLACK SNAKE MOAN was one of Samuel L. Jackson's best turns to date, GRINDHOUSE was a hell of a good time at the movies, and 300 took many by surprise to become a huge blockbuster hit. But with summer came some high profile disappointments ... Spiderman 3 - Peter Parker gone emo ... need I say more? Still, there was plenty of great stuff throughout the summer, you just had to know where to look. Few have seen THE KING OF KONG as of yet, but I think it has all-time cult-favorite written all over it. RESCUE DAWN was a riveting drama from Werner Herzog, and one of a few great Christian Bale roles this year. RATATOUILLE was another great animated feature from Pixar, and sure, it had its haters, but for me Pirates of the Carribean 3 was THE big-event movie of the summer - a great close-out to a supremely fun trilogy. But comedies were great this summer as well - the one-two Judd Apatow-led punch of KNOCKED UP and SUPERBAD, and a slew of other hilarious movies, from HOT FUZZ to THE TEN to EAGLE VS. SHARK.
So all in all it was a good summer for films, but then, in the fall and winter, business really picked up. From September to December, it felt like I was just seeing one great movie after another. There were so many films that fell into the "A" range for me that it was almost hard to keep track. While mulling over my Best Of list, I would think I had a ranking order finalized only to remember yet another top-shelf film that I had inexplicably left out. From THE DARJEELING LIMITED to SWEENEY TODD, from JUNO to AMERICAN GANGSTER, from ENCHANTED to WALK HARD, there was simply an overabundance of memorable films in the latter half of '07. Not to mention ... I think there were two bonafide classics, two movies that would likely rest atop many people's Top 10 lists not only from this year, but for any number of years - and those were NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Choosing between the two for the #1 spot might just boil down to a matter of taste. Are you more a fan of the crackling dialogue and black humor of the Coen Bros., or of the epic grandeur and over the top theatrics that PT Anderson brought to Blood?
So here are my top movies of 2007 ... as always, a few disclaimers:
- I realize things may not match up perfectly with my Best of Summer list - in some cases, opinions shift slightly after the passing of a little time, or else putting things in a larger context simply gives a bit of a different perspective.
- As I said in my TV list, I am but one man and can't see every movie that's released (though I do tend to see a lot ...). But there were some big ones I didn't get the chance to see this year, so far, and those titles include: Sunshine, Zodiac, The Savages, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Margot and the Wedding, Lars and the Real Girl, Atonement, Die Hard 4, No End in Sight, Once, Persephopolis, I'm Not There, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (the one in particular I've been meaning to catch ...).
- And just one final note: this year's list was probably the hardest I've yet tried to put together. Too many good to great movies, and ranking one above the other is a pretty difficult task. In a few weeks, I may look at things a bit differently. But what's truly amazing is that I'm going to list 30 movies - I'd say the first 20 to 25 fall under the category of "great," and if you look at my individual reviews from throughout the course of the year, more than 25 of the 30 movies listed received a grade of A - or better, and 7 of the Top 10 received a flat-out A from me, which is pretty amazing considering that I don't usually score so many movies that well. Then again, I guess I've been more in-the-loop than ever of late when it comes to seeking out the good stuff, so I've been making much more of a point to see the great ones and avoid the clunkers (though I do have a weakness for checking out comic book adaptations and seeing how my favorite characters were brought to life - hence why I sat through such crap as Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Ghost Rider ...).
Anyways, on with the show:
THE BEST MOVIES OF 2007:
1.) NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
- To me, when the Coen Brothers are on top of their game, it is pretty difficult for anyone else to surpass them. And with No Country, the Coens made yet another classic, a movie that can sit comfortably in the cannon of Coen gems, alongside the likes of Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Miller's Crossing. But with this one, the Coens have returned to the dark side, so to speak, after an output of mostly comedies over the last few years. No Country is a tale of the evil that men are capable of, an American story of the West, and a darkly humorous look at the "ultimate badass", a man named Anton Sigurh, a man so black-hearted that he makes you question what human beings are capable of. This is everything I love about the Coens - dialogue that flows like music, characters that come alive, stories with layers of depth and twists and turns and unconventional narrative choices that make you think. All this, and then there's the fact that the movie is simply intense as hell, filled with edge-of-your seat action, one of the best villains we've seen in a long while at the movies, and performances from Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Tommy Lee Jones that each rank among the year's best. I can't wait to see what the Coens do next, and I'm thankful that they remain such creative visionaries, the preeminent American filmmakers of our era.
2.) THERE WILL BE BLOOD
- Check my last post for the full review, but what I'll add here is simply that THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a movie with a lot to say, and that's always appreciated. It's a movie I want to talk about, to discuss, to analyze. It's a film that I'll likely need to see again to fully absorb. And yet, it's been temporatily burned into my brain - Daniel Day Lewis' monumental perfromance as Daniel Plainview - the tragedy, the meaning, the symbolism of that character has been turning over and over in my mind. Kudos to PT Anderson, Day Lewis, and everyone else involved in the film - it's one of those timeless movies whose message, I think, will be just as powerful ten or twenty years from now as it is today.
3.) THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
- It's funny, my Top 3 movies this year are all Westerns, in a sense. All 3 deal with the American West and its history as a place of lawlessness, of corruptionm, but also as a place where dreams and legends were born, and where they died. JESSE JAMES is a true Western in the classical film-genre sense of the word however, but it's a Western with a twist, in that it seemed to be as much about the America of 2007, in its own way. It's about realizing that one's heroes aren't all they're cracked up to be, it's about the drive to make a name for oneself, the cult of celebrity, and it's about a loss of innocence - a country where myth and legend don't always match up to the harsher reality and truth. Jesse James is a great film, beautifully shot, and with a breakout performance by Casey Aflleck and one of Bradd Pitt's best-ever turns as the title character.
4.) JUNO
- Juno took me by surprise, in that it was kind of sold as the female response to Superbad while in reality it was a comedy with a much deeper emotional core. That's not to diss on Superbad, it's just to say that Juno really wowed me with how deeply it made you care about its title characters and the other players in its quirky, stylized world, in addition to being smart and funny and cool. That's why I don't support the criticisms of the film being overly-stylized, etc - the dialogue is fun, and the little, Wes-Anderson-esque visual motifs are cool, but the movie is full of heart and that's what to me made it so endearing. Ellen Page was awesome as Juno, and Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, JK Simmons and Allison Janney help to give the film perhaps the year's best ensemble cast.
5.) THE KING OF KONG
- When this one comes out on DVD, trust me, it is a must-watch. I don't think there was any underdog hero in movies this year easier to root for than STEVE WIEBE, a real-life Rocky for the videogame generation. I know, it sounds strange - can a guy who's really good at playing Donkey Kong really be that inspirational? Well, yes. Yes he can. Of all the movies I saw this year, this was the one - and it was a documentary no less! - where I thought I might actually stand up in the theater and cheer in the middle of the movie. But it wasn't just me, everyone was on the edge of their seats and watching as we raced towards the big showdown between Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell, Steve's mullet-topped, patriotic tie-sportin' nemesis. The King of Kong is a wonderful character study, an inspirational underdog story, and an utterly fascinating look at the world of competetive arcade gaming. Trust me, even if you've never had an interest in Donkey Kong, after watching this one, you'll be itching to jump a barrel or two.
6.) SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
- Sweeney Todd is Tim Burton on top of his game, and the result is a dark and gory musical that is bloody good fun from start to finish. Nobody does goth and dreary like Burton, but the mix of the Victorian London blues with the pitch-black humor and tragic horror of Sweeney Todd is a potent combination made in movie-making heaven. Or is that hell? The whole bloody affair is brought to ghoulish life thanks to yet another great turn from Johnny Depp, who doesn't just sing, but acts with as much flourish and fun as he does with Cap'n Jack but does so through any number of memorable songs. Helena Bonham Carter is great as his gothed-out partner in crime, and Sascha Baron-Cohen and Alan Rickman are similarly killer. A visual and aural delight, Sweeney Todd is a close shave with brilliance.
7.) MICHAEL CLAYTON
- If you're in the mood to go old-school, you can't do much better than this surprisingly deep thriller. I thought this one might be a by the numbers George Clooney drama, so I was fairly blown away at what I got - a smart, riveting, and unexpectedly poignant look at corporate America, and what happens when things go too far in the name of the almighty dollar. It's a harsh and biting look at the moral grey areas of big business, and it's also a movie filled with some of the year's best performances. Tilda Swindon is superb as a woman who has sacrificed her own values in the name of doing business, and Tom Wilkinson is awesome as a guy who's done the oppositte - forsaken his comfortable life to take a walk on the wild side, to embrace his inner insanity and blow the whistle on the evils of the corporation he once defended. It's a slick, powerful movie, bland title and all.
8.) RATATOUILLE
- Every year, it seems, as the crappy kid-friendly movies begin to pile up, it only makes me appreciate the magic in a bottle that is Pixar that much more. Because while some movies pillage beloved material to make half-assed, lackluster adaptations (The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising), and others recycle old kid-favorites for a quick cash-in (Alvin and the Chipmunks, anyone?), Pixar is out there constantly doing things that are straight from the IMAGINATION. Original stories, new characters, fresh ideas - and Ratatouille is one of their best yet - a movie that kids will love and everyone else can appreciate as much if not more. Because aside from the kickass animation, there's great writing at work here, and great performances too. How perfect was Peter O'Toole, for example, as an embittered food critic? A feast for the eyes, yes, but make no mistake, Pixar movies liek this one are a fine delicacy.
9.) EASTERN PROMISES
- A few years ago, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE was my choice for movie of the year. So I had big expectations for the followup film from David Cronenberg and lead Viggo Mortenson, and while I didn't get quite the tour de force that was AHOV, I did get yet another stark and violent mind-bender that left me reeling. Viggo is terrific here - whether he's brooding around Niaomi Watts or taking on an entire hit squad in a deadly brawl while in nothing but his birthday suit, this is one of the craziest acting performances I've ever seen, in that you can tell Viggo gave this one everything he had and more. As for Cronenberg, he maintains his unique voice, creating a stange vision of Russian gang violence where few characters are as they seem. What I love about this one is that, as is the norm for Cronenberg, the movie is anything but normal. It makes you think, makes you wonder about what you've just seen, makes you look below the surface - a thinking man's pulp fiction, if you will.
10.) SUPERBAD
- I hate when great comedies are overlooked by critics, so I wanted to make sure I gave props to the year's best pure comedy. Sure, some comedies in '07 had bigger laughs (Walk Hard, The Ten), and some were more spot-on satires (The TV Set, Hot Fuzz), but no comedy really captured the cultural zeitgeist more than Superbad, which just worked perfectly as an instant-classic entry in the beloved "teens trying to get laid" genre for the Facebook generation. With a script that contained a great mix of banter and big laughs, Superbad was just an awesome and hilarious journey that really clicked. Michael Cera is now certifiably one of the funniest kids in Hollywood, and who didn't come away from this one wanting a little bit mo' McLovin?
THE REST OF THE BEST:
11.) 300 - This. Is. Sparta! Kickass action and impressive visuals made this the king of action movies in '07. Zach Snyder brought it (Can't wait for Watchmen), Gerard Butler bled gravitas, and the movie made me feel like I was watching the most badass Playstation game never made.
12.) GRINDHOUSE - As a complete theatrical experience, few films were more fun to see with a pumped-up crowd than a double bill of B-movie goodness in the form of Planet Terror and Death Proof. Tarantino and Rodriguez paying tribute to their faves, along with an assortment of utterly awesome fake trailers (The Mexican! Thanksgiving!), Kurt f'n Russel, and Rose McGowan with a machine-gun leg made for one hardcore package.
13.) RESCUE DAWN - Christian Bale is excellent in this thrilling drama about a group of Vietnam vets stranded in the jungle. Immersive direction by Werner Herzog, and outstanding supporting turns from Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies.
14.) THE DARJEELING LIMITED - Wes Anderson does it again with a movie showcasing his unique visual style and penchant for telling quirky yet involving stories about family. Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody, and Jason Schwartzman make for a great trio of brothers, and also be sure to check out Hotel Chevalier - the beautifully directed prelude to the film that was available free on iTunes.
15.) BLACK SNAKE MOAN - From the guy who brought us Hustle & Flow comes another down n' dirty piece of pulp fiction, this one a tale of the sweaty south - of a woman with a compulsive need for sex and of the aging blues-man who chains her up to his radiator. Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci are both dynamite in this love letter to all things blues.
16.) ENCHANTED - With one fell swoop, the Disney of old is back! Amy Adams light up the screen as a Disney princess trasnported to the real world, and what could have been cheesy turns out to be, well, enchanting - a great tribute to that old-time Disney magic.
17.) WALK HARD - To me, one of the funniest movies of the year, and a dead-on parody of rock n' roll flicks, with some hilarious spoof songs mixed with great over-the-top humor. Gags that clicked, a great cast led by John C. Reilly, and a sountrack of legit catchy songs.
18.) PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN 3: AT WORLD'S END - This one had a lot of haters, but I loved almsot every minute of this conclusion to the sea-faring trilogy. Spectacular and imaginative visuals, great action, and a cast that reminded us why pirates rock our socks, led by the always-awesome Johnny Depp.
19.) THE TEN - A new movie by the hilarious folks behind THE STATE and WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER? Reason to celebrate, indeed. Here's another one that will likely find a cult audience on DVD - not quite as awesome as Wet Hot, but a ton of drop-dead funny absurdist humor, loads of great actors being hilarious (Paul Rudd, Wynona Rider, Liev Schreiber), and some of the best and most quotable lines of any comedy this year.
20.) CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR - With a smart script by Aaron Sorkin and one of Philip Seymour Hoffman's best-ever turns, as a jaded CIA official, this movie stood out in a year filled with political dramas that were too bleak to hold much appeal. However, with a mix of humor and affecting political commentary, this one was informative yet entertaining - always a good combo.
21.) KNOCKED UP - The other big Judd Apatow comedy this year, it was awesome to see Seth Rogan become a star and continue shining the spotlight on the talented alumni of Freaks and Geeks. A number of hilarious and memorable moments, and a movie that, like The 40 Year Old Virgin, somehow mixed vulgar humor, random banter, and genuine heart together to make a movie that appealed to all types of comedy fans.
22.) BLACK BOOK - What happens when the director of ROBOCOP makes a World War II thriller? You get Black Book - a crazy but undoubtedly entertaining movie from Paul Verhoeden that mixes comic book violence with classical themes of romance, deception, and poltical intrigue, in a tale about a Jewish woman who sleeps with the enemy (yep, she sleeps with a Nazi) in order to spy on the Germans during the war.
23.) HOT FUZZ - Another brilliant satire from the guys behind Shawn of the Dead, Hott Fuzz works so well because it's a hilarious send-up of cop movies but also a pretty cool cop movie in and of itself. There's a bit of a slow build, but the last third of the film is out and out hilarious, and Timothy Dalton makes for an awesome villain.
24.) STARDUST - One of the summer's most overlooked movies, Stardust is a bit rough around the edges, but comes together to be a great fairy-tale fantasy movie in the tradition of films like The Princess Bride. Great and unusual turns from vets like Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeifer, in a story brimming with imagination thanks to the mind of Neil Gaiman.
25.) AMERICAN GANGSTER - Not quite as great as it should have been, given its all-star pedigree, but still, this was an extremely well-done movie with typically strong performances from Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, and a scene-stealing turn from Josh Brolin. Visually, it's another amazingly-shot film from Ridley Scott, and it's a movie that deserves its place in the cannon of great gangster films.
26.) EAGLE VS. SHARK - If you like weird, Napoleon Dynamite-style comedies, you shoudl definitely give this one a look. It stars Jermaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords, and he's hilarious here, turning up his usual personality to the extreme - a guy whose single goal in life is to train so that when he encounters his old high school bully, he can kick the guy's ass.
27.) THE TV SET - From Jake Kasdan, this look at the TV industry is such a dead-on satire it's almost depressing. But David Duchovny is in top form, as is Sigourney Weaver, who is just completely vile as an emotionless TV exec. Not quite Network, but a funny and insightful look into the ongoing battle between art and commerce in Hollywood.
28.) INTO THE WILD - Some have raved about this one, and there were many things I did find worthy of the highest praise, even if the film didn't 100% click with me. I can't deny the star-making turn from Emile Hirsch, the amazing supporting performances from Hal Holbrook, Catherine Keener, etc., the great Eddie Vedder soundtrack, or the sweeping direction of Sean Penn.
29.) BEOWULF - While the plot here was a bit muddled, there's no denying that Beowulf was one of the most incredible-looking movies ever made. I've never seen anything like it before, and it is a giant leap forward in terms of 3-D filmmaking technology. Still, there's more to like than jsut the visuals - there are a lot of fun moments in the script, and some of the most harrowing action sequences in any movie this year.
30.) 3:10 TO YUMA - Ultimately, this one was hurt by a plot and characterization that didn't quite come together by film's end. But, there are two remarkable performances here from leads Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and a great turn from Ben Foster as the ultimate cowboy lackey. 3:10, despite its faults, was one hell of an entertaining Western.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
- THE BOURNE IDENTITY
- BREACH
- SHOOT 'EM UP
SPECIAL MENTION:
- BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT - While it isn't a new movie, seeing Blade Runner, restored and recut, on the bigscreen, may have been my favorite movie-going experience of 2007. I was lucky enough to be in one of the few cities to get a theatrical run of the film's new edition, and I sat in awe as I watched all of my favorite scenes as they were meant to be seen - bigger than life and crystal clear. Seeing the movie, it was amazing how much it held up - from the landmark performances from Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, to the groundbreaking visuals and art direction - Ridley Scott's dreamlike masterpiece of science fiction was better than ever in 2007.
THE WORST:
- GHOST RIDER - There may have been worse films in 2007 (Norbit?), but the worst I personally saw was this piece of garbage, an insult to a cool character and to the fans who paid money to see this. It shouldn't be that hard to make a cool Ghost Rider flick, but somehow Mark Steven Johnson, Nicholas Cage, Peter Fonda, and everyone else associated with this craptacular mess made an almost unwatchable movie (they even made Eva Mendez look pretty plain - what?!?!). Please lord, no sequel.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT:
- SPIDERMAN 3 - Sam Raimi is an amazing director, and thus far the Spiderman films, particularly part 2, have been some of the best comic book adaptations to date. But man did things go wrong here. Sure, there were moments of that old Sam Raimi greatness (such as the transformation of The Sandman into his monstrous form), but the entire Venom storyline seemed tacked-on, not given any of the love that other villains in the series have received. The film felt way too light for such dark subject matter, and the script was just not good. It was truly a shame to see such a once-great franchise take such a tumble.
THE STRANGEST:
- SOUTHLAND TALES - I was eagerly anticipating the followup to Donnie Darko from director Richard Kelly. Years in the making, Southland Tales turned out to be an at-times brilliant, at-times incomprehensible cluster#%$* of a movie, one of the strangest films I've ever seen, without a doubt. From the head-scratching casting (John Lovitz, The Rock, Sean William Scott, Sarah Michelle-Geller, Cheri O'Teri, and on and on and on ...) to the out-there plot, which felt like Kelly took every idea he's ever had and put in into a giant soup of a script, Southland Tales was a movie I wanted to like, hoped to love, but in the end, moreso than anything else, it's a movie that elicited one giant exclamation of W.T.F.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS:
BEST LEAD ACTOR:
1. Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood
2. Viggo Mortenson - Eastern Promises
3. Bradd Pitt - The Assassination of Jesse James
4. Christian Bale - Rescue Dawn
5. Josh Brolin - No Country For Old Men
BEST LEAD ACTRESS:
1. Ellen Page - Juno
2. Carice Van Houten - Black Book
3. Christina Ricci - Black Snake Moan
4. Amy Adams - Enchanted
5. Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
1. Javier Bardem - No Country For Old Men
2. Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
3. Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James
4. Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
5. Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
1. Tilda Swindon - Michael Clayton
2. Sigourney Weaver - The TV Set
3. Michelle Pfeiffer - Stardust
4. Jennifer Garner - Juno
5. Alison Janney - Juno
BEST SCREENPLAY:
1. No Country For Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Juno
4. Superbad
5. Charlie Wilson's War
BEST DIRECTOR:
1. Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country For Old Men
2. Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
3. Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
4. Andrew Dominik - The Assassination of Jesse James
5. Werner Herzog - Rescue Dawn
- And there you have it - the year in movies 2007. Will 2008 be as great of a year? The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones, Watchmen, and a host of others say it might. But this was certainly a pretty amazing year for film, and I can't wait to go back and rewatch some of the year's best. As always, would love to hear your comments and opinions. And stay tuned for one more Best Of entry that will come slightly after the end of '07.
But until then ...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
There Will Be Blog: THERE WILL BE BLOOD - the review!
THERE WILL BE BLOOD Review:
- I've reitereated this many times here over the last few months, but I'll say it again: 2007 has been one hell of a year for the movies. And what a way to close out the year - because THERE WILL BE BLOOD is yet another '07 movie that isn't just good, isn't just great, but is an instant-classic that will be discussed, re-watched, and analyzed for years and years to come.
In PT Anderson's latest, we are presented with the story of Daniel Plainview, a man who, when we first meet him, is already well on his way to making a name for himself in the emerging business of oil. As played by Daniel Day Lewis, in a true performance for the ages, Daniel is driven, single-minded, and cold-blooded in his pursuit of success. Going from town to town in the American West, Daniel puts on his best political face and tries to sell the citizens on the great benefits that his oil company setting up shop would bring. Laying the charm on thick, Daniel even uses his admiring nine-year old adopted son, H.W., as yet another weapon in his arsenal - a means of winning over the townsfolk and selling himself as a family man. As the film progresses, however, the facade of Mr. Plainview becomes increasingly exposed - not only is he anything BUT a family man, but Plainview is a man who has become almsot completely detached from the rest of humanity. He's a man nearly incapable of trust, of compassion, of warmth. Slowly but alarmingly, this great entrepeneur of the industrial revolution is becoming a true monster.
And monstrous is exactly what comes to mind when speaking of Daniel Day Lewis in this film. He owns this movie with an iron-clad grip, putting on a performance so powerful, so strong, that it will shake you to your core. This isn't the kind of acting that modern filmgoers are used to - this isn't realism, isn't naturalism. What Lewis does here is instead a complete 180 from most modern film performances - for this is, in all senses of the word, a performance. This is the stuff of Orson Welles and Marlon Brando, of George C. Scott and Charlton Heston and DeNiro and Pacino and Nicholson in their primes. Here, Daniel Day Lewis BECOMES Daniel Plainview, and it is a remarkable and terrifying sight to behold, a true iconic film creation for our time. I don't think there's really any question - hand the man his Best Actor Oscar now, he deserves it. Daniel Day Lewis here reaffirms why he's one of the best.
There are some other very strong performances here as well, but to be honest all are overshadowed by the character of Daniel Plainview and the intensity of Day Lewis. Still, there are several other memorable and striking turns here. Dillon Freasier is pretty haunting as Plainview's doting son, H.W. - perhaps Daniel's one link to humanity, and even this is a fragile link at best, as the movie ultimately reveals. Meanwhile, the part that Paul Dano plays here is certainly one of the film's most controversial aspects, and also one of its most memorable. Dano plays a frontier preacher who in some ways is Plainview's opposite number, yet in some ways his twin. A theatrical prophet who enthralls his congregation with screeching sermons, the character of Eli Sunday is in some ways to the institution of religion as Plainview is to that of industry. Both characters represent the dark side of their respective institutions - they operate under false pretenses, one leading a life of lies and the other a life of greed, both preying on the people who look to them for support. Dano deserves credit for standing out here as he does, but some might say that, even in a movie with such a heightened sense of reality as this one, Dano plays things too over the top. I'm still kind of pondering what I think of the character and of Dano's performance, but I can see how he might have his detractors. Still, without giving away anything ... to me, the film's final confrontation between Eli Sunday and Daniel Plainview - well, it's an epic, hilarious, and terrifying encounter for the ages.
As for Paul Thomas Anderson - he does a masterful job here. What's so interesting is that with There Will Be Blood, PTA has seemingly reinvented himself. Visually, this didn't look anything like Punch Drunk Love or Magnolia. Stylistically, I felt like it had little in common with any of his previous films. And yet, it was the director's best yet, and confirmation that he is up there with the best and brightest filmmakers of this, and maybe of any generation. Here, the direction is sure and confident, mixing iconic closeups of Plainview with picturesque Western landscapes, continuing a visual motif we've seen elsewhere in '07 in the likes of No Country For Old Men and The Assassination of Jesse James. But I think what stands out the most is simply the storytelling at play here. The script is simple and yet memorable, and the act structure paints a vivid picture of the life and times of a distictly American monster - the self made man who's made his great fortune at the expense of all else. There is something that's just pretty brilliant about the pacing of this movie - it doesn't load up on unnecessary details - in fact, much is left quite open for interpretation. But you are given what you need to know to paint a portrait of Plainview, and the moments of his life that are presented to us form a fascinating tapestry. And just one more word about the script ... like I said, it can be understated, but man, some of the dialogue here is absolutely brilliant. This is a movie that will be quoted for a long, long time to come ("I drink your milkshake!" "Why don't I own this?" "I hate most people ...").
I also need to make mention of the film's amazing score, by Jonny Greenwood. The sharp tones and constant intensity of the movie's music create an atmosphere of total tension - even moments that might otherwise seem serene end up brimming with intensity thanks to the score, and it's not only a unique approach but a perfect fit. The music isn't just reinforcing what we ARE seeing at a given moment - it's reflecting on what's happened and hinting at what's to come.
This isn't an easy movie to review. I think there's a lot of depth to this story that I'm only beginning to process, and Daniel Day Lewis' performance can be so overpowering that it's at times difficult to focus on the nuances of the plot or of individual scenes. But in terms of nuances, there are many - from the way that Daniel always walks a step ahead of his young son, despite a bad leg, the way that the stories of Daniel and Eli run in parallel, the transformation of H.W. Plainview from innocent young boy to hardened and resentful adult. There Will Be Blood is an epic of great proportions, a great American story to be sure, but the devil is in the details. I'm still digesting it all, but I'm pretty confiedent in saying that this is a monumental film, highlighted by a timeless performance from Daniel Day Lewis, and a true achievement from PT Anderson. This is one to see, drink in, see again, and appreciate.
My Grade: A
- I've reitereated this many times here over the last few months, but I'll say it again: 2007 has been one hell of a year for the movies. And what a way to close out the year - because THERE WILL BE BLOOD is yet another '07 movie that isn't just good, isn't just great, but is an instant-classic that will be discussed, re-watched, and analyzed for years and years to come.
In PT Anderson's latest, we are presented with the story of Daniel Plainview, a man who, when we first meet him, is already well on his way to making a name for himself in the emerging business of oil. As played by Daniel Day Lewis, in a true performance for the ages, Daniel is driven, single-minded, and cold-blooded in his pursuit of success. Going from town to town in the American West, Daniel puts on his best political face and tries to sell the citizens on the great benefits that his oil company setting up shop would bring. Laying the charm on thick, Daniel even uses his admiring nine-year old adopted son, H.W., as yet another weapon in his arsenal - a means of winning over the townsfolk and selling himself as a family man. As the film progresses, however, the facade of Mr. Plainview becomes increasingly exposed - not only is he anything BUT a family man, but Plainview is a man who has become almsot completely detached from the rest of humanity. He's a man nearly incapable of trust, of compassion, of warmth. Slowly but alarmingly, this great entrepeneur of the industrial revolution is becoming a true monster.
And monstrous is exactly what comes to mind when speaking of Daniel Day Lewis in this film. He owns this movie with an iron-clad grip, putting on a performance so powerful, so strong, that it will shake you to your core. This isn't the kind of acting that modern filmgoers are used to - this isn't realism, isn't naturalism. What Lewis does here is instead a complete 180 from most modern film performances - for this is, in all senses of the word, a performance. This is the stuff of Orson Welles and Marlon Brando, of George C. Scott and Charlton Heston and DeNiro and Pacino and Nicholson in their primes. Here, Daniel Day Lewis BECOMES Daniel Plainview, and it is a remarkable and terrifying sight to behold, a true iconic film creation for our time. I don't think there's really any question - hand the man his Best Actor Oscar now, he deserves it. Daniel Day Lewis here reaffirms why he's one of the best.
There are some other very strong performances here as well, but to be honest all are overshadowed by the character of Daniel Plainview and the intensity of Day Lewis. Still, there are several other memorable and striking turns here. Dillon Freasier is pretty haunting as Plainview's doting son, H.W. - perhaps Daniel's one link to humanity, and even this is a fragile link at best, as the movie ultimately reveals. Meanwhile, the part that Paul Dano plays here is certainly one of the film's most controversial aspects, and also one of its most memorable. Dano plays a frontier preacher who in some ways is Plainview's opposite number, yet in some ways his twin. A theatrical prophet who enthralls his congregation with screeching sermons, the character of Eli Sunday is in some ways to the institution of religion as Plainview is to that of industry. Both characters represent the dark side of their respective institutions - they operate under false pretenses, one leading a life of lies and the other a life of greed, both preying on the people who look to them for support. Dano deserves credit for standing out here as he does, but some might say that, even in a movie with such a heightened sense of reality as this one, Dano plays things too over the top. I'm still kind of pondering what I think of the character and of Dano's performance, but I can see how he might have his detractors. Still, without giving away anything ... to me, the film's final confrontation between Eli Sunday and Daniel Plainview - well, it's an epic, hilarious, and terrifying encounter for the ages.
As for Paul Thomas Anderson - he does a masterful job here. What's so interesting is that with There Will Be Blood, PTA has seemingly reinvented himself. Visually, this didn't look anything like Punch Drunk Love or Magnolia. Stylistically, I felt like it had little in common with any of his previous films. And yet, it was the director's best yet, and confirmation that he is up there with the best and brightest filmmakers of this, and maybe of any generation. Here, the direction is sure and confident, mixing iconic closeups of Plainview with picturesque Western landscapes, continuing a visual motif we've seen elsewhere in '07 in the likes of No Country For Old Men and The Assassination of Jesse James. But I think what stands out the most is simply the storytelling at play here. The script is simple and yet memorable, and the act structure paints a vivid picture of the life and times of a distictly American monster - the self made man who's made his great fortune at the expense of all else. There is something that's just pretty brilliant about the pacing of this movie - it doesn't load up on unnecessary details - in fact, much is left quite open for interpretation. But you are given what you need to know to paint a portrait of Plainview, and the moments of his life that are presented to us form a fascinating tapestry. And just one more word about the script ... like I said, it can be understated, but man, some of the dialogue here is absolutely brilliant. This is a movie that will be quoted for a long, long time to come ("I drink your milkshake!" "Why don't I own this?" "I hate most people ...").
I also need to make mention of the film's amazing score, by Jonny Greenwood. The sharp tones and constant intensity of the movie's music create an atmosphere of total tension - even moments that might otherwise seem serene end up brimming with intensity thanks to the score, and it's not only a unique approach but a perfect fit. The music isn't just reinforcing what we ARE seeing at a given moment - it's reflecting on what's happened and hinting at what's to come.
This isn't an easy movie to review. I think there's a lot of depth to this story that I'm only beginning to process, and Daniel Day Lewis' performance can be so overpowering that it's at times difficult to focus on the nuances of the plot or of individual scenes. But in terms of nuances, there are many - from the way that Daniel always walks a step ahead of his young son, despite a bad leg, the way that the stories of Daniel and Eli run in parallel, the transformation of H.W. Plainview from innocent young boy to hardened and resentful adult. There Will Be Blood is an epic of great proportions, a great American story to be sure, but the devil is in the details. I'm still digesting it all, but I'm pretty confiedent in saying that this is a monumental film, highlighted by a timeless performance from Daniel Day Lewis, and a true achievement from PT Anderson. This is one to see, drink in, see again, and appreciate.
My Grade: A
Thursday, December 27, 2007
THE BEST OF 2007 - PART 2 - The Year's Best TV
- Looking back, it's quite possible that 2007 will be viewed as a landmark year in the history of television. However, it may be remembered as the year that people finally decided to tune out. The big news, of course, was and still is the Writers' Strike - the full effects of which most likely won't be felt until early '08. There are so many reprecussions here that 2007 may very well end up as the last year that things were, mostly, business as usual in the world of television. Let's examine some possible after-effects of the strike:
- Americans will shut off their TV's and won't come back. The TV industry is kidding itself if it doesn't realize how many other entertainment options there are, right now, for the average person. Sure, may people, older folks in particular, still like to just turn on the tube and go with whatever's on, whether its a football game or a Golden Girls rerun. But for most of us, TV is but one option in a world of media. Videogames are now more mainstream than ever - who cares if there's no new Heroes to watch when you can be a hero while playing 20+ hours worth of Mario Galaxy or Mass Effect?
- The good stuff will still get watched, just not on schedule. More and more, people are filtering out the crap, and finding the shows they really like via TIVO, iTunes, Amazon, online streaming, etc.
- Writers and other creative types will flock to alternative venues. Already, we're seeing some great web shows like Clark and Michael. We're seeing guys like Joss Whedon continue the stories of their TV characters in comic books. We're seeing writers from shows like The Office produce some funny content for YouTube in lieu of creating new TV episodes.
But these are only short-term effects. This strike could lead to the end of the fall premiere season as we know it, a shift in how entertainment corporations program networks vs. cable channels, and a myriad of other changes that are slowly beginning to materialize.
As far as what is going on right NOW in TV ... this past development season was decent, with a few quality new shows coming out, but also a lot of high-profile bombs. As always, the networks saw certain trends and sought to capitalize. The success of HEROES led to a number of shows that I'd put into the category of "extraordinary things happening to ordinary people." - not strictly sci-fi shows, because the new crop of Heroes offshoots were more character driven and looking for a mass audience. After Lost debuted, everyone wanted complex shows with intricate mythologies - this year, it was sci-fi-lite, with lots of shows that had comic book-ish premises but that focused more on romance, soap opera, and character dynamics. It was also the year of the Geek, as a ton of shows focused on longtime losers trying to move on up in the world - from Reaper to Chuck to The Big Bang Theory, there were a ton of geek-centric shows on the air this year, many trying to capture the fun of Hiro of Heroes fame. Finally, we got a lot of rich people behaving badly. I think a show that deals with unlikable characters has to be very savvy in order to remain appealing - whether its having a great sense of self-mocking humor a la Arrested Development, or having a solid entry-point character like Dirty Sexy Money. But - what happens when you take unlikable jerks and just expect us to find them utterly endearing? Well, you get Big Shots - one of the most easy-to-hate shows I've seen in a long while.
Finally - this was a year that a number of beloved fan favorites said their final goodbyes. Early in the year, THE OC capped off a run that had its ups and downs, but gave us some of the most memorable TV characters of the last few years. It was a show that was genuinely buzz-worthy in its first few seasons. As summer approached, two shows with huge fan followings concluded, both on The CW, which has continually struggled to market most of its programming. Yep, it was a sad day when GILMORE GIRLS closed up shop, and an even sadder one when one of my all-time favorites of the last few years, and the show that I've probably endorsed more than any other on the blog - VERONICA MARS - presented its last-ever mystery. As much fun as new shows like CHUCK and PUSHING DAISIES have been thus far, I am still missing that weekly dose of Ms. Mars, and am still a little bit bitter, I'll admit, at the CW for giving it such an unceremonious cancellation.
It was definitely a year of mixed quality, with a few favorites really suffering through creative slumps. Normally, the mighty 24 sits perched atop my year-end list with few other shows to challenge its GRAVITAS-infused dominance. But this year, I can't in good conscience even include the once-untouchable TV titan on my Top 10 list. Sure, a weak season of 24 is still better than most of what else is on TV, but it feels wrong to rank such a flawed year of such a typically great show above other, scrappier shows that came out in '07 and made an impact and brought their A-game.
HEROES was another one that had a much-talked-about slump. Personally, I never thought the show reached the creative heights to have that big a fall, with one or two exceptions. But I admit, I thought the show had drastically improved in the latter half of Season 1, and had high hopes for Season 2. So yeah, like most people, I have been pretty underwhelmed with the season so far. And really, there were only a handful of S1 eps that I considered truly A-level, so it was hard to justify the show making my list. With SMALLVILLE, I was hoping for a bit better quality than the last season or three, and I'll admit I've been pleasantly surprised that the show has raised its game a bit so far this season. But, it's still a far cry from the show that really hit its stride about five years ago now, and while it remains enjoyable, at this point I think only the hardcore fans find it worth watching each week for those little bits of brilliance every now and then.
Also, I definitely was a bit let-down by some shows this year that I had hoped might rebound and find new life. There was no better time to get excited again about THE SIMPSONS than this year, with a new, pretty well-received movie that I thought just might light a spark on this long-dormant sleeping giant of comedy. This season, there've been one or two bright spots (the most recent episode, in which Homer seeks to regain lost memories, was surprisingly well-done), but, for the most part, the Greatest Comedy of All Time has been depressingly mediocre, as has been typical the last, um, several years ... FAMILY GUY did have a bit of a resurgance late this fall, with a string of hilarious episodes (Stewie Kills Lois / Lois kills Stewie being the highlight) after several that were nothing special. It's a shame that the Strike may have derailed what was looking like a true return to form for this show after a few seasons of being merely sub-par. But man, I have nothing but respect for the still-ticking KING OF THE HILL. The show is as good now as it's ever been, and it's just a joy to see the show still going strong and delivering funny episode after funny episode. With this season's death of Cotton Hill, KOTH proved once again why it is one of the greatly underrated comedies on TV, one of the few shows that could handle the touchy subject of death in the family with so much humor and sweetness.
Even as shows like Heroes, 24, and even The Office went through slumps (those hour-long eps that opened S4 were a letdown for sure), some other shows regained their footing, or even improved by leaps and bounds. To me, PRISON BREAK was never more riveting than in the latter half of Season 2, thanks to the infusion of awesomeness that William Fichtner brought to the table. Similarly, many had counted out LOST, and I myself was totally frustrated with the show by the end of Season 2. But to me, S3 of LOST was, largely, a creative triumph, and the season was capped off by a string of classic episodes and one hell of a finale - one of the best, coolest episodes of a drama I've EVER witnessed. And finally, 30 ROCK kicked all kinds of ass in '07. I had a great feeling about the show from the start, but it continually surprises me in that it just keeps getting better and better. Season 2 has simply been phenomenal thus far - each episode has been gut-bustingly hilarious, and each of the leads, from Baldwin to Morgan, have been great. As great as The Office can be, 30 Rock has stepped it up and become the new undisputed king of TV comedy.
As far as new shows go, a few really stand out to me. I'll start with an HBO gem, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS. Watching this hilarious comedy, it's like the first time I saw Ali G or the British Office - it feels completely new and fresh, like nothing I've seen before. Sure, there are elements of everything from The Office to Beavis and Butthead to Tenacious D ... but there's no denying that the deadpan humor and hilarious songs of the Conchords are a brand of comedy that is pretty wholly unique. A bit more traditional is The CW's ALIENS IN AMERICA. But to me, the show blends the quirky-yet-realistic POV of a Malcolm in the Middle with some pretty astute social commentary. PUSHING DAISIES, on the other hand, is like nothing I've seen before, exactly. A Tim Burton movie meets, well, I don't know ... the show is just that unique, and fills my post-Gilmore Girls need for quirky characters and mile-a-minute, lovingly-crafted dialogue. CHUCK started off strong but has since only grown on me - it's a great blend of THE OC's style and humor with more traditional spy shows. And yeah, speaking of The OC, Josh Schwartz's other new show, GOSSIP GIRL, is already as addictive as that show was in its prime, with a similarly intriguing cast of teens who manage to getinto all sorts of entertaining trouble.
- A few quick notes about my Top 10 list: As always, I am only one man, and therefore can't watch everything on TV (though I sometimes feel like I do). I haven't really checked out some of the big cable buzz shows like Mad Men, and I still don't get HBO. So while I have already poured over the Flight of the Conchords Season 1 DVD and swept through all of Extras, I am anxiously awaiting the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm's DVD release in January. And, I haven't been following shows like The Sopranos or Dexter, which are obviously critical and fan favorites. Some day I'll catch up ...
So without further ado, Danny's TOP 10 TV SHOWS OF 2007:
1.) 30 ROCK
- Last year at this time, I would surely not have predicted that 30 Rock would be my top show of 2007. But here we are, and this actually turned out to be a fairly easy choice for me. 30 Rock has just been firing on all cylinders in its sophomore season. Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, and the rest of the superb cast just nails it, and the jokes fly a mile a minute, barely allowing time to recover from laughing at one thing to pay attention to what comes next. But hey, I guess it's only fitting that the best show on TV should so prominently feature an NBC Page! If you need further proof of 30 Rock's greatness, simply find and watch the recent episode "Greenzo" - one of the finest, funniest episodes of TV in recent memory.
2.) LOST
- What really struck me about Lost in '07 was just how focused the show was. It finally felt like we were getting tightly-plotted storyarcs alongside some great one-and-done, standalone episodes, and it felt like said storyarcs had a predetermined and well-thought out beginning, middle, and end. But put all that aside for a moment - Lost in '07 simply kicked ass in so many ways. Crazy eye-patched villains, Desmond becoming unstuck in time (brother), the final fate of Charlie, Locke going rogue, great chemistry between Kate and Sawyer, strong performance all around ... and yeah, the finale was all kinds of awesome, ending on one of the biggest twists ever seen on TV. Rarely, if ever, did a show leave me so primed and ready for the next season to commence.
3.) FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS
- This one gets such a high ranking with me because not only is it flat-out hilarious, and endlessly quotable, but like I said above, it is so fresh and different from anything else out there, that's it's been great to simply watch each new episode and delve deeper into the show's wondefully wacky sense of humor. Jermaine and Brett - the next great comedy duo? As soon as I heard "If You're Into It" I knew that these guys were legit - who else could dream up such innocently perverted song lyrics? Flight was surely the best new TV discovery of the year.
4.) PRISON BREAK
- As I've said over the last few years: for sheer pulpy pleasure, nothing matches up to Prison Break. Season 2 spiraled into a chaotic burst of energetic entertainment, as Mahone's insane streak brought him ever closer to tracking down Lincoln and Michael. As Season 2 ramped up the action and intensity with each episode, I found that there was no show I anticipated each week moreso than this one. With Season 3, there's been a lot to like, but the escape from Sona prison has yet to grab me as much as S2's international fugitive plotline. Still, with the craziest cast of characters on TV (T-Bag is surely television's most entertainingly vile villain), Prison Break is still a show that brings it each and every weak.
5.) GILMORE GIRLS
- I think I may be going against the grain with this pick, but to me, the final season of Gilmore was pretty much great TV from start to finish. Call me a softie, but that final string of episodes were enough to make even this hardened soul feel a bit tingly inside, and it was truly heart-breaking to say goodbye to one of the all-time great shows on television, with one of the most memorable cast of characters ever. Sure, people think of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore when they think of the show, but what I already miss most are all of the zany residents of Stars Hollow and the world of Gilmore - from Paris Geller to Lane and Zack to Kirk - I loved 'em all, and seeing Stars Hollow come together to give their beloved Rory a send-off worthy of their favorite daughter -- well, I don't know if there's ever been a more perfect series finale than this one.
6.) VERONICA MARS
- Seeing the great Kristen Bell on Heroes, well, it almost makes me sad, because it just makes me miss Veronica Mars that much more, and realize that most shows on the air could never hope to match its trademark blend of witty dialogue, film-noir stylings, teen angst, and intricate mysteries. Now it's true, VM did falter a bit throughout Season 3 ... but more often than not, this show was week in and week out one of TV's best, even if that remixed theme song was a pale shadow of the original version ... But I digress, Veronica Mars is one of those shows that people will talk about and remember for a LONG time to come. The truth is, it may have been too smart, too cool, too good for TV, and that is what's truly a shame. The fact that starry-eyed fanboys will forever dream of the Veronica-as-FBI-trainee Season 4 that never was speaks volumes about how damn endearing this show was.
7.) PUSHING DAISIES
- The best new network show of the year, it felt like everyone loved the show's pilot, yet still doubted its ability to sustain itself over the course of a season. Well, I think the show has done a fabulous job of defying the skeptics. Week in and week out, Daisies has been of the utmost quality, with the same kind of witty writing, fantastical style, and storybook appeal that made the pilot such a standout. Lee Pace and Anna Friel are magic as the two leads, and Chi McBride and Kristen Chenoweth have only gotten better each week. I can only hope that we have many more years of Pushing Daisies to look forward to.
8.) THE OFFICE
- Yes, The Office stumbled early this season with its string of hour-long episodes that felt dragged out and bloated. But those episodes were the exception to the rule - for most of '07, The Office was aces, building on its own momentum and doing a great job of fleshing out its large supporting cast. Ed Helms as Andy, for example? Just one more go-to source for hilarity that the show can take advantage of. The show had really handled the burgeoning Pam and Jim romance well, and done hilarious things with Dwight-Angela and Michael-Jan. And there's no denying that the last several episodes have all been near-classic. The last new ep so far this season - The Deposition - was a pretty brilliant deconstruction of Michael Scott, for example. 30 Rock may be king right now, but I don't think The Office will relinquish its crown without a fight.
9.) KING OF THE HILL
- As always, KOTH is the one true bedrock in FOX's Sunday night lineup. While Family Guy and The Simpsons vary wildly in quality from week to week, you always know what you're going to get from KOTH - just the way Hank Hill would like it. That's not to say that the show is in a rut, far from it. In its own understated way, KOTH manages to be one of the msot subtley funny and yet genuinely affecting comedies in TV history. I loved last season's wedding of Luanne and Lucky, and I was equally in admiration of this season's death of Cotton episode. I don't know if any other show is so consistent with its characters or themes - they may be cartoons, but I feel like I know Hank, Bobby, Dale, and the rest as people, and it's always a great pleasure to drop in on their lives. Here's to more great King of the Hill to come.
10.) CHUCK
- My other favorite new network show of the season, I've really come to have a soft spot for Chuck. The show has a great comedic voice, and more so than a Reaper or Big Bang Theory, I watch Chuck and really feel like I'm watching a love letter to all things geek. What other show could so seamlessly mix in references to Zork, Dune, or Call of Duty? And what other show features Adam Baldwin kicking ass and delivering self-referential one-liners in the way that only Adam Baldwin can? Chuck is a lot of fun, and I love how it is so genre-bending - it's not afraid to do slapstick comedy, have an intricately-choreographed fight scene, or get a little soapy, OC-style. This is another show that I really want to see thrive and prosper - so watch Chuck and ensure that we have many more adventures featuring Chuck, Morgan, Sarah, Casey, and yes ... Captain Awesome, for many more seasons.
Honorable Mention #1 - ALIENS IN AMERICA
- The next two picks didn't quite make the cut for the Top 10, but I felt they were worthy of special mention. Aliens in America is the best new sitcom of the year - it features some great characters and some genuinely smart episodes that often have really funny premises. I love the character of Raja - he's goofy and funny, but not a total cartoon either. And Justin is a great TV teen - with an outsider's sensibility that makes me think he'd get along well with the kids on Freaks And Geeks. If you like good comedy, you need to check this one out.
Honorable Mention #2 - GOSSIP GIRL
- Gossip Girl could have been a typically lame WB-style teen soap, but it really is a great show thansk to smart writing that produces a number of quotable lines each week, and makes its great-to-be-bad characters like Blair and Chuck that much more fun to watch. It's too early to tell exactly how good this show will or can be, but it has that rare quality that makes it a must-see - with storylines that generate buzz and characters that make you appreciate the fact that you're NOT a spoiled upper East side rich kid - because man, it ain't, apparently, as fun as you thought.
Special Mention #1 - EXTRAS
- Because Extras is a British import, and timing-wise it's a bit nebulous as to when, "officially," some of the episodes / season actually aired, I wasn't quite sure where to put it on my list. Adding to my uncertainty is the face that I feel like so much of my ultimate opinion of the show may end up being affected by the concluding Special, which I have yet to see. With THE OFFICE (UK), the Christmas Special helped, in my view, solidify the show as an all-time classic, and I could see something similar happening with Ricky Gervais' latest. As it stands, Extras was one of the best things I watched in 2007 - Gervais as always has a brilliant ability to meld comedy and satire with a surprising sense of dramatic weight. More than anyone else, Gervais somehow imbues his small little comedies with this epic sense of importance and scale. In Extras, the story of Andy Millman takes on an almost mythic importance, and that's partly why its conclusion will mean so much to the series. But in terms of sheer comedy, Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and the great Ashley Jensen are pure gold. I was very happy to see Gervais take home an Emmy for his work here, and, while I can't quite put it at the same level of The Office, Extras to me is a worthy followup, and another bloody good bit of comedic goodness from Ricky Gervais.
SHOWS TO WATCH FOR IN 2008:
- Yikes, it's hard to say if there will even BE any new episodes of most of our favorite shows in the new year. Already, it looks like 24 may be delayed until '09, which is a true shame as I was chomping at the bit to see a hopefully-revitalized 24 featuring a back-from-the-dead Tony Almeda wreaking unholy vengeance on Jack f'n Bauer. At least we know LOST is back in only a matter of weeks, but unless the strike gets resolves soon, it will be a woefully cut-short season. In a way, it's liberating to know that the new year will have less TV with which to get caught up in, but at the same time, it's frustrating to think how much quality stuff is now not going to make it to our living rooms anytime soon.
- LOST: Like everyone else, I'm still reeling from last season's killer cliffhanger, and dyin' to know what happens next. With only a finite number of eps left before all is said and done, I can't wait to see the buildup to the endgame.
- 24: Man, it may not come until '09, but who among us 24 faithful is not pumped to see the Soul-Patched one return, and as a potential villain no less? I have a good feeling about this season - Jack Bauer, Tony Almeda, Kurtwood Smith? Hells yeah, it's on like Donkey Kong. Please let us get some much-needed gravitas in '08!
- FAMILY GUY: Right before the strike, the once-great show seemed to be returning to its Season 1 form. Could it be so? Let's hope we get a chance to find out ...
- FUTURAMA: I haven't gotten a chance to watch Bender's Big Score on DVD yet, but I've heard excellent things, and I cannot wait for more Futurama in '08, whether it's on DVD, Comedy Central, whatever. One of the most underrated shows on the air in its day, more of this modern day classic can never be a bad thing.
- FRINGE: Little is known about this new project from JJ Abrams, except that it supposedly takes a few cues from one of my all-time favorite shows, The X-Files. From the buzz I've heard, this will definitely be one to watch for. And seeing as how it's one of the few high-profile drama scripts already completed, it may be one of the ONLY new TV blockbusters in '08.
- THE MIGHTY BOOSH: I loved what little I saw of this ridiculously quirky British show whilst in London in November, and it's my left-field pick to become a cult-fave in The States. I mean - surrealist tales of rock-star adventures, shamans, and giant apes? What's not to like? Could Boosh-mania hit the US in '08?
- THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES: I was pretty keen on the show's pilot, which I saw over the summer. It had some great action, and seemed to really tie-in well to the already established Terminator mythology. Summer Glau could be a real breakout as the teen-girl Terminator starting to discover her human side. This one definitely has potential, and could be the go-to source for slam-bang action in the absence of 24 or Prison Break come January.
- MISS/GUIDED - I don't know if this one will even make it to air, but in the absence of other new material, I can see ABC giving it a shot. It's a comedy starring Judy Greer (Arrested Development), who is really funny and made the pilot a lot of fun when I saw it originally. I thought the premise, about a once-nerdy girl going back to her old high school to be a guidance counsellor, might prove tiresome, but there seemed to be a ton of potential here.
- THE STATE ...? - Rumor is there may be a STATE special of some kind in the works for Comedy Central. If that's the case, well, I STILL demand that THE STATE be released on DVD, but, it would be awesome to have all-new State material on the tube as well.
So that's what I thought of '07 and what I'm looking out for in '08. Of course, the reality is that there will be a lot, of, well, reality. Ahhhh ... well, bring on American Gladiators, brother, because it's going to be a lot of top models and fat losers and eligible bachelors from here on out. So will people tune out en masse? Will we all be watching TV on the internet? Or will we all decide that playing some movie quiz on Facebook is way better than some stupid TV show anyways? Hmm, maybe someone should make a TV show about people who make quizzes on Facebook - then we could start a Facebook group about how much we hate it! Yes folks, it's a brave new world out there. See you on the flipside.
- Americans will shut off their TV's and won't come back. The TV industry is kidding itself if it doesn't realize how many other entertainment options there are, right now, for the average person. Sure, may people, older folks in particular, still like to just turn on the tube and go with whatever's on, whether its a football game or a Golden Girls rerun. But for most of us, TV is but one option in a world of media. Videogames are now more mainstream than ever - who cares if there's no new Heroes to watch when you can be a hero while playing 20+ hours worth of Mario Galaxy or Mass Effect?
- The good stuff will still get watched, just not on schedule. More and more, people are filtering out the crap, and finding the shows they really like via TIVO, iTunes, Amazon, online streaming, etc.
- Writers and other creative types will flock to alternative venues. Already, we're seeing some great web shows like Clark and Michael. We're seeing guys like Joss Whedon continue the stories of their TV characters in comic books. We're seeing writers from shows like The Office produce some funny content for YouTube in lieu of creating new TV episodes.
But these are only short-term effects. This strike could lead to the end of the fall premiere season as we know it, a shift in how entertainment corporations program networks vs. cable channels, and a myriad of other changes that are slowly beginning to materialize.
As far as what is going on right NOW in TV ... this past development season was decent, with a few quality new shows coming out, but also a lot of high-profile bombs. As always, the networks saw certain trends and sought to capitalize. The success of HEROES led to a number of shows that I'd put into the category of "extraordinary things happening to ordinary people." - not strictly sci-fi shows, because the new crop of Heroes offshoots were more character driven and looking for a mass audience. After Lost debuted, everyone wanted complex shows with intricate mythologies - this year, it was sci-fi-lite, with lots of shows that had comic book-ish premises but that focused more on romance, soap opera, and character dynamics. It was also the year of the Geek, as a ton of shows focused on longtime losers trying to move on up in the world - from Reaper to Chuck to The Big Bang Theory, there were a ton of geek-centric shows on the air this year, many trying to capture the fun of Hiro of Heroes fame. Finally, we got a lot of rich people behaving badly. I think a show that deals with unlikable characters has to be very savvy in order to remain appealing - whether its having a great sense of self-mocking humor a la Arrested Development, or having a solid entry-point character like Dirty Sexy Money. But - what happens when you take unlikable jerks and just expect us to find them utterly endearing? Well, you get Big Shots - one of the most easy-to-hate shows I've seen in a long while.
Finally - this was a year that a number of beloved fan favorites said their final goodbyes. Early in the year, THE OC capped off a run that had its ups and downs, but gave us some of the most memorable TV characters of the last few years. It was a show that was genuinely buzz-worthy in its first few seasons. As summer approached, two shows with huge fan followings concluded, both on The CW, which has continually struggled to market most of its programming. Yep, it was a sad day when GILMORE GIRLS closed up shop, and an even sadder one when one of my all-time favorites of the last few years, and the show that I've probably endorsed more than any other on the blog - VERONICA MARS - presented its last-ever mystery. As much fun as new shows like CHUCK and PUSHING DAISIES have been thus far, I am still missing that weekly dose of Ms. Mars, and am still a little bit bitter, I'll admit, at the CW for giving it such an unceremonious cancellation.
It was definitely a year of mixed quality, with a few favorites really suffering through creative slumps. Normally, the mighty 24 sits perched atop my year-end list with few other shows to challenge its GRAVITAS-infused dominance. But this year, I can't in good conscience even include the once-untouchable TV titan on my Top 10 list. Sure, a weak season of 24 is still better than most of what else is on TV, but it feels wrong to rank such a flawed year of such a typically great show above other, scrappier shows that came out in '07 and made an impact and brought their A-game.
HEROES was another one that had a much-talked-about slump. Personally, I never thought the show reached the creative heights to have that big a fall, with one or two exceptions. But I admit, I thought the show had drastically improved in the latter half of Season 1, and had high hopes for Season 2. So yeah, like most people, I have been pretty underwhelmed with the season so far. And really, there were only a handful of S1 eps that I considered truly A-level, so it was hard to justify the show making my list. With SMALLVILLE, I was hoping for a bit better quality than the last season or three, and I'll admit I've been pleasantly surprised that the show has raised its game a bit so far this season. But, it's still a far cry from the show that really hit its stride about five years ago now, and while it remains enjoyable, at this point I think only the hardcore fans find it worth watching each week for those little bits of brilliance every now and then.
Also, I definitely was a bit let-down by some shows this year that I had hoped might rebound and find new life. There was no better time to get excited again about THE SIMPSONS than this year, with a new, pretty well-received movie that I thought just might light a spark on this long-dormant sleeping giant of comedy. This season, there've been one or two bright spots (the most recent episode, in which Homer seeks to regain lost memories, was surprisingly well-done), but, for the most part, the Greatest Comedy of All Time has been depressingly mediocre, as has been typical the last, um, several years ... FAMILY GUY did have a bit of a resurgance late this fall, with a string of hilarious episodes (Stewie Kills Lois / Lois kills Stewie being the highlight) after several that were nothing special. It's a shame that the Strike may have derailed what was looking like a true return to form for this show after a few seasons of being merely sub-par. But man, I have nothing but respect for the still-ticking KING OF THE HILL. The show is as good now as it's ever been, and it's just a joy to see the show still going strong and delivering funny episode after funny episode. With this season's death of Cotton Hill, KOTH proved once again why it is one of the greatly underrated comedies on TV, one of the few shows that could handle the touchy subject of death in the family with so much humor and sweetness.
Even as shows like Heroes, 24, and even The Office went through slumps (those hour-long eps that opened S4 were a letdown for sure), some other shows regained their footing, or even improved by leaps and bounds. To me, PRISON BREAK was never more riveting than in the latter half of Season 2, thanks to the infusion of awesomeness that William Fichtner brought to the table. Similarly, many had counted out LOST, and I myself was totally frustrated with the show by the end of Season 2. But to me, S3 of LOST was, largely, a creative triumph, and the season was capped off by a string of classic episodes and one hell of a finale - one of the best, coolest episodes of a drama I've EVER witnessed. And finally, 30 ROCK kicked all kinds of ass in '07. I had a great feeling about the show from the start, but it continually surprises me in that it just keeps getting better and better. Season 2 has simply been phenomenal thus far - each episode has been gut-bustingly hilarious, and each of the leads, from Baldwin to Morgan, have been great. As great as The Office can be, 30 Rock has stepped it up and become the new undisputed king of TV comedy.
As far as new shows go, a few really stand out to me. I'll start with an HBO gem, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS. Watching this hilarious comedy, it's like the first time I saw Ali G or the British Office - it feels completely new and fresh, like nothing I've seen before. Sure, there are elements of everything from The Office to Beavis and Butthead to Tenacious D ... but there's no denying that the deadpan humor and hilarious songs of the Conchords are a brand of comedy that is pretty wholly unique. A bit more traditional is The CW's ALIENS IN AMERICA. But to me, the show blends the quirky-yet-realistic POV of a Malcolm in the Middle with some pretty astute social commentary. PUSHING DAISIES, on the other hand, is like nothing I've seen before, exactly. A Tim Burton movie meets, well, I don't know ... the show is just that unique, and fills my post-Gilmore Girls need for quirky characters and mile-a-minute, lovingly-crafted dialogue. CHUCK started off strong but has since only grown on me - it's a great blend of THE OC's style and humor with more traditional spy shows. And yeah, speaking of The OC, Josh Schwartz's other new show, GOSSIP GIRL, is already as addictive as that show was in its prime, with a similarly intriguing cast of teens who manage to getinto all sorts of entertaining trouble.
- A few quick notes about my Top 10 list: As always, I am only one man, and therefore can't watch everything on TV (though I sometimes feel like I do). I haven't really checked out some of the big cable buzz shows like Mad Men, and I still don't get HBO. So while I have already poured over the Flight of the Conchords Season 1 DVD and swept through all of Extras, I am anxiously awaiting the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm's DVD release in January. And, I haven't been following shows like The Sopranos or Dexter, which are obviously critical and fan favorites. Some day I'll catch up ...
So without further ado, Danny's TOP 10 TV SHOWS OF 2007:
1.) 30 ROCK
- Last year at this time, I would surely not have predicted that 30 Rock would be my top show of 2007. But here we are, and this actually turned out to be a fairly easy choice for me. 30 Rock has just been firing on all cylinders in its sophomore season. Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, and the rest of the superb cast just nails it, and the jokes fly a mile a minute, barely allowing time to recover from laughing at one thing to pay attention to what comes next. But hey, I guess it's only fitting that the best show on TV should so prominently feature an NBC Page! If you need further proof of 30 Rock's greatness, simply find and watch the recent episode "Greenzo" - one of the finest, funniest episodes of TV in recent memory.
2.) LOST
- What really struck me about Lost in '07 was just how focused the show was. It finally felt like we were getting tightly-plotted storyarcs alongside some great one-and-done, standalone episodes, and it felt like said storyarcs had a predetermined and well-thought out beginning, middle, and end. But put all that aside for a moment - Lost in '07 simply kicked ass in so many ways. Crazy eye-patched villains, Desmond becoming unstuck in time (brother), the final fate of Charlie, Locke going rogue, great chemistry between Kate and Sawyer, strong performance all around ... and yeah, the finale was all kinds of awesome, ending on one of the biggest twists ever seen on TV. Rarely, if ever, did a show leave me so primed and ready for the next season to commence.
3.) FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS
- This one gets such a high ranking with me because not only is it flat-out hilarious, and endlessly quotable, but like I said above, it is so fresh and different from anything else out there, that's it's been great to simply watch each new episode and delve deeper into the show's wondefully wacky sense of humor. Jermaine and Brett - the next great comedy duo? As soon as I heard "If You're Into It" I knew that these guys were legit - who else could dream up such innocently perverted song lyrics? Flight was surely the best new TV discovery of the year.
4.) PRISON BREAK
- As I've said over the last few years: for sheer pulpy pleasure, nothing matches up to Prison Break. Season 2 spiraled into a chaotic burst of energetic entertainment, as Mahone's insane streak brought him ever closer to tracking down Lincoln and Michael. As Season 2 ramped up the action and intensity with each episode, I found that there was no show I anticipated each week moreso than this one. With Season 3, there's been a lot to like, but the escape from Sona prison has yet to grab me as much as S2's international fugitive plotline. Still, with the craziest cast of characters on TV (T-Bag is surely television's most entertainingly vile villain), Prison Break is still a show that brings it each and every weak.
5.) GILMORE GIRLS
- I think I may be going against the grain with this pick, but to me, the final season of Gilmore was pretty much great TV from start to finish. Call me a softie, but that final string of episodes were enough to make even this hardened soul feel a bit tingly inside, and it was truly heart-breaking to say goodbye to one of the all-time great shows on television, with one of the most memorable cast of characters ever. Sure, people think of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore when they think of the show, but what I already miss most are all of the zany residents of Stars Hollow and the world of Gilmore - from Paris Geller to Lane and Zack to Kirk - I loved 'em all, and seeing Stars Hollow come together to give their beloved Rory a send-off worthy of their favorite daughter -- well, I don't know if there's ever been a more perfect series finale than this one.
6.) VERONICA MARS
- Seeing the great Kristen Bell on Heroes, well, it almost makes me sad, because it just makes me miss Veronica Mars that much more, and realize that most shows on the air could never hope to match its trademark blend of witty dialogue, film-noir stylings, teen angst, and intricate mysteries. Now it's true, VM did falter a bit throughout Season 3 ... but more often than not, this show was week in and week out one of TV's best, even if that remixed theme song was a pale shadow of the original version ... But I digress, Veronica Mars is one of those shows that people will talk about and remember for a LONG time to come. The truth is, it may have been too smart, too cool, too good for TV, and that is what's truly a shame. The fact that starry-eyed fanboys will forever dream of the Veronica-as-FBI-trainee Season 4 that never was speaks volumes about how damn endearing this show was.
7.) PUSHING DAISIES
- The best new network show of the year, it felt like everyone loved the show's pilot, yet still doubted its ability to sustain itself over the course of a season. Well, I think the show has done a fabulous job of defying the skeptics. Week in and week out, Daisies has been of the utmost quality, with the same kind of witty writing, fantastical style, and storybook appeal that made the pilot such a standout. Lee Pace and Anna Friel are magic as the two leads, and Chi McBride and Kristen Chenoweth have only gotten better each week. I can only hope that we have many more years of Pushing Daisies to look forward to.
8.) THE OFFICE
- Yes, The Office stumbled early this season with its string of hour-long episodes that felt dragged out and bloated. But those episodes were the exception to the rule - for most of '07, The Office was aces, building on its own momentum and doing a great job of fleshing out its large supporting cast. Ed Helms as Andy, for example? Just one more go-to source for hilarity that the show can take advantage of. The show had really handled the burgeoning Pam and Jim romance well, and done hilarious things with Dwight-Angela and Michael-Jan. And there's no denying that the last several episodes have all been near-classic. The last new ep so far this season - The Deposition - was a pretty brilliant deconstruction of Michael Scott, for example. 30 Rock may be king right now, but I don't think The Office will relinquish its crown without a fight.
9.) KING OF THE HILL
- As always, KOTH is the one true bedrock in FOX's Sunday night lineup. While Family Guy and The Simpsons vary wildly in quality from week to week, you always know what you're going to get from KOTH - just the way Hank Hill would like it. That's not to say that the show is in a rut, far from it. In its own understated way, KOTH manages to be one of the msot subtley funny and yet genuinely affecting comedies in TV history. I loved last season's wedding of Luanne and Lucky, and I was equally in admiration of this season's death of Cotton episode. I don't know if any other show is so consistent with its characters or themes - they may be cartoons, but I feel like I know Hank, Bobby, Dale, and the rest as people, and it's always a great pleasure to drop in on their lives. Here's to more great King of the Hill to come.
10.) CHUCK
- My other favorite new network show of the season, I've really come to have a soft spot for Chuck. The show has a great comedic voice, and more so than a Reaper or Big Bang Theory, I watch Chuck and really feel like I'm watching a love letter to all things geek. What other show could so seamlessly mix in references to Zork, Dune, or Call of Duty? And what other show features Adam Baldwin kicking ass and delivering self-referential one-liners in the way that only Adam Baldwin can? Chuck is a lot of fun, and I love how it is so genre-bending - it's not afraid to do slapstick comedy, have an intricately-choreographed fight scene, or get a little soapy, OC-style. This is another show that I really want to see thrive and prosper - so watch Chuck and ensure that we have many more adventures featuring Chuck, Morgan, Sarah, Casey, and yes ... Captain Awesome, for many more seasons.
Honorable Mention #1 - ALIENS IN AMERICA
- The next two picks didn't quite make the cut for the Top 10, but I felt they were worthy of special mention. Aliens in America is the best new sitcom of the year - it features some great characters and some genuinely smart episodes that often have really funny premises. I love the character of Raja - he's goofy and funny, but not a total cartoon either. And Justin is a great TV teen - with an outsider's sensibility that makes me think he'd get along well with the kids on Freaks And Geeks. If you like good comedy, you need to check this one out.
Honorable Mention #2 - GOSSIP GIRL
- Gossip Girl could have been a typically lame WB-style teen soap, but it really is a great show thansk to smart writing that produces a number of quotable lines each week, and makes its great-to-be-bad characters like Blair and Chuck that much more fun to watch. It's too early to tell exactly how good this show will or can be, but it has that rare quality that makes it a must-see - with storylines that generate buzz and characters that make you appreciate the fact that you're NOT a spoiled upper East side rich kid - because man, it ain't, apparently, as fun as you thought.
Special Mention #1 - EXTRAS
- Because Extras is a British import, and timing-wise it's a bit nebulous as to when, "officially," some of the episodes / season actually aired, I wasn't quite sure where to put it on my list. Adding to my uncertainty is the face that I feel like so much of my ultimate opinion of the show may end up being affected by the concluding Special, which I have yet to see. With THE OFFICE (UK), the Christmas Special helped, in my view, solidify the show as an all-time classic, and I could see something similar happening with Ricky Gervais' latest. As it stands, Extras was one of the best things I watched in 2007 - Gervais as always has a brilliant ability to meld comedy and satire with a surprising sense of dramatic weight. More than anyone else, Gervais somehow imbues his small little comedies with this epic sense of importance and scale. In Extras, the story of Andy Millman takes on an almost mythic importance, and that's partly why its conclusion will mean so much to the series. But in terms of sheer comedy, Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and the great Ashley Jensen are pure gold. I was very happy to see Gervais take home an Emmy for his work here, and, while I can't quite put it at the same level of The Office, Extras to me is a worthy followup, and another bloody good bit of comedic goodness from Ricky Gervais.
SHOWS TO WATCH FOR IN 2008:
- Yikes, it's hard to say if there will even BE any new episodes of most of our favorite shows in the new year. Already, it looks like 24 may be delayed until '09, which is a true shame as I was chomping at the bit to see a hopefully-revitalized 24 featuring a back-from-the-dead Tony Almeda wreaking unholy vengeance on Jack f'n Bauer. At least we know LOST is back in only a matter of weeks, but unless the strike gets resolves soon, it will be a woefully cut-short season. In a way, it's liberating to know that the new year will have less TV with which to get caught up in, but at the same time, it's frustrating to think how much quality stuff is now not going to make it to our living rooms anytime soon.
- LOST: Like everyone else, I'm still reeling from last season's killer cliffhanger, and dyin' to know what happens next. With only a finite number of eps left before all is said and done, I can't wait to see the buildup to the endgame.
- 24: Man, it may not come until '09, but who among us 24 faithful is not pumped to see the Soul-Patched one return, and as a potential villain no less? I have a good feeling about this season - Jack Bauer, Tony Almeda, Kurtwood Smith? Hells yeah, it's on like Donkey Kong. Please let us get some much-needed gravitas in '08!
- FAMILY GUY: Right before the strike, the once-great show seemed to be returning to its Season 1 form. Could it be so? Let's hope we get a chance to find out ...
- FUTURAMA: I haven't gotten a chance to watch Bender's Big Score on DVD yet, but I've heard excellent things, and I cannot wait for more Futurama in '08, whether it's on DVD, Comedy Central, whatever. One of the most underrated shows on the air in its day, more of this modern day classic can never be a bad thing.
- FRINGE: Little is known about this new project from JJ Abrams, except that it supposedly takes a few cues from one of my all-time favorite shows, The X-Files. From the buzz I've heard, this will definitely be one to watch for. And seeing as how it's one of the few high-profile drama scripts already completed, it may be one of the ONLY new TV blockbusters in '08.
- THE MIGHTY BOOSH: I loved what little I saw of this ridiculously quirky British show whilst in London in November, and it's my left-field pick to become a cult-fave in The States. I mean - surrealist tales of rock-star adventures, shamans, and giant apes? What's not to like? Could Boosh-mania hit the US in '08?
- THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES: I was pretty keen on the show's pilot, which I saw over the summer. It had some great action, and seemed to really tie-in well to the already established Terminator mythology. Summer Glau could be a real breakout as the teen-girl Terminator starting to discover her human side. This one definitely has potential, and could be the go-to source for slam-bang action in the absence of 24 or Prison Break come January.
- MISS/GUIDED - I don't know if this one will even make it to air, but in the absence of other new material, I can see ABC giving it a shot. It's a comedy starring Judy Greer (Arrested Development), who is really funny and made the pilot a lot of fun when I saw it originally. I thought the premise, about a once-nerdy girl going back to her old high school to be a guidance counsellor, might prove tiresome, but there seemed to be a ton of potential here.
- THE STATE ...? - Rumor is there may be a STATE special of some kind in the works for Comedy Central. If that's the case, well, I STILL demand that THE STATE be released on DVD, but, it would be awesome to have all-new State material on the tube as well.
So that's what I thought of '07 and what I'm looking out for in '08. Of course, the reality is that there will be a lot, of, well, reality. Ahhhh ... well, bring on American Gladiators, brother, because it's going to be a lot of top models and fat losers and eligible bachelors from here on out. So will people tune out en masse? Will we all be watching TV on the internet? Or will we all decide that playing some movie quiz on Facebook is way better than some stupid TV show anyways? Hmm, maybe someone should make a TV show about people who make quizzes on Facebook - then we could start a Facebook group about how much we hate it! Yes folks, it's a brave new world out there. See you on the flipside.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
THE BEST OF 2007 - Part 1 - The Year in MUSIC and COMICS.
Ahhhhh ... back at work. Well, that 4-day weekend sure came and went quickly, but at least I was able to have a few days of quality R & R time. I saw some good flicks (reviewed here on the blog in my previous post - WALK HARD and SWEENEY TODD), played ROCK BAND for the first time thanks to gaming guru Dan K (I even sang a few bars of ENTER SANDMAN in my best James Hetfield voice), cleaned up the apartment a bit, caught some NBA games, etc. Nothing too crazy, but some much needed down-time to be sure.
In any case, it's about that time of year when things are really winding down, and the list-makers unveil all of their top picks in the worlds of movies, TV, etc. Personally, I love year-end lists, though there's no question they've become a bit too prevalent of late. Everyone has their own these days, and it's hard to find many good ones that truly seem definitive. Inevitably, you get lists, like the ones from EW critics Owen Glieberman and Lisa Schwartzbaum, that highlight films that were only ever even seen at festivals this year ... and it begs the question - if these movies were so great, then why didn't the magazine cover them in the first place until now? That's the beauty of a blog; if I see a limited-release movie that I think is worthy of a ton of praise, then I will do what I can to spread the word, then and there, via the blog. I mean, I think I've raved about THE KING OF KONG enough times here that, when it inevitably charts high on my Best of '07 list, it should come as no big surprise to regular readers.
Now, I am going to hold off for a few days on my MOVIES Best Of list, mainly because I want to see THERE WILL BE BLOOD before putting out my definitive list. There are a few others I want to check out as well, like Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, but I realize I'm but one man and can only see so many movies in a year ... Still, the huge buzz for Blood makes me realize that if it turns out as good as some others have said, my end-of-year list might be very incomplete without it.
As far as TV goes ... my Best of '07 list is pretty set in my mind. The main twist is that I've finally gotten around to finishing up my FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS Season 1 DVD, and I'm realizing more and more just how hilarious that show is ... don't be surprised to see it turn up pretty high up on my list.
But anyways, on to the subject at hand ...
THE BEST in MUSIC - 2007:
- As has been the case these last few years, it's getting harder and harder to stay on top of the music scene because the whole thing is just so fragmented. Unless you are constantly and proactively seeking out the latest and greatest, it's not easy to find out what's up and comin' on TV (flipping over to MTV to catch the latest cool videos is now a total thing of the past, sadly), on the radio (I'm lucky to live in one of the few major markets that still has a modern rock station - but even KROQ here in LA tends to get pretty repetitive), etc. It's funny though - music finds a way to push through to the mainstream. Look at video games like GUITAR HERO and ROCK BAND - a few years ago, the game makers were practically begging record labels to use their songs in the game, and early versions of GH were heavy on poor-man's cover versions of popular songs. Now though, the tables have turned -- the record labels are coming around and realizing that in this day and age, there is practically NO BETTER way to get exposure for new bands or old favorites than to have a song playable on Guitar Hero or Rock Band. As a classic rock afficianado, I needed no introduction to the likes of Metallica, Rush, Cheap Trick, Kiss, etc. But I know that I've come to know and love several cool songs via Guitar Hero - bands like Wolfmother, for example, that I only had a passing familiarity with before, I'm now a bonafide fan of after having so much fun strumming along to "Woman" on GH2.
But while the fact that a new generation of kids is being turned on to rock thanks to games like GH is a bright spot for music, let's not kid ourselves - the industry is still hurting, and hurting bad. The MTV Video Music Awards this year were a sign of things truly hitting rock bottom. The fact that a freakshow like Britney Spears got to stumble her way around the stage at the expense of up and coming hungry bands was just tragic, and the awards themeselves were like a giant ad for everything wrong with music today. When even MTV posterchild Justin Timberlake is telling you to play more music, well, you might have a problem. Compound this with plummeting album sales, and it's looking more and more like the music industry is dead in the water.
So what's the solution? Personally, I think the record labels and vendors need to reexamine the good ol' CD. Wasn't the whole problem that CDs were deemed too expensive as compared to the attractiveness of a la carte, 99 cent downloads? So why am I still going to Best Buy and seeing CD's upwards of $15? CD's should be between $5 and $10, period. If that were the case, I think there could be a resurgance of sales. But of course, that's only one problem among many. Artists are simply lacking promotion - for all we know the next Led Zeppelin might be out there, with their own MySpace page, but no real means to get to that next level. Remember the 90's when great musicians were ALSO mainstream musicians? Bands like Nirvana, REM, Pearl Jam, and STP? We need to get back to that era of great bands getting great promotion and mainstream exposure - if it's not through MTV or rock radio, it has to come from somewhere ... maybe it's time for record labels to finally and fully embrace forums like MySpace and Facebook, and let users stream full albums or at least selected tracks.
As far as new music of '07 goes, this was definitely a big year for reunions. The one big one that actually resulted in a new album was THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, who had some pretty solid stuff with their latest songs, even if it didn't quite match up to the classic Pumpkins that we know and love. In the meantime, there's no new material from these guys as of yet, but it was still pretty cool that in a number of cases, the band got back together. Phil Collins and Genesis, David Lee Roth and Van Halen, Sting and the Police, and the mothership of all reunions, which please lord was not a one-time only event, LED ZEPPELLIN, who reunited for one show in London that was, reportedly, pretty freaking awesome.
But back to new music, I heard a lot of cool stuff this year in terms of modern rock. Some random favorites:
- An abundance of cool new bands featuring kickass female vocalists. My favorite of the bunch was probably FLYLEAF, who had a great single in "All Around Me."
- A great new album from one of the best bands of the 00's - THE WHITE STRIPES. These guys continue to impress, and "Icky Thump" was another rock n' roll beast.
- I know a lot of people don't like them, and at times they haven't been my favorite, but I have to admit that few bands do unfiltered aggression like LINKIN PARK. Their latest batch of tunes had some great pump-up songs, so call it a guilty pleasure, but I continue to enjoy the band (and btw, I noticed that even Rolling Stone listed the latest from LP amongst their year's best, so I guess I'm not alone on this one ...).
- Speaking of guilty pleasures - don't deny it - at some point this summer, you probably rocked out a little to Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend." Yeah yeah, I get a lot of flack for it, but who can resist the sugar-coated pop-punk catchiness of Ms. Lavigne's musical stylings? Speaking of which, some other favorite candy-coated pop treats this year included the ubiquitous "Umbrella" by Rihanna, "The Way I Are" by Timbaland, and some great, catchy tunes from one of the year's standout debuts, Lilly Allen.
-On the comedy front, this was a great year for music that brought the funny. In large part, that was thanks to the brilliant guys of FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, who pepper each episode of their HBO series with original songs that are typically flat-out hilarious. Few things made me laugh harder this year than the Conchords tune "If You're Into It." Or what about "Most Beautiful Girl in the Room." Classic. Also, we just this week were treated to a movie, WALK HARD, that was rife with spot-on musical parodies, from a hilarious riff on Dylan to a legit catchy, Johnny Cash-esque song in "Walk Hard." Finally, one of the best TV shows of the year, 30 ROCK, has been great at coming up with some classic spoof songs. Listen to the hilarity of "Werewolf Bar-Mitzvah" and see for yourself.
- Okay, so now let me talk briefly about what, to me, was far and way the ALBUM OF THE YEAR of 2007. To preface - this is a time when, politically, well, it's a time like the 60's where you almost want and expect the music to reflect that the times they are a-changin'. And no, I'm not sure if Pink's subtle-as-brick-to-the-head "Dear Mr. President" falls into the category of good, politically-charged music. But one band this year stepped up and made an album that subtley and beautifully captured a certain zeitgeist. Lyrically, I haven't been able to stop thinking about songs like "No Cars Go" or "Intervention." Musically, I don't know if I've ever heard anything that combines such an eclectic mix of instruments and vocals to produce such an interesting and haunting sound. The band I'm talking about, of course, is ARCADE FIRE, and the album is Neon Bible - which takes my award for Album of the Year 2007, far and away. Now, strictly speaking this isn't the kind of rock n' roll I tend to favor, but to me true rock is anything that is powerful and aggressive enough to really move ya', and in that respect NEON BIBLE fits the bill, 100%. As they say in "No Cars Go," this is one of those rare albums and collections of music that manifests "between the click of the light and the start of the dream." Check it out if you haven't already.
- On another note, it was a great year for me in terms of seeing a bunch of awesome concerts here in LA. You can find more detailed recaps elsewhere on the blog, but some of the highlights included: seeing POISON at Gibson Ampitheater (Ratt was also there, but whatever ...), the SCORPIONS, also at Universal, checking out a rocktacular triple bill of STYX, FOREIGNER, and DEF LEPPARD in the OC, and finally, seeing VAN HALEN return to their rock n' roll glory at Staples. From seeing an entire ampitheater pumping their fists in time to the beat of "Jukebox Hero," to hearing "Come Sail Away" live and in person, to rockin' out to the "Unskinny Bop," to getting ROCKED LIKE A HURRICANE, to seeing the real-life guitar hero that is Eddie Van Halen kick seven kinds of ass whilst channeling the thunder of the gods into his axe ... well, it was a great year for concerts! On my wish-list for '08 -- AC/DC, Metallica, and man, wouldn't it be great if I could GET THE LED OUT up close and personal, just one time?
So that about wraps things up in terms of music in '07. All I can hope for is that '08 is a year that rocks harder than any to date.
THE BEST in COMICS - 2007:
- In the mighty world of comics, this was definitely what one might call a bit of a rough year in some respects. As a DC fan to the core, it was tough to see so many key books struggle with lateness and just overall poor quality following the conclusion of last year's big event in the world of DC - 52. Across the line, DC was forced to delay storylines, use fill-in writers and artists, and even had to resort to using Annuals to publish the conclusions to long-delayed and much hyped runs on a number of big-name books. Meanwhile, after the critical and commercial success of 52, DC has followed it up with the completely underwhelming Countdown, a new weekly series that was supposed to have been the spine of the DC Universe. Countdown carried with it the big-name hype of Paul Dini, who has earned fans' respect for his groundbreaking work on Batman: The Animated Series and a number of highly-regarded comic projects, like Batman: Mad Love. But from the get-go, Countdown has been mediocre at best, flat-out awful at worst. The pacing quickly slowed to a total crawl, and most of the characters started out as unlikable, and have since done little to win the hearts of fans.
Worse, DC has gone completely overboard on the tie-ins, with comic shop stands littered with all manner of Countdown-labeled books. While some, like Countdown to Adventure and Countdown to Mystery, have been pretty good reads, they would certainly have benefitted from not being saddled with lame backup stories that try to tie the books more directly into the Countdown storyline. But even with the bright spots, it saddens me to say that most of the books tying into Countdown have been either nothing special or just out and out disappointments, and many reek of desperate attempts to suck away consumers' cash.
On another sour note, a number of books that were once dependable monthly reads have lost key creative team members and have yet to find their footing. While I have nothing against guys like Sean McKeever and Tony Bedard and Adam Beechen, their names simply cropped up wayyy too many times this year on random DC books, and it's hard to believe that each is doing their best work when they're seemingly handling 8 books a month each. It doesn't help that all 3 guys are part of the mess that is Countdown - a book that's been plagued by sloppy writing and pacing. But man, books like TEEN TITANS and BIRDS OF PREY, which were always great reads under the guidance of Geoff Johns and Gail Simone respectively, soon became very uneven after their longtime creators departed, both suffering from long delays between one regular writer's departure and the start of another's tenure.
Bottom line: there were too many random fill-ins this year on come of comicdom's biggest books, and not enough great, consistent runs.
And with so many DC books falling under the umbrella of Countdown, it was hard to find those little gems that make for great reading each and every month. One such book from DC was Will Pfeifer and David Lopez on CATWOMAN. Forget what you know of the character and forget that godawful Hallie Berry movie - Pfeifer is doing an awesome job making this a sweet character driven book with a ton of great twists and turns. The writing team of Palmiotti and Gray continues to make JONAH HEX into a consistently fun read, turning out slick, one-and-done pulp Western adventures each and every month. And Peter David still impresses me every month with his work on FALLEN ANGEL from IDW Press - a solidly atmospheric book that is always one of those great read-before-going-to-sleep titles.
While some big name creators failed to live up to the hype this year, others had some of their best years ever. Grant Morrison's run on BATMAN thus far has been a mixed bag, with some great standalone stories, but a semi-lame attempt at a big-event storyline in "the Return of Ra's Al Ghul," which overlapped with Detective, Robin, and Nightwing. (On the other hand, Morrison's stuff on ALL-STAR SUPERMAN is absolutely phenomenal). Now, Paul Dini's run on DETECTIVE COMICS has been spectacular at times ... when it actually comes out. It's too bad that Dini's stories only come out sporadically, because he and artist Don Kramer have done some awesome Batman stories so far. Over on SUPERMAN, Kurt Busiek had moments of greatness, but his work has been plagued by forced Countdown tie-ins and artistic delays by the likes of Carlos Pacheco - and his big storynes (Camelot Falls, anyone?) seemed to drag and drag and drag. But, over on ACTION COMICS, Geoff Johns seems to finally be hitting his stride after a few so-so initial storyarcs (including his much-hyped run with Richard Donner) - his latest pairing with artist Gary Frank seems to be just what the doctor ordered, and Action looks to be huge in 2008.
In sum, this was a year in comics where a lot of crap took up shelf space, but there were some really bright spots, some material that may eventually rank amongst some of the greatest comics stories ever told.
I think any fanboy worth his salt will tell you that the Geoff Johns-penned GREEN LANTERN: SINESTRO CORPS WAR was not only the best superhero storyline of the year, but one of the coolest, most exciting storylines we've seen in mainstream comics in YEARS. It didn't hurt that the artwork, from Ethan Van Sciver and Ivan Reiss, was holy $#%#, off-the-chain awesome. And it's already a well-worn cliche how the relatively underhyped-at-the-time Sinestro Corps went on to become the smash hit of '07, while another big event, the godawful AMAZONS ATTACK, totally bombed. Man, I don't know what happened on that one, but it was hard to believe it was written by the same Will Pfeifer who's been so great on books like HERO and CATWOMAN. In any case, Johns has been on a real roll this year. Sinestro Corps was awesome, as was the finale of 52, but the guy has also done bang-up work on JSA (though I'm still kind of waiting for the new series to recapture some of the magic of Johns' first run), BOOSTER GOLD, and it looks like he's finally starting to hit his stride on ACTION COMICS as well. This was definitely one of Geoff Johns' most creatively successful years to date.
Gail Simone is sometimes hit or miss with me, but I thoroughly enjoyed her long and celebrated run on BIRDS OF PREY, and she went out in style, with some great final storyarcs and one hell of a last issue - very sad to see her leave a book she helped make one of DC's best for years on end, keeping the momentum going following Chuck Dixon's long run. One other guy who just continues to impress as a writer is BRIAN K. VAUGHAN. It's been sad to see one of the best comics ever, Y: THE LAST MAN, wind down, but it helps to know that Vaughan is still kicking ass monthly with the amazing EX MACHINA. Another of my all-time faves, FABLES, is still going strong as well, and its spinoff book, JACK OF FABLES, has quietly emerged as a superb read in in its own right. And man ... I've been scooping up every collection I can find of the gloriously gory THE WALKING DEAD - one of the most riveting reads in comics.
So, without further ado, here are my picks for the BEST COMICS OF 'O7:
BEST ONGOING SERIES:
- ALL STAR SUPERMAN - With each new issue of All Star, writer Grant Morrison is not just penning a *great* issue of a comic book, he's delivering an instant-classic. All Star continually amazes me with its mix of Silver Age style and quirkiness with modern depth. Morrison is simply telling stories that represent all of the awe, mystery, wonder, and fun that a character like Superman should be about. The art by Frank Quietly is astounding - the amount of detail and character in each panel, the way the art flows along the page - well, it doesn't feel like any comic I've ever read before. In '07, All Star really, I believe, hit its stride, and each new issue was a total treasure to be read and savored.
Runners Up:
- GREEN LANTERN - Geoff Johns and Ivan Reiss did a spectacular job bringing a sense of true epic storytelling to this title, crafting a blockbuster for the ages in the Sinestro Corps War, and giving the GL mythos its own Star Wars trilogy of sorts, in terms of scope and sheer fun-factor. The art from Reiss was consistently spectacular.
- FABLES - Bill Willingham is just a machine on Fables, churning out one great story after another, each building on the last and yet standing on its own as a captivating tale. This year, "The Good Prince" was Fables at its best - a sprawling story both whimsical and epic, with always-awesome artwork by the great Mark Buckingham.
- EX MACHINA - Brian K. Vaughan delivered a ton of great politically-charged tales this year, in his ongoing series about a superpowered Mayor of New York City. BKV's wit, combined with the superb art of Tony Harris, makes Ex Machina one of the best books out there month in and month out.
BEST MINISERIES:
- JLA / HITMAN - There's a reason why Garth Ennis is one of the best writers that the comics biz has ever seen, and he reminded everyone of his storytelling skills and gift for black humor with this blast-from-the-past mini, that saw the return of one of Ennis' cult-fave creations - the tough-as-nails vigilante known as Hitman. In this lost tale, that told of Hitman's brief time as a member of the straight-and-narrow Justice League, we got a hilarious, but oddly moving tale of mixed-up, real-world morality and how it contrasts with the black and white worlds of Superman and Batman. To me, JLA / Hitman was a classic, full of the kind of crackling dialogue that Ennis is known for, a ton of memorable moments, and some truly hilarious humor. Overall, one of the best stories DC has published in a long while.
RUNNERS UP:
- BLACK ADAM: THE DARK AGE - One of the best minis to spin out of 52, Black Adam has been an awesome read thus far, thanks to writer Peter Tomasi, who makes Teth Adam into one evil badass, all the while making us root for him on his quest ot ressurect his slain wife Isis. The gritty art from Doug Mahnke perfectly suits the book's grizzly tone, and I can't wait to read next month's conclusion.
BEST NEW SERIES:
- BOOSTER GOLD - Geoff Johns showed that Infinite Crisis and 52 weren't simply about systematically killing all of DC's most beloved characters, as one of the fan-favorites from the JLI days got his own series in '07, and it's been, to me, the best and most refreshing new book of the year. It's got action, adventure, and humor - and one of the most appealing lead characters in Booster, a hero who would once do anything for a buck, but is now the greatest hero the world will never know, turning over a new altruistic leaf as he helps prevent trouble in the timestream. With the latest ish of BG, Johns and co. took a turn for the dramatic, in a moving tale of how certain tragedies cannot be magically repaired by tampering with time. Great stuff, and it's also really cool to see Dan Jurgens, the creator of BG, doing great stuff on pencils.
BEST STORYLINE:
- GREEN LANTERN: THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR - High adventure, vile villains, a legion of intergalactic heroes facing insurmountable odds, and more eye-bugging cliffhangers than you could shake a stick at (the ending of the kickoff special, with an alliance of ultimate badasses - Sinestro! Suberboy Prime! Cyborg Superman! The Anti-Monitor! - poised to destroy the GL Corps, was truly one of the year's most memorable comic book moments). These were just some of the elements that made this one of the coolest storylines in years, one of those rare blockbuster tales where you simply can't wait to tear into the next chapter. Geoff Johns tossed so many crazy ideas into this one, and his team of artists blew me away with their insane pencils. This is the kind of kickass epic that makes people in Hollywood jealous, because no movie, no matter how big the budget, could ever hope to tell an action epic on this grand of a scale.
BEST SINGLE ISSUE:
- GREEN LANTERN #25 - An amazing, climactic ending to the Sinestro Corps war, this extra-sized ish blew fandom's collective minds, not only with the way it wrapped up the ongoing story in epic fashion, but with the tantalizing clues towards future GL plotlines that it teased, promising even more GL goodness to come in '08 and '09. Almost too much to take-in in a single read, this issue was what great comics are all about.
RUNNERS UP:
- GREEN LANTERN: SINESTRO CORPS SPECIAL
- 52 #52
- ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #9
- Y: THE LAST MAN #58
- CATWOMAN #72
BEST COMIC READ IN TRADE-PAPERBACK FORM:
- THE WALKING DEAD - When I get a new collection of The Walking Dead, I tend to blow through it cover to cover as quickly as I can. You just can't put 'em down, because each page of this post-apocalyptic zombie epic might contain the next shocking cliffhanger or huge holy $#$@ moment. The genious of writer Robert Kirkman is that he creates characters you care about, and when one of them does ineveitably bite it (or get bitten by it, more accurately), it's truly heart-wrenching. Great, great series and highly recommended, even if you're not a zombie or horror fan - I know I wasn't, really, but now I'm totally hooked on The Walking Dead - it's just that good!.
MOST UNDERRATED ONGOING SERIES:
- CATWOMAN - Will Pfeifer has done a great job bringing Selina Kyle to life. This book really COULD have taken some disasterous turns in the wrong hands, too, as the decision to have Selina give birth following last year's One Year Later jump was a storyline questioned by many fans. But Will did a great job of using the story to have Selina evolve as a character, and it all culminated in the heartwrenching #72, where things took yet another unexpected twist. Check this one out if you haven't - a great read.
MOST IMPROVED SERIES:
- JACK OF FABLES - At first, I didn't quite warm to this FABLES spin-off - it seemed a bit extraneous and took a while to find its groove,after an opening arc that didn't quite grab me. But I'm glad I stuck with it, because Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges have really found their footing of late, and now I eagerly await each new issue of JACK - it's funny, full of adventure, and features cool stories that feel a bit more subversive and darkly humorous than the typical Fables yarn (one of my favorites - the one-shot tale of how Jack briefly became Jack Pumpkinhead).
BEST WRITER:
- GEOFF JOHNS - You get the hint by now - this was the year of Johns. The man was everywhere, revitalizing old heroes and villains, delivering stories that lived up to the hype (mostly - can anyone say Christopher Kent?!?!), and creating genuine buzz amongst comic fans. Johns was a key part of 52, which finished in exciting fashion last summer. The maestro behind the storyline of the year in Sinestro Corps. The guy who made JSA consistently great, and who launched the best new book of the year in Booster Gold. Johns has a sense for the epic like few others do, but he still places a premium on character, which is what makes those epics so memorable. Johns is one of those guys who sometimes seems to be trying to do too much with one storyline, or overexerting himself by tackling too many projects at once. But when he's on his game, as he's been on Flash, on JSA, and was this year on GL ... he's the best in the biz.
RUNNERS UP:
- BRIAN K. VAUGHAN - Vaughan continued to solidify Y: The Last Man as one of the all-time great comics, with a number of iconic moments in '07, as the series headed towards its soon-to-be-released final issue. Meanwhile, Ex Machina is written with a sophistication and flair that outdoes most big name TV series, mixing politics, social commentary, and intrigue in a brilliant montly read. Plus, he was a staff writer on LOST, which churned out a number of uber-cool eps this season. The guy can do it all.
- ED BRUBAKER - I only occasionally venture into the world of Marvel, but I couldn't ignore the sheer quality that one of my favorite writers was bringing each and every month to Capatain America. I mean, the guy killed Cap, for god's sake, but he did so with style and grace, and the buildup and followup was superb, and the book is still going strong months after the title's titular hero was offed. Once again, Bru proved to be amongst the best in the biz - bringing a maturity and depth to seemingly cartoony characters like few others can.
BEST ARTIST:
- IVAN REISS and ETHAN VAN SCIVER - What these two did on Green Lantern this year was truly remarkable, and I think they raised the bar for comic book art to some degree. In the course of Sinestro Corps War, these two delivered full-size, double page spreads that sent chills up and down my spine as I gazed at them. They delivered action scenes consisting of hundreds of Corps members duking it out on alien planets. they made every hero as heroic as possible, every villain as evil and menacing as can be, and yet, the little character moments were never overlooked either. Without the spectacular art, there's no way GL would have been as great as it was this year. And I give a ton of credit to Reiss - he stepped up his game and was churning out some of the most kickass pages imaginable on a monthly basis, which few artists of that caliber can claim.
RUNNERS UP:
- DALE EAGLESHAM - Dale's classical style was a perfect fit for JSA, where he's now getting a lot of mainstream accolades, and rightly so. The guy can flat out draw, and he has a dynamism that's awesome to behold, mixed with a smoothness and clarity that makes his art quite easy on the eyes. I've been a fan for a long while now, but Eaglesham simply continues to impress.
- FRANK QUIETLY - With each issue of All Star Superman, Quietly just impresses more and more. His somewhat oddball style is a perfect fit for Grant Morrison's far-out storylines, but the sheer flow and motion inherent in each page of All Star is really amazing to just study and stare at. Quietly again proves why he's among the best out there, with his work on Superman making him a true all-star of the biz.
BREAKOUT WRITER:
- GREG PAK - The other big event that got me to jump over to the Marvel side of things this year was the mostly well-done WORLD WAR HULK, and a lot of my enthusiasm for the story was because of the way writer Greg Pak crafted a balls-to-the-wall action epic filled with great one-liners and fun set-pieces that would make Spielberg jealous. I wasn't crazy about the ending of the mini, but still, Pak is now definitely on my radar, and it was cool to see him step up and deliver on WWH, making it one of the year's coolest events.
BREAKOUT ARTIST:
- SHANE DAVIS - I was so-so on the Jim Starlin-penned MYSTERY IN SPACE, but I stuck with it to the end in large part because of the awesome pencils of Shane Davis, who seemed to be channeling Jim Lee with the sheer cool-factor of his art. Everything I've seen from this guy has looked great, and the arc that he just began on Superman / Batman looks to feature even more killer art from Davis.
BEST MOVIE BASED ON A COMIC BOOK:
- 300 - No question on this one, 300 owned '07 when it came to comics at the movies. Not that the competition was especially strong (Fantastic 4 and Ghost Rider and Spiderman 3 and 30 Days of Night - need I say more ...? Okay, well there was STARDUST, but still ...). But 300 showed again that when you get a guy like Zack Snyder, who treats the source material with respect and actively seeks the input of creators like Frank Miller, you're going to get a film that lives up to comics fans' expectations and then some. 300 had great action, over-the-top drama, a cool and highly stylized look that evoked the art of Frank Miller ... what more do you want? THIS. IS. SPARRRRTA.
SPECIAL "WTF" AWARD:
- ALL STAR BATMAN & ROBIN - Some love it, some hate it. Me, well, as crazy as this book is, I have been enjoying the hell out of it, as it's gotta be one of the craziest, dirtiest, and most insane superhero books ever written. It's like Frank Miller wasn't quite sure what he wanted this book to be. So he wrote issue #1 and realized it was pretty over the top, with the now infamous scene where Batman refers to himself as "the god-damned Batman!". So basically, Miller just went with it - and now it's like he feels the need to outdo himself with each new issue, with each month's story and dialogue more outrageous than the last. Oh, where to begin ... how about Batman and Black Canary getting down n' dirty after fighting the crime, with Batman insisting that they "leave the masks on." How about the sadomasochistic relationship between Superman and Wonder Woman, or the fact that Batman apparently hates the crap out of Green Lantern? As crazy as Miller's latest take on the Dark Knight is, the art by the legendary Jim Lee is as badass as you could hope for. So all in all, one of 07's most controversial books is, luckily, also one of its most entertaining - I mean, who ever thought that a Batman comic in 2007 could be laugh-out loud funny?
Anyways, that's the year in comics for ya'. The great news is that '08 looks to be amazing for geeks everywhere. At the movies we've got surefire blockbusters like THE DARK KNIGHT and IRON MAN, and in the comics world there are some huge events brewing, like DC's much-hyped FINAL CRISIS, for one, plus more Johns on GL and Booster and Action, more Fables and Walking Dead and Ex Machina, Chuck Dixon back on Robin, Tomasi on Nightwing, the grand finale of Y: The Last Man, maybe that long-rumored PREACHER TV show, and plenty of other crazy stuff that I haven't even imagined yet! There's more than enough good stuff, however, to rest assured that '07 was the year that the geek did inherit the earth. Don't fight it, cuz you know it's true.
Whew! I'm tapped. Leave a comment and let me know what you think, and I'll be back at ya' soon for year's the best in TV. Until then, rock on.
In any case, it's about that time of year when things are really winding down, and the list-makers unveil all of their top picks in the worlds of movies, TV, etc. Personally, I love year-end lists, though there's no question they've become a bit too prevalent of late. Everyone has their own these days, and it's hard to find many good ones that truly seem definitive. Inevitably, you get lists, like the ones from EW critics Owen Glieberman and Lisa Schwartzbaum, that highlight films that were only ever even seen at festivals this year ... and it begs the question - if these movies were so great, then why didn't the magazine cover them in the first place until now? That's the beauty of a blog; if I see a limited-release movie that I think is worthy of a ton of praise, then I will do what I can to spread the word, then and there, via the blog. I mean, I think I've raved about THE KING OF KONG enough times here that, when it inevitably charts high on my Best of '07 list, it should come as no big surprise to regular readers.
Now, I am going to hold off for a few days on my MOVIES Best Of list, mainly because I want to see THERE WILL BE BLOOD before putting out my definitive list. There are a few others I want to check out as well, like Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, but I realize I'm but one man and can only see so many movies in a year ... Still, the huge buzz for Blood makes me realize that if it turns out as good as some others have said, my end-of-year list might be very incomplete without it.
As far as TV goes ... my Best of '07 list is pretty set in my mind. The main twist is that I've finally gotten around to finishing up my FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS Season 1 DVD, and I'm realizing more and more just how hilarious that show is ... don't be surprised to see it turn up pretty high up on my list.
But anyways, on to the subject at hand ...
THE BEST in MUSIC - 2007:
- As has been the case these last few years, it's getting harder and harder to stay on top of the music scene because the whole thing is just so fragmented. Unless you are constantly and proactively seeking out the latest and greatest, it's not easy to find out what's up and comin' on TV (flipping over to MTV to catch the latest cool videos is now a total thing of the past, sadly), on the radio (I'm lucky to live in one of the few major markets that still has a modern rock station - but even KROQ here in LA tends to get pretty repetitive), etc. It's funny though - music finds a way to push through to the mainstream. Look at video games like GUITAR HERO and ROCK BAND - a few years ago, the game makers were practically begging record labels to use their songs in the game, and early versions of GH were heavy on poor-man's cover versions of popular songs. Now though, the tables have turned -- the record labels are coming around and realizing that in this day and age, there is practically NO BETTER way to get exposure for new bands or old favorites than to have a song playable on Guitar Hero or Rock Band. As a classic rock afficianado, I needed no introduction to the likes of Metallica, Rush, Cheap Trick, Kiss, etc. But I know that I've come to know and love several cool songs via Guitar Hero - bands like Wolfmother, for example, that I only had a passing familiarity with before, I'm now a bonafide fan of after having so much fun strumming along to "Woman" on GH2.
But while the fact that a new generation of kids is being turned on to rock thanks to games like GH is a bright spot for music, let's not kid ourselves - the industry is still hurting, and hurting bad. The MTV Video Music Awards this year were a sign of things truly hitting rock bottom. The fact that a freakshow like Britney Spears got to stumble her way around the stage at the expense of up and coming hungry bands was just tragic, and the awards themeselves were like a giant ad for everything wrong with music today. When even MTV posterchild Justin Timberlake is telling you to play more music, well, you might have a problem. Compound this with plummeting album sales, and it's looking more and more like the music industry is dead in the water.
So what's the solution? Personally, I think the record labels and vendors need to reexamine the good ol' CD. Wasn't the whole problem that CDs were deemed too expensive as compared to the attractiveness of a la carte, 99 cent downloads? So why am I still going to Best Buy and seeing CD's upwards of $15? CD's should be between $5 and $10, period. If that were the case, I think there could be a resurgance of sales. But of course, that's only one problem among many. Artists are simply lacking promotion - for all we know the next Led Zeppelin might be out there, with their own MySpace page, but no real means to get to that next level. Remember the 90's when great musicians were ALSO mainstream musicians? Bands like Nirvana, REM, Pearl Jam, and STP? We need to get back to that era of great bands getting great promotion and mainstream exposure - if it's not through MTV or rock radio, it has to come from somewhere ... maybe it's time for record labels to finally and fully embrace forums like MySpace and Facebook, and let users stream full albums or at least selected tracks.
As far as new music of '07 goes, this was definitely a big year for reunions. The one big one that actually resulted in a new album was THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, who had some pretty solid stuff with their latest songs, even if it didn't quite match up to the classic Pumpkins that we know and love. In the meantime, there's no new material from these guys as of yet, but it was still pretty cool that in a number of cases, the band got back together. Phil Collins and Genesis, David Lee Roth and Van Halen, Sting and the Police, and the mothership of all reunions, which please lord was not a one-time only event, LED ZEPPELLIN, who reunited for one show in London that was, reportedly, pretty freaking awesome.
But back to new music, I heard a lot of cool stuff this year in terms of modern rock. Some random favorites:
- An abundance of cool new bands featuring kickass female vocalists. My favorite of the bunch was probably FLYLEAF, who had a great single in "All Around Me."
- A great new album from one of the best bands of the 00's - THE WHITE STRIPES. These guys continue to impress, and "Icky Thump" was another rock n' roll beast.
- I know a lot of people don't like them, and at times they haven't been my favorite, but I have to admit that few bands do unfiltered aggression like LINKIN PARK. Their latest batch of tunes had some great pump-up songs, so call it a guilty pleasure, but I continue to enjoy the band (and btw, I noticed that even Rolling Stone listed the latest from LP amongst their year's best, so I guess I'm not alone on this one ...).
- Speaking of guilty pleasures - don't deny it - at some point this summer, you probably rocked out a little to Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend." Yeah yeah, I get a lot of flack for it, but who can resist the sugar-coated pop-punk catchiness of Ms. Lavigne's musical stylings? Speaking of which, some other favorite candy-coated pop treats this year included the ubiquitous "Umbrella" by Rihanna, "The Way I Are" by Timbaland, and some great, catchy tunes from one of the year's standout debuts, Lilly Allen.
-On the comedy front, this was a great year for music that brought the funny. In large part, that was thanks to the brilliant guys of FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, who pepper each episode of their HBO series with original songs that are typically flat-out hilarious. Few things made me laugh harder this year than the Conchords tune "If You're Into It." Or what about "Most Beautiful Girl in the Room." Classic. Also, we just this week were treated to a movie, WALK HARD, that was rife with spot-on musical parodies, from a hilarious riff on Dylan to a legit catchy, Johnny Cash-esque song in "Walk Hard." Finally, one of the best TV shows of the year, 30 ROCK, has been great at coming up with some classic spoof songs. Listen to the hilarity of "Werewolf Bar-Mitzvah" and see for yourself.
- Okay, so now let me talk briefly about what, to me, was far and way the ALBUM OF THE YEAR of 2007. To preface - this is a time when, politically, well, it's a time like the 60's where you almost want and expect the music to reflect that the times they are a-changin'. And no, I'm not sure if Pink's subtle-as-brick-to-the-head "Dear Mr. President" falls into the category of good, politically-charged music. But one band this year stepped up and made an album that subtley and beautifully captured a certain zeitgeist. Lyrically, I haven't been able to stop thinking about songs like "No Cars Go" or "Intervention." Musically, I don't know if I've ever heard anything that combines such an eclectic mix of instruments and vocals to produce such an interesting and haunting sound. The band I'm talking about, of course, is ARCADE FIRE, and the album is Neon Bible - which takes my award for Album of the Year 2007, far and away. Now, strictly speaking this isn't the kind of rock n' roll I tend to favor, but to me true rock is anything that is powerful and aggressive enough to really move ya', and in that respect NEON BIBLE fits the bill, 100%. As they say in "No Cars Go," this is one of those rare albums and collections of music that manifests "between the click of the light and the start of the dream." Check it out if you haven't already.
- On another note, it was a great year for me in terms of seeing a bunch of awesome concerts here in LA. You can find more detailed recaps elsewhere on the blog, but some of the highlights included: seeing POISON at Gibson Ampitheater (Ratt was also there, but whatever ...), the SCORPIONS, also at Universal, checking out a rocktacular triple bill of STYX, FOREIGNER, and DEF LEPPARD in the OC, and finally, seeing VAN HALEN return to their rock n' roll glory at Staples. From seeing an entire ampitheater pumping their fists in time to the beat of "Jukebox Hero," to hearing "Come Sail Away" live and in person, to rockin' out to the "Unskinny Bop," to getting ROCKED LIKE A HURRICANE, to seeing the real-life guitar hero that is Eddie Van Halen kick seven kinds of ass whilst channeling the thunder of the gods into his axe ... well, it was a great year for concerts! On my wish-list for '08 -- AC/DC, Metallica, and man, wouldn't it be great if I could GET THE LED OUT up close and personal, just one time?
So that about wraps things up in terms of music in '07. All I can hope for is that '08 is a year that rocks harder than any to date.
THE BEST in COMICS - 2007:
- In the mighty world of comics, this was definitely what one might call a bit of a rough year in some respects. As a DC fan to the core, it was tough to see so many key books struggle with lateness and just overall poor quality following the conclusion of last year's big event in the world of DC - 52. Across the line, DC was forced to delay storylines, use fill-in writers and artists, and even had to resort to using Annuals to publish the conclusions to long-delayed and much hyped runs on a number of big-name books. Meanwhile, after the critical and commercial success of 52, DC has followed it up with the completely underwhelming Countdown, a new weekly series that was supposed to have been the spine of the DC Universe. Countdown carried with it the big-name hype of Paul Dini, who has earned fans' respect for his groundbreaking work on Batman: The Animated Series and a number of highly-regarded comic projects, like Batman: Mad Love. But from the get-go, Countdown has been mediocre at best, flat-out awful at worst. The pacing quickly slowed to a total crawl, and most of the characters started out as unlikable, and have since done little to win the hearts of fans.
Worse, DC has gone completely overboard on the tie-ins, with comic shop stands littered with all manner of Countdown-labeled books. While some, like Countdown to Adventure and Countdown to Mystery, have been pretty good reads, they would certainly have benefitted from not being saddled with lame backup stories that try to tie the books more directly into the Countdown storyline. But even with the bright spots, it saddens me to say that most of the books tying into Countdown have been either nothing special or just out and out disappointments, and many reek of desperate attempts to suck away consumers' cash.
On another sour note, a number of books that were once dependable monthly reads have lost key creative team members and have yet to find their footing. While I have nothing against guys like Sean McKeever and Tony Bedard and Adam Beechen, their names simply cropped up wayyy too many times this year on random DC books, and it's hard to believe that each is doing their best work when they're seemingly handling 8 books a month each. It doesn't help that all 3 guys are part of the mess that is Countdown - a book that's been plagued by sloppy writing and pacing. But man, books like TEEN TITANS and BIRDS OF PREY, which were always great reads under the guidance of Geoff Johns and Gail Simone respectively, soon became very uneven after their longtime creators departed, both suffering from long delays between one regular writer's departure and the start of another's tenure.
Bottom line: there were too many random fill-ins this year on come of comicdom's biggest books, and not enough great, consistent runs.
And with so many DC books falling under the umbrella of Countdown, it was hard to find those little gems that make for great reading each and every month. One such book from DC was Will Pfeifer and David Lopez on CATWOMAN. Forget what you know of the character and forget that godawful Hallie Berry movie - Pfeifer is doing an awesome job making this a sweet character driven book with a ton of great twists and turns. The writing team of Palmiotti and Gray continues to make JONAH HEX into a consistently fun read, turning out slick, one-and-done pulp Western adventures each and every month. And Peter David still impresses me every month with his work on FALLEN ANGEL from IDW Press - a solidly atmospheric book that is always one of those great read-before-going-to-sleep titles.
While some big name creators failed to live up to the hype this year, others had some of their best years ever. Grant Morrison's run on BATMAN thus far has been a mixed bag, with some great standalone stories, but a semi-lame attempt at a big-event storyline in "the Return of Ra's Al Ghul," which overlapped with Detective, Robin, and Nightwing. (On the other hand, Morrison's stuff on ALL-STAR SUPERMAN is absolutely phenomenal). Now, Paul Dini's run on DETECTIVE COMICS has been spectacular at times ... when it actually comes out. It's too bad that Dini's stories only come out sporadically, because he and artist Don Kramer have done some awesome Batman stories so far. Over on SUPERMAN, Kurt Busiek had moments of greatness, but his work has been plagued by forced Countdown tie-ins and artistic delays by the likes of Carlos Pacheco - and his big storynes (Camelot Falls, anyone?) seemed to drag and drag and drag. But, over on ACTION COMICS, Geoff Johns seems to finally be hitting his stride after a few so-so initial storyarcs (including his much-hyped run with Richard Donner) - his latest pairing with artist Gary Frank seems to be just what the doctor ordered, and Action looks to be huge in 2008.
In sum, this was a year in comics where a lot of crap took up shelf space, but there were some really bright spots, some material that may eventually rank amongst some of the greatest comics stories ever told.
I think any fanboy worth his salt will tell you that the Geoff Johns-penned GREEN LANTERN: SINESTRO CORPS WAR was not only the best superhero storyline of the year, but one of the coolest, most exciting storylines we've seen in mainstream comics in YEARS. It didn't hurt that the artwork, from Ethan Van Sciver and Ivan Reiss, was holy $#%#, off-the-chain awesome. And it's already a well-worn cliche how the relatively underhyped-at-the-time Sinestro Corps went on to become the smash hit of '07, while another big event, the godawful AMAZONS ATTACK, totally bombed. Man, I don't know what happened on that one, but it was hard to believe it was written by the same Will Pfeifer who's been so great on books like HERO and CATWOMAN. In any case, Johns has been on a real roll this year. Sinestro Corps was awesome, as was the finale of 52, but the guy has also done bang-up work on JSA (though I'm still kind of waiting for the new series to recapture some of the magic of Johns' first run), BOOSTER GOLD, and it looks like he's finally starting to hit his stride on ACTION COMICS as well. This was definitely one of Geoff Johns' most creatively successful years to date.
Gail Simone is sometimes hit or miss with me, but I thoroughly enjoyed her long and celebrated run on BIRDS OF PREY, and she went out in style, with some great final storyarcs and one hell of a last issue - very sad to see her leave a book she helped make one of DC's best for years on end, keeping the momentum going following Chuck Dixon's long run. One other guy who just continues to impress as a writer is BRIAN K. VAUGHAN. It's been sad to see one of the best comics ever, Y: THE LAST MAN, wind down, but it helps to know that Vaughan is still kicking ass monthly with the amazing EX MACHINA. Another of my all-time faves, FABLES, is still going strong as well, and its spinoff book, JACK OF FABLES, has quietly emerged as a superb read in in its own right. And man ... I've been scooping up every collection I can find of the gloriously gory THE WALKING DEAD - one of the most riveting reads in comics.
So, without further ado, here are my picks for the BEST COMICS OF 'O7:
BEST ONGOING SERIES:
- ALL STAR SUPERMAN - With each new issue of All Star, writer Grant Morrison is not just penning a *great* issue of a comic book, he's delivering an instant-classic. All Star continually amazes me with its mix of Silver Age style and quirkiness with modern depth. Morrison is simply telling stories that represent all of the awe, mystery, wonder, and fun that a character like Superman should be about. The art by Frank Quietly is astounding - the amount of detail and character in each panel, the way the art flows along the page - well, it doesn't feel like any comic I've ever read before. In '07, All Star really, I believe, hit its stride, and each new issue was a total treasure to be read and savored.
Runners Up:
- GREEN LANTERN - Geoff Johns and Ivan Reiss did a spectacular job bringing a sense of true epic storytelling to this title, crafting a blockbuster for the ages in the Sinestro Corps War, and giving the GL mythos its own Star Wars trilogy of sorts, in terms of scope and sheer fun-factor. The art from Reiss was consistently spectacular.
- FABLES - Bill Willingham is just a machine on Fables, churning out one great story after another, each building on the last and yet standing on its own as a captivating tale. This year, "The Good Prince" was Fables at its best - a sprawling story both whimsical and epic, with always-awesome artwork by the great Mark Buckingham.
- EX MACHINA - Brian K. Vaughan delivered a ton of great politically-charged tales this year, in his ongoing series about a superpowered Mayor of New York City. BKV's wit, combined with the superb art of Tony Harris, makes Ex Machina one of the best books out there month in and month out.
BEST MINISERIES:
- JLA / HITMAN - There's a reason why Garth Ennis is one of the best writers that the comics biz has ever seen, and he reminded everyone of his storytelling skills and gift for black humor with this blast-from-the-past mini, that saw the return of one of Ennis' cult-fave creations - the tough-as-nails vigilante known as Hitman. In this lost tale, that told of Hitman's brief time as a member of the straight-and-narrow Justice League, we got a hilarious, but oddly moving tale of mixed-up, real-world morality and how it contrasts with the black and white worlds of Superman and Batman. To me, JLA / Hitman was a classic, full of the kind of crackling dialogue that Ennis is known for, a ton of memorable moments, and some truly hilarious humor. Overall, one of the best stories DC has published in a long while.
RUNNERS UP:
- BLACK ADAM: THE DARK AGE - One of the best minis to spin out of 52, Black Adam has been an awesome read thus far, thanks to writer Peter Tomasi, who makes Teth Adam into one evil badass, all the while making us root for him on his quest ot ressurect his slain wife Isis. The gritty art from Doug Mahnke perfectly suits the book's grizzly tone, and I can't wait to read next month's conclusion.
BEST NEW SERIES:
- BOOSTER GOLD - Geoff Johns showed that Infinite Crisis and 52 weren't simply about systematically killing all of DC's most beloved characters, as one of the fan-favorites from the JLI days got his own series in '07, and it's been, to me, the best and most refreshing new book of the year. It's got action, adventure, and humor - and one of the most appealing lead characters in Booster, a hero who would once do anything for a buck, but is now the greatest hero the world will never know, turning over a new altruistic leaf as he helps prevent trouble in the timestream. With the latest ish of BG, Johns and co. took a turn for the dramatic, in a moving tale of how certain tragedies cannot be magically repaired by tampering with time. Great stuff, and it's also really cool to see Dan Jurgens, the creator of BG, doing great stuff on pencils.
BEST STORYLINE:
- GREEN LANTERN: THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR - High adventure, vile villains, a legion of intergalactic heroes facing insurmountable odds, and more eye-bugging cliffhangers than you could shake a stick at (the ending of the kickoff special, with an alliance of ultimate badasses - Sinestro! Suberboy Prime! Cyborg Superman! The Anti-Monitor! - poised to destroy the GL Corps, was truly one of the year's most memorable comic book moments). These were just some of the elements that made this one of the coolest storylines in years, one of those rare blockbuster tales where you simply can't wait to tear into the next chapter. Geoff Johns tossed so many crazy ideas into this one, and his team of artists blew me away with their insane pencils. This is the kind of kickass epic that makes people in Hollywood jealous, because no movie, no matter how big the budget, could ever hope to tell an action epic on this grand of a scale.
BEST SINGLE ISSUE:
- GREEN LANTERN #25 - An amazing, climactic ending to the Sinestro Corps war, this extra-sized ish blew fandom's collective minds, not only with the way it wrapped up the ongoing story in epic fashion, but with the tantalizing clues towards future GL plotlines that it teased, promising even more GL goodness to come in '08 and '09. Almost too much to take-in in a single read, this issue was what great comics are all about.
RUNNERS UP:
- GREEN LANTERN: SINESTRO CORPS SPECIAL
- 52 #52
- ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #9
- Y: THE LAST MAN #58
- CATWOMAN #72
BEST COMIC READ IN TRADE-PAPERBACK FORM:
- THE WALKING DEAD - When I get a new collection of The Walking Dead, I tend to blow through it cover to cover as quickly as I can. You just can't put 'em down, because each page of this post-apocalyptic zombie epic might contain the next shocking cliffhanger or huge holy $#$@ moment. The genious of writer Robert Kirkman is that he creates characters you care about, and when one of them does ineveitably bite it (or get bitten by it, more accurately), it's truly heart-wrenching. Great, great series and highly recommended, even if you're not a zombie or horror fan - I know I wasn't, really, but now I'm totally hooked on The Walking Dead - it's just that good!.
MOST UNDERRATED ONGOING SERIES:
- CATWOMAN - Will Pfeifer has done a great job bringing Selina Kyle to life. This book really COULD have taken some disasterous turns in the wrong hands, too, as the decision to have Selina give birth following last year's One Year Later jump was a storyline questioned by many fans. But Will did a great job of using the story to have Selina evolve as a character, and it all culminated in the heartwrenching #72, where things took yet another unexpected twist. Check this one out if you haven't - a great read.
MOST IMPROVED SERIES:
- JACK OF FABLES - At first, I didn't quite warm to this FABLES spin-off - it seemed a bit extraneous and took a while to find its groove,after an opening arc that didn't quite grab me. But I'm glad I stuck with it, because Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges have really found their footing of late, and now I eagerly await each new issue of JACK - it's funny, full of adventure, and features cool stories that feel a bit more subversive and darkly humorous than the typical Fables yarn (one of my favorites - the one-shot tale of how Jack briefly became Jack Pumpkinhead).
BEST WRITER:
- GEOFF JOHNS - You get the hint by now - this was the year of Johns. The man was everywhere, revitalizing old heroes and villains, delivering stories that lived up to the hype (mostly - can anyone say Christopher Kent?!?!), and creating genuine buzz amongst comic fans. Johns was a key part of 52, which finished in exciting fashion last summer. The maestro behind the storyline of the year in Sinestro Corps. The guy who made JSA consistently great, and who launched the best new book of the year in Booster Gold. Johns has a sense for the epic like few others do, but he still places a premium on character, which is what makes those epics so memorable. Johns is one of those guys who sometimes seems to be trying to do too much with one storyline, or overexerting himself by tackling too many projects at once. But when he's on his game, as he's been on Flash, on JSA, and was this year on GL ... he's the best in the biz.
RUNNERS UP:
- BRIAN K. VAUGHAN - Vaughan continued to solidify Y: The Last Man as one of the all-time great comics, with a number of iconic moments in '07, as the series headed towards its soon-to-be-released final issue. Meanwhile, Ex Machina is written with a sophistication and flair that outdoes most big name TV series, mixing politics, social commentary, and intrigue in a brilliant montly read. Plus, he was a staff writer on LOST, which churned out a number of uber-cool eps this season. The guy can do it all.
- ED BRUBAKER - I only occasionally venture into the world of Marvel, but I couldn't ignore the sheer quality that one of my favorite writers was bringing each and every month to Capatain America. I mean, the guy killed Cap, for god's sake, but he did so with style and grace, and the buildup and followup was superb, and the book is still going strong months after the title's titular hero was offed. Once again, Bru proved to be amongst the best in the biz - bringing a maturity and depth to seemingly cartoony characters like few others can.
BEST ARTIST:
- IVAN REISS and ETHAN VAN SCIVER - What these two did on Green Lantern this year was truly remarkable, and I think they raised the bar for comic book art to some degree. In the course of Sinestro Corps War, these two delivered full-size, double page spreads that sent chills up and down my spine as I gazed at them. They delivered action scenes consisting of hundreds of Corps members duking it out on alien planets. they made every hero as heroic as possible, every villain as evil and menacing as can be, and yet, the little character moments were never overlooked either. Without the spectacular art, there's no way GL would have been as great as it was this year. And I give a ton of credit to Reiss - he stepped up his game and was churning out some of the most kickass pages imaginable on a monthly basis, which few artists of that caliber can claim.
RUNNERS UP:
- DALE EAGLESHAM - Dale's classical style was a perfect fit for JSA, where he's now getting a lot of mainstream accolades, and rightly so. The guy can flat out draw, and he has a dynamism that's awesome to behold, mixed with a smoothness and clarity that makes his art quite easy on the eyes. I've been a fan for a long while now, but Eaglesham simply continues to impress.
- FRANK QUIETLY - With each issue of All Star Superman, Quietly just impresses more and more. His somewhat oddball style is a perfect fit for Grant Morrison's far-out storylines, but the sheer flow and motion inherent in each page of All Star is really amazing to just study and stare at. Quietly again proves why he's among the best out there, with his work on Superman making him a true all-star of the biz.
BREAKOUT WRITER:
- GREG PAK - The other big event that got me to jump over to the Marvel side of things this year was the mostly well-done WORLD WAR HULK, and a lot of my enthusiasm for the story was because of the way writer Greg Pak crafted a balls-to-the-wall action epic filled with great one-liners and fun set-pieces that would make Spielberg jealous. I wasn't crazy about the ending of the mini, but still, Pak is now definitely on my radar, and it was cool to see him step up and deliver on WWH, making it one of the year's coolest events.
BREAKOUT ARTIST:
- SHANE DAVIS - I was so-so on the Jim Starlin-penned MYSTERY IN SPACE, but I stuck with it to the end in large part because of the awesome pencils of Shane Davis, who seemed to be channeling Jim Lee with the sheer cool-factor of his art. Everything I've seen from this guy has looked great, and the arc that he just began on Superman / Batman looks to feature even more killer art from Davis.
BEST MOVIE BASED ON A COMIC BOOK:
- 300 - No question on this one, 300 owned '07 when it came to comics at the movies. Not that the competition was especially strong (Fantastic 4 and Ghost Rider and Spiderman 3 and 30 Days of Night - need I say more ...? Okay, well there was STARDUST, but still ...). But 300 showed again that when you get a guy like Zack Snyder, who treats the source material with respect and actively seeks the input of creators like Frank Miller, you're going to get a film that lives up to comics fans' expectations and then some. 300 had great action, over-the-top drama, a cool and highly stylized look that evoked the art of Frank Miller ... what more do you want? THIS. IS. SPARRRRTA.
SPECIAL "WTF" AWARD:
- ALL STAR BATMAN & ROBIN - Some love it, some hate it. Me, well, as crazy as this book is, I have been enjoying the hell out of it, as it's gotta be one of the craziest, dirtiest, and most insane superhero books ever written. It's like Frank Miller wasn't quite sure what he wanted this book to be. So he wrote issue #1 and realized it was pretty over the top, with the now infamous scene where Batman refers to himself as "the god-damned Batman!". So basically, Miller just went with it - and now it's like he feels the need to outdo himself with each new issue, with each month's story and dialogue more outrageous than the last. Oh, where to begin ... how about Batman and Black Canary getting down n' dirty after fighting the crime, with Batman insisting that they "leave the masks on." How about the sadomasochistic relationship between Superman and Wonder Woman, or the fact that Batman apparently hates the crap out of Green Lantern? As crazy as Miller's latest take on the Dark Knight is, the art by the legendary Jim Lee is as badass as you could hope for. So all in all, one of 07's most controversial books is, luckily, also one of its most entertaining - I mean, who ever thought that a Batman comic in 2007 could be laugh-out loud funny?
Anyways, that's the year in comics for ya'. The great news is that '08 looks to be amazing for geeks everywhere. At the movies we've got surefire blockbusters like THE DARK KNIGHT and IRON MAN, and in the comics world there are some huge events brewing, like DC's much-hyped FINAL CRISIS, for one, plus more Johns on GL and Booster and Action, more Fables and Walking Dead and Ex Machina, Chuck Dixon back on Robin, Tomasi on Nightwing, the grand finale of Y: The Last Man, maybe that long-rumored PREACHER TV show, and plenty of other crazy stuff that I haven't even imagined yet! There's more than enough good stuff, however, to rest assured that '07 was the year that the geek did inherit the earth. Don't fight it, cuz you know it's true.
Whew! I'm tapped. Leave a comment and let me know what you think, and I'll be back at ya' soon for year's the best in TV. Until then, rock on.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Gettin' Musical with WALK HARD and SWEENEY TODD~! A grand guignol of bloody good blogging!
Oh man, the great movies just keep a-comin'. Like I said in my last post, '07 really has been an embarrassment of riches for film fans. In terms of comedies alone, it's been a standout year. Even if you limit yourself to Judd Apatow comedies, there've been two great ones in Knocked Up and Superbad. Well ... add a third to the list -- Walk Hard might just be better (and funnier) than both of 'em. And, 2007 is now notable for another reas0n - it's the year that Tim Burton got hsi groove back, with a total return to form in the form of Sweeney Todd - which may be one of the goth director's all-time best, reestablishing Burton and co as the reigning cinematic masters of the macabre. Anyways, on with the reviews ...
WALK HARD Review:
- So, as I write this, Walk Hard is in the process of bombing at the box office, which is truly a shame. I think that the marketing was probably a little off on this one, maybe not 100% conveying the tone and humor of the movie. And also, well, it was just a packed weekend at the movies, with I Am Legend still going strong and Nicholas Cage hamming it up in National Treasure 2. It really is too bad that more people aren't seeing this one, but I suspect that Walk Hard is pretty much guaranteed to find eventual popularity on DVD for a long time to come - it's friggin' hilarious, and maybe the funniest movie of 2007. I was laughing my ass off for a good portion of the film, and our car-ride home saw my friends and I repeating the movie's best lines over and over -- it's the kind of comedy that just makes a comedy-lover giddy like that.
Basically, Walk Hard is a parody of the whole genre of rock n' roll biopics, though it owes a particular debt to Walk the Line and also a bit of Ray. Certainly, a lot of Walk Hard mirrors the story of Johnny Cash, following Dewey Cox from his tragic childhood (he accidentally kills his brother by chopping him in half with a machete ...) to his rise to rock n' roll stardom, through the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and the present day. Along the way, he meets such luminaries as Buddy Holly, Elvis, The Beatles, and more, breaks up with his bandmates, marries, marries again, fathers dozens of children, and experiements with every drug known to man leading to multiple stints in rehab. Pretty typical - sex, drugs, and rock n' roll.
Where Walk Hard really excels is in how it effortlessly combines random, absurdist humor with spot-on satire of movies like Walk the Line. Some of the jokes are just flat-out crazy (like how, in the beginning, after Dewey accidentally cuts his brother in half, the top half, still alive, looks big-eyed at Dewey and exclaims "you've halved me!"). But it's in the songs where the movie shifts into more subtle parody, getting away from over-the-top humor in favor of sly lyrics that are often brilliant takes on people like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. The Dylan parody, a jumble of random non-sequiturs that are supposed to add up to deep message-music, is particularly memorable. John C. Reilly, as Dewey, really needs to be commended for his work here. He sings all of the music to perfection, yet nails the crazier humor as well. And he has just the right dose of seriousness to give a sense of character and depth to the movie as well.
The rest of the cast is a veritable who's who of comedy. Jenna Fischer is really great and surprisingly scandalous as the June Carter-esque singer who steals Dewey's heart, and who steals him away from his first wife, playesd by SNL's Kristin Wiig. Tim Meadows gets some of th movie's funniest moments as a member of Dewey's band, who Dewey constantly finds doing some new drug. "You don't want any part of this!" urges Meadows, to hilarious effect. Seeing Meadows drug of choice evolve from reefer ("reefer?!?!") to LSD to Viagra is pretty amusing. There are a TON of great cameos here as well ... Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as The Beatles are simply hilarious - Paul Rudd's John Lennon impersonation in particualr is side-splitting. Jack White (yep, Jack Black and Jack White ... in the same movie!) does an awesome Elvis, and Frankie Muniz even shows up as Buddy Holly! Classic. Ed Helms, Jonah Hill, Harold Ramis, the guy who plays Daryl on The Office, Kenneth the Page from 30 Rock, and a bunch of others do some great cameos as well. And look out for Eddie Vedder as himself (he gives a hilarious speech in tribute to Dewey), The Temptations, Jewel, and a few other real-life musicians to boot.
WALK HARD just works on so many levels. The songs are uniformly hilarious and clever - I was reminded of the songs in A MIGHTY WIND in that they are legitimately catchy, well done songs but also undeniably funny and brilliantly satirical. Likewise, the general humor works both for its random craziness and the way it cleverly parodies the history of rock n' roll as well as the movies like Walk the Line that have tried to document it. John C. Reilly and the rest of the cast are great throughout. As always though, for me any comedy can ultimately only really be judged by how funny it is, and Walk Hard may be the out-and-out funniest I've seen this year. Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan did a great job here, and the jokes really hit most of the time. There are a few lulls, especially towards the end of the movie, but the final few scenes were so hilarious that any slow or flat scenes preceding them were quickly forgotten. Like I said, it's too bad this one is getting overlooked at the box office. I'd say run, don't walk to see it. Or at the least, walk hard.
My Grade: A -
SWEENEY TODD Review:
- Sweeney Todd - a movie that Tim Burton was born to make. When he's on his game, Burton is one of the great voices in film - no one lese can match his innate sense of the fantastical and the horrific, the grotesque and the romantic. With Sweeney Todd, Burton has a story with which he can indulge all of his favorite things, and the result is a movie that oozes love with each and every moment of blood and gore. What we get is one of the year's best (and this, as I've said, in a year absolutely flooded with great films) - a film that's visually stunning, told to near-perfection, and filled with a superb cast that fits the tale of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street like a bloody glove.
Burton relies on a mostly familiar set of hands to carry his adaptation of the dark musical, and the principles to a great job. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton always mesh well when they collaborate, and this is one of the duo's best pairings yet. After taking on the pale visages of Edward Scissorhands and Ichabod Crane, Depp is a natural to play the grim n' ghostly Sweeney Todd - a barber with a blood lust, who gives his victims a clean shave before using his razor to slit their throats. Depp's Todd is cold and unfeeling - scarred after being banished from his home in London after crossing the path of a judge who had eyes on his wife (the great Alan Rickman). Now returned to London ("There's a whole in the world like a great black pit, and the vermin of the world inhabit it, and its morals aren't worth what a pin can spit, and it goes by the name of London."), Sweeney Todd sets up shop, with the intent on luring the conniving Judge Turpin into his barber's chair, so that Todd can have his bloody revenge.
Our other main lead is the goth-tacular Mrs. Lovett, played by Helena Bonham Carter. The always-great Mrs. Burton is wonderful as always, and like Depp, she was seemingly born to play these types of offbeat roles - a true queen of goth and gore, reuniting her and Depp after their similarly-spooky pairing in Corpse Bride was a stroke of casting genius, all accusations of family-favoritism aside. Now, the question on the minds of many was: sure, Depp and Bonham Carter can act goth and depraved in their sleep, but can they sing? Well, I think both do a fine job with the songs. Really, the singing here, mostly, isn't about performing vocal gymnastics or hitting complicated notes. It's more just about telling a story through song - more opera than broadway musical in that respect - and both Depp and Bonham Carter do a great job in that regard. Depp in particular makes his lyrics pop when combined with his brooding and dramatic line delivery. Bonham Carter does occasionally sound a little flat, but in some ways that's a part of her character. And man, I love her character of Mrs. Lovett, maker of the worst meat pies in London, who finds her business booming when she uses Todd's victims as the secret ingredient in her pies. Like I said, a goth girl to the core.
There are some other really great turns here as well. Sascha Baron Cohen, Ali G and Borat himself, totally steals every scene he's in, as a not-what-he seems rival barber with an over-the-top Italian accent. I absolutely loved the scene that introduces us to Cohen's Adolfo Pirelli, playing the part of carnival ringmaster as he boasts of his barbering skills at an outdoor London market. In this scene we get a hilarious sing-off / shave-off between Depp and Cohen, and we also meet another standout cast member, young Ed Sanders as Toby, a much-abused apprentice to Pirelli, who eventually is taken in by Todd and Mrs. Lovett. Toby is such a great character, and I agree with Harry Knowles over on Ain't It Cool, that this is one of the best performances by a kid we've seen in a logn while in a film. It's Toby who has some of the film's best and funniest scenes, some of it's best musical moments, and who makes the film's ending as great and powerful as it is.
Alan Rickman is awesome here as Judge Turpin. With a "hero" as evil as Sweeney Todd, you'd better have one hell of a villain to make us root for the Demon Barber. And Rickman fits the bill to a "T." With the same dark and droll delivery we've come to know and love from the Harry Potter movies, Rickman here is one vile, perverted, despicable bastard. The song he and Depp share, "Pretty Women," sung while Turpin sits in Todd's barber chair, unknowingly moments away from a razor blade to the jugular, is a deliciously dark tune that is gallows humor personified. Also a lot of fun is Timothy Spall as a skeezy henchman to Rickman. Having just seen him play a similar role in ENCHANTED, there can be no doubt that Spall is simply THE guy when you need an evil henchman for your movie. As Sam Elliot is to cowboys, Timothy Spall is to evil henchman - and that is a huge compliment.
Overall, Burton is totally on his game here. The film is a visual feast, but never goes into ultra-choreographed broadway musical territory. Instead, the movie is surprisingly insular and claustrophobic, immersing you in the dank streets of Victorian London, with only the faint glow of gaslamps to provide light in the darkened night sky (although, when the film does briefly venture into the light, courtesy of Mrs. Lovett's fantasies of domestic bliss with Sweeney Todd, it's a hilarious sequence of contrasting dark and light visuals). The art direction, costuming, etc., are all brilliant - on par with other Burton-directed films like Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish.
Not having been familair with the story of Sweeney Todd, I loved how dark this tale dared to go, how its twists and turns spiraled into a grim epic that only got blacker and more tragic as it went. I loved the delight the film, and Todd, seemed to take with each act of bloody barbering, each seemingly more grizzly than the last. I don't think a more gloriously gory musical has ever or will ever exist. I loved the opening, with a young boy's love for London giving way to Sweeney Todd's venom-filled view of a city - and a human race - that he considers beneath all contempt. And I don't know if another movie this year came together in such perfect fashion with such a pleasingly grim and sadistically satisfying ending, a true turn of the screw if ever there was one.
My Grade: A
- Alright, back later with more. What a year for movies!
WALK HARD Review:
- So, as I write this, Walk Hard is in the process of bombing at the box office, which is truly a shame. I think that the marketing was probably a little off on this one, maybe not 100% conveying the tone and humor of the movie. And also, well, it was just a packed weekend at the movies, with I Am Legend still going strong and Nicholas Cage hamming it up in National Treasure 2. It really is too bad that more people aren't seeing this one, but I suspect that Walk Hard is pretty much guaranteed to find eventual popularity on DVD for a long time to come - it's friggin' hilarious, and maybe the funniest movie of 2007. I was laughing my ass off for a good portion of the film, and our car-ride home saw my friends and I repeating the movie's best lines over and over -- it's the kind of comedy that just makes a comedy-lover giddy like that.
Basically, Walk Hard is a parody of the whole genre of rock n' roll biopics, though it owes a particular debt to Walk the Line and also a bit of Ray. Certainly, a lot of Walk Hard mirrors the story of Johnny Cash, following Dewey Cox from his tragic childhood (he accidentally kills his brother by chopping him in half with a machete ...) to his rise to rock n' roll stardom, through the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and the present day. Along the way, he meets such luminaries as Buddy Holly, Elvis, The Beatles, and more, breaks up with his bandmates, marries, marries again, fathers dozens of children, and experiements with every drug known to man leading to multiple stints in rehab. Pretty typical - sex, drugs, and rock n' roll.
Where Walk Hard really excels is in how it effortlessly combines random, absurdist humor with spot-on satire of movies like Walk the Line. Some of the jokes are just flat-out crazy (like how, in the beginning, after Dewey accidentally cuts his brother in half, the top half, still alive, looks big-eyed at Dewey and exclaims "you've halved me!"). But it's in the songs where the movie shifts into more subtle parody, getting away from over-the-top humor in favor of sly lyrics that are often brilliant takes on people like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. The Dylan parody, a jumble of random non-sequiturs that are supposed to add up to deep message-music, is particularly memorable. John C. Reilly, as Dewey, really needs to be commended for his work here. He sings all of the music to perfection, yet nails the crazier humor as well. And he has just the right dose of seriousness to give a sense of character and depth to the movie as well.
The rest of the cast is a veritable who's who of comedy. Jenna Fischer is really great and surprisingly scandalous as the June Carter-esque singer who steals Dewey's heart, and who steals him away from his first wife, playesd by SNL's Kristin Wiig. Tim Meadows gets some of th movie's funniest moments as a member of Dewey's band, who Dewey constantly finds doing some new drug. "You don't want any part of this!" urges Meadows, to hilarious effect. Seeing Meadows drug of choice evolve from reefer ("reefer?!?!") to LSD to Viagra is pretty amusing. There are a TON of great cameos here as well ... Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as The Beatles are simply hilarious - Paul Rudd's John Lennon impersonation in particualr is side-splitting. Jack White (yep, Jack Black and Jack White ... in the same movie!) does an awesome Elvis, and Frankie Muniz even shows up as Buddy Holly! Classic. Ed Helms, Jonah Hill, Harold Ramis, the guy who plays Daryl on The Office, Kenneth the Page from 30 Rock, and a bunch of others do some great cameos as well. And look out for Eddie Vedder as himself (he gives a hilarious speech in tribute to Dewey), The Temptations, Jewel, and a few other real-life musicians to boot.
WALK HARD just works on so many levels. The songs are uniformly hilarious and clever - I was reminded of the songs in A MIGHTY WIND in that they are legitimately catchy, well done songs but also undeniably funny and brilliantly satirical. Likewise, the general humor works both for its random craziness and the way it cleverly parodies the history of rock n' roll as well as the movies like Walk the Line that have tried to document it. John C. Reilly and the rest of the cast are great throughout. As always though, for me any comedy can ultimately only really be judged by how funny it is, and Walk Hard may be the out-and-out funniest I've seen this year. Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan did a great job here, and the jokes really hit most of the time. There are a few lulls, especially towards the end of the movie, but the final few scenes were so hilarious that any slow or flat scenes preceding them were quickly forgotten. Like I said, it's too bad this one is getting overlooked at the box office. I'd say run, don't walk to see it. Or at the least, walk hard.
My Grade: A -
SWEENEY TODD Review:
- Sweeney Todd - a movie that Tim Burton was born to make. When he's on his game, Burton is one of the great voices in film - no one lese can match his innate sense of the fantastical and the horrific, the grotesque and the romantic. With Sweeney Todd, Burton has a story with which he can indulge all of his favorite things, and the result is a movie that oozes love with each and every moment of blood and gore. What we get is one of the year's best (and this, as I've said, in a year absolutely flooded with great films) - a film that's visually stunning, told to near-perfection, and filled with a superb cast that fits the tale of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street like a bloody glove.
Burton relies on a mostly familiar set of hands to carry his adaptation of the dark musical, and the principles to a great job. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton always mesh well when they collaborate, and this is one of the duo's best pairings yet. After taking on the pale visages of Edward Scissorhands and Ichabod Crane, Depp is a natural to play the grim n' ghostly Sweeney Todd - a barber with a blood lust, who gives his victims a clean shave before using his razor to slit their throats. Depp's Todd is cold and unfeeling - scarred after being banished from his home in London after crossing the path of a judge who had eyes on his wife (the great Alan Rickman). Now returned to London ("There's a whole in the world like a great black pit, and the vermin of the world inhabit it, and its morals aren't worth what a pin can spit, and it goes by the name of London."), Sweeney Todd sets up shop, with the intent on luring the conniving Judge Turpin into his barber's chair, so that Todd can have his bloody revenge.
Our other main lead is the goth-tacular Mrs. Lovett, played by Helena Bonham Carter. The always-great Mrs. Burton is wonderful as always, and like Depp, she was seemingly born to play these types of offbeat roles - a true queen of goth and gore, reuniting her and Depp after their similarly-spooky pairing in Corpse Bride was a stroke of casting genius, all accusations of family-favoritism aside. Now, the question on the minds of many was: sure, Depp and Bonham Carter can act goth and depraved in their sleep, but can they sing? Well, I think both do a fine job with the songs. Really, the singing here, mostly, isn't about performing vocal gymnastics or hitting complicated notes. It's more just about telling a story through song - more opera than broadway musical in that respect - and both Depp and Bonham Carter do a great job in that regard. Depp in particular makes his lyrics pop when combined with his brooding and dramatic line delivery. Bonham Carter does occasionally sound a little flat, but in some ways that's a part of her character. And man, I love her character of Mrs. Lovett, maker of the worst meat pies in London, who finds her business booming when she uses Todd's victims as the secret ingredient in her pies. Like I said, a goth girl to the core.
There are some other really great turns here as well. Sascha Baron Cohen, Ali G and Borat himself, totally steals every scene he's in, as a not-what-he seems rival barber with an over-the-top Italian accent. I absolutely loved the scene that introduces us to Cohen's Adolfo Pirelli, playing the part of carnival ringmaster as he boasts of his barbering skills at an outdoor London market. In this scene we get a hilarious sing-off / shave-off between Depp and Cohen, and we also meet another standout cast member, young Ed Sanders as Toby, a much-abused apprentice to Pirelli, who eventually is taken in by Todd and Mrs. Lovett. Toby is such a great character, and I agree with Harry Knowles over on Ain't It Cool, that this is one of the best performances by a kid we've seen in a logn while in a film. It's Toby who has some of the film's best and funniest scenes, some of it's best musical moments, and who makes the film's ending as great and powerful as it is.
Alan Rickman is awesome here as Judge Turpin. With a "hero" as evil as Sweeney Todd, you'd better have one hell of a villain to make us root for the Demon Barber. And Rickman fits the bill to a "T." With the same dark and droll delivery we've come to know and love from the Harry Potter movies, Rickman here is one vile, perverted, despicable bastard. The song he and Depp share, "Pretty Women," sung while Turpin sits in Todd's barber chair, unknowingly moments away from a razor blade to the jugular, is a deliciously dark tune that is gallows humor personified. Also a lot of fun is Timothy Spall as a skeezy henchman to Rickman. Having just seen him play a similar role in ENCHANTED, there can be no doubt that Spall is simply THE guy when you need an evil henchman for your movie. As Sam Elliot is to cowboys, Timothy Spall is to evil henchman - and that is a huge compliment.
Overall, Burton is totally on his game here. The film is a visual feast, but never goes into ultra-choreographed broadway musical territory. Instead, the movie is surprisingly insular and claustrophobic, immersing you in the dank streets of Victorian London, with only the faint glow of gaslamps to provide light in the darkened night sky (although, when the film does briefly venture into the light, courtesy of Mrs. Lovett's fantasies of domestic bliss with Sweeney Todd, it's a hilarious sequence of contrasting dark and light visuals). The art direction, costuming, etc., are all brilliant - on par with other Burton-directed films like Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish.
Not having been familair with the story of Sweeney Todd, I loved how dark this tale dared to go, how its twists and turns spiraled into a grim epic that only got blacker and more tragic as it went. I loved the delight the film, and Todd, seemed to take with each act of bloody barbering, each seemingly more grizzly than the last. I don't think a more gloriously gory musical has ever or will ever exist. I loved the opening, with a young boy's love for London giving way to Sweeney Todd's venom-filled view of a city - and a human race - that he considers beneath all contempt. And I don't know if another movie this year came together in such perfect fashion with such a pleasingly grim and sadistically satisfying ending, a true turn of the screw if ever there was one.
My Grade: A
- Alright, back later with more. What a year for movies!
Friday, December 21, 2007
More Greats of '07 - CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR and INTO THE WILD Reviewed!
Hola amigos, hope everyone is winding down and getting ready for the long weekend. Okay, most of you are actually probably gearing up for Christmas, but hey, as a Jew who traditionally does little for Christmas other than maybe Chinese food and a movie, I'm mostly just glad for a long weekend. And yeah, I also realize that, much to my chagrin, a number of you are headed for weeks of time off, whilst (love that word ...) I have a mere two extra days with which to catch up on sleep, clean my apartment, get my life together, etc. before it's back to the grind. Oh well, at the least next week should be pretty laid back, hopefully with limited hours at the office and some quality time with which to veg out.
Sooo ... at some point soon you'll see my annual Best Of lists. But already, it's clear that this has really been a notheworthy year for film. I mean this weekend alone, there's at least four or five top-shelf flicks coming out in theaters, with a few others that have only been in limited release finally going wide. If you haven't already seen 'em, I can't recommend currently-in-theaters movies like No Country For Old Men, Juno, and Enchanted enough. Then there are a number of bigtime movies coming today - Sweeney Todd (seeing tonight I believe), Walk Hard, Charlie Wilson's War (saw last night, scroll down for the review), and There Will Be Blood. Just thinking about a potential Top 10 list for 2007, it's clear that there are any number of movies that could be named into that top-tier of the year, which really was an embarrasment of riches. You've got kickass prestige movies like No Country and Jesse James, quirky, smaller flicks like Juno and The King of Kong and The TV Set, some hilarious comedies - from Superbad to Hot Fuzz to The Ten - and some badass blockbusters like 300, Pirates of the Carribean, and Beowulf. And what about this year's influx of B-movie-style pulp movies, like Grindhouse and Black Snake Moan? And let's not forget Black Book, Michael Clayton, or Rescue Dawn ... and, oh yeah, as usual, Pixar released a gem in Ratatouille.
So you can see where I'm going here ... there were a ton of A-level movies this year ... it's tough to single out onl a few that were tops.
Anyways, last night my employers at Universal were nice enough to invite me to a free screening of our latest film, CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, a movie that seemed like it would very much lend itself to the plushy seats and polite crowds of a Universal screening room ... so, here's the review.
CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR Review:
- As you can probably tell if you read my reviews of STUDIO 60, I tend to get annoyed when Aaron Sorkin gets on his high horse and gets all preachy on us. But really, a big part of my problem with Studio 60 was simply that the tone did not fit the premise, and all of the politics and drama seemed shoehorned in to a show that outwardly seemed like it should have been much more lighthearted. Inevitably, the attempts to balance the comedic and dramatic aspects of the program made for some very awkward and grating television. But here, Sorkin has a great story to tell and some great characters with which to tell it. Not only that, but Charlie Wilson's War is a movie with a legitimately fascinating point to make, a point that Sorkin coveys to us, remarkably, in a smart, funny, and tragically disturbing manner that gives us some insight into the looney bin that is American politics. Especially now with all of the ambiguity surrounding the Iraq war, it's pretty fascinating to see some of the events which got us to this point, and how what looks like a great political move one day can really come back to bite you ...
The writing here is sharp and crisp - like A Few Good Men, this is just about Sorkin at his snappiest and most appealing. There is some really well-done humor, which I think is a large part of what makes the film so watchable - in a year that saw a ton of potentially well-made but almost unbearably bleak political thrillers bomb (think Valley of Elah, Lions for Lambs, etc.), what really separates this one from the pack, I think, is that the humor both amplifies and sends-up the relative absurdity of what we're watching. In this age of Colbert and The Daily Show, we have come to see how absurd and crazy politics can be, and the film completely plays into that mindset, making a serious point while at the same time feeling pretty breezy and light.
To sum up, Charlie Wilson's War is the true-life story of how, about 20 years ago, a slightly sleazy but charming congressman from Texas took it upon himself to use his backroom connections to help end the Cold War. By wheeling and dealing his way around the globe, the southern-fired walking scandal that was Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) worked with a rich southern-conservative socialite (Julia Roberts), and a jaded CIA spy (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) to supply powerful surface-to-air weapons to Afghan villagers so that they could take the fight to the Soviets who were air-raiding their homes on a daily basis.
Hanks is really good here - in fact, I'd grown kind of weary of Hanks, as the last movie I really remember enjoying him in was probably Catch Me If You Can ... and after he seemed to sleepwalk through The DaVinci Code, well, his name attached to a movie wasn't exactly cause for excitement in 2007. But Hanks brings it here -- all of his usual down-home likability mixed with a genuine sleaze-factor, wehrre, right from the get-go you realize you're dealing with a bit of a shady character. As for Julia Roberts, she is pretty decent here though her Southern accent kind of comes and goes. And it may just be me but she's looking a little odd these days - I probably sound like an old man in saying this , but it wouldn't hurt her to put a little meat on them bones. Still, I enjoyed the relationship between Roberts and Hanks - it was held up by Sorkin as an interesting example of how political and social relationships can mix.
The real standout here though, is undoubtedly the spark-plug that is Philip Seymour Hoffman. He is just kickass in this role as an embittered CIA career guy who likes to express his annoyance with the system by smashing windows and making scenes. Hoffman is just so fun and hilarious in this part, and he is one of those guys who is just perfect for Sorkin's back-and-forth dialogue, because he never seems like he's just firing off lines - he slows things down and makes you hang on every word, every eye blink, every twitch. I also really loved the transformation that his character goes through throughout the movie - he starts out as a guy really on the edge, totally fed up with the lack of respect he gets, like one of those English professors in college who knows they should be a best-selling author. Through is allegiance with Charlie, Hoffman suddenly finds himself making a huge impact and using all of his accumulated knowledge - he's finally made it, and the excitement mixed with "oh crap, is this really happening, and if so there's gotta be a downside." sort of skepticism is a lot of fun to watch. It's Hoffman who eventually becomes the cautionary voice of reason, warning that one victory agaisnt the Soviets is not the endgame, that arming all these fundamentalist with RPG's could lead to some measure of trouble ...
By the way, it's funny to see Amy Adams in the mix as a dutiful assistant to Charlie. After seeing her shine in Enchanted, it's weird to see Adams in such a relatively minor role. Still, her undeniable star-quality shines through, and she really steals a few scenes throughout the movie, as a loyal aide who can't help but get caught up in Charlie Wilson's war, and there's one great little scene between her and Roberts in particular that's pretty memorable.
Overall, this is maybe the one political movie this summer that is 100% worth checking out, because really it's as fun as it is insightful. A true-life Dr. Strangelove, in a way. The pace at times is a bit slow, and the ending a little inconclusive, but I liked that this was a pretty to-the-point, snappy piece of filmmaking - expertly directed by the great Mike Nichols with a smartly satirical eye. Yet another great film of 2007.
My Grade: A -
And, one more for you guys, this one a long time coming ...
INTO THE WILD Review:
- Here's one of those movies that I really liked in a lot of respects, but something about what it was trying to say simply rubbed me the wrong way. In many ways, Into the Wild is one of the year's best -- a film filled with stunning cinematography, and a number of superb performances. This one is a breakthrough film for Emile Hirsch, for one. Regardless of what you think of the character he plays, this is undoubtedly a star-making turn for him - a fine piece of acting tht really shows what the guy can do. Hirsch has shown promise before, but this, for him, is the big one. And acrosss the board, from Catherine Keener to the amazing Hal Holbrook - there are genuine, raw, memorable performances in this one that will stick with you, that will get to you, that will haunt you. But I guess that this was a movie that had a very specific philosophy, as originally documented by writer Jon Krakauer and brough to the screen by Sean Penn. Penn, with this movie, chose to take the true-life story of a guy who ditched his wealth and ran away from his priveleged upbringing and went, literally, into the wild - in some ways for his own peace of mind, in other ways to prove a point. But as interesting as many of the characters in this movie are, I just never bought into the film's central conceit - that our main character was a guy whose story was somehow remarkable and admirable.
Now, at the end of the film, not to spoil anything, but we do get a bit of perspective on the whole adventure. For most of the movie, Hirsch's character is portrayed almost as a Christ-like figure - sure, we see the emotional havoc he wreaks on those he touches then leaves behind - but the movie seems to be firmly on his side - telling us that he is justified in his quest to go off into the wilds of Alaska and live on his own in the wild. And yes, at the film's conclusion, we get a final change of tone, a last reminder that maybe, just maybe, ditching one's friends and family and loved ones, in turn ditching all responsibility and purpose in life, may not exactly be the wisest and most worthy way of living. But for much of the film, Penn seems to have a kind of awe and wonder about this guy - and he has to, or why would he make the film? But ... I just don't buy it. It's one thing to be a writer like Krakauer, to go and do things for the sake of documentation and shared experience. It's one thing to be an explorer, a farmer, a mininmalist, a naturalist - whatever. But what's so great about a rich guy ditching his money and running away from society on his own, never to be heard from again? I see how it's interesting, how it's a potentially cool and thought-provoking story. But the tone of the film is just too reverant for my tastes. It felt like they took a semi-interesting guy who did something unusual but very foolish and pointless with his life, and made him out to be some kind of hero. As much as I enjoyed the movie on a number of levels, I could just never fully get past this basic philisophical issue. And I am a pretty liberal guy, so I don't think it's a political thing, more just an issues, as I said, ith the film's overly reverant tone.
But again, the performances really are great, and there are some completely fascinating little character studies here - from the toked-out hippies that Hirsch comes into contact with (brilliantly played by Keener and a non-actor who is really great - shades of The Big Lebowski to be sure ...), to William Hurt as a grieving father, to Hal Holbrook, who has some genuinely touching scenes with Hirsch , and whose gritty, vulnerable performance makes him in line for a Supporting Actor Oscar nom for sure. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the pretty great soundtrack by Eddie Vedder, whose trademark wails and bellows are a perfect fit for this contemplative, emotional film. So as I said - in many ways this is a great, great film - certain scenes soar with great character bits, sweeping images of the American wild, or just great emotional build-up that really immerses you in these character's lives. The action and danger can be raw, harrowing, truly scary - nature here is dangerous and untamed - and this is a movie that makes you realize just how easy it is to lose out in the eternal battle of man vs. mother nature. Despite all that heaping praise, something about this movie's emotional core just left me feeling a bit hollow and empty. And those brief moments of perspective at the end just couldn't do enough to make me 100% buy into what this movie was selling.
My Grade: B+
- Alriiiiiiiiight kids, that's it for now. Have a great weekend, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and stay tuned for LOTS more coming here on the blog over the next several days.
Sooo ... at some point soon you'll see my annual Best Of lists. But already, it's clear that this has really been a notheworthy year for film. I mean this weekend alone, there's at least four or five top-shelf flicks coming out in theaters, with a few others that have only been in limited release finally going wide. If you haven't already seen 'em, I can't recommend currently-in-theaters movies like No Country For Old Men, Juno, and Enchanted enough. Then there are a number of bigtime movies coming today - Sweeney Todd (seeing tonight I believe), Walk Hard, Charlie Wilson's War (saw last night, scroll down for the review), and There Will Be Blood. Just thinking about a potential Top 10 list for 2007, it's clear that there are any number of movies that could be named into that top-tier of the year, which really was an embarrasment of riches. You've got kickass prestige movies like No Country and Jesse James, quirky, smaller flicks like Juno and The King of Kong and The TV Set, some hilarious comedies - from Superbad to Hot Fuzz to The Ten - and some badass blockbusters like 300, Pirates of the Carribean, and Beowulf. And what about this year's influx of B-movie-style pulp movies, like Grindhouse and Black Snake Moan? And let's not forget Black Book, Michael Clayton, or Rescue Dawn ... and, oh yeah, as usual, Pixar released a gem in Ratatouille.
So you can see where I'm going here ... there were a ton of A-level movies this year ... it's tough to single out onl a few that were tops.
Anyways, last night my employers at Universal were nice enough to invite me to a free screening of our latest film, CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, a movie that seemed like it would very much lend itself to the plushy seats and polite crowds of a Universal screening room ... so, here's the review.
CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR Review:
- As you can probably tell if you read my reviews of STUDIO 60, I tend to get annoyed when Aaron Sorkin gets on his high horse and gets all preachy on us. But really, a big part of my problem with Studio 60 was simply that the tone did not fit the premise, and all of the politics and drama seemed shoehorned in to a show that outwardly seemed like it should have been much more lighthearted. Inevitably, the attempts to balance the comedic and dramatic aspects of the program made for some very awkward and grating television. But here, Sorkin has a great story to tell and some great characters with which to tell it. Not only that, but Charlie Wilson's War is a movie with a legitimately fascinating point to make, a point that Sorkin coveys to us, remarkably, in a smart, funny, and tragically disturbing manner that gives us some insight into the looney bin that is American politics. Especially now with all of the ambiguity surrounding the Iraq war, it's pretty fascinating to see some of the events which got us to this point, and how what looks like a great political move one day can really come back to bite you ...
The writing here is sharp and crisp - like A Few Good Men, this is just about Sorkin at his snappiest and most appealing. There is some really well-done humor, which I think is a large part of what makes the film so watchable - in a year that saw a ton of potentially well-made but almost unbearably bleak political thrillers bomb (think Valley of Elah, Lions for Lambs, etc.), what really separates this one from the pack, I think, is that the humor both amplifies and sends-up the relative absurdity of what we're watching. In this age of Colbert and The Daily Show, we have come to see how absurd and crazy politics can be, and the film completely plays into that mindset, making a serious point while at the same time feeling pretty breezy and light.
To sum up, Charlie Wilson's War is the true-life story of how, about 20 years ago, a slightly sleazy but charming congressman from Texas took it upon himself to use his backroom connections to help end the Cold War. By wheeling and dealing his way around the globe, the southern-fired walking scandal that was Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) worked with a rich southern-conservative socialite (Julia Roberts), and a jaded CIA spy (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) to supply powerful surface-to-air weapons to Afghan villagers so that they could take the fight to the Soviets who were air-raiding their homes on a daily basis.
Hanks is really good here - in fact, I'd grown kind of weary of Hanks, as the last movie I really remember enjoying him in was probably Catch Me If You Can ... and after he seemed to sleepwalk through The DaVinci Code, well, his name attached to a movie wasn't exactly cause for excitement in 2007. But Hanks brings it here -- all of his usual down-home likability mixed with a genuine sleaze-factor, wehrre, right from the get-go you realize you're dealing with a bit of a shady character. As for Julia Roberts, she is pretty decent here though her Southern accent kind of comes and goes. And it may just be me but she's looking a little odd these days - I probably sound like an old man in saying this , but it wouldn't hurt her to put a little meat on them bones. Still, I enjoyed the relationship between Roberts and Hanks - it was held up by Sorkin as an interesting example of how political and social relationships can mix.
The real standout here though, is undoubtedly the spark-plug that is Philip Seymour Hoffman. He is just kickass in this role as an embittered CIA career guy who likes to express his annoyance with the system by smashing windows and making scenes. Hoffman is just so fun and hilarious in this part, and he is one of those guys who is just perfect for Sorkin's back-and-forth dialogue, because he never seems like he's just firing off lines - he slows things down and makes you hang on every word, every eye blink, every twitch. I also really loved the transformation that his character goes through throughout the movie - he starts out as a guy really on the edge, totally fed up with the lack of respect he gets, like one of those English professors in college who knows they should be a best-selling author. Through is allegiance with Charlie, Hoffman suddenly finds himself making a huge impact and using all of his accumulated knowledge - he's finally made it, and the excitement mixed with "oh crap, is this really happening, and if so there's gotta be a downside." sort of skepticism is a lot of fun to watch. It's Hoffman who eventually becomes the cautionary voice of reason, warning that one victory agaisnt the Soviets is not the endgame, that arming all these fundamentalist with RPG's could lead to some measure of trouble ...
By the way, it's funny to see Amy Adams in the mix as a dutiful assistant to Charlie. After seeing her shine in Enchanted, it's weird to see Adams in such a relatively minor role. Still, her undeniable star-quality shines through, and she really steals a few scenes throughout the movie, as a loyal aide who can't help but get caught up in Charlie Wilson's war, and there's one great little scene between her and Roberts in particular that's pretty memorable.
Overall, this is maybe the one political movie this summer that is 100% worth checking out, because really it's as fun as it is insightful. A true-life Dr. Strangelove, in a way. The pace at times is a bit slow, and the ending a little inconclusive, but I liked that this was a pretty to-the-point, snappy piece of filmmaking - expertly directed by the great Mike Nichols with a smartly satirical eye. Yet another great film of 2007.
My Grade: A -
And, one more for you guys, this one a long time coming ...
INTO THE WILD Review:
- Here's one of those movies that I really liked in a lot of respects, but something about what it was trying to say simply rubbed me the wrong way. In many ways, Into the Wild is one of the year's best -- a film filled with stunning cinematography, and a number of superb performances. This one is a breakthrough film for Emile Hirsch, for one. Regardless of what you think of the character he plays, this is undoubtedly a star-making turn for him - a fine piece of acting tht really shows what the guy can do. Hirsch has shown promise before, but this, for him, is the big one. And acrosss the board, from Catherine Keener to the amazing Hal Holbrook - there are genuine, raw, memorable performances in this one that will stick with you, that will get to you, that will haunt you. But I guess that this was a movie that had a very specific philosophy, as originally documented by writer Jon Krakauer and brough to the screen by Sean Penn. Penn, with this movie, chose to take the true-life story of a guy who ditched his wealth and ran away from his priveleged upbringing and went, literally, into the wild - in some ways for his own peace of mind, in other ways to prove a point. But as interesting as many of the characters in this movie are, I just never bought into the film's central conceit - that our main character was a guy whose story was somehow remarkable and admirable.
Now, at the end of the film, not to spoil anything, but we do get a bit of perspective on the whole adventure. For most of the movie, Hirsch's character is portrayed almost as a Christ-like figure - sure, we see the emotional havoc he wreaks on those he touches then leaves behind - but the movie seems to be firmly on his side - telling us that he is justified in his quest to go off into the wilds of Alaska and live on his own in the wild. And yes, at the film's conclusion, we get a final change of tone, a last reminder that maybe, just maybe, ditching one's friends and family and loved ones, in turn ditching all responsibility and purpose in life, may not exactly be the wisest and most worthy way of living. But for much of the film, Penn seems to have a kind of awe and wonder about this guy - and he has to, or why would he make the film? But ... I just don't buy it. It's one thing to be a writer like Krakauer, to go and do things for the sake of documentation and shared experience. It's one thing to be an explorer, a farmer, a mininmalist, a naturalist - whatever. But what's so great about a rich guy ditching his money and running away from society on his own, never to be heard from again? I see how it's interesting, how it's a potentially cool and thought-provoking story. But the tone of the film is just too reverant for my tastes. It felt like they took a semi-interesting guy who did something unusual but very foolish and pointless with his life, and made him out to be some kind of hero. As much as I enjoyed the movie on a number of levels, I could just never fully get past this basic philisophical issue. And I am a pretty liberal guy, so I don't think it's a political thing, more just an issues, as I said, ith the film's overly reverant tone.
But again, the performances really are great, and there are some completely fascinating little character studies here - from the toked-out hippies that Hirsch comes into contact with (brilliantly played by Keener and a non-actor who is really great - shades of The Big Lebowski to be sure ...), to William Hurt as a grieving father, to Hal Holbrook, who has some genuinely touching scenes with Hirsch , and whose gritty, vulnerable performance makes him in line for a Supporting Actor Oscar nom for sure. Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the pretty great soundtrack by Eddie Vedder, whose trademark wails and bellows are a perfect fit for this contemplative, emotional film. So as I said - in many ways this is a great, great film - certain scenes soar with great character bits, sweeping images of the American wild, or just great emotional build-up that really immerses you in these character's lives. The action and danger can be raw, harrowing, truly scary - nature here is dangerous and untamed - and this is a movie that makes you realize just how easy it is to lose out in the eternal battle of man vs. mother nature. Despite all that heaping praise, something about this movie's emotional core just left me feeling a bit hollow and empty. And those brief moments of perspective at the end just couldn't do enough to make me 100% buy into what this movie was selling.
My Grade: B+
- Alriiiiiiiiight kids, that's it for now. Have a great weekend, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and stay tuned for LOTS more coming here on the blog over the next several days.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The blog gets ENCHANTED
What's that - two blogs in one day?!?! Yep, check my earlier post to see a review of I AM LEGEND and more. But, while I had a little time I thought I'd write down my thoughts on the latest from the House of Mouse ... enjoy!
ENCHANTED Review:
- Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle ... I had a sneaking suspicion that Enchanted might be something special, but still, I went into it with a bit of a skeptical eye. I mean sure, this was a Disney movie, but really, has that meant all that much in recent years? With the very notable exception of Pixar and a few particular PIRATES, when was the last time that we got a true, honest-to-god, instant-classic DISNEY, as in WALT DISNEY, movie? Well kids, here it is. Enchanted is a Disney movie through-and-through, and man, was it good to see. This is a movie that will take you back and make you feel like a kid, and if you are a kid, well, I can't think of a movie this year that could be anything better. Evil witches, true love, princesses, adventure, humor, music - it's all here, and I pretty much enjoyed every minute of this movie. Yes folks, a hardened, at times bitter man I may be, but at heart I am a man raised on Walt Disney and Jim Henson and DC Comics and all of that Good stuff, and very quickly it was clear that Enchanted had won me over - this is a film that Disney can be proud of, that can be held up alongside Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid as a true treasure.
Okay, you might ask, but how can that be? Isn't this one of those post-modern movies that riffs on all the classics and infuses thos great old-school, non-ironic fairy tales with a heaping dose of nu-school self-aware 'tude?
Well, that's exactly what I was worried about, and I really am sick of series like Shrek that coast along on their combination of fairy-tale trappings with pop songs and movie references and the like. Ironically I think it was Disney itself that started the trend, with Robin Williams doing Jack Nicholson impressions as the Genie in Aladdin, and then later on Shrek (part 1) did a nice job of paying tribute to the old-school stuff while ushering in the era of CGI 'toons. But what was at first a cool novelty quickly became the norm, and now you can't go a week without a new hipster-cool, CGI-animated flick popping up, promising to entertain the kids while making sly double entrendres for the adults with a soundtrack (CD available now!) by Smash Mouth. But what's so amazing about ENCHANTED is that it is, in it's own clever way, the antithesis of those types of films. What it does so well is walk a fine line - on one hand it winks at the conventions of all those classic Disney movies - but on the other hand - and this is what's so cool - is that it's never placing itself above those conventions ... instead, it's completely paying tribute to those films, lovingly reminding us why it is that we loved those great fairy tales in the first place.
While searching around online I actually saw some comparisons between Enchanted and Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. It sounds strange, but the comparison is actually really apt. Because like Edgar Wright's genre send-ups, Enchanted lampoons its inspirations and yet you can feel the love for that source material bursting from every frame of the movie. I mean, when the film opens with narration by Julie Andrews and transports you into this classic Disney animated fairy tale universe, you laugh at how slyly Enchanted is having fun with those older movies, but at the same time ... it's as if Enchanted is screaming at you: "Remember?!?! Don't you remember what's so amazingly great and timeless about those legendary Disney works of art?!?!" And you do remember. Because there's something about that hand-drawn animation that can never be replicated in CGI, there's something about telling a great story unironically that can be so refreshing in this day and age. Sometimes, parody really is the best way to call attention to how great something was (I think of all the great movies and TV shows I've discovered simply because they were brilliantly satirized by The Simpsons ...). So yes, this is a satire, in a way, but really, it's a tribute, and even more than that, it feels like a call to action. This isn't just a nostalgic look at Disney days gone by - it's a reminder that that way of telling a story STILL works - because Enchanted tricks us into thinking we're seeing some hip, modern spin on Disney when, in fact, this IS a classic Disney movie in disguise.
Amy Adams is simply great here. I still love Ellen Page's performance in Juno, but honestly this one is up there as one of the year's best turns from a leading actress. Adams is so spot-on in that again, she is sending up the stereotypical Disney princess, and yet ... she wins us over and really makes us 100% believe in her character despite how ridiculous she could have seemed in lesser hands.
I've never been big on James Marsden before, but as far as I can tell this is the best work of his career - he's hilarious as the prototypical prince charming. Susan Sarandon makes for a great evil witch - between her delightfully wicked performance here and Michelle Pfeifer's outstanding turn this summer in STARDUST ... well, what a year it's been for wicked witches. Patrick Dempsey does a really nice job as well as the overworked real-world guy who falls for the fantasy-land princess, and the girl who plays his young daughter is terrific too. Timothy Spall is another great villain, here the quintessential sleezy henchman. Also really well done here are all of the various cartoon and CGI creatures that populate the film. The princess' little chipmunk friend is pretty classic as far as funny animal sidekicks go, and has a ton of personality and humor for a CGI guy in a real-world setting. At the theater I saw the movie in, the audience was cracking up at his antics, and I don't blame them. The CGI stuff here is so wel ldone not because it's technically dazzling (though at times it is), but it's because of the sheer character and personality put into the animation. Definitely a few drops of the ol' Disney fairy dust were floating about in this one ...
But aside from the joyful performance of Amy Adams, the other real star here is the music by longtime Disney composer Alan Menkin and partner Steven Schwartz. There are a couple of real winners here, songs you'll be humming and singing along to for a long time after seeing the film. I mean, my tolerance for musical numbers is not typically that great, but man, I already have these songs on "repeat" in my head - they're the same kind of catchy, happy, clever tunes that made Little Mermaid et al so beloved. And the whole "How do you know he loves you" musical number was just so well done, from the lyrics to the choreography -- the cuteness factor was turned up so high that you'd have to be a bitter, hateful person not to love it. I'm sorry, but it's true ...
ENCHANTED deserves its recent success, and I can only hope that it does remind people why classic Disney is in fact classic. The fact that Disney shut down its animation department a few years back was an absolute travesty, and it would be truly wonderful if this film, which so deftly belends live action with animation, was the start of a revival in traditional hand-drawn animation. I know Disney has one or two 2-D projects on the way, so let's see if they can live up to the bar set by this one. Sure, there are moments here that lean a little on the cheesy side, and one or two plot points that feel a bit glossed-over, but I was continually impressed by how well things flowed and how seamlessly this movie seemed to come together and just click on so many levels. But most of all, it had that extra layer of care put into it that really made it shine. Whether it was "Under the Sea" playing at a key moment of the film, those elegantly-animated scenes, the little clever moments of the script, or Amy Adams showing that a princess could be both a dreamer and a modern girl ... Enchanted has that Disney touch, that seal of quality. I'm surprised, but very pleasantly so, that the movie lived up to its name, and lived up to its legacy.
My Grade: A -
ENCHANTED Review:
- Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle ... I had a sneaking suspicion that Enchanted might be something special, but still, I went into it with a bit of a skeptical eye. I mean sure, this was a Disney movie, but really, has that meant all that much in recent years? With the very notable exception of Pixar and a few particular PIRATES, when was the last time that we got a true, honest-to-god, instant-classic DISNEY, as in WALT DISNEY, movie? Well kids, here it is. Enchanted is a Disney movie through-and-through, and man, was it good to see. This is a movie that will take you back and make you feel like a kid, and if you are a kid, well, I can't think of a movie this year that could be anything better. Evil witches, true love, princesses, adventure, humor, music - it's all here, and I pretty much enjoyed every minute of this movie. Yes folks, a hardened, at times bitter man I may be, but at heart I am a man raised on Walt Disney and Jim Henson and DC Comics and all of that Good stuff, and very quickly it was clear that Enchanted had won me over - this is a film that Disney can be proud of, that can be held up alongside Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid as a true treasure.
Okay, you might ask, but how can that be? Isn't this one of those post-modern movies that riffs on all the classics and infuses thos great old-school, non-ironic fairy tales with a heaping dose of nu-school self-aware 'tude?
Well, that's exactly what I was worried about, and I really am sick of series like Shrek that coast along on their combination of fairy-tale trappings with pop songs and movie references and the like. Ironically I think it was Disney itself that started the trend, with Robin Williams doing Jack Nicholson impressions as the Genie in Aladdin, and then later on Shrek (part 1) did a nice job of paying tribute to the old-school stuff while ushering in the era of CGI 'toons. But what was at first a cool novelty quickly became the norm, and now you can't go a week without a new hipster-cool, CGI-animated flick popping up, promising to entertain the kids while making sly double entrendres for the adults with a soundtrack (CD available now!) by Smash Mouth. But what's so amazing about ENCHANTED is that it is, in it's own clever way, the antithesis of those types of films. What it does so well is walk a fine line - on one hand it winks at the conventions of all those classic Disney movies - but on the other hand - and this is what's so cool - is that it's never placing itself above those conventions ... instead, it's completely paying tribute to those films, lovingly reminding us why it is that we loved those great fairy tales in the first place.
While searching around online I actually saw some comparisons between Enchanted and Shawn of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. It sounds strange, but the comparison is actually really apt. Because like Edgar Wright's genre send-ups, Enchanted lampoons its inspirations and yet you can feel the love for that source material bursting from every frame of the movie. I mean, when the film opens with narration by Julie Andrews and transports you into this classic Disney animated fairy tale universe, you laugh at how slyly Enchanted is having fun with those older movies, but at the same time ... it's as if Enchanted is screaming at you: "Remember?!?! Don't you remember what's so amazingly great and timeless about those legendary Disney works of art?!?!" And you do remember. Because there's something about that hand-drawn animation that can never be replicated in CGI, there's something about telling a great story unironically that can be so refreshing in this day and age. Sometimes, parody really is the best way to call attention to how great something was (I think of all the great movies and TV shows I've discovered simply because they were brilliantly satirized by The Simpsons ...). So yes, this is a satire, in a way, but really, it's a tribute, and even more than that, it feels like a call to action. This isn't just a nostalgic look at Disney days gone by - it's a reminder that that way of telling a story STILL works - because Enchanted tricks us into thinking we're seeing some hip, modern spin on Disney when, in fact, this IS a classic Disney movie in disguise.
Amy Adams is simply great here. I still love Ellen Page's performance in Juno, but honestly this one is up there as one of the year's best turns from a leading actress. Adams is so spot-on in that again, she is sending up the stereotypical Disney princess, and yet ... she wins us over and really makes us 100% believe in her character despite how ridiculous she could have seemed in lesser hands.
I've never been big on James Marsden before, but as far as I can tell this is the best work of his career - he's hilarious as the prototypical prince charming. Susan Sarandon makes for a great evil witch - between her delightfully wicked performance here and Michelle Pfeifer's outstanding turn this summer in STARDUST ... well, what a year it's been for wicked witches. Patrick Dempsey does a really nice job as well as the overworked real-world guy who falls for the fantasy-land princess, and the girl who plays his young daughter is terrific too. Timothy Spall is another great villain, here the quintessential sleezy henchman. Also really well done here are all of the various cartoon and CGI creatures that populate the film. The princess' little chipmunk friend is pretty classic as far as funny animal sidekicks go, and has a ton of personality and humor for a CGI guy in a real-world setting. At the theater I saw the movie in, the audience was cracking up at his antics, and I don't blame them. The CGI stuff here is so wel ldone not because it's technically dazzling (though at times it is), but it's because of the sheer character and personality put into the animation. Definitely a few drops of the ol' Disney fairy dust were floating about in this one ...
But aside from the joyful performance of Amy Adams, the other real star here is the music by longtime Disney composer Alan Menkin and partner Steven Schwartz. There are a couple of real winners here, songs you'll be humming and singing along to for a long time after seeing the film. I mean, my tolerance for musical numbers is not typically that great, but man, I already have these songs on "repeat" in my head - they're the same kind of catchy, happy, clever tunes that made Little Mermaid et al so beloved. And the whole "How do you know he loves you" musical number was just so well done, from the lyrics to the choreography -- the cuteness factor was turned up so high that you'd have to be a bitter, hateful person not to love it. I'm sorry, but it's true ...
ENCHANTED deserves its recent success, and I can only hope that it does remind people why classic Disney is in fact classic. The fact that Disney shut down its animation department a few years back was an absolute travesty, and it would be truly wonderful if this film, which so deftly belends live action with animation, was the start of a revival in traditional hand-drawn animation. I know Disney has one or two 2-D projects on the way, so let's see if they can live up to the bar set by this one. Sure, there are moments here that lean a little on the cheesy side, and one or two plot points that feel a bit glossed-over, but I was continually impressed by how well things flowed and how seamlessly this movie seemed to come together and just click on so many levels. But most of all, it had that extra layer of care put into it that really made it shine. Whether it was "Under the Sea" playing at a key moment of the film, those elegantly-animated scenes, the little clever moments of the script, or Amy Adams showing that a princess could be both a dreamer and a modern girl ... Enchanted has that Disney touch, that seal of quality. I'm surprised, but very pleasantly so, that the movie lived up to its name, and lived up to its legacy.
My Grade: A -
Awwww HELLS No! I AM LEGEND - Reviewed - plus DARK KNIGHT and HOBBIT thoughts
Ahhhh this week has been nuts. I've been itching to write here but just haven't had time. But anyways, here I am, so let's get right to it:
- Firstly, I have to lend my voice of approval to the fact that Peter Jackson is back where he belongs, signed up to executive-produce more films in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe. Now, of course the immediate question mark is: who will direct THE HOBBIT and its sequel, culled from the secondary Middle Earth writings of Tolkien? Of course, everyone has their own opinion, and there are the usual suspects tossed around, from Terry Gilliam to Guillermo del Toro to Sam Raimi. All of those could be good if not great, but man, I just want to see more Peter Jackson-directed material. My hope is that Jackson finds someone who can kind of fill the role of apprentice while he serves as the mentor, so that the films will still have PJ's distictive stamp. But the three LOTR films were maybe the greatest event films of the last 10 years, and it's just great to know that we can hopefully look forward to more of that magic. As a sidenote, I'm assuming that Ian McKellan is on board, and Viggo Mortenson and Liv Tyler for that second movie where I imagine they might be featured ... so I guess the big question is ... who should play Bilbo in The Hobbit?!? Ian Holm was so great in LOTR ... if only they could just digitally de-age him ... hmmm.
- Oh, man, I almost forgot to write about this ... but, brace yourself for a quick rant. So on Sunday I checked out I Am Legend in IMAX, in large part motivated by the chance to see the first six minutes of THE DARK KNIGHT that would precede it. HOLY LORD, those six minutes or so were pure bliss. I was completely geeking out the entire time, and beyond that I think I had chills from the sheer awesomness and undeniable GRAVITAS of what I was seeing. It's the same feeling I had way back when, when I saw the first extended trailer for Batman Begins at Wizard World LA. Just the atmosphere, the tone, felt so spot-on. And man, there could be no denying that WILLIAM FICHTNER, in a cameo role as a vigilante bank-owner, completely ruled it here. I mean after seeing this clip I almost forgot about Batman and was about ready to watch a whole movie of a shotgun-toting Fichtner versus the Joker. But seeing how the clip played out, seeing how potentially kickass Heath Ledger will be as The Joker, seeing how this one looks to take everything that worked about BB and improve on an laready-great formula ... well, I don't know if there's any movie I'm more anticipating, or any movie I have anticipated more in recent memory. Batman vs. The Joker, done right ... it doesn't get any better than that.
So, speaking of I AM LEGEND ...
I AM LEGEND Review:
- I Am Legend is yet another big-drawing action flick that, with its intriguing premise and epic scale, COULD have been a truly great movie. Enter Will Smith, who rarely fails to entertain but usually feels compelled to inject his trademark goofiness and cartoonish sensibilities into otherwise serious movies. Last year at this time, I was seriously impressed with Smith's ability to restrain his comedic insticts and immerse himself in a character in The Pursuit of Happyness. But I Am Legend, partly thanks to Will Smith and partly due to writer Akiva Goldsman (the scribe who brought us such action-adventure masterpieces as Batman and Robin), is a return to to movies like I, Robot, where we get, essentially, Will Smith as Will Smith, and its to the detriment of the movie. And that's really a shame.
Make no mistake, I Am Legend is a pretty entertaining bit of popcorn filmmaking. And it's funny, because that whole Will Smith as Will Smith thing I just alluded to is kind of what makes it a popcorn movie for a wide audience. Without his excitable presence, I Am Legend is a pretty dark, scary movie about post-apocalyptic horrors - a pretty straightforward adaptation of the book by the same name, the tale of a killer virus that wipes out most of earth's population and turns nearly everyone else into crazy zombie monsters with a thirst for human flesh. So, for the handful of people left and left intact, let's just say it's a pretty hard knock life. This goes for Will Smith's character in particular - he just so happens to be an army scientist who had been working on a cure for the virus as it first began to spread, and who continues to spend his days in a totally deserted NYC still searching for that elusive cure.
For the first half of the movie, it's shades of Castaway as we see Will deal with all of the madness and weirdness tht comes with being one of the Last Men on Earth. There are only hints of the dangers that come out at night. Then, things take a more desperate turn, and we begin to get a bit more up close and personal with the monsters that lurk in the sewers and come out at night looking to feed. All of this would be well and good -- and a lot of it is satisfyingly intense and well-shot by director Francis Lawrence, with sompe particularly well-done shots of a bleak and empty NYC that is slowly beginning to become wild and untamed, with deer running through the streets and brush growing in the developments. The problem is that the guy we are focused on through all this is Will Smith-as-superhero. He's a scientist, but of course he's a crack shot with a rifle, freakishly ripped, and a guy who still mostly speaks in Will Smith-isms. There's no shout of "aww HELLS no!", luckily, but rarely do we look at this guy and believe him as a credible genius who was mankind's last, best hope for a cure to the worst viral outbreak the planet has ever seen. And hey, I'm all in favor of over-the-top, comic-bookish characters when the situation is right. But the problem with I Am Legend is ... Goldsman and Lawrence are clearly not going for an over-the-top grindhouse-style horror movie here, so the film jsut falls in this odd in-between place where it's kind of wanting to be taken seriously, yet is too cartoonish for us to really buy into it.
Meanwhile, the film coasts on Will Smith's charm and the whole novelty of its premise, often at the expense of much in the way of plot. We get plenty of flashbacks to Will Smith's last days with his wife and daughter before he stayed behind in New York while they were whisked away as people fled the island upon the mass viral outbreak. But in this post-Lost age, I expect a bit more from my character-revealing flashbacks. Here, these scenes never really reveal all that much about the virus or about how we got from Point A of mass panic and evacuation to Point B of post-apocalypse. Especially in light of the fact that I've been reading Stephen King's THE STAND, which masterfully details just such a scenario, it was tough seeing a film that so breezily skipped over much of this kind of detail.
On the plus side, I was pleasantly surprised that despite some cartoonishness and Will Smith-isms, the movie had a bit more restraint than I, Robot, and managed to stay pretty dark and intense. The mutant monsters here were genuinely creepy, and there are a number of unsettling twists and turns that don't shy away from how bleak a picture of the future is being portrayed. While in the theater, I was sitting next to a kid who was probably about twelve or thirteen, and he was genuinely pretty disturbed by the movie and scared of some of the scenes, so I give the movie credit for keeping things interesting and unpredictable to some degree. And I also don't want to totally rail on Will Smith or anything -- let's face it, he does have a ton of charisma, and even when I was cringing at his attempts to inject goofy humor and cuteness into the script, he is certainly always a fun guy to watch. Not to mention that he really does have some nice moments scattered throughout the film, a few scenes where he does stretch himself and have some real sadness, intensity, and anger.
What we're left with is a perfectly watchable movie. It's a Will Smith blockbuster to be sure, but compared to some other films that fall into that category it's pretty dark and restrained. Still, this is a far from perfect script, with some lame cutesy moments and a plotline that feels jumpy and incomplete, especially with a series of flashbacks that prove kind of pointless and unfulfilling. In the end though the story comes together pretty decently, with an ending that is certainly not exactly typical for a Will Smith blockbuster. Sure, this movie is good fun - I'd recommend catching it, especially as a nice change of pace from all of the droll and pretentious Oscar-bait films released over the last few months. But like I, Robot, it's frustrating to think what might have been, if only I Am Legend had been instilled with the level of prestige and passion that a movie like Batman Begins used to elevate itself past typical blockbuster fare.
My Grade: B
- Okay, I'm about out of time on this one, but I still have to review INTO THE WILD, which I also finally caught this past weekend. Until then, check yo'self before you wreck yo'self.
- Firstly, I have to lend my voice of approval to the fact that Peter Jackson is back where he belongs, signed up to executive-produce more films in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe. Now, of course the immediate question mark is: who will direct THE HOBBIT and its sequel, culled from the secondary Middle Earth writings of Tolkien? Of course, everyone has their own opinion, and there are the usual suspects tossed around, from Terry Gilliam to Guillermo del Toro to Sam Raimi. All of those could be good if not great, but man, I just want to see more Peter Jackson-directed material. My hope is that Jackson finds someone who can kind of fill the role of apprentice while he serves as the mentor, so that the films will still have PJ's distictive stamp. But the three LOTR films were maybe the greatest event films of the last 10 years, and it's just great to know that we can hopefully look forward to more of that magic. As a sidenote, I'm assuming that Ian McKellan is on board, and Viggo Mortenson and Liv Tyler for that second movie where I imagine they might be featured ... so I guess the big question is ... who should play Bilbo in The Hobbit?!? Ian Holm was so great in LOTR ... if only they could just digitally de-age him ... hmmm.
- Oh, man, I almost forgot to write about this ... but, brace yourself for a quick rant. So on Sunday I checked out I Am Legend in IMAX, in large part motivated by the chance to see the first six minutes of THE DARK KNIGHT that would precede it. HOLY LORD, those six minutes or so were pure bliss. I was completely geeking out the entire time, and beyond that I think I had chills from the sheer awesomness and undeniable GRAVITAS of what I was seeing. It's the same feeling I had way back when, when I saw the first extended trailer for Batman Begins at Wizard World LA. Just the atmosphere, the tone, felt so spot-on. And man, there could be no denying that WILLIAM FICHTNER, in a cameo role as a vigilante bank-owner, completely ruled it here. I mean after seeing this clip I almost forgot about Batman and was about ready to watch a whole movie of a shotgun-toting Fichtner versus the Joker. But seeing how the clip played out, seeing how potentially kickass Heath Ledger will be as The Joker, seeing how this one looks to take everything that worked about BB and improve on an laready-great formula ... well, I don't know if there's any movie I'm more anticipating, or any movie I have anticipated more in recent memory. Batman vs. The Joker, done right ... it doesn't get any better than that.
So, speaking of I AM LEGEND ...
I AM LEGEND Review:
- I Am Legend is yet another big-drawing action flick that, with its intriguing premise and epic scale, COULD have been a truly great movie. Enter Will Smith, who rarely fails to entertain but usually feels compelled to inject his trademark goofiness and cartoonish sensibilities into otherwise serious movies. Last year at this time, I was seriously impressed with Smith's ability to restrain his comedic insticts and immerse himself in a character in The Pursuit of Happyness. But I Am Legend, partly thanks to Will Smith and partly due to writer Akiva Goldsman (the scribe who brought us such action-adventure masterpieces as Batman and Robin), is a return to to movies like I, Robot, where we get, essentially, Will Smith as Will Smith, and its to the detriment of the movie. And that's really a shame.
Make no mistake, I Am Legend is a pretty entertaining bit of popcorn filmmaking. And it's funny, because that whole Will Smith as Will Smith thing I just alluded to is kind of what makes it a popcorn movie for a wide audience. Without his excitable presence, I Am Legend is a pretty dark, scary movie about post-apocalyptic horrors - a pretty straightforward adaptation of the book by the same name, the tale of a killer virus that wipes out most of earth's population and turns nearly everyone else into crazy zombie monsters with a thirst for human flesh. So, for the handful of people left and left intact, let's just say it's a pretty hard knock life. This goes for Will Smith's character in particular - he just so happens to be an army scientist who had been working on a cure for the virus as it first began to spread, and who continues to spend his days in a totally deserted NYC still searching for that elusive cure.
For the first half of the movie, it's shades of Castaway as we see Will deal with all of the madness and weirdness tht comes with being one of the Last Men on Earth. There are only hints of the dangers that come out at night. Then, things take a more desperate turn, and we begin to get a bit more up close and personal with the monsters that lurk in the sewers and come out at night looking to feed. All of this would be well and good -- and a lot of it is satisfyingly intense and well-shot by director Francis Lawrence, with sompe particularly well-done shots of a bleak and empty NYC that is slowly beginning to become wild and untamed, with deer running through the streets and brush growing in the developments. The problem is that the guy we are focused on through all this is Will Smith-as-superhero. He's a scientist, but of course he's a crack shot with a rifle, freakishly ripped, and a guy who still mostly speaks in Will Smith-isms. There's no shout of "aww HELLS no!", luckily, but rarely do we look at this guy and believe him as a credible genius who was mankind's last, best hope for a cure to the worst viral outbreak the planet has ever seen. And hey, I'm all in favor of over-the-top, comic-bookish characters when the situation is right. But the problem with I Am Legend is ... Goldsman and Lawrence are clearly not going for an over-the-top grindhouse-style horror movie here, so the film jsut falls in this odd in-between place where it's kind of wanting to be taken seriously, yet is too cartoonish for us to really buy into it.
Meanwhile, the film coasts on Will Smith's charm and the whole novelty of its premise, often at the expense of much in the way of plot. We get plenty of flashbacks to Will Smith's last days with his wife and daughter before he stayed behind in New York while they were whisked away as people fled the island upon the mass viral outbreak. But in this post-Lost age, I expect a bit more from my character-revealing flashbacks. Here, these scenes never really reveal all that much about the virus or about how we got from Point A of mass panic and evacuation to Point B of post-apocalypse. Especially in light of the fact that I've been reading Stephen King's THE STAND, which masterfully details just such a scenario, it was tough seeing a film that so breezily skipped over much of this kind of detail.
On the plus side, I was pleasantly surprised that despite some cartoonishness and Will Smith-isms, the movie had a bit more restraint than I, Robot, and managed to stay pretty dark and intense. The mutant monsters here were genuinely creepy, and there are a number of unsettling twists and turns that don't shy away from how bleak a picture of the future is being portrayed. While in the theater, I was sitting next to a kid who was probably about twelve or thirteen, and he was genuinely pretty disturbed by the movie and scared of some of the scenes, so I give the movie credit for keeping things interesting and unpredictable to some degree. And I also don't want to totally rail on Will Smith or anything -- let's face it, he does have a ton of charisma, and even when I was cringing at his attempts to inject goofy humor and cuteness into the script, he is certainly always a fun guy to watch. Not to mention that he really does have some nice moments scattered throughout the film, a few scenes where he does stretch himself and have some real sadness, intensity, and anger.
What we're left with is a perfectly watchable movie. It's a Will Smith blockbuster to be sure, but compared to some other films that fall into that category it's pretty dark and restrained. Still, this is a far from perfect script, with some lame cutesy moments and a plotline that feels jumpy and incomplete, especially with a series of flashbacks that prove kind of pointless and unfulfilling. In the end though the story comes together pretty decently, with an ending that is certainly not exactly typical for a Will Smith blockbuster. Sure, this movie is good fun - I'd recommend catching it, especially as a nice change of pace from all of the droll and pretentious Oscar-bait films released over the last few months. But like I, Robot, it's frustrating to think what might have been, if only I Am Legend had been instilled with the level of prestige and passion that a movie like Batman Begins used to elevate itself past typical blockbuster fare.
My Grade: B
- Okay, I'm about out of time on this one, but I still have to review INTO THE WILD, which I also finally caught this past weekend. Until then, check yo'self before you wreck yo'self.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Leave your Daemon at the door - GOLDEN COMPASS - reviewed!
All hail the almighty weekend - coming in all its glory in a mere matter of hours.
Man, I am only mildly excited to see I AM LEGEND. I love the concept but am very skeptical of Will Smith-led action movies. Sure, like everyone else I loved Big Willie in Independence Day ... when I was twelve (okay I still love that movie, who am I kidding). But the one that really soured me on him was I, ROBOT, which could have been an awesome movie if it had not been injected with liberal doses of Will Smith as Will Smith, complete with obligatory "aww, HELL naw!" But, that being said ... I am dyin' to see I Am Legend In IMAX, simply for the opportunity to see the first six minutes of DARK KNIGHT that is playing along with the IMAX cut. I mean, holy kickass trailer, Batman, I am so onboard for this thing. Regular readers of the blog that few things cause me to geek out more than Batman, and after this week's torrent of DK-related info, from new posters to the promise of six minutes of Bat-riffic footage (set to feature Heath Ledger as THE JOKER offing none other than WILLIAM FICHTNER!). Yes, I am basically frothing at the mouth to see anything Dark Knight at this point ...
But this week, I did catch a much-hyped movie of a different sort ... so, here's my review ...
THE GOLDEN COMPASS Review:
- This has been an interesting time for the big-budget fantasy film. Since the conclusion of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a number of contenders have cropped up looking to capitalize on the resounding success of that superlative franchise. However, while a few of these fantasy films have really worked, a number have faltered, and it seems like a lot of directors are having little trouble translating the visuals to screen, but a lot of problems adapting the dense narratives and complex fantasy worlds that the source material creates. I thought that, overall, The Lion, The witch, and the Wardrobe did a nice job of bringing CS Lewis' book to the screen, and I eagerly anticipate future entries in the Narnai franchise. Another excellent fantasy film came this year in the form of Stardust, which was a bit messy at times but as a whole was a highly imaginative and fun movie.
Now we have The Golden Compass ... My impressions are that, somewhere buried within the theatrical cut of this movie may in fact be one hell of a film. All of the ingredients are there - a great cast, some awe-inspiring visuals, and a number of interesting underlying concepts. However, the edits make for a movie that is ultimately confusing and hard to follow. Characters are introduced abruptly, ideas quickly explained without being fully fleshed-out, and, in the end, the world of The Golden Compass, which I imagine to be fully-realized in the books, here feels as though the surface has barely been scratched. I guess what I'm saying is - I came out of the film intrigued by this world I had just visited, but without ever having felt fully immersed in it.
First, let me run through some of what made this movie really click on certain levels. For one, there's a lot of cool ideas at play here. In this world, for example, all people have little animal familiars that follow them around called "daemons." When you're a child, your daemon is constantly changing shapes to match your mood / personality of the moment, but when you're an adult, your daemon becomes fixed and no longer changes. The daemons apparently are the vessels which house a person's soul, so removing a person from their daemon is akin to stripping them of their very essence. And that, of course, is exactly what an evil governing body wants to do - they've been capturing kids from across the land and performing tortorous experiments that aim to strip them of their daemons. Why? Well, the religious subtext is tha the daemons represent a kind of free will / original sin / individuality. By removing that, well, then there's nothing to stop the evil ruling body from being even more all-powerful than they already are. The daemons are one concept that the movie handles really well both visually and narratively - it's a really unique idea that makes the world of The Golden Compass unique and distinct from its fantasy peers.
However, many other facets of this world do not fare as well. Of course, there's been a huge amount of discussion about the religious subtexts of the books and film - it it anti-Catholic? Geez, I haven't read the books but this movie is about as tame as can be, in my opinion, to its own detriment. Sure, you could equate the Magistarium with the Church - but that would pretty much be all your own inference. Here, they are no different from The Empire in Star Wars, Big Brother, etc - any typical ruling body that wants totalitarian control over its subjects. If anything, I'd almost like to see more ties to real-world religion a la Narnia, as it makes for an interesting dichotomy to have fantasy mixed with established religious mythology. But here, the Magistarium feels woefully one-dimensional. Who are they and what do they want?
It's a problem that plagues a lot of The Golden Compass. In a film like Stardust, that plays more fast and loose with its concepts, its enough to say - oh, of course, sky pirates! - and just accept it as another crazy aspect of this universe. But the way The Golden Compass is set up - it's done in a way where you feel there ARE complex backstories and origins behind all of thes concepts and characters, yet we're simply not getting them.
I mean, I'll talk more about him in a bit - but Sam Elliot as a heroic cowboy ... I mean, he's awesome - it's Sam Elliot as a badass cowboy, for crying out loud. But, um ... why is there a sterotypical American cowboy in this world? Who IS this guy? It's like we're just meant to accept him and move on. But in a world where there seem to be complex rules and backstories for everyone and everything, the idea that we should just meet this cowboy and accept that he's on board for the long haul, it just seems like things were rushed and that w'ere missing key information.
The movie tends to gallop from one character to another, from one plot point to the next. and it's a ll a bit much to take in. I mean, at one point, we see Nicloe Kidman's character recruit our young heroinne, Lyra, to accompany her on an important mission. Lyra seems to eagerly volunteer. But within moments, the implication is that Lyra has been kidnapped and forced to go against her will, and I never caught any explanation for the sudden shift in Lyra's view of her journey. Like I said, this is a very jumpy movie, and it seems to throw a ton of stuff at the viewer without much context or explanation.
I mean, in the world of the Golden Compass, there are witches, one of whom is played by Eva Green, and who seems to be a force for good. At one point though, Sam Elliot looks up at the sky, sees a ton of witches flying around (great visual), and ominously seems to indicate that whoever they are after is screwed. So are they good? Evil? Later on though, the swarm of witches arrives as the cavalry in a climactic battle, kicking ass with their magic left and right. Cool, right? But, um, I had no idea how to feel about any of this, since I never got ANY idea who these witches were or why I should care about them other than the fact that they look cool.
So what you end up with is a collection of cool moments that don't exactly add up to a cohesive epic like they should. Still, the movie is really elevated by a terrific cast. I mean, man, this movie is overflowing with talent. Christopher Lee of all people appears for like one minute - I mean, if you're trying to get quality actors for bit parts, you can't go much better. Lee's Lord of the Rings counterpart, Ian McKellan, does the voice of a badass, exiled Polar Bear king who throughout the course of the movie tries to reclaim his throne. Yes, you heard me, and yes, the polar bears in this movie kick all kinds of ass. A lot of time and care seems to have been spent on 'em, and the one-on-one bear-on-bear smackdown brawl that occurs midway through the film is truly great -- an exciting action scene that at the same time slows down and FOCUSES and draws you in - something that can't be said for much of the movie. In any case, McKellan is great as always with his vocal work here. Nicole Kidman does a nice job as a cold, conniving agent of the Magistarium. Again, she is just kind of there as a femme fatale without much baclground or context. When a particularly interesting revelation about her relationship to Lyra is dropped, it's kind of a "meh" monet, because while it's fun to watch her be evil, we never are really invested in hercharactr one way or the other. Same goes for Daniel Craig - he makes a promising entrance as an adventurous, somewhat rebellious uncle to Lyra, but then drops off the map. We know he SHOULD be important, but I'm still nto sure why we're supposed to care about him, except that he is tracking the secret origins of something called "Dust." Unlike the daemons, Dust, magic particles that fall from the sky. that have something to do with other worlds and dimensions, is a VERY vague concept here which we leave this movie knowing next to nothing about.
Despite some weak characterization, this is certainly a VERY fun cast to watch. Kidman, Craig, etc all light up the screen even if we're eventually left wondering what's up with their characters. Sam Elliot, like I said, purely kickass here, playing a cowboy as only he can. Why his character exists is a bit of a puzzle, but most of the time, let's be honest, we just want to hear Elliot say cool-sounding cowboy-things, shoot up some varmints, and do that mustache-twitch thing.
Really though, the brunt of the movie is carried by a twelve year old girl. Dakota Richards is simply great as Lyra, and from the get-go is a different tpe of young heroinne than what we're used to seeing in these types of films. She's a good guy, the hero of the saga, sure. But she's a sly one - clever, a bit manipulative, and almost unnervingly adept at concocting truthful-sounding lies. Richards does a great job here, and its constantly fun and exciting to follow Lyra on her adventures.
Visually - again this is a pretty great-looking movie. The production design is amazing, and everything looks cool as hell for the most part. The polar bears in particular are tons of fun, and the odd mix of Victorian steam-punk with more traiditonal fantasy and mythological elements make for a constant feast for the eyes. And really, the SPIRIT of high fantasy and adventure is here - like I said, underneath all the jumble is, somewhere, a really great film. But this is a jumbled movie, messy, and incomplete-feeling, and that doesn't really help with the fact that the ending is extremely abrupt and essentially a big fat "tune-in next time for the thrilling second chapter!" It leaves you with a bit of a bad taste, because this movie felt like it should have set up everything for Part 2 but, really, we are just left with a ton of questions - very little was actually set up. Overall though, I enjoyed the movie and am curious about potential sequels - the strength of the cast alone means that a Part 2 has many of the necessary elements to be great. But as for Part 1, well, good, but not quite golden.
My Grade: B
TV STUFF:
- Alright, I'm out for now. Have a great weekend.
Man, I am only mildly excited to see I AM LEGEND. I love the concept but am very skeptical of Will Smith-led action movies. Sure, like everyone else I loved Big Willie in Independence Day ... when I was twelve (okay I still love that movie, who am I kidding). But the one that really soured me on him was I, ROBOT, which could have been an awesome movie if it had not been injected with liberal doses of Will Smith as Will Smith, complete with obligatory "aww, HELL naw!" But, that being said ... I am dyin' to see I Am Legend In IMAX, simply for the opportunity to see the first six minutes of DARK KNIGHT that is playing along with the IMAX cut. I mean, holy kickass trailer, Batman, I am so onboard for this thing. Regular readers of the blog that few things cause me to geek out more than Batman, and after this week's torrent of DK-related info, from new posters to the promise of six minutes of Bat-riffic footage (set to feature Heath Ledger as THE JOKER offing none other than WILLIAM FICHTNER!). Yes, I am basically frothing at the mouth to see anything Dark Knight at this point ...
But this week, I did catch a much-hyped movie of a different sort ... so, here's my review ...
THE GOLDEN COMPASS Review:
- This has been an interesting time for the big-budget fantasy film. Since the conclusion of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a number of contenders have cropped up looking to capitalize on the resounding success of that superlative franchise. However, while a few of these fantasy films have really worked, a number have faltered, and it seems like a lot of directors are having little trouble translating the visuals to screen, but a lot of problems adapting the dense narratives and complex fantasy worlds that the source material creates. I thought that, overall, The Lion, The witch, and the Wardrobe did a nice job of bringing CS Lewis' book to the screen, and I eagerly anticipate future entries in the Narnai franchise. Another excellent fantasy film came this year in the form of Stardust, which was a bit messy at times but as a whole was a highly imaginative and fun movie.
Now we have The Golden Compass ... My impressions are that, somewhere buried within the theatrical cut of this movie may in fact be one hell of a film. All of the ingredients are there - a great cast, some awe-inspiring visuals, and a number of interesting underlying concepts. However, the edits make for a movie that is ultimately confusing and hard to follow. Characters are introduced abruptly, ideas quickly explained without being fully fleshed-out, and, in the end, the world of The Golden Compass, which I imagine to be fully-realized in the books, here feels as though the surface has barely been scratched. I guess what I'm saying is - I came out of the film intrigued by this world I had just visited, but without ever having felt fully immersed in it.
First, let me run through some of what made this movie really click on certain levels. For one, there's a lot of cool ideas at play here. In this world, for example, all people have little animal familiars that follow them around called "daemons." When you're a child, your daemon is constantly changing shapes to match your mood / personality of the moment, but when you're an adult, your daemon becomes fixed and no longer changes. The daemons apparently are the vessels which house a person's soul, so removing a person from their daemon is akin to stripping them of their very essence. And that, of course, is exactly what an evil governing body wants to do - they've been capturing kids from across the land and performing tortorous experiments that aim to strip them of their daemons. Why? Well, the religious subtext is tha the daemons represent a kind of free will / original sin / individuality. By removing that, well, then there's nothing to stop the evil ruling body from being even more all-powerful than they already are. The daemons are one concept that the movie handles really well both visually and narratively - it's a really unique idea that makes the world of The Golden Compass unique and distinct from its fantasy peers.
However, many other facets of this world do not fare as well. Of course, there's been a huge amount of discussion about the religious subtexts of the books and film - it it anti-Catholic? Geez, I haven't read the books but this movie is about as tame as can be, in my opinion, to its own detriment. Sure, you could equate the Magistarium with the Church - but that would pretty much be all your own inference. Here, they are no different from The Empire in Star Wars, Big Brother, etc - any typical ruling body that wants totalitarian control over its subjects. If anything, I'd almost like to see more ties to real-world religion a la Narnia, as it makes for an interesting dichotomy to have fantasy mixed with established religious mythology. But here, the Magistarium feels woefully one-dimensional. Who are they and what do they want?
It's a problem that plagues a lot of The Golden Compass. In a film like Stardust, that plays more fast and loose with its concepts, its enough to say - oh, of course, sky pirates! - and just accept it as another crazy aspect of this universe. But the way The Golden Compass is set up - it's done in a way where you feel there ARE complex backstories and origins behind all of thes concepts and characters, yet we're simply not getting them.
I mean, I'll talk more about him in a bit - but Sam Elliot as a heroic cowboy ... I mean, he's awesome - it's Sam Elliot as a badass cowboy, for crying out loud. But, um ... why is there a sterotypical American cowboy in this world? Who IS this guy? It's like we're just meant to accept him and move on. But in a world where there seem to be complex rules and backstories for everyone and everything, the idea that we should just meet this cowboy and accept that he's on board for the long haul, it just seems like things were rushed and that w'ere missing key information.
The movie tends to gallop from one character to another, from one plot point to the next. and it's a ll a bit much to take in. I mean, at one point, we see Nicloe Kidman's character recruit our young heroinne, Lyra, to accompany her on an important mission. Lyra seems to eagerly volunteer. But within moments, the implication is that Lyra has been kidnapped and forced to go against her will, and I never caught any explanation for the sudden shift in Lyra's view of her journey. Like I said, this is a very jumpy movie, and it seems to throw a ton of stuff at the viewer without much context or explanation.
I mean, in the world of the Golden Compass, there are witches, one of whom is played by Eva Green, and who seems to be a force for good. At one point though, Sam Elliot looks up at the sky, sees a ton of witches flying around (great visual), and ominously seems to indicate that whoever they are after is screwed. So are they good? Evil? Later on though, the swarm of witches arrives as the cavalry in a climactic battle, kicking ass with their magic left and right. Cool, right? But, um, I had no idea how to feel about any of this, since I never got ANY idea who these witches were or why I should care about them other than the fact that they look cool.
So what you end up with is a collection of cool moments that don't exactly add up to a cohesive epic like they should. Still, the movie is really elevated by a terrific cast. I mean, man, this movie is overflowing with talent. Christopher Lee of all people appears for like one minute - I mean, if you're trying to get quality actors for bit parts, you can't go much better. Lee's Lord of the Rings counterpart, Ian McKellan, does the voice of a badass, exiled Polar Bear king who throughout the course of the movie tries to reclaim his throne. Yes, you heard me, and yes, the polar bears in this movie kick all kinds of ass. A lot of time and care seems to have been spent on 'em, and the one-on-one bear-on-bear smackdown brawl that occurs midway through the film is truly great -- an exciting action scene that at the same time slows down and FOCUSES and draws you in - something that can't be said for much of the movie. In any case, McKellan is great as always with his vocal work here. Nicole Kidman does a nice job as a cold, conniving agent of the Magistarium. Again, she is just kind of there as a femme fatale without much baclground or context. When a particularly interesting revelation about her relationship to Lyra is dropped, it's kind of a "meh" monet, because while it's fun to watch her be evil, we never are really invested in hercharactr one way or the other. Same goes for Daniel Craig - he makes a promising entrance as an adventurous, somewhat rebellious uncle to Lyra, but then drops off the map. We know he SHOULD be important, but I'm still nto sure why we're supposed to care about him, except that he is tracking the secret origins of something called "Dust." Unlike the daemons, Dust, magic particles that fall from the sky. that have something to do with other worlds and dimensions, is a VERY vague concept here which we leave this movie knowing next to nothing about.
Despite some weak characterization, this is certainly a VERY fun cast to watch. Kidman, Craig, etc all light up the screen even if we're eventually left wondering what's up with their characters. Sam Elliot, like I said, purely kickass here, playing a cowboy as only he can. Why his character exists is a bit of a puzzle, but most of the time, let's be honest, we just want to hear Elliot say cool-sounding cowboy-things, shoot up some varmints, and do that mustache-twitch thing.
Really though, the brunt of the movie is carried by a twelve year old girl. Dakota Richards is simply great as Lyra, and from the get-go is a different tpe of young heroinne than what we're used to seeing in these types of films. She's a good guy, the hero of the saga, sure. But she's a sly one - clever, a bit manipulative, and almost unnervingly adept at concocting truthful-sounding lies. Richards does a great job here, and its constantly fun and exciting to follow Lyra on her adventures.
Visually - again this is a pretty great-looking movie. The production design is amazing, and everything looks cool as hell for the most part. The polar bears in particular are tons of fun, and the odd mix of Victorian steam-punk with more traiditonal fantasy and mythological elements make for a constant feast for the eyes. And really, the SPIRIT of high fantasy and adventure is here - like I said, underneath all the jumble is, somewhere, a really great film. But this is a jumbled movie, messy, and incomplete-feeling, and that doesn't really help with the fact that the ending is extremely abrupt and essentially a big fat "tune-in next time for the thrilling second chapter!" It leaves you with a bit of a bad taste, because this movie felt like it should have set up everything for Part 2 but, really, we are just left with a ton of questions - very little was actually set up. Overall though, I enjoyed the movie and am curious about potential sequels - the strength of the cast alone means that a Part 2 has many of the necessary elements to be great. But as for Part 1, well, good, but not quite golden.
My Grade: B
TV STUFF:
- Alright, I'm out for now. Have a great weekend.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
HAPPY HANUKKAH (yes I know it ended last night) - AMERICAN GLADIATORS recap plus MORE
And I'm back. Well, despite it being over as of last night, I haven't properly said Happy Hanukkah yet here on the blog - so, hope everyone else in the Jew Crew had eight crazy nights of good food, fun, and celebration.
If you're just catching up on your blog reading, be sure to check out my last two entries: a recap of my recent trip to London, and a review of one of my favorite movies of 2007, Juno.
- I've yet to write about this past weekend, with the main event of note being that a bunch of friends and I attended a taping of NBC's upcoming revival of 80's classic AMERICAN GLADIATORS. Yep, a whole crew of Hulkamanics piled into a car and drove down to Sony Studios in Culver City to witness the one and only Hulk Hogan play host, along with Layla Ali, as a new crop of musclebound men and women competed in challenges like Joust, Powerball, and Hang Tough.
It was great to see the Hulkster again live and in person - it's no secret that I'm a true-blue Hulkamaniac from back in the day, so it was fun to paricipate in the random "Hulk" chants that broke out throughout the taping, and engage in random ear-cups and pose-downs in tribute to the wrestling legend. However, a new star was born at these Gladiator tapings - a woman seemingly descended from the Norse gods and forged by the same fiery furnace that birthed the Hammer of Thor itself. Yes, friends, the star of these tapings was undoubtedly the woman known only as The Mighty Helga - a viking warrioress who stole the crowd's affections and inspired thunderous chants of her name throughout the show.
We watched Helga and other she-Gladiators with names like Crush and Venom compete in two different events, along with their male counterparts - bruising dudes with names like Militia. The first event we saw was surely the coolest - a wobbly bridge is suspended over a pool of water - the contestants attempt to cross the bridge back and forth as many times as they can without falling into the pool, all while being assualted by giant hanging spheres being hurled at them by the gladiators, who sit perched on raised platforms at all four of the pool's corners. It kinda plays out like a level of Super Mario Bros. come to life, and was fun to watch. The second event we saw, Powerball, was a holdover I believe from the original series. It's basically a glorified game of "kill the man with the ball," and a bit hard to follow live without the aid of on-screen graphics to help you keep score.
Overall though - good times. As with any TV taping, there was a lot of waiting around, but at least the waiting was made more bearable by dancing girls, random chants of "Helga!", and the novelty factor of being in the presence of the immortal Hulk Hogan, who is essentially a real-life superhero (even if it takes him threee tries to get his teleprompter-fed lines correctly). The sets looked pretty badass, and I'm really curious to see how this all comes together on TV.
In any case, be sure to check out the all-new AMERICAN GLADIATORS on NBC, premiering January 6th and 7th at 8pm. If you see a bunch of guys and girls screaming like maniacs, doing random Hogan-esque poses, and screaming out spontaneous marriage proposals to The Might Helga - well, that might just be (and probably is) my friends and I.
TV STUFF:
- So I'm sure you guys can see that the pickings are starting to get pretty slim on the ol' tube of late. I haven't been current enough on my TV watching of late to do timely reviews - I've mostly just been catching up on programs like 30 ROCK (so hilarious), ALIENS IN AMERICA (best new comedy of the year), GOSSIP GIRL (def an addictive show - the new OC?), and PUSHING DAISIES (I loved the smell-centric episode with Paul Reubens from a few weeks back, and look forward to his characters' return tonight). Otherwise, the strike marches on and it will be interesting to see if there's any movement towards a resolution in the next few months or if this thing just drags on interminably. I've been reading rumors today about what might happen with LOST -- word is it may shift nights from Wednesdays or maybe even be delayed past '08 a la 24. Personally, while I'm kinda grateful in a way for not having new TV as a distraction over the next several weeks, I was really looking forward to at least one must-see show in Lost, esp. after last season's kickass cliffhanger ending. I say give us new episodes now, and pray that the strike is resolved in time to keep things going after the initial batch of episodes has run dry.
MOVIES:
- On my Need To See Before the End of 2007 list:
Already Released: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, The Mist, Enchanted, Lars and the Real Girl, The Golden Compass, Into The Wild, I'm Not There
Soon To Be Released: Walk Hard, I Am Legend (if only for the Dark Knight preview), There Will Be Blood, Sweeney Todd
From Earlier in the Year: Zodiac, probably one or two others that I'm forgetting ...
I'm pretty confident that of these, There Will Be Blood and Sweeney Todd will push there way into my Best of 2007 List, and who knows, maybe one or two will as well. Already though, I can say it's been an incredible year for movies, with soon-to-be-classic entries in a number of genres, some of which (like the Western) that were thought all-but-dead. I'm also really hoping to see Into the Wild, still playing in one or two theaters over here, which I've heard nothing but good things about.
- I'm happy that THE X-FILES 2 is finally up and running. As a huge X-Phile, I'm dying to see this one, and am praying to the movie gods that it will be an adventure worthy of the best episodes of the groundbreaking TV show. The fact that Lance Henrikson is rumored to be it, reprising his role as Frank Black from the late great TV show Millenium, is pure awesomeness - if handled well, seeing Lance as Frank Black could be a true chill-inducing moment, as to me Frank is one of the coolest, creepiest, most interesting characters ever to be on television, and it's a shame that Henrikson was never properly ackowledged for his amazing work on Millenium, truly one of the great shows of the 90's. Anyways, the addition of Amanda Peet and Xhibit (sp?) to the cast is kinda meh - I'm more concerned with seeing Skinner, Doggett, and please-lord, a not-quite dead LONE GUNMEN. Most of all, I jsut want a kickass story and maybe a little bit of resolution for Mulder and Scully, who certainly deserve at least one more great adventure.
- Speaking of adventure ... yes, I have seen the new painted poster for Indiana Jones. And yes, it rules.
- Also, I loved the new trailer for SPEED RACER. More than any other movie to date, it looks like a Japanese anime brought to candy-coated life, aka it looks to be fun as hell and a movie at which a sugar-filled Slurpee is most definitely a required accessory. Check it out ASAP if you haven't seen already. Between this, JJ Abrams' CLOVERFIELD, and by-God RAMBO ... there is already a ton of geektastic goodness to look forward to in early '08. And Summer of '08 ... holy lord ... between DARK KNIGHT and INDIANA JONES, it may very well be one of the biggest box-office periods of all time.
Alright, that's all I've got for now. Hopefully I'll get into a more regular blog-writing routine soon, and of course, the countdown is on to the usual massive BEST OF, YEAR-END lists and columns. PEACE.
If you're just catching up on your blog reading, be sure to check out my last two entries: a recap of my recent trip to London, and a review of one of my favorite movies of 2007, Juno.
- I've yet to write about this past weekend, with the main event of note being that a bunch of friends and I attended a taping of NBC's upcoming revival of 80's classic AMERICAN GLADIATORS. Yep, a whole crew of Hulkamanics piled into a car and drove down to Sony Studios in Culver City to witness the one and only Hulk Hogan play host, along with Layla Ali, as a new crop of musclebound men and women competed in challenges like Joust, Powerball, and Hang Tough.
It was great to see the Hulkster again live and in person - it's no secret that I'm a true-blue Hulkamaniac from back in the day, so it was fun to paricipate in the random "Hulk" chants that broke out throughout the taping, and engage in random ear-cups and pose-downs in tribute to the wrestling legend. However, a new star was born at these Gladiator tapings - a woman seemingly descended from the Norse gods and forged by the same fiery furnace that birthed the Hammer of Thor itself. Yes, friends, the star of these tapings was undoubtedly the woman known only as The Mighty Helga - a viking warrioress who stole the crowd's affections and inspired thunderous chants of her name throughout the show.
We watched Helga and other she-Gladiators with names like Crush and Venom compete in two different events, along with their male counterparts - bruising dudes with names like Militia. The first event we saw was surely the coolest - a wobbly bridge is suspended over a pool of water - the contestants attempt to cross the bridge back and forth as many times as they can without falling into the pool, all while being assualted by giant hanging spheres being hurled at them by the gladiators, who sit perched on raised platforms at all four of the pool's corners. It kinda plays out like a level of Super Mario Bros. come to life, and was fun to watch. The second event we saw, Powerball, was a holdover I believe from the original series. It's basically a glorified game of "kill the man with the ball," and a bit hard to follow live without the aid of on-screen graphics to help you keep score.
Overall though - good times. As with any TV taping, there was a lot of waiting around, but at least the waiting was made more bearable by dancing girls, random chants of "Helga!", and the novelty factor of being in the presence of the immortal Hulk Hogan, who is essentially a real-life superhero (even if it takes him threee tries to get his teleprompter-fed lines correctly). The sets looked pretty badass, and I'm really curious to see how this all comes together on TV.
In any case, be sure to check out the all-new AMERICAN GLADIATORS on NBC, premiering January 6th and 7th at 8pm. If you see a bunch of guys and girls screaming like maniacs, doing random Hogan-esque poses, and screaming out spontaneous marriage proposals to The Might Helga - well, that might just be (and probably is) my friends and I.
TV STUFF:
- So I'm sure you guys can see that the pickings are starting to get pretty slim on the ol' tube of late. I haven't been current enough on my TV watching of late to do timely reviews - I've mostly just been catching up on programs like 30 ROCK (so hilarious), ALIENS IN AMERICA (best new comedy of the year), GOSSIP GIRL (def an addictive show - the new OC?), and PUSHING DAISIES (I loved the smell-centric episode with Paul Reubens from a few weeks back, and look forward to his characters' return tonight). Otherwise, the strike marches on and it will be interesting to see if there's any movement towards a resolution in the next few months or if this thing just drags on interminably. I've been reading rumors today about what might happen with LOST -- word is it may shift nights from Wednesdays or maybe even be delayed past '08 a la 24. Personally, while I'm kinda grateful in a way for not having new TV as a distraction over the next several weeks, I was really looking forward to at least one must-see show in Lost, esp. after last season's kickass cliffhanger ending. I say give us new episodes now, and pray that the strike is resolved in time to keep things going after the initial batch of episodes has run dry.
MOVIES:
- On my Need To See Before the End of 2007 list:
Already Released: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead, The Mist, Enchanted, Lars and the Real Girl, The Golden Compass, Into The Wild, I'm Not There
Soon To Be Released: Walk Hard, I Am Legend (if only for the Dark Knight preview), There Will Be Blood, Sweeney Todd
From Earlier in the Year: Zodiac, probably one or two others that I'm forgetting ...
I'm pretty confident that of these, There Will Be Blood and Sweeney Todd will push there way into my Best of 2007 List, and who knows, maybe one or two will as well. Already though, I can say it's been an incredible year for movies, with soon-to-be-classic entries in a number of genres, some of which (like the Western) that were thought all-but-dead. I'm also really hoping to see Into the Wild, still playing in one or two theaters over here, which I've heard nothing but good things about.
- I'm happy that THE X-FILES 2 is finally up and running. As a huge X-Phile, I'm dying to see this one, and am praying to the movie gods that it will be an adventure worthy of the best episodes of the groundbreaking TV show. The fact that Lance Henrikson is rumored to be it, reprising his role as Frank Black from the late great TV show Millenium, is pure awesomeness - if handled well, seeing Lance as Frank Black could be a true chill-inducing moment, as to me Frank is one of the coolest, creepiest, most interesting characters ever to be on television, and it's a shame that Henrikson was never properly ackowledged for his amazing work on Millenium, truly one of the great shows of the 90's. Anyways, the addition of Amanda Peet and Xhibit (sp?) to the cast is kinda meh - I'm more concerned with seeing Skinner, Doggett, and please-lord, a not-quite dead LONE GUNMEN. Most of all, I jsut want a kickass story and maybe a little bit of resolution for Mulder and Scully, who certainly deserve at least one more great adventure.
- Speaking of adventure ... yes, I have seen the new painted poster for Indiana Jones. And yes, it rules.
- Also, I loved the new trailer for SPEED RACER. More than any other movie to date, it looks like a Japanese anime brought to candy-coated life, aka it looks to be fun as hell and a movie at which a sugar-filled Slurpee is most definitely a required accessory. Check it out ASAP if you haven't seen already. Between this, JJ Abrams' CLOVERFIELD, and by-God RAMBO ... there is already a ton of geektastic goodness to look forward to in early '08. And Summer of '08 ... holy lord ... between DARK KNIGHT and INDIANA JONES, it may very well be one of the biggest box-office periods of all time.
Alright, that's all I've got for now. Hopefully I'll get into a more regular blog-writing routine soon, and of course, the countdown is on to the usual massive BEST OF, YEAR-END lists and columns. PEACE.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
LONDON CALLING: Anarchy in the UK - November '07 - My Trip in Review!
Well, hope everyone is having a Happy Hanukkah (of those who celebrate). It's been pretty low-key for me so far, although today I did go to my uncle Josh's for a nice and very lively Hanukkah dinner, complete with latkes, sufganiyot, and plenty of singing, candle-lighting, and good cheer. In any case, I've wanted to recap my trip to London for a while now - between work and the general business of getting back into the think of things here in LA though, I feel like I've had barely any time for anything, and half the time this week I hardly knew what day or what time it was - basically, I'm still recovering from the craziness of going to CT, to London, to CT, and finally back to LA over a week-long period.
But London was a really cool experience. Now that some time has passed, I realize it's kind of pointless to write about it in a ton of detai, but at the same time, I've always regretted that my first trip to the UK came right before I got fully immersed in the world of digital photography, social networking, and blogs like this one. Not to say that I wish I had spent my semester in England in '03 blogging, uploading pictures, etc. - but, I still marvel at how I am updated on my brother's time in England in such a real-time way via a constant stream of pictures and the modern wonder that is Facebook.
Being in London again though, for me, it just helped to refocus my perspective and remind me that the grand ol' USA is but a small place in a big world, and that a relatively short plane ride can take you to a place where people talk, think, eat, and act differently than the ways with which we are accustomed. It's funny though - going on this trip with my parents reminded me that there is a real power in youth. Sure, I'm not exactly a kid at this point, but I feel like being a person in your twenties, you can almost go anywhere in the world and be a part of a global youth culture - which is both scary and really cool. Everywhere in the world, young people are gawking at new technology, pondering the war in Iraq, seeking out the latest and greatest music and movies, figuring out where they fit in. During my semester in England, I was there as an American, yes, but that was in many ways negated by the fact that I was just another college kid in a world full of college kids, who have a lot more simialrities than differences. This time around, I was much more the tourist - with nearly everything I did accentuating the fact that I was a stranger in a strange land, even if only 5 years ago I had lived there long enough to think of myself as a Londoner. I guess my point is that, when you've lived in a city and absorbed it, it's in some ways difficult to go there and suddenly be relegated to the role of outsider. For me, what's truly interesting about going to new places is the culture, the little quirks, mannerisms, ways of speaking, the vibe. Luckily though, London is a city PACKED with things to do and see. So being a tourist never really got boring this time, because honestly you could live in London for a year and still not do or see even a fraction of what it has to offer.
So as for this trip - I've spoken a bit about it via my special-edition live-from-London blog, but here I'll go into a bit more detail. Going back to the beginning, I had quite the week leading up to the big trip. As I've already reviewed here, last Tuesday (which already seems like a year ago), I was rocking out to VAN HALEN in LA, live and in concert at the Staples Center. That night, I packed my things and prepared to fly from Burbank to Hartford the next morning. Despite my exhaustion, I made it to the small but convenient Burbank airport just in the nick of time on Wednesday, with some drama en route to Hartford courtesy of Southwest Airlines (following a stop in Vegas, our landing was delayed by a few hours dure to heavy fog over Bradley airport, meaning I didn't land in CT until past 2 am ET).
The next day was Thanksgiving, and my parents and I headed to my uncle Michael's house in Longmeadow, MA for the traditional celebratory meal, attended by my grandparents as well as a whole host of guest from Michael's wife's side of the family. It was a relaxing time with the family, but soon we would embark on the big trip to LONDON.
I have to say, Virgin Atlantic is a great airline. We took it going to and from London from Logan airport in Boston, and not only do you get a great meal on the flight (can you say Oreo cheesecake?), but you have an individual TV on the back of the seat in front of you with a great selection of on-demand movies, TV shows, and games.
Movies / shows I watched in the air to and from London:
- THE HOAX with Richard Gere and Alfred Molina - decent little movie, I'd prob give it a B or so.
- HOT ROD with Andy Samberg - surprisingly very funny with pretty random humor - I'd rank it a B+.
- The first ten minutes or so of EAGLE VS. SHARK, which I missed when I saw the movie at a screening over the summer. Finally, I've now seen the whole movie, one of the funniest of the year!
- An awesome British TV series called THE MIGHTY BOOSH. When my brother and I met up with Gemma and Amy in London (more on that later), they recommended I check this one out, and lo and behold they ahd select episodes to watch on the flight back from London! Like a raunchier Pee Wee's Playhouse mixed with Family Guy sensibilities and a uniquely British sense of oddball humor, this story of two washed-up rockstars, who live with a magician and a giant ape and go on many surreal adventures together, is ridiculously fun and hilarious. The episode I saw, called Old Gregg (in which our heroes are captured by a singing, gay seamonster), had me dying of laughter.
Anyways, Virgin Atlantic is a sweet airline, and sure beats the crap outta Southwest. It's funny too, because it took less time to get from CT to London than it usually takes me to get from there to LA! So it was a bit surreal as I was sure it would take longer to get to the UK - aside from the big time-difference, I was shocked at how easy it was to travel across the Atlantic versus traveling cross-country.
- When we got to Heathrow airport though, my parents and I were all pretty out of it. For us it was late at night, but in England it was the crack of dawn, and suddenly we were thrown into the midst of one of the world's largest international airports, trying to figure out how to find the car service that was supposed to take us to our hotel. It really is amazing though - being in England, you are really in a global hub, versus being in America, where any foreigner is pretty easy to spot in a crowd, The US is of course a melting pot made up of many cultures and races, but as soon as you step off the plane in England, you find yourself listening to languages from all over Europe and beyond. This isn't Kansas anymore, baby.
- We stayed at the K+K George Hotel in South Kensington - Earl's Court to be more specific. We had a 40 minute or so drive from Heathrow made pleasant thanks to a friendly / chatty driver. Once we got to our hotel though, we of course were confronted with the fact that check-in time wasn't until noon, and at that point it was about 9:30 am. Also at that point, the three of us were barely keeping it together - totally exhausted with heavy eyelids begging for precious sleep. It's kind of funny looking back too, because without a chance to get situated in our hotel and get a few moments rest, and with my brother not meeting us until later in the day, we were all pretty out of it and disoriented. I suggested we leave our baggage at the hotel and explore our surroundings a bit. But we were so tired, freezing (it was bitterly cold, especially for me since I'm pretty well used to LA weather at this point), and unsure of what exactly to do that we pretty much wandered aimlessly before just heading back to our hotel and waiting for my brother. It reminded me of the first day in London in '03 - you just kind of walk around aimlessly, totally culture-shocked and just taking in the people and surroundings.
When Matt finally joined us, we at lunch at this interesting place called Nandos in Earl's Court, then headed over to Portabello Market, which was cool but extremely crowded and perhaps a bit much to take in in our debilitated, sleep-deprived states. But we walked around, and checked out the vast array of shops and kiosks and goods for sale in the giant open-air market.
Our next stop, in light of the cold and our tiredness, was a bit more low-key - The Tate Modern museum, which was one of my favorite stops back during my '03 semester. Honestly, we were probably all a bit too tired at that point to fully appreciate the museum's vast selection of modern art, from Rothco to Picasso and everything in between. But man, they do have a great gift shop with innumerable books on any artistic subject one can imagine. And, on the way out we crossed the famed Millennium Bridge, which crossed the River Thames with great night-sky views of the Tower Bridge and the London Eye.
We then headed back to Earl's Court for some dinner at Zizi's, a local Italian chain that was a much-needed bit of relaxation and hearty food (well, as hearty as English food can be). And after being up for like 36 hours, we finally called it a night.
- Each day we ate breakfast in the dining room of our hotel, where they had a nice little English-style buffet. Of course, in English-style buffets you get like random gross meats and spreads alongside staples like toasts and cereal and crossaints, but overall it was usually a nice way to start the day.
- On Day 2, I took my parents up to the site of my former internship at Twenty Twenty TV - Camden Town! Personally, I love Camden, it's such a unique place - some condsider it the birthplace of Punk Rock, as it was the place where bands like the Sex Pistols first emerged on the London scene. Walking through the streets of Camden Town, it's just a crazy outdoor market sprawl, with souvenier shops mixed in with stores selling leather corsets and other goth-club gear, custom drug paraphanalia in all shapes and sizes, tattoo parlors out the yingyang, all manner of T-shirts sporting every snarky slogan known to man, and everything else in between. Sure, Camden Town now is a mix of tourists, curiosity seekers, and workers like those at Twenty Twenty who happen to be located in its vicinity, but it still feels like you're in some kind of rock n' roll fantasy land all the same - there's still this down n' dirty punk rock aesthetic in the air. Suffice to say, my parents were probably a bit taken aback, but good times were had. For me, it was just cool to revisit the old stomping grounds and walk by Twenty Twenty again.
From Camden, we took the Tube back south a bit to Russell Square. When you get off at the Russell tube stop, you're in this great park outside the University of London. I had many a tasty sandwich from the snack shop there in the Spring of '03 while doing an errand or two for my internship at the University, sitting on a park bench, watching the high-spouting fountain in the middle of the circular park grounds. The park looked a lot less scenic this time around, as it was cold and wintry and a Sunday ... but still, I got a definite feeling of nostalgia seeing that fountain again. Our real destination however was the British Museum, a short walk from the park. The British Museum is quite the sight to behold - a massive, imposing structure with huge columns and a grand entryway - all bright shiny white revolving around a sprawling circular stairway leading to the museum's upper levels. The main attraction is on the ground floor, however, where the Rosetta Stone is kept. We saw the Stone, many of the Egyptian artifacts and other ancient relics, as well as the vast libraries, and then headed back to South Ken.
We met my brother and had a nice lunch at Garfunkel's (basically the British version of Chiles, though as with all British restaurants, it's quiet and low-key). nearby to the BU dorms by the Gloucester Rd. tube stop. With Matt along for the ride, we then proceeded to visit a bunch of the attractions local to the Kensington area. We walked around Hyde Park - a sprawling, Central Park-esque area that is home to grassy hills, swan-filled ponds, and of course, to Kensington Palace, once home to Princess Diana. After that, we took a taxi to Harrods, the world's biggest department store. Harrod's is certainly a sight to see - it's like a gigantic mall except waaayyy more posh. They have rooms and rooms of "food-halls," with meats, poultry, ice cream, pizza, chocolate, and everything in between. There are entire areas of children's toys, of clothing in all shapes and sizes, of electronics, books, furniture, and everything else under the sun. Considering that last time I came to Harrods in '03, I made a hasty exit when I somehow set off the store's alarm system (!), it was nice to actually roam the hallowed halls of Harrods at my own leisure. Following our trip to this shopping mecca, at which I had procured a bit of tasty gelato, we took the tube a few stops over to eat at a Matt-recommended place, Pizza on the Park (while in the States, pizza joints are almost universally more dive-y places, the Brits take their pizza very serious and proper-like - it's to be eaten with fork and knife only, and hell, even Pizza Hut is a pretty high-class establishment in the UK).
On Monday, my parents and I went on a guided bus tour of some out-of-London sites. We scrambled in the morning (and trust me when I say SCRAMBLED) to find our meeting point by the Victoria tube station, but we made it to our Golden Tours bus just in time after I had literally sprinted through the streets of London to find the place (yikes!). Once on the bus though, we settled in for an enjoyable journey to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath. We had a very talkative tour guide who looked a bit like John Malkovich crossed with my Uncle Harry, and talked like Patrick Stewart doing a parody of himself. Aka, he was kind of awesome. I mean, this guy rolled his "R's" like no man has ever rolled his R's before. Like, "This is the home of her ... rrrrrrrhRoyal majesty." I mean, dayum - I didn't know you could find that outside a production of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Windsor Castle was cool. I was surprised at how vast a town Windsor is, and how upscale and trendy. I assumed it would be more of a quiet village a la what I had seen when I toured Leeds and Warwick castles in '03, but man, Windsor is quite the cosmopolitan royal stomping grounds. The castle itself was as I had expected - gaudy, lavish, and filled to the brim with all manner of imperial excess, from hundreds upon hundreds of china plates, to vast armories of swords and firearms, to furniture so bejeweled and lavish that one chair could probably buy you a house. At Windsor we also witnessed that castle's Changing of the Guard - less famous than the one at Buckingham but pretty similar, in any case.
Next up was Stonehenge. We stopped at a small, quaint little pub outside of Stonehenge for a traditional pub lunch. Luckily, I had grabbed a sandwich at Eat in Windsor, since to me traditional British pub food is largely vomit-inducingly gross. I will say though, while a lot of British food is not up my alley, they do have a variety of excellent little sandwich / lunch stops a la Eat, Prett a Manger, etc. I wish we had places like that in the US where you could get a freshly made baguette at a reasonable price. Definitely a great alternative to fast food, and, man, the chocolate mousse cups at both Prett and Eat are to die for. Anyways, our little tour-bus group ate at the pub in the middle of nowheresville, England, then went another 5 minutes to Stonehenge. To me, the main cool thing about Stonehenge is all of the mystical / supernatural stories that revolve around it, from its association with Merlin to its location at a point where many ley-lines converge to all of the mystery surrounding its assemblage. Unfortunately, our tour guide wasn't too into all that, and when you take that mystique away, it's basically just a huge-ass pile of rocks and a one-stop photo op. I got some suitably ominous pics of Stonehenge, complete with ravens perched atop the stony structures, but I missed our great tourguide from BU who got a bit more into all the really cool stuff as pertains to Stonehenge. Also, man - it's always friggin' freezing there in that big field.
Our final stop was Bath. Bath was another place where I kind of assumed it'd be a small vilalge centered around the Roman Baths. Surprisingly to me, Bath was another very cool little city with a ton of bustling, hip shops and eateries and seemingly a ton of young people walking around and having fun. We could have easily spent a whole day there, much like Windsor - but then again, the nature of this tour allowed us to see a heck of a lot on a very short amount of time. The baths themselves were interesting, mostly though they made me want to go to a spa or something. Since I had never been to Bath in '03 though, it was cool to visit and see what it was all about.
So overall, Monday's bus tour was fun and informative, and a nice way to take in a lot in a short time. We ended the day with a meal at the ubiquitous-in-London restaurant, Pizza Express (it's a lot cooler than it sounds, though they do make a tip-top margherita, as far as British-style margherita pizzas go), and then we headed back to the K+K after a long but interesting day.
- Tuesday, while Matt toiled at his internship, the parents and I decided to see some of the local London sights that we had yet to take in. Amusingly, we tried to do this via one of those around-London bus tours, but we soon got frustrated with trying to find the connection points for the bus route and proceeeded to go from one place to another by foot and then taxi. Oh well, at least my parents got their moment on the top of a double-decker bus (even if it was freezing on top on this mid-November English morning).
Our first stop was Buckingham Palace for the obligatory viewing of the Changing of the Guard. It's a lot of powaiting followed by a short flash of pomp and circumstance, but I'd say it's worth checking out, if only for the packed crowds of tourists hailing from all corners of the globe. While it's cool to see the ornate, gold-plated gates of Buckingham and the Wizard-of-Oz-looking guards yelling comically at each other while marching in their cartoonishly elaborate ritualized procession, the real fun is just seeing all the tourists angling for photo ops.
From there, we went to Westminster Abby, which is fairly interesting and pretty amazing in terms of the old-world artistry that bursts from each of its many elaborately-decorated rooms and tombs. It's the kind of architecture that you don't find in America, in a building far older than our country itself. It was cool seeing the tombs of great authors like Dickens and Forrester, alongside the many royals who are buried in the Abby's many chambers. After touring Westminster Abby, we somehow found ourselves at the Houses of Parliament. My dad was eager to check 'em out, so we went inside and waited to gain entry into a House of Commons debate. Unfortunately, the place was packed with visiting school-kids, and after waiting patiently for a long while, we gave up and decided to move on.
Finally, we wound up at the Tower of London, the heavily-fortified castle that houses the famous Crown Jewels. As schlocky as the whole idea of having a monarchy in today's day and age is, there is something pretty cool about seeing the crown, sceptre, sword, etc of the British Royals on display, in a series of rooms designed with uplifiting multimedia displays (actually done by Disney, I believe). Meanwhile, the Tower of London is cool in that it's a bit more castle-y than Windsor, in that to fully explore it you have to squeeze through narrow passages, climb winding, claustrophobic staircases, and traverse through iron gates, cobblestone walkways, and high arches. The place just feels bloody and brutal - you can feel the ghosts of murder and trachery seeping from the walls. Definitely a feeling of entering the Heart of Darkness, and a reminder that for all the pomp and circumstance, the British Empire was a perpetrator of great evils, and one of the world's most vile and brutal and oppressive kingdoms for centuries.
Tuesday night, I met up with Matt, and, as nice as it was to tour England with the parents, it was also nice to go out on the town as two Baram boys ready to cause trouble and stir up some anarchy in the UK. Hahaha ... Anyways, the real reason we met up was so that I could have a little reunion with two of my most favorite British ladies - Amy and Gemma Goodman. Back when I did my semester in London, which holy cow was practically 5 years ago, one of my friends and roommates from BU was lucky enough to have cousins living just outside of London - in a very nice, very Jewish suburb called Edgeware. It was in this way that I met the Goodman family, who at the time was nice neough to have us over for dinner on multiple occasions, for meals, for weekends, and even Passover seder. At the time, it was truly awesome and infinitely rewarding to befriend a British family (and a British Jewish family no less), and to really learn about the cultural differences as well as the similiarities. In any case, in all this time since then, I've really missed the Goodmans, especially the Goodman kids who I had befriended and at least sporadically kept in touch with over the years (again, Facebook really is amazing). Well, it was really cool to see Amy and Gemma again (brother Adam was away at university). It's so funny because Gemma, who is totally insane in the best way possible, on the phone was like "Your brother will think I'm mad!" Well, she had clearly not yet met my brother! Haha ... suffice to say it was quite an assemblage of personalities, and we all exhanged hearty laughs over hip Asian-fusion cuisine at Wagamama in Leicester Square. It makes you realize ... as great as it is to see museums and markets and castles, there's nothing quite like seeing good friends (cue your "awwws" now ...).
- Wednesday, my parents went on a Jewish walking tour of London while I took the opportunity to veg a bit and finally get more than a few hours of sleep. I made sure to take an hour or so and do a little store-hopping, and collect some little British odds and ends. I love the magazines and newspapaers in England - and I love the culture there which is one in which everybody reads and you can't get on a subway without 80% of the people glued to the daily edition of their newsapaper of choice. It's funny how we here in America are always bemonaing the death of books, the death of newspapers, the death of magazines. Did anyone ever stop to think that there's nothing wrong with books or newspapers or magazines? Maybe the problem is that we as a country are a bunch of braindead slobs who can't be bothered to actually READ and keep up to date with current events that don't center around celebs with no underpants? Ugh. Well, one of the main reasons that I'm such an Anglophile is that I love the British culture in which, god-forbid, INTELLIGENCE is actually valued and USED on a daily basis in discourse that involves political debate, culture, and dialogue. Then, as a pop culture junkie, it's jsut plain cool to see how th British perceive things, from TV to movies to games. There's no better magazine than EDGE with which to get an intelligent perspective on the gaming industry. The Brit's RADIO TIMES, filled with interesting articles and editorials on television, only reinforces what a rag TV Guide is. And EMPIRE is one of the best film periodicals out there - the geeky sensibilities of Ain't It Cool mixed with the snappy writing of Newsweek.
Anyways, Wednesday afternoon, I met up with my parents and brother for a trip to London's hopping West End. though touristy, it's one of my favorite areas of London, as it's just such a modern, cool-feeling area that nonetheless lacks the clutter or mess of a Times Square or downtown Hollywood. We started out in Picadilly Circus and made our way to Trafalgar Square, home of giant fountains and towering statues that you can't help but be impressed by. We wandered into the British National Gallery across the street for a few minutes, and then worked our way up to Leicester Square, home to uber-cool movie theaters featuring huge, customized marquees (At this point there were towering images of Beowulf poking out at the gathering crowds), many a tourist-friendly restaurant (including London's only TGI Fridays), dozens of trendy bars and clubs, and throngs of young people and tourists walking around the closed-off, wide and open walkways. Our final destination was Covent Garden, yet another big open-air market, at this time decorated quite festively for the Christmas season (nary a menorah to be found in London!). We explored the markets for a bit, combed through trinkets, books, etc., then staked out the theater to which we had tickets for ... Lord of the Rings - The Musical! (yikes!) Yes, my brother Matt, being an even bigger geek for Lord of the Rings than I (well, at least for the films, of which he often partake sin day-long trilogy marathon viewing sessions), insisted that we see this London-only spectacle. So after a steak dinner in Leicester Square (appeasing my dad's desire for meat, haha), we headed back over to Covent Garden and embarked on a 3 hour journey into Middle Earth, in musical form.
So in the midst of this London recap, here is a first - a MUSICAL Review!
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE MUSICAL - Review
My thoughts on the musical? Well, um ... ambitious, to say the least. The sets, costumes, and f/x were certainly amongst the most impressive and technically remarkable I've ever seen at a live stage show. You'd think a musical might shy away from the big set pieces from the movies. But the opposite was the case here -- we got Gandalf vanquishing the Balrog in the Mines of Moria, the Black Riders felling Frodo, the march of the elves in Lothlorien, and Sam Gamgee using Galadriel's light to defeat the giant spider Shelob on the road to Mordor -- all staged using massive puppets, whiz-bang f/x, and impressively choreographed action. Gollum was a huge achievement as well - a twisting, contorting, otherworldly performance that was truly something to see. On the other hand, the music was less than impressive. A few of the songs were fun and memorable, mostly those sung by the musically-inclined hobbits, in particular the opening/closing Sam-Frodo theme and a rousing song sung in the tavern towards the beignning. But musical numbers didn't dominate the production like they do in a Les Mis or Phantom - songs were used more sparingly, which drew attention to bad acting and stilted dialogue by the likes of Gandalf, Saurumon, and some others (certainly nothing that came close to measuring up to Ian McKellan or Christopher Lee, and also made it feel pretty awkward during the few times when the less whimsical characters like Aragorn broke into song. The production was also very long, condensing all three books / movies into one uber-epic story. This meant that a number of key characters and plot points were eliminated, and much of what was kept felt rushed and incomplete. Really, this is one to see for the spectacle of the set-design and staging - the mostly lackluster music and acting keep it from being anything more than a curiosity.
My Grade: C+
- Okay, despite my slightly negative review, it was a fun time at the theater and definitely something worth seeing, for novelty value alone. And hey, my parents both loved it, and they are not exactly hardcore Rings fans, so what do I know. In any case, it was a fun day and night in London's West End. At this point, we said our goodbyes to Matt, without whom we would have had a much more difficult time navigating London - in a place that vast, any one with any wisdom in terms of getting around is much appreciated.
- Thursday, as soon as it had started, our trip came to an end. We had only an hour or so between breakfast and the time when a car was set to pick us up and bring us to Heathrow, so we made one last quick run-through of the Earl's Court area, picked up some last minute gifts, and then rushed to get our suitcases all packed for the journey home. Since we had some time to waste in Heathrow before our plane departed, we got to wander around and see all the shops that litter the vast airport, which is practically a mini-Harrods in its own right. Finally, we boarded our plane - another smooth ride courtesy of Virgin Atlantic - and after some reading, sleeping, another excellent meal, a viewing of Hot Rod and an episode of The Mighty Boosh - we touched down in Beantown. Soon enough, we were back in Bloomfield, CT (unfortunately as cold if not colder than London). After sleeping for many, many hours, I awoke the next day exhausted and tired still, but satisfied that I was once again a world traveller who had seen many sights and done many things. The bug was back - since that point, many of my thoughts have turned towards seeing the world and exploring what there is to see just over the horizon. Sure, already that pull of distant lands has been slightly dimmed by the grind of day-to-day life in LA, in the real world, but still, there is that spark, and I hope to travel more sooner rather than later.
- My short time thereafter in CT was mostly spent simply chilling out and resting up for the return to normalcy that would soon follow. I had a long flight via Southwest - home of cramped seats and bare-bones service, from CT to Burbank last Sunday, with stops in Nashville and Vegas en route to California. If only getting here had been as easy as getting to London ... Now, it may have only fully lasted for a day or so, but there's no doubt that for at least a little while following my trip, I was more at peace than I'd been in a while. I got to work on Monday and felt as though I was a step removed from all of the drama, weirdness, superficiality, and wear and tear that is life in Hollywood. I was here in Hollyweird, sure, but a part of me was in London and elsewhere, in giant castles and dusty museums and hopping markets. I think you need to have that perspective, that knowledge that elsewhere, things ARE different, that your way of life is only one way of life amongst many and there's no harm in being unique and not conforming to one standard of living. I hope to retain that British sense of intellectualism, of higher culture, of history, of humor - even here where it feels a million miles away.
Because, though it may be far ... London is calling.
But London was a really cool experience. Now that some time has passed, I realize it's kind of pointless to write about it in a ton of detai, but at the same time, I've always regretted that my first trip to the UK came right before I got fully immersed in the world of digital photography, social networking, and blogs like this one. Not to say that I wish I had spent my semester in England in '03 blogging, uploading pictures, etc. - but, I still marvel at how I am updated on my brother's time in England in such a real-time way via a constant stream of pictures and the modern wonder that is Facebook.
Being in London again though, for me, it just helped to refocus my perspective and remind me that the grand ol' USA is but a small place in a big world, and that a relatively short plane ride can take you to a place where people talk, think, eat, and act differently than the ways with which we are accustomed. It's funny though - going on this trip with my parents reminded me that there is a real power in youth. Sure, I'm not exactly a kid at this point, but I feel like being a person in your twenties, you can almost go anywhere in the world and be a part of a global youth culture - which is both scary and really cool. Everywhere in the world, young people are gawking at new technology, pondering the war in Iraq, seeking out the latest and greatest music and movies, figuring out where they fit in. During my semester in England, I was there as an American, yes, but that was in many ways negated by the fact that I was just another college kid in a world full of college kids, who have a lot more simialrities than differences. This time around, I was much more the tourist - with nearly everything I did accentuating the fact that I was a stranger in a strange land, even if only 5 years ago I had lived there long enough to think of myself as a Londoner. I guess my point is that, when you've lived in a city and absorbed it, it's in some ways difficult to go there and suddenly be relegated to the role of outsider. For me, what's truly interesting about going to new places is the culture, the little quirks, mannerisms, ways of speaking, the vibe. Luckily though, London is a city PACKED with things to do and see. So being a tourist never really got boring this time, because honestly you could live in London for a year and still not do or see even a fraction of what it has to offer.
So as for this trip - I've spoken a bit about it via my special-edition live-from-London blog, but here I'll go into a bit more detail. Going back to the beginning, I had quite the week leading up to the big trip. As I've already reviewed here, last Tuesday (which already seems like a year ago), I was rocking out to VAN HALEN in LA, live and in concert at the Staples Center. That night, I packed my things and prepared to fly from Burbank to Hartford the next morning. Despite my exhaustion, I made it to the small but convenient Burbank airport just in the nick of time on Wednesday, with some drama en route to Hartford courtesy of Southwest Airlines (following a stop in Vegas, our landing was delayed by a few hours dure to heavy fog over Bradley airport, meaning I didn't land in CT until past 2 am ET).
The next day was Thanksgiving, and my parents and I headed to my uncle Michael's house in Longmeadow, MA for the traditional celebratory meal, attended by my grandparents as well as a whole host of guest from Michael's wife's side of the family. It was a relaxing time with the family, but soon we would embark on the big trip to LONDON.
I have to say, Virgin Atlantic is a great airline. We took it going to and from London from Logan airport in Boston, and not only do you get a great meal on the flight (can you say Oreo cheesecake?), but you have an individual TV on the back of the seat in front of you with a great selection of on-demand movies, TV shows, and games.
Movies / shows I watched in the air to and from London:
- THE HOAX with Richard Gere and Alfred Molina - decent little movie, I'd prob give it a B or so.
- HOT ROD with Andy Samberg - surprisingly very funny with pretty random humor - I'd rank it a B+.
- The first ten minutes or so of EAGLE VS. SHARK, which I missed when I saw the movie at a screening over the summer. Finally, I've now seen the whole movie, one of the funniest of the year!
- An awesome British TV series called THE MIGHTY BOOSH. When my brother and I met up with Gemma and Amy in London (more on that later), they recommended I check this one out, and lo and behold they ahd select episodes to watch on the flight back from London! Like a raunchier Pee Wee's Playhouse mixed with Family Guy sensibilities and a uniquely British sense of oddball humor, this story of two washed-up rockstars, who live with a magician and a giant ape and go on many surreal adventures together, is ridiculously fun and hilarious. The episode I saw, called Old Gregg (in which our heroes are captured by a singing, gay seamonster), had me dying of laughter.
Anyways, Virgin Atlantic is a sweet airline, and sure beats the crap outta Southwest. It's funny too, because it took less time to get from CT to London than it usually takes me to get from there to LA! So it was a bit surreal as I was sure it would take longer to get to the UK - aside from the big time-difference, I was shocked at how easy it was to travel across the Atlantic versus traveling cross-country.
- When we got to Heathrow airport though, my parents and I were all pretty out of it. For us it was late at night, but in England it was the crack of dawn, and suddenly we were thrown into the midst of one of the world's largest international airports, trying to figure out how to find the car service that was supposed to take us to our hotel. It really is amazing though - being in England, you are really in a global hub, versus being in America, where any foreigner is pretty easy to spot in a crowd, The US is of course a melting pot made up of many cultures and races, but as soon as you step off the plane in England, you find yourself listening to languages from all over Europe and beyond. This isn't Kansas anymore, baby.
- We stayed at the K+K George Hotel in South Kensington - Earl's Court to be more specific. We had a 40 minute or so drive from Heathrow made pleasant thanks to a friendly / chatty driver. Once we got to our hotel though, we of course were confronted with the fact that check-in time wasn't until noon, and at that point it was about 9:30 am. Also at that point, the three of us were barely keeping it together - totally exhausted with heavy eyelids begging for precious sleep. It's kind of funny looking back too, because without a chance to get situated in our hotel and get a few moments rest, and with my brother not meeting us until later in the day, we were all pretty out of it and disoriented. I suggested we leave our baggage at the hotel and explore our surroundings a bit. But we were so tired, freezing (it was bitterly cold, especially for me since I'm pretty well used to LA weather at this point), and unsure of what exactly to do that we pretty much wandered aimlessly before just heading back to our hotel and waiting for my brother. It reminded me of the first day in London in '03 - you just kind of walk around aimlessly, totally culture-shocked and just taking in the people and surroundings.
When Matt finally joined us, we at lunch at this interesting place called Nandos in Earl's Court, then headed over to Portabello Market, which was cool but extremely crowded and perhaps a bit much to take in in our debilitated, sleep-deprived states. But we walked around, and checked out the vast array of shops and kiosks and goods for sale in the giant open-air market.
Our next stop, in light of the cold and our tiredness, was a bit more low-key - The Tate Modern museum, which was one of my favorite stops back during my '03 semester. Honestly, we were probably all a bit too tired at that point to fully appreciate the museum's vast selection of modern art, from Rothco to Picasso and everything in between. But man, they do have a great gift shop with innumerable books on any artistic subject one can imagine. And, on the way out we crossed the famed Millennium Bridge, which crossed the River Thames with great night-sky views of the Tower Bridge and the London Eye.
We then headed back to Earl's Court for some dinner at Zizi's, a local Italian chain that was a much-needed bit of relaxation and hearty food (well, as hearty as English food can be). And after being up for like 36 hours, we finally called it a night.
- Each day we ate breakfast in the dining room of our hotel, where they had a nice little English-style buffet. Of course, in English-style buffets you get like random gross meats and spreads alongside staples like toasts and cereal and crossaints, but overall it was usually a nice way to start the day.
- On Day 2, I took my parents up to the site of my former internship at Twenty Twenty TV - Camden Town! Personally, I love Camden, it's such a unique place - some condsider it the birthplace of Punk Rock, as it was the place where bands like the Sex Pistols first emerged on the London scene. Walking through the streets of Camden Town, it's just a crazy outdoor market sprawl, with souvenier shops mixed in with stores selling leather corsets and other goth-club gear, custom drug paraphanalia in all shapes and sizes, tattoo parlors out the yingyang, all manner of T-shirts sporting every snarky slogan known to man, and everything else in between. Sure, Camden Town now is a mix of tourists, curiosity seekers, and workers like those at Twenty Twenty who happen to be located in its vicinity, but it still feels like you're in some kind of rock n' roll fantasy land all the same - there's still this down n' dirty punk rock aesthetic in the air. Suffice to say, my parents were probably a bit taken aback, but good times were had. For me, it was just cool to revisit the old stomping grounds and walk by Twenty Twenty again.
From Camden, we took the Tube back south a bit to Russell Square. When you get off at the Russell tube stop, you're in this great park outside the University of London. I had many a tasty sandwich from the snack shop there in the Spring of '03 while doing an errand or two for my internship at the University, sitting on a park bench, watching the high-spouting fountain in the middle of the circular park grounds. The park looked a lot less scenic this time around, as it was cold and wintry and a Sunday ... but still, I got a definite feeling of nostalgia seeing that fountain again. Our real destination however was the British Museum, a short walk from the park. The British Museum is quite the sight to behold - a massive, imposing structure with huge columns and a grand entryway - all bright shiny white revolving around a sprawling circular stairway leading to the museum's upper levels. The main attraction is on the ground floor, however, where the Rosetta Stone is kept. We saw the Stone, many of the Egyptian artifacts and other ancient relics, as well as the vast libraries, and then headed back to South Ken.
We met my brother and had a nice lunch at Garfunkel's (basically the British version of Chiles, though as with all British restaurants, it's quiet and low-key). nearby to the BU dorms by the Gloucester Rd. tube stop. With Matt along for the ride, we then proceeded to visit a bunch of the attractions local to the Kensington area. We walked around Hyde Park - a sprawling, Central Park-esque area that is home to grassy hills, swan-filled ponds, and of course, to Kensington Palace, once home to Princess Diana. After that, we took a taxi to Harrods, the world's biggest department store. Harrod's is certainly a sight to see - it's like a gigantic mall except waaayyy more posh. They have rooms and rooms of "food-halls," with meats, poultry, ice cream, pizza, chocolate, and everything in between. There are entire areas of children's toys, of clothing in all shapes and sizes, of electronics, books, furniture, and everything else under the sun. Considering that last time I came to Harrods in '03, I made a hasty exit when I somehow set off the store's alarm system (!), it was nice to actually roam the hallowed halls of Harrods at my own leisure. Following our trip to this shopping mecca, at which I had procured a bit of tasty gelato, we took the tube a few stops over to eat at a Matt-recommended place, Pizza on the Park (while in the States, pizza joints are almost universally more dive-y places, the Brits take their pizza very serious and proper-like - it's to be eaten with fork and knife only, and hell, even Pizza Hut is a pretty high-class establishment in the UK).
On Monday, my parents and I went on a guided bus tour of some out-of-London sites. We scrambled in the morning (and trust me when I say SCRAMBLED) to find our meeting point by the Victoria tube station, but we made it to our Golden Tours bus just in time after I had literally sprinted through the streets of London to find the place (yikes!). Once on the bus though, we settled in for an enjoyable journey to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, and Bath. We had a very talkative tour guide who looked a bit like John Malkovich crossed with my Uncle Harry, and talked like Patrick Stewart doing a parody of himself. Aka, he was kind of awesome. I mean, this guy rolled his "R's" like no man has ever rolled his R's before. Like, "This is the home of her ... rrrrrrrhRoyal majesty." I mean, dayum - I didn't know you could find that outside a production of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Windsor Castle was cool. I was surprised at how vast a town Windsor is, and how upscale and trendy. I assumed it would be more of a quiet village a la what I had seen when I toured Leeds and Warwick castles in '03, but man, Windsor is quite the cosmopolitan royal stomping grounds. The castle itself was as I had expected - gaudy, lavish, and filled to the brim with all manner of imperial excess, from hundreds upon hundreds of china plates, to vast armories of swords and firearms, to furniture so bejeweled and lavish that one chair could probably buy you a house. At Windsor we also witnessed that castle's Changing of the Guard - less famous than the one at Buckingham but pretty similar, in any case.
Next up was Stonehenge. We stopped at a small, quaint little pub outside of Stonehenge for a traditional pub lunch. Luckily, I had grabbed a sandwich at Eat in Windsor, since to me traditional British pub food is largely vomit-inducingly gross. I will say though, while a lot of British food is not up my alley, they do have a variety of excellent little sandwich / lunch stops a la Eat, Prett a Manger, etc. I wish we had places like that in the US where you could get a freshly made baguette at a reasonable price. Definitely a great alternative to fast food, and, man, the chocolate mousse cups at both Prett and Eat are to die for. Anyways, our little tour-bus group ate at the pub in the middle of nowheresville, England, then went another 5 minutes to Stonehenge. To me, the main cool thing about Stonehenge is all of the mystical / supernatural stories that revolve around it, from its association with Merlin to its location at a point where many ley-lines converge to all of the mystery surrounding its assemblage. Unfortunately, our tour guide wasn't too into all that, and when you take that mystique away, it's basically just a huge-ass pile of rocks and a one-stop photo op. I got some suitably ominous pics of Stonehenge, complete with ravens perched atop the stony structures, but I missed our great tourguide from BU who got a bit more into all the really cool stuff as pertains to Stonehenge. Also, man - it's always friggin' freezing there in that big field.
Our final stop was Bath. Bath was another place where I kind of assumed it'd be a small vilalge centered around the Roman Baths. Surprisingly to me, Bath was another very cool little city with a ton of bustling, hip shops and eateries and seemingly a ton of young people walking around and having fun. We could have easily spent a whole day there, much like Windsor - but then again, the nature of this tour allowed us to see a heck of a lot on a very short amount of time. The baths themselves were interesting, mostly though they made me want to go to a spa or something. Since I had never been to Bath in '03 though, it was cool to visit and see what it was all about.
So overall, Monday's bus tour was fun and informative, and a nice way to take in a lot in a short time. We ended the day with a meal at the ubiquitous-in-London restaurant, Pizza Express (it's a lot cooler than it sounds, though they do make a tip-top margherita, as far as British-style margherita pizzas go), and then we headed back to the K+K after a long but interesting day.
- Tuesday, while Matt toiled at his internship, the parents and I decided to see some of the local London sights that we had yet to take in. Amusingly, we tried to do this via one of those around-London bus tours, but we soon got frustrated with trying to find the connection points for the bus route and proceeeded to go from one place to another by foot and then taxi. Oh well, at least my parents got their moment on the top of a double-decker bus (even if it was freezing on top on this mid-November English morning).
Our first stop was Buckingham Palace for the obligatory viewing of the Changing of the Guard. It's a lot of powaiting followed by a short flash of pomp and circumstance, but I'd say it's worth checking out, if only for the packed crowds of tourists hailing from all corners of the globe. While it's cool to see the ornate, gold-plated gates of Buckingham and the Wizard-of-Oz-looking guards yelling comically at each other while marching in their cartoonishly elaborate ritualized procession, the real fun is just seeing all the tourists angling for photo ops.
From there, we went to Westminster Abby, which is fairly interesting and pretty amazing in terms of the old-world artistry that bursts from each of its many elaborately-decorated rooms and tombs. It's the kind of architecture that you don't find in America, in a building far older than our country itself. It was cool seeing the tombs of great authors like Dickens and Forrester, alongside the many royals who are buried in the Abby's many chambers. After touring Westminster Abby, we somehow found ourselves at the Houses of Parliament. My dad was eager to check 'em out, so we went inside and waited to gain entry into a House of Commons debate. Unfortunately, the place was packed with visiting school-kids, and after waiting patiently for a long while, we gave up and decided to move on.
Finally, we wound up at the Tower of London, the heavily-fortified castle that houses the famous Crown Jewels. As schlocky as the whole idea of having a monarchy in today's day and age is, there is something pretty cool about seeing the crown, sceptre, sword, etc of the British Royals on display, in a series of rooms designed with uplifiting multimedia displays (actually done by Disney, I believe). Meanwhile, the Tower of London is cool in that it's a bit more castle-y than Windsor, in that to fully explore it you have to squeeze through narrow passages, climb winding, claustrophobic staircases, and traverse through iron gates, cobblestone walkways, and high arches. The place just feels bloody and brutal - you can feel the ghosts of murder and trachery seeping from the walls. Definitely a feeling of entering the Heart of Darkness, and a reminder that for all the pomp and circumstance, the British Empire was a perpetrator of great evils, and one of the world's most vile and brutal and oppressive kingdoms for centuries.
Tuesday night, I met up with Matt, and, as nice as it was to tour England with the parents, it was also nice to go out on the town as two Baram boys ready to cause trouble and stir up some anarchy in the UK. Hahaha ... Anyways, the real reason we met up was so that I could have a little reunion with two of my most favorite British ladies - Amy and Gemma Goodman. Back when I did my semester in London, which holy cow was practically 5 years ago, one of my friends and roommates from BU was lucky enough to have cousins living just outside of London - in a very nice, very Jewish suburb called Edgeware. It was in this way that I met the Goodman family, who at the time was nice neough to have us over for dinner on multiple occasions, for meals, for weekends, and even Passover seder. At the time, it was truly awesome and infinitely rewarding to befriend a British family (and a British Jewish family no less), and to really learn about the cultural differences as well as the similiarities. In any case, in all this time since then, I've really missed the Goodmans, especially the Goodman kids who I had befriended and at least sporadically kept in touch with over the years (again, Facebook really is amazing). Well, it was really cool to see Amy and Gemma again (brother Adam was away at university). It's so funny because Gemma, who is totally insane in the best way possible, on the phone was like "Your brother will think I'm mad!" Well, she had clearly not yet met my brother! Haha ... suffice to say it was quite an assemblage of personalities, and we all exhanged hearty laughs over hip Asian-fusion cuisine at Wagamama in Leicester Square. It makes you realize ... as great as it is to see museums and markets and castles, there's nothing quite like seeing good friends (cue your "awwws" now ...).
- Wednesday, my parents went on a Jewish walking tour of London while I took the opportunity to veg a bit and finally get more than a few hours of sleep. I made sure to take an hour or so and do a little store-hopping, and collect some little British odds and ends. I love the magazines and newspapaers in England - and I love the culture there which is one in which everybody reads and you can't get on a subway without 80% of the people glued to the daily edition of their newsapaper of choice. It's funny how we here in America are always bemonaing the death of books, the death of newspapers, the death of magazines. Did anyone ever stop to think that there's nothing wrong with books or newspapers or magazines? Maybe the problem is that we as a country are a bunch of braindead slobs who can't be bothered to actually READ and keep up to date with current events that don't center around celebs with no underpants? Ugh. Well, one of the main reasons that I'm such an Anglophile is that I love the British culture in which, god-forbid, INTELLIGENCE is actually valued and USED on a daily basis in discourse that involves political debate, culture, and dialogue. Then, as a pop culture junkie, it's jsut plain cool to see how th British perceive things, from TV to movies to games. There's no better magazine than EDGE with which to get an intelligent perspective on the gaming industry. The Brit's RADIO TIMES, filled with interesting articles and editorials on television, only reinforces what a rag TV Guide is. And EMPIRE is one of the best film periodicals out there - the geeky sensibilities of Ain't It Cool mixed with the snappy writing of Newsweek.
Anyways, Wednesday afternoon, I met up with my parents and brother for a trip to London's hopping West End. though touristy, it's one of my favorite areas of London, as it's just such a modern, cool-feeling area that nonetheless lacks the clutter or mess of a Times Square or downtown Hollywood. We started out in Picadilly Circus and made our way to Trafalgar Square, home of giant fountains and towering statues that you can't help but be impressed by. We wandered into the British National Gallery across the street for a few minutes, and then worked our way up to Leicester Square, home to uber-cool movie theaters featuring huge, customized marquees (At this point there were towering images of Beowulf poking out at the gathering crowds), many a tourist-friendly restaurant (including London's only TGI Fridays), dozens of trendy bars and clubs, and throngs of young people and tourists walking around the closed-off, wide and open walkways. Our final destination was Covent Garden, yet another big open-air market, at this time decorated quite festively for the Christmas season (nary a menorah to be found in London!). We explored the markets for a bit, combed through trinkets, books, etc., then staked out the theater to which we had tickets for ... Lord of the Rings - The Musical! (yikes!) Yes, my brother Matt, being an even bigger geek for Lord of the Rings than I (well, at least for the films, of which he often partake sin day-long trilogy marathon viewing sessions), insisted that we see this London-only spectacle. So after a steak dinner in Leicester Square (appeasing my dad's desire for meat, haha), we headed back over to Covent Garden and embarked on a 3 hour journey into Middle Earth, in musical form.
So in the midst of this London recap, here is a first - a MUSICAL Review!
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE MUSICAL - Review
My thoughts on the musical? Well, um ... ambitious, to say the least. The sets, costumes, and f/x were certainly amongst the most impressive and technically remarkable I've ever seen at a live stage show. You'd think a musical might shy away from the big set pieces from the movies. But the opposite was the case here -- we got Gandalf vanquishing the Balrog in the Mines of Moria, the Black Riders felling Frodo, the march of the elves in Lothlorien, and Sam Gamgee using Galadriel's light to defeat the giant spider Shelob on the road to Mordor -- all staged using massive puppets, whiz-bang f/x, and impressively choreographed action. Gollum was a huge achievement as well - a twisting, contorting, otherworldly performance that was truly something to see. On the other hand, the music was less than impressive. A few of the songs were fun and memorable, mostly those sung by the musically-inclined hobbits, in particular the opening/closing Sam-Frodo theme and a rousing song sung in the tavern towards the beignning. But musical numbers didn't dominate the production like they do in a Les Mis or Phantom - songs were used more sparingly, which drew attention to bad acting and stilted dialogue by the likes of Gandalf, Saurumon, and some others (certainly nothing that came close to measuring up to Ian McKellan or Christopher Lee, and also made it feel pretty awkward during the few times when the less whimsical characters like Aragorn broke into song. The production was also very long, condensing all three books / movies into one uber-epic story. This meant that a number of key characters and plot points were eliminated, and much of what was kept felt rushed and incomplete. Really, this is one to see for the spectacle of the set-design and staging - the mostly lackluster music and acting keep it from being anything more than a curiosity.
My Grade: C+
- Okay, despite my slightly negative review, it was a fun time at the theater and definitely something worth seeing, for novelty value alone. And hey, my parents both loved it, and they are not exactly hardcore Rings fans, so what do I know. In any case, it was a fun day and night in London's West End. At this point, we said our goodbyes to Matt, without whom we would have had a much more difficult time navigating London - in a place that vast, any one with any wisdom in terms of getting around is much appreciated.
- Thursday, as soon as it had started, our trip came to an end. We had only an hour or so between breakfast and the time when a car was set to pick us up and bring us to Heathrow, so we made one last quick run-through of the Earl's Court area, picked up some last minute gifts, and then rushed to get our suitcases all packed for the journey home. Since we had some time to waste in Heathrow before our plane departed, we got to wander around and see all the shops that litter the vast airport, which is practically a mini-Harrods in its own right. Finally, we boarded our plane - another smooth ride courtesy of Virgin Atlantic - and after some reading, sleeping, another excellent meal, a viewing of Hot Rod and an episode of The Mighty Boosh - we touched down in Beantown. Soon enough, we were back in Bloomfield, CT (unfortunately as cold if not colder than London). After sleeping for many, many hours, I awoke the next day exhausted and tired still, but satisfied that I was once again a world traveller who had seen many sights and done many things. The bug was back - since that point, many of my thoughts have turned towards seeing the world and exploring what there is to see just over the horizon. Sure, already that pull of distant lands has been slightly dimmed by the grind of day-to-day life in LA, in the real world, but still, there is that spark, and I hope to travel more sooner rather than later.
- My short time thereafter in CT was mostly spent simply chilling out and resting up for the return to normalcy that would soon follow. I had a long flight via Southwest - home of cramped seats and bare-bones service, from CT to Burbank last Sunday, with stops in Nashville and Vegas en route to California. If only getting here had been as easy as getting to London ... Now, it may have only fully lasted for a day or so, but there's no doubt that for at least a little while following my trip, I was more at peace than I'd been in a while. I got to work on Monday and felt as though I was a step removed from all of the drama, weirdness, superficiality, and wear and tear that is life in Hollywood. I was here in Hollyweird, sure, but a part of me was in London and elsewhere, in giant castles and dusty museums and hopping markets. I think you need to have that perspective, that knowledge that elsewhere, things ARE different, that your way of life is only one way of life amongst many and there's no harm in being unique and not conforming to one standard of living. I hope to retain that British sense of intellectualism, of higher culture, of history, of humor - even here where it feels a million miles away.
Because, though it may be far ... London is calling.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
I'd like to procure a hasty review of JUNO.
So I still have to write a London wrap-up, and I'm hoping to get to that this weekend, but right now, I am compelled to write about the movie I just saw. I want to write this review before the hype gets too big ...
JUNO Review:
- There are so many things that could have gone wrong with Juno, but I'm pretty much floored by how brilliantly this movie came together. There are those who are quickly going to sense an impending wave of hype and praise and therefore rush to jump on a backlash bandwagon. But I want to do the oppositte - I want to say that Juno is, in my estimation, one of the year's best, and a movie that radiates warmness and good humor. I know, it sounds strange to describe a movie that at first appears to be aching to be cool in such a way. But it's way too easy to simply dismiss Juno and rail on it for trying too hard. I think that's exactly the point - Juno is a movie ABOUT people who are trying too hard. One of my favorite lines in the movie is when the title character, so adorably played by Ellen Page, compliments her highschool sweetheart, played by Michael Cera. "You're so cool without even trying," she says. But then, he corrects her: "Actually, I try really hard."
The reason thaT Juno totally won me over by the time the credits rolled is that it's a movie that defied my expectations, and then defied them again and again. The movie begins in full-on cutting edge hipster mode, with Ellen Page and Rainn Wilson exchanging jive-sounding dialogue as stylized as anything that Tarantino ever put to page. Everything about the movie's opening, from its beat-perfect dialogue to its emo-simplistic animated intro to all the odd little details - like the fact that Juno calls up people using a hamburger phone (at least that's what she calls it) - are enjoyable and cool and all, but I'll admit, all of the quirk made me a little antsy for a second there. Eventually though, something truly magical happens - the movie gets turned on its head and all the quirk gives way to something that is as three dimensional and subtle as almost any movie I've ever seen. At first glance, these characters seem cartoonish, but that's only at first glance. The beauty of Juno is, without ever being obvious or preachy, it shifts and expands and allows its characters to grow and change and blossom.
The characters of Juno feel so alive in large part thanks to the absolutely phenomenal cast. Ellen Page is going to get a lot of hype for this movie, but it's well deserved. She freaking rocks as Juno, and it's by no means a one-note performance. Juno is hilarious, smart, endearing as hell, and yet not a caricature. In fact, as well-written as Michael Cera and Jonah Hill were in Superbad, Ellen Page, I hate to say, makes those characters look a little one-dimensional in comparison. Part of it is the wonderful script, part of it is the absolute level of investment that Page puts into the character - every little quirk and mannerism and offhanded expression contributes. And yet ... for all of her wit and impressive vocabulary, Juno as played by Page will make you laugh, cry, and be happy. That's quite an achievement.
Last year at this time, it was a non-stop lovefest for all of the great dames of Hollywood who were showing again why they were icons - Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, etc. In 2007, 20 year old Ellen Page, in flannel and t-shirts and ponytail, was easily the breakthrough actress of the year. In one fell swoop, I think I'm a fan for life. It's funny too, because just recently I was thinking how I couldn't think of many great female film roles from this year. Christina Ricci in Black Snake Moan, Tilda Swindon in Michael Clayton, Michelle Pfeifer in Stardust - those were a few of my favorites so far. But I have a feeling that come Oscar time I will be wholeheartedly rooting for Ms. Page as Best Actress - like I said, she simply rocks as Juno. And here's one more bigtime compliment from me - Juno (the character) reminded me, in all the right ways, of the much-missed Lindsay Weir - just as Juno (the movie) reminded me, in all the right ways, of the much-missed classic Freaks and Geeks. Stylistically, the two don't necessarily have a lot in common. But to be sure, all of the depth, humor, and poignancy of that great work is alive and well in Juno.
The rest of the cast is off-the-charts great. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner are really, maybe surprisingly, superb as a couple looking to adopt the teenaged Juno's baby-on-the-way. Of all the movie's characters, it's Bateman and Garner who really threw me for a loop. Without revealing anything, I was amazed at how the film created a first impression of the couple, then a second, and finally a third, leaving us amazed that we had ever looked at them as we originally did. Could we really have been that sympathetic and endeared towards Bateman, or that annoyed and critical of Garner? The brilliance of these characters is that it is, again, a very natural peeling back of the layers. These are consistent, fleshed-out characters and yet fluid and evolving. Individually, this is the best thing Bateman's done since Arrested Development, and, well, maybe the best thing Garner's ever done. Bateman does a great job at playing a guy who has seen ten or fifteen years pass him by without warning - he's a great juxstaposition to Juno. He's a grown man with the passions and dreams of a kid, she's a kid who talks and thinks, in many ways, like an adult. Meanwhile, Garner's character is someone who initially seems boring, but wins us over because in reality she's a lot more like Juno than we suspect - she has a strong sense of self and doesn't care what others think.
JK Simmons is fantastic as Juno's father. Again, I was totally impressed with how this character defied the cliche. At first you think oh, yeah, there's no way that this square old dad has anything to offer the uber-cool Juno in the way of sound parental advice. But almost as soon as he's introduced, Simmons reveals his character as yet another amazingly complex creation. Yet another character that made me laugh, made me sad, made me smile. A truly great turn for one of the great character actors.
Allison Janney is similarly awesome as Juno's stepmom. Yet again - I found myself hating her at first, and that was surely a deliberate ploy on the part of the film. But Janney is oh so human, like everyone else in the movie. The familial ties between Juno, her dad, and her stepmom are palpable. All the good, the bad, the ugly of family relationships is on display here, but the strength of that family concept ultimately wins you over and makes even initially unlikable characters ones you find yourself rooting for. For Janney's part - she has some hilarious moments, particularly one shining hospital scene in which she tells off a presumptuous nurse.
As for Michael Cera, he's been on one heck of a roll. Juno is yet another showcase for his talent, in a role where he's more George Michael Bluth than Superbad. Cera has awkward nerdiness and earnest sincerity down to an artform, and he makes it remarkably easy to buy into he and Juno as a likable and meant-to-be couple of teenagers in love. Despite the built-in hipster quirkiness, there's a realness to the two of them - afterall, isn't everyone pretty much quirky and awkward in high school?
With such a great cast (and I haven't even mentioned some of the more minor but equally standout supporting roles), it's amazing that so much attention has gone to Diablo Cody, the self-styled star-screenwriter-in-the-making whose unconventional background has thrust her into the spotlight. And there you have another reason why there will be the inevitable backlash towards Juno - people love to dogpile on anyone or anything hailed and hyped as the Next Big Thing. Well, whatever. Right now, I'm not convinced that she ISN'T the next big thing. This screenplay is legit, and it really is a winning combination of a tightly-structured plot, measuring it at a breezy length, with dialogue and character that both burts off the page and yet, as I've extolled here, will surely surprise with its depth and poignancy. What I love about this script is that, like many of the best scripts, there are BIG ideas boiling over beneath the surface. No one will call Juno an epic by any means, but what elevates it above similar teen fare is that there ARE a lot of powerful themes at play here, and not in that smug, forced manner that films like Garden State sometimes have. Juno to me felt genuine through and through, and without getting too pretentious there were things here that felt bigger than the characters, a feeling that this was a story as much about generations in America, the pop-culture-infused intelligence of Gen Y vs the squandered potential of Gen X, as anything else. Maybe that's me reading too much into things, but there's an openness to Juno that invites interpretation, and I really admire Cody for infusing her script with that rare quality. The fact that Juno manages to be quirky and hip yet still capture a kind of cultural zeitgeist is pretty commendable.
I also am just impressed with the script for its sense of humor and unique perspective. I'll admit, comedy from the female perspective is often a tough sell. Female perspective, fairly or not, has in many cases become synonomous with simply not that funny. Not the case here - Juno is really and truly a breath of fresh air - a movie that is so clearly told with a female voice, yet never feels watered-down or dumbed-down or sugar-coated for a female audience. On the contrary, the sensibilities of Juno were so refreshing precisely because it was so obviously not typical of Hollywood teen comedy. But being different would mean jack if the film never made me laugh. Juno though is genuinely funny - sometimes funny in a quick-n-easy kind of way, sometime clever-funny or quirky-funny, and sometimes, most rewardingly, it's funny in that deep belly-laugh kind of way that really has to be earned through great characters and emotional investment.
Also give credit to Jason Reitman, who is now two-for-two with last year's excellent Thank You For Smoking and now Juno. I really enjoyed the simple-yet-stylized look of the film, and the sensibility with which it was shot, in a way that really complimented Cody's script. I also have to mention the soundtrack, which I really enjoyed. I'm not usually a fan of these types of quirky indie-music soundtracks, but each track here was pretty infectious and well-selected. It's a soundtrack I could actually see myself revisiting in the future on its own merits.
I think Juno is a movie that most people will approach with a bit of trepidation. There's now a built-in hype factor, and I get that people are becoming wary of these movies that are prematurely praised as generational touchstones. I know I usually hate that kind of thing, and for the first few minutes of Juno, I was worried that this might be a film that was merely solid but not the truly special movie that some had claimed. But soon enough, the film had zipped by and completely won me over. You may or may not be similarly taken by it, but for me things eventually 100% clicked. Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, JK Simmons and Alison Janney all pop, particularly Page for whom this is undoubtedly a breakthrough performance, maybe THE breakthrough performance of the year. Most of all though, Juno left me with a great feeling that I had just spent time with characters I had quickly grown fond of, in a world I wanted to immediately revisit, with a story that got to me as comedy, as a love story, as a character study, as a slice of life. Not for the cynical, not for the haters ... but for me, Juno was aces.
My Grade: A
JUNO Review:
- There are so many things that could have gone wrong with Juno, but I'm pretty much floored by how brilliantly this movie came together. There are those who are quickly going to sense an impending wave of hype and praise and therefore rush to jump on a backlash bandwagon. But I want to do the oppositte - I want to say that Juno is, in my estimation, one of the year's best, and a movie that radiates warmness and good humor. I know, it sounds strange to describe a movie that at first appears to be aching to be cool in such a way. But it's way too easy to simply dismiss Juno and rail on it for trying too hard. I think that's exactly the point - Juno is a movie ABOUT people who are trying too hard. One of my favorite lines in the movie is when the title character, so adorably played by Ellen Page, compliments her highschool sweetheart, played by Michael Cera. "You're so cool without even trying," she says. But then, he corrects her: "Actually, I try really hard."
The reason thaT Juno totally won me over by the time the credits rolled is that it's a movie that defied my expectations, and then defied them again and again. The movie begins in full-on cutting edge hipster mode, with Ellen Page and Rainn Wilson exchanging jive-sounding dialogue as stylized as anything that Tarantino ever put to page. Everything about the movie's opening, from its beat-perfect dialogue to its emo-simplistic animated intro to all the odd little details - like the fact that Juno calls up people using a hamburger phone (at least that's what she calls it) - are enjoyable and cool and all, but I'll admit, all of the quirk made me a little antsy for a second there. Eventually though, something truly magical happens - the movie gets turned on its head and all the quirk gives way to something that is as three dimensional and subtle as almost any movie I've ever seen. At first glance, these characters seem cartoonish, but that's only at first glance. The beauty of Juno is, without ever being obvious or preachy, it shifts and expands and allows its characters to grow and change and blossom.
The characters of Juno feel so alive in large part thanks to the absolutely phenomenal cast. Ellen Page is going to get a lot of hype for this movie, but it's well deserved. She freaking rocks as Juno, and it's by no means a one-note performance. Juno is hilarious, smart, endearing as hell, and yet not a caricature. In fact, as well-written as Michael Cera and Jonah Hill were in Superbad, Ellen Page, I hate to say, makes those characters look a little one-dimensional in comparison. Part of it is the wonderful script, part of it is the absolute level of investment that Page puts into the character - every little quirk and mannerism and offhanded expression contributes. And yet ... for all of her wit and impressive vocabulary, Juno as played by Page will make you laugh, cry, and be happy. That's quite an achievement.
Last year at this time, it was a non-stop lovefest for all of the great dames of Hollywood who were showing again why they were icons - Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, etc. In 2007, 20 year old Ellen Page, in flannel and t-shirts and ponytail, was easily the breakthrough actress of the year. In one fell swoop, I think I'm a fan for life. It's funny too, because just recently I was thinking how I couldn't think of many great female film roles from this year. Christina Ricci in Black Snake Moan, Tilda Swindon in Michael Clayton, Michelle Pfeifer in Stardust - those were a few of my favorites so far. But I have a feeling that come Oscar time I will be wholeheartedly rooting for Ms. Page as Best Actress - like I said, she simply rocks as Juno. And here's one more bigtime compliment from me - Juno (the character) reminded me, in all the right ways, of the much-missed Lindsay Weir - just as Juno (the movie) reminded me, in all the right ways, of the much-missed classic Freaks and Geeks. Stylistically, the two don't necessarily have a lot in common. But to be sure, all of the depth, humor, and poignancy of that great work is alive and well in Juno.
The rest of the cast is off-the-charts great. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner are really, maybe surprisingly, superb as a couple looking to adopt the teenaged Juno's baby-on-the-way. Of all the movie's characters, it's Bateman and Garner who really threw me for a loop. Without revealing anything, I was amazed at how the film created a first impression of the couple, then a second, and finally a third, leaving us amazed that we had ever looked at them as we originally did. Could we really have been that sympathetic and endeared towards Bateman, or that annoyed and critical of Garner? The brilliance of these characters is that it is, again, a very natural peeling back of the layers. These are consistent, fleshed-out characters and yet fluid and evolving. Individually, this is the best thing Bateman's done since Arrested Development, and, well, maybe the best thing Garner's ever done. Bateman does a great job at playing a guy who has seen ten or fifteen years pass him by without warning - he's a great juxstaposition to Juno. He's a grown man with the passions and dreams of a kid, she's a kid who talks and thinks, in many ways, like an adult. Meanwhile, Garner's character is someone who initially seems boring, but wins us over because in reality she's a lot more like Juno than we suspect - she has a strong sense of self and doesn't care what others think.
JK Simmons is fantastic as Juno's father. Again, I was totally impressed with how this character defied the cliche. At first you think oh, yeah, there's no way that this square old dad has anything to offer the uber-cool Juno in the way of sound parental advice. But almost as soon as he's introduced, Simmons reveals his character as yet another amazingly complex creation. Yet another character that made me laugh, made me sad, made me smile. A truly great turn for one of the great character actors.
Allison Janney is similarly awesome as Juno's stepmom. Yet again - I found myself hating her at first, and that was surely a deliberate ploy on the part of the film. But Janney is oh so human, like everyone else in the movie. The familial ties between Juno, her dad, and her stepmom are palpable. All the good, the bad, the ugly of family relationships is on display here, but the strength of that family concept ultimately wins you over and makes even initially unlikable characters ones you find yourself rooting for. For Janney's part - she has some hilarious moments, particularly one shining hospital scene in which she tells off a presumptuous nurse.
As for Michael Cera, he's been on one heck of a roll. Juno is yet another showcase for his talent, in a role where he's more George Michael Bluth than Superbad. Cera has awkward nerdiness and earnest sincerity down to an artform, and he makes it remarkably easy to buy into he and Juno as a likable and meant-to-be couple of teenagers in love. Despite the built-in hipster quirkiness, there's a realness to the two of them - afterall, isn't everyone pretty much quirky and awkward in high school?
With such a great cast (and I haven't even mentioned some of the more minor but equally standout supporting roles), it's amazing that so much attention has gone to Diablo Cody, the self-styled star-screenwriter-in-the-making whose unconventional background has thrust her into the spotlight. And there you have another reason why there will be the inevitable backlash towards Juno - people love to dogpile on anyone or anything hailed and hyped as the Next Big Thing. Well, whatever. Right now, I'm not convinced that she ISN'T the next big thing. This screenplay is legit, and it really is a winning combination of a tightly-structured plot, measuring it at a breezy length, with dialogue and character that both burts off the page and yet, as I've extolled here, will surely surprise with its depth and poignancy. What I love about this script is that, like many of the best scripts, there are BIG ideas boiling over beneath the surface. No one will call Juno an epic by any means, but what elevates it above similar teen fare is that there ARE a lot of powerful themes at play here, and not in that smug, forced manner that films like Garden State sometimes have. Juno to me felt genuine through and through, and without getting too pretentious there were things here that felt bigger than the characters, a feeling that this was a story as much about generations in America, the pop-culture-infused intelligence of Gen Y vs the squandered potential of Gen X, as anything else. Maybe that's me reading too much into things, but there's an openness to Juno that invites interpretation, and I really admire Cody for infusing her script with that rare quality. The fact that Juno manages to be quirky and hip yet still capture a kind of cultural zeitgeist is pretty commendable.
I also am just impressed with the script for its sense of humor and unique perspective. I'll admit, comedy from the female perspective is often a tough sell. Female perspective, fairly or not, has in many cases become synonomous with simply not that funny. Not the case here - Juno is really and truly a breath of fresh air - a movie that is so clearly told with a female voice, yet never feels watered-down or dumbed-down or sugar-coated for a female audience. On the contrary, the sensibilities of Juno were so refreshing precisely because it was so obviously not typical of Hollywood teen comedy. But being different would mean jack if the film never made me laugh. Juno though is genuinely funny - sometimes funny in a quick-n-easy kind of way, sometime clever-funny or quirky-funny, and sometimes, most rewardingly, it's funny in that deep belly-laugh kind of way that really has to be earned through great characters and emotional investment.
Also give credit to Jason Reitman, who is now two-for-two with last year's excellent Thank You For Smoking and now Juno. I really enjoyed the simple-yet-stylized look of the film, and the sensibility with which it was shot, in a way that really complimented Cody's script. I also have to mention the soundtrack, which I really enjoyed. I'm not usually a fan of these types of quirky indie-music soundtracks, but each track here was pretty infectious and well-selected. It's a soundtrack I could actually see myself revisiting in the future on its own merits.
I think Juno is a movie that most people will approach with a bit of trepidation. There's now a built-in hype factor, and I get that people are becoming wary of these movies that are prematurely praised as generational touchstones. I know I usually hate that kind of thing, and for the first few minutes of Juno, I was worried that this might be a film that was merely solid but not the truly special movie that some had claimed. But soon enough, the film had zipped by and completely won me over. You may or may not be similarly taken by it, but for me things eventually 100% clicked. Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, JK Simmons and Alison Janney all pop, particularly Page for whom this is undoubtedly a breakthrough performance, maybe THE breakthrough performance of the year. Most of all though, Juno left me with a great feeling that I had just spent time with characters I had quickly grown fond of, in a world I wanted to immediately revisit, with a story that got to me as comedy, as a love story, as a character study, as a slice of life. Not for the cynical, not for the haters ... but for me, Juno was aces.
My Grade: A
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
A Brief Interlude: HEROES and CHUCK Fall Finale Thoughts
So I need to sit down and do a little London recap, and I'm hoping to do that soon. For now, check out Facebook or MySpace for many cool pics direct from the UK.
But in the meantime, some quick thoughts about HEROES and CHUCK, which each had their fall finales last night, and thanks to the Strike, potentially their last episodes for the forseeable future.
HEROES:
- Don't get me wrong - I was entertained well enough by last night's Heroes Volume II concluding chapter. But in the end, it was a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing, and ultimately a strong reminder that this season of the show has yet to show any signs that this is the same series that in the past delivered iconic pieces of TV like "Company Man."
For one thing, there's no denying that Heroes became something of a cluster this season. Of all the numerous new characters introduced, almost none were worth a damn. It's a similar problem to Lost: Season 2, although at least the Tailie characters had POTENTIAL. The Telemundo Twins were annoying and cringe-worthy from the moment they were introduced, and it says something that, by far the most satisfying moment in last night's ep was when Sylar mercilessly gunned down Maya, who proceeded to collapse onto the ground with the same awkward expressions of pain that we had to endure all season thanks to her and her brother's repetitive, meandering, and worthlessly drawn-out storyline. On one hand, it's kind of pathetic that the show had to kill off these characters as coldly and abruptly as it did, almost out of self-realization that they needed to thin the heards. On the other hand, at least they had the self-awareness to do so.
A similar storyline that ultimately went nowhere was that of the immortal Adam. First of all, this character is nothing more than a weak-ass ripoff of Batman villain Ra's Al Ghul. Secondly, his motivations and psyche as a villain were never convincing, never properly explored, and felt ripped right out of Liam Neeson's dialogue in Batman Begins. What could have been a compelling character turned into stock villain #579. The worst part is that so much time was spent on Adam this season that the setup seemed to be there for SOME kind of twist or unexpected wrinkle ... and yet, there was nothing. Adam's storyline simply went from Point A to Point B without a single moment of surprise or originality. Totally disappointing.
Now, easily the most intriguing storyline going into this season was that of the Company conspiracy of which Adam had been a part. In fact, this volume of Heroes, you might remember, was even entitled "Generations." So, um ... what happened to that? We still have little to no idea of who the original Company founders were, how they got together, or even what their powers are, exactly. Instead, The Company became more ambiguous than ever, and even though hints were given that they had some benevolant side to them, they were mostly just a generic cabal of old people doing bad things. In last night's episode, I felt there was a chance to really move Heroes forward as a show by having Claire move to expose the Company and begin moving towards a direction where at least a few of the heroes work openly and make the public aware of their powers - now THAT would be an interesting direction for the show to take. Instead, we get a last-minute twist in which HRG re-joins the Company, a turn that came with only the weakest of justifications on his part. Why take the show's most interesting character and simply bring him back to square one?
Then there was the Micah / Nikki storyline, in which Nikki appears to bite the dust. Here was one more long, drawn-out storyline that seemed to see little advancement after so much time was spent on it. All the drama about Nikki having the virus (the virus, which basically turned out to be one giant ball of nothing / deux ex machina in a box) basically amounted to nothing. And then, I think every geek worth his salt at least had a twinge of anticipation that Micah's cousin might go the route of comic hero / vigilante. After so much build-up, she simply gets kidnapped by some thugs and left to die in a burning building? Okay ...
Meanwhile, the show just seems to be lacking internal logic or continuity. Last I checked, Peter Petrelli could: walk through walls, read minds, and fly. He could have used power A to simply walk through the door and grab the virus at Adam's behest. He could have used Power B to check on Adam's trustworthiness instead of blindly following him all this time. And I mention Power C because, well, you'd think that with Nathan getting shot at episode's end, it wouldn't be all that beneficial to the Company, since the guy standing right next to him could also fly, stop time, and shoot lightning bolts from his hands ... and I'm sure that, you know, following an assasination attempt, the press would be a bit curious to interview ol' Peter.
And how about Sylar? Molly, who can track anyone, is right there in the room, and Mohinder and Elle just let him get away? How far could he have gotten in the 5 seconds since he was being pursued? Again, I don't mean to nitpick, but it just seems like Heroes is afraid at times to write its characters' powers in a consistent, creative, and internally-logical manner. Maybe my favorite moment of the series thus far was in Company Man, when HRG blocks Greg Grunberg's mental probes by thinking in Japanese. Right there, HRG took on a whole new level of badassness. I don't know if there's yet been a moment nearly as creative on the show in terms of characters using or reacting to super powers.
So again, there were some fun moments last night. A lot of that was due to some great actors stepping up and elevating the material. Zachary Quinto as Sylar has been awesomely evil of late, and he stole every scene he was in in last night's ep. Masi Oka as Hiro continues to be eminently likable, and you can't help but root for the guy when he dares to confront Adam and seeks to avenge his father. Kristen Bell has been a great addition to the show, and has overcome a questionable Company storyline to create one of the show's most intriguing characters, and a great potential rival for Claire. And Jack Coleman has really been the show's MVP as Noah Bennett - even when his character has lacked compelling storylines, or been forced to make out of character moves like last night, Coleman always brings a great intensity to the role, and HRG is the one character whose next move is always much-anticipated. A lot of that is thanks to Coleman.
So what we are left with is an episode that in many ways simply hit the reset button. In some ways, that might be a smart move, but it's still not really an excuse for such a messy and underwhelming collection of storylines, that never delivered a truly satisfying payoff. I got a little excited when we saw the "preview" for Volume 3, enticingly entitled "Villains." Then I realized it was simply Sylar getting his powers back, shades of the ending to X-Men 3. No new big villain, no new twist, just the visualization of a plot point we all knew was coming since the season premiere.
If anything, Tim Kring and co have created a wonderful sandbox of a universe with which the writers can play in. Some, like Brian Fuller, have taken the toys of the Heroes-verse and done something great with them. But so far this season, no one has stepped up to the plate, and there's been nothing that screams "hey, watch this show!" I think we all want to root for Heroes, we all want it to be great. So come on guys, give us something to cheer for.
My Grade: C+
CHUCK:
- While the first few episodes of Chuck didn't quite live up to the amount of enthusiasm I initially had for the pilot, I can't deny that for several weeks now, CHUCK has been an an absolute roll. With the show's own little mythology kicking into high gear over the last few weeks, things have really picked up. I loved last week's Bryce Larkin-centric episode. After that action-packed ep, this week's more mellow affair at first seemed like a bit of a let-down. But by episode's end, I was once again caught up in all of the glorious emo-adventure that is Chuck.
I just have to say right off the bat - Adam Baldwin's expression when his prized car got blown up, near episode's end, was absolutely classic. I was seriously just dying of laughter as his expression subtley changed from anger to weepy sorrow in a matter of moments.
Meanwhile, the show has done a surprisingly great job of moving the Chuck - Sarah relationship forward without runing it by having them in a full-blown relationship or at total odds with each other. At times, Chuck's pining for Sarah got a little too OC-ish, but at the same time that's what's so fun about the show - the way it seamlessly blends all of The OC's emo soap operatics with action and adventure and intrigue.
I don't think I need to go on too much about CHUCK. In short, it's evolved into one of the most enjoyable shows on the air, and has some of TV's best characters at the moment. Thanks to everyone behind Chuck for bringing it and improving on the formula nearly every week - I look forward to, hopefully, a lot more Chuck to come.
My Grade: A -
Alright, that's it for now ... check back soon for the LONDON recap, in which I'll mention my new fav British show, an oddball comedy by the name of ... THE MIGHTY BOOSH!
But in the meantime, some quick thoughts about HEROES and CHUCK, which each had their fall finales last night, and thanks to the Strike, potentially their last episodes for the forseeable future.
HEROES:
- Don't get me wrong - I was entertained well enough by last night's Heroes Volume II concluding chapter. But in the end, it was a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing, and ultimately a strong reminder that this season of the show has yet to show any signs that this is the same series that in the past delivered iconic pieces of TV like "Company Man."
For one thing, there's no denying that Heroes became something of a cluster this season. Of all the numerous new characters introduced, almost none were worth a damn. It's a similar problem to Lost: Season 2, although at least the Tailie characters had POTENTIAL. The Telemundo Twins were annoying and cringe-worthy from the moment they were introduced, and it says something that, by far the most satisfying moment in last night's ep was when Sylar mercilessly gunned down Maya, who proceeded to collapse onto the ground with the same awkward expressions of pain that we had to endure all season thanks to her and her brother's repetitive, meandering, and worthlessly drawn-out storyline. On one hand, it's kind of pathetic that the show had to kill off these characters as coldly and abruptly as it did, almost out of self-realization that they needed to thin the heards. On the other hand, at least they had the self-awareness to do so.
A similar storyline that ultimately went nowhere was that of the immortal Adam. First of all, this character is nothing more than a weak-ass ripoff of Batman villain Ra's Al Ghul. Secondly, his motivations and psyche as a villain were never convincing, never properly explored, and felt ripped right out of Liam Neeson's dialogue in Batman Begins. What could have been a compelling character turned into stock villain #579. The worst part is that so much time was spent on Adam this season that the setup seemed to be there for SOME kind of twist or unexpected wrinkle ... and yet, there was nothing. Adam's storyline simply went from Point A to Point B without a single moment of surprise or originality. Totally disappointing.
Now, easily the most intriguing storyline going into this season was that of the Company conspiracy of which Adam had been a part. In fact, this volume of Heroes, you might remember, was even entitled "Generations." So, um ... what happened to that? We still have little to no idea of who the original Company founders were, how they got together, or even what their powers are, exactly. Instead, The Company became more ambiguous than ever, and even though hints were given that they had some benevolant side to them, they were mostly just a generic cabal of old people doing bad things. In last night's episode, I felt there was a chance to really move Heroes forward as a show by having Claire move to expose the Company and begin moving towards a direction where at least a few of the heroes work openly and make the public aware of their powers - now THAT would be an interesting direction for the show to take. Instead, we get a last-minute twist in which HRG re-joins the Company, a turn that came with only the weakest of justifications on his part. Why take the show's most interesting character and simply bring him back to square one?
Then there was the Micah / Nikki storyline, in which Nikki appears to bite the dust. Here was one more long, drawn-out storyline that seemed to see little advancement after so much time was spent on it. All the drama about Nikki having the virus (the virus, which basically turned out to be one giant ball of nothing / deux ex machina in a box) basically amounted to nothing. And then, I think every geek worth his salt at least had a twinge of anticipation that Micah's cousin might go the route of comic hero / vigilante. After so much build-up, she simply gets kidnapped by some thugs and left to die in a burning building? Okay ...
Meanwhile, the show just seems to be lacking internal logic or continuity. Last I checked, Peter Petrelli could: walk through walls, read minds, and fly. He could have used power A to simply walk through the door and grab the virus at Adam's behest. He could have used Power B to check on Adam's trustworthiness instead of blindly following him all this time. And I mention Power C because, well, you'd think that with Nathan getting shot at episode's end, it wouldn't be all that beneficial to the Company, since the guy standing right next to him could also fly, stop time, and shoot lightning bolts from his hands ... and I'm sure that, you know, following an assasination attempt, the press would be a bit curious to interview ol' Peter.
And how about Sylar? Molly, who can track anyone, is right there in the room, and Mohinder and Elle just let him get away? How far could he have gotten in the 5 seconds since he was being pursued? Again, I don't mean to nitpick, but it just seems like Heroes is afraid at times to write its characters' powers in a consistent, creative, and internally-logical manner. Maybe my favorite moment of the series thus far was in Company Man, when HRG blocks Greg Grunberg's mental probes by thinking in Japanese. Right there, HRG took on a whole new level of badassness. I don't know if there's yet been a moment nearly as creative on the show in terms of characters using or reacting to super powers.
So again, there were some fun moments last night. A lot of that was due to some great actors stepping up and elevating the material. Zachary Quinto as Sylar has been awesomely evil of late, and he stole every scene he was in in last night's ep. Masi Oka as Hiro continues to be eminently likable, and you can't help but root for the guy when he dares to confront Adam and seeks to avenge his father. Kristen Bell has been a great addition to the show, and has overcome a questionable Company storyline to create one of the show's most intriguing characters, and a great potential rival for Claire. And Jack Coleman has really been the show's MVP as Noah Bennett - even when his character has lacked compelling storylines, or been forced to make out of character moves like last night, Coleman always brings a great intensity to the role, and HRG is the one character whose next move is always much-anticipated. A lot of that is thanks to Coleman.
So what we are left with is an episode that in many ways simply hit the reset button. In some ways, that might be a smart move, but it's still not really an excuse for such a messy and underwhelming collection of storylines, that never delivered a truly satisfying payoff. I got a little excited when we saw the "preview" for Volume 3, enticingly entitled "Villains." Then I realized it was simply Sylar getting his powers back, shades of the ending to X-Men 3. No new big villain, no new twist, just the visualization of a plot point we all knew was coming since the season premiere.
If anything, Tim Kring and co have created a wonderful sandbox of a universe with which the writers can play in. Some, like Brian Fuller, have taken the toys of the Heroes-verse and done something great with them. But so far this season, no one has stepped up to the plate, and there's been nothing that screams "hey, watch this show!" I think we all want to root for Heroes, we all want it to be great. So come on guys, give us something to cheer for.
My Grade: C+
CHUCK:
- While the first few episodes of Chuck didn't quite live up to the amount of enthusiasm I initially had for the pilot, I can't deny that for several weeks now, CHUCK has been an an absolute roll. With the show's own little mythology kicking into high gear over the last few weeks, things have really picked up. I loved last week's Bryce Larkin-centric episode. After that action-packed ep, this week's more mellow affair at first seemed like a bit of a let-down. But by episode's end, I was once again caught up in all of the glorious emo-adventure that is Chuck.
I just have to say right off the bat - Adam Baldwin's expression when his prized car got blown up, near episode's end, was absolutely classic. I was seriously just dying of laughter as his expression subtley changed from anger to weepy sorrow in a matter of moments.
Meanwhile, the show has done a surprisingly great job of moving the Chuck - Sarah relationship forward without runing it by having them in a full-blown relationship or at total odds with each other. At times, Chuck's pining for Sarah got a little too OC-ish, but at the same time that's what's so fun about the show - the way it seamlessly blends all of The OC's emo soap operatics with action and adventure and intrigue.
I don't think I need to go on too much about CHUCK. In short, it's evolved into one of the most enjoyable shows on the air, and has some of TV's best characters at the moment. Thanks to everyone behind Chuck for bringing it and improving on the formula nearly every week - I look forward to, hopefully, a lot more Chuck to come.
My Grade: A -
Alright, that's it for now ... check back soon for the LONDON recap, in which I'll mention my new fav British show, an oddball comedy by the name of ... THE MIGHTY BOOSH!
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