July 2010 posts
Solitary Man…Mega Mid/Late-Life Crisis
SOLITARY MAN (2009/ IN THEATERS) Michael Douglas gives us a less-likeable (make that much less likeable) extension of his Wonder Boys personae in Solitary Man. This time he’s playing Ben Kalman, a hugely successful former car dealer and family man who is trying to crawl back after being convicted of scamming his customers (“I paid my fine”), while also trying desperately to keep up his relationship with his daughter and grandson, and mostly trying and succeeding in “screwing his way to immortality.” He is obsessed with sex –- sexual conquest, to be precise. He can’t stop talking about it, even bragging about his recent victories to his own daughter. His lovely ex is played by Susan Sarandon; his current lover by Mary Louise Parker, a wealthy, well-connected link to the banks and auto execs Ben needs for his big come-back. Unfortunately, he blows that opportunity early in the movie—I won’t tell you how—just know that it’s part of quite a number of “oh no” moments in this film which will leave you groaning. How Michael Douglas manages to make this guy even remotely sympathetic is a miracle. Jesse Eisenberg as a young college student who idolizes him and Danny DeVito as his true blue college friend help a lot in this regard. The movie features solid performances, clever dialog and some very interesting jump-cutting techniques to move the story along. Worth seeing despite some trite moments. A good rental for sure.
Grade: B
Suggested Movie Pairing: Wonder Boys– for a big Michael Douglas night.
If You Think Disney Cares About Art, Dream On
DREAM ON SILLY DREAMER (2005/DVD) As an undergrad women’s studies enthusiast (and former subscriber to the unbearably humorless Ms.), I have my pretentious issues with the plots (and damsels) of Disney’s animated films. What can’t be denied is the beauty of the hand-drawn animation—from Snow White to The Lion King, there’s a warmth of movement that can’t be replicated by Pixar’s and Dreamworks’ CGI. Think of the iconic scene in Dumbo when Dumbo’s mother cradles him with her trunk through her cage bars—yes, I am crying right now—a scene also noted by one of Disney’s laid-off artists and animators in the short documentary Dream on Silly Dreamer. Shot by Dan Lund (also a former Disney animator) immediately following a mass layoff in March 2002 of nearly the entire Disney animation team, the sadness and indignation is palpable. The doc gives the inside scoop on major errors made by Disney’s higher-ups—instead of nurturing what made movies like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast such massive hits (charming dialogue, involving stories, catchy Broadway-style songs, lack of fart jokes) they focused on producing terrible straight-to-DVD sequels that raked in the cash but also diluted the Disney brand. (Did you know there is a Peter Pan sequel set in London during the Blitz? Classy concept!) The animators readily admit they were caught up in their own hype for a time—many employed agents, lawyers, etc. during the salad days from 1989 to 1994—but all come across as genuine creatives who were heartbroken to leave the camaraderie and artistic satisfaction they found during their too-brief time with the company. I would be interested in an epilogue that addresses the death of the straight-to-DVD strategy and also The Princess and the Frog, Disney’s recent 2D animated film that used hand-drawn animation for at least a small part of the production. I’m also curious to know where these artists ended up utilizing their talents in the six years since their interviews, and their thoughts on Disney’s inability to recapture the unbridled enthusiasm of the public (save the occasional Walcreature in a Disney tee).
Grade: B
Download Dream on Silly Dreamer here, or catch it on the Documentary Channel this month (my new favorite other than Sundance for weirdo late-night viewing. Next up in my DVR queue, courtesy of Doc: Women in Boxes).
Movies Under the Stars…Great Summer Fun!
STAR TREK (2009/ DVD) What better way to celebrate the 4th of July weekend than to watch one of last year’s best and most entertaining movies under the stars. For me, that opportunity presented itself as part of “Movies on the Mountain” at the Taos Ski Valley, featuring a free showing and all the popcorn you could eat. Yum. Quite a set-up with an inflatable big screen and excellent projector all hooked up to a PC with the high-def DVD. Unfortunately for the event’s sponsors, the DVD took to “freezing” (so familiar to me from numerous Netflix rentals) about half way through the movie. In fact, the freezing occurred right at the point where the plot thickens and the audience begins to have to PAY ATTENTION to the time traveling/alternate reality elements of the movie—not a high point for me, as I recall from seeing it last summer in theaters, but a necessary move in order for Leonard Nimoy to make his appearance as well as to introduce us to Simon Pegg as Scotty—love him! Plus, as all who saw the movie last year know, Nimoy needs to help young James T. Kirk get with the program and develop his true friendship and life-long partnership with Spock. What could be better, I say again. Love this movie. Three cheers for J.J.Abrams and especially for his perfect casting: Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Pinto as Spock (one of the inspirations for the film I understand), Eric Bana as super bad guy Nero, Karl Urban as Bones, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, John Cho as Sulu and fabulous Simon Pegg as Scotty. If you never saw it, be sure to rent it now and watch it on the biggest screen possible….under the stars, if you can swing it.
Grade: Big A One of my favorites from last year.
BTW: Happy 4th of July to all two of our readers.
The Twilight Moms’ Party Don’t Stop
Naboo is for lovers.
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (2010/IN THEATERS) When one says that the third installment of the Twilight Saga is “better” than its predecessors, one is not saying a whole hell of a lot. While director David Slade (he of the highly entertaining and actually scary 2007 vampire flick 30 Days of Night) has managed to pull together the most cohesive and fully fleshed-out Twilight offering yet, it’s still woefully hobbled by its pretty crappy JV-squad source materials. Which are D-U-M dumb. THAT being said, we don’t go to Twilight movies to be frightened, we go for the LOVE! Sweet, pure, passionate, and totally boner-less LOVE. But. Let’s not forget the other draw here: Taylor Lautner’s grotesque musculature is in full effect and as scenery chewing as, well, the actor that is encased within them. Rrrowr. (Said the 40yo lady in a “TWILIGHT MOM” T-shirt sitting behind me. [And what’s up with this lukewarm “TWILIGHT MOM” shit, lady? PICK A TEAM! ANY TEAM!]) Eclipse has freshly scrubbed, casually half-dressed boys out the wazoo, my faves being Lautner’s werewolf pack who wear nothing but jorts and sneaks. Jorts and sneaks! Who knew THIS was the formula for melting female hearts ACROSS THE GLOBE. Don’t be fooled, ladies! Everybody knows that Jorts + Sneaks – Shirt = POUNDER. And how unromantic is that? Read more »
