After the mindblowing finale of Season 3, a finale that caused me to lose sleep as my brain was working overdrive, I kept more conservative expectations going into the Season 4 finale. Since really, how could Season 4 even come close to matching the complete "game changer" of a finale last year?
And, fortunately or unfortunately, I was correct. This did not blow my mind in the same way that last year's did and to attempt to compare the two is truly an exercise in futility.
The reason for this is abundantly clear: last year the question was centrally focused on "What Does This Mean?" We didn't know whether the flash-forwards were the last point in the series, whether this was only ONE possible future or a number of different possibilities, how the show was going to be structured in Season 4, what the meaning of the word "present" is. All of these speculations caused people to have months upon months of wondering until we finally got our definitive answer in the form of "The Beginning of the End."
This year, the question is more straight forward. Instead of "What Does This Mean?" it's more of a "What Happens Next?" My personal belief, and this could turn out to be 100% wrong as 100% of my predictions have been in the past, is that off-island is now the present. The crux of next year will be Jack getting the group back together which will finally culminate in them arriving back to the island. In the meantime, our flashbacks will show what led Locke to end up in that coffin. Therefore, in next year's season finale we will presumably see, in flashback, what killed Locke.
Unfortunately, I feel that Michael was rather wasted this year and particularly in this finale. Was he really fully redeemed to the point where it was worth it to finally kill him off? What purpose did he serve staring at the C4 instead of running upstairs with Jin? As it stands, he apparently never even made amends with his son, which was one of the primary reasons for his introduction in Season 1. Granted, as is always the case with Lost, just because you're dead doesn't necessarily mean you're off the show. And Christian Shepherd could certainly attest to that. Speaking of the old Dr. Shepherd, his appearance on the freighter was particularly interesting.
As for Jin, I would stake a week's pay on his being alive. The purpose that his "death" serves is to send Sun into the spiral of vengeance that she appears to be taking in attempting to conspire with Widmore. My concern though is that Sun will turn into her father, making a reunion with Jin somewhat bittersweet. While it will be great to see them together again, in what direction will Sun have gone that might make us root against her somewhat? Jack explicitly stated that "Sun blames me for Jin's death." (Which is slightly inaccurate, since it was kind of Lapidus who refused to go back to the boat, too.)
Season 5 by necessity seems as if it will be a completely different animal if the driving force is returning to the island. Of course, that in and of itself, raises some questions. When Ben says "everyone" has to go back, does that mean Lapidus and Desmond? Aaron? Taking a toddler on a cross country trip is hard enough, try bringing one along to find a mystical island.
Speaking of Desmond, I would have to say that his reunion with Penny was quite possibly the highlight of the finale. To think that this dynamic wasn't even part of the show until the very last episode of Season 2 is very difficult to believe since it resonates so much more than any of the other love stories on the island. The Jack/Sawyer/Kate triangle has been done to death and certainly doesn't seem to be nearing a TRUE resolution anytime soon.
And who would have thought even a year ago that they were going to TELEPORT THE ISLAND. Which is kind of a downer for Faraday and his band of merry meat socks floatin' away on the ocean. Yet, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him. How far we've come from "Where are we going to find water?" to "How exactly does one move an entire isalnd?" The curious thing is where exactly did it go? And how can it get found again? Once again...more questions.
While I'm certainly looking forward to the Season 5 premiere, it's not the same sort of anticipation that I had last year, and really, how could it? Even so, Lost still excels at being one of the most quality shows on television and I certainly cannot wait until February to see what direction we will be taken next.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Review
I must admit to the fact that I have never seen Indiana Jones on the big screen until now. Born in 1984, the year that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released, the only opportunity I would have had would have been The Last Crusade five years later. And it wasn't exactly my parent's predilection at the time to take a 5 year old to a PG-13 movie.
Yet, that's not to say that I wasn't fond of Indy growing up. In fact, I was a HUGE fan of Temple of Doom, since it was on all the time when I was younger. Strangely, I didn't even end up seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark until my teen years because I was biased against the movie. First, there was the fact that it didn't have "Indiana Jones and the" in front of it. Secondly, I thought they were talking about Noah's Ark. And I didn't want to see a movie about Noah's Ark. (I ended up seeing one years later called "Evan Almighty." And it was crap.)
But throughout the years, I have become a bigger and bigger fan of Indiana Jones. Because really, what creature with a Y chromosome wouldn't want to be him? I certainly can't think of any.
Which is what makes this review so difficult to write. There is so much great about "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" but at the same time there is also so much that takes away from it.
Make no mistake about it, Indiana Jones is back. His wit, his abilities, his tenacity are all on full display for the world to see and being given the opportunity to experience this character on a 100 foot screen was rather thrilling.
The problems exist mainly regarding the plot. So many points in the movie, the momentum would stop dead in its tracks in order to explain what was happening and why. This overly complicated plot regarding what may or may not be aliens was distracting and didn't serve the movie very well. Maybe I'm misremembering, but the previous movies didn't have such convoluted plots. Although, I suppose the familiarity with the previous plots could have to do with the numerous times I've seen the movies throughout the years. Or at least when it was exposition time in the earlier films, it didn't feel so forced and unnatural.
Especially with the introduction of Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). While I understand the reasons for Mutt's presence, the fact he is even there seems rather strange. He only serves to reintroduce Marion to the story who, while great to see return, seems like she was shoehorned into the story for little reason other than to see Marion back and to provide Indy with a sidekick. I don't have any issue with Shia LaBeouf on the whole, and have enjoyed him in other movies like "Disturbia", but here he feels out of place. Also a scene with him in the jungle with some monkeys is literally laugh-out-loud ludicrous. I mean, I know this is Indiana Jones and all, but that's just another moment when I'm immediately drawn out of the movie. And I'm not even going to get started with how dumb the monkey-men or spider-men were and what the hell they were even doing in this movie.
And as a last negative, the big finale and the events leading up to it do not fully seem to make much sense. The events that take place at the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are ambiguous at best and nonsensical at worst. Maybe the whys and hows of it all will be better explained upon future viewings, but the results of the actions of the characters seem to be at odds with what the Crystal Skulls were apparently supposed to stand for.
If it seems I'm being overly negative, I'm not. The action is very cool and, with signature Spielberg style, is thoroughly entertaining and never boring. There were moments in this film that despite knowing that Indiana is going to survive, I felt real dread over what could potentially happen to him. The opening scene in Area 51 especially really felt like a return to form for the old archeologist. When the "Raider's March" kicks into high gear as Indy is doing his thing, you can't help but be filled with a childlike glee at the entire experience on screen. Even just that would have been enough to justify going to see this movie, but fortunately there was much more.
The character moments, when they weren't sitting around being conduits for exposition, were great. In fact, a huge complaint I have is that there was too much time explaining the plot and not enough time for character. More bickering between Marion and Indy would have been great, as would more reactions to various plot twists that exist throughout the movie. Certain moments seem to be accepted far too easily and there's no real struggle in that acceptance when one might expect there would be.
Ben Burtt's sound design is once again on full display with the over the top punches and whipcracks that seem to be unique to Indiana Jones. The sound effects are especially great and draw you in even more. But John Williams' new score seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Much like the movie, it is sufficient but nowhere near the greatness of either the Raiders score or my personal favorite, The Last Crusade. I enjoy the new themes that were written but none seem to lend themselves to the emotional gravitas that existed in prior incarnations. The old themes were great as ever, especially the little nods here and there to the previous films, and I could certainly listen to those over and over again.
Make no mistake about it: this is a fun movie that's worth seeing more than once, if just to see Indiana Jones back in action one more time. The problem is that while it is in the same vein as its predecessors, the script is along a different track that prevents it from achieving true greatness. And if the rumors are true that they're setting up Shia LaBeouf for his own series, then I'll be incredibly annoyed by this. I can't say that I wouldn't see it (I see pretty much everything), but I think Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones, and to attempt to replace him would be a tragedy.
Some people might be making the case that in today's movie-going environment, Indiana Jones has no place. But I would certainly argue with that. Indiana Jones is the everyman. You feel like you could put on that fedora and whip and become him, exploring the outer reaches of the world and getting into all sorts of adventures. Despite a few small missteps, Indy has most certainly returned and I have to say that I'm rather happy about it.
GRADE: B
Yet, that's not to say that I wasn't fond of Indy growing up. In fact, I was a HUGE fan of Temple of Doom, since it was on all the time when I was younger. Strangely, I didn't even end up seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark until my teen years because I was biased against the movie. First, there was the fact that it didn't have "Indiana Jones and the" in front of it. Secondly, I thought they were talking about Noah's Ark. And I didn't want to see a movie about Noah's Ark. (I ended up seeing one years later called "Evan Almighty." And it was crap.)
But throughout the years, I have become a bigger and bigger fan of Indiana Jones. Because really, what creature with a Y chromosome wouldn't want to be him? I certainly can't think of any.
Which is what makes this review so difficult to write. There is so much great about "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" but at the same time there is also so much that takes away from it.
Make no mistake about it, Indiana Jones is back. His wit, his abilities, his tenacity are all on full display for the world to see and being given the opportunity to experience this character on a 100 foot screen was rather thrilling.
The problems exist mainly regarding the plot. So many points in the movie, the momentum would stop dead in its tracks in order to explain what was happening and why. This overly complicated plot regarding what may or may not be aliens was distracting and didn't serve the movie very well. Maybe I'm misremembering, but the previous movies didn't have such convoluted plots. Although, I suppose the familiarity with the previous plots could have to do with the numerous times I've seen the movies throughout the years. Or at least when it was exposition time in the earlier films, it didn't feel so forced and unnatural.
Especially with the introduction of Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). While I understand the reasons for Mutt's presence, the fact he is even there seems rather strange. He only serves to reintroduce Marion to the story who, while great to see return, seems like she was shoehorned into the story for little reason other than to see Marion back and to provide Indy with a sidekick. I don't have any issue with Shia LaBeouf on the whole, and have enjoyed him in other movies like "Disturbia", but here he feels out of place. Also a scene with him in the jungle with some monkeys is literally laugh-out-loud ludicrous. I mean, I know this is Indiana Jones and all, but that's just another moment when I'm immediately drawn out of the movie. And I'm not even going to get started with how dumb the monkey-men or spider-men were and what the hell they were even doing in this movie.
And as a last negative, the big finale and the events leading up to it do not fully seem to make much sense. The events that take place at the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are ambiguous at best and nonsensical at worst. Maybe the whys and hows of it all will be better explained upon future viewings, but the results of the actions of the characters seem to be at odds with what the Crystal Skulls were apparently supposed to stand for.
If it seems I'm being overly negative, I'm not. The action is very cool and, with signature Spielberg style, is thoroughly entertaining and never boring. There were moments in this film that despite knowing that Indiana is going to survive, I felt real dread over what could potentially happen to him. The opening scene in Area 51 especially really felt like a return to form for the old archeologist. When the "Raider's March" kicks into high gear as Indy is doing his thing, you can't help but be filled with a childlike glee at the entire experience on screen. Even just that would have been enough to justify going to see this movie, but fortunately there was much more.
The character moments, when they weren't sitting around being conduits for exposition, were great. In fact, a huge complaint I have is that there was too much time explaining the plot and not enough time for character. More bickering between Marion and Indy would have been great, as would more reactions to various plot twists that exist throughout the movie. Certain moments seem to be accepted far too easily and there's no real struggle in that acceptance when one might expect there would be.
Ben Burtt's sound design is once again on full display with the over the top punches and whipcracks that seem to be unique to Indiana Jones. The sound effects are especially great and draw you in even more. But John Williams' new score seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Much like the movie, it is sufficient but nowhere near the greatness of either the Raiders score or my personal favorite, The Last Crusade. I enjoy the new themes that were written but none seem to lend themselves to the emotional gravitas that existed in prior incarnations. The old themes were great as ever, especially the little nods here and there to the previous films, and I could certainly listen to those over and over again.
Make no mistake about it: this is a fun movie that's worth seeing more than once, if just to see Indiana Jones back in action one more time. The problem is that while it is in the same vein as its predecessors, the script is along a different track that prevents it from achieving true greatness. And if the rumors are true that they're setting up Shia LaBeouf for his own series, then I'll be incredibly annoyed by this. I can't say that I wouldn't see it (I see pretty much everything), but I think Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones, and to attempt to replace him would be a tragedy.
Some people might be making the case that in today's movie-going environment, Indiana Jones has no place. But I would certainly argue with that. Indiana Jones is the everyman. You feel like you could put on that fedora and whip and become him, exploring the outer reaches of the world and getting into all sorts of adventures. Despite a few small missteps, Indy has most certainly returned and I have to say that I'm rather happy about it.
GRADE: B
Friday, May 16, 2008
Movies in the 21st Century
The world of cinema has entered a totally new world in these last few years, particularly since the dawn of the internet. Now, I personally haven't been a fan of movies, at least like I am now, for my entire life. In fact, working at a movie theater for six years probably had quite a bit to do with my exponential interest in the workings of the world of the silver screen. But growing up in this time certainly has many pros and cons. Unfortunately, I will be looking at this issue through my admittedly narrow experience, given that I am only 24 years old and rarely experienced movies in the same way that many of those did before my time. So any input from those who have different perspectives would be highly appreciated.
The multiplex is now the preferred method of cinema delivery. Gone are the days of Drive-Ins and small, independent theaters with only one or two screens. Any less than 10 screens is seen to be exceedingly small and is rather rare these days. The intimate experience of going to the movies is now being somewhat diluted by this overwhelming sensory overload. The memories that people have of going to the movies is assuredly different than it must have been in the past.
This, unfortunately, leads to an increasing lack of control on the part of theater management. How is it possible to rodeo dozens of teenagers who seem to be everywhere at once? People who are disrupting the movie for others are becoming insanely difficult to track down and proof of wrongdoing on the part of the perpetrators can be nearly impossible to come by. Couple this with skyrocketing prices (a topic that will be exploited in a future entry) and one can only see why attendance is dropping so dramatically. Box office gurus continue to tout financial numbers like they are all that matter. "$100 Million in its first weekend! $300 million overall!" Yes, but how many people actually went to see these movies? How many people were you able to reach with them? These LEGITIMATE questions appear to be lost in the shuffle of the overwhelming "more is more" policy that Hollywood, and by extension theater exhibitors, seem to have these days.
That policy also extends to the marketing of movies. The way trailers are cut today, I cannot fathom them being cut the same way 20-30 years ago. With so many competing forms of entertainment out there ranging from just web browsing to video games, there seems to be the attitude that so much needs to be shown from the movies to get people interested. The downside is that it lessens the impact of the movie itself. Last year, essentially the entire plot of Spider-Man 3 was given away before the credits even began to roll. Multiple trailers, an 8-minute sequence given out a month before opening, TV spots, all led to a digestible version of the movie to the point where one did not even have to go see it to understand what was going to happen. I understand that anticipation needs to be built, but sometimes you give away too much. So many movies are guilty of this these days, I don't even know where I'd begin to start. (I guess I started with Spider-Man 3, a sub-par Spider-Man movie and a slightly above average action movie, and this is coming from a HUGE Spider-Man fan.)
Of course, not all is bad in this new world of cinema. When an event movie arrives, you are pretty much guaranteed to be able to go to the theater and catch it within a day or so. Gone are the days when people would have to line up seemingly weeks in advance in order to catch a glimpse of the new Star Wars movie. The saturation of theaters has gotten to a point where that isn't necessary. A Star Wars-caliber movie would have a showing almost every half-hour to avoid totally selling out. Granted, some may argue that this lessens the communal nature of movie-going but I think all would agree that it's nice to be able to see what you want when you want. The downside is that it gives crap movies almost an equal chance at success, therefore unintentionally raising the perceived quality of said movies. This could be a symptom throughout movie history though, since I have not researched the success of bad movies in the past.
The internet is also turning into a cesspool of leaks and spoilers and prejudgments on non-finished products. A piece of concept art could be released about a project and suddenly the internet comes out and jumps all over it. This in turn gives the impression that the entire world is against whatever it might be, when in fact I would argue that a tiny percentage of the movie-going public is active on the internet. But with the instant nature of the internet, the ending of a movie could get out, and suddenly it's available to anyone with a search engine. People could come across is accidentally and have the whole experience ruined for them. Granted, I'm sure that is a rare situation, but the fact is that it exists and it can be rather harmful.
On the other hand, the internet has so many wonderful things these days. The ubiquity of internet video and therefore trailers has allowed anyone to be able to find out about the newest movies. No longer do people have to wait in line for a movie they didn't want to see just to find out if a trailer to an anticipated movie will be on it. Just log on and check it out yourself. And for free. The access is unprecedented and I'm sure allows for some movies that wouldn't otherwise be seen to be given a chance at success that it otherwise would not have had.
Yet, when all is said and done, would I rather live now or then? If you take away DVDs and home theaters and the financial issues, and judge movie theaters on their merits between now and then alone, it becomes a difficult decision. Ultimately, I would probably say now because of the ability to see movies on my own schedule, but certain upsides to movie experiences from the past certainly hold water. The thing is, I think we can get to a place now where it becomes more enjoyable for everyone. It will just take a little hard work and some dedication. It's too bad I'm not in a position to help make that happen. Yet.
The multiplex is now the preferred method of cinema delivery. Gone are the days of Drive-Ins and small, independent theaters with only one or two screens. Any less than 10 screens is seen to be exceedingly small and is rather rare these days. The intimate experience of going to the movies is now being somewhat diluted by this overwhelming sensory overload. The memories that people have of going to the movies is assuredly different than it must have been in the past.
This, unfortunately, leads to an increasing lack of control on the part of theater management. How is it possible to rodeo dozens of teenagers who seem to be everywhere at once? People who are disrupting the movie for others are becoming insanely difficult to track down and proof of wrongdoing on the part of the perpetrators can be nearly impossible to come by. Couple this with skyrocketing prices (a topic that will be exploited in a future entry) and one can only see why attendance is dropping so dramatically. Box office gurus continue to tout financial numbers like they are all that matter. "$100 Million in its first weekend! $300 million overall!" Yes, but how many people actually went to see these movies? How many people were you able to reach with them? These LEGITIMATE questions appear to be lost in the shuffle of the overwhelming "more is more" policy that Hollywood, and by extension theater exhibitors, seem to have these days.
That policy also extends to the marketing of movies. The way trailers are cut today, I cannot fathom them being cut the same way 20-30 years ago. With so many competing forms of entertainment out there ranging from just web browsing to video games, there seems to be the attitude that so much needs to be shown from the movies to get people interested. The downside is that it lessens the impact of the movie itself. Last year, essentially the entire plot of Spider-Man 3 was given away before the credits even began to roll. Multiple trailers, an 8-minute sequence given out a month before opening, TV spots, all led to a digestible version of the movie to the point where one did not even have to go see it to understand what was going to happen. I understand that anticipation needs to be built, but sometimes you give away too much. So many movies are guilty of this these days, I don't even know where I'd begin to start. (I guess I started with Spider-Man 3, a sub-par Spider-Man movie and a slightly above average action movie, and this is coming from a HUGE Spider-Man fan.)
Of course, not all is bad in this new world of cinema. When an event movie arrives, you are pretty much guaranteed to be able to go to the theater and catch it within a day or so. Gone are the days when people would have to line up seemingly weeks in advance in order to catch a glimpse of the new Star Wars movie. The saturation of theaters has gotten to a point where that isn't necessary. A Star Wars-caliber movie would have a showing almost every half-hour to avoid totally selling out. Granted, some may argue that this lessens the communal nature of movie-going but I think all would agree that it's nice to be able to see what you want when you want. The downside is that it gives crap movies almost an equal chance at success, therefore unintentionally raising the perceived quality of said movies. This could be a symptom throughout movie history though, since I have not researched the success of bad movies in the past.
The internet is also turning into a cesspool of leaks and spoilers and prejudgments on non-finished products. A piece of concept art could be released about a project and suddenly the internet comes out and jumps all over it. This in turn gives the impression that the entire world is against whatever it might be, when in fact I would argue that a tiny percentage of the movie-going public is active on the internet. But with the instant nature of the internet, the ending of a movie could get out, and suddenly it's available to anyone with a search engine. People could come across is accidentally and have the whole experience ruined for them. Granted, I'm sure that is a rare situation, but the fact is that it exists and it can be rather harmful.
On the other hand, the internet has so many wonderful things these days. The ubiquity of internet video and therefore trailers has allowed anyone to be able to find out about the newest movies. No longer do people have to wait in line for a movie they didn't want to see just to find out if a trailer to an anticipated movie will be on it. Just log on and check it out yourself. And for free. The access is unprecedented and I'm sure allows for some movies that wouldn't otherwise be seen to be given a chance at success that it otherwise would not have had.
Yet, when all is said and done, would I rather live now or then? If you take away DVDs and home theaters and the financial issues, and judge movie theaters on their merits between now and then alone, it becomes a difficult decision. Ultimately, I would probably say now because of the ability to see movies on my own schedule, but certain upsides to movie experiences from the past certainly hold water. The thing is, I think we can get to a place now where it becomes more enjoyable for everyone. It will just take a little hard work and some dedication. It's too bad I'm not in a position to help make that happen. Yet.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
The Forbidden Kingdom Review
The movie that so many martial arts fans have been waiting to see, a showdown between Jet Li and Jackie Chan has finally arrived. Unfortunately, it has arrived in the form of a slightly better than mediocre movie aimed mostly at the younger crowd.
The movie starts as Jason (Michael Angarano) wakes up and visits a DVD/Pawn Shop in the Chinatown section of Boston to purchase some of his favorite kung fu movies. The shop is run by Jackie Chan in old person's make up and if you thought that Chan was difficult to understand before through his accent, just wait until you try and hear him through his accent and "old man" voice.
(On a completely unrelated side note, I found it odd that Jason has a Sega Dreamcast and an old Nintendo 64 box set up in his room. Especially the box. Is it really worth saving 10 years later? You might say that it's set in the past, but an Xbox 360 shows up in the Old Man's pawn shop.)
Anyway, Jason is riding his bike home when some girls stop him and ask him what he's doing. He talks to them for a second, when out of nowhere, some bullies show up and see that he buys things at a shop in Chinatown. Of course, to them this means that the place will be easy to rob. (???) Things escalate out of control when the main bully SHOOTS JACKIE CHAN and then plans on shooting Jason until the mystical staff that Jason picked up in the pawn shop drags him off the roof of the building and transports him to ancient China. Immediately this takes me out of the movie, as I cannot stand movie bullies who inexplicably escalate things to realms that would never happen in reality. I understand that bullies in the real world exist, but not like this. Fortunately, the movie becomes more entertaining once they enter ancient China.
What follows is a movie that's one part "Back to the Future Part III" (or Ninja Turtles III, depending on your perspective), two parts Lord of the Rings, and two parts Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. (That's 5 parts for those of you who are keeping track.)
Jason is then tasked by Jackie Chan to take the staff to the Warlord's castle and release the imprisoned "Monkey King" (Jet Li) in order to get home. Along the way they pick up a monk (Jet Li, again) and a young woman named Sparrow. The problem is that you really never get a sense of any sort of danger or sense of foreboding, despite the attempts to highlight the story of Sparrow, who is seeking vengeance against the warlord for killing her parents. Oh yeah, she also inexplicably only speaks about herself in the second person.
Nor do you fully understand why Jason is so anxious to get home. He doesn't seem like he has any friends and his only excitement in life is watching old Kung Fu movies. There's also the fact that the last time he was conscious in his world, someone was holding a gun to his head and he was falling off a building. Personally, I don't know if I'd necessarily want to go back to that. But I guess that's just me.
The fight scenes are pretty good and show themselves to be entertaining enough, especially between Jet Li and Jackie Chan, but the reasons for which they all fight never really rise above mediocre.
Coupled with the fact that some of the bad guys make INCREDIBLY stupid decisions given the prospect of a "prophecy", the movie can't shake its failures despite the attempts to rise above these inherent shortcomings. The movie reads almost like a cliff's notes to an Asian "Lord of the Rings" (minus the mystical creatures) and in fact certain imagery looks almost like it was taken straight from the film trilogy.
Yet, despite it all, "The Forbidden Kingdom" does prove itself to be an entertaining way to spend two hours if there is nothing else to do. I can applaud what they were trying to accomplish but unfortunately the whole is worth less than the sum of its parts
GRADE: C+
The movie starts as Jason (Michael Angarano) wakes up and visits a DVD/Pawn Shop in the Chinatown section of Boston to purchase some of his favorite kung fu movies. The shop is run by Jackie Chan in old person's make up and if you thought that Chan was difficult to understand before through his accent, just wait until you try and hear him through his accent and "old man" voice.
(On a completely unrelated side note, I found it odd that Jason has a Sega Dreamcast and an old Nintendo 64 box set up in his room. Especially the box. Is it really worth saving 10 years later? You might say that it's set in the past, but an Xbox 360 shows up in the Old Man's pawn shop.)
Anyway, Jason is riding his bike home when some girls stop him and ask him what he's doing. He talks to them for a second, when out of nowhere, some bullies show up and see that he buys things at a shop in Chinatown. Of course, to them this means that the place will be easy to rob. (???) Things escalate out of control when the main bully SHOOTS JACKIE CHAN and then plans on shooting Jason until the mystical staff that Jason picked up in the pawn shop drags him off the roof of the building and transports him to ancient China. Immediately this takes me out of the movie, as I cannot stand movie bullies who inexplicably escalate things to realms that would never happen in reality. I understand that bullies in the real world exist, but not like this. Fortunately, the movie becomes more entertaining once they enter ancient China.
What follows is a movie that's one part "Back to the Future Part III" (or Ninja Turtles III, depending on your perspective), two parts Lord of the Rings, and two parts Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. (That's 5 parts for those of you who are keeping track.)
Jason is then tasked by Jackie Chan to take the staff to the Warlord's castle and release the imprisoned "Monkey King" (Jet Li) in order to get home. Along the way they pick up a monk (Jet Li, again) and a young woman named Sparrow. The problem is that you really never get a sense of any sort of danger or sense of foreboding, despite the attempts to highlight the story of Sparrow, who is seeking vengeance against the warlord for killing her parents. Oh yeah, she also inexplicably only speaks about herself in the second person.
Nor do you fully understand why Jason is so anxious to get home. He doesn't seem like he has any friends and his only excitement in life is watching old Kung Fu movies. There's also the fact that the last time he was conscious in his world, someone was holding a gun to his head and he was falling off a building. Personally, I don't know if I'd necessarily want to go back to that. But I guess that's just me.
The fight scenes are pretty good and show themselves to be entertaining enough, especially between Jet Li and Jackie Chan, but the reasons for which they all fight never really rise above mediocre.
Coupled with the fact that some of the bad guys make INCREDIBLY stupid decisions given the prospect of a "prophecy", the movie can't shake its failures despite the attempts to rise above these inherent shortcomings. The movie reads almost like a cliff's notes to an Asian "Lord of the Rings" (minus the mystical creatures) and in fact certain imagery looks almost like it was taken straight from the film trilogy.
Yet, despite it all, "The Forbidden Kingdom" does prove itself to be an entertaining way to spend two hours if there is nothing else to do. I can applaud what they were trying to accomplish but unfortunately the whole is worth less than the sum of its parts
GRADE: C+
Forgetting Sarah Marshall Review
We are getting to a point with comedies where the idea that whatever Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad) produces is supposedly comedic gold. Unfortunately, the last two Apatow produced movies (Walk Hard and Drillbit Taylor) did not exactly live up to his high pedigree. Fortunately, Forgetting Sarah Marshall corrects that pattern and puts things back on the right path.
Written by star Jason Segel (of TV's How I Met Your Mother, possibly the best sitcom on TV today) and directed by first time director Nicholas Stoller, "Sarah Marshall" is an incredibly hilarious look at people's motivations within relationships that really takes the opportunity to give all the characters a chance to explain themselves.
By now I am sure most people have heard of the basic premise of the story. Peter Bretter (Segel), a composer who does music for his girlfriend Sarah Marshall's (Kristen Bell) TV show "Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime" gets dumped (while naked). In an attempt to get away from it all, he goes to a resort in Hawaii that Sarah once mentioned to him. Of course, as luck would have it, she is there with her new rockstar boyfriend Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). And, because no comedy would be complete without a new love interest, Peter develops a crush on the front desk girl Rachel (Mila Kunis).
What really makes this movie great is the way that it doesn't demonize anyone. Every character, whether it be Sarah or Peter or Rachel, all have issues within their lives that need to be dealt with. In many romantic comedies, the person who does the dumping is not really given a second glance and the blame is often squarely put on them. Unlike those, without giving anything away, you find that the real reason for the split is much more complicated than a woman who just wants to move up in the world. Looking at the characters as people with flaws and imperfections certainly helps to make the movie relatable in ways it might otherwise not have been.
A small issue with the movie is that it isn't as funny as Knocked Up or Superbad. This shouldn't be construed as a complaint though, as the laughs are consistent and don't really cease for the duration. The problem is that while I found myself laughing out loud, they never reached the complete hilarity of those other movies. Only once did I find myself laughing uncontrollably, which happened a few times in those other films. Yet, in comparison to the majority of the movies that pass for comedies today, this is infinitely better. I do feel somewhat bad for Jason Segel though, as he shows his penis numerous times yet it never really comes off as that funny, except for at the very end. Funny how the only time naked dudes are really ever used is for humorous effect. Naked women are usually shown so that people can see naked women. (I don't buy the whole "It makes sense for the scene" crap.)
On its own merits, without comparison to other movies within the genre, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is very funny and provides an experience that not only delivers minute-for-minute hilarity, but also crafts an engaging story. One more final complaint is that the end somewhat begins to head down the track of predictability, somewhat lessening the effect of the rest of the movie, but I wouldn't find it to be too much or a complaint, nor something that ruins the experience in the slightest.
As a final note, I have to mention that while Mila Kunis has always been hot, in this movie she's pretty much off the charts. Not to take away from the hotness of Kristen Bell, of course. I don't know whether it's movie magic or what the situation is with her in this movie, but I think we can all agree that Macauley Culkin is a lucky man. Yeah, I don't know how that happened, either.
GRADE: B+
Written by star Jason Segel (of TV's How I Met Your Mother, possibly the best sitcom on TV today) and directed by first time director Nicholas Stoller, "Sarah Marshall" is an incredibly hilarious look at people's motivations within relationships that really takes the opportunity to give all the characters a chance to explain themselves.
By now I am sure most people have heard of the basic premise of the story. Peter Bretter (Segel), a composer who does music for his girlfriend Sarah Marshall's (Kristen Bell) TV show "Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime" gets dumped (while naked). In an attempt to get away from it all, he goes to a resort in Hawaii that Sarah once mentioned to him. Of course, as luck would have it, she is there with her new rockstar boyfriend Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). And, because no comedy would be complete without a new love interest, Peter develops a crush on the front desk girl Rachel (Mila Kunis).
What really makes this movie great is the way that it doesn't demonize anyone. Every character, whether it be Sarah or Peter or Rachel, all have issues within their lives that need to be dealt with. In many romantic comedies, the person who does the dumping is not really given a second glance and the blame is often squarely put on them. Unlike those, without giving anything away, you find that the real reason for the split is much more complicated than a woman who just wants to move up in the world. Looking at the characters as people with flaws and imperfections certainly helps to make the movie relatable in ways it might otherwise not have been.
A small issue with the movie is that it isn't as funny as Knocked Up or Superbad. This shouldn't be construed as a complaint though, as the laughs are consistent and don't really cease for the duration. The problem is that while I found myself laughing out loud, they never reached the complete hilarity of those other movies. Only once did I find myself laughing uncontrollably, which happened a few times in those other films. Yet, in comparison to the majority of the movies that pass for comedies today, this is infinitely better. I do feel somewhat bad for Jason Segel though, as he shows his penis numerous times yet it never really comes off as that funny, except for at the very end. Funny how the only time naked dudes are really ever used is for humorous effect. Naked women are usually shown so that people can see naked women. (I don't buy the whole "It makes sense for the scene" crap.)
On its own merits, without comparison to other movies within the genre, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is very funny and provides an experience that not only delivers minute-for-minute hilarity, but also crafts an engaging story. One more final complaint is that the end somewhat begins to head down the track of predictability, somewhat lessening the effect of the rest of the movie, but I wouldn't find it to be too much or a complaint, nor something that ruins the experience in the slightest.
As a final note, I have to mention that while Mila Kunis has always been hot, in this movie she's pretty much off the charts. Not to take away from the hotness of Kristen Bell, of course. I don't know whether it's movie magic or what the situation is with her in this movie, but I think we can all agree that Macauley Culkin is a lucky man. Yeah, I don't know how that happened, either.
GRADE: B+
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Oscar Live Updates
So for the first time in 7 years, I'm currently watching the Oscars alone without anything fun surrounding it. I suppose that means that it is up to me to make this as exciting as I possibly can for myself. What that means? I don't know. I figure I should write about it.
I just got done watching the Barbara Walter special. I cannot wait for the new Indiana Jones movie. It's going to be some awesome stuff. Although they really should put Hannah Montana in it, you know, to get the tween set. Hell yes. Ok, maybe not. I really hate Hannah Montana (although I'm sure that Miley Cyrus is a lovely person). The show literally makes me want to gouge my eyes out.
So I've seen 26 of the nominated movies. I would have seen more if I didn't live in South Carolina where it's impossible to see them all.
8:00PM
The Oscar red carpet has officially started. I could care less about this stuff. I don't care what they're wearing. One of the reasons I'm almost embarrassed to watch the Oscars is because they're often considered the Super Bowl for women. But I'm not a woman. And I don't want to be a woman. Also, I'm not gay. But I love the movies. Which is why I'm writing this. Heck yes.
What's Regis doing here? That guy seriously seems like he never has any idea what's going on. He's out of control. I think it's time to away Regis. To where? I'm not sure.
These women who interview the celebrities are kind of idiots it seem like. They talk to them like they're friends. Something tells me they're not friends. This random lady doesn't hang out with John Travolta. Unless Travolta is trying to trick people into getting into Scientology. Scary fake religion.
8:07
Why are they asking Javier Bardem about his stupid haircut in No Country for Old Men? Isn't it time to put that away? Let's move on.
Oh god, why is Hannah Montana at the Oscars? I wish she would fight Regis. Fight him! That would be awesome. Regis vs. Hannah Montana. They could move that over to Pay-Per-View and I'd definitely check it out.
Oh boy, here come the chick commercials. Although I had no idea I would be watching a dog food commercial for chicks. Surprising.
8:15
I don't know if I should make any predictions. In recent years I've actually been pretty good with my predictions. I'll make them just before they announce, and you'll just have to trust that I'm being honest.
Yes! Jennifer Garner is being interviewed! At one point I was going to marry her, and then she went and had a baby with Ben Affleck. What a jerk. Man, I miss the days of Alias when she would come into my home...and to my heart every week. Goodbye, Jen. Goodbye.
Why is Regis pretending he cares about Helen Mirren's dress? He doesn't care. Helen Mirren just said that she is running a whorehouse. I'm a little concerned about that.
Now, Daniel Day-Lewis is being interviewed. He's such a weird guy. But he was awesome in "There Will Be Blood".
Amy Adams has popped up. I think I'm going to make her my new future wife. She doesn't know that yet. Is that creepy?
8:21
I think that Access Hollywood is one of the worst programs ever. Let's talk about being so over-the-top that everyone seems insane. Which is totally awesome.
Ellen Page is cool. I hope people ask her why Juno is so accessible! Again. And again.
They have now asked Hilary Swank about how she chooses her roles. Why doesn't anyone ask how people choose their rolls? Personally, I'm a huge fan of the brown-n-serves, but crescent rolls are nice too.
It's kind of exciting that I was in the Kodak Theater less than a year ago. But I suppose if I actually lived out there, it wouldn't be that cool. We Middle America people think that so much is cool that totally is NOT cool.
8:30
The Oscars BEGIN. That's cool. The Terminator is delivering the statues. I suppose if you're gonna trust someone with them, there's no better person to trust than The Terminator.
Here comes Jon Stewart. I think he's a funny guy, but we'll see how he does here.
So far so good. I don't really have much to say about it so far. Although I think the haircut jokes need to end from No Country For Old Men, as I stated before.
Does anyone still care about Dennis Hopper? Oh, that's part of the joke. Interesting.
The opening monologue was pretty decent. Didn't blow me away, but entertaining nonetheless.
Ah, here comes my former future wife, looking radiant as always.
ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
I gotta go with Sweeney Todd for this one.
PREDICTION: Sweeney Todd
WINNER: Elizabeth: The Golden Age got it. One of the dullest movies I've seen in years. But that's cool. I guess the costumes were decent in the movie. I suppose I was so bored with the ACTUAL movie that I forgot that the costumes were cool looking. But whatever.
As if there needed to be more evidence of the chick laced problem this show has, a commercial for diet coke. Ladies love their diet coke. (Although recent research suggest that it might be making you fat.)
8:47
Clooney's up on stage. You gotta love the Clooney. But you don't gotta love an 80 year retrospective.
I do love the classic music they got going on, though.
Aw, I miss the Celine Dion. That was like the anthem of my 8th grade year. "My Heart Will Go On". My life HAS gone on. Even though my boat sank.
Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway have arrived. I'm actually pretty pumped for the Get Smart movie. I liked Get Smart. Let's hope that this is going to be a good one too. And wow, Anne Hathaway is pale.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Ratatouille better win this one. Even though I didn't see Persepolis. How do you not love little rats? Little rats COOKING! And Surf's Up was lame. So it's got no chance.
PREDICTION: Ratatouille
WINNER: Ratatouille. It's good to see Brad Bird getting awards. But his story about his guidance counselor didn't seem to be necessary.
BEST MAKE-UP
I gotta go with Pirates of the Caribbean. It was some good stuff, even though La Vie En Rose was good.
PREDICTION: Pirates of the Caribbean
WINNER: La Vie En Rose. Ok, I can see how that would get it. Wow. I am not doing too good with my predictions so far. One of three is pretty weak. I should have thought about this more. La Vie makes more sense than Pirates. Man, I feel foolish. Give these people more time!
Oh, my newest future wife is on screen. Soon, my love. Soon we will be together. On a side note: I loved Enchanted. And I'm totally hetero. But I'm not the biggest fan of that song. I think the other one from Enchanted is better. I wouldn't vote for "The Happy Working Song".
9:02
Well, we're a half hour into the ceremony and we've done a total of three awards. Wow. We're really flying. Or not.
You really gotta love Mastercard commercials that make fun of people with lazy eyes. Really freaking professional.
If they ever make a movie of Barack Obama's life, I think The Rock should play him.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Golden Compass was trash of a movie, but the effects were decent. Pirates was good too. But if Transformers doesn't take this home, I'll be really surprised. Those giant robots looked REAL!
PREDICTION: Transformers
WINNER: The Golden Compass. Unbelievable. 1 for 4. This is my worst Oscar year ever. What about the GIANT ROBOTS?! This is ridiculous.
ART DIRECTION
I think Atonement is going to take this one. It was just a beautiful movie. Although Sweeney Todd could upset it. That was also an incredible looking movie.
PREDICTION: Atonement
WINNER: Sweeney Todd. See? Why didn't I just pick that one? Dammit. 1 for 5 now. I'm doing terrible.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem is definitely going to take this one for No Country for Old Men. He has to. Unless Hal Holbrook serves as a spoiler for this one. But Javier's going to take it. I say that like he's my friend. He's not my friend. I don't even know him.
PREDICTION: Javier Bardem
WINNER: Javier Bardem. THANK YOU! Finally. 2 for 6. Good to know I'm not completely useless. Although no one is going to read this anyway. I thought that I was going to be a complete failure tonight. But I'm not. Awesome.
I'm coming to the conclusion that nobody is going to read this. At all. I don't know why I'm even bothering. Maybe I'm doing it for me. Maybe I'm doing it for you. Maybe I'm doing it for the future of America.
Oh, an August Rush song. Didn't see it, didn't care to. Wait, I didn't know there were black people in that movie. It looked like lots of white people in the trailer. Hmm...you learn something new every day.
BEST SHORT FILM
I haven't seen any of these, so it's going to be nothing but a guess for me. So I'm gonna guess:
PREDICTION: The Mozart of Pickpockets
WINNER: The Mozart of Pickpockets. YES! Another one! Maybe I'm coming back. Maybe it's happening. A mounting comeback.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Another one I didn't have the opportunity to see.
PREDICTION: Peter and the Wolf. Just because I like Wolves.
WINNER: Peter and the Wolf. I'm turning this around people. Whoo hoo! 4 for 8. Back to 50%.
I need to win myself an Oscar. I suppose I'd actually have to get involved with movies in some way.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
I gotta go with Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone. That was some good stuff. Cate Blanchett probably would get it if she didn't get it 3 years ago for the Aviator. Although talk about gender confusion. Ruby Dee was barely in American Gangster. Good, but not enough to give her an award for it.
PREDICTION: Amy Ryan
WINNER: Tilda Swinton? She would have been my #5 choice. Wow. Totally did not see that one coming. There goes my streak. Down the hole it goes.
"The always fantastic Jessica Alba." My ass. Fantastic sometimes. Not always, though. Not always at all.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Here we go. Still surprised that Transformers didn't get nominated here, but whatever. Can't win them all.
PREDICTION: Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men
WINNER: Joel and Ethan Coen! Whoo hoo! Good stuff guys, good stuff.
I'm kinda winding down here. I think I'm pretty much just going to write my predictions followed by the winners. 5 for 10 now. Back to 50%. Again.
I love "That's How You Know" from Enchanted. I hope this one wins.
BEST SOUND EDITING
PREDICTION: Transformers
WINNER: The Bourne Ultimatum. Dammit. I'm a loser again. Does NO ONE know how to give Transformers some love? They're ROBOTS IN DISGUISE!
BEST SOUND MIXING
PREDICTION: Ratatouille
WINNER: The Bourne Ultimatum. Again. Son of a bitch. Why didn't I pick Bourne? I'm a loser. :-(
5 for 12.
BEST ACTRESS
PREDICTION: Marion Coutillard.
WINNER: Marion Coutillard. BOO YA! Yay for attractive French women.
6 for 13. All hope is not lost for Sean. I liked her speech too. Short, succinct, to the point, no idea what she's talking about it. All good stuff.
Yes, they're playing Wii! That's that kind of Oscars I like to see.
I didn't see "Once" but apparently people love it. I didn't see it. I'm sure this song will win even though I want "That's How She Knows" to win.
Are they seriously going to show every best picture winner ever? It certainly looks like it. Can't say I've seen all of these. Or most of them for that matter. A few of the more lasting onces I have.
BEST FILM EDITING
PREDICTION: The Bourne Ultimatum. I screwed myself earlier not going with this movie, but we'll see what happens.
WINNER: The Bourne Ultimatum. YES! Good job not going back on your instinct, boy. A winner is me! 7 for 14. I'm floating right around 50% here. That's a struggle. I'm normally closer to 80%.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
PREDICTION: The Counterfeiters
WINNER: The Counterfeiters! Whoo! Good guess Sean! Excellent guess! 8 for 15. This puts me over the 50% mark! I love it.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
PREDICTION: "Falling Slowly" from Once
WINNER: "Falling Slowly". Of course. Stupid Once. Where's the Enchanted love? Where is it, I say? But I knew this was going to happen. Good job on the cheap movie, though I guess.
Now at 9 for 16.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
PREDICTION: Atonement. How you overlook that 5 minute tracking shot to me would be unbelievable.
WINNER: There Will Be Blood. Yeah, definitely wrong. Ouch. I'm a loser.
9 for 17.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
PREDICTION: Atonement.
WINNER: Atonement. It was the damn typewriter songs that did it. But I was hoping for Ratatouille by Giacchino, just because I'm a huge fan.
10 for 18.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
PREDICTION: The Crown
WINNER: Freeheld.
Eh, I didn't see these anyway. I wish I was a better guesser sometimes.
10 for 19.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
You know what? My mind says Sicko, but something tells me that it's not going to do it.
PREDICTION: War/Dance
WINNER: Taxi to the Dark Side
Well, at least I wasn't wrong about Sicko.
10 for 20. Back to 50%.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
PREDICTION: Juno. I don't know why. But I am guessing Juno. It's just too trendy to NOT guess.
WINNER: Juno. Rock on.
11 for 21.
BEST ACTOR
PREDICTION: Daniel Day-Lewis. I don't even know why they bother going through the motions with this one. We already know who the winner is.
WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis. Wow. What a surprise.
12 for 22.
BEST DIRECTOR
PREDICTION: Coen Brothers
WINNER: Coen Brothers
13 for 23.
BEST PICTURE
Here it is. Coming up. Now who am I going to pick?
PREDICTION: No Country for Old Men. It's been getting so much love tonight as it is.
WINNER: No Country for Old Men!
And my final tally is 14 for 24. Not too bad. Not my best showing, but decent. At least I'm over 50%.
Well, there it is. I'm sure no one will ever read this. Ever. But I have it for my own personal future. Awesome. Ok, well, that's it. Good night.
I just got done watching the Barbara Walter special. I cannot wait for the new Indiana Jones movie. It's going to be some awesome stuff. Although they really should put Hannah Montana in it, you know, to get the tween set. Hell yes. Ok, maybe not. I really hate Hannah Montana (although I'm sure that Miley Cyrus is a lovely person). The show literally makes me want to gouge my eyes out.
So I've seen 26 of the nominated movies. I would have seen more if I didn't live in South Carolina where it's impossible to see them all.
8:00PM
The Oscar red carpet has officially started. I could care less about this stuff. I don't care what they're wearing. One of the reasons I'm almost embarrassed to watch the Oscars is because they're often considered the Super Bowl for women. But I'm not a woman. And I don't want to be a woman. Also, I'm not gay. But I love the movies. Which is why I'm writing this. Heck yes.
What's Regis doing here? That guy seriously seems like he never has any idea what's going on. He's out of control. I think it's time to away Regis. To where? I'm not sure.
These women who interview the celebrities are kind of idiots it seem like. They talk to them like they're friends. Something tells me they're not friends. This random lady doesn't hang out with John Travolta. Unless Travolta is trying to trick people into getting into Scientology. Scary fake religion.
8:07
Why are they asking Javier Bardem about his stupid haircut in No Country for Old Men? Isn't it time to put that away? Let's move on.
Oh god, why is Hannah Montana at the Oscars? I wish she would fight Regis. Fight him! That would be awesome. Regis vs. Hannah Montana. They could move that over to Pay-Per-View and I'd definitely check it out.
Oh boy, here come the chick commercials. Although I had no idea I would be watching a dog food commercial for chicks. Surprising.
8:15
I don't know if I should make any predictions. In recent years I've actually been pretty good with my predictions. I'll make them just before they announce, and you'll just have to trust that I'm being honest.
Yes! Jennifer Garner is being interviewed! At one point I was going to marry her, and then she went and had a baby with Ben Affleck. What a jerk. Man, I miss the days of Alias when she would come into my home...and to my heart every week. Goodbye, Jen. Goodbye.
Why is Regis pretending he cares about Helen Mirren's dress? He doesn't care. Helen Mirren just said that she is running a whorehouse. I'm a little concerned about that.
Now, Daniel Day-Lewis is being interviewed. He's such a weird guy. But he was awesome in "There Will Be Blood".
Amy Adams has popped up. I think I'm going to make her my new future wife. She doesn't know that yet. Is that creepy?
8:21
I think that Access Hollywood is one of the worst programs ever. Let's talk about being so over-the-top that everyone seems insane. Which is totally awesome.
Ellen Page is cool. I hope people ask her why Juno is so accessible! Again. And again.
They have now asked Hilary Swank about how she chooses her roles. Why doesn't anyone ask how people choose their rolls? Personally, I'm a huge fan of the brown-n-serves, but crescent rolls are nice too.
It's kind of exciting that I was in the Kodak Theater less than a year ago. But I suppose if I actually lived out there, it wouldn't be that cool. We Middle America people think that so much is cool that totally is NOT cool.
8:30
The Oscars BEGIN. That's cool. The Terminator is delivering the statues. I suppose if you're gonna trust someone with them, there's no better person to trust than The Terminator.
Here comes Jon Stewart. I think he's a funny guy, but we'll see how he does here.
So far so good. I don't really have much to say about it so far. Although I think the haircut jokes need to end from No Country For Old Men, as I stated before.
Does anyone still care about Dennis Hopper? Oh, that's part of the joke. Interesting.
The opening monologue was pretty decent. Didn't blow me away, but entertaining nonetheless.
Ah, here comes my former future wife, looking radiant as always.
ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
I gotta go with Sweeney Todd for this one.
PREDICTION: Sweeney Todd
WINNER: Elizabeth: The Golden Age got it. One of the dullest movies I've seen in years. But that's cool. I guess the costumes were decent in the movie. I suppose I was so bored with the ACTUAL movie that I forgot that the costumes were cool looking. But whatever.
As if there needed to be more evidence of the chick laced problem this show has, a commercial for diet coke. Ladies love their diet coke. (Although recent research suggest that it might be making you fat.)
8:47
Clooney's up on stage. You gotta love the Clooney. But you don't gotta love an 80 year retrospective.
I do love the classic music they got going on, though.
Aw, I miss the Celine Dion. That was like the anthem of my 8th grade year. "My Heart Will Go On". My life HAS gone on. Even though my boat sank.
Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway have arrived. I'm actually pretty pumped for the Get Smart movie. I liked Get Smart. Let's hope that this is going to be a good one too. And wow, Anne Hathaway is pale.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Ratatouille better win this one. Even though I didn't see Persepolis. How do you not love little rats? Little rats COOKING! And Surf's Up was lame. So it's got no chance.
PREDICTION: Ratatouille
WINNER: Ratatouille. It's good to see Brad Bird getting awards. But his story about his guidance counselor didn't seem to be necessary.
BEST MAKE-UP
I gotta go with Pirates of the Caribbean. It was some good stuff, even though La Vie En Rose was good.
PREDICTION: Pirates of the Caribbean
WINNER: La Vie En Rose. Ok, I can see how that would get it. Wow. I am not doing too good with my predictions so far. One of three is pretty weak. I should have thought about this more. La Vie makes more sense than Pirates. Man, I feel foolish. Give these people more time!
Oh, my newest future wife is on screen. Soon, my love. Soon we will be together. On a side note: I loved Enchanted. And I'm totally hetero. But I'm not the biggest fan of that song. I think the other one from Enchanted is better. I wouldn't vote for "The Happy Working Song".
9:02
Well, we're a half hour into the ceremony and we've done a total of three awards. Wow. We're really flying. Or not.
You really gotta love Mastercard commercials that make fun of people with lazy eyes. Really freaking professional.
If they ever make a movie of Barack Obama's life, I think The Rock should play him.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Golden Compass was trash of a movie, but the effects were decent. Pirates was good too. But if Transformers doesn't take this home, I'll be really surprised. Those giant robots looked REAL!
PREDICTION: Transformers
WINNER: The Golden Compass. Unbelievable. 1 for 4. This is my worst Oscar year ever. What about the GIANT ROBOTS?! This is ridiculous.
ART DIRECTION
I think Atonement is going to take this one. It was just a beautiful movie. Although Sweeney Todd could upset it. That was also an incredible looking movie.
PREDICTION: Atonement
WINNER: Sweeney Todd. See? Why didn't I just pick that one? Dammit. 1 for 5 now. I'm doing terrible.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem is definitely going to take this one for No Country for Old Men. He has to. Unless Hal Holbrook serves as a spoiler for this one. But Javier's going to take it. I say that like he's my friend. He's not my friend. I don't even know him.
PREDICTION: Javier Bardem
WINNER: Javier Bardem. THANK YOU! Finally. 2 for 6. Good to know I'm not completely useless. Although no one is going to read this anyway. I thought that I was going to be a complete failure tonight. But I'm not. Awesome.
I'm coming to the conclusion that nobody is going to read this. At all. I don't know why I'm even bothering. Maybe I'm doing it for me. Maybe I'm doing it for you. Maybe I'm doing it for the future of America.
Oh, an August Rush song. Didn't see it, didn't care to. Wait, I didn't know there were black people in that movie. It looked like lots of white people in the trailer. Hmm...you learn something new every day.
BEST SHORT FILM
I haven't seen any of these, so it's going to be nothing but a guess for me. So I'm gonna guess:
PREDICTION: The Mozart of Pickpockets
WINNER: The Mozart of Pickpockets. YES! Another one! Maybe I'm coming back. Maybe it's happening. A mounting comeback.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Another one I didn't have the opportunity to see.
PREDICTION: Peter and the Wolf. Just because I like Wolves.
WINNER: Peter and the Wolf. I'm turning this around people. Whoo hoo! 4 for 8. Back to 50%.
I need to win myself an Oscar. I suppose I'd actually have to get involved with movies in some way.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
I gotta go with Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone. That was some good stuff. Cate Blanchett probably would get it if she didn't get it 3 years ago for the Aviator. Although talk about gender confusion. Ruby Dee was barely in American Gangster. Good, but not enough to give her an award for it.
PREDICTION: Amy Ryan
WINNER: Tilda Swinton? She would have been my #5 choice. Wow. Totally did not see that one coming. There goes my streak. Down the hole it goes.
"The always fantastic Jessica Alba." My ass. Fantastic sometimes. Not always, though. Not always at all.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Here we go. Still surprised that Transformers didn't get nominated here, but whatever. Can't win them all.
PREDICTION: Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men
WINNER: Joel and Ethan Coen! Whoo hoo! Good stuff guys, good stuff.
I'm kinda winding down here. I think I'm pretty much just going to write my predictions followed by the winners. 5 for 10 now. Back to 50%. Again.
I love "That's How You Know" from Enchanted. I hope this one wins.
BEST SOUND EDITING
PREDICTION: Transformers
WINNER: The Bourne Ultimatum. Dammit. I'm a loser again. Does NO ONE know how to give Transformers some love? They're ROBOTS IN DISGUISE!
BEST SOUND MIXING
PREDICTION: Ratatouille
WINNER: The Bourne Ultimatum. Again. Son of a bitch. Why didn't I pick Bourne? I'm a loser. :-(
5 for 12.
BEST ACTRESS
PREDICTION: Marion Coutillard.
WINNER: Marion Coutillard. BOO YA! Yay for attractive French women.
6 for 13. All hope is not lost for Sean. I liked her speech too. Short, succinct, to the point, no idea what she's talking about it. All good stuff.
Yes, they're playing Wii! That's that kind of Oscars I like to see.
I didn't see "Once" but apparently people love it. I didn't see it. I'm sure this song will win even though I want "That's How She Knows" to win.
Are they seriously going to show every best picture winner ever? It certainly looks like it. Can't say I've seen all of these. Or most of them for that matter. A few of the more lasting onces I have.
BEST FILM EDITING
PREDICTION: The Bourne Ultimatum. I screwed myself earlier not going with this movie, but we'll see what happens.
WINNER: The Bourne Ultimatum. YES! Good job not going back on your instinct, boy. A winner is me! 7 for 14. I'm floating right around 50% here. That's a struggle. I'm normally closer to 80%.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
PREDICTION: The Counterfeiters
WINNER: The Counterfeiters! Whoo! Good guess Sean! Excellent guess! 8 for 15. This puts me over the 50% mark! I love it.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
PREDICTION: "Falling Slowly" from Once
WINNER: "Falling Slowly". Of course. Stupid Once. Where's the Enchanted love? Where is it, I say? But I knew this was going to happen. Good job on the cheap movie, though I guess.
Now at 9 for 16.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
PREDICTION: Atonement. How you overlook that 5 minute tracking shot to me would be unbelievable.
WINNER: There Will Be Blood. Yeah, definitely wrong. Ouch. I'm a loser.
9 for 17.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
PREDICTION: Atonement.
WINNER: Atonement. It was the damn typewriter songs that did it. But I was hoping for Ratatouille by Giacchino, just because I'm a huge fan.
10 for 18.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
PREDICTION: The Crown
WINNER: Freeheld.
Eh, I didn't see these anyway. I wish I was a better guesser sometimes.
10 for 19.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
You know what? My mind says Sicko, but something tells me that it's not going to do it.
PREDICTION: War/Dance
WINNER: Taxi to the Dark Side
Well, at least I wasn't wrong about Sicko.
10 for 20. Back to 50%.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
PREDICTION: Juno. I don't know why. But I am guessing Juno. It's just too trendy to NOT guess.
WINNER: Juno. Rock on.
11 for 21.
BEST ACTOR
PREDICTION: Daniel Day-Lewis. I don't even know why they bother going through the motions with this one. We already know who the winner is.
WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis. Wow. What a surprise.
12 for 22.
BEST DIRECTOR
PREDICTION: Coen Brothers
WINNER: Coen Brothers
13 for 23.
BEST PICTURE
Here it is. Coming up. Now who am I going to pick?
PREDICTION: No Country for Old Men. It's been getting so much love tonight as it is.
WINNER: No Country for Old Men!
And my final tally is 14 for 24. Not too bad. Not my best showing, but decent. At least I'm over 50%.
Well, there it is. I'm sure no one will ever read this. Ever. But I have it for my own personal future. Awesome. Ok, well, that's it. Good night.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Lost Season Four Premiere: "The Beginning of the End" Review
In some ways, I feel like a bit of a crack addict who has been clean for 8 months and has suddenly found himself back in the midst of the world of delicious, glorious crack.
I have always been a huge fan of Lost since Day 1. What has differentiated me from many fans is the way that I have allowed patience to come over me, to help me stay steadfast through the times that may have been somewhat iffy. The reason being is that I always felt like we were on the same track. Some shows, like "Heroes", seem to jump between tracks, never allowing you to fully understand where they are going or things happen that defy the internal logic of the show already set forth.
So, while Lost may have had some relatively boring episodes, they never contradicted their prior nature, never seemed to stray too far from their course. The train was moving slow, but it was still moving.
Then, in season 3, after a stall that probably left quite a few people pissed off at a railroad crossing, Lost picked up steam on its return in February 2007 and continued moving faster and faster until its lighting speed finale "Through the Looking Glass." This two hour event, which, in my mind is the best two hours of television I had ever witnessed caused me an immeasurable amount of brain functioning trying to process the glorious finale. Critics and audiences alike were crying out that Lost had returned to form. The only problem now is that the new shortened season schedule meant that there were 8 months between the season finale and the season premiere.
In that time I would have to say that I was learning to live without Lost. No longer did it dominate my thoughts. I distantly longed for its return but was at peace with myself without it. And then...it returns.
But on to tonight's episode.
"The Beginning of the End" picks up on the island immediately where it left off. They had just contacted Naomi's freighter and were awaiting rescue. Except not everyone will be rescued. Hurley reveals in a flash-forward that only 6 people were saved from the island. We know three: Jack, Kate, and Hurley. The other three? Still unknown. And this episode doesn't really give us any clues as to who the other three will be.
The repercussions of Charlie's death are felt in very poignant ways that absolutely are not expected. It almost feels like the island is able to contact people after they remove themselves from the island, because how else would it be possible for an obviously dead Charlie to reveal himself to Hurley in an attempt to convince him to return to the island he left behind. Back on the island, Charlie's death moves Hurley to respect Charlie's final warning: that these people who are supposedly everyone's saviors are not who they say they are. Claire, also not wanting Charlie to have died in vain, listens to these pleas and other members of the camp begin to separate into Jack's rescue group and Locke's survival group.
Jorge Garcia as Hurley delivers an incredible performance that runs the gamut from complete despair to possibly insanity to utter joy in an intense 43 minute period. Given that this was his flash-forward this week, a lot was riding on him to maintain the momentum and he certainly delivered.
Ben, in the short screen time that he has, delivers some of the most hilarious moments of the entire episode. Despite his creepy and manipulative nature, seems more and more to be the only one who really knows what is going on with the island. Why he doesn't just share his wealth of knowledge with everyone, I can't really say. But it is obviously up there.
And there was a quick flash of Christian Shephard sitting in what appeared to be Jacob's chair as Hurley was losing his mind in the jungle. Whether or not this was actually Jacob remains to be seen, but it was definitely a nice TiVo moment that people will be speculating about for weeks to come? Me, I think it shows that Christian Shephard has something to do very involved with this island (especially after viewing the final "Missing Pieces" mobisode on abc.com), but I think it would be too obvious for him to be Jacob.
The biggest problem with the episode is that it does not match the same pace and intensity that "Through the Looking Glass" had. But how could one expect it to since the season 3 finale was such a game-changer in a way the very next episode could not possibly be?
Yet, the way this episode lays itself out offers a promising look at the way the rest of the season will play out. I liken this episode to Chapter One of a (supposed-to-be) 16 chapter book. It lays down the guidelines as to what to expect for the duration of the season. There are a few excellent moments and some rather humdrum ones as well, but almost all of the information is valuable. Looking back, season 1 began with the survivors surviving. You could almost subtitle season 1 "Survival" or "Exploration". Season 2 was obviously "The Hatch". Season 3, since it started out in the barracks with Juliette listening to "Downtown" was the season of "The Others". This seems to be the season of "The Freighter" or possibly "The Rescue." I think the latter will ultimately turn out to be the more accurate of the two, but regardless, both are obviously going to be the focus of this new season.
And on top of all that, there is so much more riding on the writers than there was before. Now, things in flash-forwards and present day island stuff needs to be able to be connected in more intricate ways than was necessary in flashbacks. Yet, I see this as an opportunity to prove to the audience that the tiles are falling into place, that the show is inexorably moving towards a conclusion that will surprise us all. And there is no more fitting title for that momentum than "The Beginning of the End."
There was a lot to like in this episode and little to dislike. Yet, I wouldn't necessarily call it one of the best episodes of Lost ever, but a solid opening episode, a peek through the door of the house of this new season. Next week will hopefully be the week where we finally step inside and experience the overall situation in a much more dramatic way, but I definitely cannot do too much complaining about this episode.
GRADE: B
I have always been a huge fan of Lost since Day 1. What has differentiated me from many fans is the way that I have allowed patience to come over me, to help me stay steadfast through the times that may have been somewhat iffy. The reason being is that I always felt like we were on the same track. Some shows, like "Heroes", seem to jump between tracks, never allowing you to fully understand where they are going or things happen that defy the internal logic of the show already set forth.
So, while Lost may have had some relatively boring episodes, they never contradicted their prior nature, never seemed to stray too far from their course. The train was moving slow, but it was still moving.
Then, in season 3, after a stall that probably left quite a few people pissed off at a railroad crossing, Lost picked up steam on its return in February 2007 and continued moving faster and faster until its lighting speed finale "Through the Looking Glass." This two hour event, which, in my mind is the best two hours of television I had ever witnessed caused me an immeasurable amount of brain functioning trying to process the glorious finale. Critics and audiences alike were crying out that Lost had returned to form. The only problem now is that the new shortened season schedule meant that there were 8 months between the season finale and the season premiere.
In that time I would have to say that I was learning to live without Lost. No longer did it dominate my thoughts. I distantly longed for its return but was at peace with myself without it. And then...it returns.
But on to tonight's episode.
"The Beginning of the End" picks up on the island immediately where it left off. They had just contacted Naomi's freighter and were awaiting rescue. Except not everyone will be rescued. Hurley reveals in a flash-forward that only 6 people were saved from the island. We know three: Jack, Kate, and Hurley. The other three? Still unknown. And this episode doesn't really give us any clues as to who the other three will be.
The repercussions of Charlie's death are felt in very poignant ways that absolutely are not expected. It almost feels like the island is able to contact people after they remove themselves from the island, because how else would it be possible for an obviously dead Charlie to reveal himself to Hurley in an attempt to convince him to return to the island he left behind. Back on the island, Charlie's death moves Hurley to respect Charlie's final warning: that these people who are supposedly everyone's saviors are not who they say they are. Claire, also not wanting Charlie to have died in vain, listens to these pleas and other members of the camp begin to separate into Jack's rescue group and Locke's survival group.
Jorge Garcia as Hurley delivers an incredible performance that runs the gamut from complete despair to possibly insanity to utter joy in an intense 43 minute period. Given that this was his flash-forward this week, a lot was riding on him to maintain the momentum and he certainly delivered.
Ben, in the short screen time that he has, delivers some of the most hilarious moments of the entire episode. Despite his creepy and manipulative nature, seems more and more to be the only one who really knows what is going on with the island. Why he doesn't just share his wealth of knowledge with everyone, I can't really say. But it is obviously up there.
And there was a quick flash of Christian Shephard sitting in what appeared to be Jacob's chair as Hurley was losing his mind in the jungle. Whether or not this was actually Jacob remains to be seen, but it was definitely a nice TiVo moment that people will be speculating about for weeks to come? Me, I think it shows that Christian Shephard has something to do very involved with this island (especially after viewing the final "Missing Pieces" mobisode on abc.com), but I think it would be too obvious for him to be Jacob.
The biggest problem with the episode is that it does not match the same pace and intensity that "Through the Looking Glass" had. But how could one expect it to since the season 3 finale was such a game-changer in a way the very next episode could not possibly be?
Yet, the way this episode lays itself out offers a promising look at the way the rest of the season will play out. I liken this episode to Chapter One of a (supposed-to-be) 16 chapter book. It lays down the guidelines as to what to expect for the duration of the season. There are a few excellent moments and some rather humdrum ones as well, but almost all of the information is valuable. Looking back, season 1 began with the survivors surviving. You could almost subtitle season 1 "Survival" or "Exploration". Season 2 was obviously "The Hatch". Season 3, since it started out in the barracks with Juliette listening to "Downtown" was the season of "The Others". This seems to be the season of "The Freighter" or possibly "The Rescue." I think the latter will ultimately turn out to be the more accurate of the two, but regardless, both are obviously going to be the focus of this new season.
And on top of all that, there is so much more riding on the writers than there was before. Now, things in flash-forwards and present day island stuff needs to be able to be connected in more intricate ways than was necessary in flashbacks. Yet, I see this as an opportunity to prove to the audience that the tiles are falling into place, that the show is inexorably moving towards a conclusion that will surprise us all. And there is no more fitting title for that momentum than "The Beginning of the End."
There was a lot to like in this episode and little to dislike. Yet, I wouldn't necessarily call it one of the best episodes of Lost ever, but a solid opening episode, a peek through the door of the house of this new season. Next week will hopefully be the week where we finally step inside and experience the overall situation in a much more dramatic way, but I definitely cannot do too much complaining about this episode.
GRADE: B
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