Tuesday, October 11, 2011
'Avengers' will be a fanboy's dream come true
Normally I don't talk about trailers here, but I have to take a moment to talk about this first look at The Avengers because of what this movie represents to me. Up until this point, the notion of a live-action Avengers movie - with legitimate, well-known movie stars, a reputable director (if not a Spielberg-level superstar) and a big budget - was still something of an abstract concept to me. Intellectually, I knew it was happening, but a part of me still didn't believe it was real. I'm not the type to pore over details of every aspect of movies like this.
This was the sort of thing I dreamed of as a kid as I read my Avengers comic books (most of which I still have). It's a similar feeling to when the first X-Men and Spider-Man movies dropped a decade or so ago. Because I grew up reading Marvel Comics, these characters meant a lot to me, so of course seeing them on the big screen was exciting. This, though, is a little different. From its inception, Avengers was a book that united successful characters from other comics under one banner, like Justice League over at DC. It was comparable to an All-Star baseball team, and from a reader's perspective, that kind of dynamic is different from a team book featuring new characters. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor - on their own they're terrific, but together... they're something greater.
That's why it's so remarkable that Marvel Studios has arranged this movie the way they have - creating individual solo movies featuring these heroes and then bringing them together in one big movie. Imagine if The Dirty Dozen or The Magnificent Seven had solo movies featuring their star characters and then brought them together. That's what this is like - though it remains to be seen if Avengers will stack up to those classic team movies.
Of course, there are things about this movie that I could still nitpick about, but the bottom line is that it's real and it's happening, and next summer can't come fast enough. Of course, whether we'll be able to see it in 3D is another story...
So how do you feel about the trailer?
-----------------
Related:
Avengers
Five Avengers I'd like to see in future movies
Monday, October 10, 2011
The Way
The Way
seen @ AMC Loews Kips Bay 15, New York NY
10.8.11
Dear Andi,
What are the odds? What are the odds that you would choose to fulfill your dream of taking the pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in the same year that a film is released about the Camino... and that I, a film blogger, would have the inclination to see and write about this film because I know you? It almost makes one believe in kismet... because all these improbable coincidences coming together at the same time can't be mere chance, can it?
But then, I suppose you would know more about that sort of thing than I would. A higher power, I mean. That's why you're on the Camino now (although you're close to the finish, if I'm not mistaken) - because you do believe in a higher power. We've had discussions like this before; you know that I've never felt anything like a divine presence in my life and that I find organized religion highly suspect... but I can't deny the positive effect it has had on you (though I imagine you'd still be a good person even without it).
I found out about The Way from your Facebook updates - I imagine there must be quite a bit of discussion about this movie amongst you and your fellow peregrinos. Directed by Emilio Estevez (he's come a long way from The Mighty Ducks) and starring his father, Martin Sheen, the film is about a father whose son dies while walking the Camino and how the father chooses to continue the walk in his son's name, against his better instincts. I caught an 11 AM showing (only costs six bucks before noon at AMC theaters) and I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the crowd. While it wasn't packed, there were a lot more people in the small auditorium than I anticipated, especially for a film opening the same weekend as a new George Clooney drama and a big-budget sci-fi action flick with Hugh Jackman.
Your Facebook updates have done a great job at describing all the wonders you've seen and the friends you've made these past few months, but seeing the Camino amidst the Spanish countryside, on a big screen, is something else. Estevez and his cinematographer do a solid job of conveying the verdant hills, the winding roads, and the rustic villages along the path. I realize there's more than one route to reach Santiago de Compostela, so I don't know for sure if the places captured in this movie correspond directly to the things you've seen, but surely it's in the same spirit. I certainly imagined you doing much the same things that Sheen's character does, though I hope you didn't suffer any of the same obstacles.
The religious aspects of the Camino get some play in the film, though they're not a major focus. Tom, Sheen's character, and the other people he encounters, have different reasons for walking the Camino but I'd say there is a definite sense of reverence for its spiritual side - certainly when they reach Compostela at the end. Tom refers to himself as a lapsed Catholic, but traveling with the ashes of his dead son puts him back in touch with his beliefs. There's never any preaching in the movie, which I greatly appreciated.
There's a scene about halfway into the film in which Tom's companions discuss what constitutes being a "true" pilgrim on the Camino: walking with the necessary items for survival and maybe a modern accessory or two like an iPod, or roughing it like the pilgrims of old, living on the charity of strangers. We've reached a point in our lives where many of us can't imagine life without our technological accessories. The paeans to the late Steve Jobs last week are a testament to their impact. (Ironically, Tom laments early in the movie how everyone on Earth has a cellphone except his son.)
We're conditioned into believing we can't get by without this stuff, but how badly do we really need it? Do the villagers along the Camino care whether they have the latest iPad or not? If The Way is any indication, I doubt it. You've lived the past two and a half months with less than you normally do, and you've done fine. Seeing this film makes me wish for the courage to find a better balance in my life, one in which less is more.
Could I do the Camino one day? I hadn't given it any thought before now, but The Way made me see the appeal, for you and for others. The religious aspects give me pause, I'll admit, but I don't believe they'd be an impediment. It might be nice to do one day. I like the fact that the Camino is a well-worn route and one can count on support from local residents familiar with it as well as from fellow hikers. I dunno. It's worth thinking about at the very least.
I've said it to you before, but I wanna say again how proud of you I am for undertaking this journey. Now that I have a stronger indication of what you've been through thanks to this movie, I can better appreciate what a truly unique experience this has been. May the rest of your pilgrimage be a joyous one and your trip home safe.
Love,
Rich
seen @ AMC Loews Kips Bay 15, New York NY
10.8.11
Dear Andi,
What are the odds? What are the odds that you would choose to fulfill your dream of taking the pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in the same year that a film is released about the Camino... and that I, a film blogger, would have the inclination to see and write about this film because I know you? It almost makes one believe in kismet... because all these improbable coincidences coming together at the same time can't be mere chance, can it?
But then, I suppose you would know more about that sort of thing than I would. A higher power, I mean. That's why you're on the Camino now (although you're close to the finish, if I'm not mistaken) - because you do believe in a higher power. We've had discussions like this before; you know that I've never felt anything like a divine presence in my life and that I find organized religion highly suspect... but I can't deny the positive effect it has had on you (though I imagine you'd still be a good person even without it).
I found out about The Way from your Facebook updates - I imagine there must be quite a bit of discussion about this movie amongst you and your fellow peregrinos. Directed by Emilio Estevez (he's come a long way from The Mighty Ducks) and starring his father, Martin Sheen, the film is about a father whose son dies while walking the Camino and how the father chooses to continue the walk in his son's name, against his better instincts. I caught an 11 AM showing (only costs six bucks before noon at AMC theaters) and I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the crowd. While it wasn't packed, there were a lot more people in the small auditorium than I anticipated, especially for a film opening the same weekend as a new George Clooney drama and a big-budget sci-fi action flick with Hugh Jackman.
Your Facebook updates have done a great job at describing all the wonders you've seen and the friends you've made these past few months, but seeing the Camino amidst the Spanish countryside, on a big screen, is something else. Estevez and his cinematographer do a solid job of conveying the verdant hills, the winding roads, and the rustic villages along the path. I realize there's more than one route to reach Santiago de Compostela, so I don't know for sure if the places captured in this movie correspond directly to the things you've seen, but surely it's in the same spirit. I certainly imagined you doing much the same things that Sheen's character does, though I hope you didn't suffer any of the same obstacles.
The religious aspects of the Camino get some play in the film, though they're not a major focus. Tom, Sheen's character, and the other people he encounters, have different reasons for walking the Camino but I'd say there is a definite sense of reverence for its spiritual side - certainly when they reach Compostela at the end. Tom refers to himself as a lapsed Catholic, but traveling with the ashes of his dead son puts him back in touch with his beliefs. There's never any preaching in the movie, which I greatly appreciated.
There's a scene about halfway into the film in which Tom's companions discuss what constitutes being a "true" pilgrim on the Camino: walking with the necessary items for survival and maybe a modern accessory or two like an iPod, or roughing it like the pilgrims of old, living on the charity of strangers. We've reached a point in our lives where many of us can't imagine life without our technological accessories. The paeans to the late Steve Jobs last week are a testament to their impact. (Ironically, Tom laments early in the movie how everyone on Earth has a cellphone except his son.)
We're conditioned into believing we can't get by without this stuff, but how badly do we really need it? Do the villagers along the Camino care whether they have the latest iPad or not? If The Way is any indication, I doubt it. You've lived the past two and a half months with less than you normally do, and you've done fine. Seeing this film makes me wish for the courage to find a better balance in my life, one in which less is more.
Could I do the Camino one day? I hadn't given it any thought before now, but The Way made me see the appeal, for you and for others. The religious aspects give me pause, I'll admit, but I don't believe they'd be an impediment. It might be nice to do one day. I like the fact that the Camino is a well-worn route and one can count on support from local residents familiar with it as well as from fellow hikers. I dunno. It's worth thinking about at the very least.
I've said it to you before, but I wanna say again how proud of you I am for undertaking this journey. Now that I have a stronger indication of what you've been through thanks to this movie, I can better appreciate what a truly unique experience this has been. May the rest of your pilgrimage be a joyous one and your trip home safe.
Love,
Rich
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Shadow of a Doubt
Shadow of a Doubt
seen online via YouTube
10.4.11
When I lived in Columbus, I got to see a local production of Our Town. I had heard about the play for years but this was the first time I saw it. In some ways, it was what I expected - a portrait of small-town life from a bygone, highly romanticized era in American history. I thought the play was alright, even if it's not the sort of setting I'm likely to get nostalgic about. It was performed in a neighborhood that's not too far removed from the fictitious Grover's Corners, although much more modern, of course.
I thought of this when I saw that Our Town playwright Thornton Wilder co-wrote Shadow of a Doubt, a film that kinda subverts the Norman Rockwell world depicted in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. You've got the typical nuclear family in a typical small town, where everyone knows everyone else, cops direct traffic, people live in big, beautiful homes on tree-lined streets, everyone goes to the same church, et cetera. Beloved family member comes by for an unexpected visit and everyone is just SO THRILLED to have him there, and none of them are aware of the big secret he's carrying around with him - and that he's nowhere near as nice a guy as they all think he is.
Shadow was made during World War 2, not that it's all that obvious. Santa Rosa, while not completely cut off from the war (one can see "buy war bonds" signs here and there), still seems like an oasis from the conflict - or any conflict, really, which makes it all the more unsettling when Joseph Cotten's Uncle Charlie arrives amidst his estranged relations.
What I find most fascinating about this movie is the overriding need to preserve the sanctity of this environment, come what may. When Teresa Wright's Charlie, Uncle Charlie's namesake as well as his niece, discovers who and what he's running away from, part of the reason she feels trapped is because she's convinced Mom mustn't know the truth. Mom idolizes Uncle Charlie, her little brother, at least as much as Charlie does, and it's presumed that knowing the truth would "kill" her. Everybody is bowled over by Uncle Charlie's charm and charisma, and even after he meets his fate in the end, the truth about him remains unknown - and Charlie chooses to keep it that way. Everyone's peace of mind proves to be more important than the truth, and I wonder if Wilder meant for us to be left with that message.
seen online via YouTube
10.4.11
When I lived in Columbus, I got to see a local production of Our Town. I had heard about the play for years but this was the first time I saw it. In some ways, it was what I expected - a portrait of small-town life from a bygone, highly romanticized era in American history. I thought the play was alright, even if it's not the sort of setting I'm likely to get nostalgic about. It was performed in a neighborhood that's not too far removed from the fictitious Grover's Corners, although much more modern, of course.
I thought of this when I saw that Our Town playwright Thornton Wilder co-wrote Shadow of a Doubt, a film that kinda subverts the Norman Rockwell world depicted in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. You've got the typical nuclear family in a typical small town, where everyone knows everyone else, cops direct traffic, people live in big, beautiful homes on tree-lined streets, everyone goes to the same church, et cetera. Beloved family member comes by for an unexpected visit and everyone is just SO THRILLED to have him there, and none of them are aware of the big secret he's carrying around with him - and that he's nowhere near as nice a guy as they all think he is.
Shadow was made during World War 2, not that it's all that obvious. Santa Rosa, while not completely cut off from the war (one can see "buy war bonds" signs here and there), still seems like an oasis from the conflict - or any conflict, really, which makes it all the more unsettling when Joseph Cotten's Uncle Charlie arrives amidst his estranged relations.
What I find most fascinating about this movie is the overriding need to preserve the sanctity of this environment, come what may. When Teresa Wright's Charlie, Uncle Charlie's namesake as well as his niece, discovers who and what he's running away from, part of the reason she feels trapped is because she's convinced Mom mustn't know the truth. Mom idolizes Uncle Charlie, her little brother, at least as much as Charlie does, and it's presumed that knowing the truth would "kill" her. Everybody is bowled over by Uncle Charlie's charm and charisma, and even after he meets his fate in the end, the truth about him remains unknown - and Charlie chooses to keep it that way. Everyone's peace of mind proves to be more important than the truth, and I wonder if Wilder meant for us to be left with that message.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Five things SONY can pay for instead of 3D glasses
...The price tag for 3D glasses is no laughing matter — studios can spend $5 million to $10 million worldwide for a tentpole, but most of the cost is incurred in the North American marketplace (studios pay after the fact, based on how many glasses were actually used). Sony has two high-profile 3D tentpoles headed to theaters next summer — Men in Black III and The Amazing Spider-Man. Glasses for smaller films can cost $1.5 million to $2 million. Translated, 3D glasses account for about 50 cents of a theater ticket.
So a lot of people - theater owners in particular - are upset because SONY announced that they wouldn't pay for 3D glasses beginning next May, right when the summer movie season kicks off. I think everyone's looking at this the wrong way, though. What about SONY's needs? I mean, $5-10 million may not seem like a lot for a major movie studio/entertainment empire, but times are tough! Besides, when you consider some of the things SONY can put that extra money towards, why, a child could see how useful it can be in the long run. Just look at some of these examples of what SONY could do with the money they'll save:
- They can buy every copy of the original Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo movie and lock them in a vault. Because no one watches foreign movies, and anyway, the new version is AMERICAN, automatically making it the definitive one. Any leftover money will go towards the monsoon of advertising and more piercings for Rooney Mara.
- They can take out full-page ads in every major newspaper and banner ads on every major movie website apologizing for Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star. Because when you can't find a single film critic anywhere who liked this turd, you need to go around with a bag over your head at the very least. Not that "star" Nick Swardson will admit to any culpability.

- They can pay for Beyonce's baby shower. And since it'll be open by then, they can hold the baby's first birthday party at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
- They can invest the money into finally developing a virtual reality Playstation. Have you seen some of the video games they have in Japan that never make it over here? It's mind-boggling. We need to take the next step.
Further suggestions are welcome as always.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Take Shelter
Take Shelter
seen @ Angelika Film Center, New York NY
10.2.11
When I lived in Ohio, I was first introduced to the concept of tornado sirens. This was not something I was prepared for - and I did a lot of legwork about life in Columbus prior to moving there. I don't know if they do this in other Ohio cities, but in Columbus, the tornado siren gets tested every Wednesday at noon. It's a long, loud horn that lasts less than thirty seconds. It's loud enough that it can be heard all throughout the downtown area and the immediate neighborhoods surrounding it, and even a little bit further than that. The first time I heard it, I swear to god I thought the Martians were preparing to invade.
One gets used to it over time, of course, but sometimes, depending on weather conditions, it could go off at other moments. I vividly recall not being able to sleep late one night for hearing the siren during some particularly stormy weather. This was perhaps a couple of months or so into my sojourn in Columbus, and at that moment, with the wind and rain lashing the window, the siren wailing like the howl of some supernatural beast stalking the night, and me huddled underneath my sheet, all alone in the apartment while my roommate was at work... I was feeling many miles from home.
I couldn't help but think of that when I saw Take Shelter yesterday, a movie set in rural Ohio about a guy plagued by dreams of impending doom and the lengths he goes to in order to safeguard his family from it. The portents are usually heralded by rain and thunder, among other things. In Columbus, I had often heard it said that if you don't like the weather, then wait a few minutes. Sometimes, though, even the slightest change in weather is enough to get people riled up. (I satirized this in my old Columbus comic strip one week.)
I hadn't planned on seeing this at first. The premise sounded like M. Night Shyamalan-lite to me, for one thing (truthfully, though, it did remind me of Signs). More importantly, though, I wasn't interested in another impending-apocalypse or post-apocalypse-type film, which we've seen quite a few of in the past few years as we get closer and closer to the Mayan 2012 deadline (nothing will happen, folks). I read a lot of positive buzz about the film, however, especially for Michael Shannon's performance, so I figured I'd give it a try - and I even chose to splurge by seeing it at the Angelika. I liked it a lot. Take Shelter is basically one long Twilight Zone episode (I even figured out the ending), but it's done well, and the acting, by both Shannon and Jessica Chastain, is exemplary and makes it worth watching.
The film's tone feels biblical in that Shannon's character Curtis' situation is not unlike that of a prophet of the Old Testament, yet religion and spirituality don't play a part in this story. Curtis and his wife Samantha do practice some brand of Christianity, but never once does he attribute his dreams to divine inspiration of any kind. He doesn't believe he's getting messages from God (or the Devil, for that matter); in fact, he takes a very secular approach to dealing with his dreams, and that surprised me. He doesn't talk much about what he thinks they mean. I suspect this was a conscious decision on the part of director Jeff Nichols. The net result is that the film takes on the level of allegory. When Curtis exclaims, "There is a storm coming!" you don't really believe he's talking about a literal storm - although he could be. It's all very open to interpretation, like any prophecy.
I got to the Angelika early, so I hung out in the cafe while waiting for the auditorium to open. I was hungry, so I thought I'd buy something to eat. I don't think I've talked about the Angelika's cafe. It's got a wide selection of snacks, sandwiches and beverages, but most of it is overpriced. I ended up getting a Rice Krispy treat for four and a quarter that was skimpy on the marshmallows; the whole thing was falling apart in my hands even as I tried to eat it. Regardless, the cafe is a nice place to chill while you're waiting. There's a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and European movie posters on the surrounding walls. You have to be quick to get on line once it becomes time to go downstairs, though.
seen @ Angelika Film Center, New York NY
10.2.11
When I lived in Ohio, I was first introduced to the concept of tornado sirens. This was not something I was prepared for - and I did a lot of legwork about life in Columbus prior to moving there. I don't know if they do this in other Ohio cities, but in Columbus, the tornado siren gets tested every Wednesday at noon. It's a long, loud horn that lasts less than thirty seconds. It's loud enough that it can be heard all throughout the downtown area and the immediate neighborhoods surrounding it, and even a little bit further than that. The first time I heard it, I swear to god I thought the Martians were preparing to invade.
One gets used to it over time, of course, but sometimes, depending on weather conditions, it could go off at other moments. I vividly recall not being able to sleep late one night for hearing the siren during some particularly stormy weather. This was perhaps a couple of months or so into my sojourn in Columbus, and at that moment, with the wind and rain lashing the window, the siren wailing like the howl of some supernatural beast stalking the night, and me huddled underneath my sheet, all alone in the apartment while my roommate was at work... I was feeling many miles from home.
I couldn't help but think of that when I saw Take Shelter yesterday, a movie set in rural Ohio about a guy plagued by dreams of impending doom and the lengths he goes to in order to safeguard his family from it. The portents are usually heralded by rain and thunder, among other things. In Columbus, I had often heard it said that if you don't like the weather, then wait a few minutes. Sometimes, though, even the slightest change in weather is enough to get people riled up. (I satirized this in my old Columbus comic strip one week.)
I hadn't planned on seeing this at first. The premise sounded like M. Night Shyamalan-lite to me, for one thing (truthfully, though, it did remind me of Signs). More importantly, though, I wasn't interested in another impending-apocalypse or post-apocalypse-type film, which we've seen quite a few of in the past few years as we get closer and closer to the Mayan 2012 deadline (nothing will happen, folks). I read a lot of positive buzz about the film, however, especially for Michael Shannon's performance, so I figured I'd give it a try - and I even chose to splurge by seeing it at the Angelika. I liked it a lot. Take Shelter is basically one long Twilight Zone episode (I even figured out the ending), but it's done well, and the acting, by both Shannon and Jessica Chastain, is exemplary and makes it worth watching.
The film's tone feels biblical in that Shannon's character Curtis' situation is not unlike that of a prophet of the Old Testament, yet religion and spirituality don't play a part in this story. Curtis and his wife Samantha do practice some brand of Christianity, but never once does he attribute his dreams to divine inspiration of any kind. He doesn't believe he's getting messages from God (or the Devil, for that matter); in fact, he takes a very secular approach to dealing with his dreams, and that surprised me. He doesn't talk much about what he thinks they mean. I suspect this was a conscious decision on the part of director Jeff Nichols. The net result is that the film takes on the level of allegory. When Curtis exclaims, "There is a storm coming!" you don't really believe he's talking about a literal storm - although he could be. It's all very open to interpretation, like any prophecy.
I got to the Angelika early, so I hung out in the cafe while waiting for the auditorium to open. I was hungry, so I thought I'd buy something to eat. I don't think I've talked about the Angelika's cafe. It's got a wide selection of snacks, sandwiches and beverages, but most of it is overpriced. I ended up getting a Rice Krispy treat for four and a quarter that was skimpy on the marshmallows; the whole thing was falling apart in my hands even as I tried to eat it. Regardless, the cafe is a nice place to chill while you're waiting. There's a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and European movie posters on the surrounding walls. You have to be quick to get on line once it becomes time to go downstairs, though.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Soundtrack Saturday: Jerry Goldsmith
And now it's time to spotlight the composers! You knew this was coming. First up: one of my all-time faves.
Main Title from Star Trek: First Contact
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)