My thoughts about movies and TV shows I've been watching

See also my blog on books: Elliot's Reading

Saturday, June 23, 2012

For the birds: The Big Year

Not sure whom the intended audience is for "The Big Year," a rather unfunny and unlovable movie about avid birders and their competition to see the most species in a single year: the director assiduously pursues a PG rating, essentially editing out any significant references to sex and infidelity and keeping the language resolutely clean, but would kids find this movie funny in the least? I doubt it - I didn't. Watched it primarily because M. and I are very interesting in birds and are fledgling birders, so to speak - and we enjoyed seeing the many species, especially in the montage of 755 over the closing credits. But the film isn't particularly interested in the principles of birding - makes it seem you can walk through the forest, speaking at full volume, and suddenly spot a rare owl, for example, on a branch in plain view, posing for a photo. If it were that easy, everyone would see 700-plus species. On the other hand, the three birders it focuses on travel around the country at totally absurd pace and expense - maybe some folks can do that, but not on a fixed budget, as one of them is purported to be. The three are Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Martin - each talented, and each cast against type, at some risk to the veracity of the story line. Well, the story line itself is as trite as you can imagine, and it will come as a shock I'm sure if I give you the spoiler: guy (Black) gets girl and reconciles with skeptical dad, older guy (Martin) realizes his family is what really matters, most aggressive birder (Martin) wins the competition but is lonely in his victory. None of these plot lines handled with a bit of imagination or depth - granted, this movie is not trying to be Grand Illusion, or even Casalanca. The stakes are lower - and that would be fine, if it were more fun, funny, or engaging.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

What, me worry? About Mad Men.

Though the final episode of Season 5 of "Mad Men" was disappointing - lots of check-ins on various characters and plot elements (Pete's affair with fellow commuter's wife, Megan's fledgling acting career) there are no real developments or surprises or cliff hangers, the strongest moments in the episode being Don's visit to Lane's widow and her cold and cutting dismissal of his offer of financial help - she obviously blames his death on the Madison Avenue culture of male irresponsibility and indulgence, and she's right - and the weakest element being Don's inexplicable toothache, what's that about?, and why is he suddenly having visions of his suicide brother? - and the most intriguing being Roger's affair with Megan's mother, is he about to become Don's step-father-in-law? crazy? - but having said all that, Season 5 was very fine altogether. As in the best of TV series, we see characters grow and develop over a long span of time, with broadcast time literally matching calendar time in the actors' (and our) lives - and we come to like and appreciate characters we'd at first found dismal and hopeless or even malevolent: case in point Don, who showed many signs of real moral fortitude in Season 5, the lone objector to the plot to pimp out Joan in order to win the Jaguar account, the only one who could truly speak kindly to Lane; and Megan, whom at first most of us dismissed as a bimbo and a hopeless mate for Don - the French can-can song she sang at his birthday party being her low point probably - has grown into a smart and kind character, specially wise with children - though in the final moments of the season she looks ridiculous dressed up for an ad shot that Don landed her - seems beneath her standards and harmful to her self-image, as she's trying to build a career on her own, or at least I'd thought she was. Too bad Joan had only a small role in the season - though the Jaguar episode was one of the best Mad Men episodes of all time - and too bad Betsy has been pushed aside. Otherwise, a very strong season, and may Mad Men live on.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

The many strengths of Damages

Season 4 of "Damages" on F/X much like the other seasons has a really complex plot right from the start with two separate timelines that, over the course of the first few episodes, gradually and slowly converge - we hope toward a sharp and clear conclusion, but, if experience is s guide, enjoy the pleasure of this series episode by episode - it always has an improvisatory sense, as if the writers and producers start off with a lot of mysterious elements and they're not clear themselves how everything will resolve - and it doesn't always do so. That said, each season is truly exciting, provocative, and engaging - all that we hope for from a quasi-legal thriller - and more, in that Glenn Close is awesome as the ruthless anti-corporate lawyer we love and hate, Rose Byrne as protegee Ellen has gotten better season by season: as her character matures, we have also watched her mature as an actress (in contrast with this serious dramatic role, she did a great comic turn in Bridesmaides). Each season has a main guest star so to speak, and with Season 4 it's John Goodman, excellent as the CEO of a company that does military ops in Afghanistan on a contract basis: Ellen (and maybe Close/Patty) building a wrongful death suit against the company. Goodman is a devout patriot and trying to be a good man - one excellent aspect of all seasons of Damages is the refusal to make the "bad guys" into cardboard props - they're complicated characters, just like Close/Patty, just like everyone.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

You ought to see Coriolanus performed at least once - and this is it.

"Coriolanus" is one of Shakespeare's lesser works and it's seldom performed, but let's get real: one of Shakespeare's lesser works still means it's one of the greatest works in the English language, so it's great to get a chance to see Coriolanus performed - and I think Ralph Fiennes's film version of "Coriolanus" (he directs and stars) is about as good a production as we're ever likely to see. First, the play: obviously Shakespeare was working on some themes that were familiar to him and much better to developed in other tragedies, notably the military hero in the political and public world (cf Othello), the male hero dominated by a powerful woman (cf Anthony and Cleopatra and Macbeth), and violent Roman street politics (Julius Caesar). In Coriolanus the military tough guy becomes a Roman political leader but is undone because of his utter contempt for the "masses" and because some wily politicians outmaneuver him - he is banished, takes up with the invading enemies, the Volscians, who ultimately betray him and assassinate him. The great strength of the play is the use of the masses, the people - terrific scenes of public protest, and a great sequence in which C addresses a mob, they despise him, but then they turn around and embrace him. These scenes are often quoted and cited in critical articles that examine Shakespeare and politics or society - along with some passages from the even-less successful tragedy Timon of Athens (which even Marx quoted). These crowd scenes are among those in which I truly think S anticipated what a medium such as film could do - Oh for a muse of fire! (Henry V) - and in the Fiennes production we do see how well this material translates not only to the fast cutting end editing of film - but also to a contemporary setting. Fienns puts his production in "A City Called Rome" in the present - and we see street riots and border wars - could e anywhere in the Balkans or in North Africa anytime within past 20 years - and most of all we see politicians who could be familiar to any American today: manipulators of public opinion, right-wing bloviators, left-wing phonies. Terrific - reminded me of another film version that I thought was a very successful update: Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet, set in 1990s Latin America: both very effectively used TV news clips and fast cuts and voiceovers. Where Fienne's film weakens is also where Shakespeare's text weakens - the rather tedious 4th and 5th acts, in which Coriolanus goes over to the enemy and his controlling mother (and wife and son) come over to persuade him to make peace - a very long and boring scene with what could the longest uninterrupted piece of dialogue in the canon - even Vanessa Redgrave can't save it. Last scene, in which Fiennes's contempt and bravado boil over, pretty powerful though - and whole film worth seeing. You should probably see C. performed at least once, and this is it.