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Mark Coleran has the type of job designers dream about. He designs those futuristic, highly implausible interfaces for computers in movies.
New Line has been quick to compare their latest fantasy film, to their most successful as is evident in the opening of the trailer (large Quicktime) for the upcoming film The Golden Compass. And while I wouldn't go so far as to say they will be comparable, I am excited about the prospects of a new trilogy that could be on its way - starring a compass rather than a ring this time around.
Having some similarities with the Harry Potter series, but even more with the Chronicles of Narnia books/films, The Golden Compass or Northern Lights the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman.
An important difference between the Narnia and Dark Materials series can be explained by looking at the beliefs of the authors and how C.S. Lewis injected Christian themes into Narnia, whereas Pullman's fantasy world is grounded in science. There is even a book dedicated to these scientific themes:
Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is renowned for its mystery and magic. What’s the truth behind it all? Is the golden compass actually based in science? ... [edit for potential spoilers] ... Drawing on string theory and spacetime, quantum physics and chaos theory, award-winning science writers Mary and John Gribbin reveal the real science behind Philip Pullman’s bestselling fantasy trilogy in entertaining and crystal-clear prose.
Discovery Magazine has received its entries for videos attempting to explain the physical theory of string in less than two minutes. There were a couple (the one above, The Next Revolution and Mass Through Strings) I feel were OK but, for the most part, I am a bit disappointed. Maybe I was expecting too much in terms of creativity and production values but many just seem like hardly any thought was put into how to direct and produce them. Of course, I didn't enter one so I really shouldn't complain too much.
Taking the unfinished manuscripts of The Children of Hurin has been completed by J.R.R's son, Christopher Tolkien, who claims he did not editorialize during the process.
Seeing a billion dollars out there ripe for the picking, movie studios are showing interest in adapting the book to the big screen, however the family claims to be in no hurry to do so.
Here is more on the book, a brief version of which appear in The Silmarillion can be found courtesy of wikipedia.
Despite the Oscar's on Sunday night, I have had a tough time getting excited about movies lately. I do however, have high hopes for the new movie based upon the Frank Miller graphic novel of the same name: 300. Here are some trailers.
It is based upon an ancient battle between a small force of Greeks and the vast armies of the Persian Empire. Wikipedia has in-depth coverage of this, the Battle of Thermopylae. Here is a little background:
In the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC, an alliance of Greek city-states fought the invading Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae in central Greece. Vastly outnumbered, the Greeks held back the enemy in one of the most famous last stands of history. A small force led by King Leonidas of Sparta blocked the only road through which the massive army of Xerxes I could pass. After three days of battle a local resident named Ephialtes betrayed the Greeks, revealing a mountain path that led behind the Greek lines. Dismissing the rest of the army, King Leonidas stayed behind with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespian volunteers. Though they knew it meant their own deaths, they held their position and secured the retreat of the other Greek forces.The performance of the defenders at the battle of Thermopylae is often used as an example of the advantages of training, equipment and good use of terrain to maximize an army's potential, as well as a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds. The heroic sacrifice of the Spartans and the Thespians has captured the minds of many throughout the ages and has given birth to many cultural references as a result.
I also read in Wired that the entire movie was filmed indoors and the backgrounds and skies were all filled in later with CGI in order to match the mood of each scene and maintain the stylized look. If internet hype is any indication (and it usually is not) then this film will be amazing and change the way similar films are undergone. Based upon early screenings, and no doubt, careful examination of the trailers, 300 already ranks in the top 250 movies of all time at IMDB.com (#27 or so based on over 4000 votes).
I am excited to see it regardless of all that. And to top it off, it opens (March 9th) at regular theaters and IMAX! I am getting my tickets today.
You can buy her box on ebay, too. Keith Oberman made mention of this on air. Awesome. I love the internets.
iPod, phone, camera, computer running OSX, bluetooth, wifi, and no buttons*. I am glad my Cingular contract is up in May, just in time to pony up for this amazing phone.
UPDATE: Now play around with it on the Official Apple Site.
* A fact that I am sure will get a whole cadre of usability professionals crying foul, but you know what, its all about sexiness and by and large buttons are not sexy.
This article provides a nice roundup of a bit of information that, somehow eluded me for nearly a month. Namely, that New Line and Peter Jackson are not playing nice and that one or more future movies set in Middle-earth will not involve Jackson as director. Here is the open letter from Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh about there rift with Newline over the accounting on the Lord of the Rings films and how it has basically led to New Line telling Peter Jackson to fuck off, in regards to any future projects.
I for one really want the Hobbit to be made, but I would rather have it not made than done poorly. Sorry but I just don't see Sam Raimi doing this and god forbid, Lucas should get to ruin yet another fantasy saga. Some have speculated that they may cut this story into two parts and then add an additional prequel to make for a second trilogy - a path I would love to see taken, if Jackson were at the helm. My desire would be for Jackson and Newline (and MGM) to understand that there is more than $1 billion to be made, resolve their differences, and get going on these projects while Sir Ian McKellan can still hold up his, ahem, staff.
Over 56,000 people have signed this petition to the parties involved to get their act together and get Peter Jackson on board. You can too.
Bush sings Sunday Bloody Sunday. This is a bit older but still brilliant. (via Brad Frederick's blog)
I am going to try to drum up some interest in this great little short film by my friend Dack, starring my friend Adam. It is also a simple experiment I am doing with critical mass of stories posted to Digg. So if you would like to help out, Digg this. Thanks.
Though the page is in Russian, the trailer needs no translation. It would be astounding in any language (audio is in English). More info at IMDB as well as the official movie production blog, which now has 7 video journal entries.
Someone at Netflix had a great idea: screen classic American movies at the locations they helped make famous. For example they are showing The Shining at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO where Stephen King was inspired and wrote it. Or you can see Escape from Alcatraz at Alcatraz or Clerks at the Quick Stop in New Jersey.
They are combing the movie screening with other activities, too. You can play street hockey before the Clerks showing (not on the roof though), go to prom after watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off, or participate in a scavenger hunt in the subways of New York before the showing of The Warriors at Coney Island. Some screenings will also include cast reunions and question-and-answer sessions with the filmmakers. Pretty cool.
Word has it that Newline is planning an August 29th release for yet another edition of the Lord of the Rings films. This new set is to have more than 300 minutes of never before seen documentary footage as well as both versions of the film (theatrical and extended) all on only 2 discs per film. Some are saying that this will be possible due to what is being called "branching" - where you can decide which version to watch at certain points in the film. These people have disparaged this technique, and I would agree, if I did not think that they are misunderstanding it.
If I were to buy these DVD, they would have to allow the viewing of the theatrical edition, or the extended edition, without any prompts or cues to switch to see the other version. I would bet they can do this too - there could be a menu at the beginning as to what version you would want and it would just play through. Maybe there would be an optional "comparative" mashup of the two versions as well.
Even though I am a huge fan of the films I never bought any of the DVD's thinking something bigger and better might be coming. I am not sure if this is it, but it will sure give me more options.
For one reason or another, I have never been much of a consumer of magazines. In many respects I am grateful for this. Time is always an issue and I can rarely get through a full magazine before the next one comes. But I also do not like the waste magazines generate. It is very visible and apparent to me as I retain stacks of magazines and then have to recycle them. That being said, there are a few magazines to which I really ought to be subscribing:
The New Yorker - I am always impressed with the content of this magazine and the esteem that it has throughout my network of friends and beyond. It hits right on most of the issues it tackles, and does so much better than the daily newspapers.
Paste - I love to find new music and film and Paste makes it easy. Not only can I read about a ton of great artists and projects that are just coming out, but I can also see and listen to them thanks the CD or DVD included with every issue. They are right on with my tastes too.
Aperture - The few times I have seen this magazine I was very impressed and since I would like to be a better photographer it would help me out.
National Geographic Traveler - Travel magazines are hard for me. I really feel like I need a good one and this one seems very good (though I am tempted to want the traditional National Geographic instead).
Make - I am curious and love to build stuff (or rip stuff apart. Is there another magazine that is better suited to those types of activities?
Wired - The only magazine on this list that I actually do get. I like it, I really do, but more and more often, I get this type of news via the osmosis known as being online.
These were all listed in the order I would like them. If anyone knows how I can get any of the following delivered free for a year let me know. Anything else missing?
A couple that didn't make the list but were very close were:Dwell, Real Simple mostly just because I don't think I would have time.
If I am a liitle late to the party on this you can blame a lot of people but you can only blame Mark for me actually participating.
Four jobs I've had
Four movies I can watch over and over
Four places I've lived
Four TV shows I love
Four places I've vacationed
Four of my favorite dishes (soooo many things!)
Four sites I visit daily (I am assuming mail.google.com doesn’t count)
Four places I would rather be right now
Four bloggers I am tagging
The Korean company, Gamepark Holdings, makers of the GPX2 probably did not know that their product would catch on, as it has. Because it runs Linux, it is easy to customize, add to, and hack. And despite a slew of shortcomings (no wi-fi, lack of mainstream games, less-than-stylish design, and short battery life – rumored to be fixed), the GPX2 can do many things that the more popular Nintendo DS and Sony PSP cannot (support for many common file types – mp3, mpg, DivX, bmp, jpg, etc, the ability to emulate classic games) - all because it is open.
When will device manufacturer's learn that opening up their products will make them infinitely more attractive to, hackers and developers at first, but then later, as more hacks and mods are available, to the mainstream market? Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, and mobile phone makers should be embracing freeness and openness as a means of being more profitable. Stop the arrogance (of thinking you can do it better) and start the acquiescence (and yield to the open movement).
Now on with the links:
"If Kevin Garnett were only 5-foot-8, pudgy and going to work on a newspaper delivery truck, I doubt if many sports journalists would fret about his future."
-Mike Royko, Buffalo News, June 30, 1995
if anyone understands what im (sic). saying please e-mail me at this e-mail adress (sic).
does anyone here bilieve (sic) that there are aliens in other planets? who really made us is there really a god? im not saying there isnt (sic). but who made god? seriously please answer back at me
* If you ever corner me in a bar or such place have me tell you the story about Bob Sagat that Paul Provenza told the entire theater at SXSW 2005 after the preview screening.
Here's a few bits of news and links I have been collecting the past few weeks, relating to my home state of Minnesota. Don't ever say I don't represent!
There's a new self-serve DVD rental in town. Redbox actually has 145 locations in Minnesota alone! (mostly inside McDonald's restaurants) I will have to find one and check it out. I am thinking that it has a person who maintains it and stocks it weekly with the top 30 (or so) new releases. I think it would be way sweeter if they could write the DVD's on demand for people from a catalog of thousands of titles. The only drawback is how to handle returns - which you would need - if you were to satisfy current copyright laws. Then again, this could be the iTunes for DVD's as they could charge something like $9.99 per title. McDonald's is pretty smart to partner on this, as any rentals at their locations will require two visits. Why not grab an Egg McMuffinTM and a Coke® when you stop back in?
While I was searching Corbis yesterday for the dreaded stock photo of people at a conference room table (just for the comp I pray - hoping to get a photo shoot done) I noticed a feature called CorbisOutlineTM on the portraiture section of their site. They have a ton of photos of celebrities in various poses and stages of undress, some grouped by new movies that are coming out. There are some good photos there and I would suggest checking them out. The photo browser is unfortunately in Flash as so I cannot link directly to my favorites. The two photos below just really make me smile (I don't think it is a coincidence that they were both in one of my all-time favorite movies: Rushmore). If you happen to be looking ofr this sort of photo for your commercial work I would suggest giving these a look. All rights to these images are reserved by Corbis and the photographers listed below.
Bill Murray, Broken Flowers
© Mathias Clamer / OUT965837
God is he a funny man - I think that is a copy of Meatballs on the floor.
Jason Schwartzman
© Martin Schoeller / OUT965837
Is it a coincidence that each of them struck a somewhat similar pose? Maybe really funny people recognize a funny pose when they make it?
On a loosely related note (Tom Cruise is pictured on Corbis' Portraiture section home): Tom Cruise is an ass. There is just something wrong with this quote:
"I think every little girl dreams about her wedding. I used to think I was going to marry Tom Cruise."Especially when you think she was just 8 years old when she saw Top Gun for the first time. Plus she is at least 2 inches taler than him! [Source: IMDB]
Sony has announced that it is getting into the movie on demand game by offering downloadable movies via Movielink. Unfortunately, Firefox users will get an error when attempting to go to the Movielink site that states:
"Sorry, but in order to enjoy the Movielink service you must use Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, which supports certain technologies we utilize for downloading movies. Click here to get the latest version of Internet Explorer.We do not support Mozilla or Netscape. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."
Is this a Microsoft partnership deal? They do only use Windows Media Player format.
Shoddy technology decisions aside, this is just a poor business model from beginning to end. They claim they are modeling the service after iTunes, but it is really not anything like it except that it is distributed online. Most movies I saw were downloadable for between $4.49 and $4.99 (though they claim there are some for $1.99 I didn't see any that low). The thing is, this just buys you a viewing - and you must complete that viewing within 30 days of purchase and within 24 hours of beginning to watch the film.
Who do they think their audience for these things is? Anyone who is downloading movies to view on their computer is or would be a Netflix or similar service subscriber before they would do this. With Netflix you can keep a movie forever and can start watching a movie in 2001 and complete in 2005 if you want. AND you can easily watch it on your TV.
Maybe they think their market is people who normally get pay-per-view movies. They are delusional if they think this is smart. Pay-per-view movies are available immediately in most cases without waiting 30 to 90 minutes to download, they usually cost between $1.99 and $4.99, and they too can easily be watched on TVs rather than computer screens.
Here's an idea for Movielink, given free of charge. When people pay for and download movies from your service, they should either pay a bit more ($12.00) and own them just as iTunes users do or they should pay less ($2.00) and be able to watch them for a specified period of time.
The highlight of the film festival this year was meeting Daniel Johnston after seeing the movie about his life: The Devil and Daniel Johnston.
Other movies I was able to catch were (in rank order of enjoyment):
1. The Aristocrats (ThinkFilms all Flash site)- this one will make the rounds. Don't let yourself lag behind and not know what everyone is talking about.
2. Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic – more of a comedy set than a movie. It does include some skits where you are actually wishing it was just Sarah on stage again – where she is the funniest. I really like Sarah but I thought her part in The Aristocrats (see above) was her best work I saw this week.
3. Cowboy del Amor was a great documentary if for nothing else than the over the top persona of the cowboy himself, Ivan Thompson. You couldn’t help to be amused by Ivan while also feeling a bit sorry for him, chauvinist and all.
4. Palindromes by Todd Solondz - It is amazing what an audience will laugh at if their world is stripped of all that is good and right. I just don't think I can watch anymore Solodz films. It is not that they aren't well made, its just that they don't make me feel good. Which is also ok if there is a big enough payoff. For me, there just isn't - I just don't know - they are just too uncomfortable. I am really opening myself up to be ripped here as I appreciate movies that aren't like all the other Hollywood crap but Solondz's films just don't sit well with me. Palindromes was good if you look past some pretty poor acting by many of the child actors and an obvious gimmick to get people talking.
5. Animated shorts - I particularly liked: Learn Self Defense by Chris Harding, Binge and Purge by Ben MeinHardt, Awaken by Joey Ingram & Josh Mahan, Convenience by Ryan Kirkwood and my favorite Orpheus & the Underworld (the web has failed me in providing a link to this) by Nathan Jurevicius. The Meaning of Life by Don Hertzfeldt of Bittefilms was good but too long and a bit too abstract. I like much of his older works (like Rejected) better.
My initial reaction to the Oscars is…yawn... Even Chris Rock couldn’t save this boring night of TV drudgery (despite the opening shots he took at some prominent actors and good ol’ G.W.). The way they tinkered with the format, though admirable, did not increase anticipation or decrease the event’s duration (too much) and only served to diminish the accomplishments of the “non-star” winners (“Here stand here in the aisle to accept your award”) and cheapen (is that even still possible at this point?) the whole affair.
Jamie Foxx deserved to win the Best Actor Award and his acceptance speech was probably the best I have heard (ever). I am glad that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind won Best Original Screenplay, even though I thought it should have been nominated (and I think deserved) overall Best Picture.
Tired of Hillary Swank. Yeah, yeah she's good but she was basically playing herself in boxing gloves in Million Dollar Baby.
I saw Million Dollar Baby...Clint's movie from last year was better. In fact there were at least 4 films from last year's class that deserved Best Picture Oscars more that this one: Mystic River, Cold Mountain, City of God, and of course Return of the King.
What does poor Martin Scorsese have to do? This man has made films like: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull (which wasn't even nominated!), The Last Temptation of Christ, The Color of Money, Goodfellas, Casino, and Gangs of New York and the guy can't win a friggin' statue?!
A couple weeks ago I posted a suggestion for a Share with a Friend feature for Netflix. In addition to posting these thoughts here on Alt Text I sent a note to Netflix regarding it.
Today I received an email from Netflix inviting me to a sneak preview of their new "Friends" feature. Now it isn't what I had in mind - as my idea focused on sharing a DVD with people who are not Netflix members.
I don't know how valuable this new service will be, it does show that Netflix is trying to improve their service all the time. I will be checking it out in the next few days and reporting on it here.
I have a weakness for shows like The O.C. (and previously Dawson's Creek and even more previously My So Called Life) Some might call these shows "teen dramas" but I always thought that a bit degrading and incorrect to boot. I think these shows are more like adult comedies. Most of the writers are twenty/thirtysomething and bring that sense of humor and perspective of the world and pop culture to bear.
TV teens are a reflection of an older generation's chosen pose: snide, endlessly referential, self-conscious, and über-cool. Let's just hope, for their own sakes, real teenagers are far cooler.
...ahem, not cooler than me mind you but at least "cool enough".
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Platinum Series Extended Edition 4-disc Super Duper DVD set is set to release on December 14 with.... 50 additional minutes of footage jammed in there. That will bring the total duration of the last film to over 4 hours and 10 minutes and the complete Extended Edition Trilogy (which incidentally I am waiting for them to release as one gigantic set) to 11 hours and 22 minutes. There is also an additional 20+ hours (yeah that's right, hours) of documentaries and related footage / goodies that brings the total for the 3 extended additions to well over 50 hours of such special features — not to mention a couple Easter eggs.
In Other Movie News...
I have recently seen Ray (4/5), The Motorcycle Diaries (3.5/5), I Heart Huckabees (4/5) and The Incredibles (4.25/5), and I plan on reviewing them as soon as I get this site set up to handle such things adequately. In the mean time I will share with you some of the movies that I am eagerly anticipating the rest of the year:
Sideways - I loved Paul Giamatti American Splendor so I will give this a try.
Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events - I have been looking forward to this for a while - even before I saw that it actually looks pretty good - definitely Tim Burton-esque.
Meet the Fockers - sequel to Meet the Parents starring Dustin Hoffman as well as DeNiro and the rest.
and most eagerly anticipated...
The Life Aquatic - the new movie by Wes Anderson, writer/director of some of my favorite movies: The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, and Bottle Rocket
I had a post written regarding an email (spam) I received asking me (and other bloggers) to discredit a number of documents that make Bush look bad. Here is what I started to write:
It would seem that bloggers are now a big part of a strategy to disseminate misinformation.
Some of the statements ("Bush and Cheney have excellent judgment and would never get behind the wheel while drunk.") they were making were ridiculous but then again much of this administration and those who support them has and have been ridiculous as well.
When I got to this one I had to investigate further:
First I looked at the home page — it looked normal. Then I looked at the "Patriot Pledge page and knew that it wasn't quite right. A quick search or two of the whois databases returned the following:
YesBushCan.com is registered to Support and Commitment, Inc. which had the following email addresses listed: info@cheneybush.com and info@georgewbush.org. The CheneyBush.com site is deceptive and I can't really tell that it is a parody - it is too subtle. The subtly is gone at the GeorgeWBush.org site and after looking up these site registrants I found that the trail led back to John Wooden of Chickenhead Productions and WhiteHouse.org fame and which is connected with the new movie The Yes Men in some way. (which incidentally is a movie that I was close to seeing last night but instead saw The Motorcycle Diaries - which I will review tomorrow)
So, YesBushCan.com and the Bush documents have been put out there by someone who really doesn't like President Bush. Why the subterfuge? Why put it out there like this? Does he think that some folks won't pick up on this (like I almost didn't) and inadvertently post these document on their blogs, which in turn will be picked up by "legitimate" media outlets? What gives? By the way, some folks are a bit quicker than me.
There's really nothing like grown men and women begging for a chance to consume the product of billion dollar companies. Ok, I'm in.
Please make 'The Hobbit' film a reality with Peter Jackson and his Academy Award(R) winning team at the helm. We hope that you can work through any rights and licensing issues, and have enough foresight to see that a film version of this J.R.R. Tolkien classic would be just as successful as the $3 billion box-office take of 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. As a Ringer fan, I can assure you I will go to see a live-action version of 'The Hobbit' at least twice, and most likely more. With Peter Jackson at the helm, I and millions of my fellow Tolkien fans will support your efforts.
Petition to New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and United Artists
I never really watched much of the practice, maybe two episodes, and so now that the series is coming to a close I am not too disappointed. Out of its ashes is arising a new Practice: Fleet Street. This new spin off is starring none other than William Shatner, yes that's right, that overacting, Rocket Man singing, tub of a man we all love is starring opposite James Spader as he did in the episode of the Practice from this season that the new show is based upon.
The recent success of the Lord for the Rings and Harry Potter movies has spurred a rash of fantasy-themed movies coming out in the next year or so, mostly centered on a theme of young children discovering a magical world, much the same way as Harry Potter has.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is one I am looking forward too as I think the site and the books have a great attitude about them. A great example of this can be found on the Lemony Snicket site:
If I were you, I would immediately turn your computer off rather than view any of the dreadful images, read any of the wretched information, play any of the unnerving games or examine the unpleasant books presented within this website.
Other movies set to be made/come out include:
Artemis Fowl — based on a book series in which a young criminal mastermind is forced into a world of faries and fantasy to solve a mystery and best a foe.
Eragon — A book by 17 year old novelist Christopher Paolini that follows a boy named who finds a polished blue stone that turns out to be a dragon egg. Soon he is soon thrust into a world of magic and power through which he and the dragon must navigate.
The Chronicles of Narnia — The tales from Narnia are about to come to life (again) as a new motion picture (or more than one?).
The Hobbit — and then of course there is the film I will likely be pining for next 3-5 years and checking this site often to find out how the legal battles that are sure to slow it down are unfolding.
Where's DragonLance? One of my favorite series as a kid and teen were the Dragonlance Chronicles. And though there have long been movies rumored to be around the corner, I have little faith that they would be true or that any ensuing project would be very good.
Year: 2004
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance / Sci-Fi
MPAA: Rated R for language, some drug and sexual content.
Runtime: 108 min
IMDB User Rating: 8.6/10 (941 votes)
Alt Text Rating: 9.2/ 10
For my movie-going dollar (or 7 1/2 of them) it rarely gets any better than Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There were very few flaws in the movie and if it had come out a few years ago, before all the movies about memory loss (Memento, Paycheck, Gothica, The Bourne Identity there is one I am forgetting... and even 50 First Dates) — I would have loved it all the more.
While I do feel the concept is getting a bit old, the emotions and honesty shown in the actors' relationships was fresh and felt very real and true. Kate Winslet was better than I have ever seen her and Jim Carrey plays the role he should continue to play. I left the theater slightly disappointed due more to my lofty expectations than the merits of the film. After mulling it over in my head some, I can say that it was definitely the best movie I have seen this year. I can't wait to see it again. What can Charlie Kaufman do to top what I think is his best work yet? We can all feel lucky to find out.
This film looks like Japanese anime with real-life actors. Not only that, it looks damn cool. Two movies to get excited about in one day? You knew Hollywood couldn't be responsible for both of them.
I haven't been this excited for a film to come out that didn't involve hobbits for several years — though it does have Elijah Wood in it so I am not going too far astray. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind looks very good — I hope I am not disappointed as it has been a while since Jim Carrey has made a decent movie.
On a side note I am planning on having a procedure done here.
Year: 2003
Genre: Drama / Mystery / Crime
MPAA: Rated R for language and violence.
Runtime: 137 min
IMDB User Rating: 8.1/10 (9,093 votes); top 250: #149
Alt Text Rating: 7.1 / 10
I went in to Mystic River with very few expectations — to be quite honest I had the idea that it was set in the old west, apparently mixing it up with Cold Mountain. Without giving too much away I will say that I thought it was a well-acted movie with a great cast (Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden) but it certainly should not win best picture this year. It was a strong, if not a somewhat predictable, story line. And it was a tragedy befitting a Shakespearean play. I was ready to call it a very good movie until the end — or should I say past the end? Read the extended entry for why the end ruined an otherwise good movie. (contains spoilers)
Continue reading "Mystic River"The Return of the King won best (dramatic) picture and Peter Jackson won best director Golden Globes. Will the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences follow suit and award Jackson with the most esteemed prize — the Oscar? I for one hope so.
Best line from the NY Times review of the Return of the King:
File this in the recycled post category as it was originally set to post on the 17th of December last year.
After watching the last of the Lord of the Rings movies I am a bit disappointed. The thing I can't tell is if I am disappointed in the 3rd film or that they are now over.
In some ways I doubt that this film will win best picture. I am not sure that it is better than either of the first two. Although I have had the benefit now of seeing each of the first two films the way they were meant to be — at full length — without scenes cut out. Each of the first two films were much improved with the original footage restored, and I suspect the 3rd one will be no exception, that is unless they add more on to the end.
If the award is given for the cumulative works of this trilogy then yes it deserves it by far, but is that fair?
I should keep in mind that (extended editions aside) I thought that the 3rd viewing of the Fellowship of the Rings was the best, and the second viewing of the Two Towers was superior to the first as well. I will likely write a little more about the movie after I see it again (and this time not at midnight).
I have written more (see the extended entry) - but what I have written contains some spoilers, so beware.
Continue reading "Extra Extended Edition?"Here we are on the eve of the opening of the final installment of the Lord of the Rings movies. I am fresh of last nights (in theater) viewing of the Two Towers extended edition. I am impressed with how well the 3 hour and 40 minute movie flows. Peter Jackson should get the Best Director nod for the culmination of his 7 years of work on this series.
I can't help but get a twinge of sadness that the movies will be ending soon. What will I have to post about? There's always The Hobbit and speculation on when the pressure will be too much for Peter Jackson to withstand. I get the same feeling of loss when I complete a book series I have really enjoyed.
In other movie related news:
The New York Film Critic Circle has announced its award winners for 2003 and the Return of the King gets Best Film. The AFI has posted its 2003 Movie of the Year candidates as well.
According to USA Today the Family Guy could be making a comback with 35 new episodes set to begin in 2005 on Fox.
While the deal isn't official, it does mark quite a milestone in that it would be the first time a canceled series has been brought back based upon the fans of the show's syndicated shows and DVD's (the #4 all time TV series DVD in terms of sales).
I expected to really like Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. And while both Murray and Johansson were excellent I just felt like something was...well, lost. Maybe the film could have been buoyed with a better soundtrack as I kept expecting it to have - the right music could have carried this film much the same way soundtracks have in films such as Rushmore, Magnolia, and to a certain extent Run Lola Run.
The film is a comedy, though it doesn't feel that way at times - it's humor is so very subtle. I think it will grow on me. I think I still like this movie and I think I will like it more as time goes on - I just can't figure out why it missed the mark I am sure it was going to hit.
The NOVA presentation of Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe airs tomorrow night at 8 pm. Coincidentally that is the same time the Premier of 24 airs. Gotta love the dual tuner TiVo DirecTV that allows me to record both.
Unfortunately I was unable to get my paws on tickets for the trilogy marathon (as it is being called) as the tickets sold out in minutes. At the one venue showing the spectacle in Minnesota people were in line by 5 am to buy tickets at 11. Elsewhere it was not any better.
I suppose if I really wanted to I could spend upwards of $400-500 to get a pair of tickets for the 3 shows in a row. That is definitely not going to bass through the ways and means committee (aka Jena).
I will be content if I can buy separate tickets and watch them all in one day I guess.
For the sake of its customers, TiVo should discontinue production of it's 35 hours unit. This is most prevalent now in the DirecTV/TiVo combo units - which is what we have at home.
My wife and I actually get in TiVo arguments. They typically go something like this:
Me: Why do you need to get a season pass to that [insert reality tv program here] show?
Jena: I want to see what its like, maybe it will be good.
Me: Reality TV isn't good. I am embarrassed to let TiVo know we watch it.
Jena: You watch The OC!
Me: [to which no response can be made]
Jena: Besides, if you don't want your shows erased before you watch them you should set them to save until you delete them.
Me: If we did that on all our shows TiVo wouldn't be able to record anything else.
Jena: I think it would. Its stupid if it couldn't OR I don't think that is right, TiVo should be smarter.
Me: [Internal dialogue] I better get the new 120 hour TiVo to save our marriage.
I had thought I had seen the worst the horror genre had to offer as far as movies were concerned. I was wrong. I have now seen into the bowels of cinema and its name was Jeepers Creepers 2. Lest you ask why I subject myself to such movies, rest assured that it is not by my choice. If you do not believe me I just dare you to watch this
