Open Thread

Sorry for the lack of Scene On A Sunday today, but I'm currently navigating without the use of a mouse and it's just too tedious doing all that mumbo-jumbo with a keyboard. I just recently Bright Star, I know it wasn't loved by all, but I'm loving it even more as time goes by...

              

What's on your mind? Seen any thing good lately

Defendor: Review

So okay. With the success of superhero parodies like Kick-Ass, I'd thought I'd go back a few months and review a movie I saw last year that was kind of in the same veins as Kick-Ass but a whole lot more grounded in reality. And the movie's called Defendor by the way.

Defendor is about Arthur Poppington played by Woody Harrelson i.e Twinkie Dude from Zombieland, who is this mentally unstable man but with a heart of gold who comes to believe that he is a superhero named Defendor. Every night, he patrols the streets of his city in search of his arch enemy, Captain Industry; whom he was told is the man behind his mother's death. And along the way, this retarded, sweet guy touches the lives of a young prostitute, his psychiatrist, a crime journalist and his boss.

On the surface, Defendor appears to be very much like the retarded awesomeness of Kick-Ass. And the film does have some really funny comedic moments courtesy of Woody Harrelson and his unconventional methods of vigilantism, be it torturing a bad guy with lime juice, having super hearing abilities through a plastic cone or using marbles for bullets; Defendor is more on the heart and child like innocence of Woody Harrelson's character.

And while I do stand by saying that Woody Harrelson's performance in The Messenger was his best performance to date, his acting in this movie isn't any short of brilliance. If I was to describe Defendor, I would say that he is Forrest Gump meets Batman. We have a superhero who has the mental capacity of a 7 year old, but with that comes a child simple sense of right and wrong. And that is where this character stands out in superhero context.

Woody blew my mind in this. At first I was looking at this character and going this guy's got issues. And I'm all like, "Dude... what the hell are you doing man?" But by the end of the film I was really moved by this character. Woody Harrelson captures the imagination and perspective on the world of a child who is simply honest in every action that he takes. If anything else, you got to watch this just for Woody Harrelson's character alone.

But there were some other great acting in this, one being Kat Dennings who serves as the window for the audience into the character Defendor. She starts out just like us being a little skeptical on this man's mental state but the character slowly grows on her and the audience as the movie progresses. I've always found Kat Dennings super annoying and whiny but it some how works for her character in this movie.

Plus she is just super sexy. Like a Dita von Teese kind you know.

Other honorable mentions, Elias Koteas who plays the bad guy of the film. This dude is so sleazy, bad ass and corrupt but he is so fun to watch because he knows he is all these things and is just having fun with it. For some really weird reason he reminded me of Claude Raines from Casablanca. Sandra Oh is good in this to, thought her character is kinda peppered out through the film only as a transitional segment between two scenes in the first two acts.

Very character driven film, honest and pure at it's heart and has loads of laugh out loud moments. Now, if only they made another film with Defendor meeting Hit Girl from Kick-Ass and all the bloody madness begins. Now that's a fucking movie!

RATING: 8/10

Conversation Piece

In the RKO dressing hairdressing department, during the spring of 1939. I eavesdropped, over a half a wall, on a 6 A. M., over-coffee conversation, involving Lucille Ball, Barbra Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers and several unidentifiable voices. Lucille and Ginger were making Stage Door with Kate at the time. Barbara Stanwyck was on The Mad Miss Manton.

There was general studio agreement that Katharine Hepburn was a dazzling actress and a star, but there was some question as to whether she was going to become box office.

The voices said:
“She’s gorgeous. How can she miss?
“Takes more than gorgeous, sugar.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“Talent.”
“Luck.”
“Hits.”
“That’s it. Hits. Listen to her her.”
“So. She’s had hits.”
“Not lately.”
“What do you call ‘lately’?”
“What about Alice Adams?”
“Two years ago.”
“All right.”
“All right if she’d done nothing since, but she’s had strike-outs in the two years. Sylvia Scarlett.”
“Help!”
“Break of Hearts.”
“I liked it.”
“But Kokomo didn’t.”
“Mary of Scotland. Wasn’t that a hit?”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No!”
“No.”
“A Woman Rebels.”
“She should’ve, before she said yes to that turkey.”
“Quality Street?”
“They say she picked that one herself. Well, whoever. The people didn’t want it.”
“She’s gonna score in this one, though. Boy, is she ever great.”
“Yeah, but we’re talking about star. The ones people come to see, no matter what. Gable, Tracy, Harlow, Bette. Like that.”
“Maybe Hepburn’s too special.”
“What do you mean?”
“Too, like – well, like high-toned. Not like us.”
“I’m high-toned you pisspot!”
The unmistakable voice cut-through voice of Lucille Ball took over.”

“Listen biddies, don’t you worry your pretty little heads – and I do mean little – about Miss Katie. She’ll make it just fine. She knows the combination to the safe. To everybody’s safe. Have you ever noticed something? How every time she gets into a new scene, no matter where, or on the stage, and she’s wearing a new outfit, every son-of-a-bitch on this lot, from every department, finds his way over there – or her way – to stand around and gawk? Why is that? Don’t ask me, but they sure all want to look at her, and see what she doe. I do it myself. And the grips from the other sets and cutters and messengers and readers. The all find their way and stand around taking her in like out-of-town visitors. I notice they don’t do it for any of the rest of us. Only for her. So why is that? Don’t ask me. But I claim anybody who can get a routine like that going for them, without trying even, has to become a big star, and, what’s more, stay a big star. She’s news, that’s all. Hot news. All the time.”

The instinctively sagacious Lucille, who wound up owing that very studio, had recognized (sic) it. Call it news, hot news, call it “it,” as Eleanor Glyn did for Clara Bow, or call it, as we do these days, charisma. Katharine Hepburn had it and has it.

Kanin, Garson. Tracy and Hepburn: An Intimate Memoir. New York: Viking Press Inc, 1971

Green Zone

Matt Damon has a knack for being unassuming. It’s a talent that has been put to good use in The Talented Mr. Ripley and Ocean’s Eleven. I’m never certain if Matt Damon, the actor, is just as unassuming or if he’s just that good of an actor. In Green Zone he plays Captain Miller, an American soldier intent on finding answers in Iraq circa 2003. Damon’s Captain is cool but not pushy. As he marches through the film I am aware that I’m watching Matt Damon, but I’m also willing to believe that I’m watching the actions of a real soldier. Paradoxical? Naturally. Maybe I started this review on the wrong foot, for Green Zone is a film that depends on factors that are not all Matt Damon.

I remember someone referring to Green Zone as a film from the “shaky cam” genre (a la The Hurt Locker or A Mighty Heart). The thing is, though, as accurate a definition as that would be, it marginalises the film. Green Zone, is not a film for the unfocused. Helgeland’s script is uninterested in spelling anything out to the audience and if you don’t know the story he doesn’t condescend to spoon feed it to you. It’s not that the narrative is particularly difficult to follow; but if you’re not willing to pay keen attention you could easily miss some important details. Then, there’s the fact that it all occurs amidst an overwhelmingly authentic sound design. If The Hurt Locker could have swept the sound categories (undeservedly, I might add) Green Zone should be a shoo-in for a nod, but of course that’s not likely.

Admittedly, the film is anchored by Damon’s performance, even though I’m well aware that the term anchored may be an overstatement. Damon’s performance is good, effective even. But Greengrass is not interested in turning this into the story of a David against the Goliath’s of the world (even if the poster suggests otherwise). Damon is obviously the lead of the film, but the supporting cast are important. Greg Kinnear avoids the stock characterisation his role could have implied, and in the process he creates a moderately impressive villain. Brendan Gleeson is similarly good and Eastern actor Khallid Abdalla lends the right amount of pathos to his conflicted character. I will admit, the purported presence of the lovely Amy Ryan was a major reason I was interested in seeing this film. As it turns out (I should have expected) her role is not big, but like her short turns in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead and Changeling she carves a realistic being with just a few scenes to her name.

The unfortunate reality is, though, owing to the almost journalistic nature of Green Zone it has a tendency to come as decidedly ephemeral. As well intentioned as it is, there is a certain lack of profundity that pervades. As good an effort as it is I don’t think I’d be moved to see it again. But I think it’s worthy of being seen at least once…provided you go with your brain. 

          

B

Lucky Number Se7en

I've been sitting on this meme invitation for the last week or so. Shame. So this is me rectifying that.
       
1. What was your first movie going experience?
I have absolutely no idea what was my first but I know The Wizard of Oz was an early one, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve always been such a lover of Judy Garland.

2. How many DVDs do you own?Anywhere between 100 and 200. I have a bad habit of lending, and never getting them back but I’m learning to be more selfish so the number should grow exponentially by year’s end.
           
3. What is your guilty pleasure movie?

Le Divorce…but I don’t really feel guilty about that. It’s a good movie that unfortunately many people don’t realise. A bad movie that I like nonetheless…Charlie’s Angel: Full Throttle…but no guilt there either. I don’t think the word is in my vocabulary.
          
4. You have compiled a list of your top 100 movies. Which movies don’t make the cut?
Well many, of course. Citizen Kane and Schindler’s List, because I don’t care for either that much. Lawrence of Arabia and The Ten Commandments – because there’s not enough space. Bright Star and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button because movies released 2008 and later are not included on the list.
        
5. Which movie(s) do you compulsively watch over and over again?
Gosford Park, The English Patient, Howards End, An Education, Shakespeare in Love. Compulsive is a word I know well.
        
6. Classic(s) you’re embarrassed you haven’t seen?
Mean Streets, Interiors. The former because Scorsese is my God, and I haven’t seen enough of his early work and the latter because Woody’s dramatic foray has gotten so much press (and it stars Diane, Maureen and Geraldine) that I should at least see it to make a deicison.
           
7. What movie posters do you have hanging on your wall?
Not the poster kind of person, but The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King’s poster hangs proudly in my (old) room – now known as the bookroom.
         
I’m not tagging anyone, too lazy. If you’re feeling meme-ish have your fill and answer the questions…I’m passing it on to you.

Comedy Tonight Last Night

I am never particularly interested in the machinations of NBC, as a network they’re usually apt to annoy me or at least bore. Of course, all their faults (or whatever we wish to call them) are all eviscerated on Thursdays when week after week they give us a strong line-up of good old-fashioned (sort of) comedies. The thing is, I never count Community as part of this somewhat impenetrable line-up. It’s not that the show doesn’t have its good points, but I more than often end up missing its episodes. That leaves us with three. There’s the granddaddy of them all, The Office now in its sixth season. The (relatively) new and eccentric Parks & Recreation and the “cool” (I use the word loosely) one 30 Rock. Not to knock at 30 Rock, a show with a number of excellent units, but I’m often nonplussed as to why it usually ends up being the show with the most critically acclaim of the three.

Last night’s episodes for each show, though not the best of the season, perfect encapsulate the merits (and demerits) of each show and I wonder if 30 Rock will be the only getting any Emmy love when summer comes around. Parks & Recreation, I suppose I should admit, made a dubious last year – but I was a believer form the inception. I can’t say it is, but few shows on television are as glee inducing (pun unintended) as the exploits of Leslie Knope and her flawed workmates. Amy Poehler’s Leslie strikes me as a more subtle (but less self-aware) incarnation of Kristin Chenoweth’s Olive. I’m nowhere near as avid a TV lover as some are (here and here) but Poehler constantly does excellent work and is continually ignored. I probably have some sort of chip on my shoulder since her Saturday Night Live alumni Tina Fey manages to be continuously praised for her sometimes good (but often uninspired) work on 30 Rock. I don’t what my issue with Fey is, she’s a good writer – an excellent one even – but I’m never completely willing to believe her as actor, at least not continuously. To throw The Office into the group, each show’s protagonist Leslie, Michael and Liz (and no, Alec Baldwin is not a protagonist on 30 Rock, no matter what those awards say) is an extreme neurotic. Carrell’s Michael often moves between shades of excellence and hilarious (but cringe worthy) moments. Luckily, last night’s episode was more of the former. The thing is, Fey might be playing herself but I’m often feeling as if something’s missing.

Another thing the three shows shake hands on is in their necessity of peculiar supporting characters to balance the scales. Last night’s Office episode played it just right. So often I want to see more of the silly office employees and last night, though it wasn’t as expansive, it was fun. B. J. Novak continues to be one of the best comedic actors on TV with the least lines. Everyone loves Jim and Pam, or Andy and Erin but it’s Ryan and Kelly’s flawed and perverse relationship that I find most hilarious. They’re a bit like Jenna and Tracy on 30 Rock. Yes, they’re not a real couple, but those moments when the two come together to increase their craziness exponentially are some of the most fulfilling. Last night wasn’t one of those, though. I only find Tracy humorous when he’s combated by someone less over-the-top. The thing is Krakowski’s Jenna is not exactly sedate, but the woman has such a talent for holding back that I’m always blissfully aware that Jenna is playing every one in the room as if she’s in a prolonged TV show (pun intended). Like her cross-dressing boyfriend last night? Like she didn’t see that coming. Speaking of seeing things coming, who’d have thought Chris Pratt would be the Everwood actor to go on to biggest success (unless you count Marcia Cross’ guest roles as her being an Everwood alumni, too). Where Parks & Recreations edges in front of its ancestors (by just a smidgen) is that any pairing of the cast could result in comedy. The chemistry between the actors is just that good. It’s always a difficulty thinking how they’ll get Rashida Jones involved in the plot, since she doesn’t work in the office, but it’s always more hit than miss.

              

Each show had their issues last night, though. I could have done without Don Geiss’ peacock, as the main plot of the evening it felt really dull and when did Pam turn into such a…peppy person. I suppose it’s the baby, but it’s still weird and I wish the writers would examine Leslie's take on Mark and Ann's impending marriage a little more, still each was good in its own rite.

     

30 Rock, Argus – B–

Best Moment: Jenna kissing her boyfriend (who just happens to be made up like Jenna)

            

The Office, Body Language – B

Best Moment: Kelly and Ryan trying to sabotage a teenage foe on facebook.

Ryan: Tell her everyone in homeroom thinks she’s fat.

          

Parks & Recreation, 94 Meetings – B+

Best Moment: Leslie chaining herself to the gate and her ensuing embarrassment. “When a couple get married, two single people die.” It’s classic.

           

Did you watch any last night? Which impressed you most?

"Alligators have the right idea. They eat their young."

Eve Arden would have been 101 today. I don't pretend to remember her as much as I should, her career did span 60 years. In fact I often forget she's contributed to classics from Stage Door to Grease to Anatomy of a Murder. Still, I suppose it's okay that I remember her most for the wisecracking Ida in Mildred Pierce. A short performance, but not at all inadequate. Happy Birthday.