Traffic (2000)

Steven Soderbergh’s epic story of the drug war is a broad piece that comes at its subject matter from many angels. Strong ensemble cast includes many recognizable names, some in even in bit parts. Benicio Del Toro won an Oscar as a Mexican police officer. I was impressed. Four out Five.

Trivia: Utah Senator Orrin Hatch has a cameo in the film, one he later said he regretted do to the movies graphic content.

Rocky II (1979)

Direct continuation of the story began in the first Rocky film can’t help but fall short of the original, but does come pretty close. Interesting examination of what comes after the big fight, Rocky possessed of few talents outside of the ring has a hard time making ends meat, especially after he goes a little spend happy immediately following the first bout with Apollo. Stallone’s portrayal of title character is a marvel, simple yet nuanced, I can understand why it was such a cultural touchstone. At this point in the series the franchise is very strong both financially and creatively. 3 ½ out of Five.

Edward R. Murrow: The Best of Person to Person (2006)

A three disc collection of celebrity interviews from the iconic 1950's talk program. The conceit of the show was an evening in the home of the featured guest, and in an era before satellite feeds this was a difficult proposition. Ed conducted his interviews from a studio in New York, with a land wire connection to the home of whoever was on to be on the program that night. There were occasional technical problems, such as during an interview with Tony Curtis and his then wife Janet Lee, Tony ended up doing most the ‘interviewing’ because for half the broadcast he couldn’t hear Mr. Murrow. (As a side note on the matter of Mr. Curtis, it was kind of fascinating how many of the guest on the programs featured are still with us, like Jonathan Winters, Sid Ceaser, Kurt Douglas, Sophia Loran, and Jerry Lewis.) The program was often awkward and stilted do to the constraints of the technology, the fact that it was live and each guest only had about 15 minutes, and the fact that’s just how people can get when their trying too hard to impress. Parading the stars children on TV, often with especially young children being kept up late to appear, didn’t always work as hoped. DVD release followed on the heels of George Clooney’s Oscar nominated Murrow pic Good Night and Good Luck. The Liberace interview by the way is truly disturbing, not just him but his whole family seemed off.

Titanic (1997)

James Cameron’s Titanic came out when I was a Junior in High School, and was a great source of controversy for LDS Seminary students such as myself. You see Kate Winslet has a brief nude scene and that sort of thing is anethma in Mormon circles, especially as regards Mormon parents whose teenage children might be drawn to the film by the force of the cultural phenomenon it was (as just one example, the film had the biggest selling instrumental soundtrack since Chariots of Fire (a movie Mormons approve of by the way)). I remember then hearing a rumor that the film was released as a PG-13 only in the high Mormon population states of Utah and Idaho, whereas it was given the ‘more appropriate’ R rating everywhere else in the country (not true). Wicked gentile’s trying to corrupt our youth. I ended up renting the 1953 film version of Titanic staring Barbara Stanwyck and Clifton Webb, as a sort ideocentric rebellion against the decadent Clinton era. Oh times have changed.

Having finally seen the film I defiantly liked it. It succeeds as old school epic in a way few films of the 1990's did, which was just part of it’s broad appeal. Leads DiCaprio and Winslet where minor Hollywood players at the time, and there was defiantly a risk taken in casting them (just as there’s a ‘tempting the gods’ type risk to making a hundred plus million dollar film about a doomed ship just a year after the disaster of Water World). Anyway the casting paid off, arguably launching two superstar careers, as did the other risks of the film. The whole sinking of the ship, though in my opinion a little too long, has an enormous cinematic energy to it and is really a marvel to see. I even liked the framing story with Gloria Stewart and Bill Pullman. An important film literacy movie that is worthy of that standing. Limited sequal potential. Four out of Five.

Shakespear in Love (1998)

Revisionist spin on the life of the great English playwright depicts the writing and first performing of Romeo & Juliet as though it where a Shakespearean play, complete with love story, swashbuckling, revenge, cross-dressing, buffoonery and ‘fancy talk’. The whole time I felt a little distant from the proceedings, as though the movie was a self congratulatory offering from thespians and Shakespear buffs to other thespians and Shakespear buffs. Though I believe this is largely the case I can not say this is not a good movie, for its certainly cleaver and has a few moments, but the self involvement of the whole enterprise did turn me off. Ultimately I’m torn by the film and give it a 2 ½ out of 5 rating, because I honestly didn’t like it, but recognize that it was well made. This certainly shouldn’t have beaten Life is Beautiful and Savings Private Ryan for the Oscar.

Forgetting Sarah Marshell (2008)

Anyone who stared on the tragically shorted live series Freaks and Geeks for creator Judd Aptow can now write a screenplay and he will produce it. At least that seems to be the rule from both this Jason Segal penned film, and last years Superbad, which was co-written by Seth Rogen. Fortunately in both cases the screenplays have turned out to be pretty decent, and the actor/writers behind them worthy of stardom. I’m glade to see Segal experiencing the success of staring in his own movie, though I suppose he has been doing pretty well for himself lately with the surprise hit sitcom How I Meet Your Mother. Segal is the great sad-sack comedian of our generation, witness his performances in the two tragic-short Aptaow series of the turn of the Millennium, Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. A stocky ‘Travis Hawkley’ like figure there’s just something about his ability to play the victim of relationships that’s just endearing and brilliantly rendered, not to mention pretty funny.

In the film Segal is the musical composer for a CSI like television series who has just been dumped by the shows sexy star Sarah Marshell (played by contemporary ‘It Girl’ Kristin Bell). In an effort to get over this five year relationship Segal travels to Hawaii only to find himself staying at the same hotel as his ex and her new rock star boyfriend (a surprisingly likable Russell Brand). There a fetching Mila Kunis serves as Segal’s new love interest, and a repertory company of Aptowen character actors serve as foils to the four main players. There’s a little raunch, some good comedy, a lot of heart and a life lesson, a formula that’s come to work rather well for Judd and his crew. Warning: Hawaiian setting has me (temporarily) feeling that living in Idaho sucks, beware if you live north of Arizona. Four out o’ 5.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Martin Scorsese’s brilliant portrait of a psychotic is one of the iconic films. There are so many angels with which you can explore it, internal, psychological, sociological, political, moralistic, exploitive, quasi-religious, and simply cinematic. It’s to much of a task for me to adequately distill but the movie has a kinetic quality that hits you head on so you know your watching something both significant and multi-fascinated, that at the same time can be appreciated by professor and low-life (which are sometimes the same). Question prompted by film: Without early Scorsese could there be Tarintenio? Five out of Five.

The Office: Season 1 (2005)

I’ve never watched The Office consistently but a few people I know have been encouraging me to give it more of a chance. The show is funny, but I’d agree with the general perception that season one is weaker then what’s come after. I think I’d like the show more if I felt it was in some degree my discovery, you know that inflated feeling of ‘ownership’ of a program or movie that’s more cultish then mainstream. The Office is pretty mainstream, in fact I’d say its NBC's anchor show in the sitcom department. Working in an office setting myself I can appreciate it, but if I’m a fan, I’m rather a passive one, wouldn’t be opposed to watching more, but its not a high priority. Jim’s pretty cool though. Three out of five.

Seven Chances (1925)

Classic silent comedy in which Buster Keaton must marry a girl before 7:00 pm or forfeit a seven million dollar fortune (remember this is pre-depressions value). During the corse of the film Keaton ends up being chased around town by hundreds of perspective brides in Keystone Cops fashion. This has lead me to develop a theory that scale was a major element of silent comedy, you simply couldn’t do this bit on the stage and it’s a different beast if described in a book, and its less funny now in the era of epic sized everything. The highlight of the film though is when Keaton is chased by countless fake looking boulders. The story goes that a test screening of an early version of the film got some surprise laughs when during a chase scene (of which there are a number in the film) Buster dislodged some rocks that came rolling after him. So thinking that if little rocks got a little laugh, giant rocks should get giant laughs, he added another real to the film of just that. You know what, it was one of only two or three times in the film in which I laughed aloud. The DVD also contains two Buster Keaton shorts. 3 out of 5.

Defiantly, Maybe (2008)

Romantic comedy uses forced plot device of newly divorced father (Ryan Reynolds) telling 11 year old daughter (Abigial Brelsin) the story of how he meet her mother; only to spice it up he adds the stories of two other romances he had and challenges his progeny to guess from which she came. This movie wants to be simultaneously cutsie and a little risky, which proved an awkward balance and sets the film up as a mixed bag. The Elizabeth Banks character didn’t work for me, and the Racheal Wiez character never became as developed as I would have liked. Isla Fisher’s performance however was wonderful and you really fall in love with the girl (Major Spoiler: not Breslin’s mother, but the true love of Reynolds life). In fact as I read another reviewer say this movie really should have been about Fisher and Reynolds falling in love, there was some chemistry and freshness there, in fact enough to put me over the hump and like this movie. Also the contrived plot device does pay off emotionally some what at the end. I don’t buy Reynolds thinking ’Everyday People’ a perfect song. The first of the 90’s nostalgia movies. 3 out of 5.

Punch Drunk Love (2002)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ode to the desires and frustrations of the lonely and repressed. Adam Sandler’s first real dramatic performance is notable not just because he pulls it off, but that you completely forgot the Adam Sandler so popular with teenagers of the 1990's. Emily Watson is perfectly cast as the love interest. You know this movie is nothing like Marty (1955), but it’s the Marty of this generation. Can you believe this same guy directed There Will Be Blood? Four out of Five.

The Anamatrix (2003)

A compilation of nine short animated films that further flesh out ‘The Matrix Universe’. I had been curious about this for some time so when my roommate bought a copy I had to give it a look. It feels out of date now, five years since the last Matrix movie it’s really yesterday’s franchise, but the films are generally intriguing, if a bit too obsessed with fight scenes and scantily clad women. Still it shows there’s lot to explore in that world and if the powers that be could find another way to further said universe, it would probably be successful. 3 out of 5.

Cleopatra (1963)

Epic box office bomb that nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. The movie proved to be just out of sink enough with the zietgiest to fail, epics of the ancient world where on there way out, part of the massive changes in audience tastes to characterize the 1960's. In addition to the timing problems, the production was plagued from the beginning, it went over long, over schedule, and over budget. Not to mention that leads Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s back stage love affair was to become the stuff of Hollywood legend. But how is it as a movie you might ask?

Well first off its way, way to long. It’s 4 hours, and I don’t mean that as a figure of speech, its actually four hours long! I’ll admit I did like the first half well enough, Rex Harrison was awesome as Ceaser, and the peculiar development and eccentricities of his relationship with the Egyptian Queen were fascinating to watch. Then you have the segments of the plot that I was already familiar with from Shakespear’s Julius Ceaser, so it was neat to see them from another angel. However once Harrison was murdered in the Senate things went down hill, for both the characters and the movie.

Now I think Richard Burton’s a fine actor (loved him Night of the Iguana), but I’ve just seen him play that same character of a ‘great man’ who gets drunk and destroyed by a women so often, that I just wasn’t gonna go there with him again. I find the second half of the movie to be indulgent both emotionally and in spectacle, I cared about Ceaser, I didn’t care about Anthony, and by hour three Cleo’s really started to get annoying. Perhaps something could have saved this film, but I don’t know what that would have been: 2 ½ out of 5.

Note: Possible drinking game that could be played with this movie: every time Liz Taylor comes on screen with another breast emphasizing outfit, you take a swig.

Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)

Straight forward treatment of the singing chipmunks, a surprisingly long lived novelty act that has gone from audio, to puppet, to cartoon (twice) and now CG. Struggling song writer Dave Seville (Jason Lee) discovers said singing/talking munks after they sneak into his home by way of a muffin basket. He nurtures and supports the talking rodents as a largely benevolent father figure, though they are lured away from him by a conniving record exec (David Cross), until they learn to appreciate what they had and return to Dave, who himself must journey through an equally straight forward emotional arc. Nice, pleasant, nostalgic, otherwise unremarkable. Three out of five.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

To my taste Tim Burton has a rather mixed record as a director, boasting such classics as Edward Scissor Hands and the nearly so Big Fish, as well as such low points as the Planet of the Apes and Willie Wonkia remakes. Sweeney Todd is defiantly one of Burtons success, he was the perfect choice to direct this stylized musical of revenge set in mid 19th Century London, a story that is the equal of Titus Andronicus in its gore. At first I though the whole enterprise rather straight forward, and perhaps to understanding, yea almost forgiving of the wronged barber in his quest for vengeance. However the last quarter of the picture adds an impressive amount of moral complexity, conflicting loyalties, and strained relationships. It’s beautifully bloody and dark and brings the horror of its subject matter to Shakespearian relief. Is there a darker musical? Four out of Five.

Crusade: The Complete Series (1999)

I had seen most of the episodes for this tragically short lived sequel series to Babylon 5, during its original cable run on TNT. What I hadn’t seen was the last five episodes, which in fact where the first five episodes. Five episodes into production the TNT brass stepped in and began an effort to exert more control over the series. The good part of this was an infusion of increased funds into the show, the bad part was that the increased corporate medaling would lead to a dispute with the creative people, ending in the programs cancellation. This is why watching those 'true' first five episodes was so reveling, it gave me a chance to see what this series could have been had JMS had the complete creative control he deserved.

First off the show would have gotten right into the action, they didn’t film a traditional pilot/ ‘the crew gets together episode’, this was ordered by the network later. Instead we got episodes which hinted at arc, but at this point where mostly stand alone’s, good short stories (despite my roommates protests to the contrary). The ‘X-Files’ episode was just fun, and if you watched that 90's sci-fi staple at all, the satiracle commentary on the conceits of the show are particularly amusing. What impressed me most of this first batch however was the episode about the ‘Taliban-like’ state and its crack down on the arts and culture of an entire race. This episode was slow, it was moody, it went in a couple of different directions, it was not the kind of stuff your used to in television, even sci-fi television. It was a moving little thing that laughed at the rules of pacing and structure and I quite liked it, it’s a shame we didn’t more like that (though I’d put the later ‘Bishop in the Bubble’ episode in that category). All in all this is a series that I’d have loved to see followed through on, and with the new ‘Lost Tales’ direct to DVD series, maybe we’ll find out more about the Excalibur crew in the future. Four out of Five.

The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)

This series got continuously more slapstick oriented and nonsensical as it went along. By the point of this movie its not so much funny, as it is occasionally amusing. I did liked the Gerald Ford sequences, though I’m not sure exactly where they where trying to go with those. Two out of Five.

The Passing of Charlton Heston

As a Mormon I sometimes feel a little reticent to revel my religious affiliation to new acquaintances because it is such a ‘loaded word’, I feel a little of the same when discussing the fact that I am a Charlton Heston fan. The loaded concepts around Mr. Heston are many, that he was a gun nut, a crazy right winger, that he had a ‘prophet’ complex, was prone to corny choices for movie roles, or just wasn’t a very good actor. There was a time when I was a big fan of Heston politically, I’m here referring to the later conservative Heston, the younger liberal Heston is mostly forgotten, though I now more closely relate to him. I am still a strong supporter of the second amendment, though not at all a gun person, and I think a lot of what the actor/NRA president had to say was worthy of discussion, indeed I think he was largely right on a lot of issues, though his style of communicating these points could have been more ecumenical.

Heston is sometimes viewed as the William Shatner of the big screen, and he did play some “hockey” parts in the De Mile epics and sci-fi adventure films of the late 60’s and 70’s. But he was kind of hypnotic to watch. In the crowded cast of Airport 75 he still stood out, and his performance in Ben-Hur was the equal of Lancaster and Douglas. I always felt that Heston was a good person, well meaning and consistent, which is why his attack by Michael Moore in ’Bowling for Columbine’ still stands in my estimation as one of the scummiest things the film maker has ever done (and I generally like Moore). Heston will be missed, even though he had been out of the public eye for years suffering from Alzheimer’s, he was still part of the national conversation and zeitgeist, I found myself in a conversation about Heston as recently as last Thursday. Indeed I just might have to watch Soylent Green again before the week is out.

Braveheart (1995)

This is just one of those films from which I felt removed in initial disposition. I remember the hype when it first came out, and when it won the Oscar, a populist film winning where more ‘sophisticated’ fair is often favored. I even remember Scott Harper in my Church scout troop talking about how hot Wallace’s wife was hot (he was right). However obviously I put off seeing the film and felt its reputation overblown. Well now I’ve seen it and felt it got wider and more impressive as it progressed. There were some good sub-plots here, emotional, relational stuff to intermix with the action and hero epic, they helped it in my estimation, and I liked the film, but I don’t know if I’ll ever feel a strong desire to see it again (I doubt I will). It is however an important step in the evolution of Mel Gibson, with the extreme violence coupled with a ‘justifying’ heroism and aspirations to art. This is the midway point between Lethal Weapon and The Passion of the Christ. Great Score.

West Wing Season 4 (2002-2003)

I saw this whole season (without missing an episode I think) when it first aired five years ago. It’s an eventful season featuring the Presidents re-election, the war in Kundu, Sam’s departure and Will’s arrival, a vice-presidential resignation, and of course the kidnapping of the first daughter, resulting in probably the second most maddeningly anticipatory wait for a shows return in my person history (the first being John Sheridan’s fall into the abyss at the end of season 3 of Babylon 5). Really there’s just to much here for me to do any justice of an encapsulation, I really should just pick an episode and delve into it, but I’d have to hard a time selecting one. So if anyone reading this cares to pick an episode for me feel free to, and if I see it (your message) I’ll be sure to write a little something specific about it.

God Grew Tired of Us (2006)

I saw John Dau, one of the ‘lost boys of Sudan’ featured in this documentary, speak at Boise State last year. My roommate Jon was affected enough to watch the doc, read the book, and generally go on a little John Dau kick. Well now I’ve finally seen the film and quite liked it, it’s a likable pic featuring some profoundly decent folk who’ve been through hell, and come out Christians with sunny dispositions. Now that end result is enough to turn some readers off of the film, but I’d challenge them to see it because life is kind of crazy like that, some people can go through the worst things on Earth and end up surprisingly chipper, while folks who have all the breaks might be forever unhappy. This movie is a testament to the diversity of experience and how some human souls always bounce back. Plus the culture shock factor of African tribesman moving to the American eastern seaboard is worthy of a light chuckle.

Land of the Dead (2005)

George A. Romeo Zombie pick that doubles as commentary on class distinctions but remains poor and clichéd. At what point did attempting to insert real issues into ill reputed genera’s cease to be subversive and become merely pretentious? Well with or before this film, that’s for certain.