Archive | March, 2009

It’s No Joke

8 Mar

If you’re one of those people who think movies provide an escape in tough times, then by all means, stay far away from Watchmen. Based on the popular graphic novel (which Time magazine ranked as one of the 100 best novels of the 20th century), Watchmen tells the unconventional story of a group of superheroes who live in an alternate version of reality: the year is 1985, Richard Nixon is still president (he’s won a fifth term), and superheroes have been banned. No wonder most of them have a pretty bleak outlook on the world. Narrated by the most pessimistic of them all, Rorschach, the story centers on a looming threat of nuclear war with the Russians. What role will (or can) our heroes have in stopping this? And will they find out who is trying to kill them before it’s too late?

Not that there’s anything wrong with conventional superhero movies, but for some reason Hollywood thinks we want to see something on the flipside right now. Here’s the thing, though: even Hancock had some laughs and didn’t take itself soooo seriously. Watchmen is a super-serious affair, with a very downbeat tone, and some heroes who aren’t really fighting for good. I don’t have a problem with unconventional stuff like that, or with the fact that this is based on a comic book. But perhaps there’s a reason I couldn’t really get into the graphic novel when I tried to read it last year, despite repeated attempts. And I think that reason is that the story’s just not terribly engaging or compelling, and the characters are not very likable. For example, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre (Patrick Wilson and Malin Akerman, respectively) are actually pretty lame.

Which is not to say the movie’s awful. The actors all make valiant attempts to wring some credibility from the material — Jackie Earle Haley (Rorschach), for all his character’s pessimism, gives the most notable performance (even if his face is obscured by a mask for most of the film). And the dark look notwithstanding, there are some impressive visual elements in the film, including the neat opening credits sequence. (No, I don’t include Dr. Manhattan’s junk in the list of “impressive visual elements.” We see more of his thang than we did of Jason Segel’s in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I mean, really. I know it’s CGI, but can’t the guy at least wear a thong or something? Even the Hulk wears shorts.) Ultimately, I just didn’t find Watchmen to be as fun, cool, or enjoyable as I’d hoped. It’s much ado about nothing, and that’s why I’m only giving it a C.

Squirrel!

6 Mar

Of all the movies coming out this year, few have excited me more than the new Pixar release, Up, because … well, watch the new trailer for yourself (preferably in HD) and you’ll see that it’s one of Pixar’s brightest and most colorful films ever. The balloons alone make this worth the price of admission. Up comes out May 29.

http://l.yimg.com/cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/fop/embedflv/swf/fop.swf

Another Shut Out

4 Mar

Again I have to say that I don’t get it. And I don’t just mean that literally. I mean I just don’t understand why it’s so hard to get Red Sox tickets. I’ve written in the past about the problems I’ve had on the general on-sale day. Well now I need to complain because for what feels like the third or fourth straight year, I’ve been shut out of even having the opportunity to buy tickets to Opening Day, the Yankee/Red Sox games, or tickets on the Green Monster or Right Field Bud Deck. If you don’t know, the Sox hold multiple separate raffles (all random, of course, ha ha), and winners don’t even get tickets to those games — they simply get the chance to buy tickets to those games. So yeah. After wasting a day in the Virtual Waiting Room and having no luck getting tickets, then you have to enter your name in the drawings and wait to see if you’ll be selected. And yes, that’s right. Not only didn’t I get tickets, I didn’t even get the option to buy tickets. And again, this is the third or fourth year in a row that I didn’t make it through to a single one of those ticket-buying opportunities. What the fudge! How rigged is this ticketing system?! Am I ever going to get through? I’m getting tired of only seeing games in Florida or only going to Fenway for concerts.

You Can’t Rush My Stimulus, Baby

3 Mar

The reviews today haven’t been overwhelmingly positive, but I have to say, I really kind of enjoyed the premiere episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. I think he did a good job with the monologue, and I appreciated all the goofy humor of the first third of the show (maybe it’s because I was watching that part in the morning, when I was still half asleep). Sure, Jimmy’s gotta work on his interviewing skills so he’s as comfortable with someone like Justin Timberlake as he is with someone like “Bob” De Niro, but I’ll keep tuning in because I like Jimmy Fallon and this show looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun.

For a taste of what Jimmy has going on, here’s my favorite part of the episode: where Jimmy and the Roots (his awesome house band) “slow jam” a news story about opposition to Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan. Enjoy!

http://widgets.nbc.com/o/4727a250e66f9723/49add60549792b4b/4741e3c5156499a7/d17c0a6c/-cpid/ecbcfe70811f545d

Let Me in the Sound!

3 Mar

When Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly have already written raves, I feel like there’s nothing more of any significance that I can add. But I do want to register my enthusiastic thumbs up approval for U2’s new album, No Line on the Horizon. Some albums take repeated listens to truly enjoy. For example, I needed to listen to Lily Allen’s latest album twice before I knew I loved it. But NLotH I liked from the first chords of the opening title track. No, it’s not a perfect album from start to finish (those lines about “force quit and move to trash” in the song “Unknown Caller” are really corny), but the first half especially is terrific. I love “Magnificent” and “Moment of Surrender.” Even “Get on Your Boots” sounds better when listened to as part of the entire album and not on its own as a single. So yeah, rush right out and pick this one up.

Il Ya Un Problem?

2 Mar

Forget that this video is entirely en Francais. Just watch Emma Thompson cringe and then rush on stage — in the middle of an awards ceremony!! — to try and help the totally clueless and very nervous French actress Julie Ferrier with her dress.

Sean Penn looks amused too, and there’s certainly a nervous, um, tittering coming from the audience.

I don’t have a clue what this woman is talking about (I don’t think she knows either), but this is pretty classic blooper-reel stuff.

I tell you, if the Oscars this year were anything like this, I might have enjoyed them more.

(Thanks to Jeff Wells for, ahem, the tip.) Continue reading →

Stuck in the Middle

2 Mar

Joaquin Phoenix is such a great actor that it’s really a shame he had to pull that bizarre act on David Letterman a couple weeks ago. In his new film, Two Lovers, he gives such an impressive performance — just as he did in other films, including Walk the Line and Gladiator — that it’s hard to believe the actor and the rapper wannabe are one and the same person. Or … maybe that’s just proof of how versatile he really is.

In Two Lovers, Phoenix plays Leonard, who has moved back in with his parents in the decidedly unhip Russian Jewish neighborhood of Brighton Beach following his break-up with his fiancee. To keep busy and keep his mind off his heartbreak, Leonard works in his father’s cleaners, which his father is planning to merge with the owner of another cleaners. Actually, there’s another merger at work: Leonard is fixed up with Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), whose father owns the other cleaners. A relationship with Sandra promises stability, comfort, and emotional rescue. But that’s when Leonard meets Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), who has moved into the building where Leonard lives. Leonard is instantly drawn to the hip, beautiful, vivacious Michelle, and she sparks his personality. But while Leonard is crushing on Michelle, she is involved in a self-destructive affair with a married man. And we always want the ones we can’t have, right? The two women possess opposite qualities, and Leonard is attracted to them for different reasons. So he is faced with a choice: will it be love or lust?

As noted, Phoenix is really terrific here. He gives a sensitive, emotional, totally believable performance. He doesn’t hit a single false note. The two women are also very good, though Shaw certainly comes across better than Paltrow. I like how director James Gray films the Manhattan and Brighton Beach scenes differently, so as to emphasize how much more exciting Michelle’s life is. And I also appreciated how the film avoids the cliche of having the two women meet, thus forcing Leonard to make his big choice. What happens here happens organically, naturally. Is it an easy decision? No. But it’s a testament to the writing and to Phoenix’s performance that it all feels very real. I’m giving Two Lovers an A–.

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