by Dean | Nov 6, 2011 | General
I was going to see Tower Heist this weekend, but I got a chance to see an old epic on the big screen and opted for that instead. It was Spartacus (1960), one of Stanley Kubrick’s better films–good on the small screen, a gem on the big. Therein, Kirk Douglas plays the gladiator Spartacus, who is determined to fight historical dehumanization by leading a slave rebellion against ancient Rome. Douglas has star power but greatness too: he’s never without forcefulness and personality. Other great ones are Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton; every time they’re on the screen we like it. Jean Simmons, enacting Spartacus’ wife, fills the bill.
I love epic movies; good ones offer cakes-and-ale, as this one does. They don’t get monotonous. Kubrick directed carefully and wisely. Outstanding is the battle scene where the rebels use against the Roman soldiers rollers of burning straw, and the long shot of Simmons and Ustinov riding away on a stretched-out road lined with crucified slaves, Spartacus among them, before the picture ends. The last epic film I saw in a theatre hitherto (they aren’t plentiful) was Mongol, which was enjoyable but somewhat less so than this one, just as Spartacus is not as great as The Ten Commandments, Lawrence of Arabia and Lord of the Rings.
(Spartacus is showing in Tulsa, Oklahoma until Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011.)
Cover of Spartacus
by Dean | Oct 30, 2011 | General
The 2006 German film, The Lives of Others, successfully does what today’s movie critics declined to mention in their reviews: it condemns Communism. Too, it exposes a government, East German in 1984, that is slowly getting weary of Communism, whether the death throes are there or not. A Stasi member called Wiesler (Ulrich Muhe) realizes just how spiritually draining the GDR is. Although the change which comes over him is insufficiently believable, Wiesler seems to be humanized by three things: music, some poetry by Brecht, and–the lives of others, viz. the people he is spying on. One of them is the victim of a Commie’s sexual harassment.
Directed and written by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, The Lives of Others is absorbing and nicely plotted. It’s rated R because actress Martina Gedeck has her breast squeezed (by a man) and then exposed. But it isn’t gratuitous.
(The film is in German with English subtitles.)
Cover of The Lives of Others
by Dean | Oct 24, 2011 | General
The Merchant Ivory film, Before the Rains (2007), is a wonderland of rich scenery. Set in India, it was photographed by its director, Santosh Sivan. Too bad a second-rate story, with the character of a British colonialist in 1937 given short shrift, wrecks the enterprise. In fact, a whole lotta hogwash is here.
Linus Roache supplies a little too much on-the-surface acting as the colonialist, but is passable. Rahul Bose is largely uninteresting as an Indian right-hand man. The women, Nandita Das and Jennifer Ehle, however, have their hearts in it and never make a false move. Put another way, no surface stuff. If you’re drawn at all to this film, see it for these two performances.
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by Dean | Oct 18, 2011 | General
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In the non-naturalistic The Leftovers (2011), Tom Perrotta’s new novel, millions of people have disappeared from the earth in a Rapture-like phenomenon, and a great many were not Christians. It was a “random harvest” and most of Perrotta’s attention is fixed on what has ensued in the U.S. suburbs now that this inexplicable tragedy has occurred. At bottom the Sudden Departure, as it is called, is simply the next bad thing to happen after such events as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Japanese tsunami, etc.; the novel subtly presents it as such.
A spellbinding fact is that sundry religious cults have arisen, winning such converts as the wife (Laurie) and son (Tom) of Kevin Garvey, the mayor of a town called Mapleton. The cult that has lured in Laurie is the Guilty Remnant, a bizarre religion whose adherents wear white, almost never speak, and routinely smoke cigarettes. Perrotta’s point here may well be this: To slightly alter something G.K. Chesterton said, when people stop believing in the traditional God, they start believing in anything. False gods are ubiquitous, notwithstanding there is in the book a ruined minister, Max Jamison, who does not even turn to a false god. He fails to accept that a non-traditional event like the random (but was it random?) Sudden Departure could have come from the true Deity.
One might suspect The Leftovers of being depressing, but it isn’t. It’s merely serious as well as lively, wry and humane. Though it’s been called satirical, for the most part that isn’t true.
The photo is of Tom Perrotta.
by Dean | Oct 9, 2011 | General
The screenplay for 50/50 was penned by one Will Reiser and is based on Reiser’s own bout with spinal cancer. A tragic comedy as opposed to a comic tragedy, it stars Joseph Gordon-Leavitt as the young, dutiful suburbanite with a tumor on his spine.
The most interesting thing about the film is how it exhibits the ways in which people react to and deal with Adam’s (Gordon-Leavitt’s) cancer. His girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) starts behaving disgracefully. Adam’s close buddy Kyle (Seth Rogen) wants Adam to get laid–and also uses him to attract women. But, in addition, he always sticks by him. Adam himself reacts to the disease by smoking marijuana. Welcome to the Western world and its young people.
Directed by Jonathan Levine, 50/50 is mildly funny–I don’t consider it hilarious, as some have claimed–and occasionally packs a punch (as when Adam begins to act irrationally behind the wheel of Kyle’s car). It’s also rather slight, though. Really, it’s a little less enjoyable than some of today’s lauded TV series such as Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Big Love and Sons of Anarchy. TV writers are giving motion picture writers a run for their money, notwithstanding 50/50 IS perfectly watchable.
by DaveStuff | Oct 3, 2011 | Internet Relationships
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Plenty of Fish and the online matchmaking world is thriving as usual. The question – My Matches – How is this determined? Do these sites actually have a ‘technological’ system that matches you with people you are compatible with?
Matchmaking Test
I have been playing around on 3 different free dating sites off and on for years. In fact it’s probably one of the reason I don’t get around to updating this blog…hahaha.. Whatever… I have learned the ups and downs of Plenty of Fish and others such as OK Cupid and Date Hook Up. You dig???
Plenty Of Fish Friends
Lets discuss a few of my friends I have met on Plenty of Fish over the past few years shall we? Some I have dated…Some are penpals etc…The question remains: Why does POF consider some of these ‘my matches’ and others do not come up in ANY match or search whatsoever….If I did not already know them I would have never met them on POF.
- _______ is my friend and pen pal from another site. We met in person a few months ago. We got along famously from day one and still remain close friends. She signed up on POF and has not come up on any matches or searches no matter how narrow I tweak the settings.
- ______ is a friend I met thru FB. She has helped me out of a lot of scrapes and been a good friend to me and my kid. She has been on POF about as long as I have and never comes up on any searches or matches.
- _____ is my educated IM buddy. She gives me advice on women and dating among other things. We did meet on POF. -She also does not come up on any matches or searches.
- _____ is my artistic friend. She is fun to talk to and very wise. We say hello often and have been out on the town a few times. I met her on POF and she still comes up in matches and searches regularly.
- _______Is my philosophical and religion debating partner. She’s fun to talk to and we have known each other a few months as of this post. She also comes up on matches and searches.
- _______Is a small town girl I talked to a long time ago.. We never got cross or anything but for some reason she blocked me. Then, recently she has come up as one of ‘my matches’ Why would somebody who has blocked you still be a ‘match’ ???
- ________ Is a pen pal and spiritual friend who even tho we clicked ‘yes’ on each other in the ‘match me feature’ are not considered ‘matches’ in the system and do not come up on searches.
- ________Is a musician friend of mine that did come up on matches in the beginning… Now we are on each others ‘favorites’ but do not come up as ‘matches’
- _______Is another that lives out of town that I converse with and we gripe about life to each other and people we meet on POF. She dropped the site recently calling it “Put Out F**kers’
- ____,____, and _____ among others are friends and acquaintances that I met there or elsewhere that are active on the site…Some are matches some are not… Some come up on searches some do not…
My Matches Conclusion
All these Ladies are beautiful people that I consider friends and groovy to my soul… You can see their profiles at (removed) What? You think I want more competition? Hardly… Guys far outnumber the Gals on dating sites folks. But your welcome to check out my profile.
So…. Plenty of Fish matchmaking…Does it work Wassup???
by Dean | Oct 2, 2011 | General
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In Joe Johnston’s comic-book movie, Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), a brave but physically puny Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) becomes, via a serum, a stunningly strong Captain America, eager to defeat a powerful Third Reich psychopath with a red skull (Hugo Weaving). The time is the 1940s.
There is little chemistry between Evans and British actress Haley Atwell, and the film doesn’t have the guts to be more American than international (it is meant for an international audience), but it’s a captivating, sometimes witty, adventure-fantasy all the same. It’s visually better than anything George Lucas did–the retro production design can be transporting but is never overdone–and the action can be imaginative. On the other hand, to me the action eventually gets tiresome in a way it doesn’t in 2010’s Kick-Ass.
Not great, this picture, but still fun. And, yes, it is patriotic, despite the international dramatis personae.
by Dean | Sep 29, 2011 | General
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Religious holiday fare from December 2007, Noelle presents an American Catholic priest with a guilty secret. He needs, and receives, the same spiritual consolation the parish padre in Bernanos’ novel Diary of a Country Priest receives. A small-town Catholicism now dying, now given new life, makes for some palatable material, but almost nothing in David Wall’s script is easy to swallow. I like his acting (he plays the priest) and directing, but not the bogus writing.
by Dean | Sep 25, 2011 | General
Cover of Spy Kids
Spy Kids (2002) is yet another action flick–a nutty and charming one. I’m talking genuine charm, not Hollywood charm, thanks to director-writer Robert Rodriguez. He patently believes in what he’s doing, he can be funny, and he venerates marriage and family. (In this movie he does; I don’t know about real life: in 2006 Rodriguez left his wife and kids for actress Rose McGowan.) Even his infrequent scatology makes prepubescent sense; prepubescent is what Carmen and Juni, the spy kids, are.
Adequate Alexa Vega provides Carmen with no more and no less than what she should. Though too soft-spoken, Daryl Sabara (Juni) is sweet and facially expressive. The stronger actors are Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino as the spy kids’ spy parents. Holding the reins of it all is a talented man whose screenplay is original, not an adaptation of a children’s book. Let’s hear it for Latino heroism! (In America.)
by Dean | Sep 19, 2011 | General
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In Priceless, a 2008 French film (with English subtitles) by Pierre Salvadori, Audrey Tautou stars as Irene, a gold-digging beauty who mistakes a waiter-cum-bartender, Jean (Gad Elmaleh), for a rich man, only to discover the truth after Jean has happily bedded her twice. Following a brush-off, Irene sees red when Jean inadvertently spoils a gold-digging date she is on, but she gets her revenge. She quickly starts making demands of the waiter which drain him dry of money. It scarcely matters to Jean, however: he now loves the naughty gamine. He also gets his bills paid, mirabile dictu, through becoming the kept man of an older widow played by Marie-Christine Adam, whom he cannot love. He has his eye on Irene–and she on him!
Corruption runs deep in this film and exists mostly within women. Two women, Irene one of them, want to marry money, while another, the widow, supplies gifts to a young man for sex and companionship. It is Jean who is decent in many, though not all, ways. He unselfishly loves Irene even as the latter tries to play her gold-digging game–seemingly–to the end. But fear not: Priceless (or Hors de Prix) is a comedy of reformation–Irene’s. And, no, it’s not a wholly convincing reformation but it will do. It will do because, being a comedy, the film needs a happy ending and because Irene is perspicacious enough to see that Jean is deserving.
Sophisticated comedy (sometimes farce) in French cinema may still be going strong, although I don’t know since most French movies don’t get distributed to the U.S. I do know that the Salvadori film, whose script is by Benoit Graffin and Salvadori himself, is superbly written, with character and plot as its grabbers. It isn’t cerebral at all, but it is honest and truly amusing.
Elmaleh is nearly stolid as Jean but still does well by him: a nearly stolid Jean is okay. Tautou, a good enough comic actress, is as nuanced as she is sensual. She’s triumphing as often as Virginie Ledoyen.
