Hey there everyone.
I'd like to start out this entry with a small tribute to Robert Altman, who passed away today at the age of 81. While Altman surely lived a long and illustrious life, there is something particularly sad about him passing away, because not only was he a great filmmaker of decade's past, but well into his 70's and 80's he was STILL one of the best directors out there, by any measure. Altman was one of the greats who made movies that both struck a chord with the masses but also felt like the true product of a singular creative vision. All of his movies are in their own way pieces of art, never feeling like the work of a studio, always feeling like the work of a man with something to say. I can't say that I'm an Altman afficianado, but he's a director whose acclaimed body of work I sincerely look forward to discovering and taking in. I know that as a kid, his version of Popeye always stood out as a kids' favorite - a news strip come to glorious, colorful life. I know that in college, seeing The Long Goodbye changed how I looked at movies, with its sharp wit and humor mixed with all the classic trappings of film noir. I know that Gosford Park wowed me with its carefully chosen dialogue and sweeping cast of characters. And I know that Altman, aside from being one of the greats, always seemed a class act, someone who just enjoyed making movies and exploring characters and driving at real, poignant truths about life and art through his stories. His movies seem to brilliantly thrust you into some new world and totally immerse you with the vividness of the characters and setting - whether its the desolate army bunkers of MASH, the smoky neo-noir world of the Long Goodbye, or the upstairs-downstairs class dichotmoy of Gosford Park. So I guess that's why even though I've yet to see many of his classic films, and even though it's only been in recent years that I've really come to know his place in film cannon, that I am deeply saddened that this great figure in film is no longer with us.
- On another note ... man, I don't know what to think after Michael Richard's awkward segment last night on Letterman. While Richards' words the other night were totally inexcusable, he probably should have taken a few days before going on air and let the storm die down a bit. Also, Letterman hardly seemed the right venue for this apology, and the crowd clearly didn't know how to react to Richards. Which is understandable, as he rambled awkwardly and further embarrassed himself by using questionable terminology like "afro-American" repeatedly, which didn't help things any. Still, I kind of feel bad for the guy. His whole persona is built on this kind of spastic, spontaneous comedy and I can almost see how a guy like him can work himself into a frenzied state of mind where he doesn't quite realize what it is he's saying. Of course, what he said was just horribly offensive and inappropriate, but the whole thing just seems like a shame to me, and it's just sad to see a guy who is so beloved take a fall like this. I remember one of my first days as an NBC page, working at Leno, Richards was a surprise guest and came out on stage to sign Jay's charity bike. At that point, the whole concept of seeing stars in person who I had grown up watching on TV was just completely novel and surreal, and I was cheering as Richards walked onstage, just floored to be seeing Kramer in person, you know? So it just saddens me that this guy is falling from grace like this, but I hope it will eventually blow over. Unlike say Mel Gibson, whose tirade kind of reinforced long-held suspicions of him having an antisemetic, inherently hypocritical agenda, I think this is more just a case of a guy who is kind of mixed-up and off the wall.
TV STUFF:
- Okay, so last night's HEROES was the big "save the cheerleader, save the world" hype-fest. Did it get 'er done? Well, I agree with some other reviews I've seen that this ep, an ep that really HAD to deliver on its dramatic and emotional potential, kind of ended up illustrating so much of what is lacking on the show. Namely, a lack of real dramatic or emotional punch. I mean, the stakes that had been set up here were IMMENSE - a lead character's prophesied doom, a crazed super-powered serial killer with an affection for brain tissue, and a looming threat of nuclear apocalypse. Why was it then, that as we got the big scene of Claire reacing up the steps at her high school homecoming, with Peter Petrelli standing between her and blood-lusting Sylar -- why did that scene feel so, well, small? So much could have happened here, so much emotion could have been infused into the plotline, so many twists and turns were potentially awaiting ... But, partially due to uninspired acting, partially due to uninspired writing, that legitimate sense of epic-ness never really surfaced. This was no 24 "Right here, right now, you will face justice!" gravitas-infused moment as it should have been. Still, the show is doing a good job at chugging along, having fun with introducing new characters and new powers, throwing in nice little twists and mysteries like "what happened to Hiro?" But the whole thing just feels a bt dumbed down ... like remember how over the past few weeks Claire's adoptive father was touted in the opening recaps as "the face of evil?" Clearly, the writers are TRYING to make him a much more complex character than that, but the show seems to be waging an internal struggle over whether to spell everything out for the viewer (see the continually laaame Mohinder-spoken narration) or to mix things up and bring in more shades of gray, more compelxity, more depth. Right now, it just seems a weird mix of heavy-handed plot twists (yes, we GET that Peter can mimic people's powers ...) and the odd scene of almost gratuitous uber-violence (man, that Sylar psychic lobotomy was just gruesome, I think it inspired some weird nightmares last night to boot ...). Anyways, I am liking the show overall, and it has certainly made some great strides of late to flesh out its characters and expand its mythology ... But it has yet to really put me on the edge of my seat - with a show about metahuman heroes saving the world, you'd think it would be better at that.
My Grade: B
- Meanwhile, PRISON BREAK continues to make no bones about the fact that what it is is a weekly hour of nonstop, intense action and over the top, B-movie character stuff that would make John Carpenter smile. I love it. This was yet another episode that was ridiculously entertaining in a way that is so over the top that you've got to get a kick out of it. Sarah's daring rooftop escape from Kellering, the death of Michael and Lincoln's dad, the "secret origin" of Michael in which his need to escape is explained as a biproduct of abusive foster parents who kept him locked in a dark room as a child -- now come on, THAT is awesome - a comic book-ish twist worthy of Frank Miller. And what a classic cliffhanger ending - Fichtner finally catches his prey and holds our two fav convict brothers at gunpoint, unarmed and with nowhere to run. Now that is GRAVITAS.
My Grade: A
- I finally got a hold of last week's Veronica Mars, but even though I've been optimistic about the show's creative resurgance based on the quality of the last few eps, I'm now very worried by an EW review of the latest ep that bestowed the magazine's beloved show with a pitiful grade of D. Yikes! A "D" for VM is something that is almost unthinkable up until now, and with a show like this that is perpetually on the cancellation bubble, poor critical reviews are the last thing it needs. Please tell me that this is either a misguided review, or else that this is just one blip on the radar before a kickass second story arc for Season 3, of one of the best by-far dramas of the last few years.
OTHER STUFF:
- Finally got my new MacBook yesterday, and so far it's great! The keyboard is a little oddly layed out compared to what I'm used to but it was a snap to set up and I've got AIM, MS Office, Final Draft, and a few other programs up and running. Interesting that it uses only the Safari internet browser with no ability to download IE Explorer ... but man, DVD's look great o nthe ultra-bright screen and that little remote control included is pretty sweet. No I have to figure out how to create a wireless network so I can have the laptop and desktop easily internet-ready in the apartment. Any suggestions on how to do this?
- Alright ... I'm out for some lunch - just one half day to go before Thanksgiving time! Whoohoo! Cya. Read the Blog, SAVE THE WORLD.
No comments:
Post a Comment