I put it off for a while... then with her final date to post hovering over me, I wrote a little essay On Procrastination and Deadlines.
Click over and take a look!
Friday, February 27, 2009
ROUTINES FOR WRITERS -- PROCRASTINATION AND DEADLINES
Our delightful friend Kitty Bucholtz asked me to guest-blog on a blog she contributes to, Routines for Writers, as part of their "author crush month."
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
TV THOUGHTS: THE 81st ACADEMY AWARDS
It's been odd to watch the reactions to this year's show, as people seem so polarized -- either loving or hating it. I guess the producers succeeded in getting people to notice their changes.
I thought some of it worked, some of it didn't.
The good stu
ff: I thought Hugh Jackman did a good job with often weak material. His personality was appealing, he interacted with the stars (the few that were there) well. His opening number was okay, thoug
h it screamed "We-wish-we-could-copy-Billy-Crystal-overtly-but-this-is-as-close-as-we-can-get." It would have been so much better if they had just copied Billy, and done parodies of songs rather than writing new, unrecognizable, bland music. And I'm not sure the "we-have-no-money" bit worked when surrounded by a multi-million dollar display curtain made of Swarovski crystals. But not a total failure.
I liked the look of the stage (that curtain, and the lowered stage, and the overall design work -- very nice indeed). I liked the pacing, for the most part. I liked the groups of five actresses speaking to the five nominees, and found it quite moving (Not so much for the actors, though, where either the actors seemed awkward, just reading their teleprompters, or the producers had clearly begged someone, anyone, to fill the spot.) I liked this year's dresses quite a bit -- really very lovely overall. And I loved Tina Fey and Steve Martin -- let's get the two of them to co-host the show next year!
What didn't work? Unfortunately, far too much. The mid-show Baz Luhrmann-directed production number was a pointless mess. (For this, they truncated the best song nominees?) The Best Song medley, for that matter, was also a mess. The lack of big stars was glaring -- all those cutaways to the screenwriter of Milk weren't because he was cute, it was because there was no one else in the audience to cut to (the few stars that were there apparently being out at the lobby bar for most of the show).
But overall, the biggest problem with the show stemmed from an overall lack of respect. It was disrespectful to spend the In Memoriam segment spinning the camera from one screen to another, sometimes so much that we couldn't even see who was being honored. It was disrespectful of Ben Stiller to upstage the clips of the Cinematography nominees (yes, he was funny, though perhaps too "inside baseball" for most of the country, but he should not have tried to keep drawing attention to himself while the clips were showing).
There's more. It was disrespectful to cut repeatedly away from Jennifer Aniston to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (disrespectful to seat Brangelina in a position so close to Jennifer). It was disrespectful to mash the Best Song nominees together the way they did. The "2008 Comedies" Pineapple Express sketch was disrespectful to the movies it was purportedly featuring (and just lame). It was disrespectful to the audience to forego so many clips, especially having no clips of the Best performance nominations.
And while we're discussing clips, the Best Picture clips were especially disrespectful. What was with that film-school-freshman idea of mashing together Best Picture clips with clips from other movies? Who cares if they were supposedly thematically relevant -- the whole idea was idiotic, confusing, self-indulgent, badly executed, and, again, intensely disrespectful to this year's nominees. This is the Oscars, not a final for your first-ever editing class.
Was it watchable? Sure. Should they do it again next year? Maybe... But only if they can bring in someone who can show a little more respect.
Friday, February 20, 2009
OKAY, LET'S TALK OSCAR
I'm not that excited about the Oscars this year. Maybe it's that we're not throwing a viewing party (it'd be all Indian food and Twinkies, anyway), since we won't be moving till a few weeks after the Oscars. We were invited to what looks like a lovely party, but can't take the kids to it, so will probably stay home and watch with them.... Or maybe it's that my favorite movies of the year (Wall-E and Iron Man) were shunted to the side.
At any rate, I thought I'd at least weigh in on Oscar prognostications, since it is the season. (Our local supermarket has a ballot to fill out, with a big $25 gift card prize attached to it!) Then next week you all can come tell me where I messed up in my guesses. But if you use my guesses in your own office pool, I hereby absolve myself of all responsibility for your losses.
BEST PICTURE -- Slumdog Millionaire. Not even worth placing a back-up bet on any of the others.
BEST ANIMATED FILM: Wall-E, an astonishing work of art which also should have been nominated for Best Picture. The fact that Kung Fu Panda won the Annie (a) was shocking and (b) suggests that many of the voters watched their screeners instead of watching on the big screen.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Man on Wire. But the docu categories are always hard to call because the Academy docu branch members tend to vote for their friends, regardless.
BEST FOREIGN FILM: Waltz with Bashir seems to be the front runner, though I am hearing a lot of good things about The Class in the last week or so.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Slumdog Millionaire. I don't think any of the others stand a chance.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: It should be Wall-E. But it won't be, because (a) the Academy is full of actors who feel nervous about movies in which actors don't appear onscreen; and (b) most non-writers think "writing" means "dialogue" and don't realize that, yes, every bit of Wall-E was written. So here is where the PC vote will sweep Milk to what will probably be its only win.
BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire.
BEST ACTOR -- I'm calling Mickey Rourke. A great performance, and everyone loves the kind of comeback this would represent. I know many consider the front-runner to be Sean Penn for Milk -- but I've heard from too many people that the shot of the real Harvey Milk in the closing credits of the movie was so much more moving than Penn's entire performance, which says to me that if Penn wins, he wins for political and PC reasons, not for the performance.
BEST ACTRESS -- I'd like it to be Meryl Streep. I fear it will be Kate Winslet, who wants it so bad she just oozes desire and desperation in every appearance these days. And my fear that she will win is not because she's a bad actress, but because I dread her emo acceptance speech.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR -- Heath Ledger. I hope the other nominees have been working on their grave "He-deserved-it-more-than-me" facial expressions (Robert Downey, Jr. had this down pat at the Golden Globes).
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS -- Probably Penelope Cruz. But I don't really care.
ART DIRECTION -- The Dark Knight. The first of the "oops-maybe-this-should-have-had-a-Best-Picture-nom" awards.
CINEMATOGRAPHY -- Slumdog Millionaire. Worthy nominees, all. But the camerawork was really pretty special here, and I think we're going to see a mini-sweep.
COSTUME DESIGN -- Harder to call than you'd think. Usually the Academy goes for period pieces, which gives it to The Duchess. But the PC pull of Milk could give it a win here.
EDITING -- Slumdog Millionaire. Really a feat to pull off the triple storylines and fractured time without losing anyone in the audience along the way.
MAKE-UP -- A surprisingly tough category to call. Hellboy probably should win it. Benjamin Button, however, is more a "traditional" Oscar nominee, and highly dependent on its make-up effects working seamlessly. If Button *doesn't* win this category, then I'd expect the movie to be skunked, despite its 13 nominations. Dark Knight could win it because of the "oops" factor again.
MUSIC (SCORE) -- It should be Wall-E, which, as a near silent film, is dependent on its music in a way that no other movie this year is. It will probably be Slumdog.
MUSIC (SONG) -- This is the bizarrest set of nominations of the year. Who even knew there were 2 songs in Slumdog? And where is Bruce Springsteen? Where, for that matter, is a song from High School Musical 3? Odd, odd, odd. I think this will have to go to Wall-E, if only because the two Slumdog noms will split the vote.
SOUND EDITING -- This award is really about sound effects. I'd be happy to see Wall-E win (anything). My sound editor friend tells me to bet on Dark Knight, though.
SOUND MIXING -- The Slumdog mini-sweep continues.
VISUAL EFFECTS -- Iron Man. It could go to Dark Knight, as part of the "Oops" vote. But Benjamin Button doesn't stand a chance.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT -- Now we're into the awards which often seem to exist only to break the tie in the office pool. I haven't seen or heard anything about any of these, so I'll say, whichever one is about (a) the Holocaust; (b) gay rights; or (c) civil rights, in that order.
ANIMATED SHORT -- Presto is the Pixar offering this year. I don't know if that hurts or helps it. Otherwise, I'd close my eyes and stab at the ballot.
LIVE ACTION SHORT -- I haven't seen any, but I've heard several good things about Toyland.
...It's years like this that make me wish my dad was still alive, because he had an uncanny way of picking every winner most years, and all without having seen any of the movies. Anyway, good luck with your Oscar pools, and let me know where you disagree with my picks!
At any rate, I thought I'd at least weigh in on Oscar prognostications, since it is the season. (Our local supermarket has a ballot to fill out, with a big $25 gift card prize attached to it!) Then next week you all can come tell me where I messed up in my guesses. But if you use my guesses in your own office pool, I hereby absolve myself of all responsibility for your losses.
BEST PICTURE -- Slumdog Millionaire. Not even worth placing a back-up bet on any of the others.
BEST ANIMATED FILM: Wall-E, an astonishing work of art which also should have been nominated for Best Picture. The fact that Kung Fu Panda won the Annie (a) was shocking and (b) suggests that many of the voters watched their screeners instead of watching on the big screen.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Man on Wire. But the docu categories are always hard to call because the Academy docu branch members tend to vote for their friends, regardless.
BEST FOREIGN FILM: Waltz with Bashir seems to be the front runner, though I am hearing a lot of good things about The Class in the last week or so.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Slumdog Millionaire. I don't think any of the others stand a chance.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: It should be Wall-E. But it won't be, because (a) the Academy is full of actors who feel nervous about movies in which actors don't appear onscreen; and (b) most non-writers think "writing" means "dialogue" and don't realize that, yes, every bit of Wall-E was written. So here is where the PC vote will sweep Milk to what will probably be its only win.
BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire.
BEST ACTOR -- I'm calling Mickey Rourke. A great performance, and everyone loves the kind of comeback this would represent. I know many consider the front-runner to be Sean Penn for Milk -- but I've heard from too many people that the shot of the real Harvey Milk in the closing credits of the movie was so much more moving than Penn's entire performance, which says to me that if Penn wins, he wins for political and PC reasons, not for the performance.
BEST ACTRESS -- I'd like it to be Meryl Streep. I fear it will be Kate Winslet, who wants it so bad she just oozes desire and desperation in every appearance these days. And my fear that she will win is not because she's a bad actress, but because I dread her emo acceptance speech.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR -- Heath Ledger. I hope the other nominees have been working on their grave "He-deserved-it-more-than-me" facial expressions (Robert Downey, Jr. had this down pat at the Golden Globes).
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS -- Probably Penelope Cruz. But I don't really care.
ART DIRECTION -- The Dark Knight. The first of the "oops-maybe-this-should-have-had-a-Best-Picture-nom" awards.
CINEMATOGRAPHY -- Slumdog Millionaire. Worthy nominees, all. But the camerawork was really pretty special here, and I think we're going to see a mini-sweep.
COSTUME DESIGN -- Harder to call than you'd think. Usually the Academy goes for period pieces, which gives it to The Duchess. But the PC pull of Milk could give it a win here.
EDITING -- Slumdog Millionaire. Really a feat to pull off the triple storylines and fractured time without losing anyone in the audience along the way.
MAKE-UP -- A surprisingly tough category to call. Hellboy probably should win it. Benjamin Button, however, is more a "traditional" Oscar nominee, and highly dependent on its make-up effects working seamlessly. If Button *doesn't* win this category, then I'd expect the movie to be skunked, despite its 13 nominations. Dark Knight could win it because of the "oops" factor again.
MUSIC (SCORE) -- It should be Wall-E, which, as a near silent film, is dependent on its music in a way that no other movie this year is. It will probably be Slumdog.
MUSIC (SONG) -- This is the bizarrest set of nominations of the year. Who even knew there were 2 songs in Slumdog? And where is Bruce Springsteen? Where, for that matter, is a song from High School Musical 3? Odd, odd, odd. I think this will have to go to Wall-E, if only because the two Slumdog noms will split the vote.
SOUND EDITING -- This award is really about sound effects. I'd be happy to see Wall-E win (anything). My sound editor friend tells me to bet on Dark Knight, though.
SOUND MIXING -- The Slumdog mini-sweep continues.
VISUAL EFFECTS -- Iron Man. It could go to Dark Knight, as part of the "Oops" vote. But Benjamin Button doesn't stand a chance.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT -- Now we're into the awards which often seem to exist only to break the tie in the office pool. I haven't seen or heard anything about any of these, so I'll say, whichever one is about (a) the Holocaust; (b) gay rights; or (c) civil rights, in that order.
ANIMATED SHORT -- Presto is the Pixar offering this year. I don't know if that hurts or helps it. Otherwise, I'd close my eyes and stab at the ballot.
LIVE ACTION SHORT -- I haven't seen any, but I've heard several good things about Toyland.
...It's years like this that make me wish my dad was still alive, because he had an uncanny way of picking every winner most years, and all without having seen any of the movies. Anyway, good luck with your Oscar pools, and let me know where you disagree with my picks!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
I [HEART] MY iPHONE
So we're on a freeway that suddenly jams up all around us. We're barely moving, and it's not rush hour, and we need to be somewhere on time, and we need to know: Do we get off the freeway or not? Is this a traffic accident that's just around the corner, or is it a 10-mile pile-up?
Lee turns on the radio to wait for the traffic report. But the traffic report only comes on every 5 minutes. So I click on my iPhone and slide over to Sigalert.com to check on the traffic. Whew! Good news. We're maybe a quarter of a mile away from the traffic accident, and traffic is racing at 68 mph after the jam.
But that's not good enough for Lee. "Yeah," he (almost) sneers, "but what color are the cars in the wreck?"
And I tap on my touch screen and report back: "It's a white Ford Explorer, a silver BMW, and a black Toyota Camry. The police arrived 7 minutes ago, and the cars were pulled to the side of the road 4 minutes ago."
Minutes later, we pass the white Ford Explorer, the silver BMW, the black Toyota, and the police car, and zoom back up to speed.
I love my magic slate of awesomeness.
Lee turns on the radio to wait for the traffic report. But the traffic report only comes on every 5 minutes. So I click on my iPhone and slide over to Sigalert.com to check on the traffic. Whew! Good news. We're maybe a quarter of a mile away from the traffic accident, and traffic is racing at 68 mph after the jam.
But that's not good enough for Lee. "Yeah," he (almost) sneers, "but what color are the cars in the wreck?"
And I tap on my touch screen and report back: "It's a white Ford Explorer, a silver BMW, and a black Toyota Camry. The police arrived 7 minutes ago, and the cars were pulled to the side of the road 4 minutes ago."
Minutes later, we pass the white Ford Explorer, the silver BMW, the black Toyota, and the police car, and zoom back up to speed.
I love my magic slate of awesomeness.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
POSTING AND SINGING
Sorry for yet another delay in posting. I seem to be having blog problems this year so far, don't I?
This time, part of the issue was that we were out of town for a very extended weekend. A long weekend of skiing and snowboarding (and reading), which meant a week with no computer. (Yes, I could have posted using my "magic slate of awesomeness," which is what my kids call my iPhone -- but the prospect of that much one-fingered typing made me procrastinate.)
In addition, I've had a few other days with no computer, because I have a new computer (yay!), and had both the old and new turned in to the Apple Store to transfer data -- and had some problems because the old computer was so old. (Lee and I tend to get our money's worth out of our computers -- Let's put it this way: I could no longer access sites like Mapquest or Google Earth on my old computer -- they simply wouldn't communicate with each other. It was time for the upgrade.)
But now I am back, and happy to be so. I have a few things to post about coming up... For one thing, over the last couple of weeks, I re-read all the Harry Potter books, straight through, and want to post about the experience.
You can only experience (read, view) something for the first time once. (Duh.) That "first time" is so special.
I got to see that a couple of weeks ago when we had the wonderful experience of seeing Singing in the Rain on the big screen. What a wonderful movie it is! We came out of the theatre dancing and singing ourselves!
But the special treat for me was sitting between Cory and Sabrina and sneaking peeks at them out of the corner of my eye. Their delight was just a joy for me to experience. They laughed their way through the 50-year-old movie from beginning to end, they found the dance numbers just magical, and when Kathy Selden mistakenly shoved the cake in the face of Lena Lamont, Sabrina gasped out loud and put her hands over her face in shock.
(The kids, by the way, assumed that Singing in the Rain must have won all sorts of Oscars -- and when we looked it up, it turned out it was nominated for two minor awards and won nothing. Something to keep in mind this Sunday.)
Maybe that's why it's fun for me to read Harry Potter to my kids, or to take out-of-town guests to Disneyland -- we can't experience anything for the first time twice, but we can share someone else's first-time experience.
My re-read of Harry Potter was fun and interesting on different levels, however, and I'll get to it in soon-to-come posts. Posts typed on my new computer. Soon. Very soon.
This time, part of the issue was that we were out of town for a very extended weekend. A long weekend of skiing and snowboarding (and reading), which meant a week with no computer. (Yes, I could have posted using my "magic slate of awesomeness," which is what my kids call my iPhone -- but the prospect of that much one-fingered typing made me procrastinate.)
In addition, I've had a few other days with no computer, because I have a new computer (yay!), and had both the old and new turned in to the Apple Store to transfer data -- and had some problems because the old computer was so old. (Lee and I tend to get our money's worth out of our computers -- Let's put it this way: I could no longer access sites like Mapquest or Google Earth on my old computer -- they simply wouldn't communicate with each other. It was time for the upgrade.)
But now I am back, and happy to be so. I have a few things to post about coming up... For one thing, over the last couple of weeks, I re-read all the Harry Potter books, straight through, and want to post about the experience.
You can only experience (read, view) something for the first time once. (Duh.) That "first time" is so special.
I got to see that a couple of weeks ago when we had the wonderful experience of seeing Singing in the Rain on the big screen. What a wonderful movie it is! We came out of the theatre dancing and singing ourselves!
But the special treat for me was sitting between Cory and Sabrina and sneaking peeks at them out of the corner of my eye. Their delight was just a joy for me to experience. They laughed their way through the 50-year-old movie from beginning to end, they found the dance numbers just magical, and when Kathy Selden mistakenly shoved the cake in the face of Lena Lamont, Sabrina gasped out loud and put her hands over her face in shock.
(The kids, by the way, assumed that Singing in the Rain must have won all sorts of Oscars -- and when we looked it up, it turned out it was nominated for two minor awards and won nothing. Something to keep in mind this Sunday.)
Maybe that's why it's fun for me to read Harry Potter to my kids, or to take out-of-town guests to Disneyland -- we can't experience anything for the first time twice, but we can share someone else's first-time experience.
My re-read of Harry Potter was fun and interesting on different levels, however, and I'll get to it in soon-to-come posts. Posts typed on my new computer. Soon. Very soon.
Friday, February 06, 2009
A BIRTHDAY WITH A PIECE MISSING
Yesterday was my birthday. (Please don't ask which one!)
It was really a lovely, quiet day. It poured all day, but I grew up with it raining on my birthday every single year, so I sort of feel something's wrong the (few) years when it's sunny. Lee and I went out to breakfast together, I got lots of nice birthday e-mails and cards throughout the day, and we went out to a family+friends dinner last night. Nice presents, including a new computer(!)...
But one little piece was missing, and it nagged at me all day.
Every year, my mom calls on my birthday, sings "Happy Birthday" very loudly (she used to be an opera singer), and jokes with me about how she's the only one alive who remembers the actual day of my birthday.
Not this year, however. This year my mom was being transferred from one hospital to another on my birthday, and I was not allowed to visit her.
We did try to go out for lunch for my b'day last weekend. Grandma was the worst we've seen her -- extremely confused about where she was, having a great deal of difficulty walking, and not really aware that it was her own daughter's birthday, not even when everyone brought cake and sang "Happy Birthday." She had trouble eating -- it wasn't that she had forgotten how to use a fork, it was that she forgot she needed to pick up the fork in the first place. We realized, even as we were helping her out to the car, that this was very likely the last time we'd take her out to lunch.
But it got quickly worse from there. When we arrived at her place, something snapped. The caregivers came out -- she didn't know who they were. We tried to help her out of the car -- She didn't know who we were. She started swearing at the caregivers, hitting them, screaming "Help, I'm being kidnapped!" (and remember, she used to be an opera singer. Even at her age, she can do some serious screaming). Neighbors came over to see what was happening.
Cory and Sabrina were beyond shocked. She has shown flashes of this behavior, but they'd never seen it. She calmed down just a bit when we were leaving, and sort of recognized the kids (though she thought Sabrina was me).
But then she went right back to the screaming, swearing, hitting... and just got more violent for the next couple of days. Her doctor hospitalized her. A touch of pneumonia, they said. But clearly that wasn't the problem.
And yesterday they moved her to a geriatric psych ward at another hospital. She'll be there for the next two weeks possibly, as they try to adjust her medications and bring her back to reality. So far I am not allowed to visit, because she is still being "uncooperative," and appears not to be even aware that she's in a hospital.
So, lovely as my birthday was yesterday, there was a piece missing. A phone call I didn't get. A song I didn't hear. And I think that, no matter how long my mom lives, that piece will now be missing for the rest of my life....
It was really a lovely, quiet day. It poured all day, but I grew up with it raining on my birthday every single year, so I sort of feel something's wrong the (few) years when it's sunny. Lee and I went out to breakfast together, I got lots of nice birthday e-mails and cards throughout the day, and we went out to a family+friends dinner last night. Nice presents, including a new computer(!)...
But one little piece was missing, and it nagged at me all day.
Every year, my mom calls on my birthday, sings "Happy Birthday" very loudly (she used to be an opera singer), and jokes with me about how she's the only one alive who remembers the actual day of my birthday.
Not this year, however. This year my mom was being transferred from one hospital to another on my birthday, and I was not allowed to visit her.
We did try to go out for lunch for my b'day last weekend. Grandma was the worst we've seen her -- extremely confused about where she was, having a great deal of difficulty walking, and not really aware that it was her own daughter's birthday, not even when everyone brought cake and sang "Happy Birthday." She had trouble eating -- it wasn't that she had forgotten how to use a fork, it was that she forgot she needed to pick up the fork in the first place. We realized, even as we were helping her out to the car, that this was very likely the last time we'd take her out to lunch.
But it got quickly worse from there. When we arrived at her place, something snapped. The caregivers came out -- she didn't know who they were. We tried to help her out of the car -- She didn't know who we were. She started swearing at the caregivers, hitting them, screaming "Help, I'm being kidnapped!" (and remember, she used to be an opera singer. Even at her age, she can do some serious screaming). Neighbors came over to see what was happening.
Cory and Sabrina were beyond shocked. She has shown flashes of this behavior, but they'd never seen it. She calmed down just a bit when we were leaving, and sort of recognized the kids (though she thought Sabrina was me).
But then she went right back to the screaming, swearing, hitting... and just got more violent for the next couple of days. Her doctor hospitalized her. A touch of pneumonia, they said. But clearly that wasn't the problem.
And yesterday they moved her to a geriatric psych ward at another hospital. She'll be there for the next two weeks possibly, as they try to adjust her medications and bring her back to reality. So far I am not allowed to visit, because she is still being "uncooperative," and appears not to be even aware that she's in a hospital.
So, lovely as my birthday was yesterday, there was a piece missing. A phone call I didn't get. A song I didn't hear. And I think that, no matter how long my mom lives, that piece will now be missing for the rest of my life....
Thursday, February 05, 2009
MOVIE THOUGHTS: PAUL BLART: MALL COP
Yes, yes, I know. All the screeners piled up on top of the TV, all the great Oscar nominees out there right now... and I end up seeing Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Why? Because my kids wanted to see it. (And because, frankly, I simply can't take them to all the Oscar nominees, most of which are R-rated.)
There's been a lot of flurry over the last couple of weeks wondering why Paul Blart has overperformed so wildly, making easily twice as much money as anyone expected, and hanging on to the #1 spot several weeks in a row. I think the answer is pretty simple: The movie is (moderately) funny, and in a time when people are getting fired left and right, it's sort of nice to see a schlub whom no one expects anything from rising to the occasion and coming out a winner.
Most of the movie is pretty ludicrous: One chubby schlump of a mall copy on a Segway, a guy who can't get a date and who takes himself way too seriously, saves his beloved mall from a takeover by high-tech bad guys. But they manage to sell most of it, they keep the story moving, and it's pretty funny throughout. Some laugh-out-loud moments, some really embarrassing moments (intended to be so, mostly).
It was fun for us to see it because it was shot locally at the (former) Santa Monica Place mall, originally designed by Frank Gehry, and now being torn down (it was shot after the mall closed and before the construction started). So I spent part of the time trying to spot little corners here and there that I recognized. (Is it only in California that we mourn the death of a shopping mall?)
I have to say that my kids (and even Lee) laughed a lot more than I did and loved the movie overall more than I did. But, like , say, Alvin and the Chipmunks, this is the kind of movie that, if you have to go see it, you won't mind all that much.
There's been a lot of flurry over the last couple of weeks wondering why Paul Blart has overperformed so wildly, making easily twice as much money as anyone expected, and hanging on to the #1 spot several weeks in a row. I think the answer is pretty simple: The movie is (moderately) funny, and in a time when people are getting fired left and right, it's sort of nice to see a schlub whom no one expects anything from rising to the occasion and coming out a winner.
Most of the movie is pretty ludicrous: One chubby schlump of a mall copy on a Segway, a guy who can't get a date and who takes himself way too seriously, saves his beloved mall from a takeover by high-tech bad guys. But they manage to sell most of it, they keep the story moving, and it's pretty funny throughout. Some laugh-out-loud moments, some really embarrassing moments (intended to be so, mostly).
It was fun for us to see it because it was shot locally at the (former) Santa Monica Place mall, originally designed by Frank Gehry, and now being torn down (it was shot after the mall closed and before the construction started). So I spent part of the time trying to spot little corners here and there that I recognized. (Is it only in California that we mourn the death of a shopping mall?)
I have to say that my kids (and even Lee) laughed a lot more than I did and loved the movie overall more than I did. But, like , say, Alvin and the Chipmunks, this is the kind of movie that, if you have to go see it, you won't mind all that much.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
TV THOUGHTS: AMERICAN IDOL
It's season 8 of American Idol. We can't forget that, because every "golden ticket" has a big "8" right in the middle of it. (Is this the first season they've done that? Or have I just never noticed before?)
We are, of course, big American Idol fans, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, Sabrina has long planned to try out for Idol when she's old enough, and this season, Cory (now only two years away from being eligible and with an increasingly unstoppable urge to be in front of an audience) has decided he wants to try out as well.
And I watch because I can't think of anywhere that provides such a clear and concise image of what it's like to be in the biz. Not just the music biz, but entertainment in general. In fact, when I teach pitching to the graduating students at USC, I use American Idol as *the* big metaphor to help them understand what it is they're about to do, and what elements will matter. (I've blogged in detail about this here.)
So every Tuesday and Wednesday, we're in front of the TV, with the Tivo cranking just in case.
And so far, this is looking like a pretty good season. I like the new judge, Kara, whom I understand from people on the music side of the business is the real deal -- a songwriter with serious credentials. She's sharp, and her advice is worth listening to. And she's added a new level of spark to the show overall -- last season, the judges seemed often to look at the audition weeks as something to slog through, whereas this year, they all seem to be taking it more seriously. I also like that there's a greater sense of compassion in the editing and even, at times, in the judges' (i.e., Simon's) comments. Sure, we see the oddballs and the delusional in the auditions, but we don't seem to be laughing at them in such a mean way this year.
Very few contestants have actually popped for me, but we're just starting Hollywood week tonight, and that's the make-or-break moment where we, the audience, can start to choose our favorites. We do actually know (sort of ) one of the contestants this year, a young woman who has sung at our church several times (the girl who was sent out to change clothes and put on make-up). I actually don't think she'll make it to the final 12, because she just isn't showing the personality to match her voice (see my "American Idol"/pitching post, above, to understand what this means)... Maybe she'll bloom during Hollywood week, though -- who knows?
At any rate, tonight it starts to get serious, and it looks like we're in for a good season! 8:00 tonight, you know where I'll be!
We are, of course, big American Idol fans, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, Sabrina has long planned to try out for Idol when she's old enough, and this season, Cory (now only two years away from being eligible and with an increasingly unstoppable urge to be in front of an audience) has decided he wants to try out as well.
And I watch because I can't think of anywhere that provides such a clear and concise image of what it's like to be in the biz. Not just the music biz, but entertainment in general. In fact, when I teach pitching to the graduating students at USC, I use American Idol as *the* big metaphor to help them understand what it is they're about to do, and what elements will matter. (I've blogged in detail about this here.)
So every Tuesday and Wednesday, we're in front of the TV, with the Tivo cranking just in case.
And so far, this is looking like a pretty good season. I like the new judge, Kara, whom I understand from people on the music side of the business is the real deal -- a songwriter with serious credentials. She's sharp, and her advice is worth listening to. And she's added a new level of spark to the show overall -- last season, the judges seemed often to look at the audition weeks as something to slog through, whereas this year, they all seem to be taking it more seriously. I also like that there's a greater sense of compassion in the editing and even, at times, in the judges' (i.e., Simon's) comments. Sure, we see the oddballs and the delusional in the auditions, but we don't seem to be laughing at them in such a mean way this year.
Very few contestants have actually popped for me, but we're just starting Hollywood week tonight, and that's the make-or-break moment where we, the audience, can start to choose our favorites. We do actually know (sort of ) one of the contestants this year, a young woman who has sung at our church several times (the girl who was sent out to change clothes and put on make-up). I actually don't think she'll make it to the final 12, because she just isn't showing the personality to match her voice (see my "American Idol"/pitching post, above, to understand what this means)... Maybe she'll bloom during Hollywood week, though -- who knows?
At any rate, tonight it starts to get serious, and it looks like we're in for a good season! 8:00 tonight, you know where I'll be!
Monday, February 02, 2009
MOVIE THOUGHTS: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Slumdog Millionaire is going to win the Best Picture Oscar. (I don't really get any props for predicting that, since everyone else has been predicting the same thing for a month now.) Does that mean it's the best picture of the year? I would say no. For me, that slot is firmly held by Wall-E. But Slumdog is certainly worthy of its nomination.
Slumdog Millionaire is, as you almost certainly know by now, the story of Jamal, a young Indian boy mired in poverty, who undergoes truly horrible things during his young life, ranging from being held captive at an "orphanage" that mutilates its children to make them better beggars to being on the run from a gangster who holds the love of Jamal's young life in his hands. A Dickensian fairy tale in scope and tone, Slumdog manages to hit notes of tragedy and horror even as it keeps focused on ending its journey in joy.
The centerpiece of Jamal's story is his appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which is intercut with his life story. The fairy tale part of all this? As it turns out, every question (but one) that Jamal is asked on Millionaire is something he knows because of the horrid turns his life has taken.
The intercutting between the storylines is done masterfully. I love this kind of parallel storytelling, and believe me, it's wickedly hard to do. The fact that we never lose track of where (or when) we are, that we jump between three sets of actors playing Jamal, his brother Salim and his love Latika at different ages, that we follow the clues to the Millionaire questions without the pattern becoming predictable -- all of this points to incredibly deft craft on the part of the writer (Simon Beaufoy) and the director (Danny Boyle).
On top of that, even though it was pretty clear that Jamal had to win Millionaire, it seemed impossible that it would happen (reminding me of the masterfully-written musical 1776, where we know the Declaration of Independence will be signed on July 4, yet on July 3 we believe it simply isn't going to happen). I found myself wondering "What happens next" time and time again through this movie -- And given that I can often predict exactly where a movie is going by the end of the first half hour, that was impressive indeed.
Acting is excellent, even with the child actors. One never gets the feeling that we're watching actors. Editing is superb, cinematography is top-notch throughout.
Why do I not pick it as my top movie of the year, then? Some of the reasons are not Slumdog's fault. I saw the movie too late, had heard too many raves, and it's always hard for a movie to live up to the impassioned reviews of its fans. I was told to expect this grand emotional journey, and while I did laugh and gasp (though I didn't cry), the complexity of the interwoven plot perhaps kept my mind so engaged that my emotions couldn't fully engage. And frankly, Wall-E is just a better movie, and about something (about many things) in a way that Slumdog with its "It is written," fate-driven theme simply is not.
And, unfortunately for Slumdog, on the day I saw it, I also saw Singing in the Rain on the big screen -- a movie that was not even nominated for Best Picture, and did not win the 2 nominations it garnered, yet which is without a doubt one of the best movies of all time. And Singing in the Rain gave me a "glorious feeling" which Slumdog came close to, but ultimately didn't, for me, quite deliver.
I have voted for Slumdog, as the writing is truly exquisite. I will root for it on Oscar night, because of all the nominees, I think it's the most worthy. And if you haven't seen it, you definitely should.
But a tiny part of me will be wishing it could root elsewhere.
Slumdog Millionaire is, as you almost certainly know by now, the story of Jamal, a young Indian boy mired in poverty, who undergoes truly horrible things during his young life, ranging from being held captive at an "orphanage" that mutilates its children to make them better beggars to being on the run from a gangster who holds the love of Jamal's young life in his hands. A Dickensian fairy tale in scope and tone, Slumdog manages to hit notes of tragedy and horror even as it keeps focused on ending its journey in joy.
The centerpiece of Jamal's story is his appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which is intercut with his life story. The fairy tale part of all this? As it turns out, every question (but one) that Jamal is asked on Millionaire is something he knows because of the horrid turns his life has taken.
The intercutting between the storylines is done masterfully. I love this kind of parallel storytelling, and believe me, it's wickedly hard to do. The fact that we never lose track of where (or when) we are, that we jump between three sets of actors playing Jamal, his brother Salim and his love Latika at different ages, that we follow the clues to the Millionaire questions without the pattern becoming predictable -- all of this points to incredibly deft craft on the part of the writer (Simon Beaufoy) and the director (Danny Boyle).
On top of that, even though it was pretty clear that Jamal had to win Millionaire, it seemed impossible that it would happen (reminding me of the masterfully-written musical 1776, where we know the Declaration of Independence will be signed on July 4, yet on July 3 we believe it simply isn't going to happen). I found myself wondering "What happens next" time and time again through this movie -- And given that I can often predict exactly where a movie is going by the end of the first half hour, that was impressive indeed.
Acting is excellent, even with the child actors. One never gets the feeling that we're watching actors. Editing is superb, cinematography is top-notch throughout.
Why do I not pick it as my top movie of the year, then? Some of the reasons are not Slumdog's fault. I saw the movie too late, had heard too many raves, and it's always hard for a movie to live up to the impassioned reviews of its fans. I was told to expect this grand emotional journey, and while I did laugh and gasp (though I didn't cry), the complexity of the interwoven plot perhaps kept my mind so engaged that my emotions couldn't fully engage. And frankly, Wall-E is just a better movie, and about something (about many things) in a way that Slumdog with its "It is written," fate-driven theme simply is not.
And, unfortunately for Slumdog, on the day I saw it, I also saw Singing in the Rain on the big screen -- a movie that was not even nominated for Best Picture, and did not win the 2 nominations it garnered, yet which is without a doubt one of the best movies of all time. And Singing in the Rain gave me a "glorious feeling" which Slumdog came close to, but ultimately didn't, for me, quite deliver.
I have voted for Slumdog, as the writing is truly exquisite. I will root for it on Oscar night, because of all the nominees, I think it's the most worthy. And if you haven't seen it, you definitely should.
But a tiny part of me will be wishing it could root elsewhere.
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