Keane (2004) stars Damian Lewis as William Keane, a man struggling mentally and emotionally over the loss of his daughter. Maybe.
We're not certain, you see, because Keane is losing it, big time. The loss (or perceived loss) due to abduction is so devastating that one year later he searches daily the area she was last seen, hoping to find clues to where she might be. He reads every scrap of paper he finds on the street, hoping that one might be a letter she has written him, with information about how to find her. He looks in every car that passes by for her, and asks strangers on the street if they have seen her. Just in case.
Keane is a really interesting film for a couple of reasons. First, most folks--and particularly parents--can empathize with the loss of a child due to abduction. Nothing from the moment a child is abducted--not one goddamned thing--would matter, except for the return of the missing child. How this would effect the mental health of the parent is the other interesting part of this movie. Has the tragedy caused the emotional breakdown that Keane is experiencing? Or, is the tragedy simply a part of his mental illness, and didn't occur at all?
The movie is dark, and disturbing. There is no soundtrack, and has few supporting characters. While the movie is pretty simple in design, the pace is desperate and frantic. Damian Lewis is terrific in the lead role, drawing the audience into his pain and angst with minimal and subtle acting. The viewer feels what Keane is experiencing, from the opening to the close. And the ending offers few answers regarding a conclusion, because there really will be none; William Keane is dramatically and permanently changed due to whatever experience he had, and nothing will fix what he has become as a result.
Keane isn't for everyone, but I really liked it. Be prepared to be a bit depressed after seeing it, though. ***
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Steely Dan: Don't Lose Our Number!
This from Ken Barnes' "Listen Up" section of USA Today Online Edition:
Steely Dan members Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are suggesting the recent comedy You, Me and Dupree is a rip-off of their song, Cousin Dupree. They've written a rather odd, public letter to Owen Wilson's brother, Luke (for some reason), asking him to intervene and get Owen to set the record straight. Their open letter can be read here.
Steely Dan members Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are suggesting the recent comedy You, Me and Dupree is a rip-off of their song, Cousin Dupree. They've written a rather odd, public letter to Owen Wilson's brother, Luke (for some reason), asking him to intervene and get Owen to set the record straight. Their open letter can be read here.
Jumpin' The Shark
One of my guilty pleasures--and I say "one of" 'cause, well...I have quite a few--is the TV show Nip/Tuck. (By the way, when you talk about this show, do you call it "Nip. Tuck.? Or, as I do, Nip and Tuck? Just curious.) Anyway, my wife turned me on to the show in it's second season, and I got hooked.
It's like crack to me, except the people are pretty and the drama is over within the hour.
I hate it when a show becomes a caricature. It happens way too often, when writers use up all their ideas and end up bringing in a kid actor to freshen up the plot. Or, when they allow the lead actors to sleep together to satisfy the tension built up within the audience. Or, when a show starts bringing on guest star after guest star. This, more than the others, reeks of desperation, and a lazy approach to boost ratings. And it's exactly what Nip/Tuck is doing this upcoming season, which begins September 5.
C'mon...I mean, Catherine Deneuve, Richard Chamberlain, Jacqueline Bisset, Melissa Gilbert, Rosie O'Donnell, Peter Dinklage. Brooke Shields, Larry Hagman and Kathleen Turner are in the first episode alone! Don't believe me? You can read it here, yourself. (Update: Anonymous #2 from my comments section is correct about one thing. All these folks are not in the first episode. I misread two sentences in the article.)
I still smell the blood in the water. The shark is about to jump.
It's like crack to me, except the people are pretty and the drama is over within the hour.
I hate it when a show becomes a caricature. It happens way too often, when writers use up all their ideas and end up bringing in a kid actor to freshen up the plot. Or, when they allow the lead actors to sleep together to satisfy the tension built up within the audience. Or, when a show starts bringing on guest star after guest star. This, more than the others, reeks of desperation, and a lazy approach to boost ratings. And it's exactly what Nip/Tuck is doing this upcoming season, which begins September 5.
C'mon...I mean, Catherine Deneuve, Richard Chamberlain, Jacqueline Bisset, Melissa Gilbert, Rosie O'Donnell, Peter Dinklage. Brooke Shields, Larry Hagman and Kathleen Turner are in the first episode alone! Don't believe me? You can read it here, yourself. (Update: Anonymous #2 from my comments section is correct about one thing. All these folks are not in the first episode. I misread two sentences in the article.)
I still smell the blood in the water. The shark is about to jump.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Yadkinized, The Mystery Hole And Sweatin' In Yawkey
I spent most of the day driving.
I really enjoy traveling about in my home state of West Virginia, and through the Appalachian Mountains in general. My job allows me to travel pretty freely across the region, so I get to experience a lot of differing cultures, interesting people and (sometimes) unusual places.
And occasionally, something that occurred in my travels has a pervasive impact on my life. Take being yadkinized, for example.
Way back in 1995 some co-workers and I were traveling to a conference of some type that was to be held in southern North Carolina. My then-boss, who was driving, was complaining that the CEO of our company had instructed him to put together--bear with me, cause this is pretty lame--a company bell choir for the agency's holiday party. My then-boss was really grumbling about it, and I was half-listening from the backseat.
Then, just as we crossed into Yadkin County, North Carolina, he said:
"Film Geek [well, you know what I mean] I'm passing the bell choir off to you. Put the thing together, and let me know when you get it done."
I had just been yadkinized. Defined as: When one is assigned a job or task by another because (1) the person originally assigned the task doesn't want to do it, and (2) that person has the authority to make you do it instead.
I didn't do the bell choir, and hoped it would be forgotten about. It was. It wasn't the last time I'd be yadkinized, though. Not by a long shot.
One of my favorite places in south-central West Virginia is The Mystery Hole. I haven't' been there in years, but I used to love this place. It amazes, frightens and confuses, all at once. And you can get a cool T-shirt afterwards.
I was able to drive through the south-western portion of the state for the first time in years today. I really enjoyed the scenery, and the traffic was so low that I was able to take my time and really roll through the hills. Until Yawkey,West Virginia, when my air conditioning went out. 93 degrees is a hot drive, even in the hills, so I was really sweating by the time I got to Hamlin. So tomorrow, I have to take my car to be serviced, and get the a/c fixed.
I'm not sure when I'll be able to do it, cause my schedule is so full. Wonder if I can yadkinize Mrs. Film Geek...
I really enjoy traveling about in my home state of West Virginia, and through the Appalachian Mountains in general. My job allows me to travel pretty freely across the region, so I get to experience a lot of differing cultures, interesting people and (sometimes) unusual places.
And occasionally, something that occurred in my travels has a pervasive impact on my life. Take being yadkinized, for example.
Way back in 1995 some co-workers and I were traveling to a conference of some type that was to be held in southern North Carolina. My then-boss, who was driving, was complaining that the CEO of our company had instructed him to put together--bear with me, cause this is pretty lame--a company bell choir for the agency's holiday party. My then-boss was really grumbling about it, and I was half-listening from the backseat.
Then, just as we crossed into Yadkin County, North Carolina, he said:
"Film Geek [well, you know what I mean] I'm passing the bell choir off to you. Put the thing together, and let me know when you get it done."
I had just been yadkinized. Defined as: When one is assigned a job or task by another because (1) the person originally assigned the task doesn't want to do it, and (2) that person has the authority to make you do it instead.
I didn't do the bell choir, and hoped it would be forgotten about. It was. It wasn't the last time I'd be yadkinized, though. Not by a long shot.
One of my favorite places in south-central West Virginia is The Mystery Hole. I haven't' been there in years, but I used to love this place. It amazes, frightens and confuses, all at once. And you can get a cool T-shirt afterwards.
I was able to drive through the south-western portion of the state for the first time in years today. I really enjoyed the scenery, and the traffic was so low that I was able to take my time and really roll through the hills. Until Yawkey,West Virginia, when my air conditioning went out. 93 degrees is a hot drive, even in the hills, so I was really sweating by the time I got to Hamlin. So tomorrow, I have to take my car to be serviced, and get the a/c fixed.
I'm not sure when I'll be able to do it, cause my schedule is so full. Wonder if I can yadkinize Mrs. Film Geek...
Monday, July 24, 2006
Looking Forward To Spidey
Yeah, yeah...I know. It's way too early to start talking about Spider-Man 3. But, here's a terrific post about the upcoming movie and the Comic-Con panel discussing it, from Ain't It Cool News.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Ponderings
I'm a muller.
I've always been a person who questions things, and will probably never change. I mull over things hard, and often can't figure out the answers to what should be life's simplest questions.
You can typically find me pondering things like:
Why can't Robin Williams be reported about in print without being described as: "Funnyman Robin Williams?"
Why is every girlfriend, drink of wine and breath of air better for Tom Cruise than the last one he had?
Why doesn't my wife understand that it's Bruce Wayne that is the alter ego, while The Batman is the core persona?
If one member of 'N Sync was a girl, would they still be included in the genre of boy bands?
Why does there even exist such a genre?
Why does Oprah not realize O magazine's What I Know For Sure article sounds pretentious and vain?
Can there really be too much of a good thing? (If so, I've never experienced it.)
Is 40 the new 30? Or are those of us already there just foolin' ourselves?
Knowing what we now know about reality TV, why do people continue to try out for those shows?
Is blogging similar to the CB craze of the 70s?
Help!!
I've always been a person who questions things, and will probably never change. I mull over things hard, and often can't figure out the answers to what should be life's simplest questions.
You can typically find me pondering things like:
Why can't Robin Williams be reported about in print without being described as: "Funnyman Robin Williams?"
Why is every girlfriend, drink of wine and breath of air better for Tom Cruise than the last one he had?
Why doesn't my wife understand that it's Bruce Wayne that is the alter ego, while The Batman is the core persona?
If one member of 'N Sync was a girl, would they still be included in the genre of boy bands?
Why does there even exist such a genre?
Why does Oprah not realize O magazine's What I Know For Sure article sounds pretentious and vain?
Can there really be too much of a good thing? (If so, I've never experienced it.)
Is 40 the new 30? Or are those of us already there just foolin' ourselves?
Knowing what we now know about reality TV, why do people continue to try out for those shows?
Is blogging similar to the CB craze of the 70s?
Help!!
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
After a severe thunderstorm wrecked havoc on our community and caused a power outage at my house for almost a day-and-a-half, I was desperate to watch anything in order to get out of the house and into some air conditioning this weekend.
Hell, I'd have been first in line to see a Sharon Stone movie, if she had one that played in theaters for any length of time these days.
Thankfully, My Super Ex-Girlfriend was playing at the local multi-plex. Cool, refreshing air conditioning, hot buttered popcorn, a cold soda and my bride. Heaven.
The cherry on top was that the movie gave me the opportunity to play my favorite movie- joke on Mrs. Film Geek. I do a variation of it often, just to bug her. I wait until the lights dim, during those few seconds just before the previews start. The audience is silent, waiting in anticipation. In that very quiet moment I lean into my wife and say something about the upcoming movie that is so obvious that it makes me look like a goof. And I say it loud. Really loud, so most everyone can hear.
At this movie--and in my best dumb-guy voice--I said: "Uh...You know, uh...This movie stars Luke Wilson. He's one of them Wilson boys. He's brother to Owen, dat blonde guy from The Wedding Crashers."
It embarrasses her, and makes me chuckle. The rest is gravy.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend was not a bad movie at all. It was funny in all the right spots, had good effects and an interesting, if predictable, plot. Wilson was funny, and Uma Thurman was good in her dual roles of Jenny/G-Girl.
The most interesting aspect of this movie for me, though, was thinking how true this movie would be if it was possible for regular folks (like me, and you) to have super powers. Sure, Superman is full of virtue and handles his life with such dignity. Batman and Spider-man have personal lines they won't cross when apprehending criminals. If I was a super-hero, though, how would my powers effect my insecurities? Would petty jealousy cause me to use them to lash out at someone? Would I use my power to improve my finances, or to get a date with the hottest woman in town? My Super Ex makes you ponder these questions, I think, because the characters play so normal in the movie, even when they obviously are not.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend is pretty funny, with an interesting plot and a good story. I recommend it, especially if you need A/C and some refreshingly cool soda.
Hell, I'd have been first in line to see a Sharon Stone movie, if she had one that played in theaters for any length of time these days.
Thankfully, My Super Ex-Girlfriend was playing at the local multi-plex. Cool, refreshing air conditioning, hot buttered popcorn, a cold soda and my bride. Heaven.
The cherry on top was that the movie gave me the opportunity to play my favorite movie- joke on Mrs. Film Geek. I do a variation of it often, just to bug her. I wait until the lights dim, during those few seconds just before the previews start. The audience is silent, waiting in anticipation. In that very quiet moment I lean into my wife and say something about the upcoming movie that is so obvious that it makes me look like a goof. And I say it loud. Really loud, so most everyone can hear.
At this movie--and in my best dumb-guy voice--I said: "Uh...You know, uh...This movie stars Luke Wilson. He's one of them Wilson boys. He's brother to Owen, dat blonde guy from The Wedding Crashers."
It embarrasses her, and makes me chuckle. The rest is gravy.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend was not a bad movie at all. It was funny in all the right spots, had good effects and an interesting, if predictable, plot. Wilson was funny, and Uma Thurman was good in her dual roles of Jenny/G-Girl.
The most interesting aspect of this movie for me, though, was thinking how true this movie would be if it was possible for regular folks (like me, and you) to have super powers. Sure, Superman is full of virtue and handles his life with such dignity. Batman and Spider-man have personal lines they won't cross when apprehending criminals. If I was a super-hero, though, how would my powers effect my insecurities? Would petty jealousy cause me to use them to lash out at someone? Would I use my power to improve my finances, or to get a date with the hottest woman in town? My Super Ex makes you ponder these questions, I think, because the characters play so normal in the movie, even when they obviously are not.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend is pretty funny, with an interesting plot and a good story. I recommend it, especially if you need A/C and some refreshingly cool soda.
Basic Instinct 2
I haven't really liked a Sharon Stone movie since Total Recall, way back in 1990. And then, I liked her in that role only because: (1) she was in the movie for only a short while, and (2) her character is killed by Arnold after a merciless butt-kicking. I want to like Stone. Really. But I just cant, no matter how hard I try. The original Basic Instinct? Pretty good movie, but her acting was over-the-top. Sliver? She made that movie trading on her first Instinct cred, and her acting was way over-the-top. That western she made with Gene Hackman, The Quick And The Dead? Over-the-top.
Oh! I liked her in Casino. But then her character snorted cocaine in front of her young child, making me somewhat nauseas and placing her and that movie on this list of disturbing movie scenes.
I'm just not a fan.
She tries too hard. And it shows. It shows in her dialogue, her body language and the roles she chooses. She can't do subtle. Stone seems to know only one gear, and you either like it or you don't. I don't.
Stone's over-the-top acting killed this Basic Instinct sequel, but the movie was nearly dead already. Basic Instinct 2, like Stone, tries to hard. It wants to remind us of the original, and even uses many of the same themes to set a mood ("There's no smoking in here" is used in this movie more than once). The plot is extreme, the acting is awful and the dialogue is cheesy. I hated this movie so much that I stopped watching half-way through.
It was unbearable.
Oh! I liked her in Casino. But then her character snorted cocaine in front of her young child, making me somewhat nauseas and placing her and that movie on this list of disturbing movie scenes.
I'm just not a fan.
She tries too hard. And it shows. It shows in her dialogue, her body language and the roles she chooses. She can't do subtle. Stone seems to know only one gear, and you either like it or you don't. I don't.
Stone's over-the-top acting killed this Basic Instinct sequel, but the movie was nearly dead already. Basic Instinct 2, like Stone, tries to hard. It wants to remind us of the original, and even uses many of the same themes to set a mood ("There's no smoking in here" is used in this movie more than once). The plot is extreme, the acting is awful and the dialogue is cheesy. I hated this movie so much that I stopped watching half-way through.
It was unbearable.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
He Was Crazy Like A Fox
Jack Warden, a veteran actor well-known for strong supporting and character roles, died this week at age 85.
Warden's most acclaimed work may have been in supporting roles for Warren Beatty; he was nominated for an academy award in 1975 for Shampoo, and again in 1978 for Heaven Can Wait. Warden won an Emmy in 1971 for his work in Brian's Song. In the 80's, Warden starred in the TV comedy-drama Crazy Like A Fox, which was pretty successful for a number of years.
I enjoyed Warden's work most in ...And Justice For All. One of my all-time favorite flicks.
Warden's most acclaimed work may have been in supporting roles for Warren Beatty; he was nominated for an academy award in 1975 for Shampoo, and again in 1978 for Heaven Can Wait. Warden won an Emmy in 1971 for his work in Brian's Song. In the 80's, Warden starred in the TV comedy-drama Crazy Like A Fox, which was pretty successful for a number of years.
I enjoyed Warden's work most in ...And Justice For All. One of my all-time favorite flicks.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Duck Season!...Rabbit Season!
Looks like there may be some controversy with Little Man, the new movie from the Wayans family. According to some, Little Man may have lifted a little too much from the classic Bugs Bunny cartoon, Baby Bugs Bunny.
Lots of folks have stolen from Bugs...In fact, I play out the Duck! Rabbit...Duck! classic a couple of times each month with my wife and kids. In the basement, in full costume.
Ahem...That's more than enough about me.
I'm taking bets, though, that the 1954 classic from Warner is better than the new Wayans flick. Any takers?
Lots of folks have stolen from Bugs...In fact, I play out the Duck! Rabbit...Duck! classic a couple of times each month with my wife and kids. In the basement, in full costume.
Ahem...That's more than enough about me.
I'm taking bets, though, that the 1954 classic from Warner is better than the new Wayans flick. Any takers?
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