Barney's Version

Two things are bound to happen during a viewing of Barney's Version. First, be prepared to experience the Danny Gut.  It's gonna happen, so embrace it. The feeling will subside. Second, and perhaps the longest-lasting reaction, is the introspective accounting you will undergo regarding your own life.

Have you taken the necessary risks in life to fulfill your dreams? Hurt people along the way? Have impulsive and brash behavior cost you dearly?

They did Barney.

As the title character, Paul Giamatti proves again why he is perhaps the best actor working today. He meets a lifetime of existential dilemmas head-on and raw, and refuses to live his life for other people. It costs him,  but he sees the price worth paying in order to live in the moment. Barney is at once selfish and endearing, giving and hateful. He's complicated.

And he's real.

Barney's Version will entertain you. But more than that, it will make you think. Watching it was worth the Danny Gut.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Most often, I've been bored by the character of Captain America. I've never been a fan of naive patriotism, or of a system of values based simply on tradition. Those perspectives are short-sighted;  they feel good in the moment, but they don't advance society very far. At least that's my opinion.

But it's not the opinion of Cap. He lives, breaths, and sleeps Uh-merica.

I entered the theater expecting to see much of the same: a spandex-clad capitalist preaching the virtues of democracy. Instead, I was treated to a well-made action flick with a tight plot, terrific special effects, and top tier acting.

It wasn't the masterpiece that was Iron Man. But it was close. Very, very close.

Superheroes

HBO helps break comic book-like characters through the 4th wall and into our living rooms with it's recently released Superheroes. The result of the story is both inspiring and sad.

Many young kids, boys especially, tie a towl around their necks and pretend to be a super-powered fighter of crime. And many of those kids grow up to actually fight crime -- as police officers, lawyers, and first responders to emergencies. The pretend-cape gets put away about the time we start liking girls.

Chicks dig men in uniform. They mock those of us who still wear a Batman T-shirt.

Those profiled in Superheroes, however, took off the fake cape to put on a real one. Mr. Xtreme, Master Legend, Lucid, and members of Team Justice take the Neighborhood Watch concept to new heights by putting on tights and buckeling up a utility belt before patrolling streets after dusk.


It's funny because it's real.

But it's also sad. Watch the documentary closely and you'll find a gaggle of folks most likely challenged with living a typical lifestyle: people with what appear to be personality disorders, potential alcoholics, and aggressive types itching for a fight. Perhaps their efforts are simply a colorful, interesting mask placed on real dysfunction.

Many of those interviewed in Superheroes reported being inspired by the story of Kitty Genovese, the New York woman murdered in public during the mid-60s as neighbors went about their business and refused to get involved. Genovese is a legitimate martyr for their cause, as the apathy that aided her murder is an epidemic in today's society. The heroes serve the cause best, however, when they band together to feed the homeless, and inspire children to be better people. In these non-violent roles they can truly be heroes and benefit their communities.

Even while wearing tights.

Catfish

There's a story that goes Morgan Spurlock, the West Virginia-born documentarian, approached the producers of Catfish after a festival screening, and said: "That's the best fake documentary I've ever seen." The producers insisted -- and continue to insist -- their work is real and not staged. But Spurlock's comment illustrates a significant part of the appeal of this flick: is it real, or is it fake?

The answer: It doesn't matter one damn bit.

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, Catfish follows New York photographer Nev Schulman as he begins an Internet relationship with a young, female art prodigy in Michigan, then allows the relationship to expand to other members of the girl's family. As relationships develop they become more intimate, and more mysterious. The final half of the flick wraps up the mystery, and dissects with incredible detail the reasons the mystery developed in the first place.

Catfish examines in-depth the modern use and mis-use of social media. The film demonstrates clear reasons sites such as Facebook are valuable tools in our society, then explores the way such sites isolate us further. They provide an escape from the hum-drum and boredom of real life, and a respite from the day-to-day responsibilities that come with it.

Catfish is a brilliant movie. Whether or not the film is real neither enhances or detracts from that brilliance. The beauty of the film is that it's really the story of all of us.

Things I Miss On Saturday Morning: Part 19

Bridesmaids

Kristen Wiig plain rocks!
She's funny, she's smart, and cute.
Think I've got a crush.

Horrible Bosses

Seth Gordon's Horrible Bosses,the funniest, smartest comedy I've seen in years, boasts a tremendous cast and a plot with which most everyone can identify.

Because we've all had our share of bad bosses.

I experienced my first bad boss on my first job. During my freshman year in college I worked during the summer at a local Dairy Queen. Sticky hands at the end of my shift were OK, and the one-third off my meals while working was a pretty cool benefit. So the gig wasn't a bad way to make money for rent.

Except for The Man.

The franchise owner was more than a horrible boss. He was mean, really. Back in the 80s -- and perhaps they exist even today -- DQ coupons for a "Free Sundae" could be found on cereal boxes. Little kids would come to the store to get their free sundae and The Man would insist he be the one to serve them the ice cream. He's pour out the smallest of dollops into a small cup, slop some hot fudge on it, then smile as he handed it to the kid.

"I hope the kid chokes on that ice cream," he'd say after the kid walked out the door. And he meant it; The Man hated losing a nickle to anyone, even if it was a poor kid who had to rely on a coupon to get some ice cream now and again.

That's why a lot of times I just gave away a lot of his product. To little kids, to adults, to anyone who looked like they could use an extra hot dog or a upgrade in value meals. A whole lotta folks drove off that lot thinking DQ made a mistake and gave them a large fry instead of a small one.

I hope they enjoyed every last salty, fried-in-fat potato slice.

Working for The Man wasn't a complete waste of my time. I learned a lot about how not to treat people, and a lot about how people really want to be treated. Working for The Man made me a better person, because I learned early to do the exact opposite of my horrible boss.

Plus, I still know how to make that cute curly-thing on top of a soft-serve cone!

Green Lantern

Let me start with the most important part of this blog post: I hate, and have always hated, Green Lantern.

I hate that the DC comic book superhero has A-List swagger when he's a C-List character. I hate that God-awful oath he chants as he charges his ring. I hate the premise that he's a space cop responsible for an huge section of the galaxy, but spends most of his time in Coast City fighting the Tattooed Man. I hate that the Lantern ring -- supposed to be the most powerful weapon in the universe -- is used by Jordan mostly to conjure up over-stuffed boxing gloves and cages for trapping foes.

The comic book Green Lantern has always been held back by the limited imaginations of various artists and writers. And, I'm afraid, the movie suffers from the same lackluster inspiration.

The special effects in Green Lantern are clearly the best part of this flick. Flying sequences are the best I've seen, the trips into space are visually stunning, and the lantern-made gimmicks look and sound real. Ryan Reynolds looks and acts like Hal Jordan. The other GLs -- some really unusual life-forms -- are well done.

But the flick lacks substance. Trying too hard to tell multiple stories, the film never really seems to go into depth with one particular story line. One minute Hal Jordan is experiencing an existential dilemma, the next he's overcome it and can be found lecturing the immortal Guardians of the Universe.

Green Lantern fits in nicely as part of a team. Perhaps as one part of the Justice League this character can be compelling. As the lead in his own movie, however, Green Lantern just doesn't work.

And I knew it wouldn't.

Super 8

"What do you get when you mix E.T. and The Goonies with Stand By Me?"

In truth, that joke isn't a fair way to describe Super 8, the Steven Spielberg produced movie written and directed by J.J. Abrams. The flick is solid, especially in the first half when we are becoming acquainted with the characters. Super 8 can stand on its own as a well made, moving, thought-provoking work of art; it was well acted, visually appealing, and interesting.

Throughout, though, I kept waiting for a discussion about Pez candy. Or -- during one of dozens of bike scenes -- for one of the kids to fly his bike into the sky and across the moon in silhouette.

Abrams' Super 8 is that much of an homage to the coming of age movies from a generation ago. So much so it was distracting.

Coming of age flicks rely on young actors to carry a mature storyline. The child actors of Super 8, particularly Joel Courtney and Riley Griffiths, give complex and layered performances. The adults in the film, however, are stereotypical and one-dimensional.

Just like most kids see adults in real life.

Filmed in and near Weirton, West Virginia, Super 8 garnered a lot of buzz during the past few months. Most of that buzz had to do with how secretive Abrams was with details about the movie. The anticipation caused me to leave the theater disappointed, even though I generally liked the movie.

I just expected more.

Unstoppable

I avoided Unstoppable for months, presuming it was another in a long line of skimpy-plotted action thrillers designed to give audiences more ka-boom than substance.

I was wrong.

Unstoppable, a story about the efforts of two men attempting to stop a runaway train, is really a movie about redemption. A story about overcoming challenges -- like a runaway train, or the difficulties life throws at you -- not for the notoriety that comes with heroism, but because you have to.

Because it's the right thing to do.

Denzel Washington and Chris Pine are excellent as two every-men who find themselves in a remarkable situation. Each has personal problems so significant no one would blame them if they clocked out and had a cup of coffee while others attempted to stop the train. The recognize they are in a position to help, and do so selflessly.

Because it's the right thing to do.

Unstoppable was inspired by a real-life chase after a runaway freight train in 2001. The film gives terrific insight into how such an accident could easily occur to those like me who know next-to-nothing about the railroad business. And it makes me curious what I'd do if I found myself in such a situation: clock out and watch, or lend a hand because it's the right thing to do.

I'm not sure.