The Film Geek

Greater Than Ourselves

2011-11-10T09:27:00.001-05:00

Being agents of change can be challenging. Good luck to my friends as they work to create a greatly needed program in my hometown:

Greater Than Ourselves Area of Narcotics Anonymous Announces New Website Huntington, WV –

Those with, or who think they might have, a substance abuse problem in the Huntington area now have a new resource for learning more about Narcotics Anonymous in the Tri-State region.
The Greater Than Ourselves (GTO) Area of Narcotics Anonymous (NA) recently launched a new website, www.gtoana.org, to specifically serve those seeking recovery from addiction to mind- or mood-altering substances in and around Hungtington. The site features a meeting schedule, a map of group locations, a blog for the latest announcements, and links to NA literature and information.

The GTO Area of NA is part of the Narcotics Anonymous worldwide service structure and includes meetings in Huntington, Barboursville, Ceredo, and Pea Ridge. GTOANA is a member of the Mountaineer Regional Service Committee, serving recovering addicts in portions of West Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland.

Paranormal Activity 3

2011-10-30T11:21:00.003-04:00

It's easy to dismiss the Paranormal Activity series as trite. The payoff of these flicks are the quick jump-in-your-seat that comes from images that suddenly appear in full frame, or the subtle movements noticed in the periphery. It makes sense that after three films this technique should feel tired.

Whatever. I peed my pants from fear while watching this movie. Twice.

Paranormal Activity 3, the prequel of the prequel that was Paranormal Activity 2, confirms suspicions about Katie and Kristi and their family . . . and introduces us to Toby.

I gotta go to the bathroom!

Barney's Version

2011-09-22T19:33:00.001-04:00

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

2011-08-31T21:43:00.000-04:00

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

2011-08-28T14:18:00.002-04:00

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

2011-08-21T00:00:00.006-04:00

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

2011-08-20T00:00:00.001-04:00

Bridesmaids

2011-08-13T18:27:00.002-04:00

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

Horrible Bosses

2011-07-11T21:53:00.000-04:00

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

2011-06-17T21:12:00.002-04:00

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

2011-06-16T10:02:00.000-04:00

"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

2011-06-12T12:01:00.000-04:00

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.

Case 39

2011-06-10T13:25:00.000-04:00

Case 39 belongs in File 13.

X-Men: First Class

2011-06-05T13:50:00.006-04:00

Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class is so good, it's easy to overlook the inconsistencies with the legendary comic book series, and the problems that occur with continuity.

And there are lots of those issues: Mystique was never a childhood friend of Professor X; most of the students recruited for the team were not part of the original team in the 1960s; Sebastian Shaw, played wonderfully by Kevin Bacon, seems to be a composite of several comic book characters, and . . .

Well, you get the picture. There are lots of issues in this film that might bug some comic book geeks, and even annoy others.

But not me.

The X-Men storyline has always been about social issues. Those
-isms that create a lot of stress and strife, and the problematic nature of relationships. It's my opinion that the greatest aspect of X-Men was the complicated relationship between Professor X and Magneto: two strong, brilliant leaders who desire the same outcome, but hold perspectives on how to achieve it.

With a running time of more than 2 hours, Vaughn's movie runs long. But it's a necessary length, designed to allow the relationship between Xavier and Magneto to develop. The audience comes to appreciate their love and respect for each other, making the rift that occurs at the conclusion powerful.

This X-Men prequel lives up to the hype generated. It's also a worthy member of the X-Men movie franchise, the only comic book movie series that's never disappointed comic books geeks. Like me.

Hall Pass

2011-06-04T09:27:00.000-04:00

"Don't get any funny ideas," she said as we sat down to watch the movie. And she said it in her I'm-only-half-joking tone, so I knew to keep my head straight as we watched the flick about a guy who gets permission from his wife to fool around with other women in an effort to save their marriage.

Although I was conscious of the decision to keep my inner 13-year-old Id in check, I realized early that I could never use a "hall pass," even if granted one. Casual sexual relationships are more complicated -- and perhaps even too complicated -- for any benefit they produce, and require a perspective on life that I just don't have at this age. I love my wife more deeply and more completely in my 40s than I did in my 20s and 30s; despite the day-to-day challenges that come with raising a family, I can't imagine wanting to live a different lifestyle.

I can't imagine wanting -- or needing -- a hall pass.

My inner 13-year-old Id loved Hall Pass. It howled at Jason Sedeikis' efforts to get laid, and his inept attempts to please women in order to please himself. My Id snorted at the gratuitous shots of boobs and butts. I even heard my Id call Owen Wilson's character a pussy once because he backed out of talking to the hot chick who worked in the coffee joint. My Id thought that Hall Pass was awesome, and wanted more.

On the other hand, I had a sense of contentment and satisfaction after watching Hall Pass. Because I'm not that guy. And I don't wanna be.

2011-06-02T06:00:00.003-04:00

Sci-Fi wannabe.
Strange hats, magic doors, and rain
Makes for waste of time

The Hangover II

2011-06-01T21:57:00.007-04:00

Look, I'm the first to admit that we shouldn't judge a sequel by the first generation flick that spawned it. It's seriously unfair; sequels, like any work of art, should be judged on its own merit.

But . . .

The producers of The Hangover II make it difficult not to compare it to the origional. The same cast is used, despite the near-impossible plotline that allow supporting cast members to be involved. The same comedic scenarios from the first movie that made me laugh until snot came out my nose was used in this re-tread: somebody jumped outta a locked container, surprising the audience and The Wolfpack; cars were destroyed by mobsters; the boys have a run-in with cops; something is stolen during the night of drunken-ness that must be returned the next day.

The same old same old can be funny, I suppose. But it really isn't good art. It's a rip-off, and an obvious one at that.

The Hangover II earned over $100 million dollars over Memorial Day weekend, including $20 cash money from my pocket.

I feel like I just bought a blue velvet Elvis painting from a road-side vender.

Randy Savage Dies At 58

2011-05-20T14:17:00.000-04:00

My brother and I discovered Randy Savage before his WWF glory days, before Miss Elizabeth and his love/hate relationship with Hulk Hogan.

Each Saturday in the early 80s the two of us would turn on the TV at 1pm to watch International Championship Wrestling. ICW was based in Kentucky, and owned by Savage's father, Angelo Paffo. Paffo ran an interesting promotion, complete with terrific talent and great story lines.

One of my favorite pro wrasslin' moments happend at an ICW taping. Ronnie Garvin hit Ox Baker in the mouth, knocked out Baker's false teeth, then stomped on them to dust in the ring. It wasn't a work, it was real. And really entertaining.

Savage and his brother, Leaping Lannie, had a great run in ICW before moving on to the WWF. They were great ring workers, and knew how to tell a story.

Randy Savage died today in Florida at age 58.

Thank you for all the memories.

Love And Other Drugs

2011-05-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

There are many reasons to like Love And Other Drugs. There's Anne Hathaway's emotional performance, and her class-yet-sexy nude scenes. There's Jake Gyllenhall's mature, steady performance that that shows he's successfully making the transition to leading man. There's the in-depth look at some of the most important social topics of the last decade, namely health care and greed.

Did I mention Hathaway's nude scenes?

Despite all these positives, I didn't really care for the film. Or maybe I did. I'm unsure, and that's the problem with Love And Other Drugs. It lukewarm at best, despite solid performances and interesting storyline. The film starts zany and ends serious, and that uncertainty about what the film intends to be may be it's downfall.

The flicks worth seeing; just don't expect to be thinking about it the next day.

The King's Speech

2011-05-08T11:04:00.003-04:00

I noticed several years ago, while walking through a hallway in a speech clinic that serves as a pre-professional training facility, a display of informational posters dedicated to speech disorders. Each was dedicated to teaching the public something about common disorders of articulation, anatomy, etc., with cutesy titles and cool visuals. One of the posters caught my eye; near the center of the display, in bold, beautifully colored blue letters, was a poster titled:

"Stu-Stu-Stu-Stuttering."

I was heartbroken.

What the poster told me, despite the best intentions of the author, was that the condition of stuttering was more important to the clinic than the individuals who come there for help. The clinic saw the condition as their primary focus, and the people who came there as simply the way in which the disorder was delivered to them.

Clearly, there was no thought given to how that title would affect the hundreds of people who came to the clinic weekly for treatment.

I hope the administrators of that speech clinic require students to watch The King's Speech. If they do, they will see that disorders -- of articulation, or anything else for that matter -- are simply one part in an otherwise full life of individuals. People are not defined by, nor should they be identified by, a label. When therapists realize that the deep, personal connection with clients helps build trust and leads to a reduction of symptoms, they become better clinicians.

Lionel Logue knew this. And King George VI benefited from it. And The King's Speech shows the process beautifully.

The Rabbit Hole

2011-05-03T00:00:00.003-04:00

It's probably cliche to begin with a discussion of how immense the pain resulting from the death of one's child would be. It's almost an unimaginable consideration, sort of like the "Who created God?" puzzle that ten year olds play with at night when they can't fall asleep.

"What would I do if..." I start, but can't finish. As if my simply uttering the rest of the sentence would put the act in motion.

Cliche or not, this is the perspective The Rabbit Hole brings to the audience. Lead by Nicole Kidman, who also produced the film, The Rabbit Hole takes the audience into the horrific world of parents who suffer from the death of their child.

A world where pleasure and recreation are avoided. Where any focus shifted off of grief and loss is met with guilt. A world inhabited by regular people trying to work through extraordinary circumstances. The sort of circumstances people should never, ever, have to face.

Thankfully, Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart go through it for me. With brilliance, with grace, and with authenticity.

One of the gems found in The Rabbit Hole is the relationship formed between Kidman's character and the teen who accidentally killed her son. It's a fragile relationship, and beautiful to watch evolve. Miles Teller is amazing in the role of Jason; his teen is angelic and angst, simultaneously.

I can't ponder the question, but I can watch others act out the experience and learn from it. And it's a lesson I never want to experience in real life.

Huntington, WV, On the Fly

2011-05-02T12:32:00.001-04:00

I first became aware of Harvey Pekar in the 80s,when the American Splendor author did several guest spots on Late Night With David Letterman. Back in the 80s it seemed Dave was mostly throwing watermelons off high buildings, dressing up in Velcro suites and clinging to fabric-covered walls, or sparring with Pekar.

Pekar usually won.

Pekar died last summer at age 70. Before he passed away, though, Pekar spent time in Huntington, WV, where he participated in a book signing, then did a cameo in the independent film The Comic Book Lady.

His re-telling of that experience is in his latest book, Huntington, WV, On The Fly. You can pick up a copy at Comic World, at 4th Avenue and 12th Street.

One of the things I like best about this book is that it showcases a few Huntingtonians I know. Pekar gets the subtle charm and genuineness of Kathleen, the owner of Comic World, and the sincerity (and correct verbal rhythm) of her friend Shayne. Perhaps most fun for me, however, was seeing how my old friend Eric Meadows is portrayed in the book: quick-witted, slinging out dialogue with densely-packed references about movies few have heard of, and wearing funny hats.
That's my buddy Eric!

Stop by Comic World and get a copy of Pekar's latest. And have them sign it for you before you go. It'll make a good read even better.

Get Low

2011-04-25T19:55:00.001-04:00

Although we pretend not to care much of the time, most of us would like to know for sure what others really think of us. Not the things people say to our face, which are mostly polite and superficial. We wanna know the real things that real people -- especially the people we care about most -- think about us as we walk through life's journey.

And as much as we want to know what others think of us, sometimes we have things we want to say to others.Things we need to get off our chest. Things we feel we gotta say before we take that final breath.

Some of us do that in a poetic, soulful way.

Others, like Get Low's Felix Bush and me, do it in a more socially awkward, pensive manner.

Like Bush, played masterfully by Robert Duvall, there are things I'd like to say to some folks before I get put under. Unlike Bush, however, I'm not gonna hold a Alive Funeral Party to serve as the gathering place for me to vent all that stuff off my chest.

I'm much more likely to write it in a long blogpost. Where no one will ever read it anyway.

Film Scenes That Matter: Airplane!

2011-04-18T00:00:00.003-04:00

Blue Valentine

2011-04-17T21:13:00.001-04:00

Don't let the movie poster fool you.

This movie has little to do with romance, and even less to do with two hip 20-somethings posed to look like a Calvin Klein ad.

Blue Valentine details the disolution of Dean and Cindy's marriage. Built of a shakey foundation, the couple lose themeselves in the day-to-day stressors of life, and the insecurities that plague the best of relationships.

It's the sort of stuff that gives one The Danny Gut.

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are fantastic as the leads, and carry the film with their incredible talents. The film flashes back and forth between their current relationship and the lives they lead at the time they first meet. The characters were quite different; in effect, then, Gosling and Williams each play two characters in the flick.

Blue Valentine is gritty, and often difficult to watch. It's also brilliant; the use of improvised dialogue and different film formats make this movie something special

Limitless

2011-04-06T17:11:00.006-04:00

Limitless, the Neil Burger directed flick that probably went by the working title: "Bradley Cooper Cleans Up Real Good," gives the audience insight into what life might be like if we could master 100% of our brain capacity.

The results are that we become even more selfish, more dangerous, and more destructive. Who woulda figured?

Like some of Burger's other films, Limitless uses interesting visual tricks and imagery to tell the story and keep the audience focus. The acting, especially that by De Niro, seems flat by comparison. The ending attempts to be clever, but is predictable and annoying.

Even for someone like me whose percentage of brain control is in the single digits.

Dinner For Schmucks

2011-03-29T18:45:00.006-04:00

"I'm the schmuck," I thought
When I realized I'd paid to
Watch this waste of time

The Fighter

2011-03-27T09:26:00.004-04:00

First, I gotta get something off my chest:

Those of us who live in West Virginia are, typically, pretty thin-skinned when it comes to our image. Our culture, and the fatalistic and deterministic perspectives so much a part of that culture, cause us to look critically at the lifestyles of others in different parts of the country. When we recognize similarities, we feel better about ourselves. And we feel connected to the world outside the Appalachians.

It was so nice to meet the Ward-Eukland family. I know them; they're family.

And it was nice (again) to see that behavior and beliefs attributed primarily to hillbillies and rubes occur in what's considered more sophisticated parts of the country.

People are just people, ain't we?

That's the message of The Fighter. People are just people. We're all trying to make a living, care for our families, meet our obligations and feel good about ourselves. Sometimes along that path we get stuck: our needs stop being met, we become selfish, we live our lives for other people, and let others manipulate us. We get stuck in the the ruts of a life we didn't envision.

We need a jolt to knock us into a new path, to help us find redemption. That jolt can come from a right cross to the chin, or from watching the bad choices we make affect those we love.

Too bad we have to be so stubborn.

Due Date

2011-03-22T19:04:00.003-04:00

I deliberately chose Due Date to watch after a long day at work. I dig Robert Downey, Jr's irritable angst, and find Zack Galifianakis hi-freakin'-larious. The flick started to stream, and I laughed out loud at Galifianakis' strange-looking perm.

"His perm's funny," I snorted to Mrs. Film Geek. She giggled, then said: "Remember when you got that home perm, back in '90?"

I shut the hell up.

It was the only laugh I'd laugh for the next 90 minutes. I watched Due Date thinking of all the other movies I really liked from the road film genre: Planes, Trains And Automobiles; Midnight Run; Rain Man; Beavis And Butthead Do America.

Due Date is a poor re-tread of them all.

David E. Kelley's Wonder Woman

2011-03-19T20:05:00.002-04:00

David E. Kelley, who's written and directed some of the most innovative TV of the last 20 years, is developing a Wonder Woman series for NBC.

Of course, the early comments focus on the most important aspect: star Adrianne Palicki's costume.

I'm hoping she loses the Lasso of Truth, and that there's no invisible plane. And that James Spader isn't cast as Steve Trevor.

The Apple & The Tree

2011-03-08T14:46:00.005-05:00

One of my oddest childhood memories involves my family being refused the purchase of an ice cream sundae because we were ordering it on a Sunday.

It's true.

I recall my Dad walking up to the roadside ice cream stand (which wasn't around more than one summer season) ordering hot fudge sundaes, then shaking his head and walking empty handed back toward the car. "They aren't selling sundaes," said my Dad.

Someone in the car asked: "Are they out of ice cream?" To which my Dad replied: "No, she said they don't sell sundaes on Sunday."

I think we settled for milkshakes. Everyone knows you don't go to hell for mixing up a chocolate shake on Sunday. We drank them while sitting in our car in the parking lot.

That part of the experience wasn't unusual. There weren't many drive-through fast-food options available in Nicholas County, WV circa 1976-1983, but my family had a regular routine on those days we found one. Dad and Mom would cobble together an order, drive through, then park the car and eat in the parking lot beside the restaurant.

My family almost never ate inside a restaurant. I think it was due mainly to my Dad's social anxiety, but the vast majority of the burgers, fries, and ice cream cones I ate were consumed in the back seat on our green-colored sedan.

I couldn't help be reminded of that as I ate my Value Meal #4 in the parking lot at Wendy's.

The apple doesn't fall far.

And One

2011-03-07T21:11:00.007-05:00

Zela Elementary -- that's The Little Bears to me and you, Russ -- didn't play for basketball championships every year. In fact, I can't recall a time before the 1977 season, when Zela went head-to-head with Fleger Ridge, that my tiny elementary school played for a county title.

A kid named Rich was the flashiest player on our team. Rich was more mature, more confident than any of the players on our team. This made him the go-to guy in the clutch. The overall best player was Susan, the only female team member. Susan's basketball IQ was incredibly high, which meant she usually made everyone around her better with her play.

I was a role player.

Role players don't typically draw a lot of attention. We play hard and contribute to the team, but at the end of the game few remember the player who has good rebounding technique, or the guy who made the pass that lead to the flashy assist.

Fans remember Rich, and they remember Susan.

I don't recall a lot about the championship game. Most of it was a whirlwind, and I was a confused 11 year old trying to look as though I wasn't. By the end of the game I had scored 1 point -- the back-end of two free throws -- and committed one really hard foul. I'm told I had several rebounds, but I don't remember any.

Rebounds just ain't very sexy.

After Zela lost, the players lined up for trophies. Suddenly I heard the announcer say the phrases "All-Tournament" and "Marc" together. In the same sentence. Confused and unsure, I watched what the guy before me did after his name was called, and did that. I collected my trophy, let them put a ribbon around my neck, then jumped back in line with my team-members.

My identity changed in that moment. I was no longer the insecure kid pretending to be an athlete. In that moment I became a basketball player; a leader, a person who appreciated strategy, and someone who valued team work. Even in middle age with a bum knee, being a basketball player is a significant part of who I am. I'm a husband, a father, a professional, a lover of movies, a basketball player . . .

I still have the trophy to prove it!

It's odd how the smallest of moments can play so large in our lives. And this seems especially true for the lives of children. The sum of those small moments ultimately equal who we become as people. We can't all be stars, and we can't all be flashy. But each of us can become who we want to be, or who we need to be.

If we pay attention when opportunity knocks.

Live Bloggin' The 2011 Oscars

2011-02-27T18:04:00.087-05:00

The Red Carpet Edition:

Just tuned in to E! in time to see Jennifer Lawrence, from Winter's Bone doing the long walk in a beautiful, simple-but-classy red dress. No baubles, no bling. Just awesome! I haven't seen her movie yet, but I hope she wins just so I can watch her walk up to the podium.

. . . Then, the camera switched to E! Red Carpet pre-show co-host Kelly Osbourne. YIKES! The transition was like looking into direct sunlight with unprotected eyes.

I actually looked away from the screen for a few seconds.

The Goodyear Blimp's sold out to the red carpet hoo-ray by scrolling messages about the celebs! Oh! The humanity!

Dear Mila Kunas: The lace-y aspect of your dress is the coolest special effect I've seen on TV or movies this year. I wanna soooooo be your BFF.

Strange interview question / comment #1, from Ryan Seacrest to the mother of Russell Brand: " You must be very proud of your son." And oddly, she answered "Yes, very proud." Strange . . .

Does anyone else think a clean, sober Brand looks a lot like Weird Al Yankovic?

The last time I saw Cate Blancett's dress, it was being worn by one of the princesses in Disney's royal castle.

Kevin Spacey, one of the producers of The Social Network, just gave insightful commentary about how social media like Facebook has given voice to the disenfranchised and voiceless in our world. And it's true. Now, back to figuring out how to get more supplies on Farmville!

Sharon Stone is still alive? Who knew?

One quickly becomes aware of one's place in life if, while blogging in a Lazy-Boy while dressed in sweat pants with mussed-up hair, one's wife makes a he's-so-sexy comment about Justin Timberlake as he's interviewed at the festivities.

This just in: Hilary Swank wins another Academy Award, just because.

Nice to see Matthew McConaughey cleaned up for the event [ahem]

I'm afraid Christian Bale is one role away from living in remote cabin in Montana.

The Opening:

The opening, with Franco and Hathaway inserted into scenes from Best Picture nominees, was terrific. Similar to the bits that made Billy Crystal's hosting gigs from yesteryear so successful. Adding Alec Baldwin was pure genius!

I'm not certain, but it looks like James Franco is [ahem] sedated.

The Awards:

Tom Hanks is half-way through his speech for Achievement in Art Direction, and I'm already thinking about making a sandwich.

Seeing Kirk Douglas always makes me wanna stand and yell: "I'm Spartacus!" Even elderly and ill, I bet Douglas can still kick some ass.

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo is a fine choice, but I thought Hailee Steinfeld really deserved the recognition. Leo comes across in her speech a little pretentious, especially after Douglas' genuine funny. Cue the get-off-stage music.

Best Animated Feature: TOY STORY 3!! TOY STORY 3!! TOY STORY 3!! TOY STORY 3!! [wipes sweat off forehead] I just loved that flick.

Javier Bardeem makes me nervous, what with his good looks and cool-as-hell accent. Now, he pulls off a white tux with no problem at all? Jeez, I wish the guy would just go away.

Adapted Screenplay Award: Adam Sorkin, for The Social Network, takes the award considered the consolation prize for not winning the bigger ones. Sorkin and The Social Network folks can leave early.

Best Supporting Actor: Keeping my fingers crossed for Bale, because that dude will do anything for a role. Anything! And he needs another award to justify his obsessive behavior. I wish Ruffalo wins, though. That guy turns in great role after great role.

My prediction? Bale. The winner: Bale! For The Fighter.

I hope in his next role he plays a guy who is physically and emotionally healthy.

The score for The Social Network was tremendous, and a real testament (along with the film's subject) to how visual art is becoming a young person's medium. Weird thing is seeing Reznor looking and acting like the guy next door as he accepts the trophy.

Every time Matthew McConaughey is on TV, Mrs. Film Geeks sez: "You know, we've touched each other." Yes, dear, . . . I know.

Note to James Franco: Next awards show, take only half the Xanax.

I'm not trying to be mean, but when I see the Cate Blanchett dressed like that, the tune "When you wish upon a star," pops into my head.

The Academy Award Winner for Make-Up: Bringing back the mullett!

Gods Of Love director Luke Matheny was refreshing, not only for his "I shoulda got a haricut," comment, but for the way he views his art. That passion is missing too regularly in big biz flicks.

Oprah!!! Gowd, no. Run, everyone hide.

Loved the banter between Jude Law and Robert Downey, Jr. Remember the Wonder Woman-costume-cocaine-hotel fiasco that happened back in 2000? Charlie Sheen can only hope to be as cool as Downey, Jr.

Seriously, who's done more with a 15 minute fame spot than Jennifer Hudson? She has it going on, and did it the right way: hard work, good gig choices, and focus.

I can see it now: Coldplay and Gwyneth Paltrow, One Night Only! in bright lights at the Charleston Civic Center, circa 2020. The arena will be half-full.

People I Didn't Know Were Dead: This year, it was Robert Culp and Lynn Redgrave. Who knew? This is always my favorite part of the Oscar show, and the part that signals we're heading into the home stretch. Sorta like Weekend Update on SNL. Funny thing, my blog blew up during that memorial, with people who apparently didn't know Leslie Nielsen died searching for his info and finding this post.

Directing: Tom Hooper just said "man-love." Cue Beavis and Butthead cackle.

I wanna be Jeff Bridges! The guy is as cool as you can get, I think. I'm hoping the girl from Winter's Bone wins so I can watch her walk onstage in that red dress. But I'm predicting Natalie Portman. Black Swan was unbelievably good.

Who wants to bet Sandra Bullock doesn't give a shout out to her husband this year?

Best Male Actor: Wish it was Bridges, betting on Colin Firth.

Best Picture: I saw Black Swan, True Grit, The Social Network, Inception, Toy Story 3. But I'm guessing the winner will be a movie I've not yet seen. So, I pick...The King's Speech.

Black Swan deserves it...

But The King's Speech it is. Guess what I'll be renting this week.

Overall:

Not a bad program, but lacking in excitement for such a strong year in movies. The hosts were mostly OK, but Franco was too laid-back to be asked back next year. Safe telecast, with few surprises.

Unknown

2011-02-25T21:49:00.005-05:00

Closer to Darkman,
Than to Schindler's List, it seems.
Less fun than Taken.

Predictable, and
January Jones is cold.
Real cold. Hard to like.

Unknown disappoints.
Near to the level of the
dreadful District 9.

Waiting For "Superman"

2011-02-19T10:48:00.003-05:00

I used to think I had a pretty good understanding of the history, development, and purpose of schools.

Back in the days of Socrates, education was about insight and the wisdom that results. In more modern times, schools in America have served the function of feeding our economic system. Teachers taught basics that helped future employees be most successful on the 8-4 job they moved into right out of high school or, in some cases, right out of college. Although I have three kids currently enrolled in public schools, I thought our educational system was still working within that functionalist mentality.

I was wrong.

Waiting For "Superman," an incredibly thought-provoking documentary, explores the current state of education in America. How, for example, can students in America score far behind students in other countries in subjects like math, science and reading, but score first among those same countries in academic confidence? In other words: we don't do well at all, but we think we do.

As film director Davis Guggenheim points out, it's because the experience of school is no longer about the student. Education in America is no longer serving the functions of our society, nor is it focused on planting seeds of wisdom in the fertile brains of kids. Nope. Instead, schools have become another place of employment for teachers, administrators, staff, and unions.

Schools are all about serving the needs of adults.

Guggenheim's film isn't dynamic -- there are no Michael Moore-like shenanigans. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.). "Superman" is straight-forward while still well-written and well-directed. Most effective, though, is how Guggenheim lets those he follows in the school system tell their stories. It's dramatic to watch a meeting of the Washington, D.C. teachers' union, as the group refused to even consider a proposal to allow teachers to earn more than double their salaries by giving up tenure and allowing performance reviews. And it's telling to see the minorities in the film, especially those living in poverty, attempting desperately to get their children into the best schools possible. Slots are few, and tuition for those type of schools is high.

Wanna argue with me about the purpose schools serve now?

Waiting For "Superman" points out where the educational system is broken. It tells us how past efforts to over-haul the system have failed. Most important, though, is that Guggenheim challenges us to do something about it. Now. Superman ain't coming, folks. He's not real.

It's up to us.

The Rite

2011-02-13T19:41:00.005-05:00

Whatever you do, avoid The Rite!

This exorcism flick -- so poorly written, horribly directed, and with not-scary-at-all special effects -- is so bad that a beefy supporting role by Anthony Hopkins can't salvage it. In fact, Hopkins seems to be phoning it in alongside lead Colin O'Donaghue. The two have no chemistry in their roles as priests and exorcists.

The actors are so dull, I cheered for the Devil to win the spiritual battle during the final scene just so I could experience some excitement.

About a third of the way into the movie, I became bored and fell asleep. As I slept, I dreamt The Chinchilla scurried up the theater aisle, hopped into the cup-holder between Mrs. Film Geek and me and said hello. His eyes glowed red, and his voice was unusually low, and gravely.

Mr. Chinchilla: "May I share some of your popcorn?"

Me: "I suppose. You interviewed me once, you know. We're sorta friends. So yeah, you can share my popcorn."

Mr. Chinchilla [red-glowing eyes glancing toward me]: "Blogging is dead, you know. People love Facebook now, and Twitter. No one reads your blog. They don't care."

He laughed a maniacal laugh, then threw a kernal of popcorn into his mouth. Because he was still laughing hard, he started to choke on the corn. I gently patted him on the back, and offered him a sip of Coke. Mr. Chinchilla shifted the poprocn into his cheek-pouch, took a sip of Coke, then started laughing again.

Mr. Chinchilla: "Most of the bloggers you used to read are gathered in Hell, waiting for you. I torture them every day, for hours a day, by forcing them to read text longer than 140 characters and not allowing them to click "like" buttons. Goddamn it, people hate not being able to click "like" buttons!"

In my dream, The Chinchilla was just starting to tell me which of my old WV blogger buddies he enjoyed torturing the most when Mrs. Film Geek shook me awake.

"You're snoring," she whispered. "It was so loud, it was embarrassing."

Whatever. I bet it wasn't as embarrassing as The Rite.

The Social Network

2011-02-12T08:35:00.005-05:00

You and 25,000,000 peope like this

View all comments:

T. Film Geek sez this flick rocked! U gotta see it :) JusTin Timberlike wuz da bomb, cuz he made U hate on him worse than you hated Zuckerberg! And what was up with
See more

High School Quotes I Remember: Quote # 13

2011-02-01T09:07:00.004-05:00

(I make no judgements about content. I'm simply purging some of the clutter that's been inside my head since 1983.)

[Audio distortion from loudspeaker being turned on] "Mr. Pryor, please send [my name] to the principal's office. Immediately." [End audio distortion]

I got that a lot back in the 80s. My visit to Principal Perkins' office on that morning, however, was strange. Nearly surreal.

If it was a movie, it would have been given an R-rating

A couple days before I was called to the principal's office, a classmate bragged to several of us about making out with a girl on the Activity Bus. That bus, which drove two routes across an entire county, was used to give kids who stayed after school for sports or band practice a ride home. Because it went to some really rural areas of central West Virginia, the ride could be long. Some evenings I didn't arrive home until close to 8pm. So you had ample time time make friends on the Activity Bus.

(And sometimes you had ample time to make out with friends on the Activity Bus.)

The make-out story my friend told, though, was too strange to believe. His description of what happened started with talking to a girl, then morphed into heavy petting and intercourse before climaxing (no pun intended) with anal sex. As I listened, it was clear the story was all wrong: the timing, the positions, the fact it supposedly took place on a public bus were all suspicious, suggesting to me that my classmate had written a pretty good Penthouse Forum letter, but hadn't really done the deed.

I called bullshit, and he started to fold. And as many immature male teens do when they spot weakness, I taunted him about the story for several days.

But this story isn't about my classmate. This story is about what happened when the principal became involved.

I left Sociology class and walked down the hallway to Principal Perkins' office. I stepped inside his office to find he's arranged a seat for me across from his, away from his desk, so we could talk informally. I sat down way too close to him, and smiled. After a few pleasantries, he got down to business.

The Principal: "I understand you ride the Activity Bus most evenings, along with several other students."

Me: "Yes, I do."

The Principal: "Your classmate [his name] rides the other bus that goes to the eastern part of the county. He tells me that he and you recently had a conversation about his making out with a girl on that bus."

This was where the surreal part happens. I realized in that moment two things: (1) my classmate had actually complained to the principal that I was taunting him about his sex lie, and (2) if I played this just right, I could get the principal to say some really uncomfortable things.

Me: "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

The Principal: "Did you not recently have a conversation with [name] about his making out with a girl on the activity bus?"

Me: "I don't remember a conversation like that."

The Principal: "You don't remember? [He laughs.] Oh, you'd remember if you had this conversation. It was very graphic. I'm told you guys talked about his having sex, and even about specific positions. You surely remember that conversation."

Bingo!

Me: "I'm sorry, I don't. What did he say?"

The Principal: "Well, one of the details that stands out is that [the classmate] says he, uh...he, well..., [his voice changes, becomes unsure] he put his, uh ... he put his penis in her, ... you know."

Me: "He did what? I don't know what you mean."

The Principal [squirming and uncomfortable]: "He put his penis in her, ... in her butt. [Sits up straight, firms his voice.] That's what he says. That's his story, alright! I'm told you have been making fun of him for doing that."

Me: "For putting his penis in her butt?"

The Principal: "Yes. For putting his penis in her butt on the activity bus."

Me: "That's the first time I've heard that story, Mr. Perkins. But I gotta tell you, knowing how the Activity Bus works, that story doesn't really sound true to me."

The Principal [deep sigh]: "Go back to class."

I never spoke to the student about my conversation with the principal. I figured if he reported it, he's be dying to know what happened. My not telling him let me control that, in some sordid way. Principal Perkins never mentioned it again, either. But the Activity Bus was given a monitor the following year. I sorta figured our conversation played some role in that.

Black Swan

2011-01-29T22:39:00.003-05:00

I walked out from my viewing of Black Swan feeling as if I needed a Valium.

Mrs. Film Geek and I spent the 20 minute drive home debating what we just watched. We agreed Natalie Portman gave the performance of a lifetime. We disagreed, though, about whether the transformation her character experienced was the result of a psychotic break, or a cinematic technique to clue the audience in to Portman's severe internal conflict. By the time we arrived home Mrs. Film Geek had won the debate.

Note to self: Don't argue psychological issues with a clinical psychologist.

Watching Portman's Nina Sayers is difficult; the intense performances, sensitive material, minimalist acting, and stark direction causes every scene to be intense. By the movie's end the audience has been beaten down emotionally and psychologically. Just like Sayers. We're exhausted, a bit paranoid, and desperate. During our discussion on the drive home, Mrs. Film Geek described best how we both felt about this movie.

Black Swan is more an experience than it is a movie. And it's brilliant.

Stone

2011-01-25T00:00:00.002-05:00

Powerful performances by Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Milla Javovich, and Frances Conroy help Stone overcome obvious flaws in production and story development. The film is based on a play, and the pace and tone make it feel like one. The feeling that comes from that production creates an intense emotional connection to the characters, despite none of them being particularly likable.

But man, those performances...

Robert De Niro is, of course, one of the greatest actors of all time. Edward Norton will be thought of in the same way during the next decade. Both elevate their scenes, especially the scenes in which they are face-to-face, to a special level. Milla Javovich does crazy like nobody's business, and is a treat to watch. But it's Frances Conroy's stilted performance as a housewife who's accepted her unhappy lot in life who makes this film successful for me.

Her repressed hostility and regret caused me to have The Danny Gut early on.

Please, Make It Stop: Part 21

2011-01-24T13:04:00.004-05:00

It seems Oprah's got herself a new family member.

According to reports, Oprah's gonna reveal today on her talk show that she's got a half-sibling, a sister named Patricia, with whom she shares a mother. While I suppose that's interesting in a rubber-neck sorta way, it's certainly not a "miracle."

From Black Voices Buzz: "I thought I'd seen it all. But this, my friends, is the miracle of all miracles." During her preview of the show last Thursday, the word "miracle" popped up on screen.

Miracles are pretty rare, Oprah. And when they do occur, they have an almost supernatural feel about them. It's a miracle when people live who should have died. The term "miracle" is sorta reserved for those incredible experiences that happen, but can't really be explained.

The fact you have a long-lost half sister ain't that grandiose, babe. Except in your mind.

Buried

2011-01-23T15:29:00.003-05:00

I had lots of reasons to avoid this 2010 Ryan Reynolds thriller. I'm horribly claustrophobic (that's not an overused, cliched use of the term; I panic in small spaces), and I'm terribly celebofthemomentphobic (an overused, cliched term I created to explain my suspicion of hot celebs, like Ryan Reynolds).

Except for his upcoming Green Lantern flick...I'm too much a fanboy to dis that one, of course.

So Mrs. Film Geek had to beg me to sit with her to watch Buried. She said something about her interest in the movie being based in genre, but I couldn't help notice her excitement when she saw the good-looking Reynolds was the star. So after popping some extra-buttered popcorn, I settled in to be disappointed.

I wasn't.

Buried tells the story of truck driver Paul Conroy, who works in Iraq during the height of the recent war. The film opens--and takes place completely in--a 6.5 ft. by 3 ft. wooden box buried six feet under the sand in the Iraqi desert. In the box with Conroy is a lighter, a flask, a glow-stick, a cell phone and a pencil. He has no idea who put him there, and no idea how he's going to get out.

One of the most incredible aspects of Buried is its statement of how our society has changed over the years in regard to social interaction. As Conroy attempts to use his telephone to call for help, he's put on hold, forced to interact with automated answering services, and told by the few humans he reaches that they can't help him. People are so self-involved that they don't really listen to a man trying to explain that he's buried in a box in the Iraqi desert and that he's going to die if he doesn't get help soon.

The conversation with the Human Resources director of the company for which Conroy works is particularly troubling.

The angles filmed by director Rodrigo Cortes are used brilliantly to let the audience feel the alternating desperation and hope that Conroy experiences. The movie is compelling, and Reynolds is, [ahem] very good in the role.

Even if he is eye candy.

True Grit

2011-01-07T22:24:00.007-05:00

I estimated the average age of those in the packed theater to be around 55. "Lots of John Wayne fans here tonight," I whispered to Mrs. Film Geek as the movie began. "I wonder if they'll be disappointed. This Cohen Brothers movie is supposed to be closer to the novel than the Duke's movie."

"Duke who?" she asked.

"Nevermind."

The 1969 flick was an important one to me. It's one of those movies I shared with my Dad, although we shared it in silence, watching it on TV while sitting across the room from each other. Dad loved him some John Wayne; the increased rocking in his chair and extra shake in his crossed leg during that reins-in-his-mouth scene gave it away.

Otherwise, I might never have known. We didn't talk a whole lot about flicks.

My crossed legs shook a lot during this re-telling of the Charles Portis novel. The Cohen Brothers have made many of the best movies of the past 25 years (with the exceptions, of course, of The Ladykillers and Burn After Reading) by telling compelling stories about the frailties of being human. The brothers take on this western is no different: their genius ability to write dialogue that's as interesting for it's rhythm and cadence as it is for it's content is here, as is the common theme of characters being transformed by the events they experience. The 2010 True Grit, however, is a more visually stunning movie than others in their filmography. Several scenes in this movie were emotionally moving not for the spoken word or the acting, but for the imagery and cinematography. It was incredibly powerful.

Jeff Bridges is terrific in the role of Cogburn, and Matt Damon delivers the Cohen-lingo perfectly in the role formerly acted by Glen Campbell. But it's little known Hailee Steinfeld as Matti who draws the audience in. She makes us invest in her; we feel for her, care about her, and worry about her. That empathy lets us appreciate and care for Cogburn, because despite the fact he's a drunk and a reprobate, he cares about Mattie too.

Near the end of the movie, during a highly emotional scene in which Cogburn shows he's still able to care about someone other than himself, I noticed Mrs. Film Geek wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Enjoying the movie?" I whispered.

She leaned over, and said: "The girl is incredible. I love her."

I stopped shaking my legs and reached for her hand. I knew we'd talk about it in detail on the way home. We have in common a love for movies, but even more a love for talking together about why we love movies.

And I smiled.

The Other Guys

2011-01-02T12:15:00.004-05:00

I've always been one of those other guys.

Not one of the ones who causes people to stop talking and look when I walk into a room. Not one of those guys who knows immediately what to do in any situation or circumstance. I was never one of those who had the confidence to know that whatever line I used to pick up women was going to work every time.

Hell, I just deleted and re-typed "pick up women" three times before I decided to leave it in the preceding sentence. The phrase felt too bold, too sure. Feelings with which I'm inexperienced.

I'm methodical. Built for distance. I'm quick to size up a situation so that I can ponder it for as long as possible, making sure all the peripheral options are covered, before I act. It isn't sexy. It isn't dynamic or cool. But it's me.

Mark Wahlberg has a reoccurring line in The Other Guys that stood out to me. He sees how he wants his life to be, but feels held back by himself and his co-workers from realizing his ideal. In his moments of frustration he yells: "I'm a peacock, you've gotta let me fly."

It's funny for a number of reasons, but especially because peacocks don't have the ability to fly more than a few feet, and when they do their flight is awkward and clumsy. Wahlberg feels what he wants and needs to do, but can't quite get it right. He's one of the other guys, after all.

I understand.

Gulliver's Travels

2010-12-30T15:26:00.005-05:00

I imagine the pitch for Gulliver's Travels went something like this:

Jack Black (Executive Producer and Star): ". . . and then I wake up on a strange beach, tied up just like the guy in the Swift novel, surrounded by these little fuckers. I freak out, rip off the ropes and jump to my feet. Then, the little bastards attack me. One of them manages to pull my pants down just a bit, enough to show my butt crack for 15 or 20 seconds, then pulls me down onto my back. As I fall to the ground, one of the little fuckers gets lodged in my butt crack. Later -- and the full details have to be worked out on this scene -- there will be a fire in one of the little houses these people live in, and I'll put the fire out by pissing on it. We'll film it in 3-D, put it out at Christmas when people have more time to see matinees, and the kids will beg to see it!"

Sigh . . .

I have a theory about the roles Jack Black chooses. After terrific performances in Hi-Fidelity, Shallow Hal, and School of Rock, Black tried his hand at leading-man drama, with King Kong. If flopped with critics. Black was reminded by Hollywood that people come see his movies for the arched eyebrow, the goofy smirk, the references to rock-n-roll and sci-fi trivia, and his paunchy-everyman persona.

Hollywood is wrong. We don't want the same character over and over again. If he keeps this practice up, Black's gonna lose his audience. Just ask Tom Hanks.

Little Fockers

2010-12-28T12:23:00.002-05:00

One of the things I most enjoy about blogging is the sense of community it provides. I've known the author of Read Me for several years, and have great respect for her artistry. Take a look at her blog, and and you'll see I ain't lying.

Recently Read Me caught a showing of Little Fockers. I was curious what she thought, so I asked her to write a guest commentary. Here is her post:

Some movies you watch and are amused by because your mood is right, you have an affinity for the actors in front of you in larger-than-life size, and you just want to like it. If those elements had not been present, I would have enjoyed nothing about Little Fockers.

I watched the other movies and thought that the level of discomfort that Greg Focker (Ben Stiller's character) felt was just enough to make it funny but not too outrageous to make me lose interest. In this third extension of the first of the Ben Stiller/Robert De Niro/Dustin Hoffman in-law comedies, that same level of discomfort still manages to bring some level of humor. Jessica Alba's character is bubbly and hard not to like, as a fashionably dressed and flirtatious young professional. The Little Fockers add a little charm, and Owen Wilsons's character brings a new level of interest and much-needed diversion to the tired theme of in-law boundary-pushing.

Parts of the movie seem a little slow and overly contrived, but if you go into the movie with low expectations, you will probably find a few reasons to laugh and little regret about the purchase of your family holiday matinee adventure, especially if your favorite family and friends are along for the ride.

Salt

2010-12-26T11:17:00.000-05:00

Angelina Jolie scares me.

Swear to god, when I see her in interviews or movies I feel like I'm in 8th grade again, scared to death of talking to the prettiest girl in school. She's beautiful, ambitious, seems smart, and reeks of confidence.

Oh, yeah. . . and she can act.

Jolie would be a celebrity regardless of talent, simply on looks alone. The fact is, however, she has the chops to support her status as the go-to female lead if you want your movie to be a blockbuster. Over-the-top action or subtle and naunced, she delivers.

Every time.

Salt is no exception. Like Taken from a couple years back, Salt starts fast and keeps the pace throughout. Is she or isn't she? The answer is a bit obvious, but the flick is so well done you don't really care. It's fun, fast and thrilling.

Jolie wins again.

How To Win $5 In An Office Bet: Peter Billingsley Did Not Make A Porno

2010-12-18T17:14:00.003-05:00

It's my favorite time of year.

Snow-covered tree branches that look like happy landscapes painted by Bob Ross, kids giggling nervously as they wait in line at the mall to sit on Santa's lap, and hundreds of people googling "Did Peter Billingsley make a porno?" on their desktops at work.

It's Christmas, baby. That time of year when we have an excuse to slack off on the things we are supposed to do in order to unwind a bit before the new year. That's the reason for the season.

Some of you guys slacking off at work are trying to win office bets that Peter Billingsley did, or did not, make a skin flick. Here's the scoop: he didn't. His co-star Scott Schwartz, who played Flick, did.

But not Ralphie.

I sorta wish he had, though. It makes for a great urban legend, and I can just imagine the jokes that would be told as a result. A Christmas Story is known for its wonderful dialogue; catch-phrases and one-liners that stick with the viewer long after the movie is over. Many of those lines, along with some fun facts about the movie, could be used effectively in a modern porno parody.

Here is My Top 5: Potential Titles For Remaking A Christmas Story Into A Porno

"Go Slow, I'm Fraa-geel-eee!" The perfect soft-core skin flick for the sensitive couple, interested in her point-of-view.

"Mrs. Parker Gets Triple-Dogged On A Dare." A MILF who isn't afraid to put soap in your mouth knows how to get it on.

"Give Me A Darren McGavin." For the hard-core fetish audience tired of Cleveland Steamers and Dirty Sanchezes.

"Stick Your Tongue On My Stupid Pole." A compilation of scenes from the first 5 minutes of ten other porn flicks.

"I'll Shoot Your Eye Out!" No plot, just 75 minutes of gonzo action.

Leslie Nielsen: 1926 - 2010

2010-11-28T20:50:00.004-05:00

Leslie Nielsen dies, floats up to Heaven and walks up to the Pearly Gates where he is met by St. Peter.

St. Peter: "Good evening, Mr. Nielsen. I'm surprised to see you. Surely you can't be dead."

Leslie Nielsen: "I am dead, and don't call me Shirley."

Rest in peace, Mr. Nielsen. Thanks for a lifetime of laughs.

Grown Ups

2010-11-27T10:48:00.004-05:00

“The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.”
~ Proverbs 20:29

"Fuck that."
~ The Film Geek

I'm unsure why I have such a strong resentment about the concept of growing up. It's not about responsibility; I've always been a pretty responsible guy, never ducking the things I'm supposed to do and often doing extra without too much complaint. I've been responsible my entire life, and have no real beef with that.

Nope. I think the issue for me is less about growing up and more about growing old. I've never felt good about it, and usually I've been anxious about it. I'm a live-in-the-moment sorta guy, and for some odd reason I can't freeze-frame or pause this moment to make it last.

That's one of the concepts I liked about the movie, Grown Ups. The characters played by Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and the others recognize that the smallest moments in our present life are far more important than anything we ever did in the past.

Unfortunately, that's about all I did like about this movie. Sandler is low-key and charming, but the others in the cast are stereotypes and too over-the-top to take seriously. The flick is predictable, tries too hard to be sentimental and has a message that's a bit too obvious.

But it made a lot of money. Can't wait for the sequel.

Megamind

2010-11-15T15:27:00.010-05:00

"You are the architect of your life."

It's been said by lots of folks to remind us that the path we choose is just that: a choice.

Megamind gives us 96 minutes of that same message . . .

( . . . too bad it didn't also give us a more entertaining film).

The Wild And Wonderful Whites Of West Virginia

2010-11-06T20:17:00.004-04:00

It would be easy to dismiss the White family of Boone County, WV, as side show freaks, and label the film made about them exploitive. The Whites do resemble in many ways the geeks that people paid a quarter to see at the state fair, and the movie provides no overt narrative that passes judgement on their behavior. But in my opinion, that perspective on this movie is short sighted.

The Wild And Wonderful Whites Of West Virginia is a case study in Appalachian fatalism.

Jessco White became famous in part for his mountain dancing, in part for his "I ain't eatin' no more sloppy, slimy eggs," attitude and in part because he's a caricature of the West Virginia hillbilly. Jessco's family members are, perhaps, more pathetic and more desperate than he. Jessco, at least, has some artistic ability to go along with his outlaw mindset. The rest of the Whites are simply criminals; hell-raising, ridiculous, no-talent thugs.

They're hopeless.

Fatalism creates a world-view that's hopeless, where goals and ambition are useless. Fatalism causes people to think this moment is the most important part of life, because there may not be a tomorrow. The White family is pervasively affected by fatalism. They numb themselves with drugs and avoid all but the most superficial of relationships. Their only real sense of power comes from the criminal activity they carry out. They count their relevance by the number of times they've been in prison, or by how many Oxycontins they've sold or consumed.

Those tangibles are easier to tally than hopes and dreams.

The documentary is very well done. There is no sense that the producers exaggerated the behavior of the family, or that they condoned the behavior we see on the screen. The producers use the story line of Kirk, the niece of Jessco, to illustrate the consequences of the White family lifestyle. After having her baby taken by Child Protective Services, Kirk is forced to examine and alter her lifestyle in an attempt to regain custody. The film lets the story unfold in a non-preachy manner, allowing the audience to hold on to a faint hope that Kirk's transformation sticks.

It'll be a long, tough journey. It'll be made a bit easier if she's able to think about and imagine a hopeful future -- if not for herself, at least for her daughter.

Pet Shop Memory

2010-10-26T22:11:00.005-04:00

There weren't any pet shops in Summersville, WV in the 1970s. Hell, there weren't even any there in the 1980s. The closest pet shop to my hometown was in Montgomery, WV, near the West Virginia Institute of Technology. There was a Montgomery Ward or G.C. Murphy or some such store that had an elevator, an escalator and a pet shop.

It was soooo cosmopolitan!

My family traveled the 40 miles to Montgomery only during times my grandfather was there in the hospital. During my teen years he suffered through more than a couple heart attacks, and lived with lots of pain in between. We spent a lot of time in Montgomery General Hospital, camped out in it's cardiac unit.

And when grandpa was napping, I'd sneak a quick visit to the pet shop in the store next door.

The colorful birds were my favorite.

(Still are, even though now I think the snakes and lizards are pretty cool.)

My grandpa loved animals, but I never talked to him about the birds that I saw. That ride up the escalator to the cages and the glassed-in puppy and kitten windows was my adventure; to speak of it would reduce the magic.

Today, I can't walk into a pet store without thinking of my grandpa. I miss him. Somehow, in the years since he's been gone, birds have become a lot less colorful.

Wonder if that's a coincidence.

Hereafter

2010-10-24T11:07:00.003-04:00

It's interesting to me that many folks don't think much about the existence of an afterlife until after they experience death.

Despite my having no belief in the traditional Heaven or Hell, I'm fascinated by question of what happens to our conscious, our energy, once we die.

Perhaps nothing at all happens, and we simply cease . . .

Perhaps our energy lives on in a different dimension, or a different reality.

Perhaps tradition is right and we get sent to a great reward or an eternal punishment.

Who really knows?

Not me. And not Clint Eastwood either, if I understood the message in his most recent movie. Eastwood's Hereafter is more about our need to connect with others than it is about an afterlife; a commentary on intellectual curiosity and social need more than religious fervor.

Most folks tend to think little about the possibility of an afterlife until death takes a nibble at us, or takes a hard bite out of someone we love. It's then we lose a bit of faith in ourselves, and question our ability to control our own lives, and our own future. We look for something greater than ourselves. That something gives us hope, and confidence.

And it allow us to put into perspective our intellectual dilemma and the social loss we've experienced.

I'm unsure if Matt Damon's character in Hereafter really speaks to the dead. The best part of Eastwood's movie, though, is that the character himself isn't sure. He recognizes his connection is with the living; he has to touch them, and engage them in order to get the information they need to feel better. Any healing that comes from his psychic readings has little to do with learning about the afterlife, or learning new information from a departed loved one.

The healing comes from letting go: it happens when we stop looking backward, and are able to once again enjoy life in the moment.

A lesson many of us should learn.

Paranormal Activity 2

2010-10-22T22:39:00.003-04:00

This sequel, which is mostly a prequel, is one of the rarest of happenings in movies: a second flick that's better than the original.

Creepier. Scarier. More intense.

Paranormal Activity 2 provides information that fills in the back story to the first Paranormal Activity, then tells a terrific original tale without becoming a caricature, which happens too often with sequels. The minimalist style only serves to make the film feel more real, and thus more horrifying.

You'll jump, you'll squeal and you'll scream. And you'll have a helluva lotta fun.

Cool Directions

2010-10-21T10:23:00.003-04:00

I was lost. So lost, in fact, I was unsure if I was even in the right West Virginia town. So I stopped at a local business for directions:

Me: "Hi. I'm lost. Any chance you can help me find [the location]?

Her: "Sure, you are sort of near where you need to be. Turn right on the road out front, travel about two miles and turn left at the light in front of Go-Mart. Travel that side road until you see the dragon, then turn left. You'll be there."

Me: "Is The Dragon a bar? Or a business of some sort."

Her: "No, it's a dragon. A large, green dragon."

She was right.

Cousin Eddie Was Only Method Acting

2010-10-19T14:55:00.004-04:00

And in "Which Celebrity Has Gone Bonkers This Week . . . "

Harry Brown

2010-10-18T21:54:00.002-04:00

Who doesn't love the work of Michael Caine?

The veteran actor's ability to make a decent movie nearly great made me rent this flick the first day it became available. Sure, the elderly-lovable-vigilante bit has been overplayed on TV and movies, from the droll (CBS's The Equalizer) to the great (Eastwood's Gran Torino).

But Caine...Michale Caine can simply make the movie.

And he indeed makes Harry Brown. Brown's a sensitive ex-Marine who's grown tired of living in fear. His community is over-run by thugs, drugs are rampant and violence is the norm. It's particularly bad in the dark recess of a train underpass near Brown's apartment; his fear of walking through the area -- where gang members steal, rape and murder -- causes Brown to turn to violence as a way to make his life and community more peaceful.

Caine is brilliant, and turns a descent movie into a nearly great one.

As usual.

Let The Right One In

2010-10-16T22:21:00.002-04:00

Let The Right On In, the 2008 Swedish flick on which the recent American film Let Me In is based, takes an interesting turn on the vampire genre.

Through the budding relationship between 12-year-old Oskar and the preternatural, faux-12-year-old Eli, viewers question what we think of loneliness and recognize many would do the unimaginable to be loved.

Let The Right On In is a visual treat with its stark cinematography and bleak tone. The child actors are superb. There is very little blood and gore, with the film focusing mostly on the relationship between the two children.

Even with subtitles, it rocks.

Get Him To The Greek

2010-10-02T15:20:00.002-04:00

Tried to pretend I
Cared. Was amused, entertained.
Fact is, I wasn't.

Showing My Age

2010-09-23T22:49:00.002-04:00

As part of my gig I get to teach a couple of college courses each semester. Some of them are on really cool topics, like working in a multicultural society. Tonight, as I was discussing how the media portrays minorities, I brought up the example of Tonto.

There were 35 vacant eyes staring back at me.

For the first time ever, I was in front of a group of students so young they had no reference for Tonto.

God damn it, I'm old.

Spreading The Good News

2010-09-22T08:43:00.007-04:00

Representatives from Gideons International were outside my workplace this morning, handing out bibles and a handshake to passers-by. Despite my long-standing atheism, I always take a bible from the Gideons. There's something about their passive approach to evangelism that I appreciate.

By the age of 22, about the time period in which I embraced not having faith, I'd seen more than my fair share of heavy-handed tactics designed to bring people to Christ. In some of them I even participated.

The Free Will Baptist Church my family attended was at the center of our universe: it served as our social network, was a haven from the evils of a secular world, and was a pretty accessible place for a pre-teen to meet chicks.

My all-time favorite sermon was delivered by a visiting minister during a week-long revival. One of the hallmarks of a good revival is how many souls are saved, or "brought to Christ." The minister struggled all week with getting his message across, and each night ended with no converts. On the final night of the revival the minister walked to the pulpit, turned to the congregation and said:

"The fact is, if you die before being saved you will go to Hell for eternity. Any of you could die in a car wreck on your way home from this service. Is that a chance you want to take?"

He called for a hymn and sat down. Four people rushed to the alter to be saved.

The use of fear to manipulate others is a tactic I've always despised. And religions--regardless of which kind it is that we're talking about--have a lot of people who regularly use fear in an attempt to make others see the world as they do.

All things considered, I prefer the Gideons.

Devil

2010-09-19T11:53:00.004-04:00

Devil, based on a story written by M. Night Shyamalan and directed by John Erick Dowdle, is the first in a trilogy of films under the title Night Chronicles planned by producer Shyamalan. This first installment takes the audience inside a Devil's Meeting, an event where the Devil tempts and tortures sinners to ensure their evil nature before ultimately taking their souls.

Dowdle's story places five of the six major characters inside a crowded elevator, stalled between floors in a big city high rise. One of the five is the Devil in human form, who tests each of the others to gauge their level of corruption. The sixth character, Detective Bowden, is forced to watch events unfold from the elevator security camera, his efforts to save those in the elevator thrawted by Satan.

Devil feels like an old Hitchcock psychological thriller, but it's told with made-for-TV movie production. The premise is sound and the story is revealed nicely, but the characters are stiff and mostly stereotypes.

The film interested me mostly with its message that real salvation comes from forgiveness; letting go of regrets, hatred, anger and fear allows us to reach true happiness. With our modern society engaged in what seems to be perpetual conflict over cultural perspectives, this is a lesson from which we all could benefit.

Things I Miss On Saturday Morning: Part 18

2010-09-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Youth In Revolt

2010-09-17T20:22:00.003-04:00

Perpetual geek,
The nebish Michael Cera
Does it one more time.

"Shut The Fuck Up, Donnie!"

2010-09-14T17:30:00.004-04:00

At the beginning of a large staff meeting today, we played an ice-breaking game themed on who looked most like a celebrity. I won a $25 gift certificate to Amazon for looking like this guy.

I'm not sure if I should be happy, or if I should cry.

The Men Who Stare At Goats

2010-09-12T11:51:00.002-04:00

I've held a life-long interest in the paranormal, especially those preternatural abilities that seem more possible in real life. Take remote viewing, for example. The possibility that one could use one's mind to see and possibly affect objects and events from a distance gets my juices flowin'.

It's always my favorite topic discussed on my favorite late-night radio show, Coast To Coast AM with George Noory.

That interest, combined with the fact The Men Who Stare At Goats is labled as a slapstick farce, made me enthusiastic about this flick. I'm generally a fan of how George Clooney plays humor, so I settled in with great anticipation. More than two-thirds of the way through, however, I was still waiting on a guffaw.

Aside from the mild chuckle that came with Clooney using the phrase "Jedi master" with co-star Ewan McGregor, the laughter never really came. Goats was a total waste of time, despite an all-star cast that included Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey.

The movie really got my goat.

My Name Is Khan

2010-09-06T10:58:00.009-04:00

Like Forrest Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, My Name Is Khan takes a look at love, life and societal complication through the eyes of someone who doesn't share the common perspective.

Rizvan Khan, who lives with a form of autism, finds love and acceptance in the United States after years of living with isolation and misunderstanding in India. The events of September 11, 2001 alters that happiness in a tragic way, and sets Rizvan on a path to prove himself all over again.

The Bollywood flick is lengthy and sometimes sentimental, but it allows the viewer to look at American culture from the perspective of someone who sees life from a unique angle.

It may be the most truthful flick I've seen this year.

I Love You, Beth Cooper

2010-08-27T19:34:00.003-04:00

There we were, sitting right of center and preparing to hear our valedictorian speak, when Mary leaned in and whispered: "I've always had a bit of a crush on you."

My stomach flopped, and my throat became dry. I continued staring straight ahead, waiting for the smartest kid in the class to tell us we should go forth and conquer the world.

"What?" I hoped she replied with something else, because Mary was way out of my league. I didn't need that sort of pressure at such a crucial transition in my life.

"Nothing," she said.

Sigh . . .

If only we could be as brave as Denis Cooverman.

Although our lives may not be as outrageous and exaggerated as this goofy teen coming-of-age flick, we would be better off if we, like Cooverman, spoke openly and more honestly about how we wanted our lives to be.

Dr. Laura Is No Longer On Call

2010-08-19T11:04:00.003-04:00

Dr. Laura will soon be off the air!

Whether Schlessinger or the network that owns a portion of her show made the decision, the contract for the long-time radio talk show host will not be renewed when it expires later this year. After backlash from her on-air rant about the use of the n-word, (during which she used the word several times) Schlessinger says she's going to leave the show in order to "regain" her first amendment rights. Now, Sarah Palin has injected herself into the drama, tweeting that Schlessinger should "reload" rather than retreat.

The truth, however, is that Schelssinger never lost her right to free speech. As a private citizen she can certainly say what she wants as long as it remains within the boundaries protected by the first amendment. As a professional working in part for a corporation, however, her speech is -- and should be -- restricted.

Media-types that sell advertising, like Premier Radio Networks (a subsidiary of Clear Channel) don't cotton to boycotts on the soap they are trying to sell.

I'm suspicious of anyone that tells me they want to "feel free" to use their first amendment rights. What that tells me is they want to be less polite in our society; they want to openly express frustrations about those who are different, or vent about populations with whom they harbor some anger. People complain about political correctness as being a problem, as if it stifles the ability to really say what one wants to say. It doesn't. It simply stifles the ability to spew hateful comments based on stereotype and cliche.

The world will be better off with a little less Dr. Laura.

Making The Right Call

2010-08-14T14:07:00.004-04:00

"Barack Obama has abandoned America at the place where America's heart was broken nine years ago, and where her true values were on display for all to see," said Debra Burlingame, a spokeswoman for a group of victims' families, according to The Associated Press. Burlingame's brother was a pilot killed in the 9/11 attacks.

"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said. "That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," he said. "This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."

These quotes, contained in an article about the proposed building of a mosque and community center in New York City, two blocks from the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks, illustrate the continuum on how civil rights are currently viewed in this country.

Americans have a bad habit of confusing rights with emotion. This confusion is seen in the justice system regularly, where individuals say they want justice, but what they really want is revenge.

Revenge tastes better than justice; like most things that taste good but are bad for you, we Americans consume a lot of it.

President Obama, with his pledge to uphold a constitution that applies to all citizens, made the right call. Sure, putting a mosque near the Ground Zero site raises eyebrows. The easy call would be to prohibit it.

Easy calls in a diverse and multicultural America, however, are usually the wrong calls to make.

11 All-Time Biggest Movie Slackers

2010-08-11T12:42:00.004-04:00

This blog receives several commercial requests to post information during the year, most from businesses that want traffic to view their ads. I almost always pass on a request to post something on The Film Geek.

But Onlineuniversities.com sent a link to a post titled: "11 All-Time Biggest Movie Slackers." It was an interesting list, complete with trailers from the flicks. You can see the list at this link.

The Dude made the cut!

Take a look at the post, sign up to take a psychology class at the University of Phoenix, then tell me if you agree with the list.

2 Guys / 3 Movies

2010-08-08T19:34:00.002-04:00

Twice as much for your dollar this time, as AllClick and I discuss "Movies We Thought Would Suck But Didn't." His three plus mine = six flicks for discussion!

Inception

2010-08-01T10:22:00.008-04:00

Despite the tremendous buzz around Inception, I was prepared to dismiss it as another special effects-dependent, gimmicky, summer action flick. I even anticipated making fun of the title by connecting it to Cajun Man, the 1990s SNL character developed by Adam Sandler:

My original commentary would have played off Cajun Man's extreme southern drawl. Descriptions of the flick would include words like:

"Per-feck-shaawn"
"Suh-spen-shaawn"
"Con-fu-shaawn"
"De-sept-shaawn"

I dunno...to me that's funny. Words tickle my brain.

Early in Inception, however, I stopped thinking of descriptions that Cajun Man could use and started paying attention to the plot. DiCaprio (who always seems able to command a movie with a minimalist performance) made me care for his character. A basic heist flick jacked up on Matrix-sized green screen, Inception is a 1,000 piece puzzle that becomes more fun to put together with each piece.

Christopher Nolan, who wrote and directed the movie, has another masterpiece added to his IMBd list.

Things I Miss On Saturday Morning: Part 17

2010-07-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's Complicated

2010-07-07T17:55:00.002-04:00

Yes, . . . we get it. Relationships are complicated.

Especially when those in relationships are beautiful, wealthy, intelligent and funny. Relationships seem to become less complicated when common, everyday people are just trying to get through day by day. Sure, those of us barely getting by have issues; we might think the grass is greener in the next pasture, we just don't have the moxie, resources or narcissism necessary to traipse into that pasture.

Jake Adler, played by Alec Baldwin, has all three. In spades.

Adler, a wealthy attorney once divorced and now remarried, is selfish enough to have an affair and dumb enough to have that affair with his ex-wife. Baldwin plays Adler like those high school jocks who grow up to become a caricature of their youth: he's desperate for attention and love, and will sell his soul and yours to get it.

Alder's ex-wife Jane, played by Meryl Streep, is also desperate and lonely. With kids grown and gone, Jane has little but her work to occupy her time. Scared of serious relationships, she balks when Adam, played by Steve Martin, comes a-courtin'. She jumps at the advances of Jake, and jumps into his bed because he's familiar. But she wants to learn to love Adam.

And in the process of doing that, she learns to love herself.

It's Complicated isn't really, but it is cliche. But it's funny cliche, and it's endearing cliche. It's cliche I can live with.

2 Guys / 3 Movies

2010-07-04T15:02:00.003-04:00

This week AllClick and I discuss Sherlock Holmes, Crazy Heart and The Book Of Eli.

Hot Tub Time Machine

2010-07-01T16:10:00.005-04:00

This hilariously funny flick has inspired:

My Top 5: Things I'd Do If I Could Time Travel Back To My Senior Year In High School

1. Write a note informing my future self that spending a decade as a college undergraduate may be a bit much;

2. Have one more dinner of ramps ~~and raccoon~~;

3. Tell my then-17 year old self, who had never taken an advanced Math class in school, that answering "Mechanical Engineering" to the question of what I wanted to study in college sounded dumb;

4. Pack all those Silver-age comics in some plastic;

5. Watch Risky Business at a genuine drive-in theater

The Book Of Eli

2010-06-27T18:01:00.002-04:00

Denzel Washington's charactor, Eli, spends years walking west to deliver the last remaining King James Bible to a museum curator in San Francisco. Set several years after an apocalyptic event--there is talk of a war, and a "flash"-- Eli, nearly always in sunglasses, encounters danger and violence in his travels. Despite the trouble he encounters, Eli maintains a Zen-like demeanor throughout.

The Book Of Eli contains an interesting perspective on the importance of religion on society, and the plot is carried out in a satisfying way. The most interesting aspect of the movie to me was the look: at times the color seemed washed out of the film, while other scenes had robust color. The ending, which contains a difficult-to-spot swerve was enjoyable, and left me thinking about the flick for several hours.

Eli reminded me a lot of the spaghetti western genre, especially some of the early Eastwood flicks like A Fistful Of Dollars. Enjoyable, interesting and full of testosterone.

Toy Story 3

2010-06-22T00:00:00.002-04:00

Toy Story 3 is a wonderful coming of age story that blends perfectly the joy and sadness of growing into adulthood. The Pixar-Disney collaboration, along with the direction of Lee Unkrich, produced a classic film that provides a perfeect ending to the revered trilogy. This isn't just an amazing animated 3-D kids flick; Toy Story 3 is emotionally moving, well-written and designed to be intimately personal to the viewer.

Who hasn't struggled with an uncomfortable transition in life? That awkward, wish-I-had-a-roadmap-to-tell-me-what-to-do move from the innocence of childhood to the responsibilities of being an adult.

That's what Toy Story 3 captures incredibly well.

Whether you think adults should put their toys away or, like me, you find a place in your home and office to display them, growing older comes with a price: adults have responsibilities and can't live forever in the imaginary playground of our youth.

But that doesn't mean the playground, along with the wonderful memories it created, can't be loved, appreciated and reflected upon.

At the end of the viewing I attended, there were few dry eyes in the audience. Folks sat through the credits in the dark, hoping their tears would dry before the lights came up. The tears weren't tears of sadness; instead, they came from understanding what it's like to be in the place Andy was, emotionally.

How can I be sure?

I was crying the most.

2 Guys / 3 Movies

2010-06-21T00:00:00.002-04:00

I've always loved talk radio. I listen to national political programs and the shows that focus on the paranormal, but my favorite type of talk radio has a local flavor. I enjoy the community that forms among the callers, and I dig listening about topics with which I'm familiar.

Local radio is all but dead. There are few shows in West Virginia that have survived the commercialization and corporate mergers that vanilla-ized the medium, but I mainly get my talk radio fix now through podcasts. Friends Spike Nesmith and Paul Higginbotham have a terrific show (which can be found here), and others themed on a specific topic often catch my fancy.

Fellow blogger AllClick recently developed a podcast themed on movies, titled "2 Guys/3 Movies." AllClick invited me to join him in discussing Iron Man 2, The Lovely Bones and Avatar. It was great fun, and I hope to join him regularly.

Here's the show:

Powered by Podbean.com

The One Where I Talk About My Dad

2010-06-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Several times over the past 40 years, my dad's explained to me that he doesn't really need social connections. "People are just a bother," he'd say. He preferred to be alone. Being isolated didn't disappoint him, didn't invite drama into his life and didn't intrude on his beliefs.

People do.

For years I struggled with how to connect with him. We have, literally, nothing in common except the sound of our laugh and a proclivity toward extreme shyness. Early on he embraced being shy, avoiding people outside of his normal, decades-long routines. I rejected my innate shyness during my teens when I realized I needed to interact with people, even though doing so often made me feel awkward and uncomfortable.

How we approached that problem probably played a key role in the different paths our lives took.

In my 20s I thought something was wrong with me because I wasn't very much like my dad. I saw the world in a different way than he did, and held different core values. I was conflicted; when a young man's worldview doesn't match up with the only role model he's had, the young man often thinks something is wrong with him. In my 30s I became angry, pissed off that dad wasn't more like me. That anger helped me carve out and establish my own identity, though, and in my 40s I learned to be more accepting and more understanding of our differences.

A father and son can be totally different, and still love and respect each other.

I don't put any real monetary effort into Father's Day. Something about buying my dad a T-shirt or a coffee mug with a cute slogan seems to cheapen the event. To me, Father's Day is a time for reflection, appreciation and trying to become closer.

Even if it's not always easy.

Whatever Happened To...Bridget Fonda

2010-06-19T09:48:00.003-04:00

She totally rocked in Single White Female, the flick that seemed to position Bridget Fonda as the go-to female lead of the early 90s.

What happened!?!

Fonda hasn't been seen in a movie since 2002 (Snow Queen), just before she married film composer Danny Elfman.

Legion

2010-06-13T09:46:00.003-04:00

I gave Legion a chance because of it's religious theme, and because it had a pretty good cast. I dig end-of-times flicks, especially when there are archangels involved. I've always been fascinated by the legends of archangels from ancient writings.

They're bad-ass.

Bad-ass too, usually, are members of this cast. I really like the work of Dennis Quaid, and Lucas Black (the slow talking former kid from Sling Blade) always seems to give a terrific performance. Throw in Charles Dutton, from Roc, and it should be an above average cast.

Well, neither of my reasons panned out.

Legion suffers from a disconnected storyline, poorly written dialogue and illogical plot devices. The most ridiculous scene has archangel Gabriel swooping down and landing on top of a moving car, getting into a fight with the humans inside and losing.

He's an archangel, for Christ's sake! He ain't gonna get beaten up by a a couple of scared twenty-somethings on the run.

Skip Legion, and just watch over-and-over that scene used in trailers, the one where an elderly female customer in the diner goes zombie on other customers, crawls the walls and screams profanities.

It's the only scene worth seeing.

Please, Make It Stop: Part 20

2010-06-08T00:00:00.001-04:00

The only thing more strange to me than some chick thinking the fourth time's the charm for Rush Limbaugh is that Elton John performed at the reception for $1,000,000.

Talk about being a sell-out! And Sir Elton's not much better. [rimshot]

Dear John

2010-06-06T18:47:00.010-04:00

I scrunched down in my chair, and Mrs. Film Geek perked up a bit in hers, when Channing Tatum walked out of the surf topless. My confidence went south, along with my expectations for the flick.

"Hang tight," she said. "I know a few things about this movie. You'll like it, I promise."

I sucked in my gut, set the popcorn aside and relaxed. Mrs. Film Geek knows me really well. If she thinks I'll like it, I probably will.

And I did.

I liked Dear John for several reasons, but mostly because it isn't the romance movie the audience expects. Sure, the relationship between military tough-guy John and college student Savannah is a major part of the movie. But Dear John moves beyond that, and becomes a story that illustrates the importance of pushing through difficult, awkward situations in order to connect with others in a substantial manner. This is shown most effectively in the relationship between John and his father, a man who has Asperger's Disorder and is challenged by social relationships.

The flick hit close to home.

John's father, played masterfully by Richard Jenkins, reminded me a great deal of my own dad. Both are personally isolated and distant, interested but unsure how to interact on a highly emotional level. The struggle John has understanding his father's inability to connect emotionally level mirrors my own frustration with desiring a closer relationship with my dad, but always seeming to fall short of that goal.

As a romance flick, Dear John is a bit cliched and even overly sentimental. As a movie about working through the baggage of family dynamics, the movie was pretty darned good.

The Box

2010-06-05T10:59:00.005-04:00

What would you do if a handsome stranger approached you with the offer of $1,000,000 to sleep with your wife?

Wait, my bad...wrong movie.

In The Box the chick's still hot, but the guy wanting to give away the cash is a Martian intelligence inhabiting the body of a resurrected burn victim. And it's not nooky he's after: if Cameron Diaz decides to take the cool million, someone in the world will die.

It's a quid pro quo she can live with. Early in the flick she decides she needs the money. It's a selfish decision she'll regret.

The Box is based on a short story that once aired as an episode of the 1980's version of The Twilight Zone. The story fits an hour-long TV episode format better than plays in a movie length feature. In the longer version the plot becomes too thin and, as a result, seems campy and more than a bit cheesy. In the final act, when the film is supposed to be at its scariest, I laughed out loud more often than I got the creeps.

Shrek: Forever After

2010-06-04T08:26:00.003-04:00

Maybe more than the other kids, my daughter Griffyn loves to go to the movie theater. She doesn't go for the extra-large Coke or candy, and sometimes she isn't even that interested in the movie. She just digs the experience.

She gets it.

Hanging out at the movies with someone you care about while sharing laughs, chills and popcorn is a bonding experience greater than any movie.

When she reminded me last weekend that we'd planned to see Shrek: Forver After, I grimaced. I'd forgotten. Feeling--no, not "feeling," "being" is the right word--so behind with work and home responsibilities I'd placed seeing the fourth Shrek flick way down the list of priorities.

So far down it didn't really exist.

"But you promised," she said. And she was right. I did. So I slipped on some clean shorts and my summer sandles and hit Pullman Plaza theaters with kids in tow.

And I'm so glad I did.

Shrek: Forever And After was funny and well written. But most importantly, it reminded me that I sometimes get so caught up in things I think are important, I forget about the things that really are: family, relationships and living as much as possible in the moment.

Thanks, Shrek. And thanks, Griffyn. Now, pass the popcorn.

Shutter Island

2010-05-25T14:04:00.008-04:00

There's something unusual -- something barely noticeable -- about Shutter Island that sorta got under my skin and wouldn't ease up.

It was the look of the flick. During the first two hours, the cinematography is a real clue to the puzzle presented by this psychological thriller and crime story.

The light is unusual, the colors a bit too thick.

At first I guessed this was due to the story being set in the 1950s. DiCaprio would be doing a Cagney impression, I reasoned, with lots of long drags off a smoke and uses of the phrase: "Yeah, that's right. Ya see!"

But I was wrong.

Scorsese's flick, in which U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a psychiatric patient from an institution, is more complex and less obvious that one might anticipate. DiCaprio is fine, and co-star Mark Ruffalo is (as usual) terrific. But it's the feel of this movie, highlighted by Scorsese's photographic style, that makes this picture worth seeing.

Shave And A Haircut

2010-05-22T00:00:00.001-04:00

Bob Townsend, of Townsend's Barber Shop in Summersville, West Virginia, first cut my hair sometime around 1969. I was too little to fit into the chair, so Bob put a board across the chair arms for me to sit on. I remember that first professional haircut; the smell of the shop, the buzzing around my ears and the fear Bob was gonna clip my ears with his scissors made it memorable.

I was a regular at Townsends Barber Shop through my early 30s, sometimes driving 100 miles every couple of months for a trim. Brad Hughart, Bob's son-in-law and the shop co-owner began cutting my hair during my teen years. Brad was younger, and seemed more in tune with styles for young guys.

My 15-year-old self really dug the way he could cut some bangs.

Driving from Huntington, West Virginia to Summersville, West Virginia was too much of a chore in my mid-30s, even for a haircut that cost $5. So during that time I found a stylist closer to home. There's a big difference between a barber and a stylist.

The difference isn't so much skill as it is ego.

Last Saturday I made the trip back to Summersville, where my son Jaden experienced his first Townsend Barber Shop cut. For some reason I was overwhelmed with nostalgia, and took a picture to memorialize the event.

Jaden was a bit annoyed, but Brad understood.

Happy Birthday To Me

2010-05-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

At this rate, I'm not sure I'll make it to 46.

The Last Tuesday Ever Of Lost

2010-05-18T12:41:00.008-04:00

This has been pretty much my entire day.

Iron Man 2

2010-05-08T00:00:00.002-04:00

It's just natural to compare a sequel to the original movie on which it is based. Iron Man, in 2008, was a hit for several reasons, but mostly for the amazing on-screen presence of Robert Downey, Jr. His Tony Stark was confident, sexy, arrogant and funny--and we loved it! The audience was surprised a comic book movie about a guy in clunky body armor could be so well made, and so enjoyable to watch.

Iron Man transcended the comic book movie genre.

Iron Man 2 fits right in.

The sequel feels a little full of itself, as if it's still riding the success of Iron Man. The story, which is pretty forgettable, takes too many shortcuts and too much liberty with the characters to pull off a solid production. Watching Stark fight for his life in the first flick is compelling; seeing him gorging on donuts during an existential funk is simply pretentious.

Iron Man 2 has terrific action and a great deal of drama. But there is little foundation on which to build the story. It's a comic book movie, after all.

I'd forgotten.

Date Night

2010-05-07T00:00:00.002-04:00

"Promise me we won't balance out the room when we get old."

She said it while we cuddled on the love seat, watching some movie on VHS and sharing a Pepsi. We wore out that love seat while watching a lotta flicks. And for years, I kept my promise; we weren't goofy-eyed-in-love all the time, but we enjoyed being next to each other. We never sat too far apart.

"Never. That will never be us."

Slowly, and without even realizing it, that became us. I'd come home tired from work, wrestle with the kids then hit the couch for some R & R. She'd stay on the love seat, several feet away. She worked from home, so she was always at the office. I'd crash, she'd work.

Days turned into years.

The plot of Date Night was thin, but Steve Carell and Tina Fey were funny and the jokes made me guffaw. But I saw something of my own life in the movie: the routine, the lack of spontaneity, the feeling of growing old and settling in. It -- along with a really hot Mark Wahlberg--was all there.

All too familiar.

Somehow, that's gotta change. My wife deserves better.

And so do I.

Cracked Shakes Up Comics

2010-05-06T14:36:00.003-04:00

The coolest mag on Earth points out the 5 Most Unintentionally Offensive Comic Book Characters.

See the list here.

Kick-Ass

2010-05-03T08:21:00.007-04:00

Much was made over Roger Ebert's rant on Kick-Ass, particularly his distaste for the excessive violence carried out by Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), and her father, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage). That Moretz, who seems all of eleven years old, regularly uses profanity that make grown men blush likely played a role in Ebert's dislike for the film, too.

But I think Ebert's age is showing in his opinion on this film.

Kick-Ass serves as a voice for American teens who find themselves becoming more isolated from the previous generation, and more apathetic as a result. They search for life meaning in the post-Baby Boom era, and what they're finding looks and feels different than it did to those of us over the age of 20. Dave Lizewski (played wonderfully by Aaron Johnson) invents Kick-Ass because he's tired of feeling helpless and insecure about his future. He's tired of the disconnect that exists in his community. Dave just wants to make a difference.

When I felt that way back in the 80s, I helped pick up litter on the Interstate. Kids in this movie fight crime and kill bad guys. It's almost the same thing.

Maybe Ebert forgets what's it like to be a kid who wants to do more . . . more with his life, more for his community, more to help find a girlfriend. But I know Ebert doesn't understand what it's like to be a kid who wants to do more in the year 2010.

It's a different generation, Pops. You gotta move over.

Avatar

2010-05-02T17:19:00.003-04:00

Friday, 10:00pm

Mrs. Film Geek: "Hey, wanna watch Avatar? Even though this bonus footage version is 185 minutes long, we have the time, huh? We'll sleep in tomorrow."

Me: "Sure, turn the crank on the DVD player and I'll get the popcorn."

Friday, 10:20pm

Me: "Wow, the visuals in this flick are incredible, eh? I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like it. And the story is sort of interesting."

Mrs. Film Geek: "Yeah, the story's OK. But that is some vivid blue."

Friday, 11:15pm

Me: "I'm gonna go get more popcorn. Need anything?"

Mrs. Film Geek: "Nope. But you want me to pause it until you get back?"

Me: "Nah, I'll catch up when I get back. The story's not that hard to follow."

Saturday: 12:10am

Me: "Jesus, how long can this movie go on? We get it! We get the analogies and the metaphors. Wrap this baby up!"

Saturday, 12:25am

Mrs. Film Geek: : "Hey, turn on your side a bit, you're snoring is keeping me from hearing the dialogue."

Me: "Zzzzzzzzzzzz..."

On Dehumanization, Tape And Isolation

2010-04-30T08:34:00.006-04:00

According to news reports an employee of ResCare, one of the largests behavioral health centers in West Virginia, recently taped together the hands of a client for whom he was responsible and left her in his car while he spent an extended amount of time elsewhere. Brandon Watts, the ResCare employee, said he did it because she often became combative while riding in the car with him.

Ya think?

If it's true she was sometimes aggressive in the car, it may be that she knew pretty well what to expect when Watts said "let's go for a ride." I doubt one raises to this level of abuse without some stepping stones of neglect along the way. Riding in the car with Watts --or perhaps spending time with him in general--probably wasn't that much fun for the woman.

Too often in our society we're guilty of dehumanizing others. We walk past people who are homeless without notice, or dismiss individuals with disability. We tend to ignore, patronize, avoid or abuse folks who are different, and we do it for the most selfish of reasons. We see them as less than . . . Less than we are. Less than human.

I won't be surprised if Brandon Watts taped the woman and left her in his car so he could take a nap or play a video game.

Because to people like Watts, those things are more important than a person with a disability.

Things I Just Don't Understand: Couples Sitting Side-By-Side While Eating In Public

2010-04-28T10:43:00.004-04:00

Once in a while at McDonald's, or even at more upscale dining like Long John Silver's, I see couples sitting side-by-side in a booth. Usually that alone gives me the creeps. Sitting across from one another promotes a face-to-face conversation.

When the couple doesn't talk, however--they just sit quietly, eating, side-by-side--I am perplexed by the behavior. It's too simple to say they're madly in love, and probably too big a stretch to say one of the couple is controlling.

Help me understand!

The Blind Slide

2010-04-25T18:42:00.002-04:00

I saw a couple of blockbuster flicks (like Alice In Wonderland) and several Academy Award nominated movies (like Crazy Heart) during my Bret Farve-like retirement from The Film Geek. Johnny Depp was fun as The Mad Hatter, and Jeff Bridges earned the Oscar he won for his turn as Bad Blake.

The Blind Side, which was nominated for an Academy Award and for which Sandra Bullock won an Oscar, doesn't belong in the same discussion.

Sure, I guess The Blind Side is an inspirational story. But there were several problems I had with the movie. The production value reminded me of a Lifetime movie, while the story-line smacked of exploitation. Leigh Ann Touhy wasn't likable, Tim McGraw (as her husband) was bland and Quinton Aaron, who played Big Mike, seemed to have no real range.

As usual, the real-life story is much better than the flick.