Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Taking a break from the social network
I have had a great year and a half writing this blog. I want to keep doing it. However, I want to escape the social network for awhile, and since Facebook and Twitter are the main ways I get my readers, I would expect that even though I may write entries, I will not get many readers. Feel free to check back in anyway, as I may write as the spirit hits.
It has been a very emotional summer, and this blog has been a small part of me getting back to normal. The barrage of information, opinions and negativity (especially as it pertains to the election) on social media is making me want to take a break from Facebook and Twitter. I hope some of you will still visit this sight without prompting from those two places.
Thanks!
It has been a very emotional summer, and this blog has been a small part of me getting back to normal. The barrage of information, opinions and negativity (especially as it pertains to the election) on social media is making me want to take a break from Facebook and Twitter. I hope some of you will still visit this sight without prompting from those two places.
Thanks!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Citizen Kane
This movie is regularly found at or near the top of lists of the greatest films of all time. Though few can argue with how great the story is, it can be hard to see what all the fuss is about. The fuss is worth it. There are so many things to love about this movie. Every time I write on a bona fide classic, I am standing on the shoulders of many other people who know a lot more about movies than I do. Here I stand on those shoulders, yet I hope to contribute something unique as well.
For those who don't know, the film tells the story of a young boy who is taken away from his home, given a great education, and ultimately goes into the newspaper business. He becomes and enormously successful newspaper mogul, and with all of the wealth and power we see a fragile existence underneath it all. The film begins with Kane's death, and Kane's story is told in flashbacks by people who knew him.
One of the things that is always the case with a trailblazing work of art is that it's imitated so much that it can be hard to remember how special the original is. "Star Wars" comes to mind. Here, one of the things that stands out is the visual imagination of the film. Many of the visual effects in the movie which seem mundane now were quite new at the time. For instance, there is a shot in which the camera pans into a night club and focuses in on Kane's ex wife. It is a shot with tremendous visual imagination and passion for the cinematic medium. An example might help. In Wes Anderson's latest film, "Moonrise Kingdom", there's a scene which echoes one of Citizen Kane's signature moments. As Bill Murray and Frances McDormand end their day, they come to rest in their bedroom. As the debate, Anderson's camera stays focused on their faces as they debate about their daughter. It is only after several exchanges that Anderson pulls back his camera to show that the two of them are sleeping in double beds. I thought of "Citizen Kane" when I saw this. As the character of Kane begins his first marriage, we see the couple sitting at dinner. At first, the couple sits close together in an intimate fashion. Then, director Orson Wells uses visuals to depict the passing of years of time in only minutes of film time. With each shot, we see the couple growing more distant. They become more and more annoyed with each other. This whole time, the only thing Wells shows is the faces of the characters. After the characters become completely exasperated with each other, Wells shows us the new reality of the couple. They are now dining far away from each other, sitting at an enormous dining table metaphorical miles apart. All of this is simply communicated visually.
There are so many scenes like that in the movie that an encyclopedia could be written about it. But all of the visual imagination in the world would amount to nothing without a story told well. The story is a great story, and it is told in a nonlinear fashion which brings an artistic quality to the storytelling. Movies as far away in content as "Pulp Fiction" work in the shadow of "Citizen Kane." The mystery of the opening line is never totally solved, but the famous final shot does give us a wonderful enigma upon which to chew.
As I write, "Citizen Kane" has finally been dethroned in the Sight and Sound movie. For 50 years, this movie stood at the top of this poll that is taken every ten years. The poll asks critics and directors to nominate their ten best films, and when the votes are tallied, the film that appears on the most polls wins the poll. "Citizen Kane" was finally dethroned by Hitchcock's "Vertigo". They are both fine films, but "Kane" always won the poll, I suspect, due to its influence. As a younger generation of critics begin taking the poll, it makes sense that the films that were closer to them may rise on the list, though "Kane" only dropped one spot to number 2. I suspect that "Kane" will continue to be on the list for years to come, simply due to its scope and influence. But, it could not be more fitting to see that with the passage of time, other films rise in younger viewers' estimation. Though I love "Kane", it would not appear in a personal top 10. I think that it really gets at how important influence is as people perceive greatness. If I had to try to measure greatness, I suppose "Kane" would be in a top ten of mine. But that would only be if art were as measurable as a person's foot. Instead, art is a confluence of many things. It touches on individual experiences and emotions that make no two people's experience the same. The reason a poll like this is so interesting is that it shows the enormous influence of the films on the list. People from different walks of life all felt "Kane" still deserved a spot on this list. That is noteworthy, and when one looks at "Citizen Kane" for the first time, digests it, and watches it again, it becomes clear what all the fuss is about.
For those who don't know, the film tells the story of a young boy who is taken away from his home, given a great education, and ultimately goes into the newspaper business. He becomes and enormously successful newspaper mogul, and with all of the wealth and power we see a fragile existence underneath it all. The film begins with Kane's death, and Kane's story is told in flashbacks by people who knew him.
One of the things that is always the case with a trailblazing work of art is that it's imitated so much that it can be hard to remember how special the original is. "Star Wars" comes to mind. Here, one of the things that stands out is the visual imagination of the film. Many of the visual effects in the movie which seem mundane now were quite new at the time. For instance, there is a shot in which the camera pans into a night club and focuses in on Kane's ex wife. It is a shot with tremendous visual imagination and passion for the cinematic medium. An example might help. In Wes Anderson's latest film, "Moonrise Kingdom", there's a scene which echoes one of Citizen Kane's signature moments. As Bill Murray and Frances McDormand end their day, they come to rest in their bedroom. As the debate, Anderson's camera stays focused on their faces as they debate about their daughter. It is only after several exchanges that Anderson pulls back his camera to show that the two of them are sleeping in double beds. I thought of "Citizen Kane" when I saw this. As the character of Kane begins his first marriage, we see the couple sitting at dinner. At first, the couple sits close together in an intimate fashion. Then, director Orson Wells uses visuals to depict the passing of years of time in only minutes of film time. With each shot, we see the couple growing more distant. They become more and more annoyed with each other. This whole time, the only thing Wells shows is the faces of the characters. After the characters become completely exasperated with each other, Wells shows us the new reality of the couple. They are now dining far away from each other, sitting at an enormous dining table metaphorical miles apart. All of this is simply communicated visually.
There are so many scenes like that in the movie that an encyclopedia could be written about it. But all of the visual imagination in the world would amount to nothing without a story told well. The story is a great story, and it is told in a nonlinear fashion which brings an artistic quality to the storytelling. Movies as far away in content as "Pulp Fiction" work in the shadow of "Citizen Kane." The mystery of the opening line is never totally solved, but the famous final shot does give us a wonderful enigma upon which to chew.
As I write, "Citizen Kane" has finally been dethroned in the Sight and Sound movie. For 50 years, this movie stood at the top of this poll that is taken every ten years. The poll asks critics and directors to nominate their ten best films, and when the votes are tallied, the film that appears on the most polls wins the poll. "Citizen Kane" was finally dethroned by Hitchcock's "Vertigo". They are both fine films, but "Kane" always won the poll, I suspect, due to its influence. As a younger generation of critics begin taking the poll, it makes sense that the films that were closer to them may rise on the list, though "Kane" only dropped one spot to number 2. I suspect that "Kane" will continue to be on the list for years to come, simply due to its scope and influence. But, it could not be more fitting to see that with the passage of time, other films rise in younger viewers' estimation. Though I love "Kane", it would not appear in a personal top 10. I think that it really gets at how important influence is as people perceive greatness. If I had to try to measure greatness, I suppose "Kane" would be in a top ten of mine. But that would only be if art were as measurable as a person's foot. Instead, art is a confluence of many things. It touches on individual experiences and emotions that make no two people's experience the same. The reason a poll like this is so interesting is that it shows the enormous influence of the films on the list. People from different walks of life all felt "Kane" still deserved a spot on this list. That is noteworthy, and when one looks at "Citizen Kane" for the first time, digests it, and watches it again, it becomes clear what all the fuss is about.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
2012 Sight and Sound Poll
Every 10 years, a British magazine (Sight and Sound) organizes a huge poll of directors and critics to rank the 10 greatest movies ever. The 2012 lost just came out! Here's the link...I have some movie watchin' to do:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/sight-and-sound-2012-top-ten
http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/sight-and-sound-2012-top-ten
Monday, July 30, 2012
Two "Man of Steel" Trailers
So I was lucky enough to see a trailer for the new Superman movie, "Man of Steel", before the "Dark Knight Rises". I came to find out later that there are actually two versions of the same trailer. The footage is all the same, but one of them is narrated by Superman's Earth father (played by Kevin Costner) while one is narrated by his Krypton father(played by Russel Crowe). Check 'em out...fun stuff:
Saturday, July 28, 2012
July Movie Quiz Answers
For those of you who didn't just look up the answers after sending them, here are the answers to the trivia quiz...the winner was my friend Susan from Trader Joe's. I got a total of 12 entries, and in the end, there were a lot of people near the top. Susan scored 35 out of 40 points. We'll do it again next month! Congrats to Susan!!!
1) "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Clark Gable, Gone With the WInd
2) "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" Marlon Brando, The Godfather
3) "I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender." Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront
4) "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Judy Garland, Wizard of Oz
5) "Here's looking at you kid." Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca
6) "Go ahead, make my day." Clint Eastwood, Sudden Impact
7) "All right, Mr. Demille, I'm ready for my close up." Gloria Swanson, Sunset Blvd.
8) "May the force be with you." Harrison Ford, Star Wars-Most guessed Alec Guiness, but Harrison Ford uttered it first
9) "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night." Bette Davis, All About Eve
10) "You talkin' to me?" Robert DeNiro, Taxi Driver
11) "What we have here is failure to communicate." Strother Martin, Cool Hand Luke
12) "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Robert Duvall, Apocalypse Now
13) "Love means never having to say your sorry." Ali McGraw, Love Story
14) "The stuff dreams are made of." Humphrey Bogart, Maltese Falcon
15) "ET phone home." Henry Thomas or Patti Walsh (voice of ET), E.T.---I had to be lenient with this one
16) "They call me Mister Tibbs!" Sydney Poitier, In the Heat of the Night
17) "Rosebud" Orson Welles, Citizen Kane
18) "Made it Ma! Top of the world!" James Cagney, White Heat
19) "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore." Peter Finch, Network
20) "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca
1) "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." Clark Gable, Gone With the WInd
2) "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse" Marlon Brando, The Godfather
3) "I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender." Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront
4) "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Judy Garland, Wizard of Oz
5) "Here's looking at you kid." Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca
6) "Go ahead, make my day." Clint Eastwood, Sudden Impact
7) "All right, Mr. Demille, I'm ready for my close up." Gloria Swanson, Sunset Blvd.
8) "May the force be with you." Harrison Ford, Star Wars-Most guessed Alec Guiness, but Harrison Ford uttered it first
9) "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night." Bette Davis, All About Eve
10) "You talkin' to me?" Robert DeNiro, Taxi Driver
11) "What we have here is failure to communicate." Strother Martin, Cool Hand Luke
12) "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Robert Duvall, Apocalypse Now
13) "Love means never having to say your sorry." Ali McGraw, Love Story
14) "The stuff dreams are made of." Humphrey Bogart, Maltese Falcon
15) "ET phone home." Henry Thomas or Patti Walsh (voice of ET), E.T.---I had to be lenient with this one
16) "They call me Mister Tibbs!" Sydney Poitier, In the Heat of the Night
17) "Rosebud" Orson Welles, Citizen Kane
18) "Made it Ma! Top of the world!" James Cagney, White Heat
19) "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore." Peter Finch, Network
20) "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
The Royal Tenenbaums
It has been one month since my dad died. The reality of it still is settling. I don't think that the reality of it will ever really settle in me. Why? How could something so real be so hard to grasp? How could an unavoidable reality seem unreal? I am not really sure. But, I think this movie may partly explain it.
In my opinion, "The Royal Tenenbaums" is Wes Anderson's finest film. The reason I feel this way is that I feel that this film digs into some deep issues, depicts a vast array of human emotion and experiences, and tells its story better than any of his other films. Along the way, we see the touching story of a father's journey to redemption. We can see in this story that fathers, whether they are good or bad, present or absent, are indeed connected to us. There are, I suppose, certain exceptions to this. But the reason this film works so well is how universal its story is, however much or little the viewer relates directly to what is on the screen.
Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) is the patriarch of the Tenenbaum family. The family lives in New York in a nondescript neighborhood. His wife Ethyl (Angelica Huston) and 3 children Chaz (Ben Stiller), Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Richie (Luke Wilson) soon becomes estranged with him. He shows himself to be an insensitive and overly critical father. His children all turn out to be prodigies, but instead of encouraging them in their work, he criticizes them. As his infidelities unravel his marriage, he ends up leaving their home and taking up residence in a nearby hotel. As the years go by, it becomes clear to Royal that he must find a way to rebuild the relationships he has with his family, particularly with his 3 children. He makes up a story about having cancer in order to have an excuse to reboot their relationships. His son Chaz is particularly hostile to him, but all of the kids exhibit behaviors that are the wreckage that he has left in his wake as a miserable father.
Royal begins to realize that he has been a major source of pain to his children and his wife. This is made more real to him when his wife (they never divorced) begins to court a new man (Danny Glover), and he feels jealous. He is also very interested in getting to know his two grandsons. At the same time, the grandsons' father Chaz is desperate to keep his sons from getting hurt by the man who was the source of so much pain to him. Chaz is living a life of deep paranoia, as his wife has recently died in a plane crash. As Royal begins to get to know his grandsons, it is clear the Chaz is grappling with his relationship with his father. His son Richie is dealing with being in love with his sister Margot. This is made possible by the fact that Royal always made it clear to everyone that Margot was adopted. Richie's life has been marred by the pain of his love for Margot, and the inability to live up to his father's standards, even though Richie is clearly his father's favorite child. Margot is living a life of depression. She spend most of her hours in the bath watching movies. They are forced to deal with each other once again as Royal fakes cancer and Ethyl gets engaged.
All of the typical Wes Anderson eccentricities are on display. He brings deep thought to each shot in the film, and to each set. His quick cuts which seem like non sequiturs often get huge laughs, and there are several here. My favorite is the scene in which it is explained that Royal has taken his grandsons out for some fun, and then it quickly cuts to the three of them watching a dog fight. Royal is truly a rascal, and even when he is trying to be tender, he still comes across that way. Witness also his trip to the cemetery to visit his mother's grave. While on the visit, Chaz reminds him that his wife is also buried there, to which Royal replies, "Oh yeah, I forgot we have another body buried here." So tender.
Now, you may be wondering why I feel any of this relates to my dad. For those of you who don't know me, I had a wonderful relationship with my father all the way to the end. We loved discussions, baseball, music, and many other things. So why does this movie help explain the fact that my dad's death seems surreal? It is because no matter what kind of parent you have, they are such a part of you that when they die, it is almost as though part of you has died as well. In this film, the impact that Royal has has on his children is so great that everything they do is affected by it. That is their reality. So also, my reality has been informed by my first 37 years with my father. It is so real that it seems unreal that he could be dead. This film shows the depth of damage that a parent can do, and thankfully, it also shows deep possibilities of redemption. SPOILER ALERT Everytime I watch this film, I am moved to tears by the one thing that Royal does which seals his reconciliation with his son Chaz. On Ethyl's wedding day, a Tennenbaum friend and drug addict Eli Cash (Owen Wilson) crashes his car into the Tenenbaum home. In the crash, Royal saves the lives of his grandsons, though the boys' dog is not so lucky. In the wake of the crash, as the firemen arrive on the scene, Royal purchases a new dog from the firemen to give to his grandsons. As he presents the dog to Chaz, Chaz is overcome with emotion. As he receives the gift, he thanks his father. Then, this exchange happens: "Your welcome." "I've had a rough year Dad." "I know you have Chazzy." This exchange between them is all Chaz needed. He needed his dad to recognize his pain and affirm him. As Royal passes away, Chaz brokered a new peace with his father.
All three of the Tenenbaum children's realities were informed by their father. His inability to relate to them caused many of their problems. But the depth of their problems did find a certain antedote in his acts in the film. My dad never saw this movie. I doubt he would have liked it all that much. But he would have appreciated what it had to say about the role fathers have in their children's lives. My dad was good to me. He loved and respected me, and I him. That reality is still with me. It is such a part of me that it seems completely unreal to be without him. As the Tennenbaums bury their father in the movie, there was a certain peace they had achieved. The acts of reconciliation of their father had rebuilt some horribly fractured relationships. Our parents inform so much about who we are. I am incredibly blessed to have had the father I did.
In my opinion, "The Royal Tenenbaums" is Wes Anderson's finest film. The reason I feel this way is that I feel that this film digs into some deep issues, depicts a vast array of human emotion and experiences, and tells its story better than any of his other films. Along the way, we see the touching story of a father's journey to redemption. We can see in this story that fathers, whether they are good or bad, present or absent, are indeed connected to us. There are, I suppose, certain exceptions to this. But the reason this film works so well is how universal its story is, however much or little the viewer relates directly to what is on the screen.
Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) is the patriarch of the Tenenbaum family. The family lives in New York in a nondescript neighborhood. His wife Ethyl (Angelica Huston) and 3 children Chaz (Ben Stiller), Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Richie (Luke Wilson) soon becomes estranged with him. He shows himself to be an insensitive and overly critical father. His children all turn out to be prodigies, but instead of encouraging them in their work, he criticizes them. As his infidelities unravel his marriage, he ends up leaving their home and taking up residence in a nearby hotel. As the years go by, it becomes clear to Royal that he must find a way to rebuild the relationships he has with his family, particularly with his 3 children. He makes up a story about having cancer in order to have an excuse to reboot their relationships. His son Chaz is particularly hostile to him, but all of the kids exhibit behaviors that are the wreckage that he has left in his wake as a miserable father.
Royal begins to realize that he has been a major source of pain to his children and his wife. This is made more real to him when his wife (they never divorced) begins to court a new man (Danny Glover), and he feels jealous. He is also very interested in getting to know his two grandsons. At the same time, the grandsons' father Chaz is desperate to keep his sons from getting hurt by the man who was the source of so much pain to him. Chaz is living a life of deep paranoia, as his wife has recently died in a plane crash. As Royal begins to get to know his grandsons, it is clear the Chaz is grappling with his relationship with his father. His son Richie is dealing with being in love with his sister Margot. This is made possible by the fact that Royal always made it clear to everyone that Margot was adopted. Richie's life has been marred by the pain of his love for Margot, and the inability to live up to his father's standards, even though Richie is clearly his father's favorite child. Margot is living a life of depression. She spend most of her hours in the bath watching movies. They are forced to deal with each other once again as Royal fakes cancer and Ethyl gets engaged.
All of the typical Wes Anderson eccentricities are on display. He brings deep thought to each shot in the film, and to each set. His quick cuts which seem like non sequiturs often get huge laughs, and there are several here. My favorite is the scene in which it is explained that Royal has taken his grandsons out for some fun, and then it quickly cuts to the three of them watching a dog fight. Royal is truly a rascal, and even when he is trying to be tender, he still comes across that way. Witness also his trip to the cemetery to visit his mother's grave. While on the visit, Chaz reminds him that his wife is also buried there, to which Royal replies, "Oh yeah, I forgot we have another body buried here." So tender.
Now, you may be wondering why I feel any of this relates to my dad. For those of you who don't know me, I had a wonderful relationship with my father all the way to the end. We loved discussions, baseball, music, and many other things. So why does this movie help explain the fact that my dad's death seems surreal? It is because no matter what kind of parent you have, they are such a part of you that when they die, it is almost as though part of you has died as well. In this film, the impact that Royal has has on his children is so great that everything they do is affected by it. That is their reality. So also, my reality has been informed by my first 37 years with my father. It is so real that it seems unreal that he could be dead. This film shows the depth of damage that a parent can do, and thankfully, it also shows deep possibilities of redemption. SPOILER ALERT Everytime I watch this film, I am moved to tears by the one thing that Royal does which seals his reconciliation with his son Chaz. On Ethyl's wedding day, a Tennenbaum friend and drug addict Eli Cash (Owen Wilson) crashes his car into the Tenenbaum home. In the crash, Royal saves the lives of his grandsons, though the boys' dog is not so lucky. In the wake of the crash, as the firemen arrive on the scene, Royal purchases a new dog from the firemen to give to his grandsons. As he presents the dog to Chaz, Chaz is overcome with emotion. As he receives the gift, he thanks his father. Then, this exchange happens: "Your welcome." "I've had a rough year Dad." "I know you have Chazzy." This exchange between them is all Chaz needed. He needed his dad to recognize his pain and affirm him. As Royal passes away, Chaz brokered a new peace with his father.
All three of the Tenenbaum children's realities were informed by their father. His inability to relate to them caused many of their problems. But the depth of their problems did find a certain antedote in his acts in the film. My dad never saw this movie. I doubt he would have liked it all that much. But he would have appreciated what it had to say about the role fathers have in their children's lives. My dad was good to me. He loved and respected me, and I him. That reality is still with me. It is such a part of me that it seems completely unreal to be without him. As the Tennenbaums bury their father in the movie, there was a certain peace they had achieved. The acts of reconciliation of their father had rebuilt some horribly fractured relationships. Our parents inform so much about who we are. I am incredibly blessed to have had the father I did.
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