Another Delco Guy In South Jersey

Oscar Night - 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close' - A Review

Well The Oscars are tonight and somehow I only got to see five of the nine films nominated for Best Picture.  Today is my final review before the big party tonight and one thing I can tell you for certain is that 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close' won't win Best Picture.

'EL & IC' has some seriously good acting in it.  Max von Sydow is OUTSTANDING as 'The Renter,' who shepherds young Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) on a search for his father's legacy after 9/11. Horn, in his first-ever film, is able to carry off a tough role as a pre-teen with Asberger's Syndrome who is staggered by the loss of his doting father (Tom Hanks).  Sandra Bullock continues a series of breakout roles as Oskar's mother and is brilliant in understated way that contrasts starkly with her Oscar-winning role in 'The Blind Side.'

'EL & IC' is nicely shot, taking us on a tour of all of the beautiful places there are to film in New York City.  Central Park looks amazing, the boroughs and neighborhoods sing with authenticity and are a wonderful backdrop for Oskar's noble quest. Cuts in and out of Oskar's memory blend nicely with the locations and the great apartment set.  Stark footage of the Twin Towers burning is included, though probably not needed.

The story is complicated but basically follows Oskar after he finds a key in his father's closet.  In an envelope marked 'Black,' Oskar finds a safe deposit box key and chronicles all the people named 'Black' in New Yor City.  His obsessive fixation on the quest, photographing and chronicling each visit is almost a road movie within the film.  His 'buddy' in the road film segment is a mysterious man who rents a room from Oskar's grandmother. 

Along the way Oskar learns what we suspected all along, that von Sydow's mute character is really his long-lost grandfather. Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter of the recent  Bond films) turns in an excellent appearance as the actual owner of the key.  In the end, all comes together and while Oskar's father is not miraculously resurrected, his mother is shown to be a true heroine, his grandparents re-unite, and just about everything else Hollywood can do to heal the 9/11 scars is thrown in as the credits roll.

Everything The Oscars love in a Best Picture right?

'EL & IC' won't win though, because there just isn't enough to the movie to be the first major film about the fall of the World Trade Centers and the horrible events of 9/11. It tries too hard to make us remember how hard that time was for us all.  The film doesn't just pull on the heartstrings, it yanks hard on them, ending up feeling exploitative rather than transcendent. It's one of the rare movies that I sat thought that I wish I had not seen.

Enjoy the Red Carpet, but skip 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.'

War Horse

In my continuing reviews of Academy Award-nominated films we've come to Steven Spielberg's big budget, massive Christmas-release film about a boy and his horse, based on the children's book by Michael Morpurgo. It's Spielberg doing what he does best - a GIANT movie, with a multi-year time span, huge battle scenes, dozens of characters, hundreds of horses and an ending we all see coming a mile away.

The story is pretty straight forward.  Set in England at the dawn of World War I, a drunken farmer buys a racehorse instead of the plow animal he needs.  The farmer's son Albert, played by newcomer Jeremy Irvine, trains the poorly behaved horse to plow and names him Joey.  Unfortunately after massive rains, the farmer's fields are ruined and he is forced to sell Joey to the British as a cavalry mount.  Joey and Albert are tearfully separated and Joey heads off to France. 

Following an inept attempt by the British to take a German camp, Joey and another horse are captured and used by the Germans pulling an ambulance until they are taken by young German deserters.  After that adventure ends badly, a young French farm girl Emilie (played by another newcomer Celine Buckens) finds Joey and his equine sidekick.  When the German army plunders the farm for supplies, Emilie secrets the horses in her bedroom.

Unfortunately, on her first ride on Joey, Emilie is found by the Germans, who take the horses and press them into service towing tanks.  Years pass and coincidentally Joey and his former owner Albert find themselves on the opposite sides of a terrible trench warfare battle.  Albert and his village buddies have somehow survived years of battle together and charge across no-mans land and take the German positions only to be gassed and blinded.

SPOILER

Joey, spooked by a tank and upset by the death of his companion, charges though no-mans land and is ensnared in the barbed wire between the two enemy positions.  A British soldier comes out under a white flag to try to help the horse and is aided by a German who actually thought to bring some wire cutters.  After the horse is freed, they argue over who gets to take him back to their trench.  Ultimately the Brit wins the coin toss and Joey heads back to the British trenches.  There, word of his heroic charge though the wire is told and re-told among the wounded until Albert hears it.

Albert, temporarily blinded by the the mustard gas, still somehow KNOWS this is his long-lost Joey and opportunely whistles for him just as Joey is about to be put down.  We all know how this one ends.

And despite the Hollywood ending, all the beautiful horses, the expansive scenery and chilling war sequences, the magnificent cinematography, and the soaring John Williams score, 'War Horse' somehow misses. It's a bit too dark, sad and violent.  Despite the attempts to show how strong, yet empathetic Joey is, I never really get a good feeling for the horse as a character. Again, despite Spielberg's attempts to give some dimension to the human characters, they are dwarfed by all that is going on around them.

As I said, it's a big film, ultimately too big for the rather one dimensional characters that live in it.  At almost 2 1/2 hours, there was time to get us to care about these people, but the story about Albert's dad,  the alcoholic farmer, and his service in Africa seems just too simple.  It might help if Irvine could act at all, but sadly he comes off as a bit dull-witted, and not in an interesting or happy way.

I think that this COULD have been a great movie, but the decision seems to have been made to try to re-make All Quiet on the Western Front in France, telling a story about how horrible World War I was to all involved, rather than telling the simple story about a boy who loses his beloved horse only to be reunited after years apart.  See 'War Horse' for what it is, a blockbuster movie about World War I that has a lot of horses, green pastures and muddy battles in it.  But don't take the kids, despite its origins as a children's book, this movies is not for the faint of heart.

The Descendants

So to kick off my reviews of Oscar-nominated films, today we have the movie that I have been really interested in seeing since I heard the buzz a few months back.  In 'The Descendants,' George Clooney stars as Matt King, the emotionally distant husband of a woman in a coma and the father of two girls who is facing a series of life events.

There are three stories intertwined in the film.  First, a tragic accident has placed Clooney's wife in an irreversible coma.  In talking to his older daughter Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) about her mothers impending death, Clooney discovers his wife's infidelity.  And odd near-road film ensues as he seeks to learn more about his wife and her lover. 

As part of that road film experience, Clooney tries to learn more about his older daughter's wild ways and tries desperately to connect to his younger daughter Scottie (Amara Miller in her fist role) who he feels he cannot reach.  The fatherly journey shows Clooney vacillating between buddy and father figure, struggling to find a place in the 3 person family, which is augmented by interesting stoner boyfriend Sid played by Nick Krause. 

The third leg of the story is about a family land deal. Clooney is the leader of a family that owns thousands of acres of pristine wilderness on Kaua'i and is facing a decision of what to do with the family's birthright in the face of shrinking finances and rapacious developers.  A wide cast of cousins, anchored by Beau Bridges as Cousin Hugh pull Clooney back and forth on the horns of this dilemma.

Clooney is a superstar and this is a tough role for him.  Cuckolded husband of a dying wife trying desperately to connect to his daughters while protecting a family legacy is pretty tough to pull off for anybody.  For Clooney, best known for shallow, slick roles like Danny Ocean and Dr. Doug Ross, this is a real stretch.  I know movies are not generally shot in sequence, this feels like a role Clooney grows into throughout the film. While nominated for an Oscar, the nomination seems like more a of a nod for Clooney's best work yet rather than for the best work by anyone this year.

The story is really the star of the film, and I was happy to see it nominated for best adapted screenplay.  It's a look into some pretty ordinary lives, people facing problems we can all relate to.  The writing though makes these problems interesting and compelling, sometimes even funny, rather than maudlin and dreary.  My favorite lines come when Clooney finds and confronts his wife's lover, Brian Speer, played ably by Matthew Lillard.

Brian Speer: 'It just happened.'

Matt King: 'Nothing just happens.'

Brian Speer: 'EVERYTHING just happens.'

Pretty simple stuff, right? Yes, but written and delivered in just the right context that lets us know these are people like us, caught in a situation we can recognize, even if we have not lived it precisely. THAT'S great writing.

While set on the the islands of Hawaii, the photography is gray and misty and not really as visually stunning as I expected.  There are some amazing vistas now and then, but for the most part, the whole thing feels like it was filmed during the rainy season.  That may be by design, but it feels a little haphazard. The native Hawaiian music, costumes and accents are pitch-perfect, if a little hard to get used to at first.

This was a very good, if flawed film.  Clooney is friendly and affable, but ultimately at sea in a difficult role.  The supporting cast is all very good, but there are some really uneven moments as each of them basically has a scene-stealing moment only to fade into the set again.  The story stands out on its own though and ultimately won my great praise.

Go see 'The Descendants.'  It's a great way to spend two hours, even if it isn't one of the top films of the year.

Friday Fantastic Four - Footloose and Movie Re-Makes

So the re-make of the 80s classic Footloose comes out today.  Kevin Bacon is nowhere to be seen, and there isn't a feathered, blow dry cut on any of the cast. 

The original was made just as I was starting high school, with all of the dances and hormones attendant thereto.  While there wasn't anyone who looked remotely like Lori Singer at a St. James dance, we sure wished there was!  Given its special place in my movie memories, it's pretty tough to see this one get re-made, which leads us to this week's Friday Fantastic Four:

What Are the Four Best Movie Re-Makes of All Time?

1. Casino Royale - Daniel Craig is angry, haunted and just freaking excellent. Maybe the best Bond movie ever.  The original was really a disaster - a send up of spy movies, not a real Bond.
2. Ocean's 11 - both were amazingly good films, Clooney isn't Sinatra, and there's no one like Dean Martin, but the rest of the re-make cast is pretty darn solid and it's a beautiful film to look at.
3. The Parent Trap - Lindsay Lohan as a cute pair of twins, Dennis Quaid as her clueless father.  A favorite of my kids and a few other folks I know.  The original stars a button cute Hayley Mills
4. Meet Joe Black - visually beautiful film with a really creepy plot.  Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt are scarily good.  Fredric March starred in the movie that inspired the 1998 remake.

Everyone have a great weekend!  I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to some downtime.

Friday Fantastic Four - Spring Break - Without Charlie Sheen!

Despite dozens several requests for a Charlie Sheen-related Fan 4 this week, I'm going to have to say no.  I mean what could the topics be?  Top four hookers Charlie has been with?  Top four drugs he's done?  Top four movies he's been in?  He hasn't been in four good movies.

Since it's Spring Break at the old workplace, and Da Boss is on Da Plane, I'm going Spring Traditional in topic selection this week.

What four places would you most like to go to spring break next week?

1. La Jolla, CA - Not so much for the golf, but for the warm breezes and the sunsets
2. Banff Springs, Canada - Soaking in a hot tub watching the Northern Lights
3. Rio - I've wanted to go to Carnivale since Demi Moore starred in the film classic "Blame it on Rio"
4. New Orleans - I've been there a bunch, but never for Mardi Gras.  I'll make it one year!

Everyone enjoy the warm weather in the northeast this weekend or where ever you are headed for Spring Break!

Friday Fantastic Four - The Best Character Actors

It's award show season.  Every Sunday night from here to baseball season will have some award show filled with B list celebrities on the way up, A list celebs on the way down and a pile of Kardashians trying to explain show why they are relevant.

We will have red carpets, Joan Rivers, the thanking of god, buddah, mom and that high school teacher who 'really knew there was talent in there somewhere.'  There will be inexplicable hosts, boring hosts, edgy hosts and has-been hosts.  and there will be a billion categories we don't care about.  Celebrity will be celebrated for celebrity's sake and darn near everyone will be over-exposed.

But there is one group of actors that I think don't get the credit they are due.  The character actors.  The folks who are so well-known for playing small, carefully developed roles that you know just the person they will be playing when you see them on screen for their first scene in a movie.  Often, they make the movie.

Who are your four favorite character actors?

1. Christopher Walken - I am not sure if he is acting or if he really is certifiable, but he's pretty darn amazing to see on screen. 
2. Phillip Seymour Hoffman - is you are looking for a guy who has problems, but is still sympathetic, you can't go wrong with PSH
3. Kathy Bates - has ANYONE every topped her in the 'middle aged, cranky but longing for a new life' category
4. Alan Rickman - what a great thinking man's bad guy.  from Die Hard to the Harry Potter series to Sweeney Todd, we is reasonable and thoughtful and scary as shit.

So who's your top four?  Have a great weekend and enjoy the red carpet!

On Paul Newman

Yesterday I got the news that Paul Newman died just before John and I left for the ball park.  It's not something I was ready for or the kind of thing you want to hear on a Saturday, or I guess any day for that matter.

Paul Newman played the kids of guys I easily identify with.  Guys with fast smiles, quick wit but a darker, more intense side.  There's a reason he played the hero in two film adaptations of Richard Russo's books, Empire Falls and Nobody's Fool.  He was dashing and cool, but a thinking man's star.  And, despite those devastating blue eyes, his on-screen relationships didn't seem to come easily to him.  He was, for all his star power, an everyman.

My favorite role is from Nobody's Fool, where he played Sully, the town handyman and 60-something teenager who enjoys his beer.  It's really Newman's first role that acknowledged his age and he is it with his usual grudging panache.  I'm also a big fan of his work in Absence of Malice, playing the son of a mafia boss who's just trying to make his way when he is accused of murder.  He does anger so well in this film and also brings a mis-cast Sally FIeld along to create excellent intellectuial and sexual tension.  My son knew exactly who Paul Newman was when I decsibed him as the voice of Doc Hudson from Cars.  Newman cut across three generations.

To me, his work as a philanthropist and supporter of liberal causes in addition to his business and racing interests go a long way to demonstrating that Paul Newman didn't just entertain, he worked to show us what we too could do with our talents if we just worked as hard as he did.

Kyla Ebbert Nude This Time

Remember this past summer when some moron at Southwest Arilines took it upon herself to decide that a paying customer was wearing a too-short miniskirt and threw Kyla Ebbert off the plane?

Yeah.  I had forgotten too.

After that, Southwest issued an apology and used the situaion in their ads for a bit, Ms. Ebbert, either a college student, an aspiring lawyer, or Hooters waitress, depending on where you read, appeared on every bad TV show on the tube.

Then, blessedly, she disappeared off the face of the earth, except for parody writers and on myspace.

Until yesterday, that is, when Ebbert announced that she had posed nude for Playboy.  Like we all didn't see THAT one coming!  It took about 12 minutes for the photos to be leaked to the internet.  If you must see the images, here they are, but you have to go to confession later. 

Don't worry mom, "they are very tastefully done" according to Ebbert.

Gift Giving Opportunity

As you may have noticed, it is currently June 5th, wich means you have only 12 shopping days left to buy my Father's Day present.  While my ex wife co-parent probably would not agree, I am nominating myself for Father of the Year and deserveto be rewarded properly.  Since my kids are too little to do much shopping on their own, I've got a few ideas for you all!

• Samsung's Deluxe Q1 Ultra - This thing is HOT!!!!  An ultra mobile 800mhz wireless computer with full keyboard and 7" screen.  A STEAL at only $1200.

• Apple iPhone - this is probably the convergence product that would break what my lil Bro calls my "PC brainwashing."  It's pricy, like everthing from Apple, but I am guessing that when Paris gets out of prison, she will be ditching the Sidekick for one of these and I want to be right there with her.

• Wireless XBox with 20 GB Harddrive - this one is more for the boy than me.  He loves his baseball on the Box, but ours is getting a bit elderly and needs to be kicked up a notch.  If ya can spare the change, spring for a pair of wireless controllers too!

• Jimmy Buffett is playing the Boardwalk in AC this summer.  And 2 tickets would be a SWEET Father's Day gift!!!  I will take care of the transportation, party supplies and grass skirts.

Just drop me a note and I will let you know where to ship these babies!  i'm really looking forward to it!

Have a good one!

Lindsay Lohan Smashed

Former cutsey child actor turned 20 year old trainwreck Lindsay Lohan wrecked her Mercedes SL-65 on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills last night.  She walked away from the wreck and was treated and released for injuries to her chest (God, I hope she's ok.  She's already had so much work done on that chest.)

TMZ reports that  investigators found 'a usable amount of cocaine' in the car.  Jesus.  she MUST have been destroyed to leave an ounce of blow on the front seat in The Hills.  LAPD charged Lohan with DUI.

Guess re-hab didn't take for her either.