The Postman Is My New Best Friend
Because he just brought me Army of Darkness and
Evil Dead II. Bruce squared!
Of course this means that I will accomplish nothing on my list of Things To Do.
But I can always do the Things tomorrow ..unless I get distracted by something else, of course. Or if I decide I just couldn’t be arsed.
Either and/or both are highly likely.
And Monday morning I’ll be running around yelling goddammit every five minutes as I scramble to get my shit together in time to catch my train and swearing that I’ll never fuck away a whole weekend again ..that I'll start the week off organized out the ass.
Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen.
The Most Important Movie Ever
No kidding. an inconvenient truth may literally be the most important movie ever, well, if you consider saving the planet important. Personally, I’d say pretty important but I’m one of those lefty tree-hugger types so, yeah, I’m plenty biased.
But facts are facts ..and the American people have not been getting the facts.
The facts I’m talking about are the facts about global warming. In this documentary Al Gore explains this complicated matter in an astoundingly clear and engaging and, yes, even entertaining way. And, yes, I did just say that Al Gore was engaging and entertaining—now pick yourself up off the floor and pay attention.
This is an Al Gore like you’ve never seen him before. He's funny and “natural” and relaxed, so much so that it’s hard not to get distracted by the WTF factor. (But not too hard because what he’s saying is too compelling.)
Most of the movie is a film version of a multimedia presentation that Gore has been delivering since 1989. [Global warming has been a passion of Gore's since he was a student a Harvard University, where one of his professors warned in the 1970s that carbon dioxide would have a devastating effect on the Earth's environment.]
Gore’s expert crafting of this wake up message could serve as a model of effective communication. Because I often do communications consulting I paid particular attention to the construct. He scored big points with me on how well he constructed this presentation that he’s been doing all over the world. He doesn’t risk alienating any potential listeners by falling into that over-the-top type pandering Michael Moore does (sorry, but he does and I think he could have even more impact if he could reign that tendency in).
Gore respectfully, methodically and conclusively addresses the questions and concerns of skeptics until the truth becomes glaringly and undeniably apparent.
And his use of visuals showing effects that the Earth is already feeling are powerfully shocking—like photos of glaciers that have been reduced to almost nothing in a span of 40 years. Or old photos of the snows of Kilimanjaro juxtaposed against current photos in which said snows are now no more than a light dusting.
And as I said before, this new Gore in no way resembles that stiff Ken-doll persona he couldn’t seem to overcome in the past. This Gore looks like someone who got beat up by The Universe but came out the better for it. He has the look of someone who’s lost big and learned it’s not the end of the world ..someone who then chooses to dedicate his life to the stuff that might actually be the end of the world. Gore has chosen to go back to this important work, his life’s passion.
Yeah, when I was watching him I couldn’t help but think Dang! too bad we can’t elect someone like him for President ..then I remembered that we did. Nevermind. Fuckin’ Florida hooples. *sigh*
But the new Gore even gets in a real funny about that debacle:
"I used to be the next president of the United States," he told the audience, drawing a roar of laughter.
"I don't find that to be very funny," he deadpanned.
By the way, the theatre has been packed for every showing of this movie—both screens. People applauded. I don’t know about other people but I cried when the picture of our beautiful Earth, taken from space, was on the screen and when polar bears drowned because there were no ice floes left for them to float on.
But you know what I’m like.
Anyways, go see it and take a friend. And to find out more go to their excellent website.
an inconvenient truth
And now, I'll leave you with just one more thing.
Public Service Announcement
File this under: How could I not know this?
I just watched Kip and Lafawnduh’s wedding which was excellent but which until a few days ago I didn’t even know existed. Thank god au and I do Napoleon quip-age as a regular part of our communications or I’d still be deprived of Napoleon riding up on the wild honeymoon stallion that he tamed ..and Kip’s misty water-colored wedding song.
So, anyways, I didn’t want anyone to miss the fun so I felt like I should pull a pay it forward and let everybody know that the wedding of Kip and Lafawnduh is after the credits roll and the screen goes black ..for more than a few seconds actually (sneaky bastards!) ..then there’s a Two Months Later and we’re at the wedding. Hilarious.
But you probably already knew this. You’ve probably watched it a gazillion times and have even memorized the words to Kip’s love song. You're probably thinking that I'm the only person not living in a third world country who didn’t know about it.
Like anyone could even know that.
Milwaukee, Minnesota
For people who loved Fargo this movie should definitely go on your must see list. In fact, I was going to call this post “Fargo-lite” but then I realized that would make it sound like I was disparaging the film when I was intending to pay it a compliment. So use this context: the Coen Brothers' 1996 film Fargo is one of my favorite movies ever.
So to say it’s a lot like Fargo but not quite in that rarified stratosphere is still giving a big thumbs up.
I remember one reviewer called it a "Minnenoir" which sums it up nicely. I don’t want to say much about the story because I find that reviewers often say too much.
A big part of this kind of story is watching it unfold, each piece of the puzzle coming together until the viewer sees the whole picture. As I was looking for recaps I could cite and cut and paste here (because I’m a lazy git) I decided not to use any of them because everybody was giving away far too many pieces of the puzzle and I wouldn’t do that to you. I’m glad I hadn’t read any of that stuff before I saw it.
So here’s a spoiler-free snapshot. Albert (Troy Garity) is a mentally challenged young man who has preternatural ice fishing skills which he’s used to amass a smalll fortune in prize money. Yes, you can win a lot of money in ice fishing tournaments. Who knew? And because Albert’s winnings have been publicized in some newspapers he becomes the target of opportunists who are looking to take advantage of his mental disadvantage and steal his money.
This modest production relies on the actors to help get the film to the finish line. The cast is uniformly great, especially Garity, who pulls off the role of Albert without turning the sympathetic character into that worn out Hollywood retarded-guy cliche. Really, his performance is one of the few times I’ve been able to watch that kind of role without going into insulin shock from the overwhelming sweet sentimentality. (And I admit I never ever saw I Am Sam because just watching the trailers made me hypoglycemic.)
And Allison Folland belts out a performance that is well beyond anything she’s mustered before. This might be the best role she’s ever had-- a tough femme fatale with anger management issues. Her performance is a little uneven at times, like she’s driving an unfamiliar high-performance car and spins out a little on a couple of curves, but she never crashes. The film also stars Randy Quaid, Bruce Dern, and Hank Harris.
And I will quote one (not credited) reviewer who said the perfect thing:
The abrupt closure (though a beautiful last shot) to "Milwaukee, Minnesota" doesn't help the nagging feeling that some more dramatic meat might've been required to make the film soar; but it also reminds the viewer that this is a film about small pleasures and aspirations. Being grandiose would ruin the effect of this humble, winning feature. ----
Cinderella Man
Judging from comments that I’ve heard some people will dismiss Cinderella Man without even seeing it, based on their perception of Ron Howard as always and forever a sentimental director/producer. Some thoughts on this. It’s too bad that Ron Howard will always be the Opie of Director/Producers to a lot of people. Have these folks seen Arrested Development? And, too bad for them because they’re missing a great movie.
Yes, I did say great and, just for the record, so did Mick LaSalle who is far more discerning that yours truly. And he’s one of the few critics who isn’t constantly kissing the ass of Hollywood. Also, Garret liked it, too. So there.
Yes, it is an inspirational movie but it’s based on a true story that was hello! hugely inspirational to many downtrodden folks who were living in a time called the Great Depression ..and they didn’t call it “great depression” for nothing. It’s a world we can hardly imagine—a world that sucked the life right out of you day after dismal day.
That’s the world Howard takes us to—a world of poverty, humiliation, and perpetual disappointment. In this world, Jim Braddock, the real Cinderella Man, and his wife struggle to keep their children fed and clothed and together as a family.
That is the heart of this movie from which everything flows. Braddock’s triumphs are not about ego or self-actualization; they’re about necessity and survival. Success is not so much about victory but relief from a staggering burden.
And Russell Crowe is just flat-out fabulous. I don’t care if Russell acts like an asshat sometimes, he’s still untouchable in period roles. Chris Rock was right you know when he said "I think all period pieces should star Russell Crowe. If you doin’ a movie about the past, you best get Russell’s ass.”
What I can’t understand is how Russell can change his appearance like he does—not only did he totally change his physique for this role but somehow he also managed to change the shape of his head. No kidding. I kept thinking that is just not Maximus’s head. WTF?
Anyway, physicality aside, Crowe is IMO one of the most authentic actors around; through him we see Braddock as both a simple man and an intriguing character. And he makes you care a lot about this guy—trust me on this. There is a scene that will break your heart right in two, just because of the raw honesty of Crowe’s performance. Un-fucking-believably great moments throughout the whole film but I don’t want to “spoil” you with details.
And the boxing sequences are technically superb. They used a lot of cool tricks to get the audience to feel it from the boxer’s POV—very cool.
And who in the world would have ever imagined that Craig Bierko could be a menacing Max Baer. (Dude! You nailed it!) He was scary as hell in our first glimpse of him in the ring (meeps!), and it took several looks to convince myself that it really was him playing that part. For those not in the boxing know, Max Baer killed a couple of guys in the ring so it was kinda’ important that the actor portraying him look like he could literally punch someone’s lights out.
And Paul Giamatti was a marvel as Braddock’s manager but that’s no surprise. Perfect.
I could say more but I’m tired of typing and, also, I need a sammich. So, the end.
Don't See Saw, the Update
I have had the Saw DVD sitting around my house for weeks now. What was I thinking when I put that on my netflix queue? I’ll be having nightmares for years if I watch that puppy. Scary and/or creepy shit just burns permanently into my brain. I still get nightmares about flying monkeys for fuck’s sake. I’ve never forgotten the chain saw scene in Scarface but I think I can watch Saw?
Dang! I have to watch it now, it’s like I’ve double-dog-dared myself into it.
Crap!
I'll be back as soon as I'm done horrifying myself.
***EDITED TO ADD REVIEW***
I have just seen Saw and here's the review. The most horrifying thing about this movie is that somebody actually spent millions of dollars making this piece of shit. But as a comedy it works pretty well.
The end.
