I saw this film the other night, in an actual theater. It was a lot of fun, especially for a black-humored cynic like myself.
Aaron Eckhart plays Nick Naylor, a very successful lobbyist for big tobacco. He has a dimpled chin, honey-gold hair, and enough charm spin just about any situation. He starts out on a talk show with representatives from a Lung Society, the representative of an anti-tobacco senator, and "Cancer Boy" and winds up making the others look bad. As he says, "if you argue right, you are right".
Throughout the movie, he tries to balance his job ethic (it pays the mortgage) with his desire to be a good father to his son. He does talk to Joey's class about what he does for a living.
Along the way, he lunches regularly with two other M.O.D.s (merchants of death), lobbyists for alcohol and firearms, as they compare which causes the most deaths.
Subplots include interviews with a newspaper reporter played by Katie Holmes, trying to get tobacco product tie-ins into movies, calming a cancer-ridden ex-Marlboro Man, and subcommittee hearings on whether a skull and crossbones should be placed on cigarette packs.
Naylor charms his way through the movies, sometimes getting tripped up, sometimes winning the day. The movie seems so over the top, maybe because many of the characters are writ large, but let's face it, charm and audacity are what makes a lobbyist successful.
Maybe this isn't a parody after all...
William H. Macy, Robert Duvall and Sam Elliott also star.
You'd think I was a big Nicholas Cage fan for the number of movies I watch that he's in. But in truth, I'm pretty neutral toward him.
(Speaking of leading men I'm not nuts about, I see Brooke Shields just had another daughter. After all the flak when she came out about post-partum depression last time, I wonder if she's willing to take on Tom Cruise again. I prefer Nick any day.)
The Weather Man was recommended to me by Shawn a while back. It just took time to climb up through the ranks of my Netflix queue.
I watched it last night, and liked it. I wasn't sure if I liked it until the end, because you really had no idea how things were going to wind up. I think they wound up pretty realistically, and OK for all concerned. Meaning once I thought about it, I decided I liked the movie.
This is pretty much the antithesis of the feel-good movie. Cage plays Dave Spritz, the local weather man. He's divorced, his kids are delinquents, the locals throw fast food at him. He has serious problems with anger management and impulse control (you'll be on the edge of your seat a couple of times in anticipation). You will hear quite a few words that may not shock you, but may, in their sheer volume and force of expression...He's pretty unlikable. He even cheats on trust-building exercises.
So what is it that makes us sympathize with him? Well, he's a poor Schmo who is pretty much at the mercy of forces he neither understands nor can control (being who he is). He tries to be a good father. He wants to get back together with his ex-wife. He thinks a job as weather man on national TV (Hello, America) will make him important and will impress people (well, it would)and basically fix his life.
Dave's father, Robert Spritzel, had won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize by the time he was 33. So Robert is a hard act to follow. He's played by an ill-looking Michael Caine who is long-suffering throughout the film,trying to smooth things out for his family while he battles untreatable lymphoma. And he's a nice guy who has to witness scene after scene in which his son says horrible things at the top of his voice...Robert looks non-judgmental and sad most of the time.
So you cringe as Dave's life goes out of control. You watch, fascinated as you would be by an impending car wreck...
And that's all I have to say about that.
You should watch it. It's good. And you might learn some new words.
I learned this new term: "camel toes".
Just watched National Treasure, a 2004 movie that pretty much kept my attention throughout. This is not to say it was perfect, but it was certainly fast moving.
Nicholas Cage (complete with Elvis sideburns) plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, the latest in many generations of Gateses to believe in a hundred-billion dollar treasure first amassed by the Knights Templar, and later acquired and hidden by Founding Father Masons.
Anyway, the movie begins with Ben and Ian Howe, his partner in the search, splitting up and each seeking the treasure independently. (Ian's the bad guy.) Both start by trying to steal the Declaration of Independence in order to obtain further clues, and the race is on. Abigail Chase joins the chase. She is the Curator of the National Archive. Played by Diane Kruger, she runs very well in high heels.
Ben's father, played by Jon Voigt (you know, Angelina Jolie's Dad) becomes a pawn in the game. Harvey Keitel, whom I have always liked plays the FBI agent in charge of solving the theft of the Declaration of Independence, which proves remarkably resilient as it rolls into traffic, falls off roofs and generally has itself quite a time.
Meanwhile, the good guys and bad guys have car chases, foot chases, kidnappings, and a lot of intrigue, as Nick Cage gets to solve clue after clue. Reviewers have likened this movie to both Indiana Jones and The DaVinci Code. I can see both.
Also remarkable was the number of shots squinty-eyed men with guns with sights managed to shoot and still miss sitting-duck type targets. Hundreds of shots and nary a hit. I think they need to go back to the range.
Meanwhile, love blooms, and I won't tell you whether the treasure exists or how it ends. Not that there are any major surprises. But for all of that, it is definitely a worthwhile rental, and a good way to pass an evening.
Anything that is strongly desired and withheld leads to obsession.
I watched Kinsey last night, with Liam Neeson as Professor Alfred Kinsey, and Laura Linney as Clara Kinsey.
Alfred Kinsey spent the first years of his career studying gall wasps. Professor Kinsey (Prok to his students, and later to everyone) was a shy, dry, academic, who had no truck with women until Clara McMillen (Mac) gently inserted herself into his life.
Millions of gall wasps later, realizing how little scientific information existed about sex, he applied the scientific method to assessing human sex habits--his first blockbuster was 1948's Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, based on thousands of questionnaires and interviews. The cat was out of the bag, sex-wise. Thousands of individuals who thought they were alone, or worse, perverted found that not only did they have kindered souls, they were pretty much in the mainstream. Oral sex and masturbation are normal. Kinsey became, and remains, a household word. Information about human sexuality is now available, even if many people remain ignorant on the subject.
When he turned his lens on women he began observing, filming, timing and measuring as well as asking questions. He discovered that clitoral stimulation was the source of female orgasm, and shared his information with millions.
Kinsey, at least in the movie, seemed to advocate a "if it feels good, do it" approach to sex. His staff were participants in the experiment, not only interviewing, but interacting sexually with test subjects. Naturally, the message had to be sent that there is a human toll to be paid if one is to be totally free sexually, and there are marital bumps in the road both for Prok and Mac, and for their staff due to this philosophy. (The social experiment had wider range in the 1960's and 1970's when sexual freedom was enjoyed more or less unfettered in a certain demographic. Wonder if any of that Sexual Revolution had its inception in Kinsey's work.)
In the 1950's Kinsey's methods were questioned, his funding dried up, and he developed a serious heart condition. But, of course, he had broken the ground, and there was no turning back.
Liam Neeson plays Prok in a dry, understated fashion, though he is obviously passionate about his work, and his wife. And I suspect that is just how the role should have been played, and the way that Kinsey approached the topic as a scientist.
Laura Linney (what a joy), plays Mac beautifully. Understanding and supportive of her man, she is by turns hurt, playful, angry, but always a believer and full partner in the project.
John Lithgow plays Kinsey's repressed bully of a preacher father. Thoroughly unpleasant, nasty and frowning with pursed lips. (Give me Lithgow in "Third Rock from the Sun", any day. I love him as a comedian, and he is so creepy as a...creep.)
[Illustration from Advancing Indiana]
My friend Kathie came over last night and we had pizza and wine, and watched "The Aviator".
The pizza was good. The wine excellent. The company, great. The movie....so-so.
Good story--the early life of Howard Hughes--what's not to like? You have the Roaring 20's, glitz, movie studios, money, sex, starlets, drama, descent into madness...
But somehow, it felt like it had all the depth of a cartoon by John Held, Jr.
The sets were gorgeous, and, as far as my undiscerning eye could tell, true to the period. Leonardo DiCaprio was fine as Howard Hughes, building his movie empire, outsmarting his foes, buying and building TWA and dashingly flying prototypical airplanes, and barely escaping with his life once or twice.
Barely escaping with his life also as he wooed and bedded one starlet after another, some of whom can get pretty testy when riled. 
Cate Blanchett, one of the best actresses on the planet, in my opinion, played a pre-Spencer Tracy Katharine Hepburn. She does not look like Hepburn, but the hair and costume, and the way she walked and talked allowed one to suspend disbelief and let her morph into Philadelphia Story-era Hepburn. Blanchett won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in this movie. (Blanchett was also nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Elizabeth I in Elizabeth.)
In the Aviator, Kate Beckinsale did a good job playing Ava Gardner, and it was a treat to see Alan Alda as shady Senator Ralph Owen Brewster.
So what was the problem? Too many similar scenes. Hughes spends a boatload of money. Hughes makes more. Hughes woos startlet. Hughes woos starlet. Hughes woos starlet. Hughes flies airplane really fast. Almost crashes. Hughes flies airplane really fast. Crashes. Hughes acts a little strange. Hughes acts stranger. Hughes is nuts.
It goes on and on. Two hours and fifty minutes of it. And with a belly full of pizza and a couple of glasses of wine on board, I got pretty sleepy. I'm not sure Kathie didn't sleep through half of it. If I hadn't had company, I'd at least have turned on the light and done a couple of crosswords or Sudoku puzzles during the movie to keep me going.
Can't really do that when you have company. So my advice...Watch this movie on DVD when you can stop it partway through and cook, do laundry, whatever is called for to break it up.
I finally watched Jerry Maguire last night, on DVD from Netflix.
They call it one of the best date movies of all time. I guess the make-out scene in front of the house is what would give it that cachet.
Memorable lines:
"Show me the money."
"You had me at 'hello'".
"Don't cry at the beginning of a date. Cry at the end, like I do."
Interesting fairly tale quality wherein the ruthless shark of a sports manager has an epiphany and develops a conscience overnight. When he publishes his "mission statement" Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) loses his job and finds himself with one client (Rod Tidwell played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) and an accountant (single Mom Dorothy Boyd played by Renee Zellweger). Her son, Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki), is hands down the cutest kid in the world.
Cuba Gooding Jr. won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in this movie.
Interesting also for the fact that the starring couple have made the infotainment news lately for their own problematic love lives. Tom Cruise for his very public (or publicity) affair with and engagement to Katie Holmes, and Zellweger for her marriage to country singer Kenny Chesney, which was subsequently annulled.
So far, Jonathan Lipicki has managed to stay out of the tabloids.
I've been quite happy with my little Netflix subscription. Two movies out at a time, and a rapid turnaround after I send 'em back.
So I was sorry to read in the news this week that I have been getting favorable treatment. It seems that folks who watch the movies the minute they get them and send them back to exchange for the next on their queue risk some foot-dragging--known as "throttling"--on the part of the company. The practice means that frequent users (those who may actually cost the company money) may encounter some delays in shipping, and may not be able to immediately get their top choices.
The most popular rental plan allows a subscriber to check out three DVDs at a time for $17.99 a month. Postage for round -trip shipping is $0.78, so 23 movies a month is a break-even point where Netflix makes no profit. This is not counting cost of the DVDs, wear and tear on the DVDs, personnel costs, filing, the little envelopes, health insurance, etc.
It seems the company does not mind if these subscribers don't renew, whereas they want to keep people like me, on whom they make a profit. I watch maybe two to four movies a month, and get two at a time. It's worth it to me not to have to go to Blockbuster to pick up and return movies, or to have to deal with their high prices and outrageous late fees.
If you have opinions on this topic, you can share your views in online forums, like http://www.hackingnetflix.com/. I'd like to point out that this site posts articles that are both pro and con Netflix, and well as favorable and unfavorable comments.
Me, I'll just keep going, as always.
More Clint and Patacki cartoons here.
I just finished watching a very good movie. A little late, but getting there is half the fun, no?
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has it all. Well, no romance, but that's OK. You don't need that when you have dementors and animagi, werewolves and (best of all) Buckbeak the Hippogriff. Oh yeah, and time travel. And loyalty and friendship, and deceit and revenge. And Hermione gets to punch Draco Malfoy. And then travels back so we can see her do it again. What fun.
The special effects are quite good, and the dementors are scary. Gary Oldman as Sirius Black doesn't get much screen time, but I think this is just an intro.
I haven't read the last book, but have faithfully made my way through the previous ones, so it's just a matter of time.
I should probably take these kids' movies more seriously. I know some formerly hard-partying adults who now are insisting that I rent "Madagascar" because it is so good, and who practically forced me to watch the penguin short at the beginning of that movie (it was quite funny). They say they have developed quite a taste for kids movies.
Maybe a bit of hypnosis mixed with brainwashing, no? The product of watching (or hearing) the same movie until you can recite all the dialogue by heart.
Anyway, if you haven't seen Prisoner of Azkaban, it's good entertainment for a nice evening at home. I think a nice red wine goes well with it. Maybe a nice merlot. And a fire in the fireplace. To make up for the lack of romance in the movie.
Oh, and I so want a hippogriff.
The Hippogriff by Arnold Sundgaard
When Mare and Griffin meet and mate
Their offspring share a curious fate.
One half is Horse, with hooves and tail,
The rest is Eagle, claws and nail.
As a Horse it likes to graze
In summer meadows doused in haze.
Yet as an eagle it can fly
Above the clouds, where dreams drift by.
With such a beast I am enthralled,(me, too)
The Hippogriff this beast is called.
(from Wikipedia)
Some of you may have noticed that I mention Netflix quite a bit. I just keep a list of movies (queue) on their site and when I send back one or two, they send out the next one or two films on the queue. I can change film order as my mood changes. I have added a lot of movies that friends have recommended, and have yet to find one that was not available. I'm sure if I tried hard I could find something, but that is not what this is about. There are lots of titles I could not find at the local Blockbuster.
ConsumerReports.org recently compared different movie rental services. I went this route because I got tired of the high price of renting movies at the local Blockbuster. And then there's the late fees. I have a varied schedule, and like to keep a movie until time and mood coincide, and I watch it.
I got very angry the couple of times I returned a movie late, or worse, when they thought I hadn't returned a movie which I had. The fees were outrageous.
With Netflix, your monthly fee depends on how many movies you keep at a time. If you watch them every night, then maybe 3-5 movies is good for you, and when you're done, you stick the last one in the mail, and before you are through the others, you have the next film on your queue. The truth is, I'm not saving any money on this deal. I don't watch that many movies. But the convenience and lack of hidden charges will keep me here.
According to CR, most DVD services stock from 30,000-50,000 titles.
So Consumer Reports compares Netflix, Blockbuster, Intelliflix, DVD Avenue, and GameznFlix. In addition, they comment that there are niche services, such as Cafedvd.com, which specializes in independent, foreigh and art-house films.
CR on Netflix "The dominant player in the DVD-rental arena had every movie we wanted, including obscure films. Customer service was excellent; we got e-mail messages notifying us when discs shipped and when returns had been received. Its Web site is full of fun extras like lists of award winners (Academy Award, Sundance, and Independent Spirit), plus a function that allows you to swap rental lists with friends. The only downside: occasional three-day waits for the most popular titles.
Blockbuster was comparable. "But it offered an added perk: coupons for two free in-store rentals per month. As with Netflix, we experienced occasional three-day waits."
Intelliflix acquited itself quite well also. Fewer bells and whistles, but less expensive than Netflix and Blockbuster.
Here's my take, people. I'll bet you have to return those free Blockbuster films by a deadline or face a late fee. Exactly what I was trying to get away from, so that isn't an added perk for me. Plus I went to Netflix to get AWAY from Blockbuster. They wouldn't have followed the Netflix example if they could have just held on to their monolithic greedy monopoly.
DVD Avenue and GameznFlix failed to impress the CR reviewers. Read the complete article here.
There ain't no going back for this girl.
Netflix rules.
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