Capote and Me

I'll start by saying it seems my life currently consists of only a few activities, one of which is going to the movies. That is obvious from this blog. I may see 3 or 4 this weekend but it is a good activity when in solitude, a place I have found myself lately. I also have Netflix which means, yes, I watch them at home too. I also go to work but will not talk about that here or anywhere online. People get fired for that sort of thing! Click here to learn more about that.) Since I've posted movie reviews almost exclusively, I'll include something else here along with my review. BTW, I hope that my reviews have been helpful to those reading them.

"Capote" is an excellent, interesting and worthwhile film. The performances are flawless and unless something truly spectacular happens in some other film, I think Philip Seymour Hoffman should prepare an acceptance speech for the upcoming awards season. At least one of the voting bodies who decides on "Best Actor" will have to recognize his performance. I need to re-read In Cold Blood now that I have the context of the author's history.

The film ignited in me again the idea that I do want to be a writer. I want to tell stories, fiction and non-fiction depending on my inspiration. Currently my private writings take the form of poetry or unstructured prose depending on how you look at them. Eventually though, I hope to develop a talent that like authors I have great respect for can grace "The New Yorker", bookshelves and also the screen. I thank you for indulging me here as I ponder this notion through short blog entries.

As you conclude this year and begin 2006, you may consider a list of resolutions. Add to that list remembering every so often to dream. What begins as a benign day can end in adventure when you do just that. Since I may not be up at midnight I sign off now and bid you a Happy New Year.

Broke(n)back Mountain

Beautiful? Yes. Affecting? Yes. Ground-breaking? For sure.

Jake Gyllenhal and Heath Ledger are two of the most genuinely talented actors of this generation and they both took a risk in embracing the respective roles of Jack Swift and Ennis Del Mar. Of course with Ang Lee at the helm, the risk was also a bit of a sure bet. For those who don't know, Annie Proulx laid the groundwork for the adapted screenplay with her short story of the two men who find love and the toll that love takes on their lives.

When I set out to write this review, I was actually intending to be critical of this acclaimed film because I do have some problems with the way a few things were not addressed fully and with the duration (the 2 hours seemed like 3) but as I began writing, I changed my mind.

The supporting characters were a bit underdeveloped and my empathy for Michelle Williams' character clouded my appreciation of the film initially but at 2nd look, the story is one that could not have been better told on screen and deserved to be told. Very complicated, very simple, very painful and very triumphant love are found in this film. There is a wonderful parallel between the relationships of Ledger/Gyllenhal and Ledger/Williams and that is suffering and bearing it for as long as possible. It is torturous and a great story.

Bottomline: You can wait and rent it but do see this film. Brokeback Mountain

Chronicling Narnia

I don't remember the contents of the book The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe with the exception of a few small details. I think I read it in the 4th grade. After seeing the film, the details are much more clear and abundant though I can't attest to the accuracy of the film compared to the text. I have begun reading the Chronicles of Narnia, from the beginning, so I'm sure I'll see some differences when I get to the story the movie is based on. That aside, I enjoyed the film. It was an adolescent adventure and really fun. The "war" scene was a little grandiose and lasted a little while longer than I care for but I tend to not enjoy those scenes in general. Could have been much worse. I recommend this in the theater or on DVD, whatever you have time or money for. I think it may be better in the theater because of some of the scenery. The kids were great, all of them. Liam Neeson plays Aslan--it is just his voice--and that was perfect casting. The Queen Witch portrayed by Tilda Swinton was fabulous.

The coolest part of this film, for me, was a glimpse at the one thing that I do remember about reading the book long ago. I was excited. There was a feeling of excitement and awe that I recalled because it recurred in watching this film. I wanted to be one of the kids in Narnia so innocent and heroic and I felt that again. Some recollections of childhood aren't so pleasant and remembered responses to things aren't always elating, but when they are, it is great.

The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe movie

Rumor Has It

No, I don't have the latest on Nick and Jessica or even the latest scoop on myself--this is essentially another film review. I'm the new Ebert if you will (not a Roeper fan myself). My mom and I, plus anyone else in the familiy who wants to, see a movie on Christmas night and this year our pick was "Rumor Has It". I have to say I was a little disappointed with this one. I thought it was going to be great because the story sounded fun, Shirley Maclaine is a favorite of mine and Rob Reiner was at the helm. When I say great, I don't mean Academy Award winning groudbreaking great, but I can get this on DVD and watch it over and over anytime just to feel good great. It ended up being kind of..."eh". If you were thinking of seeing it at all, I'd say it is a rental. The best parts are those with Shirley Maclaine spouting off one-liners and those are just as effective on the small screen I'd suspect. I'm further losing confidence in Jennifer Aniston's ability to carry a big screen film. She seems better on the small screen as part of an ensemble. If you loved it and disagree, that's good, it just didn't capture me.

I have two more films that I've seen since Christmas and will be writing up reviews of those. Sometime, we may also get to other subjects but for now I'll continue with these writings.

The Producers

This seems to be turning into a movie review column but I saw another film that deserves props. "The Producers" has been made as a movie, has been a phenomenal hit on Broadway in its musical form and now takes to the big screen again, this time as a movie-musical. I went in having already seen the play on Broadway but not having seen it with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in the roles of Bialystock and Bloom. Some roles were expanded and some were more lively than I remember on stage. All in all, this is a good film and a good representation of the play. I was more entertained than I expected to be and feel lucky to have finally seen some of the original cast. Nathan Lane was an absolute delight. Matthew Broderick was entertaining but somewhat annoying at times...quite a few times. His character is neurotic but I don't remember the actor in the stage version I saw acting as obnoxiously about it. :) Will Ferrell is over-the-top at times but overall impressive. Uma Thurman must be mentioned. She has been mentioned. Honestly, she has been solid over and over in her performances and this simply revealed another layer of a highly talented woman. The rest of the supporting cast was fun and I could go on but I think you need to stop reading and start watching! Coming up this week..."Rumor Has It" and possibly "Brokeback Mountain".

Kong is King

As promised, a review of "King Kong": Overall this was a great movie. There were a few scenes (long ones) involving worms and other insects that weren't very friendly to my eyes. In fact, I elected not to look at the screen because I was just disgusted and it was making me to anxious. There are definitely things that could have been cut to make the movie less than 3 hours and 7 minutes long but once it's done, you don't really think about those scenes and just walk out of the theater knowing you saw a really good, entertaining, old-fashioned, "this is why movies are made" film. A timeless story can always be retold and though I haven't seen the original and cannot attest to this retelling being better than the first, I am confident that it can't be any worse. There was some great dialogue which was impressive because it outweighed any cheesiness that could have taken over. Jack Black usually drives me crazy (not in a good way) but this role fit him well. Colin Hanks is looking more like his father I think and did a fine job. Adrian Brody continues to show that he has been deserving of accolades he's gotten...very good. Naomi Watts is ever beautiful and ever the fine actress only getting better as she continues in her career. Bravo to Peter Jackson and his cast. I recommend "King Kong".

Entry 1

This is my first entry so it'll be a short one, unless I get on a roll and don't decide to go back and change what I wrote here. Lately things have been uninteresting and interesting all at once. I've played with a little fire lately so my heart has suffered some minor fractures. Still, at least I know it's there. It has been quite a while since someone made my pulse race and caused me to lose my train of thought. ;) I'm actually trying to get over it and should be soon--let's hope.

So, the blog thing is very new to me but I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts, stories and other personal and non-personal bits with you as well as reading yours. It is pretty exciting to be self-published. Too bad i'm not paying myself for it, huh? Maybe one day I'll commission a story from myself and then publish it here.

I don't have much more to say right now, or really just don't feel like typing anymore. Check back soon for a review of "King Kong" which I'll be seeing on Wednesday. Should be a great movie.

Good Day, Good Night