Globes don't mean diddily

Globes don’t mean diddily
By Ben Flanagan
Ben Around
January 16, 2009

Those of us who watched the NBC broadcast of the Golden Globes will be pleased to know that the show’s best picture (drama) winner, “Slumdog Millionaire,” will open at our multiplex next Friday. If you’ve had your ear to the grindstone during this movie awards season, you know that “Slumdog” is director Danny Boyle’s much-talked about drama about a young Indian man who improbably wins his country’s version of “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” to impress a girl.

On the surface, this does not sound like your run-of-the-mill Oscar bait, especially when it’s helmed by an edgy filmmaker like Boyle (“Trainspotting,” “28 Days Later”). But for their reasons, critics have hailed this kinetic overseas story as arguably the year’s best film, which is hard for many (including me) to believe, that is, until we see the film. Luckily, our Cobb Hollywood 16 has decided to include us on the discussion and will bring the once-elusive film before us so we can all weigh in on the matter just after Oscar nominations are announced.

And yes, “Slumdog” all but dominated the Golden Globes, racking up wins for best picture, director, screenplay and musical score. Plus, the film has torn through the critics’ awards circuit, taking home 11 best picture wins leading up to the Oscars, followed by “Milk” and “Wall-E” which have each only earned three.

The film continues to do quite well financially, too, earning just over $34 million domestically on just 600 screens, already doubling its budget. With a wider release and its fresh Golden Globe victory, the film will almost certainly thrive and be considered a smash hit if it isn’t already.

But how many of us actually know what to think of this seemingly ultra-popular movie? Unless you’ve scurried up to Birmingham or over to Atlanta, or you happen to find yourself in New York City or Los Angeles, you wouldn’t have had a chance to see it. With all of its raging popularity, its studio Fox Searchlight has only managed to distribute it to a measly 600 screens. Can you blame them, though? Do they think that an unusual, partially-subtitled, Mumbai-set drama will clean up at box offices around the southeastern United States? That outcome remains to be seen, though folks around town have been buzzing about the film as of its recent Globes win. Thankfully, we can now participate in this dialogue and determine whether the Hollywood Foreign Press got it right.

However, some might ask, “Just what is the Hollywood Foreign Press Association?” The quick answer is that it is an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry but are affiliated with publications outside of the United States. At some point, someone decided that this organization had enough clout to promote itself as the second most “important” film award ceremony following the Academy Awards. Around this time every year, you may hear friends and family members recommend some obscure movie titles that they heard about on the Golden Globes. This isn’t uncommon and is a good thing for the movie industry. It’s one of very few ceremonies that highlights a number of often deservedly acclaimed titles that don’t normally get much attention all year.

But should you hold what the members of the HFPA in high enough of a regard that you let them determine what tops your must-see list? Of course not. Your better bet will be on January 22 when the Oscar nominations are announced. For some dumb reason, we let members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences dictate what will forever be perceived as the “best” films of any particular year. We know that artistic competition is undeniably stupid and subjective, but even the biggest Oscar pessimists must admit that the awards season is arguably the most engrossing time of the movie year. At this point, nearly every moviegoer across the nation has reason to pay close attention to what is and isn’t in movie theaters.

So if none of these institutions really matter in the grand scheme of things, whose pompous recommendations should you trust (besides mine)? How about no one’s? Hit up the internet, and get yourself a checklist of everything. Certainly let these award shows operate as a semi-guide of sorts, but don’t let their winners fool you. Just because they won the Golden Globe doesn’t mean they’ll win the Oscar or that they’re any good. You’ll be the judge on that. There are still plenty of titles that won’t merit any wins or even nominations at all that deserve more of your time than the ones that take home the gold. Plenty of passionate movie nerds will tell you on the message boards which of their precious items on their goofy top ten lists got the mega-shaft this year.

A few titles that you ought to throw on your list, based on what I know, follow: “Doubt,” “The Wrestler,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “The Reader,” “Milk,” “Waltz with Bashir,” “Gran Torino,” “Revolutionary Road,” “Rachel Getting Married,” “Happy-Go-Lucky,” “In Bruges,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “Paranoid Park,” among plenty others.

That’s solid for a starting point. Now hit the net, and see what else piques your interest.

Quick Oscar reactions

I a sad SNOOZE reaction when they listed the best picture nominees. Apparently, they're not interested in ratings this year. Good grief. And the special Oscar goes for Harvey Weinstein's deep pockets.

- Slumdog Millionaire is now officially a SHOE-IN to win best picture. It's over. Boyle will get it, too.

- On that note, Rourke will win. Guaranteed. Richard Jenkins' performance just became the single most overrated of the year. It just wasn't that special. Anybody can sit there and look sad and then liberally whine about immigration laws for a few seconds. He and/or Pitt stole Eastwood's nod.

- Winslet will win. No doubt. Nudity prevails.

- Ledger. Duh. The Downey nomination is a joke, a big fat one.

- Supporting actress is fairly wide open actually now that Winslet snuck in the other category (fishy). Right now, good money might should be on Cruz, but I wouldn't count out Davis or Adams (although their votes will likely split, but remember 1994!).

- Agreed about The Wrestler getting sound nods. It totally deserves them. But like you said, just hand the awards to Wall-E.

- How was Springsteen's song left out? That doesn't make sense. It was used in the movie just as much as Peter Gabriel's song (over the end credits).

- Visual effects SHOULD go to Iron Man, but stupid Button will probably win.

- Makeup is a tough call. The Hellboy main character makeup is a major achievement in movie history, I think. The rest of the Pan's Labyrinth knockoffs were impressive but just okay to me.

- Looks like Milk may just get the screenplay consolation prize, unless Van Sant steals director from Boyle.

POINT IS: The Oscars are getting way too predictable, boring and phony. I have yet to see these: Milk, The Reader, Frost/Nixon. Only really looking forward to the first and parts of the second.

How do you like your Bond?

Today's Tusk piece:

How do you like your Bond?
By Ben Flanagan
Ben Around
November 14, 2008

The name's Bond. Jason Bond. Er, I mean James Bourne. Uh, James … Bond? Got it!

Today, MGM releases its latest explosion into the canon of one of film's most celebrated global film franchises, the new James Bond movie 'Quantum of Solace.' Last time, producer Barbara Broccoli and the other folks that line the braintrust of the franchise decided their hero had trailed off into a muddled malaise of silliness (2002's 'Die Another Day') that even Roger Moore would disapprove of, and thought a revamp of the series was the right direction to take and essential.

This realization sparked the conception of 2006's highly touted 'Casino Royale,' which boasted a fresher, brawnier and blonder Bond, with a little more depth behind Daniel Craig's tender blue eyes. Broccoli deserves a hefty amount of respect, because the latter years of Pierce Brosnan's run at 007 were working financially. The uncomfortable 'Die Another Day' grossed a domestic total of $160 million, which if you're in the movie business, you rinse and repeat, and fast.

But they obviously knew something was off. The charm of their iconic hero had been compromised in the naughtiest of ways. But leave it to the people who have delivered between 15 and 20 solid spy thrillers in the past 40 years to catch themselves before they fall, to understand that they had drifted into a losing streak, even if Brosnan had eased nicely into the role and given the franchise one of its best entries ever ('GoldenEye').

Lucky for us Bond geeks, and general fans of spy thrillers, Craig came along to pulverize us with his new, more realistic hitman who wanted the audience to hurt just as much as his victims. The new Bond and his film kicked and strangled their way to become the highest grosser of the franchise.

There are a few of us out there, though, who liked the movie (sans the painful Chris Cornell theme song and tiresome running time), but have a sneaking suspicion some of its impressive action cues were influenced by another secret agent hero of the same initials, Mr. Jason Bourne. I must stress that the influence came from the two films that Paul Greengrass helmed ('Bourne Supremacy' and 'Bourne Ultimatum'), which brought a frenetic, handheld brutality and realism to fistfights and car chases that left us happy and hurting.

Is this such a bad thing, that the dominant franchise of the spy movie genre, in dire need of an overdue retooling, took a few pointers from a rookie phenom? It's as if Greengrass and his 'Bourne' movies said, 'This is how action is done, and that's that,' and the Bond folks said, 'Okay, we're fine with that. Can we play, too?'

Understand that while I've enjoyed all of them to a great extent, I don't feel those 'Bourne' movies are flawless. Personally, I'll always pick Bond over Bourne. There's just something about the tradition or mystique with this franchise that will never get old, and forever be as cool and suave as its debonair and dangerous hero. Fast cars, beautiful women, nifty gadgets and unashamedly silly puns all surrounding one of film's most purely bad-ass characters is a template no other series can match.

Even if nerds on the online message boards were labeling today's release 'The Bourne Solace' based on its initial trailers and footage, who cares? If you take a closer look at it, the Craig features have maintained a rather stylish, steady hand without resorting to a shaky, jumbled presentation.

And there's that title, too. 'Quantum of Solace' may be the single most scrutinized and bashed movie title I've heard in all my years of watching movies and following the online forums. Yes, if there is a single entertainment figure who solely owns the word 'Quantum,' it's Scott Bakula (forget it, Dean Stockwell!), but perhaps we should give this one a chance. If the title confuses you, don't worry, it confuses all of us. Falling into the 'good movies with questionable titles' category with 'The Shawshank Redemption,' 'The Hudsucker Proxy' and 'The Parallax View,' the latest yarn in this deservedly celebrated series may indicate how it simply wouldn't work with any other title at all.

What's scary is that 'Quantum of Solace' seems to have a bit of that swagger and word-of-mouth 'The Dark Knight' had heading into the summer. Everyone I've talked to who has the slightest interest in seeing movies at the theater has expressed a considerably antsy anticipation for the latest attempt at establishing Bond's dominance over other spy movie wannabes.

Early skeptical reviews have suggested that director Marc Forster's stab at the franchise has been stripped of the customary humor and elegance we've come to know from most Bond movies and that the hero is a colder, less emotional brute. That's fine with me. I prefer the Bond who has a license to kill and will use whomever neccesary for the mission's sake. But I had tended to enjoy it when 007 goes rogue and falls hard for the occasional lady (see the totally awesome 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' from 1969).

What we can all agree on, though, is that the last one got it right most of the time, and the new one looks to be headed on the right track, which is all we can ask for in the midst of this dreadfully bare season at the movies.

What's YOUR favorite Bond movie? Song? Who's the best bond?

The Penetrators at Egan's tomorrow night: Quite easily my favorite surf rock band — never mind that they're former local heroes of Tuscaloosa's music scene. A dream of mine came true when these guys came back a couple of years ago on my request to play a 90.7-FM benefit concert at the Mellow Mushroom. Their last album, 'Locked and Loaded,' released a while back, continued to cement them as one of the more creative surf rock groups I'd ever seen. Always a ton of fun, The Penetrators' return to our town is a special occasion. Highly recommended.

The Dexateens at the Jupiter Bar and Grill tonight: Another great T-town rock band hits the Strip for what should be a truly memorable music weekend in this town. This band's shows are always a fast-paced, guitar-slamming hoot and shouldn't be missed by a person that's into rock ‘n' roll music.

'Reckless' at the Allen Bales Theatre opening next Tuesday: Start the holiday season the only way you can with a yuletide dose of dark humor in Craig Lucas's play "Reckless," as performed by the University of Alabama department of theatre and dance next week. Craig's play is about a woman trying to escape from a hitman hired by her husband with plans to rub her out just in time for the big winter day. When Christmas time rolls around and I'm looking for a little black comedy, I normally reach for a copy of the hilariously foul-mouthed marital comedy "The Ref," starring Dennis Leary and Kevin Spacey. If I can get more of the same, then that makes things all the merrier.

Reeling/Tusk - Halloween Horror Movie Special!!!

Today's Tusk piece:

You can read the thing or LISTEN TO THE REELING HORROR MOVIE SPECIAL!

http://www.thecapstone.ua.edu/Podcast/halloweenspecial.mp3

This thing was put together in about an hour, so the production quality isn't my favorite, but the genre allows it, I think. Just glad to be back with the show! It airs live today on 90.7-FM at 11am and 1 pm.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Horror movies for a Happy Halloween
By Ben Flanagan
Ben Around
October 31, 2008

What defines a horror movie?Something that scares us, right? Pretty plain and simple. Most of us reach for the clear classics that we can find in the horror section of our nearest video store, and that’s fine. But once we think a little harder about what gave us those uneasy, queasy feelings we couldn’t shake in the theater. We learn that some movies, no matter the genre, are simply horrifying. This Halloween, reach for the traditional titles for sure, but take a look at a few of these gems we may not think of every day as our run-of-the-mill, timeless horror films. While I’m at it, I can’t leave out the standards. Here’s what gives me the heebie-jeebies.

The End-All-Be-All:The Shining (1980) – Let me stress that nothing lights a candle to Stanley Kubrick’s masterful, horribly and beautifully unsettling adaptation of Stephen King’s book. While King purists scoffed at the loose rendering, I say fiddlesticks.With every slow turn we make with the Torrance family through the great,haunted halls of the Overlook Hotel, I’m both happily committed and psychologically terrified throughout this haunted odyssey. Nicholson’s crazed patriarch has maybe the single-most chilling movie conversation in the hotel bathroom with the former caretaker Delbert Grady, edging out a previous conversation old Jack had with Lloyd the Bartender. A true masterpiece in anygenre and just another notch Kubrick’s belt, this one is not only a must-see for the horror geeks out there who want a little friendly Friday night PTSD,it’s essential for those who just like the movies.

The Close Second:John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) – One of my first picks once I signed up for Netflix, director John Carpenter cemented himself as a horror pioneer in the early 80s with this one only to fizzle out with questionable projects and inconsistency. Carpenter scores here with grade-A performances from all of its cast members, especially the mega-bearded Kurt Russell (and a rare Wilford Brimley with no mustache!). Its wonderfully desolate Antarctic locale makes for a terrifying setting in this highly unique take on the genre where members of an American scientific research outpost in remote Antarctica find themselves terrorized by an extraterrestrial organism capable of assuming physical appearances of any of life forms it inhabits. Not unlike what you’d think a David Mamet horror script would resemble.

Painfully Obvious: When this holiday rolls around, most of us probably load up our Netflix queues after we Google “top horror movies ever” and get the regular list that’s dished out every single year, and rightfully so. John Carpenter’s“Halloween” (1978) set a gold standard in terms of how the rest of Hollywood chops up its teenagers. Tobe Hooper hurt my high school street-cred when I saw“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) late one night in the Ferguson Center theater. Did I run out like a girl? No, but I did think about it. Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960) remains at the top of the heap if not only for Bernard Hermann’s wicked musical score. Elsewhere, you’ve got the Friday the 13thand “Nightmare of Elm Street” series that stretched from the 80s on into the90s, and at times they were even pretty good. The franchise names have stood the test of time better than the films, I’m afraid, but each follows the teen slasher formula closely enough to give you your money’s worth this time of year.

Romero of the Dead: While zombies don’t necessarily send my blood running cold, there’s a certain camp value they all embody that wouldn’t work anywhere else but the horror genre. Who nailed walking cadavers better than Romero, considered by many as the father of the zombie film. His iconic satire (as some like to call it since it portrays zombies aimlessly sauntering through a shopping mall, yuk-yuk) “Dawn of the Dead (1978)” delivers the chaos early on as all hell breaks loose and folks start chomping on each other’s brains from the word “go.” Before that,Romero had established himself with the disturbing and minimalistic “Night of the Living Dead” (1968). Years later,Romero returns to form with his much sillier “Day of the Dead” (1985). How you out-silly a zombie movie, I don’t know. I do know that director Zack Snyder paid a nice homage to Romero with the updated and even innovative remake of“Dawn” (2004), a rare, highly worthy remake.

Supernatural Scariness:David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986), now an opera, will certainly gross you out if you’re a fan of bones not snapping on screen. Jeff Goldblum’s Brundlefly makeup will either haunt your sleep or make you cackle. We may never know who actually directed the haunted house classic Poltergeist (1982). Whether it was Tobe Hooper or Steven Spielberg, we can agree that whoever the hell it was scared our pants off with a PG-13 flick. Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) stands up as agenre masterwork where a frightening cat-and-mouse thriller where Sigourney Weaver’s spaceship crew gets picked off one-by-one by a terrifying space creature. "Event Horizon" (1997) is another creepy space-set contemporary release that falls into this and the underrated category.

Fun Times with Screaming:Mixing Christmas with frights, Joe Dante’s Gremlins (1984) works wonders for the kiddies this time of year or a few months later. Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice(1988) remains nearly flawless in term of overall surreal weirdness. Edgar Wright’s “Shaun of the Dead” (2004) gives more laughs than scares but serves as a formidable entry into the zombie canon. Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead 2” (1987) will never escape its well-earned cult status, and why should it. Bruce Campbell taking on an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits out in the woods will live forever. Who says you can’t laugh and shriek?

Stephen King of the Castle:Sure, it’s expected and a bit corny, but this author handed us some doozies in his heyday, including a clown I’d like to have forgotten years ago from “It”(1990). Maybe my favorite King adaptation is Rob Reiner’s simple stalker movie “Misery”(1990), where Kathy Bates “heals” an ailing James Caan. But a few months ago, I finally caught David Cronenberg’s “The Dead Zone” (1983), where a young Christopher Walken gains psychic powers after a car crash, and it’s duking it out with Reiner’s gem.

Unconventional Scares:David Fincher’s serial killer masterpiece “Se7en” (1995) literally saw me checking my door locks over and over the night I first saw it. Without spoiling the surprise, once we meet the killer we’re under a brutal trance we knew was coming more than an hour beforehand.

While you’re all hyped on “The Dark Knight” please do not forget about director Christopher Nolan’s beautifully realized magician thriller “The Prestige” (2006), a disquieting tour-de-force that gets better every time I see it. Last year’s highly suspenseful bestpicture winner “No Country for Old Men” boasts one of contemporary film’s greatest supervillains ever with Javier Bardem’s hitman Chigurh, rocking a sinister death-stare I’d like not to see in person please.

The always creepy David Lynch served up his best and creepiest movie in “Mulholland Drive” (2001) where a chipper actress (Naomi Watts) arrives in Hollywood where she soon finds herself entangled in murder, intrigue, nightmares and confusion.

Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)” has some of the scariest images, sounds and situations I’ve ever seen in film, which is why it would be crime to leave it off of this list.The evil, man-made HAL 9000 compromises his crew’s mission, putting his astronaut colleagues in the worst danger imaginable. The lip-reading sequence is chilling stuff.

Finally, what’s a list without Woody Allen? It takes a lot to find this guy’s place on the list, but out of nearly forty movies, I got one. His horror film is “Shadows and Fog” (1992), a dark ode to German expressionism about a small town serial killer who murders his victims by strangulation. Pretty scary stuff from Mr. Annie Hall, huh?

Underrated Shockers:M. Night Shyamalan’s criminally dismissed thriller “The Village” (2002) will age well I think, once the snobs who claim to have figured out the twist early on admit their lies and their love for the film.

Francis Ford Coppola’s “BramStoker’s Dracula” (1992) shows us the once untouchable maestro mustered his strength again for a throwback adaptation to the horror classic, remembered by many only for Keanu Reeves’ “bad” British accent.

To me, “Rope” (1948) is one of Hitchcock’s finest efforts, not only technically, as we see two young men strangle their best friend “for fun” and hide the body during a dinner party.Filmed in one location with just a few edits, this remains an unsung classic.

Guilty Pleasures from Outer Space!: Two B-movie delights that don’t really make us feel guilty unless we love them for the wrong reasons. “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” (1988) and Edward D. Wood Jr.’s “Plan 9 from Outer Space” (1956) areperfect examples of when bad is painfully good.


HallNOween with The Great Big No tonight at the Mellow Mushroom: Dress yourself up and march down to the Mushroom where one of our favorite T-town bands will rock evening into a frenzy for a second straight year. This time, they'll be joined by Atlanta's Random Rabbit who will play in between GBN's three sets. I've had plenty of good times at this venue on Halloween night, where there have been some extremely creative costumes. Do your best (or worst) this year because there will be a cash prize for creativity. Rumor has it that there might be a few surprise musical guests joining the headliners, and based on the Mushroom's impressive performance thus far this fall, that's almost no surprise at all. BOO!

'Rocky Horror Picture Show' tonight at 9:30 p.m. at the Bama Theatre: Presented by Well That's Cool and the Pink Box Burlesque, everyone's favorite corset-donning cult classic will screen at the lovely Bama, hopefully sparking a rivalry with the folks up in Birmingham who do such a fine job. If there's one thing I learned in college, it's that people love their "Rocky Horror," which often astounds me. At a 90.7-Mallet Assembly joint screening at the Ferguson Center Theater last Halloween, I saw ROTC members in full-on drag at the show. Can't make that stuff up. Another Halloween event, another costume contest, so dress nice on your strange journey. EEK!

Hank Williams Jr. tonight at 8 p.m. at Coleman Coliseum: Joined by special guest James Otto, this raucous country crooner will light Coleman's stage up for what promises to be a hell of a party. Even if you can't quite get into the whole country music scene, ol' Hank Jr. will find a way to help you feel included at this concert that should be a knockout in terms of attendance. An extra pat on the back to University Programs for finally landing an act that makes total sense. For the naysayers, put your mask on and hit up your Halloween party - after all, there's always next year. MU-HA-HA-HA!

Thoughts out on the page

Is THE DARK KNIGHT really that good? Will it hold up? With it's re-release on the horizon, I see it only making maybe an additional $20-30M tops, falling well short of TITANIC's record. Really, it's not "well short," I know. But those keeping tabs get the gap. I've watched it twice now, and I still think it's solid - really good even - but its current aura as best movie ever will die down.

Better question: Will this earn Oscar nominations? I think so, especially for Ledger and the technical categories. As for the rest of the big ones, I see a possible screenplay nod and maybe a director nod for Nolan, but that'll be a bit of a stretch for the Academy I think.

Does it deserve these nominations? At this point, sure. Ledger deserves it, as does Wally Pfister. But I'm still not on the all-out, gung-ho, balls-to-the-wall, hype train. It's an awesome time at the movies. A long, awesome time.

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MOVIE-RELATED, I assure you:

Did everyone see the premiere of SOUTH PARK? They went after Spielberg and Lucas, and thank God for it. I've been saying it since it came out, but I don't have the forum those two do. The movie really does blow. Hard. It's really bad. I'll watch it again on DVD when it's out next week, but I have a good memory of last summer. There isn't much merit at all. If it takes an image of Spielberg raping Indiana Jones to remind you, then so be it. But the episode, no matter how hilarious, just reminds you how disappointing it all was.

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I'm in the middle of Steven Soderbergh's fascinating HBO series K-STREET, which aired a few years ago. It's about James Carville and his wife's fictional lobbying firm and it's dealings with Washington D.C. insiders during the presidential primary (so far; I'm not sure if it goes further down, say months). It's wild to me that this is all fiction. In the first episode, former presidential candidate Howard Dean (as himself, of course) gets a nice chunk of screentime along with Carville and Paul Begala (who, if this was acting, is quite good). I'm three episodes in with seven to go. Looking forward to it. It's fun to see Soderbergh play around.



Speaking of that guy, I finally saw some footage of this CHE epic. The trailer for the first film, THE ARGENTINE, is up around YouTube. Just type the title, Soderbergh, Benicio Del Toro and trailer, and it'll pop up. At first glance, it looks great, maybe on the level of TRAFFIC, which Soderbergh hasn't quite reached since (although most of what he's done has been excellent - BUBBLE, OCEAN'S trilogy, etc.) He's a workaholic, which means good things for us.

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I will be seeing BODY OF LIES tonight or tomorrow. Whenever this weekend, so long as I see it. It looks awesome, I think. Two guaranteed, solid actors with a proven (if inconsistent at times) director in a William Monahan script (dude wrote THE DEPARTED; this is kind of like that, just set in the Middle-East). Trailers all look dynamite. I'm only building myself up for disappointment. But this shouldn't, right? Too many good tools and parts to fudge it all up. If they do, Hollywood's got to re-think just who has the most authentic chops. Monahan can overdo it, even with THE DEPARTED. His KINGDOM OF HEAVEN was a bit much most of the time. Safe to say I prefer the Scorsese teaming. Still, looking forward to this one. BANG!

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On DVD, I've got THE HUSTLER, BRUBAKER (Robert Redford prison movie), Sidney Lumet's crime epic PRINCE OF THE CITY and one my dad recommended several years ago that turned up at my public library, WESTWORLD (with Yul Brenner). Hope to get these watched this weekend.



Watched THE FOOT FIST WAY this week. All it's cracked up to be by its distributors Will Ferrell and Adam McKay? No. Those are two dudes who thought it was funny. Lately, I've wondered just how funny they actually are. But for Danny McBride purists, it's a must-must. Overall, it's very funny. Sometimes it just can't get over how low budgeted it is. At times, that can give a movie a certain charm. Here, it kind of hurts the experience. I'm not sure how much more money they really needed for that story, though.

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Show remains on extended hiatus. Radio station refuses to fix its on-air recorder, therefore we can't produce podcasts. No recorder, no show. Stay tuned.

We'll miss Paul Newman

Today's Tusk piece:

We’ll miss Paul Newman
By Ben Flanagan
Ben Around
October 3, 2008

Was there ever a tougher film presence than Paul Newman? Fire away with your John Waynes, Lee Marvins, Charles Bronsons, James Cagneys and such. But give me Butch Cassidy, “Fast” Eddie Felson and Reggie Dunlop anywhere, anytime. On second thought, “tough” doesn’t quite express Newman’s on-screen persona. Where his characters emitted a seemingly tough physical bravado, the image was often deceptive. The “lover, not a fighter” tag suited him better. His brains and talk did the dirty work his fists didn’t need to. But his sucker-punches never seemed unfair. That he’d already outsmarted you made you forget you’d been punched in the mouth or kicked in the groin in the first place. You still liked him after the fight. That was Paul Newman, and there wasn’t or isn’t a more likable figure in entertainment.

Last Saturday, the icon passed away at 83 after a quiet bout with cancer at his home in Westport, Conn. Sadly, we as film lovers lost a giant who rarely let us down while he filled the screen. His last live-action theatrical role, “Road to Perdition,” earned him his final Oscar nomination and further confirmed that the aging actor still had plenty of the pluck, grit and know-how of which we’d grown incredibly fond.

Personally, I thought he’d left the game a few years early. I still felt like he had one or two great ones left in him, which I’m sure he did. But Newman always called his own shots, and he’d decided he was done with acting. His rebels on film were ones we often believed in to lead the way. Into what, who knows, but we would follow. Off screen, Newman enjoyed a considerably quiet life with his wife, actress Joanne Woodward, where they served as notable philanthropists (his salad dressing franchise Newman’s Own resulted in excess of $200 million in donations to various charities).

Dating all the way back to the mid-1950s (“Somebody Up There Likes Me,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”), Newman has energized every film he was in, perhaps never better than when he teamed up with his old buddy Robert Redford. Along with director George Roy Hill, Newman and Redford collaborated on two of American cinema’s most purely entertaining offerings in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) and “The Sting” (1973). Later on, Newman (sans Redford) would reteam with Hill to release an unsung sports masterpiece, which I’ll touch upon in a few lines.

In no particular order, I want to remember my favorite Paul Newman movies. While I have yet to see what some, including my father, deem the actor’s finest film to date, “Hud” (1963), today I feel an obligation to rush out and soak it in. Just a few months ago, I finally caught his pitifully wonderful courtroom drama “The Verdict” (1982) where he plays a lawyer who takes on medical malpractice. Why it took up until his reprisal of Eddie Felson in Martin Scorsese’s “The Color of Money” (1986) for him to nab his first and only Oscar, we’ll never know. Excluding a few silly ventures in the last decade or so, Newman usually picked his projects carefully and wisely. Without delving too far into his catalogue –it’d take too long – let’s look at some of the great ones.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) – For years, I regarded this hilarious western adventure as my favorite film, and nearly every time I watch it I feel the same way. As a child, I always wanted to side with Redford’s brooding, hot-shot gunslinger the Sundance Kid. But as you march on through the years, you develop a greater appreciation for Newman’s Butch, a genius ahead of his time who just knew there were things to steal in Bolivia. He put it best, “I have vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals.”

The Sting (1973) – An Oscar-winner for best picture among others, this predated Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s Eleven” series as a slick heist yarn that continues to age well. Newman’s interplay with Robert Shaw during a poker game on a train might serve as the late actor’s slyest work to date.

Slap Shot (1977) – Rounding out his impressive trilogy with director Hill is this aforementioned highly profane sports gem. If there's any movie I'll reach for that'll help me remember Newman most fondly, it will definitely be this whack-job about a pathetic minor league hockey team that finds success using fighting and violence during games. If you haven't seen it, make it a top priority.

Cool Hand Luke (1967) – Stuart Rosenberg’s subtle prison dramedy boasts a beautifully heartbreaking moment where Newman, plucking a banjo, woefully sings “Plastic Jesus” after the passing of a beloved family member. Tragic, but awfully poetic.

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) – Speaking of unsung masterpieces, this Coen Brothers gem often flies under the radar, thanks partially to what many consider to be an dreadful title (not me). Newman’s supporting work as the vicious, conniving, greedy corporate man Sidney J. Mussburger stands as some of the actor’s funniest and most menacing work ever.

Nobody’s Fool (1994) – That same year, Newman turned in what may have been his swansong in Robert Benton’s poignant drama about a failed father who does his best to make things right, even if he’s no good at that either. Another Oscar-nominated role in another highly underrated addition to the great actor’s stellar repertoire .



P.S. - What's YOUR favorite Paul Newman movie???


HAPPENING IN TUSCALOOSA, AL
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DJ Logic tonight at the Mellow Mushroom: Another special occasion at the Mellow Mushroom will boast a nationally renowned turntable maestro along with several Tuscaloosa bands for what ought to be a memorable night downtown. Widely credited for helping to bring jazz into hip-hop's sphere of influence, DJ Logic (yes, that one) hails from the Bronx in New York and has toured all over this country with other talented folks (like Medeski, Martin and Wood), and usually makes an annual pit stop at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee. Featuring the likes The Great Big No, Fractalnaut, Glove Box Heat and Mobscene Mike, this is just the Mushroom at it again, taking another big step in the right direction. Keep 'em coming! Show starts pretty early at 7 p.m.

Moundville Native American Festival: Today and tomorrow, you head head down south on highway 69 where one of Alabama's top 20 tourism events and a Cultural Olympiad Event will taking place at University of Alabama’s Moundville Archaeological Park. There, Native American performing artists, craftspeople, and musicians will fill your heads with entertainment and knowledge about the rich culture and heritage of Southeastern Native Americans. Stay ready for some southern Indian choral music, traditional Cherokee daning and Muscogee stories all within the beautiful landscape of Moundville. Quite a sight to see, especially for those of us who haven't been back since our fifth grade field trip.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist at the Cobb Hollywood 16: Another spirited attempt at giving this generation its own "Sixteen Candles," or perhaps the more appropriate "Before Sunrise," this romantic comedy about an all-night first date between to high schoolers should make a strong case for early cult status, thanks in large part to Michael Cera's presence. Cera, who's already proved his worth in hits like "Arrested Develpment," "Juno" and "Superbad," keeps increasing his stock with every project he's a part of. So far, he and his agent are making plenty of good decisions, something lots of young actors his age rarely do. This cast also features Kat Dennings (Catherine Keener's daughter in "The 40 Year-Old Virgin"), Jay Baruchel and Andy Samberg.

Thoughts on BURN AFTER READING

Seen it!

*** (out of four)
letter grade: B+

These are certainly much kinder responses than I had to THE BIG LEBOWSKI, although I don't think BURN is nearly as good.

Finally, we've had ourselves another authentic Coen Brothers experience - much more so than THE LADYKILLERS and even NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (which I really feel was a major departure, albeit a progressive one). Maybe it has something to do with the fact that those were adaptations. A true-to-the-game Coen Bros. experience just feels better when it's their original script.

What might have really done it for me, in terms of it feeling like the real deal again, is Carter Burwell's score, which echoes previous gems like FARGO and BARTON FINK.

I like this better than THE LADYKILLERS, INTOLERABLE CRUELTY (though I liked it) and O BROTHER (relax, His Starkness - you're getting married). Repeat viewings are really going to enhance this movie, which is already a ton of fun.

One aspect that doesn't quite catapult it to the top of the catalogue might be the entire point of the movie (which means I'll probably like it even more for this reason once I watch it a few more times, which I will). The stakes just didn't feel high enough for the characters, even if they resulted in a few deaths, the highest stakes imaginable. Like Mr. Strickland and the CIA man suggested, the whole situation was a giant clusterf*ck, where the big picture wasn't quite as dire as everyone (aside from the Russians) seemed to think it was. The CIA sequences might have been my favorite in the movie. I don't get your beef. Corey's Greek-chorus comparison is appropriate. That they were so dry probably sold it better than broader delivery would have. JK Simmons was used very well here, unlike how he was in the Coens' sh*t sandwich.

THE BIGGEST, BADDEST, HEAVIEST, PUREST COEN BROTHERS MOMENT: the Princeton reunion party. That felt like a mash-up of several of their films; a scene that belongs with their best ones.

Quite frankly, the script just doesn't have the firepower of their previous efforts. Looking back at HUDSUCKER, FINK, MILLER'S CROSSING and RAISING ARIZONA, it's certainly hard to top their previous achievements, but we can have high expectations, can't we? Plenty of the dialogue was fun, but I didn't find a ton of it to be as unique as what they've written before. Most of Osbourne Cox's lines and actions were great, though.

SPOILER STUFF (no kidding)

Regarding the closet. While I think it's appropriate to laugh here, it was maybe the scariest scene in the movie (other than the Princeton reunion). That damn smile right before stuck with me until the end of it all. Personally, I think the Coens are getting a little to good at violent shootings - they're right up there with Spielberg if you ask me (SCHINDLER'S LIST and MUNICH are BRUTAL). Poor Chad.

And for that matter, Poor Ted (Richard Jenkins), too. One of the best and saddest lines in the movie: "You've changed, Linda! And that's sad." Maybe more viewings (spotting a theme here?) will change my mind, but I can't decide what I think about the inclusion of this character. Or maybe not so much the inclusion but the amount of screen time he gets. He's a wonderful, pathetic character, but there are times when I don't feel like he really belongs in the bigger picture. For a clinic in how secondary characters with minimal screen time are used to their fullest potential, take another look at FARGO. Every actor deserved attention from the Academy. I mean EVERY ACTOR. Even the snow-shoveling eyewitness. It's still their masterpiece. Maybe by far, which says something.

Another favorite scene: Clooney's last moments. Yet another Coen Bros. character that deserves a movie onto himself. I really am still scratching my head over his secret basement project.

In no way is this movie close to their sh*t sandwich. It's really good and will likely get better.