November 19 – November 25
Films watched:
Books Read:
Screenplays Read: None
The Kids are All Right
2010:
Total films watched: 306 (in 329 days)
Total books read: 16 (8 to go)
Total screenplays read: 36 (18 to go)
October 22 – October 28
Films watched:
Books Read:
Screenplays Read:
Now that cooking is my newest hobby, I try to seek out some “food” or “restaurant” films. Big Night is still enjoyable after all these years. Exit Through the Gift Shop is fun but feels a bit like a prank on the viewer, but it led me to Orson Welles’ F for Fake, which is definitely mischievous.
F for Fake
2010:
Total films watched: 282 (in 294 days)
Total books read: 15 (9 to go)
Total screenplays read: 35 (19 to go)
August 6 – August 12
Films watched:
Books Read:
Screenplays read:
Doc Hollywood
Some 80′s and early 90′s movies are kind of like comfort food, they are just easy to watch when you don’t feel like trying anything new. Doc Hollywood fits that bill perfectly. This Hollywood’s fantasy of an American small town is charming enough to overcome its many clichés. Michael J Fox is likable (c’mon, he walks his pig!), and Woody Harrelson and Bridget Fonda are fun and entertaining.
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
Written and directed by Jane Anderson (adapted from Terry Ryan’s book), The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio is based on a remarkable true story of a mother who kept her 10 children fed by entering and winning jingle contests in the 50′s and 60′s. Julianne Moore carries the picture as the saintly wife and mother. Woody Harrelson (once again!) gives a great supporting performance as the flawed husband. Though the ups and downs of the family may seem a bit repetitive after a while, the 3rd act climax still manages to be quite moving.
Cemetery Junction
After several rather forgettable Hollywood movies (Ghost Town is an exception) for Ricky Gervais, he and Stephen Merchant make their big screen directorial debut in Cemetery Junction. There are laughs but this is essentially a drama, which might explain why it did not even get a theatrical release in the U.S. and went straight to video. It’s a shame. The duo set out to make a British coming of age film, and they largely succeeded. The film is warm, feel-good, funny, and it captures the sentimentality of the time – exactly the qualities you would expect from a good Hollywood coming of age movie.
I have a soft spot for the movie because it is about a small town in the Reading, Berkshire area, which is where I went to school some time in the previous century.
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
While adaptation studies have moved away from concerning too much about fidelity or literal adaptation, some literary works are still more problematic to adapt than others. David Foster Wallace’s Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (which is a collection of short stories and transcripts of interviews) may be one of those. It is probably too ambitious a project for first time director John Krasinski. The result is more like a play than a film. Well, it’s actually more like a series of interviews (you see why it’s difficult to adapt) than a film. There isn’t a strong enough narrative engine to the protagonist’s story to power all the interviews. But with so many pros in the business take the easy and lazy roads, I admire Krasinski’s ambition to go for the challenging project.
Conversations with Other Women
The conversations in Conversations with Other Women are authentic and the relationship between the two main characters feels real. It even has a bit of the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset feel (and this is a very high compliment). So it’s unfortunate that the split screen presentation so overshadows the actual content of the film. The split screen takes a little bit of time to get used to, but it is used effectively after the story gets going, so I don’t think of it as a just gimmick. However, I would still prefer to have it presented the conventional way.
The Hudsucker Proxy
The Hudsucker Proxy, despite its stunning visual and art direction, is a lesser Coen Brothers work, especially when compared to what comes before (Barton Fink) and after (Fargo) it in the brothers’ filmography. The characters are caricatures and lack depth to make them sympathetic.
Spoorloos (The Vanishing)
The Vanishing begins with a suspenseful sequence in a tunnel which plays with the viewers’ knowledge of the title. The real story then unfolds in a non-linear, matter-of-fact fashion and concludes with one of the most chilling and disturbing endings I have seen in any film. It still gives me the chill whenever I think about it. A true psychological thriller. A masterpiece.
Button Button - by Richard Matheson
The stories in this Richard Matheson short stories collection have a very Twilight Zone feel to them. One of the stories, Button Button, is the source material for The Box (written and directed by Richard Kelly) which I have not seen yet. It’s also been adapted to a Twilight Zone episode, also called Button Button, which apparently Matheson hated. Then I discovered that Matheson was a writer for several Twilight Zone episodes. Okay, now that explains why his stories are so Twilight-Zone-y.
Dinner for Schmucks - Screenplay
This draft of the screenplay is quite different from the movie which suggests that it’s an early draft. The Steve Carell character in this draft is not fully developed yet, and neither is the “dinner” nor the supporting characters. But I can see the appeal of the story here already. I found the movie (unexpectedly) well written, so it’s interesting to read an earlier draft to see the creative process of polishing the script to that final version. No fewer than six writers have worked on this draft already.
Spoorloos (The Vanishing)
2010:
Total films watched: 212 (in 224 days)
Total books read: 13 (11 to go)
Total screenplays read: 23 (29 to go)
July 30 – August 5
Films watched:
Books read:
Screenplays read: None
Salt
Salt is all about Angelina Jolie, who is probably the only actress today who can open a big action movie on her own. The problem with Jolie is she has become such a celebrity that people cannot disassociate the tabloid Jolie from the characters she plays. As a result, her dramatic performances tend to be overshadowed by her own public image, and she is actually more believable playing out-of-this-world superheroines like Lara Croft, or superspies such as the ones in Wanted or indeed in Salt.
I didn’t expect much going in, but ended up being pleasantly surprised. It is a well made, summer popcorn blockbuster action flick, and certainly better than Wanted or Mr. and Mrs. Smith, or any of the Tomb Raider movies. The action sequences are exciting without being too implausibly over the top. And it has us guessing which side the protagonist is on, and the clever part is, it really doesn’t matter as it is ultimately about something more.
No Impact Man: The Documentary
In No Impact Man (blog, book, and now a movie), Colin Beavan strives to have a lifestyle that minimizes damages to the environment. Some dismisses what he’s doing it as solely self-promotion, but I don’t see a lot of wrong with it. I think even he acknowledges that if what he does benefits the world, so what if it also benefits him personally.
While I identify with the wife in that I am also an urban person, I also understand the goals and rules setting of the husband. They may be rigid and unreasonable, but once you have set the goals and rules, you have to follow them!
Encounters at the End of the World
While the alien world like imagery of Antarctica is captivating enough to see Werner Herzog’s Encounters at the End of the World, it is the obsessiveness of those who choose to go and stay there that is even more interesting. Herzog takes us to the McMurdo Research Station, which houses over 1000 people to study the extreme environment. And he introduces us to scientists, students, and many other odd characters. But these are hardcore people (much like Herzog himself, and they are exactly his favorite kind of subjects). They, in turn, takes us to see the extremity of the environment that so fascinates them.
Wordplay
A interesting subculture and an entertaining subculture documentary. Wordplay is about New York Times crossword puzzle and the people who play it. Somewhat similar to Word Wars, a documentary about Scrabble, Wordplay is superior in many ways. It features more interesting people, a more cultured look at the game and the creators, and a more exciting tournament.
The Joneses
An attractive (and fake) family moves into a rich neighborhood and makes everyone there want to be like them. Turns out they’re just there to be living advertisement for all kinds of products. The business model may not be entirely feasible, but it’s hard to deny that good looking people can sell stuffs. Is that the reason I liked The Joneses?
The She Found Me
Okay, let’s get this out of the way - who didn’t have at least a bit of a crush on Jaime Buchman in Mad About You? Since then Helen Hunt has been in a big budget CGI blockbuster, won an Oscar and starred in an Woody Allen film.
Her directorial debut, Then She Found Me, is a sincere effort. From a co-written script (with Alice Arlen and Victor Levin) adapted from the novel by Elinor Lipman, Ms. Hunt is careful to remain understated throughout and resists the temptation to venture into sitcom territory (there are many such opportunities if she so chooses). The result is an appealing, unpredictable, touching dramedy accompanied by some good performances. I look forward to her next project.
Tales from the Script
It is always to good to hear successful screenwriters share their anecdotes, their stories and their struggles, which can be inspiring (or not) to aspiring writers. However, as a feature length film, I feel that Tales from the Script does not have enough new insights for people who know about screenwriting, or enough drama to be engaging enough for people who do not want to be screenwriters.
Dinner for Schmucks
A remake of the French film, Le Dîner de Cons, the American version, Dinner for Schmucks, is much sweeter. The trailer makes it out to be a dumb movie, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a funny and well written comedy. There are big and small laughs throughout the movie (helped by a great supporting cast of oddball characters). I especially like the humor, which although broad, usually has a deeper layer of tragedy mixed in.
A Mighty Heart
Director Michael Winterbottom goes for realism in A Might Heart (adapted from Mariane Pearl’s memoir), and puts us in the middle of a chaotic world. We observe them trying their best to work through a very difficult (and ultimately tragic) problem. There is not a plot in the traditional Hollywood sense, but this de-emphasis of a plotline enforces the disorientation and further adds to the sense of helplessness of the people. Angelina Jolie gives one of her best performances, but like I mentioned earlier, her serious acting unfortunately tends to be underrrated because of her celebrity.
Vantage Point
Vantage Point has a clever narrative structure with several different perspectives. It is executed well enough (and fast paced enough) to not feel repetitive. It also does a good job of setting up tense cliffhangers at the end of each “vantage point”. Is it gimmicky? Perhaps. But it is an entertaining approach to a story that would otherwise be quite straightforward.
A Might Heart
2010:
Total films watched: 205 (in 217 days)
Total books read: 12 (12 to go)
Total screenplays read: 22 (30 to go)
June 18 – June 24
Films watched:
Books Read:
Screenplays Read: None
The Reader
The Reader is elegant and beautifully shot, much like director Stephen Daldry’s other films. A sensuous first act is unfortunately followed by a drab courtroom drama in the second act. Courtroom scenes are just not that interesting visually – typically a question and an answer, then followed by reaction shots. Despite an excellent performance by Kate Winslet, the film feels a bit too designed to be an Oscar bait without reaching beyond the surface sentimentality.
Laurel Canyon
The set up of Laurel Canyon makes the story very predictable. What makes the movie watchable are the actors. Frances McDormand steals the movie. Alessandro Nivola, who plays her lover, is excellent. Christian Bale shows glimpses of the intensity in his later works. They make the movie work despite the flaws in the story.
Maborosi (幻の光)
In Maborosi (幻の光), Hirokazu Koreeda (是枝 裕和) demonstrates the power of the stationary camera. This directorial debut is almost like an homage to Ozu. And like Ozu, Koreeda is not afraid to let his shots linger. This story is about memory, death, and coming to terms with loss, which are themes that Koreeda would explore over and over again in his other films.
I am particularly intrigued by Koreeda’s use of lines in the visual composition. Like in the screenshot above, the characters are often framed in straight, clean, man-made lines. They live in a world of logic and predictability. But when something larger, or illogical happens, when straight lines are no longer enough to explain the world, they are forced to explore what they are not accustomed to. They are then framed in the organic lines of nature – the mountains, the coasts, the water. These lines are unpredictable, larger than life and even dangerous. The constant struggle between the two worlds mirrors the protagonist’s struggle between living in grief and carrying on with her life.
Air Doll (空気人形)
Air Doll (空気人形) is Hirokazu Koreeda (是枝 裕和)’s newest film. It has more moving camera shots in its first two minutes than in the entire Maborosi. The story is simple – an inflatable doll comes to life and looks to find out what it means to be human. Korean actress Bae Doo-na (배두나)(The Host, Linda Linda Linda) is perfectly cast as the Doll. Though the film is about 20mins too long for my taste, I love its exploration of urban loneliness and yearning.
The Reader - by Bernhard Schlink
I think being chosen as an Oprah’s Bookclub book has diminished the reputation of The Reader in certain circles. While the film version is certainly designed for awards, the novel has a bit more depth.
Maborosi
2010:
Total films watched: 166 (in 175 days)
Total books read: 11 (13 to go)
Total screenplays read: 17 (35 to go)
June 4 – June 10
Films watched:
Books read:
Screenplays read:
Youth in Revolt
Though the story is slight and a bit disjointed, the charm of Youth is Revolt is mainly derived from the delivery of the deadpan materials. And it has quite a few deadpan funny moments. How can it not with Michael Cera playing two roles? I just wish the narrative is more focused.
The Deal
The Deal, a TV movie, is the first of the Peter Morgan/Michael Sheen’s “Tony Blair trilogy” (also includes The Queen and the very recent HBO movie, The Special Relationship). I have become a big fan of Peter Morgan’s writing in recent years. His The Damned United was probably my favorite film last year. While The Deal is not quite on the same level as The Queen, or Frost/Nixon, it is still a riveting political drama. It does however demand a certain level of knowledge of the political situation in Britain at the time.
Un baiser s'il vous plaît (aka Shall We Kiss?)
Even though American romantic comedies seem to be in a rut at the moment, France has produced some sophisticated and refreshing films in this genre in recent years. Un baiser s’il vous plait (Shall We Kiss?) poses a simple question and answers it with a quirky (and very French) scenario in the most matter-of-fact way. The influence of Woody Allen and Eric Rohmer on this film is quite obvious, and it is a quite wonderful hybrid of the styles of the two cinematic greats.
Knowing
Like so many Hollywood sci-fi, Knowing begins with a promising premise and an atmospheric opening, and then quickly descents into loud, CGI driven silliness. It’s certainly disappointing considering the talent of director Alex Proyas (his neo-noir Dark City is still one of my favorite sci-fi).
The Tao of Steve
Donal Logue is such an underrated comic actor. His short lived but excellent The Knights of Prosperity was one the funnies TV shows in recent years. The story of The Tao of Steve has been told countless time before, but Logue’s everyman quality gives this low budget indie an easy going kind of charm.
D.O.A. (1950)
What do you do when you’ve been “murdered” and have only a day to live? Well, find out who’s your “murderer” would be good. And live a little and live recklessly. What have you got to lose at this point? This is the main premise of D.O.A.. The fatalistic theme fits the genre perfectly, despite some attempts at lightheartedness (such as those goofy “whistles” sounds whenever Edmond O’Brien sees an attractive woman). While it is nowhere near the quality of the best of the genre, D.O.A. is nonetheless a quite entertaining B movie film noir.
Hot Tub Time Machine
Although there are some funny moments, the film is actually not as good as the screenplay (at least not as good as the draft I read). The story has been changed quite drastically, and I am not sure if the changes work as well (or as funny). The script is more outrageous than the film, and I liked its take-it-over-the-edgeness. The Chevy Chase character in the movie version (which is not in the version of the script I read) does not add much to the story. The Lou character, while still a scene stealer, is definitely not as crazy as the one in the script. Even though I thought Lou was a bit too overwhelming in the script, I still prefer him to the screen version (but I do like Rob Corddry).
D.O.A. (1982)
Compared to the original, this D.O.A. seems bereft of fresh ideas. Dennis Quaid is always good, and he makes his character watchable. A young Meg Ryan shows her star quality too. But they are stuck with materials that are just too on the nose.
Me and My Gal
I have yet to see a Gene Kelly film that I don’t like. Yes, even Xanadu. And here, Kelly makes his big screen debut. It is also the first of many successful partnerships with Judy Garland. Me and My Gal gets a bit heavy at the end with the patriotism and the war, but it’s still an entertaining musical.
84 Charing Cross Road - by Helene Hanff
After watching 84 Charing Cross Road the film, I complaint that it uses too much voice-overs and slows down the movie. The book, on the other hand, is a breezy read. I stand by my initial assertion that the material is more suited for the text form than on screen.
The Reader - Screenplay by David Hare, based on the novel by Bernhard Schlink
The script (at least this version of the script) is short. Under 90 pages. The movie, on the other hand, is over 120 mins, which means that either there’s a heftier later draft, or director Stephen Daldry added quite a bit to the film. Either way, the screenplay employs a nonlinear structure and jumps back and forth in time. I didn’t find it confusing, although I think some people criticize this in the film version.
Un baiser s’il vous plaît (Shall We Kiss?)
2010:
Total films watched: 157 (in 161 days)
Total books read: 10 (14 to go)
Total screenplays read: 16 (36 to go)
May 28 – June 3
Films watched:
Books Read:
Screenplays Read:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Even though Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (how bad can a title be?) is obviously aimed at kids, it is no excuse for the lazy screenwriting. e.g. When a character sees something nasty, and the best he can utter is “That’s nasty”, it’s obvious that the screenwriters were not too concerned with coming up with memorable lines. Another beef I have with the script is the prologue - Poseidon appearing as a giant god in NY to meet Zeus is unnecessary, purely expository and takes away the potential suspense. I guess it’s supposed to make us go “whoa, he’s gigantic!” but it just doesn’t make any sense for Poseidon to do that. A better script would begin the movie with Percy Jackson and allows us to find out with him what he has to do. The CGI is good, but isn’t that a minimum requirement nowadays?
Teeth
I’ve been dreading to see this indie horror film for obvious reasons (vagina with teeth!? that can’t be good for anyone). As it turns out, I enjoyed it a lot. Yes, there are a few scenes that would make all men wince and grimace, but the female protagonist (a very well casted Jess Weixler who won an acting prize at Sundance) invites such sympathy and empathy that it gives the story a kind of sweet and innocent feel. Overall, it’s an entertaining and original dark comedy.
Word Wars
I like movies about subcutlures that I don’t know much about. Word Wars follows four hardcore Scrabble players through their journeys to the National Scrabble Championship. Unfortunately, although the obsession of devoting your life to be the best at Scrabble is interesting, none of the characters is charismatic enough to really engage the viewer, and this lessens the emotional payoff at the end.
84 Charing Cross Road
84 Charing Cross Road has a charming, if a bit corny, premise. It’s based on a play, which in turn is an adaptation of the epistolary memoir of the same name by Helene Hanff. I can’t help but feel that the material is more suited to text more than film. While Ann Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins are both very likeable, the film is constantly slowed down by the long voice-overs of letter reading.
The Informant!
The Informant! is a humorous character study of a complex character. I also love the exclamation mark in the title, which is pretty much the tone of the movie as well. There are a multitude of twists and turns in the unraveling of the plot, and it is aided by Matt Damon’s excellent portrayal of the surprising protagonist.
Tron
Tron was another iconic 80′s movie that I missed in the 80′s, but since there’s a new version coming out soon, it’s a good time to finally “catch up”. When it was first released, people hailed it as a huge breakthrough in CGI. And they weren’t kidding, it’s CGI all the way (which I didn’t expect, since I just remembered that famous chase scene, and thought that was the only “CGI” thing in the movie). While the special effects certainly looks primitive today, there is still a certain silliness and coolness about it that makes the movie quite interesting to look at. On the other hand, the movie seems to be too in love with its visuals that it neglects the story and dramatic tension.
River of No Return
River of No Return, directed Otto Preminger, has some amazing scenery. But even the beautiful mountains and river have to play second fiddle to the star quality of Marilyn Monroe, as she commands our attention whenever she is on screen.
Buny Lake is Missing
Another Otto Preminger directed film. Bunny Lake is Missing starts out promisingly with a hook that could go in several directions, but it soon runs into predictable dead ends, and leaves us with only two possibilities. The villain is therefore obvious, and whose motivation and plan are both unconvincing (and too crazy). I do however like Preminger’s detached style of storytelling.
Tenure
I believe Tenure is a straight to DVD release. Luke Wilson plays an English professor who is struggling to get tenure at a small college. With some knowledge of the tenure system, I must say that the film’s depiction lacks authenticity. It tries a bit too hard to be the kind of “quirky, interesting” indie film. The friend and the whole Big Foot thing just doesn’t work. A rather disappointing film. Come to think of it, considering how many movies are set in university campuses, there just aren’t that many good ones about professors and their profession.
Little Children
Little Children the film inherits most of the characters from the novel. Most novel-to-film adaptations try to streamline the plots by sacrificing the supporting characters, but screenwriter/director Todd Field, in collaboration with the original author Tom Perrotta, manage to retain the depth of the supporting characters in the film version. Therefore, even though Kate Winslate and Patrick Wilson are the main characters, it is the world around them (which the supporting characters inhabit) that gives the film its full texture.
Headhunter
Headhunter is a wonderful Danish thriller about a recruiter who is caught in the middle of a brutal and bloody corporate political struggle. It has style. It has suspense. And it has action. Hollywood will probably remake it.
Quills
Marquis De Sade is an interesting character for movies. Quills is a fictionalized account of his final days. While director Philip Kaufman supplies some style to the film, it runs into the same old problem to depicting literature on film. Watching people read (or read out loud) on film is just not absorbing cinema, not matter how great the prose is (same problem as 84 Charing Cross Road).
Jesus Camp
Another subculture film. The documentary, Jesus Camp, is scarier than Teeth. It’s frightening to see these extremists with their battle-ready view of religions “educating” the children.
Little Children - a novel by Tom Perrotta
A bit like a modern day American suburb version of Madame Bovary (which is the book of choice in the story’s book club), Tom Perrotta’s highly enjoyable Little Children paints a satirical picture of love and marriage. Several parallel stories going on at the same time makes it a challenge to adapt to the screen, but I think the filmmakers pull it off admirably.
Hot Tub Time Machine - written by Josh Heald
I laughed out loud quite a few times reading this screenplay. It has some inappropriately hilarious stuff. If there is a minor critique, it’s the over the top Lou character stealing the story completely from the supposed main character.
The Informant!
2010:
Total films watched: 148 (in 154 days)
Total books read: 9 (15 to go)
Total screenplays read: 15 (37 to go)
May 21 – May 27
Films watched:
Books read:
Screenplays read: None
Man on Wire
Man on Wire is a great heist movie, but the goal is not to steal anything, which is why it’s so great. The goal is to walk from one World Trade Center tower to the other tower on a wire. It’s crazy! The guy is crazy! The gang who help him? They are crazy too! But I can’t help but admire the beauty of their obsession. They are all driven to do something extremely dangerous because it’s beautiful. Even though you know the ending of the film, there isn’t a single dull moment in the build up to the climax. And the climax is definitely worth the wait. A terrific real life story!
Maxed Out
After Enron, after Michael Moore’s Capitalism, Maxed Out shows us that greed and selfishness permeates not just at the highest level of the corporate world, but at every level of society. Young debt collectors have no qualm in making life absolutely miserable for their targets, and they feel righteous doing it. People in debt have no way out. Their lives are basically owned by their creditors. It is a depressing look at our very loosely regulated capitalistic society, and this new form of “slavery”.
Art & Copy
The pleasure of watching Art & Copy is seeing people use their creativity to make a (very good) living. These are some of the brightest minds behind some of the most iconic and innovative advertising campaigns in our time. I love their workspace, their style of work, and I love their love of “design”. Unlike in so many other documentaries I saw recently, where the characters’ ways of making money enrage me, the people in Art & Copy make me envious of their jobs.
Soccernomics - by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski
There is no movie version of Soccernomics (I wish there was!), so it doesn’t count as one of the 24 books that I have to read this year. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t mind it taking up my “normal” reading time. Using economics and statistical methods to explain football, it is a insightful look at the concept of sports, and it sheds away a lot of the romance (unfortunately). It is also timely for the upcoming World Cup. England supporters are typically optimistic of their chance of winning, but empirical data seems to suggest that they will be heartbroken again. But then, there is always this unknown variable called luck, which can make anything possible. So why not be optimistic after all?
Man on Wire
2010:
Total films watched: 135 (in 147 days)
Total books read: 8 (16 to go)
Total screenplays read: 14 (38 to go)
May 7 – May 13
Film(s) watched:
Books read:
Screenplays read: None
Let the Right One in
Despite the almost universal acclaim, I didn’t enjoy Let the Right One in as much as I would like. The cinematic techniques impress my head more than my heart. After thinking about it a bit more afterwards that I came to like it a bit more with the interpretation of the “dad” as a former lover, who knew Eli when he was a kid (like Oscar)… and this would be the eventual fate of Oscar. Other than this interpretation, I find the film slow, and the emotional conflicts uninvolving.
The Cheat
The commercial success of The Cheat (1915) helped propel Cecil B. DeMille to the big time. The film is significant because it was a rare early American film with an Asian male as a romantic lead. A young Sessue Hayakawa (who would later receive an Oscar nomination for his role in the David Lean epic, The Bridge on the River Kwai) steals the film, and emerged as probably the first Asian male film star in America.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
One sure thing that would get people mad is seeing rich people getting outrageously rich by running their business to the ground. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is a thoroughly absorbing account of a complicated financial scam that ruined many people’s lives. Seeing how these guys get away with so much, the current banking debacle really shouldn’t have been a surprise.
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Enron documentary got me into a hate-the-rich-scums mood. Made a few years after the Enron documentary, Captialism: A Love Story gives us yet another story of the greed and absolute selfishness of the business world. Love him or hate him, Michael Moore can tell an engaging story. Unless the banking industry is regulated, I have a feeling we will have many more of these financial scams documentaries in the future.
The Grifters - by Jim Thompson
Con men stories are always fascinating. The Grifters gives us a glimpse of a short-con man’s life. Unlike the film adaptation, the novel focuses on a single protagonist, which is more of a character study than the film.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
2010:
Total films watched: 126 (in 133 days)
Total books read: 8 (16 to go)
Total screenplays read: 14 (38 to go)
Apr 23 – Apr 29
Film(s) watched:
Book (s) read:
Screenplay(s) read:
The Fast and the Furious
The Fast and the Furious (directed by Rob Cohen from a script written by no fewer than four credited screenwriters) is a film where there is no place for silence. The filmmakers seem convinced that their target audience would much rather have loud music blast at them than conversations. I am not really sure if the filmmakers got it right or not in that regard, but I know that they know the formula well enough to hit every cliché in the book. The Paul Walker character never really forms a believable enough bond with Vin Diesel to warrant doing what he does at the end (except that the plot requires it) which makes him a lousy cop rather than an honorable dude.
Everybody Wants to be Italian
There is no question that the protagonist in Everybody Wants to be Italian is a charmless, delusional stalker/douchebag, and it is beyond any human comprehension that any woman would fall for him. So it’s fair to say this “rom-com” doesn’t make any sense to me at all. But it raises an interesting question – how come some douches are likable and some are not? Take David Brent/Michael Scott in The Office - they are rude and they insult people but people like watching them. I supposed the wit and sophistication in executing the rudeness makes the difference.
For a smart, funny and romantic film actually about Italian Americans, I’d recommend Moonstruck.
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
Before there is Sleepless in Seattle, a son (Ronny Howard) tries to get his widower Dad (Glenn Ford) to remarry in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. It’s fairly predictable and a bit heavy handed in the melodramatic scenes. But the funniest thing is hearing little Ron Howard talk about the differences between good women and bad women (big busts, narrow eyes) in movies. A student of the cinema already. 
The Big Heat
On the surface, the cop (Glenn Ford) is the good guy as he is so determined to catch the criminals. But as we watch him showing no signs of guilt or remorse towards all the victims (a woman is tortured and murdered, another gets her face disfigured, and his wife dies in a car bomb intended for him) caused by his actions, we get a sense that he is just as dangerous and cold blooded as the criminals. Is he still a good guy?
Gigantic
By having Zooey Deschanel in a film, the quirkiness quota is half taken care of. Add an introverted Paul Dano and a bullying John Goodman, you are pretty much set. Gigantic just tries too hard to make every character and every scene “quirky”, which draws the attention away from the real emotions.
M
M is probably the first film in cinema history about a serial killer, and is possibly the first police procedural too. The cross cutting between cops and criminals reminds me of Melville’s Le Samourai. Fritz Lang is actually quite sympathetic towards the child murderer. The master stroke is Peter Lorre’s defense at the end. It is a fantastic performance, but more importantly it asks us to question our original singlemindedness in wanting to catch the murder, and adds a significant layer to the story which makes it truly great.
Books:
What Was She Thinking: Notes on a Scandal - a novel by Zoe Heller
Shortlisted for the 2003 Man Booker Prize, Zoë Heller’s What Was She Think? Notes on a Scandal is a riveting page turner. The voice of Barbara (the narrator) is note perfect, her acerbic remarks are often hilarious. Now I’m very interested in reading Heller’s other work.
Notes on a Scandal - Screenplay by Patrick Marber
Patrick Marber’s Notes on a Scandal is a wonderful adaptation of Zoë Heller’s novel. Marber cleverly sidesteps the novel’s first person narrator issue by liberally using voice-overs. Voice-overs used to be quite a no-no in screenwriting, but I sense that it has become quite acceptable recently with some creative and appropriate uses of this device. Marber certainly uses it well here. A loser colleague in the novel who is an Arsenal support becomes a Spurs supporter in the screenplay – now that’s a great touch.
Starting Out in the Evening - Screenplay by Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner
The novel is brilliant and I loved the film. The script of Starting Out In the Evening presents the first step of the film adaptation process. It is always a challenge to adapt a novel into a film. The time constraint necessitate a restructure of the story. So it’s always interesting to see what the screenwriters take out and create. This is another excellent adaptation that I really like.
2010:
Total films watched: 114 (in 119 days)
Total books read: 7 (17 to go)
Total screenplays read: 12 (40 to go)
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