Life: Under Construction

Julia Overshadows Julie

Today is my mum's birthday. Over the weekend we went to see 'Julie & Julia' as a pre-birthday treat (in my family we believe in celebrating over the entire birth-week rather than just on the birth-day). I have two things to say about my movie experience before I get on to writing about the film itself. First, it occurred to me that instead of asking children and and seniors to pay $9 instead of the usual $12 or $13 dollars, movie theaters should actually ask them to pay MORE. My reasoning is that both children and seniors are irritating to other moviegoers because of their tendency to talk during the film and make frequent trips to the bathroom. They are also more costly to movie theaters which have to provide headsets for the elderly, booster seats for the kids and the theaters also have to face the clean-up from these customers (spilled drinks, candy rolling around and occassional bathroom accidents). I could go into details about what inspired me to say this but I don't think it's necessary.

The second thing I must say before moving on to the film is that I actually didn't see every moment of it. The reason was that in a moment of idiocy, I picked up my bottle of water that didn't have a top screwed onto it (I had forgotten this last fact). I started to lift it to my mouth and managed to pour it, not into my mouth, but all down the front of my dress. Luckily it was all absorbed by my outfit and none fell onto the floor (which would make me as bad as the oldies and the kiddies) but it was so uncomfortably wet that I had to run to the bathroom to mop myself off.

Now to the movie.
It was brave of Amy Adams to accept a role that put he in the half of a movie that was in opposition to Meryl Streep's half of the movie, especially given that Meryl was playing the charming Julia Child while Amy was playing the petulent and self-involved Julie Powell. The movie was set in two periods but at times it felt like two separate films. There was the charming film, set in post-war France that follows the inspiring Julia Child as she finds her passion in cooking and pursues success. Then there was the storyline that followed needy Julie Powell as she tries to find a 'purpose'. As I watched the scenes with Julie Powell, I found myself just counting the minutes until I could return to France with Meryl. Portraying Julia Child with her stature and old-fashioned accent could easily fall into the realm of parody but Ms. Streep managed to carry it off with a plomb.

One of my biggest problems with the 'Julie' side of the story was that it seemed disingenuous. The reason given in the movie for taking up the project of cooking her way through Julia's seminal cookbook was that Julie needed a purpose, a guide forward. Never was it mentioned that this might be solely a ruse taken up in order to gain attention and to get a book deal. I seriously doubt that her objective was to find herself, instead I think she wanted to find someone to pay her to be a writer. The idea of making yourself the experiment so that you can write about it is a very Post-Modern idea. I recently just came across the blog of a woman who is wearing the same dress for a year...you can bet she probably already has a book deal. But is this real creativity? Sure you have to initially come up with an idea but after that your entries turn into a kind of 'Dear Diary' that a ten-year-old could write.

I do not fault Amy Adams. I am sure she did the best that she could with the script but I think the character she portrayed was far too self-centered to be relatable. (I do realize it might seem a bit rich that I, a blogger, am criticizing another blogger for being self-absorbed. But I honestly do try and write a blog that doesn't read like a journal entry because those are the sorts of blogs I myself hate. Also, and I am sure that my friends and family would back me up on this, I am not half as self-involved as I seem on this blog. I am in real-life very considerate!)

If you're a fan of Meryl's, I would highly recommend that you see the film since her performance is stellar. You should also see the film if you like self-involved bloggers!

Happy Watching!!

Summer Blockbusters Beat the Heat

People who know me know that if there is one thing I absolutely abhor it is excessive heat. While some claim they just pretend they are in a tropical paradise when the mercury rises to dangerous levels, I merely stroke...heat stroke that is. In such weather there is only one thing that can improve my temper and that is a good movie, seen in a refrigerated movie theater. The only thing better than one good movie over a steamy weekend is two good movies...yes, that's right, I was one of those movie fanatics that saw both Dark Knight and Mammia Mia in their joint opening weekend.

Let me begin with Dark Knight...I did stand in line for an hour to ensure a good seat (too bad the one I chose turned out to be next to a talker and a fidgeter) but the film was worth it. While the ensemble cast was magnificent, Heath Ledger's performance managed to out-shine all of them. Ledger's Joker put to shame Jack Nicholson's rendition of the same character. The Joker featured in this latest installment of the Batman franchise is not your typical criminal, driven by greed and a desire to dominate, this Joker is a terrorist in the literal sense of the word: he causes chaos in order to incite fear. Ledgers portrayal of this inhuman character is terrifyingly creepy. In an interesting twist, this 'action movie' revolves around the drama between the characters rather than being about amazing car chases (don't worry there are those too). The Dark Knight is a must see for Ledger fans and for people who just want a great film.

As for Mamma Mia, it was wonderful to see Meryl Streep smiling and dancing as if she was young girl again. ABBA's music, is if anything, joyous and the movie follows in that vein. Critics may argue that the movie, like the Broadway show, is silly and that some of the film's leads weren't quite up to the vocal challenges presented to them. I would say that the fact that Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth aren't professionally trained singers added to the charm of the film. You could almost imagine your own father bursting into song in a similarly slightly embarrassing manner. Equally, were I to hop onto a table to perform 'Take A Chance On Me', it would probably resemble Julie Walters' take on the same. It was light-hearted, fun, humorous and ended with a blast from the past!

If you need to be lifted from your mid-week doldrums, check out these fresh new flicks.

I hope there is more than a quantum of excitement

Here, on my computer at work, Firefox always opens up with the AOL Instant Messenger dashboard. Imagine my glee on coming back from lunch to discover it was advertising the newly released trailer for the upcoming Bond movie! There were guests sitting close enough to me that I couldn't risk playing it with the sound on so I played it once through on mute just to see Daniel Craig running, jumping, punching, shooting...all driven by his need to settle the score. Now that the day is winding down, I felt comfortable enough to watch it once through with the music (on softly of course). That familiar Bond tune is enough to make any trailer feel exciting. But there is a little part of me that is holding off excitement. As we have learned from past experiences with the Bond franchise, they are very good at making engaging trailers, even if the original movie material is a bit lacking. The trailers for 'Die Another Day' never gave any clue of the preposterous plot and poor acting that would plague the film. And yet, just by judging from 'Casino Royale', Craig seems to have brought a rawness and a reality to the Bond character that previous actors had not accessed. We all know I will be rushing out to see this latest installment of Bond as soon as it hits theaters. For the moment my appetite for Bond has been satiated by this fun video montage. I just hope the film will live up to the expectations.

On the same screen that the Bond trailer was advertised, AOL also announced in celebrity news that this '"Idol" cutie had never kissed a girl'...I'm not at all surprised myself. David Archuleta has always struck me (in the few clips I have seen him in) as a raging homosexual. This is not newsworthy. What would have been newsworthy was if he HAD kissed a girl, then we would all be nudging the person next to us and telling them 'David isn't gay' at which point they would collapse with shock in a reaction reminiscent of the time we found out David Guest (what is it with the name David?!) had married Liza Minelli. Nothing is sweeter than a queen and her beard!

Wanted...a kick in the pants

Generation Y grew up with the likes of Mr. Rogers and the menagerie of Sesame Street characters telling us that we were special, unique, the world was blessed to have us. But as we spread our wings and fly out into the great big world, it can become difficult to hold onto that conviction of uniqueness. You become a mere test statistic, one of many heads nodding off in a lecture, a sardine packed into a subway carriage and eventually another body slumped at a desk trying to block out the noise your irritating co-worker is making in her attempt at speech. You ask yourself 'Is this it?!' while feebly hoping that a secret store of talent still lies within. 

And then a band of assassins out to save the world conveniently turns up on your doorstep and tells you that you are a highly skilled killer, you just need to be trained. This is exceptionally good for you since you didn't have the slightest inclination as to how you might go about changing your life. So you arrive ancient Chicago (complete oxymoron) building to be beaten down and find out who you are. You start by being guided by your new confidant but in the end you discover you must be your own guide. 

While most of us will not have Angelina dropping into our local drugstore to rescue us (although I would much prefer to be in any scenario with James McAvoy), we are all fortunate enough to be able to view 'Wanted' in the local cineplex. The plot and some of the cinematography definitely harks back to 'the Matrix' but at the same time it provides a freshness that the action genre was desperately in need of. While skeptics may shake their heads and argue that it is not physically possible to 'curve a bullet', I was taken along for the ride, and it was good. In a summer season that has been plagued by disappointments ('Indiana Jones') and films that didn't quite live up to the hype ('Incredible Hulk'), this film delivered what it promised and more. There were plot twists I didn't see coming and what was more enjoyable, they were believable. James McAvoy was superb (isn't he always) and Morgan Freedman and Angelina Jolie did their best tough-guy impersonations and the result was successful.

The trailers for this film do seem to promise a budding romance between Wesley (McAvoy) and Fox (Jolie). These expectations may be slightly dashed on seeing the film but I think it is for the best. According to Television Without Pity, the story from which Wanted was taken was a romance. I'm glad the makers of the film decided to stray from the story...not only would the romance between them come across as completely improbably (read the excerpts featured after the link, cliches abound), but it would have taken away from the action and the plot.

Instead of ill-placed love, the producers of this film focused on suspense and incredible visual sequences. And of course, there was bit all of us dream of...the obscenely ordinary guy turns out to be special. Mr. Rogers triumphs again and the dreamer in each of us has renewed hope.

Iron Man

While the weather may make it feel more like February, the summer is officially here in the form of the first big summer blockbuster...Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow return to the big screen in this movie-version of the popular Marvel comic series. I was one of the many New Yorkers checking out this movie on its opening weekend.

Before I offer my opinion on this film let me admit a slight bias (ok, actually two): first, I love me some action, especially when it pits forces of good against those of evil; second, any film that opens with the AC/DC rock anthem 'Back in Black' has my vote no matter what follows. But even without these prepositions, Iron Man packs a powerful punch of excitement and drama that kept me gasping and clutching my seat throughout (not that I am hard to engage).

As mentioned, the film opens with a line of armored hummers, kicking up clouds of dust as they motor through the desert. As Bon Scott's croaky voice declares that is in fact 'Back' the shot moves into one of the hummer. After focusing on a frame of a portable stereo which is supply the opening track, we see him. Tony Stark, weapons inventor extraordinaire and head of Stark Industries. His dark hair is slick back, his silk tie is ever so slightly askew and the ice of his whiskey on rocks clinks against the tumbler he holds in his hand. Robert Downey Jr is the perfect embodiment of this irreverent and unlikely hero.

As the film back-tracks, we see Stark as a ladies-man and a risk-taker with a devil-may-care attitude. Downey perfectly balances the cockiness of Stark's character with the imperfection and charm that makes you root for him. One second the opening scene is showcasing his wittiness as he jauntily trades remarks with the soldiers in his Hum-V, next explosions are going off and they are under attack. Seconds later Stark is kidnapped by a terrorist group and he comes face to face with the world his weapons have helped create.

Stark is charged with the task of re-creating his famed new missile for the terrorists that hold him captive. It is here that our soon-to-be hero faces that challenge that every hero must face in his quest: he must choose between acquiescing to these evil demands...or fighting. It is the choice to fight that leads to the creation of Iron Man.

Some critics of the film have charged that it is a little anti-climactic at the end. There is always the risk of this when you begin with such an exciting opening sequence. But I believe director Jon Favreau made the right choice...the dramatic beginning draws you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the credits run.

For more on the film check this out or grab your film buddy and get to the cinema...this ticket is HOT.