So I had heard about this new movie coming out starring Ben Stiller called "Greenberg". The first commercial annoyed me. I call it a commercial, because it wasn't really a movie trailer. It was more like an interview with Stiller, talking about how it's so different and "rewarding" to do an independent movie after all his big studio success. They flashed through some quick clips and making-of shots and ended with a release date.
However, I was watching Monday night's The Daily Show and they had Ben Stiller on to promote "Greenberg". It started off with a clip of the movie, which was quite intriguing indeed. It pretty much changed my mind right away. But also, what Stiller ended up saying about the title character made me want to see it more; sounds a bit like yours truly >.<
Here's the episode, the clip and interview are after the third commercial. Hopefully, my lovely Nicole and I will see the movie soon and I'll post an interview.
-Dan
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Movie Review Two-fer: Alice In Wonderland & Shutter Island
Well, with the Oscars behind us it appears we're drifting away from my favorite movie season of the year. This means that, even though the movies will start looking less like “The Hurt Locker” and more like “Transformers 2”, at least we have some warm weather ahead! So for those of you that spent the winter months bundled up in front of a fire instead of the silver screen, I'd like to fill you in on a couple of the most anticipated films to come out in the last few months: Tim Burton's remake of “Alice In Wonderland” and Martin Scorsese's psychological thriller “Shutter Island”.
Alice In Wonderland
To start with, I have read neither “Alice's Adventures In Wonderland” nor “Through The Looking Glass,” so my Alice experience comes entirely from the 1951 Disney animated version I watched as a kid. But from what I've heard about the original texts, there isn't much of a story involved; they're composed more as a collection of strange settings, stranger characters, metaphors and allegories. Given the original material, I think the makers of this most recent adaptation did a decent job of making a cohesive story out of all the ambiguity, while using modern technology and a great cast to keep the strangeness of those people and places intact.
However, the lazy and rather blatant plot device that they use to push the story forward makes the whole story seem a bit forced. That, and the fact that they shot the film in 2D, later converting it to 3D (instead of shooting in 3D like Avatar, the difference is clear) are really the only two things that keep this from being an A-grade film. The wonderful cast is easily the highlight of the film, with Johnny Depp, as usual, bringing a magnificent performance as The Mad Hatter. Adding in newcomer Mia Wasikowska as Alice to staples like Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and the immensely talented voice cast led by Alan Rickman truly makes this extremely odd collection of characters jump off the screen (more than the 3D, really). I give it a solid B, and recommend it more for fans of Tim Burton than the source material, as he definitely makes this one his own.
Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese's latest film follows the story of Teddy Daniels (Leo DiCaprio), a US Marshal charged with investigating the disappearance of a criminally insane patient from an asylum on Shutter Island, right off the coast of Boston in 1954. When it becomes obvious that everyone has ulterior motives and nobody is telling Teddy the truth, we join him and his new partner in this darkly twisted investigation to find out what the heck is going on.
After seeing this movie (twice), the lukewarm reception it seems to be getting online and with various film-goers I've spoken with truly baffles me. While it isn't one of Scorsese's best, this film is an extremely capable thriller that kept me captivated all the way through the surprise ending with enough suspense to make Hitchcock squirm. Literally everything, including acting directing, music, set design, cinematography, writing....everything about this movie is excellently presented to create a convincing atmosphere of uncertainty and suspicion.
The one negative I could see about this movie was the fact that it's almost impossible to grasp the meaning of each apparently meaningless glance, to appreciate the depth and subtlety of each tiny detail given to us by Scorsese until we finally know what's going on. If you're able to follow the clues and catch on early, you may even embrace it more than someone riding the suspense wave all the way to the end. I give Shutter Island an A-, and recommend it to Scorsese fans (who isn't?) and those who truly appreciate head-spinning suspense through cinematic subtlety.
Alice In Wonderland
To start with, I have read neither “Alice's Adventures In Wonderland” nor “Through The Looking Glass,” so my Alice experience comes entirely from the 1951 Disney animated version I watched as a kid. But from what I've heard about the original texts, there isn't much of a story involved; they're composed more as a collection of strange settings, stranger characters, metaphors and allegories. Given the original material, I think the makers of this most recent adaptation did a decent job of making a cohesive story out of all the ambiguity, while using modern technology and a great cast to keep the strangeness of those people and places intact.
However, the lazy and rather blatant plot device that they use to push the story forward makes the whole story seem a bit forced. That, and the fact that they shot the film in 2D, later converting it to 3D (instead of shooting in 3D like Avatar, the difference is clear) are really the only two things that keep this from being an A-grade film. The wonderful cast is easily the highlight of the film, with Johnny Depp, as usual, bringing a magnificent performance as The Mad Hatter. Adding in newcomer Mia Wasikowska as Alice to staples like Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and the immensely talented voice cast led by Alan Rickman truly makes this extremely odd collection of characters jump off the screen (more than the 3D, really). I give it a solid B, and recommend it more for fans of Tim Burton than the source material, as he definitely makes this one his own.
Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese's latest film follows the story of Teddy Daniels (Leo DiCaprio), a US Marshal charged with investigating the disappearance of a criminally insane patient from an asylum on Shutter Island, right off the coast of Boston in 1954. When it becomes obvious that everyone has ulterior motives and nobody is telling Teddy the truth, we join him and his new partner in this darkly twisted investigation to find out what the heck is going on.
After seeing this movie (twice), the lukewarm reception it seems to be getting online and with various film-goers I've spoken with truly baffles me. While it isn't one of Scorsese's best, this film is an extremely capable thriller that kept me captivated all the way through the surprise ending with enough suspense to make Hitchcock squirm. Literally everything, including acting directing, music, set design, cinematography, writing....everything about this movie is excellently presented to create a convincing atmosphere of uncertainty and suspicion.
The one negative I could see about this movie was the fact that it's almost impossible to grasp the meaning of each apparently meaningless glance, to appreciate the depth and subtlety of each tiny detail given to us by Scorsese until we finally know what's going on. If you're able to follow the clues and catch on early, you may even embrace it more than someone riding the suspense wave all the way to the end. I give Shutter Island an A-, and recommend it to Scorsese fans (who isn't?) and those who truly appreciate head-spinning suspense through cinematic subtlety.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Okay, I'll put on some shorts.
Hey Blog! It's gotta be 70 outside! I'm stuck inside at the moment, doing laundry and cleaning my room, but I'm excited to go out pretty soon to get some new clothes. I've been trying to remember the last time I bought something other than a t-shirt, but I'm drawing a blank. It must have been a while because I need to get some new pants, socks, and a nice shirt or two for work. I was probably wearing shorts last time I bought some.
Well good news! Nicole slam dunked that last job interview and ended up with what I think is the perfect job for her. She's going to be working for the Brain Injury Association of Ohio, in a sorta executive assistant role for the director...I'm pretty sure. Either way, she's going to get the opportunity to flex her web design muscles, and also get into some event planning, which she's been looking into for a while now. Congratulations baby!
In other news, I've landed on a pretty good dough recipe which seems to taste really good no matter what kind of pizza I make with it. I'm pretty excited about it, but I have yet to make a couple of Napoletanas on my pizza stone. That'll be a good test of the dough. Oh, and check out Evan Turner beating Michigan with a buzzer beater earlier today. No wonder he's the player of the year. Go Bucks!
Well good news! Nicole slam dunked that last job interview and ended up with what I think is the perfect job for her. She's going to be working for the Brain Injury Association of Ohio, in a sorta executive assistant role for the director...I'm pretty sure. Either way, she's going to get the opportunity to flex her web design muscles, and also get into some event planning, which she's been looking into for a while now. Congratulations baby!
In other news, I've landed on a pretty good dough recipe which seems to taste really good no matter what kind of pizza I make with it. I'm pretty excited about it, but I have yet to make a couple of Napoletanas on my pizza stone. That'll be a good test of the dough. Oh, and check out Evan Turner beating Michigan with a buzzer beater earlier today. No wonder he's the player of the year. Go Bucks!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Vacation for two in Solon!
1:46 Friday morning - Nicole and I have a fun weekend ahead! I got my mom to agree to let us use the house while they're in Miami Beach for a weekend getaway! We're planning to check out the Cleveland Auto Show at the I-X center tomorrow (later today) and then head over to Valley View for dinner at Quaker Steak and a late showing of Alice In Wonderland. We're leaving tomorrow after an early opportunity for Nicole (fingers crossed!) and we will be there until Sunday. We both work. Boo. But that can be easily forgotten for a few days during this exciting and unprecedented weekend up north! More updates will come, including some pictures, and even a video or two if I'm feeling frisky.
-Dan
Update: Unfortunately, I couldn't connect to the wireless network at my parent's house. No updates : (
-Dan
Update: Unfortunately, I couldn't connect to the wireless network at my parent's house. No updates : (
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