Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Howl
Howl starring James Franco is a documentary that came out in 2010
chronicling the publishing of Alan Ginsberg's poem. The movie inter-cuts
scenes from the publisher, Lawrence Ferlinghetti's obscenity trial based
on the original transcripts; with scenes from a public reading of the
poem by its author; animated illustrations of the text; Ginsberg typing
in his cold-water flat; and Ginsberg on the road with his buddies.
Franco does a credible job of portraying Ginsberg though I wish the
producers could have decided whether they wanted to exploit Franco's
chiseled good looks or Ginsberg's trade-mark trimmed beard; scenes
switch back and forth between the two looks for no apparent reason. At
90 minutes this documentary made me restless; the end-credit disclaimer
about no resemblance to any person living or dead seems fatuous in the
circumstances. Not for the first time the supplements are more
interesting than the actual movie. Archival footage of a failing Alan
Ginsberg stumbling over a reading of his own poem two years before his
death is authentic but painful to watch. Franco does a credible
recitation of the same text. Following along with Ginsberg's own
collected works shows that there were obviously several different
version of this poem. The interviews with Ferlinghetti still alive at 96
in his bookshop in San Fransisco and with other acquaintances adds
useful context. From our viewpoint in 2012 one wonders what all the fuss
was about in 1957.
chronicling the publishing of Alan Ginsberg's poem. The movie inter-cuts
scenes from the publisher, Lawrence Ferlinghetti's obscenity trial based
on the original transcripts; with scenes from a public reading of the
poem by its author; animated illustrations of the text; Ginsberg typing
in his cold-water flat; and Ginsberg on the road with his buddies.
Franco does a credible job of portraying Ginsberg though I wish the
producers could have decided whether they wanted to exploit Franco's
chiseled good looks or Ginsberg's trade-mark trimmed beard; scenes
switch back and forth between the two looks for no apparent reason. At
90 minutes this documentary made me restless; the end-credit disclaimer
about no resemblance to any person living or dead seems fatuous in the
circumstances. Not for the first time the supplements are more
interesting than the actual movie. Archival footage of a failing Alan
Ginsberg stumbling over a reading of his own poem two years before his
death is authentic but painful to watch. Franco does a credible
recitation of the same text. Following along with Ginsberg's own
collected works shows that there were obviously several different
version of this poem. The interviews with Ferlinghetti still alive at 96
in his bookshop in San Fransisco and with other acquaintances adds
useful context. From our viewpoint in 2012 one wonders what all the fuss
was about in 1957.
Martian Child
The theme of single-father adoptions has been mined before back in 1994
with William Hurt playing Second Best. In Martian Child science fiction
writer John Cusack is paired with an imaginative but rejected 6-year-old
who thinks he's from Mars. The movies share lonely men, disturbed
children, and quizzical child-care workers. Where they differ is in
Hurt's quiet under-stated performance and Cusack's off-the-wall
engagement with his young charge. The plate smashing, ketchup bottle
squirting scene is over-the-top.
with William Hurt playing Second Best. In Martian Child science fiction
writer John Cusack is paired with an imaginative but rejected 6-year-old
who thinks he's from Mars. The movies share lonely men, disturbed
children, and quizzical child-care workers. Where they differ is in
Hurt's quiet under-stated performance and Cusack's off-the-wall
engagement with his young charge. The plate smashing, ketchup bottle
squirting scene is over-the-top.
Das Boot
Most who watch WW#2 movies have seen shots of naval destroyers dropping
depth charges on submarines below and the explosions that followed
driving geysers of water skyward hundreds of feet. Less frequently do we
get the opportunity to witness the effects those explosives have below.
Das Boot places us in a claustrophobic submarine with bad air, smells,
rotting food, no privacy, and shared bunks. The majority of the men do
not see the light of day or get the opportunity to breath fresh air for
the duration of the campaign. For the most part sea duty is comprised of
weeks and months of crashing boredom accented by minutes of sheer terror
when a ship above starts dropping those drums of high explosive. A movie
such as this deserves to be watched in a large theatre with a massive
sound system to give the watcher a true sense of the overwhelming
helplessness and hopelessness such an encounter entails. The hair on the
back of one's neck tingles as the metal joints of the sub contract under
pressure as the boat dives. A boat built for a depth of 90 metres
survives to over three times that depth as fuses and rivets become
lethal projectiles and valves spring high-pressure leaks. As the
adrenaline pumps through their veins these men have liteally no place to
run after their high speed dash to the front of the vessel to assist the
dive. Huddled in close quarters they have no defense but their captain's
wiles as they listen for the inevitable ships screws, the tell-tale
splashes above, or the ping of enemy sonar. The movie is not
particularly about winners or losers or sides but the humanity of the
men who serve in these conditions. Conditions that kept them totally
isolated for the duration with no communication with the outside world
and nothing to relieve the boredom.
depth charges on submarines below and the explosions that followed
driving geysers of water skyward hundreds of feet. Less frequently do we
get the opportunity to witness the effects those explosives have below.
Das Boot places us in a claustrophobic submarine with bad air, smells,
rotting food, no privacy, and shared bunks. The majority of the men do
not see the light of day or get the opportunity to breath fresh air for
the duration of the campaign. For the most part sea duty is comprised of
weeks and months of crashing boredom accented by minutes of sheer terror
when a ship above starts dropping those drums of high explosive. A movie
such as this deserves to be watched in a large theatre with a massive
sound system to give the watcher a true sense of the overwhelming
helplessness and hopelessness such an encounter entails. The hair on the
back of one's neck tingles as the metal joints of the sub contract under
pressure as the boat dives. A boat built for a depth of 90 metres
survives to over three times that depth as fuses and rivets become
lethal projectiles and valves spring high-pressure leaks. As the
adrenaline pumps through their veins these men have liteally no place to
run after their high speed dash to the front of the vessel to assist the
dive. Huddled in close quarters they have no defense but their captain's
wiles as they listen for the inevitable ships screws, the tell-tale
splashes above, or the ping of enemy sonar. The movie is not
particularly about winners or losers or sides but the humanity of the
men who serve in these conditions. Conditions that kept them totally
isolated for the duration with no communication with the outside world
and nothing to relieve the boredom.
Friday, May 18, 2012
OTH Season 8
When Lukas Scott played by Chad Michael Murray departed One Tree Hill I
had expected to find a vast empty hole in the program and to detest it.
It was therefore with some trepidation that I invested in this season
expecting I might hate it and regret the investment. Nevertheless,
though I definitely miss Peyton and Chad I must admit that Mark Schwahn
and Co. seem to have risen to the challenge and continue to keep up the
writing quality. Whereas Lukas always seemed to be portrayed as too
saintly for his own good his half-brother Nathan was always the bad boy
of the crew. With Lukas gone Nathan's demeanor seems to have mellowed
and softened making a more likable slub.
As with all shows that follow children's long-term arc from childhood to
adulthood there have been growing pains. The tenor of the show changed
radically after the kids left highschool and began adult career-paths.
That virtually all the actors who played these characters were adults
from the beginning is another matter. At least they are now able to play
roles that are more age appropriate. With this transition comes more
adult situations, the loss of youthful innocence, and the hard realities
of life.
Season Seven ended with one of Hollywood's typical cliffhangers when
Clay and Quinn get shot by Clay's first wife's sister who has become
obsessed with replacing her in his affections. Did I say this show plays
like a youthful nighttime soap opera. And as with most soap operas the
actors look like they just stepped off a model runway--only beautiful
people need apply. The original group that centred around the basketball
court have been replaced or augmented by Clay--Nathan's Agent, and Quinn
his girlfriend and Haley's sister; the girls who run Peyton's record
label and Chase who manages the associated Tric Bar; Millicent who works
for Brooke at Clothes over Bros and is Mouth's on and off lover plus
Brooke's mother--these relationships get rather clouded. Julian Baker
who arrived to produce a movie version of Lukas Scott's book has hung
around to romance Brooke, in this season his mother arrives on the scene
to reveal his past as a mother's boy. I continue to wonder who is guilty
of making the world think that a two-day's growth of beard is chic. Does
it look unkempt or am I just jealous because when I let mine go it just
looks disheveled?
The show has never shied away from confronting hot-button issues.
Business ethics plays a major role in several plot lines. The coercion
of college professors to pass elite athletes rears its ugly head. Others
are teenage pregnancy, government waste, endangered species, bullying.
Wedding bells and the baby-making machine play prominent roles this
season. Nathan's son Jamie continues his aw-shucks role as an
enfant-terrible and increasingly displays talent that suggests he has
inherited the Scott athletic gene. In spite of this obvious investment
in the future of the show we now know that Season Nine, already out on
DVD is the final season. It's cheaper south of the border.
had expected to find a vast empty hole in the program and to detest it.
It was therefore with some trepidation that I invested in this season
expecting I might hate it and regret the investment. Nevertheless,
though I definitely miss Peyton and Chad I must admit that Mark Schwahn
and Co. seem to have risen to the challenge and continue to keep up the
writing quality. Whereas Lukas always seemed to be portrayed as too
saintly for his own good his half-brother Nathan was always the bad boy
of the crew. With Lukas gone Nathan's demeanor seems to have mellowed
and softened making a more likable slub.
As with all shows that follow children's long-term arc from childhood to
adulthood there have been growing pains. The tenor of the show changed
radically after the kids left highschool and began adult career-paths.
That virtually all the actors who played these characters were adults
from the beginning is another matter. At least they are now able to play
roles that are more age appropriate. With this transition comes more
adult situations, the loss of youthful innocence, and the hard realities
of life.
Season Seven ended with one of Hollywood's typical cliffhangers when
Clay and Quinn get shot by Clay's first wife's sister who has become
obsessed with replacing her in his affections. Did I say this show plays
like a youthful nighttime soap opera. And as with most soap operas the
actors look like they just stepped off a model runway--only beautiful
people need apply. The original group that centred around the basketball
court have been replaced or augmented by Clay--Nathan's Agent, and Quinn
his girlfriend and Haley's sister; the girls who run Peyton's record
label and Chase who manages the associated Tric Bar; Millicent who works
for Brooke at Clothes over Bros and is Mouth's on and off lover plus
Brooke's mother--these relationships get rather clouded. Julian Baker
who arrived to produce a movie version of Lukas Scott's book has hung
around to romance Brooke, in this season his mother arrives on the scene
to reveal his past as a mother's boy. I continue to wonder who is guilty
of making the world think that a two-day's growth of beard is chic. Does
it look unkempt or am I just jealous because when I let mine go it just
looks disheveled?
The show has never shied away from confronting hot-button issues.
Business ethics plays a major role in several plot lines. The coercion
of college professors to pass elite athletes rears its ugly head. Others
are teenage pregnancy, government waste, endangered species, bullying.
Wedding bells and the baby-making machine play prominent roles this
season. Nathan's son Jamie continues his aw-shucks role as an
enfant-terrible and increasingly displays talent that suggests he has
inherited the Scott athletic gene. In spite of this obvious investment
in the future of the show we now know that Season Nine, already out on
DVD is the final season. It's cheaper south of the border.
