Well, I finally had time to watch some movies on DVD today.
First up, Disney/Pixar'sWall-E the story of a trash-compacting robot and the survey droid he loves.
700 years ago, humans abandoned the trash-covered Earth for what was supposed to be a five year space cruise while robots cleaned up the mess the humans left behind. 700 years later, one little robot is left, still compacting and piling blocks of trash. Wall-E has developed a bit of a soul over the years and like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, has a collection of interesting human memorabilia (among them a spork, a Rubik's cube and a VHS copy of Hello Dolly! which he plays over and over). One day, a survey droid named EVE is sent to look for evidence of photosynthesis. For Wall-E, it's love at first byte (sorry, I couldn't help the pun). Using minimal dialog and hilarious visuals, first-time director John Lassiter (who has previously done voice work in many Pixar hits) imbues his anthropomorphic robot characters with far more soul than the fat, nearly-boneless humans who have evolved on the giant spaceship Axiom (their hover-chairs and service bots have long since turned them into nearly useless, complacent and blubbery drones, themselves). The few voices are provided by Jeff Garlin, Kathy Najimy, John Ratzenburger (Pixar's ever-present lucky charm) and Sigourney Weaver as the voice of Axiom's computer. Delightful, funny and even romantic, Wall-E is a film for more than just "family" audiences. **** (Four Stars)
Next I watched the comic-book-inspired Wanted, starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and Terence Stamp in a story about a wimpy and neurotic accountant named Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) who is unable to find a single entry about himself on Google, but is soon recruited by a secret society of assassins known only as "The Fraternity." Fox (Jolie) tells Wesley that his father was the greatest assassin who ever lived and that he had been killed that very morning. Wesley, believing his father abandoned him as a baby, is hesitant until he starts getting shot at.
After a training period in which Wesley learns to use the hidden talents he'd always mistaken for anxiety attacks, he and Fox start taking on assignments, killing people whose names are encoded in the weavings of a mystical loom in The Fraternity's headquarters. Outrageous stunts, ridiculous action sequences and plenty of bullets, blood and mayhem ensue as Wesley gets closer and closer to the truth about both his father and The Fraternity. A park-your-brain-at-the-door movie on the order of Crank, Wanted is terrific and bizarre popcorn movie of the highest order. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Daywatch; Nightwatchand the upcoming Twilight Watch), Wanted isn't likely to win any awards other than for special effects, but it's a very fun way to waste an hour and half or so. **/2 (Two and a Half Stars).
I know it says Sunday, but I've been up since 6AM , so it's still Saturday to me. I worked my one mandatory Saturday morning a year today, and afterwards met with some friends for lunch and holiday shopping in a nearby artsy community about halfway between our homes. I managed to buy a few small things for several people, but am still vexed by the need for a few more major gifts, and was ultimately disappointed in my efforts (though happily surprised with the small, funny things I did manage to pick up).
Now, I start my Christmas shopping every year in May in Florida. I hit the huge outlet malls and the Disney and Universal Studios Stores; I scour the old beachfront gift malls and the odd places along International Drive in Orlando. I probably manage to score about 40% of my gifts there, 7 months early! And trust me, I'm not one of those people who buys gifts and then forgets where he put them. I can smell a bargain at ten paces and outshop any straight woman (or gay man, for that matter) without batting an eye. This past summer, I also bought a few things at the JTMF silent auction. And last November, I was in San Francisco and Napa for four days, and bought quite a few things out there. This year I was in Chicago for two days in October and bought none. Still, i need only something for my brother-in-law and my very dearest friend.
The real trouble is, it seems that there's nothing terribly exciting in any stores this year. The malls and department stores are always the same old crap; and even the specialty and gift stores have nothing new to offer. Last year, I found the perfect things for so many people. This year... some. So, with only a few weeks left before I start exchanging, I am unusually late in completing my list.
So how is your holiday shopping going? And more importantly, wha'ja get me?
As a kid, I adored the cheesy, campy "Batman" TV show. My mother says I spent much of my childhood with a towel tied around my neck and I was Batman for Halloween four years in a row. As I grew older and discovered the Bob Kane comics, I became fascinated with Batman's duality, which then extended into the duality inherent in almost all superheroes and their "seceret" identities.
Superhero movies have been around for almost as long as movies themselves, but they really didn't come into their own until film technology caught up to their super powers in the late 70's with Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie. Since then, they've gotten better and better, though my love of them has never gone away. Below is a list (in no particular order) of my favorite superhero movies. I do have to note that I find it interesting that with one exception, they are all sequels. I suppose origin stories are important, though what really matters are the adventures themselves, which probably makes for much better story-telling.
Cult director Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead; Darkman) turned up the excitement in his first follow-up to Spider Man by introducing one of Spidey's best villains, Dr. Octopus, while making Peter Parker a conflicted (and exhausted) young superhero being torn in too many directions at once. Great performances from a terrific cast (especially Alfred Molina as Doc Ock) and one of the most exciting runaway train sequences ever, make Spider Man 2 one of the best superhero movies, ever.
Director Tim Burton's follow-up to his megahit re-imagining of Batman is the best of the 80's & 90's Batman movies. It has terrififc performances from Danny Devito as a grotesque Penguin and Michelle Pfieffer as a super sexy Catwoman, the always brilliant Christopher Walken as retailing mogul Max Shreck (in a nod to the actor who played Count Orlock in the original Nosferatu), not to mention some of the best noirish images since the 40's. A terrific cast, amazing visuals and a witty script from Daniel Waters all add up to one fun movie ride.
Director Richard Lester infamously took over for Richard Donner in this sequel after Donner fueded with producers Ilya and Alexander Salkind. Donner had already shot most of the movie, using a script by novelist Mario Puzo (The Godfather). Superman, realizing he loves Lois Lane, gives up his powers to spend the rest of his life with her, but when a trio of crazed Kryptonian criminals escape their prison in the Phantom Zone, threatening Peace, Justice and the American Way, Supe must find a way to get his powers back and save the world. Stars Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder have never looked more gorgeous and the amazing Terence Stamp (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) makes for one of the genre's greatest super villains.
Blade is one of the comics' first major black superheroes, and as embodied by Wesley Snipes in the first movie, a badass half-vampire/half human intent on avenging his mother's death (and his own creation) at the hands of the vampire Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorf). Snipes is all too grim and all too serious in the original, but in the hands of a genius director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labrynth), Blade comes into his own in the stylish sequel. Recruited by the vampire elite to fight a new breed of vampire led by the blood-thirsty Nomak (Luke Goss), Blade must reconcile his hatred of vampires with his love for one of their royals, Princess Nyssa (Leonor Varela). It's darker, bloodier and more exciting than both the original and it's rather lame follow-up, Blade: Trinity.
After cutting his teeth on the overblown and often confusing X-Men, director Bryan Singer got down to business and made what, at the time, was the best superhero movie ever. Many members of the LGBT community credit the openly gay Singer for drawing parallels between themselves and the persecuted mutants of the X-Men comics. Starring hunk-a-licious Hugh Jackman in a role he seems saddled with until he loses his looks; sultry Famke Janssen; Patrick Stewart; Halle Berry; Sir Ian McKellan and a slew of terrific supporting players, X2 is an exciting and inspiring entry into the genre.
Marvel Studios' first fully financed film takes one of their minor characters and elevates him to superstar status, thanks to dircetor Jon Favreau (Elf; Zathura) and a simply terrific performance from super-talented Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role. Downey's zillionaire Tony Stark is a concieted and arrogant creep who learns his lesson when captured in the desert by middle eastern terrorists and forced to build a superweapon. Instead, he builds a super suit and thus is born a superhero. Funny, exciting and loaded with terrific CGI FX, Iron Man was one of three outstanding superhero movies of the past summer.
Del Toro's sequel to Hellboy is simply a visual orgy whose gorgeous images can only really be appreciated upon multiple viewings. When Elf Prince Nuada (Luke Goss, again) decides to take back the Earth from mankind by ressurecting the unstoppable, automatonic Golden Army, it is up to Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his team to save mankind. Perlman, who has spent most of his acting career under layers of latex (TV's "Beauty and the Beast"), gives his best performance as the superhero most people hate - and whose destiny is to bring about Armageddon - while the supporting cast (Selma Blair, Doug Jones and the always hilarious Jeffrey Tambor) just add to the fun. Simply amazing.
How much more can be written and/or discussed about Christopher Nolan's masterpiece? His follow-up to the astoundingly good Batman Begins is quite simply the best superhero movie ever (though many expect Zack Snyder's forthcoming Watchmen to snatch that title away, come next March). Part crime-thriller; part noir mystery and all superhero adventure, The Dark Knight owes much of its success to the astonishing performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker. It is the the third of this past summer's three great superhero movies, and the first in the genre to stand a legitimate chance at winning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Nolan) and Best Supporting Actor (Ledger). Should it win any (or all) of these awards, it would be a coup for the genre and a victory for fanboys everywhere. Quite simply an astonishing achievement in filmmaking, no matter what the genre.
Every film genre has its subcatagories, though none seems to have as many as the horror movie. There are ghost movies, monster movies, slasher movies, J-horror movies, Italian giallo movies, torture-porn movies, pyschological horror movies and my favorite, zombie movies.
Zombies have been around for a long time and are actually part of Haitian Voodoo traidtion. A haungin (Voodoo priest) uses his juju (magic powers) to create a zombie slave out of his intended victim, first by simulating the victim's death and then enslaving the "dead" person, all through the use of powerful drugs derived from native plants. These zombies are actually living persons, though they appear for all intents and purposes, to be the "living dead," as seen in my first entry:
Producer Val Lewton, best known for the atmospheric and chilling original version of Cat People, made this serious zombie movie about a nurse sent to care for the mysterioously ill wife of sugar plantation owner. Creepy and quiet, I Walked with a Zombie has nothing to do with flesh-eating corpses and everything to do with tension and mood. The script by Curt Siodmak (The Wolfman) is smart and clever, but it's director Jacques Tournier's use of lighting and sound effects that make this one creepy little movie. of At just 69 minutes long, it's well worth a look see.
Horror maven Wes Craven made this nifty thriller, inspired by the true story of a doctor (Bill Pullman) who travels to Haiti in search of the infamous zombie drug, intent on finding a new type of anesthetic. He soon finds himself drawn into the political intrigue of the infamously unstable country and runs afoul of the local haungin (Zakes Mokae), who ends up turning the doctor into a zombie, himself. Weird and claustrophobic, it also has nothing to do with flesh-eating corpses, and everything to do with psychological torture and Haitian Voodoo mysticism. "Don't bury me... I'm not dead!"
Pittsburgh has never been the same, since indie filmmaker George Romero made his classic film there, turning the zombie genre on its ear and redefining the modern horror film. Night of the Living Dead was shocking not just for its graphic depictions of cannibalism, but for its pointed social commentary about racism. Spawning 5 Romero-helmed sequels (Romero's ...of the Dead is currently in pre-production) and countless imitators and re-makes, Night of the Living Dead is undoubtedly the grand-daddy of the modern zombie movie (and the inspiration for an entire subculture of zombie wannabes).
Ten years after the original, Romero made an even better film with the sequel, Dawn of the Dead. I borrowed my father's car and headed over to the local midnight show alone, because my friends were all too afraid to go with me. Before the movie started, the theater manager came out to address the crowd of mostly twenty-something stoners and horror geeks who had turned out to pack the dollar theater (which was charging full price for this engagement), warning us that the movie was upsetting and made people want to smoke (!?), which was expressly forbidden. Of course, as soon as the lights went down, at least a dozen joints were lit and passed around. But all of us soon forgot about our buzz and got down to watching this horrific and fascinating comment on mindless consumerism. With startlingly real special effects courtesy of mad-genius Tom Savini (who has a cameo as a biker), Dawn of the Dead is intense, frightening and even funny and is undoubtedly Romero's best entry in the series.
Director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) remade Romero's classic in 2004, eschewing social commentary for balls-out horror in the story of a group of zombie holocaust survivors who hole up in a local shopping mall. Hardly subtle, Snyder's version features Sarah Polly, Ving Rhames, Matt :Max Headroom" Frewer and cameos by Savini and the original's star, Ken Foree. Violent freaky and very gory, it's one of the few movie remakes I like almost as much as the orignal.
"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth."
Director Peter Jackson (yes, that Peter Jackson) started his career making horror movies in his native New Zealand. Released as Braindead in the rest of the world, Dead Alive is quite simply the most outrageous horror movie ever made. When nerdy simp Lionel takes local hotiie Paquita on a date to the zoo, they are followed by Lionel's overbearing mum, Vera. In short time, Vera is bitten by a 'Sumatran Rat-Monkey' and soon dies from a mysterious infection which brings her back to life as a flesh-hungry zombie. Despite Lionel's best efforts to control her, Vera son infects several others and a zombie plague is quickly underway. I've written about this movie several times (and probably will again), but it is always worth talking about, if only for what must have thousands of gallons of fake blood spilled in its making. Hilarious and supremely gross, Dead Alive is just brilliant. "Your mother ate my dog!"
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28 Days Later (2002)
Director Danny Boyle (Train Spotting, Slumdog Millionaire) reinvented teh zombie genre again with this British entry which introduced both baby-faced Cillian Murphy and the concept of fast zombies. Technically, the creatures in Boyle's apocalyptic thriller aren't zombies, just folks infected with a virus called Rage (released by a bunch of do-gooder animal rights activists when they attempt to free lab monkeys). A simply chilling view of science gone wrong.
Director Edgar Wright and co-writer/star Simon Pegg are responsible for this screamingly funny entry into the genre. Shaun lives a life of dreary repetiveness, moving through his day barely acknowledging the world around him. He and his mates end up every night at the same pub and his girlfriend is ready to dump him for his inability to grow up. When the zombie plague hits, Shaun barely notices the changes, but those changes end up changing his life (and those of his friends and family) forever - and for the better. Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean:Dead Man's Chest; Love, Actually), Nick Frost and Kate Ashfield head up the talented and very funny cast. In an homage to Romero, Frost screams "We're coming to get you, Barbara!" into the phone to Shaun's mum. Sadly, I was the only person in the theater who laughed at that one.
Carrie Ann Moss (The Matrix), Dylan Baker (Spiderman) and Billy Connolly (The Boondock Saints) head up the cast of Canadian director Andrrew Currie's satire of zombies, 1950's television and a megacorporate greed. Using modern technology, zombies have been turned into domestic servants, performing tasks most humans would find humiliating. When Timmy's family finally get their own zombie (Connolly), Timmy names him 'Fido" and the fun begins. Dead-on hilarious, Fido deserves to be seen by both Lassie and zombie fans, alike. "What's wrong boy? Is Timmy in trouble?"
Another entry from New Zealand, Black Sheep isn't technically a zombie movie, though it certainly has all the earmarkings of, and owes a load of debt to, the genre. An overly ambitious sheep farmer attempts to breed the perfect sheep and hires a crazed geneticist (is there any other kind?) to help him. When do-gooder animal rights activists (damn them and their PETA-loving ways!) attempt to expose what's happening on the farm, tehy release a mutant sheep embryo which results in a plague of man-eating sheep, whose surviving victims soon find themselves becoming - for lack of a better term - weresheep. Crazy, gruesome and laugh-out-loud funny, Black Sheep also features an inevitable and hilarious take on the "shepherd's relief" scenario. If you've never seen this Kiwi gem from writer/director Jonathan King, do yourself a favor and get to Blockbuster.
World AIDS Day is almost over and I sort of feel guilty... I didn't even wear a red ribbon today.
As many of you know, I am a founding board member of the James Tolin Memorial Fund , a non-profit which produces an annual theatrical event to raise money for both Arts Education and support services for NJ residents living with HIV/AIDS. In June of 2009, the JTMF will be producing Paul Rudnick's play The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told. The event will include a catered reception and a silent auction with loads of fabulous items up for bid. It will also honor the memory of a local actor who was lost to AIDS-related illness in 2001.
There is no denying that HIV/AIDS is a devastating illness which affects millions, worldwide (mostly in Africa and other under-developed regions). Still, HIV infection among young Americans (mostly African-Americans and Latinos) is on the rise. In Africa, ignorance, pride and fear are the greatest contributors to the disease. In the U.S., it's hubris. Advancement in medicine has greatly extended the life-expectancy among those infected, so many no longer see it as a threat. But make no mistake, AIDS kills.
When first identified in the early 80's, the Reagan administration did little (if anything) to support research and funding into its cure. That is, without a doubt, the result of the perception that AIDS is a "gay disease." The truth is, HIV/AIDS infections are higher among straights than gays, worldwide. And while education and safe-sex practices are still the best defense against this horrible disease, most people still think of it as a "gay disease." And there are still those members of the Religious Right who believe that AIDS is God's punishment for homosexuality. How sad.
So now, in the last half-hour of World AIDS Day, I urge everyone of you reading this to do something, anything, to help stop the spread of this pernicious and devastating disease. Write to Congress and urge more funding. Put a dollar in a collection jar. Attend a fund-raiser. Talk to your children about using condoms. Use a condom yourself. Every little bit helps. Just remember, the life you save may be that of someone you love (or even your own).
Next I watched the comic-book-inspired Wanted, starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and Terence Stamp in a story about a wimpy and neurotic accountant named Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) who is unable to find a single entry about himself on Google, but is soon recruited by a secret society of assassins known only as "The Fraternity." Fox (Jolie) tells Wesley that his father was the greatest assassin who ever lived and that he had been killed that very morning. Wesley, believing his father abandoned him as a baby, is hesitant until he starts getting shot at.
