nasty

Here's a real mess and I don't care.

Sky 130 - happy movie skies

In contrast to the HP 7.1 skies, are the skies of "Nottinghill" or the lack of skies. It is a very bright movie and sunny skies are implied more than seen. Here are a couple.

The sky over the Ritz as William goes to meet Anna Scott, the famous actress.

Anna is troubled and goes to see Will. Things are uncertain. One of the few cloudy skies in the movie.

My favorite sequence is watching six months of weather compressed into two minutes as Will walks through Nottinghill. There is fall rain followed by winter snow, followed by spring blooming. Skies implied, not seen. From dark to light as Will gets through the time without Anna.

My theory is that expansive sky is for mood movies. Perhaps I'll discuss some of that here. Let's see how it goes.

Sky 128 - brooding

Two skies from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. All of the skies are broody-moody. There are a lot of unknowns and the dark skies make it all a bit scary (or scarier).

The first (dis)apparition (teleport) after Ron leaves the group.

A mildly brighter sky after Ron's return as they set off to visit Xenophilius.

All of the skies are artistically lovely, starting right at the beginning with variations on city night skies.

A Movie and Dinner: Have You Heard ...

The Movie
My daughter and I just watched "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" There was actually a line in the movie like that. Which tells you something about the show. In spite of the good story, we both agreed there was something not quite right about the casting and possibly about the directing. It's a funny show, thanks to Hugh Grant. He has comic delivery down, even when the set up lacks conviction. More than once he turned flat dialogue into witty riposte.

Basically, we felt the main issue was Sarah Jessica Parker having problems with comic timing. My daughter felt the setting was wrong. New York is not the sort of place she expected to see a Hugh Grant character. I was okay with it, however I do agree with her that some back story would have helped a lot to make the whingeing husband thoroughly believable. We rewrote the beginning of the movie while sitting over dinner at Carrabba's. We agreed that an opening scene with the "other woman" (bossy, sexy, hard nosed), as the wife picks up her husband at a New York airport, would have set the stage beautifully and let us in on what was happening. And would have made Hugh's character fit in better.

The pairing of Sarah and Hugh needed an international setting. A far away international setting. I suggested that at some point the scene should change to Ibizia or Ischia or some other foreign tourist spot. Can you be relocated to a European resort if you are in the witness protection program? My daughter thought they should go to London, as she can't imagine a Hugh character outside of England.

The professional killer character had no a comic edge, which I felt detracted from the show. Instead of being serious counterpoint, the killer scenes were a time to stop being funny, an interruption. Maybe if he had been Italian and succeeded accidentally that might have been humorous. Or if he had looked funny. The whole humor of the show is not quite gauche enough to be slap stick and not quite dry enough to be witty.

We also agreed that the whole western thing was everyone only pretending to be western — Hollywood's idea of the cowboy, sort of thing. The clown bull had a lot of unrealized comic potential. Sam Elliot was luscious and Mary Steenburgen played a convincing gun-toting cowgirl, but we both felt they were too strong for the backdrop.

My daughter had issues with the two secretaries. They both seemed stiff, but, overall were fairly believable. More believable together, I thought, than Hugh and Sarah's characters.

The movie did do it's primary job — it got us to buy tickets and sit in the theatre. However, if it hadn't been the holidays and my daughter wasn't visiting from Kansas, I doubt I would have gone to see it. I was curious about the bear and I like Hugh Grant, so perhaps I would have gone on my own, but probably not. There are few exceptions to my waiting to see movies until they are released as videos rule. This was not an exception.

The Dinner
I caved in and finally let myself be pulled into Carrabba's. I've refused to go on the principle that I never go where everyone else goes. It generally isn't worth it. The whole trees-growing-on-the-roof thing really smacks of circus. How good can food be when they have to resort to flashy tactics? I thought my fears were realized as we sat waiting for our meal under fake grape vines over rough wooden trellises. However, the food is utterly amazing — from the fresh yeasty bread to the house salad, braised spinach and tilapia special. Absolutely excellent. The service was quite good — the waiter responsive and alert, the runner ebullient and enthusiastic. I may go back just for the spinach. A lot of garlic though. If you go make sure you take the people you live with along so that the smell of garlic won't put them off you for the rest of the evening.

what I'm watching right now

I am Spock!

Elaine Unemployed - Day 10 of 24

Today was a bad day. Yesterday was a good day – a very good day. How does that happen? I don't know. I woke up unsure of what day it was. Had to go through yesterday's events to figure it out.

Today was a no-dress day. I put clothes on but I didn't get dressed. I did laundry and some freelance work. I walked the dog.

Yesterday I met a friend for lunch who thankfully listened to me talk about my search and did not suggest what a million others have suggested: part-time or joe jobs.

I plan to write more and, especially, write a tips list for those of you with unemployed friends. Here's an important DON'T. DON'T tell them how to look for work. There's no one who knows better how to look for work than an unemployed person, especially one who's been unemployed for eight months. Sometimes I think others believe I just haven't got it yet. Well, I have. Believe me.

Unemployed? Need tip? Hah!!

The Viggo Front
I'm watching "Ruby Cairo" (1992 - aka "Deception") for the second time. I'm determined to keep it for all of the five days Blockbuster allows because it took seven times (and six weeks and four free rentals) of getting the wrong movie ("Deception" - 2008) from the online service before I finally got the right one. Had to go to the store to get it, too. The best scenes of Viggo's character are the ones where he has a beard. So excellent. Lots of energy and confidence. Very believable. The directing lacks a bit of zip. The movie is worth watching anyway.

Real Slum - No Millionaire

View a video presentation from the LA Times about real conditions in the slums of Mumbai. Now, don't you have a lot to be thankful for?

My Highest Rated Movies: Another Widget

But a very nice one.

Mystery of the Two-Minutes Movies

Every now and then I feel like watching something in an uncommitted sort of way for about two or three, possible ten, minutes. So I flick on the iMac remote and switch over to watching movie trailers. Now that the final Harry Potter book is out, I'll even watch HP trailers. They put so much in trailers these days that you can almost watch the whole movie in two minutes. They're like potato chips. You can't watch just one.

They are lovely. Many of them in high definition which looks so good on my 24 inch high resolution monitor.

The mystery is that in the theater I hate previews. I think mostly because in the theater they choose them for me and I'm not there to watch previews. I'm there to watch a movie. I'm not interested in chips. I want a full course meal. In the theater they should pay me to watch previews. Especially the ones totally unrelated to the movie I came to see. Like the horror previews they show before a comedy. Who came up with that?

I guess that solves the mystery.

The Vig and I

Mr. Mortensen (Viggo, VM, The Vig - The Vig? I ask you!) is doing much better than I expected. Good for him. Apparently VM has taken over the Toronto Film Festival with the release of three films.

My best hope at the moment is his performance in The Road. I'm really looking forward to seeing the film. The stills look so gritty and intense. They bring back that Ranger character (The Lord of the Rings) I love so much. If, as rumor has it, he may be up for another Oscar nomination, I hope it's for The Road and I hope he gets the nod and the prize. As a western dude he looks wooden. Of course I haven't seen Appaloosa yet, but from the previews he looks a bit of a board. What do I know? I've only watched a million movies in my life.

He's a damn good looking guy and does a great impersonation of a 100-year-old ranger and an ex-con (A History of Violence). I haven't liked him too much in his other movies, except the one with Kirk Douglas (A Perfect Murder). I liked the stills of him as a romantic Spanish swashbuckler.

My opinion is definitely skewed by his performance in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (which was my first exposure to VM) where he did a great job in a part that was made for him. And if it wasn't made for him, he sure made it look that way. VM may prefer directors that give him his head, but Peter Jackson's direction developed a his acting in a way that has no comparison to other roles VM has played.

The fashionable VM! He gets nothing but accolades these days. He has worked hard and long to get them. However, I persist in my view that his acting is over rated. He is a talented artist, able to express himself in music, poetry and art and various combinations thereof. I do wish him well. I just think he could do so much better if he were to settle down and focus on something. My plan would be the life of an itinerant poet, like Homer, only wilder and more diverse. Or maybe acting roles as complex esoteric characters which could bring out his natural depth.

Ah, well. It's not my life is it?

My Bad Eastern Promises

Okay. I was a little harsh reviewing Viggo in Eastern Promises, which goes to show me that I shouldn't review thespians I admire right after watching a performance. I have this way of expecting a lot of everyone and even more of those I like.

While catching up on the Google Analytics for this blog, I noticed a spike of interest in Viggo's "Time Waits for Everyone" between the 19th and 23rd of January (Analytics tells me how my pages are found and what search terms bring visitors to my posts). A little research reveals that was when the Oscar Nomination for Mr. Mortensen was announced. Why this drove searchers to look for "Time Waits for Everyone" is a question whose answer I am leaving to anyone who already knows. What I did find were lots of viewer comments that were nicer than mine. Including the one about the over 50 bunch getting their second wind. Doh! I should have caught that.

Time passes. I see things differently and it's not because of the nomination. His acting was good but I still prefer the gentler, more sensitive portrayals. A nomination should go to David Cronenberg for directing.

I'd better stop before this hole gets any deeper.

Shakespeare Wallah

I have played many great dramatic roles in my time.
— Manjula

I've watched at least 256 movies. That's how many I've rated at Blockbuster Online. All along I've been following the actors and actress. I've followed Meryl Streep, Orlando Bloom, Hugh Grant, Hugh Jackson, Renee Zellweger, John Wayne, Jim Carrey, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, and lately Viggo Mortensen, to name a few.

This year for Mother's Day one of my sons gave me the complete DVD animated collection of "Aeon Flux" (because he a smart guy). I watched everything and discovered Peter Chung, the genius behind Aeon Flux. Peter not only did the art he also created the stories. Over the summer I watched "Venus." It was an interesting story and struck me in much the same way that "Slaves of New York" had. All three movies have a sort of eeriness or wildness about them which led me to focus on story.

Once I started focusing on story I found other movies by the script writer who had written "Venus." They seemed a bit more over the edge than I was comfortable with. So I turned to my most favorite movie of all time, "Slaves of New York", and focused on direction.

The director, James Ivory, was a hit. I've got a list of movies in my Blockbuster Queue that he directed. Shakespeare Wallah is the last one I watched.

James Ivory (and Ismail Merchant) makes movies about unusual people living ordinary lives. "Slaves of New York" is about artists making a living. "Shakespeare Wallah" is about actors making a living. They're both sympathetic and honest tales. Another of his movies, "Five Forty-Eight," has the same quiet, matter-of-fact tone showing ordinary people doing mildly insane things as if they were everyday occurrences.

I'm not really sure how the tone is conveyed. Maybe it's the eye level camera or the straight on angles or the inclusion of everyday details in the frame. There's also something in the low-key delivery of the actors and actresses. As if James were making a documentary.

Actors do bring a lot to a part, especially talented, well-trained and experienced actresses/actors. I can't say who brings how much. Earlier today I was playing around with Director=75% Actress/Actor=25%. Well, there has to be a part for the writer, of course. Actually, I think there has to be a troop, a regular bunch of people who come together to produce similar stories.

It's all about knowing what to watch. I'm still having a hard time at the video rental store. Perhaps after watching a few more Ivory Merchant Productions I'll have an easier time of it. Just pulling out movies that are similar, like "Blade Runner" (my second favorite movie or is it "Defending Your Life" which I have watched more times than any other movie?) and "Memories" doesn't work. And never tell me, "You'll like this. It's much better than X."

I know. It's a stupid problem but it's my problem and I'm going to keep working on it.

I have a new Daemon

I like this one better than the Raven.

after Eastern Promises (copious spoilers)

I'm trying hard to like the show but I don't. I am moderately enraged about some really stupid things. Here they are:
1. The do. No, it's not a plot point. It is a semblance of traditional hair arrangements of European men and piled way too high. Granted there are other men in the film with similar dos, but not that high.
2. The grimace. It's over done. True, men (and women) in the Urals and other Eurpeanish places do tend to get grimacey-looking and wrinkled liked old hacks. It's part of their resignation to chance. However, they do not grimace. It's more like carrying a heavy weight. A slight grimace would have served here to make his face reflect that philosophy.
3. The chin. I understand the mannerism, seen in bullies and other forward men, to lead with the chin. Maybe I'm oversensitive. I got real tired of that dimple. It might have been me. I had a similar experience watching Demi Moore in "Ghost" as she raked her hands through her shockingly short hair.
4. Physical disparity. He is too tall to be a European man. Okay. He is a European man but he's too tall to be a Russian. Undoubtedly there are tall Russians (sounds like a drink doesn't it?), but he didn't look truly Russian except in some of the stagier shots. Also, he's too handsome to be a chopped up gangster although much was made of his broken upper lip.

What I did like were the stance and mannerisms. The accent was good although a bit thin at times -- some of which was explained by Nikolai being a plant. Best scenes for characterization were the corpse chopping scene and the one where he is told to shut down his operation and responds by pulling open his hospital robe and saying, "If you do we will be wasting this..." and shows his stars.

As in "Miss Potter," the American actors make much bigger gestures than a typical European would. There is something understated and ancient in the movements of a European that an American can not easily imitate. I was once identified as an American just from the way I stood in line for immigration in Cyprus. Americans just act different. The disparity got in the way.

Cronenberg almost said something to me. Like "A History of Violence" there was something beneath the surface that probably was obvious to the director. Something that came out beautifully in "The Fly." In this show it was a like a tease or a preview of coming attractions. He almost said something but pulled back at the last moment, or placed it somewhere beyond the closing curtain.

This was not a subtle movie. It was a movie with huge swatches of violence, a strong caricature which stuck out like a red light, and an ending that was patently resolved if not happy. I didn't feel the pathos that I did after "The Fly." Maybe it was the story.

I can't end without a comment on the naked fight scene. It was an interesting study in logistics and strategy. As a set piece, it did have a purpose in the plot and served that purpose well. Having studied art and drawn uncounted nudes of all types of physiques, I'm a little blase about nakedness. I forget that there are those who find that sort of thing sensational. It served that purpose perfectly as well.

Mr. Mortensen did offer an excellent performance, even if it was a bit heavy-handed and a bit too overly characterized for me. The story was intriguing and consistent. The other actors were well-cast and created excellent believable characters, especially Vincent Cassel who's ability to project the many ranges of insanity with such force and energy was amazing. Naomi was so subtle as to be almost invisible. The tableau of Nikolai and Anna standing in a filthy alley while gazing down at the baby (not the one where they look into each other's eyes, although that was a nice kiss and farewell) was too short. Very Joseph and Mary stuff. Oh yeah. The scene in which Nikolai is offered his stars is totally great. Many thanks to Armin Mueller-Stahl for playing such a nice huggy-bear crazy grandpapa.There's a man who knows how to carry his world weariness.

I hoped I would find an answer to the question of why Viggo Mortensen chooses to create characters that are the opposite of who he appears to be in his art and poetry. I didn't find one in this show. It's got to be really painful to do something that offends personal sensibilities. Maybe that's the point. Whatever it is, I'm disembarking from the Mortensen-Cronenberg Bus. I've had enough of violence. I don't need to get any more in the theater. Besides, I think film three is going to be only about Viggo and Naomi and the start of some international movie franchise. Canaukwood?

Viggo would make a great crazy street person a la Howard Hughes or the Rain Man. Wonder why he doesn't do something like that? You know, undercover deranged autistic person saves the world or reinvents morality. Or turns out to be a once-respected brilliant mathematician who holds the key to world peace? noblesse oblige ha ha

before Eastern Promises

Most of you know I am a fan of Viggo Mortensen, although not an adoring fan. I am not the adoring type. I do plan to see the latest release he stars in. I've watched teasers and previews, it's not Potter after all.

Viggo looks ridiculous. There's one scene in which his hair stands nearly as high as his face is long. He looks like a buffoon and seems to be acting like one especially when seen next to his co-star Naomi Watts. I noticed Cronenberg took pains to not have them in the same shot except for one (in the previews anyway - I haven't seen the movie, of course) in which he hands Naomi a scrap of paper. Then he looks like he really knows what he's doing (and the big head is gone - I really had to stop myself from bursting out in laughter in that scene). So, that whole buffoon thing could just be a plot point. I hope.

I've read some reviews. One person went so far as to mention the "A" word but I don't think the Academy likes to be told what to do or even to be given hints. Variety seems to like the show but then I haven't read the entire review because, actually, I don't want to know the details before I go. Most of the reviews are just this side of favorable. Some have even labeled him a good actor with classic depth.

I'm trying to work in the movie around my "spa" day. I've had the massage and there will be a manicure after lunch. Later, a hair trim. In the evening I'll probably do the usual and visit The Byrd Theatre for a last run show. So, if I can work in death and destruction and naked fighting before light comedy, that could work.

Harry Potter and The Great Big Movie Machine

I'm rereading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to remind myself of how the story (as opposed to the movie) is really supposed to go. I'm wondering how they are going to bring back the Room of Requirement for the sixth movie after blasting it apart in the fifth. The Room of Requirement is a critical scene for a lot of what happens in the sixth Harry Potter book (... and the Half Blood Prince).

Come to that, I'm wondering how they will overcome the mistake of having Voldemort call Lily Potter a muggle in the fourth movie when her accomplishments as a talented potions witch figure quite prominently in sixth book.

There's a rather large and silly contingent in Hollywood that seems to think they can rob creative vehicles and mangle them any way they choose without regard for the internal logic of the source piece. I'm still reeling from a director's assertion that there won't be any mention of God in the making of the movies for His Dark Materials as God is a critical plot point of Philip Pullman's trilogy. (The Golden Compass soon to be released.)

I expect they'll come up with some lame nefarious device to pull it all together. Perhaps spit balls?
[golden compass shockwave file removed due to obsolescence]

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (movie)

grumble grumble mumble mutter sigh
The movie is never like the book. The third movie was the best so far. They've got the characters right anyway. Luna is lovely (perfect actually) and Umbridge is awful (nearly perfect). I began to wonder how many kinds of pink one woman can wear. I was planning on waiting for the weekend, but I'm dying to dive into the site and see all there is to see. There is one little thing that really irked me but I can't really see how they could have translated it to the movie. I'll wait on that until I can be reasonably sure most everyone has seen it.

The Last Book
There should be a complete and total black out in all media until at least the evening of the 22nd. It is truly silly the shenanigans some people get up to just so they can spoil a surprise.

I won! I'm done!

Oh YIPPIE-TIE-ONE-ON! I'm done with the crazy script. It won't play anywhere but in my head, most likely. I had to invent all sorts of rediculous stuff to finish it. But now I know I can write a script. Next time I will have a plan or an outline or a least a plot before I start. Wow! Now I can work on that script I've been thinking about for years. I have the confidence to do it. I really love this feeling of being done. I feel great!

things that bring tears to my eyes

1. The New Apple Mac OS X - Leopard. You must watch the fabulous tour and see the new Finder with stacks, Quick Look, Spaces, totally unbelievable Mail and outrageous iChat backgrounds. But my very favorite: Time Machine. Never lose a file again – ever! And find it easily, too. The only drawback: you need an external drive. No problem. I have one. I'm ready.
2. The New Improved iPhone. The darn thing isn't even released yet and already they've improved it! This tour shows you YouTube. I may throw my computer away, or at least my laptop. If I had one.
3. The Pantone home page flash highlighting 56 new spot colors. It's super "touch" sensitive. I don't know how they did it. It's not just a pattern, it's an algorithm. A new home page is not on the same order of magnitude as the Apple stuff, but even little improvements need to be celebrated. I love the whole Pantone site. It's very smart.
4. MirrorMask (2005) makes me wonder where I've been my whole life and why I wasn't first in line at the theater when this came out. The marketers stupdily missed my demographic completely. Fire the marketers! This is the most innovative movie to come out in this or any century. The story, the plot, the sets, the effects – it's all highly creative and like nothing else anywhere. I don't like horror and don't read Neal Gaiman but there's something in his collaboration with Dave McKean that catalyzes an entirely new reality. One which I not only wish to live in, but to die for and invest in. I may need a 3-day cooling off period.

I guess what's really going on is others knocking themselves out for me. It's so endearing. Ah, yes. I have put the "Queen" in alien drifter.