Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Land of the Splotless Minds
Been working a lot of hours and been really tired lately for some reason, which is why I haven't been writing as much here as I used to. Sorry about that.
Saw a bunch of movies recently, and I've been working on some reviews for other places. If they happen, I'll announce it here. My Dawn of the Dead (the remake) review should be up on Weird Times any day now. When it is, I'll let ya know.
I also saw the new Jim Carrey movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This got me hooked with the trailer - it looked like a throwback to the movies of the 70's. You know, wacky stuff like Midnight Cowboy and The Graduate. But it's something else entirely. It's another peek into the mind of Charlie Kaufman who also wrote Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. This guy has got to be the most creative screenwriter working today.
The new movie is about a process that wipes your mind of whatever's troubling you. In this case, a bad relationship. Clementine (Kate Winslet) is bored with her relationship with Joel (Carrey) and just decides one day to have the procedure done and she won't remember any of the time they shared together. Joel finds out (after he sees Clementine at the Barnes and Noble where she works and she doesn't seem to recognize him) and goes to have his memories of her erased in retaliation. The thing is, while they are wiping her from his mind, Joel realizes he doesn't want to forget about their time together and does everything in his power to hold onto her.
Most of the movie takes place in Joel's mind, so it can get pretty surreal at times. But this is a comedy about ideas, about what it's like to be a human being, and it's much more ambitious that most of the projects Jim Carrey has been, including his attempts at drama. Charlie Kaufman's screenplays are solid gold, and this one is no exception.
We also get to meet the people doing the erasing. A bunch of assholes who eat Joel's food and drink his wine while they are erasing him, not to mention getting laid in the bed next to him. These frisky folks are played by Mark Ruffalo (so great in You Can Count On Me) and Kirstin Dunst. There's also Elijah Wood who is using Joel's memories of Clementine to get into her pants (Frodo, that sleazy fuck!). Despite their lack of scruples, the three of them are pretty funny. There's also the doctor in charge of everything (Tom Wilkinson, also a big reason to see In the Bedroom), who appears to be the one voice of reason through all this, but who has peccadiloes of his own.
All in all, a clever, original movie that might be the best thing Carrey has done so far. Definitely worth checking out.
Also saw Secret Window starring the always fascinating Johnny Depp, but once again, there's a possibility that a review might be popping up elsewhere. So I'll keep you posted.
***
On a more serious note. I've been listening to the Howard Stern Show for over 20 years now. I started when he was back on WNBC in New York. while I was in college. The guy has made many a miserable morning tolerable, and has given me more than my share of laughs over the years.
A lot of people think his show is just about strippers and the like, but it's so much more than that. The dude is well-thought out, funny as hell, and one of the best interviewers on the planet, getting information out of celebrities that nobody else can. One of the best segments on the show has always been the news, where they make you hurt yourself laughing at the latest headlines. A lot of people are Stern fans, and for good reason. The guy makes a habit of talking straight about the way things are, and he makes it funny to boot.
Well, the latest bullshit with the FCC has been more than a little distressing. This isn't just about Stern. It's about all of us - and our right to listen to what we want to, and say what we want to. Our basic rights, especially free speech, are under fire here.
They keep talking about a cultural war going on, and in a way it's true. On one side is the people who want to be parents to everybody - tell us what to watch, what to listen to, what to think. And then there's those of us who think a free country means just that. And we don't need anyone making our decisions for us. People can be parents to their kids, but when they want to extend that to the whole country, that's when it becomes a problem.
If you want to know more about what's going on, just go to
Stern's own website. He tells you how to complain to the FCC, and gives a complete rundown of the bullshit he's been going through lately. If you're concerned about free speech, you'll do yourself a service checking it out.
That's it for me this week. Until next time..
Infernally Yours,
~LLS
Thursday, March 11, 2004
First off, my latest movie review is up on Weird Times.com. It's about the reissue of the 1960 French horror classic, Eyes Without a Face, and you can read it by clicking this link.
Otherwise, not awhole lot of news yet. Got a few things brewing, but nothing I can announce, except that the new issue of Lullaby Hearse magazine should be coming out sometime this month, featuring stories by myself and Laura.
More news as things develop.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Post-Oscars
Well, I thought the Oscars were a real snooze this year. Every single front-runner in each category won, and Lord of the Rings swept every single technical category they were nominated for, as well as the big awards for Best Director and Picture. It got really monotonous when they kept announcing "Return of the King" for 11 times and the same faces kept appearing on the TV screen. As for the acting awards, Charlize Theron deserved it and was pretty much a shoe-in for Best Actress. As for Sean Penn taking Best Actor - I think the guy is a really good actor and that he was worthy of it, but man, was I pissed off that Bill Murray didn't get it this time around. I mean, Penn was great in Mystic River, but he's had similar roles before (hell, even this year he had another meaty role in a movie I thought was even better, 21 Grams), and he'll get meaty roles again. Meanwhile, Lost in Translation was written specifically for Bill Murray and he was perfect in it. Who knows if he'll get another role this good again. So I guess I felt Murray got robbed.
But there were no surprises and nothing all that exciting. Everything they predicted would win, won. Even Billy Crystal was back, to prove just how overrated he is. I never understood why everyone thinks this guy is like Mr. Oscars. He had a couple of good jokes, but I thought Steve Martin did just as good a job if not better last year, and hell I even thought David Letterman did a good job - at least he did something totally different when it was his turn.
The day before I saw the Independent Spirit Awards on IFC, and it was so much better. More diverse films were nominated, and more diverse films won. It wasn't just one big movie sweeping everything. And John Waters hosted it. He's done it four times in a row now, but unlike Crystal, he doesn't get tired. I think John Waters is a friggin genius and while not all of his jokes worked, at least he has a more edgy, smart sense of humor than the usual Hollywood stiffs. He's the real deal when it comes to hosts.
I still think Kill Bill was totally robbed. Not one fuckin' nomination. Maybe Volume 2 will be more of a critical darling. In the meantime, it's been a so-so year so far movie-wise. I hope things kick into high gear soon.
