Tuesday, December 27, 2005
NEW STORY NEWS!
Well, I got some great news this week. The magazine HORROR GARAGE has bought my story, "The No! Place" for publication in Issue # 11 (the next issue!). I've been wanting to get something in published in HORROR GARAGE for a long time now, and was really psyched by this good news. I'll let you know when the magazine comes out. In the meantime, check out the cool HORROR GARAGE website here.
Until next we meet again, in 2006, I'd like to wish you all a very Happy New Year!
COMING SOON: THE BEST OF 2005 lists!
APES, WOLVES AND MOUNTAINS!
Saw a bunch of new movies this past weekend. Here's a rundown:
KING KONG
Well, I finally saw the new Peter Jackson version of KING KONG. Here are some thoughts I had on it:
At three hours long, the movie could have used some editing and tightening up. It was too long and ponderous and should have focused a lot more on its good stuff.The first hour or so kinda crawls by. Once they actually get to Skull Island, the movie is terrific (the scene where Kong fights the T-Rexes is just great!). I'm not much of a special effects nut, but I do think Kong looked really good through most of the movie. In only a couple of instances did he look a little fake, but on the whole, Kong was a very impressive effect. When Kong comes to New York, I think things crossed over into being just plain sappy, though, which bummed me out.
As for the casting. I can't tell if Jack Black was badly cast or not. For most of the film, he didn't bother me too much. He was okay as Denham. But the ending - I dunno - when he said the "immortal" line "It was Beauty that killed the beast" it sounded like the punchline to a joke. Him reading that line just sounded lame to me. I'm also not a big fan of Adrien Brody. He was okay I guess, but they could have found someone with more charisma (Thomas Kretschmann as Captain Englehorn was more heroic than he was, even if that heroism was fueled by greed). The only person who really stood out for me was Naomi Watts. She was beautiful and believable as Ann Darrow. I really dig her and I've been a big fan of hers since MULHOLLAND DRIVE.
I was actually a little disappointed with the whole "spider cave" scene that was storyboarded for the original film and never made. Here - it just was too much and too little. Too much of all the little creepy crawly things that came out of the woodwork (giant grasshoppers, leeches, bugs of all kinds), and too little of one big dominating menace. There were spider-like creatures who came out at the end, but in the original film it was supposed to be one massive giant spider that dwarfed everything else down there. No big monster spider here. Just a lot of smaller ones. It just seemed like too much on the screen and not enough focus. Also - what was up with that Jimmy geek? In one scene he's never fired a gun before, and in the next he's firing a tommy gun at Brody's character, picking off giant insects, and he's a dead shot every time. It made absolutely no sense!
I actually think that Peter Jackson tried to humanize Kong so much that it did cross the line and became some kind of "ridiculous love story." Which wouldn't bother me on a bestiality level. LOL But it does bother me on an overly sappy romantic level. The longing looks in each other's eyes. The loving playfulness on the ice rink toward the end. The way Kong lingered at the edge of death so long just to spend more time with his beauty. I just think it was a missfire. If he'd downplayed it a little bit, it would have been the perfect balance and made the whole story believable, but toward the end he went so overboard that it really seemed like they were lovers. Which is kind of funny, if you think about the fact that no matter how "anatomically correct" they went to make Kong as realistic-looking as possible, there was no way they were going to give him genitals. So here we have a castrated ape who's king of the jungle. Why? Because showing a gigantic penis is way more scary than a giant ape demolishing New York City. HA HA
I guess I’d recommend it, but it’s a mixed bag. The Skull Island sequence is amazing, though, and it’s really something you should see on the big screen.
I actually thought that the original 1933 version was far superior (and you'd be better off spending your money on the new DVD of it). The original Kong might have had primitive-looking effects compared to today’s CGI. But it was pretty much perfect all the way through, and is easily in the same league with classic films such as THE WIZARD OF OZ for a sheer sense of wonder.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
What if the one person you truly loved in the world was the one person you couldn't spend your life with? You couldn't live with them, you couldn't display any affection with them in public, you couldn't even acknowledge your love to anyone else. You could only see them a few times a year - and then in secrecy - and otherwise you'd have to pretend as if the other person didn't exist. How would that make you feel?
Well, these are exactly the questions that are explored in the movie BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Ang Lee's latest film starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhahl as two sheep herders who fall in love in the 1960's west. It all happens unexpectedly, but once it does, each of the two men can't get the other out of his mind. When they go on to get married and start families of their own, they can't help but wonder what it would be like to spend their lives with the person they truly love, which becomes an impossible dream.
This movie has been getting a lot attention for being a "gay cowboy" movie. But it's so much more than that. Both actors do a great job convincing us of their love and longing for each other. Director Ang Lee is at the top of his game here. And the movie has been getting a lot of Oscar buzz - and rightly so. Even if you're not gay, it's easy to sympathize with this movie and its star-crossed lovers. The idea of not being able to ever publicly acknowledge the person you love sounds like one hell of an ache, forcing these men to live lies and make themselves and their "straight" families miserable in the process. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN does a great job of taking this subject and making it universal and emotionally powerful. The supporting actors, especially the underrated Michelle Williams (the best thing to ever come out of DAWSON'S CREEK) and Anne Hathaway, are also very strong here. This movie deserves every award it will probably win.
WOLF CREEK
Finally, I went to go see WOLF CREEK this morning, and I was a little disappointed. This movie has been getting a lot of negative reviews - not because of the quality of the film itself, but because of its "brutality." Movie critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper gave it "two thumbs way down" just for this reason. And yet movies that are total shit like CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 2 don't get half as much bile spewed on them. Which makes absolutely no sense to me. Considering the negative attention, I had to seek this movie out and judge it for myself. And, dare I say it? It just doesn't live up to the hype (or should I say "anti-hype").
There are some good aspects to it. The main one being good characterization. It starts off with a long part where you get to know the three main characters (Liz and Kristy, two girls visiting Australia from England, and Ben, their Australian friend who is driving them around the country to see the sights). We really get to sympathize with them (unlike most American horror movies). By the time the bad stuff starts happening, you're invested in the film, and that makes it head and shoulders above the cookie-cutter Hollywood crap that keeps getting pumped out. You care about these people.
Unfortunately, once things start getting vicious, the movie seems to rush through it. Sure there are a few scenes that are kind of rough (the "head on a stick" scene packs a wallop mainly because of who it involves - people who see the film will understand what I mean), but frankly I didn't think the movie went far enough to warrant the incredible backlash it's been getting.
Aside from the fact that the bad guy, Mick Taylor (played by Aussie actor John Jarratt), is a psycho version of Crocodile Dundee, there's not much fresh and original here. And I wasn't as impressed with Mick as I thought I'd be. People like Quentin Tarantino have been lauding this film and Jarrett's performance - even suggesting he could be the next franchise horror movie character. But that's kind of laughable. Mick isn't very fleshed out in the film. You get no insight into his motivations and you certainly don't feel any sympathy for him.
The movie does play on the isolation of the outback. The atmosphere is good and the way everything seems so far from civilization does add to the hopelessness of these poor people's situation.
But it just seemed to me like the "horror" parts were rushed and the movie ended too soon. There wasn't enough of a payoff for all the time we invested in these characters. I liked WOLF CREEK and thought it was a lot better than most of the horror movies I've seen this year. But to tell you the truth, I wanted to like it even more than I actually did.
Oh well. I guess I'll have to wait for Eli Roth's new film, HOSTEL.
One interesting note. Before WOLF CREEK, they showed five horror movie trailers beforehand. And three of them were remakes (!):
1) THE HILLS HAVE EYES (this time with Claire from LOST) - Another unnecessary remake, this time of Wes Craven's classic 1977 film.
2) WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (this time in a big, fancy house) - Remake of the 1979 film.
3) HOSTEL (I hope Eli Roth delivers the goods this time - the trailer kicks ass).
4) THE LIBERTINE (another movie I can't wait to see, with Johnny Depp as decadent poet Lord Rochester).
5) PULSE - remake of a Japanese horror film from 2001, this time starring a hot Kristin Bell (from VERONICA MARS).
So that's what we have to look forward to in the coming months. Too many damn remakes...
CINEMA KNIFE FIGHT RETURNS IN JANUARY!
For those who have been wondering, the newsletter HELLNOTES takes off a few weeks in December, which means that there won't be a new CINEMA KNIFE FIGHT column this month. No big deal. CKF will be back in January, on the last week of the month. Not sure yet what the movie will be.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
A BIG, FAT UPDATE
Lots to catch up on. Let's start out with some recent concerts:
The Dandy Warhols at the Paradise Theater
The Dandys have to be one of the most maligned groups I can think of. A lot of recent reviews of their new album, Odditorium or the Warlords of Mars, have been negative. And even the review of the concert I saw was condescending, at least in the Boston Globe. Not sure why the Dandy Warhols are the kind of band some people love to hate, but I'm definitely a fan. I dig the new album, hell, all their albums, and have enjoyed everything they've done recently from their part in the movie DIG! (a documentary I totally recommend featuring the rivalry between the Dandys and Anton Newcombe and his band, the Brian Jonestown Massacre) to the fact that their song "We Used to Be Friends" (off their last album, Welcome to the Monkey House) is the theme song for the TV show Veronica Mars. They played "We Used to be Friends" at the end of their show at the Paradise, and it was clear they are getting a little tired of playing it. But isn't that always the way with a band's "big hit." Singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor's voice seemed a little hoarse during the show, but the band gave it their all, and it was an enjoyable time. The Paradise, a small venue near Boston University, was packed to the gills. The Dandys played some other hits, including "Not if You were the Last Junkie on Earth" (their first hit single with the refrain "Heroin is so passe") and "Bohemian Like You" as well as old songs and several off the new album, including the new "hit" "Smoke It." A good show. Opening act The Out Crowd was all right, as far as opening acts go. I later learned that they were headed by Matt Hollywood, former bassist for the Brian Jonestown Massacre (yet another DIG! connection). One great bit - Courtney said "Hey, let's just pretend we went offstage and you all clapped for an encore" and then launched into the final songs, including a cover of "The Little Drummer Boy" for the upcoming chrismas season. Man do I think encores are tedious and it was nice to have someone just jettison the concept for once.
Sinead O'Connor at Avalon
The night began with a reggae band headed by drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare (two of the most famous reggae producers of all time), who warmed up the audience before Sinead came out, when they also acted as her backing band. She then launched into the tunes on her new album of reggae songs, Throw Down Your Arms. Earlier in the day I'd read an interview where Sinead said she wasn't doing any of her earlier songs in concert anymore and that she was only doing material from her new album. She stayed true to this, and it was pretty much a dissapointment. Personally, I have mixed feelings about reggae. While there are some great songs in the genre (Bob Marley's "Buffalo Solider", Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come") and I'm a big fan of a heavy bass-line, a lot of reggae sounds repetitious and boring to me. And the same was true about Sinead's concert. Some of the songs (a mix of covers and originals) were really good, and others were just plain tedious. A lot of people in the audience seemed happy, but I would have much preferred an overview of her whole career, especially since I'd never seen her in concert before. Except for one particularly hot backup singer, there wasn't much to keep my attention through much of the show and I found the whole thing to be a big let-down, despite Sinead's passionate performance.
Fiona Apple at the Orpheum
Fiona Apple is riding high on the vindication of her new album, Extraordinary Machine, which had been shelved by the studio for years before it was leaked to the internet and built up enough buzz to get the album properly released. Onstage, she puts on an amazing show, which revolves around that incredible voice of hers. She seems a little closed of and even awkward on stage (making sure that the spotlights never linger on her too long, and spending a lot of the show in shadows), but none of it mattered. All that mattered were the songs, and the voice, and those were just fine. The Orpheum was the biggest of these three venues, but the sound mix was weak for the first half of the show (not Fiona's fault at all) and it made the band sound a little distant. But by the mid-way point the band was kicking things up just fine and Fiona owned the theater the entire time she was onstage. Great show and much more satisfying that Sinead's foray into reggae. Unfortunately, the opening act was yet another lame, unremarkable guy with a guitar. I didn't even notice if he said his name. I know it's easy on the headliner to have these kinds of acts - you don't have set up instruments for one guy with a guitar - but I am getting so sick of these lame-ass singer/songwriter guys. I wish they'd ban these muthafuckers.
Movies:
JESUS IS MAGIC - Sarah Silverman may be most well-known these days for being the girlfriend of talk show host (and mediocre comedian) Jimmy Kimmel, but the truth is she's been a great stand-up comic for years now and is actually out of Kimmel's league when it comes to comic talent. Silverman might just be the funniest woman you'll ever see. A recent highlight was her hilarious appearance in the comedy documentary THE ARISTOCRATS earlier this year, where she was one of many comedians doing their own versions of the world's dirtiest joke. Well, Jesus is Magic is 100% Silverman. It shuffles between her stand-up act, brief skits, and musical numbers all spotlighting Sarah. The skits are kind of unnecessary, the musical numbers are pretty funny, but it's the stand-up material that's the meat of this movie, and you'll find yourself laughing a lot. Silverman's schtick is that she says shocking and awful things, but her delivery is so sweet and innocent that she gets away with it. It works. A small movie that you should check out if you love comedy. And it would actually make a great double-feature with The Aristocrats.
Good-bye, Richard Pryor!
And finally, we bid farewell to Richard Pryor who died this past Saturday at age 65. Pryor was in poor health in the later years of his life, but when he was young and healthy, he was probably the best comedian of his generation. If Bill Hicks is my favorite stand-up comedian of all time, then Pryor is a really close second. Pryor was the guy who brought searing honesty to comedy and his stand-up films are still astonishing classics. While his movie career got watered down as it went along (he had great chemistry with Gene Wilder, but a lot of their films together are sanitized, especially where Pryor is concerned - even so, it's worth checking out Silver Streak or, even better Stir Crazy). His movie image seemed like someone desperate to come off as a likable guy (see especially THE TOY), but his stand-up was ballsy because he revealed true things about his life that weren't always flattering. And he was simply brilliant when it came to combining his life story with scathing social observation. He also had a terrific comedy show in the late 70's on NBC that only lasted about eight episodes before it was yanked off the air for being too edgy (and ahead of its time). A lot of people were influenced by Pryor: from obvious examples like Eddie Murphy (back when he was actually funny)to legions of comedians who followed his lead and incorporated their personal lives into their acts. But there was only one Richard Pryor. The guy was a fucking genius and he'll be missed.
