October 5, 2008
Dragon-Con
Okay, so when we were kids, my brother and I used to totally make fun of Dragon-Con science-fiction conventions. The commercials would come on with someone shouting "Dragon-Con" in what sounded like an echo-room: "DRAGON [dramatic pause] CON CON CON con".
And then, of course, the guests of honor would be listed in Star-Wars-ish font, receding across the screen.
I mean, what was there not to make fun of? Never mind the fact that the only reason we were seeing the commercials was because we were watching Star Trek reruns.
More recently, Tim and I have seen a Simpson's episode that takes cracks at sci-fi conventions, and a Freaks and Geeks episode that treats the phenomenon quite affectionately.
Well, I've decided to mend my ways and stop making fun of DRAGON CON CON CON con.
It brought us two great things this year. When it happened a few weeks ago, we got to visit from our dear friend Karen, Tim's old college pal. She's a dealer--making and commissioning her own very cool Firefly-related memorabilia. We went to pick her up, and at first watching the people file out of the conference in their sci-fi-themed costumes seemed a little odd. But it was downtown Atlanta--vampires walking out in broad daylight aren't the strangest things you'll see there!
So, we rescued Karen from the Ghoulies and Ghosties and Long-Legged Beasties, and took her to a little Southern diner.
And, during our discussion with Karen, in which I was poking fun at Dragon-Con a bit, she informed me that Sean Astin was there, and she heard him speak. Sean Astin. Adorable little Samwise.
I am somewhat of a Tolkien geek snob afficionado. I mean, our daughter's named Elanor!
I was actually rather upset when I heard there were movies coming out, because I knew everyone would say that they were Tolkien fans, even if they hadn't even touched the books. I even predicted that in the commercialization of the books, they might even come out with buy-your-very-own-rings-of-power (and unfortunately, I was all too correct in that prediction). But I ended up absolutely loving the movies, and especially Astin's portrayal of Sam.
Karen recorded the session with Astin, and mailed us a copy. He's as endearing, down-to-earth, funny, and transparent as I thought he would be. The perfect Sam. And he talked about his daughter playing Elanor in the film, which made me "awwwww" out loud. So, thanks so much, Karen, for the Sean Astin goodness, and inspiring me to mend my sci-fi-con-bashing ways! Come back to Dragon-Con again next year!!!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:42 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 29, 2008
You must read Donne out loud--it's like a Bach fugue
Anyone who likes books and/or is an anglophile should see 84 Charing Cross. It's a lovely, quiet little movie about a feisty writer (played by Anne Bankroft) in New York who develops a long-term correspondence with an owner of a bookstore (Anthony Hopkins) in London. Very sweet, and based on actual letters. Someone on Wikipedia actually cataloged many of the books she bought over the years. When Tim took a trip to London in his bachelor days he stayed in a hotel on Monmouth St. in Seven Dials (2 blocks from Charing Cross Road) just so he could be near the bookshops.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 9:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 27, 2008
I'm Not There
Yeah, so after reading Funke's mention of the movie, I remembered how curious I was about I'm Not There. We had wanted to see it in our local warehouse turned indy movie with beer and coffee place, but it just never worked out.
Which was just as well in the long run. Tim hated it.
It was postmodern almost to the point of incoherency at points. Five actors and an actress portraying the different dimensions of Dylan's life and work. I was intrigued by the idea of it, but often it seemed to break down under the weight of its own polyphony. At some points, there was just too much going on.
The thing is, we both like movies that play with narrative. And we both adore Dylan. But...
In some ways the movie presumes too much knowledge, and then just repeats that which most Dylan fans would already know. It takes whole sections of footage used in earlier documentaries (Don't Look Back and Scorsese's No Direction Home), and then just recreates them using the different actors/actress. There didn't seem to be much new insight into the events.
What I liked? Cate Blanchett as Dylan. Actually, I thought it would be my least favorite aspect of the movie. I thought using a woman to portray Dylan was just a publicity stunt. But she was perfect. Vulnerable, opaque, defensive, complicated, yet with a child-like translucency. I think the reasons it didn't bother me to have her play him (I honestly thought it would be too distracting to have a woman play Dylan) is first of all her stunning acting job, and secondly, the familiarity I have of the use of trouser roles in operas (think Mary Martin as Peter Pan).
I also really like the sections with a young African-American boy portraying Dylan. It wove together really great bits: the influence of blues and spirituals on Dylan, his fascination with music of earlier times, his made-up biography, even the metaphor of trains and travel that permeate his music.
The soundtrack was fabulous. It pretty much stayed away from the top-ten sort of Dylan songs, and used many of his more obscure but fascinating songs.
What I hated? Richard Gere as Dylan as a cowboy in some kind of surreal universe. Very weird, and didn't seem to fit . Dylan as a pentecostal preacher spewing out some civil religion nonsense that didn't seem very Dylanesque, but perhaps they used his actual words. Not too much on his conversion experience, which I would have loved to hear more about.
I liked Scorsese's film much better. And as I thought about it, it has its own polyphony, the defensive voice of the young Dylan contrasting with the older, thoughtful Dylan peering back at his life and interpreting what he sees.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 1:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 29, 2008
Goals for tonight
(1) End The War.
(2) Put David Copperfield out of his misery.
BTW, this David Copperfield is a very cute little Daniel Radcliffe.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 4:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 6, 2007
Paris, je t'aime (for Funke)
J'aime "Paris, je t'aime"!* It's extremely imaginative, like Amelie. Tim described it as the cinematic equivalent of poetry--a dozen or so five minute films by different directors that capture a whole world with brevity. Each film is by a different director, and takes place in a different arrondissement or neighborhood in Paris. Wikipedia has a neat entry on Paris, je t'aime listing each of the shorts films by their arrondissement.
Some of the films are surreal and amusing ludicrous (one involving a family of mimes), other ones are incredibly poignant (what happens when a man about to leave his wife discovers she has cancer).
My favorite was one where an American mail-carrier retells her first experience in Paris, with a truly wretched French accent. But as she talks on, her account of how Paris changed her world becomes more and more moving almost because of her ordinariness and the halting language she uses to tell her story.
So, go see it if you can, Funke! I'd love to hear what you think!!
*I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, though, one of the stories focuses on drug use, and there is some implied sexuality in a couple of others (oh, those french!).
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:20 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 2, 2007
New York Movie List, cont.
okay, here's the movie list so far, from suggestions and movies that I've remembered:
*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn [book and movie are extraordinarily powerful. And a good reflection of the immigrant experience and the diversity of New York City. And I found out what rag pickers are]
*Almost any Woody Allen movie [Jeannette's suggestion]
*The Godfather movies, especially the second one with flashbacks to New York during the early part of the 20th century, and an incredible scene of Ellis Island
*Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence (Joanna's read the book, and we're planning to watch the movie together. [update: we watched it--it's quite good]
*Ric Burns' many hour documentary New York.
*The haunting indy film In America, taking place in Hell's Kitchen
*Ghostbusters [Tim Smith's suggestion--wow, I haven't seen that movie since I was wee!]
*Men in Black [Tim Smith again. Ooo, that reminds me of seeing Will Smith in his recent movie Pursuit of Happyness , which is incredible]
*The Muppets Take Manhattan [*grin* Non-sequiter, for some reason the teenagers at church have developed an obsession with the Swedish Chef. A few weeks ago they had a slumber party at our house and wanted to fast-forward through our Muppet Show DVD to all of the Swedish Chef bits, and then performed their own interpretations for us].
Any other ideas, folks? We'll keep the list going!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:37 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 27, 2007
Good New York flicks?
We're thinking about going to New York City in the springtime, so we're starting to watch films taking place there to get the feeling of the place before we go. Anyone have suggestions--movies or books?
So far, some of the ones we've watched/are watching/plan to watch are:
*Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence (Joanna's read the book, and we're planning to watch the movie together.
*Ric Burns' many hour documentary New York.
*The haunting indy film In America, taking place in Hell's Kitchen
Any other ideas, folks? We'll put together a list...
Posted by Tim and Jo at 3:04 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 16, 2006
Sleepless in Seattle vs. the Simpsons
So, we've watched a couple of chick flicks recently. Tim owes me for braving through Band of Brothers--just kidding! Every time we rewatch When Harry Met Sally, there's a new nuance we laugh at, maybe because it's a movie that completely revolves around interesting conversations.
Anyways, along the same vein--being on a slight Meg Ryan kick--we watched Sleepless in Seattle. I had watched it long ago and only had vague memories of it. Tim had never seen it before. I remembered the hype about it years ago, and remembered not thinking it was all that great, but was fine with trying it again.
Tim had a bad attack of allergies tonight and I was fighting off a cold so we both sniffled and tissued our way through the movie. I was struck by the fact that the main defect of Fiance #1 (played by Bill Pullman) was that he had bad allergies. Other than that, he was sweet, kind, thoughtful and generous.
I don't mind a good chick flick, it doesn't have to be terribly deep. But S in S was trite and smarmy. And the "message" was awful, just dressed up in fluffiness to look cute.
It was about an affair! Sure, Meg Ryan and Bill Pullman were only engaged, but they were living together and had promised to marry each other. So, when the going gets dull (or sniffly), follow your romantic inclinations, dump your partner, and find true love. We both would have been in trouble tonight--sniffle, sniffle, snort, snort, sneeze, sneeze. And your partner will practically say "go get 'em, Tiger" right after you dump him? And talking to your eight year old son about "getting laid" is cute?!?!?
I bet I know people who think this movie is oh-so-sweet, but would be scandalized by The Simpsons. And there are a few "oh my" moments where The Simpsons goes a bit too far. But I find them much more refreshing than the cotton candy coated junk we ingested tonight. Sure, I wouldn't let young kids watch it, but I think much of the time the "shocking" stuff in the Simpsons satires (and critiques!!) stuff out already out there.
I distinctly remember an episode where a younger, sexy singer who shares many of his interests (beer and eating, mainly) gets interested in Homer. And Homer turns her down because doltish as he seems sometimes, he's shown as having a heart of gold and being deeply committed to his family.
It seems to me in lasting love, that the "dull moments" are part of the romance, the threads that form the foundation for the sparkly moments woven in between, both coming together to create a strong and durable relationship.
I'll take a Duff over fluff any night!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 9:38 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
July 15, 2006
random reviews
I've been busy, busy, busy, so I haven't been writing much lately. But here and there, Tim and I have watched a few interesting movies. So, here's a couple of quick reviews.
Here's Tim's take on it...
We saw an incredible movie a couple of weeks ago – Shakespeare Behind Bars, a documentary about a group of prisoners in a Kentucky jail who, under the guidance of an outside director, staged a full length performance of The Tempest for their fellow inmates and then took it to other prisons in the U.S. It was amazing to see that these wretched men who committed heinous crimes were able to cooperate with each other, speak kindly, take criticism constructively (for the most part!) and really treat the play and Shakespeare seriously. For many of them, acting out a character in a play opened up parts of their psyche which they had been hiding from. Their life stories were so sad. Listening to their interviews, their greatest concern wasn’t about fighting their imprisonment, nor fighting the world. They were fighting themselves – what they had become, and this came out in the way they interpreted and portrayed their characters in the play. It was great seeing how some prisons provide the means for the prisoners to improve themselves. It’s better than letting them just rot in their cells year after year.
Joanna: This is an unbelievable movie. I think it's really easy to escape our own sin and brokenness, and this gets you into the hearts of people who have broken themselves beyond all escape. I found myself realizing that Shakespeare isn't enough, and wishing that they had the true gospel. It was wonderful, though, how Shakespeare gave them words to articulate their own struggles. I was weeping by the time we left the movie theater, and I wasn't the only one.
We’ve also been delving into the history of American music by watching Ken Burns’s Jazz and Martin Scorsese’s The Blues. Ken Burns deals as much with race relations, politics, the growth of cities and sociology as he does with the music (which isn’t a criticism). Burns’s history is strictly chronological, but Scorcese’s is more non-linear, showing how modern blues players have a direct connection to Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Blind Lemon Jefferson. The Burns series has little to say about “modern jazz” (whatever that is), because so much of it has strayed so far from the roots of jazz that few connections can be made. Is it even “jazz”? Interesting – the Blues is always the Blues, but Jazz is a chameleon – it is ever changing.
We're still obsessed with French culture, and indulged ourselves by watching The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Cleo from 5 to 7. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is enthralling: gorgeous music--every line of dialogue is sung, like a Wagnerian endless melody ("except more melodic" Joanna jibes as Tim cringes), bright glossy colors, and a bittersweet plot.
Cleo from 5 to 7 was a classic example of the French new wave and it waved right over our heads. It had beautiful scenes of out-of-the-way sections of Paris (no overused iconic pictures of the Eiffel Tower in this flick), but we didn't quite get it. It was filmed in real time, as a woman examined (?) her own life (?) while she was waiting to hear from her doctor whether or not she had cancer. She spent her time fluctuating between indulging in mindless frivolities, and occasionally glimpsing her dire situation. Ahh, directionless French existential angst in action, er, not in action. Whatever!
Posted by Tim and Jo at 9:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 20, 2006
Band of Brothers Part II: I Survived
I made it through Band of Brothers! I feel like I deserve some kind of medal for it. Ten hours. Ten sometimes beautiful, sometimes poignant, unrelenting hours. I feel like I should be part of a special "made it all the way through Band of Brothers club." I don't usually cry much during movies, but this was an exception. Here's an approximate time-line of my emotional state:
Continue reading "Band of Brothers Part II: I Survived"
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 25, 2006
Gruesome "Grizzly Man"
"The bears only left him alive so long prob'ly 'cause they thought that there wasn't somepin' right wi' him...like he was mentally retarded or somepin'"
-Quote from a park ranger
For a big gulp of bizzareness, watch Grizzly Man. It's about a guy so obsessed with grizzly bears that he begins to think that he's a bear, too, realizing his mistake only when he gets munched. Eeek. You don't see that--thank goodness! But the director tells the story of Timothy Treadwell through the footage that Timothy took while he was out in the wild, and through interviews with his odd, hippy friends (and a creepy smiling coroner). It sounds like a grim story, but Timothy's egocentric but dynamic personality draws you into the story, and there are very funny (albeit dark) moments of humor in it. It ends with a helicopter pilot singing along with a song "Coyotes," the chorus of which is "PoooYip, pooYip, poooo, pududooYip, poooYip poooo."
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 22, 2006
Spielberg as historian?
Tim has started initiating me into the exciting realms of "guy flicks". We worked our way through the Godfather trilogy, with interesting discussions on its relationship to Greek tragedies. I couldn't stomach too much more of the gangster genre--Scarface was a little too much for me.
He's also introduced me to the war genre of movies. Right now, we're working through the mini-series Band of Brothers, co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. It's a true story of an airnorne unit in WWII, each episode introduced by interviews with surviving veterans from that unit. I get choked up by their stories before the episodes even start. The series is beautifully done. Oftentimes, the color is faded, almost like hand-painted photographs from the same time period. The show uses powerful imagery as well--an Edelweiss bud in the lapel of a dead German soldier, an upright piano in the street of a battle-wrecked village. It's rough going though, it paints a gritty picture of the realities of war (I saw on netflix that it's rated MA, I assume for the gruesome and realistic violence). I've made it through the first three episodes, with seven left to go. Hopefully I can be a brave soldier and make it through all of them.
But it's set me thinking about Spielberg's role as a historian. It seems to me (oh, I hate to admit this since I'm endeavoring to become a historian using words as my medium) that he tells stories through cinema that penetrate people's consciousness more indelibly than stories told merely through words. But then--and I think this is partly why I would categorize him as a serious historian--he connects his movies with story-telling or history-telling by the people who participated in the events he narrates, such as his work with Holocaust memorials after directing Schindler's List, and the interviews with veterans in Band of Brothers, and additionally, on the Band of Brother's website, there's a section for veterans to tell their own stories.
Posted by Tim and Jo at 11:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack