Yearly Archives: 2009

Movie Review: Lawrence of Arabia

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Is “Lawrence of Arabia” the best epic ever made?
Is it proper to state that “Lawrence of Arabia” is the best epic ever made as a question? Or would it have been better to do so with a period? Hollywood has retained a fascination with epic filmmaking, but it is best to say the statement “best epic ever made” should end with a period. David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” is the pinnacle of epic filmmaking. It is vast and stunning in nearly every aspect. Everything from the editing to the score is absolutely overwhelming.

“Lawrence of Arabia” is a biopic about T.E. Lawrence. The first scene is visual trickery; it begins with a not-so old T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) crashing his motorcycle. Within five minutes, the main character has died. Before he crashes, he looks so young. Even in his short life, he achieved more than most humans have in their entire lives. 
Lawrence was a British poet and lieutenant. During World War I, Lawrence helped lead the Arabs to fight off the invading Turks of the Ottoman Empire. With all of the strife today in the Middle East, the film feels all too relevant. It is one that may contain some great wisdom to deal with the region. 
But, forget about politics for now. What really needs to be focused on is every technical aspect of this film. First off, there is the cinematography, which ranks among the best in film history. Director of photography Freddie Young makes you feel like you’re right there in the desert with the troops. The aerial shots combined with a sweeping musical score is nothing short of awe inspiring. Seeing thousands of camels from the sky is almost more powerful than being right there on the ground with them. 
Another of the film’s most impressive feats is its editing. The best transition ever in a movie is in “2001: A Space Odyssey” when a bone flung in the air suddenly turns into space station way into the future. Millions of years of human progress was covered in one tiny leap. The second best transition ever comes from “Lawrence of Arabia.” It is when a small lit match suddenly turns into the rising sun over the desert; a sunrise that makes the sky look literally on fire. One small flame turns into a giant overwhelming fire; one man will lead an army to unimaginable results.
There are too many other classic moments in this film to recount. Omar Sharif walking out of a mirage. The train crash. And the final battle.
Of course, the movie has its flaws. It is filled with historical inaccuracies, exaggerations, and racism (don’t get me started on Anthony Quinn in brown face). In a worse movie like say, “300,” all of the inaccuracies would’ve bothered me to an extreme. But because “Lawrence of Arabia” is such an incredible achievement in filmmaking, all of those inaccuracies seem miniscule amid the gigantic scope of the film.
The definition of an epic film today seems to be a movie that consists of giant battle sequences that include a crusading hero giving an uplifting speech. Of the movie’s nearly four hour running time, barely thirty minutes of it consists of battle scenes. What makes the film epic is its scope in nearly every aspect. The directing, cinematography, and editing set up a larger than life story. Even O’Toole’s portrayal of Lawrence is epic. He adds more conflict and mixed emotions to his character than any actor I’ve seen. “Lawrence of Arabia” reminds us of the endless limits a film can go, even without the help of computer technology
Recommended for Fans Of: Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, There Will Be Blood, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, Once Upon a Time in the West, Seven Samurai, The Searchers, Anything by Steven Speilberg
Here are what two of the film’s surviving cast members (who sound an awful lot like the Jonas Brothers when they sing) have to say about “Lawrence of Arabia”:

Announcing the Return of Sacha Baron Cohen: Bruno

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The past few weeks, I’ve had the fortune of being poured on with good news. News of a new Richard Linklater movie. News of a new Miyazaki movie. Trailers for “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Inglourious Basterds,” and “Funny People.” Now, I give you the official trailer for the movie version of “Bruno.”

Of the three characters Sacha Baron Cohen’s gay Austrian fashion designer was the least compelling (Ali G and Borat are hard to beat). But, I think a very short segment in a 30 minute show wasn’t enough time, and maybe a full length movie is what this character needs.
“Bruno” is very similar to “Borat”: Baron Cohen heads to America, in character 24/7 and ironically mocks stereotypes and exposes ignorance. The trailer looks strange, shocking, over-the-top, and hilarious beyond belief. As I watched the trailer, I remained nearly speechless as to how Cohen was able to get Ron Paul and a television talk show to fall for his elaborate scheme. Sacha Baron Cohen is by far the bravest comedian working in the field today.
“Bruno” comes out on July 10. Unfortunately, those censor-loving tyrants at the MPAA gave the movie an NC-17. Hopefully (and most likely), the movie will be downgraded to an R. It better be, because I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t see this movie in theaters.
Verdict: As I said, Bruno isn’t the best of Cohen’s characters; but this movie has huge potential. Hopefully, it won’t get as overexposed as “Borat” did (not to say “Borat” isn’t funny anymore. This clip still scares me).

Why Richard Linklater Will Save the College Flick

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While doing my daily browsing on ew.com, I made a very exciting discovery. Richard Linklater, auteur of the greatest high school movie ever made, “Dazed & Confused,” has a new movie coming out about college. More specifically, it’s about a group of college kids lost (“Dazed”) and mystified (“Confused”) during their first weekend of college in 1980.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t follow the characters of “Dazed & Confused” into their first days of college, but it will hopefully create a cast of characters who are just as memorable. Since this movie takes place in 1980, it is no doubt a nostalgia film. Nobody captures nostalgia better than Linklater. I was not alive in 1976, but “Dazed & Confused” made me feel like I was right there, and knew pretty much everything about the 70s. From the Aerosmith soundtrack to the hazing and the pot smoking; the audience understood what it was like to be a teen in 1976. It was about the pressure, but also about the good times. Times have changed, but teens today could still related to the teens of “Dazed & Confused.”
This is really why I’m excited to see what Linklater will bring to the college comedy. Over the past years, the genre has totally evaporated into brainless shlock. Every college comedy seems to show college as one giant party, and then of course the dean tries to ruin everything. Then, the kids bring the dean down and it’s happy times for all. “Animal House” started this and they did it just right. So many filmmakers have tried to imitate “Animal House”‘s style, but they all fail. Maybe it’s because no scene of a bunch of inexperienced kids throwing up after drinking for the first time could match the subtle comic brilliance of watching John Belushi devour a plate of jello in one bite.
But, I digress. The reason this movie will revive the college comedy is because it sounds like “Dazed & Confused” set on a university campus. And I mean that in the best possible way. While “Dazed & Confused” captured the life of a group of varied high schoolers over one night, Linklater’s new film will capture the life of college kids over just one weekend. The teens of “Dazed & Confused” found out that despite what social group they come from, none of them are too different. What better place could that lesson be taught then at a college on the very first weekend. This film will have depth and show that comedies can have depth. Overall, it’s those tiny connections between humans that can propel a comedy from funny to masterpiece. This typically is the essence of a Linklater film.
Now, the college comedy hasn’t totally died. Judd Apatow brought it back with touching humor and stark realism with his TV series “Undeclared.” Unfortunately, it was cancelled after one season. Maybe it is because people don’t like realism. They like ridiculous fantasy. But, I think this new movie will show that realism can be funny and entertaining, as well as enlightening.
Unfortunately, this movie, currently being called a “spiritual sequel” to “Dazed & Confused,” has yet to find a distributor. Studio executives I beg you, take a risk and invest in Linklater’s latest film.

Where The Wild Things Are: An Awesome Movie Based on an Awesome Book

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After months of reshoots and other controversies, “Where the Wild Things Are,” based on the book by Maurice Sendak, finally got a trailer. And might I say, it looks awesome. Rather than putting it in the hands of one of the idiots who thought “High School Musical” was a good influence on children, the classic story is being handled by Spike Jonze. This is the same Spike Jonze who’s wild imagination brought Charlie Kaufman’s scripts of “Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation” to life. 

Hopefully, Jonze will make a fantasy world seem as wildly real and plausible as that of “Spirited Away” while using this fantasy to mirror the darkness of reality like in “Pan’s Labyrinth,” minus all that bloody Spanish Civil War stuff.
For now, I just pray the studios haven’t butchered the film like reports have claimed. Then again, the films that get butchered by studios usually prove to be the best ones (see: “Apocalypse Now”).

Sign the World Isn’t Ending: Hayao Miyazaki’s Latest Film Comes to America

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Hayao Miyazaki, the visual mastermind behind such anime masterpieces as “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away,” has made his next film. It is called “Ponyo,” and it has been set for a U.S. release date of August 14.

“Ponyo” is about a goldfish that longs to become human. Now, that might sound a little strange, but Miyazaki has the amazing ability to take the most absurd childhood fantasies and turn them into something believable and mature. This is more than what can be said for most movies aimed at children nowadays (I’m talking to you, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”).
I’m usually wary of foreign films that get dubbed for their U.S. release because I’m a subtitle guy. But John Lasseter, another animation mastermind who created Pixar, is producing the English language version. He has produced most of the other English translations of Miyazaki films. Each film has made it smoothly from Japanese to English. I have no doubt this one shouldn’t either.
I will try and forget the fact that Miley Cyrus’s sister and a Jonas are in this movie, because the cast also includes Lily Tomlin, Cloris Leachman, Liam Neeson, and Tina Fey amongst others. Everyone knows you can’t go wrong with Tina Fey, and the addition of Hayao Miyazaki just makes it all the better.
Story Found Here 
Trailer Below (it’s in Japanese, sorry):

Quentin is Back: Inglourious Basterds Trailer

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It’s been five years since Quentin Tarantino’s last feature length film, “Kill Bill: Volume 2″ and two years since he collaborated with Robert Rodriguez on “Grindhouse.” Now, the brilliant auteur who likes to take long breaks is finally back, with a film carrying the gloriously misspelled title of “Inglourious Basterds.” Why is the title misspelled? This is one thing I cannot comprehend about Quentin’s new movie. However, I can determine many things about this movie from merely viewing the trailer.

First off, “Basterds” is somewhat of a departure from form for Tarantino. This film leaves sunny souther California for Nazi-occupied France during WWII. It tells the story from a troop of Jewish American soldiers.
The cast of the film is even more perplexing than the title. The cast includes Brad Pitt, B.J. Novak (“The Office”), Samm Levine (a.k.a Neil Schweiber on “Freaks and Geeks”), and…Mike Myers. Quentin is known for re-launching the careers of many stars (John Travolta, Pam Grier, David Carridine, etc), so maybe he can make America forget that Myers ever made “The Love Guru.”
The best thing to be said about the cast is that Samuel L. Jackson is listed as the narrator. Hopefully, Quentin will give him a few Bible verses to read along with some “motherf—ers” to shout.
Mainly, “Inglourious Basterds” looks more like a throwback to the movies Quentin grew up with than a war movie on the same line as “Saving Private Ryan.” It seems more like a simple story of a bunch of pissed off Jews looking to murder some Nazis. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Tarantino has a way of pulling out such themes about the meaning of life and the value of forgiveness out of such simple ideas as revenge is bad, there’s more to life than money, and stealing is wrong. Using his massive knowledge of pop culture, Tarantino will hopefully find something new out of the theme likely encompassing this story: war is hell.
I personally could not be more excited for this. Every time Quentin releases a new movie, it is an experience that shouldn’t be neglected. His character driven stories and complex and hilariously pop culture driven dialogue have made Quentin among the greatest writer-directors in Hollywood.
Coming out August 21. Here’s the trailer:

Breaking News: Natasha Richardson Dies

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Actress Natasha Richardson, of the legendary Redgrave family and husband to Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List”), has died. She succumbed to brain damage that resulted from a skiing accident after being taken off of life support. She was 45.

Unfortunately, I am not as familiar with the work of Richardson as I was with another famous star who died a few months ago, Paul Newman. However, every time someone who greatly contributes to cinema passes away it is always worth honoring them. I do know now that I would like to see the work of this much-praised actress. For now, my condolences go out to Liam Neeson, their two sons, and the rest of Richardson’s family.

Video of the Day: Worst Line Reading Ever

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Ryan O’Neil might’ve carried the three hour weight of Stanley Kubrick’s extraordianry “Barry Lyndon” quite well, but take away the Kubrick, and you have an actor who pretty much sucks at delivering lines. Here’s a scene from “Tough Guys Don’t Dance” in which O’Neil gives the worst line reading I’ve ever heard in a film. But, you can also blame it on the writing. What lazy writer thought the line “Oh God, oh man, oh God, oh man” was passable dialogue? See it to believe it:

TV/Theatre Review: You’re Welcome America, A Final Night With George W. Bush

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Unfortunately, I could not witness this once in a lifetime experience live. But thank God for HBO, I was able to catch a show of “You’re Welcome America,  A Final Night with George W. Bush.”

In case you haven’t heard, this show isn’t about the real George Bush. It’s about the fake George Bush, or the George Bush I prefer: Will Ferrell. Ferrell portrayed Bush during his years on “Saturday Night Live” (that role was filled once Ferrell left by not as accurate impersonations by Will Forte and Jason Sudekis) and did the best Bush impersonation anyone has ever done. In fact, it might just be one of the best celebrity impersonations ever.
Many SNL skits can’t survive the transition from five minute short to ninety minute feature. However, Ferrell’s Bush transitions quite smoothly, and he manages to hold our attention, and make us laugh, for the full ninety minute running time of the show.
“You’re Welcome America” is focused solely on Bush, so it makes sense that it is a one man show. In it, a more relaxed, post-presidency Bush descends from a helicopter and shares his life story. He traces back from his early days of his birth in Connecticut (Connecticut firmly apologizes for that, America) to his party-boy college years and then to his presidency. He focuses largely on the War in Iraq, his Texas Ranch, and his strange relationship with his cabinet members, especially Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. 
Throughout the show, Bush serenades his audience with anecdotes of his past life, such as his experience being trapped in a mine shaft with his father and a certain relationship he had while going AWOL in Vermont. Lets just say that after hearing that story you’ll never want to use the phrase “western grip” in a sentence ever again.
Pretty much the entire show goes smoothly. The only hitch was a story about a monkey army. It was funny at first and funny in theory, but the joke carries on too long and kind of looses its funny by the end of it. Maybe they could’ve used some more of that time to further poke fun at Bush’s handling of Hurricane Katrina and maybe a little bit of Scooter Libby and sprinkled with a bit of North Korea. Note: the name Osama Bin Laden is only mentioned once throughout the entire play. Way under my estimates.
But besides that, the entire show is excellent, and of course that is all owed to the brains behind it: Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. Their comedy movement is sweeping the internet, and now broadway as well.
But I can’t finish this review without mentioning Ferrell’s performance. It is nothing short of comic brilliance. As usual, he nails every aspect of Bush in his impersonation down to the last detail. He gets the voice down right and even his method of walking (in Texas, it’s just called walking). He uses many of Bush’s mannerisms, the biggest being the way in which he gives every person he meets a nickname. He never once refers to Barack Obama as Barack Obama, just as the Tiger Woods guy. 
Not once does Ferrell’s performance feel hammy or contrived. I could sit there and watch him for another hour-and-a-half and still want more. In fact, there is a moment of near emotional relevance that occurs in the show. In it, Bush asks for a moment of silence for all of the dead Iraqis. That smirk has disappeared, and instead his eyes grow red as what appears to be real tears stream down. Ferrell has turned his Bush impression from a character to a real person. The overall point of Ferrell’s Bush impersonation is now seen: Bush is not a bad guy. He’s just a guy with speaking problems who just wants to party. It’s the forces that controlled him while he was in office that are really to blame. Of course, all of this ends with a phone call from Michael “Brownie” Brown. 
Other highlights include Ferrell’s hysterical Spanish accent (with an obligatory “Vicky Cristina Barcelona reference”) and his soon to-be-famous nickname calling which was most likely improvised. Many critics who have panned the show (boo!) claimed that the best part was an appearance by an actress playing Condoleeza Rice dancing. Funny as it was, it was not the best part. It was Ferrell’s show. And he owned it.
We might not be able to blame George Bush for America’s problems any more, but we can thank him for inspiring some of the best comedy this country has ever seen. So instead of saying you’re welcome America, say thanks, Bush.

A Great Way to Start Your Weekend: Jon Hamm

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Jon Hamm can be serious (“Mad Men”)*. Jon Hamm can be funny (“30 Rock”). Now, he’s seriously funny as Lex Luther in this parody of the current financial crisis from “Funny or Die.” I was going to use this space to discuss my thoughts on Jon Stewart vs. Jim Cramer on “The Daily Show” last night but I feel like so much has been written about it that there’s little left for me to say except, well done Stewart. It’s early in the year but I already think you may be destined for an Emmy, a Peabody Award, or a Nobel Peace Prize, perhaps. Anyway, enjoy this clip. And I seriously believe that once “Mad Men” ends (hopefully not soon) Jon Hamm should pursue a career in comedy. He could make it:

*”Mad Men” review coming soon